The Zen Master's Dance - 2 - How To Read Dogen (Top of p. 5 to Middle of p. 12)

[Jundo]

Hi folks,


I feel like I might have changed too much but here goes

Once a man came home to find himself, drunk and asleep on the floor. Prior to leaving to go to the place the man always was and never left, he sews a priceless jewel into his cloak. Some time later, getting up off the floor the man awakes with a different yet familiar face. Taking the nearby cloak he leaves to go home. Facing difficulties, he struggles to find food and shelter. By chance, he encounters his old friend, himself, now wearing his original face. Remembering the jewel, the left hand gives the right hand a gift. Knowing his material struggles are now over the man rejoices.


Gassho,

Hoseki
sattoday/lah

Hi Hoseki,

The point of the exercise is more about getting a handle on Master Dogen's way of expression and writing style. Please try the "Paint By Numbers" version above.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Jundo]

My exercise in paint-by-numbers. Don’t feel much closer to knowing Dogen’s style. Perhaps decades of concise newspaper writing is standing in my way?

Been a struggle.


A friend comes knocking, looking to drink of the Dharma and winds up passed out, oblivious to the wise and compassionate home dweller sharing a precious jewel by sewing it into the friend’s garment.

There is the snoring of Dharma that is the hiding of the sewing of his friend’s garment before she leaves for business, leaving the hidden gem behind.

Off the visitor goes after arising from his slumber in the Dharma, seeking out meager amounts of food, clothing and finding satisfaction is so little a finding, while all along mind is without obstructions and matter is without limits.

There is the searching of the Dharma in the quest for food, clothing and roaming from his slumber, which is limited by the eyes and limited by the body.

Arriving in another country, there is further slumber at a friend’s and all within the unsatisfactory realm of food, clothing the wandering continues.

While wandering the foreign land, the compassionate friend returns abiding in space, and space opens space for the safe confines of his friend’s precious gift. The timeless Buddha within the marketplace shares a jewel with the Buddha of the endless road and the Buddha of time shared with a friend shares the realization of the Buddha on the wandering road.

When the Buddha of the hidden gem experiences this state within the marketplace together with body, mind, and all things, he also enters into the state of searching [. . .] This “within the hidden seam,” “before the precious gem,” the inherent gift” and “space” are not limited to the marketplace; they are not limited to the triple gem; they are not limited to some period of Zazen; neither are they empty of a separate self. Nor are they matters of some fixed dharmakaya. They are simply “non-thinking.”

bob
sat/lah

Hi Bob,

That is better. I am not sure why you added some extraneous elements, and you did not follow the "paint by numbers" so closely, but not bad.

You may not feel close to Dogen's writing style yet, but it is only one short lesson. We will dive in deeper. Keep an open mind. Again, the point is to learn how to read Dogen better, not good newspaper copy!

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Hokuu]

In the great dance, there is a man who came to the house, and there is a close friend and a sleep and a jewel. In the great dance, the jewel becomes the man and drinks and sleeps and wakes up. In the great dance, the sleep is being sewed in the jewel’s man and gets forgotten. The jewel and the sleep and the man walks away far away and is hungry, thirsty, naked and unhappy.

“What is my food? What is my drink?” asks jewel. The sleep is sleepless, the man is unhappy.

The close friend dances and dances and after a few dancing indancible moves he meets the man and laughs and smiles and dances dances dances. “Jewel!” he cries, “Man!”, he cries, “Sleep”, he cries and alas! stars are dancing and they’re jewels and the heart - the man’s own heart is sleep and man and jewel… dancing stars.

Gassho
Hokuu
satlah

[Noel]

Hi,

I did this.

