Neither a thought nor a concept can carry the vital principle of life which is pure spirit. Zen understands this. What is prior to the formation of a thought or a group of thoughts making up a concept, is what Zen hopes to realize. But Zen also understands what makes the realization of pure spirit (pure Mind) almost impossible.
It is the human addiction to thinking, that is, automatically and unconsciously, forming spirit into thought. The average student of Zen is so incompetent that they are completely unaware that they are trying to think their way to the unthinkable; to what is prior to the formation of a thought where lies Zen’s mysterious vital principle.
Has the Buddha preached such a principle? Yes, of course he has, but how can an incompetent mind realize this? This brings up the impediments to proper meditation (dhyāna) which are the five hindrances (P. pañca nīvaraṇāni) usually recognized as, (1) Drowsiness, (2) Doubt, (3) Ill Will, (4) Restlessness, and (5) Sensual Desire. What students practice today is not really dhyāna or zazen, it's a preliminary practice trying to get to this level.
Most never make it because most never have the realization of what Zen is actually all about. It is about intuiting what comes before the formation of thought which is not a thought (無念). It is pure spirit or the same pure mind which is the vital principle of life. But here is the real problem students face. They still, unconsciously, try to form spirit into thought or at least try to fit it into their imagination.
Zen at every level tries to stop the habit of turning spirit into thought which is an intellectual process. This is the real purpose of koans. They are meant to attract the intellect. But what koans really want to happen is to smash the intellect completely. Only then will intuition reveal Zen’s secret.
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