Category: Uncategorized

  • Morning Practice for October 15, 2021 6:30am Way Seeking Mind Talk

    Koryu Naomi at Cannon BeachFriday, October 15th, at 6:30am Eastern Time Kōryū (Bright Dragon) Naomi will offer a Way Seeking Mind talk.  We will have 10 minutes of zazen and then Koryu will offer her talk..  Please use this link to join. If you are asked for a password use 947537

  • Morning Practice for October 13, 2021 6:30am Eastern Time

    Here is the link to join us via Zoom at 6:30am for morning zazen practice.

    If you are asked for a password use this 656470

    Please put your zoom in gallery mode, and keep your video link on while muting your mic until the end of the service – Feel welcome to face away from your device camera while keeping your presence visible in the frame for others in attendance to see and know you are there. Please refrain from moving your device around while others are sitting zazen with you.

    Order of Service

    Robe Chant before zazen.

    Forty minute period of zazen

    After zazen: Four Great Vows

    Hymn to the Perfection of Wisdom

    Heart Sutra in English

    Shosaimyo Kichijo Dharani (Dharani for avoiding calamity) chanted 3 times

    If your schedule allows please stay on the zoom call to do a brief check-in after the service is concluded.

    ROBE CHANT

    DAI SAI GE DA PU KU

    MUSO FUKU DEN E

    HI BU NYORAI KYO

    KO DO SHOSHU JO

    Great robe of liberation

    Field far beyond form and emptiness

    Wearing the Tathagata’s teaching

    Saving all beings.

    After Zazen

    The Four Great Vows

    Beings are numberless; I vow to save them.

    Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them.

    Dharma Gates are boundless; I vow to enter them.

    Buddha’s way is unsurpassable; I vow to become it.

    After Koan reading

    Dharana for avoiding calamity

    Hymn to the Perfection of Wisdom

    Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom, the lovely, the holy.

    The Perfection of Wisdom gives light. Unstained, the entire

    world cannot stain her. She is the source of light, and from

    everyone in the triple world she removes darkness.

    Most excellent are her works. She brings light so that all

    fear and distress may be forsaken, and disperses the gloom

    and darkness of delusion. She herself is an organ of vision.

    She has a clear knowledge of the own-being of all dharmas,

    for she does not stray away from it. The Perfection of Wisdom

    of the Buddhas sets in motion the Wheel of Dharma.

    Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra

    Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva,

    when deeply practicing prajña paramita,⨀

    clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty

    and thus relieved all suffering.

    Shariputra,

    form does not differ from emptiness,

    emptiness does not differ from form.

    Form itself is emptiness,

    emptiness itself form.

    Sensations, perceptions, formations,

    and consciousness are also like this.

    Shariputra,

    all dharmas are marked by emptiness;

    they neither arise nor cease,

    are neither defiled nor pure,

    neither increase nor decrease.

    Therefore, given emptiness, there is

    no form, no sensation, no perception,

    no formation no consciousness;

    no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue,

    no body, no mind;

    no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste,

    no touch, no object of mind;

    no realm of sight… no realm of mind consciousness

    There is neither ignorance nor extinction of ignorance…

    neither old age and death,

    nor extinction of old age and death;

    no suffering, no cause, no cessation, no path;

    no knowledge and no attainment.

    With nothing to attain,

    a bodhisattva relies on prajña paramita,⨀

    and thus the mind is without hindrance.

    Without hindrance, there is no fear.

    Far beyond all inverted views, one realizes nirvana.

    All buddhas of past, present, and future

    rely on prajña paramita ⨀ and thereby attain

    unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

    Therefore, know the prajña paramita ⨀ as

    the great miraculous mantra,

    the great bright mantra,

    the supreme mantra,

    the incomparable mantra,

    which removes all suffering

    and is true, not false.

