IV
ILLOGICAL ZEN
Ejnpty-handedIgo,andbeholdthespadeisinmyhands
;Iwalkonfoot,andyetonthebackofanoxIamriding
;WTienIpassoverthebridge,
Lo,thewaterflowethnot,butthebridgedoth
flow.T«HISisthefamousgathaofJenye(Shan-hui,a.d.497-469),
whoiscommonlyknownasFudaishi (Fu-tai-shih)anditsum-
marilygivesthepointofviewasentertainedbythefollowersofZen.ThoughitbynomeansexhaustsallthatZenteaches,it
indicatesgraphicallythewaytowardwhichZentends.Those
whodesiretogainanintellectualinsight,ifpossible,intothetruth
ofZen,mustfirstunderstandwhatthisstanzareallymeans.Nothingcanbemoreillogicalandcontrarytocommonsense
thanthesefour lines. Thecriticwill beinclinedtocall Zen
absurd,confusing,and beyondtheken ofordinaryreasoning.ButZenisinflexibleandwouldprotestthattheso-calledcommon-
sensewayoflookingatthingsisnotfinal,andthatthereason
whywecannotattaintoathoroughgoingcomprehensionofthe
truthisduetoourunreasonableadherencetoa"logical"inter-pretationofthings.Ifwereallywanttogettothebottomoflife,
wemustabandonourcherishedsyllogisms,wemustacquirea
newwayofobservationwherebywecanescapethetyrannyof
logicandtheone-sidednessofoureverydayphraseology.How-
everparadoxicalitmayseem,Zeninsiststhatthespademustbe
heldinyouremptyhands,andthatitisnotthewaterbutthe
bridgethatisflowingunderyourfeet.Thesearenot,however,theonlyirrationalstatementsZen
makes.Therearemanymoreequallystaggeringones.Somemay
declareZenirrevocablyinsaneorsilly.Indeed,whatwouldour
readerssaytosuchassertionsasthefollowing?