Yesterday, I mentioned this preliminary attitude toward Buddhist practice. Is that okay? In terms of three points, First, in order to accomplish the living vow, which is the purpose of, which is the goal of spiritual life. I mentioned yesterday that spiritual life means the willingness of sharing the compassion with others. The other one is the willingness of suffering with all beings.

[01:03]

And this is in order to reach the goal of this spiritual life. Anyway, we have to practice living in vow. The goal is really vague, huge. So it's very difficult to know what the goal is. But if you listen to Dharma, if you listen to Buddha's teaching, I think even an image of the goal of spiritual life, this is the direction we should go. So even though we don't know what the goal is, we should try to move towards that direction. This is living vow.

[02:06]

So living vow is, anyway, looking at your life, for the long run, life after life, not in terms of life in terms of this life or that life, particular life, life after life. And then I said three points. First, the observation of impermanence. Observation of impermanence. I told you the two points. The impermanence in usual sense can be considered as something pensive or pleasure. But on the other hand,

[03:09]

impermanence should be considered as very basic nature of existence. But you cannot pin down what it is, so-called emptiness. So I explained yesterday instant, real nature of instant. Instant or the experience which we have had usually is kind of a result of instant, what you have passed through. But real instant itself is nothing but process, emotion, process. So if you pass through this process of instant itself, you don't know what it is. All you can do is just pass, just pass. So I say when you wake up in the morning, you say, I have waken up.

[04:12]

But this is already result of instant. Or before you wake up, I think I don't wake up yet. But this is sleep, so-called. But that sleep, understanding of the sleep is nothing but the result of instant. Before you pass through this process of instant itself. So you understand the sleep, and you understand the awake. But this is nothing but the result of instant. But how can you understand instant is instant-ing. Or life is life-ing. Zazen is zazen-ing. Talking is talking. How can you understand? This is real instant emotion, from moment to moment.

[05:17]

It's really moving at a super speed. So you don't know what it is. But without passing through this process of instant emotion, moving at a super speed, you have to pass it. Without passing through this, you never experience anything. You never understand the five scandals, your experience, your enlightenment itself. Nothing. So everyone should, not should, everyone anyway passes through this one. But we don't pay attention. But we are always interested in result of the moment. Before you pass through the filters, I say. Filter means the process of instant itself. Emotions. So you don't know what the filter is.

[06:21]

So anyway, everyone passes through the filters, but we don't pay attention to it because we don't know what is going on there. So we are always interested in before or after. And then finally we are completely tossed away by before and after. This is called samsara, always. Just like, you know, what would you say? How can I say? Parachute. You know, the jumper? Parachuter. Parachuter from the airplane, okay? Everyone, they jump from the airplane with a parachute and they enjoy very much. Sometimes the space, the sky is huge, so you don't bump into each other,

[07:23]

but mediate, mediate. Human beings exist simultaneously, you know, jump from the airplanes and then with a parachute. What's going on? What happens? Can't you imagine? This is, look at this group. Then San Francisco, you know. It is kind of a small scale of the universe. And then everyone jumps from the airplanes and then with a parachute, bumping into each other, you know. And then bumping into each other is fine, but bumping into each other and screaming and then popping up with a parachute, you know, cutting the strings, something like that. Like helicopters, you know. Everyone enjoys riding in the helicopters and bumping into each other. Finally, you have flied already far from the ground and bumping into each other, boom! It hurts so much.

[08:24]

This is the ego. The more your ego is working strongly, it means you can fly far from the ground and bumping into each other hard. Then bumping into each other is fine, but when you crash the ground, that hurts. It really hurts. So we do all this. You know, we are really bogged down with the result of the incident before you pass through the filter and after you have passed through. So nobody pays attention to the process of the incident itself. So this is a problem. This is a problem. So passing through the filter is very, very calm. Nothing. So philosophically, we say emptiness. Plainly speaking, it is a perfect world.

[09:30]

Truth. Harmonious. So, anyway, impermanence is exactly like this. At that time, impermanence is not something you can feel or you can experience. Something more than individual experience. This is so-called real significance of emptiness, which is Buddha nature. That's why Dogen Zen says, Buddha nature is impermanence. Impermanence is Buddha nature. And then, if you really understand, the second meaning is egolessness. At that time, you can really understand what the practice of egolessness means. So there is no place to poke your head into it.

