Sutras and Chants
Chanting is a part of Zen Buddhist practice, of wholeheartedly using voice and body to practice in harmony, with your own body and with other voices. When chanting with others, pay attention to both blending your voice with others, yet expressing the fullness of the chant in your own breath and body.
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PROGRAM CHANTS: Used during evening zazen, zazenkai, and during sesshin.
Bells are indicated by the symbol õ and a bell-gatz is indicated with õ. Sometimes bells precede the announcement of the chant name. Coordinate with the jikido to be sure they know there are bells in the chant.
INCENSE OFFERING
õ õ õ (Teacher raises the incense)
In Gratitude we offer this incense to all Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. (Just Teacher Bows)
õ õ
Teaching and living the way of awareness in the very midst of
suffering and confusion, Shakyamuni Buddha, the Enlightened
One, to whom we bow in gratitude. (All Bow)
õ õ
Showing the way fearlessly and compassionately, the stream of
ancestral teachers, to whom we bow in gratitude. (All Bow)
õ
(Teacher Sits)
MORNING BELL CHANT
May the sound of this bell spread throughout the universe,
making darkness bright, relieving the three realms of suffering,
shattering swords.
May it bring all beings to enlightenment.
EVENING BELL CHANT
Hearing the sound of the bell, all thinking is cut off,
wisdom grows, enlightenment appears,
confusion is left behind.
I vow to perceive true self and to save all beings.
GATHA OF ATONEMENT
All evil karma ever committed by me since of old,
on account of my beginning-less greed, anger, and ignorance,
through my conduct, speech, and thought,
now I atone for it all.
ROBE CHANT (VERSE OF THE KESA)
Vast is the robe of liberation,
a formless field of benefaction.
I wear the Tathagata’s teaching,
to awaken countless beings.
GATHA ON OPENING THE SUTRA
The Dharma, incomp'rably profound and infinitely subtle,
is rarely encountered, even in millions of ages.
Now we see it, hear it, receive and maintain it.
May we completely realize the Tathagata's true meaning.
MEAL GATHA
First, seventy-two labors brought us this food;
we should know how it comes to us.
Second, as we receive this offering,
we should consider whether our virtue and practice deserve it.
Third, as we desire the natural order of mind to be free from clinging,
we must be free from greed.
Fourth, to support our life we take this food.
Fifth, to attain our Way we take this food.
õ THE FOUR VOWS
(May be chanted three times followed by the vows in Japanese one time)
Creations are numberless, I vow to free them;
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to put an end to them;
Reality is boundless, I vow to perceive it;
The enlightened way is unsurpassable, I vow to embody it.
SHI GU SEI GAN MON (The Four Vows Japanese)
SHU JO MU-HEN SEI GAN DO
BON NO MU-JIN SEI GAN DAN
HO MON MUR-YO SEI GAN GAKU
BUTSU-DO MU-JO SEI GAN JO õ
EVENING GATHA
Let me respectfully remind you
Life and death are of supreme importance
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost
Each of us should strive to awaken, awaken
Take heed, this night your days are diminished by one
Do not squander your life.
SUTRAS AND CHANTS
õ õ õ MAHA PRAJNA PARAMITA HEART SUTRA
õ Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, doing deep prajna paramita,
Clearly saw emptiness of all the five conditions,
Thus completely relieving misfortune and pain.
õ O Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness, emptiness no other than form.
Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form.
Sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness are likewise like this.
O Shariputra, all dharmas are forms of emptiness: not born, not destroyed;
Not stained, not pure, without loss, without gain.
So in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, conception,
discrimination, awareness;
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, phenomena;
No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness;
No ignorance and no end to ignorance;
No old age and death, and no end to old age and death;
No suffering, no cause of suffering, no extinguishing, no path;
No wisdom and no gain; no gain and thus the Bodhisattva lives prajna paramita;
With no hindrance in the mind, no hindrance, therefore no fear.
Far beyond deluded thoughts, this is nirvana.
õ All past, present, and future Buddhas live prajna paramita,
And therefore attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Therefore know: prajna paramita is the great mantra, the vivid mantra,
The best mantra, the unsurpassable mantra.
It completely clears all pain. This is the truth, not a lie.
õ So set forth the Prajna Paramita Mantra,
Set forth this mantra and say:
Gate! Gate! Paragate! Parasamgate!
Bodhi svaha!
