Mondo : questions to a zen master

Here is one of the mondos that you will be able to find in the book.

What is freedom?

I do not know!! Freedom? we cannot know what it is, it is not belonging to the human domain. If I tell you what freedom is, it will not be freedom anymore. Nobody can say: "That is freedom!" you would be chaining yourselves to a definition of freedom. I think that the native American Indians were not seeing the world in terms of freedom, never an Indian has spoken about freedom. Freedom is a prisoner's concept, not a concept of a free man.

The true freedom is what it is naturally. The Indians consider that the earth is alive, as a living being, and each form of the earth is an expression of the body which is the earth. They consider that mankind belongs also to this body. The Indians planted grains, they grew cereals, vegetables! They raised or maintained herds of buffalos, of horses. In fact, they took advantage of everything which was there and everything was going very well. But still with a profound respect and an intimate communication with everything existing, including rocks, stones, etc.

When they saw the Whites coming, when they saw them clearing an entire land and then, where were the forms of the earth: "Sschlaaa! (movement of the edge of the hand), they ripped off, planted well straight, created fields like that! For them, it was like if they were seeing somebody stabbed in the street. So the Indians said: "You don't see? You are hurting the earth, you damage it!" They were immediately shocked: " The earth will bring you bad luck!". Because the earth gives you luck or misery. Never an Indian had the idea of freedom.They think about the interdependence, to live in harmony with everything which exists.

It is obvious, it is not even worth explaining it. In interdependence with realities: not only with trees, mountains, etc., but also with the other men. There is no freedom, that does not exist. There is an interdependence, a respect, an harmonious exchange or not, that is all! Freedom is really an aspirin tablet for the slaves.

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Questions to zen Master Kosen

Boddidharma, buddhist monk

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