[10:32]

All you have to do is just pass through. Ha! Everyone does it. When you jump into the ocean and swim, everyone swims. How can you swim? This is the difference. The difference is coming up. So, third, I said, you should take care of yourself and others as a Buddha exactly. Regardless of whether you understand or not, all you have to do is to take care of yourself and others as a Buddha. This is constantly you have to do it. These are small details. Small human activities. Beyond satisfaction or unsatisfaction. This is what we have to do every day. That is the preliminary attitude towards living in Vajra.

[11:33]

Then, next, today, what is the practice? So, in the Dogon's Dimensions, the practice is not something something excitement of experience. But if you expect the excitement of your experience, at that time, I think that you imagine practice is to do something fantastic. So-called flying in the air or lights coming up or gifts fall from your head. You can see the past and present, the future clearly. You can read from others' mind.

[12:36]

And you can move the cup without using your hands. Or you can walk on the fire without any feeling. You can die in the fire with a cool mind. Or, sometimes you say, if you practice spiritual life, you can walk on the lake without anything. Just walk. This is not religious practice, spiritual life. So, spiritual life, it is difficult. Of course, if you go to India, you can find a saint who can move the cup without moving hands, without using hands. Yes, it is. So, Dogon didn't ignore this kind of practice. He says, it is pretty difficult to move the cup

[13:37]

without using hands. But, it is the most difficult thing for us and it is the most difficult thing for us is to bring the peace and harmony to your body and mind. This is a practice. It is the most difficult. Bring the peace and harmony to the body and mind. Already you know by the Tanathogu's explanation of the Buddha Dharma, I think you can already know what is the body and mind. The body and mind are nothing but the five skandhas. Every moment, it is changing.

[14:37]

There is no particular pattern you can set up. There is no particular guarantee. I can take care of my body and mind in peace and harmony by washing the cold water every day. Do you understand? Buddha mentioned to the disciples when he saw people bathing in the cold water in order to purify their body and mind in order to be born in heaven. He said, do you think bathing your body and mind with the cold water is to guide you, to let you be born in heaven? The disciples said, I don't think so. You cannot do it. But I don't think it is wrong

[15:39]

to bathe with the cold water. That's fine. But bathing with the cold water then you can be reborn in heaven. This is already dualistic. If you think dualistically, in human life, there is no chance to bring peace and harmony to your body and mind. Because the body and mind are always changing. So, from this point, I think this morning and yesterday or the day before yesterday you have already listened the Tarot Talk, the explanations about Dharma which is very complicated to you, to us, to me too. So you say,

[16:42]

it's very complicated. Because you try to get that teaching as a technique to reach some goal of religious practice. So you say, Buddhism is to learn something. A philosophical, metaphysical explanation of each stage. Each stage of the practice in order to reach a certain stage of spiritual life. At that time, it's very difficult. So Buddhist teaching is not to give. Buddhist teaching has no intention of giving the genre, meditation or wisdom of, or to say, recommending a chanting sutra, memorizing sutras,

[17:42]

learning the Buddhist philosophy, etc. But the main purpose of Buddhism is to accept, to receive the genre, wisdom in terms of bringing peace and harmony to your body. In other words, do you understand? Your body and mind are not peaceful and harmonious. Teaching genre and wisdom are not peaceful and harmonious because it is separate from you. If you see wisdom and genre separate from you, I think you can accept them

[18:43]

as a technique or as a kind of means to reach a certain stage of spiritual life. So at that time, your mind, your body is very irritated because you don't feel satisfied or you don't feel happy now. That's why you want to use genre, you want to use wisdom to reach happiness, etc. That's why presently, the person who is dealing with genre and wisdom is already not peaceful. So how can you deal with genre and wisdom and peace and harmony? It's impossible. You know, yesterday in the discussion I mentioned the Zen practice is very simple, but on the other

[19:46]

hand, Tibetan Buddhism is very complicated. And also, in a sense, Tibetan Buddhism gives lots of information and instructions on how to practice how to understand human life. So you think it is very helpful for the beginners and advanced students, etc. But Zen doesn't do it. So why Zen doesn't do it? This is a kind of comparison, a sense of comparison. But the point is not to compare Zen Buddhism with Tibetan Buddhism. The question is the person who deals with Tibetan Buddhism or Zen Buddhism, when you deal with

[20:48]

Zazen right now, when you read Shopokenzo and etc., for instance, when you deal with Zazen right now, the question is the time and opportunity which you are dealing with Zazen from moment to moment. What attitude do you take towards Zazen? Yesterday I mentioned we are always groping for something from Zazen. Because you feel something unsatisfactory. That's what you try to do. Or if you feel satisfactory, you are groping for Zazen more and more. If you don't feel satisfactory, you are also groping for Zazen again and again.

