the tree of life sangha

Some Notes on Nembutsu Zen

Dharmavidya, April 7, 2025: 

This morning in zazen I could feel the fire in my mind. This was from the mixture of feelings stirred up yesterday. I watched a film of a historian talking about the world situation and found his remarks very sensible. It was refreshing and even exciting to hear somebody who sees what is going on rather than the chatter that one hears all the time from people all clinging to illusions of the past. So that was a worldly influence that excited my mind. Then, also, I had watched some of the wonderful ceremonies at Zogoji in commemoration of Honen Shonin. This had stirred me in a different way, with much nostalgia for Japan and the sense of participation. I could happily have been a member of the crowd. Now, in zazen I strove to find the still point in he midst of all this. It was like a battle, or like fighting a forest fire. Time passed very swiftly. Every so often I got a glimpse of clarity, but the passion fought back. Sometimes sitting is like that, as if one is drowning. Every sitting is unique in content, but the samadhi is the same.

===

Breathing out, Namo Amida Bu, I relax into nothingness. Completely empty. I have disappeared. Then the inbreath comes of its own accord. Oh, I am still alive. Inhalation complete, arrive at the balance point. Pause. Know it. Another stillness, emptiness. Then exhalation begins. Namo Amida Bu. Body very still. Everything melting away. Yet, watching, feeling for the still point. Great silence. Continuing, the breath gradually, naturally gets shorter and awareness moves from the nose to the belly, the hara. The strength is in the hara. The sense of stillness and the sense of movement of breath merge into one sensation - stillness that gently moves, gentle movement that is inherently still. As the breath shortens, Namo Amida Bu becomes Amida, or just ‘mida. Great peace pervades. Great stillness. Vast as space. Now and then thoughts or images intrude - offer hthem up: with the in-breath I give You this visitor. Namo Amida Bu, return to nothingness. A vibrant peace. A potent, yet unmoving energy. Bright, shining. 

===

Shunryu Suzuki wrote: “To take care of the exhalation is very important. To die is more important than trying to be alive. When we always try to be alive, we have trouble. Rather than trying to be alive or active, if we can be calm and die or fade away into emptiness, then naturally we will be alright. Buddha will take care of us. Because we have lost our mother's bosom, we do not feel like her child anymore. Yet fading away into emptiness can feel like being at our mother's bosom, and we will feel as though she will take care of us. Moment after moment, do not lose this practice of shikantaza. Various kinds of religious practice are included in this point. When people say “Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu," they want to be Amida Buddha's children. That is why they practice repeating Amida Buddha's name. The same is true with our zazen practice. If we know how to practice shikantaza, and if they know how to repeat Amida Buddha's name, it cannot be different. So we have enjoyment, we are free.” - Suzuki S. 2002. Not Always So, Harper Collins. p.7

===

When you do nembutsu zen, you must be deadly serious, as serious as if you were dying. There is no such thing as casual zazen. Casual is not it. If you are seeking the still point, you must be completely still in body and mind, at least between breaths. After breathing out and after breathing in there is a hiatus, then the natural reflex sets in. If you allow it to be totally a reflex, then it is movement without movement, if you get my meaning. The breath moves, but you do not move. Actually, the breath may become very short, but this should not be because you have chosen to shorten it. You have chosen to do nem zen and to find the zero point, but you have not made any choice about long breath or short breath, but, nonetheless, it is likely that the breath becomes short and quiet. Then, perhaps a thought will drift into your mind. Perhaps you think, “I’m doing this quite well”, but this thought then easily hijacks your attention and probably another thought creeps in behind it. Then, maybe you notice what is happening and the thoughts blow away like clouds in the sky. When this really happens, sometimes there comes a spontaneous joy. It wells up. You can’t help a smile spreading, not just on your face, but all through your body. This is second dhyana. At this point it is especially important to keep to stillness. Just let it happen. Here, the “mida bu” can be a great help. The smile - the feeling of joy - may stay or go, nothing to worry about, but stay with the stillness in all seriousness.

===

It is important to see nembutsu zen as religion. It is not just a physical keep fit, nor a psychological exercise. It is not for making you a better person - that might happen, but it is not the point. It is connecting you to the higher realm. It is a way by which to allow the Buddha to take hold, the Dharma to take over your life. It is like a kind of prayer: “I make this space in my heart; please come and fill it. Lead me. I am yours.” Do not worry about names, the Nameless will draw you forth, will take you to the place of no birth and no death. This is more serious than dying.

===

Do not argue over whether there is or is not Buddha Nature. Try to understand what it is that is really being said. If we say that there is Buddha Nature, then we must immediately clarify that Buddha Nature has nothing to do with good and bad and that it cannot be possessed, though it can possess us. Do not say, “Find your Buddha Nature”, say “Let Buddha nature possess you”. If there is Buddha Nature, then it is to the spirit as the sky is to clouds. “We live in the world as if in the sky”, or as if “cloud and water”. It is called Buddha Nature because Buddhas are thus. They are beyond moral judgement. They do not punish. They encounter life and “So it is,” but they are not there. This is because they have found the zero point that gives rise to infinity. When one is founded on zero one is infinite. Even if the cosmos were consummed in fire, one will pass through the fire for, not I but the Dharma lives. Though one says “I do this and I do that”, it is not, never was and never will be I.

