So, what exactly is Zen? What exactly is Zen, we have to understand it ourselves.
First of all, Zen is a state.
There is a saying in Zen Buddhism that goes, "Just like a person drinking water, he knows whether it is warm or cold."
What kind of state is this? It is the realm of life of an awakened person.
The enlightened one is the Buddha. The Buddha is always in Zen. Every move, word and deed of the Buddha is Zen. Therefore, it is said that "walking is also Zen, sitting is also Zen, and the body is peaceful in silence, movement and stillness."
This is the life of an enlightened being, this is the life of a Buddha.
"Naga is always in concentration, and there is no time to settle." This is the realm of Zen.
We can see the serenity, nature, and joy of the Buddha from the outside. This is also the realm of life for the enlightened person. An enlightened person has not yet fully become a Buddha. He also has this realm. This is the second level.
The third level is the realm of practitioners. Practitioners and Zen practitioners sometimes also have this realm. However, their realm cannot be completely integrated and is intermittent. Moreover, their realm is on the same level as the realm of Buddha. have difference. That is to say, although your knowledge and views are equal to those of the Buddha, "the mind, the Buddha, and all living beings are indistinguishable." But that only refers to an equality in the cause and effect, and cannot be completely equal to the Buddha in the fruition.
But talking about the mind, talking about the Buddha, talking about all living beings, and talking about equality is still a theory and a kind of thinking and distinction, but all of these must be thrown away.
Only by putting aside all theoretical frameworks and all thinking separately can you experience the realm of Zen.
In other words, as long as you completely let go of dualistic opposition, you will be in the state of Zen right now.
It doesn’t mean that we have to wait until when to reach that state, everything is now.
Each of us might as well give it a try. In a moment, one second, two seconds, or three seconds, you can experience this state. In terms of effect, Zen is a state, and what each of us really wants to grasp is this thing.
Second, Zen is a kind of enjoyment and experience. The state of Zen is invisible and intangible. It can only be experienced and benefited by yourself; and this benefit is your own benefit and cannot be shared with others.
The benefits and experience of Zen can only be found by those who practice it, and can only be obtained by those who realize it. If you are a Zen practitioner, you will have this kind of experience and benefit; if you have achieved the state of Zen, you will have this kind of benefit.
To use a metaphor, on the dog days of June, we walk under the sun. What do we want to do most at that time? As far as people are concerned, they want to go into a cool room.
What will happen when we enter this cool room? So cool, so comfortable, so comfortable. Only you know which feeling you feel. Can you describe that feeling? It can't be described in words.
Others only see that you are peaceful and comfortable there, but others cannot experience your benefit, and your experience cannot be shared with others. Of course, this is benefited from the transfer of space.
I just said that Zen is direct and present. It does not require the transfer of space or time, that is, this thing becomes this thing. It is like a poet describing the cooling benefits of Zen that a Zen master felt on a hot summer day.
How did the poet write his poem?
Everyone may know: "Everyone goes crazy to escape the summer heat." On a hot summer day, everyone wants to escape the heat and runs around like crazy;
"It is the only Zen master who never leaves his room." Only those who participate in Zen, learn Zen, and practice Zen do not have this phenomenon of running around like crazy;
"It's not that Zen masters don't have hot troubles." It’s not that Zen masters can’t feel this heat;
"Just because the mind is calm and it feels cool naturally." When the mind is calm, it will naturally become colder.
What is the state of tranquility? As I just said, the binary opposition between cool and hot no longer exists. There is no such thing as hot or not hot.
As soon as there is duality, his feelings immediately change.
What is binary opposition? That's our difference.
There is also a story here about a Zen monk who was reading a book one day and watched the sun go down. When it was time to light the lamp, although he did not light the lamp, he was still reading. The words on the book were very clear and clear. unambiguous.
At this time, a master came to his room holding a candle at night. Seeing the venerable still reading there without light, he said: "It is getting late, why are you still reading? Can you see?"
After being reminded by him, the Venerable immediately became discriminating.
"Oh, I can't see it." At that moment, his vision went dark and he couldn't see anything.
There are many stories like this: Master Wonhyo from the Silla Kingdom came to China to seek Dharma, and walked to a remote place in China. In the evening, he had no village, no shop, and no place to stay in the wilderness.
Several people had no choice but to sleep on the ground without water or food. At night, they were looking for water in a blur, and suddenly they found a very small pit with a little water in it. They drank it hard and felt sweet and comfortable after drinking it.
The next morning, I saw that the water was corpse water flowing out of the coffin. Immediately, I became discriminating and vomited non-stop.
The same thing, because there is a difference and there is no difference, are completely two different effects.
The moment there is no distinction is the state of Zen and the benefit of Zen. This benefit is very obvious.
The same goes for monks who go to the temple to place orders.
The monk who placed the order came and sent him to a room. He felt at ease there and slept soundly all night.
The next day, someone told him that someone had died in this room yesterday, either from illness or hanging.
After hearing this, he didn't dare to stay in that room anymore. He thought it was haunted.
