AN INTRODUCTION TOZENBUDDHISM
andsothoroughlydelineatedbylogicthatwhatwehavetodois
simplytofollowit,andthatweoughtnottothinkofviolating
thelawsofthought,whicharefinal.Suchageneralviewoflife
hascometobeheldbymostpeople,thoughImustsaythatin
point offact they are constantly violating what they think
inviolable.Thatistosay,theyare"holdingaspadeandyetnotholdingit",theyaremakingthesumoftwoandtwosometimes
three,sometimesfive;onlytheyarenotconsciousofthisfact
and imaginethat their lives are logicallyor mathematicallyregulated.Zenwdshestostormthiscitadeloftopsy-turvydomand
to show that welive psychologicallyor biologically andnot
logically.
Inlogicthereis atraceofeffortand pain;logicis self-
conscious.Soisethics,whichistheapplicationoflogictothefactsoflife.Anethicalmanperformsactsofservicewhicharepraise-
worthy,butheisallthetimeconsciousofthem,and,moreover,hemayoftenbethinkingofsomefuturereward.Henceweshould
saythathismindistaintedandnotatallpure,howeverobjec-
tivelyorsociallygoodhisdeedsare.Zenabhorsthis.Lifeisanart,
andlikeperfectartitshouldbeself-forgetting;thereoughtnotto
beanytraceofeffortorpainfulfeeling.Life,accordingtoZen,
oughttobeUvedasabirdfliesthroughtheairorasafishswimsinthewater.Assoonastherearesignsofelaboration,amanis
doomed, heisnomoreafreebeing. Youarenotlivingasyou
oughttolive,youaresufferingunderthetyrannyofcircum-
stances;youarefeelingaconstraintofsomesort,andyoulose
yourindependence.Zenaimsatpreservingyourvitality,your
nativefreedom,andaboveallthecompletenessofyourbeing.
Inotherwords,Zenwantstolivefromwithin.Nottobebound
byrules,buttobecreatingone'sownrules—thisisthekindoflife
whichZenistryingtohaveuslive.Henceitsillogical,orrather
superlogical,statements.
InoneofhissermonsaZenmaster^declares:"Thesutras
preachedbytheBuddhaduringhislifetimearesaidtoamount
to five thousand and forty-eight fascicles; they include the
doctrine ofemptiness and the doctrine ofbeing; there are
teachingsofimmediaterealizationandofgradualdevelopment.
Isthisnotanaffirmation?
*GosoHoyen(Fa-ycnofWu-tsu-shan).