T2582 Shōbōgenzō The True Dharma-Eye Treasury, Volume I

Chapter 2: Maka-hannya-haramitsu - Mahāprajñāpāramitā

[Chapter Two]

Maka-hannya-haramitsu

Mahāprajñāpāramitā

Translator's Note:Makais a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word mahā, which means

"

great.

" Hannyais a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word prajñā,which can be translated as

"

real wisdom

"

or

"intuitive reflection.

"

Haramitsuis a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word pāramitā,which literally means "to have arrived at the opposite shore,

" that is, to have accomplished the truth. So maka-hannya-haramitsumeans the accomplishment that is great real wisdom. In this chapter, Master Dōgen wrote his interpretation of the Mahāprajñāpāramitāhṛdaya-sūtra.Hṛdayameans heart. This short sutra, usually called the Heart Sutra,represents the heart of the six hundred volumes of the Mahā prajñā pāramitā-sūtra. Even though it is very short, the Heart Sutra contains the most fundamental principle of Buddhism. What is the most fundamental principle? Prajñā.What is prajñā?Prajñā,or real wisdom, is a kind of intuitive ability that occurs in our body and mind, when our body and mind are in the state of balance and harmony. We normally think that wisdom is something based on the intellect, but Buddhists believe that wisdom, on which our decisions are based, is not intellectual but intuitive. The right decision comes from the right state of body and mind, and the right state of body and mind comes when our body and mind are balanced and harmonized. So mahāprajñāpāramitāis wisdom that we have when our body and mind are balanced and harmonized. And zazen is the practice by which our body and mind enter the state of balance and harmony. Mahā prajñā pāramitā,then, is the essence of zazen. [71] "When Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara1 practices the profound prajñā pāramitā,the whole body2reflects that the five aggregates3are totally empty. "4

The five aggregates are form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. They are five instances of prajñā. Reflection is prajñāitself. When this principle is preached and realized, it is said that "matter is just the immaterial"5 and the immaterial is just matter. Matter is matter, the immaterial is the immaterial. 6

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They are hundreds of things,

7 and myriad phenomena. Twelve instances of prajñā pāramitāare the twelve entrances [of sense perception]. 8 There are

also eighteen instances of prajñā.

9 They are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind;10 sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, and properties;11 plus the consciousnesses of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. There are a further four instances of prajñā.They are suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way.

12 There are a further six instances of prajñā.They are giving, pure [observance of] precepts, patience, diligence, meditation, and prajñā [itself].

13 One further instance of prajñāpāramitāis realized as the present moment. It is the state of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi. 14There are three further

instances of prajñāpāramitā.They are past, present, and future. 15There are

six further instances of prajñā.They are earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness.

16And there are a further four instances of prajñāthat are constantly practiced in everyday life: they are walking, standing, sitting, and lying down.

17

[74]In the order of Śākyamuni Tathāgata there is a bhikṣu18who secretly thinks,

"I shall bow in veneration of the profound prajñāpāramitā.Although in this state there is no appearance and disappearance of real dharmas, 19 there

are still understandable explanations of all precepts, all balanced states, all kinds of wisdom, all kinds of liberation, and all views. There are also understandable explanations of the fruit of one who has entered the stream, the fruit of [being subject to] one return, the fruit of [not being subject to] returning, and the fruit of the arhat. 20 There are also understandable explanations of [people of] independent awakening,

21 and [people of] bodhi.

22 There are

also understandable explanations of the supreme right and balanced state of bodhi. There are also understandable explanations of the treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. There are also understandable explanations of turning the wonderful Dharma wheel23to save sentient beings. " The Buddha, knowing

the bhikṣu's mind, tells him,

"This is how it is. This is how it is. The profound prajñāpāra mitāis too subtle and fine to fathom. "24

The bhikṣu's "secretly working concrete mind"25at this moment is, in the state of bowing in veneration of real dharmas, prajñāitself—whether or not [real dharmas] are without appearance and disappearance—and this is a "venerative bow" itself. Just at this moment of bowing in veneration, prajñāis realized as explanations that can be understood: [explanations] from "precepts, 32

Chapter Two

balance, and wisdom,

"26 to "saving sentient beings,

" and so on. This state is

described as being without.

27Explanations of the state of "being without" can thus be understood. Such is the profound, subtle, unfathomable prajñā pāramitā. [76]The god Indra28 asks the venerable monk Subhūti, 29 "Virtuous One!

When bodhisattva mahāsattvas30want to study31the profound prajñā pāramitā, how should they study it?"

Subhūti replies,

"Kauśika!32 When bodhisattva mahāsattvas want to study the profound prajñāpāramitā,they should study it as space. "33

So studying prajñāis space itself. Space is the study of prajñā. [77]The god Indra subsequently addresses the Buddha, "World-honored

One! When good sons and daughters receive and retain, read and recite, think reasonably about, and expound to others this profound prajñāpāramitāthat you have preached, how should I guard it? My only desire, World-honored One, is that you will show me compassion and teach me. "

Then the venerable monk Subhūti says to the god Indra, "Kauśika! Do

you see something that you must guard, or not?" The god Indra says,

"No, Virtuous One, I do not see anything here that I must guard.

"

Subhūti says,

"Kauśika! When good sons and daughters abide in the profound prajñāpāramitāas thus preached, they are just guarding it. When good sons and daughters abide in the profound prajñāpāramitāas thus preached, they never stray. Remember, even if all human and nonhuman beings were looking for an opportunity to harm them, in the end it would be impossible. Kauśika! If you want to guard the bodhisattvas who abide in the profound prajñāpāramitāas thus preached, it is no different from wanting to guard space.

"34

Remember, to receive and retain, to read and recite, and to think reasonably about [prajñā] are just to guard prajñā. And to want to guard it is to receive and retain it, to read and recite it, and so on. [78] My late master, the eternal buddha, says: Whole body like a mouth, hanging in space; Not asking if the wind is east, west, south, or north, For all others equally, it speaks prajñā. Chin ten ton ryan chin ten ton.

