Fukanzazengi, Universal Principles Of Zen Meditation -2

Welcome to the second talk on A.

A.

Dogen's Fukan Zazen-ji,

Universal Principles of Zen Meditation.

In the previous session,

We covered the historical background,

The title,

And Dogen's motivation for writing Fukan Zazen-ji,

Which he felt served as a corrective to earlier Zazen-ji,

Which are brief meditation instruction manuals.

He also wanted to fill in a lack that he experienced regarding the state of Buddhism in Japan at the time.

With this background and with this understanding of Dogen's concerns in mind,

Let's turn to the opening paragraph of Fukan Zazen-ji,

Where he asserts his all-encompassing absolutist view.

By absolutist,

I mean that from the Zen perspective,

That it is through prajna,

The Sanskrit term for wisdom or intuitive knowing,

That we realize that although we are all unique individuals,

We are all at the same time interconnected as one reality,

Described by Dogen as whole being is the buddha nature.

This realization is evoked by the direct experience that occurs through the practice of just sitting.

This is the ultimate reality or the absolute,

That is,

Being just as it is,

Here and now.

However,

The absolute is not separate from the ordinary,

The relative reality of everyday life.

There is one reality,

But two possible perceptions.

Zazen is how we realize through the direct experience of just sitting the non-dualistic,

Vibrant,

Subtle,

Transitory,

And interconnected nature of all life.

Right from the start,

He describes in this opening paragraph the totality,

The freedom,

And purity of the Buddha way,

Which originally and constantly manifests all of the time and everywhere,

Including but also beyond our mental or physical strivings,

Beyond both delusion and realization.

He opens Fukan Zazen-ji by writing,

The way is basically perfect and all-pervading.

How could it be contingent upon practice and realization?

The Dharma vehicle is free and untrammeled.

What need is there for concentrated effort?

Indeed,

The whole body is far beyond the world's dust.

Who could believe in a means to brush it clean?

It is never apart from one right where one is.

What is the use of going off here and there to practice?

First of all,

What is the way?

Well,

The way has been described in many ways,

Including bodhi,

Or awakened,

Original awakened mind,

Zenki,

Or total dynamic functioning,

Or emo,

Suchness,

Being as it is.

Dogen emphasizes his opening statement by speaking of the whole body in the second part of the paragraph,

Which basically means the same thing.

He often repeats things in his writing when he wants to highlight its importance.

What he is saying is everything is already perfect as it is.

That points to practice as expressive of this perfection in and of itself,

In contrast to a goal-oriented practice.

We could say that we start at the top of the mountain,

Not from the bottom.

This is where the crucially important practice notion of mushoutoku,

Or no-gaining mind,

Derives from.

Sometimes it can be difficult to sit with mushoutoku,

No-gaining mind.

It's an intention,

But after all,

We all want to gain something or want relief from something.

That might have drawn us to practice.

The problem here is that we already are what we're looking for.

This is like a person who was searching everywhere for his lost glasses because he didn't realize that he was wearing them.

I wouldn't say have what we're looking for because that would reify realization as some separate other or some kind of object.

Dogen shifted the expression,

All beings have buddha nature,

To whole being is buddha nature.

As I mentioned,

Shikantaza,

Just sitting,

Is a result,

Not a means to an end.

You are already here.

Your sitting is the end result.

It is the practice of a buddha.

There's no need to get rid of anything or to obtain anything.

No attachment,

No aversion,

Just sitting.

It's important to know sitting as sitting,

As he notes in Zanmai Ozanmai,

The samadhi that is the king of samadhis,

A later writing where he further elaborates this point.

Objectifying realization would be limiting,

But also impossible.

It would be like trying to package air in a cardboard box,

But Dogen says it is untrammeled,

Not limited,

Not impeded,

Not confined.

He says the same regarding concentrated effort.

He then draws support for his view from the story of Hui Neng,

The sixth patriarch of Zen in China.

He writes,

Indeed the whole body is far beyond the world's dust.

Who could believe in a means to brush it clean?

Here's the story.

Chen Shui,

It was assumed,

Would be the master Hogrun's successor.

Hogrun was the fifth ancestor of Zen in China.

Because he was full of doubt,

Chen Shui wrote his verse anonymously on the wall of the New Dharma Hall.

The body is the Bodhi tree.

The heart-mind is like a mirror.

Moment by moment,

Wipe and polish it,

Not allowing dust to collect.

A straightforward articulation of the necessity of diligent practice,

Chen Shui hoped this verse would show the master that his student had at least some understanding.

The next morning,

Hongred read the verse and praised it before the community.

He burned incense before it and ordered all the monks to recite it before calling Chen Shui for an interview.

In private,

He commended Chen Shui for his insight,

Stating that the verse showed he had reached the gates of wisdom,

But that he had yet to enter.

He then suggested that Chen Shui take a few more days to compose another verse worthy of being awarded the robe.

Meanwhile,

Huining was still working in the threshing room when a novice wandered by reciting Chen Shui's verse.

Immediately,

Huining realized the author of the verse lacked full understanding.

Venturing out to the Dharma hall,

He got someone to write because he was illiterate.

He wrote his reply,

Bodhi originally has no tree.

The clear and bright mirror also has no support.

Buddha nature is constantly purifying and clearing.

Where could there be dust?

Very soon,

Word of this new verse spread and eventually the news reached Hongred.

The master came to read it and immediately recognized it as the work of Huining and that this unknown prodigy was truly enlightened.

In the next session,

We'll take a look at how Dogon delves more deeply into this point from a different angle.

In the meantime,

Just keep sitting no matter what and ask yourself,

What is it that I'm trying to achieve by sitting?

Am I really practicing with Mushotoku,

No gaining mind?

Am I using practice as a means to an end?

Am I trying to gain something?

Am I trying to get rid of something?

Thank you.