I doubt it's true. in Sekito Kisen's poem, Daihi Shin, I mean, Sandokai, there's a phrase where he says, You may not see the path, even though you're walking on it.

[01:05]

Even though you're walking on the path, you may not see it. You may not know what you're doing, even though you're doing it. Or you may not know how you're practicing, or why I say this, why I'm talking about this. is because sometimes people feel that we don't put any emphasis on enlightenment. why someone says, well, why don't we talk about enlightenment more? Why don't we, you know, put some, light some fire by talking about gaining enlightenment?

[02:21]

And so I want to address this question. As we know, the Buddhist path is the path of enlightenment or a path to enlightenment. That's interesting. You can think of it as the path to enlightenment and you can also think of it as the path of enlightenment. So both of and to may be true. But the way we think about it is that of is to, and to is of. In other words, our practice, our true practice, is itself the practice of enlightenment.

[03:30]

Because we like to think in terms of means and ends. A goal with an end. That's our usual way of thinking about things. Attainment. To attain something you work hard and at the end you attain it. We don't deny attainment. We don't deny attainment of something. But we don't put in our practice, we don't put the emphasis on attainment. We put the emphasis on the practice. So that's one reason why Soto Zen is more formal and more oriented toward everydayness.

[04:36]

Because we put emphasis more on how enlightenment emerges from our practice or how we touch enlightenment. through our everyday practice and through practice of zazen. We always say that zazen is not the means to enlightenment. We don't practice zazen to become Buddha or to gain enlightenment. And this always throws people off. They say, well then why do you practice satsang? Why go through all this hardship and spend all this time sitting here like a stone when in the end you don't gain enlightenment?

[05:48]

So this kind of materialistic idea of gaining enlightenment is difficult to deal with if you have it We like to, we can't help seeing enlightenment as an object. If we have desire, you know, the best thing we can do with desire is to turn it toward enlightenment. You may want to turn a desire toward two materialistic things or But in Buddhism, we turn desire toward enlightenment, to gain enlightenment. So naturally, if we turn desire toward gaining enlightenment, there should be some effort to gain enlightenment, and there should be some enlightenment to gain.

[06:58]

But our thinking is very dualistic. Always our thinking is very dualistic. And we start from A to get to B, and that's very logical. But it doesn't hold up in the realm of enlightenment. That kind of logical, dualistic thinking doesn't apply in the realm of gaining enlightenment. But we want our dualistic, logical way to be validated by enlightenment. And so it gives us a big problem. And that problem is a good koan for us. Because even if intellectually we can feel that we're not supposed to sit zazen to gain enlightenment,

[08:11]

Somewhere in the back of our mind, you know, there may be some doubt. Maybe, you know, maybe he's wrong. When I read the books, the books always say that you should strive hard for enlightenment. And if you read Zen books, Zen books say that you should try to attain Kensho. And this is a kind of, this kind of literature, Zen literature, is very insightful. Actually, pretty insightful. And gets our blood running and makes our head hot. And we have to be a little bit careful

[09:17]

about literature and reality. Now there are different methods in Zen, different ways, different approaches. Rinzai approach deals with koan study as a method. And Soto Zen approach deals with, puts more emphasis on zazen. And although the Rinzai method puts more emphasis on koan study as a method, they also sit zazen. And although the Soto approach puts more emphasis on zazen, there's also koan study and use of koan. especially Kenjo-kun.

[10:27]

So all these elements exist in both approaches. But Rinzai approach takes the avenue of you're here in delusion And by practicing hard, you will arrive at enlightenment. And Soto Zen takes the approach more of, we already have original enlightenment. And through practice, it will be manifest. Now those may sound like two different things, but they're really the same. But the approach is different. through practice enlightenment will manifest, which means that the means and the end are not separate.

[11:32]

So that all the time that we're practicing we're practicing in the realm of enlightenment, if we're really sincerely practicing. But we don't always recognize what is enlightenment. So, we may be practicing within the realm of enlightenment, but we don't necessarily have realization. We don't understand it and we don't realize it. And as Dogen says in Genjo Koan, some may realize it and some may not.

