How to promote DSI, Zazen and authentic Buddhism?

Dear Master Gudo Wafu Nishijima,

thank you for your answers,writings and excellent advice!Today some new questions
as foolows.


Dear Dr. Siegfried,

Thank you very much for your important questions. I would like to answer your questions as follows.

Gudo Wafu Nishjima


Q1: In his days Gautama Buddha- in his strong will to the truth- used all available and practible
informations and methods to find and form finally Zazen-action. What might he use in our
days to promote and refine Zazen? Would he use neuroscience and neurophysilogy etc. to
understand and improve the function of ANS-balancing?Would he use modern comm-
unication and organization to promote his sangha? Would he do so to a global extend?

(Gudo) I think that if Gautama Buddha has lived in 21st Century, and he knows the scientific knowledge about ANS, he might be very happy for him to have such a kind of exact scientific knowlelge of ANS, and he might use such a scientific knowledge in his Buddhist lecture frequently. And I think that if Gautama Buddha has noticed the existence of modern information technology, he might use also such convenient method so happily. And I think that Gautama Buddha might have so strong intention for him to explain the real meaning of Buddhist philosophy throughout the World by utilizing the all kinds of techinical methods too.


Q2: Master Dogen must have spent a lot of effort on the rules and organization of his sangha.
What was his leading principle to carry through and and to succeed with his instructions?
In which way have the authentic teachings be given to be accepted?How to open the mind
of monks and sangha-members for acceptence beyond fame and profit?

(Gudo) Master Dogen has thought that many kinds of Buddhist tradition has been transmitted by Boddhi Dharma into China, and so Master Dogen sincerely has hoped that those traditional Buddhist habits and teachings have been moved into Japan too. And Buddhist principles should be transmitted by four ways, that is, the very exact Buddhist fundamental philosophies, our daily life, which is supported by our concrete behavior, our sincere action at the present moment, and the so reliable universal Rule of Buddhism, that is, Reality itself. By practicing Zazen, when we notice that fame and profit in our social life are not the aims of our real life themselves, but they are only tools of Buddhist aim and so, we can notice that it is very stupid for us to pursue fame and profit as our aim itself.


Q3: How to promote new authentic teachers of Zazen? How to find more poeple
like Brad Warner and bring them together?

(Gudo) I expect that if all members of Dogen Sangha and Dogen Sangha International practice Zazen at teir home two times a day at least, and at the same time many kinds of blogs will explain the fundamental and exact Buddhist philosophies through blogs everyday, almost all people in the world will understand the Buddhist philosophy gradually, and it might be possible for us to cover the world totally by Gautama Buddha's teachings. Now we have many Buddhist excellent teachers in Dogen Sangha and Dogen Sangha International already, and we can expect that those kinds of excellent teachers will increase day by day, and so I believe that Dogen Sangha and Dogen Sangha International will become very big Buddhist organization through the world, and Buddhism will become the ultimate human philosophy in the Universe. Therefore I expect that all members of Dogen Sangha and Dogen Sangha International will become the same as Brad Warner.


Q4: What can be the constitution of DSI?Which are the leading principles of the
organisation to prevent a decline? Can we trust intuition and self-regeneration
without form and rule?

(Gudo) Now I think that Brad Warner has begun making his draft of Dogen Sangha International Rules, and I expect that the many principles, which I have written in my Dogen Sangha Blog might be included into the new draft of principles in Dogen Sangha International. I think that it is necessary for us to have so many and complicated principles in our organization at all, but we should expect to have a few important principles for us to get a very vigorous and true Buddhist organization.