Good morning!
Now we have a lot of green around us. Cherry blossoms have almost gone, but red
buds have started blooming. I hope you have enjoyed deep breathing and profound
peace. When we breathe deep with the Buddha mind seal, we completely refresh our
whole system – body, mind, and the world. Thus we merge into the cosmos like the
great ocean or the great sky. Actually the sky is called sallila, ocean in India. Then,
we are liberated from small smelly skin sacks, returning to the origin, becoming one
with the Dharma Dhātu, Domain. Then only, we find out our true selves, the true
body, the great ocean like life. Only then, we become awakened to the truth of our
original nature. We find that we have been deluded by our small bodies and minds,
and find that all sufferings we had are dispersed like dense fogs, dispelled like dark
clouds, and come to know wherefrom sufferings come – all from small selves sticking
to small sacks.
But, we never know it, until we reach nirvana, vast space, great ocean, and see things
from there further, wider, and deeper. It is like waking up from our dreadful
dreams. Even though we work in our daily lives, thinking that we are wakeful, it is
not enough, not awakened, bound by all kinds of delusions, which essentially come
from our senses that our selves, skin sacks, are the most important things. From this
delusion, we create all kinds of problems and sufferings. Unless we stop it and merge
into this great ocean, we remain in suffering, never solving our problems, individual,
social, and ecological. As you know, they are getting more and worse. So, if we really
want to solve our problems and sufferings, we must become Buddhas, stop becoming
bubbles, becoming selfless. Only our practice makes it possible and perfect.
The Buddha found this truth 25 centuries ago, and he devoted his whole life to save
all beings from sufferings. Many followers practiced in the same way as he did, and
became Buddhas. In this way from generation to generation, the Buddha Way has
been transmitted and succeeded without interruption. If we want to keep this
tradition, we all must become Buddhas and keep it alive and active. The most
important thing for Buddhas is to keep the Buddha Dharma persist perpetually
(reihōgujū, 令法久住). How? Make next Buddhas. Otherwise, it stops there, and
disappears. The Dharma, as you know now, is like the limitless ocean or space,
awakened by the Buddhas beyond the small selves, bubbles and clouds. If we stick to
our small selves or other things such as money, material things, we lose our Dharma
and the Dharma life. Even we stick to our lives, we lose them, much more the
Buddha Dharma.
As I talked last Sunday “taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha (kimyō,
帰命)” is giving up our small selves, and merging into the great ocean, the Buddha
life, Buddha blood, going through all our bodies and brains. If we have any hint of
selfish minds, we defile it and damage the Buddha Dharma, then, there is no Buddha
Dharma any more. So, we need to have the Buddha mind, the Buddha heart. That is
the most important thing, not a big temple, big business, or a big crowd of people.
Dogen said, “One or even a half genuine person is the essential matter.” Or else, the
Dharma dies. It is neither number nor name. In the Buddhist tradition, we say we
shed tears for the Dharma (hōno tameno namida, 法の為の涙), not for the self. We
give all our life to the Buddha Dharma, not to the small self, which cause only
sufferings for the self and others throughout space and time. We say we “pulverize
our bones and shatter our bodies” (funkotsu-saishin, 粉骨砕身), “giving life”
(shashin, 捨身) for the Dharma. In this way only, can we be saved from our small
selves, which only serves for sufferings. Only when we become the great ocean, can
we become limitless life, light, liberation, and love.
Otherwise, we must go ups and downs through the six paths of hell beings; hungry
ghosts, fighting devils, animals beings, human beings, and celestial beings,
constantly. Dogen was really sincere and strict about this point. If his student makes
a mistakes, he did not allow this student as his disciple, because it defiles the Buddha
blood. So, he expelled one disciple from his temple, because he received gift from the
Shogun. In ordinary thinking, it is a good luck and a good fortune. Not only he
ousted him, but also let his disciples dug out the ground under his sitting seat to
remove impurity. Only in such a strict way can we keep the Buddha blood pure and
“keep the Buddha Dharma persist perpetually.” False Dharmas destroy the life of the
Buddha Dharma, then we destroy this world. So, what we can attain is due to the
Buddhas, true Buddhas, and the pure teacher student succession of the Dharma. If
there is any mistake, any defilement, it defiles and dies right there.
So, that is why we need the actual face-to-face, blood-to-blood, life-to-life
transmission and succession. We must verify what kind of person he or she is, live
together, and see everything we do in the right Dharma. In Zen we say , “raising hands
and taking steps,” (ikkyoshu ittōsoku, 一挙手一投,足), every move and motion is the
Buddha life. I quote a part of the last chapter of the Significance of Cultivation and
Verification (Shushōgi, 修証義) titled Practice in Gratitude (Gyōji-hōon, 行持報恩)：
“Quietly consider that we could not surrender our bodies
and lives for the true Dharma, however earnestly we might
wish to, had the right Dharma not been propagated. We
should appreciate ourselves of today who have met the
right Dharma. Don’t you see what a Buddha has said:
When you happen to see a master who preaches the
unsurpassed awakening, you should not notice his birth,
not see his appearance, not mind his faults, not consider his
actions, but should bow and revere the master three times a
day and arouse no distress of mind because of respect for
hannya (prajñā, prognosis, ).
