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Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha Continued from Previous Page It Was Needed, Each One Doing a Little Bit More Voices to Bring the Garden to Life

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Berkeley Zen Center August 2007 Newsletter Enlightenment, Faith, BZC Schedule and Practice August Sojun Talk, Sept. 30, 1995 Founder’s Ceremony oday I want to talk about faith and devo- Thursday, 8-2, 6:20 pm tion in Zen practice. Actually, I want to talk Friday, 8-3 , 6:40 am TTabout faith, enlightenment and practice, Half-Day Sitting because all three are necessary, and you might Sunday, 8-5 say that these are the three legs of Zen practice. Work Sesshin Day Actually, practice is devotion and faith is enlight- Sunday, 8-12 enment. When people think about Zen, what Kidzendo comes to mind is enlightenment as the main Saturday, 8-18 feature. But actually, faith is the foundation, and Bodhisattva Ceremony Saturday, 8-25, 9:30 am faith and enlightenment are inseparable. In all schools of Buddhism faith is an indispensable September factor, and Zen is just Buddhism. Two-Day Study Sitting Sometimes people think that Zen is something Saturday & Sunday, 9-1 & 9-2 a little to the side of Buddhism, but actually, Zen Founders Ceremony is what we call Buddha's practice. And when you Tuesday, 9-4, 6:20 pm practice, you are Buddha. So it's your practice, Wednesday, 9-5, 6:40 am and at the same time it's Buddha's practice. Kidzendo When you are completely engaged in practice, Saturday, 9-15 it's Buddha's practice. When you sit zazen, Half-Day Sitting Buddha is sitting zazen. Sunday, 9-16 The fundamental premise of our school is that Women’s Sitting ordinary beings and Buddha are not two. Often Sunday, 9-23 people will make a division. They'll say, "I'm just Bodhisattva Ceremony an ordinary human being, I don't feel like Saturday, 9-29, 9:30 am Buddha." So we make a distinction between myself, and Buddha. In Dogen's time, in the August Work Sesshin early part of the 13th century in Japan, there Don’t miss our 2nd annual Work Sesshin on were three well-known teachers whose teach- Sunday, August 12, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (note continued on page 2 the time change since the August newsletter). The day will begin and end with zazen, and in Affirmation of Welcome between there will be gardening, deep zendo Walking the path of liberation, we express our intimate connection with all and kitchen cleaning, special projects – in other beings. Welcoming diversity, here at words, something for everyone! Not only that, a Berkeley Zen Center the practice of delicious lunch will be served. Come to all or Zazen is available to people of every race, nationality, part. Sign up sheet on the bulletin board. For class, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical more information, contact Ron Nestor at ability. May all beings realize their true nature. [email protected]. Berkeley Zen Center 1931 Russell Street Berkeley, CA. 94703 510.845.2403 www.berkeleyzencenter.org Sojun Talk people, centered around one basic practice to cut through all the complications and the intel- continued from page 1 lectual and scholarly overlay on Buddhism. For ings are still vital in Japan. They were Nichiren, Dogen, it was traditional practice, with Zazen at Shinran, and Dogen. Nichiren's practice was to the center. put his faith in the Lotus Sutra, chanting There was a well-known historical prediction in Namyoho rengekyo, (Behold the Buddhism concerning the three, jewel in the lotus). He depended 500 year periods after on a sutra, on the written word Shakyamuni Buddha's time. In as the focus of practice. He said each period there was further that all you have to do is chant decline, as the founder became the name of the Lotus Sutra in order to find your more distant. The third and last 500 years was salvation. to be the final degeneracy of Buddhism called Shinran was completely disillusioned with Mappo. This thought was popular in 13th centu- Buddhist practice, and he felt that there was no ry in Japan. way that one could find salvation through the Dogen, however, said that it doesn't make usual Buddhist practices of meditation, following any difference, just practice wholeheartedly. It precepts, or monastic procedures and so forth, doesn't mean that you can't practice, or that you in this degenerative age 1500 years after should give up practicing. So he introduced his Shakyamuni Buddha. He said that the only way understanding of Zen practice into Japan, based was to simply rely on Amida Buddha leading on Shakyamuni's admonition to find one's own