Not Forgetting Right Thought
Photo by Amy Rollo
In this mondo or question-and-answer session, Zuisei speaks on the Fifth Awareness of Enlightened Beings: not forgetting right thought.
To not forget right thought is to protect and maintain the dharma and abide in the Three Treasures. And by extension, this “not forgetting” can be understood as remembering. As Zuisei explains: “Not forgetting right thought is remembering: This is not mine, I am not this, this is not myself. This— whatever this is—is not apart from me. It is not a thing, and neither am I. This means I cannot possess it, but I also cannot lose it. This means I already have everything I need.”
This talk was given by Zuisei Goddard.
Transcript
This transcript is based on Zuisei’s talk notes and may differ slightly from the final talk.
Not Forgetting Right Thought
The Eight Awarenesses of Enlightened Beings are said to be the Buddha’s last teaching according to the Mahayana version of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra. The fifth awareness is not forgetting right thought.
The Buddha said:
If you, friends, seek both a good teacher and good protection and support, nothing is better than ‘not forgetting right thought.’ For those who do not forget right thought, the thieving multitude of deluding passions cannot break in. For this reason, you should always keep right thought in your mind and regulate it well, for if you lose this thought, all sorts of merits and virtues will be lost. If the power of this thought is strong and firm, then even though you mingle with the thieving five desires, you will not be injured, just as, if you go into battle dressed in armor, you will not fear the enemy. This is the meaning of ‘not forgetting right thought.’
In the Eightfold Path, right thought is samyak-samkalpa, and traditionally it is described as the thought of renunciation, the thought of freedom from ill will, and the thought of harmlessness. Master Dōgen says right thought is protecting the dharma and not losing it. But how do you lose what was never gained? How can someone take what is not given? How do you forget a thought that is not a thought—a thought that does not arise and never passes away? What does it mean to protect the dharma and not lose it?
Yesterday we spoke about samadhi and guarding the levee: 'the thieving multitude of deluding passions cannot break in.' Even though you mingle with the thieving five desires, you will not be injured. The five sense desires are thieves—thieves of awareness, equanimity, even aspiration. That is why the Buddha calls right thought a kind of armor. But what is the armor made of? Can you take it off? Can you put it down?
Maezumi Roshi said: "To maintain and protect the Three Treasures is not forgetting right thought." There are three perspectives, three ways of looking at the Three Treasures.
The Buddha Treasure is the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, but it is also anuttara-samyaksaṃbodhi, supreme enlightenment, which is our nature. Buddha is also the realization of that nature, as well as the infinite manifestations of buddhas present through all of space and time, including all the statues and icons created after the Buddha’s death.
The Dharma Treasure is undefiled purity, and the reason it is undefiled is that it reaches everywhere. It cannot be missed, stained, offended, or harmed. The dharma is also the teachings handed down generation after generation—the countless sutras, commentaries, and oral teachings. They are all the words that give expression to the profound truth the Buddha realized. It is the wisdom of those who walked the path before us and said: 'This is what it’s like to be human. This is what you can expect.'
The Sangha Treasure is oneness within multiplicity. It is also the community of practitioners. It takes work to maintain harmony in community, but this is exactly what Sangha does. It is not just a crowd or even an intentional gathering. Sangha is the virtue of harmony. Without harmony, there is no sangha. It is like a jewel, rough at first, but through careful and deliberate polishing, it grows more and more brilliant. Sangha is the abode of the Buddha and the dharma. It is also the embodiment of the Buddha’s teachings in our own lives.
This awareness points to the fact that we are the Three Treasures. The work, the practice, is to live in accord with this fact. To sit zazen is not enough. We must also practice the precepts, clarify our experiences, and actualize them. As Master Dogen said: practice, realize, and actualize.
How do you understand Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and taking refuge? The Buddha said: "If the power of right thought is strong and firm, you will not be injured." How do you maintain the thought of the dharma strong and firm? How do you remember in the midst of forgetting? How do you get injured?
Another way to think of right thought is: "This is not me, this is not mine, this is not myself." This body has been lent to me for the time being. These thoughts—I do not own them. This opportunity to meet the dharma is a gift freely given. By whom? By the dharma, which never holds anything back. It is a privilege, and my debt of gratitude is my responsibility to repay this good fortune.
Technically separate, but let me include Right View here. A Brahman named Dighanakha, confident that he knew what he was talking about, went to teach the Buddha: "I am of the view that nothing suits me." The Buddha listened and replied, "Brahman, this view of yours doesn’t suit you either." When the Buddha answered in this way, Dighanakha was stumped. The Buddha explained in many ways until the Brahman reflected and realized, "This view of mine isn’t right." On hearing the Buddha’s words, the Brahman abandoned his conceited views and immediately saw the truth: "This is not mine, I am not this, this is not myself."
The opposite is the expression of craving and desire: "This is mine." "I am this" is conceit. "This is myself" is False View. Bhikkhu Ñanananda said: "Taking the elements to be the self is misappropriation of public property." Not forgetting Right Thought is remembering: "This is not mine, I am not this, this is not myself." Why? Because this, whatever this is, is not apart from me. It is not a thing, and neither am I. I cannot possess it, which means I cannot lose it. From this perspective, jealousy and envy are impossible. Do you see? From this perspective, right thought cannot be forgotten. But without this perspective, we forget all the time. We become distracted, consumed by what is not important. Why do we spend so much time and energy on what is not important? More importantly, how do we remember in the midst of forgetting?
The dharma cannot be defiled, but we can either accord with it or forget it and go against the preciousness of human life. Master Sheng-yen said: “We are here to repay bad debts—atoning, transforming karma—or to offer gratitude for the many kindnesses we have received.” May our lives be about taking responsibility, deeply and willingly, and about recognizing these many kindnesses and being profoundly, enthusiastically grateful.
Not Forgetting Right Thought, a talk by Zen Buddhist teacher Zuisei Goddard
Explore further
01 : Eight Means to Enlightenment by Master Dogen
02 : The Heart of Being (pdf) by John Daido Loori Roshi
03: Mindfulness by Joseph Goldstein