Good morning. Today is the commemoration of Shakyamuni Buddha's enlightenment and this Rohatsu Seshin is dedicated to Shakyamuni's enlightenment. And I've been talking about Gakudo Yujinshu, which is about Buddha's enlightenment, all week. Practice and enlightenment. Enlightenment is the basis of practice, and practice is the expression of enlightenment.

[01:10]

This is Dogen's teaching. Practice itself is the expression of enlightenment. And the reason why we practice is because of our intrinsic enlightenment. If we weren't motivated by our intrinsic enlightenment, there would be no practice. So sometimes people talk about intrinsic enlightenment and acquired enlightenment. Intrinsic enlightenment is our natural endowment, and acquired enlightenment is something that we go for. But they're both the same thing. We make an effort to acquire something that we already have.

[02:17]

So, even though we make an effort to acquire something that we already have, or even though we make this effort, it's something that we already have, so instead of running after it, we stop and let it appear. So in this fourth section, where Dogen talks of Kakadō Yōjinshū, Dogen talks about the vow to save all beings and raising the Bodhi mind.

[03:39]

Raising the Bodhi mind is actually the mind of enlightenment. Bodhi mind is enlightened mind. And making the vow, bodhisattva vow, to save all beings before your own salvation is the same as raising the bodhi mind. That vow is the vow of your own enlightenment, whether you know it or not. So, making sure that everyone is taken care of is enlightened thought. So, he says, to awaken to the Bodhi mind means to vow not to cross over to the other shore of enlightenment.

[04:48]

before all sentient beings have done so. Whether lay person or monk, living in the world of celestial beings or of humans, subject to pain or to pleasure, all should quickly make this vow. Although of a humble appearance, a person who has awakened to the Bodhi mind is already the teacher of all mankind, or of all personkind. A little girl of seven can become the teacher of the four classes of Buddhists and the compassionate mother of all beings. For in Buddhism, men and women are completely equal. This is one of the highest principles of the way. In Buddhism, men and women are equal, even though this has not always been the practice of Buddhism.

[05:50]

this aspect has been neglected, not due to Buddhism, but due to local customs, I think, in various countries. Buddhism becomes influenced by local customs in wherever it goes. and very hard to keep the Dharma pure because it infiltrates and is influenced by local customs and changes wherever it goes. I think Buddhism has been subject to the ignorant practices of the world. But in America, it's beginning to regain its purity in that sense, in many ways.

[07:08]

And of course, lose it in other ways. It's true. In many ways, Buddhism is regaining its purity. In other ways, it's losing. aspects of its pure practice that have been upheld in other countries. Yes? Why are we losing? What? Why are we losing? Losing? Oh, well, we just are ignorant of certain things. It's not that we're really losing, but we're ignorant of the Dharma in many ways. It'll take many, many years for us to really understand completely, the Dharma. And I think that we're still very materialistic. This country is so materialistic that we don't understand what it's like not to be materialistic, most people.

[08:14]

So he says, after having awakened to the Bodhi mind, even wandering in the six realms of existence and the four forms of life becomes an opportunity to practice the altruistic vow. In other words, wherever you are, you can practice this. Therefore, even though up to now you may have vainly idled away your time, you should quickly make this vow while there is still time. Though you have acquired sufficient merit to realize Buddhahood, you should place it at the disposal of all beings in order that they may realize the way." You know, in our service, we always give away the merit. This is a Buddhist practice, Mahayana Buddhist practice. is not to retain the merit of your practice, but to always give it away, make it available to people. So in our echo, we always offer, every time we do the sutra or any chant, we always offer it to all beings in the six worlds.

[09:40]

really dedicated to beings, all beings. From time immemorial, there have been those who have sacrificed their own enlightenment in order that there might be a benefit to all beings, helping them to cross over first to the other shore. So, you know, you hear in Zen a lot, and in Buddhism, these strange, mysterious ferry masters, boat people, or people who are ferry people across the river.

