Zen practioners—avoid thinking you know about not knowing

In Zen practice, we put an emphasis on the importance of not knowing. Bodhidharma, when asked who he was, answered, “No knowing.” A koan tells us, “Not knowing is the most intimate.” But when not knowing becomes a belief, it becomes knowing.

I had a Zen student who told me that, when meditating, he would breathe in, thinking the word "Know?" as a question, and then as he breathed out he would respond with an answer: "No."

He seemed surprised when I told him that he was p...