tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5959000147355980432024-03-18T16:28:10.108+07:00Buddha SpaceReadings, Reflections & ReviewsGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.comBlogger443125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-49364452048387828692017-09-20T00:00:00.000+07:002017-09-20T00:00:04.819+07:00D. T. Suzuki on Satori II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDtulVoP7ffq8jRn2OFVuy0shFbB8yi9EPwHNmjSFE85qndno3CScGPFlg4NuMCL3L_HNgetKdzQpCEL6Xry71MnC0aS8tSlk6ftbu-StEj7vtjdWQJ_UJihQYGFt_wXSAKk0KwTUEEA/s1600/fs0088daisetz03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDtulVoP7ffq8jRn2OFVuy0shFbB8yi9EPwHNmjSFE85qndno3CScGPFlg4NuMCL3L_HNgetKdzQpCEL6Xry71MnC0aS8tSlk6ftbu-StEj7vtjdWQJ_UJihQYGFt_wXSAKk0KwTUEEA/s320/fs0088daisetz03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>D.T.. Suzuki: One of us is enlightened...</i></div>
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“<i>Satori</i> is not a morbid state of mind, a fit subject for
the study of abnormal psychology. If anything, it is a perfectly normal state of
mind. When I speak of a mental upheaval, some may be led to consider Zen as something
to be shunned by ordinary people. This is a most mistaken view of Zen, but one unfortunately
often held by prejudiced critics. As Joshu declared, "Zen is your everyday
thought"; it all depends on the adjustment of the hinge whether the door opens
in or opens out. Even in the twinkling of an eye the whole affair is changed and
you have Zen, and you are as perfect and as normal as ever. More than that, you
have acquired in the meantime something altogether new. All your mental activities
will now be working to a different key, which will be more satisfying, more peaceful,
and fuller of joy than anything you ever experienced before The tone of life will
be altered. There is something rejuvenating in the possession of Zen. The spring
flowers look prettier, and the mountain stream nuns cooler and more transparent.
The subjective revolution that brings about this state of things cannot be called
abnormal. When life becomes more enjoyable and its expanse broadens to include
the universe itself, there must be something in <i>satori</i> that is quite precious and well
worth one's striving after.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>(Taken from ‘An Introduction to Zen Buddhism’ by D.T.
Suzuki)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-8821074906229276142017-09-05T00:00:00.000+07:002017-09-09T18:19:23.522+07:00D.T. Suzuki on Knowing & Seeing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignsYznnCEjYXu4zyp8nhQzlfeyJgvc1eh30_KniDt7Y2N_VrZA8Q0nn7timXVJa6CNBtQwdVA13Fhyphenhyphen7l4nfkY5wmyLwBk9neSIAqNtCt4UG9FGkwIs4g3TCSwJI5tTBzSCEnRDeB1TbQ/s1600/fs0088daisetz05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignsYznnCEjYXu4zyp8nhQzlfeyJgvc1eh30_KniDt7Y2N_VrZA8Q0nn7timXVJa6CNBtQwdVA13Fhyphenhyphen7l4nfkY5wmyLwBk9neSIAqNtCt4UG9FGkwIs4g3TCSwJI5tTBzSCEnRDeB1TbQ/s320/fs0088daisetz05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>D.T. Suzuki & the cat: knowing & seeing</i></div>
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“We generally think that philosophy is a matter of pure
intellect, and, therefore, that the best philosophy comes out of a mind most
richly endowed with intellectual acumen and dialectical subtleties. But this is
not the case. It is true that those who are poorly equipped with intellectual
powers cannot be good philosophers. Intellect, however, is not the whole thing.
There must be a deep power of imagination, there must be a strong, inflexible will-power,
there must be a keen insight into the nature of man, and finally there must be
an actual seeing of the truth as synthesised in the whole being of the man
himself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I wish to emphasise this idea of ‘seeing’. It is not enough
to ‘know’ as the term is ordinarily understood. Knowledge unless it is
accompanied by a personal experience is superficial and no kind of philosophy
can be built upon such a shaky foundation. There are, however, I suppose many
systems of thought not backed by real experiences, but such are never inspiring. They may be fine to
look at but their power to move the readers is nil. Whatever knowledge the
philosopher may have, it must come out of his experience, and this experience
is seeing. Buddha has always emphasised this. He couples knowing (<i>nyana, jnana</i>)
with seeing (<i>passa, pasya</i>), for without seeing, knowing has no depths, cannot
understand the realities of life. Therefore, the first item of the Eightfold
Noble Path is <i>samma dassana</i>, right seeing, and <i>samma sankappa</i>,
right knowing, comes next. Seeing is experiencing, seeing things in their state
of suchness (<i>tathata</i>) or is-ness. Buddha’s whole philosophy comes from
this ‘seeing,’ this experiencing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>(D.T. Suzuki, Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist)</i></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-38457745462321322892017-08-21T00:00:00.000+07:002017-08-21T00:00:12.244+07:00D.T. Suzuki on Satori<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4avcLl4NUNvUdwsDjN2CXoXK1gBWLplg9b_LgjqRr0wccPuz0qKzKEAmCQw9EfOrDP6ZGtjYoyVAjNvrlhDdamPR7oNmVvvdIwCS0U4PrYrYd5OtkgDO70Tg28bjo-770n7yF02fCs0/s1600/fs0088daisetz04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4avcLl4NUNvUdwsDjN2CXoXK1gBWLplg9b_LgjqRr0wccPuz0qKzKEAmCQw9EfOrDP6ZGtjYoyVAjNvrlhDdamPR7oNmVvvdIwCS0U4PrYrYd5OtkgDO70Tg28bjo-770n7yF02fCs0/s320/fs0088daisetz04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Does the cat have buddha-nature?</i></div>
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The object
of Zen discipline consists in acquiring a new viewpoint for looking into the
essence of things. If you have been in the habit of thinking logically according
to the rules of dualism, rid yourself of it and you may come around somewhat to
the viewpoint of Zen. You and I are supposedly living in the same world, but who
can tell that the thing we popularly call a stone that is lying before my window
is the same to both of us? You and I sip a cup of tea. That act is apparently alike
to us both, but who can tell what a wide gap there is subjectively between your
drinking and my drinking? In your drinking there may be no Zen, while mine is brim-full
of it. The reason for it is: you move in a logical circle and I am out of it. Though
there is in fact nothing new in the so-called new viewpoint of Zen, the term “new”
is convenient to express the Zen way of viewing the world, but its use here is a
condescension on the part of Zen. <br />
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This
acquiring of a new viewpoint in Zen is called <i>satori</i> {<i>wu</i> in Chinese)
and its verb form is <i>satoru</i>. Without it there is no Zen, for the life of
Zen begins with the ‘opening of satori.’ Satori may be defined as intuitive
looking-into, in contradistinction to intellectual and logical understanding. Whatever
the definition, satori means the unfolding of a new world hitherto unperceived in
the confusion of a dualistic mind. With this preliminary remark I wish the
reader to ponder the following <i>mondo</i> (literally, ‘asking and answering’),
which I hop>c will illustrate my statement.<br />
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A young monk
asked Joshu to be instructed in the faith of Zen. Said the master: "Have you
had your breakfast, or not?" "Yes, master, I have," answered the
monk. "Go and get your bowls washed," was the immediate response. And
this suggestion at once opened the monk's mind to the truth of Zen.<br />
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Later on Ummon
commented on the response, saying: "Was there any special instruction in
this remark by Joshu, or was there not? If there was, what was it? If there was
not, what satori was it which the monk attained?" Still later Suigan had the
following retort on Ummon: "The great master Ummon does<br />
not know what is what; hence this comment of his. It is altogether unnecessary;
it is like painting legs to a snake, or painting a beard to the eunuch. My view
differs from his. That monk who seems to have attained a sort of satori goes to
hell as straight as an arrow!"<br />
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What does all
this mean — Joshu's remark about washing the bowls, the monk's attainment of satori,
Ummon's alternatives, and Suigan's assurance? Are they speaking against one another,
or is it much ado about nothing? To my mind, they are all pointing one way and the
monk may go anywhere, but his satori is not to no purpose.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tokusan was a
great scholar of the Diamond Sutra. Learning that there was such a thing as Zen,
ignoring all the written scriptures and directly laying hands on one's soul, he
went to Ryutan to be instructed in the teaching. One day Tokusan was sitting outside
tr\'ing to look into the mystery of Zen. Ryutan said, "Why don't you come in?"
Replied Tokusan, "It is pitch dark." A candle was lighted and held
out to Tokusan. When he was at the point of taking it Ryutan suddenly blew out
the light, whereupon the mind of Tokusan was opened.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Taken from ‘An Introduction to Zen Buddhism’ by D.T. Suzuki (1870-1966)</i></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-21819019441671465292017-08-07T00:00:00.000+07:002017-08-07T00:00:05.607+07:00Ajahn Chah on Reciting 'Buddho'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNicUNoMcsu4NMSmwr3OzHRH1w6SirvY4VN-1WNr7z_lib0ZNevflv3kVMibXy0PGQ3Vbq25ExDwdUP-DPq14rEFgpFykPW2hS6WxoljEcKQZ9qhHp5a0W-vvFMQvHifwhq8jCuyUp9Jk/s1600/FS0059ajahnchah03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="576" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNicUNoMcsu4NMSmwr3OzHRH1w6SirvY4VN-1WNr7z_lib0ZNevflv3kVMibXy0PGQ3Vbq25ExDwdUP-DPq14rEFgpFykPW2hS6WxoljEcKQZ9qhHp5a0W-vvFMQvHifwhq8jCuyUp9Jk/s320/FS0059ajahnchah03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Ajahn Chah: Bud-dho, Bud-dho, Bud-dho...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Meditate reciting <i>Buddho,</i> <i>Buddho</i> until it penetrates deep into the heart of
your consciousness. The word <i>Buddho</i> represents the awareness
and wisdom of the Buddha. In practice, you must depend on this word more
than anything else. The awareness it brings will lead you
to understand the truth about your own mind. It’s a true
refuge, which means that there is both mindfulness and
insight present. Wild animals can have awareness of a sort. They have mindfulness
as they stalk their prey and prepare to attack. Even the predator needs
firm mindfulness to keep hold of the captured prey however defiantly it
struggles to escape death. That is one kind of mindfulness. For this
reason you must be able to distinguish between different kinds of
mindfulness. <i>Buddho</i> is a way to apply the mind. When you
consciously apply the mind to an object, it wakes up. The awareness
wakes it up. Once this knowing has arisen through meditation, you can
see the mind clearly. As long as the mind remains without the awareness of
<i>Buddho</i>, even if there is ordinary worldly mindfulness present,
it is as if unawakened and without insight. It will not lead you to what
is truly beneficial. Mindfulness depends on the presence of Buddho –
the knowing. It must be a clear knowing, which leads to the mind
becoming brighter and more radiant. The illuminating effect that
this clear knowing has on the mind is similar to the brightening of a
light in a darkened room. As long as the room is pitch black, any objects placed
inside remain difficult to distinguish or else completely obscured from
view because of the lack of light. But as you begin intensifying the
brightness of the light inside, it will penetrate throughout the whole
room, enabling you to see more clearly from moment to moment, thus
allowing you to know more and more the details of any object inside there.<br />
<br />
<i>Note: The word 'Buddho' (a variant of 'Buddha') is often taught as a
word to recite mentally in combination with the breath, by meditation
masters of the Thai forest tradition. One recites the syllable 'Bud' on
the in-breath and 'dho' on the out-breath.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-39579400598997514812017-07-23T00:00:00.000+07:002017-07-23T00:00:02.074+07:00Buddha on the Mantra 'A'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeopKyoL_yLaNm4XRP0EhvD2UgbAbrrwlI3tghfqfTieSQ3n7W7NUWYoBpOCg6xAS-CoDKKcAsJnc4Onpgj_q5cDAv5MRG9Cwph0GTOjGbuMdun3oH33sCoMBouT-CGzEuQzQElrGA6Cg/s1600/ah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeopKyoL_yLaNm4XRP0EhvD2UgbAbrrwlI3tghfqfTieSQ3n7W7NUWYoBpOCg6xAS-CoDKKcAsJnc4Onpgj_q5cDAv5MRG9Cwph0GTOjGbuMdun3oH33sCoMBouT-CGzEuQzQElrGA6Cg/s320/ah.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">Everybody say, "Ah!"</i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica"; font-style: normal;">The Sutra of the Blessed Perfection of Wisdom, The Mother of All the Tathagatas, in One Letter</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;"><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;">Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><i><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;">Thus have I heard at one time. The Blessed One dwelt at Rajagrha, on the Vulture Peak, together with a large congregation of monks, with 1,250 monks, and with many hundreds of thousands of niyutas of kotis of Bodhisattvas. At that time the Lord addressed the Venerable Ananda, and said:</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">"Ananda, do receive, for the sake of the weal and happiness of all beings, this perfection of wisdom in one letter, A."</i><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;">Thus spoke the Blessed One. The Venerable Ananda, the large congregation of monks, the assembly of the bodhisattvas, and the whole world with its gods, men, asuras and gandharvas rejoiced at the teaching of the Blessed One.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;"><i>Notes: 'Blessed One' (Bhagava) is a title of Buddha; 'Perfection of Wisdom' (Prajna-paramita) is a class of highly regarded teachings in Mahayana Buddhism; 'Tathagatas' refers to all buddhas of past, present & futture; The syllable 'A' is a meditation object in the Tantric Buddhist schools of Tibet & Japan, amongst other places.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica"; font-size: 13px;"><i>For more on this subject see <a href="https://buddhaspace.blogspot.com/2017/04/kukai-on-mantra-a.html">Kukai on the Mantra 'A'</a></i></span></span>Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-21378802681983584822017-07-08T00:00:00.000+07:002017-07-08T00:00:03.520+07:00Keido Fukushima: Everything Exists, Nothing Exists<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2BalOMgUw8x0LafcMPdYXeD65sLnHEaicWttHXw2fIT3QYlD6Nw8OhTP-7A1rZJjiCQJt7KALofZhNIfxecVFYlY2VI4wgtxDJbG4DC0ok7K-AWxTqLqLhMpGOLb8suMXGTVbdYxybg/s1600/fs0120-fukushima07-closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="1162" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB2BalOMgUw8x0LafcMPdYXeD65sLnHEaicWttHXw2fIT3QYlD6Nw8OhTP-7A1rZJjiCQJt7KALofZhNIfxecVFYlY2VI4wgtxDJbG4DC0ok7K-AWxTqLqLhMpGOLb8suMXGTVbdYxybg/s320/fs0120-fukushima07-closeup.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Keido Fukushima: A smile, and yet not a smile</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>"</i>In the world of philosophy and in the world of common sense, when something exists, it exists, and when something doesn't, it doesn't. That's the common-sense view. What makes the notion of Mu so difficult is that while everything exists, nothing exists, and while nothing exists, everything exists. Because of this profound meaning of Mu, we can't simply translate it as 'nothing.' In addition, translating Mu as 'nothing' creates a very negative impression, but the Mu of Zen includes both the affirmative and the negative. It is essential to understand this if you want to understand Zen.</div>
<br />
If you don't comprehend this notion -that while everything exists, nothing exists, and while nothing exists, everything exists - it's very difficult to understand Buddhism, including Zen Buddhism. There are about three thousand sutras, or Buddhist sacred scriptures. The Prajnaparamita, or Perfection of Wisdom, sutras are one set of these sutras, made up of six hundred volumes. The essence of all these volumes is expressed in the <i>Heart Sutra</i>, and the central phrase of the <i>Heart Sutra</i> is while everything exists, nothing exists, while nothing exists, everything exists."<br />
<br />
<i>(Zen Master Keido Fukushima, 1</i><i>933-2011, w</i><i>as head abbot of Tofukuji in Kyoto, one of the most famous Zen temples in Japan. He trained Japanese and foreigners alike, with his wit and insight. A book of his teachings, Zen Bridge: The Zen Teachings of Keido Fukushima is published by Shambhala Publications, and contains many wonderful teachings as the extract above.)</i>Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-43510075315766170312017-06-23T00:00:00.000+07:002017-06-23T00:00:06.095+07:00Basho on This Wandering Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Basho's hut was not his true home...</i></div>
