2014年03月26日
The Inconceivable Liberation
The Inconceivable Liberation [Thrones]
Thereupon, the venerable Sariputra had this thought: "There is not even a single chair in this house. Where are these disciples and bodhisattvas going to sit?"
The Licchavi Vimalakirti read the thought of the venerable Sariputra and said, "Reverend Sariputra, did you come here for the sake of the Dharma? Or did you come here for the sake of a chair?"
Sariputra replied, "I came for the sake of the Dharma, not for the sake of a chair."
Vimalakirti continued,
"Reverend Sariputra, he who is interested in the Dharma is not interested even in his own body, much less in a chair.
Reverend Sariputra, he who is interested in the Dharma has no interest in matter, sensation, intellect, motivation, or consciousness. He has no interest in these aggregates, or in the elements, or in the sense-media.
Interested in the Dharma, he has no interest in the realm of desire, the realm of matter, or the immaterial realm.
Interested in the Dharma, he is not interested in attachment to the Buddha, attachment to the Dharma, or attachment to the Sangha.
Reverend Sariputra, he who is interested in the Dharma is not interested in recognizing suffering, abandoning its origination, realizing its cessation, or practicing the path. Why?
The Dharma is ultimately without formulation and without verbalization. Who verbalizes: 'Suffering should be recognized, origination should be eliminated, cessation should be realized, the path should be practiced,' is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in verbalization.
"Reverend Sariputra, the Dharma is calm and peaceful. Those who are engaged in production and destruction are not interested in the Dharma, are not interested in solitude, but are interested in production and destruction.
"Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, the Dharma is without taint and free of defilement. He who is attached to anything, even to liberation, is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in the taint of desire.
The Dharma is not an object. He who pursues objects is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in objects.
The Dharma is without acceptance or rejection. He who holds on to things or lets go of things is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in holding and letting go.
The Dharma is not a secure refuge. He who enjoys a secure refuge is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in a secure refuge.
The Dharma is without sign. He whose consciousness pursues signs is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in signs.
The Dharma is not a society. He who seeks to associate with the Dharma is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in association.
The Dharma is not a sight, a sound, a category, or an idea. He who is involved in sights, sounds, categories, and ideas is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in sights, sounds, categories, and ideas.
Reverend Sariputra, the Dharma is free of compounded things and uncompounded things. He who adheres to compounded things and
uncompounded things is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in adhering to compounded things and uncompounded things.
"Thereupon, reverend Sariputra, if you are interested in the Dharma, you should take no interest in anything."
When Vimalakirti had spoken this discourse, five hundred gods obtained the purity of the Dharma-eye in viewing all things.
From The Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra
Thereupon, the venerable Sariputra had this thought: "There is not even a single chair in this house. Where are these disciples and bodhisattvas going to sit?"
The Licchavi Vimalakirti read the thought of the venerable Sariputra and said, "Reverend Sariputra, did you come here for the sake of the Dharma? Or did you come here for the sake of a chair?"
Sariputra replied, "I came for the sake of the Dharma, not for the sake of a chair."
Vimalakirti continued,
"Reverend Sariputra, he who is interested in the Dharma is not interested even in his own body, much less in a chair.
Reverend Sariputra, he who is interested in the Dharma has no interest in matter, sensation, intellect, motivation, or consciousness. He has no interest in these aggregates, or in the elements, or in the sense-media.
Interested in the Dharma, he has no interest in the realm of desire, the realm of matter, or the immaterial realm.
Interested in the Dharma, he is not interested in attachment to the Buddha, attachment to the Dharma, or attachment to the Sangha.
Reverend Sariputra, he who is interested in the Dharma is not interested in recognizing suffering, abandoning its origination, realizing its cessation, or practicing the path. Why?
The Dharma is ultimately without formulation and without verbalization. Who verbalizes: 'Suffering should be recognized, origination should be eliminated, cessation should be realized, the path should be practiced,' is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in verbalization.
"Reverend Sariputra, the Dharma is calm and peaceful. Those who are engaged in production and destruction are not interested in the Dharma, are not interested in solitude, but are interested in production and destruction.
"Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, the Dharma is without taint and free of defilement. He who is attached to anything, even to liberation, is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in the taint of desire.
The Dharma is not an object. He who pursues objects is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in objects.
The Dharma is without acceptance or rejection. He who holds on to things or lets go of things is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in holding and letting go.
The Dharma is not a secure refuge. He who enjoys a secure refuge is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in a secure refuge.
The Dharma is without sign. He whose consciousness pursues signs is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in signs.
The Dharma is not a society. He who seeks to associate with the Dharma is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in association.
The Dharma is not a sight, a sound, a category, or an idea. He who is involved in sights, sounds, categories, and ideas is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in sights, sounds, categories, and ideas.
Reverend Sariputra, the Dharma is free of compounded things and uncompounded things. He who adheres to compounded things and
uncompounded things is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in adhering to compounded things and uncompounded things.
"Thereupon, reverend Sariputra, if you are interested in the Dharma, you should take no interest in anything."
When Vimalakirti had spoken this discourse, five hundred gods obtained the purity of the Dharma-eye in viewing all things.
From The Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
10:28
2014年03月26日
Surangama Samadh Sutra: four embrasures
Bodhisattva who resides in the Surangama Samadhi is like a medicine-tree.
Resolute Mind, he is likened to the medicine tree named Sufficient.
If a person uses its root, his illness will be healed.
His illness will be healed by the stems, knots, core, bark, twigs, leaves, flowers, or fruit, which may be fresh, dried, or ground—any form may be used to heal the illnesses of sentient beings.
The Bodhisattva who resides in the Surangama Samadhi is also like this.
There is no time at which he does not benefit sentient beings—he is always able to eliminate all the afflictions.
While preaching the Dharma, he concurrently practices the four embrasures [charity, loving speech, beneficial action, and homologous behavior]
and the various Perfections, so that [sentient beings] attain emancipation.
Whether a person makes offerings or not, and whether there is benefit [to him] or not, the Bodhisattva always uses the advantage of the Dharma so that the person will attain peace.
Resolute Mind, he is likened to the medicine tree named Sufficient.
If a person uses its root, his illness will be healed.
His illness will be healed by the stems, knots, core, bark, twigs, leaves, flowers, or fruit, which may be fresh, dried, or ground—any form may be used to heal the illnesses of sentient beings.
The Bodhisattva who resides in the Surangama Samadhi is also like this.
There is no time at which he does not benefit sentient beings—he is always able to eliminate all the afflictions.
While preaching the Dharma, he concurrently practices the four embrasures [charity, loving speech, beneficial action, and homologous behavior]
and the various Perfections, so that [sentient beings] attain emancipation.
