The Zen Master's Dance - 6 - Fukan Zazengi (p. 29 to middle of p. 32)

[Rousei]

We're all stardust. I think this idea hit me much harder than "already Buddha", because in a very succinct and clear way it expresses that fundamentally we don't come out of thin air! We're born of the universe, as the universe, experiencing the universe and simply because we have a 'mind' and an 'awareness' doesn't negate that. Our nature is what we are, we are the universe. I like to talk about this idea, a lot!

Gassho
Mark
ST

[rj]

Without practice, we may not learn to really see or recognize truth fully... even when it is all around us, hits us upside the head, or stares right at us... or at the other end of the spectrum, when it can be easily missed... the more we practice, the more we see.


rj
st

[Seishin]

To sit is to find the Buddha without searching. Nothing to be found.

Because guaranteed at some point in the day, regardless of what comes off the zafu with me, someone will do something I'll react to.
Then the inner Buddha, poof, will disappears as if never there.
So I sit each morning to allow the searchless search to find what was never missing. Wash rinse repeat until, poof, the wave vanishes.

Sat

[Kiri]

Buddha is all around. But living in this world of delusion and separation, this fact is hidden from us. We practice so that what is present will appear, even if not obvious to us. We practice in order to drop all thought of separation between us and Buddha.

The key here is to understand that this realization is not like any other attaining of some ordinary fact. It's a dynamic understanding that you have to explain or remind yourself every moment. It's like waking up in the morning from the sound of your alarm clock, still confused from your dreams, not sure if you were actually talking to that old friend a moment ago, not sure if you can sleep some more, and having to realize that you should get ready for the rest of your day.

We practice in the safety and wholeness of zazen so that we can bring whatever wisdom arises in the rest of our lives.

Gassho, Nikolas
Sat/Lah

[Jundo]

I just want to say, some very lovely responses from everyone this week!

Gassho, J

STlah

[Stephan]

After getting the book a few days ago, I've now caught up with your reading and I'm glad that I'm now able join into this reading practice. I will try this assignment as my first one, before I'll maybe try some of the older ones.

My assignment answer is:
Buddha is here, we are here, but even though we might intellectually accept that he cannot be separated from here and us, we still won't know, won't feel, won't experience him, us, if we don't practice like he did, like he does, with him here and now, today and tomorrow.

Apart from the assignment, I would like add something and maybe somebody else has some thoughts on it.
When reading Dogen in this more esoteric way like Jundo does in the Zen Master's Dance, but which I think I've read in relatively similar ways either by Uchiyama Roshi or Okumura Roshi or both of them, I feel quite reminded of similar concepts in Christianity. I'm thinking about the Holy Ghost but also about the concept of "Christ in you", which means that Christ or part of him are living in every human being. While there is of course the important difference between sentinent and human beings here, the idea of Christ in us and between us seems to me quite similar to the way Dogen is describing Buddha. I'm wondering how much of a common of human beings desire for the immanence of the transcendent of human beings becomes visible through this kind of similarities.

Sorry for running long.

Gassho,
Stephan

SatToday



Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

My assignment answer is:
Buddha is here, we are here, but even though we might intellectually accept that he cannot be separated from here and us, we still won't know, won't feel, won't experience him, us, if we don't practice like he did, like he does, with him here and now, today and tomorrow.

Hi Stephan,

I would just note on this that perhaps one does not need a "he" (or any noun or pronoun) for this "Buddha." On the other hand, since this Buddha is everything and the kitchen sink and then some too, then "he" (and any noun or pronoun) can fit too.

In keeping with your other comment, although I am not an expert in Christian theology at all, there may be some resonance of these different usages of "Buddha" (as man, as everything, as "and then some" too) with the "father son holy ghost" thingy.

