Good morning and Happy New Year. There were a whole bunch of kids up in my house just now. I actually almost tripped on them going out the door. To see them just really puts me in a good mood. Just to see this next generation of children coming up and our kids are home, one of them in teenage fashion, probably soundly asleep, and our college-age daughter Sylvie back and playing with the other kids. It's a reminder of the passing of the generations, the constant cycle of time and the constant motion of time seemingly forward. So it's the beginning of the new year.

[01:02]

It's the first day of our schedule again and I must say it's really encouraging to see everyone here and I confess that It was hard to wake up this morning after luxuriating in two weeks of sleeping in. But you just get up and come to the zendo. That's our practice. But the two weeks are good. When I spoke last time, when I was in Thailand, in November I was on a panel, an interfaith panel with a Christian and a Muslim woman and we were talking about what elements of our practice and faith supported our

[02:08]

activities in the world. And the Islamic woman said, getting up for prayers, doing the prayers five times a day, and especially the morning prayer, which she said we refer to as Jihad. And I hadn't heard that before. Jihad as struggle. And I was talking to her, and I said, oh, I know exactly what you mean. Actually, I looked it up. I can't find it. I was sort of researching on the web. That's not the official name for that prayer. But maybe that was her personal take on it. And at any rate, I understand. So it's also We also began today, began the year by taking the precepts, reciting the precepts, taking our Bodhisattva vows, repenting our ancient tangled karma, and starting again.

[03:26]

We do this every month. This is an ancient tradition. This month, I don't quite know how it's scheduled. Is John here? Do we have another one this month? So this is a month, this is the rare month with a blue moon in it. With two full moons, so we recited it at the time of the full moon. I was looking at, what does this mean, blue moon? And what I found, there's a number of suppositions, but one is that in maybe the 15th or 16th century, Lent always falls on a certain full moon of the year.

[04:29]

Is it the 4th? It's the 3rd. Is that right? It's the first full moon after, it's the first Sunday after the first full moon after the equinox. That's Easter. Anyway, they would go by the moon and every so often, if they were timing it by the X moon of the year, they would have this mother moon that interposed itself, that was called the Bilu, which means betrayer moon. So that would be the one that threw off the calendar. So this is unusual, it's also a sign of good fortune, and it happens on New Year's Eve about once every, varies I think, once every 18 to compute it mathematically for those to whom that would be an easy thing to do, which is not me.

[05:42]

So what I thought I would talk about today, I thought I would read you and comment a bit on something from Dogen's Ehe Koroku. This is something of supposedly a formal talk that he gave on New Year's Day. And the Kawaroku is a, I don't know if people have seen it, it's almost equal in size to Shobo Genzo. His essays which we study quite seriously and we've been studying for a long time and will continue to The Ehe Korokku is a compendium of what he called Dharma discourses or formal talks. And unlike the Chöpa Gyanza, they were composed in Chinese, a more formal language for the Dharma.

[06:46]

And they would be given in the Dharma hall, not the meditation hall. And the monks would usually be standing, so these would be relatively brief. Listen, they were standing for the Dharma talks too, and they weren't brief. This is the way they listened to the Dharma in China in those times. But these are brief, they're pithy, sometimes a bit dramatic, and Dogen used them also to mark He would give talks to mark the turning of the seasons, or to mark an event like we have a whole bunch of new people in positions here at Brooklyn Zen Center. If it were Dogen's time, he would give a discourse when they had a new Ino, or Zendo manager, or a new director, or a new Tenzo, something like that.

[07:55]

So, these are seasonal and occasional comments and sometimes it would be a dialogue and sometimes it would be a dialogue, as in this case, a dialogue that Dogen is having with himself. In other words, he would ask a question and then he would answer it. So, I do recommend, there's a wonderful translation of the Ehei Koroku by Taigen, Leighton, and Shouhaku Okumura. It's called Dogen's Extensive Record. I've also had the opportunity to translate some of these with Shouhaku Okumura, but this is one that comes from Taigen and Shouhaku's book. It's called, it's number 32, Dharma Discourse number 32, years. So I'll read through this and comment.

