Judge Roy Bean

Roy Bean married 15 year-old Virginia Chavez in San Antonio on 10-28-1866. Their union brought forth four Beanitos: Roy Jr., Sam, Laura and Zulema. They also adopted a son named John. It was Roy’s first and last marriage. They divorced around 1880 and Roy left her in San Antonio while he went South. In the […]

Aesop’s ass … versitile – sunshine

When I read this story, I fell in love with it. I have posted similar tales but I felt this story worthy of adding to the zendictive collection of zen and enlightenment tales. Mirth and Motivation reblog… The Wind and the Sun – Aesop’s Fables The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the […]

Confucius

  Confucius and his disciples were often persecuted by fearful despots. Having been deported from another state, the band – passing through a remote region – encountered an old woman crying beside a grave. Confucius asked her why she wept. A tiger had killed her husband and his father, she explained, and had recently attacked […]

The Bobo-roshi

Han-san relates the following story [note: In Japanese, "bobo" is apparently a word for intercourse, and of course "roshi" means master]: Bobo-roshi is a Zen master, but different. If you like I’ll tell you what I know, but I don’t know if it’s all true; I only know about him by hearsay and I have […]

the wisest man in the world

A long time ago, there lived a very, very wise King. He was so wise he knew the ways of most everything. He knew of animals, birds, fish, and trees. And he taught people from all over the world about these. Now one breezy day, a tiny bee lost her way, and flew right into the […]

the ants and the indian

Geronimo ~ by Chris Cade It is said that all beings are interconnected, and that we only need to tune into the silence within ourselves to truly understand this. Not all of us believe this, however, and Geronimo was one of those people. In his youth he had been a troublemaker as the result of […]

this is not Jabba the Hut

I am almost certain that this is not a statue of Jabba The Hut, though the resemblance is uncanny. I am almost certain that it is a statue of Daruma, the Japanese name given to the Bodhidharma, known as the founder of Zen. Bodhidharma is believed to have been an Indian monk who took new […]

Sesshu and the rat

  Sesshu Toyo and the rat   The artist and Zen monk who is known by the name of Sesshu is one of the greatest Japanese artists of all time. Born in Akahama (now part of Soja, Okayama Pref.) in 1420. The son of a samurai family, at the age of 10 he was packed […]

Hotei, Santa Claus is a zen master

Who is this fat guy? A Buddhist Monk that travels around with a cloth bag over his shoulder and gives out candy to children. Is it Santa Claus? In Japan he is known as Hotei. He is an enlightened person that has gained a large belly, like the fat-bellied buddhas you may have seen in Chinese […]

the christmas tree story*

This is the story of how the fir tree became the Christmas tree. At the time when the Christ Child was born, all the people, the animals, and the trees, and plants were very happy. The Child was born to bring peace and happiness to the whole world. People came daily to see the little […]