Teachings From Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters – 208
89 The Three Studies
You all become monks and nuns because you are tired of birth and
death. Leaving parents, spouses and children, you depart home to seek
the Way, and revere Buddha as the holy teacher. To follow the shortcut
path of Buddhas now is to follow the teachings from sutras. And sutras
teach only the three studies -- discipline, meditation and wisdom. The
Commentary on Liberation says, “The practice of discipline, meditation
and wisdom is called the Way of Liberation.”
Discipline means to abide in noble deportment. Meditation means to be
undisturbed. Wisdom means to be enlightened.
TRẦN THÁI TÔNG (1218 - 1277)
(COMMENT: The three studies -- discipline, meditation and wisdom –
say nothing about koan practice. It’s true that Buddha did not teach the
koan practice. Also, many Zen monasteries these days don’t teach the
koan practice. But Zen is life, and life is full of koans. Actually, you are
facing koans anywhere and anytime. Sometimes someone calls your
name, and you suddenly see that you have no name. Sometimes you
watch a mountain, and suddenly see that you are the mountain.
Sometimes a flower falls in front of you, and you suddenly see that you
are already dead. Sometimes you are walking, and suddenly see that
every step is truly the emptiness.
You don’t need to do koan practice formally; however, koans are part of
your life already. Koan is in your every breath; feel that with your whole
body and mind.)
