Going to the text, Dogen wrote, The zazen I speak of is not learning meditation. It is simply the Dharma-gate of repose and bliss, the practice realization of totally culminated enlightenment. The phrase, "learning meditation" is dhyana in Sansrkit and it refers both to Right Concentration or Meditation as described by the Eight-fold Path, and it refers to the cultivation of meditative concentration as one of the Three Trainings. Traditionally Buddhist cultivation is divided into the Three Trainings, beginning with the practice of morality or right conduct which is guided by the precepts. Through wholesome conduct, one’s mind becomes calm enough to meditate, and through meditation, one-pointed concentration is developed. And meditative concentration sets the stage for wisdom which, in this case, means personal insight or personally tasting the Truth and knowing how it is expressed in your own life.

Dogen's zazen or shikantaza is not cultivating meditation, it’s not step-by-step meditation whereby one does a particular meditation practice, and then graduates to a more difficult practice or more subtle level of consciousness, slowly perfecting techniques. In zazen, the instructions given to a beginner and those given to an experienced practitioner are pretty much the same. Bielefeldt said that for Dogen, "zazen was not merely a... device for producing a perfected state of enlightenment, but the expression of a more fundamental perfection inherent in all things. In this way, the practice of zazen itself becomes the actualization of the ultimate truth; and the practitioner, just as he is, becomes the embodiment of perfect enlightenment." At any point in practice, Dogen considered a moment of true zazen to be a moment of Buddha or enlightenment. So, our moment by moment engagement with our whole body and mind, our engagement with the completeness of this present moment of experience, leaves no room to look for a result or to even judge how it’s going. I think this sets zazen practice apart from most other forms of meditation.

Next in the text: It [or zazen] is the manifestation of ultimate reality. Traps and snares can never reach it. The phrase, manifestation of ultimate reality is also translated as "actualizing the fundamental point" which is genjokoan in Japanese, and Dogen has another teaching fascicle with genjokoan as its title. "Traps and snares" means discriminative thinking and everything related to it – our thoughts and ideas, including the understanding through which we try to make sense of the world which snares the living, dynamic world and through which we end up being ensnared.

Dogen continued, Once its heart is grasped, you are like the dragon when she gains the water, like the tiger when he enters the mountain. In Asian culture, dragons are wonderful water dwelling creatures who bring good fortune. When a dragon enters the water and a tiger enters the mountain, they are in their true element. Likewise we enjoy our Original Nature, our true element, when we are totally engaged in zazen.

For you must know that just there in zazen the right Dharma is manifesting itself and that from the first dullness and distraction are struck aside. "Dullness"is the near-enemy of or easily confused with this type of meditation practice which has no particular content or object. It refers to dull, lethargic, sleepy states of mind, sometimes it is like a "gray zone," while distraction means getting caught up in our thinking, wandering endlessly away.

When you arise from sitting, move slowly and quietly, calmly and deliberately. Do not rise suddenly or abruptly. Dogen emphasized bringing our body as well as our mind to this practice. Our bearing or comportment is part of practice as well as being an extension or manifestation of our state of mind. There is no need to hurry away from this moment. Out of the stillness of zazen, we begin moving, slowly rocking from side to side and then stand up. This is an opportunity to maintain a connection with our inner stillness and balance as we do kinhin or service or leave the zendo.

Dogen continued, In surveying the past, we find that transcendence of both unenlightenment and enlightenment, and dying while either sitting or standing, have all depended entirely on the strength [of zazen]. There are a number of stories of Chinese and Japanese Zen Masters who, when they felt they were about to die, bathed and put on fresh robes, took the zazen position and passed away. In Zen lore, Bodhidharma, and the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Zen ancestors in China died this way, and it’s said that the Third Ancestor, Kanchi Sosan who wrote the Hsin Hsin Ming, died while standing under a large tree. I think the idea of "transcending both unenlightenment and enlightenment" is the hallmark of Buddhism. It is pretty easy to see why attaching to unenlightened experience is an obstacle to liberation, but attaching to practice and even enlightened experience creates separation and makes something unsubstantial seem substantial. In Buddhism, the practice is to let go, including letting our insights, understanding and even nondual experience, go as it goes. Holding on means holding on to our ideas and conceptualizations about experience since there is no way we can hold on to actual, living reality. In Buddhism, true liberation includes freedom from both unenlightenment or, we might say, duality, and enlightenment or non-duality.

