Tag Archives: religion

Stopping, Surpassing Samsara Suffering

Good morning!   It is a beautiful autumn Sunday morning with sittings and service, the sounds of birds flapping and flying. It is the best season, just after equinox with equal day and night, a cool and clear atmosphere.   Yesterday I posted Dogen’s poem on one mind treading on the Six Paths or transmigrating through them –hell beings path/way/passage/destiny/career, etc. at our website:   1. Hell being path/destiny (niraya-gati) 2. Beastly being path/destiny (tiracchānayoni-gati) 3. Ghostly being path/destiny (pittivisaya-gati) 4. Devilish being path/destiny (asura-gati) 5. Human being path/destiny (manussa-gati) 6. Celestial being path/destiny (deva-gati)   Because of our karmas, we appropriate and identify the body as “I” and act as (if) “an independent, eternal being.” This is the common convention, to get into self- centeredness and self-assertion, creating the triple poisons.   This is the fundamental delusion or nescience (non-witness of nirvana/bodhi, unconditioned peace/unsurpassed awakening), evolved by karmas (actions, habits, heredity, etc., even called the selfish gene) for desire/divisiveness.   The triple poisons lead to the Six Paths with limitless varieties, which is called samsara, and involves suffering due to impermanence (no self-same) and dissatisfaction (no self-sovereign) of dependently originated phenomena.   This has been the case for all beings in all places and at all times, because they are karma heirs, karma relatives, karma machines, in short, karma slaves, not knowing how and thus not acting to put an end to such state.   The Buddha could know and act the right way to solve such a slave state in samsara suffering for the first time in the history of living beings. He sat, stopped karmas, saw the dharma of dependent origination and solved suchness.   He solved the problem of nature and nurture, which Dr. Suzuki called the law of heredity and the law of ability, from the very root of life with body, mind, and the world in the dharma of dependent origination. … Continue reading

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Normal or Norm

Good morning! Now we have a chilly morning passing away from the equinox. When we sit, however, still and serene, we are in equanimity, in peace, truth, and harmonious state – in supramundane realm. When we are engaged in our business as usual, we are … Continue reading

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Awakening and Awakened Action

Good morning! After some showers we have a little milder weather. Especially after sittings we can enjoy a serene, still, steadfast, and satisfied state. Why do we sit? We all have problems and sufferings (duk-kha: lit. wrong-going, dissatisfaction). We cannot … Continue reading

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Cultivation, Culture, Civilization

Good evening! The temperature went up to 99 degrees during the heat wave, and some plants are in the critical state of life or death. If we give water to them, they can survive; if not, they cannot. When we … Continue reading

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Ignorance and Inaction

Good morning! When we sit stable and serene, we can make every day a good day. We can enjoy more flowers and fruits as we have worked for them. But in the world we see and hear a lot of … Continue reading

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Tanabata (七夕, 7/7)

Good evening! Today is tanabata in the East. Tana is altar andis banner. It seems that it originally started as a Buddhist festival to receive ancestors’ spirits. Then, it was combined with the story of a cowherd and a weaver … Continue reading

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Wholly Wholesome Whole

Good morning!   When we come here and sit in zazen, we can enjoy peace, truth, beauty, and goodness with the fresh air and the birds’ singing. Thus, we realize the wholly wholesome state.   This is possible only by … Continue reading

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Mist Mystery

Good evening!   We now have a quiet evening with rather bright dusk light, with the subtle sounds of bird’s singing beyond the windows.   Just before I came here I saw lightening and even mist. I wondered if it … Continue reading

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Delight in Dharma

Good morning!   After a long spell of rain and storms, tornados, we have a very fine, peaceful Sunday morning. We are now having a very bright and beautiful world, especially after our silent, serene sittings.   Last night I … Continue reading

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Tomo (Together: 共, Friend: 友)

  Good evening! A lot of flowers are blooming – forsythias, daffodils, magnolias, pears, plums, even cherry blossoms are now blooming. We cannot totally enjoy them because of the disaster in Japan – m-9 earthquake, 30m surge tsunami, and the … Continue reading

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