Seeing With New Eyes
A Zen master said, "Before I studied Zen, mountains were mountains and waters were waters. When I had studied Zen for a time, mountains were no longer mountains and waters were no longer waters. But when I had gained enlightenment, mountains were once again mountains and waters were once again waters."
This journey describes the heart of Zen practice. It points to a deep yet simple way of seeing the world.
Suchness, or Tathatā in Sanskrit, is at the core of this practice. It means seeing reality exactly as it is, without our judgments or labels getting in the way. This is the pure "is-ness" of things before our mind tells us what they are or whether we like them.
We'll explore how to move from just understanding Zen ideas to actually experiencing suchness in Zen Buddhism. The path leads to seeing the world with fresh eyes.
Emptiness to Suchness
To really understand Suchness, we need to know how it relates to Emptiness. These concepts are like two sides of the same coin.
Refresher on Emptiness
Emptiness doesn't mean there's nothing there. In Buddhism, it means that nothing exists by itself.
A tree isn't just a tree. It's also sun, rain, soil, and air. Everything is connected and always changing. When we understand this, we stop clinging to fixed ideas.
The Other Side
When we truly see that nothing has a fixed, separate self, we can finally see things as they really are. This is Suchness.
Emptiness clears away our foggy thinking. Suchness is what we see through the clean window - the vivid world just as it is. Emptiness breaks down our false ideas, while Suchness helps us appreciate what's real.
Comparing Perspectives
Here's how these two ideas compare:
| Feature | Emptiness (Śūnyatā) | Suchness (Tathatā) |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Deconstruction; Seeing the lack of inherent existence. | Appreciation; Seeing things as they are in their uniqueness. |
| Nature | The ultimate nature of reality (interconnected, impermanent). | The phenomenal expression of that reality. |
| Experience | A release from attachment and illusion. | A direct, intimate, and wondrous engagement with life. |
| Metaphor | The space within a cup that makes it useful. | The unique shape, color, and texture of the cup itself. |
The Anatomy of Suchness
Suchness isn't just an idea. It's a real shift in how we see things. It's about seeing and feeling, not thinking too much.
Radical Non-Judgment
This goes beyond just "not judging people." In Zen, it means stopping our habit of labeling everything.
We always sort things: good/bad, pretty/ugly, right/wrong. This mental noise blocks us from seeing what's real.
Think about a weed in a garden. Most people call it a "problem." In a state of Suchness, we just see a green plant with its own shape growing in the soil. The judgment falls away.
The End of Duality
Usually, we feel separate from what we observe. There's "me" looking at "that."
Suchness breaks down this wall. The sense of being separate disappears.
You're no longer just a person listening to rain. You become the whole experience - the sound, smell, and feeling of moisture in the air. There's no division.
This is key in Zen. As the Third Patriarch wrote, "The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences." When we drop our likes and dislikes, the gap between self and other starts to fade.
Direct, Unmediated Experience
This is the heart of suchness zen buddhism. The experience comes before thinking. It's the raw input from our senses before our mind processes it.
Imagine touching a hot cup. For a split second, you just feel heat. Only after that do thoughts come: "This is hot," "I might get burned."
Suchness is staying in that first moment of pure contact with reality. It's the thing itself, not our thoughts about it.
From Theory to Teacup
This philosophy should be part of daily life. Suchness isn't found in special states but in ordinary activities.
The Practice of "Just This"
A simple way to develop Suchness is through the practice of "Just This." Whatever you're doing, give it your full attention.
When washing dishes, feel the warm water on your hands. Notice the weight of the plate and the sound of the sponge. Remind yourself: "Just this." Not yesterday's dinner or tomorrow's plans. Just this water, this plate, this moment.
Let's try this with drinking tea.
Pick up the cup. Feel its weight and warmth in your hands. Don't think, "This is a nice cup." Just feel it.
See the steam rising. Don't analyze it. Just watch.
Bring the cup to your lips and smell it. Notice the unique scent without labeling it "green tea." Just experience it.
Take a sip. Notice the taste, temperature, and how it feels. Follow the sensation as you swallow.
In this practice, your whole attention is on the simple act of drinking tea. This is suchness in action.
A Five-Minute Practice
Try this short exercise:
- Find an Object: Choose something simple like a stone, pen, or leaf.
- Observe without Labels: For one minute, just look at it. Notice its shape, color, and how light plays on it. When thoughts come, gently let them go.
- Engage Another Sense: Close your eyes and touch the object. Is it smooth or rough? Heavy or light? Warm or cool? Stay with the raw feeling.
- Notice the Mind: Your thoughts will wander: "This is boring," "What's the point?" Don't fight these thoughts. Just notice them like passing clouds and return to the object.
- Release and Rest: After a few minutes, put the object down. Sit quietly and notice the calm that follows.
The Aesthetics of Suchness
Suchness has deeply influenced Japanese and Zen-inspired art. These art forms help us understand this deep concept.
Wabi-Sabi Beauty
Wabi-sabi is finding beauty in things that are imperfect or incomplete. It connects directly to Suchness.
A handmade teacup with a crack isn't seen as "broken." The crack becomes part of its unique story. Wabi-sabi celebrates things as they are, not as we think they should be.
Haiku Snapshots
Traditional haiku poems express moments of Suchness. They don't explain or judge. They simply present direct experience.
Consider this classic by Basho:
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.
The poem offers no commentary. It simply places us in the scene with sound, movement, and stillness. This is suchness in Zen Buddhism captured in words.
Zen Gardens
Zen rock gardens (karesansui) also express this principle. They aren't models of larger landscapes.
They are landscapes themselves. The rocks are just rocks. The raked sand is just sand.
They invite direct contemplation of form and space. Their purpose is to quiet the thinking mind and allow for direct experience of what's before you.
The Fullness of the Present
We've moved from understanding Emptiness to experiencing Suchness. We've seen that Suchness is the positive expression of Emptiness, felt through non-judgment and direct perception.
This isn't some distant goal or special state only for masters. Suchness is available in every moment, with every breath.
It's in the taste of water, the feel of wind, the sound of a siren, and the texture of your chair. It's the world waiting to be met, just as it is.
Zen practice isn't about escaping the world. It's about truly arriving in it. That arrival is Suchness.
