The Wisdom of Zen

Date: Dec. 18, 1990

Place: Kuomingtang Headquarters at Pingdong County

Ladies and Gentlemen:

You are leading cadres of the Kuomingtang Headquarters at Pingtong County and the other thirty-three counties and towns. It is my honor to be here to discuss the wisdom of Zen with you.

Originally I wanted to talk about “Zen and Human Life,” which has been discussed by many religious masters. But I think in modern times there are too many opportunists and too few wise persons. So, I have decided to report to you “the wisdom of Zen.”

First, we have to know what Zen is. Zen is “quiet meditation,” which means “stability, calm, peace, deep thought and gaining” (定﹐靜﹐安﹐慮﹐得). “Gaining” means to gain wisdom. After deep meditation we can gain wisdom.

Roughly speaking, Zen is divided into “worldly Zen” and “unworldly Zen.” Such practices as physical exercise, mind cultivation, breathing exercises, exercises to benefit the internal organs, exercises to benefit the muscles and bones, development of physical potential , and so on are the categories of “worldly Zen.” On the other hand, some religious activities belong in “unworldly Zen.” The Zen School of Buddhism with its idea of “purifying the mind and seeing the nature of the mind” (明心見性) belongs in both worldly and unworldly Zen. It is because Buddhism accommodates both worldly and unworldly laws.

Sitting Zen meditation requires a certain posture, called jiafu sitting (to sit cross-legged). There are complete jiafu, namely to sit cross-legged by placing each foot on the other leg; and half jiafu, namely to sit cross-legged by placing one foot on the other leg. When you practice meditation, sit cross-legged, then rest the hands comfortably on the thighs making the sign of meditation, that is letting the thumbs touch each other and the other fingers of the right hand rest on top of the other fingers of the left hand. Relax the shoulders and straighten up the back. The tip of the tongue touches the palate. Focus the eyes on the nose and then on the heart. This is the basic posture of sitting meditation. The next is “ keeping the body, the thought and the mind motionless,” which is so called “the three principles of sitting meditation.” To maintain the “three principles of meditation” one has to have the spirit of transcending; otherwise, if you feel the pain of sore and numb legs, you are unable to remain in deep meditation and continue the sitting practice.

If one can spend a half-hour or one hour every day to sit meditation in this busy life, one will experience the peacefulness and calmness after meditation. The experience cannot be bought by money. Many people are unable to concentrate and have very low working efficiency. They can practice concentrating if they sit meditation. After sitting meditation for a period of time, the constitution of their body and even their disposition and temperament will change. To have the constitution of the body changed is to make the sick or degenerated organs become healthy again and able to perform their original function. It is because in meditation the qi in one’s body circulates in a regular way, which contributes to one’s health after a period of time. To have one’s disposition and temperament changed is not to have one’s appearance changed. Instead, it is a change in the mind. Practicing meditation increases one’s wisdom. Our view of life, world view and cosmic view must be associated. Any view taken singularly will produce prejudice. For instance, there is an ant under the table. I put a watch on the table, but the ant would say there is no watch. It is because the ant, blocked by the space, is unable to see the reality and thus does not believe there is a watch on the table.

It is the same case with human beings. Human beings are prone to the mistake of “persistence.” One’s knowledge is limited. To judge things with one’s limited knowledge is certainly to produce prejudice. If there is prejudice, there will be unpleasant friction and conflicts in one’s relationships with other people. The practitioners of Zen meditation will take notice of this and avoid these mistakes.

Next, I would like to talk about the characteristics of Zen. The characteristics of Zen include “the power of super-life” and “the power of super-wisdom.” Why does Zen have these powers? It is because Zen transcends time and space. In the state of Zen, there is no differentiation among the past, the present and the future, and between Taipei and the United States. In our dreams, there is no limitation of time and space. Likewise, when we are in deep meditation, the energy of life and the power of wisdom transcend the present; therefore, an inconceivable power will be produced. After the meditation, you may find that your disease suddenly lessens. Or, you may gain a sudden illumination that frees you from an originally unsolvable problem.

Of course there are a variety of temporal and spatial changes in deep meditation, which cannot be understood by the uninitiated. Only after you practice meditation, can you prove it. This is so called “self-practice and self-proof.” But to practice Zen meditation, one needs a good teacher in order to gain the real power of super-life and the power of super-wisdom. If you follow a teacher who does not know the practice thoroughly, or self-educate yourself by reading books about meditation, you can only learn the superficial level without knowing the reality of Zen. You won’t be able to break the physical and psychological obstructions. Even worse, you might end up holding a prejudice against Zen, which hinders you yourself and other people from witnessing the reality of Zen.

Moreover, I would like to talk about the essence of Zen. The essence of Zen is “the true, the good and the beautiful.” If everybody practices Zen meditation and achieves the state of “the true, the good and the beautiful,“ the world will become a perfect world. Because it is the energy of life of nature, Zen has the instinct of great freedom. All creatures in the world have natural lives. There should be a space in which the lives can exist freely. The lives shouldn’t be harmed or damaged. Human beings have begun to pay attention to the ecology of nature and environmental protection. This is the wisdom of Zen. With Zen, the world will become a paradise.

To sum up, Zen is full of inconceivable power. If you facilitate the establishment of Zen meditation centers in the party headquarters in every village or town, you will be able to improve the human relationship in these places. In deep meditation, one gains wisdom; therefore, if the meditation centers can be established, there will be a tremendous power. For Zen enables the human heart to reveal harmony and its inclination toward the good, which promotes cooperation among people. Besides, meditation brings health and happiness, which are both concrete benefits and powers to make possible organization and movement.

Finally, I wish you good health in body and soul and happiness in work. I hope to see you in the future when the opportunity comes. Thank you very much.