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Gutei, finger up

This is one of the koans used in Zen practice.

 

There was a Zen monk in the Tang Dynasty in China named Gutei.

Whenever people asked him anything, he would simply hold up one finger.

At the time of his passing away, he told his disciples, "I have been using the one-finger Zen practice that my master taught me all my life, but alas I could not finish using the technique.

 

What does this mean?

 

If this does not come to mind, try holding up one finger and putting your energy into it with your eyes fixed on it. Without exerting yourself nor speaking out loud, just look at your finger in your mind and put energy into it.

Furthermore, you can then try saying "you are the main actor" out loud.

Try doing it when you feel annoyed.

 

You will hear an inner voice saying, "Hey, pull yourself together, what are you doing? Simultaneously your mood will change drastically.

 

This finger-up zen will give you the energy to face difficult situations.

Hopefully, you can use this technique for the rest of your life.