Echoes of Plato:

A Comparison between Platos The Allegory of the Cave and the Buddhist Path to
Enlightenment

Many authors have compared the ideas of Zen Buddhism to the investigations of
Philosophy. In fact, Zen is often called a philosophy itself rather than a religion like its
parent, Buddhism. Most notable of these comparisons is the national bestseller Zen and
the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsigs powerful novel that bridges this gap
between Zen and Philosophy. The back cover of the book advertises a powerful,
moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a breathtaking mediation on
how to live better (back cover). These comments reflect the goals of Philosophy and
Zen respectively. Further, Geoffrey Galt Harpham writes that Pirsigs text provides that
rare laboratory in which philosophy and literature can test each other, in which both sides
can be examined from the others points of view (66). The small connections that Pirsig
makes between these two ideas opens a whole new world of scholarship that investigates
traces of Zen Buddhism in the ancient texts of the likes of Plato, Aristotle, and all of the
great minds that have preceded them.

It is unlikely that the texts of these great philosophers directly inspired the ideas of Zen,
but ideas travel in ways that cannot be explained. Sometimes, ideas even tend to be
similar among completely different societies. Perhaps this is even more interesting than a
transmission of ideas.

My quest to understand the Buddhist path to Enlightenment and my fascination with

Pirsigs comparisons between these two subjects has led me to investigate the possible
connections between Platos oft-quoted Allegory of the Cave from book VII of The
Republic (Cooper 1132-35) to the writings of the best Zen authors of this century. These
writings show a similar process of reaching a similar goal, and they can be combined to
reach a greater understanding of the path to reaching Enlightenment in any sense of the
word.
The most popular interpretation of Platos Allegory of the Cave is that it is a metaphor
for the educational process. According to Jennifer Gurley in Platonic Paideia, Plato
defines education as about how to be alive [and] a preferred way of being human (354).
The quest for Enlightenment through the study of Zen seeks to reach the same goals.
Dinty Moore describes non-Enlightened society as living in the water that is [life], yet
[complaining] of constant thirst (177). The study of Zen is meant to teach students how
to taste this refreshing water of life and feel the true benefits of being alive.

The Allegory of the Cave (Cooper 1132-35) begins with prisoners that are restrained
and forced to sit facing a wall watching shadows of objects pass by their eyes. The
prisoners are not able to turn their heads and view each other or even the objects
themselves. They literally live in a world of only shadows. The metaphor of the cave
then continues when one prisoner is freed by a stranger and allowed to stand up, turn
around, and face the objects that are the source of the shadows for the first time. The
prisoner is then led out of the cave into the illuminated world above.

As the prisoners eyes adjust to the brightness of the sun, he or she is gradually able to
see the world around him or her. The first things that come into view are reflections of
objects in water, then the objects themselves, and finally the culmination of the
educational process in Platos view The Good which is represented as the sun in this
new world. For Plato The Good is nearly impossible to view or even explain, but
reaching it should be the goal of all people and can be attained only through careful study
of philosophy (Cooper 1137). In the world of Zen, Enlightenment is similar to The Good
in that it is difficult to explain and achieve, but should be the goal of all beings through
the teachings of Zen and Buddhism. The paths to these two peaks are also quite similar
and will be compared as we climb out of the darkness of the cave that separates the two
ideas into the illumination of the connection between the two journeys and destinations.

The examination of the teachings of Zen as compared to Platos The Allegory of the
Cave begins in the cave itself where prisoners are confined and forced to passively view
only shadows of reality as they pass by their eyes. The presence of shadows in the cave
is significant because certain characteristics of shadows lend themselves perfectly to the
ideas of Zen. First, shadows are forced to follow the object that they are a silhouette of
always since they cannot exist independently. When the prisoner is able to stand up and
turn away from the shadows, he or she renounces this attachment and begins to forge his
or her own path out of the cave rather than follow the actions of the other prisoners in the
cave. This same idea can be seen in The Dharma Bums when Ray first realizes that
instead of following every one of Japhys steps he should make a ragged dance of [his]
own (64).

