Showing posts with label Honen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Honen. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Tao Te Ching Chapter 81-2 Good one


Today's Tao

A good one doesn't talk. One who talks is not good. (Ch.81)


The good one is Tao.

Tao doesn't talk because conversations only take place in a hologram.

Tao is not a hologram.

A hologram is a manifestation of Tao.

What is "good", and what is "evil"?

Jodo / Pure Land Buddhists Honen 法然 and Shinran 親鸞 told us «The Doctrine of Evil Persons as the Object of Salvation / Akunin shoki setsu 悪人正機説».

In Buddhism, Shoki 正機 signifies "the people qualified for salvation".

Sho 正, like the Sho of «Shobogenzo 正法眼蔵», means "authentic".

This Ki 機 here is not the same as Ki 気 of energy.

This Ki 機 means "a mechanism".

The two masters were telling us:

"Evil people are part of the authentic mechanism".

This mechanism is Shin 心, the Tao/hologram mechanism that stimulates us to emit more Love (=Tao).

There is neither good nor evil in Tao.

As Japanese philosopher Kitaro Nishida explains in his «A Study of Good», being good is learning that true You are Tao. (☞See No favoritism 79-4)

You don't need to judge any.


«Related Articles»
-Beautiful words 81-1
-Good one 81-2
-Not knowledgeable 81-3
-Accumulate not 81-4
-Act of others 81-5
-Richer detachment 81-6
-Tao in Heaven 81-7
-Sage's Tao 81-8
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 81
-Non-good 49-4
-Goodness 49-5


Lao Tzu answers your question!



☞«Recommended Books 12» Kitaro Nishida and Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki were good friends. They were friends from high school. They met each other at Ishikawa-ken Senmon Gakko. The school later changed its name to Dai 4 Koto Gakko, which literally means "the forth high school". It was one of the most prestige high schools in Japan before WW2. The school was closed in 1950. Its tradition was spiritually inherited by Kanazawa University. Nishida was part of the founding members of Koa Kogyo University, now called Chiba Institute of Technology. «An Inquiry into the good» on the left is the same book as «A Study of Good». The book shines as the beacon of modern Japanese philosophy. Kitaro Nishida was an excellent thinker and black sheep where many people say "A good one doesn't 'think'. One who 'thinks' is not good".

Monday, July 11, 2011

Tao Te Ching Chapter 78-8 State filth


Today's Tao

That's why the sage says, "Those who accept the filth of the country are called the master of the state. (Ch.78)


"We used to have great statesmen, but look who we have now. We have only politicians, filthy politicians!"

Do you feel like saying this kind of remarks once in a while?

If so, please ask yourself two questions.

First, what is a state?

A state is just a backdrop of your hologram.

It is smaller than a TV set. (☞See Country 54-7 and Small = Big 63-4)

Second, what is being filthy?

You mean "being evil"?

There is neither good nor evil in Tao.

Please think about Honen and Shinran's «The Doctrine of Evil persons as the Object of Salvation / Akunin shoki sets 悪人正機説». (☞See Akunin shoki sets / Feel safe 62-3)

In Today's Tao sentence, Lao Tzu wanted to tell us:

"Accept even the 'filth' of your hologram, and you will remember that you are the 'master' and creator of your hologram".


«Related Articles»
-Water summary 78-1
-Water's attack 78-2
-No change 78-3
-Be weak 78-4
-Be soft 78-5
-Everyone = You 78-6
-No one acts 78-7
-State filth 78-8
-Bad omens 78-9
-Contradiction 78-10
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 78


Lao Tzu answers your problem!



-Honen 法然 (1133 - 1212), a Japanese Buddhist priest, is the founder of Jodo shu 浄土宗 "The Pure Land School". On the left, «The Promise of Amida Buddha: Honen's Path to Bliss» translated by Joji Atone. On the right, «Honen The Buddhist Saint: Essential Writings and Official Biography (Spiritual Masters: East and West)» edited by Joseph A. Fitzgerald with a foreword by Clark Strand and an introduction by Alfred Bloom. / -Shinran 親鸞 (1173 - 1263), a Japanese Buddhist monk, is the founder of Jodo Shinshu 浄土真宗 "True Pure Land School" and was a pupil of Honen. «The Essential Shinran: A Buddhist Path of True Entrusting» was edited by Alfred Bloom. With a foreword by Ruben Havito.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Tao Te Ching Chapter 73-9 Tao = Net


Today's Tao

Heaven's net is vast. Its mesh is not fine, but it doesn't lose any. (Ch.73)


天網恢々疏にして失せず [tenmo kaikai so ni shite shissezu]

In Japan, this is one of the best known sentences in Tao Te Ching.

What is "Heaven's net"?

It is the net of Tao's energy, which covers everything in your hologram.

In Chapter 11, Lao Tzu said: "30 spokes share one hub". (☞See 30 spokes 11-1)

In Chapter 28: "When the uncarved block scatters, it becomes vessels". (☞See Vessels 28-13)

Can you picture the images?

