How to subjugate a ghost

A young wife fell sick and was about to die. "I love you so much," she told her husband, "I do not want to leave you. Do not go from me to any other woman. If you do, I will return as a ghost and cause you endless trouble."

Soon the wife passed away. The husband respected her last wish for the first three months, but then he met another woman and fell in love with her. They became engaged to be married.

Immediately after the engagement a ghost appeared every night to the man, blaming him for not keeping his promise. The ghost was clever too. She told him exactly what had transpired between himself and his new sweetheart. Whenever he gave his fiancee a present, the ghost would describe it in detail. She would even repeat conversations, and it so annoyed the amn that he could not sleep. Someone advised him to take his problem to a Zen master who lived close to the village. At length, in despair, the poor man went to him for help.

"Your former wife became a ghost and knows everything you do, " commented the master. "Whatever you do or say, whatever you give your beloved, she knows. She must be a very wise ghost. Really you should admire such a ghost. The next time she appears, bargain with her. Tell her that she knows so much you can hide nothing from her, and that if she will answer you one question, you promise to break your engagement and remain single."

"What is the question I must ask her?" inquired the man.

The master replied: "Take a large handful of soy beans and ask her exactly how many beans you hold in your hand. If she cannot tell you, you will know that she is only a figment of your imagination and will trouble you no longer."

The next night, when the ghost appeared the man flattered her and told her that she knew everything.

"Indeed," replied the ghost, "and I know you went to see that Zen master today."

"And since you know so much," demanded the man, "tell me how many beans I hold in this hand!"

There was no longer any ghost to answer the question.

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Zen koans such as that above offer a way to approach happiness indirectly. Strategically subvert unhappiness. Readers areinvited to go beyond what they imagine.

Additional Zen koans can be found at www.ashidaKim.com/zenkoans

Why believe in supernatural intervention?

Every human being encounters phenomena unexplainable in human terms. To what these things are attibutable remains to be seen. It may be doors mysteriously opening or closing, hearing voices nobody else around you does, coming into money, recovering from serious illness or, noticing energy vibration unnoticed before. Possible occurrences are endless.

Your reasons for believing or disbelieving the senses shape your views on physical existence. Only you know what is out of the ordinary or, very real to you. You create points of reference outside of yourself and then, detect transition to turn inside. Consider 5 reasons to believe in supernatural intervention;

1) Doubt begins to dissolve. Doubt obscures beliefs and the nature of perception. Hidden motives and fear influence what you accept.  Still, lots of people hope briefly or intermittently for supernatural intervention. Consistent believing is known to diminish doubt and bring what a person's heart desires.  Getting what you want strengthens faith.  Getting what you do not want is even more powerful.

2) Awareness shifts. You notice things within the self that went unnoticed before. Energy flowing within and around your body includes subtle nuances you now choose to discern. As you realize your body and mind are always changing beneath your conscious radar, you begin to feel layers of unexplored true self inside. You begin to see through ego personality, to discern soul motives explain everything as it is meant to do.

3) Appearances diminish. To move beyond highly-limited senses of the human body is to realize physical, earthly experience does not create discomfort or redefine freedom. To move beyond what you view as natural changes you in ways you are just begining to detect.  You observe your sense of personality evolves.  Part of you begins to see beyond the past. Part of you no longer trusts memories define core identity.

4) Labels fall away. The stage comes when you no longer view yourself as linked to a particular belief, opinion, or group philosophy. You realize differences in application and interpretation have been presenting during your perceived thought and growth process. Part of you questions the meaning of your name, the point of artifical concepts with energy vibrations you have come to define as you.

5) Something remains. You may not be able to put your finger on it or describe it, but a presence is with you. Some people would suggest you only begin to sense it fully as you learn to stop thinking altogether. As you learn to pause and hold pauses in your constant stream of human thoughts, you detect something indescribable between the energy vibrations. This explains everything, even if you have no term for it.