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Roving Over The World
- Book 111: Roving Over The World
- Chapter 05:
The Wave Samurai
- Written by Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by Janny Chow
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Lian Hua Jing Xiang and her fellow disciples from Osaka`s Lei Zhang temple sang a lovely song for me.
The song was entitled \`the Wave Samurai\`. The lyrics are as follows:
\`Seeing my past-life teacher this life, I am able to read my teacher`s mind although we had parted long time ago.
Sincerely I made a vow to follow my teacher`s footstep to liberate all sentient beings,
The lotus flowers from True Buddha School are blooming everywhere now.
Even facing the stormy sea, standing on sheer precipice and overhanging rocks, and walking on thorny undergrowth,
The courage and brightness given by Living Buddha Lian Sheng will always remain in my heart
The compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is very magnificent. She can have spiritual responses with anyone, anywhere and anytime.
When Grandmaster opened the key in my heart, I was able to recall my past cultivation and how I walked the Bodhi path.
I am will to risk my body, and my life just to march forward the Mantra of `Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hom` forever permeate in Japan.\`
This song reminded me of:
\`Wave\`
I am just like a wave. In fact life is like a wave, going through the process of forming and breaking, similar to transmigations.
\`Samurai\`
I have a samurai spirit in my salvation work. Moving ahead, and fearing nothing, I do what I have to do without much words.
My Japanese friend told me: \`Samurai spirit is nothing but action.\`
\`What action?\`
\`There is no answer to that, it is just action. Action is the real intrinsic value of Samurai spirit, it is the most authentic.\`
His answer led me into deep thinking. I thought of the Chinese Zen Buddhism. Zen discarded the action element and concentrated on the verbal element.
Verbal Zen is nothing but telling tales and fiddling with words. In fact, there was no action at all. Hence Zen Buddhism has fallen into its own traps.
Words spoken by tongues are superficial.
The real Zen spirit should be action orientated.
When the fifth patriarch of Zen Hong Ren taught the oral tradition of Vajra Sutra to six patriarch Hui Neng
he only mentioned:
\`No ego.\`
\`No people.\`
\`No sentient Beings.\`
\`No longevity.\`
After explaining these terms, the dharma was considered passed to the next generation. But the fifth patriarch Hong Ren stressed to Hui Neng that he must \`Put the dharma into action!\`
After learning the dharma, Hui Neng hid himself among the hunters for nine years, he put the Zen Buddhism into practice. Thereafter he returned to Nan Hai`s Fa Xing temple, taught the Dong Shan dharma, and finally returned to Bao Ling temple, before he died at Cao Xi`s Nan Hua Temple.
The six patriarch of Zen Buddhism were Bodhidharma , Hui Ke, Zeng Can, Dao Xin, Hong Ren and Hui Neng. The essence of the \`six patriarch sutra\` is basically action, and not words and debates.
I noted most people learn Buddhism superficially. They attended forums and engaged in debates.
Very few people really cultivate diligently. It is very sad to note that the time spent on argument is more than that on actual cultivation.
Dharma is not for argument; it is to be put into practice.
As a samurai, I cultivate Tantra everyday.
I perform the ritual, as well as use the tantra.
I believer salvation work must be earnest and down-to-earth.
I must immerse myself in the nature and give sermon happily.
I indulge in deep thought and long meditation.
I work happily.
I write, and I paint.
I tour the whole world.
Slowly I tasted the true meaning of Japanese Samurai spirit. It is a special feeling that is so different from other patriotism. The intrinsic quality of Samurai is more like a rhino.
The wave reminded me of transmigation.
Since time immemorial, human beings have been transmigating in the six realms of existence just like a moving wheel.
It`s said in the Xing Di Guan Sutra:
\` Human beings transmigrate in the six realms of existence, just like a moving wheel without beginning and end.\`
(The six realms of existence are Heaven, Human, Asura, Hell, Hungry ghost and Animal.)
I was asked:
\`Why do you call yourself \`Flower Light self-mastery\` Buddha ?\`
My reply.
\`Because I am enlightened.\`
\`What have you enlightened?\`
\`I see everything clearly as it is.\` I added : \`the title is no difference from those of the past Buddhas. All of us have gained enlightenment. The truth is nothing will increase nor decrease, in fact there is no difference in anything. My dharma body is permeating in the universe, I can appear anywhere, in any form as I like. Therefore my dharma body is the same as that of the Buddha. Moreover, the dharma I have is the same as that taught by other Buddhas.\`
Therefore I know I have my transmigrations in many countries
China, Tibet, India, Taiwan, Japan.....
When I was reborn in India, so was Lian Hua Jing Xiang.
When I was reborn in Japan, so was Lian Hua Jing Xiang.
When I am reborn in Taiwan, so is Lian Hua Jing Xiang.
She has been my disciple all the while.
The lyrics she wrote was:
\`Seeing my past-life teacher this life, I am able to read my teacher`s mind although we had parted long time ago.
I am able to recall my past cultivation and how I walked the Bodhi path, once grand master opens the key in my mind.\`
It is joyous to be able to verify what we did in the past and present lives. It is a perfect situation regardless of time. After seeking out what we felt, only propitious omen remains. The encounter is not a strange thought, nor is it a connivance, it is really a case of transmigration that was performing in real life situation.
I was thinking of the waves.............................
Life is very short, soon it will come to an end. Life is just like waves being pushed by the current, appearing and disappearing.....
