Knot Zen

Grain of Rice

Asking about Buddha

REASON IS NOT THE WAY!

Thought Mind was Buddha?  In Mumonkan's 34th Case, Nansen demands to differ! The Gang guesses the reasons for Nansen saying "Mind is not Buddha; Reason is not the Way" and tries to think of ways that Nansen differs from his teacher and his sayings'. Don't mind the Buddha, don't fear the reaper, and don't think you'll get Zen by the way you reason! Welcome to the Sangha.

Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Size of the boat?  Motion of the ocean? Join in as The Gang investigates Mumon's bold move when he says the 6th Patriarch himself was wrong when he told the men debating some Newtonian Physics that neither the flag nor wind moved: it was your mind that moved. If a plane's wings are shaped to make the air going over the top move faster than on the bottom, why can they fly upside down?? Welcome to the Sangha.

Bodhidarma and Emperor Wu - Part 3

Bodhidarma and Emperor Will - Part 2

Bodhidarma and Emperor Wu - Part 1

What’s black, white, and full of holes? According to Boddhidharma, not even the holy truths! The Gang discusses the first Case of the Blue Cliff Record: the infamous exchange between the Emperor Of China himself and our good old grumpy grandpa, Boddhidharma. Join in as we discuss why our first Patriarch may have been so laconic in his answer to Wu’s question regarding the highest of holy truths. As for you, what merit have you brought to this kingdom? Welcome to the Sangha.

Sliced: Bodhidharma's "Mind Pacifying"

Boddhidharma shows up the Second Patriarch by pacifying his mind with both arms tied behind his back! In this episode, The Gang discusses this visceral 41st Case of the Mumonkan where Huike (the Second Patriarch) stands, arm cut off in the snow, chit-chatting about his inability to find his mind when he searches. Join in on this cold night and join in the question: "Let it go?  Let it go?" 

Shit Stick: Yunmen's Had Enough

What's brown and sticky?  According to Yunmen, it's Buddha! This week, The Gang tries scraping back the bullshit behind Yunmen's seemingly cryptic answer when asked by a monk what this "Buddha" is. Feel free to light some candles, turn on the fan, and drink plenty of coffee to prepare for this (maybe not as gross as it seems) discussion on why Yunmen would call Buddha "Kanshiketsu".

Shit Stick

Joshu Meets The King

Joshu Greets The King!

Make Way, here he comes, ring bells, cloth-cover the drums! The King himself comes to greet one of our favorite Zen Masters, Joshu!  He is a bit surprised at Joshu's seeming lack of greeting him in return. Tune in and join The Gang as they question who the King might be, if Joshu is just too lazy to get out of a chair, and why he says who he will meet where (just make sure you don't slight The King).

Yunmen's When The Bell Sounds

Tardy: Yunmen's "When The Bell Sounds"

Move your feet? Lose your seat! In this week's episode, Zen Master Yunmen asks monks, when they hear the bell to go to class, why they're even getting up. Make sure you're on time to join as The Gang examines the question Yunmen asks us: Why are we here?  Why aren't we there? The world has many things going on - why are you listening to this instead of that?  Seeing this instead of tasting that? Don't think these are rhetorical questions... and, even if you think he's making fun of you...

Yunmen's Statements Part 2: "An Upside Down Statement"

Yunmen's back at it again, only this time the tables are turned! Come join the Sangha as The Gang tries unscrambling the 15th Case of the Blue Cliff Record. See if you can discover who is "Dying with you, being born with you, to give your certainty."

Yunmen's "An Appropriate Statement"

Yunmen's Statements Part 1: "An Appropriate Statement"

Uh oh!  Looks like this is another episode of Knot Zen After Dark. The Gang explores the 14th Case of the Blue Cliff Record and pushes the limits of appropriate statements.  And this is just part 1!  Be sure to check out Part 2 where everything starts going topsy turvy!

Joshu's "What Else Do You Dislike?"

Hold your horses before giving that rating!  In this episode, Joshu weighs in on raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses as "The Gang" discusses what there is to be disliked and why Joshu would give such a seemingly strange comment to a monk asking about Buddha.

Buddha Holds Out A Flower

Aww!  Buddha's giving a flower to Kashyapa!   Join "The Gang" as they discuss the potential meaning(s) behind this gesture and why Kashyapa couldn't help but give a big smile at the scene.

Nansen's Ordinary Mind

"Do you know da way?" The Gang discusses this formative Case of Joshu's Enlightenment.  What is 'The Way'?  How can we approach it?  Can we ever be good enough for enlightenment, inner peace, or making our parents proud? Join in for an episode that has the same trash-talk, goofs, and musings you're used to from Knot Zen with a little extra intimacy sprinkled on top (and not just from Nansen and Joshu!)

Seijo's Soul Seperated

Seijo's Soul Seperated

In an old Chinese folktale, a girl named Seijo's soul separated from her body - which was the real Seijo?  In this episode, the Gang tackles the question of soul, mind, and body from the perspective of Zen.  Maybe they'll make up their mind about the answer.

Joshu's Wash Your Bowl

Does the cook do the cleaning? The Gang ponders the classic Case where Joshu congratulates a monk for eating breakfast before reminding him to do the dishes.

Joshu's "Picking and Choosing"

The Gang discusses the second case of the Blue Cliff Record where we'll see an uppity monk try getting the best of Joshu, maybe.

Ryutan Blows Out The Candle

The Gang takes a look at "Ryutan's Candle" - the 28th Case of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate) - where we see the enlightenment of Zen Master Tokusan (Deshan) after his perhaps not-so-humble beginnings.

Gutei's One Finger Zen

Mazel Tov!  It's Gutei's Bar Mitzvah! The Gang looks over the seemingly violent third case of the Mumonkan (where Gutei slices the finger off of a boy) and discusses why he would do such a thing.

Joshu's "Oak Tree in the garden"

The Gang takes a look at the 37th Case of the Mumonkan to try finding some sap on this very short and seemingly enigmatic line from Joshu.

Joshu's "I alone am the world honored one"

Joshu's "Dog"

Today we go over the famous Mu case, mainly from the Book of Serenity (Cleary Translation, Case 18) and from The Gateless Gate (Sekida Translation, Case 1). Today's guests are Brian, Scott, Dan and Jim.