A Recommendation of Okada-style Seiza [岡田式静坐のすすめ] by Yanagida Seijirō [柳田誠二郎]

Quiet Sitting [静坐] (Yanagida Seijirō [柳田誠二郎])

As regular readers of this blog will know, the form of meditation I practise daily is called Seiza: the quiet-sitting practice introduced to the world by Okada Torajirō-sensei [岡田虎二郎先生]. I began to practise it because it was the form of meditation practised by my great free-religious exemplar, Imaoka Shin’ichirō-sensei (1881-1988), who personally knew Okada-sensei (you can read about his memories Okada-sensei at this link). Since 2022, I have had the good fortune of being taught the correct posture and breathing technique (both in person and online) by Miki Nakura-sensei, a Japanese Ōtani-ha Jōdō Shinshū priest who currently lives and works in New York. (He also kindly conducted my Kikyoshiki ceremony in October 2023).

Since then, we have become good friends and, amongst other texts, we have worked together on translating Kobayashi Nobuko-sensei’s booklet, ‘Seiza: Quiet Sitting for Beginners’. You can download that at the following link, watch an instructional video made by Nakura-sensei, and also find a link to his weekly online Seiza sessions. In passing, but importantly—as the preceding link will reveal—it is perfectly possible to practise Seiza on a chair in addition to the traditional posture shown in the photo above and discussed in the essay below. Not all of us are able to sit in the traditional Japanese fashion—at least not for long!—but almost everyone can do Seiza on a chair.

Anyway, through Miki, I became aware of Yanagida Seijirō [柳田誠二郎] (1893–1993), and together we recently translated a short piece by him titled ‘Seiza is a Lifelong Practice’, found in his book The Heart of Okada-Style Seiza [岡田式 静坐のこころ]. Yanagida Seijirō was a pre-eminent figure in Japan’s post-war economic reconstruction, serving as a bridge between the world of international finance and the disciplined world of Japanese spiritual practice. He joined the Bank of Japan [日本銀行] in 1917 and rose to the position of Deputy Governor [副総裁]. His tenure coincided with the difficult transition from the pre-war economy through to the early years of the Allied Occupation.

Then, in 1951, he was appointed the first president of Japan Airlines [日本航空] (JAL), and later he served as the president of the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund [海外経済協力基金], where he helped manage Japan’s official development assistance to other nations. In Japan, he is remembered as the ‘Grand Old Man of JAL’ and a model of the bunjin [文人]—a gentleman-scholar who could navigate the complexities of global economics while remaining grounded in traditional Japanese philosophy.

All in all, I have continued to find his words about Seiza very helpful and, believing that other English-speaking Seiza practitioners might also find them useful, I publish below what is very much a draft translation of ‘A Recommendation of Okada-Style Seiza’ [岡田式静坐のすすめ]. The original Japanese essay can be found at this link. Naturally, I welcome any and all corrections from those with genuine Japanese language skills . . . 

Enjoy!  

—o0o—


A Recommendation of Okada-style Seiza [岡田式静坐のすすめ] 
Yanagida Seijirō [柳田誠二郎]  

Introduction [序論]

Regarding the practice of Seiza [静坐] founded by Okada Torajirō-sensei [岡田虎二郎先生], I wrote an explanation several years ago in the journal Lay Buddhism [在家仏教] under the title “The Way of Seiza [静坐の道]”. This was a presentation of the teacher’s teachings based on his recorded sayings [語録]; I limited my own interpretations to a very small portion of them. However, the commentary on the recorded sayings concerning the Seiza [静坐] taught by Sensei seems to have been more or less sufficient, and even re-reading it today, there appears to be nothing further to add.

However, from those participating in Seiza [静坐] today, there has been a request that—setting aside the aforementioned explanation—I share the progress of my own long years of training [修行] and my occasional reflections. Recognising within myself that my impressions of Seiza [静坐] change with the passage of time, I have taken up my pen to begin this manuscript, hoping that such things might be of some use to fellow practitioners. When reading this text, I should be grateful if you would also thoroughly read my other work, The Way of Seiza [静坐の道].

The Purpose of Seiza [静坐]

Okada Torajirō-sensei [岡田虎二郎先生] said, “When a person relies upon the Way [道], they can achieve the reformation and development of mind and body.” When asked, “What is the Way [道]?”, he replied, “That is something you can know through Seiza [静坐].” I believe that Seiza [静坐] is performed to achieve this reformation and development of mind and body, and I have practised it to this day.

Furthermore, Okada-sensei [岡田先生] explained human character by dividing it into three types. “In terms of human rank, the person who is centred on the head [頭] is the lowest. Such a person does nothing but cram in knowledge; their head becomes large while they become prone to falling, much like an inverted pyramid. They can manage to imitate others, but they are incapable of creation, invention, or great undertakings. Next is the person centred on the chest [胸]; this is the middle type of person. People of self-control [克己], endurance [忍耐], and asceticism [禁欲] are all of this type; they are people of thin-skinned stoicism [やせ我慢] whose strength is insufficient. Many of those called ‘great’ in ancient Japan were of this kind, but this sort of thing will not do. The person centred on the lower abdomen [下腹], who has built a temple for the divine nature [神性の殿堂] and extended that divine nature [神性]—this is the superior person. It is this person who achieves the perfect development of mind and body; power wells up from within them to create a state of great peace [大安楽], and they become one who ‘follows the heart’s desire without overstepping the mark [矩を踰えず]’. Because Seiza [静坐] adopts the most physically stable posture in order to become this superior person, even a hair’s breadth [一毫] of difference from what I demonstrate is unacceptable.”

