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Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuvering for advantageous positions.

~ Sun Tzu

I sought Zen from temples and teachers,
Then found it along the way of Tsao His
Inside this moment forever.
When walking now, I walk Zen.
When sitting, I sit Zen.
Talking, quiet; moving, stillness,
The calm within.

~ Hsuan Chuyen (655–713)

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

A mystic removes the barrier that stands between himself and another person by trying to look at life not only from his own point of view, but also from the point of view of another. All disputes and disagreements arise from people's misunderstanding of each other. Mostly, people misunderstand each other because they have their fixed points of view and are not willing to move from them. This is a rigid condition of mind. The more dense a person is, the more fixed he is in his own points of view. Therefore, it is easy to change the mind of an intelligent person, but it is most difficult to change the mind of a foolish person once it is fixed. It is this dense quality of mind which becomes fixed on a certain idea and that clouds the eyes so that they cannot see from the point of view of another person.

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bolding is mine

The practice of true reality
Is simply to sit serenely
In silent introspection.
When you have fathomed this,
You cannot be turned around
By external causes and conditions.
This empty, wide-open mind
Is subtly and correctly
Illuminating.

~ Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157)

Spacious and content,
Without confusion from
Inner thoughts of grasping,
Effectively overcome habitual behavior
And realize the state
That is not possessed by emotions.
Be broad-minded,
Whole, without relying on others.

~ Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091–1157)

I acquired this hermitage a year ago,
Cloudy peaks, moon in the valley,
Companions in withered Zen.
Come morning,
I descend the mountain road.
In front of this crag,
What mountain rock will I sleep on next?

~ Jakush tsu (1290–1367)

The eye sees it,
But no hands can take hold of it.
The moon in the stream:
This is the secret of this school.

Shinkage-ryu school

Unaware of illusion or enlightenment,
From this stone I watch the mountains,
Hear the stream.
A three-day rain has cleansed the earth,
A roar of thunder split the sky.
Ever serene are linked phenomena,
And though the mind’s alert, it’s but an ash heap.
Chilly as the dusk I move through,
I return, a basket brimmed with peaches on my arm.

~ Genko (~1505)

Though night after night
The moon is stream reflected,
Try to find where it has touched,
Point even to a shadow.

~ Takuan (1573–1645)

Wanting nothing,
With all your heart stop the stream.
When the world dissolves,
Everything becomes clear.
Go beyond this way or that way
To the farther shore where the world dissolves,
And everything becomes clear.
Beyond this shore and the farther shore,
Beyond the beyond,
Where there is no beginning, no end,
Without fear, go.

~ Dhammapada

Walls and alleys lead me to the rocky hills.
From a traveler’s pavilion up in clouds and haze
I watch the sun full, far from the high city
In the blue mountains mirrored by distant water.
On the shore a lonely boat is anchored.
Fishermen and evening birds go home.
Dusk comes to the silent expanse of heaven and earth,
And my heart is calm like this wide river.

~ Wang Wei (699-759)

Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 20

Self-centeredness was my problem. All my life people had been doing things for me and I not only expected it, but I was ungrateful and resentful they didn't do more. Why should I help others, when they were supposed to help me? If others had troubles, didn't they deserve them? I was filled with self-pity, anger and resentment. Then I learned that by helping others, with no thought of return, I could overcome this obsession with selfishness, and if I understood humility, I would know peace and serenity. No longer do I need to drink.

There is ultimately no means
of safeguarding anything in this world;
anything you gain can be
lost, destroyed, or taken away.
For this reason if you make
the acquisition and retention
of goods or status your aim in life,
this is a way to anxiety and sorrow.

~ Muso Kokushi (1275-1351)

Here, beside a clear deep lake,
You live accompanied by clouds;
Soft through the pines the moon arrives
To be your own pure-hearted friend.
You rest under thatch in the shadow of your flowers,
Your dewy herbs flourish in their bed of moss.
Let me leave the world.
Let me alight, like you,
On your western mountain
With phoenixes and cranes.

~ Ch’an Chien

How mysterious!
The lotus remains unstained
By its muddy roots,
Delivering shimmering
Bright jewels from common dew.

~ The Monk Henjo