Some people,
not knowing the essential emptiness
of good and evil, think practical cultivation of mind
means to sit rigidly immobile, subduing mind
and body, like a rock placed
on top of grass.
This is ludicrous.
That is why it is said that followers
cut off confusion in every state of mind,
yet the mind that does the cutting
off is a brigand.
realize what is already always present
Like entrusting yourself
to a brave person when greatly afraid,
by entrusting yourself to the awakening mind,
you will be swiftly liberated, even if you
have made appalling errors.
It is useless to
discuss the peace of the world.
What is necessary just now is to create peace
in ourselves that we, ourselves, become examples of
love, harmony and peace. That is the only
way of saving the world
and ourselves.
enlightenment is not apart from the world
To be unstained
in all environments is called no-thought…
If you stop thinking of the myriad things, and cast aside
all thoughts, as soon as one instant of thought is
cut off, you enter another realm.
The Dharma of no-thought means:
even though you see all things, you do not
attach to them, but, always keeping your own nature
pure, cast the six thieves of the senses to
exit through the six gates.
Even though you are
in the midst of the six dusts,
you do not stand apart from them,
yet are not stained by them, and
are free to come and go.
We say
to practice zazen
without any gaining idea,
without any purpose. Let things work
as they do, supporting everything as your own.
Real practice has orientation or direction, but it has
no purpose or gaining idea, so it can include everything
that comes. Whether it is good or bad doesn’t matter.
If something bad comes: “Okay, you are a part
of me;” and if something good comes,
“Oh, okay.” Because we don’t have
any special goal or purpose
of practice, it doesn’t
matter what
comes.