RAIN
The giant fern leaves
Touched by the afternoon rain
Gracefully bend down
A cup of hot tea –
Roosters and the shout of a man
Mix with sounds of rain
Down in the valley
Rainheavy banana leaves –
Smoke from the earth oven
Beside the river
A green wall of jungle leaves –
Rain drops in the air
CHILDREN
Past and the future
Do not bother the children –
Solomon Islands
AT THE SHORE
Footprints in the sand
the tail of the green lizard
divides and connects
Dear friends
I am very happy to be able to share with you my experience in the Solomon Islands, a nation consisting of 1000 islands in the South Pacific. I travelled to this remote place to visit my son, who works in the field of economic development. The beauty was breathtaking! However, at the same time, the problems this nation faces (like ruthless logging, poverty, global warming) are overwhelming. I hope my photos and words are able to convey my impressions of this region and raise the awareness of how crucial it is to protect the last parts of a mostly still intact nature.
During my three weeks there, I spent about a week in the capital Honiara and the rest of the time on some islands of the Western Provinces. Sometimes, I felt the desire to connect with the landscape by creating land art. At other times, a haiku formed itself as a response to my experience. This will be the first part of my report. In the second part, I will describe my experience in more detail.
Thank you so much for travelling with me to the South Pacific.
Garyo
Walking on the Edge
Walking on the edge –
The flight of the white heron
Speaks of elegance
Note: Again we have the opportunity to appreciate Garyo’s beautiful pictures with her experience in short haiku form in Solomon Islands.
We will post her haikus and pictures as a series every day for some days. Please visit here and enjoy them. Her travelogues were and are coming in book forms.
Rosan
Good morning!
A few days ago while I was watching TV, I heard Dr. Tasuku Honjo, this year’s Nobel Prizer in Physiology and Medicine, mention Concentration and Continuity as the last of six Cs given as his research driving forces. I often speak of these as two wings or wheels to fly or advance. The rest are Curiosity, Courage, Challenge, and Confidence.
All of them are necessary for anyone who wants to achieve anything meaningful in advancing life quality. We need Curiosity and Challenge to aspire, Courage and Confidence to advance, Concentration and Continuity to attain our goal. These mirror aspiring, advancing, and attaining good views and values at peaks and places at each step.
The Awakened Way advises the Fourfold Potency Bases, the Fivefold Faculties, the Sixfold Perfections, the Sevenfold Awakening Limbs, and the Eightfold Holy Ways, etc. to aspire for peace/awakening, to advance in the Fourfold Embracing Matters and the Fourfold Limitlessness, and to attain awakening/prognosis in nirvana, unconditioned peace.
While we live, we learn limitless life, light, liberation, and love in the Way Cycle of Practice – aspiration, cultivation, nirvana, and awakening – courageous challenge, continuous cultivation, calm contentment, and clear concentration. Zen embraces the Triple Learnings of morality, concentration, and prognosis, and the Triple Samadhi Limbs of striving, mindfulness, and concentration.
