Today is the third day of Sishing and it takes time to really settle into Sishing. The first few days the mind is still processing hard to settle down, but little by little, maybe some of us are already settled, but little by little we settle into totally being here. So to continue, Dogen says, when you prepare food, never view the ingredients from some commonly held perspective, nor think about them only with your emotions.

[01:49]

Maintain an attitude that tries to build great temples from ordinary greens, that expounds the Buddha Dharma through the most trivial activity, When making a soup with ordinary greens, do not be carried away by feelings of dislike toward them, nor regard them lightly. Neither jump for joy simply because you have been given ingredients of superior quality to make a special dish. By the same token that you do not indulge in a meal because of its particularly good taste, there is no reason to feel an aversion towards an ordinary one. Do not be negligent and careless just because the materials seem plain, and hesitate to work more diligently with materials of superior quality. Your attitude toward things should not be contingent upon their quality. A person who is influenced by the quality of a thing, or who changes their speech or manner according to the appearance or position of the people one meets, is not a person working in the way

[02:59]

There is a koan in the Book of Serenity where Shakyamuni Buddha is walking with his disciples and of course among his disciples are the Brahman deities of the time. including Indra, the chief of the gods. And suddenly Buddha stops and he looks at the ground and he says, this looks like a perfect place to build a sanctuary. And Indra plucks a blade of grass and puts it down and he says, the sanctuary is now established. And the introduction to this koan by Master Wan Chi says, as soon as a single mote of dust arises, the whole earth is contained therein.

[04:21]

With a single horse and a single lance, the land is extended. Who is this person who can master, be master in any place and meet the source in everything? So Dogen says, when you prepare food, you should be able to take a blade of grass and make a meal for an emperor. So it's not so much the ingredients, not so much the stuff you have to work with, but it's how you do something with what you have. So there's no way that we can compare ourselves with each other. We do compare. There's the world of comparison, the world of relative values, and the world of absolute value.

[05:25]

And in the world of relative value, there's discrimination, and picking and choosing, and comparison, and relative value, which means something is worth so much, so much money. Money is the equalizer, or the unequalizer, whichever way you want to look at it, the standard. Things are worth so much money. But actually, everything is worth, has absolute value. And we can't compare one thing with another, or one person with another, in terms of absolute value. So, when we look at something, when we want to do something,

[06:40]

we have to judge what is its relative value and what is its absolute value. Mostly we're concerned with something's relative value. What is something worth? And how does it compare with something else? And rarely are we concerned with the absolute value of a thing. In order to be non-discriminating, we have to accept or realize each person's absolute value. This is called non-discriminating respect or love.

[07:43]

And then we can take care of the relative comparison between things. So we say the discrimination of non-discrimination. we have to discriminate, we have to pick and choose. On the other hand, we have to realize the absolute value of everything, which is no picking and choosing. If only you don't pick and choose the way is perfect and all-pervading, it doesn't mean that you should not pick and choose. How can you not pick and choose? This is why it's such a wonderful koan. How can you not pick and choose?

[08:52]

Every moment we're picking and choosing, making a decision based on something. So our picking and choosing has to take into consideration the absolute value of things. Even though something is, things are independent and separate, at the same time, they're all one piece. Everything is one piece. All things belong to the one piece. So when we make a soup, Of course we go to the grocery store and we buy what we want. We have this wonderful luxury of being able to go to the grocery store and buy whatever we want.

[09:58]

It's amazing. It's also amazing that sometimes children don't know that milk comes from cows, or that meat comes from animals, or that vegetables come from the ground. There are people that don't know this. They know it somewhere, but people are not really conscious of this. When you go to the meat market, steak is steak, and lamb chops are lamb chops, which is true. They are not sheep and beef. I mean, they're not sheep and cows. They're beef. and pork. So there's this kind of veil, you know. I remember when I was a kid in Los Angeles, when we wanted a chicken, my parents would go to the chicken

[11:10]

store, which was, my memory is kind of vague, but I do remember going into this dark building and there was a lot of chickens. And the chicken man would, if you wanted a chicken, he would take one and cut its throat and throw it into a barrel. And then my mother would take it home and pluck all the feathers out. And it'd pluck all the little feathers out after it. And it was a big job. Chicken was not like it is today, where you go to the store and there are all these chickens lined up behind the counter. It was a big job, you know, to prepare the chicken. But you'd see the chicken get its throat cut and thrown in the barrel and squawk, squawk, you know. But there was something real about it. Not nice. at all. But you knew that there was something about life and death there.

