October 28 1965
Thursday, October 28th, 1965
October 28, 1965
Rev. S. Suzuki
Thursday morning lectures
In the past, in Hinayana practice in the first stage we still have consistent thinking faculties. We do not stop our pure thinking. This is interesting, very interesting point.
Usually we stop thinking when we sit but in the first state we can retain our thinking in sitting. For instance when you contemplate on koan in Rinzai school they still think that thinking should be pure thinking. Pure thinking is the characteristic of human being. Pure thinking – no emotional faculty. There is no emotional or sensed function. When we see clear we know even though it is like this (draws a rectangle) it is clear for us and we know the four angles will make 360 degrees. That kind of thinking is pure thinking. But usually we concern if the square is right square or not. If we think in this way, some discrimination involved in it, that is not pure thinking, which is limited in our pure human being thinking.