Gate Seventeen
Read the following, place it in your heart and sleep on it. Then, tomorrow, live it until evening when you can leave a brief comment on what you may have received during the process.
Abandonment is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we turn away from the five desires.
By “Dharma Gate”, we mean a teaching or practice we can study to gain insights into the deepening our practice. It's a way to integrate our understanding of approaching reality.
The Koan:
Kodo Sawaki's Quote: "No matter how much you suffer in the transitory world, you cannot enrich your life. But when you embrace the transient world as the content of zazen, your practice of Buddhadharma and your life will be enriched."
Okumura's Interpretation: Sawaki Roshi's expression "embrace the transient world as the content of zazen" means seeing objectively and critically, free from our narrowly self-centered perspective. Usually we evaluate things only in terms of benefit to ourselves. If we practice percieving events as combinations of causes and conditions, then we're practicing seeing from Buddha's point of view.
-The Zen Teachings of Homeless Kodo 66 pg 188
Most note worthy replies :
Abandonment is a great word. It means so much more than simply letting go. But I must abandon the things that I should abandon, without abandoning those I mustn’t.
Drop all attachmentsAnd the selfMay just drop the self
gassho, Shokai
stlah
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Originally Posted by Shokai
