Expert: Joe McSorley - 4/20/2006

Question
How would I approach Zen Buddhism? What would you recommend? What are the main points of ZB and what are the prerequisites to approaching this faith? Is it a religion or philosophy?

Tom Baker

Answer
Dear Tom,
 I suppose it could be argued that Zen is a religion and/or a philosophy but it is really neither.  It is not a faith.  Faith is contingent upon self-reflection and the mental process.  If one is not exposed to a faith or belief system one does not spontaneously come upon it out of nowhere.  If one is raised in the Jewish, Christian or Islamic faith that is what one generally believes.  It is an accident of birth on which faith many of us will follow.  For others it is something we are taught or learn about later and it makes sense to us but all of it is contingent upon being taught the faith.  What was there before religion?  Is there a religious awakening that is prior to faith?  Is there a religious experience that transcends all faiths and perhaps contradicts them?
   A problem that I see with faith is that while one who believes expects others to respect his faith rarely do they give this respect to others faiths.  If what I believe is right simply because I believe it to be right then how can I criticize another's faith?  That would give them the ground to criticize my faith.  It's a circular argument, I know, but it is the problem that faith based religions do have.  Just because we believe it doesn't make it a reality.  Many children believe in Santa Claus but that does not make him real.  What does matter is true religious experience.  If a native who had never been exposed to a religion comes to a religious awakening shouldn't he then see the religion that is supposed to be true.  Shouldn't he see ‘Jesus' or ‘Allah' or Krishna?  Has this ever happened that an isolated tribe has a belief in a faith they have never been exposed to?  Not to my knowledge although there are these terribly anecdotal stories of missionaries coming to tribes and being told that ‘they knew this already' only to find they had been approached years earlier by different missionaries.  So you don't find someone coming to this type of experience but you do find those that have come to the trans- historical/cultural experience with no knowledge of other cultures.  These experiences are recorded in Islam, Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, Shamanism and many other traditions and the experience flies in the face of the system the individual has been raised in.
     Buddhism is not a matter of faith but a matter of realizing what the historical Buddha realized; the interpenetration of all things and co- origination.  There is no worship of the Buddha or faith to follow but the arduous work of the individual to overcome their dualistic consciousness to realize themselves as an expression of the Universe, here and now.


  Zen is not some concrete thing, system or way but an attempt to overcome our way of seeing things to ‘see things as they are' without the bias of normal human consciousness  To study Zen as a philosophy, religion or any other entity  can be a waste of time.   It's like studying swimming without ever going near water.  I understand that many of the Zen teachers today and the books on it may present it like it is ‘something' but that misses the intentions of the original teachers.  I think perhaps the most poignant story in early Zen might be this one regarding Bodhidharma:
  Bodhidharma was a Brahman who brought Buddhism to China in about 520 A.D.  He is called the wall gazing Brahman and the first Patriarch of Zen.  In the story of Bodhidharma a man approaches him one day by the name of Hui ka.  Hui ka came to Bodhi's cave and waited for the monk to accept him.  As the legend goes he stood there for days but the Brahman did not come forth.  It started snowing and the snow reached Hui's waist and finally Bodhi came out and asked, “ What is it you want?”  To that Hui replied ‘ My heart mind is not at ease' (I have great existential anxiety).  Bodhi replied “ the way is long and difficult'.  With that Hui took out his sword and chopped off his left arm and handed it to Bodhi.  This obviously symbolizes the great dedication that he had to solving his problem.  With that Bodhi says he will accept him and asks again “ what is your problem?”  Hui replies “ My heart/mind is not at ease”.  Then Bodhi replies, “ Hand it to me that I may pacify it”.  With that Hui realized the true self and was awakened.  
  Please note here that Bodhidharma did not tell him to meditate, chant, pray or to do any other technique and he is the founder of Zen/Chan in China.  What he did do was to tell Hui to face himself, here and now in the immediate and present the source of his problem.  This forced Huikka to see that he himself was the problem.  Now it is obvious in this story that Hui had gone through an arduous process of searching to reach the point of such extremity that his concept of self would be shattered by Bodhi's words.  Bodhi wanted him to open his eyes to himself and the process that his mind was creating.  It is the object of Zen to stop the ruminations of the mind, to answer the question “ who is it that seeks” above all other questions first.  This is not done by ritual or chanting or any other device but by a deep and profound inquiry of the individual to the point that he realizes that the very act of searching itself is self-defeating.  This is the  point where we realize that we ourselves are the problem and we reach the paradox of self overcoming self to become awakened.  The first of the eightfold path is right thought and it is extremely important that one cultivates a clear and profound understanding of their situation.  
 In most Zen teaching today the emphasis is put on practicing Zazen or sitting meditation but ask a teacher why this brings about awakening and you are likely to get a blank stare.  Today Zen is followed and not lived.  To be taught technique without a profound understanding of what you are doing is fruitless, again, like practicing swimming next to a lake.  So to approach Zen as something other than you finding you is hopeless.  So how do you start?  Who is it that asks me this question?  This is the beginning and end of your quest.  Who is it who has a quest, anxiety, falls in love, was born and will die?  From what source do these questions arise?  Without conjecture, theory, postulation or belief, who is the self that queries?  This is it, face who stands and asks, here and now and you will start your ‘exploration'.
 It is extremely hard to find a good teacher and difficult to find a good book.  What is it the draws you to Zen and not some other form?  Maybe your path lies in understanding this.  At present I would recommend that you read what you can and apply strong critical analysis of it.  It's not going to be easy.  
  I hope I've been of some help.  
    Take care,
        Joe