Whether a person makes offerings or not, and whether there is benefit [to him] or not, the Bodhisattva always uses the advantage of the Dharma so that the person will attain peace.
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
09:17
2014年03月24日
World Down Syndrome Day "HAPPY"
It definitely took us a while to accept that our child has Down syndrome and he will be facing all kinds of challenges.
But after spending a year and a month with this boy, we realized how lucky we are to have him as our own child.
As a parent and as a priest, I am very excited to spend the rest of our life with him.
March 21 was World Down Syndrome Day which we almost forgot to celebrate. Happy World Down Syndrome Day!
But after spending a year and a month with this boy, we realized how lucky we are to have him as our own child.
As a parent and as a priest, I am very excited to spend the rest of our life with him.
March 21 was World Down Syndrome Day which we almost forgot to celebrate. Happy World Down Syndrome Day!
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
09:00
2014年03月23日
LBBC Trial Postings 01
(LBBC Trial Posting 01)
To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion.
That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.
Those who have great realization of delusion are Buddhas;
those who are greatly deluded about realization are sentient beings.
To study the Buddha Way is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.
When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away.
From Genjō Kōan: Actualizing the Fundamental Point
(LBBC Trial Posting 02)
Bodhisattva should live neither in control of his mind, nor in indulgence of his mind.
Why? To live by indulging the mind is proper for fools and to live in control of the mind is proper for the disciples.
Therefore, the bodhisattva should live neither in control nor in indulgence of his mind. Not living in either of the two extremes is the domain of the bodhisattva.
Not the domain of the ordinary individual and not the domain of the saint, such is the domain of the bodhisattva.
The domain of the world yet not the domain of the passions, such is the domain of the bodhisattva.
From Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra
To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion.
That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.
Those who have great realization of delusion are Buddhas;
those who are greatly deluded about realization are sentient beings.
To study the Buddha Way is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.
When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away.
From Genjō Kōan: Actualizing the Fundamental Point
(LBBC Trial Posting 02)
Bodhisattva should live neither in control of his mind, nor in indulgence of his mind.
Why? To live by indulging the mind is proper for fools and to live in control of the mind is proper for the disciples.
Therefore, the bodhisattva should live neither in control nor in indulgence of his mind. Not living in either of the two extremes is the domain of the bodhisattva.
Not the domain of the ordinary individual and not the domain of the saint, such is the domain of the bodhisattva.
The domain of the world yet not the domain of the passions, such is the domain of the bodhisattva.
From Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
10:19
2014年03月18日
Other Buddhist Sutras: Prose Discourses
The Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra
http://huntingtonarchive.osu.edu/resources/downloads/sutras/06lotusVimalakirti/Vimalakirti%20Nirdesha%20Sutra.pdf
Sūtra: prose discourses
Samadhi Sutras
http://lit.lib.ru/img/i/irhin_w_j/surangama_samadhi/surangama_samadhi_sutra.pdf
The Lankavatara
cittamatra (mind only) not that of vijnaptimatra
http://huntingtonarchive.osu.edu/resources/downloads/sutras/08technicalMayayana/Lankavatara_Sutra%20abridged.pdf
Pratyutpanna Sutra
http://lirs.ru/lib/sutra/Pratyutpanna_and_Surangama_Samadhi_Sutras,1998,BDK25.pdf
Shurangama Samadhi Sutra.
http://www.longbeachmonastery.org/The%20Surangama%20Sutra%20with%20commentary.pdf
The Sutra of Sublime Golden Light
http://fpmt.org/wp-content/uploads/teachers/zopa/advice/pdf/SSGLdraft0506.pdf
Avatamsaka Sutra
http://dharmaflower.net/_collection/avatamsaka.pdf
Buddha-Nature: Mahayana-Uttaratantra-Shastra
http://siddharthasintent.org/community/pdf/UttaratantraDJKR.pdf
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
00:03
2014年03月13日
大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經 Excerpt 02
Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sutra Excerpt 02
大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經
How does the arising of bodhi occur in this mind?
By what signs does one know that one has generated the bodhi-mind?
By transcending the impure states of the mind, vast merits are produced.
And their nature forever stays firm, one knows that bodhi has arisen.
Dharmas cannot move it, and it is originally quiescent and has no differentiating characteristics.
It is immeasurable like empty space, unblemished, and everlasting.
What is the spontaneous knowledge? What is the characteristics to attain bodhi?
Cultivating the practices of worship, one thereby generates the bodhi-mind for the first time.
Those who have been dwelling in the duality of birth and death cling to the notion of 'self'and to the possessions of the self, and differentiate among immeasurable distinctions of the self.
If they do not see through their own-nature of the self, then notions of 'I' and 'mine' are born.
Others again imagine that there exists, as the prime cause, the transformation of earth and other elements, the self of yoga, established purity, unestablished nonpurity, gods, emanation, time, the revered, the spontaneous, the inner self, life-force, consciousness, or the knower, the seer, the grasper, the grasped, what knows internally, what knows externally, intelligence, youngster, sound, and non-sound.
Such distinctions of the self have been associated with false differentiation.
The adherents of these views hope for liberation in accordance with reason.
At times a dharmic thought may arise, namely, the thought of observing abstinence.
Reflecting on this small thing, they engender joy and practice it from time to time.
This represents the initial stage of the seed from which wholesome actions arise.
Then, with this as the cause, on the six days of abstinence, they make gifts to their parents,
male and female [children], and kinsmen:
this represents the second stage of sprouting.
Then they present these gifts to those who are not kinsmen or acquaintances:
this represents the third stage of budding.
Then they present these gifts to those of competence and eminent virtue:
this represents the fourth stage of leafing.
Then they joyfully present these gifts to musicians and so on and proffer them to venerable elders:
this represents the fifth stage of flowering.
Then with these gifts they engender thoughts of affection and make offerings of them:
this represents the sixth stage of bearing fruit.
大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經
How does the arising of bodhi occur in this mind?
By what signs does one know that one has generated the bodhi-mind?
By transcending the impure states of the mind, vast merits are produced.
And their nature forever stays firm, one knows that bodhi has arisen.
Dharmas cannot move it, and it is originally quiescent and has no differentiating characteristics.
It is immeasurable like empty space, unblemished, and everlasting.
What is the spontaneous knowledge? What is the characteristics to attain bodhi?
Cultivating the practices of worship, one thereby generates the bodhi-mind for the first time.
Those who have been dwelling in the duality of birth and death cling to the notion of 'self'and to the possessions of the self, and differentiate among immeasurable distinctions of the self.
If they do not see through their own-nature of the self, then notions of 'I' and 'mine' are born.
Others again imagine that there exists, as the prime cause, the transformation of earth and other elements, the self of yoga, established purity, unestablished nonpurity, gods, emanation, time, the revered, the spontaneous, the inner self, life-force, consciousness, or the knower, the seer, the grasper, the grasped, what knows internally, what knows externally, intelligence, youngster, sound, and non-sound.
