SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

14 Sōtō Zenaspect of reality. Engi shows that all things are mutuallydependent upon each other and that nothing can exist independently.One is held by the other and in its turn holds the other.Each thing plays its part in forming the chain of totality.EinsteinÕs theory of relativity denied the absoluteness of time,space and motion and stressed the interrelationship of all things.The relationship between the individual and society is alsosubject to this law. From the universe down to the individual,nothing exists which is not dependent upon this principle.Buddhism does not recognize fixed, permanent existencebut only one of relationships. Buddhism arrived at this conclusion,which is in agreement with science, by the intellectualintuitionalmethod. We see a good example of this in thethought of Whitehead.Looking at this from a religious point of view, we mustconclude that the fact that we are able to live peacefully is due tooutside support and to social blessings which we enjoy. Thereforeit is the natural duty of man to express his gratitude forthese benefits. Not to know gratitude is to be on the level of ananimal. If we examine the nucleus of a thing, we shall observethat everything directly or indirectly runs into and is dependentupon it and that nothing within the thing is independent of thenucleus. The nucleus contains and unifies all the parts. Now letus assume that we are the nucleus under discussion. We aredependent upon many factors which when combined enable us