The Lion’s Roar of a Child

(Shoaku-Makusa) Part 3

In fact, it is remarkable to see that some people act quite differently than they think they would. Furthermore, often theoretical moral considerations, which sound  good, are  often linked to the fact that  right is not being done.

In general, a  thing is often  called right which cannot be seen as rightful acting once it has been examined. In addition, it is usually veiled and serves an individual's personal advantage.

At this point Dogen highlights the fact that there are many ways to do good, e.g. the practice of the Pure Land and Zazen practice which he is very fond of.

It is important that while acting rightfully, one acts carefully. Which means, that one should respect other people and their actions. As Dogen underlines, this is not only true in the case of friends and relatives, but even more so in the case of rivals and enemies.

It applies both to family life, while dealing with friends, and also at the workplace which is often dominated by envy and a fight for important positions.

Doing the right thing in a respectful manner takes place in the moment itself. As Dogen mentions, we should not blame outer circumstances or situations as the cause if we fail to do the right thing – this way we would be naming the wrong causes. What applies to active action is also true in the case of letting things happen - because we can realize right by letting things happen.

In such a case one should not interfere in a disruptive or egoistic way – one would only generate wrong oneself.

In a poem it is said that heart and mind would naturally open up and become pure, if we were not doing wrong and respectfully doing the right.

Also, this statement should not be rooted solely in theory and conceptual thinking, but should be discovered and experienced through acting.

While we act we can learn how Buddhas are meant to be. Then we will not, according to Dogen, have to act like ordinary people who accept the suffering produced by unjust actions, resign themselves and will never break through to righteousness. This is how we can avoid generating wrong in everyday life - and it may even be possible to do good.

In a well-known Koan-story a famous poet asked a great master:

“What is the meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?”

The master answered:

“Not to generate wrong and to do what is right.”

The poet, who was also a powerful governor, remarked snidely:

“If that is true, even a three-year-old* can say that.”

The master replied:

”A three-year-old child can already speak the truth, but even a very experienced man of eighty years cannot realize all.”

The poet then thanked the master with a prostration, but he could not fully capture the deeper meaning of this statement. He was known for his great poetic qualities and praised greatly in the circles of writers and poets.

However, the deeper meaning of the words, one should not generate wrong and do good, he was only able to understand on a conceptual level – that is why it remained on the level of words and thoughts. That is, according to Dogen, not surprising, as he was a man of words and not a man of action. Practice and action are crucial and they often differ from talking and thinking.

Obviously, due to his great poetic skill, he was still far removed from the Buddhist practice of Zazen and in everyday life.

In fact, it is easy to say what would be morally correct and meaningful – namely not to generate wrong and to do good. It is certainly true that even a child who has learned to form proper sentences could say that.

But the realization of this moral intent requires a new dimension to life. Often times, the experience of a long life and the learning acquired along the Dharma path are not sufficient to realize this completely.

For this realization an intuitive clarity and the all-encompassing power of acting in the present are absolutely necessary.

You can also call them, as Dogen does, the “miraculous causes and effects” or the “Buddha causes and Buddha effects”.

When people do the right thing – and this can be done in many ways - their spirit, form, body and their positive energy are being realized.

Dogen questions why the poet despises the three-year-old child when he says that even it could phrase such a simple and obvious statement about injustice.

He (Dogen) doubts that the poet even knows what a three-year-old child really is. If he knew it, he would also have access to the Buddha Dharma. He says:

“Whoever got to know a single particle, knows the whole universe – and he who fully realized the true Dharma, realized the ten thousand Dharmas.”

According to Dogen, one could even say that a child participates in the lion’s roar of the Buddhist teachings right after it is born and embarks on its way to the Buddha-Dharma.

Obviously, this poet does not understand the lion’s roar of a child and dismisses the words of the child as being unnecessary babble. But even a three-year-old child can express the truth and we should thoroughly explore and understand it.

We should also explore the question, if and when an experienced man of eighty years has realized the truth.

For this, it is useful not to beinfluenced by interpretations, so that we don’t remove anything or add anything to true meaning – so that we view only reality and therefore understand and experience truth the way it is.

This way we avoid becoming contaminated

(Shoaku-Makusa) Part 2

In the first part of the chapter, Dogen emphasizes active individual action. But he also mentions that it is of due importance to let rightful action happen and not to tolerate unjust action. More observant behavior which lets things happen can often be morally rightful action.

