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The second to last chant (okyo) in the choka sequence is Shiku Sei Gan Mon—The Four Vows. It is chanted three times at a pace slower than any other and has a vibe of seriousness and focused determination consistent with this chant, which comes as close to prayer as a Buddhist may have.

At a recent intensive in Chaska, Minnesota, I spoke about seasons. All around us, the evidence of nature’s transition played out, day by day, and sometimes hour by hour. 

What does a person from Hawai`i know about seasons? It is a legitimate question. After all, we’re likely to have no more than a ten degree shift from the ‘coldest’ to the ‘warmest’ part of any day. Paradoxically, many Hawai`i-born folk are especially sensitive to minute changes: the direction of the wind, moisture in the air, whether the rains will be brief or torrential, the difference in winter’s sun. We sense the weather, the evolution of climate.  We notice. 

Tanouye Roshi was determined to literally spread lessons of the Aloha Spirit—the genuine stuff beyond the tourist greeting. He believed a deeper understanding and cultivation of aloha would allow us to have a more tangible sense of the Buddhist principle of compassion.

“Clear Mind is like the full moon in the sky. Sometimes clouds come and cover it, but the moon is always behind them. Clouds go away, then the moon shines brightly. So don’t worry about clear Mind: it is always there.”

Zen is a practice way – rather than a belief. To reap its benefits and penetrate its secrets, you have to practice!