Teisho: Shobogenzo “Hachi-dainin-gaku”

by Suzuki Seido Docho Roshi

Translation and Introduction by Tenmyo Dojima

Hachi-dainin-gaku means “the eight truths of a great human being.” Hachi means eight, dining means “great human beings” and gaku means “truth or enlightened seeing.” Great human beings are Buddhas that realize the Truth. Realizing the Truth brings us Nirvana. Among the eight truths of a great human being, the first truth is having small desire and the truth is knowing satisfaction.

Small Desires

Our desire occurs when the five sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin) meet the five sense objects (vision, sound, smell, taste and touch). Not chasing after those desires is called small desires, the first truth of great human beings. When Dogen Zenji asked his teacher, Nyojo Zenji, “Who is the small person?”, he replied that having many desires is the mark of a small person (citation from Hokyoki, Dogen Zenji’s record of his stay in China). If you have abundant desires, your suffering also becomes abundant. Having small desires or few desires, you are free from this suffering. Small desires, in other words, means you give up things that are difficult to give up, eliminating your self-centered thoughts. Our selfish thoughts are the cause of conflicts and fights happening now in our world. We should stay away from those thoughts, practicing and learning small desires.

Our practice of Takuhatsu (pindapata, asking for donations and food offerings) helps both monks and lay people to eliminate our selfish tendencies. Takuhatsu is a practice transmitted from Shakyaminu Buddha. Receiving offerings keeps our body and mind pure. For lay people giving donations and offerings is a good practice for getting rid of desires and greed. Takuhatsu helps our body and mind stay in harmony, bringing us great merit.

Knowing Satisfaction

Knowing satisfaction means knowing we already have enough. We are lacking nothing. Everything is just as it should be. When you pay attention to what you don’t, you cause your own sufferings. When we possess too many things, we forget how precious life is. There are people who want to continue living but need to leave this world. we sadly lost a beloved Sangha member this month, Daishin (Daishin Roshi of Hakubai temple, Boulder, Colorado USA -ed). We should not take it granted that we are able to breathe right now and we are able to practice Buddhism here.

You may feel more alive and content when you have less. When I first came to Toshoji temple, the moonlight came in through the Sodo roof. There were piles of bat droppings in the Sodo and we sat with bats in the rafter. But we were happy that we could sit, and we continued our practice. Hard environments sometimes help us develop our humanity.

I would like to recite one poem before finishing. My mother used to pick up clippings that she found interesting from any media she saw and put them on the wall of Unsenji temple, where I grew up. I remember the last poem she put on the wall very well:

“Human greed and falling snow

As it accumulates, you lose your path.”