Archives: Shobogenzo

十方

juppo

The Ten Directions

Ju means “ten” and ho means “direction,” so Juppo means “the ten directions.” The ten directions are east, west, south, north, northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, and upward and downward. These represent all directions, the whole of space, or the whole world. In Buddhist philosophy the meaning of space is frequently discussed. In these discussions, the word juppo, “the ten directions,” is often used as a concrete expression of space. In this chapter, Master Dogen picks up the word juppo, and uses it to discuss real space.

洗淨

senjo

Washing

Sen means “to wash,” and jo means “to purify.” So senjo means “washing.” Buddhism is neither idealism nor materialism, but belief in reality, which has both a spiritual side and a material side. So Buddhism insists that to clean our physical body is to purify our mind. Therefore, in Buddhism, cutting our fingernails, shaving our head, and washing our body are all very important religious practices. In this chapter Master Dogen expounds the religious meaning of such daily behavior, and preaches the importance in Buddhism of cleansing our physical body.

梅花

baike

Plum Blossoms

Baike means plum blossoms. Master Dogen loved plum blossoms very much and we can find many descriptions and poems about plum blossoms in his works. Master Tendo Nyojo, Master Dogen’s master, also loved plum blossoms and so we can also find many poems about plum blossoms in his works. Plum blossoms may have been a great pleasure to Buddhist monks living in mountain temples when there were few consolations to relieve the hardship of winter-because plum blossoms bloom at the very beginning of spring, when there are no other flowers, and plum blossoms are both pretty and fragrant. In this chapter, Master Dogen described the real situation of nature, quoting Master Tendo Nyojo’s poems and preachings on plum blossoms.

佛祖

busso

The Buddhist Patriarchs

Butsu means “buddha” or “Buddhist,” so means “patriarch,” and therefore busso means Buddhist patriarchs. Master Dogen revered Buddhas of the past; he also esteemed the Buddhist transmission from Buddha to Buddha. Furthermore he believed in the continuity of the Buddhist order; the successive leaders of the Buddhist order held an important place in his thought. Here Master Dogen enumerates the names of the Patriarchs of the Buddhist order, and in doing so, he confirms the Buddhist tradition they maintained.

面授

menju

The Face-to-Face Transmission

Men means face, and ju means transmission. Menju means the transmission of the Dharma from a master to a disciple face to face. In Buddhism, what is transmitted from a master to a disciple is not only abstract theory, but also something real, including actual conduct, physical health, and intuitional wisdom. Therefore the transmission of this real something cannot be actualized solely through explanations with words, or simply by passing on some manuscript. For this reason, the Dharma that Gautama Buddha taught has been transmitted in person from master to disciple since the days of Gautama Buddha. Without this personal contact, the Buddhist Dharma cannot be transmitted. In this chapter, Master Dogen praises the transmission of the Buddhist Dharma and explains its importance.

洗面

senmen

Washing the Face

Sen means to wash, and men means the face. Idealistic religions generally revere only the spiritual side of the world; everyday activities such as eating meals, getting dressed, washing the face, and taking a bath are not considered to be religious practices. Buddhism, however, is a religion based on the real world; these everyday activities are important religious practices without which there can be no Buddhist life. This is why, when a Chinese Buddhist master was asked by his disciple, “What is the fundamental principle of Buddhism?” the master answered “Wearing clothes and eating meals.” Master Dogen put the greatest value on the practice of washing the face. In this chapter he explains the Buddhist meaning in the daily activities of taking a bath and washing the face.

陀羅尼

darani

Dharani

The Chinese characters pronounced da-ra-ni represent the Sanskrit dharani, which originally means a spell or incantation that is believed to have mystical omnipotence. But Master Dogen’s interpretation was more concrete, and especially he esteemed the value of prostrations as dharani. In this chapter he explains the meaning of prostrations as dharani.

法性

hossho

The Dharma-nature

Ho means Dharma, that is the Buddha’s teaching, or the Universe itself. Sho means essence, or nature. So hossho means the Dharma-nature, or the essence of the Universe. Needless to say, we are living in the Universe. Therefore what the Universe means is one of the most important philosophical problems in our life. Some people insist that the Universe is something spiritual. Others insist that the Universe is something material. But from the Buddhist standpoint, the Universe is neither spiritual nor material, but something real. It is, however, very difficult to express the Universe as something real using words, because reality usually transcends explanation with words. Master Dogen undertook this difficult task, in order to express the nature of the Universe, in this chapter.

佛經

bukkyo

The Buddhist Sutras

Butsu means “Buddha” or “Buddhist,” and kyo means “sutra” or “scripture.” So bukkyo means Buddhist sutras. Shobogenzo chapter 24 is also called Bukkyo, but in that chapter, kyo is a different word, meaning “teaching.” In Buddhism, there are fundamentally two ways that are useful in pursuing the truth. One is practicing Zazen, and the other is reading sutras. But some people emphasize the value of practicing Zazen so strongly that they are blind to the value of reading Buddhist sutras, and so they deny the value of reading them. They insist that Buddhism is not philosophical theories, and therefore that to attain the truth we need only practice Zazen, and that reading Buddhist sutras is useless or even detrimental to pursuing the truth. But Master Dogen did not think so. He esteemed the value of reading sutras, and he thought that it was necessary to read Buddhist sutras in order to attain the truth. Therefore he recorded the true meaning of reading Buddhist sutras in this chapter. Furthermore, in Master Dogen’s thought, Buddhist sutras are not only Buddhist scriptures, but they are also the Universe itself, which shows us and teaches us the true meaning of our life.

無情説法

mujo-seppo

The Non-Emotional Preaches the Dharma

Mujo means the non-emotional and Seppo means to preach the Dharma. Originally, mujo means inanimate or insentient things, so mujo-seppo means inanimate things preach the Dharma. But Master Dogen’s usage of the word mujo was wider than the usual usage, as if the words cover the whole of nature — human beings as well as mountains, rivers, and so on. Master Dogen insisted that even inanimate things can preach the Dharma, and at the same time he insisted that human beings can preach the Dharma when they are not emotional. He insisted that any thing that is not emotional can preach the Dharma — a viewpoint that profoundly expresses the true nature of Buddhist preaching.