The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded. Therefore, anything that has the semblance of an external authority is rejected by Zen. Absolute faith is placed in a man's own inner being. For whatever authority there is in Zen, all comes from within.
Interpretation
Zen emphasizes understanding oneself without relying on external authorities.
This quote by D.T. Suzuki encapsulates the essence of Zen philosophy, which encourages individuals to explore and understand their own inner nature directly, without the interference of external beliefs or authorities. It promotes the idea that true understanding and wisdom arise from self-exploration and trusting one's own inner voice, rather than following external doctrines or influences.
In practice
A teacher might use this quote in a meditation class to emphasize self-awareness.
Zen, in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom. By making us drink right from the fountain of life it liberates us from all the yokes under which we finite beings are usually suffering in this world.
Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?
The rocks are where they are- and this is their will. The rivers flow- and this is their will. The birds fly- this is their will. Human beings talk- this is their will. The seasons change, heaven sends down rain or snow, the earth occasionally shakes, the waves roll, the stars shine- each of them follows its own will. To be is to will and so is to become.
Enlightenment is like everyday consciousness but two inches above the ground.
We teach ourselves; Zen merely points the way.
I am an artist at living - my work of art is my life.
I sometimes subscribe to the belief that all historical events occur simultaneously, like a dream in the mind of God. Perhaps it is only man who views time sequentially and tries to impose a solar calendar upon it. What if other people, both dead and unborn, are living out their lives in the same space we occupy, without our knowledge or consent?" The Glass Rainbow, p. 138
War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.
Never to get lost is not to live, not to know how to get lost brings you to destruction.
To have opinions is to sell out to youself. To have no opinions is to exist. To have every opinion is to be a poet.
There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex. As well speak of a female liver.
Away with the cant of 'Measures not men!'-the idle supposition that it is the harness and not the horses that draw the chariot along.
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