There is a reason, legally, which impacts the human life. This is a story which a saint named Pindola, Pindola, Pindola Bharadwaja, Pindola Bharadwaja, gave a story to a king.

[01:07]

This story occurs in the Sutra of Sermon, which is called in Japanese, Seppo Kyo. Seppo means sermon, Kyo is sutra. So, the Sutra of Sermon. There is a man who has committed a crime. One day, he is running away. So, gods are following him day in and day out.

[02:18]

I don't know how many days. He says he has been running away. Anyway, after running away for many hours, many days, on his way, he notices a well. With vines growing down the sides. So, he decides to descend into the well, into the inside of the well,

[03:29]

by means of vines growing down the sides anyway. He feels, at that time, relief, to avoid gods who has been following him. Then, he makes every effort to take the first hold of the vines. At that time, he sees vipers, he sees vipers at the bottom of the well,

[04:36]

opening their mouths. They seem to be waiting for him to fall down to the bottom of the well. He was really startled at this scene. Wow! So, it makes him to take a faster, faster hold of the vines with whole-heartedness. Sometimes, vines are moving to the right or to the left, or to forward and backward. He feels it's funny. What's the matter with the vines?

[05:42]

Then, he looks around like this, and on looking down, he finds two mice, one white and the other black. The black has been gnawing at the vines. Wow! It's dangerous. Please stop gnawing at my veins. But it's too late, anyway. The two mice concentrate on gnawing at the vines, regardless of the presence of him. Then, more and more, he takes a faster hold of the vines.

[06:48]

And then, the goddess passes away by the wells. It makes him feel very relieved. Then, he looks up, upward, and look at the skies, beautiful skies. And at the same time, he notices, just above his face, when he looks upward, a beehive. From where, from which, occasionally falls a drop of honey, you know, very sweet honey.

[07:54]

Putong! And then, he looks at the sky, opening his mouth a little bit, like this. At that time, from the beehives, a drop of honey has fallen into his mouth. Wow! Very sweet. May he, forgetting his danger, taste the drop of honey with delight. Wonderful! Wow! Wonderful honey! Now, these are all stories. All stories.

[09:00]

Now, what do you think about these stories? When he is at the Dead Rock, he can notice a well. By what, by what he can, he can hide himself. There are many things which happen around him. The Bible says, opening their mouths, waiting for him falling into the bottom of the well. And the two mice are snoring at the vines, at which he has been crouching, as if he was drawing a man.

[10:17]

On the other hand, he tastes, forgetting his danger, a drop of honey with delight. This is all phenomena of the stage where his life is going on. Not in the future, not his future, not in the past. At present, this is all phenomena of his stage, where his life is going on. Judging from this story, I think, wherever you may go, you must notice, you must notice that there is a certain crack, certain crack or failure.

[11:38]

At the stage of human life, in our daily lives, this crack and failure very often is represented. And in the form of Dead Rock or embarrassing situation, under a certain environment around your daily life, what is a rock?

[12:45]

What is a rock which you must find and notice? What is failure? In other words, what is a structure? What is a structure of reality? With which the bedrock of human life is going on. Anywhere you notice, you notice that everyday life, in everyday life that you feel untrustworthy, unreliable, undependable, uneasy.

[13:48]

In the bottom of your mind, in the bottom of your mind, in other words, in the bedrock of human life, in other words, in the deep structures, deep bottom of reality, with which the bedrock of human life is going on. It must be taken into consideration that you have to encounter the deep bottom, deep bottom of human life. Where you feel, where you feel uneasy or untrustworthy. And then, it also must be taken into consideration that you are under this environment that you have no control.

[15:13]

In the bedrock of the human life, we are always expecting something. As mentioned before last week, saying, I hope so or I hope not. And this is the stage of our daily lives. And also this stage doesn't belong to the domain of the past, doesn't belong to the domain of the future. This stage exists completely at the present, in the present. I hope so or I hope not.

[16:26]

Saying, it is convenient for me to do so, it is inconvenient for me to do so. This is reality. This is the structure of the reality, with which the bedrock of human life is going on. It is not the matter of the matter of future, it is not matter of past. It is not matter of the event which happened in past, which will happen in future. So this stage, at present, it is consistent in quality or possibility. I hope so or I hope not.

[17:33]

For instance, nobody knows whether or not you have a type of disease, a sick, a cancer, whatever kind of disease there may be. You may have a type of disease or you may not have a type of disease. I had a type of virus, a type of disease which is called virus. Do you know the virus? Virus? At the age of 16 years old, the virus is a very terrible disease. A twist, a twist in one's intestines.

