These are things we need to know:
*What is Gratitude
* How to Live in the Present, Realizing Wisdom
* Reverence for Life
* Zazen
* The Way of Zen
Readers are sure to be inspired by Hozumi Roshi's simple but penetrating texts to discover their own Zen Hearts.
These are things we need to know:
*What is Gratitude
* How to Live in the Present, Realizing Wisdom
* Reverence for Life
* Zazen
* The Way of Zen
Readers are sure to be inspired by Hozumi Roshi's simple but penetrating texts to discover their own Zen Hearts.
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Overview
These are things we need to know:
*What is Gratitude
* How to Live in the Present, Realizing Wisdom
* Reverence for Life
* Zazen
* The Way of Zen
Readers are sure to be inspired by Hozumi Roshi's simple but penetrating texts to discover their own Zen Hearts.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781609252076 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Red Wheel/Weiser |
| Publication date: | 06/01/2004 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 2 MB |
Read an Excerpt
zen heart
By HOZUMI GENZO RÔSHI
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
Copyright © 1992 Hozumi Genzo RôshiAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60925-207-6
CHAPTER 1
Mu
Modern Man
Life resembles flowing water. It never flows backward.
What does modern man search for in his limited life?
Is he searching for vanity?
Development?
His empty heart?
Honrai muichimotsu
(Actually, there is nothing.)
Praise of the Hannya Shin Gyo (Heart Sutra)
(by Dr. Hidemi Ogasawara)
Whatever has form has to die.
This is true for flowers as well as for man and his palaces.
Whatever is without form does not know anything about dying.
The same is true for emptiness and the skies.
The heart that sees through impermanence becomes empty.
As it does not stick to impermanent things, it allows them no space.
As the blue skies,
the empty heart is boundless.
It does not hang on to the circle of life,
and thus it loses awkwardness and the fear of stumbling in life.
The empty heart lets go of all fears.
Like the sun, which shines on the young leaves,
develops and raises them,
thus the empty heart allows everything and raises everything.
It is borderless light and borderless joy.
Unselfish purity.
The happy empty heart!
The warmth of the light of emptiness!
What Am I?
Zazen is written [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. The kanji consists of two men [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], who sit together on the earth [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. Who are those two people? Those two are I and I. On the Earth we meet ourselves and look into our innermost self. This is zazen.
There are two kinds of people. Some strive for truth, others remain in untruth. Everyone knows best to which type he or she belongs. Sometimes it also happens with good people that they do something wrong or take the wrong direction, maybe due to their weak will or due to their strong longing. The Buddha's teaching clearly says that one ought to "do good and refrain from doing bad," and though this is so easy to understand, sometimes it is difficult to do good and refrain from doing bad.
Shigen Osho (Jui-yen Shih-yen), a Zen master in ancient (ninth century) China, lived at Zigon temple. Each day he told himself with a loud voice: "Master!" And answered, "Yes!" Then he asked, "Are you awake?" "Yes!" he answered himself loudly. "Then don't allow yourself to be duped!" he answered himself. "No, no!" he said next. He asked himself and answered himself—what a strange Osho.
Hotoke
(Buddha-the awakened one.)
Actually, his question was: "Who am I? What do I do each day? Why do I live?" This he asked himself and answered himself each day.
We, ourselves, say yes and no. "I may do this, I ought not to do that. It would be good to do this or that. Should I take this way? No, I'd better take another one. Should I study? No, better to search for a job immediately." We also encounter the awkwardness of having to make a decision. Sometimes one is advised by one's teacher, a colleague or a member of the family. This advice is not the result of our own reasoning. At one point we will realize that we can and have to decide ourselves how we want to live our lives. Therefore, it is necessary to find the "true master" within ourselves.
Mui no shin jin
(The true human without rank.)
The True Self
The founder of the Rinzai Zen school, Rinzai Gigen Zenji (Linchi I-hsuan), lived in Northern China in the ninth century. He has the reputation of having been a particularly strict teacher with a sharp tongue. But in fact, he only pointed directly at reality. During one of his lectures he once said:
In this body, this mass of reddish flesh, there is something, the true human without position or name, the true self with absolute freedom, which doesn't hold on to anything. Those of you who haven't realized that yet or haven't encountered it yet, open your eyes!
This true human is always present. Body and mind act together in everyday life, while eating, on the way to school, while working, in bed. "The true self" lives in these activities. Because we are not aware of this "true self" we cannot save ourselves. Once one becomes aware of the "true human" and gets hold of it, life becomes simple. To get there it is necessary to undergo trouble and great effort. To dissolve one's own greed and illusions is very difficult. If one looks, however, at one's own heart and allows it to become one with the world, without greed or illusion, then one finds one's true self and absolute independence.
