...since the morning of March 5, 1984, but I still laugh, or get teary-eyed, remembering what happened when the universe totally disintegrated, "I" disappeared, and Oneness encountered Itself through this pitiful little speck of Itself for the first time. If you haven't read them, here are two other stories you'll be able to relate to:
One day a Zen Master was out walking with one of his students when some birds flew overhead. The ZM asked, "Where have they flown?" His student, realizing that the ZM was testing him, answered, "Master, they're already flown away."
The ZM suddenly reached out, grabbed the student's nose, gave it a violent twist, and roared, "How could they POSSIBLY have flown away?"
The student later reported that the question instantly paralyzed him, his whole body broke into a deep sweat, time stood still, and then he suddenly had a huge realization.
A few hours later another student found him crying in his monastery room, and asked him why he was crying. Hearing this question, the awakened student suddenly began laughing insanely. The questioning student was totally perplexed and said, "A minute ago you were crying, but now you're laughing. I don't understand." Between laughs, the awakened student managed to reply, "Yes, before I was crying, but now I'm laughing." The other student did not understand.
The next day the Zen Master walked up to the student and said, "Yesterday, after I twisted your nose, what did you realize?" The student said, "Yesterday, when you twisted my nose, it hurt bad." Hearing these words, the ZM smiled and patted him on the back.
Here's another great story of a 47-year-old executive who had just finished a seven-day silent retreat (recounted in Kapleau's 'Three Pillars of Zen'):
"At midnight I abruptly awakened. At first my mind was foggy, then suddenly that quotation (from a book) flashed into my consciousness: 'I came to realize clearly that Mind is no other than mountains, rivers, and the great wide earth, the sun and the moon and the stars.' And I repeated it.
Then all at once I was struck as though by lightning, and the next instant heaven and earth crumbled and disappeared. Instantaneously, like surging waves, a tremendous delight welled up in me, a veritable hurricane of delight, as I laughed loudly and wildly: 'Ha, ha, ha,ha, ha, ha! There's no reasoning here, no reasoning at all! Ha, ha, ha!' The empty sky split in two, then opened its enormous mouth and began to laugh uproariously: 'Ha, ha, ha!' Later one of the members of my family told me that my laughter had sounded inhuman.
I was now lying on my back. Suddenly I sat up and struck the bed with all my might and beat the floor with my feet, as if trying to smash it, all the while laughing riotously. My wife and youngest son, sleeping near me, were now awake and frightened. Covering my mouth with her hand, my wife exclaimed: 'What's the matter with you? What's the matter with you?" But I wasn't aware of this until told about it afterwards. My son later told me that he thought I had gone mad.
.......Although twenty-four hours have elapsed, I still feel the aftermath of that earthquake. My entire body is still shaking. I spent all of today laughing and weeping by myself."
Two days later in his diary the man wrote:
".....Awoke thinking it is 3 or 4 AM, but clock said was only 12:30.
Am totally at peace at peace at peace.
Feel numb throughout body, yet hands and feet jumped for joy for almost half an hour.
Am supremely free free free free.
Should I be so happy?
There is no common man.
The big clock chimes--not the clock but mind chimes. The universe itself chimes. There is neither Mind nor universe. Dong, dong, dong!
I've totally disappeared.
'Transcending the law of cause and effect, controlled by the law of cause and effect'---such thoughts have gone from my mind.
Oh, you ARE! You laughed, didn't you? This laughter is the sound of your plunging into the world."
Twenty four hours later he wrote:
"Ding, dong! The clock chimed. This alone IS! This alone IS! There's no reasoning here.
Surely the world has changed. But in what way?
The ancients said the enlightened mind is comparable to a fish swimming. That's exactly how it is--there's no stagnation. I feel no hindrance. Everything flows smoothly, freely. Everything goes naturally. This limitless freedom is beyond all expression. What a wonderful world!"
Eventually, of course, this man left Mt. Woo Woo behind, spent several more years as an executive, eventually retired, and became a relatively famous and beloved sage who lived to the age of about 95. I'm sure that he, too, would have appreciated Kabir's quote.
