Awakening to Truth Everything that exists partakes of the Buddha nature. All things are precious; all existence has value. Today, living in a highly competitive society, we often evaluate people as useful or useless. Out of envy or jealousy, we compare ourselves with others. According to Buddhist teachings, however, regardless of human evaluations of good or bad, the truth of all things is their unvarnished natural forms. Since the life force of the Buddha is inherent in all things, nothing is superfluous. Awakening to the truth by practicing zazen is to awaken to your own essential self and the Buddha nature with which it is endowed. TRUE ZAZEN What attitude must we adopt for zazen? The following famous story from eighth-century China gives an indication. Once, as a monk named Mazu Daoyi was assiduously engaged in zazen, his priestly teacher Nanyue Huaizhang happened along and asked what he was doing. "Zazen," replied Mazu, "I am practicing seated meditation to become a Buddha." Nanyue picked up a tile he found lying on the ground and began energetically rubbing it with a stone. Perplexed, Mazu asked why he was doing it; and Nanyue said, "I'm polishing the tile to make a mirror." When Mazu asked whether that was possible, Nanyue replied, "Is it possible to become a Buddha by practicing zazen?" In a flash, for the first time, Mazu saw that his own zazen had been merely a means of attaining Buddhahood. From that time forward, he devoted himself to zazen that was not a means and that had no goal. He had discovered true zazen. Dogen Zenji stressed the importance of holding the body in the correct posture and simply sitting single-mindedly. Meditating in this way is a goal in itself: it is not a means to a result. Engaged in it, you do not evaluate the correctness of your posture, you even forget that you are engaged in zazen. The important thing is simply to sit single-mindedly. Doing so, we forget our bodies and our minds. When the self and the surroundings are unified, we forget the self and all other things. Then we become truly aware of being in a world filled with the Buddha life and the Buddha nature--that is, the universal, innate possibility of Buddhahood. At such times, we manifest the tranquil Buddha form. ATTAINING TRANQUILITY Zazen training enables you to accept yourself candidly. In zazen, without establishing standards of good and evil, even in times of anxiety and dissatisfaction, the mind remains unmoved. Anxiety and dissatisfaction leave no room for positive feelings of tranquility and satisfaction. To experience them, it is important to be content in both favorable and unfavorable circumstances. The state in which this is possible is called "contentment with both cause and effect." Buddhism teaches the recurring process of transmigration (samsara ), in which all results have a direct cause and an indirect cause, all three of which are united. Intervention of our own narrow, biased views deludes us into thinking them separate. And this causes us to direct irritation and anger toward results. Accepting them as they truly are, however, connects direct causes, indirect causes, and results. The ability to do this removes all delusion. When we are able to accept all things impartially in their true forms, we attain tranquility. This mental condition is the zazen mind, the Zen mind. It is the frame of mind in which we should live daily life. EVERYTHING WE DO IS ZEN Zen teaches us to live according to the zazen mind without brandishing our own selfish desires, as the following story shows. In Tang-period China (618--907), a young monk named Longtan Chongshin looked after the daily needs of his priestly teacher. One day Longtan asked why, throughout the long time he had taken care of him, his teacher had never taught him about the importance of the Zen mind. The teacher replied that he had never once been lax in his teaching. Unconvinced, the young monk asked when his mentor had pointed out the importance of the Zen mind to him. The teacher replied, "When you brought me tea, I accepted it. When you prepared food for me, I accepted and ate it. When you greeted me each morning and evening, I returned the greetings. Isn't this true? When then have I been lax in teaching you about the Zen mind?" . Keizan Zenji, who propagated the Soto teachings throughout Japan, taught the Zen mind by saying, "Drink tea when it is ready; eat food when it is offered." For the zazen mind--the Zen mind--it is important to accept things in their natural forms, as they are, and to live life scene by scene. This daily discipline is in itself enlightenment. Zen teaches that everything in daily life is wonderful. As you practice zazen diligently, you will be able to observe the truth with a calm mind and remain unperturbed mentally and physically. Zazen, which was once a painful discipline, becomes comfortable. This transformation affects more than zazen to extend throughout all aspects of life from daily details to mental suffering. When we reach this stage, we are liberated from the troublesome aspects of life. Hearing the Teachings and Keeping the Precepts Of course, zazen alone will not take us to the comfortable realm free from all delusions. There are other things that you as a trainee on the Buddhist way must know. First, you must listen to Zen teachers speaking about the teachings of Shakyamuni. Then, you must reflect on what you hear and be diligent in training. If you pursue this course in proper order, you will become enlightened. Always remember that Zen begins with listening to authentic Zen teachers carefully. Dogen Zenji teaches that living according to the zazen mind requires us to abide by certain precepts. We must vow to put our faith in the Buddha, the Dharma (Law), and the Sanga (Order). This is called the Precept of the Threefold Refuges (sankikai ). We must abide by the three ideals (sanjujokai ) of doing no evil, doing all good, and saving all beings. In addition, we must keep the Ten Major Prohibitory Precepts (jujukinkai ): To prize all life. Not to steal or commit injustice. Not to misuse sexuality. Not to lie or speak falsehood. Not to become addicted to befuddling alcohol. Not to gossip about others' mistakes. Not to boast or speak ill of others. Not to hesitate to give of purse or mind. Not to lose oneself in violent anger. Not to doubt the teachings of the Buddha Practicing the Teachings Is the Way of Buddhist Training For followers of the Buddhist way, these precepts are universal and transcend time. Founding your life on them and being sincerely introspective generate a compassionate attitude towards associates and have a purifying effect on all the Buddha nature of the world. Soto Zen has long emphasized the importance of daily actions and attitudes. Dogen Zenji teaches that, to ensure that everything we do in daily life is correct, we must strive for correctness in the four actions of walking, sitting, and sleeping. Those who discipline themselves in the Buddhist way must abide by the precepts stated above, strive for correct actions and attitudes, and diligently put the Buddhist teachings into practice.

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