I read a very interesting story a couple days ago in the newspaper. The story is as following. It was a young lady, a young lady telling this story. Her father, her father passed away. No, no, not her father, her mother. Her mother passed away. At that time, her father was very upset, very upset. Then she and her brother and sisters didn't know how to take care of him because he was

[01:13]

very upset. Then they thought, they thought it was better to take him on a trip anyway. Then she tell him, she told him about trying to take a trip, taking a trip. He was agreed with taking a trip. And this is, it was, it was just a week later, a week later, a week later, her mother's funeral was over. But on his way to take a trip, he found, he found a very good, I don't know very good or not,

[02:35]

anyway, he found a girlfriend on his way to take a trip. He was 65 years old and this girlfriend was 40 years old. Anyway, he found this girlfriend. Then after coming back, he's coming back to his home, he told, he told her, I have been, I would, I would be, I would soon be, I would soon be getting married with her. This time, after listening, listening after his talking, his talking, she was very upset in spite of her father.

[03:38]

Then she and her brother and sister discussed about this event. Someone says, someone says, the father should wait for a file, because she, he, he should, he should show the respect to the mother's death. But someone said, oh, I don't think so, I don't think so. He should, he should any time, he should any time get married if, if he find a good girlfriend. That's pretty good. So they continued to discuss about this problem day after day, but no, no solutions, no solutions happened before then.

[04:44]

So she asked some, what shall I do? Do you have some, some, some ideas? And she said, yeah, this person, the person who was asked by her said, to show the respect, to show respect to, to show respect to a man is why he is alive. To show the, to show respect to the death is pretended, pretended. So it is not, it means, I think it is not, not so important, you know, to show respect to the, to mother's death. You know. So she said, and she said, the important point is the father's, father's present life,

[05:59]

father's present life. And her brother, his brothers, his sons and daughters should, should, should pray, should pray him, should pray to the God for him, she will, he will, he will be happy, he will be happy as soon as possible. If he finds a good girlfriend and gets married, this is for good. But important point is not whether he should, he should get married soon, as soon as better, as soon as better, as soon as possible. Because this, this is a matter of his own life. It is all right.

[06:59]

Now right after the, right after the mother's funeral service, and he got married, that's okay. Nobody, nobody, nobody criticize him because his life is very desolate. His life is his life. But the person who was asked by daughter said to show respect to man is while he is alive. So after the death it's not necessary to show respect to, to the death or to the mother's death. What, what do you think? What do you think? I think this idea is very practical. Very practical, very logical. And very, how would you say, very modern way of life.

[08:11]

Very practical, very realistic. It's very nice. The question is, question is, the question is a certain idea, certain idea that to show respect to man is while he is alive. To show, to show respect to the death is pretended. I think this is questionable. Of course she has, she has some principles, ideas. You know, this idea, she has, she has ideas, which means to show respect to the ones, to a man is while he is alive. This is pretty good. But this idea is questionable, questionable.

[09:13]

Of course, because this idea is something existed apart from our daily life. Even though this idea is true, it is pretty difficult to judge, to judge the very concrete way of life. Can you become, can you become very cold feeling, very cold feeling towards your father's death, towards your mother's death? Strictly speaking, you know, your mind and concrete way of life is very complicated. It is not so easy to judge, obviously. It is not necessary to show respect to the death, mother's death.

[10:17]

So that's all right, you should go ahead on your way. It's pretty difficult. So idea is very important, idea is important, principle is important, that's all right. But, but this principle or this idea should be something lead man, lead man to approach the truth as much as possible. This is important. Not to approach, not to approach complication, complicated. For this, even what kind of idea, what kind of principle, even based on Buddha's teaching, whatever it is, should be used, should be revealed, should be, they should be shown in our daily life.

[11:29]

At that time, they are not merely the ideas or principles. You know, in Japan, at my temple, many people threw away a homeless cat. And near the temples, near my temples. Because people, I think, I think people are, people believe the Buddhist temple, you know, priest, you know, not to kill the cats. So they don't want, they don't want to keep the cats, they try to throw away a cat in the garden of the temple.

[12:36]

So today I find one cat, tomorrow two cats, you know. Many cats around my temple. That's terrible, you know. But we have to do, I have to do something. I am very busy, you know, with taking care of, cleaning the house, inside and outside, like chanting sutra, morning service and evening service, and bathing and fixing meal. I'm very busy. So I am sorry for cats, but I don't have enough time to feed them. So sometimes I feed them. So they don't want, they don't want to leave away, to leave the temple. I think they were very, they felt very good, very comfortable, you know, to live around the temple.

