A similar situation has arisen between me and my students. At one point, some of my more skeptical students requested that I explain Buddhadharma more fully. Before this time, students accepted everything I said as gospel truth. Such an attitude can be a problem. Since I usually communicate to Westerners through an interpreter, some things may be lost in translation. For example, the interpreter may not convey exactly what the questioner had in mind, which can lead to an entirely different answer on my part. If students don't question me, they may end up misinformed. My students, however, did question me, not being clear about some of my answers. They asked me for clarification, to give examples and not leave things so seemingly mystical or abstract. Actually, the more students ask me to explain myself, the better it is for everyone. For this, I am grateful to my students.

I am not one who boasts of enlightenment, I am not all knowing, and I am not an expert on Western culture. I am a Buddhist monk who has received transmission in two Ch'an lineages: Ts'ao-tung (Japanese: Soto) and Lin-chi (Japanese: Rinzai). Therefore, people consider me a Ch'an master. I am also recognized as a scholar, having received a doctorate in Buddhist literature and having published scholarly works on Buddhadharma. I do not claim that my answers are ultimate truth, for no answers can express that truth. However, Ch'an is universal and transcends cultural differences across time and space. Thus, the answers to these questions were already in the West. I am confident that my answers do not contradict basic Buddhist principles.