Tag Archives: Ven. David Astor

January 17, 2013 · 1:54 pm

Making Our Understanding Real

Making Our Understanding Real
David Xi-Ken Astor Sensei

As informed and educated beings when we respond to a new interest we first work to achieve some understanding in order to know how to engage it’s potential usefulness in our lives.  While there are many ways that we can facilitate this understanding, from my experience, it is generally done in the beginning through reading or listening to an awakened teacher.   Generally though we often approach our initial study by reading and self-directed research.  This is just as true in Buddhism, for after all, many of us started our Buddhist life as “book-Buddhists.”

English language books on Buddhism have increased in number since they began to be published in the nineteenth century.  Until very recently, virtually all of them have taken one of two distinct contemporary forms, either they put themselves within the modern scientific tradition in order to analyze the history and sociology of Buddhism, or from a more romantic sense as they attempt to transmit the truth, and transformative nature, of traditional Buddhist thought.  As Buddhism engages our Western culture we often encounter current re-prints of older Asian publications that also gives us a chance to study Buddhism from an Eastern perspective.  It is my reading experience that each of these forms have tended to criticize the other severely.  From a scientific point of view, romantic transmissions of Buddhism are simply inaccurate.   They project forms of Buddhism more in line with contemporary non-secular ideals than with anything that has ever existed in Asia, and often miss the spiritual aspects of Buddhism.  And from a romantic point of view, scientific studies miss the point of Buddhism altogether.  They inadvertently transmit the mentality of modern science worldview, and do nothing to awaken the mind, or alleviate unsatisfactoriness, for that matter.  The scientific motive for the study of Buddhism is to obtain accurate knowledge of our world – awakening defined as a thorough understanding of world culture and history.  The romantic motive for the study of Buddhism is to give us a breakthrough to a new kind of experience, awakening defined as a fundamental transformation of the human body-mind.  These approaches seemed to be irreconcilable, until recently.

If scientific rationalism and modern romanticism can now be seen to share a similar worldview, the perspective from which this can be seen is no longer completely within either one of them and therefore in some sense has created a stronger platform from which to study Buddhism from our contemporary experience.  And it is this new development that has acted to create platforms like Pragmatic Buddhism.  The quest to understand what Buddhism is without understanding cultural influences is analogous to the academic demand to set aside all personal preferences and just examine the information, or read the text, in and of itself.  Our minds are context-dependent; they come to a particular form of understanding that they do within particular cultural and historical settings.  As we read and study available Buddhist books we have the obligation to take care to also understand the cultural and social references, as well as the perspective, of the author.  I include Siddhartha’s teaching as well.  We should not just read for pleasure.  Critical analysis of philosophical principles require more attention than a popular novel.  We read for understanding and assimilation into our own worldview.  In the language of Zen, it calls forth “the one who is right now reading,” and refuses to allow the reader to cling to their own invisibility.  The dharma is transmitted to each generation through the process of the human connection.  We will do well to remember this.  Transmission is the process through which all forms of culture, including awakening to the dharma, makes their way from one generation to the next,  one form leading to a transformed other and to another, without end.  It is another example of our causal Universe at work.  Here I am using the word “transmission” to mean universal understanding of the dharma (or what is real), not the formal transmission you many be more familiar with where a teacher passes on to their Dharma-heir the “teaching” style and methods of a particular school.  The dharma is transmitted in many ways, reflecting the validity of it’s reality.

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January 7, 2013 · 5:37 pm

Awaken To The Awe Of Everyday Living: A Spiritual Guide

Awaken to the Awe of Everyday Living: Practical Tools to Expand our Sense of the Spirit

By  David Xi-Ken Astor Sensei


Human consciousness is constantly evolving, and with it, our spiritual awareness expands also.  Yet we still tend to look to the past for the “real” spirituality of the mystics.  To experience mystery in our lives, we need to use the practical tools of faith, vision, and focus.