This illustrates the typical way in which a human being grows and is formed through the reformation and development of mind and body; it indicates the goal of Seiza [静坐]. I believe that clearly manifesting this goal is a distinctive feature of Okada-sensei’s [岡田先生] teaching.

Regarding this point, some suggest that the teaching of Seiza [静坐] differs from the fundamental intent of training [修行], contrasting it with the idea that “Zen meditation [座禅] is for the sake of Zen meditation [座禅]” or the doctrinal principle found in the Fukan Zazengi [普勧座禅儀] that it is “the practice-realisation [修証] of exhausting Bodhi [菩提]”. However, as previously mentioned, because Seiza [静坐] is for knowing and embodying the Way [道], the view that it is a search for something in the secular world [世俗] is one that fails to understand its essence. The final goal of Seiza [静坐] is to become a person who “follows the heart’s desire without overstepping the mark [矩を踰えず]” while living a life that has embodied the Way [道]. This is the same intent as that expressed by Suzuki Daisetsu-sensei [鈴木大拙先生], who said that the ultimate end of enlightenment [悟り] through Zen meditation [座禅] is “to follow the heart’s desire without overstepping the mark [矩を踰えず]”.

Furthermore, concerning this point, Okada-sensei [岡田先生] wrote in a letter to his younger brother: “Regarding my undertaking, public opinion is divided; some call it a type of respiratory hygiene, others a method of mental cultivation, and others a new religion. Though various theories are in such flux that they hardly converge, from my perspective, none of them grasp the essentials, and it is truly nothing but laughable [抱腹の外無之]. I expect that in the future it will become a great issue for the academic world and its primary purpose [主意] will naturally become clear.” Even today, I cannot help but feel exactly as written in that letter.

The Method of Seiza [静坐]

The method of Okada-style Seiza [岡田式静坐] involves sitting in the Japanese fashion with the legs deeply folded, and the spine held perfectly upright. Next, one performs quiet, long breathing through the nose. Furthermore, one must put strength into the lower abdomen [下腹] while breathing. These are the three stages of application [三段の工夫]. This is the same intent as what has traditionally been said of Zen meditation [座禅]: regulating the body [調身], regulating the breath [調息], and regulating the mind [調心].

Okada-sensei [岡田先生] said, “When sitting in Zen meditation [座禅], a sitting cushion [座布] is necessary, but if one sits in the Japanese style with legs deeply folded, a cushion [座布] is not required, and one can sit with the spine perfectly upright. I adopted this form because Japan has the custom of sitting.” Being able to sit with the spine straight at any time means one can regulate one’s form in direct connection with daily life; this is extremely vital.

I wish to explain the act of sitting with a straight spine as follows. Today, various things are discussed regarding the relationship between humanity and nature. There are issues of rights to light, polluted air and water—the so-called environmental problems. While these are debated loudly from various angles, I argue that besides these, is there not an immense and crucial problem in the relationship between nature and humanity? That is the relationship between humanity and gravity [引力].

In our daily lives, we have no actual sensation of being governed by gravity [引力], and naturally, we do not make an issue of it. However, I believe this relationship is of grave importance in human life. That all things are stable in the place they are set is a profound fact. Few people feel the meaning of this mundane yet momentous fact or understand it. Yet, the fact that the human body becomes stable when sitting correctly is something experienced equally in both Seiza [静坐] and Zen meditation [座禅]. Moreover, when one sits in this way—sitting in accordance with gravity [引力] by keeping the spine straight—one feels the human body is truly stable. Okada-sensei [岡田先生] explained this as “the physically stable way of sitting.” This way of sitting is the first requirement of the Seiza [静坐] method.

Okada-sensei [岡田先生] took the example of a carpenter erecting a pillar using a so-called “plumb line” [フリサゲ]—a weight attached to the end of a string—and setting the pillar without a hair’s breadth of difference from that string. He taught, “This fundamental principle does not change, no matter where in the world you go. Like this law, humans must follow this law when they sit.”

Now, from my experience of actually sitting, there is an important point requiring caution. That is to “drop” the solar plexus [鳩尾 (mizuochi)] while keeping the spine straight. Dropping the solar plexus [鳩尾] has a subtle effect: the tension leaves the upper body and the centre of gravity naturally descends to the lower abdomen [下腹]. This is a very important point; it is a matter I am often questioned about during practical training, but it is something each individual must work out for themselves [工夫].

One must absolutely not stoop the body in order to drop the solar plexus [鳩尾]. It is necessary to find the knack [工夫] of dropping the solar plexus [鳩尾] while keeping the spine strictly upright. When the spirit [気] settles and the tension in the upper body is released, the solar plexus [鳩尾] drops naturally. Because of this mutual relationship, the smooth progression of this connection is where one must apply effort [工夫] in training. I shall explain this matter of “effort” [工夫] later.

