So we can have the PA. I'd like to begin again as usual. by thanking my teacher, Surya Roshi. So amazing that he's leading this practice period. And then, secondly, I wanted to address a couple of things from my last talk. Our abbess, Linda Ruth Cutts, is very scrupulous about ... well, she's scrupulous about a lot of things, but she's very cautious in her talks not to make some cultural reference that everyone won't get.

[01:14]

Even when she talked about the Wizard of Oz, she made sure it turned out Lelio hadn't seen the Wizard of Oz. So, I mentioned that I have this rather unfortunate tattoo on my left arm of Alfred E. Newman. So I just wanted to make sure everyone understood that Alfred E. Newman is this character who's like the sort of mascot for a humorous magazine called Mad Magazine. And he's on the cover of every issue of Mad Magazine. And he's a fool. He's an idiot. And then I also said in my last talk, I said, tear the roof off the Saka. So, maybe not everyone got that. So, I just wanted to let you know that basically what I was trying to say when I said, tear the roof off, Vaisakha, is to please continue with your diligent practice.

[02:22]

Today, I'm going to talk about the Dungshan, the Zen teacher who wrote the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, which we are studying. In particular, I'm going to talk about the story of his enlightenment and his enlightenment gatha, and this will be the case or the verse that I will read in the upcoming shuso ceremony. And also, If there's time, I'd like to talk a little bit about freshness, how we keep our practice fresh, alive and vital. So, in my last talk, I talked about Dongshan's teacher, Yunyan. And now I want to talk a little bit about Master Dongshan, who lived from 807 to 869. That's over 1,100 years ago.

[03:32]

When Doshan was a little boy, he started studying Buddhism before the age of 10. And as a boy, he was reading, he was reciting the Heart Sutra. And he got to the place where it said, no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue. And he told his teacher, wait a minute. I have eyes, I have ears, hello, nose, you know, what's up with that?" A rather disingenuous comment, but his teacher was like, whoa, that's heavy. Okay, all right, young, I forget his family name anyway, young lad, you better not study with me. So he sent him off to study with a master, Limo, in Mount Wujie. he began his study of Zen and Dongshan ordained at the age of 21 and he studied briefly with famous Zen masters Nanchuan and Guishan before becoming a disciple of Yunyan.

[04:43]

Father Dumoulin who wrote his famous history of Zen he said Dongshan is a typical representative of southern Chinese Zen. He was born south of the Yangtze River in Zhejiang province. And he spent his entire life in southern China. Whose gentle climate gave his personality a different quality from that of Linji, who was reared in rough northern climes. It's a theory. He was a person of literary gifts. and he was fond of teaching through the medium of poetry. He shared this love of poetry with his master, Yun-Yan." So, thus, Monsieur Dumoulin. Then, as I was reading about Tung-Shan, I was also reading in Master Keizan's Tenko Roku, The Record of the Transmission of the Light.

[05:49]

And there's a famous story about Tung-Shan and his mom. which I was talking to Sojan Roshi about. He said, well, you can talk about that if you want to, but every mom in the place is probably going to go. And I would say, everybody who has a mom. So, according to Master Khezan, for those of you who are not familiar with the story, he was his mother's favorite child. since his elder brother had died, 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. With this vow, he left his native place. Eventually, he completed his study and went to live on Mount Dong. Since his mother was alone,

[06:50]

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 Tung, she yearned to go and see him. But Tung Shan 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. Wow. Harsh. And the story goes on, Kaesong goes on to say that Dongshan collected the rice that she had begged that was there in her begging bowl after she died and mixed that rice with the morning gruel and served it to all the monks as an offering, as a funerary offering. And then his mother's spirit came to him in a dream and said, because of your great resolve

[07:51]

I've been reborn in Tushita heaven. Oh, that made everything all better. Well, I don't know. I don't know what to make of this story. But I have an idea, I guess, that this story is about Geng Shan's great resolve to practice. And I think, you know, it's repellent to most of us, I would imagine, and perhaps at least as much, if not more so, to Chinese sensibility. And this Confucian ideal of the Chinese family system and filial piety remember that Dungshan lived at the time of Emperor Wuzong's great suppression of Buddhism, which I talked about in my last Dharma talk in 845 AD.

[09:01]

Emperor Wuzong really had it in for Buddhism, well, for a number of reasons, but one of those reasons was because he saw Buddhism as being opposed to the Confucian ideals of filial piety. So, to me, this story sort of symbolizes, I don't know if it happened or not, but it symbolizes this radical resolve to practice, no matter what, and if it goes against this big strong cultural notion of filial piety, so be it, you know, we're going to practice. I would compare this story to, say, Nanchuan cutting a cat in two, or Waker cutting off his arm. You know, I don't think any of us want to go around cutting cats in two or cutting off our arms, but they're stories that speak to us.

