Trilingual Japanese Chinese List of the MISC Database Main
Practice and
enlightenment are not two but one.
Penance, practice and salvation are the Trinity
Jesus showed that repentance, practice and
consolation were indivisible through his whole life and asked his disciples to walk
the same path. But they do not seem to really understand what he wanted.After washing their feet,
he said "I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to
you." (John 13:15)
And he also said at the Last Supper with
the twelve "You know the way to the place where I am going."(John
14:5) But Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are
going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really
knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and
have seen him."
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father
and that will be enough for us."
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me,
Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen
me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you
believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say
to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing
his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in
me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.(John 14:5-11)
The
Spirit of truth is in you
And I will ask the Father, and he will give
you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world
cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him,
for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)
I think Jesus encouraged them by saying;
"The way is yourselves who practice my words. If you strive to practice, I
am always with you."
Body is the bodhi tree, heart is like a
standing mirror bright.
One of the most famous Chinese Zen priest
in Tang Dynasty (618-907), Hongren(602-675) who was the fifth patriarch after Bodhidharma one day told all his disciples to write a gatha(poem) on the southern passage wall of his temple for
him to chose the one who would be the sixth patriarch.
The head monk, Venerable Shenxiu(605-706)
soon wrote a gatha for Hongren,
which stated: Body is the bodhi tree, heart is like a
standing mirror bright. Strive to polish it constantly and let no dust alight.
When Hongren saw
it, he told the other disciples, "Light incense, pay respect to this gatha and practice according to this gatha."
However, privately, Hongren told Shenxiu,
"You have arrived at the gate, but haven't entered it." Hongren asked Shenxiu
to compose another gatha that demonstrated true
understanding.
Since nothing's
there initially, where does the dust alight?
While Shenxiu
hadn't come up with another verse, Huineng(638-713), a young illiterate novice working for the rice
mill belonging to the temple, made a gatha and had it
written on the wall, next to Shenxiu's, which stated: Bodhi is no tree, nor standing mirror
bright. Since nothing's there initially, where does the dust alight?
When Hongren came
out to see it, he was very impressed. However he just casually said, "This
hasn't seen the essential nature either," and proceeded
to wipe the gatha off. But from then
on Hongren received Huineng
in his abode, and expounded the Diamond Sutra to him. After finishing intensive
lesson he passed the robe and begging bowl as a symbol of the Dharma Seal of
Sudden Enlightenment to Huineng and ordered him to
flee to the south to avoid envious from the others.
Subitism and gradualism are inextricably
linked
Thereafter "Northern Chan"
Buddhism which had succeeded the doctrines of Shenxiu's
"gradualism" and "Southern Chan" Buddhism which had succeeded
the doctrines of Huineng's "subitism"
flourished in
Therefore Hongren
was just in his dealings. There are no difference
between "Northern Chan's enlightenment" and "
Buddha-nature cannot
appear without practice or living it without
enlightenment
Japanese Monk Master Dogen
Zenji (1200-1253) said "Though each man has
Buddha-nature in abundance, he cannot make it appear without practice or live
it without enlightenment." and also said "Practice and enlightenment
are not two but one." (Bendowa)
Sengzhao known as one of the four Sages among Kumaarajiiva's(350-409)
three thousands students and the best empty theoretician said in his book
"Zhaolun Niepanwuminglun Chapter 4)" as
following: "The true way is in the complete enlightenment and the complete
enlightenment is in the bare truth. If you have got the bare truth, you would
not see both presence and absence. If you don't see both presence and absence,
there is no difference between the other and you. Therefore heaven, earth, and
I have the same root and myriad things and I are one body.
Repent in
the bare truth
If Japanese repent who visits Yasukuni shrine is the bare truth, he goes to the main hall
of the shrine and sign the guestbook without scruple. If he hesitates to do
these, his visiting cannot be the bare truth and it cannot be helped if doubt
among neighboring countries arise.(Eko-an
Hensho-koji 2005/12/27)