tariki

Not reviling, not injuring, practicing restraint according to the moral code leading to freedom, moderation in eating, living in solitude, dwelling with diligence on the highest thoughts — this is the teaching of the Buddhas. Regarding the above verse, and the highlighted words, Cleary says.... Solitude means being aloof from the influences of society (be not conformed to this world?) . It may be practiced alone or in company, just as emotional dependency can be practiced alone or in company. One who is physically alone yet still under the influence of other people is not solitary. One who abandons the world in favour of isolation is not solitary either, because the world is still a companion by virtue of ongoing relation, even though that relation be one of rejection.

The Enlightened One 179. By what path will you lead the Buddha of infinite range of perception, the Pathless One, whose conquest of passions cannot be undone, into whose conquest no one in this world enters? 180. By what path will you lead the Buddha of infinite range of perception, the Pathless One, in whom there is not that entangling and poisonous craving which leads one astray (to another state of birth)? 181. Those wise ones who are absorbed in meditation, who take delight in the inner calm of renunciation, such mindful and perfectly awakened ones even the devas (gods) hold dear. 182. Difficult is it to be born as a human being; difficult is the existence of mortals; difficult is the hearing of the Sublime Truth; rare is the appearance of the Enlightened Ones (Buddhas). 183. Abstention from all evil, the doing of good deeds, and the purification of the mind, is the admonition of the Enlightened Ones. 184. Forbearance which is long-suffering is the highest austerity. The Buddhas declare nirvana to be the supreme state. Verily he is not an anchorite who harms another; nor is he an ascetic who causes grief to another. 185. Not reviling, not injuring, practicing restraint according to the moral code (patimokkha) leading to freedom, moderation in eating, living in solitude, dwelling with diligence on the highest thoughts — this is the teaching of the Buddhas. 186, 187. There is no satisfying the passions even by a shower of gold coins; the wise man, knowing that sense delights are of fleeting pleasure and productive of pain, finds no joy even in celestial pleasures. The true disciple of the Fully Enlightened One delights only in the destruction of all worldly desires. 188. Men driven by fear betake themselves to numerous refuges, such as mountains, forests, groves, sacred trees and shrines. 189. Verily, none of these is a safe refuge, nor is it the supreme refuge. For even after arriving at a refuge, one is not emancipated from all suffering. 190. He who takes refuge in the Enlightened One (buddha), in his Doctrine (dhamma), and in his Community of Monks (sangha), perceives with clarity of wisdom the Four Noble Truths, namely: 191, 192. Suffering, the Origin of Suffering, the Cessation of Suffering, the Noble Eightfold Path that leads to the cessation of suffering. That, verily, is the safe refuge and the supreme refuge. After having arrived at that refuge, a man is emancipated from all suffering. 193. An illumined person (a Buddha) is indeed very rare. He is not born everywhere. Wherever such a one takes birth, that family prospers. 194. Blessed is the birth of the Buddhas; blessed is the discourse on the Noble Law; blessed is the harmony of the Community of Monks; blessed is the devotion of those living in brotherhood. 195, 196. He who pays homage to those who deserve homage, whether the Enlightened Ones or their disciples; he who has overcome the host of passions, and crossed the stream of grief and lamentations; he who pays homage to such as are emancipated and fearless — his merit cannot be measured. (I have had to switch from the on-line version I was using, as the cut and paste seems not to work. I have left the verse numbers in, as can be seen)

