Post by stardustpilgrim on Jun 2, 2024 13:14:18 GMT -5
Many years ago when I read the Three Pillars of Zen I recognized that Hakuun Yasutani had the deepest understanding of any modern Zen teacher I had encountered, that hasn't changed. So I looked for other things by him periodically, kept my eye out. I found Flowers Fall, A Commentary on Zen Master Dogen's Genjokoan by Yasutani ten years ago. I know because I use a receipt as a bookmark. I pulled it off the shelf a while back. Two weeks ago I was going to do this thread, but I got sidetracked. Up until about 4 years ago I underlined books, green ink, for easy reference later. I stopped, as I'm not going to get back to stuff I'm reading now. It's rare that I underline stuff now. But I came across these words, I didn't recall any of this.
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This section goes even further in discussing delusion and realization. In both the first and second sentences he points to high levels of accomplishment. When realization is mentioned, those who are in the dark about actual practice and enlightenment, thinking it's all the same, mistake a dreamlike glimpse of one's true nature for a thoroughgoing great enlightenment. Please understand very clearly that, just as in the saying "even if one ascends Mount Sumeru there are still heavens above," even though one is enlightened, one further attains enlightenment.
However, in essence there are not several kinds of enlightenment. If it's real enlightenment, whether shallow or deep, it is essentially the same, but in that enlightenment there are tremendous differences in clarity and depth. Therefore, from olden times there is the saying "eighteen great enlightenments and innumerable small enlightenments." Furthermore, understand very well that concerning the maturity or immaturity of their accomplishment, even with persons endowed with the same enlightened eye are as different as heaven and earth, or clouds and mud. pg 27
...Usually one reaches great liberation only after attaining enlightenment upon enlightenment over and over again. ...What does it mean by "traceless enlightenment is continued endlessly"? If, upon attaining thoroughgoing great enlightenment, one then goes on to put and end to the traces of enlightenment, and having completely removed their smell, returns to one's original self, is that enough? Far from it! It's what one does from there that's important. The reason is that since one has with great effort become the original buddha, from here the work of the buddha begins. Having become a buddha, if one doesn't do anything at all it's a dead Buddhadharma. It's a false buddha. One must further attain enlightenment upon enlightenment. One must become a person who is deluded within delusion. Even if one has attained buddhahood it is usual to advance further. In the Buddha way there are no dead ends. It's the practice of enlightenment. Practice and enlightenment have no limit. That's the life of the buddha. Dogen Zenji expresses this noble, profound spirit as "traceless enlightenment is continued endlessly." ps 40, 41
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This section goes even further in discussing delusion and realization. In both the first and second sentences he points to high levels of accomplishment. When realization is mentioned, those who are in the dark about actual practice and enlightenment, thinking it's all the same, mistake a dreamlike glimpse of one's true nature for a thoroughgoing great enlightenment. Please understand very clearly that, just as in the saying "even if one ascends Mount Sumeru there are still heavens above," even though one is enlightened, one further attains enlightenment.
However, in essence there are not several kinds of enlightenment. If it's real enlightenment, whether shallow or deep, it is essentially the same, but in that enlightenment there are tremendous differences in clarity and depth. Therefore, from olden times there is the saying "eighteen great enlightenments and innumerable small enlightenments." Furthermore, understand very well that concerning the maturity or immaturity of their accomplishment, even with persons endowed with the same enlightened eye are as different as heaven and earth, or clouds and mud. pg 27
...Usually one reaches great liberation only after attaining enlightenment upon enlightenment over and over again. ...What does it mean by "traceless enlightenment is continued endlessly"? If, upon attaining thoroughgoing great enlightenment, one then goes on to put and end to the traces of enlightenment, and having completely removed their smell, returns to one's original self, is that enough? Far from it! It's what one does from there that's important. The reason is that since one has with great effort become the original buddha, from here the work of the buddha begins. Having become a buddha, if one doesn't do anything at all it's a dead Buddhadharma. It's a false buddha. One must further attain enlightenment upon enlightenment. One must become a person who is deluded within delusion. Even if one has attained buddhahood it is usual to advance further. In the Buddha way there are no dead ends. It's the practice of enlightenment. Practice and enlightenment have no limit. That's the life of the buddha. Dogen Zenji expresses this noble, profound spirit as "traceless enlightenment is continued endlessly." ps 40, 41