Stiftung EBWK - Neue Medizin - Forschungsinstitut der Stiftung EBWK: Dezember 2012

Liberation of imprisonment

"awakening" and "understanding"
Someone who is awakened has gained insight into / seen into the workings of the mind which keeps us imprisoned in thirsting, hungering, craving, suffering and rebirth, and has also gained insight into the way that leads to nirvana, the liberation of oneself from this imprisonment.

The Buddha describes nirvāṇa as the perfect peace of mind possessed by one who is liberated.
It is to be distinguished from peaceful moods arising from a temporary absence of anger, sensual desire, anxiety and other afflicting states.

Nirvāṇa is an 'ultimate' peace that is achieved after a lengthy process of mind-body transformation during which the uprooting and final dissolution of the volitional formations, structures within the unconscious mind that form the underlying basis for psychological dispositions takes place.

Zen
A nun asked a Zen patriarch for help in understanding the Mahanirvana Sutra. The master answered that he could not read, but if the nun would read it aloud for him, he would do his best to help her.
The nun then asked, "If you can't even read the words, how can you understand the truth behind them?"
"Truth and words are unrelated. Truth can be compared to the moon," answered Hui Neng, pointing to the moon with his finger, "And words can be compared to a finger. I can use my finger to point out the moon, but my finger is not the moon, and you don't need my finger in order to be able to see the moon".

Zen
emphasizes/ stresses/accents the attainment/accomplishment/ acquirement of enlightenment and the personal expression of direct insight in the Buddhist teachings.
As such, it de-emphasizes mere/bare/simple knowledge of sutras and doctrine and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished/complete/finished teacher.