As stated above, Okada-sensei [岡田先生] consistently emphasised the importance of sitting upright, teaching that “When the vertical line of the body is determined, the vertical line of the mind is determined, and from there, a composed mind and a courage [胆力] that fears nothing are born.” This is because a stable mind can only exist within a truly stable body.

Once the stable body is established, the next step is quiet, long breathing through the nose. First, exhale from the nose as thinly, long, and quietly as possible. Once you have exhaled completely, open the nose to let air in. If the lungs become a vacuum, the breath will enter naturally, so there is no need to “suck” it in. Of course, in this case, it must remain a quiet “breath” [呼吸].

Since ancient times, much research and explanation has been given regarding quiet, long breathing, and we experience in our daily lives how necessary quiet breathing is for maintaining peace of mind. When considering something deeply, one inevitably breathes quietly. The reverse of this fact is that quiet breathing becomes the condition for the mind’s function that allows one to think quietly. It becomes the condition for the “investigation of things and the extension of knowledge” [格物致知].

The above is an explanation of the necessity of quiet, long breathing from a psychological perspective, following traditional explanations. However, if we consider this from the physiological effects found in modern medicine, we realise there is a significant meaning there as well. Namely, this breathing method ensures that the inhaled air sufficiently performs its oxidising function [酸化作用]. If one habitually uses shallow breathing, the inhaled air leaves before it can sufficiently oxidise, and furthermore, carbon dioxide always remains in the lungs, resulting in extremely unhealthy respiration.

Recently, despite the decrease in smokers, lung cancer is increasing. This is due to a subtle relationship where society has become so busy that people’s breathing has unknowingly become shallow.

Considering these circumstances, I believe one can understand how important it is to perform deep, long, and quiet breathing. Okada-sensei [岡田先生] particularly emphasised from this viewpoint that this breathing method is entirely different from the “deep breathing” [深呼吸] spoken of in the world, and he explained the importance of the oxidising function [酸化作用].

This concludes the explanation of the second stage of breathing. Below, I wish to explain the third stage, which is closely related to this breathing method: putting strength into the lower abdomen [下腹] while exhaling.

Since ancient times, the human lower abdomen [下腹] has been called the sea of energy [気海丹田 (kikai tanden)], and it has been taught that putting strength into this tanden [丹田] is vital for maintaining a person’s vigour [気力]. Okada-sensei [岡田先生] placed particular importance on the tanden [丹田], instructing us to fix the form of the body and put strength into the tanden [丹田] while performing quiet, long breathing. He taught that by putting strength into the tanden [丹田] with each breath, a true human being is completed.

Now, what one must be careful of regarding this tanden breathing [丹田呼吸] is to avoid what is commonly called “straining” [息む (ikimu)], and to apply strength while exhaling. In actual practice, it is quite difficult to apply strength while exhaling. If one tries too hard to find the knack [工夫], the mind goes to the effort itself, and the breath stops or becomes shallow. One must find the knack [工夫] so that strength enters gradually along with the breath while exhaling as quietly as possible.

Furthermore, Okada-sensei [岡田先生] cautioned that the strength should be applied to a single point in the lower abdomen [下腹]. However, concentrating strength on this single point is not easy; it accompanies the function of the spiritual side and is, so to speak, the proof of the completion of Seiza [静坐]. While the goal must certainly be placed here, in the beginning stages, it seems sufficient to proceed with simply putting strength into the lower abdomen [下腹] as the goal.

Okada-sensei [岡田先生] did not particularly explain the physiological effects of putting strength into the lower abdomen [下腹], but modern medicine explains it as follows. In the lower abdomen [下腹] lies an important cluster of autonomic nerves [自律神経] called the solar plexus [太陽神経叢]. These nerves are divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. One performs a positive function, the other a negative one. These autonomic nerves [自律神経] govern the functions of the internal organs [五臓六腑], and the balance between these two systems is structured to maintain peace of mind.

Now, the autonomic nerves [自律神経], unlike the motor nerves, do not work as one wishes. How, then, can we ensure these autonomic nerves [自律神経] work actively and in balance? This is a vital problem for human survival. The answer to this problem is to make the abdominal power [腹力] replete through the method of Seiza [静坐].

A person eats a meal. They do not think to digest it themselves. It is digested. Who digests it? It is digested by the function of the autonomic nerves [自律神経]. If the autonomic nerves [自律神経] work normally and powerfully, digestion is completed perfectly. A powerful abdominal power [腹力] is necessary.

The above principle has been understood through the inherent wisdom of the East, but recently, this has been elucidated by the development of “self-control medicine.” Seiza [静坐] is the practice of this principle.

The above is a physiological breakdown and explanation of Okada-sensei’s [岡田先生] instruction to put strength into the lower abdomen [下腹]. However, the point requiring the most training [修行] among the requirements of Seiza [静坐] practice is “putting strength into the abdomen with every breath.” The teacher’s earlier teaching of “building a temple for the divine nature [神性] within the abdomen” refers to this. While I may explain this in another section, I wish to specifically record that putting strength into the abdomen with each and every breath is extremely important.

With this, I shall conclude the explanation of the method in this section, but I repeat that this method consists of three pillars: stable sitting [坐], quiet and deep breathing [呼吸], and the fullness of abdominal power [腹力].

The Training [修行] of Seiza [静坐]

From my first year at the old First Higher School at the age of eighteen, until my fourth year in the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Law, Tokyo Imperial University at the age of twenty-four, I frequented a temple of the Rinzai Sect [臨済宗] to undergo Zen training [禅の修行]. Recalling those days, being young, I practised meditation [参禅] desperately, reading works like the Zenkan Sakushin [禅関策進] and Zenkai Ichiran [禅海一瀾] without ever letting them go, and grappling with kōans [公案].

During this time, I certainly gained something spiritually from my Zen training [禅の修行], but on the other hand, the attainments of Zen [禅] did not firmly take hold of me. I felt an anxiety that my intellectual understanding did not translate into my daily conduct [起居]. To break through this, I attempted all-night Zen meditation [徹宵座禅] several times. I read the phrase “falling into the present” [現在に落在す] in a book and strove to depict this state in my mind, but things did not go as I wished. Meanwhile, after entering university, I was in a state of so-called “furious study,” begrudging even a moment’s spare time. As a result, I lost the balance of mind and body and fell into so-called “Zen sickness” [禅病], becoming utterly exhausted and dropping to a weight of ten kan [十貫] (forty kilograms).

A friend who saw this said, “My dear fellow, if you keep this up, you won’t survive until graduation. There is a practice called Seiza [静坐] by a teacher named Okada Torajirō [岡田虎二郎]; why don’t you give it a try?” and so I met Okada-sensei [岡田先生] for the first time at a temple in Hongō. The teacher, with an imposing physique of over thirty kan [三十貫], said: “In the Zen sect [禅宗], there is such a thing as a kōan [公案], but there is nothing in the heavens or earth that is not a kōan [公案].” At that time, I could not understand the teacher's words. I believed that kōans [公案] had stages and that training [修行] meant progressing through them gradually, so I could not agree with the teacher’s words and left his presence unchanged.

However, after that, my physical condition became increasingly critical. While I was struggling alone, the previous friend suggested, “Try meeting the teacher once more,” and so I sought the teacher’s instruction again at a Seiza meeting [静坐会]. The teacher looked at me as I sat directly in front of him, took me by the lapels, and pulled me down so far I thought I might fall forward. That was all; I did not hear a single word of teaching from him. Yet, this became the great turning point of my life.

As I received the teacher’s guidance, I recognised two changes in my way of thinking. One was the discovery of my error in sitting posture; the other was the discovery of my error in always seeking something called enlightenment [悟り] while sitting.

The first error of posture was that I did not know to “drop the solar plexus [鳩尾]” while sitting upright. Unaware of this simple thing, I had been sitting with my shoulders squared and an air of high spirits [意気軒昂], just like the style of a Higher School student. Okada-sensei [岡田先生] corrected this posture without saying a word to me.

Furthermore, Okada-sensei [岡田先生] only told me to put strength into the lower abdomen [下腹] while quietly exhaling, and gave no other instructions. This fundamentally changed my way of thinking, which had been constantly seeking one thing after another, from kōan [公案] to kōan [公案].

What did these two changes in method bring me? My weight increased by four kan [四貫] (sixteen kilograms) in a single year, allowing me to enjoy a daily life full of vigour, and at the same time, they opened new eyes toward training [修行].

Regarding the first point, in the posture I took during Zen meditation [座禅], the tension of the upper body—what is commonly called the “strength of the chest”—would not descend. That is, it was a posture that prevented the body’s centre of gravity from naturally descending to the lower abdomen. Seen from another side, it was a haughty and arrogant posture, not one of serving the Buddha [仏]. Dropping the solar plexus [鳩尾] was a vital posture physiologically, as the strength of the upper body naturally falls to the lower abdomen, and psychologically, it was a humble posture of serving the Buddha [仏]. I had not noticed this simple yet momentous thing.

Secondly, Okada-sensei [岡田先生] taught, “The moment a person resolves to do Seiza [静坐], that person has already entered the path of enlightenment [悟りの道]. The important thing is the ‘long nurturing after enlightenment’ [悟後の長養], treading the way of Seiza [静坐の道] throughout one's life.” When I went to the temple, I was always seeking enlightenment [悟り]. When Okada-sensei [岡田先生] told me, “You are already enlightened. All that remains is the ‘long nurturing after enlightenment’ [悟後の長養]; train slowly,” I was liberated from the inability to forget the busyness of a mind chasing after enlightenment [悟り]—the kind said to involve “great enlightenment several times, and small enlightenments beyond count.”

Furthermore, Okada-sensei [岡田先生] said, “When sitting, simply put strength into the abdomen while quietly exhaling. That is the only training [修行].” The teacher also said, “Do not dare to seek; sit in quietude in the realm of non-action [無為の国]. Do not try to seek ‘no-thought and no-conception’ [無念無想], nor perform any kind of contrivance [計らい]. You must do nothing at all.” He said that “regarding non-justification as justification” [義なきを義とする] was the teaching of Absolute Other Power [絶対他力]. This was for me a teaching about which I was truly grateful: to cast away the intent to achieve enlightenment [悟り] and instead wait for enlightenment [悟り] to be opened—and at the same time, that enlightenment [悟り] would certainly be opened. He taught that Seiza [静坐] is the gate of great peace [大安楽].

