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The Sword of Zen
What is Zen
by Zen Master Seung Sahn
Zen is very simple... What are you?
In this whole world everyone searches for happiness
outside, but nobody understands their true self
inside.
Everybody says, "I" -- "I want this, I am like
that..." But nobody understands this "I." Before you
were born, where did your I come from? When you die,
where will your I go? If you sincerely ask, "what am
I?" sooner or later you will run into a wall where all
thinking is cut off. We call this "don't know."
Zen is keeping this "don't know" mind always and
everywhere.
When walking, standing, sitting,
lying down, speaking, being
silent, moving, being still.
At all times, in all places, without
interruption -- what is this?
One mind is infinite kalpas.
Meditation in Zen means keeping don't-know mind when
bowing, chanting and sitting Zen. This is formal Zen
practice. And when doing something, just do it. When
driving, just drive; when eating, just eat; when
working, just work.
Finally, your don't-know mind will become clear. Then
you can see the sky, only blue. You can see the tree,
only green. Your mind is like a clear mirror. Red
comes, the mirror is red; white comes the mirror is
white. A hungry person comes, you can give him food; a
thirsty person comes, you can give her something to
drink. There is no desire for myself, only for all
beings. That mind is already enlightenment, what we
call Great Love, Great Compassion, the Great
Bodhisattva Way. It's very simple, not difficult!
So Buddha said that all beings have Buddha-nature
(enlightenment nature). But Zen Master Joju said that
a dog has no Buddha-nature. Which one is right? Which
one is wrong? If you find that, you find the true way.
For a complete archive of teachings from Zen Master
Seung Sahn and other teachers of the Kwan Um School of
Zen, please visit www.kwanumzen.org
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