Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘lt is only for about two thousand and some years that Shakyamuni’s teaching has permeated the three thousand worlds. Among these various lands, all are not necessarily countries of benevolence and wisdom, and the people are not necessarily only intelligent and brilliant. However, the true dharma of the tathagatas, endowed from the beginning with the inconceivably great power of merit and virtue, flourished in those lands as the times matured. If people genuinely practice with right faith, they all attain the Way equally, without distinction between the dull and the sharp-witted. Our country may not be a land of benevolence and wisdom, and the people’s understanding may be foolish, but do not think that they cannot realize buddha-dharma. Without question, all people are abundantly endowed with the true seeds of prajna, only they rarely accept it and have not yet received and used it.’ (Bendowa)

My Monday night student group reached the end of the Bendowa this week; we had been discussing in our check-ins the difficulty of seeing the good in people who were manifesting as selfish and only concerned with money, so this passage felt particularly appropriate.