The Flip Side of the Coin

 

I have written an article about polarity in Buddhism in Czech and used Google Translate to get a decent English version. Of course, I corrected a few nonsense details, and I hope the result makes sense now. Although I could write a better version in better English, I hope it is sufficient for now. 

When we study and practice the Buddha's path, we sometimes tend to slip to some pole in things that have two sides, without those sides being able to exist on their own. I would like to outline a list (certainly incomplete) of such aspects of the Path that are inherently incorrectly polarized by humans and why it is important that we do not slip to just one pole.

 

Tradition versus modern science

Buddha Gautama lived about two and a half thousand years ago. Before he was born, various philosophers and people lived in India who tried to achieve some ideal state through practice. The Buddha followed the philosophy that was known in his time and transcended it. He came up with his own philosophy and practice. But, of course, we must realize that thanks to yogis, he learned to practice in the lotus position, and thanks to Indian philosophy at the time, he had material that he could transform, but he was based on that material. He also tried to explain the psychology of man. Today's science knows much more about man, we have much more accurate information about how the body, the nervous system, the brain work ... but even modern science cannot explain everything yet. It cannot explain how the brain works in all its details, it does not fully understand human psychology, nor can it explain the origin or meaning of the universe. So, on the one hand, we have traditional philosophy and practice - we are based on the basic philosophy of how our ancestors understood the Buddha's teachings and passed it on to this day. It is the transmission of tradition - philosophy and practice. On the other hand, this philosophy was constantly subjected to new trials and stimuli from those cultures where the Buddha's teachings spread. So Buddhist philosophy is a living organism that still has the same basis, but is constantly changing - without destroying its essential basis. Science can help us understand how man behaves, how the body works, and how it relates to the traditional philosophy of Buddhism and our practice of zazen. But science is not omnipotent - we also need tradition. On the other hand, if we do not understand that tradition is not a rigid bone, but a living organism, tradition will be useless to us. To this day, some Christians claim that God created the world in six days. What will a believing biologist, a believing mathematician, say? Scientists who happen to believe in God claim that things like God creating the world within seven days is a beautiful metaphor, but nonsense, from the scientific point of view. Some Christians hate Pope Francis because he does not condemn homosexuals. They insist that homosexuality is against human nature. But Pope Francis refuses to ridicule his faith by ignoring facts confirmed by science - so he respects the reality of the present world in its complexity and he respects scientific knowledge. There are Buddhists in Asia who believe similar nonsense – they insist that one cannot be a Buddha ... except after death. This means that a tradition has stiffened and is not alive any more. This is the death of religion. Once a living faith and living practice became convulsions and unstoppable stupidity. Not to mention hatred ... However, we have to start from something. We start from the fact that the Buddha practiced zazen and taught how to attain the truth, ie how to become a real, true person. That doesn't change. The means change - the appearance of the rooms where we practice, what clothes we wear, what languages ​​we express ourselves ... it changes according to the culture in which the Path appears. We must therefore find a balance between a tradition that needs to be valued and a modern, contemporary approach - that is, we must present the tradition in a way that is adequate for the present. What is essential? Zazen and the basic teachings of dharma. People who want to pass on the original teachings of Buddha must depend on the two pillars -  practice of zazen and the basic teachings of dharma. Those are the two pillars – practice and philosophy.

 

