Introducción al Budismo 禅Zen (Parte 2: Los Sutras)

El Budismo Zen no es una religión ni es una filosofía. Es una enseñanza
práctica que nos ayuda a desarrollar la capacidad de dirigir la más
completa atención a nuestros procesos mentales. Entonces, si no es una
religión, porqué el Ritual y las demás formalidades que seguimos en el
Zendo? Porque el Ritual le dá estructura y seriedad a nuestra práctica,
porque es una manifestación de la importancia que para nosotros tiene
este quehacer de la contemplación de nuestros procesos internos, para
conocernos a nosotros mismos y, trascendiendo el plano de lo ordinario,
conocer otra realidad que está más allá de nuestro funcionamiento
habitual. Esta práctica es importante porque nos centraliza, tranquiliza
nuestra mente y nos ayuda a detener, aunque sea por breves momentos,
nuestro incesante diálogo interno. Esto nos permite tomar unas merecidas
vacaciones de nosotros mismos, de los problemas de nuestro diario vivir y
de la tiranía del pasado y del futuro que tanto nos tortura.
Nos permite liberarnos de la auto recriminación y el sentido de culpa por
sucesos ya ocurridos, de lo que no debí de haber hecho, de lo que debí de
hacer y no hice, de los corajes guardados por lo que me hicieron, del dolor
que me ocasionaron los que quise y no me correspondieron bien, etc,
etc...Igualmente nos libera de nuestras preocupaciones por el día de
mañana, del temor por lo que debo hacer y de cómo lo haré, de qué
pasará y cómo saldré adelante, etc, etc...Cuando podemos detener ese
diálogo interno, con todas sus imágenes del pasado y del futuro,
trascendemos el Yo y trascendemos el mundo de las formas.
Trascendemos la dimensión del yo y el otro, del Yo y los objetos "allá
afuera", del Yo y ustedes, del Yo y todo lo demás. Entonces encontramos
un espacio amplio de Silencio, en el que no nos martiriza el pasado y no
nos preocupa el futuro, un espacio que es todo presente, sin limitaciones,
sin problemas, y de completa libertad. Más importante aún, nos damos
cuenta de que esa es la verdadera Realidad y de que esa es nuestra
verdadera naturaleza. Entonces sentimos una gran paz y felicidad, un
regocijo espontáneo; es la alegría de la libertad.
Un poco después se rompe el Silencio y aparece otra vez el torrente del
pensamiento y con él, la separación y la dualidad. Aparece otra vez el
mundo de Yo y las cosas, Yo y el otro, Yo y todo lo demás. Pero este Yo
que reaparece, que renace, es un Yo más maduro y seguro de sí mismo
porque está enriquecido por la experiencia vivida en el Silencio. Además,
este Yo no tiene ya el mismo control sobre nuestros sentires, ya no es

dueño y señor del espectáculo, porque ya no estamos tatalmente
identificados con él, porque ahora sabemos, en nuestro fuero interno, que
existe esa otra dimensión del Silencio, que es nuestro verdadero ser y es
la verdadera Realidad. Ahora sabemos lo que se siente en el Silencio, y
sabemos hacia dónde dirigir nuestra atención cuando, en medio de
nuestras ocupaciones habituales, nos haga falta un respiro del trajín de
cada día. Mientras más podamos repetir esta experiencia, más fácil será
volver a entrar en el Silencio, y cada vez seremos más libres, más
maduros y tolerantes, más serenos y estables, más amorosos, y más
compasivos.
Entonces, cuando hagamos el Ritual, recuerden que es una manifestación
de la importancia que para nosotros tiene esta práctica y una oprtunidad
de manifestar nuestra verdadera naturaleza. Cuando nos sentemos a
meditar vamos a hacerlo con todo nuestro ser, dirigiendo nuestra atención
completa a todo lo que esté ocurriendo en ese momento, sin escoger y sin
rechazar nada, observando nuestra respiración, nuestras sensaciones,
nuestras emociones y nuestros pensamientos, sin intervenir con nada, sólo
como espectadores absolutamente interesados en todo lo que ocurre de
momento a momento. Cuando cantemos no nos va a importar el
significado de las palabras, porque vamos a cantar con completa entrega,
haciéndonos uno con el sonido. Cuando hagamos reverencias frente a la
imágen de Sakyamuni Buda, no estaremos postrándonos ante Dios, ni
ante el hijo de Dios, ni nada que se le parezca. Estaremos manifestando
nuestra verdadera naturaleza, lo haremos con completa entrega, con
completa atención y sin permitir que se asome el Yo. Estaremos además
expresando nuestro agradecimiento, y rindiendo tributo, al Gran
Descubridor, al Gran Almirante, a un ser humano como tú y como yo, que
exploró estos parajes mentales y, por primera vez en la historia, puso el
resultado de esos descubrimientos en un cuerpo organizado de
enseñanzas para el bien de la Humanidad.
En Gassho,
Kigen Raúl Dávila, Osho
Centro Zen de Puerto Rico

Reglas de conducta en el Zendo (Salón de Meditar)
Kigen Raúl Dávila, Osho
Centro Zen de Puerto Rico
Las reglas de Conducta se aprenden con la práctica. No se preocupe demasiado con lo que hay que
hacer. En caso de duda, imite a los demás.
Al entrar al Zendo ponga las manos en gassho, entre con el pie izquierdo primero, salude al zendo con
una pequeña reverencia y con las manos todavía en gassho, vaya a su asiento. Mirando hacia el salón,
salude otra vez, quítese los zapatos, póngalos debajo del tan, y siéntese. Cuando entre al zendo como
parte del grupo, como cuando regresan del kinhin, el Yikiyitsu saluda por el grupo y usted no tiene que
saludar.
El Zazen comienza con tres campanazos. Trate de no moverse durante el zazen. No se permiten sonidos
voluntarios durante el zazen, tales como carraspear, soplarse la nariz, respirar de forma ruidosa, etc.
El zazen termina con el sonido de un campanazo. El kinhin comienza con el sonido de las maderas. Si
suenan una sola vez, se saldrá a caminar. Si suenan dos veces será un kinhin de descanso dentro del
zendo. En este último caso, se puede parar o sentar en el borde del tan, pero trate de no cambiar la
posición que haya asumido.
El kinhin es el período entre un zazen y otro. Si las maderas suenan una sola vez, salude, póngase los
zapatos y párese con las manos en gassho. Al oir las maderas nuevamente, salude otra vez, y con las
manos en sassho, salga de zendo detrás del otro en el mismo orden en que estaban sentados. El kinhin
es un zendo en movimiento. Mantenga la misma actitud meditativa y trate de no distraer a los demás con
ruidos o movimientos innecesarios. Mantenga el paso igual que los demás y camine cerca de la persona
que le precede.
Durante el kinhin puede salir de la fila, haciendo un saludo en gassho a la persona que está detrás,
puede ir al baño y volver inmediatamente a su mismo sitio en la fila haciendo otro saludo en gassho a la
persona que va a quedar detrás de usted. El kinhin termina cuando el Yikiyitsu suena las maderas una
vez. Al oir este sonido entramos al zendo en fila con las manos en gassho hasta llegar al asiento.
Recuerden, no es necesario saludar al entrar porque el Yikiyitsu lo hará por todo el grupo.
El kinhin de descanso se avisa con dos sonidos de las maderas. Esto se hace por periodos breves antes
del zazen formal o los cánticos, como sustituto al kinhin caminado, y durante el zazen. Durante el kinhin
en descanso nos mantenemos dentro del zendo. Podemos ponernos de pie con las manos en sassho,

cambiar de posición y seguir el zazen o sentarnos en el borde del tan. Lo importante es que una vez
asumamos una posición, la mantengamos durante todo el periodo de Kinhin de descanso.
El kinhin de descanso termina con un sólo sonido de las maderas. En ese momento nos pomenos de pie
con las manos en gassho y al sonar la campana saludamos y nos sentamos en zazen. Si estábamos en
zazen no es necesario ponernos de pie. Podemos mantener la postura o saludar y cambiar la postura al
oír la campana.
Cánticos- los cánticos de la mañana comienzan con el sonido del "gong", en ese momento podemos
sacar el libro de cánticos que se encuentra debajo del cojín (zabutan). Durante los cánticos de la mañana
se canta el libro completo y durante la tarde se canta sólo parte del libro.
Despúes de los cánticos se hacen tres grandes reverencias o postraciones. Yikiyitsu suena la campana
una vez y luego varias veces en sucesión; con las manos en gassho saludamos. Sacamos el cojín
pequeño y lo ponemos frente a nosotros mientras la campana continúa sonando manteniéndonos de pie
y en gassho. Al terminar los sonidos en sucesión se oirá un solo campanazo y entonces hacemos una
postración completa tocando el cojín con nuestra frene y alzando las manos, con las palmas hacia arriba
por encima de nuestras cabezas y paralelas al suelo. Se mantienen las manos arriba mientras vibra el
sonido. Cuando se detiene la vibración nos ponemos de pie con las manos en gassho. Esto se repite tres
veces. En la úlima vez, nos ponemos de pie, retiramos el cojín del suelo y lo ponemos en su mismo
lugar. La campana sonará tres veces. A la tercera saludamos todos a la misma vez y nos sentamos.
El té - se sirve por las mañanas y por las tardes. En la mañana el Shoyi sonará las maderas dos veces y
el Yikiyitsu responderá con una campana. Al oírla, salude, coja su taza, ponga la servilleta frente de
usted y sostenga la taza con sus dos manos. En la tarde haran lo mismo cuando el Yikiyitsu anuncie
"Sarei". Cuando le esté sirviendo el té, sostenga la taza con una mano y levantando la palma de la otra
mano paralela al suelo, indique cuando es para usted suficiente. El té se sirve dos veces. En la primera
vez debemos aceptar aunque sea un poco. En la segunda vez podemos indicar que no queremos con
una pequeña reverencia. No guarden sus tazas hasta que no se haya servido la segunda vez. No debe
empezar a tomar su té hasta que no se haya servido a sus vecinos inmediatos. Al terminar el servicio,
limpie la taza con la servilleta y pónganla en su sitio.
Al salir del zendo - al terminar una de las sesiones de la madrugada, mañana, tarde o noche, arregle su

sitio de meditar sacudiendo y arreglándo los cojines para la próxima sesión. Si no va a volever a usar el
lugar, déjelo limpio y arreglado para el próximo estudiante. Lleve su taza y servilleta al Shoyi o a la
cocina para que sea fregada y dispuesta. Si entra o sale del zendo durante el kinhin de descanso o si
llega tarde al zendo, haga una reverencia al Shoyi.
Si tienen dudas pregunte al Shoyi o a los estudiantes de más experiencia.
Términos
Gassho - Posturas de las manos en que se juntan las palmas a nivel del plexo solar al frente del cuerpo
en ángulo de 45 grados, y se mantien los antebrazos más o menos paralelos al suelo.
Sassho - Postura de las manos izquierda sobre derecha plegadas planas sobre el plexo solar. Las
manos y antrebazos deben ir más o menos paralelos al suelo.
Yikiyitsu - Figura paternal del zendo que dirige las meditaciones durante el zazen formal.
Shoyi - Figura maternal que sirve el té en el zendo y vela por las necesidades y bienestar de todos.
Tan - Plataforma, usualmente de madera en la que se colocan los cojines para el zazen.
Zabutan - Especie de colchoneta cuadrada que se pone sobre el tan.
Zafu - Cojín, casi siempre redondo, que se coloca sobre el zabutan y sobre el cual nos sentamos.
Usualmente se ponen uno o más cojines de sosten pequeños, casi siempre cuadrados, entre el zafu y
sobre el zabutan.
Sanzen - Entrevista formal privada de cada estudiante con Roshi.
Roshi - Gran maestro del Zen.
Some Pointers for Chanting
Chanting and the Zen Tradition
Zen chanting is another form of zazen and therefore differs from the chanting of many other spiritual
traditions. Conscious awareness of the meaning of the words is unimportant ; this meaning is absorbed
on a subconscious level. Of primary importance is the mind-state created by the chanting—namely,
absolute oneness to the point of self-forgetfulness. The mealtime chants are an expression of gratitude
both toward the many beings whose labors make our meal possible and for the nourishment that the meal
provides.

