and Enlightenment

―
……………………………………………………
To learn the Buddha Way
is to learn one’s own self.
To learn one’s own self
is to forget one’s own self.
To forget one’s own self
is to be enlightened
by the myriad dharmas.
To be enlightened
by the myriad dharmas
is to let one’s own mind and body
as well as that of all others
fall off.
( from: Chapter “Genjô-kôan” in the Shôbôgenzô by Master Dôgen )
……………………………………………………
Contens
Photo by SATO Migaku
Opening Comments:
Report on the Kenshukai in Sonnenhof
…………………………… By YAMADA Ryôun
04
Words of Yamada Kôun Roshi (32) ……………… By TONOIKE Zen’yu
08
Teisho: Hekiganroku (Blue Cliff Record) Case 80 By YAMADA Kôun
11
Zen-path to enlightenment…………………………………Allain Paragas
19
Zenkai Schedule
A Request
……………………………………………………………… 23
……………………………………………………………………… 24
Opening Comments:
YAMADA Ryôun
Report on the Kenshukai in Sonnenhof
In this issue I will discontinue for the time being the series on
"Concerning the World of Emptiness" in order to report on the Kenshukai
(=workshop, study session) of the Zen Teachers of the Sanbo Kyodan which
was held 5-13 August in Sonnenhof, a small town of picturesque natural
beauty close to the Swiss-German border, about an hour and a half by car
from Zurich.
I already explained in the report on the "Zen Teachers Workshop at the
Temple of Cypress Woods" (#315) the nature of these Kenshukai. There I
explained that the criterion for participation was to have completed all the
Koans at least up to the Denkoroku. Therefore, the Kenshukai are not only
for the current Zen Teachers and Assistant Teachers but also for those who
have the possibility of becoming teachers in the future.
Yamada Koun Roshi gave as the overall purpose of the Sanbo Kyodan
the spreading of true Zen throughout the world. His own efforts achieved
much, with the result that today there are many Zen Teachers and Zen
Masters leading Zen all over the world. And, under their direction, there are
many who are training to be teachers for the next generation. In such
circumstances these Kenshukai have been continuing to insure that the true
essence of Zen, as passed on from Shakyamuni Buddha and through
generations of Patriarchs and Masters, is correctly transmitted to the next
generation. This year's was the 16th time for such Kenshukai to be held. It
was the second held at Sonnenhof, the previous one had been held there 15
4
years ago. Our Kenshukai is unique, focusing on group discussion of Koans
with additional work on Dokusan and Teisho.
The Kenshukai for the first generation (mainly those directly trained
by Koun Roshi) is due to be held at the beginning of November this year in
Nihonmatsu, the hometown of Koun Roshi. This will be the final one for that
group and will coincide with the completion of Denkoroku.
The Kenshukai held this August was for the second generation.
Participants included those coming for the fourth time (34 people, 2A group)
and those coming for the first time (27 people, 2B group) for a total of 61
participants. Added to these, along with myself, were Willigis Roshi,
Gundula Roshi, and three from the first generation, Silvia, Uta, and Sister
Rosario, bringing the grand total to 67 participants. The first three and a
half days were centered on the 2A group, the second three and a half on the
2B group. In between there was a chance for a joint hiking expedition and
dinner party. From Japan, besides myself, Migaku Sato and Yoshiko Aoki
participated. There are many more from San'un Zendo qualified to
participate; however, the language is English, which unfortunately presents
an obstacle to wider participation.
"Can you really discuss Koans in a group?" I am sure that some of
you have such a doubt. However, from the standpoint of looking deeply at
Koans this method is surprisingly useful. Of course, they are all Koans which
the participants have passed at least once, but when the presentations are
made one after another, one sees that there are really many ways of
presenting and viewing the same Koan. Where is the focal point of this
Koan? What is this Koan trying to convey to us? In this way opinions are
exchanged in depth about each one. Sometimes there are some fireworks in
the discussions! At the end I summarize the discussion and give my
viewpoint on each Koan.
Through such discussions as these I am very
grateful to be able to pass on various ideas and messages to those who will
carry on the work of the Sanbo Kyodan in the next generation. The necessary
guidance is transmitted in a natural way through discussions on topics such
5
as "What is the Sanbo Kyodan really after?" or "What really is a Koan?" or
"What should be kept in mind when one is guiding students in the Dokusan
room?"
During this Kenshukai there were especially two things I found very
gratifying. The first was that the 27 people who participated for the first
time really joined in the discussions in a lively manner. "Is it OK to say
something like this in front of everyone? Maybe I am missing the point," are
thoughts that cross everyone's mind, but this did not hinder those in group
2B from expressing themselves unreservedly. I also gave each participant
Dokusan about three times. There too I was impressed by their liveliness
and positiveness.
The other thing was that four of those of 2A group (John Gaynor,
Carmen Afable, Rune Olsson, Stefan Sachs) gave Teisho that had very good
content indeed but based on their personal experience. Every year, besides
myself, I ask other participants to give Teisho. Usually I decide who that will
be several months ahead of time and let them know, but this time I forgot to
do so and asked the four people above after we had gathered for the
Kenshukai. These four accepted readily, and even though there was not
sufficient time to prepare, each gave a wonderful Teisho. Everyone was
especially moved by the Teisho of Carmen Afable, who spoke from her own
experience of having lost in succession her two young boys from an accident
and sickness, on the themes, the question of life and death and "every day is
a good day."