    Therefore we proclaim the prajña paramita ⨀ mantra,

    the mantra that says:

    “Gate Gate ⨀ Paragate ⨀ Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.” ∅

    Shosaimyo Kichijo Dharani

    (Auspicious Dharani or Spell For Averting Calamity)

    NO MO SAN MAN DA

    MOTO NAN

    OHA RA CHI KOTO SHA

    SONO NAN TO JI TO

    EN GYA GYA

    GYA KI GYA KI

    UN NUN SHIFU RA SHIFU RA

    HARA SHIFU RA HARA SHIFU RA

    CHISHU SA CHISHU SA

    CHISHU RI CHISHU RI

    SOHA JA SOHA JA

    SEN CHI GYA

    SHIRI EI SO MO KO

    All Buddhas

    All Buddhas, ten directions,

    Three times

    All Honored Ones, Bodhisattvas-Mahasattvas

    Wisdom beyond wisdom

    Maha Prajna Paramita

  • Tuesday Dharma Tea at Two pm

    Tuesday Tea at 2pm, October 12:     Todays discussion will be lead by Shinren Careful Practice Mark Stone.   Shinren will discuss the teachings of Shunryu Suzuki, the founder of the San Francisco Zen Center, who emphasized the importance of self- kindness, breath by breath, and how how self-kindness can help us take care of our practice.    We begin with 5 minutes of silent tea drinking before the discussion starts and conclude by 2:45pm.  Please use this link to join.  If asked for a password use 200009.

  • Evening Practice for Thursday September 30th, 2021 7pm

    Thursday, September 30th, 2021:  In person visit and talk by Rev. Setsuan Konjin (Snow Hermitage, Builds Love) Gaelyn Godwin, Abbot of the Houston Zen Center and Director of the Soto Zen International Center, and Rev. Taiga Ito, Soto Zen International Secretary, at 7pm Eastern Time. Their talk will focus on environmental dharma and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  Please join us for the event in our cloud zendo by using this link.  If asked for a password use 118879


  • Fall Ango Announcement: Being-Time – Practicing with the myriad things as they are

    Wonderful sangha,

    We are delighted to announce that our annual Fall Ango (安居, “dwelling in peace”) will begin Monday, October 11th and conclude on the winter solstice, December 21st. An ango period is a time of intensified practice to set our intentions, focus on our bodhisattva vows, and be fully present for our unfolding lives and the myriad things as they are. Inryū Sensei is our Practice Period Leader  for the Ango and Kōryū Naomi will serve as her Benji (弁事, administrative assistant).

    Our theme for this fall ango will be Being Time: Practicing with the myriad things as they are. Being-time, or uji (有時), is a term created by Dōgen, Sōtō Zen’s founder in Japan. Being time can be thought of as being real, authentic, and showing up for ourselves and each other as we face the challenges of everyday life. We are all managing great uncertainty due to the ongoing COVID pandemic.  We share and hold and process the grief around the loss of so many people and our former ways of being. Embracing being-time is an invitation to be fully present for the impermanence and freedom of our lives right now.

    We will begin the Ango on Indigenous Peoples Day with a half day retreat in our urban zendo and invite people to join us via zoom as well.   The following weekend Inryū Sensei will be offering a memorial service for our departed Dharma Sister Francy Stilwell.   And on October 23 at 2pm we are happy to have Jishin Susan Salek help us with a class entitled “Grieving Here.  A reflection on grief, loss and living with the wholeness of life” offered in our cloud zendo.  On Sunday, October 31st, we will have an outdoor Sejiki-e Ceremony to honor our heart felt practice over the past year and to offer peace for deceased loved ones, to everyone who is suffering, and to the “hungry ghosts” (beings in perpetual states of wanting).

    We will do a deep Dharma dive into Dōgen’s work by reading Shinshu Robert’s Being-Time: A Practitioner’s Guide to Dogen’s Shobogenzo Uji. We will meet as a sangha to discuss the book on Saturday, October 30th at 9:30-11am, and will have a discussion with the author, Shinshu Roberts, who will join us by Zoom Saturday, 2-3pm on November 13th .

