At Mount Equity Zendo there were two very old pear trees. These were not the kind of pears you found in the grocery store. They fell off the trees and were quite hard. Because of the shed, consisting of a tin roof, that was right beneath them, when they fell they made quite a bang.
The Bodhisattva vow, which many have taken when they received the 16 precepts, includes the vow to return again and again to this world until all beings attain Enlightenment. The underlying assumption is that Enlightenment, Nirvana and no rebirth is an aim of Buddhism. Zen Master Dogen’s phrase, “practice and Enlightenment are one” (修証一如), is a later development in Buddhism which merges the means with the ends. So, in one sense, concerning our self with rebirth is not necessary. However, even Zen Master Dogen talks about rebirth: “In ten thousand kalpas and thousands of lives, how many times are we born and how many times do we die? This cycle of lives is samsara [suffering], caused only by blind clinging to worldly affairs.”[5]
Logic is ill Rationality makes no cents Divorce “The Thinker” Embrace the body Green is just green White is just white Sit tall like a
We think we exist as some kind of solid independent reality. Funeral ceremonies of loved ones have always served to remind me of the dream-like
“Even if you have the highest understanding of mountains as all buddhas’ inconceivable qualities, the truth is not only this. These are conditioned views. This
“I am embarrassed to say this, but I read pretty Zen books for twenty years before I met a teacher.” – Dai-En Bennage Roshi Most
Be Teachable The sound coming from my teacher’s desk Stiff and inflexible head Softened by Dharma rain only One dies not
How do we come to practice Zen, and what pulls us to continue? Zen is relatively new to North America, first coming at the end
© 2021 All rights reserved