Dharmavidya: Transmission

11 May 2025, Dharmavidya writes:

 

TRANSMISSION

 

It has been a dramatic week. Continuing the adventure of my monk life, I came to California to deepen my connection with Zen and Zen friends and, in particular, to receive the Soto Zen Dharma successor transmission, "inka", making me officially a Zen teacher within the Soto School and a Dharma heir of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi who was the founder of San Francisco Zen Center and perhaps the most important figure in the history of the arrival of Zen in North America. 

 

I came at the invitation of Reverend Jishi, a Dharma heir of Suzuki Roshi, who was to be my transmission master. I had had much communication on line, but this was the first time of us meeting in person. The meeting was an immediate and wonderful success. There are these times in life when something extraordinary happens and I knew that I had met not only a man of compassion and modesty, but also a perfect Dharma master for myself. Not only that, but I felt very at home in his house and with his family where I was received with affection.

 

So all was well. I arrived full of hope and anticipation and willing to go through the complicated ritual procedure. However, things do not always go smoothly. On the Saturday morning, I learnt that, during the night, the Reverend Master had had a heart attack and been rushed to hospital, and was in the emergency room. Furthermore, as I was at this time incubating a rather nasty cold virus that I must have caught on the flight over, it was wisely decreed that I should not see him nor go to the hospital nor to his house. What a lesson in impermanence it was! Suddenly I was alone again in quarantine getting occasional progress news. Would the master survive? The pathos of life and truth of the Dharma enveloped me. 

 

So, there being nothing else for it, I applied myself to completing as much of the ceremony preparations as I so far had instructions for, praying for his wellbeing, and taking care not to worsen my own ailment, all the while anxious for news of progress and wondering what the morrow would bring. 

 

Sunday came, Sensei had survived. An artery blockage had been opened. He was to come home and rest, which he did. I was still not able to see him, but heard that he was sleeping long hours. A heart attack must be very painful and leave one wiped out and needing plenty of recovery time. Meanwhile my sore throat turned into a painful cough and I also took to my bed. Fortunately the two women present, sensei's wife and Annie, a sangha member (see below in this Newsletter), remained well, diligently cared for him and ran errands for me if I needed anything.

 

Monday dawned another bright sunny day. I was still sick. However, the master was doing well and, although still weak, was soon back on his feet, a remarkable come back,  and I got further instructions to get to work on. What a relief ! It was the hottest day so far and the sunshine was probably aiding his and my recovery. I worked hard in the studio some distance from the house and got my part of the preparations completed. 

 

The culmination of the week occurred on the Friday when the main ritual took place and I received the blessing and the insignia. By this time there were more people gathered and there followed a lavish celebratory meal and congratulations all round. 

 

During my many years in Buddhism I have had a number of outstanding Dharma teachers, most notably, Jiyu Kennett Roshi (Soto Zen) who was my root teacher, Chogyam Trungpa (Kargyupa), Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Rinzai), and Saiko Gisho Sensei (Jodoshin). All have now passed on, so for some years I have been without a living master. However, with this transmission I acquire two new teachers, namely my ordination master and his own teacher. I feel deeply touched by their confidence and it is a wonderful thing to have them watching over me and, as it were, a home to go to. In Buddhism, it is not impossible to make progress without a teacher, but it is immeasurably preferable to have one who can hold up the Dharma mirror and also inspire one to melt into the practice. So, for these days it was a wonderful experience to spend time with my new teacher and to complete the initiation .

 

In all Buddhism, the Dharma is continued by transmission from heart to heart, mind to mind, teacher to disciple, but in Chan and Zen Buddhism, this is especially emphasised by an extensive secret ritual and often by daily recitation of the lineage of teachers all the way back to Shakyamuni. By this ritual, affirming the passing on of the Dharma, a person is established as a successor in the unbroken lineage of teachers and disciples, the spiritual 'bloodline' (kechimyaku) back to the Buddha himself. The preservation and continuance of the kechimyaku is a core principle of all the Zen schools. The ritual, however, is an esoteric affair as much reflecting tantric origins as ch'an tradition. As with the mysteries of Eleusis, so with the inka of Zen.

 

As I have written in previous issues, my interest is in melding the Zen and Pureland streams of Buddhism, which I see as complementary and naturally making a single whole that I have dubbed Nem Zen. This further initiation strengthens this purpose. Also, in Japanese Soto Zen, coming down from the time of Keizan Zenji, a couple of generations after Dogen, there are two extant lineages and all Soto Zen teachers belong to one or other. These are called the Gasan Ha and the Meiho Ha after their founding teachers, both of whom were disciples of Keizan. My root teacher Kennett Roshi was Meiho and Suzuki Roshi was Gasan, so I am now also having the experience of seeing the two sides of Soto come together.