I've found that "suchness" , in complete contradiction to what it "is" (or isn't), grows and evolves, at least in terms of my own understanding. (This raises questions about "sudden" and "gradual" enlighenment, and the quagmire of all the various arguments between Theravada and Mayahaya...............the closest I have found in resolving them are a few words from Pai-chang, who has said that there is the "elementary, the intermediate and the final good", If only one stage is taught, you will send people to hell, if all three are taught at once, they will go to hell by themselves.....then he says enigmatically......for the truth is not truth, yet is not other than truth. Anyway, I'm not too sure exactly what stage I'm at, and I don't think too much about it, a tip picked up from Merton, who seems to know about these things........(at least, I hope so)...... ) I would say that the one big mistake that can be made is to identify "suchness" with some form of inertia, that experience of its reality encourages docile acceptance of the status quo, however conceived. This is the "mistake" that is often made - and more often than not, expressed as a condemnation/criticism by various "apologists" of other faiths - of the "passive" east, of a Buddha often depicted as sitting cross legged, eyes closed.......etc etc etc. For me it is more of a "coming back to the place we started, and knowing it for the first time", of realising we are the same old Tom, Dick or Harry we have always been, yet though we are not different from who we used to be, our course of action is different from before (Pai-chang again) So "suchness" is paradoxically how things already are, just as they are. Yet this is a transformative realization, and this is not so paradoxical if it is seen in Christian terms that "how things already are" is the "hidden ground of love", the pure freedom of the divine, Who is Love first and foremost, who accepts us totally just as we are, this to give His own "being" of freedom and love to us as gift, unearned in any way. As Pai-chang says again, "it (reality) is not attained by attainment........it is not known by knowledge." To think we "have it" is to miss it. Suzuki speaks of how such realization unfolds a new world......."free from intellectual complexities and moralistic attachments of every description.....discovers in the world of multiplicities all sorts of values hitherto hidden from sight....... a world full of wonders and miracles. ( From "What is Zen", the first chapter of Suzuki's wonderful book "Zen and Japanese Culture") And there are also some words of Thomas Cleary, who has been a companion of sorts on the thread, when he speaks of the realisation as "opening the door to a an impartial compassion and social conscience, not in response to political opportunity, but as a spontaneous expression of intuitive and emphatic awareness."

Joseph, it is interesting that you say what you did. In fact it points to where Suzuki and Merton "parted company" (in the nicest possible way) at the end of their dialogue concerning the meaning of - and implications of - the "fall", a dialogue that can be found under the heading "Wisdom in Emptiness" in the book "Zen and the Birds of Appetite." Suzuki finishes by speaking of a "realised eschatology" of the present moment, which he also identifies as "suchness" pure and simple. Merton sees such as "vivid and very profound" and even "much more deeply Christian than perhaps Suzuki himself imagines." Yet Merton also feels compelled to witness to the final manifestation of the restoration of all things in Christ, which he acknowledges can only appear distinct from pure "suchness" as such, even a movement away from it. Merton also distinguishes between the Buddhist who sees life as a static and ontological fullness, and the Christian who sees it as a dynamic gift, a fullness of love. (I would tend to take issue with this, certainly of the "Buddhist" perspective.....as he himself has said previously, Buddhism focuses on experience, which is essential, not on the explanation, which is accidental and which indeed is often regarded as trivial and even misleading.

"For consider the world - A bubble, a mirage." Just a quick word or two from Cleary's commentary, as usual given from the Mahayana perspective...... This method of contemplation has been confused with an article of dogma by literal-minded scholars. The great Japanese Zen master Muso Soseki explains that the contemplative method described here is not ultimate, but a method of breaking through fixation on views of the world. This needs to be said, because fixation on the view of the world as a mirage is also an illusion with undesirable consequences. Also.... the final line......."Is the joy of reaching the stream" Entering the stream is a technical term.......perhaps most simply defined as putting an end to delusion by views and opinions. (Cleary)

The World Do not live in the world, In distraction and false dreams. Outside the dharma. Arise and watch. Follow the way joyfully Through this world and beyond. Follow the way of virtue. Follow the way joyfully Through this world and on beyond! For consider the world - A bubble, a mirage. See the world as it is, And death shall overlook you. Come, consider the world, A painted chariot for kings, A trap for fools. But he who sees goes free. As the moon slips from behind a cloud And shines, So the master comes out from behind his ignorance And shines. The world is in darkness. How few have eyes to see! How few the birds Who escape the net and fly to heaven! Swans rise and fly toward the sun. What magic! So do the pure conquer the armies of illusion And rise and fly. If you scoff at heaven And violate the dharma, If your words are lies, Where will your mischief end? The fool laughs at generosity. The miser cannot enter heaven. But the master finds joy in giving And happiness is his reward. And more - For greater than all the joys Of heaven and earth, Greater still than dominion Over all the worlds, Is the joy of reaching the stream.