Okada-sensei [岡田先生] showed me the verse from the Kan Fugen Kyō [観普賢経]: “The ocean of all karmic hindrances [一切業障] is all born from delusions [妄想]; if you wish to repent [懺悔], sit upright and meditate on the true reality [実想]; all sins are like frost and dew, which the sun of wisdom [慧日] can eliminate.” He instructed that this was the fundamental meaning [根本義] of Seiza [静坐].

The above is a brief account of my entry into Seiza [静坐] and how I believe in it today. To summarise, Seiza [静坐] is the gate of Absolute Other Power [絶対他力], and that gate—as explained in the next section on “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養]—shows the way a person should tread throughout their life.

Long Nurturing After Enlightenment [悟後の長養]

As mentioned before, in the autumn of the fourth year of Taishō [1915], I learned Seiza [静坐] from Okada-sensei [岡田先生] and underwent a great transformation in both mind and body. The emotion and joy of that time are unforgettable. However, this was only the first step of Seiza [静坐]. Though I intended to tread the way of Seiza [静坐の道] from then on, at that time, I did not actually understand the meaning of “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養] as fully as I do today. Therefore, though there may be some overlap with the previous explanation, I wish to state below the significance I have come to know today.

The first thing I felt upon starting Seiza [静坐] was that my body became one of “cool head and warm feet” [頭寒足熱]. This is an experience shared not only by me but by everyone who begins Seiza [静坐]: they first become a person of “cool head and warm feet” [頭寒足熱]. When one becomes such a person, food tastes good and one sleeps well at night. People in the world consider good food and good sleep to be vulgar things, and ask if the training [修行] of Seiza [静坐] is merely that, or if there isn't something more ideologically noble. However, the first step of Seiza [静坐] starts exactly from these physical changes that are considered vulgar.

As I mentioned earlier, I underwent physical changes upon starting Seiza [静坐] and gained sixteen kilograms in one year. It was a startling change. Simultaneously—and it should be said this was natural—I experienced a great change in my heart; daily life became delightful and full of energy, and I became so engrossed in my work that it surprised the people at my workplace.

The above describes my first step into Seiza [静坐]. I hear of similar experiences from many fellow practitioners, regardless of who they are. All alike speak of the mental and physical changes and activities brought about by “cool head and warm feet” [頭寒足熱].

This concludes the account of the first step of entry. What, then, of the second and third steps? Here arises the problem of training [修行] known as “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養].

In the year I finished my studies (the sixth year of Taishō [1917]), I entered the Bank of Japan and remained there for thirty years until receiving the “Purge Order” from the GHQ in Shōwa 20 [1945]. Then, with the lifting of the purge in Shōwa 26 [1951], I took on work at Japan Airlines for ten years, and in Shōwa 36 [1961], I took on work at the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund, remaining there for eight years. I was seventy-seven years old. Recalling this period, the first thing I notice is that I was able to fulfil my duties without making any major errors and remaining in relatively good health. Broadly speaking, I believe this was because I did not forget the intention of “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養].

I recall that my training [修行] in Seiza [静坐] also had its ups and downs. During my six years in Britain, and during the recent war and several years before and after it, I could not perform sufficient Seiza [静坐]. Of course, I never forgot the resolve for Seiza [静坐], but I could not sit with fellow practitioners and enjoy the Way [道]. However, whenever there was an opportunity, I sat alone [独坐], and I always kept Okada-sensei’s [岡田先生] recorded sayings [語録] by my side, reading them over and over. Fortunately, I have been able to reach today without losing the resolve for “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養].

The foundation of “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養] is, needless to say, to always be a person of “cool head and warm feet” [頭寒足熱]. One must strive in the fundamental teachings of Seiza [静坐] and always keep in mind the three elements: correct posture, quiet and long breathing, and fullness of abdominal power [腹力]. While “cool head and warm feet” [頭寒足熱] is a simple thing, in order to maintain this style even after passing sixty or seventy years of age—let alone during one's youth—one must consider the meaning of “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養] and strongly intend its achievement.

Now, in practicing “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養], there are various things to consider regarding the fundamental meaning [根本義] of Seiza [静坐], but the first principle is that Seiza [静坐] is the treading of the great road of peace and joy [安楽]. That is, Seiza [静坐] is not what the world calls “practising Zen” [習禅]. It is not difficult or painful practice [難行苦行]. In this regard, I believe some modern Zen training [禅修行] is making a great error. I shall now state my impressions regarding the points that I believe characterise the teacher’s instruction.

At the very beginning of the teacher’s recorded sayings [語録], it is written: “Do not dare to seek; sit in quietude in the realm of non-action [無為の国]. If there is a space of three feet square to sit, the spring of heaven and earth will overflow within it, and the power of life and the joy of life will arise within it. Seiza [静坐] is truly the gate of great peace [大安楽].”

Whenever I read this instruction [垂示], I feel the clarity and strength of the teacher’s teaching, and I feel that the essence of Seiza [静坐] lies here. At the same time, I feel deeply the profound meaning of the phrase “the spring of heaven and earth overflows within it.” To say it again, behind the instruction [垂示] “Do not dare to seek; sit in quietude in the realm of non-action [無為の国],” I perceive the existence of an absolute grace of nature. The teacher called this “Love” [愛]. Rejecting the teachings of some forms of Christianity that make love an attribute of God, the teacher taught that “God is Love” [神即愛].

