The Ultimate Reality of Expedient Means - Dogen

The Ultimate Reality of Expedients Means

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Sakyamuni Buddha says, “Buddhas alone, together with buddhas, are directly able to perfectly realize that all dharmas are real form…

all dharmas are the real nature...
all dharmas are real body...
all dharmas are real energy...
all dharmas are real action...
all dharmas are real causes...
all dharmas are real conditions...
all dharmas are real effects...
all dharmas are real results...
all dharmas are the real ultimate state of equality of substance and detail...

Sakyamuni Buddha says, “The anuttarasamyaksambodhi of all bodhisattvas totally belongs to this sutra. This sutra opens the gate of expedient methods and reveals true real form…”

The gate of expedient methods is not a temporary artifice; it is the learning in practice of the whole universe in ten directions, and it is learning in practice that exploits the real form of all dharmas.
Shobogenzo, Shoho-jisso, Gudo Nishijima & Mike Cross

(Alternative translation of the last line: "The Gate of Skillful Means does not refer to some momentary skill. Trainees take up the Real Form of all thoughts and things, and explore It thoroughly through their training with a Master." ~Hubert Nearman)

Here we see the reason for Dogen’s repeated assertions on the “real existence of all dharmas,” and “nothing is concealed in the whole universe.” According to Dogen: “…expedient methods is not a temporary artifice…” !!!

This is quite an astonishing statement. If it was anyone other than Dogen, the assertion that “expedient means” are ultimately real might be immediately denied by a number of Zen students and teachers I know. But since Dogen had to go and write it down, some concession will have to be made—usually a “creative interpretation” explaining what Dogen really “meant,” perhaps, “just sitting is itself full enlightenment,“ or something similar. I will stick with his words for now.

In the context of Dogen's writings, one implication of this is that the form (or, appearance) of a thing (dharma) and the content (or, meaning) of the thing are nondual. In short, a thing is and means precisely as it appears. Thus, every particular thing is an expression of Buddha nature, and each expression means what it says. This is why Dogen stresses, “nothing is concealed in the whole universe.”

This also explains Dogen’s scorn for “scholars that count words and letters,” and abstract notions inferred, or deduced from generalized systems of classification. If the significance (meaning, reason, content) of real things is not apart from the form of their appearance, then accurate understanding depends on clear perception. In order to “classify” things according to their “inherent qualities” (e.g. “right” speech, “expedient” means, “pure” sitting, etc.), those things must first be attributed with qualities—in other words, “qualities” would have to be considered independently of the things they were supposed to qualify (Buddhism 101 informs us that “independent” entities are untenable).

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It is impossible even to imagine qualities, like “right,” “provisional,” “false,” etc., as existing apart from real things. Qualities apart from things are as illusory as “general perceptions.” To accept Dogen’s position of the nonduality of “things” and “our experience of them” is to accept the unity the self and the world; to classify things according to separate qualities divides the self and the world. This is “counting words and letters,” this is being attached to theoretical conceptualization—inferences and deductions about things, are substituted for things as they are.

Now, as all things are real to Dogen, this includes concepts, theories, abstraction, etc. And it is for this very reason that Dogen warns of real danger in misusing them. There is no problem with concepts, abstract ideas, etc. in themselves; according to Dogen, they are both real and necessary (expedient means) to authentic practice-enlightenment. It is careless or unskillful use that Dogen disparages.

For Dogen, there are mountains, mountains, and mountains—"experienced mountains” directly perceived, "word mountains” used to intelligently communicate, and "concept “mountains” used to think intelligently. These three types of real mountains, experiential, verbal, and conceptual respectively are certainly interconnected, but they are not equivalent or interchangeable. Nor are they qualitatively superior or inferior—each is a real dharma and a real expression of Buddha nature. Zen practitioners are not to dispense with words and concepts, but to use them skillfully (expediently). Expedient usage begins with study to achieve an accurate understanding of the distinctions between experience, word, and concept. Once understood, practitioners use them expediently by keeping in mind, or “remembering” these distinctions. As Dogen says:

Remember, mountains are not “mountains,” mountains are mountains.

In sum, Dogen’s view about the unity of a thing and its content, or reason, implies that the more precisely we discern a thing, the more accurately we understand it.

Dogen never tires of disparaging views that divide reality into “mind” (envisioned as a kind of eternal “divine essence”) and “matter” (envisioned as the dead, passive material “stuff” of the world). Such views commonly posits a division between “things” and our “experience” of them.

The division of subject and object also occurs in doctrines that take an opposite approach. Rather than dividing reality up, some doctrines simply merge the myriad things into a kind of pernicious oneness.

Unlike the Buddhist doctrine of nonduality, wherein the creative dynamic tension of differences are maintained, the effect of either dividing or merging is equalization and neutralization, logically concluding by reducing all dharmas to identical and interchangeable nothings.

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Can you hear Dogen spitting venom? Me too!

Peace,

Ted

Dogen and the Nonduality of Nonduality

One of the first things to get clear about Dogen’s cosmology is that all things exist only within our mind, or more specifically, our “body-mind” (shinjin; for Dogen “body” and “mind” are a unity). Some astonishing implications of this can be highlighted by using a different expression to say the same thing; all things are our mind.

Understanding this aspect of the nature of (Dogen’s) reality helps clarify the reasoning (dori) that informs a number of Dogen’s characteristic doctrines, including, “untainted practice-enlightenment,” “nothing concealed in the universe,” “existence-time,” “self-fulfilling samadhi,” “body-mind cast off,” “nonthinking,” and others. For now let’s examine just what it is that Dogen means by “things” and “mind.”

First, “things” (dharmas), for Dogen, mean real things—things that actually exist. Second, for Dogen “things” mean each and every particular thing that has ever been perceived, conceived, experienced, known, or imagined, and everything that could be perceived, conceived, experienced, known, or imagined.

Dogen stresses the authenticity of this view with frequent references and allusions to the Lotus sutra’s teaching on the “ultimate reality of all thoughts and things.” His insistence that “all things” means all things is made clear with frequent elucidations on the ultimate reality of dreams, optical illusions, words and letters, and other things traditionally regarded as illusory, provisional, non-existent, or unreal. For example Dogen expounds on the virtues of “putting a ‘second head’ on top of our head,” and Shobogenzo, Kuge is an extensive treatise on the ultimate reality and efficacy of “sky flowers” (a term for “imaginary spots in the air” caused by diseased eyes). In traditional Buddhism both “sky-flowers” and a “second head” were used as references for deluded, unreal, or illusory views.

So then, all things exist within our mind, and all things are real things. What then, is mind? Mind is all things—all real things. But if all things are mind, and mind is all things, what is the point of using different terms? From one perspective, it is perfectly accurate to say that there is no difference between mind and things; from other perspectives, however, it misses the mark by millions of miles. This is the hard part. Hard but, fortunately, not complicated, and nowhere near impossible. Investigating Dogen’s teachings on nonduality can clarify how things and mind can be “not two” and “not one.” For now, a traditional Buddhist analogy should be enough to follow the issue at hand. The analogy asks us to investigate the sameness and the difference of waves and water; it is accurate to say, “Waves are water,” but it is not a very thorough description. Sometimes it is accurate to say, “Water is waves,” and sometimes it is not.

There are three points about Dogen’s view of reality to keep in mind here; first: “The whole of existence-and-time is our real body-mind, our ‘true self;’” second: “Every particular thing, in all space and time, that could—in any way, shape, or form—be known (experienced in any way) is, and by Dogen’s definition, must be, a real thing,” and third: “The only real things are mind (or, mental) things.”

Thus, according to Dogen’s logic, “Since all real things are mind, all mind things are real.” One major implication of this view is that the universe and the self are coexistent, coextensive, and coeternal. To utilize one of Dogen’s favorite modes of expression, “Sentient beings fashion the universe, the universe fashions sentient beings, the universe fashion the universe, the universe universes the universe.”

