Questions to Master Deshimaru

Question

What does it mean when you say that satori and illusion are the same?

Answer

What I always say is that satori becomes illusion and illusion becomes satori. During zazen, illusions arise, go by, evaporate. Westerners always make a distinction between illusion and satori. They are always creating categories: good on one side, bad on the other. It's not so simple. Good can become bad and vice versa. Unhappiness can bring happiness and happiness can bring unhappiness. What is easy does not lead to happiness. Losing one's illusions can lead to a great satori. One of the sutras says that illusions become the water of satori; the relationship is like that between ice and water. Illusion becomes satori. As it melts, a big piece of ice produces a lot of water, and all the illusions melting away produce satori. But it would be a mistake to believe that because one has a lot of illusions one is going to have a lot of satori, or any satori at all! Happiness comes after difficulties. The greater the difficulties, the greater the happiness. Young people refuse difficulty and so they are not at all happy. Zazen is difficult but it makes happiness. If you practice zazen regularly, if you have the experience of a sesshin, afterwards you will be very happy in your everyday life. You suffer during zazen, but you become profound. Your personality becomes richer. But it is not necessary to believe that one must suffer in order to become profound. Zazen is like a mirror; the mirror doesn't change, it is always pure, illusions do not tarnish it! During zazen one can become aware that one is thinking; one's illusions file past in front of the mirror. But even if we die we can exist eternally because we have no noumenon, no permanent substance. That is a koan. If you can understand that, you will become free and at peace.