2011 MARCH
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
NEMBUTSU IS A PRECIOUS MIRROR
Housekeeping has been my daily task recently. After we were mar-ried, my wife
vacuumed and kept things orderly and always made the house comfortable, so I didn’t
have to clean at all. However, since our daughter was born, no matter how much Mika
tries to keep things clean, our daughter makes one mess after another. So for the past
couple of months, I have started to help Mika with the housekeeping after the little girl
has fallen asleep.
After my daughter has read books or played with LEGOs or puzzles, we usually encourage
her to practice putting them back on the shelf or in the toy box so that she can get into
the habit of tidying up after herself. But as I told you in last month’s article, she is at the
height of the “NO! NO!” stage. If we try to force her to put her things away, she is quickly
offended. So we feel we have no choice but to spoil her in order to avoid making her
cry, “NO! NO!” Washing the dishes, sweeping up the mess on the floor after her meal,
returning the toys, books and things she has scattered everywhere back to where they
belong is harder work than I ever expected, so I always get tired of doing it. But when I
think about how I neglect my health in daily life, I accept that housekeeping is a good
opportunity for me to take care of my lack of exercise.
My daughter’s room is filled with a lot of the toys, books, stuffed animals and other gifts
she has received from our parents and from many Sangha friends. Whenever I sweep up
her room, I am filled with a feeling of gratitude for the loving kindness these members
have shown to my daughter. There especially seems to be as many picture and
educational books packed on her bookshelf as there are Buddhist books in my office.
Because of this, the time we devote to reading together is one of her daily enjoyments.
The other day, we read Aesop’s Fables, a gift from a Sangha member. In it there was a
very interesting story entitled, “The Dog and Its Reflection,” which I would like to
introduce here.
One day, a dog carrying a piece of meat in its mouth began crossing a bridge. When the
dog looked down at the stream below, it saw its own reflection. Mistaking its reflection
for another dog holding a piece of meat, it began to bark to surprise the other dog
hoping to snatch away its food. But the very moment it opened its mouth to bark, the
dog lost the meat it held into the water. In the end, the dog was close to tears because
it had lost its food.
Although this is a famous story which everyone has heard before, there are very
wonderful lessons in any of Aesop’s tales. When I read the explanation of “The Dog and
Its Reflection,” it said, “This fable is about greed.” After we finished reading, I told Kurumi
things like, “Oh, poor dog! It lost its own meat because it was so greedy. This story
teaches us not to become greedy.”
However, in reading this fable again after such a long time since my childhood, I realized
that there is a more important lesson to this fable. It teaches us to, “Look at our true
selves.”
It is said that when a dog sees its reflection in water or a mirror, it cannot recognized
that it is seeing its own image. Even if intelligent ani-mals such as chimpanzees or
orangutans can recognize their reflections as themselves, they lack the ability to do
anything with that recognition. However, humans use mirror reflections to aid in
grooming or applying makeup. So we need to use mirrors to see our images every day.
Using a mirror allows us to see our face and body, but it does show what we have inside.
Here is the extremely big problem.
When I argue with my wife and am given advice, I occasionally leave her with a parting
shot, “You don’t need to tell me anything because I know myself best!” But, to tell the
truth, this is mere sour grapes. It is because I cannot see myself as I truly am, with my ugly
character and faults. In the same way, we cannot see our face or back without using a
mirror.
Current medical science allows us to see our internal organs using a CT scan and a
monitor. However, even if we use the latest medical equipment, it’s impossible to see
our inner thoughts or state of mind.
However, like a mirror which allows us to look at ourselves, what allows us to see our true
selves is the teaching of Dharma. What you can see in the mirror of the Dharma is your
true mind and heart. It’s most important to live our lives knowing that we have a way of
seeing deeply into of our truest nature using the mirror of the Dharma, namely, the
teaching of the Nembutsu.
There is a famous Buddhist tale which I would like to share with you.
One day, four monks began a silent ascetic practice. As their practice went on late into
the night, the oil in the lamp ran out and the light went out. Suddenly, it became
completely dark. One monk inadvertently said, “Oh, the light went out!” The monk next
to him said, “Hey! You are not supposed to talk!” The third monk said, “So, you talked,
too!” After a little while, the oldest monk, who had managed to remain silent till now,
blurted out, “I was the only one who was silent!” In the end, all four monks had talked.
I think there are some of you who are laughing at these monks, think-ing, “How stupid
they are!” But this story shows exactly the foolishness of our self-assertions. The sad
tendency of human nature is to try to ex-pose, criticize and judge other people’s
weakness. Just like the four monks, we condemn and judge others without looking at
ourselves. So when we accuse others, we brush aside our own shortcomings
and faults and set ourselves up as the standard of proper behavior. In Buddhism, it is
called “ignorance.” Ignorance means that one cannot see oneself at all.
