There were two good friends, Chokei and Hofuku. They were talking about the Bodhisattva’s way, and Chokei said, “Even if the arhat (an enlightened one) were to have evil desires, still the Tathagata (Buddha) does not have two kinds of works. I say that the Tathagata has words, but not dualistic words.” Hofuku said, “Even though you say so, your comment is not perfect.” Chokei asked, “What is your understanding of the Tathagata’s words?” Hofuku said, “We have had enough discussion, so let’s have a cup of tea!” Hofuku did not give his friend an answer, because it is impossible to give a verbal interpretation of our way. Nevertheless, as part of their practice these two good friends discussed the Bodhisattva’s way, even though they did not expect to find a new interpretation. So Hofuku answered, “our discussion is over. Let’s have a cup of tea!”
That is a very good answer, isn’t it? It is the same for my talk – when my talk is over, your listening is over. There is no need to remember what I say; there is no need to understand what I say. You understand; you have full understanding within yourself. There is no problem.
Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind
This is the first substantive post on this community, so I thought it would be good to start with this as a reminder and tone setter. What should someone expect to gain when engaging with Zen content on Lemmy? What should someone expect to gain from Zen in general? I suppose the answer is, nothing really.
Talking about Zen is not Zen. Having an intellectual understanding of the teachings can certainly be helpful, but your own practice and understanding are what is important. Reading, discussing, and arguing about Zen will not lead to enlightenment. Neither, for that matter, will Zen practice. “You understand, you have full understanding within yourself. There is no problem.”
This is something I know I always have to remind myself of from time to time. I have observed that when my life is particularly hectic or stressful I often think “I need to get back into a good Zen practice.” And then I throw myself into Zen, sitting frequently, reading as much Zen literature as I can, in hopes that if I just do enough Zen, if I can just “get it,” that will solve all my life’s problems. But that just makes me busier and more stressed. At some point I remember that Zen is not a means to an end, and give up engaging with Zen for a specific purpose. Eventually, the stress in my life fades, whether because I made some peace with my circumstances or just because in life stress tends to come and go naturally. Typically, my practice also begins to fade at that point until the next life crisis. In the past year or so I have broken this cycle and have been maintaining and expanding my practice naturally, which seems to be the better approach.
But I think its an important reminder that you don’t get anything out of Zen. You will not become enlightened and magically overcome all of life’s challenges. Zen, at most, is a means to understanding things how they are, without judgement or adding anything extra. But it is not important, you will not gain anything new. It is good to always keep that in mind.
And so, here, in this community we should engage in learning and discussions and arguments for their own sake, without expectations that doing so will lead to some great realization. “You understand, you have full understanding within yourself.” So, when our engagement with Lemmy is done, that should be it. We go about our days and continue our practice in other ways. That is it. There is no problem.