Monthly Archives: January 2015

A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Rosan Daido

  http://www.ecobuddhism.org/bcp/all_content/buddhist_declaration/   A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change The Declaration that follows presents a unique spiritual view of climate change and our urgent responsibility to address the solutions. It emerged from the contributions of over 20 Buddhist teachers of … Continue reading →

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Meditation Merits

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Rosan Daido

    Good morning!   Yesterday I sent an article to our listserve on meditation merits: regrowing DNA’s terminating Telomeres and rebuilding the brain’s gray matter in 8 weeks. Early scientific study started with brain wave research: increasing alpha waves. Its merits have been known for several thousand years as the Zen posture, like the Buddha’s, was found in a Indus civilization artifact.   Dogen said its merits are limitless. Limitless merits are made through different levels of meditation, eventually in nirvana as the merit of melting limitless karma complexes. Karma kinetics are in the fight or flight fatigue mode of struggle for survival. Sitting stills all strife, stress, and suffering in the free and full function mode of serenity in salvation.   Last Sunday we talked about Dhammapada verse 11, on misconceiving non-essence as essence and vice versa, whose counterpart is verse 12 as follows:   Those who know essence as essence and non-essence as non-essence Witness essence living in the realm of right thinking.        Dhp. 12 Humans out of their self-survival instincts strive to acquire, accumulate, and amass matters, mights, and moneys limitlessly, considering them as essence and essential, even sacrificing the true limitless liberation, light, love, and life. Essence (sāra) is not rigid like heartwood, but fluid like essence or spirit extracted from plants or grains, essence or core (coeur) of all things.   Essence is amrita, ambrosia of immortality, or nirvana – no-wind of karmas, karma creations of matters, mights, moneys, and mine or me, material and mortal. The amrita gate is opened by the Buddha for limitless meditation merits for all, but only attained by those who enter through it with actual application to themselves with cultivation/verification. Practice perfects.   1/25/15 … Continue reading →

Posted in Asankhata (asamskrita: unmade), Nirvana (windless: asankhata, Zazen | Leave a comment

Essential or Non-Essential

Posted on January 18, 2015 by Rosan Daido

      Good morning!   Yesterday in Japan people had the 20th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony of the Great Earthquake in Hanshin Awaji with more than 6,000 casualties. Four years ago they had the Great Earthquake in East Japan with more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Asankhata (asamskrita: unmade), cultivation: verification (修：証）, Nirvana (windless: asankhata | Leave a comment

Neither Chill Nor Heat

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Rosan Daido

      Good morning! We had a few very chilly days going down to five degrees F. I posted pictures of the moon, morning sun, steaming sea, ducks, and daffodils sent from Japan on our blog yesterday. The chilly air makes the water steam, and ducks enjoying swimming in the warmer water. A monk asked Tozan (Dongshan), “When chill and heat come, how can we evade them?” Tozan said, “Why don’t you go to the realm of neither chill nor heat.” The monk said, “Where is the realm of neither chill nor heat?” ” Tozan said, “In chill, chill kills you. In heat, heat kills you.” The Buddha used to teach lay people about donation (dāna), morality (sīla), and birth in heaven (sagga). Birth in heaven means Brahma-vihāra, Brahman’s abode or living in friendship, compassion, joy, and equanimity (upekhā, lit. throwing away, as in the fourth stage of jhāna, zen). Dogen put them in the “great, mature, and joyful heart,” detailing his teacher’s “soft tender heart.” Bodhisattvas strive for the Six Perfections (pāramitā) of donation, morality, forbearance, striving, concentration (samādhi), and prognosis (prajñā). Donations can be that of goods and good dharmas.   1/11/15             Source:http://userdisk.webry.biglobe.ne.jp/007/420/54/N000/000/002/125076454993716303273_001_20090820193548.JPG        

Posted in Nirvana (windless: asankhata | Leave a comment

Cool Circulating Constellations

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Rosan Daido

        Expansive Constellations in the Sky above Peaks of Yari-Hodaka Mountain Ranges taken  by Mr. Masayoshi Hirasawa from Chogadake Peak 寒中お見舞い申し上げます。 蝶ヶ岳の頂上で震えながら撮った写真です。 　タイトル　　槍・穂高連峰の空に広がる冬の星座          

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Moon, Morning Sun, Sea, Ducks, Daffodils

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Rosan Daido

                                                Photos thanks to Mr. Otsuka from Shimoda, Izu Peninsula, Japan Facing Pacific Ocean with wintry wind, … Continue reading →

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Wishing Wholly Wholesome Way World

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Rosan Daido

    Good morning and Happy New Year!   Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? I have resolved to do the most important thing first. What is the most important thing? That is the life-death matter. The Buddha was awakened to the truth of it as karma-kinetics and solved its suffering by stilling karma, settling in nirvana beyond karma, and striving wakefully in the supra-mundane truth.   I am reading the work Smiling Zen by Toru Matsumoto. When leaving Taiwan after WWII, he faced the problem of selecting only his personal effects to take to Japan. He spent days worrying about leaving six truck loads of books, some of them rare ones left by his father. This was solved suddenly, when he thought of his death. So, he took with him only one book – the Shoshikan.   The Shoshikan (Small Version Calming-Visioning: Samatha-Vipassanâ) is a compilation of lectures given by Tendai Daishi, and it is the commentary on this work, delivered by Matsumoto in a series of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Association) broadcasts and later transcribed, that I am currently reading. Calming-visioning leads anyone to nirvana-bodhi (awakening), making every day a good day as buddhas (awakened ones).   The Buddhist Paths are said to be composed of 37 limbs, but they are the sum of the Eightfold Holy Way, Seven Awakening Limbs, etc., so the basic items are the Triple Learning of Sîla, Smâdhi, and Paññâ (Morality, Concentration, Prognosis). Right livelihood, donation, and patience were added for lay practitioners. Donation is the first step to open up small egos, which leads to the Wholly Wholesome Way World.   1/4/15 … Continue reading →

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Dawn Delight: Pacific Peace and Taiyo Typhoon

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Rosan Daido

                                              Thanks to Mr. Otsuka who sent the above pictures (first four: January 1, 2015 C.E. dawning day … Continue reading →

Posted in Light of purity/peace/prognosis | Leave a comment

The Origami Holiday Tree

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Rosan Daido

                        http://www.amnh.org/explore/origami-at-the-museum/origami-holiday-tree – info sent by Erin –

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Holy, Healthy, Happy Home!

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Rosan Daido

    Flowers invite butterflies without minds, Butterflies visit flowers without minds, When flowers bloom, butterflies come, When butterflies come, flowers bloom, I do not know people either, People do not know me either, Following the heavenly law without knowing. … Continue reading →

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