Now, Dogen refers to these “mind” things with a variety of semi-synonymous terms, depending on the context and the implications he wants to stress. Some of the more common terms he uses are, “thoughts,” “things,”“forms,” “images,” and “bits and pieces.” Probably, Dogen’s most creative and illuminating terms are those he uses to illuminate the “mind nature” of things; namely, “pictures” (or paintings). Sprinkled throughout Shobogenzo are passages in which Dogen refers to various things of the world as pictures, and describes our “being aware” of these things as picturing. According to this view, seeing a flower (an image, or picture, in our mind/world), for example, is fashioning (painting, or picturing) a flower. The same basic truth holds for the other sense-gates (hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling, and thinking), for example, tasting tea is picturing tea-taste, and imagining (or remembering) a poem is picturing a poem. Dogen devotes the entire fascicle, Shobogenzo, Gabyo, to this evocative mode of expression. As a perfect example of Dogen’s affinity for illustrating ultimate reality using traditionally “provisional” terms, he cites a Zen saying traditionally understood to assert the futility of language, “A painting of a rice-cake cannot satisfy hunger.” We hope to have the opportunity to return to this fascicle sometime soon, suffice it to say that by the end of the Gabyo fascicle Dogen manages to convincingly demonstrate that a “painting of a rice-cake” is the only thing in the universe that can satisfy hunger.

We are now in a position to understand why Dogen was extremely critical of vague, hazy, or obscure expressions, as well as systematic formulations, classification, and all forms of generalization. Dogen’s era (early 13th century) was a heyday for Buddhist classification. In both China and Japan, individuals and institutions were engaged in massive efforts to classify and categorize Buddhist doctrines, practices, and literature into various schemes. There were many reasons for this, some good, some not; the point here concerns one of the results of this, not the causes.

One thing that is consistent throughout Shobogenzo is that all “things” (dharmas) always have the attributes we mentioned above; they are real, they are mind (or mental), they are us (our true self). Most Buddhist schools make distinctions between perceptions and thoughts. Usually, perceptions are regarded in relation to knowledge (awareness) of “outside” objects; thoughts, in relation to knowledge of “inside” objects. From there, thoughts and perceptions are subjected to further distinctions and classifications. For example, perceptions might be distinguished as “direct,” “biased,” “distorted,” “pure,” etc. Thoughts might be classified as “illusory,” “right,” “evil,” “kind,” etc. This process often leads to confusion and unnecessary complications that Dogen sometimes calls, “old nests.” The fact that real thoughts and perceptions are always specific gets lost in the process. A real perception, for example, is always a perception of some specific thing; a “general perception” does not exist.

Thus for Dogen, systematic classifications are generalizations, and generalizations mean ambiguity. The deceptive potential of such schemes is even further increased if they are designed from dualistic viewpoints. Dogen’s radical adherence to the Buddhist principles of emptiness, nonduality, and interdependence is obvious in his outspoken contempt for anything with the slightest scent of dualism; not just systems either, any expression that hints at a division between the self and the ordinary world is fair game to Dogen, not even Buddhas and ancestors are exempt.

Due to distorted notions of the Buddhist doctrine of nonduality, Dogen’s teachings are sometimes misrepresented as denying the value of duality. Distorted notions about nonduality are commonly due to confusing “duality” with “dualism.” Buddhist literature is permeated with warnings about the hindrances and misleading effects of dualism, and rightly so. In fact, dualism is at the heart of the views disputed by Dogen that we have been discussing. Dualism (or dualistic views) presupposes real divisions between subject and object, self and other, inside and outside, etc. “Duality,” on the other hand, is one of the two aspects, or foci of the nonduality of “nonduality” (i.e. nonduality and duality). Duality and nonduality are interdependent; each defines and depends on the other.

Peace,

Ted

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

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

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

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

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

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

10 Distorted Notions about Zen and Dogen

The study of Dogen’s writings are often hindered by a number of widespread erroneous views, misunderstandings, and simplistic notions about Zen generally and Dogen’s teachings specifically. Moreover, such distortions have marginalized Zen to the level of irrelevancy for many; thus barring potential practitioners from the liberation of Zen enlightenment. Ten of the top such distortions include:

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That Zen advocates a distrust of written or verbal teachings.
That Zen denigrates intellectual or conceptual endeavors.
That Zen advocates detachment.
That zazen only and always should be understood by its literal meaning (“sitting meditation”).
That Dogen advocated sitting meditation to the exclusion of other practices.
That Dogen did not teach (or was opposed to) koan introspection.
That Zen is something ineffable, mysterious, esoteric, complicated, or difficult to understand.
That koans are puzzles, paradoxes, riddles, or devices used to frustrate the intellect.
That koans are irrational, or are anything other than legitimate literary idioms.
That Zen meditation is trance-like, or otherwise isolates one from their surroundings.

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The widespread acceptance of such simplistic and/or aberrant views has not only hindered effective study and practice, it has contributed to many of the high profile scandals of western “Zen” communities, and thus caused many thinking people to dismiss modern Zen as nothing more than another whacked out cult.

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Peace,

Ted

Zen, The Four Holy Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path

Zen, The Four Holy Truths, and the Eightfold Path

(Inspired by Will Simpson's comment)

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I have mentioned before that I love the Avatamsaka sutra’s expression. In one section of the sutra, Manjushri Bodhisattva expounds upon The Four Holy Truths:

The Holy Truth of Suffering
The Holy Truth of the Accumulation of Suffering
The Holy Truth of the Extinction of Suffering
The Holy Truth of the Way Leading to the Extinction of Suffering

Manjushri explains:

"The Four Holy Truths can be called by countless other names in other worlds throughout the ten directions."

The sutra goes on to evoke an almost dreamlike state in the reader by presenting dozens of ‘other names’ for the Four Holy Truths.

Sometimes it may seem as if the Zen records give these basic Buddhist doctrines less attention than they deserve. However, upon closer consideration one might notice that the Four Holy Truths are all the Zen records do deal with. For example:
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The Holy Truth of Suffering
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Tendo Nyojo (Dogen's teacher) said:

The matter of life and death is a great one; impermanence is swift… Tonight, tomorrow, one may meet any kind of death; one may suffer any kind of illness… it is foolish not to carry out the Way of Buddha, instead of passing the time in vain by lying down and sleeping.

(Quoted by Dogen) Shobogenzo-Zuimonki, 3:3 ( Thomas Cleary)
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Dogen seems to agree with his teacher:

If you would maintain this mind, first you must contemplate impermanence. A lifetime is like a dream; time passes swiftly by. Dewlike life rapidly vanishes. Since time has never waited for anyone, as long as you are alive for the time being, you should think of being good to others, even in respect to the slightest matters, in accordance with the will of the Buddhas.
Dogen (Record of Things Heard, Thomas Cleary)
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Also in the Soto tradition there is Tozan’s dialogue with a monk:

A monk asked of Tozan: A snake is swallowing a frog. Which is right, to save it or not?
Tozan replied: If you save it, you do not see with both eyes. If you do not save it, your body has no shadow.
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Similar to this dialogue (as many koan students will recall) is the classic koan cited in case 46 of the Blue Cliff Record:

Kyosei asked a monk, “What is that sound outside?”
The monk said, “That is the sound of raindrops.”
Kyosei said, “People live in a topsy-turvy world. They lose themselves in delusion about themselves and only pursue [outside] objects.”
The monk said,“What about you, Master?”
Kyosei said, “I was on the brink of losing myself in such delusions about myself.”
The monk said, “What do you mean, ‘on the brink of losing myself in such delusions about myself’?”
Kyosei said, “To break through [into the world of Essence] may be easy. But to express fully the bare substance is difficult.”
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The Holy Truth of the Accumulation of Suffering
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Huang-Po explains the details of this Truth in one instance thus:

The term unity refers to a homogeneous spiritual brilliance which separates into six harmoniously blended ‘elements’. The homogeneously blended ‘elements’ are the six sense organs. These six sense organs become severally united whit objects that defile them—the eyes with form, the ear with sound, the nose with smell, the tongue with taste, the body with touch, and the thinking mind with entities. Between these organs and their objects arise the six sensory perceptions, making eighteen sense-realms in all. If you understand that these eighteen realms have no objective existence, you will bind the six harmoniously blended ‘elements’ into a single spiritual brilliance—a single spiritual which is the One Mind. All students of the Way know this, but cannot avoid forming concepts of ‘a single spiritual brilliance’ and ‘the six harmoniously blended elements’. Accordingly they are chained to entities and fail to achieve a tacit understanding of original Mind.

The Zen Teaching of Huang Po, John Blofeld
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Huang-Po is even more concise in Case 11 of the Blue Cliff Record:

Huang-Po, instructing the assembly, said, “You are all drinkers of brewer’s lees (dregs). If you continue to go on your Way like this, when will you meet today? Don’t you know that in the whole Tang empire there is no Zen master?”
A monk came forward and said, ”What about the fact that in various places there are people who teach students and direct assemblies?”
Huang-Po said, “I did not say that there is no Zen; only that there is no Zen master.”
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Yuanwu offers some profound, and sometimes very subtle commentary on the koans in the Blue Cliff Record concerning the second Holy Truth (including this one of Huang-Po). Also, as Thomas Cleary has so compassionately shared, Yuanwu’s letters can sometimes be even more straightforward on of this Truth:

People are unable to experience this true essence simply because they are hemmed in by emotional consciousness and separated from it by hearing and seeing, and because they falsely accept the perceived reflections of objects for mind itself and the gross physical elements as the real body.

Zen Letters, Thomas Cleary
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This seems to harmonize beautifully with one of the very earliest records of Zen on this Truth:

Dharma Master Chih saw Dharma Master Yuan on the street of butchers and asked: “Do you see the butchers slaughtering the sheep?”
Dharma Master Yuan said: “My eyes are not blind. How could I not see them?”
Dharma Master Chih said: “Master Yuan, you are saying you see it!”
Master Yuan said: “You are seeing it on top of seeing it!”
The Bodhidharma Anthology, Jeffrey L. Broughton
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Wow! Yes…
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The Holy Truth of the Extinction of Suffering
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The revered Sixth Ancestor or Zen in China, having realized this Holy Truth upon hearing the Diamond Sutra recited, shared the good news about it for the rest of his life. For example:

Learned Audience, the wisdom of enlightenment [bodhiprajna] is inherent in every one of us. It is because of the delusion under which out mind works that we fail to realize it ourselves, and that we have to seek the advice and the guidance of enlightened ones before we can know our own essence of mind. You should know that so far as buddha-nature is concerned, there is no difference between an enlightened man and an ignorant one. What makes the difference is that one realizes it, while the other is ignorant of it.
The Platform Sutra of Huineng (Price and Wong)
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This Truth, according to the Japanese Zen master, Bassui, is what is meant by religious practice:

This mind is nothing other than Buddha nature. To see this nature is what is meant by religious practice. When you realize your Buddha nature, wrong relationships will instantly disappear, words will be of no concern, the dust of the dharma will not stain you. This is what is called Zen.
Mud and Water, Arthur Braverman
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Case 10 of the Mumonkan relates how Seizei was shown the Truth about Extinction of Suffering:

Seizei said to Sozan, “Seizei is utterly destitude. Will you give him support?”
Sozan called out, “Seizei!”
Seizei responded, “Yes, sir!”
Sozan said, “You have finished three cups of the finest wine in China, and still you say you have not yet moistened your lips!”
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In one of my favorite cases, a monk that was traveling to meet Nansen, met the master cutting weeds with a sickle along the road. He asked about the way to Nansen, and was shown the WAY:

Not knowing it was Nansen, the monk asked, “What is the way to Nansen?”
Nansen raised the sickle, saying, “I bought this sickle for thirty cents.”
The monk said, “I did not ask about the sickle, I asked the way to Nansen.”
Nansen answered, “I use it to full enjoyment.”
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Haha! Even if he had never laid his hands on the cat, Nansen would still have been recognized as a master cutter.
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Whenever we speak of Nansen it is hard not to bring up Joshu. Once, he asked Nansen about the WAY and he too go cut clear through:

Joshu asked Nansen, “What is the Way?”
Nansen said, “Ordinary mind is the Way.”
Joshu asked, “Should I direct myself toward it?”
Nansen said, “If you direct yourself toward it, you separate yourself from it.”
Joshu asked, “How can I know it if I do not direct myself toward it?”
Nansen said, “The Way has nothing to do with knowing or not knowing. Knowing is delusion; not knowing is blankness. When you truly reach the Way beyond doubt, it is as vast and boundless as space. How can it be talked about as knowing or not knowing?”
With these words, Joshu came to great realization.
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Like Dogen, when Joshu “completed the task of a lifetime,” dropping mind and body and awakening to great realization, he understood that was only the beginning of authentic Zen practice-realization. Studying with Nansen for 20 years more, then sought out wise masters for another 20 years, deepening and refining his practice before settling down to teach at age 80!
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The Holy Truth of the Way Leading to the Extinction of Suffering
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The fourth holy truth is actualized by means of the Noble (or Holy) Eightfold Path. The “Eight” of the “Eightfold Path” are:

1. Right View 2. Right Intention 3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration
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In the classic literature, these eight are sometimes grouped into three sub-groups: Wisdom, Ethical Conduct, and Mental Development.
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Wisdom
1. Right View 2. Right Intention
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Joshu illustrates Wisdom in case 2 of the Blue Cliff Record by means of a classic Zen text (attributed to the third ancestor of Zen in China, Sosan): The first line reads, “The supreme Way is not difficult; it simply avoids picking and choosing. When both love and hate are absent, all is complete clarity.”
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Joshu, instructing the assembly, said, “The supreme Way is not difficult; simply avoid picking and choosing. If a word is spoken, that is ‘picking and choosing’ and this is ‘clarity.’ This old monk [Joshu] does not dwell in clarity. Can you monks go along with this or not?”
At that time a monk asked, “You say you do not dwell in clarity. If so, where do you dwell?” Joshu said, “I don’t know, either.”
The monk said, “If you don’t know, how can you say that you don’t dwell in clarity?”
Joshu said, “Asking the question is enough, make your bows and withdraw.”
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Ethical Conduct
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3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood
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Again, the Blue Cliff Record offers a wonderful demonstration. This time from case 79:
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A monk asked Tosu, “It is said, ‘All sounds are the voice of the Buddha.’ Is it true or not?”
Tosu said, “It is true.”
The monk said, “What about farts and the sounds of pissing?”
Thereupon, Tosu hit him.
He asked again, “It is said, ‘Rough words and gentle phrases return to the first principle.’ Is this true or not?”
Tosu said, “It is true.”
The monk said, “Then, may I call you a donkey?”
Thereupon, Tosu hit him.
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Mental Development
6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration
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Zen has many wonderful examples of this. The Mumonkan, case 12, is one of the greatest:

Zuigan called to himself every day, “Master!” and answered, “Yes, sir!”
Then he would say, “Be wide awake!” and answer, “Yes, sir!”
“Henceforward, never be deceived by others!” “No, I won’t!”
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It is interesting to consider what Dogen might think about the present state of Zen Buddhism. On the one hand, it seems to me that the chaotic world of Dogen’s Japan had much in common with modern times, and therefore his instructions might not differ greatly if they had been expressed now rather than in the 13 century. On the other hand, if Dogen (and all the other Buddhas and ancestors) is right—and so far I have him to be completely reliable—then he is, at this very instance, giving expression to his thoughts about the present state of Zen Buddhism.
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What is he saying? Listen, listen! Be wide awake! Yes! Don’t be deceived by others! No!
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Peace,
Ted Biringer

When Dogen comes, Dogen appears - Genjokoan

Greetings!
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Dogen’s Shobogenzo, Genjokoan begins with:
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When all things are seen as the buddha-dharma, then there is delusion and enlightenment, there is practice, there is life and there is death, there are buddhas and there are ordinary beings.
When all things are seen as empty of self, there is no delusion and no enlightenment, no buddhas and no ordinary beings, no life and no death.
(trans. Ted Biringer)
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One of my teacher’s recently directed my attention to the significance of Dogen’s meaning of “when” here. Yes! Very instructive. Living and dying, what a ride! So exquisite some-times, so bloody painful some-times. One ticket, please! To say it in the form of an old koan (“One Katsu, Two Katsu, then What?”), we might say:
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Q: "What is the Buddha Dharma?"
A: "When!"
Q: "That's a 'when' on me."
A: "When!"
Q: "One 'when,' two 'whens', then what?"
A: "Uji" (Existence-Time)
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When we arrive in the field of the ineffable, there is just one [concrete] thing and one [concrete] phenomenon, here and now, [beyond] understanding of phenomena and non-understanding of phenomena, and [beyond] understanding of things and non-understanding of things. Because [real existence] is only this exact moment, all moments of existence-time are the whole of time, and all existent things and all existent phenomena are time. The whole of existence, the whole universe, exists in individual moments of time. Let us pause to reflect whether or not any of the whole of existence or any of the whole universe has leaked away from the present moment of time.
Shobogenzo, Uji, Gudo Nishijima & Mike Cross
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When Kayashata, the eighteenth ancestor in India, so Dogen says (in Shobogenzo, Kokyo), was born, he was already equipped with an ancient mirror. Some-time later, when Kayashata studied in China under the great cat-slayer (this time going by the name of Joshu), he realized that this "Ordinary" mirror was like a precious jewel; when foreigners came foreigners appeared, when Han came, Han appeared. Some-time later, when Joshu went to China and cast off the mind and body of Dogen, he expressed what had not yet been expressed, saying:

