mujūsho-nehan: One of the three kinds of nirvana, the nirvana of nonabiding. This is the nirvana of bodhisattvas who, because of their wisdom, do not stay on the shore of samsara and because of their compassion do not dwell on the far shore of nirvana.
mumyō (Skt., avidyā): Ignorance, one of the three poisonous minds. Ignorance of the four noble truths and the reality of all beings is the primary cause of suffering within samsara.
mushotoku: Without gaining. Freedom from the desires to gain any desirable result form Buddhist practice. This expression appears in the Prajñāpāramitā Sutras, such as the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra. Eihei Dōgen put emphasis on practice without gaining mind in “Gakudōyōjinshū” (Points to Watch in Practicing the Way).
nirvana (Jap., nehan): Literally nirvana means “extinction” or “blowing out” of the fires of greed, anger/hatred, and ignorance; it is the state of perfect peace of mind. In early Buddhism it meant departure from the cycle of rebirth in samsara and entry into an entirely different mode of existence. Nirvana is unconditioned, beyond arising, abiding, changing, and perishing. In Mahāyāna, nirvana is not different from samsara or from the ultimate nature of the dharmakāya. The duality of samsara and nirvana exists only from a conventional viewpoint.
Niutou school: Niutou (Chi., Oxhead; Jap., Gozu) is one of the schools of Chinese Zen founded by Niutou Farong, a disciple of the fourth ancestor, Daoxin.
Northern school: One of the schools of Chinese Zen. The Northern and Southern schools separated after the time of the fifth ancestor, Daman Hongren. The founder of the Northern school was Yuquan Shenxiu, a senior dharma brother of Huineng.
nurturing mind (Jap., rōshin): One of the three minds mentioned in Dōgen’s “Tenzokyōkun.” Another possible translation is “parental mind”: the mind that takes care of others the way parents nurture their children.
okesa: see kesa.
One Mind (Jap., isshin): This expression can refer both to the mind in the aspect of phenomena (jishin) and to the mind in the aspect of the absolute (rishin). The former is the discriminating mind, the latter the mind beyond discrimination.
ōryōki (Skt., pātra): A set of eating bowls that Zen monks receive at their ordination. In a narrower sense ōryōki refers to the largest of these bowls. In India, Buddhist monks used only one bowl for begging and eating, a bowl much larger than the ōryōki of the Zen tradition today.
pāramitā: Literally means “perfection” of certain virtues. In Mahāyāna Buddhism the six pāramitās—giving, morality, patience, diligence, concentration, and wisdom—are considered to be the bodhisattva practice.
perception (Skt., saṃjñā): The third of the five aggregates. Perception denotes not only the construction of mental images and the formation of concepts but also the concepts themselves.
phenomenal beings (Skt., saṃskṛta; Jap., ui-hō): Conditioned beings. All interdependent and conditioned phenomenal beings which arise, abide, change, and perish. Everything conditioned is empty, impermanent, without substance.
prajñā (Jap., hannya): Wisdom, a central concept of Mahāyāna Buddhism and one of the six pāramitās of bodhisattva practice. This wisdom sees emptiness, the true reality of all things.
precept (Skt., śīla): One of the six pāramitās of bodhisattva practice: perfection of morality, ethics, virtue, proper conduct. Guidelines for conduct may be further specified as explicit precepts for the various types of practioners.
prophecy (Skt., vyākaraṇa; Jap., juki): Prophecy given by a buddha regarding someone’s attainment of buddhahood in a future life.
repentance (Skt., kṣamā; Jap., sange): An important part of Buddhism from its beginning. Twice a month each sangha gathered for a ceremony known as uposatha (Jap., fusatsu). During the gathering, the leader of the sangha recited the Vinaya precepts and monks who violated the precepts made repentance.
ri: principles, as opposed to phenomenal, concrete things; the absolute, as opposed to the relative. See also ji.
