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Tag Archives: Buddha
Dharma Transmission
Good morning! Now we have a lot of green around us. Cherry blossoms have almost gone, but red buds have started blooming. I hope you have enjoyed deep breathing and profound peace. When we breathe deep with the Buddha mind seal, we completely refresh our whole system - body, mind, and the world. Thus we merge into the cosmos like the great ocean or the great sky. Actually the sky is called sallila, ocean in India. Then, we are liberated from small smelly skin sacks, returning to the origin, becoming one with the Dharma Dhātu, Domain. Then only, we find out our true selves, the true body, the great ocean like life. Only then, we become awakened to the truth of our original nature. We find that we have been deluded by our small bodies and minds, and find that all sufferings we had are dispersed like dense fogs, dispelled like dark clouds, and come to know wherefrom sufferings come - all from small selves sticking to small sacks. But, we never know it, until we reach nirvana, vast space, great ocean, and see things from there further, wider, and deeper. It is like waking up from our dreadful dreams. Even though we work in our daily lives, thinking that we are wakeful, it is not enough, not awakened, bound by all kinds of delusions, which essentially come from our senses that our selves, skin sacks, are the most important things. From this delusion, we create all kinds of problems and sufferings. Unless we stop it and merge into this great ocean, we remain in suffering, never solving our problems, individual, social, and ecological. As you know, they are getting more and worse. So, if we really want to solve our problems and sufferings, we must become Buddhas, stop becoming bubbles, becoming selfless. Only our practice makes it possible and perfect. The Buddha found this truth 25 centuries ago, and he devoted his whole life to save all beings from sufferings. Many followers practiced in the same way as he did, and became Buddhas. In this way from generation to generation, the Buddha Way has been transmitted and succeeded without interruption. If we want to keep this tradition, we all must become Buddhas and keep it alive and active. The most important thing for Buddhas is to keep the Buddha Dharma persist perpetually (reihōgujū, 令法久住). How? Make next Buddhas. Otherwise, it stops there, and disappears. The Dharma, as you know now, is like the limitless ocean or space, awakened by the Buddhas beyond the small selves, bubbles and clouds. If we stick to our small selves or other things such as money, material things, we lose our Dharma and the Dharma life. Even we stick to our lives, we lose them, much more the Buddha Dharma. As I talked last Sunday ”taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha (kimyō, … Continue reading
Posted in Dharma
Tagged " (ikkyoshu ittōsoku一挙手一投, "a separate transmission outside scriptures" (kyōgebetuden, "directly pointing the person's heart" (jikishi-ninshin, "from heart to heart" (i-shin den-shin, "not deluded about causality" (fumai inga, "not falling into causality"(furaku inga, "raising hands and taking steps, "seeing the true nature, "taking refuge in the Buddha, (Hōmyaku法脈), (Kechimaku, Ananda, and becoming the Buddha" (ken-sho jō- butsu, and Sangha (kimyō, Blood Line, Buddha, Buddha Dharma, Dharma, Dharma Dhatu, Dharma Line, Dogen, every move and, Fox Zen (yako-zen, Hyakujo, keep the Buddha Dharma persist perpetually (reihōgujū, Practice in Gratitude (Gyōji-hōon, Sangha, Significance of Cultivation and Verification (Shushōgi, storage of the right Dharma eye" (shōbōgenzō, suffering, tears for the Dharma (hōno tameno namida, the great ocean of Dharma (buppō-no taikai, unsurpassed complete right awakening (anuttara samyak sam-bodhi), Zen, 不昧因果), 不落因果), 仏法の大海), 令法久住), 以心伝心), 修証義, 帰命), 教外別伝), 正法眼蔵), 法の為の涙), 直指人 心), 血脈), 行持報恩), 見性成仏), 足), 野狐禅)
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Profound Paramount Prognosis
Good morning! We have now a beautiful spring morning with sitting with Buddhas and singing of birds. An old Buddha said: It is difficult to receive a human body and rare to meet the Buddha-dharma. We have received human bodies and met the Buddha-dharma. We are best among all lives. It is better to see even with one eye than being blind, not being able to see all the beautiful things in this world. Someone said, ”It is abnormal to have two eyes and to be in one-eyed countries” If we have two eyes with parallax, we can see things in perspective and profundity in three dimensions. If we have the third eye of prajñā, prognosis, we can see the paramount truth in the other world in supramundane realm. 4/10/13 Note: 1.Hard is it to receive a human body, rare is it to meet the Buddha-dharma. By virtue of stored merits, we not only have received human bodies hard to receive, but also have met the Buddha-dharma. We are in the best lives among various births and deaths and in the most blessed lives. We should not leave our dew-like lives to the mercy of the wind of impermanence treating carelessly the most blessed bodies. - Dogen, the Shushōgi, the Significance of Cultivation and Verification, Ch.1 2.Paramount truth, paramattha sacca, paramārth satya, shōgitai, 勝義諦
Ultimate and Only Way
Good morning! When we sit with Buddhas and flowers, opening the windows all around, we enjoy the singing of birds, scent of flowers, spring scene, stars, dawning, … This is the Buddha world like the King Mirror seeing the whole picture of the elephant, unlike the blind people touching only their parts and fighting for them. If we want to solve our problems, we must practice the Awakened Way. Since the Buddha found the way to stop all sufferings, 25 centuries have passed. Still we have a lot of problems. We must practice and become like the King Mirror or Buddhas, witnessing one harmonious world in unconditioned peace and unsurpassed awakening. This is the ultimate and the only way to solve our problems and sufferings from the very root and absolutely. 4/9/13 Picture by Robert o Bertero, National Geographic
Right Realization Right Hereunder
