"A student asked Zen Master Seung Sahn, 'I have heard this teaching about cutting off thinking, inside and outside becoming one, and believing in my true self. I have heard this so many times, but I don't know if it is possible for me. How can I believe in my true self 100 percent? It seems so difficult.'

" 'Very easy! Do you have ten dollars? I will show you for ten dollars!'

" 'Ten dollars? But what does that have to do with — '

" 'Only buy a movie ticket! Ha ha ha ha!' When you go to the movies, what kind of mind do you have then?'

" 'I just watch.'

" 'Just watch? So you can already believe your eyes. You can believe your ears. That means you can believe in your true self. Inside and outside already become one. Before the movie, your habit-mind is always checking, checking, checking. After the movie, your mind returns to thinking, thinking, thinking. But while you watch this movie, there is no thinking. Have you ever seen Star Wars? Spaceships flying through the sky, many bombs exploding, the good guys chasing the bad men. At that time, you are only "Ahhh! That's wonderful!!" When someone in the movie is happy, you become happy. When someone becomes sad, you become sad. You and the movie become one; there is no inside and no outside. At that time, during the movie, there is no thinking. You are not planning for tomorrow, or regretting yesterday. There are no random thoughts to follow. Only — boom! — you become one with the action in this movie: it can make you laugh or cry or feel angry.

" 'So, watching a movie is true Zen mind. At that time, you believe in your true self 100 percent. After the movie, thinking appears, and you suffer. You fall back into believing the movie in your head. Ha ha ha ha! So, if you still don't believe in your true self 100 percent, you must go to the movies all day, every day. Then, no problem. OK?'

" 'OK!' ”