Mind Makes Mundus

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good evening!

 

We have beautiful bright stars in the crisp cool sky. We may see them on a ship in the great ocean or a boat in the fast rapids. Dogen told a story: a man dropped his stuff into water. He said, “I dropped my stuff here” He pointed the mark he cut on the boat-side.

 

We may see the world in the tread wheels like hamsters. We may see all kinds of worlds, boats, wheels with delusion and discrimination. We can cut marks of money, matter, etc. on our fleeting life boats. Our worlds depend on how we see our worlds and our minds.

 

Unless we see the true nature of our worlds and minds, we transmigrate through the Six Worlds or Ways of hell beings, hungry ghosts, fighting devils, etc. So, we must sit, stop our karmas, and see the truth and peace of our worlds and minds. Mind makes mundus.

 

2/21/12

 

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Seeing the Unseen

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good morning!

 

We have the below freezing point temperature, but daytime is getting longer and earth is warming up, thus bulb plants are growing with buds. Spring is surely here.

 

Now in Japan only two nuclear reactors are on line out of fifty four. Seventy some percent of people there are against nuclear power after the nuclear disaster on 31111.

 

I saw a TV program last night on “Noh Play.” The player and a movie director said that players or actors/actresses must have the vision of the invisible beyond masks and men.

 

They said that only when players and actors/actresses could see from the audience’s or director’s perspective and performance, they can be perfectly professionals.

 

Another titled “How Humans Evolved” showed how a stroke-caused blind person could distinguish human complexions, even though he was unable to see mechanical shapes.

 

Another brain area than vision perception, amigdala, distinguishes smiling or angry faces, thus communicating each other among humans or maybe among animals beyond visions.

 

We could see things unseen by five sense organs. This is the sixth or farther insight – prognosis. Minority sees far first and majority makes changes through communication.

 

Sea change is made by ripples and waves. Everyone’s enduring step-by-step striving is crucial in climbing mountains, which moves even mountains and sees system changes.

 

We must not be caught by short-sights and small-circuiting, but must go beyond them for longer and wider understanding and action for the wholly wholesome world.

 

2/20/12

 

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Posted on February 20, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good morning!

 

We could see the very thin new moon earlier. Now we can see beautiful flowers at the altar – lilies showing spring. We have now passed a half month since spring solstice. Even though we have very cool clear air, we feel spring atmosphere after a few sittings. We are penetrated by the clear cool air, harmonizing with all things – the whole world.

 

Doen’s poem titled Prostration describes such state:

 

No winter-grass being seen,

A white heron in snow-field

Hides itself in

Its own form.

 

When we sit, we become like white herons in the snow field – just becoming one in the wholly wholesome world. But, in our ordinary world we see a lot of black bats making the world dark. It is like missing and messing the jigsaw pieces out of the original board. So, we should go back to the original ground to complete the original jigsaw puzzle.

 

I watched the movie titled Zen which tells about Dogen’s life again recently now on CDs. What is life? How we should live? Usually people don’t ask these essential questions and live only by their habits, driven by their karma winds, blown up and down through the Six Ways or Worlds – becoming hell beings, fighting devils, hungry ghosts, etc.

 

Please observe and obtain the meaning of our life and the answer how we should live our precious lives, which have been protected and fostered for four billion years, but could be lost in an instant like dewdrops on the grass blades. Dogen’s life was like a straight stick penetrating through all births and deaths, and embracing all beings all through his life.

 

He had his poems that he wouldn’t care about his life, but all being even to the smallest insects. Unless, he said, we really have this bodhisattva mind, we can never realize the awakened way. Because we don’t realize the awakened way, we come off from these jigsaw scenes – creating problems and sufferings – global warming, mass extinction, etc.

 

I forwarded to our e-list the news of companies, AT&T, GM, Microsoft, etc., funding the global warming denier Heartland Institute. They are short-sighted and thus suffer getting off the right track, missing all wholly wholesome, true, good, beautiful benefits and virtues. I also sent the news of Sen. Sander addressing this crucial topic like lion’s roar.

