Practicing with gāthās
In April 2024, Dogen Institute began offering a monthly series of posts on gāthās by Hoko Karnegis, Senior Dharma Teacher at Sanshinji. The following is an introduction to the actual practice of working with gāthās, provided for contemporary practitioners.
Okumura Rōshi has characterized our practice as seeing one reality from two sides and expressing two sides in one action. We forget neither the true reality of this moment, which is beyond our limited thinking, nor the necessity to manifest awakening in the concrete activities of carrying out our bodhisattva vows. Living fully in this intersection allows us to understand impermanence and still grieve when a favorite cup breaks, to understand interconnectedness and still take responsibility for our individual actions, and to understand that there is no “I” while still appreciating the unique personal qualities of ourselves and our friends and family. We can’t get so caught up in emptiness and nonduality that we fail to notice the difference between a red light or a green one, or between medicine and candy. Neither can we become so narrowly focused on our own day to day activities that we fail to notice that they’re part of the functioning of the universe as a whole.
One way to remind ourselves of that intersection is to practice with four-line verses (Skt. gāthās , Jp. ge) for various specific activities and situations that remind us that everything is practice. The eleventh chapter of the Avatamsaka (Flower Ornament) Sutra, “Purifying Practice,” contains 140 gāthās that cover everything from waking up in the morning to brushing the teeth to eating a meal. These are given by Manjusri in response to another bodhisattva’s question about how practitioners can attain the best qualities of body, speech and mind.
In the sutra, these verses are a set of instructions, but in our tradition we use them as opportunities to remember to practice what Buddha taught. In Japan, some of these verses are chanted or posted in the training temple, and some North American dharma centers do the same. You may wish to choose several and post them at home where you will see and remember them while doing a particular activity. A sticky note on the bathroom mirror or at your desk is a simple mechanism for mindfulness.
For the purposes of these essays, I’ve slightly modified the form of the gāthās as they appear in the Thomas Cleary’s translation of the sutra to match the form of those we used in the training temple. The first line indicates the activity or situation. The second is always the same: our vow with all beings. Lines three and four are about the particular thing we’re vowing to do and the hoped-for outcome. Thus the gāthā isn’t simply a reminder for ourselves, but a vow with and for all beings that we will undertake to complete this everyday activity as well as we can while not losing sight of the larger picture. We have the opportunity to practice with vow and repentance throughout the day, as well as maintaining a balance between peace of mind and progress in the world, one of the six points of Sanshin’s style of practice.
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[1] Translations are based upon Thomas Cleary’s translation of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, and have been recast by Hoko in the form of standard Sōtōshū gāthās.
[2] Confucianism’s Five Constant Relationships are parent and child, minister and ruler, husband and wife, older and younger brother, and friend and friend.
[3] Okumura, Shohaku. Living by Vow: A Practical Introduction to Eight Essential Zen Chants and Texts. Wisdom Publications, 2012. p. 38–39.
[4] For more on the Absolute version of the Three Treasures, see this commentary by Okumura Rōshi.
[5] Shaw, Miranda (2006). Buddhist Goddesses of India, Princeton University Press. p. 166.
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Commentary by Hoko Karnegis
The Dōgen Institute offers a monthly series of posts by Hoko Karnegis, Senior Dharma Teacher at Sanshinji, in Bloomington, Indiana.
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For further study:
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