First, I want to remind everyone that after dinner, seven o'clock, we have a show song. So please have your question written. And I won't have my answer then. So the rest of the schedule will be a little different. So the rest of the schedule will be a little different. Anything will be a little earlier for people to just follow the bells. Did you hear that? We have two, after tea, there will be the regular 40 minute period, kin-hen, and then a 30 minute period.

[01:04]

service and then dinner. So things will be about 15 or 20 minutes earlier and so that we can have our ceremony at 7 and go on until about 11. I want to see if I can finish this I'm halfway through, but the second part doesn't take as long as the first part. We'll see. He says, "...with causal conditions, time and season, Quiescently, it shines brightly. This means that the mirror is always shining, regardless of the season, regardless of what's happening, whether your mind is in confusion or clarity.

[02:19]

It doesn't matter. The mirror, it doesn't affect the mirror. In its finite fineness, it fits into spacelessness. in its fineness, so fine that it fits into whatever spacelessness is, in its greatness, in its greatness that is utterly beyond location, this means that The mirror has no special shape or form, and this is the way a mirror is. This mirror, usually a mirror is oval or square or rectangular, but this mirror has no shape, no special shape.

[03:23]

as vast as vastness is, and as small as the smallest thing, and reflects everything just as it is. A hair's breadth deviation will fail to record with the proper attunement. A hair's breadth, you know, I believe it's in Fukanza Zengi, Dogen is talking about merging with the absolute He says a hair's breadth difference is like the difference between heaven and earth, whatever that distance is. But if discriminating mind is, if there's a gap in our discrimination, or discriminating mind is creating a gap, a hair's breadth gap, The gap is the same as the gap between heaven and earth, as they say.

[04:38]

So a hair's breadth deviation will fail to record with the proper attunement. So this is like tuning, right? Like tuning an instrument. We must tune our instrument to be in tune with suchness, or with the host, to be in tune with big mind, as Suzuki Roshi calls it. Small mind should always be in tune with big mind, and we should always be tuning it. And he used an example, which is an old example, the lamp, kerosene lamp, like this. Don't be a smoky kerosene lamp. When the wick isn't right, and the kerosene isn't right, and the lamp is dirty, then you have a smoky kerosene lamp.

[05:49]

If you turn it up too high, then it not only smokes but makes the lamp black. So we should keep the equipment in good shape and keep adjusting the little knob in order to keep it in tune so that it's burning just right, just the right amount of light, of fire to get the amount of light that you want. So he says, don't be a smoky kerosene lamp. Then it goes on to say, now there are sudden and gradual in connection with our set of basic approaches. Sudden and gradual here means sudden and gradual enlightenment, or the sudden and gradual enlightenment

[06:55]

And this, you know, harkens back to the controversy in the sixth patriarch's time about sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment. Now there are sudden and gradual in connection with which are set up basic approaches. So each one, whether you belong to the southern school or the northern school, the sudden or the gradual school, there are basic approaches set up. And once basic approaches are distinguished, then there are guiding rules. But even though the basis is reached and the approach comprehended, true eternity still flows. Charles Luck says the same thing, but nobody else says that. But there's some confusion about what this true eternity still flows means. But it seems to me that even though no matter what your approach is, and even though you have the right approach, true eternity is what it is.

[08:16]

it's still necessary to step into the reality. Once you have your approach set up, it's still necessary to step into the reality. That's the next step. Then he talks about people who have an idea about enlightened, or who feel that they're enlightened, who aren't. He says, outwardly still, while inwardly moving, like a tethered colt, or a trapped rat, or a mouse frozen by fright, the ancient saints pitied them and bestowed upon them the teaching. they could see that some people really felt that they were enlightened but weren't enlightened.

[09:29]

And even though they had the appearance of enlightenment, the appearance of calmness and settledness and oneness inside, they were actually like a tied-up colt or a trapped rat or a frightened mouse. So the ancient masters or the saints pitied them and bestowed upon them the teaching. According to their delusions, they called black as white. This is the deluded ones. According to the deluded ones' delusions, they called black as white. When erroneous imaginations cease, the acquiescent mind realizes itself. erroneous imaginations is like the idea that you are enlightened. So when you let go of the false imagination about enlightenment or just your idea of enlightenment, if you have some idea of what enlightenment is, that's a false imagination.

[10:41]

And when erogenous imagination ceases, the acquiescent mind realizes itself. That's kind of interesting, the acquiescent mind, the mind that acquiesces or goes along with, or flows with. This is actually the enlightened mind. The acquiescent mind is the enlightened mind, the mind that flows with true eternity. Eternity is not the right word, but for lack of a better word. So, when you just... the sense here is when you just let go of imagined the idea of enlightenment and just flow with the stream of reality, then the acquiescent mind realizes itself.

[12:07]

So if you want to conform to the ancient way, please observe the ancients of former times. So what did the old ancestors do? Take a look. When about to fulfill the way of Buddhahood, here's an example, one gazed at a tree for 10 aeons. There's a lot of different ideas about what this means also. But you know the story of Daitsu Chisho Buddha in the Lotus Sutra, and it's a koan, the Mumonkan. Daitsu Chisho Buddha sat for ten eons, but was not enlightened. Why wasn't he enlightened? No, he didn't become a Buddha. Excuse me. He didn't become... Why didn't he become a Buddha? And also, ten in Chinese is the same as, is used in a similar way that we say a hundred percent.

[13:29]

So looking at the tree for ten aeons is like saying a hundred percent going beyond enlightenment through this a hundred percent practice. went beyond enlightenment, went beyond delusion and enlightenment. When about to fulfill the way of Buddhahood, one gazed at a tree for ten aeons. So, kind of soaring over, transcending delusion and enlightenment, in order to merge with the fifth rank. This is actually the fifth rank. Fourth rank is enlightenment. Fifth rank is beyond delusion and enlightenment.

[14:36]

Because delusion and enlightenment are still a duality. Enlightenment is enlightenment about delusion. And delusion is delusion about enlightenment. There's still something, they're still in the material realm. To want enlightenment is a materialistic idea. So it's important to have enlightenment, but it's necessary to go beyond enlightenment. In the Heart Sutra we say, wisdom going beyond. Wisdom going beyond wisdom. Sutra. So, why didn't Daitsu Shisho become a Buddha after sitting for ten eons?

[15:43]

I won't answer. So, like a tiger leaving part of its prey, of course, with a white left hind leg. Well, a tiger leaving part of its prey, one way, one commentary is that tigers don't eat the ears of their prey. They leave them, they're indifferent as to the ears. A white horse, I mean a horse with a white hind leg, a white left hind leg doesn't give a damn if they have a white left hind leg or not. So the horse is indifferent also. It's just like, they're both indifferent. This is not mysterious. It just means indifference.

[16:49]

because it's like a tiger leaving part of its prey, a horse with a white left hind leg. They're just indifferent. What are they indifferent to? Indifferent to enlightenment. This is the point. It's like, don't get hung up on enlightenment. So, please observe the ancients of former times. When about to fulfill the way of Buddhahood, one gazed at a tree for ten eons, and he didn't become enlightened. He didn't become Buddha. Like a tiger leaving part of its prey, a horse with a white left hind leg. Being in, like, that much indifference. So, actually, this is why Daitsu Shishogu was a Buddha. Because he was indifferent to being a Buddha.

[17:50]

So Buddha can't become Buddha, because Buddha is already Buddha. But if you try to become Buddha, then you separate yourself from what you are, and go looking for some you that's someplace else. Because there is the base, are Jill Pedestal's fine clothing. That's not mysterious either, though it sounds very mysterious. You know what the base is? Base means mundane, like base actions. You never would have thought, I never would have thought that. I thought there was a base and a pedestal. Because there is the mundane, Let's put it that way.

