Sit

by Taisen Deshimaru

  SOZAN (840-901). Close disciple of Tozan (the "so"and the "to" in their names were eventually put together to make up the word "soto ). Famous primarily for his development of the theory of the five go-i.

  SUNYATA (see ku).

  SUTRA (Sanskrit, kyo in Japanese). Literally "a thread on which jewels are strung. " Buddhist scriptures. The sermons of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Hinayana sutras were originally recorded in Pali, the Mahayana in Sanskrit. The Zen school, as opposed to all other Buddhist schools, does not depend on any particular sutra, but on all and on none alike.

  SUZUKI, Professor D.T. (1870-1966). Buddhist scholar, translator and great promulgator of Zen in the East and West. An adherent to the koan method for obtaining satori. He wrote over one hundred books.

  SUZUKI, Shunryu (1905-1971). Great American-based Soto master. Arrived in the United States at the age of fifty-three. Settled in San Francisco where he taught the practice of zazen until his death at sixty-six.

  TENZO. Head cook. Also, one of the most important monks in the Zen hierarchy, in one of the most challenging positions in the temple or monastery.

  THALAMUS. Region located in the center of the brain and above the hypothalamus. Region through which pass sensory impulses on their way out to the cerebral cortex. The thalamus regulates the circulation of energy and it works as a link or exchange-center between the primitive (instinctive) and the non-primitive (cerebral) brain hemispheres. For this reason, the term "thalamus" (much as the term "hypothalamus") is used to denote the instinctive or primitive brain. (See hypothalamus.)

  TOKUSAN (782-865). Disciple of Ryutan and master of Seppo. Once a famous scholar of the Diamond Sutra, he burned his books and sutras to follow the way and practice zazen. Great Tang dynasty Chan master. Though of the Soto lineage, he was known, among other things, for his heavy use of the stick (zusan).

  TOZAN (Tung-shan in Chinese, 807-869). Great chan master of the late Tang dynasty. Disciple of Ungan and master of Ungo Doyo, and himself regarded as the founder of the Soto school. The "to" of Soto came from the "To" in "Tozan" and, according to some sources, the "So"of "Soto" refers to Mount Sokei, where Eno, the 6th Patriarch, lived. Author of the Hokyo Zan Mai, one of the basic Zen texts, and still recited in Zen monasteries in Japan. Also formulated the "five go-i theory of Soto Zen." Tozan's outstanding characteristic was his independence in regard to all religious dogma and all established, stereotyped teaching. Known for his gentleness (men mitsu).

  WANSHI (Hung-chih in Chinese, 1091-1157). Wanshi and his brother Shingetsu (d. 1151) were both disciples of Tanka (d. 1119). Chinese Soto master of great repute and much admired by Dogen. Created the expression "mokusho Zen" (silent sitting Zen) in answer to the expression "kanna Zen" (koan-talking Zen). Compiled the Shoyo Roku (the sayings of previous Chan masters), and composed the first Zazenshin (later re-adapted by Dogen).

  WASA. Technique. Term used in Budo. A sort of super-technique transmitted from master to disciple. The budo-wasa dates back to the historical epoch of the samurai. A power, or force, beyond individual strength.

  WATTS, Alan (1915-1973). Born is England, died in France and lived in California. Famous for his popular writings on Zen.

  YOKA DAISHI (see Genkaku).

  ZAFU. Cushion on which one sits when in zazen. Packed with kapok. (The Buddha and his disciples used zafus packed with dried grass.)

  ZAZEN (Tso-chan in Chinese). Za means to sit, and zen means the intellectual functioning or "the philosophy. " So it means to sit with legs crossed on a zafu, facing a wall, in a quiet place. To sit in zazen means to give one's entire body and mind to the present moment. The practice of being here now. To sit in complete concentration, without koans, kensho, chanting or praying; to sit without anything. Zazen is Shikantaza only.

  ZEN (Chan in Chinese, dhyana in Sanskrit). Branch of Mahayana Buddhism. Introduced into Japan from mainland China by masters Eiai and Dogen, during the twelfth century. A religion whose teachings and practice come directly from the Buddha Shakyamuni in India, and from the 1st Patriarch, Bodhidharma, in China. Being a meditative religion, the word "Zen" is often used in the same sense as "zazen. " Includes two distinct schools, Rinzai and Soto. (See Chan.)

  ZUSAN. Negligent, indelicate; wild, rough and inattentive. Word used by master Dogen to denote Rinzai Zen. (See men-mitsu for its opposite.)

  1. Okubo,Doshu. Paper delivered to a conference of Soto Zen educators, 1976. (Kosen Nishyyama and John Stevens, translators.) Professor Okubo was former president of Zen University of Sendai Fukushi.

  2. Dumoulin, Heinrich. Zen Buddhism: A History. New York: Macmillan, 1988, p. 180.

  3. cited in: Deshimaru, Roshi Taisen. The Voice of the Valley, Zen Teachings, Roshi Taisen Deshimaru. Philippe Coupey (editor). Old Tappan, N.J.: Bobbs-Merrill, CO, 1979.

  4. Gensha (d. 908) let his father drown in the river. Freed thereby from the father-son tradition, he was finally able to follow the way. See Glossary.

  5. Dogen came from an aristocratic background, while Kodo Sawaki and Gensha came from backgrounds of great poverty.

  6. Finney, Henry, Ph.D. `American Zen's 'Japan Connection': A Critical Case Study of Zen Buddhism's Diffusion to the West," Sociological Analysis, 1991, 52:4, p. 395.

  7. Sivarksa, S. A Talk at Bad Ball Academy, Germany, April 13, 1986 (printed in Seeds of Peace, a review published in Bangkok, Thailand).

  SESSION 1

  1. Known for its Spartan approach to education.

  2. Professor Heinrich Dumoulin writes that "...this account of Rinzai's great experience belongs among the most famous cases of enlightenment in Zen history."(In Zen Buddhism: A History. New York: Macmillan, 1988.)

  3. On his return from China, Dogen wrote about master Rinzai with admiration and respect; and twelve years later he wrote about him again, though this time more critically.

  4. Master Deshimaru, in quoting from the Rinzai Roku and other texts written originally in Japanese or Chinese (as he does throughout this sesshin), often spontaneously adapted the translations to suit the needs of his listeners in the present situation. At other times he translated directly from these original texts, also rendering spontaneously. Unless otherwise stated, the reader is advised to consider the translations of the texts mentioned in the Master's teaching to be his own adaptations, not the verbatim versions of translators.

  According to Schloegl, I. (translator) The Zen Teaching of Rinzai (The Record of Rinzai), Berkeley, CA: Shambhala, 1976, p. 13, these last three sentences read as follows: "Rather, is there some skillful general to deploy his troops and hoist his standards? Let him step forward and prove his skill before the assembly."

  5. Freely adapted from Schloegl, #ld, p.14.

  6. Shobogenzo: Shobo means the absolute truth concerning the Dharma (i. e. the truth concerning the truth); gen means eye (i.e., that which wakes up to the true truth); zo means storehouse or treasury (i.e., the place where the eye wakes up to the true truth).

  7. See mondo concerning this matter: July 27, 10 A.M., A dojo is a holy place, not a hospital.

  8. Tozan and Sozan were famous Chinese Zen masters of the ninth century. The To and the So in their names were eventually put together to make up the word "Soto." The well-known Goi method (or Five Steps), introduced by Tozan and further developed by Sozan, is a philosophical arrangement of the two basic Soto texts, Sandokai and Hokyo Zan Mai.

  9. See skandhas in Glossary.

  10. See Four Principles of Rinzai in Glossary.

  11. Here, as elsewhere, the master is citing a Soto mondo by way of comparison with the above mentioned Rinzai mondo.

  12. See Schloegl, #4b, c and #5a, b, p. 16.

  13. Some people sit in the back during the ceremony and only watch.

  14. On a list of the master's closer disciples, the best, or the "golden," are on top.

  15. The master's only financial backer at this time.

  16. It is recounted that master Taigu, on hearing Rinzai's question ("What is the essence of Buddhism?"), hit Rinzai much
as Rinzai then hit Obaku.

  17. Slight adaptation from Schloegl, #10, p.19.

  18. The master comments fully on Genjo Koan later; see Session 3, August 12, 8:30 P.M., Genjo: The Highest Realization.

  19. See endnote #44, Session 3.

  20. Here the master adapts Rinzai's Principles to the matter at hand.

  21. There are basically two kinds of shiho, the one being the transmission from patriarch to patriarch, the transmission of mind, of the Dharma (Deshimaru's first response to the question, "What is shiho?"), and the other being the transmission from temple chief to temple chief (referred to in this section). These days, this latter shiho is usually given patrimonially, that is, from father to son.

