I vow to chase the truth of the Titus' words. So go against him.

[01:14]

That's all. Okay. Overcorrected. Okay. That's what you should know for a practice exam. Staying away is the great matter of a lifetime. Not just studying for a while and then you get to know something and then put it in your pocket. But practice is a matter of a lifetime. You should not belittle it or be hasty with it. A master of old cut off his arm. That's Acosta, when he was standing outside in the snow, trying to get Bodhi Dhamma to talk to him, as you will remember.

[02:28]

And another cut off his finger. We caught up two fingers in front of it. Often monks in China would cut off little joints of the finger in order to show their sincerity. And sometimes it became kind of a peer pressure.

[03:37]

become ordained, they burned marks on their head, sometimes three or five. Japanese priests don't do that. I mean, this is something that's fairly peculiar to China. I remember when I was studying Master Hua. You know Master Hua? He was the master of the city of 10,000 Buddhas. Before that, he was in Chinatown. Gold Mountain Monastery on 1610.

[05:00]

And he showed me one time his chest. He opened his robe and he had a big scar that went all the way around like this. He said, this is where he burned his beads, on his chest. You get them hot and then you put them on? put them on fire, lit them on fire, and then have pigs cower. Although the Japanese monks don't do that usually. But sometimes when, you know, if they have a teacher, it's very hard to leave that teacher. Because you have this bond with the teacher.

[06:40]

Japanese monks are supposed to be very sincere. And when they choose a teacher, they choose a teacher. It's not easy to leave that teacher for another teacher. But it does happen, and people do that. And sometimes they need something to show their sincerity. And in order to show her sincerity, she cut off one of the joints of her little finger. Deadly serious.

[08:04]

Anyway. I'm glad we don't encourage those kinds of practices, but right at this moment I can probably bet everything I own that I wouldn't cut off anything. What does that mean? I haven't even cut off my hair. How non-attached can you be and still keep all your digits? You can be totally non-attached.

[09:13]

You don't have to give up your digits. I know, I believe that you're saying we don't have to, but... And you're not encouraged to. Right, that we're not encouraged. You don't need to. We don't want you to. Don't worry! But what does it mean? Well, I guess all I'm saying is I know I couldn't do it, and now it bothers me. Not that I want to do it, but I understand what's being asked, and it brings me right to the line, and I'm backing away. Well, you have to remember, it's not something that's being asked. It's something that's being offered. But if it's being offered, why do I have to give something up for it? No. For somebody to do that... Oh, it's an offering they're making. Right. It's not something somebody's asking to do. Right. Right. It's not being asked.

[10:13]

It's just an impulse of someone to show their sincerity. Another question about that. I'm not sure what kind of sincerity is being showed. Is it gratitude to the old teacher? Or is it, I really, really need to do this? Sincerity? I really need to do this, and I'm not leaving you. Not really. Or so. If I didn't, you're like... For me to cut my... It's like for me to leave you. It's like cutting off my finger. For me to cut my bond with you is like... Feels like this. Yeah. So it's appreciation for the old teacher. Yeah.

[11:17]

Because we don't grow up in a society that has mutilation I appreciate the laughter, but I'm very moved by the story and I can't imagine myself doing that for a teacher that had profound meaning for me that I had to leave. And I wondered what, is there an equivalent in imported Zen or just in a religion that you can think of that has the import of that kind of gesture? Yeah, it's called circumcision. It's not about leaving your teacher, but it's about making some... giving up a part of yourself for the deity. Or making your kid give up something.

[12:26]

Well, people, you know, that's the way society runs. You bring in children in your society. And so it's a covenant. Circumcision is a covenant. But it's all over the Middle East. It's all over the Middle East. And also in parts of Africa. Muslims, I think. But then there's also women's. But I'm not sure that women's circumcision is the same purpose as men's. No, it's mutilation. Yeah, mutilation. Well, I stayed in a temple in Japan quite some time ago, and an Indonesian roommate was there.

[13:45]

Not three. Where was he from? Indonesia. Oh yeah. Or it could be Indonesians. Followed the train, sometimes followed... Southeast Asia sometimes followed the train. But I don't know exactly where he went. He had an idea he was going to go back and start his own temple. Maybe it was going to be the sign of his chest. Bodhidharma's disciple. He'd always, he's supposed to have been out there in the snow to his waist for how many hours? A long time. He probably had a cut off his arm because it was frostbitten. Yeah, I knew there was another reason besides that one. But one more is he there. Actually someone said, there is a story that Rob But the story, whether it happened or not, the story is to show something.

[15:43]

That's the reason for the story. He cut off his arm to show his sincerity. Otherwise, the story didn't mean much. And I think that the story of Bodhidharma cutting off his arm to show his sincerity kind of carried through with people cutting off their fingers. I think that was the beginning of that kind of activity. That myth, people took it literally and started making offerings like this. Well, not to get too far away from it, but in our culture, it's not without self-mutilation either. to show solidarity and loyalty. Absolutely. Especially right now. Tattoos, ear piercings, nose piercings, labial piercings.

[16:51]

Smoking cigarettes. Smoking cigarettes. You can't see a person talking. But I think the story is that he did do it. He knew that he was going to die in that war. Well, yes, but he didn't cause it. He just, he went along with his destiny. And also dying is different than cutting off your fingers.

[17:55]

Yeah. In a significant way. Anyway, this has gone on. A master wolf cut off his arm, and then they cut off his fingers. These are excellent models from China. Now, I think you have to be careful here, because Dong Yan is not saying, he's not advocating that we do this as an example. But he's saying they're examples of sincerity. They're not examples that you should follow. But they're examples of sincerity, just like When we use, you know, the story of Odedanah cutting off his arm, we don't say, we say this is a wonderful, the story is that this is a wonderful example of sincerity. But it's not an example that you should follow. He doesn't say that, but he doesn't say you should follow this example.

[18:59]

But he does say, Long ago, Shakyamuni Buddha abandoned his home and left his country. This is an excellent precedent for practicing the way. So, cutting off your ties, he's talking to monks. You have to remember that Dogen is addressing the community of monks who are home leavers. And then he says, people of the present say you should practice what is easy to practice. These words are quite mistaken. They are not at all in accord with the Buddha way. If this alone is what you regard as practice, then even lying down will be wearisome. If you find one thing wearisome, you will find everything wearisome. It is obvious that people who are fond of easy practice are not capable of the way. Well, we have to remember.

[20:04]

again, that Dogen is talking to people and monks. This is the 15th century Japan, and it's a time of 500-year period after Buddha, and the degeneration of the Dharma, according to Mapo. And there appeared Shinran and Honen, who developed the chanting of Buddha's name and salvation, which actually started in China, but it was developed further in Japan by Shinran and Honen, who lived around Dogen's time.

[21:20]

And Dogen, when he talks about easy practice, he's talking So when he says people of the present say you should practice when it's easy to practice, that's what they're talking about. They're talking about chanting the name of Buddha instead of practicing. In fact, the Dharma spread and is now present in the world because our great teacher Shakyamuni practiced with difficulty and pain for immeasurable aeons And finally it came this dharma. If the original source is like this, how could the later streams be either? So students who would like to study the Way must not wish for easy practice.

[22:45]

If you seek easy practice, you will for certain never reach the ground of truth or dig down to the place of treasure. Even teachers of old who had great capacity said that practice is difficult. You should know that the Buddha Way is vast and profound. If the Buddha way were originally easy to practice, then teachers of great capacity from olden times would not have said that practice is difficult and understanding is difficult. Compared to the people of old, those of today do not amount to even one hair from nine cows." Well, this is, you know, Toget's kind of exaggerating. He's trying to make a point. You know, like, the old masters were really, you know, so far above whatever we can do. We never met them. On the other hand, in another place he said, you know, the masters of the world were just like you.