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This is the speech of prajñā[transmitted] by Buddhist patriarchs from rightful successor to rightful successor. It is prajñāas the whole body, it is prajñāas the whole of others,

36 it is prajñāas the whole self, and it is prajñā as the whole east, west, south, and north. [79]Śākyamuni Buddha says,

"Śāriputra!37These many sentient beings should abide in this prajñāpāramitāas buddhas. When they serve offerings to, bow in veneration of, and consider the prajñāpāramitā,they should be as if serving offerings to and bowing in veneration of the buddha-bhagavats. 38

Why? [Because] the prajñāpāramitāis no different from the buddha-bhagavats, and the buddha-bhagavats are no different from the prajñā pāramitā. The prajñāpāramitāis just the buddha-bhagavats themselves, and the buddhabhagavats are just the prajñāpāramitāitself. Wherefore? Because, Śāriputra, the apt, right, and balanced state of truth, which all the tathāgatas have, is always realized by virtue of the prajñāpāramitā. Because, Śāriputra, all bodhisattva mahāsattvas, the independently awakened, arhats, those beyond returning, those who will return once, those received into the stream, and so on, always attain realization by virtue of prajñāpāramitā. And because, Śāri putra, all of the ten virtuous paths of action39 in the world, the four states of meditation,

40the four immaterial balanced states, 41and the five mystical powers42 are always realized by virtue of the prajñāpāramitā. "

[80] So buddha-bhagavats are the prajñāpāramitā,and the prajñā pāramitā is "these real dharmas.

" These "real dharmas" are "bare manifestations": they are "neither appearing nor disappearing, neither dirty nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing.

" The realization of this prajñāpāramitāis the realization of buddha-bhagavats. We should inquire into it, and we should experience it. To serve offerings to it and to bow in veneration is just to serve and to attend buddha-bhagavats, and it is buddha-bhagavats in service and attendance. Shōbōgenzō Maka-hannya-haramitsu

Preached to the assembly at Kannondōri-in Temple on a day of the summer retreat in the first year of Tenpuku.

43

Copied in the attendant monks' quarters at Kippō Temple in Etsu44 on the twenty-first day of the third lunar month in spring of the second year of Kangen.

45

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Chapter Two

The Heart Sutra of Mahāprajñāpāramitā

Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, when practicing the profound prajñāpāramitā, reflects that the five aggregates are totally empty, and overcomes all pain and wrongdoing. Śāriputra, matter is no different from the immaterial, and the immaterial is no different from matter. Matter is just the immaterial, and the immaterial is just matter. Feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness are also like this. Śāriputra, these real dharmas are bare manifestations. They are neither appearing nor disappearing, neither tainted nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing. Therefore, in the state of emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no volition, no consciousness. There are no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, properties. There is no realm of eyes, nor any other [elementary realm]: there is no realm of mind-consciousness. There is no ignorance, and no ending of ignorance, nor any other [causal process]: there is no old age and death, and no ending of old age and death. There is no suffering, accumulation, cessation, or path. There is no wisdom, and no attaining—because [the state] is nonattainment. Bodhisattvas rely upon prajñāpāramitā,and therefore their minds have no hindrance. They have no hindrance, and therefore they are without fear. They leave all confused dream-images far behind, and realize the ultimate state of nirvana. Buddhas of the three times rely upon prajñāpāramitā,and therefore they attain anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.So remember: prajñāpāramitāis a great and mystical mantra; it is a great and luminous mantra; it is the supreme mantra; it is a mantra in the unequaled state of equilibrium. It can clear away all suffering. It is real, not empty. Therefore we invoke the mantra of prajñāpāramitā.We invoke the mantra as follows:

Gate, gate, pāragate, pārasamgate. Bodhi, svāhā.

The Heart Sutra of Prajñā

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Notes

1 Kanjizai Bosatsu, lit., "Bodhisattva of Free Reflection, " is one of the Chinese renderings of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (see Chapter Thirty-three [Vol. II], Kannon,and the Lotus Sutra,chapter 25, Kanzeon-bosatsu-fumon). This paragraph begins with the same words as the Heart Sutra. 2 Master Dōgen added to the first line of the Heart Sutrathe word konshin, body,

" as the subject of shoken, "to reflect.

"

"whole

3 Go-un,from the Sanskrit pañca-skandha.See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms, skandha. 4 "Empty,

" kū,which represents the Sanskrit śūnyatā(see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms). As an adjective, kūmeans bare, bald, naked, empty, as it is. 5 "The immaterial" is also kū,this time used as a noun. In this case, kūmeans the immaterial, that which is empty, or devoid of physical substance; that is, the spiritual or mental face of reality as opposed to matter. In other cases, the noun kūmeans the empty state, that is, the state in which reality is as it is. See Chapter Twenty-two (Vol. II), Busshō.

6 The sutra says shiki-soku-ze-kū, "matter is just the immaterial, " and kū-soku-ze-shiki, "the immaterial is just matter. " Master Dōgen added shiki-ze-shiki,matter is matter, and kū-ze-kū,the immaterial is the immaterial. 7 Hyakusō,lit.,

"hundreds of weeds.

"

8 Jūni-ju,"twelve entrances, " from the Sanskrit dvādaśāyatanāni,are the six sense organs and their objects. 9 Juhachi-kai,lit.,

"eighteen realms,

" from the Sanskrit aśṭādaśa dhāta vaḥ,are the senses, their objects, and the six corresponding kinds of consciousness. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under dhātu-loka. 10 Shin,

touch. I,

"body,

" from the Sanskrit kāya,means the body, or the skin, as the organ of "mind,

" from the Sanskrit manas,means the mind as the center of thought, which is placed on the same level as the senses, below prajñā. 11 Shoku, hō,

"sensations and properties" from the Sanskrit sparśaand dharma,represent the objects of body and mind as sense organs. 12 Shitai, the four philosophies, or the Four [Noble] Truths, are ku, shu, metsu, dō.These words derive from the Sanskrit duḥkha-satya(truth of suffering), samudaya-satya 37

Shōbōgenzō Volume I (truth of accumulation), nirodha-satya(truth of dissolution), and mārga-satya(truth of the right way).

13 Rokudō,the six pāramitās. In Sanskrit they are as follows: Giving is dāna,explained in detail in Chapter Forty-five (Vol. III), Bodaisatta-shishōbō.Pure [observance of] precepts is śīla.Patience is kṣānti.Diligence is vīrya.Meditation is dhyāna.(Dhyāna is sometimes represented phonetically in the Shōbōgenzōby the Chinese characters zen-na,but in this case dhyānais expressed as jō-ryo,lit., "quiet thought.

") The sixth

pāramitā,real wisdom, is prajñā. 14 The Sanskrit anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi(see Chapter One, note 2) is rendered into Chinese in the second paragraph of this chapter as mujō-shōtō-bodai, "the supreme

right and balanced state of bodhi. " Alternative renderings into Chinese are mujōshōtō-gaku, "the supreme right and balanced state of truth, " and mujō-tōshō-gaku, "the supreme balanced and right state of truth. "

15 Sanze,the three times. 16 Rokudai,the six elements. In Sanskrit, saḍ dhātavaḥ.See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under dhātu.