The nearly complete emphasis that Buddhism places on the self rather than the many
supports this embracing of individuality. The ability to progress toward Enlightenment
first requires a movement away from mainstream society.

Even though Buddhism supports turning away from society, it does not support total
isolationism. This can be seen in the next characteristic of shadows that make them
significant that is, shadows are the only proof of the existence of the self. Turning
away from the shadows of the cave can be compared to turning away from the definition
of the self and embracing the oneness of nature. Perhaps this is the meaning behind
George Swedes haiku: circling higher and higher/ at last the hawk pulls its shadow/
from the world (Ross 252). The hawk is no longer leaving a trace on nature, but instead,
has become one with it. The individual, then, should not strive to exert influence on
nature, but should turn away from the self and embrace the oneness that is shared with
nature. The chains that restrain the prisoners in Platos cave cause them to follow the
norms of the other prisoners and to differentiate themselves from the shadows that
represent the existence of another world behind them but out of sight. Similarly, the
shadows that present themselves in modern society cause everyone to fall into a similar
routine and live separately from nature, observing the natural world only through the
shadows that are visible in this routine.

The similarities between the original condition of Platos prisoners in The Allegory of
the Cave and the routine that modern society has fallen victim to can be seen in the
popular characterization of suburban society as prisoners of television and consumerism
that is popular among Zen writers. Perhaps the most complete demonstration of this idea
comes from Jack Kerouacs novel, The Dharma Bums, where he contrasts suburban
society with the Zen wandering of the likes of himself, Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg, and
others. In one section of the book, Kerouac challenges his reader to one day take a walk
down a suburban street and see what he sees: [All] the little blue [squares] of the
[televisions]on probably one show. thoughts [all] electrified to the Master Switch
(104). This idea reflects the prisoners situation in Platos cave, with the television
representing the same shadows of reality passing by the prisoners. Everyone is viewing
one show and is thinking the same thoughts in isolation. Just like the prisoners in the
cave who cannot turn and see each other, the people that Kerouac is viewing through the
window are also isolated in that nobody [is] talking [and there is] silence in the yards
(104). All eyes and minds are fixed on the shadows displayed on the television and
cannot shift to view the others or even the actual reality of nature that lies as near as the
front yard. Chances are, society will be content with this life until someone frees them,
turns them around, and allows them to view reality itself.

Another set of shadows that pass by American society that resembles those viewed by the
prisoners is caused by consumerism. In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,
Robert Pirsig provides a commentary on modern technology that echoes the idea of
passing shadows.

Todays technology, he says, reflects an overall dullness of appearance so depressing

that it must be overlaid with a veneer of style to make it acceptable (375). Natural
beauty in things has been replaced by Pirsigs stylized (375) objects that are sometimes
more desired than the thing itself, like how watching television shows is considered more
normal than taking a walk or going hiking in our society. Comparing this idea to the
Allegory of the Cave, the prisoners are so content viewing the shadows that they feel
no desire to turn around to view the objects themselves. Consumerism and modern
technology, like the television, illustrates societys isolation from the natural world and
the ideas of Zen. From the perspective of philosophy, Kim refers to the works of Martin
Heidegger in explaining this original position as how this world presents itself to us in
our everyday attitude (8). In our society the world presents itself through the television
the shadows of the current era. Now that it has become apparent that Platos prisoners
and members of American society today are in the same original position, it is time to
examine the ways in which Zen and Plato encourage their subjects to improve this
position through the teachings of Zen and Philosophy.

The first step in the ascent to Enlightenment is being freed by the guide and being
encouraged to stand up, turn around, and begin to climb up the slope and out of the cave.
In Zen nature writing, the step of turning around can be compared to turning to the
natural world in order to reach Enlightenment.

