a Zen Breeze

　　　　【Calendar photo of Roky Tanaka】



　　　　Coming out
　　 　　　　　From Tago’s nestled cove,
　　　　 I gaze:
　　 　　white, pure white
　　 　　the snow has fallen
　　 　　　　　　on Fuji’s lofty peak.

　　　　　　 translated by Ian Hideo Levy


This is a superb poem on viewing Mount Fuji by Yamabe Akahito.
Thankfully, on a clear winter morning, I can watch the sun rising over the bank of Tenryu River,
and in the little north side, snowcapped Mt. Fuji glistening in light rose pink by sunshine can be seen.

However, the foot of Mt. Fuji cannot be seen from my temple.
I think the beauty of Mt. Fuji is in the extensive spread of symmetrical foot.

There is a Chinese proverb about the noted Mt. Taishan.
"Mt. Taishan gained its admiration because he had accepted even a tiny lump of earth."

For me, Mt. Fuji is a symbol of Tolerance accepting everything as it is.

This morning, I tried to write my blog, but any ideas didn't occur to me.
Then, I went out and took a walk to the Tenryu River. It was a little cloudy and cold. Watching the flowing river, the famous opening passage of Hojyoki written above came to my mind. It is a universal truth as his following saying,"So it is with man and all his dwelling places here on earth."

Hōjōki ( literally "square-jō record") is an important and popular short work of the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) in Japan by Kamo no Chōmei. Written in 1212, the work depicts the Buddhist concept of impermanence (mujō) through the description of various disasters such as earthquake, famine, whirlwind and conflagration that befall the people of the capital city Kyoto. The author Chōmei, who in his early career worked as court poet and was also an accomplished player of the biwa and koto, became a Buddhist monk in his fifties and moved farther and farther into the mountains, eventually living in a 10-foot square hut located at Mt. Hino. Chōmei based his small hut, and much of his philosophical outlook, on the accounts of the Indian sage Vimalakīrti from the Vimalakīrti Sūtra.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ―From Wikipedia

Recently here in Hamamatsu City, many houses were pulled down and the ground became a vacant space or parking lots.
I, becoming an old monk, sometimes remember the deceased with fondness. In the past few years, my master Oi Saidan Roshi, dharma brother Ryo-san, and my mother passed away.
The representatives of supporters group of Syoko-ji and old monks of neighboring temples, who had helped me from the beginning of my walks as Syoko-ji Osyo also all went to their rest.
Knowing the impermanence of the world and the fragility of human life, every morning, I appreciate the present of the day and renew my will to live mindfully and joyfully.
Therefore, I got started a simple morning habit of writing down the schedule and theme of the day. After a little stretching, qigong, and zazen, I think about one day schedule and theme in front of a piece of　white Japanese paper and write it down with a writing brush.
This habit is becoming a morning ritual for me to live every day directly connecting with the cosmic life.

"amanomini kumono namitachi tsukino fune hoshino hayashini kogikakuru miyu"


On the sea of heaven
the waves of clouds rise
and I can see
the moon ship disappearing
as it is rowed into the forest of stars

―Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, translated by Ian Hideo Levy

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a Japanese Waka poet and aristocrat of the late Asukka period (538-710). He was the most prominent of the poets included in the Manyoshu, the oldest Waka anthology.

Luckily, last September I was able to see the forest of stars on the sea of heaven from a canoe in the Lake Akan National Park just like what Hitomaro described in his poem.


【Starry sky canoe taken by Nao-cyan】


Immanuel Kant said
“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

I think we can come back to the free existence as we are, which should be the base of the moral law, by encountering not only the starry heavens but also every beautiful nature surrounding us, a flower by the wayside, a passing white cloud, the setting sun and the golden red sky. These are ordinary but full of wonder and　energy of Cosmic Life. 　
What a wonderful world!

