SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

The Key to the Doctrines 81or doing meditation. It must be revealed in the work we are doingat present. When we assume that each action undertaken inour daily life rests on a basis of original enlightenment, each actis in itself the act of a Buddha. The Fourth Ancestor, Tao-hsin(J. Daii D‡shin), and the Fifth Ancestor, Hung-jen (J. DaimanK‡nin), each had assemblies of more than five hundred monks.Since they did not receive any aid from the government, thenecessary work for the maintenance of the monastery had to bedivided among the monks: some doing the cooking, others thefarming and the sweeping. The value of this work was held tobe fully equal to that of formal seated meditation. Any workwhich is based upon the Buddha Nature is said to be radiant. Allwords and actions which emanate from religious training are aconcrete expression of our faith and gratitude. The Gy‡ji-no-Maki by D‡gen says, ÒOneÕs daily actions express oneÕs gratitudefor the great benevolence of the Ancestors.Ó Each day, too,is sacred and can never come again. Takeko Kuj‡ wrote in apoem, ÒDo you not see that the flower which scatters on themorn, so long as it has strength, will bloom?Ó Who can be sureof their life tomorrow? We must therefore seek the Way withouthesitation and help others as much as possible as long as weare alive. Great Master Pai-chang (J. Hyakuj‡), even in his oldage, continued to sweep the garden every morning along withhis young disciples. One day his disciples, unable to bear the