(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.
