194. The True Self is the source of the deep yearning that the Zen practitioner comes to find stirring within himself or herself, a yearning not only for the liberation of the small, finite, separate self but also for the liberation of all beings. The distinction and interplay between the finite, conventional self and the True Self is graphically, even dramatically, displayed in many of the Zen koans. Questions like 'what is your original self?', 'who is he?', 'where is your true nature?', and 'who is this standing before me?' are all indicative of Zen's quest for the True Self, its search for what constitutes ultimate reality.
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