 

I am immensely grateful for this blessing and, in my small way, will do all that I can to be a fitting vehicle for the transmission. The future is always unknown, but I go forward ("go forth" as we say in Buddhism), with faith and love in my heart. What a wonder the Dharma is !! Namo Amida Bu.

Nem Zen 101

Sit up straight in the presence of the Buddha. Let Namo Amida Bu be everywhere. Practise intensive Jodo Soto. Sit on a cushion, bench or chair with the spine upright, head balanced on the spine. Outwardly still, seeking the still point within. With each out breath, silently, “Namo Amida Bu”. Breath out a little further than usual. The breath moves and the heart beats, but one remains still. “Namo Amida Bu” on the out breath. After a bit, the breath shortens of its own accord. One becomes even more still. Just “Mida” is now sufficient. Body relaxed, poised; mind bright, intense. Watch for the zero point, the source. If thoughts or images appear, one has gone too far, trace back to the origin. Stay in the silent presence of Buddha. Search. Search. Do not waste a moment. Do not waste your life again. Buddha behind, vastness in front. Rest at zero with full intensity, very quiet. A hair breadth deviation is too much. If there is joy, let it come, let it be, but do not cling. If there is vast peacefulness, likewise. If there are thoughts or images, let them pass: merely clouds in the sky: let them blow away. Attainment is just this, to sit up straight in the presence of the Buddha. Namo Amida Bu.  

 

Shunryu Suzuki wrote: “To take care of the exhalation is very important. To die is more important than trying to be alive. When we always try to be alive, we have trouble. Rather than trying to be alive or active, if we can be calm and die or fade away into emptiness, then naturally we will be alright. Buddha will take care of us. Because we have lost our mother's bosom, we do not feel like her child anymore. Yet fading away into emptiness can feel like being at our mother's bosom, and we will feel as though she will take care of us. Moment after moment, do not lose this practice of shikantaza. Various kinds of religious practice are included in this point. When people say 'Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu,' they want to be Amida Buddha's children. That is why they practice repeating Amida Buddha's name. The same is true with our zazen practice. If we know how to practice shikantaza, and if they know how to repeat Amida Buddha's name, it cannot be different. So we have enjoyment, we are free.” 

- Suzuki S. 2002. Not Always So, Harper Collins. p.7 

 

Repeating Buddha's name is nem. Sitting up straight is zen. When you do nem zen, you must be deadly serious, as serious as if you were dying. There is no such thing as casual zazen. Casual is not it. If you are seeking the still point, you must be completely still in body and mind. After breathing out there is a hiatus, then the natural reflex to breath in sets in. If you allow it to be totally a reflex, then it is movement without movement, if you get my meaning. The breath moves, but you do not move. Actually, the breath may become very short, but this should not be because you have chosen to shorten it. You have chosen to do nem zen and to find the zero point, and started with a slightly lon breath, but soon the breath shortens of its own accord. 

 

The Anapanasati Sutta speaks about paying attention to the long breath and the short breath:

"Breathing in long, he discerns, 'I am breathing in long'; or breathing out long, he discerns, 'I am breathing out long.' Or breathing in short, he discerns, 'I am breathing in short'; or breathing out short, he discerns, 'I am breathing out short.'"

 

Then, perhaps a thought will drift into your mind. Perhaps you think, “I’m doing this quite well”, but this thought then easily hijacks your attention and probably another thought creeps in behind it and soon you are lost. Then, maybe you notice what is happening and the thoughts blow away. The sutta says:

"He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming mental fabrication.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming mental fabrication.'"

 

When this really happens, sometimes there comes a spontaneous joy. It wells up. You can’t help a smile spreading, not just on your face, but all through your body. This is second dhyana. At this point it is especially important to keep to stillness. Just let it happen. Here, the “Mida” can be a great help. The smile - the feeling of joy - may stay or go, nothing to worry about, but stay with the stillness in all seriousness.

 

It is important to see nembutsu zen - nem zen - as religion. It is not just a physical keep fit, nor a psychological exercise. It is not for making you a better person - that might happen, but it is not the point. It is connecting you to the higher realm. It is a way by which to allow the Buddha to take hold, the Dharma to take over your life. It is like a kind of prayer: “I make this space in my heart; please come and fill it. Lead me. I am ready.” Do not worry about names, the Nameless will draw you forth, will take you to the place of no birth and no death. This is more serious than dying. 

 

NEM ZEN Q&A

 

QUESTION: Can you explain the terms nem and zen?

 

ANSWER: Yes. Zen is meditation, or contemplative prayer. Adepts (yogis) have been doing it since time immemorial. Nem means mindfulness and, in a Buddhist context, mindfulness of Buddha and his Dharma, hence nembutsu. So Nemzen is the practice of Buddhism: contemplation permeated by or saturated with Buddha and his Dharma.

 

QUESTION: So all Buddhist practice is nemzen?

 

ANSWER: As with many terms, there is a broad meaning and a narrow meaning. In the broad sense, yes. This is what we call extensive practice: having Buddha & Dharma in mind in every activity of life. We live in this alarming world of impermanence and affliction and Buddhists have this refuge in Dharma - that is extensive nemzen: the Buddha's calm presence with you in everything you do. But then there is also intensive practice when one sits on the cushion (za-zen) and focusses the mind. For this Buddhism offers many methods. By nemzen in this narrow sense, is meant the use of nembutsu in zazen.