How to Chant
To be effective, chanting must be clear, wholehearted, and concentrated. Performed in this way, it is a
means of strengthening our samadhi power and deepening our understanding. Accordingly, our Buddha-
nature will shine with greater luster in our daily life. Each chanter finds his or her own lowest natural pitch
—a note in the lowest part of one’s range that can be maintained without strain. At the same time, it is
important for one to blend in with the dominant pitch so that there is a harmonious unity. The words of the
chants should flow together. If the syllables—particularly the consonants—are enunciated too precisely,
the chanting becomes choppy. At the same time, care should be taken not to let the pitch rise and fall in a
sing-song fashion.
妙法蓮華經觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五（觀音經）
Myoho Renge Kyo: El Sutra de Avalokiteśvara
(Kanzeon Bosatsu Fumon Bon Dai Nijugo)
El Avalokiteśvara Sutra es en realidad el vigésimo quinto capitulo del la traducción de
Kumarajava del Sutra del Loto. El Sutra del Loto consiste de veintiocho capítulos, pero
solo uno es leido diariamente en la secta Rinzai del Zen. Este es el vigésimo quinto
capitulo, el "capitulo sobre la entrada del Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara".
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摩訶般若波羅蜜多心經
MAKA HANNYA HARAMITA SHINGYO
(Gran perfección del corazón de la sabiduría)
El "Sutra del Corazón", traducido por Xuanzang (600?664) es uno de los sutras mas
populares en el Budismo Mahayana. Su enseñanza se centra en la doctrina de la
vacuidad ("shunyata" en sanscrito o "Ku"/"Kara" en japonés)
KAN JI ZAI BO JIN HAN NYA HA RA MI TA JI SHO KEN KEN GO ON KAI KU DO IS
SAI KU YAKU SHA RI SHI SHIKI FU I KU KU FU I SHIKI SHIKI SOKU ZE KU KU
SOKU ZE SHIKI JU SO GYO SHIKI YAKU BU NYO ZE SHA RI SHI SE SHO HO KU SO

FU SHO FU METSU FU KU FU YO FU ZO FU GEN ZE KO KU CHU MU SHIKI MU JU
SO GYO SHIKI MU GEN NI BI ZES SHIN NI MU SHIKI SHO KO MI SOKU HO MU
GEN KAI NAI SHI MU I SHIKI KAI MU MU MYO YAKU MU MU MYO JIN NAI SHI
MU RO SHO YAKU MU RO SHI JIN MU KU SHU METSU DO MU CHI YAKU MU
TOKU I MU SHO TOK KO BO DAI SAT TA E HAN NYA HA RA MI TA KO SHIN MU
KE GE MU KE GE KO MU U KU FU ON RI IS SAI TEN DO MU SO KU GYO NE HAN
SAN ZE SHO BUTSU E HAN NYA HA RA MI TA KO TOKU A NOKU TA RAM MYAKU
SAM BO DAI KO CHI HAN NYA HA RA MI TA ZE DAI JIN SHU ZE DAI MYO SHU ZE
MU JO SHU ZE MU TO TO SHU NO JO IS SAI KU SHIN JITSU FU KO KO SETSU
HAN NYA HA RA MI TA SHU SOKU SETSU SHU WATSU GYA TEI GYA TEI HA RA
GYA TEI HARA SO GYA TEI BO JI SOWA KA HAN NYA SHIN GYO.
________________________________________________________
¡Rindamos homenaje a la de la esencia de la Sabiduría...
Avalokiteshvara, el gran sabio Bodhisattva,
entró en el profundo curso de la perfección de la sabiduría..
Desde lo alto, miro hacia abajo y sólo vió cinco condiciones,
y vio que, en sí mismos, estaban vacíos.
Aquí, ¡Oh! Shariputra,
la forma es vacío y el vacío es forma;
el vacío no es distinto a la forma,
la forma no es distinto al vacío;
todo lo que es forma, es vacío;
todo lo que es vacío, es forma;
así también son los sentimientos,
las percepciones, los impulsos y la consciencia.
Aquí, ¡Oh! Shariputra,
todos los dharmas se caracterizan por el vacío;
ni son producidos, ni detenidos,
ni están mancillados, ni son inmaculados,
ni son deficientes, ni completos.
Por esto, ¡Oh! Shariputra,
en el vacío no hay forma,

ni sensación, ni percepción,
ni impulso, ni consciencia;
ni ojo, ni oído, ni nariz, ni lengua, ni cuerpo, ni mente;
ni formas, ni sonidos, ni olores, ni sabores, ni cosas tangibles,
ni objetos de la mente, ni elementos visuales,
y así sucesivamente hasta que llegamos
a la ausencia de todo elemento de consciencia mental.
No hay ignorancia, ni extinción de la ignorancia,
y así sucesivamente, hasta que llegamos
a la no existencia de la vejez y la muerte,
ni fin de la vejez ni de la muerte.
No hay sufrimiento, ni origen, ni cesación, ni camino;
no hay cognición, ni logro, ni ausencia de logro.
Por lo tanto, ¡Oh! Shariputra,
el Bodhisattva, a causa de su estado de no-búsqueda de logros,
y habiéndose dedicado a la perfección de la sabiduría,
vive sin pensamientos que lo envuelvan.
Y al no estar envuelto en pensamientos,
No tiembla ante nada,
y superando toda preocupación,
alcanza al fin la insuperable y perfecta Iluminación - anuttara samyaskamodhi.
Todos los Budas que aparecen
a través del tiempo,
despiertan por completo a la verdadera y perfecta Iluminación
porque se han confiado a la perfección de la Sabiduría.
Por lo tanto, uno debería reconocer al prajnaparamita como el gran sortilegio,
la esencia de la gran Sabiduría,
el sortilegio supremo, el sortilegio inigualable
que alivia todo sufrimiento, en verdad—
porque ¿qué podría ir mal?
Este sortilegio procede de la perfección de la esencia la esencia de la sabiduría
y dice así:
Se fue, se fue, se fue más allá;

se fue, trascendiendo todo por completo.
GATE, GATE, PARAMGATE,
PARAMASAMGATE, BODI SVAJA
¡Oh! ¡qué despertar!
Esto completa el corazón de la perfecta Sabiduría.
_______________________________________________________
消災妙吉祥神呪（消災呪）
SHO SAI MYO KICHIJO DHARANI
DHARANI AUSPICIOSO PARA PREVENIR CALAMIDADES
NO MO SAN MAN DA MOTO NAN OHA RA CHI KOTO SHA SONO NAN TO JI TO EN
GYA GYA KI GYA KI UN NUN SHIU RA SHIU RA HARA SHIU RA HARA SHIU RA
CHISU SA CHISU SA CHISU RI CHISU RI SOWA JA SOWA JA SEN CHI GYA SHIRI
EI SOMO KO.
¡Adoración a la enseñanza que no conoce obstrucciones!
Así: ¡Om, Khya khya khyahi khyahi (habla, habla)!
¡Hum Hum! Jvala jvala prajvala prajvala (resplandece, resplandece)!
¡Tistha tistha (arriba, arriba)! Stri stri! Sphata (explota, explota)!
¡Uno que está en reposo! Salve el glorioso!
¡Adoración a todos los budas!
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大悲圓滿無礙神呪
DAIHISHIN DHARANI
(EL GRAN DHARANI COMPASIVO)
(Daihi Enmon Bukai Jinshu, o Daihishu)
NA MU KA RA TAN NO TO RA YA YA NA MU ORI YA BO RYO KI CHI SHIU RA YA FU
JI SA TO BO YA MO KO SA TO BO YA MO KO KYA RU NI KYA YA EN SA HA RA HA
EI SHU TAN NO TON SHA NA MU SHI KI RI TOI MO ORI YA BO RYO KI CHI
SHIU RA RI TO BO NA MU NO RA KIN JI KI RI MO KO
HO DO SHA MI SA BO O TO JO SHU BEN O SHU IN SA BO
SA TO NO MO BO GYA MO HA DE CHO TO JI TO EN O BO

RYO KI RYO GYA CHI KYA RYA CHI I KIRI MO KO FUJI SA
TO SA BO SA BO MO RA MO RA MO KI MO KI RI TO IN
KU RYO KU RYO KE MO TO RYO TO RYO HO JA YA CHI
MO KO HO JA YA CHI TO RA TO RA CHIRI NI SHIU RA YA
SHA RO SHA RO MO MO HA MO RA HO CHI RI I KI I KI
SHI NO SHI NO ORA SAN FURA SHA RI HA ZA HA ZA
FURA SHA YA KU RYO KU RYO MO RA KU RYO KU RYO KI
RI SHA RO SHA RO SHI RI SHI RI SU RYO SU RYO FUJI
YA FUJI YA FUDO YA FUDO YA MI CHIRI YA NORA KIN
JI CHIRI SHUNI NO HOYA MONO SOMO KO SHIDO YA
SOMO KO MOKO SHIDO YA SOMO KO SHIDO YU KI SHIU
RA YA SOMO KO NORA KIN JI SOMO KO MO RA NO RA
SOMO KO SHIRA SU OMO GYA YA SOMO KO SOBO MOKO
SHI DO YA SOMO KO SHA KI RA O SHI DO YA SOMO KO
HO DO MOGYA SHI DO YA SOMO KO NORA KIN JI HA
GYA RA YA SO MO KO MO HO RI SHIN GYA RA YA SO MO KO
NA MU KA RA TAN NO TORA YA YA NA MU ORI YA
BO RYO KI CHI SHIU RA YA SOMO KO SHI TE DO MO DO
RA HO DO YA SO MO KO
¡Adoración a los Tres Tesoros: Buda, Dharma y Sangha!
¡Adoración a Avalokitesvara, los Bodhisattva Mahasattvas,
el Bodhisattva de la Compasión!
¡Adoración a aquel que remueve todo el sufrimiento y el miedo!
Habiendo adorado a Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva,
recitemos ahora este glorioso dharani que purifica a todos los seres,
que cumple los deseos de todos los seres.
Salve al Bodhisattva Mahasattva que encarna al Trikaya,
que tiene la sabiduría trascendental.
Salve al Bodhisattva Mahasattva que sigue salvando
a todos los seres sin profanación en su mente.
Salve al Bodhisattva Mahasattva que sostiene la sabiduría

más grande, más completa, y que está libre de todo impedimento.
Salve al Bodhisattva Mahasattva que se compromete a revelar
la pureza fundamental de todos los seres.
Salve al Bodhisattva Mahasattva que elimina los tres engaños malignos:
la avaricia, la ira y la ignorancia.
¡De prisa, de prisa! Ven, ven! Aquí, aquí!
Una felicidad brota en nosotros.
Ayúdanos a penetrar en el reino de la gran realización.
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva de la Compasión,
guíanos hacia nuestro bienestar espiritual.
¡Consumación, consumación!
Habiendo evidenciado la libertad y la compasión de la mente de Avalokiteshvara,
Habiendo purificado nuestra mente y cuerpo propios,
Habiéndonos vuelto valientes como leones,
Habiéndonos vuelto manifiestos en todo ser,
Habiendo alcanzado la Rueda del Dharma y la Flor del Loto,
Podemos salvar ahora a todos los seres con impedimento.
Que el entendimiento de la naturaleza misteriosa de Avalokitesvara
perdure por siempre jamás.
¡Adoración a los Tres Tesoros: Buda, Dharma y Sangha!
¡Adoración a Avalokitesvara, los Bodhisattva Mahasattvas,
el Bodhisattva de la Compasión!
Que este dharani sea efectivo. ¡Salve!
開甘露門（施餓鬼）
Dai Segaki o Kai Kanromon:
Oración para alimentar a los espíritus hambrientos
Este texto es recitado durante servicios Rinzai mañaneros y la ceremonia Sanmon
Segaki E, un ritual realizado en los templos durante el tiempo de Obon a mediados de
julio o agosto para la liberación de aquellos que sufren en el mundo de los espíritus
hambrientos.
...Por el poder de este Dharani esta comida y bebida es purificada, y esto lo ofrecemos a

los seres espirituales que son tan numerosos como las arenas del Ganga. Oramos para
que ellos puedan ser satisfechos y abandonar su avaricia; que abandonen los lugares de
oscuridad y nacer en caminos bellos de la existencia. Y que al tomar refugio en los tres
tesoros despierten en ellos el deseo de alcanzar la iluminación suprema y que logren
alcanzarla. El merito que obtienen es inagotable e infinito, haciendo que todos los seres
compartan esta comida del Dharma....A través de esta practica meritoria oramos que
podamos pagar lo que debemos a nuestros padres, quienes hicieron lo que pudieron por
nosotros. Que aquellos que aun viven continúen disfrutando de su paz y felicidad para
siempre, mientras que aquellos que no están entre nosotros sean liberados del
sufrimiento...
Instrucciones finales del gran maestro Daito
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四弘誓願文
SHIKU SEIGAN The Four Boddhisattva Vows
SHI GU SEIGAN MON 四弘誓願文 The Four Boddhisattva Vows
SHUJO MUHEN SEIGAN DO 眾生無邊誓願度
Sentient beings are numberless: I vow to save them
BONNO MU JIN SEIGAN DAN 煩惱無盡誓願斷
Desires are inexhaustible: I vow to put and end to them
HO MON MU RYO SEIGAN GAKU 法門無量誓願學
The Dharmas are boundless: I vow to master them:
BUTSU DO MU JO SEIGAN JO 佛道無上誓願成
The Buddha way is unattainable: I vow to attain it.

