A student asked Master Bankei: Is it helpful for students to look through the Buddhist sutras and
Zen Records?
Bankei replied: There’s a time for reading the Zen records. If you read them or the sutras while
you’re still seeking the meaning contained in them, you’ll only blind yourself. When you read
them after having transcended that meaning, they become proof of your attainment.
Bankei is right: the classical Zen “records” are difficult. The first thing to think about is the
intended audience (or readers). Most of the early Zen texts are directed to ordained monks in
training. There’s no comparison to lay-practice and monastic practice. It’s one of those
experiences where the expression “you had to be there” really does matter. Keep that in mind.
This isn’t the 17 th Century and you’re not Hakuin’s student. However, there are also books that
are directed at lay audiences like Ta Hui’s Swampland Flowers and Bankei’s Unborn. These texts
are far more accessible. That’s the first thing to consider.
Secondly, know the place of Origin. Zen reflects the culture and the times of a given place.
Though you can say there’s one Dharma, there are a million ways to express it. Zen masters
teach in a cultural and historical context. Japanese Zen, for example, during the Samurai era, is
very rigid and warrior-like. Chinese Zen (Chan) is not as rigid or as severe in the same way.
Korean Zen, Vietnamese Zen, Thai Buddhism, all reflect aspects of the culture and the times. It’s
important to remember, this isn’t the 6th Century and you’re not Chinese, so don’t be surprised
if you don’t “get it.”
Thirdly, remember that you’re reading translations! This is very important. A good translator
makes all the difference; but some things simply don’t translate well from one language and
one culture to another. When you can, compare translations of the same text and you’ll see
what I mean right away.
Another thing that is useful is to know whether we’re talking about Rinzai Zen or Soto Zen –
there are three other “houses” of Zen, Obaku being one of them, but Rinzai and Soto are the
most common schools in the West. Also, again it’s helpful to know the time-period, but even
more helpful to know the lineage of the different teachers. It’s very interesting to see how the
teaching is passed on to the disciple: the story of Huang Po and Linji for example is worth
looking into; also, the story of the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng. (Platform Sutra).
Lineage is especially important when reading modern and contemporary Zen Masters like
Shunryo Suzuki Roshi, Thich Nhat Hanh and Seung Sahn Soen Sa Nim and their successors.
(Notice: countries of origin — Japan, Viet Nam and Korea). “American” Zen is still in its infancy.
My teacher used to say, “The first hundred years are the most difficult.” We’ve come a long
way but there’s a long way to go.
Remember: the biggest challenge that any Zen Master faces is having to use language to point
to the inexplicable. Zen is beyond language, and yet you have to use language to explain it. This
is why so many things in Zen literature are cryptic and confusing. Koans are the best example.
Zen asks that you make the leap from the intellectual, human realm, to the transcendent
Buddha realm. The teachings, even something basic like the Heart Sutra seem paradoxical and
contradictory. For example, you have eyes, ears, and a nose and yet the Heart Sutra says: No
eyes, no ears, no nose… etc. Huh? If you get stuck on the words of the teachings, ruminating
about them over and over, picking them apart, analyzing them, philosophizing about them,
that’s called, “mistaking the finger for the moon.” It’s a waste of time and, as Bankei says, it can
make you blind to what is right in front of you.
Zazen is the real teacher of Zen, from Shakyamuni to today and well into the future. But you
have to say something, right? Otherwise, the Way will be lost. That’s the dilemma that Zen
teachers face. But the more you practice zazen, the more that’s revealed to you, intuitively. We
gain insight, and there’s no end to it. If it ever occurs to you that you’ve “got it,” that you
“understand Zen,” then you’re deluding yourself. So be careful. When I was young, in my early
20s, I had read LOTS of Zen books and I thought I understood it through and through. It’s true
that I had some “intellectual” understanding, but that’s of no use whatsoever. I learned that
when I started monastic training at Mt. Baldy. Intellectual understanding won’t help; in fact, it
can be your biggest hindrance. Watch out. It’s long been said that smart, educated people are
the hardest to teach and the last to understand. That’s because they’re so attached to what
they “think” they know.
Zen books can inspire you to persevere in your practice of zazen. Don’t worry about what you
don’t understand. Practice zazen long enough, and you will, sooner or later. Zen books, when
you’re not ready for them, can be a major obstruction. If that happens, put them aside and
return to them later. Have faith in zazen and in yourself. In time, you’ll recognize the truth of
the teachings from your own personal experience. Then, and only then, can you nurture your
experience and deepen your understanding by reading the Classical texts. You must understand
from your own experience before the teachings can be of profound value.
I hope this is helpful.
More zazen.
Seido
