Dogen Sangha Blog

  by Gudo NISHIJIMA

Japanese / German

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

[18] Examination of the Soul (12 verses)

1. If the Soul really exists as a part of the five kinds of aggregates,

The real facts of appearance, disappearance, and maintenance of the Soul,
must exist theoretically.

And if there were any kind of different aggregate, which is different from the five kinds
of aggregates,

It might be natural for the characteristic of something, which is different from the five
kinds of aggregates, to exist.


2. It is said that a person himself or herself exists with their Souls together,

But where is it possible to exist such fact even in future?

Not being egoistic suggests that they are perfectly free from the state of egoism.

Therefore the Soul, or co-existence of Souls, is similar to be as if they were fetters.


3. Being not egoistic and being free from egoism,

Are both real together, but such kinds of situations are never always recognized well.

Not being egoistic is similar to being free from egoism.

Such situations can be seen sometimes, but can’t be seen sometimes.


4. A title “my” or a title “I” has become very weak,

And avoiding God, the Soul is also in the same situation.

The self-regulation is just the action, which is useful for us,

Leaving from such area, and making our efforts to realize our whole mental functions, are our task.


5. To live in both Action and Delusion are just emancipations,

And it is true for Action and Delusion to manifest them reciprocally.

Both Action and Delusion are prone to develop themselves overcoming themselves,

And nowadays in the balance of the autonomic nervous system, some kinds of
disturbance have begun.


6. The problem, which is related with the Soul, is just a kind of disclosing secrets,

And the teaching that the Soul does not exist is just the true teachings.

Relying upon many Buddhas' opinions, the Soul does not exists, but spirit is not
deniable.

The insistence that "move it ahead!" might be just their teachings.


7. The abstract world is the world, which has been described with words.

Therefore the abstract world is very similar to a pasture, where thoughts can be
wandering like cows at random.

Because what hasn't been produced can never be governed by any thing,

The balanced autonomic nervous system is just the substance of the Universe.


8. All kinds of Real Entity can be thought as if it were not Real Entity too.

Real Entity and non-Real Entity can be thought as if they were the same.

They were never non-Reality, but they were never Reality.

This World is just Gautama Buddha's teachings themselves.


9. Nothing can overcome, and nothing can follow up. The Truth is just the balanced state
of the autonomic nervous system.

Relying upon miscellaneous kinds of expansion, there is some possibility for any
expansion not to exist.

The state without any doubt is different from having another aim,

And this World is just characteristics, which belongs to the concrete fact.


10. Each thing clearly exists one by one,

Because similarity between one thing and another is not so similar to each other,

The gap between one thing and another, is never so wide.

It is not cut with each other, but it is never eternal.


11. Not only for one aim, but neither having any aim,

Not being instantaneous, but neither being eternal,

The spot here is just the name of Gautama Buddha.

Belonging to many Buddhas, it is just the Universal Law, or Truth itself.


12. Even though ideas of the Soul do not have any influence to people called Buddhas,

People called Sravakas, who are diligent to study Buddhism theoretically, are not so
positive to the ideas of the Soul.

Among people called Pratyeka-buddhas, who revere natural circumstances, the
knowledge of the Soul might be increasing their learning,

But people, who do not enter to the organization, only begin the practice.

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