Do you have any questions from this morning? OK. But you can ask questions, but not in the middle of my sentence. Well, I do have one question, actually. I was surprised that so many people got together. All the officers got together to decide the meal. I don't know if there's any deeper meaning to that. That's probably not true. I would say that that's probably not true. I think that something got lost in translation, maybe, you know? Or Dogen's making a kind of exaggeration. It could be true. But I have to say, though, when I was leading practice periods at Tatsahara, I had, once a week, I had meetings with the Tenzo. And poor Tenzo often went away crying.

[01:01]

But his officers were there, more or less. It wasn't just me. Right. Meal review or something. Meal review. Yeah, like that. So, probably sometimes that happens, but probably not all the time. Yeah. We have to take a little bit of grain of salt. Okay, so I'm going to start where I left off, if I can find it. Yes. And also building the Zendo here at BCC. Yes. Do you have any ideas of the next invigorating work project? Well, absolutely. The building project we did, we built this Zendo. This was a house. The wall ran this way. There was two apartments. So we took the wall out.

[02:05]

We totally rebuilt it. We put these pillars in there. We did all this ceiling. Big job. But it was all done by us. And that everybody volunteered. It was just like a great, wonderful project. And so people felt that this is our place. We built it. There was a lot of loyalty. And then we lifted the house next door up and built the two apartments underneath. That was a big project too. And some of you were probably here when that happened. So that was an enormous project, both of them. We have good photographs, a lot of photographs. But we never display them. We don't even talk about it anymore. But both of those energize the Sangha.

[03:09]

Both of those projects energize the Sangha. And when I lead practice periods at Tassajara, I always have workdays. A lot of the abbots who lead practice periods don't have workdays, but I always have workdays because I think it's important. That's the saga of doing something together besides just setting Zazen. So that kind of activity is really good. Yes? Do you have any idea for future ones? No. Unless I go someplace else and do that. But for us it sounds like our twice yearly workdays It's an opportunity to do that thing on a much smaller level since we don't really need to rebuild. Absolutely. Like when we had this project last year of refinishing the outside of this building.

[04:16]

That was a big project. Big project. Everybody, you know, so many people were taking part in that. And we did it in two days. It's great. I should read it one day. So that kind of thing involves everybody working on the same thing. So, so Dogen says, After this work, he says, keep your mind on your work and don't throw things around carelessly. I think that's where we stop. After this work has been done, it is time to prepare for the following day's noon meal. So first of all, check to see whether there are any insects, peas, rice bran, or any tiny stones in the rice, and if so, carefully winter them out. It's interesting because the work day starts at noon.

[05:19]

Usually work day will start in the morning, people go to bed at night. But actually for Dogon, for that monastic practice, it just goes around the clock. And he says, we start the day at noon with a noon meal. And then, of course, there's no dinner. So they have all afternoon to deal with, it's not that everybody, that's all everybody's doing, but that's what the Tenzo is doing and that's what various people helping are doing or working on the next day's meal. So when choosing the rice and vegetables to be used, Those working under the tenzo should offer citrus to the spirit of the stove, the kamado, and the oven. In those days, in China and in Japan, and still today, the Chinese spiritual life has to do with what I would call demigods.

[06:33]

If you go to a Chinese an old Chinese grocery store, and you look up and start seeing these shelves with all these little images. These are all little spirit gods, little demigods, like one for the hearth, and one for the stove, and one for the kitchen, and one for the bathroom, and one for all of these places. So every place has a spirit. And so it's the way they recognize all the corners, all the places where you use your building, you use your rooms, you use your utilities, and so you're offering incense to all these places. So there's a kind of mindfulness and recognition of your surroundings that you give, you hold I don't want to say exactly sacred, but with gratitude, I would say.

[07:44]

So it's like, you know, we have various altars around the place, right? So you offer incense and flowers and whatever. So you actually relate to your surroundings in that way. So I remember when we got a new stove in Tassajara, and we named it the Red Dragon. And then I wrote a poem and a calligraphy, and we dedicated the Red Dragon to it. It was a great stove. It was red and silver. I think I called it the Red and Silver Dragon. dedicated it, you know, to Tathagata. So that was a lot of fun. So when the Tenzo receives the food from the Kusu, the officer of affairs, I'm sorry, I skipped a line. When choosing the rice and vegetables to be used, those working under the Tenzo should offer sutras to the spirit of the kamadoda, of the stove, of the oven.

[08:57]

and then begin preparing the ingredients for whatever side dish and soup there might be, cleaning everything thoroughly of any dirt or insects. So when the tenzo receives the food from the kusu, the officer of affairs, he must never complain about its quality or quantity, but always handle everything with the greatest care and attention. Nothing can be worse than to complain about too much or too little of something of inferior quality. Although that's true, We don't like that. But we shouldn't use, you know, like Suzuki Roshi said, his father would always go to the, when he was at the creek, he would see some vegetables, something floating down, he would pick it up. And Suzuki Roshi did that too. As a matter of fact, he said that he always went, you know, in the vegetable market, there are always these old vegetables, and they put them in a bin, and they're cheap, right?

[10:02]

So he always went to look for them there. I do. I do. But not always. And Dogen, you know, there's this little story about these people, these nuns, they were going up this mountain to visit this very famous temple. And when they got to the creek, they saw this vegetable floating down the creek, and they said, well, if that's the way they do things here, I'm not going to go up there. Both day and night, both day and night, allow all things to come into and reside within your mind, or yourself, and all things to function together as a whole.

[11:07]

Before midnight, we're still working, before midnight, your attention, Before midnight, direct your attention to organizing the following day's work. Before midnight, before the next day, because midnight's the next day. After midnight, begin preparations for the morning meal. So somebody's up there before and after midnight, but it doesn't say how long before or long after. And then my footnote says, when does the Tenzo sleep? So there's another footnote. Everything we encounter is our life. So we put our life into everything we encounter. That's called practice. So after the morning meal, you wash the pots, cook the rice and soup for the noon meal.

