Zen and intuition

“In Zen, intuition is known as ‘Prajna’.

A Zen master sprinkled some dirt into a glass of water. The student watched as the water turned muddy.
‘What do you do when you can’t see the way?’ asked the master.
The student stared at the glass. He knew there was a connection between the muddy water and the master’s question, but he couldn’t work it out. He racked his brains until finally the dirt settled to the bottom of the glass, leaving the water clear again.
‘You wait,’ answered the student at last.
   The East provides a very different approach to wisdom than the dry logic of Western philosophy. The difference in approach baffles many. There are however others who have realised there is a method in the apparent madness of the Eastern tradition, and so they turn to Yoga or Zen for insight.
   The intuition of the East is not to be understood in Western terms (as the mere absence of logic) but as a more active and developed form of thinking. Intuition is for the most part ignored in the West, both as a means to understand the world and as a means to govern our inner life. A good intuitive faculty is essential for right living – for making sound judgments, for a balanced attitude, for sensitivity towards others, and for making some of the more important decisions in life. Good intuition leads to good judgement, while its neglect leads to a lack of perspective followed by over-reaction and anxiety, particularly in the face of pressure or uncertainty.
   If intuition is neglected in Western culture, it is highly valued in the East: it forms the basis of much of Zen and Yoga practice. Because of this we can learn much from a culture that is free of the dogma and methodology of logical analysis.

The east
The differences between the two approaches have been the basis of much discussion in the West. The early champions of Vedanta and Buddhism (Aldous Huxley, Christopher Isherwood, W B Yeats and Alan Watts) all felt it necessary to explain the apparent lack of logic in Eastern thinking. Indeed, those who tried to fit the Eastern perspective into a logical framework found themselves tied up in knots. Michael Ridley, in his book ‘Buddhism’ writes of Zen:
‘Zen is illogical but it is also logically illogical.’
The problem for the Western mind is that we have such a high regard for logic that we view everything within that framework. The Eastern approach however is through direct experience, enhanced by stilling the logical mind. It is only when the logical mind is pacified that the intuitive mind can speak. The term ‘Jnana Yoga’ is usually translated as ‘the Yoga of Knowledge’, but the knowledge it refers to is very different from the theoretical knowledge provided by logic...”

The article discusses the role and importance of intuition in our everyday lives, and the means by which we can employ it more effectively in the Western world in a way that complements the ‘logical’ approach of Western thinking. Written by Jim Dutholt, a freelance writer.