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When foreigners come, foreigners appear in It, be they eight thousand or a hundred thousand; when Han come, Han appear in It, be it for a single moment or for all of time. When things of the past come, things of the past appear in It; when things of the present come, things of the present appear in It. When a Buddha comes, a Buddha appears in It; when an Ancestor comes, an Ancestor appears in It.
Shobogenzo, Kokyo, Hubert Nearman
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Then at some existence-time, a monk, apparently worried about the possibility of incurring seven years of bad luck, asked a certain Zen master a question about "broken mirrors." As luck would have it, he also mentioned some business about "fallen flowers" that may shed some light on the phrase Dogen used in Genjokoan to confuse us with:
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Great Master Hochi of Kegonji in Keicho (succeeded Tozan; his monk’s name was Kyujo) on one occasion is asked by a monk: “What is it like at the time when a person in the state of great realization returns to delusion?”
The master says, “A broken mirror does not again reflect. Fallen blossoms cannot climb back onto the trees.”
Shobogenzo, Daigo, Gudo Nishijima & Mike Cross
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An interesting thing to consider--and one of those things that, once seriously considered, is hard to get out from under the saddle! In hopes that you all get a good look at it, here is where two versions of Shobogenzo can be found online--Free! (something which, in itself, justifies the internet). Gudo Nishijima & Mike Cross Translation - Hubert Nearman Translation Here are a few tidbits of what Dogen has to say by way of complicating things further:

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“A person in the state of great realization” is not intrinsically in great realization and is not hoarding a great realization realized externally. It is not that, in old age, [the person] meets with a great realization [already] present in the public world. [People of great realization] do not forcibly drag it out of themselves, but they unfailingly realize great realization. We do not see “not being deluded” as great realization. Neither should we aim, in order to plant the seed of great realization, to become at the outset a deluded being. People of great realization still realize great realization, and people of great delusion still realize great realization. If there is a person in great realization, accordingly there is Buddha in great realization, there are earth, water, fire, wind, and air in great realization, and there are outdoor pillars and stone lanterns in great realization. Now we have inquired into a person in the state of great realization. The question “What is it like at the time when a person in the state of great realization returns to delusion?” truly asks a question that deserves to be asked...
The master says, “A broken mirror does not again reflect. Fallen blossoms cannot climb back onto the trees.” This preaching for the multitude expresses the very moment of a mirror being broken. That being so, to concern the mind with the time before the mirror is broken and thereupon to study the words “broken mirror” is not right. [Some] might understand that the point of the words now spoken by Kegon, “A broken mirror does not again reflect, fallen blossoms cannot climb back onto the trees,” is to say that a person in the state of great realization “does not again reflect,” and to say that a person in the state of great realization “cannot climb back onto the trees”—to assert that a person in the state of great realization will never again return to delusion. But [Kegon’s point] is beyond such study...
When fallen blossoms are just fallen blossoms, even if they are rising to the top of a hundred-foot pole, they are still fallen blossoms. Because a broken mirror is a broken mirror just here and now, however many vivid situations it realizes, each similarly is a reflection that “does not again reflect.” Picking up the point that is expressed as “a mirror being broken” and is expressed as “blossoms being fallen,” we should grasp in experience the moment that is “the time when a person in the state of great realization returns to delusion.” In this [moment], great realization is akin to having become buddha, and returning to delusion is akin to [the state of] ordinary beings. We should not study [Kegon’s words] as if they discussed such things as “turning back into an ordinary being” or “traces depending on an origin.”
Shobogenzo, Daigo, Gudo Nishijima & Mike Cross
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That Dogen! Talk about a mouth like a blood bowl! Genjo koan indeed! Falling flowers, spreading weeds, aversion, attachment--sheeesh! Warning friends, Dogen uses these poisonous implements elswhere too:
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[Fundamentally] all people are fully satisfied, each and every one with wholeness fulfilled. Why are the weeds seven feet deep throughout the Dharma hall? Do you want to understand this situation?
After a pause Dogen said: Flowers fall in our attachments, weeds grow following our aversions.

Eihei Koroku, 1:51, Taigen Dan Leighton & Shohaku Okumura
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And, while we have the Eihei Koroku handy, watch out for this little cluster bomb also:

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Everybody should just engage wholeheartedly in this genjokoan, "Full manifestation of ultimate reality." What is this genjokoan? It is just all Buddhas in the ten directions and all ancestors, ancient and present, and it is fully manifesting right now. Do you all see it? It is just our present rolling up the curtain and rolling down the curtain [at the entrance to the practice hall], and getting up and getting down from the sitting platform. Why don't you all join with and practice this excellent genjokoan? Today this mountain monk [Dogen], without begrudging my life or my eyebrows, for the sake of all of you expounds this again and repeatedly.
Dogen pounded the floor with his staff and immediately got down from his seat.
Eihei Koroku, 1:60, Taigen Dan Leighton & Shohaku Okumura
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I remember Joseph Campbell saying something like, "Life is a wonderful, wonderful opera--only it hurts."
One ticket, please.
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Thanks again! (still?)

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Peace,Ted

Dogen's Straight Talk: The Universe, The Self

Dogen's Straight Talk: The Universe, The Self

The whole universe in all ten directions is one’s true Self, and one’s true Self is the whole universe in all ten directions—there is no place to escape to. Were there some way to escape this, it could only be by getting outside of our own physical body. Our present-day seven feet of skull and bones is precisely the form and image of the whole universe in all ten directions. Indeed, the whole universe in all ten directions which trains and enlightens us in the Buddha’s Way is our skull and bones, our physical body with its skin, flesh, bones, and marrow.
Shobogenzo, Komyo, Hubert Nearman

Dogen on Philosophizing

“…Dogen provided us with profound insight into the nature of philosophizing activity. To him what mattered most was not the relative significance of theoretical formulations, but how and what we did with the ideas and values inherited from our past—in other words, the authenticity of our philosophic activity. The issue was not so much whether or not to philosophize as it was how to philosophize—in total freedom with body-mind cast off. The philosophic enterprise was as much the practice of the bodhisattva way as was zazen. And significantly enough, this view implied that philosophic activity itself was a koan realized in life.”
–Hee-Jin Kim, Dogen Kigen: Mystical Realist (1975) (Republished in 2004 as, Eihei Dogen: Mystical Realist)
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Some westerners, introduced to Zen Buddhism through the writings of DT Suzuki, Shunryu Suzuki, Phillip Kapleau, and a handful of others, were stunned by their first encounter with the works of Eihei Dogen. The writings of the 13th century master, who most knew only as “the founder of Soto Zen in Japan,” seemed to directly contradict some of the most central tenets of Zen as portrayed to the West. They showed little evidence of the iconoclasm or disdain for verbal and written teachings as had often been suggested as characteristic of Zen. Absent too was the “one method” exponent of “pure Zen”, an unflinching advocate of “just sitting” (shikantaza) who had little use for koans, as the Soto founder was usually portrayed by both Rinzai and Soto representatives.