All of them are metaphors in order to explain the relation between Tao and a hologram, the projector and the projected.

In Buddhism, it is symbolized by the infinite light of Amida Butsu (Amitāba Buddha).

What is the infinite light, then?

It is the movement of Tao and true You.

And this is the light that projects your holographic world in the 360 degree movie theater, so to speak.

The content of the film is not important.

The light of the projector is.


«Related Articles»
-Act without living 73-1
-Live without acting 73-2
-Merit 73-3
-Hatred 73-4
-Heaven's Tao wins 73-5
-Response 73-6
-I shin den shin / No call 73-7
-Plan 73-8
-Tao = Net 73-9
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 73


Tao answers your question!



☞On the left, «The Promise of Amida Buddha: Honen's Path to Bliss». Honen is the teacher of Shinran. Amida Buddha is the pillar of Jodo Shin Shu / Pure Land Shin School of Buddhism. / On the right, «Living in Amida's Universal Vow: Essays on Shin Buddhism» is edited by Alfred Bloom and has some articles by him and Daisetz Suzuki among others. Later in his life, Suzuki, the author of «Zen and Japanese Culture», got interested in Jodo Buddhism as Zen Master Ikkyu did.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Tao Te Ching Chapter 62-3 Akunin shoki setsu / Feel safe


Today's Tao

It's the place where not so good people feel safe. (Ch.62)


Tao is the place where everyone feels safe, even a not-so-good person.

Why?


Shinran 親鸞 answered:

「善人なおもて往生をとぐ、いはんや悪人をや」

[zennin naomote ojo o togu, iwan-ya akunin o ya]

"Even good people will become Buddha, not to mention evil people".

(«Tannisho 歎異抄», Chapter 3)


This summarizes the idea of Shinran and Honen's Akunin shoki setsu 悪人正機説: the Doctrine of Evil Persons as the Object of Salvation.

It sounds like bad people have a better chance of salvation, doesn't it?

Some people have thought so.

But, please remember there is neither good nor evil in Tao.

Don't impose judgment on Tao.

Besides, salvation is "right here right now".

True You are Tao, so you are the one who saves all by sustaining the circulation of Tao's energy.


«Related Articles»
-Hidden Tao 62-1
-Treasure 62-2
-Akunin shoki setsu / Feel safe 62-3
-Adorned words 62-4
-Adorned acts 62-5
-Don't abandon 62-6
-An emperor enthroned 62-7
-Why Taoism? 62-8
-Guilty? 62-9
-Highly appreciated 62-10
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 62
-State filth 78-8 That's why the sage says, "Those who accept the filth of the country are called the master of the state". «Akunin shoki setsu 悪人正機説: the Doctrine of Evil Persons as the Object of Salvation» is also discussed here.

-Shinran@wiki
-Honen@wiki


Tao answers your question!



☞Let's review Dogen and Shinran roughly and vulgarly.
✒Japanese Soto Zen Buddhism - Dogen - «Shobogenzo» - Jiriki / Self-power.
✒Jodo Shin Buddhism - Shinran - «Tannisho» by Yuien - Tariki / Other-power.
☞You can find Shinran's Akunin shoki setzu in «Tannisho», which is not so abstract as Dogen's «Shobogenzo». If you still need some modern help, Hiroyuki Itsuki's «Tariki» will be handy.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Tao Te Ching Chapter 30-8 No arrogance


Today's Tao

It's just a result. Don't be arrogant. (Ch.30)


Lao Tzu keeps on asking us not to be arrogant.

Then, to him, what is being arrogant?

He says:

"Being a good man is just a result. Don't be arrogant".

It seems that Lao Tzu thought being good is arrogant.

Well, being good is bad. Being bad is good.

Sounds a bit like Honen and Shinran's Akunin shoki setsu 悪人正機説 (The Doctrine of Evil Persons as the Object of Salvation).

It is logical, isn't it?

There is neither good nor bad in Tao.

If you try to distinguish something from another, it won't work with Tao.


«Related Articles»
-Force by soldiers 30-1
-Tao likes to return 30-2
-Brambles 30-3
-Good man 30-4
-Don't force 30-5
-Don't show off 30-6
-Don't boast 30-7
-No arrogance 30-8
-Can't help it 30-9
-Force nobody 30-10
-Strong steroids 30-11
-Against Tao 30-12
-Early end 30-13
-Tao by Matsumoto / Tao Te Ching / Chapter 30


Tao answers your question!



Previous video / Ch.30 text / Next video


-We don't really know why you call it «Ise monogatari / The tales of Ise». It is about an aristocrat's life when the samurai did not yet grasp the power. If you buy a packaged tour to Japan, chances are that you will visit Ise Shrine. Then, you can think about the Japanese man in the ancient times who might have visited the princess offered to Shintoist god of Ise.