ANINTRODUCTION TO ZENBUDDHISM
discriminatingconscious.^ Henceitsoverpoweringeffect. Itis
theunexpected,comprehensive,completelyilluminatinganswer,
whichoperatesallthemoreasilluminationandrevelation,since
theconscioushaswedgeditselfintoahopelessblind-alley.^When therefore, aftermany years ofthehardestpractice
andthemoststrenuousdevastationofrationalunderstanding,
theZenstudent receivesananswer—theonly trueanswer—
fromNature herself, everythingthat is said ofsatorican be
understood. As can easily be seen, it is the naturelike-ness
{Naturhaftigkeit) oftheanswer which shines forthfrom most
oftheZenanecdotes.Yes,onecanacceptwithcompletecom-
plaisance the enlightenedstudent who, as one story relates,
wishedhismasterasoundthrashingasareward(seepages93-4).Howmuchwisdomliesinthemaster's"Wu",theanswertothe
questionabouttheBuddhanatureofthedog!Onemustalways
consider,however,thatontheonehandthereareanynumber
ofpeoplewhocannotdistinguishbetweenaspiritualwitticism
andnonsense,andontheotherhandverymanypeoplewhoare
convincedoftheirownclevernesstosuchanextentthatthey
haveneverintheirlivesmetanybutfools.GreatasisthevalueofZenBuddhismfortheunderstandingofthereligioustransformation process,itsuseamongWestern
peopleisveryimprobable.Thespiritualconceptionsnecessary
toZenaremissingintheWest.Whoamongstuswouldproduce
suchimplicittrustinasuperiormasterandhisincomprehensible
ways? Thisrespect for thegreater human personality exists
onlyintheEast.Whocouldboastofbelievinginthepossibility
ofa transformation experienceparadoxical beyond measure;
to theextent,moreover, ofsacrificingmany yearsofhislife
tothewearisomepursuitofsuchanobject?Andfinally, who
woulddaretotakeup>onhimselftheauthorityofaheterodoxical
transformation experience? Let it be a man of little trust-
worthiness,onewho,maybefrompathologicalreasons,hastoo
muchtosayforhimself;suchamanwouldhavenocauseto
"Whenminddiscriminates,thereismanifoldnessofthings;whenitdoes
notitlooksintothetruestateofthings."(Suzuki:Elssaysin^tnBuddhum,I,p.
88.)
Seethepassagebeginning,"Haveyournaindlikeuntospace...."(Suzuki
:EssaysinJ^enBuddhism,I,p.209.)