The prisoners, when freed and turned

around, are able to view for the first time the real objects that were previously represented
by only shadows. Similarly, in the majority of Zen novels, the natural world plays an
enormous role in the protagonists path to Enlightenment.

This idea echoes two important aspects of Buddhism. First, just like the prisoners were
freed from their restraints and encouraged to leave the chains behind as they begin their
climb out of the cave, Zen students are encouraged to renounce all of their attachments
and burdens so they can become free and begin their own ascent toward Enlightenment.
These burdens and attachments are the chains that restrain many of societys members
from climbing out of their own cave. Second, the idea of viewing the real objects for the
first time reflects the Buddhist idea of beginners mind. Not only are Zen students taught
to turn their attention to the natural world, but to view the natural world through the eyes
of a child who is truly seeing things for the first time.

After the prisoners turn around to view the objects for the first time, they, like Zen
students, begin their ascent out of the cave. Curiously, just like the prisoners need to
physically climb out of the cave while they mentally reach Enlightenment, the majority of
Zen authors feel the need to physically climb mountains in order to reach Enlightenment.
Mountain climbing occurs in each of the stories examined, including The Accidental
Buddhist, The Dharma Bums, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and The Snow
Leopard. In each of these narratives, the climbing of a mountain occurs during the quest
for Enlightenment and occurs at or near the apex of the story. There are countless
similarities between the utilization of mountains in Zen literature, but there are also many
similarities between the ascent out of the cave and the ascent up mountains in these
examples of Zen literature.

The first similarity between the mountains in Zen literature and the ascent out of Platos
cave is the apparent need to climb them in order to reach another level in the quest for
Enlightenment. In The Snow Leopard, Peter Matthiessen describes his voluntary trek up
the Crystal Mountain in Nepal as a true pilgrimage; a journey of the heart (3). The
journey for Matthiessen was a chance to turn his attention to the natural world, or reality,
on his way to reaching Enlightenment just like the journey out of Platos cave.

At the apex of Matthiessens journey he would reach the Crystal Monastery, a Buddhist
temple where he wished to study Buddhism along with the Bharal sheep. The placement
of Monasteries near the top of mountains is another similarity between mountains in the
writings of Zen literature and The Allegory of the Cave. In Platos metaphor the world
of the forms, where one can experience The Good, lies physically above the cave and is
reached by climbing. In Zen literature these monasteries are a place where students can
seek Enlightenment and possibly experience it, so it is only fitting that they lie near the
apex of their journey up the mountain as well, both figuratively and literally. The Crystal
Monastery at the top of the Crystal Mountain range in Nepal is only one example of this
occurrence.

In The Accidental Buddhist, author Dinty Moore begins his study of

Buddhism at the Zen Mountain Monastery in the Catskills in New York State (7). This
monastery, according to Moore, can be found on the side of Tremper Mountain (7), which
is also symbolic of its location on the path to Enlightenment near the top of the
mountain of Enlightenment. Also, In Jack Kerouacs The Dharma Bums, Japhy Ryders
monastery of sorts, the shed he called Marin-An, was also located on the side of a
mountain in the Marin hills.

Although it was not actually a monastery, Japhys house was the location where he and
others studied Buddhism, meditated, and experienced the same effects as students in a
monastery hope to experience. For this reason, it can be compared to the two other
mountain monasteries that share this symbolic location on the side of mountains.

In Platos Allegory of the Cave, reaching the world of the forms is only a large step in
reaching The Good or Enlightenment.

In this world of the forms, The Good is

represented as the sun that illuminates the above world, but the prisoner cannot lay his or
her eyes on The Good until his or her eyes adjust to the light after coming out of the
darkness of the cave. Just like in this analogy, Zen students cannot reach Enlightenment
as soon as they begin their study at the monastery or on their own. Their senses must
first adjust to the illumination of Buddhist ideas. Perhaps this is why the figurative
location of the monasteries is on the sides of mountains near the top instead of on the
apex itself. Either way, once the prisoners or Zen students experience their respective
illumination, there are a series of steps that they must go through as their eyes adjust.

