Essays in Zen Buddhism

The vast body of Mahayana doctrine arose not so much to satisfy intellectual curiosity as to deal with the practical psychological problems encountered in following the Buddha’s way. Certainly the treatment of these problems is highly scholastic, and the intellectual level of the Mahayana texts is very lofty. But the consistent aim is to bring abou

This inner peace of mind occurs on three levels of understanding. Physical quietness seems the easiest to achieve, although there are levels and levels of this too, as attested by the ability of Hindu mystics to live buried alive for many days. Mental quietness, in which one has no wandering thoughts at all, seems more difficult, but can be achieve

The word Zen means “to sit” and refers to a practice of meditation. The purpose for this meditation is to reach what Zen people call “enlightenment”—a leap in consciousness to a sudden awareness of the essential nature of “being.”