 

QUESTION: Can you say some more about nembutsu?

 

ANSWER: Nembutsu means bringing Buddha & Dharma to mind. In East Asian Buddhism this is generally by using some variant upon the phrase "Namo Amida Bu" (Namu Amida Butsu in Japanese, Namo Adida Phat in Vietnamese, Omito Fo in Chinese, etc). In Tibet the commonest is Om Mani Padme Hum. In South Asia Namo Tassa Bhagavato, Arahato, Samasmabuddho, or just Buddho. The actual form of words varies, but the sentiment is the same: it is an anchor for the mind accessing the whole Buddha Dharma.

 

QUESTION: So, in a few words, how do you use nembutsu in zen?

 

ANSWER: By mounting nembutsu on the breath.

 

QUESTION: I notice that in your description you teach long breath and short breath rather than natural breath as we hear in many other meditation instructions. Why is this? 

 

ANSWER: There are several reasons. Firstly, many people practising according to the "choiceless awareness" type of instruction tend just to drift. They are not really meditating, simply relaxing while the mind wanders. Relaxation has value, but it is not the highest form of practice. Real meditation requires intensity - a kind of waiting with bated breath. Secondly, the Anapanasati Sutta only talks about long breath and short breath. It does not talk about medium, average or ordinary breath. Thirdly, Starting the session with slightly lengthened breath creates a distinction between practice and the rest of one's time. One has to make a little effort at the beginning: a longer exhalation with "Namo Amida Bu" - in fact "Namo Amida Buuuuuuu". One is settling into the practice. As Dogen says in Fukanzazengi, "Once you have found your posture, breathe in and out deeply, sway left and right and then settle firmly and steadily." So, after a few long breaths, maintaining sharp attention, what generally happens is that the breath becomes short. One is barely breathing at all. The breath is bated by one's poise. One becomes very still. This is intense practice. If the mind is still prone to wander, one can say "'Mida" with each tiny exhalation, bring the sense of the Buddha presence enfolding. One is entering into the great spacious silence of big sky mind, which is complete willingness in the midst of other power. By this way of long and short breath it is easier to arrive at intensity and the experience of emptiness. Of course, if one is an experienced practitioner, sometimes the initial stage is unnecessary - big sky mind appears as soon as one sits on the cushion, but this is not always the case and having these steps enables one to enter the practice fully even when it does not just take care of itself.

 

QUESTION: Can you sum up the relation between Pureland and Zen in a few words?

 

ANSWER: There could be many answers to this question. Pureland gives one an intensely religious or mystical sense of faith and gratitude. In that gratitude one feels the desire to make the best one can of this life, for all its failures and limitations. Zen, by training the heart-mind, does just that.

 

QUESTION: Why Nem-Zen rather than just Nem or just Zen?

 

ANSWER: All three options are good. However, Pureland alone carries a danger of laxness and complacency, whereas Zen carries a danger of spiritual pride and ambition. If Zen is grounded in faith and gratitude, the pitfall may be avoided. If Pureland is invigorated by Zen, likewise. Kennett Roshi used to say, "It's like two ends of a tunnel: if you go in Zen you come out Pureland and if you go in Pureland you come out Zen." Buddhism that, on the one hand, lacks devotion, or, on the other, lacks rigour, will not last.

 

~ Dharmavidya, April 22, 2025

 

 

 

Notes

Nem means nembutsu, the one thought moment of allowing Buddha into one’s heart, filling one’s life.

Zen means silent illumination, the silence before words and illumination by the presence of Buddha.

Zazen is sitting zen.

Jodo is the practice of Nem. Pure Land.

Soto is the practice of Zen.

Zoom étiquette

When we meet on Zoom, please treat this as if it were a face-to-face meeting in our shrine room or in a temple. Although we are on-line, treat this as 'sacred space'. 

So, please, in order to be respectful of the Dharma and others present -

   * keep your camera on,

   * stay on screen,

   * put your attention on the practice or on the person sharing.

Please don't

   * wander around,

   * talk to others outside of the sangha gathering during practice,

   * read other things on other electronic devices etc during sangha evenings/puja. 

Thank you!

A difference between Honen and Shinran

A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HONEN & SHINRAN

 

