What Ru Shi Writes

Whatever comes to mind. Sometimes a story I read, sometimes something that came to me while holding my mala beads.

All Writings - zen-koans

All wellness mythology feng-shui new-chinese-style Zen Stories zodiac Insights xianxia Tea Time Buddhist Notes Be Still What I See Daily Life Objects

Zen Stories

Clouds in the Sky, Water in the Vase

A Tang dynasty governor climbed a mountain to ask "What is the Way?" The master pointed up, pointed down, and said eight words: clouds in the sky, water in the vase. We keep feeling real life is somewhere else — maybe it has been in the vase in front of us all along.

8/28/20267 min

Zen Stories

A Day Without Work, A Day Without Food: How Master Baizhang Spent His Whole Life Proving That Work Is Practice

During the Tang Dynasty, an old monk named Huaihai lived on Baizhang Mountain. Every day he worked alongside younger monks. When his disciples hid his tools, he refused to eat. This story has been passed down for over a thousand years.

4/26/20268 min