Zen Stories
Who Tied You Up
This morning, while wiping my mala beads, a phrase suddenly surfaced in my mind. "Who tied you up?" Four words. Strange to say, but they floated up fr
6/3/20266 min
Writings
What Ru Shi Writes
Whatever comes to mind. Sometimes a story I read, sometimes something that came to me while holding my mala beads.
Recent
Buddhist Notes
The Man Who Was Always Laughing: The Story of Budai Monk
Behind that chubby, big-bellied, grinning Buddha at the temple entrance, there was a real person — a monk who carried a cloth bag and spent his life smiling. This is his story.
6/2/202610 min
Zen Stories
Su Dongpo and Foyin: Eight Winds Cannot Move Me, One Fart Crosses the River
Su Dongpo thought he was enlightened and wrote a poem declaring "the eight winds cannot move me." Foyin replied with two words: "Bullshit." He immediately crossed the river to confront his friend. This ancient story feels like it's about me.
6/1/20268 min
All Writings
Buddhist Notes
The Day Vimalakīrti Got Sick: A Layman's Silence Left Every Bodhisattva Speechless
I opened a sūtra that had been sitting on my shelf for over a year. Inside was the story of a lay practitioner — someone with a family and a business, who nevertheless possessed wisdom so deep that even the Buddha's greatest disciples were afraid to visit him when he fell ill.
4/29/202612 min
Buddhist Notes
The Raft Parable: The Buddha's Ultimate Teaching on Letting Go
Through the story of a traveler and a bamboo raft, the Buddha revealed the ultimate wisdom of practice—the Dharma is like a raft: after crossing the river, you need not carry it.
4/16/202612 min
Buddhist Notes
The Blind Man's Lantern: Lighting the Way for Others Is Lighting the Way for Yourself
A blind man carries a lantern at night. Not to see for himself, but to let others see him. Helping others is helping yourself — this ancient wisdom still shines today.
4/15/20267 min
Insights
The Surangama Sutra and Modern Life: Reclaiming Your Stolen Attention
The Surangama Sutra teaches: When the wild mind suddenly stops, that stopping is awakening. In an age of stolen attention, 2,500-year-old wisdom offers the most precise answer.
4/14/202620 min
Insights
The Ksitigarbha Sutra: The "Warmest" Buddhist Scripture and Why It Resonates So Deeply
The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra is perhaps the most moving text in all of Buddhism. His vow — "I will not become a Buddha until all hells are empty" — represents the deepest compassion imaginable. It is not only about death and the afterlife; it is wisdom about how to live, how to love, and how to never give up.
4/10/202622 min
Buddhist Notes
The Heart Sutra in Daily Life: Wisdom in 260 Words
The Heart Sutra contains only 260 characters yet condenses the complete essence of Buddhist wisdom. This article interprets the sutra line by line and explores how to apply its wisdom in daily life.
4/9/202611 min
Buddhist Notes
Huineng: The Illiterate Sixth Patriarch of Zen
Huineng could not read a single character, yet became the greatest Zen patriarch in Chinese history. From woodcutter to Zen master, his story shows that true wisdom transcends knowledge and awakening is here and now.
4/9/202611 min
Buddhist Notes
The Noble Eightfold Path: Eight Steps to Liberation
The Noble Eightfold Path is the Buddha's prescription for liberation, consisting of eight dimensions across wisdom, ethics, and concentration. This article explains each aspect and how to practice them in modern life.
4/9/202610 min
Buddhist Notes
Karma and Cause-Effect: The Buddhist Worldview
Karma is not fatalism but a natural law about actions and consequences. This article clarifies common misconceptions, explores the relationship between karma and free will, and how to apply this wisdom in daily life.
4/9/202610 min
Zen Stories
Have Some Tea: The Three-Word Wisdom of Zhaozhou
No matter who you are, no matter what you ask, Zen master Zhaozhou's answer is always the same: "Have some tea." Three simple words that contain the essence of Zen.
4/8/202615 min
What I See
Cultural Confidence: Contemporary Life Through Eastern Aesthetics
Cultural confidence is not blind pride but deep understanding and identification with one's own culture. Eastern aesthetics offers unique wisdom for modern life.
4/7/20267 min
Insights
Four Precepts for Clarity: Wisdom from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism
Four precepts guide the cultivation of clarity: non-attachment, non-craving, non-dwelling, non-striving. These are the shared wisdom of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.
4/7/20265 min
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