First part of Fukan-zazengi Rufu-bon
Now, when we research it, the truth originally is all around: why rely upon practice and experience? The vehicle for the fundamental exists naturally: where is the need to expend effort? Furthermore, the whole body far transcends dust and dirt: who could believe in the means of sweeping and polishing? In general, we never depart from the place where we should be: of what use, then, are the tiptoes of training?
However, if there is a thousandth or a hundredth of a gap, heaven and earth are far apart, and if a trace of disagreement arises, we lose the mind in confusion. Even if, proud of our understanding and richly endowed with realizations, we obtain special states of insight, attain the truth, clarify the mind, manifest a zeal that pierces the sky, and ramble through those remote spheres that are entered with the head; we have almost completely lost the vigorous path of getting the body out.
* * * *
The above is, as far as possible, a literal translation of the opening part of Fukan-zazengi.
What is Master Dogen cautioning us against? According to Gudo Nishijima, Master Dogen is cautioning us against an intellectual attitude. I don’t think so. I think that what Master Dogen is cautioning us against, in essence, is pride in a view. Two examples of such a view are firstly, anti-intellectualism itself, and secondly, closely related to the first, Gudo’s view on the autonomic nervous system.
When I began to understand the importance of what FM Alexander called “thinking,” I tried to convey my understanding to my Master. He took the view that I had departed from Buddhism in favour of the usual attitude of Western people, as he sees it from his Japanese goldfish bowl, which is “Western intellectual thinking.” He belongs to a generation in Japan which went to war against HAKUJIN NO BUNKA -- “white man’s civilization.” And for him, “white man’s civilization” means “intellectual civilization.”
So I think that Master Nishijima’s understanding of this part of Fukan-zazengi is coloured by his anti-intellectual bias. If he truly understood what Master Dogen is saying here, taking off the smoky spectacles of anti-intellectualism, Gudo might have to re-consider his deep emotional attachment to the view which he has on the importance of his discovery on the importance of the autonomic nervous system.
However, if there is a thousandth or a hundredth of a gap, heaven and earth are far apart, and if a trace of disagreement arises, we lose the mind in confusion. Even if, proud of our understanding and richly endowed with realizations, we obtain special states of insight, attain the truth, clarify the mind, manifest a zeal that pierces the sky, and ramble through those remote spheres that are entered with the head; we have almost completely lost the vigorous path of getting the body out.
* * * *
The above is, as far as possible, a literal translation of the opening part of Fukan-zazengi.
What is Master Dogen cautioning us against? According to Gudo Nishijima, Master Dogen is cautioning us against an intellectual attitude. I don’t think so. I think that what Master Dogen is cautioning us against, in essence, is pride in a view. Two examples of such a view are firstly, anti-intellectualism itself, and secondly, closely related to the first, Gudo’s view on the autonomic nervous system.
When I began to understand the importance of what FM Alexander called “thinking,” I tried to convey my understanding to my Master. He took the view that I had departed from Buddhism in favour of the usual attitude of Western people, as he sees it from his Japanese goldfish bowl, which is “Western intellectual thinking.” He belongs to a generation in Japan which went to war against HAKUJIN NO BUNKA -- “white man’s civilization.” And for him, “white man’s civilization” means “intellectual civilization.”
So I think that Master Nishijima’s understanding of this part of Fukan-zazengi is coloured by his anti-intellectual bias. If he truly understood what Master Dogen is saying here, taking off the smoky spectacles of anti-intellectualism, Gudo might have to re-consider his deep emotional attachment to the view which he has on the importance of his discovery on the importance of the autonomic nervous system.
posted by Mike Cross at 7:02 PM
8 Comments:
My attempt to clarify Master Dogen's teaching is just my way of trying to repay my Master's benevolence. I think that it is impossible for you or anybody else to understand what kind of inner conflict it has involved.