  22. Master Deshimaru first experienced Zen under a Rinzai master.

  23. Dogen wrote thirty poems assembled together under the title Sansho Doei, and they deal with mind during zazen.

  24. Certificate of lineage, of geneology, transmitted from Buddha and the patriarchs to the disciple. Given by the master when the disciple receives the monk ordination.

  25. That is, which doctrine, which teaching, which practice is the truest and the best?

  26. Deshimaru is freely adapting from the Rinzai Roku as translated by Schloegl (The Zen Teaching of Rinzai, #1 la, pp. 19-20).

  27. Mu: nothing. This exchange, which occurred during the latter Tang dynasty, and known as "Joshu's mu," has become the most famous koan of all times (see Glossary).

  28. Violet kolomo: also referred to as the purple robe or the variegated Dharma robe. Sometimes these robes are passed down from master to disciple, sometimes from the emperor, governor or other to the master. Masters of the Soto line rarely, if ever, wear their purple robes and sometimes they even refuse them outright as did Doshin, Fuyo Dokai, Nyojo, Dogen, etc. "He who takes delight in a beautiful robe is a lowly man," Nyojo once said to Dogen. "Any dusty rag conforms to the old monk tradition. Remember this."

  Anyway, scholars and others often confuse the word "robe" with the word "kesa,"not understanding that the difference is to be found, not in the garment's shape or form, but in its essence. Unlike with the robe, the kesa is given by the master to his disciple, usually during the monk ordination. It is a question of who gives the garment-if it is the emperor who gives the garment, then it becomes a matter of shape, color, quality and value, and therefore it is called the "robe." But if it is a master, a patriarch or a Buddha who gives it, then whatever the shape, color or quality, it is called a "kesa. "

  SESSION 2

  1. There are approximately one hundred fifty new arrivals. This, minus the number of people who have left the session, give us a count of about two hundred fifty.

  2. D.T. Suzuki is universally celebrated for his great ability in promulgating Zen in the East and West. But as far as zazen, or sitting meditation is concerned, Suzuki is not known at all. For this reason, among others, he has a large intellectual following in the Zen world. "...apart from the koan exercise," writes Suzuki (in his Introduction To Zen Buddhism, New York: Grove Press, 1964, p. 101), " the practice of zazen is a secondary consideration."

  3. Due to the large number of German people present, these kusens (oral teachings) are presently being translated into on-the-spot German.

  4. "Rinzai's zen style has earned him the name General Rinzai," writes the contemporary master, Hisamatsu, of the Rinzai school. (In, The Collected Works of Hisamatsu Shinichi. Vol. vi, "Kyoroku-shu." Tokyo: Risosha, 1973.)

  5. The last two days were hosan, holiday. Of the two hundred or more at the previous sesshin, only about fifty stayed on. During the "holiday" many of us helped out on the premises, getting the place ready for the next wave of arrivals, etc.; others meanwhile went hiking in the Alps or hung out at the local bar in Val d'Isere, the Santa Lucia.

  6. i.e., look at yourselves.

  7. Castaneda, Carlos. The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1968.

  8. Short staff with a long tuft of horse or yak hair knotted at one end, and often carried by a Zen master. Good for chasing off flies, demons and other vermin.

  9. Kito: A magic ceremony, a prayer, an invocation, of low dimension, but usually well renumerated. A person wishing longevity, good health, success in his affairs or whatever, requests the kito priest (normally an abbot or other temple chief) to make him a kind of petition to heaven in return for gifts and money. The bigger the gift the bigger the petition. Used by emperors, governors and the common people-for instance farmers will request a kito for rain during the dry season-and a priest of this caliber can make a very good living performing such ceremonies, especially today.

  10. Narita Roshi: One of Deshimaru's co-disciples under master Kodo Sawaki.

  11. Eisai (1141-1215) : Founder of Rinzai Zen in Japan.

  12. While Kukai (d. 835), a Japanese monk, went to China and brought back Chinese Tantric Buddhism, and while Denkyo (d. 822), also a Japanese monk went to China and brought back the Chinese Tendai teaching, Eisai, another Japanese monk, went to China and brought back the Zen teachings of Rinzai. So, now it was Dogen's turn, and in 1227 he came back with the Soto teaching of Nyojo.

  It should perhaps be added that these were no pleasure trips. The boats were flat-bottomed (keels were yet to be invented), and the monks embarked on the voyage to China at the risk of their lives. In fact, it is on record that more than half of them drowned at sea.

