[8] Examination of the Fusion between Action and Conduct](13 verses)
MMK (8) Examination of the Fusion between Action and Conduct (13 verse)
1. The Real Existence, Conduct, and Action,
The Real Existence does never produce this World.
To produce something, is never to produce something abstract at all.
Action does sacrifice itself sometimes for getting some abstract fame.
2. In the Real Existence, Practical Action does never really exist at all.
And Action itself might be different from a person, who actually does the Action
directly.
In the Real Existence, Practical Action does never really exist at all.
A person, who acts some thing to accomplish his aim, has possibility that he
sometimes does not have any special clear aim at all.
3. When something abstract is produced.
The something abstract, which are products, are Action and Practice.
Something unreasonable can exist as Action,
And a person, who acts, can also exist as someone unreasonable actually.
4. There is no special stimulus, and at the same time there is no recognition to be
successful, there might be no possibility to succeed,
And the factor of success can not be recognized at all.
Non existence of the Real Practice and non existence of a person, who practice it by
himself,
The factor of success can not be recognized at all.
5. The coexistence of the Universe and the non-Universe are never recognized,
And relating with their Real Practice and so forth, their real situations, and so forth,
are not so clear.
Even inside the Universe there is no fact of existence, and even in the outside of the
Universe there is no fact of existence at all.
Therefore what are called Results, and what has been born from Results, are not
recognized as real existences at all.
6. Not being grasped by result does not mean being in freedom.
And the situation called “as if it were living in the Paradise”, does not appear at all.
Morals are all belonged to what have been done actually,
And so all actions, which have been done as morals, are never attached by Praja-pati at
all.
7. Doing something is coexistence of the real and the unreal.
But something real and something unreal do not create anything concrete.
Because something real and something unreal are contrasting against with each other,
The Real and the Unreal do never be identified at any place at all.
8. Relying upon the Reality, the Unreality is never created ,
And relying upon the Unreality, the Reality is never produced.
Everything can be intended for a while,
Because even bad conducts at the place are also the same as concrete facts there.
9. It is not the unreal world, or it is not the real world.
It is just the world, which is fusion of the unreal world and the real
world.
Doing something is Action,
And before talking, we are also relying upon reasons.
10. The unreal world does never produce the Real World,
The Real World and the unreal world are also two.
Doing something is just Action,
And before talking, we are also relying upon reasons.
11. The Real World and the unreal world are working,
Reality and unreality both are never producing anything.
Action itself is also some kind of theory or dogma,
And before discussions, there is some kind of problem, which should be considered
theoretically.
12. The truth is just Doing, that is the Real Truth, which is the Action itself.
That is just the Real Truth and Doing something.
The Action does never pervade into the different area,
And it is looking for the methods to get the Highest Happiness actually.
13. Therefore giving up some kinds of sacrifices,
And leaving from giving up we get some parts jobs by ourselves,
Relying upon the assistances, or the alternates,
The left parts of existent works, might be solved as far as possible.
1. The Real Existence, Conduct, and Action,
The Real Existence does never produce this World.
To produce something, is never to produce something abstract at all.
Action does sacrifice itself sometimes for getting some abstract fame.
2. In the Real Existence, Practical Action does never really exist at all.
And Action itself might be different from a person, who actually does the Action
directly.
In the Real Existence, Practical Action does never really exist at all.
A person, who acts some thing to accomplish his aim, has possibility that he
sometimes does not have any special clear aim at all.
3. When something abstract is produced.
The something abstract, which are products, are Action and Practice.
Something unreasonable can exist as Action,
And a person, who acts, can also exist as someone unreasonable actually.
4. There is no special stimulus, and at the same time there is no recognition to be
successful, there might be no possibility to succeed,
And the factor of success can not be recognized at all.
Non existence of the Real Practice and non existence of a person, who practice it by
himself,
The factor of success can not be recognized at all.
5. The coexistence of the Universe and the non-Universe are never recognized,
And relating with their Real Practice and so forth, their real situations, and so forth,
are not so clear.