The universe versus what is right in front of me

These are two poles where different people tend to promote each other at the expense of the other. The universe means something universal, so it is something we all have in common. (Latin universum (“all things, as a whole, the universe”), neuter of universus (“all together, whole, entire, collective, general, literally turned or combined into one”), from uni-, combining form of unus (“One”) + versus (“turned.”)  We all come, we all appeared in the background of something universal, something that unites us all, so we all go back to the One. Uni - one, versum - turned. The universe is space that applies to everyone, to every being and to every thing. There is no world, there is not a single grain of dust in the whole universe that can break free from the universe. We people are mostly busy with our individual problems, we want to solve our own lives, our own worries, our own pains, our own samadhi, our own enlightenment ... but we forget that from the universe's point of view we are no more than a random cell that appeared to disappear again in a moment.The Buddha's teaching means that one person does not mean much, on the other hand, what is right now - the moment in which we do something is the only tangible expression of what is universal! So no universe exists without something really manifesting here and now, it has shown. Here and now there is something concrete, alive, but at the same time it is against the background of something that is intangible, because it is completely universal. When we say that nothing matters, because we are basically just dust and transience, we must not forget the second opposite - we are also a concrete form that has appeared in the universe. Except for man, all beings and things in the universe are always in harmony with the truth. They never act out of reality. Only man has lost the ability to remain naturally in harmony with the universe because of his complicated thinking. Therefore, it is our task to return to the core of things and to express and behave in such a way that it is in accordance with the order of the universe. But one cannot exist without the other. When I forget about myself, I remember having to do something for another person. But when I help others with the idea that I am an exclusive, good person, I lose touch with my origins, I forget that everyone is basically good, and I very quickly become a scumbag. When we rely only on ourselves, sooner or later we will be exhausted because we are not drawing energy and wisdom from the universe. But if we only cling to the fact that everything is One and try to attain some states of samadhi without also taking care of the bills, cooking, cleaning, neighbors and their well-being, then we are just a spiritual kind of selfish person. So neither clinging to the universe nor forgetting our origins. A fish that wants to deny that it is part of the ocean would be a fool. But a fish that would try to dissolve in the endless waters of the ocean so that it wouldn't have problems would be the biggest fool in the entire ocean. When we practice zazen, there is naturally a balance between being initially empty and universal, without special qualities or opinions - and being specific people with a particular body and sitting in some particular position - so we are living buddhas, manifesting awakening in such a way that that we return this particular body to its origin without killing it - that's why we can sometimes move easily, we can scratch our noses ... So there is a balance between what is perfect and incomparably deep, and what is our imperfect,  a crooked but completely true body.

 

Satori versus illusion

Some people think that when they reach the satori, they will understand everything and nothing will deceive them. I do not know of any master in Zen history who claims to have overcome his or her delusions. But especially in Master Dogen's tradition, in our line, the emphasis is not on removing delusions, but on clearly seeing that thoughts arise in our minds that are not reality but mere delusions. We have to see that. On the one hand, there is an unhealthy desire for enlightenment - on the other hand, there is an unhealthy laziness. Just because someone has read somewhere that delusions do not need to be destroyed does not mean that we will not try to awaken to reality in the midst of delusions. The teachings of the old masters and the practice of zazen remind us again and again where we confused a painted cake with a real cake. At any moment, we have the opportunity to replace delusions with reality - instead of thinking, just go and make coffee, or get dressed, or sweep the floor. We do not need any satori for this, on the contrary, such action is living satori, that is, satori that we should be concerned with - not solving our delusions  and enlightenment, but acting awakened - instead of analyzing what dust consists of wipe this dust. Instead of discussing enlightenment, implement this enlightenment in a specific action here and now. So waking up is important - but only if that's what we're doing at the moment. Awakening that does not concern this moment is an unnecessary dream. Satori, which does not directly concern us at this time when we do not have time to think about satori, is living satori. When we forget our opinions, we can notice that nature has perfect satori at every moment. So when we are as real as nature, we will live an awakened life. Awakened life means - because I realize that I basically know nothing and that I create nonsense most of the time, I prefer to go and make tea. This is an awakened life.

 

