The other day, I explained the way of breathing, quoting the statement, quoting the passage given by Keizan Zen Master. Anyway, Keizan Zen Master took many examples which we have confronted in our Zazen. For instance, it is not the proper way of breathing where the practice of Zazen makes

[01:09]

one's body feel glowing or chilly, stubborn or frivolous, hard or soft, heavy or light, and amazement. In this case, amazement is to be amazed at a strange sound or a strange imagination which appears, which makes appearance in front of your wall, some various kinds of colors or sometimes seeing the imagination of Buddha or Avalokiteshvara. Sometimes, you will see, you may see, you may see the

[02:17]

It is not the proper way of breathing, so Zen Master says you should try hard to regulate the breath. Anyway, one way or another, we have to try hard to regulate the breath in your Zazen. Then, don't repulse, don't pursue, quickly, Zen says gradually regulate, gradually regulate your breath, slowly follow it. When you experience a lot of things in Zazen, imagination or thought running through your head, don't be in a hurry to get rid of those.

[03:53]

Gradually regulate your breath, giving exercise, taking exercise, and then slowly follow it. You watch over carefully the breath. Then, Zen Master also says, when you get to the trouble, first of all, open your mouth, neither wide nor narrow, open your mouth and take deep breaths. The next sentence is important. Let the breath come and go as it will, short or long.

[04:55]

Let the breath come and go as it will, short or long. This is a very important point. The way of regulating the breath in that way, easy as it may be, is actually not so easy. You have to get a taste of it, what it is, what it is. In Japanese, we call it, we call this way of breathing, let the breath come and go,

[06:11]

in Japanese, literally meaning to rely upon, to rely upon, to leave something to someone. Also, the meaning of Makaseru, to rely upon or to trust you, to trust you with something. Refer to the meaning of completion, perfection or fullness. This is Makaseru, to rely upon, to leave, to let the breath, let the breath go and come and go as it will,

[07:22]

or means to trust, you trust yourself with the breath, to rely upon your breath. With completion or with the fullness, with perfection, this is Makaseru. So from this point, the let the breath come and go, it will, as it will, doesn't mean, say, the, the, doesn't mean to follow the, to follow a lifelong policy of the breath.

[08:27]

In other words, doesn't mean to, to, to leave the breath to take, to take your own course. Or, or it doesn't mean the breath is, a breath is much left to itself. It is, it has very delicate profound meaning, the, to let the breath come and go as it will, according to the meaning of the word in Japanese, Makaseyo. So, the, the Tatsugamigoshi says, take the breath, take the breath as natural as you can,

[09:39]

you think, oh, as, as natural as you can is, it's okay to leave, to let the breath, to let the breath come and go naturally, with, with no particular attention. But Makaseru, when you, when you trust someone, when you trust someone with something, for instance, a, when you, a, the, the, when you leave, a, a, an integral, an integral part of your business, a, to charge of a friend of yours,

[11:00]

at that time, what, what are you supposed to pay attention to, this, to the business, to the integral part of your business, in charge of your friend? What, what kind of attention are you supposed to pay? Are you, are you living alone, with, without any particular attention, because, oh, I live, I live, I live the, this business, this, this business to charge of my friend, so I don't care what, whatever you do. So please do as you like. I don't think so.

[12:03]

So from the meaning of the word Makaseru, the perfection or fullness, a, a, means is, a, is the state of mind, the state of mind, a, that is, that is repeated with mindful or considerate attention, in dealing with something, in trusting him, trusting him with an integral part of your business.

[13:06]

Or perfection, or the Makaseru, or perfection, or, a, a repetition, or fullness, is, that all things, all things, a, no, is the state of mind, and that all things are kept with, a, complete essence of great care, or the state of mind, a, in thoughtful attention, a, permeated into every management, a, of the business, or task. Wow. Or of your daily affairs, whatever you do. This is the state of mind, the being in completion, a, being in, a, repletion, repletion.

[14:18]

Ah, in other words, the word, Japanese word, Makaseru, Makaseru. So, the, to let the breath come and go as it will, is, the, when your mind is functioning, in the state, that a, in the state, a, of being repeated, repleted with mindful, or considerate attention. Or, this is the, the state of the breath, the state of the breath with you, a, let the breath, let it come and go, as it will.

