ishida july 30 japanese ways

8/12/2019 ISHIDA July 30 Japanese Ways

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oon in a ewdropW R I T I N G S O F

Zen aster ogen

E D I T E D Y K Z U K I T N H S H I

Translated byRobert itken Reb nderson Ed Brown

Norman Fischer rnold Kotler Daniel LeightonLew Richmond avid Schneider KazuakiTanahashi

Katherine Thanas Brian Unger Mel WeitsmanDan Welch and Philip Whalen

N O R T P O I N T P R S S

Farrar Straus and Giroux

ew York


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ontents

Preface and Acknowledgments v

Abbreviations Transliteration Systemsof Counting

and Capitalization xi ntroduction 3

The Life of Zen Master Dogen 3

Dogen s Teaching 12

p r t o n e r ct ic l nstructions

Rules for Zazen Zazen gi 29

Guidelines for Studying the Way Gakudo Yojin shu 31Bodhisattva s Four Methods of Guidance odaisatta Shisho ho 44

Regulations forthe Auxiliary CloudHall Juundo shiki 49Instruction for the Tenzo Tenzo Kyokun 53

p a r t two Philosophical WorksActualizing the Fundamental Point GenjoKoan 69Birth and Death Shoji 74The Time-Being Uji 76Undivided Activity Zenki 84Body-and-Mind Study of the Way Shinjin Gakudo 87


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pa r t t h r e e : Poetic ImageryMountains and Waters Sutra Sansui kyo 97SpringandAutumn Shunju 108Plum Blossoms ik 114Everyday Activity Kajo 124The Moon Tsuki 129

Painting of a Rice cake Gabyo 134

par t four: Transmission of the TeachingOn the ndeavor of the Way Bendo wa 143

Only BuddhaandBuddha Yuibutsu Yobutsu 161Twining Vines Katto 168Face to Face Transmission Menju 175

Buddha Ancestors Busso 184Document of Heritage Shisho 186All Inclusive Study Henzan 197

Going beyondBuddha Bukkojoji 203

p a r t f i v e oems

Waka Poems 213Chinese style Poems 216

P P E N D I X E S

Appendix A: Reading the Recordof Eihei Dogen by Ryokan 223Appendix B:ChineseTransliteration: Comparative Table 225Appendix C: Maps 231Appendix D: Lineage Charts of ChineseZen Masters 234

N O TE S 4

S E LE C TE D B IB LI OG R AP H Y 55

GLOSSARY A N D I N D E X 5 7


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Mountains and Raters utra

s a n s u i - k y O 1

I

Mountainsand watersright now are the actualization of the ancient buddhaway. Each, abiding in its phenomenal expression,* realizescompleteness.Because mountains and waters have been active since before the Empty

Eon,* theyare alive at this moment. Because they have beenthe self* sincebefore form arose they are emancipation-realization.

Because mountains are high and broad, the way of riding the clouds isalways reached in the mountains; the inconceivable power of soaringin thewind comes freely from the mountains.2

Priest Daokai of Mt . Furong said to the assembly, T he green mountains

are always walking; a stone womangives birth to a child at night. 3Mountains do not lack the qualities of mountains. Therefore they always

abide in easeand always walk. You should examine in detail this quality ofthe mountains' walking.

Mountains' walking is just like human walking/ Accordingly, do not


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98 POETIC IMAGERY

doubt mountains walking eventhough it doesnot look the sameashumanwalking. The buddha ancestors words point to walking. This is fundamental understanding. You should penetratethese words.

Because green mountainswalk, they are permanent. Although they walkmore swiftly than the wind, someone in the mountains does not realizeor understand it. In the mountains means the blossoming of the entireworld.* People outside themountainsdonot realize orunderstandthe mountains walking. Those without eyesto seemountains cannot realize, understand, see, or hear this as i t is.

If you doubt mountains walking, you do not know your own walking;it is not that you do not walk, but that you do not know or understand yourown walking. Since you do know yourown walking, you should fully knowthe green mountains walking.

Green m o u n t a i n s ar e n eith er s en tie nt n or insent ient . Y o u are nei ther

sentient nor insentient.6 At this moment, you cannot doubt the green

mountains walking.

You should study the green mountains, using numerous worlds as yourstandards. You should clearly examine the green mountains walking andyour own walking. You should alsoexamine walking backwardand backwardwalking* and investigatethe fact that walking forward and backward

has never stopped since the verymoment beforeform arose, since the timeof the King of the Empty Eon.*

If walking stops, buddha ancestors do not appear. If walking ends, thebuddha-dharmacannot reach the present.Walking forward does not cease;walking backward doesnot cease. Walking forward doesnot obstruct walking backward.Walking backward doesnot obstruct walking forward. Thisis called the mountains flow and the flowing mountains.

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Green mountains master walking and eastern mountains master travelingon water.7 Accordingly, these activities are a mountain s practice. Keepingits own form, without changing body and mind, a mountain always practices in every place.


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ountains and Waters utra 99

Don't slanderby saying that agreenmountaincannotwalkandaneasternmountain cannot travel on water. When your understanding is shallow, youdoubt the phrase, Green mountains are walking. When your learning isimmature, you are shocked by the words flowing mountains. Withoutfully understanding even the words flowing water, you drown in smallviews and narrow understanding.

Yet the characteristics of mountains manifest their form8 and life-force. *

There iswalking, there is flowing, and there isa moment whena mountaingives birth to a mountain child. Because mountains are buddha ancestors,buddha ancestorsappear in this way.9

Even if you see mountainsas grass, trees, earth, rocks, or walls, do nottakethis seriously or worry about it; it is not complete realization. Even ifthereisamomentwhenyou view mountainsasthe seven treasures* shining,this is not returning to the source. Even if youunderstand mountainsas therealm where all buddhas practice, this understanding is not something tobeattachedto. Even if you have the highestunderstanding of mountainsasall buddhas' inconceivable qualities, the truth is not only this. These are

conditioned views.This is not the understanding of buddha ancestors, butjust looking through a bamboo tubeata corner ofthe sky.Turning an object and turning the mind10 is rejected by the great sage.

Explaining the mind and explaining true nature'*isnot agreeableto buddhaancestors. Seeing into mindand seeing into true nature12 is the activity ofpeople outside the way. Set words and phrases are notthe words of liberation. Thereissomething free fromalloftheseunderstandings: Greenmountains are always walking, and Eastern mountains travel on water. Youshould study this in detail.

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A stone woman gives birth to a child at night means that the momentwhen a barren womangivesbirth to a child iscalled night. *

There are male stones, female stones, and nonmale nonfemalestones.,sThey are placed in the sky and in the earthand are called heavenly stonesand earthlystones. Theseareexplained in the ordinaryworld, but not manypeopleactuallyknowabout it.

Youshould understand the meaning of giving birth to a child. At themoment of giving birth to a child, is the motherseparate from the child?You should study not only that you become a mother when your child is


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IO O P O E T I C I M A G E R Y

born, but alsothat you become a child.M This is theactualization of givingbirth in practice-realization. You should study and investigate this thoroughly.

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Great Master Kuangzhen of Yunmen said, Eastern mountains travel onwater. 15

The reasonthese words werebrought forth is that all mountains are eastern mountains, and all eastern mountains travel on water. Because of this,

Nine Mountains,* Mt. Sumeru,* and other mountains appear and havepractice-realization. These are called eastern mountains. But could Yunmen penetrate the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow of the eastern mountainsand their vital practice-realization?

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Now in Great Song China there are careless fellows who form groups; they

cannot be set straight by the few true masters. Theysaythat the statement, The eastern mountains travel on water, or Nanquan's story of a sickle,*is illogical; what they mean is that any words having to do with logicalthought are not buddha ancestors' Zen stories, and that only illogical storiesare buddha ancestors' expressions. In this waytheyconsiderHuangbo'sstaffandLinji'sshout asbeyondlogicandunconcerned with thought; they regardthese asgreat enlightenments that precedethe arising of form.

Ancient masters used expedient phrases, which are beyond understanding, to slash entangled vines *: People who say this have never seen a truemaster and they have no eyeof understanding. They are immature, foolishfellowsnot evenworth discussing. In China these last two or three hundredyears, there have been many groups of bald-headed rascals. What a pityThe great roadof buddha ancestors iscrumbling. Peoplewho hold this vieware not even as good as listeners of the Small Vehicles* and are more foolishthan those outside the way. They are neither lay people nor monks, neitherhuman nor heavenly beings. They are morestupid than animals who learnthe buddha way.

