The Unmaker of Measurement: Fusatsu Talk
Photo by Cassie Matias
In this talk, Zuisei looks at Fusatsu, the renewal of vows ceremony grounded in the moral and ethical teachings of Buddhism. Taking refuge in the Three Treasures, Zuisei explains, is not to seek shelter from the world but to let ourselves be fully exposed, trusting the ground on which we walk.
In addition, Zuisei explores how the I—the “maker of measurement”—divides good and bad, self and other, and leads to suffering, then she points to the way toward the freedom and joy of a life beyond anything that can be measured.
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.
The Unmaker of Measurement: Fusatsu Talk
Good evening. Tonight, instead of our usual dharma talk or study we’re doing a Fusatsu or renewal of vows ceremony. Fusatsu is the Japanese transliteration of uposatha, a day of observance which, during the time of the Buddha, was celebrated on the days of the new and full moons, so roughly every fifteen days. It was an opportunity for the monks to gather and recite the pratimoksha—the set of monastic rules—and acknowledge and atone for their unskillful actions
For us, Fusatsu offers us the opportunity to reaffirm our vows, to reestablish our direction—always a good thing to do periodically in our lives—and right now, a good to do as we get ready to launch our spring ango next week
As I was preparing a few words to offer for tonight’s talk, I thought of another classical Buddhist chant which, although not explicitly included in the Fusatsu liturgy, nevertheless undergird the practice of atonement and renewal.
The chant says:
Buddham sharanam gacchami
Dhammam sharnama gacchami
Sangham sharanam gacchami
I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dharma. I take refuge in the Sangha—the expression of Taking Refuge in the Three Treasures or Three Jewel. In our jukai or precepts ceremony, we say kie-ei—we unreservedly throw ourselves into, turn toward, and rely upon these Three treasures.
First is our original teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, to live as the Buddha did—wakefully—within our own lives, however those lives look from the outside. So it’s less about leaving home physically—although that’s a helpful and very nice thing to do if you’re inclined that way—and more about leaving samsara behind. About choosing to live not in accord with ignorance but aligned with wisdom. And so it’s also taking refuge in our own awakened nature, our buddha nature, which is the capacity for and the expression of that awakened life. It’s been present since the beginingless beginning, unconditional and all-pervasive, not depending on causes and conditions, not affected by our human folly or intelligence.
Second is the dharma or dhamma, the truth of the way things are, the law that describes the workings of the universe, and that is free of the I-me-mine making so entrenched in the self-referential mind.
Third is the sangha, the community of noble friends (kalyanamitra) who are traveling with us on this path of awakening. All those who’ve wondered whether there is a saner, more loving way to live, and who are hard at work trying to follow that way. Just like this humble assembly.
Now, taking refuge is very interesting in Buddhism, because it is, in a way, the opposite of what we think of when we think of taking refuge. When we hear the word refuge, we might think of a kind of cave—a place protected from the elements, from anything that might harm or threaten us. In our minds we might see a sheltered place, away from the hustle and bustle, the incessant struggle that seems baked into our lives.
But taking refuge in the Three Treasures is, in effect, a stepping out. It’s a stepping out into the world with all its many challenges and relationships—some of them very difficult. Some of them with people we might not agree with or even like.
So, to take refuge in the Three Treasures means to let ourselves be fully exposed, fully open and trusting of the ground we’re walking on. As we travel on the path, we trust that this ground is stable, that it will hold us. And what is this ground made of? It’s made of generosity, of compassion, of wisdom—the three virtues that are the embodiment, the expression of that refuge taking and of an awakened life. This is the type of ground that, when we fall, we also use to rise. There’s a koan that says exactly this: “No one falls on the ground who doesn’t use that ground to rise.”
But that’s the challenge: the ground we rise from is the same ground upon which we fall; how? Through our greed, anger, and ignorance—through actions that are harmful in obvious ways and harmful in subtle ways. Through all harmful karma committed by me through body, mouth, and thought. Then, our walking feels like it’s happening on ice, or quicksand.