[13:40]

Nobody kick them out. But the cats and dogs too, you know. Not only cats, but dogs too. So dogs, you know, when I go out to feed them, not the cats, cats just say, they went, goes on and meow, that's all, and coming to me, coming after me, expecting some food, you know. And dog is, dog is very cute, you know. Dog is very cute because he is always waving his tail, you know. But, and, jumping over my koromo, to make my koromo dirt, you know.

[14:46]

He doesn't care, just jump over me, asking some food to me. It was, it was very touching sight, sight to see. Waving his tail, asking, asking some food to, to, to dog. It was very touching sight to see. But sometimes I, I think, I thought, why is it you have to seek for, seek for the keeper, you know. Or why is it you don't, you don't, you don't want, you don't want to live by yourself, for yourself. Homeless cat, homeless dog is all right.

[15:47]

Why is it you, you are always seeking for the, some keeper, a keeper for him, for you. They are always looking for, looking for a keeper. And then, unfortunately, anyway, there is someone who take care of them. And the, this keeper, this keeper, every morning, every morning, take, take a walk, take a walk on the street, on the park, you know, with the dog, with his dog. Carrying the top of chain, carrying the top of chain, holding the top of chain. Dog, homeless dog is, is very happy, you know, to find his own keepers.

[16:49]

He is willing to walk, to take a walk, to, to take a walk with his keepers. Nevertheless, on the contrary, he, the moment when he find another, his company, he started to fight, barking, ba, [...] like this. How come? The moment he, when he find his own keepers, he was, he is very strong, very strong. He was very strong and always fighting with his company. I think that as long as a dog is, a dog is, a dog is looking for, looking for his own keeper

[17:51]

and fighting with his company, I think there should be, there should exist, there should exist a certain keeper for him, the opponent, opponent, his opponent. If the dog, if the dog quit to look for his own keeper and fight with each other, there is no keepers, there is no, no, his opponent. But what he has to, what he has to, but the dog, the dog has to look for his own keeper and fight with each other is kind of, kind of destiny. A kind of, a kind of fate of who he is, what that he has, he possesses.

[18:56]

The same is to be said of the human being. You know, if you have some principle, if you have some ideas, you know, you try to judge something according to some idea, some principle, like the counselors, like counselors as mentioned before. And to show respect to the man is just while he is alive, that's all. That's all. It is not necessary to show respect to the death, the mother's death. I think this principle is important, but when a man achieves this principle, you know, he is very strong, he is very strong, you should do this.

[20:02]

Do that. But even though you distinguish, even though you can judge something clearly and obviously, you don't do this, you do that. Your mind is clear? Your mind is very clear? I don't think so. Your mind is very complicated. Even though you follow that principle or ideas, I think there are many people here who is, who are, all interested in Zen Buddhism. I don't think all of you believe completely in Zen Buddhism. I don't think so. Because Rev. Karthikeya and Roshi forced us to follow the Japanese style.

[21:08]

I don't like the Japanese style. Because we are American. That's very true. Anyway, towards any direction, try to look at your mind. Your mind is very complicated. But this complicated mind is important for us. How we take care of, how we take care of this complicated mind, in the present, in the present, at present. Because this complicated mind should be a part of your life. However you try to escape it, it is impossible to escape it. If so, we have to, we have to take care of this complicated mind. So, I think, you know, the...

[22:12]

What I want to tell you is... How far, how soon, how soon he gets married with his good girlfriend, or not, I don't care. That's your life. That's his life. But, the question is to decide, to decide something. To decide a very concrete way, a concrete fact in life. According to a certain idea, a certain principle. Whatever it is, even Buddhism. Buddhism says that everything is emptiness. So you should, you think, oh yes, I understand what emptiness is. What to be and what to be. Then someone said to me two years ago,

[23:21]

I met, I came across in a bus, came across some person, one of the students. He was not here now. He is not here now. I came across him on a bus. I met him on a bus. I asked him, where are you heading for? He said, I don't know where. I don't know where I am heading for. That's up to my mind. I don't care where I get off. I don't know. That's pretty good, because it looks like Zen. But it's pretty dangerous. It's pretty dangerous. You know, completely, you don't touch, you don't cling to anything at all.

[24:31]

It is not necessary to put the stress on, I don't care, I don't know where I am heading for. Because you are always right in the midst of the emptiness. It is not necessary to say that. For instance, it looks like as if you live in paradise. Within the world of paradise, everything is given anytime you want to get. At that time, it is not necessary to get the desire to get something. No desires in paradise. Because in paradise there are many things, many things to be given. Even though you understand the idea of principles, such as emptiness or transiency,

[25:41]

such an understanding is questionable. This understanding of what you get is very questionable. Because the daily life, the concrete way in life is very complicated. How long? How long do you practice Zazen? How long do you... After training of long years, I don't think so there is anyone who decides obviously clearly to do this, not to do that. Because daily life is very complicated.

