Zen, Human Rights, Peace and the Environment
Words from the Buddhist scriptures and records of the patriarchs
Otake Myogen
Soto-Shu has always proclaimed human rights, peace and the environment to be matters requiring urgent attention in modern society. It has also continued sincere efforts to find solutions to problems in these areas.
Nevertheless, the roots of the problems are deep, and it will not be easy oreven possible to solve them in a short time. However, I believe it is most important that we realize our mission as Buddhists and make ongoing and earnest efforts.
We now have plans to draw on the wisdom of the Soto-Shu Planning Committee in gathering quotations from the Buddhist scriptures and patriarchal records that we consider to be particularly important in dealing with problems concening human rights. peace and the environment. We have also now started to print those quotations in successive issues of "Soto-Shuho," the Japanese publication of Soto-Shu.
We hope all Soto priests will understand our intentions and take the opportunity when you meet with laymen to think about and discuss these problems together while searching for solutions.
Very sincerely yours,
Otake Myogen
Director General of Sotoshu
Odawara Rijin
Director in Chief Department of Mission
April 1, 1993
The problems of modern society can be summarized in three categories: human rights, peace and the environment. The problems are many, and each of us has to deal with them in his or her particular life. Starting this month, we plan to select and annotate words from the Buddhist scriptures and records of the patriarchs which provide basic teaching on how to deal with these problems. To be frank, it is not an easy task to identify Buddhist scriptures or patriarchal writings that provide direct answers to modernday problems. Although all those writings present the basic teachings of Buddhism concerning man and nature, it is our task as individuals to determine how those teachings can be brought to bear on modern problems.
We hope it will be an aid to all readers to encounter these words and read them carefully.
Think of others as yourself, and neither kill nor allow killing.
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All living things fear violence. All living things fear death. You should thinkof others as yourself and never kill or allow killing. All living things fear violence. Life is dear to all living things. You should think of others as yourself, and neither kill nor allow killing." Taken from the Dhammapada, an early text of Indian Buddhism.
The word translated here as "violence" means exactly that. The beatings or use of weapons that we witness in the world today, the wars, the tragic loss of human life, the wounded and maimed: all these are examples of violence.
Everyone is afraid of violence. And when we see violence, we experience fear. We have a gut feeling for the words of Shakyamuni Buddha when he says that "all living things fear violence."
If you are afraid, you can be sure the other person is afraid too. Not just human beings but all living things are the same in this respect. It is for this very reason that Shakyamuni Buddha says we should consider others (both people and other living things) as ourself and neither kill nor allow killing. Although this statement is very simple we can consider it the vow of Shakyamuni Buddha not to kill or create war.
In like manner, the way we understand "considering others as yourself" clearly shows the relationship between self and others as taught by Shakyamuni Buddha, who considers self and others to be in the same position. To injure or kill others is to carry the pain of this yourself. Conversely loving others is directly connected with honoring yourself Shakyamuni Buddha is telling us we should make efforts to establish such a relationship between self and other.
Thus, precisely for this reason, another early Buddhist text reads:
"The one who protects himself also protects other selves. You should thus protect yourself. Such a person will never receive harm and is a wise person."
Zoshibu Kyoten (Anguttaranikaya)
This passage speaks about "other selves" in relation to oneself. Such a relationship between self and other later developed into the idea of jiko ("oneself") and tako ("other self") as found in the writings of Dogen Zenji.
To consider others as oneself (the relationship between jiko and tako) is thesame as doji ("identification or identity action"- we are completely one) as found in the fourth chapter of the Shushogi. We could even say that this is the origin of compassion. Compassion (Japanese: jihi) is our starting point when modern Buddhists tackle problems concerning human rights, peace and the environment. "Do not do unto others what you would not have done unto you. " Or,in more positive terms: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." We should strive to do to others those things that make us happy when they are doneto us.
Although the language is simple, we find in the above two passages the basis for putting Buddhism into practice.
The grass, trees and the forest are transient.
Thus they are no other than Buddha-nature
Recently, environmental destruction has become very serious on a global scale,giving rise to intense discussion. Along with cultural advance the earth's environment is being destroyed at an alarming rate; it is almost as if the development of culture were proportionate to destruction of the environment. Scientific data has already made it clear that this situation is a threat to the existence of humans and all sentient beings.
In this situation, what can and should Buddhists learn from the Buddhist scriptures and records of the patriarchs? In this issue I would like to elucidate Dogen Zenji's deep concern for nature as found in passages from the Shobogenzo.
The modern problem of extreme environmental destruction was not a concern in Dogen Zenji's time. On the contrary,people realized their debt to the natural environment and lived in harmony with that environment. The Buddhism of Dogen Zenji was preached in such conditions. We can easily imagine that Dogen Zenji felt close kinship with and affection for the mountains and rivers of his environment.
"The grass, trees and the forest are also transient. Thus they are no other than Buddha-nature. People and things, body and mind are transient. Thus they are Buddha-nature. The land, mountains and rivers are transient. Therefore they are Buddha-nature."
Shobogenzo, Buddha-Nature (Bussho)
Dogen is treating the question of Buddha-nature here. He discovers Buddha-nature in the grass, trees, groves and forests as well as the land, mountains and rivers. He says that the plants, mountains and rivers are impermanent. He moreover states that this very impermanence signifies Buddha-nature, and he recognizes its great value.
