So this evening we're going to study the thirty-eighth ancestor, Bung-shan-yaan-chei, known as Tozan Yokai. Tozan is a very important ancestor for Soto Zen because the Tsaragun, or Soto, The designation comes from his name and also the first character of his name and the character of his student, Sozon. And Tozon and Sozon, but they put the character of Sozon before the character of Tozon because So also is the name of the Sixth Ancestors Temple.

[01:04]

So, anyway, for some reason or another, it's so, it's before Toh. And they called it Soh Toh, or Tsao Dung. That's a school. And it's for that reason, it seems to be. Tozan, his famous disciple was Sozan. His dharma, his major dharma era was not Sozan, but Ungo, Ungodoyo. The Buddhist ancestors' lineage, we had Ungodoyo coming after Tozan rather than Sozan coming after Tozan. Tozan is more famous in thin literature than Ungodoyo.

[02:12]

And when you study the ancestors after Tozan, after Dungshan, they all refer to Dungshan's school or Dungshan's way. is inheriting Dengshan's way. So of the five schools of Zen in China, the school of Dengshan or the Soto Tsadong school was one of the five. The Rinzai school, the Tsadong Soto school were two of the major five schools of Zen in China. So the case, I'll recite the case.

[03:18]

The 38th ancestor was great master Gung Shan Wu-Pen. He visited Yun-Yin and asked, here was his question, who can hear the non-sentient preach the Dharma? Yinyin answered, the non-sentient can hear the non-sentient preach the Dharma. The master asked, do you hear it? Yinyin replied, if I could hear it, you would not be able to hear me preach the Dharma. The master said, in that case, Myangche, or Dungshan, does not hear you preach the Dharma. And Yinyin said, if you still don't hear me preach the Dharma, How much less can you hear the non-sentient preach the Dharma? You don't even hear me arguing the non-sentient. The Master was greatly awakened at this point and he spoke this verse, according to the legend. Wonderful, wonderful.

[04:22]

The preaching of the Dharma by the non-sentient is inconceivable. If you try to hear with your ears, it's hard to understand. When you listen with your mind's eye, then you know it. This is the only... translation that I went across, it says, mind, I. Usually it just says, I. So, uh, it sounds like, um, Cook may not be quite convinced. So he's thinking, you know, the mind's eye, you know. Has Liggy Roshi once left to talk about seeing in your ears and hearing in your eyes? Probably. Interfusion is mentioned somewhere, or the interfusion of the senses. Yeah, the interfusion of the senses, or, well, um, I think that it's even beyond that. Um, the mind's eye is not, uh, I don't think that's right, but it also, um, is not wrong.

[05:29]

It's neither right nor wrong. Um, so, You know, here was his awakening, and on his awakening, he's saying, wonderful, wonderful. And this is in response to this dialogue, right? The preaching of the Dharma by non-sentience, by what is non-sentience, is unbelievable. What is non-sentience? That which is without sense, right? Huh? Nonsense. Nonsense, right. It doesn't appeal to the senses, it's something beyond the senses, so it's non-sense. But in Buddhism, everything is sentient. In other words, in Buddhism we don't make the distinction between, even though there is a distinction between sentient and non-sentient, everything is, in a non-dualistic way,

[06:34]

comes under the heading of sentient beings. So the whole, you know, rocks and everything is a sentient being. Even though we don't attribute sensual awareness, like rocks don't have eyes, ears, nose, etc. Yes? Are those the non... When he talks about non-sentient in this... Are you talking about rocks? Yeah. Physical things? Well, the word non-sentient here takes on different meanings. I thought he was talking about something that doesn't have what we recognize as physical form. That's right, he does. Not even rocks or anything. Right, yeah, beyond rocks and That's right. So beyond rocks and sensual things. He is talking about beyond rocks, not just beyond here. Well, beyond everything.

[07:38]

Beyond everything. So, anyway, this will all kind of come out. So I just want to say that much about it. So he says, the preaching of the Dharma by the non-sentient is inconceivable. You can't conceive of non-sentient beings preaching Dharma, right? Unless you kind of stretch the meaning of preaching. So if you try to hear with your ears, it's hard to understand. If you try to hear it, if you try to hear the preaching of the non-sentient with your ears, you can't quite understand it. When you listen with the eye, when you get it through the eye, then you hear it. So, uh, what you said, you know, is—what did you say about that?

[08:48]

Oh, um, well, just technically, I mean, there's an image of the perfect interfusion of the senses in a sutra. So the ear hears something. That's one of the sense stores. And so we know something through hearing. There's some kind of buzzing that goes on in the inner ear and so forth. And then it sends a message to the brain. And then the brain makes sense or creates an image through the buzzing in the ear. That's interesting. Oh, I hear that, actually. It's just a buzzing going on, and we interpret that in the brain. And then we see something, and there's some kind of reflection to the eye. And then the reflex goes to the brain, and the brain creates an image. And we say, oh, I see that.

[09:51]

And the same with feeling and smelling and tasting and thinking. create ideas about what the sense is. It's probably not much different than snails, you know, with their antenna. So we have some idea about the world through the sense organs, and then we create a logic through the mind with these messages, but you can't these are just various ways they're not direct you know it's all interpretation so when you can see when you can hear through the eye is a way of saying beyond interpretation beyond the sensory interpretation of things then when you when you

[11:02]

understand cutting through the sensory interpretation of things, then you can hear the non-sentient. It reminds me of a poem by Basho that I just read. It's on his haiku, and it goes, the temple bell stalks, but the sound keeps coming out of flowers. Yeah, that's sort of captured this. Yeah, that's nice. So Yun Yun approved of this poem. So he goes on to take this little case apart later on in the face show. The master's name was Liang Chie. Dungshan was the name of the mountain.