To “sit in the realm of non-action [無為の国]” is to sit within “God is Love” [神即愛]. It is to sit peacefully within the Primal Vow [本願] of Amida [弥陀] as spoken of in the Buddha-Dharma [仏法]. One is already within salvation, sitting peacefully within perfection. One sits peacefully amidst the brilliant spring light, living powerfully and enjoying a life that develops powerfully.

Now, in the days spent on this great ship of great peace [大安楽], what kind of “after-enlightenment” efforts [工夫] was I making? Since it is ‘non-action’ [無為], one might think no effort is necessary, but in reality, I continued to apply a succession of practical efforts [工夫] to the act of sitting. One might say I have sustained a constant effort [工夫] toward no-thought [無念].

Firstly, is the spine truly straight? I deeply reflect upon the teacher’s words: “A difference of a hair’s breadth [毫釐] leads to a separation as vast as heaven and earth.” Furthermore, what is the vertical line of the body? I have felt the constant need for effort [工夫] here.

Moreover, regarding the dropping of the solar plexus [鳩尾], I have undertaken extensive study and practical inquiry [工夫]. If the solar plexus [鳩尾] drops, the tension leaves the upper body and the centre of gravity naturally falls to the lower abdomen [下腹]; conversely, if the tension leaves the upper body, the solar plexus [鳩尾] drops. Knowing the subtle relationship between the physical body and the mind, a further level of effort [工夫] becomes necessary here.

Furthermore, the teacher said, “Put strength into a single point in the lower abdomen [下腹]. You must not put strength anywhere else.” How can this be done? This too requires effort [工夫].

To fully realise the teacher’s instructions requires quite a lot of training [修行], does it not? Is it not that through the necessity of “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養] and only upon this nurturing that a person’s training [修行] moves toward completion? Such efforts [工夫] exist, and I have recently come to feel their necessity deeply. Things like “one great enlightenment” [大悟一番] spoken of in the Zen sect [禅宗] are not something an ordinary person should expect. The teacher also said one must not expect great enlightenment [大悟]. When I was young, I read Hakuin Zenji’s [白隠禅師] Yasen Kanna [夜船閑話] and saw written there “great enlightenment several times, small enlightenments beyond count,” and I wondered how to interpret this. However, today, by knowing Okada-sensei’s [岡田先生] teaching, I have learned that this refers to the progress of training [修行] and the stages of character formation through “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養].

As stated above, while nourishing a body of “cool head and warm feet” [頭寒足熱], to grow unceasingly as a human being—that is, to age healthily—is the true duty [本分] of a human. Confucius said, “At seventy, I followed my heart’s desire without overstepping the mark [矩を踰えず],” and Suzuki Daisetsu-sensei [鈴木大拙先生] also spoke of “following the heart’s desire without overstepping the mark [矩を踰えず]” as the ultimate limit of Zen enlightenment [悟り]. Okada-sensei [岡田先生] said the same thing as quoted above. Therefore, to realise this state, one needs to live a long and healthy life. This is not out of greed for life; it is to fulfil one’s duty [本分] as a human being. It is to accomplish the “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養]. To do so, one must constantly maintain the fundamentals of Seiza [静坐] mentioned earlier.

I am practicing the “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養] through Seiza [静坐] with these thoughts, but recently I have come to feel that these three methods—the way of sitting, the way of breathing, and the fullness of abdominal power [腹力]—are a single law [法則] that humans should observe in living. As this feeling deepens, I have come to feel poignantly that Seiza [静坐] is a momentous “Law” [法]. When I happened to leaf through the Doctrine of the Mean [中庸], one of the Four Books, I found in its opening passage: “What Heaven has ordained is called the Nature [性]; following the Nature [性] is called the Way [道].” This teaches that there are important natural laws [法則] in the world, and following these laws is the Way [道]. I think the Way of Seiza [静坐の道] is a single natural law [法則] in accordance with this ordinance of Heaven [天の命]. Sitting according to this law [法則] is sitting in accordance with the Way [道], and through this sitting, a person knows the Way [道] and embodies the Way [道]. When Okada-sensei [岡田先生] was asked “What is the Way [道]?”, his reply, “That is something you can know through Seiza [静坐],” must have referred to this. Living through the posture of Seiza [静坐] is practicing the Way [道]. The phrase “The Way [道] must not be departed from for even a moment [須臾]” refers to this.

I was once deeply moved reading that Hōnen Shōnin [法然上人] spoke of the law [法則] that “water flows to the low ground and fire burns upward” using the term “Dharma as it is” [自然法爾 (jinen hōni)]. He showed the existence of the law [法則] that “if one firmly believes in the Primal Vow [本願] of Amida [弥陀] and chants the Namu Amida Butsu, one will receive the welcoming of the Buddha [仏].” Under this great doctrinal principle, Hōnen Shōnin [法然上人] taught the training [修行] of “simply and wholeheartedly chanting the Nembutsu.”

