The Three Essentials of Zen Practice

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For the practice of Zen, three things are essential: great faith, great doubt, and great determination. Great faith is the unwavering conviction that all beings are endowed with Buddha-nature and that through zazen one can realize this truth directly. Great doubt is the burning questioning that drives you forward—not intellectual doubt, but the doubt that grips your entire being like a red-hot iron ball stuck in your throat. Great determination is the fierce resolve never to give up, no matter what obstacles arise. Without any one of these three, your practice will be incomplete.

license: fair_use

Attribution

• Attributed To
  Yasutani Hakuun

Lineage: Sanbo-Zen

By Yasutani Hakuun

• No Shortcutsproverb
• Throw Yourself Into Itproverb
• Introductory Lectures on Zazen Practicesermon
• On Kensho and the Importance of Initial Awakeningsaying

From The Three Pillars of Zen

• Introductory Lectures on Zazen Practice
• On Kensho and the Importance of Initial Awakening

Sources

• contentWikisource — English-language free library

  Three Pillars of Zen, Introductory Lectures

  The Three Pillars of Zen: The Three Essentials of Zen Practice