[12:17]

And also something about you'd be very careful what you choose to buy because people didn't have very much money. And there wasn't so much variety. And you had to kind of work with what you had. And people on the farm, and in most parts of the world, do work with what they have, mostly. Not so much choice. And some understanding of how things grow and come to us, which helps in the way we deal with them. I once had someone cooking for me, whose idea about food was completely abstract. And this person would cook these wonderful, abstract gourmet meals. But I couldn't eat them.

[13:29]

Because they were too abstract. They were not real. They were some ideas. Some idea this person had about cooking. But this person didn't eat, also. Almost never ate. Anyway. What? Jane? I'm not going to tell you. You don't know this person. So he says, when you prepare food, never view the ingredients from some commonly held perspective. Think about them only with your emotions or your head. Maintain an attitude that tries to build great temples from ordinary greens. That expounds the Buddha Dharma through the most trivial activity. Since we do have the privilege of going to the grocery store and buying whatever we want,

[14:39]

We have to be more discerning, you know, we have to be careful that we don't get carried away by... It's very easy to get carried away. Well, I'll just take some of these too, and God, we can put some of those in here. And pretty soon you have this big cart, you know, that you carry back to the window. So, in keeping with the spirit of, say, Sashin or our Zendo practice, I think it makes sense to have simple meals, you know, with all that variety, to be able to just choose some simple thing that you can work with. And rather than having the ingredients be the determining factor, you have your

[15:39]

creativity be the determining factor of how it turns out. And this is also in keeping with kind of elegance, you might say, of... Less is more. Of what? Less is more. Or less is less. Or less is just enough. Maybe. Less is just enough. Whatever it is, it's just enough. And we don't always like that. I don't always like it. Sometimes I wish it was a little more like this or like that. But then I have to conform to what is there. And that's very important. Sometimes I complain. I eat it.

[16:43]

I conform to what's there, and then I feel bitter about that. But we don't have to worry about this. We have such wonderful cooks. We have a long history of refinement in our preparation of food within our American Zen practice, Zen Center Zen practice. But I think sometimes we tend to get carried away. And we should be careful that we don't get carried away. Because it's really easy. Because the cook wants to present something wonderful to the sangha. And to have some restraint, And have the attention go more into how it's done, rather than what you're putting into it.

[17:46]

How you make it, how you make what's simple, something very simple, into something very tasty and acceptable. That's more the challenge. So it takes some sensitivity. And not just your own taste, but you have to decide You have to extend yourself to what everyone else will like. If you're only concerned with your own taste and your own quantities, then it doesn't work so well. Sometimes people like things less salty. The Tenzo in a monastery, all of the attention, everybody's attention zeroes in on the Tenzo in a critical way. But why didn't you do it like this? But why didn't you do it like that? And from all sides, people are continually making some kind of criticism, critical remark. Because the stomach, you know, is where everyone comes together in a common focus.

[18:54]

So Tenzo really gets it from all angles. And that's why Tenzo has to be pretty strong. and not be bothered by all this, you know, at the same time, to pay attention and listen to what everyone has to say. And through all that, you have to produce something that will satisfy everyone. Very difficult, but great practice. So then, one other thing I wanted to say is that at the end of the day, the dinner partly is the ingredients left over from the other two meals.

[20:03]

Sometimes it's not enough and the tenzo makes more something else. But one thing the tenzo should be very careful of is not to feel that they have to put all of the leftovers into the gruel. because it's easy to just come out with garbage. The gruel is not the garbage can. So at the end of the day, the cook may feel, well, we should eat all of this leftover food, and so we put it all in the gruel. But the tenzo should be very discerning. Well, I'll put this in and that in. And pay attention to what the gruel is, not as a repository for all the leftovers. And we just put the leftovers someplace else. There are things to do, and I talked about this yesterday. You can make soup stock, or you can put them in the compost. Putting them in the compost is just throwing them away, right?

