Good morning!
We’ve had quiet sittings hearing the waterfall sounds, and incessant intensive insects’ singing. We now see brilliant sunlight alighting on green leaves. This morning I saw yellowing and browning leaves already, and fall frost hovering over the fields.
Plant colors,
Insect sounds,
Are all figures and voices
Of our wholly wholesome life.
木樹の色
虫の集く音
皆ながら
己が真の
すがたこえ
Kigino iro
Mushino sudakune
Minanagara
Onoga-makotono
Sugata-koe
On the way here I listened to an NPR discussion on over-population, over-consumption, social justice, etc. Before leaving home I read an article in the New York Times on the laser processing of uranium for nuclear warheads and power plants, and the fear that terrorists and rogue countries would be able to use it.
We still have tens of thousands of nuclear warheads, with thousands of them even targeting us at a hair trigger alert. We don’t know when mishaps and mishandling may happen with them. We believed the safety myth of nuclear power, but the third nuclear disaster has happened.
Japan has been experiencing contaminated fields, forests, rivers, seas, plants, animals, food, and people. Even the Tokyo metro area, about 200km away from the accident site, is contaminated. Some school fields are banned from use, some districts would become off limit “control zones” if they followed the Chernobyl standards.
People are not sure of the safety of food. So, produce, meat, tea, etc., must be tested. The government set and even raised permissible radiation limits, though of course there is no “permissible radiation” level. We must know who are really rogue countries, criminals, and terrorists.
We have enough nuclear bombs and plants to explode the globe many times. We are now witnessing riots and revolutions. We are daydreaming, sleep walking, and delusion working. How can we solve our problems peacefully, rather than shedding blood and tears?
We must wake up and work out. All these problems and sufferings come from our delusion, attachment, and aversion. These three poisons are contaminating and killing the whole world. So, we must sit down, and stop our human karmas – the three poisons, especially delusion, the root.
If we can sit, settle, and see the dharma world, avoiding the three poisons, we can have a peaceful, harmonious world. We must witness this global life system as one integrated life unit and live together in compassion and cooperation in and for this system with the 5 Ss.*
A few days ago a scientist speaking on the NPR program “On Point” said that “we must move to the moon, and produce water – easily later.” If water is easily produced, why can’t we produce it here now? We can’t live in such a dream story, but in natural law with the 5 Ls together with the 5 Rs and 5 As.*
When we settle in truth and peace, we can cease our limited life, and start limitless life, light, liberation, and love. It depends on our own actual practice. Anyone can sit, stop karma, and see wholly wholesome truth, peace, harmony, and freedom. So, our practice is crucial.
Sitting is not just relaxation, but the essential art and act to stop karmas, and to attain unconditioned peace and unsurpassed awakening with all, going beyond birth and death, solving all problems and sufferings. We must practice it ourselves and share it with all beings.
Every day Zen master Rui-yan said to himself and replied to himself, “Rui-yan, are you awake?” “Yes! I am.” “Never be deceived by anyone, any other place, any other time.” “Yes, Yes!.”
8/21/11
* 5 Ss (global system living: systemic, sustainable, saving, safe, simple)
5 Ls (global ethic living: law, life, love, liberation, lielessness)
5 Rs (material flow: reduce, reuse, recycle, rearrange, restore)
5 As (information flow: access, assess, agree, act, advice)
