Dogen's Bendowa

00:00
00:00
Audio loading...

Welcome! You can log in or create an account to save favorites, edit keywords, transcripts, and more.

Serial: 
BZ-01253

Keywords:

Summary: 

Saturday Lecture

AI Summary: 

-

Is This AI Summary Helpful?
Your vote will be used to help train our summarizer!
Photos: 
Notes: 

#ends-short

Transcript: 

I vow to taste the truth of the Tathagatagarbha's words. Good morning. This morning I'm going to comment on Master Dogen's Bendowa. Bendowa is a fascicle that Dogen wrote when he came back from Japan. Four years after he came back from China to Japan, he went to China to find his teacher and came back with the Cao Dong lineage. Cao Dong translates to Japanese as Soto School. And before he left for China as a teenager, I think, he studied on Mount Hiei, the Tendai school, which is a kind of eclectic school.

[01:23]

which practices all the various practices of Buddhism that are all included in Tendai teaching. So Eisai, who Dogen studied with, previously had brought back the Rinzai lineage, Rinzai Zen lineage to Japan, but he was unable to establish a truly independent Zen practice and monastery, because the Tendai school and the Shingon school both said, these were the biggest establishments at the time, said, well, we have Zen in our arsenal. We also include Zen in our teaching. What do we need a Zen school for? So he was, the pressure was too great and established his Zen school independently.

[02:27]

But when Dogen came back, he established his Zen school. And he was berated and almost driven out of town by the opposition. It was very serious. In those days, you know, there were times when The large Zen establishments had monk armies and they used to attack each other and burn their places down. Mount Hiei, which is the Tendai establishment, if you've ever been there, it's quite a wonderful place. They even have a monument to Dogen down in the woods. They've been burned down several times. And in this large temple there, you know, it's a whole temple complex.

[03:33]

The mountain is a whole temple, numerous, numerous temples. But they keep this flame going in this temple. And it's a kind of flame that's supposed to just keep going forever. And so it's well tended. And then when they knew that, this is in like the 13th century or something, maybe around Dogan century, when they heard that, I think it was the Shingon monks were coming to burn down their temple, they took the fire and transferred it to the other end of Japan. And then when everything was over and they rebuilt, they brought it back. And it's still there, it's still going. But things have calmed down a lot since then. They don't do that anymore. I don't know how they do it. Buddhism in Japan was always very futile. Japanese society is futile.

[04:37]

The Zen establishments became independent of each other. And in the 13th century, Nichiren, Shinran and Dogen were the three main innovators of Buddhism and they each had their own single-minded practice. If you practice this one way, the whole thing will be revealed to you. If you practice this one practice, this practice will include all you need to know. So with Dogen, it was Zazen, single-minded practice of Zazen. So when Dogen came back from China, he tried to establish his school, but he couldn't do it. It was too early, and people didn't know him particularly. So he had to hang around for a while in order to establish himself.

[05:45]

So he wrote things, he wrote the Fukanza Zengi, the universal proposition for people to sit Zazen and he wrote the Bendoa and Bendoa and Fukanza Zengi kind of go together. Bendoa is more short, I mean Fukanza Zengi is shorter and more about how to sit Zazen, whereas Bendoa is more like the philosophy of Zazen, or why you do this stuff, and what is it. So Bendoa is divided into two parts. One part is where he talks about jijuyu zamai, which is self-fulfilling or self-joyous samadhi of Zazen. And the other part is questions, answering questions about why he's doing this and what does it mean.

[06:48]

But the questions are Dogen's questions, which is very typical of the times, like a teacher would take questions that people usually ask or questions that come up and present those questions and then answer them. But we're not going to study that part. We're just going to do the jinju-yu-zamai part. Zamai means samadhi. So what is samadhi? Samadhi is non-dualistic total activity. Non-dualistic means no separation between oneness and duality. So within our dualistic activity, our dualistic activity is based on oneness and our single-minded activity is within the world of duality.

[07:58]

So stillness within motion and motion within stillness. And it's expressed most fundamentally in Zazen, as Zazen. So Dogen starts out by saying, all Buddha Tathagatas who directly transmit inconceivable Dharma and actualize supreme perfect enlightenment have a wondrous way, unsurpassed and unconditioned. So Tathagata, you know, is an epithet of Buddha, means thus come and thus gone. Thus means in reality. So coming from reality, going to reality, which means not coming from anywhere or going anywhere. Simply one who actualizes the truth of coming and going, which is.

