leaving the way to the way

hexagram 43, kuai / breakthrough (resoluteness)

 

Forget all ideas 

of accomplishing something — 

in your practice and everywhere 

else. Everything is already 

accomplished. 

 

If this sounds 

like a tricky idea to you, 

the flaw is in your understanding 

of reality, not in reality 

itself.

 

Allowing nature 

to manifest is the way 

of the Way. By setting aside 

our ambitions and leaving

the Way to the Way, 

we perfect the

Way.

 

Wei wu Wei Ching, Chapter 43

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one who meets daito face to face

your old home town

 

As with the classical

Chinese teachers of the Tang dynasty,

Shuho maintained that awakening was central to

Buddhist practice. In a document called Daito’s Testament, he

reminded his students, “You have come here not for food or clothing

but for religion. As long as you have a mouth, you will have food;

as long as you have a body, you will have clothes. Don’t concern

yourself with these. Be mindful throughout your waking

hours; time flies like an arrow, don’t waste it with

concern over worldly matters.”

 

He went on to tell his disciples

that even if they were to become the abbots

of wealthy monasteries and received the respect of

the laity and nobility, even if they were rigorous in their practice

of meditation and ritual activities, but they lacked awakening, they were

no more than members of the “tribe of evil spirits.” Conversely, if they

were poverty stricken, lived in a ramshackle hermitage, and ate

only what wild food they gathered in the forests and

yet they were awakened, then they would be

“one who meets me face to face

and repays my kindness.”

 

Daito Kokushi

years of hunger beneath gojo bridge

 

everything is buddha

on this date a buddha was born

 

There is no distinction

between heaven and earth, man and woman,

teacher and disciple. Sometimes a man bows to a woman;

sometimes a woman bows to a man. Sometimes the disciple bows

to the master; sometimes the master bows to the disciple. A master

who cannot bow to his disciple cannot bow to Buddha.

Sometimes the master and disciple bow together

to Buddha. Sometimes we may bow

to cats and dogs.

 

In your big mind,

everything has the same value.

Everything is Buddha himself. You see something

or hear a sound, and there you have everything just as it is.

In your practice you should accept everything as it is, giving to

each thing the same respect given to a Buddha. Here there

is Buddhahood. Then Buddha bows to Buddha,

and you bow to yourself. This is

the true bow.

 

Shunryu Suzuki

zen mind, beginner’s mind