I vow to taste the truth of the Tathagata's words. Good morning. Well, we've been studying Dogen's Gakudo Yujinshu in our class, and so the remaining sections will be my talks. It seems like, I know this, that each one of these sections was given at a little different time and somehow put together. And so Dogen kind of reiterates the same jargon in each one.

[01:09]

So, you know, he talks about, the need for a teacher and that we shouldn't rely on the scriptures and so forth. So this is kind of the basic themes, but to get to the, but in each section he presents something unique, different. So in this section, which is number seven, he says, those who long to leave the world and practice Buddhadharma should study Zen. Also, if you haven't been attending the class, it doesn't matter because anywhere you come in, it's new, or the sections don't necessarily follow sequentially. So, those who long to leave the world and practice Buddhadharma should study Zen.

[02:17]

So this term, leave the world, we leave the world soon enough. But it has the meaning of emancipation, free from the world, free from being caught by things. so that we have some freedom. That's the meaning. Free from the sentiments or entanglements of worldly life. So to be in the world but not entangled by it or not caught by false ideas or feelings. easy to be caught by our emotions and our feelings and our ideas and our delusions and fantasy.

[03:21]

So he says the Buddha Dharma excels among various ways and for that reason people seek it. And then he says when the Tathagata dwelt in the world, there were neither two teachers nor two masters. And the great master Shakyamuni guided sentient beings solely by means of unsurpassed enlightenment. And ever since Mahakasyapa transmitted the treasury of the true Dharma-I, the 28 generations in India, the six generations in China, early generations in China, and all the ancestors in the five schools have in direct succession inherited it without any interruption. Consequently, ever since the Putong era, 520 to 527 of the Liang, all those who were outstanding, from monks to kings and retainers, never failed to pay homage to Buddhadharma. Indeed, those who are able to love excellence should love excellence. And it should not be like Minister She's love for a dragon.

[04:31]

You know the dragon, Minister Shure's love for the dragon. I'll talk about that a little bit. So the five schools of Zen, he talks about the five schools. In China, there were actually seven, but we count five. There's the Fayang school, and the Guiyang school, and the Saodong school, the Linchi school, and the Yunmen school. So Fa Yang school is Fa Yen. Fa Yen, each one of these schools had a different characteristic because each teacher had their own kind of, because each one has a different personality and a different way of expressing themselves, they all express the same Dharma but in a different manner. So Zen is taught in a way that's quite varied, even though everyone is teaching the same Dharma.

[05:33]

So Fa Yan, Fa Yan, Fa Yan was more intellectual. He was, I wouldn't say intellectual exactly, but cerebral. and quite a wonderful teacher. And Isan, the Kuoyong school was Isan and Kyosan and when you read the dialogues of Isan and Kyosan that's the characteristic of their teaching was brought out by their dialogues. So Guishan, who is Isan, would say something, would ask his student, Kyosan, about the Dharma or about what somebody else said, and then they'd have a dialogue about it, and vice versa.

[06:35]

So it's very interesting to read, to study their dialogues. The Cao Dong school is the Soto school. Tozan and Sozan, those are Japanese names. So Tozan, and kind of the characteristic of his school was silent, like the roots of silent illumination, which are the roots of the Soto school. Meditation. and Sazen, and developed a silent illumination and a Shikantaza through Dogen. And the Rinzai school, Lin Chi school is Rinzai, whose characteristic was abrupt shouting and beating and so forth.

[07:41]

Turning over the tables. And the Uman school, and Yunmin school, Uman was, his characteristic was to say something in a very abrupt way, using one word or a phrase, which was conveyed in four different ways. So Uman is characterized with the most koans in the koan collections, the book of record. So those are the five schools of Zen. And when he talks about the six early generations, in China, that's Bodhidharma, Taiso Eka, Kanshi Sosan, Dai I Doshin, Dai Man Konin, Dai Kan, you know, those are the first six ancestors in China.

