Accepting Things as They Really Are

What Is Truth?

“Atop the stones of a waterfall, / A bracken has sprouted fiddleheads— / Spring has come.” This poem, written by Prince Shiki (668–716, the seventh son of Emperor Tenji), celebrates the coming of spring, as he has found fresh fiddlehead sprouts at the side of a waterfall flowing vigorously between the rocks. This wonderful poem from the Manyoshu, “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves,” which was compiled during the Nara period (710–794), perfectly conveys even to those of us living today, centuries after the poem was written, the feeling of excitement when spring is in the air.

However, today we have difficulty admiring nature with the clear eyes of people in Manyoshu times and joyfully, gratefully accepting things as they really are. Poems like these show us the cloudiness and inadequacy of our own minds.

In a talk recorded in ancient scripture that Shakyamuni had with a brahman, he says, “For me, upholding the truth is like mowing a field of grass.” For Shakyamuni, upholding the truth is the same as the mowing done by a farmhand who cultivates a field. Since this is the case, what does Shakyamuni mean by “the truth,” and what does “upholding it” mean?

When I hear the word “truth,” the first thing that comes to mind is “the true Dharma.” Buddhism places importance on each person’s awakening to the true Dharma, so we can interpret “upholding the truth” as living in accordance with the Dharma. However, in a Buddhist dictionary, the word “truth” has the following definitions: “how things really are” and “things just as they are.” From this perspective, upholding the truth means seeing how things really are—without adding subjective likes and dislikes—and accepting things just as they are. Therefore, I surmise that Shakyamuni must also have been working to cut down the obstructive weeds of delusion before they spread across the field of his mind.

There Is No Plant with the Name “Weed”

However, delusion can also become the driving force for progress and improvement. As stated by the teaching “Delusions are inseparable from awakening,” we could say that delusion and awakening are ultimately one and the same. If humans are endowed with the power to awaken to the true Dharma precisely because they possess great delusions, then delusions must be blessings that sustain and nurture us. Perhaps no one is more likely to have a major change of heart than someone with great delusions. The reason that Shakyamuni used the expression “mowing grass” in his talk with the brahman is that if we cut down the weeds of delusion that spread across our minds before they become too tall, and continue to plow them into the soil of our minds, we can use them to nourish the wisdom to broaden our minds and make the fields of our minds even richer and more flexible.

Speaking of weeds, there is a well-known story about the pioneering Japanese botanist Tomitaro Makino (1862–1957) admonishing a reporter who had carelessly used the word “weeds,” telling him: “There is no plant in this world with the name ‘weed.’ Every species of plant has a proper name.” And in a similar vein, all the delusions that are compared to the weeds of the mind also have meaning and value. It is up to us to determine whether we let our delusions end as mere delusions, or whether they lead to spiritual growth.

On New Year’s Day, 2024, an earthquake struck Japan’s Noto Peninsula, causing severe damage. We human beings think of earthquakes as nothing other than disasters, but in light of the history of planet Earth, they are just one form of natural phenomena that continues to unfold up to the present day. We could even say that by facing this fact, just as it is, we are participating in an important process that connects natural disasters to human wisdom. Of course, when we see the harsh conditions endured by people affected by a disaster, we cannot accept that reality without becoming emotional; we cannot help but mourn those who have passed away and feel compassion for those whose lives have become difficult.

In the process of facing the truth, accepting it, and suffering as we work through conflicting emotions, we cultivate the wisdom to lead better lives and the mind of compassion that shows consideration for others. This is called our lifelong, diligent practice of the Buddha Way.