Let's Sit with a Big Heart

今日は【毎日の管長日記と呼吸瞑想】臨済宗円覚寺派管長 横田南嶺老師　から「大きく座れ」をご紹介します。少し仏教用語が出てきますが、基本的には分かりやすく、心の在り方、座禅や瞑想の考え方について教えてくれています。実際に動画の最後には瞑想が一緒にできるようになっています。このややこしい毎日を私たちはどれだけ心安らかに過ごせているのでしょうか。老師の言葉はゆったりと聞いているだけで癒され、呼吸も自然に深く大きくなっていくのを感じます。さぁ、あなたも一緒に仏教の世界を垣間見ることにしましょう。 (English) Today I would like to introduce "Let's sit with a big heart" from Master Suganaga of Engakuji Temple in [Suganaga's Diary and Breath Meditation]. There are a few Buddhist terms in this article. But it is easy to understand. It teaches us about the mind's way of being, the idea of zazen, and meditation. In fact, at the end of the video, you can meditate on it. How much peace of mind do we have in this complicated daily life? We find the Master's words relaxing and soothing listening to them. We feel our breathing naturally become more profound and broader. Let's take a look at the world of Buddhism together.

No.543 "Let's Sit with a Big Heart" 2022/7/3 - Daily Suganaga Diary and Breath Meditation

At the end of this video, there is a breathing meditation to prepare for the beginning of the day.

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1)

I was going to write about "Sit Big," but then I realized I had already written about it twice under the same title.

But I still want to talk about "Sit Big."

2)

The Grand Master wrote the following in his book "Zen Stories."

First, there are these three thousand beautiful worlds, and then there is your temple.

Right now, I am in a temple called Engakuji Temple.

But where is Engakuji located?

3)

There are boundaries as land.

However, initially, there is no division from where to where.

We are sitting in this world.

4)

Three thousand fantastic worlds is a problematic Buddhist term.

In other words, it is this universe.

The three thousand fantastic worlds are ancient India's magnificent worldview or cosmology.

5)

We live in the middle of a high mountain called Mount Sumeru (Syumi-sen).

Around it is an island called Shidai-syu (four large islands).

It is the southern island.

Around it are the mountains and seas of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas.

6)

It is the world of Issumi where we live.

This one world is called "Kosen Sekai" (one thousand worlds).

The world of 1,000 small worlds is called the "middle 1,000 worlds."

The one that collects 1,000 more of the middle 1,000 worlds is called the "big 1,000 worlds."

7)

The world consists of three kinds of thousand worlds: the "big thousand worlds," the "middle thousand worlds," and the "small thousand worlds."

Therefore, there are "three thousand great thousand worlds."

It seems similar to the view of the universe we are learning today.

8)

There is a star revolving around the sun.

We live on the planet Earth.

Many solar systems gather to form a galaxy.

When many galaxies come together, they form a macrocosm.

9)

And this macrocosm is my temple.

As the main character of this enormous temple, I am sitting in a big way.

10)

It was when I first came to Engakuji Temple when I was still in my 20s.

My teacher at that time, the great master Adachi, once told me many great things.

It was more than 30 years ago.

I have never forgotten this precious teaching.

11)

When you first come to the temple for the first time, you will receive strict guidance from your seniors.

In my case, I had already trained at several temples by then.

12)

So I was pretty familiar with the training itself.

But when you go to a new place for the first time, you must learn different manners and customs.

It is a hardship.

13)

At that time, Master Adachi told me not to think that you are sitting small in the corner of the temple.

You are the master of this world. So, therefore, he said, sitting big.

Think of this sky and Earth, including the universe, as if they were a single cushion.

14)

You should put it under your buttocks and sit with a big heart as if you were the main character of this great universe.

He told us that if we sat in a four-and-a-half-tatami mat room, we should sit on the four-and-a-half-tatami mats, and if we sat in a zazen hall, we should sit on the entire space of the zazen hall.

15)

Then the great Master said about his teacher, Master Asahina.

There was an old master named Asahina who was small in stature.

16)

However, if he sat in the eight-mat room, he sat in the entire eight-mat room.

Even when he sat in the large guest room of the head temple, he filled the entire hall.

He told us that it was powerful.

