Personal Reflections on the Kakisage
The Kakisage is often spoken of as being the tenth Besseki Lecture. After a period of preparation, recipients of the Kakisage, having just been granted the truth of the Sazuke, are advised to read daily and ponder its intended meaning. My own ponderings change day by day, according to the state and truth of my mind at any given time. Upon reflection I find that my thoughts and ponderings change, not only day to day but moment to moment. In that regard I will attempt to be guided in my ponderings by the two poems from the Ofudesaki appearing below.
From now on I shall speak in the metaphor of water.
Be enlightened by the word clear and muddy.
Ponder this: no matter how clear the water may be,
if you put
mud into it, it will become muddy.
"Sah, sah, step by step the lectures, over and over to the seat of the lectures you have come. Sah, on this day today, by the one truth you must uphold as your mind for a lifetime. I make this the main seat. "
Over the years I have had the pleasure of encountering a number of people, whom I think of as being both smarter and a nicer person than me, yet who honestly claimed to not have any idea of what it means to "ponder deeply". Since no two human minds are exactly the same I offer these personal reflections and ponderings on the Kakisage as an example of one persons attempt at pondering deeply the subjects raised by this document. My goal is that perhaps someone else will be moved to do their own pondering and self reflections.
Considering that my mind is full of truths of my self and my world; truths that may or may not change day to day or even moment to moment; what among them is then the one truth to be upheld for a lifetime? And further, what does the "main seat" mean in this context?
Upon reflection and pondering deeply, I find that among the truths of myself and my world there is one truth that is taken for granted and that has not, over the course of my lifetime, changed. It is in fact the same permanent and unchanging state of mind that was there from my beginning, and that all of the other changeable and temporary truths of my world appear reflected within. I can know this because of the truth that was quickly, and freely revealed as the "Sazuke". It is the one truth that has been given to my totally settled, sincere, mind "like clear water". That is the mind that remains and is revealed when all of my temporary thoughts are sincerely settled. When given, revealed or granted, it is of course entirely up to me to decide to accept that one truth or not.
Assuming then, as I do, that the pure original unchanging mind is the one truth, the "main seat" then manifests as the teaching that in all of my future thinking, the recollection of the implications of the one truth be understood as fundamental in all matters.
The understanding of the one truth then is intended to be set securely in place, to replace the temporary insecure foundation of all of my thinking, with the original permanent, stable foundation that is the same for all human minds equally. Once again, that original foundation is meant to be understood as the basis for all of my future self-centered thinking in all matters, as that one truth serves to inform the temporary truths of my world and hastens the delivery of a joyous life for all equally. The meaning of the Kanrodai comes to mind.
The "main seat" or original, permanent foundation for all of my future thoughts of self and the world is then understood to be a permanent replacement; an upgrade and repair, for the unsecure, temporary seat or foundation of all human minds. That limited, temporary seat is based solely on ideas that, purposely identify ideas of self with a mortal and changeable body. That seamless and authentic identification, though meant to be an instrument of joy, is the cause of the mistake of believing that the body and associated ideas of self are the total truth of self. It is because of that mistake that unintended suffering has entered into what is intended to be a joyous creation. Self-centered thoughts that arise from the "main seat" are then intended to add to the experience of joyous free play in the free and unlimited playground that, like everything else including me, is God's body.
Continuing on then I will see if this personal interpretation holds up, for me, as the intention of the Kakisage.