Dogen Sangha Blog

  by Gudo NISHIJIMA

Japanese / German

Friday, November 24, 2006

Gakudo-yojin-shu (11) To hit the target just at the present moment

The title above, suggests the meaning that when we want to make our body and mind decisive and preferable, there are naturally two kinds of way. The one is, becoming a disciple of a Master, to study Buddhist teachings, and the other is to make our efforts for getting the Truth by practicing Zazen.
To sudy Buddhist teachings makes our mind and consciousness free, and the practice of Zazen makes our action and exprience as very flexible as we want.
Therefore, when we want to enter into Buddhist teachings, if we threw away even the one of the two, it is absolutely impossible for us to realize the Truth just at the present moment.
In general, every human being has inevitably body and mind, and all actions have inevitably strength or weakness. The those two are, the one is dauntlessness and the other is blind weakness.
Sometimes it is vigorous, and sometimes it is serene, but utilizing such kinds of body and mind, to experience the state of Buddha directly is just the hitting target.
In other words, without turning body and mind arround, to follow only objective experience is just called the present moment, and so it is also called hitting the target.
It is just to follow the objective experience, and so it is not former interpretation.
It is just to hit the target, and so it is nevr a new trial.

(cmment)

The words that "to meet the Truth directly" suggest that "to get the enlightenment." And when we want to get the enlightenment, Master Dogen insists that the two kinds of efforts are necessary. The one is to study the Buddhist philosophy under a Buddhist Master, and the second is to practice Zazen. And he says that if even only one between the two lacks, it is completely impossibe for anyone to get the enlightenment.
And he says that all human beings have inevitably their body and mind, and their body and mind have their fifference of strengh and weakness without fail. However, transcending their personal difference, to hit the target by making their autonomic nervous system balanced is just the enlightenment, and such a situation is called "SATORI."
In oher words, "SATORI" is never to change our body and mind specially, but it is the state that we just follow the experience of the external world perfectly, and to meet Reality itself directly.
Therefore the enlightenment is different from to attach the old former circumstances, but at the time it is different from to live in the new circumstances. The enlightenment is just to act the most adequate realistic behavior at the present moment.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Gakdo-yojin-shu (10) The practice should be done for pursuing the Truth.

The meaning of the title is that we sould know first whether the direction of our way to pursue the Truth is true, or false.
The great personality, Gautama Buddha, when he looked at the bright star of the Venus sitting in Zazen under the Bodhi Tree, he suddenly realized the supreme Truth at once.
What he realized at that time, can never be supposed by Buddhist monks, who have only interest in listening to theorectical Buddhist teachings, or who like only to live in quiet and natural circumstances.
Gautama Buddha has realized the Truth by himself, and the truth has never been broken off until today.
How is it possible for anyone, who has realized the Truth, not to be Buddha himself?
The meaning of the words "whether the direction of our way to pursue the Truth is true, or false," mean to clarify totally the whole Truth of Gautama Buddha's teachings. It is just to clarify the total structure of Gautama Buddha's teachings.
The Buddhist Truth exists always under our feet, and that suggests that the Truth exists always on the earth, or in this world.
Being restricted by the Truth itself, the Truth is always realized just at this place clearly, and being restricted by the experience of the Truth, the person, who has experienced the Truth, accomplishes himself perfectly.
Relying upon such situations, it seems that even though the person has realized the Truth perfectly, but he pretends as if he hasn't realized the Truth perfectly yet.
This is just the elegant way to face the Truth.
However, nowadays, people, who are pursuing the Truth, before they haven't clarified whether they have realized the Truth, they violently like to have the clarifying examples of getting the Truth.
Who is it possible for them not to make their mistakes like that?
They throw away their own father Gautama Buddha, and run away from their own country, throwing their jewels, and wadering in others' countries.
Even though they are each an important son of a rich family, they have become a humble person in a freign country, and there is a conspicuous reason exactly.
Generally speaking, a person, who likes to pursue the Truth, wants to be regulated by the Truth itself.
The meaning of the words, "to be regulated by the Truth," is to forget the past facts having realized the Truth before.
A person, who practices the Buddhist Truth, should believe in Buddhism first.
A person, who believe in Buddhism, should believe that he, himself, originally exists in the center of the Truth itself by himself, never to be deluded, never to be put upside down, never to be suffered from increase or decrease, and never to have any mistake.
To promote such a kind of belief, to clarify such a kind of the Truth, and to practice it, are just the fundamental criteria of studying the Truth.
The habitual criteria of it, is first to cut the root of idealistic efforts in practicing Zazen, and we do not make ourselves intend to follow the way of sensitive perception or intellectual consideration.
This is just the traditional method to recommend and introduce beginners into Buddhism.
And after then, it is the second situation that we throw away consciousness of body and mind by making our autonomic nervous system balanced with Zazen, and we perfectly become free from delusion and enlightenment.
Generally speaking, it is the most difficult for us to get the person, who thinks by himself, or herself, that he, or she, is just in the Buddhist Truth itself already.
If they believe that they are just in the Truth, they can understand the real situations of the realization and delusion, and will know the cause of delusion and enlightenment.
Please tentatively try to cut the cause of intention by practicing Zazen, and eight people or nine people among ten people will realize the Truth at once.

