Dogen Sangha Blog 1

Gudo Roshi

Dogen Sangha Blog 1

Gudo Roshi

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Contents
Opening Dogen Sangha Blog Buddhism is Realism What is the Enlightenment Denial of Idealism and Materialism Estimation of Idealism and Materialism Estimation of Idealism and Materialism (2) Philosophy of act (1) Existentialisme Philosophy of Act (2) Philosophy of Life Philosophy of Act (3) Phenomenology Philosophy of Act (4) Pragmatism Buddhism and Realism (Note) Mr. Mike Cross's opinion Gautama Buddha's personality (1) Mr. Mike Cross's Criticism Gautama Buddha's personality (2) Gautama Buddha's personality (3) The Will to the Truth 1 2 3 5 6 8 10 12 13 14 15 17 18 20 21 22

Gautama Buddha's personality (4) Leaving the family life Pursuing the Truth (1) The Two Thinkers Persuing the Truth (2) Asceticism Pursuing the Truth (3) What is the Enlightenment Pursuing the Truth (4) The Real Contents of the Enlightenment Pursuing the Truth (5) The kind of Enlightenment The Four Philosophies (1) Philosophies of Pain, Accumulation, Self-Regulation, and Morals The Four Philosophies (2) The First Paragraph of "Genjo Koan" The Four Philosophies (3) The Four Philosophies as facts The Four Philosophies (4) The intellectual philosophies and the Four Philosophies The Rule of Cause and Effect (1) Profound Belief in Cause and Effect The Rule of Cause and Effect (2) Concrete examples of Bad Causes

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The Rule of Cause and Effect (3) Karma in Three Times Philosophy of act (1) Dimentional difference between theory and act The Rule of Cause and Effect (4) Great Practice Philosophy of act (2) The time is now, the place is here Philosophy of act (3) Instantaneousness of the Universe Philosophy of act (4) Zazen Reality (1) Reason, which pervades through the Universe Reality (2) The External World Reality (3) Act at the present moment and the Universe Reality (4) God and the Universe Zazen(1)Zazen and Yoga Zazen (2) Scientific Clarification of Zazen Zazen (3) The Real Entity of Zazen Zazen (4) Daily Life and Zazen

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Fukan-Zazen-Gi (1) Commentary Fukan-Zazen-Gi (2) The original text of Rufu-Bon Fukan-Zazen-Gi (3) Interpretations Fukan-Zazen-Gi (4) Real Situation of Zazen Dogen Sangha (1) The Sprout Dogen Sangha (2) Before the Sprout Dogen Sangha (3) The Special Training By Father Dogen Sangha (4) The Two Reverend Masters Dogen Sangha (5) Transfiguration of Dogen Sangha Dogen Sangha (6) In the case of Dogen Sangha Nishijima Dogen Sangha (7) The Truth is just one Gakudo-yojin-shu (1) Outline Gakudo-yojin-shu (2) No. 1. Establishment of the Will to the Truth Gakudo-yojin-shu (3) No. 2 To study the True Dharma without fail when we meet the chance to study it.

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Gakudo-yojin-shu (4) No. 3. It absolutely necessary for Buddhism to be experienced and entered by action. Gakudo-yojin-shu (5) No. 4. We should never practice Buddhism having a mind of getting something Gakudo-yojin-shu (6) No. 5 It is very important for us to select the true Master.

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Opening Dogen Sangha Blog

November 29, 2005 My name is Gudo Wafu Nishijima, a Buddist Monk, who is 86 years old, and recently because of my old age, I finished my Buddhist lectures, which were held at many places for many years, and so I decided to open Dogen Sangha Blog, to express the Buddhist thought. It might be very short sentences, but I would like to continue it as far as possible almot every day. Gudo Wafu Nishijima

Buddhism is Realism
November 30, 2005 Up to this time, Buddhism has been understood as a kind of idealism, and sometimes it has been understood a kind of nihilism. But reading a Japanese Buddhist monk Master Dogen , or an Indian Buddhist monk Master Nagarjuna's works, they clearly indicate that Buddhism is just realism. Therfore if we do not understand Buddhism on the basis of realism, Buddhism can never be understood for ever.

What is the Enlightenment

December 01, 2005 When we think about what is the Enlightenment, it is our real experience that we are, not in the world of mind, or in the world of matter, but we are just living in the real world actually, not only intellectually, or perceptively. I guess that many people complain that such a simple fact can be recognized by everyone easily. But actually I think that there may be many people, who think that they are living in the world of mind, and at the same time there are many people, who think that they are living in the world of matter. And when we think the reason why such a strange fact occurs, the reason can not be known before the 20th century, and it was known in the 20th century, when the scientific knowledge of psychology and physiology have developed so much. However fortunately in 20th century human civilization has developed so much, and so it has become clear that in human body and mind, there is a nervous system, which is called the autonomic nervous system. And the autonomic nervous system is devided into two parts, that is, the sympathetic nervous system, and the parasympathtic nervous system. And the sympathetic nervous system is much related with human ability to think, and the parasympathetic nervous system is much related with human ability to perceive. Therefore a man, who has rather strong sympathetic nervous system, is prone to have an idealistic personality, and so he usually has consciousness, that he is living in the world of mind, and a person, who has rather a stronger parasympathetic nervous system, is prone to have an materialistic personality, and so he

usually has consciousness, that he is living in the world of matter. And this facts suggest that whether we have a little stronger sympathetic nervous system, or a little stronger parasympathetic nervous system, decides whether we are idealist or materialist.

Denial of Idealism and Materialism

December 02, 2005 (note) In this blog I do not use the Sanscrit words in Palasan Roman, because I am afraid that such kinds of words will change into strange characters in another soft. When we think that Buddhism is a religion, which believe in the real existence of this world, we have to think that it is necessary for us to deny both Idealism and Materialism. Because Realism is also an independent philosophy from Idealism and Materialism, we can never expect the coexistence of Realism and Idealism, or the coexistence of Realism and Materialism. Therefore in Buddhism, for example, Master Bokuzan Nishi-ari (1821-1910), a former Abbot of Soji-ji Temple, said in his book, entitled "Shobogenzo Keiteki, or Opening the truth of Shobogenzo," that "Materialism (Danken-Gedo) and Idealism (Joken-Gedo) are enemies against Buddhism." And Master Nishi-ari studied Buddhism before the Meiji Restoration (1867), and so we can think that before the Meiji Restoration Japanese Buddhism had very clear recognition that Buddhism can never be identified with Idealism, or Materialism. By the way some Materialists identify Realism with Materialism, but this interpretation is completely wrong in Buddhist interpretation. Because Materialism does not include spiritual value or meaning, but Realism accept the existence of spiritual value, or value of meaning, and so it is very important for us to distinguish Realism from Materialism. In Chinese and Japanese Buddhism we use two words Danken-Gedo and Joken-Gedo , and Danken-Gedo means Materialism, and Joken-Gedo means Idealism.

Estimation of Idealism and Materialism

December 03, 2005 Eaven though Buddhism criticises Idealism and Maereialism, we should never esteem the value of Idealism and Materialism light. Because both Idealism and Materialism have promoted human civilizations so enormously in many important points for thousands of years, and so we can never think the historical value of Idealism and materialism light at all. In the case of Idealism, the history of Idealism might trace back to the origine of human beings, but even in the history it traces back to the Ancient Greece. A Greek philosopher, called Platon (427-347B.C.), insisted that all things and phenomena in this world are functions of reason, and the external world, which we can perceive, are all images of reason. And to proove such facts, he utilized the universal existences of mathemaic principles through the world. He insists that all things and phenomena are reasonable, therefore we can understand every thing on the basis of reasonable theory. And I think that the reverence of reason in European countries was so important for development of the Western Civilization. The Idealism met with Christianity when Christianity entered into Roman Empire, and it is said that the famous Christian Father, called Augustinus, relied upon Platonic philosofical system, and also a very famous Theologian, called Thomas Aquinas in the medieval times, is based on Aristoteles's philosophical system, who was a student of Platon. Furthermore in the modern age, Decartes, Spinoza, Leipniz, and so forth, had also tendency of Idealistic thoughts to, and later in

Germany, there was a powerful lineage of Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, and so forth, which was called the German Idealism, and they insisted their idealistic thoughta so clearly. Among them, for example, Hegel insisted that all thinges and phenomena of the world are manifestation of the World Spirit.

Estimation of Idealism and Materialism (2)

December 04, 2005 About the 12 ~13 Century, however, a big change has begun. That is Renaissance. Before that time the Catholic Charch proclaimed on the movement of heavenly bodies that the Earth was fixed, and the Sun was moving over it. But a few astronomers, including Copernicus, recorded the time and the place, when and where the Sun arised and went down in the West, and they researched the real movement of the Sun. But surprisingly if they assumed that the Earth was without motion, and the Sun was moving, the data, which they had collected, could never be identified with their records, and if they supposed that the Earth was going around the Sun, and the Sun was stable, it was possible for them to identify the motion of the Earth and the Sun with their data. Therefore the astronomers began to insist that the Earth was not motionless, but it was always going around the Sun. But their insistences were completely opposite to the insistences by the Catholic Charch. Therefore the Charch requested to stop for them to insist such a different theory. The Catholic Charch caught those astronomers, and some of them were killed by stake. But the Facts were the Facts. Because of those facts, people have begun to change their thinking method gradually. They began to doubt miscellaneous secular insistences, which were believed by people without any reason, and they wanted to know all things and phenomena on the basis of their own perception, and the Age of schientific research has begun. After that, the scientific researches have been developed so much, and many kinds of industries were established, and the Capitalistic

Societies have begun. In such situations many kinds of important historical facts occured, for example, the Reformation, the Independence of USA, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the World War 1. People have begun to believe in the power of economical value, martial power, big industries, big properties, and Idealistic philosopies has been invaded so much by the Materialistic philosophy, but at he same time it might be almost imposible for human beings to arrive at so gorgious economically rich societies. Therefore I think that the Materialistic philosophy was also so valuable for human histories.

Philosophy of act (1) Existentialisme

December 07, 2005 I guess that many people might feel strange reading words "philosophy of act." Because it is very rare for us to find such words usually in any book, or any article, and so forth, and when we think about the reason, it is very clear that the words were produced by myself. In my study of Buddhism for more than 60 years I noticed the existence of special philosophy in it. In Buddhism, act is not only an idealistic concept, or a materialistic sense perception, but it is a very realistic fact just at the present moment, and the real act at the present moment is the fundamental basis of Buddhist philosophy. But such a concept of "real act," can be found not only in Buddhism, but in Western philosophies I think that it can be seen. For example I think that a Danish philosopher called Kierkegaard has such an idea. He was a very sincere Christian, but looking at so strong tendency of Materialistic Political idea, he was afraid that whether it was possible for Christianity to be maintaid, or not. Therefore he made his enormous efforts to establish his own new philosophy, which can be useful for him to guard Christianity. And he established a philosophy, which was based on human existence at the present moment. In such situations his philosophy does not belong to Idealistic philosophy, or materialistic philosophy. And a german philosopher Nietsche followed Kierkegaard's tendency. Nietsche had much interest in the Ancient Greek Civilization, and he yearned the bright and human Greek Civilization so much. Therefore he revered the human freedom and human efforts so much, and wanted to transcend both the dualistic

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Idealism, and the dualistic Materialism by real act. In such situations I think that Nietsche was also a philosopher, who want to transcend Idealism and Materialism utilizing the philosophy, which is based on act. And German Philosophers called Jaspers and Heidegger progressed such kinds of philosophy, which is based on human existence at the present moment, to explain human beings much more real on the basis of act. And Heidegger wrote his book entetled with "Sein und Zeit" or "Existence and Time", but the contents are very similar to the real time at the presnt moment.

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Philosophy of Act (2) Philosophy of Life

December 09, 2005 A German philosopher Dilthey criticized that Idealism has become onesided to the intellectual consideration, and it lacks substance, which is much related with life. And he insists that it is necessary for philosophies to pursue the real facts, which are related with life itself, and he made his efforts to overcome the philosophies, which were devided into Idealism and Materialism. He utilizes a method of intuition to grasp the vigorous substantial facts in our daily life, and I think that such a realistic efforts also belong to the new streame of philosophy, which wants to grasp the real facts in human life with the intuitive method directly. People usually think that Nietsche, Bergson, Dilthey, Simmel, belong to this lineage too.

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Philosophy of Act (3) Phenomenology

December 11, 2005 A German philosopher called Edmund Husserl also noticed that Idealistic philosophy and Materialistic philosophy belong to intellectual consideration, and he also wanted to have much more realistic philosophy, and so he had much interest in the real phenomena, which is the point of contact between the subjective person and the objectine circumstances. And in such meaning, Husserl was very diligent to reserch miscellaneous phenomena, and I think that such an attitude for him to combine the subject person and the objective circumstances by utilizing real entity called phenomena, is also one example of the realistic philosophy of act.

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Philosophy of Act (4) Pragmatism

December 13, 2005 On the other hand a philosophy, which is called Pragmatism, was established in the United State. For example, one of the leader of Pragmatism, Dewey criticized that generally philosophies concentrate their efforts to discuss abstract philosophical problems leaving from our daily life, and so he made his efforts to study miscellaneous things and phenomena on the basis of our common daily life. And he also realized that the most important matter in our dayly life is just our act, which is done at the present momwent, and whether it is the most suitable for our act at the present moment to meet with the circomsances. And I think that the Pragmatism in the United State is also a kind of philosophy of act in the 20th Century.

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Buddhism and Realism

December 15, 2005 As I described before, I interpret that the human civilization has entered into the age of realism since the middle of the 19th Cetury, I think that actually in the Ancient India in the 4th Century B.C. a thorough going Realistic philosophical system has been established by a excellent genius, and the excellent genius indicates Gautama Buddha. At that time there was no characters for discribing thoughts in India, and so many monks memorized Gautama Buddha's lectures, and later those memories were recorded into Buddhist Sutras, and the Buddhist thoughts have been maintained to the later age. Relying upon such a method Gautama Buddha's Buddhist thoughts have been maintained to the later age, during such a historical tradition in a long age, there have been so many differences in interpretations of Buddhist theories, Therefore the Buddhist thoughts have been divided into so many complicated different philosophy, that, actually speaking, buddhist philosophy has become so complicated and so confused philosophy. I think, however, during about 2 thousand and 5 hundred years, there were 2 exellent Buddhist thinkers at least, who were, the one is an Indian Buddhist Monk Master Nagarjuna and the other is a Japanese Monk Master Dogen. I have been Much atracted by Master Dogen's Buddhist thoughts since my age of 17 years old and have been continued the studies, lectures, practice of Zazen for more than 60 years, but at that time I have notised that a Japanese Buddhist Monk called Master Dogen have understood that Gautama Buddha's teachings were just Realism. Therefor it was not clear that whether Gautama Buddha himself had a realistic interpretations of

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Buddhism, or not. However, about 23years ago, I have met a chance to read Mulmadhyamaka-karikah (from here MMK) in Sanskrit. And at that time it was very difficult for me to read MMK, and so for the first time even though I read it tens of times or hundreds of times, it was impossible for me to understand it. Without giving up to make my efforts, I gradually understood the meaning, and I noticed that the main reason, why I could not understand it, comes from that even though MMK was written on the basis of Realism, but I did not know such an important principle at all. Therefore I clearly noticed that it is very important for us, when we want to understand Buddhism, to realize that Buddhism is just a philosophy, which is based on Realism completely.

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(Note) Mr. Mike Cross's opinion

December 17, 2005 After having begun my blog, my student called Mike Cross expressed his opinion, which is completely different from Gautama Buddha's teachings. The reason, why I do not answer his opinion recently at all, comes from that even though I expressed my Buddhist opinions to him for more than 10 years at least, his opinion was always an one-sided idea, which is based on the theory of Alexander Techinic, and so I have stopped almost all discussions with him. The reason, why I have begun to send my blog to all people on the earth, comes from that I want to explain the fundamental Buddhist principles to poeple, who are diligent to study true Buddhism whole-heartedly. I think that my blog will continue for a year at least, and after finished my blog, many people will understand why I refused Mr. Mike Cross's opinion from the view point of Buddhism.

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Gautama Buddha's personality (1)

December 17, 2005 Buddhism, that is Gautama Buddha's teachings, were established by Gautama Buddha in Ancient India about from 5th Century to 4th Century B.C. He was the first son of Suddhodana, who was the king of a district called Kapilavastu, and so Gautama Buddha was at a position to succeed his Father's position as the king. Just after Gautama Buddha's birth, his father showed his first son to a physiognomist, and then the physiognomist said that "If your son maintain his life in a secular societies, he will become a great king, who will govern the whole world of India, but if he become a monk, he will become a very great thinker, who will save all people in the world. Therefore the king, who was the father of Gautama Buddha, wanted for his son to become the king of the whole India than becoming the great thinker, who will save all people in the world. Therefore the King gave three residences, which were very comfortable for Gautama Buddha to stay there for the four seasons, and he made his efforts for his son to maintain himself in his secular life without becoming the great thinker, who could have an ability to save the whole people in the world. However Gautama Buddha was a very clever boy, and at the same time he was a very sensitive one since his childhood. One day he was watching a farmer, who was cultivating the fields in the castle. At that time the farmer cut an earthworm in the ground. Just at the moment, a bird, which was flying in the sky, suddenly came down to the field, and picked up a piece of the earthworm to come back to the sky. And looking at the scene, Gautama Buddha was very shocked, and he noticed that all living

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beings have to kill other living beings for maintain their own lives without any exception.

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Mr. Mike Cross's Criticism

December 18, 2005 (Note) Dear Mr. Mike Cross. Even though you told me that you like to erase your criticism against me from my blog, I would like clearly request you should not to erase them for ever. Because the facts that you criticized against me are very important historical facts, and so the criticism is very important data for me to critisize your so-called Buddhism. So I think that you are responsible to maintain your criticism against me for ever. In such a meaning I would like to request you to maintain your criticism against me as a historical data for ever. And if you have erased them already, I think that you should recover them totally as your responsibility.

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Gautama Buddha's personality (2)

December 19, 2005 The King, who was the father of Gautama Buddha, was afraid so much that Gautama Buddha would begin to have so much interest in the religious problems and want to become a monk, and so the father gave very beautiful and comfortable residences to Gautama Buddha, and he supplied so many beautiful ladies to serve Gautama Buddha. Of course Gautama Buddha was a very healthy stout young man, and so we can guess that he might enjoy his joyful life in the comfortable residences. And on the other way Gautama Buddha was skillful and strong in many kinds of sports and marcial arts, and so he always wan in many competitions of such a sports or marcial arts. And it is said that the reason, why he could get his beautiful lady Yasodara as the wife, was also caused from his brilliant win in some competition. Furthermore he got a son after getting married, and so it might be impossible for him to be unhappy at that time. But actually speaking, as he seemed to be much happier, he became much more unhappy, because his strong intention to pursue the Truth became so stronger enormously.

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Gautama Buddha's personality (3) The Will to the Truth

December 21, 2005 Because of his father's care, Gatama Buddha seemed to be happy, but actually his situations were not so stable. Since his young age he was so seriously eager to know whether there existed really the Truth, or not in the world, and he thought that if the truth really existed in the world, he wanted to grasp the Truth by himself exsactly. Therefore even though he got married and had got a son, he was always suffered from the worry whether he should become a monk, or not. Gautama Buddha was not free to go to the town because of the father's order, but one day he tried to get out of the castle. First he tried to get out from the east gate, but he met a person, who was a so seriously aged man. Therefore he wanted to get out through the south gate, but he met a person, who was seriously ill, and so he wanted to get out through the west gate, but he met a procession of a funeral ceremony. Therefore he wanted to get out the castle through the north gate, and then he could look at a monk, who was walking serenely and quietly, and looking at the monk Gautama Buddha was attracted so much harder to a monk's life.

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Gautama Buddha's personality (4) Leaving the family life

December 23, 2005 After worrying a long time, Gautama Buddha decided to leave his family life to become a religious monk. The leaving of family life suggests that a man or a woman becomes a monk, or a nun, for pursuing a religious truth. I suppose that Gautama Buddha had worried so much whether it is too immoral for him to leave his family without supporting them. But it was impossible for him to stop pursuing the Truth, which was his own dream for so long: to save human beings in the world through finding and sharing the real Truth of the world. Then, when he was 29 years old, one night he ordered his servant, called Channa, to bring a white horse to a garden in the castle, and Gautama Buddha left the castle secretly without anything said to his family. The servant Channa followed Gautama Bhuddha to a forest called Anupiya, but Gautama Buddha ordered Channa to go back to Gautama Buddha's parents, taking with him Gautama Buddha's gorgeous clothes as an article left by the departed. And Gautama Buddha went ahead for his research of the Truth.

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Pursuing the Truth (1) The Two Thinkers

December 25, 2005 At the beginning of pursuing the Truth, the thinker, whom Gautama Buddha visited first, was Alara Kalama, who was living near Vaisali City with his 300 students. He might not be a Brahmanist, but he was a new thinker, who insisted to arrive at "the state of having nothing." We, human beings, usually have desire to have something, but in the case of Alara Kalama, he insisted the value of neglecting to get something. Generally speaking, human beings, have very strong desire to have something, and such a tendency is sometimes very dangerous to make human beings blind, and in such a meaning Alara Kalama might recommended us to be not greedy. But Gautama Buddha might find that the attitude of Alara Kalama was very intellectual, and not so practical. Therefore Gautama Buddha wanted to leave Alara Kalama, and visited another thinker. The other thinker, whom Gautama Buddha visited next, was Udraka Ramaptra. It is said that the place, where Udraka Ramaptra was not far from the place, where Alara Kalama lived, but the place is not clear even today, because several places are supposed. The name of Udraka Ramaptra means the child of Rama, Udraka, and it is said that he was living with 700 studenfs together. His insistence was called "the state of non-thought/not non-thought," and so it might mean "the state of transcending thoughts and transcending sense perception." But we can guess that even though those two thinkers might have a kind of realistic philosophies, their attitudes are maintained in the area of the abstract consideration, that it was difficult for Gautama Buddha to accept their philosophical view as a

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kind of realism. (Note) My descriptions in "Gautama Buddha's Personality" and "Pursuing the Truth" were mainly written relying upon "Gautama Buddha" Book 11, in The Select Works by Hajime Nakamura, by Shunjusha)

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Persuing the Truth (2) Asceticism

December 27, 2005 Even though Gautama Buddha was taught "the state of having nothing", which suggested indifference to property, by Alara Kalama, and "the state of trascending non thought/not non-thoughts," by Udraka Ramaptra, those two thinkers' attitudes were rather intellectual, but not so practical. However, because Gautama Buddha had his very practical attitude, he couldn't be satisfied by those two thinkers's opinions, which did not have such a practical earnestness. Therefore Gautama Buddha turned his direction 180 degrees opposite. Now he wanted to try an Ascetic life, which was also popular in Ancient India, that was Asceticism. Gautama Buddha wanted to clarify the problem of life by making his physical conditions painful as much as possible. In the case of Ascetism his attitude and practice were also so sincere that he decreased food and sleep so much that he sometimes fainted. A rumour that "Gautam died !" ran through the woods several times. But Gautama Buddha found the simple fact that as much, and as hard, as he maintained his painful physical body, his mind also withered enormously with his body, and so his mind also became more unstable. In other words, as long as he continued his Ascetic life, his life has became much more unstable day by day. It was a very important experience for him to have, because being very practical, he got a chance to know that Ascetic life can never be useful as an authentic mode of human life at all. If he didn't have such an important experience, there is the possibility that Buddhism could never have been able to deny the value of ascetic life at all.