[12:41]

Some may realize it and some may not. realize it. So we do realize enlightenment, we do have realization. But what we put the emphasis on is the practice itself. So rather than putting seeking enlightenment as a goal, even though it is integral with the path, with the way-seeking mind, and with our practice. We don't set it up as a goal, so that you neglect

[13:45]

If the treasure is over there and you can see it over there, then you run very fast to get the treasure. It's kind of like a rainbow. The treasure in Soto Zen is kind of like a rainbow. At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold. But if you try to find the end of the rainbow, even though you can see the end of the rainbow, You run over, but you can't find the end, you know? Where is that pot of gold? You can't find the end of the rainbow, even though you see the rainbow. It's a beautiful rainbow. And you forget where you are. If you're constantly thinking about seeking that enlightenment over there, at the end of the rainbow, that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you forget where you are. He said, that's it over there, not here.

[14:49]

So when we have realization, when we wake up, if we have kensho, we realize the pot of gold is right here. This is the end of the rainbow. So, instead of putting the emphasis on the pot of gold over there, you put the emphasis on the pot of gold here. This is your pot of gold. Going to the bathroom, sitting on the toilet is your pot of gold, if you understand it. We put our emphasis on just everything we do is filled with enlightenment. Every activity we do comes out of enlightenment, comes out of original enlightenment.

[16:01]

But how do you realize that? I can say so, but how do you realize it? How do we turn our life into enlightened life. So first we have Zazen practice. Zazen practice is practice of enlightenment, practice of pure emptiness. not emptiness in which you take away the form, but in which you can see the form as empty, all forms as empty. It's quite wonderful when you can see all forms as empty in the same way as you do in zazen, then your life is lit up by enlightenment.

[17:18]

It doesn't mean to get rid of things, although our life is much easier when it's very simple. In order to practice, we have to simplify our life, and this is maybe the most difficult thing. Simplifying our life so that we can observe our life, so that we can take care of our And our life gets more and more complicated. The more we try to do something about it, the more complicated it gets. It's like an amoeba. Something that you cut, you know. And the two halves form halves. So it's very hard to keep our life under control. to really have some control of our life.

[18:24]

And so practice, first thing about practice is that it's oriented, maybe orientation. What does our life revolve around? What is it oriented around? This is the first thing that we have to come to terms with. If you sit zazen regularly for a long time, you can't help but orient your life around zazen. Zazen has to be the real center of your life. And it can be conflicting. You know, you can say, well, my family is the center of my life. My whole life revolves around my family. Or you can say, my work is the center of my life. Everything in my life revolves around my work or your play or something.

[19:28]

But at some point we have to realize that family, friends, work, play, whatever, is not the basis. The basis of our life is emptiness. And when we realize that the basis of our life is emptiness, then we can relate to our family, relate to our friends, to our work. But it's through the basis of emptiness of ourself. So It's like when two individuals have a relationship, it works best if both people know their individuality.

[20:37]

And through that individuality they come together and each one has a strong sense of himself. But if one has a strong sense of himself and the other is weak, then one always gets taken over by the other. And we have mostly symbiotic relationships, which is okay. It's natural. But for each of us to understand ourself is best before we have a relationship. And for each one of us to empty nature is most important to have a basis. Then whatever happens, you know, we're coming from that place. We're not just coming from some superficial level or from a partial level.

[21:41]

So as much as possible we try to include our whole nature. then all of the activities, all of the small activities that we do are connected, are very deep, deeply rooted in our empty nature. It's a kind of metaphor, a dogen, I can't remember the circumstances, it's in one of his facsicles, but he talks about standing up in the ocean, the sagara mudra. Sagara is the great sea, samadhi. So he talks about swimming on top of the ocean, but your feet are touching the bottom.

[22:48]

So, when we're swimming on top of the ocean, our feet should be touching the bottom, no matter how deep the water is. So, rather than talking about gaining enlightenment rather than expressing it in that way. We express it more as living an enlightened life. How do you live an enlightened life? You may gain enlightenment. You may have some wonderful enlightenment experience. We should all have wonderful enlightenment experience. one after the other.