In our lives we often come into contact with unjust action. This can happen through friends, relatives, but mostly through our enemies and rivals.

Buddhism teaches with utmost clarity that it is not correct to allow others to do injustice and to look on. Such behavior cannot be justified with the misunderstood comment, “it is how it is” – this is to shirk responsibility in this world.

Beneath rightful and wrongful action, according to Dogen, there is also neutral action – which is neither just nor unjust.

This is because injustice does not exist as a permanent, abstract reality, but is or is not generated through our own actions which can only happen in the present moment.

Therefore, the right or unjust action exists only in the present of the Now, and not permanently.

From a Buddhist perspective, the injustice of the past, which we can still remember, is only roughly comparable to the injustice of the present – it is not identical. Memories can never be the same as the reality of the present.

The same is true of the expected and anticipated injustice of the future. According to Dogen, we gain clarity about that through Buddhist practice, mainly Zazen.

In this connection he mentions that, regarding the question of justice and injustice, people of the Buddha-Dharma on the one hand and people of the ordinary world on the other , differ greatly compared to other differ more greatly from each other than in other areas within Buddhism.

As mentioned in detail in the chapter  “Just for the Time Being, Just for a While, For the Whole of Time is the Whole of Existence (Uji)” in the Shobogenzo, the true time of the present moment is inseparably connected to rightful and wrongful action.

If you only hear the words that you should not commit wrong, this, according to Dogen, already changes your behavior and actions to some degree. It is important that the Buddhist practice of Zazen is carried out and that a moral code is not limited to thinking and talking only, because the power of practice enables us to gain more clarity and to transform our actions and behavior.

Due to this practice one gains an intuitive and moral clarity in the present moment, so that it is almost impossible to do wrong.

As we are always acting in the present moment, this creates the clarity and power in the Now.

But this moment is so short that we cannot reflect consciously on justice and injustice and act at the same time.

While we are acting rightfully, independent evil cannot evolve – at any place or at any time.

This is even true if we are living in an environment or get into a situation in which a lot of injustice is perpetrated, and we believe that injustice has won over action. Then, in fact, the thought or the idea injustice has become stronger and turned into an essence, which rules the mind.

Dogen speaks about it as follows:

“If we devote our whole mind and our whole body to the practice (of Zazen), eighty or ninety per cent are being realized (that no injustice is generated) just before (at) this moment. And there is (also) the fact that after the moment (no injustice) is generated”.

The practice of Zazen is realized through physical and mindful action. This way we avoid becoming contaminated.

As there is a unity between the universe and the world in Buddhist practice, we can overcome limitations and duality. According to Dogen, we can also say that mountains, rivers, the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars practice as well and that we let them practice.

In this sense, the Buddhas and their predecessors in the Dharma have never contaminated practice and experience. They are free and have never limited themselves. This means: do not commit wrong!

With regard to the Buddhist teachings, injustice as an independent entity is neither existent nor non-existent – but it is always generated immediately through the action itself.

In the same way, it does not have a material or immaterial quality because it is about generating action in the Now. One should not understand it as being too abstract, as it refers to a real and concrete act in the Here and Now. All too easily injustice is minimized and whitewashed. However, these are only assessments of people, which make things unclear.

While we regret having done wrong, the strength and the desire for the rightful action develop, according to Dogen.

If one has gained the necessary strength and clarity through practice, it is not possible to deliberately do wrong.

In the beginning of the poem mentioned above it is said that we can practice  many kinds of right. This involves concrete action in the present moment – and the liberty we possess to do good and right things (by acting in the present moment).

Discussions as to whether  right exists or not do not lead any further and necessarily become rather inflexible on a theoretical level, which is far removed from acting in the Here and Now in our everyday life. For then right is being discussed as a thing, which is not correct.

Liberate yourself by not doing wrong

(Shoaku-Makusa) Part 1

In this chapter Dogen explains that, from a Buddhist perspective, injustice does not naturally exist in this world and this universe. It is generated and contributed to by man through unjust actions. This is a remarkable point of view as most religions teach that evil is a part of man and this world, e.g. in the shape of the devil. Man needs to fight it with the forces of good.

But in Buddhist reality injustice as a form of evil or everlasting essence does not exist. There are only evil deeds and actions of man which do not comply with our moral principles  and therefore violate the laws of the universe.

