THEMEDITATION HALLAND THE MONK's LIFE
isthattheirmindandbodydonotactinunison;theirbodyis
always separated from their mind, and the latter from the
former;theyimaginethatthereisthebodyandthereisthemind
andforgetthatthisseparationismerelyideational,andthere-
foreartificial.TheaimoftheZendisciplinebeingtoannulthis
mostfundamentaldiscrimination,itisalwayscarefultoavoidany
practicewhich tends to emphasize the idea ofonesidedness.
Satori in truth consists in reaching the p>oint where all our
discriminatorynotionsaredoneawaywith,thoughthisisbyno
meansastateofemptiness.Thesluggishnessofmindwhichisso
frcquendythe product ofquietistic meditation, wecan thus
sec,isnotatallconducivetothematuringofsatori,andthose
whowanttoadvanceinthestudyofZenhavenaturallytobe
alwaysonguardinthisresf>ectlestitshouldfinallyaltogether
stopthefluidity,asitwere,ofmentalactivity.Thisisatleastone
reasonwhyZenfollowersobjecttothemerepracticeofDhyana.
Thebodykeptbusywillalsokeepthemindbusy,andtherefore
fresh,wholesome,andalert.
Morally, any work involving an expenditureof physical
forcetestifiestothesoundnessofideas.EspeciallyinZenisthis
true;abstractideasthatdonotreflectthemselvesforciblyand
cflRcientlyinpracticallivingareregardedasofnovalue.Con-
victionmust begained through experienceand not through
abstraction. Moralassertionoughteverywheretobeoverand
aboveintellectualjudgment; thatis, truth oughttobebased
uponone'slivingexperience.Idlereverieisnottheirbusiness,
insistthefollowersofZen.They,ofcourse,sitquiedyandprac-
tisezazen;thatmustbedoneiftheyaretoassimilatewhatever
lessonstheyhavegainedwhileworking.Butastheyareopposed
to"chewingthecud"allthetime,theyputintoactionwhatever
reflectionstheyhavemadeduringhoursofquiet-sittingandthus
testtheirvalidityinthevitalfieldofactualities.Itismystrong
convictionthatiftheZenmonasterydidnotputfaithinworking
andkeepingthebloodofthemonkscirculating, thestudyof
Zenwouldhavesunkintothelevelofameresomniferousand
trance-inducingsystem,andall thetreasuresgarneredbythemastersinChinaandJapanwouldhavebeencastawayasof
nomorevaluethanheapsofrottenstuff.