2008 Zen-7 Initiation Verse 禪七起七法語

CHUNG TAI ZEN CENTER OF SUNNYVALE
2008 WINTER ZEN-SEVEN RETREAT

Initiation Verses
December 25, 2008

  Cold winds chase the winter rain outside
    Cultivators enter the Zen Gate inside.
 Let the winds sweep away layers of worries
    And the rain wash down all the dust.
 Focus your minds on the original awareness;
    Do not mistake it as the spirit or consciousness.
 As the thought-dust clear away themselves,
    You will see plainly the original person.

Good cultivators, for this Zen-Seven Initiation, how does the last verse go?

   Original or not, the person is just such;
  Like the morning sun—winds or rain can never touch.

Begin—

 窗外寒風逐冬雨   寺內行者入禪門
寒風掃除千層慮   冬雨洗盡萬點塵
禪子攝心觀自在   切莫錯認識中神
心清塵慮自淨盡   廓然得見舊時人


諸位知識，即今起七一事，最後一句又怎麼說法？

舊人新人祇這是 風雨何碍旭日昇

起—

Ten Precepts for the Mind 一心戒文

一心戒文

1. 於自性靈妙常住法中，不生斷滅之見，名不殺生。
2. 於自性靈妙不可得法中，不生可得之念，名不偷盜。
3. 於自性靈妙無著法中，不生愛著之念，名不淫欲。
4. 於自性靈妙不可說法中，不說一字，名不妄語。
5. 於自性靈妙本來清淨法中，不生無明，名不飲酒。
6. 於自性靈妙無過患法中，不說過罪，名不說過。
7. 於自性靈妙平等法中，不說自他，名不自讚毀他。
8. 於自性靈妙真如週遍法中，不生一相慳執，名不慳貪。
9. 於自性靈妙無我法中，不計實我，名不瞋恚。
10. 於自性靈妙一如法中，不起生佛二見，名不謗三寶。

Ten Precepts for the Mind

1. From the profound and wondrous original nature which is eternal, never give rise to views of death or extinction. This is the precept of No Killing.


2. From the profound and wondrous original nature which is ungraspable, know that one can possess nothing. This is the precept of No Stealing.


3. From the profound and wondrous original nature which is without attachment, desire nothing. This is the precept of No Sexual Conduct.


4. From the profound and wondrous original nature which is indescribable, utter no words. This the precept of No Lying.


5. From the profound and wondrous original nature which is pure and clear, never give rise to ignorance. This is the precept of No Intoxicants.


6. From the profound and wondrous original nature which is flawless, speak of no faults. This is the precept of No Publicizing People’s Faults.


7. From the profound and wondrous original nature which is impartial, make no distinction between self and others. This is the precept of No Bragging And Slandering.


8. From the profound and wondrous original nature which is universal, raise no selfish thought. This is the precept of No Greed.


9. From the profound and wondrous original nature which has no self, do not mistake the ego as real. This is the precept of No Anger.


10. From the profound and wondrous original nature that is one-suchness, have no dualistic view of buddha vs. sentient beings. This is the precept of Not Defaming the Three Jewels.

Zen-7 Verses from 2007

Our 2008 Zen-7 Retreat will be starting tomorrow. We'll update the blog with the new Zen-7 Dharma Initiation and Closing Verses as they become available.

Meanwhile, here are the verses from 2007 Zen-7 at the Zen Center:
這是2007年太谷禪七法語：


CHUNG TAI ZEN CENTER OF SUNNYVALE
2007 WINTER ZEN-SEVEN RETREAT

Initiation Verses
December 25, 2007

  Zen disciples gather at Sunnyvale
   In a seven day intensive retreat to seek the bodhi mind.
 Zen disciples gather at Sunnyvale
   In a seven day intensive retreat to seek the bodhi mind.
 How can the bodhi mind be sought?
   Throughout time it’s never apart from the now.
 Like the vast Great Void the mind is boundless;
   In the depths of the Valley our original nature hides.
 Sights, sounds, smells, and tastes are all irrelevant;
   Yet in seeing, hearing, feeling and sensing you find a clue.

Good cultivators, for this Zen-Seven Initiation, how does the last verse go?

   Having studied ten thousand scriptures you are still nowhere near;
 Without a single thought, right here you are with the Buddha.

Begin—

 禪子迢迢聚太谷    精進禪七覓菩提
菩提那得容汝覓    亙古至今未曾離
太虛周遍心周遍    谷深無底性無底
色聲香味沒交涉    見聞覺知透消息

諸位知識，即今起七一事，最後一句又怎麼說法？

讀破萬卷未觸邊    一念不生到佛地

起—

---

Completion Verses
January 1, 2008

  The Zen-Seven Retreat at Sunnyvale is now complete,
    Having found the bodhi mind everyone is truly joyful.
How can the bodhi mind be found?
    All is already here, always; no confusion evermore.
The boundless Great Void is but a dust in the mind;
    All the scenery in the Valley leaves no trace.
Seeing, hearing, feeling, and sensing are all irrelevant;
    Yet in sights, sounds, smells, and tastes you find a clue.

Good cultivators, for the completion of this Zen-Seven Retreat, how does the last verse go?