[21:49]

So wherever you go, anywhere you are groping for. So at that time, you already are not peaceful and harmonious. So that's why Zazen and wisdom and scriptural reading of scripture is not the reading of scripture in order to grope for something. The important point is time. Right now, how you face the scripture Zazen? In the realm of satisfaction or in the realm of not satisfaction? Beyond this, all you have to do is to face the Zazen itself. At that time, it is called bringing peace and harmony to the body and mind. Then you can really deal with Zazen as it is.

[22:52]

Then, Dogen Zenji mentions, if you do this, your sutra, scripture, wisdom, Zazen are exactly bringing harmony and peace to your body. So no gap between. So, all you have to do is I mentioned the Chopo Genzo is very difficult to understand. But for many, many years, I just faced, sat down and read. But this reading when I read a certain physical Chopo Genzo, I don't understand exactly. But I don't understand exactly is very helpful for me. Very helpful. Dogen Zenji mentions the one hit to the target is due to the hundred

[23:54]

miss hitting the target. Because we are always groping and finding something so disappointed. Even though for thousands and thousands of years, Buddha's ancestors mentioned, please bring peace and harmony to your body and mind. What you deal with, cabbage, water, your clothes, etc. It's very difficult to do it. So immediately we are groping for consciousness or unconsciousness, something. So it's very difficult to read. Just read. But just reading is very important. Whoever you are, beginners, advanced students, this is a universal way. You have to do it. Even a first grade child, they can do it. So,

[24:54]

this is a very basic practice for us. That's why Dogen Zenji mentions the Daido means the great way is to melt your body and mind with scriptures, jhanas, wisdom, etc. Your body and mind should be melted away in the wisdom. Melt means you really devote yourself full devotion to it. Then at that time you really see peace and harmony of the mind. This is our continuous practice.

[25:56]

We have to do it. So this practice is right now, right here, you have to do it. But this is a practice you do. It is not a personal practice. It seems to be personal but it's not merely personal. Because within this personal practice you can see the many beings and also the moment when you do it, many beings in eternity come into your moment. So, Dogen Zenji mentions before that everyday mind is everyday mind throughout

[26:58]

this world and the other world. The past lives from this place. From this place means everyday mind. Everyday mind is everyday mind throughout this world or the other world. In other words, wherever you may go you may go. Everyday mind is everyday mind. Then today comes from that place. Yesterday left. Yesterday left from that place. When you leave whole world leaves. When you come whole earth comes. Then everyday

[28:03]

mind is opening and shutting at the one moment. The door, gate, thousand gates and ten thousand gates of this everyday mind is opening and shutting at the moment. This is called everyday mind. So, that is bringing the peace and harmony into your body and mind. Where is it? This is right here. That is called everyday mind. This is the goal of spiritual life in order to accomplish living in vows. So, goal is not one path you can

[29:06]

go through, but the goal of spiritual life, so-called living in vows is the paths, mediate paths, extending from under your knees. This is called everyday mind. That is why Dogen Zen says everyday mind is everyday mind throughout this world and the other world. The past left from this place today comes from that place. When you leave all world leaves. When you come, whole earth comes. Because when you bring your peace and harmony there is no gap between subject and object. All you have to do is sit down, face

[30:08]

the shop of genzo and just read. When the zazen comes, you just face the zazen and just sit in peace and harmony without creating gap between zazen and you. At that time, there is no comparison between you and zazen. When you see you, just you. You come, when you come, whole world comes. When the whole comes into your life, you become very peaceful because no comparison. Then this is the myriad gates of this everyday mind is opening and shutting at the moment. Means the trees, birds and pebbles all beings always opening and shutting