Then Dogen wrote, In addition, the bringing about of enlightenment by the opportunity provided by a finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet, and the effecting of realization with the aid of hossu, a fist, a staff, or a shout, cannot be fully understood by discriminative thinking. In this section Dogen gave a list of things which played a role in several different enlightenment stories. For example, a "finger" refers to Gutei. Whenever he was asked about Zen, Master Gutei simply held up one finger. He had a young attendant and once when Gutei was out, a visitor came to the monastery and asked him about Gutei’s teaching. The boy imitated his teacher and raised one finger. Later when hearing of this, Gutei cut off the boy’s finger and as the boy ran away in pain, Gutei called to him. When the boy turned his head, Gutei held up one finger, and the boy was suddenly enlightened. If you find this story distasteful, don’t take it literally. Whatever we use to stand on or to explain reality to ourselves, eventually will be taken away if we continue practicing. With nothing to stand on, explanations and beliefs are no longer needed – our direct experience is enough. When the time is right, when the practitioner is well-grounded in practice, pulling the rug out from under them can be effective and constructive. And it can be as simple as taking away a small straw that provides an opening to vast spaciousness.

Next in the list, "a banner" refers to Ananda’s enlightenment story. Ananda was the Buddha’s first cousin and became his attendant. Both Ananda and Kasyapa were disciples of Buddha, but in Zen lore Kasyapa became Buddha’s dharma successor, Ananda realized enlightenment after Buddha’s death when he was practicing with Kasyapa. Ananda memorized and later recited all of Buddha’s sermons which are the sutras we have today. Sutras begin, "Thus have I heard at one time at..." and then the place where the sermon was delivered is named. The "I" who heard the sutra is Ananda. Ananda’s enlightenment story goes: One day Ananda asked Kasapya, "Elder brother, did the World-Honored One (or Buddha), transmit anything else to you besides the gold brocade robe?" Kasyapa, knowing the time was right, called, "Ananda!" Like a valley spirit echoing in response to a call, Ananda immediately replied, "Yes!" like a spark issuing from a flint. Kasyapa said, "Knock down the banner in front of the gate." Ananda was greatly awakened.

In India at that time, when two religious or philosophical groups debated, both sides put up a banner; when one side was defeated, their banner was taken down. The commentary says, it’s as if Kasyapa and Ananda had lined up for debate and set up their banners next to each other, since now Ananda was appearing in the world, Kasyapa should fold up his banner–one appearing, one disappearing. But this story is not about debating or winning and losing. When Kasyapa instructed Ananda to take down the banner, Ananda was greatly enlightened because master and disciple had become one in the Way, so they no longer needed two banners. This is a story from the Transmission of the Light which is a collection of the enlightenment stories of the ancestors in our lineage whose names we chant in the Names of Buddha’s and Ancestors.

The next story is also from this collection. A "needle" refers to the enlightenment story of Kanadeva. When Kanadeva met Nagarjuna, he hoped to become his disciple. It’s said that Nagarjuna knew that Kanadeva was a person of great wisdom. First Nagarjuna sent his assistant for a bowl full of water and had it placed before Kanadeva. When Kanadeva saw it, he thrust a needle into the bowl of water and presented it to Nagarjuna. They met each other and joyfully realized that they were of like minds. Nagarjuna accepted Kanadeva as a disciple and eventually he become Nagarjuna’s Dharma successor.

"A mallet" refers to the first case of the Shoyoroku, or Book of Equanimity, which is a Soto Zen koan collection. One day the World Honored One ascended the seat or teaching platform. When Buddha took his place on the raised platform, Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, struck the gavel and said, "Clearly observe the Dharma of the King of Dharma; the Dharma of the King of Dharma is thus." Then without saying anything, the World Honored One got down from the seat, and that’s the end of the story. It was the custom at the opening of the teaching hall to strike the gavel and announce this verse which is similar to the way we chant before a Dharma talk. Except that after the verse was said, Buddha got down and walked out without saying anything. In this case, the teaching is in what was not said.