Such distinctions of the self have been associated with false differentiation.
The adherents of these views hope for liberation in accordance with reason.
At times a dharmic thought may arise, namely, the thought of observing abstinence.
Reflecting on this small thing, they engender joy and practice it from time to time.
This represents the initial stage of the seed from which wholesome actions arise.
Then, with this as the cause, on the six days of abstinence, they make gifts to their parents,
male and female [children], and kinsmen:
this represents the second stage of sprouting.
Then they present these gifts to those who are not kinsmen or acquaintances:
this represents the third stage of budding.
Then they present these gifts to those of competence and eminent virtue:
this represents the fourth stage of leafing.
Then they joyfully present these gifts to musicians and so on and proffer them to venerable elders:
this represents the fifth stage of flowering.
Then with these gifts they engender thoughts of affection and make offerings of them:
this represents the sixth stage of bearing fruit.
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
23:45
2014年03月13日
Interpreter of Dharma
When I sit in the living room facing my private altar of Buddhas and quietly start chanting the sutras translated into modern English.
There is always a flash back of the comment from my interpreting trainer from Sophia University.
One day he said to his students in the classroom.
Translating and interpreting is a skill that can fulfill the gap of people.
But the greatest of all kinds among the translation and interpretation is the one that happens between God and people who do not understand the language of God.
Buddhism is different in a sense from Christianity as Buddhists try and transcend the words and concepts to be directly in touch with the world as it is. This is, however, a very close concept to being in touch with God casting away our limited views.
At least, to me, chanting a sutra that makes sense to people is a similar action to interpreting for people who use different languages.
My wife, Mia, always listens to my sutra chanting and she says to me, “Every time I hear you chant, I am learning something new about Buddhism.”
I feel the same way. I feel as if I am learning something new by interpretation the words of sages. If this is the type of interpretation I am meant to do. Then, I must say I am one of the luckiest translators in the world.
It is not me who does the preaching but the Dharma itself is preaching itself.
And I feel like I am being part of this.
There is always a flash back of the comment from my interpreting trainer from Sophia University.
One day he said to his students in the classroom.
Translating and interpreting is a skill that can fulfill the gap of people.
But the greatest of all kinds among the translation and interpretation is the one that happens between God and people who do not understand the language of God.
Buddhism is different in a sense from Christianity as Buddhists try and transcend the words and concepts to be directly in touch with the world as it is. This is, however, a very close concept to being in touch with God casting away our limited views.
At least, to me, chanting a sutra that makes sense to people is a similar action to interpreting for people who use different languages.
My wife, Mia, always listens to my sutra chanting and she says to me, “Every time I hear you chant, I am learning something new about Buddhism.”
I feel the same way. I feel as if I am learning something new by interpretation the words of sages. If this is the type of interpretation I am meant to do. Then, I must say I am one of the luckiest translators in the world.
It is not me who does the preaching but the Dharma itself is preaching itself.
And I feel like I am being part of this.
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
10:23
2014年03月13日
大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經 Excerpt 01
Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sutra Excerpt 01
大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經
What is the cause, what is the root, and what is the culmination of this knowledge?
The bodhi-mind is its cause, compassion is its root, and expedient means is its culmination.
Bodhi means to know one's mind as it really is.
This is anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi(unsurpassed, perfect, and full awakening) and there is not the slightest part of it that can be apprehended.
Why? Because bodhi has the characteristic of empty space, and there is no one to comprehend it, nor is there any understanding of it.
Why? Because bodhi has no differentiating characteristics.
All dharmas are without characteristics.
That is to say, they have the characteristic of empty space.
Who is it that seeks omniscience and
accomplishes perfect awakening on account of bodhi?
It is in one’s own mind that one seeks bodhi and omniscience.
Why? Because its original nature is pure.
The mind is neither within nor without, nor can the mind be apprehended between the two.
The mind does not reside in the realm of the eyes, nor does it reside in the realms of the ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind, and neither is it visible, nor does it manifest itself.
Why? Because the mind, which has the characteristic of empty space, is free from all differentiation and nondifferentiation.
Why? That whose nature is the same as empty space is identical to the mind, and that whose nature is the same as the mind is identical to bodhi.
In this manner, the three entities of mind, the realm of empty space, and bodhi are without duality.
They have compassion as their root and are fulfilled by the pāramitā of expedient means.
If a man wishes to know bodhi, they should know their own mind in this manner.
How is one to know one's own mind?
It cannot, namely, be apprehended by seeking it in distinctions, or colors, or shapes, or external objects; or in form or sensation, ideation, volition, or conscious ness; or in 'I' or 'mine'; or in the grasper the subject or the grasped the object; or in the pure; or in the elements of existence or sense fields; or in any other distinctions.
大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經
What is the cause, what is the root, and what is the culmination of this knowledge?
The bodhi-mind is its cause, compassion is its root, and expedient means is its culmination.
Bodhi means to know one's mind as it really is.
This is anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi(unsurpassed, perfect, and full awakening) and there is not the slightest part of it that can be apprehended.
Why? Because bodhi has the characteristic of empty space, and there is no one to comprehend it, nor is there any understanding of it.
Why? Because bodhi has no differentiating characteristics.
All dharmas are without characteristics.
That is to say, they have the characteristic of empty space.
Who is it that seeks omniscience and
accomplishes perfect awakening on account of bodhi?
It is in one’s own mind that one seeks bodhi and omniscience.
Why? Because its original nature is pure.
The mind is neither within nor without, nor can the mind be apprehended between the two.
The mind does not reside in the realm of the eyes, nor does it reside in the realms of the ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind, and neither is it visible, nor does it manifest itself.
Why? Because the mind, which has the characteristic of empty space, is free from all differentiation and nondifferentiation.
Why? That whose nature is the same as empty space is identical to the mind, and that whose nature is the same as the mind is identical to bodhi.
In this manner, the three entities of mind, the realm of empty space, and bodhi are without duality.
They have compassion as their root and are fulfilled by the pāramitā of expedient means.
If a man wishes to know bodhi, they should know their own mind in this manner.
How is one to know one's own mind?
It cannot, namely, be apprehended by seeking it in distinctions, or colors, or shapes, or external objects; or in form or sensation, ideation, volition, or conscious ness; or in 'I' or 'mine'; or in the grasper the subject or the grasped the object; or in the pure; or in the elements of existence or sense fields; or in any other distinctions.
