Question
This morning I watched a bird glide. Perfectly motionless, yet its trajectory was powerful. But how could it move like that, motionless, without a goal? How can we do zazen truly disinterestedly, without a goal, not only as beginners but even afterward?
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
No! Zazen is naturally without a goal. It is in the very nature of correctly transmitted zazen to be without a goal; no particular effort is required for that. You are mistaken! Today, Zen teachers are mistaken and give disciples false guidance. They no longer understand anything about the “mushotoku” taught by Master Deshimaru. So I will clearly explain the principle of “mushotoku” (without object, without goal, without a spirit of gain) taught by Master Deshimaru, which you apparently have not learned.
Everything in the universe tends toward something. That is why the universe is expanding: it is the universal movement of life. This means we must have a goal in life, otherwise we are a vegetable—and even vegetables have a goal: to grow. When we no longer have any goal in life, life ends. Life therefore consists of concentrating to realize what we have to realize, create what we have to create, obtain what we have to obtain, and also define increasingly developed goals.
Even before birth, each of us has a motivation for living that is our own and specific to us: something we fundamentally need to realize and experience, which will motivate our behavior, directions, and even every action and choice in our lives.
So what is mushotoku in everyday life?
Sensei said: do not hide your tail. Do not hide your karma. This means we should not keep our motivation hidden, but bring it to light. First for ourselves, to be clear about what we really are, and also for others, so we are neither liars nor hypocrites. So what Sensei criticized was not having a goal, but having a hidden goal. That is what is unhealthy.
Thus, in the ancient teaching of India, masters taught their disciples to analyze every act and even every word, defining its deep motivation before acting and deciding whether the action was wise. Once the goal and motivation are clearly defined, we can act one hundred percent and succeed.
As for mushotoku within zazen itself, we must understand that, unlike everything else in the universe, zazen is not expanding, since it turns its light inward. It is, in a sense, a black hole. Sensei said: zazen is entering your coffin. It is therefore by its very nature, even if it wanted to be otherwise, “mushotoku.”
I would just like to add in closing that new scientific paradigms conceive of the universe as simultaneously expanding and contracting.
Kosen