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Shoyoroku (Book of Serenity) #4, “The Buddha Points to the Ground” | Otter.ai

Shoyoroku (Book of Serenity) #4, “The Buddha Points to the Ground”

John Pulleyn48min

Dhara Kowal

00:03

This is the sixth, sixth day of this March, 2025, seven day seshin. Today we're going to take a look at a koan. It's a very short one and beautiful in its simplicity. The Buddha points to the ground. The Buddha points to the ground. It's case number four of the Shoya Roku, also known as the book of serenity, or book of equanimity. And it's an exchange between the Buddha and Indra.

Dhara Kowal

01:10

When the Buddha was walking with his disciples, he pointed to the ground and said, Now, this would be a good place to build a temple Indra took a stem of grass, stuck it into the ground, and said, the temple is built. But the Buddha smiled, and that's it. That's the case.

Dhara Kowal

01:56

Of course, the Buddha doesn't need much by way of introduction, most of us know his story, but it is helpful to set the scene. He was born the son of a king. He was a prince named Siddhartha Gotama. So he lived in a royal palace, along with his wife and their son, and everything was taken care of all the accommodations, luxuries, pleasures one could imagine at that time, which was around the fifth or sixth century. The story goes that one day, when he was at the age of 29 he left the grounds of the Royal Palace, possibly for the first time in his very sheltered life. I and as he walked through the streets, or more likely, maybe he was taken by carriage, because he was a prince, after all. Anyway, as he went through the streets, he was deeply affected by three sites. He saw an old person, a sick person and the body of a dead person who is being carried down the street.

Dhara Kowal

04:22

And this shook him to his core. He realized that being a royal didn't protect him from aging, sickness and death.

Dhara Kowal

04:50

For him, it was, it seems, the first time that he had been confronted with the. The truth of impermanence in a really powerful way, the fact that as a living being, he is bound to suffer, and somehow he he also recognized in seeing these three sites that he shared this suffering with all of humanity.

Dhara Kowal

05:42

But then he came upon a fourth sight. Prince Siddhartha saw a mendicant monk, a holy man, wandering through the streets. It was plain to see that this man had given up material things and worldly life. He was solely relying on alms. Oh,

Dhara Kowal

06:27

and devoting himself completely to spiritual work, surrendering to it. So with this new awareness and seeing the possibility of of living a different kind of life, one that wasn't centered on wealth or material things, but on the great matter of birth and death, Siddhartha left the comfort of the palace. He left his family and took up life as a wandering ascetic,

Dhara Kowal

07:27

and as a ascetic, spiritual seeker, he punished his body, taking extreme measures, all in an attempt to transcend suffering, not just a vow of poverty, but fasting for long periods of time, going without sleep, living out in the open air, no shelter, abstaining from anything pleasurable. This was all in an effort to free himself from attachments and cravings. He did this for six years, according to the story. But all this excessive exertion, grasping, only left him frustrated and his body weak.

Dhara Kowal

08:55

He was confronted by a storm of thoughts, temptations, self doubt.

Dhara Kowal

09:11

But it was through that experience that he came to see the middle way we which form the basis of the Zen school.

Dhara Kowal

09:35

The middle way is not to fall into the trap of chasing, chasing after what we want and rejecting, running away from what we don't want. The middle way is. To simply merge with things as they are,

Dhara Kowal

10:13

and in merging experiencing this, not to ness and directly,

Dhara Kowal

10:32

we can all relate to his story. It's really a very human story. It doesn't matter how much privilege or success in life you have or don't have,

Dhara Kowal

10:58

if you're caught up in constantly pursuing your preferences, you're living life as if it's separate and in conflict with what is and It's that separation that's the root of our suffering.

Dhara Kowal

11:28

So that's the Buddha, and then there's Indra. Indra is a deity in Buddhist cosmology. He's not really important to Zen practice, per se, but the the symbolism that's associated with him is and he's primarily known through the image of Indras net, A vast, infinite network of jewels

Dhara Kowal

12:20

where each jewel reflects all the other jewels. And it's a metaphor that conveys our our Inter being, our interdependence with all beings and things, all phenomena.

Dhara Kowal

12:53

There's a verse in the avatamska Avatamsaka Sutra that expresses the immeasurable vastness of our Inter being,

Dhara Kowal

13:16

the vastness of these interconnected jewels, and it's translated by Thomas Cleary,

Dhara Kowal

13:30

if untold Buddha Lands are reduced to atoms in one atom are untold lands, and as in one, so in each the atoms to which these Buddha Lands are reduced in an instant are unspeakable. And so are the atoms of continuous reduction, moment to moment, going on for untold eons. These atoms contain lands unspeakably many, and the atoms in these lands are even harder to tell.

Dhara Kowal

14:37

Of course, atoms are the building block of matter,

Dhara Kowal

14:47

they're incredibly small, and within them, they contain even smaller particles and. Neutrons, protons, electrons,

Dhara Kowal

15:11

way smaller than the tiniest speck of dust and

Dhara Kowal

15:23

an atom can only be seen by way of a special microscope, microscope,

Dhara Kowal

15:39

and yet they smash together, smashing around all the time, continuously transferring energy and giving form to matter, the matter which we can see.