[12:09]

When soaking the rice and measuring the water, the Tenzo should be present at the sink. Keep your eyes open. Don't allow even one grain of rice to be lost. Wash the rice thoroughly, put it in the pot, light the fire and cook it. There's an old saying that goes, see the pot as your own head. See the water as your lifeblood. So transfer the cooked rice into a bamboo basket in the summer. or a wooden container in the winter, and then set it on the table. Cook the rice, soup, and any idle dish, side dish, all at the same time. But my comment is, put the tofu in last. I don't always know how to cook tofu. Tofu doesn't even need to be cooked. It does not need to be cooked. You need it ice cold. Matter of fact, the best tofu I ever had was ice cold. When I was in Japan, we went to this wonderful temple.

[13:11]

And it was really hot. And they had this bucket of ice. And in the bucket of ice was big chunks of tofu. That was the best tofu I ever ate. But when you're putting tofu into the Cooking it, some people like tofu fried to a crisp. In Tassajar, that's the way they do it. They like it the best. It's like you fried potatoes. But a gourmet tofu eater, you just heat it up. So when you cook with it, you put it in last so it's still tender when you eat it. I'm not telling you how to do it, I'm just telling you how it's... I like it. The gourmet likes it. So the Tenzo must be present, paying careful attention to the rice and the soup while they're cooking.

[14:15]

This is true whether the Tenzo does the work by himself or his assistants helping him, either with the cooking or the tending of the fires. Even though in the larger monasteries recently people have been placed in charge of cooking the soup or the rice, the Tenzo should not forget that these people are assistants working under him and cannot be held responsible for this work. In old times, the Tenzo was completely in charge and there were no assistants, but that's a long time ago. So the responsibility is the Tenzo. So the people who work under the Tenzo should be mindful that when they're doing something, even though they're responsible for what they're doing, the Tenzo gets the flack. Tenzo is the hardest position to be in, in a modern state, because when it comes to food, everyone has their own ideas, their own likes and dislikes, and their own complaints.

[15:19]

And it's just simply people's taste, you know, what they like or don't like. And so you have to be a very well-balanced person to be a tenzo. Otherwise you spend all your time crying. So it makes you kind of tough, you know. You say, oh, I see, yes, thank you for that. Very flexible, light and flexible, right? Well, thank you for that. I appreciate you just going to do what you want. So... So, Chip, before you move on... I can't hear you. Before you move on, just a little question about this. This part where he says they cannot be held, the assistants cannot be held responsible for the work. Do you think that that's an implication of it being a training position? Oh, yeah. Like, these folks are in training, and therefore, it's going to pretend as... Well, yeah, well, that too, yes. That's right there.

[16:27]

Because that's one of the... Being the tenzo is such a responsible position. Because not only are you responsible for the food, but you're responsible for training these people in mindfulness and carefulness and attentiveness and how to do all these things. Because when you do all these activities, these activities are your teacher. And if you're not paying attention, When you're working in the kitchen, you have to let go of your ego. You just have to let go of what you want to do. You just have to turn yourself over. You say to the tenzo, please teach me. How would you like me to cut the carrots? What form do you want, you know, for the celery? Little pieces? Big pieces? What do you want me to do? Tell me exactly what you want me to do. But we go in there and we say, I know what I want. You may be a really good cook, but when you go in there, you ask the Tenzo to tell you what they want.

[17:37]

And then you say, okay. Then there's harmony in the kitchen. And then, if you do that well, and then you ask, well, how do you want me to do it? At some point, the Tenzo will say, well, you know how to do it. Why don't you do it? You decide. But only after you've let go. not when you're still hanging on. When you're still hanging, the fastest way to advance, if there is such a thing, is to stop wanting anything. As long as you want something, you will never get anywhere. That's the law, the way it works. As long as you want something, you will not get it. As soon as you let go, everything will come to you. That's called the law of practice. And you should remember that. People say, I've been doing this 10 years and I never got anywhere.

[18:39]

You never do anything for me. You never blah, [...] blah. They don't say it like that, but I'm exaggerating. But why is that? Because you haven't gotten enlightened yet. What is getting enlightened? It means you haven't let go. Let go of what you want. When you let go of what you want, you can do enlightened practice. People will ask you to do things. People will give you things. But as long as you think that you have So, poverty, we talk about spiritual poverty and so forth, poverty, and we think of poverty as a virtue. In a spiritual practice, poverty is a virtue.

[19:44]

But poverty is just poverty. That's all. Sometimes it's a virtue and sometimes it's not. So there's nothing especially virtuous about poverty, but to live a life of the highest refinement within a position of poverty is true freedom. Could you say that again? Yes. But to live a life of the highest refinement within a position of poverty is true freedom, because You have everything you need. The person with poverty is the person who feels they don't have everything they need. But a person who has nothing and feels that they have everything they need is not a person of poverty, true poverty. Everything is the plan. That's called the monk.

[20:46]

It's the difference between being homeless on the street and being a monk. They're both homeless. But one doesn't feel they have enough, and the other one feels that they do have enough, even though they have nothing. So, you know, what practice is, is not getting things. It's not getting something. It's letting go. And that's counterintuitive. to our usual way of living, our intuitive way of living, is to get something. That is counterintuitive to almost everything. So when you prepare food, never view the ingredients from some commonly held perspective, or think about them only with your emotions. maintain an attitude that tries to build a great temple from ordinary greens, that expounds the Buddhadharma through the most trivial activity.