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In fact, Dogen’s voluminous writings testify to just the opposite. Nearly all of them make extensive use of the classic koan literature, citing it far more than any other source and demonstrating a particularly profound mastery of it. Like many classic Zen masters, Dogen also frequently cites the Buddhist sutras (scriptures) to both clarify and verify his own points. Unlike most masters, however, Dogen also asserts the need for practitioners to engage in extensive, and intensive, study—of sutras as well as the sayings (koans) and records of the ancestral Zen masters. Going further, Dogen’s writings meticulously examine and expose fallacious views that Zen can be realized apart from intellectual effort. Dogen’s work lucidly reveals the fact that asserting, saying, or proclaiming that the truth of Zen cannot be transmitted through verbal and written teachings not only deny the evidence; it is absurd. Anyone ascribing to such a position cannot dispute this. According to Dogen, to truly adhere to such a view compels one to embrace the ultimate futility of language; assertions of dispute would be as meaningless as assertions of admission.

Peace,

Ted

Dogen's Shobogenzo and its context in Zen Buddhism

Dogen’s Shobogenzo has its context in the literature of the Zen tradition
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From the Introduction to The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing
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Perhaps the greatest contribution of The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing is the insight it offers on the Shobogenzo (Treasury of the True Dharma-Eye), the Zen masterpiece by the thirteenth century Japanese master, Eihei Dogen. Louie Wing’s own enlightenment experience was triggered upon hearing this text recited, and he often refers to its teachings, sometimes quoting it at length.
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For a number of reasons, this massive collection of writings is often treated independently of its context within the Zen Buddhist tradition. This kind of treatment has inevitably led to a great deal of misunderstanding. Reading the work of Eihei Dogen without regard to its context within the Zen tradition is like reading the works of Saint Augustine without regard to its context within the Christian tradition. Such an approach obviously lends itself to erroneous interpretations, to say the least.

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Unrestricted by allegiance to institutional authority or the myopia of sectarian bias, Louie Wing discerns the Shobogenzo in its proper context: the traditional and authentic teaching of Buddhism. In a line-by-line analysis of the extraordinary text, Genjokoan, Louie Wing uses clear and convincing, systematic explanations to demonstrate some of the many subtle, and even startling, implications that the Shobogenzo reveals about the teachings of Zen regarding the great questions of life and death. Louie Wing brings to light some of the most profound insights revealed in the Shobogenzo, including the nature of time, the implications of interdependence, the resolution of original vs. acquired enlightenment, the essence and function of Zen koans, the various meanings and implications of zazen, and others.

~Ted Biringer

Dogen On "The Heart of the Matter"

Dogen On "The Heart of the Matter"
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Once you have arrived at the heart of the Matter, the time when you did not understand will not have impeded your arrival. Further, getting to the heart of the Matter has not changed the fact that, previously, you did not understand. Even so, in your getting to the heart of the Matter and in your previous non-understanding, there have been the times of spring and the sounds of autumn. The reason why you have not understood even these is because your ears have been wandering about within their voices, despite the fact that they have been giving expression to It ever so loudly. As a result, their voices have not entered your ears. Your getting to the heart of the Matter will occur when their voices have penetrated your ears and you have entered a meditative state. Do not fancy that your having arrived at the heart of the Matter is of little importance and that your non-understanding was something large. You need to realize that because you will be beyond what you conceived of as being ‘you’, you will not be different from the Lord of Dharma. ~Shobogenzo, Yui Butsu Yo Butsu (Trans. Rev. Hubert Nearman)

Zen Doctrine and Methodology - Progression not Completion

Zen Doctrine and Methodology - Progression not Completion

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The main objective of the criticism inherent to Shobogenzo (as with many literary works) is not concerned with revealing the relative merits of preceding works, teachings, or teachers; it is to establish and clarify its own presuppositions in regard to the nature and characteristics of the actual universe (i.e. the real world).

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Dogen, being a master of language, was well aware of the fact that all propositions are made in reference to or about a universe which presupposes specific characteristics particular to it. In the absence of such presuppositions, the various actual dharmas (things, beings, events) which inform propositions, as well as the assertions themselves, will lack the definitive characteristics necessary for meaningful communication.

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One Zen master was asked by a monk pointing at a lamp, “What is that?” The master retorted, “If three of us say it is a tortoise, it is a tortoise.” Every proposition, if it asserts anything meaningful, must take account of, and harmonize with the actual nature and dynamics of the universe in which it is applied. It is through the mutual awareness and agreement of the speaker (or writer) and the hearer (or reader) on the presuppositions involved that distinguish meaningful assertions from a mere series of sounds (or string of words). A monk that was aware of certain presuppositions could accurately respond to a master’s assertion that, “The tortoise is nearly out of fuel” by refilling the lamp with oil.
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In sum, an assertion can only be regarded as “true” in the specific conditions of its usage, including the background of its presupposed universe.
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Now, contemporary notions of Zen as being, in one way or another, “beyond words,” are not completely unwarranted. The teachings of Zen themselves are permeated with exhortations to be diligent about recognizing the inescapable limitations of expression as well as the dangers of unwise or careless use of language. However, as is evident in the fact that the literature of Zen is by far the most voluminous of any of the Mahayana schools of Buddhism, the classic masters of Zen were fully aware that language was the only vehicle with which Zen could be communicated.

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The fact that the ‘experience itself’ of Zen is ‘beyond words’ is true, but so is the ‘experience itself’ of a sunset, or the scent of freshly mown grass. “Experience itself,” of any kind, is confined to the realm of experience which cannot be ‘captured’ and held onto, much less passed on like a treasured heirloom.

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Thus, the Zen masters, in efforts to undermine deluded notions that equated the “knowledge” of Buddhism with Buddhist “enlightenment,” stressed the incommunicability of experience. Ironically, the very teachings emphasizing the requirement to avoid idolizing knowledge came to be concretized into idols themselves.

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The efforts of formulation and articulation carried out by the Zen masters are characterized by both authority and humility. The clear tone of authority that rings out from the records of Zen has its source in direct personal experience, rather than abstract speculation. That is to say, the speakers/writers of the Zen records, in their refusal to assert anything that they have not personally verified, demonstrate the singular trait essential to authority; authenticity. The sincere humility singing harmoniously with this authority springs from the clear perception of the true nature of the self and the world. Clearly perceiving the infinite, ineffable, limitless potential of the ever advancing universe inspires profound gratitude and even more profound humility.

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Awakened to the infinite potential of the universe, the Zen master seeks to deepen and refine, to expand and clarify—never to finalize or conclude. Their efforts to formulate and articulate seek progression, not completion.

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Peace,

Ted

Dogen On "Mindfulness" and Zen Practice-Enlightenment

In note 25 of Shobogenzo, Sanjushichi-bon-bodai-bunpo, Nishijima Roshi’s view on the significance of “mindfulness” is partially explained:

In Nishijima Roshi’s interpretation, “mindfulness” in zazen means consciousness of reality, which is centered on keeping the spine straight.
Shobogenzo Sanjushichi-bon-bodai-bunpo, Gudo Nishijima & Chodo (Mike) Cross

The Glossary in his translation of Shobogenzo also offers this:

smṛti (mindfulness). Represented by nen, “idea, feeling, desire, attention.” [MW] Remembrance, reminiscence, thinking of or upon, calling to mind, memory; the whole body of sacred tradition or what is remembered by human teachers; the whole body of codes of law as handed down memoriter or by tradition; desire, wish. Ref: Chapter Two [74]; Chapter Seventy-three (Vol. IV); Lotus Sutra, chapter 1 (“remember”), chapter 10 (“heed”), chapter 16 (“thought”), chapter 27 (“care for”).
Glossary of Sanskrit Terms, Vol. 1, Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo, Gudo Nishijima & Chodo (Mike) Cross

Here are a few more samples of Nishijima Roshi’s use and understanding of “mindfulness” (as it was used by Master Dogen):

“The bhikṣu’s “secretly working concrete mind”25 at this moment is, in the state of bowing in veneration of real dharmas, prajnā itself—whether or not [real dharmas] are without appearance and disappearance—and this is a “venerative bow” itself. Just at this moment of bowing in veneration, prajnā is realized as explanations that can be understood…”

[Note 25] Setsu-sa-ze-nen. In the sutra, these characters literally mean “secretly made this thought.” But sa,“make,” also means “to act,” or “to function”; ze, “this,” also means “concrete”; and nen, “thought,” or “image in the mind,” also means “mindfulness,” or “state of mind.” Master Dōgen interpreted nen not as a thought but as the monk’s state of mind, which is prajnā itself, which is the state of action itself.
Shobogenzo, Maka-hannya-haramitsu,Gudo Nishijima & Chodo (Mike) Cross

The reality of eternal buddhas is present; it is, namely, the teaching, practice, and experience of “the thirty-seven elements of bodhi.” The entanglement of ascending and descending through their classification is just the entangled state of reality, which we call “the buddhas” and which we call “the patriarchs.”

