The Religion of the Samurai: A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and JapanNukariya, Kaiten
Religion
The Religion of the Samurai: A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and Japan
Nukariya, Kaiten
Buddhism -- China; Buddhism -- Japan; China -- Religion; Human beings -- Origin; Japan -- Religion; Zen Buddhism
Enlightened Consciousness is not a bare intellectual insight, for it
is full of beautiful emotions. It loves, caresses, embraces, and at
the same time esteems all beings, being ever merciful to them. It
has no enemies to conquer, no evil to fight with, but constantly
finds friends to help, good to promote. Its warm heart beats in
harmony with those of all fellow beings. The author of
Brahmajala-sutra fully expresses this idea as he says: "All women are
our mothers; all men our fathers; all earth and water our bodies in
the past existences; all fire and air our essence."
Thus relying on our inner experience, which is the only direct way of
knowing Buddha, we conceive Him as a Being with profound wisdom and
boundless mercy, who loves all beings as His children, whom He is
fostering, bringing up, guiding, and teaching. "These three worlds
are His, and all beings living in them are His children."[FN#157]
"The Blessed One is the mother of all sentient beings, and gives them
all the milk of mercy."[FN#158] Some people named Him Absolute, as
He is all light, all hope, all mercy, and all wisdom; some, Heaven,
as He is high and enlightened; some, God, as He is sacred and
mysterious; some, Truth, as He is true to Himself; some, Buddha, as
He is free from illusion; some, Creator, as He is the creative force
immanent in the universe; some, Path, as He is the Way we must
follow; some, Unknowable, as He is beyond relative knowledge; some,
Self, as He is the Self of individual selves. All these names are
applied to one Being, whom we designate by the name of Universal Life
or Spirit.
[FN#157] Saddharma-pundarika-sutra.
[FN#158] Mahaparinirvana-sutra.
18. Our Conception of Buddha is not Final.
Has, then, the divine nature of Universal Spirit been completely and
exhaustively revealed in our Enlightened Consciousness? To this
question we should answer negatively, for, so far as our limited
experience is concerned, Universal Spirit reveals itself as a Being
with profound wisdom and boundless mercy; this, nevertheless, does
not imply that the conception is the only possible and complete one.
We should always bear in mind that the world is alive, and changing,
and moving. It goes on to disclose a new phase, or to add a new
truth. The subtlest logic of old is a mere quibble of nowadays. The
miracles of yesterday are the commonplaces of to-day. Now theories
are formed, new discoveries are made, only to give their places to
newer theories are discoveries. New ideals realized or new desires
satisfied are sure to awaken newer and stronger desires. Not an
instant life remains immutable, but it rushes on, amplifying and
enriching itself from the dawn of time to the end of eternity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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