rivanna, Yes, the Dhammapada is a Theravada scripture, and the Theravada seeks to relate very much to the practical/conventional world. We are a long way here from the paradoxes of zen, and the quagmire of Mahayana Buddhism. (Well, quagmire to the unwary) The Theravada also claims to have preserved the most historically accurate account of the Buddha's teachings, and I think there is substance in such a claim. But the whole subject is complex. I did refer to this latest chapter on another thread............post repeated here... //When such is not seen (the nature of truth, as a state of "being" rather than a set of words/doctrine) then there is always a sense in which our words and actions are "works", however subtle at times, "works" that are a clung to us justifications, self aggrandisement, and setting us over and above others whose "works" are inferior in our own eyes. To a certain extent I understand much of this in relation to the latest Chapter of the Dhammapada I have posted, where the main theme appears to be that one must "work on" ones own self and get that sorted out (!) before attempting to sort out anyone else. Good advice in many ways, yet in practice one of saying we should NEVERinterfere with others! Cleary, in his commentary, says.......The point.......is not that we should not help others, but that we cannot help others in a real sense, even if we try, unless and until we have first developed our own understanding and capacity to a sufficient degree......lending a hand just to feel like we are doing some good is really selfish indulgence, not altruistic action..... Not sure I'm in complete agreement. Often mouths need feeding ( and a lot more) irrespective of our motivations, but Cleary makes a point.// Getting into the quagmire of the Mahayana , enlightenment there is seen to be the unity of helping self and others, that there cannot be one without the other, as we are "one" already in many ways. The "trajectory" of Theravada is up and out of this world, that of Mahayana "up" and then "back".........But as said, the issue is complex, and I would not wish to be dogmatic!

Yourself Love yourself and watch - Today, tomorrow, always. First establish yourself in the way, Then teach, And so defeat sorrow. To straighten the crooked You must first do a harder thing - Straighten yourself. You are your only master. Who else? Subdue yourself, And discover your master. Willfully you have fed Your own mischief. Soon it will crush you As the diamond crushes stone. By your own folly You will be brought as low As you worst enemy wishes. So the creeper chokes the tree. How hard it is to serve yourself, How easy to lose yourself In mischief and folly. The kashta reed dies when it bears fruit. So the fool, Scorning the teachings of the awakened, Spurning those who follow the dharma, Perishes when his folly flowers. Mischief is yours. Sorrow is yours. But virtue is also yours, And purity. You are the source Of all purity and impurity. No one purifies another. Never neglect your work For another's, However great his need. Your work is to discover your work And then with all your heart To give yourself to it.

To a certain extent, this question seems relevant to the whole subject of the UP. Looking at past posts, and the suggestion that the part of the UP that dealt with the actual life and teachings of Jesus would be beneficial to read as a stand alone...........700 pages! Containing the "greatest truths mankind can ever hear"! Though I identify as a Pure Land Buddhist, I have found that the gospels as found in the NT full of the "greatest truths mankind can ever hear." I'd even say that just a single parable of the kingdom would suffice. 700 pages? Sorry. I must be on a bit of a downer.

Brent, The E of P and I my mention of it was merely my sense of humour.....it goes back a long way. Yet, such can be linked to revelations from Hubble telescopes and such. Simplicity also. sadly, at the moment, I have no time, but then again, really I do not see any real argument between us.

Brent, I have to say that for me its whatever grabs ya. Also, maybe a case of things being as simple or as complex as we want to make them, or perhaps as we need them to be. There is a story of the Buddha holding up a flower and someone "got it", while others needed a little bit more in the way of deep analysis of the essencelessness of phenomena, perhaps a hundred lifetimes worth! Jesus summed up the law and the prophets by saying that they merely said "love God and love your neighbour as yourself", and maybe the NT could be summed up by "we are saved by grace". Yet perhaps we all, in our own way, "search the scriptures daily for in them we think we have life" I do think that we know God by, and in, love, but by thought never. I think thought can become very complex, yet the call is to become as a little child. So I suppose we get back to whatever grabs ya!

Joseph, maybe I would have been had the bulge not been quite so pronounced........ But, thanks for the words. I just think that there is a time and a place for all sorts of words, its just getting the time and the place right that often causes confusion. All the best Derek

Old Age The world is on fire! And you are laughing? You are deep in the dark. Will you not ask for a light? For behold your body - A painted puppet, a toy, Jointed and sick and full of false imaginings, A shadow that shifts and fades. How frail it is! Frail and pestilent, It sickens, festers and dies. Like every living thing In the end it sickens and dies. Behold these whitened bones, The hollow shells and husks of a dying summer. And you are laughing? You are a house of bones, Flesh and blood for plaster. Pride lives in you, And hypocrisy, decay, and death. The glorious chariots of kings shatter. So also the body turns to dust. But the spirit of purity is changeless And so the pure instruct the pure. The ignorant man is an ox. He grows in size, not in wisdom. "Vainly I sought the builder of my house Through countless lives. I could not find him... How hard it is to tread life after life! "But now I see you, O builder! And never again shall you build my house. I have snapped the rafters, Split the ridgepole And beaten out desire. And now my mind is free." There are no fish in the lake. The long-legged cranes stand in the water. Sad is the man who in his youth Loved loosely and squandered his fortune - Sad as a broken bow, And sadly is he sighing After all that has arisen and has passed away. Cleary says that this chapter offers some sobering contemplations of the passage of time..........certainly, looking down at my once lean middle regions and noting the rather unwholesome looking bulge, the words concerning the ox, and growing only in size, tends to concentrate the mind somewhat! And never again shall you build my house. When we have seen the source of illusion - the illusion that sees the body as the self or treats it as a possession - (Cleary again), means you will not deceive yourself anymore with images of self-importance.

real freedom is not “choice freedom but spontaneity freedom Rivanna, yes, that's it. Just a small excerpt from the dialogue between Merton and Suzuki, here the words of Suzuki.........."When we return to the state of 'innocence' anything we do is good. St Augustine says, 'Love God and do as you will.' The Buddhist idea of Anabhoga-Carya corresponds to innocence." In a footnote, Suzuki states that Anabhoga-Carya is often translated as "effortlessness" or "no-striving". Again, in the Pure Land, the idea is expressed by saying "No working (i.e. our own calculations/hakarai) is true working (i.e. Amida's working), yet allowing for the realisation that there is in fact no "self power", nor "other power", there is only Other Power. And just to taunt Joseph with further obscurity....( )......Pai-Chang (a Ch'an master) has said....that what are called desire and aversion when one is not yet enlightened or liberated are called enlightened wisdom after enlightenment. That is why it is said, "One is not different from who one used to be; only one's course of action is different from before." "A clearly enlightened person falls into the well. How is this so?" (Zen Koan)

Joseph, thanks for your response. I suppose for myself, knowing Merton's writings as I do, I can in effect tend to discount things that do not appear to match later additions/changes to his thought. I have just been reading his dialogue with Suzuki regarding the recovery of "innocence" via "knowledge" , the recovery being in effect a complete emptiness of self in which all is the work of God, the free and unpredictable expression of His love, the work of grace. In the purity of original innocence, all is done in us but without us...............but before we reach that level, we must also learn to work on the other level of "knowledge" where grace works in us but "not without us." New Seeds came earlier and, yes, I can see how ideas of "perfect hatred" jars, even for "evil". Certainly in the dialogue with Suzuki our discriminations made between the dualities are seen as necessary, yet are embraced within the "ground of Being". Unfortunately, the exchanges with Suzuki are so full of insights on the fringe of my own experience and understanding that I am not really able to give any sort of responsible summary. Thanks Derek