[15:22]

So, this is Makaseru. Or, a, this is very important point. So, a, so the, from this point, a, it doesn't mean to, to let it go, let it, and leave it alone completely, the way, a, with no attention. Ah, you have to take care of, you have to take care of the, the, the, your breath, your breath. The, alertly, alertly, with the mindful attention. Ah, I think, for instance, you know, the, ah,

[16:43]

ah, let's imagine, that there will be, ah, the, ah, mother's bird, the, who, ah, which is, ah, which, ah, which, ah, which is keeping the, her egg, her egg warm. The, I think there is, ah, there are two things. Two exist, in the complete situation, the egg and mother.

[17:43]

They are like a breathing, like a breath, a breath, or your internal organ, or your body, something like this, or you. Ah, the, when the mother, when the mother try to keep her egg warm, under your breath, beneath the, beneath her breath, the body, the, she, ah, it seems, ah, it seems that she doesn't, she doesn't pay attention particularly to, ah, what, ah, what the, the inside of the egg is going on.

[18:50]

The, all she has to do is just to keep it warm. This is the business which she has, she has to handle it. If she, if she should, if he, if she should have, ah, certain ideas, the, of, the, what the inside of the egg is going on, she would probably experience, you know, a sort of surge of anger, or irritation, or, ah, pleasure, and so on. But, regardless of the idea of whatever kind of, ah, emotion, emotional problem,

[19:57]

um, no, excuse me, ah, ah, the, anyway, she, ah, is completely, ah, taking care of egg. The, to be, ah, to be kept warm. On the other hand, on the other hand, the inside of the, the question is inside of the egg. The inside, the something, something being inside of the egg, if something, the being inside of the egg should have, ah, certain ideas. Ah, insisting on, ah, insisting on, ah, the, ah, insisting, ah, itself on the would-be baby, the would-be baby.

[21:16]

No, did you understand? The, anyway, actually, the inside of the, the something, the being inside of the egg is not the baby. The unborn baby, maybe you can see it. But, then, the inside of the, inside, something, the, if it have, if it should have certain idea, the, I am a, I am a, the, I am a baby, anyway. Insisting on the would, the would-be baby. At that time, it would be very difficult to have true meaning of relation with its mother, you know, because it would have a strong surge of emotional feelings, you know.

[22:28]

Hey, hurry up! Your warm is not enough, good, good enough. Hey, try hard, try hard to keep me warm. Something like that. At that time, you know, the, it wouldn't have a true meaning of relationship with mother. There is something struggles, troubles, fighting with each other. Then, but, why, the both of them, why does both exist incomplete, incomplete situation? The, the, keeping the, keeping the, the eggs, her eggs warm, or the something being inside of the egg, wait for the time, wait for the, wait for the time.

[23:45]

Then, in likeness, you know, full likeness, then, in this case, the, what, the both exist incomplete situation. Is that mother, the, from the bottom of her mind, trust unborn baby that his business, her business, you know. And also, unborn baby trust mother, his mother with her business. It doesn't mean, it doesn't mean to let the mother come and go, you know, mother, mother be alone, be alone with no attention. It doesn't mean that.

[25:05]

Mother always, you know, the, try to her, try to, try hard to keep the state of mind which is depleted with think of the thoughtful or considerate attention. Towards unborn baby, you know. Unconsciously or consciously, it's pretty difficult to say, to say what kind of attention she, she try to have. It is beyond, it, it beggars, it beggars all descriptions. It's pretty difficult to say. But anyway, actually, she can do that. She can pay attention fully to unborn baby. Also, unborn baby to pay attention to his, you know, the business, his own business inside of the egg.

[26:28]

You know, and then something happens here. Now, when the mother, a mother's business is going on in complete situation and when the unborn baby is, baby's business is going on in the complete situation. At that time, both has the fully close relation with each other. At that time, we can say, we can say, mother, let the mother trust the unborn baby with his own business. And the unborn baby leave the trust of her mother with her business.

[27:44]

Then, you know, the baby is born. Baby is, baby will be born in this world. This is very important. For instance, if you have a baby, you know, the baby's business, you think, oh, baby's business is baby's business. I don't care. That's none of your business. My business is my business. I will go my way. You should go on your way. You can do that. Strictly speaking, you can do that. Even though breath is breath, you know, breath, the business which breath possesses is breath's. So you say, oh, you should go on your way. You can do that.

[29:01]

Because during that, during that, you know, you listen, you notice that your heart is beating fast, so you are surprised. Surprised that this news, strange news, beating fast, it's a miracle. You can do that. It is impossible, it is impossible to let it alone with no attention, with no attention. So breath is yours, breath is breath. You know, you as you. Who is taking, who takes responsibility for true meaning of business, true meaning of relation between the breath and you?

