ZEN: Completion of study (koan)

Roshi Jeff Albrizze, PasaDharma.org (free, public Koan Study Group resumes Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, 7:00 pm; The Book of Equanimity, CASE 46: TOKUSAN’S COMPLETION OF STUDY

American Zen groups everywhere. Heart of Zen Group, Loyola University, Maryland

 

Deva looks on (00_prototype/flickr.com)

PREFACE TO THE ASSEMBLY

The pure ground without an inch of grass for 10,000 miles still deludes people.

The clear sky without even a speck of cloud deceives us.

Though wedges are driven in and pulled out, this does not impede holding up and supporting space.

A hammer blow on the back of the head.

Let's look at a skillful expedient.

MAIN CASE

(Myheartyourheart/flickr.com)

Attention!

Great Master Tokusan addressed the assembly saying, “Exhaust the end and there's instant attainment.

The mouths of all buddhas of the three times [past, present, future] might as well hang upon the wall.

Now, there's a person who roars with laughter. Ha! Ha!

When you know this one, the essence of your exhaustive study is completed.”

APPRECIATORY VERSE

Gathering. Seizing the throat collar.

Winds burnish. Clouds sweep.

Chilling water, heaven turns to autumn.

Don't say a fish scale lacks taste.

Catching all the ocean's fish with a crescent moon.

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Charter for Compassion

Wisdom Quarterly; CharterForCompassion.org

Kwan Yin first of seven manifestations of Buddha in Japan (Gemc666/flickr.com)

 

Heart (campus.udayton.edu)

The principle of compassion (karuna) lies at the heart of all religious, ethical, and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves.

  

Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the center of our world and put another there, and to honor the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity, and respect.

   

Divine (turnbacktogod.com)

It is also necessary, in both public and private life, consistently and with empathy, to refrain from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit, or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others -- even our enemies -- is a denial of our common humanity.

  

We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women:

• to the center of morality and religion
• to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred, or disdain is illegitimate
• to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions, and cultures
• to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity
• to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings -- even those regarded as enemies.

Kwan Yin (Majicaloblivion)

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous, and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological, and religious boundaries. 

  

Born of our deep inter-dependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. 

  

It is the path to enlightenment and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

Charter affirmed by

The 14th Dalai Lama, Queen Noor of Jordan, American musician Paul Simon, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Ken Robinson, Deepak Chopra, Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Gomaa, Prof. Candido Mendes (Spiritual Director, Arsha Vijan Mandiram), American actor Goldie Hawn, Dr. Abdul Sattar Edhi, Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal... SIGN THE CHARTER

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Who hears the cries of the world?

Wordnik.com; 123Chic; Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Kwan Yin is Avalokiteshvara (123Chic)

“...Tara was not originally the same as Kuan-yin, though the fact that she accompanies Avalokita and shares his attributes may have made it easier to think of him in female form.
  
“The circumstances in which Avalokita became a goddess are obscure. The Indian images of him are not feminine, although his sex is hardly noticed before the Tantric period.”

“Of most teachers we are told that they saw some deity, such as Avalokita or Tara.” - Sir Charles Eliot, Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 2

  
“The helpers and saviors of humankind such as Avalokita and Tara are often depicted in the shape of raging fiends, as hideous and revolting as a fanciful brush and distorted brain can paint them.” - Ibid., Vol. 3

  
“The great bodhisattvas, such as Avalokita and Mañjuśrî, are splendid angels of mercy and knowledge who are theoretically distinguished from buddhas because they have indefinitely postponed their entry into nirvana in order to alleviate the sufferings of the world.” - Ibid., Vol. 1

  
“Mr. Wells knows that he is indebted to oriental thought and thinks that European religion in the future may be so too, but I do not know if he realizes how nearly his God coincides with the Mahayanist conception of a Bodhisattva such as Avalokita or Mañjuśri.” - Ibid., Vol. 1

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