[09:04]

not coming from anywhere, not going anywhere, simply settled on reality. So all the Buddha Tathagatas who directly transmit inconceivable Dharma and actualize supreme perfect enlightenment have a wondrous way unsurpassed and unconditioned. So inconceivable dharma is beyond what our mind can conceive of, which is true enlightenment, and unconditioned, which means not bound by anything, by preconceptions. Only Buddhas transmit it to Buddhas without veering off. Self-fulfilling samadhi is its touchstone. So self-fulfilling Samadhi is Jijuyu Samadhi, Jijuyu Zamai.

[10:10]

That's the touchstone of the Buddhist transmission. Sitting upright, practicing Zen or Zazen. Actually, I think the word is Sanzen. Sanzen, we think of Sanzen as Dokusan in the Rinzai tradition. But it actually means zazen. It means true practice. Sitting upright, practicing zen, or zazen, is the authentic gate to the unconfined realm of this samadhi. So this samadhi has no boundaries. Although this inconceivable Dharma is abundant in each person, it is not actualized without practice, and it is not experienced without realization.

[11:16]

When you realize it, it fills your hand. How could it be limited to one or many? When you speak it, it fills your mouth. It is not bound by length or width. So, you know, This inconceivable Dharma is abundant in each person. So this is our true nature. Jiju Samadhi is simply sitting down in our true nature. It's like the total activity of the universe, the fundamental activity of the universe is stillness. or quietude, everything comes down to stillness, total stillness. And from that stillness, all activity arises. Activity doesn't come out from nowhere. It comes out from stillness.

[12:19]

Stillness and movement are the two aspects of life, the two fundamental aspects of life. Sometimes someone, I remember one said, some Christian saint said, it's a movement and a rest. A movement and a rest. That's succession. But there's also within the movement is the rest. And within the rest is the movement. That's more zen. So it's abundant in each person. It's not something that you get. It's simply touching what you are. So it is not actualized without practice. That's the problem. The problem is without practice it doesn't manifest.

[13:22]

So it's pretty hard to see our original face without practice. Practice generates enlightenment, and enlightenment is the basis of practice. We come to practice because of enlightenment, not to necessarily get enlightenment. So enlightenment manifests because it's our true nature. It's not something to get. It's not some wonderful thing that we get. It's what we already have. So although this inconceivable dharma is abundant in each person, it is not actualized without practice, and it is not experienced without realization. When you realize it, it fills your hand. How could it be limited to one or many? When you speak it, it fills your mouth. It is not bounded by length or width. So when we open our hand means when we let go.

[14:26]

When we let go of our dualistic thinking, when we let go of our fears, when we let go of our clinging, when we let go of our greed, when we let go of our ill will, when we let go of our delusions, it just fills you up because those hindrances are what, they are hindrances, they hinder realization. So when you open your hand, it's like letting go. Then it fills you up. So in order to be filled up, you have to be empty first. You can't fill a balloon that's full of stones. So all Buddhas continuously abide in it, abide in it.

[15:30]

but do not leave traces of consciousness in their illumination. Sentient beings continuously move about in it, but illumination is not manifest in their consciousness. When Buddha has realization, there's illumination, because light is what one is filled with. so to speak. We call it light. And that light is radiant. But the Buddha is not conscious of it. As soon as you become self-conscious, the light goes out. The lens cover goes. So as I always say, you can be it, but you can't see it. As soon as you take a peek, then it's self-conscious.

[16:36]

So, in Zazen, what you think about, what do we think about in Zazen? We think the thought of Zazen. When you think about something else, then that's a division. When you think about something, then the mind is divided. and illumination is no longer present. But when the thinking mind is thinking the thought of Zazen and is one with the activity, then illumination, that's emptiness, and illumination comes forth. So that's why we always say, when your mind wanders, bring it back. But mostly, people are in their wandering mind. So sentient beings continually move about in it, but illumination is not manifest in our consciousness, even though we move about in it.

[17:46]

So the concentrated endeavor of the way I am speaking of allows all things to come forth in enlightenment and practice all-inclusiveness. With detachment or non-attachment, The meaning is without attaching to any worldly spheres, not getting caught up in worldly merry-go-rounds. It doesn't mean to avoid engagement. It simply means not to get fooled by things, not to get caught in whatever it is that obscures your realization. Passing through the barrier and dropping off limitations, how could you be hindered by nodes in bamboo or knots in wood?

