Quote from The Essence of Zen
The Essence of Zen: The Teachings of Sekkei Harada
by Sekkei Harada; Translated & Edited by Daigaku Rumme
Publisher: Wisdom Publications, Boston, Massachusetts, 2008. 164 pages
"This book is a translation of Sekkei Harada's book Zazen (Zen Meditation), which was published in 1933 and is now in its fifth printing. It consists of a collection of relatively easy-to-understand talks on Zen that were given to Westerners to explain the timeless concepts of Buddhism and the principles of Zen." (p. ix)
"I would like you to know that all existence is empty. Please also remember that in fact you must not perceive this emptiness. There are many different ways to express what we refer to as the Dharma. All expressions such as 'suchness', 'emptiness', 'the Way' and 'Zen' point to one thing, the same reality. . . Just as 'mu' (nothingness) is beyond existence and non-existence, we must be careful not to think that 'ku' (emptiness) is a description of a condition where something that should exist does not. Neither is it the description of a state that, in dualistic terms, is empty in the sense of being vacant or hollow. It is the emptiness of emptiness, it is the emptiness of the circumstances of any situation, and it is the emptiness of yourself. . . It has no substance, no self-nature, and therefore it is free to change according to circumstances and the situations it encounters. The constantly changing activity of 'this thing' is what is referred to as 'karma'". (pp. 96-97)
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