Effort and casualness

We can't try to land on Mars tomorrow. But today, at this point, we can take the first small step on the way to Mars. Kodo Sawaki said of himself that in his youth he tried to train harder than his companions and that he tried his best to achieve satori. When he became wise in time, he realized that this was not the way. We wake up in the morning and practice zazen. That in itself is a pretty big effort. Further effort is useless, even harmful. Today we can only do what we can do today. And when we do what we do today sincerely and honestly, we have already achieved our greatest goal - we have become a true part of the universe. On the other hand, when we put it off or say that it is enough to practice lying down or once a year, we do not understand how important it is to devote our hearts every day to practice, the spirit of dharma. Every day is a festival of dharma. If you are a Christian, you may not be interested in dharma, but you can experience dialogue with God every day. This means that you are sincerely trying - it is not about the results, but about how open your heart is, which is reflected in your dealings with other people and the like. However, back to the Buddha - which day do we want to express the truth of the Buddha's teachings than if not today? Which zazen expresses the Buddha's awakening if not the one we are practicing? We can only try at this moment. We can't try tomorrow, we couldn't try yesterday, it's too late. Only at this moment do things happen. If we have faith in the Buddha's dharma, we must realize that dharma is something that is practiced right now. Sometimes we meet at  retreats - to remember what we may have forgotten - the teacher can remind us why we practice and what we practice. When we practice with others, our delusions - which we do not see when we are alone - can become clear. I remember that ät my first  Zen retreats, almost everyone got on my nerves. And I was annoyed by sutras and the exact way of eating and handling bowls. Korean names for everything got on my nerves. In a few years, I stopped caring, but the master got on my nerves. Later I found a better teacher. He didn't get on my nerves, but I was afraid of him. When you do not come into contact with the teacher, you will not find out what is haunting your head. Is it good to have all sorts of problems and disputes with the teacher - this is a test of your authenticity - are you willing to admit that you are dreaming about yourself or your teacher? A teacher is definitely an ordinary person who tries to live every day over again. That does not mean that he or she never fails. Anyway, each moment is a new chance to do something good.   

 

Knowledge versus the wisdom of the child

There are people who think that they cannot practice the Way unless they know all the sutras, understand the meaning of all Indian and Japanese Buddhist terms, know calligraphy, be proficient in the tea ceremony, etc. This is great nonsense. We need to have some sort of overview of the basic teachings, but if we confuse the Buddha's teachings with an academic degree, we are completely off the mark. Gautama spoke all the words with a desire for his disciples to be able to become themselves - to be as clean as an unwritten sheet of paper, to be spontaneous and true as a three-year-old girl. Master Dogen exhorts us to respect every being who expresses the truth, because such a being is a true Zen master, be it a seven-year-old girl, or a fox or a stone wall. Yes, even walls and paths and mountains are beings, they are living beings because they are a living system that changes dynamically just like everything that has appeared in the cosmos. So we should study the words of the old masters so that we can break free from the words of the old masters and thus express for ourselves what is true and alive. So let's study with an open mind, let's not draw any intellectual conclusions, but rather make sure you aren’t late for work. And we can always laugh at ourselves and our stupidity.

 

Mystery versus recognition  

The Buddha's teaching does not celebrate mystery, in other words Buddha does not claim that we cannot find the truth, nor does it confirm that the truth can be found through reasoning. Still, although we cannot find the truth thanks to reasoning, we can still be a true person. However, the truth, as taught to the Buddhas, will always be impossible to attain through reason. In Czech we say “My reason got stuck as for that.” How do you say that in English? "I am totally baffled"?  When Buddha turned a flower in his fingers to show clearly what his teachings are, no one understood, only Mahakashyapa smiled. That makes us baffled, we might say. What does turning a flower in your fingers mean? What secret did the Buddha hide from us? And what did Mahakashyapa hide from us when he smiled? The two must have been whispering before this famous meeting took place. But Gautama did not hide anything from anyone! He just turned the flower in his fingers! Where is anything hidden here? And Mahakasjapa did not hide anything either – as Buddha’s  turning a flower in his fingers amused him, he smiled. When you tickle the baby on the leg, she starts laughing. If you don't feedd her for a long time, she'll start crying. Where is any secret? Where is the mystery? However, our reason would like to define it somehow, it would like to find some tangible, measurable proof of "truth." Some people say they don't believe in God because God just can't be proven. And at the same time, people who are mathematicians or physicists, for example, say that they do not believe in a God that should be proved - they believe in a God who is mysterious, far from reason ... At the same time, they have a kind of intimate relationship with this God. So we, if we are interested in dharma, we can have a vivid dialog with and experience an intimate relationship with flowers, children, winter, spring,  wind, frost, sun, water ... We can believe that in every single living unit of the cosmos there is hidden secret, the truth. We can keep this secret a secret and enjoy how it manifests itself beautifully to us, as it is shown to us at individual moments of the day. A believer perceives God as shown to her in various manifestations of nature or daily life, or in other people ... If we are interested in the teachings of the Buddha, we must understand that the dharma that the Buddha taught is not something that can be scientifically described. But it is something that can be practiced, sensed, cultivated, perceived, honored, protected, awakened in oneself. We don't have to understand everything. It's enough that it's here alive and kicking.