Self-serving: Tony D’Souza has another tale from the Zen Buddhist tradition

‘Dying to self is central to all religions because it is the only way we can come to know the eternal within ourselves.’

by Tony D’Souza 4th March 2022

You could tell by his eyes that he was a cold-hearted killer. They had a glassy, fish-eyed look about them that spoke of a heart from which all compassion had long ago been extinguished. He was indeed a killer, but that was just his job – it was nothing personal. As a samurai in thirteenth-century Japan, he never questioned his duty. He was entirely obedient to his feudal lord and to the warrior code of his class. During this latest battle between warring clans, he and his fellow warriors had successfully stormed a village and now he stood in front of the door of the Zen Buddhist temple.