Tag: Shodo Harada Roshi

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Guidance in the time of Corona 26

Dear All,

Some say that there may be a vaccine next year and that only in spring of 2022 the pandemic will have settled. If the restrictions are taken off too soon, there may be new cases appearing. Some people who are infected may have no symptoms while they could infect others. We do need to reflect upon our wisdom, if we were to get sick, how we can deal with this situation in the best possible way.

What this means for us in our training is that we do need to have patience. It is not about yesterday and today only, but we need to continue our efforts. We need to see how we actually can live within challenging situations. We receive the wisdom of Vimalakirti.

Vimalakirti says, “because society is sick, that is why I get sick. We need to have a huge mind and not only see our own life.” Vimalakirti taught us how we can greet and support someone who is sick. Now how about if we ourselves get sick? This is what Vimalakirti is teaching us now.

Monjusri visits Vimalakirti, yet both encounter each other with a bright mind, that it is hard to know, who is the sick person. When we get sick, we easily get depressed, we cannot go outside and depend on others support. We feel this as a heavy burden. Yet Vimalakirti does not even look as if he is sick. His state of mind is bright and clear, and the person visiting him does not feel any pressure put on him.

Monjusri asks him: “You are sick yet you do not look sick. How are you managing?” Vimalakirti answers: “If sickness catches us and we fall into sickness, that becomes a heavy weight for us. Of course, I am actually sick. I have symptoms of sickness. Yet what truly makes us sick in mind are those attachments, memories, grudges which we carry around from the past. And because of these arising, that is why we feel the pressure. It is because of those past unclarities, that we feel heaviness.”

These are not extraneous thoughts, yet they do colour our experience of the moment. We cannot get stopped by them. Our physical body which we have received from our parents may get sick, and since we identify with this body, that is why we create our own heaviness. We of course may get sick, yet it is not our body alone that feels the sickness, it is mainly our mind that feels the sickness.

Ikkyu Zenji said in his death poem:

The body that I have borrowed, today I do return it.

Because we only see the physical body, we are not aware of the huge mind, which uses this body. Of course, we do not want to get sick, yet going through the experience of sickness, we need to bring forth wisdom which helps us rise above this physical experience. We cannot stay stuck in our body only, this would be a big mistake.

It is important that we do not feel stuck in our sick body, or else we create an even greater sickness than our physical one. This is what we need to awaken to. We may feel bad, have pain, have difficulty breathing, have no appetite or sense of smell, yet we cannot let our mind get drowned within this experience.

Over 100 years ago in Japan the poet Masaoka Shiki lived, he practiced zazen from a young age. He said that Zen was about being prepared to die anytime, yet later in his life he said that he realized when he was sick, when he did not know how long he had to live, he said that Zen is not about being prepared to die anytime but Zen is about receiving this life energy anew each moment, receiving the energy to live.

Masaoka clearly looked at his own sickness, and when the end neared he called his students and gave this poem:

The Hejima flower is blooming
The mucus is filling up my throat
Is this the Buddha?

This is a flower that blosoms in June in yellow colours, this flower must have been all around, in this season he was ready to face his last moment of being sick with tuberculosis. The pain must have been huge, while the students gathered around only wished to give their teacher some relief. In this uncertain situation, he gave the first two lines of the poem, then again was struggling to get some air, the students had tears running down their cheeks. They wanted to take the pain onto themselves. They quietly sat by his bed side, waiting, when Masaoka Shiki gave the last line of the poem: Is this the Buddha?

Someone who has died is said to become a buddha yet also someone who is awakened is called a buddha. Masaoka gave this poem, his breathing must have been difficult, when this mucus fills his throat, that is the last moment. He speaks about himself as if he is watching himself from high above. It is about himself, yet his state of mind is quiet and filled with wisdom.

That is what Vimalakirti is saying, that we cannot stay stuck in our body, that we cannot drown in our suffering, if we down then we are at the end. That is not how it should be. From a high level we can reflect upon our state of mind, we can review our state of mind. It is the mind which uses this body, the mind is not stuck in this body. It does need to depart from this body at one point, yet we can awaken to our true nature and share this experience with many.

I may be suffering but there are others who suffer even more. If there is a chance, I would like to use my life to help others, to support others. That is what we need to see as important in our life, Vimalakirti is teaching us.

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Guidance in the time of Corona 25

Dear All,

Are you working hard? We do sesshin daily, we sit at least 1-8 hours per day. During the daytime we do samu, and continue zazen morning and night. Of course during Osesshin we sit for 12 hours a day. There is teisho and zazen during the Osesshin once a month, and 2-3 kosesshin every month. About 3 weeks each month we are in sesshin. Especially now everybody is able to enter deeply into their training.