  13. i.e., by not sinking into sleepy darkness, nor by rising into wakeful agitation, one makes room for cosmic consciousness.

  14. She is not the same mad woman referred to in Session 1.

  15. The master is here using an historic Soto mondo (i.e., the Dogen-tenzo mondo), in order to compare it with the preceeding Rinzai-type mondos.

  16. Unmon (d. 949). Famous Chinese Soto master, known among other things for his one syllable Zen.

  "What is the Buddha?" asked a monk.

  "Shitstick," replied Unmon.

  "What is it that surpasses the Buddhas and the patriarchs?"

  "Buns," Unmon replied.

  17. While "...the House of Rinzai made abundant use of dialectical formulas, the House of Soto is famous for the precision and care with which all things were done." Dumoulin, H. Zen Buddhism: A History. New York: Macmillan, 1988, p. 214.

  18. For comparison with Deshimaru's rendition, see Schloegl, I. (translator) The Zen Teaching of Rinzai (The Record of Rinzai), Berkeley, CA: Shambhala, 1976, #20b, p.43.

  19. When we sit about seven hours or more per day. During the preceeding days we sat about four hours or more per day.

  20. Rinzai people still maintain the same attitude today. "Since long ago, the motto of Zen," writes contemporary Rinzai master Hisamatsu, "has been the expression: 'self-dependently transmitted, apart from the scriptures, not dependent on words or letters.' From the Zen perspective, scriptures are nothing but scraps of paper for wiping up filth." The Collected Works of Hisamatsu Shinichi. Vol. vi, "Kyoroku-shu." Tokyo: Risosha, 1973, p. 21.

  21. Besides being the title to Dogen's monumental work, this word shobogenzo is also used as a common noun, and as such can be roughly translated as "the center of the true teaching."

  22. "It is a sign of rawness and indigestion to disgorge our meat the moment we have swallowed it. The stomach has not performed its function if it has not changed the condition and character of what it was given to digest." (Montaigne)

  23. The four oldest Zen classics and the textual embodiment of the essence of Zen.

  24. The "permanents" are those who remain throughout the entire camp. All of them work, in the kitchen, in the administration office, on the temple maintenance, as sewers of rakusus and kesas, as secretaries of the master, as his writers, etc.

  25. So, this situation continued throughout the twenty-eight patriarchates, from the Buddha to Bodhidharma (the one dying in 483 B.C., the other in 528 A.D.); that is, for approximately one thousand years.

  26. He is here referring to a certain woman-another
woman-who had been causing a disturbance in the dining hall by repeatedly sitting in the secretary's seat, next to the master, and then refusing to move.

  27. "Professors and scholars who come to sit with me," writes Master Sokeian, "say they know all about meditation, and they sit with the monks, and fall asleep in five minutes." ( from Zen Notes, Vol. XXXVII, No. 4, April 1990.)

  28. Soto Zen temple and administrative center for the fifteen thousand Soto temples in Japan and elsewhere. It is like the Vatican for Soto Zen.

  29. When this took place Sensei had no dojo. The few who gathered about him did so in a basement of the building where he worked as a masseur.

  30. Tamura is presently teaching in France. He is an Aikido master and disciple of master Ueshiba.

  31. Concerning the posture, the master has said elsewhere that a fallen chin indicates fatigue; a dropped head, thinking; a head tilted to the right or the left, madness, and so on.

  32. Kai means open, free; jo means zazen. i.e., free of zazen. The kyosakus are returned to the altar and the big drum is struck -eleven timesfor it is now 11 P.M.

  33. August or not, we are high in the Alps, almost two thousand meters above sea level, and the snow is heavy on the mountains.

  34. Again, the master is intent on comparing Soto and Rinzai mondo/koan for their respective meanings; this one here being, of course, a Soto mondo.

  35. To avoid possible disturbances, the kyosaku is not given while the master speaks.

  36. The shakuhachi, a flute made of bamboo, first came to Japan during the Kamakura period in the thirteenth century.

  37. Freely adapted from: Scholegl, #44, pp.66-67.

  38. Compare this Rinzai-type mondo/koan between Fuke and Rinzai with the Soto-type mondo/koan between Nyojo and Dogen (see, August 7, 4 P.M. The Chinese were dramatic.) for their respective meanings. Anyway, the point here is that master Rinzai makes no commentary, no observation, no further reference, apart from this-from Rinzai calling Fuke a "robber." See, Schloegl, #45, 46, pp. 67-68.