 

We have now the exhibit of the Reflections of the Buddha at the Pulitzer Foundation. You can see the child statue of the Prince Regent Shotoku standing as the first show piece. He commented on the three Mahayana scriptures: the Lotus Sutra (法華経), the Purity-honored-one Sutra (維摩経), and the Queen Shrimara’s Lioness Roar Sutra (勝鬘経).

 

The first one tells the unified one world like the jigsaw puzzle perfectly completed. In the second one Yuima (維摩) became sick due to the sickness of the world. By practice we can attain unconditioned peace and unsurpassed awakening. If our awakening is completely pure and penetrating, we can not separate ourselves from the sick world.

 

That’s why bodhisattvas must work to cure the sickness until the last piece is fit into the original jigsaw board to complete its beautiful scene. We need the lioness’s roar, stopping the chattering and neighing of monkey minds and horse wills in terror and awes. All the lioness’s roars will stop wars and pollution, if we realize the true life and right life way.

 

The last scene of the movie was that of small girls sitting under the guidance of a woman who had to work wrong way. One girl was sitting with the mudra as if holding something with one hand at the bottom and another at the top in place of the usual dharma-dhatu mudrâ. She said that she wanted to protect it from rain, much more from radiation rain.

 

The movie started with Dogen’s mother passing away from him advising to enter into the path of awakened way to save her and all others. All the lives and living have come from and being supported by the total universe, working for fifteen billion years. All plants and animals are gene-shared, life-shared beings, sisters and brothers, parents and children.

 

We do not notice it, much less realize it in our ordinary living. Lotus flowers bloom beautifully, growing out of mother earth often in muddy water. The popular phrase “Om mani padme hun” means “Homage to the jewel in the lotus.” We must protect and perfect it. We need to acquire, associate, and appreciate it in our moment to moment life.

 

2/19/12

 

 

 

 

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Beauty of Pollination

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Rosan Daido
Here are the pretty pictures of nature from the op-ed news:


Purpose of Education, plus fascinating video

 

Quicklink submitted by Daniel Geery
(Add your own quicklinks easily with the
OpEdNews Quick Link Browser bookmark)
I asked my Guru Brother once what he thought the purpose of education should be. With little hesitation, he said, ‘Teach the appreciation of nature.’ I have never been able to come up with a better answer. Watch this video if you think this may be THE correct answer. Or if you don’t…

Read the rest of the story HERE:

 

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Three Worlds in One Mind

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good morning!

 

We could see the bright spring sun and the beautiful spring scene this morning. Observations and reports were that we were one week ahead of spring season coming several years ago. So, maybe now we are ten days or two weeks ahead of our calendar.

 

There are the worlds for wolves, humans, and awakened ones. It is said that “the three worlds – of emotion-volition (kâma-dhâtu: lust realm), physical (rûpa-dhâtu: form realm), and beyond (arûpa-dhâtu: formless realm) – are one mind” (san-gai yui-shin: 三界唯心).

 

When our minds are bound to any of them and their kinds, we are bound to such worlds. When our minds are small, our worlds are small. When our minds are not bound, we have boundless world. Without the limited minds, we have limitless luck, as Dogen said.

 

We can enjoy limitless light, life, liberation, and love, depending on limitless learning. The Six Worlds and Ways and beyond depend upon our minds and manners – absence or abundance of practice in aspiration, action, awakening, and unconditioned peace.

 

2/18/12

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Wholly Wholesome World

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good evening!

 

We are having nice warm weather going around 60. So, we may say the spring evening worth a thousand gold. In Japan snow accumulated to one meter in a day somewhere.

 

When snow covers all things, the world becomes just white. Dogen’s poem titled Prostration reads:

 

No winter-grass being seen,

A white heron in snowfield

Hides itself in

Its own form.