[21:54]

This is where it really comes down to it. In the most trivial, in the most common activity, which we don't even think about. We just take it for granted. The thing is, you can't take anything for granted. Mindfulness means you can't take anything for granted. Everything is When you really let go, everything shines. So when making a soup with ordinary greens, do not be carried away by feelings of dislike toward them, nor regard them lightly. Neither jump for joy simply because you have been given ingredients of superior quality to make a special dish. and by the same token that you do not indulge in a meal because of its particularly good taste. There's no reason to feel an aversion toward an ordinary one. Do not be negligent and careless just because the materials seem plain, and hesitate to work more diligently with materials of superior quality.

[23:01]

Your attitude toward things should not be contingent upon their quality. A person who is influenced by the quality of a thing or who changes their speech or manner according to the appearance or position of the people one meets is not the person working in the lab. So, in other words, it's not a good idea to change your position in order to please people or to get some nice feedback. So, you know, whatever we're given, that's what we have to work with. This is actually life. Each one of us is given something. I once thought of this. We all went to a party, everybody went to a party, and everybody was given a little package.

[24:07]

When we opened the package, there was a fortune cookie. When we opened the fortune cookie, our life story was right inside. And so everyone has a different fortune cookie. Each one has a different package. And that's the one that we're given. And we have to deal with our life according to the one we're given. We can change things, but that doesn't change the fundamental. a lot of change, and we can sometimes run away from our position, but we can't. You can't really run away from who you are. So we have to work with what we are, and in the same way, we have to work with what we're given to work with. So if somebody says, here is the stuff to work with, make a wonderful meal out of this, whatever it is. So that's a great challenge, wonderful challenge. So it brings all our ingenuity, our intuition, and it's possible.

[25:13]

It's possible. So that's what I always am asking the Tenzo's to do. Because the Tenzo, which is normal and natural, always wants to present something wonderful to the Sangha, to eat. And so we go out of our way to make our special dish. Sometimes a special dish includes many, many ingredients, and all the workers are working real hard, and the meal doesn't come out on time because there's so much to it. So to just make simple meals for the sangha that are tasty and work for everybody, that's a great challenge. and even to make the same dishes over and over again so that it doesn't feel like we're repeating anything, because we're not. No such thing as repetition, except in our mind.

[26:14]

So strengthen your resolve and devote your life spirit to surpassing the refinement of the ancient ancestors and being even more meticulous than those who came before you. I don't like that sentence. It's too competitive. But it's okay. It's competitive, but it's okay. How do we apply our life aspirations so that it will function for the way? If great teachers in the past were able to make a plain soup from greens for only a pittance, we must try to make a fine soup for the same amount. This is very difficult to do. Among other things, there are great differences between ages past and today. So even hoping to stand alongside the teachers of former times is no simple matter. Yet being attentive in our actions, and pouring our energy into those actions, there is no reason why we cannot equal the ancient masters.

[27:19]

We must aspire to the highest of ideals without becoming arrogant in our manner. We may do wonderful things, but the arrogance just destroys it all. Because arrogance is self-centeredness, ego, and comparative. But he's trying to encourage us, and he's trying to encourage people. attention to detail is what he's talking about. And to aspire to the highest ideals yet remain humble in a manner. Humble means without thinking too much of yourself and without thinking too little of yourself. It means knowing yourself as you really are.

[28:20]

That's humility. Often we think that it means thinking less of yourself, but that's not what it means. So these things are truly just a matter of course, yet we remain unclear about them because our minds go racing about like horses, running wild in the fields, while our emotions remain unmanageable, like monkeys swinging in the trees. You know, Katagiri used to like to tell the story of There's a guy on a horse, and the horse is running like crazy, full speed, through the markets. And the apples and oranges are all flying up onto the street. You know, the carts are being overturned. And someone says to him, where are you going? And the guy says, I don't know. Ask the horse. He used that as a metaphor for our present day situation in the world. If only we would step back carefully, reflect on the horse and the monkey, our lives would naturally become one with our work.

[29:31]

Doing so is the means whereby we turn things even while simultaneously we are being turned by them. It is vital that we clarify and harmonize our lives with our work and not lose sight of either the absolute or the practical. So this is very important. We turn things and at the same time we are turned by things. This statement is really wonderful because we allow ourselves to be moved. We conform to things, take the form of things, and then we are in the positive position. But then we also allow ourselves to be moved. We move things and allow ourselves to be moved. When we move things, we are in the dominant position and things are in the subservient position. And when we are being moved, things are in the dominant position and we are in the subservient position.

[30:38]

So to be able to go forward and step back and know when to do each one. But either way, we are in harmony with our surroundings. harmony with our surroundings, without complaining, without finding fault, without blaming. How to actually allow the flexibility and lightness to move with things and be moved by things. At the same time, we also use the term riding the wave and driving the wave. If you have ever done any surfing, you have to ride the wave, get to the crest of the wave, that's driving the wave, and then let go and let the wave carry you. So that's the same thing. And our life goes in waves.

[31:40]

We have wavelengths. Our life is rhythm and wavelengths. So we're always cresting and flowing and cresting and flowing, driving and being driven. moving and being moved. And if we can't do that, we suffer. We let the wave smash our face into the surf. So it takes some skill, actually, to be able to ride the wave and drive the wave. to be turned and turn things. So sometimes we're assertive and sometimes we're receptive. This is like the masculine and feminine parts of our psyche. We're both masculine and feminine. And when we bring those two aspects together in harmony, we have some balance, some weight.

[32:45]

We know what our how to go ahead, we know how to step back. We know how to move with things. So, very important. So, handle even a single leaf of a green in such a way that it manifests the body of the Buddha. You know, in Catholicism, there's the wafer that's the blood of Jesus. People say, that's not Malachi's blood to me. The wafer's the body, the wine's the blood. I'm sorry, the wafer's the body, the wine's the blood. I'm sorry. But actually, it's true. It's just like, why not? Everything is the body of Buddha.