<br />
Days and months are travellers of eternity. So are the years that pass by. Those who steer a boat across the sea, or drive a horse over the earth spend every minute of their lives travelling, and the journey itself is home. There are a great number of ancients, too, who died on the road. I myself have been tempted for a long time by wind-blown clouds into dreams of lifelong travelling.<br />
<br />
It was only towards the end of last autumn that I returned from rambling along the coast. I barely had time to sweep the cobwebs from my broken house on the River Sumida before the New Year, but no sooner had the spring mist begun to rise over the field than I wanted to be on the road again to cross the barrier-gate of Shirakawa in due time. A wandering spirit seemed to have possessed me and turned me inside out, roadside images seeming to invite me from every corner, so that it was impossible for me to stay idle at home. Even while I was getting ready, mending my torn trousers, tying a new strap to my hat, and applying *moxa to my legs to strengthen them, I was already dreaming of the full moon rising over the islands of Matushima. Finally, I gave my house to another, moving to the cottage of my patron Mr. Sampu for a temporary stay. Upon the threshold of my old home, however, I wrote a linked verse of eight pieces and hung it on a wooden pillar. The opening verse was:<br />
<br />
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even this grass hut</div>
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may be transformed</div>
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into a doll's house.</div>
<br />
<i>Note: Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) is Japan's most celebrated haiku poet, and one of its most revered literary figures. He was also a Buddhist, whose work reflected the transiency of life, its innate unsatisfactory nature, and the value of living in the present moment. *Moxa is a dried leaf applied in small doses to the skin and burnt, in the belief that it has curative properties.</i>Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-28316619275636527472017-06-09T00:00:00.000+07:002017-06-09T00:00:14.600+07:00Buddha on Greed, Hatred & Delusion<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what
has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor
upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon
specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered
over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk
is our teacher.' Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are bad;
these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and
observed, these things lead to harm and ill,' abandon them.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"What do you think, Kalamas?
Does greed appear in a man for his benefit or harm?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"For his harm, venerable
sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Kalamas, being given to greed,
and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by greed, this man takes life,
steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do
likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Yes, venerable sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
"What do you think, Kalamas? Does hate appear in a man for his benefit or harm?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"For his harm, venerable
sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Kalamas, being given to hate,
and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by hate, this man takes life,
steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do
likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Yes, venerable sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"What do you think, Kalamas?
Does delusion appear in a man for his benefit or harm?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"For his harm, venerable
sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Kalamas, being given to
delusion, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by delusion, this man
takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too,
to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Yes, venerable sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"What do you think, Kalamas? Are
these things good or bad?" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Bad, venerable sir"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Blamable or not blamable?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Blamable, venerable sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Censured or praised by the
wise?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Censured, venerable sir."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Undertaken and observed, do
these things lead to harm and ill, or not? Or how does it strike you?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Undertaken and observed, these
things lead to harm and ill. Thus it strikes us here."<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Therefore, did we say, Kalamas,
what was said thus, 'Come Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor;
nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious
reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon
another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, "The monk is our teacher." Kalamas,
when you yourselves know: "These things are bad; these things are blamable; these
things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and
ill," abandon them.'”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>*Note: This is an extract from the Buddha's discourse to the people of the town of Kesaputta, called the Kalama Sutta. The formula on how to decide a teaching is worth following or not at the beginning and end of this extract is one of the most famous of Buddha's teachings.</i></span></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-15159081241672751842017-05-25T00:00:00.000+07:002017-05-25T00:00:11.359+07:00Ajahn Sumedho on Identity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Ajahn Sumedho: Without any real core or essence</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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We’ll sacrifice our life for an illusion, to try to protect our
identities, our positions, our territories. We’re very territorial. We think
this England here belongs to the English. When we take that apart, does this plot
of land here say it’s England? When I do <i>jongrom </i>(walking meditation)
outside, does the earth come up and say, “You’re walking on me — England.” It’s
never said that, never! But I say I’m walking here in England. I’m the one
who’s calling it England, and that is an identity, a conventional identity. We
all agree to call this plot of land here ‘England’, but it’s not really that; it
is what it is. Yet we’ll fight, torture and commit the most atrocious acts over
territory, quibbling about just one inch of property on a border. The land
doesn’t belong to anybody; even if I own land legally — “This belongs to Ajahn
Sumedho” — it doesn’t really; that’s just a convention.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When we bind ourselves to these conventions and these
illusions, then of course we’re troubled because these are so unstable and not
in line with Dharma. We end up wasting our lives around trying to increase this
sense of identification, the sense of, “It’s mine, it belongs to me and I want
to protect it. I want to hand it down to future generations.” On and on like
this, into future lives and the generations that follow. We create a whole
realm of illusion, personality and identity with the perceptions that we create
in our minds, which arise and cease, which have no real core to them, no essence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We can be very threatened when these illusions are threatened.