[18:56]

Because there is the mundane, there are jeweled pedestals, fine and fine clothing, which means attachment to jeweled pedestals and fine clothing, which means attachment to material desires. Because there are attachments to material desires, there is fine clothing and jeweled pedestals. Because there is the startlingly different They're a house cat and cow. Well, startlingly different is probably fairly literal, but the meaning is more like students who are very intelligent and learn very quickly. But actually they're like house cats and cows. Have you ever seen people like that?

[19:59]

Actually, they're very good at learning and they kind of strut around with their knowledge. But actually, they're like house cats or cows. If they really saw the jewel mirror, they would be startled. So because there is a startlingly different, there are house cat and cow. Yi, with his archer skill, could hit a target at a hundred paces. But when arrow points meet head-on, what is this to do with the power of skill? So we read this also in the Sangdokai, like two arrow points meeting in mid-air, box and lid. joining together like a box and its lid. The relationship fits so perfectly between the absolute and the relative, like a box and its lid, or like two arrows meeting in mid-air.

[21:13]

But what is this to do with the power of skill? Nothing. It's like when we sit in zazen, We say, well, you sit upright and hold your hands like this, and so there's some kind of technique. There is a technique for the form of zazen, but there's no technique about what zazen is really about. There's no skill involved in actually sitting zazen. There's just letting go. which is not a skill. Maybe it's a skill. But it's more than just being skillful. It's not something that you can learn. You can't learn it in school. And even though somebody tells you to do it, you still can't do it. You have to just give up. So maybe giving up is a skill, but we don't think of it as a skill.

[22:19]

It's not something you can learn to do. from somebody. So, and merging is very easy. Merging with the Absolute is just like two arrows meeting in mid-air. And the relationship between a teacher and student is kind of in here too, as like this arrow points meeting in mid-air. It's not a matter of skill. There's nothing contrived about it. So when the wooden man begins to sing, the stone woman gets up to dance.

[23:30]

It's not within reach of feeling or discrimination. How could it admit of consideration and thought? Stone woman, wooden man and stone woman are like metaphors. body and mind drop when all of the, when emotion, thought is dropped and body and mind is completely free. This is maybe called wooden man and stone woman. It also has the feeling of the absolute and the relative. When one sings, when one gets up to sing, the other gets up to dance. And it's like harmony, harmonious. It's a further harmonizing or further way of talking about the two arrows meeting in mid-air, or the box and its lid, or the wooden man and the stone woman.

[24:41]

So it's not within the reach of discrimination. So how could it admit of consideration and thought? So this is like beyond feeling and thought. This is deep harmonization, which is more than harmonization because there's no two things to harmonize. So then it says, a minister serves the Lord. A son obeys the father. Not obeying is not filial, and not serving is no help, also a lack of loyalty. So, here we have the minister serving the Lord, which is like the host and the guest, right? The guest serves the host. This is very Confucian. Soto Zen, you know, Tozan was introduced a lot of Chinese Taoism and Confucianism into his teaching.

[26:17]

And he used these terms a lot. And, you know, the Confucian hierarchy of familial hierarchy The wife serves the husband, the son serves the mother, and the daughter serves the son, and so forth. So that's kind of in here. But he's relaying it to how the student serves his true nature. How we relate to our true nature. So a minister serves the Lord, a son obeys the father. Not obeying is not filial, and not serving is lack of loyalty. No help. So this is the five ranks, right? This is the relationship of the five ranks within each of the five ranks.

[27:19]

The host and the guest, or the Lord and the minister, or the prince and the minister. the relationship between our small mind and big mind. That's what it's talking about. Small mind should serve big mind. Someone said, I was talking to someone about ordination and the question came up about I'll think of it, I've got a little block.

[28:23]

But when you have a relationship, we think of renunciation as a kind of term, and surrender. But I like the word offering better, because surrender seems like, because it has a connotation, because I can't go anyplace else, I have to surrender. Whereas offering is a positive move coming from your part, which is going toward something in a positive way, rather than just sitting back and accepting something in a negative way. So, if someone wants to be ordained, I would rather have them say, I offer myself, rather than saying, I surrender myself.

