Good morning!
We are going to have our sesshin. Sesshin means touching the mind (接心) or embracing the mind (摂心), of course not the ordinary deluded mind, but the Buddha mind, truth mind, true mind, tree mind, the truth itself.
It is said that to see the Dharma is to see the Buddha and that to see the Dharma is to see Dependent Origination. We can intellectually see the law of Dependent Origination (similar to causality) in our world.
But, this seeing means existentially witnessing in our sitting. When we sit, our ordinary minds with the karma of self-survival instinct or self-protection disappear, and we can settle in nirvana, the windless state (of karma), unconditioned peace.
When we sit down and settle in this truth, penetrating through the whole universe, we find that we are nothing but truth and that all dharmas are similarly penetrated through by Dependent Origination – ourselves, trees, stars, the whole universe.
Our ordinary self-sense is only an aspect of limitlessly, inseparably intertwined and interpenetrated space and time, we become buddhas (awakened) and become the universe, the true sangha. Thus, we can become true harmony and happiness.
Last night we had severe thunderstorms and the threat of a tornado. We now see a lot of damage, with hail more than two inches diameter striking everything. I hope you were not hurt. We now have more and stronger storms, tornadoes, etc., due to our global warming.
I forwarded to our e-list a report of an event showing pictures of the “Chernobyl Legacy,” including horribly deformed children and adults, sickened especially with damage to the reproductive, immune, and nerve systems. Everyone must see it.
It shows the crime not only against humans, but against all beings. From where does this come? Money! “Atoms for peace” was the propaganda to sell nuclear power, in order to continue production of uranium and plutonium for use in nuclear bombs.
Nuclear bombs and power come from money, matter, and power. Materialism and militarism comes from me-ism, fundamentally coming from the triple poison of anger, craving, and delusion of the substantial (permanent) separate self.
This poison is actually a cancer cell, constantly and continually poisoning and eventually killing the whole system. It comes from our selfish genes, evolved and developed by karmas. This is the fundamental problem. Without solving it we are doomed.
The Buddha knew that we are karma-machines and provided us with a concrete way to stop it and see the truth, sitting karmaless. With it we can witness the triple treasure of Buddha (Awakened), Dharma (Truth), and Sangha (Community).
The concrete way to attain it is the triple learning of sîla (morality), samâdhi (concentration), and prajñâ (prognosis). Sitting karmaless embraces and embodies it. This process is itself product: as Dogen said, cultivation is itself verification.
When we sit still and serene we realize the triple treasure. With morality we become fearless, as we are not separated and alienating. With concentration, we become unmoved by anything. With prognosis, we settle in and enjoy amrita, immortality.
The triple learning leads to unsurpassed awakening, unconditioned peace, and unparalleled friendship. We become friends of all (as universal religions prescribe: mitra, mithra, mazda, maitreya, et al.) not in the far future, but right here and now.
4/29/12
