Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘Since ancient times few have understood zazen as it is. Even the heads of high-ranking monasteries in China nowadays do not know and study the meaning of zazen. There are only a few who clearly understand it. Monasteries have schedules for zazen; the abbots and resident monks keep the practice of zazen as essential and encourage students to practice zazen. But few of them seem to understand the meaning of what they are doing.

Some masters have written texts titled “Essentials of Zazen.” A few others have written “Rules for Zazen,” and a few more have written “The Point of Zazen.” Among these texts, none of those titled “Essentials of Zazen” are worthwhile. No version of “Rules for Zazen” clarifies the practice. They were written by those who did not know zazen, as they had not received the transmission of zazen person to person. “The Point of Zazen” included in the Jingde Record of Transmission of the Lamp and “Essentials of Zazen” included in the Jiatai Record of the Universal Lamp are also like this.

What a pity! They visited and abided in monasteries of the ten directions and practiced all their lives, but they did not make a thorough effort even for one sitting. Sitting had not immersed in them and endeavor had not encountered them. It is not that zazen avoided them, but that they were carelessly intoxicated. They did not aspire to a genuine effort.

Their texts merely aim to return to the source and origin, trying to cease thinking and to be still. That does not even come up to taking the steps of visualization, purification, nurturing, and attainment, or the view of the bodhisattvas of the last ten stages approaching buddha’s enlightenment. How could they have received and transmitted the buddha ancestors’ zazen? The Song Dynasty compilers of Zen texts included these writings by mistake. Those who study now should not pay attention to such writings.’ (Shobogenzo Zazenshin)

Here’s Dogen, up on his high horse, letting us know that just about everyone is missing the point. The point of zazen is… well, you’ll just have to read the fascicle, or Hongzhi’s verse with the same name, which Dogen goes on to praise unstintingly.