Rig Veda: The oldest collection of the verses of wisdom called Vedas in Indian thought.
saba: Small pieces of food offered by practitioners to unseen beings such as hungry ghosts during ōryōki meals at Zen monasteries.
samādhi (Jap., zammai): Concentration of the mind, one of the three foundations of the study of Buddhism, the other two being morality (śīla) and wisdom (prajñā). Dōgen called his practice of zazen jijuyū-zammai.
samsara: Literally samsara means “continuous flow,” that is, the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth within the six realms. This cycle ends in the attainment of liberation and entrance into nirvana.
sangha: The Buddhist community. In a narrow sense the sangha consists of monks, nuns, and novices. In a wider sense the sangha also includes lay followers.
sanshin: Three minds or mental attitudes for practitioners in a Zen monastery, mentioned in Dōgen’s ‘Tenzokyōkun’: joyful mind, nurturing mind, and magnanimous mind.
sentient beings: The mass of living beings subject to illusion, suffering, and transmigration within samsara.
sesshin: Literally, “touching or embracing the mind/heart.” This refers to the intensive practice periods in Zen monasteries during which monks focus on sitting meditation practice.
shikantaza: “Just sitting.” Originally this expression was used by Tiantong Rujing, Eihei Dōgen’s teacher. Dōgen also taught a practice of wholehearted sitting without any special meditation technique.
Shingon school: Japanese esoteric Buddhist school founded by Kūkai (774–835).
Shitennōji: One of the oldest Buddhist temples, founded by prince Shōtoku in Osaka in the seventh century.
Shōbōgenzō: True Dharma Eye Treasury. The title of the collection of Eihei Dōgen’s essays. The Shōbōgenzō is considered the most profound work in Zen literature and the most outstanding work of Buddhist literature of Japan.
śramaṇa (Jap., shamon): Wandering ascetic monk. Another name for a Buddhist monk.
skillful means (Skt., upāya; Jap., hōben): A skillful method or expedient device used by buddhas and bodhisattvas to guide beings. This is also the title of the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
sōdō (monks’ hall): One of the seven basic buildings of Zen monasteries in which monks sleep, practice meditation, and eat meals.
Sōtō Zen tradition: Sōtō or Caodong is one of the five schools of Chinese Zen, founded by Dongshan Liangjie and his disciple Caoshan Benji. This tradition was transmitted from China to Japan by Eihei Dōgen and continues today.
Southern school: One of the schools of Chinese Zen founded by the sixth ancestor, Huineng. The central teaching of this school is sudden enlightenment.
stūpa: Originally stūpas were memorial monuments for Shakyamuni Buddha built at various sacred places such as Lumbinī Park, where the Buddha was born; Bodhgayā, where the Buddha attained enlightenment; Sārnāth, where the Buddha gave his first discourse to five monks; and Kuśinagara, where the Buddha entered nirvana.
suchness: “Suchness,” “thusness,” and “as-it-is-ness” are translations for the Sanskrit word tathātā and the Japanese word shinnyo, which refer to the reality of all beings as it is. Suchness is a synonym for dharmatā.
suffering: see duḥkha.
śūnyatā: see emptiness.
Suttanipāta: A collection of short sutras. One of the oldest scriptures of Buddhism, included in the Khuddaka Nikāya.
takuhatsu (Skt., piṇḍapāta): Traditional religious begging practiced by Buddhist monks from the Buddha’s time in India. This is still practiced in the Theravāda tradition and by Zen monks in Japan. In Japan today the monks receive mainly monetary donations instead of food.
Tathāgata: One of the ten epithets for the Buddha, literally the “thuscome one” or “thus-gone one.”
tathātā: “Suchness,” “thusness,” “as-it-is-ness.” One of the central concepts of Mahāyāna Buddhism, which refers to the true reality of all beings.
“Tenzokyōkun” (Instru
ctions for the Cook): The first section of Eihei Shingi. Eihei Dōgen wrote this text to teach the importance of communal work as a practice, using the example of cooking.
thought construction (Skt., prapañca; Jap., keron): One of the important expressions in Nāgārjuna’s teachings on emptiness. It refers to the deluded conceptualization of the world through the use of ever-expanding language and concepts, all rooted in the delusion of self. Other translations are conceptual proliferation or self-reflexive thinking.
three poisonous minds: The three destructive, deeply rooted human tendencies—greed, hatred, and delusion—that are the source of all suffering. All result from ignorance of our true nature.
Three Treasures: Same as the Three Jewels, or the Triple Gem: three things in which a Buddhist takes refuge and looks to for guidance—the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Can be defined in three complementary ways. See also ittai sanbō, genzen sanbō, and jūji sanbō.
transmigration: Transmigration, or reincarnation, is believed to occur after death when the soul or spirit comes back to life in a newborn body. This doctrine is a central tenet within the majority of Indian religious traditions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The Buddhist concept of rebirth is also often referred to as reincarnation.
