Essays in Zen Buddhism
D.T. Suzuki
2,061 passages indexed from Essays in Zen Buddhism (D.T. Suzuki) — Page 18 of 42
License: Public Domain
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 964
But from the Zen point of view this classification is justifiable for the reason that the Tendai, except its metaphysics, is another current of Zen started independently of the line of Bodhi-Dharma, and if this were allowed to take a more practical course of development, it should surely have resulted in Zen as we have it now.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1788
1.10. 青原惟信. 嗣法於黃龍晦堂心. 上堂曰. 老僧三十年前未參禪時. 見山是山. 見水是水. 及至後來親見知識. 有箇入處. 見山不是山. 見水不是水. 而今得箇體歇處. 依前見山秪是山. 見水秪是水. 大衆這三般見解. 是同是別. 有緇素得出. 許汝親見老僧. (續傳燈錄卷二十二.)
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1605
During the “sesshin,” they have besides lectures what is known as “sanzen.”[f147][7.29] To do “sanzen” is to go to the master and present one’s views on a kō-an for his critical examination. In those days when a special “sesshin” is not going on, “sanzen” will probably take place twice a day, but during the period of thought-collection—which is the meaning of “sesshin”—the monk has to see the master four or five times a day.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1073
“I, Wo-luan, know a device Whereby to blot out all my thoughts: The objective world no more stirs the mind, And daily matures my Enlightenment!”
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1703
Ummon ascended the platform and said: “O you, venerable monks! Don’t get confused in thought. Heaven is heaven, earth is earth, mountains are mountains, water is water, monks are monks, laymen are laymen.” He paused for a while and continued, “Bring me out here that hill of Ansan and let me see!”
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1334
Whereupon Tesshikaku roared, “My late master never made such a talk; no slighting allusion to him, if you please!”
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1460
The monk Jō (Ting)[6.75] was one of his disciples, and when he asked the master what the fundamental principle of Buddhism was, Rinzai came down from his straw chair, and taking hold of the monk slapped him with the palm of his hand, and let him go. Jō stood still without knowing what to make of the whole procedure when a by-standing monk blamed him for not bowing to the master. While doing so, Jō all of a sudden awoke to the truth of Zen.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 400
It goes without saying however that these synonyms are helpful only as sign-posts indicating the way to the content of self-realisation.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1253
5. Satori is not seeing God as he is, as may be contended by some Christian mystics. Zen has from the very beginning made clear its principal thesis, which is to see into the work of creation and not interview the creator himself. The latter may be found then busy moulding his universe, but Zen can go along with its own work even when he is not found there. It is not depending on his support. When it grasps the reason of living a life, it is satisfied.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1706
Another day when he was silent in his seat for a while, a monk came out and made bows to him; said the master, “Why so late!” The monk made a response, whereupon the master remarked, “O you, good-for-nothing simpleton!”
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 176
It is therefore not quite in accordance with the life and teaching of the Buddha to regard Buddhism merely as a system of religious doctrines and practices established by the Buddha himself; for it is more than that, and comprises as its most important constituent elements, all the experiences and speculations of the Buddha’s followers especially concerning the personality of their master and his relations to his own doctrine.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 752
“Then I saw and knew: ‘Assured am I of deliverance; this is my final birth; never more shall I return to this life!’”[f76]
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1238
I wish to close this Essay by making a few general remarks in the way of recapitulation on the Buddhist experience known as satori.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 272
So we see that Enlightenment is not the outcome of an intellectual process in which one idea follows another in sequence finally to terminate in conclusion or judgment. There is neither process nor judgment in Enlightenment, it is something more fundamental, something which makes a judgment possible, and without which no form of judgment can take place.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 771
But as long as Buddhism flourished in India, this its central idea remained what it was, that is, such as is developed in most of the Mahayana Sutras. It was only after Bodhi-Dharma who brought it to China that the idea took root there and grew up to what we designate now specifically as the Zen school of Buddhism. The history of Zen, therefore, properly speaking or in its narrower sense, may best be regarded as beginning in China.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 241
The reason why the Buddha so frequently refused to answer metaphysical problems was partly due to his conviction that the ultimate truth was to be realised in oneself through one’s own efforts;[f26] for all that could be gained through discursive understanding was the surface of things and not things themselves, conceptual knowledge never gave full satisfaction to one’s religious yearning. The attainment of the Bodhi could not be the accumulation of dialectical subtleties.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1971
[f117] He is the founder of the modern Japanese Rinzai school of Zen. All the masters belonging to this school at present in Japan trace back their line of transmission to Hakuin.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 263
Seeing that the idea of Enlightenment played such an important rôle in the development of Mahayana Buddhism, what is the content of it? Can we describe it in an intelligible manner so that our analytical intellect could grasp it and make it an object of thought? The Fourfold Noble Truth was not the content of Enlightenment, nor was the Twelvefold Chain of Causation, nor the Eightfold Righteous Path. The truth flashed through the Buddha’s consciousness was not such a thought capable of discursive unfolding. When he exclaimed:
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 795
To be consistent with the view that Zen was a “special transmission from the Buddha outside of his doctrinal teaching,” Zen historians have extended this transmission even beyond Śākyamuni; for, according to tradition prevalent already among primitive Buddhists, there were at least six Buddhas prior to the Buddha of the present kalpa who was the Muni of the Śākyas; and these several Buddhas had each to leave a gāthā of “Dharma transmission” which is systematically preserved in Zen history.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 914
To this Hui-k‘ê answered: “You have truly comprehended the Dharma as it is; the deepest truth lies in the principle of identity. It is due to one’s ignorance that the mani-jewel is taken for a piece of brick, but lo! when one is suddenly awakened to self-enlightenment, it is realised that one is in possession of the real jewel. The ignorant and the enlightened are of one essence, they are not really to be separated. We should know that all things are such as they are. Those who entertain a dualistic view of the world are to be pitied, and I write this letter for them. When we know that between this body and the Buddha there is nothing to separate one from the other, what is the use of seeking after Nirvana [as something external to ourselves]?”
