Life and death are nothing but transmigration: > Generally life and death are considered identical with delusion, and nirvana is identified with enlightenment. Accordingly life-death and nirvana are contradictory concepts. But to cling to this dualistic view strengthens the feeling of hatred and love; as a result this only increases arguments. Zen, therefore, dislikes choosing only one of the opposites; it emphasizes the unity of all things. To reject life-death and seek nirvana seems very religious, but Dogens higher standpoint does not permit him to take this attitude. In Bendowa, Dogen says: You must realize that life-death is itself nirvana. We cannot talk about nirvana without life-death. Accordingly, the world of constant arising and decaying is itself the area of nirvana. Instead of trying to escape life-death, we must remain in this world and, using life-death freely, turn delusion into nirvana and the world of the Buddha. As Dogen says in Shoji: If we understand that life and death are themselves nirvana, there is no need for avoiding life and death or seeking nirvana. Then, for the first time, there arises the possibility of freeing ourselves from life and death . . . when you no longer have the desire to reject life-death or seek nirvana, you can truly gain nirvana and free yourself from life-death. > For most people life and death are nothing but transmigration. A human being, as long as he is enslaved by his ego, is caught in the flow of life and death and loses the freedom of detachment. If man abandons his passionate search for constancy, he realizes that transitory life and death are themselves the full expression of Buddhahood, sand he can make greater use of life and death. Because a great sage penetrates to the true meaning of continual rising and decaying, he does not fear life and death; instead he turns human life and death into an occasion for training. For this reason Dogen says in Shinjingakudo: Although birth and death are the transmigration of the unenlightened, the Buddha is free from all this. Life and death for those who make good use of them become like the flickering of light. So in Bendowa Dogen says: To think that birth and death are things to be avoided is a sin against Buddhism. Though for most people life and death mean transmigration from life to life, for the great sage, they are the area of absolute freedom for self-joyous samadhi. In Gyobutsuiigi Dogen says: You should realize that life and death are the training ground of Buddhism and the tools of Buddhists. In Komyo he says: The coming and going of life and death is like the flickering of light. > In Shinjingakudo, Dogen says: The coming and going of life and death is like the body of the true man. In Shoji, Dogen says: This life and death are the life of the Buddha. If you try to throw them away in denial, you lose the life of Buddha. No one but Dogen has even made such a statement. In Gyobutsuiigi, Dogen says: From long ago, when man penetrates to the great way that transcends life and death, the following has been said: The great sage leaves life and death to the mind; he leaves them to the body; he leaves them to the way of the Buddha. He leaves life and death to life and death. This meaning - unlimited by time past and present - appears spontaneously as the conduct of the Buddha. _ Written by zen master Dogen Zenji translated by Prof. Masunaga Reiho energyenhancement.org/Meditation-Antahkarana-Spiral-between-heaven-and-earth.jpg
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:21:37 +0000
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