In this Kenshukai Willigis Roshi stressed that "Zen should not
become a practice for recluses. Practitioners should actively step into the
"market place" (his phrase) and participate in helping other people." I agree
with him. It is not true Zen to retreat from secular society and seek only
one's own peace of heart. If one can grasp clearly through Zen practice the
reality that "the world is just one Self", the desire will rise of itself to want to
help others in every possible way, or to want to save those in trouble, or to
use one's gifts for others. Even before arriving at a clear realization this
6
desire grows in proportion to the stages of one's practice. It is natural as one
approaches "one" world.
However, the Sanbo Kyodan does not specify concretely what kind of
activities one should do or in what kind one should participate. That is not
the purpose of the Sanbo Kyodan. Those decisions are best left to each
individual. The Sanbo Kyodan is a lay Zen organization with each member
having his/her own lifestyle. There is no other way than for each according to
his/her abilities to do what seems best in the given circumstances. The Sanbo
Kyodan, through the spreading of Zen, tries to convey the reality which is the
foundation of all such activities, namely, that "the whole universe is just one
existence".
The preparation and management of this Kenshukai were in the
hands of Lore Molly of 2A group. She, as a Zen Teacher of the Sanbo Kyodan,
resides in this facilility at Sonnenhof, which consists of a "meditation house"
where 70-80 people can take part in a Sesshin, and two other adjacent
buildings. Under the leadership of Willigis Roshi this facility was started 15
years ago by gathering donations and establishing a fund through which it
was bought. The purpose of the facility is to conduct Zazen and Sesshin, and
it is constructed in line with that. A woman cook and two young caretakers
live and work here. Besides this one, Willigis Roshi has built several other
such facilities.
This Kenshukai was made possible by Willigis Roshi, who has
devoted himself for many years to spreading Zen, and Lore and the hard
work of all the others who took part in the preparation. I am very grateful to
all of them. The next workshop will be held in August next year in Brisbane,
Australia, where Roselyn Stone Roshi teaches Zen.
(Translated by Jerome CUSUMANO with the assistance of SATO Migaku)
7
********************************************
Words of
Yamada Kôun Roshi
(32 )
The Power of Settling
the Mind (Jôriki)
and Enlightenment (Satori)
From of old it has been said that there are three main objectives in Zen:
1) Cultivation of the power to settle the mind
2) Experience of the Supreme Way or enlightenment
3) Personalization of the Supreme Way
In each case, concentrating and unifying the mind is the essential way to
attain the objective. When the aim is to cultivate jôriki, the mind is usually
concentrated on something with form. With continued practice, the power of
concentration increases endlessly, but does not give rise to enlightenment.
The merits and effects of cultivating jôriki can be summarized as follows:
1) Development of an immovable mind so that one is no long under the sway of
one’s environment.
2) Increased power to realize an environment in the objective world that accords
with one’s own thoughts, ideals or hopes.
3) The ability to become one with an object and experience the world of oneness.
4) Development of supernatural powers.
Just a glance at the above points lets us understand how important jôriki
is in carrying on our daily lives. In regard to Number 4, supernatural powers,
Buddhism speaks of six kinds of superhuman powers. They are spiritual abilities
that transcend ordinary human capacity. From of old many religions have
considered the appearance of strange or mysterious spiritual powers to have a
8
connection with God. From the point of view of Buddhism, however, they are in
the end only a product of jôriki and do not manifest "the true wisdom and insight"
[shôchiken]. Thus they can never become an absolute authority for judging good
and evil. At the same time, while jôriki may develop endlessly with increased
practice, when practice stops the power gradually diminishes until one is right
back where one started from.
If one unifies the mind and concentrates on something without form,
however, at a certain point there will be a sudden awakening. What does one wake
up to? Dôgen Zenji called it “Body and mind falling away.” An individual
experiences clearly that his or her own body and mind, and, in a great insight,
that both the subjective and the objective worlds are totally empty.
As you know, in Buddhism this fact of both the subjective and objective
worlds being completely empty of content is called the void (kû). To clearly realize
the void is the core of the Buddha Way. It is by this that one saves oneself and by
this that one can save others. Therefore seeing through and personally witnessing
the void is what makes the Way of Buddha a religion. It is the foundation for a
correct view of the universe, of the world and of human life and is the criterion for
our actions. It is only through this experience that a basis is established for
judging between right and wrong and good and evil. The establishment of these
56
criteria and standards is the opening
up of "the true wisdom and insight" or "the
wisdom and insight of the Buddha" [butchiken].
As you know, in the Hannyashingyô (Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra) it
says:
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, practicing deep Prajna Paramita,
Clearly saw that all five skandhas are empty,
Redeeming all suffering and distress.
Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness,
Emptiness no other than form;
Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form;
Sensation, perception, mental reaction and consciousness
Are also like this.
Finally, we come to the third goal of Buddhist practice: the
personalization of satori or the Supreme Way. If the enlightenment experience is
9
authentic and one continues to practice afterwards, personalization will
inevitably take place. However, it takes a very long time. Depending on the person,
it is not impossible with unsparing effort to attain a proven experience of
enlightenment during a one-week sesshin. But when it comes to personalization of
the Way, we should understand that it is a very long and great task that can’t be
accomplished even in the next life or two with continued effort, not to mention this
one. It is from this standpoint that it is said, “Even Shakyamuni Buddha is still
practicing.” But the content of that practice is to “clearly see that all five skandhas
are empty,” or, to put it more straightforwardly, seeing ever more deeply that
“intrinsically there is no self” and knocking out the bottom of the bucket,
eradicating the ego mind.
(edited by TONOIKE Toshio, translated by Joan RIECK)
10
CASE 80
HEKIGANROKU
(BLUE CLIFF RECORD)
Joshu's
Newborn Baby
By Yamada Kôun
Case:
A monk asked Jôshû, “Does a newborn baby have the sixth
consciousness or not?” Jôshû said, “Bouncing a ball upon swift
waters.” The monk also asked Tôsu, “What does ‘bouncing a ball upon
swift waters’ mean?” Tôsu said, “Thought by thought, the flow never
stops.”
