The book begins by establishing the true spirit of Buddhism, arguing that the ultimate core of the faith lies not in mechanical doctrinal dogmas or historical formulas, but in the personal spiritual experience of supreme enlightenment attained by the Buddha under the Bodhi tree. The author explains that while the intellect provides a surface-level analysis, it ultimately creates a disquieting dualism between the finite and the infinite, the knower and the known, leading to the mental turmoil and suffering that characterize ordinary human existence.
To resolve this fundamental problem, Zen appeals directly to facts of personal experience rather than abstract book knowledge, advocating for the opening of a higher faculty of intuition known as prajna. The text contrasts the static, negative interpretations of meditation with a dynamic realization where enlightenment and everyday life merge into an indivisible unity. Through the legendary dialogues and direct methods of Chinese masters like Rinzai and Ummon, the work demonstrates how the illusion of an ego-shell is shattered, freeing the mind from intellectual accumulations and emotional attachments.
A significant portion of the text is dedicated to examining the Lankavatara Sutra as the primary scriptural foundation for Zen, emphasizing that ultimate truth transcends words, letters, and conceptual reasoning. The author details the historical evolution of Zen from India through the twenty-eight patriarchs to its eventual transplantation into China, where the practical, down-to-earth mentality of the Chinese people transformed the Indian doctrines into a native creation.
Finally, the work explores the profound psychological shift involved in overcoming ignorance and returning to one's original spiritual home. Rather than advocating for nihilism or the complete negation of the will, Zen insists on an illumined will that acts spontaneously out of compassion and freedom. The volume concludes by showing how this direct realization of self-nature ultimately revitalized not only Chinese Buddhism but also influenced the broader currents of philosophical thought throughout the Far East.