Where have all the mystics gone?

As absorbed as we are in seeking spiritual answers to secular living, we still tend to look to the past for real wisdom from the “mystics.”  We read the latest bestselling  guru, but reserve our greatest respect for a Jesus, Mohammed, Moses, or Buddha.  We also revere more recent mystical messengers, such as Emerson, Thomas Teasdale, the Dalai Lama, or Thomas Merton, as their works age and become part of our spiritual culture.

This phenomenon reveals two underlying beliefs.  First, we feel humanity is regressing in some way, and we are no longer as wise as we used to be, Second, we think we no longer have the tools to access the highest levels of consciousness we once could.  So are these beliefs founded in reality?  Certainly there are some qualities from the past we would do well to respect.  These qualities are simplicity, humility, and non-attachment.  They echo a time when we were less distracted by materialism, less controlling, and more in awe of the unknown Universe and our role in it.    To become more aware of the spiritual in modern life, we must recapture a sense of the sacredness of everyday living.  To do this, we need to find tools we can apply to ensure our understanding, knowledge, and wisdom continues to evolve.  We may not have five years to spend sitting under the bodhi tree as the Buddha did, or even forty days to spend in the wilderness as Jesus did.  We must find creative ways to incorporate introspection and spiritual contemplation into our everyday lives.  To do so, we have the very practical tools of personal experience, vision, and focus.  It also takes a degree of faith that we are treading on one of the validating spiritual paths up the mountain.  How we interpret what faith means, however, may different among us.

I will define “faith” to mean a belief that the Universe is bigger than what we can experience when our view is filtered through dualistic lenses.  Faith is directed toward the unknown.  Otherwise it would be a “certainty.”  Our modern culture does not support acceptance of the unknown, outside of having faith that there is “something” we don’t know.  And that something we give certainty to.  We want to know everything — how does it work, where did it come from, what will it do next?  In the same vein, the spiritual sometimes is thought to relate to the supernatural which implies the presence of something beyond our mundane, human understanding.  To practice modern-day spirituality, we must develop, with some faith, a robust relationship with what we are studying and our experiences, in order to add a spiritual aspect to our practice.  In every day moments we have a chance to encounter the wonder of this vast world of ours.

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December 25, 2012 · 1:49 pm

An Existential View Of Finding The Buddha Within

An Existential View Of Finding The Buddha Within
David Xi-Ken Astor Sensei

While it can get somewhat complex in its philosophical application, in basic terms, existential refers to existence as we can experience it directly.  In other words, it is the practice of being empirical in our worldview.  It denies the theological expression faith, and the notion of predestination.  At it’s core, existential understanding rejects a metaphysical or mystical worldview.  It stresses the importance of responsibility for the consequences of our actions.  We know the world around us through our verifiable experiences.  You hear Wayne Sensei and I use the term ‘experiential verification’ a lot as being important to our Buddhist practice.  This is a nod toward the existential potential inherent in Buddhist philosophy.

Before we can fully explore what it means to step onto the Buddhist path, it is important that we clearly grasp the basic human drive that awakens the inner spiritual quest that motivates us to seek a path beyond our own narrow self-oriented perspective, or the ‘me’ opposed to ‘other’ thinking.  More precisely, we need to recognize those fundamental components of man’s nature that are themselves authenticated through our actions when taking refuge in the Three Jewels.   The practice of Buddhism is not concerned with the building of a superstructure based on a set of passive unchanging principles, but with the transformation of how we come to understand our life from a state of disorder into a condition of purposefulness, based on useful and productive outcomes.  When I say ‘transformation’ I am implying that something undergoes a process of change.  The clearer we can describe and understand this ’something’, the more firmly our understanding of Buddhist principles will be, and the firmer we stand on this path to awareness.  We will stop relying on unknowing doctrines and focus instead on what is apparent in this very moment when we learn to see through the minds-eye with transformed lenses.  Because this is an existential approach, we must attempt to temporarily suspend our habitual judgment patterns and allow ourselves to confront the world around us as it discloses itself to us in every moment.