17 Shigi,the four forms of conduct. 18 The Sanskrit word bhikṣu(originally "mendicant") means a Buddhist monk. 19 Mu-shohō-shōmetsu, orshohō no shōmetsu nashi. The Heart Sutrasays ze-shohōkūsō . . . Fushō-fumetsu: "These real dharmas are bare manifestations. They neither appear nor disappear. "

20 The śrāvaka("auditor") passes through these four stages. In Sanskrit, the first is srotāpanna,the second is sakṛdāgāmin,the third is anāgāmin,and the fourth is arhat. 21 Doku-kaku,lit.,

"independently awakened, " means pratyekabuddha, a naturalistic Buddhist. The distinction between śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas, which the Buddha explains in the Lotus Sutra,is described in Chapter Twenty-four (Vol. II), Bukkyō. 22 Bodai,in this case, seems to suggest a person who has the state of bodhi, that is, a bodhisattva.

23 Tenmyōhōrin,

"turning the wonderful Dharma wheel, " means Buddhist preaching. See Chapter Seventy-four (Vol. IV), Tenbōrin. 24 This passage is quoted from the Daihannyakyō,chapter 291, tachment to Form.

"

"Attachment and Nonat-25 Setsu-sa-ze-nen.In the sutra, these characters literally mean "secretly made this thought.

" But sa,

"make,

" also means "to act, " or "to function"; ze, "this,

" also means

"concrete"; and nen, "thought,

" or "image in the mind, " also means "mindfulness, "

or "state of mind.

" Master Dōgen interpreted nennot as a thought but as the monk's state of mind, which is prajñāitself, which is the state of action itself. 38

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26 Precepts, balance, and wisdom are sangaku, the three kinds of training. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under tisraḥ śikṣāḥ. 27 28 Mu, nashi,expresses absence. In this paragraph, mu-shometsuis translated as "there is no appearance and disappearance" (see note 19), and "without appearance and disappearance. " As a noun, mumeans "the state of being without, " i.e., the state that is

free. This usage is explained in detail in Chapter Twenty-two (Vol. II), Busshō.The character muappears over twenty times in the Heart Sutra. Tentai-shaku.Tentaiis literally "god-emperor" and shakustands for Śakra-devānāmindra, which is the Sanskrit name of the god Indra. This figure was incorporated into Buddhism as a guardian of Buddhist teachings. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 29 Guju-zengen.Guju, or "venerable monk, " is derived from the Sanskrit āyuṣmat,a term of reverence. Zengen, lit.,

"Good Manifestation,

" is the Chinese rendering of

Subhūti, one of the Buddha's disciples. 30 Mahāsattvaliterally means "great being. " Both bodhisattva and mahā sattvadescribe a Buddhist practitioner.

31 Gakuincludes both the meaning of "learn" and of "practice. " Study of prajñāas

space suggests the concrete practice of zazen. 32 Kauśika is another name of Indra. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 33 Kokū,

"empty space,

" or "space,

" from the Sanskrit ākāśa,is the title of Chapter Seventy-seven (Vol. IV), Kokū. 34 This story is also from the Daihannyakyō,chapter 291. 35 This poem about a windbell is from the Nyojōoshōgoroku(Record of the Words of Master[Tendō] Nyojō). The last line of the poem, "

chin ten ton ryan chin ten ton,

"

represents onomatapoeically the sound of the windbell. The original Chinese characters can be read in several ways in Japanese; for example, teki chō tō ryō teki chō tō. The original Chinese pronunciation is not known. 36 37 "Others" is ta,which sometimes means "others" and sometimes means "the external world.

" In Master Dōgen's commentary it suggests the latter meaning. Śāriputra was one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, and said to be foremost in wisdom. He died while the Buddha was still alive. Much of the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtrais addressed to Śāriputra. 38 Bhagavat is a Sanskrit term of veneration. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 39 Jū-zengōdō,or the ten paths of good action, are followed by refraining from doing the ten kinds of bad conduct, namely: killing, stealing, committing adultery, telling lies, two-faced speech, abusive slander, useless gossip, greed, anger, and devotion to wrong views.

40 Shi-jōryo,or the "four dhyānas. " See Chapter Ninety (Vol. IV), Shizen-biku. 39

Chapter 3: Genjō-kōan - The Realized Universe

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41 Shi-mushiki-jō,or "the four balanced states that transcend the world of matter, " are

as follows: 1) kū-muhen-sho-jō,

"balance in infinite space"; 2) shiki-muhen-sho-jō, "balance in infinite consciousness"; 3) mu-shō-u-sho-jō, "balance in not having anything"; and 4) hisō-hihisō-sho-jō, "balance in transcendence of thinking and notthinking. " Such enumeration of concepts is characteristic of Theravāda Buddhism. 42 Go-jinzū.The five mystical powers are discussed in Chapter Twenty-five (Vol. II), Jinzū.

43 1233.

44 Corresponds to present-day Fukui prefecture. 45 1244.

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[Chapter Three]

Genjō-kōan

The Realized Universe

Translator's Note:Genjōmeans

"

realized,

"

and kōanis an abbreviation of

kofu-no-antoku,which was a notice board on which a new law was announced to the public in ancient China. So kōanexpresses a law, or a universal principle. In the Shōbōgenzō, genjō-kōanmeans the realized law of the universe, that is, Dharma or the real universe itself. The fundamental basis of Buddhism is belief in this real universe, and in Genjō-kōanMaster Dōgen preaches to us the realized Dharma, or the real universe itself. When the seventy-fivechapter edition of the Shōbōgenzōwas compiled, this chapter was placed first, and from this fact we can recognize its importance. [83] When all dharmas are [seen as] the Buddha-Dharma, then there is delusion and realization, there is practice, there is life and there is death, there are buddhas and there are ordinary beings. When the myriad dharmas are each not of the self, there is no delusion and no realization, no buddhas and no ordinary beings, no life and no death. The Buddha's truth is originally transcendent over abundance and scarcity, and so there is life and death, there is delusion and realization, there are beings and buddhas. And though it is like this, it is only that flowers, while loved, fall; and weeds while hated, flourish.

[84] Driving ourselves to practice and experience the myriad dharmas is delusion. When the myriad dharmas actively practice and experience ourselves, that is the state of realization. Those who greatly realize1 delusion are buddhas. Those who are greatly deluded about realization are ordinary beings. There are people who further attain realization on the basis of realization. There are people who increase their delusion in the midst of delusion. When buddhas are really buddhas, they do not need to recognize themselves as buddhas. Nevertheless, they are buddhas in the state of experience, and they go on experiencing the state of buddha.