[23:52]

And you will be just like them. So, you always have to, when Dogen exaggerates, you always know there's another side as well. So then he says, with their small capacity and shallow knowledge, even if people today strive diligently and regard this as difficult and excellent practice, still it does not amount to even the easiest practice and easiest understanding of the teachers of all. That's not a very encouraging view. What is this teaching of easy understanding and easy practice, which people nowadays like? It is neither a secular teaching nor a Buddhist teaching. So it's really not Buddhist teaching. In fact, chanting of Buddha's name is not really Buddhist teaching, according to, you know.

[24:54]

It does not come up to the practice of Papyus, the demon king. Nor does it come up to the practice of those outside the way, or the two lesser vehicles, which is Pachinko Buddhas and the listeners, astrologers. Pachinko Buddhas are those people who are advanced in their practice, that have no compassion. And shalom to everyone. we should regard it as the product of ordinary people's extreme delusion.

[26:11]

Even though they try to attain liberation, they find nothing but endless rounds of suffering. I forgot to mention that Nichiren, Nichiren lived around Buddha's time also. I mean, Dogon's time. And one of the Buddhas were trying to get into favor with the aristocracy, with the leaders, the rulers, by chanting and practicing for the sake of the safety of the nation. And that's why the rulers would bring them into favor, because they felt that by their virtuous practice, the nation was set right, correctly. And we brought protection to the nation.

[27:17]

And Nichiren was very much attuned to this. And his practice was chanting the name of the Lotus Sutra, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. And if I had at least, if I hadn't, it would have been much better. flotilla that was coming to Japan. And through his heavy chanting of the name of the Lotus Sutra, there came a big storm, and the Korean flotilla was sunk.

[28:24]

And so he gained favor with the emperor. So Dōgen is putting that out, you know, he's And then, Dogen says, on the other hand, he's talking about difficult practice, you know, but then he's kind of changing, turning over another side. And he's saying, on the other hand, we can see that breaking bones or crushing marrow is not difficult. But to harmonize the mind is most difficult. When he says, breaking your bones and crushing your marrow, he's talking about aesthetic practices.

[29:34]

As you know, Shakyamuni, when he first began to, when he first left home, indulged in all these aesthetic practices. Living out in the open with no clothes, never taking a bath and laying down in the road and asking people to defecate on you and pee on you and to go through all kinds of humiliating experiences and then eating one grain of rice a day or two grains of rice a day and all these kinds of ascetic experiences that's called crushing the bones and breaking the bones and crushing the marrow. That's not difficult. But what is difficult is to harmonize the mind. That's most difficult. Again, the practice of prolonged austerity is not difficult, but to harmonize the body

[30:42]

What we tend to think of as difficult is not difficult. What is difficult is what we usually ignore or not think about so much, which is to harmonize body and mind. Do you think crushing bones is of value? Although many endured such practice, Do you think people practicing austerity are to be respected? Although there have been many, few of them have realized the way, for they still have difficulty in harmonizing the mind. So what is harmonizing the mind and what is harmonizing the body? Because practice of Zazen is to harmonize body and mind with the universe.

[32:08]

Harmonizing body and mind. without separation. Our surroundings, we breathe in our surroundings.

[33:25]

the way to access the universal activity. It's 8.13. 8.13. 8.13? OK. Two more minutes. And then he says, brilliance is not primary. Understanding is not primary. Conscious endeavor is not primary. Introspection is not primary. Without using any of these, harmonize body and mind and enter the Buddha way. Understanding is not necessary to understand Buddhism, even though it's a very good thing and you should try.

[35:46]

It's not necessary, it's just not primary. Sorry. Conscious endeavor is not primary, introspection is not primary. who are not using any of these. All the loquitas run upstream inward and disregards knowing objects.

[37:49]

inward and disregards knowing objects. or we're both forgotten. Turning the stream of consciousness inwards, disregards knowing objects, can mean ignoring objects,

[39:25]

I don't think it means ignoring objects. That's what it does say. They coined the two sides. One side is the realm of what we call our life, with all of its movement and billions of activities going on in the weaving. Did you ever see a pile of maggots in that garbage can?