õ õ õ The Sutra on the Heart of Realizing Wisdom Beyond Wisdom
Translation by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Roshi Joan Halifax ⓒ2003
õ Avalokiteshvara, who helps all to awaken, moves in the deep course of realizing wisdom beyond wisdom, sees that all five streams of body, heart, and mind are without boundary, and frees all from anguish.
õ O Shariputra [who listens to the teachings of the Buddha], form is not separate from boundlessness;
boundlessness is not separate from form.
Form is boundlessness; Boundlessness is form.
Feelings, perceptions, inclinations, and discernment are also like this.
O Shariputra, boundlessness is the nature of all things.
It neither arises nor perishes,
neither stains nor purifies,
neither increases nor decreases.
Boundlessness is not limited by form, nor by feelings, perceptions, inclinations, or discernment.
It is free of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind;
free of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and any object of mind;
free of sensory realms, including the realm of the mind.
It is free of ignorance and the end of ignorance.
Boundlessness is free of old age and death, and free of the end of old age and death.
It is free of suffering, arising, cessation, and path, and free of wisdom and attainment.
Being free of attainment, those who help all to awaken abide in the realization of wisdom beyond wisdom and live with an unhindered mind.
Without hindrance, the mind has no fear.
Free from confusion, those who lead all to liberation embody profound serenity.
õ All those in the past, present, and future, who realize wisdom beyond wisdom, manifest unsurpassable and thorough awakening.
Know that realizing wisdom beyond wisdom is no other than this wondrous mantra, luminous, unequaled, and supreme.
It relieves all suffering.
It is genuine, not illusory. õ
So set forth this mantra of realizing wisdom beyond wisdom.
Set forth this mantra that says:
“GATÉ, GATÉ, PARAGATÉ, PARASAMGATÉ, BODHI! SVAHA!”
MERIT OFFERING
(Offered at the Conclusion of Chant Practice)
We dedicate the merit of chanting the Sutras to the stream of Ancestral teachers,
õ to all the Women Ancestors whose names have been forgotten or left unsaid,
õ to Bernie Tetsugen Glassman, Roshi, and Sandra Jishu Angyo Holmes, Roshi; founders of the Zen Peacemakers,
õ to Rose Mary Myoan Dougherty, Sensei, our founding teacher, and her teacher Janet Jinne Richardson, Roshi.
And to our families and friends.
You are invited to name (quietly out loud or silently to yourself) those who are in your thoughts and hearts [pause for a few moments]
For all who suffer through discrimination, injustice, oppression, economic hardship, war, famine, pandemic, climate change and other natural disasters, and terror.
For those who are trapped in ignorance and hate.
For all who are in prison in body and in mind.
For all beings in the ten directions and the three times.
May all beings be free from suffering and enjoy happiness,
Realizing the Buddha Way.
SANDOKAI (IDENTITY OF RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE)
by Shitou Xiqian
The mind of the Great Sage of India was intimately conveyed from west to east.
Among human beings are wise men and fools, but in the Way there is no northern or southern Patriarch.
The subtle source is clear and bright; the tributary streams flow through the darkness.
To be attached to things is illusion; to encounter the absolute is not yet enlightenment.
õ Each and all, the subjective and objective spheres are related. And at the same time, independent.
Related, yet working diff'rently, though each keeps its own place.
Form makes the character and appearance diff'rent; sounds distinguish comfort and discomfort.
The dark makes all words one; the brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.
The four elements return to their nature as a child to its mother.
Fire is hot, wind moves, water is wet, earth hard.
Eyes see, ears hear, nose smells, tongue tastes the salt and sou'r.
Each is independent of the other; cause and effect must return to the great reality. The words high and low are used relatively.
Within light there is darkness, but do not try to understand that darkness;
Within darkness there is light, but do not look for that light.
Light and darkness are a pair, like the foot before and the foot behind, in walking.
õ Each thing has its own intrinsic value and is related to everything else in function and position.
Ordinary life fits the absolute as a box and its lid. The absolute works together with the relative like two arrows meeting in mid-air.
õ Reading words you should grasp the great reality.
Do not judge by any standards. If you do not see the Way, you do not see it even as you walk on it.
When you walk the Way, it is not near, it is not far.
If you are deluded, you are mountains and rivers away from it.
I respectfully say to those who wish to be enlightened:
Do not waste your time by night or day.
FIVE REMEMBRANCES
Upajjhatthana Sutra ("Subjects for Contemplation")
I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill-health.
There is no way to escape having ill-health.
I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground on which I stand.