Even inside the Universe there is no fact of existence, and even in the outside of the
Universe there is no fact of existence at all.
Therefore what are called Results, and what has been born from Results, are not
recognized as real existences at all.
6. Not being grasped by result does not mean being in freedom.
And the situation called “as if it were living in the Paradise”, does not appear at all.
Morals are all belonged to what have been done actually,
And so all actions, which have been done as morals, are never attached by Praja-pati at
all.
7. Doing something is coexistence of the real and the unreal.
But something real and something unreal do not create anything concrete.
Because something real and something unreal are contrasting against with each other,
The Real and the Unreal do never be identified at any place at all.
8. Relying upon the Reality, the Unreality is never created ,
And relying upon the Unreality, the Reality is never produced.
Everything can be intended for a while,
Because even bad conducts at the place are also the same as concrete facts there.
9. It is not the unreal world, or it is not the real world.
It is just the world, which is fusion of the unreal world and the real
world.
Doing something is Action,
And before talking, we are also relying upon reasons.
10. The unreal world does never produce the Real World,
The Real World and the unreal world are also two.
Doing something is just Action,
And before talking, we are also relying upon reasons.
11. The Real World and the unreal world are working,
Reality and unreality both are never producing anything.
Action itself is also some kind of theory or dogma,
And before discussions, there is some kind of problem, which should be considered
theoretically.
12. The truth is just Doing, that is the Real Truth, which is the Action itself.
That is just the Real Truth and Doing something.
The Action does never pervade into the different area,
And it is looking for the methods to get the Highest Happiness actually.
13. Therefore giving up some kinds of sacrifices,
And leaving from giving up we get some parts jobs by ourselves,
Relying upon the assistances, or the alternates,
The left parts of existent works, might be solved as far as possible.
posted by GUDO NISHIJIMA | 11:51 AM
13 Comments:
Dear Sensei,
thank you so much for your interpretative version of the MMK.
I will start to translate it and publish it in your German Blog.
With best wishes
Yudo Juergen
Dear Ven. Yudo J.Seggelke San,
Thank you very much for your kindness to translate my ultimate version of MMK in English into German Version.
I have been surprised by reading MMK by Nagarjuna, that his interpretation of Buddhism is so precise and transparent.
Dear Roshi,
What is it that we awaken to through zazen?
Regards,
Al
Dear Ven. Al San,
Thank youvery much for your question.
When we are practicing Zazen, we can have an experience of the balance in the autonomic nervous system, and so we can have a condition of no consideration and no perception, but just in Action of
sitting.
Therefore we can experience the pure state of sitting, as Action, throwing away consideration and perception. This is just the training of Action.
Roshi,
Thank you. As always, you're teaching is refreshing.
Regards,
Al
Dear Roshi,
I hope you are keeping well.
If, as Master Dogen indicates in Genjo-Koan, Zazen or Action is 'originally transcendent over abundance and sacrcity' why then should we concern ourselves with either an abundance of thought/perception or a lack of it?
This statement by Master Dogen suggests to me that sitting is already beyond any perception of what is 'pure' and that it does not require us to throw away anything as it is already real and manifesting regardless of what we are thinking or not thinking.
Master Dogen recommended that we just stop thinking during Zazen in his text Fukanzazengi. This suggests to me the obvious point that thinking is an inevitable event in Zazen in the same way that it is just a normal part of our human life.
I think Master Dogen's intention may have been to introduce us to a new, more realistic, perspective on thinking, not to have us just throw it away.
Regards to you,
Harry.
This just means that perception and consideration merge into action. No?
But after - the three of them should be on the fusion between existence and no existence, - no?
This means delicacy is fulfilled, - no?
But I wonder, - both inside and outside?
Is there any other way?
Dear Ven. Al San,
The meaning of words "we awaken to through Zazen," means that we, human beings, have ability that by practicing Zazen, we can make our state of ANS balanced.
And when the ANS has become balanced,the strength of SNS and PNS will become equal. And just at that time the function of SNS and PNS will become as if it were +/- = 0.
