An introduction to Zen Buddhism

ANINTRODUCTIONTO ZENBUDDHISM

anexperiencethatbafflesalllanguages.Satoricomesassome-
thingunexpected,nottobeexpected.

WhenwithintherealmofChristianityvisionsoftheHoly

Trinity,theMadonna,theCrucifixionorthePatronSaintare
vouchsafed,onehastheimpressionthatthisismoreorlessas

itshouldbe.ThatJacobBoehmeshouldobtainaglimpseinto

thecentrumnaturaebymeansofthesunbeamreflectedinthetin
plate is also understandable. It is harder to accept Master
Eckehart'svisionof"thelitdenakedboy",^orevenSweden-

borg's"manintheredcoat"whowantedtoweanhimfrom

overeating,and whom,inspiteofthisorperhapsbecauseof

it,herecognized astheLordGod.* Suchthingsaredifficult

toaccept,borderingastheydoonthegrotesque.Manyofthe

satoriexperiences,however,donotmerelyborderonthegro-
tesque;theyarerightthereinthemidstofit,soundinglike
completenonsense.

Foranyone,however,whohasdevotedconsiderabletimeto

studying with loving and understanding care the flowerlike

natureofthespiritofthe FarEast,manyofthese amazing

things, which drive the all too simple European from one

perplexitytoanother,fallaway.Zenisindeedoneofthemost

wonderful blossomsofthe Chinesespirit,'which wasreadily

impregnatedbytheimmensethought-worldofBuddhism.He,

therefore,whohasreallytriedtounderstandBuddhistdoctrine,

ifonlytoacertaindegree—i.e.byrenouncingvariousWestern

prejudices—willcomeuponcertaindepthsbeneath thebizarre

cloakoftheindividualsatoriexperiences,orwillsensedisquieting

difficultieswhichthephilosophicandreligiousWesthasupto

nowthoughtfittodisregard.Asaphilosopher,oneisexclusively

concernedwiththatunderstandingwhich,foritsownpart,has

nothingtodowithlife.AndasaChristian,onehasnothingtodo

withpaganism("I thankthee.Lord, thatI amnotasother

men").ThereisnosatoriwithintheseWesternbounds—thatis

anOrientalaffair.Butisitreallyso?Haveweinfactnosatori?

• SeeTexteamderdeuUchenMystikdes 14 und15,Jahrhunderts,publishedby
  AdolfSpamer,1912,p.143.


• WilliamWhite:EmanuelSwedenborg,1867,Vol.I,p.243.


• "Zenisundoubtedlyoneofthemostpreciousandinmanyrespectsone
  ofthemostremarkablespiritualgraceswithwhichOrientalmanhasbeen
  blessed."(Suzviki:Essays,I,p.249.)