Right now that the temperatures are rising and it is almost summer, the infection rate will slow down. Most likely each country will face a more relaxed situation. Maybe this autumn and winter we will again have some virus around. This situation is not about this moment but we need to look ahead on how we can deal best with the challenges we are facing.
In our surroundings we need to maintain our health, that is our responsibility. Our country has put out these regulations, yet we are not alive under these, but can perceieve from a wider view, this is what we need to learn as humans.

The Buddha said:
We are what we think, having become what we thought. Like the wheel that follows the cart pulling ox, sorrow follows an evil thought.
We are what we think, having become what we thought. Like the shadow that never leaves one, happiness follows a pure thought.

We have this body in this reality. This body receives the condition of the surroundings. At times it might be hard to know how to continue. Still our life continues, new life is born, exists and finally disappears again. This is the appearance of our life. Yet our life does not exist only for one generation, but since the birth of this planet, it has been influenced by the condition of the universe. Life came forth, humans evolved and were able to keep polishing their wisdom while adapting to each new situation. This is where we find ourselves now, that a new world has to open up.

If we look at this we are not just alive while we have this physical body, but the wisdom of the ancients is alive within us. This is where our focus has to be, that is where we ourselves now need to polish. This is what the Buddha is teaching us with these words above.

We cannot drown in this situation, but piercing from the past through the present to the future, with a bright, clear and open mind. This is where we need to place our faith.
In the olden days we had god, Buddha, yet rather than looking at it in this way, all humans can open their eyes and see this very reality. Receiving support of the people who are close to us, we see that only a huge wise mind can bring forth a revolution.

This is what the Buddha said, we do zazen with this meaning, not hoping that zazen will liberate us, but when our mind settles, we become this mind which pierces through all three times, which can go beyond time. It is not about our own happiness, but including everyone we can see how we should live, this is our lesson of these days.

We need to take this time now and the next few years to continue to open our mind, to truly awaken to our original mind. Take the wisdom of the ancients and directly use it for your own life, what do these teaching actually mean to you in your life? That is where we need to reflect.

Corona virus is not the only reason people get sick. There are many other reasons yet we need to support the sick people and be there for them in the best possible way. Or else we are irresponsible human beings.

This is where Vimalakirti teaches us on how we can support a sick person. Monjusri asks: “You are sick, we come to greet you, yet your wisdom is what we need to hear, how can we actually meet someone who is sick?” Vimalakirti replies: “We never know what will happen next in this world, we never know what will happen to our body next. This world is in constant change, we are in constant change while we cannot live forever, while we need to die eventually. This cannot be ignored. We are healthy and need to be thankful for it. We need to also prepare ourselves that we will eventually die. When we greet someone who is sick, we need to be wide in mind. Yet at that time, we cannot speak about meaningless things. “

This wide state of mind is what we can share with the sick person, giving them a sense of the hugeness of this life energy, which will continue even tomorrow. This huge state of mind is what we can give the other a sense of. Our life is just as the Buddha taught the four noble truths. This life is suffering, awaken to this fact. Do not stay with joy only but life in a way that you stay grounded, that is where we need to make efforts. Awaken to the fact that life is suffering. That is how our life is. And then the smallest joy is something we can be extremely thankful for. We do not need to try and escape the suffering, but rather while we are suffering, how should we see ourselves? How can we maintain faith in ourselves, how can we have hope – that is what brings us to wisdom.

We encounter many different situation, yet to have an idea about what we are, that does not help us any further. Rather see that we exist because of many around us who are supporting us, from there thankfulness arises. Then our state of mind widens. From there we naturally want to reach out to others and support others.

Please hold out this hand to other so that they may also liberate themselves. Of course all types of thoughts arise. These are only about the phenomenal world and are in constant change. That is where we can use our wisdom, our quiet eye, no need to hurry here, but take this wisdom as being most precious. With this wisdom you can truly meet and greet another person. Not giving the other meaningless worry or hope, rather give them deep wisdom about life, this is how we can support one another. Vimalakirti is teaching us that we cannot lose sight of this state of mind when we meet another person.

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Guidance in the time of Corona 24

Dear All,

Daily I check the news on the corona virus situation. There are some countries that continue being challenged and continue the lockdown. Some countries start to revolt and speak up again the lockdown policy. Certain factories and companies closed, so the financial deficit is hard to carry for some of the employees. Deep resentment is starting to emerge. In this way some get angry while others get depressed. Yet we need to make efforts on how to revive our own life.

When we are in a situation which we cannot escape, we need wisdom yet if it is based on mental ideas, then it does not bring forth a wide and expansive state of mind. Rather our breath gets shorter and we feel even more uncertain. How can we maintain our inner balance, this is what we need to reflect over and over again.

How can we reflect upon ourselves? Zen is not interested in anything mental, only in that actual experience of the moment, of this instant when you make a decision. That moment when we do accept or negate, how can we make sure that these decisions come from a deep state of perception? This is what we need to look at carefully.

