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We’ve now looked at the gate statements for each of the five faculties of liberation (belief, effort, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom) as part of this section on the 37 constituents of bodhi or awakening, The next five gates take each of these up again from a different point of view. Rather than pointing to these as faculties, they point to each of them as a power. Each of these as a faculty is a tool for dealing with its opposite; each is useful for controlling its own area of practice and daily life, and it becomes a power when unshakable by opposing forces. Faith is the counter to doubt, effort is the counter to laziness, mindfulness is the counter to heedlessness, concentration is the counter to distraction, and wisdom is the counter to ignorance. These five also balance each other. Faith and wisdom balance each other so we don’t have blind trust in something, and we also don’t get stuck in an “I’ll believe it only when I see it” approach to practice. Zhiyi, an important teacher in the Chinese Tien-tai school, says: If wisdom and faith are both present then when one hears that any single instant of thought is itself the right [thought of enlightenment], one’s faith will prevent one from disparaging [this teaching], while one’s wisdom will prevent one from fearing it. In this case the beginning and the end will both be right. But if one lacks faith, one will think of the saintly realms as so lofty and far-removed that one has no stake in their wisdom, while if one lacks wisdom, one will become exceedingly arrogant, declaring oneself to be equal of the Buddha. Under such circumstances, beginning and end will both be in error. Effort and concentration balance each other so that we don’t scatter all our time and energy running around frantically, and we also don’t just stop moving altogether, focusing on one thing and never getting up. Mindfulness doesn’t have one partner of its own; it’s a necessary element for the other two sets to stay in balance. That’s the connection between the five faculties or powers. Since we’ve already considered what these faculties are, it’s not necessary to take each one individually again as a power. Instead let’s consider how they become unshakable—in other words, how they can’t be overturned by their opposites. Dogen wrote a fascicle of the Shobogenzo about the 37 constituents of bodhi, and we can use that as a roadmap for talking about faculties as powers. Spoiler here: in general, he tries to demonstrate that the way that these faculties become unshakable powers is when we realize that there is no self that’s cultivating or exercising them, and that they’re not really about us. [63] The power of belief is a gate of Dharma illumination; for it surpasses the power of demons. 信力是法明門、過魔力故（信力是れ法明門なり、の魔の力に過ぐるが故に）。 The demon being pointed to here is Mara, the embodiment of hindrances to awakening. Mara’s whole agenda is to keep people tied to the craving and aversion of samsara. That’s his realm and he’s always doing recruitment and retention. We first meet Mara in stories about Shakyamuni’s awakening. In the Padhaana Sutta, Mara approaches Shakyamuni while he’s sitting under the bodhi tree and making his great attempt to understand suffering. Mara says what seems to be kind things: O you are thin and you are pale, And you are in death’s presence too; A thousand parts are pledged to death, But life still holds one part of you. Live, Sir! Life is the better way; You can gain merit if you live, Come, live the Holy Life and pour Libations on the holy fires, And thus a world of merit gain. What can you do by struggling now? The path of struggling too is rough And difficult and hard to bear. Oh, poor you. This is too hard. You should give it up and just go about your life in the world of the senses. However, Shakyamuni knows what’s going on. He says no, I see your legions of demons behind you and I know you’re just trying to tempt me away from awakening, those legions being ten kinds of hindrance, like boredom, cowardice, uncertainty, craving and self-praise. Shakyamuni says he's not getting up from here “for I have faith and energy, and I have wisdom too.” As we saw at the last gate, an important aspect of wisdom is understanding the true nature of self, and Dogen says that’s the basis of faith: Keep in mind that the root of faith in the Dharma is beyond self, beyond other, beyond any forcing of oneself, beyond anything contrived, beyond anything others have hauled up in their minds, beyond any objective rules or standards, and therefore it was transmitted, unseen, from West to East. What we call ‘faith’ is a faith that is forged with one’s whole being. It is invariably following where faith goes from the perspective of Buddhahood, which is following our Self where It goes. Were it not based upon the perspective of Buddhahood, there would be no manifestation of faith. This is why it is said that we can enter the great ocean of Buddha Dharma by means of our faith. In sum, the place where faith manifests is the place where Buddhas and Ancestors appear. (1) In the Mara story, it wasn’t yet Buddha sitting under the bodhi tree, it was still Shakyamuni. He manifested his faith by not getting up even when confronted by Mara, and as a result Buddha appeared. The place where faith manifests is the place where buddhas and ancestors appear. Faith is a faculty here. It dispels the hindrances of Mara and allows for awakening. Dogen goes on to describe what faith looks like as a power, in other words, when it can’t be overturned by doubt: ‘“Belief as a power” is being duped by ourselves and having no place of escape; it is being called by others and having to turn the head; it is “from birth to old age, being just this”;66 it is tumbling over seven times and carrying on regardless; it is falling down eight times and gathering oneself together. Thus, belief is like a crystal. The transmission of Dharma and the transmission of the robe are called “belief.” It is the transmission of buddhas and the transmission of patriarchs. Dogen says when we have faith, we can’t deceive ourselves, the same way that Mara couldn’t deceive Shakyamuni into giving up his