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    Zen 96: Ancient Wisdom, #1
    Zen 96: Ancient Wisdom, #1
    Zen 96: Ancient Wisdom, #1
    Ebook140 pages1 hour

    Zen 96: Ancient Wisdom, #1

    By Alex Stone

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    About this ebook

    The well-known in the West term Zen was empty right from the start -- miss even one of its three letters and the whole notion goes wrong. Looking inward yourself or outward, all the same, you see there is no fixed Self -- the centripetal emotion turns into the centrifugal and conversely. So, break into the purgatory of your soul through the front gate if you want to take your proper place in Hell.

    Today, more and more people want to know what Zen is. The problem is that it is not an easy task to describe it, as Zen is beyond wording. It is something that cannot be talked about nor expressed in written form. The moment language is used we are no longer dealing with the spirit of Zen. However, Zen cannot be left unexpressed. In order to introduce the reader to the world of Zen, there is no alternative but to resort to the use of language; and that language is poetry. That's why there are so many poems written by the numerous adepts of Zen.

    On the other hand, if Zen could be presented to another, men would all present it to their superiors; if it could be served up to others, men would all serve it up to their parents; if it could be told to others, men would all tell it to their brothers; if it could be given to others, men would all give it to their sons and grandsons. The reason why it cannot be transmitted is no other but this: that 'if,' within, there be not the presiding principle, it will not remain there, and if, outwardly, there be not the correct obedience, it will not be carried out. When that which is given out from the mind in possession of it is not received by the mind without, the sagely minded man will not give it out; and when, entering in from without, there is no power in the receiving mind to entertain it, the sagely minded man will not permit it to lie hidden there. The point here is that the ordinary intellect is unable to function on this frequency of interpretation, and in its unenlightened or unevolved state, views the Buddha's logic as gibberish, or 'mystical' inspired nonsense, when in fact, the Buddha's logic has more in common with higher science (i.e. quantum theory), than it does with theistic religion or the imaginations of superstitious based thinking. Therefore, better known in the West as Zen, it is a Western art-based movement that serves as the antithesis to established norms and conventions. It is a vague sense of performing a function, skill or art in the secular form that is devoid of strenuous effort, or somehow new or unexpected. In fact, Zen is not the experience, nor the realm, less still any heretical forms of Buddhist practice that ignores Buddhist conventions. Zen is just Zen, and that's it.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlex Stone
    Release dateOct 24, 2016
    ISBN9781540191830
    Zen 96: Ancient Wisdom, #1
    Author

    Alex Stone

    Alex Stone has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Discover, Harper's, and The New Republic. He lives in New York City.

    Read more from Alex Stone

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      Zen 96 - Alex Stone

      Author's Note

      Today, more and more people want to know what Zen is. The problem is that it is not an easy task to describe it, as Zen is beyond wording. It is something that cannot be talked about nor expressed in written form. The moment language is used we are no longer dealing with the spirit of Zen. However, Zen cannot be left unexpressed. In order to introduce the reader to the world of Zen, there is no alternative but to resort to the use of language; and that language is poetry. That's why there are so many poems written by the numerous adepts of Zen.

      So, what is Zen? This question can be answered in a number of ways, with each definition being correct within the context being explained. For example, Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of 'Chan,' the abbreviated form of the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit term dhyana; it's a type of Indian Buddhism transplanted into China. Better known to the West by its Japanese pronunciation, it is translated as quiet contemplation. Paradoxically, but Zen/Chan has almost nothing to do with the practice of 'dhyana' (meditation) either. Yes, it is rather difficult to describe what Zen is through the medium of words, so long as it is an anti-logic school of Buddhist thought that applies illogicality to free the mind.

      Within the Chinese school of Chan, there is macrostructure that carries the tradition from one generation to the next; there also exists a microstructure of antithesis. This creates what might be described as a post-modern state that is comprised of a ‘certainty’ (macrostructure) that is in continuous communication with an ‘uncertainty’ (microstructure), with both ultimately canceling one another out. This is in accordance with Nagarjuna’s tetralemma, or ‘four-sided logic,’ which can be simply stated as follows: either (1) objects are themselves, or (2) they are not themselves, or (3) they are both themselves and not themselves(simultaneously), or (4) they are neither themselves nor are they not themselves (simultaneously).

      It would seem to common sense that at least the first statement ought to hold true, and thus offer some explanation of experience. But, none of the four options does. None does—yet experience remains. Nagarjuna (c. 150 – c. 250 CE) is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers after Gautama Buddha, read through the Buddha’s teachings contained in the sutras, and formulated that the Buddha’s logic comprised of the above four assertions. Therefore, it can be said that (a) Zen exists; (b) Zen does not exist; (c) Zen exists and does not exist (simultaneously); (d) Zen neither exists nor does not exist (simultaneously).

      The point here is that the ordinary intellect is unable to function on this frequency of interpretation, and in its unenlightened or unevolved state, views the Buddha’s logic as gibberish, or ‘mystical’ inspired nonsense, when in fact, the Buddha’s logic has more in common with higher science (i.e. quantum theory), than it does with theistic religion or the imaginations of superstitious based thinking.

      If Zen could be presented to another, men would all present it to their superiors; if it could be served up to others, men would all serve it up to their parents; if it could be told to others, men would all tell it to their brothers; if it could be given to others, men would all give it to their sons and grandsons. The reason why it cannot be transmitted is no other but this: that 'if,' within, there be not the presiding principle, it will not remain there, and if, outwardly, there be not the correct obedience, it will not be carried out. When that which is given out from the mind in possession of it is not received by the mind without, the sagely minded man will not give it out; and when, entering in from without, there is no power in the receiving mind to entertain it, the sagely minded man will not permit it to lie hidden there.

      Therefore, better known in the West as Zen, it is a Western art-based movement that serves as the antithesis to established norms and conventions. It is a vague sense of performing a function, skill or art in the secular form that is devoid of strenuous effort, or somehow new or unexpected. In fact, Zen is not the experience, nor the realm, less still any heretical forms of Buddhist practice that ignores Buddhist conventions. Zen is just Zen, and that's it.

      Attachment to Zen (regardless of how dedicated or expert the attachment might be) is still only ever attachment to delusion. Being 'exact' in enlightened function is not the same as being 'precise' through attachment to terminology, ritual and procedure. Those attached to Zen carry with them the stench of Dharma contradiction and mistake the dream world for the living. Like a vicious whirlpool—these people drag everyone into their orbit through impressing others with their certificates and experiences. However, no matter how many times they have visited China or Japan and sat in a temple, as long as they have not realised the empty mind ground, they are simply placing a head upon head and mistaking the delusion it casts as truth.

      Bare awareness that instantaneously

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