[33:46]

We say everything is the body of sleep. It's the body of Buddha, right? There's nothing that's not the body of Buddha. So, in the same way, in Catholicism, the blood and the wine are the body and blood of Jesus. Why not? It makes perfect sense. Accept that. It doesn't make logical sense in the way we usually think, in logical terms, but it certainly has its own logic. So if you say everything is the body of Buddha, so you treat everything as the body of Buddha. That's the way we treat, that's what Dogon is talking about. handle even a single leaf of a green in such a way that it manifests the body of the Buddha. So, it seems like this whole page is about balancing the absolute and the relative.

[34:50]

Exactly, yes. But I was wondering about the gods. The gods and the deities, the demigods? Oh, the little deities, demigods. Yeah. Do you think that's about, like, recognizing manifestation of the Absolute or something? Like, is it a nod towards the Absolute? I think it's a little more complex than that. I refuse to talk about that. Okay, all right. You can think about it however you like, basically. It's more like a feeling rather than an idea. So the same thing is true for the bell. When you make a sound with the bell, a Buddha should come out of the bell, should arise out of the bell. So then we're inspired by the sound of the Buddha's voice coming out of the bell. I'm always talking about that, how you handle

[35:51]

And the bells come together in such a way that the voice of the bell is produced, and it's Buddha's voice. Truly, yes. You say, ah, what a wonderful sound. And you're inspired. So I have a little footnote here of mine that says, allow a thing to reach its full potential and become a vehicle for Buddha. So this in turn allows the Buddha to manifest through relief. This is a power which you cannot grasp with your rational mind. That's true. So you just treat everything as Buddha and don't worry about it. And I always say that when you are totally functioning, the Buddha will meet you halfway. And I'm not going to tell you which Buddha that is. But the universe will meet you halfway.

[36:59]

And that's how we actually live our life. Because you are a manifestation of Buddha nature. And when you manifest Buddha nature through your activity, which is Buddha, will meet you halfway. I'd say halfway, that's not a mathematical division. It will meet you. The universe meets you when you totally give yourself in that way. It operates freely according to the situation in the most natural way, he says. At the same time, this power functions in our lives to clarify and settle activities and is beneficial to all living things. After all the preparations for the meal are complete, clean up thoroughly, putting everything back where it ought to be, he's back to the practicality, when the drum sounds and the bell rings, both morning and evening, be sure not to miss Zazen or going to see your teacher to receive his teaching.

[38:13]

He's after all the preparations of the meal are complete. Clean up thoroughly, put it in the bag and all that stuff. What we do, typically, is, I think, for most kitchen people, we cook the meal and then leave all the dishes for somebody else. But I don't believe in that. When I cook the meal here, I cook the meal and wash the dishes, wash the pots and pans as I go along. And there's very little for the dishwashers to do. I always do that. And when you have a workspace, and you delineate the workspace, and then when you're finished with that particular activity, you clean up as you go. So there's no big pile around you to clean up later.

[39:20]

You do everything as you go. You work and clean up as you go along. It's all one piece. That way there's always workspace and there's always some harmony between you and the activity and all the other people. So here he's talking about counting the number, you should know the number of people that you're going to have to cook for. And I'm just going to read this, because it's kind of interesting. He said, when you return to your room, shut your eyes and count the number of people in the sodo. Sodo is like where the monks live, in Dzogchen, in the monastery. Do not forget the elder priests, the retired monks, plus those living in single rooms. Include those in the infirmary, or any other elderly people. In addition to these, any monks who are on leave and others who may have just arrived are not yet living fully within the community should be taken into account.

[40:24]

And finally, those living in any of the sub-temples within the complex must be added. If there are any doubt, check with the heads of the offices or those in charge of the various residences where people might be staying. So he's talking about a big place and a lot of people in different situations. When you know the exact number, in the community than calculate the amount of food to be cooked. For every grain of rice to be eaten, supply one grain. In dividing one grain, the result may be two half-grains, or possibly three or four. On the other hand, one grain might equal a half-grain, or perhaps two half-grains. Then again, two half grains might be counted as one whole grain. You might be able to see clearly how much of a surplus would be created if you add one unit of rice and whether there will be enough if you take away one unit. So this is Dogen's mathematics. If you analyze it carefully, it comes out correct. But I'm not going to do that.

[41:26]

I read that a lot of times. I always thought it meant, you know, like on hot days, half a grain of rice is as good as one grain of rice for some people, right? Could be. Could be. Yes. So he's kind of saying that it depends on the day and the situation. That's what he's saying. Basically it depends on the circumstances and the situation and who's who. Right. Impressive. To make an impression. The next part is what I really want you to know. Oh yes, the next part. When you ate a grain of looling rice, you may become the monk Guishan. When you add a grain, you may become the cow. Sometimes the cow eats Guishan. Sometimes Guishan pastures the cow.

[42:26]

Now I have to talk a little bit about Gresham and also about ruling rice. There is a koan about ruling rice, where the answer to a monk's question is, what is the price of ruling rice? What is Buddhadharma? The monk says, what is Buddhadharma? Sagan, Yoshi. This monk says, what is Buddhadharma? And Sagan says, what is the price of looling rice? So the price of rice in looling. Looling is a place where they sell rice. So what is the price of looling rice? Basically, looling rice is priceless. But, when you eat a grain of looming rice, you may become the monk Guishan. Now, Guishan had taught with circles.

[43:32]

He had 97 circles that he used as vehicles for his presentation of practice. And to create most of the circles, he used a cow. The cow out inside a circle. The cow inside a circle eating patient's grass. Eating what? Patient's grass. So this is a kind of Chinese way. The Chinese speak in poetic language. And they never talk about practice or understanding in logical terms. They always use this kind of euphemism, I guess you'd call it. to express themselves. So these 97 circles, we don't have all the 97, but we do have a number of them.

