Fundamentally the marksman aims at himself.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that self-improvement and personal reflection are crucial in achieving one's goals.
D.T. Suzuki's quote emphasizes introspection as an essential element of mastery and success. It highlights the idea that before a marksman can accurately hit a target, they must first focus on understanding and refining their own abilities and mindset. This notion extends beyond mere shooting; it serves as a metaphor for various aspects of life where personal development precedes external achievement.
In practice
This quote can be used in a workshop on personal development to emphasize the importance of 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.
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.
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.
When the Guest is being searched for,_x000D_ it is the intensity of the longing for the Guest that does all the work._x000D_ Look at me, and you will see a slave of that intensity.
This is the work of Nâma-Rupa - name and form. Everything that has form, everything that calls up an idea in your mind, is within Maya; for everything that is bound by the laws of time, space, and causation is within Maya.
Language has no independent existence apart from the people who use it. It is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end of understanding who you are and what society is like.
The dead walk among us. Zombies, ghouls-no matter what their label-these somnambulists are the greatest threat to humanity, other than humanity itself.
The test of democracy is freedom of criticism.
The idea of redemption is always good news, even if it means sacrifice or some difficult times.
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