[31:12]

opening and shutting at a moment. When you become a peaceful harmony. Then Dogen Zenji mentions this is the merit of the continuous practice. Merit of continual practice sustains you and others. Also he mentions continually let's say, Therefore, through the Gyoji means continual practice of the Buddhists and the Patriarchs our Gyoji continuous practice completes

[32:12]

and we can reach the great way through our Gyoji continuous practice continuous practice of Buddhists and Patriarchs complete and they can reach the great way. Through our continuous practice the function of this great way is endless as a ring. So your kind of Gyoji the way is spiritual with the huge cosmic cosmic rocket to reach the goal of spiritual life. But this is a way so called way, Buddha way

[33:16]

the Buddha way is a spiritual life spiritual life but if you leave if you take away any term maybe the Buddha way means the way passage of manifesting the truth as it really is universe manifestation of the truth as it is so continuous by continuous practice universal cosmic rocket is moving by your practice by your continuous practice then universal rocket is running anyway so this is our practice because this is bringing peace and harmony

[34:19]

to your body and mind this is a practice for us so from the beginning to end whoever you are even though you attain enlightenment all you have to do is this continually practice like this so when you are first grade child when you are beginners you can still practice this one but it is very difficult to do that's why we need help we need encouragement finally Dogen Zenji mentions let's try to practice together then finally we can get visible and visible encouragement from others from sentient beings so nevertheless our practice is always going up and down so Dogen Zenji says your body and mind is exactly dharma container

[35:21]

from the beginning your body and mind is nothing but dharma container regarded as result of great practice what you have done what you have done in the past serving the myriad myriad buddhas offering the food, incense and respecting anyway in the past but you forget completely when you were born in this world but it is really true how can you notice that's why the buddhas the saddharmapundarika mentions always in order to remind you of your past life the buddha has to continue to teach saddharmapundarika sutra that is listening buddha's teaching and also sitting as in

[36:22]

in peace and harmony right now without groping for anything at all but it is really boring because boring is your consciousness consciousness feels boring, that's it whatever you feel all sentient beings exist and supporting, if you do it that practice really supports you and others so that is we have to do everyday we call continuous practice so very naturally this practice is your practice but simultaneously it is others practice so very naturally it's connected it's going in circles the bodhicitta practice of bodhicitta is not separate from enlightenment

[37:23]

so bodhicitta is exactly connected with enlightenment nirvana, because you do it this is peace and harmony if so, all sentient beings become the contents of your life, so very naturally the immediate beings appearing as the contents of your life support your life so that's why you can learn many things when you do the Zen so just sitting in peace and harmony is something difficult to understand something difficult to explain but even though you try not to explain you cannot understand no intention of no intention of explaining in other words Zazen is difficult to understand

[38:26]

but it's always talking about even though you don't you try to ignore you try to have a doubt of Zazen but you can't pin down what the doubt is about Zazen but as a whole, you can feel something you are really impressed by Zazen so this is a kind of peak of the mountains, you can see if you see even a deep image of the peak of the mountains everyone is interested in doing climbing the mountains but Dogen Zenji mentioned spiritually, find the peak that is, well, you try not to talk about but Zazen itself is talking you try to have a doubt but you don't pin down

[39:26]

you cannot pin down what the doubt is so finally Zazen is Zazen becomes very big but it's exactly there, kind of a peak so you are really drawn in by Zazen so this is a charm charming of Zazen regarded as a peak of the mountains it's pretty vague but it is, really true if you do Zazen, exactly do it when I was in the A.H. monastery I didn't have any idea of Zazen but I did I had practiced Zazen for a couple of months before I met, I listened to Hachimoto Roshi's teisho about Zazen so he mentions if you do Zazen

[40:28]

you become immediately Buddha even for a moment I was very surprised so immediately it hit my heart but I don't understand what it is but it is really charming for me, I couldn't stop it so under all circumstances that charming at the peak of the mountain always pulled me taking me to do Zazen so this is living in Vag anywhere living in Vag, constantly so that's why moving toward that direction, moving toward that goal but the goal is not clear but if you see even a different image of the goal

