Each Moment Is the Universe : Zen and the Way of Being Time

A Japanese master offers a Zen perspective on the nature of time and being, further exploring the concepts of impermanence, living in the present moment, and more It’s easy to regard time as a commodity—we even speak of “saving” or “spending” it. We often regard it as an enemy, when we feel it slipping away before we’re ready for time to be up. The Zen view of time is radically different than that: time is not something separate from our life; rather, our life is time. Understand this, says Dainin Katagiri Roshi, and you can live fully and freely right where you are in each moment. Katagiri bases his teaching on Being Time , a text by the most famous of all Zen masters, Eihei Dogen (1200–1253), to show that time is a creative, dynamic process that continuously produces the universe and everything in it—and that to understand this is to discover a gateway to freedom from the dissatisfactions of everyday life. He guides us in contemplating impermanence, the present moment, and the ungraspable nature of past and future. He discusses time as part of our inner being, made manifest through constant change in ourselves and our surroundings. And these ideas are by no means metaphysical abstractions: they can be directly perceived by any of us through meditation. It's easy to regard time as a commodity-we even speak of "saving" or "spending" it. We often regard it as an enemy, when we feel it slipping away before we're ready for time to be up. The Zen view of time is radically different than that: time is not something separate from our life; rather, our life is time. Understand this, says Dainin Katagiri Roshi, and you can live fully and freely right where you are in each moment. Katagiri bases his teaching on Being Time, a text by the most famous of all Zen masters, Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), to show that time is a creative, dynamic process that continuously produces the universe and everything in it-and that to understand this is to discover a gateway to freedom from the dissatisfactions of everyday life. He guides us in contemplating impermanence, the present moment, and the ungraspable nature of past and future. He discusses time as part of our inner being, made manifest through constant change in ourselves and our surroundings. And these ideas are by no means metaphysical abstractions: they can be directly perceived by any of us through meditation. To learn more about the author, visit his website: www.mnzencenter.org An important figure in the transmission of Zen to America, Dainin Katagiri Roshi (1928-1990) was assistant to the legendary Zen master Suzuki Roshi (author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind) before founding the Minnesota Zen Center in Minneapolis. Katagiri Roshi was known for his direct, rousing, no-nonsense teaching style, urging his students along with statements like: “You are Buddha, so learn to behave as a Buddha,” and “Don't expect enlightenment--just sit down!” In this new book, Katagiri presents Zen Master Dogen's classical teachings on being and time (uji). Most Westerners consider time a commodity or resource, thinking of it as something they can save, spend, make, buy, use, or waste. In Zen, time is considered a creative force and a gateway to freedom. In Each moment Is the universe, Katagiri explains time as something internal and integrated with all of life. Time is understood as a dynamic process that continuously produces the universe. Although this may seem like a metaphysical abstraction, in Zen practice this can be perceived through direct experience Dainin Katagiri ; Edited By Andrea Martin. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 233-234) And Index.