A Letter to a Beginning Student

Reposted from Zen Mirror


I am not sure how you are using kōan practice right now so I will discuss it with you.

The Mind is neither large nor small; it is located neither within nor without. It should not be thought about by the mind nor be discussed by the mouth. Ordinarily, it is said that we use the Mind to transmit the Mind, or that we use the Mind to seal the Mind. Actually, however, in transmitting the Mind, there is really no Mind to receive or obtain; and in sealing the Mind, there is really no Mind to seal. If this is the case, then does the Mind exist or does it not exist? Actually, it cannot be said with certainty that the Mind either exists or does not exist, for it is Absolute Reality. This is expressed in the Chán Sect by the maxim: “If you open your mouth, you are wrong. If you give rise to a single thought, you are in error.” So, if you can quiet your thinking totally, all that remains is transparency and stillness.

The Mind is Buddha; Buddha is the Mind. All sentient beings and all Buddhas have the same Mind, which is without boundaries and clear like space, without name and form and is immeasurable.

What is your Original Face and what is Huàtóu? Your Original Face is without discrimination. Huàtóu is the Reality before the arising of a single thought. When this Mind is enlightened, it is the Buddha; but when it is confused, it remains only the mind of sentient beings. So sitting in Shikantaza is correct practice and the Huàtóu, “what is this?....don’t know……!” is used each time thinking arises during practice and we recognize it. Yet, correct Zen Practice is actually how do you keep your mind, moment after moment after moment. So, not just on the cushion, but each moment. When writing time, then just writing. When cooking time, just cooking. When wife comes home, then just husband mind. Also, when doing nothing time, just do nothing. So during sitting meditation we say that we sit in Shikantaza and when thinking arises we use our Huàtóu to return back to this present moment, not by naming “what is this” but by just using “don’t know” to return to a non-thinking state.

In answer to your question about studying the Dharma I’d like to give you some background on our direction of practice which is different from the Soto (Cáodòng) or even the Rinzai (Línjì) Schools. Sŏn Master Chinul who is the founder of our approach to practice was a Korean monk who worked to reform the monastic order and provide a rationale for Sŏn practice. Observing that the commercialization of monastic activities (in the form of fortune-telling, services for paying clients, and so on) had brought many into the order for questionable motives, he sought to create a reform group called the ‘concentration and wisdom society’, which found a home when he established the Sŏngwang Sa on Mt. Jögye. At the same time, he concerned himself with theoretical issues relating to the controversy between gradual and sudden enlightenment, and the relationship between meditative experience and doctrinal/textual studies. In the former case, he adopted the typology of the Chinese Chán and Huáyán master Tsung-mi, which advocated sudden enlightenment followed by a gradual deepening and cultivation as the norm. In order to serve this purpose, he proposed meditation on kōans as the best method of practice. As to the latter, he advised that Korean Sŏn not follow the example of the more extreme trends towards rejection of scriptural and doctrinal study exhibited by Chinese Chán, but that it keep the two together as an integrated whole. He was particularly interested in incorporating the Huáyán philosophy of the Chinese lay hermit Li T'ung-hsüan into Sŏn practice as its basis and rationale. Chinul produced many eminent and accomplished disciples, and is arguably one of the most influential monks in the history of Korean Buddhism.

So, studying is also a way where we can begin to digest our understanding of the Dharma. It isn’t important to understand it, it is just to study and over time we can digest it and the Dharma will eventually become our own. This is all the correct form of practicing in our school.

Student training involves leaning how to focus your attention, so that you might experience a before-thinking mind. This allows an experiential contact with your original nature and is sometimes called kensho (to perceive your true nature). Meditation, both seated and walking, various types of yoga and some types of martial arts are all useful in this training. If you are working on a particular kōan, or holding a huàtóu and you don't understand it, then not understanding is where you are right now. If you maintain a not understanding mind eventually your not knowing mind will become stronger and stronger. Once this not knowing and you become one, you will then be able to maintain the great question and have great doubt. When you can finally allow this not knowing to permeate all of your senses, then you will attain complete enlightenment. If you keep a small question, then small enlightenment is possible. There are many kinds of enlightenment; first enlightenment, second enlightenment, third enlightenment, and then finally, no enlightenment. No enlightenment is perfect enlightenment.