[08:52]

So that's what he's talking about. So then he says, you know, it should not, indeed, those who are able to love excellence should love excellence. It should not be like Master Hsueh's love for a dragon. But before that, he says, consequently, ever since the Putong era, in the 520 to 527 of the Liang dynasty, those who were outstanding from monks to kings and retainers, so at that time, the kings and retainers were also Zen students, lay Zen students, and they were the students of the Zen teachers. And they were apparently pretty good. But it should not be like Minister Hsieh's love for a dragon. So we know about this story. Minister Hsieh loved dragons.

[09:54]

So he built his house to look like a dragon. And he had scrolls of dragon paintings all over the walls. And the furniture was shaped like dragons. One day, the true dragon looked down and he said, gee, that guy loves dragons. He probably would like me. So he went over to the house and stuck his head in the door. And Master Zhe took one look at the dragon and ran out screaming. Never returned. So he said, you should love the true dragon, not like Minister Zhe loved dragons. When the true dragon sticks his head in, you should, you know, make friends with the true dragon. So in the countries east of China, the net of scriptural teachings, so he talks about, you know, getting caught by scriptural teachings.

[11:01]

I think I have to read it a little bit because the main subject here is about the scripture, how to understand the scripture. So he says, in the countries east of China, the net of scriptural teaching covers the oceans and pervades the mountains. And although it pervades the mountains, it lacks the heart of the clouds. The heart of the clouds means the true dragon, the true thing. So although it covers the oceans, it dries out the heart of the waves. Foolish people are fond of this kind of teaching, just like taking a fish eye and holding it up to be a jewel. Fish eyes are beautiful. Deluded people take pleasure in this kind of teaching, just like treasuring a pebble from Mount Yan as an honored jewel. And in a distant country, a mistake in teaching easily spreads and so forth and so on.

[12:03]

So don't get caught by scriptural teaching. So then he says, when you first enter the gate to study the Buddha way, listen to the teacher's instruction and practice accordingly. And then, this is the main subject. When you do that, there is something that you should know. Dharma turns you, and you turn Dharma. When you turn Dharma, you are leading, and Dharma is following. On the other hand, when Dharma turns you, Dharma is leading, and you are following. Buddhadharma originally has these two modes, but those who are not true heirs have never understood it. Unless they are patch-robed monks, they scarcely have heard of it. So without knowing this key, you cannot yet judge how to study the way. So how could you determine the correct from the mistaken? So it looks like he's still criticizing people for not understanding. But here is the crux of his meaning.

[13:09]

When he says, the Dharma turns you and you turn the Dharma and so forth. He's talking about this story from the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra, There was a monk named Fata, who came to the sixth ancestor, and he said, I became a monk when I was seven years old, and I've read the Lotus Sutra 3,000 times. But there's something that still eludes me about it, Still don't quite understand. And so the sixth ancestor questions him about his understanding. He says, I don't, would you please read me the sutra? Because, well, before that, Fat Tha comes to him and he starts asking him the question, but he doesn't bow.

[14:24]

in those days, you know, you make a prostration to the teacher. He says, so the sixth ancestor says, well, you know, what makes you so puffed up that you don't bow to me? He said, you know, The formality of bowing is to let go of ego. What makes you so puffed up that you're so egotistical that you can just step up and start asking a question without making a formal bow? That's an interesting statement. So then he says, well, just read to me the sutra. He says, since I'm illiterate, I can't read the sutra myself.

[15:26]

So if you start reading to me the sutra, I'll give you the meaning. So he starts to read the sutra. And he comes to the place about the three ox carts, the three carts in the burning house. Duncan Eno stops him and he says, here's the place where you're having a problem. What you don't understand is the Buddhacart. the meaning of the Buddhacart. There's the goat cart, the deer cart. I have to explain the parable of the burning house in the Lotus Sutra. So in the Lotus Sutra, the parable of the burning house is that inside the house are three children and the father sees that the house is burning and he tries to get the children out of the house.

