Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Products of Our Mind Alone - Dogen on Zen Study

Two components of Zen study and the products of our mind alone
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According to Dogen there are two components to Zen study:
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There are provisionally two ways to learn what the Buddha’s Way is: namely, to learn by means of our mind and to learn by means of our body.
Shobogenzo, Shinjin Gakudo
, Hubert Nearman
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For Dogen, enacting the component of learning by means of “the body” is done with zazen (seated meditation). In spite of the continuing tendency to stereo type Dogen as an unflinching champion of zazen, his writings on this aspect of Zen study are sparse relative to those on learning with “the mind.” The handful of writings that Dogen did compile, however, are precise, lucid, and easy to understand.
I find myself in basic agreement with Hee-Jin Kim on the reason for Dogen’s relative silence concerning zazen. Kim writes:
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Dogen’s instructions on seated meditation were brief and minimalist. He did not elaborate on meditation techniques or meditative experience in any detail, nor did he attempt to guide his disciples through graduated stages of meditative and spiritual progression, as we often see in some religious traditions within and without Buddhism. I do not attribute his peculiar instructional style to any insensitivity toward his disciples’ soteric welfare. Rather, his approach emerged from his foremost desire to provide them with fundamental principles—spelled out in terms of language, thinking and reason—with which each could grapple with his/her individual soteric project, thereby realizing his/her own Zen. Dogen demonstrated this himself by writing the fascicles of Shobogenzo.
Hee-Jin Kim, Dogen On Meditation and Thinking, p.122
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I would only add that the actual “physical” (body) performance of zazen is pretty simple and there is little to say about it beyond describing how to do it.

However, the component of Zen study by “means of the mind” is profound in its range and scope. In Buddhism, nature and dynamics of “mind” are numerous and complex. And according to Dogen, the aspect of Zen study with “mind” includes all of the various “sorts of minds”:
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To learn by means of the mind is to learn by all sorts of minds. Those minds include the discriminative mind, the mind of feelings and emotions, and the mind that sees the oneness of all things, among others.
Shobogenzo, Shinjin Gakudo,
Hubert Nearman
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Besides all the “ordinary” sorts of mind, Dogen also proclaims that we “have given rise” to bodhicitta (the mind of enlightenment; bodhi: enlightenment; citta: mind) we also study the “daily functioning” of that mind too:
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Also, after we have established a spiritual rapport with a Master and have given rise to the mind that would realize full enlightenment, we take refuge in the Great Way of the Buddhas and Ancestors and explore the daily functioning of the mind that seeks full enlightenment.
Shobogenzo, Shinjin Gakudo
, Hubert Nearman
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Even before we have awakened bodhicitta, he expects us to study and become familiar with the “methods of the Buddhas and Ancestors of the past” and to “imitate” them, evidently to arouse bodhicitta.
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Even if we have not yet given rise to the mind that truly aspires to realize full enlightenment, we should imitate the methods of the Buddhas and Ancestors of the past who gave rise to the mind that seeks enlightenment.
Shobogenzo, Shinjin Gakudo
, Hubert Nearman
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To encourage us in our efforts, he reminds us of the fundamental tenet of Mahayana Buddhism: all the myriad dharmas throughout space and time are products of our mind:
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This mind is the mind that has resolved to realize enlightenment; it is the manifestation of a sincere heart moment by moment, the mind of previous Buddhas, our everyday mind, and the three worlds of desire, form, and beyond form. All of these are the products of our mind alone.
Shobogenzo, Shinjin Gakudo
, Hubert Nearman
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Peace,
Ted

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Open letter to Eido Shimano Roshi, from Robert Aitken Roshi

For all interested in the current and future state of the Maha Sangha.
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Robert Aitken Roshi has raised an important issue in a recent post on his blog. Please check it out at:
Robert Aitken Roshi’s open letter to Eido Tai Shimano Roshi
Thank you!

Beings are numberless, I vow to save them.
Greed, hatred, and ignorance arise endlessly, I vow to abandon them.
Dharma-gates are countless, I vow to enter them.
Buddha’s Way is unsurpassed, I vow to embody it fully.