Dogen gave another list of four elements that helped stimulate realization. A "hossu" is a ceremonial whisk which was also used to shoo flies away. The hossu refers to Tozan Ryokai’s exchange with Ungan Donjo. Tozan had entered a monastery when he was about seven and he took full ordination precepts when he was about twenty-one. After that he began a pilgrimage visiting different teachers. When he visited Master Ungan, he asked, "When the inanimate preaches the Dharma, who can hear it?" Ungan said, "The inanimate can hear it." Tozan asked, "Can you hear it?" Ungan said, "If I could hear it, then you would not be able to hear me teach the Dharma." Tozan persisted, "Why can't I hear it?" Ungan raised his whisk or hossu and said, "Can you hear it?" Tozan said, "No, I can't." Ungan responded, "You cannot even hear it when I expound the Dharma. How do you expect to hear when a non-sentient being expounds the Dharma?" Tozan then asked which sutra teaches that non-sentient beings expound the Dharma. And Ungan said, "The Amitaba Sutra says "water, birds, tree groves, all without exception recite the Buddha's name, recite the Dharma." This was a turning point for Tozan, he had his first realization.

I’m not sure what a "fist" and a "staff" refer to. "A shout" refers to Master Lin-chi or Rinzai who was known for his shout, which helped many of his disciples awaken. In Chinese, the shout is "Ho’ and in Japanese it is "Katsu" or "Kwatz." All of Dogen’s references are stories in which practitioners were pushed beyond conceptual experience. Not only did they go beyond conceptualization and discrimination, they also went beyond supernatural powers.

Next Dogen said, Indeed, it [enlightenment] cannot be fully known by the practicing or realizing of supernatural powers either. It must be deportment beyond hearing and seeing – is it not a principle that is prior to knowledge and perceptions? Supernatural powers or paranormal abilities sometimes accompany spiritual attainment. These are abilities like being able to see everywhere without obstruction; hearing any sound, near or far; being able to transport oneself through solid objects; mental telepathy or knowing other’s thoughts; the ability to remember past lives in detail; and so on. I can imagine yogis and ascetics in ancient India with these abilities, but the historical Buddha emphasized that these powers do not lead to liberation, and in fact they can be a hindrance because it is so easy to become intoxicated with them and attach to them. So, developing supernatural powers can lead us away from waking up.

Dogen wrote a fascicle, Jinzu, whose title is translated as Miracles, and as Spiritual or Mystical Powers. In this essay, he said that the six supernatural powers that I just mentioned are small powers or minor miracles, and the six major miracles of a buddha are entering forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables, and objects of mind and not being confused by them. Realizing the emptiness of the six sense objects, a buddha is free of conditions. Dogen said, "A buddha practices miracles that are grounded on the earth." He gave the example of a what he considered to be a great miracle by the 8th century Buddhist layman, called Layman Pang, who studied with Ma-Tsu, who said "Miracles are nothing other than the everyday activities of fetching water and carrying firewood." Dogen said, "Those who practice this are all miracle buddhas." He said, "Not abiding in these miracles is called ‘going beyond miracles.’ A Bodhisattva who goes beyond miracles does not leave traces. This is a person going beyond buddha." Going beyond Buddha is neither being attached to enlightenment or unenlightenment, moving freely between the conventional world and ultimate Truth.

In Enlightenment Unfolds Kaz Tanahashi said, "Nirvana is regarded as the realm of nonduality, where there is no distinction between large and small....self and other. It may be called reality itself....To experience this...in the midst of the passage of time, change, and decay, is a miracle." He said, "For Dogen, this miracle can happen each moment, as each moment of duality is inseparable from a moment of nonduality. Duality and nonduality, change and no-change, relative and absolute, coexist and interact with each other. Dogen calls the experience of this dynamic ‘actualizing the fundamental point.’" In Zen, miracles are nothing other than such activities as drawing water and carrying firewood, when we realize, really realize, each moment of samsara as inseparable from a moment of nirvana.