Never Be Drifted in the Ocean of Human Life

Today I’ve got an excerpt from a talk by Katagiri Roshi that GS transcribed recently and I’ve worked over. The first part is below (click here).

I think this theme is really important, especially in the context of Lou Nordstrom’s experience (deconstruction leading to “the invisible man”) reported in the New York Time’s Magazine (see link in the last post). Roshi emphasizes the reconstructive side and encourages us to take responsibility for living a creative life through the (seemingly) small details. I’ve left some of Roshi’s odd expressions alone (i.e., “never be drifted”). Although they aren’t standard, his way of thinking isn’t either and his grammar sometimes reflects that very clearly.

And now, here’s Roshi (starting with the last part of the Genjokoan):

The wind of the Buddhism makes manifest the great Earth’s goldenness and makes ripen the sweet milk of the long rivers.

“Instead of drifting in the ocean, you can sail across the ocean in human life.

“Dogen Zenji mentions in the Shobogenzo, life is like riding in a boat, because the whole big ship of the whole universe where you ride is going, carrying you. Then we don’t know in which way to go. People say, “We don’t know what will happen in the future so let’s leave it to fate.” This is exactly drifting, be drifted in the ocean. It is not good.

“Dogen Zenji mentions please use the oar to row the boat. I mention constantly if we really practice spiritual life we can not carry spiritual life in terms of our understanding. In order to practice for long run, live in vow.

“Vow means live life in peace and harmony with deep aspiration with all living beings. Living in vow is not to have a big expectation, expecting big things you can do. What we can do is just a little tiny things one by one. When getting up in the morning, get up within the activity of getting up in the morning. This is a whole way to go through peaceful doors of peaceful world.

“That’s why we take best of care of the activity of getting up in the morning, doing zazen, eating breakfast. It’s not unusual outstanding human activity. Where is the door going through the peaceful world? The door is yur everyday life.

“All we can do is constantly form the habit of thoroughly doing small details in our everyday life. Usually a habit is made with our desires. Living in vow is to do small things, carrying forever without desire for something else.

“That’s why Dogen Zenji mentions, “Practice Buddhadharma for the Buddhadharma.”

“How can we build up the human world, ripening the sweet milk? What is the destination? When we do gassho, just do gassho for gassho. Then the door to the peace is right under our feet. It’s not big stuff. It’s not big deal. We vow to carry this tiny deal forever, under any circumstances, beyond the satisfaction of our desire.

“For what end? For living in peace and harmony with all living beings. This is vow. At that time, whatever happens we never be drifted in the ocean of human life. We can sail across in the ocean of life. Long journey of human life. A long journey is already sweet milk.

“If you don’t understand it’s because you see your life covered with suffering, pains, etc. So Dogen Zenji mentions please accept the taste of human life as sweet milk.

“This last sentence of Genjokoan is the Buddha ancestors vow to live. It is not limited by school, sect or denomination. If we belong to a denomination, so-called Buddhism or Christianity, always we think in terms of a small, narrow understanding. If our body and mind biologically belongs to any denomination, that’s fine. Then we have to live in a complete way. Our life must be beyond the idea of denomination. We have to show ourself, manifest our life in the universal way.

“This is our responsibility for the future.”