Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Study Hall - Shobogenzo

It seems like a mistake to take excerpts from 'Only a Buddha and a Buddha' ('Yuibutsu Yobutsu'), since the whole fascicle is completely wondrous, but time is limited, and I don't have anything else to say:
"When you realize buddha dharma, you do not think, 'This is realization just as I expected'. Even if you think so, realization inevitably differs from your expectation. Realization is not like your conception of it. Accordingly, realization cannot take place as previously conceived. When you realize buddha dharma, you do not consider how realization came about. Reflect on this: what you think one way or another before realization is not a help for realization.
Although realization is not like any of the thoughts preceding it, this is not because such thoughts were actually bad and could not be realization. But since you were seeking elsewhere, you thought and said that thoughts cannot be realization.
However, it is worth noticing that what you think one way or another is not a help for realization. For this reason, you become cautious not to be small-minded. Indeed, if realization came forth by the power of your prior thoughts, it would not be trustworthy.
Realization does not depend on your thoughts, but comes forth far beyond them; realization is helped only by the power of realization itself. Know then that there is no delusion, and there is no realization".

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