Tripiṭaka: The three baskets (of Buddhist scriptures): the Sutra Piṭaka, Abhidharma Piṭaka, and Vinaya Piṭaka.
Tuṣita heaven: The heaven where Shakyamuni Buddha stayed before he was born. It is believed that Maitreya is residing there and will be born in this world several billions of years from now.
twelve links of dependent origination: see interdependent origination.
Two Truths: conventional truth and ultimate truth. Nāgārjuna is the first Buddhist master who clearly mentioned the two truths, in his Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.
unsurpassable mind: A translation of the Japanese word mujōshin, a synonym for bodaishin (Skt., bodhi-citta). Bodhi-citta is considered to be a shortened form of anuttarā-samyaksambodhi-citta. ‘Unsurpassable’ is a translation of anuttarā.
Vajrayāna: A school of Buddhism that emerged in sixth- or seventhcentury India. This school is also called esoteric Buddhism or Tantric Buddhism. It developed out of Mahāyāna Buddhist teachings strongly influenced by Hinduism. It reached into China, Japan, and Tibet. The Shingon school founded by Kūkai is a Japanese form of Vajrayāna Buddhism.
Vinaya: One of the three piṭaka (baskets) of Buddhist scriptures. Vinaya is a collection of the rules and regulations for the communal life of monks and nuns.
Vishnu: The Supreme God in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.
Vow (Skt., pranidhāna): In Mahāyāna Buddhism, bodhisattvas take a vow stating that they will strive to liberate all sentient beings from samsara and lead them to enlightenment. Bodhisattvas do not seek to awaken solely for themselves, but rather endeavor to free all beings and help them reach nirvana.
Vulture Peak (Skt., Gṛdhrakūṭa): A mountain near the city of Rājagṛha. Shakyamuni Buddha often gave discourses on this mountain. It is said that the Lotus Sutra was expounded on this mountain. In Zen the transmission from the Buddha to Mahākāśyapa took place there when the Buddha held up a flower and smiled.
wheel-turning king (Skt., cakravarti-rāja): In the Indian tradition, an ideal king who rules the world by rolling the wheel he receives from heaven at his enthronement. The wheel of his chariot rolls everywhere without obstruction.
Yogācāra school: One of the two Mahāyāna schools in India, founded by Maitreyanātha, Asaṅga, and Vasubandhu.
zendō: An abbreviation of zazendō, a hall for zazen practice; meditation hall in Zen tradition.
INDEX
A
Abhidharma, 150, 243, 273
Abhidharmakośa, 70, 71, 243
absolute truth, 151–54, 219, 237
Āgama Sutra, 79, 150, 273
aging, 4, 76. See also duḥkha
ambrosia, 24, 119, 120, 273
Ānanda, 80, 82, 139, 265
anātman, 81, 120, 150, 273–274
animal realm, 21–22, 107, 135
animistic beliefs, 111
Antaiji monastery, xi, 31, 182–83, 274
ascetic practices, 108–9
Aśvaghoṣa, 183, 265
asuras, 22, 135, 274
ātman, 150, 274
atom, concept of, 150
attachment, 153, 154
joyful mind and, 36
meal chants and, 123, 127
the robe chant and, 83, 85
Avataṃsaka Sutra, 101–2, 127–28, 259n37, 274
Avolokiteshvara, 131, 133, 140–48, 154, 156, 173, 239–41, 265
five skandhas and, 173
hindrances and, 194
Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna, 214–15, 219, 274–75
B
Baizhang Huihai, 42–43, 105, 265
Banjin Dōtan, 60–62
Baotang Wuzhu, 212–13, 266
Bendōwa (Dōgen Zenji), 32–33
Bhagavat, 139, 275
Bible, 14. See also Christianity
bodhi. See also bodhi-mind
meal chants and, 91
tree, 21, 23, 44, 97, 210, 275
