The Ninety-eighth of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

The Ninety-eighth Gate; The practice of the balanced state of dhyāna

The practice of the balanced state of dhyāna is a gate of Dharma illumination; for it fulfills the ten powers. (Nishijima/Cross)

The Practice of meditation is a gate of realizing dharma; it fulfills the ten types of abilities. (Tanahashi)

Gate Gatha:

May we, together with all buddhas;
Practice daily Shikantaza
That we may fulfill the ten powers.

Reflection Prompts:

1. What are the Ten Powers*?
2. How does the practice of Zazen fulfill them?
3. Do you feel the use of the metaphor of a raindrop summarizes this Gate?

Capping Verse:

Within each raindrop
The wisdom
Of infinite seas.

* If the Tathāgata Buddha had not explained to Sāriputta about these 10 qualities of mind, as recorded later in the texts, we would not have been afforded this kind of insight into the supreme powers that the Tathāgata developed and exercised in his lifetime and generously shared for the welfare of many.

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

[Choujou]

Reflection Prompts:

1. What are the Ten Powers*?
2. How does the practice of Zazen fulfill them?
3. Do you feel the use of the metaphor of a raindrop summarizes this Gate?

1.

2. By realizing one’s Buddha nature

3. Yes, because the Buddha sees all… the individual drop and the oceans and seas it contains. It is all one thing.

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Tairin]

1. What are the Ten Powers*?



2. How does the practice of Zazen fulfill them?

Ultimately the Ten Powers can be summarized as “seeing things as they are” Not seeing things through the lens of our desires, delusion, and ignorance. While we sit Zazen, we just sit with what is. There is no Good Zazen. There is no Bad Zazen. We set aside judgment and just sit.

3. Do you feel the use of the metaphor of a raindrop summarizes this Gate?

The raindrop is the sea raining. The sea is the drop of rain seaing.

[Furyu]

Furyu
sat-lah

[Shokai]

There is no Good Zazen. There is no Bad Zazen.

It's your Zazen; good reason to throw yourself into it.

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