SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

The Basic Meaning of Sōtō Zen 55to give a sermon, merely held up a lotus flower in his hand.Here Keizan uses this phrase to point to the Transmission ofthe teachings outside the Scriptures. The ÒsmileÓ refers toMakakasho, the disciple of the Buddha who signified hisunderstanding of the uplifted flower by a faint smile. The passagefrom The Denk‡roku quoted here stresses the universalityof the Truth throughout all time and space. In this work Keizanexpresses deep respect for D‡gen and, although endeavoring tolive in his tradition, reveals originality by striking out on a newpoint of departure for himself. He always kept in mind the truespirit of D‡gen, yet he popularized it and adapted it to suit theneeds of the times. He paid particular attention to the socialaspect of religion and strove hard with an all-embracing spiritto train his many disciples. His popularization of the teachingsof the S‡t‡ School and genius for administration caused theschool to flourish and laid the basis for its present-day success.His successors drew the common people to the school by theirstrict adherence to the ideals set forth by D‡gen and throughactive missionary work in all parts of Japan and before allclasses of people.In summary, the essence of S‡t‡ Zen is: 1) to groundyourself with an unwavering practice of meditation and not besidetracked by the petty demands of greed and anger, 2) towholeheartedly seek the way of Truth by utterly forsaking alldesires for fame and gain, 3) to live in Truth, avoiding the