Teachings From Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters – 130
52 Following the Emptiness
Orginally, from the void of origin,
following the emptiness to come
and then to leave along the emptiness,
we originally neither come nor leave.
How can birth and death bother us?
NHU TRUNG LAN GIAC (1696 – 1733)
(COMMENT: Birth and death? The world-renowned Zen Master Nhat
Hanh answered, “No birth, no death.” Currently the most famous
Vietnamese Zen master, he has established many Zen monasteries
worldwide, authored dozens of books on Buddhism, and promoted
world peace via Engaged Buddhism. He emphasized breathing
meditation, and wrote many beautiful poems on mindfulness.
He said in a dharma talk in The Peace Walk 2002:
Breathing in--I feel I am alive.
Breathing out--I smile to life.
Is Zen Master Nhat Hanh’s explanation on birth and death different
from the ancient Zen Master Nhu Trung Lan Giac’s?
Should you have your own explanation and your own experience on
life?)