[10:09]

Anyway, kind of blew my mind. I'm going to tell you a little bit more about the record of Dongshan before I get to his Enlightenment gatha, some of my favorite stories. When he was practicing with his teacher Yunyan, Dongshan said to Yunyan, I have some habits that are not yet eradicated. Yunyan said, what have you been doing? Dongshan replied, I have not concerned myself with the Four Noble Truths. Yunyan said, are you joyful yet? Dongshan said, it would be untrue to say that I'm not joyful. It is as though I have grasped a bright pearl in a pile of shit. So I think maybe some picture of the guy begins to emerge. Maybe he's kind of dour temperament. Yeah. It's not like I'm not joyful.

[11:13]

I'm not saying I'm not joyful, you know. The joy they're referring to here is the first of the ten stages in the Avatamsaka Sutra. All these guys were very aware of the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Hawaiian doctrine and Zen teaching go together hand-in-hand. And the chapter on the ten stages I can highly recommend. Anyway, the first stage of the 10 stages, Thomas Cleary translates as extreme joy. It's Pramudita, extreme joy. So, you know, Tungshan had to cut to it because it was the first stage, you know. Oh, I'm joyful. And then, a story I really, really love. This is skipping way ahead in time to when he was teaching on Mount Dung. The master asked the monk, what is the most tormenting thing in this world?

[12:20]

Hell is the most tormenting thing, answered the monk. Not so. When that which is draped in these rogue threads is unaware of the great matter, that I call the most tormenting thing, said the master. I love that story. It really speaks to me, plucks the base strings of my heart, I guess you'd say. And finally, I want to talk about Tungshan's death. When the master was about to enter perfect rest, he addressed the assembly saying, I've had a worthless name in this world. Who will get rid of it for me? When none of the assembly replied, a novice monk came forward and said, please say what the monk's Dharma name is. The master said, my worthless name has been eradicated. A monk asked, although the monk is unwell, is there actually one who is not sick?

[13:22]

There is, replied the master. Will the one who is not sick treat the monk? The master said, I am entitled to see him. I wonder how the monk will see him. When I see him, there will be no perception of sickness, replied the master. The master continued by asking the monk, after I have left this filth-poosing shell, where will we meet? The monk didn't reply. The master recited a gatha. He's a poet. Disciples as numerous as grains of sand in the river Ganges, not one has gained enlightenment. They err in seeking it as a path taught by others to eliminate form and eradicate its traces, make utmost effort and strive diligently to walk in nothingness. Then the master had his head shaved, bathed himself and put on his robes. He struck the bell and announced his departure to the assembly. Sitting solemnly, he began to pass away. Immediately the large assembly began to wail and lament.

[14:26]

This continued for some time without stopping. The Master suddenly opened his eyes and addressed the assembly saying, For those who have left home, a mind unattached to things is the true practice. People struggle to live and make much of death, but what's the use of lamenting? I love this story. Once again, I visualize this Lenny Bruce bit or maybe some Yiddish blackout comedy. You guys, come on! Get with it!" Then he ordered a temple official to make arrangements for a delusion banquet. This has also been translated as delusion-destroying banquet. However, the assembly's feeling of bereavement did not go away, so preparations for the banquet were extended over seven days. The master joined with the assembly in completing the preparations.

[15:29]

This makes me think of Sodaroji. I can just picture him. All right, you got some carrots to chop? All right. He helped out. Saying, you monks have made a great commotion over nothing. When you see me pass away this time, don't make a noisy fuss. Accordingly, he retired to his room, sat correctly and passed away. So, I want to talk about basically another water koan. I talked about the 16 Bodhisattvas in the bath and yesterday Sojourner Roshi talked about nirvana, the waterfall. And today I want to talk about Tungshan wading through the stream.

[16:37]

So I will read this first. Just before leaving his teacher, Tungshan asked, if after many years someone should ask if I am able to portray the master's likeness, how should I respond? After remaining quiet for a while, Yunyan said, just this person. Dongshan was lost in thought. Yunyan said, Jaya Charya, having assumed the burden of this great matter, you must be very cautious. Dongshan remained dubious about what Yunyan had said. Later, as he was crossing a river, He saw his reflected image and experienced a great awakening to the meaning of the previous exchange. He composed the following gatha. Earnestly avoid seeking without, lest it recede far from you. Today I am walking alone, yet everywhere I meet him.

