Zen Training
“The basic kind of Zen practice is called zazen (sitting Zen), and in zazen we attain Samadhi. In this state, the activity of consciousness is stopped and we cease to be aware of time, space, and causation. The mode of existence which thus makes its appearance may at first sight seem to be nothing more than mere being, or existence. However, if you really attain this state you will find it to be a remarkable thing. At the extremity of having denied all and having nothing left to deny, we reach a state in which absolute silence and stillness reign, bathed in a pure, serene light. Buddhists of former times called this state annihilation, or Nirvana. But it is not a vacuum or mere nothingness. It is utterly different, too, from the unconscious state of the patient under anesthesia on the operating table. There is a definite wakefulness in it. It is a condition of existence that recalls the impressive silence and stillness that we experience in the heart of the mountains.
“In ordinary daily life our consciousness works ceaselessly to protect and maintain our interests. It has acquired the habit of utilitarian thinking, looking upon the things in the world as so many tools-in Heidegger’s phrase, it treats them “in the context of equipment.” It looks at objects in the light of how they can be made use of. We call this attitude the habitual way of consciousness. This way of looking at things is the origin of man’s distorted view of the world. And he comes to look upon himself, too, in the context of equipment, and fails to see into his own true nature. This way of treating oneself and the world leads to a mechanical way of thinking, which can, under some conditions, lead to the development of mental illness. Zen aims at overthrowing this distorted view of the world, and zazen is the means of doing it.”
-- Katsuki Sekida
“In ordinary daily life our consciousness works ceaselessly to protect and maintain our interests. It has acquired the habit of utilitarian thinking, looking upon the things in the world as so many tools-in Heidegger’s phrase, it treats them “in the context of equipment.” It looks at objects in the light of how they can be made use of. We call this attitude the habitual way of consciousness. This way of looking at things is the origin of man’s distorted view of the world. And he comes to look upon himself, too, in the context of equipment, and fails to see into his own true nature. This way of treating oneself and the world leads to a mechanical way of thinking, which can, under some conditions, lead to the development of mental illness. Zen aims at overthrowing this distorted view of the world, and zazen is the means of doing it.”
-- Katsuki Sekida