The Four Abodes of Mindfulness

The first is the reflection that the body is not pure. The second is the reflection that feeling is suffering. The third is the reflection that mind is without constancy. The fourth is the reflection that dharmas are without self…

So all buddhas and bodhisattvas have regarded these four abodes of mindfulness as a sacred womb. Remember, they are the sacred womb of [bodhisattvas of] balanced awareness and the sacred womb of [bodhisattvas of] fine awareness. [The Buddha] has spoken of “all buddhas and bodhisattvas,” and so [the four abodes] may not stop at fine awareness. Even buddhas regard them as a sacred womb. And bodhisattvas who have sprung free from states prior to balanced awareness or beyond subtle awareness also regard these four abodes of mindfulness as a sacred womb. Truly, the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow of the buddhas and the patriarchs are nothing other than the four abodes of mindfulness
Shobogenzo, Sanjushichi-bon-bodai-bunpo, Gudo Nishijima & Chodo (Mike) Cross

This “normal and true view” means deep belief in cause and effect, deep belief in the Three Treasures, and so on. “To intuit buddha” means to be clear in mindfulness of the virtues of buddha [both] in the causal process and in the resultant state.
Shobogenzo, Shukke-kudoku, Gudo Nishijima & Chodo (Mike) Cross

Here is one of Master Dogen’s explanations of “right mindfulness” that is very clear:

Not to lose mindfulness. (It is also called “to keep right mindfulness.” To keep the Dharma and not to lose it is called “right mindfulness” and is also called “not to lose mindfulness.”
Shobogenzo, Hachi-dainingaku, Gudo Nishijima & Chodo (Mike) Cross

In Master Dogen’s list of One Hundred and Eight Gates of Dharma Illumination (Ippyakuhachi-homyomon), translated by Gudo Nishijima and Mike Cross, the importance of “mindfulness” is asserted in not less than 13 of the 108 “Gates of Dharma.” These include: 8,9,10,11,12,13,52,53,54,60,65,68,81 respectively:

[8] Mindfulness of Buddha is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] reflection of [the state of] Buddha is pure.
[9] Mindfulness of Dharma is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] reflection of the Dharma is pure.
[10] Mindfulness of Sangha is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] attainment of the truth is steadfast.
[11] Mindfulness of generosity is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we do not expect reward.
[12] Mindfulness of precepts is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we fulfill all vows.
[13] Mindfulness of the heavens is a gate of Dharma illumination; for it gives rise to a wide and big mind.

[52] The body as an abode of mindfulness is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] all dharmas are serene.
[53] Feeling as an abode of mindfulness is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we detach from all miscellaneous feelings.
[54] Mind as an abode of mindfulness is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we reflect that mind is like a phantom.
[55] The Dharma as an abode of mindfulness is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] wisdom is free of blurs.

[60] The faculty of mindfulnessis a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we thoroughly perform many kinds of work.

[65] The power of mindfulness is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we do not [blindly] go along with others.

[68] Mindfulness, as a part of the state of truth, is a gate of Dharma illumination; for it is wisdom that accords with real dharmas.

[81] Right mindfulness is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we do not consider all dharmas intellectually.
Ippyakuhachi-homyomon, Gudo Nishijima & Chodo (Mike) Cross

I hope this is helpful.

Peace,
Ted

Zen Expressions and Buddhist Philosophy

Zen expressions of interdependence are close relatives of the great Buddhist philosophies. However, the Zen masters provide satisfactory coherence by augmenting and expanding the philosophical methods of expression through the incorporation of more figurative (less literal) language. The limit of the philosophical method is in the very exacting, meticulously precise language that makes its scheme so intellectual attractive. Here we meet one of the most important issues concerning an effective systematic approach to Zen doctrine and methodology; figurative language has a much greater capacity to communicate wisdom than literal language does. Buddhist philosophy achieves its intellectual heights through its rigid adherence to logic, precision, and detail; its language is descriptively accurate. Descriptive accuracy depends on literal accuracy; literal accuracy demands precisely defined boundaries—in a word; abstraction. Clear, abstract, literal accuracy is excellent for recording and conveying knowledge and information; but its capacity to transmit or evoke spiritual wisdom is extremely limited.
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This is not to say that literal, descriptively accurate language has no place in Zen; it has a vital position. Most practical instructions on meditation, for example, are quite literal. However, the true nature of reality cannot be transmitted with a literal explanation using abstract terms and concepts, no matter how descriptively accurate. The figurative language of myth and metaphor has always been the language of wisdom. Reality is permeated by paradox, logical inconsistency, and incommunicable experience. Literal accuracy depends upon consistency of logic, consensually verifiable evidence, and an absence of paradox. In the language of myth and metaphor inconsistent logic and paradox are functional, incommunicable experience is shared. One Buddhist scripture, the Heart Sutra, tells us, “There is no old age and death,” and, “There is no ending of old age and death.” Literally, this is nonsense. Metaphorically, it transmits a profound truth.
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Through the creative development and refinement of the intimate, demonstrative expression of “direct pointing,” the figurative language of Zen (and Dogen) abandons the nets and cages of literalism and conceptualization and transcends the limitations of the great philosophical systems of Buddhism. Where the Huayen master explains how a golden statue of a lion has both “one essence” (gold) and “many characteristics” (a head, claws, hair, etc.) the Zen master simply delivers the lions roar.
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While it is true that figurative language can be just as false and nonsensical as literal language, the fact remains that it is the most effective vehicle, if not the only one, for the transmission of wisdom. The classic literature of Zen exemplifies the potential of this vehicle. Dogen’s Shobogenzo exemplifies one of the greatest realizations of that potential.
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The great Huayen master, Ch’eng Kuan, in one of his marvelous explanations of interdependence wrote:
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On the eighth day of a [lunar] month, half of the moon is bright and the other half is dark; the very appearance of the bright part [the disclosed] affirms but does not negate the existence of the hidden part. Likewise, the manifestation of something always implies the existence of the unmanifested or concealed part of the same thing. At the moment when the bright part of the moon is disclosed, the dark part also "secretly" establishes itself. This is the reason for the so-called simultaneous establishment of concealment and disclosure…” Non-Obstruction of Concealment and Disclosure, by Ch’eng Kuan, The Buddhist Teaching of Totality, Garma C. C. Chang
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In Case 100 of the Blue Cliff Record, a monk asked the Zen master Haryo for an explanation of this same principle:
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A monk asked Haryo, "What is the razor-sharp sword?"

Haryo said, "Each branch of coral supports the moon."

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Peace,

Ted

Enlightened about delusion, deluded about enlightenment

Those who are enlightened about delusion are buddhas. Those who are deluded about enlightenment are ordinary beings.

~Dogen (Shobogenzo, Genjokoan)

Shobogenzo 1 & Shobogenzo 2: Two Texts, or One?

Although the collection of his written works is vast, the large collection of fascicles edited and compiled under the title Shobogenzo; Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, is universally recognized as Dogen’s masterpiece. Consisting mainly of commentaries on a range of Buddhist topics, the fascicles of Shobogenzo are written in Japanese and usually center around one or more of the classic Zen koans and or passages from the Buddhist scriptures. While Dogen’s mastery of Zen expression is also demonstrated in his other works, especially Eihei Koroku, it is primarily in Shobogenzo that Dogen demonstrates an originality and creativity that is not only unique in Zen literature, but may even represent a culmination of Zen thought.

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There are many reasons why this amazing work stands apart from the rest of his writings. Its extensiveness in range and scope is equally matched by its intensity of expression and insight. Widely regarded as Japan’s greatest literary achievement, Shobogenzo offers one of the most extensive treatments of Zen Buddhist doctrine and methodology in the whole of Zen literature. Dogen’s manner of expression in Shobogenzo utilizes a number of original and creative approaches including alternating perspectives, grammatical rearrangement, (apparently) unorthodox interpretation, and many others. Nobody denies that Dogen was an unusually gifted master of language, and few would argue with the suggestion that his works represent a mastery of language unmatched by any other single Zen master.

