Dogen Sangha Blog

  by Gudo NISHIJIMA

Japanese / German

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Dear Master Gudo Wafu Nishijima,

thank you for your precious answers! This winter-term there is a lecture
at University of Heidelberg on Nagarjuna and Cusanus about `the Negativity of
the Absolute´(Prof.J. Halfwassen,Prof. L. Ledderose). There exists only an older
german translation of Nagarjuna by Max Waleeser and a short introduction by Karl
Jaspers. So today we would appreciate so much to read your new translation on
Nagarjuna to progress! Thank you for your effort to work it out!

Q.1: Did you ever find time to compare the inner connections of the Dogen-Nagarjuna-Philosophy with Plotin?

Q.2: Can you explain some more on the neurophysiological functions of Zazen and
it´s influence on restoring a balanced ANS?


Thank you so much,best wishes aiways


siegfried hohlfeld

1 Comments:

Blogger GUDO NISHIJIMA said...

Dear Dr. Siegfried Hohlfelt,

Thank you very much for your important informations, and I feel very happy that my new translation of Mulamadhyamaka-karika by Nagarjna will be used in the meeting at University of Heidelberg.

(Your Q.1) Did you ever find time to compare the inner connections of the Dogen-Nagarjuna-Philosophy with Plotin?

(Gudo's A.) Unfortunately, even though I have so much interest in Plotin's philosophy, but I haven't had any chance to research it clearfully yet.

(Your Q.2) Can you explain some more on the neurophysiological functions of Zazen and it´s influence on restoring a balanced ANS?

(Gudo's A.) By practicing Zazen, we make our efforts to keep our spine straight vertically, and such efforts have direct
result of making the autonomic nervous system (ANS) balanced. In other words the stengths of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) become equal, and so in such situations the functions of SNS and PNS become equal, and the function of SNS is the source of consideration, and the function of PNS is the source of perception, and so by practicing Zazen we can enter into the state of action, which does not have both consideration and perception. The state of Samadhi is the state of action, and so the practioners of Zazen can enter into the state of action, and so they can actually experience the Buddhist Reality directly.

But a balanced ANS is just the state at the present moment, and so if we want to maintain it, we need to practice Zazen habitually everyday. And when such habitual efforts continued for about three months, and if we continue our efforts to practice Zazen everyday further, we can maintain our Samadhi for long time.
And because of such a continuity of Samadhi for long time (for example, in the case of Chinese monks for more than thirty years) we can understand the whole philosophical system completely.

Therefore we think that our practice of Zazen everyday is called the first enlightenment, and the total understanding of the whole Buddhist philosophical system is called the second enlightenment.

Thank you very much for your important questions.

Gudo Wafu Nishijima

Thank you very much for your important questions.

Gudo Wafu Nishijima

4:24 PM, November 29, 2007  

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