Source: Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions

“Many are fascinated by Zen, even though Zen teaches them to believe in ‘nothing’ and that they are only illusions, and its beliefs are contradictory. The founder of Zen is popularly considered to be Bodhidharma, who brought it to China around 520 A.D. Zenists presume that there is no objective world ‘out there’—everything is an illusory manifestation of ‘Only Mind.’ Zenists deny the existence of sin because there is ‘no self’ but in Christianity, we are personal individuals who need redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Zen, the individual has no value (no self exists) while in Christianity the individual has eternal value (created in God’s image). In Zen, there is extinction at death, but in Christianity there is personal immortality in heaven at death. In Zen, there is no God, but in Christianity is a loving God who is perfect in every way. In Zen, there is the destruction of personal morality with all that this entails, while in Christianity there is an absolute morality centered on the character of the good God. In Zen, there is no meaning of life (nihilism), but in Christianity, there is meaning in life now and forever in eternity. Even in all its alleged glory, Zen offers no answers. Indeed, nothing exists, so how can there be answers, let alone an eternal home in Zen? Even after ‘enlightenment,’ Zenists still do not know definitely what the ultimate purpose of life is. This is in stark contrast to Christian belief. Jesus did tell us the ultimate purpose of life when He said ‘this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent’ (John 17:3).”

The following are excerpts from the book Encyclopedia of Cults and New Age Religions by John Ankerberg and John Weldon (pp. 645-646) [bold mine]:

The Occult

Although for Zen the supernatural, like all else, is illusionary, this does not prevent the supernatural from intruding into the world of Zen. Consider the idolatry that we previously documented in Zen practice. Historically, there is little doubt as to the reality of demons operating behind the mechanism of idolatrous practice. In Zen, as in yoga, chanting and physical postures may become vehicles to open the door to the supernatural world:

To help awaken us to this world of Buddha-nature, Zen masters employ yet another mode of zazen, namely, the chanting of dharani and sutras. Now, a dharani has been described as “a more or less meaningless chain of words or names that is supposed to have a magical power in helping the one who is repeating it at some time of extremity.” Anyone who has recited them for any length of time knows, in their effect on the spirit they are anything but meaningless. When chanted with sincerity and zest they impress upon the heart and mind the names and virtues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas enumerated in them, removing inner hindrances to zazen and fixing the heart in an attitude of reverence and devotion. . . . Dogen attached great importance to the proper position, gestures, and movements of the body and its members during chanting, as indeed in all other modes of zazen, because of their repercussions on the mind. In Shingon Buddhism particular qualities of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are evoked by the devotee through certain positions of his hands (called mudra) as well as body postures, and it is probably from the Shingon that this aspect of Dogen’s teaching derives. In any event, the prescribed postures do induce related states of mind. . . . Conversely, each state of mind elicits from the body its own specific response. The act of unself-conscious prostration before a Buddha is thus possible only under the impetus of reverence and gratitude.

Zen’s emphasis on idolatry, mystical chanting, altered states of consciousness and psychic development can become vehicles to spirit contact. In Zen meditation, and in Eastern meditation generally, the practices adopted sooner or later bring one to the realm of psychic phenomena and spirits. Lassalle observes that the following are to be expected in Zen practice, although they are considered “negative” in one sense, that through fascination with them the practitioner may be distracted from the goal of satori:

 Here we shall mention only one of the so-called negative effects: the phenomenon of *makyo* (literally, world of spirits), that is to say, apparitions, fantasies, or illusory sensations. Figures or things not actually present appear to the person meditating. They can be of a pleasant or an unpleasant nature. Sometimes Buddhas appear; at other times the mediator may face the specter of a wild animal or something just as terrifying; or lights may appear to play before the eyes. Less often sounds are heard, but at such times a person may seem to hear his name called out clearly. . . . Zen masters explain these effects as natural products of the mind.

While such phenomena could at times be entirely mental, they could also at times involve covert or overt consorting with the biblical “principalities and powers.” Many people, perhaps most, do not have the stamina to practice Zen for 20 years to achieve satori; some will undoubtedly be sidetracked into the psychic world as a result of Zen meditation. (Gedo Zen has as its main purpose the development and use of psychic abilities.) It seems clear that Zen meditation itself develops psychic powers, even if only some schools attempt to cultivate them. Since all Zen practice is the “same” (sitting, breathing, concentration), it is simply a matter of who wishes to use these powers, not whether they occur. In part, these powers seem to come by Zen’s particular method of concentration (*joriki*):

The cultivation of certain supranormal powers is also made possible by joriki, as is the state in which the mind becomes like perfectly still water. . . . The state of blankness in which the conscious functioning of the mind has been stopped. Now, although the power of joriki can be endlessly enlarged through regular practice, it will recede and eventually vanish if we neglect zazen. And while it is true that many extra-ordinary powers flow from joriki, nevertheless through it alone we cannot cut the roots of our illusory view of the world.