I remember first questioning the reality of my personality. It scared me to
death. When I started questioning, even though I didn’t have particularly over-confident,
high self-esteem (I have never been prone towards seeing myself in megalomaniac
perceptions; usually the opposite, very self-critical), even then, I felt very
threatened when that security, that confidence in being this screwed-up
personality was being threatened. There is a sense of stability even with
people who are identified with illnesses or negative things, like alcoholics.
Being identified with some sort of mental disease like paranoia, schizophrenia
or whatever gives us a sense that we know what we are and we can justify the
way that we are. We can say, “I can’t help the way I am. I’m a schizophrenic.”
That gives us a sense of allowing us to be a certain way. It may be a sense of
confidence or stability in the fact that our identities are labelled and we all
agree to look at each other in this way, with this label, with this perception.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br />
So you realise the kind of courage it takes to question, to allow the illusory
world that we have created to fall apart, such as with a nervous breakdown,
where the world falls apart. When the security that is offered, the safety and
confidence that we gain from that illusion starts cracking and falling apart,
it’s very frightening. Yet within us there’s something that guides us through it.
What brings us into this monastic life? It’s some intuitive sense, a sense
behind the sense, an intelligence behind all the knowledge and the cleverness
of our minds. Yet we can’t claim it on a personal level. We always have to let
go of the personal perceptions, because as soon as we claim them, we’re
creating another illusion again. Instead of claiming, identifying or attaching,
we begin to realise or recognise the way it is. This is the practice of
awareness (<i>sati-sampajanna</i>), paying attention. In other words, it’s
going to the centre point, to the <i>Buddho </i>(the one who knows) position.
This Buddha image in the temple: it’s the still point. If you look at this
Buddha-rupa, it’s a symbol, an image representing the human form at the still
point.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>(Ajahn Sumedho is the senior monk of the Western Forest Sangha, as well as former abbot of Wat Nanachat in Thailand & Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England. His teachings are highly regarded across the globe. In the above talk, I have replaced the Pali word Dhamma with the more widely known Sanskrit term Dharma, both meaning 'Buddhist teachings' & 'the truth of the way things are.')</i></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-39764394403480776322017-05-10T00:00:00.000+07:002017-05-10T00:00:22.434+07:00Happy Buddha Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
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Today is Buddha Day, or, to give it its Pali name <i>Visakha
Puja</i>, also known as Vesak. This is the day when Buddhists across the globe
celebrate the birth, enlightenment, and death of the historical Buddha,
Shakyamuni. Not all Buddhist traditions celebrate Buddha Day today, but many
do, and here in Thailand it is the main Buddhist festival of the year (and
there are lots!). But why bother to commemorate the Buddha's life and
enlightenment in this way? Well, it is an occasion that we can use skillfully
to encourage reflection on his life and teachings in relation to our own
existence. And, what's more, it is an opportunity to consider the debt that we
owe him for showing us the way to liberation from suffering.<br />
<br />
The Buddha's birth is a special event, of course, as it is not often that a
fully-awakened one is born into the world. If Shakyamuni Buddha was never born,
then the Buddhadharma would never have been established for us to use to awaken
with.Similarly, if the Buddha had not realized the cessation of suffering under
the Bodhi Tree, then we too would not know how to do the same. Furthermore, his
apparent demise shows us that rebirth and continual suffering of these
separated selves can be transcended, allowing the spacious awareness that we
truly are to shine forth. Homage to the Blessed, Noble, and Perfectly Awakened
One, indeed!<br />
<br />
To mark this day of days, we need not go to a temple and take part in rituals
if we cannot or would rather not. It's up to us to find appropriate ways to
express our recognition and gratitude to the Buddha for what he has done for
us. Perhaps this might be a simple ceremony conducted in front of a small
shrine at home, or maybe a brief reflection on his qualities and teachings
coupled with meditation will suffice. Of course, if we do decide to attend a
full-blown public ritual with all the trimmings, then that can be wonderful
too. As long as it's respectful and from the heart, go for it!<br />
<br />
Another way to mark Buddha Day is to recognize the Buddha within. This, again,
is best attempted with a modicum of decorum and a certain sincerity. Quietly
looking home at where you are looking from, you might notice that where others
see your face, and where you feel it, there is also an awareness that although
empty in itself, is nevertheless full of all that you experience. This knowing
is not your knowing as so-and-so, nor does it belong to somebody else, such as
a god. It is what it is: clarity gazing upon the world. Staying with this
unconditioned wakefulness, every conditioned thing or process can be observed
to arise, exist, and end, including all these thoughts, memories, emotions, and
sensations that we normally take to be 'me.' What better way than this, whether
we take part in ceremonies or not, to acknowledge the Buddha. Happy Buddha Day!<o:p></o:p></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-55038199405803827792017-04-25T00:00:00.000+07:002017-04-28T22:14:43.932+07:00Kukai on the Mantra 'A'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Close your eyes and say, "A."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All sentient beings have in the core
of their minds a portion of purity which is completely appointed with all
practices. Its essence is extremely subtle, clear, and bright, and it remains unchanged even when transmigrating in the six destinies. It is like the
sixteenth phase of the moon. When the bright aspect of that phase of the moon
meets the sun, it is merely deprived of its brightness by the rays of the sun and therefore does not appear, but
from the start of the moon that then rises it gradually waxes day by day until
the fifteenth day, when it is perfectly full and its brightness unobstructed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
Therefore, the practitioner of meditation first arouses the brightness within
his original mind by means of the letter A, gradually makes it pure and
brighter, and realizes the knowledge of non-arising. The letter A signifies the
original non-birth of all things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>(Kukai, also known as Kobo-Daishi, 774–835, was the founder of Shingon (Esoteric) Buddhism in Japan.The syllable A is an important mantra in Shingon meditation practice, and is pronounced like the a in father.)</i></span></span></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-66945610486296985302017-04-04T00:00:00.000+07:002017-04-28T21:45:47.931+07:00D.T. Suzuki on Nihilism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpEnJB_AgbRFgF5NyWQtg-SB2U7pYAW5NsgodmIOXAXah1sGEFZ1b4p6UPWocpQgRlxjK_yu-7YZcIXOPyzuPndhsr7Am2zUu79F72pDV5ApeWUQjTwXv1i3nxXhfWwbq6JRYzQ6znMs/s1600/daisetz08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpEnJB_AgbRFgF5NyWQtg-SB2U7pYAW5NsgodmIOXAXah1sGEFZ1b4p6UPWocpQgRlxjK_yu-7YZcIXOPyzuPndhsr7Am2zUu79F72pDV5ApeWUQjTwXv1i3nxXhfWwbq6JRYzQ6znMs/s1600/daisetz08.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>D.T. Suzuki: Much ado about nothing?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A monk asked
