A warrior came to the Zen master Hakuin and asked<\/p>\n
\u2018Is there such a thing as heaven and hell?\u2019<\/p>\n
Hakuin said<\/p>\n
\u2018Who are you?\u2019<\/p>\n
The warrior replied \u2018I am chief samurai to the emperor.\u2019<\/p>\n
Hakuin said \u2018You, a samurai? With a face like that, you look more like a beggar.\u2019<\/p>\n
At this the warrior became so angry he drew his sword.<\/p>\n
Standing calmly in front of him, Hakuin said \u2018Here open the gates of hell.\u2019<\/p>\n
Perceiving the master\u2019s composure, the soldier sheathed his sword and bowed.<\/p>\n
Hakuin then said \u2018And here open the gates of heaven.\u2019<\/p>\n
Heaven and hell are not very distant, they are neighbors; only a small fence divides them. You can jump that fence, even without a gate.<\/p>\n
You go on jumping from this to that. In the morning you may be in heaven; by evening you are in hell.<\/p>\n
This moment heaven, that moment hell.<\/p>\n
It is just an attitude, just a state of your mind, just how you are feeling.<\/p>\n
Many times, in a single life, you may visit hell, and many times you may visit heaven.<\/p>\n
In a single day also…<\/p>\n
Hell and heaven are within you. The doors are very close: with the right hand you can open one, with the left hand you can open another. With just a change of your mind, your being is transformed — from heaven to hell and from hell to heaven. This goes on continuously.<\/p>\n
What is the secret? The secret is whenever you are unconscious, whenever you act unconsciously, without awareness, you are in hell.<\/p>\n
Whenever you are conscious, whenever you act with full awareness, you are in heaven.<\/p>\n
If this awareness becomes so integrated, so consolidated, that you never lose it, there is no hell for you.<\/p>\n
If unconsciousness becomes so consolidated, so integrated, that you never lose it, there is no heaven.<\/p>\n
Fortunately unconsciousness can never become so consolidated; a part always remains conscious. When your whole being seems to be unconscious, even then a witnessing part always remains conscious. Even while asleep, a part is witnessing.<\/p>\n
That’s why in the morning you sometimes say the sleep was beautiful. Sometimes you say the sleep was disturbed, nightmarish.<\/p>\n
Who knows this? You were asleep — who knows that you were so happy? A part has witnessed; a part was continuously alert, knowing. Who knows that you were disturbed, uneasy, uncomfortable? You were asleep — even in sleep a part of you knows.<\/p>\n
You cannot become completely unconscious. Once achieved, consciousness cannot be lost.<\/p>\n
You cannot reverse the process.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A Bird on the Wing<\/strong><\/em> A warrior came to the Zen master Hakuin and asked \u2018Is there such a thing as heaven and hell?\u2019 Hakuin said \u2018Who are you?\u2019 The warrior replied \u2018I am chief samurai to the emperor.\u2019 Hakuin said \u2018You, a samurai? With a face like that, you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg",900,609,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg",900,609,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?fit=300%2C203&ssl=1",300,203,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=570%2C570&ssl=1",570,570,true],"portfolio-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=600%2C609&ssl=1",600,609,true],"portfolio-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1",800,600,true],"menu-featured-post":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=345%2C198&ssl=1",345,198,true],"qode-carousel_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=400%2C260&ssl=1",400,260,true],"portfolio_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=500%2C380&ssl=1",500,380,true],"portfolio_masonry_regular":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1",500,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_wide":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=900%2C500&ssl=1",900,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_tall":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=500%2C609&ssl=1",500,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_with_space":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?fit=700%2C474&ssl=1",700,474,true],"latest_post_boxes":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=539%2C303&ssl=1",539,303,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?fit=600%2C406&ssl=1",600,406,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/post-1283.jpg?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1",100,100,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Philosophy<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"A warrior came to the Zen master Hakuin and asked \u2018Is there such a thing as heaven and hell?\u2019 Hakuin said \u2018Who are you?\u2019 The warrior replied \u2018I am chief samurai to the emperor.\u2019 Hakuin said \u2018You, a samurai? 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\nOSHO<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"