ABSTRACT
Interest in the possible relations between Zen and psychoanalysis is growing. It may be justified. It seems unlikely; however, that sound exploration of these possible relations will occur until it is undertaken by individuals thoroughly experienced in each of the practices. The subject is raised here only because it can direct further attention to zazen. The analogy not only suggests that Zen and psychoanalysis are fundamentally different. It also leads to seeing something about zazen. Although it is a way of knowing oneself, zazen is not "psycho" analysis in the way that psychoanalysis is. The latter is ego analysis, an actual exploration of the ego. This character of neutrality is observable in Zen gardens, which are famous for their simplicity, for the absence of lushness in them, for their rigor, their strength, and their severity-all of which are marks of the practicing Zen Buddhist.
