Build Your Own Temple

We learn in Case 4 of the Shoyoroku (Book of Serenity) that one day when the World-Honored One was walking with his assembly of monks he pointed to the ground with his hand and said, "This place is good for building a temple."

Indra took a blade of grass and stuck it in the ground and said, "The temple has been built."

The World-Honored One smiled.

The etymology of the word temple yields a number of different definitions. The word temple comes from Latin templum, itself derived from the Indo-European root *tem-, "to cut, divide." Latin templum probably referred originally to the fact that temples were on sacred ground that was "divided" or separated from ordinary ground.

One definition of temple is an edifice devoted to special or exalted purposes. A special builidng for prayer and worship.

Another definition of temple is "something regarded as having within it a divine presence."

Given these definitions, why would Indra say, "The temple has been built," after placing a blade of grass on the spot the Buddha pointed to as the "place [that] is good for building a temple." What was it about Indra's action that caused the Buddha to smile.

How is it possible that sticking a blade of grass in the ground and building a temple is somehow equivalent? If one's dharma eye is clear, the answer to this question will be obvious to you.

Before we awaken and realize our True Self, we divide aspects of our experience of the world up into the sacred and the profane and then set these two opposing categories in conflict with each other. The sacred is not the profane ... the profane is not sacred.

Each of our minds has this amazing ability to compare and contrast, to evaluate and judge and to problem solve. These functions of mind are necessary for our day-to-day functioning and account for the many accomplishments that we as a species have achieved. But these are not the only or most important functions of our mind. In fact, when we view our minds as only made up of these functions we severely restrict our ability to function freely.

Why? Because when we take our evaluations and judgements as literal truth and choose our actions based on them, we close ourselves off from the reality of this moment as it continually unfolds. We stop noticing what is happening in our direct experience of the world because our judgements kill our awareness of them. We stop noticing any evidence that might disconfirm our opinions. Then we are not getting the complete story and our actions reflect this limited perspective.

Ever notice how hard it is to convince someone of an alternative point of view once their mind is made up?

In a famous verse from the Hsin-hsin Ming (Faith in Mind) written by the Third Zen Patriarch, Seng-ts'an, we learn of the problem of depending exclusively on the mind's powers of judgement and evaluation to determine reality:

"The Supreme Way is not difficult
If only you do not pick and choose.
Neither love nor hate,
And you will clearly understand.
Be off by a hair,
And you are as far from it as heaven from earth.
If you want the Way to appear,
Be neither for nor against.
For and against opposing each other
This is the mind's disease."

There is a saying in Zen, "You are perfect and complete just as you are." Many people reject this notion initially as it seems to be pointing to an evaluation of ourselves that our experience tells us is untrue. We might think to ourselves, "I am far from perfect, I do things all the time that are pretty messed up. This saying does not square with my experience of reality."

This is most likely due to our interpretation of the meaning of the word "perfect." Common everyday usage of this term is part of our vocabulary of judgement and evaluation. Things are perfect or imperfect.

However, the word "perfect" actually has a very different meaning when viewed from the perspective of etymology. The "per" in perfect literally means "thorough" and the "fect" in perfect literally means "made." So speaking etymologically, the word perfect means "thoroughly made."

Whatever our experience, good or bad, happy or sad, sacred or profane, we were present when we experienced it. All of our experience, regardless of how we judge it is our experience: the lived truth of our lives - moment-to-moment-to-moment. It is thoroughly made in each moment. It is in that sense that it is perfect and complete "just as it is."

When viewed from this perspective, everything we do is perfect and completely whole with nothing left out. If a temple can be defined as "something regarded as having within it a divine presence," then all of our acts are temple building behaviors - not just the ones done on "sacred ground." All ground is sacred.

The Dalai Lama said it this way, "This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."

Gimme the Finger

Zen Master Gutei Chikan was famous for his One Finger Zen. Whenever he was asked about the Way he would simply raise a single finger. His attendant, a young boy, often imitated Master Gutei by raising his own finger when visitors to the monastery asked about Master Gutei's teaching. Hearing of this, Master Gutei summoned the young attendant to his room where he took out a knife and cut off the boy's finger. As the boy ran screaming in pain from the room, Gutei called out to the boy just as he reached the door. When the boy turned to look back at Master Gutei, the old monk raised his finger. In this moment, the boy realized his True Self.

What did the boy realize? He had imitated Master Gutei's raised finger many times. Why was the sight of the old master's finger on this occasion the stimulus that broke open his mind revealing his own True Self? If you are looking for an answer in Gutei's finger, you have missed it.

Working with people who struggle with addiction, one often has the opportunity to see the many ways that denial becomes a barrier to recovery. Pain is a powerful motivator giving rise to myriad forms of avoidance. One form of denial is to assert early and often in treatment that one will never use again. For example, I often hear folks say on the second or third day of treatment things like, "This program is great, I know now that I will never take another drink."

Folks who have been in recovery for years immediately detect that a person who utters such a proclamation, so early in treatment, has not yet made recovery into something of their own. They are just mouthing what they think the treatment team, their families, employers, etc., want to hear.

One can go in an out of treatment programs for years carrying on like this. When the drinking gets too bad, just check into a program, take the pledge, say all the right things, get discharged and before too long, start using again. One can become really skilled at fooling others into believing that their recovery is genuine. They can fool everyone except those who have walked the difficult path of recovery.

The good news is there is a path out of addiction. The bad news is that it is painful - plain and simple. Paradoxically, it is often when one is in the deepest throws of that pain that the path to recovery finally opens up right in front of you. This is sometimes known in the business as "hitting bottom."

Gutei's attendant thought he demonstrated an understanding of Gutei's Zen by raising his own finger. When Gutei cut off the boy's finger all he knew in that moment was his pain. It was all encompassing. It was real, right here, right now.

When Gutei raised his finger in response to the boy's pain, the young lad suddenly understood his own Way. He had made Gutei's Zen and the Zen of all the Patriarch's his own.

Gutei's teacher, Master Koshu Tenryu, was once asked by a monk, "How does one escape from the three realms [of desire]?" Master Tenryu replied, "Where are you right this moment?"