Verse:
The six consciousnesses are devoid of any aim…he poses a
question.
The Zen adepts both knew how to give concrete answers.
Bouncing a ball upon busy swift waters.
Where it falls ― it doesn’t stop: who can see it?
This koan is also lacking an Instruction. In this Hekiganshû Dokugo (Soliloquy on
the Blue Cliff Record ― based upon the teisho by Harada Roshi) Yasutani Roshi supplies
his own words of advice when an Instruction is lacking for a koan. Let us look at what he
has to say for this case.
Jôshû evidently came to kensho at the age of eighteen. His own teacher, Nansen,
was also only eighteen when he “broke down the residence” (haka-santaku).
To “break down the residence” is a stock Zen expression with the same meaning as
“body and mind fallen away.” Your “house” has gone bankrupt. That is to say, the body
has completely disappeared.
It is said that Seppô had eighteen great enlightenments. That must be said to be
an unusual number. It is also said that Hakuin Zenji had thirteen great enlightenments
and countless lesser experiences. But wait a minute! People like Gensha, the Sixth
Patriarch or Yôka Daishi all came to great enlightenment in a single experience.
I had never heard of the tradition of Seppô’s eighteen great enlightenments, but it
is fairly well-known that Hakuin Zenji had eighteen great experiences and a countless
number of small enlightenments. According to Iida Tôin Roshi, although it is said that
there were eighteen great enlightenments, the last of those experiences was the only true
great enlightenment; the experiences preceding it could not have been great enlightenment
11
at all. I tend to agree. If there were a succession of experiences leading up to the final
great breakthrough, they must have been slight ones with a lot of conceptual
understanding mixed in. Great enlightenment (daigo) is a single experience where
everything becomes completely clear. Gensha Sibi Daishi and the Sixth Patriarch (Enô)
came to great enlightenment in a single experience. If we examine the Shôdôka (Song
Upon Attaining the Way) by Yôka Daishi, we can appreciate him for the truly outstanding
Zen personage that he was.
Of course, this is totally different from the unclear kensho experiences which are
so common today. The world is filled today with people who have had trifling experiences
and put on airs of knowing all about Buddhism.
We should pay particular heed to Yasutani Roshi on this point.
It is as if they were straining to see through thick clouds and wondering if that
might possibly be the moon on the other side. If anyone said anything to the contrary, they
would already be scratching their heads and doubting their own perception. We should be
truly grateful for a Zen master who will deprive us of our cherished illusions at such a time.
The process of working on koans after kensho is the process of checking carefully on the
extent to which one realizes, all the while bringing Dharma causes to maturity and
gradually leading the student to true understanding.
Lately there are all too many people who never get to this final stage of true
understanding. Rather than the fault of the student, the error lies here with the Zen
master whose responsibility is very grave. I have heard the same thing said by a monk in
the Rinzai Sect. The first barrier---the initial kensho experience---is very important and it
must be a clear, unmistakable experience For most people, it’s a matter of just taking the
slightest glimpse at that world. Yasutani Roshi uses the simile of looking through thick
clouds and guessing the moon is on the other side to characterize today’s kensho
experiences. The koan study after kensho is therefore crucially important.
Look at a newborn baby. There is neither belief nor disbelief. There is neither
philosophy nor the trappings of learning. It is for this reason that we are told to be as little
children. This does not mean we have to become amnesiacs. Just do away with your
concepts. A baby has no memory of experiences from former lives and the experiences of
this life have yet to begin. It is very much like the person who has come to great
enlightenment and rid himself of all delusions.
We can take it here as meaning a Buddha. A new-born baby is exactly like that.
Ardor in practice and fretful impatience are totally different things. We are told
not to be in a fever of impatience. Throw all that away and practice with the ardor of a
single bright flame.
12
This, too, is an important caution. People who have been doing their best
throughout the sesshin are very apt to start fretting as the sesshin draws to a close about
whether they will reach the goal or not. Those who have determined to reach the goal
during this sesshin “come hell or high water” are apt to become fretfully impatient, fearing
that they will not accomplish what they set out to do. Throw away all such thoughts of
success or failure, and become a single flame of concentrated practice.
Today’s koan deals with the consciousness of a newborn infant. In Japanese, we
use the word kokoro (heart-mind) when speaking of consciousness. This is actually a very
big question, although we usually don’t give it a second thought in the course of our
everyday lives.
Buddhism includes the branch of philosophy dealing with the extremely complex
Yuishiki-ron (Doctrine of Consciousness Only). Buddhist psychology differs from modernday psychology in not taking an experimental approach. It is rather entering deeply into
the world of enlightenment, into the inmost recesses of the heart and making various
observations in systematizing a doctrine.
The Yuishiki-ron is perhaps more philosophical than psychological in its approach
to examining the human consciousness. But this does not imply that it is mere
intellectualizing. It is concerned with practicing zazen, coming to a true experience and
then examining for yourself the world of satori to construct a doctrine of enlightenment.
That is the reason why it is so difficult and complex.
In grasping the mind or the true self, we eventually have to deal with the question
of consciousness. For the most part, we have no idea where consciousness comes from or
why it exists. It’s easy enough to say that God created it, but none of us were around when
that happened. The Bible tells us that the first thing to be created was light. Whether
light and life are the same thing or not would be the subject of heated discussion, but we
don’t really know. There is nothing we can do but believe.
We believe because we have never seen the true fact. Zen is the process of
tirelessly searching until we see that which we could not see. It is perhaps similar to the
sciences from the standpoint of this tireless search. But even scientists are stumped when
it comes to this.