10/13/18
Note:
Fourfold Potency Bases (Iddhi-pāda): desire (chanda), striving (viriya), mind (citta), investigation (vīmaṁsā)
Fivefold Faculties/Powers (Indriya/Bala): faith (saddhā), striving (viriya), mindfulness (sati), concentration (samādhi), prognosis (paňňā)
Sixfold Perfections (pāramitā): giving (dāna), morality (sīla), patience (kānti), striving (viriya), concentration (samādhi), prognosis (paňňā)
Sevenfold Awakening Limbs (Bojjhaṅga): dharma analysis (dhamma vicaya), mindfulness (sati), striving (viriya), joy (pīti), lightness (passaddhi), concentration (samādhi), equanimity (upekkhā)
Eightfold Holy Ways (Ariya-magga): right view (sammā diṭṭhi), right thinking (sammā saṅkappa), right speech (sammā vacī), right action (sammā kammanta ), right livelihood (sammā ājīva), right striving (sammā viriya), right mindfulness (sammā sati), right concentration (sammā samṭdhi)
Eightfold Consideations/Awakenings of Great Persons (Mahā-purisa-vitakka/-bodhi): little desire (appiccha), contentment (santuṭṭha), seclusion (pavivitta), striving (viriya), mindfulness (sati), concentration (samāhia), prognosis (paňňā), no speculation (appapaňca)
Fourfold All-embracing Matters (S aṅgaha-vattu): giving (dāna), loving words (piya-vacana), beneficial action (attha-cariyā/artha-kṛtya), sameness (samana-arthatā/samana-arthatarthatā)
Fourfold Immeasurable/Brahma-abode (Apramana/Brahma-vihāra): friendship (mettā), compassion (kaluyāna), joy (mudita), equanimity (upekhā)
お早うございます！
数日前テレビを見ている時今年の生理学医学のノーベル賞受賞者本庶佑博士が自らの研究駆動力の６Ｃの最後として集中と継続と言っていました。私は屡これを飛翔・前進の両翼・両輪として話して来ました。残りのＣはCuriosity（好奇）Courage（勇気）Challenge（挑戦）Confidence（自信）です。
これら全ては生命の質を向上させるのに意味のある事を成就したいと望む誰にも必要なものです。私達は志すには好奇心と挑戦を、前進するには勇気と自信を、目的を達成するには集中力と継続を必要とします。 これらは頂上と歩歩の所で善い眺望と価値を志し、前進し、獲得するのを反映しています。
覚道は平和・覚醒（涅槃・覚悟）を志し、四摂事・四無量を進め、涅槃（無条件の平和）の中に覚醒・般若（智慧）を達成する為に四神足、五能力、六波羅蜜、七覚支、八聖道などを勧めています。
私達は生きて行く上で発心・修行・涅槃・覚悟の行持道環、８Ｃではcourageous challenge（勇気ある挑戦）continuous cultivation（継続的修行）calm contentment（平穏な満足）clear concentration（明澄な集中）、で無量寿・無量光・無量自由・無量愛を学びます。禅は戒定慧の三学、精進・専念・集中の三三昧支を包摂します。
2018共通年10月13日
註：以下原語（パーリ語）は英文註参照：
四超能力：意欲・精進・心識・探求
五力・器官：信念・精進・専念・集中（三昧）・智慧（般若）
六波羅蜜：布施・戒律・忍耐・精進・集中（三昧）・智慧（般若）
七覚支：法分析・専念・精進・喜悦・軽安・集中（三昧）・平静（捨離）
八聖道：正見・正思・正語・正行・正命・正念・正精進・正集中（三昧）
八大人覚・大人慮：小欲・知足・離俗・精進・専念・集中（三昧）・智慧（般若）・不妄想（不戯論）
四摂事:布施・愛語・利行・同事
四無量・梵住：慈・悲・喜・捨
Good morning!
Last time I compared Zazen practice to mountaineering. Step by step we climb with effort, and we experience clear, cool air and calm, changing scenes. Eventually we can climb to the highest peak, commanding vast views of countless peaks in pure peace and prognosis with boundless bliss.
Most people, however, are too busy or lazy to aspire to mountaineering, to make efforts to experience the exaltation of elevation away from their busy bustle and boundless bitterness. Even aspiration may be broken by sickness, slackness, short-sightedness, short-circuiting, etc., midway or even close to the peak.
On his deathbed, the Buddha allowed Subaddha to ask him – despite being refused by Ananda thrice – “What is the true religious leader?” The Buddha answered, “Subaddha, I renounced my house at 29, seeking goodness. Fifty and more years have passed since. I have been walking only in the realm of Right-way and Dharma. There is no other ‘striver in the Way.’”
Nī, the root of naya, translated Right-way, means “leading, reasoning,” but it also means vi-naya, off-lead, discipline – leading off bad karma to good, like training a wild, untamed elephant to become a tamed, useful one. Discipline is the first of the Triple Learnings of sīla (morality), samādhi (concentration), and prajňā (prognosis).
As Dogen said, cultivation and verification, training and witnessing, are one. We cultivate ourselves and verify the results of cultivation at the same time. We may not witness this so obviously, however, just as when a huge ship collides with a small one, the action-reaction result shows little for the huge ship due to its much larger volume.
Awakening, witnessing truth in nirvana, no-wind of karma, leads to freedom, equality, compassion, and peace (fivefold bliss of cultivation/culture). Anyone who practices Zazen can witness nirvana/prognosis, enjoying the holy (wholly wholesome) way world, harmony, health, and happiness always, at any place.
