The body of enlightenment itself — a detailed pictographic teaching by Dr. Andrew Shugyo Daijo Bonnici, Ph.D.
The original meaning of Shugyo is the body of enlightenment itself.
When I received my inner calling as a Zen priest in 1988, I chose "Shugyo Daijo" for my Japanese ordination name and continue to embody it as the expression of my true commitment as a Zen teacher and Dharma holder.
In brief, I define Shugyo as "continuous daily practice." The Japanese word Daijo can be translated as "Great Way." So Shugyo Daijo can be understood as "continuous practice of the Great Way."
By "practice" I mean the continuous practice of whole body listening as in zazen meditation. By "Great Way" I mean the Infinite Wisdom Process that orchestrates the Vast Integrity and Interdependency of all quantum energy, embodied beings, solar systems, galaxies, and multidimensionalities that penetrate the spherical continuum of life and death.
The Japanese kanji for gyo in the pictographic character is loosely translated as "practice." However, exploring its root metaphorical meaning reveals several interdependent aspects of human life experience.
The left part of the pictogram is symbolic of the human footprint of the left foot, and the right part is symbolic of the complementary footprint of the right foot. Thus, we can understand gyo as "to practice taking a step, to travel or walk."
On another level, the pictogram outlines a vertical and horizontal four-way crossroads — a place where a decision must be made so that the feet can know which way to continue the practice of walking. Gyo thus means making a passionate decision to wakefully practice the journey of life moment by moment — for each moment is not only the crossroads of our whole life, but also the crossroads of life and death.
Starting from the left of the "shu" pictogram, we have the abbreviated image for a human being next to a wooden stick, three dashes indicating "delicate hairs" wrapped on a wooden duster brush, and above them, four brush strokes forming the function of a hand to hold or use something.
By translating and integrating four similar Asian pictograms — chung (completion), sui (a human being who goes on despite shackles), nuren (feminine, a woman), and mata (again and again) — we arrive at a broader, deeper root definition of shu:
"The constant, sincere, decisive, and passionate practice of deep bodily listening to a Vast Wisdom beyond our ignorances, delusions, and prejudices — while faithfully and courageously stepping forward to act and BE our innately complete and originally enlightened humanness at the every-moment crossroads of life and death."
This authentic meaning of Shugyo reveals the urgent opportunity in each moment to practice compassionate bodily listening and unconditional receptivity to an everywhere-emerging Wisdom — capable of manifesting and authenticating our innately enlightened humanness for the mutual benefit of all sentient beings.
Shugyo means that the root body of zazen meditation and its inner postures are exactly the practice template for our whole life. There can be no shugyo if we do not constantly translate and unconditionally apply the mental, emotional, and physical principles of zazen meditation into the moment-by-moment practice of our breath and our life.
Shugyo is not concerned with gaining an enlightenment by increasing the intensity and duration of seated meditation. It is not about the willful development of mental concentration to empty the mind of thoughts or enter into a blissful transcendental calmness. It is not about the attainment of deep silence through the application of some inner technology.
Shugyo practitioners understand concentration as "just being their body and being in their body completely" — a matter of surrender and renunciation. Surrender to intimate and compassionate embodiment; renunciation of total identification with personality, self-concept, and conditioning.
Dr. Bonnici offers personal counseling and training in the embodiment of Shugyo practice. Sessions available worldwide via video.