ENMEI JUKKU KANNON GYŌ
(May be chanted 3 to 9 times, shifting from Japanese to English, and gradually increasing in tempo and volume)
KAN ZE ON
NA MU BUTSU (õ-all rounds)
YO BUTSU U IN
YO BUTSU U EN
BUP PŌ SŌ EN
JŌ RAKU GA JŌ
CHŌ NEN KAN ZE ON (õ-last round)
BŌ NEN KAN ZE ON (õ-last round)
NEN NEN JU SHIN KI (õ-last round)
NEN NEN FU RI SHIN
ENMEI JUKKU KANNON GYO (English)
Kanzeon!
One with the Buddha, (õ-all rounds)
Directly Buddha
Indirectly Buddha
One with Buddha, Dharma, Sangha
Joyful, pure, eternal being!
Morning mind, Kanzeon. (õ-last round)
Evening mind, Kanzeon. (õ-last round)
Mind of this moment, Kanzeon. (õ-last round)
There is nothing but this.
AFFIRMING FAITH IN MIND (Part One) by Xinxin Ming
(Optional: Call on italicized verses, Response in plain text)
The Great Way is not difficult for those who do not pick and choose.
When pref'rences are cast aside the Way stands clear and undisguised.
But even slight distinctions made set earth and heaven far apart.
If you would clearly see the truth, discard opinions pro and con.
To founder in dislike and like is nothing but the mind's disease.
And not to see the Way's deep truth disturbs the mind's essential peace.
The Way is perfect like vast space, where there's no lack and no excess.
Our choice to choose and to reject prevents our see'ng this simple truth.
Both striving for the outer world as well as for the inner void condemn us to entangled lives.
Just calmly see that all is One and by themselves false views will go.
Attempts to stop activity will fill you with activity.
Remaining in duality, you'll never know of unity,
And not to know this unity lets conflict lead you far astray.
When you assert that things are real you miss their true reality.
But to assert that things are void also misses reality.
The more you talk and think on this the further from the truth you'll be.
Cut off all useless thoughts and words and there's nowhere you cannot go.
Returning to the root itself, you'll find the meaning of all things.
If you pursue appearances you overlook the primal source.
Awak'ning is to go beyond both emptiness as well as form.
All changes in this empty world seem real because of ignorance.
Do not go searching for the truth just let those fond opinions go.
Abide not in duality, refrain from all pursuit of it.
Just let go now of clinging mind, and all things are just as they are. In essence nothing goes or stays.
See into the true self of things, and you're in step with the Great Way, thus walking freely, undisturbed.
AFFIRMING FAITH IN MIND (Part Two) by Xinxin Ming
But live in bondage to your thoughts, and you will be confused, unclear.
This heavy burden weighs you down-so why keep judging good and bad?
If you would walk the highest Way, do not reject the sense domain.
For as it is, whole and complete, this sense world is enlightenment.
The wise do not strive after goals, but fools themselves in bondage put.
The One Way knows no diff'rences, the foolish cling to this and that.
To seek Great Mind with thinking mind is certainly a grave mistake.
From small mind come rest and unrest, but mind awakened transcends both.
Delusion spawns dualities-these dreams are merely flow'rs of air-why work so hard at grasping them?
If there's a trace of right and wrong True-mind is lost, confused, distraught.
From One-mind comes duality, but cling not even to this One.
When this One-mind rests undisturbed then nothing in the world offends.
And when no thing can give offense, then all obstructions cease to be.
If all thought-objects disappear the thinking subject drops away.
For things are things because of mind, as mind is mind because of things.
These two are merely relative and both at source are Emptiness.
In Emptiness these are not two, yet in each are contained all forms.
Once coarse and fine are seen no more then how can there be taking sides?
The Great Way is without limit, beyond the easy and the hard.
But those who hold to narrow views are fearful and irresolute; their frantic haste just slows them down.
If you're attached to anything, you surely will go far astray.
Both gain and loss, and right and wrong-once and for all get rid of them.
When you no longer are asleep, all dreams will vanish by themselves.
AFFIRMING FAITH IN MIND (Part Three) by Xinxin Ming
If mind does not discriminate, all things are as they are, as One.
To go to this mysterious Source frees us from all entanglements.
When all is seen with "equal mind," to our Self-nature we return.
This single mind goes right beyond all reasons and comparison.
Seek movement and there's no-movement, seek rest and no-rest comes instead.
When rest and no-rest cease to be, then even oneness disappears.
This ultimate finality's beyond all laws, can't be described.
With single mind one with the Way, all ego-centered strivings cease.
