January 5, 1964:"The world abounds with different religions to satisfy man's yearning spirit. Throughout time, man has yearned for something. For some, it has been the desire to be of good health, of good fame, to have a respected job, to become rich, to avoid mishap or trouble, to win the favor of the gods, or to enter into a "pure land" after death. There are a myriad of things one desires in their life and most religions try to satisfy this hunger. Some promise success, heaven or a bountiful harvest if a person faithfully follows their precepts. Many religious people are dreaming of a supernatural power far away from themselves and of a fantastic world of good fortune when they pray and follow religious rites. Instead of living their lives more fully now, they dream fantasy and put their faith in something distant from themselves. Their lives are lived for another time or another being. Should this be the purpose of religion?
"In Zen, the purpose of the religious life is to find the truth about life in this world and then to live with this knowledge. Instead of hoping to obtain some material thing or fortune from a supernatural being, in Zen we live in order to enter the true life. We do not even desire to become a Buddha, for doing so takes the emphasis off the present moment of life and puts it into the unpredictable future. Instead, we live this moment to its fullest and so act as to develop the potential to be a Buddha which lies dormant in each of us."
- Rev. Soyu Matsuoka, excerpted from "The Kyosaku - Soto Zen Teachings Archive, Volume 1"
2 comments:
I have been asked enough times why I practice to realize that the closest I can come to an answer is, "To make myself more useful to others/the universe." Somehow any other words I use - including "understanding this life," and the like - end up with some unintended egocentric content.
Then it is a practice for those of us who truly wish to cease living wishfully and live truly?
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