Sunday, April 23, 2017

Seeing the Buddha and Old Man Śākyamuni
'Long ago when a sorceror who had the five miraculous powers was attending the Buddha, he asked, "You have six miraculous powers and I have five. What is the one I am missing?"
The Buddha called to him, "Sorceror."
"Yes," he responded.
The Buddha said, "What miraculous power are you asking about?"
You should thoroughly study the meaning of this dialogue. How did the sorceror know that the Buddha had six miraculous powers? The Buddha has immeasurable miraculous wisdom, which is not limited to six miraculous powers. Even if you see six miraculous powers you cannot master them. How can those who have lesser miraculous powers dream of the Buddha's six miraculous powers?
You should say, "When the sorceror saw Old Man Śākyamuni, did he actually see the Buddha? When he saw the Buddha, did he actually see Old Man Śākyamuni? If the sorceror saw Old Man Śākyamuni and [also] saw the Buddha, did he also see himself, the sorceror of the five miraculous powers?"...
- Eihei Dogen Zenji
from 'Enlightenment Unfolds', ed. Kazuaki Tanahashi, pp.109-110

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