Daisetz Remembered

Although Google search may provide various information on Daisetz T. Suzuki, I sense there are much more to be shared about this person, his life, work, vision, etc. There are more than 30 volumes of his work in Japanese that I cherish. I am hopeful that his entire work be translated into English someday. As a side note, I regularly talk with Ms. Mihoko Okamura, a personal secretary to Daisetz. She writes essays and books on Daisetz in Japanese. After reading Daisetz, I was greatly inspired by his insight on Zen and his life. My contribution is limited. But, here are at least few notes I gathered to share his words and his personality. Hope here is something that enriches your life. BTW, a few of many books he wrote in English are An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, Living by Zen, Zen and Japanese culture. Thank you for the visit.

--- Kio Suzaki (8/19/00)

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Contents

Daisetz Remembered *

Daisetz Suzuki(1870-1966)dedicated his entire life to practice Buddhism/Zen and share its essence in his own way with the world. Here are a few comments made about him by those who were close to him or had brief encounter with him.

It is like serving to Amidha Buddha.

He had the air of a perfectly unconstrained man,

If there was challenge in Daisetz’s words, it was of the mildest sort.

When he talked, he spoke quietly, slowly, and succinctly, without rhetorical flourishes. There was silence in his speech and speech in his silence."

It may .. happen in one’s life that a particular person… becomes instrumental in bringing about a radical change in the whole course of that life. Daisetz was just such a person.

What he said was always unexpected and open-ended…He rambled, he digressed, he dropped hints, he left you suspended in midair, he astonished you with his learning…

I felt his great concern with human suffering. From the depth of his heart, he could not help feeling grateful for any help in liberating people from their sufferings.

His ideas are unrelated to any particular Zen sect….It is this fact which gives his Zen its unique character, and it will elude any attempt to fit it into a sectarian framework.

He lived a life as natural and effortless as a flowing stream.

…but not once did he appear nervous or tense…. I never felt he became overly enthusiastic or forced the issue.

For him, study and practice were one and the same.

Daisetz was a sower of extraordinary energies and perseverance.

Wilhelm Gundert

Daisetz is the person whom I can least imagine to be no longer in the land of the living.

Ernst Benz

He gave life to everything by his interest, by his active relatedness; a person, a cat, a tree, a flower – they all came to life through his own aliveness.

Erich Fromm

…the last words I remember Dr. Suzuki saying were "The most important thing is Love!"

Thomas Merton

…subtlest and simplest person I have known.

Larry A. Fader

…to want to go beyond Suzuki is to admire him all the more.

Luis o. Gomez

He is the bridge builder, whose bridge may in the end be used by all.

Christmas Humphreys

He was trying to show Zen Mind itself…

Torataro Shimomura

What he expressed throughout his life is compassion.

Takeshi Shimura

* Most of the comments were taken from, A Zen Life, D.T.Suzuki Remembered, John Weatherhill, Inc. 1986

==

– Daisetz, p.362 Vol.14 (Original from Columbia Univ. Press, The Review of Religion, 1954, Vol. 18) Translated back to English from Japanese by myself. ((my comments))

When searching for the truth, typically, we start from philosophy. Then, we notice what wise guys said on this subject in the past, noticing that this difficult problem is also what made them wondered or suffered. Buddha did this as well. But this did not help him. By its own nature, philosophy cannot put us back to where before the questions were yet raised. It is the limit of philosophy. It may give a faint view of existence. But most likely, as we try to reach closer, it will fade away. So, Buddha eventually left these people.

Next, he attempted a hard training. For some reason, we generally think that if we restrain our desire from our body, our mind will be cleansed and can see the truth as it is. Yet, such restraining of desire will see self, the one that ask the question of truth, more like an enemy. Then, this enemy is seen as something to conquer, or overcome. And this enemy stands always at where the man having question. No matter how hard this questioner tries his best to defeat the enemy with his all might, the enemy will not be conquered. So far as the self, the questioner, exists, he will create new enemy and have to fight continuously. ((The world of "it is not OK."))

