67/ 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

24Quaint gate.jpg
一百八法明門
IPPYAKUHACHI-HOMYOMON
One Hundred and Eight Gates of Dharma-Illumination

[67] The power of wisdom is a gate of Dharma-illumination; for [with it] we depart from the two extremes.

The power of wisdom is the transformative, intuitive insight into the true nature of reality—specifically impermanence, non-self, and the Four Noble Truths. It acts as an antidote to ignorance, cutting off afflictions like hatred and greed, enabling the practitioner to end suffering and achieve enlightenment. Wisdom goes beyond intellectual knowledge, representing a direct, profound realization of reality, often described as seeing things "as they really are".It is considered the primary means to eliminate ignorance, which is the root cause of all suffering. Along with morality and concentration, wisdom forms the foundation of Buddhist practice.

How do you integrate this gate into your practice??

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

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

I find the best way this shows up in my practice is during conversations, especially around divisive issues. Since beliefs are often tied to identity, it’s easy to get pulled into emotional extremes. The mind quickly slips into “you’re either with us or against us,” and in those moments, one can be just like a mule stuck in the mud—digging in and going nowhere.

Wisdom, then, isn’t about fixing others’ views but about noticing my own rigidity as it arises. Seeing that stubbornness clearly loosens it a bit. I may not change the whole conversation, but I can at least clear some of the clouds of my own ignorance, allowing the lotus of compassion and awareness to blossom in the very mud which once trapped me.

Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[Tenryu]

When there’s a bit of wisdom at work, it doesn’t feel like insight with a capital I. It feels like not leaning so far. Not rushing toward what’s pleasant, not tightening against what isn’t.

Nothing special happens. Things still arise. But there’s a slight easing at the edges. In sitting and in daily life, that easing keeps me from swinging to either side so quickly. Quiet, almost unremarkable — but it changes the tone of things.

Gasshō,
Tenryū
st+lah

[Tairin]

Thank you Shokai

Wisdom, then, isn’t about fixing others’ views but about noticing my own rigidity as it arises.

I really like this way of looking at it.

Wisdom goes beyond intellectual knowledge,

Taking these two quote really captures what I’ve learned to be wisdom, at least in the Buddhist context. It isn’t book knowledge. Wisdom is knowledge gained from experience and reflection.

How do I apply this to my practice? Well I mentioned I have a tendency to be very reflective. Lots of things come up in Zazen or at other times during the day. Without clinging to them I try to observe how they make me feel then let them go.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[dorgan]

Prajñā (wisdom) and bala (power or strength) together form one of the five powers: faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. Phenomena arise without a fixed substantial nature while nonetheless arising genuinely, fully, and consequentially — the middle way. The two extremes represent, at their root, the mind's compulsive movement to fix phenomena — to arrest the fluid reality of uji (being-time) by pinning it either to permanence or to nothingness. Both moves are forms of what can be called delusion, wandering, the failure to meet each moment as what it fully is. Sitting zazen is how I integrate this Gate into my practice, and the splashes of seeing things as they are that sometimes occur do have the resilience of bala, and keep trickling into my sensibilities and behaviours in ways I find humbling and supportive.

gassho, david
stlah

[Choujou]

I incorporate this gate into my practice by trying to stay equanimous as much as I can. When one sees that all the relative is impermanent and changing, you begin to realize that you must stop grasping and clinging to moments/people/things… nothing and no one will be the same, even from moment to moment. Wanting things to stay the same, the way the been a moment causes only suffering. You being to see the Four Noble Truths more clearly and accept it… this allows you to remain a n the middle way, neither giving into excess despair/sadness/anger, nor allowing oneself to indulge in excessive elation/bliss knowing that either state will cause grasping/clinging/suffering. Of course, do I ALWAYS stay equanimous? Unfortunately, I still have times where I slip and begin to grasp… a nice hike, beautiful sunshine, the birds chirping as the sun rises… but all must pass.

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Seikan]

Practice without wisdom is like aimlessly wandering around in the dark. We need wisdom to light our way and guide us squarely along the path. However, wisdom isn't something we take to our practice. It is mostly non-intellectual. Wisdom is the light that we find within the dark. It grows out of our practice organically like a phosphorescent substance that can only be seen when we've spent enough time in the dark for our eyes to adjust so that we might start to see the light within. Only then does the light gradually grow brighter to light our way.

While I certainly gain much from the teachings that I hear and that I read in books, any snippets of wisdom that I've picked up along the way have come directly from practice—whether that is zazen, compassionate action, etc. Wisdom can't be forced, it has to grow organically and at its own rate, even if that rate is far too slow for my restless mind.

Gassho,
Seikan
stlah

[Chikyou]

Wisdom is a quiet presence. It’s the steady center, the eye of the storm that asks “is this an illusion?”

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō