home / Publicaties / Harada Tangen Roshi / 1992 / Teisho December 3 (en) (pagina 1 van 5)
Teisho December 3 (1992)
by Harada Tangen Roshi, Bukkoku-Ji
Mumonkan, case 32: A non-Buddhist questions the Buddha
It is said that only when you’ve dug the meat out of the shell, only then just the shell becomes a scoop. Throw down your life and only then can you be a vessel of salvation. The brave will find enlightenment in one man, in one doing. During this Rohatsu sesshin, I am not announcing before each talk this is the first day, this is the second day etc. Rohatsu is just one day only. If you are really and truly determined, there is just this one round of zazen. Just this one tantei. Your practice is brave and determined. If your practice is brave and determined, there is nothing to fear in impermanence. You‘ll become the master of impermanence. The brave will find enlightenment in one doing.
A non-Buddhist questions the Buddha. A non-Buddhist once asked the world honored one, “I do not ask for words, nor do I ask for no words.” The world honored one remained seated. The non-Buddhist praised him saying, “The great compassion of the world honored one has dispelled the clouds of my ignorance and enabled me to be enlightened.” Making a bow of gratitude, he departed. Ananda then asked Buddha, “What realization did the non-Buddhist have that made him praise you like that?” The world honored one replied, “He is like a high medalled horse which starts at even a shadow of the whip.”
Mumon’s commentary: Ananda is a Buddhist disciple, yet his understanding falls far short of the non-Buddhist. Now tell me, how different are they, the Buddhist disciple and the non-Buddhist?
Mumon’s poem:
He walks along the edge of a sword,
And runs over the sharp bridges of an ice flow.
You need take no steps,
Let go your hold on the cliff.
You are here already, pouring heart and soul into this tantei. If you are counting the breaths, you are this breath. Following the breaths, shikantaza, muji, muji, one tantei mu, one tantei mu. You are entrusting everything to mu. Giving everything over to mu, please. Giving everything. There is no sidetrack, you’ve got no time to look away. Now is the time, this step. During Rohatsu chant the Kaikyoge. During the regular sesshin, we always chant Dogen’s Hotsu gan mon before each teisho. But during Rohatsu we try in every way to make it possible, to make it easy for you to dive into one doing, this one doing, for you to not get off the track. To make it easier for you to stick with it. To try to cut away anything that might cause extraneous thoughts. We shorten the sutras, we chant only the Kaikyoge before teisho. But although it may be short, it includes all the 84 thousand dharma gates. Mujo jin jin mi myo no ho wa1.
The dharma, incomparably profound and minutely subtle. All beings are Buddha, all beings are perfect harmony. All beings. Nobody is excluded. You can awaken to this “all beings.” To realize this “all beings” for ourselves, it requires strenuous endeavor. It’s only as a human being that you can make this endeavor to ripen. So we can think of all beings as all humans, if we want.
All beings are Buddha. Endowed with Buddha virtue, Buddha wisdom. Through your strong effort, this, dharma incomparably profound and minutely subtle, is clearly revealed to you. It is necessary to practice. Original Buddha nature is practice. Buddha nature is tantei. Buddha nature is always now, here, straight on. All beings are right here in my belly, all beings are my own dear children. Shakyamuni said this because it’s just the way it is. He was a man of great boundless compassion. And out of compassion he showed us the way to practice. This way. It’s right here at your feet. Make each step mindful. He saw our tendency, your tendency - look at it in yourself – to say oh no, I believe, but I am not sure that I can do it. Seems awfully far off to me, like a star away off up in the sky. He said: “Don’t hesitate.” You can be all that you are. From the beginning it’s all laid out very clearly. The step for you to make is this step. There is nothing outside this. Mujo jin jin mi myo no ho wa hyaku sen man go ni mo ai-o koto kata shi.
next page