[18:49]

It is a terrible disease. You must pain constantly, without cease, all day. Even though you lie down, you go to bed, pain doesn't stop. Even though you stand up, pain doesn't stop. You must pain all day with cease. At that time, the doctors didn't realize what kind of disease I had. My disease completely left all doctors, all doctors in big worry, what to do. Then for 12 hours, I suffered from pain of the virus. Tossing to the right and to the left on my bed.

[20:08]

In 12 hours, no, maybe 6 hours, in 6 hours, the doctor decided to send me to the hospital anyway. Inviting the professional doctor. And then several doctors came to my room and looked at my stomach. Then at last they found, they found what kind of disease I had. Wow, this is, it is, it is virus. It's terrible disease. But unfortunately, they don't have the confidence. If I have, if I have operation, they don't know whether or not I am alive.

[21:34]

So many doctors discussed, many doctors were discussing about me. What to do? Because if they, if I have the big operation, I may, I may die. Then they decided to shut, to avoid, to avoid the suffering, to avoid the pain, just to follow fire anyway. I didn't know anyway. But I listened, I know, I knew everything. I knew all that doctor discussing, doctor had been discussing about my life, about my birth and death.

[22:44]

Then they shut, they gave a big shot to me. But I, I egged on all doctors or all nurses to have a big operation anyway, because I pained so much, pained so much. Hurry up! What's the matter with you, you know? It's not necessary to hesitate, you know. Then they decided to, they had to operate me, my stomach. Okay. Unfortunately, up to now, I have existed in this world anyway.

[23:59]

Instead of my death. You know, nobody knows whether or not I have, I have had, I have an attack, attack of a big disease of varicose. Even the doctor don't know my, about the subject of my death or my birth, you know. In terms of medical, medical science, they didn't know about my death and my birth and death. Of course, we are, we try to, we are trying to make a choice of the possibility, you know.

[25:21]

Possibility of the hope I am, I am expecting. Now, when I, when I listen, when I was listening to the discussion, the discussion made by the doctors, in a sense, I was scared of my death. You know, but, you know, it is really impossible.

[26:27]

To cling to one-sided idea, one-sided idea, in terms of medical science. At that time, they believed, they believed how great medical science was anyway. So they don't want, they didn't want to have to operate. I think it may be possible, it may be possible to cling to one-sided idea in probability, in probability. Not in necessity, not in inevitability. If you, if you stick to one-sided idea, in terms of medical science, I think, I think they didn't operate.

[27:50]

If you cling, if you stick to the one-sided idea in terms of my, in terms of fear of my death, maybe I might, I might have operation. But it, it must, it might be possible to cling to the one-sided idea in terms of the conception of probability, not in inevitability. In the domain of the, you know, the possibility, you must notice that there are multitudious, multitudious possibility, you know, multitudious possibility.

[28:57]

Completely you can't make a, make a choice of one-sided, I don't want to die, you know. Or the doctor don't want to operate. There were many possibility, multitudious possibility. I might, I might keep my life alive even though I had, I have operation. Even though they have, they decided to operate, maybe I might not, I might not die. Like the, like the, like the man who, who is, who is running away, running away from the jail.

[30:13]

There are many ways. And then he tries, he tries to hide himself, descending into the well, by means of, by means of the vines growing down to the sides. Even though he make a choice to good, make a choice very, a business place, there are many possibility, you know. The presence of the vipers, opening their mouth, waiting for him falling down into the bottom of the mud, the well. The presence of the two mice, gnawing at the vine, the presence of the vine, and also the fallen, the presence of the honey, you know.

[31:24]

A drop of honey, which makes you, which makes you, which makes you forget your danger. Plunge into the pleasure. Anyway, there are, there are many possibility, you can't choice, you can't choice one sided idea, you know. Even though you think within your head, brain, yes, this is my best place, you know. You know, all of you are very serious, through the artistic students of the Zen. I think all of you decided to be in the domain of Zazen. Zazen is best place, you know.

[32:25]

Avoid from your suffering, avoid from the confusion, which happens in the world. Then you said, yes, this is best place. Well, look at yourself. Even in the domain of the Zazen, what you believe this is best place, you know. There are multitudious possibility. What's the matter my brain? Your brain over there, in China, in India, in Ceylon, in Japan, sometimes in heaven, sometimes in hell. Sometimes a big imagination of vipers and monsters. This is vivid stage of your life.