[23:58]

All of our experience should be enlightened experience. But we don't put so much emphasis on someday you'll have this big experience. I know people who are waiting for this big experience and they don't trust their activity until they have this big experience that they read about in the book We need to be able to appreciate our life, you know, every step, every breath. When we sit in zazen, we can just completely appreciate our life without thinking, without judging. we can meet life just as it is nothing special nothing to do but how we bring life to life this is

[25:29]

How we bring life to life means that we have to put our life into life. If we sit zazen, we should put our whole life into zazen. When you sit down, you should sit down completely with everything. your mind going this way and that way and you forget this and that and you're just kind of sitting there. That's not zazen. Zazen is to take your whole package of energy and sit it down. Complete oneness and concentration. It's a great opportunity. a very rare opportunity to be able to sit zazen, to do something so completely. And when we get up from zazen, when we walk,

[26:53]

walk very concentratedly, very completely. And we become, we merge with every activity that we do. There are many aspects of zazen other than just concentration. And what is very important is to have calmness of mind. she emphasized calmness of mind over and over again, means to be able to meet a situation, every situation with calmness of mind that you have in zazen, which accepts everything as it is and responds without preconception. and with total awareness.

[27:54]

So, empty mind, to empty our mind in zazen means to touch base with our deeper mind, to get beyond all the surface agitation, which we call thinking, and manifest our basic mind. And when you meet something, you respond with that mind. But that mind is always alert and ready. It doesn't have anything in it, no preconceptions, no idea about things, but is immediate and quick and meets the situation and responds spontaneously.

[29:07]

without anxiety or fear or aggressiveness or aggression. You know, if you sit sashimi for a long time and take a break and go sit down in the chair and the cat jumps on your lap. Because your mind is so empty, you immediately respond to the cat. Maybe you don't do anything, but you feel something. You feel the cat doesn't disturb you. Maybe the cat jumps up quickly. The cat doesn't disturb you. and you feel like the cat is an old friend.

[30:23]

You may even feel that the cat is not different from yourself. Without any idea about it, You may not even say, this is a cat. Just something is happening. That's a kind of pure experience. Or you sit down and you look at the flowers. The flowers are very brilliant and alive and wonderful. And you don't say, these are flowers, beautiful flowers. No idea at all about anything. just pure experience without any separation. If we develop that kind of fearless openness, defenselessness, that's our enlightened practice

[31:45]

Not running after things. Just a calm mind through everything, no matter what happens. It means that you're always seated in emptiness, or always seated in enlightenment. Never attaching to any situation. and able to change with things without hesitation. When things change you don't say, oh God, oh I wish it was the other way around or something like that. You don't do that. You just change with things without hesitating. So, you don't get frazzled.

[32:55]

We all get frazzled. Even enlightened people get frazzled. But, as a way of life, to have that true calmness, not just an act, not just acting calm but feeling torn up inside. But to have real calmness is the result of long practice. In Rinzai Zen they say at some point you practice hard and you have this big Kensho experience. In Soto Zen You say, it's like walking in a fog. Your clothes get wet, unawares.

[34:00]

When you walk in a fog, your clothes, if you feel your clothes, they feel wet, but there's no rain. It's not like it's raining, it's just unawares this happens. And it's not really sudden enlightenment or gradual enlightenment. It's not really a matter of sudden or gradual. The sixth patriarch in the Platform Sutra talks about sudden and gradual enlightenment. And he says, some people are slow and other people are quick. But we don't talk about sudden and gradual. So there are many approaches to Zen practice.

[35:03]

And if you have one approach, and it works for you, that's very good. But you shouldn't put down some other approach. Say, this is wrong. This is the right way, and this is the wrong way. There are a lot of people who do that. But I think we should be careful not to fall into that kind of habit. We should appreciate our way and also appreciate other ways. But if you practice this way, you should practice this way. And if you practice some other way, you should practice that way. Mixing them up may be okay sometimes, but each way has its kind of purity. We should respect the purity and not try to add things to it, thinking, well maybe I'll get there faster, or maybe this will make things work better, or something like that.

