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Dharma conduct is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we follow the conduct that is the Dharma. 法行是法明門、隨順法行故. This week’s gate sounds like it’s giving a simple direction. Maybe it sounds like minding your manners in the zendo, carrying out forms properly. Maybe it sounds like following Buddha’s teachings, following the precepts, and paying attention to what you’re doing. That’s not wrong—we should indeed do all those things—but this simple phrase “dharma conduct” opens up a larger discussion about cause and effect and good and evil. We can understand dharma conduct as behavior that arises from prajna or wisdom. Wisdom includes compassion because compassion arises naturally when we see the nature of reality. When we see the universe and ourselves clearly, we act skillfully for the benefit of all beings. We also begin to purify our twisted karma, because our actions move us toward wholesomeness and away from unwholesomeness. One of Dogen’s most important teachings is that practice and awakening are not two. Without action, awakening is not realized, so paying attention to what we do and the way we conduct ourselves is necessary; we can’t just think about the dharma. In our tradition, good and evil isn’t something abstract and separate “out there;” it’s about our moment to moment activity and what we’re doing with this body and mind. The six realms of samsara through which we transmigrate also aren’t something “out there.” Where we find ourselves is related to what we’re doing right now. Seeing clearly and acting in accord with reality is the way to keep ourselves out of the lower realms. In the animal realm, we’re just complacent and dull. trying simply to avoid pain and make ourselves comfortable. Of the three poisons, this is ignorance, In the hungry ghost realm, we want things and we’re incredibly frustrated because we never get them. This is the poison of greed. In the hell realm, we can’t escape from our anger and hatred. It feels claustrophobic and extremely hot or cold. This is the poison of anger and ill will. These three poisons and their attendent hell realms are the root souce of our suffering and the suffering we perpetuate for others. They aren’t something that comes from somewhere else and strikes us randomly. This is the point of teachings about cause and effect. Belief in cause and effect is one of the most important teachings in Soto Zen and Dogen addressed it several times in the Shobogenzo. One of his most important points was that we may not see the result of our conduct right away, and it might not look the way we expect. I conduct myself according to the dharma, but my life doesn’t go well. My neighbor does whatever he wants and gets away with it. It might seem to us that what we do and what others do is disconnected, or that what we do is our own business and no one else should care, or that our actions and the results of our actions are separate. Of course, another of Dogen’s main teachings is that the things we usually separate in our minds are actually one reality. He makes two points about this: 1) that we may not see or recognize the effects of what we do, and 2) that we and our actions are completely interpenetrated with everything else in the universe. First, we may not see or recognize the effects of our conduct. That makes it hard to believe in cause and effect. Dogen thought this was a big problem; he wrote: Noble and lowly, pain and pleasure, right and wrong, gain and loss, are all effects of wholesome and unwholesome actions. People who believe in spontaneous origin do not understand individual karma and collective karma. As they do not clarify past and future lives, they are ignorant of the present life. How can their views be equal to buddha dharma? This “past and future lives” is what he writes about in Shobogenzo Sanjigo. We might see the results of our conduct in this current life, in the next life, or in a subsequent life. If we don’t understand this, he says, we can fall into false views and end up in one of the three lower realms and have a lot of suffering. Whether or not you believe in literal rebirth, the point is that we don’t know the outcome of our conduct. If we’re operating purely on the basis of immediate reward or punishment, we’re going to make mistakes. When we take some action and don’t see an immediate consequence, we can decide there’s no such thing as cause and effect. We decide that the things we do don’t matter and that whatever happens is determined by something outside of ourselves. Both of these are mistaken views in our tradition, because they ignore interdependence. Dogen says that if we don’t believe in cause and effect, we can’t escape the consequences of our conduct. We never see clearly what’s going on, and we can’t make wholesome choices about what we do. Dogen’s second point was that we and our actions are completely interpenetrated with everything else in the universe. In Bendowa, he writes: If a human being, even for a single moment, manifests the Buddha’s posture in the three forms of conduct, while [that person] sits up straight in samādhi, the entire world of Dharma assumes the Buddha’s posture and the whole of space becomes the state of realization. The three forms of conduct are actions of the body, speech, and thoughts. He’s saying that in zazen and outside of zazen, if we’re seeing clearly and manifesting awakening, then the whole world becomes awakening. Thus because the only things we have to work with are this body and mind, and this time and place, we have to practice right here and now. Of course, dharma conduct fills everthing we do all day long. There are myriad opportunities moment by moment to work with our dharma conduct. Sawaki Roshi says our practice is to constantly ask ourselves what we can do for the buddha dharma right now. He says, Even in the case of putting down a teacup it makes a big difference if you simply let it fall or if you lower it carefully with your hand. The basis of all actions is to follow through to the end. If your mind is absent even just for a moment, you’re no different from a corpse. He goes on to say it’s about becoming a person without gaps. Where are the gaps?
