Buddha Sits
"One day a non-Buddhist came to where the Buddha was in order to pay the World-honored One a visit. He said to the Buddha, “I do not ask You whether You have words for It, nor do I ask You whether there are no words for It.”
The World-honored One sat in silence for some good while.
Thereupon, the non-Buddhist humbly bowed and, in praise, said, “How fine, O World-honored One! Your great benevolence and great compassion have parted the clouds of my delusion and made it possible for me to enter the Truth.” He then made a prostration and departed.
After the non-Buddhist had departed, Ananda then asked the Buddha, “What did the non-Buddhist realize that led him to say that he had entered the Truth and then, after praising You, depart?”
The World-honored One replied, “He was like a good horse who just goes forth upon seeing but the shadow of a riding crop.”
This story, to me, illustrates the truth of the Buddha-Dharma that cannot be grasped in words or writings. Yet, we must use words and writings to talk about it. However, in this story, Shakyamuni Buddha illustrates the truth of the Dharma to the "non-Buddhist" by remaining seated in the meditation posture. By silently sitting Buddha is expressing the ever-present enlightenment to be found in each of us being conveyed through our everyday lives. Dharma can be expressed in words and actions when we are completely in accord with our present activity. When I was training at Yokoji I would pay close attention to the Hojo-san and Godo-san (abbot and priest trainer). Their movements when they were performing the service, offering incense, or simply sitting in zazen were both inspirational and completely natural. There seemed to be nothing particularly special about their actions and that is what I found to be so inspiring. I observed, by my teachers at Yokoj, that when we conform our lives to the truth of the Dharma, rather than try to force our truth on the life of the Dharma we completely embody the teachings of Buddha by expressing our original Buddha-nature.
our Jizo in the temple garden with a new bib!