Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: The Ninety-eighth of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

  1. #1

    The Ninety-eighth of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

    98) The Ninety-eighth Gate; The practice of the balanced state of dhyāna

    The practice of the balanced state of dhyāna is a gate of Dharma illumination; for it fulfills the ten powers. (Nishijima/Cross)

    The Practice of meditation is a gate of realizing dharma; it fulfills the ten types of abilities. (Tanahashi)

    Gate Gatha:
    May we, together with all buddhas;
    Practice daily Shikantaza
    That we may fulfill the ten powers.

    Reflection Prompts:

    1. What are the Ten Powers*?

    2. How does the practice of Zazen fulfill them?

    3. Do you feel the use of the metaphor of a raindrop summarizes this Gate?

    Capping Verse:
    Within each raindrop
    The wisdom
    Of infinite seas

    * If the Tathāgata Buddha had not explained to Sāriputta about these 10 qualities of mind, as recorded later in the texts, we would not have been afforded this kind of insight into the supreme powers that the Tathāgata developed and exercised in his lifetime and generously shared for the welfare of many.

    gassho, Shokai
    stlah
    Last edited by Shokai; 03-29-2023 at 01:02 AM.
    合掌,生開
    gassho, Shokai

    仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

    "Open to life in a benevolent way"

    https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

  2. #2



    aprapti


    sat

    hobo kore dojo / 歩歩是道場 / step, step, there is my place of practice

    Aprāpti (अप्राप्ति) non-attainment

  3. #3
    Thank you Shokai

    I’d never heard of the 10 Powers before so I went off to look them up. According to https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/T/67 they are

    (1) the power of knowing what is true and what is not;
    (2) the power of knowing karmic causality at work in the lives of all beings throughout past, present, and future;
    (3) the power of knowing all stages of concentration, emancipation, and meditation;
    (4) the power of knowing the conditions of life of all people;
    (5) the power of judging all people’s levels of understanding;
    (6) the power of discerning the superiority or inferiority of all people’s capacity;
    (7) the power of knowing the effects of all people’s actions;
    (8) the power of remembering past lifetimes;
    (9) the power of knowing when each person will be born and will die, and in what realm that person will be reborn; and
    (10) the power of eradicating all illusions
    They don’t seem to come up here at Treeleaf. Do you know if there is a reason why?


    Tairin
    Sat today and lah
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

  4. #4
    Tairin; In my understanding, the ten powers are a by product of the abhidhamma philosophy and as such is not totally supported by Mahayana Buddhism. There was a point in history when it was pointedly rejected by Mahayana followers. However, more recently it has been partially accepted that there are some good merits to the Abhidharma. That may include the ten powers by virtue of their inclusion in Dogen's Shobogenzo. Nishijima saw fit mention of the ten Powers be included as an appendix whereas, Tanahashi published it as Chapter 96 in his translation. Similarly, study of the Lotus Sutra is downplayed by Soto Zen Folks while it is mentioned in on several occasions throughout Dogen's writings. In the absence of any serious research, the answer to your questions comes down to being your guess is as good as mine.
    In light of a cursory look at the information available at the links provided above, possibly we should be considering open discussion of these powers.

    gassho, Shokai
    stlah
    合掌,生開
    gassho, Shokai

    仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

    "Open to life in a benevolent way"

    https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

  5. #5
    Shokai

    Tairin
    Sat today and lah

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •