Good morning!
We have a nice Sunday morning with beautiful autumn sky, blue, clear and cool.
The world after sitting is just like this vast void sky, nothing obstructing – no
obstacles, but just pure peace in emptiness.
In the world outside, however, we have a lot of conflicts and commotions. Twenty
five centuries ago, the Buddha said, “The world is on fire.” We have global warming,
wars, worse hurricanes, tornadoes, floodings, droughts,…
This blue sky is made of air, life source, but also death source, if we mistake and
meddle in the natural, peaceful process. We are now reading Dogen’s Kūge, Space
or Sūnyatā Flower.
In this vast void space are all galaxies, the Milky Way, the Solar System, the earth,
plants, animals – all space flowers in sūnyatā. They are blooming in this life source
of air, but also death source, if we mistake and miss this.
Because of our misunderstanding and misuse of this perfect, pure, peaceful process,
we become sick, old, and die. Because of this we become dementia, especially
dementia with Lewy bodies blocking our brains.
They block the processing of our brain, especially at the back and sides where our
visual senses and their interpretation of them are processed. So, those with dementia
see insects on sesame grain, lips on a red plaque, etc.
They see beasts, humans, fighting devils, hell or heavenly beings, and hungry ghosts.
We have a common saying, “Now I see the true bodies of ghosts – dead pampas
grass.” We see such, especially when we are fearful.
Dogen made this poem:
The path-ends of
One foolish mind
One seems to tread
As the Six Paths.
That is why we must cultivate ourselves to witness flowers in spring and fruits in
autumn, or both simultaneously like lotus flowers containing fruit. When we sit
in lotus position, we have fruit of the blooming lotus.
That is why we have this primordial purity, peace, and prognosis in sūnyatā,
emptiness. So, we must sit, stop karmas, see dharmas in the original state,
not karmic Six Paths, but the Dharma Dhātu, Domain, Root and Realm.
Anyone who practices can perfect and witnesse this – the Blue Lotus, Udumbara,
in the sky, said to bloom once in three thousand years, but any time anywhere.
They bloom in the world on fire and practice throughout fire.
We must withstand like gold, not like lead melting away quickly in the fire of the
world and through the Awakened Way. Then only can we see the flowers in fire
and in space blooming beautifully – Udumbara on the wall.
Three thousand years may be any time, anywhere for anyone depending on the long
causal relations with all beings – our ancestors, acquaintances, flora, fauna, the star,
the sun, the moon, the mind,…
10/6/13
Note: Udumbara is also said to bloom on walls. On the day the above was given, a visitor from New Jersey who practiced together at the Great Sky Sesshin together before saw the beautiful and bright flower on the wall – the shining sunlight through our stained glass.
