Zen's barrier that has no door

As one might expect, Zen for the beginner is overwhelmingly an experience with the language of Zen, not the object which the words of Zen point to; which goes beyond language, including everything mental and physical.  Putting this in a slightly different way, what the words of Zen point to cannot be put into words or some kind of physical practice or structure.  

The words of Zen are about Zen—not Zen, itself.  They can only surround Zen’s mystery.  Even if one comes face to face with the profound mystery of Zen, what they've intuited cannot be transmitted to another as if it were something determinate. 

Bad  habits don’t give way easily.

Try as they might, beginners and even seasoned veterans can’t put down the crowbar of language.  They use it unconsciously to get to the heart of Zen.  This includes physical practices such as sitting on a meditation pillow.  This also includes following ‘external Zen’:  the religious structure that the culture has placed around the deep mystery of Zen.

This leads us to Zen’s barrier that has no door.  We can think of this strange barrier as our psychophysical totality.  Zen leads us to this barrier and invites us to enter.  But we are unable to pass through it because we see nothing else besides our psychophysical totality through which the external, humanized world appears.  Furthermore, we imagine that if we do pass through this barrier we will fall into some kind of deadly abyss!

Whether we are studying a Sutta from the Pali canon or a Sutra from the Mahayana canon, sooner or later we come to realize  the clear message of the Buddha:  that enlightenment or bodhi consists in transcending our present psychophysical totality which is Zen’s doorless barrier.  It is a powerful illusory barrier—a prison if you like—that keeps our Buddha-nature from recognizing itself in the welter of phenomenal experiences.  Every thought and experience that arises is the barrier.  Even the most subtle thoughts are the barrier.  To pass through Zen’s barrier requires extraordinary commitment, skill, and creativity.  What this all adds up to is this:  if we wish to pass through Zen’s doorless barrier we must have a first hand intuition of pure Mind which is the substance from which the barrier is composed.  Then we will meet our true self, that is the Buddha. 

 

Comments

[Imperishable Night]

After Seeing, help others See, like Zennist is doing. It is preferable to Azanshi's arrogance. But who knows, maybe even his asshole ways are boddhisatvic and skillful.

[clyde]

Thank you, but I wasn’t asking for ‘a teaching’. I was asking for a description of your everyday life. For example, one can describe the Buddha’s everyday life: He wore a robe made of patched together rags. He had a bowl for alms. He went begging for food in the morning and ate whatever was placed in his bowl. He walked the Indian countryside and often went off to sit in solitude. He taught the monks that gathered about him and any person or persons whom he met. And he did this for 40 years.

[azanshi]

Mr Neanderthal wrote;

"How will you live? And why will you do/live as you do?

Do you live as awakened ones or are you frauds?"

Goes into "teacher" mode and points to the big black board:

If you awake partially to the law /dharma, you simply live in accordance (harmony) with the law, striving to become more of this law [1] and less of what is not the law i.e. samsara.

If you fully awake [Buddha] to the law any speaking of life or living is meaningless. What is awakened can not be said to live as it is beyond the confines of the five skandhas. Yes, yes...you might see a walking talking "Buddha" or "bodhisattva", but the awakened is not in this body nor this body.

I am sure such eloquent buddhists like Vaccha can ecplain this further to you. When it comes to the law you can see me, and the likes of me, as a sort of Lawman, whiteboy. Kicking your american butt up and down that dumb street you like to visit so much.

[1] The living Principle/life force of One Mind/Pure Mind.

[clyde]

Azanshi & Kojizen; There’s no doubt that my posts are an easy target for your derision. But my question applies to you: Given your mystical experiences and views, what will you, as an awakened one or as one on the path to awakening, do? How will you live? And why will you do/live as you do?

Do you live as awakened ones or are you frauds?

[azanshi]

Clyde...clyde...this is the ghost of cristmas past. I am a bit premature this year but your confused questions merited a good answer.

Here it is, directly from RCA "His Master's Voice" Buddha lands, translated to non-aryan lingo, as to suit your zen drenched brain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGVBEEYkRME

enjoy.