In *The Three Pillars of Zen* we find an in-depth discussion of psychic powers (somewhat reminiscent of mediumism) and how one is to view and approach them:

Makyo are the phenomena—visions, hallucinations, fantasies, revelations, illusory sensations—which one practicing zazen is apt to experience at a particular stage in his sitting. *Ma* means “devil” and *kyo* “the objective world.” Hence makyo are the disturbing or “diabolical” phenomena which appear to one during his zazen. These phenomena are not inherently bad. . . . Broadly speaking, the entire life of the ordinary man is nothing but a makyo. . . . Besides those which involve the vision there are numerous makyo which relate to the sense of touch, smell, or hearing, or which sometimes cause the body suddenly to move from side to side or forward and backward or to lean to one side or to appear to sink or rise. Not infrequently words burst forth uncontrollably or, more rarely, one imagines he is smelling a particularly fragrant perfume. There are even cases where without conscious awareness one writes down things which turn out to be prophetically true. Very common are visual hallucinations. You are doing zazen with your eyes open. . . . Without warning everything may go white before your eyes, or black. A knot in the wood of a door may suddenly appear as a beast or demon or angel. . . . Many makyo involve the hearing. One may hear the sound of a piano or loud noises, such as an explosion (which is heard by no one else), and actually jump. . . .

In the *Zazen Yojinki* we find the following about makyo: “The body may feel hot or cold or glasslike or hard or heavy or light. This happens because the breath is not well harmonized (with the mind) and needs to be carefully regulated.” It then goes on to say: “One may experience the sensation of sinking or floating, or may alternately feel hazy and sharply alert. The disciple may develop the faculty of seeing through solid objects as though they were transparent, or he may experience his own body as a translucent substance. He may see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Penetrating insights may suddenly come to him, or passages of sutras which were particularly difficult to understand may suddenly become luminously clear to him. . . .” Makyo, accordingly, is a mixture of the real and the unreal, not unlike ordinary dreams. . . .

> Never be tempted into thinking that these phenomena are real or that the visions themselves have any meaning. . . . Above all, do not allow yourself to be enticed by visions of the Buddha or of gods blessing you or communicating a divine message, or by makyo involving prophecies which turn out to be true. This is to squander your energies in the foolish pursuit of the inconsequential.

Nevertheless, “as your practice progresses many makyo will appear.”

Zen’s claim that it is “the only teaching which is not to one degree or another tainted with elements of the supernatural” is clearly false. Merely to redefine occult phenomena as “illusions” does not make them so. Zen practice is an occult practice since it produces occult phenomena. Further, discarding these powers is not official doctrine. Nothing is “official doctrine” or “absolute” in Zen, only recommended. Psychic powers may be retained and used by the disciple if his “Zen mind” should desire it.

Zen theory also employs Hindu-Buddhist alleged psychic anatomies, which are themselves theoretically connected to occult powers. The “chakras,” for instance, are so-called psychic centers, which when “opened” produce psychic abilities:

In short, by realigning the physical, mental, and psychic energies through proper breathing, concentration, and sitting, zazen establishes a new body-mind equilibrium with its center of gravity in the *vita hara*. . . . *Hara* literally denotes the stomach and abdomen and the functions of digestion, absorption, and elimination connected with them. But it has parallel psychic and spiritual significance. According to Hindu and Buddhist yogic systems, there are a number of psychic centers in the body through which vital cosmic force or energy flows. . . . Hara is thus a wellspring of vital psychic energies. . . . The Zen novice is instructed to focus his mind constantly at the bottom of his hara (specifically, between the navel and the pelvis) and to radiate all mental and bodily activities from that region.

With the body-mind’s equilibrium centered in the hara, gradually a seat of consciousness, a focus of vital energy, is established there which influences the entire organism. . . . The “organs,” which collect, transform, and distribute the forces flowing through them, are called *chakras*, or centers of force. From them radiate secondary streams of psychic force. . . . In other words, these *chakras* are the points in which psychic forces and bodily functions merge into each other or penetrate each other. They are the focal points in which cosmic and psychic energies crystallize into bodily qualities, and in which bodily qualities are dissolved or transmuted again into psychic forces.