[09:00]

Today is the beginning of a new year. This was the new year 1241, which is 729 years ago. That's really a long time. And this was before, this is while Dogon was still had his zendo near Kyoto before he moved to the site of what is now Eheji. So today is the beginning of a new year and also a day with three mornings. I say three mornings because it is the beginning of the year, the beginning of the month, and the beginning of the day. We might add a fourth. It's also the beginning of the decade. I am not sorry to see the aughts, though. Although, I'm trying to also keep in mind that many, many wonderful things happened.

[10:12]

in this last decade. And of course many really difficult and tragic things happened that we are still seeing play out and will continue well into the future. But I don't think it makes a lot of sense to to create a summation of a decade. All I can say is it's okay with me to let it go. And I heard somewhere I actually don't have much choice about this. Nor do you. Den Dogen says, here is a story. And this is often what he does. He will relate old stories from the Chinese record. A monk asked, Jinching Dalfu, is there Buddhadharma at the beginning of the new year or not?

[11:19]

So this is a kind of garden variety Zen question. I think it's meant to catch the teacher. We don't have much of a sense of How serious is the question? It might have been a really serious question, and maybe the fact that it was recorded means that there was some depth and seriousness to it, but you can't tell from... there's not enough context. So is there Buddhadharma at the beginning of the year? Jinching said, there is. And then the monk responded, what is the buddha dharma at the beginning of the year so this is you know these chinese records and some of the japanese records are filled with these uh that kind of give and take the play of dharma of student and teacher trying to bring forth the dharma something

[12:26]

That happens, I think, in the question and answer towards the end of our lectures. It happens in shosan. It happens when we have bansan tea in the afternoons. In these records, a willingness to play and challenge each other, for the student to push the teacher and the teacher to push the student. So the monk asked further, what is the Buddha Dharma at the beginning of the new year? Jinching said, New Year's Day begins with a blessing and 10,000 things are completely new. The monk said, thank you teacher for your answer. Jinching said, this old monk today lost the advantage. So the note that Taigen has says, denotes that the teacher did not express the dharma as fully as the monk in this dialogue and was bared by the monk.

[13:36]

10,000 things, to say, to me, to say that the 10,000 things are completely new is also kind of a formula. So it seems to me in its exchange, and I could be wrong, that he's sort of meeting a formulaic question with a formulaic response, and then feels like maybe he missed a chance. But then he reveals by saying, by Jun Qing saying, this old monk today lost the advantage, he's revealing something to his students assembled there. He's revealing that, oh, Sometimes I can say it and sometimes I can't say it. Whether I can or not does not impede the fact that the Dharma is flowing through me and through you.

[14:41]

Anyway, that's my interpretation. So then Dogen has another story, quite related. A monk asked Min Zhao, Jue Min, Shi Huan, is there Buddha Dharma at the beginning of the new year or not? So, same kind of question. Here, Min Zhao said, there is not. So, this is interesting. There is not. We often have these kinds of pairings in some of the old stories. In the famous story, when the monk asked Zhaozhou if the dog has the Buddha nature, his response in one case was, no, and his response in another case is, yes. Here, Minzhao says, there is not.

[15:44]

What he's suggesting, hoping to bring forth in the student is there's no thing called Buddhadharma. It's not like a thing that exists in one moment and doesn't exist in another. It is always flowing. So, what does it mean to ask? Is there buddha dharma at the beginning of the new year or not? There's no thing called buddha dharma. So the monk's response when Mipjā said there is not is every year is a good year. Every day is a good day. Why isn't there buddha dharma in the beginning of the new year? So he's pushing a little farther. He's not satisfied with this response. And Min Zhao's expression, which is somewhat enigmatic, says to this question of every year, so the monk said, every year is a good year, every day is a good day, why isn't there Buddhadharma at the beginning of the year?

