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This year at both the Nebraska Zen Center<\/a> and the Vine of Obstacles: Online Support for Zen Training<\/a>\u00a0we\u2019ve studied one of the essential texts in the S\u014dt\u014d Zen liturgy, \u201cHarmony of Difference and Sameness\u201d (Japanese: Sand\u014dkai; Chinese: C\u0101nt\u00f3ngq\u00ec \u53c3\u540c\u5951<\/span>), supported by Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness: Zen Talks on the Sandokai\u00a0<\/span><\/em>by\u00a0<\/span>Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. In order to work my edge and offer something fresh to students, I translated the text as we were going along. You\u2019ll find that below.<\/p>\n The original text has forty-four terse lines with five characters in each line. The S\u014dt\u014d Zen Text Project version of the \u201cHarmony of Difference and Sameness\u201d \u2013 here<\/a> \u2013 that\u2019s is used by many S\u014dt\u014d groups in the US, at least, is well done and flows well as a chant. However, because translating a text is a powerful method for understanding and appreciating what\u2019s inside the meaning, I reworked it and shared the results with students \u2013 and now here for you.<\/p>\n In translation work, there is no such thing as \u201cone right way,\u201d because there are many ways that the ideograms can be expressed in English.\u00a0The version below is offered in the spirit of \u201cit could be this way too,\u201d although this is living rendering and may well change in the future, including smoothing out some of the rough edges. I try to stay as close to the original as possible and allow the text room for expression, even if that results in something that\u2019s a bit awkward. If you give it a read, you\u2019ll see what I mean.<\/p>\n And although a good deal could be said about the details of this translation, I\u2019ll make just one note.\u00a0\u7406 (l\u01d0) comes up twice in the text. The\u00a0S\u014dt\u014d Zen Text Project version translates it two ways, as \u201csameness\u201d and \u201cprinciple\u201d (as in \u201cAccording with sameness is still not enlightenment\u201d and \u201cPrinciple responds like arrow points meet\u201d). I follow David Hinton, translating\u00a0\u7406 (l\u01d0) as \u201cinner pattern.\u201d Hinton writes,<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe philosophical meaning of inner-pattern, which originally referred to the veins and markings in a precious piece of jade, is something akin to what we call \u2018natural law.\u2019 It is the system of principles or patterns that governs the unfolding of tzu-jan [self-ablaze], or the manifestations of origin-ch\u2019i [a single breath-force surging through its perpetual transformations] as it takes on the forms of the ten thousand things. Inner-pattern therefore weaves Absence and Presence into a single boundless tissue.\u201d (1)<\/span><\/p>\n Here it is:<\/p>\n By Sh\u00edt\u00f3u X\u012bqi\u0101n (700-790) \u77f3\u982d\u5e0c\u9077\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Indian-dust great-sage mind<\/span><\/p>\n Is mutually, intimately entrusted east-west<\/span><\/p>\n The root of people is sharp-dull<\/span><\/p>\n In the Way \u2013 no north-south ancestor<\/span><\/p>\n The source of awareness shines moonlight bright<\/span><\/p>\n The undercurrent pours through branching streams<\/span><\/p>\n Grasping it is original confusion<\/span><\/p>\n Inner-pattern accordance is also not enlightenment<\/span><\/p>\n Every field is gate-to-gate<\/span><\/p>\n Mutually revolving and not mutually revolving<\/span><\/p>\n Involvement revolves and changes each other<\/span><\/p>\n Not so according to position and place<\/span><\/p>\n The root nature of form appears to differ<\/span><\/p>\n Sounds primarily distinguish happy from bitter<\/span><\/p>\n In darkness, elevated and common speech come together<\/span><\/p>\n In brightness, phrases are clear and muddy<\/span><\/p>\n Four elements return to self-nature<\/span><\/p>\n Like a child has their mother<\/span><\/p>\n Fire hot, wind moves<\/span><\/p>\n Water wet, earth hard<\/span><\/p>\n Eye-form, ear-sounds\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nose-fragrance, tongue-salty or vinegary<\/span><\/p>\n One-by-one, dharmas depend thus<\/span><\/p>\n Depending on roots, leaves scatter<\/span><\/p>\n The root doesn\u2019t wait to return to the branch<\/span><\/p>\n Revered and humble use their speech<\/span><\/p>\n When light, within there is dark<\/span><\/p>\n Do not meet by means of dark<\/span><\/p>\n When dark, within there is light<\/span><\/p>\n Do not meet by means of light.<\/span><\/p>\n The opposition of light and dark<\/span><\/p>\n is like the front and back [foot] stepping.<\/span><\/p>\n All living beings have meritorious activity\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Expressed according to function and place<\/span><\/p>\n Things exist [like] box and lid join\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Inner pattern responds [like] arrow points meet<\/span><\/p>\n Receiving words, understand the school<\/span><\/p>\n Self-sustaining customs won\u2019t do<\/span><\/p>\n Seeing everything [yet] not understanding the Way<\/span><\/p>\n How is moving [your] foot knowing the road?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Stepping forward is not far or near<\/span><\/p>\n Bewildered, hard separation from mountains and rivers<\/span><\/p>\n Solemnly say, \u201cPerson who participates in the mystery,<\/span><\/p>\n Do not fritter away the time\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n (1)\u00a0David Hinton, No-Gate Gateway: The Original Wu-Men Kuan,<\/i> p. 134.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n D\u014dsh\u014d Port began practicing Zen in 1977 and now co-teaches at the\u00a0Nebraska Zen Center\u00a0<\/a>with his wife, Tetsugan Zummach \u014csh\u014d. D\u014dsh\u014d also teaches with the\u00a0Vine of Obstacles: Online Support for Zen Training<\/a>,\u00a0an internet-based Zen community. D\u014dsh\u014d received dharma transmission from Dainin Katagiri R\u014dshi and inka sh\u014dmei from James My\u014dun Ford R\u014dshi in the Harada-Yasutani lineage. He is the author\u00a0of\u00a0Keep Me In Your Heart a While: The Haunting Zen of Dainin Katagiri<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This year at both the Nebraska Zen Center and the Vine of Obstacles: Online Support for Zen Training\u00a0we\u2019ve studied one of the essential texts in the S\u014dt\u014d Zen liturgy, \u201cHarmony of Difference and Sameness\u201d (Japanese: Sand\u014dkai; Chinese: C\u0101nt\u00f3ngq\u00ec \u53c3\u540c\u5951), supported by Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness: Zen Talks on the Sandokai\u00a0by\u00a0Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Agreement of Difference and Sameness<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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