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Pursuing the Truth (3) What is the Enlightenment

December 29, 2005 Gautama Buddha, who experienced that Ascetisism was not only useless to attain Enlightenment, it was just an obstruction to the attainment of Enlightenment. Thus, he left the forest of the ascetic life decisively. The practitioners of asceticism were certain that Gautama Buddha left the forest of Asceticism because of some lack of endurance on his part, and so they laughed at Gautama Buddha, and reproached him. However, it could be supposed that in the contents of his brain there might be only Gautama Buddha's very pure intention to pursue the Truth, and there might not be anything other than his pure intention of pursuing the Truth. Therefore Gautama Buddha had left the forest of Asceticism without recognizing anything in the criticism of the practitioners of Asceticism at all. When Gautama Buddha was walking along the river called the Nairanjana, a girl named Sujata, looking at Gautama Buddha's so withered and humble conditions, presented her dried gruel to Gautama Buddha. Eating the dried gruel, Gautama Buddha became a little vigorus, and recovered a small part of his human characteristics. Then he began to pursue the Truth relying upon another way, one that is a bit similar to Yoga practice. Because the practice, which was done by Gautama Buddha, was a posture, which was esteemed as the best in Yoga practices. Gautama Buddha had begun to practice the practice of sitting, which is the same as the practice of Zazen today. After continuing such a kind of practice for several years, Gautama Buddha was practicing Zazen one Winter morning, when he noticed that he did not live in the area of mental consideration, or in the area

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of sensual perception, but he recognized that he was just living in the area of Reality. As a description of a Sustra, it is described that "Mountains, rivers, grass, and trees, have totally become the Truth," and it was also described in the Shobogenzo that "Mountains, rivers, and the earth have become the Truth." Therefore we can understand that at that time Gautama Buddha experienced that this world is just Reality, and this world is just the Truth. What we produced in our brain can never become the truth, and what we perceived through our sense perception can never be the truth or Reality. What we do just at the present moment is just the Truth, and it is just Reality. That suggests that the very gorgeous and so excellent Idealism and Materialism can never be the Truth. They are just a kind of delusion, or illusion, and our act, which has been done at the present moment, is just the Reality, just the Truth. And furthermore, what we do at the present moment is just the real existence of the Universe, and so the oneness of our human act, and the real Universe are just Reality itself. That is just the simple fact at the present moment, and it is just Enlightenment.

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Pursuing the Truth (4) The Real Contents of the Enlightenment

December 31, 2005 Enlightenment is to really experience that we are just living in the Real World, which is different from the area of mental consideration, and the area of sense perception. Therefore it is a simple fact that we are just living in the Real Fact at the present moment. About 2 thousand and several hundred years ago, Gautama Buddha found such a simple fact, and he taught such a simple fact to many people who liked to study the Truth sincerely. Such people made their efforts to experience the Truth directly. Such a kind of human effort has continued for ages because Zazen, the practice of Buddhism, is enormously effective for human beings to get the Truth, or Happiness. However, fortunately even in the scientific area, the reason why the practice of Zazen is so effective for us to become happier and healthier, has become clarified, and so it has become very clear why the practice of Zazen helps us. It might be very happy situations that in 19th, 20th, 21st Centuries the Modern Psychology and Physiology have developed so much, and it has become very clear that in our body and mind there is a nervous system, which is called the autonomic nervous system, and which is divided into two parts, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. And the sympathetic nervous system is much related with the mental function, and the parasympathetic nervous system is much related with the sensuous function. And when the strength of sympathetic nervous and the strength of parasympathetic nervous system are equal, then there occurs a

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state, which is called Sunyata. The Sunyata is our original state, and when our autonomic nervous system is in balanced, our body and mind are quiet, our physical conditions are healthy, we can be active, and our behaviors of daily life are moral. When we are practicing Zazen every day, we can keep ourselves balanced. Gautama Buddha's Teachings were born by relying upon his daily practice of Zazen. The reason why human beings can keep being original, healthy, active, and moral, hasn't be clarified for 2 thousand and several hundred years. But, relying upon the excellent western philosophy and science we have clalified the True Situations of Valuable Zazen for the first time.

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Pursuing the Truth (5) The kind of Enlightenment

January 02, 2006 Related to Enlightenment, there has been an age old big fighting between TONGO and ZENGO. TONGO means that when we have been continuing zazen for a rather long time, one day Enlightenment suddenly appears. TON means fast, and GO means Enlightenment. But in the case of ZENGO, ZEN means gradually, and GO means Enlightenment. Thus ZENGO is gradual, not sudden, Enlightenment. However, in the case of Master Dogen, we can notice that he affirmed both TONGO and ZENGO. Because in Shobogenzo he insists on an idea that is called SHUSHOU-ITSUTO. And SHU means the practice of Zazen, and SHOU means Enlightenment. And ITSU means one, which suggests to be perfect. TO means equal, therefore ITSUTO means perfectly the same. This idea of oneness between just comes from his Buddhist thoughts, that is, the philosophy of action. Master Dogen insists that, generally speaking, in act, there is no separation between the act and experience. This suggests that in the philosophy of act, there is no separation between practice and experience, and this idea is a very important to understand the whole of Buddhist philosophy. Therefore Master Dogen insisted that there is no separation between act and experience, and there should not be any separation between the two. In short, to practice is Enlightenment, and Enlightenment is just to practice Zazen itself. However, thinking like this, it seems that the idea of ZENGO can not be thought and affirmed in Master Dogen's idea of Zazen. But he described that, for example, Master Joshu Jushin, and Master Rei-un Shigon, experienced another kind of Enlightenment in their

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life. Although they were great Master`s, They each needed to pass more than 30 years of practice before meeting with the Enlightenment. Therefore we can notice clearly that Master Dogen had two kinds of different thoughts related to Enlightenment.

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The Four Philosophies (1) Philosophies Accumulation, Self-Regulation, and Morals

January 04, 2006

of

Pain,

I have explained before that Gautama Buddha's Teachings are fundamentally based on the Realism that the Truth of the Universe is the fusion between our real act at the present moment and the real existence of the Universe at the present moment. This is the fundamental basis of Gautama Buddha's Teachings, but at the same time Gautama Buddha taught us four very important Buddhist Principles. They are (1) The Four Philosophies, (2) The Rule of Cause and Effect, (3) The Instataneousness of the Universe, and (4) The Real Existence of Morals. Among the various Teachings of Gautama Buddha, one of the most important is the Principle of the Four Philosophies. The Four Philosophies are (1) the Philosophy of Pain (duhkha satya), (2) the Philosophy of Accumulation (samdaya satya), (3) the Philosophy of Self-Regulation (niroda satya), and (4) the Philosophy of Morals (margha satya). The Teaching of Gautama Buddha were not put in writing for at least 100 years afer his death. Thus, concerning the Four Philosophies there came to be vulgar interpretations in the Age of Hinayana Buddhism. Such vulgar interpretations have been written in the Hinayana Buddhist Sutras (the Agama Sutra being one example).These sutras present the Four Philosophies of Gautama Buddha as (1) the philosophy of pain, suggesting that the world is painful without exception, (2) The cause of pain is simply desire, (3) if we stop desiring, (4) A happy life will come. Upon reading such interpretations, I found that I could never accept such rough

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explanations. First of all, I wondered whether this world is always painful or not. I thought that the world is sometimes painful, but sometimes the world is not so unhappy. Since life and the world are not always painful, the second theme could not be always true. As for the third theme, I doubted whether it is possible for us to stop desire and with the fourth theme, I wondered Four Philosophy, after about a hundred year later than Gautama Buddha's death, there was a valgar interpretations in the Age of Hinayana Buddhism, and such a valgar interpretations have been written in the Hynayana Buddhist Sutras. And they say that (1) the philosophy of pain suggests that the world is painful without exception. (2) The cause of pain is just desire. (3) If we stop desire, (4) A happy life will come. But reading those interpretations, I could never accept such a ruff explanations. First of all I wondered whether this world was always so painful, or not. I thought that the world is sometimes painfl, but some times the world is not so unhappy. And so the second theme was not always true. And the (3) theem made me doubtfull whether it is possible for us to stop desire, and so in the (4) I wonder whether it was so easy for us to establish morals. Because of these situations I could never comfirm the interpretations, which was used in the Age of Hinatana Buddhism. But when I have begun reading the Shobogenzo, an excellent collection of Buddhist Books written in the 12th century by a Japanese Buddhist monk named Master Eihei Dogen, I found a very excellent Chapter titled, "Genjo Ko-an." In the 75 voluems edition, "Genjo Ko-an" it was placed at the beginning of all the Chapters. In the 95 volumes edition, it was placed as the 3rd of all the Chapters. Such placement of "Genjo Ko-an" in both editions of the Shobogenzo suggests this Chapter's great importance as a introductory chapter among the rest of the

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Chapters. I would like to explain the meanjng of the Chapter "Genjo Ko-an" in the next blog.

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The Four Philosophies (2) The First Paragraph of "Genjo Koan"

January 06, 2006 The first paragraph of "Genjo Koan" in Shobogenzo, is as follows. "When all dharmas are [seen as] the Buddha Dharma, then there is delusion and realization, there are practice and act, there is life and death, and there are buddhas and ordinary people. (1) When the myriad dharmas are each not of the self, there is no delusion and no realization, no buddhas and no ordinary people, and no life and no death. (2) The Buddha's truth is originally transcendent over abundance and scarcity, and so there is life and death, there is delusion and realization, and there are ordinary people and buddhas. (3) And though it is like this, it is only that flowers, while loved, fall; and weeds while hated, flourish. (4) And by reading them, we can notice that those four stentences are manifesting the four kinds of different thinking methods separately. For example, in the case of (1), it proclaims that when all things and phenomena (all dharma) are considered on the basis of idealistic Buddhist thinking method (Buddha Dharma), there can be the distinctions between delusion and realization, between practice and act, between life and death, and between buddhas and ordinary people. But in the second case of (2), when we perceive everything on the basis of a perfectly materialistic viewopint ("each are not of the self), there is no distinction between delusion and realization, buddhas and ordinary people, or life and death at all. In other words when we do not have any subjective criteria of meaning, delusion and

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realization, buddhas and ordinary people, or life and death can not have any difference between them on the basis of material substance alone. Cases (1) and (2) are representative of Idealistic philosophies and Materialistic philosophies, both belonging to the category of intellectual philosophies, and such, they are very common types of philosophies which are meant to be understood by words. But at the same time, the intellectual philosophy of (1) and (2) are completely, and dimentionally, different from the practical philosophies of (3) and (4). I think that when we research the many kinds of philosophies in the world, perhaps Buddhism is the only philosophy that includes the two kinds of dimentionally different basis, might be only Buddhism. And I think that only such a kind of philosophy, which includes dimensionally different bases, has been successful at hitting the target of the Truth. In other words, if Buddhism did not have the theory of the four philosophies, not even Buddhism could ever have the power to hit the target of the Truth for the first time in human history. And Gautama Buddha found the Truth in the 5th or 4th Century BC. Someone might insist that the theory of the four philosophies were found by Master Dogen. But thinking about the historical situations, it is impossible for us to think of the existence of Nagarjuna without Gautama Buddha, and it is impossible for us to think about the existence of Master Dogen without the prior existence of Gautama Buddha. Therefore Master Dogen proclaimed that "The Buddha's truth is originally transcendent over abundance and scarcity," which suggests that the Buddhist Truth transcends the relative comparison of mental strength or material volume, and the expression of (3)

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belongs to the area of act, or reality. In such situations Master Dogen could proclaim that the real existence can exists really, the real extinction can exist really, the real delusion can exist really, the real enlightenment can exist really, the real common people can exsist really, and the real Buddhas, who has got the Truth, can exist really. And this is the basis of Buddhist Realism. Therefore in the phase of (4), leaving from the phase of philosophy, the Reality itself is described directly. That is the description of "And though it is like this, it is only that flowers, while loved, fall; and weeds while hated, flourish." This sentence suggests that Reality is just Reality. Furthermore, Master Dogen used the structure of the Four Philosophies in the four nouns, which are arranged by the Four Philosophies, and he arrainged four sentences in the order of the Four Philosophies. And even paragraghs are arranged following the order of Four Philosophies in Shobogenzo. Therefore we have to think that the system of the Four Philosophies is just the structure of the Universe, and it is completely impossible for us to think about the Rule of the Universe without the Four Philosophies. At the same time even in the Euro-American Civilization, there is a special method of consideration, called Dialectic, in the Modern Age, called the Dialectic. The Dialectic is relevant to the structure of the Four Philosophies, and I think that this historical fact in the Euro-American suggests that even in the Euro-American Civilization, the Age of Realism has already begun. It is said that when Gautama Buddha wanted to have his first Buddhist lecture, he first planned to have the lecture of the Four Philosophies. But at the same time, he hesitated so much to give the lecture of the Four Philosophies, because the Four Philosophies in Buddhism seemed to be too difficult to understand even to

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Gautama Buddha himself. Therefore we, the people in the 21 st Century, having begun to understand the meaning of the Four Philosophies by relying upon the benevolence of Gautama Buddha's benevolence, and relying upon the existence of the Four Philosophies, may experience the very happy condition of the excellent Euro-American Civilization meeting with Buddhism.

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The Four Philosophies (3) The Four Philosophies as facts

January 09, 2006 The teachings of the Four Philosophies are not only the philosophical theory, which belong to Buddhism, but they are also realistic facts in our daily life. Therefore for describing such realistic facts, which can be identified with the Four Philosophies, I would like to explain a realistic process of industrial enterprise. (An idealistic Plan) At the beginning of the industrial enterprise, the enterpriser has to think about a profitable situation in his job. Because generally all enterprises have to work for getting profit, but it is not so easy for every enterprise to get profit. The industrial societies are very competitive, and technical progresses are incredibly fast. Therefore it is very difficult for us to meet a good chance to establish a new enterprise. (Material Conditions) But if some one begins his optimistic job without the checking the Meterial conditions, it might be very dangerous for him to continue the job. Because he is not living only in the romantic dream, but he is always living in a very competitive human societies. Therefore he has to check miscellaneous materialistic conditions actually. How much money is he possible to collect so far as the capital for his investment? Is it possible for him to get buildings, or lands, which are necessary for him to begin the business? How is it convenient for them in utilizing traffic facilities for their comuting? Is it easy for the enterprisers to get sufficient laborers in their vicinity? Is it easy for them to get water and eleftricity there? Those questions will appear again and again, and if it is impossible for the enterprisers to solve the problems, it is completely impossible for them to begin the job at all. Becahse only

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good planning and good checking material conditions are sufficient for them to begin the job. What are they lacking for? It is just doing it. (Just do it) The intelletual planning and the checking material conditions can never be the main job of enterprise. Then what is the beginning an enterprise? In Buddhist philosophy, we, Buddhists, revere our working, or act itself. Of course the mental fanctions are also important, but without our daily acts in the industry there is nothing, which can be called production. And the production comes from the cooperative efforts of directors and employees at every moment. And those efforts are continued every day other than holidays, and if their efforts have profitability, the enterprise can be usefull for human societies. Therefore we can think that in our daily life, the most important factors are to work, or to act, and the reverence of works or acts are main parts of our daily life. (Reverence of morals) We, Buddhists, originary believe in the real existence of the Rule of the Universe, and so we have idea to identify our act at the present moment with the Rule of the Universe. Therefore Master Dogen wrote in the Chapter of Shobogenzo entitled "Bodaisatta-Shishobo" that "Earning a living and doing productive work are originally nothing other than free giving." Therefore we can think that our efforts for working for some kind of industy also have a kind of value as Morals.

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The Four Philosophies (4) The intellectual philosophies and the Four Philosophies
January 11, 2006 I revere the value of intellectual philosophies so much, because the intellectual philosophies are our common philosophies, and it has developed so excellently in the World History. Therefore when we think about a philosophy, it usually suggests the intellectual philosophy. But in the case of Buddhism it insists the existence of a practical philosophy, which is different from the intellectual philosophy. When we use the word of the practical philosophy, in the case of the intellectual philosophies, we usually use the words of the practical philosophy as the word, which suggests the practical philosophy, which is thought in the area of intellectual philosophy. But in the case of Buddhism, we usually use the word of the practical philosophy as the philosophy, which does not belong the intellectual philosophy, but which belongs to the practical philosophy. Therefore in the case of Buddhism we have to think that there are two kinds of philosophies, the one is the usual interectual philosophy, and the other is the practical philosophy, which is different dimensionally from the intellectual philsophies. Therefore it is necessary for us to interpret that the philosophy of pain, or idealistic philosophy, and the philosophy of accumulation, or materialistic philosophy, belong to the intellectual philosophies in the Four Philosophies, and the philosophy of self-regulation, or the philosophy of act, and the philosophy of morals, or the philosophy of Reality, belong to the practical philosophies in the Four Philosophies. In other words we should think that the group of the philosophy of pain, and the philosophy of accumulation, belong to

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the intellectual philosophies, but the philosophy of self-regulation, or the philosophy of act, and the philosophy of morals, or philosophy of Reality, belong to the philosophy of practice. Even in the Four Philosophies, the former two belong to the intellectual philosophy and the latter two belong to the practical philosophies. The philosophy of intellect and the philosophy of practice are combined into one in the Four Philosophies. And we can think that the two former philosophies, which are the representative of the Western Civilization and the latter philosophies, which are the representative of Buddhism Civilization, and both have combined into one in the Four Philosophies. And as I said before, the recent Euro-Amerian Civilization, for example Existentialism, Philosophy of life, Phenomenology, Pragmatism, and so forth, have begun to show the strong tendency of Realism. Therefore I expect that the Euro-American Civilization, which has been based on Idealism and Materialism, which recently have been aproaching to Realism enormously, have possibility to meet together, and to establish the Age of Realism. In such a meaning, I expect that the theory of the Four Philosophies will become a very big bridge, which can connect the very great intellectual Western Philosophies with the Buddhist Realism. Thinking like this, I think that relying upon the theory of the Four Philosophies, we, human beings, will be able to combine the gorgeous Western Intellectual Civilization with Realistic Buddhist Civilizations. But at the same time, if we, human beings, refuse the utilizing the Four philosophies, it might become very difficult for us to combine the Western Civilization with the Buddhist Realism. Without utilizing the Four Philosophies it might be very difficult for us to combine the Western Intellectual Civilization with Buddhist

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Realizm. But relying upon the theory of the Four Philosophies it might be possible for human beings to combine the Western Intellectual Civilization with the Buddhist Realism. Then relying upon the Four Philosophies we can understand the Total Structure of Buddhist Philosophical System for the first time. It is said that when Gautama Buddha wanted to have his first lecture of Buddhism, he hesitated so much to have the lecture of the Four Philosophies, because the Theory of the Four Philosophies seemed to be too difficult for usual audience to understand at that time. And we can think that it is very natural for ordinary audience to be so difficult to understand the true meaning of the Four Philosophies, because even in the 21st Century, it is not so easy for the people today to understand them. But we should think that how it is important for us to understand the Theory of the Four Philosophies for understanding the Buddhist Truth.

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The Rule of Cause and Effect (1) Profound Belief in Cause and Effect
January 15, 2006 In the last blog, I discussed about the Four Philosophies. And the Four Philosophies are the fundamental principle of the Buddhist thoughts, and so we should think that the Theory of the Four Philosophies pervades throughout the whole Buddhism. Therefore in such a meaning the next theme have to belong to the Philosophy of accumulation. When we think that the external world as an accumulation of materialistic molecules relying upon our scientific knowledge, we can think that the external world is completely governed by Materialistic cause and effect. But in the case of Buddhism, we have idea that the world, where just we are living now, is a fusion of mind and matter, and so if we accept the idea of cause and effect on the basis of Buddhism, we should think that the Buddhist theory of cause and effects, should pervade the fusion of mind and matter together. Therefore we should think that the Rule of Cause and Effect in Buddhism have to work in the fusion of mind and matter, and this point is rather important for us to think about the Rule of Cause and Effect in Buddhism. And the belief in the Rule of the Cause and Effect in Buddhism is very strong. For example, in the Chapter entitled "SHINJIN-INGA," or "Deep Belief in Cause and Effect", Master Dogen writes as follows. "In learning in the practice the Buddha Dharma, the first priority is to clarify cause and effect. Those, who negate cause and effect are likely to beget the false view that craves profit, and to become a cutter of good. In general, the truth of cause and effect is vividly

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apparent and is not personal matter: those who commit evil fall down, and those who practice good rise up, without a thousandth or a hundredth of a discrepancy." Therefore Master Dogen said, "Generally speaking, when we study Buddhism, the most important matter for us is to clarify the situations of cause and effect. People, who negate cause and effect, are prone to get a wrong idea to crave profit, and to cut good roots. Generally speaking, the truth of cause and effect is very clearly apparent, and it does not belong to a pesonal decision: those who comit evil fall down, and those who practice good rise up, without a thouzandth or a hundredth of a discrepancy." Therefore in the world of Buddhism on the relation of cause and effect, not only matter like in natural science, but the Rule of the Cause and Effect in Buddhim pervade in the both of mind and matter of the Universe. And in the accuracy of cause and effect Buddhism does never recognize even a thousandth or a hundredth discrepancy.

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The Rule of Cause and Effect (2) Concrete examples of Bad Causes
January 19, 2006 I remember that when I attended the Conference of Religious Research at Komazawa University in 1984, I gave a talk on the total divisions of all the Chapters in the Shobogenzo following the criteria of the philosophies of pain, accumulation, self-regulation, and morals. And at that time I distributed the Four Philosophies of pain, accumulation, self-regulation, and morals to the four Chapters, "Shinjin-Inga, or Deep Belief in Cause and Effect" (89), "Shizenbiku, or The Bhiksu in the Fourth Dhyana" (90), "Sanji no Go, or Karma in Three Times" (84) and "Daishugyo, or Great Practice." (76). In the last blog I described the Chapter "Deep Belief in Cause and Effect", today I would like to describe "The Bhiksu in the Four Dhyna". In this Chapter, Master Dogen enumerated several concrete bad causes, which are as follows: (The numbers inside the parentheses indicate the ordinal number of each Chapter) 1) A monk had experienced only the four phases in the practice of Zazen, but he misunderstood that he experienced the four phases of Buddhist lives. But when he was going to die, he was not in the proper situation to go to the happy life. And so he thought that we was cheated by Gautama Buddha. 2) A student of Master Upagupta, even though he experienced only the four processes of experiences in Zazen, misunderstood that he had experienced the four processes of his Buddist life totally. But when he was traveling in his trip, he was going to commit a sin with

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a woman, and he recognized that the woman was his own Master himself. 3) When we want to study Gautama Buddha's teachings, it is very important for us to know the orders of the studies. 4) We should know that Gautana Buddha's Teachings are completely different from the teachings of Confucianism, or Taoism. 5) We should know that Gautama Buddha's teachings are just the Truth, which transcends both the problems of existence and non-existence. From this we can clearly notice that Master Dogen's Buddhist view, as well as Gautama Buddha's Buddhist view, are concentrated on the problems of the true Buddhist viewpoints.

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The Rule of Cause and Effect (3) Karma in Three Times

January 23, 2006 In the Buddhist World, it is said that every thing in the world, without exception, is governed by the Rule of Cause and Effect. But at the same time we ordinary people sometimes doubt whether such a kind of belief in cause and effect is true or not. Just such a kind of doubt is discussed in the Shobogenzo Chapter entitled "Karma in Three Times." (84) Gayata, a student of the 19th Patriarch Kumaralabdha, asked the Master the following: "My parents believe in Gautama Buddha's Teachings sufficiently, but they are sickly. However, a man who works for the butchery next door, is healthy and balanced in his behavior." Therefore the student Gayata asks his Master the reason why the man who works for the butchery is happy, while his parents, who believe in Buddhism, are unhappy. The Master replies, "How is it necessary for you to doubt such a problem? The length of the times between Cause and Effect are of three kinds. The first one is immediate between Cause and Effect, the second one is a little while between Cause and Effect, and the third one is much longer between Cause and Effect. Because of such differences in time between Cause and Effect, it seems that a kind person dies early, or a violent person lives longer, or a wrong person seemes to be happy, or a right person seems to be unhappy. Therefore people usually think that there is no Rule of Cause and Effect, or there is no relation between Sin and Happiness, but they do not know that the relation between Cause and Effect is just the same as the relation between a thing and the

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shade, or sound and the vibration." Listening to the Master's teachings, Gayata solved his doubt at once. This teaching presents that, for meaningfully grasping the real existence of Cause and Effect in its 100% exactness, it is very important for us to know the various time differences that exist between Causes and Effects.

