An introduction to Zen Buddhism

ANINTRODUCTION TO ZENBUDDHISM

psychotherapyareofcoursemuchmorevaried,andtheindi-

vidualphasesofthelongprocessmeetwithfarmoreopposition
thaninZen.

Fortheseandmanyotherreasonsadirecttransmissionof

ZentoWesternconditions isneither commendablenoreven

possible. Thepsychotherapist, however, who isseriouslycon-

cernedwiththequestionoftheaimsofhistherapycannotbe

unmovedwhenheseeswhatultimateresultanorientalmethod

ofspiritual "healing"—i.e. "makingwhole"—is striving for.

Itis a well-knownfact thatthisproblem has beenseriously

occupyingthemostventuresomemindsoftheEast formore

thantwothousandyears,andthatinthisrespectmethodsand

philosophicaldoctrineshavebeendevelopedwhichsimplyput

all Western attempts in the same line intothe shade. Our

attempts—with a few exceptions—have all stoppedshort at

either magic (mystery cults, among which Christianity must

becounted) ortheintellectual (philosophersfrom Pythagoras

toSchopenhauer).ItisonlythespiritualtragediesofGoethe's

Faust and Nietzsche's^arathustra which mark the first glim-

merings ofthe break-through of a total experience {Ganz-

heitserlebnis)inourWesternhemisphere.^Andwedonoteven

know today what these, themost promisingofall products

oftheEuropeanmind,mayatlengthsignify, sooverlaidare

theywithallthematerialityandobviousnessofourpreformed

Greekspirit.*Althoughourintellecthasbroughtwell-nighto

perfectiontheabilityofthebirdof prey to espythetiniest

mousefromthegreatestheight,thegravityofearthseizeshim

andtheSangskarasentanglehiminaworldofconfusingpic-

turesifhenolongerlooksforbootybutturnsatleastoneeye

inwardstofindhimwhoseeks.Yes,hefallsintothetravail ofa

demoniacalbirth,besetwithunknownterrorsanddangersand

menaced by deluding miragesand labyrinthinemazes. The

worstofall fatesthreatens the venturer;thesilent, abysmal

lonelinessinthetimewhichhecallshisown.Whoknowsanything

*InthisconnectionImustmentionalsotheEnglishmystic,William

Blake.Cf.theexcellentrepresentationinMiltonO.Percival'sWilliamBlake's

CircleofDestiny.CkjlumbiaUniversityPress,1938.

*ThegeniusoftheGreeksignifiesthebreak-throughoftheconsciousinto

thematerialityoftheworld,wherebythelatterwasrobbedofheroriginal

dreamlikeness.