On the Essence of Zen

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Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom. We can say that Zen liberates all the energies properly and naturally stored in each of us, which are in ordinary circumstances cramped and distorted so that they find no adequate channel for activity. It is the object of Zen, therefore, to save us from going crazy or being crippled. This is what I mean by freedom, giving free play to all the creative and benevolent impulses inherently lying in our hearts.

license: fair_use

Attribution

• Attributed To
  D.T. Suzuki

Lineage: Rinzai

By D.T. Suzuki

• Before and After Zenproverb
• God of Zenproverb
• Unless It Grows Out of Yourselfproverb
• Satori as the Raison d'Être of Zensaying

From Essays in Zen Buddhism

• Before and After Zen
• Unless It Grows Out of Yourself
• Satori as the Raison d'Être of Zen

Sources

• contentWikisource — English-language free library

  Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series

  Essays in Zen Buddhism: On the Essence of Zen