What is actually transmitted in modern Western Soto Zen, which almost exclusively rests upon the teachings of Dogen Zenji, is not difficult to pin down. But first of all, it is not the classical Mind to Mind transmission because this transmission has nothing to do with Soto’s just-sitting-meditation (J., shikataza) in which the emphasis is not upon realizing Mind but, instead, is on a physical posture.
Ignoring the Mind to Mind transmission of classical Zen, what Dogen Zenji understood to be transmitted is sitting meditation (zazen, shikantaza). Dogen, as a matter of fact, said:
"The correctly transmitted dharma from buddha to buddha and from patriarch to patriarch has always been just to sit... This is very clear. Zazen itself is already the ultimate posture of satori. In other words, satori is just doing zazen" (Eihei Kôroku, vol. 4).
To be blunt, what Dogen is advocating is spiritually absurd. The Buddha came eventually to reject, as the Bodhisattva, reliance on all physical meditational practices as a means of awakening. This is part of the canonical record—it’s beyond dispute. Such a rejection, by establishing, instead, the four dhyânas, is what made Buddhism unique in ancient India. The dhyânas are solely for the purpose of gaining the transcendent, that is, Mind.
As I see Dogen’s method, his emphasis on the physical is a fortiori a denial of the spiritual path, itself, which alone leads to pure Mind that includes the seeing and actualization of our Buddha-nature.
Related to Dogen, in an earlier blog I brought up the Aesop fable about a fox who tried, unsuccessfully, to convince his fellow foxes to give up their tails, so that he wouldn’t have to face the embarrassment of admitting to the other foxes that he lost his tail in a trap. In this regard, I see Dogen as being like the fox who lost his tail except that he was successful in getting his fellow Zen foxes to cut off their spiritual tails which means, more to the point, he was successful in getting his fellow Zennists to cut off all spiritual access to pure Mind by taking up the physical practice of just sitting.
I see this as a (very common) misread of Dogen.
In essence, I see you and Dogen are actually agreeing.
Zazen is not being touted as a means of awakening, but an expression of, and thus is awakening itself (whether someone sees this or not).
Sit with some goal of attainment in mind and you are doomed to fail. Just sit, and what is may reveal.
A perception of absurdity is understandable if Dogen is approached as a seekers attempt to grasp this teaching with ordinary mind, no such problem arises in original mind.
Sitting before awakening and sitting when awakened are indeed just sitting. This is likely why the term shikantaza was used to reinforce that sitting should be approached as "just sitting".
In that culture, if you're going to sit, it's done a certain way, like making tea, or polishing a sword. One way to do it - with full attention. This aspect sometimes does not translate to other cultures very well.
A agree this sort of "physical" (odd to separate so) practice is not required, but that is not the point Dogen makes.
Substitute wood chopping or water carrying or rice cooking...
Posted by: K Grey | May 14, 2011 at 01:50 AM