The wind was making the temple flag flutter. There were two monks arguing. One said the flag was moving. One said the wind was moving. They argued back and forth without reaching the truth.
The Sixth Patriarch said to them, "It is not the wind moving, and it is not the flag moving. It is your minds that are moving."
The two monks were startled.

A soldier named Nobushige came to Hakuin and asked: "Is there really a paradise
and a hell?" "Who are you?" inquired Hakuin. "I am a samurai," the warrior replied. "You, a soldier!" exclaimed Hakuin. What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a beggar. Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued: "So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head." As Nosbushige drew his sword Hakuin remarked: Here open the gates of hell!" At these words the samurai, perceiving the master's discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed. Here open the gates of paradise," said Hakuin.

Shakyamuni Buddha and the dullard
There was a disciple of the Buddha who was very dull. His brother, another disciple, was an arhat, fully enlightened, and was also very smart. The dullard had been inspired by the teachings and had been ordained as a monk. He had the sweetest heart, but his mind was really slow. Because he was slow, his brother gave him as his practice a four-line verse of the Buddha's teaching to memorize. The dullard struggled and struggled to learn one line. Then, as he was trying to lear the second line, it pushed out the first. One line was all his mind could hold. This struggle went on and on; he simply did not have the intelligence to do it. His arhat brother finally gave up and said, "This is hopeless. You had better leave the order of monks." The poor dullard was totally dejected. He felt so sad, because his heart was devoted to the Dharma.
As the dullard was walking back to his village, feeling very low, the Buddha, knowing what had happened, came and walked by his side. He stroked the poor dullard's head and consoled him by giving him practice exactly suitable to his condition. "Here's a meditation subject for you. Take this white handkerchief and stand out in the hot sun and rub it." That was the whole meditation.
So the dullard took the handkerchief, went out in the sun, and began to rub it. Slowly the handkerchief started to become dirty with the sweat from his hand. As that happened, memories awakened in him of previous lifetimes of practice, when he had seen impurities coming from his body. As he continued to watch the soiled handkerchief, a profound dispassion arose and his mind opened. He became fully enlightened. It is said that as he became enlightened, intelligence and all the traditional psychic powers came to him, in addition to deep understanding of the Dharma. ... The story then ends by describing some good-humored psychic tricks the former dullard played on his surprised brother.

Long ago a Buddhist monk was caught by a tiger in the jungle. His fellow monks were unable to help him physically, but from a distance they yelled encourangement to him: "Stay aware! Pay attention!" It is said that, in the extrodinary intensity of being mauled, pulled down, and eaten, this monk attained all the stages of enlightenment in rapid succession before he died.

I do not partriculary recommend that you go into the jungle looking for tigers in order to advance quickly on the path! All too often, in one form or another, the tigers come to us. Then it is simply a question of whether we will use them to spiritual advantage or not.

In ancient times, there was an old cultivator who asked for instructions from a monk, "Great Monk, let me ask you, how can I attain liberation?" The Great monk said, "Who tied you up?" This old cultivator answered, "Nobody tied me up." The monk said, " So why do you seek liberation?"

Flower Adornment Sutra

Note: This means, if you don't have attachements, naturally you are liberated.

A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from generation to generation. Sengai obtained a large piece of paper and wrote, "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies." The rich man became angry. "I asked you to write something for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke as this?" "No joke is intended, explained Sengai. "If before you yourself die your son should die,
this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your family, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity."