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Philosophy of act (1) Dimentional difference between theory and act

January 24, 2006 One of the most important characteristic of Buddhist Philosophy is just the dimentional difference between theory and act. When we think about a philosophical problem, we usually think the problem on the basis of concepts and we think about the problem on the basis of intellectual consideration. And even though the intellectual considerations are divided into the two bases, that is, the one is based on a mental consideration, and the other is based on a sense perception, those two kinds of considerations belong to the intellectual consideration. But in Buddhism, we have two kinds of consideration, the one is the intellectual consideration, and the other is the practical consideration. And the existence of those two kinds of philosophies are very unique in Buddhism, and the existence of those two kinds of philosopies might be the main cause of Buddhist difficulty. Therefore in Shobogenzo, the Chapter, entitled "SHOAKU-MAKUSA, or Not Doing Wrongs," includes a very skillful story, which describes the difference between consideration and practice so well. Haku Kyo-i of Tang China is a lay disciple of Zen Master Bukko Nyoman, and a second-generation disciple of Zen Master Kozei Daijaku. When he was the governor of Hangzhou district he practiced in the order of Zen Master Choka Dorin. In the story, Kyo-i asks, "What is the Great Intention of Master Boddhi Dharma from the West?

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Dorin said, "Not to commit wrongs. To practice the many kinds of right." Kyo-i says, "If it is so, even a child of three can express it!" Dorin says, "A child of three can speak the truth, but an old man of eighty cannot practice it." Thus informed, Kyo-i makes at once a prostration of thanks, and then leaves.

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The Rule of Cause and Effect (4) Great Practice

January 24, 2006 Even in the Rule of Cause and Effect the ultimate state of the Four Philosophies comes back to the Real Phase, and so the ulitimate phase of Cause and Effect are also combined into one at the present moment. Therefore in the case of Shobogenzo the ultimate phase of the Rule of Cause and Effect, that is, "Great Practice," (76) is different from "Deep Belief in Cause and Effect." Both Chapters "Deep Belief in Cause and Effect" and "Great Practice" quote completely the same stories of Master Hyakujo Ekai and an old monk, who has changed into a wild fox. In "Deep Belief in Cause and Effect" Master Dogen clearly explained the difference between "FURAKU INGA" and "FUMAI INGA". "FURAKU INGA" means "They do not fall into cause and effect," and so the words suggest the denial of Cause and Effect, but in the case of "FUMAI INGA" the words means "Do not be unclear about cause and effect," and so the words suggest that "Even the practice of Zazen, we can not get rid of Cause and effect." But in the case of the Chapter "Great Practice", Master Dogen thought that in the ultimate phase, or in the case of reality, even the cause and the effect occur just at the present moment, and in such situations cause and effect are combined at the present moment, and so even in the case of cause and effect the both are also combined into one reality, and then there is no difference between cause and effect, which are combined into only one reality at the present moment. Therefore we should think that in the case of intellectual

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consideration, we can never accept the ilogical insistence of cause and effect at all, but at the basis of reality, we should transcend the theoretical area, and we should think about the situations of reality on the basis of just the present moment.

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Philosophy of act (2) The time is now, the place is here

January 26, 2006 When we think at what time the real act appears in our daily life, it always appears just at the present moment. Of course when we think the same problem on the basis of intellectual consideration, we can think that we did something in the past, or we will do something in future, or we are doing something at the present moment. But such kinds of considerations can never be the real act, and when we think at what time we are doing something really, it is always just at the present moment. And this fact is very important in our daily life. Even though we can think that we did act in the past, or we will do something in future, or we can recognize that we are just doing some thing now, but those considerations can never be the real act itself. The real act at the present moment is dimentionally different from the three kinds of considerations. Therefore we should always notice that the real act in the real world is alway done just at the real present moment, and it is completely impossible for us to act a real act at an different time other than the real present moment at all. Therefore we should say that our real act in the real world is always done just at the real present moment. In other words we should say that our real act in the real world is always done just at the real present moment. And at the same time almost the similar fact exists at the real place, where we do something in our daily life. When we think a place, where we live in our consideration, we can think for us to be in a countryside, in a town, in a city, in a mountain, and so forth. But those kinds of possibility to live everywhere is just a kind of consideration, and when we think the same problem on the basis of

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the real fact in the real world, it is inevitable for us to say that I am just living at this place actuallyl. Therfore in the realistic Buddhist philopsophy we should always say that we are just at this place. So we should say that we live always just at the present moment, and we always exist at this place. In other words when we really think everything on the basis of realistic Buddhism, the real time is always now, and the real place exists always here. Therefore the Chinese Buddhist Master Tozan Gohon says " I am always so sincere just at this place."

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Philosophy of act (3) Instantaneousness of the Universe

January 28, 2006 In Shobogenzo we can find the Chapter, entitled "UJI." "U" means existence, and "JI" means time. Therefore the words "UJI" suggest that, in the real world, existence of something always occurs at the same time as occurance of a real time. In other words, when something exists, time inevitably exists, and when time exists, something inevitably exists. That suggests the general identity between existence and time in the real world. Therefore in the Chapter of "UJI", it says that " Time is already just existence, and all Existence is Time." And this insistence suggests that time and existence inevitably exist together at once, and it is impossible for time and exitence separately to exist at all. And this idea does not belong only to Buddhism today. In fact, a German philosopher called Martin Heidegger wrote a book entitled "ZEIN UND ZEIT, or BEING AND TIME," and he also suggested the identity of existence and time. The real Time in Buddhism is never time, which is arranged as past, present, and future like a line, but the real Time in Buddhism is just a very short moment, which is called an instant. Therefore in the Chapter of Shobogenzo entitled "HOTSU-BODAISHIN, or Establishment of the Bodhi-mind," Master Dogen said, "In general, establishment of the mind and attainment of the truth rely upon the instantaneous arising and vanishing of all things. If [all things] did not arise and vanish instantaneously, bad done in the previous instant could not depart. If bad done in the previous instant had not yet departed, good in the next instant could not be realized in the present." And this is just the Buddhist Realism, which places the

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basis of the present instantaneousness in it. Therefore Master Dogen describes at the several lines later in the same Chapter that "but no common man has ever sensed it or known it." And further "Those who do not know the Buddha-Dharma do not believe the principle of instantaneous arising and vanishing. One who clarifies the Tathagatha's right-Dharma-eye treasury and fine mind of nirvania inevitably believes this principle of instantaneous arising and vanishing." The Real World does not exists as a long line of past, present, and future, but it exists as a real present moment, which is separated into a so short moment of instant. Furthermore, the instantaneousness of the present moment, or the Universe, gives a very clear solution to the contradictory relations between human freedom and human determinim. For more than thousands of years, human beings have been keeping the very seriously difficult philosophical problem, which seem to be absolutely impossible to solve, that is the contradictory situations of the human freedom and human determinism. On the basis of idealism, or materialism, it is completely impossible for human beings to solve the contradictory situations between human freedom and human determinism. But utilizing the principle of instantaneousness of the present moment and the whole Universe in Buddhism, we can interpret that our human act at the present moment is like a piece of pearl on the edge of the razor, because the length of the real present moment is so short. And Buddhism insists that a human act at the present moment has so much flexible situations like the pearl on the razor edge, I think that we can solve the contradictory situations of human freedom and

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human determinism for the first time in human history.

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Philosophy of act (4) Zazen

January 29, 2006 At the ultinate phase of philosophy of act, we have arrived at Zazen, which is the central point of Buddhism. However, in this situation, the most important point is that the explanations of Zazen can never be the practice of Zazen itself. Zazen itself is just that we fold our legs, we fold our arms, we streach our each spine straight virtically, and so forth. I would like to ask you to remember that it is absolutely different for us to read the explanation of Zazen, or to look at others's posture of Zazen than to practice Zazen really. After finishing this Dogen Sangha Blog, I am planning to write my explanation of actual method for practicing Zazen after finishing this blog, and so I would like to ask you to wait for a while. Actually speaking, Buddhism is a very unique practical philosophy, which is very rare in another civilization. Buddhism is a civilization, which can open just relying upon the practice of Zazen. Therefore Buddhism is just the real world, which can open just relying upon the practice. Without practicing Zazen there is no Buddhism. At the same time, however, if there were the practice of Zazen, we can easily open the the World of Buddhism at once, and this is the benevolence of Gautama Buddha. Therefore Master Dogen proclaimed that in "Shobogenzo Bendowa" as follows. "This Rule of the Universe is abundantly present in each human being, but if we do not practice it, it does not manifest, and if we do not experience it, it cannot be realized. When we let go, it has already filled the hands; how could it be defined as one or many? When we speak, it fills the mouth; it has no restriction in any direction."

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Reality (1) Reason, which pervades through the Universe

January 31, 2006 At the end of the last research of Buddhism, we have arrived at the problem what Reality is in Buddhism. And about such a problem Buddhism usually insists that it is difficult for us to explain Reality with words. Because Reality is so inclusive, so wide, so complicated, so direct, and so forth. Therfore in Shobogenzo we find a Chapter, which entitled "INMO, or It," (29) which suggests something difficult to describe with words. The word "INMO" is a Chinese colloquial word, which means "it" or "that" implying something ineffable. But in Buddhism the meaning of word "ineffable" does never suggest some kind of mysticism, or vagueness, but it suggests Reality itself in front of us, which includes so holy, so miscellaneous, so complicated, and so direct things and phenomena in front of us. Therefore I think that it is also very addiquate for us to explain Reality relying upon the meathod of the Four Philosophies. And about such a problem we can find a very excellent book, which explains the true meaning of Buddhist philosophy, in the Ancient India, called Mulamadhyamakakarika (from here I would like to call it MMK) by Nagarjuna. MMK is constructed from 27 chapters, and in the 1st Chapter, we can find the 1st Verse, as follows. "Not Subjectivity, never Objectivity, not the both, but never unreasonable. The phenomena are just recognized, and (the concept) "existences" do never exist anywhere, they are completely nothing."

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This suggests that the Subjectivity, or what is considered in our brain, does not exist as Reality, and the Objectivity, or what is perceived through our sense organs, also does not exist as Reality. In other words what we think in our brain is not Reality, and what we perceive through our sense organs is never Reality. And those two sentences insist that the Idealistic Philosophy is not true, and the Materialistic Philosophy is not true. But Reality is never unreasonable. And in the second Verse MMK said. "The Four Reliable Facts are Reason, the External World, the Present Moment, And just Reality like God. And the Fifth Reliable Fact does never exist at all." Reading this Verse, I noticed Nagarjuna's so strong confidence in his Buddhist Philosophy, and I have accepted his Buddhist Belief so strongly. Nagarjuna insisted that the Reliable Facts, or Reality, are just four, that is, Reason, the External World, the Present Moment, and Reality itself. And he never confirmed the existence of the fifth one. I think that his first viewpoint of Reality, which is considered on the Basis of the Four philosophies, may be the Reason, which pervades throughout the Universe. For example, a person A thinks about 1 + 1, it might be 2, and a person B thinks about 1 + 1, it might be also 2. And so we have to think the existence of the facts that 1 + 1 = 2 always exist everywhere in the Universe, and it is completely impossible for us to deny the existence of such a simple fact in the

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Universe at all. In such meaning, it is completely impossible for me to deny the Real Existence of Reason through the Universe at all first.

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Reality (2) The External World

February 05, 2006 In Buddhist philosophy, Reality is also indicated as the Reason, which pervades through the Universe, but in the second phase, we have to discuss the External World, in which we are just living now, as Reality. When we think about the problem simply on the basis of intellectual philosophies like Idealism, if we think that Reality is just Reason, it is impossible for us to insist that Reality is the External World. But in the case of Buddhist Realism, following the Theory of the Four Philosophies, it is possible for us to grasp the Universe as the External World from the opposite side of Reason. Thinking from the Buddhist viewpoint, Reality is the External World itself, which we are just looking at in front of us. The one of the heavenly bodies, called the Solar System, includes the planet, called the Eearth, and the human civilization, which has developed on the surface of the Eearth, is also a kind of Reality. And even though we, human beings, have developed the history of the civilization for more than thouzands of years at least, we are just living in the historical Reality in the 21st Century. And in such Reality, what I feel so much grateful, is the fact that USA and USSR have become reconciled with each other without fighting the World War 3. in 1991. Before the reconciliation I could never expect such a so happy reconciliation of the two countries at all. At that time I thought that, if the World War 3. had occured, I had supposed that the tens % of the surface of the Eearth might be destroied easily. Because even in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the damage by Atomic Bombs in Hirishima and Nagasaki was enormously serious, that it was completely impossible for us to

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suppose the damage before it occured actualy at all. And furthermore more than 60 years have passed since the bombing Hirashima and Nagasaki, and so we have to think that the damage, which we have to suppose, might be so serious. Therefore it was so grateful fact that because of the enormous efforts of USA and USSR the World War 3. has been stopped. We could become very joyful in such happy conditions wholeheartedly, we can enjoy so enormously that we, human beings, were not so stupid to destroy ourselves utilizing the Atomic Bombs, which we, human beings, had produced after so long and so eormous efforts. I have a rather peculiar idea on human history, that the World History of human beings seems to be similar to a tornament game of some kinds of sports. In the Anciet History of human beings, there were many small tribes, and each tribe has their own undeveloped civilization. And when there were some kinds of competitive attitudes among them, in the ultimate phase they had wars, and they decided which tribe was superior to others relying upon fighting. Such competitive fights have been continued so manty times in the human history. And at last in 1991 USA and USSR want to fight the Final Game, but fortunately human beings had their excellent ability to stop their Final Game. And thinking about the real situation of the world, we can think that the Final Game of the World Tornament has ended without fighting, already. And I guess that the Winner of the Final Game might be USA. Therefore in such a situation, USA has possibility to change her Army into the Police of the World, and All Countries in the World will have possibility to change their Armies into each Branch Offices of the World Police. In other words I think that we, Human Beings, are able to begun to have the possibility to establish the

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Government of the Whole World. Of course such a too much optimistic idea might be very difficult for human beings to think so seriously, but I think that our efforts to establish the peaceful plan to make the World situation better, might be much more desirable for us than to destroy our Valuable Civilization into Ashes by our very stupid attitude. I have a supposition that it might not be so stupid for human beings to use the Nuclear Weapons on the Earth in future for destroying the so brilliant and valuable civilization, which we have now.

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Reality (3) Act at the present moment and the Universe

February 06, 2006 In the former blogs I have explained Reality as Reason, which pervades throughout the Universe, and the External World, which exists in front of us as (1) and (2). But if I grasp Reality as much more practical and true meaning, the first interpretation that Reality is the Reason, which pervades throughout the Universe (1), is a kind of interpretation in intellectual consideration, and the second interpretation that Reality is the External World, which exists in front of us, is also a kind of interpretation in perceptible images, which have been grasped through our sense organs. Therefore in the absolutely realistic Buddhist Philosophy, we persue much more absolutely realistic viewpoint, that is, our Real Act at the present moment. In Buddhism we understand our acts in the past as memories of acts, and we understand our acts in future as supposition of acts. And furthermore even recognitions of our acts at the present, if they are just recognitions in our mind at the present moment, it is also impossible for such recognitions to be Real Act at the present moment. Those truly Realistic Experiences of Buddhist Acts at the prsent moment, can be found in Mulamadhyamaka-karika by Mastor Nagarjna, and they are also the same realistic ideas in Shobogenzo by Master Dogen, especially in the Chapters, "GYOBUTSU-YUIGI, or The Dignified Behavior of Acting Buddha", or "SHINJIN-GAKUDO, or Learning the Truth with Body and Mind." Such kinds of perfectly Real Acts can never exist in the past or the future. Because the memory of the past is a kind of image, or thoughts of the past, and the supposition in future is also a kind of

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image, or thoughts of the future. Therefore we should clearly notice that only the Real Act at the present moment has its real entity just as a kind of substance. And we should think that this principle of the Real Act should be noticed by all Buddhists, because such a principle of the Real Act at the present moment is the fundamental criterion of the throughout Buddhism. If we do not experience of the Real Act at the present moment relying upon the practicing Zazen, and so forth, we can never grasp the Real Buddhism at all. And in the 9th Verse of the 1st Chapter in Mulamadhyamaka-karika, it says as follows. "When the rule of the universe has not yet manifested itself, our ability of self-regulation has not yet appeared. When our ceaseless mental fuctions have not yet been regulated, the reliable facts are also very vague." The verse suggests that before the Universe hasn't appeared really, our act, which is called self-regulation, does not appear at all, and before the mental conditions of ourselves are balanced, the Real Universe is not recognized clearly. And in the second line of the Verse, it is said that before our mental conditions haven't been regulated, the Universe is not so clear in front of us. In short it is said that without the appearance of the Universe, our act can never manifest itself, and when our mental situations are not regulated yet, the reliable facts, or Reality, is very vague. And I interpret that this verse suggests the identity between the Universe and our act at the present moment. Buddhism insists that without the Universe, our act at the present moment can never exist, and without our act, the Universe does not appear clearly. And I think that this principle is very important in Buddhist

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Philosophical System. Because the identity between our act at the present moment and the Universe itself is the fundamental basis of Buddhist Realism. When I read this Verse for the first time, it was impossible for me to understand the meaning of the Verse. But having read it many times again and again, I noticed that in Buddhism there is a fundamental principle that our Real Act at the present moment and the Real Universe as the stage of act, are just the face and the back of Reality itself. And, relying upon the princible, Buddhism can become a completely independent realistic philosophy in the area of philosophical area. Therefore following the Buddhist philosophicl viewpoint, there is no valure at all even though we remember and yearn our gorgeous past, or there is no constractive substance even though we worry about our serious mistakes in the past again and again. At the same time it might not have any meaning even though we are much anxious about an serious conditions in future, or we have much time to dream so many fantastic happy dreams in future. Gautama Buddha noticed that it was the most happy situations for all human beings to live and work sincerely in the balanced state just at the present moment. Such a teaching is just the most important principle, which Gautama Buddha taught us. Our life is never only idea, or never sense stimuli, but our life is just to live and work sincerely for our favorite job in the balanced state.

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Reality (4) God and the Universe

February 09, 2006 At the end of my introductory Buddhism, I would like to think about the relation of God and Buddhism. Many Buddhist scholars think that Buddhism is atheism. But in my case it can never be so simple for me to solve the problem between God and Buddhism. Because looking at Christianity the problem of God is so important and there are so many theories to solve the problem. And so I think that I should be very careful in thinking about the problem of God. At the same time when we think about the Universe, it is also not so easy to understand it. For example, when we think about the Solar System, I usually wonder why those big heavenly bodies can be maintained in space. Our scientific knowledge has developed so much, and we can know the facts that everything in the universe has gravity. But when we think about what is the reason, why there is such a miraculous fact of gravity, it is not so easy to find the cause of existent gravity. Therefore it is necessary for us to think that the world, where we are just living now, is some times very mystical and miraculous in spite of our expectation. And at the same time it is necessary for us to accept that the world (or the universe, I use the words interchangably) is regulated by some kind of order. It is necessary for us to confirm that the world is just governed by the Rule of the Universe. It is also a kind of systematized world, which is governed by a kind of the Universal Rule.

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But the world is an area, where some kind of blind energy is full,too. Therefore we have to think that the world might be a kind of blind and mysterious space, and so it is necessary for the world to be regulated by some criteria. For whom is it possible to regulate such a blind world? And when I think about such a problem, it is impossible for me to find anoher being other than human beings to regulate such a kind of blind energy, which does not have any ability to regulate itself. I think that if human beings are not extremely diligent to regulate the blind energy to the true direction, it might be difficult for us to maintain the world in even as good a condition as it is in today. In such situations I think that human beings are working rather well to maintain the international relations among many independent countries, and organizing rather good economical systems in almost all countries in the world. But in such a situation I think that the most serious problem in the world, might be the contradictory situation between Idealism and Materialism. Religious people are yearning for something spiritual following their Idealistic philosophy, and they disdain the material value. But people, who are standing on the basis of Materialism and do not recognize spiritual value at all, are very diligent to get the economical value, and laugh at the Idealistic viewpoint so much. However, if there were so unfortunate facts that people, who are belonging to the same societies, have completely opposite opinions having enormously hostile attitudes, is it possible for them to harmonize in a common adequate attitudes to the same problems? I think that it might be impossible for human beings to maitain the peaceful situations between the Idealistic front and the Materialistic front at all.