If someone has realized the free state of mind, which evolves out of the absolute (ITLμITL) without attachment, I ask that person to look closely at our contemporary society and allow his or her true creative self to have an effect. Master Rinzai says: "If one is master of oneself everywhere and has realized one's true self, then one stands on the ground of reality." The "master" is nothing else but our creative subjectivity. This is the true human without position or name. He or she shows his or her true self in this existence. If our "ego" does not exist, then there is room for our true self to have an effect. The "true self" does not exist outside of everyday life, it has its job in our everyday life.
We Live Today
The famous sword master TesshÛ Yamaoka (1837–1888) left behind the following poem:
It is good, when the sun is shining.
It is also good, when it is cloudy.
The shape of Mount Fuji
isn't affected by this.
In the Mumonkan (Wu-men-kuan, "Gateless Gate," one of the two primary koan collections) there is one sentence by master Ummon: "Each day is a good day!" In life there isn't either only good or only bad. The situations we encounter are different each time. A good day is comfortable for us and easy to accept. A day with uncomfortable experiences makes us unhappy. We should take Ryôkan Osho's (1758–1831) words to heart, which supremely express his attitude: "When you meet with mishap, you meet mishap and everything is okay. When you become ill you experience your illness and then everything is alright. When your time to die has come, you die, then there is no problem." With such an attitude each day is good for us.
Seizan moto fud
(The green mountain doesn't move.)
But in everyday life a lot of unexpected things happen. No matter where we are, with our family, at school, in society, we always meet other people and we can't deal with everything on our own. Living with others we can experience that it is not enough when we ourselves are well off. When we are ruled by egoism no day is a good day.
The teachings of the buddhas explain it thus: before protecting oneself, one protects others. Protecting others, one protects oneself. Once this way of life has become matter of fact one understands that the problems of society are one's own problems. If everybody thought like that and started solving his or her own problems, then there would be peace between human beings. Sharing each good day thankfully with all other beings, being together peacefully, thus one experiences happiness. Until we have really understood this and realized this in our life we need ascetic practice and, above all, the attitude of taking each day seriously.
Dôgen Zenji (1200–1253) said: "Following Buddha's Way is to get to know oneself. Getting to know oneself means forgetting oneself. Having forgotten oneself, one experiences universal interrelations, the regularity of life. Thus body and mind drop off." For whoever has reached this state of mind it is possible to live "each day as a good day."
Life of Flowers
In the Mumonkan there is the following poem:
Many hundred flowers in spring,
the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer and snow in winter.
When there is no cloud floating in your mind,
then each season is good for you.
In spring many flowers blossom at the same time. Wonderful colors everywhere, on the mountain, in the meadow. We can feel the force of life, of nature. Different colors and forms caress our senses, our feelings soften. There are flowers big and small. The small flowers that grow along the way live with all their might, whether someone sees them or not.
I always remember a poem by Shibayama Zenkei Rôshi (1894–1975), abbot of Nanzenji monastery:
Hana wa mokushite katarazu, yueni uruwashi
(The flowers don't speak a word, that's why they are so beautiful.)
A flower teaches without words
Blossoms bloom in silence
and drop in silence.
They never return to their twigs.
But until this moment,
at this place, they venture their lives.
Listen to the voices of the blossoms.
A blossom at the twig reveals truth for us.
The joy of immortal life
here sparkles without remorse.
What a wonderful poem.
Flowers and blossoms have a short life. A person's life is also short. If a person lived a really long time, he or she would be about a hundred years old. Let us look at the flowers through the changing seasons—and let us practice silence! We ought not to be fascinated by unimportant things, but to forget everything that is superfluous and look at the flowers. For each season is the best season for each of us.
Haku un jikyorai
(The white cloud comes of its own accord, goes of its own accord.)
Calm Rocks, Surrounded by White Clouds
On the high, inhospitable stone mountain I have found my home. Only birds are to be met with on this steep path, the traces of people end here. What exists outside my hut? White clouds shroud the calm rocks. A beautiful life. Year after year I experience the change from spring to winter. One meets for talks in the main hall. False fame surely is not useful
This poem is taken from the Kanzan-shi (Han Shan Shih, "Poems from Cold Mountain"). I'm very impressed by it. In the Kanzan-shi one often comes across the character "white clouds." Obviously, Kanzan (Han Shan, ca. mid-seventh century) loved those white clouds very much. A big rock, deep in the inaccessible mountains. He lived high up and kept apart from the world. Maybe that's why the white clouds could be his friends. Kanzan's poems on the white clouds describe his state of mind, which is identical with satori in Zen. Reading and thinking about these poems we can see how he experienced his life in the greatness of nature, full of attention and quiet. Kanzan is not so well known in Zen history, but he left us some wonderful poems. He is worth the modern man's attempt at understanding what his words want to tell us.