In a sense, the prisoner in The Allegory of the Cave goes through the same steps to see
The Good as he or she does to climb out of the cave to the present position in the world
of the forms. When the prisoner first enters the illuminated world of the forms, he or she
is only able to see the reflections of the objects in the world of the forms in the water.
These reflections can be compared to the shadows that defined the prisoners existence
prior to ascending out of the cave. Then, the prisoners eyes adjust to the point that they
can view the forms, the objects in this new world, directly.

This represents when the prisoner was first allowed to stand up and turn around in the
cave for the first time. Finally, the prisoners eyes adjust and his or her gaze rises
upward, like the ascent out of the cave, until the prisoner is looking at The Good itself,
the sun or illuminator of this new world. Although the process between the path out of
the cave and the path to The Good are similar, they are not quite the same. The
difference is that as the prisoners eyes adjust, they are able to view the reflections, the
objects, and The Good in a world that is illuminated rather than in the darkness of the
cave.

Applying this similarity to the aspects of Zen, one can see that reaching the monastery or
beginning the study of Zen is only the beginning of the path to Enlightenment. In The
Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac refers to a famous Zen saying: When you get to the top of
a mountain, keep climbing (83-84). In a sense, this idea reflects Platos cave metaphor
since the prisoner must essentially start over after climbing out of the cave. So Zen
students must first turn their gaze toward nature to free themselves from their restraints,
and then do so again after becoming more enlightened about Buddhism. However, just
like the prisoner viewing the objects in the world of the forms, they must look at nature a
different, more illuminated, way. The product of this experience is Zen Haiku.

In Platonic Paideia, Gurley states that Plato yearns for new ways to see an old
world to freeze frame a film (355). These two ideas echo perfectly the goals of
Haiku. Haiku is simply the short expression of a moment in nature a freeze frame of
the natural world.

According to Bruce Rosss introduction to Haiku Moment, Haiku is an expression of the

Buddhist belief that the world is made anew in each moment (xiv). The world is made
anew because the Zen authors look at the world with beginners mind. Haiku is the
illuminated expression of nature that rivals the illuminated experience of the prisoner in
the world of the forms. One particular haiku, by Frank Robinson, especially shows the
beginners mind idea and correlates well with The Allegory of the Cave: fog lifting/
mountains/ above mountains (Ross 192). The fog lifting in this poem slowly reveals
more and more mountains that are higher than the first ones that are in view. This fog
lifting would have the same effect on the eyes as the brilliance of the sun or The Good.
Just as more things come into view as the fog lifts, the prisoner is able to view more of
the world of the forms as his or her eyes adjust. Additionally, the prisoner is able to see
things in vertical sequence, from the reflections in the water to the horizontal world and
finally to the sun above. Robinsons haiku echoes the same idea. The fog that obscures
the mountains represents the obscuring effect of the television and consumerism as
discussed in Zen literature. The lifting of the fog occurs as a person learns the ideas of
Zen. Finally, the student is able to view nothing other than the symbol of their entire
journey mountains.

Once the fog has lifted completely and the prisoner is able to view The Good, while Zen
students receive their first glimpse of Enlightenment, the two stories diverge. While it is
clear that the vision of The Good is the climax of the prisoners journey, the Zen students
journey continues.

The mere glimpse of Enlightenment, unlike The Good, is not

sufficient; a deeper understanding is required of Zen students.

Enlightenment is something that happens randomly at a brief moment of understanding

like the tantric teaching of a great Zen master that reached enlightenment upon hearing
the splash of his own turd into the water (Matthiessen 255) and immediately understood
the inherent miracle of being (255). Or like the story of Kasapa, the successor of
Sakyamuni, who proved himself Enlightened by smiling at the mere sight of a lotus
flower (28). The beauty of the lotus and the vulgarity of the turd both lead to equal
Enlightenment, representing the popular idea of overcoming duality in the teaching of
Zen. These examples also show that there is no specific time or place where Zen students
gain Enlightenment. They must continue to bob up and down in the tranquil sea of Zen
until the unexpected wave of Enlightenment washes them ashore.

