Good morning!
We have now a spring morning, the temperature reaching the 60s. Zazen is the dharma gate of pure peace and pleasure. As all living beings are karma machines, driven by self satisfaction, we go through samsara suffering, transmigrating in ups and downs, birth and death, sorrow and suffering. So, our life will have suffering unless we stop and see its truth.
Everyone has suffering. We list four sufferings, eight sufferings (shiku hakku: ????) as the foundational ones. These include birth, aging, sickness, death (four sufferings) and, further, not obtaining the thing desired, parting with loved ones, meeting hateful ones, and (in short) the five aggregates, rampant: forms, feelings, thoughts, formations, consciousness (eight sufferings).
These sufferings (du-kkha: going against grain) are essentially the inability to control (against wishes), pursuant to impermanence (due to dependent origination based on infinite causes and conditions beyond control). Craving (against reality) is the cause of suffering; creating anger or hatred as well. Craving and anger come from delusion. How can we stop wishing or craving?
Whatever is originated will naturally cease, or can eventually be ceased, because of the law of dependent origination. If we stop our craving, suffering ceases. Easy to say, but difficult to do! Thus we need careful, concrete countermeasures for these matters.
Clearly seeing the true nature of craving and calmly stopping it is the way. Craving comes from karma (habit, habitual action, inhabiting inclination, or heredity). Sitting and stopping karma (physical, verbal, and mental; present and past) is the concrete way to the fundamental solution. A more detailed way is shown in the eightfold noble, or holy, path.
We must deal with individual and social karma, shared karma. So it is not so simple, especially with shared, social karma. How to deal with karma? Zazen is the best cultivation and verification: the cure, care, prevention, and perfection.
The four applications (pahâna, pradhâna) are: decreasing and stopping bad karma, starting and increasing new good karma. So, let us advance through this spiral, cycling through aspiration, cultivation, awakening, and unconditioned peace, and again through aspiration, and on and on.
Hava a good day!
3/3/11