I wrote KENSHIN in calligraphy for the first time in the New Year. Devoting an entire mind and body to the Cosmic Life is to realize a true and happy life. The life of KENSHIN leads you to forget yourself and be free from ego. Many of conflict, distress, uneasiness occur from the attachment of ego. Ego, the sense of self, is not reality but an illusion on the surface of the consciousness, and so when you live with the attachment of ego, you will miss the land of love and creation. The Cosmic Life is not an abstract concept but the reality you are just living. The desk, flowers in the vase in your room, trees, children in the garden, all surroundings here and now are the Cosmic Life. The surroundings you can see is limited but real surroundings are not limited, unbounded. The physical eyes cannot see the boundless surroundings, but inner eyes can see it. Continuous daily practice of Zazen and chanting “Namu Amida-Butsu” and other mantras will open your inner eyes with each passing day, and you will realize that you are already living in the Cosmic Life of love and creation, beyond the limited surface of surroundings. Therefore, trust in the Cosmic Life here and now, and devote whole your mind and body to it.
This spirit is Zen.

　　　　　　”Shin Gen"

We are already living the boundless life including the universe.

We call the Life "Zen Shin: Zen life, or "Shin Gen: the source of life".

My master Oi Saidan Roshi said many times, "Become the universal life of Mu!" at his Dokusan room.
Of course, Mu is not emptiness but the boundless life including the universe.

Ku Kai, Kobo Daishi , who was the founder of the Shingon School of Japanese Buddhism, said ,

"When the straggling thoughts stop, Shin Gen becomes calm and all the virtues already existing deep inside can be realized as splendid activities of love, wisdom, courage, foreseeing, etc.

Zen is the way to reach the root of it and enjoy the spring of spiritual energy welling up from the bottom of the Life.

There are two nice old men whom I love and respect very much.

After my master Oi-Saidan Roshi passed away, these two old men have become my next masters privately. Both of them are 83years old, and 10 years older than me.





One is Yukimaru Reibin Roshi, who is a Zen Master of Myoshinji Zendo in Kyoto and my Dharma brother.





The other is Kakisaka Mikinosuke Guuji, who is the chief priest of the Tenkawa Benzaiten Shrine.

I respect them especially for their basic life postures of devotion "Ken Shin" to the way.

For a long time, Yukimaru Roshi has practiced Zen Way like young Zen Monk "Unsui" in Zendo.

Kakisaka Guuji gets up at 3 o'clock to perform his ablutions "Misogi" to pray.

Their manner of hospitality "Omotenashi" is very natural and many people have deeply been touched by their "Omotenashi" spirits.

I feel their "Omotenashi" spirits came from their basic life posture of "Kenshin".

They must be able to accept all existence as Godhood or Buddhahood.

　　　　　Kishin(calm joy)

Thanks to my many years of Zazen practice, I can live with Kishin(calm joy) always these days. Zazen is the way to free yourself from your endless unfruitful thinking of self-conscious to reach deep down to the Source(the bottom heart of the ultimate state of suchness). When you reach the deep center of the Source, you can realize unconditional confidence and peace of mind. When you live with peace of mind, you can feel calm joy day by day.
In my twenties and thirties, I also practiced Zazen and realized Kensyo(enlightenment); however, I couldn't feel calm joy so much. In those days, Zazen practice helped me to devote myself to work with Jikishin(direct mind).
Both Kishin and Jikishin or other potential power come up from the Source. Therefore, let's practice Zazen every day to get to deep down to the Source.

SYOUEN: a superior relationship

A few days ago, we invited Negroni's Trio to my temple and let them perform a jazz live.
Mr. Ikuta,who is a member of our Syokoji- zen-sangha, promoted it. Negroni's Trio is a Latin Grammy-nominated jazz piano trio composed of a composer, pianist, and instructor Jose Negroni. His sidemen include his son Nomar Negroni (a Berklee College of Music graduate and Ikuta's schoolmate) on drums and an American bassist Josh Allen. Their live sound was a fusion of Caribbean rhythms, modern creative, and sometimes very powerful. I chanted Hannya-haramitta-kyo with their improvised performance. In spite of my poor sense of rhythm, Jose's ad-lib was amazing, and we all enjoyed it.
After the concert, we had a light dinner of Sushi, Oden, etc. We ate, talked, and laughed together. An impressive saying of Nomar was " It is not important which school you graduated from but whom you met and brought up a nice relationship there.

" the Buddhist word "Syo-en" just came up to my mind."Syo-en" refers to a superior relationship that can develop together. When you follow the royal road without egoistic thinking, you can be blessed with "Syo-en", and the real joy of your life is in the heart-to-heart relationship of "Syo-en".

I wrote "seijyaku: silence" for the first calligraphy of this year because my theme of this year is to keep silence of the heart in my everyday active life. It is not difficult to keep silence in Zazen time, but it's difficult in my everyday active life even after my long time Zen training.
When you can keep silence of the heart in your daily active life, you can realize creativity in your life, because creativity cannot come up from superficial busyness, but from the bottom of the heart of oneness.
Therefore, let's do Zazen every day and follow the insight from the bottom of the heart with silence in your active life.

Let's go back to "baby's soul"

Let's go back to "baby's soul", pure soul we all had at the time of birth!　
Zen way of life is not about getting something or becoming a special person, but casting off every attachment you have.

That's the way to be free from every obsessive thought, like "you must do this, or you must not do that", or about appearances, fame, honor, status etc.
That's the way to get a load off your mind. You can be free from something that have been blocking your unique spark and natural vitality of your pure soul. In short, that's the way to go back to "baby's soul"

Elizabeth Lesser, a healing expert who had been a home-birth midwife throughout her 20s gave a nice lecture on *TED.
She said confidently: "Each one of us comes into this world with a unique worth and spark of own soul, and we're all born this way". The message from a newborn baby was, "uncover your soul and look for that soul-spark in everyone else".

Yes! Zen way of life is about going back to your "baby's soul" and regaining your unique spark and natural vitality of your pure soul.

＊https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_lesser_say_your_truths_and_seek_them_in_others

In Iida Park near my temple, the silk tree is in full bloom now with a sweet scent. Its scientific name is "Albizia Julibrissin", or "Nemunoki : the sleeping tree" in Japanese, or "Goukanboku : the happy together tree" in Chinese. The leaves fold up at night as though it's sleeping like a happy couple. Therefore, it's a symbol of matrimonial happiness in China. The lyrics of "Nemunoki lullaby" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE_pMJnQGA8 ) written by Empress Michiko in her high school days is very beautiful. Like the Nemunoki tree, happiness is becoming one with love. There is so much joy in becoming one in our life with our partner, friends, master, nature, music, good books, and so on.

　　　　　Hero"syujinnkou"


There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive


These lines are the beginning verses of "Hero" by Mariah Carey which I have loved very much.

When I first listened to this song,I thought "This is Zen itself!" with a deep impression.

The Hero in this song means not a typical man like a Greek hero, but a true-self existing deep inside of everyone. A Zen word "Syujinkou" also has the same meaning.

I think "What you are" means social-self estimated by other people.

However, anyone may have thought himself powerless and worthless to feel fear and loneliness in this society, you can meet a Hero of true-self deep inside of your heart, when you are alone.

Around 2500 years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha began to sit on the earth alone in India under the bodhi tree and did Zazen,and after 49 days, he finally achieved enlightenment. In the earliest Buddhism teaching "Sutta Nipata", he said, "Wander alone like a rhinoceros".

Therefore, to be in solitude is the condition to reach into your heart. When you reach deeply into your heart, you can break through walls of your mind and original vital energy of oneness with all life would rise up naturally.

Therefore, let's be alone to meet the Hero of true-self.
Only when you are alone in peace, you can create a good relationship with other people to love each other and to trust each other.

The Japanese plum "ume"tree in the backyard of "hondou" is bearing many pieces of fruits. When Spring comes, and it gets warmer, many plums begin to bear fruits, but how do plums grow to make flowers bloom and bear fruits? Plums need water, air, sunlight, nutrients of soil, temperature, space, and time to grow. I think plums are very clever, because they know what they really need to grow. They are content with themselves just the way they are. You can call their way "tree's samadhi", the natural way to grow. Of course, they have no anxiety for money, for selfish aggrandizement, or for fame, because they don't have self-consciousness at all. Only humans have self-consciousness and think too much to miss samadhi of the natural way to grow. It has become the common way of thinking for modern people to add value to something, to advertise it, and to sell it at a high price. However, the fundamental value and dignity of humans is just being without extra value, and to be satisfied with just being supports for his true growth of inside.
Then, how humans can go on the natural and sound way of samadhi? Being content with yourself to feel at home and relaxed without self-consciousness is the way. Therefore, doing Zazen is not ascetic practice but joyful and peaceful practice to be gratified with yourself feeling at home. Dogen praises this samadhi "royal-samahdi", which means absolute being samadhi.

I felt lazy and relaxed this morning. I went out into the garden for a change. The Oosima-cherry blossoms passed the peak bloom period falling with spring breeze. Tara's sprouts in the backyard were just coming out. After taking a walk in the garden for a few minutes,
I backed to my study and did Zazen.
Suddenly I thought “Now I will do calligraphy". I made cherry blossom petals flutter inside me to write Syun-puu:spring breeze.
There is a following famous phrase in Gensisiroku : Be gentle welcoming others like mild spring breeze and be strict with yourself carefully like cold autumn frost. However, it is difficult for me born in March to be strict with myself and be careful. I think everyone is easy on himself, and it is natural. It is stoic but not flexible to be strict with himself carefully thinking right or wrong.
Dogen said, "To learn the Way is to learn about oneself. To learn about oneself is to forget oneself."
Therefore, you should throw yourself here now to forget the self and be free from the mind of right and wrong. When you live with "na-mo" of devotion every moment, you would be living in the mild spring breeze in time.

【November 19th 2014 at Jyoueiji in Yamaguchi-ken】


At 2:57 AM on February 27, 2018, our OI-Saidan-Roshi died in Seirei Mikatahara Hospital. He was born on February 26 in 1915, so he just turned 103 years old.
In the evening of 24th, he gave "Mumonkan Teisyo" at Takamachi-Betuin in Hamamatsu-city. After that, he went back to Miyamano-Sato nursery home in which he has been living safely and with comfort since last September. He got a fever on the following 25th and had signs of respiratory distress in the afternoon on 26th. Therefore, he was suddenly moved to Seirei Mikatahara Hospital.
The doctor said he got pneumonia from the flu. He recovered to a temporary lull by medical treatment and fell asleep soon after.
However, in the midnight his condition suddenly changed for the worse. When we came to the hospital he already went to another world.
It was the last time that I parted from him with holding hands saying, " I am looking forward to eating out together again." in the evening of the 26th.
For half a century, I have been his Zen student and disciple serving him nearby.
When I remembered him, I can't help but crying, feeling gratitude to his deep love. It is not sorrow but overflowing thanks.
The everyday life of Oi-Roshi is precisely "cutting the mind of before and after." to live now and here.
There have been no rumors, reputations, sermons, in his saying. He had been living in absolute acceptance with a commanding presence.
Especially in recent years, he only said: "That's fine!" and "Thank you!" with a gentle smile.
It was a pleasure for everyone of the helpers to take care of him because his words of thanks and admiration for surroundings made them happy.
I will continue Zen way following a lifetime master of Oi-Roshi. He will be living forever inside me.

A time of bliss

After doing zazen exposed to cold wind in Hokoji-temple-zendou.
I dropped in the café “Lamp” on my way home as usual. I had a set breakfast; coffee and egg toast.
The toast had a good depth and was pleasant to eat. The coffee cup had a pattern of pretty strawberries. Looking at the back of the plate, it was written “WEDG WOSTRAWERRY Bone China MADE IN ENGLAND WILD STRAWERRY “. I drank coffee slowly listening to a quiet jazz music.
To look, to listen, to smell, to taste, and to touch, mindfully is a good way to have happy daily life. It is a time of bliss.

About our Zen wayⅠ
　　　
All of the cherry leaves have fallen on the ground in front of the “hondo” (the main building of the temple), Japanese silver grasses are waving in a chilly autumn breeze in the garden. The winter is coming, and the intense training season of “zendo” (temple training for young Zen monks) will soon start. It is the best season to do zazen.
Some days ago under the full moon, I put a cushion on the outside veranda of the main temple building to do zazen..
I just sat being bathed in the moonlight feeling calm and deeply peaceful.

The essential methods of zazen are as follows.
1.“choshin”: to harmonize body posture.
2.“chosoku”: to harmonize breathing.
3.“choshin”: to harmonize mind.

Recently I noticed an important point about “choshin” of body posture. Usually we think that body only means the physical body, but according to Zen Buddhism, the body means not only the physical but also the whole cosmos.
Therefore to harmonize one’s body means also to harmonize with the cosmos. In our daily life, to harmonize with the cosmos means to harmonize our surroundings.
I’m very happy to notice the deep meaning of our Zen way in things such as sweeping, cleaning, to care for people and things with love.

Tuesday, October ６　　

Many leaves are fluttering down from the cherry tree in front of the “hondo”(the main building of the temple). Now, it is autumn, the season of falling leaves. For us living in the temple it means the beginning of the time to sweep a lot of fallen leaves almost every day.
Last Thursday, I swept up a lot of fallen leaves and cut down the thick branches which grew over the hedge with electric chainsaw.

So, feeling a bit of fatigue and drowsiness, I attend the Laughter Yoga Session in Hokoji last weekend. Hokoji is the head temple of our Linzai Zen branch, sitting at the foot of the mountain. It was a fine day, a fresh breeze was blowing from the woods into our room. The teacher of the Session was Mr. Hirano, called by the nickname, “Ossama” which means Buddhist monk “Osyo”, because he has a buzz-cut. He is a main member of our Zen school on every Wednesday morning, and a cute guy with a nice smile.

Our 2-day Laughter Yoga Session was fulfilling and joyful for us 15 participants.
Laughter Yoga has the same following features as Zen practices.
First, abdominal breathing. We can naturally breathe from the abdomen with a rhythmic laughing motion. The practice of “zazen” is also based on abdominal breathing.
Second, motion creates emotion and feeling. For example, the form of motion of Zen practice “gassyou” (hands in prayer) creates a feeling of gratitude. In the same way, a motion of laughing creates an emotion of happiness, even if we are not in mood to laugh or don’t have any reason to laugh.
Really, at the end of the session, we all could laugh naturally and became feel happy.

Friday, September 18 　

The cluster amaryllis flower is known as “Higan-bana” in Japan, because they begin to burst in to blossom a few days before “Higan-e”(the Buddhist services and practices held for a period of seven days over the equinox).

Every year at this time I find them bursting out here and there, I am amazed at how exactly they announce the coming of “Higan-e”.

According to the old Buddhism teaching , “Higan”(the other shore, Pure Land of Utmost Bliss）exists in the west very far away. While our real world is called “Shigan” (this shore).
Therefore, from old times, Japanese people have made special services and practices expecting the distance from Shigan to Higan should be the shortest during Higan-e when the sun sets due west.

The supporting members of my temple are also accustomed to coming to the temple and cleaning their stone graves thoroughly and putting flowers in front of them during Higan-e. So, I should clean up the temple to welcome them.

Therefore, I asked Mr.Ikegawa, the master of weeding and cleaning, to help us clean up the garden. As soon as I saw him again, I asked him how to weed the lawn, because I had admired his work to weed the lawn very beautifully and quickly last time. He showed me how to weed it slowly.

His way was very simple and practical. He is really the master of weeding and cleaning the garden.
I think there are many other kind of masters in Japan and they all support our country well.

Sunday, September 6
At about 4:30am, I went out to Okuyama Hokoji (one of the head temples of our Rinzai Zen Sect) by car to join the morning zazen and chanting of the laughter yoga session, which my friend, Kunihiko Hirano leads.

I went north on the non-signal road of Tenryu river bank and took the Sintomei highway which opened several years ago. It was only a 40-minute drive to Hokoji from my temple. Looking over the sky east from Hokoji the upside of a hill was reddening and lightening.
We finished a short laughter yoga, zazen and chanting at 7. I guessed that my master Oi Roshi would have finished breakfast and would be just relaxing at that time. It should be good timing to meet him privately. I went to the Roshi’s room to greet him with a little souvenir pudding from Osaka. He was sitting on the bed in a nightgown.
When I met him at the New Year, he appeared to be a little run down, but recently he is very well.
“You are welcome, thank you for coming to see me.”
“Thank you Roshi, please take good care of yourself.”
I felt happy to make eye contact with him and see him smiling. There was no need to say anything else, soon, I left his room with joy.
Now Roshi is 100 years old, keeping good health and working as the top Zen leader of Hokoji. I have practiced the Zen way for 48 years under his guidance. Roshi has been the real Zen master for me like a mountain exists with dignity and in peace. Every time I meet him, I can feel the pure Zen spirit. It is simple and powerful, therefore I will meet him once a week without saying anything.