10/6/18
Note: Kusala, translated as goodness above, literally means skillfulness from “good at cutting kusa, grass.” So, it depends on the situation – poison may be used as medicine and medicine may become poisonous, depending on the situation.
お早うございます！
前回私は坐禅の実践を登山と比定しました。私たちは一歩一歩と努力して上れば、清浄で清涼な空気と平穏で移り変わる風景を体験できます。最終的には最高峰に登り、無限の至福のある純粋な平和と展望の中に無数の峰々の広大な眺めを享受することができます。
しかし、ほとんどの人は、多忙や怠惰のために、忙しい喧騒と無限の苦渋から遥かに上昇する歓喜を体験する為に努力する登山を希求しません。たとえ希求しても途中で、あるいは峰の近くまで来たのに病気、気の緩み、近視、短絡などによって挫折するかもしれません。
死の床にあったブッダは、スバッダが、アーナンダに三度拒否されたにもかかわらず、「真の宗教指導者とはどの様な人ですか？」と尋ねることを許しました。ブッダ「スバッダーよ、私は29歳で家を出て、それ以来50余年を過ごしたが、正道と法の領域だけを歩いて来た。そのほかに「道の修行者」はいない。」と言いました。
ナヤの語根nīは、「導く、理由付け」という意味ですが、vi-naya、離-導、教導、すなわち狂暴で調教されない象を調教され有用なものにするように悪業を善業に変えることも意味します。教導（規律）はシーラ（戒：道徳）、サマーディ（定：三昧）とパンニャー（般若：智恵：洞察）の三学の最初のものです。
道元が言われたように、修行と証悟、訓練と達成、は一如です。私達は自分自身を訓練修行して、同時に訓練修行の結果を証悟達成します。しかし、巨大な船が小さな船に衝突した場合のように、運動反動の結果（運動）は巨大な船にはその重量膨大の為ほとんど見られません。
覚醒、すなわち涅槃、業風止、で真実を確証すること、は自由、平等、慈悲、平和（修行/文化：修行/文化cultivation/cultureの五福）に導きます。坐禅を実践する人は、何処でも何時でも、涅槃・覚醒を確証して聖（全体健全）なる調和、健康、幸福を享受することができます。
2018年年10月6日
註：Kusala（上に善と翻訳）「KUSA：草-ラ：上手」の造語によるもので文字通りには上手・熟練を意味します。だから、それは状況によって異なりますー状況によっては毒は薬として用いられ薬も毒になり得ます。
Good morning!
When I travelled in Africa, I saw huge rhinos very closely, and found they are more like elephants than the bulls found in zoos. The Buddha said, “Walk alone like a rhino horn.” As we live in the karma world, we must walk independently, unaffected by it, practicing zazen, sitting still, stilling karma, seeing Dharma in nirvana, no wind of karma.
Practicing zazen is like climbing a mountain step by step. From the very first step we can enjoy mountain scenes with seasonal colors and atmosphere – flowers, trees, animals, insects, winds, mist, clouds, and sky. A sudden break in the mist opens up the world below, a view at the peak shows the next peak, eventually commanding all.
Two wings to fly free are continuity and concentration – like dripping water making a hole in a rock and a water jet cutting a metal sheet – because we are engulfed by karma, surrounded by the karma world. Flying free and high makes one free from the karma world and high enough to be unaffected by it.
The Buddha said, “Better than conquering thousands upon thousands is conquering one self. This is the true conqueror.” Conquering one-self means conquering the karma-self, which is like a bubble. The true conqueror attains the Dharma body and is like the limitless ocean with limitless life, light, liberation, and love.