practice. It is being called by others and having to turn the head; it is “from birth to old age, being just this.” That’s a natural response; we don’t think about it. Faith is like that—we stop second-guessing and just practice. Even though we stumble repeatedly, we keep getting up, and more than that, Dogen says it is tumbling over seven times and carrying on regardless; it is falling down eight times and gathering oneself together, What can we learn from falling down? What can we learn from breaking a precept or making a mistake? Finally Dogen says that transmitting the dharma and the robe are acts of faith. When he says robe here, let’s include rakusu and wagesa, because precepts have been transmitted and vows taken. Those are acts of faith in several ways. The preceptor has faith that the recipient is wholehearted and committed to upholding precepts and living by vow. The recipient has faith in the three treasures and the practice. In this way, the practice and the dharma go on into the future and faith becomes established and unshakable. There’s nothing magical about dharma transmission, and I’m not a woo-woo sort of person, but at the end of mine I felt like I’d been handed something or entrusted with something that I was supposed to keep safe and carry forward. This is why discernment before ordination seems really important to me. There has to be unshakable faith on the part of both teacher and novice—otherwise eventually it all goes off the rails. I have faith that the novice is well positioned to learn to carry the tradition and make it available to others in mature and skillful ways. The novice has faith that I can help him or her do that and that I will be there to support and teach and guide, and this dharma and practice will go on. [64] The power of effort is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we do not regress or stray. 進力是法明門、不退轉故（進力是れ法明門なり、不退轉なるが故に）。 The simple reading of this is that if our effort is firmly established, then we stop falling back into bad habits like unethical behavior, habituated thinking, and all kinds of delusions and the three poisons. Dogen reads the power of effort as being about a complete manifestation of unity in multiplicity and not something that’s about our own personal striving. He says: It is resting even when unable to take rest. It is taking rest when taking rest. It is being someone who is terribly unimportant. It is being one who is not unimportant. It is being both important and unimportant. It is the first moon and the second moon. [IOW the world of form and the world of emptiness] Shakyamuni Buddha once said, “I am always zealous in my spiritual endeavors. That is why I was able to realize supreme, fully perfected enlightenment.” What he called his continual zealous endeavors was his doing it totally—from head to tail—through the whole of past, present, and future. His saying, “I am always zealous in my spiritual endeavors” is his way of saying, “I have already realized Buddhahood.” Because it is his already having realized supreme, fully perfected enlightenment, it is his always being zealous in his spiritual endeavors. Were this not so, how could he have possibly been continually zealous in his endeavors? How could he have possibly already realized It? It’s all just another way of saying zazen is good for nothing. When we sit, awakening is already completely there. If awakening wasn’t already there, there would be nothing to manifest. Effort is unshakable because the universe goes on doing what the universe does, living out the life of the self as Uchiyama Roshi puts it. Within this one unified reality, myriad beings are carrying out their individual activity. Within the world of form, people make effort and make mistakes and backslide and fall back into habits we’re trying to break. In the world of emptiness, beyond good and bad, there is no effort and no backsliding. We don’t regress or stray, as the gate statement says. This is about seeing one reality from two sides and expressing two sides in one action, the main theme of the Mahayana. [65] The power of mindfulness is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we do not [blindly] go along with others. 念力是法明門、不共他故（念力是れ法明門なり、他と共ならざるが故に）。 We usually think of mindfulness as paying continuous attention to our experience, as in the early texts. In later texts it’s about remembering what Buddha taught and remembering to practice. In any event, it’s an individual activity, something we decide to undertake on our own, and no one can do it for us. For some period of time and in some circumstances, we’re engaged in being mindful. However, Dogen says: “Mindfulness as a root” is a withered tree as a mass of red flesh. We call a mass of red flesh “a withered tree,” and a withered tree is “mindfulness as a root.” He’s talking about people sitting zazen and says that’s the root of mindfulness. Although these people are alive, they’re sitting still and not being distracted by whatever’s around them, or what’s arising from their own hearts and minds, as though they’re withered trees. It’s an example of the universe manifesting mindfulness. We ourselves who are groping for the mark are mindfulness. Even when we’re not acting skillfully or unable to be in touch withour own awakening, mindfulness is still there. There is mindfulness that exists in moments of owning one’s body, and there is mindfulness that exists in moments of having no mind. There is conscious mindfulness, and there is mindfulness in which there is no body. In worlds of both form and emptiness, mindfulness is always arising, whether we’re attached to the body or not, whether we’re caught up in ideas about the self or not, whether we’re conscious of our physical presence or dropping off body and mind. Dogen goes on to give more examples like this to show that we’re in the middle of mindfulness even when we don’t feel like we’re actively engaging in it. There’s no escaping from mindfulness; it can’t be overturned because it arises from the true self. The person sitting zazen as a withered tree is true self, groping around trying to hit the mark is true self, and whatever the body and mind are doing in the worlds of form and emptiness is true self. Then he