Question
Hello, Master Kosen,
Psychoanalysis sheds light on what Zen is for me. Am I on the wrong track?
Eric
Answer from Master Kosen
Since Zen is the study of oneself by oneself, the relationship between objective and subjective,
it is entirely logical for psychoanalysis to shed light on it.
But let us not make the mistake of falling into dogmatism, whether Zen or psychoanalytic. Dogmatism would mean forgetting an indispensable third presence in this relationship. It is represented by the therapist or Zen master, who—whatever their worth—are nevertheless only a temporary crutch helping us rediscover, in our relationship with ourselves, the trinity that creates the evolving balance of a human being.
The third element of this trinity I mentioned, please note, is not the synthesis of the other two.
It is simply love and openness to universality.
Kosen