[41:28]

let's go, let's go, let's get the direction put your board in the right toward the destination this is your direction to go so you always put your direction into toward the goal of your spiritual life this is not something fantastic and big deal everyday you have to do it but it's very difficult that's why we try to explain Buddha's teaching etc but most people are completely bogged down with the explanation of Zazen if you are bogged down with the explanation of Zazen and teaching etc you are no longer peaceful and harmonious in your life so all you have to do is listen to Buddha's teaching

[42:29]

letting your mind play freely in the emptiness that is to listen to the Buddha's teaching Buddha's teaching so I think do you have a question? yes you mentioned that when you sit and you have the right attitude for Zazen and you just sit then it can become very boring and this is because your ordinary consciousness is boring is this something that is this something that changes later or is Zazen always boring? yes, always changing

[43:30]

always boring because you are attached to the boring that's why boring is always boring if you let it go boring changes immediately so you have some other standard of what you consider exciting and some standard of what you consider boring so as long as you have those standards then Zazen is more likely to fall into the boring category if you are attached to the boring if you see something boring or not boring then immediately you are attached to it so boring is obviously existing as a fixed being so continually boring appears and getting bigger just like a monster so finally you say I don't like it but if you let it go boring changes, changes immediately and the same is true for exciting that's true, that's why face directly, let it go, that's pretty hard

[44:30]

how about saying it this way in order to be able to sit Zazen you have to be able to sit with boredom no, I don't think so there is no particular pattern so called boring well, I just don't see how you can call it boring well you if I say Zazen is boring or sort of traditional practices practice makes you boring immediately you create a certain state of existence based on boring that is a problem so actually no boring so if I say boring should I practice Zazen with boring? no, that's problem already so let it go

[45:35]

is that clear? some argument lots of argument how do you let go when you find yourself holding on continually over and over that's a good question if you try to let go, you cannot let go because already consciousness appears who has a strong desire to let it go that's why desire becomes bigger and bigger and monstrous finally you have broken down that desire so finally no longer let it go so you are stuck in letting go so if you want to let it go I think forget it all you have to do is devote, fully devote you should devote fully

[46:41]

to Zazen itself and then you can let it go for instance you see the imagination you have visual things visualization of mental state or Avalokiteshvara's looks and beautiful Buddha Shakyamuni's face and Zazen and bowling and many things at that time you try to let it go but you cannot let it go because it's already there something which exists right in front of you is nothing you try to let it go you try to remove you cannot remove so it's already there because it has some reason to exist beyond your expectations but on the other hand something which exists right now right here

[47:45]

is always changing when you don't attach to it, so constantly change so all you have to do is see something see that visualization and then let it go in order to let it go all you can do is you have to devote yourself to right now, right here that's it and then imagination in a moment, it disappears you don't let it go, it leaves yes, imagination itself drops off, that's why I think I don't know exactly the translation but many delusions and thoughts drop off by themselves Are you saying that imagination

[48:46]

is a delusion? Yes, imagination is a kind of delusion but imagination is not exactly delusion because sometimes it helps you but if you feel they are helpful for you then people are attached to the imagination then simultaneously the imagination becomes delusion so in order to use the imagination as they really are I think there is no room to touch to attach Try to practice ordinary day mind try to

[49:50]

make that as so whatever you said this moment is every moment it always comes to you I do understand very well what it means but to practice that day everyday feel that way in content and harmony I need some help and inspiration what I've been doing is exactly observing the impermanence and saying if this is my last day how I do it and it somehow helps me to me is if I die tomorrow this is exactly the way I spend today

[50:51]

and somehow makes that day more vital to me but it's that pure practice Yes, that's why wisdom the contents of Buddha's teachings are based on wisdom and compassion if you extend the wisdom and compassion into explanatory state of existence then it becomes 18,000 scriptures itself then that teaching anyway teaches us to see deeply into the human existence and then finally the world is emptiness and impermanence so you really deeply understand it that is called wisdom but wisdom is still very changeable

[51:55]

because wisdom is still one of the part of the conscious state to me is once in a while maybe wisdom arises in between my habitual state of consciousness but it's so buried, embedded Yes, that's why wisdom if you see human world with your wisdom next you have to have faith part of the faith which it makes your life stable in other words from the day to day you continually believe in it you are Buddha's way right in the middle of Buddha's way but you can't believe you can believe but you don't believe