[16:33]

but the children don't listen to him because they're children. They want to keep playing in the house. So the father says, well, I have nice things for you guys if you come out. I have a deer cart and a goat cart and a ox cart. So the children come out of the house in order to get these little carts. So these are, this is like Buddha's expedient teaching. He says the Sravaka cart is the goat cart. The Pracheka Buddha cart is the deer cart. And the ox cart is the Bodhisattva cart. But the Buddha cart means, The Bodhisattva card or the Buddha card means that your own mind is Buddha.

[17:40]

It's not something that you can get. Not something that you have to strive to put on top of your head. So the sixth ancestor says to the fatah, when you read the Lotus Sutra, the reason you don't understand the Lotus Sutra is because mind is Buddha and Buddha is mind. You don't understand this. There's nothing wrong with the Lotus Sutra. There's only something wrong with the way you understand it. When you don't understand it, the Lotus Sutra turns you. When you understand it, you turn the Lotus Sutra. So turning and being turned. So he says, when you do, here's what you should understand. Something you should know, dharma turns you and you turn dharma.

[18:47]

When you turn dharma, you are leading and dharma is following. That means you are turning the Lotus Sutra. On the other hand, when dharma turns you, dharma is leading and you are following. So Buddha Dharma originally has these two modes, but those who are not true heirs have never understood it. Now, if you read the Sixth Platform Sutra, it looks like the Sixth Ancestor is saying that the best way is for you to turn the Lotus Sutra, because that's enlightenment. And when the Lotus Sutra turns you, that's delusion. But Dogen is reinterpreting the story, which he does often, and saying it's beyond delusion and enlightenment.

[19:49]

The true Buddha mind is beyond delusion and enlightenment. Whether you turn the Lotus Sutra or the Lotus Sutra turns you is not the point. The point is that both delusion and enlightenment are Buddha mind. So it's not that one is to be treasured and the other is to be gotten rid of. Within delusion is enlightenment and within enlightenment is delusion. So in reality, enlightenment beyond enlightenment is that the Dharma blossom turns the Dharma blossom has nothing to do actually with you. Enlightenment is beyond your understanding, and your understanding is beyond enlightenment, and delusion is your life within enlightenment, and enlightenment is your life within delusion.

[21:02]

So this is what we should understand rather than thinking of delusion and enlightenment in a dualistic way. This is what he's criticizing, saying these people do not understand this. What most people understand is delusion and enlightenment in a dualistic way. So Dogen is not criticizing people in order to be critical. He's saying, if we don't understand in this way, it's not correct. So he says, without knowing this key, this is the key, it unlocks the door. So then he puts it in these terms. Dharma turns you and you turn Dharma. When you turn Dharma, you are leading and Dharma is following.

[22:09]

On the other hand, when Dharma turns you, Dharma is leading and you are following. Buddha Dharma originally has these two modes. So both modes are right. But what Fatah didn't understand was that mind is Buddha and Buddha is mind. That the Lotus Sutra, although the Lotus Sutra was turning Fatah, Fatah is also turning the Lotus Sutra. So the Lotus Sutra is the Dharma Blossom Sutra, which is the Sutra of the True Law.

[23:16]

And the question is, what is the meaning of the Lotus Sutra? So the meaning of the Lotus Sutra is that a Buddha enters the world in order to bring the dharma to sentient beings. That's the reason for Buddha's existence in the world. But what does that mean? So it means that mind itself is Buddha. And Buddha, to find the meaning of the dharma is to find the meaning of the dharma in your own mind. not to look for it someplace else. So if you look for the meaning of the Dharma in the Sutra, you can't find it. But if you read the Sutra, study the Sutra, and the Sutra awakens your Buddha nature, then the Sutra, you're turning the Sutra.

