Based on the translation by Ilsa Fatt
and the edition by Reiryu Philippe Coupey
“Mushotoku mind” means an attitude of no profit, no gain. It is the core of
master Taisen Deshimaru’s Zen. This respected teacher of Japanese Soto Zen
moved from Japan in 1967 and brought this work to Paris, from where it was
disseminated throughout the West. This book presents his commentary on the
most renowned of Buddhist texts, the Heart Sutra, known in Japanese as Hannya
Shingyo-a philosophical investigation on the futility of philosophical investigation.
Deshimaru’s work fills a great gap in the interpretations of this seminal
text in that he emphasizes “mind-emptiness” (ku) as the foundation of Zen
practice, in contrast to the usual “mindfulness” focus of many other Zen
approaches. This “emptiness” and “purpose of no purpose” is one of the most
difficult ideas for Westerners to understand. Yet we know that our most
cherished values are based on mushotoku mind when it comes, for example, to love. We value the unselfish love of family or country
that is based not on what we can get from the relationship but on what we can give. We know, too, that these virtues are not
accomplished directly through our will but indirectly through dropping our expectations.
His lectures on this subject have been translated by Ilsa Fatt and edited by Reiryu Philippe Coupey of Deshimaru’s British
and French groups; and here completely revised and reedited for an American audience by Reishin Richard Collins. This edition
emphasizes Deshimaru’s chorus: Mushotoku mind is the key attitude characterizing the way of the Buddha, the way of the bodhisattva,
the way of Zen and zazen, and the way of all sutras (teachings).
Taisen Deshimaru (d. 1982) was the founder of the Association Zen Internationale, one of the largest influences on Zen in the
West. He is author of: The Ring of the Way and The Zen Way to Martial Arts: A Japanese Master Reveals the Secrets of the Samurai.
Richard Collins is a Zen teacher in the lineage of Taisen Deshimaru and Dean of Arts & Humanities at California State University,
Bakersfield.
A Book for Students of Zen Buddhism; Religion Scholars;
Philosophy Students, and Readers of Taisen Deshimaru’s Books.