SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

60 Sōtō ZenTruth?Ó D‡gen emphasized the efforts of people to discover theEternal within themselves. We can observe here D‡genÕsintense resistance to religious fatalism and the idea that it wasnot possible to find the Truth during a period of decline in theBuddhist teaching. If one has a sincere desire to seek Truth,then the limitations of time and place can be transcended, andone can see the Buddha and Ancestors directly. This is becausethe three periods referred to above are not periods in time, butare really stages in the development of men. Great MasterKeizan stated in his Denk‡roku: ÒThere is no time boundarybetween the three periods. This is true in India, China, andJapan alike. Therefore do not bewail the coming of the period ofdecline. Do not be prejudiced against those from distant placesand remote areas.Ó He respects the heroic spirit which casts offthe spell of Òthe period of declineÓ and boldly goes forth in thesearch for true Buddhism.2. The standpoint taken by Great Master D‡gen is new inthat it does not handle the problems of the Buddhist Scripturesin an academic, objective way, but delves into each one as if itwere a problem presented to D‡gen personally. Although theBuddhism which bases itself upon Scripture as final authorityhas great depth, it often falls into a mere intellectual Buddhismunable to transform itself into a living religion. D‡genÕsBuddhism is based upon wholehearted Zazen which rejects thedualism of mind and matter and holds that the training process