So the question is, “What makes one a Buddhist?”  We talk about the first step of taking refuge.  Because it is the first step however, it is one taken without full knowledge of what we are really undertaking.  You can say it depends on our uninformed intentions, but good intentions they hopefully are.  For some it is an act of spontaneous desire or want, for others it is taken after months and sometimes years of discernment.  But for most of us it is somewhere in between.  Nevertheless, perhaps the important motivation for us is associated with the power of the word ‘refuge’.  I find it a comforting word really.  When considering the terms Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, it is generally more easy to understand the concept and principles behind the words Dharma and Sangha.  But the word Buddha, while at first seems rather straight forward, on reflection, can be quite problematic.  What are we really taking refuge in when we say the Buddha?  The answer to that fundamental question comes down to our awakening to what it means to be an expression of the Universe.  It is the taking refuge WITHOUT DISTINCTIONS.  It is not about Siddhartha Gotama, it is not about the iconic image, some Zen masters even say it is beyond words.  But to say it is beyond words suggests a mystical component that is misleading.  So let’s explore this idea of what I mean when I say “without distinction”.

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December 15, 2012 · 5:01 pm

Thoughts On The Births Of Jesus And The Buddha

Thoughts On The Births Of Jesus And The Buddha
David Xi-Ken Astor Sensei

It is at this time of year that I return to the message and lessons that can be awakened in me of the births of both Siddhartha and Jesus.  My own spiritual path has developed within both of these two great traditions.  Much of my training and education within the Christian monastic tradition comes to the surface when I compare the lives of these great men, especially at Christmas.  And so, I return to this subject once again to find more lessons that can help flourish my own Buddhist practice.   Once I dropped the dogmatic and mystical beliefs surrounding the religious practice of seeing Jesus as Christ, and focused on how he lived his life, I found many similarities between both of these men that gives rise to the notion of how their teaching is of immense importance in directing us toward developing lives of significance with useful intent.

The narratives of the births of Siddhartha, the historical Buddha, and Jesus anticipate the major themes of their entire life journeys.  Where Ashvaghosha (author of the Buddhacarita, an epic poem of the life of the Buddha)  presents the birth of the Buddha as a miraculous event which reveals his identity and foretells his life purpose, Matthew and Luke presents the entire message of the Gospel in symbolic narrative form in their accounts of the conception, birth, and infancy of Jesus as the Son of God, the presence of God among God’s people, “God with us” (Mt. 1:23).  They reflect on the questions of who he is, how he came to be, where he comes from, and by anticipating the passion narrative, where he is going.  These accounts present miniature summaries of the core of the Buddhist and Christian paths and thus serve as contemplations on the meaning of Jesus and Siddhartha.

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December 7, 2012 · 1:56 pm

“Mirror Mirror On The Wall”: Obesessing Over Self

“Mirror Mirror On The Wall”: Obsessing Over Self
David Xi-Ken Astor Sensei

I walked into a friends house the other day and for the first time took notice of how many mirrors he had around the place, in almost every room.  I admit I have two mirrors in my own place too.  So, I started to look around in other spaces and found much the same thing.  In retail stores, common areas of buildings, even in much of the material that we build with that reflect the surroundings.   Why is that I wondered?  I think the answer may be found in the way we Westerners view ourselves, or maybe better put, the way we want to see ourselves reflected to others.  So subconsciously we may use materials to reinforce this obsession.   Maybe we are checking ourselves out to make sure all is well.  Now for me, I would like to think the mirrors in my own space are more of a design statement, but maybe I am fooling myself too.   As I write this and think about it in more depth, I confess I do take notice of my reflection more often that I care to admit.  I think this is just human nature.  What’s going on?  Is this a sign of self obsessing driven by modern cultural influences?

