Listen to the Waves

Ep. 5 A wrestler named o-nami great waves, was immensely strong and highly skilled in the art of wrestling. In private be defeated even his very teacher, but in public his own young pupils could throw him. In his trouble he went to a zen master who was stopping at a nearby temple by the sea, and asked for counsel. "great waves is your name, " said the master, "so stay in this temple tonight and listen to the waves of the sea. Imagine you are those waves. Forget you are a wrestler, and become those huge waves sweeping everything before them." o-nami remained. He tried to think only of the waves, but be thought of many things. Then gradually he did think only of the waves. They rolled larger and larger as the night wore on. They swept away the flowers in the vases before the buddha; they swept away the vases. Even the bronze buddha was swept away. By dawn the temple was only surging water, and o-nami sat there with a faint smile on his face. That day he entered the public wrestling and won every bout, and from that day no one in japan could ever throw him. Season 1 Acharya says that laughter is "the very essence of Zen." And though the theme of this series is meditation - watching, remaining alert and aware - as the only way to truth, Acharya encourages us to, "be happy and meditation will follow." There is a wonderful chapter on laughter, Hotei the Laughing Buddha, and enlightenment. As Acharya says, "This is the whole effort of all the masters: to create a sudden clash of thunder so those who are fast asleep can be awakened."