19 / 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

30 Quaint gate.jpg
一百八法明門
IPPYAKUHACHI-HOMYOMON
One Hundred and Eight Gates of Dharma-Illumination

[19] Reflection on suffering is a gate of Dharma-illumination; for [with it] we cease all aspira-
tions.

Buddhism views suffering (dukkha) as a fundamental aspect of life, arising from impermanence and our attachment/craving for things to be different, but teaches that it's not inevitable and can be overcome through understanding the Four Noble Truths and following the Eightfold Path, leading to liberation (Nirvana).

This one is basic Buddhism, How do you handle this in your Practice ?? And, Do you think it is alright to cease all aspirations.

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

[Tenryu]

In practice, reflecting on suffering feels clarifying rather than pessimistic. Sitting Zazen shows me quite directly how much dukkha comes from wanting life to be different than it is. I don’t try to fix that; I try to see it. When it’s seen clearly, some of the pressure around striving naturally loosens.

When I hear ‘aspirations,’ I mostly think of life goals. For as long as I can remember, chasing them created a lot of suffering for me. We’re taught that we need ambitions the way we need air, but I learned early on that this isn’t really true. There are limits, and more importantly, there’s no obligation to reach for everything. Over time, I’ve replaced aspirations with values. I still engage with life, but without the constant demand to arrive somewhere else.

The hamster wheel doesn’t disappear completely, but seeing how much dukkha comes from running blindly in it makes a difference. It becomes easier to step out now and then, take a breath, and continue from a clearer place.

Gasshō,
Patrick
sat today/lah

[dorgan]

Mushotoku (無所得) means "no gain," "no profit," or "nothing to attain," describing a state of selfless action and non-attachment, where one practices without seeking results, reward, or even enlightenment itself, finding freedom in the process rather than the outcome. It's a core idea in Soto Zen, emphasizing pure action, understanding emptiness (ku), and finding joy and purpose in the present moment.

I am a husband and run my own small business. In contemplating this gate and doing research, I have come up with the following.

I have a marriage that requires attention, communication, and growth. I have a business with payroll, clients, bills, and decisions. These aren't optional. I have real responsibilities and real consequences. I also practice as a Soto Zen Buddhist, which means sitting zazen and engaging in other formal and informal practices.

Purposeless-purpose doesn't mean being passive or uninvested, not planning or working toward goals, pretending outcomes don't matter, or spiritual bypassing (thinking "it's all empty anyway" while my business fails and we end up on the street in the depths of winter freezing to death).

In my marriage, I will show up fully, listen deeply, and respond with care because that's what the moment calls for, not to "achieve" a perfect marriage. I work through conflicts with genuine engagement, not to win or prove something, but because loving-response is what's present; my spouse's happiness matters, but I’m not clinging to an image of what the relationship "should" be.

In my business, I make the best decisions I can with the information available, then respond to what actually happens. Work diligently, but when the day ends, it ends (not being entangled in anxious grasping or worry). Success and failure are feedback, not judgments of self-worth. Another day.

It's about engagement without entanglement: I care deeply, and I’m not identified with outcomes; I work hard, and I’m not attached to results; I have intentions, and I’m flexible and accepting when reality differs. The practice isn't perfection. It's noticing the grasping when it arises, coming back to just this moment, just this task. Again and again.

Samu (work practice) is precisely about this: can I answer emails, fix a broken piece of equipment, or have a difficult conversation with the same quality of presence as zazen? Not always, but increasingly.

When crying, just cry; when laughing, just laugh; when sitting in meditation, just sit; bring full care and attention to whatever we face and do. When the experience is gone, another is here; let each experience go without grasping or attachment, and be fully present in each.

gassho, david
stlah

[Tairin]

Thank you Shokai

Firstly I don’t think we have to cease all aspirations. I aspire to wake up tomorrow. I aspire to keep my body physically strong and healthy as I age. I aspire to support my family and friends as best as I can.

What is important is how tightly we hold those aspirations and what happens if life takes a different turn. As I mentioned a few Gates back, I used to be very change adverse. It would cause me all sorts of stress and aggravation (aka Dukkha) when things didn’t go as planned. In fact it is mostly this that lead me to finally truly commit to this path. Now I try to meet change with equanimity. Change isn’t personal. It is just the universe universing in ways I hadn’t anticipated. It’s all good.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Choujou]

With this gate, from me I think this points to bearing witness to suffering, outside our “selves”, inside “ourselves”, and how the two intertwine and continue the patterns of suffering, as well as how our “aspirations” or dreams, our wish for things to be different than what they actually are, and how they can cause suffering. I think it is important to be mindful and skilled when making decisions in life… will this action cause suffering for anyone, including myself? Sometimes it is difficult to take an honest look at things, and that is because our aspirations can blind the eyes. We want what we want so badly sometimes, we are willing to suffer, or to make others suffer, sometimes to atrocious levels … but Buddha taught us the way out of all of it.
In my practice, I try to be mindful of all my actions and choices and how they affect others, and atone for when I act unskillfully. I don’t think one should give up on aspirations completely (which would be an aspiration in itself ) , but one shouldn’t attach to them. If an aspiration would cause suffering it should be dropped, which is not easy when you are emotionally invested in it. During Zazen, this I feel is exactly how we get lost in thoughts. I recently wrote a haiku about it:

A thought will entice
Emotions will anchor it
I open both hands

Our emotions are like the glue that clings us to thoughts, ideas, people… and emotions themselves are one of the easiest aspects of the human experience to cling to. We are constantly flooded by them… and they are powerful… and so, we grasp and desperately want whatever it is we’ve just clung to to never change (also an aspiration!). But, just like the thoughts they react to, they are empty. In my practice I open both hands, and just try to accept and allow. I still aspire, but I try to ensure that what I’m aspiring for is in service to all and not in suffering for all.

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Seikan]

Our emotions are like the glue that clings us to thoughts, ideas, people…

Oooh... I love that analogy! Thank you for that!

Being human, aspirations are a natural part of living. Without them, we wouldn't stay alive. But like others have already noted, it's not really the aspirations themselves that are the problem, it is our attachment to them. If we can go through life holding our aspirations lightly, just enough to manage them with care, but not cling to them excessively, then Dukkha may not arise. Or maybe it still will, but we will be able to meet it gently with awareness and learn from it without "suffering" too much.

Through all of our practices, but most notably zazen, I feel that I have been able to learn the basics of how to manage my aspirations with awareness, self-compassion, and wisdom. The real challenge is to be able to apply this to my life in real time as it unfolds. That's much easier said than done, but on the rare occasions that it seems to happen, it can feel quite liberating.

Gassho,
Seikan
stlah

[Chikyou]

This is a tricky one. What does it mean to reflect on suffering? To reflect on the causes? Conditions? Current events? Bearing witness is important, but too much focus on suffering is unhealthy. Ceasing aspirations is a similarly double-edged sword.

Middle way.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō