"We owe this phrase to Philip
Kapleau, who wrote that the Zen Master Bassui had a natural koan,
"Who is the master?" This koan arose from the depths of
Bassui's longing for an answer to life's mystery. Bassui could
not forget his natural koan, as it was a part of him, and the
quest for an answer propelled him to a total realization of his
true nature. Unfortunately, Kapleau and many others never
acknowledged the importance of every seeker discovering their
natural koan.
Within each of us is a question
that begs an answer. "Why am I miserable?" "What
is love?" "How can I find peace?" "Is there
life after death?" "What is the purpose of life?"
"Am I awake or dreaming?" "Who am I?"
"What am I?" "What do I really want?"
"Why am I here?" "What is thought?"
"Where does thought come from?" "What is
Real?" "What lasts?" These are just a few natural
koans.
Everyone has a natural koan and it
is in this sense that all people have a spiritual path. All
people have some question that "bugs" them. Some people
attempt to answer it, some give up hope, but most procrastinate.
Sit alone one day and write out the
questions that concern you. Look for the one that feels most
important and imagine how you might feel if you answered it. You
can answer it -- this I know. Begin to search. Read everything
you can find on the matter, talk to others, practice methods and
develop your own. Allow your self (your life) to follow your
heart and not the currents of the world around you.
This is how the search becomes
yours, and how you learn to really pray. Prayer for an answer
rather than a predetermined result. Be open to the truth rather
than accepting only what your mind/ego/personality wishes and
creates. Beware someone
advising you that your question is not a "real" koan.
They may say, "What you really should be asking is...."
Listen to what they say, but if it doesn't strike you, then
forget it. Stick to the question that has meaning for you. There
is a door between you and Truth. You have the question to ask the
doorkeeper.
Likewise, don't fall into the trap
of pursuing a question because, "I think I should be asking
it." Some people are so filled with shoulds they ignore the
fire in their heart. You must follow your deep fascination.
People have reluctantly told me that, "Asking 'who is the
thinker' doesn't really interest me." Good. Drop it.
Discarding what doesn't interest you is a way to find what does.
Your natural koan may be discarded,
as well. For example, my first koan was "Why am I so
miserable?" I first tried physical answers to the question:
maybe I need more money, a new place to live, or more fun. As I
explored and rejected physical solutions, I moved toward
psychological answers: trying to change my reaction patterns, my
mental habits, and ways I view the world. Finally, as I was
forced to dig deeper into who I was, I looked for solutions
involving the very nature of the world, matter, and my self.
Thus, "Why am I so miserable?" evolved into "What
is the source of the thoughts that lead to misery?" and
"Is there anything about me that is permanent?" then,
finally, "What is the Truth?"
It was not that I solved each koan,
but that each was gradually discarded in light of revelations as
to where the ultimate answer lay. I believe that any question, pursued with
the idea of arriving at complete certainty regarding the answer,
will lead to a spiritual realization. The problem is in
unearthing the determination to follow the question to its end.
Your natural koan will lead you ever deeper inside."
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