Good evening. Good evening. Well, next Saturday, after Sashin, we'll have Jukai, or precepts ceremony, lay ordination for several people. So I thought I would talk a little bit about precepts. It seems like it was not last week, must have been the week before, that I talked a bit about precepts. I guess it was last week. No. No.

[01:02]

Because I asked you questions, and then you asked me about precepts, so I talked about precepts. Tonight I want to talk about the first three precepts of the 16. Sometimes we think of precepts as just the 10, the ten so-called grave precepts or prohibitory precepts. But the first of the sixteen precepts that we take are the refuges. I take refuge in Buddha, I take refuge in Dharma, I take refuge in Sangha. Those are the first of the three precepts, the refuges. But refuge is a little bit of a strange word. So I'm going to talk about that a bit.

[02:05]

Actually, there's only one precept. But this one precept has many, many manifestations. And we divide this one precept into 16 manifestations. It's possible to divide this one precept into 250 or 500. But for the sake of brevity and conciseness, 16 covers pretty much our behavior. So The first of the three treasures, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

[03:07]

And these three treasures, or three refuges, have three divisions. The first way of looking at them is the one body, three treasures. And another way of looking at them is the manifest three treasures. And the third way of looking at them is to maintain three treasures. So one body, three treasures, means the one body is the body of Buddha. And so there are three aspects to this one body of Buddha. The first aspect is be Buddha. When we say take refuge, take refuge means return to yourself or be the Buddha that you are.

[04:15]

So refuge sometimes looks like a cave or being under somebody's wing. flying off to escape something. So refuge may not be such a good word. It merely means be truth itself. So to take refuge in Buddha is the first precept, or be Buddha, manifest Buddha nature. And this one precept covers everything. And then, in order to express it in a different way, we say, take refuge in Dharma. And then, in order to express it in a third way, we say, take refuge in Sangha. But Buddha is Dharma, and Buddha is Sangha.

[05:21]

And Dharma is Buddha, and Sangha is Buddha. And Sangha is Dharma, and Dharma is Sangha. So we can express it, and we must actually understand it, in all of its manifestations. So the one main precept is Be Buddha. And so there are many ways to express that. So the one body, three treasures is Buddha, Dharma, Sangha as manifestations of Buddha, of the one body of Buddha. This is understanding what Buddha is.

[06:24]

So when we take the precepts, we can say, I take refuge in Buddha. I take refuge in Dharma, I take refuge in Sangha. But you can also say, now I return to Buddha, now I return to Dharma, now I return to Sangha. Or you can say, now I am one with Buddha, now I am one with Dharma, now I am one with Sangha. So there are various ways that we can express that. Usual way, though, is to say, take refuge. So Buddha is when we divide Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, then Buddha is our self. Each one of us is

[07:30]

manifested Buddha when we practice, when we practice Dharma with Sangha. So Dharma is the phenomenal world in which we practice. All things are dharmas. And the law of the way all the dharmas interact is called the Dharma. Buddha Dharma. And Sangha is all the people. Strictly speaking, Sangha is the community of people who practice the Dharma together.

[08:32]

But that's in a narrow sense. In a wider sense, Sangha extends everywhere. Because if we only feel that the people that we practice with are Sangha, then we become just an exclusive group of people. Although Sangha is the group of people that you practice with, or the people who practice in a common way, everyone, in a big sense, is included in Sangha. So the whole world is Sangha. And in a really big sense, rocks, trees, birds and animals are Sangha. This is a more expanded way of understanding Sangha Sangha is the interaction of all things in a very big way.

[09:40]

But in order to identify ourselves, we have this group of people who practice in a common way, and we say this is our Sangha, but it's not exclusively so. small Sangha practices together with big Sangha, whether or not everyone realizes this. So Dharma is like the law of suchness, the law of the way things, the way Dharma's interact with each other in this world. Since there is nothing in this world that exists independently, all dharmas or elements support each other and help to create each other and practice and

[11:00]

share this life in common. So, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, three bodies, or three aspects of one body, the Buddha. And the manifest three treasures is not just the way we understand the one-body Buddha, but how we practice. So we can say there's Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, we can talk about Buddha, we can talk about Dharma, we can talk about Sangha, but unless we have our own realization, it doesn't mean so much. So Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, in order to be understood, has to be practiced. has to be our own understanding.

