ANINTRODUCTION TO ZENBUDDHISM
younotbegintosp>eak?"Shih,oneoftheEmp>cror'sattendants,said, "The Daishihas finisheddiscoursing." What kindofa
sermondidthissilentBuddhistphilosopherdeUver?Lateron,aZenmastercommentingontheabovesay"s,"Whataneloquent
sermonitwas!"Vimalakirti,theheroofthesutrabearinghis
name,hadthesamewayofansweringthequestion,"Whatisthe
absolutedoctrineofnon-duality?"Someoneremarked,"Thun-dering,indeed,isthissilenceofVimalakirti."Wasthiskeeping
themouthclosedreallysodeafening?Ifso,Iholdmytongue
now,andthewholeuniverse,withallitshullabalooandhurly-
burly,isatonceabsorbedinthisabsolutesilence.Butmimicry
doesnotturnafrogintoagreenleaf.Wherethereisnocreative
originalitythereisnoZen.Imustsay:"Toolate,toolate!The
arrowhasgoneoffthestring."AmonkaskedYeno(Hui-neng),theSixthPatriarch,"Who
hasinheritedthespiritoftheFifthPatriarch(Hung-jen)?"AnsweredYeno,"OnewhounderstandsBuddhism^."
"Haveyoutheninheritedit?"
"No,"rephedYeno,"Ihavenot.""Whyhaveyounot?"wasnaturallythenextquestionofthe
monk."BecauseIdonotimderstandBuddhism,"Yenoreasoned.
Howhard,then,andyethoweasyitistounderstandthe
truthofZen!Hardbecausetounderstanditisnottounderstand
it;easybecausenottounderstanditistounderstandit.Amaster
declaresthatevenBuddhaSakyamuniandBodhisattvaMaitreya
donotunderstandit, wheresimple-mindedknavesdounder-
standit.WecannowseewhyZenshunsabstractions,representations,
andfiguresofsp>eech.Norealvalueisattachedtosuchwordsas
God,Buddha,thesoul,theInfinite,theOne,andsuchlikewords.Theyare,afterall,onlywordsandideas,andassucharenot
conducivetotherealunderstandingofZen.Onthecontrary,
theyoftenfalsifyandplayatcrosspurposes.Wearethuscom-
f>ellcdalwaystobeonourguard.SaidaZenmaster,"CleansethemouththoroughlywhenyouutterthewordBuddha."Or,
"ThereisonewordIdonotliketohear;thatis,Buddha."Or,
"PassquicklyonwherethereisnoBuddha,norstaywhereheis."