Doubts and confusion disappear, and so true faith pervades our life.
There is no thing that clings to us, and nothing that is left behind.
All's self-revealing, void and clear without exerting power of mind.
Thought cannot reach this state of truth here feelings are of no avail.
In this true world of Emptiness both self and other are no more.
To enter this true empty world, immediately affirm "not-two."
In this "not-two" all is the same, with nothing separate or outside.
The wise in all times and places awaken to this primal truth.
The Way's beyond all space, all time, one instant is ten thousand years.
Not only here, not only there, truth's right before your very eyes.
Distinctions such as large and small have relevance for you no more.
The largest is the smallest too--here limitations have no place.
What is, is not; what is, not is-if this is not yet clear to you, you're still far from the inner truth.
One thing is all, all things are one, know this and all's whole and complete.
(All)
When faith and Mind are not separate, and not separate are Mind and faith,
this is beyond all words, all thought.
For here there is no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today.
SONG OF ZAZEN
by Hakuin Ekaku (1685-1758)
All beings by nature are Buddha, as ice by nature is water; apart from water there is no ice, apart from beings no Buddha.
How sad that people ignore the near and search for truth afar, like someone in the midst of water crying out in thirst, like a child of a wealthy home wandering among the poor.
Lost on dark paths of ignorance we wander through the six worlds; from dark path to dark path we wander, when shall we be freed from birth and death?
For this the zazen of Mahayana deserves the highest praise: offerings, Precepts, Paramitas, Nembutsu, atonement, practice, the many other virtues all rise within zazen.
Those who try zazen even once wipe away immeasurable crimes. Where are all the dark paths then? The Pure Land itself is near.
Those who hear this truth even once and listen with a grateful heart, treasuring it, revering it, gain blessings without end.
Much more, if you turn yourself about, and confirm your own self-nature, self-nature that is no nature, you are far beyond mere argument.
The oneness of cause and effect is clear, not two, not three, the path is straight; with form that is no form, going and coming never astray with thought that is no thought, singing and dancing is the voice of the Law.
Boundless and free is the sky of Samadhi, bright the full moon of wisdom, truly is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes, this very place is the Lotus Land, this very body the Buddha.
METTA SUTRA
Karaniya Metta Sutra or Discourse on Loving Kindness
This is what should be done by one who is skilled in goodness, and who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright, straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited, contented and easily satisfied, unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful, not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
that the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety, may all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be; whether they are weak or strong, omitting none.
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small, the seen and the unseen, those living near and far away, those born and to-be-born.
May all beings be at ease! Let none deceive another or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill will wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life, her child, her only child, so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings.
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies, and downwards to the depths, outwards and unbounded, freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down, free from drowsiness, one should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views, the pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision, being freed from all sense desires, is not born again into this world.
HOMAGE TO THE GREAT WIDE BUDDHA
From the Hwa Yen Sutra, Kwan Um
If you wish to understand thoroughly all buddhas past, present and future,
you should view the nature of the universe as mind alone.
No time, no space, perceiving the universe, all minds one mind, connected, with emptiness as the string, nothing unconnected.
One with "just this," Buddha of infinite life. One infinite time infinite space Buddha.
The blue mountain of many ridges is the Buddha's home. The vast ocean of many waves is the palace of stillness.
Be with all things without hindrance.
Few can see the crane's red head atop the pine tree.
Become one, infinite time, infinite space Buddha.
Sitting quietly in a mountain temple in the quiet night, extreme quiet and stillness is original nature. Why then does the western wind shake the forest? A single cry of winter geese fills the sky.
Become one, infinite time, infinite space Buddha.
Vowing openly with all world beings, entering together Amita's ocean of great vows, continuing forever to save sentient beings, you and I simultaneously attain the Buddha way.
Become one, infinite time, infinite space Buddha.
Great love, great compassion, Amita Buddha.
THE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THE TRUE MIND by Chinul
Zen stops all naming and verbalizing.
If even one name is not established, how could there be many names?
And yet, when responding to feelings and adapting to potentials, there are indeed many names.
Sometimes it is called the Self, because it is the basic essence of a living being.
Sometimes it is called the True Eye, because it mirrors all appearances.
Sometimes it is called the Wondrous Mind, because its open awareness shines serenely.
Sometimes it is called the Host or Master, because it has been carrying the burden all along.
Sometimes it is called the Bottomless Bowl, because of living life wherever one may be.