[12:05]

Shan is mountain, and it was Mount Dung, where he resided. So Liangche resided on Mount Dung, on Dungshan. The master's name was Liangche. He was from Huichi, and his family name was Yu. While still young, he read the Heart Sutra with a teacher. He had a teacher when he was very young, and they used to recite the Harksetron. And one day, when he reached the place where it said, there is no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind, he suddenly felt his face with his hand, and he asked his teacher, I have eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and the rest. Why does the scripture say that they do not exist? I hear people come up with this question from time to time. And his teacher... was a little bit taken aback, and realized that he was unusual.

[13:06]

And he said, I'm not your teacher. And he sent him to Zen Master Lingmo on Mount Wuxie, where he had his head shaved. So he had his head shaved as a novice, but not as a monk. When he was 20, he went to Mount Sung, where he took the complete presets. So this thing about questioning the Heart Sutra is not necessarily, doesn't necessarily show his spirituality but shows his kind of investigative propensity which is one of his great characteristics that no matter how far he No matter how much he achieved, he just kept going and, uh, didn't rest anywhere.

[14:06]

And this is one of the characteristics of Kozan, was his, um, inquiring mind and his, uh, deep, um, uh, request to, um, to go as far as he could and to question. You know, to always keep questioning. He was his mother's favorite child. Now this is a very interesting story, which upsets lots of people. The story of Dungsha and his mom. He was his mother's favorite child, since his elder brother had died, and his younger brother was poor, and his father was dead. But once he yearned for the teaching of emptiness, He left his old mother for good, vowing, I will not return to my native place and pay respects to my mother before I acquire the Dharma.

[15:08]

And with this vow, he left his native place. Eventually, he completed his study and later went to live on Mount Dung. Since his mother was alone and had no one else to depend on, she looked for him every day, finally wandering around with some beggars. When she heard that her son was on Mount Dung, she yearned to go and see him. but Dongshan avoided her, barring the entrance to the room so she could not enter. It was because he didn't want to meet her. Consequently, his mother died of grief outside his room. After she died, Dongshan went personally and took the small amount of rice she had collected as a beggar, and he mixed it with the community's morning rice gruel. By offering it to the whole community of monks, he made a funerary offering to assist her on her journey to future enlightenment. Not long after, she told Dongshan in a dream, because you firmly maintained your resolve and did not meet me, I severed the delusive feelings of love and attachment. As a result of the power of these good roots, I was reborn in the realm of the satisfied celestials.

[16:11]

So this is a tough story. And it's meant to emphasize Dongshan's resolve and his... There are stories like this occur in Buddhist literature. I think it was when Douyin was going to go to China, and one of the monks, it may have been Miozen who was going with him, his old teacher, the one who came in his first ordination, was dying. He was an old man, he was dying, and he wanted Miozen to stay with him until he died. But they were ready to set sail to go to China. And this was a very gut-wrenching thing for Miozen, and he decided that the Dharma was more important. So he took the boat and went to China, and his old teacher died while he was in China.

[17:21]

You know the story about a Chinese boy that wanted to go to the long history, because he had to take care of his father. And they went every morning fishing. And they all ran out of the river to fish. One end of the flood. And their old fishing place was wiped out. So the old man went upstream and got in the back of the boat to get a flood in the water. He fell in. And he was drifting past his son. He was going to be stuck out of his pole. He could give the old man a hand in. Common thing in China. There's another story that you might have heard, but that one wiped it out. Well, the sixth picture had left his mother. Yeah. Chuck Mooney's mother died seven days ago. So this is a kind of monk's story, you know, which reinforces the leaving home, you know, to seek the Dharma as being the most important thing for monk.

[18:42]

And that sentiment and attachments and love and filial. And this really goes against the Chinese way of filial piety because in China filial piety is the most important thing for families and the children always support the parents and his whole extended family. So that's why they always say he came from a Yu family or a Wong family or something like that. They've got these huge family units like tribes and they're very close-knit and interrelated and supportive. And so when Buddhism came to China, after a while

[19:49]

You know, the monk, when monastic practice started gaining a foothold in China, a lot of the young men would go to the monasteries and stop working in the fields. And this was really upsetting Chinese people because it was upsetting their way of life. The young sons are supposed to take brides and work in the fields and take over the farms and aid in the economic welfare of society. And they were going to the monastery, begging for their food, not working the ground, and not taking wives. And they were very, very upset about this. Zen monasteries, and I think also some, probably before the Zen monasteries, the monks started towing fields and doing a day's work, which was more in keeping the Chinese, the Chinese industrial society, industrious society.

[21:10]

Whereas in India, you know, monks, no monk ever did any work, and people supported him. And that was the society's way. But to bring that to China, it didn't work very well. So the Chinese, and then eventually the monasteries had large land holdings. And peasants, of course, worked the land. But the monks, the Zen monks, always worked. And Pai Chang, you know, his rule, they had no work, they had no eating. And even when he was an old man, you know, and he went out to the fields to work, then they took his tools away so he wouldn't strain himself. He said, they have no work, they have no need to give my tools back. So there's this kind of problem in China. And we have our own kind of problem here in the United States. This is what Tozan did.

