Zen and existentialism

Zen Buddhism shares much in common with existentialism. In both, the seeker of truth seeks not to accumulate knowledge or belief, but to systematically inquire into all existing knowledge and belief and to then dismantle it. The seeker clears away progressive layers of mental activity until what lies underneath is revealed. Free of the tyranny of cognitive filters, the one who engages in this psychological demolition project is then able to see things as they are, undistorted by the veils of fear and desire.

This ambitious project requires intense discipline, courage, and determination. The human mind naturally seeks the consolation of familiar guideposts for the interpretation of reality. All religious and philosophic systems address this fundamental yearning to articulate the conditions of life in a way that affirms some underlying order and purpose to existence. There may very well be such a purpose or order, but the intense desire for it to be so obscures our ability to determine whether or not this is truly so.

Relinquishing this fundamental yearning for the sake of truth is met with fierce resistance by the ego, the structuring force in consciousness, and can be quite a desolate and emotionally painful process. In Zen, this is accomplished through the practice of zazen, or sitting meditation. Many Zen masters and teachers have said that the process feels like dying, if it is not actually a way to experience the psychological process of dying before physically dying. Like many Zen practitioners, I have undergone this experience, feeling my mind revolt and thrash until finally letting go of "words and concepts." The loss of belief is painful and can be psychologically brutalizing. But this process offers no small reward, bringing the adept an unparalleled inner freedom. When all of the idols are silenced, one is freed from mental slavery, and life can truly begin.