Archives: Shobogenzo

四禪比丘

shizen-biku

The Bhiksu in the Fourth Dhyana

Shi means four. Zen represents the Sanskrit word dhyana, which means Zazen or the state in Zazen. Biku represents the Sanskrit word bhiksu, which means a Buddhist monk. Shizen-biku, or the bhiksu who had attained the fourth state in Zazen, was a monk who mistook his own state for the state of an arhat, the fourth and ultimate stage of a Buddhist practitioner. When he was dying this monk saw an image usually seen by someone who has attained the fourth state in Zazen, so he thought that Gautama Buddha must have deceived him. And because of this wrong idea, he fell down into hell. Master Dogen quoted this story as an example of a wrong approach to Buddhism. In addition, he strongly insisted in this chapter that it is a very serious mistake for Buddhist students to believe that Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism are the same in their teachings.

四馬

shime

The Four Horses

Shi means “four” and me means “horses,” so shime means four horses. In a very old Buddhist scripture called Saµyukta gama, we can find a story about four kinds of horses: horses that know the rider’s intention at the sight of the whip, horses that know the rider’s intention when the whip touches their hair, horses that know the rider’s intention when the whip touches their flesh, and horses that know the rider’s intention when the whip reaches their bones. These differences between four kinds of horses are used as a simile of the differences between Buddhist students in their intuitional ability to study Buddhism. Buddhism is not always studied by the intellect, but is sometimes studied with the intuition. So it is very important for Buddhists to have the intuitional ability to realize their master’s teachings. Therefore Master Dogen explained the meaning of shime, or the four kinds of horses, in this chapter.

三時業

sanji-no-go

Karma in Three Times

San means three, ji means time and go means conduct. In this case, sanji means three kinds of time lags and go means both conduct and its effects. As you know, belief in cause and effect is a very important theory in Buddhist philosophy. So Master Dogen wrote a chapter of Shobogenzo titled Shinjin-inga, or “Deep Belief in Cause and Effect.” He insisted that all things and phenomena in the Universe are governed by the law of cause and effect, perfectly and without any exception. According to this theory, we should deny the existence of any indeterminate event. But in our daily life it often seems that such accidents happen. So if Buddhism insists that the law of cause and effect is totally perfect, it is necessary for Buddhism to explain the apparent existence of many accidents. Buddhism explains such apparent accidents with the theory that there are three kinds of time lag between our conduct and the effect of our conduct. After we act, sometimes the effect manifests itself at once, sometimes the effect manifests itself with a short time lag, and sometimes the effect manifests itself with a very long time lag. In the second and third cases, people usually doubt whether the law of cause and effect perfectly governs this world. But if we recognize the three kinds of time lag between conduct and its effects, we can affirm the existence of the law of cause and effect in all cases without exception. Master Dogen explained this problem in the following chapter.

深信因果

shinjin-inga

Deep Belief in Cause and Effect

Shin means deep and shin (in this case pronounced jin) means belief. In means cause, and ka (in this case pronounced ga) means effect. So shinjin-inga means deep belief in cause and effect. It is obvious that there is belief in cause and effect in Buddhist theory. But many so-called Mahayana Buddhists say that the Buddhist theory of belief in cause and effect belongs to Hinayana Buddhism, and that Mahayana Buddhists can transcend belief in cause and effect. This idea, however, is wrong. Master Dogen insisted that, to understand Buddhism, it is very important for Buddhists to believe in the law of cause and effect, and so he emphasized the importance of belief in cause and effect in this chapter. In Chinese Buddhism there is a very famous story about a Buddhist priest who had fallen into the life of a wild fox because he negated the law of cause and effect, but who was saved by the words of Master Hyakujo Ekai. Many Buddhist students misunderstood this story as an example which taught the transcendence of cause and effect. But Master Dogen indicated their mistakes in this chapter. He clearly explained the meaning of the story and he explained profound belief in cause and effect in Buddhist theory.

歸依佛法僧寶

kie-sanbo

Taking Refuge in the Three Treasures

Ki-e means “devotion to” or “taking refuge in” and sanbo means “the Three Treasures”: Buddha, Dharma, and Samgha. Buddha means Gautama Buddha and other people who have attained the same state as Gautama Buddha. Dharma means reality. Samgha means the Buddhist community of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. The Three Treasures are of supreme value in Buddhism and Master Dogen emphasized the importance of devoting ourselves to the Three Treasures, because devotion to the Three Treasures is the beginning and end of Buddhism.

