Wild Fox Zen
The Venerable S. came by last night for Dogen study. I once gave her the Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts and now she is a fully ordained Theravadan Bhikkuni, soon off on pilgrimage to western Australia and points beyond for more training. She’s living her dream and so I’m very happy for her. Really very happy.
She brought a gift for everyone – Bhikku Bodhi’s Ten Best Talks CD. Very sweet.
Dogghi Bodhi offered his ten best too. For one, he couldn’t get enough of Ven. S.’s scent. We’ve gotta work on training him to show some respect!
At one point he even came over and looked directly at her, maybe six inches from her face, and burped – either an act of dana (generosity of scent) or a minor violation of the Dogghi Vinaya! Anyway, the Ven. S. took yet another of life’s indignities with her characteristic aplomb.
The point of our gathering, though, was to dig more into the earthworm koan and then apply the perspective of the earthworm to the Genjokoan. No small task but this group of practitioners has been working together for several years now and so it seems to me that everyone rose to the dharma occasion.
A couple aspects of Dogen’s commentary on the earthworm koan (see posts from June 25 and October 19 for more wiggles) stood out. First, Dogen asks, “Should we construe [the movement of the earthworm-in-two-pieces] as Buddha-nature? Or, as wind and fire?”
In other words, are all the wiggles of our life the Buddha-nature? Or is one part holy, like our practice, and our profane life lacking in the Buddha-nautre? Or are all the aspects of life our vast and giddy karmic consciousness (i.e., delusion)?
Dogen answers his own question, “We must not say that Buddha-nature and wind and fire appear simultaneously, or that one appears, while the other does not, or that wind and fire per se are Buddha-nature.”
Or more simply put, no.
Why should we not consider our divided life to be either the Buddha-nature or delusion? Why should we not take a stand here and frame our life either as perfection or shit?
Because both are frames that must be broken.
Because a practitioner’s only place to stand is groundlessness.
Now my son came downstairs and reminded me that I promised to watch Episode 81 of Naruto with him at 8pm so I gotta go.
More on the connection with the Genjokoan soon.
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