in the concept of dependent origination. According to this doctrine, anything which you might think of as a single entity is actually a continuous interplay and interdependence of a conscious variety of conditioned elements. Since the basis of being for any single entity cannot be substance, neither can be basis for the ideas of subject and object. Neither can the basis for the ideas of subject and object be substantially in any form.

[01:15]

The seventeenth patriarch asked his disciple, what is the mind? The mind is that which is endowed with tranquility. What is tranquility? It is not merely stillness. Tranquility refers to emptiness which makes everything exist vividly without any clinging to the notion of its own substance. This is tranquility. This emptiness is called mind. In this mundo koan, question and answer, this mind here is not the mind which works itself out with its object.

[02:23]

The mind which grasps its object is called a thought which arises. Mind here is the true nature of being prior to thoughts which arises. You should keep in mind this point. That is why Dogen Zenji says, anutta sammic sambhori means supremely supreme enlightenment. Anutta sammic sambhori is tranquility, nothing to create or to be created, samadhi, buddha nature. What is tranquility? Mind is tranquility. Mind is tranquility. What is tranquility? Tranquility is that which is nothing to create or to be created or samadhi or buddha nature.

[03:33]

This is called tranquility. Philosophically speaking, it is called nothingness. According to the physicist's idea, it's called tendency to exist. Eternal possibility of inter-fusion, interplay with all sentient beings. This is the mind endowed with tranquility. A mind not separate from the wind. So wind is also tranquility. Mind is also tranquility. The wind bells are also tranquility. Do you understand that? I think so. Everything is tranquility. Bird is tranquility. Zazen is tranquility.

[04:37]

Chanting is tranquility. Eating pizza is tranquility. Sleeping in the bed is tranquility. Talking is tranquility. Which implies nothing to create or to be created. Very calm. It means talking is talking not by me. By all sentient beings. When I talk, when I alone talk about something by myself, at that time, that talk is, there is something to create or to be created, which is called Katagiri's talk. Then you say, oh, I don't like him.

[05:40]

I don't like his talk because of such and such. Sometimes, oh, his talk is very nice. I like such and such. But beyond that, Katagiri, I, to say what I am talking is to say, I, tuning in to the universalism, talk. So, I don't talk. I and universalism talk. I and bird talk. I and the sun talk. So, if you understand tranquility, you can understand this point. So, a mind, as tranquility, not separate from the wind, the bells.

[06:51]

Dogen Zenji comments, Ringing mind is not ringing wind. Ringing mind is not ringing bell. Meaning that there is nothing to which mind is superior. The moment you think mind is superior to the wind or the bell, something exists as a fixed object in contrast to its object. At that moment, you cannot see mind as it is. That's why Dogen Zenji says, Ringing mind is not ringing wind. Ringing mind is not ringing bell. If you believe that your mind as a subject is necessary in order to listen to the sound of a bell,

[07:56]

then you believe that the mind possesses its own substance. The nature of emptiness, however, is not personal or particular, but universal, allowing everything to exist in equality. How can you understand universality without its being just an idea? To do this, you must put universality into practice in your daily life. Universality cannot come into existence without a concrete way of life. No matter how long you explain what universality is, what emptiness is, what the Buddha nature is, without putting the universality into practice, it is like a dead tree because it is just an idea.

[09:00]

According to a relative point of view, I am Karagi, an individual. But according to the ultimate truth, I am not just Karagi. I am human. But nevertheless, I have to have a place where this I can put humanness into practice in my life. I need the I called Katagiri, which exists in the relative world in order to understand myself as human. That's why Dogen Zenji says, there is ringing wind, ringing bell, ringing breeze, and ringing ringing.

[10:05]

Ringing ringing is a very interesting expression created by Dogen Zenji. Ringing bell, ringing breeze, ringing wind, ringing ringing. Ringing sound, when I talk, ringing mouth, ringing eyes, ringing ears, and ringing talk, and ringing ringing. Well, ringing ringing means the purified quality of activity or working or function. Although each phrase, ringing bell, ringing wind, etc. implies the pure purity of being in action,

[11:12]

Dogen Zenji also uses ringing ringing to emphasize the thoroughgoing purity of being in activity. So ringing ringing is complete purity, boundless purity, boundlessness of action. There is nothing to create or to be created. It is called Anuttasamvara or it is called Buddha, it is called emptiness, nothingness, and so forth. Thus he forces the problem of universality on a concrete aspect of life. Bell as it is, is ringing. Wind as it is, is ringing. Breeze as it is, is ringing.

