PRELIMINARY
inholdingupafinger,orin sayinga "goodmorning"to a
friendcasuallymetonthestreet.IntheeyeofZenthemost
practicalisthemostabstruse,andviceversa.AllthesystemofdisciplineadoptedbyZenistheoutcomeofthisfundamental
experience.
I saidthat Zenismystical. Thisisinevitable, seeingthat
Zenis thekeynoteofOrientalculture; itis whatmakesthe
WestfrequentlyfailtofathomexacdythedepthsoftheOrientzd
mind, formysticism in its very nature defies theanalysis of
logic, and logic is themost characteristicfeature ofWestern
thought. TheEast issyntheticin itsmethod ofreasoning; it
doesnotcaresomuchfortheelaborationofparticularsasfora
comprehensivegraspofthewhole,and thisintuitively.There-
foretheEasternmind,ifweassumeitsexistence,isnecessarily
vagueandindefinite,andseemsnottohaveanindexwhichat
oncerevealsthecontentstoanoutsider.Thethingistherebefore
oureyes,foritrefusestobeignored;butwhenweendeavourto
graspitinourownhandsinordertoexamineitmoreclosely
orsystematically,iteludesandweloseitstrack.Zenisprovo-
kinglyevasive. Thisis notdueofcourse toany consciousor
premeditatedartificewithwhich theEasternmindschemesto
shun thescrutiny ofothers. Theunfathomableness is in the
veryconstitution,sotospeak,oftheEasternmind. Therefore,
tounderstandtheEastwemustunderstandmN'sticism;thatis,
Zen.
Itistoberemembered,however,thattherearevarioustypes
ofmysticism, rational and irrational, speculative and occult,
sensible andfantastic. WTien I say thatthe Eastismystical,
IdonotmeanthattheEastisfantastic,irrational,andaltogether
impossibletobringwithinthesphereofintellectualcomprehen-
sion.WhatImeanissimplythatintheworkingoftheEastern
mindthereissomethingcalm,quiet,silent,undisturbable,which
appearsasifalwayslookingintoeternity.This quietudeand
silence,however,doesnotpointtomereidlenessorinactivity.
Thesilenceisnotthatofthedesertshornofallvegetation,nor
isitthatofacorpseforevergonetosleepanddecay.Itisthe
silenceofan "eternal abyss" inwhich allcontrastsand con-
ditionsareburied;itisthesilenceofGodwho,deeplyabsorbed
incontemplation ofhis works past, present, andfuture, sits
3^