The Teachings of Dark Zen

Buddha-Nature

Students of the Way. Many of you seem perplexed about the idea of Buddha-nature. I know that a number of you come from other Zen centers which teach the doctrine of Dogen Zenji who believes that "all beings are Buddha-nature"...


Critique of Modern Zen
Does modern Zen resemble the Zen (C. Ch'an) of old China? It would seem that it doesn't. While many modern day practitoners, who frequent American Zen centers believe, to the contrary, that it does there is no historic evidence that this is the case...

The Method of Dark Zen Meditation

Dark Zen Meditation (hereafter, DZM) is a method designed to enter into communion with the superessential light of the Buddha...

Dark Zen Meditation Part 1

Q: What is the meditation of being mindfulness of in-and-out breathing?
A: From the perspective of Dark Zen it means that fundamentally we are unrelated to in-and-out breathing....

Dark Zen Meditation Part 2

Q: How do we begin to practice Dark Zen Meditation [DZM]?
A: First, the proper mental attitude is necessary. You cannot just sit down on a cushion, cross your legs, and hold your back erect. That is not enough. It just becomes performative, you might say. One becomes a Zen actor, in other words....


Heart Sutra with Commentary
The Bodhisattva, Noble Avalokite"svara, practicing the profound Perfection of Wisdom, looked down. He beheld the Five Aggregates as being empty of absolute nature....


Q&A on Karma and Rebirth
Q: What are your views on rebirth?
A: Well, it is undeniable that the Buddha, under the Bodhi-tree during the first night-watch, came to recollect his previous births...


A Dialogue Between Master and Disciple
Bodhidharma: Today you have seen Mind which is not part of this world.
Hui-k'o: But is this all? To be sure, I see Mind's incorporeal nature. I see that it is not here nor there. I see that it is measureless. But it seems that there is much more to learn....


Mystical Zen Buddhism
The goal of Zen Buddhism is directed towards achieving mystical union with Buddha Mind because Buddha Mind is the basis of all existence. In so doing, the Zennist comes to see for himself that all things are born from this Mind; that in fact, all things are subjoined to Buddha Mind, having their true commencement and end in it...


Old Zen and Zazen
The history of Zen can be said to have begun in the Chinese port city of Canton some time around 480 A.D. with the arrival of a mysterious Indian Buddhist teacher, named Bodhidharma....


Students of the Way
I cannot teach you the true meaning of Zen if you are more concerned with day to day matters rather than understanding the truth. Please don't bother me with questions such as where to put your shoes or hang your coats...

The Transcendence Q &A

Q: What do you mean by transcendence?
A: Can you see "that" which asks this question? Can you hear it? Can the nose smell it or can the tongue taste it? Can you become conscious of it? In truth, you cannot. And because you can't, something mysterious transcends the sphere of the six senses...


The Satori Q and A
Question: What is meant by "satori" (C. Wu)? I realize that it usually means "enlightenment", but I am still having a difficult problem with its definition.
Answer: Usually the tentative definition of satori is stated to be the direct experience of realizing the nature of Mind, this being the same as our Buddha-nature...


The Bodhicitta Q and A
Q: What is meant by Bodhicitta?
A: From the standpoint of Buddhist mysticism, it is a special kind of illumination in which the adept is awakened to Mind's great power...


The Koan Q&A
Q: What is the basic purpose of koans?
A: Mainly to put a stop to representational thinking...


The Zenmar Interview
In the electronic sangha of America Online the voice of Zenmar is distinctive and his knowledge is honored. It is unusual for him to visit a Buddhist chatroom, but when he does attention turns to him as an arbiter of theory and practice...


A Transmission Outside Religion
Q: What does this statement mean? "A special transmission outside the scriptures..."
A: Right off the bat, let me say that "scriptures" is the wrong word. It should read "outside religion"...


Hui-K'o and Student
Student: Is it good to study the Sutras? As a master of the Lankavatara School, would you tell me if it is beneficial?
Hui-k'o: Not if one is addicted to a literary understanding of Sutras. Unfortunately, today, many students have failed to come to a real understanding of their predecessor's words. They cling to the letter and forget the insight. In my own transmission from Master Bodhidharma, the Lankavatara Sutra is meant as an aid for transcending words and the mental pictures they create. In that way, Sutras are not an obstruction...