It is not necessarily a well-known point that the originator of all Buddhism and the Soto Zen Buddhist line of Patriarchs and Ancestors, Shakyamuni Buddha himself, received the teachings and the transmission of the Way through others who came before him also seeking the Way. But it is in the writings of the Buddha where this practice of long sentences used to capture indefinable concepts seems to have originated in Zen. It is said in The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light, written by the Master Keizan Zenji, that it is a mistake to look upon Shakyamuni Buddha as standing out from the rest of humanity in his realization of enlightenment. Although the Buddha’s incarnation marks the beginning of the formal religion and scriptures of Buddhism, ascetics sought the way from beginningless time. Through the practice of extremes in wealth and subsequent asceticism, he was able to awaken to the middle way which is the foundation stone of all Buddhism.
Keizan Zenji and Reverend Master Abbess Jiyu Kennett
When Shasta Abbey Zen Buddhist Monastery decided to undertake the task of translating The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light recorded by the Great Master Keizan Zenji in the 1300’s, they assumed the average person would not understand it. It was initially intended for members of the Zen Buddhist priesthood engaging in serious and intensive training of the mind. It was understood that some of these Zen Aphorisms would make no sense to a Western born reader. It would require a penetration of sorts into the true core of what Zen is.
Master Keizan Zenji, born in Fukui Prefecture in 1267, would probably have been surprised to find his work administered in many languages to a lay population. The Sankon-Zazen-Setsu, Denkoroku are just two of the great works attributed to the Master Zenji. Most of the religious ceremonies still used today in Soto Zen tradition were penned by him.
The Moment of Enlightenment
The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light has the profound task of keeping for all eternity the records of the moment between Master and Disciple wherein the Master and current ancestor prepares the new disciple to take the torch of the Way to the next generation. Each moment is unique and profound.
Saint Bodaidaruma, The Twenty Eighth Ancestor
“One day Hannyatara asked Bodaidaruma, ‘Amongst all things, which is without any characteristics?’ Bodaidaruma replied, ‘The NON-ARISING is without characteristics.’ Hannyatara asked, ‘Amongst all things, which is the greatest?’ Bodaidaruma answered, ‘The DHARMA-NATURE is the greatest.’” The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light.
Bodaidaruma was from Southern India of the warrior caste. His original name was Bodaitara, the third son of King Koshi. Bodaitara’s name means ‘The Pearl of Supreme Enlightenment. Hannyatara renamed him Bodaidaruma which means ‘He whose enlightenment Is All-Pervasive.’
Hannyatara instructed Bodaidaruma to begin his work in Southern India and to teach thus: “In traveling the road, you will traverse the waters and encounter a sheep. All by yourself, and agitated, you will cross the river in darkness. The most pitiable under the sun will be a pair – an elephant and a horse. Two young cinnamon trees will there be whose glory will prosper far into the future. Though China is vast, there is no other road for you. If you would have disciples follow in your footsteps; since the Golden Cock knows how to hold a grain of millet in his beak, he will nourish worthy monks in all ten directions.” The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light.
“There is no location, boundary or surface,
So how can anything even as minute as autumn down
Possibly exist?”
Keizan Zenji summarizes the teaching of Bodaidaruma
Sources: The Denkoroku: The Record of the Transmission of Light – Keizan Zenji, Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery
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