[18:52]

Nodes in bamboo is like, you know, there's sections, there's a section of bamboo and then there's a node, which is solid, it's a kind of knot. So it means entanglements, complications arising through getting involved with things which, enticing things which in the end just keep us trapped. So then he says, Now all ancestors and all Buddhas who uphold the Buddhadharma have made it the true path of enlightenment to sit upright practicing in the midst of self-fulfilling Samadhi. Those who attained enlightenment in India and China followed this way.

[19:57]

It was done so because teachers and disciples personally transmitted this excellent method as the essence of the teaching. In the authentic tradition of our teaching, it is said that this directly transmitted, straightforward Buddha Dharma is the unsurpassable of the unsurpassable. From the first time you meet a master without engaging in incense offering, bowing, chanting Buddha's name, repentance or reading scriptures, you should just wholeheartedly sit and thus drop away body and mind. Now this is an interesting passage because people say, well, gee, then why do we offer incense and bow and chant the Buddha's name and read the scriptures? He's not saying not to do that. But the emphasis is Zazen comes first. offering incense, bowing, chanting, reading. These are all fine practices, but you shouldn't practice them in order to attain enlightenment.

[21:03]

They're adjuncts to practice, even study. But study is very important in practice. And of course, Dogen studied, he read the entire Tripitaka two or three times before he was 19, according to the story, which is a lot. The meaning is a little confusing, but it's pretty much agreed on that the meaning of his teacher saying that is to not get stuck in these practices as ways the main part of your practice. So even when for a moment, or a short period of time, you express the Buddha's seal in the three actions, meaning body, speech, and mind, by sitting upright in samadhi, the whole phenomenal world becomes the Buddha's seal, and the entire sky turns into enlightenment.

[22:30]

Now, he goes on poetically in this section. The Buddha's seal is like the seal of authentication. If the teacher authenticates a disciple, that's the seal of realization or authentication, and that person can be recognized. But he's saying the universe recognizes you. When you sit upright in Zazen, the Buddhist seal of the whole universe acknowledges your enlightened practice. So he says, When you sit upright in samadhi, the whole phenomenal world becomes the Buddha's seal and the entire sky turns into enlightenment, even though you don't realize it.

[23:37]

There's a difference between being enlightened and realizing it, or having enlightened practice and realizing. When we sincerely practice, totally practicing, enlightenment is there, but realization is not always there. Maybe later, you say, oh, I see now. But you don't always see that. Why do we have to do this over and over again? How come my legs hurt? So because of this, all Buddha Tathagatas as the original source, increase their Dharma bliss, and renew their magnificence in the awakening of the way. Furthermore, all beings in the ten directions and the six realms, including the three lower realms, at once obtain pure body and mind, realize the state of great emancipation, and manifest the original face.

[24:48]

So we're familiar with the six worlds, the hell realm, the human realm, the fighting demon realm, the animal realm, the hell realm, and the hungry ghost realm. And the three lower realms are the hell realm, hungry ghost realm and the animal realm. People even in these realms all have realization. So because of this all Buddha Tathagatas as the original source increase their dharma bliss and renew their magnificence in the awakening of the way. Furthermore all beings in the ten directions in the six realms, ten including the three lower realms, hell, animal, and hungry ghost realms, at once obtained pure body and mind.

[26:07]

In other words, Zazen itself is called repentance. We just finished our repentance ceremony, Bodhisattva ceremony. But we don't say, I'm guilty of this and I'm guilty of that. We don't do that. That kind of repentance is good, but it's dualistic. When we have our bodhisattva ceremony, we acknowledge our ancient karma, all of our karma, but not specific. We don't compare good deeds with bad deeds. a dualistic sense. We simply express a non-dual oneness which is itself repentance.

[27:13]

Repentance in this sense dualistic activity or dualistic division. When you do repentance for some bad deed, what's the point? The point is to repent, to come back to wholeness. So when we sit zazen, we come back to wholeness. That's the ultimate repentance. To let go of, to simply let go and return to our original nature. And then we go out and we do something bad again.

[28:21]

But we find Zazen is non-judgmental. Zazen is non-judgmental. It's simply sitting down in reality and in truth of who we are. It's the highest form of repentance. So that's why you can say that all the, everyone, even in the lower realms, obtains at once pure body and mind and realizing the state of great emancipation and manifesting the original face. At this time, all things realize correct awakening. Myriad objects partake in the Buddha body and sitting upright under the kingly Bodhi tree, you immediately leap beyond the boundary of awakening.