Joshu, "What would you say when I come to you with nothing?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
Joshu said, "Fling it down to the ground."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
Protested the monk, "I said that I had nothing; what shall I let go?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
"If so, carry it away," was the retort of Joshu.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
Joshu has thus plainly exposed the fruitlessness of a nihilistic philosophy. To
reach the goal of Zen, even the idea of "having nothing" ought to be done
away with. Buddha reveals himself when he is no more asserted; that is, for Buddha's
sake Buddha is to be given up. This is the only way to come to the realization of
the truth of Zen. So long as one is talking of nothingness or of the absolute one
is far away from Zen, and ever receding from Zen. Even the foothold of Sunyata
must be kicked off. The only way to get saved is to throw oneself right down into
a bottomless abyss. And this is, indeed, no easy task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>(Taken from 'An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, the Japanese scholar credited with introducing Zen Buddism to the West. Joshu (Zhaozhou in Chinese) was a famous Zen master of the 8th & 9th centuries)</i></span></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-70326542437112753272017-03-27T00:00:00.000+07:002017-04-05T13:31:24.904+07:00The Heart Sutra<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<u>Prajna-paramita-hridaya Sutra</u><o:p></o:p></div>
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(Heart-of-transcendent-wisdom Discourse)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was engaged in the
practice of deep transcendent wisdom, he perceived: there are the five aggregates;
and these he saw in their self-nature to be empty. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Here, Shariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form; form
is no other than emptiness, emptiness is no other than form; what is form that
is emptiness, what is emptiness that is form. The same can be said of
sensation, thought, confection, and consciousness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Here, Shariputra, all things are characterized with
emptiness: they are not born, they are not annihilated; they are not tainted, they
are not pure; they do not increase, they do not decrease. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no
sensation, no perception, no formations, no consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue,
body, mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, objects; no element of vision,
till we come to no element of consciousness; there is no knowledge, no
ignorance, no extinction of knowledge, no extinction of ignorance, till we come
to there is no old age and death, no extinction of old age and death; there is
no suffering, no cause, no cessation, no path; there is no knowledge, no attainment,
and no non-realization. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Therefore, Shariputra, without attainment, bodhisattvas dwell
depending on transcendent wisdom there are no obstacles; and because there are
no obstacles in his mind, he has no fear and, going beyond wrong views he
reaches final nirvana. All the awakened ones of the past, present, and future, depending
on transcendent wisdom, attain to the highest perfect enlightenment. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Therefore, one ought to know that the transcendent wisdom is
the great mantra, the mantra of great wisdom, the highest mantra, the peerless mantra,
which is capable of allaying all pain; it is truth because it is not falsehood;
this is the mantra proclaimed in transcendent wisdom<i>. </i>It runs: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b>Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi, svaha!</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
(Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone utterly beyond: Awakening! Hail!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>(Adapted by the author from D.T. Suzuki's translation of the Heart Sutra, with reference to many other renderings of the text)</i></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-6440166234401956312017-03-12T00:00:00.000+07:002017-03-12T00:00:09.196+07:00Tagawa Shun'ei on Becoming Buddha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXDEesWdSrHAXSL2XTkFRaBabLU92bRo8f5oarz_P0RmUv3zMnmj8xdeQ1c2ubxwQtk8jjrVUIshNXfMCbQIKTtQ9IbNqUgIiiv78J6tAyeo4NH1Y1yanvZM8k0_tH64r8tYKPQTUU5o/s1600/Tagawa+Shunei.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXDEesWdSrHAXSL2XTkFRaBabLU92bRo8f5oarz_P0RmUv3zMnmj8xdeQ1c2ubxwQtk8jjrVUIshNXfMCbQIKTtQ9IbNqUgIiiv78J6tAyeo4NH1Y1yanvZM8k0_tH64r8tYKPQTUU5o/s320/Tagawa+Shunei.jpeg" width="306" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><i>Tagawa Shun'ei - busy becoming Buddha...</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">“Becoming buddha” means that if we make an effort to truly understand the structure and mechanism of our own minds along with its various psychological functions, and endeavor to nurture wholesome psychological functions while trying to subdue the afflictive mental factors, somewhere at the other end of this path, the buddha-state will manifest itself. The consummation of this buddha-state is precisely the meaning of “becoming buddha.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>(Tagawa Shun'ei, 1957-present)</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>*Venerable Tagawa Shun'ei is a Hosso (Yogacara) Buddhist monk & abbot of and author of 'Living Yogacara, a fine introduction to the Hosso School in Kofukuji Temple in Japan)</i></span>Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-90420306079803401502017-02-25T00:00:00.000+07:002017-07-02T14:32:43.850+07:00Ajahn Chah on Buddhist Psychology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6pceRolRelGNV2zSsWKrYuoiveea1xOHyJ5yw_zt1uyzTXeOwFt7dGevhlo0MzZONTRw5ATqiSDc6iA0Ho_R4n5CC6xLzX_H6rc4HklqIIMmdWl4LvRyDOFnpgcZYIOYhqzIGyNjFxg/s1600/fs0080cha06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6pceRolRelGNV2zSsWKrYuoiveea1xOHyJ5yw_zt1uyzTXeOwFt7dGevhlo0MzZONTRw5ATqiSDc6iA0Ho_R4n5CC6xLzX_H6rc4HklqIIMmdWl4LvRyDOFnpgcZYIOYhqzIGyNjFxg/s320/fs0080cha06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>Ajahn Chah gets to the heart of the matter</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">One day, a famous woman lecturer on Buddhist metaphysics came to see Ajahn<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Chah. This woman gave periodic teachings in Bangkok on the abhidharma and<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
complex Buddhist psychology. In talking to Ajahn Chah, she detailed how<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
important it was for people to understand Buddhist psychology and how much<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
her students benefited from their study with her. She asked him whether he<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
agreed with the importance of such understanding.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Yes, very important," he agreed.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Delighted, she further questioned whether he had his own students learn<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