[12:04]

So, we talk about faith in Buddhism. But faith in Buddhism doesn't mean just to have, if you just have blind faith, that that's enough. It's not enough. Although, it's necessary. Necessary to have faith. But it's not enough. Faith opens our mind. and gives us some direction and gives us a place to stand. But only through our own practice will we gain true understanding. So we must manifest the three treasures through practice. We must be Buddha. We must manifest our Buddha nature. We must manifest the Dharma. and we must manifest our connection with the Sangha.

[13:06]

These are three aspects which can't be separated. People have different propensities. Some people are very strong as Buddha. Some people have very strong disposition to just be Buddha, to just practice by themselves or practice for themselves and gain some good understanding. But they don't necessarily have a sense of Dharma or Sangha. And there are people who have a propensity for understanding the Dharma. understand concepts of Buddhism and understand how elements arise and interact with each other and how all things are empty.

[14:15]

And their understanding is very good. But they don't necessarily act as Buddha or participate with Sangha. And there are some people who are just interested in socializing, mostly interested in socializing, and they really get on with the social life of the Sangha. But they're not so interested in Dharma and don't feel that they can ever be Buddha, manifest in Buddha nature. Not so interested. So we have three types, you know, and you may be able to locate yourself in one of those types. So if we have, whichever type we are, we have to make some effort to cultivate the other two aspects. If you have a propensity to manifest Buddha nature and study Dharma, but neglect the Sangha, then your practice is only half fulfilled.

[15:33]

Those people are called, actually, historically called Pracheka Buddhas, lone Buddhas, who actually have enlightenment, but they don't share it, and they don't do anything to help people with it. It's just for their own benefit. And those who just are studying the Dharma, listening to the Dharma and studying the Dharma, But they don't, they may participate in a Sangha, but they don't make an effort or don't believe that they have the Buddha nature. They're the listeners. They don't really have enough faith

[16:41]

to manifest awakening. They feel that you can only go so far as a practitioner and it's not possible to be Buddha or manifest enlightenment. So the manifest three treasures is bringing forth Buddha nature through practice and through studying the Dharma and practicing with the Sangha. This way we have a balanced practice.

[17:43]

And it's like a pot. with three legs. It's very difficult for a pot to stand up with one leg or with two legs. But with three legs, the pot is secure. And then the maintained three treasures is the continual practice. manifestation, the continual practice of manifesting the three treasures so that we help others to practice and understand. And we continue the lineage of Buddha for future generations. When you become a priest, this should be your goal or your intention.

[18:50]

If you become ordained as a priest, your intention should be how do I maintain the Dharma for future generations? Or specifically, how do I maintain it for the people around me? And how do I maintain it for future generations? That should be what's uppermost in our mind. How do I help others to practice? This is bodhisattva practice. So when we first come to practice, we're mostly interested in doing something for ourself, which is normal and logical. But when we have some maturity and confidence, then we can forget ourself and just devote ourself to the Dharma itself. and to the sangha and carry the practice forward.

[19:59]

So these are the three aspects of the three treasures. One body, three treasures, manifested three treasures and maintained three treasures. Now, how we harmonize these three is what our practice is. How we actually harmonize these three aspects. Now, Dogen Zenji says, the students or the members of the Sangha should practice like milk and water. The practice should be as intimate as milk and water. When you mix milk and water, it just becomes one thing.

[21:03]

He says our practice should be that intimate. the students of the way should have that kind of harmonious interaction so I want to ask you how do we do that I wonder if you have any idea about how we do that how you feel that we can do that. This is a real question.

[22:13]

. I think that's a good point. What do you think is the key to being attentive to what's going on? Staying in the moment. What's the key to staying in the moment? I mean, how do you do that? I mean, how? Yeah, how?

[23:15]

Beginner's mind, standard practice, but how practice? In order to be left in the situation, ask questions, what's going on? And what is it? You know, that sounds pretty good. Always have an inquiring attitude. What's going on? What is this? What is it? What is it, you know, is a very basic koan. And it's actually the koan that each one of us is really dealing with all the time. What is it? What is it is a way of clearing your mind, coming back to beginner's mind. What is it?

