From Mushin:
In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha says, “The only thing bodhisattvas need to do is to free themselves from all concepts and nurture the aspiration for freedom. When he says this he makes freeing ourselves from all concepts sound so accessible. Is it? Until we know where to look in our own experience, for the meaning of this teaching we are adrift in wondering how to free ourselves. What’s the secret to this freeing? The words of the Buddha are pointing the way. But we still have to follow our own actual path, only found in our daily, ordinary life.
This uncovering requires a clear aspiration to do so, with determination, and wholeheartedness. We need to turn our whole attention to the experience that his words point us towards, unfolding through the myriad conditions here and now. And we each need to spot what prevents us. In zazen we sit in awareness right now. Only here and now. This is the time. This is the lens of zazen practice. The sutra then says, “They [Bodhisattva’s] shouldn’t allow the mind to dwell on concepts that arise from anything they can perceive—from sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, or any other qualities.” Okay, try it. This instruction is so specific. What is the bodymind state in relaxed upright sitting, outside of sense perception? Is there anything? We need to look straight at what we perceive. How are the Buddha’s words true? What do you perceive?