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While there are classic Zen texts that may be considered as matching or even surpassing Dogen’s work, most of these (e.g. The Platform Sutra; The Linji Lu; The Huang Po; The Record of Matsu; etc.) represent decades, even centuries, of continuous refinement by numerous groups and individuals. While some questions remain concerning Dogen’s intention as to which fascicles were to be included in Shobogenzo, and whether some fascicles have been tampered with (most likely for sectarian reasons), Dogen’s Shobogenzo is largely representative of the work of a single individual. The details of these issues are not relevant here as they do not affect the issue at hand; they are mentioned in the interest of completeness (Steven Heine’s, Did Dogen Go To China, offers the most extensive study of these issues).
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The main point here has been to indicate the reason Shobogenzo is singled out as “the record” Dogen alluded to in his stated intention to transmit the “right Dharma of the Buddha’s lineage.” This brings us to an interesting point; Dogen actually compiled two texts under the name Shobogenzo. His “other” Shobogenzo is a collection of 301 classic Zen koans. Dogen evidently selected the koans from a number of classic Zen texts and, without modification or commentary, organized them into a single work. Many of these koans appear unmodified (in their original Chinese form) in “other” Shobogenzo (the one which includes his commentary).
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Because the most obvious difference between the two “Shobogenzos” is that one includes Dogen’s Japanese commentary, and the other includes only the original Chinese koans, the two “Shobogenzos” are usually differentiated as “Kana” (Japanese) and “Mana” or “Shinji” (Chinese). Note, however, that even in the Shobogenzo that contains commentary by Dogen, the koans remain unmodified in their original Chinese form. Thus, it would be just as accurate to distinguish them as “with” or “without” commentary. In fact, this might be more accurate as the former method can easily mislead people to assume that the two texts are more dissimilar than they are. The fact of the matter is that the similarities that they do share are not just similar—they are identical. That is, the content they share is their title, and a number of specific koans which remain in their original Chinese form in both texts (i.e. the koans are not translated into Japanese in the so-called “Kana” Shobogenzo). The “traditional” method of distinguishing the two texts as “Mana” and “Kana” is, as far as I can tell, based upon a single comment by Ejo, Dogen’s main heir:
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“…I heard him say that he wanted to rework all of the Shobogenzo that had previously been written in Japanese script and also to include some new manuscripts…”
~Shobogenzo, Hachi Dainingaku, Hubert Nearman
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I certainly am not qualified to verify the linguist elements of 13th century Japanese, but it does seem fair to ask if Ejo’s remark actually distinguishes one Shobogenzo as a distinct and separate work from another Shobogenzo with the exact same title, or if it is simply distinguishes the “previously written Japanese script” of Shobogenzo from the original (Chinese) script of the (same) Shobogenzo. Even if Ejo’s intent was certain, it would not follow that such was Dogen’s position. Regardless of whether Dogen regarded Shobogenzo and Shobogenzo as two separate works, the fact that he regarded one or both as the “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye” deserves consideration. In any case, the texts are so intertwined that even if they are “two,” they always go together—if not as closely as the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, at least as closely as The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
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For me, the most convincing evidence of the interconnection of the two Shobogenzos comes from my own experience with koan training. This aspect of Zen training provided a greater degree of clarity to Dogen’s writings than all other aspects of Zen training put together. Of course, distinguishing “aspects” of Zen training is a vulgar simplification; koan training cannot be distinguished from dokusan, dokusan cannot be distinguished from zazen, zazen cannot be distinguished from reliable teaching, etc. etc. Be that as it may, I cannot imagine how one could achieve an accurate understanding of Dogen’s written teachings, especially Shobogenzo and Eihei Koroku, without a firm grasp of the classic koans. Both of Dogen’s major records make extensive use of the classic koans, most of which are drawn from the 301 koan collection Shobogenzo.
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Perhaps there is a more important question to consider. For the sake of argument, let us say that an accurate understanding of Dogen’s Shobogenzo could be achieved without assimilating the koans that permeate it. If such was the case, why would Dogen have included them in the first place, and more importantly, why wouldn’t we want to assimilate them anyway? Attempting to study these works without resolving the classic koans—assimilating them, not conceptualizing them—would be like trying to study Paradise Lost without a firm grasp of the Bible. Whatever did seem comprehensible would most likely be a misunderstanding.
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This is not to deny that some of the wisdom of Paradise Lost can be conveyed to people unfamiliar with the Bible. This is achieved daily by teachers and artists, as well as the products of teachers and artists—systems of thought, and works of art. Nevertheless, to successfully transmit the wisdom of sacred literature and major poetry the teachers, artists, and their products must be at the levels of genius, or nearly so. For this reason, the differences between the “teachers” and “artists” as well as the “systems” and “works of art” that succeed in conveying such wisdom is hard to discern. The great teacher’s “system” is a work of art; the great artist’s “picture” is worth a thousand words. Moreover, the student that truly receives what the teacher or artist communicates will only do so with sustained attention and focused effective effort.

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Peace,

Ted

How we encounter Buddha Ancestors

We need to carefully scrutinize, right now, whether we ourselves are deluded or not, for it is by this that we humbly encounter the Buddhas and Ancestors.
~Shobogenzo, Daigo, Hubert Nearman

Life is Our True Self Revealing Itself Fully

What is life? What is our "True Self"? Dogen expresses the Zen view:

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Our True Self revealing Itself to the full is what life is, and life is our True Self revealing Itself to the full. At the time when our True Self reveals Itself, we can say that there is nothing that is not a full displaying of life, and there is nothing that is not a full displaying of death.

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It is the operating of this True Self that causes life to come about and causes death to come about. At the very moment when we fully manifest this functioning of our True Self, It will not necessarily be something great or something small, or the whole universe or some limited bit of it, or something drawn out or something short and quick. Our life at this very moment is the True Self in operation, and the operating of our True Self is our life at this very moment. Life is not something that comes and life is not something that goes; life is not something that reveals itself and life is not something that is accomplished. Rather, life is a displaying of one’s Buddha Nature to the full, and death is also a displaying of one’s Buddha Nature to the full. You need to realize that both life and death occur in the immeasurable thoughts and things within ourselves.
~Shobogenzo, Zenki, Hubert Nearman
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How do we clarify this Zen "Truth" about Our True Nature"? The same way all those that have clarified it did so--as Dogen puts it:

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All Buddhas, along with all Bodhisattvas and all sentient beings, by the power of their inherent keenness, clarify what the Great Truth of the True Nature of all things is. They clarify what the Great Truth of this True Nature is by following the Scriptures and by following their spiritual friend. In this way, they come to understand their own True Nature. The Scriptures are what True Nature is: they are our true Self. And because True Nature is our true Self, It is not the self that non-Buddhists and devilish beings misunderstand It to be.
~Shobogenzo, Hossho, Hubert Nearman

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Lovely! So clear and direct! How could we fail to be grateful?

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Peace,

Ted

Enlightened about delusion

The Shobogenzo, Genjokoan says:

Those who are enlightened about delusion are buddhas.

In the Shobogenzo, being “enlightened about delusion” means awakening to the reality of delusion. That is, realizing what delusion truly is. It is like when, for example, a person is shown the cause of a magician’s illusions: mirrors, wires, hidden compartments, and so on. The person can then grasp the reality of the illusion. The reality of the illusion, the mirrors, wires, hidden compartments, is existent, and the illusion is a real characteristic of its existence. Similarly, when you realize the cause of delusion: misperception or partial perception, of true nature, you realize the reality of delusion. The reality of delusion, misperception or partial perception of our own true nature is existent, and delusion is a real characteristic of its existence. Those who are “enlightened about” this are called “buddhas.”

~The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing

Koans the hallmark of Dogen's Zen?