延命十句觀音經
ENMEI JUKKU KANNON GYO
(SUTRA DE DIEZ FRASES PARA PROLONGAR LA VIDA)
KAN ZE ON NA MU BUTSU U IN YO BUTSU U IN
YO BUTSU U EN BU PO SO EN JO RAKU GA
JO CHO NEN KAN ZE ON BO NEN KAN ZE ON
NEN NEN JU SHIN KI NEN NEN FU RI SHIN
¡Kanzeón(Kannon)! Siendo uno con Buda.
Relacionado con todos los budas en causa y efecto.
Y a Buda, Dharma y Sangha.
¡Ser gozoso, puro, eterno!
La mente matutina es Kanzeón.
La mente vespertina es Kanzeón.
Este preciso momento surge de la Mente.
Este preciso momento no está separado de la Mente.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
普廻向
FUEKO: DEDICATORIA
(Durante el canto de sutras)
JI HO SAN I SHI FU
SHI SON BU SA MO KO SA
MO KO HO JA HO RO MI
Todos los Budas a través de tiempo y espacio,
Todos los Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas
Maha Prajnaparamita.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
開經偈
Kaikyoge

(Al iniciar la Plática Dharma o Teisho)
MUJO JINJIN MIMYO NO HO HYAKU SEN MAN GO NAN SOGU
GA KON KENMON TOKU JUJI GAN GE NYORAI SHINJITSU GI
El Dharma incomparablemente profundo e infinitamente sutil,
es raramente encontrado, aún en millones de vidas.
Ahora lo vemos, lo oímos, lo recibimos y lo sostenemos.
Ojalá logremos realizar completamente el verdadero significado de las
enseñanzas de Tathagata.
________________________________________________________
懺悔文
Sangemon: Purificación
Es leído tres veces con las manos en gassho
GA SHAKU SHO ZO SHOAKUGO KAIYU MUSHI TONJINCHI
JUSHIN GUI SHI SHOSHO ISSAI GAKON KAI SANGE
Todo el karma negativo creado por mí en el pasado,
por mi apego, coraje e ignorancia,
surgido por mis acciones, palabras y pensamientos
Ahora los confieso en forma completa y abierta.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
三歸戒文
Sankikaimon: Tomando refugio en los tres tesoros
NAMU KIE BUTSU / NAMU KIE HO / NAMU KIE SO
KIE BUTSU MU JO SON / KIE HO RI YOKU SON / KIE SO WAGO SON
KIE BUKKYO / KIE HO KYO / KIE SO KYO
NYORAI SHI SHIN TO SHOKAKU ZE GA DAISHI GA KON KIE JU KON I
O SHO BUTSU I SHI KO FU KIE JAMA GEDO JI MIN KO JI MIN KO DAJI MIN KO

Tomo refugio en el Buda
Tomo refugio en el Dharma
Tomo refugio en la Sangha
Tomo refugio en el Buda, honorable sobre todo
Tomo refugio en el Dharma, honorable por su libertad del apego
Tomo refugio en la Sangha, honorable por su armonía.
He tomado refugio en el Buda
He tomado refugio en el Dharma
He tomado refugio en la Sangha
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=====================================================================
Gyôhatsu nenju: versos formales para la comida
(manos en gassho)
montsui no ge
Bus-sho Kapila, Jo do Makada
Sep-po Harana, Nyumetsu Kuchira
Nyorai o ryoki, Gakon toku futen
Gangu is-sai shu, To san rin ku jaku
Buda nació en Kapila
Alcanzo la iluminación en Nagada
Enseñó en Harana
Entró en el nirvana en Kuchira
tenpatsu no ge
Ahora abrimos.los cuencos del Tathagatha (el Perfecto),
para que podamos, junto a todos los seres, alcanzar el nirvana y despojarnos de las tres
manchas.
(abrir los cuencos)
jûbutsumyô 十仏名
Nyan ni sanpo, Ansu inshi,
Nyan pin son shu nyan
En medio de los 3 tesoros
los cuales verifican nuestro entendimiento
confiándonos a la hermandad

recordamos:
Shin jin pashin biru sha no fu
En mon ho shin rusha no fu
Sen pai kashin Shakya mu ni fu
To rai asan miru son fu
Ji ho san shi ishi fu
Dai jin myo harin ga kin
Dai shin bun jusu ri bu sa
Dai jin fuen bu sa
Daihi kan shi in bu sa
Shi son bu sa mo ko sa
Mo ko hoja ho ro mi
La pureza universal del Buda Vairocana
La forma universal del Buda Vairocana
Todos los fenómenos son Buda;
El Buda Maitreya que nacerá en el futuro,
Todos los Budas pasados, presentes y futuros en las diez direcciones
El dharma y la comunidad de los monjes
El Gran Bodhisattva de la Sabiduría, Manyusri
El Gran y Perfecto Bodhisattva Samantabhadra
Avalokitesvara, el Bodhisattva del amor universal
Todos los Bodhisattva y los Patriarcas
(gassho, shashu, zazen al hakari)
sejiki ge/kisshiku ge: desayuno
Shu yu ju ri,
Nyo i an jin
Ko ho bu hen,
Kyu kin jo ra
Esta comida mañanera de 10 beneficios
nos nutre en nuestra practica.
Ilimitados son sus recompensas
y nos llena de alegría y tranquilidad.
sejiki ge/kissai ge: almuerzo
San te ru mi,
Shi fu kyu sun
Ha kai yu jin,
Fu zun kyun nyo
Las tres virtudes y seis probadas de esta comida
son ofrecidos al Buda y a la Sangha

Que todos los seres sentientes en el universo
sean nutridos igualmente.
(La comida es servida al terminar estos versos. Antes de comer, se recita lo siguiente...)
五観の偈
gokan no ge: las cinco reflexiones
Hito tsuni wa ko no tasho o haka ri
Kano rai sho o haka ru.
Futa tsuni wa. ono rega toku gyo no
zen ketto haka tte kuni o zu.
Mitsu niwa. Shin o fuse gi toga ton to o hana ruru o shu tosu.
Yotsu ni wa. masa ni ryo yaku o koto to suru wa
gyo ko o ryo zen ga tame nari.
Itsu tsuni wa. do gyo o jiyo zen ga tame ni masa ni kono jiki o uku be shi.
1º. Reflexionare sobre todos los seres que contribuyeron a darme este alimento
2º. Recibiré este alimento considerando mis imperfecciones
3º. El detener la cólera y los deseos es la verdadera religión
4º. Este alimento debe tomarse como un medicamento para la salud del cuerpo
5º. Tomo este alimento para perfeccionarme en la Vía
almuerzo: saba ge para los espíritus hambrientos
Jiten kijin shu, gokin suji kyu
Suji hen jiho, ishi kijin kyu.
A ustedes, todos los muertos y todas las existencias,
ahora les ofrezco este alimento
Que se expanda en todo el universo
Espero comer con vosotros
(colocar lo utensilios en el cuenco)
keihatsu no ge: verso de alzar los cuencos
Jobun sanbo, Chubun shi on
Gekyu roku do, Kai do kuyo
Para el Buda, para el Dharma y para la Sangha
Para la sociedad y la humanidad entera
Para los inocentes y aquellos que no pueden ayudarse a sí mismos
Para todas las existencias del universo, que este alimento se ofrezca y se coma
(alzar los cuencos)
Sanshi Ge

Ikku dan issai aku
Niku ishu issai zen
San kui dosho shujo
Kai ku jo butsu do,
La primera cucharada es para cortar el mal
La segunda es para practicar el bien
La tercera para ayudar a todos los seres
que todos juntos seguiremos la Vía de Buda
[Al terminar de recitar, comienza a comer. Al terminar, mientras lavas los cuencos,
recita lo siguiente.]
sessui no ge: el lavado de los cuencos
Gashi sen pa sui, Nyo ten kan ro mi
Se yo kijin shu, Shitsuryo toku bo man
On makuras ai so wa ka.
Lavo este cuenco con agua
Sabe a néctar celeste
Se la ofrezco a todos los muertos
Que les sirva de alimento
Que les quite la sed como el rocío de la mañana
shose kaibon no ge:
Verso de pureza mientras vivimos en el mundo
(Godo/ino solo)
Shi shi kai jiki kun, Jiren ka fu ja shi
Shin shin jin cho I hi, Ki shu rin bu jo son
Viviendo en este mundo efímero,
como un loto en agua enlodada,
la mente es pura y va hacia el mas allá.
Así nos inclinamos ante Buda.
Bucchin Son Shin Dharani:
Dharani de la corona victoriosa del Buda
este dharani es leído junto al "Dharani para prevenir calamidades" para alejar la
enfermedad y la mala fortuna, alentar el bien y promover la salud y la larga vida. Siendo

un dharani, un texto cuya eficacia depende de los sonidos de las palabras en lugar de su
significado, se deja sin traducir y se recita con pronunciación japonesa, lo cual a su vez
es una transliteración del sanscrito original.
se puede encontrar una traducción al ingles del texto en
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/mzb/mzb02.htm
NO BO BA GYA BA TEI TA RE RO KI YA HA RA CHI BI SHI SHU DA YA BO DA YA BA
GYA BA TEI TA NI YA TA OM BI SHU DA YA BI SHU DA YA SA MA SA MA SA MAN
DA HA BA SHA SO HA RA DA GYA CHI GYA KA NO SO BA HAN BA BI SHU TEI A BI
SHIN SHA TO MAN SO GYA TA HA RA BA SHA NO A MI RI TA BI SEI KEI MA MAN
DA RA HA DA I A KA RA A KA RA A YU SAN DA RA NI SHU DA YA SHU DA YA GYA
GYA NO BI SHU TEI U SHU NI SHA BI SHA YA BI SHU TEI SA KA SA RA A RA SHIN
MEI SAN SO NI TEI SA RA BA TA TA GYA TA BA RO GYA NI SA TA HA RA MI TA HA
RI HO RA NI SA RA BA TA TA GYA TA KI RI DA YA CHI SHU TA NO CHI SHU CHI
TA MA KA BO DA REI BA SA RA GYA YA SO GYA TA NO BI SHU TEI SA RA BA HA
RA DA HA YA TO RI GYA CHI HA RI BI SHU TEI HA RA CHI NI HA RA DA YA A YU
KU SHU TEI SAN MA YA CHI SHU CHI TEI MA NI MA NI MA KA MA NI TA TA DA
BO DA KU CHI HA RI SHU TEI BI SO BO DA BO CHI SHU TEI JA YA JA YA BI JA YA
BI JA YA SA MO RA SA MO RA SA RA BA BO DA JI SHU CHI TA SHU TEI BA JI RI BA
ZA RAN GYA RA BEI BA ZA RAN HA BA TO BA MAN SHA RI RAN SA RA BA SA TO
BA NAN SHA GYA YA HA RI BI SHU TEI SA RA BA GYA CHI HA RI SHU TEI SA RA
BA TA TA GYA TA SHI SHA MEI SAN MA JIN BA SO EN TO SA RA MA TA TA GYA TA
SAN BA JIN BA SO JI SHU CHI TEI BO JI YA BO JI YA BI BO JI YA BI BO JI YA BO
DA YA BO DA YA BI BO DA YA BI BO DA YA SAN MAN DA HA RI SHU TEI SA RA BA
TA TA GYA TA KI RI DA YA CHI SHU TA NO CHI SHU CHI TA MA KA BO DA REI SO
WA KA
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Kongo Hannya Harami Kyo: El Sutra del Diamante
El Sutra del Diamante es uno de los mas populares e importantes sutras del "Prajna
Paramita". En el Zen esta sutra es famosa por ser la que escucho el sexto patriarca,
Huineng, en su juventud mientras cargaba lena y encontro a un monje recitandola. El
sutra describe el discurso de Buda a Subhuti en el monasterio de Jetavana en Shravasti,