[52:56]

yes, that's why I say living in Vow is doing simply small things small things every day with peaceful mind that's all we can do but it is very difficult to maintain, carry it small things every day that's why we need wisdom we have to understand human beings with wisdom and next the power of faith really maintains your wisdom continually so that's why faith is important Is that ok? Now how can you know the power of faith what makes wisdom contained

[53:56]

keeps your wisdom on and on that is practice Russia you say live in Vow can you tell me what is an example of a Vow in which I might live oh ok I told you for instance maybe I excuse a lot anyway one day in Minneapolis I talked about Zen at Bethel College which is Christian University Bethel College the first time when I went there many people barking at me they were what? barking at me so I was very confused

[55:01]

the second time they barked but the teacher tried to tell them don't bark even though you have some argument please become gentle to the guest speakers but anyway people constantly barking at me the third time little bit I become immune first time I don't care but anyway and then one person asked me can you believe how many American people have been converted into Buddhism by your effort of teaching Buddhism I was very surprised how many people he asked me how many people have you converted

[56:03]

into Buddhism so I said I don't care if I count always how can I teach since I came to the United States I always give Buddhism in English in the beginning can you imagine how much people understand what I said no way first time I gave a lecture I was in San Francisco with Bill Kwan he took me to the place to give a talk I prepared day and day finally I wrote it down then I read it just stand up and read it then I feel relief I was proud of myself

[57:05]

then after that I asked Bill Kwan did you understand what I said he said uh-uh I completely just like going down to hell from the high sky I cried last year I went to Nebraska to talk about Zen one person asked me Karagi, do you believe you can communicate with Americans through your talk do you believe you are perfectly, 100%

[58:06]

communicate with American people through your talk he said no, I don't believe that so I said, I asked him do you, can't you communicate completely with the people through your language, native language he said it's pretty difficult much less how can I contact, completely so from many aspects if I look at myself where is the encouragement for me to live in a foreign country and to teach Buddhism there is no expectation but all I can do is you always put me in a certain position so called Roshi so there is no way to escape from

[59:08]

so I always try to put myself right in the middle of the position, talk can I expect something is there any particular pattern so called, this is a way to live which makes my life happy no way but all I have to do is just continue like this because I always see myself right being, right in the position so position makes me do something but this is living in Vow don't you think so? just do it but I think there is some hope always there is a hope I don't give up even though you don't understand Buddhism but still I do my best to teach about Buddhism in poor English

[60:10]

or in pidgin English, in karagiri English doesn't matter all I have to do is just talk with enormous hope based on living in Vow so living in Vow there is no expectation just bring the peace and harmony to my body and mind and right now we are here, that's all that is Shikan Zazen is that alright David? but don't just do it please do your best make an effort

[61:12]

you have to make an effort because many beings come into your life to support so you have to appreciate you have to respond to those beings who have come into your life as a content of your life you speak of hope an element of hope it strikes me as rather more there is something else that feels like intention you need some choice to put yourself in the middle no, not hope sometimes it appears as intention but immediately intention disappears

[62:16]

in the hope hope is pretty vague what is the hope of my life? I don't know what is the hope of my life in Minneapolis? I don't know, strictly speaking I cannot pin down what the hope is do you understand? what is your hope in your life? even though you say I don't know what hope is but still you have something looking at the future, don't you think so? so that looking at the future is pretty nice it's vague but vague means that you don't pick up only one in the universe so vagueness is pretty good for you because you catch huge vagueness the vastness of existence in your hands but consciousness always tries to

[63:20]

pick up one, this is consciousness but your intuition is really functioning in a broad perspective universal perspective so immediately when you come into this room your intuition, your wisdom immediately catches the whole situation this room that's pretty good for us so even though you don't know what hope is, that's fine but hope appears in tension sometimes sometimes encouragement sometimes efforts sometimes disappointment I'm embarrassed to ask this when I study music and cello I can hear my teacher play and then I can try to repeat the sound in my hands and all this

[64:21]

to try to duplicate that or if I study dance I can see the teacher and I can somehow try to duplicate that sound and I want to know what goes on in your mind when you sit when you face things when you are in the instant to let go and it's so hard for me to imagine what is in my mind or her mind or your mind to imitate Yvonne mentioned yesterday she can see you be kind to people and we can imitate in some way that kindness and in sitting and meditating for me there is no way to learn by imitation yeah, when you duplicate when you are duplicating the teacher's music all you can do is totally you have to devote yourself to the duplicate exactly, and then the idea of duplication disappears