(comment)

In this Chapter Master Dogen instructs us that the most important point for studying Buddhism for us is to know whether our direction of Buddhist practice is going to the true direction, or to the wrong direction.
Originally, Buddhism is the fundamentally reasonable philosopy perfectly without having any point, which is doubtful, at all. Such a kind of Truth has been found by the great genius Gautama Buddha, and such a kind of Truth has been transmitted from Patriarchs to Patriarchs until today. Therefore it is necessary for us to carry on Buddhism as the absolute truth, and so Master Dogen describes first how it is mostly important for us to know whether our efforts is going to only one true direction, or not.
And when we think about where the Gautama Buddha's teachings really exist, Master Dogen proclaims that the Gautama Buddha's teachings really exist under our feet. And the expression of "under our feet" means just on the ground, or in the world. The Gautama Buddha's teachings can never be a fantastic dreamy story, which has been produced in the human brain. But at the same time it is never the simply materialistic world, which has been caught by our sense organs. The Gautama Buddha's teachings are just the real world, in which we are living now, and it is just the stage, on which we are playing our own drama called our life. Therefore we Buddhists have grasped this world as only one world, where we live, and Gautama Buddha have taught us the teachings of Realism as the only one Truth keeping the basis of practicing Zazen.
However we, human beings, because of being deluded by idealism, which was thought only in our brain, or being misled by materialism, which is based on our sensitive perception, have forgot the real world, which we should rely upon first, and so forgetting the real world, where we are just living. We have been prone to spent thousands years at least misunderstanding that we were just living in the curious or strange fantastic worlds of idealism, or materialism, without noticing the real facts at all.
Therefore it is necessary for us to practice Zazen for finding the simple facts that we are just living in this world really by making our autonomic nervous system balanced and waking up in the simple fact that we are just living in this real world here and now.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Gakudo-yojin-shu (9) The practice of Buddhist monks, who practice Zazen

