The Heart of Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō

8. Shōji (Birth and Death)

105 EIGHT Shôji 生死 (Birth and Death) Shôji, the shortest fascicle included in Shôbôgenzô, is undated and lacks a colophon. Although not included in Dôgen’s own recension of Shôbôgenzô, Shôji is found in the Sôtô school’s official “Honzan” edition. Shôbôgenzô Shôji is, with Shôbôgenzô Zenki, one of two fascicles that deal specifically with the question of birth-and-death (samsara), the cycle of existence that unenlightened beings repeat endlessly according to their past actions. Samsara is sometimes described as a “sea,” limitless and difficult to cross, which Buddhists must negotiate to reach the “other shore” of nirvana. Buddhists vow to save all other beings from the sufferings of birth-and-death. In SBGZ Shoaku-makusa, Dôgen wrote that “clarifying birth, clarifying death, is the matter of greatest importance for a Buddhist.” However, he rejects an approach that would discard or reject birth-and-death for the bliss of nirvana beyond this world, because birth-anddeath is in reality “the life of Buddha,” and nirvana is unrealizable apart from samsara. (Ôkubo, vol. 1, 778–79). SHÔJI “Since there is a Buddha within birth-and-death, there is no birth-and-death.” “Since there is no Buddha within birth-and-death, you are not deluded by birth-and-death.” These two utterances were spoken by two Zen masters, Chia- 106 THE HEART OF DÔGEN’S SHÔBÔGENZÔ shan and Ting-shan.1 Being the words of those who have attained the Way, they cannot have been uttered without meaning. Those who would be free from birth-and-death must clearly realize their meaning. To seek Buddha apart from birth-and-death is like pointing the thills of a cart northward when you want to go south to Yüeh, or facing south to see the northern Dipper; it only furthers the conditions of birth-and-death and deprives you all the more of the Way of deliverance. Just understand that birth-and-death itself is nirvana, and you will neither hate one as being birth-and-death, nor cherish the other as being nirvana. Only then can you be free of birth-and-death. It is a mistake to think you pass from life into death. Being one stage of time, life is possessed of before and after. For this reason, the Buddha Dharma teaches that life itself is as such unborn. Being one stage of time as well, cessation of life also is possessed of before and after. Thus it is said that extinction itself is undying. When there is life, there is nothing at all apart from life. When there is death, there is nothing at all apart from death. Therefore, when life comes, you should just give yourself to life; when death comes, you should give yourself to death. You should neither desire them, nor hate them. Your present birth-and-death itself is the life of Buddha. If you attempt to reject it with aversion, you thereby lose the life of Buddha. If you abide in it, attaching to birth-and-death, you also lose the life of Buddha and are left with only its outward appearance. You attain the mind of Buddha only when there is no hating of birth-and-death and no desiring of nirvana. But do not try to measure it with your mind or explain it with words. When you let go of both 1. The full dialogue in which these two quotations appear is found in somewhat different wording in CTL, ch. 7. Chia-shan and Ting-shan were walking and talking. Ting-shan said, “No Buddha within birth-and-death is in itself no birth-and-death.” Chia-shan said, “Buddha within birth-and-death means no illusion about birth-and-death.” They went up the mountain to see master Ta-mei. Chia-shan asked him, “We are unable to decide which of our views is closer to the truth.” Ta-mei said, “One is close. One is far.” “Which is close?” asked Chia-shan. Ta-mei answered, “You should leave and come again tomorrow.” The next day, Chia-shan went once more and put the same question to the master. Ta-mei said, “The one who is close does not ask. The one who asks is not close.” (After he had become a temple master himself, Chia-shan said, “At that time I lacked the Dharma eye.”) While both Chia-shan...