Defeating the enemy does not mean saving our self nor answering the question. This is because self can only exist by having non-self, and this non-self is the enemy. The self is the creator of enemy. The questioner will be a questioner no matter how far he goes. He remains to be the creator of questions.

In the hard training, the questioner is the self. There, the self is confronted to non-self, i.e., enemy. This enemy has to be defeated no matter what. Yet, so far as we have self, there is no way this enemy is defeated. Self cannot exist by itself. ((Unless above heaven, below heaven, I am that I am.)) It always try to express the self, prove the power, and desires to have someone to prove that he is that important existence. When self find that there is no others to prove, or to be proud of itself, it loses its self-nature. Restraining one’s own nature ((by hard training)) is a way of expressing its own self.

One cannot go beyond its own self through restraining one’s desire or to follow the moral disciplines. Unless we go beyond the self, however, we will not find the opportunity to solve the problems that is related to searching our existence. Our self has to be thrown out totally. There should be no trace of conflict between self and non-self.

Buddha realized this point from his own experiences. One day, he tried to raise from sitting but he could not. As he did not have enough food to eat, he was weakened to the point where he could not sustain himself. …. He then thought, "If he who has the question has to die now, he will leave the question unresolved and die." So, in order to search this major problem that encompasses everything, he started to eat and attempted to recover his health and energy.

But, how can he move forward from there? Intellect did not bring solution. Hard training did not help much. He had nothing to do. Yet, he wished to resolve the problem much more than before. If his mind was smaller, and weakened, it may have been crushed under the heavy pressure of this problem.

Being cornered to its extreme, his whole existence responded. He now felt that there was no more questions to ask, and there is no self to fight against the enemy. His self, his intellect, his whole existence was thrown into the question. In other words, he became the question itself. The distinction between questioner and the question, self and non-self, is vanished and one undivided "unknown" was left. In this "unknown,’ he was absorbed.

If we picture the scene in our mind, there was no Buddha left to ask questions, no self to realize the ego, and there was no question responding to the intellect that threatens his existence. There was no sky above his head nor no ground under his feet. If we could stand besides Buddha at that time and be able to look into his existence, what we may have found there would be a big question mark that covers the whole universe. If he had any mind, if we could say so, such was the state of his mind. He was there in such a state for a while. And.. when he looked up the sky, he saw the Venus in the early morning sky. The light of the star went straight into his eyes. This event brought his whole consciousness back to the previous/normal state. There was no question that was so strong, so persistent and caused him suffering left anymore. There was a whole world shining under a new light with new meaning.

==

When Mihoko Okamoto visited Daisetz the first time in New York, she was perhaps 15 years old with troubled mind. Daisetz was about 81 then.

She said to him, "I cannot believe people. I feel empty in my life."

To this, Daisetz said, "I see." and nodded.

She felt that they were not the words for affirmation or negation. She felt an impact to her biased mind from this deep vibrating sound.

Then, Daisetz took Mihoko’s hand, opening it and said with tears in his eyes, "This is a beautiful hand. Look, this is a hand of Buddha."

.

Thomas Marton said about Daisetz, referring to the words of Albert Camus, " With those few people, I feel proud of co-existing in this life." Then, he continued to say, "…He is the one everyone really wants to meet. Who else is there? Meeting him and having tea with him, I felt that I met the man. It was like coming back to home after a long journey."

Erich Fromm said, "Should I write about the effect his very presence had on me, on my wife, and so many other friends and colleagues? His love for life, his effect. They tend to make one stronger, more alive, more concentrated….He was always himself, humble, never an "authority."; he never insisted that his view must be followed; he was a man who never aroused fear in anybody….He was an authority by his being, and never because he promised approval or threatened disapproval."

Shido Zenji said, "As we live, like living dead, and dead totally, it is good to do as the mind desire."

((We get troubled with small stuff. But as we leave it alone to the great one, X, we realize we are Buddha also. In Daisetz, Mihoko saw Buddha, or perhaps Bottisatva. In his moist eyes, and the words of Marton, Fromm, and many others, there is something, a great thing alive – forever.))

