To Seek is to Deviate

So the account of Zhaozhou's enlightenment (Wumenguan case 19) is probably my third favorite behind Xiangyan (Dahui Shobogenzo case 305) and Lingyun (Dahui Shobogenzo case 160). It goes as follows:

Joshu asked Nansen, "What is the Way?" Nansen answered, "Your ordinary mind, that is the Way." Joshu said, "Does it go in any par­ ticular direction?’’ Nansen replied, "The more you seek after it, the more it runs away." Joshu: "Then how can you know it is the Way?" Nan­sen: "The Way does not belong to knowing or not knowing. Knowing is illusion. Not knowing is lack of discrimination. When you get to this unperplexed Way, it is like the vastness of space, an unfathomable void, so how can it be this or that, yes or no?" Upon this Joshu came to a sudden realisation.

The line about seeking the Way taking you farther from it is a real hot iron ball in the throat, and one that I think only has any meaning to a Zen student. I mean most people aren't searching for the Way in the first place.

What drives me crazy about this is the fact that if I listen to Nanquan and try to not seek the way...well that's just me seeking the Way right? If I'm doing something with the intention of realizing the Way then that would seem to me to be seeking.

Sometimes it makes me wonder if that's why Zen Masters utilizes kicks and shouts and questions that kind of...stopped people. Like maybe the idea is to create a pause in the seeking and conceptualizing for a chance at a glimpse at the Self?

But I also think about Wumen saying that to realize Zen you have to, and I'm paraphrasing I think, come to the end of or exhaust the "mind road".

So it almost seems like there's two options for enlightenment to occur? Something (tile hitting bamboo, a nose twist, seeing a peach blossom fall) causes some kind of gap to see through. Or you search so long and hard that your intellect just gives out and that's where the gap comes from.

I don't hate this theory...but I'm also not totally convinced.

Submitted March 06, 2023 at 08:17AM by koancomentator https://ift.tt/Hp1wSDA