Evening gatha

[Zenmei]

The evening gatha:

Let me respectfully remind you
Life and death are of supreme importance
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost
Each of us should strive to awaken
Awaken!
Take heed, do not squander your life.

Is attributed to Dogen, but does anyone know where it came from? I can’t seem to find any reference to its source.

Gassho, Zenmei (sat/lah)

[Mp]

The evening gatha:



Is attributed to Dogen, but does anyone know where it came from? I can’t seem to find any reference to its source.

Gassho, Zenmei (sat/lah)

Hey Zenmei,

I maybe wrong here, but I believe that gatha is from the Great Matter of Life and Death which can be found in Dogen's written of the Genjokoan.

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Kotei]

Hello,

in a book from Taigen Dan Leighton,
"Just This Is it: Dongshan and the Practice of Suchness", I found the following lines:

Life and Death and the Great Matter

The wooden sounding block hit with a mallet to signal meditation or other communal events in Zen monasteries is calligraphed with an inscription about life and death. A simple version reads, "Life and death is the great matter; don't waste time."
A longer version includes two more lines ,"Life and death are the great matter. Be watchful of your time. All is impermanent and passes swiftly away. Time waits for no one."
I am not certain whether this wooden sounding block (pan in Chinese; han in Japanese) was used in Tang monasteries. But it was in use by the early Song, including this longer version of the verse inscribed on it:

Let me respectfully remind you
Life and death are of supreme importance.
Time swiftly passes by
And opportunity ist lost.
Each of us should strive to awaken.
Awaken, take heed,
Do not squander your life.

This verse and the custom of writing it on the pan reportedly goes back to monastic codes published in the early twelfth century and imported to japan in the seventeenth century.
Aside from this verse inscription, seen by all who visit Chan temples, the concern with seeing through the great matter of life and death is a central topic going back to the origins of Chan. For example, in chapter 6 it was recounted that the Chan Sixth Ancestor Huineng recommended that students see their original face before their parents were born. Considering life and death, and what precedes and follows life, is a strong encouragement to fully engage the practice of this life.

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.