ZEN REMARKS (14)

14. What is Master Nansen's 'ordinary mind'? A philosopher will provide definitions for 'ordinary', 'mind', and the compound 'ordinary mind'. These will be placed within a discourse that is discursive, logical, rational. A scholar will expand the philosopher's framework and investigate and discuss a range of issues, including problems to do with translation, from one language to another, from one culture to another, from one historical period to another, and so on. Useful as all this is, Zen tends to cut to the chase. Master Mumon Ekai presents a verse. It goes like this:

          spring flowers, summer breezes,
          autumn moon, winter snow -
          the uncluttered mind
          your best season.

 

ZEN REMARKS (13)

13. Ordinary mind. Just this. A young monk, when asked what he had learnt in his first year in a Zen monastery, answered that he had learnt to open and close doors. In like vein is Gautama Shakyamuni's reply to the philosopher who wanted to know about the method Buddhists used to attain or manifest enlightenment. When Gautama began to tell him that Buddhists talk, wash, sit down, the philosopher interrupted him to point out everyone talks, eats, bathes, sits down. To which Gautama replied that there is a difference in that when Buddhists walk, sit, stand, and so on, they are aware of what they are doing. As for non-Buddhists, they do these things without being aware of what they are doing. Here we might feel that Gautama was being less than fair to non-Buddhists. After all, some of us will be familiar with the Latin maxim, 'agere quod agis'. Nevertheless, we can acknowledge Gautama's point in that mindfulness is a basic practice in Buddhism. And this practice invests everyday activities with a liberating significance. So whether opening or closing doors, sitting or standing, we can manifest the Buddha's enlightenment just as surely as when reciting sutras, offering incense or doing prostrations. As Master Nansen remarked over a thousand years ago, 'Ordinary mind is the Way'.

ZEN REMARKS (12)

12. What price enlightenment? A young monk asked his master 'What is the Way?' If he was expecting something exciting and dramatic, the master's response must have come as a shock. His master's answer? 'Ordinary mind is the Way'. No need then to go cutting off fingers like Master Gutei. Rather it is a matter of 'just this'.

AMA Samy with Aussie disciples

Zen Master AMA Samy, Carl Hooper sensei and some Australian members of Bodhi Sangha get together at the end of the November sesshin held at the Benedictine Abbey Jamberoo. There were twenty four participants at the sesshin, some of whom were new to Zen. Philip Long, a veteran practitioner with a lengthy association with AMA Samy became a formal member of the sangha on the last day of the sesshin when he was accepted as a disciple by Hooper sensei. Sesshin participants donated over $6,000 to support the 'Little Flower' charitable projects in India. These projects include pre-school care and education for village children, outreach and financial support for the elderly in rural districts around Bodhi Zendo, and servicing a clinic for local people. Zen Master AMA Samy has agreed to return to Australia in 2016 to lead a sesshin at Jamberoo (30 Sept - 6 Oct). Our heart felt thanks to AMA Samy for his care for the Australian members of Bodhi Sangha, to Peter Ofner for all his organizing work on behalf of the local sangha, to David Ingram for tending to the financial matters, and to Aileen McAuliffe for ensuring the survival of the group over a number of years. We also owe a debt of gratitude to Doug Hume and his partner Nadine for their generous hospitality to AMA Samy at their property near Armidale in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales.

ZEN REMARKS (11)

11. The report that a certain Zen Master brought his disciple to great awakening by cutting off one of the disciple's fingers is not the sort of story calculated to give Zen Buddhism a good press in the modern Western world. Taking the story to be literally true, we might attempt to defend the master's action by describing it in terms of tough love, of being cruel to be kind, where the end justifies the means. Or we might see it as a cruel and violent act that only serves to discredit the whole practice of Zen. Either way, we have missed the point. We have failed to take account of the literary form in which this story has come down to us. The story, as we have it, is meant to function as a koan, a meditation device in Zen that is not meant to be taken literally. So in the case of Gutei, who practised One Finger Zen, the story about him cutting off the boy's finger should be read as metaphor. Here we see a disciple who, when questioned about his master's teaching, demonstrated that he had not penetrated beyond its outward form. Hearing of this, the master quickly and decisively negated that form. In Gutei's act of negation, the disciple came to deep understanding.

ZEN REMARKS (10)

10. The history of Zen Buddhism is not lacking in the names of masters whose actions have sent shockwaves through the tradition. Foremost among these is Gutei, or Jushi if you prefer, the revered exponent of One Finger Zen. The story goes that a visitor to Gutei's temple asked the boy attendant what his master taught. The boy immediately raised one finger. When Gutei learnt of the boy's action, he summoned him, got him to hold up a finger and then promptly cut it off. As the boy ran off screaming, Gutei called his name. Stopping and looking back, the boy saw Gutei raise one finger. Thereupon, we are told, the boy attendant had great realization.

ZEN REMARKS (9)

9. The Zen Master's concern is to help the disciple to uncover his or her True Face. Given that each disciple has particular needs and talents, the master needs to be sensitive to these and adapt the teaching accordingly. With this in mind Zen Masters utilize what have come to be called upaya, a technical term meaning 'skilful means'. But even here Zen Masters won't be tied down. Take, for example, the case of the ninth century master Gutei, also known by his Chinese name Jushi. He is chiefly remembered not only because his teaching was so simple but also because it was always the same. It is said that whenever he was asked about Zen he simply raised his finger.