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away beyond the skies; the distance is so great that it discourages the traveler. Beauty is very close, in the flowers, in the birds singing; a solitary cuckoo deep in the forest gives a love call.
Zen's approach is to find the truth, but not to be as hard as philosophers tend to be -- more peaceful and more graceful. That's why no philosopher in the whole history of man has raised his consciousness to the point where you can call him a buddha. He talks much of things beyond, but if you look into his ordinary life he is just as you are. All his flights of thought, his dreamlands are writings on water. Writings on paper don't differ from writings on water. The only difference is: water is quick and finishes the writing; the papers, the books, the scriptures take a long time.
Zen has a very musical approach, a very poetic approach, the approach of a dancer, the approach of a lover. You have to treat existence with loving hands. You have arisen out of it, you will be dissolved into it one day. It is your life, it is your death. But whether in life or in death, you will remain part of the cosmos.
Zen does not talk about God, for the simple reason that there is no such person as God. What is there? -- a tremendous quality of eternal life all around. Nothing dies; if this wave is disappearing another wave is coming, and the disappearing wave will simply go to sleep just to rest, and will be back soon.
Hence, I will not say anything about God. Zen does not talk about it; but it certainly implies godliness. Then God becomes melted ice. Then the personality of God disappears into all living beings. Then God is not a person but the very existence.
Religions have been concerned about God and good, and they have created fossilized dogmas. And they are not willing even to change a little, although anybody can see the foolishness. The foolishness is not God's. That poor fellow suffers at our hands.
Somebody has made the elephant a god. Somebody has made the monkey a god -- even without its permission. There are people who worship trees, and the trees must be giggling, "Why do these idiots waste their time bringing flowers and coconuts?"
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