[22:20]

This was his unfilial, pious attitude to the monk. I was just a little bit curious about the role of the satisfied celestial. It may not be an important part of this, but I was just a little bit curious about... Well, in Buddhist cosmology, so to speak, there are various heavens and hells. And there are, I think, 37 heavens. heavenly levels. I think the highest is the two-sheet of heaven. That's the realm of the satisfied celestial Buddhas. And that's where Maitreya sits waiting to come. That's where all the Buddhas come from. So, you know, that's kind of what it is. So she apparently told him that she was in the dream, that she was reborn in the Tushita heaven.

[23:34]

Yeah. Okay. So this is the Tesho of Kezon. Although none of the ancestral teachers was superior or inferior in virtue, Dungshan, the ancient ancestor of our school, especially promoted Soto Zen in this way. It was the power of leaving parents and strongly maintaining his resolve. When he began his study, he studied in Nan Chuan's community at first and was involved in the anniversary of Matsu's death. Matsu was Nan Chuan's teacher. While they were preparing offerings, like a founder's assembly. And while they were preparing offerings, Nanquan asked the monks, tomorrow we are going to provide offerings to Matsu. Do you think that he will come?

[24:35]

So, you know, you make offerings to your deceased teacher, you know, and the founder's assembly. you put food on the altar, and you offer incense. Offering incense is like an invitation. When we offer incense in the Buddha hall during service, it's like an invitation to inviting Buddha to join our practice, or inviting Prajnaparamita to join our practice. And when you set out food, well, will he come or not? Sometimes you wonder, why don't you put food on the altar? If you put food on the altar for someone who's deceased, will they come here?

[25:37]

So tomorrow we are going to provide offerings to Matsu, but do you think that he will come? The monks were silent. The master, Tozon, stepped forward and said, If he has a companion, he will come. Man Chuan said, though this one is young, he is extremely suitable for cutting and polishing. And the master Dong Shan said, don't turn something good into something shameful. Or most other translations say, don't don't enslave what is not free, or what is free. Don't enslave something that's free, or don't make a slave out of a free person. In other words, don't fool with me too much.

[26:42]

So he's kind of showing his independence here also. which is one of his characteristics. Don't turn the grip of Yangtree into something shameful. And he was probably very embarrassed with the problem that he was singled out by Nanchuan. Next, he studied with Guishan, who is a Japanese dude, Isan. Uh, the Yishan, uh, Yishan Yangshan school was one of the five schools in Zen also. So he studied with Guishan, and he asked Guishan, he's still concerned with this question, um, um, the non-sentient preaching the Dharma.

[27:46]

And he goes to two different teachers to get it. So first, he studied with Guishan and he asked him, he says, teacher Guishan, lately I hear that the national teacher Hui Chun of Nanyang has a saying, I was talking about the non-sentient preaching the Dharma, but I still don't grasp its subtleties. And Guishan asked, well, do you remember what he said? The master said, yes, I remember. Kueshan said, oh no, I'm sorry, do you remember? The master said, yes, I remember. Kueshan said, well then, give it a try. And the master said, a monk asked, what is the mind of the ancient Buddhists? The national teacher said, fences, walls, roof, tiles, and pebbles.

[28:47]

The monk asked, aren't these all non-sentient? The national teacher said, they are. The monk asked, will you explain how they preach the Dharma? The national teacher said, they constantly preach vigorously without ceasing. The monk asked, why can't I hear it? The national teacher replied, you don't hear it, but don't hinder that which does. The way Cook translates it, he says, you don't hear it, but that doesn't stop others from hearing it. I'm going to read this translation. The way it's often translated is, you don't hear it, but don't hinder that which does hear it. Because here, as an eye you don't hear it but that doesn't mean it can't be heard it's like you may feel uncomfortable sitting zazen but just let zazen sit zazen so next

[30:19]

He studied equation. I'm sorry. The monk asked, I wonder if anyone else can hear it, or I wonder who can hear it. And the national teacher said, the holy ones can hear it, saints can hear it. And the monk asked, can you hear it? And the national teacher replied, I know I can't hear it. And the monk asked, If you can't hear it, teacher, how do you know that the non-sentient preached the Dharma? That's a good question. If you can't hear it, how do you know that they preached the Dharma? This is a similar kind of question that the monk asked Joshu, Jojo, in the second case of the booklet letter, but I won't go into that. That's a whole other story. The national teacher answered, Fortunately, I can't hear it. If I did hear it, I would be the same as the holy ones, and then you wouldn't be able to hear me preach the Dharma.

[31:22]

The monk asked, then do sentient beings have no part in it? The national teacher said, I preach it for the sake of sentient beings, not for holy people. The monk asked, after sentient beings hear it, then what? The national teacher said, then they are no longer sentient beings. The monk asked, What is the scriptural basis for the preaching of the Dharma by the non-sentient? The national teacher replied, Clearly, words that do not accord with scripture are not discussed among gentlemen. There's another way of translating it. Don't you know that the Avatamsaka Sutra says, Worlds preach, sentient beings preach, and all things of the past, present, and future preach? It's a very, very involved story. Although it's very simple.

[32:27]

When the Master finished, Kuei Shan said, I have it too, but I have had no chance to meet an awakened person. or one who is suitable, pass it on to. And the master said, It is still not clear to me. I beg you to instruct me. So Khoi Shan raised his hosu. Here's another one, right? It's having a long time. And asked, Do you understand this? The master replied, No, I don't. Please explain. Khoi Shan said, I can't explain it to you in words. The master asked, Is there someone else who sought the way when you did? And Kuei Shan said, If you go to the stone caves in Li Ling, in Yuxian, you will find someone named Yunyan. That's Ungan Danjo. If you stir up the grass and gaze into the wind, you will certainly be welcome.