There are Buddhist lessons here to be considered.  The Buddha brought to our attention that any time we compare ourselves to others, we are in danger of reinforcing the notion of a fixed and permanent self.  When we do this we are creating the framework that builds time and again on a concrete image of who we are, or want to be.  Siddhartha knew that we humans are easily obsessed over our self image.  This is mainly expressed in our ego-based behavior and cultural expectations.  In order to achieve maximum self-worth we go about comparing ourselves to others so we can avoid unnecessary negative feelings and notice flaws in ourselves before others do.  In other words, we want to project some degree of perfection that is acceptable in “civilized” society.     We are continually comparing or measuring ourselves with others, or even our past experiences.  This results often in one of two outcomes.  Either we reward ourselves by thinking highly of what we are, or even worse, we see ourselves as failing in a critical aspect of who we want to be.  It is true that some of how we go about comparing ourselves with others is done in away that we are not judgmental.  But when we value ourselves over another, we do so from the perspective of an enduring self.   We are ignoring the causal nature of this world and the fact that change is inevitable.

Even when we display thoughts of equality with others, we still do so in a state of self-arising.  Comparing is a natural thing to do, normal even, but as we do we are lacking a clear vision of who we really are.  It takes an incredible mature practice to compare without distinction.   But remember this, no single aspect of our character, personality, accomplishments, or talents is static.  In Buddhism we creatively redefine it as not-self.  What we really are is a set of learned behaviors, personal preferences, refined set of talents, and encompassing skills that allow us to perform various cultural roles which are constantly changing.  What ever we consider ourselves to be, there will always be those that consent to that image, and those that disagree.  No matter how we see ourselves, it is never as objective as it needs to be.  We work hard to cement our identity around the labels we have chosen for ourselves, even if they do not fit.

In Buddhist thought, we do not have a fixed and unchanging self.  If we take this lesson to heart, we learn not to take ourselves to seriously.  We work to avoid comparisons or judgments very personally.  The take away lessons in all of this is that when we learn not to take what we are personally, we are reflecting the Buddhist principle of impermanence and no-self.  At this stage of our practice, we begin to value how we are in each moment as the human flourishing element that reflects back to others as clear as in any mirror.

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December 2, 2012 · 1:22 pm

Lost & Found: The Mystery Of Suttas

Lost & Found:  The Mystery Of Suttas
Ven. David Astor (Xi-Ken Shi) 曦 肯

(Commentary on Eihei Dogen’s Dharma Hall Discourse #6 from the Eihei Koroku).

What is the Sutra:
“Even practicing for three great kalpas, your effort is not yet complete.  Attaining realization in a single moment cannot be defiled.  An ancient said, “Relying on the sutras, understanding their meaning, is the enemy of the buddhas in the three times.  Departing from the sutras by one word is the same as demons “speech”.  Without relying on the sutras, and without departing from the sutras, how could we ever function?  Would all of you like to see the sutra?“

Dogen held up his whisk and said: “This is my, Kosho’s, whisk.  What is the sutra?”

Commentary:

The challenge with Dogen’s lesson in this discourse is that he is teaching on two perspectives of Buddhist thought at the same time.  The lessons we need to take away here is the importance of not falling into the duality-trap, and how language is inadequate to express universal realities.  If suttas are expressing in words the nature of how the universe expresses itself, and words are the language tools we humans have to express our thoughts on these universal realities, suttas therefore are poor tools for awakening our bodyminds to how the universe is.  Or are they?  Master Dogen is pointing out the paradox inherent in studying suttas.  And he is teaching us the importance of finding the lessons of non-duality in all things, even in the Buddhist canonical texts.