ensenando la vacuidad esencial de todo y la importancia del no-apego. Cuando Huineng
escucho el verso "surgir la mente que no se apega a nada", fue inspirado a buscar la
ensenanza del quinto patriarca Zen, Hongren.
El texto es muy largo pero hay varias traducciones al ingles, como
http://www.buddhistinformation.com/diamondsutra.htm
El texto en japones lo puedes encontrar en
http://onedropzendo.org/sutras/SogenjiSutrabook.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dai Buccho Mangyo Shuryogon Jinshu, o Ryogon Shu:
El Dharanī de Śurangama
El Ryogon Shu es el dharani que es parte del verso siete del Ryogon Shu de diez versos
traducido por Hanla Midi en el 705. Es generalmente recitado mientras se sienta o se
camina en meditacion. Se recita tambien en servicios honrando a los ancestros Zen y
otros rituales de importancia. El texto explica los poderes que vienen de la meditación y
el recitar dharani, mas expone la mente que se mantiene inmóvil sin importar los
distraciones o tentaciones que lo confrontan.
El texto es muy largo pero puedes encontrarlo en japones en
http://onedropzendo.org/sutras/SogenjiSutrabook.pdf
SANDOKAI
(Identidad de lo Relativo y Absoluto)
Chikudo dai sen no shin, tō zai mitsu ni ai fu su. Nin kon ni ridon ari, dō
ni nam boku no so nashi. Rei gen myō ni kō kettari; shiha an ni ru chū su. Ji
o shū suru mo moto kore mayoi; ri ni kanomo mata satori ni arazu.  mon mon
is sai no kyō, ego to fu ego to. Eshite sarani ai wataru, shika ra za reba ku
rai ni yotte jū su. Shiki moto shitsu zō o kotoni shi; shō moto rakku o koto
ni su. An na jō chū no koto ni kanai; mei wa sei daku no ku o wakatsu. Shidai

no shō onozu kara fukusu, kono sono haha o uru ga gotoshi. Hi wa nesshi, kaze
wa dō yō, mizu wa uru oi chi wa k en go. Manako wa iro, mimi wa on jō, hana
wa ka, shita wa kanso. Shikamo ichi ichi no hō ni oi te, ne ni yotte habun
pusu. Hon matsu sube karaku shū ni kisu beshi; sonpi sono go o mochiyu. Mei
chū ni atatte an ari, an sō o motte ō koto nakare. An chū ni atatte mei ari,
mei sō o motte miru koto nakare. Mei an ono ono ai tai shite, hisuru ni zen
go no ayumi no gotoshi,  ban motsu onozu kara kō ari, masani yō to sho to o
yu beshi. Jison sureba kan gai gasshi; ri ō zureba sen po sa sō.  Koto o
ukete wa sube karaku shū o esu beshi. Mizu kara kiku o rissuru koto nakare.
Sokumoku dō o e se zun ba, ashi o hakobu mo izu kun zo michi o shiran. Ayumi
o susu mureba gon non ni arazu, mayōte sen ga no ko o hedatsu  tsushin de
san gen no hito ni mōsu,  kō in muna shiku wataru koto nakare
La mente del Gran Sabio de India fue íntimamente transmitida de Oeste a Este.
Entre los seres humanos hay hombres sabios y tontos,
pero en el camino no hay patriarca del Norte o del Sur.
La fuente sutil es clara y brillante, las corrientes tributarias fluyen a través de la oscuridad.
El apegarse a las cosas es una ilusión;
Encontrar lo absoluto no es aun logar la iluminación.
Todas y cada una de las esferas objetivas y subjetivas están relacionadas,
al mismo tiempo que son independientes.
Relacionadas, cada una es su trabajo, cada una en su lugar.
La forma crea la apariencia de cualidades y apariencias diferentes;
El sonido distingue armonías y disonancias:
La osuridad hace de todas las palabras una;
La brillantez distingue frases buenas y malas.
Los cuatro elementos regresan a su naturaleza como un niño a su madre
El fuego es caliente, el viento se mueve, el agua es húmeda, la tierra dura.
Ojos ven, oídos oyen, hay olores, hay lo salado y lo agrio.
Cada uno es independiente del otro;
Cada causa y efecto debe regresar a la gran realidad:
Las palabras alto y bajo son usadas relativamente.
En la luz hay oscuridad;
Pero no trates de entender esa oscuridad;

En la oscuridad hay luz,
Pero no busques esa luz.
Luz y oscuridad son un par,
Como el pié de adelante y de atrás al caminar.
Cada cosa tiene su propio valor en sí misma y está
Relacionada a todo lo demás en función y posición.
La vida ordinaria encaja en lo absoluto como una caja y su tapa.
Lo absoluto trabaja junto con lo relativo
Como dos flechas encontrándose en el aire.
Leyendo palabras deberías comprender la gran realidad.
No juzgues por ninguna norma.
Si no ves el camino, no lo ves, aunque vayas caminando sobre él.
Cuando camines el camino, no está cerca, no está lejos:
Si eres engañado, estas montañas y ríos lejos de él
Digo respetuosamente a quienes desean ser iluminados:
No se aparten del presente, no desperdicien su tiempo de noche o de día.
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Montañas y aguasSutra
(Sansui kyô)
La fe en la mente
Gatha de Seng T'san: Tercer Patriarca Zen
Bosatsu Gangyo Mon
A sutra written by Torei Zenji, disciple of Hakuin Zenji, in the 18th
Century. (also English version)
DE SHI SO RE GA SHI TSU TSU SHIN DE SHO HÔ N O JI S SÔ O KAN ZU RU NI MI NA KO REN YO
RA I SHIN JI TSU NO MYÔ SÔ NI SHI TE JIN JIN SE TSU SE TSU I CHI I CHI FU SHI GI NO KÔ MYÔ
NI A RA ZU TO l U KO TO NA SHI KO REN I YO TE I NI SHI E SEN TO KU WA CHÔ RU I CHI KU RU I
NI TA RU MA DE GA SHÔ RAI HAI NO KO KO RO O MO TE A I GO SHI TA MA E R I K A R U G A Y U
E N I JÛ N I J I C H Û W A R E R A G A S H IN MYÔ YO G O NO O N J I K I E B U K U W A MO TO YO
R I KÔSO N O D A N P I N I K U N I S H I T E G O NG EN J IH I N O B U N S H IN N A R E B A D A R E
K A A E T E K U G S E Z A R AMU Y A YÔ K A N S H A MU JÔ N O K I B U T S U N A H O S H I K A R I
IW A N Y A H I TO N I S H I T E O RO K A N A R U MO N O N IW A H I TO S H IO R E NMI N K E N N E
N S H I T A TO E A K U S H U O N T E K I TO N A T T EWA R E O K O N O S H I R IWA R E O K U R U
SH IMU R UKO TO A R U MO .KO R E W A KO R E BO S A T S U G O N G E N O D A IJ I H I N I S H I
T E .MU R YÔ G ÔR A I G A K E NH E N S H U N I YO T T ET S U K U R I MA S E R U WAG AMl N O Z
A IG Ô OS H ÔME T S U G E D A T S U S ES H I ME T AMO U HÔB E N N A R I TO .I S H IN K IMYÔ G
O N J I OK E N JÔ N I S H I T E F U K A K UJÔS H IN O O K A S A B A IC H I N E N TÔ JÔ N IR E N G
E O H I R A K I IC H IG E I C H I B U T S U O G E N J IZ U I S H O N I JÔD O O S H O G O N S H I N
YO R A I NO KÔMYÔK Y A K K A N I K E N T E T S US E N N EG AW A K U WA KO N O KO KO R O O
MO T T E AMA N E K U I S S A I N IO YO BO S H I .WA R E R A TO S H U JÔ TOO N A J I K U S H U C

H I O WA D O K A N I S E N K O TO O .
Bosatsu Gangyo Mon in English
Disciples,
When I humbly observe the true nature of things, all are the marvelous manifestation of the Tathagata's
truth. Atoms by atom, instant by instant, all are none other than his mysterious radiance. Because of this
our virtuous ancestors extended loving care and reverence toward even such beings as birds and beasts.
How, then, can we be but humbly grateful for the food, drink, and clothing that nourishes and protects us
throughout the day, these being in essence the warm skin and flesh of the great masters, the incarnate
compassion of the Buddha? If it is so even with inanimate objects, how much more should we be kind and
merciful towards human beings, even those who are foolish. Though theybecome our sworn enemies,
reviling and persecuting us, we should regard them as bodhisattva manifestations who, in their great
compassion, are employingskillful means tohelp emancipate us from the sinful karma we have produced
over countlesskalpas through our biased,self-centered views. If we awaken in ourselves this deep, pure
faith, offeringhumble words andtaking sincere refuge in the Buddha, then with every thought there will
bloom alotus flower, each with aBuddha. These Buddhas will establish Pure Lands everywhere and
reveal theradiance of the Tathagata beneath our very feet .May we extend this mindthroughout the
universe, so that we and all sentient beings may equally bring to fruition the seeds of wisdom.
Dai E Zenji Hotsu Gon Mon
(Dai E Zenji's Vow for Awakening )
TA DAN E GA WA KU WA SO RE GA SHI DÔ SHIN KEN GO NI SHI TE CHÔ ON FU TA I SHI TA I KYÔ
AN SHIN JIN Y UMYÔ S H U B YÔKO TO G O TO K U N O Z O K IKO N S A N S UMI Y A K A N IS H
ÔJ I MU N A N MU S A IMU MA MU S HÔ J A R O N IMU K AW A Z U J I K I N IS H ÔDÔ N I I T T E
BÔN NÔS H ÔME T S U S H I C H I E ZÔ CHÔ SHI TON NID A I J I O S A T O T T EH O TO K E N O
EMYÔ OT S UG I MO RO MO R O NOS H U JÔ O D O S H I T EB U S SO N O O N OH ÔZ E N KO TO
O T S UG IN I K O I N EG AW A K UWASO R E G A S H I R IN MYOJ U N O TO K I S HÔB Y ÔS H Ô
NÔ S H I C H I N I C H Il Z E N N I AR A K A J IME S H IN O I T A R A N KO TO OS H I T T E A N JU S
HÔN E NMA T S U G O J I Z A I N I KO N OMl O S U T EOW A T T E S UMI Y A K A N IB U T S U D O
N I S HÔJ IMA N O A T A R I S HO B U T S UN I MAMI E S HÔG A K U NOK l O U K E H O K K A IN I B
U N S H I N S H I T EAMA N E K U S H U JÔ O D O S E N K O TO O J I P PÔS A N Z E I S S A I N OS
H O B U T S U S HO SO NBO S A T S U MA K A S A T S UMA K A H A N N Y A H A R AMI T S U
Dai E Zenji's Vow for Awakening
Our only prayer is to befirm in our determination togive ourselves completelyto the Buddha's Way, sothat
no doubts arise howeverlong the road seems tobe; to be light and easy inthe four parts of the body;to be
strong and undismayedin body and in mind;to be free from illness anddrive out both depressedfeelings
and distractions; tobe free from calamity,misfortune, harmful influencesand obstructions; notto seek
theTruth outside ofourselves, so we may instantlyenter the right way;to be unattached to allthoughts that
we may reachthe perfectly clear brightmind of prajna and haveimmediate enlightenmenton the Great
Matter.Thereby we receive thetransmission of the deepwisdom of the Buddhas tosave all sentientbeings
who suffer in theround of birth and death. Inthis way we offer ourgratitude for the compassionof the
Buddhas and thePatriarchs. Our furtherprayer is not to beextremely ill or to besuffering at the time
ofdeparture, to know itscoming seven days ahead sothat we can quiet the mindto abandon the body and
beunattached to all things atthe last moment wherein wereturn to the Original Mindin the realm of no birth
andno death and mergeinfinitely into the wholeuniverse to manifest as allthings in their True Natureand
with the great wisdomof the Buddhas to awakenall beings to the BuddhaMind. We offer this to allBuddhas
and Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas of the past,present and future in theten quarters and to theMaha Prajna
Paramita.
Hakuin Zenji’s Song Of Zazen
白隱禪師坐禪和讚 (Hakuin Zenji Zazen Wasan)
The “Song Of Zazen” was written by Hakuin Ekaku 白隱慧鶴 (1686–1769), the great Zen master who