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
10:08
2014年03月10日
Teachings honoring the Samādhiof practice-realization
Song of the Trusting Mind 信心銘
(Verses on the Faith Mind)
Xinxinming by Jianzhi Sengcan (Ch.), Shinjinmei by Kanchi Sōsan (Jap.) (d.606)
Mirror Wisdom, Sangha Gem 鑑智僧璨 (Third Chinese Ancestor)
(see commentary in Trust in Mind by Mu Soeng)
translated by Richard B. Clarke, revised by Kōkyō Henkel
至道無難 The Great Way is not difficult
唯嫌揀擇 for those who hold no preferences.
但莫憎愛 When longing and aversion are both absent,
洞然明白 everything becomes clear and undisguised.
毫釐有差 Make the smallest distinction, however,
天地懸隔 and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
欲得現前 If you wish to see the truth
莫存順逆 then hold no opinion for or against.
違順相爭 The struggle of likes and dislikes
是爲心病 is the disease of the mind.
不識玄旨 When the deep meaning of things is not understood,
徒勞念靜 the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail.
圓同太虚 The Way is perfect like vast space,
無欠無餘 where nothing is lacking and nothing is extra.
良由取捨 Indeed, it is due to our choosing or rejecting
所以不如 that we do not see thus.
莫逐有縁 Live neither in entanglement with things,
勿住空忍 nor passively in emptiness.
一種平懷 Be serene without striving activity in the oneness of things,
泯然自盡 and such erroneous views will disappear by themselves.
止動歸止 When you try to stop activity to achieve passivity,
止更彌動 your very effort fills you with activity.
唯滯兩邊 As long as you remain in one extreme or the other,
寧知一種 you will never know oneness.
一種不通 Those who do not live in the single Way
兩處失功 fail in both activity and passivity, assertion and denial.
遣有沒有 To deny the existence of things is to get stuck in existence;
從空背空 to assert the emptiness of things is to turn away from emptiness.
多言多慮 The more you talk and think about it,
轉不相應 the further astray you wander from the truth.
絶言絶慮 Stop talking and thinking,
無處不通 and there is nothing you will not be able to know.
歸根得旨 To return to the root is to find the meaning,
隨照失宗 but to pursue appearances is to miss the source.
須臾返照 At the moment of turning the light of awareness around,
勝卻前空 there is a going beyond appearance and emptiness.
前空轉變 The changes that appear to occur in the empty world
皆由妄見 we call real only because of ignorance.
不用求眞 Do not search for the truth;
唯須息見 only cease to hold opinions.
二見不住 Dualistic constructs do not abide,
慎莫追尋 so take care not to pursue them.
纔有是非 If there is even a trace of this and that, right and wrong,
紛然失心 the mind will be lost in confusion.
二由一有 Although all dualities come from the one,
一亦莫守 do not be attached even to this one.
一心不生 When the one mind is unborn,
萬法無咎 nothing in the world can offend,
無咎無法 and when a thing can no longer offend, it ceases to exist in the old way.
不生不心 When no discriminating thoughts arise, the old mind ceases to exist.
能隨境滅 When thought objects vanish, the thinker vanishes,
境逐能沈 and when the thinker vanishes, objects vanish.
境由能境 Objects are objects because of the subject;
能由境能 The subject is subject because of objects.
欲知兩段 If you wish to understand these two,
元是一空 originally they are one emptiness.
一空同兩 In this one emptiness, the two are inseparable,
齊含萬象 equally containing myriad images.
不見精麁 If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine,
寧有偏黨 you will not give rise to prejudice.
大道體寛 To live in the Great Way
無易無難 is neither easy nor difficult,
小見狐疑 but those with limited views are fearful and doubting:
轉急轉遲 the faster they hurry, the slower they go.
執之失度 In attachment balance is lost,
必入邪路 and they surely enter the wrong path.
放之自然 Just let things be in their own way,
體無去住 and the whole will neither go nor abide.
任性合道 Accept your nature and accord with the Way,
逍遙絶惱 and you will walk freely and undisturbed.
繋念乖眞 When thought is in bondage the truth is hidden,
昏沈不好 for everything is murky and unclear,
不好勞神 and unclarity brings annoyance and weariness.
何用疏親 What’s the use of making distinctions and separations?
欲取一乘 If you wish to enter the One Vehicle,
勿惡六塵 do not disdain the six senses.
六塵不惡 The six senses not being disdained
還同正覺 is the same as true awakening.
智者無爲 The wise have nothing to do,
愚人自縛 but the foolish bind themselves.
法無異法 There is one Dharma, not many;
妄自愛著 it’s foolish to long for anything.
將心用心 To seek mind with mind
豈非大錯 is the greatest of all mistakes.
迷生寂亂 Rest and unrest derive from illusion;
悟無好惡 in enlightenment there is no good and bad.
一切二邊 All dualities come from
妄自斟酌 false deliberation;
夢幻虚華 they are like dreams of flowers in the sky:
何勞把捉 why try to grasp them?
得失是非 Gain and loss, right and wrong:
一時放卻 let them go at once.
眼若不睡 If the eye never sleeps,
諸夢自除 all dreams will naturally cease.
心若不異 If the mind makes no discriminations, (start of 3rd section)
萬法一如 the myriad things are one suchness.
一如體玄 One suchness embodies the mystery,
兀爾忘虚 released from all entanglements.
萬法齊觀 When all things are seen equally,
歸復自然 they return to themselves.
泯其所以 In this causeless, relationless state
不可方比 no comparisons or analogies are possible.
止動無動 In rest or movement, nothing moves;
動止無止 in movement or rest, nothing rests.
兩既不成 When such dualities cease to exist,
一何有爾 oneness itself cannot exist.
究竟窮極 To this ultimate finality
不存軌則 no law or description applies.
契心平等 For the unified peaceful mind,
所作倶息 all self-centered striving ceases.
狐疑盡淨 Doubts completely vanish
正信調直 and a life of true trust is possible.
一切不留 With a single stroke we are freed from fixation;
無可記憶 nothing clings to us and we hold to nothing.
虚明自照 All is empty, clear, and self-illuminating,
不勞心力 with no exertion of the mind's power.
非思量處 Here thought, feeling,
識情難測 knowledge, and imagination are of no value.
眞如法界 In this world of suchness
無他無自 there is neither self nor other
要急相應 To come directly into harmony with this reality
唯言不二 just simply say, 'nondual.'
不二皆同 In this nonduality nothing is separate,
無不包容 nothing excluded.
十方智者 All wise ones everywhere
皆入此宗 enter this source,
宗非促延 and this source is beyond hurry or delay;
一念萬年 a single thought is ten thousand years.
無在不在 Here and not here do not apply;
十方目前 the infinite universe stands always before your eyes.
極小同大 Infinitely large and infinitely small; no difference,
忘絶境界 for definitions have vanished.
極大同小 Infinitely small and infinitely large;
不見邊表 no boundaries are seen.
