from Zen Master Dogen's "The Practise of Meditation"

In your meditation you yourself are the mirror reflecting the solution of your problems. The human mind has absolute freedom within its true nature. You can attain your freedom intuitively. Do not work for freedom, rather allow the practice itself to be liberation.

— Practice of Meditation, Dogen (1200-1253)

"In your meditation" refers to zazen with the objective being liberation, the freeing of the mind from conditioning, which arises as a result of socialization. The objective of meditation is to act naturally, rather than act as though being a social being is normal. For the truth is, normal is relative to the situation.

When we act as though a sentient being is the norm, what would meditation be but something boring?

"You, yourself" refers not just to the disciple sitting in zazen meditating, but also to his original nature.

"The mirror reflecting" refers to the pure mind attained through breath meditation, which is purified by being calmed until the clear mind arises. This is seen as clarity of mind.

"The solution to your problems" refers to the assumption that the disciple's own mind has the answer to all of one's problems. Also, "solution" refers to the liberating aspects of meditation. Thus, "problems" refers to the lack of attention and focus due to socialization, where distraction is the constant. For it is possible to "get lost" on this journey called "life."

"The human mind" refers both to cognition (manas or specifically manovijnana) and also the higher state of mind (alayavijnana) found through meditation after gaining control of the ego (manas-vijnana). This higher state of mind is said to store the seeds of karma yet it does so without discriminating between good and evil karma.

"Absolute freedom" refers to the liberating aspects of satori that arises as a result of the calm mind reflecting on insight into the problems of human life, which are due to lack of attention and focus due to causal factors such as personal conduct (how you conduct your life) and the distractions of daily life (work, go out with friends for dinner and similar activities).

"You" refers to the disciple.

"Attain" refers to the result of meditation, using the calm mind achieved by just sitting quietly to gain insight and relying on gut feeling.

"Your freedom" refers to the liberating aspect of meditation. Once the mind is calm, it becomes as clear as a pond of water. Such a mind is able to gain insight readily into the nature of the disciple's problems.

"Intuitively" refers to intuition, which involves the use of gut feeling to free the disciple from being caught up with his problems.

"Do not work for freedom" refers to seeking freedom by vainly striving for a solution almost by chance, relying not on intution but almost by blunt force. Working for freedom also implies forcing a solution. Often this indicates that mental calculation went into discovering the solution to the disciple's problem, only to have the it itself grow into more problems.

"Allow" refers to considering the circumstances of my problems, based on open-mindedness — the feeling that anything is possible.

"The practice" refers originally to meditation; but also it refers to mindful practice, which consists of being of service to others, and implies the willingness to help other sentient beings.

"Itself" implies that meditation is foremost the solution to the disciple's problems.

"Liberation" refers to satori, the "A-ha!" moment when the solution to my problems arises, just like that. This is possible with single-minded focus on the fruits of insight which result in samadhi. In context with Zen, satori is the closest term to liberation.

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Reference:

Original post: February 21, 2004 0208H
Update posted: March 11, 2013 1141H

January 04 Journal - Zen Readings, "On the Way", The DailyZen Journal: http://www.dailyzen.com/zen/zen_reading0401.html

Ego: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manas-vijnana

Shunyata: The True Nature of Reality (poem)

The wise Buddhist teacher,
Nagarjuna once said:
"To whomever emptiness is possible,
All things are possible."
That emptiness is known to Buddhists
as shunyata, which the Tibetans
know is free from permanence
and non-existence; indeed, it is
'empty' of permanence and
'empty' of non-existence.
Emptiness goes beyond nihilism and
eternalism, and thus is
the true nature of Reality.
Shunyata is like space,
the complete openness,
which allows anything to occur,
for reality is 'empty'
and not fixed in any way.
Thus, anything is possible.

True Nature is very simple

You cannot cut open a person to find Buddha Nature.

For the mind cannot grasp reality.

So stick to the basics of meditation such as breathing and posture. For soon shall you find true nature.

Then you shall see the Buddha has no secrets or magic.

Right Concentration: Transcending the Six Worldly Dusts

"In your seeing," he said, "there should be only the seeing. In your hearing, nothing but the hearing; in your smelling, tasting, and touching, nothing but smelling, tasting, and touching; in your thinking, nothing but the thought."

-Khuddaka Nikaya


According to Buddhism, the six worldly dusts are form, sound, taste, touch and dharmas (external opinions).

As a metaphor for all the mundane things that can becloud our True Nature, they correspond to the five senses and the discriminating, everyday mind (the six sense).

Thus the above quotes is part of the sutra Khuddhaka, which instructs the seeker on how to use the six senses so as to transcend the worldly dusts of form, sound, taste, touch, and dharmas.

Simply put, do not analyze sense data.

Living the Dharma

Explaining many profound dharmas is easy; living them yourself is hard.

-Adept Godrakpa, "Hermit of Go Cliffs"

What this quote means is that each of us can explain profound dharmas because of our intellect, but practising those dharmas is difficult.

The reason why practice may be difficult is because we are human: the emotions of love, anger and fear give birth to egosense, which beclouds seeing the Pure Mind as-it-is e.g. "things as they are".

Thus we feel that our human nature prevents us from ever realizing that True Nature (Buddha-nature) and human nature are at one with each other. Hence the feeling of falling short of being perfect.

How foolish!

For practising faith is as easy as reflecting on repentence as the devotee reflects upon the vows of Amida, and especially of Samantabhadra.

Despite not being able to live profound dharmas, it takes deep faith to accept the limitations of human nature.

Yet this is no excuse for a Buddhist devotee to forget about the vows and the study of the sutras.

Our True Nature

"We are stardust, we are golden." -- Joni Mitchell

We are more than just human beings. In us is the echo of the gods, and the legacy of the whole universe.

Because we err, we are human. Yet in forgiveness is the divine, the blessings of angels themselves!

Thus our True Nature rises above our material form.

We are indeed stardust, our minds Golden.

For what are we but a dream of high consciousness? And that is the epitome of divine!