The meaning of the title above, is that since the Age of Gautama Buddha the direct indication of practicing Zazen, which has been transmitted in one lineage through the 28 generations in India, and the 6 generations in China, hasn't been added even with a bit of more, and hasn't been decrease with a bit of fewer.
The ritual robes of Buddhist Kashayas have arrived at Master Daikan Eno on the Sokei Mountain, and they have spreaded throughout the world.
At that time Gautama Buddha's Shobogenzo, or Zazen, has become popular in the Great Tan Dynasty. But the real situations of the contents are very difficult to cope with, and very difficult to look for.
It is said that it transcends consciousness in looking something, and it transcends mind in grasping something.
Master Daikan Eno has changed his total figures under Master Daiman Konin in Obai Mountain, and Master Taiso Eka cut his arm when he visited Master Bodhi Dharma at the peak of Shoshitsu.
After getting the marrow of Buddhism, they have changes their mind to have begun their elegant lives, sometimes they prostrate themselves in front of their Master, and sometimes they show their passive attitudes to get the best situation at the present moment.
However, in their mind and body they do not hesitate even at one moment, and they do not attach to anything even in one moment.
A Buddhist monk asked Master Joshu Jushin. "Whether a dog has Buddha-nature, or not?"
Master Joshu replyed. "Never anything."
Can we be permitted to hesitate to answer because of consideration? Can we be permitted to become
stagnant? Because we are perfectly free without any hindrance like a bridle for us.
Please make your hands free. Please make your hands free for a while. How about your body and mind? How about your behavior? How about your life and death? How about Gautama Buddha's teachings? How about mountains, rivers, and the Earth? How about Human Beings. animals, and
houses, in their coclusion?
Even though we are diligent in coming back to see them and leaving back to forget them again and again, the two different forms of the stable and the unstable do completely never manifest themselves naturally.
And even though there is the present moment, when there is no birth, it is never the moment, when all things and phenomena are caught totally into one stubbornly fixed World. However, people usually do not experience such a kind of the present moment, and so there are so many people, who are deluded by such a kind of misunderstood scenery.
People, who have been practicing Zazen! You have met such a kind of important experience just on the half way for the first time, and so I would like to ask that you do not retire from the whole process at all. I would like to express my sincere pray for you again and again.

(comment)

In this Chapter, Master Dogen explains Zazen, which has been maintained by many individual Masters without having any change of the contents since the Gautama Buddha's Age, and the characteristics of Zazen are not our efforts to get something theoretically, or to perceive some kinds of special stimuli.
And such the contents of Zazen haven't been recognized theoretically until the 20th, or 21st Centuries.
But, nowadays, it is very happy for us to be able to know the real contents of Zazen so clearly because of so developed scientific research. When we practice Zazen and regulate our posture into the traditional form, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system will become balanced, and the function of the autonomic nervous system will become like plus/minus/zero. Therefore in such a situation, the function of the sympathetic nervous system to worry about miscellaneous problems, and the function of the parasympathetic nervous system to lose tention, will become hermonized, and our body and mind can realize the realistic viewpoint, where there is no stagnation, or no attachment. So we can enter into the state of action automatically, where we are just sitting in Reality.
This is the fundametal basis of Buddhist philosophy, and so without the experience of this state, it is completely impossible for us to recognize the Buddhist facts. Therefore Master Dogen sincerely recommend us to practice Zazen again and again.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Gakudo-yojin-shu (8) A person, who yearns to practice Buddhism and to get rid of social restriction, has to practice Zazen

