The Thirteenth of 108 gates of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

The Thirteenth Gate: Mindfulness of the heavens.

Mindfulness of the heavens is a gate of Dharma illumination; for it gives rise to a wide and big mind.(Nishijima/Cross)
Mindfulness of heaven is a gate of realizing Dharma; it arouses vast aspiration. (Tanahashi)

Gate Gatha:
May we, together with all buddhas;
Nurture our appreciation of the heavens
That we may actualize the spaciousness of Big Mind.

Reflection Prompts:
1. Does mindfulness of the heavens require visualization?
2. What is vast aspiration?
3. Are these two translation conveying the same thought?

Capping Verse:
Such room for all things
And then some
No walls in the sky

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Tairin]

Trying to fit together “a wide and big mind“ and “vast aspiration”. What I come up with is “acceptance”.

A wide and big mind is accepting of circumstances. It takes things as they come due to the understanding of the relative and absolute.

Vast aspiration (at least in my case) is leading me to have a better understanding of the relative and absolute.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Hosai]

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_/\_
sat/ah
matt

[Choujou]

Reflection Prompts:
1. Does mindfulness of the heavens require visualization?
2. What is vast aspiration?
3. Are these two translation conveying the same thought?

1. Just look up!

2. From one perspective, a delusion, how can one aspire to what one already is?! From another, a “wide and big mind”.

3. Yes

Gassho,
Jay

sat/lah today

[Shokai]

Thank you