Dogen Zen Belfast

The conclusion of Master Dogen's zazen instructions commences with the traditional view of a human life as a great endowment, as it enables us to practice Buddhism and overcome the endless cycle of death and rebirth. However, here it has a Dogen-esque twist on it as he combines this theme with the human body itself as a 'pivotal' thing in practice -- this recalls the earlier theme of zazen as the 'vigorous route of getting the body out', or our practice of realising our body as already free and living in reality via our sitting 'dropping off body and mind'. 'Sparks that fly from flint' can be seen to be thoughts, ideas, likes and dislikes while the flint, the essential thing that gives rise to sparks, is the body - our habitual state may be to be lost in thoughts and feelings not seeing the body as already free of them... We have already received the essential pivot which is the human body: we must never pass time in vain. We are maintaining and rely...

Master Dogen's instructions for zazen continue... In general, [the patriarchs] of this world and of other directions, of the Western Heavens and of the Eastern Lands, all similarly maintain the Buddha’s posture, and solely indulge in the custom of our religion. They simply devote themselves to sitting, and are caught by the still state. Master Dogen sees zazen as the thing that unifies all of Buddhism and those who practice it. Zen tradition is sometimes seen as a 'special transmission' of Buddhist truth 'outside' of the scriptures and the rest of Buddhism, but Master Dogen didn't agree with this. He saw Zen practice, especially zazen, as just the essence of Buddhism itself. When somebody sits zazen droppin off body and mind, dropping off time and place, they are sitting in the same place and time as all other practitioners who are doing the same thing. Although there are myriad distinctions and thousands of differences, we should just practice [Za]zen and pursu...

Master Dogen has just talked about how realised/ realising action happens independently of the thinking mind and perceptions - our own sitting is a manifest fact before our thoughts and perceptions of it, as are all actions in the real world. In sitting we come to realise this directly. Therefore, we do not discuss intelligence as superior and stupidity as inferior. Do not choose between clever people and dull ones. If we single-mindedly make effort [in Zazen], that truly is pursuit of the truth. Practice-and-experience is naturally untainted. Actions are more balanced and constant. Whether we have a sharp, intellectual mind (like a college professor) or the dull, slow mind of a dunce (like me!) it doesn't matter, because we drop off sharp wits and dim wits alike to realise the ascendant reality, the reality 'untainted' by thoughts and perceptions, of our sitting and all our real actions in the world. When we settle into sitting, when mind and body begin to come into harmon...

Master Dogen's instructions for zazen continue... If we rise from sitting, we should move the body slowly, and stand up calmly. We should not be hurried or violent.  It's considered bad form to move quickly in the zendo, as it may disturb others, but also our legs may have gone to sleep and standing up quickly could therefore result in a most excellent 'Zen fail' YouTube video. We see in the past that those who transcended the common and transcended the sacred, and those who died while sitting or died while standing, relied totally on this power. We allow earthly, mundane thoughts and feelings to 'drop off' in zazen, but also 'spiritual' thoughts and feelings and daydreams. Although the main practice is sitting, this sitting informs the rest of our conduct in life (and death), including standing up. Moreover, the changing of the moment, through the means of a finger, a pole, a needle, or a wooden clapper; and the experience of the state, through the mani...

Master Dogen continues his zazen instructions with more essential directions on the nature of, and practice of, realisation... This sitting in Zazen is not learning Zen concentration. It is simply the peaceful and joyful gate of Dharma. It is the practice-and-experience which perfectly realizes the state of bodhi. The Universe is conspicuously realized, and restrictions and hindrances never reach it. Some other schools of Buddhism, and other religious and philosophical traditions, emphasise methods of training or focusing the mind on an object, or analysing aspects of our self or our experience or such. But the practice Master Dogen teaches is not like that. Rather, it requires that, in just sitting in the real world and in our life, we give up mental striving and any goals that we can imagine around realisation, or anything else. We just stop it when we notice we're doing it and let go. It requires us to surrender our will for a time. This can be challenging, and it certainly chal...

  When the physical posture is already settled, make one complete exhalation and sway left and right. Sitting immovably in the mountain-still state, “Think about this concrete state beyond thinking.” “How can the state beyond thinking be thought about?” “It is different from thinking.” This is just the pivot of Zazen. Having explained the cross-legged physical posture of zazen, Master Dogen now addresses the mental area of zazen, or the area of mind. The quotes in this section are from this famous koan exchange:    Once, when the Great Master Hongdao of Yueshan was sitting [in meditation], a monk asked him, "What are you thinking of, [sitting there] so fixedly?" The master answered, "I'm thinking of not thinking." The monk asked, "How do you think of not thinking?" The Master answered, "Nonthinking." This 'nonthinking' (Japanese: ' hishiryo ') has been translated by Nishijima/ Cross and others as 'different from thinking...