January 3rd/4th, 2014 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! WELCOMING THE NEW YEAR!

[Jundo]

READINGS FOR TODAY'S LITTLE TALK ...

==========================

Shobogenzo Zuimonki

Book 5

5-20

Dogen instructed,

An ancient master said, “At the top of a hundred foot pole, advance one step further.”

This means you should have the attitude of someone who, at the top of a hundred foot pole, lets go of both hands and feet; in other words, you must cast aside body and mind.

There are various stages involved here. Nowadays, some people seem to have abandoned the world and left their homes. Nevertheless, when examining their actions, they still haven’t truly left home, or renounced the world.

As a monk who has left home, first you must depart from your ego as well as from [desire for] fame and profit. Unless you become free from these things, despite practicing the Way urgently as though extinguishing a fire enveloping your head, or devoting yourself to practice as diligently as the Buddha who stood on tiptoe 1 (for seven days), it will amount to nothing but meaningless trouble, having nothing to do with emancipation.

Even in the great Song China, there are people who have departed from attachment [to their family] which is hard to let go of, abandoned worldly wealth which is difficult to give up, joined communities of practitioners, and visited various monasteries. Some of them, however, have been spending their lives in vain because they practice without understanding this key point. They neither realize the Way nor clarify the Mind.

Although in the beginning they arouse bodhi-mind, become monks and follow the teachings, instead of aspiring to become buddhas or patriarchs, they only concern themselves with making it known to their patrons, supporters, and relatives about how respectable they are or how high the status of their temple is. They try to get people to revere them and make offerings to them. Furthermore, they claim that other monks are all vicious and immoral; that only they are men of bodhi-mind and good monks. They try to persuade people to believe their words. People like this are not even worth criticizing; they are like the five evil monks (at the time of the Buddha) who lacked goodness 2. Without exception, monks with such a frame of mind will fall into hell. Lay people who don’t know what they really are, think that they are respectable men of bodhi-mind.

There are some who are a little better than these people. Having abandoned their parents, wives, and children, and no longer coveting offerings from patrons, they join the communities of practitioners to practice the Way. However, though they feel ashamed of being idle, since they are by nature lazy, they pretend to be practicing when the abbot or the shuso is watching. However, when no one is around, they waste their time, neglecting to do what they should be doing. They are better than lay people as irresponsible as themselves, but still cannot cast away their ego, or (their desire for) fame and profit.

There are also those who are not concerned with what their teacher thinks or whether the shuso or other fellow practitioners are watching or not. They always bear in mind that practicing the Buddha-Way is not for the sake of others but only for themselves; such people desire to become buddhas or patriarchs with both body and mind. So they truly practice diligently. They really seem to be people of the Way compared with the people mentioned above. However, since they still practice trying to improve themselves, they have not become free from their ego. They want to be admired by buddhas and bodhisattvas, and desire to attain buddhahood, and complete awareness. This is because they still cannot throw away their selfish desire for fame and profit.

Up to this point, none of these people have yet advanced beyond the hundred foot pole; they remain clinging to it.

Just cast body and mind into the buddha-dharma, and practice without desire either to realize the Way or to attain the dharma. Then you can be called an undefiled practitioner. This is what is meant by not staying where buddha exists; and running quickly from where no-buddha exists 3.

FOOTNOTES

1- This refers to a story in the life of Shakyamuni Buddha in a previous lifetime. When he was a bodhisattva, upon seeing an ancient Buddha in samadhi, he recited verses of praise standing on his tiptoes for seven days. From this story, ‘standing on one’s tiptoes’ has come to mean being very diligent in practice.

2- According to a Buddhist legend, there were five evil monks who were so lazy that they did not practice or chant sutras, etc. Since no one supported them, they pretended to practice zazen to gain offerings from lay people.

3- A monk went to bid farewell to Joshu .
The master asked, “Where are you going?”
The monk replied, “I’m going to visit various places to learn the buddha-dharma.”
Joshu took up the whisk and said, “Do not stay where buddha exists; run quickly from where no-buddha exists.”

The place ”no-buddha exists” means being free even from attachment to the buddha. In the Fukanzazengi, Dogen said, “Do not seek to become buddha.”

==========================

From Master Dogen's Guidelines for Studying the Way (GAKU DO YO JIN SHU)

Try to reflect on the mind concerned only with your own gain. Does this one thought blend with the nature and attributes of the three thousand realms? Does this one thought realize the dharma gate of being unborn? There is only the deluded thought of greed for name and love of gain. There is nothing which could be taken as the thought of enlightenment.

From ancient times sages have attained the way and realized dharma. Although as an expedient teaching they lived ordinary lives, still they had no distorted thought of fame or profit. Not even attached to dharma, how could they have worldly attachment?