[In China at the time Dogen visited] All public monasteries, whether or not their abbacies were reserved for Ch’an monks, had basically the same buildings, bureaucratic structures, schedules of activities, and basic forms of Buddhist discipline and practice. All public monasteries had buddha halls (butsuden), where various offerings and sutra chanting services were held; dharma halls (hattō), where abbots gave lectures and entertained questions; and sangha halls (sōdō), where the main body of monks sat in meditation, ate, and slept at their places on the open platforms. If there was anything that was distinctive about the Ch’an monasteries, it was not the stress on zazen or the occasional ritual in which the entire community was required to perform manual labor together (fushin samu) — those practices were common to all the public monasteries. No, what distinguished the training in Ch’an monasteries was chiefly the teaching style of the abbots, who based their talks and debates on the koan literature that was the hallmark of the Ch’an tradition.
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To summarize, what the so-called transmission of Zen to Japan in the thirteenth century really amounted to was the wholesale transmission from Sung China of the latest in Buddhist monastic institutions, teachings, and practices.
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The Zen school in Japan, or rather the various Zen schools (plural) that were based on branch lineages, were institutionally separate from the other schools of Japanese Buddhism...
Nevertheless, they were heirs not only to the Chinese Ch’an tradition of dharma lineages and koan study, but to the entire Buddhist monastic tradition as it flourished in Sung China.

Dogen himself stressed in the chapter of his Shobogenzo entitled “The Buddha Way” (Butsudō) that what he was transmitting was not just the “Zen lineage” (zenshū) — a name that he castigated — but true Buddhism in its entirety. At the same time, he boldly asserted that his own line of dharma transmission, passed down through his teacher Ju-ching, preserved the true Buddhism better than any other line.
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It is true that Soto teachers gained prestige from their membership in the Zen lineage, and that to become a member one had to master the tradition of commenting on koans.
~T. Griffith Foulk, History of the Soto Zen School

Peace,
Ted

Dogen - Zen Lineages, Zen Sects

The title which Dogen is most frequently referred to as, “The Founder of the Soto Sect of Zen in Japan,” begs for serious qualification. Dogen’s own writings seem to suggest he might regard this title as ill informed, even irreverent. For Dogen, authentic enlightenment was the standard; not pedigree. Those authentically enlightened are “Buddha Ancestors,” others are not; whether they belong to a particular lineage or no lineage at all.

While Dogen did acknowledge the traditional lineages, tracing his own through that of his Chinese Master, he saw lineages for what they are; convenient identifiers—no more significant than the names of cities or provinces. As with all speculative notions, assumption based merely on lineage (or no lineage) is not only pointless, it is ludicrous. While many of Dogen’s writings illustrate his disdain of sectarianism, in Shobogenzo, nearly the entire fascicle of Butsudo is dedicated to, on one hand, exposing the fallacies of confused notions linking “lineages” with “sects,” and on the other hand, elucidating the “right view” for Buddhists as revealed by the authentic Buddha Ancestors, including Dogen’s Chinese master:

My late Master, an Old Buddha, once ascended the Dharma seat and addressed his assembly, saying, “People nowadays just talk of there being separate traditions and customs, such as those of Ummon, Hōgen, Igyō, Rinzai, and Sōtō, but this is not the Buddha’s Teaching, nor is it what Ancestors and Masters say.”
~Shobogenzo, Butsudo, (Hubert Nearman)

Dogen was a Dharma heir of both Rinzai and Soto Zen, and his writings offer unabashed praise, and revere his teachers in both lineages as “Ancestral Masters.” This attitude is consistent in his writings which repeatedly assert that the authenticity of enlightenment is the only criteria for qualifying Buddha Ancestors. The Butsudo fascicle’s unapologetic contempt of vulgar notions concerning lineage and sectarianism, Dogen offers some the harshest, most colorful, and most humorous expressions in the whole Shobogenzo. One can only imagine the scorn he would heap on some of the outlandish notions assumed by many contemporary Zen institutions. Dogen’s writings freely draw on the wisdom of all lineages, and harshly criticize notions of sectarian division in what he calls the “House of Buddha Ancestors,” including those of a “Soto” sect:

There is no separate Transmission, no separate sect, in addition to this. Our Great Master never showed his Fist or his twinkling Eye to his assembly, calling either ‘the Sōtō sect’. Further, since there were no mediocre trainees mixed in with his family, how could there possibly be any in his family who spoke of a ‘Sōtō sect’!
~Shobogenzo, Butsudo, (Hubert Nearman)

There is little doubt that Dogen would be inspired to articulate some vividly colorful language if he could see some of the recent institutions created under the name of Zen. In their apparent enthusiasm to embrace American entrepreneurism it seems like every westerner that obtains certification to teach “Zen” sets out to initiate, organize, found, or otherwise establish a new branch, no, “brand” of Zen—their own. Just a few decades ago the number of “certified” Zen teachers in America could be counted on one hand, today “Zen masters,” “Dharma-heirs,” “Abbotts,” “Roshis,” and “Founders,” vie for space in glossy magazines to advertise Zen enlightenment in all manner of forms from one-on-one interviews with living Buddhas and catered retreats at multi-million dollar resorts, to trademark protected techniques for instant enlightenment (expensive, but 100% guaranteed!).

Megalomaniacs with delusions of grandeur are apparently not new to Zen; it is to one of them, in fact, that Dogen credits as the deviser of the name “Soto sect.”

When it comes to this name ‘Soto’, clearly some stinking skin bag in an offshoot lineage who fancied himself the equal of Tozan devised the name ‘Soto sect’.
~Shobogenzo, Butsudo, (Hubert Nearman)

What do you make of it?

Peace,
Ted

Genjokoan - Dogen, Master of Zen, Master of Expression

Excerpt From The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing: The Second Ancestor of Zen in the West - Part II – Commentaries of Louie Wing: A deeper examination of Zen - Commentary 1. The Genjokoan

One thing that places Dogen in the company of the greatest of Zen masters is magnificent Zen expression. Few masters before—and none since—have matched his skill for expressing the profound and subtle wisdom of the enlightened mind. Two of his early predecessors, Tozan and his disciple Sozan, earn their inclusion among these few through their elucidation of the classic Zen teaching of The Five Ranks.

The doctrine expressed as The Five Ranks is one of the most influential Zen expressions of all time. The subject of that doctrine—the function and essence of the enlightened mind—is and has always been the summum bonum of Buddhism. Every genuine Buddhist expression is grounded on this central principal. The presentation of this principal by Tozan, further refined by Sozan, as The Five Ranks, marks one point where the expression of the central truth of Buddhism evolved.
Dogen’s Shobogenzo marks another such point.

Dogen’s genius for expression is displayed nowhere better than in Genjokoan. His views, on every major aspect of the Buddha-Dharma, are revealed, either explicitly or implicitly, in this extraordinary essay. Genjokoan is a skeleton key that can be used to unlock the Shobogenzo, literally “Treasury of the True Dharma-Eye.

The opening lines of Genjokoan outline the fundamental aspects of reality: the interdependence and interpenetrating aspects of the one and the many, the individual and the universal.

When all things are seen as the Buddha-Dharma, then there is delusion and enlightenment, there is practice, there is life and there is death, there are Buddhas and there are ordinary beings.

This line affirms the relative aspect of reality. Here, “the Buddha-Dharma” denotes all-inclusive reality. “When all things are seen as the Buddha-Dharma,” indicates one way of perceiving the Buddha-Dharma (reality). In this way of perceiving the Buddha-Dharma, “all things” (the myriad dharmas) are seen. That is, reality appears as a multitude of separate individual things. From this perspective of reality there is, “delusion and enlightenment, there is practice, there is life and there is death, there are Buddhas and there are ordinary beings.“ There are people, animals, houses, stars, and all the other kinds of things.

Dogen, more than most Zen masters, delves deeply into the implications of this aspect of reality. While many Zen masters and Buddhist texts give short shrift to the relative aspect of experience, often simply dismissing it as the experience of delusion, Dogen methodically articulates how this aspect of reality affirms the ultimate significance of every particular thing. The Shobogenzo repeatedly directs us to this truth; because everything is the Buddha-Dharma, the Buddha-Dharma is every thing. For Dogen, every thing has ultimate significance as the Buddha-Dharma; including even such things as broken tiles, pebbles, dreams, illusions, and doubts…

~The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing

Peace,

Ted

3 Recent Dogen Posts on Flatbed Sutra Zen Blog

Links to 3 recent Dogen posts at Flatbed Sutra Blog

Dogen on the liberating potential of concepts and intellectual effort in Zen

Is Dogen Dead? The Presence of Buddhas and Zen Ancestors

Dogen, on the need to Choose, Decide, & Discriminate

Peace,

Ted