Sometimes it is called the Stringless Harp. because its melody is beyond the present.
Sometimes it is called the Inexhaustible Lamp, because its illumination breaks through deluded feelings.
Sometimes it is called the Rootless Tree, because the root and stem are firm and strong.
Sometimes it is called a Razor-Sharp Sword, because it cuts through senses and objects.
Sometimes it is called the Land of Effortlessness, because the ocean is peaceful and the rivers clear.
Sometimes it is called the Pearl of the Sage, because it rescues the poor and the destitute.
Sometimes it is called the Keyless Lock, because it locks up the six senses.
It is also called the Clay Ox, the Wood Horse, the Mind Source, the Mind Seal, the Mind Mirror, the Mind Moon, the Mind Pearl.
There are too many diff'rent names to note them all; if you arrive at the true mind, all names are clear.
If you are ignorant of this true mind, all names hang you up. Therefore be careful when investigating True Mind.
VOW FOR AWAKENING by Dahui Zonggao
Our deepest prayer is to be firm in our determination to give ourselves completely to the Buddha’s Way, so that no doubts arise however long the road seems to be.
To be light and easy in the four parts of the body;
To be strong and undismayed in body and in mind;
To be free from illness and drive out both depressed feelings and distractions;
To be free from calamity, misfortune, harmful influences and obstructions;
Not to seek the Truth outside of ourselves, so we may instantly enter the right way;
To be unattached to all thoughts that we may reach the perfectly clear bright mind of Wisdom and have immediate enlightenment on the Great Matter.
Thereby we receive the transmission of the deep wisdom of the Buddhas.
To save all sentient beings who suffer in the round of birth and death.
In this way we offer our gratitude for the compassion of the Buddhas and ancestors.
We offer this to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and Mahasattvas of the past, present and future in the ten directions, and to the Maha Prajna Paramita.
PRACTICE OF GRATITUDE by Jack Kornfield
I offer my gratitude for the people, animals, plants, insects, creatures of the sky and sea, air and water, fire and earth, and for all whose joyful exertion blesses my life every day.
I offer my gratitude for the care and labor of a thousand generations of elders and ancestors who came before me.
I offer my gratitude for the safety and well-being I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the blessings of this earth I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the family and friends I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the community I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the teachings and lessons I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the life I have been given
I offer my gratitude for the Sangha and for all sentient beings.
LIBERATION FROM ALL OBSTRUCTIONS by Hogen Bays
In the presence of Sangha, in the light of Dharma, in oneness with Buddha,
May my path to complete enlightenment benefit everyone.
In this passing moment, karma ripens and all things come to be.
I vow to affirm what is:
If there’s cost, I choose to pay.
If there’s need, I choose to give.
If there’s pain, I choose to feel.
If there’s sorrow, I choose to grieve.
When burning, I choose heat.
When calm, I choose peace.
When starving, I choose hunger.
When happy, I choose joy.
Whom I encounter, I choose to meet.
What I shoulder, I choose to bear.
When it’s my birth, I choose to live.
When it’s my death, I choose to die.
Where this takes me, I choose to go.
Being with what is, I respond to what is.
This life is as real as a dream; the one who knows it cannot be found;
and truth is not a thing, therefore I vow to choose this Dharma Entrance Gate!
May all Buddhas and Wise Ones help me live this vow.
THE LAST INSTRUCTIONS OF MACHIG
Machig Labdron (1055-1149) Tibet
Once discursive thoughts are totally abandoned, Dharmakaya is no other than that.
Once the five poisons are totally abandoned, the five wisdoms are no other than that.
Once the three poisons are totally abandoned, the three kayas are no other than that.
Once conventional mind is totally abandoned, Buddhahood is no other than that.
Once samsara is totally abandoned, Nirvana is no other than that.
Once mental agitation is totally abandoned, skilled means are no other than that.
Once emptiness is totally abandoned, discriminating wisdom is no other than that.
Once mind is totally abandoned, fearsome places are no other than that.
Once virtue and non-virtue are totally abandoned, gods and demons are no other than that.
Once the six consciousnesses are totally abandoned, the six classes of being are no other than that.
Once the eight consciousnesses are totally abandoned, the eight armies of demons are no other than that.
Once wandering thoughts are totally abandoned, magical displays are no other than that.
Once discursive thoughts are totally abandoned, the practice of Zen is no other than that.
Once mindfulness is achieved, the level of final accomplishment is no other than that.
Once the ultimate nature of the mind is realized, the definitive sign of realization is no other than that.