He quotes from the Jingde Transmission of the Lamp volume 6 by Baizhang Huaihai.   He is using this quote because it expresses what he wants to get across relative to the duality-trap that if we totally rely on “what” the sutta says it will create “enemy of buddhas”.   Notice here the word “buddhas” is used with a small “b”.  The meaning of buddhas is to encompass all of us, and especially those seriously studying Buddhism.  (We are all buddhas)  And yet, it goes on to say that if we depart even by one word from the suttas we are in error too.  So, Dogen is stressing that we should use the imperfect words of the suttas to see “between the lines”, and to go beyond the “ideas” that point to reality, to “experience” reality directly.  Thus, we have an enlightening moment.  Or better put, we have an opportunity to experience an awakened moment when our practice is ripe.  In other words, it is not just about the words we read.  The language is only the finger pointing at the moon.

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November 23, 2012 · 7:26 pm

Dao De Jing Verse 42: The Heart Of Change

Dao De Jing Verse 42: The Heart Of Change
A Commentary by Ven. David Astor (Xi-Ken Shi) 曦 肯

I wish to use two translations of this verse for my commentary as one reflects a more traditional interpretation, and the other a more contemporary view.  The study of the Dao is like the study of an elephant, depending on which angle you view (consider) it, and depending on how close your view is, it is either impossible to identify what it is, or if you are far enough away to see it in its totality, you can still miss the details that help you to realize it’s finer attributes.  In other words, as seen in its totality the Dao will appear to reflect the meaning of oneness, or what we come to know as emptiness. Yet its oneness is just the framework to encompass how it also reflects all Universal expressions.  Either you see 1+2=3, or 1+2=0, yet zero is not it.  The Dao is teaching, and pointing, to the heart of what change is all about.  The act of change which reflects by its very nature creation or reproduction in our world can only be realized when we step back far enough from how we view the world around us to see this Universal integrated cycle.   The Dao De Jing speaks to both self and other in alternating cycles throughout the various verses, and verse 42 is no exception.

Traditional translation by Hans-Georg Moeller 

The Dao generates Oneness.
Oneness generates Twoness.
Twoness generates Threeness.
Threeness generates the ten thousand things.

The ten thousand things;
Carrying Yin, embracing Yang
Blending Qi to create harmony.

What the world hates,
Is to be orphaned, abandoned, and without possessions and still kings and lords name therewith themselves.

As to things,
In part they are added to by diminishment
Or diminished by addition.

Thus,
That which one has been taught with
One also considers when teaching others.

Thus the saying
“The coercive and violent does not meet his natural end” shall be the father of my teaching.  

Contemporary translation by Roger Ames & David Hall

Way-making (dao) gives rise to continuity,
Continuity gives rise to difference,
Difference gives rise to plurality,
And plurality gives rise to the manifold of everything that is happening.

Everything carries yin on its shoulders and yang in its arms
And blends these vital energies (qi) together to make them harmonious.

There is nothing in the world disliked more
Than the thought of being friendless, unworthy, and inept,
And yet kings and dukes use just such terms to refer to themselves.
For things, sometimes less in more,
And sometimes, more is less.

Thus, as for what other people are teaching,
I will think about what they have to say, and then teach it to others.

For example: “Those who are coercive and violent do not meet their natural end” —
I am going to take this statement as my precept.  

Commentary
Let me begin my discussion on this verse by quoting from Shunryu Suzuki, “Every existence in nature, every existence in the human world, every cultural work that we create, is something which was given, or is being given to us, relatively speaking.  But as everything is originally one, we are, in actuality, giving out everything.  Moment after moment we are creating something, and this is the joy of our life.”   This Dao verse is about how we come to live our lives as it reflects the causal nature of how things are in our world.  While the Dao is “oneness”, and thus the hub of existence, it is also about how the various forms of Universal expressions also arise.  We find ourselves in the center of our world always in each moment and are completely dependent, interconnected, and also independent which is at the heart of change.  This duality is at the core of what arises in this world of ours.  Master Suzuki tells us that when we see this kind of existence we also have absolute independence, and we will not be bother by anything.