Honen was the founder of the Jodo School in Japan. His successor was Bencho. Later, there emerged the Jodoshin School, often called Shin Buddhism, which claimed Shinran as its founder. Jodo and Jodoshin are two of the three most popular forms of Buddhism in Japan, the third being Nichiran. Shinran was, in fact, a disciple of Honen, but in some ways his teaching differs a little from that of his master. For instance, Shinran taught that the Pure Land of Amitabha is identical to nirvana, whereas Honen followed the great Chinese teacher Shan Tao who said that “Reaching there (the Pure Land), our lotus flower will open and we can listen to the 妙 (graceful, marvelous, wondrous) dharma (that Amida preaches). Then the ten (bodhisattva) stages of  vows and practices will naturally reveal themselves clearly.” Shan Tao saw the Pure Land  as a place where one hears the Dharma more clearly and can practise it more easily and so be assured of not falling back, but not as the same as the ultimate goal of nirvana. A Buddhist prays for rebirth in a life in the presence of a Buddha - in Pureland, the Buddha Amitabha - where the conditions for practice will be optimum. Karma is inexorable, so cannot be wiped out in a magical way, but conditions can make a big difference. Even within this life, we pray to be in conditions where there is support for faith & practice, which is why we take refuge in a teacher, a sangha and the great love that has been transmitted from the time of Shakyamuni. Many Japanese do believe that in the next life everybody automatically becomes a Buddha, but this is somewhat at variance with traditional Buddhist teaching. I do not want to become embroiled in a debate between these two great teachers, but reflecting upon their different views can help us to clarify our sense of the Dharma. As a Pureland practitioner, I hope to enter Sukhavati, but I also have a deep sense that it is important to be willing to go wherever and to receive and accept whatever comes. It is all Namo Amida Bu in the end.

 

~ Dharmavidya

Buddha's Rules for Conversation

1/ Listen carefully
2/ Don’t talk to an unwilling audience.
3/ Only say what will be useful or interesting to the other party.
4/ Avoid gossip. Don’t disparage others.
5/ Don’t add to quarrels.
6/ Facilitate peace.
7/ Speak words that inspire faith & confidence.

~ Dharmavidya

Global Sangha

:: Dharmavidya David Brazier:

Global Sangha came into being during the period of the pandemic as a number of people gathered around my presentation of the teachings. Some were already my disciples (shravakas), and we held a small ceremony to allow some others to take this step. Others simply came to receive teachings or participate in events and the life of the sangha. I started sending out five minute podcasts of Dharma teachings of which there have now been well over 200. Around this time the book The Dark Side of the Mirror: Forgetting the Self in Dogen's Genjo Koan came out and this was soon followed by The Oxford Handbook of Meditation (Farias, Brazier & Laljee) and a volume of poems, It Is As It Is (Brazier & Lee). I also wrote a Commentary on the Summary of Faith & Practice for private circulation. So there was plenty to study. I do what I can to provide access to the Dharma for all who are interested. The success of the sangha, however, is primarily due to the core practice of  nembutsu and the extension of the teaching into Buddhist psychology. The sangha now embraces a number of mini-sangha groups formed around particular practices & activities - the Sunday service, the early morning chanting sessions, the Friday service, the tutors' group, some of the peer learning groups of BP students and other buddy groups - all of these act as important supports to faith & practice ~ :: link. If you would like to be more involved, some of these groups are open to new members. If a zoom code is given in the :: Global Sangha Newsletter, do just come along to a meeting. However, not everybody wants to be a member of a group and some practitioners are solitary yogis relating exclusively to me directly or to other teachers within our community. There are many possibilities. Each person is on her or his path and, as in the time of the Buddha, different practitioners need different avenues. 

:: Dharmavidya

:: Global Sangha Newsletters

UNDERSTANDING THE DHARMA

 

Dharmavidya David Brazier:

 

Buddhism has many scriptures (sutras). These derive from the teachings and conversations of the Buddha Shakyamuni. The texts have been passed down through some eighty five generations and along the way many different interpretations have emerged. With the arrival of Buddhism in the West, we see a further generation of new interpretations. Arguably, some of these take us further away from the original intention of the founder and some closer. I have myself advanced some proposals for how best to understand the Dharma and some of these differ from what is commonly read and taught these days.

 

Four Truths for Noble Ones:

At the heart of Buddhist teachings are what are generally called the Four Noble Truths. Commonly these are presented as a road to the ending of suffering. In my book The Feeling Buddha and elsewhere I suggest that this is a misinterpretation. Dukkha is such situations as  birth, aging, disease and death, separation, confinement and failure and we have to suffer these. What counts is how one does so. The "eightfold path" is not a route toward enlightenment, it is the path that issues from awakening to the real situation. The correct interpretation is that there are basically two ways to respond. One, the path of ego, just goes round in circles, generating more dukkha situations. The other, the way of nirodha - basically faith & practice - opens onto the (eightfold) spiritual path. Noble practitioners meet adversity in ways that are wise and compassionate. Worldly people meet them with selfishness, distraction and bitterness. Practise nirodha and the path opens naturally. This is the meaning.

 

Mindfulness:

The noble option of nirodha involves keeping Buddha & Dharma in mind, which is to say, in one's heart, in all situations. To do so is mindfulness in the true Buddhist sense. This is not a psychological technique of staying in the present moment. It is, rather, protection against what may happen if, in the present moment, one meets corruption, adversity or temptation. In this true sense, mindfulness is faith & practice. In Japanese it is called nembutsu, literally "keeping the Buddha in mind". If, in all situations, one sustains one's refuge in Buddha, one will not go far wrong.