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[85]When we use the whole body and mind to look at forms, and when we use the whole body and mind to listen to sounds, even though we are sensing them directly, it is not like a mirror's reflection2 of an image, and not like water and the moon. While we are experiencing one side, we are blind to the other side.

[86]To learn the Buddha's truth is to learn ourselves. To learn ourselves is to forget ourselves. To forget ourselves is to be experienced by the myriad dharmas. To be experienced by the myriad dharmas is to let our own body and mind, and the body and mind of the external world, fall away. There is a state in which the traces of realization are forgotten; and it manifests the traces of forgotten realization for a long, long time. [87] When people first seek the Dharma, we are far removed from the borders of Dharma. [But] as soon as the Dharma is authentically transmitted to us, we are a human being in [our] original element. When a man is sailing along in a boat and he moves his eyes to the shore, he misapprehends that the shore is moving. If he keeps his eyes fixed on the boat, he knows that it is the boat that is moving forward. Similarly, when we try to understand the myriad dharmas on the basis of confused assumptions about body and mind, we misapprehend that our own mind or our own essence may be permanent. If we become familiar with action and come back to this concrete place, the truth is evident that the myriad dharmas are not self. Firewood becomes ash; it can never go back to being firewood. Nevertheless, we should not take the view that ash is its future and firewood is its past. Remember, firewood abides in the place of firewood in the Dharma. It has a past and it has a future. Although it has a past and a future, the past and the future are cut off. Ash exists in the place of ash in the Dharma. It has a past and it has a future. The firewood, after becoming ash, does not again become firewood. Similarly, human beings, after death, do not live again. At the same time, it is an established custom in the Buddha-Dharma not to say that life turns into death. This is why we speak of "no appearance.

" And it is the Buddha's preaching

established in [the turning of] the Dharma wheel that death does not turn into life. This is why we speak of "no disappearance.

"3Life is an instantaneous

situation, and death is also an instantaneous situation. It is the same, for example, with winter and spring. We do not think that winter becomes spring, and we do not say that spring becomes summer.

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[89]A person getting realization is like the moon being reflected4 in water: the moon does not get wet, and the water is not broken. Though the light [of the moon] is wide and great, it is reflected in a foot or an inch of water. The whole moon and the whole sky are reflected in a dewdrop on a blade of grass and are reflected in a single drop of water. Realization does not break the individual, just as the moon does not pierce the water. The individual does not hinder the state of realization, just as a dewdrop does not hinder the sky and moon. The depth [of realization] may be as the concrete height [of the moon]. The length of its moment should be investigated in large [bodies of] water and small [bodies of] water, and observed in the breadth of the sky and the moon.

5

[90]When the Dharma has not yet satisfied the body and mind we feel already replete with Dharma. When the Dharma fills the body and mind we feel one side to be lacking. For example, sailing out beyond the mountains and into the ocean, when we look around in the four directions, [the ocean] appears only to be round; it does not appear to have any other form at all. Nevertheless, this great ocean is not round, and it is not square. Other qualities of the ocean are inexhaustibly many: [to fishes] it is like a palace and [to gods] it is like a string of pearls.

6 But as far as our eyes can see, it just seems

to be round. As it is for [the ocean], so it is for the myriad dharmas. In dust and out of the frame,

7 [the myriad dharmas] encompass numerous situations,

but we see and understand only as far as our eyes of learning in practice are able to reach. If we wish to hear how the myriad dharmas naturally are, 8 we

should remember that besides their appearance of squareness or roundness, the qualities of the oceans and qualities of the mountains are numerous and endless; and that there are worlds in the four directions. Not only the periphery is like this: remember, the immediate present, and a single drop [of water] are also like this.

[91] When fish move through water, however they move, there is no end to the water. When birds fly through the sky, however they fly, there is no end to the sky. At the same time, fish and birds have never, since antiquity, left the water or the sky. Simply, when activity is great, usage is great, and when necessity is small, usage is small. Acting in this state, none fails to realize its limitations at every moment, and none fails to somersault freely at every place; but if a bird leaves the sky it will die at once, and if a fish 43

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leaves the water it will die at once. So we can understand that water is life and can understand that sky is life. Birds are life, and fish are life. It may be that life is birds and that life is fish. And beyond this, there may still be further progress. The existence of [their] practice-and-experience, and the existence of their lifetime and their life, are like this. This being so, a bird or fish that aimed to move through the water or the sky [only] after getting to the bottom of water or utterly penetrating the sky, could never find its way or find its place in the water or in the sky. When we find this place, this action is inevitably realized as the universe. When we find this way, this action is inevitably the realized universe [itself].

9This way and this place are neither

great nor small; they are neither subjective nor objective; neither have they existed since the past nor do they appear in the present; and so they are present like this. When a human being is practicing and experiencing the Buddha's truth in this state, to get one dharmais to penetrate one dharma,and to meet one act is to perform one act. In this state the place exists and the way is mastered, and therefore the area to be known is not conspicuous. The reason it is so is that this knowing and the perfect realization of the Buddha-Dharma appear together and are experienced together. Do not assume that what is attained will inevitably become self-conscious and be recognized by the intellect. The experience of the ultimate state is realized at once. At the same time, its mysterious existence is not necessarily a manifest realization. 10 Realization is the state of ambiguity itself.

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[94]Zen Master Hōtetsu12 of Mayokuzan is using a fan. A monk comes by and asks,

"The nature of air is to be ever -present, and there is no place that [air] cannot reach. Why then does the master use a fan?" The master says,

"You have only understood that the nature of air is to be ever-present, but you do not yet know the truth13 that there is no place [air] cannot reach.

"

The monk says,

"What is the truth of there being no place [air] cannot reach?"

At this, the master just [carries on] using the fan. The monk does prostrations. 14 The real experience of the Buddha-Dharma, the vigorous road of the authentic transmission, is like this. Someone who says that because [the air] is ever-present we need not use a fan, or that even when we do not use [a fan] we can still feel the air, does not know ever-presence, and does not 44

Chapter Three

know the nature of air. Because the nature of air is to be ever-present, the behavior15 of Buddhists has made the earth manifest itself as gold and has ripened the Long River into curds and whey. 16

Shōbōgenzō Genjō-kōan This was written in mid-autumn17 in the first year of Tenpuku,

18 and was presented to the lay disciple Yō Kōshu of Chinzei. 19

Edited in [the fourth] year of Kenchō. 20

45

Notes

1 Daigo,

"great realization,

" is the title of Chapter Twenty-six (Vol. II). Here it is used as a verb, daigo suru,

"greatly realize.

