tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36986548.post8545463390250367633..comments2023-10-21T03:56:17.837-07:00Comments on Zen Buddhism Dogen and the Shobogenzo: Dogen demanded more than Just Sitting? Say it ain't so!Ted Biringerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00497538623775589400noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36986548.post-78073466108306540992008-05-05T11:44:00.000-07:002008-05-05T11:44:00.000-07:00On a some what related note…Last night I had an od...On a some what related note…<BR/>Last night I had an odd dream.<BR/><BR/>I was at some kind of Pan-Buddhist conference.<BR/>I had no Kesa. <BR/>A yellow robed monk, maby from China? Gave me an extra he had brought with.<BR/>And then he showed me how to put it on. It felt right.<BR/><BR/><BR/>What an odd dream.<BR/><BR/>Gassho,<BR/>JordanSlowZenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589294912054724123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36986548.post-8756519576788429372008-05-05T02:20:00.000-07:002008-05-05T02:20:00.000-07:00Jordan,Thanks! Ha ha!!I have just finished picking...Jordan,<BR/><BR/>Thanks! Ha ha!!<BR/><BR/>I have just finished picking all the noodles out of my carpet...<BR/><BR/>Yes, great point. How about when he says things like:<BR/><BR/>"Those who have not yet left home life behind do not succeed to the inheritance of the Right Action of the Buddha’s Dharma. They have not received the authentic Transmission of the Great Course of the Buddha’s Dharma."<BR/><BR/>And: <BR/><BR/>"During the Buddha’s whole lifetime of teaching, not one person in lay life fully realized the Way."<BR/><BR/>Very interesting... And definitely worth taking up on the cushion, I think...<BR/><BR/>Personally, this issue is still not resolved for me. But I hasten to add that Dogen definitely has a knack for being "unnattached" to language and positions... For instance, his records are full of references to Rinzai (Lin-chi) as "a rightful heir of the Buddha-Dharma." Yet, in some places he dismisses Rinzai as an "ignoramous."<BR/><BR/>It seems clear to me that Dogen would not be disuaded to say anything if he thought that it was the right time or place, and saying so would bring his message home loud and clear to his particular audience-- He was definitly not bound by any "system" of thought, philosophy, tradition, religion, or any other theoretical framework.<BR/><BR/>Yet, his overall message is surely "universal" when it comes to sentient beings---even bats and fish "realize the Way" --- grasses and walls, pillars, and fences, throghout his works he definitely "leans" toward "inclusion" rather than "exclusion"... <BR/><BR/>His acknowledgement of "lay" persons be equal to monastics far outweigh his denials, for instance here are just a handful of examples from the Shobogenzo:<BR/><BR/>I would point out, “The Ancestors have said in their Teaching, ‘When it comes to realizing the Buddha Dharma, make no distinction between male and female, or between the exalted and the lowly.’<BR/><BR/>Who amongst those in the worlds of either the mundane or the saintly could possibly be excluded from entering? Because of this, should you seek examples from the past up to the present, authenticated instances of it are many indeed.<BR/><BR/>It simply depends on whether you have the determination or not: it has nothing to do with being a householder or a monk.<BR/><BR/>Nevertheless, once one of them [Lay person] has clarified the<BR/>Matter, trainees will gather about him like clouds and mist, respectfully bowing and seeking spiritual benefits, behaving the same as they would towards a Master who had left home and become a monk. Be it a woman or be it an animal, you should do the same.<BR/><BR/>Even a seven-year-old—were he or she to train in and practice Buddhism, and then say something that is Buddha Dharma—can be a teacher and guide for monks and laity, male and female.<BR/><BR/>In India and China, there have been many monks and lay people who have been bodhisattvas and Ancestral Masters, but none is the equal of our Ancestral Master Nāgārjuna.<BR/><BR/>And hardly anyone recieves this kind of reverence from Dogen:<BR/><BR/>Though some may feel sorry that he was of humble birth, he nevertheless left secular life behind him and even transcended monkhood, for he had realized the Dharma and had had the<BR/>sacred robe passed on to him while still a lay person. This is something that was unheard of in the past, not even in India to the west, and it constitutes a remarkable precedent set in the eastern land of China. It is as if even the seven hundred high ranking monks did not compare with him nor could the dragon elephants of his whole nation follow in his footsteps. He is truly an heir of the Buddha who has taken his position as our Ancestor of the thirty-third generation after Shakyamuni.<BR/><BR/>Okay, don't reply until tomorrow... I am having my carpet replaced with something easier to clean...<BR/><BR/>Gassho,<BR/>TedTed Biringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00497538623775589400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36986548.post-87215889308386476312008-05-04T13:00:00.000-07:002008-05-04T13:00:00.000-07:00Dogen did demand more than just sitting! What was ...Dogen did demand more than just sitting! What was that bit about shaving the head and wearing the Kesa?<BR/><BR/>Kicking over the dinner table,<BR/>JordanSlowZenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10589294912054724123noreply@blogger.com