[33:29]

In which the bedrock of your life is going on. Anyway, this is the reality, this is reality. This stage is reality, this stage rise in reality. Not in the past, not in the future, right now. And also you come to notice that it is impossible to escape, to get rid of it. However you can avoid. Regardless of the idea whether you want, idea however you try to escape from it.

[34:38]

This is also the stage of your present life. Now within this, the stage, on this stage, you will cling, you are always clinging to the one-sided idea and suffer. And pain. And struggling. But who is opponent? Who is the opponent which you are always wrestling with? Your suffering, your troubles, in the domain of the reality of your life, realities of your life. In which the bedrock of your life is going on.

[35:47]

Who is your opponent? Who is your opponent? The opponent, your opponent is, the opponent is a sickness. Maybe you may, you may have, you may have a type of disease, sick. Or you may not, you may not. But who is opponent? The sickness is your opponent? I don't think so. Of course I had a big attack of the disease which is called valvular, valvular disease. Or the opponent is my own mind itself?

[36:59]

I don't think so. I think opponent is something like the idea, something like hypothetic idea. Hypothetic idea, I don't want, I don't want disease. You are always wrestling with the idea, hypothetic ideas. I don't want, I don't want, I don't want disease. Of course, nobody, nobody likes disease. You are not always, always wrestling with the sickness itself. You are not always wrestling with your mind itself.

[38:03]

You are always wrestling with hypothetical idea. I don't want, I hope or I hope not. That's all. Then as mentioned last week, it looks, it is as if you look at the reflection on the mirror, you know. I took an example, I took an example reflection and mirror. You look at your reflection on your mirror, you think, you think when you, when you stand, when you stand in front of a mirror, you notice your reflection and you think, wow, how beautiful I am. Sometimes you think, oh, how miserable my nose is.

[39:06]

How miserable my face is. I don't want my face. Sometimes I demonstrate smiling in front of the mirror like this. Oh, that's a nice smile. Sometimes, oh, I don't like this smile. Maybe someone, someone come to, come to me and in front of a mirror and he demonstrates in the same way smiling. Oh, your smile is pretty good. Even though I don't, regardless of the idea whether or not I like or I dislike, you know, my smiling, my face, I myself is not the reflection. I just look at my reflection and think, oh, how beautiful I am.

[40:12]

I'm looking at my, I'm looking at my reflection, not looking at myself, you know. Now I'm looking at my mind. I'm looking at my, looking at the hypothetical idea and I believe how beautiful my face is. That's all. Do you think so? Hypothetical idea. Now hypothetical idea is always here, you know. And then you're always wrestling with it. How beautiful I am, how miserable, how ugly, you know, how ugly my face is. So I want to operate my nose. If so, if so, I myself, I myself who is, who is going on at the realities of life,

[41:21]

based on the bedrock, bedrock of my life, based on the deep bottom of life, is not the reflection, is not my reflection, is not, is not the mirror itself. Well, is not, is not my mind. Mind. I think you understand who is the opponent for you, which you are wrestling, wrestling with in your everyday life, you know. It is just a hypothetical idea, not your mind itself. So you yourself, the I, as you are, is not your reflection, is not mirror itself.

[42:34]

Then question is, where is the you yourself? Where is the true self? Where is the self in its, in its... I forget words. In its... In its easiness or suchness, pure and simple. Where is the self, the striping, striping, striping the self, striping the, striping the things, striping the things,

[43:40]

striping the self of all moral, philosophical, scientific, you know, throwing away, throwing away the self of all psychological content, you know. Where is this big self? The big self throwing away the small self of all psychological content, philosophical or moral content. It doesn't arise and doesn't exist within

[44:53]

your reflection on the mirror, doesn't exist within the mirror itself. It doesn't exist within your mind itself. Where is the big self? Then big self exists the place, anyway something more, something more the place where you are always struggling, where you are always suffering or pain, feeling pain. Clinging to the hypothetical idea. So you yourself, as you are, is

[46:10]

the highest stage, highest stage. More than the place, more than the one where you are clinging to the hypothetical idea. Without, without the domain of the reflection, without the domain of the mirror itself. It must be taken into consideration that you have to, you have to go beyond that. Beyond that. Where can you, where can you go beyond that? As mentioned before, it must be taken into consideration that you are under the circumstances,

[47:17]

circumstances over that you have no control. The feeling of, feeling of untrustworthiness and of unreliableness, of indistinctness, of obscurity. If so, we have to, and also you, you, you have noticed that you cannot get rid of it. You cannot escape the stage where you are under the circumstances over you have no control. If so, under the circumstances over you have no control, you have to go beyond.