[33:33]

That's a great little phrase. If you stir up the grass and gaze into the wind. Kuei Shan said, So the master asked, What is he like? At one time he asked me, what should a student do when he wants to serve the master? And I said, he can do it for the first time when he puts an end to delusion quickly or when he cuts off attachment. That's another way of saying it. He asked, would he still be able to not violate the master's teaching? I answered, the main thing is that you should not say, I am here. So the Master ended by leaving Kueshan and going straight to Yun Yan. When he finished telling the above story, he asked, Who can hear the non-sentient preach the Dharma?

[34:33]

Yun Yan said, The non-sentient can hear it. The Master asked, Can you hear it? Yun Yan replied, If I heard it, you would not hear me preach the Dharma. The Master asked, Why can't I hear it? Yunnan raised his asu and asked, do you hear it? The master said, no, I don't hear it. Yunnan said, if you still don't hear me preach the dharma, how much less can you hear the non-sentient preach the dharma? The master asked, what is the scriptural basis for preaching by the non-sentient? Yunnan replied, don't you know that the Amida Sutra, the Noda Sutra, said streams, birds, trees, and all all praise the Buddha and praise the Dharma. Hearing this, the Mishama's awakened. So, he's really getting this from everybody. So, it's been working, you know, for a long time.

[35:34]

But how do non-sentient beings preach the Dharma? Huh? Yeah. They're just being themselves. All being themselves. Pebbles preach the Dharmas by just being Pebbles. Pebbles, that's the Gigi Yusama. And Gigi Yusama. Pebbles preach the Dharmas at Pebbles and Gigi Yusama. Well, if it is, they got it from this. Yeah, that's right. So, this situation started in the community of a national teacher and finally came to an end at Yunnan's place.

[36:42]

That is, he uttered the verse, Wonderful, wonderful, and so on. When he heard with his mind's eye, he understood it once. When he heard with his eye, he understood it once. The master told Yun Yan, I still have some habits that are not yet exhausted. I'm still not perfect. Even though I understand, I'm still not perfect. Yun Yan said, well, what have you done so far? What have you been doing? The Master said, I haven't even done the formal, it's just reminiscent of somebody else, right? Don't you remember? That was... No, it wasn't last week, it was... Right. Who is the successor to this anxious man? Say again.

[37:51]

Say again. Say again. And she, too, went to Tzu. Anyway, Sagan also said, I haven't even studied the four trees. These are very similar to that. So a union said, what have you done so far? And the master said, I haven't even done the four holy truths, just like Sagan. And Yunyan asked, are you happy or not?

[38:52]

What kind of a question is that? The master said, I am happy. It's like finding a bright pearl in the trash sheet. So he asked Yunyan, what should I do when I want to meet my original self? And Yunyan said, Ask the messenger. Here he says, the interpreter. I don't think interpreter is so good. I think messenger is better clear. He says, messenger. What do I do when I want to meet my original self? How do I do that? He says, ask the messenger. Who is the messenger? The master said, I'm asking right now. Union asked, what is he telling you? So when the Master was leaving Yun Yan, Yun Yan was an old man, so Toh San was leaving and Yun Yan was ailing, and he said, after you die, if someone asked me what was the Master's truth,

[40:26]

What should I say? And Yuen Yuen paused and said, just this is it. Here he has just this, this, which is probably correct. But is it is more understandable in English. Just this. So just this is a very significant term. Just this. The most important koan is, what is this? This is everyone's koan. What is this? What is this? What is this? And after a while you can reduce it to this. He said, you must be extremely careful and thorough in realizing this thing.

[41:44]

The master still had some doubts. Later, he was crossing a stream. So he left Yunyan, and while he was crossing a stream, he saw his reflection in the stream. And as a result, he was greatly awakened to Yunyan's And he said in a verse, this verse is translated in various ways, avoid seeking him in someone else, or don't seek from others, is another translation, or you will be far apart from the self. Solitary now am I, and independent, or now I go on alone. This is what you were saying about Sashim, during tea. solitary you go on along but I meet him everywhere everywhere I go in other words everywhere I go I see myself he is now or it is now me but I am not him or it understanding it in this way you will directly be one with thusness

[43:04]

this was I was talking about the word alone the two fundamental meanings of alone all by myself and one with everything if you're only by yourself if you don't recognize your uniqueness yourself then you're missing it and if you only realize your uniqueness of yourself, you've stumbled past it. So this says, don't speak against someone else and don't go to other people. And Suzuki Roshi said, don't see the world before yourself as an object. Right. Which one is it? One different. I don't know which one is the Oh, this one.

[44:14]

Nobody knows the one that goes under it. All he knows is printed. But the translation is usually, avoid seeking him or avoid seeking from others is more unusual. Because he's making an interpretation. What did he say? Don't see the world for yourself as an object. As an object. Right. So, that's seeing it somewhere else means, or through others, or, you know, don't see, don't seek or see the world as an object, yourself or others as an object. In other words, it through your eyes when we see through our eyes everything becomes an object so true subjectivity is this side of the eyes but actually true subjectivity is seeing everything as yourself without

[45:48]

the obstacle of object. So this is an object and it's being seen by a subject. This is the subject and this is the object. But the subject is a subject and the object is an object for the subject. That's all. And the subject is the subject for the object. But the subject and the object are not subject and object. That's just the division that's made by the mind. Because there's an I. But when there's no I, everything is subjective. Everything is subject. This is why there's no soul.