The connections that are present between Platos Allegory of the Cave and the Zen path
to Enlightenment are quite difficult to follow because they cannot be compared step by
step. The Allegory of the Cave is very short and provides a series of obvious steps
along the path to The Good. The path to Enlightenment, however, is a meandering path
that is layered with complex undulations that are difficult to trace and especially difficult
to navigate. Luckily, the Ancient History of Buddhism has provided a kind of Allegory
of its own that helps to make this intricate comparison more clear the ox-herding
pictures. The ox-herding pictures are described in The Accidental Buddhist when author
Dinty Moore transfers this knowledge to his readers after acquiring it in Daido-shis The
Eight Gates of Zen (134). The story of the ox is told through a series of ten images from
Ancient China and each is meant to represent a stage of spiritual development (135),
with the ox representing Enlightenment or the Enlightened self.

The steps, or pictures, along this journey simplify the complexity of the Buddhist path to
Enlightenment so that it can more easily be compared to Platos Allegory of the Cave.
Dinty Moores brief discussion of the ox-herding pictures helped to open my eyes to this
connection to Platos work and to ignite this investigation. Steps two through six of the
ox-herding pictures, specifically, outline the exact steps taken by the prisoner in Platos
Allegory of the Cave.1 The connection between the two stories begins when the oxseeker of the story discovers footprints in the second image. These footprints can be
directly compared to the shadows viewed by the prisoners in The Allegory of the Cave
because their existence has no value apart from their proving that the object that they
represent exists. This can be seen in Peter Matthiessens The Snow Leopard where the
footprints of the Snow Leopard were enough to excite Matthiessen and GS about the
existence of the rare animal and the possibility of a sighting, but the footprints themselves
were not enough to satisfy their desire to see this creature. The ox-seeker, like the
prisoner in Platos work, is able to identify the footprints or shadow of the ox. Also like
the prisoner, the ox-seeker must accept the truth in these footprints because at that
moment, they are all that is visible. This truth is soon renounced, however, when the ox
is sighted in step three. The sight of the object responsible for producing the footprints is
paralleled in Platos story as the moment that the prisoner is freed and allowed to turn
around to view the objects that are the source of the shadows on the wall. The next step
is catching the ox with a struggle which is accomplished by traveling up the difficult
slope to Platos world of the forms. The blinding light that meets the prisoner at the apex
of his or her journey represents the wild behavior of the ox upon first encounter.

In step five, however, the ox is tamed as the prisoners eyes slowly adjust to the
brightness of the new world. Finally, the ox is controlled and mounted and the prisoner is
able to stare purely at The Good. This vision of The Good is the culmination of the
prisoners journey, but there are still four ox-herding pictures remaining.

In this

simplified story, Enlightenment is not reached until the ox is ridden home even though
the mere mounting of the ox is the climax of the prisoners journey. When the prisoner
attempts to ride the ox home, he encounters severe problems. Platos prisoner would
drown in the sea of Zen while the Zen student and the ox-seeker return to shore.

The divergence of these two stories after reaching The Good or Enlightenment can be
explained by examining the differences between Zen students and the prisoners journey
home. For Buddhists, reaching Enlightenment does absolutely nothing to change their
daily routine. This can be seen in the famous Zen saying about raking the garden,
fetching wood, and drawing water both before and after Enlightenment. The Enlightened
prisoner in Platos Allegory of the Cave, however, has a great deal of difficulty
returning to the cave after experiencing The Good. When the prisoner in Platos
metaphor returns to the cave after his or her journey, he or she is chastised and killed
mainly because he or she no longer fits in among the other prisoners. A good Zen
student, however, would not have this problem because a student of Zen would not be
changed by the experience.

