Dogen Sangha Blog

  by Gudo NISHIJIMA

Japanese / German

Saturday, November 21, 2009

[20] Examination of the Inclusive Grasp (24 verses)

1. Belonging to Reason or belonging to many Real Truths,

The Inclusive Grasp is born at that time.

Result exists also relying upon the Inclusive Grasp,

Therefore how is it possible for the Inclusive Grasp to be born newly?


2. Belonging to Reason or belonging to many RealTruths,

T he Inclusive Grasp is born at that time.

What is called result does never exist really receiving the influence of the Inclusive
Grasp,

And so how is it possible for the Inclusive Grasp to be born newly?


3. Belonging to Reason or belonging to many Real Truths,

There might be possibility for the Inclusive Grasp to be born in such a situation.

The Result exists really relying upon the Inclusive Grasp,

But how is it possible for the Inclusive Grasp to be born newly?


4. Belonging to Reason or belonging to many Real Truths,

Being helped by the Inclusive Grasp, there might be possibility for result not to exist
at all.

Many Reasons and many Truths are actually thrown away,

And what are not reasonable and what are not true might be full there.


5. Reason is usually given as result,

And so Reason is usually suppressed actually.

What is presented, can be what is neglected,

Because, relying upon Reason, the two kinds of factors of spirits might manifest
them.


6. When any result hasn't been given as the reason actually,

Then the reason should be erased at that time.

Relying upon the Reason, a birth is actually suppressed sometimes.

Then a result can be maintained without any kind of reason.


7. Result is also similar to the Inclusive Grasp.

And at that time also something spiritual manifests itself.

And the facts that both result and the Inclusive Grasp will appear together actually,

Suggests that such a kind of facts have been born really without fail.


8. Just before relying upon the Inclusive Grasp,

Result has possibility to manifest itself at that time.

When Reason and the Truth have been emancipated themselves,

There might be possible for result to be identified with something unreasonable.


9. When Result has been vanished,

The combination between relying upon Reason and following upon Reason, has existed,

Before being birth, actually from Reason,

The next birth must be cling to hesitation..


10. There is possibility that Result has been born having become bigger,

But how is it possible for suppressing birth to become weaker actually?

How is it possible for the establishment of Reason to be the cause of reducing the
Birth?

Relying upon result, the part, which has been concealed, has been kept by sheet.


11. Now, relying upon cause, the situations, which have been concealed, are like that.

Who among many people, does bear result?

Because it is not always true for a blind person not to look at anything absolutely,,

Therefore there is possibility for Reason to produce result.


12. Because being not included into the past, and because not relying upon the past,

Being included by result suggests to be relying upon cause.

In the case not without birth, or not with birth,

The real contact must be recognized without fail.


13. Because being not included to be born, or relying upon not be born,

Being included by result suggests to be relying upon cause.

Not relying upon the past, nor relying upon being born,

The real contact must be recognized without fail.


14. Because, not belonging to be born and relying upon to be born, are different,

Being included by result suggests to be relying upon cause.

Not relying upon not being born, and not relying upon disappearance,

The Inclusive Grasp is being recognized at every moment.

15. Because of the no-existence of the mutual contact, was the reason,

How is it possible for the result to be born?

The fact, or the clear meeting, is the reason, therefore,

How is it possible for the result will be born in future?


16. When Reason is in the balanced autonomic nervous system relying upon the result,

How is it necessary for us to dig up any kind of cause for such a state intentionally?

When even in the case that Reason has lost the balance of the autonomic nervous
system,

How is it necessary for us to dig up any kind of cause for such a state intentionally?


17. Result will never manifest itself as the unbalanced autonomic nervous system.

And the unbalanced autonomic nervous system will never be suppressed at all,

The state of no suppression also does not appear,

And the concrete fact of the unbalanced autonomic nervous system will continue
existing.


18. How is it possible for the balanced autonomic nervous system will appear in future?

And how is it possible that the balanced autonomic nervous system will disappear too?

The balanced state of the autonomic nervous system will never be obstructed.

And what hasn’t been accomplished yet is belonging to the secular society too much.


19. Belonging to Reason, and being included by Result, do not belong to the same group,

Because they do not appear together at the same time.

Belonging to Reason, and being included by Result, do not belong to the same group.

Because both Reason and Result have also possibility to be manifesting their images
together.


20. Result and Reason perhaps might have the common characteristics together.

It is just the combination between the power to bear, and the state to be born.

