Birth, Life and Death

       I would say that Birth, Life and Death are the issue that underlies all religion. If you disagree with that then this little essay is not for you.
     In Buddhism we have adopted a view that sentient beings, at least most of us, are subject to an endless cycle of Birth, death and rebirth, we call this among other things being trapped in samsara. We wander through the countless cycles of Life & Death, bouncing between the lowest hells (Avici - the unrelenting Hell) to the highest heaven (Akanistha - the ultimate peak of Heaven). Among the goals, or intent of Buddhism is to escape this cyclic existence.

Zen master Dogen wrote a small essay called “Shoji” or On Life and death” It begins:

“Because there is Buddha within living and dying, life and death do not exist.” And in response, the following was said, “Because the Buddha did not exist within life and death, He was not infatuated with living and dying.” These words are the very heart of what was said by the two Meditation Masters Kassan and Jōzan. Since they are the words of persons who had realized the Way, we can certainly profit by them, and not in vain. Anyone who wishes to be freed from life and death should clarify this principle. Should you seek for Buddha outside of living and dying…”

        I had a moment, a realization that I suppose my logical mind would say was self evident, yet that moment was some how more profound than understanding, I can’t explain it, but subjectively it was.

       My Zen teacher was discussing life and death during a talk, and I suddenly realized that life and death are not different things at all, that birth, life and death are one single event, one single thing having the same nature. I somehow had always seen birth and death as polar opposites, like light and dark, sweet and sour, hot or cold. But in that moment I seemed to pierce this illusion and see. Suddenly tons of what I had read by Dogen, not just in Shoji but in many of his writings,  made perfect sense, not a small feat in itself if you have read much of Dogen.

Well that’s all I wanted to say…

That and Thank You Sensei!