Gassho,
Ted

Dogen, Joshu, and Huineng revealing How Joyful It Is

How Joyful it is!
Zen Master Joshu was once asked by a monk what the difference was between himself, not yet having awakened, and Joshu who had awakened. Joshu described the differnce by saying, "I use time; you are used by time." A very similar point is illustrated in the story about Huineng (the sixth Zen ancestor in China) and "The monk who recites the Lotus Sutra," which culminates with Huineng's teaching about the difference between "Reciting a sutra, and being recited by a sutra."
Dogen, in Shobogenzo, Hokke-ten-Hokke, takes up the issue at the heart of these teachings and reveals a number of marvelous implications--exclaiming "how joyful" this truth is near the end of his writing:
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How joyful it is! From kalpa to kalpa is the Flower of Dharma, and from noon to night is the Flower of Dharma. Because the Flower of Dharma is from kalpa to kalpa, and because the Flower of Dharma is from noon to night, even though our own body and mind growsstrong and grows weak, it is just the Flower of Dharma itself. The reality that exists “as it is” is “a treasure,” is “brightness,” is “a seat of truth,” is “wide, great, profound, and eternal,” is “profound, great, and everlasting,” is “mind in delusion, the Flower of Dharma turning,” and is “mind in realization, turning the Flower of Dharma,” which is really just the Flower of Dharma turning the Flower of Dharma.
When the mind is in the state of delusion, the Flower of Dharma turns.When the mind is in the state of realization, we turn the Flower of Dharma.If perfect realization can be like this,The Flower of Dharma turns the Flower of Dharma.
~Shobogenzo, Hokke-ten-hokke, Gudo Nishijima and Mike Cross
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Thank you Dogen, I agree!
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Peace,
Ted

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Supreme State of Enlightenment--and Beyond

Dogen on the Supreme State of Enlightenment--and Beyond...
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While some contemporary Buddhist teachers tend to downplay the significance of enlightenment and even minimize or ridicule the use of the various terms for enlightenment (bodhi, satori, sho, awakening, etc.), the Buddhist scriptures and classic records of the master speak of little else, and insist that enlightenment is the foremost task of all Buddhists. Dogen's works are no exception. But what is enlightenment? Following are some expamles in which Dogen offers clues about "the supreme state of bodhi."
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In the supreme state of bodhi, Buddhist patriarchs who transmitted the truth and received the behavior have been many, and examples of past ancestors who reduced their bones to powder cannot be denied. Learn from the ancestral Patriarch who cut off his arm, and do not differ by a hair’s breadth [from the bodhisattva who] covered the mud. When we each get rid of our husk, we are not restricted by former views and understanding, and things which have for vast kalpas been unclear suddenly appear before us. In the here and now of such a moment, the self does not recognize it, no-one else is conscious of it, you do not expect it, and even the eyes of Buddha do not glimpse it. How could the human intellect fathom it?
Shobogenzo, Keisei-Sanshiki, Nishijima & Cross
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The term ‘the Ultimate’ refers to the Wisdom that is the result of Buddhahood. Were we to compare the state of supreme, fully perfected enlightenment with the state of giving rise to the enlightened Mind for the first time, it is like comparing the universal, all-consuming conflagration of the final age with the light of a firefly. Even so, when you give rise to the heart that helps others reach the Other Shore, even though you yourself have not yet reached that Place, there is no difference between the two.
Shobogenzo, Hotsu Bodai Shin, Hubert Nearman
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He who knows but a single mote of dust knows the whole world: he who fully comprehends one thing comprehends all the myriad things that comprise the universe. He who fails to comprehend all the myriad things will not comprehend even one of them. When someone has fully trained himself in this principle of comprehending and has reached full comprehension, he will not only see the myriad things that comprise the universe but will also see each one of them. This is why the person who studies one mote of dust will undoubtedly be studying the whole universe. To think that a three-year-old child cannot give voice to the Buddha Dharma or to think that a three-year-old is ‘cute’ is the height of foolishness. This is because clarifying what birth is and clarifying what death is constitutes the most important matter for a Buddhist monk.
Shobogenzo, Shoaku Makusa, Hubert Nearman
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But, according to Dogen, awakening is only the beginning. What about after this mind has already been manifested?
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There are those who say that after bodhisattvas become Buddhas, they discontinue practice because there is nothing left for them to do. Such people are mundane persons who have no direct knowledge of the Way of the Buddhas and Ancestors.
Shobogenzo, Shoho Jisso, Hubert Nearman
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Unsurpassed bodhi is not for the sake of self, not for the sake of others, not for the sake of fame, and not for the sake of profit. And yet, single-mindedly seeking unsurpassed bodhi, diligently proceeding without retreat, is called arousing the bodhi mind. After this mind has already been manifested, not seeking after bodhi, even for the sake of bodhi, is the genuine bodhi mind. If you do not have this mind, how could it be the study of the way? Brothers at this temple, single-mindedly seek bodhi mind, and never quit out of laziness.
Eihei Koroku, Dogen’s Extensive Record, Leighton & Okumura, 5:377
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The arising of the intention means giving rise, right off, to the intention to help others reach the Other Shore, even though you yourself have not yet reached that Place. We call this giving rise to the enlightened Mind for the first time. Once you have given rise to this Mind, you will then encounter Buddhas to whom you should make alms offerings, and you should hearken to Their Teaching.
Shobogenzo, Hotsu Bodai Shin, Hubert Nearman
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Once you attain this state of suchness and attain the harmoni­ous unity of activity and understanding possessed by the Buddha-patriarchs, you examine exhaustively all the thoughts and views of this attainment.
Shobogenzo, Sammai-O-Zammai, Waddell & Abe, p.101
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The Dharma was Transmitted for the sake of each and every Buddha, and the Dharma was inherited for the sake of each and every Buddha. This is why birth-and-death and coming-and-going exist. It is why the intention to train, training and practice, the attaining of Wisdom, and nirvana exist. By making use of the intention to train, training and practice, the attaining of Wisdom, and nirvana, we thoroughly explore that the human body really is birth-and-death and coming-and-going, and, in protecting what we have received, we now hold firm and we now let go.
Shobogenzo, Shoho Jisso (Hubert Nearman)
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Therefore, once having understood, you should read the Sage's Teachings many times. And having heard the words of the teacher, still you should listen to them again. The mind should grow deeper and deeper. As for things which would be hindrances to the study of the Way, do not go near them anymore. Even if it is painful and lonely, associate with worthy companions to practice the Way.
Shobogenzo-Zuimonki, 5:15 (Record of Things Heard, Thomas Cleary)
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Well, back to the cushions and the sutras! Enjoy!
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Peace,
Ted

