To Our Dear Sangha

Some people say one should not try to attain enlightenment, or that making satori a goal prevents one from realizing it. Some say that you should not even think about satori. We’ll share our thoughts about this below.

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(Translated by Madoka)

Is it ok to have a goal for zazen?

Someone attending my online zazenkai asked me if it is ok or not to have satori (enlightenment) as a goal.

The short answer is, yes, it is fine to have satori as a goal. While sitting in zazen, however, one should not contemplate that goal or imagine what it is and then use some method or means to get closer to it—this is actually unnecessary.

I will explain why having a goal is acceptable, though using methods or means to achieve it while sitting is unnecessary.

This is the way humans are: When looking forward, we are just as it is forward. When hearing “hello,” “hello” is the way it is. When thinking “I’m hungry,” “I’m hungry” is the way it is.

And when there is “hello,” there is “hello.” When there is “goodbye,” there is “goodbye.” When there is “I’m hungry,” there is, “I’m hungry.” There is only what is manifesting now, as an actual fact.

Because there is only the content of what is actually manifesting now as fact, and there is no other separate content, the content of what is manifeting now itself is Truth.

The fact manifesting now is all there is. So there is no other way for us to be than the way that content already is. The way it is is already Truth, so there are actually no methods or means.

This is why zazen is just being as actual fact is—which is Truth itself.

And to explain satori, it is the complete clarity that the way it is facing forward itself is without self and is itself Truth. It may not feel that way to you, however, simply because you haven’t realized it yet. Until cognition ceases once, it is impossible to be fully clear, beyond doubt, of Truth.

Some may think that sitting with the hands in a mudra is a method, but if you do this experiment, you will understand. Try sitting with the mudra. Then without it. Without the mudra, does the way it is in front of you vanish? It does not. With or without it, the way it is facing forward is the way it is.

Please understand that adjusting the posture is to prevent sleepiness and strain on the body.

For more explanation on what is actually real (referred to as “fact” in this issue), see Matsumoto-san’s Today’s Dharma Talk in Issue 2 of our newsletter.

Do I have a goal? Well…

People sometimes ask me why I do zazen. I am not sure if they expect me to say something like I want to calm my mind or experience silence, but when I say I want to know, beyond any doubt, what is real and true, and be free from the illusion of self (i.e. enlighten to Truth), I sometimes get interesting responses. Among them is, “Aren’t you supposed to have no goal? Aren’t you supposed to let go of all wanting and just do for the sake of doing?”

From what I understand so far, if I think “I want to know Truth,” what is real is “I want to know Truth.” Then, if I think “I’m hungry,” what is real is, “I’m hungry.” When I open and look inside the refrigerator, what is real is the view of the inside of the refrigerator.

So perhaps it can be said that I have a goal for zazen only when I think about it. When someone asks me my goal, the feelings and thoughts that arise tend to be about the same, so I must say it does feel like I have a goal. But when I am with my elderly father, for example, helping him put on his socks in the morning, there is no goal for zazen. But, there is the way it is putting on socks.

To be honest, I am not actually fond of just sitting. I am generally calm and do not crave silence. I don’t have much internal conflict these days. The main thing I am dissatisfied about myself is that I still don’t know what “no-self” is beyond an intellectual understanding. I want to know, because I heard it is the ultimate resolution to human suffering, and I’d like to do something about that.

In my case, if someone asks me if I have a goal for my zazen practice, I would say yes. I want to be completely free of the illusion of self. But do I think about it or am I aware of this goal when I do zazen? No.

I’ve come to think that whether one has a goal or not for zazen doesn’t really matter. If someone wants to sit in zazen for the sake of sitting, that’s fine. If one makes time to sit because one has a goal, such as wanting to resolve anxiety, overcome fear of death, wanting to know Truth, etc., that’s fine. Some people might feel compelled to sit without knowing exactly why. That’s fine too. In my opinion, the most important thing is, if you want to do zazen, do zazen.

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