Preface xi The Venerable Master Hsuan Hua xv You caníªt beat the Middle Way 1 Feeling more solid then ever 3 Memories of Asia flood the mind 3 True principle comes forth naturally 4 Bowing, bowing, Who am I? 5 Giving the City to the world 5 A green polka-dot trail of tasty sprouts 6 The casino in the desert of birth and death 7 I doníªt understand Italian 11 The same kind of sickness I contracted in Asi a12 Who among us can claim permanent residence? 15 Suddenly, in the space of a few hours 16 The Plymouth gets a ticket 19 The Big Darkness 19 One more low bow, one less false thought 22 Cultivation can look like bitter suffering 22 Buddhists doníªt flog themselves 24 They made room to stay together no matter25 Simple unadorned praises, chants, and mantras 27 The best of all the healing professions 27 Cutting through internal afflictions 31 All we saw was ourselves 32 We just do our thing 35 They shine on each othersíª thrones 36 Go for it! 38 Kindness, compassion, joy and giving 39 Just an ancient riddle 42 If you can see all marks as no marks 43 The more we relax the deeper we sink 48 Accord with conditions, nothing is fixed 49 This is the wrong door. Do not enter! 54 He was a regular old guy 55 Oh never mind, I already know the answer 58 You doníªt need íºgoodí¿ food 59 A beer offering, without the cup 61 In plain view but no one seems to notice 63 But we have no choice 64 Please regard me with compassion 65 No giver and no receiver 66 Sticky glue everywhere, all around us 67 The thought of benefiting others 70 The best place is sincerely 71 This is truly Great Compassion 75 Very nice, very nice 77 And youíªll get there right on time 79 To be always talking is against nature 81 No drink or drug on earth can satisfy 83 The quiet, peaceful life of a monk 86 The vow for Bodhi never closes 88 A long dream 89 The chewing gum religion 96 Out in the country again 97 Earthy and solid apples 97 Looking for one second too long, I was jinxed 99 Oh shit! I lost my temper! 101 Karmic retributions of past sexual misconduct? 103 An old friend, or a brother 108 Are you going with them or staying? 109 We prefer not to talk about ourselves 111 You have to be very, very patient113 Curing the illusory sickness of birth and death 115 They were greeded, not needed 116 The only certainty in the world is uncertainty 119 I caníªt remember yesterday 121 November 1978 The only force that can cut without harming 122 You will disappear by bowing to all living beings 123 Sailing the sea of suffering, crossing people over 126 Itíªs as if we live in a house of mirrors 127 Death does not honor Knighthood 130 The undependable bag of skin 131 May all beings share this deep, boundless joy 133 Possible, but easier by leaving home 134 The Western Land of Ultimate Bliss 135 Bang! Something hit the car 136 The hundreds of dead clams I wear around my neck 139 Polite begging, American style 140 A parlor-conversation, a topic of debate 142 It will be something to look back on with nostalgia 143 I was the drowning man 146 We are, by nature, spiritual beings 147 Institutionalization 154 Returning the light to illumine within 158 Outgrowing milk, pain and death 159 Bowed into a labyrinth of defiled thoughts 161 We are now a bowing parade 162 I wouldníªt miss coming out here for the world 163 Withered sprouts and sterile seeds 164 In time theyíªll come around 168 Too much was just enough 169 A blend of circles and squares 172 The dust motes that settle day by day 173 Just try your best to die 174 Like sleepwalkers, lost in dreams 178 Let it all drift by 179 But the curtain always fell 180 Transforming the multi-headed serpent 182 Seagulls can fly, but they are not free 1
