Foso Hoyen
| born: died: place: Japan |
| Zen master: Zen disciples: |
| stories: Osho Nirvana: The Last Nightmare, ch. 7 |
| oshobob The Living Workshop |
| Zen Masters |
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| The master Foso Hoyen said: "They say that Buddha uttered five thousand and forty-eight truths during his lifetime. They include the truth of emptiness and the truth of being. They include the truth of sudden enlightenment and the truth of gradual enlightenment. Are not all these yea- sayings? "But on the other hand, Yoka, in the 'Song of Enlightenment' says there are no beings and no Buddhas – sages are sea-bubbles, and great minds are only flickerings of lightning. Are not all these nay-sayings? "Oh my disciples, if you say yea, you deny Yoka, and if you say nay, you contradict Buddha. If Buddha were here with you, how would he solve this problem? "If we knew where to stand we would question Buddha every morning and greet him every night. But as we don't know where to stand I will let you into a secret: When I say this is so, perhaps it is not a yea-saying. When I say this is not so, perhaps it is not a nay-saying. "Turn to the East and see the holy Western land, face South to see the Northern Star." Paradoxes...but truth can only be expressed through paradoxes. Your inner fullness can only be expressed by emptiness, and your real life is possible only through death. Resurrection happens only after crucifixion. If you really want to be alive, be as if you are dead. If you really want to be intelligent, live as if you are an idiot. Lao-Tzu has said, "The whole world is wise except me. I am an idiot." The word ‘idiot’ is beautiful. It comes from the same root as the word ‘idiom’. Idiom is a personal style. Idiom means personal style and an idiot means one who lives his own way; an idiot means one who is doing his own thing and is not worried about the world. One who is not an imitator is an idiot. It has nothing to do with stupidity... --Osho Nirvana: The Last Nightmare, ch. 7 |