If you are creating something special in your life, then you will also have a problem understanding some aspect of kōan practice; so one use of kōan practice is to take away your opinion. If you can drop your opinion, it is then possible to manifest a mind that is clear like space. Furthermore, correct Zen practice shows up in your ability to respond to each situation correctly and meticulously. It also means that you must understand your correct job in this very moment. This means that moment–to–moment the correct relationship appears of itself. When kōan practice is correct, the moment–to–moment correct situation, correct function, and correct relationship will appear by itself.

If you hold your kōan too tightly, or become attached to your kōan, or want something from kōan practice, then you will end up with a big problem. Keeping your current kōan or “a don’t know mind,” moment after moment after moment without making anything, is by itself correct direction and correct life. The old-style kōans give you a great gift in the form of a question like: What is life? What is death? What is mind? What is this moment?

There is no reason to ask whether I would continue to teach you, that is always dependant on you. If you believe in the efficacy of my teaching then you will continue to follow. If, at some point, you don’t find efficacy you can always go on your own or someone else’s path. Even if you did this and wanted to ask me to help you I would always do that. I can only point to the truth, you must discover it for yourself. You can always ask me any kind of question about anything you like, also, I am doing interviews weekly with many of my remote students via Skype. I am always here for you in whatever way I can help. I hope this helps clarify some of the issues you have raised.

This blog is for YOU!

From the Abbot's Cushion

One of the most important questions that we can ask ourselves is “Why do anything?” Tony Robbins says that most people tend to “major in minor things”.  We tend to get buried in busy work. The really important things we tend to put off for a day when we'll have the time to really focus.  I noticed that most of the things that kept me busy had no real significance in my life or in the lives of others. This realization hit me in my late teens.  I was lucky, and I vowed to use my time wisely from then on.

Getting clear about my personal use of time was an important step. But it's only a small part of the overall question “Why do anything?”  In my early 20’s a Zen teacher asked me, “Why do you eat every day?”  The question tortured me for months.  I recall saying that my body needed food, and the teacher said, “Yeah, but WHY do you eat?”  I replied that I couldn’t function without eating.  She asked, “What is your function?”  I said, “That’s why I am here, practicing Zen, to find that out.”  She said, “Okay, when you find out, let me know.”

I wish I could tell you that my months of struggling with this question led to some answer. Eventually, I went back to the teacher and told her that I had no idea why I ate every day.  Seeing the anguish in my face she said, “Okay, you ask me.”  Fine, I’ll play along I thought.  “Why do you eat every day?”  She answered, “For you.”

At this point I would really love to tell you that I had an epiphany.  After she made that statement I remember saying to myself “Bullshit!”  I couldn't understand anything that didn't involve the words “I”, “me”, or “mine”.  I decided to watch her carefully. For another six months I did meditation, studied, and paid attention to what my teacher said and did. One day out of the blue I walked up to her and said, “I believe you!”  She smiled and continued on her way.

Only now, more than 20 years later, can I begin to appreciate how good a teacher she really was.  I had learned the concept of living my life to help others, but it would still be awhile before I would own it.  Once something like that becomes ours, it still unfolds as things change.  Even though we know it, we benefit from being reminded that we know it.  It’s important not to let our knowing become some fixed idea.  If we do, we have succeeded at falling asleep again and forming a new attachment. 

Years ago when technology was new, I decided that it was a waste of my time.  I steadfastly avoided it.  As of today, I have never programmed my own cell phone, downloaded music, played online games, or even used face book.  When my current teacher was discussing various people’s blogs, I had to say that I had not read them.  He asked if I had written one, and again I said no.  “Have you read my blog?” he asked.  “Sorry, not even yours.” 

