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Zen story: The questioning monk who wanted secrets revealed to him

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 3 Jun

A student monk asked his old Zen master to tell him the secrets of Zen, that he had never shared with his students. The old man smiled, and replied, [b]"Nobody knows the secrets of Zen in their minds, not even...

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3 people

Zen story: The feather ruffling Zen master

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 6 Apr

The old Zen master, Enrico Zerboski, had become different in his teachings to other Zen masters, over the many years, while he had been the head master, at the Ryoko monastery. He would often debunk many of the long held...

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3 people

A zen tale about being lost in life

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 26 Mar

[i]The old Zen master had found himself a long time ago, when he was first enlightened, but now, inexplicably so, he felt lost, not to himself, but to life itself. He could see no point in him being in life, as it all felt like a...

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3 people

A zen story about miserliness, and generosity

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 22 Mar

The old Zen master was always generous in spirit, but not only that, he was generous in all other manor of life too. If a beggar came to his monastery, he was given a meal, clean clothes, and a stipend, to purchase...

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3 people

Zen tale: A Zen master knows far more that what he lets on that he knows

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 14 Mar

The old Zen master was coughing up blood, and he told his students that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He said to them, that nevertheless, I will stay in this body as long as God requires me to do so, but it does...

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3 people

Zen story: The bell rang twice

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 5 Mar

Every morning, in the Zen monastery, the bell would ring twice. Nothing was ever said about why this was being done, but the students thought that it was a call for them to get up for the day, and to do their morning...

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4 people

Zen short story: Allow truth to remain permanently in you. Never discard truth

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 1 Mar

The Zen monastery had both cherry trees, and cherry blossom trees, in its courtyard. Cherry blossom trees are ornamental, and cherry trees produce fruit. Reaching up to grab a branch of the vine, the Zen master picked a...

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3 people

Short story: The Zen master knew when to call it a day, and not force things against his own soul's wishes for him, and his life

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 22 Feb

The old Zen master had been struggling with the decision of whether he should keep being the head monk at his monastery, as he was getting old now, and to his annoyance, his memory was not what it was anymore. He knew that...

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1 person

Zen story: The koan of the throne

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 19 Jan

The old Zen master had died, and he went up to Heaven, where the doorkeeper there, gave him a koan to solve, before he could get in. The doorkeeper said to him, "You solved many an Earthly koan while alive, but can you...

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4 people

Zen tale: What is a Zen koan?

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 11 Jan

The old Zen master had been asked to create a new koan, for the 50th anniversary of his holding the mastership, there at his monastery. He simply said quickly, without thinking about it. "When is a koan a koan? and...

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3 people

Short Story: A Rabbi, and a Pastor, discuss God's wants

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 5 Jan

A Jewish Rabbi was debating with a Christian Reverend about God's place in our lives. The Rabbi said: [i]"When something bad happens to you, it had to happen to you, as otherwise God would have stopped it from happening...

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2 people

Short story: A new year's resolution refreshes our lifeview

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 29 Dec

The old Zen master had been asked, if being old like he was, whether he would still make any new year's resolutions, in the new year, this coming year. The old Zen master smiled widely, as he replied: [i]"Well to grow...

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7 people

Short story: The old Zen master's gift

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 23 Dec

The old Zen master had been noticed to have been keeping a diary for over 40 years, from when he had become the new Zen master at this monastery. He carried it everywhere with him, and was often seen making an entry into...

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2 people

Facts About the Movie "It's a Wonderful Life"

celticeagle @celticeagle (189927) • Boise, Idaho 19 Dec

Frank Capra's popular 1946 movie "It's a Wonderful Life" has been a favorite for many Americans for generations. It's the story of a small-town banker who loses his way for a while and is visited by a bumbling guardian angel named...

movies

short story

military

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5 people

Zen story: Stop carrying rocks in your head, but carrying a stone in your pocket, is ok

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 10 Dec

The old Zen master posed this simple question to his students: "When is a stone a rock?" to test their understanding of the Zen mind. And no one, of course, knew his answer, so the master replied, "When the...

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2 people

Zen story: The old Zen master's repeating dreams were linked to more than just to him

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 1 Dec

The old Zen master had been having a series of repeating dreams, over the last month, where he had found himself in a second-hand bookshop, looking for a diary book, that he had once had. This diary book had been given to...

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5 people

Short story: A Rabbi talks about life purpose

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 17 Nov

Rabbi Sostha Reshevski had just said this, seemingly exaggerated claim, to one of his students: "If something had no place in your purpose of being of your living, it would not exist in your world." The student...

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4 people

Short story: A sermon on love, and thinking lovingly

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 10 Nov

The Reverend, Charles Townslender, had given his sermon that morning on thoughts, and thinking. He had said that the Bible tells us that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and the Reverend had added that this was always...

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5 people

Short Story: Spiritual decision making

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 26 Oct

Sri Ramanuel Llewellyn, a renowned spiritual teacher, was talking to his students about spiritual decision making. Here is what he said to them: [b]“We can make life decisions about what job we might want to do, or what...

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6 people

Short Story: A sermon on creation

emptychair @innertalks (23742) • Australia 21 Oct

Reverend Joshua Patterson was giving his weekly homily on creation. Here is what he said: "The world of creation cannot continue to exist unless God sustains it in some way, as without God staying connected to the world,...

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4 people