Equinox is called Higan (彼岸, Other Shore, Nirvana, often used as O-Higan,
Respectable Higan, with honorific “O”) and celebrated for five days
in Japan, welcoming the ancestors’ spirits as hotoke-sama (仏様), venerable
buddhas. The following pictures of the full moon (15.6 days) were sent by
Mr. Noriyuki Ohtsuka, Zen practitioner and contributor to this blog with his
beautiful pictures, from Japan. He mentioned that this is 760th year since Dogen
made his last poem (Doei 2), also referring to the following poem by Dogen as his
favorite one in the Dogen’s Doei (56):
Kyōsei’s Rain Dripping Sounds:
Being heard as it is, and
For the one without the mind,
The water-gem from the eave
Is the true self indeed.
Kyōse “Uteki-no Koe”:
Kiku-mama-ni
Mata kokoro-naki-mi
Ni-shi areba
Onore-nari-keri
Noki-no tama-mizu
鏡清雨滴声
聞くままに
また心なき身
にしあれば
おのれなりけり
軒の玉水
Note: Dogen concretely showed the truth Kyōsei wanted to indicate to his disciples by
asking them what the sounds (of raindrop, etc.) really are by sitting, stopping human
karmas, and see the Buddha mind/heart/body/world. (Cf. Hekiganroku, Blue Cliff
Record, 46).