[12:19]

Sound as it is, is ringing. And ringing as it is, is ringing. Each of them is fully spinning. Bell is completely spinning by itself, not by itself. Connecting, interfusing with bell, wind, and ringing or sound, the bird, everything. Each of them is fully spinning. There are no directors. The wind as wind is completely spinning. The wind as wind is completely ringing. At that time it is called ringing wind. There is nothing in contrast with it.

[13:23]

Because ringing wind fills the universe in dynamic working. Completely filling. There is no space to bring into. There is no space to bring any kind of ideas into it. There is only ringing wind because ringing wind penetrates the whole universe. Everything is ringing bell, ringing wind. Everybody is American. It's not necessary. You put an emphasis on, I am American. Because everybody, everybody is American. There is only ringing wind because ringing wind penetrates the whole universe.

[14:34]

A bell is completely ringing without a producer, without a director. The breeze is completely ringing without a producer, without a director. Ringing itself is also completely spinning without a director, without a producer. At this very moment there is a huge ocean of harmonious unity of complete ringing. Ringings. All performers, the mind, the bell, the breeze, the wind, the sound and the ringing are on the stage where they take part in the harmonious unity of complete ringing. Without a director or producer, this interdependence is not irrelevant but is the mainspring of the universal harmony.

[15:43]

At this moment each performer can experience the spiritual rapport which is called Kanno Doko in Japanese. Spiritual Rapport. Which emerges from wholeness of the harmonious unity of the complete ringing. According to Shakyamuni Buddha, everybody is Buddha. This means that nobody possesses anything to cling to at all. That is, each person has ultimate freedom. Everything and everybody is existent in equality under all circumstances. Then how can you put the freedom into practice? Dogen Zenji says, according to the time and occasion, which means to see that everything is here and now in every moment.

[16:51]

This now is the unique occasion and time where you can practice Buddha's universality. Each person must be fully ringing or spinning. Or working in dynamism. Then you can live in human society with harmonious unity. Why must each person be ringing or spinning at every moment? Because you cannot help doing so. Because everybody has to interfuse, interplay with all sentient beings. Inanimate beings, inanimate beings. You cannot ignore it. You cannot ignore all sentient beings without any exception.

[17:53]

Regardless of whether you understand or not. So each thing is based on time. What is time? Time is arising only. Arising only has nothing to cling to. It's just arising. Since there is nothing but activity in dynamism at every moment, there is no room for why or how. Because even the questions how, what, why, where are based on arising only. Which is called time. This arising of time is beyond our intellectual grasp. That's why Dogen Zenji says,

[18:58]

There is only ringing wind, ringing bell, ringing, ringing, ringing breeze, ringing, ringing. Let me illustrate this point with another mandala. When Rinzai was out planting trees, his teacher Pampo asked him, Why do you plant so many trees on this mountain side? Rinzai answered, In the first place, for future generations. In the first place, for future generations. Why is it you work hard every day? For you? No. For future generations. They may be used as a record of the old days.

[20:08]

In the second place, these trees improve the view from the monastery. Of course. He knows how valuable working hard is. Planting is creating beautiful scene, beautiful circumstances around the temple. Rinzai Zen Master took his hoe and struck the ground three times. Pampo said, Now you answer this, this way. But you used to deserve my blows.

[21:09]

In other words, Rinzai had practiced under Pampo. And Pampo's teacher had given lots of blows to Rinzai. Pampo asked Rinzai Zen Master, How about the past, your past life? I understand your present and your future, according to your answer. But I am asking you now about the past. If everything is emptiness, what is the future? And Rinzai took his hoe and struck the ground three times again. That's all. That is his answer. Three times refer to past, future and present.

[22:15]

What is that past? What is the future? The past exists right here, right now. And yet it is just a concept. Because the past is time that has gone by already. Future is also just a concept of the time that has not yet come. But in another sense, past and future really exist here and now. You cannot ignore them. Your life cannot be defined only by the present, because this present is not merely the present. It extends into both the past and the future. To say that the past and the future exist in the present is to say that your life is universal. Now, how can you put universality into practice?

[23:20]

Rinzai took the hoe and struck the ground with it three times. Then I mentioned on Sunday, Xiaozhu Ma just took a hoe and struck the ground. Xiaozhu Ma and just practiced. Xiaozhu Ma said, do your best to take care of your life. At that time, regardless of whether you understand or not, your life is really tuning in to universal wisdom. Sooner or later you will understand. But beyond understanding or not understanding, from moment to moment, what should you do? Xiaozhu Ma said, take a hoe and struck the ground. That's a very simple answer. But from this practice,

[24:23]

your intuitive sense is not satisfactory. That's why your life is very shaky. Your life is not consisting of intuitive sense. I don't think so. Your life must be completely tossed away by the intuitive sense. I don't think so. So if you want to reach... No, excuse me. At this moment, Rinzai took the hoe and struck the ground with it three times. With each stroke of the hoe, which exists in the present, right now, right here. Rinzai was realizing his life in the future, and Wanpo saw Rinzai's behavior.

