Making Wise Effort

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(Follow this link to see the May 2022 Priory Newsletter where this was recently published.)

– Rev. Master Daizui MacPhillamy

Today’s bit of Dharma is an excerpt from the book Buddhism From Within by Rev. Master Daizui MacPhillamy. It came to mind when I was thinking about the initial offering from this newsletter about Dr. Anna Lembke’s book Dopamine Nation. Like Dr. Lembke, Rev. Master Daizui was a clinical, as well as researching, psychologist and the chapter this excerpt comes from is called “Radical Sobriety.”

This book is an excellent introduction to Zen Buddhism (even suitable for sharing with non-Buddhists) and you can order a copy of Buddhism From Within on Lulu. The proceeds will help the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives.

April snow yields dogwood blossoms!

Some Buddhist teachings talk about ‘effortless effort’ or the ‘goal of goalessness,’ and sometimes this sounds as if the religion is saying that all we need to do is ‘do what comes naturally.’ And in a sense that is true. But what is needed is not doing what comes naturally to our selfish mind, for to do this would be simply to indulge impulsiveness, to go back to faster horses, wilder lovers, and more whiskey. Instead, Buddhists must find a way to do what comes naturally to something else within themselves. This ‘some- thing else’ is what some schools of Buddhism call ‘Buddha Nature’ or ‘the Mind that seeks the Way’. It is that within ourselves which has always been attuned to the truth, and it has already been mentioned in the section about right thought. Other forms of Buddhism refer to that which guides a person as ‘insight,’ the inner wisdom which is developed over time and training in the Path. Still others view it as a transcendental being and give It a name such as ‘Prajnaparamita,’ ‘Manjusri Bodhisattva,’ or ‘Amida Buddha.’ Whatever it may be called and however Continue reading →

Bodhidharma’s Outline of Practice: Part 9, Practicing the Dharma, concluded

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Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva known as the universally worthy one, Samantabhadra represents the active side of our fundamental nature and therefore is expressive of selfless love. In Japanese he is called Fugen, in Chinese he is called Puxian.

(Follow this link to see the April 2022 Priory Newsletter where this was originally published.)

The fourth of the four practices, “Practicing the Dharma” is as follows (from the Red Pine translation):

Fourth, practicing the Dharma. The Dharma is the truth that all natures are pure. By this truth, all appearances are empty. Defilement and attachment, subject and object don’t exist. The sutras say, “The Dharma includes no being because it’s free from the impurity of being, and the Dharma includes no self because it’s free from the impurity of self.” Those wise enough to believe and understand these truths are bound to practice according to the Dharma. And since that which is real includes nothing worth begrudging, they give their body, life, and property in charity, without regret, without the vanity of giver, gift, or recipient, and without bias or attachment. And to eliminate impurity they teach others, but without becoming attached to form. Thus, through their own practice they’re able to help others and glorify the Way of Enlightenment. And as with charity, they also practice the other virtues. But while practicing the six virtues to eliminate delusion, they practice nothing at all. This is what’s meant by practicing the Dharma.

Again, in this Fourth Practice, Bodhidharma is pointing toward Emptiness Continue reading →

Bodhidharma’s Outline of Practice: Part 8, Practicing the Dharma, Continued

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Ksitigarbha, or Jizo Bodhisattva

(Follow this link to see the March 2022 Priory Newsletter where this was originally published.)

The fourth of the four practices, “Practicing the Dharma” is as follows (from the Red Pine translation):

Fourth, practicing the Dharma. The Dharma is the truth that all natures are pure. By this truth, all appearances are empty. Defilement and attachment, subject and object don’t exist. The sutras say, “The Dharma includes no being because it’s free from the impurity of being, and the Dharma includes no self because it’s free from the impurity of self.” Those wise enough to believe and understand these truths are bound to practice according to the Dharma. And since that which is real includes nothing worth begrudging, they give their body, life, and property in charity, without regret, without the vanity of giver, gift, or recipient, and without bias or attachment. And to eliminate impurity they teach others, but without becoming attached to form. Thus, through their own practice they’re able to help others and glorify the Way of Enlightenment. And as with charity, they also practice the other virtues. But while practicing the six virtues to eliminate delusion, they practice nothing at all. This is what’s meant by practicing the Dharma.

The Dharma is the truth that all natures are pure. In a note for this fourth practice, Red Pine says: “The Sanskrit word dharma comes from dhri meaning to hold, whether in a provisional or an ultimate sense. Hence the word can mean thing, teaching or reality.” This fourth practice corresponds with the fourth Continue reading →