SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

62 Sōtō Zendeclared that wholehearted meditation is neither a practice inwhich one waits for enlightenment such as was found in theSung Dynasty in China, nor is it a means to become Buddha.Enlightenment is an inherent part of meditation practice fromthe outset. Just-sitting meditation is free from all obstacles andis synonymous with enlightenment. We call this meditation inenlightenment and enlightenment in meditation. Kekka-fuza(sitting cross-legged with the soles of both feet turned upward)is the samdhi (meditation) practiced by all the Buddhas inwhich they alone fully enjoy the bliss derived therefrom.Formal seated meditation is not considered an unpleasant,compulsory religious exercise, but an act of the Buddhas whichis in perfect harmony with nature and in accord with the spirit ofthe Buddha. Zazen, always surrounded by the twin ideas oftraining and enlightenment, is in itself complete enlightenmentand the bodily posture which reveals the fullest manifestation ofthis Original Enlightenment. It is a religious exercise, and yet atthe same time it is the state of Great Enlightenment. Serenereflection meditation, from which nothing is sought andnothing is gained (J. mushotoku mushogo no Zazen), must neverbe construed to mean a denial of practice itself, because to denyreligious practice would result in being unable to unite it withtheory. D‡gen says in the ÒBend‡wa,Ó ÒBoth the Buddhas andAncestors insisted upon the necessity of intense training inorder that enlightenment may be kept pure, being identical with