THE KOAN
approachablethroughits rationality;whateverdoubtordiffi-cultywemayhavehadaboutitdissolvesitselfbypursuingthe
naturalcurrent ofideas. All riversaresureto pourintotheocean;butthekoanisan ironwallstanding inthewayand
threateningtoovercomeone'severyintellectualefforttopass.WhenJoshusays"thecypress-treeinthecourtyard",orwhen
Hakuinputsout hisonehand,thereisnologicalwaytoget
aroundit.Youfedasifyourmarchofthoughthadbeensud-
denlycutshort.Youhesitate,youdoubt,youaretroubledand
agitated, not knowinghow tobreakthrough thewall which
seems altogether impassable. When this climax is reached,
yourwholepersonality,yourinmostwill,yourdeepestnature,
determinedtobringthesituationtoanissue,throwsitselfwith
nothought ofselforno-self,ofthisorthat,direcdyand un-
reservedly against the iron wall of the koan. This throwing
yourentirebeing against the koanunexpectedly opens upa
hithertounknownregionofthemind.Intellectually,thisisthe
transcendingofthelimitsoflogical dualism,butat thesame
timeitisaregeneration,theawakeningofaninnersensewhich
enablesonetolookintotheactualworkingofthings.Forthe
firsttimethemeaningofthekoanbecomesclear,and inthe
samewaythatoneknowsthaticeiscoldandfreezing.Theeye
sees, theearhears, tobesure,butitisthemindasawhole
thathassaiori;itisanactofperception,nodoubt,butitisa
perceptionofthehighestorder.HereUesthevalueoftheZen
discipline, asitgives birthtothe unshakableconvictionthat
thereissomethingindeedgoingbeyondmereintellection.
Thewallofkoanoncebrokenthroughandtheintellectual
obstructionswell clearedoff, youcomeback, sotospeak, to
your everyday relatively constinicted consciousness. The one
handdoesnotgiveoutasounduntilitisclapjjedbytheother.
Thecypress-treestandsstraightbeforethewindow;allhuman
beings have thenose verticallyset and theeyeshorizontally
arranged.Zenisnowthemostordinarythingintheworld.A
fieldthatweformerlysupposedtoliefarbeyondisnowfoundto
betheveryfield inwhichwewalk,dayin,dayout.Whenwe
comeoutofsaioriweseethefamiliarworldwithallitsmulti-
tudinousobjectsandideastogetherwiththeirlogicalness,and
pronouncethem"good".