SATORI, or Acquiring a New Viewpoint
by D. T. Suzuki and Carl Jung
The object of Zen discipline consists in acquiring a new viewpoint for looking into the essence of things. If you have been in the habit of thinking logically according to the rules of dualism, rid yourself of it and you may come around somewhat to the viewpoint of Zen. You and I are supposedly living in the same world, but who can tell that the thing we popularly call a stone that is lying before my window is the same to both of us
You and I sip a cup of tea. That act is apparently alike to us both, but who can tell what a wide gap there is subjectively between your drinking and my drinking
In your drinking there may be no Zen, while my is brim-full of it. The reason for it is: you move in a logical circle and I am out of it. Though there is in fact nothing new in the so-called new viewpoint of Zen, the term "new" is convenient to express the Zen way of viewing the world, but its use here is a condescension on the part of Zen.
This acquiring of a new viewpoint in Zen is called *satori* (*wu* in Chinese) and its verb form is *satoru*. Without it there is no Zen, for the life of Zen begins with the "opening of *satori*". *Satori* may be defined as intuitive looking-into, in contradistinction to intellectual and logical understanding. Whatever the definition, *satori* means the unfolding of a new world hitherto unperceived in the confusion of the dualistic mind. Whit this preliminary remark I wish the reader to ponder the following *mondo* (literally, "asking and answering"), which I hope will illustrate my statement.
A young monk asked Joshu to be instructed in the faith of Zen. Said the master:
"Have you had your breakfast, or not
"
"Yes, master, I have", answered the monk.
"Go and get your bowls washed", was the immediate response. And this suggestion at once opened the monk”s mind to the truth of Zen.
Later on Ummon commented on the response, saying: "Was there any special instruction in this remark by Joshu, or was there not
If there was, what it was
If there was not, what *satori* was it that the monk attained
" Still later Suigan had the following retort on Ummon: "The great master Ummon does not know what is what; hence this comment of his. It is altogether unnecessary; it is like painting legs to a snake, or painting a beard to the eunuch. My view differs from his. That monk who seemed to have attained a sort of *satori* goes to hell as straight as an arrow!"
What does all this mean -- Joshu”s remark about washing the bowls, the monk”s attainment of *satori*, Ummon”s alternatives, and Suigan”s assurance
Are they speaking against one another, or is it much ado about nothing
To my mind, they are all pointing one way and the monk may go anywhere, but his *satori* in not to no purpose.
Tokusan was a great scholar of the Diamond Sutra. Learning that there was such a thing as Zen, ignoring all the written scriptures and directly laying hands on one”s soul, he went to Ryutan to be instructed in the teaching. One day Tokusan was sitting outside trying to look into the mystery of Zen. Ryutan said, "Why don”t you come in
" Replied Tokusan, "It is pitch dark". A candle was lighted and held out to Tokusan. When he was about to take it Ryutan suddenly blew out the light, whereupon the mind of Tokusan was opened.
Hyakujo went out one day attending his master Baso, when they saw a flock of wild geese flying. Baso asked:
"What are they
"
"They are wild geese, sir".
"Whither are they flying
"
"They have flown away".
Baso, abruptly taking hold of Hyakujo”s nose, gave it a twist.
Overcome with pain, Hyakujo cried out: "Oh! Oh!" Said Baso, "You say they have flown away, but all the same they have been here from the very first".
This made Hyakujo”s bac…
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