When you try to reduce a Zen metaphor (like the fan metaphor) to a simple logical statement ('if you don't do zazen, you don't get enlightenment'), you lose the open-endedness and depth of the metaphor, which is why Zen uses metaphors instead of straightforward claims.

causalpending

Speaker

Brad Warner

Evidence Quote

if you boil it down to...that's not quite what the metaphor is saying...that's why you use a metaphor because it's much more open-ended

Source

The Power of Now is Wrong!Hardcore Zen
Created: 8/11/2026, 7:06:08 AM

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