 

And:

### *Dangers, Deceptions and Drug Parallels*

**Dangers of the Zen Path.** Individuals attempting to attain “enlightenment” run certain risks, as we documented in-depth in our *Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs*. The description of “a mosquito trying to bite on a bar of iron” is an apropos if mild analogy, but obviously a dumb mosquito. The problem is that the human mind was not made to function in the Zen way, and only by serious abuse can it be made to do so. As one Zen master urges as part of a ten-point plan to attain “serene-reflection,” “try to put your mind into a state as though you had just been shocked.” Indeed, it may require two or three years just to “understand” one *koan*. Satori itself could be years or decades away. And what is our reward? R. F. Sasaki tells aspiring Zenists, “What can they hope to get through all this effort? The classic Zen answer and the Buddhist answer as well is ‘Nothing.'”

In the words of Dr. Karl Reichelt, Lit-sen Chang observes that some Zenists “develop very odd qualities. The Chinese have coined a humorous name for them and say that they have become *’mo-wong,’* such as ‘demon king,’ which means they have become mentally deranged.” Zen expert Blofeld warns practitioners that “techniques requiring long hours of strenuous meditation and all but the simplest breathing exercises are EXCEEDINGLY DANGEROUS without the guidance of an expert teacher,” although some Zen schools require no teacher. Dr. R. C. Zaehner observes that in Zen “the risk of madness is always there.” He quotes Hui Neng, the sixth Zen patriarch, as warning that some Zenists get “lost” in non-attachment. Because they become attached to detachment and stay in a “non-existent” state of mind, “consequently they are so attached to this method as to become insane.”

What a contrast to the Christian faith, to the free gift of eternal life in heaven, and to the promise of a God who “is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people…” (Hebrews 6:10). In Christianity, there is no denial or searing of the conscience; there are standards of living that become their own rewards. There are no philosophical hazards for the mind or body, but there is an overall state of well-being generated from God’s grace. There is no “disinterestedness toward oneself as a distinct being,” but there is an awareness of oneself as created in God’s image and as loved greatly by Him. There is no “let the self perish utterly,” but there is the promise of eternal immortality. There are no evils of idolatry and occultism, no despair over nihilism, there is only the gift of eternal life by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9) and the wonderful knowledge that one is loved deeply by God.

(Ibid., pp. 650-651)

 

And:

Zen involves idolatry. Everyone worships something in life. Zen rejects worship of the living God but replaces it with prostrations before the Zen master and the worship of Buddhist idols. Indeed, it seems that the lotus position itself indirectly assists in the endeavor. “The fact is that this lotus position somehow impedes discursive reasoning and thinking; it somehow checks the stream of consciousness that flows across the surface of the mind; it detaches one from the very process of thinking.” With one’s mind sufficiently placed to the side, one suspects that worship of the Zen Master as the personification of the Buddha is thereby made all the easier. Yasutani Roshi tells aspiring Zenists:

 While everyone is free to practice zazen and to listen to the roshi’s commentary at sesshin, the essential character of dokusan [the meeting] is the forming of a karmic bond between teacher and disciple, the significance of which is deep in Buddhism. Dokusan therefore is not to be taken lightly. . . . In making your prostrations you should touch the tatami mat with your forehead, with your hands extended in front of your head, palms upward. Then, bending your arms at the elbows, raise your hands, palms upward, several inches above your head. This gesture of receiving the feet, the lowliest members of the Buddha’s body, symbolizes humility and the grateful acceptance into your life of the Way of the Buddha. . . . Bear in mind that the roshi is not simply a deputy of the Buddha but actually stands in his place. In making these prostrations you are in fact paying respect to the Buddha just as though he himself were sitting there, and to the Dharma.

In fact, proper Zen practice provides aspirants with a natural spirit of worship:

 “[It is] appreciation of the exalted mind and manifold virtues of the Buddha and the Patriarchs. So there arises within us a desire to express our gratitude and show our respect before their personalized forms through appropriate rituals. These devotions when entered into with a single mind endow the Buddha figure with life; what was formerly a mere image now becomes a living reality with the singular power to obliterate in us awareness of self and Buddha at the moment of prostration.”