有即是無 Being itself is non-being,
無即是有 and non-being is itself being.
若不如此 Don't waste time in doubts and arguments
必不相守 that have nothing to do with this.
一即一切 One is all,
一切即一 all is one, without distinction.
但能如是 To just be thus
何慮不畢 is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.
信心不二 The trusting mind is without duality,
不二信心 Nonduality is the trusting mind.
言語道斷 Here the way of words is cut,
非去來今 without past, future, or present.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Fukanzazengi
Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen by Eihei Dōgen, 1227
Eternal Peace, Way Source (永平道元) (1200-1253) (Taisho Tripitaka 2580)
(see commentary in Dogen’s Manuals of Zen Meditation by Carl Bielefeldt)
translated by Norman Waddell and Masao Abe
普勸坐禪儀
The Way is basically perfect and all-pervading.
原夫道本圓通
How could it be contingent upon practice and realization?
爭假修證
The Dharma-vehicle is free and untrammeled.
宗乘自在
What need is there for concentrated effort?
何費功夫
Indeed, the whole body is far beyond the world's dust.
況乎全體迥;出塵埃兮
Who could believe in a means to brush it clean?
孰信拂拭之手段
It is never apart from one, right where one is.
大都不離當處兮
What is the use of going off here and there to practice?
豈用修行之脚頭者乎
And yet, if there is the slightest discrepancy, the Way is as distant as heaven from earth.
然而毫釐有差天地懸隔
If the least like or dislike arises, the mind is lost in confusion.
違順纔起紛然失心
Suppose one gains pride of understanding and inflates one's own enlightenment,
直饒誇會豐悟兮
glimpsing the wisdom that runs through all things,
獲瞥地之智通
attaining the Way and clarifying the mind,
得道明心兮
raising an aspiration to escalade the very sky.
擧衝天之志氣
One is making the initial, partial excursions about the frontiers but
雖逍遙於入頭之邊量
is still somewhat deficient in the vital way of total emancipation.
幾虧闕於出身之活路
Need I mention the Buddha, who was possessed of inborn knowledge?
矧彼祇園之爲生知兮
The influence of his six years of upright sitting is noticeable still.
端坐六年之蹤跡可見
Or Bodhidharma's transmission of the mind-seal?
少林之傳心印兮
The fame of his nine years of facing a wall is celebrated to this day.
面壁九歳之聲名尚聞
Since this was the case with the saints of old,
古聖既然
how can we today dispense with negotiation of the Way?
今人盍辨
You should therefore cease from practice based on intellectual understanding, pursuing words and following after speech,
所以須休尋言逐語之解行
and learn the backward step that turns your light inwardly to illuminate your self.
須學回光返照之退歩
Body and mind of themselves will drop away, and
身心自然脱落
your original face will be manifest.
本來面目現前
If you want to attain suchness,
欲得恁麼事
you should practice suchness without delay.
急務恁麼事
For practicing zen, a quiet room is suitable.
夫參禪者靜室宜焉
Eat and drink moderately.
飮食節矣
Cast aside all involvements and cease all affairs.
放捨諸縁休息萬事
Do not think good or bad.
不思善惡
Do not administer pros and cons.
莫管是非
Cease all the movements of the conscious mind,
停心意識之運轉
the gauging of all thought and views.
止念想觀之測量
Have no designs on becoming a Buddha.
莫圖作佛
Practicing zen has nothing whatsoever to do with sitting or lying down.
豈物坐臥乎。
At the site of your regular sitting, spread out thick matting and place a cushion on it.
尋常坐處厚敷坐物 上用蒲團
Sit either in the full-lotus
或結跏趺坐
or half-lotus position.
或 半跏趺坐
In the full-lotus position,
謂結跏趺坐
you first place your right foot on your left thigh
先以右足安左髀上
and your left foot on your right thigh.
左足安右髀上
In the half-lotus,
半跏趺坐
you simply press your left foot against your right thigh.
但以左足壓右髀矣
You should have your robes and belt loosely bound and arranged in order.
寛繋衣帶可令齊整
Then place your right hand on your left leg
次右手安左足上
and your left palm facing upward on your right palm,
左掌安右掌上
thumb-tips touching.
兩大拇指面相□矣
Thus sit upright in correct bodily posture,
乃正身端坐
neither inclining to the left nor to the right,
不得左側右傾
neither leaning forward nor backward.
前躬後仰
Be sure your ears are on a plane with your shoulders and your nose in line with your navel.
要令耳與肩對鼻與臍對
Place your tongue against the front roof of your mouth, with teeth and lips both shut.
舌掛上□唇齒相著
Your eyes should always remain open,
目須常開
and you should breathe gently through your nose.
鼻息微通
Once you have adjusted your posture,
身相既調
take a deep breath, inhale and exhale,
欠氣一息
rock your body right and left
左右搖振
and settle into a steady, immovable sitting position.
兀兀坐定
Think of not-thinking.
思量箇不思量底。
How do you think of not-thinking?
不思量底如何思量。
Non-thinking.
非思量
This in itself is the essential art of zazen.
此乃坐禪之要術也。
The zazen I speak of is not learning meditation.
所謂坐禪非習禪也
It is simply the Dharma-gate of repose and bliss,
唯是安樂之法門也
the practice-realization of totally culminated enlightenment.
究盡菩提之修證也
It is the manifestation of ultimate reality.
公案現成
Traps and snares can never reach it.
羅籠未到
Once its heart is grasped,
若得此意
you are like a dragon gaining the water,
如龍得水
like a tiger taking to the mountains.
似虎靠山
For you must know that
當知
just there in zazen the right Dharma is manifesting itself
正法自現前
and that from the first, dullness and distraction are struck aside.
昏散先撲落。
When you arise from sitting,
若從坐起
move slowly and quietly,
徐徐動身
calmly and deliberately. Do not rise suddenly or abruptly.
安詳而起 不應卒暴
In surveying the past, we find that transcendence of both unenlightenment and enlightenment,
甞觀超凡越聖
and dying while either sitting or standing, have all depended entirely on the strength of zazen.
坐脱立亡一任此力矣
In addition, the bringing about of enlightenment by the opportunity provided by a finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet, 況復拈指竿針鎚之轉機
and the effecting of realization with the aid of a whisk, a fist, a staff, or a shout cannot be fully understood by discriminative thinking.
擧拂拳棒喝之證契。未是思量分別之所能解也
Indeed, it cannot be fully known by the practicing or realizing of supernatural powers either.
豈爲神通修證之所能知也
It must be deportment beyond hearing and seeing
可爲聲色之外威儀
Is it not a principle that is prior to knowledge and perceptions?
那非知見之前軌則者歟
This being the case, intelligence or lack of it does not matter,
然則不論上智下愚
between the dull and the sharp-witted there is no distinction.
