Everyone Creates Their Own Prison

When you look closely, this world is like a huge insane asylum. Everyone creates their own prison. We double- and triple-lock ourselves in and cry out for freedom. As soon as we create ideas and concepts of freedom, we become unfree. In the moment when we begin to think about completion, or about enlightenment, we become incomplete and unenlightened. A process of chasing after our own ideas begins. What we have created with our minds becomes so real that we must achieve and realize it. But Zen Master Seung Sahn's teaching is very simple. He taught us to put everything down. When we put everything down, everything is as it is: whole and complete. So we don't even have to rush from one Kyol Che [90 day retreat] to the next and do thousands of prostrations. We just have to put down our ideas and concepts. Then the prisons disappear, the doors open, and we see clearly. This is the best help we can give to the world. We don't even have to ask "How can I help you?" This is the greatest contribution we can make to our world.