UJI Part Two | Uji's Ever Changing Nature

The phrase UJI (‘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. Thus, ‘being a golden body sixteen feet tall’ refers to a time. And because it is a time, its time will have a wondrous luminosity—a point that we will be studying and learning about during the present twenty-four hours. ‘Being one with three heads and eight arms’ also refers to a time. And because it is a time, it will be one and the same as the present twenty-four hours. Granted that we may not yet have measured the length of these twenty-four hours as to whether they are ever so long or as short as a sigh, still we speak of them as ‘the twenty-four hours of our day’. The traces of this time having come and gone are clear, so people do not doubt that these hours have occurred. But, though people have no doubt about time having occurred, the past may be something that they have not known through their direct experience. And, just because sentient beings are always having their doubts about anything and everything that they have not directly experienced, this does not mean that what they may have previously doubted is the same as what they may now have doubts about, for doubts themselves are merely ‘just for the moment’ kinds of time, and nothing more.

The circumstances of our lives present apparent dharma positions, or being-times, as individual moments. This is the perceived manifestation of uji. No dharma position cancels or overshadows another. Every moment is an opportunity to fully manifest our being-time, a dharma gate to awakening.

Impermanance is the nature of being - all things are ever-changing and interconnected. In this sense, there is no "beginning" or "end" to a dharma position. We cannot delineate uji. Past, present, and future don't have anywhere to grasp.

If we open to this, we can let go of our preconceived ideas about our situation and are actualized by the moment. This moment includes all uji. When nothing is excluded, we are one with it and respond skillfully.

Golden radiance is not just a distant ideal, but our very essence, our original face, which is uji. Even if we don't recognize the golden radiance of the Dharma, we are this golden radiance. Even when we are mired by longing and aversion as the dialectic of the small self's continuance, the golden radiance shines on. This maxim reminds us of the profound significance of our lived existence.

For the most part, we take our understanding of time for granted. We don't question the nature of time; if we do, we try to reduce it to some conceptual understanding. We view time as ahead or behind, something we need more of or are burdened by. And yet, even though we are smugly confident in our knowledge, we understand very little about time - and even less about how we relate to it. It is fundamental to awakening that we clarify this great matter of uji. Real doubt is an opening through which we can drop our intellect and enter the realm of actualization. It is wise to give rise to doubt intentionally:

"What am I not seeing right now?"

"Is that so?"

"Who is this sixteen-foot Buddha and the three-headed demon?"

Entering through this gate of wonder, we recognize the entire uji as our own uji. We embody the Golden Radiance as Buddha and shine!