Questions to Master Deshimaru

Question

What are good deeds?

Answer

The practice of zazen is the only absolute deed or act. Even if you have the desire to perform ten thousand good deeds, they are not so easy to perform in reality: to be kind to some person, for example. Millions of good deeds are possible, but if you have not freed yourself from a desire to obtain something it will be very difficult for you to perform them. If you practice zazen you can be kind, can love without a goal, unconsciously, naturally, automatically. It is not necessary to make a choice using your own personal will. You can do anything, but you must not choose! A lot of people nowadays want to perform good actions. The brain understands: "One should act like this or like that and it sets up limitations. It is will, your personal will, that tries to dictate, and as a result everything becomes complicated. If you follow the cosmic order you can create true good karma, by returning to the source of zazen. That is faith. That is the action of true religion. If you think about it with your personal consciousness, if you must do one thing or another in order to follow the dictates of ethics or morality, then life becomes difficult. You limit your existence and cannot find true freedom. But if you practice zazen your actions become free, unconsciously, naturally, automatically.