    We are scheduling Way Seeking Mind talks for sangha members to share their own reflections on their path of practice and to deepen our connections to each other.   And we will continue our tradition of cloud zendo Tuesday Teas at 2pm (Eastern Time), for fun, formal and informal zen practice topics to widen the fields of knowledge and connect amongst us.  Please contact Kōryū Naomi if you would like to offer a Way Seeking Mind talk or lead a tea, contact details can be found in the email announcement.

    Inryū Sensei will be available for Dokusan, an opportunity to just be yourself and discuss your life and practice. And our former shusos (head students) from past angos will also be available to meet you for tea and practice discussions.  Please contact Kōryū Naomi for dokusan and shuso tea scheduling.

    You are warmly invited and encouraged to join us for any or all of the events below. We will send out email updates weekly as new items are added. Please refer to the All Beings Zen Sangha events page on our website.

    Fall Ango Events October 11 to December 21

    All events in Eastern Time

    October
    Monday, October 11: Ango begins with a Half Day Zazenkai in-person and online, 6:30-11:30 am EDT
    Saturday, October 16: Francy Stilwell Memorial Service – contact Inryū if you would like to attend online or via zoom
    Sunday, October 17: Work practice to freshen the urban zendo and guest space 9-11am
    Thursday, October 21: Full moon ceremony
    Saturday, October 23: “Grieving Here: A reflection on grief, loss and living with the wholeness of life” discussion led by JiShin Susan Salek 2pm.

    Jishin (Compassion Heart) Susan Salek has been a longtime and engaged member of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC (IMCW)’s LGBTQIA+ sangha, and she currently serves on the IMCW Board of Directors. She is committed to holding space and creating opportunities for the queer and trans community on this Buddhist path. Jishin is a graduate of the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher program taught by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Her lived experience and bearing witness to this wild, difficult and beautiful life as a human being has motivated her to teach mindfulness meditation in particular as a support to women and the queer and transgender communities.

    She is a student of grief from her own experience of companioning friends, family and other beings thru illness, dying and death as well as a volunteer with Capital Caring Hospice. She recently taught a half-day workshop on Grief and Gratitude for the LGBTQIA+ community through IMCW. She expects to graduate from the Buddhist Chaplaincy program at Upaya Zen Center in March 2022. Jishin currently works as a Business Director for 3M and shares a home with her two cats in Maryland.
    Thursday, October 28: Dharma talk “Ask the Stone Lantern” about how Dharma pervades all things by Rev. Konin Cardenas 7pm    Konin, aka Ayya Dhammadīpā, is a fully ordained bhikkhuni in the Theravada tradition and a Dharma Heir in the Suzuki Roshi lineage of Soto Zen,   Her shift to the Theravada tradition is a natural extension of her longtime metta practice and study of the Pali suttas. In addition to English, Ayya teaches in Spanish, an expression of her Latin heritage. She is a trained interfaith chaplain, and has provided spiritual care in both hospital and hospice settings. Ayya Dhammadīpā is mother to a lovely adult daughter, and enjoys watercolor painting and sewing.
    Saturday, October 30: Book group discussion of Being-Time, 9:30am-11am, please read first half the of the book
    Sunday, October 31: Sejiki-e Ceremony. Sejiki-e is a Japanese word meaning “The Feeding and Nourishing of Hungry Ghosts.” Location: Outdoors at Still Spring Zendo, Bethesda MD, 3-4:30pm

    Three ceramic turtles in the grass
    Silly turtles @ urban zendo

    November
    Friday, November 5: Movie night [film and time TBD]
    Saturday, November 13: Rev. Shinshu Roberts author Being-Time will join the sangha via zoom, 2 – 3:00pm.  Rev. Shinshu Roberts is co-founder and teacher, with Rev. Daijaku Kinst, of Ocean Gate Zen Center in Capitola, CA. She is a Dharma heir of Sojun Weitsman Roshi, in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. Shinshu holds the appointment of International Dharma Teacher in the Japanese Soto Zen School and is the author Being-Time: A Practitioner’s Guide to Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō Uji, as well as articles appearing in BuddhaDharma and Lion’s Roar.
    Thursday, November 18: Full moon ceremony 7pm
    Saturday, November 20: All-day zazenkai urban zendo and via cloud zendo 6:30am- 4:30pm
    Thursday, November 25: Zendo closed
    Sunday, November 28: Jukai ceremony (Time TBA)