[24:35]

It's a little complicated. Maybe I'm not explaining it so well, but... Dogen takes it another step. We have to let the sutra turn us, and we also turn the sutra. We have to let, you know, it's very interesting, two minutes before I came here to do this talk, Ed Brown called me from Boston, but he was flying over Boston on his way to Zurich.

[25:51]

I said, well, I'm going to give a lecture in about a minute. So I said, but let's talk, since you're calling from such a distance. And what has been happening was, last week, or the last few days, someone had offered him to buy this little church in Point Richmond, Little Red Church in Point Richmond. You probably know where the Little Red Church is, which had been for sale. And so he says, God, you know, I'm gonna buy a church in Point Richmond. Well, I know that church. But this whole thing is full of complications. And he didn't know whether he was coming or going. So within his delusion, he didn't know whether this was delusion or enlightenment.

[26:58]

If I buy this church, is that an enlightened thing to do? But on the other hand, it seems to me like it could be a really deluded thing to do. really, you know, dumb. I don't understand what I'm doing, you know? What should I do?" And so he just saw all these obstacles and wondered, is this something that I should really, if I do this, my whole life will change? And then, I'm going to Zurich in three days, so what kind of a decision should I make? Will it still be there when I come back? Will I be worrying about it? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He was going crazy. I said, well, finally convinced him that, well, if it works out for you to do it, do it. If it doesn't work out for you to do it, don't do it. But either way, it's okay. Don't get attached to it one way or the other.

[28:02]

If it works, fine. If it doesn't work, okay. Either way, it's okay. So, I can't go through all the details of this, but, so he calls me on the way to Zurich a few minutes ago, and he says, well, you know, I found out that everybody wants me to have this. The people that own it want me to have it. All these other people want me to do this. Maybe I should just do it, you know? Everything's just kind of floating me in this direction. I said, yeah, just go with things if this is the way things are going. If everything is going in this way without any obstacles, or a few obstacles, the obstacles of course come up later. See where it goes. See where it goes, go with it. So he's being turned by this thing and also turning it at the same time. And so there's a bit of delusion in it, and there's a bit of enlightenment in it.

[29:07]

And we don't know, is this delusion or is this enlightenment? It's kind of like destiny. But this will change my whole life. Am I ready to have my life changed? Well, you know, what else am I gonna do? So I said, yeah, I'm going to give a talk about this Dharma Blossom, turning the Dharma Blossom in a few minutes. So I gave him this spiel. Let the Dharma Blossom turn the Dharma Blossom. Oh yeah, he translated this for cause. Yeah, I just see so much, so many things coming together, it just, you know, seems like inevitability. So then he says, Dogen says, without knowing this key, you cannot yet judge how to study the way.

[30:18]

How could you determine the correct from the mistaken? On the other hand, those practicing Zen and studying the way are also always given this key, so they do not make mistakes. Other schools do not do this. Well, you know, maybe. Without studying Zen, those who seek the way cannot know the true way. So, you know, Enlightenment turns the dharma blossom, and deluded mind is turned by the dharma blossom. Intention turns dharma, and dharma turns intention. And a monk was talking to Joshu, and the monk was talking about how he was always driven by time and circumstances. And Joshu says to him, you are driven by the 24 hours, but I drive the 24 hours.

[31:24]

But Dogen would say, you both drive and are driven by the 24 hours. Do you have any questions? What? Can you talk about what you and Duggan mean by turn or turning? Turning. Oh, turning. Well, you know, it's like dancing. Like dancing. You know, whatever you engage with is, you turn and are turned by. Right? of everything. Everything you encounter turns you and you turn it. Or when you are in the driving, in the driver's seat, then you are turning things.

[32:32]

When you're in the passenger seat, you're being turned by things. And they're the same? Huh? And they are the same? you are in a strong position and things are in the weak position. Sometimes you're in the weak position and something else is in the strong, what you're engaged with is in the strong position. So knowing how to be in the strong position and knowing how to be in the weak position and being turned, allowing yourself to be turned. So this is harmonious activity. If you're only turning things, that's aggressive behavior. And if you're only reticent, that's only being turned, that's reticent behavior. So you have when to step forward and when to step back. Stepping forward and stepping back.

