Through countless eons of practice, the Dharma Body is realized.
Like a bright mirror, it is spotless and free of dust.
This old monk has a little trick for clearing cloudy vision—
Turn your face to the south—and behold the North Star.
COMMENTARY BY KŌDŌ SAWAKI
In Continuity With the Buddhas and Ancestors
Through countless eons of practice, the Dharma Body is realized. Spending a long time—the three great incalculable eons – has nothing to do with sitting zazen just once. Sitting for the immeasurable eons—taking off your straw sandals, relieving yourself as if about to wet your pants, eating your meals without making a sound, and making sure not to be called disgusting, lowly, or a fool.
Human beings are such weird creatures. Even when you’re with someone, they might nitpick, saying things like “He’s too full of himself,” or “She’s such a show-off,” “He’s a clown,” finding fault in everything. And they say that just by looking at your face. In that case, I must not have a careless look on my face. It’s not an easy thing. One might say: “At least during your daughter’s matchmaking try to look seriously” but it doesn’t work like that. You must be serious all year round, not just from time to time. This is what is meant by “countless eons of diligence.” “Diligence” means firmly maintaining one’s conduct and observing etiquette rigorously.
Then “countless eons” means that you maintain it everywhere, even while in the toilet. Someone once said, “Master, as long as you are here, I can sit zazen. Once you’re gone, I doubt I’ll be able to sit anymore.” I don’t know whether he said it out of respect for the master, or because he felt deceived by him, or coerced but asking yourself if you can do zazen when your teacher is gone is not what “countless eons” mean. Then, it is by personally maintaining diligence that the practice of the Buddhist path becomes integrated into your everyday life, which, as it is, becomes the truth body of the buddha. Buddhist practice has become integrated into your daily life. In other words, for someone who has made it a decisive habit, it can be said that they have diligently maintained their practice over countless eons and have thus realized the dharmakaya. Then, whether you sleep, are awake, stumble or something, you will make no mistake. It’s not just about thinking or understanding; then Buddhist practice truly becomes a fundamental habit. This means becoming continuously connected with the buddha-ancestors. Whether sleeping, being awake, or stumble, you are aligned with the frequency of the buddha-ancestors.
The Great Mirror Wisdom
Like a bright mirror, it is spotless and free of dust. This clear mirror is not one that only reflects from the front and shows nothing from the back. It is a mirror that is radiant and transparent in all directions. Because it is a radiant and transparent mirror, it remains clear and unobstructed whether viewed from the front, back, sides, or any other direction. It is boundlessly transparent in all dimensions. The body, like a clear mirror, is pure and without dust. Being without dust means that there is no longer any stain of worldly desires. Seen from all directions, there is no gap or flaw anywhere. This is the truth body. In this state, it expresses the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom.
Within the wisdom of the Buddha, there is the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom. It’s not like the saying, “It looks impressive from afar, but when you enter the kitchen, it’s completely different.” It’s useless. There is a slogan somewhere that says, “The temple is only up to the main hall,” but if faith cools off once you enter the kitchen, that’s a problem. Going to the main hall and chanting namu amida butsu is fine, but if the temple is only up to the main hall and it falls apart once you enter the kitchen, then it’s no good. If seeing how the monks live makes you lose faith immediately,” that is not like a clear mirror.
But here it says: “Through countless eons of practice, the Dharma Body is realized. Like a bright mirror, it is spotless and free of dust.” In this way, the more you go to the kitchen, the more you go to the bathroom, the more you go to the toilet, the more your true faith arises. When you go to a Zen temple and enter the toilet, that’s when real faith begins. “Wow, it’s so clean,” you think. That’s how it used to be. I don’t know about now, but in the past, people would feel humbled when they entered the toilet. There were many monks, and without anyone noticing, they would be cleaning. The dirtier the place, the more diligently they would clean.
It’s the same with humans. There is an old proverb which says, “Foreign monks and country samurai.” The person looks impressive from afar, but once they’re in the country, they might not cut it. People might say, “That’s Gonsa, that’s Chokichi, that’s Hachitaro, or that’s Kuemon…” Even the most useless son of the poorest family in the village, if seen from afar, dressed in fine robes and carrying a ceremonial whisk, might appear to be a great person. But in their own land, they are considered less worth than a fart. However, no matter how humble your origins, if you truly cultivate virtue and become genuinely outstanding, you will shine even in a foreign country. “The body, like a clear mirror, is pure and without dust.” You are radiant and transparent luminous light permeating all directions.
Having expressed the infinite radiance of the buddha, in the next line the Zen master somewhat mischievously—if I may put it so—says: This old monk has a little trick for clearing cloudy vision. ‘The old monk’ refers to Daichi himself. The technique of clearing mist from one’s eyes appears to be an old method where an eye doctor would use a golden needle to poke the eyes sharply. When our vision is clouded, it symbolizes that our consciousness is also vague. Repairing the clouded eyes. Daichi tries to say that “I am like an eye doctor, who uses the technique of clearing mist from your eyes—Turn your face to the south—and behold the North Star.
When the body, like a clear mirror, is pure and without dust, while facing south, you can see the north. Facing east, you can see the west. In the present, you can see the past. And in the past, you can see the future. Well, this is a poetic expression of the Buddha’s attaining the Way, and there are two other stanzas.