    5 people processing for Jukai
    Jukai procession @ Woodburn Hill Farm

    December
    Rohatsu Sesshin begins the night of Sunday November 28 – Saturday, December 4: This Sesshin/Intensive Retreat is held annually to celebrate Buddha’s enlightenment
    Saturday, December 18: Work practice to mail 2022 calendars, 9am – 11am Urban zendo and guest space
    Tuesday, December 21: End of fall ango and Benji poem / Winter Solstice ceremony with 108 Enmei Jikku Kannongyo and bows, 7pm, Recitation of names of the ancestors

    9 people wearing robes and/or rakusus with joyful expressions
    End of Rohatsu sesshin, 2019
  • Evening Practice for September 23, 2021 7pm EDT

    Here is the link to join us via the cloud zendo at 7PM for the All Beings Zen Sangha evening program.  Tonight we will have short service followed by two periods of  Zazen.  We will close my chanting the Refuges.

    If you are asked for a password please use this  118879

    Please put your zoom in gallery mode, and keep your video link on while muting your mic until the end of the service – Feel welcome to face away from your device camera while keeping your presence visible in the frame for others in attendance to see and know you are there. Please refrain from moving your device around while others are sitting zazen with you.

    Order of Service

    Greeting by the Kokyo

    Enmei Jukko Kannon Gyo

    Heart Sutra in English

    All Buddhas Chant

    25 Minute Zazen Period

    5 minute Kinhin (slow walking) or stretch

    25 Minute Zazen Period

    Four Great Vows

    Announcements

    Refuges in Pali

    THE FOUR GREAT VOWS

    Beings are numberless; I vow to save them.

    Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them.

    Dharma Gates are boundless; I vow to enter them.

    Buddha’s way is unsurpassable; I vow to become it.

    Enmei Jukko Kannon Gyo

    KAN ZEON

    NA MU BUTSU

    YO BUTSU U IN

    YO BUTSU U EN

    BUP PO SO  EN

    JO RAKU GA JO

    CHO NEN KANZEON

    BO NEN KANZEON

    NEN NEN JU SHIN KI

    NEN NEN FU RI SHIN

    Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra

    Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva,

    when deeply practicing prajña paramita,⨀

    clearly saw that all five aggregates are empty

    and thus relieved all suffering.

    Shariputra,

    form does not differ from emptiness,

    emptiness does not differ from form.

    Form itself is emptiness,

    emptiness itself form.

    Sensations, perceptions, formations,

    and consciousness are also like this.

    Shariputra,

    all dharmas are marked by emptiness;

    they neither arise nor cease,

    are neither defiled nor pure,

    neither increase nor decrease.

    Therefore, given emptiness, there is

    no form, no sensation, no perception,

    no formation no consciousness;

    no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue,

    no body, no mind;

    no sight, no sound, no smell, no taste,

    no touch, no object of mind;

    no realm of sight… no realm of mind consciousness

    There is neither ignorance nor extinction of ignorance…

    neither old age and death,

    nor extinction of old age and death;

    no suffering, no cause, no cessation, no path;

    no knowledge and no attainment.

    With nothing to attain,

    a bodhisattva relies on prajña paramita,⨀

    and thus the mind is without hindrance.

    Without hindrance, there is no fear.

    Far beyond all inverted views, one realizes nirvana.

    All buddhas of past, present, and future

    rely on prajña paramita ⨀ and thereby attain

    unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

    Therefore, know the prajña paramita ⨀ as

    the great miraculous mantra,

    the great bright mantra,

    the supreme mantra,

    the incomparable mantra,

    which removes all suffering

    and is true, not false.

