In these circumstances, not knowing is insufficient. Bitter words of fear and hatred incite division and violence. Invisible organisms bring illness and death. Our world is uncertain and always has been. The other side of uncertainty is fear and anxiety, which is not entirely irrational. This may not always be a comfortable intimacy, but it is what another Zen teacher of mine calls “life on the line.” As Yao Tian of A Song Everlasting comes to learn, this is direct experience of the “self,” of its impermanence and its surprising capacities. When we are uncertain about things, we are intimate with our self. If uncertainty is the price of freedom, intimacy (or nearness, as it is sometimes translated) is the fruit of freedom. It is Korean Master Seung Sahn’s “Only Don’t Know.” It is Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s Beginner’s Mind: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” It is the First of Bernie Glassman’s Three Tenets: Not Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Appropriate Response. It is Bodhidharma’s response, “no knowing,” when Emperor Wu asks who is standing before him. Not Knowing echoes though the ages of Zen. This dialogue takes place in Tang dynasty China, but remains relevant:ĭizang asked Fayan, “Where are you going?”ĭizang said, “What is the purpose of pilgrimage?”ĭizang said, “Not knowing is most intimate.” There is a famous Zen koan, “Dizang’s Not knowing” (Case 20 in the Book of Serenity), that can be our guide to the freedom of uncertainty. We may not always see it, but uncertainty allows for the possibility of creativity and change. If we are not prepared for the universality of uncertainty, we are bound to suffer. On 6 January, we saw violent mobs literally breaking down the doors of the US Congress, threatening our longstanding institutions of governance. On our sangha Listserv, emotions have lately flared concerning safety from COVID-19, vaccinations, and how/when to open the zendo to in-person practice. But recently we have seen wildfires in California and floods in Louisiana from Hurricane Ida, destroying all the homes in their way. This extends from basic concerns, such as knowing that my home will be there tomorrow or wanting to ensure safety from infection by COVID-19 or imagining that our nation’s political system is imperishable. Usually we want to “know” things, to arrive at certainties, things we can count on. Our attitudes have deep roots in the conscious mind, the unconscious mind, and karma. Do we see impermanence and non-self as prison or liberation? Can we find freedom by actually embracing uncertainty? I should say that attitude is no insignificant thing. The Third Seal- dukkha or nirvana-depends on our attitude toward the first two. Looking at these two views of the Dharma Seals, what seems clear is that impermanence and non-self are fundamental principles. This stands the equation of uncertainty and suffering on its head uncertainty is freedom. From that perspective, we might conclude that uncertainty amounts to suffering.īut according to Thich Nhat Hanh and a number of Mahayana sutras, the Three Dharma Seals consist of impermanence (Skt: anitya), non-self ( anatman), and nirvana-the cessation of suffering. Early Buddhism articulates the Three Dharma Seals or Three Marks of Existence: impermanence (Pali: anicca), non-self ( anatta), and suffering ( dukkha). Of course, we don’t have to read novels or travel far on the Buddha’s way to reach this understanding.
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