[25:27]

Its act as related to the blows he had given Rinzai in the past. At this moment, Rinzai felt his experience as universal, extending into the past and into the future. If you want to reach the other side, I am sure there is no better way than to embody it by taking a step forward, here and now. In this now, life is peaceful since there is only the present. No need to compare it to the past and the future. They are already interfused with the present moment. This is the kind of living for which Wanpo heartily praised Rinzai when he said,

[26:36]

when the teachings of our school are transmitted to you, they will be fulfilled. Zen practice, Buddhist practice is very simple. Buddhist practice is in simplicity. Completely simplicity. But this simplicity has lots of talks. Philosophy, psychology, teaching, whatever. Astrology. If you practice in that way, you will understand what is philosophy, what is psychology, even though you don't understand philosophy, or even though you don't understand psychology.

[27:39]

You can accept it straightforwardly. Aha, yes sir. But it is not the Buddhistic way. It is life. It is really life. No matter how long you are alive in this world, for 20 years, for 50 years, for 100 years, all you have to do is just to continue the same way. Shakyamuni Buddha said, take a hole and start grounding. But Shakyamuni Buddha doesn't mean that you should be blind. I don't think so. Because you are not. Open your eyes. Use your head. Use your head. But as a whole, your life is just ongoing on.

[28:43]

Shutting your mouth and taking a hole and striking ground. Well, don't tell, don't tell, don't tell the left hand. About what your right hand has done. That's great. Then after that, don't expect anything at all. Just don't tell to the left about what your right hand has done. After that, we are interested in what's happening. Okay, I understand. It's pretty simple. Don't tell to the left. Don't tell the left hand what the right hand has done. It means just sit, Shakyamuni, and take a hole and strike the ground. That's all.

[29:48]

Don't tell the left. Don't tell the left what your right hand has done. But your objective sense is gradually what's happening after that. Okay, it's pretty easy not to tell the left hand what the right hand has done. Because shut your mouth. But it's not so easy. You are always poking your head into. Tiny hole. Tiny hole. What's in it? Like a skunk. Like a cat. Cat will always poke his head into the hole on the ground. In attempt to satisfy his curiosity. What's in it? But he doesn't know what's in it. Sometimes skunk is in it.

[30:53]

I'm very wise for few. Great. To the cat. Maybe so. Well, when you do practice Zen Buddhism, you are interesting. Your objective sense is really poking into the Buddhism. It's called hole, okay? It's a hole which is called Buddhism. What's in it? Question. Question exactly dissolves into answer.

[31:56]

In other words, the question turns into answer. When answer, when you perfect thorough going practice of answer, in life, whatever, bow, eating, show, Zazen, pray to God, whatever. Answer turns into question. So answer which you are expecting is not real answer. Why you believe that answer you get is true answer. That answer is really delusion. So if you get the answer you should perfect thorough going practice of answer until it turns into question.

[33:00]

What's answer? At last you don't understand what this answer means. So answer immediately turns into question. What is that? Karagi said in Zazen you should concentrate on Zazen, breathing. But concentration, okay, seems easy. That is true Zazen. When you can concentrate on breathing in Zazen, your Zazen is true Zazen. Then you get, oh, that's so. Okay, that's easy. Let's try. Concentrate on. But actually that answer is not real answer. Because actually in actuality, answer saying you should concentrate from beginning to end breathing in Zazen.

[34:08]

But make you some doubt. What's that? Because in Zazen you are suffering from concentration. So that answer is not real answer. When you practice the answer concentration in Zazen, you realize that that answer will turn into question. What is that? So Dogen Zenji says, Transparent emancipation is that life emancipates life, death emancipates death. Question emancipates question. To emancipate means to perfect. Start going practice of whatever, eating pizza, eating potato, eating noodle, gassho, bow, Zazen, walking.

[35:16]

If you walk on the street exactly, walk on the street, okay? Perfecting, start going practice of walking on the street. You don't know. You don't know. You are walking on your feet. But you don't know doesn't mean that you cannot walk on the street. Of course you walk on the street from moment to moment. Then when you completely walk on the street, okay? Perfectly. According to start going practice. You don't walk. You don't know. But your walk is very ongoing with, not you, with universe. Everybody. The sun, the moon, birds.