==

Daisetz responds to Ryomin Akizuki on his experience:

By looking objectively, we cannot get away from Go, karma.
It is the world of necessity.
So, "Not fall into cause and effect."
But looking from inside, within that necessity is the true liberty.
It is the opening of the creative world.
So, "Not to be blinded by the cause and effect."
Then, elbow does not bend backward, and flower is red and willow is green.
It is that obvious.
So, in that constrained necessity is the true liberty.

Akizuki comments:
 This is the experience of Daisetz on this Koan on Elbow at La Salle, after his passing on Mu in Japan. It was his breakthrough.
 Yet, he is on Taichi, big wisdom at this moment. Not Taihi, big compassion, that he developed in his later years.

Daisetz later explained his view on this point as "self-identification of absolute contradiction," logic of immediate denial, "Hannya Sokuhi no Ronri." ((Daisetz seem to emphasize the need to connect to "logic." While commenting Rinzai’s words as full of life jumping around on one occasion, Daisetz seems to feel that by itself it still misses the work of absolute affirmation to exhibit its work on human world as Bodhisattva. – This is my interpretation of his view.))

Ryomin Akizuki discusses further:
Kensho (awakening) is awareness of Byodo-Muso, equality-nodistinction (nothingness). Such is the experience when we first realize the world of dharmakaya, Hosshin-Muso. It is to realize that the self nature is Muso(nothingness). But, often, people get attached to this Muso, or become indulged in Byodo(equality) and fall into the trouble caused by "Golden chain of dharmakaya." Then, true master works hard on his disciple to take away the attachment to dharmakaya. It is the efforts for the disciple to move one step further to realize "Equality is In-equality" (Byodo soku sabetsu) "Nothingness is cause and effect" (Muso soku inga)

- Essence taken from p 152-154 Daisetz, Ryomin Akizuki (Iwanami)

==

Letting Go

Letting go (of our self) has all the dangers. Yet, there is an ultimate will that goes against that. It is a jump in to the unknown beyond the dualistic intellect’s field. It has to be explored individually. It is when conceptual logic has to give away itself to the life experience.

However, we cannot just let go as we wish. It is the last act of human to take. Because this happens only when we realize that there is no other way. So when we are to disconnect the last connection and to let go, how strong that connection becomes! This is what we feel when we are to bring ourselves to be one with the ultimate aim.

To go beyond requires a great search or deliberate thinking. (Christians say, "Seek, ask, knock the door.") But, when we move on the process to the point as it should and matures, then we realize this "letting go." Then, miraculously, an awakening shows up from the bottom of our unconsciousness.

Three phases may explain this process, i.e., accumulation, maturation, and explosion.

--- translated from p.245 Daisetz, vol.4
==

This is what Rinzai says
- The problem is that you cannot believe in your own true nature.
- Because of that, the environment swings you around.
- So, you become the slave of the environment.
- Then, you lose the freedom, and you find that you are not the master of your own.
- If you stop searching for things outside, you will find that you are the same as Buddha.
- Do you want to know Buddha?
- The one that is listening my talk, that is Buddha.
- As you do not have confidence, you look for solution far away.

- My awakening is nothing different from that of Buddha’s.
- There is nothing missing.
- Using the work of six senses, Buddha is free (Yu-zu-muge) as much as I am as well.
- As you recognize this way, you will be taken care of your whole life (Issho Buji).
- The world (San-kai) is like a house in fire. It is not the place to stay long.
- Devils of impermanence may attack us at any moment.
- If you want to be like Buddha, do not look for the laws (dharma) outside of your mind.
- So, grab this true person (Shinjin)
- Who is then talking, and listening the laws?
- It is as obvious as anyone should see in front of your nose. The one that does not have any phase (So), but is beyond the specific dualistic confrontations but is like a absolute thing that shines.
- That is what is talking and listening the laws (dharma).
- If you recognize this way, there is no difference between you and all Buddhas.
- Then whether singing or dancing, you are one with Buddha.

