Rinzai Zen
A separate transmission outside the scriptures;
Not dependent on words and letters;
Directly pointing to the human mind,
Seeing one's nature, becoming a buddha.
— Four lines describing the approach and method of Zen,
attributed to Bodhidharma
The essential point of Zen is to be enlightened through a direct seeing of one's true, boundless nature. Open and undefiled, free of fabrication, grasping or fear, beyond effort and dualistic concept - this awakening is the recognition of your own "original face."
Rinzai Zen is an extremely direct path of spiritual inquiry, quickly dissolving delusion. Its power to transform can seem almost shockingly strong. But those who practice it may attain profound wisdom within this very life. The authentic expression of such wisdom is compassion.
Rinzai practices include sanzen (dynamic encounter with the teacher), foundational and advanced methods of zazen (seated meditation), koan meditation, extensive practices training the breath and subtle energetics of the body, yogic methods to reveal and revisit the mind’s natural clarity, the study of mantric vibration through chanting, and ritual methods for many purposes.
Aside from these practices, however, any activity can be encompassed within Zen training. At Korinji we carry the lineage of the great 20th century master Omori Sogen Roshi, who articulated the training path of Zen-Ken-Sho: the unity of Zen, martial arts (or other physical culture), and fine arts. As he wrote:
At our Dojo we have calligraphy and swordsmanship practice in addition to zazen. I call this "using different vehicles for Zen training." Zen - the realization of one's essence, the discovery of a True Man without Rank - can be found in all aspects of life. There are many vehicles for Zen training; some are formal disciplines, for example, the tea ceremony and flower arranging, but any daily act - cooking, raising children, working with tools or a pen, walking, standing, sitting, lying - can be an instrument of spiritual forging. In my case, I selected the things I know best: Zen, swordsmanship, and calligraphy for my Dojo. Kendo is practicing Zen with a sword; calligraphy is writing Zen with a brush. If we practice earnestly, a true person without rank will someday grip the sword, and the self of no-self will flow from the brush.
Ours, then, is the path of encompassing all the activities of life within a seamless meditative absorption, expressing the wisdom of awakening in myriad ways. Through dedicated practice of this kind, one swiftly gains unshakeable confidence that one's own natural mind is precisely what we call “buddha.” Training with devotion, revealing this wisdom in the play of daily activities, freedom and liberation naturally unfold.