revived the Japanese Rinzai school. Zazen is the central practice of the Zen tradition, but the meditative
mind should be maintained not only during seated meditation but in all activities, whether walking,
standing, sitting, or lying. “Singing or dancing, we are the voice of the Dharma”—wherever we are is the
Pure Land, and our own bodies are the body of the Buddha. The “Song of Zazen” conveys this teaching
in easy to remember, easy to recite verses, making it one of the most frequently chanted texts at sermons
and meditation sessions for laypeople and clergy alike.
HAKUIN ZENJI ZAZEN WASAN SHUJO HONRAI HOTOKE NARI MIZU TO KORI NO GOTOKU NITE
MIZU O HANARETE KORI NAKU SHUJO NO HOKA NI HOTOKE NASHI SHUJO CHIKAKI O SHIRAZU
SHITE TOKU MOTOMURU HAKANASA YO TATOEBA MIZU NO NAKA NI ITE KATSU O SAKEBU GA
GOTOKU NARI CHOJA NO IE NO KO TO NARITE HINRI NI MAYOU NI KOTONARAZU ROKUSHU
RINNE NO INNEN WA ONORE GA GUCHI NO YAMIJI NARI YAMIJI NI YAMIJI O FUMISOETE ITSUKA
SHOJI O HANARU BEKI SORE MAKAEN NO ZENJO WA SHOTAN SURU NI AMARI ARI FUSE YA
JIKAI NO SHOHARAMITSU NENBUTSU ZANGE SHUGYO TO SONO SHINA OKI SHOZENGYO MINA
KONO UCHI NI KISURU NARI ICHIZA NO KO O NASU HITO MU TSUMISHI MURYO NO TSUMI
HOROBU AKUSHU IZUKU NI ARINU BEKI JODO SUNAWACHI TOKARAZU KATAJIKENAKUMO
KONO NORI O HITOTABI MIMI NI FURURU TOKI SANDAN ZUIKI SURU HITO WA FUKU O URU
KOTO KAGIRI NASHI IWANYA MIZUKARA EKO SHITE JIKI NI JISHO O SHO SUREBA JISHO
SUNAWACHI MUSHO NITE SUDENI KERON O HANARETARI INGA ICHINYO NO MON HIRAKE MUNI
MUSAN NO MICHI NAOSHI MUSO NO SO O SO TO SHITE YUKUMO KAERUMO YOSO NARAZU
MUNEN NO NEN O NEN TO SHITE UTAU MO MAU MO NORI NO KOE ZANMAI MUGE NO SORA
HIROKU SHICHI ENMYO NO TSUKI SAEN KONO TOKI NANI O KA MOTOMU BEKI JAKUMETSU
GENZEN SURU YUE NI TOSHO SUNAWACHI RENGEGOKU KONO MI SUNAWACHI HOTOKE NARI
All sentient beings are essentially Buddhas. As with water and ice, there is no ice without water; apart
from sentient beings, there are no Buddhas. Not knowing how close the truth is we seek it far away—what
a pity! We are like one who in the midst of water cries out desperately in thirst. We are like the son of a
rich man who wandered away among the poor. The reason we transmigrate through the Six Realms is
because we are lost in the darkness of ignorance. Going further and further astray in the darkness, how
can we ever be free from birth-and-death? As for the samadhi of the Mahayana, there are no words to
praise it fully; the six paramitas, such as giving, maintaining the precepts, and various other good deeds
like invoking the Buddha’s name, repentance, and spiritual training, all finally return to this. Even those
who have experienced it for only a single sitting will see all karma erased. Nowhere will they find evil
paths, and the Pure Land will not be far away. If we listen even once with open heart to this truth, then
praise it and gladly embrace it, how much more so then if on reflecting within ourselves we directly realize
Self-nature, giving proof to the truth that Self-nature is no nature. We will have gone far beyond idle
speculation. The gate of the oneness of cause and effect is thereby opened, and not-two, not-three,
straight ahead runs the Way. Realizing the form of no-form as form, whether going or returning we cannot
be any place else. Realizing the thought of no-thought as thought, whether singing or dancing, we are the
voice of the Dharma. How vast and wide the unobstructed sky of samadhi! How bright and clear the
perfect moonlight of the Fourfold Wisdom! At this moment what more need we seek? As the eternal
tranquility of Truth reveals itself to us, this very place is the Land of Lotuses and this very body is the body
of the Buddha.
Zen Sayings
Sitting Quietly
兀然無事坐、春夾草自生
"Sitting quietly, doing nothing,
Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself." Zenrin Kushû (The Way of Zen 134,
222)

Suchness
青山自青山、白雲自白雲
"The blue mountains are of themselves blue mountains;
"The white clouds are of themselves white clouds." Zenrin Kushû (The Way of
Zen 134, 222)
Mountains are Mountains
The famous saying of Ch'ing-yüan Wei-hsin (Seigen Ishin):
老僧三十年前未參禪時、見山是山、見水是水、及至後夾親見知識、有箇入
處、見山不是山、見水不是水、而今得箇體歇處、依然見山秪是山、見水秪
是水 (The Way of Zen 220 k)
Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and
waters as waters. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point
where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters. But now
that I have got its very substance I am at rest. For it's just that I see mountains once
again as mountains, and waters once again as waters. 13
13
Ch'uan Teng Lu, 22. (The Way of Zen 126)
"Before a man studies Zen, to him mountains are mountains and waters are waters;
after he gets an insight into the truth of Zen through the instruction of a good
master, mountains to him are not mountains and waters are not waters; but after
this when he really attains to the abode of rest, mountains are once more mountains
and waters are waters." (Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 24)
Eternity in an hour
萬古長空 An eternity of endless space:
一朝風月 A day of wind and moon. (The Golden Age of Zen 246, 322 n.2)
"One of the most frequently reiterated couplets in Chinese Zen literature" (The
Golden Age of Zen 246)
Oneness
天地同根 Heaven and earth and I are of the same root,
萬物一體 The ten-thousand things and I are of one substance.
Zen Master Sêng-chao/Sõjõ (僧肇 384-414)
"Nan-ch'uan and his lay disciple Lu Hsuan (陸亘). Lu was reciting Seng-chao's
saying:
天地與我同根 Heaven and earth come from the same root as myself:

萬物與我爲一 All things and I belong to one Whole.
However, he did not really understand the full purport of it. Nan-ch'uan pointed at
the peonies in the courtyard, saying, 'The worldlings look at these bush of flowers
as in a dream." Lu did not see the point." (The Golden Age of Zen 285)
陸大夫向師道、｢肇法師、也甚奇怪、解道"天地與我同根、萬物與我爲一"｣
師指庭前牡丹花曰、｢大夫、時人見此一花株如夢相似｣ (The Golden Age of
Zen 324 n.92)
"While Rikkõ, a high government official of the T'ang dynasty, had a talk with his
Zen master Nansen, the official quoted a saying of Sõjõ, a noted monk scholar of
an earlier dynasty:
Heaven and earth and I are of the same root,
The ten-thousand things and I are of one substance
and continued, 'Is not this a most remarkable statement?' / Nansen called the
attention of the visitor to the flowering plant in the garden and said, 'People of the
world look at these flowers as if they were in a dream.' " (The Essentials of Zen
Buddhism 483-4)
Unity
Merge your mind with cosmic space, integrate your actions with myriad forms.
Ch'an master Hung-chih Cheng-chüeh (宏智正覺 Wanshi Shõkaku, 1091-1157)
(Transmission of Light xi)
Subtlety
入林不動草、入水不立波
"Entering the forest he moves not the grass;
Entering the water he makes not a ripple." Zenrin Kushû (The Way of Zen 152,
224)
Everyday Mind
争如著衣喫飲、此外更無佛祖 "There's nothing equal to wearing clothes and
eating food. Outside this there are neither Buddhas nor Patriarchs." Zenrin Kushû
(The Way of Zen 152, 224)
Seeking the Same Thing
From the K'un-lun mountains eastward the (Taoist) term "Great Oneness" is used.
From Kashmir westward the (Buddhist) term sambodhi is used. Whether one looks
longingly toward "non-being" (wu) or cultivates "emptiness" (sunyata), the
principle involved is the same. 4
4
Quoted by Fung Yu-lan (1), vol. 2, p. 240, from Seng-yu, Ch'u San-tsang Chi-chi,

9. (The Way of Zen 82)
Ocean of Pure Reality
清淨眞如海Ocean of pure Reality,
湛然體常住Its substance, in fathomless quiescence, exists eternally.
Ch'an master Fo-kuang Ju-man (佛光如滿 Bukkõ Nyoman)
(The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 64)
Great Unity
有一物上拄天下拄地。黒似漆。常在動用中。
There is one thing: above, it supports Heaven; below, it upholds Earth. It is black
like lacquer, always actively functioning.
Ch'an master Tung-shan Ling-chia (洞山良价 Tõsan Ryõkai, 807-869)
Man of Tao
譬如秋水澄渟清浄無爲澹泞無礙。喚他作道人亦名無事人。
Like the clear stillness of autumn water—pure and without activity; in its tranquil
depths are no obstructions. Such an one is called a man of Tao, also, a man who
has nothing further to do.
Wei-shan Ling-yu (溈山靈祐 Isan Reiyû)
Nondiscrimination
善與不善、世出世間、一切諸法莫記憶、莫緣念、放捨身心、今其自在。心
如木石、無所辨別。
"When you forget the good and the non-good, the worldly life and the religious
life, and all other dharmas, and permit no thoughts relating to them to arise, and
you abandon body and mind—then there is complete freedom. When the mind is
like wood or stone, there is nothing to be discriminated." Pai-chang Huai-hai (百丈
懷海 Hyakujõ Ekai, 720-814)
Speech and Silence
語是謗、寂是誑、語寂向上有路在
"Speech is blasphemy, silence a lie. Above speech and silence there is a way out."
I-tuan (義端) one of Nan-ch'uan's great disciples (The Golden Age of Zen 250, 322
n.13)

Inexpressible
説不處用無盡 What is inexpressible is inexhaustible in its use.
A Chinese Zen master (The Golden Age of Zen 253, 322 n.19)
Independent
寧可永刧受沈淪、不從諸聖求解脱
I would rather sink to the bottom of the sea for endless eons than seek liberation
through all the saints of the universe. Shih-t'ou ( 石頭) (The Golden Age of Zen
270, 323 n.57)
Independent
丈夫自有衝天志 The full-grown man aspires to pierce through the heavens:
莫向如夾行處行 Let him not walk in the footsteps of the Buddha!
Ts'ui-yen (翠巖可眞) (The Golden Age of Zen 270, 323 n.59)
Bodhidharma's Definition of Zen
Four Sacred Verses of Bodhidharma (Daruma no Shiseiku 達磨四聖句)
教外別傳 Kyõge betsuden A special transmission outside the scriptures;
不立文字 Furyû monji No dependence upon words and letters;
直指人心 Jikishi ninshin Direct pointing at the soul of man;
見性成佛 Kenshõ jõbutsu Seeing into one's nature and the attainment of
Buddhahood.
Bodhidharma (Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 176)
Accomplishing Beforehand
"When the task is done beforehand, then it is easy." Zen master Yuan-tong
(The Tao of Abundance 100)
Begin at the Top
If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top. Zen saying
Every Day is a Good Day
日日是好日
"Everyday is a good day." (Nichi nichi kore kõjitsu.)
Yün-men (Unmon) Hekiganroku case 6
No Work, No Eating
一日不作、一日不食
"A day without work, a day without eating."