[65:21]

but while you think while you can see the imitative image of duplication at that time you say your life is already going this way and that way duplication, what is that? that is a machine, automatic activity, motion so there is no meaning no meaning you say so, is that clear? so all you have to do is using your consciousness perfectly and duplicate exactly duplicate well, for instance jumping into the ocean I miss always but the same is the pattern you have learned from the teachers, from the book and then you have to completely duplicate

[66:25]

and they swim but when you exactly devote yourself to a form of swimming okay you don't, there is no rule to pay attention to the form of swimming you are duplicating so by sitting a certain way yes, that's true exactly yes, that's true yes, that's true but a mind is very vibrating on my new tree I mentioned the other day my new tree, my mind is vibrated constantly so very picky right in the middle of the process of dancing you are still picking you how am I

[67:27]

how is my dancing right in the middle of dancing you say wow, pretty good or right in the middle of dancing you are disappointed or sometimes sometimes you exactly they have the perfect activities so called purity, impurity what is pure but still you can see oh I am moving perfectly like this, so mind is very picky, constantly moving so in order to be free from that minute vibration of consciousness it's very difficult to be free from that that's why yesterday I mentioned the string of the guitar, if you touch the guitar even slightly if you touch the guitar it's vibrating but my new tree

[68:29]

vibrating, at that time you can hear the sound with your naked ear you cannot see anything with your naked eye but it's vibrating so how can you participate in that minute finest vibration of the mind no way, so all you have to do is stop it, because through your naked eyes naked ears, it's just a stop ok example I mentioned yesterday should I go this way should I go that way I don't have money but I want to have a business but I don't why don't you give it up but I want to have but I don't have money how can I do always going this way, that way, this way finally, who helps

[69:32]

Zen teaching helps you Buddha helps you Karagiri helps you sweet candy helps you no way finally what you have to do is you have to do it no question can you hear that yeah rest easy become quiet

[70:34]

no I'm still in harmony I'm still thinking of when you first went to Eheji and heard Hashimoto Roshi say if you just sit Sazen for an instant then you will be Buddha for an instant then you will be Buddha for that instant that still stays with you that is that keeps my you know the living vow on and on so that has something to do with Bill's question what is this vow that has something to do with Bill's question you talk about living in vow what is vow some vague image of being Buddha is somewhere in there, that living vow

[71:37]

well it's very difficult to say image or imagination but I say something something charmful something charmful for me I cannot say anything, I don't know what it is but immediately it touches me and it's very charmful for me so that's why I am always climbing the mountain toward that charmful peak even though it is deep that is some hope when I say it, in other words I felt quite fully answered that was still resonating in me and you know

[72:48]

encouraged as well because at last in what vow does one live and what vow should I live Roshi told me about the vow that he lived in and left me to figure it out for myself what's my vow for instance in your everyday life you can see small things which seems to be exactly the same as living vow kind of motivation of carrying your life constantly for instance if you see somebody you don't know who he is or she is but you are really moved by this person so you don't see, you don't know what it is but there is something charmful in him or her even though you try to keep away or completely beyond your consciousness you always have some communications

[73:53]

do you understand? that is a small thing that happens in your everyday life how do you work with negative or the opposite things that come up for instance if you say to yourself ok I am just going to put my whole body and mind into this second and pretty soon you just find yourself dreaming about yesterday or thinking about what you are going to do tomorrow or you say ok I am going to be very careful and notice how I walk and pretty soon you are stumbling along tripping how do you work with all these opposite things that come up when you are trying to practice that is why I mentioned one kid with blue eyes is due to the hundred

[74:54]

miss hitting the blue side hundred miss hitting so that is really good for us so even though you stumble over it is not wrong because only while you are touching to it it is always becoming devils, big monsters gradually ok but if you let it go and move towards the future day by day I think naturally it drops off and then you can learn something new from that so it is nurturing the miss hitting becomes nurturing miss hitting nurtures your life in the future it is not so easy

[75:57]

but we can have such encouragement let's do practice together because even though we have such wisdom and faith and then let's carry our life based on living in a bar but it is very difficult that is why let's do something and practice together but even though we do practice together still we can see individual life up and down that is why next he says individual life is the result of great practice which you have done in the past serving the myriad buddhas and ancestors in your past this is the present result of your present life so called dharma container he says your body and mind is dharma container

