ABSTRACT
Thinking occurs and not thinking occurs, often in barely perceptible, rapid oscillations. The intuited wisdom that is thoroughly free from judgment or discrimination operates beyond the tensions between thinking and not thinking. The point is that there is no judgment or devaluation of thoughts, associated feelings, wishes, or memories, of the so-called "endless chatter" or thinking process itself. Dogen describes a dynamic relationship between thinking, not thinking, and beyond thought that neither privileges nor devalues either. He argues that delusion and enlightenment alike are rooted in discursive thinking. In addition to the misconception of Zen practice due to D.T. Suzuki's intuitionistic orientation describes, another significant problem that interferes with understanding the mutually beneficial roles that both thinking and not thinking play in Zen soteriology stems from factors related to the emergence of Eastern wisdom traditions in North America. Historically, many quietist-oriented Buddhist and yoga meditation-based, practice-oriented traditions place a high value on the cessation of all thought processes.
