October 28, 2009
- More From Suzuki Roshi -
“No matter what god or doctrine you believe in, if you become attached to it, your belief will be based more-or-less on a self-centered idea. You strive for a perfect faith in order to save yourself. But it will take time to attain such a perfect faith. You will be involved in an idealistic practice. In constantly seeking to actualize your ideal, you will have no time for composure.”
“In our everyday life, we are usually trying to do something, trying to change something into something else, or trying to attain something. Just this trying in itself is already our true nature. The meaning lies in the effort itself. We should find out the meaning of our effort before we attain something. So Dogen said, ‘We should attain enlightenment before we attain enlightenment.’ It is not after attaining enlightenment that we find its true meaning. The trying to do something in itself is enlightenment. When we are in difficulty or distress, there we have enlightenment. When we are in defilement, there we should have composure.”
“What is more important: to attain enlightenment, or to attain enlightenment before you attain enlightenment; to make a million dollars, or to enjoy your life in your effort, little by little, even though it is impossible to make that million; to be successful, or to find some meaning in your effort to be successful? If you do not know the answer, you will not even be able to practice zazen; if you do know, you will have found the true treasure of life.”
(taken from various parts of Zen Mind, Beginners Mind)
I just finished this book, absolutely love it. A little understanding of the peculiarities of Zen is helpful, but not needed (the same thing could be said of Zen as a whole as well…) Highly recommended.
Also, that final sentence brings to mind this quote from Gurdjieff:
Blessed is he who hath a soul,
Blessed is he who hath none,
Woe and sorrow to him who hath it in conception.
Suzuki Roshi skips over the whole “if you only sort of know…” state ;)
Comment by Ian — October 28, 2009 @ 12:11 pm