[10:45]

And if you read Siddhartha, Siddhartha ended up being a And it's a kind of symbol, actually, for an enlightened person, for a realized person. A kind of anonymous person that nobody knows. But it's that old ferryman, Dodge, you know, who's always taking people across the river. This particular part comes from a piece that Dogen wrote called Awakening to the Bodhi Mind. He wrote a whole chapter on this. So I want to just touch on some of the points that he made in this chapter.

[11:48]

He says, generally speaking, there are three kinds of mind. Chitta, or the discriminating mind, Hridaya, that means heart, actually, or the universal mind, like in the Heart Sutra, and Irita, or the essence-embracing mind. I have never run across that term before, and I never found it, even though I've looked for it. Irita. It is through the discriminating mind that we are awakened to the Bodhi mind. Bodhi is a Sanskrit word that is known in China as the way. Citta is also Sanskrit and is known in China as the discriminating mind. Without the discriminating mind, we cannot awaken to the bodhi mind. This does not mean, however, that the discriminating mind is the same as the bodhi mind.

[12:49]

Rather, it is by using the discriminating mind that we awaken to the bodhi mind. To awaken to the Bodhi mind means to vow and endeavor to help all beings cross over to the other shore of enlightenment before doing so ourselves. Though of humble appearance, a person who has awakened to this mind is already the teacher of all mankind, or all beings. It's interesting that he talks about the discriminating mind, citta, as being necessary for arousing the bodhi mind. They're not the same, but they come from the same place. Discriminating mind transforms into bodhi mind. So when we come to practice, it's our discriminating mind, which is actually motivated by Bodhi mind.

[13:58]

Somewhere, Bodhi mind is active in us, maybe in a latent way, or as a small ember, or maybe quite active. but undeveloped. And discriminating mind is looking for something. And it's like discriminating mind is also Buddha, but Is Buddha seeking Buddha? Who's doing what? Buddha is seeking Buddha.

[15:01]

This is our quest. Discriminating mind is seeking Bodhi mind, non-discriminating mind. Because discriminating mind is in pain, whether it knows it or not. So when we first come to practice, we're concerned about ourselves. We're looking for something for ourselves. That's universally the case for one reason or another. We want something. Either we're hurting or we feel good. If we're hurting, we want to know the source of our pain. And if we're feeling okay, we want something higher, something more.

[16:08]

Even the quest, you know, the wanting enlightenment is an aspect of ego, the discriminating mind. So the discriminating mind is very important. Ego is very important because it's what motivates us to practice. But it's kind of like the black widow spider and her mate. The discriminating, egotistical mind gets absorbed, dies. of the ego is bent on its own destruction.

[17:18]

You know, it's bent on its own disappearance. That's right. Without realizing it. See, people come to practice and they think they're going to get something. But it's coming, it wants to remain. Yes, and it's very... oh yes. I mean, it doesn't want to disappear. It doesn't want to disappear. That's right. So... We go so far, and then we question, should I continue? Because the deeper we engage, the more we have to give up. The more ego, the more discriminating mind we have to give up. And so that's why practice is difficult. Practice itself is very simple. actually, and not so difficult. You just sit down, and then you stand up.

[18:21]

Or you're very generous with yourself, and with everything, and compatible with people, and harmonious, and open-minded, and so forth. But as simple as it is, to wear ourselves down, actually, to wear down the egotistical act, part of the discriminating mind. Discrimination is important and necessary. We have to discriminate all the time. We have to make choices. And every time we choose one thing, we have to let go of something else. As we say, you can't have your cake, and eat it too. Sometimes we try that, but it doesn't work so well.

[19:29]

So we choose one thing, we have to let go of something. And if you choose the way of enlightenment, then little by little you have to let go of other things. You have to let go of the discriminating mind, so that discriminating will come from Big mind. We say the discrimination of non-discrimination. Discrimination is, you can't wipe out discrimination. So when we talk about discriminating mind, we're talking about mind based on self-centeredness, which is always taking a partial standpoint. That's what we mean by discriminating mind. It doesn't mean the mind that has to choose between things. It means the mind of dividing.

[20:37]

Discrimination means to divide, to set one thing here over against another. When we come to the place of non-discrimination, as a basis, then we are free to discriminate without it being self-centered. So we choose on the basis of what's best for the universe and not just what's best for myself. Well, with this understanding of practice and enlightenment, even if you were trying to do zazen with every moment of every day, what would it look like to forgo this enlightenment for the benefit of bringing somebody across? Well, you stop thinking about whether or not you're going to get there.