Vimalakirti was sick and visited by Monjusri Bodhisattva. Vimalakirti said. “You do not seem to have come, neither to meet, no special ideas added to your actions. You are of a true high state of mind.” If our state of mind gets stopped by a situation, we get small and attached to it. We do not ignore reality, but when we take a wider view, we stop getting small and tight about this very situation.

We need to quietly see our own mind. Monjusri said: “Why did you get sick?” – Vimalakirti says: “I am not sick. But society is sick and when I see this, I can not ignore it. It hurts me and finally I needed to be sick, since I am at one with society. I cannot turn my back on them. To ignore them cannot be true humanity. When people are sick, I am also sick, but I do not get stuck there. I do not get anxious about it.”

Monjusri said: “Why is there nothing in your room? It is empty. Usually there would be nurses, helpers, medicine around yet here there is nothing. Why is that so?” – Vimalakirti responded: “To be empty is the world of the Buddha. This is our original mind.” Emptiness means that there is nothing on the level of form, yet on the level of mind, emptiness means while there is form existing we are not stuck on this form. If we have nothing of form, our daily life may be difficult. And if we have too much, we may feel suffocated by these many things. But even if it exists, we feel as if it is not ours, that is true essence of mind, that is the state of mind of enlightenment.

We may get sick, our breathing may be difficult. We cannot think clearly, this can actually happen. But we cannot stay stuck there or else we will feel even more stuck. Taking each and every breath to again aligning our mind, we need this daily effort, while we concentrate on the breathing, we lose track of our real situation and can again refresh our state of mind.
This is not done easily, we have so many days now that we need to bear restrictions, so each and every day we need to again make efforts, we cannot stop these efforts to settling within. From there we can refresh our energy. It all depends on our efforts.

Vimalakirti is teaching us that reality is the situation we find ourselves in. But if we add anxiety and worry, if we add confusion, we lose our essence even faster. That is not how it works. The situation does not change, yet we need to deepen our essence, by breathing into our tanden, making efforts to concentrate, while it is challenging, this essence responds and appears. We cannot let ourselves get shrunk down.

Vimalakirti said that emptiness is what we are from the origin. And we will have a reaction to the situation we find ourselves in, yet if our concentration is strong and deep, then the experience of this same situation changes completely.

In the zendo, a person of essence can use each mind moment to deepen even further. But without clear essence, the mind will travel to the past and future, to many happenings. A busy mind sitting in the same zendo next to someone who is serious and deep in essence.

We cannot let our essence get eaten up by information from the outside. We need to use each mind moment, grasp it clearly, not thinking about tomorrow, but taking the breath of the moment while we are in an uncertain situation, we have no free time to think about what might happen. But we can grasp our life energy of this moment. It is up to our efforts, we can give proof of this. Please in these times check yourself carefully whether your efforts are of true essence or not. Each person needs to reflect upon this.

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Guidance in the time of Corona 23

Dear All,

All restrictions have been lifted in the prefecture of Okayama. This is not so for all other prefectures with the big cities, and one is able to move freely within the prefecture only.
There are still many infected in the world, many have died with the virus, yet the numbers seem to slow down and the pandemic seems to come to an end.

Yet we cannot let go of our energy because it would let confusion rise. Especially people who are still in a lockdown situation, needing to observe social distancing, they are going through difficult times. Please take your wide and huge state of mind as most important.

Vimalakirti is being greeted by Monjusri Bodhisattva and 84,000 bodhisattvas. Vimalakirti had prepared his room so that everyone could fit, he had taken things out and his room had the size of 9qm. This is where he was resting in bed. This is the same size as a tea ceremony room in the traditional manner. Not many people would join for the tea ceremony, just a few people, so that a delicious cup of tea could be enjoyed together. The host was preparing the room and tea tool according to the guest who would be joining.

Just like the room of Vimalakirti, there is nothing extra in a tea room. A calligraphy is hung in the tokonoma with the teaching of the Buddha written on it. In the fire place the charcoal was burning, giving some warmth, the water in the tea kettle was boiling and making a soft sound. A single flower just about to blossom was decorated in the tokonoma, while a delicious fragrance from the incense could be perceived. One would not speak about society, rather quietly enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy the cup of tea.

When people in society hear this, it might sound rather strange. But within this setting, each person can feel that they are alive right here and now, they can experience their own life energy. The words of the calligraphy give a deeper sense, the flower just about to open shows life energy in its fullest moment. The smell of the incense purifies our mind while the tea moistens our throat. This is where we are completely alive. We did not come from somewhere nor are we going anywhere. We are alive here and now.