[17:43]

He is now no other than myself, but I am not now him. It must be understood in this way in order to merge with suchness. So, taking it bit by bit, at first he says, after many years, if someone should ask if I'm able to portray the Master's likeness, what that means is, do I have your mind? Traditionally, a disciple wasn't supposed to paint or portray his teacher's likeness unless he had received complete Dharma transmission. So, that's what Dungsan is asking poetically, you know, do I have your dharma? And Yunyan says, just this person. This is actually a legal phrase from the Han courts.

[18:49]

It means like, guilty as charged, or here I am before you, just this person. and Yunyen says, Jayacharya, which is like a term of endearment, having assumed the burden of this great matter, that is another sort of legalistic expression, meaning you're taking up this burden, this is your responsibility, this is your personal responsibility. In our school, this is what we do. You know, we take up this practice as our personal responsibility. You must be very cautious. This is ... Yunyan and Dunshan, you know, are noted for this, this cautiousness, this scrupulousness, this

[19:52]

I think this is very essential, very important. It's something I've been thinking about a lot. You know, as a Shuso, I'm privileged to write a log, which is a record of things that happened during the practice period. Well, yeah, basically. Your experiences, what have you. And most shusos have written a log, so I also get to read that and, you know, share their experiences and learn from that. I haven't had much time to read much of it, but of course I've read Mel's shuso log twice. 35 years ago in 1970, when he was shuso under Tatsugami Roshi, Mel wrote, one phrase, speaking about Tatsugami Roshi, one phrase that he quoted over and over was, Minmitsu no Kafu, untiring effort on each moment to follow the family way.

[21:06]

Family way meaning, of course, Soto Zen. In essence, it means bringing each moment to life. life and death exists on each moment and we must make every effort not to waste a single moment." He was also fond of saying, open your eyes. So, later, as Tungshan was crossing a river, That's this picture on the front of the record of Dongshan, and also on the front of your Jewel Mirror Translation Study Guide is the same picture, a painting of Dongshan wading, fording across this river. I think there might be some people in this room who've seen this river in China, were on that trip with Reb and Andy Ferguson.

[22:13]

No? Well, it doesn't matter. Charlie did. My friend Charlie Picorni has seen it. For me, it's not so important because in my mind's eye, Dengshan is crossing Tazahara Creek. Not right now. You wouldn't want to do it now. Don't go in Tazahara Creek right now. It's very dangerous. During guest season, If you walk down the path towards the narrows, there's a place where actually the water is quite smooth and still, although it's still flowing pretty quickly. There's a place where it's rather shallow and placid, and you can easily wade across and see your reflection. I imagine Dongshan wading across Tazahara Creek right there and seeing his reflection in the water.

[23:18]

The reflection that actually begins at his ankles because, you know, his feet are in the water. He's getting wet. So his reflection is joined there at his ankles. Suzuki Roshi said, Tozan Ryokai attained enlightenment many times. Once when he was crossing a river, he saw himself reflected in the water and composed a verse. Don't try to figure out who you are. If you try to figure out who you are, what you understand will be far away from you. You will have just an image of yourself. Actually, you are in the river. You may say that is just a shadow or a reflection of yourself.

[24:21]

But if you look carefully with warm hearted feeling, that is you. I think. I thank Suzuki Roshi for that teaching, for that help. In this talk, I don't think you could say it better than that. And I think that's that's what. Dongshan saw. That was his experience. everywhere I meet him. He is now no other than myself, but I am not now him. Earnestly avoid seeking without, the gatha begins, lest it recede far from you." These two lines immediately bring to mind, for me, Dogen Zenji in the Genjo Koan.

[25:23]

when he says, to carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. Yes, I like that line very much, to carry yourself forward. Okay, if it's yourself that's being carried forward, who is doing the carrying? Well, Tungshan always talks about it, many times in the Jewel Mirror Samadhi. He says, it is like a massive fire. It acts as a guide for beings. It's used to remove all pains. Just to depict it in literary form is to stain it with defilement. Uh-huh. Yes. Yet, Dungsan wrote the Jewel Mirror Samadhi. Well, that's what poets do. Poets write poetry. That's their function. And in a religion that's older than Buddhism, Taoism also has a book, the Tao Te Ching, the book of the Tao.