[26:46]

In other words, complicated mind, complicated way of life is absolutely the reality of things. So the important point is how to take care of this complicated way of life. Even though you don't have any kind of principles or ideas. Buddha says, if you have perfect knowledge then you have greed. You must by listening, pondering and practicing knowledge make yourself progress.

[27:54]

Make yourself progress. To listen, to ponder, to practice Buddha's teaching is not to understand. It's not merely to understand them. To listen, to ponder and to practice Buddha's teaching is how to take care of your daily life, complicated way of life. Principles are principles. Don't judge. Don't judge your complicated way of life according to certain principles, certain ideas. If you have perfect knowledge then you have no greed. If you cling to any kind, even a little bit, to a certain principle, to ideas,

[29:00]

you cannot help having a kind of greed. You don't understand the complicated way of life, daily life. After training for long years, let's imagine you can get enlightenment. After getting enlightenment you think everything to be poor, to be stupid. Because you always look at the ordinary person, all sentient beings, in the lower level. You think always I get enlightenment, which is higher level than you. So you think people are funny, who are struggling, who are suffering from their troubles.

[30:14]

But this is all right, this is all right, because it's his own life. But it's not open for everyone. Because everyone has a very complicated way of life. Try to reflect upon yourself, even though you have tiny troubles. It's pretty difficult to decide how to do. Even though you listen to the Buddha's teaching, you ponder, you consider, and practice Buddhism, it's pretty difficult to decide, yes, I am right. I don't think so. Keeping some doubt, keeping some doubt in your mind, you have to decide something to do.

[31:21]

It's pretty difficult to decide to do clearly, obviously. Like the counselors who said to show respect to the man while the man is alive. It's not necessary to bend to show the respect to the man's death. This is very dangerous. Of course, idea is idea, so it is necessary to tell him what's the right idea, what's the right principle a human being possesses, observes, is. We should make an effort to tell them, to tell a human being what's the right principle is. That's why the Shakyamuni Buddha told us, gave us some lectures for a long time, 40 years, for 40 years.

[32:37]

Not only 40 years, up to now, Shakyamuni Buddha teaches us what the right principle is. But each individual, there are individuals who are going on their way, creating their own troubles. This is human being, this is the complicated way of life. As Dogen Zenji says, even Buddhism, even Buddha's teaching is not always right. After listening to Buddha's teaching, you should consider again and again about it. If you find it better than the Buddha's teaching, you should follow it.

[33:44]

This is Dogen's advice, a piece of advice for us. So whatever kind of principles, a principle is a principle. Your life is your life. Your life is a very vivid life, a vivid stream of life. A very vivid life force. According to this vivid way of life force, we have to learn something. We have to learn something, some principles. It means you have to get a taste of your own life under a certain situation. For this, as Dogen Zenji says, we have to get rid of selfishness.

[34:58]

Any kind of knowledge, practice, or jump into the Buddha's home. This is very important. So, Dogen Zenji says, it is a condition, sitting, standing, sleeping, beyond voice and visible things. It is the truth beyond discriminatory views. As Buddha says, rely upon the self, rely upon the self. This is real truth, this is real truth. So there is no better way to walk step by step, taking care of a complicated way of life.

[36:09]

There is no better way to get enlightenment than to walk step by step. This is the practice of wisdom. This is the practice of wisdom. Wisdom is not to understand a certain principle. Wisdom is to get a taste of your complicated way of life, without being tossed by any kind of troubles.

[37:19]

That's important. Then, at least in Buddhism, to listen, to think, to practice Buddha's teaching is not to understand merely. To listen, to ponder, to practice Buddha's teaching is to get a taste of the complicated way in life. Life is a kind of trouble still. This is, when you understand in that way, this is really just tranquility, just tranquility. Even though you cry, you suffer, suffering is suffering. Suffering is not merely suffering. This morning I said to someone, the gourd, diamond, ring with the gourd, with diamond, is very valuable for a woman, for you.

[38:37]

That's all right. But you don't forget, you don't forget diamond itself exists completely, absolutely, without being tossed by judgment, the idea of whether it is valuable or not. This is real diamond. Even though practice is pretty good, or chanting sutra is pretty good, when you put the chanting sutra before the cat, before the dog, it doesn't care what it is. It has no doubt. We have to understand gourd itself, diamond itself, diamond itself which possesses in your daily life.

[39:50]

Not in the principles, not in the Buddhist ideas, in your daily life, in yourself, this is important.

[40:01]

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