Shundo David Haye

‘A wall can be a barrier. A wall can be a protection. A wall often represents a problem. Most of us have a tendency to turn our backs on our problems. Facing the wall is turning in the direction in which we will take responsibility for our own problems. Facing away from the wall may encourage us to seek help from someone else or blame some outside condition for our problem. So it may be better for beginning zen students to sit facing the wall. Of course, if you have a Rinzai zen master and he has you face toward the center of the room, this is a different matter. Then your master will be your wall.’ (The Zen Environment)