“Before I discuss the sutras, a few words about the title of the new series: Zen: The Mystery and the Poetry of the Beyond.

“I don’t consider Zen a philosophy or a theology – it is closer to poetry, to music, to painting, to dancing, to singing. It is not a renunciation of life, it is rejoicing in life with your whole heart. And as you become deeply involved in creative lifestyles, the beyond opens its doors. I will simply call it “the beyond” because all other words that have been used have become contaminated by the old religions, but “the beyond” is still pure – and because it is a poetry, a creative act, which in its peak transforms you and brings you to the doors of the mystery.

“This whole existence is a mystery; only for blind people there is no mystery. If you have eyes, then everything is mysterious, and there is no solution for it. The deeper you go into it, the more mysterious it becomes. And there is no bottom to the depth, it is abysmal. You can go on and on and on; the mystery becomes more mysterious, more colorful, more fragrant, but you don’t come to the end where you can find an explanation for the mystery.

“Unless a man settles with existence as a mystery, he will not be able to live his life as ecstasy.

“The sutra:

Bansho Gyoshu studied meditation first with Master Shomoku. He told Bansho, 'Studying this path is like refining gold. When it is impure, the pure gold does not show.'

“Have you ever thought about how gold is purified? Only through fire. When the gold passes through fire, all that was not gold is burned, and it comes out as pure gold, utterly refined.

“Meditation is a fire, a very cool fire. You will not be burned, but all that is false will disappear. And when you will come out of those flames, you will not be able even to recognize yourself, because now you will have your original face, not the mask that the society has given to you. Now your personality will be gone – that was the contaminating factor – and your individuality will become as sharp as a sword.”