But the Master excluded you from the Sangha. From his comments it doesn't look like he has any interest in debating you, only correcting you.
mike, I see no evidence that master nishijima is anti-intellectual. non-intellectual maybe but i don't know the man so i will not accept your judgement or make one. HAKUJIN NO BUNKA sounds like a WW2 era racist propaganda thought and has really nothing to do with him in this time.
your translation of the opening part of Fukan-zazengi is beautiful.
if this teacher is has wrong view then find a teacher you trust! you can't justify your criticism based upon the idea that you are 'saving buddhism'. if so you'd better get ready to scour the world! truth is that your pride is injured. you feel humiliated and powerless. you are masking this with self-righteousness.
My sincere desire has been and is to clarify the true meaning of Fukan-zazengi based on my own experience of 12 years in Japan serving Gudo Nishijima and the last 12 years devoted to investigating the discoveries of FM Alexander.
I don't want to discuss personal or political issues any more -- although I probably won't be able to stop myself from doing so.
I don't regard the translation above as my own. It is taken directly from my Fukan-zazengi blog, where it is attributed to Gudo Nishijima and Chodo Cross. It was a joint effort.
The gap between dualistic thought and reality is one way to understand the gap Master Dogen describes. But to me it has more to do with the gap between what people practice and what they purport to preach. I think Master Dogen cautioned us against the false pretenses which are so common in the world of Zen -- bullshit about compassion by people who are truly nasty pieces of work, et cetera. That's why I try to limit my own preaching to what I really do practice diligently, and that is sitting in the lotus posture. When I talk about my sitting, it is not false pretenses. I really have devoted myself to sitting in the full lotus posture. That kind of pride, as far as I understand Master Dogen's teaching, he felt was justified.
same anonymous here - truly happy for your good posture and practice. an inspiration to me, a beginner. i agree with oxeye that you are a talented translator and my impression is that your comprehension of the teachings occurs before intellect, which is why you can use intellect so skillfully. good luck with your difficulties, you seem stuck in some places that you can't see, like all of us, like me.
Yes, I am stuck in places that I can't see. And as far as possible, I wish to use Zazen and Shobogenzo (also informed by Alexander's wisdom) as my method of becoming unstuck. I don't rule out the value of psycho-therapeutic approaches, but for me thus far that is not the way I have chosen.
That a so-called Zen Master, a Dharma-heir of Nishijima Roshi, James Cohen, should try to coerce me in the direction seeking psychotherapeutic help, I am afraid speaks for itself.
Master Dogen might say KANASHIMUBESHI (it is lamentable). There again, he might say WARAUBESHI (it is laugable).
Finally, Master Dogen's teaching in Zazen is not to be interested in good and bad. That includes good and bad posture. Master Dogen's teaching is just to sit upright, without caring about good posture.
master nishjima has allowed that sitting in half-lotus is acceptable. master cross's interpretation of master dogen says that sitting upright without regard to posture is correct. master nishijima has said keeping the spine vertically straight is paramount. my own instructor said sitting in a chair is fine as long as the back is upright. perfectly straight is perfectly impossible, straight back as a goal will lead to back problems. leg positions are secondary to and in support of the back position. full-lotus naturally aligns the spine while half-lotus seems unbalanced. sitting upright in a chair would seem better than a tilted half-lotus. your sitting relaxed upright seems to be the better understanding. what do you think of half-lotus sitting?
Oxeye,
In Shobogenzo Master Dogen calls sitting in the full lotus posture “King of Samadhis.” In his instructions for Zazen he say either sit in full lotus or sit in half lotus -- he doesn’t discuss other ways of sitting.
But I encourage people, if they can’t sit in half lotus, to at least sit on a cushion cross-legged.
I think that implicit in Fukan-zazengi is the principle that in our practice of Zazen we need not see rightness as an end to be achieved. The thing is to devote ourselves to a process which has rightness inherent in it. Not to try to be right, but to follow the right direction.
So yes, the teaching of Fukan-zazengi, as I see it, is: Sit upright, in the full lotus posture or in the half-lotus posture if you can, or otherwise in another kind of cross-legged posture which will take you in the direction of the lotus postures, but in any case without worrying about the rightness of your posture.
Post a Comment
<< Home