It might be in the oneness between result and reason,

Therefore Reason and without relying upon Reason might be similarly the same.


21. If Result is the subjective existence and the Real World.

How will it be possible that Reason will bear something in future.

If Result is the subjective existence, but not the Real World,

How will it be possible that Reason will bear something in future.


22. Never belonging to an agitators' intention,

But the reasonable attitude manifests itself actually.

When the reasonability hasn't manifested itself yet at all,

Where will it be possible for some result to exist at any place at all?


23. The Real Truth does never be included into miscellaneous Reasons.

This World utilizes the Soul well utilizing the Soul.

The Inclusive Grasp really grasps the Reality.

And so how is it possible for result to be born actually?


24. What has been created by the Inclusive Grasp, is not result?

What has not been created by the Inclusive Grasp is not result?

The Real Truth, which is just the Inclusive Grasp, exists actually.

Where is it possible for result not to exist really at all?

14 Comments:

Blogger skatemurai said...

Dear Roshi, Good morning :-)

can we understand fact that youth (I'm 19) is a lifetime when people are ambitious and full of desires as a natural? Or is that bad (because of that dogma principles of mind and teachings that our schools and our parents gave to us)? What's bad and what's good anyway? I think that doubts coming from "atmosphere from outside world" but I can't blame other people for that, is it right? But at the same time I'm sure that this doubts coming from weak part of me. Ego is here forever, so how we can act right with it?

Thank you so much for your answers.

10:21 AM, November 22, 2009  
Blogger GUDO NISHIJIMA said...

Dear Ven. skatemurai San,

Thank you very much for your important questions.

About that problem, Master Dogen taught us that we should never have desire for fame and profit. Fame is not the Truth, and Profit is not also the Truth.

He said that we, Human Beings, should pursue the Truth.Therefore even though the secular societies usually recommend us to get Fame or Profit, but we, Human Beings, have much more important aim to study and grasp the Truth itself.

In Euro-American Civilization, people usually revere Idealism,or Materialism.
But Idealism is prone to enter into the reverence of fame, and Materialism is prone to enter into reverence of money. Therefore if we want to meet the Truth directly, it is necessary for us to throw away fame and profit.

10:55 AM, November 23, 2009  
Blogger skatemurai said...

Dear Roshi,

thank you very much for your answers.

I got one more question: I see that everything is such a big paradox (existence itself, our life, things around me), it's not in duality view, because I just feel it through my whole body. Do you know what does it mean?

Thanks a lot.

7:03 PM, November 23, 2009  
Blogger GUDO NISHIJIMA said...

Dear Ven. skatemurai San,

Thank you very much for your important question.

The problem is also related with the state of the autonomic nervous system.

When our sympathetic nervous system is stronger than our parasimpathetic nervous system, our mental function has rather spiritual tendency.

Therefore we have rather spiritual tendency in our body and mind, and so we are usually believe in a religious tendency, like spiritualism, love romantic thoughts, and like tention.

But when our parasympathetic nervous system is stronger than our sympathetic nervous system, our mind has tendency to be relaxed, a little lazy, like sexual matter, and are liking to take a rest.

And those two kinds of exstreme tendencies in our body and mind are both wrong, but we, Human Beings, should maitain our autonomic nervous system balanced.

Therefore Gautuma Buddha recommends us to practice Zazen everyday for making our autonomic nervous system balanced. This is the fundamental teachings of Gautama Buddha. And so we can think that it is only everything for Buddhists to practice Zazen everyday for keeping our autonomic nervous system balanced at everymoment without fail.

3:00 PM, November 24, 2009  
Blogger Ran K. said...

I read your last comment and I wonder what is keeping the autonomic nervous system balanced.

12:48 AM, November 25, 2009  
Blogger GUDO NISHIJIMA said...

Dear Ven. Ran K. San,

As you know, we, Human Beings, have the autonomic nervous system, and it is devided into the two parts, that is, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

And the fanction of SNS and PNS are generally opposite.

When the strength of the SNS is stronger, the human beings have usually tention, and they are usually spiritual,idealistic,sharp-minded,
intelectual,and so on.

And when the strength of the PNS is stronger, they are usually relaxed, optimisic, having strong appetite, like to sleep, and love sexual pleasure, and so on.

Therefore if we like to be Human Beings, we need to be keeping our autonomic nervous system balanced.

