nobody in need of savin' ... so let's get to work

(BENDOWA XVI)

The “Six Realms” refer to the six heavens, hells and earthly states into which one may be reborn in traditional Buddhist thought.

SIX REALMS

But, even if we do not take that literally, we can also say that this means just all sentient beings everywhere, throughout all space and time, many of whom are suffering in various ways. Dropping body and mind, we realize that there is no one in need of saving, no one suffering (yes, it is true!). All are emancipated from the start, nothing lacking.

However, don’t take that as an excuse not to help those in need of help. There are so many lives out there in need of our assistance. I am in rather a serious mood today, as a few stories in the news regarding children have touched me very much.

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When one displays the buddhamudra with one's whole body and mind, sitting upright in this samadhi even fora short time, everything in the entire dharma world becomes buddha mudra, andall space in the universe completely becomes enlightenment. Therefore, itenables buddha-tathagatas to increase the dharma joy of their own originalgrounds and renew the adornment of the way of awakening. Simultaneously, allliving beings of the dharma world in the ten directions and six realms becomeclear and pure in body and mind, realize great emancipation, and their ownoriginal face appears. At that time, all things together awaken to supremeenlightenment and utilize the buddha-body, immediately go beyond the culminationof awakening, and sit upright under the kingly bodhi tree. At the same time,they turn the incomparable, great dharma wheel and begin expressing ultimateand unfabricated profound prajna.

From: Talk on the Wholehearted Practice of the Way -Kosho Uchiyama (with Shohaku Okumura, Taigen Daniel Leighton)

Furthermore, throughout the Dharma worlds in tendirections, ordinary beings of the three states (the three miserable worlds of hell, hungry ghosts and animals) and the six states (the three miserable worlds plus the worlds of asuras, humans and gods) all becomeclear and pure in body and mind at once; they experience the state of great andtheir original features appear.

From: Bendowa - A Talk about Pursuing the Truth - Nishijima-Cross

(remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells;

a sitting time of 20 to 35 minutes is recommended)

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