Question
Hello Master Kosen,
It does not seem a minor detail whether Master Kodo Sawaki asked Master Deshimaru to do what he did or whether he took the initiative based on his own vision and plans.
Perhaps clarifying this fact could help bring about reconciliation between you and the AZI, since, unless I am mistaken, one of the criticisms made of you at the time of your split was precisely that you reasoned from your own vision.
I would also like to address the AZI’s leaders, since I assume they read us, and welcome the self-examination taking place in their ranks over the last few years, which strikes me as very positive.
I also think they should go further and ask whether it is worth maintaining such a large group, continuing to ordain so many people, and keeping such a gigantic church running at the risk of becoming rigid.
I think the AZI would benefit from organizing itself as a group of independent sanghas like yours, living in good fellowship around La Gendronnière as a center of influence.
On this subject, here are two pieces by Kodo Sawaki with the suggestive titles “Group Paralysis” and “The Hallucination Caused by Quantity.” They are taken from Kosho Uchiyama’s “The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo.” I leave it to your translator to render them into French. In any case, most of the AZI’s leaders read English.
Group paralysis
When a person is alone he’s not so bad. When a group is formed, paralysis occurs , and people become so confused that they cannot judge what is right or wrong . Some people go into a group situation on purpose, just to experience group paralysis, even paying a fee . Often people advertise in order to to bring people together for some political or spiritual purpose and only create group paralysis. Buddhist practitionners keep some distance from society, not to escape from it but to avoid this paralysis.
[ Group paralysis
When a person is alone, he is not so bad. When a group forms, paralysis sets in, and people become so confused that they can no longer judge what is right or wrong. Some deliberately join a group simply to experience this group paralysis; they even pay for it. Often people advertise to gather others for political or spiritual purposes and do nothing but create group paralysis. Buddhist practitioners keep some distance from society, not to escape it but to avoid this paralysis. ]
The hallucination caused by quantity
Because modern religious groups develop on a large scale, many people eventually think that these institutions represent true religion. A large number of believers does not make a religion true. If large numbers are good, the number of ordinary people in the world is immense. people often try to do things by forming groups and outnumbering the opposition. But they make themselves stupid in this way . Forming a party is a good example of group paralysis. To stop being in a group paralysis and to become the self which is the only self is the practice of zazen.
[ The hallucination caused by quantity
Because modern religious groups develop on a large scale, many people may come to think these institutions represent true religion. A large number of believers does not make a religion true. If large numbers are good, the number of ordinary people in the world is immense. People often try to accomplish things by forming groups and driving out the opposition. But in doing so they make themselves stupid. Forming a party is a good example of group paralysis. To stop being caught in group paralysis and become oneself, which is the only self, there is the practice of zazen. ]
With all my best wishes!
Take care.
Anonymous
Master Kosen’s answer
Dear friend,
We are not going to debate for a century whether your doubts are justified, so let us allow people’s faith to decide for each of them.
It would be like debating whether Christ really is the Messiah.
The only real victory lies in faith itself, and in that case controversies are minor details. Forgive me, but you seem to give priority to your doubts and prefer seeing the bad rather than the good. To guide you, I can offer a few pointers for your choices.
Devil means to divide. Symbol means to recover unity; the kesa is a symbol.
The devil’s way is therefore doubt, division, guilt, insecurity, fear, a feeling of isolation, violence, and exclusion. These are all signposts clearly showing which way you want to go. The signposts of “the way of the symbol” are clear: forgiveness, reunion, reconciliation, a sense of unity, fearlessness, unconditional love.
I am not saying the devil has no use in the process of evolution. Indeed, God loves the devil, because for him there is no separation.
The devil does not love God, because for him that is the only way; otherwise, he believes, he would disappear by merging into him and could no longer exist—he would be annihilated. All this, I mean this dualistic, even antagonistic view of things, comes from the fact that we are divided into two main components, which we can call yin and yang.
The right hemisphere of the brain, which controls the left side of the body, forms our yin side. This part of our brain knows the truth and intuitively feels the unity of all things. The left hemisphere, our yang component, perceives reality without feeling this unity and instead sees only divisions and separations.
That is why our yang aspect has such difficulty in this world.
Will the human mind remain in this dualism?
And keep suffering and causing suffering?
And keep nurturing this sense of separation that prevents it from experiencing absolute unity and functioning at its fullest potential?
And from realizing, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that one single force, one single mind, one single consciousness permeates absolutely everything in the universe?
To continue my answer, you should know that the AZI and I are completely reconciled, and that what brought this about was precisely our shared faith in our master, our shared love for him, and the love he bears each of us without distinction.
Finally, I think the AZI’s current direction is entirely in line with what you wish. Thank you for your texts by Kodo Sawaki.
But I would like to add:
The self that is the only self of which Kodo Sawaki speaks is shared by the entire universe. It is neither separate nor selfish, and it can very well be lived in a group.
That is why a group motivated by the practice of zazen becomes the holy sangha.
Kosen