But it’s not just that our harmful actions cause harm, although they do. More deeply, it’s also that this ground isn’t stable because it does not conform to the law. It does not align with the way things are.
In one of the sutras, the Buddha said that greed is a maker of measurement (pamanakarana); pamana is measurement; karana is making or action. He said anger is a maker of measurement, ignorance/delusion is a maker of measurement. So, the maker of measurement; essentially, is the I behind those three poisons. It’s the I that says “I want,” “I hate,” “I am.” It’s the same I that pits things or people against one another and declares, this is good this is bad. This I want, this I don’t want—whether the this is a thing, a person, a group of people, or any part of what I consider myself. We hold parts of us up, we push other parts down. We hold people, nations, races up; we push others down.
The moment we measure anything, having and lacking, winning and losing, succeeding and failing come into being, and with them, a whole lot of suffering.
So, in one sense, our zazen is the ultimate antidote to pamanakarana, because it’s the unmaker of measurement. We sit down, we cross our legs, we lower our eyes and for a little while at least, we don’t measure anything. First, we just practice not measuring. We practice letting go of measuring once it’s arisen. But eventually we see that in fact, there is nothing to be measured, and no one doing the measuring. Things aren’t good or bad. People aren’t good or bad. That’s a designation we’ve given them in our minds. In reality, things are nothing at all; they’re empty shunya.
That’s why we can be fully exposed when we take refuge. We finally understand there is nothing to hide, no one to protect, nothing to improve, no one to be or prove themselves. Ultimately. In the conventional world, in the world where greed, anger, and ignorance still operate, all sorts of people and beings need protection, and if we can offer it in any way, we certainly should. But in the realm of ultimate reality, there is nothing to possess, nothing to let go of, nothing to hold up, nothing to put down, no one to fall, no one to fail. Please, please see this for yourselves: there is no one who falls, no one who fails. So you can put that burden down; it’ll make your walking on the path so much lighter and joyfuller (That should be a word; shouldn’t it? We need it )
We sit, serenely and at ease—as Hongzhi says—not to escape the world, not to hide from it, but to be able to turn to it completely. We practice unmaking our measurements so that we can be free to do the work that actually frees us—and not just us, but everyone we encounter.
Someone said to me recently, when you come from your truth, people respond to you; yes! When we come from a place of clarity, a place of wisdom, a place of understanding, our expression, our living is consistent with that understanding, and it shows. People notice.
The Buddha said, “When a person who practices giving goes to an assembly, people take notice.” So too when a person practices compassion, practices wisdom, practices patience, and clarity, and courage, and determination. I say that clarity is compelling. It’s compelling when we see someone who knows the ground they’re standing on. Who doesn’t apologize, doesn’t hedge, doesn’t make excuses for themselves. They’re just—fully there; that’s compelling, and inspiring.
in a moment we’re about to chant:
With all sentient beings, raise the bodhi mind, let the supreme way be realized.
With all sentient beings, penetrate all sutras, let wisdom be like the ocean.
With all sentient beings, lead the people, let harmony pervade everywhere.
Notice the beginning of the invocation: with all sentient beings. This is how it is, you see? When we stop measuring, this is what we see: everything we do we do with all beings. Everything we do, we do for all beings (it can’t be otherwise), why? Because we are all beings; that’s what namu means—being one with. But, in fact, we could remove that “with” in the beginning; it’s extra. All sentient beings raise the bodhi mind, penetrate the sutras, and lead the people. And all beings do this all the time. But once we cop on to that fact, we’re able to do it so much better—and joyfuller.
Remember, that maker of measurement? Empty; the thing they’re measuring? empty. In other words, what maker? What measurement? What did you say? What?
Explore further
01 : Maha Vedalla Sutta translated by Bikkhu Bodhi
02 : Determination Paramita with Zuisei Goddard
03 : Take Shelter in the Three Treasures by Zuisei Goddard
The Unmaker of Measurement, a fusatsu talk by Zen Buddhist teacher Zuisei Goddard on taking refuge in the Three treasures.