Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Literary Non-Zense

I'd been aware of Zen's existence since I was a child, though I wasn't aware of what it truly consisted of in terms of practice and theory. I stumbled across the meaning behind it while researching Taoism. I learned about how Zen is a Tao-Buddha combo, and found it interesting because both had something I could sink my teeth into in terms of pragmatic wisdom as opposed to the phony crap that is meant to be all mysterious and comes off as rather hokey.

Anyhow, once my interest was piqued, I began poring over whatever literature I could get my hands on for a deeper introduction into this Zen stuff. I didn't dive right into sutras and whatnot because I felt that was probably diving into the deep end without first knowing how to swim. The first book I read was Shunryu Suzuki's, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. If it weren't for this masterpiece, I probably wouldn't have read anything else or pursued Zen any further. Simple, yet poignant, the book had me engulfed, and it was when I finished reading it that I decided to give the practice a try.
Afterwards, I felt I needed more information, and I looked up more books at my college library. D.T. Suzuki was the next author I tried out. I attempted three of his books and found them far too scholarly and opinionated. To me, this approach to Zen was/is antithetical.

I picked up more books and perused whatever I found on the Internet, only to discover one important fact about my interaction with Zen knowledge and wisdom: I hate reading about it!
I love to read, so that is not the issue. And in fact, I only rarely read fiction; non-fiction being what satisfies my intellectual appetite. However, in regards to Zen and its practice, books suck.

So many people write books as authorities on Zen practice. Zen teachers, monks, priests, abbots...whatever. The titles don't mean a damn thing to me when it comes to whether or not what you say holds any merit in relation to my personal practice. Just because these ladies and gentlemen bear titles of significance within monastery walls, doesn't mean that all that they say and do will be of great significance to me, or you.

Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for those who have earned these titles, and I bow to them for their devotion to the practice, but I think it is a mistake to take all they have to say as though it were written in gold. One of the greatest attributes of Zen that appeals to me and had drawn me in, is the fact that there is no single path. Zen is highly personal, and it is the individual's experiences that helps define their practice, not just the experiences and thoughts of others.

Because Zen is highly personal, I will clarify that I by no means feel my opinion on the matter of the usefulness or uselessness of Zen books holds any real weight. There are some books that are great and have opened my eyes to new perspectives on how I can apply my practice, but those books can be counted on one hand. It isn't going to be the same for everyone. Some people will not be able to find their true paths until they are told which direction to walk, only to eventually discover that they can stray from that path and make their own.

I just don't care much for bullshit, and have found that there is a great deal of it within the pages of Zen books, verbally decorated with authoritative arrogance.

But then, this post is authoritatively arrogant in itself.
Perhaps I should write a book.

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