[29:37]

Feels better. So then he says, practice secretly working together as though a fool, like an idiot. If you can achieve continuity, this is called the host within the host. This is the fifth rank, of course. Practicing without making a show of practice, doing something without even just doing it, without calling attention to yourself. just like a kind of fool or idiot. If you know how to be a good idiot, maybe fool everyone. But, you know, Sheng Yen in his commentary says, vexation and bodhi are the same. Vexation and bodhi are the same.

[30:47]

If you can reach that point, then you don't need any technique in zazen. There's one story that I want to read. It's not very long. And I've been wanting to read you the story. It's not very long. And I don't know why I want to read it. I just want to read it because I want you to hear it. But after realizing that I want to read it, I realized that it epitomizes, to me, the Hokyo Zanmai. So this story is from Dogen's Ehe Shingi. Ehe Shingi is Dogen's rules or regulations for monastic practice. And this translation is very poor.

[31:47]

But this part of the Ehe Shingi is about the six officers, what we used to call the Rokkajiji in the monastery. And he gives examples of how people practiced in the past in these roles, in these positions, to encourage people. So this story... What? Or to discourage people, I don't know which. This story is maybe very discouraging, actually. I'm afraid it might be so discouraging Everybody may run away, so I'm just taking that chance. I'm serious. I'm serious. Here's how the story goes. Zen master Kui Sheng of Ye Prefecture was severe in training and simple in daily life. Hence, he was very much respected by his monks because of this.

[32:54]

When Zen Master Fa Yuan on Mount Fu in Shu province and Zen Master Yi Huai on Mount Tiantun in Ye province were Zen trainees, they came all the way to Kuisheng for Buddhism. So they came together to study with him. It was a snowy day. And Kui Shing did not only rave at them to turn them out, but also threw water in the lodging room. Water all over the lodging room. The robes of almost all the monks present were completely drenched. All of them were angry and left there except the two. Both of them only folded their sitting clothes and adjusted their robes and sat down again. Kui Shing came to them and said, scoldingly, if you don't leave I'll strike you. Fa Yuan went toward him saying, we are both here having covered the distance of thousands of ri for our Zen training.

[34:01]

We shall never go home for a mere watering by your ladle. Even if we're beaten to death, we shall never go back. Hearing this, Kui Sheng smiled and said, Oh, I'll allow you to have my training. You can put your things over there." Soon after that, Fa Yuan was appointed Tenzo priest to fill the vacancy. At this time... At this time, the monks were all annoyed at the coarse food. Apparently, they really had poor food in the monastery. It happened one day when Kui Sheng, the teacher, went out to a village that Fa Yuan stole the key to the storeroom and got some oil and wheat. From these, he made five cereals of gruel for the monks. He was very nice, right? Thank God.

[35:04]

Kui Sheng suddenly came back and went to the meditation hall. After having the gruel, he sat down on the outer seat and sent a monk for Fa Yuan. When he came, Kui Sheng said, Is it true that you took out some oil and wheat and made gruel for the monks?" He said, yes it is, but I beseech you, Reverend Sir, to punish me. Pretty good, isn't it? Please don't punish me. Please punish me. Kui Sheng worked out the price and ordered him to make up for it by selling his robes and bowls. He moreover gave him 30 strokes with a cane and expelled him from his temple. Fa Yuan obliged to live in the city. Usually the temples have a town somewhere very close. So he went to the town. But every once in a while he would ask through his fellow trainees for permission for readmission.

[36:11]

Again, he asked his master just to allow him to enter the room instead of the meditation hall with the monks, but still in vain. One day, when Kui Sheng was in the street, he found Fa Yuan standing before a lodging house. He said, this house belongs to the temple. How long have you been here? Did you pay rent for it, for your room? So saying, he worked out the rent and ordered Fa Yuan to pay it. But Fa Yuan showed no sign of reproach. Fahyuan begged in the streets to fulfill his duty. One day, when Kuishang found Fahyuan about this pure task in the street, he came back and said to his monks, Fahyuan is a true Zen monk. Finally, Fahyuan was admitted to the temple. I just had to read that. But I don't know what the story is about, but I like it.

[37:29]

So we're right on time.

[37:40]

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