IS ZEN NIHILISTIC?
brusquenesstohisdisciple.Heforbidsoutvs-ardly,andyetinthe
spiritheisaffirming.ThismustbecomprehendedifZenistobe
atallunderstood.TheattitudeofZentowardstheformalworshipofGodmay
begleaned moreclearly fromJoshu's (Chao-chou, 778-897)remarksgivento amonk whowas bowingreverendy before
Buddha.WTienJoshuslappedthemonk,thelattersaid,"Is itnotalaudablethingtopayrespecttoBuddha?""Yes,"answered
themaster,"butitisbettertogowithoutevenalaudablething."
Doesthisattitudesavourofanythingnihilisticandiconoclastic?
Sujjerficially,yes;butletusdivedeepintothespiritofJoshuout
ofthedepths ofwhichthis utterancecomes,andwe\siilfind
ourselvesconfrontinganabsoluteaffirmationquitebeyondthe
kenofourdiscursiveunderstanding.
Hakuin (1685-1768),thefounderofmodemJapaneseZen,
whilestillayoungmonkeagerlybentonthemasteryofZen,had
aninterviewwiththevenerableShoju.Hakuinthoughtthathe
fiillycomprehendedZenandwasproudofhisattainment,and
thisinterviewwithShojuwasinfactintendedtobeademon-
strationofhisownhighunderstanding.Shojuaskedhimhow
muchheknewofZen.Hakuinanswereddisgustingly,"Ifthereis
anythingIcanlaymyhandon,Iwillgetitalloutofme."So
saying,heactedasifheweregoingtovomit.Shojutookfirm
holdofHakuin'snoseandsaid:"Whatisthis?HaveInotafter
alltouchedit?" LetourreadersponderwithHakuinoverthis
interview andfind outforthemselveswhat isthat something
whichissorealisticallydemonstratedbyShoju.
Zenisnotallnegation,leavingthemindallblankasifitwere
purenothing;forthatwouldbeintellectualsuicide.Thereisin
Zen something self-assertive, which, however,beingfreeand
absolute, knows no limitations andrefuses to behandled in
abstraction.Zenisalivefact,itisnotlikeaninorganicrockor
likeanemptyspace.Tocomeintocontactwiththislivingfact
—
nay,totakeholdofitineveryphaseoflife—istheaimofallZen
discipline.
Nansen(Nan-chuan,748-834)wasonceaskedbyHyakujo
(Paii-chang, 720-814), oneofhis brothermonks,ifthere wasanythinghedarednottalkabouttoothers.Themasteranswered,
"Yes,"
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