UnMind 64. Keizan Quartet 2: Pure Meditation II

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Pure means nondual —
like Original Nature:
pure impurity.

In the last segment we ended with Master Keizan’s declaration that the one who meditates becomes the One who is the True Person. He waxes effusive as he describes what this is like:

From the first, the wondrous, pure, bright Original Nature immediately appears before one’s eyes. One light continuing from the first ultimately becomes fully illuminating.

So True Person and Original Nature, both in caps, are interchangeable labels for the true self, the apparent object of our affection in pursuing this seemingly endless effort of zazen. These claims imply an end goal to the practice, something which, once attained, means that our life’s work is effectively done. This line is reminiscent of Hakuin Zenji’s “Song of Zazen.” In it, he claims, “Nirvana is openly shown to our eyes.” Those scholars and practitioners who refute that there is any transformative experience implied in the teachings of Buddhism have a lot of explaining to do. Nonetheless, we should not be too attached to our own idea of what these descriptions mean. If, for example, something appears before one’s own eyes, it must have been there all along. Meditation, and any understanding of what buddha-dharma is pointing to, can not have a material effect on external realities. If these claims and implied promises hold any water, it is because they are already true. Returning to the waves & ocean analogy, Master Keizan continues:

The waters of the ocean are all without increase or decrease. Likewise, the waves and billows have no withdrawing or turning back upon themselves. Thus, all Buddhas have appeared in the world for the sake of the Reason for the One Great Matter for which we train. Straightaway, they help sentient beings open up spiritually and see the way to go, that they may awaken and know Buddha.

That last being precisely what Keizan Zenji is attempting to do here, helping us to know Buddha. Likening the process to the irresistible surging of the surf as it crashes upon the shore, the impulse and impetus to awakening is thought of as a force of nature — buddha seeking Buddha. Whatever other labels we may choose to self-identify, all are bound to fall short of the mark. The term “buddha,” meaning fully awakened, is the placeholder for what we actually are. That is, the conscious potential to awaken to the truth of existence. Any other term would do as well to attempt to name the unnamable.

Keizan goes on:

Also, they have a wondrous method which does not entangle or distress or foster defiling passions: it is called “pure meditation.” It is, of course, the samadhi which all Buddhas employ, to their delight, it is also called “the samadhi that is the lord of samadhis.” If even for a little while you reside contented within this samadhi, then straightaway you will open your spiritual eye and clarify what your mind really is. Know well that this is indeed the right gate to Buddhahood.

So finally we get around to the method of zazen itself, here defined as “pure” meditation, and we are only mid-page on the second of seven-and-a-half pages of single-spaced text. Keizan Zenji seems much more focused than Master Dogen on the effects of zazen, “pure meditation,” rather than the method. It is advisable to recall that “purity” in Zen has none of the theistic connotations of irredeemable sin and religious morality, but the purity of nonduality versus dualistic thinking. Which Keizan reaffirms in the next few lines, below. Note that the Buddhas “employ” samadhi, as if it is an instrument, or tool, wielded against dualistic thinking. Again, the temptation is to form an image of samadhi, attempt to achieve it, and thereby force the gate to Buddhahood open through sheer exertion of will. But this is doomed to failure as it is another instance of dualistic thinking, as Keizan is quick to remind us:

If you are desirous of clarifying what your mind really is, let go of all your deluded, discriminatory knowledge and explanations. Put aside the teachings of the world and the teachings of the Buddha. Cut yourself free from all false and deluding opinions and sentiments. When you manifest the true Nature of the One Reality, the clouds of doubt and delusion that have accumulated will disperse, and the Moon of your Original Nature will once again shine clear and bright.

The master goes on in this vein for some time, quoting Buddha to reinforce his point. It should be noted again that all the buddhas and ancestors of Zen’s lineage were speaking with one voice. That is, they were all pointing at the same moon, no matter the multiplicity of fingers. The phrase “once again” is revealing, in that the meaning of “refuge” in Buddhism — as in taking refuge in the Three Treasures — has the sense of returning to whence we came. That our “Original Nature will once again shine clear and bright” means that it is always shining, but obscured by our ignorance. Matsuoka Roshi cautioned against expecting some dramatic event, like a lightning bolt out of the sky, but described insight as more like the “clouds parting to reveal the sun.” A majestic, but entirely natural and gentle, slow reveal.

