Download Living by Zen eBook

this is only a small book and so i am unable to give it more that three stars; it is however superb. i just love Suzuki Roshi's books. they are though quite inaccessible to someone without a degree of experience in zen or philosophy.

dharma nature features quite prominantly in his writing and to my mind he had a clear perception of dharma nature, at least logically he certainly did. he knew how to speak of seeing nature. the non dual perception of reality... just so. as Wei Lang (Hui Neng) said: "see your nature and become a buddha".

however... as it is written in the Wu Men Kuan (Mummon kan): "it is not buddha, it is not mind, it is not emptiness" Master Nanquan (Nansen). from this we know that we must not attach to nature, nor become entranced by dharma nature, which is emptiness or suchness.

we are told by the Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma: "enlightenment is nought to be attained"

we are told in the Vajracheddika (Diamond Sutra):
"enlightenment is nothing to attain nor to be attained"

we are told in the greater prajnaparamita: "take your stand in nothing at all" this is the non abiding mind.

some have reified perception. perception is the string on which are pearled emptiness/nature/suchness and every experience and realization we have ever consciously had... so some emphasise the mala of perception.

some have reified the natural state. the natural state is that in which we permanently find ourselves, naturally aware, naturally asleep and unaware. naturally complete. no effort needed. just breathe. just remember to live thats all! some have said 'just be'. this is your natural state.

in the end one can say with the buddha "this day i and all beings have become enlightened", that is because there is nothing at all to realize nor to be realized; nor to attain. (as is explained in the texts).

nothing "at all". not nothing, not anything to realize.

youve always had it. youve always being enlightened. this is what Master Bankei was trying to tell people, that their mind just as it is, is the buddha mind.

since it is nothing at all, it is nothing at all to realize, nor anything to attain, nor do nor any kind of special behaviour or state to achieve. it is quite simply nothing at all. i found it hard to non abide in the natural state (Rigpa). however when you abide in nothing at all, there is no abiding in anthing at all and yet abiding with ease.

nothing "at all" has no opposite. it is not nothing, nor everything nor is it anything and is the only thing i can think of that has no dual opposite.

this is like the Christian Via Negativa, the Aphophatic understanding that anything we can say about God falls short of the mark, some have even taken this as far as saying that God is not anything at all. Meister Ekhart said that God is absolute nothingness. i would take it further than this and say that the ultimate is not even nothing, nor nothingness; rather that the ultimate is nothing ''at all''. in other words, beyond all expression. And yet immanently and transcendently expressed as 'one'. the oneness of all things.

that truth is ugly, truth is beautiful, truth is neutral, truth is this computer, truth is a sunset, truth is a disaster, truth is 0, 1, 2, 3, etc etc. this is immanent and transcendent... the nature of things is one. however going beyond nature one finds "nothing at all". not darkness, not light, not transcendent not immanent, beyond all opposites; not enlightened, not deluded, not even 'is'.

the state free from buddha nature is icchantika, this is attained when one realizes nothing at all, however nothing at all is still a position, one needs to let go of all positions. when st John of the cross spoke of God as nothing ,and Eckhart spoke of God as 'absolute nothingness' they were still leaning on human understanding. we need to let go of all understanding. Thomas Aquinas spoke of God as ''Tamquam ignotum'' God as the unknown. its the same for enlightenment. one lets go of all understanding and ''does not know''. Patriarch Chin, quoted in the Shinji Shobogenzo says "in the end you do not know". Shao Shu (Joshu said) "you need to let go of nothing". so i conclude that 'it' is not even nothing at all. nor is God.

hope this is helpful.

best wishes, Tom. x

(it is my clear understanding that the universal spiritual path leads to a joining, a unity of Christianity and Buddhism as regards nature and as regards going beyond nature into the apophatic).

When I read this book, the effect was like a bolt of lightening! I was studying Western Philosophy at the time and with all the questions in my mind, this book was like a key that unlocked them! D.T. Suzuki, perhaps the foremost interpreter of Zen Buddhism to the West, has written a book that illuminates Zen in such a clear way, that the effect is like a lamp shining away the darkness of ignorance. I would encourage all people who are looking for a very clearly written, concise introduction to Zen Buddhism to look no further. I would say that "Living by Zen" can even go one step further and "show" what it is like to live by Zen. May all beings be happy and free!