The Forty-first of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

41) The Forty-first Gate: enjoyment of the meaning of the Dharma.

Enjoyment of the meaning of the Dharma is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we seek the meaning of the Dharma.(Nishijima/Cross)

Enjoying the meaning of Dharma is a gate of realizing Dharma; it seeks the meaning of Dharma. (Tanahashi)

Gate Gatha:

May we, together with all buddhas;
Rejoice in the dharma,
That we may seek it's true meaning.

Reflection Prompts:

1. What is it that attacks you to the Dharma?

2. Does that cause you to seek further?

3. Can you improve on the Capping Verse?

Capping Verse:

True Dharma brings joy—
Just one taste
And we’re hooked for life

gassho, shokai
stlah

[Jishin]

The frog's voice echoes,
In the stillness of the night,
Spring's symphony.

Can you hear it?

Gassho, Jishin, ST, LAH

[Shokai]

I can... I can.... I can.....

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Jishin]

[Tai Do]

Thank you, Shokai, for bringing us the Forty-First Gate!

1. What is it that attacks you to the Dharma?

When I first encountered the Dharma, something inside me just knew it was the right path for me to walk. The Buddhist readings and the simplicity of zazen compared to the way I overcomplicate life, brought me to the Way naturally. The Capping Verse conveys perfectly the way I got hooked in the Buddha-dharma.

2. Does that cause you to seek further?

Yes. Enjoying the Dharma brings the impulse to continue to walk in the Way, even tough there is nowhere to go.

3. Can you improve on the Capping Verse?

Finding the Dharma once
You can never leave it
True gem of simple purity


Gassho,
Tai Do (Mateus)
Satlah

[aprapti]

aprapti


sat

[Tairin]

Thank you Shokai

1. What is it that attracts you to the Dharma?

Intuition mostly. When I encountered the Dharma it just fit and felt aligned with what I already intuitively knew

2. Does that cause you to seek further?

Yes and no. Yes because I don’t want to complacently just accept the words of others. I want to be able to draw from my own experience. No because it feel like home.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Tokan]

Hey all

1. What is it that attacks you to the Dharma? - Well, to my young adult mind it just made sense - dukkha exists, we tend to make that natural tendency worse for ourselves by how we think and behave, that we can cultivate a path that causes this to cease, and the path is the eightfold path. I was not required to believe in a single thing, just to test this against my own experience.

2. Does that cause you to seek further? - In my case absolutely, though I craved knowledge and insight in my younger years, now I let it come (if I am so lucky )

3. Can you improve on the Capping Verse?

The ocean is warm
What am I waiting for?
Dive in!


Gassho, Tokan

satlah

[Shokai]

The ocean is warm
What am I waiting for?
Dive in!

Of course, why didn't i think of that?

gassho, Shokai
stlah