Archives: Shobogenzo

光明

komyo

Brightness

Komyo means luminosity, light, or brightness. Such light has been revered in Buddhism since ancient times, and has both a physical and a mental or spiritual side. Generally speaking, idealistic people believe in spiritual light whereas materialistic people only believe in physical light, but according to Buddhist theory, brightness has both a physical side and a mental side. In this chapter Master Dogen explained this brightness. He explained that the Universe is our own brightness, that the Universe is just brightness, that our behavior in the Universe is brightness, and that there is nothing other than brightness.

空華

kuge

Flowers in Space

Ku means “the sky,” or “space,” and ge means “flowers.” What are flowers in space? Master Dogen uses the words “flowers in space” to express all phenomena in this world. According to the ideas of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, we cannot be sure whether things really exist in this world, but we can be sure that there are phenomena which we can perceive with our senses. Therefore, for him, phenomena are not necessarily identified with reality although they do actually appear in this world. He refused to discuss the metaphysical problem of “real existence” and based his philosophy on human reason. The same idea was present in ancient Buddhism. Master Dogen thought that this skeptical attitude was important in considering the meaning of our life, and so in this chapter he explains the meaning of “flowers in space,” which in Buddhism expresses real phenomena.

海印三昧

kai-in-zanmai

Samadhi, State Like the Sea

Kai means “sea” and in (a translation of the Sanskrit word mudra) means “seal” or “stamp.” Zanmai (a phonetic representation of the Sanskrit word samadhi) means the state in Zazen. So kai-in-zanmai means “sea-stamp samadhi” or “samadhi as a state like the sea.” These words appear frequently in the Garland Sutra. Master Dogen explains that the words describe the state in Zazen, or the mutual interrelation between subject and object here and now. In this chapter Master Dogen expounds on samadhi as a state like the sea, quoting from the Vimalakirti Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and from a conversation between Master Sozan Honjaku and his disciple.

坐禪箴

zazenshin

A Needle for Zazen

Shin means a bamboo needle that was used for acupuncture in ancient China. So shin means a method of healing body and mind, and the word came to be used for a maxim that has the power to cure a human being of physical and mental discomfort. Subsequently, the word shin was used to describe short verses useful in teaching the important points of a method of training. In this chapter Master Dogen first explained the true meaning of Zazen, quoting and commenting on a famous exchange between Master Nangaku and Master Baso. Then he praised a Zazenshin by Master Wanshi Shokaku, and finally, he wrote his own Zazenshin.

坐禪儀

zazengi

The Standard Method of Zazen

Gi means a form, or a standard of behavior. Therefore Zazengi means the standard method of Zazen. Master Dogen wrote several treatises about Zazen. First he wrote Fukan-zazengi, (The Universal Guide to the Standard Method of Zazen), in 1227, just after coming back from China. In Shobogenzo he wrote Bendowa (A Talk about Pursuing the Truth), Zazenshin (A Needle for Zazen), Zanmai-o-zanmai (The Samadhi That Is King of Samadhis), and this chapter, Zazengi. Fukan-zazengi was the first text Master Dogen wrote, and thus it was the first proclamation of his belief in Zazen. Bendowa was an introduction to Zazen written in an easy style and format to help us understand the fundamental theories of Zazen. Zazenshin contains a guiding poem on Zazen, and Master Dogen’s interpretation of it. The reason Master Dogen used poetry to interpret the meaning of Zazen is that it is difficult to interpret the philosophical meaning of Zazen in prose, because the ultimate meaning of Zazen is something that cannot be explained with words. Master Dogen felt that it was appropriate to suggest the ultimate philosophical meaning of Zazen in poetry. But in this chapter, Zazengi, Master Dogen explained only the formal method of practicing Zazen. The existence of this chapter indicates how highly Master Dogen revered the formal standard of Zazen.

大悟

daigo

Great Realization

Dai means great and go means realization, so daigo means great realization. Many Buddhist scholars, for example Dr. Daisetsu Suzuki, have translated go as “enlightenment.” But the meaning of the word “enlightenment” is ambiguous and the word has for many years been a stumbling block to the understanding of Buddhism. So it may be better to translate go as realization. The meaning of realization in Master Dogen’s theory is also difficult to understand. Anyway, it is clear that realization is not only intellectual understanding, but a more concrete realization of facts in reality. So we can say that realization in Master Dogen’s theory is realization in real life. We can study his thoughts on realization in this chapter.

古佛心

kobusshin

The Mind of Eternal Buddhas

Ko means “old” or “eternal,” butsu means “buddha” and shin means “mind.” So kobusshin means “the mind of eternal buddhas.” In this chapter, Master Dogen cites examples of the mind of eternal Buddhas, quoting Master Tendo Nyojo, Master Engo Kokugon, Master Sozan Konin, and Master Seppo Gison. Then he explains a story about National Master Daisho (Master Nan-yo Echu) and his disciple that suggests the oneness of the mind of eternal Buddhas and miscellaneous concrete things. At the end of the chapter he quotes Master Zengen Chuko’s words on the matter.

心不可得

shin-fukatoku

Mind Cannot Be Grasped [The former]

Shin means “mind,” fu expresses negation, ka expresses possibility, and toku means “to grasp.” Shin-fukatoku, or “mind cannot be grasped,” is a quotation from the Diamond Sutra. On the basis of our common sense, we usually think that our mind can be grasped by our intellect, and we are prone to think that our mind must exist somewhere substantially. This belief also extends into the sphere of philosophy; Rene Descartes, for example, started his philosophical thinking with the premise “Cogito ergo sum” or “I think therefore I am.” The German idealists, for example, Kant, Fichte, von Schnelling, and Hegel, also based their philosophies on the existence of mind. But in Buddhism we do not have confidence in the existence of mind. Buddhism is a philosophy of action, or a philosophy of the here and now; in that philosophy, mind cannot exist independently of the external world. In other words, Buddhism says that all existence is the instantaneous contact between mind and the external world. Therefore it is difficult for us to grasp our mind independently of the external world. In short, Buddhist theory cannot support belief in the independent existence of mind. In this chapter, Master Dogen preached that mind cannot be grasped, explaining a famous Buddhist story about a conversation between Master Tokuzan Senkan and an old woman selling rice cakes.

一顆明珠

ikka-no-myoju

One Bright Pearl

Ikka means “one,” myo means “bright” or “clear,” and ju means “pearl.” So ikka no myoju means one bright pearl. This chapter is a commentary on Master Gensa Shibi’s words that the whole Universe in all directions is as splendid as a bright pearl. Master Dogen loved these words, so he wrote about them in this chapter.

行佛威儀

gyobutsu-yuigi

The Dignified Behavior of Acting Buddha

Gyo means to practice or to act, butsu means buddha, yui means dignity or dignified, and gi means ceremony, formal attitude, or behavior. Therefore Gyobutsu-yuigi means the dignified behavior of acting buddha. Buddhism can be called a religion of action. Buddhism esteems action very highly, because action is our existence itself, and without acting we have no existence. Gautama Buddha’s historical mission was to find the truth of action, by which he could synthesize idealistic Brahmanism and the materialistic theories of the six non-Buddhist teachers. In this chapter Master Dogen explained the dignity that usually accompanies buddhas in action.