The illogical stories mentioned by you bald-headed fellows are only illogical for you, not for buddha ancestors. Even though you do not understand, you should not neglect studying the buddha ancestors' path of un-


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Mountains an d Waters Sutra i o i

derstanding. Even if it is beyond understanding in the end, your presentunderstanding is off the mark.

I have personally seen and heard many people like this in Song China.How sad that they do not know about the phrases of logical thought, orpenetrating logical thought in the phrases and stories When I laughedat them in China, they had no response and remained silent. Their ideaabout illogical words is onlya distorted view. Even if there is no teacher toshow you the original truth, your belief in spontaneous enlightenment ishere t ica l .

J O

Youshould know that eastern mountains traveling on water is the bonesand marrow of the buddha ancestors. All waters appear at the foot of theeastern mountains. Accordingly, all mountains rideon clouds and walk inthe sky. Above all waters are all mountains. Walkingbeyond and walkingwithin are both done on water. All mountains walk with thei r toes on allwaters and splash there. Thus in walking thereare seven paths verticalandeight paths horizontal.* This is practice-realization.

Water is neither strong nor weak, neitherwet nor dry, neither moving norstill, neither cold norhot, neither existent nor nonexistent, neither deludednor enlightened. When water solidifies, it is harder than a diamond. Whocan crack it? When water melts, it is gentler than milk. Who can destroyit? Do not doubt that these are the characteristics water manifests. Youshould reflect on the moment when you see the water of the ten directionsas the water of the ten directions. This is not just studying the momentwhen human and heavenly beingsseewater; this is studying the momentwhen water sees water. Because water has practice-realization of water,water speaks of water. This is a complete understanding. You should goforward and backward and leap beyond the vital path whereother fathoms

o the r.

All beings donot see mountainsand waters inthe same way.I6 Some beingsseewaterasa jeweled ornament, but they donot regard jeweled ornamenrs


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2 P O E T I C I M A G E R Y

as water. Whatin the human realm corresponds totheir water? We only seetheir jeweled ornaments as water.

Some beings see water as wondrous blossoms,but theydo not useblossoms as water. Hungry ghosts see water as raging fire or pus and blood.Dragons see water as a palace or a pavilion. Some beings see wateras theseven treasures or a wish-granting jewel. Some beingsseewater as a forestor a wall. Some see it as the dharma nature of pure liberation, the truehuman body, or s the form of body and essence of mind. Human beingsseewateras water. Wateris seen as dead or alive dependingon causes andcondi t ions .

Thus the views ofall beings are notthe same. You should question thismatter now. Aretheremany ways to seeonething, or is it a mistaketo seemany forms s one thing? ou should pursue this beyond the limit ofpursuit. Accordingly, endeavors in practice-realizationofthe way are notlimited to one or two kinds. The ultimate realm has one thousand kinds andten thousand ways.

When we think about the meaning of this, it seems that there is water

for various beings but there isno original waterthereisnowater commonto all types of beings. But water for these variouskinds of beings does notdepend on mind or body, does not arise from actions, does not depend onselfor other. Water's freedom depends only on water.

Therefore, wateris not justearth, water, fire, wind, space, or consciousness. Water is not blue, yellow, red, white, or black. Water is not forms,sounds, smells, tastes, touchables, or mind-objects. But water as earth,water, fire, wind, and space realizes itself.

For this reason, it is difficult to say who is creating this land and palaceright now or how such things are being created. To say that the world isresting on the wheelof space or on the wheel of wind is not the truth of theself orthetruthof others. Such a statement is based only ona small view.Peoplespeak this way because they think thatit must be impossible to existwithout having a place on which to rest.

Buddha said, All thingsare ultimately liberated. There is nowhere thatthey abide. 17

You should know that even though all thingsare liberated and not tiedto anything, they abide in their own phenomenal expression. However,


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when most human beings see water they only see that it flows unceasingly.This is a l imited human view; there are actually many kinds of flowing.Water flows on the earth, in the sky, upward, and downward. It can flowaround a single curve or into many bottomless abysses. When it rises itbecomes clouds. When it descends it forms abysses.

