The Buddhist Scriptures are also overloaded with Indian superstitions and a crude cosmology, which pass under the name of Buddhism.  Accordingly, Buddhist scholars have confused not seldom the doctrine of the Buddha with these absurdities, and thought it impious to abandon them.  Kaiseki,[FN#121] for instance, was at a loss to distinguish Buddhism from the Indian astronomy, which is utterly untenable in the face of the fact.  He taxed his reason to the utmost to demonstrate the Indian theory and at the same time to refute the Copernican theory.  One day he called on Yeki-do[FN#122] a contemporary Zen master, and explained the construction of the Three Worlds as described in the Scriptures, saying that Buddhism would come to naught if the theory of the Three Worlds be overthrown by the Copernican.  Then Yeki-do exclaimed:  “Buddhism aims to destroy the Three Worlds and to establish Buddha’s Holy Kingdom throughout the universe.  Why do you waste your energy in the construction of the Three Worlds?"[FN#123]

[FN#121] A learned Japanese Buddhist scholar, who died in 1882.

[FN#122] A famous Zen master, the abbot of the So-ji-ji Monastery, who died in 1879.

[FN#123] Kin-sei-zen-rin-gen-ko-roku.

In this way Zen does not trouble itself about unessentials of the Scriptures, on which it never depends for its authority.  Do-gen, the founder of the Japanese So To Sect, severely condemns (in his Sho-bo-gen-zo) the notions of the impurity of women inculcated in the Scriptures.  He openly attacks those Chinese monks who swore that they would not see any woman, and ridicules those who laid down rules prohibiting women from getting access to monasteries.  A Zen master was asked by a Samurai whether there was hell in sooth as taught in the Scriptures.  “I must ask you,” replied he, “before I give you an answer.  For what purpose is your question?  What business have you, a Samurai, with a thing of that sort?  Why do you bother yourself about such an idle question?  Surely you neglect your duty and are engaged in such a fruitless research.  Does this not amount to your stealing the annual salary from your lord?” The Samurai, offended not a little with these rebukes, stared at the master, ready to draw his sword at another insult.  Then the teacher said smilingly:  “Now you are in Hell.  Don’t you see?”

Does, then, Zen use no scripture?  To this question we answer both affirmatively and negatively:  negatively, because Zen regards all sutras as a sort of pictured food which has no power of appeasing spiritual hunger; affirmatively, because it freely makes use of them irrespective of Mahayana or Hinayana.  Zen would not make a bonfire of the Scriptures as Caliph Omar did of the Alexandrian library.  A Zen master, having seen a Confucianist burning his books on the thought that they were rather a hindrance to his spiritual growth, observed:  “You had better burn your books in mind and heart, but not the books in black and white."[FN#124]