I believe it was Immanuel Kant who spoke about “the thing in itself” (das Ding an
sich). We may think we know what something is, but we do not really know the essence of
the thing itself. The natural sciences are ceaselessly searching in the realm of the
unknown.
We, too, know nothing of the true nature of the mind. We can only remain in blank
amazement at how such a thing came into being. Emperor Bu of Ryô asked Bodhidharma,
“Who is it that stands before me?” Bodhidharma replied, “I don’t know.” It is this difficult
problem of consciousness which Jôshû and Tôsu handle in a Zen manner, in a manner
quite different from the approach of the philosopher or the scientists. And this is what we
are to savor in today’s koan.
13
On the Case:
A monk asked Jôshû, “Does a newborn baby have the six
consciousnesses or not?”
Jôshû said, “Bouncing a ball upon swift
waters.”
Let me make a brief summary of this complex question of consciousness. The six
senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and idea. The eyes see color and form. The
ears hear sounds. The nose smells odors and the tongue tastes. The body (or the skin) also
has feeling. The sixth sense of idea (i) also means consciousness and is the process whereby
we take the information given by the other senses and are conscious that “this is a color” or
“that is a sound,” etc. It also includes the movements of the mind in like or dislike. The
first five senses come from the body, but idea comes from the heart-mind. These are the six
consciousnesses (rokushiki) which include the first five (“the former five consciounesses,”
“basic consciousnesses,” or “true foundations”) having to do with the body and the last
having to do with the mind. The sixth consciousness of discernment is our everyday mind.
In Buddhist psychology, the next or seventh consciousness is known as the Mana
consciousness. This is the unending consciousness of a self. It is also known as
kôshishiryô-shiki or “the consciousness which constantly judges and considers.” The
consciousness of a separate ego emerges from this. The next class of consciousness is the
Alaya or storehouse consciousness, also known as ganzôshiki in Japanese. This is the
consciousness which stores up all accumulated experience.
The first five classes of consciousness are discerned by the sixth consciousness,
and the seventh consciousness (the constant awareness of an individual self) transfers
these experiences to the eighth consciousness for storage, much like a cargo transportation
system.
The forms of consciousness which disappear when we die are the ones numbering
up to the sixth. The seventh and eight forms of consciousness remain and never die. Thus,
although a child knows nothing at birth, it still has, according to Buddhist psychology, all
the experiences from past lives stored away in the eighth consciousness.
For example, the question of why genius occurs in certain individuals is one which
has challenged modern-day psychologists but which resists solution. From the standpoint
of Buddhist psychology, however, there is no problem at all. For when all the experiences
and struggles stored in the eighth consciousness are produced it is perfectly possible that a
genius will result from this. But what about satori?
Satori is the act of cutting through the eighth consciousness and reaching the ninth
consciousness. This is known as Amala consciousness (stainless consciousness) and is
totally empty. The seventh, eighth and ninth forms of consciousness are alike in being
7
invisible, and all of us are one from the standpoint of those forms of consciousness. On the
surface we may appear as separate existences, but when we arrive at the last
consciousness we are the same in our common root of total emptiness.
14
Take the example of a bamboo plant. Many shoots emerge from the single plant,
but further down they are all part of the same single root. It’s actually more complex than
that, but I have attempted here to give a rough overview of this question of consciousness.
In today’s koan, a monk uses the example of the consciousness of a new-born baby to
question Jôshû on this.
A monk once came to Jôshû and asked him if a newborn baby has the six
consciousnesses or not. Jôshû did not chop any logic in replying; he gave the monk the
straight facts. “Bouncing a ball on swift waters.” In the above-quoted Hekiganshû Dokugo
(Soliloquy on the Blue Cliff Record) Yasutani Roshi concludes that the swift waters must be
a mighty river rushing by with great force. He also says that the universe itself is a great
stream surging on with great speed, and it is upon this great stream of the universe that
we bounce the ball of consciousness. I myself find this a bit hard to accept as it is.
An experience which I had in early childhood has perhaps conditioned my
response to the words in the koan. Let me tell you about it. In the house of my birthplace
in the Japanese countryside, my family had a silk mill for the production of raw silk.
Although there was electric power at that time, there were still no electric power lines for
industrial purposes. My family had their own small electrical generator run by water
power from a stream. This involved bringing the water to a certain height and having it
flow down a slope to produce electricity. Since the water came down at an angle, when it
was let through it came down with a rush. But strangely enough, there was not a ripple on
the surface. When I first read this koan, the first image which came to mind was that of
bouncing a ball on the swift but perfectly quiet current at the old silk mill. Yasutani
Roshi’s image of a mighty river is thus a little hard for me to imagine as applying in this
case. However, if we read further in Yasutani Roshi’s teisho, he himself says: “Although I
speak in terms of a mighty river flowing by, in fact it is a swift stream which is at the same
time completely calm and silent.” Such an image I can understand.
What, then, is the swift stream? This is our own consciousness. We cannot see
our own consciousness but it is there just the same, and it is continuously active. It has
unlimited capabilities while being totally empty. When I speak and when you listen, this is
no other than the great activity of nothingness. There is nothing at all to see or perceive.
Although it cannot be grasped by our five senses, our consciousness is engaged
continuously in great activity. I also feel it is right to go on and call this life itself.
A newborn baby’s consciousness is just like a ball bouncing on this swift current.