"

2 Yadosuliterally means "to accommodate. "

3 "No appearance" is fushō."No disappearance" is fumetsu.The words fushō-fumetsu— which appear for example in the Heart Sutra,quoted in Chapter Two, Maka-hannyaharamitsu—express the instantaneousness of the universe. 4 Throughout this paragraph, "to be reflected in" is originally yadoru,lit., "to dwell in.

"

5 We should investigate realization as concrete facts. 6 This sentence alludes to a traditional Buddhist teaching that different subjects see the same ocean in different ways: to fish it is a palace, to gods it is a string of pearls, to humans it is water, and to demons it is blood or pus. Yōraku, "string of pearls,

" represents

the Sanskrit muktā hāra,a name for a string of pearls or jewels worn by royalty and nobility in ancient India.

7 Jinchū-kakuge,

"inside dust, outside the frame, " means the secular world and the world experienced in the Buddhist state. 8 Banpo no kafu,lit.,

"the family customs of the myriad dharmas. " Ka means house,

home, or family. Fumeans wind, air, style, behavior, custom. 9 Genjō-kōanis used first as a verb, genjō-kōan su,and second as a noun, genjō-kōan. 10 "Manifest realization" and "realization" (in the next sentence) are originally the same characters: genjō.

11 "The state of ambiguity" is kahitsu.A Chinese sentence beginning with these characters would ask the question,

"Why should it necessarily be that. . . ?" or "How can it conclusively be decided that. . . ?" 12 A successor of Master Baso Dōitsu. 13 Dōrimeans truth, principle, or fact. The monk was interested in philosophical theory, but the master recommended him to notice concrete facts. 14 Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 2, no. 23. According to the story in the Shinji-shōbōgenzō, after the monk's prostration, the master says, "Useless master of monks! If you got a thousand students, what gain would there be?" 47

Chapter 4: Ikka-no-myōju - One Bright Pearl

Shōbōgenzō Volume I

15 16 17 Fū.Two meanings of fūare relevant in this section. The first is "wind" or "air, " as in

the story. The second is "customs, " "manners,

" or "behavior,

" as in this usage. See also note 8.

Master Goso Hōen said in his formal preaching, "To change the Earth into gold, and to churn the Long River into a milky whey. " Soraku,or "curds and whey, " was some

kind of edible dairy product, like yogurt or cheese. Chōga, lit., "Long River,

" is the

Chinese name for the galaxy we call the Milky Way. In the lunar calendar, autumn is the seventh, eighth, and ninth lunar months. As the autumn sky is usually very clear, this is a good time to view the moon. Several chapters of the Shōbōgenzōwere written around the time of the autumn equinox on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. 18 1233.

19 Corresponds to present-day Kyushu. 20 1252.

48

[Chapter Four]

Ikka-no-myōju

One Bright Pearl

Translator's Note:Ikkameans "

one,

" myōmeans

"bright"

"

or

clear,

"

and

jumeans

"

pearl.

" So ikka-no-myōjumeans one bright pearl. This chapter is a commentary on Master Gensha Shibi' s words that the whole universe in all directions is as splendid as a bright pearl. Master Dōgen loved these words, so he wrote about them in this chapter. [97] In [this] sahā world, 1 in the great kingdom of Song, in Fuzhou province, at Genshazan, [there lived] Great Master Shūitsu, whose Dharma name [as a monk] was Shibi and whose secular surname was Sha. 2While still a layman he loved fishing, and he would float down the Nantai River on his boat, following the other fishermen. It may have been that he was not waiting even for the fish with golden scales that lands itself without being fished. 3At the

beginning of the Kantsū4 era of the Tang dynasty, suddenly he desires to leave secular society; he leaves his boat and enters the mountains. He is already thirty years old, [but] he has realized the precariousness of the floating world and has recognized the nobility of the Buddha's Way. At last he climbs Seppōzan, enters the order of Great Master Shinkaku, 5 and pursues the truth6 day and night. One day, in order to explore widely the surrounding districts, he leaves the mountain, carrying a [traveling] bag. But as he does so, he stubs his toe on a stone. Bleeding and in great pain, [Master Gensha] all at once seriously reflects as follows: "[They say] this body is not real existence. Where does the pain come from?" He thereupon returns to Seppō. Seppō asks him,

"What is it, Bi of the dhūta?"7Gensha says, "In the end I just cannot be deceived by others. "8 Seppō, loving these words very much, says, "Is

there anyone who does not have these words [inside them]? [But] is there anyone who can speak these words?" Seppō asks further, "Bi of the dhūta,

why do you not go exploring?"9 Master [Gensha] says, "Bodhi dharma did

not come to the Eastern Lands; the Second Patriarch did not go to the Western 49

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Heavens.

"10 Seppō praised this very much. In his usual life as a fisherman [Master Gensha] had never seen sutras and texts even in a dream. Nevertheless, profundity of will being foremost, his outstanding resolve made itself apparent. Seppō himself considered [Gensha] to be outstanding among the sangha; he praised [Gensha] as the preeminent member of the order. [Gensha] used vegetable cloth for his one robe, which he never replaced, but patched hundreds of times. Next to his skin he wore clothes of paper, or wore moxa. 11 Apart

from serving in Seppō's order, he never visited another [good] counselor. Nevertheless, he definitely realized the power to succeed to the master's Dharma. After he had attained the truth at last, he taught people with the words that the whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. One day a monk asks him,

"I have heard the master's words that the whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. How should the student understand [this]?" The master says,

"The whole universe in ten directions is one bright

pearl. What use is understanding?" On a later day the master asks the question back to the monk,

"The whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. How do you understand [this]?" The monk says,

"The whole universe in ten

directions is one bright pearl. What use is understanding?" The master says, "I see that you are struggling to get inside a demon's cave in a black mountain. "12

[101] The present expression "the whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl" originates with Gensha. The point is that the whole universe in ten directions is not vast and great, not meager and small, not square or round, not centered or straight, not in a state of vigorous activity, and not disclosed in perfect clarity. Because it is utterly beyond living-and-dying, going-and-coming,

13 it is living-and-dying, going-and-coming. And because it is like this, the past has gone from this place, and the present comes from this place. When we are pursuing the ultimate, who can see it utterly as separate moments? And who can hold it up for examination as a state of total stillness? "The whole of the ten directions" describes the ceaseless [process] of pursuing things to make them into self, and of pursuing self to make it into something. The arising of emotion and the distinctions of the intellect, which we describe as separation, are themselves [as real as] turning the head and changing the face, or developing things and throwing [oneself] into the moment. Because we pursue self to make it into something, the whole of the 50

