To carry yourself forward
and experience myriad things is delusion.
That myriad things come forth and experience
themselves is awakening.
Those who have
great realization of delusion are buddhas;
those who are greatly deluded
about realization are sentient beings.
Further, there are those who continue
realizing beyond realization, who are in
delusion
throughout delusion.
When buddhas are
truly buddhas they do not necessarily
notice that they are
buddhas. However, they are actualized
buddhas, who
go on actualizing buddhas.
Before reading the commentary, reflect
on what Dogen is saying about delusion
and awakening.
Reflect on the difference between carrying
yourself forward and things coming forth.
To carry yourself forward and experience
myriad things is delusion.
If you’re self-centered and everything
is great, that’s just you. That’s
not what’s going on.
Is Dogen saying don't try? Don't make
effort, as effort is "carrying yourself
forward?"
Do you have an image of your goal in
practice? And if so are you trying to
force yourself toward it? Is Dogen saying
this is a form of delusion?
That myriad things come forth and
experience themselves is awakening
You're part of everything that’s
coming forward. It’s not you that’s
coming forward – it’s everything that’s
coming forward. And then you are not messing it up.
Everything
comes forward and you're part of the wave. You can’t
separate yourself.
..Those who have great realization...
...those who are greatly
deluded about realization are sentient beings.
What
buddhas really know about is delusion; they don’t
know about realization. To know about realization is
to jump further than where you are.
A buddha is not
deluded? Buddhas
greatly realize what delusion is? Can you
adjust your thinking about Buddhas and
delusion and enlightenment to hear what
Dogen is saying?
Further, there are those who continue realizing
beyond realization,
Even when
you have a realization you keep going. You don’t
say “Ah,
this is realization and I better tell everybody about
what it is, because
I've now I've got it.”
...who are in delusion throughout
delusion
Even
in the middle of delusion you get further deluded.
It doesn’t
mean you can’t be there at your own enlightenment.
You can be there, but you’re not the main object.
You’re in the same room.
When buddhas are truly buddhas
What do you think of when you read of a
"true" buddha?
Might a true buddha be someone who lives
in the present moment?
they do not necessarily notice that
they are buddhas.
Well, maybe they maybe they
do, maybe they don't.
If you were a buddha, would you "notice?"
If you can't be present at your own enlightenment,
what do you notice? Reflect on
Dogen's saying "not necessarily."
However, they are actualized buddhas,
who go on actualizing buddhas.