In contrast to Fukanzazengi, which stresses almost exclusively the physical dimensions and techniques of the zazen method, Master Keizan expands the scope to include the necessity of developing the kinds of mental, attitudinal frames of mind, based on Buddhism’s basic teachings of the five skandhas, the five hindrances of “desire, anger, drowsiness, excitability, and doubt” as arising from ignorance, the first link in the twelvefold chain, and their relation to meditation. We should probably assume that his audience had recourse to Master Dogen’s writings, so Keizan’s intent is to add his two-cents’ worth. He also stresses the importance of recognizing and resisting the monkey mind:

Let your mind have no judgmental thoughts and fancies; let your body have no “business to attend to.” This is a primary point to heed, for, when you have brought the causes of your delusory thoughts to an end, the misleading mind will follow suit and become extinguished. When the misleading mind is extinguished, the Immutable Body will manifest, and you will understand and forever know. This is not a teaching of nihilistic annihilation nor is it a teaching of a perpetual personality ever on the move.

This reprises, in different terms, Master Dogen’s instructions to set aside all everyday concerns and give up even the idea of becoming a Buddha. But the English translation implies that we can bring the “causes of… delusory thoughts to an end,” which we know cannot be done as an intentional act on our part. We might say that when we relinquish our attachment to our own opinions and thoughts, opening up to the neutral, “don’t-know mind,” then the monkey will lie down and take a nap. Extinguishing the misleading mind is akin to snuffing out a candle for the time being, which can later be relit. The “Immutable Body,” again capitalized, provides yet another image for the true self, which, once experienced, becomes our new normal, nondual self-identity: Sengcan’s “In this world of suchness there is neither self nor other-than-self.” This teaching also transcends the binary choice of either complete annihilation of self, or self-in-perpetuity, the concept of the soul.

Restating another of the later stanzas of Sengcan’s “Trust in Mind,” where he cautions, “Waste no time in doubts and arguments that have nothing to do with this,” Keizan updates the message:

The active pursuit of arts and crafts, medicine, and fortune-telling should all be left far behind. How much more so, singing and dancing, as well as seeking friendships, arguing, playing pranks, or engaging in debates and discussions.

He goes on to remonstrate against chasing after fame and fortune, reciting poetry and lyrics of various kinds (while admitting that the latter are, “by nature, the karmic effects of a pure attitude of mind”), even composing literary works, abstaining from all of which “will serve as a fine model for one who would tread the Path; it is what is adequate for a harmonious mind.” Obviously, this is for an audience of monastics, and not lay people, whose very livelihood may depend upon engaging in certain arts and sciences. Various forms of fortune-telling and playing pranks are now staples of the entertainment business. Debate was once a legitimate public method of propagating Buddhism, as in the middle period of Nagarjuna in India, so Keizan is admonishing against the vain discussions, idle chatter, and specious arguments mentioned in the ancient teachings from the Metta Sutta down to the present.

After criticizing attachment to either fine clothing and robes or to soiled and tattered versions, each of which represents the poles of ignorance, he cites practical recommendations for maintaining health:

Do not neglect taking care of your body’s life. Lacking sufficient clothing, food, or sleep is referred to as the three insufficiencies, for each is a cause of regressions and lapses. Also, do not eat any sentient being nor any stale of spoiled food, for they are not pure. … Likewise do not be addicted to fine and fancy foods… you ought to not sit immediately after a large meal… Monks, without fail, should restrain themselves as to the amount of food eaten. “To restrain intake” implies “in relation to your particular body.” Within three parts, eat two parts and leave one.

He even mentions that exceptions are granted to these dietary restrictions for medical purposes. Zen is nothing if not practical. Remember that the crowd he was addressing probably consisted of relatively young monks from various family backgrounds. The monastery was partly a kind of finishing school, for smoothing the rough edges of the young wards, unsui in Japanese. Compare to now, when our universities cater to the comfort and demands of the students and their parents. Compare to oryoki style eating, where the small nesting bowls and serving process pays strict attention to the control of portions. “Greed” is mentioned by Keizan, as well as in the Meal Verse, associated with overindulging in food. In our “greed is good” culture — shout out to Gordon Gekko — food is the last thing we would tend to associate with greed. Vast accumulation of wealth, far beyond one’s needs, or what is even possible to spend, has become the aspiration of many, and admired by virtually all of the citizenry.

After a long aside, Keizan returns to meditation itself, urging his monks to “not lean against fences, walls, partitions, meditation chairs, barriers and the like.” I suppose that this curious admonition probably derives, again, from young novices falling asleep during the long sitting sessions at the monastery, and propping themselves up so as not to fall over. In Japan today, a “chin board” is in use, which has a curved end to place under the chin while sitting, the base of the plank between the legs, so as not to fall over during overnight meditation. I am tempted to build and try one out, myself.

Next, Master Keizan walks us through a long litany of various kinds of experiences one may encounter in seated meditation, such as intense heat and cold, feeling heavy and light, et cetera. He cautions that these are the effect of unregulated breathing. Similarly, for afflictions of a mental and emotional sort, such as sinking or floating sensations, seeing Buddha or Bodhisattvas, having “sage opinions” or “penetrating insights” and the like, he dismisses as “illnesses from a disharmony of thoughts and breathing.” Then he reveals some curious “try this” techniques, or sub-routines:

Should such an illness occur, focus your mind on your crossed legs as you sit. Should your mind feel dull and depressed, focus the mind on the space between your eyebrows. Should your mind run riot, focus your mind down the ridge of your nose onto the tanden. Normally, when sitting, you should quietly focus your mind on the palm of your left hand. Then, should you sit for a long time, even though you do not force your mind to be focused, the mind will not of itself wander off.

Here is some gonzo oxherding in detail. Matsuoka Roshi mentioned focusing your attention on the forehead or the knees, depending on whether you feel dizzy or nauseous, respectively. This tells you that you will, at some point, feel dizzy or nauseous, or experience the things that Master Keizan, as well as the Buddha himself, in the Surangama Sutra, point out. These are emails and texting from the Original Frontier, from those who blazed the trails. We could do worse than listen up. Like the ox, Keizan is assuring us that the mind will eventually take care of itself, with no need for intervention on our part.

Reading and reciting scriptures is thrown into the mix of things to avoid overdoing, reprising Dogen. One of the most curious and, in a way, quaint, admonitions deals with inappropriate environments:

Do not by any means do sitting meditation during fires, floods, windstorms, or robberies, nor at the beach, in wineshops or brothels, in the houses of widows, or in the presence of female entertainers.

This conjures quite a picture of the interface of his monastics with the society of the times. It is not too far from a description of the kinds of crises and seductions prevalent today. I think the message is to avoid those situations not conducive to meditation, as well as not to resort to meditation as an escape. Master Keizan seems intent upon striking the middle way between all sorts of competing dualities. He goes on to include Dogen’s pushback against overreaching formality or complexity in general:

Although participating in massive Buddhist Services and working on huge construction projects are, by and large, fine activities, they are impracticable for those devoted to seated meditation. Also, do not foster a voice for voicing the Dharma or for teaching others how to turn their hearts around, for these things are subject to scattered minds and disordered thoughts. Do not encourage a delight in being in crowds or long to seek for disciples. Do not become involved with too many activities or too many studies.

This last line reflects Master Dogen’s take on doing one thing, rather than many, the modern trope expressed as drilling one deep well rather than many shallow ones in order to find water. You really have to wonder if the prepositional phrase, “by and large” was really in use during Keizan’s time, or if it is an example of creative translation. Large construction projects is a giveaway that the master is saying “do as I say and not as I do,” as he is credited with establishing monasteries, which involved heavy construction. We have visited several of these monumental examples of architecture from a period in which only hand tools were available, and none of the heavy equipment we take for granted today. We have also witnessed a few of what I consider massive Buddhist services, e.g. at Eiheiji, Dogen’s final stomping grounds.

The bit about assuming you are the voice of the Dharma, and overweening devotion to the notion that you are someone else’s teacher, is again characteristic of Dogen’s message as well. You may find it ironic, or even hypocritical, that Keizan would be admonishing fostering “a voice for voicing the Dharma or for teaching others” when that is precisely what he is doing here. I am further exacerbating the dilemma by adding commentary. There is no way our of this particular koan. It is built into consciousness itself, and the dichotomy is built into language. It should be mentioned that the hankering for large crowds of like-thinking people to bolster your own commitment to the practice is a syndrome that has survived to the present day. If your practice depends upon the presence of others, it is not yet genuine practice. Buddha comes before Dharma comes before Sangha, with its social seductions, including a concomitant complexity of ritual, at least in terms of the central focus of Soto Zen.

We will leave Keizan here for now, returning in the next segment as he himself returns to more specifics on zazen itself. He vacillates from practical, mundane commentary on the details of zazen to flowery descriptions of its effects, to more practical advice on how to conduct yourself in daily life, and back to more on the meditation method. As we say in Zen, it’s all connected. Keizan weaves a complex web.