   Mind, matter, existence, and emptiness—what’s the fuss?
 Green bamboos and yellow flowers reveal the Zen way.

Done—

 太谷禪七今圓滿    覓得菩提真歡喜
菩提那得容汝覓    本自現成永不迷
太虛原乃心中塵    谷裏風光無痕跡
見聞覺知沒交涉    色聲香味透消息

諸位知識，即今解七一事，最後一句又怎麼說法？

色心空有渾無礙    翠竹黃花皆禪機

解—

Zen-7 Retreat

Just got back from our annual Zen-7 Retreat for abbots at Chung Tai. In a couple of days our own Zen-7 will commence at Sunnyvale Zen Center.

The Grand Master has said, "Zen-7 is an all-purpose tonic", yes, for the body and the mind. I feel it more deeply than ever this time.

• There is no replacement in the world for one's own diligent practice in meditation. Everyone needs it, though not everyone realizes it.
• When the left hand hits the right hand, both hands hurt.
• "I" is nothing but the "similar succession of thoughts". However, while this understanding illuminates the nature of the gross self, there is still a subtler "self" residing in each momentary instance of a thought.
• Even when one's mind can remain unmoved with whatever is happening, there is still a self and other.

There has never been a self,
There has never been the other.
When the left touches the right,
There is neither contact nor separation.
What is there to overcome?
What is the need to remain still?
All is empty as it is,
As all phenomena make their appearances.
Liberation is immediate.

禪七

剛從中台山的住持禪七回來，太谷的禪七就要開始了！
對老和尚所說，禪七真正是一個身心的「十全大補湯」，這次感受特別深。

• 左手打右手，兩邊一般疼
  

• 縱得泰山崩於前而面不改色，心不動一絲毫，猶有自他在。
  

• 相似相續，能破相續我。而仍有細微剎那我在。
  

• 自本非自，他本非他，左右相交，亦無觸背。何用對治，何須不動。當體即空，不礙諸相。當處解脫。

When Buddha Meets "the Matrix"

Some major topics we discussed in our "Buddhism in the Movies" workshop:

1. Awakening from the world of illusion

• What is illusion? What is reality? Do you feel something is missing in your life?
• What choices have you made to take your life to this point?
• What choices will you make, and where will they take you in the future?
• How to wake up from this all-enveloping illusion?
• Humans were used as batteries by the "sentient machines" in the movie. A commentary on how we treat our farm animals only as product and energy source?
• Residual self-image: what a great term. How we view ourselves is but a shadow, projection, a residual image of what we truly are. This false self image is a composite of our life experiences.

2. Free your mind

• How we limit ourselves by thinking "I can't"
• If we are willing to let go of our fear, doubts, and disbelief, how much can we accomplish?

3. Levels of faith and levels of reality

• How much faith do we have in ourselves, in our beliefs, and in our teachers?
• How much are we willing to believe in illusions, even when we know they are illusions?
  
  (e.g. in the movie, "Mouse" is willing to have a date with the "woman in red dress" which is a simulation he created; Cypher goes a step further, betraying the crew so he can return to the illusion of Matrix. We do that all the time, e.g. eating the cheesecake or steak or drinking alcohol that we know we shouldn't)
  
  Do we really want to know the truth?
• Is faith necessary in enlightenment?
  

4. "There is no spoon"

• To what degree is the physical reality created by our mind?

5. Oracle, omniscience, knowing the future

• In times of uncertainty, we want to turn to some authority to tell us what to do.
• In the movie, the Oracle actually doesn't tell you what to do. What does she do? How is her method similar to that of a Buddhist Master?
• The future is shaped by the past, but not fixed in cement. Instead it is a ever-unfolding process that changes as we make decisions each moment.
• What then is omniscience?

6. Death and rebirth

• Did Neo have to die in order to complete his transformation as the One? What is this significance? Compare with Christianity and Zen (where many Zen masters describe their enlightenment experiences as having the old self died.)
• How is it possible that Neo came back to life? How is it logical in the movie? Do you die if you believe you will die?

7. Concept of a Savior/Bodhisattva

• What qualities did Neo have to become The One?
• What did his transformation/training involve?
• Can only certain special being beTthe One (Christianity, in the movie) or can anyone become The One (Buddhism)?

8. Duality of Good and Evil

• In the first Matrix movie, Good and Evil, reality and illusion are very clear and disctinct. In the second and third movie, both boundaries become blurred until .... (we didn't discuss this as this is an important topic in the subsequent movies)

Live from Seattle, This is Saturday Night

We just finished our second Heart Sutra lecture (心經講座) and the "When Buddha Meets the Matrix" workshop, where we had many first time visitors to Buddha Jewel Monastery attracted to the topic.

Of special note is that we have a dozen disciples from Zen Center of Sunnyvale that came yesterday and today, and they immediately went to work as experienced volunteers to help with the service tomorrow. What great disciples.



Also, tonight is the first day it snowed in Seattle this year. Heavens were kind to us, as snow only camd after our workshop was finished. Our Californians were quite excited.


Shifu snapped these couple of pictures as I was leaving, heading for the Zen-7 retreat in Taiwan. So don't complaint about the picture quality!

Live, from Seattle, Saturday night at the airport.