says: “Mindfulness as a power” is a “great brute, pulling a person’s nostrils.” Thus, it is nostrils pulling a person. He’s talking here about a Chinese Zen story. Zen Master Shakkyō Ezō of Bushū asks Zen Master Seidō Chizō,“Do you understand how to grasp space?” Seidō says, “I understand how to grasp it.” The master says, “How do you grasp it?” Seidō clutches at space with his hand. The master says, “You do not understand how to grasp space.” Seidō says, “How do you grasp it, brother?” The master grabs Seidō’s nostrils and pulls them. Groaning with pain, Seidō says, “It is very brutal to yank a person’s nostrils, but I have directly been able to get free.” The master says, “Directly grabbing hold like this, you should have got it from the beginning.” (2) This is a famous story; Dogen has written about it in other places. Shakkyo grabbing Seido’s nose is pointing him back to true self. The nose is the true self and Shakkyo’s true self is doing the pulling. Dogen says mindfulness is the nose pulling the person. Mindfulness is what happens when we manifest true self, and there’s no point at which we’re not manifesting true self. He ends by saying Even if used by all people in the world, it will never be eroded. Now mindfulness goes from being a faculty to being a power. [66] The power of balance is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we discontinue all thoughts. 定力是法明門、斷一切念故（定力是れ法明門なり、一切の念を斷ずるが故に）。 Again, balance here can also be concentration. In general, it’s about keeping the mind from wandering around. The more we settle, the better we’re able to concentrate, and the more settled and balanced we become, and the cycle goes on. Dogen says that when balance is a facilty It is like a rock enveloping a jewel: we cannot call it completely rock or completely jewel. It is like the ground bearing mountains: we cannot call it totally ground or totally mountains. At the same time, it springs out from the brain, and springs in. He gves several more examples of nonseparation, holding two views at one time or, as we like to say here, seeing one reality from two sides. Balance as a power is like a child getting its mother, or like a mother getting her child. Or it is like the child getting the child itself, or like the mother getting the mother herself. But it is neither the swapping of a head and a face nor the buying of gold with gold. It is just a song growing gradually louder. The bit about the mother and child finding each other might be a reference to a section of the Lotus Sutra that says when we read and recite that text we find our Dharma-body mother. In that way balance or concentration is merging with dharma as the complete functioning of reality. Dogen says there’s a child and a mother finding each other and also the child finding the child and the mother finding the mother. It’s form and emptiness and going beyond distinctions of form and emptiness. It is neither the swapping of a head and a face nor the buying of gold with gold. It’s not being stuck in the world of differences and distinctions and also not being stuck in the world of sameness. When we considered concentration or balance we said that one way to think about concentration is that it’s about refining our practice. We become more and more aware of subtleties. Dogen says It is just a song growing gradually louder. When balance becomes an unshakable power, we’re better and better able to hear the subtle song. Finally: [67] The power of wisdom is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] we depart from the two extremes. 慧力是法明門、離二邊故（慧力是れ法明門なり、二邊を離るるが故に）。 We’ve seen that wisdom as a faculty is a way to dispel ignorance. That means cutting through the delusion that keeps us from seeing emptiness, or seeing all things as they really are. For those who’ve done some Dogen study, what he says about wisdom as a power is going to have a familiar pattern. “Wisdom as a power” is of deep and long years, and is like a ferry coming to a crossing. For this reason, it was described in ancient times as “like a crossing getting a ferry.” The point is that a crossing is inevitably just the fact of the ferry. A crossing not being hindered by a crossing is called a ferry. Spring ice naturally melts ice itself. When we see with ordinary eyes, we perceive that there is a ferry which is separate from an activity we call crossing, or that somehow the ferry is in charge of that activity or driving that activity. When we see with the eyes of Buddha, A crossing is inevitably just the fact of the ferry. A crossing not being hindered by a crossing is called a ferry. Ferry and crossing are arising together and completely manifesting emptiness. They are as they are and do what they do in this one unified reality. Ferry and crossing don’t hinder or obstruct each other. Dogen made a similar point when he was commenting on the expression “The great sky does not obstruct the drifting of the white clouds” elsewhere in the Shobogenzo. He says that the sky doesn’t impede the sky from drifting, and the clouds don’t impede the clouds, and the clouds and sky don’t impede each other. It’s not that this non-obstruction is necessary before the sky and clouds can do what they do; it’s already their true nature. Okumura Roshi says this is like what happens in our zazen. We just sit there and thoughts come and go. Sitting doesn’t stop the thoughts from doing what they do, and thoughts don’t obstruct sitting. Within the network of interdependence, or this one unified reality, everything is changing and arising and perishing; nothing is hindering anything else. The universe is just working, or everything is living out the life of the self. When we can really see this happening, that’s wisdom. Seeing with the eyes of Buddha rather than with our usual human eyes makes wisdom an unshakable power. Notes: (1) Master Dogen's Shobogenzo, tr. Nishijima and Cross, vol 4. (2006). United Kingdom: Booksurge Publishing, p. 791. All following quotations are from Chapter 73, Sanjūshichi-bon-bodai-bunpō (Thirty-seven Elements of Bodhi) unless otherwise indicated. (2) Ibid,. Chapter 77, Kokū (Space). 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
March 2025
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