Tag Archives: awakened way

Soto, Zen, Buddhism

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:   … Continue reading

Posted in Awakened Way (Buddhism), Zen | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Primordial Purity, Peace, and Prognosis

Good morning!   When we sit, we do not disturb the candle flame. Even when we move, if we move calmly and clearly, we do not disturb it. We can keep harmony here now. We must keep the primordial purity, … Continue reading

Posted in Awakened Way (Buddhism) | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ultimate Resort and Refuge for All

Good evening!   We have a calm quiet fall day. Especially when we sit, we can be in a stormless state, like the equinox, the yonder shore (higan:彼岸 ), in peace.   There we have the ultimate resort and refuge. … Continue reading

Posted in Nirvana (windless: asankhata | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Good morning!   Now the moon is almost a half moon, changing from the fall full moon. Life is like morning dew on grass, swiftly disappearing.   Ten students and two teachers from the Webster Works Worldwide program came and … Continue reading

Posted in Awakened Way (Buddhism), Zen | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Moon and Turtle

Good morning!   Did you see the full moon? (Yes!) Great! The full moon is compared to the Buddha mind, awakened mind, bright and brimming in perfect roundness, in complete calmness and clarity.   When we sit, we see the … Continue reading

Posted in Awakened Way (Buddhism) | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Flowering and Fruition

Good morning!   This is the last day of our equinox sesshin. It seems that it is truly getting colder after the equinox day.  The night is getting longer and darker with the brighter morning star, Orion, etc.   Equanimity … Continue reading

Posted in Awakened Way (Buddhism) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Practice Pertaking

Good morning!   After the long dry hot summer with drought disasters now we have a lot of rain like a rainy season. So, we missed the full moon just a few days ago. I came back from Japan just … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Good morning!   We have beautiful bright spring-like sunlight and sky – crisp clear space without clouds, piercing through all endlessly.   After our sittings we are also penetrated by purity and peace. Usually we are separated by our skin … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Self-island into Dharma-dhatu

Good morning!   We saw the brilliant shining spring sun before we came here. We have now a dim candle light here.   At night the candle light could show us the dim world.  In the day time the sun … Continue reading

Posted in Asankhata (asamskrita: unmade) | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Cultivation in Calm Clearness

Good evening!   Now we have the crisp crescent moon in the crisp cool sky. So, we can not see the world clearly. As the moon grows bigger and brighter, and become full, brilliant and beautiful, then we can see … Continue reading

Posted in Cultivation: culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment