Dharma Rain Character

Still Point

Newsletter of Dharma Rain Zen Center

Portland, Oregon

Volume XXVIII Number 3

May-June 2003

 


 


By Domyo Sater

This was not any-old-scripture. This was a sutra so heavily lauded, so enthusiastically endorsed by the ancestors, so archetypal, it seemed impossible to relegate to the background or to categorize it as archaic and irrelevant. This was the Lotus Sutra.

"You do not need to like it," my teacher said with a smile.

Even worse! On all sides it seemed there was agreement: "Eventually you will understand. Eventually you will believe."

Zen Student Meets The Lotus Sutra

If it's true
that there are luminous Buddhas under jewel trees,
        perfect, omniscient and infinite in number,
populating every reach of non-linear time and space,
presiding over non-Buddhas
         who will attain Perfection
          only after they pay homage to countless Buddhas
            for myriad eons

What does it mean
to my spacious Big Mind,
the Mind
that quietly found itself once
in a yellow leaf?

This kind of perfection was at least in the human realm,
whereas I have never met a Buddha.

 

No one was troubled that I was troubled. Master Dogen certainly wasn't. The man that could be trusted to turn metaphors inside out dealt heavily with the Lotus Sutra, but he left it not only intact but even more glorified. He only stated with his characteristic assurance, referring to the Lotus Sutra, "When the mind is in the state of delusion, the Flower of Dharma turns. When the mind is in the state of realization, we turn the Flower of Dharma." Was that what was happening? Was I being turned?

Reticent In The Land Of The Lotus Sutra
In the land of the Lotus Sutra,
           a reticent herb grows, green, slowly,
           beneath the canopy of trees.

Reticent, longing for the old world,
          an egalitarian world, a world in which the little guy
          can make it big if he only tries hard enough.

This world, this larger-than-life world,
          offers no foothold:
          all eyes turn toward a model of Perfection,
          turn toward Perfection itself:
          embodied - but barely.

          No one takes note of the little herb
          except to see it as fodder for future perfection
          in a future so distant as to defy calculation.
          Everything seems to send the message,
          "Little herb, little herb, give up your hopes
          for this lifetime."

Strange - this angry, skeptical doubter could not walk away from the object of my hatred. The Lotus Sutra was stuck in my craw. Those who joyously embraced it I watched, disdainful and envious, like one who longs to dance with the others but cannot bring oneself to do so. One friend described her deeply personal joy about her prediction of Buddhahood. I could not understand this joy. I did not take refuge in the Three Treasures in order to get down on my knees and pray for salvation!

Was the Lotus Sutra true, or was it not true? I could not, would not, free myself from this bind by branding it "mere metaphor." If this was simply an alternative package of poetic imagery, to be indulged in if it appealed to one's aesthetic sense and ignored if it did not yield readily to experience, why did I hate it so passionately?

Bowing to my own karma, I turned to a rational, philosophical western Buddhist apologist for help. Stephen Batchelor provided me with my "Rosetta stone" for unlocking the Lotus Sutra in his book Alone With Others:

"In order that the spiritual needs of man be fully satisfied, it is necessary that the objects of his personal striving and faith be the optimal reflections of those very needs. The Arhat - as the aim of one's personal life - failed to provide such spiritual sustenance and inspiration for the total man, and the Buddha - as the object of faith and devotion - was limited by the concrete humanity of Shakyamuni and was no longer reachable in his nirvanic quiescence. In the Mahayana conception of Buddhism these two unsatisfied and formless spiritual yearnings were fulfilled by proclaiming the path of the Bodhisattva culminating in Buddhahood, and the cosmic image of the Buddha, respectively... in which Buddhahood was conceived as an abiding principle of enlightenment which transcends yet underlies all its concrete manifestations."

So! This was metaphor! But it was not mere metaphor - it was what I have come to call "true" metaphor: "it is exactly as if." In finding ways to communicate about That which is ultimately beyond words, the human mind has exercised immense creativity and has not always bound itself to literal representation or rational explanation. In departing from these, humans have often been able to express more truthfully an underlying message, rather than compromise truthfulness.

In Praise of the Lotus Sutra

I.
It seems that sometimes
there is something so difficult to express
the sages had to use crazy words
to achieve, in the end, the desired effect.
Then, when you begin to understand what it was all about,
you realize it had been expressed perfectly.

