Paradoxe? Couper la tête de nos fantômes!

“One could say that there is ‘no single Zen teacher,’ or that there are countless myriads of Zen teachers. Every being, whether sentient or insensible, known or unknown, cannot help but exalt the Dharma and guide the Zen practitioner toward Realization. Most of this Dharma activity remains well below the surface, without us even dreaming of it, but that does not make it any less important. (…) In reality, our true nature, our original face, remains closer to us than our own breath (Complete intimacy with our true Self, as Harada Roshi would say!), inseparable from the one, perfect mind, which requires no improvement.” But the practice and teaching of Zen continue, not because there is something to learn or improve, but because the realization that there is "nothing" to learn goes against our natural way of thinking. Practice is essential precisely because there is nothing to teach. Rinzai had a solid understanding of Buddhism, but his teaching method was based on his confidence in the human capacity for self-realization, on his conviction that human beings simply need to awaken to their true nature and then live like ordinary people. He didn't call himself a "Zen Master"; he defined himself as a "spiritual friend," someone who could help others on the Path. Rinzai said that when we encounter the "Phantom Buddha," we will have to cut off his head. That is to say, whether we look inward or outward, we must cut off the head of everything we encounter—this means letting go of the opinions and ideas we have about things, including our ideas about Buddhism and Buddhist teachings—(and I would add, about zazen!). Buddhist teachings are not exalted words and scriptures that exist outside of us, stored on a high shelf in a temple, but rather skillful means of healing our ignorance, our thirst, and our anger, as well as our habit of seeking things outside ourselves and of not trusting ourselves. (…) Does this mean that since there is nothing to learn, there is nothing to do if everything is already here? We might ask ourselves, “If a person has no direction, no aspiration to achieve an ideal, and no purpose in life, then who will help living beings to liberate themselves, who will save those drowning in the ocean of suffering?” When we enter into Rinzai’s writings, we should imagine a teacher standing before us, shouting: “Don’t come to me looking for something. The enlightenment, happiness, stability, and freedom you seek are already within you.”… Full text: https://www.nousasseoirensemble.org/p...