==========================

From Shobogenzo Gyoji (Pure Conduct and Observance) (Nishijima & Cross)

In practicing and observing now ... just throw away fame and gain forever and do not get caught in convoluted circumstances. Do not pass time in vain. [Act as if to] put out a fire burning on your head. Do not expect the great realization. The great realization is everyday tea and meals. Do not aspire to nonrealization. Nonrealization is the pearl in the topknot. Simply, those who have homes and homelands should get free from their homes and homelands; those who have loved ones should get free from their loved ones; those who have fame should get away from their fame; those who have gain should get away from their gain; those who have fields and gardens should get away from their fields and gardens; and those who have family should get free from their family. They should also get free from the intention not to have fame, gain, and so on. Given that we get free from having, the principle is evident that we should also get free from not having. This is itself a kind of conduct and observance. To make the throwing away of fame and gain into the one matter to be practiced and observed as long as one lives is the conduct and observance that has the depth and eternity of the Buddha’s lifetime.

...

Even among human beings and gods, abandonment of fame and gain is considered unusual. But no Buddhist patriarch has ever failed to abandon them. Some have said that greed for fame and love of profit can work to the benefit of living beings, but their argument is grossly mistaken: they are non-Buddhists attaching themselves to the Buddha-Dharma; they are a band of demons who malign the right Dharma. If what they say is true, does it mean that the Buddhist patriarchs, having no greed for fame and profit, are of no benefit to living beings? That is laughable, laughable. There are [people other than Buddhist
patriarchs], also, who benefit the living without greed—is it not so?

[Juki]

Invited/uninvited. In the hangout/watching the stream. One and the same. I will be there in real time/in this moment.

Gassho
William

[Kyonin]

I'll be there, live!

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Mp]

I too will be there live. =)

Gassho
Shingen

[Dosho]

I should be here.

Gassho,
Dosho

[Koshin]

will be there live....maybe a liiittle late

Gassho

[Yugen]

I will be there!
Gassho
Yugen

[Shinzan]

Ready.
Shinzan

[Daijo]

I should be able to sit the first two hours live. I believe.

[Juki]

I should be able to sit the first two hours live. I believe.

92.5% sure?

Gassho,
william

[Taikyo]

I have been ill for the last two days so may not be able to sit in the early morning as I usually do. But will sit when able. My best to all who will sit.
Gassho
Taikyo

[TimF]

I will not be able to make the live cast, but I will definitely sit-along on my day off

Gassho,
Tim

[Yugen]

Im at a friend's house warming up and using Internet to post here as the blizzard in the northeast has knocked out our power and Internet. As it stands I won't be able to attend Zazenkai live - Dosho and Kyonin would you be willing to fill in as Doan if I don't make it?

We are at -5 F and warming up by a wood stove. I will be sitting with you regardless, but may not be on G+

Deep bows
Yugen

[Dosho]

Yugen,

Keep warm! Same temps and blizzard here, but fortunately did not lose power.

I seem to be having an acid reflux issue at the moment, but I gave the heart sutra a try anyway. I didn't even make it past the first two lines.

So, hopefully Kyonin can step in if needed. He's a pretty reliable chap that way.

But I shall be here sitting with you all even if I can't talk.

Gassho,
Dosho

Im at a friend's house warming up and using Internet to post here as the blizzard in the northeast has knocked out our power and Internet. As it stands I won't be able to attend Zazenkai live - Dosho and Kyonin would you be willing to fill in as Doan if I don't make it?

We are at -5 F and warming up by a wood stove. I will be sitting with you regardless, but may not be on G+

Deep bows
Yugen

[Kyonin]

Hi brothers!

I'm glad I got to read the forums prior to Zazenkai.

I will gladly step in as Doan.

Dosho, take care. Acid reflux is evil.

Yugen, please be safe and keep warm. No snow for me here.

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Myozan Kodo]

Hi all,
Trying to sit live but can see no sign of Hangout in my stream. It starts at 10PM GMT, right?
Gassho
M

PS: Be safe and well, Yugen and Dosho.

[Mp]

Stay safe and warm Yugen and Dosho ... I hope you are feeling better. =)

Gassho
Shingen

[Dosho]

Starts at the top of the next hour....6pm here. It says 10pm London, but it would be 11pm London I believe.

Hi all,
Trying to sit live but can see no sign of Hangout in my stream. It starts at 10PM GMT, right?
Gassho
M

PS: Be safe and well, Yugen and Dosho.

[Myosha]

Hello,

Participating. Thank you.


Gassho,
Edward

[Dosho]

Jundo,

I think if you do the Zazenkai as an event with it broadcast "on air", people can't join as participants...only as viewers. I don't know why it is like this, but it is why I never recommended you do zazenkais as events.

[EDIT: Never-mind...seems to work just fine.]

Gassho,
Dosho