Taking Aim

Good Morning Everyone,

Everything has its use, its place in the universe, and for the sake of this, everything is necessary. According to Aristotle, there were four causes: material, efficient, formal, and final. In modern times we use only one type of cause in our thinking, formal cause. Yet each type of cause reveals a point of view and each point of view has validity.

Material cause suggests something is what it is due to the material it is made of. We are holy beings because God breathed his spirit into us. We are human beings because we live in social groups and we get our life from the group. We are human beings because we have evolved into human beings as a result of many physical, psychological, and spiritual causes. Lastly, we are human beings for the sake of our partnership with the Absolute in order to perfect the universe.

Each "cause" has its place and offers us a view of our reason for being. One view looks at the stuff we are made of, another the conditions regarding that stuff, another the plan or order of the making itself, and still another, the purpose of the stuff itself. Only in the last case, the final or teleological case, do we find a rich, imaginative and deeply spiritual understanding of causation.

I am for the sake of something, not just because of something. In such a case, our aim in life and the path we follow become incredibly important.

When we practice Zen, we practice for the sake of something. We practice with what Master Dogen refers to as a "Way seeking mind" or the "thought of enlightenment". Notice, these are not causes in the modern sense. But rather, they are purpose driven.

As Zen Buddhists we are taught that everything is itself perfection already: we are vaguely aware that this perfection is covered by closed eyes. Our practice, encouraged by the thought and vague awareness, is to open our eyes and see clearly. So, for the sake of seeing clearly what is already present, we practice Zen.

Christians and Jews know this, as well. In the Jewish sense, we practice tikkun 'olam, a practice of assisting God in His work, righting wrongs, healing people, providing for the poor. In the Christian world, the same, we practice charity and love for all beings. Prayerful practices are meant to bring us closer to the Absolute in and out of the sanctuary.

In the theistic religions, from a non-mystical perspective, we behave because of our love of God, the Law of God, and an inevitable joining with God.

In Zen Buddhism, we practice for the sake of allowing the perfection that already is to emerge.

At first sight these appear different and even occasionally opposed to each other, but such is only a matter of perspective. Shift the ground you sit on and a whole new perspective emerges.

May you practice to be the perfection you already are in a world in dire need of your assistance.

Be well.





Rev. Dr. So Daiho Hilbert-roshi
http://www.clearmindzen.org/