Soyen Shaku (釈 宗演, 1860 – 1919)
A
favorite parable used by Buddhists to illustrate the unreality of soul or self (I
take these two meaning the same thing), is that of the house. The house is composed
of the roof, walls, posts, floor, windows, and so forth. Now, take each one of these
apart, and we have no such thing as a house, which appeared to have a permanent
actuality a while ago. The house did not have any independent existence outside
the material whose combination only in a certain form makes it possible. From the
beginning there was no house-soul or house-ego, which willed according to its own
will to manifest itself in such and such way by combining the roofs, walls, et
cetera. The house came into existence only after all these component parts were
brought together. If the house-soul insisted that "I am a thing by itself,
distinct from any of you, members of my being, and therefore I shall abide here
forever even when you, component parts, are disorganized. I will go up to heaven
and enjoy my reward there, for I have sheltered so many worthy people under my roof,”
this soul would be the most appropriate object of laughter and derision. But are
we not standing in a similar situation when we speak of our eternal self dwelling
within us and departing after death in its heavenward course?
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According
to Buddhism, the question why we must not discriminate between friends and foes
is answered by the doctrine of non-ego, as above explained at some length. Therefore,
the Buddhists declare: Regulate your thoughts and deeds according to the feeling
of oneness, and you will find a most wondrous spiritual truth driven home to your
hearts. You are not necessarily thinking of the welfare and interest of others,
much less of your own; but, singularly enough, what you aspire and practise is naturally
conducive to the promotion of the general happiness, of others as well as of yourselves.
In such an enlightened mind as has realized this most homely and yet most ennobling
truth, there is no distinction to be made between friend and enemy, lover and hater.
He is filled with loving-kindness and brotherly-heartedness. And such a one is called
by Buddhists a Bodhisattva, which translated means "intelligence-being,"
or "one who has realized wisdom."
Soyen
Shaku was a Zen master well known for his efforts in bringing Zen to the
West, and was abbot of both Kenchō-ji
and Engaku-ji temples
in Kamakura, Japan. He taught both Nyogen
Senzaki and D.T. Suzuki, also famous for promoting Zen abroad. The above
is an extract from ‘Sermons of a Buddhist Abbot’ translated into English by
D.T. Suzuki, which can be freely downloaded from here.
See also:
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