Excerpted from the introduction to Zen 24/7: All
Zen/All the Time, a HarperSanFrancisco publication,
by Philip Toshio Sudo. Order
your copy of the book here.
Zen Beer
One doesn't generally associate zen
with beer. After all, monks follow a strict ascetic
regiment. But zen monks are different from zen itself.
While monks may follow a tee-totaling line, zen encompasses
both the drinker and the dry.
The history of Eastern religion contains
many examples of spiritual leaders who liked to imbibe.
The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, is best remembered
for his love of bars and women:
If the bar-girl does not falter,
The beer will flow on and on.
This maiden is my refuge
And this place my haven.
As with all things in zen, the path
to the truth lies in the Middle Way between opposites.
If we drink, we have to know our limit. If we refrain,
we should not judge those who partake. The paths
to enlightenment are myriad; those who claim there
is only one way are blind to the truth themselves.
A zen story makes that point by telling
of two teachers with opposing philosophies. The first,
Unsho, never drank. The second, Tanzan, enjoyed wine.
One day Unsho visited Tanzan, who was
drinking at the time.
"Won't you have a drink?" Tanzan
asked.
"I never drink," Unsho
said.
"One who does not drink is not
even human," Tanzan said.
Incredulous,
Unsho said, "Do you
mean to call me inhuman just because I do not indulge
in wine? If I'm not human, what am I?"
"A Buddha," Tanzan
said.
Eat, drink, and be merry.
Or just eat and be merry.
Either way, cheers.
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