Good morning,
We have a bright beautiful equinox day, which is identified as higan, yonder shore or nirvana, for which we are sitting our sesshin today. We say there is heat and chill only up until higan, but we have summer heat due to global warming. This is an-ṛta, unseasonable or unnatural, a-dharma. Dharma is form, phenomenon, nature, from the root, dhṛ, enduring. The Buddha was said to be awakened seeing the morning star, which suggests the dawning of the world. He found the regularity of the seasons and the law of interdependent co-origination, called the Dharma of all dharmas (Norm of all forms). He discovered that the perceived world is interdependently co-originated on the sense organs and objects, which depends on our karmas (past, present, physical, verbal, and mental).
The true dharmas, saddharma (from sat-dharma, existent dharma), are enduring and sustainable dharmas. Global warming, war, nuclear weapons, mass extinction, etc. are unnatural, unsustainable, unsystemic phenomena caused by human karma. Self, society, state, species, and symbolism are idola, idols, unnatural, unsustainable, unsystemic, and produce adharma, unsystemic, unethical fictions made by psychosomatic symbolism, karma. When we still physical, verbal, and mental karma in sitting, we witness nirvana, no-wind of karma, and become awakened to the truth/law of interdependent co-origination, and reorder adharma to dharma, truthful, peaceful, beautiful, moral, systemic, and sustainable. If we continue our karma kinetics going forward, we with all beings cannot continue.
Hashimoto Roshi commented on the Fukanzazengi that stilling heart, mind, and consciousness in Zazen is like deadly exhausted travelers, long and extremely troubled by discriminating ideas, staying in comfort at an inn. We can be freed from karma (nirvana) and function freely and fully in nirvana and bodhi, awakening. This is the essence of the Awakened Way, and it is essential to reorder the Dark World in its Deluded Way from adharma to dharma. This is the great paradigm shift from sin (= separation: self, etc.) to holiness (= wholly wholesome way world), realizing harmony, health, and happiness. This enduring principle and practice was put into the Fourfold Holy Truth and the Eightfold Holy Way for each and every person to easily understand and effectively put into practice.
There has been an ominous ongoing exchange of threats of nuclear war and nations’ destruction by the national leaders (? dictators) at the U.N. On the other hand there was the establishment of the nuclear weapons ban by 122 countries on 7/7/17 and already 50 countries have signed to officially make it effective to start. There were big nation’s threats to small countries not to sign. No one wants nuclear weapons except dictators and death merchants, much less nuclear wars, which lead to nuclear winter with no survivors. To save all beings, as we recite every morning, we must practice the Awakened Way and share it with all beings. “Only truth wins.” This sitting in peace, truth, goodness, and beauty is good for all always. So, please continue your practice to contribute to the new world of harmony and happiness!
9/23-24/17