[21:42]

You just do the work. What it means is, You just do the work you have to do without worrying about whether you're going to end up in nirvana. That doesn't become a... your goal does not become something for you. In other words, you take whatever position is presented to you to do whatever it is you need to do for beings. That's called total freedom. Whatever is presented, you just do it. You don't think about whether... You don't work for your own crossing over. Practice has two aspects. One aspect is

[22:43]

You do something for your own development. The other aspect is you help others to do something for their development. But both of these aspects are still in the realm of discrimination. So even helping others before yourself, that's still in the realm of discrimination. Non-discriminating practice is to just work for the benefit of the Dharma. When you just work for the benefit of the Dharma, that benefits you and that benefits others. So if you think, as someone said, I'm washing the toilet for your sake, that's just discriminating mind. It's just ego. I'm washing the toilet so that you'll have a clean place to poop.

[23:48]

That's just ego. You're just washing the toilet. Not even because it's dirty. You're just washing the toilet because there's a toilet to wash and you wash it. That's pure activity. you're sweeping the floor, not because it's supposed to get clean, but because you're sweeping the floor. In the process, the floor will get clean and will benefit you and others. But if you think, I'm sweeping the floor for you, or I'm sweeping the floor for me, that's just dualistic understanding. discriminating mind at work. It's good, but it's discriminating between good and bad.

[24:51]

It's clinging to something good. It's better to do good things than bad things, but it's still discrimination. That's very hard to get, you know. It's hard to let go of We want to do good things, and we should do good things. We should be able to do good things with non-discriminating mind. That's right.

[25:56]

So Richard, if I can speak for Richard, as if I was Richard. I won't speak for Richard, but if I was Richard, he's not thinking about sitting to get enlightened, or he's not even thinking about what's good for everybody or what's bad for everybody. He just knows what he has to do, and he does it. to his best of his ability. And the session runs well. Everybody gets taken care of. Problems come up and he has to deal with the problems. I give him problems sometimes. Why didn't you do this? How come he did that? And then he feels so criticized. Well, he's just telling me something.

[27:00]

It doesn't mean I'm bad or I'm good. He's not trying to make me good or bad. He's just telling me something. Why can't I just accept what he's telling me in the same spirit that he's telling it to me? Why do I have to feel bad or criticized? Next time, I won't do that. That's all. No big deal. But anytime anybody tells us something that we did to go off, we feel criticized. We're all that way. All of us are that way. But some of us let go of it quicker than others. And you feel a little pain. And then, oh yeah. And then you go on. But Sometimes we hold on to that all day. Why did he say that to me?

[28:02]

Especially during Sashim, because you don't have anything else to think about. And of course our discriminating mind works. You can watch it work during Sashim. I don't like the way the server is walking. How come they always serve me this way? That person, I have to look at them all the time. This kind of stuff comes up, you know. Everybody, or you see somebody, aren't they good looking, you know, or isn't this one ugly? I don't like the way they're wearing their shirt. A little thing like that can really magnify it, because you're watching. Your consciousness is very concentrated. So we should realize this is the discriminating mind looking for something, looking for something to attach to.

[29:14]

This discriminating mind, anger, lust, envy, all these things are there in us, latently, and all they need is an object to bring them into action. So we should know that the sensory organ and the consciousness are just waiting for an object. And when the object appears, boom! I don't like this. I hate that. It comes up. So when it comes up, no, this is up. This is discriminating mind. Just discriminating mind. And let go of it. It's not necessary. It's not a necessary thing.

[30:15]

But we do that, because we sit here in our silence. be very interesting. But we sit here in our silence and just take it and let it go. Yes? I think an interesting fact that scientists discovered recently is that there's no information received by the brain neutrally. It always receives something in positive charge or an aversion, and they use nonsense syllables to elicit this kind of response in something like, people like and stick, they don't. They stick, they don't? They don't. I mean, they'll have a negative reaction to one nonsense syllable and a positive to another, and it's so with all information, so it's really wired in at a very primitive level that we're working with. Yes. Well, in Buddhism, we talk about

[31:19]

Desirable, undesirable and neutral feelings. A neutral feeling is more on the desirable side. But only slightly. Because it's not a undesirable feeling. But they haven't found that state yet. In time, scientists will discover Buddhism. Could you say a word about focus on... I will. I don't want to get off, but I will. Go ahead. Focus on... Right, hard and narrow.

