Zen has nothing to do with prescriptions or speculations. I’ve written about Zen here, here, and here. In those posts I’ve loosely outlined Buddhist thought. Buddhism aims to alleviate suffering and focuses on practice, not faith. There are no creeds in Buddhism, just as there are no creeds in Hinduism or Judaism or Islam.
More importantly, Buddhist thought expresses the observations of the Buddha and his followers. These observations can be verified by objective evidence and subjective experience. Essentially, Buddhism is based on observation, not conjecture. In this article, we will focus on Zen practice, particularly meditation and Koan study.
Ask a Zen teacher questions like: “Is there a God? What is the meaning of life? Where do we go when we die?” The teacher might reply: “No one knows. Are you aware of your connection to everyone and everything? Are you aware of your here and now?” Buddhism generally does not affirm or deny these beliefs; rather, because they are merely speculations, Buddhism does not address them.
The Buddha thought it was useless to speculate about God or an afterlife. Some Buddhists believe in God, others don’t. Some believe in an ultimate reality that is not personal. Some Buddhists believe in human reincarnation, others don’t. Some believe that we merge into the ultimate reality without retaining any ego or individual personality.
Zen Practice: Meditation
In Zen practice, the teacher outlines the Buddha’s teachings. He cites scriptures, such as the Heart Sutra, that explain the principles of the Buddha’s teachings. Primarily, our conversations revolve around practice: “How is your practice going? Are you aware of your interdependence? Is this awareness helping you in your daily life?”
Zen practitioners are Points of Interest It is one of the fruits of Zen.. Kensho refers to an initial insight or sudden awakening to one’s true nature. In Zen, the true self is “no self.” There is no separation. Everything is dependent on everything else, nothing is independent.
Dogen Zenji describes enlightenment as a “shedding” of the mind and body, meaning that enlightenment is the realization of something that already exists, not the achievement of something that has been created or developed.
The distractions of everyday life can prevent us from realizing our true nature, so Zen focuses on meditation and (sometimes) the study of koans to remove the distractions of everyday life. Meditation in Zen involves being aware of what is happening in the present moment without getting attached to thoughts or images.
The Chinese Master Shengyan said, “The clearer the mind, the more empty and calm it becomes, and the more empty and calm it becomes, the clearer it becomes.”
Zen Practice: Koan Study
“What does one hand sound like?” is a famous Zen koan. Many of us first try to decipher this koan intellectually — snapping our fingers or flicking them against our palms. In one funny sketch on Saturday Night Live, a Zen student slaps his Zen master in the face. What does one hand sound like? Zen is not interested in prescriptions or speculations.
Koans are supposed to provoke an intuitive response, not an intellectual one. Again, this practice is about observation, not speculation. Don’t solve the koan; let the koan solve it for you. Face the koan with awareness, without getting attached to a thought or image. Eventually, within minutes or months, the obvious answer will become embarrassingly clear.
If I start to think about a koan, my Zen teacher will shout, “Say it without thinking!!” or, more frequently, “Show it, don’t tell it!!” Seeing me stare blankly, the teacher might dismiss me by saying, “Sit down and think.” Of course I will think. “No, sit down and think!! Don’t think!!”
Zen literature is filled with stories of birdsong, stern admonitions, and sudden transformations that prompt students to report experiences of realization or solve koans. The koans may seem strange, contradictory, or even nonsensical, but we soon realize that if we want to realize extraordinary insights, we need to break out of our ordinary thought patterns.
There are hundreds of such koans, and it might take a Zen student years to learn them all. The study of koans teaches the student a Zen way of thinking, which is experiential rather than intellectual, intuitive rather than logical. The study of koans does not teach the student any Buddhist doctrine.
Paradox
Zen is known for its contradictions. There is a famous Zen story that says, “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!” Nonsense? No, this story encourages us to let go of our ideas about the Buddha. To truly understand the Buddha’s teachings, we may need to let go of our unexamined assumptions, opinions and understandings about him.
A Zen monk said, There is no God, but God is always with youNonsense? No, the title is urging us to let go of our ideas about God. To truly understand the nature of ultimate reality, we may need to let go of our unexamined assumptions, opinions, and understandings about God.
There’s a well-known koan: “When a man crosses a bridge, the bridge flows and the water stands still.” We have probably never thought of things that way. What is moving? What is standing still? In fact, everything is happening organically, integrated, interconnected, interdependently. We are participants in the experience, not bystanders.
Some traditions value belief over experience, dogma over practice, and speculation over observation. These traditions do not teach us to challenge assumptions or see things as they are. Zen, through meditation and the study of koans, teaches us to intuit, observe, perceive, and see things as they are, without being attached to beliefs or bound by assumptions.
Zen is not interested in prescriptions or speculation; Buddhism is focused on practice, not belief.
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road It won the Silver Award in the “Religion/Spirituality in Other Traditions” category at the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards.
