Having reached Satori, and suffered the pain of death and rebirth, I share with you some adages, secret writings, proverbs, maxims, quotes, and ordinary expressions to challenge your thinking and, if read at a leisurely pace and given some concentration, enhance your existence. Please understand that I present to you a paraphrased, contradictory, extremely interpreted, simplification of the lengthily and circuitous route that can lead to Satori or enlightenment.
Satoru
Sometimes virtuous practitioners have taught Buddhism like the gently nagging of a little old lady. Although teaching with love is always excellent my Zen master believed that in this day and age of rapid acceleration and the ability to absorb multiple images, even though Zen understanding deepens slowly, that we had better move along and keep the momentum. So he eliminated the ethereal, impractical sayings and gongans from his teachings and concentrated on the practical and operative aspects of Zen. He also asserted that although he was a Zen Buddhist that Buddhism and Zen may be kissing cousins, but they are not married and that Zen stands by itself, singularly like a different musical instrument.
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.
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
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
A Way To Live – ZEN 