[32:53]

When you're just doing the toilet bowl, just do the toilet bowl completely, when the sound of the child comes, meets the ear, and activates the consciousness, then the discernment, what kind of a cry is this? Is this a cry for help? Or is this a cry for, or is this baby just crying? Then you have to decide, shall I rescue the baby or leave the baby alone? And this takes about one thousandth of a second. And then if you're really concentrated, you'll know what that sound means. And then if the baby needs help, you drop your scrubber and go help the baby. Completely. In the same way that you're washing the toilet bowl. and without any idea about it.

[33:54]

If you don't have an idea about it, then you can see what's happening. If your mind is empty, you can just see right away what's happening. So, you should not be attached or locked in to your activity. Just do your activity. And then do the next thing, completely. And then do the next thing, completely. We go from one moment's activity to the next. So when we come, I want to get back to what I was saying, when we come to practice, we're motivated through our discriminating mind. And then we learn how to practice, we learn how to sit sadhana, we go through whatever it is that we go through. But the mark of a mature Zen student is that you don't continue practicing just for your own sake.

[35:03]

You know, after you practice for a couple of years, you know, you come to the Zen dojo every day, and it's, I'm getting kind of tired of this. I already get up every morning, there are interesting things on TV, and there are a lot of things to do at night. I don't feel like going to bed anymore, getting up early in the morning and all this. But I will continue going to Zazen. I will continue practicing because my practice is not just for myself. It's to encourage and help everyone else to practice. So when I go to the Zendo, I'm not going because I like to practice or I like to sit Zazen or because I like to go to bed early or anything like that. It's because that's what we do.

[36:08]

We just do it without thinking whether it's good for me or not or I don't want to do it. We just do it because it's the practice and it's for the benefit of the practice. Not even for the benefit of others or myself. It's just for the benefit of the practice itself. When you can practice in that way, that's a mature person. I would never ordain someone who didn't have that attitude. The basis for ordaining someone is that they would just practice for the sake of the practice, no matter what else it's about. It's not for me. It's not for others. It's just for the sake of the practice. And when you uphold the practice, others are helped and you are helped. In other words, you take care of Buddha. and Buddha takes care of self and others.

[37:11]

That's a non-discriminating attitude. That's Bodhi mind that Dogen is talking about. Well, can I practice Is it because of abstraction that can be performed in utter isolation? No. We never encourage people to practice in isolation. Even though there are hermits, there's a kind of hermit practice, right? When hermit practice is done by a highly developed person, That can be a benefit for everyone.

[38:14]

But for most people to go off and do hermit practice is considered egotistical practice. How can that be a benefit? That's getting off the mystical side. Yeah, it's kind of mystical. Which means it can't be taught. It's like, you know, when you have a monastery in the mountains. and people are practicing isolated, seemingly isolated from society. Their practice has unseen ways of benefiting society. And radiating out beyond that particular area worth about. Yeah. The people who are practicing are not doing it just for themselves. They're just doing pure practice for the sake of practice. I couldn't pull that off.

[39:17]

Someday you may. You can do it. And Dogen talks about that too. He mentions imperceptible mutual assistance. that someone is doing, some body of people is doing something in isolation, has a very strong effect in the world, even though we don't see that. Pines, tiny little things.

[40:37]

Oh yes. And they have no function. And nearly nobody gets to see them. And they just sit there being what we call pines. But it's wonderful. Right. They support the world. Right. The oldest living things are living trees. Right. Just their presence has an effect. No. Yes. Can you give me a word of encouragement here? There's five billion of us here and we're doing our own practice and I feel we're losing them. It's an overwhelming tide against us. You do? Yes, I do. I look around and see one and a quarter billion people across the ocean just and turning into greedy monsters.