Therefore, to see oneself in the mirror of the Dharma is to realize how foolish and self-
centered we truly are, and to reflect upon our own foolishness.
Last month, our temple observed Nirvana Day. When Shakyamuni Buddha attained
enlightenment at the age of 35, he wholeheartedly devoted his remaining years to the
journey of Dharma propagation until he passed away at the age of 80. In Kushinagar
where he would die, realizing he did not have long to live, he preached his last teaching
to his disciples as follows; “Make of yourself a light. Rely upon yourself; do not depend
upon anyone else. Make my teachings your light. Rely upon them; do not depend upon
any other teaching.”
These words have been passed down as the last teaching of the Buddha. “Teaching”
means the true nature of the universe. For example, everything is constantly changing
and there is nothing that exists in the exact same state for even an instant. Therefore,
Shakyamuni Buddha preached, “All things in the world are impermanent and all things
exist by depending on each other.” This truth is the teaching known as “Causes and
Conditions.” Although it is a universal truth which everyone knows, if things which are
inconvenient for us occur, we won’t accept even this distinct truth. For instance, even if
our close friend passes away, each of us always believes that we are immune from
death. We are not concerned that next time it is our turn.
This brings to mind the foolish dog portrayed in Aesop’s Fable. The foolish dog looking at
its reflection and mistaking it for another dog is a metaphor for us, looking at our fleeting
lives in the reality of imperma-nence as if we were seeing others' lives. The moment that
the dog foolishly barked, “Bow!” it lost its piece of meat. Life is also fleeting and we do
not know when it will be lost.
This kind of selfish thinking actually causes delusion. We must have a way of thinking
based on the truth of the Dharma so that we can be free of delusion. It is foolish to
believe that only I am an exception. Therefore, Shakyamuni Buddha said, “Make my
teaching your light.”
And furthermore, we shouldn’t leave our precious lives to anyone else. Instead, we
should always try to look steadfastly at our true selves using the mirror of the Dharma—
the Nembutsu teaching—for deep self reflection. In saying, “Make of yourself a light,”
Shakyamuni Buddha teaches us the preciousness of standing on our own feet as true
Buddhists based on the truth.
“Look at your true self,” is the lesson I learned from “The Dog and Its Reflection.” It was
during the really fruitful time I read to my daughter that I realized the importance of
always seeing our reflections in the mirror of Dharma—the Nembutsu teaching—much
like we see our reflections in the mirror every day. Namo Amida Butsu…
In Gassho
Dharma Message
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima, Resident Minister
NEMBUTSU IS A PRECIOUS MIRROR
Housekeeping has been my daily task recently. After we were mar-ried, my wife
vacuumed and kept things orderly and always made the house comfortable, so I didn’t
have to clean at all. However, since our daughter was born, no matter how much Mika
tries to keep things clean, our daughter makes one mess after another. So for the past
couple of months, I have started to help Mika with the housekeeping after the little girl
has fallen asleep.
After my daughter has read books or played with LEGOs or puzzles, we usually encourage
her to practice putting them back on the shelf or in the toy box so that she can get into
the habit of tidying up after herself. But as I told you in last month’s article, she is at the
height of the “NO! NO!” stage. If we try to force her to put her things away, she is quickly
offended. So we feel we have no choice but to spoil her in order to avoid making her
cry, “NO! NO!” Washing the dishes, sweeping up the mess on the floor after her meal,
returning the toys, books and things she has scattered everywhere back to where they
belong is harder work than I ever expected, so I always get tired of doing it. But when I
think about how I neglect my health in daily life, I accept that housekeeping is a good
opportunity for me to take care of my lack of exercise.
My daughter’s room is filled with a lot of the toys, books, stuffed animals and other gifts
she has received from our parents and from many Sangha friends. Whenever I sweep up
her room, I am filled with a feeling of gratitude for the loving kindness these members
have shown to my daughter. There especially seems to be as many picture and
educational books packed on her bookshelf as there are Buddhist books in my office.
Because of this, the time we devote to reading together is one of her daily enjoyments.
The other day, we read Aesop’s Fables, a gift from a Sangha member. In it there was a
very interesting story entitled, “The Dog and Its Reflection,” which I would like to
introduce here.
One day, a dog carrying a piece of meat in its mouth began crossing a bridge. When the
dog looked down at the stream below, it saw its own reflection. Mistaking its reflection
for another dog holding a piece of meat, it began to bark to surprise the other dog
hoping to snatch away its food. But the very moment it opened its mouth to bark, the
dog lost the meat it held into the water. In the end, the dog was close to tears because
it had lost its food.
Although this is a famous story which everyone has heard before, there are very
wonderful lessons in any of Aesop’s tales. When I read the explanation of “The Dog and
Its Reflection,” it said, “This fable is about greed.” After we finished reading, I told Kurumi
things like, “Oh, poor dog! It lost its own meat because it was so greedy. This story
teaches us not to become greedy.”
