#Zen Buddhism — The Language of Zazen and No-Mind
Contents
Zen reduces words. So the sound of the blade is heard the louder.
#Introductory Fragment — Cold Tea
The swordsman waited for an answer. "What must I do to be rid of fear?" He asked three times, and three times the Zen monk only pushed the tea bowl toward him.
At first steam rose. The swordsman did not drink the tea. After the second question the steam thinned, and after the third question the bowl went cold. Unable to bear it, the swordsman said, "Master, I did not come to trifle. Tomorrow there is a duel."
Only then did the Zen monk open his eyes. "Look at the bowl."
"The tea has gone cold."
"So too was your fear. At first it was too hot to touch, and the more you stirred it with words the longer it lingered. Left alone, it cooled. Now, can you drink it?"
The swordsman took up the bowl. His hand trembled a little. The Zen monk, seeing that hand, said, "Do not try to be rid of the trembling. See whether, even with a trembling hand, you can set the blade down straight. Only after that is it not too late to speak of no-mind."
#First, a Distinction
The "zen" of this chapter is 禅. It is the zen of Zen Buddhism, zazen, no-mind, intuition.
The "xian" used as the root of the Way of Mystery in the Three Ways and Six Hearts of co is 仙. It is the xian of xian beings, Daoism, Shinto, and natural spirituality.
The two characters are different. Yet at the table they touch one another. The no-mind of Zen is a practice within the Way of Emptiness, but when its result comes to resemble natural movement and accord with the world, it also meets the language of Truth (真).
#Zen Is Buddhism
Zen is not an independent, separate faith but one current of Buddhism. Rather than denying the scriptures, it values awakening directly without dwelling in the words of the scriptures.
Posture over words. Embodiment over explanation. The intuition of a single instant over logic.
The reason the warrior and Zen are often linked is that this attitude fits well with the sense of combat. In the moment blades cross, no long argument is needed. Breath, distance, the wavering of the heart, one act of decision — that is all.
But it is troublesome to suppose that every warrior was a believer in Zen. Zen provided a powerful language to warrior culture, yet the faith and life of the warrior were a mixture of Confucianism, Buddhism, Shinto, and house rites.
#The Core Sense of Zen
#Zazen
One sits. One does not flee. When a thought rises, one sees it. One does not seize it.
In Konsei Reiyotan, zazen is not an act that attacks a yoma directly. Instead it makes the center of a scene. When all are in an uproar in a ruined temple, one figure sits and falls silent. That silence can be more fearsome than the yoma.
#No-Mind
No-mind is not a state of no thought at all. It is a state in which attachment and calculation are severed. A state in which the attachment of wishing to live, the desire of wishing to win, and the fear of wishing to flee do not shake the tip of the blade.
The No Heart of co is a state in which one has not yet fixed a Way and a Heart, or has lost them. The no-mind of Zen is a state in which one has set down attachment through practice. They may overlap in a scene, but they are not the same.
#Koan
A koan is not a riddle for finding an answer but a tool for halting the head that tries to find an answer. To a swordsman a koan may be a single word from a master.
"Where is the blade before the blade is drawn?"
A disciple who answers this question with logic is still far off. There may be a disciple who sets the blade down, a disciple who draws it at once, and a disciple who does nothing at all. What matters is the scene.
#Zen and Warrior Culture
Zen gives the warrior three languages.
| Language | Meaning | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance of death | When one does not cling to death, movement grows light. | Before a duel, the swordsman polishes his own gravestone. |
| Restraint of form | Unnecessary ornament and words diminish. | The tea room, the scabbard, the old tea bowl, the short bow. |
| Intuition of the instant | Beyond calculation, one sees in a single breath. | Before the enemy moves, one is already a step to the side. |
This is not a new combat rule. It is a language for how to describe an action that already exists.
#The Bright Face and Dark Face of Zen
| Direction | Aspect | Three Ways and Six Hearts contact point |
|---|---|---|
| Bright Zen | Sets down attachment and is free of fear and hatred. | Compassion (慈), Truth (真), a practiced no-mind |
| Cold Zen | Is unmoved even by another's suffering. | No Heart, the danger of Void (虚) |
| Distorted Zen | Justifies killing with the words "a body already dead." | union with Demon (魔) or Hegemony (覇) |
| Aestheticized Zen | Only stillness and form remain, and compassion vanishes. | a hollow no-mind |
The no-mind of Zen is not a pretext for erasing compassion. Rather, precisely because there is no attachment, one ought to be able to see suffering the more exactly.
#Manner of Speech
A Zen figure speaks briefly.
- "Sit."
- "Before you look at the blade, look at the hand."
- "Listen to what comes after the sound ends."
- "Do not try to win. Cut when you must cut."
- "It is because you hold that question that there is no answer."
Silence is better than a long sermon. A Zen NPC, when asked a question, can pour tea instead of answering. Or he can sweep the yard. That act is the answer.
#Scene Example
A ronin waits for a yoma in a ruined temple. His companions ask for a plan. The ronin does not answer; he sits on the rain-soaked floor and lays his blade across his knees.
The Pure Land Monk recites the nembutsu. The onmyoji arranges his talismans. The samurai confirms his orders.
The ronin draws breath in and lets it out. The sound of the yoma scratching at the door is heard. In that instant the ronin realizes: his fear had clung to a death not yet come. If death is already at the door, there is nothing to seize.
He rises.
This is a Zen scene. Not a new number, but the quality of the breath changes.
No-mind is not an empty heart, but the sound of the last attachment falling away.