Good morning!
I thought that the dark cloud might perhaps bring rain, but suddenly the bright sun shined forth while we were reciting the Heart Sutra.
This morning I saw yellowish silver lining on clouds. Yesterday evening I say the beautiful rainbow over the sky.
We can see the different aspects of the sky and the world. When all clouds clear, we can see the blue sky with the bright sun or the full moon.
Only when clouds clear, we can see the full moon which represents the Buddha mind reflecting the truth and illuminating the whole world.
We sometimes sleep sound, deep and dark, sometimes dream, sometimes are awake seeing bright colors or dark clouds, thunderbolts, thunderclaps, tornados, and typhoons.
But, we can become like the great sky and the vast space penetrating through the whole world and embracing all beings, shining forth and illuminating everything.
This is the fourth state called catrîya or balanced state, tulya, holy harmonious, peaceful and truthful, without commotions and confusions, just calm and clear.
We are firmly established in the root of existence. It is our true refuge and ultimate resort. Every one can find the total unconditioned pure peace and unsurpassed awakening.
It goes beyond all phenomena – birth and death, gain and loss, up and down. We can see how we operate through the six worlds or ways of human, animal, hell beings, etc.
Only when we sit solid and serene, we can witness such. Throughout the four billion years of evolution we have developed our brains and bodies, sciences and technologies.
We have now sharp knives to cook or kill. We have weapons to destroy the global life system many times any time and contaminate it for millions of years.
So, we need to solve our self-centeredness against the wholly wholesome life system like the great sky or ocean rather than becoming and behaving clouds or bubbles.
If we continue our cloud or bubble states, we can never achieve peace and harmony, and are doomed to devastation, never achieving wholly wholesome harmony and happiness.
Scientists now find even fracking causes earthquake, ice melting on Greenland causes more earthquakes. So, our global warming effects on the earth and ecological dynamics.
They found recent earthquakes have been causing more and stronger earthquake activities and also volcano explosions. They are afraid of further disasters caused by earthquakes.
Even after such big tsunami claiming about twenty thousand lives people can reconstruct and revitalize their lives. But with nuclear radiation they have no ways to do so.
The Nobel prizer Kenzaburo Oh’e said in Paris that we must abolish nuclear power even though we have problems in production. Of course life comes first, not money or matter.
The Buddha renounced his country, job, family, possessions, and even food, even with this or perhaps because of it he was the happiest person.
Daito Kokushi, National Teacher, said, “If we have shoulders, we never fail to clothe; if we have mouths, we never fail to eat.
If we give up our small egos, we suddenly find limitless life. Because we are confined in comfort and convenience, matter and power, we shut in small worlds of such.
Dogen called this as activities in the dark dungeon of devils. The more we act, the more we cause destruction and devastation.
Before we create cages running in the tread wheel, we must stop karmas and witness the Buddha life and world beyond birth and death in total freedom, function, and compassion.
So, we and anyone can just sit, and stop all karmas, settle in freedom from our limited life in samsara and suffering, and see limitless life, wholly truth, beauty, and goodness.
Not only in understanding but also acting we must find out skillful means to provide and promote the awakened way, which gives all limitless merits beyond time and space.
In sitting and stopping karmas in this sesshin, please enter into the wholly wholesome way with all, limitless liberation and light enjoying amrita, ambrosia of immortality.
3/24/12
