ANINTRODUCTION TO ZENBUDDHISM
fore,Zentakesustoanabsoluterealmwhereinthereareno
antithesesofanysort
Wemustremember,however,thatweliveinaffirmationand
notinnegation,forlifeisafl&rmationitself;andthisaffirmation
mustnotbetheoneaccomjaaniedorconditionedbyanegation
;suchanaffirmationisrelativeandnotatallabsolute.Withsuch
anaffirmationlifelosesitscreativeoriginalityandturnsintoa
mechanicalprocessgrindingforthnothingbutsoullessfleshand
bones.Tobefree,lifemustbeanabsoluteaffirmation.Itmust
transcendallpossibleconditions,limitations,andantithesesthat
hinderits fireeactivity. WTienShuzan held forthhis stickof
bamboo,whathewantedofhisdiscipleswasforthemtounder-
standandrealizethisformofabsoluteaffirmation.Anyanswer
issatisfactoryifitflowsoutofone'sinmostbeing,forsuchis
alwaysanabsoluteaffirmation.Therefore,Zendoesnotmeana
mereescapefromintellectualimprisonment,whichsometimes
endsinsheerwantonness.ThereissomethinginZenthatfrees
usfromconditionsandatthesametimegivesusacertainfirm
foothold,which,however,isnotafootholdinarelativesense.
TheZenmasterendeavourstotakeawayallfootholdsfromthe
disciplewhichhehaseverhadsincehisfirstappearanceonearth,
andthentosupplyhimwithonethatisreallynofoothold.Ifthe
stickofbambooisnottothepurpose,anythingthatcomeshandy
willbemadeuseof.NihilismisnotZen,forthisbamboostick
oranythingelsecannotbedoneawaywithaswordsandlogic
can.ThisisthepointwemustnotoverlookinthestudyofZen.
Someexampleswillbegivenforillustration.Toku-san(Teh-
shan,780-865)usedtoswinghisbigstickwheneverhecameout
topreachinthehall,saying,"IfyouutterawordIwillgiveyou
thirtyblows;ifyouutternotaword,justthesame,thirtyblows
onyourhead."Thiswasallhewouldsaytohisdisciples.No
lengthytalkonreligionormorality; noabstractdiscourse,no
hair-splittingmetaphysics;on thecontrary, quiterough-shodriding.Tothosewhoassociatereligionwithpusillanimityand
sanctimoniousness the Zen master must appear a terribly
unpolishedfellow.Butwhenfactsarehandledasfacts,without
any intermediary, they aregenerally rude things. We must
squarelyfacethem,fornoamountofwinkingorevadingwillbe