Gautama Buddha had a young pupil whose name was Marnkyaptra. He was argumentative by nature. He questioned Buddha in this way.

Is there an end in this world or is there nothing? Does the soul (spirit) exist or not? Does the next world exist or not?

Our distress is not relieved if we know whether the world has an end or there is nothing after death. I explain the teaching which conquers our distress in our present life. Such a thing will not matter if you reach enlightenment.

A Poisoned Arrow

A Dharma Talk by Sensei Imanaka

We do not know what will happen in our life, and there are many times when the outcome is not what we expect. Have we not averted our eyes from problems, which should be solved, because we have been busy doing other things?

Buddha replied to this with silence. The pupil was dissatisfied when Buddha did not reply to questions. And he said to Buddha. If Buddha knows the answer to these questions, Buddha should answer he knows. If Buddha doesn’t know the answer to these questions, Buddha should answer that he doesn’t know. I will practice according to the answer.Buddha answered like this.

Suppose that a certain person was shot by a poisoned arrow. Probably, that person will have to be treated immediately.

However, but what at happens if we ask the person these questions before we take them to a doctor? Some questions like:

Who was the person who shot the arrow? How tall is he? Where does he live? With what kind of bow did he shoot?

The person will die, if only such questions as these are pursued.

Similarly it does not help your distress if I respond by asking you such questions. Is it not right to say that one should train by simply following one answer.

Our distress is not relieved if we know whether the world has an end or there is nothing after death. I explain the teaching which conquers our distress in our present life. Such a thing will not matter if you reach enlightenment.

We do not know what will happen in our life, and there are many times when the outcome is not what we expect. Have we not averted our eyes from problems, which should be solved, because we have been busy doing other things? Supposing that this is true, please summon your courage to fight against these problems. Buddha certainly helps such a person who acts by this courage.

All flowers are beautiful and graceful when seen from Buddha’s eyes.

There are many kind of plants and flowers in the world. It is raining. The earth is moistened with rain. those plants absorb moisture, grow up, and the flower bloom. but those rapidity of growth, size, and color and shape of the flower are different. Because the kind of the seed is different.

Now I compared Buddha’s teaching to rain and plants to people. Buddha’s teaching is equality for all people and speed of people grow up is various like rain and plants.

Six Virtue Practices and Offerings

There is no power or order that oversees or enforces a Buddhist’s moral conduct. Therefore, if you choose to break a decision which you have made, you will not receive blame or punishment by anyone. In contrast, you cannot blame or punish anyone but yourself. It is only to yourself that you have the power to admonish.

There are six virtue practices and six virtue offerings that Buddhists should follow. These offerings are given to Buddha and, in turn, are a reflection of the practices.

The first offering: Water

Water, circulating throughout the earth, gives a universal blessing unstintingly (without reservation) to all living creatures. Water symbolizes giving without asking for collateral and symbolizes the decision to control one’s own desires. When one gives alms, it is not just limited to money or goods, but it is also to share the teaching of Buddha, to educate, to teach morality, to kindly attend to others, to remove fear and to remove uneasiness. To learn how this kind of giving can be beneficial, we should look to a basic teaching from Buddha which says “because there is no limit to our desires, we must remove greed.” People are often led by their greed and wound others because of greed. They do not obtain what they wish and as a result become impatient or experience pain. Take for example the individual who is only interested in accumulating financial wealth. This type of person only searches for ways to acquire money and does not pay attention to the feelings of others. Those who are greedy can only think of themselves, and naturally others will think negatively of them.

Greed that is not controlled draws the world into a bad direction. However, if we give freely, we can overcome this type of greed. It is in this way that we can be like water. By giving freely, we can spread as water does naturally throughout the Earth, moistening the soil and the life within, giving to all, and not asking for anything in return. This is how Buddha sees us in his merciful heart. It is for our hearts that we should practice almsgiving. By doing so, our hearts can be softened and we can learn to control our desires, because in the end, this will allow us to have merciful hearts of our own.

The second offering: Zuko Powder

We apply this powder to our body in order to purify our body and our heart. Zuko powder symbolizes a Buddhist’s moral conduct. In Sanskrit, this virtue is called “sīla”, which originally means ‘custom.’ By repeating this custom we are constantly reminding ourselves to perform good actions. Specifically, these customs are referred to as the “Juzenkai (Ten Guides to Wholesome Conduct).” They read as follows: (1) I will not kill or harm any living things. (2) I will not take what is not given. (3) I will not have improper sexual relations. (4) I will not speak falsely. (5) I will not speak carelessly. (6) I will not speak abusively. (7) I will not speak to cause discord. (8) I will not have thoughts of greed. (9) I will not have thoughts of ill-will. (10) I will not hold false views. The essence of a Buddhist’s moral conduct – (sila) – is that it is a decision of our own accord which allows us to avoid or depart from wrongdoing. There is no power or order that oversees or enforces a Buddhist’s moral conduct. Therefore, if you choose to break a decision which you have made, you will not receive blame or punishment by anyone. In contrast, you cannot blame or punish anyone but yourself. It is only to yourself that you have the power to admonish. A Buddhist acts morally to so that his actions are in accordance with his true Buddha nature. For example, our heart feels happiness when we act to help someone rather than troubling them. Our heart feels peace when we are laughing rather than angry. Through introspection a Buddhist constantly checks the state of his heart. If our hearts are pure, then this purity will show through in our actions. By cultivating this purity we can change the world so that it goes in a good direction. By making the heart pure, as it was before it was hidden by desire, it is possible to reveal the Buddha that lives within us all.