Listen to a newborn infant crying. “Wah-wah-wah!” That is the ball. Each “wah!” is
complete in itself. It is not a single ball flowing down the stream. There is this ball and
then the next ball and the next
6 and the next, each one separate and independent. And
although they are separate and independent they are at the same time one. It is one
consciousness and one stream. We, too, are the same way. When we are hungry we are
conscious of it. This is a consciousness which emerges out of nowhere. If a “ball” is
bounced upon it, it emerges. There are also consciousnesses which emerge even if a ball is
15
not bounced. For example, when you remember the past and think back on an unpleasant
time, this is also bouncing the ball on the stream of consciousness.
As another example, think of a group of electric lights going on one by one.
Although they may appear to be separate and distinct, it is actually the same electric
current passing through all of them. In this sense, they are the same. The current is what
they have in common and the individual lights are the aspect which makes them separate.
This is the ball in today’s koan. Switch off the switch and it goes off. Switch it on again and
it flashes on. This is bouncing the ball.
In mathematics there is the term “the discontinuity of continuity, the continuity of
discontinuity.” It is this aspect of total separateness in the midst of connectedness which
Yasutani Roshi is pointing to when he talks of each bounce of the ball as being separate
unto itself at the same time that the flow of the stream is completely calm and silent.
When the newborn baby cries, each “Wah!” is independent, but the fact that each
emerges from the same consciousness makes it the same as the individual lights which
have the same electric current running through them. This, at least, is how I would like to
understand these words of the koan. Once again, perhaps the mathematical term “the
discontinuity of continuity” is the best way to express this.
The monk also asked Tôsu, “What does ‘bouncing a ball upon
swift waters’ mean?” Tôsu said, “Thought by thought, the flow never
stops.”
The monk then went to question Tôsu Gisei Zenji, another outstanding Zen
patriarch. He related to Tôsu how he had asked Jôshû about the consciousness of a
newborn baby and how Jôshû had answered that this was like bouncing a ball on a swift
current. “What did he mean by that?” the monk wanted to know. He still did not
understand. In reply Tôsu said, “Thought by thought, the flow never stops.”
What does Tôsu mean with his reply? Actually, he’s saying the same thing as
Jôshû with different words. “Thought by thought” means happy, sad, the whole gamut of
feelings, emotions and thoughts. Each of them is separate and distinct. When we are
happy, we are just happy. When we are sad, we are just sad. When we are happy, there is
no room for sadness in that instant. The entire universe is just happy. And the same goes
for when we are sad. They appear to be completely separate and distinct, but the flow
never stops. When we speak about being happy this moment and sad the next, it might
seem as though there is constant change, but essentially this rapid flow is totally still. This
final part of the koan about the current never stopping concentrates on the aspect of the
water. Although you bounce a ball upon the surface and each bounce is separate, the swift
water remains forever a continuum. The individual consciousnesses appear, but there is
something which is common to them all which never changes. Once again, I wish to refer
to this as the continuity of discontinuity. The aspect of discontinuity is the individual
thoughts or feelings (each one separate and distinct). The aspect of continuity is the swift
current of consciousness.
16
To complete our intellectual explanation, Jôshû’s reply is saying that the swift
stream is continuity and bouncing the ball is discontinuity, thus giving the discontinuity of
continuity. Tôsu’s reply is speaking of the continuity of discontinuity.
Engo, in his commentary to this koan, has something interesting to say about the
question of whether a newborn baby has the six consciousnesses or not:
“Although a newborn baby is equipped with the six consciousnesses, though his
eyes can see and his ears can hear, he doesn’t yet discriminate among the six sense-objects.
At this time he knows nothing of good and evil, long and short, right and wrong, or gain
and loss.” (trans, Cleary)
A newborn baby is endowed with the six consciousnesses. How do we know?
Because she cries when she’s hungry. And when mother gives her the breast, she knows
that milk is coming. This is consciousness. A newborn baby isn’t a robot. Although they
may seem to be similar, they are completely different when it comes to having
consciousness or not.
The “sense objects” (Jap, rokujin, literally: the six dusts) are that which the senses
respond to. For the sense of sight, it is color and form. For the ears, it is sound, for the
nose, odors. For the tongue it is different tastes. And for the skin it is the particular
texture or feel of a surface.
With a newborn infant, even when she sees color, there is no consciousness of seeing it as
“color”. Even though she hears the sounds like we do, she cannot yet distinguish and
recognize that as “piano” or “violin.” Thus, as Engo says, there is no like or dislike, long or
short, good or bad, gain or loss. This is referred to in the verse as mukuyô which is a good
example of “completely ruined just as it is” (arugamama no aritsubure). There is just
taking in without the slightest trace of planning or trying. This is the state of the newborn
baby.
“A person who studies the Path must become again like an infant. Then praise and
blame, success and fame, unfavorable circumstances and favorable environments---none of
these can move him. ‘Though his eyes see form, he is the same as a blind man; though his
ears hear sound, he is the same as a deaf man.’ He is like a fool, like an idiot---his mind is
motionless as Mt. Sumeru.” (trans, Cleary)
This would be the same as the Buddha himself. The Buddha has often been
compared to a baby. For when a baby is born there is no sin. But as it grows older and
begins to use its intellect, it becomes capable of doing something bad.
On the Verse:
The six consciousnesses are devoid of any aim…he poses a
question.
The Zen adepts both knew how to give concrete answers.
Bouncing a ball upon busy swift waters.
Where it falls ― it doesn’t stop: who can see it?
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In the true six consciousnesses there is no seeking or trying of any sort. “Just as it
is” is fine. When you see there is just seeing. When you hear, there is just hearing.
The monk was asking about the great question of the six consciousnesses. And the two Zen
adepts, in this case Jôshû and Tôsu, immediately discerned what was going on in the
monk’s mind, they saw through his question immediately and gave an immediate answer.