abhidharma.<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Oh, yes, of course."<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">And where, she asked, did he recommend they start, which books and studies<span style="font-size: 12pt;">
were best?<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"Only here," he said, pointing to his heart, "only here."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-371965939628738452017-02-11T00:00:00.000+07:002017-02-11T00:00:15.737+07:00Layman Pang & Reverend Dayu on Fundamental Reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxefsoWpROhickSZaViwKPu8HwUjgwkn9VJ49Uc7O23F-zo0fxX5o7irJw60IHkyLRWC_Dm6QJzSWzpPy5oItRw3gFF1m1KpMzy1UdJ3IA47YKhk6K8QXapp3ucYas8NtpSZ_MXNQBcs/s1600/laymanpang2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxefsoWpROhickSZaViwKPu8HwUjgwkn9VJ49Uc7O23F-zo0fxX5o7irJw60IHkyLRWC_Dm6QJzSWzpPy5oItRw3gFF1m1KpMzy1UdJ3IA47YKhk6K8QXapp3ucYas8NtpSZ_MXNQBcs/s1600/laymanpang2.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<i>Layman Pang & the sound of two hands clapping</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Layman Pang asked Reverend Dayu, “In order to help others attain it,
Master Mazu dwelt in the fundamental reality. Did he pass this on to you or
not?”<br />
Dayu said, “Since I have never spoken with him, how could I know anything about
his fundamental reality?”<br />
The Layman said, “Then you have nothing to report about this experience?”<br />
Dayu said, “I don’t have one word to give to the Layman on the subject.”<br />
The Layman said, “If the teacher would be forsaking the heritage by giving me
one word about it, perhaps he can describe it to me in two or three words.”<br />
Dayu said, “That it can’t be described is exactly what the fundamental reality
is all about.”<br />
The Layman clapped his hands and left.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(Pang & Dayu were students of the great Zen master Mazu in ancient China.)</div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-28584851287874993152017-01-27T00:00:00.000+07:002017-01-27T00:00:16.600+07:00Ajahn Chah on the 'I'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWB8QFq44YqCbojpHR7_mTu3qjwOZfl8A9Uq7vjQEf2kfzZVc8iWtcWiBfOmZoot_GNg3X_d-c_9lM0PKICADyIPQ3CrUor9KZJCYfDPuBF6iKOPNWlB2y3BHRRuq2SUNPhQyV9DTOFY/s1600/Ajahn-Chah-headshoulders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZWB8QFq44YqCbojpHR7_mTu3qjwOZfl8A9Uq7vjQEf2kfzZVc8iWtcWiBfOmZoot_GNg3X_d-c_9lM0PKICADyIPQ3CrUor9KZJCYfDPuBF6iKOPNWlB2y3BHRRuq2SUNPhQyV9DTOFY/s320/Ajahn-Chah-headshoulders.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Ajahn Chah saw through his 'I'</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Our body is
unstable, altering and changing constantly. Hair changes, nails change, teeth
change, skin changes—everything changes, completely. Our mind, too, is always
changing. It isn’t a self or anything substantial. It isn’t really “us” or
“them,” although it may think so. Maybe it will think about killing itself.
Maybe it will think of happiness or of suffering—all sorts of things! It’s
unstable. If we don’t have wisdom and we believe this mind of ours, it’ll lie
to us continually. And we will alternately suffer and be happy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
The mind is an uncertain thing. This body is uncertain. Together they are
impermanent. Together they are a source of suffering. Together they are devoid
of self. These, Buddha pointed out, are neither a being, nor a person, nor a
self, nor a soul, neither us nor them. They are merely elements: earth, water, fire,
and air. Just elements.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
When the
mind sees this, it will rid itself of the attachment that holds that <i>I </i>am
beautiful, <i>I </i>am good, <i>I </i>am evil, <i>I </i>am suffering, <i>I </i>have,
<i>I </i>this or <i>I </i>that. You will experience a state of unity, for
you’ll have seen that all of humankind is basically the same. There is no ‘I.’
There are only elements.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
(Ajahn Chah,
1918-1992)<o:p></o:p></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-84216811440736404732017-01-12T00:00:00.000+07:002017-01-20T10:55:27.455+07:00Jan Chozen Bays on Grief<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Minion-Regular; font-size: 10pt;"><br style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrUSaGzwhBoPwUr9XCnARC9z0elX1VFa6Ohur6zaNt6odmxKEORXVf8lfYHIXpy004eW2kMLf6S6LTdtGdhasijUlV6IuMoBvTh__yBJpJAvMFXsLOypSUGk59xw6U4NT_PTWvTMApd0/s1600/jizo-statues-shitennoji-osaka01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrUSaGzwhBoPwUr9XCnARC9z0elX1VFa6Ohur6zaNt6odmxKEORXVf8lfYHIXpy004eW2kMLf6S6LTdtGdhasijUlV6IuMoBvTh__yBJpJAvMFXsLOypSUGk59xw6U4NT_PTWvTMApd0/s320/jizo-statues-shitennoji-osaka01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jizo statues in Japan are dressed by grieving parents</div>
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<br /></div>
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“Grief lasts as long as it lasts. There will always be a
hole in your heart that’s the shape of that life, which you knew however brief.
People sometimes try to have another child right away, but that hole will never
be filed in by anybody else. It will be with you your whole life, but it will
soften and get filed in over time. It gets filed with love and happy memories, and
with the prayer or hope that the life energy will go on—that it will reemerge
in a beneficial place.” </div>
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(Jan Chozen Bays, Zen teacher)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-35031499255365555882016-12-28T00:00:00.000+07:002016-12-31T13:46:28.040+07:00A Buddhist New Year's Resolution<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9Bv_ChZskglbqb93zguTZDmJVahsZocBAY3yEMY-yyS4UV0jOhBrYonXsXlluPr_Zyp-CCfxxDg0i_p087IU3I48GbMXbMBHdyZgk_G_cfMxveDi9DG-PsGgaKM373iUdtF5FDCt_B8/s1600/buddha-finger01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9Bv_ChZskglbqb93zguTZDmJVahsZocBAY3yEMY-yyS4UV0jOhBrYonXsXlluPr_Zyp-CCfxxDg0i_p087IU3I48GbMXbMBHdyZgk_G_cfMxveDi9DG-PsGgaKM373iUdtF5FDCt_B8/s320/buddha-finger01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A New Year question: "What's the point?"</div>
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New Year is a time when we can reflect on the past twelve months, and make resolutions for the coming weeks. When we think back to the events of the previous year, it does us well to consider not only what happened to us, and what we did, but also how we thought, what our mind states were for the majority of the time. Were we skillful in the way we approached the world, or did greed, anger, and delusion color much of what we did? And, regarding our practice as Buddhists, did we keep the precepts well, did we meditate as often as we intended, and did we develop any wisdom? If we reflect wisely, we can see where our practice faltered, and therefore where we need to redouble our efforts over the next few months. And, here is where a New Year’s resolution can come in handy.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
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If our meditation practice has dropped off lately, we can make a commitment to a new discipline for the New Year, and if we’ve failed to live up to the way of life promoted in the Buddhist precepts, we can endeavor to fulfill them more readily in the near future. A simpler, but very effective, attitude to cultivate is openness. To be wide open for the world is a challenging but rewarding way to live this life, enabling us to let go of some of the egoistic elements that make us fall short of walking the Way with more purpose. Being open to the New Year and all that it will present to us seems both a wise & compassionate approach to things, and doesn’t involve much preparation or philosophical acumen. All we need is a bit of attention and simplicity.</div>