[46:52]

There doesn't need to be a soul. It doesn't have to be a soul. Because there's no division. There's only a soul when there's a division between yourself and the Absolute. When there's a division between yourself and the Absolute, and ultimate reality, then you need something that stands for yourself, which we call a soul. But if you see everything, all existence, all existence as one subject, there's no need for it. It doesn't have to be that intermediary thing. So you're saying that kind of resolving the fixed idea of self and others and resolving the fixed idea of things is the same.

[48:11]

I mean, you're making it, you're not making a distinction between those two ways of seeing or practices. You're talking about a kind of a way of being rather than a way of practicing. I'm not sure I know what you mean. A way of being or a way of practicing? Well, I'm just asking this because I think It might not be of general interest, so I don't know whether to pursue it or not. But, you know, I've been studying dharmas, skandhas, ayatanas, and dharmas. And it seems like, to me, dharmas and skandhas, the study of dharmas and skandhas seems to be a way to dissolve fixed idea or belief in itself.

[49:21]

And the study of ayatanas and dharmas seems to be a way to dissolve fixed idea of subject and object. But what you're saying seems to be more fundamental than either of those practices. All dharmas in their own being are empty. Five skandhas are all empty in their own being, as well as all dharmas in their own being. Which means that although we think in terms of subject and object, It's not a real distinction. It's a skewed distinction. It's a dualistic distinction. Objects do exist, but they only exist for the subject.

[50:27]

This table exists as a table, right? Is it an object? I can't say, I mean, there's no way to say it. So we can treat it as an object or we can treat it as myself. It depends on your attitude, on whether or not you see it as yourself or if you see it as an object. So if you see it as yourself, The only way you can see it as yourself is to drop yourself. When you drop this eye, then you see the table as yourself rather than just as a table. Yes. There's such a thing that I can't even remember the phrase when I was reading it. It doesn't, it doesn't mean that you literally with your eyes at some point see the, uh, see the, uh, see the, see the, you know, orange surface, sort of, you know, elliptical surface, you know, as a, as, I don't know, you don't, it's not with your eyes, it's not that you see it as some,

[52:00]

This is wood, so to speak, and it came from a tree, and this is flesh, you know. So that's different, right? Very different. But when you get down to it, it's not different. But we only see the difference. We don't see the sameness. And we can only see the sameness when we start making this distinction based on an eye. Because the more we make a distinction based on I, the more everything becomes an object. Would Hal as an I exist, there was no table? Would what? Would Hal as an I in this moment exist if he wasn't looking at the table? There was no table there to look at? Well, supposing there was nothing to look at. No. Would he still be? Supposing you had no eyes, ears, nose, tongue...

[53:02]

you know, suppose you had none of those things, then what? Then there would be no distinction at all. The only thing that makes a distinction is that we distinguish, which is okay, we have to distinguish, you know, that's how we maneuver through the world and relate to everything. But there's a level on which we are all the same. We are, this table and I are not, I once looked into the eyes of a cat and realized that he and I were communicating on some level. It was the most unusual experience. Yeah. Sudden awareness that this being, we knew each other somehow. Well that's right, if you look into the eye of a cat and you realize that this is gelatin and various components.

[54:06]

And what are you looking at anyway? What are you looking into? The cat's brain, actually, and then the cat's mind. And when you get to the mind, the mind, there's the small minds, and then there's the big mind. And the small minds are all expressions of the big mind. And when we get to big mind, There's no distinction, even though there are distinctions. Even though we distinguish everything, at the same time, everything is part of everything else. What did you start when you were, the cat knew me as well as I knew him? Yeah. It was just a brief flash. Oh yeah, the cat knew you probably better than you knew him. Is there some allusion in his poems to his relationship with all of these different teachers?

[55:18]

Is there some relation? Yes. Well, you know, they all have a similar style. Right, because they studied with each other. Right, with that, you know, he said, avoid seeking him in someone else or you'll be far apart from himself. Avoid seeking him, oh. And just that they were just—he kept asking him, show me, show me, show me. Right. And every time they kept saying— In other words, you have to find your own way by yourself. Right. That's right. you have your relationship with your teacher, but you have to find it yourself. And the teachers all helped—the teacher did not tell him anything, you know. They said, see it? You don't see it? See? Yep. Yep, yep, yep. Finally he got it, but it's only through his own effort. Right?

[56:18]

And, uh, so, no matter how much you learn, You still have to find it yourself. I think that's what I was talking about. I had a question of then, how would you interpret, I have my own ideas, but how would you interpret, I still have some habits that are not yet adopted? Well, he wasn't, even though he had realization, he still hadn't cleared everything up. And he knows that. Yeah, he knows. that even though he has realization, he hasn't played everything out. And this is the case with all of us. Even though we have some realization, you know, we may really have some good realization, but we still have our ancient karma, and we still have our, you know, stuff that has to be cleared up through continuous practice.

[57:21]

That's why enlightenment is important. It's not the end of things, it's just the beginning of our practice. And you may have some potential experience, some enlightenment, some realization, but that's the beginning, it's not the end of practice. And of course that realization serves as a guide for your continuing practice. practice has to continue forever because this continuous refinement doesn't mean, you know, everything is alright. Zipular used to say, when you get enlightenment, even though, and you walk by the ice cream store, you still get a craving for ice cream.