    Therefore we proclaim the prajña paramita ⨀ mantra,,

    the mantra that says:

    “Gate Gate ⨀ Paragate ⨀ Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.” ∅

    All Buddhas

    All Buddhas, ten directions, Three times

    All Honored Ones, Bodhisattvas-Mahasattvas

    Wisdom beyond wisdom

    Maha Prajna Paramita

    Refuges in Pali (Call and Response)

    Accapella, inflections as follows:

    ➞Buddham Saranam Ga➚cha➘mi➞iii

    BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    TATIYAMPI BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    TATIYAMPI DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    TATIYAMPI SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

  • Dharma Tea on Tuesday September 21st, 2021 at 2pm EDT

    • Tuesday September 21 , 2021 2pm EDT Dharma Tea and Discussion  –
    •   This tea will be lead by All Beings Zen Sangha member Clay Crowell on the topic of “Dharma Gates”.   Use this link to join

     

  • Evening Practice for September 16th, 2021 7pm EDT

    Here is the link to join us via the cloud zendo at 7PM for the All Beings Zen Sangha evening program.  Tonight we will have a short service follow by a period of zazen.  We will also have our monthly Wellbeing Ceremony after Zazen and  close by chanting the Refuges.

    If you are asked for a password please use this  118879

    Please put your zoom in gallery mode, and keep your video link on while muting your mic until the end of the service – Feel welcome to face away from your device camera while keeping your presence visible in the frame for others in attendance to see and know you are there. Please refrain from moving your device around while others are sitting zazen with you.

    Order of Service

    Greeting by the Kokyo in Spanish and English

    Heart Sutra in Japanese

    30 Minute Zazen Period

    Four Great Vows

    Enmei 9 times

    The Loving Kindness Sutra

    Dedication of Merit

    All Buddhas Chant

    Refuges in Pali

    Maka Hanya Haramita Shin Gyo

    KAN JI ZAI BO SATSU GYO JIN HAN NYA

    HA RA MI TA JI SHO KEN GO ON KAI

    KU DO IS SAI KU YAKU SHA RI SHI

    SHIKI FU I KU KU FU I SHIKI SHIKI 

    SOKU ZE KU KU SOKU ZE SHIKI JU SO

    GYO SHIKI YAKU BU NYO ZE SHA RI

    SHI ZE SHO HO KU SO FU SHO FU

    METSU FU KU FU JO FU ZO FU GEN

    ZE KO KU CHU MU SHIKI MU JU SO

    GYO SHIKI MU GEN NI BI ZE SHIN

    NI MU SHIKI SHO KO MI SOKU HO MU

    GEN KAI NAI SHI MU I SHIKI KAI MU

    MU MYO YAKU MU MU MYO JIN NAI 

    SHI MU RO SHI YAKU MU RO SHI JIN

    MU KU SHU METSU DO MU CHI YAKU 

    MU TOKU I MU SHO TOK KO BO DAI

    SAT TA E HAN NYA HA RA MI TA

    KO SHIN MU KE GE MU KE GE KO

    MU U KU FU ON RI IS SAI TEN DO

    MU SO KU GYO NE HAN SAN ZE SHO

    BUTSU E HAN NYA HA RA MI TA

    KO TOKU A NOKU TA RA SAM MYAKU

    SAM BO DAI KO CHI HAN NYA HA

    RA MI TA ZE DAI JIN SHU ZE DAI

    MYO SHU ZE MU JO SHU ZE MU TO 

    DO SHU NO JO IS SAI KU SHIN JITSU

    FU KO KO SETSU HAN NYA HA RA 

    MI TA SHU SOKU SETSU SHU WATSU

    GYA TE GYA TE HA RA GYA TE

    HARA SO GYA TE BO DHI SOWA KA 

    HAN NYA SHIN GYO

    THE FOUR GREAT VOWS

    Beings are numberless; I vow to save them.

    Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them.

    Dharma Gates are boundless; I vow to enter them.

    Buddha’s way is unsurpassable; I vow to become it.