莫簡利人鈍者
If you concentrate your effort single-mindedly,
專一功夫
that in itself is negotiating the Way.
正是辨道
Practice-realization is naturally undefiled.
修證自不染汚
Going forward in practice is a matter of everydayness.
趣向更是平常者也
In general, this world and other worlds as well, both in India and China equally hold the Buddha-seal; and over all prevails the character of this school,
凡夫自界他方西天東地等持佛印 一檀宗風
which is simply devotion to sitting, total engagement in immovable sitting.
唯務打坐被礙兀地
Although it is said that there are as many minds as there are persons, still they all negotiate the Way solely in zazen.
雖謂萬別千差秪管參禪辨道
Why leave behind the seat that exists in your home and
何抛却自家之坐床
go aimlessly off to the dusty realms of other lands?
謾去來他國之塵境
If you make one misstep you go astray from the Way directly before you.
若錯一歩當面蹉過
You have gained the pivotal opportunity of human form.
既得人身之機要
Do not use your time in vain.
莫虚度光陰
You are maintaining the essential working of the Buddha Way.
保任佛道之要機
Who would take wasteful delight in the spark from the flintstone?
誰浪樂石火
Besides, form and substance are like the dew on the grass,
加以形質如草露
destiny like the dart of lightning
運命似電光
emptied in an instant,
倏忽便空
vanished in a flash.
須臾即失。
Please, honored followers of Zen.
冀其參學高流
Long accustomed to groping for the elephant,
久習摸象
do not be suspicious of the true dragon.
勿怪眞龍
Devote your energies to a way that directly indicates the absolute.
精進直指端的之道
Revere the person of complete attainment who is beyond all human agency.
尊貴絶學無爲之人
Gain accord with the enlightenment of the Buddhas;
合沓佛佛之菩提
succeed to the legitimate lineage of the ancestors' samadhi.
嫡嗣祖祖之三昧
Constantly perform in such a manner and you are assured of being a person such as they.
久爲恁麼須是恁麼
Your treasure-store will open of itself,
寶藏自開
and you will use it at will.
受用如意
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Jijuyū Zammai
Self-Fulfilling Samādhi by Eihei Dōgen, 1231
excerpted from Shōbōgenzō Bendōwa (On the Endeavor of the Way)
(see commentary in The Wholehearted Way by Kosho Uchiyama)
translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Lew Richmond
自受用三昧
Now,
いはく、
all ancestors and all Buddhas who uphold Buddha-Dharma
佛法を住持せし諸祖ならびに諸佛
have made it the true path of enlightenment to sit upright practicing in the midst of self-fulfilling samādhi.
ともに自受用三昧に端坐依行するを、その開悟のまさしきみちとせり。
Those who attained enlightenment in India and China
西天東地、さとりをえし人、
followed this way.
その風にしたがえり。
It was done so because teachers and disciples personally transmitted this excellent method
これ、師資ひそかに妙術を正傳し、
as the essence of the teaching.
眞訣を稟持せしによりてなり。
In the authentic tradition of our teaching, it is said that
宗門の正傳にいはく、
this directly transmitted, straightforward Buddha-Dharma is
この單傳正直の佛法は、
the unsurpassable of the unsurpassable.
最上のなかに最上なり。
From the first time you meet a master,
參見知識のはじめより、
without engaging in incense offering, bowing, chanting Buddha's name, repentance, or reading scriptures,
さらに燒香禮拜念佛修懺看經をもちゐず、
you should just wholeheartedly sit,
ただし打坐して
and thus drop away body and mind.
身心脱落することをえよ。
When even for a moment
もし人、一時なりといふとも、
you express the Buddha's seal in the three actions
三業に佛印を標し、
by sitting upright in samādhi,
三昧に端坐するとき、
the whole phenomenal world becomes the Buddha's seal
遍法界みな佛印となり、
and the entire sky turns into enlightenment.
盡虚空ことごとくさとりとなる。
Because of this
ゆゑに、
all Buddha Tathāgatas as the original source increase their Dharma bliss
諸佛如來をしては本地の法樂をまし、
and renew their magnificence in the awakening of the Way.
覺道の莊嚴をあらたにす。
Furthermore,
および
all beings in the ten directions and the six realms, including the three lower realms,
十方法界、三途六道の群類、
at once obtain pure body and mind,
みなともに一時に身心明淨にして、
realize the state of great emancipation,
大解脱地を證し、
and manifest the original face.
本來面目現ずる
At this time, all things realize correct awakening;
（この）とき、諸法みな正覺を證會し、
myriad objects partake of the Buddha body;
萬物ともに佛身を使用して、
and sitting upright under the bodhi tree, you immediately leap beyond the boundary of awakening.
すみやかに證會の邊際を一超して、覺樹王に端坐し
At this moment you turn the unsurpassably great Dharma wheel
一時に無等等の大法輪を轉じ、
and expound the profound wisdom, ultimate and unconditioned.
究竟無爲の深般若を開演す。
Because such broad awakening resonates back to you and helps you inconceivably,
これらの等正覺、さらにかへりてしたしくあひ冥資するみちかよふがゆゑに、
you will in zazen unmistakably drop away body and mind,
この坐禪人、確爾として身心脱落し、
cutting off the various defiled thoughts from the past,
從來雜穢の知見思量を截斷して、
and realize essential Buddha-Dharma.
天眞の佛法に證會し
Thus you will raise up Buddha activity at innumerable practice places of Buddha Tathāgatas everywhere,
あまねく微塵際そこばくの諸佛如來の道場ごとに佛事を助發し、
cause everyone to have the opportunity of ongoing Buddhahood,
ひろく佛向上の機にかうぶらしめて、
and vigorously uplift the ongoing Buddha-Dharma.
よく佛向上の法を激揚す。
Because earth, grass, trees, walls, tiles, and pebbles all engage in Buddha activity,
このとき、十方法界の土地草木、牆壁瓦礫みな佛事をなすをもて、
those who receive the benefit of wind and water caused by them are
そのおこすところの風水の利益にあづかるともがら、
inconceivably helped by the Buddha's guidance, splendid and unthinkable,
みな甚妙不可思議の佛化に冥資せられて、
and awaken intimately to themselves.
ちかきさとりをあらはす。
Those who receive these water and fire benefits spread the Buddha's guidance based on original awakening.
この水火を受用するたぐひ、みな本證の佛化を周旋する
Because of this, all those who live with you and speak with you will obtain endless Buddha virtue
ゆゑに、これらのたぐひと共住して同語するもの、またことごとくあひたがひに無窮の佛徳そなはり、
and will unroll widely inside and outside of the entire universe, the endless, unremitting, unthinkable, unnamable Buddha-Dharma.
展轉廣作して、無盡、無間斷、不可思議、不可稱量の佛法を、遍法界の内外に流通するものなり。
All this, however, does not appear within perception,
しかあれども、このもろもろの當人の知覺に昏ぜざらしむることは、
because it is unconstructedness in stillness – it is immediate realization.
靜中の無造作にして直證なるをもてなり。
If practice and realization were two things, as it appears to an ordinary person,
もし、凡流のおもひのごとく、修證を兩段にあらせば、
each could be recognized separately.
おのおのあひ覺知すべきなり。
But what can be met with recognition is not realization itself,
もし覺知にまじはるは證則にあらず、
because realization is not reached by a deluded mind.
證則には迷情およばざるがゆゑに。
In stillness, mind and object merge in realization and go beyond enlightenment; nevertheless,
又、心境ともに靜中の證入悟出あれども、
because you are in the state of self-fulfilling samādhi,
自受用の境界なるをもて、
without disturbing its quality
一塵をうごかさず、
or moving a particle
一相をやぶらず、
you extend the Buddha's great activity,
廣大の佛事、
the incomparably profound and subtle teaching.
甚深微妙の佛化をなす。
Grass, trees, and lands which are embraced by this teaching
この化道のおよぶところの草木土地、
together radiate a great light and endlessly expound the inconceivable, profound Dharma.
ともに大光明をはなち、深妙法をとくこと、きはまるときなし。
Grass, trees, and walls bring forth the teaching for all beings, common people as well as sages.
草木牆壁は、よく凡聖含靈のために宣揚し、
And they in accord extend this Dharma for the sake of grass, trees, and walls.
凡聖含靈はかへつて草木牆壁のために演暢す。
Thus, the realm of self-awakening and awakening others
自覺覺他の境界、
invariably holds the mark of realization with nothing lacking,
もとより證相をそなへてかけたることなく、
and realization itself is manifested without ceasing for a moment.
證則おこなはれておこたるときなからしむ。
This being so,
ここをもて、
the zazen of even one person at one moment
わづかに一人一時の坐禪なりといへども、
imperceptibly accords with all things and
諸法とあひ冥し、
fully resonates through all time.
諸時とまどかに通ずる
Thus in the past, future, and present of the limitless universe
がゆゑに、無盡法界のなかに、去來現に、
this zazen carries on the Buddha's teaching endlessly.
常恆の佛化道事をなすなり。
Each moment of zazen is equally wholeness of practice,
彼彼ともに一等の同修なり、
equally wholeness of realization.
同證なり
This is not only practice while sitting,
ただ坐上の修のみにあらず、
it is like a hammer striking emptiness:
空をうちてひびきをなすこと、
before and after, its exquisite peal permeates everywhere.
撞の前後に妙聲綿綿たるものなり。
How can it be limited to this moment?
このきはのみにかぎらむや、
Hundreds of things all manifest original practice from the original face;
百頭みな本面目に本修行をそなへて、
it is impossible to measure.
はかりはかるべきにあらず。
Know that
しるべし、
even if all Buddhas of the ten directions, as innumerable as the sands of the Ganges,
たとひ十方無量恆河沙數の諸佛、
exert their strength and
ともにちからをはげまして、
with the Buddhas' wisdom
佛知慧をもて、
try to measure the merit of one person's zazen,
一人坐禪の功徳をはかりしりきはめんとすといふとも、
they will not be able to fully comprehend it.
あへてほとりをうることあらじ。
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
10:07
2014年03月09日
Sutras to honor Vairochana (Dharmakaya)
Ten Names of Buddha {jūbutsumyō 十佛名} (from Chinese Master Daoan, 312-385 A.D.)
Pure Dharmakāya, Vairochana Buddha {shinjinpashin birūshano fu 清淨法身毘盧遮那佛}
Complete Sambhogakāya, Lochana Buddha {enmonhoshin rūshano fu 圓滿報身盧遮那佛}
Myriad Nirmanakāya, Shākyamuni Buddha {senpaikashin shikyamuni fu 千百億化身釋迦牟尼佛}
Future born Maitreya Buddha {toraiasan mirūson bu 當來下生彌勒尊佛}
All Buddhas, ten directions, three times {jihosanshi ishishi fu 十方三世一切諸佛}
Mahāyāna Saddharma Pundarīka Sūtra {daijin myoharingakin 大乘妙法蓮華經}
(eleventh name, the Lotus of the Wondrous Dharma Sūtra, added to ten names by Dōgen Zenji)
Great Sage Manjushrī Bodhisattva {daishin bunjusuri busa 大聖文殊師利菩薩}
Great Vehicle Samantabhadra Bodhisattva {daijin fugen busa 大乘普賢菩薩}
Great Compassion Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva {daihi kanshiin busa 大悲觀世音菩薩}
All honored ones, Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas {shison busa mokosa 諸尊菩薩摩訶薩}
Great Perfect Wisdom, Mahā Prajñā Pāramitā {moko hōja horomi 摩訶般若波羅蜜}
_____________________________________________________________________________
Lotus Sūtra’s Life Span of the Tathāgata
Myōhōrengekyō Nyōrai Juryō Honge
(Verse from Chapter 16, Taisho Tripitaka 262)
translated from Sanskrit by Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva, 344-413
(appeared ~2nd century, see trans. & intro. by Gene Reeves, Burton Watson)
translated by the Sōtō Zen Text Project
妙法蓮華經如來壽量品偈
自我得佛來 Since I attained Buddhahood,
所經諸劫數 the number of kalpas that have passed
無量百千萬 is incalculable hundreds, thousands, myriads, and billions
億載阿僧祇 of long eons.
常說法教化 Constantly I have voiced the Dharma,
無數億衆生 teaching countless millions of living beings,
令入於佛道 so that they entered the Buddha Way;
爾來無量劫 all this for immeasurable kalpas.
為度衆生故 In order to liberate all beings,
方便現涅槃 as skillful means I appear to have entered nirvana;
而實不滅度 yet truly I am not extinct,
常住此說法 ever dwelling here to voice the Dharma.
我常住於此 I forever abide in this world,
以諸神通力 but use my powers of spiritual penetration
令顛倒衆生 so that confused living beings,
雖近而不見 though nearby, fail to see me.
衆見我滅度 All those viewing me as extinct
廣供養舍利 everywhere venerate my relics;
咸皆懷戀慕 all harbor feelings of yearning,
而生渴仰心 and arouse adoring hearts.
衆生既信伏 When beings have become sincerely faithful,
質直意柔軟 honest and upright, with gentle intention,
一心欲見佛 wholeheartedly wishing to behold the Buddha,
不自惜身命 not begrudging their own bodily lives,
時我及衆僧 then I and the assembled sangha
俱出靈鷲山 appear together on sacred Vulture Peak.