Transience (mujo) is a fundamental tenet of Buddhism, an important matter thatcannot be omitted in any discussion of Buddhism. It is the starting point of Buddhism, and no one can rightly be called a Buddhist if he or she does not feelthis aspect of its teaching. Dogen Zenji continues:
"These mountains and rivers and this land are all the sea of Buddha-nature...To see mountains and rivers is to see Buddha-nature."
Shobogenzo, Buddha-Nature (Bussho)
We can understand Dogen here as clearly stating that mountains, rivers and the great earth are Buddha-nature itself. In this passage he is speaking of the transient mountains and rivers, etc., and makes clear the Buddhist view predicated on transience. Dogen is not seeing the mountains, rivers and land as essences. Nor is he expressing any sort of animistic view of nature. He says that nature itself, in its state of constant change, manifests the ultimate truth.
"Shakyamnuni Buddha said, ´Suchness is form, suchness is all nature.´ Hence, blooming flowers and falling leaves are precisely what Shakyamuni meantby "suchness is all nature." Ignorant people, however, think that there are no blooming flowers or falling leaves in the world of Dharma nature."
Shobogenzo, Dharma-Nature (Hossho)
Here Dogen Zenji speaks of suchness as form and suchness as nature as preached by Shakyamuni Buddha. It is his teisho on the words of the Buddha. Herehe sees the true form of suchness in such natural phenomena as the blooming of the flowers and the falling of the leaves. The impermanent grasses and trees expressthe teaching of Shakyamuni. Here we can witness the Buddha-Dharma preached by Dogen Zenji.
It goes without saying that the basis of Buddhism is this view of transience,a view Dogen Zenji finds expressed in mountains and rivers, grasses and trees. We can see very clearly that the Buddhism of Dogen Zenji has its start in kinship with the natural environment.
In listening to the teaching of Dogen Zenji, we should remain concerned aboutthe natural environment, and desire to protect it. Witnessing the situation around us today, we must reflect deeply on how we can put Dogen Zenji's teachings into practice.
However, the view that all impermanent things are the form of the truth creates many difficult questions when we examine it in direct connection with modern society. In order to put this view of Dogen Zenji into practice in the world today, we must apply it in concrete situations.
All of us bear the tragic karma of human beings: Unable to live ourselves without robbing the life of nature, plants and animals, even though these are Buddha-nature itself. For this very reason, then, in considering how to apply Buddhism to our daily lives, we must remember that transience is no other than Buddha-nature. This means that each one of us faces some painful soul-searching.
"I am the friend of all people, the companion of all people. I sympathize with all living beings. I cultivate a compassionate mind and rejoice in not harming living creatures."
Thera Gatha, 648
The Thera Gatha belongs to the oldest of the original Buddhist sutras. A Thera is an elder monk who has practiced for many years. A Gatha is a prayer or hymn in poetic form. Thera Gatha could thus be translated as "Verses of the Elders." It is a collection of works by the direct disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha recounting how they suffered, practiced, and came to enlightenment, and describing their present consciousness. We also know the names of the elder monks who composed the poems in the collection, which is suffused with a spirit of earnestly seeking the Way and pure-hearted emotions comparable to those foundin the records of later Zen monks.
The poem quoted above was composed by Revata, an elder monk in Magadha who wassaid to have been the younger brother of the famous Sariputra. Known for his severe practice, he afterwards came to enlightenment and was supposed to have become unfettered by the claims of others. From the time he started practice, Revata had a deep sense of compassion toward human beings and all sentient beings. He wrote the following as a preface to the above poem:
"Practicing and cultivating continuous, limitless compassion"
The words "cultivating" and "continuous" tell us that it is not enough to practice compassion now and then when it occurs to us. Though we all may have a compassionate mind, compassion must be practiced. We should bring compassion to bear at all times in our daily lives and work to make it a habit.
We must all be the "friend and companion of all people" to deal with today's problems, whether they be problems of human rights, peace or the environment. If I am a true friend and companion, I must be able to see the sufferings, sadness and joy of my friends as my own. If the human rights of my friends are being violated, that becomes my own pain. If the life of my companions is being threatened, that is equal to a threat to my own life. I make every possible effort to suffer together with my friends and strive to help. This is putting compassion into practice.
There is actually no such thing as ideal practice of compassion. Instead, eachtime we confront a situation, we must remember compassion and strive to act accordingly. Thus does compassion ripen and mature. The Japanese Zen master Shido Munan Zenji compares it to learning to read:
"The same is true for compassion. When we practice compassion, it is admixed with consciousness of that compassion. When compassion matures there is no thought of compassion. When we practice compassion unselfconsciously, that is Buddha."
Dharma Talks of Shido Munan Zenji
And extending compassion to others will always be the reverse side of reflecting on our own proud ways. For I cannot remain proud and still become a true friend. Lowering myself while never forgetting the standpoint of the other person: such daily training is the foundation for practicing the Buddhism preached by the patriarchs. By continuing that practice, not harming others but being truly the friend of all people, I gain the joy of life.
ZEN Quarterly Vol.5, No 1, 1993
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