190. Dokusan is an opportunity to break out of an individualistic approach to Zen practice. There one goes alone into the presence of the master to make a presentation of one's understanding. The master may accept or reject one's presentation. No room for argument or egoism here. Indeed the master will jump on any indication of self importance on the part of the practitioner. And it is the master who decides when the interview is finished. This is the traditional model of Dokusan and it has its critics. Some complain that it is authoritarian and dismiss it as exhibiting something they call 'guru-ism'. Perhaps they find it an affront to their democratic sensibilities.
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