Twenty Difficult Things...

The Buddha said: "There are twenty difficult things to attain [or to accomplish] in this world:

1.) It is difficult for the poor to practise charity;

2.) It is difficult for the strong and rich to observe the Way;

3.) It is difficult to disregard life and go to a certain death;

4.) It is only a favored few that get acquainted with a Buddhist sutra;

5.) It is by rare opportunity that a person is born in the age of Buddha;

6.) It is difficult to conquer the passions, to supress selfish desires;

7.) It is difficult not to hanker after that which is agreeable;

8.) It is difficult not to get into a passion when slighted;

9.) It is difficult not to abuse one's authority;

10.) It is difficult to be even-minded and simple-hearted in all one's dealings with others;

11.) It is difficult to be thorough in learning and exhaustive in investigation;

12.) It is difficult to subdue selfish pride;

13.) It is difficult not to feel contempt toward the unlearned;

14.) It is difficult to be one in knowledge and practice;

15.) It is difficult not to express an opinion about others;

16.) It is by rare opportunity that one is introduced to a true spiritual teacher;

17.) It is difficult to gain insight into the nature of being and to practice the Way;

18.) It is difficult to follow the steps of a savior;

19.) It is difficult to be always the master of oneself;

20.) It is difficult to understand thoroughly the Ways of Buddha

From "The Sutra of Forty-two Chapters" included in "Zen for Americans" by Soyen Shaku, translated by D.T. Suzuki, an unabridged reprint of the 1913 edition of "Sermons of a Buddhist" (Barnes & Noble Books, 1993, p. 10 - 11)

The Kujo Shakujo, The Nine-Branched Mystic's Staff

In the fall of 2010 Ajari Tanaka introduced his North American students to a short sutra called the "Kujo Shakujo". Ajari explained that this sutra is traditionally recited as part of the preparations for Shingon's Fire Ceremony or "Goma". As is his habit, he introduced the recitation of the sutra using a romaji text, leaving us to explore its meaning. We had a rough translation that we found on the internet, but we knew it left a lot to be desired. Recently a new friend of ours shared the English rendering below. Please take a few minutes to read it as it is quite wonderful.

The Kujo Shakujo

1: Holding the Shakujo, I wish for the sake of all sentient beings, may I gather together a great assembly, show the Buddha's true path, and offer the Three Treasures. May I gather together a great assembly, show the Buddha's true path and offer the Three Treasures.

2: From a pure heart in the past, I gave the Three Treasures. Now emanating a pure heart I give the Three Treasures. In the future I will purify my heart and give the Three Treasures.

3: I pray that all beings become holy teachers with vows filling the universe, to the extent that all the suffering of everyone is assuaged in the Dharmakaya. I offer the Three Treasures that they meet the Buddhas and suddenly awaken to Bodhi.

4: I pray that all beings cultivate the Absolute Truth with great mercy and compassion, that they cultivate the Provisional Truth with great mercy and compassion, and that they cultivate the One Vehicle with great mercy and compassion. I respectfully offer the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the three jewels within one body.

5: I pray that all beings perfect their generosity with great mercy and compassion; perfecting their morality with great mercy and compassion; perfect their patience with great mercy and compassion; perfect their energy with great mercy and compassion; perfect their meditation with great mercy and compassion; perfect their wisdom with great mercy and compassion.

6: I pray that all beings everywhere hear the sound of the Shakujo; that the lazy become energetic; that precept breakers become virtuous; that the untrustworthy become reliable; that the stingy become generous; that the angry become merciful; that the foolish become wise; that the arrogant become humble; and that once free from obstacles they take heart, practice 10,000 times and quickly attain enlightenment.

7: For the benefit of all beings, I wish for a change of heart in the harmful beings of the world: the cruel and wicked people; the devils and evil spirits; the fierce animals, poisonous snakes and insects. I wish that all these beings hear the sound of the Shakujo, abandon all harm, emanate the Bodhi Heart, practice 10,000 times, and quickly attain enlightenment.

8: For the benefit of all beings, I wish that all people everywhere come to the aid of those suffering in the hells, the hungry ghosts, those in the animal realms, and people in the midst of the eight difficulties of life. I wish that everyone takes upon himself the suffering of others, hears the sound of the Shakujo, and soon attains deliverance. To those fallen to temptations, gone astray, foolish, with divided minds, hindered, facing the 108 worries, I wish they all emanate Bodhi Heart, practice 10,000 times, and quickly attain enlightenment.

9: All Buddhas of the past have abandoned errors and taken hold of the Shakujo. Buddhas of the present and those now becoming Buddhas take hold of the Shakujo. Those who become Buddhas in a life yet to come will take hold of the Shakujo. Forever I bow to them, carry the Shakujo and give the Three Treasures. Forever I bow to them, carry the Shakujo and give the Three Treasures.

Ajari Tanaka's 2011 Vermont Visit

Our teacher, Ajari Jomyo Tanaka arrived in Vermont for his annual visit on the evening of Tuesday September 13th and stayed with us until his early departure on Thursday September 22nd. Besides the strongest contingent of local students participating in any visit, we also enjoyed the company of students from Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, Connecticut and Croatia.

During the first three days of his visit, Ajari lead evening meditation sessions for our sangha which were attended by eight to ten of his students and friends each night. These sessions were about an hour in length and focused on various recitation practices that include sutras, gatha, dharani and mantra that are fundamental to Shingon.

Also during this time Ajari Tanaka spent the days conducting special training sessions for some of his established students. On Saturday he visited our affiliate dojo in Brossard Quebec (Vajra Gym, outside of Montreal), again to conduct a special training session for a long time Canadian student. On Sunday he had a relaxing day off, taking a trip into the Vermont countryside to visit an old friend in Plainfield VT.

Ajari's visit culminated with a two and a half day retreat attended by fourteen students. The retreat consisted of a variety of Shingon's meditation and recitation practices as well as many inspiring talks by Ajari. An out-of-town student who is beginning their second year of practice and study received their Dharma Name right at the end of the retreat.

During the retreat Ajari Tanaka created an amazing practice environment and an inspiring experience for all who attended. We all left feeling we had experienced something really special and were deeply appreciative of our connection with this unique dharma teacher.

We at Mandala Vermont think we just might be the luckiest dharma students in the world. Our teacher is full of warmth and humor, is genuinely down to earth and incredibly generous with our training. We can sit next to him at dinner or tea and have a real discussion. When he leads practice, he challenges and inspires. He gets to know us directly and we get to know him. It is a rare thing in today's world and really quite amazing.

Before he departed for Tokyo, Ajari Tanaka committed to returning to Vermont in 2012. He will visit us around the same time, about the middle of next September. We invite you all to join us for Ajari's 2012 visit and experience his wonderful teaching and Shingon practice first hand.