you to the Pure Land in the west through sin- salvation through diligent practice. So Zen is cerely chanting his name; to have complete faith often called self-power, and Shinran's Dharma is in Amida's 48 vows, and that there was no need called other-power, relying on the power of to do any other practices. Amida Buddha, rather than on one's own efforts. Those two schools are very prominent in These are simplistic, dualistic terms, and they Japan. Together with Zen, they were an attempt don't really hit the mark. to simplify. During a long period of time, So it looks like Shinran's Jodo Shinshu Sect Buddhism went through many changes and relies totally on the practice of faith, and it looks became very complex, overgrown with brambles like Zen is the self-realization Buddha-mind and stifled with scholarship and flights of fanciful school. But these two practices do have some- idealism. The reaction to this stimulated a thing in common at the center. Just chanting the movement to simplify and provide a gate for name of Buddha is a way of letting go and com- pletely trusting. That's a wonderful aspect of Two-Day Study Sesshin faith—you let go of whatever you're clinging to With Sojun Roshi as self, and completely rely on Buddha. This is Our weekend sesshin on September 1 and 2 also true for Zen practice. In Zen practice, at will be a "Study-Sesshin,” a combination of some point, you must completely let go and rely zazen and study. I have done this for the past on Buddha. But the way we practice is different. several years at the Chapel Hill Zen Center and The Pure Land is not some far off place in it has worked very well. the heavenly realm. The Sixth Ancestor, Daikan We begin with the usual sesshin schedule, Eno said that the Pure land is your own Mind, then have a presentation and discussion for an and that "The West" is not one of the ten direc- hour and a half mid-morning and again in the tions.. So heaven and hell, as well as all the mid-afternoon, followed by the regular schedule. lands in between, are right here in our own We will use Dogen Zenji's, Tenzo Kyokun mind. The Pure Land is revealed when we let (Teachings for the Head Cook) as our text. It is a go and wake up to it. wonderful recipe for enlightened practice and for continued on next page relating to our surroundings in our daily life. Page 2 August 2007 BZC Newsletter Sojun Talk about Buddha, what it means is, "Buddha continued from previous page nature," not some specific Buddha. Although we have great respect for all those Buddhas in the Enlightenment, our deepest intuition, leads us Buddhist pantheon, what we mean by "Buddha" to practice. This is Buddha seeking Buddha. is "Buddha nature," which pervades everything. Devotion to practice fosters confidence and Buddha nature is the all-pervasive nature that's faith, which encourages us to let go of our self- common to everything. Each one clinging and open to, and trust our of us is an expression of that most fundamental nature. There is nature, so sentient beings and a saying, "Water returns to the Buddha are not different. You are source.” Buddha. It's like making a loaf of bread. When you make One day Aichu asked his teacher, "What is a loaf of bread you have all the ingredients. You Buddha?" The teacher said, "You are, Aichu." put them into the bowl, put in the flour, the But if you rely on Buddha, what about, you water, the yeast, and a little salt or whatever, but know, "I'm just me! I'm just this little person. it's not bread. It only starts to become bread How can I be Buddha?" One has to realize who when you begin mixing and stirring it up. This is this little person is. So, originally, we're Buddha. practice. It is what we actually do that makes it But it's hard to realize that we're Buddha. So work. we have practice, and through practice we have Even if we have great faith, it's not enough. It realization. Practice is realization, and realiza- doesn't come alive without the ingredient of tion is practice. Through practice we don't get to devotion. We have a saying: "Devotedly do.” So Buddha, we don't get enlightenment, enlighten- we stir the ingredients and then knead them. ment creates practice. Enlightenment creates When the dough rises, punching it down and let- realization, stirs up the pot. And faith is at the ting it rise again, distributes the ingredients basis. Faith doesn't mean to believe in some- equally. Then we make these little nourishing thing, but rather to have confidence in our life. loaves, bake them at the right temperature, and What will happen to me? Where will I go? Is when they are done, give them away.
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