    Enmei Jukko Kannon Gyo X 9

    KAN ZEON

    NA MU BUTSU

    YO BUTSU U IN

    YO BUTSU U EN

    BUP PO SO  EN

    JO RAKU GA JO

    CHO NEN KANZEON

    BO NEN KANZEON

    NEN NEN JU SHIN KI

    NEN NEN FU RI SHIN

    Loving Kindness Meditation

    This is what should be accomplished by the one who is wise,

    Who seeks the good and has obtained peace:

    Let one be strenuous, upright and sincere,

    WIthout pride, easily contented and joyous.

    Let one not be submerged by the things of the world.

    Let one not take upon one’s self the burden of riches.

    Let one’s senses be controlled.

    Let one be wise, but not puffed up: and

    Let one not desire great possessions even for one’s family.

    Let one do nothing that is mean or that the wise would reprove

    May all beings be happy.

    May they be joyous and live in safety.

    All living beings, whether weak or strong,

    In high or middle or low realms of existence,

    Small or great, visible or invisible,

    Near or far, born or to be born,

    May all beings be happy.

    Let no one deceive another, nor despise any being in any state;

    Let none by anger or hatred wish harm to another.

    Even as a mother at the risk of her life

    Watches over and protects her only child,

    So with a boundless mind should one cherish all living things,

    Suffusing love over the entire world,

    Above, below and all around without limit;

    So let one cultivate an infinite good will toward the whole world.

    Standing or walking, sitting or lying down,

    During all one’s waking hours

    Let one practice the way with gratitude.

    Not holding to fixed views,

    Endowed with insight,

    Freed from sense appetites,

    One who achieves the way

    Will be freed from the duality of birth and death.

    All Buddhas

    All Buddhas, ten directions, Three times

    All Honored Ones, Bodhisattvas-Mahasattvas

    Wisdom beyond wisdom

    Maha Prajna Paramita

    Refuges in Pali (Call and Response)

    Accapella, inflections as follows:

    ➞Buddham Saranam Ga➚cha➘mi➞iii

    BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    DUTIYAMPI SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    TATIYAMPI BUDDHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    TATIYAMPI DHAMMAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

    TATIYAMPI SANGHAM SARANAM GACCHAMI

  • Dharma Tea at 2pm EDT Tuesday September 14, 2021

    Tuesday Dharma Tea at Two pm:  Inryū Sensei will lead the discussion about the “Enmei” on September 14th, 2021 at 2pm.  Use this link to join

    The “Enmei” is a frequently used chant here at All Beings Abode Zendo.   It is also commonly used during well-being ceremonies, New Years celebrations and memorials.  Join us for 5 minutes of quiet tea drinking followed by some background and discussion around the use of this chant.  All are welcome.

    Enmei Jukko Kannon Gyo
    ⨀ KAN ZEON
         NA MU BUTSU
         YO BUTSU U IN
         YO BUTSU U EN
         BUP PO SO ⨀ EN
         JO RAKU GA JO
         CHO NEN KANZEON
          BO NEN KANZEON
    ⨀ NEN NEN JU SHIN KI

     

    ⨀ NEN NEN FU RI SHIN

     

    Enmei Jukko Kannon Gyo Translation

     

    Kanzeon! At one with Buddha.
    Related to all Buddhas in cause and effect.
    And to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
    Joyful, pure, eternal being!
    Morning mind is Kanzeon.
    Evening mind is Kanzeon.
    This very moment arises from Mind.
    This very moment is not separate from Mind.

     

  • Dharma Tea at 2pm EDT on September 7, 2021 – on the topic of the “Sandokai”

    Tuesday Dharma Tea at Two pm:  Inryū Sensei will lead the discussion about the “Sandokai”  “Harmony of Difference and Equality” on September 7th, 2021 at 2pm.  Use this link to join

     

     

    Harmony of Difference and Equality

    The mind of the great sage of India
    is intimately transmitted from west to east.

    While human faculties are sharp or dull,
    The Way has northern or southern ancestors.

    The spiritual source shines clear in the light;
    the branching streams flow on in the dark.

    Grasping at things is surely delusion;
    according with sameness is still not enlightenment.

    All the objects of the senses
    interact and yet do not.