- Yet, as emotional views (Jo-ken) set in, then wisdom will go far away. And when imaginary thoguhts (So-nen) gets in, then your body is not one any more. (Like Kant and Einstein’s words)
- My friends, the mind does not have shape or phase (Gyo-so), it penetrates to ten dimensions.
- The core is one but will find six senses to function.
- When the attached mind is gone, you experience emancipation at any place. ((Thus, Hishiryo, Omushoju nijugoshin))
- Why do you think I am talking like this?
- I am just wanting you to stop searching outside.
- The problem from ancient time for people to stumble into is because of this searching mind.
- You have not gotten this point.
- But true person (Shinjin) can let him be in any circumstance and just follow the karma.
- Any clothes given, just take as they are.
- If desire is there to go, just go. If one wants to sit, then sit. As such is the case throughout the day, or go, live, sit, sleep as it is, there is no thought searching for the fruit of Buddha.

- Old men said, if Buddha become the object to be sought after, then that become the root of endless suffering (Rinne no kongen).
- So do not waste your time. Do not make a big mistake by looking for things/solution outside of your own self.
- Do not try to attain Zen, or the Way. Do not try to study famous sayings, knowledge, or Buddha.
- My friends, there is only one set of parents. What else do you want to get any further?

Reading these, Daisetz comments that he feels the life jumping around. Yet, he further comments that such attitude may tend to take the organized way of studying very lightly.
(essence translated by me from his saying- Rinzai Roku p.174 Daisetz vol. 5)

A monk came to Yakusan and said, "I have a question, can you help me?"
Yakusan said, "Wait until the gathering in the evening. I will solve it, then."
In the evening, people gathered.
Yakusan, "Where is the monk who asked me to solve a question?"
The monk came and stood in front of Yakusan.
Yakusan, "Hey everybody, here is a monk who has a question." Pushing the monk, he left there to go back to his room.

==

"One of the strengths of Zen is to be free, Jizai, be the master, creator, and not be the one being build. Yet, Zen has its weakness as well." (p.276, Daisetz, Vol 15)

"Even if we may say that Zen is like transcending the concept, it does not exclude concept, the philosophy. Being able to think is human, and one cannot live without thinking. Zen thinks, too. It thinks the point beyond thinking ((That’s where the creativity starts. The beginning of Zen.)) In essence, thinking is based on non-thinking, non-thinking works because of thinking ((- in human)). If this point is not grasped, Zen can be de-railed to somewhere odd.

There is a saying, "To think of one yard is not acting on it." But, we also need to realize, "To act on one yard is not thinking on it." It is no use to act like an animal. Even if they act their whole life, they do not know thinking. Thinking is only allowed to humans. The point we need to be very aware is not to abuse, or overuse this nature. The problem is that we are inclined to do that, that is the trouble.

Thinking is philosophy, reflection, logic, and knowledge. Acting is instinct, life, and act. Kill ourselves to do the good for the society, this is tied to thinking. In certain situation, I say, be one with such thinking rather than be one with acting." (p.277, Vol 15)

((I sense this discussion ties to the middle way - the way Buddha lived. Philosophy is one, practice is the other. Then, there is one that has a good balance supported by good principled way. Living in a modern day life requires careful understanding and practicing on this point.))

==

Wish of Daisetz

Religion is not the game for those who have nothing to do. It is not to be seen as a dream in the days of peace. Religion comes out of struggle itself. There is nothing so sincere, or truthful than religion.

If we separate goods and mind, we cannot resolve the problem of humans. We have to grip the one that is not goods nor mind, but goods and mind. Religion is found there. It is good to live, good to die ((Everyday, a good day.)) – then, it becomes possible to struggle, fight, and move forward.

By transcending existence and non-existence, and by jumping into the oneness of life and death, one can function truthfully in this world.

(p.3 Vol. 10)

==

Tears of Daisetz

Several friends got together and had a dinner at a restaurant in Kyoto. Roshi Nishimura brought a story of a monk trained under a master. This monk was one of several monks being trained at the time. Because the temple was poor, they had to sleep wherever they could find a place outside the temple. One day, all of them were walking in line to get some food from the neighbors. Then, this monk saw a guy pushing a heavy load of cart up the hill. Seeing this, he went out of the group and started to help push this cart. Noticing this, the master immediately went back to the temple and told that this monk could not visit the temple anymore. The monk begged as well as his colleagues so that he could stay. Days passed and finally, the master allowed him to come to the temple to continue the training.