[26:42]

The very first lines are the Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. They warn you. It is inconceivable. And then the first thing we want to say is, yeah, well, what's your conception of that? No, it's inconceivable. I think maybe that's why Zen monks shave their heads, because they might be tearing their hair out. Any conception of it is seeking outside, and it will recede far from you." My note here says, puppy dog and tail. Yet, poets write poetry.

[27:51]

That's what they do. So Dylan Thomas said, The force that drives the water through the rocks drives my red blood. Hmm. I think that's pretty good understanding. That works for me as well as anything else. How would you have it? You know, in our class, classes, we've been talking about the various consciousnesses And a manas, the ego consciousness, abrogates so much importance to itself. Self-importance. You know, well, maybe manas says, well, I just, I just take care of the important things. No. Okay. Imagine if that were really true. Pump, pump, pump, keep pumping.

[28:52]

Beat, beat. How long could you beep? Keep that up. Beep. Pump. Pump. Don't stop. Okay, we're coming to a hill now. Pump. [...] Be like an episode from the Twilight Zone. That's a television show from the 60s that had lots of scary things in it. You can maybe keep that up for an hour or so, maybe. No, you know, it happens. We don't think about it. You let it happen. Nobody ever says, oh, that was really tasty cashew tomato soup. Maybe because I had seconds, I better secrete just a little bit more serum glutamic oxalic transaminase. I don't think anyone ever produces that thought. Dungshan said, today I am walking alone.

[30:05]

While I'm well aware that Dungshan did not speak English, I do really like that in the Oxford English Dictionary it says that the word alone was originally a phraseological combination of all and one, emphasizing oneness. I walk all one. Yet everywhere I meet him or it. He is now no other than myself. Suzuki Roshi again. In this Dharma talk, which is actually entitled wherever I go, I meet myself. When you practice Zazen and trying to improve yourself, you may want to know yourself in a more psychological way. Psychology will tell you about certain aspects of yourself, but it will not tell you exactly who you are.

[31:13]

It is just one of many interpretations of your mind. If you go to a psychologist or psychiatrist, you will endlessly have new information about yourself. As long as you are going, you may feel some relief. You may feel released from the burden you carry. But in Zen, we understand ourselves quite differently. Tozan, the founder of the Chinese Soto Zen school, said, don't try to see yourself objectively. In other words, don't try to seek for information about yourself that is the objective truth. That is information. He says that the real you is quite different from any information you have. The real you is not the kind of thing, is not that kind of thing. I go my own way. Wherever I go, I meet myself. Tozan rejects your effort to cling to information about yourself and says to go on alone, using your own legs. Whatever people may say, you should go your own way. And at the same time, you should practice with people.

[32:16]

This is another point. It means that to meet yourself is to practice with people. He is now no other than myself." Dogen, the Genjo Koan, again, that myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening. There's nothing for you to do. What can you do? Well, you can possibly try to refrain from carrying yourself forward. Maybe. How? How do you refrain from carrying yourself forward?

[33:23]

That's a great question. And I'm not sure I have and answer. I could possibly suggest within our forms, our wonderful Zen forms, that when you do gassho, you just let gassho do the gassho. And when you sit zazen, Just let Zazen sit Zazen. Maybe easier said than done, but that I think is kind of the feeling. And I have some other advice from Zen Master Bankei. Bankai lived from 1622 to 1693.

[34:32]

He was very, very popular Zen master in Japan. And if he was alive today, he'd probably have his own TV show. Bankai said, I tell my students and those of you coming regularly here to the temple, be stupid. Because you've got the dynamic function of the marvelously illuminating Buddha mind, Even if you get rid of discriminative understanding, you won't be foolish. So all of you, from here on, be stupid. Even if you're stupid, when you're hungry, you'll ask for something to eat. When you're thirsty, you'll ask for some tea. When it gets warm, you'll put on thin, light clothes. And when it's cold, you'll put on more clothes. As far as your activities of today are concerned, you're not lacking a thing. With people who are clever, there are sure to be a great many shortcomings. to have transcended those clever people whom all the world holds in great esteem is what's meant by stupidity.

[35:34]

There's really nothing wrong with being a blockhead." So, maybe this really is the practice of Alfred E. Newman. So, in the little time remaining, I wanted to speak also a little bit about freshness. Because it's spring and Today, by the way, is Good Friday, and the day after tomorrow is Easter Sunday, a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Christ, a time of renewal and rebirth. It's when we think about these things. Jesus said, Behold, I make all things new. I love that. But I think a Zen person cannot really hear that without thinking, and all things make me new. Or, behold, myself and all things are co-arising dependently in perpetual newness on each moment.

