A capacity for spiritual intuition

Zen understands that no matter how diligently a person practices, lacking the capacity for spiritual intuition, they will inevitably go in the wrong direction.  It is also like a person preparing rice, they will use sand not knowing what rice is.  While all this sound obvious for both the person lacking the capacity for spiritual intuition and the one who doesn’t, the person who lacks the capacity for spiritual intuition is wrapped up in the external processes of Buddhism—especially ritual.  This is somewhat like modern day karate in which a 5 year kid becomes a black belt (http://goo.gl/YH39J).  Given fact that I was born and raised in a boxing family in which my uncle died in the ring during a match, the reader will agree with me that the world of the ring is much different than the world of the karate dojo.

Buddhism comes out of the spiritual world as does authentic Zen.  The person who will walk the spiritual path to enlightenment can’t do it by training to become a Zen abbot.  The requirements are much different and far more demanding.  In fact, if there is an obvious difference between the spiritual and the religious world it lies with ritual and the world the ritual is set in which is more like theater.  The ritualist, in a way, puts on a performance.  They even wear a costume.  The late abbot of Anraku-ji in Osaka told me that being a Zen abbot is pretending to be like the Buddha for an hour.

Some Westerners, however, believe that training to become a Zen abbot or joining a Zen community is all they have to do to become enlightened.  If they become an abbot—they’re the Buddha.  It’s like the five year old kid who becomes a black belt. 

Because Westerners often believe such nonsense, the real spiritual path of Buddhism loses its significance and meaning.  It becomes almost gibberish to those who lack the capacity for spiritual intuition so they ignore much of the Buddhist canon as a result.  For one thing they are completely unaware that progress towards enlightenment has to begin with an intuition of pure Mind.  This intuition requires a heaven soaring spirit, that is, a person who will go through hell and high water to achieve this important gnosis; who recognizes that without it, Zen is empty.

It is only with the spiritual intuition of pure Mind that we can really understand koans and the recondite Sutras such as the Lankavatara.  Every koan, in fact, is based upon Mind’s animative nature as every word of the Lankavatarta Sutra comes from one who fully understands pure Mind—an awakened one.  If this somehow sounds strange or somewhat unbuddhist then I  suggest the objector read and study the words of the Buddha in the Pali Nikayas.  The Buddha drew a sharp contrast between the puthujjana (a worldling) and those on the spiritual path to Buddhahood (ariyapuggala).  It is evident from the Niakayas that most puthujjana didn’t become spiritual persons (ariyapuggala) capable of becoming awakened.  This is still true today.

 

Comments

[David]

Enjoyed reading your thoughts and look forward to updates. Its refreshing to see such passion and healthy opinions. Wish you, and all your readers all the very best.

[clyde]

Koji; Which Dharma centers have you visited? And if you’re suggesting that Westerns believe that mere attendance at Dharma centers will cause them to become enlightened, on what basis do you assert this?

[Kojizen]

Clyde, I have known people who got drunk almost everyday. Yet they denied that they are alcoholics. The same holds true for Westerners who attend Dharma centers. Although they will never admit it, they attend these centers in hopes of becoming enlightened either in this lifetime or in the ones to follow.

[clyde]

Zennist wrote:
“Some Westerners, however, believe that training to become a Zen abbot or joining a Zen community is all they have to do to become enlightened.”
and
“Because Westerners often believe such nonsense, the real spiritual path of Buddhism loses its significance and meaning.”

Zennist; I’ve not met one Zen Buddhist practitioner who believes such nonsense.

[Thomas Hancock]

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