The eyes horizontal, the nose vertical

EricT Image zafu After he came back from China, Master Dogen said: "I return with empty hands. The eyes are horizontal, the nose is vertical."

Those words express exactly how I felt when coming back from a Zuise in Japan. Of course, I could describe the flow of the ceremonies in Soji-ji and Eihei-ji, but the real thing, the essential, is beyond words. My mouth, my hands are empty. I just continue to sit cross-legged, the eyes horizontal, the nose vertical.

Heinz-Jürgen Metzger

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The 108 luminous Dharma Gates

The Dharma Gates are teachings coming from nature and from sutras. They lead - if they are put into practice - to the awakening and a happy life, in accordance with this awakening.

The main Gate is zazen, the Zen meditation. But Buddha gave many more teachings which also lead to the awakening. An old sutra (which Master Dogen added to his Shobogenzo) contains 108 “Gates”, because they are the key of an unlimited enjoyment, as the Bodhisattva who presented them said.

You will find in this volume the last 62 Gates, translated and commented by Master Roland Yuno Rech.

108 portes tome 2

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