Modern people live with the noise of the big, dirty city. Therefore, it is particularly important for us to occasionally experience Kanzan's state of mind. But Zen should in no case be misunderstood as escape from the present. If you run away from home only in order to escape your duties, but do not want to let go of greed, hatred, and ignorance, this is not right. One does not have to live like Kanzan. But it is necessary to try to get rid of the reasons for suffering. Then we will experience this clear state of mind, which he describes in his poems.
Beneficial Deed without Expectation
The following event is reported about Bodhidharma (ca. 470–543), the founder of the Zen school in China. (The story is reported in the Hekigan-roku (Pi-yen-lu "The Blue Cliff Record"—a collection of 100 cases for Zen study, Case No 1, Bodhidharma and Emperor Liang.)
The Emperor was very popular with his people, and he was respected as a compassionate ruler. He was a conscientious, serious Buddhist who built temples, had copies made of the Buddhist writings and copied them himself, and even gave lectures on Buddhist topics. When he met Bodhidharma, he asked him: "Until now I have put so much effort into the promotion of Buddhism. What kind of reward will I receive?" Bodhidharma answered: "Doing good without expecting recompense. There is no reward." Thus he made the Emperor aware of something of utmost importance.
Hgejaku
(Throw everything away, let go of everything.)
Modern people also think mainly about immediate gain. They want to be successful and to fulfill all their desires. But life is not only striving for personal gain. Everybody wants to be greater, richer, better than the others. Everybody wants to attend a good school, to hold an important position in a big company, and so forth. But these kinds of wishes are not easy to fulfill and eventually they are not satisfactory. As soon as one has achieved one thing one starts wishing for the next. That's greed. If one does a good deed for one's family, school, or for society, and does the deed while actually having only one's own gain or praise in mind, then one's mind is no longer undefiled.
Buddha Shakyamuni said: "All day long I have preached the truth and never said anything. All day long I have practiced and yet done nothing." This mind, this mental attitude is important, it is important not to think about one's good deeds and how highly they should be esteemed.
Likewise, in matters of spirit, one should not be content with personal gain. In Zen we take care not to depend on advantages that may be offered by way of reward. I don't need or expect any reward! If you can say this clearly from your heart this attitude changes your life completely. This is the foundation of the mind on the Great Way. Once you have won this attitude you can walk the Way comfortably.
In reality it is like that: when we throw away everything superfluous and live like the clear autumn sky, without clouds, then we can live a happier life.
On Young People
I have to admit that we are indebted to our civilization and scientific development for the material riches and comforts we enjoy. But what about our mind and our spiritual life?
In past years we have seen that the problem of juvenile crime and violence is increasing. This situation imposes the question on us: Did our education system fail? What is "true" education? The real aim of "education" ought to be personal development— of knowledge, emotions, and will—but also to promote a subjective way of life and an ability to think independently.
Nowadays a lot of young people are interested in Zen. They aim at real humanity by practicing Zen. Zazen means bringing body, breathing, and mind to order. In this way everybody can learn to understand how precious this unique life is. Those who have learned to look at their own hearts during zazen will wake up and come to know the aim of life. Zen leads to an absolutely free heart. The effect of the pure Zen heart is that one doesn't cling to things. This is called the "heart of ITLμITL."
Jippo zaden
(Annihilating the influence from the ten directions with Zazen.)
This Zen heart isn't passive, but rather it leads to positive activity that evolves from an awakened, creative subjectivity. The effect of Zen is opposite to the effect of despondency, indifference, or irresponsibility. Zen heart also means "courageous mind." Our society urgently needs self-confident people. Education ought to point in that direction, so that young people can become independent.
If young people, with their unspoiled, burning energy, did look for truth in themselves, then they could change the human way of life. The future would certainly hold more promise then.
You ought to watch your pure heart during zazen, and not spare yourself trouble.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from zen heart by HOZUMI GENZO RÔSHI. Copyright © 1992 Hozumi Genzo Rôshi. Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Editor's Note
Modern Man
Praise of the Hannya Shin Gyo (Heart Sutra)
What Am I?
The True Self
We Live Today
Life of Flowers
Calm Rocks, Surrounded by White Clouds
Beneficial Deed without Expectation
On Young People
What is Gratitude?
Heaven/The Universe and I Have the Same Root
How Zen Regards Humans
Asking One's Self
How to Live in the Present?
Realizing Wisdom
Everyday Heart
The Heart Searching for Truth
Reverence for Life
One Drop of Water
The Heart of the Way of Tea
Wisdom of the East
The World and the Silence
Sitting in the Night
Hymn on Life
Snow Wind
The Way of Zen
Zazen
Maka Hannya Haramita Shin Gyo (Great Prajna Paramita Sutra—Heart Sutra)
About the Author
About the Translators