The Teachings Are All Around Us

They're in the chair you're sitting on, the rug, the desk, the coffee cup you're holding.

There's a story about a Buddhist teacher, Uman, who was dicussing with a disciple a sutra on Buddhist virtues or perfections.

Then Uman asked the man, "How many virtues does this cup have?" When the disciple was unable to answer, Uman struck the cup and asked, "Do you understand?"

Virtues or perfections belong only to the transcendental realm. From which, such things as cups are presumably excluded.

We have here the problem of value. Now, are values only religious, moral, athestic or intellectual values? Uman believes in one only and practices it and it is existence value.

The existance value of each thing is infinite and therefore equal to that of every other thing. We have Buddhist sutras, we have the holy grail in Christianity. But value is more accessable in the ordinary common things of everyday life.

Buddhist patriarchs are things of the mind, just like presidents and generals. But cups are real, cups are earnest, they have a simplicity. A perfection of being-which no concept can ever attain to. We have to become less conceptual and more down to earth, yet still transcendental.

So Uman uses a cup to preach with. His hymn of praise is the note the cup sends out when it is struck.

The teachings are all around us.