The Spirit of Zen

Tuesday, June 16, 2015 K.Z. Freeman 0 Comments

Have everything thoroughly poured out that has accumulated in your mind––learning, hearing, false understanding, clever or witty sayings, the so-called truth of Zen, Buddha’s teachings, self-conceit, arrogance, etc. Concentrate yourself on the koan, of which you have not yet had a penetrating comprehension. That is to say, cross your legs firmly, erect you spinal column straight, and paying no attention to the periods of the day, keep your concentration until you grow unaware of your whereabouts, east, west, south, north, as if you were a living corpse.

The mind moves in response to the outside world and when it is touched, it knows. The time will come when all thoughts cease to stir and there will be no working of consciousness. It is then that all of a sudden you smash your brain to pieces and for the first time realize that the truth is in your own possession from the very beginning. Would this not be of great satisfaction to you in your daily life? 

- D.T. Suzuki

Image by Jie He




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