Merton again.....well, why not...... The mere ability to choose between good and evil is the lowest limit of freedom, and the only thing that is free about it is the fact that we can still choose good. To the extent that you are free to choose evil, you are not free. An evil choice destroys freedom. We can never choose evil as evil: only as an apparent good. But when we decide to do something that seems to us to be good when it is not really so, we are doing something that we do not really want to do, and therefore we are not really free. Perfect spiritual freedom is a total inability to make any evil choice. When everything you desire is truly good and every choice not only aspires to that good but attains it, then you are free because you do everything that you want, every act of your will ends in perfect fulfillment. Freedom therefore does not consist in an equal balance between good and evil choices but in the perfect love and acceptance of what is really good and the perfect hatred and rejection of what is evil, so that everything you do is good and makes you happy, and you refuse and deny and ignore every possibility that might lead to unhappiness and self-deception and grief. Only the man who has rejected all evil so completely that he is unable to desire it at all, is truly free. God, in whom there is absolutely no shadow or possibility of evil or of sin, is infinitely free. In fact, He is Freedom. from New Seeds of Contemplation Trying to see the implications, it would seem that, because of the "fall" we discriminate, create duality, a "low form of freedom" yet, in a sense, a necessary one. Yet by seeking the "good" - maybe even believing in the existence of the "good", the ground of being - we are able to move from this very "low" form of freedom to a true freedom, one that would in fact be a spontaneity, where "no working is true working". So in a certain sense, we gain "true" freedom when we lose "free will", its lowest expression. Do others see these implications, or maybe disagree. Or perhaps other implications.? Thanks Derek

I must admit, I find more credibility in various "mentors" than any particular book, holy or otherwise. Even with Pure Land Buddhism, it is Shinran as a person, and learning more about him, that seems to illuminate the "message".

Violence All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do? He who seeks happiness By hurting those who seek happiness Will never find happiness. For your brother is like you. He wants to be happy. Never harm him And when you leave this life You too will find happiness. Never speak harsh words For they will rebound upon you. Angry words hurt And the hurt rebounds. Like a broken gong Be still, and silent. Know the stillness of freedom Where there is no more striving. Like herdsmen driving their cows into the fields, Old age and death will drive you before them. But the fool in his mischief forgets And he lights the fire Wherein one day he must burn. He who harms the harmless Or hurts the innocent, Ten times shall he fall - Into torment or infirmity, Injury or disease or madness, Persecution or fearful accusation, Loss of family, loss of fortune. Fire from heaven shall strike his house And when his body has been struck down, He shall rise in hell. He who goes naked, With matted hair, mud bespattered, Who fasts and sleeps on the ground And smears his body with ashes And sits in endless meditation - So long as he is not free from doubts, He will not find freedom. But he who lives purely and self-assured, In quietness and virtue, Who is without harm or hurt or blame, Even if he wears fine clothes, So long as he also has faith, He is a true seeker. A noble horse rarely Feels the touch of the whip. Who is there in this world as blameless? Then like a noble horse Smart under the whip. Burn and be swift. Believe, meditate, see. Be harmless, be blameless. Awake to the dharma. And from all sorrows free yourself. The farmer channels water to his land. The fletcher whittles his arrows. The carpenter turns his wood. And the wise man masters himself.

Regarding.... Do not make light of your failings, Saying, "What are they to me?" A jug fills drop by drop. So the fool becomes brimful of folly. Cleary says......."the time lapse that may occur between specific causes and their effects creates latitude for all sorts of imaginative deception." Beware of "imaginative deception"!! And of... Do not belittle your virtues, Saying, "They are nothing." A jug fills drop by drop. So the wise man becomes brimful of virtue. ......Cleary speaks of the Tao Te Ching and quotes "Do the great while it is still small."

