Good morning!
I had a rather long, busy trip to Japan. I joined the Soto Pilgrimage, visiting Sojiji for
the 650th Anniversary of its second abbot, Gasan Zenji, as well as Sojiji Soin (the
original temple), Yokoji, Hokyoji, and Eiheiji. I also attended the annual meeting of
the Global System Ethic Association. When Gasan Zenji was abbot of both Yokoji and
Sojiji, he rushed 52 kilometers between the two temples, along the mountain path
named Gasan Way, so that he could attend services at Sojiji. Ever since, the Great
Compassionate Heart Dharani has been chanted slowly to wait for him. His disciples
propagated the Awakened Way all over Japan.
Yokoji and Sojiji were built by Keizan Zenji, fourth in Dogen Zenji linage. Dogen
Zenji visited China and transmitted Zen to Japan. Bodhidharma transmitted Zen
from India to China. Gotama became buddha, awakened, in the Dharma of
Dependent Origination and Cessation (nirvana), and transmitted the Awakened Way.
For the rest of his life he wandered, staying at a place for only one night before
moving on. The Dharma, Truth, was expressed by the bo(dhi) tree, which embodies
truth and peace. The Buddha himself was expressed by an engraving of his footprint,
representing his itinerant life. The Dharma Wheel expresses his spreading of the
Dharma.
The Awakened Way has been spread by wandering, walking over mountains and
travelling over the ocean, by the aspiring practitioners of Zen or Zazen, sitting Zen,
which is stilling or ceasing karmas, settling in nirvana, and awakening by it. Zazen is
returning to the original state (face), reuniting with holiness, the wholesome whole,
and reorienting karmas from sinfulness to holiness, from separation to integration,
from bad karmas to good karmas. It is not only returning, reuniting, and
reconditioning, but unconditioning all karmas, going beyond birth and death, the five
aggregates, and six senses, as described in the Heart Sutra.
It is going beyond samsara (the Six Paths of hell beings, hungry ghosts, fighting
devils, beastly beings, human beings, and celestial beings) and all its sufferings,
which originate from the triple poisons of desire, divisiveness, and delusion. Human
beings are now causing the global problematique, the interrelated problems of global
warming, wars, weapons, waste, pollution, population explosion, resource depletion,
environmental deterioration, ecological devastation, and mass extinction. The
paradigm shift from karma to dharma and from nescience to awakening is the only
fundamental solution for the karma of selfish samsara suffering and sundering.
11/8/15
