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Great Vows for All (third of four Teishos, September 2005)

Dharmas are boundless, I vow to perceive them.

The 3rd line of the Great Vows is: "Dharmas are boundless, I vow to perceive them." We might also say it this way, "phenomena are endless, I vow to see through them." Dharma, with a capital "D" means the "Way" or the teachings. What is the Way? Life or reality is the Way. So Dharma with a capital "D" is the creative source that gives rise to all appearances. It is like an empty center of a wheel that makes the spokes and wheels functional. Dharma with a small "d" means phenomenon. Objects of mind, things, feelings, emotions, thoughts, are dharma with a small "d". When a thought or emotion rises up like a storm, it is easy to be overwhelmed by it, especially when they arise from great joy or loss. Objects of mind are constructions of our mind that come and go all the time endlessly. They are like waves from the ocean, they just keep coming and are without bound. These constructions can also take the forms of intriguing sounds, smells, shapes, color and so on. Zazen offers a method to both observe and work with the construction or dharma. Through our practice of zazen we let thoughts and ideas slide off of us. We see them, acknowledge them and watch them dissolve. In this way we experience them while seeing that they are empty of substance, developing an intuitive understanding that while they may be important, they are not actually us.

In the Great Vows, when we say "I vow to perceive them," we mean that we know phenomena are real and empty at the same time. We feel them, watch them come and go, and let go of them. We begin not to identify with them or obsess about them. By obsess, I mean create a storyline or drama about it all. This is what creates a boundary or separation where there is none. Working in our practice this way opens the door to the "Way," life, endless, boundless, vast. We realize that we are "it," and that any separations are creations of mind that separate us from "it".

The 4th Zen patriarch Daoxin, just before he died, said to his disciples, "all the various dharmas of the world are to be dropped off. Protect this understanding and carry it with you". Practicing this way, we embody the 3rd line of the Great Vows.

Thank you.

© 2006. Ray Cicetti.