To Our Dear Sangha

In this month’s issue, Matsumoto-san writes about the moment of satori, and I introduce teishō by Zen master Inoue Gien which have been translated into English and compiled into a book. Teishō is when Zen masters show students what Truth is. Please read below.

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(Translated by Madoka)（”Teishō” is when a Zen master shows/conveys Truth to gathered students or disciples.)

The Moment of Satori (Enlightenment)

Let’s look at the moment of satori, which has remained unchanged from ancient times to the present.

Because “Satori = Truth,” one person’s satori cannot be greater or lesser than another’s.

Satori is when what is real reveals itself as itself—the real thing itself. For this reason, proper Zen teachings always point to the real thing itself.

And how has the real thing itself been pointed out?

Here are some examples:

• The Buddha held up a flower and twirled it.

• Master Gutei showed what is real by holding up one finger in response to any question he was asked.

• Master Gien showed what is real with a clap of his hands.

In the case of Master Jōshū (778–897), a novice monk once went to him and asked how to practice.

Novice: How should I practice?
Jōshū: Have you had your meal?
Novice: Yes.
Jōshū: Then wash your bowl.

With that, Master Jōshū left. The next day at lunch, the novice came to know what true practice is.

There is another exchange with Master Jōshū, known as “Jōshū’s Oak Tree.”

Monk: What is the true meaning of Bodhidharma coming to China from India?
Master Jōshū: The oak tree by the garden.
Monk: I’m not here to ask about such external things.
Jōshū: I’m not answering with anything external.
Monk (asking again): What is the real meaning of Bodhidharma coming to China from India?
Jōshū: The oak tree by the garden.

Master Jōshū is pointing to what is actually real.

Let’s look at the moment of satori of past enlightened masters.

• The Buddha, 6^th–5^th century BCE: shine

• Master Kyōgen (770–853):  clack

• Master Unmon (864–949):  pain

• Master Mumon (1183–1260):  dong

• Master Dōgen (1200–1253):  whack

Recent and Contemporary Masters

• Master Inoue Gien (1894–1981):  chirp

• Master Inoue Kando (my teacher; 1944– ):  click-clack

• Me (1961– ):  tick

In this way, there are records of what it was that made itself clear as the real thing itself.

Satori is not the concept of “emptiness” or “nothingness” that you study through written words.

●▼■

Book Introduction: A Blueprint of Enlightenment by Inoue Gien Roshi

So how should we practice? The novice monk’s question to Jōshū is an important one (see Matsumoto-san’s teishō above). Zen masters have explained and demonstrated in many ways, trying to help people so that, as Matsumoto-san says, “their zazen is truly zazen.”

I must admit, I have actually envied people who understand what true practice is by something as simple as being told to wash their bowl. But evidently, I’m not the only one who requires more explanation.

Zen Master Dōgen wrote and taught a lot about practice, perhaps for people similar to me. One of his pieces is called Gakudō Yōjinshū (Guidelines for Studying the Way). Inoue Gien Roshi was one modern Zen Master who gave teishō using Gakudō Yōjinshū, and those teishō have been compiled and translated into English.

Gien Roshi (1894-1981) was an excellent teacher under whom many people enlightened (including Matsumoto-san’s teacher, Inoue Kando Roshi). It was after finding one of Gien Roshi’s books at a bookstore that Matsumoto-san felt he had finally found a practice that would help him resolve his own quest for Truth. Matsumoto-san noticed that Gien Roshi did not just explain. The book included things like “Clap!” when Gien Roshi showed his students what Truth was—like the Buddha holding up a flower.

So we are happy that the first book we are recommending in our newsletter is Inoue Gien Roshi’s commentary on Gakudō Yōjinshū, entitled “A Blueprint of Enlightenment—A Contemporary Commentary on Dōgen Zenji’s Gakudō Yōjinshū.”

“Gakudō yōjinshū” means literally means “a collection of important points to be careful of to study the Way.” Dōgen Zenji expounds on 10 points:

1. The need to awaken to the Bodhi-mind

2. The need for training upon encountering the true Law

3. The need to realize the Way through constant practice

4. The need for selfless practice of the Way

5. The need to seek a true master

6. Advice for the practice of Zen

7. The need for Zen training in Buddhist practice and enlightenment

8. The conduct of Zen monks

9. The need to practice in accordance with the Way

10. The direct realization of the Way

A Blueprint of Enlightenment includes an English translation of Gakudō Yōjinshū and an English translation of Gien Roshi’s teishō (when Zen masters show/convey Truth to gathered disciples and students), which includes explanations, anecdotes, and written versions of when he showed people what is actually real itself (Truth). Some of the dialogue between Gien Roshi and questioners is also introduced.

To write this memo, I did some looking online for various translations of Gakudō Yōjinshū and even found a commentary on A Blueprint of Enlightenment. In that commentary, the writer raises various questions that indicate he didn’t understand the significance of “Clap!” This, as well as my own experiences with truth-seeking, reaffirms to me that Master Dōgen was indeed right in saying one needs to find a real master to truly know the Way.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have met three real Zen masters in Japan, but even then it took me months to understand the importance of Clap! I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have understood it from just reading. This is why I am very happy to be able to make Matsumoto-san accessible to English speakers.

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