[29:27]

At this moment, you turn the unsurpassably great Dharma wheel and expound the profound wisdom, ultimate and unconditioned. Turning the Dharma wheel. This is what Buddha did, Shakyamuni did, when he gave his first sermons called Turning the Dharma Wheel. And then Nagarjuna, and around the first century, or whenever exactly he was, presented the Mahayana teaching that was the second turning of the wheel, as it's called. But each one of us turns the Dharma wheel. When we practice, we turn the Dharma wheel, each one of us. So, you know, we say sometimes the innumerable Shakyamuni which means every person who practices is Shakyamuni Buddha, going through the stages of practice.

[30:31]

So then, Dahlia says, because such broad awakening resonates back to you and helps you inconceivably, you will in zazen unmistakably drop away body and mind cutting off the various defiled thoughts from the past and realize essential buddhadharma. This resonates back to you, can also be, is also translated as imperceptible mutual assistance. I really love that phrase, imperceptible mutual assistance. There's imperceptible mutual assistance between ourselves and the universe. And the way I like to think of that is when we totally give ourself over to Zazen, it means that we're totally offering ourself to the universe. And the universe responds.

[31:42]

In this life, there is an action and a response. That's what it's all about. Action and response, action and response, called karma, when it's a volitional action. And it's always a response. Sometimes people say, what are you, someone will ask, what are you doing? Oh, I'm doing nothing. I'm not doing, that's not possible. There's no such thing as doing nothing. Although, whatever we do is doing nothing, in a bigger sense. But that's not what I'm talking about. Everything that we do calls for a response. And when we do Zazen and offering ourselves to the universe, there's a response from the universe. But we don't know what that is exactly. Imperceptible mutual assistance. The universe supports us. Dogen says, when you become a monk, you let go, you don't carry money,

[32:45]

you don't have any goods, everything is, you know, you drop everything and you're totally dependent on the universe. Totally dependent on, you know, and the reason that you're supported is through your practice. So the response to a monk's practice is support from the universe in the form of donations or food or shelter or whatever. So the monk trusts the practice. That's why in the meal chant, we say we hope that our virtue and practice deserve this food, right? That's the monk, comes from monk's practice. Of course, we pay for the food that we eat, but the spirit is the same.

[33:50]

So, you know, whatever we do has a resonance, and we don't know how that works exactly. I was listening to some scientists talk for a moment the radio and one was saying that even though we don't know how it works, we know that it works, right? We know that it works and we use it, but we don't know how it works. So then he says, Thus, you will raise up Buddha activity at innumerable practice places of Buddha Tathagatas everywhere, cause everyone to have the opportunity of ongoing Buddhahood, and vigorously uplift the ongoing Buddha dharma."

[34:59]

So this is the explanation of Jijuyu Zamae. Jijuyu means self-joyous or self-fulfilling samadhi. And there's another term. I talked about this before. Tadjuyu means other joyous or others Samadhi, others fulfilling Samadhi. But this Tadjuyu in a non-dualistic sense includes, the Jinjuyu includes Tadjuyu. So there are two sides to our practice. One side is our own self-cultivation, so to speak. The other side is offering that or the effect of that on other people. That's tajuyu. So when we sit in zazen, the benefit of that, of whatever that benefit is, is disseminated.

[36:08]

It's all over the world. Because at that time, when we are immersed in Zazen, we're totally connected with the whole universe and the world in its fundamental sense. And so everything affects everything. There's no such thing as doing something without affecting others. Even if you're sitting in your closet, there's some effect. And when you sit together, when people sit together, it's very powerful. And that connection to the fundamental face of the universe is very powerful. And we don't know how far that effect travels. or what is exactly affected by it.

[37:14]

But he says, thus you will raise up Buddha activity at innumerable practice places of Buddha Tathagatas everywhere, because everyone to have the opportunity of ongoing Buddhahood. So you allow, you bring that opportunity into the world. So then he says, because earth, grass, trees, walls, tiles, and pebbles all engage in Buddha activity, those who receive the benefit of wind and water caused by them are inconceivably helped by the Buddha's guidance, splendid and unthinkable, and awaken intimately to themselves. You know, Master Tozan, when he was in China, had this question, he said to his teacher. You know, it said, I keep hearing this phrase, that earth, grass, trees, walls, tiles, and pebbles all engaged in preaching the Buddha Dharma.

