michael lambe's scrapbook

Very often these aphorisms from Buddhist scripture can seem like obvious common sense. Still, it’s good to remind yourself of these things and bear them in mind as you go about your day. This one is posted up in my school staffroom. 

あやまちを指摘する人は害のありかを知らせる人

ayamachi wo shiteki suru hito ha gai no arika wo shiraseru hito

あやまち ayamachi – fault or mistake
指摘する shiteki suru – point out
人 hito – person
害 gai – harm, hurt, damage, injury
ありか arika – place, whereabouts, hiding place
知らせる shiraseru – causative of shiru – to know, understand, feel

Those who point out the faults of others, are telling you where
 their own affliction lies.

Simple pop psychology? At first glance this seems similar to Mr. Shakespeare’s sonnet 121: “they that level at my abuses reckon up their own”, however, the emphasis is a little different. The narrative voice of the sonnet is speaking defensively in response to criticism: “I am that I am” etc. The sutra however, is asking us to reinterpret the act of criticism as a cry for help. People are critical because they are unhappy and insecure in themselves and perhaps it gives them some small comfort, a little ego boost perhaps, to point out another’s perceived inferiority. It’s that little voice inside your head that says “I might be an idiot, but I’m not as stupid as that guy!” We’ve all done it, eh? A wise person though, realises that the act of criticism is actually a way of broadcasting your own problems to the world. Now, if I can keep this in mind, will I be able to turn another’s negativity around and use it positively to understand them better? And conversely, will I be able to keep my own mouth shut? (!)  This sutra is asking us to feel compassion towards those who basically we don’t really like very much. It’s a tricky one. And irksome. But it’s true.

I’m off to England for two weeks as of tomorrow. I may be able to post occasionally while home – but I wouldn’t bank on it.

This is a line from the Buddhist sutras I’ve seen posted up around my school recently.

滴の水でも果ては甕を満たす
shizuku no mizu demo hate ha kame wo mitasu

滴 shizuku – a drop, a drip
水 mizu – water
果て hate – the end
甕 kame – a jar, a jug
満たす mitasu - fill

Even dripping water, eventually fills a jar.

This follows on nicely from the last post: 千里の行も足下に始まる. Whereas that message was about the importance of getting started on something, this message is on the importance of continuing. Keep up your efforts on a regular basis, and though you may not see any dramatic progress, you will eventually be satisfied with your achievements.

This is the 今月のことば or word for the month at my school:

千里の行も足下に始まる。

千里 senri – a thousand ri (a ri is a measure of distance equivalent to 4km).
行 kou – as a verb this kanji means go, but here as a noun we can say journey
も mo – also, even
足下 ashimoto – feet but more probably here step
始まる hajimaru – begin

Here’s my translation:

Even a journey of a thousand leagues starts with one foot forward.

Whatever task you undertake, no matter how great it may seem, that first step forward to get yourself going is very important.

We haven’t had one of these for a while. Here’s this month’s meditation from Hozouji.

心の安穏こそ、身の極楽
Kokoro no annon koso, mi no gokuraku

心　kokoro – can mean heart, but also mind or soul
安穏 annon – peace, quiet, tranquility
こそ koso – used for emphasis
身 mi – body or self
極楽 gokuraku – (heavenly) bliss, the Buddhist Pure Land or Paradise.

身も心も is an expression used to talk about body and soul, and the use of both here gives the meditation internal balance. However, the use of こそ throws the weight of importance onto the first part of the couplet: 心の安穏 – the heart’s tranquility. Does this imply that rather than chasing some heavenly paradise, we should first place greater emphasis on attaining peace of mind? Would attaining tranquility in the here and now, bring heavenly bliss to our bodily selves? I’m not sure! Here’s a clumsy translation:

It’s peace of mind, that’s the self’s bliss!

Perhaps my mentor Masaya will come to my rescue and give me his thoughts…

Update: Later that same evening Masaya wrote to say:

Frankly, I’m charmed.

You can download it here.

