The first church of Zen

I sometimes think American Zen centers are becoming more like Christian churches.  There is the flock, otherwise called the “Sangha” and the minister, the Zen master wearing his twenty pounds of robes who leads his flock in chanting the Heart Sutra and doing shikantaza (lit. just sitting).  The only “book” the Zen master reveres is Dogen Zenji’s Shobogenzo (lit. “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye”).  We can think of it as the New Testament of Zen—not Old Testament Zen, the sources for which are mainly Chinese and Indian.  

The only sacrament is doing shikantaza; always remembering that practice and Buddhahood are one and the same thing.  Each parishioner is instructed to do shikantaza as mindlessly as they can manage; in other words, do not use the frontal lobe which, by the way, is an important part of the brain noted for such executive functions as suppressing unacceptable social behavior, recognizing future consequences, and choosing between wholesome and unwholesome actions, to name just a few.  

The more a Zen parishioner does shikantaza the more Buddha they become.  If a person can manage to do shikantaza for only ten minutes before their back gives out—that is ten minutes of Buddhahood!  Faith in the efficacy of shikantaza to make us Buddhas just by sitting, I can’t stress enough, is as important to Zen as the Nicene Creed is to Christianity which still serves, to this day, as a measuring rod of orthodox faith which, incidentally, pretty much rubbed out the mystical side of Christianity.

One of the great Saints of the modern Zen church, Zen master Dainin Katagiri, helps us to see where the new Zen church with its New Testament are heading.  Pay careful attention to his words, Katagiri seems to be suggesting that the Buddha’s words are not to be believed completely lest we fall into the trap of mysticism.  (Italics are mine.)

“Buddhist faith includes understanding, practice and realization.  It is not a belief; it is not something that seems to be true, mentioned by somebody else.  Dogen Zenji warns us not to believe Buddha’s or the ancestors’ messages as the truth completely.  Even the Buddha and ancestors can make a mistake.  This doesn’t mean you should be arrogant and create Buddha’s teaching as you like.  We should accept the Buddha’s and ancestor’s teachings, but still keep our eyes open.  This is very important, because it’s pretty easy to fall into the trap of mysticism; there are lots of things we cannot know.  But if we totally accept something we don’t know, it becomes clear for us.  This is our practice: faith is to make the mind clear and pure” (Katagiri, Returning to Silence, p. 132).

We can’t help but note that when Katagiri says, “But if we totally accept something we don’t know, it becomes clear for us,” his words chime almost perfectly with the Christian Tertullian who said:  “It is believable because it is absurd, true because it is impossible.”  Besides other remarkable thoughts by Katagiri that faith is not belief, one cannot help but be amazed that faith alone will make the defiled mind clear and pure; thus we avoid the mystical trap of having to actually realize pure Mind.  We just sit, in other words.  Faith belief alone shall save thee.

 

Comments

[James]

Jundo I think you misunderstand. Shikantaza as taught in modern japanese soto zen (and the west) is unauthentic crap - as are it's practitioners. Try (if you dare) to deeply penetrate a real koan and stop wasting your time.

[Jundo Cohen]

Hi,

I think you misunderstand and mischaracterize Shikantaza, at least as I have ever found taught. We do not ignore the Sutras, but bring them to life ... on and off the Zafu which has no "on" or "off".

Seems that Katagiri was saying that we do not just believe the Buddha's teachings, but "realize" them (realize, as "make real, bring to life"). Don't need to believe everything you read, however. If you want to argue that all of the 1001 Suttas and Sutras are right while none are wrong (or at least, apply to some people in some situatons ... not to each and every situation ... the ol' Skilful Means view), then why are they filled with such seemingly contradictory positions, recommendations and statements? Someone has to be wrong.

Thus, in a moment of Shikantaza, all such is pierced, transcended, revived, made to walk in the world on solid ground. We walk right, seek not to head wrong ... all while "right" and "wrong" are no longer the issue!

Gassho, Jundo

[Account Deleted]

How do you use your frontal lobe when meditating? (I ask sincerely..)