[41:43]

And that's not only the physical world we live in, but in people's hearts. It's just overwhelming greed, as I see. I'll find out soon for myself. But it just seems like what we do here, does our little effort, is totally overwhelmed by what's going on all around us. Well, it seems that way, yeah. It's like a little ship in a big stormy ocean, right? I remember when we started Zen Center. Just a little old priest and his helper and some beatniks. That's true. But everybody just practiced, you know, for a long time. And then pretty soon people started knowing about all this. And little by little, you know, it's known all around the world.

[42:48]

Zen Center is known all around the world. Suzuki Roshi's book is known all around the world. And people, so many people have come in and out of Zen Center in its various aspects. and crisscrossed the world, and those seeds have been spread all over the world. You can't go into any country where somebody hasn't heard about the Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, or Zazen and Zen Center. It's true. And even people who have not been there, somehow it has an effect. So, little by little, just doing your work where you are, creates an effect all around the world. I totally believe that. You look worried. Well, I think that what you're saying here is right, but then there's the fact that it's possible that the world is going to do what it's going to do anyway, no matter what we do.

[43:58]

I don't think it matters whether we do it or not. No, I think it matters. I mean, it matters that we do what needs to be done. Yeah, I understand what you're saying. What I think you're saying is that, I'll put it in my own words, that you do what you do without being attached to the result of what you do. If you think that you will or will not save the world, that's still dualistic understanding. You just do the work that you do without worrying about the fruit. You can worry about it, of course. We all worry about the world, you know. But you just do what you do. And if you're worried that it's not going to work or that, you know, the world is going to come in on us and then you can't do it.

[45:05]

You just have to have faith in what you're doing, period, regardless of what happens. It's like when the tidal wave finally comes over and sinks the boat, then you go down. But until that time, you're still working with the sails, and you're still working with the tiller, and you're doing your best, up to the last minute, without worrying about it. That's the kind of attitude that's necessary to practice. Do you believe that the energy that we create through thoughts or our way of life does vibrate outwards? Of course. Everything that we do influences the world. woman who was very sick.

[46:07]

She was a superintendent of the Sunday School and many of the children were attached to her. And so we, one Sunday morning, we had a meditation session in which the children said, well, what are we going to think about when we're quiet? So we thought about the suffering that this woman was having with her cancer and that the children And a few days later she died, but her husband related that that Sunday morning. It was very strange that she felt very strong right at 9.45 when we had that. And she sat straight up and just felt just wonderful for the whole day, which was remarkable. Well, positive energy has positive results.

[47:11]

Negative energy has negative results. I mean, it's that simple. You know, TV. People, this stupid controversy over whether or not violence on TV has an effect in society. I mean, to even question the fact that it might not is unbelievable. Corporations pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for one minute of advertising. Violence is on 24 hours a day, free advertising, 24 hours a day. And people say, well, I can't understand what's wrong with our country. Why are we having so much violence? I think the assumption behind that Yes, but we don't need it.

[48:23]

We don't really need it. It's just that the tide is so strong and people make a lot more money creating that kind of scenario than they would if they were doing some other kind of scenario. Good things don't bring in as much money as bad things. So, because it's a materialistic, you know, we're so often in a materialistic world. I sympathize with Quan Long, you know. It's inundating us. We're already inundated, you know. But still, we clear a little circle in the midst of it. And that's... I don't say that things are miraculous, but I think that you have to do what you have to do, regardless of the way things are.

[49:29]

This is the great challenge. No matter how things are, you have to do what you have to do, regardless. Even if you know that the end is coming, boom, you just do it. It's not a matter of being encouraged or discouraged. I'm very struck also by Quan Luong and the feelings of despair that arise with reading the newspaper and walking and being asked for money, spare change, and seeing mothers with children more and more on the streets. I think doing what you do is really important, and having something to do that you can just really do is really important, including this practice. And I'm really struck by a couple of things that are happening this week, or next week.

