What is the product of Zen? Hopefully, you might guess that the product would be satori or enlightenment. We have to keep in mind that Zen is not like an automobile factory where the product is a car. Nevertheless, the serious Zen student eventually realizes what the Zen masters of old and Siddhartha realized who became the Buddha. It is exactly the same. Yes, we could call it the source of all things.
Mind, which refers to uncongealed spirit not yet become thought, is the source of the triple world according to the Lankavatara. When Mind becomes congealed there appears this vast, endless world which is an illusion that does not really exist the way we imagine.
Yes, even our most sublime thoughts are a little more than congealed spirit (also conditioned or composed spirit). For the serious Zen adept, spirit always eludes them while their thoughts remain ever present. For the average person, all that they are aware of are thoughts such as pleasant thoughts, troubling thoughts, or fearful thoughts, etc.
It is next to impossible for the ordinary person to break through the phenomenon of thought. They might, in a last ditch effort, rely on the imagination believing that they have achieved satori! But in the long run, even this proves inadequate. No matter what we do we end up with no product. Maybe we are holding out for a particular kind of thought, maybe a thought about enlightenment? But be forewarned that this thought is still congealed spirit.
It must be kept in mind that great Zen masters understood what no-thought 無念 meant. This is an important part of Zen because to overcome thought we have to enter into no-thought, this being spirit which is uncongealed. One Zen master even went so far as to say that when there is truly no-thought, then no-thought itself does not exist.
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