[36:17]

That's like adding crutches. It's best to depend on as little as possible. There's very little in our practice to depend on, and that's very good. We shouldn't start adding things to make it more visible. It means that you have to do the work. Don't bring in aids. The fact that it's kind of intangible means that you have to scramble. You have to work. Without the effort and the work, nothing's there. The whole thing is you, and in you. There's no Zen practice out there. There's no enlightenment out there. There's only your effort.

[37:19]

One moment of effort is one moment of enlightenment. Some teachers are very strict. The strictest teachers have the most enlightened students. But they only have maybe one student. one or two students. We should know how to be strict with ourselves. We're all, you know, we're not children. People who come to Zen practice in America

[38:26]

are not like the young kids who come to Zen practice in Japan. And so you can't treat older people the way you treat younger people. And younger people are treated in a very strict way, you know, when they come to temple or monastery in Japan. It's treated very strictly. and kicked around, pushed around, and it's very good for them. But you can't treat older people like that. They won't respond. So, we have to find our own strictness. If we're not strict enough, then, you know, we fall into various byways.

[39:32]

And if we're too strict, people can't sustain it. So we have to find our way, you know, every day. Every day it's different. Every day we have to find our way. And the main thing is to remember what we're doing. So if you love to sit Zazen, that's great. That's a wonderful incentive to practice. If you're just sitting Zazen, holding out until you get enlightenment, you have a long way to go. So you better enjoy it. The way our enlightenment manifests

[40:39]

help other people. And we're just concerned with our own self. You know that that person is not so enlightened. We're only concerned with getting along ourself, you know, and how we sustain ourself. And not so concerned with That kind of narrow view is not the enlightened view. So you can see people's enlightenment opening as they begin to become more aware of their surroundings. the way they relate to things, people as well as objects.

[42:20]

And then the practice turns on or manifests in the way they relate to objects and people and things, everything, and their surroundings. It becomes very obvious. And we keep developing that enlightened activity forever. And an enlightened person is no longer so concerned about themselves. They take care of themselves very well. In our practice, taking care of ourselves and our surroundings is how we practice.

[43:38]

If we forget that, then there's nothing to practice with. There's no way to express your enlightenment. And then that enlightenment is a kind of karma, traceless karma that goes out into the world. You don't even have to do something special just by lighting up your surroundings. Sometimes, you know, we live in a very dark cave It's easy to live in a dark cave where our light goes out about like this.

[44:41]

But gradually our light can go further and further out. And then we enlighten our surroundings. So enlightenment is not just something that we keep to ourselves. So an enlightened person, a characteristic of an enlightened person is that they delight in taking care of their surroundings, including people and things. And their life revolves around emptiness. comes out of emptiness.

[45:46]

You have a question? I'm sure that they relate. If you practice hard, at the end of the rainbow, so to speak, is the enjoyment of practice. But it doesn't seem so. enjoyable. And then all the strictness seems to follow from that, and you don't even call it strictness.

[47:00]

It's just, of course you practice harm. My difficulty is in going from an attitude of, you must practice harm, or talking in that way, sort of like trying to pull the donkey to water. It seems like the donkey will never go. pull or push the donkey. But if you leave the donkey alone, it seems like the donkey is going to go in the water, naturally. There are several things about what you said. One is, starting from the bottom and from the end, if you leave the donkey alone, the donkey may or may not go in the water. You may leave the donkey alone and the donkey may go someplace else. Or you may leave the donkey alone and the donkey may go to water.

[48:01]

So it's not black and white, you know. And what I mean, I didn't define what I meant by strictness. And I agree with you that we don't go from A to B. That the enjoyment is in the process. The enjoyment is in the act. It's not that you work hard now in order to get enjoyment later. I thought that's what I was talking about. That the enjoyment of practice is in the practice. The enjoyment of our life is in our life, not sacrificing our life now for some future life, which is called enlightenment. It's got to be right now. But we say, but this, my life isn't enjoyable. We can't make that happen.

