SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

138 Appendix I: The Gist of Sōtō Zenfrom the great powers in Japan such as shoguns and daimyosand always maintained close contact with the common people,holding steadfastly to the spirit that life itself is Zen.8) Buddhist meditation, which aims at acquiring nothing,kept itself pure and did not fall into the pitfalls of superstitionwhich aims at receiving material benefits in this world throughreligious practice. We believe that superstition and science areincompatible. S‡t‡ Zen is a pure religion which is rooted in thecorrect Buddha Dharma.9) A philosophical foundation for modern thought andfaith is considered an absolute necessity. We believe that thethought of Great Master D‡gen can give important suggestionsand stimuli to the task of synthesizing the philosophy of boththe East and the West. In particular, one chapter of Sh‡b‡genz‡called ÒUji,Ó which contains D‡genÕs theory of time, has muchto offer Western philosophy.10) As long as mankind possesses an inherent spirituality,both men and women are equal insofar as their spiritual capacitiesare concerned. Great Master D‡gen taught from a loftyviewpoint the equality of men and women long before theRenaissance and emphasized the dignity of the human character.This is a powerful stimulus to democratic Japan. [It is importantfor all nations of the world to open the doors of spiritualequality to all persons. EditorÕs note.]