Harmonious Notes

Harmonious notes always result from the sympathetic resonance of two or more chords. And what Zen does for us is to prepare our minds to be yielding and appreciative recipients of old masters. In other words, psychologically Zen releases whatever energies we may have in store, of which we are not conscious in ordinary circumstances.

D.T.Suzuki in his introduction to Essays in Zen Buddhism brings the silent notes of the unconscious to the main stage of reality and those internal sounds vibrate in truth. Suzuki calls the consciousness that exerts the energy that makes us aware of our unawareness Zen, but that term is just that. It’s a description of the indescribable, which has many names and terms that try to paint a visual picture of the part of us that chooses to be invisible.

Our invisible structure is rooted in this unconscious energy, and it is more conscious that we realize. We are hypnotized by our own beliefs, which is a one-level thought process. Anything that surfaces outside of that process seems impractical as well as unrealistic. We are so disconnected from our own root system that we convince ourselves that the events that happen to us are beyond our control. We are out of touch with our inner world so we never catch the seconds where these decisions are made.

Suzuki explains than fact using elements of Buddhism that relate to this unknown reality. The energy of consciousness or Zen is always waiting to become physical if only for a second once we allow this non-physical energy to manifest. When we allow that process to occur we move to new areas of the self that recognize the platform of probabilities that develop as other dimensions of selfhood are explored.

The psyche yearns for an ideal civilization and we compose one from past as well as future memories. We then live our experiences to create one, but in that process we forget the Zenness within us. Our Zenness harmoniously resonates with the notes in the stream of complete consciousness.