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Therefore in such a situations if we permit to maintain the coexistence of two completely opposite philosophies, that is, Idealism and Materialism, the World can never be identified or unified at all. I think that it is completely impossible for human beings to have only one identified peaceful world at all if these two philosophies continue to fight one another. And in such situations there is a serious problem, that is, the Problem of God. Everyone knows well how strong the religious people's love God. If there were no solution in maintenance of God, how would it be possible for religious people to leave the Idealistic thoughts. There is possibility that they never leave the belief in Idealism. But if we consider the Materialistic hate against God, the hate is strong so much in the case of Materialists, and so it might be completely impossible for Materialists to accept the belief in God. And in such situations, if we do not solve the so difficult problem of God, it might be almost impossible for human beings to realize the belief in Reality at all. Then how shall we think about God? As far as the modern scientific knowledge teaches us, it is said that the Universe is always expanding at every moment. If we accept the idea that the Universe is always expanding endlessly, it is very difficult for us to suppose the existence of another Universe other than this Universe at all. And in such situations, we have to think that God might exist inside the Universe. But in that case we can never permit that God is a part of the Universe. Because we should think that God is all, God is everywhere, God is almighty, and God is the Absolute. Thinking like that I am afraid that God has been thought of as

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something much smaller than the actual fact. And I think that we should consider the Revolutionary Recovery of God sincerely. In such situations I thing that we should accept the idea that "God is the Universe, the Universe is God." God can never be smaller than the Universe, but at the same time God can never be bigger than the Unuverse. Therefore "God is the Universe, the Universe is God." And then the Fusion between God and the Universe is called Reality. And when we sitting in Zazen, we can sit in God, we can sit in the Universe, we can sit in act, and we can sit in Reality. Therefore we can sit in Reality. Now I have finished my introductory explanations of Buddhist Philosophy, and so I would like to begin to write about Zazen itself in the next theem. (The End of the Introductory Buddhism)

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Zazen(1)Zazen and Yoga

May 13, 2006 (Buddhist practice and Yoga) Even though Zazen is a method of practice, which Gautama Buddha began for the first time in ancient India, hundreds years before that there was another special method of practice in India called Yoga. However, the philosophies, which exist behind Buddhist practice and Yoga, are completely different from each other. So it is absolutely impossible for us to identify Buddhism and Yoga together. (Pursuit of thoughts) Gautama Buddha noticed the existence of a very strong conflict between idealism, or sasvata-drsti, and materialism, or uccheda-drsti, which has always existed in almost all human civilizations. He thought that without solving this serious confict between the two fundamental philosophies, it would be perfectly impossible for human beings to become happy at all. The solution of this very serious problem, however, is something, which only Gautama Buddha has solved in the whole history of human beings for the first time. We have to say that it might have been completely impossible for even Gautama Buddha to be successful without sacrificing everything for sake of finding the Truth. At first, Gautama Buddha thought that what was called the Truth might be something, which can be caught by intellectual consideration relying upon the function of human brain. So he first selected such a method. Gautama Buddha visited Alara Kalama,

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and made his efforts to get the thoughts that "people usually do not have anything originally." However, he recognized soon that it was impossible for anyone to be saved from their serious suffering in their real life in this way. But actually he continued his same attitudes further. He was taught the idea that "everyone should not consider anything, and furthermore should not consider even not to think," from Udraka Ramaputra. But in this case too Gautama Buddha could not be saved from all difficulties. So he noticed that no one can ever be saved only by some kind of thoughts at all, no matter what that thought might be. (Ascetic life) Then Gautama Buddha discovered that human beings can never get happiness by getting any kind of thoughts, and he recognized that it was completely impossible for human beings to get happiness only by getting any kind of thoughts. Therefore he decided to take a different way. Before that time, Gautama Buddha had believed that it was possible for him to get the tuth by having some kind of true thoughts. But he had experienced that such fact had not occured at all on the earth. Therefore he wanted to begin another method, which was also popular in ancient India, that is, asceticism. In this practice in ancient India there were so many kinds of ascetic methods, and so Gautama Buddha went to the woods, where many ascetics were living together. Among them Gautama Buddha's ascetic life was very sincere and very hard. Because he want to get the truth relying upon his ascetic life, he never permited himself to have any kind of compromising attitude, and so it is said that he fell down into syncopic states several times. Because Gautama

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Buddha's attitude towards his ascetic life lacked any kind of compromising attitude, after beginning his very hard ascetic life, there had been rumors that "Gautama Buddha had died because of his severe ascetic trials." After such hard practice for many days, however, he noticed gradually that it was impossible for human beings to enter into a balanced and comfortable life relying upon any kind of ascetic life at all. Therefore one day he decided to stop his ascetic life completely. But the many other ascetic practioners thought that "Gutama Buddha has given up his ascetic life because of the painfulness of it." Therefore many ascetics in the woods laughed at him so severely. But Gautama Buddha, who was only sincere to grasp the Truth, did not have any kind of emotional reaction to this at all. He left the woods quietly and alone. (Practice of Zazen) Departing from his ascetic life, when Gautama Buddha walked dragging his feet along the Nairanjana River, a girl, called Sujata, from a nearby village, seeing Gautama Buddha's wretched style, presented some gruel boiled with animal milk. Gautama Buddha enjoyed such a small volume of guel enormously. We can easily suppose Gautama Buddha's very joyful situation when eating the small amount of gruel whole-heartedly. We can think that he might have wondered, "What is food?" "What is eating?" "What is it to live?" "What is Reality?" After such experiences he had begun his normal life. But his will to grasp the Truth had never become weak, and so he began another new practice. That was Zazen. Several centuries

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ago before Gautama Buddha was born, there was a rather special practice called Yoga in India already. It had so many kinds of posture in sitting. Gautama Buddha selected the best two postures among them, which were called the Half Lotus Posture, and the Full Lotus Posture. They said that among many kinds of Yoga postures those two were the most duifficult postures. But in the case of Gautama Buddha he selected the most difficult two postures from the beginning, and continuded the practice every day. And after practicing for several years, one day he practiced Zazen in the morning, and he looked at Venus in the Eastern sky. At that moment he noticed that he was never living in thoughts, nor living in sense perception, but he was just living in Reality. (Realization) This experience is the fundamental basis of Buddhist philosophy, and Gautama Buddha continued the practice of Zazen further. Before that time many Indian poeple believed in Brahmanism, which was a typical idealist philosophy. Also many poeple believed in materialism, or skepticism, which was taught by philosophers we now know as "the six non-Buddhist thinkers." Gautama Buddha found that idealism could never be the Truth, and materialism or skepticism could never be the Truth. But Realism, which he had found after his practice of Zazen, was just the Truth itself. In many miscellaneous philosophies, which have occured in human histories, almost all philosophies may belong to idealism, or materialism. But it might be almost impossible for us to find any other philosophies, which belongs to Realism. It is very strange that even though we, human beings, are always living in Reality, yet it is very rare for us to notice the important fact that we are just living in

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the real world. In such a meaning, we have to think about the enormously important value of Buddhism in human history. It is necessary for us to study Realism, which was found by Gautama Buddha for the first time in human history.

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Zazen (2) Scientific Clarification of Zazen

May 22, 2006 (Zazen and the autonomic nervous system) Recently it has become very popular for many doctors, psychologists, physiologists, and so forth, to be very diligent in trying to clarify the meaning and content of Zazen on the basis of scientific knowledge. Fortunately among them we can find many examples, which seem to be reliable. But, more than about 60 years ago, when I first began to suppose that the meaning and content of Zazen might be much related with the state of the autonomic nervous system, this kind of supposition was extremely rare. So very few people agreed with my proposition at that time. But even then I had very strong confidence that my proposition about the relation between Zazen and the autonomic nervous system might be clarified in many scientific fields relying upon the efforts of many excellent scientists. So I was very optimistic that my propositions about the relation between the scientific explanations and the real fact of Zazen practice, might be certified by many scientists' efforts very soon. The actual progress of our civilizations was not as fast as I had hoped, and so I had to wait for many decades to meet the condition I had hoped for. But recently we have met the excellently clear situation that many scientists have been successful in clarifying scientific psychological theories of half-consciousness, or non-consciousness, and might have the ability to solve the very profoundly mystical contents of religious problems clearly.

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Then I read some psychological books, which were written by an American psychiatrist, called Karl Menninger including his books, "The Human Mind," "Man Against Himself," "Love Against Hate," and others. "Man Against Himself" is a book, which explains the psychological situation of a personality, who has committed suicide. The author insists that a person, who has committed a suicide, is never a week person, but he, or she, is usually a very strong and aggressive person. Therefore first he, or she, is prone to attack some person outside. But for some reason, if his, or her attack against others outside is unsuccessful, his, or her, very strong aggressive energy, can be directed against himself, or herself, actually, and he, or she actually kills himself, or herself. Such situations are usually real in many cases of suicide. Reading this opinion, it was impossible for me to refuse the author's insistences. So I have noticed the very dangerous situations of the enormously strong aggressive attitude, and the much too strong sympathtic nervous system. Karl Menninger's solution of the problem is that it is necessary for us to promote the function of love until love and hate become balanced. He insists that both that the much too strong sympathtic nervous system is not normal, and that the much too strong parasympathetic nervous system is also not normal. In other words we, human beings, have a duty to maintain the balance of our autonomic nervous system. Having read this, I then could understand the meaning of the Japanese and Chinese Buddhist words, "Jijuyo Zanmai." The words "Jijuyo" is divided into two parts, that is, "Jiju" and "Jiyo." "Ji" means "self," and "yo" means "to use." Therefore "Jiju" means "to receive oneseif," and "yo" in "Jiyo"

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means "to utilize," and so "Jiyo" means "to utilize oneself." So I understand that "to receive oneself" suggests the rather passive function of the parasympathetic nervous system, and "to utilize oneself" indicates the rather aggressive function of the sympathetic nervous system. Relying upon those considerations of Buddhist philosophy and practice, I thought that I had understood the fundamental principle of Buddhism. (Buddhist Realism) Therefore I think that the Age of human history, which I have divided into two parts, that is, the Age of the separation between religions and sciences, or the Age of separation between idealism and materialism, is going to end. I believe that the Age, in which, it is necessary for us to overcome the absolutely contradictory situations between these two kinds of very strong and very valuable civilizations of idealism and materialism, is about to begin. This will be the Age for establishing the ultimate philosophy of Realism. Of course, there is an absolute difference between idealism and materialism, and so logically speaking it is completely impossible for us to combine them into one. However, fortunately, because of the benevolence of Gautama Buddha, relying upon his great consideration of his Four Philosophies, we can overcome the problem of the gap between the two fundamental philosopies -- the intellectual philosophy and the practical philosophy. Therefore, utilizing Gautama Buddha's Four Philosophies we can synthesize the two fundamentally different philosophies into one.

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Zazen (3) The Real Entity of Zazen

May 28, 2006 Master Dogen's criteria of Zazen Now we have met the problem of what Zazen is, and I think that Master Dogen instructed us with four criteria. (1) Hi Shiryo : Not Thinking : Hi is a word of denial, which means "not", or "different," and Shiryo means "consideration." Therefore Hi Shiryo means "not thinking." The words "not thinking" describe one important meaning of Zazen. Zazen is never mental consideration, nor perception, but it is an act itself. But among miscellaneous Buddhist Sects, there is a Buddhist Sect called the Zen Sect. The Zen Sect seems to insist that Zazen is a practice in which practioners are to be diligent at thinking about philosophical problems. So the teacher gives his students some stories concerning philosophical discussions, which are called Koans. Then his students make their efforts to understand the meaning of the stories during their Zazen practice. But this interpretation of practicing Zazen is absolutely wrong. Master Dogen taught us that Zazen is never a practice of considering something, never a practice of intentional thinking, but Zazen is sitting in the traditionally regulated posture. Therefore we should think that Zazen is never intellectual consideration, but the act of sitting itself in the regulated posture. We, human beings, have been so accustomed to think that the

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central points of civilization are intellectual consideration and the sensory perception of external stimuli. But in Buddhism, we do not think so. We Buddhists think that the central point of our civilization is our intuitive ability to directly grasp the actual situations of the Universe as they truly are. So Buddhism reveres the practice of Zazen, because with Zazen we can experience the total reality, directly and actually. (2) Shoshin Tanza : Regular Sitting in the True Posture : Zazen does not only include mental factors. It also includes physycal factors. So Master Dogen describes his second criterion of Zazen as Shoshin Tanza. Sho means "true," or "to make something true," Shin means "body," Tan means "regularly," and Za means "to sit." Therefore the words "Shoshin Tanza" suggest just to sit regularly in the true posture. Zazen is a kind of action, and an act of being. So it is not limited to mental factors, the condition of our mind, but it always includes the factors of our physical condition. Master Dogen held that the body and mind are one entity. When we make the body balanced through regular sitting in the true posture, naturally the mind is also balanced. Therefore, it is a very good attitude for us to take care of the physical posture in Zazen. (3) Shinjin Datsuraku : Dropping body and mind : These words have been misunderstood so much throughout the ages. The misunderstanding is due in part to the fact that these words are related with the function of the autonomic nervous system. Prior to the 19th century, human beings did not have any knowledge about

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the autonomoc nervous system, and so they did not know the true meaning of dropping body and mind. But the true meaning of dropping body and mind is very much related to the function of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is divided into two parts, they are the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. Often these two functions are imbalanced, in conflict, one emphasized over the other. For example, if the sympathetic nervous system is emphasized too much and is imbalaced, we may be prone to too much activity, too much thinking, even anxiousness. If the parasympathic is emphasized too much and is imbalanced, we may be prone to being dull, lethargic, lazy, lacking self-motivation. But when we are practicing Zazen,the strength of the sympathetic nervous system, and the strength of the parasympathetic nervous system become equal, balanced. And we automatically have the consciousness that the function of the sympathetic nervous system, in its extreme forms, has vanished, and the function of the parasympathetic nervous system, in its extreme forms, has vanished. Therefore in Zazen, when our autonomic nervous system has become balanced, the situation of the autonomic nervous system seems to be as if it were in a state of "plus/minus=zero." So we have consciousness as if our body and mind have been lost. This does not mean that the balanced state of Zazen is a blank nothingness, that the sensate ability of the body no longer exists, that the thinking ability of the mind no longer exists. Rather, it means that the balanced state of Zazen is the end of living in a state

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of extremes, the end of one side being emphasized too much over the other, the vanashing of life out of balance. This is the true meaning of Dropping body and mind, or Shinjin Datsuraku. Of course, there was no knowledge of the autonomic nervous system before the 19th century, and so it was very natural for human beings not to have a true interpretation of Shinjin Datsuraku, or Dropping body and mind, before the 19th century. We may also understand the dropping of body and mind as representing the dropping of both the materialistic and idealistic/spiritualistic points of view. (4) Shikan Taza : Just to sit : As I wrote, Zazen is never intellectual consideration, nor is it sense perception. Zazen is just action, or a real act at the present moment. Therefore Zazen can never be consideration, can never be perception. Rather, it is just sitting. And so Master Dogen said, "Just sit!" That is the meaning of Shikan Taza, or Just to sit. Then we can recognize that Master Dogen recommended us to "Just Sit!." In such a meaning it is completely useless for us to just think about Zazen, or to just engage in looking at others practing Zazen. Therefore Master Dogen said at the end of Fukan Zazen-Gi, "I beseech you, noble friends in learning through experience, do not become so accustomed to images that you are dismayed by the real dragon. Devote effort to the truth which is directly accessible and straightforward. Revere people who are beyond study and without intention. Accord with the bodhi of the buddhas. Become a

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rightful successor to the samadhi of the patriarchs. If you practice the state like this for a long time, you will surely become the state like this itself. The treasure-house will open naturally, and you will be free to receive and to use [its contents] as you like."

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Zazen (4) Daily Life and Zazen

June 05, 2006 EVERYDAY PRACTICE It is meaningless if we do not practice Zazen everyday. Though we can get the balanced state of the autonomic nervous system on a certain day when we have practiced Zazen, if it is impossible to practice Zazen on another day, we sink into a situation in which we cannot keep the balance of the autonomic nervous system on that day. If we have to practice Zazen in such an irregular manner, we will have some days when our autonomic nervous system is balanced, and other days when it is impossible for us to keep our autonomic nervous system balanced. In such a case it is inevitable that we will have a balanced autonomic nervous system one day, but impossible to maintain it the next. In such an unstable condition we will experience a very unpleasant condition in which some days we are very comfortable, and some days we are very uncomfortable. Therefore if we want to be balanced and happy everyday, it is necessary for us to practice Zazen each day without fail. NECESSITY OF PRACTICING ZAZEN AT LEAST 2 TIMES EACH DAY Because the practice of Zazen should be done for keeping the balanced state of the autonomic nervous system every day, the more frequently we practice Zazen, the better we can keep constant the balanced state of the autonomic nervous system. Master Dogen

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recommended us to practice Zazen 4 times a day in his book entitled "Bendo-Ho," or "the method of pursuing the Truth," which belongs to "Eihei Shigi," or the "Pure Rules of Eihei Temple." The Zazen practice periods in Eiheiji Temple are Zazen in the early morning, which is called the Zazen of "Doya," or "the early morning", and Zazen after breakfast, which is called the Zazen of "Soshin," or "in the morning," and Zazen after lunch, which is called "Hoji," or "after lunch," and the Zazen in the evening, which is called the Zazen of "Okon," or "the evening." Therefore it can be said that we should also follow the criteria, that is, we should follow "Bendo Ho," which Master Dogen has established. But when we think about the real situations, there is a very important fact to consider, that is, the difference between the 13th Century, when Master Dogen lived, and the 21st Century, when we are now living. In the 13th Century many countries were feudalistic societies that were supported by agricultural production. But in the 21st Century many countries are democratic and capitalistic societies. Therefore, in the age when Master Dogen lived, people could maintain their economical life relying upon cultivating fields. But nowadays we are living in democratic and capitalistic societies, and so we have to get some kind of monetary income in our daily life in order to maintain our economical needs. For managing such a situation it is usually necessary for us to work at some kind of job almost everyday. Therefore, even if we want to practice Zazen four times a day, it is almost impossible for us to do so. And so it is unavoidable for us to be satisfied by practicing Zazen only 2 times each day generally. Of course periodically we can have a chance to have a Sesshin, or a short term of concentrated practice. So even

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though we may need twice the number of years to get the second enlightenment like that of many excellent ancient Chinese Buddhist Masters, if we practice Zazen everyday, we can get the first enlightenment everyday. I think that the first enlightenment is just the practice of zazen itself at the present moment. The second enlightenment is just the perfect understanding of the Buddhist philosophical system based on the Buddhist practitioner's sincere daily life on the basis of practicing zazen. If we continue the practice of Zazen everyday, we can enter into the state of enlightenment constantly, and we can enjoy our everyday life. How long should one sitting of Zazen be? We can decide, for example, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 miutes, and so forth. But generally speaking, it might be better for us first to decide an adequate length for beginners, and better for us increase the time following our progress. PLACE OF PRACTICE As for the place where we practice Zazen, Fukan-Zazen-Gi expressed that "a quiet place is better," and so it is preferable for us to select a quiet place. But it is not necessary for us to be too sensitive to that problem. It is not necessary for us to find a profound place, for example, the deepest place in a mountain. Common, ordinary places are sufficient for us to practice Zazen. And as for the width of the sitting place, it is written in Fukan-Zazen-Gi that "we should guard and maintain a place where it is possible for the place to be wide enough to maintain ourself."

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So it is sufficient for us to make a place where we can sit easily. CLOTHES As for the clothes, it is not necessary for us to attach any problem to them. But as for the Kashaya, which has been used since the Gautama Buddha's time, it is desirable for us to attach significance to it because it has been traditional since ancient India and symbolically relates us to Gautama Buddha. Actually, when we use a Kashaya by ourselves, the feeling is much more dignified and holy, and so we can strongly enjoy a rather happy feeling. I think that there is no problem for anyone to wear a Kashaya. So it is permissible for anyone, even a person who has not yet experienced a precepts receiving ceremony, to utilize the Kashaya without hesitation. When we order it from a Kashaya shop, much to our surprise we might find it to be very expensive. So it is better for us to select one made of some artificial material such as nylon rather than the traditional, and very expensive, silk. Kashayas sewn by machine are also acceptable. I do not hold to any idea that a Kashaya must be sewn by hand. A Japanese publication house called "Daihorin-Kaku" has published a Japanese book called "Kesa no Kenkyu," or "Research of Kashaya," which includes the precise method of sewing a Kashaya. If it were translated into English, this book might be very convenient for people abroad to learn how to sew Kashayas by themselves. In Dogen Sangha there are several people who are skillful at sewing Kashayas by hand, and they have a monthly meeting to make their Kashayas by themselves. I think that they have not yet begun to sew Kashayas with machines.

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Fukan-Zazen-Gi (1) Commentary

June 12, 2006 MASTER DOGEN AT KENNIN-JI Master Dogen became a Buddhist monk in the year 1212, at Enryaku-ji in Kyoto. He practiced the life of a Buddhist monk there for about 3 years. Noticing, however, that the training in Enryaku-ji at that time was too concentrated upon intellectual consideration, he went to visit Master Eisai at Kennin-ji in Kyoto, and eventually he moved to Kennin-ji. Because Kennin-ji belongs to the Rinzai Sect, we can suppose that Master Dogen also received a Koan from the Master, and that he also considered the meaning of the Koan during Zazen as a method to get Enlightenment. Such a method is different from the practice of Zazen itself. But Master Dogen was a very sharp-minded person, so much so that it was likely impossible for him to have the misunderstanding that he had attained the so-called Enlightenment, when the fact was he had not attained anything. Therefore we can suppose that he might have worried about the fact that he hadn't experienced so-called Enlightenment at all. Perhaps then Master Dogen had doubts about whether Zazen, as it was practiced in Japan at that time, was true or not. So he might have begun to want to go to China, in order to research the true Buddhist practice of Zazen, which was done in China at that time. But at that time Master Butsuju Myozen, who had become the

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second Master of Kennin-ji succeeding Master Eisai, might have had the same idea as Master Dogen. Butsuju Myozen also had the hope to visit China to experience the real situation of Chinese Buddhism and Zazen directly. So Master Myozen and Master Dogen decided to visit China together in order to get Enlightenment there. MASTER MYOZEN AND MASTER DOGEN IN CHINA Unfortunately, Master Myozen fell ill about two years after they arrived in China. He died in Tendozan Keitoku-ji on 27th May, 1225. Master Dogen continued traveling to several Chinese Buddhist temples, one by one. He hoped to meet a true Buddhist Master, by whom he (Master Dogen) could be satisfied. On the 1st of May in 1225, Master Dogen met Master Tendo Nyojo, who had become the Master of Tendozan Keitoku-ji. After that, Master Dogen studied Buddhism under Master Tendo Nyojo until his return to Japan in 1227. The value of the historical fact that Master Dogen met with Master Tendo Nyojo is very great. Before meeting with Master Tendo Nyojo, Master Dogen practiced Zazen on the basis of the idea that by practicing Zazen practioners could get Enlightenment, which is different from the actual practice of Zazen itself. It was due to Master Dogen's great concern about the fact that he couldn't get the so-called enlightenment, that he visited China. But Master Tendo Nyojo's Buddhist teachings were completely

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different from what Master Dogen expected. As Master Dogen described in the Shobogenzo chapter entitled 'Gyoji' (Chapter 30), Master Tendo Nyojo proclaimed that, "To practice Zazen is just to get rid of body and mind. It is not necessary for us to burn incense, recite Buddha's names, confess our sins, or read Sutras, at all. But if we just sit, everything has been got already since the beginning." These words suggest that "To practice Zazen is just to make the autonomic nervous system balanced and get rid of the consciousness of body and mind. If we practice Zazen solely, the getting rid of the consciousness of our body and mind has already been realized since the beginning." This way of thinking is one of the most important principles of Buddhist philosophy. Zazen is never any idea that the method is to practice Zazen, and the aim is to get Enlightenment. The practice of Zazen is not to be viewed as some instrumental means to a separate end called Enlightenment. Zazen is just the act of sitting at the present moment. So it is absolutely necessary for us to think that in Zazen the aim and the method are perfectly combined into one by the act of sitting itself. Therefore it is very important for us to practice Zazen as the first enlightenment, and it is not necessary for us to worry about if, or when, the second enlightenment will come. The first enlightenment is just the practice of Zazen itself at the present moment. The second enlightenment is just the perfect understanding of the Buddhist philosophical system based on the Buddhist practitioner's sincere daily life on the basis of practicing Zazen. MASTER DOGEN'S HOMECOMING

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Master Dogen returned to Japan in 1227. He was 27 years old. Upon return, someone asked him, "What have you brought back from China?" At that time he answered "Nothing." And then he added, "If it is necessary for me to say something, it might be (what I have brought is) The Flexible and Soft Mind." And we can interpret his words to indicate our body and mind, as they are, in the balanced state of the autonomic nervous system. WRITING FUKAN-ZAZEN-GI Master Dogen, who had come back from China, stayed in Kyushu for a while, then he entered Kennin-ji in Kyoto once again. At that time we can think that he might have had a very strong feeling of duty to spread the true Buddhism in Japan, the Buddhism he had studied and learned under Master Tendo Nyojo in China. He wrote about this situation in the Shobogenzo chapter entitled 'Bendo' (Chapter 1.), saying it was as if he was carrying a very heavy burden on his shoulders. Therefore we can think of "Fukan-Zazen-Gi" as Master Dogen's proclamation for opening his teachings. There are two different editions of Fukan-Zazen-Gi. One is called "Shinpitsu-Bon", and the other is called "Rufu-Bon." The "Shinpitsu-Bon" means the edition that was written in his own calligraphy, and "Rufu-Bon" suggests the edition that has been spread widely to the public. "Shinpitsu-Bon" was written with a style of Chinese characters that

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was new at the time, and so it was designated as a National Treasure. It has been preserved in the Eihei-ji Treasury, where it remains at present. After reading it again and again, I suppose that "Rufu-Bon" has been revised and polished a great many times by Master Dogen himself. So I think that "Rufu-Bon" might be the fully accomplished version and the best version to be used as the standard edition of Fukan-Zazen-Gi.