供養諸佛

kuyo-shobutsu

Serving Offerings to Buddhas

Ku-yo means “to serve offerings” and shobutsu means “buddhas” so Kuyo-shobutsu means “Serving Offerings to Buddhas.” There is a tradition in Buddhism that Buddhist believers serve offerings to buddhas. Buddhas are people who have attained the truth, so it is very natural for Buddhist believers to serve offerings to buddhas. But people who have a spiritual viewpoint might say that it is not necessary to serve material offerings, purely spiritual reverence being sufficient. Buddhism, however, is not a spiritual religion but a religion of reality. Buddhism reveres conduct. So Buddhism values the service of real offerings, and recognizes the sincere attitude of belief in that service. Of course, the offerings need not be expensive. The service of offerings is valuable because it is just Buddhist conduct.

發菩提心

hotsu-bodaishin

Establishment of the Bodhi-mind

It is supposed that this chapter and the previous chapter originally had the same title, i.e., Hotsu-bodaishin, “Establishment of the Bodhi-mind,” but that the title of the previous chapter was changed to Hotsu-mujoshin, “Establishment of the Will to the Supreme,” for the purpose of distinction. Dr. Fumio Masutani believes that the former chapter was a sermon for lay people and this chapter was a sermon given on the same day to monks and nuns. Whatever Master Dogen’s intention was, one point is that this chapter includes a presentation of the “The Theory of the Momentary Appearance and Disappearance of the Universe.” In Buddhist theory, action is esteemed highly; when we consider the meaning of life, we can consider that our life is just a series of moments of action. Why do we say that our life is momentary? Because once we have done an act we can never return to the past to undo it. At the same time, we can never perform an act until its time comes to the present. So an act is always done just at the moment of the present. Furthermore, the moment of the present is cut off from the moment immediately before it and the moment immediately after it, because we can never act in the past and we can never act in the future. According to Buddhist theory, then, our life is momentary, and the whole Universe appears and disappears at every moment. This theory, also known as “The Theory of Instantaneousness,” is important in resolving the conflict between human freedom and the law of cause and effect; that is, free will versus determinism. In this chapter, Master Dogen clearly explains the theory.

袈裟功徳

kesa-kudoku

The Merit of the Kasaya

Kesa represents the Sanskrit word kasaya, or Buddhist robe, and kudoku means “virtue” or “merit.” So kesa kudoku means the merit of the kasaya. Being a realistic religion, Buddhism reveres our real life. In other words, Buddhism esteems our real conduct in daily life; wearing clothes and eating meals are very important parts of Buddhist life. In particular, the kasaya and patra, or Buddhist bowl, are the main symbols of Buddhist life. In this chapter Master Dogen explains and praises the merit of the kasaya.

受戒

jukai

Receiving the Precepts

Ju means “to receive,” and kai means the Buddhist precepts, so jukai means receiving the precepts. Traditionally in Buddhism people who want to enter the Buddhist order receive the Buddhist precepts. So we can say that receiving the Buddhist precepts is a ceremony of entry into the Buddhist order, or of becoming a Buddhist. Master Dogen esteemed the value of receiving the precepts very much. Therefore in this chapter he explained the value of receiving the precepts and outlined an example of a ceremony for receiving the precepts.

出家功徳

shukke-kudoku

The Merit of Leaving Family Life

Shutsu means “to get out of” or “to transcend.” Ke means “house,” “home” or “family life.” Kudoku means “merit.” So shukke kudoku means the merit of transcending family life. In this chapter Master Dogen praised and emphasized the merit of transcending family life. We human beings are generally brought up in families, and so we can say that the influence that our family has on us is incredibly strong. The aim of studying Buddhism is to get the truth. So if we would like to get the truth it is necessary for us to transcend our family life, because when we are accustomed to family life, we are sometimes influenced by family life and cannot discriminate what the truth is. Therefore the merit of transcending family life is much revered in Buddhism, and Master Dogen explained the merit of transcending family life, following the Buddhist tradition.