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| | | Book Name: Zen - The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest | Previous Next | |
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is possible to practice, just like an actor practices. Religion is possible through knowledge, because mind is a great bio-computer; you can accumulate as much knowledge as is contained in all the libraries of the world in a single mind. But knowledge is not knowing, knowledge is not wisdom, knowledge is not awakening. On the contrary, it may help you to sleep a little deeper because it will give you a false sense that you know.
And this is the greatest tragedy that can happen to a man. Knowing nothing, but filled with borrowed knowledge, a great ego arises but your moon disappears in the clouds, in the dust of old scriptures and doctrines. Your presentness is covered by many layers; you are almost lost in a jungle of concepts, theologies, philosophies, dogmas.
Gautam Buddha is perhaps the first man in human history who has made the distinction between knowledge and knowing. Knowledge is always borrowed -- knowing is your own understanding. Knowledge is cheap. Knowing is a tremendous revolution, a metamorphosis.
One day Gautam Buddha and his disciple, Ananda, are passing from one village to another village. On the way, a fly sits on Buddha's forehead. He was talking with Ananda -- he continued talking, just as you would have done, and moved his hand to make the fly go away. Then suddenly he stopped, and again moved his hand ... very consciously, although there was no fly.
Ananda asked, "What are you doing?"
He said, "I am showing you that you can act unconsciously, the way I acted, and you can act consciously. When you act consciously there is grace and there is beauty and there is you. When you act unconsciously, it is just acting in sleep."
This small anecdote contains many significant points -- not for the curious one, not for the knowledgeable one, but only for the seeker.
DOKIN'S DISCIPLE, DORIN, BECAME A MONK AT THE AGE OF NINE, TOOK THE VOWS AT TWENTY-ONE AND STUDIED THE Kegon Sutra. LATER IN LIFE HE ENTERED THE DENSE PINE FOREST OF MOUNT SHIMBO, AND DID ZAZEN UP A TREE.
Zazen is simply sitting, doing nothing ... not even thinking, just pure being. From my own experience I can say to you that sitting
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