An introduction to Zen Buddhism

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THE MEDITATION HALLAND THE MONKS LIFE

English sense,isno breakfast. TheZenmonkissupposed to

havenoeveningmeal,buttheclimaticnecessitybeingimpossible
toignore,hehasamealafterafashion,buttoeasehisconscience


hecallsit"medicinalfood".Thebreakfast,whichistakenvery

earlyinthemorningwhilestilldark,consistsofricegrueland


pickledvegetables.Theprincipalmeal isatabout tenin the

morningandconsistsofrice(orricemixedwithbarley",vegetable
soup,andpickles.Intheafternoon,atfour,theyhavewhatwas
leftfromdinner,andnospecialcookingisdone.Unlessinvited


out or givenanextra treatmentat home by some generous

patron,theirmealsareasdescribed above,yearin,yearout.
Povertyandsimplicityistheirrule.


Weought not,however,to concludethat asceticism isan

idealoflifeforZenmonks;forasfarastheultimatesignificance

ofZenisconcerned,itisneitherasceticismnoranyotherethical

system. Ifitappearstoadvocateeitherthedoctrineofsuppres-
sionorthatofdetachment,itismerelysoon thesurface,for
ZenasaschoolofgeneralBuddhism inheritsmoreorlessthe


odiumoftheHinduascetic discipline.Thecentralidea, how-

ever, ofthemonk'sUfeis not to wastebut to makethebest

possibleuseofthings asthey aregivenus, whichisalso the
spirit of Buddhism everywhere. In truth, the intellect, the
imagination,and all theother mentalfacultiesaswell asthe

physical objects that surround us, ourown bodies not being

excepted,aregivenfortheunfoldingandenhancingofthehighest
fxjwersp)ossessedbyus,and notmerelyfor thegratificationof
individualwhimsanddesires,whicharesuretoconflictwithand
injure theinterestsand rightstobeasserted byothers.These
aresomeoftheinnerideasunderlyingthesimplicityandp)overty
ofthemonk'slife.

Atmeal-timeagongisstruckand themonkscomeoutof

jhcZendoinprocessioncarryingtheirownsetofbowlstothe

dining-room,butdonotsituntil theleaderrings abell.The

bowlswhicheachbringsaremadeofwoodorpaperandarewell

lacquered;theyareusuallyfourorfiveinnumberandfitinto

oneanotherHkeanest.Thesutra{HridayaSutra)andthe"five

meditations"arerecited,andthenthemonkswhoareserving

aswaitersservethesoupandrice.Theyarenowreadytotake

uptheir chopsticks,butbeforetheyactually partakeoftheii
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