The Seventy-fourth of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

The Seventy-fourth Gate: Abandonment, as a part of the state of truth

Abandonment, as a part of the state of truth, is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we [can] turn away from all kinds of lives.(Nishijima/Cross)
Branches of letting go are a gate of realizing the Dharma; they become secluded from all living things. (Tanahashi)

Gate Gatha:

May we, together with all buddhas;
Actualize Abandonment, as a part of the state of truth,
That we may turn away from all kinds of lives

.

Reflection Prompts:
1. Here again compare letting go to abandonment?
2. How do either turn us away from all kinds of lives?
3. Write a new Verse.

Capping Verse:

A mind unhindered
Unrestrained
Is free to be free

stlah
合掌,生開
gassho, Shokai
stlah
仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai
"Open to life in a benevolent way"

[Choujou]

Reflection Prompts:
1. Here again compare letting go to abandonment?
2. How do either turn us away from all kinds of lives?
3. Write a new Verse.

1. letting go and abandoning negative behaviors, thoughts, fantasies/delusion, traits, assumptions, expectations… and accepting wholesome, good, helpful, healthful behaviors and actions etc. Essentially the three pure precepts: cease doing evil, do good, do good for others.

2. Because it brings us to the truth, to the only real life, the only true way, which is that of a Buddha’s life. Otherwise life is full of delusion and we end up in all sorts of “lives”… doing harmful things, acting against the precepts without even knowing sometimes, completely ignorant to the truth or even what we are doing. We hurt others through ignorance or because we are also hurting inside when we live this way. We create and further suffering in our own life and in the lives of those around us by not abandoning and letting go of harmful paths, actions, concepts etc. We must then accept and embrace the Buddha’s way.

3. Buddha embodied,
no other life
to let go of

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Tairin]

1. Here again compare letting go to abandonment?
2. How do either turn us away from all kinds of lives?

As I said before on a similar Gate, I don’t care for the use of the word “abandonment” here as abandoning implies a level of neglect. I prefer the term “letting go” which has a positive implication and also a level of intentionality

Certainly the idea of letting go allows us to intentionally release a potentially harmful or negative life style. Getting off the tread mill. Leaving the rat race. Etc


Tairin
sat today and lah