This mind of ours is empty and clear, like the depth of space, like the passing of a bird in the sky.
Right now you have the opportunity.
GATE OF SWEET NECTAR
by Krishna Das
(Spoken or Sung 2x)
Calling out to hungry hearts
Everywhere through endless time
You who wander, you who thirst
I offer you this bodhi mind.
Calling out to hungry spirits
Everywhere through endless time
Calling out to hungry hearts
All the lost and left-behind.
Gather round and share this meal
Your joy and your sorrow
I make them mine.
õ õ õ THE DIAMOND SUTRA
(Recitation - Call on italicized verses, Response in plain text)
Though all the sentient beings to be delivered by me are innumerable and without limit, in reality, there are no sentient beings to be delivered. Why? õ
Because should there exist in the minds of Bodhisattvas arbitrary conceptions of phenomena such as the existence of one’s self or the self of another or selfness as divided into beings or selfness as united into one universal self, existing eternally, they would be unworthy to be called Bodhisattvas.
When the Buddha speaks of great universes/ does he have in mind any definite idea? õ
No. When the Buddha uses the words great universes he does not assert any definite idea. He merely uses the words as words.
Is this true for the words Buddha and Dharma? õ
There are no Buddhas and there are no dharmas.
Should a disciple strive to attain Buddhahood? õ
No. That would mean the disciple is striving to attain something limited, as in perfect supreme wisdom; but true Buddhahood, whose essence is identical with the essence of all things, is inconceivable and beyond all striving.
How is it possible to explain this sutra without ideas of things and dharmas? õ
This sutra can only be explained by keeping the mind in perfect oneness and tranquility.
Should a Bodhisattva make an assertion such as "I have entered the stream?" õ
No. Because he has not entered anything nor has his mind entered any idea such as form, sound, taste, odor, or touch.
Because of his virtue will Buddha be reborn either in this world or any other world? õ
No. There will be no rebirth either in this world or in any other world. It is because he knows this the Buddha is called a Buddha.
Is there anyone who is a fully enlightened one? õ
No. Should a disciple cherish in his mind an idea such as "I have become enlightened," he would soon be grasping after things such as his own selfhood. or other selves or a universal self.
If there is no distinction between one's own self and the selfhood of others, how do we practice kindness? õ
We practice kindness by giving not only objective gifts but the selfless gifts of kindness and sympathy.
Is there any merit for acts of kindness? õ
Bodhisattvas never seek merit nor look upon kind acts as private possessions but as the common possessions of all animate beings.
What does it mean to say there is no such thing as supreme-perfect-wisdom and that the Buddha does not teach any fixed dharma? õ
This means Bodhisattvas are not enlightened by any fixed teaching but by an intuitive process that is spontaneous and natural.
What does it mean to say the Buddha has come or has gone? õ
This means the Buddha is never coming from anywhere nor is he going anywhere. The name Buddha is merely a word.
Why does the Buddha use words and ideas in his teachings? õ
The Buddha uses words and ideas in his teachings in resemblance to a raft, of use only to cross a river. As a raft is of no use after the river is crossed, it should be discarded. So, too, ideas about things should be given up as one attains enlightenment.
Has the Buddha given us any definite teaching in this sutra? õ
No. The Buddha has not given us any definite teaching in this sutra.
Like a meteor,
Like darkness,
As a flickering lamp,
An illusion,
Like hoar frost,
Or a bubble,
Like clouds,
A flash of lightning, or a dream,
ALL: So all conditioned existence is to be seen.
Genjokoan — “Actualizing Fundamental Reality” (Recitation)
by Eihei Dogen, from Shobogenzo; tr. Shohaku Okumura; adapted, abridged
As all things are Buddha Dharma, there is delusion and realization, practice, birth and death, and there are Buddhas and sentient beings. As the myriad things are without an abiding self, there is no delusion, no realization, no Buddhas, no sentient beings, no birth and death. The Buddha Way leaps clear of the many and the one—thus there are birth and death, delusion and realization, sentient beings and Buddhas. Therefore, flowers fall even though we love them; weeds grow even though we dislike them.
To carry the self forward and illuminate myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and illuminate the self is realization. Those who have great realization of delusion are Buddhas; those who are greatly deluded about realization are sentient beings. Further, there are those who continue realizing beyond realization, who are in delusion throughout delusion. When Buddhas are truly Buddhas they do not necessarily notice that they are Buddhas. However, they are actualized Buddhas, who go on actualizing Buddhas.