Mischief Be quick to do good. If you are slow, The mind, delighting in mischief, Will catch you. Turn away from mischief. Again and again, turn away. Before sorrow befalls you. Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, And you will be filled with joy. A fool is happy Until his mischief turns against him. And a good man may suffer Until his goodness flowers. Do not make light of your failings, Saying, "What are they to me?" A jug fills drop by drop. So the fool becomes brimful of folly. Do not belittle your virtues, Saying, "They are nothing." A jug fills drop by drop. So the wise man becomes brimful of virtue. As the rich merchant with few servants Shuns a dangerous road And the man who loves life shuns poison, Beware the dangers of folly and mischief. For an unwounded hand may handle poison. The innocent come to no harm. But as dust thrown against the wind, Mischief is blown back in the face Of the fool who wrongs the pure and harmless. Some are reborn in hell, Some in this world, The good in heaven. But the pure are not reborn. Nowhere! Not in the sky, Nor in the midst of the sea, Nor deep in the mountains, Can you hide from your own mischief. Not in the sky, Not in the midst of the ocean, Nor deep in the mountains, Nowhere Can you hide from your own death.

Thomas Cleary states that this chapter is aimed at "drawing a distinction between quantity and quality in life, contrasting superficial activities, observances, and aims with deeper appreciation of perennial truths and enduring values." Which speaks to me of a thought expressed in a little book once read on Cistercian spirituality, "The Way of Simplicity"........ Here is a life which is not a succession of alternating superior and inferior activities, but rather a continuous rhythm of equally valid ones.

So we move on....... The Thousands Better than a thousand hollow words Is one word that brings peace. Better than a thousand hollow verses Is one verse that brings peace. Better than a hundred hollow lines Is one line of the dharma, bringing peace. It is better to conquer yourself Than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, Not by angels or by demons, Heaven or hell. Better than a hundred years of worship, Better than a thousand offerings, Better than giving up a thousand worldly ways In order to win merit, Better even than tending in the forest A sacred flame for a hundred years - Is one moment's reverence For the man who has conquered himself. To revere such a man, A master old in virtue and holiness, Is to have victory over life itself, And beauty, strength and happiness. Better than a hundred years of mischief Is one day spent in contemplation. Better than a hundred years of ignorance Is one day spent in reflection. Better than a hundred years of idleness Is one day spent in determination. Better to live one day Wondering How all things arise and pass away. Better to live one hour Seeing The one life beyond the way. Better to live one moment In the moment Of the way beyond the way.

No, I think the closest I ever came was when I was bobbing about on top of a little cargo ship crossing from Sumatra to Penang, this in my wayward and ill spent youth. Maybe it is my distance from an actual Pure Land congregation that enables me to have a possibly idealised view................maybe if I saw a devotee picking their nose - or worse - I would reel away in distaste. But, picking up a few points, I would say that as far as my reading and understanding goes, there is a very wide spectrum within the Pure Land tradition, certainly there is now, when the likes of Thich Nhat Hanh and D.T Suzuki - who have both lived more within the zen path - have versed their understanding. A spectrum that ranges from Amida "up there", who will welcome devotees to the Pure Land "out west" upon death, to Amida as "myth", as personification of Reality-as-is, and the Pure Land is NOW, this world, even this moment. (Possibly a realisation easier to come to when one does not have toothache.. ) There was an interesting story in Jeff Wilsons book "Buddhism of the Heart" where he spoke of two different "believers" who sought confirmation of their views from the local "reverend". So the question was put....."Amida Buddha - is he real or a myth?" "Amida is a metaphor." One man jumped up with joy, his personal view confirmed. Seeking further confirmation he asked again......"So Amida is purely metaphor?" "Oh no" came the reply, "Amida is very real." As Jeff Wilson comments...."Each man got a teaching that shook up his fossilized views, forcing him to consider other ways of approaching the tradition, and thus notice the way even notions of Amida are used to reinforce our egoistic desires. This kind of skilful means is an expression of the compassion valued by Shin Buddhists, which both meets you where you are, and, when you are ready, challenges you to go further." As far as how the Pure Land way - even Mahayana in general - evolved from the earliest forms of Buddhism, Shinran (13th century, founder of Jodo Shinshu, and a particular mentor of mine) turned what I suppose are our modern notions of history on their head. He understood the reality of the Vow (that Reality - "being" - is Unjudgemental, Infinite in Compassion, and is ever "working" in infinite ways to bring all to enlightenment) as fundamental. Therefore intuitions of such, and expressions of such, can be found within all things, at any time......prior to the historical Buddha, as inferred by his teaching, as coming to the fore within the Mahayana. Saichi says it more simply..... O Saichi! What is your joy? This world of delusion is my joy! It contains the seeds Of relishing the Dharma. Namu-amida-butsu is blooming everywhere! (I was interested that the Urantia Papers actually referred to the "lesser" and "greater" roads (of Buddhism) as I had never heard these terms mentioned before they were spoken of by Thomas Cleary in his commentary to the Dhammapada. Still, greater or lesser, "many that are first shall be last" etc etc. Perhaps better not to think too deeply about which we are "on"?