    Interacting brings involvement.
    Otherwise, each keeps its place.

    Sights vary in quality and form,
    sounds differ as pleasing or harsh.

    Refined and common speech come together in the dark,
    clear and murky phrases are distinguished in the light.

    The four elements return to their natures
    Jus as a child turns to its mother;
    Fire heats, wind moves,
    water wets, earth is solid.

    Eye and sights, ear and sounds,
    Nose and smells, tongue and tastes;
    Thus with each and every thing,
    depending on these roots, the leaves spread forth.
    Trunk and branches share the essence;
    revered and common, each has its speech.

    In the light there is darkness,
    but don’t take it as darkness;

    In the dark there is light,
    but don’t see it as light.

    Light and darkness oppose one another
    like front and back foot in walking.

    Each of the myriad things has its merit,
    expressed according to function and place.

    Phenomena exist; box and lid fit.
    Principle responds; arrow points meet.

    Hearing the words, understand the meaning;
    don’t set up standards of your own.

    If you don’t understand the Way right before you,
    how will you know the path as you walk?

    Progress is not a matter of far or near,
    but if you are confused, mountains and rivers
    block your way.

    I respectfully urge you who study the mystery,
    do not pass your days and nights in vain.

    Sandôkai
    (Harmony of Difference and Equality, Japanese original, by Sekito Kisen [700-790])

    CHIKUDO DAISEN NO SHIN
    TÔZAI MITZU NI AIFUSU

    NINKON NI RIDON ARI
    DÔ NI NANBOKU NO SO NASHI

    REIGEN MYÔNI KÔ KETTARI
    SHIHA ANNI RUCHÛSU

    JI O SHÛSURU MO MOTO KORE MAYOI
    RI NI KANÔ MO MATA SATORI NI ARAZU

    MON MON ISSAI NO KYÔ
    EGO TO FUEGO TO

    ESHITE SARANI AI WATARU
    SHIKARA ZAREBA KURAI NI YOTTE JÛSU

    SHIKI MOTO SHITSUZÔ O KOTONISHI
    SHÔ MOTO RAKKU O KOTONISU

    AN WA JOSHU NO KOTO NI KANAI
    MEI WA SEIDAKU NO KU O WAKATSU

    SHIDAI NO SHÔ ONOZUKARA FUKUSU
    KONO SONO HAHA O URU GA GOTOSHI
    HI WA NESSHI KAZE WA DÔYÔ
    MIZU WA URUOI CHI WA KENGO

    MANAKO WA IRO MIMI WA ONJÔ
    HANA WA KA SHITA WA KANSO

    SHIKAMO ICHI-ICHI NO HÔ NI OITE
    NE NI YOTTE HA BUNPUSU

    HONMATSU SUBEKARAKU SHÛ NI KISU BESHI
    SONPI SONO GO O MOCHIYU

    MEICHÛ NI ATATTE AN ARI
    ANSÔ O MOTTE Ô KOTO NAKARE

    ANCHÛ NI ATATTE MEI ARI
    MEISÔ O MOTTE MIRU KOTO NAKARE

    MEIAN ONO-ONO AITAI SHITE
    HISURU NI ZENGO NO AYUMI NO GOTOSHI

    BANMOTSU ONOZUKARA KÔ ARI,
    MASANI YÔ TO SHO TO O YU BESHI

    JISON SUREBA KANGAI GASSHI
    RIÔZUREBA SENPÔ SASÔ

    KOTO O UKETE WA SUBEKARAKU SHÛ O ESU BESHI
    MIZUKARA KIKU O RISSURU KOTO NAKARE

    SOKUMOKU DÔ O ESE ZUNBA
    ASHI O HAKOBU MO IZUKUNZO MICHI O SHIRAN

    AYUMI O SUSUMUREBA GONNON NI ARAZU
    MAYÔTE SENGA NO KO O HEDA(TSU)*

    TSU(TSU)* SHINDE SAN GEN NO HITO NI MÔSU
    KÔIN MUNASHIKU WATARU KOTO NAKARE