He said: ”That act is apparently alike to us both, but who can tell what a wide gap there is subjectively between your drinking and my drinking? Suzuki then goes on to state the difference between those who have witnessed satori or zen, to those who have not, is akin to the act of drinking. Suzuki said: “If you have been in the habit of thinking logically according to the rules of dualism, rid yourself of it and you may come around to the viewpoint of zen.” This is used as a means for opening one’s mind to the truth of Zen. In his book, Introduction to Zen Buddhism, D.T Suzuki described Koans as an anecdote told by an ancient master or a dialogue between a master and monks, or a question put forward by a teacher. Koans are questions that defy a rational answer, famous koans include “ If a tree falls in the woods does it make a sound?” and “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Questions which could appear to have a simple answer if one is constrained in their understanding of the world around them, but can lead to a small glimpse of enlightenment when one relinquishes their preconceptions and allows themselves to return to their true self. In order to pass these teachings onto future generations, they created Koans to help others find Satori.ģ0 Water Reflection Quotes That Will Make You A Better Person Koans Help You find SatoriĮarly Zen masters would practice for many years to break themselves of these restrictions and reach Satori. Zen Buddhists believe Satori exists just beneath the surface of human consciousness, but society implants within our mind the notion that reaching satori is incredibly difficult or neigh on impossible. This more often than not this is centered on a dualism that sets humans apart from nature.įor Zen Buddhists, this dualism is the root cause of humanity’s troubles, and by reaching Satori one can break free of these shackles and achieve a new point of view. To be part of any society it is accepted that we all adhere to a set way of perceiving the world. 2 What is the Difference Between Someone Who has Witnessed Satori and Someone Who has not?.He said: “When one examines the Zen text attentively, one cannot escape the impression that, with all that is bizarre in it, satori is, in fact, a matter of natural occurrence, of something so very simple that one fails to see the wood for the trees, and in attempting to explain it, invariably says the very thing that drives others into the greatest confusion.” Suzuki posits that Satori frees the mind of ego resulting in the ‘no mind’ where our true- self, and our innermost reality resides. this is not to say it will take 40 years to reach Satori, it is an experience that can come to you at any time. It is said that Buddha’s brother Ananda spent 40 years searching for Satori before finally reaching a state of Zen. Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769), who introduced koan practice and meditation to Zen Buddhism, preferred to see Satori as ‘seeing into one’s nature’ or glimpsing an ultimate reality.Ĭontemporary Zen scholar, Peter Harvey said Satori ‘ is a blissful realization where a person’s inner nature, the originally pure mind, is directly known as an illuminating emptiness, a thusness which is dynamic and immanent in the world.’ While fellow scholar Dumoulin described Satori as a form of enlightenment that provides an ‘insight into the identity of one’s own nature’ and ‘their relationship with all of reality’, or that of an ‘eternal now’, and ‘as a vision that removes all distinctions.’ He said: “This enlightenment is the center and the goal of the Zen way.” The Zen Buddhist scholar D.T Suzuki (1870-1966) described Satori as ‘The acquiring of a new point of view in our dealings with life and the world’, concluding, ‘It is really another name for Enlightenment.’ Linked to the experience of Kensho, or knowing one’s true self, Satori is directly linked with the Buddhist path to enlightenment. In Japanese Zen Buddhism Satori is described as a sudden moment of awakening or realization.
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