Zen: The Path of Paradox, Vol 1
Discourses
Table of Contents
Join the Farthest Star
Join the Farthest Star. 'Like the empty sky it has no boundaries, yet it is right in this place. When you seek to know it, you cannot see it. In not being able to get it you get it.' Zen is not theology but religion without theology. Man is the goal, not God. God is hidden within humanity. The path of paradox: you get it by not getting it. The great gate is wide open—no crowd is blocking the way.
Ignorance is Ultimate
Ignorance is Ultimate. 'Is a wise man simple-minded? What's the difference between a wise man and a fool?' There's a synthesis beyond wisdom and foolishness. Ignorance is ultimate: the sage knows he knows not. The fool doesn't know he doesn't know. The wise man's simplicity is not fatigue—it's the highest synthesis. Wisdom and foolishness dissolve into one unity.
Devise No Word
Devise No Word. 'You have too much Zen—it turns my stomach!' Bodhidharma: 'Devise no word.' With the word starts the world. Devise no word: truth is before words, between words, beyond words. The moment you name it, you've lost it. Zen is wordless—not anti-word but beyond word.
Learn from the Peacocks
Learn from the Peacocks. 'From politics to poetry—how is poetry revolutionary?' Poetry is not revolutionary—poetry IS revolution. Poetry sees life as mystery; science sees it as mechanism. Learn from the peacocks: they don't philosophize—they dance. Poetry is approaching existence with love. Science is rape; poetry is a love affair.
Carnival
Carnival. The governor's card: 'Kitagaki, Governor of Kyoto.' The master: 'I have no business with such a fellow.' The governor scratched out his title. 'Oh, is that Kitagaki? I want to see that fellow!' Carnival: existence is a continuous celebration. The ego with titles stands apart; the man without titles joins the carnival. Drop your title and the gate opens.
A Concession to the Gods
A Concession to the Gods. 'How can the unenlightened talk so convincingly?' Because they don't know—no hesitation, no barrier. Knowing creates a distance between experience and expression. A concession to the gods: the unenlightened are given eloquence as a concession—they compensate for lack of being with abundance of words. The enlightened stumble; the ignorant flow.
The Pulse of the Universe
The Pulse of the Universe. Three travelers argued about the man on the hill—lost animal? lost friend? enjoying air? 'I am just standing.' The pulse of the universe: actionless action. Just standing—no purpose, no seeking. The man on the hill is the Tao—purposeless, present. The travelers project; the sage simply is.
Sannyas: A Decision from the Guts
Sannyas: A Decision from the Guts. 'My inner guide tells me not to take sannyas.' The inner guide may be the ego in disguise. Sannyas: a decision from the guts: not from the head but from the belly. The head calculates; the belly knows. If sannyas comes from the head, it's not sannyas. It must be a total, gut-level yes.
Symbols of the Tiredness of Man
Symbols of the Tiredness of Man. The master kicked the monk as he prostrated—immediate enlightenment. 'Since I received that kick, I haven't been able to stop laughing.' Symbols of the tiredness of man: civilization is tired—its symbols are exhausted. The kick is not violence but a shock that breaks the pattern. Enlightenment as laughter—the cosmic joke finally lands.
Philosophical Bastards
Philosophical Bastards. 'Assagioli marries East and West—witness and willer. Do mixed marriages work?' They produce philosophical bastards! Not true East, not true West—half breeds. Philosophical bastards: mixed marriages between Eastern witnessing and Western willing produce neither. True religion is not a compromise—it's a total commitment to one direction.