Zen is not a independent concept
Even though in general Buddhism people usually think that the word "Zen" includes some kind of special meaning.
But actually speaking the word "Zen" is only a word, which has been abbreviated word from "Zazen", and so the original meanng of "Zen" is just the word, which only suggest the meaning of word "Zazen.
Therefore in Shobogenzo Bendo-wa, Master Dogen wrote that:
"Remember that this title "Zen Sect" was establisued in China and the east; it is not heard in India. When the Great Master Bodhidharma first stayed at Shaolin temple in the Sung-shan mountains, and faced the wall for nine years, monks and laymen were still ignorant of the Buddha's Dharma, so they calld [MasterBodhidharma] a Brahman who made a religion Zazen. Thereafter, the patriarchs of successive generations all constantly devoted themselves to Zazen. Stupid secular people who saw this, not knowing the reality, talked at random of a Zazen Sect. Nowadays, dropping the word "Za," they talk of just the Zen Sect. This interpretation is clear from records of the patriaechs.
But actually speaking the word "Zen" is only a word, which has been abbreviated word from "Zazen", and so the original meanng of "Zen" is just the word, which only suggest the meaning of word "Zazen.
Therefore in Shobogenzo Bendo-wa, Master Dogen wrote that:
"Remember that this title "Zen Sect" was establisued in China and the east; it is not heard in India. When the Great Master Bodhidharma first stayed at Shaolin temple in the Sung-shan mountains, and faced the wall for nine years, monks and laymen were still ignorant of the Buddha's Dharma, so they calld [MasterBodhidharma] a Brahman who made a religion Zazen. Thereafter, the patriarchs of successive generations all constantly devoted themselves to Zazen. Stupid secular people who saw this, not knowing the reality, talked at random of a Zazen Sect. Nowadays, dropping the word "Za," they talk of just the Zen Sect. This interpretation is clear from records of the patriaechs.
posted by GUDO NISHIJIMA | 9:52 AM
10 Comments:
Roshi,
Thank you for your teachings.
During Zazen, if we drift off into thinking for some time before realizing it, are we still gaining balance of the ANS?
As a side note, I recently gained a client at work who was an understudy of Karl Menninger.
Regards,
Al
Dear Nishijima sensei,
thank you for this clarification. I think it's very important to keep in mind that words like "zen" or "soto" are just words and in the end, I think, we should let go of the word "zazen" too. But of course we need words to communicate with people.
I remember when you talked about how Master Dogen didn't like to use words of sects and styles etc. and he insisted that if we use words, we should only talk about Buddhism, not about Zen. After all, there's only one Buddhism and that is established by Gautama Buddha and by following Great Masters like Master Dogen and you sensei, we can understand what is Gautama Buddha's established Buddhism.
Thank you Nishijima sensei for your efforts.
Yours,
Markus
Hello Master Nishijima,
I would like to ask you a question about Zazen.
What is the difference between sensual perception in a state of action, in Zazen, and sensual perception in an unbalanced state?
Even in a state of action one is seeing and hearing. But what is the difference to seeing and hearing in our unbalanced states?
I ask that because I often hear Zen teachers talking about being in the moment is the most important point in Zen. But anytime I hear this, I try to be in the moment with all senses, try to hear the cars the birds etc.
I also try to follow the moment, it is so fast, so short, I am always to late to catch the moment, so there is a new one, when I recognise it, it is gone.
Should I follow the moment or what should I do?
What do you think about such a practice?
Thank you very much!
Best wishes,
Element
Dear Roshi,
I have been thinking about your "plus/minus= Zero" equation and it has reminded me of Shobogenzo Zanmai-o-Zanmai.
For some time I could not understand why Dogen Zenji would say in that chapter "there is sitting with the mind which is not the same as sitting with the body" and "there is sitting with the body which is not the same as sitting with the mind" because Buddhism posits that mind and body are one.
But, as you pointed out in the last post, we can be 'sitting with the body' in the bodily posture of Zazen while our minds are effectively not doing (or not 'non-doing') zazen because we are following thoughts and consciously thinking/perceiving.
Also, sitting upright can be said to be effectively a little different to non-thinking because sitting is an activity (we are making a sort of effort against gravity) while non-thinking is a non-doing. 'Both' are realised as a unified state of natural balance in Zazen of course.
It seems that these are the two main elements of Zazen according to Master Dogen's instructions:
1. The action of sitting upright and...
2. The 'non-action' of non-thinking.
Can we say then, from the point of view of our direct experience of Zazen, that:
Sitting(or +)/non-thinking(or -) equals Zero?
Regards,
Hanrei.
Dear Al San,
During Zazen, if we are thinking something, it is impossible for us to keep the balance of ANS, but our SNS must be a little stronger.
If you have had a client at work who was an understudy of Karl Menninger, I hope that it might be possible for you to get a useful information from him.
Dear Uku San,
Therefore the word "Zen" is just an abbreviation of "Zazen," and so we should not find any kind of special meaning in the word "Zen," at all.
I agree with your idea that Buddhism is only one in the Universe, because Buddhism is just the Universe itself.
Dear element San,
Sensual perception is perfectly different from Action, and so sensual perception is always exists in an unbalanced situation, or a little stronger PNS.
What those so-called Zen teachers say are perfectly wrong. Because it is said that even in the case of Gautama Buddha it was very difficult for him to recognize the very short length of the present moment.
Therefore it is not necessary for us to recognize the short length of the present moment.
We should never make our efforts, which is naturally impossible.
Dear Harry San,
The explanation of Master Dogen's words that "there is sitting with the mind which is not the same as sitting with the body" and "there is sitting with the body which is not the same as sitting with the mind" suggest that there is Zazen, in which we are sitting with consideration, or there is Zazen, in which we are feeling perception.
But if you like to add the words "because Buddhism posits that mind and body are one," such addtional words might be wrong.
And it is impossible for me to agree with your ideas, which follow further at all.
Roshi,
Thank you for the teaching. If during sitting our SNS or PNS becomes stronger, how do we correct it and bring it back into balance?
Is is correct to say that during zazen we are constantly going through a process of falling off balance and coming back? Or is it that we reach a point during our practice after a while wherein we stay balanced the entire time?
Regards,
Al
Thank-you, Roshi.
Regards,
Harry.
Dear Al San,
Thank you very much for your important questions.
If during sitting our SNS or PNS becomes stronger, it is necessry for us to check whether our Zazen posture is correct, or not. And it is necessary for us to correct our Zazen posture regularly to get back the balance of ANS again.
I think that if we are continuing our efforts to keep our Zazen posture regularly, we can keep our balanced state of ANS continuously.
And if we lose our regular posture, we have to lose our balanced state of ANS at once.
Therefore if we keep our posture of Zazen as it is, we can continue keeping the balanced state of ANS without change.
Dear Harry San,
Thank you very much for your efforts.
Roshi,
Thank you for the succinct reply.
Like the process of Zazen, your teaching brings me back to a balance.
Thank you again.
Al
Dear roshi...
Can I ask, how to keep the balance of ans in daily activity?
Or when I get angry when I drive my car. How can I make my ans become stable, remembering I can't sit in zazen posture while driving my car?
Is zazen only limited to the zazen posture only?
Need your advice. Thank you.
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