 

Dharma:

It is often taught that the term Dharma has two (or more) meanings and these are often distinguished in translations by using upper or lower case initial letters which do not appear in the original language. It is said that Dharma is the teaching of Buddha and dharma are the manifold things in this world. I suggest that dharma, with or without a capital, has but one meaning and that is "fundamental truth", or, we could say, what is really real. Buddha's "teaching" is him pointing out reality and what we need to know about the phenomenal world is to discern whatever is fundamental. Much Buddhist teaching is concerned with the fact that ordinary experience is often based upon mere appearance that often turns out to be fake news. To live a spiritual life, one needs to address what is actually so, rather than superficial forms.

 

When we take these (and some other) key terms in this way, we receive a Buddhism that is coherent, clear and practical yet profound. It is fundamentally true that life for a sentient being includes many unavoidable dukkha situations and it is also fundamentally true that in this very existential situation a noble life is possible if one meet those situations mindfully in the above sense of the word. Doing so constitutes nirodha and the outcome of doing so is marga, the eightfold path, a truly spiritual life. The great diversity of Buddhist practices and teachings are all designed to assist and contribute to this.

 

Namo Amida Bu.

Summary of Faith and Practice

SUMMARY OF FAITH & PRACTICE

(Dharmavidya, inspired by Honen’s Ichimai Kishomon)

 

For those having a karmic affinity with Amitabha Buddha wishing to practise a religious life in truly simple faith, freeing themselves of sophistication and attachment to all forms of cleverness, the method of opening oneself to Amitabha’s grace is the practice of Nien Fo with body, speech and mind, particularly verbal recitation of “Namo Amida Bu”. This is not something done as a form of meditation, nor is it based on study, understanding and wisdom, or the revelation of deep meaning. Deep meaning is indeed there for the nembutsu is a window through which the whole universe of Buddha’s teaching can be perceived in all its depth, but none of this is either necessary or even helpful to success in the practice. Rather such study cultivates secondary faculties to be held separate from the mind of practice itself.

The primary practice requires only one essential: realise that you are a totally foolish being who understands nothing, but who can with complete trust recite “Namo Amida Bu”; know that this will generate rebirth in the Pure Land, without even knowing what rebirth in the Pure Land truly is. This is the practice for ignorant beings and ignorance is essential for its accomplishment. This practice automatically encompasses the three minds and the mind of contrition as a fourth. To pursue something more profound or more sophisticated, or to have a theory, or to think that understanding will yield greater enlightenment than this is to be mislead and to fall back into self-power whereby the whole practice is spoilt. However wise, learned or skilled you may be, set it aside and be the foolish being completely in the performance of the practice. Nothing else is required and anything else is too much. Faith and practice cannot be differentiated.

The Buddha-body is delineated by the precepts. How deficient we are by comparison! By our daily difficulty in the preceptual life, we awaken to the presence of the myriad karmic obstacles without which we would already perceive the land of love and bliss, we would be as the vow-body of Buddha. Thus we know in experience that we are foolish beings of wayward passion. This knowledge of our condition is part of the essential basis when it gives rise to contrition. Thus all obstacles become impediments to faith unless we experience contrition and letting go. Saving grace, as was made clear by Shan Tao’s dream and advice to Tao Cho, only comes through the sange-mon.

If you can perform the practice in this simple minded way, Amida will receive you and you may fear for nothing since all is completely assured. Dwelling in this settled faith you may then use your secondary faculties, your knowledge and skills and accumulated experience, as tools for helping all sentient beings. But do not then think that anything of relevance to your own salvation is thereby accomplished, nor that you are making something of yourself.   Whatever merit there may be in your actions of this kind, immediately and totally dedicate it to the benefit of others, that they may enter the Pure Land and that you yourself may not be encumbered by consciousness of virtue which will only contaminate the practice. As Honen says, “without pedantic airs, fervently recite the Name.” *

*****

:: An essay about the Ichimai Kishomon 

 

and :: another link

*****

The Three Minds

 In the Contemplation Sutra it refers to the three minds. The three minds are

# sincere mind

# deep mind

# longing mind

These correspond, respectively, with the mind of nei quan, the mind of chih quan and the mind of nembutsu.

Sincere mind means being free from hypocrisy. This is the mind that is willing to look at oneself as one actually is. It is the willingness to face and admit to one's bombu-nature. People with this first kind of mind are not too certain about themselves. This does not mean that they are ineffective in life - often the reverse - but they know that they have many limitations and so are able to empathise easily with others. They are not full of themselves. They know that their life is caught in a matrix of conditions and that this can bring good and bad alike. Sometimes it results in harm. None of us is innocent or pure. The person of sincere mind does not feel superior. This, therefore, is the mind of nei quan: the mind that looks into the dependently originating state of all aspects of oneself and one's world.

 

Deep mind means willingness to trust in a deep support under-pinning one's existence. There is a lttle poem by the myokonin Saichi:

The great ocean is full of delusion;

It has the seabed to support it.

Saichi is full of bad karma;

There is Amida to support it.

This is the mind of chih quan: the mind that is willing to give everything into the hands of the Buddha and enjoy the Buddha's blessing and peace in a condition of complete entrustment.