The title suggests that Buddhism is perfectly superior to all miscellaneous teachings. Therefore everyone wants to get it. When Gautama Buddha lived, there was no teaching other than his, and there was no teacher other than him. Only the Great Master Gautama Buddha introduced and led all living beings only relying upon the supreme Truth.
Since Mahakasyapa has transmitted Shobogenzo, or "The Right-Dharma-Eye Treasury," to his disciple,
the 28 generations in India, the 6 generations in China, and the many Patriarchs of the 5 Sects, have received and transmitted Dharma from the authentic successors to the authentic successors without any extinction.
Therefore, since the middle era of Futsu in Ryan Dynasty, Buddhist Monks as well as the King and the public officers, who were excellent, inevitably belonged to the Buddhist organization.
Because it might be the general principle that what is excellent should be revered as what is excellent.
It should not be similar to the Chinese man called Shoko, who loved only imitations other than the real dragon.
Even in many countries, which are eastern than China, the verbal nets of Buddhist teachings have spread over the sea and on mountains pervasively. However, even though the verbal teachings are pervasive throughout the mountains, they do not have any truly realistic contents as in the real clouds, and even though they have spread over the sea, they have been dried up losing the real contents of the natural waves.
However, the stupid people love those unrealistic dried contents.
For example, even though they have got only an eye of fish, they want to attach that the eye must be a piece of pearl.
And the person, who was deluded, wants to enjoy such a delusion endlessly.
In another example, having kept a piece of stone, which has been got from a nest of swallows, a person, who reveres it as a jewel.
And the most of them, falling down into the caves of demons, have to have themselves hurt in many cases.
It is very regretable that we, the people in uncivilizd area, are prone to admire the wrong habits there, and it is very difficult for us to perceive the true Universal Rule.
However, the only one country, China, has been soaked by the Buddhist Truth already.
But in spite of such a situation, the true theachings of Buddhism have not pervaded in our country, Japan, Korea, and so forth, yet.
What is the reason why? What is the reason why?
In the case of Korea, even though they have listened to the title of the True Buddhism, it is impossible for us to listen to even the name of the True Buddhism at all.
Because many Budhist Masters of our country, who have entered into China before, all have been bothered and caught by the theoretical Buddhist teachings solely.
Even though they have introduced Buddhist books into our country, it seems that they have forgot to introduce the real Buddhist teachings completely.
What were their real effects of those monks, who have visited China at that time. It seems that the effects of their efforts were totally nothing at all.
This is just the reason, why they haven't known the real facts of studying the Buddhist Truth at all.
They are very pitiful that even though they have made a lot of efforts, they have passed through their own human life without doing any thing.
Generally speaking, when we enter into the studying Buddhism, first we listen to the leaders' teachings, and practice the Buddhist tasks at the beginning.
Just at that time there is something, which we should know exactly.
That is, the Rule of the Universe drives ourselves, and we ourselves drive the Rule of the Universe.
When it is possible for us to drive the Rule of the Universe, we ourselves are stronger, and the Rule of the Universe is weaker than ourselves.
And when the Rule of the Universe drive ourselves oppositely, the Rule of the Universe is stronger, and we ourselves are weaker than the Rule of the Universe.
From the beginning, Buddhism has kept those two kinds of situations, but in the case that we are not the authentic successors, it is impossible for us to know the such a kind of secret at all.
In the case, which is different from the case of the truly authentic Buddhist monks, who are wearing the humble clothes, it is impossible for them even to listen to the expression of such a fact at all.
If someone has not known such a secret fact in the past, it is impossible for them to distinguish the real situations of studying Buddhism, and so how is it possible for them to discriminate between the Truth and wrongness.
Nowadays, in the case of people, who are practicing Zazen for studying Buddhism, they have transmitted and received the real facts in the past naturally.
Therefore they do not have any possibility for then to make their mistakes on such a matter. But such a fact can never exist in another lineage.
It is just impossible for a person, who yearn to practice Buddhism, to understand and experience the True Buddhism at all without practicing Zazen.

(comment)

In this Chapter it is insisted that, if we want to overcome the miscellaneous burdens of fame and profit in secular societies for living in the world of the Truth, it is necessary for us to practice Zazen inevitably.
Because, nowadays, usual people, who are living in the common secular societies, do not recognize the necessity of practicing Zazen, some people, who have usually a little stronger sympathetic nervous system, will finish their life keeping their rather stronger greed for getting fame.
But in the case of people, who have rather stronger parasympathetic nervous systm, they are impossible for them to get rid of their greedy tendency for material value, and so they have to finish their whole life being caught by a slavery of getting material profit.
Because of such a situation, actually in our human societies we are usually prone to be competive against with each other between the two groups of people, who so diligent to get fame, or who are so diligent to get profit.
But looking at those situations from Buddhist viewpoint, we usually have our own natural reflection, whether it is comfortable and happy for us to struggle for getting fame or profit in our daily life, or not.
And in the Buddhist viewpoint, we, Buddhists, usually notice the existence of much more higher value of the Truth, and we can have the will to the Truth, which is the highest value in the Universe. But it is necessary for us to keep our autonomic norvous system balanced for maintaining the will to the Truth. Because of such a situation Gautama Buddha recommended us to practice Zazen, and so it is inevitable for us to practice Zazn everyday.