[44:38]

As a matter of fact, maybe tomorrow I'll present some of the Isan, Guishan's circular forms, because it's very interesting. So when you eat a grain of luling rice, you may become the monk Guishan. When you add a grain, you may become the cow. The cow sometimes eats Guishan, sometimes Guishan eats the cow. So it's like form and emptiness, right? That's what he's alluding to. The cow is like form, and Guishan is like emptiness. So there's another similar A similar story about Guishan.

[45:39]

The following story about Guishan and a cow has been passed down through the years. One day Guishan said to the monks, a hundred years after my death, I will be reborn as a cow belonging to a parishioner near the skirt of this mountain. On the right flank of the cow will be written, I am Guishan. Now, if you say the cow is me, you're wrong, because it's just a cow. And if you say it's just a cow, you're wrong, because it will be me. What should you say? So what should you say? OK? That's the koan. It's very perplexing. But you have to understand that he's using it in a metaphorical way. One day, Guishan said to the monks, a hundred years after my death, I will be born as a cow belonging to a parishioner near the skirt of this mountain.

[46:58]

On the right flank of the cow will be written, I am Guishan. Now, if you say the cow is me, you're wrong, because it's just a cow. And if you say it's just a cow, you're wrong, because it will be me. So Ichiyama says a little bit about it. He says, this story by itself is a very intriguing one. However, if I had to break it down, this is the way I would do it. Generally, we assume that what we call ourself is some sort of fixed entity. there's no such fixed entity. Our metasobolism is constantly changing, and our consciousness is always flowing. But then, would it be that we could call ourselves on? Our metasobolism is constantly changing, and our consciousness is always flowing. So everything is, nothing's stable.

[47:59]

But then, would it be that we could call ourself? In other words, what can you call yourself? There is no concrete entity like the stone inside a plum, which we can call I. And yet, though we say that nothing is fixed, it's not a matter of ourself being non-existent. As in the story of the looling rice, Our self occurs at the juncture of what is relatively fixed and what cannot be fixed. What cannot be fixed is anything. At the same time, something is fixed, which we call me. So we're fixed and not fixed. as Suzuki would say, not always so. It's kind of so, but it's not always so. For one moment, things are fixed.

[49:08]

You know they're not. but they seem fixed. Everything seems fixed, but nothing's fixed. So do you call it fixed or not fixed? Do you call it present or not present? Do you call it real or unreal? So this is... Is it the cow? Or is it Guishan? That's the kind of language we use. Yes? You know, some of these stories where Somebody's walking away, and the teacher calls their name, and they turn around, and they say, it's like that. Is that what they mean? Like, if I call you Sojin, there is no Sojin. There is no you, but there is a Sojin. I see what you're saying. Yes, so Dogen has a story about the teacher who calls in. He asks his... He says, please bring the director here.

[50:15]

And the director comes and says yes. And he says, I asked for the director. Why did you come? And then he says, please bring me the Tenzo. Tenzo comes. He says, I asked the director to bring the Tenzo. How come you're here? And then he goes through the litany of positions. I don't know if that's what you mean. In other words, when you eat a grain of lu ling rice, you may become the monk Guishan. In a certain sense, we live by eating rice or whatever contains a certain amount of nutrition and which has a certain market price. At the same time, as we use our bodies to practice the Buddha's way of life, we give expression to the immeasurableness of the Buddha. But now, just eating rice does not guarantee that we are manifesting the infinity of the Buddha. For if we do not practice the way, our bodies are just lumps of flesh.

[51:18]

Or we could look at it in the way that the text puts it. When you add a grain, you may become the cow. So then he goes on and on. But I don't want to go on and on like that, because we have too much to do. But let me see what time it is. What time are we supposed to stop? 5.30. We've got a lot of time, 40 minutes. OK, good. We're going to get through this faster than I thought. So that's about a question. Why is he saying add? What's the point of adding grain, you may become the cow? Does that have some significance? Adding, does he mean I'm not sure what he means by adding a grain.

[52:26]

Yeah. Oh, I see. When you add a grain, you may become the cow. Sometimes the cow eats Guishan. Sometimes Guishan passes the cow. He's also, in that statement, he's not saying... Well, let's look at it this way. Sometimes the cow eats Guishan, which means that Guishan is hidden within the cow. Sometimes Guishan pastures the cow. So sometimes the cow is dominant. Sometimes Guishan pastures the cow. You may become the cow. When you add a grain of rice, you may become the cow. Now the cow is like form.

[53:36]

So you may become the cow. But what is it that is you, is an interesting question. So there's the cow and then there's Guishan, right? Cow and Guishan. So when you add a grain, you may become the cow. You didn't say Guishan, you said you. So when you add a grain, you may become the cow. Sometimes the cow eats Guishan, meaning the cow is dominant. When the cow eats Guishan, the cow is dominant because Guishan is hidden within the cow. This is like the five ranks. Sometimes the cow eats Guishan.

[54:41]

And sometimes Guishan pastures the cow. So then Guishan is in the dominant position and the cow is in the pasture. So it doesn't say Guishan eats the cow, but he pastures the cow. So it's kind of a backward reference to that other part you were telling us about, the story about Guishan, the cow being written on the right side of the cow? Yes, that's right. Yeah, well that's why it seems to reference that a hundred years from now there'll be a cow and born to the whole farmer and on the sign it'll say, I am Guishan. So that's Guishan inside the cow. And then Is it Goetia or is it the cow? So that's the question. He says, I am the cow. Well, it looks like a cow to me.