17)

Zazen is something to be thankful for.

When you are a newcomer and still getting used to it, you receive guidance on many things in your daily life.

18)

He kindly taught us and pointed out things.

However, sometimes we feel uncomfortable.

However, as long as you sit correctly during zazen, no one will say anything to you.

19)

You will be warned again if you are dozing or have bad posture.

However, as long as you sit with your hip bones straight and firm, no one will say anything to you.

You can feel like the Master of the sky and the land.

20)

But if you do not keep your hips straight, you will not be able to sit up wide.

If you sit with your hips slumped, you are a coward and will be small and shrinking.

21)

The Master says, "Sit essentially, and look carefully at your body or mind."

We think of it as our body, but it is a part of nature.

22)

That is undoubtedly true.

I did not design it myself.

It is just a part of nature.

The same is true of the mind.

23)

The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and limbs are not our own.

They are all part of Mother Nature.

The Master says to us, "Sit down and think about which of them you think of as yourself."

24)

You will realize that it is only what you think you are.

In other words, the sky, the earth, and yourself are one.

That is how we feel.

The distinction between ourselves and the outside world disappears.

The world becomes the same.

25)

The boundaries of "self" are removed.

It is what the Master calls "Daishi-Ichiban."

"Daishi-Ichiban"

=The first great death.

=The first thing to do is throw away the self and get up as if you were dead.

=exerting oneself to the utmost, prepared to die if necessary

26)

But just thinking like that is not yet "true enlightenment."

However, we are close to it.

Breathe the air of the sky, the land, and the universe through your nose.

Then, you hold it under your stomach, under your navel.

27)

Then, from below the navel, through the nose, we exhale a lot of air into the sky, the earth, and the macrocosm.

In other words, we inhale the air of heaven and earth and exhale the air of heaven and earth.

We experience that we are living a life full of heaven and earth.

28)

What part of us is suffering from all these worries?

Let's look at it from the big picture of the vast universe.

29)

It is only in our small bodies and in our tiny minds that we think about problems.

It means that our body is a part of heaven, earth, and nature.

30)

And let's see how we breathe in heaven and earth's fullness.

Where on earth do you see suffering or distress?

Let's sit quietly and firmly with such a thought in mind.

Ref) Meditation Part

Now let's adjust your body posture and breathing.

First, with both feet, step firmly on the floor.

Feel that you are supported by this earth and put strength into your feet.

Now, with the feeling that you will stand up, lift your hips 5 cm or 10 cm, and then drop them down.

Inhale, squeeze your shoulders, lift them, lift them, lift them, and drop them down at the same time as you exhale.

Again, inhale, squeeze shoulders, lift, lift, exhale, and drop.

First, exhale powerfully for one breath.

At this point, exhale to expel all the air from the bottom of your stomach.

Open your mouth and take a breath to let out all the worries and anxieties you hold in your chest.

Then, close your mouth, and fresh air will naturally flow through your nose.

You will feel fresh air filling up your belly below the navel.

And as you feel the fresh air spreading to every corner of your body, you will feel.

You will naturally smile and feel grateful and happy.

After that, close your mouth and sit quietly, watching the breath come in and out through your nose.

(bell sounds)

Thank you very much.

Please accept my best wishes for a good day.

No.543 "Let's Sit with a Big Heart" 2022/7/3 - Daily Suganaga Diary and Breath Meditation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r9jBtp8UM8

No.44 "idle complaint" 2021/2/19 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiw0xFMna3M

Ref 2)

It is the original meaning in Buddism of "Guchi (complaining)": not seeing or knowing the person as they are.

# Of cause, it has the general meaning of complaining, too.

It is a more terrible sin than hating or loving the person.

#It is "greed" that wants to love and "Dvesha" that tries to dismiss anger and hatred.

#As a result, what is comfortable, joyful, and loving is good.

#On the contrary, anything that causes unpleasant anger or hatred is considered evil.

#In this way, you create a world of hesitation and suffering.

So let us not fall into unconscious bias.

To do this, we must practice keeping our minds calm and seeing things as they are with the eyes of sound wisdom.

It is a difficult task.

At the very least, let us recognize that neither of us can understand the other correctly.

And the first step is to have the desire to repent our perceptions.