Today's Tao
No crime is bigger than greed. (Ch.46)
Stop wanting too much.
That's for sure.
Then, why don't we go a step farther?
Is greed a crime?
Is crime something evil?
Can we really commit anything evil?
Zen master Dogen spots a light on this issue.
諸 悪 莫 作 [sho aku maku sa] each / evil / no / make
These words of Old Buddha are often interpreted as something like "Don't do anything evil".
Dogen laughs at this interpretation and reads the same sentence as this:
"No one can ever do anything evil".
(Shoakumakusa 諸悪莫作, «Shobogenzo»)
「つくられざりけるをつくりける」（諸悪莫作,『正法眼蔵』）
Besides, he says:
"Even if all the evils had covered the whole world in many layers and swallowed all, you could emancipate yourself by doing nothing."
(Shoakumakusa 諸悪莫作, «Shobogenzo»)
「諸悪たとひいくかさなりの尽界に弥綸（みりん）し、いくかさなりの尽法を呑却せりとも、これ莫作の解脱なり。」（同上）
«Related Articles»
-Sowing 46-1
-Arms / Joshu 46-2
-Greed / Shoaku makusa 46-3
-Not content? 46-4
-Want no gain 46-5
-Content x 3 46-6
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 46
Tao answers your question!
☞«Kusa makura». It literally means "grass pillow". Somehow the words provoke the feeling of traveling and drifting in most Japanese. You use grasses as your pillow when you travel around without money. «Makura no soshi» can be read "pillow grass child". Of course, it doesn't make sense at all and should be read as «The Pillow Book». But those kanji / Chinese characters 草 and 枕 still remain there, reminding us that life is ephemeral.
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