[36:23]

So if you perfect the start going practice of your walk on the street, your walk turns into universal walk. Then Dogen Zenji says, you should see the walking of the mountains. Of course, when you see the mountain, oh mountain, mountain is mountain. That's simple. But next Dogen Zenji says, mountain is not mountain. Why is that? Because mountain is, mountain doesn't have a particular form as a fixed object, solid object. Even for a moment. If so, a form of the mountain is not really a form of the mountain. Then Dogen Zenji says, mountain is not mountain. Then at the next stage of spiritual practice, Dogen Zenji says, mountain is mountain.

[37:35]

But it's still conception, ideal. Then Dogen Zenji says, you should see the walking of the mountain. That walking of the mountain is, mountain is really you. When you walk on the street, you walk and simultaneously mountain follow you. Birds follow you, rivers follow you. So, anyway, that's why Dogen Zenji says, life emancipates life, death emancipates death. To emancipate means to perfect the ongoing practice of whatever in your daily life. So, if you perfect the ongoing practice of tranquility, you realize that there is really dynamism.

[38:46]

Right. Then Dogen Zenji says, in Kanyin Zanmai, chapter Kanyin Zanmai, Ocean Seals Samadhi. He says, Kanyin Zanmai, chapter Kanyin Zanmai, Ocean Seals Samadhi. Dogen Zenji describes, Ocean Seals Samadhi, anyway, concentration, full concentration.

[39:56]

Becoming oneness, becoming one with whatever. When you do Zazen, it's called Zanmai, Samadhi. Full concentration, complete concentration. Nothing to break into, like sleep. When you sleep like a log, there is no separation between sleep and sleeper. Completely oneness. But oneness is not combination of the two things. Experience and experiencer. There are exactly two things, but they are not two, completely one. Then you cannot separate, analyze, who is experiencer, what is experience. In other words, who is sleeping. What is sleep? You can't. Completely one.

[40:57]

It is called Samadhi. Then he says, Kanyin Zanmai, Ocean Seals Samadhi is that, Kanyin Zanmai, Ocean Seals Samadhi is that, I've got six fingers. I've got six fingers. But I forgot English and Japanese. Anyway,

[42:01]

This is Kaitei-ko. Kai means This is Kaijo-ko. Kai means ocean. Tei is bottom, sea floor. Bottom of ocean. Kaitei means bottom of ocean or sea floor. Ko is literally to go. You understand the meaning? Kaitei-ko. Go, how can I say, on the sea floor. Kaitei-ko. Kaijo-ko. Kai is ocean. Jo is surface.

[43:07]

Top or on. And ko is go. So, Kaijo-ko is go on the surface of ocean. So, He said, The summer going practice, Going on the surface of ocean is Kaitei-ko. To go on the sea floor. Then I translated this. Then I showed one of my students who is teaching English at Macalester College in Minneapolis. St. Paul. She is very sharp, smart. Then I showed. She said, it doesn't make sense. Because to go on the surface of ocean is to go on the sea floor.

[44:15]

What does that mean? It doesn't make sense. Then she translated like this. The merit of this Samadhi practice is that it is Saragoi. That it is deep as the sea practice. Do you understand? Well, anyway. Dogen Zenji says always in erogical, erogical expression and connotation. He uses always erogical connotation. Completely it doesn't make sense. To go on the surface of ocean is exactly same as going on the sea floor.

[45:17]

What does that mean? So, I explained to him, to her. This is this. That is this. Something like that. Kaitei-ko means tranquility. Tranquility. [...] Kaijo-ko is dynamism. Dynamism. So, if you perfect Saragoi practice of swimming on the ocean, on the surface of ocean, completely, you can see. You can see tranquility. You can see the whole picture of ocean, including the sea floor. It's called tranquility.

[46:20]

If you thoroughly, if you practice thoroughly Zen Buddhism or your life, your life in daily life, in dynamic working, well, your daily life is very tranquil, very still, very quiet. Then, when you sit Zazen in the Zendo, you are always experiencing tranquility. But that tranquility, tranquility doesn't mean that you don't do anything at all. You are doing Zazen with universe, universal rhythm, tuning in to universal rhythm. You can listen to that.

