Osho Zen Stories

Paul Reps 101 Zen Stories

Stories 1 - 2
Stories 3 - 4
Stories 5 - 7
Stories 8-9
Stories 10
Stories 11
Stories 12-14
Stories 15-16
Stories 17-18
Stories 19 - 21
Stories 22 - 24
Stories 25 - 27
Stories 28 - 32
Stories 33 - 36
Stories 37 - 38
Stories 39 - 41
Stories 42 - 44
Stories 45 - 46
Stories 47 - 48
Stories 49 - 50
Stories 51 - 53
Stories 54 - 56
Stories 57 - 59
Stories 60 - 61
Stories 62 - 64
Stories 65 - 66
Stories 67 - 68
Stories 69 - 72
Stories 73 - 75
Stories 76 - 78
Stories 79 - 82
Stories 83 - 86
Stories 87 - 89
Stories 90 - 91
Stories 92 - 94
Stories 95 - 97
Stories 98 -101

Paul Reps - This book includes four books: 101 Zen Stones was first published in 1919 by Rider and Company, London, and David McKay Company, Philadelphia. These stories recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of more than five centuries.

The Gateless Gate was first published in 1934 by John Murray, Los Angeles. It is a collection of problems, called koan that Zen teachers use in guiding their students toward release, first recorded by a Chinese master in the year 1228.

10 Bulls was first published in 1935 by DeVorss and Company, Los Angeles, and subsequently by Ralph R. Phillips, Portland, Oregon.
It is a translation from the Chinese of a famous twelfth century commentary upon the stages of awareness leading to enlightenment and is here illustrated by one of Japan’s best contemporary woodblock artists. Centreing, a transcription of ancient Sanskrit manuscripts, first appeared in the Spring 1955 issue of Gentry magazine, New York. It presents in ancient teaching, still alive in Kashmir and parts of India after more than four thousand years that may well be the roots of Zen.

Thanks are due the publishers named above for permission to gather the material together here. And most of all am I grateful to Nyogen Senzaki, 'homeless monk’ exemplar-friend collaborator, who so delighted with me in transcribing the first three books, even as that prescient man of Kashmir, Lakshmanjoo, did on the fourth.

The first Zen patriarch Bodhidharma brought Zen to China from India in the sixth century. According to his biography recorded in the year 1004 by the Chinese teacher Dogen after nine years in China Bodhidharma wished to go home and gathered his disciples about him to test their apperception. Dofuku said: 'In my opinion truth is beyond affirmation or negation, for this is the way it moves.’

Bodhidharma replied: ‘You have my skin.’
The nun Soji said: ‘In my view, it is like Ananda’s sight of the Buddha-land – seen once and for ever.’

Bodhidharma answered: ‘You have my flesh.’
Dofuku said: ‘The four elements of light, airiness, fluidity, and solidity are empty (i.e. inclusive) and the five skandas are No-things. In my opinion, No-thing (i.e. spirit) is reality.’
Bodhidharma commented: 'You have my bones'

Finally Eka bowed before the master - and remained silent.
Bodhidharma said: 'you have my marrow.’

Old Zen was so fresh it became treasured and remembered. Here are fragments of its skin flesh bones but not its marrow – never found in words. The directness of Zen has led many to believe it stemmed from sources before the time of Buddha, 500 BC.

The reader may judge for himself, for he has here for the first time in one book the experiences of Zen, the mind problems, the stages of awareness and a similar teaching predating Zen by centuries. The problem of our mind, relating conscious to preconscious awareness takes us deep into everyday living. Dare we open our doors to the source of am being? What are flesh and bones for?

PAUL REPS
101 ZEN STORIES
Transcribed by Nyogen Senzaki and Paul Reps