In the whole process, only \`present\` is the most fascinating.
I have found the truth of life at the present moment.
I am able to distance myself from all kinds of troubles.
I do not have pain, nor fear. I don`t bother about success or failure. I am no longer loss.
Through the article \`waves\`, I believe you can comprehend the true meaning of living, if you pay special attention to my words - -
\`I am a valuable person. But the biggest value is valueless.
I owe the whole universe, I am the universe.
But I am all alone in this world, even my body does not belong to me.
I possess the mystic powers. The powers derived from cosmos which is without boundary.
Life is without a beginning, nor has it an end.
This life is only a short journey.
The meaning of life lies in recognizing what life is.
There are mountains higher than this mountain.
Likewise, there are mountains lower than this mountain.
I take a breather, inhale a gulp of fresh air, and enjoy seeing the scenery this life.
Once I am enlightened, I will tell everybody the truth I have realized.
I did all what the past saints did.
To me, everything is emptiness.
I do not bother about anything.
The truth is : \`Good and bad, success and failure, beautiful and ugly, kind and evil, vegetarian meal and non-vegetarian meal, Buddha and Mara, Heaven and Earth, Love and hatred, big and small.....\` all these contrasts do not exist.
There is no contrast; only absolute.
When you are too practical, you must be more imaginative.
When you are too imaginative, you must be more practical.
The highest level of wisdom is no wisdom.\`
When everybody was singing \`Tomorrow will be a better day.\`
I was thinking \`Tomorrow is just another day.\`
Enlightenment is no easy task. It is painstakingly marching towards the destination. I must admit, I did not have a sudden enlightenment; I had a progressive enlightenment. In fact, I consider sudden enlightenment to be the accumulation of progressive enlightenment.
Enlightenment is definitely not a specious argument, nor is it an equivocal attitude.
Enlightenment is not a deceptive argument.
Enlightenment is utilization.
Enlightenment is not a superficial phenomena.
Enlightenment cannot be explained in word. It is the finger pointing to the moon.
Finally I come to realization.
I want to tell the whole world what I have realized the truth. It does not matter whether they can understand me. I even wrote a song entitled \`It does not matter.\`
In this life, I have read many books and have many encounters that other human never dreamed of. My ability to communicate with the spiritual world is excellent. I am able to have a full enlightenment because of my many strange encounters.
I am very sure those who follow me, will have eternal bliss and unrivaled wisdom. Their minds will be enriched.
To me:
Equality is everywhere,
It does not matter as I fear nothing,
Not a sign of hindrance,
No birth and death,
Purity and eternity.
Because of the great cause, I am born in this world.
Going through the stages of cultivation, realization, propagation, finally I am entering into nirvana.
My life is just like a wave that cultivate, enlighten, propagate, and passing into nirvana.
It is a common sight.
A certain night in Japan. A group of people gather at a pub to chat.
These pubs can be found in any city. Their business hours are from evening to two, or three a.m.
I noticed a pub by the name of \`Heavenly Dog\`. It is a franchise, you can find it in every city.
\`What is your past-time?\` I asked a Japanese.
\`Drinking.\` He said finally.
I believed what he said, because I heard the following in Japan..............................
Japanese employees seldom go home directly after work. As a group they will hold their jackets and go to the pub for a drink. They believe if they go home too early, their wives will look down upon them, thinking that they have no friends and do not know how to socialize (useless).
When they drink
They chat.
They are adaptable.
They laugh
They sing after being tipsy.
(In a pub at the outskirts of Tokyo, I saw it with my own eyes. Seven Japanese had a drink too many, after singing, they walked out of the pub tipsy-turvily, lined up in a row, unzipped, and started peeing. Seven columns of water from the fountain were glittering under the street light. As there were many cars passing by, horns were honked repeatedly. They were laughing heartily).
Japanese men have a habit of peeing wherever they like, how crazy they are.
Some pubs are crowded while others are elegant. Some are equipped with simple tables and chairs, while others use tatami, still others are decorated with colorful lanterns.
All kinds of sake can be found in Japan. My favorate brand is \`Shen\`.
The appetizers were very simple.
It can be pickle, small fish, yakitori, and other fry stuff.
If you are hungry, you can order udon - Japanese noodle. When they eat, they inhale the udon and made a lot of noise, like a hungry ghost!
Maybe drinking is a Japanese tradition!
There are all kinds of Japanese traditions around. For instance, Bushido, Judo, kobaki, bijutsu, kimono, niwa just to name a few. If drinking can be considered an art in Japan, then maybe we can coin a new term called \`shudo\`!
Let us imagine such a scene.
Wearing kimono, a Japanese man sits on the well-designed tatami in a small room that has a paper wall.
A bottle of sake, and a few plates of appetizers are placed on the small table. The Japanese woman dresses in traditional costume, gently pours the sake for her husband. Better still if it is snowing heavily outside, and the heater is turned on. Romantically, both of them sipping the wine, smiling and chatting.
May I ask, where else can we find the tranquillity of our mind ?
(Above all, they must love each other very much).
I am always thinking
Japanese are known to have samurai spirit,
Isn`t wine the wave?
I wrote a short poem entitled \`Wine is wave.\`
\`Cleansing again and again,
Please cleanse me,
Please cleanse the intestines of all sentient beings,
When I am drunk,
My legs leap forward and backward,
Like a wave,
I pass through the life stage with varied styles.\`
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