[40:37]

Riding. Riding. Yeah. Riding. The undulation of life. And then the other side is... but this riding is limited. That's unlimited. So the other side of the coin is this unlimited side. That's Zazen. But Zazen also, well let me say, is that when we do Zazen, we're facing this way.

[41:44]

Zazen facing the unlimited side. like stillness and stopping. And then, you know, the other side of the coin is activity. But they're not two different things. Even though they are two different things, but they're the same coin. So to turn inward means to face that unlimited side. But what is the purpose?

[42:58]

That's where you started. Yeah, so he says, the old man Shakyamuni said, Avalokiteshvara turns his stream inward and disregards knowing objects. So turning inward means facing that way. Because there is no inward, actually. Inward is just a relative term. Inside and outside are just relative terms. activity and simply face the unconditioned stillness which is infinite.

[44:05]

And therefore objects are forgotten. In Okumura he talks about that hearing the heard and the... And what it strikes me is when the object is relinquished, the subject is relinquished, and it's a way of practicing no-self. Yes, that's right. When subject and object are both relinquished, that's practicing no-self. Charlie? Well, that's the next sentence. This is the meaning.

[45:12]

That is the meaning. Separation between the two aspects of activity and stillness simply does not arise. This is harmonizing. the two aspects of activity and stillness simply does not arise. Yes? In the sentence before where he says... Can you say that again? In the sentence immediately preceding where he says, Shantini said, Avalokiteshvara turns the stream inward in disregard to knowledge. And you were saying that turning inward is a way of saying, turning towards the undiscriminated or unseparated, the infinite. Now, I'd like to ask you, when I manage to, sometimes when I'm sitting,

[46:23]

And I'm managing to get attention to my breath. When you spin the top, it runs down the floor. So it's great dynamic activity within stillness. When you get up from Zazen and start the activity, that's great stillness within dynamic activity. So when we say our Zazen is extended from sitting,

[47:29]

And we should always be aware of that stillness within our activities, and that awareness So it works both ways. I mean, both are present, but one is at the flip side of the other. That's why Dogen's practice is, be one with your activity. Just, and Suzuki Roshi is talking about this all the time. All you have to do is be one with the activity. No separation. But, to me, washing dishes... To you what?

[48:34]

I said, to me, washing dishes is just exactly the same. Yeah, washing dishes or whatever. Because if you're just washing dishes... If you're just washing dishes. Yeah, it's the same as just watching your breath. Yeah, it kind of has a following breath. There's a place where you feel that the breath is breathing me? The breath is breathing. You can say, for the sake of convenience, I am being breathed. I am breathed. Yes. That's right. It's like... You know, the feeling is, I'm doing something, right?

[49:38]

But actually, in breathing, there's just the activity, because you don't have anything to do with it, unless you're controlling your breath in some way, which we don't usually do. Breath is just this universal activity. The activity of the universe playing itself out in response That's why you can really learn a lot just from following breath. Isn't there, there's a place where I feel like you move from the autonomic nervous system to the, the nervous system where you feel you have to So I would say, you know, breathe with your activity to really be aware of breath with the interactivity.

[51:12]

Because there's also a rhythm of work. And the rhythm of work works together with the breathing. Rhythm of breathing and rhythm of work. And especially when you play music, you're so conscious of this. And I don't mean just wind instruments, but all kinds of music, like to dance. Life is a kind of dance. And when we move rhythmically, we don't always notice the rhythms, but there are, we definitely have rhythms. Then the breath works with the rhythms. And people who work, who move rhythmically with the breath tend to be healthier, you know, because they're in harmony with the breath. I think it's really important to be in harmony with the breathing, move in harmony with the breathing.

[52:14]

And I once knew a woman who wrote a book on piano playing. Playing the piano, you have to be very much aware of breathing when you play the piano. And I do it with a drummer. Same thing, you know. His teacher taught me how to breathe while drumming. How to be aware of breathing, moving the breath while drumming. So it really permeates all of the activities in my background, all of the activities. Separation between the two aspects of activity and stillness simply did not arise.