Monday, November 6, 2006

Gakudo-yojin-shu (7) No. 6 What we should know in practicing Zazen

The title above means that it is very important process for us to practice Zazen for studying the Truth, and so we should never despise it.
How is it permissible for us to practice it carelessly?
In the cases of ancient Masters, Master Taiso Eka cut off his arm, and Master Gutei cut off his student's finger. Those are very excellent cases in China.
In the ancient time, Gautama Buddha left his family and his state, and this was a very excellent trace in practicing the Truth.
Modern people usually say that it is better for us to practice the easiest one, which is as far as possible.
These words are exceedingly wrong, and so they do never fit the Buddhist principle absolutely.
When we make our efforts to do something as an only one practice solely, even just to lie down on the floor without doing nothing, it might be also too much painful for being boring.
And if we were boring in one factor, it is necessary for us to be boring in everything.
It is very clear that a person, who likes to be easy, might be inevitable for him not to be a
person, who has the nature to fit pursuing the Truth. Furthermore, Gautama Buddha's teachings, which are pervading throughout human societies today, have been got by the Great Master Gautama Buddha relying upon miscellaneous difficult practices and painful practices since the limitlessly long past actually.
The origine of the source was inevitably like that.
How is it possible for us, who just belong to his lineage, not to be difficult?
A person, who likes to meet the Truth, should never look for an easy practice.
If he look for an easy practice, it might be clear that he will not arrive at the true Reality without fail, and it must be provably impossible for him to arrive at the place of jewels.
The ancient Masters, who had their excellently great ability, still said that it was very difficult for them to practice the Buddhist practice.
We should notice that the Gautama Buddha's Truth are so profound and so great.
If the Buddhist teachings are easy to practice originally, how is it possible for many Buddhist practitioners, who have had so excellent ability, to say that it was very difficult for them to practice it and to understand it.
When we compare modern people with the ancient people, the difference of those kinds of people's ability, must be much more eormously many than comparing total number of each hair on fur of nine bulls with a piece of hair.
Therefore even though we would try to make our efforts comparing our small natural ability and
scarce knowledge with the ancient people's easy practice or easy understanding, it might be impossible for our efforts to arrive at their easy practice or easy understanding at all.
What the teachings of easy understanding and easy practice, which the modern people are enormously favorite, are?
They are even different from the secular principles, or Buddhist principles, inferior to the practice of idealistic demons or concrete demons, or inferior to non-Buddhists or two kinds of Hinayana Buddhists. Shall we call them as people, who are much more losing their way and are deluded than common people?
Even though they want to leave the secular societies, their life might be much more disturbed by the endless series of cause and effect.
When we observe the cases of breaking the bones, or crushing the marrow, those conducts might be never easy, but the most difficult act, which we do, is just to regulate our mental balance.
It is never easy for us to keep our pure conduct, or Buddhist action for a long time, but it is the most difficult efforts for us is to regulate our physical conduct.
If it were valuable for us to break our bones into pieces, there have been many people, who have been able to endure such a kind of pain from the ancient time, but actually it has been very rare for people, who realized the Truth.
If it were valuable for us to keep our daily life pure for a long time, there might be many people, who maintained their daily life pure, but it has been very rare for people, who crarified the Truth actually.
The reason, why such facts occur easily, comes just from that it is very hard for us to make our mind balanced.
Excellent ears or clear eyes are not so important, studying or understanding is not so important, mind, will, or consciousness, is not so important, image, thoughts, or intuition, is not so important, but we will enter into the Buddhist world directly utilizing the balance of the autonomic nervous system without relying upon miscellaneous abilities, which I quoted above.
The Great Master Gautama Buddha says that "Avalokitesvara has entered the stream, and has transcended the whole intellectual ability," and Gautama Buddha's intention must be this meaning.
In those situations, the two kinds of states, the two forms of motion and stillness do not appear at all, and that is just this harmony.
If it is possible for anyone, who has excellent ears and clear eyes, or pervasive understanding, to be able to enter into Buddhism, and then the highest student called Jinshu must be the person, who should succeed Master Daikan Eno.
