Rohatsu 2024
A Time Beyond Time - Exploring Dogen's Teaching
Tonight was special. Really special. Sitting here in the afterglow of our Rohatsu ceremony, I wanted to share something with you all while it's still fresh, still buzzing with that particular energy that only comes from deep practice with committed practitioners.
For those who might not be familiar, Rohatsu is kind of a big deal in the Zen world. It commemorates Buddha's enlightenment, traditionally celebrated on December 8th. In Zen centers around the world, practitioners often engage in intense meditation sessions leading up to this date. It's our way of honoring that profound moment when Siddhartha Gautama looked up, saw the morning star, and experienced that earth-shattering awakening that would eventually become Buddhism.
As a priest, Rohatsu holds a particular significance for me. It's not just about remembering a historical event - it's about making that moment real and alive right here, right now. It's about each of us touching that same awakening that the Buddha experienced.
This year, I felt called to share something that's been deeply transformative in my own practice - Dogen's teaching on time and being, called "Uji." Why this text? Because I think it speaks directly to what we're really doing during Rohatsu. When we sit in meditation, we're not just passing time until enlightenment happens. We're not waiting for some future moment. As Dogen points out, we ARE time, manifesting as this very moment of practice.
Here's the talk I gave tonight. I'm sharing it because these teachings aren't meant to stay locked in the meditation hall - they're meant to be lived, explored, and experienced by anyone who feels drawn to them.
Hey everyone. Tonight for Rohatsu, I want to share something that completely revolutionized my understanding of time and being - Dogen's Uji. Now, you might think "oh great, another dense philosophical text," but stick with me here. This isn't just some abstract concept - it's about how we actually experience our lives moment by moment.
The Opening
Let me start with this poem from a former Buddha that Dogen uses as his jumping-off point:
Standing atop a soaring mountain peak is for the time being And plunging down to the floor of the Ocean's abyss is for the time being; Being triple-headed and eight-armed is for the time being And being a figure of a Buddha standing sixteen feet tall or sitting eight feet high is for the time being; Being a monk's traveling staff or his ceremonial hossu is for the time being And being a pillar supporting the temple or a stone lantern before the Meditation Hall is for the time being; Being a next-door neighbor or a man in the street is for the time being And being the whole of the great earth and boundless space is for the time being.
You know, when I first encountered this text, it hit me like quantum physics meets Buddhist practice. There's something in here that goes way beyond our normal way of thinking about time and existence. When most people hear "for the time being," they think it means temporary or passing. But Dogen's doing something much more radical here.
The Core Teaching
Here's the key line that blew my mind when I first really got it:
"The phrase 'for the time being' implies that time in its totality is what existence is, and that existence in all its occurrences is what time is."
Let's sit with that for a moment. This isn't just philosophical wordplay. Remember last time you were deep in meditation and time seemed to both stop and expand? That's exactly what Dogen's pointing at. Each moment contains the whole universe - your whole being - and that's not metaphorical.
Breaking It Down
Dogen tells us:
"Mountains are of time: oceans are of time. Were there no time, neither mountains nor oceans could be. Do not think that time does not exist for the mountains and oceans of the present moment."
Think about what that means for your practice. When you're sitting here right now, you're not just existing IN time - you ARE time. Your existence right now isn't separate from this moment. This is why presence is so powerful - it's not just about being "mindful," it's about recognizing that you and this moment are not two things.
The Practice Point
Here's where this gets really practical for our practice. Dogen says:
"Do not look upon time as 'something that just flies away': do not teach yourself that 'flying away' is simply how time functions."
How many of us think of time as this thing that's constantly slipping away from us? But what if that's completely backward? What if, instead of time passing us by, we ARE time, manifesting as this moment, this breath, this heartbeat?
What This Means for Us
When we sit in zazen, we're not just sitting through time until the bell rings. Each moment of sitting is the complete manifestation of Buddha nature. As Dogen puts it:
"In short, everything whatsoever that exists in the whole universe is a series of instances of time. Since everything is for the time being, we too are for the time being."
Remember those moments in meditation when everything just... stops? When there's no separation between you and your experience? That's what Dogen's pointing at. That's not some special state - that's reality when we stop imposing our ideas about time onto our experience.
The Revolutionary Aspect
You know, in my own practice, understanding this text changed everything. It's like what happens in those deep meditative states where past, present, and future all collapse into NOW. We've all had those experiences where time seems to work differently - maybe during intense meditation, or in those moments of profound realization.
Dogen's telling us that those aren't special experiences - they're glimpses of how reality actually is. When he says "Time has the virtue of continuity," he's not talking about clock time. He's talking about this endless unfolding of reality that we are.
Bringing It Home
As we sit here during Rohatsu, commemorating Buddha's enlightenment, we're not just remembering something that happened in the past. In Dogen's view, that moment of the Buddha's awakening is not separate from this moment right now. As he says:
"This is why the morning star arose, the Tathagata emerged, his clear Eye of Wise Discernment manifested, and the raising of the udumbara flower came about. These are times: were they not times, there could not be any 'being with It' here and now."
Closing Thoughts
So as we continue our sitting tonight, I invite you to drop your ideas about time passing, about getting somewhere, about achieving something. Instead, just be this moment completely. As Dogen reminds us:
"In such a manner, coming to training, going on in training, training until you arrive, and training beyond arriving are, at all times, 'just for the time being, just for a while.'"
Let's sit with that.
[Ring bell]
Looking back at the silent faces in the meditation hall tonight, watching the incense smoke curl up into darkness, I was struck by how timeless this all is. Here we are, stretching across centuries to touch the same truth that Dogen pointed to, that Buddha realized under the Bodhi tree.
If any of this resonates with you, if you find yourself curious about these teachings or this practice, know that you're always welcome to join us. The path of awakening isn't just for monks and priests - it's for anyone who has ever looked at reality and thought, "There must be more than what I'm seeing."
And there is. There absolutely is.
With deep gratitude for this practice, this moment, and all of you,
Cian
At which Rohatsu were you sitting?