[38:24]

Where does that come from? And what does that mean? He was a young guy. And so his teacher told him, he said, well, it comes from the Amitabha Sutra. It's stated in there. All these various elements are all preaching the Buddha Dharma. And then it goes on to a koan, but I don't want to talk about that right now. But all the, you know, nature is totally, constantly preaching the Dharma. all the time. If we want to understand the Dharma, just walk outside and look at the trees. What are they saying? What is the ground saying? In our rush to collect wealth, we're totally ignoring what nature is, the Dharma that nature is preaching.

[39:33]

We think that trees and plants and mountains are just objects for us to get out of the way so that we can build our buildings. But they're living beings. There are no objects. In nature, there are no objects. Everything is a living being. If you make bread, did you ever make bread? I was trying to get, we were talking to, my wife and I were talking to our son last night. You know, we really want to teach you how to make bread. Because bread is this living organism. It's full of bugs. It's full of, you know, full of living creatures. And you put the yeast in and you mix the flour and the water and it becomes this living mass. And then, and it rises up, and you push it up, and then you knead it.

[40:40]

You divide it into loaves, and when you knead it, and it pops back up again. And when you're kneading it, you can feel the life in the dough. Just wonderful connection. So this is just one example of things that we take for granted, but we don't necessarily recognize the life in them. When you eat whole foods, every one of the rice seed is alive. It's actually a seed with life. Grains are living beings. Trees are living beings. Everything is preaching the Dharma. Everything is consciousness. We say inanimate objects. But there are no inanimate objects. Even though a tree is rooted in the ground, it's not inanimate by any means.

[41:44]

There are no inanimate objects. There's only life pulse which is, life pulses which are totally, constantly interacting with each other and harmonizing with each other and telling us if we listen, what reality is. The American Indians used to always say, if you want to know what's happening, put your ear to the ground. So he says, because earth, grass, walls, tiles, and pebbles all engage in Buddha activity, those who receive the benefit of wind and water caused by them are inconceivably helped by the Buddha's guidance, splendid and unthinkable, and awaken intimately to themselves. Those who receive these water and fire benefits spread the Buddha's guidance based on original awakening.

[42:57]

Because of this, all those who live with you and speak with you will obtain endless Buddha virtue. and will unroll widely inside and outside of the entire universe, the endless, unremitting, unthinkable, unnameable Buddhadharma. That's Dogen. So all of this does not appear within perception. In other words, because it is unconstructedness in stillness. It is immediate realization. Not appearing within perception, you know, because it is unconstructedness and stillness. It's beyond our perception. It's beyond our senses and beyond our ability to make a mental construction of it.

[44:01]

So true realization, true enlightenment understanding is beyond our understanding and beyond our ability to touch it, even though the effect is right there, immediately. If practice and realization were two things, as it appears to an ordinary person, each could be recognized separately, But what can be met with recognition is not realization itself, because realization is not reached by a deluded mind. In stillness, mind and object merge in realization and go beyond enlightenment. Nevertheless, because you are in a state of self-fulfilling samadhi without disturbing its quality or moving a particle, you extend the Buddha's great activity in incomparably profound and subtle teaching.

[45:04]

It's like, you know, Dogen talks about the moon reflected in the water. When the moon, you see the moon going through the water and reaching the bottom of the water, but it doesn't disturb the water. Nothing's changed, nothing's disturbed, but it just goes through everything. So this realization, we can have realization, but only as practice. You can't separate it out and say, well, this is the enlightenment, and this is the practice. You realize enlightenment as practice. It's like you can't throw away or disregard or belittle practice and hold enlightenment up here and practice down here. Although practice is the foundation for enlightenment, samadhi is the stillness which is the foundation for prajna, which is enlightenment.

[46:15]

But they're not two different things. So I don't have very much further to go. Grasses, trees, and lands, which are embraced by this teaching together. radiate a great light and endlessly expound the inconceivable profound Dharma. Grass, trees, and walls bring forth the teaching for all beings, common people as well as sages. And they in accord extend this Dharma for the sake of grass, trees, and walls. Thus the realm of self-awakening and awakening others, which is Jijayu Samadhi, invariably holds the mark of realization with nothing lacking, and realization itself is manifested without ceasing for a moment.

