WHAT IS ZEN?
intellectandnothingmore.Donotimagine,however,thatZen
is nihilism. All nihilism is self-destructive, it ends nowhere.
Negativism is soundas method, but the highest truth isanaffirmation.WhenitissaidthatZenhasnophilosophy,thatit
deniesall doctrinalauthority, that it castsasideall so-calledsacred literatureas rubbish,wemust not forget that Zen is
holdingupinthisveryactofnegationsomethingquitepositiveandeternallyaffirmative.Thiswillbecomecleareraswepro-
ceed.
IsZenareligion?Itisnotareligioninthesensethatthetermispopularlyunderstood;forZenhasnoGodtoworship,
noceremonialritestoobserve,nofutureabodeto whichthe
deadaredestined,and,lastofall,Zenhasnosoulwhosewel-
fareistobelookedafterbysomebodyelseandwhoseimmor-
talityisamatterofintenseconcernwdthsomepeople. Zenis
freefromallthesedogmaticand"religious"encumbrances.
WhenIsaythereisnoGodinZen, thepiousreadermay
beshocked,butthisdoesnotmeanthatZendeniestheexistence
ofGod;neitherdenialnoraffirmationconcernsZen.Whena
thingisdenied,theverydenialinvolvessomethingnotdenied.
Thesamecanbesaidofaffirmation.Thisisinevitableinlogic.
Zenwantstoriseabovelogic,Zenwantstofindahigheraffir-
mationwheretherearenoantitheses.Therefore,inZen,God
isneitherdeniednorinsistedupon;onlythereisinZennosuch
God as has been conceived byJewishand Christian minds.
ForthesamereasonthatZenisnotaphilosophy,Zenisnota
religion.
AstoallthoseimagesofvariousBuddhasandBodhisattvas
and Devas and other beings that onecomes across in Zen
temples,theyarelikesomanypiecesofwoodorstoneormetal;
they are like the camellias, azalias, orstonelanternsinmy
garden.Makeobeisancetothecamellianowinfullbloom,and
worshipitifyoulike,Zenwouldsay.Thereisasmuchreligion
insodoingas inbowingto thevariousBuddhistgods, oras
sprinklingholywater,orasparticipatingintheLord'sSupper.
Allthosepiousdeedsconsideredtobemeritoriousorsanctifying
bymostso-calledreligiouslymindedpeopleareartificialitiesin
theeyesofZen.Itboldlydeclaresthat"theimmaculateYogins
donotenterNirvanaandtheprecept-violatingmonksdonot