Tag Archives: amrita (ambrosia/immortality)

Vesak Day Dharma Vision

Thank you for your participation in the Vesak Day (commemorating Buddha’s Birthday, Awakening, and Parinirvāna, Perfect Nirvana) celebration! This is a good occasion for us to reflect and relive the Buddha’s Way. He opened the great gate of amrita, ambrosia … Continue reading

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Holy Home and Host

Good morning!   When I left my home, there was sleeting like this. When I arrived here there was no sleeting. Weathermen said that the snow will accumulate one to two inches by 11:30 a.m. and six to eleven inches by tonight. So, everybody is staying at home – very quiet.   When the Buddha was taking his morning walk and sitting, he overheard Yasa, the first layman to renounce, saying, “Aah, I am suffering, Alas, I am disturbed!” So the Buddha said, “Here is neither suffering nor vexation. Come and sit, Yasa! I will tell you the dharma!”   Now we have sesshin. Sesshin is touching the mind (接心) and embracing the mind (摂 心).  We can touch and embrace our minds, and even the Buddha mind, when we practice.  These incessant innumerable soft snowflakes seem like the Great Thousand Worlds, in which innumerable soft snowflakes are also falling.   When we practice, we forget our selves and are verified by all dharmas.  As we see dharmas, they verify us with the triple dharma marks: impermanence, suffering from impermanence, and no self-substance from no self-sameness and no self-sovereignty. Thus, the Buddha said “Not yours” (na tumhakam).   Nothing is ours, even our bodies and minds, much less those of others. So, naturally we drop off our bodies and minds. When we see dharmas, we witness the holy dharma world, holy home, and holy hosts. In the holy home, everything is holy host. There is no person with limited possessions and possessedness.   Rinzai (Linji: 臨済) said “Becoming a host at any place, all become true.” When we become hosts, all turns out true. When we become guests or slaves, all fall far or false. When we witness the holy home, we become holy hosts, enjoying holy (wholly wholesome) truth, goodness, and beauty.   Dr. Suzuki of the Suzuki Method of Ability Development said that life has no age and that sounds have life, living without forms. Formless life gives us beauty, goodness, and truth. He often told the story of Amala and Kamala fostered by a wolf – we can … Continue reading

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Sitting and Seeing Mountain Peaks

Good evening!   I heard from Japan that the plum flowers at Kairaku-en, Co-enjoying-garden, are now in full bloom, though late due to the deep cold snow season.   Dogen loved plum flowers blooming in the chill with strong scent. He said that we have the time to see all the peaks.   For that we must strive step by step in continuous concentrated effort, free from all other concerns, and fully, with our total power.   Then we can see all the peaks as if sitting alone at the peak of the Great Courageous One, the Buddha, enjoying the scent of amrita, immortality.   3/15/13   Note: A monk asked Hyakujo (Bai-zhang:百丈), “What is an unusual thing?” Hyakujo said, “Sitting alone at the peak of the Great Courageous One (大雄).”   Hyakujo Ekai (百丈懐海:Baizhan Huaihai) lived at the peak of Mt. Hyakujo (hundred feet) or Mt. Great Hero/Great Courageous One (大雄), thus … Continue reading

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Spring Sitting

Good morning!   We say, “A moment of a spring evening is worth a thousand pieces of gold.” A spring morning in sitting and stopping karma winds is priceless, devoid of delusion deceased (gari-gari-mōja, 我利我利亡者), dead demons, and deadly devils as in the daytime dealing.   Here is the significance of cultivation and verification. Only practice makes perfect paths, persons, and places. The taste of amrita, ambrosia of immortality, is in actually acting and achieving it here and now.   3/12/13   Note: Delusion deceased (gari-gari-mōja, 我利我利亡者, lit. Self-interest, self-interest deceased) means the one who is deluded by “self,” and possessed by the self-interest and become living dead, not living free and fully with all beings – wholly wholesome living. In the daytime dealing with other humans we are drawn into this state of self- interest dead or deadly dangers, which we avoid in the early morning natural world only with beautiful birds’ singing and bunnies’ scurrying.  

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Karma Makes Man; No Karma Makes Buddha

Good evening!   We say, “Habits make the second nature.” Habits make the first nature; habits are defined as nature. Our karmas make ourselves with forms, functions, and features.   The Buddha said, “One is holy or unholy not by … Continue reading

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Sit, Settle in, and See the Dharma

Good morning!   After the winter solstice we have a brighter and colder day. After our sittings we have a calmer and clearer world. Before I came here I watched a Japanese TV program on a doctor working with PTSD … Continue reading

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Entirety Exposed to Eternity

Good morning!   We had a very warm day yesterday, going up to 77 degrees, and the forecast said that it would go down to 31 degrees overnight. Now we still have a nice warm, moist atmosphere. We can see … Continue reading

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Taste of Amrita, Ambrosia of Immortality

Good evening!   The taste of pudding is in the eating.   The taste of amrita, ambrosia of immortality, is in the practicing, constant and concentrated.   8/1/12  

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Dharma Marks

Good evening!   As today is the first day of fall, the bright sun is still high with bright daylight, like midday. The sky is cloudless, even though it was all covered by ball-shaped clouds this morning.   The bright … Continue reading

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Wonderful Waking

Good morning!   It is wonderful to wake up early in the morning, see the brilliant sun rising and beautiful flowers blooming, sit in free full function, settle in unconditioned peace and unsurpassed awakening to the dharma, tasting amrita, ambrosia … Continue reading

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