Jôshû answered, “Bouncing a ball upon a swift current.” And Tôsu answered, “Thought by
thought, the flow never stops,” thus giving a simple and appropriate reply to the monk’s
question. If this were an answer from a Buddhist scholar or expert on Buddhist psychology,
he would probably be unable to give an appropriate answer even in a book on the subject.
The next line of the poem is a paraphrase of Jôshû’s reply. But it is also the same
as Tôsu’s answer of “Thought by thought, the flow never stops.” As I mentioned before,
Jôshû was speaking in terms of the discontinuity of continuity while Tôsu was speaking of
the continuity of discontinuity. But in the end, they are speaking about the same thing.
The final line of the poem is concentrating on Tôsu’s reply and saying that there is
no end to this ceaseless motion. We do not know where it comes to rest. We do not know
where our consciousness will eventually take up lodgings.
No matter how hard we strain our eyes we cannot see it. As Yasutani Roshi says, “If you
could see it, it wouldn’t be the Buddha.” It can’t be seen by ordinary beings or Buddhas.
Our consciousness cannot be grasped by anyone, no matter how hard they look. Why?
Because it is totally empty. But it is empty while at the same time containing infinite
capabilities. This is compared here in the Verse to a swift-flowing current. But our five
senses have never discerned the nature of this to be able to point to it, for it is totally zero.
In his teisho, Yasutani Roshi concludes by saying, “Well, that’s enough. Just sit
with all that’s in you. Sit your very hardest!” No matter how much I try to explain it, it’s
not going to lead to your realizing. This is where I, too, must shut my mouth.
(translated by Paul SHEPHERD)
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ZEN-PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT
Allain Paragas
' Mr. Allain Paragas is a 25 years old young Philippine who participated for
the first time in the full 5 days-sesshin given in Baguio in April this year. He had an
enlightenment experience confirmed three months after. He is teaching Philosophy
in the University in Zamboanga City where he lives.' Yamada Ryôun
I came to know about Zen through Sr. Imelda Corda, A.D.C. who invited me
to attend the zen orientation at the Spinola Center way back February 2004. Well I
do not really have any idea of what zen is all about. I have even thought that it was
something like the movie entitled “Sex and Zen” which is all about the art of making
love perfected. But to my great surprise, it was the least thing that I have ever
expected to happen for Zen is then about a life of contemplation, prayer and the
constant pursuit for mere self-enlightenment in discovering the deepest answers to
life BUT NEVER ABOUT SEX! What a shame to admit that the very reason why I
got interested over the invitation was because I thought it would be like the movie
I’ve seen. How funny it was for me to get into a group of people whose interest in life
does not match mine. (Oh please do not get me wrong. I was just being curious about
the mundane things in life and succumbing to my aggressive nature as a young adult
that’s why I have thought of that idea).
I met Sister Angeles Paredes, A.D.C. who brought Zen in Zamboanga City.
As a beginner, it was difficult for me to sit like a mountain and be silent for hours
and just concentrate on saying mu, mu, mu. I was really struggling hard but because
of the unselfish love, support, compassion and generosity of Sr. Angeles, I found
myself responding positively to practicing zen!
We had the first three-day mini-sesshin at the Spinola Center last October
31 to November 2, 2005. I was a very meaningful retreat. During zazen, I was in pain
but I am appreciating the beauty of it. My legs were numbing to the point that even
my ankles sounded like the long hand of an alarm clock during the kinhin. But I did
not go against the feeling of being in pain. I simply breathe and breathe and breathe
while sitting. Then awareness came in and I started feeling like I am in heaven
sitting for 25 minutes. I felt so relaxed that something is glowing inside me. I have
never felt this way before. The feeling was intense until I have come to realize that
“the real problem and danger in life is not really the presence of poverty, war, chaos,
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and a sense of injustice done to man, but the very reality of seeing and encountering
a lot of our brothers and sisters waste every minute of their lives by being blinded
spiritually speaking and living in darkness. More and more people neglect the
sanctity of life by being insensitive to themselves and to others. Insensitivity to the
present moment is itself the blindness of the BEING.”
Sr. Angeles told us to simply hold on to the mu, only the mu and nothing but
the mu. I remember that I have written down an anecdote about my sitting the night
before the last day of our sesshin. It says, “when the legs are in pain during zazen,
the body sends a message to the legs saying, “Please stop hurting me. I’m losing my
concentration!”
The legs have then replied, “Oh, shut up! Just mind your own business. Just
mu and mu and mu, for you have just taken the medicine to your wellness…”
Hence, the moral lesson in the story is, during zazen, let the pain begin and
let the mu comes shining in and there will be light! After attending that retreat, my
life has been more colorful and meaningful than before.
“My First-Hand Encounter with the Roshi at Maryhurst”
Part I. “Oh my, what such a bloody preparation!”
I was informed about attending the annual sesshin with Yamada Roshi in
Maryhurst, Baguio City. It was the best time for me to know if indeed I am called for
zen and how wonderful zen living is. I have said yes even if it means sacrificing my
high school reunion in Boracay. Honestly speaking, I really do not have enough
money to attend the said retreat. In fact, I was only sponsored by Sr. Angeles and
Ma’am Lina Sanchez so that I will be able to go to Baguio. Our journey to the
Summer Capital of the Philippines has not been easy. Aside from insufficient funds,
it will take us a long travel. We have even sought the help of our Vice-Mayor to grant
us the right to avail of the C130 flight on our way to Manila so as to save money for
our fare. But it so happened that the expected schedule within the week for our
departure from Zamboanga to Manila was difficult. We will have to wait for the flight
schedule until the morning of April 1 which at that time, we will be late for the
sesshin already. We do not have the choice but to leave Zamboanga on the night of
March 30 via Superferry 17. At past 11 in the evening, we left the port of Zamboanga
City. For 26 hours of traveling, we arrived at the port of Manila past 2 o’clock dawn.