Dharma conduct is exactly the interpenetration of Uchiyama Roshi’s individual self and universal self. We conduct ourselves as individuals, taking our own action, and at the same time, causes and conditions lead us to act as we do, and also we’re part of the causes and conditions of someone else’s actions. We have a form or body, and also emptiness is right there. At one time we had an important demonstration of these points in our sesshin and retreats. People routinely left early, before the sesshin was over, because they had a drive ahead of them and were anxious to be on their way. It resulted in up to 50% attrition. Folks sometimes think coming to a practice event is like going to the theatre, when you buy your ticket, take your seat and enjoy something that is performed around you by others. No one minds if you sneak out of the show early; there’s simply an empty seat in the audience and show goes on. Sesshin and retreat are not like this at all. You are not a spectator or a consumer. Participants are the material of the retreat, and without them there is nothing going on. When people start fading away, the integrity of the structure is weakened for everyone. Somehow participants really didn’t understand this, and I had to start explaining that there are three problems: 1) All the cleanup work falls to the few people who remain, so I and a couple of others end up cleaning up after everyone. 2) We buy food based on registration headcount, so when people start skipping meals that’s a waste of temple resources, both the food itself and the effort to cook it. 3) The bigger problem is that as people begin to silently disappear one by one, the energy built up by the community over the course of the sesshin or retreat trickles away. The event goes flat and ends with a whimper for those who are still around rather than everyone ending strong and together with attention and intention. The message the early leavers send is, “Now that I’ve gotten everything I want out of this shindig, I’ll be on my way and leave it to the rest of you to wrap things up. I have better things to do.” Nobody means to be unkind or disrespectful; they just don’t realize that their conduct affects everyone else in the sesshin. As Sawaki Roshi said, the basis of all actions is to follow through to the end. Make your commitment and then carry it out completely. See the larger picture, and care enough to see things through. The previous two gate statements addressed truth telling and truth itself. One of the points was that on one hand there is breaking a precept by speaking falsehood, and on the other hand even telling a lie is a complete manifestation of the truth of this moment. This same kind of setup is related to how we consider our conduct. It was a real puzzle for Tettsu Gikai, who was an important student of Dogen. Several times, Dogen told Gikai that he needed to work on developing grandmotherly mind, or roushin 老心, one of the Three Minds (sanshin 三心). Dogen writes about roushin in the Tenzo Kyokun, and Gikai had served as tenzo himself. He tried to make the connection and understand why Dogen was telling him this, but it took some time before he got it. There were some monks from a sect called Darumashu who taught that all actions encompassed Buddhism. Lifting a hand or moving a leg in a natural way was itself enlightenment. Gikai rejected this teaching. At the same time, Dogen was teaching that all the day to day tasks in the temple were expressions of true Buddhism. Gikai finally realized that there is a difference between “Buddhism encompasses all actions” and “doing every action as Buddhism.” The Darumashu monks were saying that we don’t need any rules, because all of our actions arise from inherent enlightenment. However, Dogen said that all our actions express our inherent enlightenment and there can’t be any Buddhism apart from our day to day activities. Buddhism isn’t something seperate that gives rise to activity, in the same way that without any participants, there is no sesshin. What Dogen was trying to get Gikai to see was that grandmotherly mind isn’t just about being kind to other people and taking care of them. It’s about taking care of the three treasures by understanding that all actions—all our conduct—is the buddha dharma. Dogen said we should be mindful of the Three Treasures as a parent would be mindful of an only child. We have to pay attention to all of our actions as practice. When he taught that practice and awakening are not two, he was saying that there is no awakening which is outside or of separate from our day to day activity. Later, Gikai’s successors tended to deemphasize text study for their own students; he felt that Buddhism was best expressed by actions rather than words. Of course, our daily actions are an important ground for practice. Traditionally, there are four postures: sitting, standing, walking and lying down. These are also a metaphor for all of our activities, everything we do at all times. The kanji used here for “posture” is 威儀 igi, sometimes translated “deportment.” This has to do with maintaining the proper attention and conduct at all times because we’re never not practicing. As I pointed out at the beginning, when we hear words like conduct and deportment related to Zen practice, we often think of zendo forms: bowing, holding a chant book, doing shashu or isshu, etc. Practice forms are indeed a great place to pay attention to what our bodies, mouths and brains are doing. One of the things people notice about the style of our particular family is that we don’t do a lot of ritual. Our forms are simple and we don’t do a lot of ceremonies. This is not because Okumura Roshi doesn’t think these things are important. Our forms are simple so that we remember how they’re connected to shikantaza and how they express our practice. When we start coming to a zendo, we can be intimidated or get frustrated because it seems like there’s a “proper” way to do everything. Without the context for these things, they can seem like empty gestures or antique rituals. On the other hand, some folks fall in love with this exotic, special kind of conduct and deportment and they get really precious about it. Both of those attitudes miss the mark. Okumura Roshi says our forms should