[58:25]

Even though you have enlightenment, when you walk by the ice cream store, you're still getting ready for an ice cream. You know, it's interesting. I'm struck by the parallel between the story and the story of Narcissus. They seem very similar. Narcissus looks into the Tom and sees his reflection and falls in love with himself. And yet the outcomes are sort of diametrically opposed. That's right. Pozon looks in the stream and he sees himself as everything. Whereas Narcissus looks in his reflection and he only sees in his ego. Right? He sees his beautiful face. But he doesn't see the face of everyone when he looks into the, when he sees the Pozon. The language Pozon is using, now I go alone. Yeah. That's it, alone, this word alone.

[59:30]

That's what Wendy said. Yeah. But it also means I go by myself. I have to find my own way. But my own way is, when I truly find my own way, then everything, every way I go is my own way. And everyone I meet is myself. It's very broad. Very broad. And Narcissus is very narrow. All-inclusive. Yeah, and that's right. Those are the two. Big mind, small mind? Big mind and small mind, yeah. So when Narcissus sits Sajan, he's only concerned about himself. It hurts. And when Dunchan sits Narcissan, he completely escrows himself. suddenly changed to the word praise.

[60:36]

The word what? Preach to what? What's the second one? Praise. Praise? Oh, I see. At the point where he realizes what he's been going for, the language changes. Is there some importance to that? Well, I don't know if it's self-conscious. Praise and preach? Yeah, you could say so. They're different, you know, but they're pointing at the same thing. So, you know, this comes from a different sutra, right? So here, yeah, you could say it was the same thing. They chant the name of Buddha, actually. It's more literal. What was the second one?

[61:39]

That one. Streams, birds, trees, and all. Praise the Dharma. Actually, chant the name of Buddha is more literal. Everything is chanting the name of Buddha. Birds are chanting the name of Buddha. Squirrels are chanting the name of Buddha. But it sounds like, squeak, squeak, squeak, whoops, choo choo. Those are all the names of Buddha. All the uncountable names of Buddha. So, it says, I'm solitary now, I am an independent. But I meet him everywhere. Everywhere in turn, I meet him as being his, also means myself. actually, because him has a kind of double meaning. It means union, but it also means true self, which is, you could say it's him, or you could say it.

[62:46]

Him is more personalized, whereas it is more objective. And it or he is surely me, but I am not, you know, In other words, I am an expression of Buddha nature, but I am not the source of Buddha nature. Understanding in this way, though, you will directly be one with the way it is. So Dongshan's life work was completed, and it was at once free from doubt. This is a story, this story is how it happened. As for this story, now he's talking about, he's going to talk about the original story. When Dongshan first went to Isan, Boishan, he said, I heard the national teacher was telling the story, and a monk asked the national teacher.

[63:51]

So, as for... He's starting back at the beginning. As for this story at the beginning, about the non-sentient preaching the Dharma, the workman Chong Fen of Nanyang asked the national teacher. So that's the original story. Kui Chong, I humbly confess that when you speak of the non-sentient preaching the Dharma, I do not understand. I entreat you to instruct me. So the national teacher said, if you ask about the non-sentient preaching the Dharma, you will understand non-sentient. And then you will be able to understand my preaching. You just asked about the non-sentient preaching the Dharma. Chang Fen said, please explain what non-sentient is right now, so that a sentient being can understand it, will you? So the national teacher said, he explains it to Chang Fen, right now, within everyone, when ideas about the two classes of ordinary and holy did not arise,

[65:00]

or c, in the least way, there is a subtle consciousness that is unrelated to being a non-being, keenly aware but without attachments. This is why the sixth ancestor Hui Nong said, the six senses discriminating their external objects is not subtle consciousness. So he's saying, there is a subtle consciousness which is independent of the six senses. So when you read in the literature, it says, cut off the root of consciousness. It doesn't really mean to cut off consciousness. It's a way of saying, get beyond the six senses. Get beyond just your sensory perceptions to this subtle consciousness. I'll read it again. Right now, within everyone, within each person, when ideas about the two classes of ordinary and holy, in other words, Buddhist and sentient beings.

[66:10]

Holy is Buddhist and ordinary is sentient beings. So those are the two classes of beings. Realized, Buddhist and ordinary sentient beings. So when all the distinction is done away with, when you drop the idea about those two classes of Buddhas and sentient beings, when they don't arise or cease in the least way, there's a subtle consciousness that is unrelated to being and non-being. So it goes beyond being, and also is not non-being. It's neither being nor non-being, but it's not independent of either one either. In other words, it's the ineffable it that is not describable. Keely aware but without attachments, this is why the sixth ancestor said, the sixth sense is discriminating their external objects, is not subtle consciousness.

[67:18]

So this is how Nanyang, Hui Kui Chang, the national teacher, discussed the preaching of the Dharma by the non-sentient. He said, within everyone, when the two classes of ordinary and holy do not arise or cease, in the least way, there is a subtle consciousness which is unrelated to being and non-being and is keenly aware within, in the midst of all of our activities. That's what Cleary said. However, people usually think that the non-sentient must be fences, walls, roof tiles, pebbles, lamps, and pillars. In other words, objects. But that is not what the national teacher says here. The views of ordinary and holy are not discriminated, and attachment to delusion and awakening do not appear. In other words, you're not attached to it, enlightenment, and you're not attached to delusion.

