A monk asked Jojo, does a newborn baby also have the sixth consciousness? Jojo said, like tossing a ball on swift-flowing water. Later on, the monk asked Tutsu, what's the meaning of tossing a ball on swift-flowing water? Tutsu said, moment to moment, non-stop flow. Yesterday I talked about the eight consciousnesses and sixth consciousness is called mind, consciousness, mano vijnana.

[01:03]

And the sixth consciousness discriminates the various the first five consciousnesses and separates them. So when we see something, we call it seeing. And when we hear something, we call it hearing. Because this sixth consciousness discriminates seeing from hearing and smelling from tasting. If the sixth consciousness is not working, then we don't hear, taste, or smell. Or we don't know that what we're hearing is called hearing, or what we're tasting is called tasting.

[02:07]

In order for there to be seeing, there has to be an organ called the eye, and there has to be an object, which is seeing. But in order for the seeing to take place, there has to be consciousness. So all three aspects are necessary. In order to feel something, there has to be a perception, a feeling perceptor, a nerve, nervous system, I guess, and a something felt, and a consciousness. of feeling. If any one of the three are missing, then there's no perception. So, in order to have this perception, mind consciousness, the sixth consciousness, discriminates subject from object.

[03:21]

The subject is the consciousness, and the object is what is seen or felt or tasted. Originally, the whole world, the whole universe is one piece, but this discriminating consciousness divides into things seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched, and we call them objects. and the objects are objects for the subject. The objects only exist as objects for a subject. So the discriminating consciousness is what creates the sense of objects for our subject.

[04:30]

And our subject is what we call myself. And the seventh consciousness works in league with the sixth consciousness to create a sense of ego, or I, separate from the rest of the universe. And so the seventh consciousness fools us into believing that we exist in a way that we don't exist. Because the sixth consciousness divides, discriminates. Discriminate means to divide. into compartments, we get lost and fooled by the sense of discriminating consciousness.

[05:41]

Through the sense of discriminating consciousness, we get fooled into believing in the reality of objects and the sense of separateness. Although discriminating consciousness is necessary and gives us a sense of the world around us from that perspective. So, you know the old saying Mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers before realization. And when you come to study, mountains are no longer mountains and rivers are no longer

[06:50]

We're no longer fooled by the division of subject and object. We no longer name things or we don't stick to names. When we're a baby, a little baby, does the baby have the sixth consciousness or not? Well, baby has consciousness, but the sixth consciousness is not developed. The baby picks up a coin and puts it in the mouth. It doesn't discriminate and say, this is not to go in the mouth, this is to go in the slot machine. That's a kind of refinement of what you do with coins. It looks like a slot to go in there, but it doesn't work. So the sense of discrimination is not developed at all.

[08:02]

And as the baby grows into the world, the baby develops the sixth consciousness, the discriminating consciousness, and learns that this is a coin, this is metal, this is a bottle, this is my mother, and this is my father, this is the world, and slowly begins to name objects. But before, learning to name objects maybe doesn't discriminate. Very little discrimination. The baby will just as soon eat poison as drink milk. So, the baby has to be So this is the same as, in a sense, this is the same as rivers are not rivers, mountains are not mountains. That big hunk of something on the horizon is not a mountain until we call it a mountain.

[09:15]

And that flowing water is not a river until we learn it's the baby will just walk right into the river or step right off the cliff. So discrimination is necessary. Otherwise, we don't survive without discriminating. So sixth consciousness discriminates the data given to it by the senses. makes judgments. So the question is, the monk came to Joshu and said, does a baby have the sixth consciousness? And he says, it's like tossing a ball on swift-flowing water.

[10:27]

He just tosses the ball in the water. He said, there it is. It's like this. That's pretty nice. Does the baby have a sixth consciousness or not? Well, it's like tossing a ball in swift flowing water. But Joshu's meaning is very deep. He's talking about how do we behave? How do we understand what to do with discriminating mind? That's what he's talking about. How do we control or how do we not be controlled or not be fooled by a discriminating mind?

