Monks should be like this child whose 7th consciousness or Manas consciousness doesn’t fully function. Monks should be interrupting at every moment the instinctual tendency to circulate experience around a … Continue reading A Bubble in a Stream #15 of 21
Blog posts
Eyeballs, Nostrils, Skull Replacements #14 of 21
“‘This child is not fully endowed with the six-sense organs’ means that her eyeballs have been replaced with soapberries by someone, her nostrils have been replaced with bamboo tubes, and … Continue reading Eyeballs, Nostrils, Skull Replacements #14 of 21
A Child of a Certain Family #13 of 21
“Zen Master Jingyin Kumu in Dongjing, who is a Dharma heir of Furong, and whose Dharma name was Facheng, said to his assembly, “If you know the matter of going … Continue reading A Child of a Certain Family #13 of 21
In and Out, Talking and Listening #12 of 21
I wanted to share an experience I had that helped me understand the simultaneity of inside and outside or in and out or talking and listening. Unfortunately I have to … Continue reading In and Out, Talking and Listening #12 of 21
Twining Vines #11 of 21
The entire network of co-origination is talking and listening all the time. Lately, when I am giving a lecture, I don’t feel like “I’m” giving the lecture. I feel like … Continue reading Twining Vines #11 of 21
Cause and Effect Arise Together #10 of 21
Dogen writes in “Going beyond Buddha”: We should know the ‘the matter of going beyond Buddha’ is neither being immersed in the cause nor in the ripening (attainment) of the … Continue reading Cause and Effect Arise Together #10 of 21
Clapping and Laughing #9 of 21
From Dogen’s “Going beyond Buddha”: “As for the expression “the matter of going beyond Buddha” of which I am speaking now, the great master Dongshan was the original ancestor who … Continue reading Clapping and Laughing #9 of 21
Grasses & Trees, Fences & Walls, Tiles & Pebbles #8 of 21
Who is doing the talking and hearing in this koan and in this fascicle and what do they hear? The great Master Dongshan (or Tozan) once said to his assembly: … Continue reading Grasses & Trees, Fences & Walls, Tiles & Pebbles #8 of 21
When I’m not talking I can hear it. #7 of 21
It’s very interesting to me that Dogen began this fascicle of “Going Beyond Buddha” with a koan and discussion of “what is talking and hearing?” One would think that “Going … Continue reading When I’m not talking I can hear it. #7 of 21
Dogen and Nagarjuna’s Tetralemma #6 of 21
Dogen can be very difficult to read or understand. That’s why we often need a commentary or teacher to introduce his way of writing and the underlying teaching. I often … Continue reading Dogen and Nagarjuna’s Tetralemma #6 of 21
52 stages to Buddhahood #5 of 21
In the classical Buddhist teaching, there are 52 stages in the development of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva. That’s a lot of stages! Dogen in his subtle analysis however isn’t … Continue reading 52 stages to Buddhahood #5 of 21
Dropping off Body and Mind #4 of 21
Dogen has a famous phrase: shinjin datsuraku, which is translated “dropping off body and mind.” This famous phrase needs to be understood in order to appreciate Dogen’s writing. There is … Continue reading Dropping off Body and Mind #4 of 21
The Three Simultaneous Buddhas #3 of 21
This fascicle Going beyond Buddha explores and refines our idea of what a Buddha is. It explains that in order to understand a Buddha, we have to understand what going … Continue reading The Three Simultaneous Buddhas #3 of 21
Buddhas and non-buddhas #2 of 21
Is there such a thing as a “buddha” or a “self”? Our teaching says, and the physicists concur, that there is nothing solid, neither a person, nor a thing. We … Continue reading Buddhas and non-buddhas #2 of 21
When you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him #1 of 21
The next series of blogs will be on the fascicle of Dogen’s Shobogenzo called “Going Beyond Buddha.” I have listened to Shohaku Okumura’s lectures on this fascicle and have given … Continue reading When you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him #1 of 21
How can We Fail to Love the Jewel? #15 of 15
Dogen in many fascicles honors are humanness. In the next paragraph in the One Bright Jewel, he talks about doubt, which is one of the five hindrances. In various other … Continue reading How can We Fail to Love the Jewel? #15 of 15
Falling or Not Falling into Cause and Effect #14 of 15
Another of the koans embedded in this text is the famous Fox Koan – Book of Serenity #8 or the Mumonkan #2. This koan continues to explore the question of … Continue reading Falling or Not Falling into Cause and Effect #14 of 15
The Jewel in the King’s Topknot #13 of 15
Unconstructed reality doesn’t negate the rules of our consensus reality. We have to abide by the code of behavior that has been established in our society. Nowness does not mean … Continue reading The Jewel in the King’s Topknot #13 of 15
Rolling freely round and round #12 of 15
As I have previous said, Dogen deconstructs time and space in all his writing. He wants us to enter life in this very moment which Katagiri Roshi described as the … Continue reading Rolling freely round and round #12 of 15
Sun Faced Buddha, Moon Faced Buddha, BCR #3, #11 of 15
Many people have a misunderstanding that Dogen was not into koans because he has criticized some of the Rinzai teachers who use a systematic approach to studying koans as their … Continue reading Sun Faced Buddha, Moon Faced Buddha, BCR #3, #11 of 15