[24:15]

There's a famous koan in the Blue Clip record, Seppo and Ganto. And the monks ask Seppo, Two monks come and talk to Seppo, and they come to his hut. And he's living in the mountains. He's in China, ancient China. And as soon as he sees the monks coming, Seppo opens the gate and he says to the monks, what is it? And the monks are startled. And they say, what is it? They don't know how to answer them. And then the monks go away. And they go down and visit Ganto in his hermitage. Ganto and Seppo were very close friends, very close Dharma friends, and Dharma brothers, and they always supported each other's practice.

[25:24]

And so they spent the summer practice period with Ganto. And Ganto said, and they told Ganto that they had visited Seppo before. And Ganta said, well, what happened when you visited Seppo? And the monk said, well, we walked up to the gate, and when he opened the gate, he said, what is it? And we said, we didn't know what to say, so we said, what is it? And he hung his head and walked back into his house. So we came down here to see you. And Ganto said, that poor Seppo, he said, if only I had been there, I would have given him my last word. And the monks didn't quite know what to say. But at the end of the practice period, they talked to Ganto again.

[26:26]

He said, we were a little bit afraid to ask you, but what was your last word? Ganto said, this is it. understand conditions, you can throw away all the secrets. And you always make sure to go beyond the thought of being related to that, the secrets, and going beyond the description, to go beyond the thought, to go beyond the language.

[27:36]

And so do you call this an excuse It is interesting, but Buddhas are sentient beings, and sentient beings are Buddhas. So, that's beyond language. So we can also use language to go beyond language. And although Bodhidharma said practice goes beyond the sutras, you can throw away all the sutras.

[28:50]

But when you go beyond the sutras, you still cherish the sutras. When you leave your mother, you still love your mother. When you're on your own, you still appreciate your old home. So we have to be very careful how we think and how we talk. Everything is valuable. If you use a raft to cross, you may feel that you no longer need the raft. But we appreciate the raft and all the various means there are to help us.

[29:55]

So when we finally reach that place, you can talk about what you need and what you don't need. I think one of the keys, you know, to being present is that you don't have self-preoccupation. Not preoccupied, but in order to give our full attention to something, we can't be preoccupied with something or with ourself or with something. This is, I would say, this is beginner's mind.

[31:03]

Again, his mind is a mind that is not preoccupied, does not have an agenda, and is not self-centered, and is not harboring some kind of view or a special perspective, but is just completely open. And what is it? What is it? So what is it always clears the mind. When we're asked a question, we may know or may not know the answer. If we don't know, it's appropriate to say, don't know. And as soon as we say don't know, then the mind opens for a possibility and we usually find that we know something.

[32:13]

Somewhere in the space of not knowing, we know something. Or knowing knows something. Or there's some knowledge. Or some knowing. in that space, or something knows. As soon as we give up knowing, something knows. This is a beginner's mind, unassuming mind. Often, you know, we go around kind of half-loaded or half-cocked waiting for something to set us off. So in order to harmonize with things, we have to let go of defenses, assumptions,

[33:35]

and preoccupations, to name a few. This is actually our work. At the end of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, it says, hide your light and just be kind of like a stupid person. be a little bit stupid. Often you feel that in order to be prestigious or to have people admire us or be acknowledged that we have to be bright and knowledgeable. But sometimes it's

[34:39]

to be a little bit stupid. A little bit in a not knowing mode. Unassuming mode. Then when you need to know something, what you do know will have free access. This is the only way we can have true dialogue. True dialogue comes out of nowhere. And if we really want to know each other, we can know each other if we pile on knowledge and share it. But we can also know each other if we let go.

[35:42]

Everything. And the more we let go of everything, the closer we get to actually being one with each other. This is why we sit zazen together. Zazen, we don't say anything. We just let go of everything together. And I have shared this intimacy of not knowing, or what is it? or of this is it. We have this kind of, actually, this kind of intimacy with animals. Dogs and people share this kind of intimacy, non-verbal intimacy, of just being together, sharing presence.

[36:44]

And it's tremendous intimacy. And the dog knows all your moods. And the dog can assess things that the thinking mind can't make out. Sometimes we feel that we're the higher animals, but actually, in many ways, animals are much more intuitive and direct than we are. We have a different path than animals, but in their own way, animals are much more, many ways, have better understanding Anyway, to continue, can you give me any more?

[38:03]

How can we create this kind of harmony? How do we do this? How do we create this kind of harmony? It should be like milk and water. I don't know all about it. Actually, I don't know anything about it. But we're all musicians.