express our respect and gratitude, which is a direct outgrowth of wisdom, seeing clearly how things work. When we really understand interdependence, we naturally feel grateful. However, having said that, forms are good for nothing in the same way that shikantaza is good for nothing. We don’t do them to get something out of it. We’re not using them to train ourselves in humility or selflessness, and yet humility and selflessness are probably there. Forms are an interesting practice of interdependence in a community. We do a lot of communicating through forms during silent sesshin. Formal meals completely served and eaten according to forms. Outside of sesshin, during morning practice or liturgy, the bells tell us what to do. We have to pay attention to the forms going on around us so we can be in alignment with the rest of the practice. It’s not just imitating; we have to be more open and aware than that. It’s about sharing a space with others, and not just literally—sharing a practice experience and nonseparation. Returning a bow, turning the same direction as others, putting your hands in isshu with everyone else—not paying attention to these things is not respectful to others and perpetuates separation. It doesn’t matter who the others are; you can like them or not. The deal we make is to encounter each other completely and not discriminate. However, even if we’re alone, paying attention to deportment is a good practice. When we’re sleeping in the zendo, we don’t point out feet toward Buddha. During soji, we don’t sweep dirt toward Buddha, and we don’t blow wind toward Buddha when folding a zagu or blow out altar candles with our breath. Watching our dharma conduct is an opportunity to see where our attention is, what the body is doing and what we’re thinking. It’s real opportunity to see how there’s no “me” “doing” a “form.” I’m acting together with all beings without a boundary. Questions for reflection and discussion
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About the text The Ippyakuhachi Homyomon, or 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination, appears as the 11th fascicle of the 12 fascicle version of Dogen Zenji’s Shobogenzo. Dogen didn't compile the list himself; it's mostly a long quote from another text called the Sutra of Collected Past Deeds of the Buddha. Dogen wrote a final paragraph recommending that we investigate these gates thoroughly. Hoko has been talking about the gates one by one since 2016. She provides material here that can be used by weekly dharma discussion groups as well as for individual study. The 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination
[1] Right belief [2] Pure mind [3] Delight [4] Love and cheerfulness The three forms of behavior [5] Right conduct of the actions of the body [6] Pure conduct of the actions of the mouth [7] Pure conduct of the actions of the mind The six kinds of mindfulness [8] Mindfulness of Buddha [9] Mindfulness of Dharma [10] Mindfulness of Sangha [11] Mindfulness of generosity [12] Mindfulness of precepts [13] Mindfulness of the heavens The four Brahmaviharas [14] Benevolence [15] Compassion [16] Joy [17] Abandonment The four dharma seals [18] Reflection on inconstancy [19] Reflection on suffering [20] Reflection on there being no self [21] Reflection on stillness [22] Repentance [23] Humility [24] Veracity [25] Truth [26] Dharma conduct [27] The Three Devotions [28] Recognition of kindness [29] Repayment of kindness [30] No self-deception [31] To work for living beings [32] To work for the Dharma [33] Awareness of time [34] Inhibition of self-conceit [35] The nonarising of ill-will [36] Being without hindrances [37] Belief and understanding [38] Reflection on impurity [39] Not to quarrel [40] Not being foolish [41] Enjoyment of the meaning of the Dharma [42] Love of Dharma illumination [43] Pursuit of abundant knowledge [44] Right means [45] Knowledge of names and forms [46] The view to expiate causes [47] The mind without enmity and intimacy [48] Hidden expedient means [49] Equality of all elements [50] The sense organs [51] Realization of nonappearance The elements of bodhi: The four abodes of mindfulness [52] The body as an abode of mindfulness [53] Feeling as an abode of mindfulness [54] Mind as an abode of mindfulness [55] The Dharma as an abode of mindfulness [56] The four right exertions [57] The four bases of mystical power The five faculties [58] The faculty of belief [59] The faculty of effort [60] The faculty of mindfulness [61] The faculty of balance [62] The faculty of wisdom The five powers [63] The power of belief [64] The power of effort [65] The power of mindfulness [66] The power of balance [67] The power of wisdom [68] Mindfulness, as a part of the state of truth [69] Examination of Dharma, as a part of the state of truth [70] Effort, as a part of the state of truth [71] Enjoyment, as a part of the state of truth [72] Entrustment as a part of the state of truth [73] The balanced state, as a part of the state of truth [74] Abandonment, as a part of the state of truth The Eightfold Path [75] Right view [76] Right discrimination [77] Right speech [78] Right action [79] Right livelihood [80] Right practice [81] Right mindfulness [82] Right balanced state [83] The bodhi-mind [84] Reliance [85] Right belief [86] Development The six paramitas [87] The dāna pāramitā [88] The precepts pāramitā [89] The forbearance pāramitā. [90] The diligence pāramitā [91] The dhyāna pāramitā [92] The wisdom pāramitā [93] Expedient means [94] The four elements of sociability [95] To teach and guide living beings [96] Acceptance of the right Dharma [97] Accretion of happiness [98] The practice of the balanced state of dhyāna [99] Stillness [100] The wisdom view [101] Entry into the state of unrestricted speech [102] Entry into all conduct [103] Accomplishment of the state of dhāraṇī [104] Attainment of the state of unrestricted speech [105] Endurance of obedient following [106] Attainment of realization of the Dharma of nonappearance [107] The state beyond regressing and straying [108] The wisdom that leads us from one state to another state and, somehow, one more: [109] The state in which water is sprinkled on the head Archives
January 2025
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