Wenzi said, The path of water is such that when it rises to the sky, itbecomes raindrops; when it falls to the ground, it becomes rivers. 18

Evena secular personcanspeakthis way. You who callyourselvesdescen

dants of buddha ancestors should feelashamed of being more ignorant thananordinary person. The pathof water isnot noticedby water, but is realizedby water. It is not unnoticed by water, but is realized by water.

When it rises to the sky, it becomes raindrops means that water risesto the heavens and skies everywhere and forms raindrops. Raindrops varyaccordingto the different worlds. To saythat there are places waterdoes notreach is the teaching of the listeners of the Small Vehicles or the mistaken

teaching of people outsidethe way. Waterexistsinside fire andinsidemind,thought, and ideas. Water also exists within the wisdomof realizing budd h a n a tu re .

When it falls to the ground, it becomes rivers means that when waterreaches the ground it turns into rivers. The essence of the rivers becomeswise people.

Now ordinary fools and mediocre people think that water is always inriversor oceans, but this is not so. Rivers and oceansexist in water. Accordingly, even where there is not a river oran ocean, there is water. It is justthat when water falls down to the ground, it manifests the characteristicso f rivers and oceans.

Also d o not t h ink that w he re w at er forms rivers or oceans there is no

world and there is no buddha land.* Even in a drop of water innumerablebuddhalands appear. Therefore it isnot aquestionof whether there is onlywater in the buddha land or a buddha land in water.

The existence of water is not concerned with past, future, present, or thephenomenal world. Yet water is actualization of the fundamental point.Where buddha ancestorsreach,water never fails to appear. Because of this,buddha ancestors always take up water and make it their body and mind,make it their thought.


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104 POETIC IMAGERY

In this way, the words Water does not rise are not found in scripturesinsideor outside of Buddhism. The path of water runs upwardand downw a r d an d in all directions.

However, one Buddhist sutra does say, Fire and air go upward, earthand water go downward. 19 This upward and downward require examination. You should examine them from the Buddhist point of view.Although you use the word downward to describe the direction earth andwatergo, earth and waterdo not actually go downward. In the same way,the direction fire andair go is called upward.

The phenomenal world does not actually existin terms of up, down, orthe cardinal directions. It is tentatively designatedaccording to the directions in which the fourgreat elements,* five great elements,* or six greatelements*go. The Heaven of No Thought* shouldnot be regarded asupward nor the Avichi Hell as downward. The Avichi Hell is the entire

phenomenal world; the Heaven of No Thought is the entire phenomenalwor ld .

Now whendragons and fish seewater as apalace, it isjustlike human beingsseeing a palace. They do not think it flows. If an outsider tells them, Whatyouseeasa palaceis running water, the dragonsand fishwill beastonished,just as we are when we hear the words, Mountains flow. Nevertheless,

there may be some dragons and fish who understand that the columns andpillarsof palaces and pavilions are flowing water.

You should reflect and consider the meaning of this. If youdo not learnto be free from your superficial views, you will not be free from the bodyand mind of an ordinary person. Then you will not understand the land ofbuddha ancestors, or even the landor the palace of ordinary people.

Now human beings well know as water what is in the ocean and what isin the river, but they do not know what dragons and fish seeas water anduse as water. Do not foolishly suppose that what we seeas water is used aswater by all other beings. Youwho study with buddhas should not be limited to human views whenyouarestudying water. You shouldstudy howyou view the water used by buddha ancestors. You should study whetherthere is water o r no water in the house of buddha ancestors.


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7

Mountains have beenthe abode of great sages from the limitless pastto thelimitless present. Wise people and sages all have mountains as their innerchamber, astheir body and mind. Because of wise people and sages, mountains appear.

You may think that in mountains manywise people and great sages areassembled. But after entering the mountains, not a single person meetsanother.20 There is just the activity of the mountains. There is no trace ofanyone having entered the mountains.

When you see mountains from the ordinaryworld, and when you meetmountains while in mountains, the mountains head and eye are viewedquite differently. Your ideaorview of mountains not flowing isnot the sameas the view of dragonsand fish. Human and heavenlybeings haveattaineda position concerning their own worlds which other beings either doubt ord o n o t d o u b t .