[55:46]

It doesn't look like Goetia. He's just saying, this is me. So I'm the cow. But am I the cow or am I not the cow? Am I Goetia or am I the cow? That's the question. Am I Buddha or am I ordinary, basically? That's what he's saying, I think. Am I ordinary or am I Buddha? So the cow and the Guaisha are the same thing. When you say this relates to the five ranks, are you talking about the essential and the contingent? It's like in the first two ranks, the relative is hidden within their absolute. And in the second rank, the Absolute is hidden within the Relative. So, the Absolute, so to speak, is the Black, and the Relative is the White. So, the Relative... In other words, this is like Zazen, as a picture.

[56:52]

When you are sitting Zazen, that's the Relative within the Absolute, because the Absolute is dominant at that point. There's no you. There's really no self at that point, if you're really seeing Zazen. So, the second picture is, the person is dominant, the white is dominant, and the black is a little slivered. At that point, the person is dominant and the absolute is hidden within. That's the basis of form and emptiness. the basis of Absolute and Relative. Those are the two sides. So when you get them off the cushion and start moving out in the world, that's the Relative, the Absolute hidden within the Relative. And when you sit Dazen, it's the Relative hidden within the Absolute.

[57:56]

Those are two pictures that you can use. Do you understand? It seems to me, The fact that he's talking about a grain is important here, that so much hangs in the balance of the grain. The absolute and the relative hangs in the balance. That's right. That's a very good point, because the absolute is right there in the grain of rice. That's why the details are important. Don't waste a grain of rice, because the whole Buddha is there in that grain of rice. That's what I'm talking about. So, yes. Okay. So I was looking at it as, he's pointing us toward duality and non-duality, and both are included in the other. Yes. You can't have one without the other. You can't have one without the other.

[58:56]

Yeah, yeah, that's the thing, yeah. So you can explain it or point to it in different ways, right? And, yeah, we point to it in different ways. So, is there more? Let's go on, because otherwise we'll never get finished, which we may not. If someone comes to make... Let me just look at my footnotes here again. So I just want to reiterate through my book. The cow eats Guishan equals stillness within activity. Guishan pastures the cow equals dynamic activity within stillness. That's what I was talking about. Our self occurs at the junction of what is fixed and not fixed.

[60:02]

So if someone comes to make a monetary donation for food, consult the other officers concerning how that money is to be used. This has been the custom in Buddhist communities down through the ages. As for other kinds of donations to the community, such as items which will be distributed among the residents, again, consult the other officers. In other words, do not infringe on the authority of other officers or make decisions outside the boundary of your responsibility. When it comes to money, you shouldn't handle it by yourself, basically. You should make sure that everybody knows about it. About what the money is, what it's spent for. Transparency, yeah. This idea of the unified self is not there. You consult a range of selves. Yeah, the unified self in this case is the whole body of self.

[61:05]

Yeah. So Jim, I just connect to our life here together because it happens so often the way we've got the positions and everything that you're not sure whether it's yours or you step on the other person's. I mean, that is the conversation that we're having with each other in terms of our positions a lot. Well, that's right. And when things are very stable for a long time, it's not a problem. But when there's a lot of change going on, then it becomes a problem. Or a challenge or something. Yeah, it could be a challenge. It's more like, who's doing what? I get that. I find myself thinking, who's doing what now? So that can be destabilizing. And also it's important that everybody does their own position. Sometimes we see somebody falling down in a position or, you know, and you pick up where they left off, where they fell, forgot or did something, that's not a good idea.

[62:16]

When somebody drops something or they're not doing, in most cases, to not take up their position and do it for them. Because then they'll never, they'll think, oh, somebody's always gonna pick up for me. about making a mistake. We should all be responsible for our mistakes and which help us actually to practice. When I see that, oh, I made a mistake and nobody picked up after me, that's good. Because that means I have to realize my responsibilities and not think that, you know, and Dogen talks about when you fall down on the ground, when you trip over a rock or something and fall down to the ground, you use the ground to pick to help yourself up. So that's making use of your mistake, right? But if you think that every time I trip and fall down, that all I have to do is stand up again, that's a mistake.

[63:18]

Because then you start relying on standing up by the ground. I don't know if that makes sense to you. Yeah. You mean you should try not to But also, we should use each other when we fall down. Well, that's not what she thinks you are, she likes. No? You should pick yourself up. Then you get too used to, so that you don't get, it's okay to have somebody help you. But if you get used to having somebody help you, then you're not fully functioning. I guess I meant more like, we shouldn't be embarrassed when we make mistakes. No. Be willing to say, I made a mistake in that way. Oh, I see. Yeah, of course. When you make a mistake and are open with it, then that's helping yourself.

[64:20]

Yeah. Yeah. But I understand what you're saying. So it's been several hundred years since the Buddhadharma was introduced to Japan. So this is the 12th century. The Buddhadharma was introduced to Japan about the 9th century or 10th century. nor have any teachers taught concerning these matters." So he's saying, in Japan, nobody's ever talked about this. Much less has there been any mention of bowing nine times prior to offering the meal to the monks, the residents. Such a practice has never entered the minds of people in this country. Here, people think nothing of eating like animals with no concern for the way they eat. What a pathetic state of affairs. It truly saddens me to see things this way. So why is this so? So here he starts to talk about when he was in China. And when I was at Mount Tiantong, which is, Mount Tiantong was Rui Jing's, the monastery of Rui Jing's teacher was the abbot at the time.