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All that we see, hear, taste, smell, touch, feel and think occurs in our awareness. This awareness isn’t me or you, it doesn’t have a name, and nor does it have an agenda to follow at the expense of others. It is the simple act of knowing in the present. And, if we associate with this knowing, rather than with the ego-personalities that we think we are, barriers start to fall. The barriers that separate me & you begin to crumble, and the barriers that separate this thought from that world start to dissolve also. The experience of duality is inherent in the notion of being a separate self, and to <i>see</i> that such a self is a delusion is to begin to let go of it. It isn’t always easy to do, and even less easy to sustain, but then the Buddhist teachings and practices exist to help in this process of letting go, so they can be employed in this task.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
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So, turn your attention around to that which is attentive: What does it look like? What does it sound like? Is it a thought or a feeling? The limits of the conditioned senses are where the unconditioned begins; a spacious awareness that contains all that is experienced. Simply by pointing a finger back at our ‘eyes’ right now, we can <i>see</i> this featureless knowing, and that because it is empty of self, it is full of the world instead. No separation, no conflict: Just Buddha gazing at his own countenance. Surely, this is a New Year’s resolution worthy of a bit of effort, the <i>right </i>effort, to give our traversing of the <st1:street w:st="on">Middle Way</st1:street> a little push into the future. And, when we see that there’s no separation between you & me, him & her, us & them, this & that, then we may have the wisdom to recite with conviction:<o:p></o:p></div>
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May all beings have a Happy New Year!</div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-55607151420541768422016-12-14T00:00:00.000+07:002016-12-14T00:00:16.108+07:00Bankei on the Unborn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPICCGsRIGWDXA3o4OPVpoOpnkz-oaZm9Kcy9C6pf4IqrGwxmu5GtxvOhdRouCsVhykRXHfZLJKCrb4Y9FA5n_DGExC5hJx4XTmefdZhigL4rkiokcdCeXWovaqZGqBXKr2wJJCZPUow/s1600/Bankei-headandshoulders.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPICCGsRIGWDXA3o4OPVpoOpnkz-oaZm9Kcy9C6pf4IqrGwxmu5GtxvOhdRouCsVhykRXHfZLJKCrb4Y9FA5n_DGExC5hJx4XTmefdZhigL4rkiokcdCeXWovaqZGqBXKr2wJJCZPUow/s320/Bankei-headandshoulders.jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px;"><i>Zen Master Bankei: Gazing from the Unborn</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px;">"Not a single one of you people at this meeting is unenlightened. Right now, you're all sitting before me as Buddhas. Each of you received the Buddha-mind from your mothers when you were born, and nothing else. This inherited Buddha-mind is beyond any doubt unborn, with a marvelously bright illuminative wisdom. In the Unborn, all things are perfectly resolved. I can give you proof that they are. While you're facing me hearing me speaking like this, if a crow cawed or a sparrow chirped, or some other sound occurred somewhere behind you, you would have no difficulty knowing it was a crow or a sparrow, or whatever, even without giving a thought to listening to it, because you were listening by means of the Unborn."</span><br />
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<i>(Bankei Yotaku Zenji)</i></div>
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<i>The above quotation comes from the Zen Master Bankei (1622-1693). For more on him, read the following: <a href="http://buddhaspace.blogspot.com/2012/12/review-bankei-zen-by-peter-haskel.html">Review: Bankei Zen, by Peter Haskel</a>.</i></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-82852359669081249122016-11-29T00:00:00.000+07:002016-12-02T16:52:59.219+07:00Ajahn Sumedho on the Unborn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcIPNAh2Cqca3CRXlTkoC_wqjZ29_cD4xvUdAgCuxBHvkc7aGUPsykO3akWwFqRgKhXOqX0-brX6j-Yg0S2DazldBr21o0dffEYoKwkFgcO6gNtyHOpRSbo1wXckiM2BYxHXyusISRx0/s1600/ajahnsumedho-smile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcIPNAh2Cqca3CRXlTkoC_wqjZ29_cD4xvUdAgCuxBHvkc7aGUPsykO3akWwFqRgKhXOqX0-brX6j-Yg0S2DazldBr21o0dffEYoKwkFgcO6gNtyHOpRSbo1wXckiM2BYxHXyusISRx0/s320/ajahnsumedho-smile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Ajahn Sumedho: A smile from the unborn</i></div>
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"The statement in the [Buddhist] scripture that really inspired me years ago, that really meant a lot to me a the time:</div>
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<i>There is the unborn, uncreated, unformed, unoriginated, and therefore there is an escape from the born, created, formed, originated. If it were not for the unborn, uncreated, unformed, unoriginated, there would be no escape from the born, created, formed, originated, but because there is the unborn, uncreated, unformed, unoriginated, there is an escape, there is liberation from the born, created, formed, originated.</i> (<i>Udana</i> VIII.3)</div>
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This puts it in terms of the unborn and the born, the uncreated and the created, the unoriginated and the originated. These are words, yes, but the born, the formed, the originated, these are sankhara, mental formations, aren't they?</div>
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What we see, hear, smell, taste, touch, think, feel, the four elements - the earth, fire, eater and wind elements - the thoughts, the memories, the feelings - pleasant, painful, neutral feeling - the physical body, in fact all experience, the whole universe, is the created, the born, the formed, the originated. So that means everything, everything you can think of, imagine, feel, experience…but there is the escape, there is liberation from the born the created, the originated. There is the unborn. So then reflect on what is the unborn, unformed, uncreated, unoriginated."</div>
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<i>Taken from a teaching entitled 'Refuge in Awareness' by Ajahn Sumedho. More on the book in which it appears (on pp.215-216) can be read here: <a href="http://buddhaspace.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-sound-of-silence-by-ajahn-sumedho.html">Review: The Sound of Silence</a>.</i></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-21715605219045073982016-11-14T15:30:00.000+07:002016-11-14T15:30:21.801+07:00Shinran on One Mind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7KtMbqJue33hj_cTrxkS6KMK7UCNSdHlzlG65BipsNXR8E1Cw5uN4SV-O61wsgIzmcUYyCvVlqpE0V4AyR2kSKKL9mvGOEUH97ixe9agaEayoRTX_7fA1qXuQfin7xXABgc0C4duO44/s1600/a45d4225146d5c356ad4d696edc90c47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7KtMbqJue33hj_cTrxkS6KMK7UCNSdHlzlG65BipsNXR8E1Cw5uN4SV-O61wsgIzmcUYyCvVlqpE0V4AyR2kSKKL9mvGOEUH97ixe9agaEayoRTX_7fA1qXuQfin7xXABgc0C4duO44/s320/a45d4225146d5c356ad4d696edc90c47.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>
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<i>Shinran Shonin 親鸞 (1173 – 1263): A deep mind</i></div>
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Singlemindedness is deep mind. Deep mind is deep faith. Deep
faith is steadfast deep faith. Steadfast deep faith is decisive mind. Decisive
mind is supreme mind. Supreme mind is true faith. True faith is enduring mind.
Enduring mind is sincere mind. Sincere mind is mindfulness. Mindfulness is the
true One Mind. The true One Mind is great joy. Great joy is the true entrusting
heart. The true entrusting heart is adamantine faith. Adamantine faith is the
aspiration for Buddhahood. The aspiration for Buddhahood is the desire to save
sentient beings. The desire to save sentient beings is the desire to embrace
sentient beings and bring them to the Pure Land of Peace and Bliss. This desire
is the great bodhi-mind. This mind is the great compassion, for it arises from
the wisdom of infinite light. The oceanlike vow is without discrimination;
hence, aspiration for bodhi is without discrimination. Since aspiration for bodhi
is without discrimination, the wisdom of the path is also without
discrimination. Since the wisdom of the path is without discrimination, great
compassion is without discrimination. Great compassion is the right cause of Buddha’s
enlightenment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>(From the Kyogyoshinsho, by Shinran Shonin)<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Numata;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span>Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-33102553945207541662016-10-30T10:53:00.000+07:002016-11-02T10:55:41.980+07:00Buddha on Right Speech<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx_Cn0I8qcuJVGDo32R-4AtBDkGyn-VjAN0R70iqacdbdXFKyTlpK4I6sR5RWmkG72oIoPY3c09qcmtgJrqmH8VHoihltd7p8QyJdH6-MpteXBTJ9fW3Aqjbey2viQns-GA3jt7-Dmlk/s1600/right.speech.graphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx_Cn0I8qcuJVGDo32R-4AtBDkGyn-VjAN0R70iqacdbdXFKyTlpK4I6sR5RWmkG72oIoPY3c09qcmtgJrqmH8VHoihltd7p8QyJdH6-MpteXBTJ9fW3Aqjbey2viQns-GA3jt7-Dmlk/s1600/right.speech.graphic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Think before you speak...</i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px;">"What now, is Right Speech?</span><br />
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Herein someone avoids lying and abstains from it. He speaks the truth, is devoted to the truth, reliable, worthy of confidence, not a deceiver of men. Being at a meeting, or amongst people, or in the midst of his relatives, or in a society, or in the king’s court, and called upon and asked as witness to tell what he knows, he answers, if he knows nothing: ‘I know nothing’, and if he knows, he answers: ‘I know’; if he has seen nothing, he answers: ‘I have seen nothing’, and if he has seen, he answers: ‘I have seen’. Thus he never knowingly speaks a lie, either for the sake of his own advantage, or for the sake of another person’s advantage, or for the sake of any advantage whatsoever.</div>
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He avoids tale-bearing, and abstains from it. What he has heard here, he does not repeat there, so as to cause dissension there; and what he has heard there, he does not repeat here, so as to cause dissension here. Thus he unites those that are divided; and those that are united, he encourages. Concord gladdens him, he delights and rejoices in concord; and it is concord that he spreads by his words.</div>
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He avoids harsh language, and abstains from it. He speaks such words as are gentle, soothing to the ear, loving, such words as go to the heart, and are courteous, friendly, and agreeable to many.</div>
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He avoids vain talk, and abstains from it. He speaks at the right time, in accordance with facts, speaks what is useful, speaks of the law and the discipline: his speech is like a treasure, uttered at the right moment, accompanied by arguments, moderate and full of sense.</div>
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This is called Right Speech."<br />
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<i>(Buddha,Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta</i><i>)</i></div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-15604416134115086122016-10-16T18:29:00.000+07:002016-11-02T10:39:15.636+07:00Buddha on Remaining in Emptiness<div style="background-color: #fffeff; border: 0px; color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; margin-bottom: 1.33em; margin-top: 1.33em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMTsmzInfN4IsjE4wH_7PhRFd92xGqDqBua7avXa6u5McIF9kWcdo-nglo1xjxvS_8AuAyP1hLnYyw4ygl8yZ1DyAoBv5B8mnSvdOu2_v1Ggsq2fCM3eSnAx71IafNo79MsEW8cfmSeQ/s1600/enso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMTsmzInfN4IsjE4wH_7PhRFd92xGqDqBua7avXa6u5McIF9kWcdo-nglo1xjxvS_8AuAyP1hLnYyw4ygl8yZ1DyAoBv5B8mnSvdOu2_v1Ggsq2fCM3eSnAx71IafNo79MsEW8cfmSeQ/s320/enso.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Enso: Zen symbol of dynamic emptiness</i></div>
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"Ananda, whatever contemplatives and brahmans who in the past entered & remained in an emptiness that was pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all entered & remained in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed. Whatever contemplatives and brahmans who in the future will enter & remain in an emptiness that will be pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all will enter & remain in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed. Whatever contemplatives and brahmans who at present enter & remain in an emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all enter & remain in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed.</div>
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"Therefore, Ananda, you should train yourselves: 'We will enter & remain in the emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed.'"</div>
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That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Venerable Ananda delighted in the Blessed One's words.</div>
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(Buddha, Cula-sunnata Sutta)</div>
Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11820006311674418847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-595900014735598043.post-80905066861316401382016-10-01T00:00:00.000+07:002016-10-01T20:46:07.927+07:00The Bodhisattva Vows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QEu6ZLSvN76GEG3wTWsx_cVbgYHQiX1WbYscSlQkNMrdiujZ6cLlRYSfscspFClXroTBvEO7kaEVlgsX31o6u-k9thy1TPa69TQLAG3hmU8QY7jKFQLC0sGkyJA6O2mBHOnnDjZhX1o/s1600/bodhisattvavows%255Bjapanese%255D.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QEu6ZLSvN76GEG3wTWsx_cVbgYHQiX1WbYscSlQkNMrdiujZ6cLlRYSfscspFClXroTBvEO7kaEVlgsX31o6u-k9thy1TPa69TQLAG3hmU8QY7jKFQLC0sGkyJA6O2mBHOnnDjZhX1o/s320/bodhisattvavows%255Bjapanese%255D.gif" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>The bodhisattva vows in Japanese</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to save them all.</b></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f6du-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Desires are inexhaustible; I vow to put them to an end.</b></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="vrfh-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The teachings are boundless; I vow to master them.</b></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6g5qo-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The awakened way is supreme; I vow to attain it.</b></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6g5qo-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">The four bodhisattva vows are recited by Buddhists from Japan to Tibet, Singapore to California. They are intended to encourage in us a limitless intent on both our own awakening and that of countless other beings. The word bodhisattva itself literally means 'awakening-being' and can also be understood as 'one-who-helps-others-to-awaken.' If recited intently, the four vows inspire a concern for the well-being & enlightenment of all suffering beings (and, according to Buddha, all unawakened beings are suffering). Moreover, if we recognise the boundless nature of the teachings, we never have the conceit to presume we know it all - there's always more to awaken to. Humble & helpful; at the very least, the four bodhisattva vows can encourage us</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to develop these qualities. Humility discourages sectarianism, thinking we know the true teachings but others don't, so as bodhisattvas, we won't judge those who are not, such as Theravada Buddhists and non-Buddhists. rather, we will simply wish to help them in whatever ways we can.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We can't all be great teachers or humanitarians, but if we allow the four vows to awaken a taste of Buddha's wisdom within us, then we are on the bodhisattva path: May all beings be happy!</span></div>
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