When Monjusri entered Vimalakirti´s room, he said: “Truly your place is splendid. When I enter, I do not feel like I am entering. When I meet you, there is no dualistic idea of meeting you being inserted. The experience of a huge state of mind is all there is. “ Vimalakirti replies: “This is the wisdom of Monjusri.”

This is the awakening in Zen. No need to imagine anything special in our head, but returning to the simple experience of life energy. That is where we feel huge in mind, we can stay simple within. That is called Zen.

In tea ceremony the room is 9qm, it can take maybe 6 people at a time, but when they keep exchanging, thousands of people can enter the tea room, and it does not feel tight. What is important, that each person experiences this hugeness of mind.

Look around your place, are there many extra things? Can you make your own place more simple so that in your own room, you can experience your own life energy in a straight forward way? This is so important.

When we sit in the zendo, we feel this huge space all around. And we sit. We can sit as if the whole world is settling in our mind. No need to have difficult thoughts about how not to think, but naturally sit quietly and see the world as your own mind. That is zazen. Someone said: “When I do not think during zazen, how can I move from this experience to help others?” This question only comes about when you look at it from a mental point of view. Letting go of extraneous thoughts, this purified mind of zazen functions like a mirror. No ideas added to that which we reflect, which we experience as being ourselves. Zazen is not about sitting and forgetting the pain of the world, that would not be true zazen. We let go of our preconceived ideas and then we are bright as a mirror.

When this happens, then this mirror sees the sad person and feels that sadness as one´s own. A joyful person makes us joyful, a child makes us become a child. When we do not hold onto ideas, we become each moment which we experience. Each moment is the truth. That is the great value of zazen.

In our mind we stay immovable and our sense perceptions take this world in clearly. When the Buddha saw the morning star, he became one with it, in this morning star, the Buddha experienced his own truth. Hakuin Zenji heard the morning bell as his own truth. Reiun Osho became awakened when he saw the flower blossoming. When we do not add on mental ideas to the experience, then each encounter is experienced as truth. This is how deep we can perceive all.

This is our zazen. To return to this state of mind free from judgement and ideas. A tea room is 9 qm and the whole universe can settle in it. All humans of this planet can find place in it. When we think about it mentally, it does not work.

When doing samu, take the weed, the stone, the branch, but if you throw them together, they are garbage. But if you take each one of them for what they are, you can give life to them. The weed becomes fertilizer just like the fallen leaves. The stone can be put in a place that is washed out, sand can fill small holes. If you look at it in this way, in the end, you have nothing left. If you do not see the value of each particular thing, then you end up with a mountain of garbage.

There is nothing extra, all is needed. This is how our huge mind can see through things, that is using our wisdom. Zazen is not about idle speculations, but to actually bring this into action. Return things to the place they belong. This is how each thing becomes important. This is the wisdom of the ancients, which we are studying, and from there we can know for ourselves, how we can act in society. Zazen is not some scenery, but it embodies the power to act according to necessity. Thus our daily life also becomes an expression of our huge mind.

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Guidance in the time of Corona 22

Dear All,

In some place the number of the infected and those who have died from the virus is increasing. In all countries, some lockdown has been lifted, yet it seems that it is not the time yet for all restrictions to be lifted. Thus it is up to us to stay centered and polish our wisdom.

In Japan, even the traditional celebration on the day of children could not take place. It was not a day where the children could truly be celebrated and enjoy their day. We receive the wisdom of the ancients which keeps us grounded when anxiety is about to take over. Just like the story in the Vimalakirti sutra, Vimalakirti was being greeted when he was sick, yet nowadays because of the worry of infection, even close family members are not allowed to greet the sick and old. This is very difficult to accept. So how can we support those in need, those who are close to us?

Vimalakirti was a great supporter of the Buddha, and Vimalakirti got sick by taking on the sickness of society. Naturally all those people who had received support by Vimalakirti, wanted to visit and greet him now that he was sick. When the visitors come, it is again Vimalakirti who is giving them wisdom in return. That was the reason he got sick, so that he would have the chance to teach his visitors.

Many people came to visit him, from politicians to military leaders, common folks and monks – many different types of people came who had received support by Vimalakirti. When they entered the room, they were asked by Vimalakirti: “What is your purpose of life, your direction in life? I am thankful for your visit, yet the I of today maybe the you of tomorrow. You will not always be healthy either. We can not imagine the worry and anxiety of when we are sick. Why do we get anxious? Because we have not clearly set our direction in life. What is the purpose of us being alive? We all have been born to awaken to our true nature. “

It can be said that animals are alive to eat and create off spring. Yet for us as humans, we cannot leave it at that. Our value lies in awakening to the wisdom which pierces through past, present and future. For us to experience this, we need to be certain about our direction in life. What are we? Do we know this?

