KON SAN BOKURAKU: No Fear paralysis, No Fight or Flight

MASA NI SHIRUBESHI, SHOBO ONOZUKARA GENZEN SHI KON SAN MAZU BOKURAKU SURU KOTO O.

MASANI exactly, truly
SHIRUBESHI should know, remember

SHO true, right, straight
BO (=HO) Dharma, thing

ONOZUKARA naturally, spontaneously, by itself

GEN manifest actually
ZEN before
GENZEN SHI appears in front of our eyes, emerges, happens

KON darkness
SAN being scattered

MAZU from the first, from the outset

BOKU strike
RAKU drop, fall down
BOKURAKU SURU fall down at a stroke

KOTO [used gramatically, to make a noun clause] fact, thing

O [object particle]

“Exactly we should know: the right thing happens by itself, and depression and hyper-activity fall away at a stroke.”

I always feel a strong sense of rhythm when reciting these words, like a drum being beaten...

KON SAN MAZU BOKU RAKU SURU KOTO O.

Don Don don-don don-don don-don don-don don-don Don.

The conclusion of the main part of Fukan-zazen-gi is expressed here, and I feel it is reflected in the sound of the Japanese words. I cannot do this justice in translation -- I tried a few months ago in a blog post which I made a complete hash of.

The conclusion that Master Dogen is expressing here is a universal truth, which was also FM Alexander’s ultimate conclusion:

The right thing does itself.

If we stop doing the wrong thing, if we quit end-gaining, if we give up trying to be right, then the right thing does itself, and there is nothing to worry about.