If you want to understand Zen, understand it right away without deliberation, without turning your head this way or that. For while you are doing this, the object you have been seeking for is no longer there. This doctrine of immediate grasping is characteristic of Zen.
If the Greeks taught us how to reason and Christianity what to believe, it is Zen that teaches us to go beyond logic and not to tarry even when we come up against "the things which are not seen." For the Zen point of view is to find an absolute point where no dualism in whatever form obtains.
Logic starts from the division of subject and object and belief distinguishes between what is seen and what is not seen. With Zen all these are swept aside as something veiling our insight into the nature of life and reality.
--- D.T. Suzuki
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Beautifully stated! D.T.'s style of writing is clear and appealing. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome,Diane!
ReplyDeleteAll the DTS quotes I've made in the past few days are from his 'Zen and Japanese Culture,' which I've been re-reading. I'm glad to be able to share it with you.