Author Archives: zenhantz

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The goal of Buddhism

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The goal of Buddhism is to reach enlightenment (Nirvana) by extinguishing all the fires of craving. And/or embrace the divine (Satori) by being in the perfect now.

On the way to tranquility the seeker gains insight and learns through the Dhammapada, hundreds of discourses, sayings and precepts, the way of truth.  The master believed that the softer side of religion was impractical, in this day and age of rapid change and alienation, and led to inner conflict so he emphasized the real over the ephemeral.  Also, since he was Japanese he emphasized the Zen of his culture (existence and mood) and the Zen Buddhism of his teachings. He also asserted that, “The Zen of medieval Japan is as much use to us as a rusty old sword.”

Happiness and openness come from our own contented heart.

Satoru

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Bushido has seven principles to guide a Samurai.

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My master had a secret that he did not talk about.  After years and many questions he finally revealed that he had chosen the practical side of Buddhist transcendentalism, but incorporated Taoism naturalism, (The Way,) and wedded pragmatic Christianity, because he was Samurai.

As such he also lived by the code of bushido which has seven principles to guide a Samurai, the most outstanding being honor, the only canon to be written with two pictograph symbols.  The principles are,

Honor (Meiyo)

The honorable person has integrity and is trusted.  A person without honor is not grounded or centered and will never see the light.

Duty & Loyalty (Chu)

Difficult and easy support each other.  High and low depend on each other.  The best leader is loved.  Next, one who is feared.

Justice & Morality (GI)

Justice is the advantage of the stronger. Thrasymachus

Complete Sincerity (Makoto)

The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.

Polite Courtesy (Rei)

You are a guest in the world.  Streams flow to the sea because they are lower.  Humility gives its power to the oceans.

Compassion (Jin)

Keep your heart as open as the sky.  Enter a battle gravely, with sorrow and with great compassion for many will die.

Heroic Courage (Yu)

All things change.  Hold on to nothing.

Satoru
www.samuraizen.com

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Buddhist transcendentalism

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My master was not a chauvinist and taught women and men with equal vigor.  Ergo he used he and she synonymously and therefore some passages in these writing are feminine as well as masculine.  Understand that we are all potentially the Master and as such a masculine stereotype would be a limited teaching.

My master had a secret that he did not talk about.  After years and many questions he finally revealed that he had chosen the practical side of Buddhist transcendentalism, but incorporated Taoism naturalism, (The Way,) and wedded pragmatic Christianity, because he was Samurai.

Satoru

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Secrets

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So many secrets over time have been lost since they were not written down. For example, the art of making the incredible steel for Samurai swords by folding the metal again and again and adding different amounts of coke to the fires. I made what I believe to be the scholars’ decision of sharing the years of teachings I loved and respected.

“You cannot live in the world like Jesus or the Buddha although you must be moral in the deepest sense.”

Satoru
www.samuraizen.com

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Share your knowledge.

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Zen Buddhism, among many other things, is a secret collection of questions, stories, aphorisms, and teachings leading to an enlightened state.  A novice can only learn the secret interpretations through years of exploration and passage with a master while embracing deep meditation (za-zen).  So much of the Buddha’s wisdom was communicated orally and it took hundreds of years for the cumulative knowledge to be recorded.  Learning from my master and believing that when you share your knowledge you gain immortality I have tried to record and present to you some of the essence of the teaching.

“Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.”

Satoru
www.samuraizen.com