Just something to think (non-think) about.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Suuko]

Calling All Buddhas,

We will read from the middle of page 29 (the section, "And So, 'The Way of Zazen Recommended for Everyone'") until the middle of page 32, stopping right BEFORE "We can still see the traces of the Buddha Sakyamuni")

Please summarize briefly, based on today's reading and your own understanding, why in heck, if we are "already Buddha" and "the Buddha's truth is already all around, complete, and all-pervading" we still need to practice?

Try to respond before reading what other folks have written in response.

Gassho, J

STLah

We continue to practise because when we practise, we express our Buddha nature. When we sit Zazen, the Buddha is sitting. When we clean the house, the Buddha is cleaning. We decide whether we want to express our Buddha nature or let ourselves stray away from who we are.

Gassho,
Sat today,
Guish.

Sent from my PAR-LX1M using Tapatalk

[Stephan]

Hi Stephan,

I would just note on this that perhaps one does not need a "he" (or any noun or pronoun) for this "Buddha." On the other hand, since this Buddha is everything and the kitchen sink and the some too, then "he" (and any noun or pronoun) can fit too.

Yes, thanks for your important point regarding gendered pronouns for "Buddha". So easily I fall into the trap of using non-inclusive pronouns for Buddha, even though I normally try to be aware of the problem with them, especially when talking about the transcendent.

Gassho,
Stephan

SatToday

Sent from my Nokia 6.1 using Tapatalk

[Eamonn]

So I reckon: Though we are already Buddha, we are like sleeping Buddha: we generally aren't awake to our Buddha-ness. We practice to wake up, to see, right here and now, that we are Buddha.

Gassho,
Eamonn

Sat Today

[Bion]

So I reckon: Though we are already Buddha, we are like sleeping Buddha: we generally aren't awake to our Buddha-ness. We practice to wake up, to see, right here and now, that we are Buddha.

Gassho,
Eamonn

Sat Today

I’d say, rather, we practice seeing, we execute “being it”. We don’t, for example, sit with the hope of at some point experiencing something, or realizing something. The sitting is the experience and the embodiment and the seeing. [emoji1]

[emoji1374] SatToday

[Eamonn]

Yes, that's what I was trying for! Not practicing in order to wake up, but just practicing awake-ness.

Thank you!

Gassho,
Eamonn

Sat Today

[Kokuu]

Please summarize briefly, based on today's reading and your own understanding, why in heck, if we are "already Buddha" and "the Buddha's truth is already all around, complete, and all-pervading" we still need to practice?

Although we may believe that we have buddha nature, it is one thing to know that and believe it and another thing to realise it.

Through daily sitting on the cushion we trust that each moment is full and complete in and of itself, until that trust fills our entire body, right down to the bones, and we realise that not only are we part of the dance, we were never separate from it.

Although we can never be separate from the dance, it takes practice to see this, and express it in our life and actions, taking the deep trust we find in Zazen into the world.


Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Suuko]

Although we may believe that we have buddha nature, it is one thing to know that and believe it and another thing to realise it.

Through daily sitting on the cushion we trust that each moment is full and complete in and of itself, until that trust fills our entire body, right down to the bones, and we realise that not only are we part of the dance, we were never separate from it.

Although we can never be separate from the dance, it takes practice to see this, and express it in our life and actions, taking the deep trust we find in Zazen into the world.


Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

It reminds me of the story of Buddha and the Tamarind tree. When asked by three different people about why they keep suffering and getting betrayed despite doing good deeds, Buddha replied that life is as it should be.
We are always running from what life is giving us. Life is just as it should be. We should accept it as it is deeply and still do our best.

Gassho,
Sat today,
Guish.

Sent from my PAR-LX1M using Tapatalk

[Kokuu]

It reminds me of the story of Buddha and the Tamarind tree. When asked by three different people about why they keep suffering and getting betrayed despite doing good deeds, Buddha replied that life is as it should be.
We are always running from what life is giving us. Life is just as it should be. We should accept it as it is deeply and still do our best.

Yes. Shunryu Suzuki once said that we are all perfect as we are, yet could use a little improvement, and the same could be said for life and the world.

Thanks, Guish.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-