[33:33]

And then when that's done in a harmonious way, things turn themselves. Ngenjo Kohn, the obvious question, Ngenjo Kohn, the statement, to carry the self forward and realize the 10,000 dharmas is delusion. 10,000 dharmas advance and realize the self is enlightenment. So he's really distinguishing there and making separation. Yeah, except that it's a kind of dualistic statement, right? But the meaning is non-dualistic. How can you tell? Well, because I know that Dogen wouldn't fall into duality. See, in this, in Gakunyo Yojinshu, he says both of these aspects have been important, are

[34:40]

only a few do, but is there someplace else in the Ginjo Koan where he equalizes them? Well, I'd have to have Ginjo Koan in front of me, but that you advance is delusion, right? He's talking in terms of only taking the initiative. And then when he's talking about being the receptive, letting things turn you, that's enlightenment, right? So it's above delusion and enlightenment, beyond delusion and enlightenment. It's an implied meaning. It's difficult to understand that part. but I just don't, I wonder why he doesn't come out more bold.

[35:51]

See, in Gakujo and Jinchu he will make them sound equal, but in Genjo-Koan he doesn't. Right, I agree with you, he doesn't. It's a little different emphasis, it's a different emphasis in Genjo-Koan. I don't remember it exactly, but about the moon not hindering the drop of water. The moon reflected in the water does not disturb the water. And it doesn't hinder enlightenment. But anyway, it seems like in that paragraph that there is some of this notion of delusion and enlightenment being one and not hindering each other. It needs correction.

[37:08]

Yeah, well, self-correcting is to always examine your own mind. And when you see that you're creating suffering, to recognize that, whether in yourself or others, to recognize that and make adjustments. I think that's one way to do it. so that you're always checking yourself. you wouldn't see it so clearly, but you can see it pretty clearly in that context.

[38:17]

Yeah. It occurred to me when you asked that, that Ron's passage in the Genjo Koan might be a good answer to that. At least in my experience, when I awaken to the world, to the multiple things of the world, or the multiple things confirm me, that there's an experience of harmony that is this dance, I think, that Sojin is talking about. Whereas if I feel myself creating the world, then it's a disharmony. The real sense I get is that passage in the Ksitigarbha is of harmony when you awaken someone. Advancing is creating disharmony. said from this fascicle is that when we assert, when we turn the Dharma, that's an enlightened mind.

[39:29]

And when the sutra turns us. We turn the sutra. When we turn the sutra. It means that the sutra is coming forth from us rather than getting something from outside. That's what the meaning of turning the sutra means that the sutra is originating from us. This means the sutra is originating from us, so that we and the sutra are the same thing. Whereas, when the sutra turns you, it means the sutra's here and we're here. Yeah. But, you know, the sutra here, that's okay too. But it looks like that one's not good and the other one is good, right? But both are simply the law, the Dharma blossom of the law.

[40:39]

And one is delusion, the other's enlightenment. But beyond delusion and enlightenment, everything is just what it is. So, it's really beyond understanding. We want to understand everything. And we do understand things, but it's really beyond our understanding, Ken. or don't relax because you're slumping.

[41:46]

So in any given position there's just a constant adjustment going on and you can kind of get confused if you try to pick one of those adjustments as if it was a general lesson. Sometimes it is. You know, if you can learn the whole thing from one adjustment, in one adjustment, the whole thing can be, the whole way of doing things can be learned, actually. To move you to the left so that you're sitting straight, if you really understand that, the whole thing is right there. So we can enter the dharma of realization through anything if we really follow it to its source.

[42:49]

There's nothing that doesn't lead us to the source if we follow it to the source. Tell Ed that my kids call Point Richmond the country. The country, yeah. Out in the country. So we'll see what happens. He might get a Zendo next door. Amen.

[43:57]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