91 of 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

[91] The dhyana paramita is a gate of Dharma-illumination; for [with it] we accomplish all balanced states of dhyana and mystical powers, and we teach and guide distracted living beings.

Dhyana paramita (Perfection of Meditation) is the fifth of the six Mahayana Paramitas (Perfections) of a Bodhisattva, representing the cultivation of deep, unbroken mental focus, tranquility, and, ultimately, wisdom. It is a state of meditative absorption—or Dhyana—that frees the mind from distraction, dullness, and emotional disturbances.

How is this gate working for you?

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

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

I find this moves in and out, like the ocean tides. Some days, even weeks, it’s easy to settle in and everything just clicks. Other times, it feels like Sun Wukong himself is at the helm, joyfully bouncing from one distraction to the next.

In those moments, I return to the breath, to zazen, and sometimes even a simple mantra. I find each to be a valuable tool for settling the wild monkey mind.

Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[Tenryu]

Dhyana, as it shows up, is usually a calm, steady flow. Most days sitting feels simple and continuous, nothing to manage. And then, on rarer days, something shifts and it’s more like whitewater rafting. Thoughts, restlessness, everything moving at once. Both seem to belong to the same practice.

Gasshō,
Tenryū
satt and lah

[Tairin]

Thank you Shokai

I definitely don’t have sustained periods of dhyana paramita but I do get the sense of it in from time to time. Although our Practice is a goalless Practice I will admit that those moments helps sustain my daily practice


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Choujou]

I think that unless one is a full Buddha, this gate is a constant work in progress. Same as Tairin, I get glimpses of it but I don’t find that my meditative state goes unbroken by distractions. I do my best and strive to fully open this gate someday…

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Chikyou]

Dhyana, in our practice, is obviously zazen (and in other traditions it would be another method). While there’s not much “mystical” about it, the transformative power of zazen practice can’t be overstated.

—-

Others here seem to be interpreting dhyana like samadhi (and maybe that’s the correct translation, though I didn’t immediately see it that way). Like others here, I have days where sitting just flows and there is peace, and other days when the monkey mind is up to all its antics.

At some point, I started to see zazen as a great, cosmic garden. I come to the garden to sit, and in that garden, there’s room for all of it. Sometimes I come to the garden and I am at peace. Sometimes I bring my monkey mind with me. Sometimes I bring pain, disease, or some stress from the day I cannot shake. And the cosmic garden which is zazen has more than enough room for all of it, because it is the whole universe! So I sit with whatever it is that I am dealing with, knowing that it is all held, all there, nothing that doesn’t fit.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[Seikan]

As others have stated, our preferred method of Dhyana (i.e., meditation) is Shikantaza Zazen, and as such, it is more of an ongoing work-in-progress than a permanent state to achieve.

I'm not sure about what "mystical powers" I have or will achieve. Although, the simple ability to observe something as it arises, persists, and slowly fades back into nothing does feel a bit "mystical" when it happens.

Gassho,
Seikan
stlah