Daoism has developed a way of considering oneness (emptiness) and the expression of various forms of existence as interdependent ways of considering our own experiences.  In this verse the Dao is being considered as both empty of expression, manyness, duality, and progression at the same time.  It is being viewed as the creative source of all that we can come to know, and yet at the same time, it is all these things at once when we come to see its various parts.  In the more traditional way of reading this verse we are told that the Dao is one, two, three, and much more.

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November 21, 2012 · 11:46 pm

Refinement Of A Spiritual Life: Inter-Spiritual Dialogue

Refinement Of A Spiritual Life: Inter-spiritual Dialogue
Ven. David Astor (Xi-Ken Shi) 曦 肯

At this time of year where we are given a chance to once again consider all that we are thankful for, I want to share with you a transparent glimpse of my spiritual development as it has unfolded over the years, and especially through my monastic experience both as a former Christian and now a Buddhist.  A path I am most grateful to have realized and continue to refine.  It has not always been a clear and concise path, however, and may still at times remain so.   As I do this I sometimes use themes that are recognizable and easy to relate to from perhaps your own spiritual journey.  For a true spiritual path has many of the same markers no matter the linage, faith, or set of beliefs.

One of my favorite Christian theologians is Augustine.  I still quote him in some of my Buddhist Dharma Talks and when I wish to authenticate a ‘theological’ point of interest.  While he is one of the old guy’s, his wisdom is as bright today as it was 1700 years ago, at least for me, when I learned to read between the lines.

I am sometimes ask to compare some Buddhist principles with a few Christian basic theological concepts.  So using Augustine’s philosophical thoughts from his works “Confessions” & “On Christian Doctrine” and make some comparisons from some of the basic teachings of Siddhartha Gotama, can be constructive.  I admit this exercise may be more fitting to those educated in the classical method, but I find the similarities between these two bodies of work to fit into what I wish to convey that shows how either the Christian or Buddhist view can be used to confront some of the most often ask questions for those of us treading the spiritual path.  We have much in common.  I would like to think that while our teachers are different, their worldviews and thought-constructs are varied, and the spiritual path has many lanes, it is still a common human endeavor when we limit making distinctions of what really matters most for our human flourishing.

There are two doors that we sometimes give thought to during this short time we have on this planet – the door marked ‘entrance’ and the one marked ‘exit’.   We can spend a lot of time considering what is beyond those doors, but what really matters is what happens between the doors.  Our spiritual path is realized between the short time we have to live and experience a useful and positive life now.  We do not need mystery, mysticism, or metaphysics in order to find and refine a spiritual practice.  It is not about what is “beyond”, but how the Universe expresses itself to us now that teaches the lessons of the spirit.

My intent is to get you to think and relate to your worldview with a broader perspective for awhile.  This is both a pragmatic and a pluralistic exercise.   We speak often about meditation and contemplative thought.  We share with our Sangha some very basic Buddhist themes and listen to some teachings of both contemporary and legacy Buddhist teachers from different traditions.  But I would like to reflect on other non-Buddhist traditions too, and how they can teach important lessons that can be reflective in what the Buddha also taught.  This is not a typical Buddhist approach, and it is not teaching Buddhism either directly or indirectly; it is perhaps establishing, however, the framework so we can learn how each others beliefs can directly confront the many challenges we face today in a global society and maybe work together to solves some of these unsatisfactory conditions within our own communities together. Continue reading →

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November 13, 2012 · 7:14 pm

Confidence Trumps Knowledge In Our Practice

Confidence Trumps Knowledge In Our Practice
Ven. David Xi-Ken Astor 曦 肯

The Zen master Shunryu Suzuki said, “Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature.  Our practice is based on this faith.”   This statement which comes form his book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind got my attention.  I have not thought of my practice in this way before.  Not knowledge, but confidence is what we should cultivate is what Suzuki is stressing.  This emphases on confidence over knowledge can be a strong agent for change.  It asks the question, “Do we really believe what we know?“  You hear Ven. Wayne and I speak often about how Buddhist practice and study can be viewed from a philosophical, psychological, and spiritual bases.  As a philosophy, Buddhism is a very comprehensive and profound system of thought-processing.  But traditional Zen practice is not taught or practiced with a great deal of philosophical explanations.  Focusing rather on our personal experiences, the exercise of breath control and meditation, are considered more essential for coming to a realized state of body-mind.