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Fukan-Zazen-Gi (2) The original text of Rufu-Bon

June 22, 2006 Fukan-Zazen-Gi In general, when we pursue the truth, the fundamental truth purvades throughout the universe, and so it seems to be perfectly unnecessary for us to rely upon the practice or the experience (of Zazen). Furthermore, the methods of arriving at the fundamental principles naturally exist, and so how is it necessary for us to exhaust our efforts (for getting the truth)? Especially in our case, we, Buddhists, have already perfectly left the value of secular societies like garbage and dust. How is it necessary for anyone to believe in the necessity of methods to brush or wipe away those secular values? Generally speaking we usually have not lost the adequate situations, and so how is it possible for us to necessarily utilize a bit of the tip of the edges of the feet (of Zazen) at all? However, even if there was just a bit of the smallest gap, then the gap would become bigger and bigger as if it were like the distance between heaven and earth; and if the smallest difference slightly occured between right and wrong, we would have to lose our mind perfectly in serious confusion. Even if we were so proud of our sharp intellectual understanding, and were full of intuitive decisions, getting sharp intuitive

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enlightenment in a perfectly independent area, getting the ultimate truth, clarifying the human mind, and even though we were elegantly strolling through situations, having the strong confidence that our intellectual thinking ability has surely entered into the real world, having the strong and sharp mind of piercing heaven, (but actually looking at the situations), it seemed to be perfectly impossible for us to avoid the faculty of intellectual consideration to get the vigorous state of real acts in the area of reality. Furthermore, we can trace even the clear footprints by the genius (Gautama Buddha) of Jetavana Anathapindikarama, who made his efforts to practice Zazen for 6 years, and we can still hear even today the famous Master's information in Shorin-temple (Bodhi Dharma), who practiced Zazen facing the wall for 9 years. Even the ancient great Masters have shown their excellent example like those. How, then, is it possible for us to pass a bit of time of a day without practicing Zazen? Therefore, we should stop the intellectual efforts of researching words and pursuing speeches at once, and should begin to learn the study of stepping back by illuminating ourselves. (Then the consciousness of) body and mind will drop off from us naturally at once, and our original face and eyes will manifest themselves suddenly. If we would like to get such a situation as this at once, we should do it at once, without any hesitation at all. In general, when we practice Zazen, a quiet room is preferable. Eating and drinking should be moderate. Miscellaneous circumstances should be thrown away perfectly, stopping all kinds

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of jobs, don't think about good and bad, and don't have any concern between right and wrong. Stopping motion of mind, will, and consciousness, stopping consideration by image, thoughts, and intuition, and never intend to become Buddha! Such a state of practicing Zazen does never relate with sitting and lying down in our daily life. At the place, where we sit, we usually spread a thick matting, and we use a round cushion. Sometimes we use the full-lotus posture, and sometimes we use the half-lotus posture. In the case of the full-lotus posture, first we place the right foot on the left thigh, and then we place the left foot on the right thigh. In the case of the half-lotus posture, we push the right thigh with the left foot. Covering over (the feet and the thighs) with wearing clothes, and it is necessary for us to make them orderly and neat. Then, place the right hand over the left foot, and place the left hand on the right hand, having the two tips of thumbs touching together against each other. Just then keep your posture in the regulated sitting exactly. Don't lean to the left, don't incline to right, don't slouch forward, and don't lean backward. It is necessary for us to keep the ears and the shoulders contrasted in parallel (parallel to eachother), and the nose and the navel should be contrasted (in line with eachother). Hold the tongue against the palate, keep the lips and teeth closed, and the eyes should always be kept open . Breathe softly through the nose, and after already regulating the posture, take a deep breath once, and swing the trunk right and left. Then sit stably without motion, similar to a mountain, and think the state without thinking. How can we think the state without thinking. It is different from thinking. This is just the summarized method of Zazen.

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What is called Zazen can never be the so-called learning of Zen, but it is just the peaceful and pleasant entrance into Dharma. It is just the fusion of practice and experience to realize the truth perfectly. The rule of the universe has been relized already, and there is no possibility for net and cage to enter, which can capture the practioner. If we have grasped this meaning already, (our situations) might be the same as a dragon, which has got water, or a tiger, which stands up in front of a mountain guarding itself with the mountain. We should know the facts that the true universal rules manifest themselves first, and the states of both melancholy and gaiety fall down on the ground at once. When we stand up from the sitting, we move the body slowly and gradually, then we should stand up peacefully and happily. Never should (our getting up) be hasty or violent. We have studied since the ancient time that the transcending ordinary poeple, or the overcoming saints, and the dying in Zazen and losing life standing still, have come from relying upon the power of balance, which has been got from Zazen. Furthermore, the seriously important changing moment like the pointing finger of Master Gutei, the bringing poles down by Master Ananda, the using a needle by Master Nagarjuna for teaching Kanadeva, and the clapping block utilized by Master Manjusri, or the experienced states, which are indicated by a whisk, a fist, a staff, or a shout, can never be understood at all by mental consideration or intellectual distinction. How is it possible for them to be understood by mystical ability, or by the separation between

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practice and experience? They might be the dignified form out of voice or color. How is it not possible for them to be different from criteria before knowledge or view? Therefore, we should never discuss whether we are superior cleverness, or inferior stupidity. We should never prefer between a clever person or a foolish person. If we make our efforts wholeheartedly, it might be just pursuing the truth. The practice and the experience do never taint with each other, and the attitudes to go forward are much further balanced and constant. Inside ourselves and outside the external world, or the western,(India), and the eastern lands, we have kept the characteristics of Buddhas equally, and manifest the behaviors of fundamentally traditional habits solely, that is just to sit in Zazen, being restricted by the state of no motion. Even though there might exist tens of thousands of differences, or thousands of differences (in methods of Zazen,) just do Zazen and make our efforts for pursuing the Truth. How is it possible for us to forget our own sitting places by going to and coming back from others' dusty countries? If we have made a mistake in the smallest step, we have to make a stumbling, or mistakes just at the moment. We have fortunately got the important situations of human body already, therefore how is it possible for us to spend a bit of time without doing anything uselessly at all? Fortunately we have maintained the human body and mind, which are the very important substance for pursuing Buddhist Truth, and so how is it possible for whom to enjoy the slightest instant joy like a spark of a flint at a moment, in vain at all? Furthermore, the physical substance is as transient as a dew on a

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plant's leaf, and the situation of human life seems to be so similar to a flash of lightning. It has suddenly become vacant, and it has been lost at once. Therefore, I would like to ask for those higher poeple, who are practicing and pursuing the Truth, that being accustomed to the miscellaneous images of imitative dragons, do not fear to meet the real dragon actually! Please make your efforts in the practice of Zazen, which indicates the Truth directly, revere a personality, who has transcended learning and having any kind of intention, become perfectly indentified with the Truth of the Buddhas, and receive the balanced state of the Patriarchs authentically. If you practice what is the ineffable, (which is Zazen,) it is impossible for you to avoid becoming the ineffable. The grand warehouse of jewels will become open naturally, and you have got the perfect freedom to get jewels and utilize them without any hindrance. The End of Fukan-Zazen-Gi

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Fukan-Zazen-Gi (3) Interpretations

July 09, 2006 Generally speaking we can say that, what is necessary to write about Zazen, was written by Master Dogen in Fukan-Zazen-Gi, and what is not necessary to be written is not written in Fukan-Zazen-Gi. Therefore, what is written in Fukan-Zazen-Gi, has always inevitably had important value, and so I would like to trace through all of its sentences again according to my interpretations. (1) Affirmation of the Real World In general, a person, who absolutely believes in an idealistic philosophy, usually thinks that what they think in their brain is the highest criteria in the world. Therefore, they think that the real world, which is different from their ldeal, is always imperfect, that it is always unsatisfactory. But at the same time, there are people who believe in a materialistic philosophy, who think that it is very clear that this world is made of matter. To them, the world strictly made of matter, is never satisfactory, but it is the one and only world in which we can live. And so, they think, if we want to make this world better, it is necessary for us to destroy the world. In Buddhism, however, the world, where we are living now, is only one world, which really exists. So it is necessary for us to affirm the real situation of the world. It is inevitable for us to live in the world and to make the world a little better as much as possible. Master

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Dogen proclaimed that, generally speaking, human beings believe they are living usually in an adequate situation, and so to them it seems to be unnecessary to pursue the truth relying upon practice and experience. (2) Real Situations of Human Life When, however, we actually examine the real life of human beings, we find that our situations are not so adequate and easy. For example, when a very small problem occurs in our daily life, that small problem oftens becomes bigger and bigger, and it will usually grow so big that it will usually become very difficult for us to solve the problem at all. With a sharp mind and an excellent intuitive ability, we seem to acquire great understanding of our particular problems. This apparant understanding of the problem gives rise to a very strong confidence in our mental ability. This confidence is so strong that it becomes impossible for us to enter into the area of real act, the area that is beyond our mental function. (3) Real Excellency of the Ancient Masters Looking at the excellent Masters of the ancient past, we find that Gautama Buddha practiced Zazen at Jetanava Anathapindikarama for 6 years, and the Great Master Bodhi Dharma in Shorin Temple, practiced Zazen for 9 years. Those excellent Masters have practiced Zazen enormously, and so it is inevitable for us to practice Zazen as well. (4) Real Contents of Zazen

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The real contents of practicing Zazen is never the same as researching words, or pursuing the meaning of sentences. It is to turn the direction of the light inside to illuminate ourselves for reflection. Then our consciousness of our body and mind vanishes naturally, and our original eyes and faces manifest themselves actually. Therefore, if we want to experience such a kind of reality, which cannot be described with words, it is necessary for us to realize it by the act of Zazen. (5) Circumstances of Zazen Originally, it is better for us to utilize a quiet room, and drinking and eating should be moderate. Throwing away all circumstances, and stopping all of our jobs for a little while, we should never have any consideration of good and bad, and we should never have any interest in the true or the false. Stopping the functions of mind, will, and consciousness, and stopping the consideration of images, verbal and other types of consideration, intuition, and so forth, we should never even intend to become Buddhas. The situation of Zazen is completely different from the usual types of sitting and lying down in our daily lives. (6) The Concrete Methods of Zazen We usually spread a thick mat at the place of sitting. At the time when Master Dogen lived, even in Japanese houses, mats were not used so much. So when they practiced Zazen, they needed to use a mat on the wooden floors. And on the mat they used a special

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round cushion called Zafu. In Zazen, sometimes we use the full-lotus posture, and sometime we use the half-lotus posture. In the case of the full-lotus posture, first we place the right foot on the left thigh, and then we place the left foot on the left thigh. In the case of the half-lotus posture, we push the right thigh with the left foot. In the case of the half-lotus posture the description Master Dogen used the phrase "to push." Such a description might suggest a little looser folding of the legs. There is a problem concerning whether it is permissible for us to change the legs right and left. Master Kodo Sawaki clearly explained that, "Master Dogen has given only one example." So we can interpret that it is permissible for us to change the legs right and left during Zazen, if it is necessary. The clothes should be placed over the legs and the feet softly and neatly. Then the right hand should be placed over the left leg, and the left hand should be placed on the right hand. When the positions of feet are opposite, the position of hands also should be opposite. The two tops of thumbs should be put together, and they should be placed in front of the navel. Then just sit in the regular posture, without leaning to the left, without inclining to the right, without slouching forward, and without leaning backward. The horizontal line of the shoulders and the horizontal line of the ears should be parallel and the nose and the navel should be constrasted vertically.

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Hold the tongue against the palate, and the lips and teeth should be closed. The eyes should always be kept open. Breathe softly through the nose, and after having regulated the posture truly, take a deep breath once, and swing the trunk right and left. Then sit stably without motion, similar to a mountain, and think the state without thinking. How can we think the state without thinking? It is decisively different from thinking. This is just the summarized method of Zazen. Therefore we should never think that "to think about not thinking" is a kind of thinking at all. (7) The real substance of Zazen The practice of Zazen is never an effort to become balanced, but it is just the state, which has realized the balanced state of body and mind in the universe already. It is just the perfectly realized truth, and the fusion between practice and experience. The rule of the universe has been realized already, and any hindrance, or any restriction, hasn't appeared at all. If we have begun to recognize such a situation, we are like Dragons, which have become very vigorous getting water, and we are like tigers, which were guarding themselves in front of a big mountain. First of all, the rule of the universe has been realized in front of us, and both the gloomy darkness, which comes from the stronger sympathetic nervous system, and the flimsy easiness, which comes from the stronger parasympathetic nervous system, have vanished already, and we should experience such real situations directly and exactly. (8) Finishing Zazen

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After finishing Zazen, when we stand up from the sitting, we should stand up slowly, keeping our stable condition peacefully. We should never be hasty or violent. (9) Effects of Zazen When we look at the real effects of Zazen, the state, which has transcended both ordinary people and the saints, has appeared from the practicing of Zazen, and an example of death during Zazen, or an example of death standing still, comes from the effect of practicing Zazen. Furthermore, Master Gutei in China, always held up his forefinger to answer all questions of Buddhist philosophy. In the case of Master Ananda, he realized the truth, when he was putting flagpoles down in order. Master Nagarjuna threw a steel needle into water to simbolize a becoming monk. Bhodhisattva Manjusri utilized a hard wooden clapper. These examples have always come from practicing Zazen. And when Buddhist Masters teach their students, they use a whisk, a fist, a staff, or a shout. Such explanations can never be understood by the mental ability of thinking, or distinction. It might be perhaps a dignifided form, which transcends verbal expressions and external form. How is it possible for us to deny that they belong to the criteria, which are beyond intellectual consideration, or sense perception. Of course, when Master Dogen lived, human beings had no knowledge of the autonomic nervous system. But we can think that Master Dogen clearly noticed that the effects of Zazen could never be related with intellectual consideration or sense perception at all.

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(10) No Relation with Cleverness or Foolishness Therefore it is not necessary for us to discuss whether people are clever or foolish, or whether they are preferable, or not. If someone practices Zazen sincerely, it might be just the pursuit of the truth. The practice and experience are originally the perfect fusion of the two, and so they are never separated from each other. The direction of going is always identified into one, and they are always balanced and eternal. (11) Universality of Buddhism Generally speaking, in the area where we are living, and in the different areas, where others are living, or in India, or in the West, or in China, or Japan in the East, Buddhism has common characteristics, which Gautama Buddha has taught us. It has occupied the fundamental attitudes exclusively, and because we practice Zazen so sincerely, we are just self-regulated in the perfectly stable situation. Therefore even though there are so many differences among us, relying upon the balanced state of Zazen, we should make our efforts to pursue the truth. How could there be any kind of necessity for us to have to throw away the place, where we should keep for our practicing Zazen, in order to run about in confusion? If we make even one mistake at the present moment, we have to commit the mistake just at the moment. Fortunately we have got the valuable life as a human being, and have been given the important ability to practice Zazen. So we should never spend our valuable time doing useless hobbies in vain. We have already kept the valuable practice, which Gautama Buddha has presented

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us. How is it possible for us to spend such valuable time for any kind of useless pleasure at all? (12) Entreaties to All Buddhists Through the World Furthermore, our physical substance is so transitory like a dewdrop on a leaf, and the changeable condition of our human life is very similar to a momentary flash of lightning. They vanish suddenly, and they are lost in a moment. Therefore Master Dogen entreated to all Buddhists through the world whole-heartedly that, "Because of having been accustomed to the artificial images of dragons for a long time, you do not doubt the truly real dragon, that is, Zazen." I would like to ask you to make your efforts to do Zazen, which is just the truth, that can be shown by itself as it is. Please revere the person, who has transcended scientific knowledge and forgotten intentional efforts. Please identify your truth with the truth, which many traditional Masters have kept, and please succeed the balanced state of the authonomic nervous system, which many traditional Buddhist patriarchs have succeeded authentically. If those kinds of efforts are practiced for a long time, those efforts might be something which can never be described with words. The door of the gorgeous jewelry warehouse will be opened, and it will be possible for you to utilize the jewels of the warehouse well in your perfect freedom.

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Fukan-Zazen-Gi (4) Real Situation of Zazen

July 20, 2006 After explaining Fukan-Zazen-Gi, I would like to add some concrete knowledge on Zazen. (1) Without practicing Zazen everyday, it is useless for us to practice Zazen Zazen is a practice to realize the balanced state of the autonomic nervous system. Because the balanced state of the autonomic nervous system is a momentary state, if we have lost the balance for some reason in our daily life, it is necessary for us to practice Zazen as soon as possible to recover the balanced state at once. Therefore Master Dogen also recommended us to practice Zazen four times a day regularly. However, there are many differences in human societies since the time when Master Dogen lived, and so we should select the lifestyle, which is convenient for our daily practice of Zazen. Nowadays most of us live in modern capitalistic societies, and so we usually need to get monetary income regularly. Therefore, if we want to continue our practice of Zazen everyday, we need to find an adequate time to practice Zazen, which is suitable to our daily life and also allows us time to get some monetary income regularly. In my case, I practice Zazen in the morning for 30 minutes, and in the evening also 30 minutes after retiring from Dogen Sangha in Ichikawa City. Therefore I would like to recommend all people in the world to practice Zazen everyday following their own adequate

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schedule. (2) Misunderstanding of "Satori," or "Enlightenment" It is true that there is a fact, which is called "Satori," or "enlightenment" in Buddhism, but in fact there are so many misunderstandings of enlightenment in Buddhism. For example, some insist that if we are practicing Zazen diligently, our mental and physical conditions change suddenly, and a miraculously splendid situation manifests itself at once. But it is very important for us to notice that those kinds of miraculously splendid facts do never manifests on the earth at all. Such stories come from an exaggarated apparition, or a fantastic pretention. Because we are just living in the real world, and in the real world it is impossible for us to meet such miraculous facts at all. If we are affirmative to idealistic philosophy, we can imagine the possibility of such a fantastic story. But we, Buddhists, who are just realists, should never believe in such an idealistic story. At the same time there is another story, which is also related to so-called enlightenment. Some Buddhist practioners insist that if we practice Zazen intensively and enormously, we can meet very strange physical situations, in which we can experience unusual and fantastic situations. If we follow an unhealthy schedule and practice Zazn in unhealthy conditions, it is true that we have to meet many kinds of physical disorders, or confusion, and we will lose our healthy and stable condition at once. Therefore it is necessary for us to think in accord with what is true, and that is that we always

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need to be healthy. So there is much confusion in Buddhism, which has come from the misunderstanding of enlightenment. In the case of Master Dogen, when he was in Japan before visiting China, he had also the same misunderstanding of enlightenment. At that time he was also very dilligent in practicing Zazen in order to get enlightenment. But while visiting China, he met Master Tendo Nyojo. And Master Tendo Nyojo proclaimed that "To practice Zazen is just throwing away both consciousnesses of body and mind. If we just practice Zazen, we can get the state (of enlightenment) just from the beginning at once." Hearing this from Master Tendo Nyojo, Master Dogen realized what enlightenment was. And he noticed that the first enlightenment is just to practice Zazen itself. (3) The True Enlightenment The true enlightenment in Buddhism is just to practice Zazen itslf. In the Euro-American Civilization, from which we have received so many benefits, there are two kinds of value. One is the very sharp and exact intellectual consideration, which has been produced by so many excellent philosophical thinkers, and the other is the direct and clear sensuous beauty, which also has been produced by so many excellent fine artists. However, in Buddhism we are making our efforts to transcend both intellectual consideration and sense perception to find the real world itself.

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Therefore, relying upon the practice of Zazen when we make our autonomic nervous system balanced, the sympathetic nervous system, which is the cause of intellectual thoughts, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the cause of sense perception, become plus/minus/zero, and we, human beings, can live in the real world, or the world of the truth directly. This is just the first enlightenment. In another words, when we practice Zazen every day, and when we are keeping our autonomic nervous system balanced, it is just the time when we are enlightened. And if we continue our practice of Zazen every day, we can keep our balanced autonomic nervous system every day, and so we can think about all kinds of philosophical problems on the basis of realism, leaving from idealism and materialism. I think that this experience includes the very valuable and very strong power to erase our former idealistic or materialistic life habits, and we can just live in reality completely. Relying upon such a habit we can think about all philosophical problems on the basis of realism every day. When we have solved all philosophical problems on the basis of Buddhist realism, then the perfect understanding of all philosophical problems on the basis of Buddhist realism will come. This is called the second enlightenment. Reading the examples of Chinese Buddhist Masters, for example, Master Joshu Jushin, and Master Reiun Shigon, they both needed more than 30 years to get the second enlightenment. It takes rather a long time. But it is not necessary for us to worry about the fact that it takes too much time to get the second enlightenment. Because if

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we practice Zazen every day, we can enter into enlightenment itself at once. In other words we can get the enlightenment every day, so there is no problem for us to worry about it. (4) Concepts of Emptiness (Ku), or Nothingness (Mu), are Completely Wrong In the Buddhist societies today, many people insist that the fundamental Buddhist philosophy is a kind of nihilism, and many Buddhist thinkers insist that the fundamental Buddhist theory is that this world is not the real world, and that such nihilistic thought is Buddhism. But I think that this interpretation of Buddhism is completely wrong. This wrong understanding Buddhism as nihilism comes from the very seriously incorrect translation of Master Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamaka-karika by Kumarajiva, an ancient Indian scholar of the Chinese language. Mulamadhyamaka-karika was written around the 3rd Century by Nagarjuna, and in 4th Century Kumarajiva translated Mulamadhyamaka-karika into Chinese. But when I read Mulamadyamaka-karika in Sanskrit directly, it is very clear that Kumarajiva didn't understand the true meaning of Mulamadhymaka-karika at all. Therefore the translation of Mulamadyamaka-karika in Chinese by Kumarajiva does not express any true meaning of MMK (from here I would like to use the abbreviation of MMK) at all. But Kumarajiva's translation was done as a part of the Chinese governmental translating project, and so his translation was authorized in China, and the influence of it was enormous in the Oriental societies. Therefore, in Mahayana

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Buddhism in the Oriental societies, the orthodox Buddhist thinkers usually insist that Buddhism is a kind of nihilism, which insists that the world is not real, but that it is an abstract image of emptiness. However when we read MMK in Sanskrit carefully from the original text, MMK is just an example of the fundamental Buddhist thought, which explains that Buddhism is just Realism, which clearly believes that this world really exists. (5) Realism in MMK When we read the original text of MMK in Sanskrit, it is very clear that MMK is a book which insists that Buddhism is just a realistic philosophy. This is without doubt. MMK is divided into 27 Chapters, but even reading only the 1st chapter, it is very clear that Buddhism is just a realistic philosophy without fail. The 1st chapter of MMK is entitled "pratyaya" in Sanskrit, which means belief, or faith. So we can interpret that Nagarjuna proclaims the fundamental Buddhist thoughts, which pervade throughout the total MMK. In this chapter Nagarjna desribes that this world is the real world, where everything exists really as it is. Therefore I selcted the title of "Reliable Facts" as the title of the 1st chapter in my English translation. The 1st chapter includes 14 verses,. In the 1st verse, Nagarjuna insists that "subjectivity" is not real, and also "objectivity" is not real. "Subjectivity" is a tanslation of Sanskrit word "svata", and "objectivity" is a translation of Sanskrit word "parata". I interpret that the word subjectivity means our thoughts, which we produce in our

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brain, and the word objectivity means our sense perception, which stimulate our sense organs. Therefore I understand that Nagarjuna proclaimed that ideas, which are produced in our brains, are not real, and sense perception, which is excitement in our sense organs, is also not real. And so I interpret that Nagarjuna denies both the real existence of ideas and of sense stimuli. This suggests that Nagarjuna fundamentally denies both idealistic philosophies and materialistic philophies exactly. I think that the Buddhist idea, which denies both idealism and materialism, is a very important point, when we want to understand Buddhist philosophy, because the absolute denial of idealism and materialism in Buddhism suggests that Buddhism has a rather strong criticism of intellectual consideration. However, where can we find any kind of philosophy, which is different from intellectual philosophy? Related to this question, Buddhism proclaims fundamentally the existence of practical philosophy, which is dimensionally different from intellectual philosophy. Therefore, even though this absolutely strong denial of idealism and materialism seems to be some kind of affirmation of nihilistic Buddhist thoughts, which was Kumarajiva's wrong interpretation, the fact is never like that at all. We can know this because in the 2nd verse of the 1st Chapter, Nagarjuna indicates four entities as real exsistence. The first one is the reason, or the rule of the universe, which pervades throughout the universe. The second one is the external world, where we are just living now. The third one is the present moment, when our act is done. The fourth is Reality itself, which can be identified with God.