[17:10]

Min Zhao said, old man Zhang drinks, and old man Li gets drunk. is an expression that Mingzhao borrowed from his teacher, Yunmen, who was one of the great cantankerous teachers of the Tang dynasty. In the record of Yunmen, in the commentary to it by the scholar Ursa, What Urs says is, this expression is used when one person does the work and another person reaps the benefit. So old man John drinks and old man Lee gets drunk. In this sense,

[18:17]

Perhaps it's Min Zhao who is drinking deeply, but the person who gets caught or intoxicated by the words is the monk. Taigen's, Taigen Laiten's comment is a little different. He says, this refers to the inconceivable interconnectedness of different beings. beyond our usual modes of perceiving. In this case, the saying also refers to the New Year's Day, a traditional time of drinking and celebrating in East Asian culture. I like the Yunmin's, in the original case, what he says, sort of to explicate, when one person does the work and another reaps the benefit, Jungman criticizes a monk who asks him a question like this.

[19:34]

He says, you have to say it yourself, not just get drunk on my words. So, having said, when Mingzhao says, old man Zhang drinks and old man Li gets drunk, then the monk has another, this monk is sharp, and he has a further response. And he says, great elder, you are like a dragon's head and a snake's tail. Which is, this is also perhaps a bit enigmatic, but it's actually a really strong thing for him to say to his teacher, it's a really intimate thing to say to his teacher. There was enough trust between them that they could actually have this dialogue in the open and again be played with the Dharma. So, again this is from Yunmin and it refers to Yunmin and what it refers to is something that begins impressively and fades in the end.

[20:43]

It also implies the strong beginning of a dialogue that fades to something perhaps inconsistent or trivial. So their dialogue began with him asking, you know, is there Buddha Dharma in the New Year? And Mingzhao says, there is not. And if it had stopped there, you would have just had the dragon's head. But the way they both took it, the monk says, well, this kind of petered out. And Mingzhao said, As the previous teacher said, oh, this old monk today lost the advantage. Again, this is an intimate exchange. Whether there's really any advantage that's lost here, I don't think so. This is just bringing forth the Dharma.

[21:50]

So then we get to Dogen. The teacher Dogen said, so this is, he's speaking to himself in the third person. He's on the seat and everybody's standing there wanting to know what Dogen's commentary was. The teacher Dogen said, both teachers say the same. This old monk today lost the advantage. Hearing such a story, many people say, These are good stories about teachers losing the advantage in a dialogue. This mountain monk, again referring to himself, does not at all agree. Although Jingting and Mingzhao speak of one loss, they do not yet see one gain. Suppose somebody were to ask me, Dogen, if there is Buddhadharma at the beginning of the new year or not.

[22:54]

I would say to them, there is. So, here's his explication. Suppose the monk responded, what is the Buddhadharma at the beginning of the new year? This mountain monk would say to him, may each and every body whether staying still or standing up, have 10,000 blessings. So this is a traditional formal New Year's greeting in monasteries. The greeting that the monks offer to their teachers. And it's still used by monks in their New Year's Day cards. Blessings. could also be translated as happinesses. So, may each and every body, whether staying still or standing up, have 10,000 happinesses.

[23:59]

So then Dogen goes on. He's playing out the same kinds of dialogues, but speaking all the parts. He says, suppose the monk said, in that case, according with this saying, I will practice." So the monk's response to the teacher's comment, offering 10,000 blessings to everybody, whether staying still or standing up, the monk said, in that case, in accordance with this saying, I will practice, this mountain monk, Dogen referring to himself, would then say to him, I, today, have advantage after advantage. And then he finishes the discourse saying, now, please practice. I think advantage after advantage, you could say also advantage

[25:15]

Beyond advantage and loss, where Dogen's thoughts go, and this is so consistent in all of his teachings, is they go to practice. He's pointing to the fact that you actually have to make an effort. And the advantage that he's experiencing when, of course this is all his dialogue that he's saying, but what he's saying, when he speaks the most part, in that case in accordance with this saying, I will practice. This is what he wishes to teach. I will continue to make this effort.

[26:20]

So to make this effort beyond any receiving of so-called truths and words or the playfulness of the dialogue, all of that is true, all of that is part of the practice, but this notion of practice the articulation of it is what is missing from the earlier stories. They're kind of talking about this formless environment or atmosphere of Buddhadharma as if it were something that either existed separately or was all-pervading, but What Dogen is saying is, in the end, he says, now please practice. If you want to bring forth the Buddhadharma in the new year, you have to practice.