When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you grasp things directly. Unlike things and their reflections in the mirror and unlike the moon and its reflection in the water, when one side is illuminated the other side is dark.
To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by the myriad things. When actualized by the myriad things, your body-and-mind as well as the bodies-and-minds of others drop away. There is a trace of realization that cannot be grasped. We endlessly express this ungraspable trace. When you first seek the Dharma, you stray far from the boundaries of the Dharma. But the Dharma is already correctly transmitted; you are already your original self.
When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat moves. Similarly, if you examine myriad things with a confused body and mind you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. When you practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that nothing at all has unchanging self.
Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again. Yet, do not suppose that the firewood is before and the ash after. You should understand that firewood abides in the dharma-position of firewood which fully includes past and future, and is independent of past and future. Ash abides in the dharma-position of ash which fully includes future and past, and is independent of past and future. Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, we do not return to birth after death. This being so, it is an established way in the Buddha Dharma to deny that birth turns into death. Accordingly, birth is understood as no-arising. It is an unshakable teaching in Buddha’s discourse that death does not turn into birth. Accordingly, death is understood as no-perishing. Birth is an expression complete this moment. Death is an expression complete this moment. They are like winter and spring. We do not call winter “the beginning of spring” nor summer “the end of spring.”
Enlightenment is like the moon reflected in the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water. Enlightenment does not divide you, just as the moon does not break the water. You cannot hinder enlightenment, just as a drop of water does not hinder the moon in the sky. The depth of the drop is the height of the moon. Each reflection, however long or short its duration, manifests the vastness of the dewdrop, and realizes the limitlessness of the moonlight in the sky.
When the Dharma does not fill your whole body and mind, you think it is already sufficient. When the Dharma fills your body and mind, you understand that something is missing. For example, when you sail out in a boat to the midst of an ocean where no land is in sight, and view the four directions, it simply looks like a circle. No other shape appears. But the ocean is not round, and not square; its features are infinite in variety. It is like a palace. It is like a jewel. It only looks circular as far as you can see at that time. All things are like this. Though there are many features in the dusty world and the world beyond conditions, you see and understand only what your eye of practice can reach. In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features of oceans and mountains are infinite in variety; whole worlds are there. It is so not only around you, but also directly beneath your feet, or in a drop of water.
A fish swims in the ocean, and no matter how far it swims there is no end to the water. A bird flies in the sky, and no matter how far it flies, there is no end to the air. However, the fish and the bird have never left their elements. When their activity is large their field is large. When their need is small their field is small. Thus, each of them totally covers its full range, and each of them totally experiences its realm. If the bird leaves the air it will die at once. If the fish leaves the water it will die at once. Know that water is life and air is life. The bird is life and the fish is life. Life is the bird and life is the fish. Practice-enlightenment and people are like this. So, if a bird wishes to fly or a fish wishes to swim only after investigating the whole sky or whole sea, this bird or this fish will find neither path nor place. When you find your place where you are, practice-enlightenment occurs, actualizing reality. When you find your way at this moment, you become actualized reality; for the place, the Way, is neither large nor small, neither yours nor others’. The place, the Way, has not carried over from the past, and it is not merely arising now. Accordingly, in the practice-enlightenment of the Buddha Way, meeting one thing is mastering it—doing one practice is actualizing one practice completely. Therefore the reality of all things is thus.
Here is the place; here the Path unfolds. The boundary of realization is not distinct, for the realization comes forth simultaneously with the mastery of the Buddha Dharma. Do not suppose that what you realize becomes your knowledge and is grasped by your consciousness. We should not think that what we have attained is conceived by ourselves and known by our discriminating mind. Although complete enlightenment is immediately actualized, its intimacy is such that it does not necessarily form as a view. In fact, viewing is not something fixed.
Zen Master Bao-che of Mount Mayu was fanning himself. A monk approached and said, “Master, the nature of wind is permanent and there is no place it does not reach. Why, then, do you fan yourself?” Bao-che replied, “Although you understand that the nature of the wind is permanent, you do not understand the meaning of its reaching everywhere.” “What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere?” asked the monk. The master just kept fanning himself. The monk bowed deeply.
The actualization of the Buddha Dharma, the vital Path of its correct transmission, is like this. If you say that you do not need to fan yourself because the nature of wind is permanent and you can have wind without fanning, you will understand neither permanence nor the nature of wind. The nature of wind is permanent; because of that, the wind of the Buddha’s house brings forth the gold of the earth and makes fragrant the cream of the long river.
