Great Doubt

April 11, 2016
Two short texts on the Zen concept of “great doubt” by Boshan (1575–1630), a Chinese Buddhist master also known as Wuyi Yuanli and Dayi, have been translated by Shore, professor of Zen in the modern world at Kyoto’s Hanazono University (a private institution affiliated with the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen). Making use of the rhetorical device of parallelism, the short sections in “Exhortations for Those Who Don’t Rouse Doubt” and “Exhortations for Those Who Rouse Doubt” address ways the agile human mind can evade or disrupt the experience of great doubt, which Shore calls a “foundation of Zen practice.” In this clear, lively translation, Boshan addresses the reader directly with vivid metaphors and stern (sometimes humorous) admonishments. He pulls no punches as he describes myriad hazards and pitfalls, including intellectualization, attachment to calm meditation, speculation, emptiness, asceticism, and “putting on airs,” that allow one to decisively, in Shore’s words, “seal... off every possible escape” from certainty. Shore provides a helpful overview of great doubt and a brief commentary that puts Boshan’s advice in perspective for modern practitioners. These concise texts, not previously available in their entirety in English, offer classic wisdom to those exploring Zen paths.