Vimalakirti continues: “I am bed ridden now. How about if you were in this situation, would you then be able to awaken to the truth? Please while you are healthy, even one day sooner, awaken to your true being. Know clearly the value of your own existence. Know clearly the purpose of humans being alive on this planet. How can we all life in harmony and happiness together? Please reflect upon this and bring forth your wisdom.” In this way, Vimalakirti gave each visitor the sense of necessity to search within.

Now in the times of corona, we cannot simply fall into anxiety, but we need to reflect deeply, who am I? Have we experienced our true life´s purpose? The virus is teaching us that we never know what will happen next. There is the need to awaken even one day sooner to the truth. There is no meaning in just living and then finally dying. But to know ones true value, this is what we are being taught now.

The Buddha asked his desciples and the bodhisattvas to go and greet Vimalakirti, yet everyone refused knowing that Vimalakirti´s wisdom has shown them their unrealized mind before. Finally the Buddha asked Monjusri to go and greet Vimalakirti. Monjusri replied: “However great my wisdom may be, it does not reach that of Vimalakirti. I am not at all in a position to greet him, only because you are requesting me to go, I shall go in your place.”

That is the point. When we move according to our own thoughts, there are things we manage to accomplish yet others not. If we move not from our own strength but from the strength of the Buddha, we are able to take on a lot and respond from a deep place of wisdom. If we only think about what we need to do, what our position and responsibility is, that is important of course, but then we at certain times get attached and confused because we move from a place of self.

Rather receiving strength from a greater power and not acting from the belief, that this is our own life, we can work for others in society, we can face true challenges and move through them. We can see the pain and sickness of others and support them. This is just a slight change in how we look upon ourselves, this is our wisdom.

The same is true for myself. I do not think of myself to be travelling to different countries to teach, but rather that I want to do the work which Mumon Roshi was not able to do, and thus I am doing my teaching work for him. I am not moving from a personal position. My own energy and wisdom is of no great matter, yet when I face the many questions of my students, if I were acting from a personal self, there would be no liberating answer possible. If I were travelling from a personal wish, I might even get tired by the travels. But it is not a personal self that is moving. It is the wisdom of Mumon Roshi working through me.

No matter how tiring a work may be, no matter how great the pressure is that is being put on me, I never once thought that this pressure is being put on myself. That is why I am able to do that which I normally cannot do. I have been travelling to teach my students for 30 years now, not taking a break in between, I continue. If it were my small self, I could not do this. But because I am acting representing Mumon Roshi, thus this is possible. It becomes very light and easy.

This wisdom is what we all can use, not moving from a small self and thus letting go of that pressure on oneself. You may think that it is a very irresponsible way of living. That is not how it is. I do take responsibility. But these situations have been given to me, they came to me, thus I naturally respond to them. I do not experience the feeling of giving up. This wisdom given by Vimalakirti is important.

When we meet another person, when we come from a position of a self, many misunderstandings and confusion may arise. For example when we go and visit a sick person. If this person will get well, then this visit is still an easy one. Yet if this person will not heal and will die, when there is nothing that can help anymore, what can we say to such a person? This is difficult to know.

But if we go not as a small personal self into a situation like this, when we know we are a greater power, then there is no pressure, and a wide view comes about where we can encounter the other person with a huge, wide mind.

Vimalakirti say: “Go and greet someone without the awareness of going and greeting. Do not perceive myself as being sick and in pain, but see myself as a complete person, as a person free from sickness. This is how Monjusri was able to come and greet me.”

If we only see from our own position when we meet another, we easily put pressure onto that person. This is not true greeting of a sick person. The other may be in bed, thus bring a wide and huge mind with you. This does not mean to ignore that the other is sick and to only stay with one´s own happiness, but rather not adding your own heaviness and worry, becoming one with the other person. These efforts bring forth great wisdom. Our huge state of mind is needed here, this is the wisdom of the ancients. Each and every one of us has this chance to not put pressure onto others, to share this huge human mind. Please look carefully at this.

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Guidance in the time of Corona 21

Dear All,

Are you doing fine?

Japan is already for one month in a lockdown and it has been extended for one month. The main question for us is, how do we live while we are being restricted? Also the medical staff is working hard, doing over time since staff is rare to cover the next shift. At the same time in many countries protective clothing is scarce. In some hospitals it seems that the situation is similar as if at war.

The numbers of people committing suicide is rising, Such intense times, yet we can do so little about it. We can be thankful for the medical staff, we can support in which ever way possible to stop the infection chains and clusters to come about. We need to be aware of those people who are caring for the sick.

There is the Vimalakirti sutra, which is about the lay person Vimalakirti. He was wealthy while at the same time caring deeply for people, Vimalakirti himself worked in society for others. Yet finally he became sick himself. The Buddha was sorry for Vimalakirti being sick, and wanted to send his disciples to give greetings. Yet the disciples did not feel that they could manage to go and greet Vimalakirti. Finally Monjusri agreed to go.