Therefore, if you choose to break a decision which you have made, you will not receive blame or punishment by anyone. In contrast, you cannot blame or punish anyone but yourself. It is only to yourself that you have the power to admonish. A Buddhist acts morally to so that his actions are in accordance with his true Buddha nature. For example, our heart feels happiness when we act to help someone rather than troubling them. Our heart feels peace when we are laughing rather than angry. Through introspection a Buddhist constantly checks the state of his heart. If our hearts are pure, then this purity will show through in our actions. By cultivating this purity we can change the world so that it goes in a good direction. By making the heart pure, as it was before it was hidden by desire, it is possible to reveal the Buddha that lives within us all.

The third offering: Flowers

The flower symbolizes many things and Buddha teaches us that we should all try to become more like the flower. Flowers bring peace, they offer beauty, and soften the hearts of those who see them. But it is through receiving virtuous hardships in nature that they can bloom. Though they cannot move, they experience hot days and cold days and rainy days and windy days. Of course there are also good days, but they are always making preparations so that someday they can bloom and finally display their full beauty. In life, there are many painful things, and things which do not turn out as we would like them to. The flower symbolizes our ability to endure distress so that in the end we can achieve our goals. The essence of this is to accept that in life which does not progress in the direction that we want, and just as beautiful flowers give us peace and soften our hearts, the person who had endured hardships and achieved their goals will have a good influence on those around them.

The fourth offering: Incense

When lit, incense releases its fragrances to not only Buddha or just one person, but to the person who lights it and to the people who are present at the time. It does not discriminate. It has many benefits such as eliminating bad odors, soothing the mind, and clearing your senses. It gives a good scent even if you light many at once or just one. Once lit, it releases its scent throughout its life. This continuous release symbolizes the mind-set of a person who has set out to achieve a specific goal. A person’s positive actions can positively influence the people around him, just as the scent of incense does by reaching to those nearby. Even if there’s a lot of incense fragrance in the air, it does not make anyone uncomfortable, and if it is just a small amount of incense, it is still enough. From this we can learn that to give an effort at his or her own pace is to serve as a good influence to others. Wise men from the past often became enlightened to know the state of impermanence. Impermanence is the truth that nothing remains the same, and by watching incense burn, we can further understand its meaning. One of the most significant meanings is that no one can escape from his or her own death, however the importance of life is how much ‘good fragrance’ you can release and give to everyone around you before you have burned away.

The fifth offering: Food

Food symbolizes meditation. Meditation in this context means concentrating the scattered parts of your mind on one point by focusing deeply on the truth. If you are not healthy, you cannot achieve you goals and if you are hungry, you cannot concentrate. People require the right amount of food in order to function properly. We can get water at any time, from our faucet or from the grocery store, and food can always be obtained. Unfortunately we think that this is common or usual, however, every year the number of people all over the world who are lacking sufficient nutrition increases. Although many people forget, being able to obtain a moderate meal is a gift. When Gautama Buddha was on his quest to enlightenment by fasting, he became thin and was reduced to only skin and bones. There was a woman called Sujāhtā who saw the condition Gautama Buddha was in and offered him “milk rice porridge.” Gautama Buddha ate the porridge, recovered his physical strength, went into deep meditation, and then attained enlightenment. From this anecdote, food being offered to Buddha became a symbol of meditation which gives composure to the body, mind, and heart.

The sixth offering: Candles

Candles symbolize Buddha’s wisdom. This wisdom can be automatically acquired by practicing the five virtue practices. Acting based on this wisdom is the sixth practice. To understand this symbolism, take for example a light that is set aglow in a dark street, the result is that the neighborhood can be seen clearly. Similarly, the right way can be chosen by illuminating it with the light of wisdom when the world is covered with the darkness of worldly desires. Through this method and by continuing to choose the right path, we can approach Buddhahood little by little.

The ideal Buddhist prayer is wishing to use the collected good energy which was created by good actions for other’s benefit.

I would like to talk about the mechanism of prayer in Buddhism. First, I would like to talk about Karma. Karma means Action. In Buddhism, energy occurs by action. Good energy comes from good action. Bad energy comes from bad action. Good energy brings happiness and bad energy brings unhappiness. The ideal Buddhist prayer is wishing to use the collected good energy which was created by good actions for other’s benefit. This is called “EKO”. Many Buddhist is wishing for all the people get the good energy they created at good action.

The good energy stays with you as well. The sutra indicates that you can only EKO one/seventh of energy. The most of the good energy stays with you. The most important point is many people in the world are doing EKO. We are receiving the good energy coming from someone’s EKO. Our happiness increases and unhappiness decreases by some stranger’s prayer. When we feel it our appreciation will be born because of it. The Buddhism teaching is to connect and relate one another and appreciate one another. As you continue EKO, you can feel the good energy of Karma more and more. Thank you.