Buddhist Notes
I Refused the Gift: When Someone Came to Insult the Buddha
When someone came to insult the Buddha, he simply refused the gift. A story about anger, response, and inner freedom.
6/5/20266 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
How a Single Drop of Water Never Dries Up
Someone asked the Buddha: How can a single drop of water never dry up? Put it in the ocean, he said. Just one sentence. But that afternoon, watching the water stain vanish from my table, I felt there was more to it than that.
6/4/20267 min
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
All Writings
Zen Stories
Danxia Burning the Buddha: When Winter Was Cold, He Chopped the Wooden Buddha for Firewood
In the Tang Dynasty winter, Zen master Danxia chopped a wooden Buddha for firewood. The abbot shook with anger, but Danxia said he was burning it to get the relics. This is not sacrilege but a question about attachment and freedom.
5/24/20268 min
Insights
The Heart Sutra in Daily Life: How 260 Characters Can Change How You See the World
The Heart Sutra is only 260 characters long, yet it is the most widely recited Buddhist text in the world. It is not mysticism — it is a mirror, reflecting the truth about your attachments, anxieties, and the illusion of a fixed self.
4/10/202622 min
Zen Stories
Wind Moves, Banner Moves, Mind Moves: Huineng's Moment of Awakening
Is the wind moving? Is the banner moving? Or is your mind moving? A question that has echoed through thirteen centuries, revealing our attachment to external appearances.
4/8/202615 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