[53:38]

This is harmonizing. Also, Suzuki Goshi used to talk about back and forth. You come to the zendo and then you leave the zendo. And you come to the zendo and you leave the zendo. And when you come to the zendo, this is one kind of activity. If anyone could enter the Buddha way by means of brilliance, of broad knowledge, then the senior monk Hsuan Hsu would have been the one.

[54:40]

You know, if you've read the Platform Sutra, Hsuan Hsu was the 5th Patriarch's head monk who was quite old and learned a lot. He said that if brilliance of broad knowledge, if anyone could enter the Buddha way by means of brilliance of broad knowledge, then the senior monk, Hsuan Hsu, would have been the one. If anyone of ordinary appearance or humble position were excluded from the Buddha way, how could Huineng have become the sixth ancestor of Huineng? is not the criterion for realization.

[55:49]

But relational innocence is. Which is an example if I may. Huang Nan was quite young. He never practiced and was illiterate, so to speak. So it is clear that the Buddha way's transmission lies outside of brilliance and broad knowledge. Search and find out. Reflect and practice. He's trying to encourage you to practice on him. Being old or decrepit does not exclude you. Sorry. Being quite young or in your prime does not exclude you. Although Zhaozhu, which is his joshu, first studied when he was over 60. I know that's true. Although he did live to be 120. Although Zhaozhou first studied when he was over 60, he became a man of excellence in the ancestral lineage.

[56:53]

Zheng's daughter had already studied long by the time she was 13, and she was outstanding in the monastery. The power of Buddhadharma is revealed depending on whether or not there is effort, and is distinguished depending on whether or not it is practiced. So, this film gets pitched. It has to be effort, and it has to be practice. Otherwise, it doesn't happen. Those who have studied Sutras a long time, and those who are accomplished in secular texts, all should study in the Zen Monastery. There have been many examples of this. Huisi of Nanyue was a very learned man. But still, he practiced with Bodhidharma. Zhuangzui of Yongjia was an excellent scholar.

[57:58]

And still, he practiced with Dajia. To understand Dharma and attain a way can only be the result of studying with a teacher. However, when practicing and inquiring of a teacher, listen to her words without matching them with your previous views. If you understand the words in terms of your own views, you will not be able to grasp the teaching. of how you listen to the teacher, how you listen to the teaching, to not just compare it with your own views, or your previous views. Also, good teaching sometimes sounds really harsh to your ears, and it's hard to accept, and goes against our brain, so to speak.

[59:13]

It's usually a problem for us. It's kind of like bitter medicine in a way. Because it challenges our ego, challenges our ideas, our self-centeredness, our comfort level. How do you take this teaching with the Buddha's last teaching about being a lamp unto yourself or a light unto yourself? How do you reconcile these two very seemingly opposite? He doesn't say you shouldn't have a teacher. Well, you listen to the words of the teacher and disregard, you know, don't, don't, something, don't use your mind, you know, disregard your own opinion. So, you know, when Buddha says, be a lamp unto yourself, he doesn't mean that you should be a lamp for your opinion. He means that you should turn the light inward to illuminate the self, this is what Dogen is talking about here.

[60:22]

That's how, you know, be a lamp unto yourself, is like Dogen saying to turn the stream It doesn't mean that you should ignore the teaching. And it also doesn't mean that you shouldn't have a teacher. A teacher is not someone who pours the Dharma down your throat. Just listen and accept the teaching without mixing in any other thoughts.

[61:27]

Your body and mind will be, one, a receptacle ready to be filled with water. But not by the teacher. It's like the teacher helps to open you up. And sometimes, you know, it's like the teacher and the student. back and forth between two cups. When you practice with a teacher and inquire about dharma, clear body and mind. Still the eyes and ears.

