Zen Self Inquiry

Somewhere in our past an individual became unsatisfied with his/her self.  They knew they were incomplete, somehow missing the whole picture, and sought something different.  Perhaps they stared at the night sky and fell into it, tearing down their ordinary conscious and awakening to a new one no longer at odds with their self.  Perhaps it was a bird or a babbling brook that opened their eyes to the world as it is unfettered by their individual consciousness.  Something happened and they tried to explain it to others but could not express it in a way that normal consciousness can see it.  This is Zen before there was Zen.  “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.” LaoTze  Before the naming of things, before a thought arises is original reality. They did not have sutras, teishos  or other practices of today, they were just driven to find a solution on their own.  Along the way others arose awakening to the true self and then came the historical Buddha who verbalized it for us.  Before this time they did not have to sit zazen, practice meditation or do anything other than to strive deeply and wholly into the inquiry.  I’ve heard modern day masters teach that if you cannot do the deep breathing exercises or do the full lotus you cannot awaken.  So if you have COPD or you’ve lost a leg you’re out of luck.  I kid you not, I’ve heard this.  It flies in the face of  ‘awakening mind and body fallen off’.   Once you realize the problem of your own mind then you can start the way towards resolution.  You do not need Zen practice to attain your goal, however, if you really grasp the problem then the tools ritualized Zen offers can be of great assistance and not empty practices.