 

Longing mind is, in Japanese, eko-hotsu-gan-shin. This means the mind that reaches out toward the Pure Land and also the mind that relies upon Amida's vows. It is the mind of faith. When each incident in life occurs, one says Namo Amida Bu. This brings the thought of Amida into each incident. In such a single moment one gives up self-power and  accepts other-power; one longs to be with that Buddha as one might long to have one's beloved present. The Pure Land is wherever Amida is. If the Beloved is present then that very place is a Pure Land. So although we do not fully enter the Pure Land in this life, every time that we say the nembutsu we do connect with that land. This is all through the  power of the Buddha's vow connecting with the openness created by our longing.

 

 

 

meditation on a leaf

Meditation on a leaf  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

 

I asked the leaf whether it was frightened because it was autumn and the other leaves were falling.  The leaf told me,

“No.  During the whole spring and summer I was completely alive. I worked hard to help nourish the tree, and now much of me is in the tree. I am not limited by this form. I am also the whole tree, and when I go back to the soil, I will continue to nourish the tree. So I don’t worry at all. As I leave this branch and float to the ground, I will wave to the tree and tell her, ‘I will see you again very soon.”

 

That day there was a wind blowing and, after a while, I saw the leaf leave the branch and float down to the soil, dancing joyfully, because as it floated it saw itself already there in the tree. It was so happy. I bowed my head, knowing that I have a lot to learn from the leaf.”

 

” … So please continue to look back and you will see that you have always been here. Let us look together and penetrate into the life of a leaf, so we may be one with the leaf. Let us penetrate and be one with the cloud or with the wave, to realize our own nature as water and be free from our fear. If we look very deeply, we will transcend birth and death.

 

Tomorrow, I will continue to be. But you will have to be very attentive to see me. I will be a flower, or a leaf. I will be in these forms and I will say hello to you. If you are attentive enough, you will recognize me, and you may greet me. I will be very happy.

the five remembrances

Sr Thuận Nghiêm talked about the Upajjhatthana Sutta (Subjects for Contemplation) otherwise known as the Five Remembrances during the Spring Retreat. :: link

1. I am of the nature to grow old, I cannot escape old age.
Plum trees need to be trimmed so that their sap energy does not get dispersed into growing lots of branches and leaves, but instead can be directed to produce more fruits. We are the same, with the practices of mindfulness, we can grow old beautifully, bearing many fruits of happiness and peace. Who are our role models for growing old gracefully? Thầy, Sr Chân Không, Sr Chân Đức can be our source of inspiration for how to age with wisdom and beauty.
2. I am of the nature to get sick, I cannot escape sickness.
The Buddha taught that sickness comes from the way we consume and what we consume through edible food, sense impressions, volition, and collective consciousness. How is your consumption in daily life affecting your body and mind? Depression and loneliness are very prevalent in our society now. Fostering a community connection can alleviate these maladies because it brings the warmth of being in a family. Eating a vegetarian diet, organic food, meditation, exercise, relaxation and friendship are other important factors in the healing process.
3. I am of the nature to die, I cannot escape death.
We can remember the fact that each day that passes we have one day less to live, so we can do and say things to appreciate and cherish our loved one’s presence. When our parents have passed away, instead of regretting and lamenting their loss we can contemplate on what aspirations they had and we can continue to realize it for them. This is one way we continue them. How can we overcome feelings of resentment towards a loved one before they die? Try to look at the positive things they have done, and see the bigger picture, or the conditions that have made them the way they are.
4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
Life can be full of unexpected events, earth quake, tsunami, people we live with can die the next day. Do we take time to recognize the preciousness of our relationships?
5. I inherit the results of my actions of body, speech, and mind. My actions are my continuation. The echo in the mountains is our life. What we give out through the three actions of body, speech and mind comes back to us, even very little things in our thinking. If we have received positive things from a good environment, like a sangha, then we are more inspired to give back positively by sharing our peace and joy to others.

no escape retreat

Here's a moving article from Sr Tam Muoi, recently shared by Plum Village. It is such a beautiful and honest account of taking care of her elderly parents during the pandemic - the difficulties, the joys and the many aspects of our practice that have supported her.

 

https://plumvillage.org/articles/no-escape-retreat/

embracing anger

We can embrace all of our feelings, even difficult ones like anger. Anger is a fire burning inside us, filling our whole being with smoke. When we are angry, we need to calm ourselves: "Breathing in, I calm my anger. Breathing out, I take care of my anger." As soon as a mother takes her crying baby into her arms, the baby already feels some relief. When we embrace our anger with Right Mindfulness, we suffer less right away.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

yesterday evening (26 April 2022)

We looked at diagrams of the seeds in our store consciousness, different ways to maximise the positive seeds and minimise those less helpful

Teachings on Mindfulness and Gratefulness

 

 

A Cloud Never Dies

 

 

Our gathering on 21 February 2022

Last night four of us gathered via Zoom - one person who has been a member of the sangha for nearly 20 years, another for 7 and a new person. The format for the meeting was the one we have been following for almost a year. We started with a quick check in - 'internal weather, external weather', followed by a guided mindfulness meditation. Then time for walking (or sitting quietly or tea-drinking meditation). Then guided Metta meditation and, finally, the opportunity for speaking from the heart.