Then after staying at the Marikina Zendo for two hours, we have proceeded to our
destination traveling via the Kennon road for six hours. We have arrived at the
destination safe and sound. It was a dream come true on my part for it was my first
time to stay at the beautiful paradise.
But I have been intimidated by the presence of the other retreatants on the
20
first meeting. Most of them were big time professionals and even elites while I am
not yet successful and well-established in life. In fact, I have never expected that I
will be the youngest participant and the poorest of them as well. I wanted to go back
to Manila thinking that it was a waste of time to attend the retreat to be compared
with the fun that I will get if I decided to go to Boracay instead. Besides, I won’t have
to experience this feeling of being an outcast in the group since most of them belong
to the middle to late adulthood stage.
The first three days was really difficult for me. Although I had gone through
the same experience during my sesshin with Sr. Angeles, still I am struggling with
my sitting. The total silence had almost driven me out of my sanity. I wanted to
scream at the top of my voice, run and play but the Jikijitsu strictly abides by the
rule of “Silence at all times. No talking, no looking around, no social gestures…” Oh
my, it was like that I have been impeached without due process of law.
I have no longer felt the pain in my body more so with the pain in my legs on
the third day. I even have cried during the night sitting. I am very much grateful for
being at peace with myself and the world. I was already consoled. During my first
dokusan with Yamada Roshi, I was very happy with the feeling that I was talking to
a dear old friend. The more I persevered to find the mu.
Part II. “THE TEI-SHUE PAPER EXPERIENCE”
The most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me during the sesshin
with Yamada Roshi was the tei-shue paper encounter on the last night of the retreat.
I was overwhelmed by my experience that I found myself writing my insights into
the tissue paper that I got from the comfort room. It felt so good in writing down my
thoughts that I was excited to deliver it as my Valedictory Speech the following day
for being the youngest participant ever. This article has been shared to the group
during the closing ceremony dated April 6, 2006.
TO MY DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
IN CHRIST AND IN MU:
While most of you are now sleeping on the fifth night of my first sesshin
with Yamada Roshi, I take great respect and devotion to all of you for having been an
inspiration to me for the last five days. Little do I expect that such encounter with
you has changed and added meaning into my life in a way that I do not imagine it to
be.
Right now, I am in complete joy celebrating the moment knowing that life is
indeed sacred. Hence, all due respect and reverence must be given to it at all times.
You presence in this sesshin is a completion of my understanding that we
are all called to respond to life in a way that Shakamuni Buddha did. Our very being,
21
is foremost, a sacred temple where the Buddha dwells in light and in truth.
My coming into this sesshin as generously and compassionately being
guided by Sr.Angeles and Ma’am Lina, my dear mentor and friend, served the
purpose of finding this eternal and essential truth.
I realized that practicing zen as a way of life, is indeed the ultimate path to
the completion of our being where real happiness and inner peace is attained by
discovering and radiating the light found in our essential nature.
In finding the mu, our true essential nature, we have been united to life and
to God’s light. We should always remember that we are all little lamps whose light
are seen in the deep recesses of our being, in the awakening of our essential nature.
Our essential nature is pure loving, loving everything in the face of sorrows,
regrets, distress, delusions, evil and even perils.
In the search of our true self, may we never cease in pursuing, committing,
and dedicating our lives to the realization that indeed, we are that sacred temple,
deep, deep down the abyss of our being where the Buddha is, where we are one with
the universe, where the Buddha and the universe is us!
This realization has been made possible by my encounter with you here in
Maryhurst. I would indeed like to tell you that I am very much grateful for having
met you at this stage in my life and for sharing our time and energy in this sesshin.
Hence, before I will end up writing this, I would like to extend my innermost
gratitude to every one tonight for having been a real light and inspiration to a 25
year old guy like me. I will not forget you for you have opened the doors and windows
of my heart to believe that it pays to live life to the fullest and that, there are still
living buddhas around to make this dying world, a better place to live in. Together,
let us keep on pursuing for the great light within. Forget about the painful legs
during sitting. Each time you feel the pain, just whisper these words as a mantra by
saying, “just take it easy legs, for without the pain in you, there will be no mu..” To
all of you, I say be faithful in the daily sitting and there will be light for the world!
Indeed, Zen has made my life more meaningful and beautiful. The
profound joy, lasting happiness and inner peace that it has brought in me is now
being shared to people that I get to encounter everyday and everywhere. For me, life
is more meaningful if only all would realize that there is this Buddha in us that
should live. Hence, we must persevere in sitting and be that very Buddha.
I am glad that I am into zen now. I have learned to become fully human,
fully alive!
