Tag Archives: unconditioned peace

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

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Sea-seal Samādhi and Sky-seal Samādhi

Good evening!   When we sit in Zazen, the Buddha Mind Seal, we can reach the Sea-seal Samādhi and Sky-seal Samādhi with penetrating peace and profound prognosis, as if settling deep into the sea and seeing high from the sky, without karma waves and karma winds.   Only actual cultivation in seated solid and serene sitting, thus stopping karmas, makes actual verification of nirvana, unconditioned peace, and anuttara samyak  sambodhi, unsurpassed right complete awakening, possible and perfect. Thus, we can live on joy, not on toys.   5/3/13    

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Buddha Path: Buddha-Mind Seal

Good evening!   Dogen in his Genjōkōan, Realizing Universal Truth, describes the Buddha’s Path thus:   To learn the Buddha Way is to learn the self. To learn the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to drop off the bodies and minds of the self and others. To drop off the bodies and minds of the self and others is to be verified by all dharmas. The trace of awakening is at rest and extinct. The traceless awakening at rest and extinction is furthered on and on.   Just groping for an elephant has not started even the first step. But this sitting with the Buddha-mind Seal is the beginning, the middle, and the end of unconditioned peace and unsurpassed awakening. So, let us strive concentratedly, constantly, and indomitably without indolence.   2/19/13  

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Truth in True Triple Treasures

Good morning!   Zendo, Zen Hall, is also called Senbutudo, Selecting Buddha Hall. The true truth seekers constantly come here for the true solution of suffering.   What Dogen means in his Inmo is that we never attain the true … Continue reading

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Complete Competence, Composure, and Comprehension

Good morning!   Just before I left my home I watched a program about an ability Olympics. There, the competition focuses not only on skills, but also complete composure and comprehension.   The Buddha’s story about ability: the test for … Continue reading

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Attaining Unconditioned Peace and Unsurpassed Awakening

Good evening!   The eighth of December is the day when Siddhattha Gotama became buddha, awakened, to the ultimate truth, solving all problems and putting an end to suffering.   He attained unconditioned peace, nirvana, and unsurpassed awakening, and he … Continue reading

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Practicing Perfections

Good morning!   The full moon is reflected on the floor. The full moon represents the Buddha mind. All over the world zen practitioners are in the Rohatsu sesshin, where the Buddha was awakened. The Buddha mind, like the full … Continue reading

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Narnia and Nirvana

Good morning!   It’s become pretty chilly after the equinox, hasn’t it? We say, “Heat and chill up until the equinox.” Before and after the equinox the weather and the length of the day change, but at the equinox day … Continue reading

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Equanimity in Dharma

Good evening!   We are at the beginning of the equinox, called higan (彼岸: the yonder shore), which means nirvana, unconditioned peace, beyond all vicissitude and ups and downs, topsy-turvy turmoil and turbidity.   Like the equinox with equal day … Continue reading

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Triple Pillars

Good morning!   We have now a short respite from the long spell of dry hot weather. It became cool at night and early in the morning. Especially when we sit in zazen, we can enjoy rest and renewal of … Continue reading

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