Sacred West

Catching ourselves gone, and thus experiencing ourselves being back, is experiencing realization of delusion. Delusion must be present for us to realize it. Delusion is what’s going on, and our awakening in the midst of this is our buddha nature. But the delusion continues, what’s going on continues.

Enkyo Roshi explains this in a way that brings me face to face with what she is saying, face to face with my mind’s awakening in delusion. How simple it is to see, how difficult to put into words, how well she transmits this teaching, in her explanation of these lines from a portion of the Genjo Koan, written in the autumn of 1233 by Eihei Dogen, founder of the Soto Zen tradition:

To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.

Those who have great realization of delusion are buddhas; those who are greatly deluded about realization are sentient beings. Further, there are those who continue realizing beyond realization, and those who are in delusion throughout delusion.

When buddhas are truly buddhas they do not necessarily notice that they are buddhas. However, they are actualized buddhas, who go on actualizing buddha.

And there are those who continue realizing beyond realization. Enkyo Roshi explains this also, perhaps you already see it from your own meditation experience.

In the difference between realizing delusion and being deluded about realization is the whole story of my basic practice, and perhaps the whole path.

Spend 37 minutes with the video clip, and see for yourself. This comes from Tricycle, and starts at the 7th second:

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