Nishimura asked Daisetz, saying that whenever he shared this story in the U.S., he had an opposition from Christians that helping the troubled is the universal nature of our compassion and that they could not understand why this monk was banned to see the master. Listening to this, as they were picking food from the bowl, everybody noticed that old Daisetz was quietly shedding tears. Then, he murmured, "It should be understood. It should be understood (the reason why this master treated the monk this way)."
==

Mr. Shimura, a journalist, asked once to Daisetz, "Why is it that I perceive you look not as great as Shinran or Dogen even though you have accomplished so much?" After a long sigh, Daisetz responded, "It is because of the sincerity. There is no limit to sincerity. More I want to be sincere, there is the repercussion of that I cannot do coming back to me as minus. I lack the energy to face that challenge. I still lack that sincerity..." Mr. Shimura then reflected this moment, "I cannot forget that words of Daisetz, the nuance of it. It was not a long explanation. But I felt as if each word penetrated through my body. Daisetz spoke these words in his infinitely genuine manner. I was moved. But, to him, it was nothing but a natural expression about something he feels missing in him. Yet, I felt such sincerity, coming naturally, is unbound to any limitation and can go anywhere to express itself."

Here is another story: Daisetz said to Shimura, "This is a story related to Ryokan, a Zen master. Once, Ryokan's brother asked Ryokan to comment or lecture to the son as he is not behaving well. So, Ryokan came and had a dinner. But, Ryokan said nothing. Then, as Ryokan was to leave, the son came out to help tying the shoestring for Ryokan. Then, it was told that Ryokan shed tears. This indicates the point: "To know all is to forgive all." Being struck from Ryokan's tears, that son got awakened." Daisetz further explained, "Say, there is someone who developed a character in certain way. If we think that we will become like that person given the same circumstance, we cannot condemn that person. So, would we be quiet? But, we cannot… Yet, we should not say. Or, we cannot say. Such humanistic nature of Ryokan made him to shed tears."

I do not know if my explanation is clear. I also wonder if this is the point of explaining unexplainable. Yet, at the same time, there is something that wants to be expressed, perhaps, tears are the only way out for those limited humans left as a saving grace. If that is called as compassion, empathy or whatever the name we may put, it may be quite a mute point. I just feel that all Daisetz's work, if not his whole life, is originated from that unexplainable origin.

==

Mihoko Okamura helped Daisetz T. Suzuki in many ways during his last 15 years of his life. (Suzuki lived to almost 96 years of age.) Among topics I talked with Mihoko san in our last conversation, we both felt that "An Introduction of Zen Buddhism" is his master piece if not the master piece of all Zen books written by all Roshi’s. Of course, she may be biased as she lived with Daisetz and traveled everywhere with him to help him. I may be also biased as I found his works and him as a person as most appealing as genuine human being.

What was funny is that we were re-reading this book when we talked the last time, by coincidence. I recommend this book for anyone. In spite of the fact that the title denotes as "introduction" to Zen, this book should be read and be studied fully – if not lived with. If you do read, you may find clarity and creative energy of Daisetz coming through these pages. Koans are tough but may make us to work on these over years to come.