[36:43]

Which is a little wordy, so maybe just... The Lotus Sutra It constantly says, at the end of some section or the end of some chapter, they all had an unprecedented experience, or depending on the translation, they all experienced something they'd never experienced before. But you know, that's always happening to us. We're always having an unprecedented experience. So how does our practice become stale and complacent? Zentatsu Richard Baker always used to say, We suffer because we try to repeat reality. It's a survival mechanism. It's very useful to know if you're driving a car, if you depress this pedal, the car will go faster. If you depress that pedal, the car will come to a stop.

[37:45]

This is useful information. But our problem is we make it into our modus operandi. We make that our usual MO, this repetitious thinking. And we forget. Suzuki Roshi said, in Japan, we have the phrase, shoushin, which means beginner's mind. The goal of practice is always to keep our beginner's mind. Suppose you recite the Prajnaparamita Sutra only once. It might be a very good recitation. But what would happen if you recited it twice, three times, four times or more? you might easily lose your original attitude towards it. The same thing will happen, my italics, the same thing will happen in your others and practices. For a while, you will keep your beginner's mind. But if you continue to practice one, two, three years or more, although you may improve some, you are liable to lose the limitless meaning of original mind.

[38:50]

So how do we not lose that limitless meaning of our original mind? The Avatamsaka Sutra is always talking about myriads of Buddhas, kotinayutas of Buddhas. From every pore of that Buddha's body is the ray of light. At the end of that ray of light is another Buddha. from every pore of that Buddha's body is a ray of light. At the end of that ray of light is another Buddha, and so forth and so on. Countless myriads of Buddhas. And so, maybe there's depressed Buddha, angry Buddha, contented Buddha, hungry Buddha, impatient Buddha, Bored Buddha? Boring Buddha! Just don't stick to any particular Buddha, and it's all good.

[39:55]

Let it flow. You let it go, and you let it flow, like Tazahara Creek. And then, I have here real big in my notes is his gratitude. And I think that is the key. I'm nearing the end of when I should be talking to. But I could sit here from now to lunch and talk about the number of things I'm grateful for. And I think we all could. I would just like to mention again how grateful I am that Sojourn Roshi is here and that we are enjoying his teaching. This could be the last practice period he leads at Tassajara. It could be, but it may not be.

[40:58]

Remember, he was the one who gave us the admonition to use the teacher. And I would also like to mention that on April 10th, I'm going to be marrying Linda. And I wanted to take this opportunity to invite everyone here and later on I'll have to go and invite the kitchen staff to our wedding. It's going to be at Berkeley Zen Center on April 10th at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. So you're all invited and you can work it out with the director who's gonna come or not. You can tell her. And finally, I'd like to mention this place and this practice. One time during guest season of 2001, I was walking down the trail towards the Narrows with two friends, Max Swanger and Eleanor Graves.

[42:08]

Actually, we were right about at the place where Dongshan crossed. We were pretty near there. And I was just overwhelmed by the beauty of it. And I told them, you know, if I ever start taking this place for granted, just shoot me. And Eleanor said, if you ever start taking this place for granted, won't that be punishment enough? So, I'd like to finish with reiterating one sentence that Sojin wrote in this Yuso log 35 years ago. In essence, it means bringing each moment to life.

[43:15]

I was going to read you some more Walt Whitman, but I think that's going to have to wait for another time. It's 10.30. I should really finish, but maybe one or two questions. Whoa, that was fast. Rickson. You know, you get slick. You'll look good. You'll look sharp. You'll be one good looking Zen monk. You'll be able to recite this and that and have things memorized and be really, as well, improve in that sense. That's what I think you meant. Hello, Nancy. Yeah, basically.

[44:23]

It's a really good insight. And the first part of what you said, that's right. I mean, basically, that's what Kaizen says. It's got to do with Tungshan's resolve to practice. And fortunately, I think you, as well as everyone in this room, can include loving your mother in practice. Well, it must include great faith.

[48:30]

Insight alone is not enough. That can lead to nihilism. Many great philosophers and thinkers have killed themselves or come to very tragic ends. I think that's what makes it a religion. It's great faith. Hands, hands. OK, Peter. He did not wish to meet her. Yes. Uh-huh.

[49:37]

Carry. Well, you know, the ordination ceremony begins in faith that we are Buddha. We take refuge in the triple treasure, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The possibility of practice. Possibility of practice and enlightenment arising together. You have faith in that belief. And practice validates it, because practice and enlightenment do arise together. So faith is strengthened. The clock is 10.35. I want to read Walt Whitman. Next time, I guess.

[50:41]

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