[49:05]

Only through practice and some help can that manifest. Strictness has various meanings. One meaning of the word strictness is you have to get up every morning and sit zazen and you have to do all these things and you have to do them all right. And don't make any mistakes. That's one kind of strictness. Another kind of strictness is you shouldn't do these things. You should maybe only come to zazen two days a week. That's another kind of strictness. So, when we talk about strictness, we mean doing something and not getting pulled away. Not getting... Strictness is... The reason this tom stands up is because of the way it's put together.

[50:15]

It's called strictness. If one of the legs was not there, it would fall down. So strictness is like how you keep the form together of something. So whatever your form is, it has to have some strictness. Otherwise it doesn't work. And in sitting zazen, to make it really work, you should be very strict about how you keep the form. If you're having a party and you're very relaxed and drinking champagne and talking to people, it would be very poor form to sit on a chair and do zazen. You very strictly maintain the right attitude in the right place doing the right thing. So strictness is just a kind of neutral term and we can apply whatever we want to it.

[51:19]

So, I didn't say strictness meant something special. I meant, in order to keep the form of whatever it is we have to do to make our practice work, we should maintain that, and that's strictness. So, maybe a center for strictness, and what you're talking about is just whole-heartedness. Whole-heartedness, that's also necessary, but it's not the same. They're really two different things. whole-heartedness is associated with strictness and it's a sustaining factor of it. I guess I'm still wondering, what is the special I'll tell you why I say that.

[52:39]

If you are an artist, then the reason why most people are artists is because they have inspiration. They have inspiration and you say, well I'm going to be an artist because I want to get this inspiration onto the canvas or the music or something like that. But in order to make that happen, you have to have some technique. And there are some artists who have the technique and everything all right there. But most people have to work. They have to practice in some way and learn something. And one of the biggest problems with artists is the temperament on the one hand, which is the inspiration, and the strictness or form on the other, which is what sustains their inspiration. So, so many artists that are really good, could be really good, can't stand the strictness of having to maintain some kind of form or steady life, because their inspiration is all they're interested in.

[53:55]

And as long as the inspiration is there, they're great. But when the inspiration is not there, then they fall down into hell, because they can't sustain their life. They don't have some strictness in their life. They can't maintain their inspiration and do any work. And it's the same way in Zen, you know. You may have this great inspiration for practice, but unless you have the strictness that keeps you constantly at it. I didn't make up this word, you know. It's not something that I spun out of my head. It's like the basis of all Zen practice. We have to have some form to keep our views going in the right direction. We may not like the word strictness because our mother made us be strict, but we have to get over that.

[55:30]

We still have the idea of the teacher with the whip. That's not what I'm talking about. It reminds me of a lecture that you gave a while back about finding our own inspiration for practice, not depending on you or someone else. maturity of your own strictness, our own way. That's right. When you find your own, when you can do it yourself, you know, that's real accomplishment. When you don't need me or anybody else, but you're practicing out of your own motivation, that's a real milestone. when you have your own conviction. That's what we should all have, is our own real conviction.

[57:05]

Still, people need help to, that's the best, or that's ideal, but people need help to be inspired, to work hard. And I talked with someone who has a feeling about wishing that this practice were more concerned with enlightenment, and stressing it as a goal, and he said, Well, all you're doing, you're all just sort of sitting there. You know, you have a nice life. You're all tranquil and easy going. It's nice laid back. It's harmonious. There's someone who doesn't sit here very much. And you know, you have a nice community. I don't see the real effort or real quest on the path.

[58:56]

I don't feel that attitude." And he went on to say, he said, in Rinzai, you know, well, my thought is that in Rinzai, the teacher, you go to the teacher and they kind of, in a way, check you with a column. And so you constantly have some feeling of, are you on? the path or off. But in this kind of practice, we have practice talking to you. Is that what we should be doing in practice talk? Are you on the path or off? What path? Where is it? Right here. Are you on or off? I don't even want to say I'm on it. And that's good. The person you're talking about, you should let that person talk for themselves.

[60:11]

The talk today was meant for that person who isn't here. Maybe you could tell him about it. I wasn't just speaking for him. I do have that same question. that there is, it seems, although I haven't practiced in Rinzai style, it seems like that they have less chance of drifting by that constantly relating back to ecology. Aren't you relating to...

[61:03]

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