Celebrating Rohatsu

Today... December 8th, is the remembrance of Shakyamuni Buddha's day of gaining Fully Awakened, Seamless Mind. He was 35 years old, having practiced meditation for many years. In his final push of 49 days, he practiced zazen, ceaselessly.

As the Morning Star rose in the sky in the early morning, seeing it, Siddhartha completely dissolved all barriers and illusions of mind and became Enlightened, experiencing Nirvana. Having done so, Siddhartha now became a Buddha or "Awakened One."

This moment became an opportunity for each of us, to come to know the Truth of our lives. My personal feeling is, This opportunity is best expressed in Hakuin Ekaku Zenji's poem, "Song of Zazen," as translated from the Chobozenji Sutra Book.

"Sentient beings are primarily all Buddhas.
It is like ice and water,
Apart from water no ice can exist;
Outside sentient beings, where do we find the Buddhas?

Not knowing how near the Truth is,
We seek it far away,--what a pity!
We are like him who,
in the midst of water,
Cries in thirst so imploringly;
We are like the child of a wealthy person,
Who worries about having enough money.

The reason why we transmigrate through the
six worlds Is because we are lost in the darkness
of ignorance;

Going astray further and further
in the darkness,
When are we able to be free
from birth-and-death?

As for Zazen practice in the Mahayana,
We have no words to praise it fully.
The virtues of perfection such
as charity, morality, etc.
And the invocation of the Buddha's name,
Confession, and ascetic discipline,
And many other good deeds of merit-
All these return into THIS!

Those who have practice zazen,
Even for just one sitting,
Will see all their evil karma erased;
Nowhere will they find the evil paths,
But the Pure Land will be near at hand.

With a reverential heart,
if we hear this Truth even once,
And praise it, and gladly embrace it,
We will surely be blessed most infinitely.
But, if we concentrate within,
And testify to the truth that
Self-nature is no-nature,
We have really gone beyond foolish talk.

The gate of the oneness
of cause and effect is opened;
The path independent of differentiation
runs straight ahead.

To regard the form of no-form as form,
Whether going or returning,
we cannot be any place else;
To regard the thought of no-thought
as thought,
Whether singing or dancing,
we are the voice of the Dharma.
How boundless the cleared sky of Samadhi!
How transparent the perfect moonlight
of the Fourfold Wisdom!

At that moment what more need we seek?
As the Truth eternally calm reveals itself,
This very place is the Lotus Land of Purity,
This very body is the Body of the Buddha."

I'm hoping that we on a path that can bring us,happiness, freedom and peace. I'm hoping we can celebrate the miracle that is our life.

Happy Rohatsu,

Seiho, Curator
digitalZENDO