An introduction to Zen Buddhism

AN INTRODUCTION TOZEN BUDDHISM

realized that this experience could not have happened to

him ifYisan had been unkind enough to explain things

tohim.
CannotZenbesoexplainedthatamastercanleadallhis
pupibto enlightenment through explanation?Is satorisome-
thingthatisnotatallcapableofintellectualanalysis?Yes,it
isanexperiencewhichnoamountofexplanationorargument

canmakecommunicabletoothersunlessthelatterthemselves

haditpreviously.Ifsatoriisamenabletoanalysisinthesense

thatbysodoingitbecomesperfecdycleartoanotherwhohas

neverhadit,thatsatoriwillbenosatori.Forasatoriturnedinto

aconceptceasestobeitself;andtherewillnomorebeaZen

experience.Therefore,allthatwecandoinZeninthewayof

instructionistoindicate,ortosuggest,ortoshowthewayso

thatone'sattentionmaybedirectedtowards thegoal. Asto

attainingthegoalandtakingholdofthethingitself,thismustbe

donebyone'sownhands,fornobodyelsecandoitforone.

Asregards theindication, ithes everywhere. Whena man's

mindismaturedforsatoriittumblesoveroneeverywhere.An

inarticulatesound,anunintelligentremark,abloomingflower,

or a trivial incident such as stumbling, is the condition or

occasionthatwillopenhismindtosatori.Apparendy,aninsig-

nificanteventproducesaneffectwhichinimportanceisalto-

getheroutofproportion.TheUghttouchofanignitingwire,

andanexplosionfollowswhichwillshaketheveryfoundation

oftheearth.Allthecauses,alltheconditionsofsatoriareinthe

mind;theyaremerelywaitingforthematuring.Whenthemind

isreadyforsomereasonsorothers,abirdflies,orabellrings,

andyouatoncereturntoyouroriginalhome;thatis,youdis-

coveryournowrealselfFromtheverybegirmingnothinghas

beenkeptfromyou,allthatyouwishedtoseehasbeenthere

all thetimebefore you, it wasonlyyourselfthat closed the

eyetothefact.Therefore,thereisinZennothingtoexplain,

nothingtoteach,that willaddtoyour knowledge.Unlessit

growsoutofyourselfnoknowledgeisreallyyours,itisonlya

borrowedplumage.

Kozankoku(HuangShan-ku),aConfucianpoetandstates-

manoftheSung,cametoKwaido(Hui-t'ang) tobeinitiated

into Zen. Saidthe Zenmaster:"There is apassageinthe