 One Western Zen aspirant recalls his initial recoiling at such idolatry:

 “What a weird scene of refined sorcery and idolatry: shaven-headed black-robed monks sitting motionlessly chanting mystic gibberish to the accompaniment of a huge wooden tom-tom emitting other-worldly sounds, while the roshi, like some elegantly gowned witch doctor, is making magic passes and prostrating himself again and again before an altar bristling with idols and images. . . . Is this the Zen of Tanka, who tossed a Buddha statue into the fire? Is this the Zen of Rinzai, who shouted “You must kill the Buddha?” . . . If only he doesn’t mar it all by insisting we bow down before those images in the halls. O my prophetic soul! . . . He’s brought us into the founder’s room and is lighting incense and fervently prostrating himself before a weird statue of Kakuin. . . . “You too may light incense and pay your respects to Kakuin.” P___ looks at me and I at him, then he explodes: “the old Chinese Zen masters burned or spit on Buddha statues, why do you bow down before them?” . . . The roshi looks grave but not angry. “If you want to spit you spit, I prefer to bow”, . . . We don’t spit, but neither do we bow.”

 But his resistance did not last. Within several weeks this same person records in his diary how he was gladly worshipping a statue of Buddha as God, “Around midnight prostrated myself before statue of Buddha in main hall and desperately prayed: ‘O God, O Buddha, please grant me satori and I’ll be humble, even bowing willingly before you.'”

 Jesus Christ and Christian Zen
Zen avoids the historical Jesus Christ, and for good reason. Zen does not accept differentiated beings as having relevance or reality. The Gospel of Zen quotes Christian mystic Meister Eckhart: “Who is Jesus? He has no name”—a fitting epitaph for the Jesus of Zen, who declares, “Split wood: I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.” The historical Jesus has no more significance than wastepaper and, as Zenists would say, “wash out your mouth when you say His name.” Werner Erhard once blasphemously commented that, Jesus is dog excrement, although he used the four letter equivalent.

 The essence of Jesus however is everything and nothing, reality, the void. For Zen, Jesus is also the Buddha, as is everything, for All is One: “No matter what the situation, you cannot neglect Buddha, because you yourself are Buddha. Only this Buddha will help you completely.” According to Zen, Jesus Christ won’t help anyone.

 The sight of “Christian” Zenists denying or blaspheming Jesus while worshipping idols of Buddha is a striking one. Sitting in blissful meditation before statues of Buddha they describe the wonders of “Christian mysticism,” such as Zen satori. Although they do attempt to comprehend Zen, they cannot seem to comprehend how “the beauty of Christian Zen” only masks an ugly core of rebellion and nihilism.

 For Johnston, the author of Christian Zen, only a Zen Christ is relevant. This “Christ” is the real Christ and is Zen Reality. “Christ is the father of Christian mysticism” and “the great guru who knocked people into enlightenment with remarkable power.” “Jesus, I believe, was so filled with God that he no longer had a human personality. . . .” On the other hand, the historical Jesus is depreciated as merely “the finger pointing toward the moon” and not the reality of the moon itself (enlightenment). Those who want the “real” Christ must not allow the “grubby little merchants” of Christianity to deceive them with their false concepts about Jesus Christ:

” Properly and piously understood, one can say, “If you meet Christ, slay him!” And the meaning is: “What you see is not Christ”. . . . It is not necessary to have clear-cut images and concepts of Christ. If you have no such concepts . . . how happy you are! You have left the dirty cave of Plato and are out in the beautiful sunlit air. Relax. Stay out. Enjoy your samadhi. Christ is with you. . . . The living and risen Christ [is], coextensive with the universe and buried in the hollow recesses of the human heart. . . . So for Paul, Christ is beyond concepts, beyond images, beyond thought, beyond place. . . . He is our original face before we were born.”

 While “Christian” Zenists are fond of noting the “reverence” that Zen monks display toward Jesus, it is only a Jesus of their own making, one who revels only in Zen. As far as the biblical Christ is concerned, He can only bring spiritual darkness. The “Christian” conviction that Jesus is . . . the standard by which everything must be judged, is the depth of darkness to the eyes of Zen.

 Just as Zen openly denies the biblical God, Zen openly denies the biblical Jesus Christ. Christian Zen, then, is an oxymoron. It does not point anyone to ultimate reality. Put in Zen terms, whenever you say “Christian Zen,” wash your mouth out.

(Ibid., pp. 641- 642)

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If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can receive Him into your heart, and He can deliver you from darkness and sin and have your name written in His Book of Life.

If you are sincere, you can say this simple prayer to the Father (it doesn’t have to be word for word):

“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. Please forgive me of all of my sins, just as I forgive others. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, I believe in my heart Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in the Lord and GOD Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”