[76:58]

so how can you maintain this dharma container that is why hitting or miss hitting both nurture your life so we have we are in the sangha and we have our teachers to help us and we are presented with for example now many techniques to progress in spiritual path but perhaps one of the major problems with having technique is that you stop with the technique you don't progress to where the technique is dropped off if you take on a technique yourself you get caught into it now this is the role of a teacher perhaps to say ok Brian use this technique now

[78:01]

whether you want to do it or not whether it's important to you or not I see that this is a good technique is that a function of nature? well the question is the person who you try to use the technique in front of each technique you bring your peace and harmony to yourself that's all you have to do by that time technique is no longer technique but if you don't bring the peace and harmony to your body and mind technique becomes a monster for you because you boggle down with technique because human beings always express myriad myriad aspects of human life so you need myriad myriad techniques endlessly you need do you understand? that's why Tara Talks mentions this morning

[79:02]

about the unconscious world stages of the unconscious world drilling into the very depths of the unconscious world how many stages are there? yes? number doesn't matter more than 80 100 million stages ok? so if you really pick up one technique wow let's do it then immediately you think 80 80 are left how can you do it? so if you pick up one anyway right in front of the one technique you have to bring your peace and harmony to your body and mind just like a read a book is there any peace and harmony techniques? yes it is

[80:04]

for instance breathing breathing in Zazen everyone can do it breathing, inhale let's use a technique called inhalation can't you believe? to bring the peace and harmony to you right in front of inhalation yes you could yes and that's ok there are many other techniques but that's an example of one fundamental peace and harmony techniques I'm just wondering if there is any difference in using the word technique and how to bring peace and harmony to yourself can you talk about using a technique to get through an unconscious attachment level or something like that

[81:08]

I think technique if you say technique for me technique is a kind of one bar of the rudder don't you think so? bar? what would you call? rung rung step so technique is for me if you use a technique immediately we believe we have a certain preconception as one step then immediately you expect the second step that is really unstable so each step

[82:11]

I think each step has a really strong deep meaning there so if you face one step I think all you have to do is deepen it if you deepen the one step you can be free from one step naturally the freedom of one step takes you to the second step do you understand? I have a little problem about technique word itself and what Tara taught us about teaching of

[83:12]

how to meditate [...] Zazen continue to contain the exact words shamatha and vipashyana and for the people we live in the present environment very busy we could sit at home without driving many hours to join the people and right after you

[84:13]

jump out from your car and join the people what do you do at that time? it takes a very long time to harmonize your life dynamic with other people that is where our teaching I think took place discovery of many teachings how to prepare ourselves to go into deeper harmonious maybe depths of our peaceful experience of existence we have tendency of many kind to attach to

[85:15]

extraordinarily beautiful things and we have enormous problem of anger because of heated society we bump into each other even we have compassionate mind we get angry because of crushing to each other and as well as separating from the people whom you love in such condition how you bring yourself to

[86:18]

go through the gate of teaching gate of samadhi and receive teaching from the present life surrounding us sense of dirtiness like old grey napkin or something like that we have that kind of helpless feeling about our sense of purity while we are stained so much

[87:23]

unable to meditate if the condition is so powerfully affecting to our life for those people this teaching exists counting breathing that insight of teaching refrain from preconception of our impurity that is another today we have learned from Lamrim about compassionate mind lot of us cannot feel

[88:38]

mother's feeling toward children I have never fed through my breast child so I have no way to experience it and yet by seeing the mother feeding exact experience you can achieve when your mind is fully experiencing the one who feed the children such kind of compassionate mind pervades through impossible condition

[89:41]

which we cannot experience even so we can experience that I think that's what teaching is we shouldn't take precious experience of other teachers from the ancient time and do not take so lightly about teaching I think it's wonderful to upaya to know of those as far as we are devoting to this practice we don't need to teach if there is no necessary to speak we share our experience

[90:45]

to whom the moment of teaching should appear thank you Rinpoche needs to go over the hill so we should break now and have our tea do we do anyone else fast penetrating and perfect or not wait a minute we are it we are it

[91:21]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