Preface ix The Venerable Master Hsuan Hua xiii The Hardest Part is Inside
May 1977 I am going to ascend to the heavens 1 Thereíªs no such thing as a lazy novice 2 They will praise the two of you 3 The twenty-third vow 6 You got till sundown to be out of our neighborhood 6 Thereíªs no room for indulgence or error on these streets 8 Wham Bang Bust íªem Vigor 9 Tíªang dynasty monkíªs garb 12 White Universe 14 This work is very much like a Chíªan session 15 Varoom! The Engine Roars 16 Get off the god damn street! 18 Two more blocks and youíªre gonna be shot 19 An honesty right down in the dirt 21 After the darkest darkness, then light 22 A product of what we do 25 Beyond the reach of reason or words 25 Parking at different places 27 The hardest part is inside 28 Are you by chance a transformation body of the Abbot? 29 The least I can do is three 30 Gold Mountain is the same as the noisiest downtown ghetto 33 The latest, the same 34 If we are successful, nothing will happen 35 You will never get anywhere that way! 38 If you didníªt go to college you wouldníªt be going so slow! 39 You will be as soon as me 40 This is a wonderful method of cultivation 42 The twelve links and the four truths are all hidden 44 Bowing is number one kung fu 45 Doníªt get angry, no matter what 48 Out of Order 50 Dharma fugitives in a sea of Saha suffering 55 Being a Dharma Realm Gardener 57 The demon soprano test 61 We doníªt see many people; weíªre invisible 62 Welcome to Beverly Hills 65 Los Angeles moves so fast that we look like trees 73 They doníªt belong to this world 74 A flaw in our own perception of reality 75 Why doníªt you take a car, it would be faster 76 It happens in a single thought 82 Iíªm really enlightened even though I haveníªt cultivated yet 82 Excess force leads to a strong reaction 85 I left home to find home 86 Gods and saints are all Buddhists 89 People thought we were hijackers 89 Return to the one first; then find the zero 91 Broken rule, broken mirror 97 Everything is a test to see what you will do 100 The desire thoughts came like a sudden wind 101 To establish conditions with as many people as possible 105
June 1977 Whoever finds out first promises to tell 107 See, you made it, safe and sound 112 Orange juice bomb; the flies get in 114 The mysterious exploding orange juice 117 If he wakes up then he is a Buddha 120 Fought a bout with fear this morning 127 Refuge ceremony; End of Wilshire 128 The Great Bowing King 128 Doníªt recite the í-food is comingíª mantra anymore 131 Detoxification centers for the heart 135 Truly recognize your own faults136 Othersíª faults are just your own 144 We are trying our best to go home 147 Just keep hoping that no big test comes up 147 Half of a Buddha for the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas 148 Plunged into the metal river 152 Enough greed, hatred, and stupidity for any three people 153 A surprise visit by the Venerable Abbot 155 Someday you must know, Chíªan is the highest! 157 So how did I know? 159 Only weapon Iíªve got is my mind and itíªs unloaded 161 The ants are smaller again 163 That overworked muscle 167 The ninth wind; Practice without study is blind 168 I was just thinking the same thing 172 Lasting satisfaction does not drift away before the wind 173 A better, less hateful world 175 It would be like asking a dog to play the piano 179 We are not allowed to carry weapons, itíªs against the rules 180 Thank you for sharing it with us 183 The Avatamsaka Highway in the Saha world 185 Itíªs all right, ladies, they doníªt bite 187 Beep, Beep! Weíªre on the sageíªs T.Vscreen 192 After the dishes, clean the yard 194 How did you get to be so sma