[27:31]

It's not that the Buddhadharma exists or doesn't exist. It's that if you want to meet it, If you want to bring it forth, you have to practice. This is when we had Rohatsu Sesshin last month. One of the points that Sojin Roshi was making a number of times in his lectures was that, this is my paraphrase, was that This effort and what Dogen is talking about as practice is Zazen. We can't define it or we can't reduce it to a technique or explain. We have no idea how it works or what it means.

[28:35]

I was just so clearly reminded of that as I sat down last night, no, last night before, right? New Year's Eve. And it's like, what does this mean? How does this work? I have no idea. But we know how to do it. This effort allows us to find freedom even in the midst, within. our problems, freedom in the midst of restrictions, of difficulties. We create a restriction so that we can be freed within it. But we can't reduce our practice to that. It doesn't just exist in that place, it exists in each moment, in each location, so long as we are making this effort.

[29:38]

So on New Year's Eve, as we said, we ring 108 bells. And they represent, depending on the angle from which you look, 108 delusions, or 108 doors of enlightenment. When seen, net, fearlessly, and directly, our problem, our delusion, our suffering is exactly a door to freedom. And when we live this, and there's so many people in this room who live this, each of us, when we live right within our restriction, whether it's the restriction of upright cross-legged sitting, the restriction of our illness, the restriction of the suffering of the world, the restrictions of our difficult work or aging parents, when we live and practice right within that, then not only is there freedom that exists for us,

[31:06]

But other people see this. They may not even know what they're seeing, but they see it, and it is transmitted. Some of that practice, some of that courage, some of that way of encountering the world is mysteriously transmitted to them. So, may each and everybody, whether staying still or standing up, have 10,000 happinesses. If your response to this is to say, yes, therefore I will practice, then not only would Dogen, not only would I, not only would Sojin, but every one of us then has advantage after advantage.

[32:26]

Advantage beyond advantage and loss. There are things that we lose. But those things that we lose do not interfere with all that can be gained in any moment of time. So that's the encouragement that I took from reading this discourse in the Koroku this weekend. I was just looking for the right thing to talk about and there it was. So I leave you with that wish for all of us to experience great happiness and freedom and for all of us to continue to practice together as we've been doing for so long.

[33:35]

It's a great joy to be able to do that. In a few minutes, I'd like to, if you have a comment or a thought or a question, we have time to talk a little bit. Linda. I learned your lecture had the head of a snake and the tail of a dragon. It's better that way, I think. Although, it probably looks really weird. You said we should practice without with whatever is present fearlessly? Yes. Well, how can a person be fearless? By meeting their fears. But really, when I say fearless, I speak as somebody whose basic character, logical bent, is fear.

[34:36]

Me. So, What that means to me is, in a very practical way, in a moment by moment way, I just really often have to ask myself, what am I afraid of? And, you know, look at it as squarely as I can, and my sense of practice is to be able to hold that, to be able to endure that, to be able to continue without being swayed by the fear. It's not that fears don't arise in the same way as any emotion, the same way as I've said a number of times,

[35:38]

My friend Ken McLeod formulates the second noble truth as, which is the cause of suffering, which we usually say as clinging or grasping. The second noble truth, the cause of suffering is emotional reactivity, which is not emotion. It's what we do. So the fearlessness to me is what I believe and what I see is the through practice, the expanding capacity to be able to endure one's emotions, to be able to understand their impermanence, by watching their impermanence, not just by having some faith in it, but actually watching it. And that's my idea of fearlessness, not that fearsome of us. Thank you for the question.

[36:39]

Cherry? I'd like to borrow from another tradition. Why is this day different from any other day? Why? I'm asking you. No. It's, you know, uh, what is the difference? In some ways, New Year's is like, you know, a guy catches a fish and he paints a mark on the side of his boat. And his friend asks him, why did you do that? He said, oh, so I marked the place where I caught the fish. That's about how it is for me. Do you have a comment on that discourse?

[37:50]

Are you going to keep the fish or are you going to let it go? I used a straight hook. So what did you get? No fish.

[38:21]

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