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What does "My Heart Burns Like Fire" mean?

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One of the "101 Zen stories": > [My Heart Burns Like > Fire](https://gist.github.com/dustin/798227#my-heart-burns-like-fire) > > Soyen Shaku, the first Zen teacher to come to America, said: “My heart > burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes.” He made the > following rules which he practiced every day of his life. > > In the morning before dressing, light incense and meditate. > > Retire at a regular hour. Partake of food at regular intervals. Eat > with moderation and never to the point of satisfaction. > > Receive a guest with the same attitude you have when alone. When > alone, maintain the same attitude you have in receiving guests. > > Watch what you say, and whatever you say, practice it. > > When an opportunity comes do not let it pass you by, yet always think > twice before acting. > > Do not regret the past. Look to the future. > > Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child. > > Upon retiring, sleep as if you had entered your last sleep. Upon > awakening, leave your bed behind you instantly as if you had cast away > a pair of old shoes. What does "heart burn like fire" mean in this context? I assume that "eyes are cold" means they're not acquisitive -- i.e. he doesn't desire everything he sees -- I say that based on this poem from Kipling which prefaces his story of _The King's Ankus_ > These are the Four that are nver content, that have never been filled since the Dews began-- > Jackal's mouth, and the glut of the Kite, and the hands of the Ape, and the Eyes of Man. I can only guess at what "heart burns like fire" means -- I don't know what a good answer might be -- maybe a reference to commentary on the story, or to a similar metaphor in the Zen tradition. FYI I'm posting this further to the problem described in this OP -- https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/51867/254 -- the problem there seems to be that "eyes being cold" (i.e. seeing people in a certain way) results in feeling "cold-hearted" -- and so this story came to mind but I'm unsure whether I understand this story well enough.
Asked by ChrisW (48098 rep)
Jan 12, 2025, 08:36 AM
Last activity: Jan 13, 2025, 12:27 AM