However, in reading this fable again after such a long time since my childhood, I realized
that there is a more important lesson to this fable. It teaches us to, “Look at our true
selves.”
It is said that when a dog sees its reflection in water or a mirror, it cannot recognized
that it is seeing its own image. Even if intelligent ani-mals such as chimpanzees or
orangutans can recognize their reflections as themselves, they lack the ability to do
anything with that recognition. However, humans use mirror reflections to aid in
grooming or applying makeup. So we need to use mirrors to see our images every day.
Using a mirror allows us to see our face and body, but it does show what we have inside.
Here is the extremely big problem.
When I argue with my wife and am given advice, I occasionally leave her with a parting
shot, “You don’t need to tell me anything because I know myself best!” But, to tell the
truth, this is mere sour grapes. It is because I cannot see myself as I truly am, with my ugly
character and faults. In the same way, we cannot see our face or back without using a
mirror.
Current medical science allows us to see our internal organs using a CT scan and a
monitor. However, even if we use the latest medical equipment, it’s impossible to see
our inner thoughts or state of mind.
However, like a mirror which allows us to look at ourselves, what allows us to see our true
selves is the teaching of Dharma. What you can see in the mirror of the Dharma is your
true mind and heart. It’s most important to live our lives knowing that we have a way of
seeing deeply into of our truest nature using the mirror of the Dharma, namely, the
teaching of the Nembutsu.
There is a famous Buddhist tale which I would like to share with you.
One day, four monks began a silent ascetic practice. As their practice went on late into
the night, the oil in the lamp ran out and the light went out. Suddenly, it became
completely dark. One monk inadvertently said, “Oh, the light went out!” The monk next
to him said, “Hey! You are not supposed to talk!” The third monk said, “So, you talked,
too!” After a little while, the oldest monk, who had managed to remain silent till now,
blurted out, “I was the only one who was silent!” In the end, all four monks had talked.
I think there are some of you who are laughing at these monks, think-ing, “How stupid
they are!” But this story shows exactly the foolishness of our self-assertions. The sad
tendency of human nature is to try to ex-pose, criticize and judge other people’s
weakness. Just like the four monks, we condemn and judge others without looking at
ourselves. So when we accuse others, we brush aside our own shortcomings
and faults and set ourselves up as the standard of proper behavior. In Buddhism, it is
called “ignorance.” Ignorance means that one cannot see oneself at all.
Therefore, to see oneself in the mirror of the Dharma is to realize how foolish and self-
centered we truly are, and to reflect upon our own foolishness.
Last month, our temple observed Nirvana Day. When Shakyamuni Buddha attained
enlightenment at the age of 35, he wholeheartedly devoted his remaining years to the
journey of Dharma propagation until he passed away at the age of 80. In Kushinagar
where he would die, realizing he did not have long to live, he preached his last teaching
to his disciples as follows; “Make of yourself a light. Rely upon yourself; do not depend
upon anyone else. Make my teachings your light. Rely upon them; do not depend upon
any other teaching.”
These words have been passed down as the last teaching of the Buddha. “Teaching”
means the true nature of the universe. For example, everything is constantly changing
and there is nothing that exists in the exact same state for even an instant. Therefore,
Shakyamuni Buddha preached, “All things in the world are impermanent and all things
exist by depending on each other.” This truth is the teaching known as “Causes and
Conditions.” Although it is a universal truth which everyone knows, if things which are
inconvenient for us occur, we won’t accept even this distinct truth. For instance, even if
our close friend passes away, each of us always believes that we are immune from
death. We are not concerned that next time it is our turn.
This brings to mind the foolish dog portrayed in Aesop’s Fable. The foolish dog looking at
its reflection and mistaking it for another dog is a metaphor for us, looking at our fleeting
lives in the reality of imperma-nence as if we were seeing others' lives. The moment that
the dog foolishly barked, “Bow!” it lost its piece of meat. Life is also fleeting and we do
not know when it will be lost.
This kind of selfish thinking actually causes delusion. We must have a way of thinking
based on the truth of the Dharma so that we can be free of delusion. It is foolish to
believe that only I am an exception. Therefore, Shakyamuni Buddha said, “Make my
teaching your light.”
And furthermore, we shouldn’t leave our precious lives to anyone else. Instead, we
should always try to look steadfastly at our true selves using the mirror of the Dharma—
the Nembutsu teaching—for deep self reflection. In saying, “Make of yourself a light,”
Shakyamuni Buddha teaches us the preciousness of standing on our own feet as true
Buddhists based on the truth.
“Look at your true self,” is the lesson I learned from “The Dog and Its Reflection.” It was
during the really fruitful time I read to my daughter that I realized the importance of
always seeing our reflections in the mirror of Dharma—the Nembutsu teaching—much
like we see our reflections in the mirror every day. Namo Amida Butsu…
In Gassho
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