[47:22]

If so, that tranquility is not mean tranquility. Tranquility is daily working in dynamism with tuning in to the universal rhythm. So, anyway, completely continue to do that. If you suffer, continue to perfect Saragoi practice of suffering. Then you see suffering turn into truth. Chapter

[48:27]

The Inmo, title is Inmo in Shobo Genzo. Dogen Zenji says, Dogen Zenji acquired one of Zen question and answer, Mondo, says, one day, the 17th patriarch was walking near the temple with a disciple who later became the 18th patriarch. The 17th patriarch noticed that the wind bell, wind bells suspended from the four corners of the temple roof

[49:30]

were ringing in the wind and asked the disciple, what is ringing the wind or the bells? The disciple answered, the bells are not ringing, the wind is not ringing, the wind is the mind is excuse me, the bells are not ringing, the wind is not ringing, the mind is ringing. The teacher asked, what is the mind? The disciple answered, that which is endowed endowed with tranquility. The 17th patriarch was very pleased

[50:32]

with his disciple's answer and said, you well understand Shakyamuni Buddha's teaching. While in this koan, mundo, the disciple answered, bells are not ringing, the wind is not ringing. It seems that the disciple take refuge, refuse take refuge, refuse the presence of object. And then, the disciple said, the mind is ringing, so the mind as a subject surpasses its object

[51:40]

in value. And its objects bells and wind are inferior to the mind as subject. It is very easy to believe in the priority, priority of the mind as subject over its object. Whatever you see, whatever you listen to, there are two things, subject and object. When you see a flower, you may think that you as a subject are prior to the subject. It is very understandable

[52:45]

according to common sense. Because if your mind doesn't exist in front of the flower, you are seeing how can you recognize, how can you recognize flower is existent. So from this point, apparently mind is surpasses, mind surpasses its object in value. But there is still question, there is a question, who verifies, who verifies who verifies that you as a subject exist? Who verifies how valuable you as a subject is?

[53:47]

Maybe you may say, well, cosmic consciousness verifies that I have priority over all things. Or sometimes, well, universal energy or divinity, divine energy suffers. If so, then, who verifies that cosmic consciousness has priority? Maybe you say,

[54:52]

Buddha verifies. Buddha verifies how valuable you are because Buddha always says you are Buddha. Even though you don't understand what Buddha is, maybe you say, Buddha verifies how valuable I am. Or according to Christianity, well, God verifies that you are valuable. But still, there is a question who verifies that Buddha has priority or God has priority? Who verifies that God or Buddha, a certain divine energy has priority? So,

[55:55]

such a search for a first cause will go on endlessly. In the same way, emphasis can be put on the priority of the object. This emphasis would produce a materialistic view which would present us with the same problem as the priority of the subject who verifies. What causes subject and object to exist? You may say, perhaps perhaps the relationship between the subject

[56:56]

and the object causes them both to exist. In this case, you are affirming the prior existence of both. I think so. Do you understand that? You think so? It is attachment to the notion of an ego identity that causes you to believe in the substantiality of subject and object. But in actuality, nothing has any substance. Well, physics, biology, whatever kind of sciences in modern age

[57:58]

may clarify this truth as correct. Nothing has a substance Whatever you say, this table consists of countless number of sub-atoms. It is true. What are the sub-atoms? Do you think there are sub-atoms which exist as solid objects? No. Physicists don't say that. Physicists say sub-atom doesn't exist as a solid object. But there is

[59:02]

something. It is very true. There is something. Well, what is called sub-atoms? Electron, proton, neutron, something like that. But, physicists don't say that sub-atoms exist as a solid object. How does it exist? Just tendencies to exist. That's very interesting. According to Buddhism, it is called emptiness. Nothing. You can grasp it. What is a tendency to exist? Can you grasp tendency to exist in your hand? No. Concentrate tendency. Concentrate eternal

[60:03]

possibility. A tendency of how can atom, how can atom be possible to exist? According to the tendency to exist, it's a question. It's a big question. According to the physicists, they say, well, there is the possibility of interconnection, interfusion, enterprise. That's all. And it's true. According to Buddhism, it is called conditioned origination, dependent origination. Many things bring together under conditions and then something happens. So it is called the teaching of

[61:04]

conditioned origination or dependent origination. A single being doesn't exist alone. The moment when a single being exists, before it exists, there are already lots of things. What causes it to exist? So in actuality, nothing has any substance or the mind doesn't have its own substance. So what is that? The mind is nothing. Emptiness. Just tendency to exist. Or eternal possibility of connecting with all sentient beings. Interfusing with all sentient beings. You can say that. But what is that? Well, it's pretty hard to explain.

[62:04]

So what is the wind bells? A wind bell? The same applies to wind bells. The same applies to the wind. That's why the teacher must ask his disciple, what is the mind? If the mind is ringing,

[62:34]

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