Tetsugen, a devotee of Zen in Japan, decided to publish the sutras, which at that time were available only in Chinese. The books were to be printed with wood blocks in an edition of seven thousand copies, a tremendous undertaking.
Tetsugen began by traveling and collecting donations for this purpose. A few sympathizers would give him a hundred pieces of gold, but most of the time he received only small coins. He thanked each donor with equal gratitude.
After ten years Tetsugen had enough money to begin his task. It happened that at that time the Uji River overflowed. Famine followed. Tetsugen took the funds he had collected for the books and spent them to save others from starvation.
Then he began again his work of collecting.
Several years afterwards an epidemic spread over the country. Tetsugen again gave away what he had collected, to help his people.
For a third time he started his work, and after twenty years his wish was fulfilled.
The printing blocks that produced the first edition of sutras can be seen today in the Obaku monastery in Kyoto. The Japanese tell their children that Tetsugen made three sets of sutras, and that the first two invisible sets surpass even the last.
Psychedelics, Meditation & Spiritual Growth
Recently, I published a 40+ minute discussion of psychedelics and their (potential) role on the spiritual path. It is an exclusive video for Members & Patrons, but perhaps it might interest the wider channel audience as well.
Here is one segment, should you like to have a look :)
To access the full discussion and other exclusive videos, I invite you to join the YouTube Members or Patreon community!
Timestamps:
04:25 Personal experiences
18:19 Safety tips and best practices
18:44 The substance
22:28 The intention (set)
24:54 The trip sitter
26:41 The space (setting)
29:22 The music
33:08 Integrating the experience
35:35 Replying to comments
36:14 Are psychedelics a spiritual cheat?
39:01 Psychedelics vs meditation
41:45 Psychedelics for spiritual seekers
43:39 Psychedelics and meat eating
45:05 Final thoughts