“So why do you eat every day?” he queried.  “For you” I said.  “Bullshit!” he laughed.  I asked him what he meant.  He asked, “Why don’t you blog?”  I had to pause and look inside for that one.  Not blogging was for me, not for others.  It was a selfish act.  My eating and blogging were not congruent.  I had made a fixed idea that everything that needed to be said, already had been said.  Why would anyone listen to me?  But if everything that needed to be said had been, that would mean that all sentient beings were free from suffering.  Is that reality? No.  And not even for me.  At least not concerning my attachment to not blogging!

Why do we do anything?  Now that I am blogging, why do I blog?  Not only for you, dear reader.  Because even if no one ever reads this, it turns out that I needed to wake up to my own wisdom.  The only reason I do what I do is to help all beings, you and me included.  Why?  Because we are not separate.  Helping each other is the only thing that makes sense.  To do otherwise hurts.  But only 100% of the time.  Another term for “helping” is “loving-kindness”.  The opposite of “helping” is called “suffering”.  Each post from here forward will in some way encourage you to wake up to your own innate wisdom, and to help others.

yours in the Dharma,
Haeja Sunim, SDPS

What is Zen

The answer that my grand teacher would always give to this question was, “Zen is very simple. What are you?” In this world today, as it has been since human beings began to discriminate and to think, we all began searching for satisfaction outside of ourselves; however, because it seems almost counter-intuitive very few of us ever seek to find happiness within ourselves. Listening to typical conversations we hear others speak of this thing that is labeled “I.” Also, if we have enough internal witness and we listen to our own speech it may surprise us how many times we also use the word “I’ in our conversations. We all talk about this “I” as if it had a separate self, as if this “I” were somehow existent outside of us. We say things like, “I want this,” or “I am like this” but how many of us truly understand this “I” of which we speak, and where does our “I” come from?

In Zen we sometimes ask, “before you were born, before your mother and father conceived you, what was your original nature?” Along these same lines we might ask; when we die, where will we go? If we can sincerely ask ourselves, ‘What am I?’ Eventually we will run into a wall where all thinking is cut off. In our Zen Lineage we call this ‘don’t know;’ however, this state of perception is not exclusive to Zen and other traditions call this state by different names. Christians may call it Christ Consciousness, Jews may call it, YHWH, Daoists might call it the Great and Ineffable Dao, the great twentieth Century Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi called it Beginner’s Mind, consequently each path has a separate name for this one state of mind. So, Zen practice is about keeping a 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. Zen Master Seung Sahn

We define meditation in Zen as maintaining a don’t-know mind when bowing, chanting, as well as during seated meditation. Yet, for us in this modern twenty first century it is highly important to keep this don’t know mind every minute of our waking life. There are no special forms of existence or places that will take us out of our current situation or condition; this is the place where we try to escape reality by using drugs, alcohol, video games, the company of others, etc. In and of themselves, these actions are not good or not bad, it is just that it all boils down to a simple question. “Do you control your thinking, or does your thinking control you?” For most of us we have a constant dialog going on in our heads, but who is it that we are talking with? We create this separation inside our own heads. If we can stop this endless train of thoughts, this constitutes what we call formal Zen practice, and it isn’t what we think. We may think that we must meditate, or go off to a mountain top in silence to find ourselves; but Buddha taught that if we are ever to wake up to our own humanity it must be in this very moment. By keeping a don’t know mind when we are doing something, we can just do it. When driving, we just drive; when eating, we can just eat; when working we can just work.

Eventually our don’t know-mind will become clear. Then when we see the sky, there is only blue—when we see the tree, there is only green. Our mind becomes like a clear untarnished mirror­­­—if red appears the mirror reflects red; if white appears the mirror reflects white. If a hungry person arrives, we can give some food; if a thirsty person arrives, we can give something to quench their thirst. In the end there is no desire for myself, only for all sentient beings. This mind is already enlightened; it is what we call Great Love, Great Compassion, and the Great Bodhisattva Way. Zen is very simple, it is not difficult!