Question
Master Kosen,
The desire to find my mind arose after an encounter with death. Master, although this may sound like shopping for a product in a supermarket, which vehicle allows us to find the true mind? Buddhism in all its forms is extremely precious to me, but I would like to follow a single path, and that is where I hesitate. I have read that from the Mahayana perspective, Hinayana allows liberation without attaining Buddhahood. And in Vajrayana, it has been said that without tantra it is impossible to attain complete enlightenment... It has also been said that the sutra path is very long. I would like your view on this. Does Zen have skillful means like tantric Buddhism? I feel my question sounds like a child comparing toys, but knowing is important to me so I can act with determination.
Greetings.
David
Answer from Master Kosen
No mind is truer than another. There is no special enlightenment to find. There is only complementarity and balance. When I have slept well, I get up; when I am hungry, I eat; when I have been active, I rest; when I have talked enough, I fall silent; when I have been silent too long, I sing; when I have sweated a lot, I drink. Anything unnatural is not the true Way and leads to spiritual illness.
Kosen