To Study The Self Is To Forget

Your Body Is Like A Dew-drop On The Morning Grass, Your Life Is As Brief As A Flash Of Lightning. Momentary And Vain, It Is Lost In A Moment.

Life And Death Are Of Supreme Importance. Time Swiftly Passes By And Opportunity Is Lost. Each Of Us Should Strive To Awaken. Awaken. Take Heed, Do Not Squander Your Life.

When You Ride In A Boat And Watch The Shore, You Might Assume That The Shore Is Moving. But When You Keep Your Eyes Closely On The Boat, You Can See That The Boat Moves. Similarly, If You Examine Myriad Things With A Confused Body And Mind You Might Suppose That Your Mind And Nature Are Permanent. But When You Practice Intimately And Return To Where You Are, It Will Be Clear That There Is Nothing That Has Unchanging Self.

The Zazen I Speak Of Is Not Learning Meditation. It Is Simply The Dharma Gate Of Repose And Bliss, The Practice-realization Of Totally Culminated Enlightenment. It Is The Manifestation Of Ultimate Reality. Traps And Snares Can Never Reach It. Once Its Heart Is Grasped, You Are Like The Dragon When He Gains The Water, Like The Tiger When She Enters The Mountain. For You Must Know That Just There (in Zazen) The Right Dharma Is Manifesting Itself And That, From The First, Dullness And Distraction Are Struck Aside.

Do Not Be Amazed By The True Dragon.