Okumura Roshi on the Fundamental Principles

“Ichiza, Nigyou, Sanshin. One sitting posture (Ichiza), two practices (Nigyou: vows and repentance), three attitudes of mind (Sanshin: magnanimous mind, compassionate mind, joyful mind).”

“SANSHIN” is the term Uchiyama Roshi used in his last talk at Antaiji. He retired from Antaiji in 1975, many years ago. I was 26 or 27 years old, so it was more than 40 years ago. He said that as a teacher or abbot of Antaiji, he realized that these three things were the most important, and he passed these three points on to his students. After that, I had to come to this country [the United States of America] and practice without my teacher, so these points were my teacher. For me, Sanshin is the essence of his teaching.

Of course, zazen is paramount, but sanshin is how our zazen is put into practice in our daily lives, whether we live in a monastery or in society, with our families, at our workplaces, or in society as a whole.

When we live with other people, we need these three guiding principles. For Dogen, these three attitudes are a practical instruction for monks in the monastery, but Uchiyama Roshi said that this teaching applies not only to monks in the monastery but to everyone who lives with others. Whether it’s a Buddhist sangha or some other kind of community, we need these three fundamental attitudes.

Similarly, according to Uchiyama Roshi, the teachings in Dogen’s Eihei Shingi (Pure Standards for the Zen Community) are an introduction to how our zazen practice can function outside the zendo in our daily lives. Originally, these were instructions for monks in the monastery, but Uchiyama Roshi says they are not only for monks living in the monastery, but important for anyone living in a community with other people. […]