Twenty-Seventh Case of the
Pi-yenlu (Blue Cliff Record)

A monk asked Chan Master Yunmen Wenyan (雲門文偃– Cloud Gate), “How is it when the tree withers and the leaves fall?”

Master Yunmen said; “Body exposed in the golden wind.

”So, what did Master Yunmen mean by "body exposed in the golden wind?"

This is a very interesting case from the Pi-yenlu (碧岩录–"Blue Cliff Record") which was written by one of the Great Chan Masters in our Guiding Teacher's lineage by the name of Yuanwu Keqin (圜悟克勤) 1063–1135. This is a very ancient Chinese metaphor for entering into the 'Autumn' of one's life, but Chan Master Yunmen brings the point home here with skillful precision. Our Teacher, Zen Master Robert Moore, chose this kongan's subject to name our Zen organization. If you can penetrate Master Yunmen's meaning here, you will also understand our Guiding Teacher. There are about one thousand seven hundred kongans that our Teacher uses from the Korean Imje cannon and this is merely one of them. If you would like to practice authentic Zen, in the spirit of the Great Master's of the East, please come and sit with us a while. If you spend some time with one of the Zen Center's Dharma Holder's you can eventually get an audience with our Great Patriarch. If you are little more impatient, Moore sŏnsa–nim, host's a lecture series on the Wumenguan (無門關–"The Barrier That Has No Gate") on the third Sunday Morning of every other month. (Please refer to our schedule)If you are interested in meditation or answering the question, "What is life all about?" Stop by some time and join the group for a morning or evening practice. There is usually a Dharma Holder available to answer your questions about what we do and who we are. If you would like information on the Zen Center, you can download the Zen Center Brochure or if you would like a more detailed description of becoming a Zen Student and training with the Zen Master then downloading the Zen Center Training Guide should answer most of your questions about our organization. If you understand all of this already and would like to become a member you can download the Zen Center Membership Flier and submit it to the Executive Director. Coming to practice with us is free, we do not charge for meditation or basic instruction. Feel free to come and check us out, we are not trying to recruit membership, and all of the introductory courses are free and you will never receive any pressure from a member to 'join' our group. However, if you find that after practicing with the group for several months that you would like to become a more serious Zen student and receive in depth training, it is appropriate at that time to formalize a relationship with the group. We will never turn away people in need or with unique financial situations, but most of all, just remember, come and test the waters, all you are risking is your own experience of your true self. All of these publications are available at the Zen Center library.