[47:19]

This being so, the Zazen of even one person at one moment imperceptibly accords with all things and fully resonates through all time. Thus, in the past, future, and present of the limitless universe, this Zazen carries on the Buddha's teaching endlessly, Each moment of zazen is equally wholeness of practice, equally wholeness of realization. This is not only practice while sitting. It is like the sound that issues from the striking of emptiness is an endless and wondrous voice that resounds before and after the fall of the hammer." Which means that, I don't want to explain it. How can it be limited to this moment? Hundreds of things all manifest original practice from the original face.

[48:24]

It is impossible to measure. Know that even if all Buddhas of the ten directions is innumerable as the sands of the Ganges, exert their strength, and with the Buddha's wisdom, try to measure the merit of one person's zazen, they will be unable to fully comprehend it, much less you comprehending your own zazen. Dean. First, I want to thank you for the talk. It was interesting in the beginning when you talked about some of the history. I kind of like hearing about the Buddhists burning each other's temples down. Just what it reminds me is I get a little bit irritated with myself and out of gas with that. Christians are, you know, at the front of a lot of jokes and we make comments about it. And it's nice to hear that the Buddhists go out and act like that too. It just makes it a little easier for me not to get so self-righteous.

[49:26]

But the other thing I wanted to ask you about is the realms. The point of the realms and why are there realms that are lower realms and specifically why are animals in the lower realms? Animals are not in those lower realms. It's you acting like an animal is what it's talking about. But what is acting like an animal? Means without human, without compassion, without evil. You know, I'm not evil, but it's like a person with a person's brain and a person's body, but not acting like a person. Simply the animal part of the person without the human part. Not criticizing animals. It's all about human beings, about you and me. Sometimes we're animals, you know, the six realms realms that we transmigrate through every day.

[50:31]

When you forget your humanity, then you take on the animal realm. When you become so greedy that you're all stuffed up and you can't eat anymore but you want more, that's the hungry ghost realm. When you're aggressively beating up on things, creating angry, resentful realms, then you're fighting demon. Then we go on to hell, you know, once or twice a day, and so forth. So, you know, we all transcribe, this is what we have in common. We're not putting down the animal. We love the animals. The animals are perfect.

[51:35]

And that's good enough. Being perfect is good enough. Totally acting like animals. And when we allow them to act like animals, they're pretty nice. You know, when you restrain dogs, they become very vicious. But when you leave them alone, they're sweet. just like we are. You know, when we bind people, then they become vicious. When people have, when children are treated badly in their childhood, they become vicious adults because of that restraint. When they're treated happily, brought up in a happy environment, they exude happiness. They don't need to be bound. Just like dogs. Dogs don't need to be bound. Some dogs, you know. But basically, they're very sweet animals.

[52:38]

We shouldn't be afraid of them. Our fear creates fear in them. That's the basis of the problem that people have with dogs. Our fear creates fear in them. I've never feared a dog. I've never had a problem with a dog. Even when they come up and bit me. I've had dogs, it's not because they're vicious, it's because they're happy. And they just, boom, you know, and then they see your finger and they bite it. I've had that happen. So what, you know? That's the big deal. Yeah. I think there's something in that wheel about animals and the other two that you call lower realms. that that's not a fortunate birth because, besides the psychological interpretation that you gave it, that it's all us, that something about that they don't have the consciousness that enables them to kind of recognize the need for practice.

[53:46]

It's not that they don't have the consciousness, it's that the consciousness is dormant. So, I'm just trying to give another, I think, traditional explanation. Why the animal realm is considered a less fortunate realm than the upper realms. Why? Because they don't have the consciousness. They don't have the consciousness that enables them to practice something like that. So they're sort of stuck. They're stuck. But that's a little contradictory because animals can also change realms. The thing about Buddhism is that you can always change. You may not be able to. But the possibility is always open for change because nothing is fixed. You find yourself in a realm that's really tight and hard to get out of, but basically there's no determination. It's called the undetermined realm. We can't go on too much longer.

[54:48]

But that's true, in this undetermined realm, you can always, that's why karma's not fixed. It's simply the result of your actions and can put you in a bind, in a tight place. But it's always the possibility of changing or turning. And that's called, you know, it's usually called hope. But... But those are called the lower realms because they're so difficult. Maybe it's called the three most difficult realms instead of the lower realms, right? Yeah, three most difficult trying realms to get out of.

[55:43]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