Blog

Text: Dogen instructed, In the ocean, there is a place called the Dragon-Gate, where vast waves rise incessantly. Without fail, all fish once having passed through this place become dragons. Thus, the place is called the Dragon-Gate. The vast waves there are not different from those in any other place, and the water is also … Read more

If you have not seen it yet, the NHK World documentary “Sesshu’s World of Zen in Ink” can be seen here: “Sesshu is called the father of Japanese ink painting. German-born Muho Noelke, a Zen abbot in Japan, visits Yamaguchi Prefecture in western Japan, a city that changed Sesshu’s life. Here, Sesshu escaped Kyoto’s culture … Read more

【6-4】 　雜話の次でに示して云く、學道の人衣食にわづらふことなかれ。此の國は邊地小國なりといへども、昔も今も顯密の二敎に名をゑ、後代にも人にも知られたる人おほし。或は詩歌管絃の家、文武學藝の才、其道を嗜む人もおほし。かくの如き人人未だ一人も衣食に豊かなりと云ことを聞かず。皆貧を忍び他事を忘れて、一向に其の道を好むゆへに、其の名をも得るなり。いはんや祖門學道の人は、渡世を捨てヽ一切名利に走らず、何としてか豊かなるべきぞ。大宋國の叢林には末代なりといへども、學道の人千萬人ある中に、或は遠方より來り、或は鄕土より出たるも有り。いづれも多分は貧なり。しかあれどもいまだ貧をうれへとせず。只悟道の未だしきことをのみ愁へて、或は樓上、或は閣下に坐して、考妣に喪するが如くにして、一向に佛道を修するなり。まのあたり見しことは、西川（セイセン）の僧、遠方より來れりし故に、所持の物なし。纔に墨二三丁もてり。そのあたひ兩三百文、此國の兩三十文にあたれるを持て、唐土の紙の下品なる極めて弱きを買ひとりて、襖ま或は袴などに作てきぬれば、起ち居に破るるおとして、あさましきをも顧みず、うれへざるなり。或る人の云く、汝鄕里にかへりて道具裝束とヽのへよと。答て云く、鄕里遠方なり、路次の間に光陰を空ふして、學道の時を失せんことを憂ふと云て、猶更に寒をも愁へずして學道せしなり。しかある故に大國にはよき人も出來るなり。 In a talk on various subjects, Dogen instructed: Students of the Way, do not worry about food and clothing. Although Japan is a small country, far removed (from the Buddha’s country), there are quite a few people who were famous as scholars of the Exoteric and Esoteric Teachings, and who have become known … Read more

English translations of the text can be found here: http://www.thezensite.com/ZenTeachings/Translations/HsinHsinMingTranslation.html http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/zen/fm/fm.htm