ANINTRODUCTION TO ZENBUDDHISM
ance{avidya),whichtenaciouslyclingstothemindaswetclothes
dotothebody."Ignorance"^isallverywellasfarasitgoes,
butitmustnotgooutofitspropersphere."Ignorance"isanother
nameforlogicaldualism.Whiteissnowandblackistheraven.
Butthesebelongtotheworldanditsignorantwayoftalking.
Ifwewanttogettotheverytruthofthings,wemustseethem
fromthep>ointwherethisworldhasnotyetbeencreated,where
theconsciousnessofthisandthathasnotyetbeenawakenedand
wherethemindisabsorbedinitsownidentity, thatis,inits
serenityandemptiness.Thisisaworldofnegationsbutleadingto
ahigherorabsoluteaffirmation—anaffirmationinthemidstof
negations.Snowisnotwhite,theravenisnotblack,yeteachin
itselfiswhiteorblack.Thisiswhereourever\daylanguagefails
toconveytheexactmeaningasconceivedbyZen.
ApparentlyZennegates;butitisalwaysholdingupbefore
ussomethingwhichindeedliesrightbeforeouro'wneyes;andif
wedonotpickitupbyourselves,itisourownfault.Mostpeople,
whosementalvisionisdarkenedbythecloudsofignorance,pass
itbyandrefusetolookatit.TothemZenis,indeed,nihilism
justbecausetheydonotseeit.WhenObaku(Huang-po,died
850)waspayingreverencetotheBuddhainthesanctuary, a
pupilofhisapproachedandsaid,"WhenZensaysnottoseekit
throughtheBuddha,northroughtheDharma,northroughthe
Sangha, whydoyoubowtotheBuddhaasifwishingtoget
somethingbythispiousact?"
"Idonotseekit,"answeredthemaster,"throughtheBuddha,
northroughtheDharma,northroughtheSangha;Ijustgoon
doingthisactofpietytotheBuddha."
Thedisciplegrunted,"Whatistheuse,anyway,oflookingso
sanctimonious?"
The mastergave him aslapintheface, whereuponthe
disciplesaid,"Howrudeyouare!"
"Doyouknowwhereyouare,"exclaimedthemaster;"here
Ihavenotimetoconsiderforyoursakewhatrudenessorpolite-
nessmeans."Withthisanotherslapwasgiven.
Intelligentreaders\illseeinthisattitudeofObakusome-
thingheis anxioustocommunicatein spiteofhis apparent
- ThismayberegardedascorrespondingtoHeraclitus'Enantiodromia,the
regulatingfunctionofantithesis.
5a
