The Zen Studies Podcast

In this episode I continue our study of 13th-century Zen master Dogen’s essay, “Bodaisatta Shishobo,” or what I’m calling the “Four Ways Bodhisattvas Embrace Living Beings.” I cover "beneficial action," which means to use skillful means to benefit beings without discriminating among them, considering their near and distant future, and to do so selflessly.

Real happiness is unconditional, and is achieved by releasing our suffering. Even though things are rarely how we would like them to be - within, or in our personal lives, or in the greater world - we have the potential to let go of our resistance, grief, or anger, and feel more relaxed, at ease, grateful, and enthusiastic. In this sense, working towards real happiness is far from selfish; it makes us much more able to respond compassionately and skillfully, and therefore it benefits others.

The podcast explores the integration of Shikantaza with other meditation techniques, clarifying misconceptions in Zen teachings. Delve into contrasting methods of Shikantaza and directed effort in Soto Zen, advocating for using multiple types of meditation practices. Reflect on internal inquiry in Buddhist practice for extending practice into daily life, exploring the relationship between insight meditation and Shikantaza, and delving into the synergy of integrating the two forms of meditation for deeper introspection.

So sorry... no time to produce a new episode for you this week, but there's still something for you to listen to! I’ll be giving the Dharma Talk at San Francisco Zen Center this Saturday, Sept 14th. Livestream the talk at 10:15am Pacific, or watch it later, or download it as a podcast. Visit http://sfzc.org/teachings/video/live-streaming-media, or simply search online for “San Francisco Zen Center Dharma Talks.” My working title for the talk is “A Passionate Sermon for Buddhists in a Time of Crisis.”

I continue study of 13th-century Zen master Dogen’s essay, Bodaisatta Shishobo, "Four Ways Bodhisattvas Embrace Living Beings." In Episode 105 I gave an overview of the essay and defined the bodhisattva’s four “embracing actions:” practicing nongreed, loving words, beneficial action, and “being in the same boat” as other beings. In Episode 106 I took us through the part of the essay on nongreed, or giving. Today I cover the section of the essay on loving words, or kind speech.

If we're lucky, our practices of meditation and mindfulness give us some sense of spaciousness, stillness, and silence. What about when we engage in activities more complicated and demanding than potentially calming manual tasks like weeding the garden, sweeping, or washing the dishes? Zen master Dogen teaches us a better way to practice in the midst of activity: maintaining joyful mind, nurturing mind, and magnanimous mind. These qualities have the potential to grow even stronger as we get busier.

We do not have retreat from appreciation of conditional or material things in order to live an enlightened life. However, we must diligently turn the lens of practice onto all of our relationships to things and to beings. Learning to see and accept the impermanence of all things and yet to “enjoy them incredibly” is a wonderful practice opportunity.

Of course, traditional Buddhism doesn’t say anything about mass shootings per se, but it does present teachings on human nature, behavior, and choices. In this episode I discuss the Buddhist of view of how and why people do horrible things, pointing out how Buddhism is realistic but also optimistic, and how a Buddhist view can help relieve some of our fear and despair.

The “Five Skandhas,” or aggregates, are the five aspects of a human being: Form, the body; Feelings, our positive, negative, or neutral reactions to stimuli; Perception, the basic process of labeling or identifying things; Consciousness, awareness of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, and thoughts; and Mental Fabrications, all of our active processes of mind. The Five Skandhas aren’t so much a teaching in an of themselves as they are a tool for exploring the teaching of Anatta, or not-self.

Buddhism includes values of Right Action and Right Livelihood, generosity, goodwill, and compassion, and Mahayana Buddhists vow to free all beings from suffering. It's not easy to enact these values and aspirations in the modern world, which is so complex we find ourselves complicit in causes of suffering simply by participating in society, or by neglecting to stand up for change. How do we find and enact our best response to the world's suffering without getting overwhelmed, depressed, or discouraged?