Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.
Interpretation
Zen emphasizes awareness and presence rather than imparting knowledge directly.
This quote by D.T. Suzuki encapsulates the essence of Zen philosophy, which focuses on awakening the individualβs inherent awareness rather than providing specific teachings. Through Zen practices, one learns to observe and recognize their true nature, fostering a sense of clarity and understanding that transcends traditional learning methods.
In practice
During a mindfulness workshop, I shared this quote to emphasize the importance of awareness.
Zen, in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom. By making us drink right from the fountain of life it liberates us from all the yokes under which we finite beings are usually suffering in this world.
The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded. Therefore, anything that has the semblance of an external authority is rejected by Zen. Absolute faith is placed in a man's own inner being. For whatever authority there is in Zen, all comes from within.
Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?
The rocks are where they are- and this is their will. The rivers flow- and this is their will. The birds fly- this is their will. Human beings talk- this is their will. The seasons change, heaven sends down rain or snow, the earth occasionally shakes, the waves roll, the stars shine- each of them follows its own will. To be is to will and so is to become.
Enlightenment is like everyday consciousness but two inches above the ground.
We teach ourselves; Zen merely points the way.
As the arteries grow hard, the heart grows soft.
So my message is in whichever realm, be it going into space or going into the deep sea, you have to balance the yin and yang of caution and boldness, risk aversion and risk taking, fear and fearlessness. No great accomplishment takes place, whether it be a movie or a deep ocean expedition, or a space mission, without a kind of dynamic equipoise between the two. Luck is not a factor. Hope is not a strategy. Fear is not an option.
It is not the drinker, but the man who has just stopped drinking, who thinks the world is going to the dogs.
The wise man who has become accustomed to necessities knows better how to share with others than how to take from them, so great a treasure of self-sufficiency has he found.
When have you ever seen someone who had no doubts who was also correct about anything?
When we wallow in guilt, remorse, and shame over real or imagined sins of the past, we are disdaining God's gift of grace.
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