I think the Seiza [静坐] shown by Okada-sensei [岡田先生] is a single instance of “Dharma as it is” [自然法爾] and a solemn law [法則]. It is a law [法則] for knowing the Way [道], embodying the Way [道], and practicing it. When Okada-sensei [岡田先生] told a beginner’s question, “Well, just sit in silence,” he meant one should sit wholeheartedly and exclusively. I wish to say again that there is a solemn “Law” [法] in the world. That is, Seiza [静坐] is Law [法].

Looking at the world today, I see that the existence of this simple and clear law [法則] is either unknown or ignored far too much. Even when I meditated [参禅] in the past, I did not notice the existence of such a law [法則]. While I would regulate my style once for Zen meditation [座禅], that style was only for the duration of the meditation; once it ended, I would sit cross-legged [あぐら] and let my lower back drop unconcernedly. This is far from saying “the ordinary mind is the Way” [平常心是道].

The maintenance of right mindfulness [正念相続] is said to be difficult even after enlightenment [悟り], but at the very least, is it not necessary to pay attention to the Zen posture [座相], the way of breathing, and the fullness of abdominal power [腹力] in one’s ordinary posture? To do so, one must continue to erect the lower back, establish the sitting posture [座相], and maintain strong abdominal power [腹力]. When Okada-sensei [岡田先生] instructed, “You must not loosen the strength of the abdomen for even a moment. Human vices occur when the strength of the abdomen is lost,” he was showing the spirit that “The Way [道] must not be departed from for even a moment.”

One thing I wish to add here is that Okada-sensei [岡田先生] strongly spoke of the “non-duality of mind and body” [心身不二]. The teacher explained this point very concretely, saying, “If a Japanese person has an average height of five feet three inches, they must weigh sixteen or seventeen kan,” and, “The reason for the poor physique of the Japanese is that they have forgotten the Way [道].” This was a characteristic of the teacher’s instruction, and simultaneously a point of criticism from people of other religions. However, looking at the daily posture and attitude of both monks and laypeople in Japan, I think we should humbly reflect on whether we are embodying “the ordinary mind is the Way” [平常心是道] and what our physique ought to be, recalling the powerful presence Okada-sensei [岡田先生] maintained in his daily life.

Furthermore, looking back on “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養], I feel the truth of the poem the teacher also quoted: “Compared to the heart after we have met, in the old days I thought of nothing at all” [あい見ての後の心にくらぶれば昔はものを思わざりけり]. This poem speaks of the heart of love, but through the steady cultivation of ‘long nurturing after enlightenment’ [悟後の長養], various things of the past are recalled. Considering how the method of Seiza [静坐] and the mental state changed, how many errors there were, and how those errors were worked through [工夫] and corrected, one realises how one has been saved by Seiza [静坐]. Knowing the dangers and the joys of the journey of life, one renews the outlook for the future of “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養].

Closing this section, I think of how many sick people there are in the world today, while I myself have fortunately maintained my health to this day. According to the 1982 National Health Survey, there is a startling announcement that one in eight people is sick, and half of those over seventy are sick. Setting aside the mentally ill, the number of physically ill is truly startling. In short, it is the result of forgetting the simple law [法則] of “cool head and warm feet” [頭寒足熱]. Recently, when I explain the necessity of Seiza [静坐], I teach: “Study how to make the chest empty and the abdomen full [胸を虚にして腹を実にする].” I explain, “Making the chest empty means lowering the diaphragm, which is the requirement for easing the heart, and making the abdomen full means gaining abdominal power [腹力] to invigorate the functions of the internal organs [五臓六腑].” This explanation, along with that of “cool head and warm feet” [頭寒足熱], enters the ear easily, and people then seek an explanation of how to achieve it. I see this as a convenience [便宜] for entry into Seiza [静坐] and consider it a necessary means.

Eternal Life [永遠の生命]

Okada-sensei [岡田先生] passed away on October 17th, the ninth year of Taishō [1920], at the age of forty-nine. Three days before his death, he said to Kinoshita Naoe-shi [木下尚江氏], “I suppose it would be fine to die anytime now,” and it is recorded that Kinoshita-shi [木下氏] knew no way to answer these words. Since I had received the teacher’s instruction just a few days before his death and fully believed I would receive his guidance for a long time to come, his passing was a bolt from the blue [青天の霹靂], and I spent several days in a daze, doing nothing. At that time, various criticisms of the teacher’s sudden death arose, eventually leading to a theory that the breathing method of Seiza [静坐] was erroneous, and except for a few people, Seiza [静坐] vanished like the aftermath of a great flood.

However, those who believe in Seiza [静坐] remained in various places, and they opened Seiza meetings [静坐会] on their respective scales; those with the will gathered and have reached today. I am one of them.

The teacher’s early death was, as written in a fragment of his will, “to sacrifice my life in order to liberate the conscientious shackles of the Yamato race [大和民族] and lead them to a world of freedom.” I consider this a sacrifice to grant an eternal teaching to humanity, just as Christ [基督] hung upon the cross.

The teacher left several words regarding eternal life [永遠の生命]. He said, “I will not die. My body is not only this.” He also taught that the purpose of religion is to develop one’s own spirituality [霊性] and awaken to the Buddha’s [仏] Immeasurable Life [無量寿]—Eternal Life—and left the verse: “Climbing Mt. Fuji [不死山 (fujisan/the mountain of immortality)] having forgotten the destination.”