[65:38]

When I was at Mount Ryujing, I mean Tiantong, a monk called Lu from Qingyuan, Fu, was serving as Tenzon. Here he's starting to talk about the Tenzons that helped him. One day after the noon meal, I was walking to another building within the complex when I noticed Lu drawing mushrooms in the sun in front of the Butsuden, the Buddha Hall. He carried a bamboo stick but had no hat on his head. The sun's rays beat down so harshly that the tiles along the walk burned one's feet. Lou worked hard and was covered with sweat. I could not help but feel the work was too much of a strain for him. His back was a bowl drawn tight. His long eyebrows were crane white. I approached and asked his age, and he replied that he was 68. Then I went on to ask him why he never used any assistance. I'm reading my footnote.

[66:39]

He answered, other people are not me. You are right," I said. I can see that your work is the activity of the Buddha Dharma. But why are you working so hard in this scorching sun? He replied, If I do not do it now, when else can I do it? There's nothing else for me to say. As I walked along that passageway, I began to sense inwardly the true significance of the role of Tenzo. He had a glimpse, actually. So I arrived in China in April, 1223. But being unable to disembark immediately, I stayed on board ship in the capital of Ningbo. I think it was in quarantine. Ningbo, we were in Ningbo when we went to China in 2001, two weeks after 9-11.

[67:48]

And we did get to Ningbo, and on top of Ningbo was Mount the mountain up there with Mount Jing. And this is where people from Japan landed with Ningbo in those days. And Mount Jing is where they kind of practiced for a while. Where am I? Oh, yeah. So one day in May, while I was talking with the captain, an old monk about 60 years of age came directly to the ship to buy mushrooms. from the Japanese merchants on board. I invited him for tea and asked him where he was from. He said he was the Tenzo at the monastery on Mount Ayuwang and added, I am originally from Xishu. Although I left there over 40 years ago, I am 61 this year and have practiced in several Zen monasteries in this country. Last year, while living at Guyun, I visited the monastery on Mount Ayuwang.

[68:54]

though I spent my time there, totally confused as to what I was doing. Now, you may think, oh, he was totally confused, but he wasn't. This is humiliating. You know, I remember I went to buy ink and brushes from the Unique Company in San Francisco. Unique Company is this little place where they sell And so he asked me why I was buying the brushes and everything. I told him, you know, that I did some co-editing and stuff. He said, are you good at it? And I said, no, I'm not good at it. He said, that's unusual that you should say that, because Americans always say, yeah, I'm good at it. I said, in China, you would never say that. So, I was confused as to what I was doing.

[69:55]

Then after the summer practice period last year, I was appointed Tenzo. That's because he didn't know what he was doing. Tomorrow is May 5th, but I have nothing special to offer the monks. May 5th is Bodhidharma's birthday, I think. Also, Cinco de Mayo. May 5th is a very famous date for many things. Tomorrow is May 5th, but I have nothing special to offer the monks. It's also the spring celebrations. I wanted to prepare a noodle soup, but I did not have any mushrooms to put in it. I came here to buy some. I asked, when did you leave Ayuwong? Ayuwong is about 15 miles from Mount Jing, from Dogen, from the monastery where Dogen is.

[71:00]

And we also visited Mount Jing, I mean, Mount Ayuwang. And for him to walk from Mount Ayuwang in one day, a lot, a lot, because everything's mountains in China. It's all mountains. And back. And back, yeah, well, yes, back. Well, in those days, you know, people walked. It was a long way. But people walked a lot because they didn't have buses and cars and not a lot of horses and maybe a few donkeys. But they didn't walk faster than we do. I mean, they didn't walk 20 miles an hour or something. I mean, they still took the same amount of time. Not necessarily. No? I don't think so. I think they walked faster. When you think about the Revolutionary War, people walked 50 miles in one night, or 20 miles in one night, with all their equipment and cannons and things, to come around the enemy. Kind of like power walking or something?

[72:02]

I'm sure they did power walking, because walking is a thing that you did. We call it power walking, they just called it walking. Anyway, how do I know? That's my opinion. So I asked, when did you leave Iowa? He replied, after lunch. Is it far from here? About 14 miles. When would you go back to the temple? I'm planning to return as soon as I bought the mushrooms. You can't imagine how fortunate I feel that we were able to meet unexpectedly like this. If it's possible, I wish you would stay a little longer and allow me to offer you something more. I'm sorry, but that's impossible just now. If I'm not there tomorrow to prepare the meal, it will not be made well. But surely there must be others in a place as large as Ayuwong who are capable of preparing the meals. They will not be that inconvenienced if you are not there, will they?

[73:06]

I have been put in charge of this work in my old age. It is, so to speak, the practice of an old man. How can I trust all that work to others? Moreover, when I left the temple, I did not ask for permission to stay out overnight. But why, when you are so old, do you do the hard work of a tenzo? Why do you not spend your time practicing zazen or working on the koans of former teachers? Is there something special to be gained from working particularly as a tenzo?" He burst out laughing and remarked, my good friend from abroad, you do not yet understand what practice is all about, nor do you know the meaning of characters. Characters, you know, Chinese characters, it also means things in the sense dharmas. When I heard this old monk's words, I was taken aback and felt greatly ashamed.

[74:08]

So I asked him, what are characters and what is practice? So this is the vital question. He replied, if you do not deceive yourself about this problem, you will be a person of the way. At the time, I was unable to grasp the meaning of his words. If you do not understand, please come to Mount Ayuwong sometime and we will talk about the nature of characters more fully. With that, he quickly arose in his time and said, it is getting late and the sun is about to set and I'm afraid I can't stay any longer. Then he left for Mount Ayuwong. So my footnote says, if you understand the true meaning of your question, that is the true meaning of practice and of characters.

[75:13]

So this was Dogen's question. Basically, all dharmas are marked by emptiness. Dogen's spiritual adventure story. In the July of the same year, I stayed on Mount Tiantong, where he was, Liu Jing's monastery. One day, the Tenzo from Aiyuan came to see me and he said, as the summer practice period has ended, I shall be retiring as Tenzo and plan to return home. I heard that you were here and wanted very much to talk with you and see how you were doing. I was indeed happy to see him and received him cordially. We talked about various things and finally came to the matter he had touched on aboard the ship concerning the practice and study of characters. He said, a person who studies characters must know just what characters are, and one intending to practice the way must understand what practice is. So I asked him once again, what are characters?

