Buddha Recognizes Buddha

by Daishin Morgan

Inspired by the works of the great Zen master Dogen, Buddha Recognizes Buddha considers how the principle of non-duality finds expression in Buddhist practice. Daishin Morgan looks at how we can understand ourselves and our relationship with others without dividing the world into opposites of right and wrong or good and bad and still find a basis for moral action. There is no place for a God or an Absolute conceived as above or outside of experience, as all things are undivided in their essential nature. In the first part of the book Daishin looks at the role of the will, faith, hope, cause and effect, acceptance and other subjects from the perspective of non-duality. In the second part, he goes on to offer an interpretation of the main scriptures that are used regularly in Soto Zen. This book takes seriously the teaching that enlightenment is an ever-present reality rather than a state we may realize at some future date. Reality cannot be divided into enlightened and unenlightened existence. One of the many implications of this is that Zen meditation should be understood as an expression of enlightenment rather than as a means to an end. Daishin clarifies some of the implications of this outlook and shows the profound effect it can have on how we live. Rev.Daishin Morgan is a disciple of the late Rev.Master Jiyu-Kennett, founder of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives. He has been a Zen Buddhist monk for 36 years and abbot of Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey in Northumberland since 1982.

Genres: Buddhism

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 28, 2014

Reviews

[Richard Harvey]

A contender for the most sane intelligent inspired, and most importantly TRUE book on spirituality published today.

[Frank Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first became aware of the Reverend Jiyu Kennet in the 70s when “Selling Water by the River” was all the rage. She founded Shasta Abbey in the US and an offshoot, Throssel Hole Priory (now Abbey) in Northumberland. At that time Shasta had a mixture of single and married monks, as is not uncommon in Japan. Probably the two most significant figures who promoted Japanese Zen in the west were DT Suzuki (a layman) and Shunryu Suzuki (a priest), both were married men. However in the mid 1980s, Kennet decided to declare a rule of celibacy in the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, the married monks were thrown out of Shasta.

This background should be borne in mind when you read this book, as a Buddhist catechism it is okay and charmingly written, and it does give some insight into what the Reverend Morgan gets out of his zazen practice, for which I am grateful. But the larger questions, such as what are the risks and drawbacks of introducing this kind of practice into the alien cultural context of the west, are not touched on at all. Just to give an example, the monk who succeeded Kennet as Abbot of Shasta monastery decided, after 20 years of celibacy that enough was enough and got himself a girl friend, (shock horror), and was asked to leave, the last I heard he was working in a bar. So just be aware, if you want to pursue this kind of Zen, it sounds simple as presented here but there are skeletons in the closet. We are in the 21st century for goodness sake.

Somewhere in the book the good Reverend remarks that he would make a rotten comedian, though he’s fairly good as a monk. Now he has retired I hope he will hang up his kesa and develop his comedy talents and write something a bit more honest about what really went on in Throssel Hole.

[VIJAY PARMAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have seen reference in meditation retreat for this book