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And Nagarjuna bravely asserts absolutely that there is no fifth, and so relying upon his decisive attitude, we can suppose he had very strong confidence in his own Realism. In the 4th verse in the 1st chapter, he says that those four factors of Reality are identified with our human act at the present moment. In the 9th verse he insists that our real act at the present moment in our daily life is just the same as the whole universe. In other words our real act at the present moment in our daily life is just the same as the whole universe itself. And I think that this kind of Realism of Nagarjuna's must be the same as Gautama Buddha's Realism, Master Boddhi Dharma's Realism, and Master Dogen's Realism. (6) A Place for Zazen A place for Zazen is not always necessary to be wide, but Master Dogen says "It is sufficient enough for us to have a space, where we can keep our body to enter." (7) The Posture In Zazen, the true posture of Zazen is very important, and Master Dogen describes the concrete and exact postures so precisely, therefore we have to follow his instructions sincerely. For example, even in Buddhist sects in Japan, there is an example of using a chair for Zazen, but I think that such a kind of compromising

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attitudes should be avoided. The most important posture in Zazen is to keep the spine from the lower part, the backbones, the neckbones, and the top of the head a little backward, into a straight and vertical line as much as possible. Therefore, to do so, it is necessary for us to pull the chin backward and downward as far as possible for fixing the total spine. Without this posture, it is difficult for us to avoid intellectual considerations during Zazen. Without the fixed posture, a relaxed posture in Zazen sometimes becomes a cause of irritation because of the difficulty to stop thinking. (8) Method of Breathing Even though there are so many methods of breathing in Zazen, which have been transmitted traditionally or through legends in Buddhist societies, I think that for such a problem it is very adequate for us to follow Master Dogen's teachings, which he has shown in chapter 5 of Eihei-koroku (the consecutive number in the total paragraphs is 390) as a record of his formal lecture, which has been done in the Lecture Hall. About Eihei-koroku, there is a very reliable eddition, which has been founded by Master Kishizawa I-an in the warehouse of Eihei-ji temple some decades ago. The Abbot of Eihei-ji temple, Master Niwa Rempo has reprinted this version (Kanazawa Bunko in Tokyo publishes it), So I think it might be much reliable for us to utilize this edition. In Eihei-koroku even when Master Dogen describes the method of breathing in Zazen, he insists first on the importance of keeping the

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regular postue exactly, and then he describes the method of breathing. Therefore we can notice how much Master Dogen reveres the regulated posture of Zazen. First, Master Dogen denies the regulation of breath, and the practice of keeping the mind at the highest grade, which are much revered in Hinayana Buddhism. We can interpret that Master Dogen clearly recognizes that Buddhism is never idealistic philosophy, and so he clearly notices that the idealistic efforts in Hinayana Buddhism can never be Buddhism. Therefore, even though there is the method of counting the number of breaths during Zazen in Hinayana Buddhism, Master Dogen clearly refuses such an incorrect method. In relation to Mahayana Buddhism, even though Mahayana Buddhists sometimes insist that when the breath is long, we should recognize that it is long, and when it is short, we should recognize that it is short. In short, we should accept the real fact as it is, and we should not do any kind of intentional efforts. Therefore, in Mahayana Buddhism there is the habit to do a special breathing method, one which is done by inhaling the air by utilizing the abdomen, and exhaling the air by utilizing the abdomen. But Master Dogen also denies such a special method. And at the end of his lecture he describes his own opinion of breathing situations, then he says that "When we are vigorous, then we practice Zazen. When we feel hungry, we eat meals, and then we feel satisfaction sufficiently." These words suggest that the practicing of Zazen is also our vigorous activity in our daily life, and

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so it is not necessary for us to have any kind of intellectual criteria, or strange habits. Master Dogen encourages us just to enjoy the practice of Zazen, without worrying about the intellectual interpretation.

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Dogen Sangha (1) The Sprout

July 28, 2006 Buddhism and I Even though I have now become 85 years old, when I reflect on my life in the past, I feel very happy that I have met with Buddhism in my life, and to have continued studying it. And having understood the total meaning of Buddhism, I am now posting my Dogen Sangha Blog to all people in the world. When I was young I didn't have any idea that there was only one truth, which can survey throughout the universe, but after meeting with Buddhist philosophy, which Gautama Buddha has established, I have begun to believe in Buddhism absolutely, and have spent more than 60 years studying Buddhism, practicing Buddhism, teaching Buddhism, and spreading Buddhism as far as possible. And recently I have begun to post Dogen Sangha Blog through the world, and feel very happy to spread Buddhism through the world by this method. Of course the religious situations of the world are not so simple, and there are so many seriously difficult problems accumulated in the world related to religious views, the problem of Islam being only one such example. The situations are so complicated, and even though so many excellent politicians, religious people, and scholars are making their efforts to solve the problems, still it does not seem to be so easy for human beings to solve such religious problems. Fortunately for me, I met with Buddhism. Buddhism insists that we

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should throw away the two fundamentally incorrect philosophies, that is, idealism and materialism, and we should directly accept reality itself. When I heard this theory for the first time, I was much surprised, and it was very difficult for me to accept it. But when I began to study Buddhism, I found that Buddhism is a so reasonable theory, which can persuade us to indicate the one-sided and imperfect characteristics of idealism and materialism, and open our eyes to the direct situations of reality. Having studied such a so simple and so direct philosophy, I was much surprised, but it was inevitable for me to refuse the so understandable and so practical teachings of Buddhism at all. Buddhism and My Family The family in which I was bought up was not so religious family. Following the common situations of Japanese family life at that time, my father cleansed a small Shintoistic alter near the ceiling, and changed the leaves, water, Sake, at the beginning of every month, but he was not a so sincere believer of Shintoism. My mother was very diligent to visit a Shinto Shrine near my house, but she was also not so sincere a believer of Shintoism. Therefore in my case I did not have any religious belief to influence me so much. The Second World War and Buddhism Following my family life I was not so religious in my childhood, but in 1932, and in 1936, the two big accidents of coup d'etat occured in Japan, and the political confrontation between the nationalistic militarism, and Marxist communism, had become sharper and

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sharper, and so it was inevitable for me to think which is true between the two, as the problem of the fundamental religious viewpoints had become so serious. In such situations I had a chance to attend a Buddhist retreat, which was presided by Master Kodo Sawaki, at a temple called Daichu-ji in Tochigi Prefecture in the northern district from Tokyo. And at that time I heard the very clear proclamation of Master Kodo Sawaki that "The right wing is wrong, and the left wing is also wrong." And listening to his proclamation, I thought that this idea might be true.

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Dogen Sangha (2) Before the Sprout

August 02, 2006 It might be inevitable for me as a human being to be influenced by genes following the Rule of Cause and Effect. Therefore I would like to write a very short record of my grandparents and my own parents for reference of my becoming a Buddhist monk. Grandparents on the Father's Side The grandfather was called Tanemi Koganemaru, who was a warrior of the Fukuoka Feudal Clan. And even though the Fukuoka Feudal Clan was loyal to the Tokugawa Government, he was very enthusiastic about establishing the new Imperial Government. Therefore before the establishment of the Imperial Government, the grandfather was caught by the police of the Clan, and he was in a jail in the castle when the Imperial Government was established. Therefore he could become free at that time suddenly, and came back to his family life. On the west side of Fukuoka City there is a small mountain called Kaya Mountain, (or Tsukushi Fuji), and at the foot of the mountain, there was a village called Koganemaru Village, where almost all families were called Koganemaru. And it is said that a warrior called Kuniomi Hirano stayed with the main family of the village, and later he became the leader of the revolt at Ikuno Silver Mine in Hyogo Prefecture against the Tokugawa Government, and so we can guess that the grandfather might have been much influenced by Hirano's instuctions of loyality to the Imperial Government.

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After the establishment of the Imperial Government because of situations, of which I have explained a little above, the grandfather worked as an assistant of Soho Tokutomi, who was very famous as a historian at that time. However, it seems that the grandfather was not so happy in his economical conditions. The grandmother was so diligent to bring up two sons by herself alone during her husband's absence from his family life, and of the two brothers, the younger one was my father, Iwao Nishijima. The grandfather had taken off his family name by the Clan when he was in the jail, and so he was given the new family name from the Clan, the name Nishijima. Grandparents on the Mother's Side The grandfather on the mother's side was called Sukeyoshi Terai, who was a warrior of the Tokugawa Government, and so after the Imperial Government established, he followed the Tokugawa Governmental Army for fighting against the new Government to Aizu City in the North-East District of Japan. However, he was a very sincere believer in a personal God called Sugawara Michizane, and so when he dreamt that Sugawara Michizane appeared in a dream, advising him to return to Tokyo, he followed such advice, and he came back to Tokyo. Later he became an officer in Yokohama City as the chief of a section. At the same time he was a teacher of Haiku in a traditional old style. When my mother was very young, his wife died, and so my mother was brought up by the new mother in law.

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Dogen Sangha (3) The Special Training By Father

August 06, 2006 The Special Training by Father When I think about why I was so attracted to Buddhism, even though I was not brought up in an especially religious family, I usually remember the special training of running that I received from my father in my childhood. By the time I became 6 or 7 years old, I was not so stout a boy. My physical size was rather small, and it could not be viewed as strong. At the athletic meets held each year in primary school, I always came in last. Because of this, I suppose that my father worried about my situation. One evening after dinner, my father recommended that we go out for a walk together. After walking a bit, he found a place where it was not so crowded. Then he ordered me to run to an electric light pole a short distance from us, and to run back again to the starting place where we were standing. I couldn't understand the reason why he said so at all, but there was no reason for me to refuse doing it. And so, I followed my father's order every evening. Without noticing it, the length of the run became longer and longer. Also, the time of day that I ran changed from evening to morning. As I continued, the distance of my run lengthened enormously, and so I began to notice that I was running a rather long distance, about 3 kilometers already. Each day, while I was running, my father waited

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for me at the starting place, and so, for example in winter, I guess that it was very cold for father to wait for my return on the street, but he continued to make such dedicated and difficult efforts for several years without stop. In my case, however, enormous changes began to occur in my private life. In my primary school, from the first year to the third year, I came always in last in the athletic meet race. But, from the fourth year to the sixth and final year of primary school, I always won first place in the race. At the same time, other kinds of changes also occured. For example, even though I was clearly a child, I felt that my childish tendency had vanished, and my attitudes in my daily life had become much more similar to an adult. It seemed that I had lost a childish tendency to be sometimes enormously joyful, and sometimes to be enormously sad. I had become much more calm and emotionless. My thinking method, even though I was a child, had become much more realistic, and the romantic idea or sensitive directness, which are usually common to children, decreased so much. And even though I felt regret to meet with such a situation, the fact was just the fact, and it was impossible for me to change the situation by myself. And such a situation was not happy for me. One cold winter morning I noticed that my hands were enormously hot, but it was impossible for me to know why my hands were so hot. And feeling so strange, I plunged my hands into the cold water of a big tub used for fire-fighting purposes in the playground of the school. I worried about the rather strange situations of my physical

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condition. Of course, considering the situation today, it seems very natural that my hands would have been so hot after running so hard before breakfast. And so sometimes I recall such kinds of unusual episodes in my childhood. Reaction from the Regulated Life After becoming about 13 years old, and being quite shy, I have stopped running, in spite of my father's opinion. It was very strange that after I stopped running, my regulated personal life also stopped enormously. Even though I did not notice exactly, still it was very clear that my daily personal life had lost the former well-regulated conditions gradually. And my daily life had become very irregular unconsciously. It had become very uneasy for me to stay at home, and so it became very common for me take up wandering outside, going to the cinema, looking for secondhand books, and so forth. In short, it had become very difficult for me to regulate my daily life, and even though it was very uncomfortable for me, it remained completely impossible for me to regulate myself. Of course, I wanted to get rid of such an uncomfortable situation, but actually speaking, it was completely impossible for me to flee from such an uncomfortable life, and the painful conditions became deeper and deeper endlessly. During such uncomfortable daily living, I took up the enjoyment of reading so much excellent Japanese literature, as well as many novels and texts of English, French, German, Russian, etc., literature, all in Japanese translation. At that time, the Japanese

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Government was making its efforts to maintain the gold standard for money, and so things were very inexpensive.The value of money was very high, enabling me to buy so valuable secondhand books at a very cheap price. And so I was able to read so many valuable books at an inexpensive cost. This way of mine at the time, a kind of random reading of books, would later prove to be very meaningful for me in my approach to the truth by the practice of Zazen. At that time I also had many opportunities to see many kinds of foreign movies from France, German, and so forth, and those foreign movies were some of the best textbooks for me to study Euro-American Humanism. Actually what saved me from such a confused adolescence was the approach of the entrance examination for high school. My confused adolescence had decreased gradually. And one day I found myself regulated again, while I was running on the street. And so I clearly noticed that my running was exactly useful to regulate my life. I remember that the number of the goverment high schools at that time were about 40, or so, and I selected Shizuoka High School among them. Later I heard that I had passed the examination in the literary course at the top. The Athletic Life in High School Just after the examination there were many invitations from many athletic divisions, but I wanted to select track and field. In middle

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school I received a black belt in Judo, and so a member of the Judo division recommended me to enter into the Judo Division so eagerly, but I wanted to enter into the track and field division because I had a rather lengthy experience in running. I clearly remember that my physical build was not so well developed for athletic training, but I positively thought that if I would try to do a very hard training, the problem would be solved naturally. In other words, I thought that training hard was just the only one solution, and there was no other solution than that of training hard. The challenge I took upon myself at that time was done with too much stubborness and was a very stupid trial honestly. Actually, I am afaid that I had been trying a very stupid trial of challenging human limitations. But at the same time, because of my very stupid and very pure efforts in the athletic training, I met something that is such a so pure and so true fact, something that manifests itself as an act at every moment. After my stupid trial ended, I began to think that in human civilizations there are so many excellent and powerful philosophies and religions that have arisen throughout history. I continued thinking that if we looked for and studied them, there must be just a philosophy or religion that can be called the Truth without fail. This suggested to me that if someone tried to make their efforts in their act so sincerely and so hard, there might appear a very clear philosophy or religion, one that can be called the Truth without fail. At that time I made up my mind to look for such an ultimate Truth in human civilization.

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Dogen Sangha (4) The Two Reverend Masters

August 15, 2006 The Two Reverend Masters I have had two reverend Masters who taught me directly. One is Master Kodo Sawaki, and the other is Master Renpo Niwa. In October of 1940, I was fortunate to receive information that Master Kodo Sawaki would have a Sesshin at a temple called Daitu-ji in Tochigi Prefecture And so I attended it carrying rice in a clothesbag, because at that time the Japanese food situations had become much worse already. In the morning we got up at 3 o'clock, and we practiced Zazen for 45 minutes each sitting, two times before breakfast, two times in the morning after breakfast, two times in the afternoon, and once at night. And Master Kodo Sawaki presented his Buddhist lectures two times a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. While listening to his Buddhist lecture I was much surprised that I heard a true Buddhist lecture for the first time. His voice was so loud and strong, and what he said was so understandable and so persuasive. The textbook of the lecture was Fukan-Zazen-Gi. Fukan-Zazen-Gi was the first book that Master Dogen wrote just after coming back from China, and it was the first book that he wrote in his life. Master Kodo Sawaki had studied the Buddhist philosophy called Hosso Gaku, which was established in Tan Dynasty in China. Master Kodo Sawaki studied it in his younger age, and so his Buddhist

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philosophy was very exact and theoretical. Therefore his lecture was so profound and exact. When he was young, he studied Hosso Sect theory under Join Saeki in Horyuji temple, and so even though Master Kodo Sawaki's basic Buddhism was established by practicing Zazen, at the same time his Buddhist philosophical structure was also very logical and exact. At the same time, I think that the most excellent point of Master Kodo Sawaki's Buddhism was his absolutely pure attitude to pursue the Truth. In Shobogenzo there is a chapter which is called "Ju-un-do Shiki." And in it Master Dogen described that "A person, who has the Will to the Truth, and who has idea to throw away Fame and Profit, can enter. A person, who does not have sincerity to the Truth, should not enter. If someone, who does not have sincerity, has entered (into the dormitory), we should discuss the problem, and after consideration, it is necessary for us to expel him (from the dormitory.) We should notice that if we have begun to have the Will to the Truth, we can suddenly become free from Fame and Profit perfectly." We can think that Master Kodo Sawaki knew this fundamental Buddhist principle perfectly in his practical Buddhist life. Therefore he didn't have his own temple at all throughout his life, because he knew well that if a Buddhist monk has his own temple, his job to manage the temple leaves him so busy, making it is completely impossible for anyone to study the true Buddhist teachings well. Therefore Master Kodo Sawaki nevered married at all, and he offered everything for promoting Buddhism thoughout his life.

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After the Second World War, an American man called Victoria wrote a book. In this book, Victoria criticized Master Kodo Sawski, because Master Kodo Sawaki cooperated with the Japanese Governamental warlike policy. However, looking at Master Kodo Sawaki's attitude during the war, I think that he was never cooperative with the government positively in that matter, and so I think that the author's attitude is much more one-sided from the fact, in the case of Master Kodo Sawaki. Abbot Renpo Niwa The other Master, by whom I was so much instructed, was Master Renpo Niwa. Owing to the fact that he later became the Abbot of Eiheiji Temple, I would like to call him the Abbot of Eiheiji, following a traditional habit that is observed sometimes. By the time I was 16 years old, I had begun to have much interest in Master Dogen's Buddhist thoughts, especially in Shobogenzo, and so I have studied it for so many years. After studying Master Dogen's Shobogenzo for many years, I began to translate it from the old Japanese language into the modern Japanese, including the original Japanese text, comments on vocabulary, and the translation in modern Japanese. After accomplishing the translation I began to publish "Gendaigoyaku Shobogenzo, or Shobogenzo in modern Japanese." At that same time I wanted to begin my lectures of Shobogenzo at several places. Therefore first I asked Doctor Akira Hirakawa, who was the Chairman of The Youngmen Buddhist Association of Tokyo Imperial

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University, and I was permitted to have a lecture on every Saturday in the afternoon. And at that time I made my mind to become a Buddhist monk in Soto Sect. Therefore it was necessary for me to find a Buddhist Master, who would permit me to become a Buddhist monk. And fortunately I have found the name of Abbot Renpo Niwa in the graduated students-list of Shizuoka Governamental High School. I visited the Master at the Tokyo Branch of Eiheiji, and I asked to become a Buddhist monk by him, and I was happily permitted to become a monk by him. And when he listened to my proposal of becoming a Buddhist monk, I noticed that he shed a little bit of tears in his eyes, and he wiped them. So I felt that it might be a joyful fact for him to have me as his monk, who was a graduate of the same high school 14 years younger than he. At that time I already had become the chief of a section in the Japan Security Finance Co., and so he was very kind and careful for me not to meet any kind of difficulty in my secular job. After having the ceremony to become a Buddhist monk formally, I began to teach people Zazen and Shobogenzo, even in the Tokyo Eiheiji Branch too. And because it was held every Thursday afternoon, I finished my job a little earlier than usual, and went to the temple wearing a common suit as an usual salaried man. Therefore taking off my coat, and wearing the Kashaya over a white dress shirt, I gave my Buddhist lecture in the temple. But Buddhist monks in the temple thought that it was much inadequate for a Buddhist monk to have a Buddhist lecture wearing a Kashaya on

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the western white dress shirt, and so they asked the Master to stop such an informal style in the temple. To this Master Renpo Niwa said, "It is not so bad, because he seems to be like an Indian monk," and so I could continue my Buddhist lecture in the temple without changing my style. Then I began lead Sesshin in the temple at the end of Summer, and at that time, of course, I wore the formal black clothes of the Buddhist monk. Also, at The Buddhist Association of Tokyo University, and so forth, I used the formal Buddhist clothes as a monk without fail. Then I began to lead Sesshin in Master Renpo Niwa's temple called Tokei-in. I lead Sesshin at Tokei-in 6 times a year, for my Japanese audience once, for a foreign audience in English once, and for Employees of Ida Companies four times a year. Master Renpo Niwa was born at Shuzenji in Shizuoka Prefecture as the third son of Katoda Shioya, in February of 1905. His father was a schoolmaster of several schools, and had sons and daughters totalled 10. And Mura, his mother, worked hard as a farmer for further support of their family. Master Niwa told me that he was a rather tender boy, and enjoyed to play with girls. But when observing the very smart style of a Budhist monk who commuted to Shuzenji temple, he found himself wanting to become a Buddhist monk. So when he was 11 years old, he asked his family if he could become a Buddhist monk, and he was permitted. And fortunately because his uncle Master Butsu-an Niwa was the

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Master of Tokei-in in Shizuoka City, and so Master Renpo Niwa became a son-in-law of Master Butsu-an, therefore Master Renpo Niwa commuted from Tokei-in to a primary school. But because he selected Nirayama Middle school near Shuzenji, and so he commuted to the middle school from his home, but because he entered into the Shizuoka High School, therefore he commuted to the high school from Tokei-in again. When Master Renpo Niwa was going to enter into a University, Master Butsu-an asked Master Renpo to select a law division in the University. However, because Master Renpo strongly hoped to study Buddhism in the University, he insisted his own strong hope, and Master Butsu-an permited Master Renpo to enter into the division of Buddhism. I guess that at that time, even in the Soto Sect, there might have been so many lawful problems occurring, and so Master Butsu-an wanted to get a good assistant for himself in the Soto Sect. But I heard that Master Butsu-an easily permitted Master Renpo to select the Indian Philosophical Division. Master Renpo Niwa entered the division of Indian Philosophy in Tokyo Imperial University, and during the first summer vacation, he visited Eihei-ji as a Buddhist monk officially for one month. After graduating from Tokyo University, he became the head official in Tokei-in, and then visiting Antaiji in Kyoto for commuting to Otani University, and then he entered into Eihei-ji. Then he became the Master of Ichjoji and Ryu-un-in in Shizuoka, and he succeeded the Master of Tokei-in in November of 1955. He became the Master of the Tokyo Branch of Eihei-ji in 1960, and then he worked as the 77th Abbot of Eihei-ji from April 1985 to September 1993.

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I was taught so much by the Abbot Renpo Niwa about how I shall live as a human being. The Abbot Renpo Niwa was a very delicate and generous person, and he didn't have any possibility to become emotional. I have heard a story of him like this. One night, many young monks of Eihei-ji Tokyo Branch went out to drink alcohol, and they didn't come back throughout the night. At that time Master Rempo Niwa got up early in the morning, and when the monks came back from outside, and he was standing at the entrance of the temple. Meeting them there he said, "I guess you are very tired from working so hard without any sleep at all during the night." Just saying so, he quietly returned to his private room. Therefore the monks were so surprised, and I heard that since then they stopped going out so late to drink alcohol . When I visited him in his private room accidentally, he sometimes served me a cup of green tea that he himself prepared. And at that time, even though he did not teach me especially with words, I was able to gain so much knowledge simply by watching his behavior.He showed me at that time that there were so many teachings in his behavior. When the 76th Abbot Egyoku Hata was so seriously sick in his own temple, I was in Master Niwa's room for a private talk accidentally. At that time Master Niwa was calling up the Abbot's temple, and asking whether it is necessary for Master Niwa to visit the Abbot for consolation. But the information from the Abbot's temple was that "The Abbot's condition has become much better, and he is now practicing rehabilitation, and so please do not worry about such a

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problem." But Master Renpo said that he had received exact information of Abbot Hata, that his situations were so serious, concretly from a person, who was sitting in the Abbot's room at that time, and so situations were never so peaceful. And listening to such a situation, I could notice clearly that everyone could never tell a lie at every moment throughout his or her life. And at the same time I noticed that a person, who has become powerful in human societies, must to be careful of information.