Nevertheless, wrong, unjust and criminal acts are in fact a part of the reality of mankind, which one should not rationalize and push aside.

In the Shobogenzo, Dogen warns us repeatedly not to become lost in illusions and not to be mistaken about reality.

In this chapter particularly, he emphasizes that moral principles and ethics, i.e. rightful actions, are inseparably bound up with Buddhist theory and practice.

That is why Buddhism is not a “value-free” philosophy or theory. It is the unity of body, mind, action and morality.

Rightful or wrongful actions in the Here and Now of the present moment are essential for the Buddha Dharma.

If people discuss  the injustice of the world, in an outraged and abstract way, as one can often witness, this is therefore much too general and belongs to the realm of theory and philosophy.

One can have perfect discussions about injustice, one can argue about it and, afterwards, feel superior to others; but in reality often times you have done wrong yourself by arguing aggressively to hurt others. In this case, you have violated the social laws of Buddhism through causing conflict and trauma. Sometimes, such aggressive disputes grow into an open verbal fight involving one ego against another. This can, in no way, represent the Buddha-Dharma.

Dogen quotes an old Buddha, who taught that:

“The eternal Buddha says,

Not to to generate wrongs,

To practice the many kinds of right,

Naturally purifies the mind;

This is the teaching of the Buddha “

While translating the German edition of Dogen’s “The Treasury of the T*rue Dharma E*ye” (Shobogenzo), Mrs. Ritsunen Linnebach and I were considering thoroughly whether to use the often applied phrase Not doing wrong” or not.

We came to the conclusion that the precise translation from Japanese correlates better with the term “to generate” – and that that was exactly what Dogen meant.

This term shows very clearly that man generates injustice artificially – and that, naturally, it would not exist in this universe.

Would you choose another translation instead of “to abstain from evil” – one would get the impression that evil  naturally exists as an essence in our world and we have to watch out for it – to abstain from it. From our point of view, this is exactly what Dogen does not want to say.

The proposition that injustice and evil are only created through action and do not exist naturally in the harmony of the universe may be surprising at first. But taking into consideration the fact that in Buddhism  action gets most of the credit and therefore acting is assigned the qualities of reality and truth and not  any abstract idea or imaginary essence – then this is of great importance for our lives.

It is just a question of not generating wrong – and of committing ourselves in our lives and in our actions to the many opportunities we have to do meaningful and good deeds – with care and respect. This is the way to independence and freedom. To generate wrong creates addiction.

The Valleys and Mountains are real Valleys and Mountains

(Keisei sanshiki) Part 4

Dogen suggests studying the old masters profoundly and taking them as a role model. This would be more important than staying in close contact with kings, lords, the important figures of public life, the rich and famous of a country etc. It is better not to engage with them. If one did this, one would inevitably depend on them, would be fixated on praise and criticism and hope for benefits from them.

As it is told, in such an environment, even in monasteries, there is and there was envy and jealousy – already at the time of Gautama Buddha.

Those who are spiritually constrained cannot recognize a truly wise man and even develop hostility towards the saints.

According to Dogen, even in Buddhism there are cases in which great masters have been tortured and killed by those who did not recognize who they really were.

Dogen advises insistently never to develop hatred in such cases but rather to teach the Dharma with great love and compassion to make a difference in people's lives and guide them onto the right path.

Beginners on the path to the Buddha-Dharma are still steeped in emotions and ideals which are not consistent with reality.

That is why it is important that the strength of the first learning period does not weaken and fade away, but is transformed into pragmatic perseverance. This is necessary to attain the Buddha-way and to continue the practice: It is necessary to continue practising on our journey to the Buddha-way.

Nishijima Roshi recommends practising Zazen twice a day – even if, after enthusiastic beginnings, it is not always easy and sometimes can even be boring. And it is essential to find a true teacher. On this path, one has to “climb mountains and cross oceans.”

Dogen says:

“While we are seeking a guiding teacher, or hoping to find a [good] counselor, one comes down from the heavens, or springs out from the earth.”

He refers to his own experience, when he was looking for a teacher himself. According to Dogen, the closer you get to know a real master, the greater he appears to be as a man, the more you can learn from him.

With a false master it is exactly the other way around.

Dogen also shows his followers how to behave on the Buddha-way if they realize that in everyday life they have gotten tired and lazy. He advises them to confront the problem openly and not to deceive themselves. In front of Buddha one should confess one's inattentiveness and laziness wholeheartetly. This will create strength and energy which are needed if one is to redeem and purify oneself.