In other words, the function of SNS and PNS will become equal, and so both the strength of SNS and PNS will become almost canceled with each other.
Therefore the function of consideration and the function of perception are both erased mutually. In such a situation we can enter into the no cosideration and no perception, and so the state of Action emerges naturally.
Dear Ven. Harry San,
When we think about the states of abundance and scarcity, we should never misunderstand the separation between consideration and sense perception.
In the case of consideration there is the difference of abundance and scarcity, and in the case of perception, there is also the difference of abundance and scarcity. Therefore when we concider the problem of abundance and scarcity, we should always consider both the areas of consideration and perception separately.
However in the area of Action, Action is always transcended abundance and scarcity. Therefore Master Dogen described that "The Buddha's truth is originally transcendent over abundance and scarcity," in the first paragraph of Genjo-koan.
Therefore we should think that Action has always transcended consideration and sense perception in Buddhist Philosophy.
So Master Dogen recommended us that we should stop thinking and feeling during Zazen in his text Fukanzazengi.
Dear Ven. Ran K. San,
In Buddhist philosophy perception and consideration can never merge into Action.
Both inside and outside perception and consideration can never merged into Action at all.
There is no another way at all.
Roshi,
Thank you for your very helpful explanations.
Would you mind commenting on the importance of the cosmic/universal mudra in our Zazen posture?
regards,
Al
Thank-you, Roshi.
In my very limited experience, maintaining the posture of zazen certainly has a substantial balancing effect which clears and frees up our thinking. This demonstrates how our body and mind are connected from the perspective of how our physical posture directly effects our mind.
But what of the relationship looked at from the perspective coming from the mental side? For additionally there seems to be room for another type of effort which compliments the natural balancing effect of the physical posture, that is, the potential for us to pursue 'thinking not thinking' or 'non-thinking'.
It seems to me that this is why Master Dogen emphasised 'sitting and non-thinking' as opposed to just 'sitting' or just 'non-thinking'.
What is your opinion of this?
Thanks & Regards,
Harry.
Dear Nishijima,
I want to comment on the MMK later because I have a quwstion that is unrelated.
I finaly am able to sit in zazen properly and I have recently got into the habit of doing this regularly.
However, I have to admit, I don't like sitting. It is not the physical pain but for some reason I feel really miserable whenever I sit in zazen. I try to let these feelings pass but my body seems like it wants to break out of the posture and go about some other task. I stay persistent and give myself the proper amount of time but if I sit a bit long enough, I begin to feel anxious.
This question is not on the practice, but out of curiousity, how do (or do you ever) expect for people to take up the practice when it is so painful?
Thank you
Dear Ven. Harry San,
Thank you very much for your questions.
By keeping our body and mind in Zazen, the posture changes our autonomic nervous system balanced. And the balanced autonomic nervous system is the true situation of human beings. And human beings should maintain the balanced autonomic nervous system at every moment.
Consideration is governed by brain, and perception is governed by sense organs.Therefore consideration and perception are mainly separated from each other, might be the adequate observation of the two.
Sitting and non-thinking are perfectly separate from each other, and so we should think that sitting is not always non-thinking.
Dear Ven. Jiryu02 San,
To feel the pain of sitting in Zazen, can never be the aim of Zazen, and so every one is necessary to guard himself or herself from their painful conditions.
Master Dogen said "We should love the practice of Zazen."
Therefore it is necessary for us to practice Zazen for not so long time, but it is necessary for us to practice Zazen frequently as far as possible.
When we feel some painful situations during Zazen, we can stop to practice Zazen personally during the time of practicing Zazen for our own qure of painful condition.
You wrote: "Sitting and non-thinking are perfectly separate from each other, and so we should think that sitting is not always non-thinking."
Thank-you, Roshi.
I find this very interesting. It certainly seems true that my mind does not strictly follow my body as, when I sit still, my thinking activities may be very active for some time.
When we are no longer confused by and involved in our habitual thinking responses can we say that body and mind have harmonised? Are they effectively non-separate in that situation?
Thanks & Regards,
Harry.
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