[11:48]

How do we not be pulled around by a discriminating mind? Or how do we not be turned by a discriminating mind? Maybe a good way to say it. Because most people are turned, most of us are turned by a discriminating mind. As soon as something good appears, we latch onto it. As soon as something bad appears, we shove it away. So discriminating mind creates the judgment of good and bad. So the baby learns to discriminate, and learns to name things, and learns good and bad, and creates judgments and prejudice

[13:06]

partiality based on discriminating mind, partialities. So when the student begins to practice, well, before the student begins to practice, the baby grows up being turned by discriminating mind and finds that there's something missing in their life, something wrong, something that's not working. through being attached to discriminating consciousness. And then the baby comes to, or after the baby has grown up, discovers Zazen. But usually the baby discovers Zazen, after they grow up, they discover Zazen and they think that what it will do is help them to be more peaceful, more calm, calm their nerves.

[14:16]

Not realizing that once they start doing this, they have to completely let go of everything. They have to completely make a complete revolution of their life. and their way of perceiving the universe back to the baby stage. Except that you can't go back to the baby stage. Once you're a baby, you can't become the same baby again. So a baby has the sixth consciousness, but it's not developed. Whereas after the baby grows up and develops, the sixth consciousness, you can no longer be naive. Once you know something, you can't not know it. So, how do we let go of what we've learned without forgetting what we've learned?

[15:28]

That's kind of the problem. that we have. How do we let go of everything that we depend on and still know what we know? So a great sage is compared to this baby mind. Mountains are no longer mountains. Rivers are no longer rivers. Nothing is what I learned it is. Things are not what I learned they are. They are just what they are. Without preconceptions. Without... This is called doubt mind. raising the doubt. You know, in Zen, especially in Rinzai Zen, they use this phrase a lot, raising the doubt. In order to really penetrate the koan, we have to raise the doubt.

[16:31]

Doubt means this not taking anything at face value or not relying on our old way of thinking about things. So when one comes to Zen breakfast, the main thing that you have to do is to be open-minded. The one who knows the most is the one who has the hardest time. So intelligence is good and ability is good, but they're not the most important thing.

[17:34]

The more intelligent we are and the more ability we have, the harder it is because we've learned so much. that it's hard to give that up. It's hard for older people, actually, to start practicing Zen, a lot of times, because they've had so much experience in life. But in another sense, it's easier, because that person can come to a place where they're really ready to give it all up. After we're no longer attached to names and forms, then mountains are mountains again. Rivers are rivers, yes. Just like that. But with a difference. Is it the same or different? So, actually one of the hardest things for us is to be like a baby.

[18:52]

to have this baby mind, actually, without being babbling. To go forward to baby mind rather than backward. In other words, to be childlike is different than to be childish. So the monk, later the monk went to Tutsu and asked him, what is the meaning, what did Joshu mean when he said, toss a ball in the swiftly flowing current? And Totsu said, moment to moment, nonstop flow. What is nonstop flow? Nonstop flow, to let everything go as it goes.

[20:03]

How do we control the world? Actually, what we want to do is control the world. Because our discriminating consciousness is built up on, largely, on a sense of fear. Fear of being controlled. by things. We all want our freedom. We don't want to be controlled by things. We don't want to be controlled by death. We don't want to be controlled by pain. We don't want to be controlled by hunger, or bandits, or meanness, or any of the things that we protect ourselves against. And there's plenty to protect ourselves against. But this so-called sage lets go of self-protection, self-defense, and just trusts in the non-stop flow of the Great Way, which is a kind of, in a way, a kind of helplessness

[21:36]

But in another way, a kind of great security. And this is what's difficult to do. And it's difficult, you can see how difficult it is in Zazen. Because Zazen is It's just like offering yourself completely to just offering ourself up completely with no defense at all, no defenses. And we've come to learn that any defense that we have is what causes our most problem. The least little bit of defense and you have a problem because you stop flowing. The only way that you can sit still for seven days is to be completely defenseless, like a baby.

[22:49]

This is returning to a baby mind, innocent mind, which has no defenses. People even come and feed us. All we have to do is say, bow, bow, wow, wow. Setjo has a wonderful commentary on this koan. I usually don't read the commentaries, but I thought maybe I would comment a little on his commentary. First he talks about the eight consciousnesses, which I haven't even talked about. Then he talks about the monk.