If it is true for a common physical condition, or being humble and lowly, to be hatred in Buddhism, how is it possible for the Ancestral Master Daikan Enou to dare succeed Master Daiman Konin's position?
Because of such examples, it is very clear for the teachings, which can transmit Buddhism, to exisist outside excellent ears, or clear eyes, or wide understandings, absolutely.
The facts can be found relying upon research, and it is possible for us to experience the facts relying upon our reflections.
At the same time Buddhism does not hate old age, or aged situations, but a the same time, it does not hate infant, or adult.
Master Joshuu Jushin has begun to experience Buddhism when he was more than 60 years old, but it was possible for him to become a excellent and great Master in the Bhodhi Dharma's lineage.
The daughter of the Tei Family, when she was 12 years old, had studied Buddhism for a long time, and she could also be an excellent leader in the Buddhist temple.
The dignity in Buddhism manifest itself relying upon whether he or she has participated with Buddhist organization, or not, and the facts are separated by experiencing Buddhist practice, or not.
In the case of experienced teachers in the theoretical Buddhism, or expert genious in secular classics should visit Buddhist temples, where the practice of Zazen is familiar.
Such kinds of examples have existed so many.
For example, Teacher Nangaku Eshi was a genious of wide knowledge, but he studied still Buddhism under Master Bodhi Dharma.
Master Yoka Genkaku was a very excellent person in Buddhist philosophy, but he still also studied Buddhism under Master Daikan Eno.
It might be necessary for us to rely upon studying Buddhism under Buddhist Master for clarifying the Rule of the Universe, and for getting the Truth.
When we ask a question to our Buddhist Master, after listening to the Master's opinion, we should never identify the Master's opinion to our own opinion.
If we identify the Master's opinion to our own opinion, we can never get the Master's opinion itself.
When we visit a Master to ask the Rule of the Universe, we should make our body and mind clean, and have our eyes and ears serene, for just listening to the Master's opinion without mixing any other's opinion at all.
In such situations the Master's body and mind have fused with the diciple's body and mind, and the Master's teachings are poured into the disciple's body and mind as if a cup of water has been poured from the Master's cup into the diciple's cup without fail.
If the situations are just like this, the diciple can get the Master's Dharma exactly.
Nowadays, however, stupid and dull people, sometimes remember what they read in a book, or sometimes they maintain what they listened to in the past, and they identify those ideas with their Master's words.
In that siuations, even though there are only their own ideas, or the old expressions of words, but they haven't understood their own Master's words at all yet.
And in another case, there are some kinds of another group, where they revere their own ideas first, and then they open some Buddhist Sutras, and they remember one or two words from the Stras, and utilizing those words they insist that what they have slightly memorized is just the Buddhist teachings.
And later, when they have chance to listen to lectures of excellent Masters, or our lineal Masters, if those lectures sound well to the audience of own opinion, they affirm the lectures of those Masters, and if those lectures do not sound well to the existing old opinion of them, they refuse the lecturers' insistence.
They do not know the method of throwing away wrong opinions, and so how is it possible for them to climb up for arriving at the Truth itself?
Even though they have passed limitlessly many Ages, they might be still travellers, who have lost their own way completely. They might be endless travellers, who are absolutely pitiable. How will it be possible for anyone not to worry about such a pitiful condition?
All Buddhist practitioners should notice that the Buddhist Truth just exists outside consideration, distinction, supposition, intuition, perception, or intellect.
If the Buddhist Truth actually exists inside those intellectual areas, we, human beings, are always existing inside those areas, and so we are always playing with those intellectual matter, but why is it impossible for us to realize the Buddhist Truth even today?
In pursuing the Truth, we should never utilize consideration, or distiction.
If we, who are almost always keeping considerations, would check ourselves in detail, it might be very clear as if we were looking at a very bright mirror directly.
The gate, through which we should enter, has been indicated so clearly by Masters of our own lineage already.
It can never be known by Buddhist teachers, who only rely upon the method of literal characters solely, at all.
This was written on the day after 15 days later than the vernal equinox.