Then, the shallow, unsatisfying days of the past are gradually reduced and a change and a new start are possible. This way, the old Karma can be cleared and the obstacles on our learning path can be set aside. An old master is quoted:

“ If you haven’t reached perfection in your past life, you can do it now.”

He continues: “After people have realized the truth, they will be eternal Buddhas now.”
On this path, theory and thoughts alone won’t take you further – as important as they may be. But one has to act and practice in the Here and Now. For that, we need genuine trust in our body and mind.

“If we practice like this, none of the eighty-four thousand verses will be withheld from us by the voice and shape of the valley and the shape and voice of the mountains.”

Then we will realize that “the valleys and mountains are (real) valleys and mountains"

I have been searching something sharp like a sword

The Voices of the River Valley and the Form of the Mountains

(Keisei sanshiki) Part 3

Another well-known story speaks about the Buddhist path of an old master who had already been practising for more than 30 years of his life. One day he was wandering through the mountains, when he spotted from a hillside a charming valley in which peach trees were blossoming in spring.

He suddenly realized the great truth and wrote the following poem:

“I have been searching something sharp like a sword for 30 years like a traveler.During the time, treeleaves have fallen down many times, and twigs spread too many times.However, just after looking at the so gorgeous peach blossoms actually. Having arrived at the present moment, I have thrown away the whole doubt.”

The sword is a symbol of the clarity of the body-mind. It cuts through confusion and knots in life, so that one can reach reality. The symbolic meaning of the sword is similar to that of the diamond. With its sharpness it can also cut through the thicket of preconceived opinions, validations and lalready made up ideas of the mind.

In ancient China, Koan-stories were common in which a master refused to answer a well-versed and smart question of one of his students, because he thought the question to be theoretical and made up fictitious. Sometimes the master just repeated the question in the exact same way. In this way he wanted to push his student towards direct experience and action and to bring him closer to reality. At the same time the master wanted to liberate him from a rigid way of thinking and the use of meaningless words.

The following theoretical questions of distinctive reasoning, which the masters did not answer with words  but with actions, are examples of this:

"How can we make mountains, rivers, and the Earth part of ourselves?"

Or the question of a wise philosopher:

"How does pure essentiality suddenly give rise to mountains, rivers, and the Earth?"

In the following, Master Dogen concentrates on the main contents and basic points of the Buddhist teachings: perseverance, the strong desire for truth and the awackening of the Bodhi-spirit, all of which are important premisses to remember on the Buddha-way.

Hunger for fame, profit and ego-pride have to be overcome. Otherwise one blocks oneself on the way.

Dogen also criticizes the fact that  many contemporaries at that time had in fact become monks although they did not really strive for the Buddhist truth or practise persistently. In China, the great period of Zen Buddhism was already in decline.

Many monks and abbots were formally Buddhists, but the strength of the Buddha-Dharma had already become extinct and the pursuit of superficial recognition and financial gain mostly prevailed.

Often times, it was a question of power and influence at court.

Under these conditions, the reality and the truth of the Buddha-Dharma lost their significance and faded, leaving only images and shadows.

This is recounted in the famous allegory in which a living dragon pays the house of a lover of dragon pictures and sculptures a visit. But  seeing the living dragon before him, the frightened man flees, as he loves only “beautiful and harmless” pictures, not reality itself.

Dogen describes it as follows:

“Their body, mind, bones and their flesh have never lived the real Dharma. That is why they are not one with the Dharma. They don’t receive and they don’t use the Dharma.”

According to Dogen, such times of decline are full of false teachers and self-proclaimed masters who are not capable of guiding their students truly onto the Buddha-way.

For this reason Dogen recommends examining teachers and masters precisely. He also points to the irretrievable damage caused if the teachings are not  transmitted in an authentic way.

In such cases, it would be better not to practise the Buddha-Dharma at all – as this would not only be a waste of time, but would also do severe damage.

Those who cannot rely on their own real experience depend mostly on others and often need shallow confirmation from others – and then confuse it with the great truth itself. Naturally, to realize this and to see through it is not that simple.