One could argue that the reason the prisoner has trouble returning to the cave after
experiencing The Good is that the prisoner becomes too attached to The Good.
Perhaps this is where the study of Zen goes one step further than The Allegory of the
Cave. Good Zen students would not allow themselves to become attached to anything,
including Enlightenment. For this reason, they have no problem returning to their cave
once they have reached Enlightenment. In fact, it is part of the Buddhist duty to return as
a bodhisattva and help others along this path. It is also possible, however, that this idea is
present in Platos metaphor, but is interpreted differently.

In The Allegory of the Cave, the guide that leads the original prisoner out of the cave
and toward The Good is never identified. It is possible, then, that this guide is the
previous prisoner that has reached Enlightenment and has returned to help others along
their way. In fact, Gurley deciphers Platos Greek to show that Platos word for led
really means to lead around which implies a more circular path (354) and would
support the journey back to the cave. If this interpretation is correct, Platos prisoner
would be completing the tenth and final step of the ox-herding pictures in returning to the
world as a teacher to help others along the path to Enlightenment. If this is true, though,
who is killed by the other prisoners?
There is a famous Zen saying presented by Peter Matthieseen in The Snow Leopard that
states, if you see the Buddha, kill the Buddha! (35). The prisoners may feel compelled
to kill the part of the returning prisoner that is still attached to The Good while the other
half of the person leads another prisoner toward Enlightenment. This split of personality
certainly parallels the popular theme of duality as represented in Zen ideas and literature.

In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, we see this duality present itself in the
form of the narrator and Phadreus. In this story, Phadreus became too attached to the
word Quality and was subsequently killed, in a sense, while his new personality, the
narrator of the story, leads the reader along the same path that he had followed previously.
This story fits well with idea of Enlightenment because for Phaedrus, Quality represents
his Enlightenment. The definition of Quality eludes him so he seeks to find it. The steps
he takes to find it lead him along the same path as Zen students take as well as the one
taken by the prisoner in Platos Allegory of the Cave. Phaedrus Quality most closely
represents The Good. This can be explained by looking at the way Pirsig explains
Quality that is, Quality is the continuing stimulus to create the world in which we
live (451). This definition shows Quality, like The Good, as the sun or energy that
illuminates the world. Platos definition of The Good strengthens this similarity. Plato
states that [The Good] is the cause of all that is correct and beautiful in anything [and]
provides truth and understanding (Cooper 1135). Phaedrus felt the same way about
Quality since he placed it above even the Classical and Romantic split in his hierarchy
(Pirsig 317) that he felt provided an understanding of Quality. These many similarities
allow The Good and Phaedruss Quality to be compared directly.
In the second edition of Looking at Philosophy, Donald Palmer breaks Platos idea of the
forms into four steps using the form of beauty. These same steps can be taken to
understand Phaedruss investigation into Quality.

Palmer says that step one to

understanding beauty is to observe imitations of beautiful things. Then, he says, one must
look at the entities themselves, understand the concept of beauty, and finally experience
the form of beauty.

Phaedrus took the same steps to understand Quality. First, he examined the stylized
(Pirsig 375) things in society as an imitation of things that have Quality. Next, he
identified Quality things themselves, like when he taught rhetoric and showed the
students Quality papers. This allowed his students and himself to understand the concept
of Quality since they could all identify which papers had Quality. Finally, however,
Phaedrus becomes obsessed with the word and goes to extreme measures to find a
definition. This obsession subsequently destroyed him because once his eyes adjusted
and he attempted to stare into the sun searching for the form of Quality, he was unable to
return to the world of graduate school, his family, and mainstream America his cave until he was killed and resurrected as the narrator of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance.

The narrator of the story is the readers guide to Quality or Enlightenment as he recounts
his previous journey when he was still Phaedrus. At the beginning of the story, the
narrator and the reader are together in the cave of darkness and Phaedrus is gone. The
narrator helps the reader turn away from the shadows and begin the same ascent to
Quality as Phaedrus did. As the narrator and reader climb out of the cave into the world
of the forms, however, Phaedrus returns.