As mentioned before, if through the training [修行] of Seiza [静坐] one can become a person who “follows the heart’s desire without overstepping the mark [矩を踰えず]”, that person is one who has cast off all shackles. They are bound by neither law nor morality; moreover, they are not bound even by their own heart. They are one who has become one with heaven and earth. Confucius spoke the truth of this state at the age of seventy.

The goal of “long nurturing after enlightenment” [悟後の長養] is, of course, here.

In the Zen sect [禅宗], there are kōans [公案] and famous illustrations like the Ten Bulls [十牛], which explain the stages of enlightenment [悟り]. Confucius showed the path of his own heart’s development in the Analects and gave it as a guide for the journey of life for ordinary people. Namely: “At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no doubts; at fifty, I knew the mandate of Heaven [天命]; at sixty, my ear was an obedient organ; at seventy, I followed my heart’s desire without overstepping the mark [矩を踰えず].” Okada-sensei [岡田先生] did not teach such staged mental developments, but rather held that the practitioner of Seiza [静坐人] must know their own development for themselves.

An error prone to occur when thinking of mental development is making a goal of that development. Okada-sensei [岡田先生] quoted Wang Yangming [王陽明], who said: “When you come to the foot of the mountain, your hearts are at the peak; therefore, you tire easily. My heart is at each step and not at the peak.” He taught: “You must not train [修行] by setting this or that goal for development; you must train [修行] without a goal.” If one does Seiza [静坐] firmly, the goal will be achieved of its own accord. When I was young, I read books and speculated on the mental state of so-called enlightened [大悟] people, and by striving to reach that goal, I made a grave error. This was, so to speak, committing the error pointed out by Wang Yangming [王陽明].

Now, the teacher held that in order to know one’s own development, one must know the changes and developments of one’s own spiritual side through the Bible [バイブル], the Analects [論語], other classics [経書], various scriptures [経典], or books chosen by the individual. I have followed this teaching and conducted my own self-inspection. When I am asked to speak on this inspection, I try the following six parables often used in Zen explanations; I shall mention them for reference.

First is the “Ease of the Four Elements” [四大軽安]. In the Buddha-Dharma [仏法], this means the body is healthy. Needless to say, the Four Elements [四大] mean that the human body is composed of the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind; it refers to whether the body is light and stable.

Second is “Spiritual Refreshment and Sharpness” [精神爽利]. This means the heart is always refreshing and smiling, yet on one side is as sharp as a keen sword, never to be made a fool of by others.

Third is “Clarity of Right Mindfulness” [正念分明]; one must always possess the mindfulness of the Ālaya-vijñāna [阿頼耶識]. It would be a problem to do things that make one wonder, “Why did I do such a shameful thing?”

Fourth is “Dharma-Flavour Nourishing the Spirit” [法味資神]. One must have the flavour of the Dharma [法] in all things. Since we are fellow disciples of the Buddha [仏], let us get along. Let us treat things with care. This is not about treating things with care because resources are scarce lately. It is about treating them with care because they were bestowed by the Buddha [仏]. It means not doing things like leaving the tap water running. In such ways, the heart must become rich.

Fifth is “Tranquil and Quiet Joy” [寂然静楽]. It would be a problem if there were no joy without what is called “leisure” these days. It would be a problem if, when something happens, one runs around making a fuss in a curious, follow-the-crowd [弥次馬式] fashion. One must protect oneself and enjoy life tranquilly [寂然].

Sixth is “Ordinary Naturalness” [日常天真]. This shows the ultimate development of the spiritual side of a person who follows the heart’s desire without overstepping the mark [矩を踰えず]; it is what I explained in the previous section and shows the state that manifests the embodiment of eternal life [永遠の生命].

Okada-sensei [岡田先生] spoke of the “Zero [零]” [Non-being] in relation to the first person “I” [私], the second person “You” [汝], and the third person “He” [彼]. What is this zero-person? Rinzai Zenji [臨済禅師] spoke of the “True Person of no rank” [無位の真人]. I secretly wonder if the zero-person is not the True Person of no rank [無位の真人], the Eternal Life entity [永遠の生命体].

Also, Okada-sensei [岡田先生] often quoted the words of the Bible [バイブル], such as “unless you are like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,” saying, “Truly so; through Seiza [静坐], one must return to the heart of a child.” What is the heart of a child? The Shinjinmei [信心銘] says: “The Ultimate Way [至道] is not difficult; it only dislikes selection and rejection [嫌揀択].” I interpret it as this heart.

I believe all of the above speak of eternal life [永遠の生命]. It is the final point reached through Seiza [静坐]. It is the final point without a final point. Forgetting the destination, the practitioner of Seiza [静坐人] continues their Seiza [静坐]. Without a moment’s neglect, correcting the posture, with quiet breathing and strengthening the abdominal power [腹力], one lives on—this is Eternal Life [永遠の生命], climbing the Mountain of Immortality [不死山].

When someone said to Okada-sensei [岡田先生], “What you teach is nothing new; has it not existed since ancient times?”, the teacher replied: “Exactly so; it has existed since before the universe was made.” The great debt of gratitude [鴻恩] we owe to Okada-sensei [岡田先生], who showed us the teaching of the “Law” [法] that exists from the eternal past toward the eternal future, is beyond words of thanks.

August, Shōwa 58 [1983]