9/30/2018C.E. Dharma talk
お早うございます！
アフリカを旅した時、私は巨大な犀を非常に間近に見て、動物園で見る雄牛のようであるよりも象のようなものであることを発見しました。仏陀は、「犀の角のように独り歩め」と言いました。私たちは業の世界に住んでいるので、それに悪影響を受けず独立して歩かなければなりません、坐禅を実践し、静かに坐り、業を静め、涅槃即ち業風の静止において法を観て。
坐禅を実践することは、山に一歩一歩と登るようなものです。最初の一歩から、花、木、動物、昆虫、風、霧、雲、空の季節的な色彩と雰囲気の山の風景を楽しむことができます。突然霧が途切れて下界が眼下に広がり、峰に達すると次の峰が見えたりしますが、最終的にすべての峰々を眺望します。
私達は業に飲まれ業世界に取り巻かれているので、自由に飛翔するには継続と集中の二つの翼が必要です、滴り続ける水が岩に穴をあけ水のジェット流が板金を切るように。高く自由に飛翔すれば業世界から自由になりその影響を受けないだけ十分高くなります。
仏陀は「戦場で千・千の人に勝つより一己に勝つ方が良い。それが真実の勝利者である。」と言っています。一己に勝つとは泡沫のような業己に勝つことです。真の勝利者は無量寿・無量光・無量自由・無量愛の無量海のような法身を得る事です。
2018共通年9月30日 法話
Good morning!
We are now in Ohigan, the Other Shore, officially the equinox, meaning nirvana. Nirvana is equanimity, upekhā, lit. renunciation, like the equinox, balanced in day and night, heat and chill. As the fourth of the four stages of Zen, jhāna, informs us, nirvana is renouncing all psycho-physical fabrications (conceptions, emotions, volitions, etc.: the triple poisons: triple karmas).
In nirvana, one can see how all phenomena originate dependently on limitless causes and conditions. Simply put, it was called sa-hetu-dhamma, with-cause-dharma, causal law/truth. The most popular formalization is the Twelve-limbed Dependent Co-origination, paṭicca-samuppāda, illustrating how suffering originates depending upon craving, taṅhā, lit. thirst, and samsāra, complete constant becoming.
The root of dharma or dhamma is dhṝ, dwell or hold. Dharma means durable or firm form/phenomena and norm/law to our six senses, though in the awakened eye, the third eye, awakening/prognosis, all are related/relative dependently originated phenomena. When we say, “We take refuge in the Dharma” in the Triple Treasures, we mean the durable Dharma of Dependent Co-origination.
Dharma may include right and wrong or good and bad dharmas, but the Dharma of D.C. teaches us to choose the former as firm/durable or reliable/restful form/norm and phenomena/law. The Awakened Way maintains that sinful/separated/sick dharmas must be transformed to holy/wholly/wholesome dharmas through constant concentrated conduct with confidence/control/commitment.
9/22/18
Note: Paṭicca-samuppāda (Pali)/prati-itya-sam-ut-pāda (Sanskrit) literally means mutually-going-complete-up-let-fall, causing to originate by coming together like two bundles of reed leaning together to stand, two hands/cymbals coming together/contacting to originate sound. So, this was originally the description of the sense organs and objects contacting to originate sense perception/consciousness (cf. Contact, phassa/sparṣa, illustrates most conspicuously the origination/cessation of tactile perception, thus, used as the technical term to show the structure of the conjunction of the three, i.e., sense organ/object/perception). This demonstrates that the term was originally only representing this mechanism of dependent co-origination of perception/consciousness dependent on sense organs and objects, but later on it was used to show the twelve-limbed Dependent Co-origination. The other parts are more linear causal relations (nidāna) between causes (craving/nescience) and effects (suffering/samsara) without this core mechanism of contact/coming together (of organs/objects, dynamic cooperative conative relation).
