Source Text

His main action as a master-teacher was to block all the moves of thought. Like a consummate chess player he would be there ahead of you, stumping you and blocking all the exits and all the escapes thought might take – via scripture, authority, convention, cleverness. He took away all the crutches and forced you to look at yourself. His main contribution was frustration. If in his presence you were not frustrated, you were not engaging in inquiry.This is the role a Zen koan can play.

The ordinary mind is trapped within itself and depends upon a limited repertoire of strategies.The more education we have had and the cleverer we are, the more material we can bring to strengthen the cages of the mind.We have been trained to rely upon the mind and we use it to wriggle out of any difficulty, any requirement to face the fact that we do not know.Trapped within our ordinary mind, we remain as we are.

AI Summary

Centered Self Without Being Self-Centered by Ravi Ravindra presents key insights from the Zen tradition. The 2 passages above capture the essential teachings.

Core Themes:

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Key Passages: Highlights above are particularly representative.

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