[23:51]

and the monk who asked the question. He says, this monk knew the ideas of the verbal teachings, which is the idea of the eight consciousnesses, and they're alive as young. So he used them to question Zhao Zhou by saying, does a newborn baby also have the sixth consciousness? Although a newborn baby is equipped with the six consciousnesses, though his eyes can see and his ears can hear, He doesn't yet discriminate among the six sense objects. At this time, he knows nothing of good and evil, long or short, right and wrong, or gain and loss. A person who studies the path must become again like an infant. Then praise and blame, success and fame, unfavorable circumstances and favorable environments, none of these can move him. Though his eyes see form, he is the same as a blind man. Though his ears hear sound, he is the same as a deaf man.

[24:58]

He is like a fool, like an idiot. His mind is motionless as Mount Sumeru. This is the place where patchwork monks really and truly acquire power." Then he says, an ancient said, This is, I think, a very good description of how a priest should be. An ancient said, my patched garment covered in my head, myriad concerns cease. In other words, putting on the robe, you're not concerned about anything. Those things that you've always been concerned about are no longer a concern. At this time, I don't understand anything at all. This is how our mind should be.

[26:00]

Only if you can be like this will you have a small share of attainment. Though an adept is like this, nevertheless, he can't be fooled at all. He can't be fooled at all because He's already lived long enough to know something. So even though the mind is knowing nothing, know-nothing mind, still he knows something. And he can't be fooled. Not like the baby. The baby can be fooled. As before, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. He is without artifice and without clinging thoughts. He is like the sun and moon moving through the sky without ever stopping and without saying, I have so many names and forms.

[27:04]

He is like the sky everywhere covering, like the earth everywhere supporting. Since they have no mind, they bring up and nurture myriad beings without saying, I have so many accomplishments. Since sky and earth are mindless, they last forever. Mindless means like Alaya Vijnana is mindless. It's like the great mirror. And since it has no It's everlasting. What has mind has limits. A person who has attained the path is like this too. In the midst of no activity, one carries out one's activities.

[28:09]

accepting all unfavorable and favorable circumstances with a compassionate heart. When they got to this point, the ancients still upbraided themselves and said, when you've completely, perfectly comprehended, there's nothing to comprehend. In the dark, abstruse, hidden place, you still must be rebuked. In other words, there's no place that you can really get to that's the place. If you get to the ultimate place, you have to come back to the beginning again. So, it's important to understand that everyone is just where they are. People are really advanced and have great understanding, and some people have almost no understanding yet.

[29:19]

Everyone has to be treated equally. If the person of great understanding says, I have great understanding, then they have to start again at the beginning. Go back to square one. So, innocent mind or baby mind, this is also the mirror mind of the eighth consciousness. Actually, yesterday I talked about the eighth consciousness, which is called alaya vijnana.

[30:21]

Also, we must remember that all of this talk about consciousness is a kind of model of consciousness. It stands for something, but we have to be very careful that we don't get caught up in that the model is the thing itself. It's the model for consciousness, and there are many various ways of thinking about this model. In India, in the latter part of Buddha's letter, maybe the fifth century in India, fourth, fifth, third centuries in India, this model was produced. So we're not in a position to pick it apart.

[31:37]

But as a model, it works pretty well in order to describe our consciousness. If we keep it simple, we can talk about it. We can use it as a model. alaya, the eighth consciousness, as I said, receives all of the good and bad and neutral impressions. And when the alaya contains these impressions, the alaya itself remains pure without being defiled by these impressions. And that pure mind of the alaya is called Amala Vijnana. And so we say our nature cannot be defiled, our true nature, Buddha nature.

[32:46]

But Amala Vijnana is like Buddha nature. Buddha nature cannot be defiled, even though there's discriminating consciousnesses working. There was a lot of thought in those days about what's pure and what's impure. We don't think so much about pure and impure. People don't like to think about that in those terms actually. It makes them upset when we think about purity and impurity. And it made people in those days upset too. And the sixth patriarch says, there's a class of people who sit up and have mind of pure mind, mind of purity, and stick to this and separate it from the impure things of the world.