お早うございます！
私達は今お彼岸、暦では秋分、ですがそれは涅槃を意味します。涅槃は平静、原意は捨、で、昼夜・寒暖の平均状態の（平）分点のように放棄を意味します。禅、禅那、の四段階の第四位が語るように、涅槃は一切の身心造作（観念・感情・意志等：三毒：三業）を放棄することです。
涅槃において人は一切の現象が無限の因縁（直接因・間接縁：原因・条件）に基いて生起するのを見る事が出来ます。簡潔には「有因法」因に縁る法です。最も周知のものは十二支縁起で、苦が欲望、原意は渇愛、と流転、原意は完全常時の生成に縁って起きることを表示します。
法の語根はdhṝで住す：保つです。法は感官に把握される維持・堅固なform形・現象とnorm則・法則を意味しますが、覚眼・第三の眼・覚悟・智慧には一切は相依相対縁起（因縁生起）現象です。三帰依の中「南無帰依法」と言う時永続する縁起を意味します。
法は善悪・正邪の法を含みますが、縁起の法は前者を堅固・依拠/信頼・安楽な形・則あるいは現象・法則として選ぶよう教えています。覚道は常時・集中した信念・統禦・献身した行為で罪悪・分離・病患の法を聖性・全体・健全な法に転換することを堅持しています。
2018共通年9月22日
註：縁起の原語paṭicca-samuppāda (Pali)/prati-itya-sam-ut-pāda (Sanskrit)葦の二束が互いに寄り合って立つように、あるいは両手・両シンバルが打ち合って音をだすように二つのものが行き合って（新しい事・音・現象）を発生することを意味します。ですからこらは元来感覚器官と感覚対象が接触して感覚（知覚・意識）を発生するのを述べるものでした（参考：接触phassa/sparṣaは感官の中でも最も明瞭に触感の生起・消滅を例示しますので、接触（触）が三事和合、感覚器官・感覚対象・感覚知覚の三つの接触の機構を示す術語となりました。）これは元来この（三事和合：縁起という）術語は感覚器官と感覚対象に縁って知覚・意識の縁起の機構を表現するものでしたが、後になって十二支縁起全体を示す為に使用されました。（知覚・意識の発生：縁起）以外の部分は（感覚器官と感覚対象の：動的な共働・共生の関係）の接触の機構無しの原因（欲望・無明）と結果（苦・流転）の間の線形の因果関係です。
Good morning!
About a decade ago I made a trip to India, tracing the Buddha’s footsteps. Most memory sites were desolate remains, but Jetavana, Gion, was vivid with abundant flowers and butterflies flying around. Here the Buddha started the rainy season retreat in the buildings donated by Sudatta, Good-giver, or Anāthapiṇḍika, Feeder of the destitute, giving most sermons and disciplines.
The Buddha, seeing the suffering of birth, death, parting, losing, etc., renounced his household life at the age of 29, strived hard in fasting, penance, meditation, etc. for six years, and attained awakening in nirvana, solving suffering. His awakening was in the Dharma of Dependent Co-origination, summed up in the Twelve-fold, -limbed, Dependent Co-origination, life wheel.
The prime movers of the life wheel (samsara suffering) are the formations (sankhāra, past/present physical/verbal/mental actions). So, stilling them is the solution in still sitting – stilling formations – in meditation, jhāna, zen. The four stages of meditation show how anyone can reach nirvana, stilling body, mouth, mind – volitions, emotions, conceptions, and perceptions.
Ryokan’s poem says, “When butterflies come, flowers bloom: Where flowers bloom, butterflies come.” In the Awakened Way in nirvana anyone can realize holy (wholly wholesome) harmony, health, and happiness with limitless life, light, liberation, and love, tasting amrita, ambrosia of immortality. Sukhavati, Blissful, usually translated as Pureland, Paradise, is here now.
9/15/2018C.E. Dharma talk
甘露、不死、神饌
お早うございます！
十年程前私は仏跡を訪ねるインドへの旅をしました。ほとんどの名跡は命のない残骸でしたが、祇園は沢山の花が咲き乱れ周りを蝶々が飛び回っていました。ここで釈尊はスダッタ（善施）またはアナータピンダダ（給孤独者）により寄進された建物で雨安居を始められ、殆どの経典と戒律を与えられました。
釈尊は二十九歳で生死離失などの苦を見て在家生活を放棄して六年間断食・苦行・瞑想などの厳しい行に精進され、涅槃に入って悟りを得て苦を解決されました。その悟りは十二支縁起、十二の部分より成る因縁生起、即ち生存の輪、に要約される縁起の法でした。
生存の輪（輪廻苦）の原動力は行（過去・現在の身口意の三業）です。だからそれを静める静座―瞑想・禅で、行を静める―ことに解決があります。四禅定段階は誰でも身口意―意志・感情・観念・感覚－を静めて涅槃に至ることを示しています。
良寛の詩は「蝶来る時花開き、花開く処蝶きたる」と言います。涅槃に於いて誰でも無量寿・光・自由・愛で聖（全体健全）なる調和・健康・幸福を実現して甘露、不死、新撰を味わうことが出来ます。浄土・天国・極楽と訳されるスカ-ヴァティとは「喜悦‐充満」という意味で即今当処の境涯です。
2018共通年9月5日 法話
Good morning!
