seventh world of chan buddhism - Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun

that because something conforms to certain standards which we have already determined to
be pleasing, we like it. In fact, the order of events is usually quite opposite. First, we like or
dislike something; second, we determine a reason for liking or disliking it. Our ego
fabricates and exaggerates in support of its choices.
The most difficult part of Zen is achieving the understanding that our ego is not a
competent arbiter of reality. Our ego's judgmental powers are so thoroughly compromised
that it is nearly impossible to look at ourselves objectively or even to consider the possibility
that we're not in absolute control of ourselves. We do not suspect that, for the most part, we
are simply running genetic programs, programs which, to varying degrees, have been altered
by a long list of environmental factors.
For the purposes of our rudimentary model, we will consider nine basic instincts and
how they specifically affect the course of our life. We'll call these nine instincts by the names
generally given them by Jung:
1. Self or God, the instinct for order
2. Mother, the clinging instinct
3. Child or Adorable Little One, the protective instinct
4. Shadows (both forms):
a. Friend - positive self-preservation via the herd instinct
b. Enemy - negative self-preservation via the destructive instinct
5. Anima/Animus, the reproductive instinct
6. Persona, the instinct to conform socially
7. Heroes, the instinct to excel and to lead
8. Hunter, the instinct to pursue
9. Transformation, the instinct for spiritual change
Since evolution is such a slow process - biologically, we haven't really changed in
3,000 years - we can avoid the confusing complexities of modern urban life by using as our
exemplar the life cycle of a boy born into a rural family living anywhere in the world in the
year 1,000 B.C. (We could just as easily have chosen a girl, the dynamics would not be
essentially different.)
1. SELF OR GOD
The moment our sample baby leaves the oblivion of the womb, he experiences the
pleasures and pains, the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches of a chaotic consciousness.
Nature's first requirement, therefore, is order. Baby must organize these incoherent
experiences.
The opposite of chaos is cosmos; and, like a god, a great cosmic principle, baby must
create order out of disorder. His innate abilities enable him to work much magic. He can
perceive and recognize. He can think and form new ideas and retrieve information from his
CHAPTER 7 A WORKING MODEL OF THE PSYCHE
S EVENTH W ORLD O F C HAN B UDDHISM
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