[33:49]

And they get hung up there. This is where their ball stops flowing. So innocent mind or The pure mind is actually the alaya-vijnana in its pure aspect. Even though the baby picks up the coin and puts it in his mouth, we can say, don't put that in your mouth because it's impure. Don't pick up chewing gum off the sidewalk and eat it. After somebody stepped on it, it's impure. I used to do that when I was a little baby. I remember seeing this stuff on the sidewalk and I'd pick it up and I'd eat it, or pick it off the bottom.

[34:56]

But somehow the system purifies. The system works very well if we let it work. And our lives are continually being purified. So purity and impurity are kind of the two hands of the same body. Even though water, even though you put poison in water, The water is still, is the water poisoned? Poisoned, or is the water water? You can separate the poison from the water and the water is still always just water. And water runs through the earth and gets purified. And then it gets poisoned again, or contaminated, or tainted, or whatever you want to call it. And we live in a tainted world.

[36:12]

The pure stream of our life lives in a tainted world. So it's mixed, always mixed. And no matter how pure we try to be, it's very difficult. And once we get over to the pure side, we can't stay there. We have to get back into the tainted stream again, but with a difference. So we say, to be in the world, but not of it. That's How do we let the ball bounce on the stream? It bounces and then it's down the stream.

[37:23]

Everything is flowing down the stream. to just let things come and go. What captivates us is our desire for something. Desire is important and necessary, so where do we direct it? In his comment, he says the sage has no, I'm paraphrasing, has no particular thing that he desires other than to just take care of what's flowing.

[38:30]

Therefore, not creating problems, not creating big problems. So how do we practice or do we want to practice this kind of freedom? There's a saying that the reclining dragon fears the clear pool. It's an interesting statement. The reclining dragon fears the clarity of the clear blue pool. I think we all kind of fear the clarity of the clear blue pool. Then he says, Master Shandao of the Stone Grotto taught his congregation, saying, haven't you seen a little one when it's just emerged from the womb?

[40:12]

Has a baby ever said, I know how to read the scriptures? At that time, it does not know the meaning of having the Buddha nature or not having the Buddha nature. As he grows up, he learns all sorts of knowledge. Then he comes forth saying, I am able. I understand. without knowing that this is troubling over illusory dusts. Among the 16 contemplation practices, the baby's practice is the best. That's a breathing practice, actually. The 16 contemplation practices are 16 ways of breathing, the anapanasati. When he's babbling, he symbolizes the person studying the path with his detachment from the discriminating mind that grasps and rejects. So his babbling is like us. With his babbling, when he's babbling, he symbolizes the person studying the path with his detachment from the discriminating mind that grasps and rejects.

[41:22]

That's why I'm praising infants. I can make a comparison by taking the case of a baby, but if I say that the baby is the path, people of these times would misunderstand. The baby is not the path. Nonsense said, after 18, I was able to make a living. Jojo said, after 18, I was able to break up the family and scatter the household. He also said, I was in the South for 20 years. Only the two mealtimes of gruel and rice were points of mixed application of mind. I'm not sure what that means. Anyway, in his verse, Setso says, sixth consciousness inactive. He puts forth a question. The adepts have both discerned where he's coming from. That's those two guys.

[42:24]

on the boundless, swift-flowing water, tossing a ball. Where it comes down, it doesn't stay. Who can watch it?" And then in his commentary, he says, sixth consciousness inactive, he puts forth a question. Then he says, when the ancients studied the path, they brought themselves to this point. This is called achievement of non-activity. They were the same as a newborn baby. Though possessed of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, they didn't discriminate among the six sense objects. In sum, they were non-active. When you get to this realm, then you can overcome dragons and subdue tigers. Die sitting or die standing up. Right now, people should just take the myriad phenomena before their eyes and put them to rest at once. What need is there to get above the eighth stage of bodhisattva before you can be like this? Although there is no activity as of old, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers, the eighth stage of bodhisattva is the stage of immobility.

[43:36]

Sometimes there's an old saying that's, not knowing is the highest kind of knowing, kind of knowledge. So can't we let go of our clinging to our knowledge and let knowing

[44:20]

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