11:11 AM, November 25, 2009  
Blogger Ran K. said...

I suppose the next question is what is liking to be human beings.

I suppose balance is good for gods and animals as well.

And Buddhas always maintain it.

Or do they not?

Perhaps they transcend it.

Or perhaps it is maintained by itself, since Buddhas do not actually exist, as neither does it.

I do not intend to just try to be clever, - and anyway, - the point is just in the first paragraph.

So far,
Ran. (as venerable as ever, same as all blog visitors lately, it seems)

3:51 AM, November 26, 2009  
Blogger GUDO NISHIJIMA said...

Dear Ven. Ran K. San,

I do not know whether gods exist in this world, or not.

I supose that animals might be usually maintain the balance of the autonomic nervous system.

But in the case of gods, I think that gods do not exist in the Universe.

Human Beings, who can always keep the balanced autonomic nervous system, are called Buddhas.

They do not transcend Buddhas.

2:52 PM, November 26, 2009  
Blogger Ran K. said...

If gods exist they sure do not exist in this world. (Unless they come down here ones in a while.)

I suppose you can call them gods or you can call them by another name.

I suppose Reality can not transcend itself, but in the end all concepts are left meaningless. Is there no such thing as a transcendence of balance?

They say beauty is in the eye of the viewer.

Balance as well.

And Buddhas are in their own eye.

Are they not?

So they can never tell balance from imbalance any more.

(Or can they?)

I think we are all doomed to the most miserable fate.

10:37 PM, November 26, 2009  
Blogger Al said...

Dear Roshi,

How do we stop anger? I practice zazen 2-3 times per day and still struggle hard with keeping calm. I get angry very easily.

Regards,

Al

7:53 AM, November 27, 2009  
Blogger GUDO NISHIJIMA said...

Dear Ven. Al San,

If you like to stop anger, please stop it.
You are the King of the Universe. And so you can do it.


Dear Ven. Ran K. San,

I think that gods do not exist anywhere in this world, and so there is no problem.

There is nothing, which is more valuable than the Balance in this world.

Balance is just the state of Reality. Therefore balance is absolutely important in this world.

2:00 PM, November 27, 2009  
Blogger Al said...

Roshi,

I deeply appreciate your teaching.
I will act at once.

regards,

Al

9:41 PM, November 27, 2009  
Blogger Ran K. said...

I wonder whether this is rooted in what is expressed in verses 4-5 in the first Chapter of the book of Genesis: – “And God saw the light to be good and God distinguished (i.e. – created a distinguishment, separated) between the light and between the dark. – And God called the light day and the darkness [he] called night, - and evening became and morning became, - one day.”.

(I translated myself from Hebrew.)

I wonder whether this could express the creation of Yin and Yang which are expressed [among other things] in the two parts of the autonomic nervous system.

And so when they can balance or cancel each other out, reality can be revealed.

Which is likely to be the purpose for which they were created in the first place.

(- Beside the point - it seems the sought is conciseness, or awakenness, or a functioning ability of some kind - not happiness.

– Pleasure and pain seem to be just an expression of these, and happiness and unhappiness never seem to go beyond them.)

(- However: –) Do you think the quote points to the reason of (the existence of) the value of the balance you speak about?

So far,
(Still more to come, (probably)
So far though,)

Ran (previously venerable (recent days))

2:46 AM, November 29, 2009  
Blogger Jiryu02 said...

Dear Nishijima,

Was there anything written by Nargarjuna about possesion?

I ask this because I want to attempt to understand this common notion using his logic in the MMK:

1. To say someone owns something is to attatch that object with one's identity.

2. What quality within the object or the person changes because of declared ownership?

3. It is a matter of mental consideration to say there is such a quality known as possession because the link is arbitrary.

4. It is also false to say one doesn't own anything at all.

I assume his own justification would be longer as he examines the assumtion of self and object. But is this the correct way to understand this?

Also, in this post, what is meant by Inclusive Grasp?

Finally, if there is any scientific discoveries on the foundations of the universe, do you beleive that it would be consistent with zen philosophy?

I ask this because it is my understanding that the truth must be complete. Otherwise we could not call it the truth. Therefore if there are any gaps in time or space, existence would be impossible. I have no doubt that the universe is intimitely interconnected.

But with these numerous new theories from the theoretical physics community, it may acceptable that anything may be possible. Of coarse none of these are verified.

11:55 AM, December 02, 2009  

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