A frustrated student begged Guishan, "Just tell me!" Guishan replied, "If I told you, later on you would resent me." We are all on a spiritual journey. All of us, whether we know it or not. We are only in trouble when we realize it. Once embarking on the journey, the hounds of heaven nip at the heels, the gnawing need does not go away. There is no where to go but into the mystery. This has meant dark nights alone gazing at stars, sensing the dark within, wondering, praying

Lingyun was wandering in the mountains and became lost in his walking. He rounded a bend and saw peach blossoms on the other side of the valley. This sight awakened him and he wrote this poem: For thirty years I searched for a master swordsman. How many times did the leaves fall and the branches break into bud? But from the moment I saw the peach blossoms, I’ve had no doubts. Centuries later the Japanese teacher Keizan responded with his own poem: The village pea

There is another world, but it is in this one. -Paul Eluard The realm of the God is like a woman carrying a jar full of meal who sets off on a long road. . While she was walking, the handle of the jar broke (and) the meal poured out behind her on the road. She was unaware, she had not noticed the misfortune. When she came to her house, she put the jar down (and) found it empty. Gospel of Thomas, #97 The road that you walk, the path that you take is both seen and unseen, know

Companionship The teacher said, “I'm not asking about before the full moon, say a word or two about after the full moon.” The teacher answered his own question, “Every day is a good day.” The teacher here is Yunmen. Here is addressing the assembly concerning enlightenment. He is not asking about before enlightenment, he wants a word about after enlightenment, what it is like, how things go. Before anyone can say a thing he pulls the rug out from under the question by saying