Chapter Four

ten directions is in the ceaseless state. And because [the whole of the ten directions] is a fact before the moment, it sometimes overflows beyond [our] regulating ability which is the pivot of the moment. 14 "The one pearl" is not yet

famous, but it is an expression of the truth. It will be famously recognized. "The one pearl" goes directly through ten thousand years: the eternal past has not ended, but the eternal present has arrived. The body exists now, and the mind exists now. Even so, [the whole universe] is a bright pearl. It is not grass and trees there and here, it is not mountains and rivers at all points of the compass; it is a bright pearl. "How should the student understand it?" Even though

it seems that the monk is playing with his conditioned intellect15 in speaking these words, they are the clear manifestation of the great activity, which is just the great standard itself. Progressing further, we should make it strikingly obvious that a foot of water is a one-foot wave: in other words, a yard of the pearl is a yard of brightness. To voice this expression of the truth, Gensha says,

"The whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. What use is understanding?" This expression is the expression of truth to which buddha succeeds buddha, patriarch succeeds patriarch, and Gensha succeeds Gensha. If he wants to avoid this succession—while it is not true that no opportunity for avoidance exists—just when he is ardently trying to avoid it, [the moment] in which he speaks and lives is the total moment, conspicuously manifest before him. Gensha, on a subsequent day asks the monk,

"The whole universe

in ten directions is one bright pearl. How do you understand [this]?" This says that yesterday [Master Gensha] was preaching the established rule, but his exhalations today rely upon the second phase: today he is preaching an exception to the established rule. Having pushed yesterday aside, he is nodding and laughing. The monk says,

"The whole universe in ten directions is one bright

pearl. What use is understanding?" We might tell him: "You are riding your adversary's horse to chase your adversary. When the eternal buddha preaches for you, he is going among different kinds of beings.

"16We should turn [back]

light and reflect17 for a while: How many cases and examples of "What use is understanding?" are there? We can tentatively say that while teaching and practice are seven dairy cakes and five vegetable cakes, they are also "south of the Shō [River]" and "north of the Tan [River].

"18

[105] Gensha says,

"I see that you are struggling to get inside a demon's

cave in a black mountain.

" Remember, the face of the sun and the face of

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the moon have never changed places since the eternal past. The sun's face appears together with the sun's face, and the moon's face appears together with the moon's face. For this reason, [Master Yakusan Igen said,] "Even if I say that the sixth moon19 is a very nice time of year, I should not say that my surname is Hot.

"20Thus, this bright pearl's possession of reality and lack of beginning are limitless, and the whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. Without being discussed as two pearls or three pearls, the whole body21 is one right Dharma-eye, the whole body is real substance, the whole body is one phrase, the whole body is brightness, and the whole body is the whole body itself. When it is the whole body it is free of the hindrance of the whole body; it is perfect roundness,

22and roundly it rolls along.

23Because

the virtue of the bright pearl exists in realization like this, there are Avalo kiteśvaras24 and Maitreyas25 in the present, seeing sights and hearing sounds; and there are old buddhas and new buddhas manifesting their bodies and preaching the Dharma.

26Just at the moment of the present, whether suspended in space or hanging inside a garment,

27whether kept under a [dragon's] chin28

or kept in a topknot,

29 [the one bright pearl,] in all cases, is one bright pearl throughout the whole universe in ten directions. To hang inside a garment is its situation, so do not say that it will be dangling on the surface. To hang inside a topknot or under a chin is its situation, so do not expect to play with it on the surface of the topknot or on the surface of the chin. When we are intoxicated, there are close friends30 who give us a pearl; and we should always give a pearl to a close friend. When the pearl is hung upon us we are always intoxicated. That which "already is like this"31 is the one bright pearl which is the universe in ten directions. So even though it seems to be continually changing the outward appearance of its turning and not turning, it is just the bright pearl. The very recognition that the pearl has been existing like this is just the bright pearl itself. The bright pearl has sounds and forms that can be heard like this. Already "having got the state like this, "32 those

who surmise that "I cannot be the bright pearl,

" should not doubt that they

are the pearl. Artificial and nonartificial states of surmising and doubting, attaching and rejecting, are just the small view. They are nothing more than trying to make [the bright pearl] match the narrow intellect. How could we not love the bright pearl? Its colors and light, as they are, are endless. Each color and every ray of light at each moment and in every situation is the 52

Chapter Four

virtue of the whole universe in ten directions; who would want to plunder it?33 No one would throw a tile into a street market. Do not worry about falling or not falling34 into the six states of cause and effect. 35 They are the

original state of being right from head to tail, which is never unclear,and the bright pearl is its features and the bright pearl is its eyes. Still, neither I nor you know what the bright pearl is or what the bright pearl is not. Hundreds of thoughts and hundreds of negations of thought have combined to form a very clear idea.

36At the same time, by virtue of Gensha's words of Dharma, we have heard, recognized, and clarified the situation of a body and mind which has already become the bright pearl. Thereafter, the mind is not personal; why should we be worried by attachment to whether it is a bright pearl or is not a bright pearl, as if what arises and passes were some person?37 Even surmising and worry is not different from the bright pearl. No action nor any thought has ever been caused by anything other than the bright pearl. Therefore, forward steps and backward steps in a demon's black-mountain cave are just the one bright pearl itself. Shōbōgenzō Ikka-no-myōju

Preached to the assembly at Kannondōri kōshōhōrinji in the Uji district of Yōshū38 on the eighteenth day of the fourth lunar month in the fourth year of Katei.

39

Copied in the prior's quarters of Kippōji in Shibi county, in the Yoshida district of Esshū, 40

on the twenty-third day of the intercalary seventh lunar month in the first year of Kangen, 41

attendant bhikṣuEjō.

26c

53

Notes

1 Shaba-sekai. Shabarepresents the Sanskrit sahālokadhātu,which means the world of human beings.

2 Master Gensha Shibi (835-907), successor of Master Seppō Gison. When monks died they were not referred to by the name used in their lifetime. "Great Master

Shūitsu" is Master Gensha's posthumous title. Shibi is his hōki,or "Dharma [name] to be avoided.

" See also Chapter Sixteen, Shisho, note 32. 3 Even as a layman Master Gensha led a relaxed and peaceful life, without worrying about the results of his efforts.

4 860 to 873.

5 Master Seppō Gison (822-907), successor of Master Tokusan Senkan. Great Master Shinkaku is his posthumous title.

6 Bendōexpresses the practice of zazen. 7 Bizuda. Biis from the name Shibi. Zudais from the Sanskrit word dhūta,which means ascetic practice. Master Gensha was known for his hard practice, so he got the nickname of Bizuda. The twelve dhūtaare listed in Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Gyōji. See also LS 2.310.