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1615
In this case however there must be absolute faith in the truth of Zen and in the master’s perfect understanding of it. The lack of this faith will also mean the same in one’s own spiritual possibilities. So exclaims Rinzai: “O you, men of little faith! How can you ever expect to fathom the depths of the ocean of Zen?”
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1406
While Rinzai is regarded as the author of “Kwats!” 喝 (_hê_), we have an earlier record of it; for Baso, successor to Nangaku (Nan-yüeh), and an epoch-maker in the history of Zen, uttered “Kwats!” to his disciple, Hyakjo (Pai-chang), when the latter came up to the master for a second time to be instructed in Zen. This “Kwats!” is said to have deafened Hyakujo’s ear for the following three days.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 195
We cannot, however, exclude from the body of Buddhism all the divergent views on the Buddha and his teaching as something foreign and not belonging to the constituent elements of Buddhism. For these views are exactly what support the frame of Buddhism, and without them the frame itself will be a non-entity altogether.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1148
Thus asked, Kyōgen did not know how to reply. He retired into his own room and assiduously made research among his notes which he had taken of the sermons given by his late master. He failed to come across a suitable passage he might present as his own view. He returned to Yisan and implored him to teach in the faith of Zen. But Yisan said, “I really have nothing to impart to you, and if I tried to do so, you may have occasion to make me an object of ridicule later on.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1518
Especially in Zen abstract ideas that do not convince one in practical living are of no value whatever. Conviction must be gained through experience and not through abstraction, which means that conviction has no really solid basis except when it can be tested in our acting efficient life. Moral assertion or “bearing witness” ought to be over and above an intellectual judgment, that is to say, the truth must be the product of ones’ living experiences.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1283
This is the way things or ideas go in this universe of the senses and syllogisms. Zen, however, upsets this scheme of thought and substitutes a new one in which there exists no logic, no dualistic arrangement of ideas. We believe in dualism chiefly because of our traditional training. Whether ideas really correspond to facts is another matter requiring a special investigation.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 951
“No, master,” said the boy, “for it is empty in its nature.” Here is a play of words; the character denoting “family name” and that for “nature” are both pronounced _hsing_. When Tao-hsin was referring to the “family name” the young follower took it for “nature” purposely, whereby to express his view by a figure of speech.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 2022
[f164] See also a Sutra in the Anguttara Āgama bearing the same title, which is evidently another translation of the same text. Also compare “The Herdsman, I.,” in _The First Fifty Discourses of Gotama the Buddha_; Vol. II., by Bhikkhu Sīlācāra. Leipzig, 1913. This a partial translation of the Majjhima Nikāya of the Pali Tripitaka. The eleven items as enumerated in the Chinese version are just a little differently given. Essentially of course, they are the same in both texts. A Buddhist dictionary called _Daizo Hossu_ gives reference on the subject to the great Mahayana work of Nāgārjuna, the _Māhāprājñāpāramitā-Śāstra_, but so far I have not been able to identify the passage.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 307
When Buddhism was still in its first stage of development, even nuns (_bhikshuṇī_) were not allowed to come into the community; the Buddha received them only after great reluctance, prophesying that Buddhism would now live only half of its normal life. We can readily see from this fact that the teaching of the Buddha and the doctrine of Enlightenment were meant to be practised and realised only among limited classes of people.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 84
We may be clever, bright, and all that, but what we produce lacks depth, sincerity, and does not appeal to the inmost feelings. Some are utterly unable to create anything except makeshifts or imitations betraying their shallowness of character and want of spiritual experience. While Zen is primarily religious, it also moulds our moral character. It may be better to say that a deep spiritual experience is bound to effect a change in the moral structure of one’s personality.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 989
Secondly, why was not the patriarchal robe transferred beyond Hui-nêng? If Hung-jên advised him to keep it with him, what does the advice really imply? That the life of the possessor of the robe would be threatened, points to the fact that there was a dispute among the disciples of Hung-jên. Did they regard the robe as the symbol of patriarchal authority? But what advantages, material or spiritual, accrued from the ownership of it?