 

When we prostrate or sit completely, we become white in the white world, completely pure and penetrating, becoming wholly wholesome through and through.

 

So, Dogen said this is the essential function and functional essence. This is the way to completely become harmonious and unified with the whole world.

 

Then, our practice goes on with the cycle or the spiral of aspiration, action, awakening, and unconditioned peace, and again aspiration, etc.

 

And thus the cycle or the spiral of awakening, freedom, unity, love and peace go on endlessly and limitlessly.

 

These auspicious or virtuous cycles or spirals ever go on wider and deeper in ripple effect and reflections endlessly and limitlessly.

 

We all need to become wholly wholesome to avoid samsara suffering and live on joy. We hope everyone’s essential function changes the whole world wholly wholesome.

 

2/17/12

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dharma of Dependent Origination

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good morning!

 

We could see the beautiful crescent moon. Just recently we saw the full moon and started spring season. We could now feel the spring atmosphere.

 

Ancient people found the regularity of seasons (ritu) and the shifting moon phases. Thus they came to know the law of nature – interrelation and impermanence.

 

The Buddha had the penetrating prognosis and practice of the dharma (law) of dependent origination applied universally, realizing universal dynamics devoid of “self” entities.

 

It is said that those who see Dependent Origination see the Dharma and see the Buddha. When we witness Dependent Origination, we witness the Dharma and the Buddha.

 

When we witness and realize the Dharma in our world, we realize and become dharmas and buddhas ourselves.

 

2/17/12

 

 

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Sit and See Way

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good evening!

 

We have nice rather unusual warm weather. When clouds clear there is no more snow, storm, and thunder.

 

When we sit and stop our karmas, we can stop three poisons of delusion, craving, and anger.

 

The Buddha said that this is the “come and see (ehi-passika)” way or we can say “sit and see” way. Anyone can come and see or witness peace and prognosis.

 

If we continue and concentrate well, everyone can realize unconditioned peace (nirvana) and unsurpassed right complete awakening (anuttara samyak-sambodhi).

 

Karma-machines become dharma-machines. War-machines become peace-machines. Anyone can witness them, living on joy and tasting ambrosia of immortality (amrita).

 

2/17/12

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World without Wars

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good morning!

 

We have nice wet and rather unusually warm weather. So, now we can see green grass. A proverb says “Rain solidifies soil. (ame  futte chi katamaru: 雨降って地固まる)”

 

Our miseries and misfortunes may bring us to solutions and satisfaction. Wars and disasters, birth and death, may lead us to peace and deathlessness.

 

Soldiers entered into Mt. Yun-ju. Their general asked Master Yun-ju sitting motionless, “When the world attains peace?” Yun-ju said, “When your mind becomes peaceful.”

 

I watched the movie titled Zen, now available on a disc with English subtitles, which tells about Dogen’s life. After watching it I recalled Kyoshi’s (虚子) haiku (俳句) poem:

 

Something like a stick

piercing through the going year

and the coming year.

 

Kozo-kotoshi

tsuranuku bôno

gotokimono

 

去年今年

貫く棒の

如きもの

 

Among all through dust and devastation of the world Dogen’s life was something like space straight through and still embracing turbulent and tumultuous clouds.

 

An op-ed article in today’s New York Times was on endless wars. Unless we put an end to our karma of craving, anger, and delusion, we cannot stop our wars inside and out.

 

Unless we have firm determination and deed in the two islands of self and dharma, we have endless wars, never settling in peace, much less unconditioned peace (nirvana).

 

2/16/12

 

 

 

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Self-conquered Compassionate Conquerors

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Rosan Daido

Good morning!

 

We have now beautiful bright sunlight and the beautiful blue sky without clouds. And we have beautiful flowers at the altar and all the places. The winter air is crisp and clear; it felt cool and comfortable. Dogen loved plum flowers, which bloom in the chilly air, thus giving strong scent – severe climates strengthening stronger characters. We are children of environment and fosterers of it.