Where is the ghost? The ghost in the heart is separation. Each of us may have encountered this situation.
Therefore, attachment to separation kills people and is the root cause of all problems in the world. If you want to become a Buddha and an ancestor, you must first get rid of this thing.
Therefore, Zen is a kind of enjoyment and an experience.
This experience is to stay away from distinction and achieve non-difference.
Because things in the world are inherently equal, and everything is equal.
The difference is only its appearance, and equality is its nature. We must separate from the appearance and realize the nature, and the benefits obtained in this way are the ultimate.
Third, Zen is a method and a means. This is from the perspective of Zen, not from the ultimate perspective of Zen. Of course, the ultimate is inseparable from convenience, and convenience is inseparable from the ultimate. Two are one, and one is two.
In essence, Zen is a method of seeing one's nature, which "directly points to the human heart, and one can become a Buddha by seeing one's nature." The ultimate goal of this method is to go straight to the truth without making detours.
What is direct pointing? It means that each of us must believe that we are Buddhas completely, not half-doubtfully, but without any doubt at all.
Then, under the guidance of this concept, all the requirements of the Buddha can be fulfilled in one step. This is "directly pointing to the human heart, seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha."
The so-called "seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha" means achieving it in one step - directly.
This method is not dead, but alive.
It is a dynamic method that changes depending on people, time and place.
This is the method used by Shakyamuni Buddha to display flowers to the public. Kasyapa didn't speak, just smiled.
After Zen was introduced to China, was there still a method of showing flowers to the public? In the Zen lanterns and quotations, I don’t seem to see anyone using this method. None of the ancestors picked up flowers and laughed at you - it's useless for you to laugh uproariously, because you don't see nature.
Therefore, this method is living and dynamic.
When the Patriarch does this and makes gestures, how can you know that he is enlightened? This must be done by having such a teacher and such a disciple.
This effect can be achieved only when the teacher is insightful and the disciple is insightful. They have a tacit understanding with each other and are close to each other. Therefore, the method of Zen is living.
Zen Buddhism talks about "not treating others with death", which means that it does not have a fixed pattern.
The ancient patriarchs used many methods to introduce students, and in total there were 1,700 public cases.
What are the seventeen hundred koans? A preliminary summary is that there are 1,700 methods.
I think those are only those recorded in quotations, and there are also those that are not recorded in quotations. I'm afraid there are more than 17,000 methods.
The methods and means of Zen are flexibly used and continuously developed according to the time, place and person.
It is still developing today. Today there are "Peace Zen" and "Life Zen", and the methods are all changing. We should use Zen to attract the public according to the people, the place and the time.
Fourth, Zen is a path. Since Zen is a method, with this method, there is a path to follow.
What kind of road is it? It is a road to explore and develop wisdom.
Each of us possesses the wisdom and virtue of the Tathagata, but we are unable to attain it due to delusion and persistence.
What approach should we use to develop it?
Zen tells us that there is a method, and this method is simply: "make a decisive decision and take responsibility directly."
This method is very simple, but it is also difficult. This is called standing in a wall and having no way to enter. But you have to have a little courage to take a step forward in this situation where you are standing on a wall.
Zen is also the way to break free from shackles. We live in a relative world, and all relative things bind us tightly like shackles, preventing us from being free or free.
For example, we want to rest and fall asleep at night. If we have delusional thoughts at this time, but we lie in bed tossing and turning and cannot fall asleep. The more we sleep, the more awake we are. What is it that prevents us from falling asleep?
It's delusion that's causing trouble, it's separation that's causing trouble.
If you don't have delusions, you can go to bed and fall asleep. There are many such people. But more people think about things at night and find it difficult to fall asleep. He is very envious of those people who fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. He is very envious.
But envy is useless, because envy itself is a kind of persistence. Sleep when you want to sleep, sleep when you want to sleep, be single-minded, and break free from the shackles of all distinctions.
Zen is also the way to seek liberation. The shackles are shackles and handcuffs. If you remove the shackles, you will be free in the moment. Zen plays this role.
All in all, Zen is the path to a perfect life. There are many flaws in our lives. These flaws are created by ourselves and are not inherent in us.
We should have had a life of perfect enlightenment, a life of perfect enlightenment.
The reason why we have many shortcomings is because we are unable to awaken and return to the present moment of life. We always seek the Dharma outside our hearts and seek externally, so we cannot achieve perfection, freedom, or liberation.
Never seek liberation outside of shackles, never seek Nirvana outside of life and death, and never seek Bodhi outside of troubles.
Liberation is an infinite freedom, a complete freedom.
Where is this complete freedom?
Infinity is realized in the finite, and Nirvana is sought in life and death.
Life and death and nirvana are non-dual, infinite and finite are non-dual, and troubles and bodhi are also non-dual.
What's between them? Separated by some ignorance, that is, the discriminating mind.
If you transcend it now, "non-duality" can be realized. This is the truth that life and death are nirvana, troubles are bodhi, and the finite is infinite.
The path of Zen tells us this fact.