THE ZEN PRECEPTS - RECITATION
The Three Treasures õ
I take refuge in the Buddha, in Oneness, the awakened nature of all beings.
I take refuge in the Dharma, all phenomena, which is the ocean of wisdom and compassion.
I take refuge in the Sangha, in harmony and relationships, the interdependence of all things.
The Pure Precepts õ
I vow to avoid harmful acts.
I vow to practice good deeds
I vow a pure practice to live in harmony with all things.
The Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers õ
Taking refuge and entering the stream of Engaged Spirituality, I vow to live a life of:
Not knowing, thereby giving up fixed ideas about myself and the universe.
Bearing witness to the joy and suffering of the world.
Healing myself and others.
The Ten Lifegiving Precepts õ
Recognizing that I am not separate from all that is, I vow non-killing
Being satisfied with what I have, I vow non-stealing
Honoring relationships, I vow not to misuse sexuality
Listening and speaking truthfully from the heart, I vow non-lying
Cultivating a mind that sees clearly, I vow non-intoxicating body or mind
Realizing we are all the same, I vow not to speak of others’ faults
Not elevating myself above others, I vow not to blame others
Using all the ingredients of my life, I vow not to be stingy and not to spare the Dharma assets I have been given
Transforming suffering into wisdom, I vow not indulging in anger
Honoring my life as an instrument of the Great Way, I vow not to speak ill of the Three Treasures by not debating them but just serving and holding them in my heart.
May Buddha-Dharma-Sangha support my efforts. õ
SHŌ SAI MYŌ KICHIJŌ DHĀRANĪ
Auspicious dharani for averting calamity
(Chant 3 time)
(õ-all rounds)
NO MO SAN MAN
DA MOTO NAN OHA
RA CHI KOTO SHA
SONO NAN (õ-last round only)
TO JI
TO EN
GYA GYA
GYA KI GYA KI
UN NUN
SHIU RA SHIU RA
HARA SHIU RA HARA SHIU RA
CHISHU SA CHISHU SA
CHISHU RI CHISHU RI
SOWA JA SOWA JA
SEN CHI GYA
SHIRI EI SO MO KO
DAIHISHIN DHĀRANĪ
The Great Compassionate Mind Dharani
NAMU KARA TAN NO TORA YA YA NAMU ORI YA BORYO KI
CHI SHIFU RA YA FUJI SATO BO YA MOKO SATO BO YA MO KO
KYA RUNI KYA YA õ EN SA HARA HA E SHU TAN NO TON SHA
NAMU SHIKI RI TOI MO ORI YA BORYO KI CHI. SHIFU RA RIN TO
BO NA MU NO RA KIN JI KI RI MO KO HO DO SHA MI SA BO. O TO
JO SHU BEN O SHU IN SA BO SA TO NO MO BO GYA MO HA TE
CHO TO JI TO EN O BO RYO KI RU GYA CHI KYA RA CHI I KIRI
MO KO FUJI SA TO SA BO SA BO MO RA MO A MO KI MO KI RI
TO IN KU RYO KU RYO KE MO TO RYO TO RYO HO JA YA CHI
MO KO HO JA YA CHI TO RA TO RA CHIRI NI SHIFU RA YA SHA
RO SHA RO MO MO HA MO RA HO CHI RI I KI I KI SHI NO SHI NO
ORA SAN FURA SHA RI HA ZA HA ZAN FURA SHA YA KU RYO
KU RYO MO RA KU RYO KU RYO KI RI SHA RO SHA RO SHI RI
SHI RI SU RYO SU RYO FUJI YA FUJI YA FUDO YA FUDO YA
MI CHIRI YA õ NORA KIN JI CHIRI SHUNI NO HOYA MONO
SOMO KO SHIDO YA SOMO KO MOKO SHIDO YA SOMO KO
SHIDO YU KI SHIFU RA YA SOMO KO õ NORA KIN JI SOMO KO
MO RA NO RA SOMO KO SHIRA SU OMO GYA YA SOMO KO
SOBO MOKO SHIDO YA SOMO KO SHAKI RA OSHI DO YA
SOMO KO HODO MOGYA SHIDO YA SOMO KO NORA KIN JI
HA GYARA YA SOMO KO MO HORI SHIN GYARA YA SOMO KO
NAMU KARA TAN NO TORA YA YA õ NAMU ORI YA BORYO KI CHI
SHIFU RA YA SOMO KO õ SHITE DO MODO RA HODO YA SO MO KO