 

Last night I ordered a disc titled Zen, produced in Japan a few years ago, which tells about the life of Dogen. It is now available with English subtitles. So, it will be available for you to watch soon. Eight years before his birth in 1200, the Kamakura Shogunate government opened in Kamakura, far north of the old capital in Kyoto in a fresh environment and ethos.

 

It was a time of battles and bloodshed and of shifting rulers, from nobles to warriors. Turbulence and turmoil was occurring all over Japan. But in the northern part of Japan, a hundred miles north of Fukushima, Fujiwara Culture was blooming under the Fujiwara clan’s governance, creating a century of peace and prosperity before Dogen’s time.

 

Recently NHK featured the golden hall (金堂) of Chu-son-ji (中尊寺：Respecting Middle: Neutrality) Temple, with its Buddha statues. It was registered as a World Heritage site last year. It represents the Buddhist Pure-land (浄土: jôdo), or Blissfulness (Sukhavatî) of Amida (阿弥陀：Amita-âyus: Limitless Life or Amita-âbha: Limitless Light).

 

Every hundred yards along the several hundred miles of the Great Road leading to the golden hall, there are kasa-sotôbas (傘卒塔婆：umbrella stûpa: covered towers), so that people can directly approach and appreciate the golden building and Buddhas. More temples were added by generations of the Fujiwara family so that the people could experience the Pure-land, or Blissfulness.

 

Several centuries before this, Prince Regent Shotoku compiled the world first Constitution of Seventeen Articles. Its first article states that harmony is deemed precious. The second recommends reverence of the Triple Treasure. The tenth mentions the reason for them, as we are all commoners (putthu-jana: pritu-jana: mass- or separately-born: prithag-jana).

 

Prince Shotoku established the national legal systems, institutions, the world’s first university, temples, hospitals, etc. A millennium earlier in India, King Ashoka deeply regretted his campaign against Kalinga. He resorted to and restored Buddhism, creating Dharma-inscribed stone pillars and rocks, dispatching envoys near and far, even to Syria, Macedonia, Egypt, Mongolia, etc.

 

These instances illustrate that mumans can become great statesmen, creating great harmony and happiness, not small politicians causing great massacres and miseries. The Buddha was predicted to become either the universal king or the greatly awakened one, to save all beings. He chose the latter to exemplify living in holy truth, peace, goodness, and beauty.

 

The Buddha renounced his royal life and became a mendicant ascetic (striver: samana, shramana), attaining at last unconditioned peace (nirvana) and unsurpassed awakening after six years of extreme effort and exertion. He returned to the original unity with universal truth and harmony, beyond all karmas and karmic conditions, and shared it with all beings.

 

Karma winds stir us all in turbulence and turbidity. Karma clouds cause rain, flooding, snow, storms, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, thunderbolts, and thunderclaps. When karma winds and clouds cease, we find a beautiful, blue, clear and cool sky, windless (nir-vâna) and penetrating, pure prognosis (prajnâ: awakening: bodhi), tasting amrita (ambrosia, immortality).

 

There is a famous dialog between the Buddhist monk Nagasena and the Greek Bactrian (now Afghanistan) king Milinda (Manander: Menandros), representing a conversation between East and West and referred to as Milinda’s Question (Milinda-pañha). Milinda was reported to say that even a golden palace is a golden cage – to be renounced so as to live in limitless life and light.

 

Anyone can “come and see” this unconditioned peace and unsurpassed awakening, “good in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end” for all always, if only one has the actual aspiration and action, as this beautiful blue sky and this beautiful bright sunlight shining on all things, without winds and completely cloudless. Here and now is the topos et tempo.

 

2/12/12

 

 

Kondo (Golden Hall) or Konjikido (Golden-colored Hall) Photo by NHK

 

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