"When there's no work for a day, there's no eating for a day." (The Development of
Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 62)
Ichijitsu nasazareba, ichijitsu kuwarazu. (一日作さざれば、一日食わらず。)
Pai-chang Huai-hai (百丈懷海 Hyakujõ Ekai, 720-814)
Living Dead
許多死漢、送一個活漢 What a long procession of dead bodies follows the wake
of a single living person! Chao-chou Ts'ung-shen (趙州從諗Jõshû Jûshin)
"At the funeral of one of his monks, as the Abbot joined the procession, he
remarked, 'What a long procession of dead bodies follows the wake of a single
living person!' " (The Golden Age of Zen 145, 309 n.47)
Mind is Buddha
Asked "What is buddha?" (如何[是]佛) Ma-tsu replied "This very mind, this is
Buddha." (即心即佛 or 即心是佛. Sokushin sokubutsu.)
Mumonkan case 30 (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch
53)
No Mind No Buddha
Asked "What is buddha?" ( 如何 [ 是 ] 佛 ) Ma-tsu replied "Neither mind nor
Buddha." (非心非佛. Hishin, hibutsu.)
Mumonkan case 33 (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch
53)
This Very Mind is Buddha
自心是佛 Jishin zebutsu. "Your own mind—this is Buddha." Ma-tsu
No Mind No Buddha Not a Thing
不是心不是佛不是物 "This is not mind, this is not Buddha, this is not a thing."
(Fuzeshin, fuzebutsu, fuzemotsu.) Nan-chüan (The Development of Chinese Zen
After the Sixth Patriarch 55)
No Clinging
不着不求 "No clinging, no seeking." (Fujaku, fugu.) Pai-chang (Hyakujõ)
All Dharmas are Mind-Created
故三界唯心 "Therefore the Three Realms are only mind" (Yue ni sangai yuishin)

Ma-tsu Tao-i (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 54)
法界一相 Ultimate reality has a unified form. (Fa-chieh i-hsiang./Hokkai issõ.)
Buddha
(Early Ch'an in China and Tibet 107)
Great Tao
不二大道 "The non-dual Great Tao." (Funi Daidõ) Chao-chou Ts'ung-shên (趙州
Jõshû Jûshin) (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 61)
No Delusive Thoughts
幕妄想 "Away with your delusive thoughts!" "Don't be deluded!" (Maku mõzõ!)
Ch'an master Wu-ye (Mugõ, 760-821) (Zen Word, Zen Calligraphy 65)
Whatever the master was asked, he replied "Maku mõzõ!"
(I'm not sure about the first character 幕, it may be incorrect.)
Who is This
不識 [I] know not. (Fushiki.) Bodhidharma
No Merit At All
廓然無聖 Vast emptiness, nothing holy! (Kakunen mushõ.) Bodhidharma
Dropped
身心脱落 "Body and mind dropped off." (Shen-hsin t'o-lo./Shinjin datsuraku.)
Dõgen
Dõgen's words describing his enlightenment (This is not a saying)
(Zen Buddhism: A History vol. 2, 107 n.24)
身心脱落 "Body and mind dropped away." (Zen Master Dogen 32)
身心脱落 (Casting off [both] body and mind.)
Hui-neng's Enlightenment and Diamond Sutra
Fifth Patriarch Hung-jen (弘忍 Gunin or Kõnin, 601-674) signed Hui-neng to go to
his chamber at the third watch in the evening.
"When the two were face to face in the stillness of the night, the Patriarch
expounded the Diamond Sutra to his disciple. When he came to the sentence:
"Keep your mind alive and free without abiding in anything or anywhere," Hui-
neng was suddenly and thoroughly enlightened" (The Golden Age of Zen 62)
應無所住而生其心 "Keep your mind alive and free without abiding in anything or
anywhere."
Diamond Sûtra (Vajracchedikâ [Prajña Paramita] Sûtra) (The Golden Age of Zen

300 n.6)
"To awaken the mind without fixing it anywhere" (Essays in Zen Buddhism –
Second Series 32)
__________________________________________________________________
_____________
Note on Sources
1. Zenrin Kushû 禪林句集 "Ch'an lin lei chü in twenty fasciculi compiled in the
year 1307. The title means 'Zen materials (literally, woods) classified and
collected'. The book is now very rare." (Essays in Zen Buddhism – Second Series
253 n.1)
Also see Watts, The Way of Zen 117 n.4; Dumoulin, Zen Buddhism: A History
vol. 2, 47 n.113
HYMN TO THE PERFECTION OF WISDOM
Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom, the lovely, the holy. The Perfection of Wisdom
gives light. Unstained, the entire world cannot stain her. She is the source of light, and
from everyone in the triple world she removes darkness. Most excellent are her works.
She brings light so that all fear and distress may be forsaken, and disperses the gloom
and darkness of delusion. She herself is an organ of vision. She has a clear knowledge
of the own-being of all dharmas, for she does not stray away from it. The Perfection of
Wisdom of the Buddhas sets in motion the Wheel of Dharma.
METTA SUTTA
This is what should be accomplished by the one who is wise, who seeks the good and
has obtained peace:Let one be strenuous, upright and sincere, without pride, easily
contented and joyous. Let one not be submerged by the things of the world. Let one not
take upon one’s self the burden of riches. Let one’s senses be controlled. Let one be
wise, but not puffed up, and let one not desire great possessions even for one’s family.
Let one do nothing that is mean or that the wise would reprove. May all beings be
happy. May they be joyous and live in safety. All living beings, whether weak or strong,
in high or middle or low realms of existence, small or great, visible or invisible, near or
far, born or to be born, may all beings be happy. Let no one deceive another, nor
despise any being in any state; let none by anger or hatred wish harm to another. Even
as a mother at the risk of her life watches over and protects her only child, so with a
boundless mind should one cherish all living things, suffusing love over the entire world,
above, below and all around without limit; so let one cultivate an inﬁnite good will toward
the whole world. Standing or walking, sitting or lying down, during all one’s waking
hours let one practice the Way with gratitude. Not holding to ﬁxed views, endowed with
insight, freed from sense appetites, one who achieves the Way will be freed from the
duality of birth and death.

INCONCEIVABLE LIFESPAN OF THE BUDDHA
Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16
Since I attained buddhahood, The number of kalpas that have passed Is incalculable
hundreds, thousands, myriads, And billions of long eons. Constantly I have voiced the
Dharma, teaching Countless millions living beings, So that they entered the Buddha
Way; All this for immeasurable kalpas. In order to liberate all beings, As skillful means I
appear to have entered nirvana, Yet truly I am not extinct, Ever dwelling here to voice
the Dharma wilI forever abide in this world, But use my powers of spiritual penetration
So that confused living beings, Though nearby, fail to see me. All those viewing me as
extinct everywhere venerate my relics. All harbor feelings of yearning, and arouse
adoring hearts. When beings have become sincerely faithful, honest and upright, with
gentle intention, wholeheartedly wishing to behold the Buddha, Not begrudging their
own lives, Then I and the assembled sangha appear together on sacred Vulture Peak.
Then I tell the living beings That in this world I exist without end, By the power of
expedient means, Appearing to be extinct, or not. Other countries contain living beings,
Reverent and with faith aspiring; Among them as well, I give voice to supreme Dharma.
Those who do not hear this Only suppose I am passed into extinction.I behold the living
beings, Sunk within the sea of suffering. Hence I do not reveal myself, But set them all
to yearning, Till when their hearts are filled with longing, I then emerge and proclaim the
Dharma.With such pervasive spiritual power, Through long cycles of kalpas wilI abide
on sacred Vulture Peak, And every other dwelling place. When living beings see the
kalpa s end, With all consumed in a great blaze, My domain stays serene and calm,ʼ
Ever filled with human and heavenly beings,Gardens and groves, pavilions and palaces,
Adorned with every kind of gem And jeweled trees lush with flowers and fruit, Where
living beings delight and play.The heavenly beings beat celestial drums, Ever making
pleasing music, Showering white Mandarava flowers Over Buddha and the great
assembly. My Pure Land is not destroyed, Yet all view it as being burnt up,So that
anxiety, horror, and distress Fill them everywhere. The beings vexed with their offenses,
Caused by their unwholesome karma, Through vast rounds of kalpas, Hear not the
name of the Three Treasures. But those who practice virtuous deeds, Are gentle,
upright, and sincere, These all see that I exist, Abiding here, proclaiming Dharma.At
times for the sake of that assembly, I describe Buddha s life span as immeasurable. Forʼ
those who after great lengths see the Buddha will explain how rarely is Buddha
encountered. Such is the power of my wisdom With beams of insight shining beyond
measure. This life span of countless kalpas Was gained from long-cultivated practice.
You who are possessed of wisdom, In regards to this, entertain no doubts, Cast them
off, forever ended, For Buddha s words are true, not false. Like the good physician whoʼ
with skillful means, In order to cure his deranged children, Though truly alive spreads
word he is dead, Yet cannot be charged with falsehood, I too, as parent of the world,
Savior of all suffering and afflicted, For the sake of confused, worldly people, Though
truly living, am thought extinct. f due to always seeing me, Their hearts become selfish
and arrogant, Dissolute and set on the five desires, They’d fall into evil destinies. I
always know which living beings Practice the Way, and which do not. In accord with
what their salvation requires, I give voice to the various teachings, Ever making this my
thought: How can I cause the living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way And

promptly embody Buddha?
UNIVERSAL GATEWAY OF KANZEON BODHISATTVA
妙法蓮華經觀世音菩薩普門品第二十五（觀音經）
Lotus Sutra, Chapter 25: Fumonbonge
Listen to the deeds of Kanzeon (Regarder of the World’s Sounds):
Aptly responding in every quarter, Who with immense vow deep as oceans, Throughout
kalpas beyond reckoning, Has served many billions of Buddhas, Bringing forth this great
pure vow Hearing the name or seeing the form of Kanzeon With mindful remembrance
is not vain, For thus can be erased the woes of existence. Even if someone with harmful
intent Should push you into a great fiery pit, By mindfully invoking Kanzeon s power,ʼ
The pit of fire will turn into a pond. If floating on a vast sea, Menaced by dragons, fish,
or demons, By mindfully invoking Kanzeon s power, the billowing waves cannot drownʼ
you. If from Mount Sumeru s lofty peak, Someone were to hurl you down,By mindfullyʼ
invoking Kanzeon s power, Like the sun you would hang in the sky.If pursued by evilʼ
men, Down from a diamond mountain, By mindfully invoking Kanzeon s power, Theyʼ
could not harm a single hair.If surrounded by vicious bandits, Each wielding a sword,
set for assault, By mindfully invoking Kanzeon s power, At once their hearts will beʼ
turned to compassion. If, subject to persecution from dictators, You face torture and
execution, By mindfully invoking Kanzeon’s power, Their weapons will thereby shatter to
pieces. If imprisoned in shackles and chains, Hands and feet bound in restraints, By
mindfully invoking Kanzeon s power, Suddenly you shall be released. If by curses orʼ
poisonous herbs, Someone wishes to hurt your body,By mindfully invoking Kanzeon sʼ
power, The harm will rebound to its initiator. If you meet evil goblins, poison dragons, or
various demons, By mindfully invoking Kanzeon s power,None will dare do harm.Ifʼ
surrounded by raging beasts, With sharp fangs and dreadful claws,By mindfully invoking
Kanzeon s power, They will quickly scatter in all directions.ʼ
If venomous snakes or scorpions, Threaten with noxious, flaming breath, by mindfully
invoking Kanzeon s power, Upon hearing your voice they will turn and depart. If cloudsʼ
thunder and lightning strikes,When hailstones fall, and it rains in torrents,By mindfully
invoking Kanzeon s power, Instantly they will dissipate. When living beings sufferʼ
hardships, burdened by immeasurable woes, The power of Kanzeon s wondrousʼ
wisdom Can relieve the suffering of the world. Fully endowed with miraculous
powers,Widely practicing wisdom and skillful means,In every land in all directions, in no
realm does Kanzeon not appear. In all the various evil destinies, Of hell beings, hungry
ghosts, and animals, The sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death, All are
gradually erased by Kanzeon, Whose true regard, serene regard, far-reaching wise
regard, Regard with compassion and loving kindness, Is ever longed for, ever revered.
Unblemished, serene radiance; Benevolent sun, dispelling all gloom, Kanzeon can
subdue the wind and fire of woes, Clearly illuminating all the world. The precepts of
compassion roar like thunder, The kind heart is wondrous as great clouds, Pouring
Dharma rain of sweet dew, Quenching all flames of troubling passion. When accused by
lawyers in courts, Or terrified amid soldiers in combat,By mindfully invoking Kanzeon sʼ
power, All hostilities will be dispersed. The wondrous voice of Kanzeon, Pure as
Brahma-voiced sounds of the tides, Surpasses all sounds within the world, Therefore

ever keep it in mind. In each thought with never a doubt, Kanzeon, the pure sage, in
pain, agony, or death s distress, Can provide a sure support.ʼ
Fully endowed with all virtues, Eyes of compassion behold all beings, Assembling a
boundless ocean of happiness. Thus, with reverence, bow in prostration.
SOANKA: Song of the Grass Hut
by Shitou Xiqian (Sekito Kisen; 700-790)
I’ve built a grass hut where there’s nothing of value.
After eating, I relax and enjoy a nap.
When it was completed, fresh weeds appeared.
Now it’s been lived in, covered by weeds.
The person in the hut lives here calmly,
not stuck to inside, outside, or in-between.
Places worldly people live, he doesn’t live.
Realms worldly people love, she doesn’t love.
Though the hut is small, it includes the entire world.
In ten feet square, an old man illumines forms and their nature.
A Mahayana bodhisattva trusts without doubt.
The middling or lowly can’t help wondering;
Will this hut perish or not?
Perishable or not, the original master is present,
Not dwelling south or north, east or west.
Firmly based on steadiness, it can t be surpassed.ʼ
A shining window below the green pines —
Jade palaces or vermilion towers can t compare with it.ʼ
Just sitting with head covered all things are at rest.
Thus, this mountain monk doesn t understand at all.ʼ
Living here he no longer works to get free.
Who would proudly arrange seats, trying to entice guests?
Turn around the light to shine within, then just return.
The vast inconceivable source can t be faced or turned away from.ʼ
Meet the ancestral teachers, be familiar with their instructions,
Bind grasses to build a hut, and don t give up.ʼ
Let go of hundreds of years and relax completely.
Open your hands and walk, innocent.
Thousands of words, myriad interpretations,
Are only to free you from obstructions.
If you want to know the undying person in the hut,
Don t separate from this skin bag here and now.ʼ
10
HOKYO ZAMMAI