Dhara Kowal

16:11

So despite appearances, even though things can look solid and unchanging like the wood floor here in the Zen do,

Dhara Kowal

16:34

in fact, everything, all phenomena, including us,

Dhara Kowal

16:48

are comprised of this fluid, ever changing energy and

Dhara Kowal

17:12

so let's look at the case when the Buddha was walking with his disciples. He pointed to the ground and said, this would be a good place to build a temple. And we can picture the scene of Shakyamuni Buri Buddha walking along, joined by his disciples. He was said to have 10 great disciples, and it's possible that this walking took place in the context of a pilgrimage. It is said that he and his disciples traveled around extensively by foot, spreading the Dharma wherever they went for it. And so the group arrives at a certain location where the Buddha points his finger at the ground and says, This place, right here. This is a good place to build a temple,

Dhara Kowal

19:00

as far as for his pointing his finger, there are actually several koans that involve fingers in one way or Another, pointing, raising, cutting one off. And there's also this Zen saying, Don't mistake the finger pointing at the moon for the moon itself.

Dhara Kowal

19:39

Don't mistake the teachings, don't mistake words about this, about mu, about the breath, about one's true self and. I don't mistake that for the pure direct experience.

Dhara Kowal

20:14

So then, why was the Buddha pointing at the ground? Should we understand it in a literal way? Was he out scoping possible locations for a new temple? I

Dhara Kowal

20:46

that certainly is one, one sense of ground as the as in the ground of building sits on the ground that you stand on.

Dhara Kowal

21:11

It's a geographic location that you can find on a map. You

Dhara Kowal

21:24

but looking at the map is really kind of the equivalent of pointing a finger. It's not the same as being there standing on that ground. I

Dhara Kowal

21:48

and as for it being a suitable site for a Zen temple to be built, as we typically understand it, of course, to build a temple is to construct a building, a building that's dedicated to practice, a place to uphold The Buddha Dharma, a place for Sangha to gather a place where monastics live, work and practice together In a disciplined environment, and also a place where rituals and ceremonies and devotions are performed, of

Dhara Kowal

22:57

course, in the time of the Buddha such a building would have likely been a monastery,

Dhara Kowal

23:09

distinguished by walls, a rooftop, an entrance gate And inside the walls, Zen do a Buddha Hall, dining room, a place to sleep,

Dhara Kowal

23:32

a large temple bell and so on.

Dhara Kowal

23:41

It's kind of a microsm microcosm.

Dhara Kowal

23:56

Everything one needs to live a simple life devoted to practice is provided inside the walls and grounds of a monastery and

Dhara Kowal

24:26

when this site, this location, right here, where we're sitting, was chosen As the place to build Chapin Mill or build the retreat center in particular, from what I remember, it wasn't the only location that was considered. It's 135 acre property. So. No doubt there were other possibilities, and some of the factors that had to be considered were practical. Have to work around the wetlands and the contours of the property. You also have to consider accessibility in terms of utilities,

Dhara Kowal

25:38

consulting and architecture firm and the town board with all its rules and regulations

Dhara Kowal

25:58

prior to choosing this site to build the retreat center, a Feng Shui expert was even consulted,

Dhara Kowal

26:15

and when the building committee walked around the property with this feng shui expert or firm, became very clear that this, this was it, this is the place for one. It's close to the creek, which is ever flowing and fed by spring water,

Dhara Kowal

26:57

which itself seems very auspicious. I and also the sloping hill behind the building was considered to be a favorable feature because it protects the building from the coldest winds coming from the north. And I remember that ridge behind the building was called a dragon's tale.

Dhara Kowal

27:36

But my most vivid memory of that time, which is not long after I became a member of the center, was participating in the ground blessing ceremony, which was held before the shovels went into the ground, or more accurately, the excavators we had a chanting Service standing right on this building site.

Dhara Kowal

28:21

There was a special echo directed at all the creatures, large and small that would be affected, possibly displaced by the construction and it was so moving.

Dhara Kowal

28:52

So we have this one sense of building a temple that involves constructing an actual building, a beautiful building and grounds that are conducive to spiritual practice. And one can see it as a very sacred space, a space that should be treated with great respect and care. And it's true, so much care throughout the year goes into maintaining the atmosphere of Chapin Mill and of any temple I'd imagine, cleaning, gardening, food preparation,

Dhara Kowal

29:55

respecting all the rules that support practice. Traditionally in Zen temples, among the most important rules are respecting the silence

Dhara Kowal

30:18

and staying with your practice being mindful in activity, not just during zazen,

Dhara Kowal

30:36

just as we are Here in seshin, there are other kinds of rules, like removing your street shoes upon entry, dressing modestly, wearing a robe, not exposing too much skin, and then the devotions, like bowing, prostrations, chanting,

Dhara Kowal

31:14

and outwardly, what This practice looks like inside a temple like this can appear very sacred and even holy. Sometimes newcomers find this kind of intimidating or off putting, but Zen we we recognize holy and unholy as just ideas, concepts. You can't trust appearances

Dhara Kowal

32:01

and at the same time to be sitting in this wonderful surround sound Zen do.