Seeing the Buddha and listening to the Dharma is due to
the merciful grace of the practice of each of the Buddhas
and Ancestors. If not for the individual transmission among
the Buddhas and Successors, how could it have been
brought about until today? We should requite the grace of
even a single phrase. We should requite the grace of even a
single dharma. How much more should we requite the
great grace of the unparalleled great Dharma of the
“storage of the right Dharma eye” (shōbōgenzō, 正法眼蔵)?
Even a sparrow in sickness did not forget the grace and
ably requited with the rings of Sambu. Even a turtle in
distress did not forget the grace and ably requited with the
seal of Yofu. Even animals requited graces, how can it be
possible that human beings can not know graces?
There are no other ways in requital, but only our daily
practice can properly be the right way of requital. This
means that we should not waste our daily lives and that we
should practice not to spend them selfishly.
Light and shadow pass swifter than an arrow. Body and
life are more fragile than a dewdrop. By what skillful
means can we regain the day already passed? A hundred
years of a vain life are regrettable days and months,
deplorable forms and frames. Even though the days and
months of one hundred years have been spent as a slave
running around after voices and colors, if one realizes the
real practice of one day out of them, not only does one
realize the practice of one hundred years of one life, but
will also realize the saving of one hundred years of another
life. The body and life of one day of this is the valuable
body and life and precious form and frame. Cherish the
body and mind which realize this practice personally, and
respect them personally. Through our practice, the
Buddhas’ practice is realized and the Buddhas’ great path
is reached. Therefore, practice of one day is the seed of
Buddhas and is the practice of Buddhas.”
We say that “the Great Ocean of Dharma (buppō-no taikai, 仏法の大海).” Fortunately
we met it and we can enjoy it, when and whenever we practice. But we should not
mistake it and defile it. Our blood lines, when we are ordained, come from one vessel
to another, and go back to the Buddha, and all through the Ancestors constantly
circulating. So, Blood Line, (Kechimaku, 血脈) we receive at ordination, penetrates
through all Buddhas and Ancestors. It is also called Dharma Line, (Hōmyaku, 法脈).
So, we must take good care of it, purify it constantly, and keep it healthy and lively.
Otherwise we defile all the Buddhas and Ancestors, and destroy them. We should not
and cannot do that. Because of them we can enjoy nirvana, unconditioned peace,
freed from all karmas, and attain the unsurpassed complete right awakening
(anuttara samyak sam-bodhi). What else is the true treasure? The true triple
treasures are the wholly wholesome treasures, not anything else. That is why we give
up our small selves for the greatest treasures.
When Ananda said, “Friends make half of my life.” The Buddha said, “No, don’t say
so, Ananda! Friends make the whole of your life.” If we have true and good friends,
our life become true and good. Otherwise we have miserable lives, tortured lives
always. In Zen tradition we say “a separate transmission outside scriptures”
(kyōgebetuden, 教外別伝). However many scriptures you may read, if you do not
practice, receive the Dharma from the true teacher, live together, learn how to live,
you never attain the transmission of the Buddha Dharma. Selfish views are never
allowed. False Zen is called Fox Zen (yako-zen, 野狐禅). A monk expressed his view
about Zen as “not falling into causality”(furaku inga, 不落因果), and thus were born
as a fox. Zen Master Hyakujo taught the truth as “not deluded about causality”
(fumai inga, 不昧因果) and save him from his fox life.
Another Zen motto is “directly pointing the person’s heart” (jikishi-ninshin, 直指人
心) , so worry nothing about appearance, possession, position, or whatever. We must
see the true heart or bare heart (lit. red heart, seki-shin, 赤心) of the person. Another
one is “from heart to heart” (i-shin den-shin, 以心伝心). Only from heart to heart, we
can transmit and treasure the true Dharma. If there is any misunderstanding and
mistrust, we can not transmit and succeed. Only in this way, can we see our true
nature. Another is “seeing the nature, and becoming the Buddha” (ken-sho jō-
butsu, 見性成仏). Unless we see our true nature in this great ocean of the Buddha
Dharma, we cannot become Buddha and be saved from sufferings. So, legitimate
transmission from the Buddha to Ancestors is crucial. If it is not the true blood line
life and the blood life living, there is no more Buddha-Dharma-Sangha. If we can
succeed the true life, true heart, true Buddhahood, we need nothing – money, matter,
might,…or whatever.
That is the source of the holy (wholly wholesome) harmony, health, and happiness.
So, let us try to strive for suchness, not to damage the Buddha Dharma, and practice
earnestly here and now, then there will be no problems and no sufferings.
4/21/13