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Dogen Sangha (5) Transfiguration of Dogen Sangha

August 20, 2006 An Outline of the Transfiguration (1) The Progress of Information Technology About 9 months already have past since I began the Dogen Sangha Blog on November 29th of last year. And I think that there have been so enormous changes during that time, even though we haven't noticed them clearly. Because before that time in the case of Dogen Sangha usually tens of people have come together at adequate places for them to practice Zazen and have Buddhist lectures, but recently utilizing the so developed information technology the contents and width of Dogen Sangha activity have developed so much. And nowadays, by utilizing this blog, people in the world, even though they are living throughout the world, they can get very exact and clear informations from Dogen Sangha by reading clear sentences on the desktop. Furthermore, the informations are described with a printing type, and so readers can get Buddhist philosophical system conceptually and clearly, and so if the readers have any kind of questions, they can ask the questions, and they can also read the answers directly on the desktop. And even though they are living anywhere in the world, they can get the answers also just on the desktop. Nowadays, a man, who is living in a isolated primitive place in Brazil alone, reads Dogen Sangha everyday actually.

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(2) Actually Printed Information At the same time it is very valuable that the Blog is printed with printing type. If the informations are represented only by voice, the contents of informations can not be so exact and clear, but if we post the informations relying upon the Blog, the intellectual meaning of informations can be represented clearly and exactly. Therefore even in the case of explaining the precise meaning of Buddhist philosophy, we can transmit the meaning of it so exactly and clearly, and so the transmission of Buddhist philosophies have become much easier than before. Of course there are still maintained so delicate and profound parts, which should be transmitted, but at the same time it is very clear that mutual communications in Buddhist societies have developed so much. (3) The Limitless Area of Transmission Furthermore it is never necessary for us to limit the width of information without a reason, and so we can limitlessly enjoy our freedom of expressing our thoughts, if we keep the natural limitation, which our civilization enforces us as our human duty. I think that we, human beings, have got so excellently powerful methods of informations recently relying upon so powerful development of information technology, and so I hope that all human beings might be careful in utilizing so powerful civilization of the new Age. Relying upon the so progressed information technology, we are going to enter into so gorgeous and so effective Age of civilization already, and I think that it is very important for

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human beings to utilize so excellent new civilization without fail. We are just facing the very splendid new Age, and so it is very important for human beings to utilize the important chance effectively. (4) Appearance of Dogen Sangha Personal It is necessary for me to think the appearance of Dogen Sangha personal. Actually in my case, in the middle of June last year, I broke the second lumber vertebra, and so I closed Dogen Sangha in Ichikawa, and I have moved to an apartment in Takashimadaira in the north-west of Tokyo. My wife has died about two years ago already, and so I am living in the apartment alone. But I am continuing my Buddhist life, and so I practice Zazen two times a day everyday. Therefore even though I am living in the aparment alone, actually I am continuing my Dogen Sangha life. And if there is a married couple, who practice Zazen together everyday, there can be Dogen Sangha of man and wife. And if their children have begun to practice Zazen together with their parents, there must be Dogen Sangha as family. Therefore relying upon the so developed information technology, the situation of Dogen Sangha must change so enormously, and so we should think about such a kind of enormous change in Dogen Sangha too. And in such a kind of historical change, there might be enormous change, which might be impossible for us to suppose its situations exactly now.

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Dogen Sangha (6) In the case of Dogen Sangha Nishijima

August 24, 2006 After having experienced the compressed break of the second lumbar vertebra, I closed the dormitory of Dogen Sangha in Ichikawa City, and moved to Takashimadaira in Tokyo. Leaving from all kinds of job, I have begun a completely personal life. But I am still continuing Dogen Sangha life, and so I would like to describe the outline of it. (1) Getting up: Nowadays I do not decide the time of getting up in the morning. Because of going to bed earlier than usual the night before, I get up for example 4 or 5 o'clock, and sometimes I get up at 7 o'clock because of going to bed late the night before. (2) Massage: Because of becoming older, it is easy for my skin to get rough, and so I massage some parts of body with olive oil, if it is necessary. During that time I usually listen to a tape for learning a foreign lunguage. (3) Washing the face: Before washing the face, I shave my head everymorning with electric razor. About washing the face, Master Dogen described many cares of it in Shobogenzo, and so I am careful to follow them, but at the same time nowadays we have so convenient things of toothbrush, and so forth, and so I think that if Master Dogen lived in the modern age today, he might be very happy to utilize those developed convenient things for washing the face. (4) Learning foreign language: After moving to Takashimadaira, it is almost impossible for me to have a chance of having conversations with others, and so it seems to be necessary for me to listen to human voice in my daily life. Therefore a habit of learning foreign

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language has begun naturally, and now I read the beginner's course of "Teach Yourself" 2 pages a day every morning. Thinking about my age, it might be impossible for me to become skilful in speaking the foreign language, but it is rather pleasant for me to learn something itself. Now I am struggling with French. (5) Gymnastics: The gymnastics, which I have practiced when I was a member of athletic sports, have been continued even today, and it is a common western rhythmic one. The gymnastics seem to be good for cure of the broken lumbar. (6) Zazen: Before beginning the practice, I put a folded Kashaya on the head, and recite the poem of admiring it. In Shobogenzo, it is taught to recite silently in heart, but in my case after stopping my lecture, it has become much rare for me to speak loadly, and so I recite it loadly. (The poem) Daisai Gedatsu-fuku Muso-fukuden-e Hibu Nyorai-kyo Kodo Shoshujo (The meaning) How it is great, the clothes of emancipation! The field of happiness without rigid form Now I will wear it as Gautama Buddha's teachings And I will save all living beings widely. Gautama Buddha's teachings are not only thoughts, or artificial mimic, but our real act in our dally life. Therefore when we do them really, we can realize them, but if we do not practice them actually, there is no Buddhism at all. About the practice of Zazen itself, I have described it before, and so I do not explain it here again. However, it seems that to practice Zazen is much useful for curing the broken lower spine better. (7) Blood suger test: Because of preventing a high blood suger, I measure a blood suger before breakfast every morning. (8) Breakfast: Buying germinated brown rice, I boil it with an electric

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rice cooker. Side dishes are bought at shops, and I cut vegitables by myself. Before beginning meals, I recite the five reflections for eating meals loadly. Hitotsuniwa ko no tasho wo hakari, kano raisho o hakaru (No. 1. Thinking the volume of my efforts, I suppose so much volume of enormous efforts, which has been used for producing and preparing meals in front of me.) Futatsuniwa onore ga tokugyo no zennketsu o hakatsute, ku ni ozu (No. 2. Thinking the facts that my moral behavior is completely lacking, I eat the meals.) Mitsuniha shin o fusegi toga o hanaruru koto ha, ton to o shu tosu (No. 3. Avoiding mental anxiety and shunning mistakes, the main causes are to guard ourselves from greed, anger, and stupidity.) Yotsuniha masani ryoyaku o koto to suru wa, gyoko o ryo zen ga tame nari (No. 4. The reason, why I eat meals as good medicine, comes from that I would like to guard myself from physical weakening.) Itsutsuniha jodo no tame no yue ni, ima kono jiki o uku (No. 5. Because of just accomplishing the Buddhist truth, I receive the meals now.) (9) Posting blog: After reading newspaper, first I post Japanese blog, and then I post English blog. The address of blogs: In the case of Enlish, < http://gudoblog-e.blogspot.com >. In the case of Japanese, < http://gudoblog-j.blogspot.com >. (10) Receipt and dispatch of emails: I receive and send emails. (11) Walks: For avoiding scarcity of exercise, I take a walk about 3 km. everyday.

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(12) Dinner: Because of keeping health, I eat meals 2 times a day, and the contents of dinner are almost the same as breakfast. (13) Reading books: After reading newspaper, if there is a time I read books. (14) Taking bath: On Monday and Thursday a helper will come every week for cleaning rooms, washing cloths and dishes, and prepare bath, and so then I take a bath. (15) Going to bed: Following the volume of jobs everyday, I go to bed about from 9 to 11:30.

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Dogen Sangha (7) The Truth is just one

September 07, 2006 Reliability of teachings When I think the reason, why I have begun Dogen Sangha Blog, it goes back to the original principle, that Buddhism exists as only one. When we think how many numbers of the Truth exist, if there were three or four Truths exist, it would be very strange. When the numbers of the Truth are 2, or 3, we should never say that they are the truth, because we should think that the Truth must be only one. However, I think that we, human beings, ironically, have given up to get the only one truth for thousands years at least. Because, we, human beings, are fortunate to have both the excellent thinking ability and the excellent sensuous perception, and so our philosophies are prone to divide into two kinds, that is idealism and materialism. And those two kinds of philosophies are absolutely divided into the two fundamentally different bases, and so if someone believes in idealism, he can never believe in materialism, and if someone believes in materialism, he can never believe in idealism. Of course, each individual person usually does not have so clear consciousness about phylosophy, and so the situations are not so clear, but at the same time such a kind of principle, that our human philosophies are prone to divide into idealism, or materialism, and so human societies have been divided into a goups of people, who believe in idealism and who believe in materialis, and they have been fighting against each other for thousands of years at least. Therefore in such situations people are usually difficult to think that there was only one truth, and so almost

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all people can never believe that there is only one truth. Gautama Buddha's teachings However, it was a very splendid fact that in human history there was a gineus, who noticed that without throwing away the two kinds of fundamental philosophies of idealism and materialism, it was impossible for us to grasp the truth. That was Gautama Buddha. But at the same time his idea was so much difficult for many people, and so it has been understood by only very few people for about one and a half thousand of years. But fortunately his thoughts have begun to meet with the very developed western civilization recently, and so Buddhism has begun to be understood on the basis of western logical philosophy, and such interpretation of Buddhism is going to make a very clear and understandable philosophical system of Buddhism throughout the world. Even though many people do not think so, I think that since Soeren Kierkegaard has established his existentialism at the middle of the 19th Century, the western civilization has entered into the Age of Realism. And when the western people are entering into the Age of Realism, I think that it is very useful method for human beings to utilize the four philosophies in Buddhism. The four philosophies are the philosophy of pain (idealism), philosophy of accumulation (materialism), philosophy of self-regulation (philosophy of act), and realism itself (philosophy of morals), and the first two philosophies, idealism and materialism, are the fundamental philosophies in the western philosophical thoughts. But at the same time Buddhist thoughts request that it is not sufficient for us to have only the two intelectual philosophies, but

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Buddhism requests that the realistic philosophy should be realized leaving from the intellectual philosophies to enter into realism. And at that point we should notice the dimensional difference of intellectual area and real area. Therefore in Buddhism we utilize the practice of Zazen to transcend the area of intellect to enter into area of reality. And utilizing the practice of Zazen, we can make our autonomic nervous systems balanced. The autonomic nervous systems are seperated into two parts, that is, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. And the two kinds of nervous systems have opposite functions. When the sympathetic nervous system is stronger, we are prone to be spiritual, and so we are prone to be idealistic. But when the parasympathetic nervous system is stronger, we are prone to be materialistic. However, when the strength of the two contradictory nervous systems will become balanced, the contradictory functions of the two nervous systems become like plus/minus/zero. In other words idealism has vanished, and materialism has vanished. And we can experience that we are just sitting in reality. That kind of fundamental principle of Buddhim is described with the four philosophies, and so we can insist that the theory of the four philosophies are the fundamental priciple of Buddhist philosophies. The reason, why I established Dogen Sangha, was in such a point. Reading the historical situations of human societies, I feel very strongly the necessity to solve the contradictory situations of idealism and materialism, and to establish the only one priciple of realism. And in the case of Buddhism, the solution is not only related with theory, but the Buddhist solution includes also the practical, or realistic method of Zazen. Therefore we can experience the real situation of human beings, who are living in the real world,

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and we can accept the philosophical system of realism in our daily life. Therefore I expect that we, human beings, will get the Age of Realism relying upon the practice of Zazen. Examples of leaving Dogen Sangha (1) In the case of Mr Mike Cross In the case of Mr Mike Cross, our mutual contact has continued more than 30 years, I remember. First he came to Japan for studying Karate, but he attented to my Buddhist lecture in English, which had been continued in the Young Men's Buddhist Association of Tokyo University. He was very diligent to study Buddhism, and sometimes he studied in my house in Tokorozawa too. But several years later, he began to study Alexander Technique (AT), and he wanted to insist that AT was the same as Buddhism. The AT has been established by an actor, called Matthias Alexander from Australia, who has suffered from difficulty to speak in his life, because of his enormous efforts to speak in his vocal job. Therefore it was necessary for him to solve the difficulty of speaking in his job, he made enormous efforts to solve the problem, and he established his AT theory, which is useful to solve mental and physical difficulty. Therefore Mr Mike Cross and I have continue our discussion about the problem in every 2 or 3 days for more than 10 years, and such discussions have continued even after my blog has begun. However it is completely difficult for me to affirm the identity between AT and Buddhism, and so I decided that it is better for me to separate Buddhism from AT, and then I recommended him to leave Dogen Sangha. Therefore he is now out of Dogen Sangha, and he is still

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insisting his a little strange theory, even though he does not belong to Dogen Sangha. (2) In the case of Mr Michael Luetchford In the case of Mr Michael Luetchford, I remember that he has attended my Buddhist lecture in English in the Young Man Buddhist Asociation in Tokyo University several years later after I have begun my Buddhist lecture there. The reason, why he has begun to listen to my lecture, came from a situation that one day he visited me in my office in Ida Industry Co. to complain serious difficulty of Japanese company because of much difference between English and Japanese habits and ideas. And after that he also began to listen to my Buddhist lecture on Saturday every week. Then because I found that he had very good ability to produce beautiful books, I established a small company called Windbell Publications, and I selected him as the manager of the company, and he has produced several beautiful books for me, therefore I feel many thanks for his efforts. At that time I couldn't pay any money for him, and at the same time I have never received any money from the company at all. Later I felt that it is necessary for me to study Sanskrit if I continue my efforts to study Buddhism. And I have met a chance to study Sanskrit under Professor Hideki Kiyoshima in the Eastern Institute, which was established by Doctor Hajima Nakamura. And after finishing to listen to the lecture I began to read Mulamadyamaka-karika (MMK) in Sanskrit utilizing Sanskrit-English dictionaries and Sanskrit Grammar books in English. And several years later Mr Luetchford wanted to study Sanskrit together with

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me, and so we established a workshop for studying MMK with the wife of Mr Luetchford, Saito Taijun, and so forth. But several months later he complained that the study was too much difficult and he wanted to stop the workshop, and so I followed his opinion and I begun to continue my study of MMK alone by myself. However, several months later he asked me to attend a Summer Seminar of Sanskrit study in Princeton University for 2 months relying upon payment by Windbell Publications, and I permitted him to do so thinking his enormous efforts to produce excellent books for me. However after coming back from US, he began to translate his own translation of MMK, and wanted to publish it by Windbell Publications. Therefore I read his draft, but it was completely different from mine, and so even though I permitted him to publish it by Windbell Publications, I refused to put my name on it absolutely. And frankly speaking I had a little doubt on his personality at that time. After that Windbell Publications has published several good books, and I have begun to think that Windbell Publications has been going to enter into the term, when the company would get its profit, but he suddenly requested me that he wanted to stop working for the company. Therefore I listened to his opinion carefully, and I supposed that he has idea that after stopping the company, he wanted to manage the job by himself personally. But I do not like to have him does so, and so I thought that it might be necessary for me to close the company. However I thought that it might be very difficult for me to solve the problem as I like, and fortunately in my students I had Mr James Cohen, who is a lawyer, I asked him to solve the problem lawfully. After a few years later, I remember that it was in the last spring, he

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requested me to be a little independent from me in Dogen Sangha. And so I thought that if he wanted to be a little independent from me in Dogen Sangha, I thought that it might be much better for him to leave Dogen Sangha, and he agreed to do so, but later he asked me to come back to Dogen Sangha again. However he haven't be oermitted to come back to Dogen Sangha yet. Purity of teachings Only my own aim, for which I established Dogen Sangha, is to maintain the true Buddhist theory as it is exactly, and to pass it to the next generations. I have begun to study Buddhism when I was 16 years old, and I have sacrificed almost all my life for studying Buddhism. Fortunately I have met with Master Kodo Sawaki in 1940, and have begun to practice Zazen. And then I have begun to study Master Dogen's books so enormously, especially Shobogenzo, and after understanding them I had lectures at many places in Japan including Eihei-ji temple, and I have also had my Buddhist lectures abroad several times. I have wrote so many Buddhist books in Japanese and English, and so forth. I have become a Buddhist monk in Soto Sect under Master Renpo Niwa, who was the later Abbot of Eihei-ji temple. Later I began to read Mulamadyamaka-karika by Nagarjuna in Sanskrit, I found that Master Nagarjuna's Buddhist thoughts were never a kind of vague nihilism, but his Buddhist idea is just a very exact realistic philosophy like Master Dogen, which denied idealism and materialism as real entities, and insisted that Buddhism is just realism, which affirmed the real existence of this world. Therefore we can think that we, human beings, have passed through the age,

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when we have been wobbling about between idealism and materialism, and have entered into the gorgeous and brilliant age of realism. Reading such a too optimistic belief, I guess that many excellently intellectual, or sensitive poeple might laugh at my so optimistic ideas like Don Quixote. Before noticing the true meaning of Buddhism, I have also had a perfect skepticism that we, human beings, did not have any ability to arrive at the ultimate truth at all. But after meeting Buddhism, I have clearly noticed the clear existence of the ultimate philosophy on the earth exactly, and relying upon the ultimate truth, it might be possible for human being to establish the new world of realism. My reverence of the western civilization At the same time I have a very strong reverence in the western civilization. It is said that the oldest civilization of human beings has occured in Ethiopia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and so forth, and those ancient civilizations have moved very slowly to the district of the Middle and Near East. Then the civilization moved to the Clete island, and landed in Greece. In the ancient Greece there were so excellent civilizations, it is said that the almost all civilizations in the world today have started in the ancient Greece. And the ancient Greek civilization moved to Rome. And the Roman people were excellent in martial power and lawful governance, and so the Roman Empire has spread its territory almost through the Europe, and the Greek-Roman Civilization has also spreaded through the Europe. ABut at the end of the Roman Empire, Christianity has become

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popular throughout the Europe, and the Christianity was very adequate to maintain the economical condition of medieval ages, which were not so productive because of the agricultural basis. But relying upon the opening the navigation between the West and the East, the European economy has stimulated massively, and then the Europiean economical activity has been much progressed. And being backed up by such vigorous economical activities the Age of Renaissance has begun. Then the Protestantism and the modern sciences have occurred so vogorously, and so the European human civilization has entered into the very vigorous age of Capitalism. The leadership moves from Spain to France, from France to England, and from England to US. After the world war 1, and the world war 2, we, human beings, were going to enter into the world war 3, because of the serious situations between USA and USSR. But fortunately we, human beings, were not so stupid to enter the world war 3. When I was watching the serious confrontation between USSR and USA, I thought that it might be impossible for human beings to avoide the world war 3. Therefore I felt so happy when USSR and USA stopped the world war 3. I was so joyful that human beeings were not so stupid to burn so wide area on the earth utilizing nuclear weapon foolishly. I revere such kinds of Euro-American civilization so much, and I think such a gorgeous and excellent civilization will continue more and more as the central civilization of the world. Therefore I do never think that the Euro-American civilization will be replaced by Buddhist civilizations, but I think that if the Euro-American civilization will utilize Buddhism to revise its contradictory disunion of idealism and materialism, the excellant Ero-American civilization will enter its new Age of brilliant Realism.

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The value of the Four Philosophies And in such a case Buddhism has its especially logical methode, which is able to connect the contradictory situation of idealism and materialism with the brilliant oneness of Realism, and relying upon such a change the Euro-American civilization will naturally and logically can enter into Realism. And the Buddhist logic, which supplies a very logical and relyable theory is the Four Philosophies in Buddhism. The theory of the Four Philosophies is a bridge, which can connect the two contractory philosophies of idealism and materialism into one realism utilizing the actual exercise of Zazen. At the same time such a kind of logical series has become to be certifided by modern scientific research. Recently, especially many American psychiatrists, and so forth, have begun to research the relations between our mental and physical conditions, have become so much identified with the situation of the authonomic nervous system. I wrote my first Buddhist book entitled "Bukkyo Daisan no Sekaikan, or Buddhism as the third worldview" in 1975, and in the book I wrote my proposition that our human mental and physical stableness had the absolutely the same relation with the balance of the autonomic nervous system. And so I have felt very happy that my proposition 31 years ago, has begun to be certified by many scientific scholars recently. In such a meaning I think that the Buddhist theory in Dogen Sangha should be precisely the same as the newest conclusion of scientific research. Ittsu-Ki Sha-sui, or one cup of water should be poured into another

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cup perfectly In Buddhism, we have the words "Ittsu-Ki Sha-sui, or one cup of water should be poured into another cup perfectly." And the words indicate that Buddhist Master's teachings should be poured into another cup of his student perfectly without fail. I think that this rule should be maintain even in Dogen Sangha, and so each student should study his Master's teaching without any kind of difference.

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Gakudo-yojin-shu (1) Outline

September 24, 2006 The outline of Gakudo-yojin-shu As the introductory books of Buddhism by Master Dogen, there is Gakudo-yojin-shu other than Fuka-zazen-gi. In the case of Fukan-zazen-gi, because it was written by Master Dogen for the first time, it seems to be very popular, and it was read by so many people actually. But in the case of Gakudo-yojin-shu, I am afraid that it was not so much read by many people. However, when we want to study Master Dogen's Buddhist thoughts, I think that Gakudo-yojin-shu is very important for us to read it too. Because I think that Gakudo-yojin-shu includes so many important instructions, which we need to read for studying Master Dogen's Buddhist thoughts. Therefore I would like to show the fundamental teachings of Gukudo-yojin-shu in Dogen Sangha Blog too. By the way, when I had a lecture of Gakudo-yojin-shu at Yanagibashi Hall in 1988, the record of my lecture was published by Kanazawa-bunko, and so if you read it, it might be usueful for you to understand Gakudo-yojin-shu in detail, but unfortunately it was published only in Japanese. Gakudo-yojin-shu includes the following 10 chapters. And the original texts are written in Chinese, but recently even we, Japaneses also read it in sentenses, which are arranged into the same order as Japanese, and so I would like to introduce it in such a special style.

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We can suppose that the ten chapter were not written together at once, but they were written separately one by one, and then they are edited into one book later. Because only the chapter 3 and the chapter 6 have the dates, when they were written, but the other chapters do not have any dates, when they were written, and so we can suppose that each chapter has written one by one, and later the ten chapters were edited together into one. No. 1. Establish the will to the truth. Master Dogen says, when we begin to study Buddhism, the most important matter is to establish the will to the truth. When we think, at what time, such a kind of will to pursue the truth, will occur, Maser Dogen quoted Master Nagarjuna's words, that when we concentrate our efforts to do something sincerely at the present moment, we can notice that the passing time is so short and fast, and we recognize how fast the time passing through in our daily life. And just at the moment we can have the will to the truth.