[30:03]

Who takes responsibility for it? All right, let's imagine you would have the baby, you know, in your stomach. You can live it, you can never live it alone with no attention. If so, you should, you can, you may say, oh, I always pay attention to my unborn baby. If so, you get, at last, you get completely tired of taking care of unborn baby. And also, on the other hand, unborn baby says, oh, don't interfere, don't interfere too much with my business.

[31:10]

How can you, how can you take care of unborn baby? They're using the special word, pay attention, or pay attention, or pay attention unnaturally? I don't think so. No, I don't think so. What if so, you, you pay, pay completely and entirely no attention? I don't think so too. What kind of care, what kind of care are you supposed to, you know, have? It's pretty difficult to express this care-ness, you know, this care-ness.

[32:24]

Sometimes, oh, I mean, you can, you may say, I take care of my unborn baby with, you know, great care. Oh, that's right, you should do that. Sometimes, oh, sometimes I forgot, sometimes I forgot the presence of my unborn baby. So, you said, you feel, you feel some, a sort of guilt, guilt. Guilt? Sort of guilt, you know, oh, I'm not, I'm not the kind of person to my unborn baby. So, you say, you say, oh, you should, you should, you should more pay attention to your unborn baby. But anyway, beyond the consciously or unconsciously, the paying attention to your unborn baby,

[33:29]

actually, you know, you should remember that unborn baby exists completely, incomplete situation. You and the mother exist incomplete situation. How can you explain this, the true meaning of relation between two? It's pretty difficult. But anyway, internal organs of a mother or the whole body of the mother, the strictly speaking, the paying attention fully to the unborn baby beyond the certain idea, the consciously or unconsciously. Like a relation between the, the birth mothers or egg.

[34:33]

It is, that, that's a state of attitude in our life is called in Japanese, konin, konin, or makasero. Konin miho is to maintain, to maintain. Nin is to be complete, to fill up, to fill up or to be repeated, repeated with the attentive or considerate attention. This is konin, konin. This is makasero. So, the, when you, when you have, when you have your baby, I think you have to, you have to have the practice, you have to have a state of the mind which is called konin or makasero.

[35:40]

The complete, the completion or fullness, in other words, the state of mind which is repeated with considerate attention. Beyond, going beyond a certain idea. Then, at that time, the unborn baby exists completely and mother exists completely, completely. At the level, at the level, at the level equal to all sentient beings, to all sentient beings. At this level, unborn baby exists, your mothers exist, and also at the same time, all sentient beings exist. This is true. Ears exist, clothes exist, clothes make your body warm, all things exist around the mother, around unborn baby. This is true.

[36:56]

Then, it completely beggars, beggars all descriptions. Then Buddha says, this is Buddha's word, and Buddha says, all sentient beings, all things are produced by the principle of, you know, conditioned origination or interdependent, interdependence. Because there is no word, there is no word to express concretely.

[37:57]

So Buddha used the Buddha or the Dhamma or principle of the interdependence or sometimes principle of transiency. There is nothing to catch, how can you, how you can take care of unborn baby, or how can you, how you can take care of your body as a mother. Maybe from a certain angle, you can say, yes, I can take care of my body as a mother. This is physically or in terms of a certain study, you see, study. Or you can say that, but before that, before that, you know, what make, you know, what make such a study exist to you?

[39:05]

What make your body exist? A certain, the academic achievement, certain academic achievement make your body exist? A certain study of your internal organs make your body exist? Of course, in a sense, it is true, but before that, try to ask to yourself, what make your body exist? You can't, there is completely no word to express. Like a relation with mother and baby.

[40:12]

Then, this state, then as the, the, The Kedan Zenji says, let the breath come and go as it will. Is to regulate the breath with full attention, with considering attention. Consciously or unconsciously, that's okay, you know. You say, oh, I take care of my breath consciously, it's not so good, you say, that's okay, don't care.

[41:21]

You shouldn't attach to it. All you have to do is, your mind must be in the state that is repeated with attention, the considerate attention. At that time, at that time, there is, there is, there exist, there exist a great reality, great reality which you brought. The breath and you yourself exist in complete, in complete situation. Like baby, unborn baby and mother. And also, everything has a time for rightness, for rightness.

[42:31]

When the time comes for rightness, unborn baby is born, regardless of the idea whether you like or dislike. So what is rightness? What is rightness? This rightness is very important. This rightness doesn't, doesn't exist, you know, doesn't come. No, excuse me, it is, it is not the rightness, it is not the time for rightness when the baby, unborn baby is born, will be born. The complete essence of the rightness, the time for rightness is where? Where is, where is the time, where is the time for rightness?

[43:41]

When the baby born, will be born, you may say, you may say, it is possible to, to call it the time for rightness. I don't think so. Even though you can say, you may say seemingly, it is, it is the time for rightness. It's still, it's still a sort of, sort of, you know, the time, a sort of time for rightness, a created, a self introspective, introspective, introspective bifurcation. Yes, this is the time for rightness. You say you Zazen practice hard, you practice hard Zazen, then you get the enlightenment. Yeah, I get it. You say that, you know.

[44:52]

Then you believe this is the time for rightness, which is called enlightenment. I don't think so. This enlightenment is a sort of enlightenment created by introspective bifurcation. That's all. Because the next moment, the enlightenment, the idea of enlightenment, what you thought, has gone, has gone. So true meaning of enlightenment, true meaning of the time for rightness, cannot be, cannot be expressed in words, like the relation with, between the mother and unborn baby. When are you, you try to ask the mother, mother, when, when do you take care of unborn baby? When? How? Well, it's pretty difficult to say when, how.

[46:04]

Well, anyway, I take care of my unborn baby. This is true. So where is the complete essence of time for rightness? The complete time of rightness is, you know, right now. Anyway, right now. Right now, I'm right here. It's very simple. It's very simple. It's too simple to understand. To take care of it, to take care of it with considerate attention. Attention. Right now, right here. This attention, this considerate attention goes beyond conscious, goes beyond, you know, the certain ideas.

[47:20]

This is honing. So that's why I hope you will, you understand what, what do you mean by what you, you mean, what do you mean by the statement, let the breath come and go as it will. It is, you have to take care of your breath. Right now, right here. To take care of your breath, right now, right here, with considerate attention is to make the time for rightness exist. Right now, right here. Then at that time, you may say, my breath is going and coming as natural as it can. Okay? This is the practice of breath.

[48:38]

So, unconsciously or unconsciously, you should take care of your breath. At that time, at the reality of the now and here, there is no amount of discussion, it is good, it is bad. It is good or it is bad. Important point is the full attention, full, you should keep the state of your mind that is depleted with considerate attention. Fully. Like relation between mother and unborn baby, you can't, you can't explain how, when, what, you take care of unborn baby.

[49:47]

So, at the reality, at the level of the now and here, it's not merely phenomena, it's not merely appearance. As if, as if, it is, it was a mask, a mask which the people can arbitrarily will or put aside. It is this attention, this considerate attention going at the level, in the domain of now and here. It's not something like the practice of the willing the mask or putting aside a mask.

[50:57]

It is good right along, it doesn't matter whether it is right along. There is no mask, no mask to wear, to put aside. At that time, you can keep your breath in the complete essence of situation which is called honing, maintain. Maintain or to trust someone with, to live something in, to live an integral part of your business to charge of a friend of yours. Same is to be said to your breath, the practice of breath or to your, the posture of your hands, the posture of your back and your head.

[52:09]

That's why the master says about your back, about your head, about your eyes. You say sometimes, oh, I get tired. When you say, oh, I get tired, I can't keep, I can't keep my posture completely or properly. It means, it means that there is something to insert an extra word in a thought. Extra function of self introspective bifurcation. Breath is, breath must, breath is something which you have to take care of in your whole life, not only at the present.

[53:25]

So, neither too much tense nor too loose. You should observe moderation in dealing with your breath. This is very important. So, what is the practice of the breath based on the, of the, making the observe, observing, based on observing moderation, dealing with breath. What is, what is it? You can't, you say, oh, I can't understand. That's all right.

[54:30]

But you say, what you, what you say, I can't understand is still in the self introspective bifurcating process of your practice. What is that bifurcation mean? The function of your mind which try to separate in thought. Then, in the Bendoho, Dogenzin says, Let the breath come and go as it will, neither puffing and planting, nor making noise in breath,

[55:45]

neither long nor short, neither loose nor narrow. In this point, you can understand what the practice of let the breath, letting the breath come and go as it will means. That's why Dogenzin says, neither puffing and planting, nor making noise in breath, neither long nor short, neither loose nor tense. How can you explain? I don't know how. How can I explain, how can I take care of my breath? Just do it.

[56:48]

All I have to do is, at the reality of now and here, that's all. This is the reality of taking care of breath, mind, including internal organs, the whole body, with serious attention. This is Shikan Taza. Shikan means whole-heartedness. In other words, Shikan is the complete essence of time for lightness.

[57:28]

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