The first of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

1) The First Gate: Right Belief/Trust

Right belief is a gate of Dharma Illumination for (with it) the steadfast mind is not broken. (Nishijima/Cross)

Right trust is a gate of realizing dharma; it keeps determined aspirations from breaking. (Tanahashi)

Gate Gatha:

May we, together with all buddhas;
Reassess our beliefs and intentions,
That our minds remain steadfast on the path

Reflection Prompts:

What does having a steadfast mind/determined aspirations mean to you?

How does this relate to your practice?

Is it a rigid, laser-like focus of concentration, or is it something more subtle, yet equally powerful.

Capping Verse:

A well-tuned arrow
Straight and true
Never goes astray

gassho, Shokai

[Nengei]

Thank you, Shokai, for taking on this important teaching. It has meant much to me in the past couple of winters.

I will sit with each posting and reply the day after. See you tomorrow!

Gassho,
Nengei
Sat today. LAH.

[Zenkon]

For me, Right Belief is belief in beginner's mind - a mind free (or as free as I can be) of pre-conceptions, opinions, biases, judgements, distinctions. In my practice, it means I try to look at the world as does my newborn grand daughter - without labels, value judgements - to just experience it as it is. It is not rigid at all, but rather very relaxed, accepting.

Gassho

Zenkon

[Geika]

The qualities of mind that are steadfast to me feel like a gentle floating above a stressful moment: some clarity and calm that can observe the churning below and rest on top of it.

Gassho
Sat, lah

[aprapti]

[Tairin]

Thank you Shokai

To me steadfast mind/determined aspirations means consistency and daily practice. That includes both the days I feel inspired and the days I feel more resistance.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Anchi]

[Tai Do]

Thank you, Shokai!

What does having a steadfast mind/determined aspirations mean to you?

I think a steadfast mind to me means to constant remind myself of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and to firmly form the resolution to devote myself to the Way, trusting in Reality, in the teachings, in the practices, and in my fellow friends in the way.

How does this relate to your practice?

To me, this trust translates in daily sitting with the trust that my buddha-nature is expressed whatever weather there is in my mind.

Is it a rigid, laser-like focus of concentration, or is it something more subtle, yet equally powerful.

To me, right belief/trust is more subtle than a focused concentration. I think of if more as a general tendendy or intention toward the buddha-dharma, the Way, Reality. Which is in itself extremely powerful.

Gassho,
Mateus
Satlah

[Onsho]

What really stands out to me when reading this is the feeling that I tend to relax into my practice and let it happen to me. I dont feel a pull of determined aspersions, just total trust in the process. In regards to the strait arrow, I feel perfectly capable of true flight and have full confidence in the archer releasing me.

Gassho
Keith
Satlah

[Nengei]

Being of steadfast mind, to me, means understanding two things. First, the road meanders, sometimes even seeming to go backwards. Second, there is no destination or ending point. The process, how I live my life from moment to moment, is the goal.

Gassho,
Nengei
Sat today. LAH.

[Getchi]

Thankyou Shokai - hard to believe a new season of Gates is here already.

To me, steadfast mind means I simply return to Dharma everytime i catch myself wandering. My practice is mostly seeing the mirror on peoples backs - so that I see myself reflected in there actions everyday - truly we are all one. And while there are moments of soul-blazing laser like intensity there are also lots of gentle lazy in the sun moments and even "oops - where did my mind go?" moments.

A big help to me is to remember this mind of ours constantly rumbles and keeps working like our stomachs, so I try to feed it the appropriate diet. I have not been disapointed.

It is my intention to live in a way that helps others to also see even just a glimpse of mind/Mind/no-mind and encourages compassion and beauty.

Peace.

Gassho,
Geoff.

SatToday
LaH

[Guest]

The first of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

For me having a steadfast mind and keeping right belief and trust means to understand the depth of the first two noble truths. The state of unsatisfactoriness derived of not being accepting of how things are in this moment leads to wanting things to be different than they are, or constantly trying to have another experience other than the one that is currently present. When I try to mold the universe to my own limited view of self, the usual cycle of ignorance, anger and greed unfold causing suffering for self and others.

To be steadfast means to keep this at the forefront of practice and not to be led astray by not trusting in these truths as well as the truth as it appears in front of me which can be verified through practice. Rather than trusting in something simply because I am relying on some authority or some deluded fantasy, it means to verify it according to my own direct experience. It also means to practice with the emptiness of all things just as things are and thus intimately know the interconnectedness of all things and to practice in a way that is confirmed by the reality of things as they are rather than being pulled away by the delusion of separateness.


Gassho,

Bill (Daiman)

Sat Today/LAH

[Nengyoku]

Is it a rigid, laser-like focus of concentration, or is it something more subtle, yet equally powerful.

Sometimes our path is like a flashlight
Other times, it is like the sun
Each with their own use. Just keep the light on.

Gassho,
Nengyoku
SatLah

[Shonin Risa Bear]

"Anyway, our practice cannot be better than a frog sitting, but that is okay" S. Suzuki

Gratitude, gassho

ds sat today