[21:10]

Sending them on their way to a new life. So then he says, strengthen your resolve and devote your life spirit to surpassing the refinement of the ancient ancestors and being even more meticulous than those who came before you. I don't think meticulous is the right word. This is a translation. Meticulous is too Two hair splitting. Meticulous practice. We don't do meticulous practice. We do careful, mindful practice. But we also make mistakes, and we also do things maybe not quite perfectly. So we're not trying to be perfect. There is a tendency in the practice where you're being very careful and mindful and making sure things are

[22:19]

the nose is vertical and the eyes are horizontal and the way things meet, right? But if you go too far that way, then you have to have everything absolutely perfect and you can't stand anything that's not perfect. And then pretty soon you start complaining and criticizing because things are not perfect. And there's a certain line at which It starts going that way, so you have to be very careful. So meticulous is not a good word here, even though it's translated as meticulous. Even more mindful and careful and attentive than those who came before you. So Dogen's always trying to encourage his students this way. How do we apply our life aspiration so that it will function for the way?

[23:22]

That's a good point. If great teachers in the past were able to make a plain soup from grains for only a pittance, we must try to make a fine soup for the same amount. Or at least we should be able to do so also. This is very difficult to do. Among other things, there are great differences between ages past and today. So even hoping to stand alongside the teachers of former times is no simple matter. Yet being scrupulous in our actions and pouring our energy into those actions, there is no reason why we cannot equal the ancient masters. We must aspire to the highest of ideals without becoming arrogant in our manner. Uchiyama Roshi says, to aspire to the highest ideals, yet remain humble in our manner. I think that's right. So Suzuki Roshi, but others would say, to be strict with ourselves and compassionate with others is a kind of guideline for practice.

[24:34]

To have your own strictness about what you're what you're doing and to stay with that. And at the same time, not show it, not show off, not criticize others for being less strict with their practice. Although that's hard to help too. But to really have compassion for people and understanding where they are. Each one of us is in a different place. And each one of us has, although we can compare our practice, we can't really be someplace that we're not. So on a ladder, each person is on a certain rung. And you reach down and help the person down below. And then you reach up and let the person up above you

[25:40]

help you. So wherever you are, you know that there's someone below you and someone above you and that you can help someone and someone can help you. It's always important to realize that there's someone that's up there that can help you. Then you know where you are and there's no reason to criticize because you can see where everyone is, including yourself. So to be strict is to know where your rung is and to practice your best without criticizing and to be compassionate to where everyone else is. Helping people and allowing yourself to be helped so you don't give way to arrogance. Arrogance is thinking, there's no one above me, so I can't, there's no one that can tell me what to do, or I really know a lot about this and you guys are just, you know, this kind of attitude.

[26:58]

So to be able to really have strict practice or aspiration Without falling prey to arrogance, very important. Because arrogance is the one thing that will keep you from realization. Maybe the biggest block to realization. It's blatant self-centeredness. Then he says, these things are truly just a matter of course, yet we remain unclear about them because our minds go racing about like horses running wild in the fields, while our emotions remain unmanageable like monkeys swinging in the trees. Great analogy. My emotions, you know, like monkeys swinging in the trees.

[28:03]

They are. If only If only we could step back, would step back to carefully reflect on the horse and the monkey, our lives would naturally become one with our work. Doing so is the means whereby we turn things, even while simultaneously we are being turned by them. I've talked about this before. Dogen mentions this, Kakudo Yujinshu. It is vital that we clarify and harmonize our lives with our work, and not lose sight of either the absolute or the practical. And he talks about the absolute and the practical. But turning things, even while simultaneously being turned by things, is the secret of practice. assert ourself and being turned is to let things, to allow ourself to be turned by, moved.

[29:24]

So the harmonious activity of presenting yourself and influencing things and being open and allowing yourself to be influenced by things. So we have to be able to stand up and be positive in our activity and interact with people and with things in a positive way that influences, that moves things. We can't just sit back and let ourselves that things go by, but to actually, when appropriate, assert ourself. And then, at the same time, be open to being moved by things and to accept things.

[30:28]

And how we do that is... makes all the difference in how our lives turn. It's also like riding the wave and pushing the wave, driving the wave and riding the wave. When you are surfing, I don't know if you've ever surfed, When you're surfing, you ride the crest of the wave, and it feels like you're driving the wave, and at the same time, you're riding the wave. So it doesn't feel like either, actually.

[31:33]

It just feels like wonderful movement in balance, complete balance, like gliding along. effortlessly. So this is kind of, not goal, but aspiration, is to have that kind of movement in our life. How to approach each thing allowing ourselves to be influenced and also influencing. When we sound the bell, we have to do something and at the same time allow the bell to do something to us.