Three of the 16 Arhats at Kenninji Temple: "...the Arhats support all who sincerely desire to follow the Dharma."

Ted left me a bunch of books by Brad Warner before he left and I managed to polish off the first one, Hardcore Zen, pretty damn quick. It’s an easy read though (if you’ve read his blog you’ll be familiar with his light humorous style), and the content is pretty cool too. Basically he details his early involvement in the punk scene in the 80s, how he came to Japan with the JET program and then somehow managed to wangle a job with the company that makes the TV show Ultraman and other rubber monster flicks. All through this biographical stuff though runs the thread of  Zen; how his life has lead him towards zazen practice and how things like the questioning attitude and anit-authoritarianism of punk rock  reflect quite nicely some key principles of Zen. Don’t take anything for granted. You have to work things out for yourself, he tells us. And as he talks about what Zen means to him and how he became an ordained Zen priest himself, he stresses that you shouldn’t just take his word for it. It’s something you can only do for yourself. And that means zazen practice. Meditation. Sitting down and doing nothing for a while and just figuring out who you are and what your life is about. Now a lot of people might say: “That’s all very well but how can I make time for meditation in my busy modern life? Let’s face reality: I’m just too busy!” He has an excellent response to this towards the end of the book in what is probably my favorite passage.

...Why would you want to waste time sitting on a cushion staring at a wall when there are so many “important” things you could be doing, like watching a rerun of The Simpsons, logging on to the internet to see if anything crucial has been added since this morning, or hanging out getting into a condition you’ll regret the next day?
You may be busy with work and family and responsibilities and all that, I sure am, but I’ll bet you also waste a hell of a lot of time every day. You devote hours and hours each week to “relaxing” in ways that aren’t relaxing in the least. You kill time. You steal a nap. You screw off.

I feel like he’s talking to me personally here. Did he just describe my summer vacation? Well, my vacation is over now, I went back to work again today. And do you know what? I’M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT! I think I probably need that little bit of structure in my life. Left to my own resources with seemingly endless amounts of free time I’m gonna fritter a fair bit of it away.  But when my time is limited I tend to use it more effectively. Today I was up at 6, I did a good, satisfying (and fun) day’s work, then I went to the gym with my workmates. Then I came home and cleaned my apartment. Then I threw a cafe review up on DK. Then I went for a jog. And then I came back and made dinner. Now I’m typing this. When I have less time I value it more, clearly. Of course I feel absolutely cream crackered, but in a good way, so I reckon I’ll sleep well tonight. Of course I’m also damn lucky to have finally found a job that I enjoy, and that actually gives me the energy I need and makes me feel positive enough to pursue other things… But anyway, I’m getting off topic. Reading something like Brad Warner’s book or just chatting this summer with someone like Ted, who has done so much during his time here simply by “following his bliss” with dedication and enthusiasm, is both inspiring and energizing. I want to pursue the things that call me, just like Ted. And I want to sit and face a wall like Mr. Warner. On a little island in lake Biwa this summer I said a little prayer to Fudo Myo-o, the deity that personifies resolve. That sword of his will cut through excuses. Who could slack off under that ferocious glare?

On Sunday I paid homage at Kenninji: the place where Kyoto zen began. It’s important to feel rooted, to see how small things can grow, and to see just how far a little resolve can take you.

On Wednesday I’m going to go looking for that place Ted recommended when we were talking that time over micro-brews.  I’m going to find myself a regular place and time to practice.  I’m going sit down and shut up.

I’ll leave the last word to Mr. Warner:

If you were bound and gagged inside a wooden barrel just about to head over Niagara Falls, you’d pray for just one more minute to live. And yet, while you’re alive, what do you do? You get bored. You wish to be elsewhere. You wish to get whatever you’re doing now over with. You want to speed by those boring minutes like your life your life is a video where you can fast-forward through the commercials. When the end comes you’ll be wishing you could have back all those boring moments you zipped through. But you killed them. Dead and gone. Try putting some of that time to good use and see what happens.

HARDCORE ZEN is available from amazon.co.jp
amazon.co.uk
amazon.com