One can only bow in silent gratitude and reverence to THAT.
One day a Zen Master was out walking with one of his students when some birds flew overhead. The ZM asked, "Where have they flown?" His student, realizing that the ZM was testing him, answered, "Master, they're already flown away."
The ZM suddenly reached out, grabbed the student's nose, gave it a violent twist, and roared, "How could they POSSIBLY have flown away?"
The student later reported that the question instantly paralyzed him, his whole body broke into a deep sweat, time stood still, and then he suddenly had a huge realization.
A few hours later another student found him crying in his monastery room, and asked him why he was crying. Hearing this question, the awakened student suddenly began laughing insanely. The questioning student was totally perplexed and said, "A minute ago you were crying, but now you're laughing. I don't understand." Between laughs, the awakened student managed to reply, "Yes, before I was crying, but now I'm laughing." The other student did not understand.
The next day the Zen Master walked up to the student and said, "Yesterday, after I twisted your nose, what did you realize?" The student said, "Yesterday, when you twisted my nose, it hurt bad." Hearing these words, the ZM smiled and patted him on the back.
Here's another great story of a 47-year-old executive who had just finished a seven-day silent retreat (recounted in Kapleau's 'Three Pillars of Zen'):
"At midnight I abruptly awakened. At first my mind was foggy, then suddenly that quotation (from a book) flashed into my consciousness: 'I came to realize clearly that Mind is no other than mountains, rivers, and the great wide earth, the sun and the moon and the stars.' And I repeated it.
Then all at once I was struck as though by lightning, and the next instant heaven and earth crumbled and disappeared. Instantaneously, like surging waves, a tremendous delight welled up in me, a veritable hurricane of delight, as I laughed loudly and wildly: 'Ha, ha, ha,ha, ha, ha! There's no reasoning here, no reasoning at all! Ha, ha, ha!' The empty sky split in two, then opened its enormous mouth and began to laugh uproariously: 'Ha, ha, ha!' Later one of the members of my family told me that my laughter had sounded inhuman.
I was now lying on my back. Suddenly I sat up and struck the bed with all my might and beat the floor with my feet, as if trying to smash it, all the while laughing riotously. My wife and youngest son, sleeping near me, were now awake and frightened. Covering my mouth with her hand, my wife exclaimed: 'What's the matter with you? What's the matter with you?" But I wasn't aware of this until told about it afterwards. My son later told me that he thought I had gone mad.
.......Although twenty-four hours have elapsed, I still feel the aftermath of that earthquake. My entire body is still shaking. I spent all of today laughing and weeping by myself."
Two days later in his diary the man wrote:
".....Awoke thinking it is 3 or 4 AM, but clock said was only 12:30.
Am totally at peace at peace at peace.
Feel numb throughout body, yet hands and feet jumped for joy for almost half an hour.
Am supremely free free free free.
Should I be so happy?
There is no common man.
The big clock chimes--not the clock but mind chimes. The universe itself chimes. There is neither Mind nor universe. Dong, dong, dong!
I've totally disappeared.
'Transcending the law of cause and effect, controlled by the law of cause and effect'---such thoughts have gone from my mind.
Oh, you ARE! You laughed, didn't you? This laughter is the sound of your plunging into the world."
Twenty four hours later he wrote:
"Ding, dong! The clock chimed. This alone IS! This alone IS! There's no reasoning here.
Surely the world has changed. But in what way?
The ancients said the enlightened mind is comparable to a fish swimming. That's exactly how it is--there's no stagnation. I feel no hindrance. Everything flows smoothly, freely. Everything goes naturally. This limitless freedom is beyond all expression. What a wonderful world!"
Eventually, of course, this man left Mt. Woo Woo behind, spent several more years as an executive, eventually retired, and became a relatively famous and beloved sage who lived to the age of about 95. I'm sure that he, too, would have appreciated Kabir's quote.
One can only bow in silent gratitude and reverence to THAT.