II.
So at last I join the genuine:
the eager throng surrounding the Buddha, faces raised.
I admit that I, too, long for my own prediction of Buddhahood.
You can even pat me on the head;
though my past karma has left me stained and full of obstructions,
there is no shame.
Though eons of difficulty lie ahead,
I wait patiently, but with joyful anticipation,
for the time when I, too, will understand.
Though all merit gained in this life
will be sent forth into future lives,
the joy of those future Buddhas is my own.

III.
How better but with a few simple parables
could a sutra rob you of your pride?

 

There now unfolds before me a rich tapestry of Dharma teachings, a refuge in times of struggle. The Lotus Sutra reminds me: if I disparage the message that I am lifetimes from perfection, I fall into a hell of grasping and judgment; there is no lasting peace to be found merely by playing with the things of the sense world; practice is so profound as to be beyond our ordinary comprehension, but one instant of aspiration is enough to start the process...

With my blinders of resistance off, what should I find in the very Lotus Sutra itself but a spokesperson for all of my concerns! Shariputra addresses the Buddha thus:

"When I was walking around alone, I saw the Buddha among the great assembly, his fame filling the ten directions, bringing benefit far and wide to living beings, and I thought to myself, I am deprived of such benefits! How greatly I have been deceived! Constantly, day and night, whenever I pondered over this, I wanted to ask the World-Honored One whether I had indeed been deprived or not. Constantly, when I saw the World-Honored One praising the bodhisattvas, then day and night I would mull this matter over. But now as I listen to the voice of the Buddha, I see that he preaches the Law in accordance with what is appropriate, using this hard-to-conceive doctrine of no outflows to lead people to the place of practice."

It is as if I longed for riches and was finally assured that I would eventually have all the gold I wanted. Relieved, I waited for my treasure, but when it came I saw that every other living being had also received heaps of gold. In a system based on lack, on supply and demand, this would make gold valueless!

If, then, my future Buddhahood is valuable beyond comparison but Buddhahood is shared equally by all... what is the nature of this treasure, and what is the nature of this world without lack?

Gratitude

Until now, I could see only my lack:
Nirvana
and Peace
were elsewhere.

Now,
I don't know where Nirvana is,
or Peace, either,
but seven whole years permeated by the Dharma!
What lack?

 


by Sylvan Rainwater

I recently had an e-mail discussion with a friend I haven't met yet about connecting with a sitting group in another city. I gave her contact information, and after she looked at the website, she had several questions. This is part of my response to her.

If you call them up, they can answer your questions. Here, we have classes for beginners once a month to give you the basics. As to what to wear, wear comfortable clothing for sitting. It's best if it's not distracting (i.e., solid, muted colors, no writing, advertising, or graphics). As to what to do, each sangha (community) does things a little differently. We are used to newbies (most of us have been there, done that), and usually someone will be able to help you. During a service, you just follow along as best you can with what everyone else is doing, notice any feelings of discomfort and such (that's part of the practice), and let go of any mistakes you make. We all make tons of mistakes, and that's how we learn.

You've read a lot. But this practice really has to be experienced before it all makes sense. What I've found is that the body can teach the mind. When I went to my first introductory workshop, someone asked which books to read. The lay disciple leading that workshop said that there are a lot of books, but what you really need to do is to go home and start sitting every day, even 5 or 10 minutes. Do that for a month and then make an appointment with the priest.

It was perfect advice for me, because it totally bypassed that Western mind. At some point you have to get out of the book and go sit on a cushion. I began sitting every morning for 10 minutes, and after a month I found that it made a difference. I couldn't explain what the difference was, but it was clear to me something worthwhile was happening. And then when you sit with other people, there's a shared experience that has yet a different flavor. Something about several people cultivating stillness with intention creates a wonderful space.

It's actually more complicated to talk about than it is to experience. I've been wary about any organized religion for many years, and was solitary for a long time. I didn't immediately jump into Buddhism, but just went and sat and participated in whatever way it felt comfortable to me for a year before beginning to believe that I had finally found what I had been looking for. The farther into Zen I go, the more I like it.

One thing I love about Buddhism is that it's very practical, and it requires each person to check things out with their own experience before accepting anything. We don't believe in quick conversions. It takes time to do the internal work. I have not given myself over to anyone else, and we do not ask that of anyone -- it would be contrary to basic Buddhist belief.

The teacher/student relationship, on the other hand, takes time to develop, and is a special one. I find myself with feelings of great devotion to my teacher, and am monitoring that, but it feels really healthy. I know he is just a man, a flawed human being like myself. But in a very real sense I see him as Buddha. And, of course, I'm Buddha also. Our bowing is done on an equal footing. When you bow to a priest, he or she bows back. The function of the priest is to assist people in finding their way in the Dharma (teachings). He or she has received teachings from a priest who went before them, face to face. The teachings have been handed down this way for centuries. It is the teaching I honor when I honor my teacher.

The point of this practice is to become more completely yourself, and to access your own inner wisdom more effectively. There are techniques that have been developed to help you do that, but you don't do anything unwillingly or against your better judgment. It's all voluntary. So, go check it out and honor your doubts. It's good to have great doubt. We say that great doubt leads to great understanding. If it turns out to be not really your cup of tea, you haven't lost anything.

 

 

Dharma Rain Zen Center Board Meeting Minutes

March 2003

Present: Gyokuko Carlson, Kyogen Carlson, Jeanette Ryan, Gary Oshiro, Dosho VanSant, Kisei Martin, Kei'un Clardy, Sylvan Rainwater, Joe Niski

1) Approval of Minutes from 1/23/03
The revised minutes were approved.

2) Member concerns
No members brought concerns forward. We mentioned that it would be good to remind the membership of this opportunity, perhaps via Kyogen's membership email list.

3) Treasurer's report
Gary presented final numbers for 2002; including the property tax we'll likely need to pay, we ended the year $25,048 in the red, $3k better than it looked in January. However, as of 1/31/03, we're ~$5000 in the red, largely due to the new condensate tank & pump in the Zendo, and have roughly $68,000 cash in the bank. Contribution income was only about half of the same month last year. Gross receipts for '01 and '02 were almost identical. This discussion brought up the question of whether we should schedule another Sangha Forum soon. We agreed that sometime in the next month or two would be good.

4) Operations Old business:
The Zendo boiler has been working "just dandy" for the last three weeks. A little seepage into the Zendo tearoom is under control. Gyokuko reports that the current Operations Committee is well-staffed and running quite well more or less on its own (thanks to Kenryu, Kakumyo, Anthony, and Shoten). Storm windows at the Zendo are almost complete, and are underway at the Dharma House. Work towards complying with the change of occupancy (that doesn't require permits) is underway.

5) Calendar Committee Report
The committee is considering scheduling open meetings to take member input on types of events they'd like to see and for input on seminary classes.

6) Report on Review Committee Progress
This Committee has met with all the principal persons involved. Two persons from the Sangha have requested to meet with the panel. Kyogen noted that, so far, the entire affair has been conducted in an atmosphere of good will. The panel will then prepare a written report, and the Board will likely want to review it with the panel. The primary goal is to clarify the issues of disagreement between DRZC and Hyakurei. It has also brought up the policy question of to what extent we go through the Residence Review process for visiting teachers. The trick is balancing our desire for an open, fluid atmosphere with due diligence. This will be on the agenda for the annual board retreat.

7) Fair Rental Value of Housing for Priests
Gyokuko noted that each year Board needs to determine the fair rental value of the Carlsons' housing, as this affects their income tax returns. The same issue applies to ordained residents Domyo and Kakumyo. A motion was passed to establish the fair market value of the Carlsons' residence as $300/month for 2002 and 2003, and the value of housing for 2002 and 2003 for Domyo and Kakumyo at $100/month each.

8) Current Progress on Property Tax Appeal
Our bodhisattvas-at-law at Ater-Wynne are continuing to investigate our chances at winning an appeal.

9) Articles of Incorporation and By-laws
Kyogen will send these electronically soon.

10) Vacation for the Carlsons
Our hardworking priests are still looking at the year's calendar and haven't chosen dates yet.

11) Police Values Training
Kyogen wanted to inform the Board that he is involved in an opportunity to participate in values-based training with the Portland Police, and may ask a few members to also participate. He's not representing DRZC per se, but wanted to describe the project to us and hear our opinions. The Board is generally supportive of his involvement

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, May 8th, 7pm, Sangha House.

 

Submit!

How does your practice change in the summer? What have you learned about the importance of the forms (or lack thereof) from the change of the seasons?

Send your answers to : newsletter@dharma-rain.org, or by regular mail, or drop it off in the newsletter slot in the Center house office.

 

 

 

Zen Center News

News now has its own, separate page. Click here to go to news for May/June 2003.

 

 
   
 

 


STILL POINT archive edit of 28 April 2003
Dharma Rain Zen Center Newsletter
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Volume XXVIII Number 3 May-June 2003
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