Zen students are with their masters at least ten years before they presume to teach others. Nan-in was visited by Tenno, who, having passed his apprenticeship, had become a teacher. The day happened to be rainy, so Tenno wore wooden clogs and carried an umbrella. After greeting him Nan-in remarked: “I suppose you left your wodden clogs in the vestibule. I want to know if your umbrella is on the right or left side of the clogs.”

Tenno, confused, had no instant answer. He realized that he was unable to carry his Zen every minute. He became Nan-in’s pupil, and he studied six more years to accomplish his every-minute Zen.

( found at ashidakim.com )

The sound of a swollen
Mountain stream rapidly rushing
Makes one know
How very quickly life itself
Is pressed along its course.
– Saigyo (1118-1190)

Examine your mind to see it as not being inside, not being outside, and not being in between.

Observe it calmly, carefully, and objectively; when you master this, you will clearly see that the mind’s consciousness moves in a flow, like a current of water, like heat waves rising endlessly.

– Hongren (602-675)

To return to your original state of being,
You must become a master of stillness.

Turn the mind in upon itself
And contemplate the inner radiance.

To shake off the dust of human ambition
I sit on moss in Zen robes of stillness,
While through the window,
In the setting sun of late autumn,
Falling leaves whirl and drop to the stone dais.

– Tesshu Tokusai (1366)

If the eye never falls asleep,
all dreams cease by themselves.
If the spirit retains its unity,
all things are of one essence.
When this essence is seen,
in an instant we are free.
We return to the origin
and remain that which we are.

Think of those who gained enlightenment upon hearing the sound of bamboo when struck by a tile or seeing blossoms in bloom.

Does the bamboo distinguish the clever or dull, the deluded or enlightened; does the flower differentiate between shallow and deep, the wise and stupid?

Though flowers bloom year after year, not everyone who sees them gains enlightenment.

Bamboo always gives off sounds, but not all who hear them become enlightened.

– Dogen 1200-1253

Often the only way you will find something,
Is to stop searching for it

When you see reality,
no illusions can confuse you;
when you develop stability,
things cannot shake it or take it away.

Association with good companions is a serious recommendation of the ancient sages.