The 30th of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

Gate Thirty
Read the following, place it in your heart and sleep on it. Then, tomorrow, live it until evening when you can leave a brief comment on what you may have received during the process.

No self-deception is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we do not praise ourselves.

By “Dharma Gate”, we mean a teaching or practice we can study to gain insights into the deepening our practice. It's a way to integrate our understanding of approaching reality.

Koan:
Sawaki roshi said' "Everybody suffers from mixed-up views on life.That's why, in order to save humanity, it's essential to rethink new views on life from the bottom up, building on an absolutely solid foundation. to see life from this solid foundation means seeing it with the wisdom of a Buddha."
The eyes don't say , " Sure we're lower, but we see more." and the eyebrows don't reply, "Sure we don't see anything. but we are higher up."
Living out the Buddha Dharma means fulfilling your function completely without knowing that you are doing it. A mountain doesn't know it is tall. The sea doesn't know it is wide and deep. Each and everything in the universe is active without knowing it.

Hey! What are you looking at? Don't you see that it's about you?"

-To you, Zen Sayings of Kodo Sawaki

Most note worthy replies :

There are no inns

Along the rockiest road to walk

Leading nowhere.

Vanity's not found

By looking

In empty mirrors

合掌 仁道 生開 - gassho, Jindo Shokai
stlah

[aprapti]

[Nengyoku]

[Nengyoku]

I am reminded of this quote from Uchiyama Roshi in The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo.

“Throughout his life, Sawaki Roshi said, ‘Zazen is good for nothing.’ In 1941, I was ordained and became one of his disciples. Soon after, while walking with him, I asked, ‘I am such a timid person. If I study under your guidance and practice zazen with you for many years until you pass away, can I become even a little bit stronger?’ He immediately replied, ‘No, you can’t. No matter how hard and how long you practice, zazen is good for nothing. I didn’t become who I am as a result of zazen. By nature I was this kind of person. On this point I haven’t changed at all.

“As you know, Sawaki Roshi was bighearted, freespirited, and witty, and yet careful and focused. He embodied the image of the ancient Zen master. When I heard his response I thought, ‘Although Roshi says so with his mouth, if I continue to practice zazen, I must be able to become a better person.’ With such an expectation, I served him and continued zazen practice until he died.

“He passed away on December 21 last year. We’ll mark the first anniversary of his death soon. Lately I’ve been reflecting on my past, and I now understand that zazen really is good for nothing. I’m still a coward and never became even a little bit like Sawaki Roshi.

“Finally I came to a conclusion. A violet blooms as a violet and a rose blooms as a rose. For violets, there’s no need to desire to become roses.”

Gassho,
Nengyoku
Sat

[Anchi]

[Shokai]

[Tairin]

Self-deception is really at the root of the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. Those stories seem to be real but really they are just the emperor’s clothes.

Thank you Shokai


Tai
Sat today and lah

[Juki]

Juki