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 2046
Prajñā, 52ff., 61, 65, 66, 94, 113, 134ff., 273, 275; see also Paññā, and under Dhyāna and Enlightenment.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 895
Kuang hesitated for a moment but finally said, “I have sought it these many years and am still unable to get hold of it!”
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1287
The idea of absolute oneness is not the exclusive possession of Zen, there are other religions and philosophies that preach the same doctrine. If Zen, like other monisms or theisms, merely laid down this principle and did not have anything specifically to be known as Zen, it would have long ceased to exist as such. But there is in Zen something unique which makes up its life and justifies its claim to be the most precious heritage of Eastern culture.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 183
There were probably other Buddhists who penetrated deeper into his life, as their own inner consciousness had a richer content. The history of religion thus becomes the history of our own spiritual unfolding. Buddhism must be conceived biologically, so to speak, and not mechanically. When we take this attitude, even the doctrine of the Fourfold Noble Truth becomes pregnant with yet deeper truths.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1576
Though one may doubt its historical occurrence, this is a notable story, and all the Zen masters agree as to the higher spiritual attainment of the Buddha-desecrating Tanka. When later a monk asked a master[7.20] about Tanka’s idea of burning a Buddha’s statue, said the master,
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1639
The mind was concentrated, and the form dissolved, and the bones and flesh all thawed away: I did not know where my form was supported, where my feet were treading; I just moved along with the wind, east and west, like a leaf of a tree detached from the stem, I was not conscious whether I was riding on the wind or the wind riding on me.”[f151]
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1700
“Don’t disparage the second patriarch,” Jōshu continued: “Dharma claims that the one who was outside got the skin and the inside one got the bone; but can you tell me what the inmost one gets?”
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1375
The question is concerned with the substantial conception of Prajñā, which, being a form of mental activity, requires something to abide in. According to Buddhist philosophy, there are three fundamental conceptions to explain the problem of existence: Substance or Being (_bhāva_), Appearance or Aspect (_lakshaṇa_), and Function or Activity (_kṛitya_). Or, to use the terms of the _Mādhyamika_, the three conceptions are actor, act, and acting.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1384
His answer was: “It is like drinking water, one knows by oneself whether it is cold or not.” When Goso read this, he questioned himself, “What is this that makes one know thus by oneself?” This was the way he started on his Zen tour, for his Yogācāra friends being philosophers could not enlighten him, and he finally came to a Zen master for instruction.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 573
“All-conqueror I, knower of all. From every soil and stain released, Renouncing all, from craving ceased, Self-taught; whom should I Master call?
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 930
Tarry not with dualism, Carefully avoid pursuing it; As soon as you have right and wrong, Confusion ensues, the mind is lost.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 881
With regard to the _Vajracchedikā-sūtra_, most people think of it as having nothing to do with Zen prior to the fifth patriarch, Hung-jên (Gunin); for it was he who for the first time introduced it among his own disciples, while Dharma himself made no allusion whatever to this, one of the most popular Buddhist texts in China.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 456
They could have produced a Chwang-tzŭ or those Taoist dreamers of the Six Dynasties, but not a Nāgārjuna or a Śankāra. The Chinese genius was to demonstrate itself in some other way. When they began inwardly to assimilate Buddhism as the doctrine of Enlightenment, the only course that opened to their concrete practical minds was to produce Zen.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 302
Decidedly not from his mouth, nor from the records of his sermons, nor from the ascetic practise, but from our own inner consciousness through the exercise of dhyana. And this is the doctrine of Zen.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 78
On being requested by the monks to deliver a sermon, Hyakujo Nehan (Pai-chang Nieh-p‘an)[1.12] told them to work on the farm, after which he would give them a talk on the great subject of Buddhism. They did as they were told, and came to the master for a sermon, when the latter, without saying a word, merely extended his open arms towards the monks. Perhaps there is after all nothing mysterious in Zen. Everything is open to your full view.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 829
Our knowledge of the life of Bodhi-Dharma comes from two sources, the one which the earliest record we have of him is by Tao-hsüan[4.23] in his _Biographies of the High Priests_ which was compiled early in the T‘ang dynasty, A.D. 645.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1514
Unless the hands are habitually trained to do the work of the brain, the blood ceases to circulate evenly all over the body, it grows congested somewhere, especially in the brain. The result will be not only an unsound condition of the body in general but a state of mental torpidity or drowsiness, in which ideas are presented as if they were wafting clouds. One is wide awake and yet the mind is filled with the wildest dreams and visions which are not at all related to realities of life.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 524
These two facts stood out most prominently in his long peaceful life of seventy-nine years, and all the theories and beliefs that are bound up with the Buddha are attempts to understand these facts in terms of our own religious experience. Thus Buddhism has grown to have a much wider meaning than is understood by most scholars.
Essays in Zen Buddhism, passage 1468
Whatever explanations may be given by critics or scholars to the philosophy of Zen, we must first of all acquire a new point of view of looking at things, which is altogether beyond our ordinary sphere of consciousness. Rather, this new viewpoint is gained when we reach the ultimate limits of our understanding, within which we think we are always bound and unable to break through. Most people stop at these limits and are easily persuaded that they cannot go any further.