The Eighty-second of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

The Eighty-second Gate: Right Balanced State

Right balanced state is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we attain undistracted samādhi. (Nishijima/Cross)
Right samadhi is a gate of realizing dharma; it attains undivided concentration. (Tanahashi)

Gate Gatha:

May we, together with all buddhas;
Maintain the Right balanced state
That we may attain un-distracted samādhi

Reflection Prompts:
1. Explain the meanings of undistracted samādhi and undivided concentration?
2. How do Right balanced state and/or Right samadhi hekp us to attain undistracted samādhi and undivided concentration?
3. Write a new Gate Gatha,

Capping Verse:

Stillness in motion
The practice
Of a spinning top

stlah
合掌,生開
gassho, Shokai
stlah
仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

[Shui_Di]

1. Explain the meanings of undistracted samādhi and undivided concentration?

Realizing the wave as unseparable with the ocean. Samadhi is not attained, but realized. Thus, Samadhi neither arise nor cease. Thus, it is undistracted.

2. How do Right balanced state and/or Right samadhi help us to attain undistracted samādhi and undivided concentration?

When sitting, just sitting. When walking just walking.

3. Write a new Gate Gatha,

Day and night change,
But not the sky.

Gassho,
Shui Di / Mujo

[Choujou]

Reflection Prompts:
1. Explain the meanings of undistracted samādhi and undivided concentration?
2. How do Right balanced state and/or Right samadhi hekp us to attain undistracted samādhi and undivided concentration?
3. Write a new Gate Gatha,

1. a singular focus, a singular awareness. Not awareness in the small mind flitting about to this or that, did I pay the bills? The shopping list, the thing you did last week that you regret… no! A right balanced state, the middle way, brings us to the singular focus of just this. Right here. Right now. No other thing to concentrate on because there is nothing else.

2. Because it gets our awareness away from the small mind and into wide open awareness.

3. May we, together with all buddhas;
know the singular concentration of Buddha mind
And drop away the imbalanced small mind.

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Furyu]

Smadhi is a difficult term as it is used both for concentration and enlightenment, which I think is what we see in the different transaltions. Not stuck in the relative, not lost in the absolute, one relates to the other.

With a balanced view, neither lost in the great sky nor lost in the myriad weeds. Buy groceries, cook dinner.

Buddhas are everpresent
May we look with both eyes
That they may be revealed


Fūryū
satlah

[Tairin]

Buy groceries, cook dinner.

The modern version of “chop wood, carry water”.

I think the key here is just like our Shikantaza. When sitting, just sit. When our mind wanders, bring it back to just sitting. Same thing off the cushion. Like the guys said above. Live this life now. Don’t get caught up in “what ifs” or “could have beens”.


Tairin
sat today and lah