Question
In what spirit should we read the masters’ writings? You once said that when you read a teaching you want to understand deeply, you read one or two pages with “full concentration.” I do not know whether to concentrate on the words and try to understand them, or simply read with great concentration and let the brain register it.
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
What happens with books on Zen or Buddhism is that we treat them as ordinary books, and reading becomes a kind of possession: ‘I’ve read that one; on to the next.’ In addition, some texts need commentary by masters. Master Deshimaru did extensive work commenting on Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo, and Master Dogen commented on the Lotus Sutra, because these are books that need it. So when you open a book on Zen, you need to concentrate on
understanding the concrete meaning of practice rather than treating it as an intellectual exercise.
Masters have always tried to transmit words of naked Truth. Sometimes we grasp it; sometimes we miss it. When we grasp it, sometimes we miss it, and when we miss it, sometimes we grasp it. There is no recipe, only being a good vessel for the teaching.
Kosen