use of the term, 64, 203
bodhi-mind, 3, 6, 27, 64, 102
described, 275
Dōgen Zenji on, 164
the Heart Sutra and, 164, 185, 186, 192–93, 194
universal truth and, 47
Bodhidharma, 9–10, 82, 99–100, 266
bonnō, 17, 275
Brahma, 125, 275
Brahma Net Sutra, 101–2, 275
Braverman, Arthur, xiii
Buddha. See also Buddha mind; buddhanature; Three Treasures
biographies of, 3, 183
birth of, 97
as a bodhisattva, 6
Brahmā Sahāmpati and, 24
death of, 2, 54
departure of, from his home, 186
enlightenment of, 21–25, 44
four noble truths and, 16, 18
in the Jātaka tales, 2–4, 180–81, 281
“killing the,” 59
past lives of, 3
ten names of, reciting, 100–102
travels of, 24–25
Buddha mind, 11, 90
Buddha-carita (Aśvaghoṣa), 2, 183
buddha-nature, 42–43, 90, 91
described, 275
One Mind and, 214, 215–17
Buddhadharma (magazine), xiii
C
Caodong school, 172, 239, 275–76
Catholicism, 13, 134. See also Christianity
causality, 23, 37, 49, 276
Changlu Qingliao, 50, 266
Changlu Zongze, 260n60, 266, 276
chanting, 8–11, 14, 203–5. See also mantras
Chanyuan Qinggui, 121–22, 276
Chinese Zen Buddhism, 9–10, 36, 42–43, 236–37
the Heart Sutra and, 144–45
meal chants and, 104, 106, 112–13
repentance and, 54
Christianity, 13–14, 15, 20, 134
communities, 40–41, 228
compass metaphor, 15, 21
compassion, 25, 134, 134, 154
Bodhidharma and, 9
meal chants and, 102, 105, 125, 127
the robe chant and, 80
Three Treasures and, 68
unsurpassable mind and, 65
competitive practice, 19
consciousness. See also perception
the Heart Sutra and, 148, 152, 171–77
Katagiri Roshi on, xii
sensation and, 106
Three Treasures and, 69
use of the term, 276
consumer culture, 166
contemplations, verse of five, 103–109
continuous practice, 10–11
conventional truth, 10, 152–53, 237
Conze, Edward, 139, 267
cooking, 35–39, 41, 67, 87–88, 107, 224–25
D
Daijōji monastery, x
D
ainin Katagiri Roshi. See Katagiri Roshi
Dajan Huineng, 209–11, 213, 217, 266
dāna-pāramitā practice, 104, 276
Daowu Yuanzhi, 144–45, 146, 239, 239–41, described, 267
death, 4, 21. See also duḥkha
the Heart Sutra and, 132, 133, 155, 156, 158, 178
repentance and, 56
six realms and, 22–23
Three Treasures and, 75–77
Deer Park, 97, 109, 125, 276
democracy, 67, 166
demons, 111, 112
Denkōroku, 172
dependent origination. See interdependent origination
Dhammapada, 70, 277
Dharma(s). See also Three Treasures
boundless, 13, 17, 18, 19
gate, 17, 277
meal chants and, 90, 120
myriad, 90, 254
-nature, 90, 91, 277
talks, verse chanted before, 249–56
transmission of, 10, 82
true, 142
use of the term, 65, 72, 90, 250, 277
wondrous, 230–41
Dharma Flower Sutra, 102
dharmadhātu, 91, 277
dharmakāya, 72, 256, 277, 101–2, 129
Diamond Sutra, 83, 99, 189, 211, 277
dichotomies, 158, 162, 238. See also dualism
Dīpaṃkara Buddha, 4–5, 7, 9
Dōgen Zenji, xi, xiii, 8–11, 20, 27, 35–47, 223. See also specific works
attainment and, 191, 197
Bodhidharma and, 9
the Heart Sutra and, 142, 144–45, 148, 154, 163–70, 175–77, 183–84, 190, 197–200
the Lotus Sutra and, 250
meal chants and, 87–97, 100, 107–8, 121–24
the nature of practice and, 46–47, 223–24
on raindrops, 48–51
repentance and, 53, 54–55, 59, 61
the robe chant and, 79, 81–82
three minds and, 35–41
Three Treasures and, 63, 73–75
Dongshan Liangjie, 86, 170–77, 217, 239, 267
dualism, 56, 61, 162, 163. See also dichotomies
duḥkha, 21, 23, 118, 179
Three Treasures and, 68–69
twelve links of causation and, 23
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