UJI Part Eleven | Uji Beyond “Time”
“In the world today, we structure time by segments which we name, for instance, the Hours of the Horse or the Hours of the Sheep. Be that as it may, these segments are merely persistent fluctuations in the here and now of thoughts and things which arise and fall. It is the same with the Hours of the Rat and the Hours of the Tiger, which are also ‘for a time’. And being an ordinary creature is also ‘for a time’, as is being a Buddha. At such times as these, one will swear that being three-headed and eight-armed is the whole universe or that being a golden body sixteen feet tall is the whole universe. To universally penetrate the whole universe by means of the whole universe is called ‘complete realization’. For us to give proof of a golden body sixteen feet tall by our attaining a golden body sixteen feet tall is to manifest our initial spiritual intention, our training and practice, our realizing of enlightenment, and our experiencing the freedom of nirvana—all of which comprises what existence is and what time is. It is a complete realization that the whole of time is what the whole of existence is, and that there is nothing more than this. Anything else would be a time when there was a partial ‘complete realization’, which would be a full realization of a part of what ‘just for the time being’ refers to.”
In this passage, our traditional constructs of time are challenged. In medieval Japan, time was segmented into roughly two-hour periods, such as the Hours of the Horse (roughly 11 AM to 1 PM) or the Hours of the Sheep (roughly 1 PM to 3 PM). These segments are simply constructs we use to mark our idea of the linear passage of time, but they do not capture the essence of time itself. Our understanding is often influenced by our karmic momentum, which shapes our perceptions and beliefs and can inhibit our ability to open fully to the dharmakaya, the body of truth.
Yet Dōgen does not dismiss these conventional divisions of time. The Hours of the Horse and Hours of the Sheep are themselves uji. So too are the Hours of the Rat and Hours of the Tiger. Horse is time. Sheep is time. Rat is time. Tiger is time. The conventional names we give to time do not somehow stand outside of being-time. They, too, arise as complete expressions of uji.
This prompts us to question the nature of time and our perception of it. When we abide only in our conceptual understanding of time, we are blind to uji. Dōgen instead invites us to recognize that every moment we name and every moment we fail to name is a complete manifestation of being-time. Being an ordinary creature is uji. Being a Buddha is uji. They are all complete expressions of uji.
The practice here is to open to our lives as they are rather than clinging to fixed ideas of what they should be. When we can do this, we penetrate the whole universe by merging with it and forgetting our small self. This is what Dogen calls "complete realization." It means understanding that the entirety of time and existence are one and the same, with nothing more beyond this unity.
Dōgen then introduces the remarkable idea of 'partial complete realization'. This does not mean that we have grasped only a portion of the truth and must someday progress toward a more complete experience. The part itself is completely realized as the part. A particular moment of uji does not need to become something larger before it can completely manifest being-time. Just as each sprout is the whole earth, each particular expression of uji is complete precisely as it is. Even what appears partial is the complete realization of that particular being-time.
To demonstrate the golden body of a Buddha by becoming a golden body sixteen feet tall is to manifest our initial spiritual intention, training, and practice, the realization of enlightenment, and experience of the freedom of nirvana (cessation from desire). This complete realization recognizes that the whole of time is the whole of existence, and there is nothing more than this.
We must recognize that our lives are not just transient moments but a continuous, interconnected flow encompassing all of time and being right here now. By doing so, we break free of the false separation between our ordinary existence and enlightened being. It calls us to open our minds and hearts to the profound truth that every moment, whether it is named by conventional time segments or not, is a complete expression of the whole universe. By embracing this view, we live fully in the present, manifesting our true nature and experiencing the full realization of awakening. Uji!