Here are few points of our conversation:
- Satori, enlightenment, is the same as "letting go"
- "When I say good morning and you respond good morning, there is Zen and Satori. So why it can be difficult, Mihoko san -- get that?" was a comment from Daisetz at one occasion
- Daisetz tried in his entire life to share the importance to live in truth through Zen with his works.
- Under a great doubt is a great Satori. Koan is a way to get this doubt and may help Zen people to work his way even after Satori to be free-er (and not be attached to the experience of Satori)
- To think to work with Koan is the only way may be a digression.
- Daisetz felt unfair in his early life when he lost father and the family was very poor.
- If one has no doubt in life, that is a problem by perhaps living like a robot, programmed way of living that is.
- After Satori is a continued work to be free
- When Hisamatsu, a Zen master, says I have no Bonno, and when Daisetz says, I have full of Bonno, they mean the same thing even though they sound different in conventional mind.
- Zen is free from dualistic views as shown above.
- Satori is a personal experience. One big Satori as Hisamatsu says and big and small ones as Hakuin says may be seen as same depending on one’s view.
- Satori is like touching live wire in our brain, and live creatively, truthful. Nothing is more important than that.
- Even though people going through strict exercise at Zen temples may be limited, Daisetz had to work to make people aware of the potentials that cannot be reached by conventional wisdom.
- Eckhart and Eno(6th Part.) may be a case zazen may not be needed – even though it may offer a short cut.
- Sakyamuni, however, brought vairous ways of teaching depending on the people. To be caught up in certain doctrine may be contrary to his teaching
- To have great doubt is the first step to live truthfully.
- After Satori, analysis may be carried out to explain the experience so that the "understanding" may be put in use in conducting our life.
- Daisetz considered bringing the awareness and purpose of Zen is the first step for Westerners.
- He shared Zen and Shinshu/Myoko-nin as approaches to go beyond such awareness.
- Daisetz’s books are built on rigorous intellectual work while in his personal life, he showed his genuine human act.
==

Searching for the Ox

Daisetz’s brief lecture on ten cow herding pictures taken from Daisetz Vol. 14, p.191

1st : Searching for the cow
To search is the beginning of trouble. In reality, there is nothing lost. Yet, thinking lost and we search. Then, to search is to realize that the stuff is in front of our eyes. But it takes lots of searching before we realize that.

2nd: Finding the footprint
It is not hidden. We already have it.

3rd: Finding the cow
Since it exist already, there is nothing magical about it. Because it exists, we find it. If there is nothing there, we cannot find it.

4th : Catching the cow
It is OK to find it, but we may want to get it to our own. To do this, each person has to find his own way.

5th.: Herding the cow
This is when one is gotten used to the situation. Even if the cow is released, it follows us. This indicates the needs of us going through training (to get to this stage).

6th.: Sitting on the cow
Describe the state of freedom.

7th. 8th.: Forgetting ma and the cow
There is no man above the saddle and no horse below the saddle. Forget ourselves. This is the state of samadhi. Here we see the pure state of self.

9th.: Return to the origin
(He observed things undergoing changes.)

10th.:
If we do not have this state, there is no Zen or religion. If we just sit in the forest or in the mountain like Rakan or arhat, it may be OK for him. ((i.e., Hinayana)) Yet, in our world, there are inequality, and suffering. It is caused by searching the individual’s own benefit, not considering the benefits of the total society. So, finding the benefit for our own has to become for the benefits of the others. Thus, Buddhists should go into the world of dualism. ((Because public suffers, I suffer. – Yuima)) Not just giving away moneys for those poor, but create something that help improve the social organization. We then use our power and authority not for our own. Those who have academic background, money, those are not for those people alone. These are not to be used for them alone but for the public. If so, we cannot be just quietly sitting here. We need to go out and work. Ten cow herding pictures explain the process of development of our spirit/consciousness.

(For more complete description of ten cow herding pictures, see Daisetz Suzuki, p.371-, Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series)

==

((Here are my overview after reflection, reading for example, p.398, Vol. 14, and p.46, Vol. 14.))