Song of the Precious Mirror Samadhi
By Dongshan Liangjie (Tozan Ryokai; 807-869)
The dharma of thusness is intimately transmitted by buddhas and ancestors;
Now you have it; preserve it well.
A silver bowl filled with snow; a heron hidden in the moon.
Taken as similar, they are not the same;
Not distinguished, their places are known.
The meaning does not reside in the words, but a pivotal moment brings
it forth.
Move and you are trapped; miss and you fall into doubt and vacillation.
Turning away and touching are both wrong, for it is like a massive fire.
Just to portray it in literary form is to stain it with defilement.
In darkest night it is perfectly clear; in the light of dawn it is hidden.
It is a standard for all things; its use removes all suffering.
Although it is not constructed, it is not beyond words.
Like facing a precious mirror; form and reflection behold each other.
You are not it, but in truth it is you.
Like a newborn child, it is fully endowed with five aspects:
No going, no coming, no arising, no abiding;
“Baba wawa”- is anything said or not?
In the end it s ays nothing, for the words are not yet right.
In the illumination hexagram, inclined and upright interact,
Piled up they become three, the permutations make five,
Like the taste of the five-flavored herb, like the five-pronged vajra.
Wondrously embraced within the real, drumming and singing begin
together.
Penetrate the source and travel the pathways;
Embrace the territory and treasure the roads.
You would do well to respect this; do not neglect it.
Natural and wondrous, it is not a matter of delusion or enlightenment.
Within causes and conditions, time and season, it is serene and illuminating.
So minute it enters where there is no gap, so vast it transcends
dimension.
A hairsbreadth s deviation, and you are out of tune.ʼ
Now there are sudden and gradual, in which teachings and
approaches arise.
When teachings and approaches are distinguished, each has its
standard.
Whether teachings and approaches are mastered or not, reality
constantly flows.
Outside still and inside trembling, like tethered colts or cowering rats,
The ancient sages grieved for them, and offered them the dharma.
Led by their inverted views, they take black for white.

When inverted thinking stops, the affirming mind naturally accords.
If you want to follow in the ancient tracks, please observe the sages of
the past. One on the verge of realizing the Buddha Way contemplated a tree for
ten kalpas, Like a battle-scarred tiger, like a horse with shanks gone grey.
Because some are common, jeweled tables and ornate robes;
Because some are wide-eyed, cats and white oxen.
With his archer s skill, Yi hit the mark at a hundred paces,ʼ
But when arrows meet head-on, how could it be a matter of skill?
The wooden man starts to sing; the stone woman gets up dancing.
It is not reached by feelings or consciousness, how could it involve
deliberation?
Ministers serve their lords, children obey their parents;
Not obeying is not filial, failure to serve is no help.
With practice hidden, function secretly, like a fool, like an idiot;
Just to do this continuously is called the host within the host.
GUIDEPOST FOR THE HALL OF PURE BLISS
By Hongzhi Zhengjue (Wanshi Shogaku; 1091-1157)
By seeking appearances and sounds
One cannot truly find the Way.
The deep source of realization
Comes with constancy, bliss, self, and purity.
Its purity is constant,
Its bliss is myself.
The two are mutually dependent,
Like firewood and fire.
The self s bliss is not exhausted,ʼ
Constant purity has no end.
Deep existence is beyond forms.
Wisdom illuminates the inside of the circle
Inside the circle the self vanishes,
Neither existent nor nonexistent.
Intimately conveying spiritual energy,
It subtly turns the mysterious pivot.
When the mysterious pivot finds opportunity to turn,
The original light auspiciously appears.
When the mind’s conditioning has not yet sprouted,
How can words and images be distinguished?
Who is it that can distinguish them?
Clearly understand and know by yourself.
Whole and inclusive with inherent insight,
It is not concerned with discriminative thought.
When discriminating thought is not involved,

It is like white reed flowers shining in the snow.
One beam of light s gleamʼ
Permeates the vastness.
The gleam permeates through all directions,
From the beginning not covered or concealed.
Catching the opportunity to emerge,
Amid transformations it flourishes.
Following appropriately amid transformations,
The pure bliss is unchanged.
The sky encompasses it, the ocean seals it,
Every moment without deficiency.
In the achievement without deficiency,
Inside and outside are interfused.
All dharmas transcend their limits,
All gates are wide open.
Through the open gates
Are the byways of playful wandering.
Dropping off senses and sense objects is like
The flowers of our gazing and listening falling away.
Gazing and listening are only distant conditions
Of thousands of hands and eyes.
The others die from being too busy,
But I maintain continuity.
In the wonder of continuity
Are no traces of subtle identifications.
Within purity is bliss,
Within silence is illumination.
The house of silent illumination
Is the hall of pure bliss.
Dwelling in peace and forgetting hardship,
Let go of adornments and become genuine.
The motto for becoming genuine:
Nothing is gained by speaking.
The goodness of Vimalakirti
Enters the gate of nonduality.
GUIDEPOST OF SILENT ILLUMINATION
By Hongzhi Zhengjue (Wanshi Shogaku; 1091-1157)
Silent and serene, forgetting words, bright clarity appears before you.
When you reflect it you become vast, where you embody it you are
spiritually uplifted.
Spiritually solitary and shining, inner illumination restores wonder.
Dew in the moonlight, a river of stars, snow-covered pines, clouds

enveloping the peak.
In darkness it is most bright, while hidden all the more manifest.
The crane dreams in the wintery mists. The autumn waters flow far in
the distance.
Endless kalpas are totally empty, all things completely the same.
When wonder exists in serenity, all achievement is forgotten in
illumination.
What is this wonder? Alertly seeing through confusion
Is the way of silent illumination and the origin of subtle radiance.
Vision penetrating into subtle radiance is weaving gold on a jade loom.
Upright and inclined yield to each other; light and dark are
interdependent.
Not depending on sense faculty and object, at the right time they
interact.
Drink the medicine of good views. Beat the poisoned-smeared drum.
When they interact, killing and giving life are up to you.
Through the gate the self emerges and the branches bear fruit.
Only silence is the supreme speech, only illumination the universal
response.
Responding without falling into achievement, speaking without involving
listeners,
The ten thousand forms majestically glisten and expound the dharma.
All objects certify it, every one in dialogue.
Dialoguing and certifying, they respond appropriately to each other;
But if illumination neglects serenity then aggressiveness appears.
Certifying and dialoguing, they respond to each other appropriately;
But if serenity neglects illumination, murkiness leads to wasted dharma.
15
When silent illumination is fulfilled, the lotus blossoms, the dreamer
awakens,
A hundred streams flow into the ocean, a thousand ranges face the
highest peak.
Like geese preferring milk, like bees gathering nectar,
When silent illumination reaches the ultimate, I offer my teaching.
The teaching of silent illumination penetrates from the highest down to
the foundation.
The body being shunyata, the arms in mudra,
From the beginning to end the changing appearances and ten thousand
Differences share one pattern.
Mr. Ho offered jade [to the Emperor; Minister] Xiangru pointed to its
flaws.
Facing changes has its principles, the great function is without striving.
The ruler stays in the kingdom, the general goes beyond the frontiers.
Our school s affair hits the mark straight and true.ʼ
Transmit it to all directions without desiring to gain credit.

GENJO KOAN: Actualizing the Fundamental Point
By Eihei Dogen (1200-1253)
As all things are buddha-dharma, there is delusion and realization, practice,
birth and death, and there are buddhas and sentient beings. As the myriad things
are without an abiding self, there is no delusion, no realization, no buddha, no
sentient being, no birth and death. The buddha way is, basically, leaping clear of
the many and the one; thus there are birth and death, delusion and realization,
sentient beings and buddhas. Yet, in attachment blossoms fall, and in aversion
weeds spread.
To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That
myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening. Those who
have great realization of delusion are Buddhas; those who are greatly deluded
about realization are sentient beings. Further, there are those who continue
realizing beyond realization, who are in delusion throughout delusion. When
buddhas are truly buddhas they do not necessarily notice that they are buddhas.
However, they are actualized buddhas, who go on actualizing buddhas.
When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you grasp
things directly. Unlike things and their reflections in the mirror and unlike the
moon and its reflection in the water, when one side is illuminated the other side is
dark.
To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the
self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized
by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of
others drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no trace continues
endlessly.
When you first seek dharma, you imagine you are far away from its environs.
But dharma is already correctly transmitted; you are immediately your original
self.
When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore
is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the
boat moves. Similarly, if you examine myriad things with a confused body and
mind you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. When you
practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that nothing at all
has unchanging self.
Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again. Yet, do not
suppose that the ash is future and the firewood past. You should understand
that firewood abides in the phenomenal expression of firewood which fully
includes past and future, and is independent of past and future. Ash abides in the
phenomenal expression of ash which fully includes future and past.
Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, you do not
return to birth after death. This being so, it is an established way in buddhadharma
to deny that birth turns into death. Accordingly, birth is understood as
no-birth. It is an unshakable teaching in Buddha s discourse that death doesʼ
not turn into birth. Accordingly, death is understood as no-death. Birth is an

expression complete this moment. Death is an expression complete this moment.
They are like winter and spring. You do not call winter the beginning of spring,
nor summer the end of spring.
Enlightenment is like the moon reflected in the water. The moon does not get
wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is
reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are
reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water. Enlightenment
does not divide you, just as the moon does not break the water. You cannot
hinder enlightenment, just as a drop of water does not hinder the moon in the
sky. The depth of the drop is the height of the moon. Each reflection, however
long or short its duration, manifests the vastness of the dewdrop, and realizes the
limitlessness of the moonlight in the sky.
When dharma does not fill your whole body and mind, you think it is already
sufficient. When dharma fills your body and mind, you understand that something
is missing. For example, when you sail out in a boat to the midst of an ocean
where no land is in sight, and view the four directions, the ocean looks circular,
and does not look any other way. But the ocean is neither round nor square; its
features are infinite in variety. It is like a palace. It is like a jewel. It only looks
circular as far as you can see at that time. All things are like this. Though there
are many features in the dusty world and the world beyond conditions, you see
and understand only what your eye of practice can reach. In order to learn the
nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or
square, the other features of oceans and mountains are infinite in variety; whole
worlds are there. It is so not only around you, but also directly beneath your feet,
or in a drop of water.
A fish swims in the ocean, and no matter how far it swims there is no end to
the water. A bird flies in the sky, and no matter how far it flies, there is no end
to the air. However, the fish and the bird have never left their elements. When
their activity is large their field is large. When their need is small their field is
small. Thus, each of them totally covers its full range, and each of them totally
experiences its realm. If the bird leaves the air it will die at once. If the fish
leaves the water it will die at once. Know that water is life and air is life. The
bird is life and the fish is life. Life must be the bird and life must be the fish. It
is possible to illustrate this with more analogies. Practice, enlightenment, and
people are like this.
Now if a bird or a fish tries to reach the end of its element before moving in
it, this bird or this fish will not find its way or its place. When you find your place
where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point. When you
find your way at this moment, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point;
for the place, the way, is neither large nor small, neither yours nor others . Theʼ
place, the way, has not carried over from the past, and it is not merely arising
now. Accordingly, in the practice-enlightenment of the buddha way, meeting one
thing is mastering it, doing one practice is practicing completely.
Here is the place; here the way unfolds. The boundary of realization is
not distinct, for the realization comes forth simultaneously with the mastery of