[76:26]

He said, one, two, three, four, five. What is practice? He said, there is nothing in the world that is hidden. Although we talked about many of the things, I will not mention them here. So this is his answer. This is the question, and this is his answer. This is the mondo. And my footnote says, we must find our way on each moment. Nothing is fixed. All activities are practice. Everything in your life is practice. Everything in your life is practice. If you are practicing, there's no such thing as anything outside of practice. This is, although we say this over and over again, we still divide it. And the practice is not practice. We have that tendency. What is end of is practice, other than practice. The terrible argument I have is not practice.

[77:30]

But it is practice. Everything in your life is practice. If you know that everything in your life is practice, that eases your life. because you know that it's held within the practice. If it's outside of practice, then you fall off the face of the earth. Yeah. Is it like the idea that each letter or character of our alphabet has the entire dharma in it, so no matter what it spells, it carries that dharma? Well, although he says Chinese characters, it really means dharmas. Characters stands for dharmas. And dharmas means all things. In that wide sense, small d, dharmas, means all things. Everything is a dharma. Everything that's created is a dharma. And capital D means the reality of the dharmas.

[78:32]

So when we practice, we study the reality of the dharma. What is real and what is not? So, if we see it, if we can realize that everything is real, which means non-substantial, we tend to think everything is real means everything is substantial. But if you say everything is real, it means nothing is substantial. That's its reality. Do the numbers mean just like one thing after another? They just mean one thing after another. Yes. So, whatever little bit I have learned about characters in practice is largely due to that Tenzo.

[79:39]

When I met again with my teacher Miaozhen, remember Miaozhen was Esai's disciple who went to China, and he died in China, who later died in China, and told him of my meeting with the Tenzo from Laiyawang. He was greatly happy to hear about it. Later on, I came across a gatha, which Zui Du had written for one of his disciples, one of my favorite gathas. But Zui Du was the master who put together the Lukas records, collected the 100 koans for the Lukas records. Secho, in Japanese. And Myozen was actually Gogen's teacher while they were in China, until he met Ryujin. So here's the poem. One, seven, three, five.

[80:40]

The letters don't mean much. I mean the numbers. The truth you search for cannot be grasped. As night advances, a bright moon illuminates the whole ocean. So just think of night as kind bright moon illuminates the whole ocean. The dragon's jewels are found in every wave. So you're standing on the shore, looking for the moon. It is here, in this wave, in the next. The moon, in Zen parlance, stands for enlightenment. So, in this sense, enlightenment is exemplified by light, which is what it is.

[81:45]

Enlightenment means light. Moon in a dewdrop. It's like the moon in a dewdrop. in every wave. The moon is reflected in every wave. So, the waves are our activity, right? The waves and the moon is the light. The light is reflected in the activity. I don't know, I can't explain too much. I don't even like to explain it. One, seven, three, five means random, it's kind of like random numbers. are things as they happen. It's seemingly random, but is anything really random? That's a question too. Everything has a cause. So although there is randomness, the randomness has a cause. There's nothing that doesn't have a cause, yes.

[82:46]

But you know, those are prime numbers too, which means they're only divisible by one. But one is not prime. It's a special number. One is neither prime nor composite. It's still beautiful. So zero is also a non-number, right? What is zero? So the truth is everything, right? The truth you search for cannot be grasped. So as night advances, a bright moon illuminates the whole ocean. The dragon's jewels are reality, right? The truth, or the dragon's jewels, are found in every wave. The moon is in every wave. Dogen uses this in his Angel Goan.

[83:49]

Looking for the moon, it is here, in this wave, in the next. This poem is translated in different ways that don't seem like the same poem, but I really like this translation a lot. So it dawned on me then that what the Tenzo I had met the previous year had said coincided perfectly with what Zui Du was pointing out in his Datta. I realized more than ever that the Tenzo was a man fully living out the Buddha Dharma. I used to see the characters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Now I see also 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Future students must be able to see that side from this side, as well as this side from that side. Practicing with intense effort, using all your ingenuity, you will be able to grasp genuine Zen that goes beyond the surface of characters. to do otherwise will only result in being led about by the various tainted Zen that will leave you incapable of preparing meals skillfully for the community.

[84:57]

I'm looking at this. I'm going to look at... Tainted Zen is a really interesting thing. I'm not going to talk about it because it would take a little bit of time, but I think we should look at it tomorrow. But I'm going to look at this. So what do you think it means?

[86:02]

Now I also see 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. I used to see the characters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Now I see, now also see, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Future students must be able to see that side from this side, as well as this side from that side. You know, there's a saying, mountains are mountains. and rivers of waters are waters, rivers are rivers, mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers. I'm sure you know this. When you begin to practice, before you practice, mountains and mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers.

[87:09]

When you enter practice and really totally enter practice, mountains are no longer mountains and rivers are no longer rivers. After realization, mountains are just mountains and rivers are just rivers. So 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is like before. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 is after. So 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is when you are totally engaged in practice. The other side, after realization, is 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. So you see this side from that side, and that side from this side. Does that make sense?

[88:13]

So to do otherwise will only result in being led about by various tainted, variously tainted Zen that will leave you incapable of preparing meals. It's interesting that he's using that as... So there are six types of Zen which are not Shikantaza. Oh, I see. And since it's 5.30, that's about time? Well, we have scheduled for 22. 10 minutes? OK. Wait. Oh, I'm sorry. Soak it up and put it on top, it goes away.

[89:40]

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