• Beginning from Buddha’s Enlightenment to create the movement in Buddhism over centuries and across the world, we find a continuous flow of life energy. Naturally, the expression of this life energy is found in any human activities or in nature, e.g., from seeds to grow a tree. All organizational development process follows through this pattern.
• Buddha was asked by Bonten, imaginary Gods, to share his wisdom with the public – just like any parents would try to pass the learning to their children. This is an expression of life energy in the form of compassion. As a part of social being, all of us take nutrition from the flow, digest it as our own, and add to it what we can. Not just to maintain the form, organization goes through metamorphoses. There is no stopping. The question is how we add our portion in this flow in our life. The question is whether or not there is life in that process. Whether big or small in scale, as we channel that energy, we see miracles, we are part of that miracle, we are the miracle.
• Ones with money try to increase his possession. There is evolution of religions, reflecting to who we are. Then, our civilization advances over time. These are the expressions of the life energy, or X. It is an organic process, a creative process, a collective process, and a form of evolution of the universe. We may identify ourselves with this liveliness. We are the liveliness, the life energy, the universe represented in us.
• Life is a process of going through suffering. Suffering represents hurdles. God, or X, provides opportunities for us to grow as human by giving us such experiences. Organizationally and individually, we are to grow and seek for freedom, solving problems, and going beyond infinite numbers of hurdles. This is simply following the nature’s way. In the process of going through hurdles, individual’s experiences are tied to organization’s experiences, and vice versa. So, just looking into one’s own experience and not relate to the social experience misses the point. It is a dynamic, interactive process.
• In the suffering is the solution because the whole process is made in such a way, following the laws of nature. Where the problems are, the solutions are found inside. In the suffering is the new life growing as seeds of creation to go beyond. This realization is the absolute affirmation of nature’s way. Because of suffering, humans can experience the state of wonder that animals or God cannot experience.
• Once we are awakened, or get the learning, we can tie that to the society, the trees and flowers and the universe. We change the universe, the universe change us. Everything become one. We become one with the flower, stone, suffering of others, everything is an expression of this dynamic flow of the universe. There, wisdom and compassion flows out continuously. It is the continuous, interactive process. Miracle happens as an expression of energy. Wounds are healed, suffering overcome, new species are born, and evolution continues. Whether we are great or not, we express ourselves and feed our contribution forward to this flow. If there is difference, it is a matter of degree we express ourselves.
• Intellect itself does not do much to express ourselves and contribute in this flow. There has to be emotion and will, connecting to the core of our being – as found in the case of mother raising kids. It is an interactive, holistic process. There is no independent self because the society, and everything else constitute self. We are the reflection and vice versa. We cannot separate ourselves from the rest but to constitute the whole. In other words, everything else supports or connects our "self" – like a network. When one moves everything else also move. When there is sin committed by someone, we have collectively contributed in that process.
• When Buddha was awakened, he realized the function of life energy within him - the function of the universe reflected in him*. Yet, he also realized that the function is not his own, independent of others**. So, he went out to the public to help others. His whole life represents the message he delivered. The first experience* is wisdom; the second** is compassion. The difference is Hinayana and Mahayana, or arhat/Rakan and Bottisatva. Yet, the origin is the same. It shows how the growth is taking place, how the flow is developed.
• We see such movement in our individual life. We cannot complete our personal development by our own. The same is true for the company, and our society.
• Just like learning to swim, we get the knowledge, practice it, and forget the knowledge when we master the art. We are not there yet, unless we get to the point where we do not recognize who did the job. So, if we are conscious, it is a step. But we need to throw away such consciousness eventually to be a master, for awakening, for total absorption in this flow.
• Then, out of the wisdom comes compassion. Helping our own and others has to happen. Compassion comes from our instinctive sense to feel pity of others and our own. Even a criminal may jump into the water to save a drowning child. Philosophically, this comes from the fact that self can only be supported by non-self. Self-help, then, does not end there but to help others. When there are many of those who are much worse off, and miserable, what can we do? We cannot just sit and watch. We want to provide our resources to help them. It is a part of the whole movement for us to work as our life’s mission.

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(Some modification was done by me to post on the club…)

Modern life may proceed to suffocate humanity if each of us does not do anything about it. It is a big error we can make, or we have been making. An example of error is found in mechanized way of conducting our life, including how we think. Science, logic prevails and programs, machines and processes organize our life. We spend time here and time there, jumping around, and everything is seen as temporary on our way to progress – so we think.

Compared to this, the earth, the ground under our feet, is eternity itself. As an example to relate to it, traditional Japanese houses are melted in nature, creating an environment to settle people’s troubled minds – like grounding electricity to the zero base. Here, the question is how we find the harmony between the life tied with the earth/eternal home and our modern life? This is a big question each of us needs to resolve. This is a question of our spirit, creativity, and compassion.

