SATORI, OR ACQUIRING A NEWVIEWPOINT
1. People often imagine that the discipline ofZen is to
produce a state ofself-suggestion through meditation. This
entirelymissesthemark,ascanbeseenfromthevariousinstances
citedabove.Saioridoesnotconsistinproducingacertainpre-
meditatedconditionbyintenselythinkingofit.Itisacquiring
anewpointofviewfor lookingatthings. Eversince theun-
foldmentofconsciousnesswehavebeenled torespondtothe
innerandouterconditionsinacertainconceptualandanalytical
manner.ThedisciplineofZenconsistsinupsettingthisground-
work once for all and reconstructing the old frame on an
entirely new basis. It is evident, therefore, that meditating
on metaphysical and symbolical statements, which are
products of a relative consciousness, play no part in
Zen.
2.Withouttheattainmentofsatori noone canenterinto
thetruthofZen.Satoriisthesuddenflashingintoconsciousness
ofanewtruth hithertoundreamed of.It isasortofmental
catastrophetakingplaceall atonce,aftermuchpiling upof
mattersintellectualanddemonstrative.Thepilinghasreached
alimitofstabilityandthewholeedificehascometumblingto
theground,when,behold,anewheavenisopentofullsvuvey.
Whenthefreezingpointisreached,watersuddenlyturns into
ice;theliquid hassuddenlyturnedintoasolidbodyandno
moreflowsfreely.Satoricomesuponamanunawares,whenhe
feelsthathehasexhaustedhiswholebeing.Rehgiously,itisa
newbirth;intellectually,itistheacquiringofanewviewpoint.
Theworldnowappearsasifdressedinanewgarment,which
seemstocoverupalltheunsightlinessofdualism,whichiscalled
delusioninBuddhistphraseology.
3.Satoriistheraisond'StreofZenwithoutwhichZenisno
Zen. Thereforeeverycontrivance,disciplinary ordoctrinal, is
directedtowardsatori.Zenmasterscouldnotremainpatientfor
satoritocomebyitself;thatis,tocomesporadicallyoratitsown
pleasure.Intheirearnestnesstoaidtheirdisciplesinthesearch
afterthetruthofZentheirmanifesdyenigmaticalpresentations
weredesignedtocreateintheirdisciplesastateofmindwhich
would more systematically open the way to enlightenment.
Alltheintellectualdemonstrationsandexhortatorypersuasions
sofarcarriedoutbymostreligiousandphilosophicalleaders