Hidden Gem
Kosho Uchiyama’s Opening the Hand of Thought (Massachusetts, 2004) is one of the books that have influenced me greatly during my study of Zen. In rereading this book, I still find many valuable insights.
In a preface to the book, Uchiyama says, “What I want for you, the reader, is that you understand with your own intellect that Zen concerns the true depth of life that is beyond the reach of that intellect.” (p. xxx)
To me, the expression, “the true depth of life,” indicates what zazen practitioners experience when they put thinking aside and return to their breathing. This experience, being beyond thought, slumbers inexpressibly under the surface of consciousness. It cannot be described to anyone else any more than to oneself. It doesn’t need a name. It is a secret, invaluable, personal gem provided to those who sit zazen.