[32:34]

So, I'm ringing the bell And the bell is ringing me. I am walking on the floor and the floor is walking me. Usually we see things only from one side. The side of I am doing this. But while I am doing this, this is also doing me. And I am being created with what it is that I am creating. We have to really understand this. that we create the world as the world creates us. Simultaneously. Turning and being turned by things. So, definitely, this is the practice of the Tenzo, or someone working in the kitchen, or whatever we do. We put ourselves into this position with our work, and our work tells us what to do.

[33:47]

It feeds us back. We call it feeding up. But it moves us. And as we enter into this activity, the activity informs us and becomes a creative interactive process. If we're not working that way, then what's the problem?" So then he says, is the means whereby we turn things even while simultaneously we are being turned by them. It is vital that we clarify and harmonize our lives with our work and not lose sight of either the absolute or the practical, meaning the relative side, meaning each thing has its own absolute value and at the same time

[35:03]

is independent. Handle even a single leaf of a green in such a way that it manifests the body of the Buddha. This in turn allows the Buddha to manifest through the leaf. This is a power which you cannot grasp with your rational mind. it operates freely according to the situation in a most natural way. At the same time, this power functions in our lives to clarify and settle activities and is beneficial to all living beings." So, Togen is saying, treat everything as Buddha and then everything will then Buddha will manifest in everything.

[36:05]

I think that's important to see everything as Buddha, which is very difficult, especially when someone's screaming and yelling at you, or you have some difficulty. the more that we can actually treat everything as Buddha, see everything as Buddha, the more we understand and the more Buddha will present Buddha nature to us so that we can have some realization. And as we meet things and treat things as Buddha, it's like the universe meets us halfway.

[37:22]

When I was in Chapel Hill, somebody was asking me about what is the concept of grace? What is the equivalent of grace in Buddhism? What is the equivalent of the Christian concept of grace in Buddhism. And, of course, grace has a very specific meaning in Christianity, and it's not something that you can produce. It's just something that comes, not by chance, but you can't make it happen. And in some way, you can say enlightenment is like that. And you can also, you can say so. But I think the universe, when we put our effort into treating everything as Buddha, the universe opens itself up as Buddha.

[38:34]

Uchiyama says, when we allow a thing to reach its full potential, it becomes a vehicle for Buddha. So after all the preparations for the meal are complete, clean up thoroughly, putting everything back where it ought to be. When the drum sounds and the bell rings, both morning and evening, be sure not to miss Zazen. You're going to see the master to receive the teachings." So he's saying, clean up, put everything back where it belongs, and then go to Zazen when the bell rings. Or go to Dogson. Don't neglect this. When you return to your room, shut your eyes and count the number of people in the Soto. is like a zendo, except that the tatamis go the other way, and the monks sleep on them.

[40:00]

So Sodo is the place where not only the monks do zazen, but they also live there. And they have their little closets at the end of the tan, at the end of the tatami. And they just sleep right next to each other, and do zazen next to each other and eat next to each other and they live on a three by six tatami. That's their spot. So don't forget the elder priests and retired monks, plus those living in single rooms. Include those in the infirmary or any other elderly people. In addition to these, any monks who are on leave and others who may have just arrived but are not yet living fully within the community should be taken into account. And finally, those living in any of the sub-temples within the complex must be added. If there are any doubts, check with the heads of the offices or those in charge of the various residences where people might be staying.

[41:02]

When you know the exact number of the community in the community, then calculate the amount of food to be cooked. So he's saying you should be very careful to count everybody and make sure that those who aren't here are not counted. And because we want to account for all the food and not make too much or too little. And this is very important. So you have to be very careful. And when you know the exact number of the community, calculate the amount of food to be cooked. for every grain of rice to be eaten, supply one grain. In dividing one grain, the result may be two half-grains, or possibly three or four. On the other hand, one grain might equal a half-grain, or perhaps two grains. Then again, two half-grains might be counted as one whole grain. You must be able to see clearly how much of a surplus will be created if you add one unit of rice, or whether there will be enough if you take away one unit.

[42:08]

way of counting here, calculating, I don't want to go into. But it's just, you know, you say there are ways of calculating which you should be aware of. What time is it? I don't have my watch. I'm glad that you're not wearing your watches. Thank you. So I will save the next part for tomorrow because I want to start that at 10.56.

[42:48]

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