The other day, an acquaintance from Singapore visited Shoun-ji Temple.
The purpose of the visit was to experience zazen and to learn about Zen.
We spent some time talking about Zen and Buddhism while I answered several questions.
I have summarized the conversation here as a personal record.
What is Enlightenment in Zen?
In Soto Zen, we value the phrase “practice and enlightenment are one” (shushō ittō).
This means that practice and enlightenment are not separate.
Many people tend to think that enlightenment comes after long practice.
However, in Zen, the very act of practicing itself is already an expression of enlightenment.
Buddhism can be broadly divided into Mahayana and Theravada traditions.
Japanese Buddhism and Zen belong to the Mahayana tradition.
Mahayana teaches that all people have the potential to become a Buddha.
This is called Buddha-nature.
Zen teaches that this Buddha-nature is already present within everyone.
However, we are often unaware of it.
For example, imagine a room filled with beautiful furniture.
If the lights are off, you cannot see it.
Enlightenment is not about acquiring something new,
but more like turning on the light in that room.
However, this light does not stay on by itself.
Like a bicycle light, it continues to shine only while moving.
In other words, enlightenment is not something achieved once and for all.
It is something that appears within our daily practice.
That is why practice itself is regarded as the expression of enlightenment.
The Story of Huineng
A figure who symbolizes this idea is Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen.
Huineng made a living selling firewood.
One day, he heard a passage from the Diamond Sutra and was deeply moved.
He then went to train under the Fifth Patriarch, Hongren.
However, since he could not read or write, he was initially considered unfit.
In response, Huineng said:
“Although people may differ, the Buddha Way is equal for all.”
Sensing his potential, Hongren assigned him work pounding rice, without drawing attention to him.
Later, in order to choose a successor, the master asked his disciples to compose a verse.
A leading disciple, Shenxiu, wrote:
The body is the Bodhi tree,
the mind is like a clear mirror stand.
Constantly polish it diligently,
and do not let dust collect.
This expresses the approach of gradually refining the mind through practice.
In contrast, Huineng secretly wrote:
There is originally no Bodhi tree,
nor is there a mirror stand.
Originally there is not a single thing—
where could dust arise?
This suggests that our true nature is originally pure,
and that there is nothing to which we must cling.
However, this does not mean that nothing needs to be done.
Rather than seeking enlightenment as something to gain,
what matters is awakening to what is already present.
Just as nature is complete as it is,
we too are already complete in our true nature.
Zen practice is to realize this, again and again, in daily life.
What is Zen Practice?
Zen practice is not limited to zazen or chanting.
Daily life itself is practice.
What matters is to face each moment with care.
There is a Zen phrase: “When drinking tea, just drink tea; when eating, just eat.”
This means fully engaging in the present moment,
not for the sake of results, but for the experience itself.
It may be similar to how children become completely absorbed in play.
In this way, living fully in the present moment
is itself both practice and the expression of enlightenment.
Does a Dog Have Buddha-Nature?
This is a well-known Zen question.
From the perspective of living fully in the present,
animals may seem to embody this more naturally than humans.
However, in Buddhism, enlightenment is also something that arises
through facing the reality of suffering.
In Zen, rather than seeking a clear answer,
what matters is how we engage with the question itself.
Does Enlightenment Remove Suffering?
He shared that he sometimes feels as if he might have been
a soldier in the Vietnam War in a previous life.
This image remains in his mind and troubles him deeply.
Through this, he became interested in religion
and encountered the teachings of OSHO, an Indian thinker
known for presenting Zen and Eastern philosophy in modern language.
He asked, “If I become enlightened, will this suffering disappear?”
In Zen, however, enlightenment is not something pursued
as a means to solve problems.
What matters is not what one’s past life may have been,
but noticing how one is attached to that idea in the present.
While respecting such feelings as one way of understanding,
Zen emphasizes not becoming bound by them,
but living this moment with care.
Enlightenment is not so much about eliminating suffering,
but about being able to face it without being controlled by it.
On the Enlightenment of Others
He also asked, “Was OSHO enlightened?”
In Zen, there is a famous question: “Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?”
This question is not answered in words.
There is also the phrase:
“Directly pointing to the human mind, seeing one’s nature, and becoming Buddha.”
What matters is not only gaining knowledge from books,
but practicing for oneself.
Others and oneself are different beings.
That is why each person must confirm the path through their own experience.
In Closing
All of our conversation this time was in English.
Although I used to speak English while studying abroad and traveling,
it had been a while.
I am not entirely sure how well I was able to communicate,
but the opportunity to connect through Buddhism
was truly meaningful.
At Shoun-ji Temple, we welcome visitors from overseas to experience Zen.
If you have the opportunity, please feel free to visit us.