Dogen 1.See Buddha 2.Live Buddha 3.Utilize Buddha

Dogen's Three Steps of Buddha Dharma
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The ultimate way by which the Eye sees Buddha refers to the Eye by which we encounter Buddha. When we see Buddha Nature in other places and when we see our own Buddha Nature as being apart from Buddhas, then, even though everything seems to be all tangled up like overgrown vines, we first explore through our training what ‘meeting Buddha’ means. Then we work on dropping off ‘meeting Buddha’ until we realize the vital, living state of ‘meeting Buddha’. Finally, we make use of our ‘having met Buddha’.
~Shobogenzo, Kembutsu, Translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman
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Peace,
Ted

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Dogen On Teachers and Scriptures

While it is an axiom of Zen that "The Treasure Is Never Found Outside Ourself," it can be easy to forget. Here Dogen offers us a stark reminder about the foremost principle of Zen:
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At the same time, whether people are following a good spiritual teacher or following the Scriptures, all such persons are following their True Self. The Scriptural texts are, naturally, the Scriptural texts of Self, and good spiritual teachers are, naturally, good spiritual teachers of Self. Thus, you should investigate through your training that thorough training means thoroughly training oneself, that studying the hundreds of things which sprout up like grass means studying oneself, that studying the myriad things that take root and branch out like trees means studying oneself, and that this self is, of necessity, synonymous with making such an effort. By exploring like this through your training, you drop off self and you promise enlightenment to yourself.
Shobogenzo, Jisho Zammai, Hubert Nearman
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Peace,
Ted

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Dogen and Shobogenzo Zen Links

Dogen and Shobogenzo related links to online Zen resources

Soto Zen Text Project (Excellent Online Translations from Dogen’s Works)

The Zensite (Massive collection of Dogen related material, including translations)

Mining Ashvaghosha’s Gold [A Dogen/Shobogenzo Related Blog by Mike Cross, translator (with Gudo Nishijima) of "Master Dogen's Shobogenzo"]

98 Dogen/Shobogenzo Related Posts from The Flatbed Sutra Zen Blog

Poet Seers (Some English translations of Dogen’s poems)

Poetry Chaikhana (Some more poems by Dogen)

Online Shobogenzo – 95 Chapter Version, translated by Gudo Nishijima & Mike (Chodo) Cross

Online Shobogenzo – 96 Chapter Version, translated by Rev. Hubert Nearman

Shobogenzo Comparison Table of the 95, 96, and 75 Chapter Versions [A table comparison of the included fascicles (chapters), their numerical order, and the English translations of the 96 chapter version (by Hubert Nearman), the 95 chapter version (by Gudo Nishijima & Mike Cross) and the "standard" 75 chapter version of Shobogenzo. Includes links to various online translations (more links coming soon).]
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Please share your favorite Dogen links in the comment section.
Enjoy!
Peace,
Ted

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Dogen - Enlightened Mind "After" This Intention Arises

If the intention to realize enlightenment has not yet arisen, strive on, strive on! As Dogen says:
This Mind is not ours, or someone else’s, or something that comes to us, yet after this intention arises, whenever we raise aloft the Great Earth, everything turns into gold, and whenever we sprinkle the waters of the Great Ocean, they immediately turn into the sweet dew. After that, whenever we lay hold of soil or rocks, sand or pebbles, we make use of this enlightened Mind, and whenever we explore the gushing forth of water and the blazing up of fire, we are personally shouldering the enlightened Mind.
Shobogenzo, Hotsu Bodai Shin, Hubert Nearman
Peace,
Ted