8 The expression is ironic. Master Gensha makes it sound as if he would like to be able to learn from others, but in the end it is impossible: he can be satisfied not with secondhand knowledge but only by experiencing things for himself. 9 A hensan,or "thorough exploration,

" is the title of Chapter Sixty-two (Vol. III). Here it is used as a verb, a hensan suru.

10 Master Bodhidharma actually did come to the Eastern Lands (China), but "Master Bodhidharma did not come to the Eastern Lands" suggests that he came to China naturally, rather than out of personal intention. The Second Patriarch, Master Taiso Eka, did not go to the Western Heavens (India), and "The Second Patriarch did not go to the Western Heavens,

" suggests similarly that it was natural for him not to go. 11 Coarse vegetable fiber.

12 Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 1, no. 15.

13 Shōji-korai,or "living-and-dying, going-and-coming, " is an expression of everyday

life that appears frequently in the Shōbōgenzō. 55

Shōbōgenzō Volume I

14 Kiyō no kantoku. Kiyōmeans the central part of a mechanism; at the same time, ki suggests the moment of the present. Kantokumeans "being able to control. "

15 Gosshiki,or "karmic consciousness. " The term is discussed in Chapter Twenty-two (Vol. II), Busshō.

16 Irui-chū-gyō,

"going among different kinds of beings" (in the five or six destinies), is a common expression in the Shōbōgenzō. In this case it suggests the absolute difference between the real understanding of Master Gensha and the intellectual understanding of the monk. 17 E-kō-hen-shōdescribes the state in zazen. The expression appears in the Fukanzazengi (Appendix II).

18 The Shō River flows north of the Tan River, and the Tan River flows south of the Shō River. In China the area between the two rivers was used as a symbol of one thing that can be expressed in two ways. In this sentence, cakes symbolize concrete things, and "south of the Shō River" and "north of the Tan River" represent subjective views. In Buddhist teaching and practice, recognition of concrete facts and theoretical understanding are both important. 19 Rokugatsu,or "the sixth lunar month, " was an uncomfortably hot time in the south of China.

20 Buddhist monks would customarily avoid giving their family name, and reply instead, "It is a nice time of year.

"

21 Zenshin,

"whole body,

" sometimes suggests the universe as the Buddha's whole body. See Chapter Seventy-one (Vol. III), Nyorai-zenshin. 22 "Perfect roundness" is en-da-da-chi,lit., "circle diagonal-diagonal state.

" Enmeans

circular or perfect. Da,repeated for emphasis, means diagonal; at the same time, it suggests the absence of corners, i.e., roundness. Chimeans "state. "

23 Ten-roku-roku. Tenmeans "to turn" or "to roll. " Roku-rokuis onomatopoeic for a

round object rolling.

24 Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara is the subject of Chapter Thirty-three (Vol. II), Kannon. See also the Lotus Sutra,chapter 25, Kanzeon-bosatsu-fumon. 25 Bodhisattva Maitreya is expected to be born five thousand six hundred and seventy million years in the future, to save all living beings who were left unsaved by the Buddha. See, for example, LS 1.62. In this sentence the bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Maitreya symbolize Buddhist practitioners today. 26 Alludes to the description of Avalokiteśvara ("Hearer of the Sounds of the World") in the Lotus Sutra. See LS 3.252.

27 See LS 2.114.

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Chapter Four

28 Black dragons keep a pearl under their chins. The black dragon's pearl is a symbol of the truth.

29 See LS 2.276.

30 See LS 2.114.

31 Kize-inmo.At the beginning of Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II), Inmo,Master Ungo Dōyō discusses kize-inmo-nin,or "a person in the state of already being like this. "

32 Toku-inmo.These characters also appear in Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II), Inmo. 33 Master Gensha said, Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 1, no. 38. "It is forbidden for anyone to plunder a street market. " See

34 Furaku,

"not falling,

" and fumai,

"not being unclear,

" represent opposing views of cause and effect. See, for example, Chapter Seventy-six (Vol. IV), Dai-shugyō. 35 Rokudō no ingaare the six states through which we pass according to the law of cause and effect: the state of beings in hell, the state of hungry ghosts, the state of animals, the state of angry demons, the state of human beings, and the state of gods. 36 Mei-mei no sōryō. Sōryōmeans "idea" or "thinking. " In this sentence, Master Dōgen substituted sō,

"weeds" (symbolizing concrete things), for sō, "idea,

" in order to

allude to the traditional saying mei-mei-taru hyaku-sō-tō, "clear-clear are hundreds of weeds" (see Chapter Twenty-two [Vol. II], Busshō). 37 The original word for "some person" is tare,which means "who?" 38 Corresponds to present-day Kyoto prefecture. 39 1238.

40 Corresponds to present-day Fukui prefecture. 41 1243.

57

Chapter 5: Jū-undō-shiki - Rules for the Hall of Accumulated Cloud

[Chapter Five]

Jū-undō-shiki

27a3

Rules for the Hall of Accumulated Cloud

Translator's Note: Jū-undōor

"hall of accumulated cloud"

was the name

of the zazen hall of Kannondōrikōshōhōrinji. Shiki means rules. So Jū-undōshikimeans "Rules for the Hall of Accumulated Cloud.

" Kannon dōri kōshō hōrinji was the first temple established by Master Dōgen. He built it in Kyoto prefecture in 1233, several years after coming back from China. Jū-undō was the first zazen hall to be built in Japan. Master Dōgen made these rules for the hall, and titled them. The chapter was not included in the Shōbōgenzō when the seventy-five-chapter edition was compiled, but was added when the ninety-five-chapter edition was compiled at the end of the seventeenth century. The inclusion of this chapter is very useful in understanding the Shōbōgenzō,because what is written here represents in a concrete way Master Dōgen

'

s sincere attitude in pursuing the truth.

[111] People who have the will to the truth and who discard fame and gain may enter. We should not randomly admit those who might be insincere. If someone is admitted by mistake, we should, after consideration, make them leave. Remember, when the will to the truth has secretly arisen, fame and gain evaporate at once. Generally, in [all] the great-thousandfold world, 1

there are very few examples of the right and traditional transmission. In our country, this will be seen as the original source. Feeling compassion for future ages, we should value the present.