Homo sapience could survive and thrive by its wisdom of harmony, communal cooperation. This species, however, may become extinct at any time, along with all living beings, due to its instinct of separation, short-sighted selfishness – me-ism, mammon-ism, materialism, militarism, etc., e.g., nukes, wars, global warming, mass extinction.
Sin means separation, i.e., “self” separated from all coming from the self-survival instinct, with sense and motor organs developed and evolved by long karma (growing with ceremony: performance: behavior, habit, heredity). Sinful karma manifests as the triple poisons of desire, divisiveness (anger, hate), and delusion, poisoning all.
Stilling karma can still self-sense, selfishness, sinful karma, the triple poisons, thus all stresses and suffering. Zazen, sitting still, can still physical, verbal, and mental karma, see the Dharma (Truth/Law) of Dependent Co-origination of all phenomena (senses: mind, sense realm: world, stress, suffering, samsara: transmigratory life).
All living beings want to achieve holy (wholly wholesome) harmony, health, and happiness. They are, however, driven by karma into the triple poisons, resulting in sinful (selfish stricken) separation, sickness and suffering. Truth, however, tells that anyone can sit still, still karma, see truth, serve, and save all in nirvana/bodhi (awakening).
9/8/2018 C.E. Dharma talk
N.B. 1. The Dharma (Norm/form: Law/phenomena) of Dependent Co-origination shows how formations (past/present physical/verbal/mental karma) (1) originates/initiates the contact of sense organs and objects, originating/creating sense realm/world, (2) originates (karmic) craving/thirst resulting in suffering, and (3) originates the sense of appropriation/identification (of body as body, my body, me, I), thus becoming/identifying birth/death, hungry/angry, etc., called samsara (transmigratory living, becoming born, sick, dying, hungry, angry, American, etc.). See Dependent Origination document in the “download documents” section of our website: www.missourizencennter.org.
お早うございます！
ホモ・サピエンスは調和、社会的協働、の智慧で生き残り繁栄することが出来ました。この種は、しかし、分離、近視的自己中心、即ち利己主義、守銭主義、物欲主義、軍事主義等、例えば核、戦争、地球温暖化、大量絶滅、の本能で他の一切の生き物と共に何時絶滅するかも知れません。
罪は分離、即ち、長い業（karma=ceremony:祭儀：行儀：行為、習慣、遺伝で育った）で発展・進化した感覚・行動器官での自己保存本能から来る一切から分離された「自己」、を意味します。罪業は欲望・分離（怒り・憎悪）・妄想の三毒に発現し一切を独します。
業の鎮静化は自己感覚、自己中心、罪業、三毒を鎮静化し、こうして一切のストレスと苦悩を鎮静化することが出来ます。坐禅、静座、は身口意（心）の業を鎮静化して一切現象（感覚・心・感覚世界：世界・ストレス・苦悩・流転：輪廻するような生命）の縁起（因縁による生起）の法（法理・法則）を見ることが出来ます。
一切生類は聖（全体健全）なる調和・健康・幸福を達成したいと欲します。彼らは、しかし、業により三毒へ駆り立てられて罪（自己中心に禍された）分離・病患・苦悩の結果となります。真理は、しかしながら、誰でも静かに座り、業を静め、真実を見て、一切を涅槃・菩提（覚醒）に回向し救うことが出来ると語っているのです。
2018共通年9月8日 法話
註：１．縁起の法（dharma = form/norm：形・ありかた： 諸法・法則）は行（過去・現在の身口意三業）が（1）感覚境涯・世界を生み・創り、（2）（業の）欲望・渇望を生み苦に結果し、（3）（身体を体、自分の体、自己の、自分）を所有物・一体物という感覚を生み、サンサーラ（生れ、患い、死に、空腹、怒り、米国人などになる流転・輪廻の生活）と呼ばれる生・死、渇・怒などになり・同一化します。当方のウェブサイトの「ダウンロード書類」の「縁起」の書類を御覧下さい：www.missourizencenter.org
2.当方の上記ウェブサイトの「ダウンロード書類」の「坐禅の段階」の書類を御覧下さい。
