Good morning!
This is Mother’s Day. So, we celebrate not only our direct biological mothers,
but also bigger basic Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Mother Dharma, Mother
Home, our true home, which the Buddha witnessed and established. So, we
not only present carnations to our biological mothers, but also present ourselves
the broader based Dharma Dhātu, Domain, Truth Territory, nirvana, unconditioned
peace, and anuttara samyak sambōdhi, unsurpassed right awakening.
Twenty five centuries ago the Buddha sat in Zazen, settled in nirvana, witnessed this
Dharma Dhātu, and was awakened to the truth beyond our ordinary biological living
for the first time in the history of living beings, thus opened the Awakened Way for
all. Nirvana means windless of karmas. We are all bound by karmas, actions, action
results, and habit energies. So, the Buddha said that all living beings are karma
machines, heirs, and relatives. He found the way to go beyond karma machines,
karma life to Dharma life.
It is from small skin sacks to limitless liberated life, like bubbles to a great ocean, as
if we take off our skin coats and merge into the great space. So, when we sit, stop our
physical, verbal, and mental karmas (creation, action, function), breathe deep, we
become one with the selfless, supramundane space like great space, sky or sea. He
found and founded the Dharma of Dependent Origination, that is, all phenomena
are interdependently originated and operate, thus there is no independent eternal
self.
Usually we stick to small selves, in reality the sources of suffering. All problems in
this world come from our sticking to small selves – global warming, mass extinction,
etc. So, our ultimate solutions of them lie in selfless, supramundane Buddha Dharma
life and living. The Buddha achieved the true Spiritual Revolution, the heart-mind-
spirit revolution beyond materialism, militarism, money-ism, essential me-ism. Only
there can we find true holy (wholly wholesome) harmony, health, and happiness.
It is really unusual, but not abnormal. It is truly aboriginal and normal. When we
stop our karmas, we see the Dharma Domain, and see the true nature of ourselves.
Only in this way can we attain amrita, ambrosia of immortality. So, as long as we
stick to our small skin sacks, decomposing and destroying, we can never attain it.
The Buddha opened the Dharma gate of amrita, ambrosia of immortality. As in the
common verse of the Seven Buddhas (quoted below), it really requires purifying one’s
own heart, to do all good and to do no evil:
Doing no evil,
Doing all good,
Purifying one’s own heart
Is the teaching of all Buddhas.
The great compendium of Buddhism by Buddhaghosa, Visuddhi-magga, tells us that
the Buddha Way is the Purity Path or Purification Path in the primordial purity,
peace, and prognosis, beyond and before our karma conditioning. His life was
homeless, jobless, foodless, becoming one with the whole world, cosmos. So, when he
got no food from his alms round and heard the devil’s voice suggesting to go back for
another round, he said, “No, I live on joy.” His holy heart was more important than
material good or food.
Matter, might, money, and me are limited and lead to fight and flight. Mind, life,
heart, and holiness are limitless and lead to light and liberation. Limitless cultivation
and verification lead to holy harmony and happiness. So long as we have small self,
ego, we must go through ups and downs, through the Six Paths as hell beings,
hungry ghosts, fighting devils, etc. in samsara suffering. Only by reaching nirvana
and becoming awakened, can we go beyond them. Buddhism is the essence of all
religions in truth and peace.
Zen is the core practice and essence of Buddhism: Buddha was awakened, attained
nirvana, actualized it daily, and entered the complete nirvana, pari-nirvāna, by
Zazen. Dogen said that the true Buddhism came to Chine only when Bodhidharma
arrived there about fifteen centuries ago. Buddhism is to become Buddha, thus
Zazen is essential to do so. Before Bodhidharma there was only scriptural
information, neither actual practice of Zazen, Buddha Mind Seal, nor the true heart
to heart, life to life transmission.
Zen mottoes are “Directly point to the human heart. See the nature and become
Buddha.” (jikishi-ninshin, 直指人心、kenshō-jōbutsu, 見性成仏) “Transmit beyond
scriptures. Don’t stand on or set out letters.” (kyōge-betsuden, 教外別伝、furyū-
monji, 不立文字) “(Teach and transmit) from heart to heart.” (ishin-denshin, 以心伝
心). Zen is the direct, deep, dynamic Dharma dedication, actions, and deeds beyond
intellectualism, individualism, and indulgence.
Dogen established Soto Zen tradition in Japan, hitting the mark, core, and essence of
Zen. His motto was shikan-taza (只管打坐), simple strenuous sitting or complete
devotion to sitting in Zazen, Buddha Mind Seal or Buddha Seal. When we are sealed
in it, we realize the universal truth, becoming Buddha. He stressed the “learning
with the body and mind” (shinjin-gakudō, 身心学道), realizing “dropping off the
body and mind” (shinjin-datsraku, 身心脱落) and “the body and mind of the Buddha
Dharma” (buppōno shinjin, 仏法の身心).
His way is called the “unicolor Buddha Dharma” (isshikino buppō, 一色の仏法) in
“unity of cultivation-verification” (shusho-ittō, 修証一等).” When we sit totally, we
cultivate and verify nirvana and bodhi at the same time. He said that “dignified form
is itself Buddha Dharma” (igi-soku-buppō, 威儀即仏法), this upright sitting is itself
the awakened form, truth, law, and life. So, our practice is the Path or Practice Cycle
(gyōji-dōkan, 行持道環) of aspiration, action (cultivation), awakening, and
unconditioned peace.
This center is to embrace all of them. We have the triple pillars of the Awakened
Way, Global Ethic, and Voluntary Simplicity, essence of Buddhism, Zen, and Soto
tradition. I thought about adding the Sixteen Precepts of the triple treasures, the
triple collective pure vows, and ten grave prohibitory precepts we receive in our
ordination in Soto tradition. This will enhance ethic in the Sangha, here now and
wider in space and time. The true Sangha is the Dharma Dhātu, not the mundane
society, set in selfish survival instinct.
So, in Buddhism Sangha is composed of renunciant monks and nuns, and lay men
and women. Our Sangha is our true home, encompassing ecological life system, the
true mother of all mothers, not egos. So, we must keep it pure, peaceful, and in
profound pro-gnosis. We should not defile, damage, and destroy it. That is why we
must go beyond ego, become eco. Simply strive to sit, completely devote to sit, as the
Buddha said as his last words, “Strive hard without indolence!” We must strive
without ignorance and inaction.
In Zen we say, “In nothingness is limitless stored or in no possession is limitlessness.”
5/12/13
Note:
Muichimotsu-chū Mujinzo (In nothingness is limitless stored,
無一物中無尽蔵).
Cf. Dogen’s word: Hanateba te-ni miteri (Off-hand, hand-full,
放てば手に満てり)；Kūshu genkyō (Coming home empty-handed,
空手還郷); Gennō-bichoku (The eyes horizontal, the nose vertical,
眼横鼻直).