[50:38]

There are 35,000 children who die every day of preventable causes, from malnutrition, lack of immunization, UNICEF's birthday is, the 50th anniversary is Monday, and 70,000 children died every day of preventable causes when UNICEF started. So there's tremendous despair about a quarter million kids dying every week of preventable causes, but there are things we do, and I can't discuss the There are things that can be done, and I do know that there's a deep economy, deep economics that discusses the bristlecone pine trees as valuable for their own sake. It's a new economy, a new economics that has a longer viewpoint.

[51:42]

Right. Well, two things. There are things that you can do, and just doing something will make you feel connected to doing something. You know, like UNICEF, helping people. Just doing something, no matter how small it is. When you see somebody asking for money, without questioning, are they going to use it for wine? Do they really need it? Is this just a scam? I just give them the money, two bits, you know, out of my pocket. is asking for something without giving him something, even if it's a penny. Because even the person that's got a scam has got a problem. Sometimes I don't give people scam money, but just to be able to get to contribute to things helps to free you from the feeling of desperation.

[52:50]

So I think that's important. The other thing I forgot, I think it's James. to do things that are positive. Yeah.

[54:01]

I guess I was going to think a lot about vows to bring it back to where you began. You know, and the question that you It's like you touched on it, kind of left it behind, came back to it, we keep coming back to it around the issue of materialism. That's really difficult. That's the most difficult thing for us. And yet, you know, we sit here for seven days and at least two meals a day we're chanting that innumerable labors brought us food, and we should know we're how it comes to us, that's a vow to me. And it has really deep implications about how you live your life.

[55:02]

And it just, to me, means really pay attention to what we're doing here in Zazen, but also It has life-defining and life-changing capability. It's very powerful. I was thinking this morning about when we were doing the mail chant, the part that says, may we all be free from self-clinging as being the key point of Buddha's enlightenment. So right now, you know, the world has a certain look. The things that are going on now are things that I think they've always been going on, but we haven't always been so aware of them because they've been so distant.

[56:09]

I mean, Genghis Khan, you know, just to cite one. I mean, this stuff has been going on forever. But now the world is so small that we see it, and it's right up in our face. And it looks like everything is going to hell in a handbasket, which it is. But there's also something else coming out of that. It's not doom, period. It's black and white. it folds in on itself and comes up out of itself. So this undulation of cause and effect is continually working. And a lot of people get wiped out by it and a lot of growth comes out of it. And I think we need to see that, keep that in mind.

[57:14]

So Otherwise we fall into a state of despair. Well, you know, the artist is always struggling and usually outside of society.

[58:18]

But it's showing society something, you know. Often things they don't want to hear or know about. You know, Zazen is a very important statement. And music is a very important statement. All these things are necessary. But, you know, when we see things happening, we want to go out and rescue them.

[59:21]

if we give up what it is that we bring into the world through these practices, then it will really be dark. This is like a light in the world. And sometimes I think, well, maybe I should go out and do something like charity work. But I think I really believe that to lose this kind of activity, which is to produce this light, is most important. For me, the most important thing, and not to let that get lost. Well, I was talking to a friend about this. because all these social workers were being trained and sent out to do the work, but it wasn't being done in the right spirit.

[60:45]

And what they ended up deciding was that the solution was to bring prayer back into fundamental training of social workers. And I think that's something we're learning from. Yeah. We try to fix things up. For me, it's a question of scale, the feeling of global inundation and despair, and I feel so helpless in the face of that. And I'm thinking of two things before giving spare change. When my son was a little boy, we lived in San Francisco, and the windmills out at the beach were in total disrepair, and they were taking collection for the windmills. And he couldn't relate to the windmills of Sokarai. It was quite a thing. So we wound up giving a few cents every time we saw somebody for the windmills.

[61:49]

And sure enough, 10 years passed, and the windmills reappeared. And we both ran to the beach and thought, oh my goodness, we made this difference. We contributed to something. We could actually see the results, which is so rare, something so basic and simple. Well, of course, they're in disrepair again. But it was a very strong moment because this inundation and undulation of the cycle was really helpful to see that for a minute you rose up and then went back. I'm reminding you of Thich Nhat Hanh and his flowers. My experience is that whenever you work really hard at what you're doing without looking up to, you know, is this working or not? Just do it. the best of your ability, that it works out.

[62:41]

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