When we get frustrated at work, feeling like a slave of work, or victim of the situation, we feel like going away from the constraints to regain the status as being "human" for freedom, and being able to breathe the air deeply. Further away from the base, our home, or the earth, we travel, the needs gets stronger. There is some energy or power that affects people to sense this and yarn to conduct our life to fulfill such desire.

Some may choose to resolve such sense by drinking, for example. But, instead of being the victim of work, we may next find ourselves being consumed by the drink. So, we may be again lost, unable to find the intrinsic value as being a human. We may then search for more stimulation externally, e.g., stock market, drug, sex, etc. etc., thus losing ourselves, losing the sense to listen to the voice from the home, earth, our heart.

We came from the earth and return to the earth. Then, new life is created again, and again. The earth contains everything, produces everything. It is our Mother Nature, having un-measurable compassion and wisdom. Whether beautiful or ugly, it contains everything. We cannot be away from the earth. We explore, jump and reach a far, yet our feet are on this ground, never leaving. To leave the earth, or this foundation, is not to be human.

One way to notice this Mother Nature is to go back to our home where we were raised in our early life, we sense all memories of activities from long time ago even containing all ancestors in it. We feel settled, relaxed, and fit to belong there. I am not quite certain if this is really true for everyone. But, I tend to believe that everybody has such a base, either physically, mentally, spiritually, or all of those. We all came from there and conduct our live upon such foundation even if we do not necessarily recognize that way.

Identifying such a foundation also provides us the opportunity to reflect on our modern life. Religion and spirituality have the same notion – to find the home within our mind. If we lose it, we cannot live as human. It is a very sad state. The only way to not to lose such sense is to return to the home and reflect on things happening in our life - seriously reflecting, and to be connected to the ground, the earth, the spiritual home, our heart. There are things externally imposed in our modern day life, making us to turn our eyes outward. But we need to have a base in our mind to conduct our life. And if we have such a base or not to forget to cultivate such a foundation, I am sure that we should be able to solve the issues in this modern day world.

Note:

• Life is compared to walking on a way. Buddhism talks about the middle way. The above notion of living by touching the ground is a notion we can be reminded while each of us continue our journey.
• Because of accumulation of knowledge, tradition, etc., we create this civilization. If we take things for granted, we will lose the foundation (and will be punished or have to pay the price somehow.) To be appreciative of things and not take things for granted, or not being wasteful is connected to this point.

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(Inspired by Daisetz)

Most of us do not have a center in our mind. As a result, our mind swings depending on the situation. As an example, fame or money may be seen as important. But do we think we cannot live without them? Is it the core in our life?

If we think of these as important, we get jealous to other people who have them. We feel ups and down in our emotion just like a small boat on the turbulent sea. To feel envious is a sign of our limitation. It is the emotion of person without the center. Or, we may say that in such a person, there is no organization, perspectives, but rather a chaotic mind state.

To have a center in our mind is the same as finding something without which we cannot live. It is the reason for life; it is the basis of what we are. If we live without such sense, the whole life may be seen as wasted. In other words, we are to create our own universe. Life then is an expression of such creative process.

Funny, but we may find us struggling to become someone else. We may seek for something that is viewed good, such as having a house of certain kind, status, or even a facial expression, cool behavior, etc. Trying to imitate these and we may end our life. Zen asks us in our word to express the essence of Zen without using the words of others. It asks to kill Buddha to find Buddha. It says A is not A but "A." Even a small creation, it is our creation if it is found by our own.

Copying knowledge, copying thoughts, a part of us are thus developed. There are places we see it meaningful. But there is one thing that is not copied. That is our life, our reason of existence. After all we are not meant to be a robot. It is ourselves to make the decision if we want to live our own life. So ask again, what is the original face before our parents are born? And if we find one, after shedding blood and tears, let us keep that sense, organize our life upon that principle, and live accordingly as best as we can.

Above heaven, below heaven, I am that I am.
Live as a master, not to become the slave of anything.
These are the words of an awakened man.

Let me add one thought here. Do we get disturbed when something does not happen as expected? If so, we may be the slaves of such thought if we cannot clear such thought and still positive about our life. French proverb says: "Those who know all, forgive all." Can we find us in the state of joyful play instead of person with constrained thoughts?