When Monjusri entered the room, Vimalakirti was lying in bed. Monjusri asked: Why is it that you got sick? – Vimalakirti replied: I am not sick, but because many in society are sick, I cannot stay healthy and am taking on this sickness of society. Just as a parent feels the sickness of the child as their own, wanting for the child to be healthy even one day soon, they will make any effort possible

Vimalakirti said as well, if society is sick obviously I am sick as well. He said: This happened because I am so concerned about society. Thus there was no way out but myself getting sick as well. If the sickness of society heals, then I will also heal. These are famous words of the Vimalakirti sutra.

We cannot simply say now, that we are doing fine, that we are not sick. But rather see the suffering of the others as your own. We can actually experience ourselves right now what Vimalakirti was talking about. We do need to keep this in mind.

The Buddha said himself: In this world all places are my home. In this world, all people are my children.

When our mind becomes purified, we let go of an ego centered view where we see the problem of the other as their problems. When we are pure in mind, we act like a mirror, the other is a reflection in the mirror of our mind, of ourselves. This is being experienced as a fact. Those suffering children are myself, are my children. This is how the Buddha experienced the world from his purified mind.

We need to purify our mind. We need to see this is reality, we are all one. We need this correct way of seeing the world. Aligning ourselves in this way, we then know exactly what we need to do. It is important now more than ever that we find a way of living together with others, with society.

This is where we need to make efforts, to not let our mind get moved around by greed hate and delusion, to not drown in these emotions. Here and there people are unsettled and stressed, crimes happen and even increase. This teaching of Vimalakirti is what we need to protect nowadays.

Please continue your work, please purify your mind and align yourself. Then you know what you need to do next.


I am asking this from you all, please continue to purify your mind.

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Guidance in the time of corona 20

Dear All,

Today is the first of May. Nature is filled with bright green leaves, bright colors are bringing joy to our eyes. Nature does teach us about change. This virus shows us how we as humans have created pollution.

When we see the numbers of the infected and of those who have died, we feel deep sorrow, and our emotions feel stuck within. Yet when we see the bright colors of spring, there is the place where we can not ignore the mistakes humans have made.

Experts say that this situation will take a year to be resolved. Many countries are facing restrictions already longer than one month. And many countries have extended these for another month, like Japan. And even that, it may still be prolonged. Experts say if we take it lightly now, the numbers may increase again. Yet in our mind we feel restricted and controlled, this is being experienced as a big pressure.

2600 year ago the Buddha said:
“We are what we think, having become what we thought. Like the wheel that follows the cart pulling ox, sorrow follows an evil thought.

We are what we think, having become what we thought. Like the shadow that never leaves one, happiness follows a pure thought.”

The Buddha did not say these words knowing about our present situation, he simply speaks from his own experience of mind. In our mind we experience decadent greed and excessive emotions, which we need to align and purify. This is necessary in our human society.

We always look outside for something more, rather than noticing that which we have already which can bring us great joy and we then can appreciate it with great thankfulness. This is where we now need to reflect and realign ourselves. If we lose this, we will drown in our thoughts and emotions and end in a dead end road.

When we are being restricted in our activity, we feel this pressure, but we cannot at this point stop our efforts to find the solution within. What is that solution?

We need to know that we cannot be excessive about anything, neither about emotions nor about thoughts. What is our true base of mind?

When a baby is born, it does not have any attachment and greed. Simply receiving that which it is being given. That is all that it can do. Within this, according to the karmic connection to our parents, receiving support from society, we grow up and are being protected.

But if we take that for granted and even want more than that, we will end up in some kind of trouble. We need to again learn to stay with that which we have been blessed with and truly feel thankful for that. To feel this joy is our true human mind when it is pure and clear.

To be pure and clear in mind shows itself that each encounter, whatever is given to us, is being received with a thankful heart. This is the truth. If we believe that we have not enough, that we are not enough, we will only confuse ourselves further.

That is how I see the situation, that humans suffer now because this simplicity of mind has been lost. It is not something evil in the outside which is bringing this pain to us now. But it is our misunderstanding of life and the fact that we have let greed and hate grow enormously.

This is where we can perceive this bright colours of nature, which has not forgotten to present these to us. When we then think about our situation, we can clean our mind of taking things for granted. The corona virus is showing us how unbalance our lives had become. If we simply want to continue as before, we will only add on further pressure to our mind.

Each person needs to align the breathing, each person needs to find that place within of true thankfulness, of being blessed with so much already. With deep humility we can feel thankful for our lives. This is how we should position ourselves and deepen even further. Not holding onto some idea of clarity and serenity, this does not help us the slightest bit.

