Good morning!
Now it is February. Time flies! Life empties! Did you hear about a Japanese journalist
who was decapitated by ISIS members? It is a detestable savagery. They warned the
Japanese Prime Minister that any Japanese anywhere is now in danger because of his
participation in the Voluntaries, to destroy them. It is a horrendous and ominous
thing, but we must know why it happened. The Japanese have been considered a
peace loving people, with its Peace Constitution renouncing wars and weaponry after
their atomic bomb experience of 70 years. Prime Minister Abe wanted to change that
history with revisionist views and bellicose venting to work with allies anywhere in
the world. He visited the Middle East to give aid to countries to contain ISIS.
We must mentally orient to the source (yoniso manasi-kāra) – why it came out –
to take revenge against the Iraq War allies!
The Buddha said:
“Abused me, hurt me, conquered me, robbed me.”
For those who hold a grudge, enmity is never appeased.
Dhp. 3
Enmity is never appeased by enmity here,
But by non-enmity. This is the truth forever.
Dhp. 5
Others are not conscious of “we are to die here,“
But for those conscious of it, contentions cease.
Dhp.6
Winning begets enmity, because in suffering the defeated one lies down.
Being settled beyond victory and defeat, comfortably in peace one lies down.
Dhp. 201
Better than the one conquering thousands upon thousands in wars
Is the one conquering oneself. He is the greatest of war conquerors.
Dhp. 103
Dogen said:
Clarifying life and death is the cause and condition of the most important matter
for Buddhists… Hard is it to receive a human body, rare is it to meet the Buddha-
dharma. By virtue of previous merits, we not only have received human bodies
difficult to receive, but also have met the Buddha-dharma rarely met. We are in the
best lives among various births and deaths and in the most blessed lives. We should
not leave our dew-like lives to the mercy of the wind of impermanence, treating
carelessly these most blessed bodies.
The impermanent is unreliable. We do not know on which blade of grass along the
road our dew-like lives will fall. Our bodies are already not our own. Life shifts in
light and shadow, and can hardly be retained even a moment. Where has that rosy
face gone? No trace of it can be found. When closely contemplated the past cannot
be retrieved. When the impermanent overtakes us suddenly, neither ministers,
friends, servants, wife, children, nor treasures can save us. Alone we pass away to
the other world. The things that follow us are only our own actions of good and evil.
The Shushōgi (Significance of Cultivation and Verification)
I remember a TV news segment showing a Palestinian boy living in the United States
vowing revenge against Israel decades ago. Is he still lying in suffering? Abe declared
vengeance against ISIS, even thinking of mobilizing the Self Defence Forces. Will he
be lying in suffering for his life, dragging all Japanese people in suffering and
vengeance forever? Are Palestinians, Israelis, Iraqis, Americans, Indians, Pakistanis,
Germans, French, Chinese, Koreans, et al. lying in suffering and vengeance forever?
If so, there will be no ending the vicious cycle of tit for tat with billions of people in
blood and tears forever. Gandhi said “An eye for an eye will make the world blind.”
Not only humans, but all livings will be affected, becoming not only blind, but buried
in blood and tears forever. For what are all born to achieve?
All the sufferings, going through the five destinies of fighting devils, hungry ghosts,
hell beings, beasts, humans, and celestials, come from our karmas. Karmas of living
beings through billions of years’ evolution and in social settings – isms, ideologies,
customs, conditionings – has made us into self-centered, self-surviving systems.
Unless one becomes awakened to this truth and wakefully reorients one’s own
karmas as well as others’, one cannot be liberated from karma-conditionings.
The sole way of stilling karmas is to sit and still physical, verbal, and mental karmas
(actions, functions, forms, habits). Then only can one witness nirvana, windless of
karmas, and amrita, ambrosia of immortality. Abe is reportedly practicing Zazen.
We sincerely hope his practice makes perfect, to attain nirvana and awaken to the
truth the Buddha taught us – becoming a Bodhisattva to save all prior to oneself.
2/1/15
P.S. We read the following poem by Ryokan during discussion and tea:
“The Hare in the moon”
Long, long time ago
there lived in the world
Monkey, Hare and Fox
bound in friendship
playing in the morn
in field and on mount,
returning in the evening
into forest.
Thusly as years passed,
the Lord of Heaven,
hearing it, wanted
to know if it’s true.
Becoming an old man,
he tottered along
to where they lived,
and asked them,
“I have heard that
you are different
in species, but are
playing in the same
mind among yourselves.
If it is as I heard,
Please help this old man
of his hunger.”
So saying he rested,
throwing his staff aside:
Having said, “It is easy,”
and after a while,
Monkey came collecting nuts,
From the woods behind.
Fox gave fish to him
brought from a stream in front.
Hare hopped and jumped,
but nothing to gain.
Being abused of the mind
Different, poor indeed,
the Hare plotted and said,
“Monkey, bring firewood.
Fox, please set fire!”
As they did as asked,
the Hare threw herself
into the smoke, and gave
herself to the old stranger.
The old man, upon seeing this,
cried bitterly looking up
the high heaven, and
fell down to the ground.
In a while, beating his bosom,
he said, “You three friends
are inferior to none of you,
but the Hare is specially
kind-hearted,” and
resuming the heavenly body,
picked up the dead body, and
sent it to the moon palace.
The “Hare in the moon”
Is because of this –
Thus up until the present time
It has been told, and
Hearing this I also
drenched thoroughly
the sleeves of my robe.
She offered her invaluable
body to the old man.
Poor are we now not hearing
Such in this world.
Let’s continue telling, talking,
and remembering dearly
the mind mirror polished
for endless eons to come.
Mourning of Mother, Father, Family, Friends, Ancestors,…
All of them mourn for the murdered victim as their part and parcel,
Murderers’ Mothers, Fathers, Families, Friends, Ancestors,…
Also mourn for their parts and parcels murdering men
Same as themselves and their valuable parts and parcels
Never ending tears and thighs!
For what were they born?
For what were you born?