22
ZENKAI SCHEDULE
of Sanbo-Kyodan Society in Japan
FOR SEPT., OCT., NOV. & DEC. 2006
San'un Zendo Zazenkai
Dir. by:
Ms. Ursula Okle and
Mr. Sato Migaku
Yamada Ryôun Roshi
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
(see above)
10 (Sun) *, 24 (Sun)
08 (Sun) ,* 22 (Sun)
12 (Sun) ,* 26 (Sun)
10 (Sun) ,* 24 (Sun)
Tôken Zazenkai
Dir. by:
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Sun: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Zazen, Teisho, Dokusan
*=Memorial Service for the late Yamada Kôun
Roshi (10:00 am～)
11 (Mon)
10 (Tue)
13 (Mon)
11 (Mon)
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Zazen, Dokusan, Teisho
At:
Center for Health Care and
Public Concern
Iidabashi 3-6-5
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8508
Fax: +81-(0)3-5210-6676
San'un Zendo Sesshin
Dir. by:
Kubota Ji'un Roshi
Yamada Ryôun Roshi
Nov.28 (Tue), 7:00 pm –
Dec.3 (Sun), 3:00 pm
Contact:
Contact:
Ms. Ursula Okle
Tonoike Zen'yû Roshi
Tel/Fax: +81-(0)467-22-4416
or Fax: +81-(0)467-23-5147
Email: uvokle@sky.plala.or.jp
Email: sanbo1a@nifty.com
or:
Yoyogi-Uehara Zazenkai
Mr. Sato Migaku
Dir. by:
Tel/Fax: +81-(0)42-573-5213
Email: sanbo3a@mbp.nifty.com
Kubota Ji'un Roshi
Sep. 09 (Sat)
Oct. 14 (Sat)
Nov. 11 (Sat)
Dec.0 9 (Sat)
Ryôun-an Zazenkai
(Only for people working on post-kensho kôans)
Yamada
Ryôun Roshi
Dir. by:
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Zazen, Teisho, Dokusan
At:
Chitose Building, 3F
Uehara 1-33-12
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0064
Sep. 0 9 (Sat), 23 (Sat)
Oct. 07 (Sat), 21 (Sat)
Nov. 11 (Sat), 25 (Sat)
Dec. 09 (Sat), 23 (Sat)
Contact:
Mr. Matsuura Yoshihisa
9:00 am - 12:00 am
Zazen, Dokusan
At:
Ryôun-an
Kitazawa 4-10-10
Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 155-0031
Tel: +81-(0)3-466-9225
Contact:
23
A Request ....
The editorial board of the Sanbô‐Kyôdan Society (Jp.: Sanbô-Kôryûkai)
would like to welcome input from its readers.
Please send us your contributions
in the form of short articles, sketches, photographs, and so on. We welcome also
your comments and suggestions concerning our magazine. The manuscrips thus
received may be delayed in publication or shortened on account of the limited
space.
Thank you for your understanding.
Important announcement...
In order to facilitate future activities, the Sanbô-Kyôdan Society has decided to
take the following measures concerning the form of our publication, Kyôshô, and
the way in which the yearly membership fees are collected.
We sincerely ask you
for your understanding and cooperation.
① From No. 322 (January/February 2007) the Kyôshô will be put on the
"Members' Forum" (German page: "Forum der Mitglieder") of our homepage
(http: //www.sanbo-zen.org), in both the Japanese and the English language
sections. Members can enter this Forum using their ID ("user name") and
their password (cf. below).
The Forum will be further enlarged through
constant addition of translation (English/German) of teishos and other
significant matters.
② The Japanese part of the Kyôshô will be printed and bound as usual, but, as a
general rule, they will be sent only to the members residing in Japan.
③ Generally, the Kyôshô will not be sent to those members residing outside of
Japan.
If, however, a member who has no access to the Internet informs the
secretariat of this, either the printed version of the English Kyôshô or the
booklet of the Japanese Kyôshô will be provided as requested.
④ To pay the yearly membership fees, use of a credit card will be introduced on
our Internet homepage (US $ 50.- ; cf. the "Membership fees/donations
Corner" of our homepage after September 2006).
New members who submit
the yearly membership fees using a credit card will automatically obtain the
ID ("user name") and the password by which they can enter the "Members'
Forum."
⑤ The present members can pay their membership fees with this system, too.
24
Furthermore, those members who have already paid their membership fees
up to 2006 and have their email addresses registered at the secretariat will be
informed of their ID and password upon completion of the renewal of the
homepage with the above-mentioned payment system.
This will enable them
to enter the "Members' Forum" mentioned above.
Those members who
acquire an email address and submit it to the secretariat will also be given
their ID and password upon request.
Furthermore, the donations will also be
accepted with this system.
⑥ When the fees are paid by the credit card, no formal receipt will be sent to the
members, except in the case that such a receipt is requested. The automatic
email confirming the payment will take the place of the usual receipt.
⑦ Even after the introduction of the credit card payment system, the
conventional postal transfer will be continued, although it is confined to
domestic use inside Japan.
For the payment from abroad, this credit card
system is strongly recommended; however, it will remain possible to transfer
money to the account of German Gemeinschaftsbank (40 Eur from the fiscal
year 2007 [April 2007-March 2008], for an indefinite period of time):
GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG
(Postfach
00829,
D-44708
Bochum;
Tel:+49-234-5797-0)
Bank Sorting Code (Bankleitzahl): 43060967
Giro account No. (Girokonto Nr.):
4011834500
Account holder (Name des Kontoinhabers):
Migaku Sato
In addition, in cases of some unavoidable circumstances, the remittance to
our Japanese CitiBank account would also remain possible (an amount of
money would also be US $ 50 /40 Eur).
CitiBank N.A. (SWIFT-Address: CITIJPJT)
Shinjuku Minamiguchi Branch
Ordinary account No.: 93981500
Account holder: Yukihiko Ogawa
We sincerely ask for your cooperation.
25
The KYôSHô (Awakening Gong), No. 320(1 September 2006)
Issued by:
The Religious Foundation Sanbô-Kyôdan
Hase 1-6-5, Kamakura-shi, 248-0016 Japan
Edited by:
The Sanbô-Kyôdan Society (Sanbô-Kôryûkai)
%Tokyo Kembikyôin
Kudan-minami 4-8-32, Tokyo 102-8288 Japan
Tel: 03-5210-6669
Fax: 03-5210-6676
Email: sanbo3a@grp.rikkyo.ne.j p
Editor in Chief: ASHIDA Osamu