The Seven Points of Practice
The Seven Points of Practice
Offered by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi in the last formal talk he gave at Antaiji, on February 23, 1975.
Found via Jordan Fountain @ Slow Zen: Asura Dharma
1. Study and practice the Buddha-dharma only for the sake of the Buddha-dharma, not for the sake of human emotions and worldly ideas.
2. Zazen is the most venerable and only true teacher.
3. Zazen must work concretely in our daily lives as the two practices (vow and repentance), the three minds (magnanimous mind, parental mind, and joyful mind), and as the realization of the saying, “Gaining is delusion, losing is enlightenment.”
4. Live by vow and root it deeply.
5. Realizing that development and backsliding are your responsibility alone, endeavor to practice and develop.
6. Sit silently for ten years, then for ten more years, and then for another ten years.
7. Cooperate with one another and aim to create a place where sincere practitioners can practice without trouble.
These are great principles to practice with especially #5 “Realizing that development and backsliding are your responsibility alone, endeavor to practice and develop.” This one hits home today. Forward and backward is up to me alone. Make a firm effort. Not for any care of result. No gain in mind. This seems so abstract when written on a blog. How does one endeavor to to practice and develop in this practice? This is a great topic for study.