Good morning! We had a light shower last night, so it is still a little cloudy. Thus we saw the very thin, dim moon. Today is the Flower Festival Day commemorating the Buddha’s birth. The full moon shines forth fully, only when the moon faces directly to the sun of clear and calm truth and peace. The King Mirror reflected the total truth of the great living elephant unlike the thin, dim image of it by the blind people, who insisted on their partial truth and fought for it. The realization right hereunder, stressed in the last chapter of the Collection of Cautions in Learning the Way by Dogen, is this coincidence the firm practice mind and the Buddha way right hereunder. This actual sitting is the direct contact with the Buddha way and the Buddha mind here and now. 4/8/13
Serene Satisfaction
Good morning! We have a nice, sunny spring Sunday with a serene atmosphere, especially after sittings. Now we can open the windows and hear the singing of birds, and even see them and flowers. In Japan they are going to have the Flower Festival, … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Dharma
Tagged amrita (ambrosia, Buddha, Dharma, Dogen, Flower Festival (hanamatsumi, Fukushima, immortality, karma, triple learning, 花祭り)
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Wholly Wholesome World-Body-Mind
Good evening! We say, ”A moment in a spring evening is worth a thousand gold pieces.” When we sit like the Buddha, with the best upright posture, assembled hands, and deep breathing, clearing all karmas – physical, verbal, and mental, conceptions, emotions, and volitions – with full power like a water jet cutting metal, we, too, are in unconditioned peace and unsurpassed awakening. If we sit absent-mindedly, our minds become confused and diffused and our bodies not straight, strong, and balanced. Dogen said, ”Awakening is attained with the body, not the mind.” Awakening is attained with the total body, mind, and world in free full function, the dropping off of bodies and minds, so truly wholly wholesome with all, and thus the Buddha mind and body. 4/5/13
Mirror Moon Mind
Good morning! We can see the bright half moon in the clear sky. Beneath it is the calm clear full moon, the Buddha mind. The renowned moon, “Get me it!” say Crying children. 名月を 取ってくれろと 泣く子かな Meigetsu-o Totte-kurero-to Naku-ko kana No one can get and give it to others, but each and every one must get it by actual cultivation and verification. Otherwise the triple poisons and the triple maladies get us. The great round mirror mind is always right hereunder, now, underneath apparent changes. We hope everyone gets it so that all can enjoy total truth and pure peace, with the great Indra-net giving all the triple learnings and the triple treasures. 4/3/13 Note: The haiku quoted above is made by Issa Kobayashi. The following is made by Basho Matsuo: The renowned moon, Going around the pond, For the whole night. 名月や 池をめぐりて 夜もすがら Meigetsu-ya … Continue reading
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
Posted in cultivation: verification (修:証)
Tagged Amala, amrita (ambrosia/immortality), Buddha, Dr. Suzuki, embracing truth (satya-āgraha), Gandhi, Great Thousand Worlds, Kamala, lit. doing duty), no-harm (a-himsā), not yours (na tumhakam), Rinzai (Linji), Ryokan, samu (作務, sesshin, Sesshin:touching the mind (接心) and embracing the mind (摂心), Suzuki Method, triple dharma marks (impermanence/suffering/selfless), work), Yasa
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Sesshin, Samyak-Sambodhi Seal
Good morning! We’re having the spring equinox sesshin. This is very auspicious, because the equinox is identified as equanimity. In the East we call this time higan (彼岸), the other shore, beyond the torrents and billows of this world. Further, the spring equinox is important as the night napping of plants and animals has ended and they’re waking up to start their new, free, and full lives. If we just continue our old habits, we must also continue our problems and sufferings. That is why we need sesshin, touching our minds (接心) and embracing our minds (摂心). Our minds are compared to the charioteers of chariots. Often our chariots are pulled by the “will horses,” or karmas. So, we must find our minds and control them, not be controlled by them. We need to embrace our minds. Often in the early Buddhist scriptures it is recommended that we protect our doors or gates (dvāra-gutta). Because we constantly leak through our sense organs and motor organs, especially leaks of conceptions, emotions, and volitions through the motor organs, we defile and destroy our world and ourselves. So, we must embrace our minds. We have a nice equinox day today in balanced day and night, chill and heat. Weathermen, however, have warned of a few to several inches of snow accumulation from tonight to tomorrow night. We have been having extreme weather due to global warming – droughts, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, even the globe itself warming to make more fluid magma movement. Recently we were warned about a Nankai (South Sea) Trough earthquake and tsunami, which could cause ten times more damage than the Great East Japan Earthquake. Scientists say the adjacent Tō-nankai (East South Sea) and Tōkai (East Sea) earthquakes may take place at the same time. Disasters happen not only in Japan, but all over the world with added human causes. Not only disasters, but disease, devastation from nuclear plants, and accidents by cars, etc., may happen any time to anyone. We must therefore be prepared for them and for deaths. We must solve our birth and death problems before our devastation and deaths. We must attain unsurpassed awakening in the truth of our life and living, and unconditioned peace, nirvana, … Continue reading
Posted in cultivation: verification (修:証)
Tagged Buddha, dharma dhâtu (domain, Dogen, embracing our minds: 摂心), higan (彼岸: the other shore), karma, paramount truth (parama-artha-satya), protecting doors/gates (dvāra-gutta), sesshin: touching our minds: 接心, supramundane (loka-uttara), triple learnings (sīla/samādhi/prajñā), triple maladies (me-ism/materialism/militarism), triple poisons (delusion/desire/divisiveness), triple treasures (buddha/dharma/sangha), unconditioned peace (nirvana), unsurpassed right complete awakening (anuttara samyak-sambodhi)
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