Dhara Kowal

32:15

It's hard not to see it as a very special place. The same thing with the one at Earl park,

Dhara Kowal

32:34

to space that invites us to sit, to look

Unknown Speaker

32:48

and to keep at it.

Dhara Kowal

32:56

But in these modern times, we don't just have physical temples built in physical locations. We also have this temple on zoom the Zoom Zen do, as we call it, that's a good place to build a temple. You and in this session, we have a dozen or so who are joining us here at Chapin Mill, and we are joining them in their homes. We have people participating from as far away as California and Mexico City. You

Dhara Kowal

34:04

but there's another sense of Temple, another sense of ground, the ground when we would build a temple on hence, one that's much more fundamental, and that's the ground of our being,

Dhara Kowal

34:38

this ground that we all share.

Dhara Kowal

34:46

There's a beautiful verse in the Lotus Sutra that speaks to this, the rain for. Falls everywhere, coming down on all four sides, its flow and saturation are measureless, reaching to every area of the earth, to the ravines and valleys of the mountains and the streams to the remote and secluded places where where grow plants, bushes, medicinal herbs, trees, large and small, 100 grains, rice seedlings, sugar cane grape vines, the rain moistens them all. None fails to receive its full share. You

Dhara Kowal

36:12

This is the kind of ground that we can't point to, because it's who we are. We are this ground.

Dhara Kowal

36:39

It's not a object outside us, we can't even say that it has an inside.

Dhara Kowal

36:55

It's a ground that has no borders and

Dhara Kowal

37:10

and just just like the literal ground that we can stand and walk and sit on and

Dhara Kowal

37:23

the ground of our being gives us stability, the stability of being one with things as they are and calmly, seeing that all is one.

Dhara Kowal

37:54

Everything is ground and

Dhara Kowal

38:05

and so again, the Buddha, pointing to the ground says this, this would be a good place to build a temple

Dhara Kowal

38:21

Indra then took a stem of grass, stuck it into the ground, and said, the temple is built, just like that. The temple is built. Time for the ribbon cutting.

Dhara Kowal

38:47

The fact that it was Indra that responded to the Buddha in this way is very telling, because something as ordinary and plain as a blade of grass is a temple. A

Dhara Kowal

39:17

single blade of grass is part of this vast network of brilliant jewels, each jewel reflecting everything else, every other jewel you

Dhara Kowal

39:43

the Haiku poet bachelor wrote the temple bell stops, but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers and.

Dhara Kowal

40:09

Every single thing illuminates mind in all its forms and

Dhara Kowal

40:27

the temple is built,

Dhara Kowal

40:37

but to Enter it, we kind of have to do some deconstruction work In the form of dropping our clinging to ideas and

Dhara Kowal

41:10

dropping everything, dropping time, thoughts feelings,

Dhara Kowal

41:37

should and shouldn't, right and wrong, good and bad, dropping everything. And when we do that, what we find is that there are temples everywhere You

Dhara Kowal

42:15

zazen mats and chairs are temples, tooth brushes and

Dhara Kowal

42:25

soap, teacups,

Dhara Kowal

42:34

trees, cars, pencils and

Dhara Kowal

42:48

everything, including this body,

Dhara Kowal

43:00

wherever there's undivided attention, there's a temple.

Dhara Kowal

43:13

I remember there was this popular phrase, the body is a temple. Think it was like in the 1970s or 80s that it became popular.

Dhara Kowal

43:39

It was used to promote exercise, but it actually has a connection to a verse in the Bible as well, either way to say the body is a temple is to say it's a precious thing. We need to take care of it and respect it. It's the only one we have. We couldn't practice without it.

Dhara Kowal

44:28

And actually, in Buddhism, the body is often referred to as a vessel, and we can see how calling it a vessel is kind of similar to a temple, a vessel for practice, for being in the world.

Dhara Kowal

44:55

It has form. It's shaped by mass. Matter.

Dhara Kowal

45:05

There's matter inside, and the skin that covers it is also matter,

Dhara Kowal

45:19

and each body is unique and different.

Dhara Kowal

45:29

That's only the half of it. Our body also extends far beyond our skin. It's part of that infinite, vast network of jewels beyond our ordinary perception we

Dhara Kowal

46:10

what? What separates your hand from the cup you drink from? I

Dhara Kowal

46:27

what separates your feet from the ground that you walk on, what separates the air that you breathe as you're doing zazen, you take an inhale. It's the same one as the person next to you and on the other side of the Zen do. It's the same air inhaled by deer and squirrels. How can we say any of that is separate?

Dhara Kowal

47:22

So Indra stuck the blade of grass in the ground and said the temple is built and

Dhara Kowal

47:45

and at This the Buddha smiled, and

Dhara Kowal

48:20

I will stop here and recite the four vows.

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