In a temple in the northern part of Japan two brother monks were dwelling together. The elder one was learned, but the younger one was stupid and had one eye. A wondering monk came and asked for lodging, properly challenging them to a debate about the sublime teaching. The elder brother, tired that day from much studying, told the younger one to take his place. "Go and request the dialogue in silence", he cautioned. Shortly afterwards the traveler rose and went in to the elder brother and said: "Your younger brother is a wonderful fellow. He defeated me". "Relate the dialogue to me", said the elder one. "Well, explained the traveler, "First I held up one finger representing Buddha, the enlightened one. So he held up two fingers signifying Buddha and his teaching. I held up three fingers, representing Buddha, his teaching and his followers, living the harmonious life. Then he shook his clenched fist in my face, indicating that all three come from realization. Thus he won and so I have no right to remain here". With this, the traveler left. "Where is that fellow?" asked the younger one, running in to his elder brother. - "I understand you won the debate". - "Won nothing. I'm going to beat him up". - "Tell me the subject of the debate, asked the elder one. - "Why, the minute he saw me he held up one finger, insulting me by insinuating that I have only one eye. Since he was a stranger I thought I would be polite to him, so I held up two fingers, congratulating him that he has two eyes. Then the impolite wretch held up three fingers, suggesting that between us we only have three eyes. So I got mad and started to punch him, but he ran out and that ended it!"

Mother and Son
There is an old Japanese folktale known as Ubasuteyama. It is a sad story of poor village folk forced to take their parents up into the mountains and abandon them there in accordance with village regulations at a time of famine.

A son carrying his mother on his back trudged through hills and valleys until he was deep in the mountain, far away from all human habitation. At the moment of parting the mother asked her son if he thought he could return home safely without becoming lost.

"It'll soon be dark," she told him. "All the time you've been carrying me here, I have been catching twigs in my outstretched hands and dropping them one after another so that they could act as signposts on your way home. If you are not sure which way to go when you come to a crossing of the ways, choose the path on which you find a broken twig. Get home safely!" So saying she bid him farewell, bowing with her palms together. Left alone in the mountain, of course, the old mother had no means of returning home over fields and hills.

Even in such a difficult situation and faced with her own death, the mother looks after her son rather than herself. The mother hasn't abandoned her son, even if he has abandoned her. What deep love that is! Such true parental feeling! This is none other than the love and compassion of the Buddha. There is a poem about it:

In the depths of the mountains,
Who was it for the aged mother snapped
One twig after another?
Heedless of herself
She did so
For the sake of her son

The Man Who Was Given a Precious Vase
From Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom
(Dharmamitra Translation)

Once there was a man who constantly made offerings to a god. As this man was poverty-stricken, for twelve full years he single-mindedly made offerings seeking to gain wealth and nobility. The god felt pity for this man, manifest himself before him and asks, "What is it that you seek?"

The man replied, "I'm seeking for wealth and nobility. I desire to have it that I get whatever I wish for."

The god then gave him a vessel known as "the vase of virtue" and told the man, "Everything you need will come forth from this vase."

After the man got it there was nothing which he wished for that he did not gain. After he acquired the ability to get anything he wished for he built a fine house with elephants, horses and carriages and came to possess an abundance of the seven kinds of jewels. He gave generously to all of his guests so that they were never wanting in any respect. One of his guests inquired of him, "You used to be poverty-stricken. How is it that now you have come by such wealth as this?"

The man replied, "I received this celestial vase. The vase is able to
put forth all of these different kinds of things. Hence I have gained such
wealth."

The guest asked, "Would you show me the vase and something which it has put forth?"

And so he immediately brought out the vase. From within the vase he
drew forth all manner of objects. Then, in prideful carelessness he began to dance about on the top of the vase. The vase was immediately shattered. At
the very same time all of the different sorts of things which it had produced simultaneously disappeared.

One who upholds the precepts is just like this. He receives all manner of marvelous bliss and there is no wish which he does not realize. If, however,
a person breaks the precepts, if he becomes pridefully careless and gives
free reign to willfulness, he will be just like this man who broke the vase and lost everything.

Copyright © 2001. Bhikshu Dharmamitra. All rights reserved.

A woman wanted to know how to deal with anger. Master asked when anger arose whose anger it was. She said it was hers. Well, if it really was her anger, then she should be able to tell it to go away, shouldn't she? But it really isn't hers to command. Holding on to anger as a personal possession will cause suffering. If anger really belonged to us, it would have to obey us. If it doesn't obey us, that means it's only a deception. Don't fall for it. Whenever the mind is
happy or sad, don't fall for it. Its all a deception.
You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside. Knowing yourself is most important.

by Lama Zopa Rinpoche