Enso

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,

Zen is often pictured by the enso, a brushed circle of ink. Why? There are a variety of reasons, I suppose, but I believe a basic one is to point to the timeless unity of Zen. Tozan in the Rinzai tradition has his five ranks; Seung Sahn has his 360 degree Compass, and Master Dogen, his Genjo Koan.

To study the buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly.

Those who enter the stream, do so in order to achieve enlightenment. Yet we discover soon enough, that holding such a goal is actually an obstacle. Seeking enlightenment is a big mistake, according to many masters, including Seung Sahn. There are those who chatter on and on about enlightenment. One gets the idea that it is a sugar plum fairy dancing around in their heads. And often, it is just that, an idea bearing absolutely no relation to experience...or worse...and experience turned into an idea so that it can be expressed.

That fifth rank is a place of complete integration. "No trace of realization remains" according to Dogen. As Sahn says, "put it down." The last of the Ten Ox-Herding pictures portrays a happy monk wandering free and easy in the marketplace. As Kapleau puts it:

10. ENTERING THE MARKET PLACE WITH HELPING HANDSBarechested, barefooted, he comes into the market place.Muddied and dust-covered, how broadly he grins!Without recourse to mystic powers,withered trees he swiftly brings to bloom!The gate of his cottage is closed and even the wisest cannot find him. His mental panorama has finally disappeared. He goes his own way, making no attempt to follow the steps of earlier sages. Carrying a gourd, he strolls into the market; leaning on his staff, he returns home. He leads innkeepers and fleshmongers in the Way of the Buddha. (see Three Pillars of Zen)

This is the Bodhisattva Way

Be well.