[68:22]

just don't give even less is it the scheming of passionate thought and discrimination or the motions and forms of life and death there is a subtle consciousness and truly the subtle consciousness is keenly aware and is not the attachment of passionate consciousness in other words goes beyond desire Dungshan also said that you must understand it in this way. Then you will be able to accord with this true reality. So, when you sit gazing, that's what you do. You go beyond sensory perception and desire. But you're not always aware of what you're aware of.

[69:31]

If you know that wherever you go, you go alone. Now he's talking about the poem. If you know that wherever you go, you go alone, then there is never a moment when all things do not accord with this true reality. The ancients said... There is no knowing outside of reality or suchness that is authenticated through reality. No reality outside of knowing that is cultivated through knowing. True reality is unmoving, clear and distinct, constant knowing. Read it again. True reality is unmoving, clear and distinct, constant knowing. So it's the awareness through complete stillness.

[70:34]

Therefore it is said that it is perfectly clear knowing and is unconnected with thought. Keen awareness is not attachment. Kweishan said, Ultimately, I cannot tell you in words when he asked about it. He also said, if sentient beings could hear it, they would no longer be sentient beings. Because he received the instructions of several masters and understood true non-sentience, Dungsan promoted the Soto tradition extensively as our ancient ancestral ancestor. Thus, good people, By inspecting fully, you become keenly aware of your subtle consciousness. It is called non-sentient. So this subtle consciousness is called non-sentient. Um... Yes?

[71:39]

After some reason, the story keeps coming to my mind with the, uh, the long-cooler, the lightning one, the rock... It just seems to be about this, that it wasn't, he didn't hear the rock, the bamboo, and then something happened, that there was something about that moment or something. Well, that's right, that was a moment of, that's right, he didn't hear the rock, he did hear the rock, but the sound penetrated beyond the ear. It is called non-sentient. Here's the example, you know, where a word, a word is, Dogen doesn't use this kind of term in this way all the time.

[72:41]

A word that has a meaning, a dualistic meaning, like non-sentient is the opposite of sentient, in a dualistic sense. But when you use the word non-sentient in a non-dualistic way, it also includes its opposite. So if you don't grasp this, you can never understand anything about Zen. It's very important to realize that when you use a word, a dualistic word, non-dualistically, it includes its opposite. So if you say non-sentient, it means it includes sentient existence, of course. It always includes its opposite. Just like, does the dog have Buddha nature? No. It includes its opposite. Of course it's opposite to the nature. But in a non-dualistic way, the no includes yes.

[73:46]

But if you just think it's no, this is the non-duality between subject and object. Yeah, yin-yang. Yin-yang symbol is a good example of that? Yeah, that's right. Everything is yin. The whole universe is yin. I mean, you know, we describe two sides. That's right, we describe two sides. That's right. They're both together, right? That's right. The oneness of duality and the duality of oneness. That's a good symbol for that. That's right. But you could say the whole universe is yin because it includes yang. You see, the whole universe is yang, but it includes yin.

[74:51]

So non-sentient includes sentient. It is called, quote, non-sentient. It is called non-sentient because there is no running off after sounds and forms and no bondage to passionate consciousness, even though passionate consciousness and sounds and forms do exist. This principle must be preached carefully. Therefore, when you hear preaching about the non-sentient, do not think that this refers to fences and walls. It is simply that when you are not attached to emotion and thought, and your perceptions are not scattered, the subtle consciousness is clear and unobscured. It doesn't mean that there's no thought, no emotion. This means there's no attachment. Clearly and distinctly bright, even though you attempt to grasp this realm, it is not possible.

[75:58]

since it is not bound by form, does not exist. That which exists does not exist. Even though you attempt to get rid of it, you cannot leave it. Since it has accompanied you, since time immemorial, it is not non-existent. So here he says, it does not exist, now he's saying it is not non-existent. So he's talking about it now, right? Since it is not bound by form, it does not exist, because there's no special form that you can call it. Yet, even though you attempt to get rid of it, you can't leave it. If you want to walk away from it, no way you can walk away from it. Since it has accompanied you since time immemorial, it is not non-existent. Still, it is not the working of consciousness,

[77:01]

knowing or thought, much less something connected with the four elements or five aggregates. So it kind of looks like, you know, we're talking about something that's a kind of ghostly, you know, thing, but it's like an indescribable it that we can either grasp or get out of. It's the thing, it's what hears and sees, and smells and tastes, and thinks, and it's beyond all those things. So, it's easy to say, well, you're talking about God. You know, it's easy to say that. Well, you're talking about God. Uh, which you could do, but if you do that, then even though that's unlimited, it's still a kind of limitation.

[78:15]

But, um, if you don't fall into attachment names, then, uh, and theories, and ideas, and limiting concepts. This is where things all come together. The general idea of God is that it's dual life, and maybe my idea about the soul is listening, and what contains them. is always the kind of problem, you know. So we talk about something and give it names in order to be able to talk about it. But we have to be careful not to, um, get attached to the names and the ideas.

