Shobogenzo Abstracts

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COMMENTS ON

BENDOWA. A Talk about Pursuing the Truth
MAKA-HANNYA-HARAMITSU. Maha-prajna-paramita
GENJO-KOAN. The Realized Universe
IKKA-NO-MYOJU. One Bright Pearl

1 + 2 Sane Wisdom

Cosmic All the Time

"Miao" is an old Chinese term, writes Lin Yutang in The Wisdom of China, in a note to the first chapter of Tao Te Ching there. [Wic]
The terms "Cosmic" and "great" both pertain to the universe, because both are in the cosmos and parttake of it. Put differently, everything in the universe is of it, that is, cosmic. And "great" is what is called great, at any rate.
With mind and body in relaxed harmony, you can hopefully decide successfully on what to do next. To take into oneself (take on) what is in one's surrounding nature, is a Zen activity endorsed by Dogen. And sensible smartness and wisdom naturally come from the other shore, where intuitive reflection is rooted as well.

When the body is in shape and great harmony, you can often decide better on what to do

Wisdom is a kind of intuitive ability that occurs in body and mind when our body and mind are in the state of balance and harmony - hopefully.
The health fruits on the body level of resting and unstressing are very many. [Ams 477].

The essence of zazen is to have taken on all

MAHA-PRAJNA-PARAMITA is the essence of yogic meditation, or Zen sitting.

The right state is a fruit of the practice or training of the best sort - accomplish the truth - art is large-hearted or intuitive

From the basis of a well balanced and harmonised body-mind you may eventually rise to work in okay manner too.
Over-all or overriding, sensible wisdom that many of our decisions are based on, is hardly intellectually, but intuitively based.

Now understand that great art too, like true wisdom, is somehow linked to the Other Shore -

Gist

Try to gain some welcoming arms, some sort of Tao. You may revert to these abstracts and summaries for it till your hair has turned grey.

When the body is in shape and great harmony, you can often decide better on what to do and not to do. Not all wisdom which is purported to be real wisdom, is of special help. You have to attune to the practical outfit also.
One effect of good Zen sitting is at least to have "taken on all" - which can link up to the Other Shore too.
What great art and great decisions are based on, is hardly intellectual all along. Great art is in the living - the art of living - and is to be accomplished locally as fits.

Harmony is helped by attunement to the Other Shore (Deep Within). Buddhism offers three main gates: meditation, life standards, and good fellowship.

The story of Rudyard Kipling

AMONG the eminent writers published in the famous magazine St. Nicholas were Mark Twain, Longfellow, Whittier, Emerson, and Thoreau. When Rudyard Kipling asked the US writer Mrs. Mary Dodge whether she would like him to contribute to her magazine, she answered,
"Do you think you are up to it?"

3 The realised universe or reflected universe

WHAT'S REAL is real inside a real setting. So avatar teaching that the world is an illusion, means those teachings are self-contradictory higher up, even insane or piggish, to say the least. It helps to recognise what could very well be a universal principle: it's good to have inner gates of understanding and frivolity.

LET THE the content of your notice board - even your wall-paper suggest something real in your own universe. What's real should have instant appeal - the real content inside one real setting, where helps one to recognise. It helps to recall or recognise what could very well be a universal principle. Recognise an important thing - such an item on your inner notice-board (all memories) - could have far-reaching mirroring effects.

What's significant or real is often good to get aware of

It helps to recognise what could very well be a universal principle

WE HAD BETTER recognise an important thing at once. Important notes are often hard and puzzling at first, before you understand them quite well. Koan, which we have translated into puzzle, in the end or by some long shot means the realised law of the universe, or such a blessed state of art, namely the real universe itself. That's how these things are considered in the best of Zen, both Soto Zen and Rinsai Zen.
So a seemingly erratic puzzle can happen to embody or express not a little, perhaps a fairly universal principle - and perhaps what you find out opens the inner gates to realise goodies yourself. That is the Zen way of the old masters.
This was to accommodate us to the thought: The content of a birtish notice board can have far-reaching effects.

What's real is the real content inside one real setting

LET THE content of your notice board express what's real in your own universe.

It's often good to look into realised expressions from tall guys

A NOTICE BOARD is inside the realised the blessed state of art, or the real universe, or is an expression of it itself!

It's often good to have a notice board, whatever it may be. ◊

Notice board note
Genjo means "realised," and koan (great puzzle) is an abbreviation of "a notice board" where a new law was announced to the public in ancient China. The koan often expresses a deep principle. In Dogen's major work Shobogenzo, genjo koan means the realised law of the universe, that is the blessed state of art: the real universe itself. An accomplished Buddha's blessed state must be the real universe. The hidden significance and importance of a Buddha may at times go against the tenor of surroundings: much depends on how bad they be.

The stout homily is often good to be aware of against parading guru bandits

It helps to recognise what could very well be a universal principle: A seemingly erratic puzzle can happen to embody or express a giant principle - and open some inner gates of understanding - according to the way of the old masters. Also, the content of a birtish notice board can have far-reaching effects.
What's real is the real content inside one real setting. And it's good to have inner gates of understanding and frivolity. It appears that the real universe contains a lot more than the ways and wisdom that old masters found. Besides, there is secret wisdom - or should we call it British wisdom at once?
It's often good to look into realised expressions from tall guys. It's often good to have a notice board, whatever it may be. It's a part of the blessed art: the real universe.

Think that universal principles must be manifested locally, after being realised by the blessed yourself.

Unwelcome judo principle found: "When a bankier drinks, everybody pays"

THE HUGE-NOSED US bankier J. P. Morgan was once with a group of men at a bar in the financial district. He ordered a beer from the waiter; saying the encouraging,
"When Morgan drinks, everybody drinks."
Everybody had a beer and when Morgan had finished, he slapped a dime upon the table, saying,
"When Morgan pays, everybody pays."

4 One bright pearl in essence

FEEL FREE to believe what is bright and clear is splendid and put a little to use.

Note what is bright and clear

WE NOTE the Japanese expression: "The whole universe in all directions is as splendid as a clear pearl."
In the bright and clear light the universe could be like that: outright splendid. This being so, to look down on a donkey and clown doesn't always pay. ◊

Assume that splendid is what splendid looks like

FEEL FREE to believe what is bright and clear is splendid and put a little of it to use somehow. What is more, is a jackass part of the bright and splendid universe, it is inherently bright and clear and splendid at all times, no matter what it looks like on the outside.

Feel freer at last

IF SO, feel free to believe: "Jack is as good as his master". (British proverb) "I am as the dust of your feet," said Yogananda.

Gist

Note what is bright and clear. In the bright and clear light the universe could be like that.
Assume that splendid is what splendid looks like. Feel free to believe what is bright and clear is splendid and put a little to use by such as: A jackass is inherently bright and clear and splendid at all times. You can affirm that and think of guru Yogananda also.
Thus get emboldened - and free to believe: "Alas! Jack is as good as his master inside this teaching".

Clear Light follows meditation, and emboldment at times as well.

The unresolved: "Why not Australians?"

SAM GOLDWYN of the film company Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, was so impressed by the wide sale of Radcliffe Hall's "The Well of Loneliness" that he once wanted to buy the film rights.
"You can't film that," he was advised. "It deals with Lesbians."
"So all right," replied Goldwyn, "where they got Lesbians, we'll use Austrians."

Literature
Compare: The complete Zhobogenzo — Chapter surveys.

Shz: Cleary, Thomas, tr.: Shobogenzo: Zen Essays by Dogen. University of Hawaii Press. Honolulu, 1986
   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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