There is a man at the house of a close friend. Both are at the same time inside reality. There is a man who goes to sleep after “becoming intoxicated with wine”. That is being blind to reality. The intimate friend goes out on official business, but before, sews “a priceless jewel” into the “inside of his friend’s garment”. This “priceless jewel” sewed “inside” is the Buddha nature, which inhabits all of us. There is this man who was “drunk and asleep” and is totally unaware of this. This man doesn’t know his Buddha nature, even if it cannot be separated from who he is. This means he is dreaming a dream, not seeing but dreaming. He gets up and leaves and roams around until he arrives in another country. "Roams around" means he is lost. He seeks for “food and clothing,” but they are very difficult to obtain. “Food and clothing” means he seeks himself. There is this man who is sleeping and seeking himself outside, craving for “food” and “clothing”. He is satisfied if he just obtains a very meager amount. There is a man who is sleeping and doesn’t know he has the treasure inside. Later on the intimate friend happens to meet this man. He says “O poor fellow! How have you come to this state through lack of food and clothing? I sewed a priceless jewel into the inside of your garment. It is still there, although you aren’t aware of it, and you seek your livelihood with great effort and hardship! Sell this jewel and use it to buy what you need. From now on you will know neither poverty nor want and can live as you wish. There is this jewel that is already within us, meaning we are complete, no need to seek, no need to find. There is this called Buddha nature.

Thank you for reading.

Gassho,

Noel

Sat-lah

[Jundo]

In the great dance, there is a man who came to the house, and there is a close friend and a sleep and a jewel. In the great dance, the jewel becomes the man and drinks and sleeps and wakes up. In the great dance, the sleep is being sewed in the jewel’s man and gets forgotten. The jewel and the sleep and the man walks away far away and is hungry, thirsty, naked and unhappy.

“What is my food? What is my drink?” asks jewel. The sleep is sleepless, the man is unhappy.

The close friend dances and dances and after a few dancing indancible moves he meets the man and laughs and smiles and dances dances dances. “Jewel!” he cries, “Man!”, he cries, “Sleep”, he cries and alas! stars are dancing and they’re jewels and the heart - the man’s own heart is sleep and man and jewel… dancing stars.

Gassho
Hokuu
satlah

Pretty good dance!

Gassho, J

[Jundo]

Hi,

I did this.

There is a man at the house of a close friend. Both are at the same time inside reality. There is a man who goes to sleep after “becoming intoxicated with wine”. That is being blind to reality. The intimate friend goes out on official business, but before, sews “a priceless jewel” into the “inside of his friend’s garment”. This “priceless jewel” sewed “inside” is the Buddha nature, which inhabits all of us. There is this man who was “drunk and asleep” and is totally unaware of this. This man doesn’t know his Buddha nature, even if it cannot be separated from who he is. This means he is dreaming a dream, not seeing but dreaming. He gets up and leaves and roams around until he arrives in another country. "Roams around" means he is lost. He seeks for “food and clothing,” but they are very difficult to obtain. “Food and clothing” means he seeks himself. There is this man who is sleeping and seeking himself outside, craving for “food” and “clothing”. He is satisfied if he just obtains a very meager amount. There is a man who is sleeping and doesn’t know he has the treasure inside. Later on the intimate friend happens to meet this man. He says “O poor fellow! How have you come to this state through lack of food and clothing? I sewed a priceless jewel into the inside of your garment. It is still there, although you aren’t aware of it, and you seek your livelihood with great effort and hardship! Sell this jewel and use it to buy what you need. From now on you will know neither poverty nor want and can live as you wish. There is this jewel that is already within us, meaning we are complete, no need to seek, no need to find. There is this called Buddha nature.

Thank you for reading.

Gassho,

Noel

Sat-lah

Yeah, that's it! You got the game!

In fact, you could have wilded it up more. Your sentences still could connect seeming unconnected things more. For example, instead of saying ...

He gets up and leaves and roams around until he arrives in another country.

You could say ...

He sews sleeping and roams around the jewel until he arrives at his friend.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[FNJ]

Is there are reference to a rabbit in Dogen's Muchu Setsumu that you are referencing (I don't find any rabbit mentioned there, unless I missed it) ...

... or do you just mean, as I suspect, that you just dreamt it up.

Gassho, J
stlah

Sorry I couldn't let this go!

"Just as the horns of a rabbit or the hairs of a turtle, they have names but no reality.
Flowers in space are this kind of thing.
Because people see flowers in space, they are confused into thinking that the sky has flowers."

