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Best help is the real stuff
If you refrain from doing something because people would think ill of it, or if you try to do good so others will look upon you as a true Buddhist, these are still worldly feelings. - Dogen
Buddhism originated in the Vedic culture of ancient India. Buddhism teaches many core elements of the ancient Vedic doctrines, but not all of them. This is seen in the Buddhist teaching poem Dhammapada, where many passages are considered from a shared, common Indian background.Hindu canon. Poul Tuxen present such good points in his translation of the Dhammapada. [Tux]
Hinduism took up many facets of Buddhism in time too. Mahayana Buddhism spread to Central Asia, China, and further to Korea and Japan. Japanese Zen (Chinese: Ch'an, Sanskrit: dhyana) consists of many schools (branches).
Medical doctors estimate that stress hurts many, and that emotional stress is involved in at least half of all common physical diseases [Hi 505]. It is a corner-stone of Buddhism to get out of stress (dukkha, suffering). Buddhism is designed for it, ideally.
Not all variants of Buddhism talk down on desire. Some forms seek to harness it for higher ends. This is a typical feature of some later Mahayana in India and Tibet, for example. That form of Buddhism, Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism, contains teachings that do not conform in all detail to the way of life designed for monks and nuns, although some monks and nuns are allowed to marry and have children - but not monks and nuns in Zen.
THE ZEN reverend Gudo Wafo Nishijima writes that according to his inspections, the all-round way of presenting items as used by Dogen, derive from four ideals found in the basic teachings of Buddha.
The regular way of presenting items on this site can be well aligned with the basic design used by Dogen, and conforms to it very nicely. Nishijima also writes:
In the Shobogenzo Master Dogen says, "To practice Zazen [Zen sitting] is the whole of Buddhism, and Buddhism is just the practice of Zazen."
This word "just" above is a little misleading: there tends to be more into a Buddhist way of livint that just sitting in dhyana, Zen. Almost all Zen monks meditate and work on a regulated basis, year after year, getting up many hours earlier than farmers, each day. And a monk's and nun's life is hardly easy for other reasons too.
It has never been needed to be a monastic and refrain from sex to get enlightened - to put the matter straight. Just bear in mind that along with good points to chew on, there is meditation to stick to too. The one without the other may fail.
It is well to remember two or three sides to living are supposed to work together in a well designed life:
- Meditation - there are many forms;
- Adhering to guidelines: moral standards and practical allround tips to improve on one's living conditions, as the case may be.
- Company that is uplifting (sangha, community), that consolidates the good things and bulwarks against detrimental sides to life.
There are many guidelines to adhere to, and seldom time to do everything one desires.
"Everyone who sits at regular intervals is a Buddhist" is a tendentious exaggeration. You should not believe all you read by Zen roshis either, but remember to consider the various claims and utterances well before you commit to any of them, bearing in mind Buddha's teaching in such waters. It is OK to doubt skilfully. [Kalama Sutta]
Nishijima, who has translated the complete Shobogenzo with Chodo Cross, has found that "the Shobogenzo is in fact constructed in a very
special way; using a unique pattern of expression." He writes further:
"Master Dogen
expresses his ideas in the Shobogenzo based on a pattern of four phases. First, he
explains a problem from the idealistic point of view; that is, as an idea using abstract
concepts. Then, immediately after this first phase, he explains the same problem, but this
time from the objective, or material point of view. In other words, he gives concrete
examples and facts. Then, in the next phase, he explains the problem yet a third time as a
real problem; that is, realistically thinking. Of course, he cannot explain the reality
surrounding the problem with words in a book, but he does so by bringing together the
subjective viewpoint which he presents first, and the second objective viewpoint. He
synthesizes the two viewpoints into a realistic appraisal of the problem; a synthesis of the
self and the external world. And in the final phase, he tries to suggest the subtle
ineffable nature of reality itself by using symbolic, poetic, or figurative forms of
speech.
The Shobogenzo is full of these four-phased
explanations."
[Gudo Nishijima. "The Theory of Four Views". In Three Philosophies and One Reality. 1996. [www.windbell.com/download.html]
Nishijima also states "The Shobogenzo is written with a unique logical structure", and yet seems "full of contradictions". However, many of them may be resolved by clever calculations.
Comparisons
Dogen expresses his ideas in the Shobogenzobased on a pattern of four phases, says Nishijima, and you may find that four-phased pattern in over a hundred Zen essays on this site. Nishijima quotations:
- INITALLY - "First, he explains a problem from the idealistic point of view; that is, as an idea using abstract concepts."