This is a time where we have to stay healthy in our body, and stay balanced in our mind. How can we get there? This is how we simply are from the origin. Only greed has pulled us off center. Our desires have grown and with that our essence has weakened. This is obvious. Please look at this carefully for yourself, with each breath we are being given life. Maybe we are not completely satisfied, but today, now we are alive. This fact is what we need to see, each person can repent for themselves and deepen in essence so that you may stay healthy in body and in mind.

In the olden days the first of May was a day of thankfulness for the workers. These days many cannot work, many factories stand still, the economy is weakened. This is a heavy pressure for us all.

If we feel that life energy of this very moment, we can do small actions right where we are, we can create balance all around us, we can stop extraneous thoughts and deepen within. This is what is most important now.

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Guidance in the time of Corona 19

Now slowly in everybody´s mind the settled mind has become most essential.

Many restrictions have been placed upon us. Now is the time to check on our actual essence. I am thankful for 27 people practicing daily in Sogenji, working on deepening, of course, I sit with them daily in the zendo. Everyone is aware of these challenging times, the air in the zendo is crisp, while the essence perceived in sanzen is deepening further. People are learning to live and express from this deep essence.

We start zazen by checking our posture, and this posture can be seen and corrected from the outside. Once the posture is settled, then we need to focus on our breathing. We start by breathing deeply with our lower abdomen. These aspects are just the entrance. If we do not develop our samadhi, we cannot experience the actual essence of zen.

Samadhi is not intoxication, of course. We can practice it even when at work, no extraneous thoughts distract us from what we are doing. We have become completely what we are doing, thus sharp functioning is possible. Samadhi needs to be practiced not only in the zendo, but during our daily life as well. We can then stay immovable during our daily life and work as well. This essence makes us able to sharply see what is right in front of us and be able to act accordingly. This is the meaning of samadhi.

Hakuin Zenji says during his Rohatsu exhortations, from the 1st until the 4th day he teaches breathing and guides the development of samadhi. On the 4th day he talks about the six different ways of breathing during zazen which he himself learned from Tendai Chisha Daishi, yet the base of teaching can be found with the Buddha. Not just sitting zazen with an empty mind, but to use the sussokan breathing, this teaching was also given by the Buddha.

Sussokan – counting the breaths – that is the beginning but the purpose can be found in zuisokkan – in following the breaths. When the samadhi is being developed, we naturally switch from sussokan to zuissokan. We do not need to actually practice zuisokkan, but by the development of breath and concentration, we enter it naturally. Thus there is no need to analyze the breathing.

The breathing changes according to the situation, to how we move our body. Our breathing matches the motion of the body, walking quickly, the breathing becomes faster. Yet during all actions we should feel some tension, some fullness in our tanden. If we center in this way, our breathing can stay deep also when our body is in motion.

It is our diaphragm which is central in strengthening and deepening the breathing, yet once we are used to breathe from our tanden, each motion is like a massage for the inner organs. The exhalation is strong, and the inhalations enters naturally. We do start off practicing with mental awareness, yet over time we do not need this awareness anymore. Simply following the flow since we are in samadhi. This is called zuisokkan.

Hakuin Zenji says that it is good enough to know these two types of breathing. There is nothing else complicated needed. We perceive this world as being real only because we do not see its true essence. We are being moved around by the situation of this world. When the essence is riper, we slowly can see that these are all just passing phenomena, constantly changing circumstances. Thus we are not thrown off center by the outside.

In the Diamond Sutra the Buddha said:
Thus shall ye think of this fleeting world:
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom and a dream.

This is obvious and this is how we see the world when our Zazen has ripened. This is not to be melancholic about the world, but to clearly see this world from an immovable place. This is the teaching of the Buddha and the actual experience when Zazen has ripened. We can take all back inside to our center.

The Sixth Patriarch taught about zazen, to not add any judgement of good or bad to the outside world, that is called to sit. And looking within to stay immovable, this is zen.
Inside we do not acknowledge the existence of a single shadow. All various emotions which pass through our mind, stop coming up the deeper we sit zazen. This is the important point. It does not mean that we are not aware, but try it out for yourself.

Many people have pain in the legs when they sit Zazen. When our concentration becomes stronger, the pain of the legs does not become overwhelming anymore. The best posture is to sit in full lotus, or even half lotus, so that the line from the tail bone can rise up to the top of the head. The head carries the heavens, the tanden is pulling us through all, being full and taught with energy. This vertical pull from the tail bone to the head is what erases the pain in the legs. It also helps relieve those places where the energy is stuck. When we sit for many hours zazen, easily we can get tense in the shoulders and neck, yet with this inner stretch, this tension disappears, and we can sit for hours. We can sit for 2,3,4 hours because of this inner working. For the beginners who do not know how to refresh from within, the sitting is hell. The more our essence is developed, the more we can feel how we can free ourselves from the inner tension.

