Zen East and West

         

      Under the trees, among the rocks , a thatched hut :
      verses and sacred commentaries live there together
      I'll burn the books I carry in my bag,
      but how can I forget the verses written in my gut ?
                                                       
                                                             Ikkyu


                      Watermelons and Zen students
                      grow pretty much the same way.
                      Long periods of sitting
                      till they ripen and grow
                      when you knock them on the head
                      to see if they are ready -
                      sounds like nothing is going on.

                                                        Peter Levitt


 During dinner one night at a San Francisco Zen Centre  someone asked ,
" How do you cook enlightenment ? "
A young woman said . " Over easy ".