A first, maybe intuitive-subjective view.
- STRUCTURED ESSAY - "Then, immediately after this first phase, he explains the same problem, but this time from the objective, or material point of view. In other words, he gives concrete examples and facts."
Here is a clever, all-round evaluation of this and that, with references as seems fit. A strategic handling of items of thoughts and life may come to the fore now, if not before.
- SUMMARY - "Then, in the next phase,
he explains the problem yet a third time as a real problem; that is, realistically thinking.
Of course, he cannot explain the reality surrounding the problem with words in a book, but
he does so by bringing together the subjective viewpoint which he presents first, and the
second objective viewpoint. He synthesizes the two viewpoints into a realistic appraisal of
the problem; a synthesis of the self and the external world."
Fit summaries are basically realistic appraisals. Summaries should lead to okay, stratified programs to train by, or open the gate to handy all-round practice of a sort, as the case may be.
 CANDID OR ANECDOTAL STUFF - "And in the final phase, he tries to
suggest the subtle ineffable nature of reality itself by using symbolic, poetic, or
figurative forms of speech."
Anecdotes may seem offhand, but show serious sides to issues by what appears to be joking or kidding. Such stories could even suggest a higher reality somewhere between the lines.
"The Shobogenzo is full of these four-phased explanations," says Nishijima too.
More thought on how to present good items
Dogen's Shobogenzo exists in several versions and several translations (below). I have had recourse to the partial one by Thomas Cleary, the complete one translated by Nishijima and Cross, and the complete translation by Hubert Nearman (below).
How Dogen structured his Shobogenzo is explained under the headline "The
Structure of The Shobogenzo" in booklet by Nishijima. [Ref. B]
Dogen is revered as one of the most influential Zen teachers. His penetrating essay design is actually a means to better living, as is a standard essay on this site. But it takes time to find Dogen's nuggets of gold - his essays are generally extremely demanding, and may confuse readers. By contrast, the tao essays on this site should be very easy to survey and make good use of. [ Ref. B]
Literature
Chze: Johnston, William: Christian Zen. Harper and Row. New York, 1971.
Dog: Masunaga, Reiho tr: A Primer of Soto Zen. A Translation of Dogen's Shobogenzo
Zuimonki. University Press. Honolulu, 1975.
Efaz: Malec, James and Sipprelle, Carl:
"Physiological and subjective effects on zen meditation and demand characteristics."
Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, vol 54, 1977,
no 2, p 339.
Orh: Blyth, Reginald Horace: Oriental humour. Hokuseido. Tokyo, 1963.
Paz: Fromm, Erich: Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism. Unwin. London, 1986
Prz: Chang, Garma: The Practice of Zen. Perennial/Harper. New York, 1970.
Shz: Cleary, Thomas, tr.: Shobogenzo: Zen Essays by Dogen. University of Hawaii Press.
Honolulu, 1986
Sth: Nearman, Hubert, tr. Shobogenzo: The Treasure House of the Eye of the True Teaching. Mount Shasta, CA: Shasta Abbey Press, 2007. On-line
Szd: Nishijima, Gudo Wafo and Cross, Chodo, trs.: Master Dogen's Shobogenzo. Book 1. Woking, Surrey (UK), 1994.
Szi: Nishijima, Gudo Wafo and Cross, Chodo, trs.: Master Dogen's Shobogenzo. Book 2. Windbell Publications. London, 1996.
Szm: Nishijima, Gudo Wafo and Cross, Chodo, trs.: Master Dogen's Shobogenzo. Book 3. Windbell Publications. London, 1997.
Szp: Nishijima, Gudo Wafo and Cross, Chodo, trs.: Master Dogen's Shobogenzo. Book 4. Windbell Publications. London, 1999.
Taoz: Addiss, Stephen: The Art of Zen. Abrams. New York, 1980.
Zaze: Kasamatsu, Akira and Hirai, Tomio: "An Electroencephalographic Study on the Zen Meditation." Psychologia, vol 12, 1969, p 205-25. Kyoto, Japan.
Zeb: Suzuki, Shunryu: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Weatherhill. New York, 1971.
Zf: Reps, Paul: Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. Penguin. Harmondsworth, 1971, updated 1997
Zwm: Herrigel, Eugen: Zen i bueskytingens kunst. Gyldendal. Oslo, 1971.
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