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In our tradition, during the ceremony bodhisattva se entrega el ketsumyaku, whose translation could literally be "flow of blood". Beyond its literal meaning, For our community it represents the living transmission of the Dharma, the spiritual continuity that links our current practice with that of Shakyamuni Buddha more than twenty-five centuries ago.
Ketsumyaku has its roots in the early centuries of Chan Buddhism in China., where the need arose to document the authentic transmission of the Dharma from teacher to disciple. In a time where multiple schools and teachings competed for legitimacy, Establishing a direct and uninterrupted connection with the historical Buddha became essential. The metaphor of blood was not chosen at random. In ancient China, as in many cultures, blood represented the vital essence that is transmitted from generation to generation, that which cannot be falsified or acquired by mere intellectual study. Just as blood flows invisible, but essential for the body, giving it life, he Dharma flows through generations of practitioners, staying alive through direct experience and personal fulfillment.
When Zen came to Japan in the 12th and 13th centuries, Dogen Zenji consolidated the importance of ketsumyaku within the Soto school. Dogen emphasized that authentic transmission is not a mere transfer of intellectual knowledge, but the transmission from "mind to mind" (isshin denshin), where true understanding is communicated in the silence of zazen, in the shared position, in the intimacy of everyday practice. The ketsumyaku then became the tangible testimony of this intangible transmission..
During the ceremony bodhisattva, each person receives the ketsumyaku folded in a traditional way, where the genealogy of the lineage is written. It does so in the form of a sequence of names that begins with the historical Buddha and reaches the teacher who confers the precepts. This specific folding is not merely aesthetic: the way the paper is folded reflects the respect and sacredness of the content, transforming a document into a ritual object that must be guarded with care, on the practitioner's personal altar.
The names written on the ketsumyaku form what we call the "lineage tree.". From Shakyamuni Buddha, passing by Mahakashyapa, passing through Indian patriarchs like Nagarjuna, arriving at Bodhidharma who carried the Dharma to China, continuing by Tang masters such as Qingyuan Xingsi and Shitou Xiqian, until reaching the Soto lineage with Dongshan Liangjie and Caoshan Benji. The line continues with Dogen, who brought these teachings to Japan, and extends generation after generation until it reaches our contemporary teachers and, finally, who takes the precepts. The ketsumyaku is not a simple certificate, It is a symbol of life and connection, the recognition that practice is not born of individual will, but of a current that transcends us. It is the spiritual cartography of a journey that began under the Bodhi tree and that continues in each meditation room., on every cushion someone sits on zazen.
When we say that ketsumyaku is the "blood of the Buddha", This is not a simple poetic metaphor, but of a deep intuition about interdependence. The blood of the Buddha flows in every person who practices, in every gesture of mindfulness and genuine compassion. There is no separation between the lineage of the ancient masters and our current life. Every time we sit in zazen with integrity, every time we hold the precepts in our daily actions, that blood circulates with renewed vigor. We are not inventing a personal path, nor building a spirituality tailored to our preferences. We are carrying something old and always new, something that precedes us and will outlive us. Honest practice actualizes the way of the Buddha in us, making present in this moment what has been transmitted for millennia.
At the moment of receiving the ketsumyaku, the practitioner holds something more than a formal document in his or her hands, supports the testimony of a transmission that is not transmitted with words, but with the living presence of Dharma. The teacher who delivers it is not simply completing a ritual, but recognizing in the practitioner the spiritual maturity to become a link in this uninterrupted chain. Receiving it means accepting the responsibility of keeping that blood flowing., to take care of the practice with the same dedication as the ancestors of the lineage, and to continue transmitting it as a way of life. It is not a personal achievement to collect, but a commitment that we assume before all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, before our teachers and fellow students, before future generations who will continue this path. There is something deeply moving about holding that folded paper and knowing that the very names that make it up have been passed down for centuries., that teachers from ancient times trusted that the Dharma would reach us, and now we trust that it will continue to flow into the future.
In the Soto Zen Camino Medio Community we understand the delivery of the ketsumyaku as an act of trust and continuity. With it we recognize that each person who takes the precepts joins a tradition that includes all past and present people who practice the Dharma of the Buddha. It is not a distinction that separates us from other practitioners, but a bond that connects us more deeply with the universal sangha. Thus, ketsumyaku constantly reminds us that awakening is not a solitary conquest, but something that unites us. To be part of a lineage is to live knowing that we walk alongside countless beings., visible and invisible, ancient and future. When we face difficulties in our practice, we can draw on the strength of this lineage; when we experience moments of clarity, We offer them to all beings that are part of this current.
Ultimately, the practice of zazen here and now is the manifestation of Buddha's blood that never stops flowing. We do not need to look to the past with romantic nostalgia or imagine an ideal future. The ketsumyaku teaches us that the entire depth of the Dharma is available at this present moment. Every time we sit in the zafu, Shakyamuni sits with us. Every time we recite the sutras, the voices of a thousand generations resonate in our voice. Every time we act with compassion and wisdom, The blood of the Buddha circulates vibrant and true through the veins of the world.
The ketsumyaku is not a document that we keep in a drawer, but a reminder that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves, something that deserves our respect. We trust that the Dharma It will continue to be transmitted as long as there are beings willing to receive it with a sincere heart and offer it with open hands..
May the blood of the Buddha continue to flow, generation after generation, until all beings wake up.