(Comment)

In this chapter, Master Doge insists that it is the most important task for us to practice Zazen and to study Buddhism in our human life. However, in this world, how many people do they have the same ideas like that?
Some people are working so hard for getting a little bit higher social position, and some people are very diligent to get a bit of money so cinserely. In such situations of human societies, is it possible for us to be sure in the existence of the real Truth? Is it possible for us to believe in the only one possibility of the Truth in the human societies like this? Frankly speaking, it might be impossible for us to say that in the human societies, where our human beliefs are divided into the two powerful philosophies of idealism and materialism, it might be perfectly impossible for us to believe in the only one existence of the Truth actually. But if we stand upon the Buddhist Realism, there will be possibility to have a chance to expect the only one possibility of existing Truth. Therefore if we, human beings, want to believe in the existence of the only one Truth, and continue pursuing the Truth, first it is necessary for us to dispell the illusions of both idealism and materialism perfectly.

At the next point in this chapter, Master Dogen strongly refuses the common attitudes of human beings to like to follow an easier way. Of course, Buddhism can never be an ascetic philosophy at all, and so we should never pursue any kind of painful condition in Buddhist practice at all. But at the same time it is necessary for us not to select easier one because of only to be easy. The Buddhist Truth is just only one Truth, which transcends both being easy and being difficult. Therefore Mastr Dogen insist that if we discuss whether it is difficult, or not, when we are beginning to pursue the Truth, such attitudes might be completely opposite to pursue the Truth.

And furthermore in this chapter, Master Dogen insists that the grasping the Buddhist Truth is irrelevant to cosideration, decision, supposition, intuition, perception, and even understanding.
And when we consider this insistence from the viepoint of intellectual philosophies, it might seem to be so much ridiculous idea. But when we noticed that the Buddhist Truth does not related with our intellectual ability, but it is just ralated with the distinction whether the autonomic nervous system is balanced, or not, we can clearly understand the fundamental basis of Gautama Buddha's teachings. Therefore it is necessary for us to recognize the fact that the Buddhist Realism is always related with the human conditions, whether our autonomic nervous system is balanced, or not, just at the present moment. The simple fact like that has been existing since the first birth of human beings, but it has been necessary for us to find it for waiting the 19th or 20th century. Therefore I feel sometimes so happy that I am just living in the 21st century.

Therefore we should think that it is impossible for us to realize the Buddhist Truth relying upon only verbal letters, or words, but it is necessary for us to practice Zazen everyday to keep our autonomic nervous system balanced. And without such efforts to make our autonomic nervous system balanced, it is impossible for us to touch the Reality directly. Therefore we can say that it is just the human duty for us to keep the autonomic nervous system balanced. Recently in our human societies, we can notice the historical facts, that the training in sports, performaces in music or drama, the very big scale of scientific experiments, or fieldworks, and I think that such kinds of historical tendencies suggest that the human civilization has become entered into the very gorgeous and sunny age of Realism already. Therefore I think that it might be human duty for us to destroy the old and wrong two strong philosophical systems of idealism and materialism, which have finished their own so remarkably and valuably excellent Ages already.