Dōgen. Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo: Book 3. Translated by Gudo Wafu Nishijima and Chodo Cross, Windbell Publications, 1997, p. 10.

ipso facto: "Horny Rabbit" I didn't just imagine it!

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[Jundo]

Sorry I couldn't let this go!

"Just as the horns of a rabbit or the hairs of a turtle, they have names but no reality.
Flowers in space are this kind of thing.
Because people see flowers in space, they are confused into thinking that the sky has flowers."

Dōgen. Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo: Book 3. Translated by Gudo Wafu Nishijima and Chodo Cross, Windbell Publications, 1997, p. 10.

ipso facto: "Horny Rabbit" I didn't just imagine it!

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

Oh, horned rabbit is an old Zen trope, and Dogen used it many times. Just not in Muchu Setsumu. And I also do not find it in Book 3, Page 10. It is not coming up like that even in google. Are you sure of the place?

In any case, it does not matter. It is still a good lesson.

You should still try the "paint by numbers" I posted above, just for fun.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[FNJ]

Oh, horned rabbit is an old Zen trope, and Dogen used it many times. Just not in Muchu Setsumu. And I also do not find it in Book 3, Page 10. It is not coming up like that even in google. Are you sure of the place?

In any case, it does not matter. It is still a good lesson.

You should still try the "paint by numbers" I posted above, just for fun.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

It's in kuge I think my page numbers are in Kindle.



Sat LAH
Niall

[FNJ]

Niall says:
There is the springing up from the earth of Dharma in the appearance before the Buddha of the treasure stupa, which is a height of five hundred yojanas and a breadth of two hundred and fifty yojanas.
There is the abiding in the sky of Dharma that is the Buddha sitting within the stupa, whose dimensions are without measure and whose time is without duration.
There is a manifestation of Dharma by the vow to hear the Lotus Sutra wherever it is preached, and the fulfillment of that vow by arising whenever it is preached, whereby mind is without obstructions and matter is without limits.
There is the turning of Dharma in appearing in space and remaining in the sky, which is limited by the eyes and limited by the body.

Vulture Peak is within the stupa, and the treasure stupa is on Vulture Peak.
The treasure stupa is a stupa of vow abiding in space, and space opens space for the treasure stupa.
The timeless Buddha within the stupa shares a seat of realization with the Buddha of Vulture Peak, and the Buddha of Vulture Peak shares the realization of the Buddha within the stupa.

When the Buddha of Vulture Peak experiences this state within the stupa, together with body, mind, and all things, she also enters into the state of springing up from the earth.

This “within the stupa,” “before the Buddha,” “the treasure stupid,” and “space” are not limited to Vulture Peak; they are not limited to the realm of form and emptiness; they are not limited to some intermediate stage of practice; neither are they the culmination of the Dharma-eye.
Nor are they matters of some fixed stage of realization.

They are simply your life dumbass.



Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[Jundo]

Niall says:
There is the springing up from the earth of Dharma in the appearance before the Buddha of the treasure stupa, which is a height of five hundred yojanas and a breadth of two hundred and fifty yojanas.
There is the abiding in the sky of Dharma that is the Buddha sitting within the stupa, whose dimensions are without measure and whose time is without duration.
There is a manifestation of Dharma by the vow to hear the Lotus Sutra wherever it is preached, and the fulfillment of that vow by arising whenever it is preached, whereby mind is without obstructions and matter is without limits.
There is the turning of Dharma in appearing in space and remaining in the sky, which is limited by the eyes and limited by the body.

Vulture Peak is within the stupa, and the treasure stupa is on Vulture Peak.
The treasure stupa is a stupa of vow abiding in space, and space opens space for the treasure stupa.
The timeless Buddha within the stupa shares a seat of realization with the Buddha of Vulture Peak, and the Buddha of Vulture Peak shares the realization of the Buddha within the stupa.

When the Buddha of Vulture Peak experiences this state within the stupa, together with body, mind, and all things, she also enters into the state of springing up from the earth.

