"Don't Make Anything." What Does This Mean?
Question: Zen Master Seung Sahn said; "Don't make anything." What does this mean?
Jason: There is a saying in Zen “don’t paint legs on the snake.” That means there is the truth and then what we add on to the truth. Take a dog barking, for example. The dog barking is the truth. But usually we “make” something. “I don’t like that dog barking. It is so loud and is ruining my meditation.” If we look at our life and the world, we can see where this “making” hurts many people. “Don’t make anything” means let go of our judgments, likes, dislikes, etc. Just perceive the truth as it is. If we can do that, then we can respond to this world in a clear and helpful way.
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