July 6th, 1970
Monday, July 6th, 1970Shunryū Suzuki-rōshi
SANDŌKAI LECTURE XIII: “Don’t Spend Your Time in Vain”
Monday, July 6, 1970
Tassajara
Listen to this talk: Suzuki-roshi 70-07-06
[This lecture is concerned with the following lines of the Sandōkai:
Ayumi wo susumure ba gonnon ni ara zu,
mayōte senga no ko wo hedatsu.
Tsutsushin de sangen no hito ni mōsu,
kōin munashiku wataru koto nakare.
(Transliteration by Kazuaki Tanahashi.)
The goal is neither far nor near.
If you stick to the idea of good or bad,
you will be separated from the way
by high mountains or big rivers.
Seekers of the truth,
don’t spend your time in vain.
(Translation by Suzuki-rōshi.)]
Here it says:
Ayumi wo susumure ba gonnon ni ara zu,
mayōte senga no ko wo hedatsu.
Tsutsushin de sangen no hito ni mōsu,
kōin munashiku wataru koto nakare.
Ayumi wo susumure ba. Ayumi is “foot” or “step.” Susumure ba: “to carry on.” Susumure ba gonnon ni ara zu. Gon is “near”; on is “far away.” Ayumi wo susumure ba. Ayumi is actually “practice,” you know. Ayumi wo susumure ba gonnon ni ara zu.
“There is no idea of far away from the goal or nearer to the goal.” This is very important. When you [are] involved in selfish practice, there is, you know—you have some idea of attainment. And when you have—you strive for to attain enlightenment or to reach the goal, you have naturally, “We are far away”—you know, idea of, “We are far away from the goal.” Or, “We are almost there,” you know. Gonnon: “near” or “far away.”
But if you really practice our way, enlightenment is there. Mmm. Maybe this is rather difficult to accept [laughs], you know. When you practice zazen without any idea of attainment, there is actually enlightenment. Or you may understand in this way like Dōgen-zenji explained: In our selfish practice there is enlightenment and there is practice. Practice and enlightenment is two—a pair of opposite idea. But when we realize—when we understand our practice and enlightenment as an event in realm of great dharma world, enlightenment and practice is two event which appears in a great dharma world. The both practice and enlightenment is also events, you know, which will have—which many events in our life or in our dharma world. When we understand in that way, enlightenment is one of the event which symbolize the dharma world, and practice is also an event which symbolize our big dharma world. So there is—if both symbolize or express or suggest the big dharma world, you know, actually we sh- [partial word], there is no need for us to be discouraged because we do not attain enlightenment or why we should be extremely happy with our enlightenment. Actually there is no difference. Both has equal value.