In an essay in Contemporary Literature,

Geoffrey Galt Harpham describes Phaedrus return as terrifying [the narrator] with the
prospect of a relapse into madness (66). The story then concludes with Phaedrus taking
the narrators place as our guide. This substitution may mean a relapse into madness, but
it does not mean a return to the cave. Instead, it means reaching another milestone on the
path to Enlightenment in this case.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance provides one final link between the quest for
Enlightenment and the quest for The Good in The Allegory of the Cave. Even though
Phaedrus was killed by the University of Chicago when he tried to return to his cave of
society, he returns when the narrator and the reader climb out of the cave. It seems that
when Phaedrus nearly experienced the form of Quality, his soul stayed in the world of the
forms. In The Allegory of the Cave, Plato never depicts the actual killing of the
returning prisoner; he simply mentions that it may happen in his hypothetical situation.
Perhaps he means that the person never fully returns. This echoes the Buddhist idea of a
Bodhisattva, a person who reaches Nirvana but chooses to return to educate others. This
would mean that the world of the forms really represents Nirvana, and Phaedrus chose to
remain there while the narrator returns to educate others as a Bodhisattva. This would
explain why Phaedrus returns to the story once the narrator and the reader progress
further along the path to Enlightenment.
The similarities between the journey in Platos The Allegory of the Cave and the path
to Enlightenment are apparent, but one thing left to compare are the texts themselves
instead of the journey that they describe. Comparing Zen literature and Platos short
metaphor that begins Book VII of The Republic yields an interesting similarity, but both
are quite difficult to interpret fully. Platos text has been examined by many different
people and seen differently for well over 2,000 years, and Zen literature can be seen
differently by nearly everyone who reads it. Perhaps this is true because our eyes have
yet to adjust to these illuminated texts or the fog has yet to lift high enough to reveal all
of the mountains.

Yet, obscured or not, we still examine them more and more. Jennifer Gurley writes:
perhaps the closer we read [Plato,] or any text for that matter, the closer we come only to
ourselves. And perhaps this was Platos point (356). Many people have claimed that
Platos Allegory of the Cave was a story about truth; yet, the truth is not dictated
specifically in the text. Perhaps the truth that it contains is different for each individual.
The prisoners in the cave saw truth in the shadows passing by until one prisoner found a
greater truth when he was turned around. It seems that Plato intends for his reader to find
the truth that is true for them. Zen teaches the same idea.

Students of Zen are encouraged not to follow specific rules, but to use the teachings to
find their own Zen that fits into their life. This is the conclusion that Dinty Moore
reached in his American Buddhist Project after finding the many ways that people find to
fit Zen into their everyday American life style. This idea is also present in Taneda
Santkas famous Haiku that reads, the deeper I go/ the deeper I go/ green mountains
(22) - meaning that the deeper he goes into the mountains, the deeper he goes into
himself; the same thing happens when reading these texts. It seems that the final
common theme between these two ideas is that even though the two follow a similar
journey, their destination is indeterminate. This can be seen in Platos text where the final
fate of the prisoner is not clear and also in the Buddhist path to Enlightenment where one
can either end in Nirvana or return as a Bodhisattva. Any truth that is found in either of
these writings depends on the interpretation of the reader. Like the Green Mountains, the
further one digs into these texts, the further one examines himself or herself. As Gurley
says, perhaps this is the point.

Notes

1. The complete ten-step process described by the Ox-Herding Pictures are

presented in Dinty Moores The Accidental Buddhist as follows (135):
1. Seeking the ox
2. Finding footprints of the ox
3. The ox is sighted
4. The ox is caught
5. The ox is tamed
6. The ox is ridden home
7. The ox is transcended
8. The self is transcended
9. Becoming Enlightened
10. Returning to the world to become a teacher