Brent, just put of interest, a short excerpt from D.T.Suzuki's book "Buddha of Infinite Light". He is speaking of a title that is often used for Amida (the Buddha in question) by devotees......OYA-SAMA We believe in Amida Buddha as our Oya-sama, or Oya-san, as it is sometimes called. It is the term used to express love and compassion. Oya means parent, but not either parent, rather both mother and father; not separate personalities, but both fatherly and motherly qualities united in one personality. The honorific san is the familiar form of sama. The latter, Oya-sama, is the standard form. In Christianity, God is adressed as the Father - "Our Father who art in heaven" - but Oya-sama is not in heaven, nor is Oya-sama Father. It is incorrect to say "he" or "she," for no gender distinction is found. I don't like to say "it," so I don't know what to say. Oya-sama is a unique word, deeply endearing and at the same time rich with religious significance and warmth. So we don't know what to say, which perhaps is best in some ways.... Perhaps it is the internalisation of this that prompted Suzuki to translate the givingof grace - and of being grace for us - by Amida (Reality-as-is) by the homely English word "favour".......as in... Doubts have all been taken away, I know not how and when! How to be thankful for the favour - I know not! "Namu-amida-butsu"! (Saichi) I know that when I developed an interest in Christology, I found there were "high" and "low" versions. Some began at the top (with God the Father) and worked their way down, while others began at the bottom (with the pure humanity of Jesus) and worked their way up. To be honest, at the time, I was inclined to begin at the bottom and stay there...............which, I suppose, is why I find the word "favour" so endearing, the kind of word I would use for the lend of a lawnmower by my neighbour. My experience is that we then see the favours done by others all day and everyday, and come to see how grace is part and parcel of our world. And not something bestowed from on high by "Him up there". All the best Derek

The Master At the end of the way The master finds freedom From desire and sorrow - Freedom without bounds. Those who awaken Never rest in one place. Like swans, they rise And leave the lake. On the air they rise And fly an invisible course, Gathering nothing, storing nothing. Their food is knowledge. They live upon emptiness. They have seen how to break free. Who can follow them? Only the master, Such is his purity. Like a bird, He rises on the limitless air And flies an invisible course. He wishes for nothing. His food is knowledge. He lives upon emptiness. He has broken free. He is the charioteer. He has tamed his horses, Pride and the senses. Even the gods admire him. Yielding like the earth, Joyous and clear like the lake, Still as the stone at the door, He is free from life and death. His thoughts are still. His words are still. His work is stillness. He sees his freedom and is free. The master surrenders his beliefs. He sees beyond the end and the beginning. He cuts all ties. He gives up all desires. He resists all temptations. And he rises. And wherever he lives, In the city or the country, In the valley or in the hills, There is great joy. Even in the empty forest He finds joy Because he wants nothing.