In our mind, we do not think, we stay settled and quiet. If practice samadhi, not only when sitting, but also when in action. To actually taste this essence for oneself is most important. There is nothing that we can be more thankful for than zazen because zazen can free and refresh us, we benefit from this essence of samadhi.

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Guidance in the time of Corona 18

Dear All,

Are you deepening without stopping your efforts?

Most people have been living in restricted circumstances and since the financial situation of many is effected as well, thus anxiety grows. When zazen is being taught, we learn how to breath with our abdomen. When we inhale, our belly moves forward, and when we exhale, it becomes flat. When we inhale, the diaphragm moves down, thus our belly becomes rounded, while when we exhale, the diaphragm moves up and the belly becomes flat.

We walk with our arms moving along on the side of our body. In this way we can keep balance while walking. If we are breathing from our tanden, this balance is being kept naturally. A baby is doing tanden breathing. When a baby is hungry and cries, this voice is huge, coming forth from the tanden. Even when a baby is smiling, it is doing so with its whole being, yet using its inhalation, while it is using the exhalation when crying. A baby does not need to be taught how to breath, it does so naturally. Not while thinking about it but by using its whole body. Since birth we all are doing this tanden breathing.

In Asian medicine it is looked upon as if we are two beings: The upper body with the head receiving information from the outside which has become central in our modern world. All sense perceptions as well as the ability to think are all in our head. The ability to connect to the outside. The hands as well reach out tothe outside.

Then we have the lower body, that being which is centered in our lower abdomen, in our tanden. It has the feet standing on the ground, while the tanden is the center of our life energy.

We are made up of these two beings, these two aspects. Yet we have placed more importance in gathering information from the outside. Our energy has risen up in our head and our belly has fallen into our unconsciousness. Usually we are able to keepbalance somehow but when there are times like these, when we feel a lot of pressure, we can hardly stay balanced and become even more anxious.

Since birth we have not only gathered a lot of data, but we also have unresolved feelings of anger, greed, hate, jealousy, sadness – they are always with us. While we have a warm and open heart, it simply does not function. This is today´s sickness,the energy being too high and not coming down into our belly.

We can see clearly what is most important for us nowadays: To actually feel that taught full energy in our belly which is supporting us during difficult times. Please lengthen your exhalation and right there your inner balance is strengthened.Our essence again becomes deep and stable. It is the breathing which we did when we were small, now we simply need to return to our base. Gathering our energy in the tanden. When we carry something heavy, we can feel our tanden,when we sit and move as well. During these challenging times, we need to make even more efforts to settle within.

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Guidance in the time of Corona 17

Dear All,

Are you breathing deeply ? While receiving all types of information, the end of the restrictions are not in sight yet. Unsettled feelings increase. Luckily in Sogenji 27 people are doing Osesshin, the air in the zendo is sharp and tight. The people here are aware of the situation in the world. Thus they take this chance to sit even more serious. Exhaling to the last point of the breath, not making a gap between the breaths, each mind moment as its says in the Enmei Jikko Kannon gyo starts to connect to the next mind moment and no gaps are even possible.

When we experience this then the air around us is sharp. We affect others by the aura, the air around us and the other way round, other´s air affect us. Experiencing this for ourselves, our zazen becomes alive. I see people in sanzen and can feel this strongly. In this way we can experience this for ourselves, using our breath to deepen even at times when we sit alone and do not have others supporting us by sitting together. I would like to ask you all to please exhale to the very end of the breath. Then do not follow any ideas and extraneous thoughts. Thus a bright state of mind is developed.

This is how we invigorate our blood flow, especially the blood going to our brain, by exhaling to the last point of the breath, even practicing this for just ten minutes, then our head becomes light and clear. Our state of mind becomes settled and serene. The outer challenges may exist but they do not effect our deepest center.

Exhale to the last point, not making a gap, like fish eggs lying on top of each other, if we continue in this way, we feel most settled in our state of mind. This refreshes our wisdom and let´s it grow. There is the physical aspect of the breathing, but our actual essence becomes more and more pure. From there our perception is sharp and to the point. That is important, how we can use the breathing correctly and bring forth our ability which we have from the origin in its fullest.

Continuing the breathing, we do not trip, we do not drop things, because our brain and nerves are invigorated. Each breath is supporting our health and stable state of mind as well as clarifying our wisdom. Our daily practice is important.

There are two types of exhalation, I have explained this before. One long breath or many short exhalations following quickly after one another. Like a bamboo has separations and if we want to make a hole through a bamboo, we need to put pressure over and over to pierce through the separations. Our exhalation is always coming from the tanden and is gathering energy.

Now all over the world, people cannot bear the pressure anymore, many problems are arising because of this in many societies. The clear vision is lost. Please use your breathing to again purify your mind and stay healthy in body and in mind.