[112] The members of the hall should harmonize like milk and water, and should wholeheartedly promote each other's practice of the truth. Now we are for the present [as] guests and hosts,

2 but in future we will forever be

Buddhist patriarchs. So now that each of us is meeting what is hard to meet, and is practicing what is hard to practice, we must not lose our sincerity. This [sincerity] is called "the body and mind of the Buddhist patriarchs"; it inevitably becomes buddha and becomes a patriarch. We have already left 59

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our families and left our hometowns; we rely on clouds and rely on waters. 3

The benevolence of [the members of] this sangha, in promoting [each other's] health and in promoting [each other's] practice, surpasses even that of a father and mother. A father and mother are only parents for the short span between life and death, but [the members of] this sangha will be friends in the Buddha's truth forever.

[113] We should not be fond of going out. If absolutely necessary, once in one month is permissible. People of old lived in distant mountains or practiced in remote forests. They not only had few human dealings but also totally discarded myriad involvements. We should learn their state of mind in shrouding their light and covering their tracks. Now is just the time to [practice as if to] put out a fire on our head. How could we not regret idly devoting this time to worldly involvements? How could we not regret this? It is hard to rely on what has no constancy, and we never know where, on the grass by the path, our dewdrop life will fall. [To waste this time] would be truly pitiful. [114] While we are in the hall we should not read the words of even Zen texts. In the hall we should realize the principles and pursue the state of truth. When we are before a bright window,

4 we can enlighten the mind with the

teachings of the ancients. Do not waste a moment of time. Singlemindedly make effort.

5

[115] We should make it a general rule to inform the leader of the hall6 where we are going, whether it is night or day. Do not ramble around at will. That might infringe the discipline of the sangha. We never know when this life will finish. If life were to end during an idle excursion, that would certainly be something to regret afterward.

[115] We should not strike other people for their mistakes. We should not look on people's mistakes with hatred. In the words of an ancient, 7"When

we do not see others' wrongness or our own rightness, we are naturally respected by seniors and admired by juniors.

" At the same time, we should

not imitate the wrongs of others. We should practice our own virtue. The Buddha prevented wrongdoing, but not out of hatred.

[116] Any task, big or small, we should do only after informing the leader of the hall. People who do things without informing the leader of the hall should be expelled from the hall. When formalities between members and leaders are disrupted, it is hard to tell right from wrong. 60

Chapter Five

[116] In and around the hall, we should not raise the voice or gather heads to converse. The leader of the hall should stop this. [117] In the hall we should not practice ceremonial walking. 8

[117] In the hall we should not hold counting beads. 9 And we should

not come and go with the hands hanging down.

10

[118] In the hall we should not chant, or read sutras. If a donor11 requests the reading of sutras by the whole order, then it is permissible. [118] In the hall we should not loudly blow the nose, or loudly hack and spit. We should regret the fact that our moral behavior is still [so] imperfect. And we should begrudge the fact that time is stealing away, robbing us of life with which to practice the truth. It might be natural for us to have minds like fish in a dwindling stream.

[119] Members of the hall should not wear brocade. We should wear [clothes of] paper, cotton, and so forth. Since ancient times, all the people who clarified the truth have been like this.

[119] Do not come into the hall drunk. If someone forgetfully [enters] by mistake, they should do prostrations and confess. Also, alcohol should not be brought into [the hall]. Do not enter the hall flushed and inebriated. 12

[120] If two people quarrel, both should be sent back to their quarters, because they not only hinder their own practice of the truth but also hinder others. Those who see the quarrel coming but do not prevent it are equally at fault.

[120] Anyone who is indifferent toward the instructions for [life] in the hall should be expelled by the common consent of all members. Anyone whose mind is in sympathy with the transgression is [also] at fault. [121] Do not disturb the other members by inviting guests, whether monks or laypeople, into the hall. When talking with guests in the vicinity [of the hall], do not raise the voice. Do not deliberately boast about your own training, greedily hoping for offerings. [A guest] who has long had the will to participate in practice, and who is determined to tour the hall and do prostrations, 13 may

enter. In this case also, the leader of the hall must be informed. [121] Zazen should be practiced as in the monks' halls [of China]. 14

Never be even slightly lazy in attending and requesting [formal and informal teaching], morning and evening.

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[122] During the midday meal and morning gruel, a person who drops the accessories for the pātra15 on the ground should be penalized16 according to the monastery rules.

[122] In general, we should staunchly guard the prohibitions and precepts of the Buddhist patriarchs. The pure criteria of monasteries should be engraved on our bones, and should be engraved on our minds. [123] We should pray that our whole life will be peaceful, and that our pursuit of the truth will abide in the state without intent. [123] These few rules [listed] above are the body and mind of eternal buddhas. We should revere them and follow them. The twenty-fifth day of the fourth lunar month in the second year of Rekinin.

17 Set forth by the

founder of Kannondōri kōshō gokokuji, śramaṇa Dōgen.

62

Notes

1 Daisenkaiis short for sanzen-daisen-sekai,or "the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world.

" This expression, which derives from the ancient Indian belief that the world comprises many groups of thousands of worlds, occurs frequently in the Lotus Sutra. See for example, LS 2.218-220.

2 Hinju,translated in paragraph 116 as "members and leaders. "

3 In China and Japan monks are commonly referred to as unsui,which means "clouds and water.

"

4 Suggests a place, other than the zazen hall, suitable for reading. 5 Sen-itsu ni kufu su.These words also appear in the Fukanzazengi. 6 Dōshu,

self).

"leader of the hall,

" would have been the head monk (not Master Dōgen him-7 Master Hakuyō Hōjun. See Zokudentōroku,chapter 29. 8 Gyōdō,ceremonial walking, is a way of serving offerings to the buddha image, in which the practitioner circles the buddha image three times, walking around clockwise so that the buddha image remains to the practitioner's right. 9 Some people use a kind of rosary, usually with one hundred and eight beads, to count the recitations of Buddha's name, and so on. The Sanskrit term for a rosary is akṣasūtra.See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 10 In other words, we should hold the hands in front of the chest in shashu, with the right hand covering the left fist.

11 "Donor" is originally dāna(giving), the first of the six pāramitās. In this case dāna stands for dānapati,the Sanskrit word for a person who supports a Buddhist order. The reading of sutras at a donor's request is explained in detail in Chapter Twentyone, Kankin. 12 "Flushed and inebriated" is originally niragi nokashi te.Being written in hiragana, the Japanese phonetic alphabet, this allows alternative interpretations. The interpretation used here is that niragumeans to temper steel, or to redden; and nokashi te means emboldened, or inebriated. The traditional interpretation in Japan has been that nira means leeks, gimeans onions, and no ka shi temeans smelling, so the sentence would mean "Do not enter the hall smelling of leeks and onions.

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