UJI Part Fifteen | Ungraspable Uji
“Were we to leave the matter of what ‘being for the time being’ means to the way in which ordinary persons understand the phrase, it would be a ‘being for the time being’ in which enlightenment and nirvana were, at best, merely passing characteristics. The ever-present ‘time being’ of which I am speaking cannot be snared like some bird by net or cage: it is what is manifesting before us. It is a time when the heavenly lords and the other celestial inhabitants are now manifesting right and left of us, and are making every effort to do so, even at this very moment. In addition, it is a time when beings of water and land are making every effort to manifest. Beings of all sorts, who are visible or invisible for the time being, are all making every effort to manifest, making every effort to flow on. If they did not make every effort to flow on, not even a single thought or thing would ever manifest: nothing would continue on. You would do well to consider this point.”
Reflecting on the idea of "being uji," it becomes evident that the ordinary understanding of this phrase falls short of its profound implications. If we rely solely on our conceptual understanding, our interpretation of being uji would be limited to transient conceptual characteristics, such as "enlightenment" and "nirvana" or "happy" and "sad," which belong to the created world of "knowing." As we discussed in part thirteen:
"The very act of understanding something constitutes a moment in time. However, we cannot manufacture or predict the precise moment when understanding will arise. Comprehension itself is uji, but it does not arrive according to the linear sequence we imagine time to follow. This is another place where our conceptual understanding fails us. We may study, practice, and inquire, but awakening cannot be reduced to a point on a timeline that we can anticipate or control."
Thus, the uji Dogen speaks of is not something we can grasp by excluding or containing; it includes all. It is not a bird confined in a net or cage, but the ever-present manifestation of reality unfolding before us, encompassing the entire spectrum of existence. If we visit the ocean and want to share the experience with a loved one, it simply will not do to capture it in a bottle and bring it to them. This is analogous to trying to fathom uji by knowing.
All that is, whether celestial beings or beings of water and land, exerts itself completely in manifesting and flowing on. Visible and invisible beings alike completely manifest their own uji. This activity does not depend upon whether we recognize it or understand it. Every thought and every thing comes forth through this full exertion. Our practice is not an attempt to enter some flow from which we have been excluded, but to show up completely as this being-time and participate fully in what is already manifesting before us.
What Dōgen is pointing toward is not passive existence. Uji is full exertion. Each thing gives itself completely to being what it is in this moment. The fish does not partially swim, the bird does not partially fly, and we do not partially inhabit our lives. Even our hesitation, confusion, and effort arise as complete expressions of this being-time. Practice asks us to meet that completeness with our own completeness.
It is not just a profound insight but a guiding principle for our existence. This realization invites us to show up completely, making every effort to manifest this very being-time. Nothing is waiting elsewhere. The whole of uji is making itself known right here.