buddha-dharma. Do not suppose that what you realize becomes your knowledge
and is grasped by your consciousness. Although actualized immediately, the
inconceivable may not be distinctly apparent. Its appearance is beyond your
knowledge.
Zen Master Baoche of Mount Mayu was fanning himself. A monk approached
and said, “Master, the nature of wind is permanent and there is no place it does
not reach. Why, then do you fan yourself?”
“Although you understand that the nature of the wind is permanent,” Baoche
replied, “you do not understand the meaning of its reaching everywhere.”
“What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere?” asked the monk again.
The master just kept fanning himself. The monk bowed deeply.
The actualization of the buddha dharma, the vital path of its correct
transmission, is like this. If you say that you do not need to fan yourself because
the nature of wind is permanent and you can have wind without fanning, you will
understand neither permanence nor the nature of wind. The nature of wind is
permanent; because of that, the wind of the Buddha s house brings forth the goldʼ
of the earth and makes fragrant the cream of the long river.
EIHEI KOSO HOTSUGANMON
Great Ancestor Dogen’s Verse for Arousing the Vow
We vow together with all beings, from this life on throughout numerous
lifetimes, not to fail to hear the true dharma. Hearing this we will not be
skeptical and will not be without faith. Directly upon encountering the true
dharma, we will abandon mundane affairs and uphold and maintain the
buddha-dharma; and finally together with the great earth and all animate
beings we will accomplish the Way.
Although our previous evil karma has greatly accumulated, producing
causes and conditions that obstruct the Way, may the buddhas and
ancestors who have attained the buddha way be compassionate to us and
liberate us from our karmic entanglements, allowing us to practice the Way
without hindrance. May the merit and virtue of their dharma gate fill and
refresh the inexhaustible dharma realm, so that they share with us their
compassion. Ancient buddhas and ancestors were as we; we shall come to
be buddhas and ancestors. Venerating buddhas and ancestors, we are one
with buddhas and ancestors; contemplating awakening mind, we are one
with awakened mind. Compassionately admitting seven and accomplishing
eight obtains advantage and lets go of advantage.
Accordingly, Longya said:
“What in past lives was not yet complete, now must be complete.
In this life save the body coming from accumulated lives.
Before enlightenment ancient buddhas were the same as we.
After enlightenment we will be exactly as those ancient ones.”
Quietly studying and mastering these causes and conditions, one is fully
informed by the verified buddhas. With this kind of repentance certainly

will come the inconceivable guidance of buddha ancestors. Confessing to
buddha with mindful heart and dignified body, the strength of this confession
will eradicate the roots of wrongdoing. This is the one color of true practice,
of the true mind of faith, of the true body of faith.
20
FUKANZAZENGI
Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen
The Way is originally perfect and all-pervading. How could it be contingent
on practice and realization? The true vehicle is self-sufficient. What need is there
for special effort? Indeed, the whole body is free from dust. Who could believe
in a means to brush it clean? It is never apart from this very place; what is the
use of traveling around to practice? And yet, if there is a hairsbreadth deviation,
it is like the gap between heaven and earth. If the least like or dislike arises, the
mind is lost in confusion. Suppose you are confident in your understanding and
rich in enlightenment, gaining the wisdom that knows at a glance, attaining the
Way and clarifying the mind, arousing an aspiration to reach for the heavens.
You are playing in the entranceway, but you still are short of the vital path of
emancipation.
Consider the Buddha: although he was wise at birth, the traces of his six years
of upright sitting can yet be seen. As for Bodhidharma, although he had received
the mind-seal, his nine years of facing a wall is celebrated still. If even the ancient
sages were like this, how can we today dispense with wholehearted practice?
Therefore, put aside the intellectual practice of investigating words and chasing
phrases, and learn to take the backward step that turns the light and shines it
inward. Body and mind of themselves will drop away, and your original face will
manifest. If you want to attain suchness, practice suchness immediately.
For practicing Zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately. Put aside
all involvements and suspend all affairs. Do not think “good” or “bad.” Do not
judge true or false. Give up the operations of mind, intellect, and consciousness;
stop measuring with thoughts, ideas, and views. Have no designs on becoming a
Buddha. How could that be limited to sitting or lying down?
At your sitting place, spread out a thick mat and put a cushion on it. Sit either
in the full-lotus or half-lotus position. In the full-lotus position, first place your
right foot on your left thigh, then your left foot on your right thigh. In the halflotus,
simply place your left foot on your right thigh. Tie your robes loosely and
arrange them neatly. Then place your right hand on your left leg and your left
hand on your right palm, thumb-tips lightly touching. Straighten your body and
sit upright, leaning neither left nor right, neither forward nor backward. Align
your ears with your shoulders and your nose with your navel. Rest the tip of your
tongue against the front of the roof of your mouth, with teeth and lips together
both shut. Always keep your eyes open, and breathe softly through your nose.
Once you have adjusted your posture, take a breath and exhale fully, rock
your body right and left, and settle into steady, immovable sitting. Think of not

thinking. Not thinking - what kind of thinking is that? Beyond-thinking. This is the
essential art of zazen.
The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the Dharma gate of
joyful ease, the practice-realization of totally culminated enlightenment. It is the
koan realized, traps and snares can never reach it. If you grasp the point, you
are like a dragon gaining the water, like a tiger taking to the mountains. For you
must know that the true Dharma appears of itself, so that from the start dullness
and distraction are struck aside.
When you arise from sitting, move slowly and quietly, calmly and
deliberately. Do not rise suddenly or abruptly. In surveying the past, we find
that transcendence of both mundane and sacred, and dying while either sitting
or standing, have all depended entirely on the power of zazen. In addition,
triggering awakening with a finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet, and effecting
realization with a whisk, a fist, a staff, or a shout - these cannot be understood
by discriminative thinking, much less can they be known through the practice of
supernatural power. They must represent conduct beyond seeing and hearing.
Are they not a standard prior to knowledge and views?
This being the case, intelligence or lack of it is not an issue; make no distinction
between the dull and the sharp-witted. If you concentrate your effort singlemindedly,
that in itself is wholeheartedly engaging the way. Practice-realization is
naturally undefiled. Going forward is, after all, an everyday affair.
In general, in our world and others, in both India and China, all equally
hold the buddha-seal. While each lineage expresses its own style, they are all
simply devoted to sitting, totally blocked in resolute stability. Although they
say that there are ten thousand distinctions and a thousand variations, they just
wholeheartedly engage the way in zazen. Why leave behind the seat in your
own home to wander in vain through the dusty realms of other lands? If you
make one misstep you stumble past what is directly in front of you.
You have gained the pivotal opportunity of human form. Do not pass your
days and nights in vain. You are taking care of the essential activity of the
buddha way. Who would take wasteful delight in the spark from a flintstone?
Besides, form and substance are like the dew on the grass, the fortunes of life like
a dart of lightning - emptied in an instant, vanished in a flash.
Please, honored followers of Zen, long accustomed to groping for the
elephant, do not doubt the true dragon. Devote your energies to the way that
points directly to the real thing. Revere the one who has gone beyond learning
and is free from effort. Accord with the enlightenment of all the buddhas;
succeed to the samadhi of all the ancestors. Continue to live in such a way, and
you will be such a person. The treasure store will open of itself, and you may
enjoy it freely.
JIJUYU ZAMMAI The Self-fulfillment Samadhi

For all ancestors and buddhas who have been dwelling in and maintaining
buddha-dharma, practicing upright sitting in jijuyu samadhi is the true path for
opening up enlightenment. Both in India and in China, those who attained
enlightenment have followed this way. This is because each teacher and each
disciple has been intimately and correctly transmitting this subtle method and
receiving and maintaining its true spirit. According to the unmistakenly handed
down tradition, the straightforward buddha-dharma that has been simply
transmitted is supreme among the supreme. From the time you begin practicing
with a teacher, the practices of incense burning, bowing, nenbutsu, repentance,
and reading sutras are not at all essential; just sit, dropping off body and mind.
When one displays the buddha mudra with one s whole body and mind,ʼ
sitting upright in this samadhi even for a short time, everything in the entire
dharma world becomes buddha mudra, and all space in the universe completely
becomes enlightenment. Therefore, it enables buddha-tathagatas to increase
the dharma joy of their own original grounds and renew the adornment of the
way of awakening. Simultaneously, all living beings of the dharma world in the
ten directions and six realms become clear and pure in body and mind, realize
great emancipation, and their own original face appears. At that time, all things
together awaken to supreme enlightenment and utilize buddha-body, immediately
go beyond the culmination of awakening, and sit upright under the regal bodhi
tree. At the same time, they turn the incomparable, great dharma wheel, and
begin expressing ultimate and unfabricated profound prajna.
There is a path through which the unsurpassed complete enlightenment of all
things returns to the person in zazen, and that person and the enlightenment of
all things intimately and imperceptibly assist each other. Therefore this zazen
person without fail drops off body and mind, cuts away previous tainted views
and thoughts, awakens genuine buddha-dharma, universally helps the buddha
work in each place, as numerous as atoms, where buddha-tathagatas teach and
practice, and widely influences practitioners who are going beyond buddha,
thereby vigorously exalting the dharma that goes beyond buddha. At this time,
because earth, grasses and trees, fences and walls, tiles and pebbles, and all
things in every direction in the universe carry out buddha work, so everyone
receives the benefit of wind and water movement caused by this functioning, and
all are imperceptibly helped by the wondrous and incomprehensible influence of
buddha to actualize the enlightenment at hand. Since those who receive and use
23
this water and fire extend the buddha influence of original enlightenment, all who
live and talk with these people also share and universally unfold the boundless
buddha virtue, and they circulate the inexhaustible, ceaseless, incomprehensible,
and immeasurable buddha dharma within and without the whole dharma world.
However, these various mutual influences do not mix into the perceptions of this
person sitting, because they take place within stillness without any fabrication,
and they are enlightenment itself. If practice and enlightenment were separate
as people commonly believe, it would be possible for them to perceive each
other. But that which is associated with perceptions cannot be the standard of
enlightenment because deluded human sentiment cannot reach the standard of

enlightenment.
Moreover, although both mind and object appear and disappear within
stillness, because this takes place in the realm of jijuyu, self-receiving and
selfemploying,
without moving a speck of dust or destroying a single form, extensive
buddha work and profound, subtle buddha inﬂuence are carried out. The grass,
trees, and earth affected by this functioning together radiate great brilliance and
endlessly expound the deep, wondrous dharma. Grasses and trees, fences and
walls demonstrate and exalt it for the sake of living beings, both ordinary and
sage; in turn, living beings, both ordinary and sage, express and unfold it for the
sake of grasses and trees, fences and walls. The realm of self-awakening and
awakening others is fundamentally endowed with the quality of enlightenment
with nothing lacking, and allows the standard of enlightenment to be actualized
ceaselessly.
Therefore, even if only one person sits for a short time, because this zazen is
one with all existence and completely permeates all time, it performs everlasting
buddha guidance within the inexhaustible dharma world in the past, present,
and future. Zazen is equally the same practice and the same enlightenment for
both the person sitting and for all dharmas. The melodious sound continues to
resonate as it echoes, not only during sitting practice, but before and after striking
shunyata, which continues endlessly before and after a hammer hits it. Not only
that, but all things are endowed with original practice within the original face,
which is impossible to measure.
You should know that even if all the buddhas in the ten directions, as numerous
as the sands of the Ganges River, together engage the full power of their Buddha
wisdom, they could never reach the limit, or measure or comprehend the virtue, of
one person’s zazen.
Zazenshin: The Point of Zazen
By Eihei Dogen
The essential function of every Buddha,
the functioning essence of every ancestor,
it moves along with your non-thinking
and is completed in the realm of non-merging.
As it moves along with your non-thinking,
its appearance is immediate,
as it is completed in the realm of non-merging.
Completeness itself is realization.
If its appearance is immediate,
you have no defilement;
when completeness is realization,
you stay in neither the general nor the particular

if you have immediacy without defilement.
Immediacy is “dropping away” with no obstacles
Realization—neither general nor particular—
is effort without desire:
clear water all the way to the bottom,
a fish swims like a fish;
vast sky transparent throughout,
a bird flies like birds.
Memorial Prayer
O Buddhas and Bodhisattvas,
abiding in all directions,
endowed with great compassion, endowed with love,
affording protection to sentient beings,
consent through the power of your great compassion
to come forth.
O Compassionate Ones,
you who possess the wisdom of understanding, the
love of compassion,
the power of protecting in incomprehensible measure,
[name of deceased] is passing from this world to the next.
He is taking a great leap.
The light of this world has faded for him.
He has entered solitude with his karmic forces.
He has gone into a vast Silence.
He is borne away by the Great Ocean of birth
and death.
protect [name of deceased], who is defenseless.
Be to him like a father and a mother.
Let not the force of your compassion be weak, but
aid him.
Forget not your ancient vows.

Introducción al Budismo 禅Zen (Parte 2: Los Sutras)

Introducción al Budismo 禅Zen (Parte 2: Los Sutras)

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