Expert: Joe McSorley - 9/10/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have recently become confused as to what exactly the final goal of zen is. Is there a final goal? In most forms of buddhism the final goal is seen as nirvana, enlightenment. Is there such a thing in zen?

If there is no final goal, what is it exactly that one wishes to progress in with practice? It was my impression that the general goal of zen is to quiet the mind, ultimately reside in the present instead of thinking of the past and future, and forget the self through this process. However, I have heard from other people that to try and make these experiences of no-mind and of selflessness permanent is not the point of zen and spirituality, that it is not even possible to do so.

I'm afraid I'm somewhat confused ^_^

Thank you,

Nicolaas

ANSWER: Dear Nicholaas,
    The goal of Zen is the goal of all Buddhism and it is to stop suffering, this is what the Four Noble Truths are about.   The resolution of suffering is sometimes called nirvana, which means extinction of self, moksha (liberation) and satori (awakening to one’s true nature).  True awakening is permanent and self sustaining and has been attested to by many masters from all traditions over the ages. There are scholars and students who will declare that these all mean different things but true awakening or enlightenment does not vary from person to person or from time to time.  It is definitely the goal of Zen to do this and you can read about this in hundreds of stories from the old masters in China and Japan.
  The idea of quieting the mind and residing in the moment is just the practice of Zen, not the goal of Zen.  If you can quiet the mind and live in the moment doing bike riding, music or sport it allows you to flow more and to do it better.  This idea of the ‘zone’ or of every day ‘wei wu wei’ is not awakening and though similar to what Zen talks about, it is by no means true awakening but just a mere shadow of it.  It is used as analogy for awakening but it falls far short of the real thing.  By the practice of stilling the mind you are trying to set up the conditions for a great awakening which is when you as you know yourself completely dissolves and you realize yourself as both the universe and the self simultaneously.  It is not that you as a person becomes awakened but that you awaken as the universe expressed through that person and ultimately not grounded to that person for its being.  In this sense you are the wave with the consciousness of the ocean behind it, expressed as a wave but not born or dying with the form of the wave.  
   This awakening is identical in all cultures when someone truly awakens.  You can read Ramana Maharishi and hear the same ideas; it is about realizing true self nature by inquiring into the self to a point where you die to whom you think to be you and awaken to who you really are and have been all along.
  There are many schools of Zen today with many different agendas but when you read the old masters they are all talking about the same thing.  They have nothing to sell and no turf to protect, they just try to awaken those around them to what they have realized.  Being human they are restricted to their cultural conditioning and language so you will find differences in expression, particularly in the use of “God” in Indian discourses, but it does not mean what Westerners mean when they use the term.  All in all it is about inquiring into who the “I” is that is pursuing awakening.
   I do know it is difficult to sort this all out, which is why it is confusing to listen to and study all the different schools opinions. Ultimately it falls on the individual to work this through and to discard the teachings and face yourself.  Direct self-inquiry whether it is through mindfulness, meditation or koan practice will lead you there if you persevere.  This is not a Zen thing or confined to any one practice, it is universal to all humans.  You might want to read “Be As You Are” by David Godman.  It is the writings of Ramana Maharishi and you will find it very much like reading Zen.
  I hope this helps you take care,
         Joe


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you. I just have one more question - is bringing our meditation into daily life a part of zen practice? If so, what purpose does it serve? Should one eventually, in the higher stages of pratice, try to be mindful more or less through the entire day, or should we reserve certain parts of the day for being mindful?

Just curious, because I have been wondering why we do zazen at all if we are only mindful for a few hours a day. Shouldn't we try to be mindful all the time? If not, why?

Thank you again,

Nicolaas

Answer
Dear Nicholaas,

 You ask a very good question and it is one that is dear to my heart.  One this topic here is a Ramana Maharishi quote: “Meditation depends upon the strength of mind. It must be unceasing even when one is engaged in work. Particular time for it is meant for novices.”  This does not in anyway mean that someone should be in a state of detachment but rather fully and immediately engaged in what you do with all the concentration you have while sitting.  The idea of coming in and out of ‘samadhi’ while meditating and engaging in life while out of it is the wrong way to do it.  I will tell you that very many people will disagree with that statement but I don’t care.  You must fully engage in it so that it becomes your normal mind.  My teacher, Masao Abe Sensei, talks about reeling in the mind like a snake swallowing its own tail and constantly being vigilant at the practice of keeping the mind in the moment till you eventually swallow the head and ‘die’, thus awakening.
   There is a famous samurai story about a student who practices diligently day and night and masters all the weapons and techniques but his teacher still will not sanction him as a samurai.  Dejected he becomes the cook for the school though he is ever concentrating on what he missed in his training because he did master everything.  One day while he was cooking dinner the master surprised him and attacked him with a sword and the student responded by blocking the sword with the lid to the pot and striking the teacher with the ladle to which the teacher responded, “Now you are a true samurai”.   His mind had melded with the practice so that mind and practice were now one and it now had nothing to do with mastering technique.  I say the same thing when I teach kung fu; if it is something you practice in between the rest of your life then it is not authentic kung fu, it must be your life.  By this I do not mean fighting should be your life but developing an all-encompassing awareness should be.  It does not turn on and off.
  There is a famous Zen expression, “Zazen while sitting, standing, eating and sleeping”.  Again, this does not mean a detached state of quietude but a dynamic living in the moment.  This living in the moment, though not awakening, can set up conditions for true awakening.  It ripens you to the moment.  As you reach for the universe the universe reaches equally for you.  So, meditation that can be walked away from is not good enough.  To quote my wonderful teacher Dr. DeMartino, “when the Zen bee stings the bite never goes away”.
  Good luck to you and don’t hesitate to inquire further.
         Joe