No. 2. Buddhism should be studied without fail, if we had the chance to meet with it. Master Dogen strongly insisted that if someone met Buddhism, he should study it without fail, because he clearly noticed that Buddhism, which Gautama Buddha taught us, was the only one truth, which pervaded throughout the universe, therefore without

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pursuing it we, human beings, could never enjoy our human life. No. 3. Buddhism should always be experienced and entered by act itself. In the third viewpoint, Master Dogen thought that the teachings, which Gautama Buddha taught us, are different from teachings, which we can get them relying upon our intellectual consideration, or sensuous perception, but they are just the teachings, which can be got relying just upon our acts in our daily life. Therefore if we want to get such a kind of practical experience, which can be got by our act, it is necessary for us to study it relying upon our practice of Zazen, in which we can really experience act itself. No. 4. We should never practice Buddhism having the mind to get something. Buddhist practice should always be done for pursuing the truth, and so it should never be done to get something other than the truth itself. Therefore if the Buddhist practice was done for getting fame or profit, it has been done just to get fame or profit, and then we should think that those practice were done for getting fame or profit, and it does never have any relation with getting the truth. No. 5. In practicing Zazen for getting the truth, it is so important for us to get the true Master. In the fifth criterion, Master Dogen insisted strongly the very important necessity of getting a true Master in pursuing the truth.

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And he said that if it was impossible for us to get the true Master in studying Buddhism, it might be much better for us not to study Buddhism. Because if we studied Buddhism under a wrong Buddhist Master, we have to spent the very valuable time of our life for studying wrong theory, and it might be so sad situations for everyone to lose so important time of his or her life for getting so unhappy and serious life. No. 6. What we should know when we practice Zazen. In the 6th chapter Master Dogen indicated several points, which we should know cearfully, and he enumarated them as follows. (1) It is the most valuable and important efforts for human beings to practice Zazen for studying Buddhism. (2) We should never like to practice an easy practice. Because easy practices usually do not arrive at the aim. (3) We should know that Gautama Buddha's teachings are so profound and so big. (4) We should know that it is the most important and difficult job for us to keep the balance of mind and to get the harmony of mind and physical behavior. (5) In Buddhist practice it is not so important to get sensitivity, intellect, mental contents, or mental functions, but it is important for us to keep the harmony of body and mind for entering into the world of the truth, which Gautama Buddha preached. (6) It is not so important whether we are older or younger. (7) The greatness of Gautama Buddha's teachings will be decided by whether we continue it, or not, and whether we actually practice it, or not. (8) We should never keep our own opinion subornly, and we should never change our teacher's opinion by identifing it with our own opinion. (9) Gautama Buddha's teachings are completely different from ideas, decision, supposition,

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intuition, perception, and understanding. No. 7. A person, who practices Buddhism and want to transcend the secular societies, should inevitably practice Zazen Master Dogen preached that if we want to follow Gautama Buddha's behavior to transcend vulgar secular rules, it is the best way for us to practice Zazen. Master Dogen strongly insisted that if we want to enjoy the true teachings of Gautama Buddha directly, it is necessary for us to practice Zazen, and so forth directly, to experience the balance of the autonomic nervous system actually, because Gautama Buddha's teachings are not the understandings, which can get by reading books and consideration. No. 8. Acts, which are really done by Buddhist practitioers in their daily life. In the Chapter 8. the acts of Buddhist practitioners in their daily life are described in their meanings. Generally speaking, in a intellectual philosophy it is almost impossible for philosophers to notice the existence of the real world, which manifests itself only relying upon the real act of us in our actual daily life. But in the case of Master Dogen, who has clearly grasped the Buddhist philosophy, which is based on the real philosophy of act, actually noticed that the real life of Buddhist practitioners are just the persuing act itself at the present moment of daily life. No. 9. We should practice Zazen for pursuing the truth.

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The Buddhist practice is just the pursuit of Gautama Buddha's teachings, which are pervading throughout the universe, therefore it must be completely impossible for Gautama Buddha's teachings to exist without the truth. And Master Dogen clearly noticed such a fact, which he proclaimed that Buddhist practice must be just the efforts to pursue the truth in their daily life. No. 10. The direct experience just at the present moment. The Japanese word "Jikige" means just at the present moment, and the Japanese word "Joto" means to experience, that is just the direct experience of the balanced state in the autonomic nervous system at the present moment. It is not necessary to say that there was no knowledge of the autonomic nervous system in the 13th Century, when Master Dogen lived, but it was very clear that Master Doge actually experience the balanced state of the autonomic nervous system, and so he described the state with the Japanese words "Jikige Joto."

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Gakudo-yojin-shu (2) No. 1. Establishment of the Will to the Truth

October 02, 2006 This original text of Gakudo-yojin-shu in the computer was presented by Mr. Mitsuo Ebisawa, who is a member of Dogen Sangha Kyoto. The sentences are separated into each paragraphs, making them very easy to read, and so I also follow such a method. The parts that are different from the old original text I have corrected following my book "Gakudo-yojin-shu-kowa, or A Lecture of Gakudo-yoji-shu." (The Text) No. 1. To Establish the Will to the Truth The word of Bodaishin, or the Will to the Truth, has many other titles, but they can be identified totally into one word, Bodaishin. Master Nagarjuna says. "We can also call the mind, which can grasp that the situations of secular societies are so flexible and instant, as the Will to the Truth." And such a kind of intuitive mind is also called Bodaishin, or the Will to the Truth. Therefore I think that it might be possible for us to call those many kinds of expressions of the mind totally with the title of Bodaishin, or the Will to the Truth. Truly speaking, when we reflect the instantaneousness of the

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present moment, our selfish mind does not occur, and consciousness of fame and profit does not appear, therefore we sincerely worry about the fact that time and light run away much too fast. Then our practicing the truth can be so sincere as if we were putting out burning hair. We have to reflect that our physical strength is not so strong, therefore our sincere efforts intend to follow the efforts of Gautama Buddha, who always walked with his steps utilizing only his tiptoes. Even though the very beautiful and admirable cries of kimnara or garuda(both are the names of birds in ancient India, which are famous for their beautiful cries,) exist in the morning, the blown wind of our death in the evening will erase the beautiful cries completely. And even though Mosho, or Seishi (both are famous beautiful ladies, who are favored by Chinese Emperors), have very beautiful faces and figures, if we die in the morning, our sight will be shut like a drop on the leaf in the morning. However, if we left bondage and restriction of what we listen to, or what we look at, it might be possible for us to fit with the order and situation following the will to the truth. From the ancient time to the present, when we listen to the situation of people, who are scarce in their knowledge, or when we look at people, who are narrow-minded, in almost all cases they have fallen down into pitfalls of fame and profit losing the life of Buddhist Truth forever. It is so sorrowful and it is so regretable. We should know such kinds of sad situations without fail.

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Even though they have read so many excellent Buddhist Sutras of both the figurative and the real, or even though they have received so many excellent books of the concrete and the secret, if they haven't thrown away fame and profit wholly, it is competely impossible for them to be esteemed for their having started to have the will to the truth already. Some say that the will to the truth is the mind of the supreme and truly balanced consciousness, therefore it does not relate with famous rumors, or sufficient foods and clothes. Some say that it is intuitive understanding that one moment at the present includes three thousand things and phenomena in it. And some say that it is the Buddhist teachings that anything does not appear at the present moment at all, or some say it is the mind, which is going to enter into the world of Buddhism. Such poeple as these have never known the will to the truth, but they are blaming the will to the truth at random because of having their wrong explanations. Therefore we can say that they are people who are far more distant than anyone who is studying Buddhist teachings. For trial, reflect on your own mind, which has fallen down into the selfish mind or the greedy mind to get some profits. Are they harmonized into substance and form of oneness between a mind and the three thousands of miscellaneous things and phenomena? Do they experience the gate of the truth where any consciousness is not born?

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Oppositely, even though there are so much deluded mind of craving fame and loving profit, it is very surprising that there is almost nothing that can be called the will to the truth at all. Since the ancient times, there have been the cases of the saints who have got the truth and the rule of the universe. Even though they have pretended to be the same as ordinary secular people, there is no saint who has had any kind of evil thought for getting fame or profit at all. They did not have even any kind of attachment to the rule of the universe at all. Therefore it is not necessary further for us to say anything about the case of secular attachments. What is called the will to the truth is just the mind, which has been described in the paragraphs before, as the mind of reflecting the instantaneousness of the world, is also one example of it. It is completely different from what mad people are prone to indicate at all. The consciousness, in which any kind of idea does not occur at the present moment, or the consciousness, in which the three thousands of miscellaneous things and phenomena appear really, is just the splendid act, which manifests itself after establishing the will to the truth. Therefore we should never mingle the difference of the two cases at all. When we practice Zazen privately for a while forgetting ourselves, then the will to the truth will become very familiar to us. Therefore we can say that the 62 wrong viewpoints other than

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Buddhism come inevitably from the viewpoints of self. When the viewpoint of self occurs inevitably, please practice Zazen quietly to reflect on the self, whether or not it really exists. What is the real substance of what we have inside and outside our body and mind? The body, the hair, the skin, are received from father and mother. Both the red drop of ovum and the white drop of semen do not belong to us completely, and so they can never be ourselves. Mind, will, consciousness, and wisdom make our life continuous, but it is not clear what is called the breath of exhalation and inhalation in conclusion. Therefore the breath is not ourselves. And so the mental function of mind, and so forth, and the physical function of breath, both are not so preferable as ourselves. The people, who are deluded, prefer one of them, but the people, who are clear in understanding, leave the problem. People usually, however, consider the self of no-self, or attach to the life of not being born. They do not practice the Buddhist practice, which they should do, and they do not cut the emotional conditions of secular societies. They usually hate the real rule of the universe, and they usually want to get the wrong rule of the world. Aren't they making very serious mistakes in such ways?

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Gakudo-yojin-shu (3) No. 2 To study the True Dharma without fail when we meet the chance to study it.
October 09, 2006 (The Text) The following suggests that, if a very sincere and reliable person presents his whole-hearted words to the ruler, the sincere words sometimes have a strong power to turn over the whole world actually. And it is said that if Gautama Buddha has given his short words to someone, there is no one, who does not change his or her mind into Buddhism, at all. But, in the case that the ruler does not have excellent wisdom, he does not have the ability to accept the advisor's kind opinion, and if the person, who listens to Gautama Buddha's teachings, does not have enormously excellent ability, it must be impossible for him to accept Gautama Buddha's advice at all. The fact that there are people who do not change their fundamental viewpoint from their own former one to Buddhism, might come from the fact that it is completely impossible for them to cut their habitual attitudes to follow the common daily life and death. Therefore in the case that the whole-heartedly sincere advice of the person hasn't been accepted, the facts suggest that it has been impossible for the country to realize an adequate goverment and

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good policy yet. (Comments) Master Dogen says that if we meet Gautama Buddha's teachings, it is necessary for us to study them without fail. And I think that the reason why he says so might be that Gautama Buddha met with the enormously confused ancient Indian society, where Danken-gedo, or Materialism, which was insisted upon by the six non-Buddhist thinkers, and Joken-gedo, or Idealism, which was insisted by Brahmanists, were the guiding viewpoints. Gautama Buddha sacrificed his total life to solve the contradictory conditions of the two absolutely reasonable philosophies, that is, the one is the usually intellectual philosophy, and the other is the unique Buddhist philosophy, which is based upon a practical, actual, or real basis. Gautama Buddha was been utimately successful in finding the logical method of the four philosophies. I guess that Master Dogen also recognizes that Buddhism is the ultimate truth through the world, and so he expects everyone to study Buddhism without fail. Therefore Master Dogen explains that even in secular societies, there are many examples that the words of the truth have enormously strong power, which can turn the whole social situations over completely. So similarly in philosophical societies, Master Dogen insists that relying upon Gautama Buddha's teachings we can change the human societies completely, if Gautama Buddha's philosophy will be understood eaxactly and actually, and then there can be an absolute change of all human societies relying upon Gautama Buddha's philosophical system at last.

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Gakudo-yojin-shu (4) No. 3. It absolutely necessary for Buddhism to be experienced and entered by action.
October 11, 2006 (The Text) The meaning of the title is as follows. It is said in secular societies that when we study something, the reward of our study exists just in the study itself. And Gautama Buddha says that if we practice Zazen, the effect of Zazen exists just in the practice itself. There is no one, who receives the rewards without study, and I haven't heard of any case that without practicing Zazen someone has got the truth. Even though there are so many differences of practice based on belief, doctrine, the necessity of a short or a long time to get the truth it is inevitably necessary for everyone to rely upon the practice of Zazen for getting the truth. Even though there are so many differences of shallowness, profoundity, intelligence, or foolishness in miscellaneous study, it is inevitable for everyone to get the reward after having accumulated so much study. This might suggest that it is not always decided that everything will be preferable, or not, relying upon whether the ruler is excellent, or not, and that it is not always decided that everyone will be happy, or not, relying upon whether the motion of the Universe is adequate, or

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not. If it is possible for anyone to get the rewards without study, (because they do not like to study,) how is it possible for anyone to get the teachings of the ancient Emperors' methods for regulating human societies? If it is possible for anyone to get the truth without practicing Zazen, (because they do not like to practice Zazen,) how is it possible for anyone to understand Gautama Buddha's teachings, which can distiguish truth, or falsehood? You should know that first we should establish our own practice of Zazen even in our deluded condition, and then we can grasp the truth before getting enlightenment. Just at that time we can notice that the ships and rafts, which we expect to utilize to arrive at the distant shores of the truth, were just a dream yesterday, and we can clearly decide that the old views of wisteria vines as snakes were wrong. These situations never come from Gautama Buddha's intentional enforcement, but it has been managed just by the present function. Furthermore, what action introduces, is the truth. The miscellaneous treasures in our own warehouse do never come from outside of ourselves. What the truth utilizes is our action. How is it possible for us to

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actually turn around the traces of our mental functions in the past? However, if we turn around our eyes of the truth to look at our own situations of action really, there is no spot, which disturbs our eyes, and if we dare to look at something, only white clouds pervade throughout the sky limitlessly. If we want to grasp our own grade of experiencing the truth utilizing our real foot of action, there is nothing, even a piece of dust, which supports our foot at all, and if we dare step our foot, we have to notice that the distance between our foot and the ground seems to be like the distance between the heavens and the earth. Just at that time if we reflect to step back a little, we can trascend even Gautama Buddha's state. Written on 9th, March, 1234.

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Gakudo-yojin-shu (5) No. 4. We should never practice Buddhism having a mind of getting something
October 13, 2006 In the practice of Buddhism, which Gautama Buddha taught us, it seems that we should inevitably receive the true teaching of excellent Masters of the past, and we should never utilize our own private criteria. Furthermore Buddhism can neither be grasped by intentional mind, nor without mind. If it is impossible for us to identify our mind to regulate our action and the truth, it is absolutely impossible for us to maintain our mind and body as peaceful and stable. If it is impossible for us to maintain our body and mind as peaceful and stable, it is impossible for us to maintain our body and mind as peaceful and comfortable. And if our body and mind are not peaceful and comfortable, in what time is it possible for us to experiece the truth? Then the severely painful obstacles will occur. As it is usually said, how is it possible for our regulating ability of act and the truth to be fused into one, and how shall we behave in our daily life? In short, it is necessary for our mind not to have any kind of like and dislike, and it is necessary for us not to have an intention of getting fame and profit.

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The practice of Buddhism is never to be done for getting others' admiration at all. When we think about people that are Buddhist practitioners in the modern age, the distance between their mind and the truth is as limitlessly distant as possible. If people admire and love something, even though a leader really knows that it is different from the truth, he usually practices it. At the same time, if people do not respect and praise it, even though the leader knows that it is just the true way, he intentionally throws away the practice of it without any hesitation. How are the situations like those pitiful and miserable? It is necessary for you to reflect and suppose whether such a mind and act are Buddhism, or not. It is seriously shameful, seriously shameful. The facts are perfectly clear, when the eyes of saints look at them. Generally speaking, Buddhist practitioners do not practice Buddhism even for themselves, therefore how is it permissible for them to practice Buddhism for fame or profit? Buddhism should always be done just for Buddhism itself. The reason for the benevolence of the Buddhas' compassion and love to all living beings is never for Buddhas themselves, or never

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for others, but the reason for the benevolence of Buddhas comes solely from the common behavior of Buddhas in Buddhism. Don't look at the facts that even small worms, or animals, when they feed and bring up their children, even though the parents meet so painful and difficult experiences, and they manage so severe and painful situations, and they ultimately accomplish their long bringing up at last, but they do not like to receive any kinds of rewards because of their efforts. Nevertheless, however, they supply also their benevolence and compassion to their children. Even those small kinds of creatures still have such benevolence and compassion, and they are very naturally similar to many Buddhas, which love all living beings so much. The fine and powerful teachings of many Buddhas are not limited to only one factor of benevolence, or compassion, but they manifest themselves in almost all divisions of the world. The fundamental basis of all kinds of things and phenomena are like that. We, Buddhist students, are just Gautama Buddha's students already, and so how is it possible for us not to follow Gautama Buddha's elegant behavior in his daily life? Buddhist practitioners should never think to practice Buddhism for themselves, and they should never practice Buddhism for their own fame and profit.

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They should never practice Buddhism for them to get direct or indirect effects, and they should never practice Buddhism to get miraculous virtue. To practice Buddhism just for the sake of Buddhism itself is just the Truth itself. (Comment) In Buddhist teachings, all actions should be done for the actions themselves, and Buddhist action should never be done for another purpose other than the action itself. This is just the general principle of Buddhist act, which is always based on the philosophy of act, and so we should think that Buddhist act itself is always the aim of the act itself.

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Gakudo-yojin-shu (6) No. 5 It is very important for us to select the true Master.
October 29, 2006 (The translation of the original text) The meaning of the title above is that reading words of Masters in the past, they say that if the first attitudes of pursuing the truth are not ture, even though we might make our efforts of practice so hard, eventually we have to supply our enormous efforts for doing useless effects at last. It is necessary for us to say that this teachings are eaxactly ture. It might be true that effects of Buddhist practice must be decided by the difference whether the leading Masters are true, or not. It seems that the difficulty of educating Buddhist students can compare to an example that whether the materials of fine arts are good or bad, and in such a situation we can think that the standpoint of the teachers are similar to the position of fine artists, who utilize the stuff. Even if the materials were so excellent, when it is difficult for materials to get excellent artists, it is completely impossible for those materials to get good works of art. Even if we have to use some strangely-winded materials, when we can meet an artist, who is so excellent in his ability, then we can get so excellent works of art from the strange materials finally. In the case of pursuing the Buddhist truth, there are serious differences, whether their conclusions are true, or false, relying upon whether their teachers are true, or not. However, in our country, in Japan, it seems that the true Buddhist

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Master hasn't manifested himself yet. With what reason, can we grasp such unfathomable facts? We can suppose such kinds of unfathomable facts by reading the descriptions, which Buddhist teachers wrote in the past. The situations of our supposition are similar to the facts that we can research the situations of water at the upper part of a river by investigation of scooping water at the lower part of the river. Even in our country, since the ancient time until now many numbers of Buddhist teachers have edited Buddhist books, teached students, and guided people and gods on the earth and the heaven, but the words, which they expressed, seems to be too young, and their expressions are very immature, and so they have not arrived at even the top of the intellectual research, and so how is it possible for them to arrive even at the vicinity of practical experience at all? They pass on only words of sentences to their students, or have their students recite only titles of Buddhas', or sutras, without getting any merit so much as a penny, as if they were calculating property of others. The responsibility of Masters in the former ages were like that. In some cases they teach others that a right conclusion exists at the place, where there is no mind, and in some cases they teach others that we should reborn in the different world other than this. From those situations of their teachings, which we can perceive clearly, miscellaneous kinds of perplexities and confusion occur, and many kinds of wrong ideas are also related with those facts closely. For example when a doctor gave very excellent medicine to a patient, if the docter does not know the method to restrain the side effects of the medicine, the excellent medicine might become

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serious cause of another sickness, and so it would be much more worse for us than to drink some kind of poison itself actually. Generally speaking in Japan it seems that there were no doctor, who has been able to give good effective medicin to a patieht from the ancient time at all, and an able Master, who could give his students excellent teachings to cure the poisonus wrong teachings, hasn't appeared at all yet. From those situations, it was so difficult for Japanese teachers to throw away the diseases, which occured from the causes, which I described above, and so it seems that how is it possible for them to avoid suffering from aging and dying? Those inability of Buddhist teachers in Japan, all belong to their own inferiority, and it does never come from inferiority of students for their own worse nature at all. The reason, why I insist such a kind of opinion, comes from that people, who have ability to become Masters of others, have tendency to recommend their students throwing away the fundamentally important problems, and having their students pursue the trivial problems, and so such a kind of unhappy effects have occured. Those teachers have their common tendency that, before they have grasped the fundamental Truth by themselves exactly, utilizing their own immature ideas one-sidedly, and they have others fall down and enter into the wrong states without any reason at all. It is actually very pitiful situation, but even the teachers, who have been talented becoming teachers for others, recommend their students to pursue getting the enlightenment, which does not have any relation with mental function, or recommend their students to make their efforts to become reborn into the world, which is different

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from this world. In such a situation, how is it possible for their students to recognize whether it is completely wrong, or not, for them to pursue the true enlightenment at the place, which is perfectly irrelevant to mind, or whether it is completely wrong, or not, for them to be reborn into the perfectly different world from this world? It is very sad facts that in Japan, even though it is a very small country far remote from the civilized countries, Gautama Buddha's teachings are not so much purvaded throughout the country yet, and the true Masters haven't appeared in it. If we would like to study the teachings of Gautama Buddha, which are the highest teachings of the world, it might be very nice method for us to visit excellent priests in the Sun Dynasty of China. It is very nice method for us to reflect the world of action, which is far distant from mental functions. In the case, when it is impossible for us to get the true Buddhist Master, it might be much better for us not to study Buddhism at all. Generally speaking, a person, who is called the true Master, is not related whether he is old, or not, or whether his career in Buddhism is long, or not. The true Buddhist Master is called a person, who has become perfectly clear in understanding the true contents of Gautama Buddha's teachings, and who has received the distinct certificate from an authentic Master. Knowledge of letters is not so important, and the theoretical understandings are not so important. But the true Buddhist Master has excellent power, which is much superior to ordinary people, having unusual determination, without being restricted by his own opinion, without hesitation in his own emotional viewpoint, but whose action in his daily life is perfectly identified with his own

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understanding Gautama Buddha's teachings, is just the real situations of a person, who is called exactly the true Buddhist Master. (Comments) In the nearest part of the end in this chapter, Master Dogen says that "In the case, when it is impossible for us to get the true Buddhist Master, it might be much better for us not to study Buddhism at all." The meaning of the sentence is that if it were impossible for us to get a true Buddhist Master, it is much better for us not to study Buddhism at all. And this idea is very important. To study Buddhism is just our own efforts to pursue the Truth by sacrificing our own life totally, and so if it is just the Truth, which we are pursuing, then we are very happy, but if it is not the Truth, which we are pursuing, it might be very serious, because we have to pursue the wrong teachings throughout our whole life believing as if it were the Truth. In the latter case we have to lose our long whole life for pursuing the wrong theory, and so we have to sacrifice our whole life, which is just only one life for us, to pursue something completely wrong. Therefore Master Dogen proclaimed that we should never study Buddhism under a Master, who does not understand Buddhism truly and exactly, because by doing so we have to lose our total life by making our efforts for completely wrong or useless aim. Thinking about such concrete and real examples, we should think about the problems sincerely, and we should never study Buddhism under a wrong Buddhist teacher.

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[Note] Since 15th September I have lengthened the time of Zazen pracice in the morning from 30 minutes to 45 minutes, and I am enjoying the good effects of it.

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