Category Archives: cultivation: verification (修：証）

  A common saying is that one reaps as one sows. Cultivation of the land may or may not result in a good crop, given many factors like weather, infesters, disasters. Cultivation of oneself with one’s body, mouth, and mind … Continue reading →

  Good morning!   Last time I compared Zazen practice to mountaineering. Step by step we climb with effort, and we experience clear, cool air and calm, changing scenes. Eventually we can climb to the highest peak, commanding vast views … Continue reading →

    Good morning!   We are now surrounded by beautiful flowers – cherry, red buds, lilacs, azaleas – especially after sitting in serenity. Sesshin is embracing the heart/mind and touching them. The Buddha often referred to “door-guarding” (dvāra-gutta) of … Continue reading →

  Good morning!   We’ll have the Buddha’s birthday, called Hana-matsuri (花祭り), Flower Festival, tomorrow. “To be born as a human being is as rare as a blind turtle living on the bottom of the ocean coming up to the … Continue reading →

  Good morning!   Thank you for gathering together to practice on Saturday as well as to celebrate my birthday. This is the best gift for me, for you and for all, because this practice is the best gift for … Continue reading →

    Good morning!   We can see the morning star clearly. The Buddha was awakened when he saw it dawning. We enjoy peace here, now, after sittings and service. However, the world is distressed. These last few days Japan has been troubled by torrential rains and a river breaking, with several deaths, more missing, hundreds isolated, thousands evacuated, crops inundated. There used to be typhoons through the limited area called “Typhoon Ginza” for about a month, but now they are year-round and everywhere, with unusual behaviors like this time – the outbound staying along River Devil’s Rage (Kinugawa).   We are seeing refugees dying in trucks, drowned in the sea, etc. It is said that 340,000 Syrian refuges are fleeing into Europe, and more than ten times that number into nearby countries. More than double that number – half of the population – are internally displaced people (IDPs) due to the civil war and ISIS. According to the UNCHR there were almost 60 million refugees and IDPs around the globe in 2014 – one in every 122 people worldwide. The world is flooded with refuges and liquefied by  wars and warming globally, a worsening world of wreckage, regrets, and worries.   Due to the heat and rain I was not able to take care of my veggie garden well enough this summer, but yesterday I worked there all day. Weeds and plants thrive rampant- ly, fortunately, with more bees and butterflies. Recently I saw a frog and I had an unusual guest, a deer. Decades ago I saw a red fox. Yesterday I cultivated the soil deeper for radishes, hearing the phrase “radish ten tillings,” though I have been trying to till little, use fewer chemicals, etc. I saw self-seeded radish seedlings, so transplanted them. I sowed seeds of a few kinds of greens. I harvested honeydews, eggplants, etc.   We need some time between cultivation and harvesting in our karma world. So, we cultivate ourselves and verify the results later. Zazen, however, is the direct instant way to witness cultivation and verification at the same time. Sitting still is itself stilling karma and seeing unconditioned peace, nirvana, and unsurpassed awakening, bodhi, which serves and saves all in holy (wholly wholesome) harmony, health, and … Continue reading →