I have not considered the term confidence before when expressing how one should consider their practice, I use other words.  But what I like about exchanging the word ‘understanding’ to ‘confidence’ is that it places focus on the importance of acceptance of what we are learning as we practice.  Not just on knowing something about Buddhism.  It is more about acceptance than about awareness.  We can be aware but the subject of this awareness must transition into acceptance.  When that happens we have gained confidence of its value, and our practice is strengthened as a result.

There is a danger in relying on invalidated knowledge alone.  The human system for acquiring new information is complicated and involves some degree of interpretation and filtering on our part as we go about the learning process.  Sometimes we get out of the way and let another’s thoughts and ideas replace our own.  This, of course, is not a bad thing because we always rely on another’s expertise for guidance.   This in fact is very pragmatic.  But without validating new knowledge with our own personal experiences, we are only taking what we are learning in a state of faith.  But when we have gained the experience of validating what we are learning, and thus acknowledging its reality, we gain the confidence that our worldview is on solid ground.   This gets the ego out of the learning and acceptance process, and gets learning out of the karmic-life chain.  Our Buddhist practice should be removed from this karmic controlled mind.

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November 3, 2012 · 3:18 pm

Buddha Nature Is Nothing Special

Buddha Nature Is Nothing Special
Ven. David Xi-Ken Astor 曦 肯

Those that gave us the Parinirvana Sutta thought the Buddha said “Everything has Buddha nature.”  However Master Dogen has expressed it a different way by saying, “Everything is Buddha nature.”   There is a huge difference between the words “has” and “is”.  This is a good lesson on not only how to express what makes us human, but also how the language we use can distort what the Buddha taught.  Yes, I believe this sutta is in error.  One of the most fundamental teachings of Siddhartha was on the reality expressed in seeing the world in a non-dualistic way.  Therefore the Buddha would never have used the word “has” in expressing our Universal natures.  Ever.

When we say “everything has Buddha nature” we mean that not only does everything exist as an individual express of the Universe, but it also has a special Buddha nature too.  In other words, it has a dual-nature.  But Dogen with an awakened body-mind came to realize “everything is Buddha nature”.  So each thing, by it’s very nature is Buddha nature itself.  It only reflects back what it is, nothing added, nothing special.  As the Heart Sutta says, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form”.  When there is no Buddha nature to be found, things can be just as they are.  And in that state, everything expresses Universal nature without distinction.   So you see, we are Buddha nature.  When we sit to try to find this nature, we are 64,000 miles away and will never come to realize the true meaning of the expression “Buddha nature”.  It only exists in your mind until you stop seeking it, then something wonderful will happen.  You will discover it is there all along.  Nothing special.

We are expressing our Universal nature all the time when we do what humans do.  We eat, sleep, work, plant, drive cars, surf the net, write poems, and many other things that we humans naturally do based on our unique capacities that contributes to the welfare of ourselves and others.  This is Buddha nature in action.  When we do what humans do, we are being human beings.  We are not different from other things really, as they go about expressing their true natures too.  When we see differences we are practicing with a dualistic mind.  It is easy to do because that is how most of us get though the day.  But when you go to your cushion without expecting anything special and without making distinctions, we are resuming what it is we are when we stepped through the door of the living.  When we only express the “I” of our natures we are suppressing all that truly makes us human.   But when we sit with a clear body-mind, our own true nature resumes itself.  Nothing special.  When we come to awaken to that reality, we come to realize how special this gift of life is that only can be realize when our mind is clear from making distinctions.   Learn to see the world as “is”.

© EDIG-Astor 2012

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