The Master said: at a Single Stroke I lost Recognition

The Voices of the River Valley and the Form of the Mountains

(Keisei sanshiki) Part 2

Another famous story speaks about a master, who was later well known, who could not make any progress, though working intensely with his master on the Buddhist teachings. Being asked describe the state prior to the birth of his parents, he could not answer. He was expected to answer this question from his own experience and not by citing the Buddhist writings, which he had studied in detail. He was so discouraged that he decided to burn all his theoretical writings, which he had studied so hard, and to dedicate himself solely to simple tasks in the monastery. 

His realization was,

“The image of a rice cake cannot satisfy hunger.”

In this case the image of the rice cake refers to the writings and Dharma-teachings of his own master. The teachings remain theoretical and shallow, if they don’t correlate with experiences and practices in your own life.

Eventually the disciple asked his master for assistance, so that he could continue on his Dharma-Path. But the master saw the extraordinary talent of his student and refused to grant him this wish. The master was probably convinced that his student would gain all the necessary experiences on his Buddha-way himself.

In most cases a verbal instruction wears itself out in words and thoughts and cannot replace real practice. Just like the image of the rice cake, which cannot be eaten and cannot satisfy hunger.

The story continues by telling us that the monk left for the mountains to seek solitude. He settled at a place where a famous master had been practising for years. The monk had set aside to strive for awakening and enlightenment. Instead he lived harmoniously within nature and with the passing of the seasons. He practised persistently and intensely and many years went by.

He planted a bamboo tree, which he nourished and cared for. One day, as he was sweeping the path to his shed, a piece of brick hit the bamboo.

It is said that he reached enlightenment by hearing this sound.

Grateful and deeply moved, he bowed in the direction of his master, because he had not explained hastily and to early what was waiting for him by eperiencing true enlightenment. He had left it to his own experiences life. Due to this fact alone, he had been able to wake up to the truth.

Finally, he wrote the following verse:

“At a single stroke I lost recognition. No longer need I practice self-discipline.[I am] manifesting behavior in the way of the ancients. Never falling into despondency.”

Later on, his master confirmed his state of enlightenment and said that this disciple had reached perfection.

The Voices of the River Valley and the Form of the Mountains

(Keisei sanshiki), Part 1

In this extraordinary chapter Master Dogen describes the central meaning and reality of the unity of nature and man. One could view inanimate nature only from the perspective of matter and form, as is the case with the dimension of materialism, but this would be one-sided and restricted.

Dogen points out that such an external perspective on form or the elements of matter, such as water, earth, fire and air, only illustrates the truth partially and does not reach the core.

In contrast, with the highest life philosophy in the Buddha Dharma, the awakening, one opens up to a complete new dimension, an unexpected depth of focus on an understanding and an experience of nature’s beauty and power.

Dogen calls the rivers and streams flowing in the valleys tongues of the Buddha; they teach us compellingly the true Dharma. In fact, rivers and streams never stand still. The shape of the mountains resembles Buddha’s body, which is marked by purity and virtue. Nature, seen in this light, extends far beyond its substantial and material aspect. In this sense, nature constitutes a wonderful composition of reality, able to reach and bless man in the core of his heart.

The bond, better, the unity with nature used to be a very important part of a man’s life in China and Japan.

Life was inextricably bound up with all sentient beings, including animals and non sentient beings, like pine trees, bamboo, chrysanthemums, i.e. trees, plants and flowers. Within the Buddha Dharma, all of this is lived, experienced and understood as harmony and as the natural law of the universe.

Dogen refers to a great Chinese poet who listened to the voice of a river in a mountain valley and found awakening. Afterwards, he wrote the following poem:

“The voices of the valley are the (Buddha's) wide and long tongue. The shape of the mountain is nothing else than his pure body."

The poet presented his verses to a great Buddhist master who confirmed his awakening. But what had happened when suddenly a whole new all-embracing dimension of life opened up to him? Indeed, he had written great poetry before, but had not experienced Buddhist practice and teachings comprehensively. According to Master Dogen, the poet had not truly realized and experienced the natural flow of the seasons: flowers in spring, the fresh pine saplings in summer and the wonderful chrysanthemums in fall, not until he was allowed to hear the voices in the river valleys.

Shortly before, he had heard a Zen Master's lecture on non-sentient beings, like trees, flowers and plants, but it had yet not reached his mind and heart. Presumably there remained with him the traces and effects of the Master's words, which then led him that night to experience his own deep realization of the Buddha Dharma.