[39:03]

And what music do we listen to? What music do we listen to? What tune do we, as we say, which piper plays our tune? Rhythm, you know, our life is... conditioned by rhythm, and interaction called harmony, and various tones, some high, some middle, and some low. How do we put all this together to create our own world? That's a pretty interesting concept, you know, because we think of music as, in a very specific way, musical instruments.

[40:07]

People make music on musical instruments, but we're always making music with, you know, we make music with pots and pans, cooking in the kitchen. If you listen to yourself, I think this is a real good exercise. When you make a sandwich, make a sandwich you think about the various let's say you're going to make a swiss cheese sandwich the cheese is in the refrigerator the bread is maybe in the refrigerator then there's maybe mustard and maybe mayonnaise maybe lettuce and there's a knife there's a breadboard and there's a table and you make your movements You open the refrigerator, you get out the cheese, you get out the bread. In each one of these movements, there's sound and there's interacting with objects.

[41:19]

And sometimes you have to go back and forth across the room to get a plate. And then you come back and you get a knife. And then you go over here and you get... another kind of knife, one knife to spread the mayonnaise, one knife to cut the bread, and then there's the rustling of the wrapper, and the sound of the knife going through, and the sound of your feet on the floor. So all this sound that's constantly, that's continually being made, and it's a song. You create your own song and dance, actually, whenever we're moving around. And I've actually... made a study of this how many movements it takes to make a sandwich and how many times you go back and forth and open a drawer and open a door and unwrap something just to do this one thing you know so we're continually doing this and and each one of these acts has a beginning a middle and an end what this act is called making

[42:27]

It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And then eating the sandwich is another act that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And it's a kind of dance, and a kind of song, and there's a lot of sound. And we harmonize these sounds. When the sounds that we make are harmonious, then we enjoy doing the work. When the sounds are not harmonious, we don't enjoy doing the work. You say, oh, this is so much work. You know, when you, the hardest kind of work is pick and shovel. That's the hardest work I've ever done, was pick and shovel, especially in this hot sun. And so you start out with the pick and the shovel, or the pick. And God, it's this hard. But once you get moving, and your body loosens up, and then when you let the pick go, there's a certain way that it goes. And there's a certain rhythm.

[43:30]

And then you get with the rhythm, and pretty soon you've got this song, song and dance. And then you just lose yourself in the song and the dance. As soon as you get self-conscious, it becomes work. I still do. Yes. I don't write it. Symphony appears. And I forget it. I'm addicted to driving in traffic. So most people like to drive on the freeway. Most people like to drive on the freeway. But I love to drive in traffic. And I curse people out and stuff like that. But I still love it, you know, because it's such a game.

[44:33]

It's a real game. So I spent six years driving a taxi and I just learned how to get around. You just, you know, you move around the traffic and you control the traffic. See, most people are victims of the traffic. That's why they don't like to drive. But when you learn the game, then you actually control the traffic because If you're doing the right thing, the right thing means just going by the law of how to drive. Then you expect everybody else to do that too. And when you're driving and paying attention to the laws of how to drive, and it's really in your mind, and it's the uppermost of your mind when you're driving, then what you do influences what everybody else on the road is doing. Then they start driving in the same way or else they take their cues from you.

[45:35]

And you also take cues from others. So it's a dance. But if you don't give people cues, and so you're controlling, you're not controlling everything, but you're controlling your situation. And you're not a victim of traffic. You actually are making things work. And you're working with things. And it becomes fun. It's a game. And it's like creating a symphony. But you don't pick it up. You just do it and it's gone. And then you walk into the next situation feeling harmonious. So you try to create this kind of harmony on the road by acting in the correct way. Sometimes when I drive, I'm very pushy.

[46:39]

But that's one of my faults. I get to be a little too pushy. But still, I like Allegro. I like allegro. Allegro means fast. So I have to learn how to slow down. But the point is, how do we create this harmonious field around us with whatever we're doing? Engagement? willingness to engage outside of pre-activation. Yeah, you have to be willing.

[47:53]

Well, willing Willing means will, which means intention. So yeah, if that's our intention. But you know, our situations are not always harmonious. But with the intention, it makes a big difference because it's great if most of our engagements are harmonious. And for some of us, it's great if some of our engagements are harmonious. So anyway, these are some things to think about.

[49:00]

and,

[49:16]

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