我時語衆生 Then I tell the living beings
常在此不滅 that in this world I abide without end,
以方便力故 by the power of expedient means,
現有滅不滅 appearing to be extinct, or not.
餘國有衆生 Other lands contain living beings,
恭敬信樂者 reverent with faith aspiring;
我復於彼中 among them as well,
為說無上法 I give voice to supreme Dharma.
汝等不聞此 You who do not hear this
但謂我滅度 only suppose I am passed into extinction.
我見諸衆生 I behold the living beings,
沒在於苦海 drowning in the sea of suffering.
故不為現身 Hence I do not reveal myself,
令其生渴仰 but set them all to yearning,
因其心戀慕 till when their hearts are filled with longing,
乃出為說法 I then emerge and proclaim the Dharma.
神通力如是 With such pervasive spiritual power,
於阿僧祇劫 for uncountable kalpas
常在靈鷲山 I abide on sacred Vulture Peak,
及餘諸住處 and every other dwelling place.
衆生見劫盡 When living beings see the kalpa's end,
大火所燒時 with all consumed in a great blaze,
我此土安隱 my domain stays serene and calm,
天人常充滿 ever filled with human and heavenly beings,
園林諸堂閣 gardens and groves, pavilions and palaces,
種種寶莊嚴 adorned with every kind of gem,
寶樹多華菓 and jeweled trees lush with flowers and fruit,
衆生所遊樂 where living beings delight and play.
諸天擊天鼓 The heavenly beings beat celestial drums,
常作衆伎樂 ever making pleasing music,
雨曼陀羅華 showering white māndārava flowers
散佛及大衆 over Buddha and the great assembly.
我淨土不毀 My pure land is not destroyed,
而衆見燒盡 yet all view it as ravaged by fire,
憂怖諸苦惱 so that fear and distress
如是悉充滿 pervade everywhere.
是諸罪衆生 The beings vexed with their offenses,
以惡業因緣 caused by their unwholesome karma,
過阿僧祇劫 through vast rounds of kalpas,
不聞三寶名 hear not the name of the Three Treasures.
諸有修功德 But those who practice virtuous deeds,
柔和質直者 are gentle, upright, and sincere,
則皆見我身 these all see that I exist,
在此而說法 abiding here, proclaiming Dharma.
或時為此衆 At times for the sake of that assembly,
說佛壽無量 I describe Buddha's life span as immeasurable;
久乃見佛者 for those who after great lengths see the Buddha,
為說佛難值 I explain how rarely Buddha is encountered.
我智力如是 Such is the power of my wisdom,
慧光照無量 with beams of insight shining beyond measure;
壽命無數劫 this life span of countless kalpas
久修業所得 was gained from long-cultivated practice.
汝等有智者 You who are possessed of wisdom,
勿於此生疑 in regards to this, entertain no doubts;
當斷令永盡 cast them off, forever ended,
佛語實不虛 for Buddha's words are true, not false.
如醫善方便 Like the good physician who with skillful means,
為治狂子故 in order to cure his delirious children,
實在而言死 although truly alive spreads word he is dead
無能說虛妄 yet cannot be charged with falsehood,
我亦為世父 I too, as parent of the world,
救諸苦患者 savior of all suffering and afflicted,
為凡夫顛倒 for the sake of confused, worldly people,
實在而言滅 although truly living, am thought to be extinct.
以常見我故 If due to always seeing me,
而生憍恣心 their hearts become selfish and arrogant,
放逸著五欲 dissolute and set on the five desires,
墮於惡道中 they would fall into evil destinies.
我常知衆生 I always know which living beings
行道不行道 practice the Way, and which do not;
隨應所可度 in accord with what their salvation requires,
為說種種法 I give voice to the various teachings,
每自作是念 ever making this my thought:
以何令衆生 how can I cause the living beings
得入無上道 to enter into the unsurpassed Way
速成就佛身 and promptly embody Buddha?
_____________________________________________________________________________
Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyō
Life-Extending Ten-Phrase Avalokiteshvara Sūtra
(see commentary in Original Dwelling Place by Robert Aitken)
延命十句観音経
観世音 Kanzeon Avalokiteshvara!
南無佛 Namu Butsu Homage to Buddha!
與佛有因 Yo Butsu u in With Buddha there are causes,
與佛有緣 Yo Butsu u en With Buddha there are conditions.
佛法僧緣 Bu Po So en Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha – conditions.
常樂我淨 Jo raku ga jo Eternal, bliss, Self, purity! (qualities of nirvana)
朝念観世音 Cho nen Kanzeon Morning thinking of Avalokiteshvara,
暮念観世音 Bo nen Kanzeon Evening thinking of Avalokiteshvara.
念念從心起 Nen nen ju shin ki Thought after thought arise from mind,
念念不離心 Nen nen fu ri shin Thought after thought not separate from mind
_____________________________________________________________________________
Wondrous and Auspicious Dharani for Removing Hindrance
消災妙祥吉陀羅尼
(Dharani of Removing Disasters, translated from Sanskrit by D.T. Suzuki)
Adoration to all the Buddhas.
Adoration to the teaching that knows no obstructions.
曩謨三滿多母駄喃阿盋囉底賀多舍娑曩喃怛姪他
No mo san man da moto nan oha ra chi koto sha sono nan to ji to
Om, Khya khya khyahi khyahi
唵佉佉佉呬佉呬
en gya gya gya ki gya ki
Hum hum Jvala jvala
吽吽人嚩囉人嚩囉
un nun shifu ra shifu ra
prajvala prajvala
縛囉人嚩囉縛囉人嚩囉
hara shifu ra hara shifu ra
Tistha tistha Stri Stri
底瑟姹底瑟姹致瑟哩致瑟哩
chishu sa chishu sa chishu ri chishu ri
Sphata Sphata
娑發吒娑發吒
soha ja soha ja
One who is quiescent
sen chi gya
扇底迦
To the glorious one, hail.
shiri ei so mo ko
室哩曳娑嚩訶
_____________________________________________________________________________
Having recited
the ten holy names of Buddhas
and chanted
Lotus Sūtra’s Life Span of the Tathāgata
Wondrous and Auspicious Dharani for Removing Hindrance
Life-Extending Ten-Phrase Avalokiteshvara Sūtra
we reverently offer the merit generated thereby to
Vairochana, the embodiment of dharma, the eternal light of enlightenment,
the center of the unviverse.
We pray for all beings seeking for tranquility in their mind and
so that they can live in peace and harmony in the world of oneness.
May all sentient beings throughout the dharma realm equally perfect the understanding.
○ All Buddhas, ten directions, three times
All honored ones, Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas
○ Great Perfect Wisdom, Mahā Prajñā Pāramitā
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at
23:48
