Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Readiness, Mindfulness

"It is not after we practice zazen that we realize the truth; even before we practice zazen, realization is there."--Shunryu Suzuki

In English, the conditional tense is known as the if-then clause. As long as our zazen practice remains in the conditional tense--"If I practice well, then I will attain enlightenment"--we are sacrficing ourselves now for a future idea. We end up with nothing and we just continue in our difficulties.

In zazen, we break the karmic chain of the conditional tense. This is the true purpose of Zen.
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