Today is the beginning of my 79th circuit around our sun. Last year at this time we were mourning the passing of a beautiful, loving and kind lady who is my eternal lost treasure. I am very grateful for the love, support and understanding that I've received along this journey of renewal and aceptance. In celebration of that and completion of the preceding introduction to the 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination, I propose to take this opportunity to review the gates at a slightly deeper level with the view to exploring how they could or should, relate to each of us personally.

You'll recall the first gate is Right Belief and perhaps that I naively concluded :

May we, together with all beings
Realize and nuture right belief
So that our mind and intention may b be strengthened
Before considering what comprises Right Belief, we should perhaps ask ourselves what are the differences between belief and knowledge; or faith and wisdom; remembering all the while that the responsibility for this determination is ours alone. Rewards of lasting value require patient and persistent toil. You could say what it comes down to is solving our own personal Genjo Koan. Good luck with that and thank you for your practice.


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