[62:31]

And just listen and accept the teaching without mixing in any other thoughts. Then you can hear the teaching. But the teaching is not something for you to hold on to. I mean, to be attached to. This is a very important point. The teaching is simply to open you. But if you grasp the teaching as a thing, something that exists to be attached to, then you're not keeping a lamp under yourself. So both is necessary. Teaching is necessary. Well, the thing is that there's nothing else.

[63:42]

In Zen, we don't rely on sutras. We don't rely on intellectual knowledge. And the tradition is that the teaching is handed down from teacher to student. So that's why Dogen, especially, he's bringing up this over and over again. The teaching is transmitted from teacher to student. But transmitted is a funny word. What it means is the student opens through the contact of the teacher. But the teacher doesn't open to the student, even though they're calling on pecking and tapping. I think the chick always pecks their way out.

[64:58]

I don't think the mother helps. Sometimes they do. I don't know that much about it, but I don't think the chickens, that happens. But then he says, a receptacle ready to be filled with water. But the receptacle means that ready to be filled with water. It doesn't necessarily mean that the teacher fills you with it. It means that you're open and ready. You're ready and receptive. And so then the realm of possibilities is there. Then you will certainly receive the teaching. Nowadays there are foolish people who memorize the words of texts and accumulate sayings and try to match these words with the teacher's explanation. In this case, they have only their own views and old words and have not yet married to the teacher's words.

[66:04]

For some people, their own views are primary. They open a sutra, memorize a word or two, and consider this to be buddhadharma. Later, when they visit an awaited teacher, or a skilled master and hear the teaching, if it agrees with their own view, they consider the teaching right. And if it does not agree with their old fixed standards, they consider his words wrong. They do not know how to abandon their mistaken tendencies. So how could they ascend and return to the true way? For ages, numberless as particles of dust and sand, they will remain Well, one has to have some way to judge, you know, in all defense. When you come to hear a teacher, you know, you're not just going to blank yourself out.

[67:09]

if it doesn't go on. So, in some way, Dungan is, it's a little bit of a, not entirely pure statement, but when you have a teacher, The sense I'm getting is that, you know, it's not a question of, you know, like you said on a number of occasions, you know, abandon fixed views. What? To abandon fixed views, don't attach to fixed views. And the sense I'm getting is not that you listen to the teacher's views, but if they are the same views as you have, then... Because it seems like what Dogen is saying is all you have left then is

[68:40]

old words, you know, dead things. And I think what he's trying to say, in my sense of it, or what I'm doing here, is trying out, it's not a question of judging a view, it's a question of trying a practice. Doing, it's doing, not evaluating. And so, if you do it, and you're allowed unto yourself in the sense that by doing, if it's good, then you have ascertained that for yourself. Right. Ultimately, we're our own teacher. We're always our own teacher. Which doesn't mean we don't have another teacher. We have a teacher here And we're also our own teacher. And then the interplay of our teacher and our teacher is the dynamic.

[69:51]

But our teacher is also a student. Our teacher is our student. And also, we are our own students. So we're always teaching ourselves something, and then we're always referring to our teacher. I'm always referring to Suzuki Roshi as my teacher. But I'm also always conferring with my teacher So he says, students should know that the Buddha way lies outside thinking, analysis, prophecy, introspection, knowledge, and wise explanation.

[70:55]

If the Buddha way were not, if the Buddha way were in these activities, why would you not have realized the Buddha way by now? Since from birth you have perpetually been in the midst of these activities. In other words, you can't figure it out. the reason for koan study and we have to realize that this practice is the practice of genjo koan, the koan that arises in our life moment by moment. So students of the way should not employ thinking analysis or any such thing. Thinking and other activities perpetually beset you.

[72:00]

If you examine them as you go, your clarity will be like a mirror. The way to enter the gate is mastered only by a teacher who has attained dharma. It cannot be reached by priests who have studied letters. This portion was written on the clear and bright day Third month, second year, Tempuku, 1234, when Dogen was 34. So, all the thinking, analysis and so forth, knowledge, introspection, so all these are not to be abandoned, but they're not to be come to, and they're not to be depended upon as ways to find realization.

[73:02]

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