This “within the stupa,” “before the Buddha,” “the treasure stupid,” and “space” are not limited to Vulture Peak; they are not limited to the realm of form and emptiness; they are not limited to some intermediate stage of practice; neither are they the culmination of the Dharma-eye.
Nor are they matters of some fixed stage of realization.

They are simply your life dumbass.



Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

Sorry, I am not sure what you did here. It looks like you just reposted the original passage by Dogen with no changes, except adding dumbass at the end.

Well, that would be "dumbass" for the lesson.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[FNJ]

Sorry, I am not sure what you did here. It looks like you just reposted the original passage by Dogen with no changes, except adding dumbass at the end.

Well, that would be "dumbass" for the lesson.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

The Dharma is subtle indeed.

And don't worry, the dumbass was definitely me!



Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[Jundo]

The Dharma is subtle indeed.

And don't worry, the dumbass was definitely me!



Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

It is a shame that you don't want to play the game with the rest of the kids.

Gassho, J
stlah

[FNJ]

It is a shame that you don't want to play the game with the rest of the kids.

Gassho, J
stlah

I thought I was!? What did I do wrong?

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[Jundo]

I thought I was!? What did I do wrong?

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

Sorry, you may have missed the task ...

~~~

So, in the assignment, you have a different story with elements such as "a man" "came to the house" "close friend" "went to sleep" "becoming intoxicated" "wine." "intimate friend" "go out" "official business" "sews" "priceless jewel" "his friend’s garment" "roams around" "arrives in another country." "poor fellow!" "lack of food and clothing" "the desires of the five senses" "seek your livelihood" "great effort and hardship" "very foolish" "Sell this jewel" "use it to buy what you need" "neither poverty nor want" "live as you wish."

Usually, this story is taken to mean that the "jewel" is the Buddha Nature which we all have within us but do not know, so we live foolishly and squander our lives.

So, if you just take those elements and plug them into the Dogen "paint by numbers" I made (even quite at random really) you will get a sense what Dogen does with the elements of traditional Buddhist stories. ... It is supposed to be an enjoyable exercise in understanding Dogen's writing tricks.


[Dōgen says:] There is the [ACTION FROM STORY] of Dharma in the [SCENE FROM STORY] of the [THING FROM STORY] which is a [DESCRIPTION FROM STORY] There is the[ACTION FROM STORY] of Dharma that is the [ANOTHER SCENE FROM STORY] whose[ANOTHER DESCRIPTION FROM STORY]There is a [ACTION FROM STORY] of Dharma by [SOME ACTION FROM STORY] and [DIFFERENT ACTION FROM STORY] whereby mind is without obstructions and matter is without limits. There is the [ACTION FROM STORY] of Dharma in[SOME ACTION FROM STORY] and [DIFFERENT ACTION FROM STORY], which is limited by the eyes and limited by the body. [PLACE IN STORY] is within [ANOTHER PLACE IN STORY], and the [ANOTHER PLACE IN STORY] is on [PLACE IN STORY]. The [PLACE IN STORY] is a [THING IN STORY] abiding in space, and space opens space for the [PLACE IN STORY]. The timeless Buddha within the [A PLACE IN STORY] shares a [THING IN STORY] with the Buddha of [SOMETHING FROM STORY], and the Buddha of [SOMETHING ELSE FROM STORY] shares the realization of the Buddha within the [A PLACE OR THING IN STORY]. When the Buddha of [SOMETHING FROM STORY] experiences this state within the [THING OR PLACE FROM STORY] together with body, mind, and all things, he also enters into the state of the [ACTION FROM STORY]. [. . .] This “within the [PLACE OR THING FROM STORY],” “before the [THING OR PLACE FROM STORY],” the [THING FROM STORY],” and “space” are not limited to [PLACE FROM STORY]; they are not limited to the [BUDDHIST PHRASE OF YOUR CHOOSING]; they are not limited to some [OTHER BUDDHIST PHRASE OF YOUR CHOOSING]; neither are they [BUDDHIST DESCRIPTION OF REALITY]. Nor are they matters of some fixed [BUDDHIST PHRASE.] They are simply “non-thinking.”