Before, he had not been fully open and ready to receive and feel so deeply the all-encompassing meaning of the Buddhist teachings. It did not happen until the great awakening came to him that night in an almost mystical experience through the voices of the river valleys.

Man as subject and nature as the object had suddenly merged to form a unity – actually they had never been separated. But until then the poet had not realized it. Master Dogen asks, in his usual manner, whether the poet awakened to the truth or whether the mountains and rivers awakened to it.

Is it even possible to separate the two?

Longing for truth will lead us onto the right path

Mind here and now is Buddha, Part 3

(Soku-shin-ze-butsu)

If one understands the mind only in the sense of idealism, i.e. just as an idea and therefore in a very restricted dimension, the sentence “Mind Here and Now is Buddha” cannot be grasped comprehensively.

Here actually means spatially accurate, at the exact location. And Now means precisely that moment. Mind and Buddha are not independent of space and time. The Buddha-Dharma resembles the unity of theory and practice and thus incorporates the level of action and the practice of Zazen in the Here and Now. It is inextricably connected to morality and contains all the conditions of reality and truth – just as they are.

As a result nothing is added through dogmatic fantasies or theoretical reasoning. And at the same time, nothing is taken away reduced, chosen or selected.

Buddhism uses the analogy of a clear mirror which reflects everything that appears in front of it without adding or omitting anything.

It is no secret that the flight from and avoidance of reality and truth is the cause of most of our mental and psychological suffering, which we face in today’s world - just as we did in previous times.

But Gautama Buddha’s teaching leads us directly out of the cycle of suffering and enables us to grasp reality fully.

We cannot capture the true Buddha mind solely with the realm of thought. We also need to experience and discover it through action, while the longing for truth will lead us onto the right path.

The Buddha mind is far more than thinking alone, it also contains, according to Dogen, the reality of the bamboo, the mountains, the rivers, the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars, normally understood just as a materialistic point of view and objects. In Buddhism, the comprehensive mind is life and death themselves, the coming and going, Zazen practice and everyday life.

Zen-Buddhism teaches clearly that we need to learn to differentiate between our perceptions, our ideas and our way of thinking and reality itself. We should not mistake one for the other and confuse them. That is why Dogen says:

“If we have never awakened the will ( to the truth ), have never undertaken the practical training, never ( realized ) the Bodhi-mind and have never Nirvana ( experienced ) - then there is no ( state ) `Mind here and now is Buddha´.”

It is sufficient if the desire for the truth is manifested in just one single moment or in one atom of our body for the true Buddha-mind to be realized.

This is why the Buddha-mind is far more extensive than the “spirit-essence” of the Brahman Srenika and the doctrines of the southern masters.The true spirit is realized when the desire or the will for  truth is aligned with ethical action.

The true Buddha Dharma was lost in the South

Mind here and now is Buddha, Part 2

(Soku-shin-ze-butsu)

What does the sentence “Mind here and now is Buddha” imply?

In the records of Master Daikan Eno the false or at least improper teachings are  discussed – within the course of a dialogue with a traveling Buddhist monk. Master Daikan Eno was highly regarded by Dogen and was given the honorable title Great National Teacher Daisho.

In this context the traveller explains to the National Teacher that Dharma teachers of the South state “Mind here and now is Buddha” only refers to the consciousness, not to the body.

Thus mind and consciousness are being equated and perceived as being separate from the body.

According to the teachings in the South, the core feature of a consciousness of this kind are the representation of the essence of seeing, hearing, perceiving and knowledge and above all knowledge.

It governs all actions - especially the realm of thought - of a human being and is therefore called “true, all-encompassing knowledge”.

This all-encompassing knowledge represents the Great Buddha himself and there is nothing else beside it.

For this reason, according to the Srenikan doctrine, this all-embracing knowledge represents the supreme and the essence of the universe.

By comparison, everything else, such as matter and the body, are marginal and less important. The spirit and knowledge are immortal. After death, the spirit  leaves the physical body, just like someone who abandons his burned, useless house, or like a snake, shedding its old skin and leaving it behind.

Hearing these explanations, the Great National Teacher Daisho found his opinion confirmed that, in the South, a false doctrine of the Buddha Dharma was common. He bemoaned the fact that students of so-called masters were taught in this way and therefore were headed in the completely wrong direction on the way to the Buddha Dharma.

For this reason the true Buddha Dharma was lost in the South.

The true teachings of the Buddha Dharma transcend knowledge, consciousness and sensory perception such as seeing, hearing, feeling etc.

We cannot go beyond the rigid limitations of thinking and reasoning relying just on the rational mind itself or on our sensory organs. We would not have access to the true Buddha Dharma.

That is why the doctrine of the South was its own dubious wishful thinking and the subjective, one-sided belief of the local masters. The great universal truth, taught by Gautama Buddha himself and the predecessors of Dharma, simply could not have been grasped and understood fully by the teachers of the South.

As mentioned, Nishijima Roshi regards the realm of thought and ideas as idealism and the realm of perception and sensory stimuli as materialism. Looking at them individually, both philosophies are not entirely wrong. But they cannot do justice to the wonderful diversity of life here and now, as they are one-sided and one-dimensional.

He, who aligns himself with one of the limited philosophies, won’t be able to escape the ongoing cycle of suffering and superficial pleasures. He will just be holding onto a straw, which is not reliable once you look at it closely. Therefore, Nishijima Roshi strongly advocates a third life philosophy, namely the philosophy of acting in the here and now, in the present moment. The fourth philosophy, in Buddhism regarded as the highest one, already contains the three philosophies previously mentioned. But it goes beyond them and is called awakening, enlightenment or emptiness. On this level, the highest of all, there is absolute unity and harmony in morality and universal laws.

Mind here and now is Buddha

(Soku-shin-ze-butsu, Part 1)

In this chapter, Dogen distinguishes the Buddhist teachings from ancient Indian philosophy, which was advocated at the time of Gautama Buddha by the Brahman, Srenika.

Several disputes between Gautama Buddha and Srenika took place, which define the essential core values of the new Buddhist teachings and distinguish them from the teachings of Brahmanism.

Brahman, Srenika believed that an eternal and unalterable soul existed and transmigrated from one body to another, independent of the particular physical body, through various incarnations.

He thought this to be the great principle, easy to recognize and understand. Moreover, he believed that the teachings of the immortal soul would liberate one immediately and effortlessly, without imposing the burden of practicing.

According to Srenika, this spirit-substance distinguishes between suffering and pleasure, warmth and coldness, pain and irritation.

It (the spirit substance of the Srenikan view ) is supposed to be completely independent of the physical body and fully self-dependent. Above all, it cannot be limited or restricted by any physical thing or accompanying condition.

Such an eternal spirit permeates the souls of normal and saintly humans. Srenika states that once you have attained this spiritual intelligence, illusions of body and mind will fade away and disappear. He believed that one would be immediately and effortlessly freed and would not have to suffer any longer. Also, it would be a chance to discern one’s innate spiritual consciousness clearly. According to Srenika, this spiritual intelligence is eternal and permeates through worlds and eons.

In contrast, manifestations of this world and universe are transient, they arise and perish, they have no persistence.

With regard to Srenika, you could call this spiritual intelligence the spiritual consciousness or the true self. Following his teachings, those who acquired this great wisdom could leave the miserable cycles of reincarnation and were able to return to eternity.

The agonizing cycle of life and death has finally come to an end once the spirit enters eternity. Then the spirit-substance is absorbed by the everlasting ocean of the essence.

These are the main propositions of the Srenikan view.

How does Master Dogen react to this, and how does he outline the teachings of the Buddha Dharma?

Wouldn’t it be nice if Srenika and his teachings were correct? A simple realization of the “spirit”, understood in this way, would liberate us and we could escape suffering and other dreadful experiences in life.

By the eighth century AD Buddhism in China had reached its peak, which was due to the time of Master Daikan Eno, who was Boddhidharma’s sixth successor in China.

In northern China, cultural life had reached remarkably high standards and thus differed from the under-developed South, which, at that time, included parts of Cambodia and Vietnam.

Dogen reports that Buddhism wasn’t practiced as accurately in the South as in the North of China, given the fact that the teachings of the so-called masters in the South came very close to Srenika’s teachings. Their teachings equated the spirit or the spiritual-essence with Buddha.

Dogen vigorously rejects these teachings and explains this on the basis of the famous statement,

“Mind here and now is Buddha”.

According to him, it is not about beliefs, wishful thinking and abstract ideas – but about the real truth, whether we like it or not. Fleeing reality into daydreams is one of the main causes of human suffering. A conclusion Sigmund Freud already came to decades ago.