[79:21]

So it's hard. So, for convenience sake we talk about I, and for convenience sake we can talk about a soul. The soul means singular, the singular thing about each one of us, the singular essence of each one of us. But here, we have to go beyond the singular essence of each one of us. We have to let go even of that. singular essence exists but it doesn't exist, right? At the same time? It's a way of thinking, it's a way of thinking about things. You know, for convenience sake, you know, just for convenience sake we say I, really,

[80:31]

And you can say, well, I exist and I don't exist. So yeah, in that sense you could do that, you could say so. But, yeah. So, he said, since it has accompanied you, since time and more of this big mind, right, or Buddha nature, or whatever you want to call it, the bestness, still it is not the working of consciousness, knowing. or thought, much less something connected to the four elements or five aggregates. So, Hung Jir, that's the one Shishoganku, said, there is a knowing apart from passionate thought and discrimination. In other words, the way of knowing, there is a knowing that is apart from passionate thought and discrimination. There is a body that is not the four elements and five aggregates. fire, water, earth and air are the four elements right and the five aggregates are foreign feelings, perceptions, formations and consciousness there's a body that is not any of those that is it is the subtle consciousness always preaching keenly means that its manifestation at all times is preaching in other words preaching you know not as words but if you want to understand the Dharma

[81:58]

You can understand it through anything. You can understand the Dharma. If you really penetrate one thing thoroughly, you understand everything. This is the point of Zaza. To penetrate one thing thoroughly. It makes one raise one's eyebrows and blink. It makes one mark, stand, sit and lie down. be confused, get into trouble, die, be born there, eat when hungry, and sleep when tired. All these, without exception, are preaching. Speech, word, movement, and cessation of movement are also preaching. So, you know, in your daily life, if you want to study the Dharma, just study whatever is in front of you, because everything in front of you is preaching the Dharma. Whatever is in front of you is preaching the Dharma. It is There's something about this expression, it makes one do this, it makes one do that.

[83:06]

It's the animus, the animator. Is there an animal? Yeah, like a puppet. The wooden man begins to sing and a stone woman gets up to dance. But my question is, are we actually... postulating that there is this ending room? Because if we are then, we're confused about my... It's not some... Yeah. You don't know. Yeah. Well, it's that, but the thing is, you know, this is the way the thing is, you know, it's taking, I think it's taking kind of a risk of separating the animated from the anima, the animator from the animated. Because the animator and the animator are not too different. There's just animation. But it's a little risky.

[84:07]

I think this way of expressing comes out of the Yogacara, which tends to lean toward theistic But he's not really saying that. There's not a separation, it's not like there's some animator inside, you know, that's doing things. I guess you might call it like breath. You know, breath is a word that in spiritual traditions is like the animator.

[85:11]

And it's like spirit. Breath is a term that stands for spirit. You know, the quickening. Is that my question of spirits in Canada? Yeah. Well, of course. You know, like you say, all these things, speech, like, uh, it makes one raise one eye's eyebrows and bling. It's like, sounds like there's a, um, puppeteer inside the puppet, or working the puppet, right?

[86:20]

But, uh, it's just a metaphorical way of speaking. It also feels like it's about that everything's related. It's because you're related to something. You go like this. So it feels like it's not necessary even to see it as an it so much as a that. The it is that everything is related. Well, also a thing is that all these things are expressions of it. So it, it has no form or color, nothing special that identifies it. But all these appearances are expressions of it. So right now I can say, it looks like Wendy. But Wendy is not it.

[87:21]

That's what Tozan says in the poem. It looks like me, but I am not it. I am an expression of it that... But it is not. It is me, but I'm not here. Anyway, right now, it is expressing itself as windy. What we call windy. So I'm down here here. That's how we can keep ourselves peaceful. So it says... Kutcher said, there is a knowing apart from passionate thought of discrimination. He says, apart from, see that's what's confusing. There is a body that is not the four elements and the five values. In other words, it's beyond those, it's not dependent on them. That is, it is the subtle consciousness, always preaching keenly. Preaching means existence.

[88:25]

Whatever springs into existence is preaching. because it's expressing, right? This thing. Everything is expressing this thing. That it is the subtle consciousness always preaching keenly means that its manifestation at all times is preaching. It makes one raise one's eyebrows. In other words, it makes one, or it's what is raising one's eyebrows. In other words, the eyebrows are its eyebrows, really. And, and its eyebrows are blinking. And it's doing the walking, it's doing the standing, the sitting, the lying down and it's the being confused and it's getting into trouble and it's dying here and being born there and it's eating when hungry and sleeping when tired and all these without exception are preaching preaching means acting out it is not just a verbal or non-verbal preaching it is that one who appears magnificently

[89:27]

It is that one who appears magnificently, which is very bright and never dark. So, that also sounds realistic. But always bright and never dark, meaning it includes darkness. Since it is revealed in everything, or as everything, you should say, since it is revealed as everything, including the croaking of bullfrogs, that Dogen denies, and the sounds of earthworms. It constantly preaches keenly without cessation. If you can see it fully, then someday, like our imminent patriarch, Dung Chan, you will be able to be an example for others. So how can I express this principle concisely? Guys, it's nine o'clock. It's an extremely, extremely fine subtle consciousness is not emotional attachment.

[90:30]

But Clary translates it as mental attachment. So I translate it as... Yeah, Clary translates it as mental attachment. So I translate it as extremely fine subtle consciousness is not emotional or mental attachment. It constantly makes that one preach keenly. next week, our Shuso, our eminent Shuso, is going to give Dharma talk at 740 in the vehicle. And then we have Sashim. Next week.

[91:32]

And I have a couple of, I will I will present some more of these cases during the machine. Probably, uh, Phu Yong, Phu Yong Dao Kai, Phu Yong Dao Kai. Phu Yong Dao Kai. Page 204. Which one? Phu Yong Dao Kai, 204. To page 204. That's Wangshu Shogun, so that's page 216. All this dude is looking at the table of contents. Oh, yeah. And then also clearly had different names.

[92:39]

Yeah. Who was the one after three-year-old? Three-year-old okay?

[92:44]

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