It's a troubling time just now - in the world and in people's lives. So we were grateful to share a time of peace, friendship and tranquility, bringing us back to our True Home.

 

The Story of a River

'The Story of a River' by Thich Nhat Hanh

 

"Born on the top of a mountain, the little spring dances her way down. The stream of water sings as she travels. She wants to go fast. She is unable to go slowly. Running, rushing, is the only way, maybe even flying. She wants to arrive. Arrive where? Arrive at the ocean. She has heard of the deep, blue , beautiful ocean. To become one with the ocean, that is what she wants.

 

Coming down to the plains, she grows into a young river. Winding her way through the beautiful meadows, she has to slow down. "Why can't I run the way I could when I was a creek? I want to reach the deep, blue ocean. If I continue this slowly, how will I ever arrive there at all?" As a creek, she was not happy with what she was, she really wanted to grow into a river.

But, as a river, she does not feel happy either. She cannot bear to slow down.

 

Then, as she slows down, the young river begins to notice the beautiful clouds reflected in her water. They are of different colors and shapes floating in the sky, and they seem to be free to go anywhere they please. Wanting to be like a cloud, she begins to chase after the clouds, one after another.

Learning True Love: Practicing Buddhism in a Time of War by Sister Chan Khong

Learning True Love: Practicing Buddhism in a Time of War by Sister Chan Khong

 

"In January of 2005, after nearly 40 years in exile, Sister Chân Không was able to return on a 3-month visit to Vietnam. In this fully revised edition of Learning True Love she movingly describes the return to her homeland, the reunions with many old friends and fellow activists, and shares her impression of the “new Vietnam,” where Buddhists still struggle for religious freedom and the re-establishment of their own organizations.

 

Learning True Love is a moving personal memoir, an introduction to the mindfulness teachings and life of Thich Nhat Hanh and his community in exile, an overview to the development of the European and American peace and human rights movement, and an introduction to the engaged and practical style of Vietnamese Buddhism. It documents the process that brought an end to the US Vietnam war, and gives a lively summary of Vietnamese history from 1945 to the current political, social and spiritual climate in Vietnam. Learning True Love also portraits some of the many remarkable people that shared Sister Chân Không ‘s path.

 

Foremost however it is the remarkable and impressive story of a very courageous woman, whose journey from an accredited biologist at the University of Paris to a Buddhist nun, gives her unique insight into life’s central questions and the ability to address them in an unflinching and straightforward manner."

 

:: link

I Am Not Different From You: A portrait of Sister Chan Khong

 

 

I Am Not Different From You:

A portrait of Sister Chan Khong

By Eveline Beumkes

 

"Sister Chan Khong, meaning "True Emptiness." Thich Nhat Hanh and Sister Chan Khong started Plum Village together in 1982. That Plum Village has become what it is today and that people all over the world have been inspired by Thay's teachings is to a great extent a result of Sister Phuong's enduring support and untiring initiative. Feeling grateful for having come in contact with Thay's teachings is feeling grateful to Sister Chan Khong in the very same breath.

 

I first met Thay and Sister Chan Khong (Phoung) in 1984 during a meditation weekend in Amsterdam. In the evening there was a special program with Vietnamese music. At one point the music stopped abruptly and Sister CK began to sing. I was deeply touched by her voice. Never had I heard someone sing like that. She sang my heart open and I cried and cried, not understanding what was happening to me.

 

During the first summer I spent in Plum Village, Sister Phuong wasn't yet a nun; she was simply called "Phuong." She had lovely long black hair that, in her way, she would casually put up in a bun by sticking a pen through it. She warmly welcomed the few Westerners that visited Plum Village in those days and she did what she could to make us feel at home. At that time she was the only person able to translate from Vietnamese into English or French. When Thay gave a Dharma talk or when there was an event in Vietnamese, she would sit next to us and translate for hours on end without ever appearing to get tired. Sister Phuong's way of translating was so expressive that even after having translated for hours, her voice sounded as colorful as it did when she began.

 

Three years later when I moved to Plum Village I was often the only one during the winter season that needed translation during Thay's talks and at the dining table at the end of the meals. There were about ten of us by then, and after dinner, as we were enjoying countless cups of tea, there was usually a lot of conversation, all in Vietnamese. During those moments I felt so left out, but when Sister Phuong was around she would always come sit next to me and, while participating wholeheartedly in the conversation, she would translate for me at the same time. I savored those moments in her presence. A couple of years ago I noticed she had taken on a new habit; while translating she would keep her hands in a certain position, a mudra. When I asked her about it, she explained she did it in order to remind herself to stay mindful while she was talking.

this evening's meeting

We started the evening with a  quick check in, then listened to the introduction to Thich Nhat Hanh's book about Pureland Buddhism: 'Finding Our True Home', followed by silent sitting or chanting, as each participant preferred. This was followed by a reading of  Thay's translation from the Chinese of the Smaller Amitabha Sutra. Following this we had the opportunity to take turns sharing from the heart.