[48:21]

This is very important, this is very important. So, under the circumstances, under the circumstances over that you have no control, feeling of untrustworthiness, feeling of unreliableness. What you must, what you must go beyond means you accept, you accept the feeling of untrustworthiness the way as it is. In other words, you have to stand up under the untrust, under the circumstances of untrustworthiness, that's all. You can't escape from the domain of the untrustworthiness.

[49:27]

You can't escape, you can't escape from the feeling of unreliableness. So, what you can, what you can, the only one, only one way, the only best way, what you can, you can go beyond. Embarrassing situation with what you are confronted is to go beyond that, is to stand up, to stand up upright under the circumstances over you have no control.

[50:33]

In other words, to accept as untrustworthiness is, the way as untrustworthiness is. This is effort in Buddhism, this is effort which the Buddhism put emphasis on. Not escape, not cling to it. Then, Dogen Zen says, the effort is to cultivate and practice good without cease. The effort is called in Japanese, Shōjin.

[51:34]

A shō means, the word shō means, shō refers to the state of undefiledness. Zen means not to digress, not to regress. The Zen literal meaning is to go, to proceed. But Dogen Zen explains that to proceed, to go ahead is not to regress. This is very interesting point, you know. The shōjin is, shōjin or effort is not just merely to go ahead, not to merely proceed,

[52:44]

or not merely to go back, not merely to progress. What should you do? Not to go ahead, not to progress, not to regress. What should you do? Now here, whether or not you don't understand what the effort is, what the true meaning of effort is. The effort is, when you stand up, when you stand up without merely rushing into forehead, not merely going back, you know, blindness, blindly. So not to go ahead, not to regress.

[53:49]

Just here, you know. This is effort. Buddha says, or Dogen Zen says, not to go ahead, not to regress. This is effort. It's pretty hard. That's why you always say, oh my life is pretty hard. What shall I do? And then sometimes you find, oh Zazen is best place, then you should, you practice Zazen. But I mentioned before, even in the domain of the best place which is called Zazen, there are many, there are multitudinous possibilities, you know. Ridiculous functioning of your mind, fluttering the state of your mind, the feeling of uneasiness, going here and there, the presence of vipers,

[54:52]

the presence of two mice, the presence of vines. Vines looks like your Zazen, you know. Then you take a fast hold of your Zazen. Yeah, this is my Zazen. But I'm sorry for you. The vines of your Zazen, you know, two mice, two mice is gnawing at your vines. But you believe this is best place. What should you do? This is very important. You look at carefully, the structure of the reality, you know, in which the bedrock of life is going on. So effort is not to go rushing into forehead,

[55:59]

not to, not merely go back blindly. Just here. You can, you can go anywhere. You can go anyplace. There is nowhere, you know. Like the man who is, who is suffering in the will, you know. Whatever, whatever you, whatever you notice, you know. Whatever kind of multitudinous possibility you may find, you may notice, you can go anyplace, you know. As long as, as long as you take fast hold of vines, you can go anyplace. You have to, you have to take consideration of your life,

[57:03]

not in past, not future, and present. You have to take consideration of your life in present. Which means, which means a man, which means a man's present, man's present life is taking hold of the vine. Then, for this man, there is no, no way, no suggestion, no hint, which others try to give him. All he has to do is to live,

[58:04]

to live multitudinous, multitudinous possibility to take the natural course. That's all. In other words, all he has to do is to accept all circumstances. Over that he has no control. Of course, he doesn't, he doesn't satisfy himself. I know you know, you know. I think the, maybe one of famous, I think it's in Europe, Kierkegaard. The happiness is, happiness looks like

[59:06]

floating on the water, floating on the water. Happiness is as if you float, you float on the surface of water, just like this. But please be careful. It doesn't mean, it doesn't mean negative way of life. It doesn't mean negative way of life. Because even though you float, you float on the surface of water, your hands, your legs, they will move. You have to move, you have to move. You have to concentrate on let your body and mind float on the surface of water. It is impossible to float on the surface of water without any effort,

[60:08]

without any effort. This is very important. The example which Kierkegaard that taken, that he took, is very interesting point. The happiness is as if you floated on the surface of water, just floated. It means you have to, all you have to do is to accept all multitudinous possibility. With the feeling of untrustworthiness, of unreliableness. It means to stand up upright, you know. Right now, right here. This is effort. Then when you stand up upright,

[61:10]

under circumstances over that you have no control. It is called effort. It is called going beyond. It is called to notice, to experience, to experience best place, best place beyond suffering from hypothetical ideas. Okay?

[61:42]

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