You should not just remain bewilderedand skeptical when you hear the

words, Mountains flow ; but together with buddha ancestors you shouldstudy these words. When you take oneview you seemountains flowing, andwhen you take another view, mountains are not flowing. One t ime mountains are flowing, another time they are not flowing. If you do not fullyunderstand this, you do not understand the true dharma wheel of the Tatha-gata .

An ancient buddha said, If you do not wish to incur the cause for Unceasing Hell,* do not slander the true dharma wheel of the Tathagata. 21You should carve these words on your skin, flesh, bones, and marrow; onyour body, mind, and environs;on emptiness and on form. They arealreadycarvedon trees and rocks, on fields and villages.

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Although mountains belong to the nation, mountains belong to peoplewholove them. When mountains love their master, such a virtuous sageor wiseperson enters the mountains. Since mountains belong to the sages and wisepeople living there, treesand rocks become abundant and birds and animalsareinspired. This isso because the sages andwise peopleextend theit virtue.

You should know it asa feet that mountains are fond of wise peopleandsages. Many rulers have visited mountainsto payhomageto wise peopleor


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to ask for instructions from great sages. These havebeen important eventsin the pastandpresent. Atsuchtimestheserulerstreat the sages as teachers,disregarding the protocol of the usualworld. The imperial powerhas noauthority over the wise people in the mountains. Mountains areapart fromthe human world. At the time the Yellow Emperor visited Mt. Kongdongto pay homage to Guangcheng, he walked on his knees, touched his forehead to the ground, and asked for instruction.22

When ShakyamuniBuddhaleft hisfather'spalaceandentered the mountains, his father the king did not resent the mountains, nor washesuspiciousof those who taught the prince in the mountains. The twelve years of Shakyamuni Buddha'spracticeof the way were mostlyspent in the mountains,and his attainment of the way occurred in the mountains. Thus even hisfather, a wheel-turning king, did not wield authority in the mountains.

Youshould know that mountains are not the realm of human beings northe realm of heavenly beings. Do not view mountains from the scale ofhuman thought. If you do not judge mountains' flowing by the humanunderstandingof flowing, youwill not doubt mountains' flowing and not-

flowing.

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On the other hand, from ancient times wise people and sages have oftenlived near water. When they live near water they catch fish, catch humanbeings, and catch the way. Forlong thesehavebeengenuineactivities in water. Furthermore there is catching the self, catching catching, being caught

by catching, and being caught by the way.Priest Dechengabruptly left Mt. Yao and livedon the river.25 There he

produced a successor, the wise sageof the Huating. Is this not catching afish, catching a person, catching water, or catching the self? The discipleseeingDechengis Decheng. Decheng guiding his discipleis his disciple.

It is not only that there is waterin the world, but there is a world in water.It is not just in water. There is also a world of sentient beings in clouds.There is a world of sentient beings in the air. There is a world of sentientbeings in fire. Thereisa world of sentient beings onearth. Thereisa worldof sentient beings in the phenomenal world. There is a world of sentientbeings in a blade of grass.* There isa world ofsentient beings inone staff.*


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ountains and Waters utra i07

Wherever there is a world of sentient beings, there is a world of buddhaancestors. Youshould thoroughly examine the meaning of this.

Therefore water is the true dragon's* palace. It is not flowing downward.To consider water as only flowing is to slander water with the word flowing. This would be the same as insisting that water does not flow.

Water is only the true thusness* of water. Water is water's completevirtue; it is not flowing. When you investigate the flowing of a handful ofwater and the not-flowing of it, full mastery of all things is immediatelypresen t .

There are m o u nt ai ns h id d en in treasures. There are m o u nt ai n s h i dd e n in

swamps. There are mountains hidden in the sky. There are mountains hidden in m o u nt ai ns . T h er e are mountains h id d en i n hiddenness . Thi s is com

plete understanding.

An ancient buddha said, Mountains are mountains, waters are waters.These words do not mean mountains are mountains; they mean mountainsare m o u n t a i n s .

Therefore investigate mountains thoroughly. When you investigatemountains thoroughly, this is the work of the mountains.

Suchmountains and watersof themselves becomewisepersonsand sages.

At the hour of the Rat, eighteenth day, tenth month, first year of Ninji[1240}, this was taught to the assembly at Kannonddri Koshd Horin Monastery.

Translated by Arnold Kotler and Kazuaki Tanahashi

ishida july 30 japanese ways

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