The Avalokiteshvara being engaged in the practice of deep Prajnaparamita beholds thoroughly emptiness of the five skandhas with the whole body. The five skandhas are born, feeling, perception, impulses, consciousness. They are The five prajnas are beholding thoroughly is prajna. Prajna. When this principle is revealed in a concrete way, form is emptiness, emptiness is form, form is form, emptiness is emptiness, It is a hundred classes.

[01:02]

It is a myriad of things. This is the first paragraph, which is most important of this chapter. Dogen Zenju mentions the first. Bodhokitesvara, being engaged in the practice of deep prajnaparamita, Behold thoroughly emptiness of the five skandhas with the whole body. The five skandhas are form, feeling, perception and conscious consciousness. They are the five prajnas. Beholding thoroughly is prajna. When this principle is revealed in a concrete way, Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form. Form is form. Emptiness is emptiness.

[02:03]

It is hundred grasses. It is myriad things. Valokiteshvara. You are very familiar with this. Bodhisattva Valokiteshvara. Kunzeon Bodhisattva. Literally Avalokiteshvara means revelation of observation. Avalokiteshvara is made by two terms Avalokita and Ishvara. Avalokita means observing and being observed.

[03:09]

Observing and being observed. Ishvara means revelation but in Japanese we say Jizai. Jizai means what is Just is of itself. What is just is of itself? Just is of itself means a tree. What is means a tree? Birds, a bird. Floors, tables. So a tree just is of itself. Means that your presence of that tree is a great state of its presence.

[04:25]

interconnected, interpenetrated with birds, skies, airs, all beings in the universe. That is what is, just is, without disturbing anything at all. Anyway, truth, presence is just is, just is. No commentaries, no criticism, nothing to pin down. Justice, but justice is not a way as it wants to be. Justice of itself is very harmonious presence, harmonious peaceful presence interconnected, interpenetrated with all sentient beings. So that is the desire. Liberation we call, in English we say liberation.

[05:30]

See if you try to move from one place to another in order to get liberation, this is not liberation. So real liberation is your presence is just this. You are just you of yourself. interconnected, interpenetrated with all sentient beings. This is desire, freedom, liberation. So Avalokiteshvara, if they are put together, two terms put together, we say Avalokiteshvara. So I say liberation of observation, of the Avalokiteshvara is the observing and being observed.

[06:34]

Usually we are always looking at, observe something on one way, one way. If Karagi look at the microphones, I, Karagi, always observe the microphone on one way, one way. But Avalokiteshvara can't be. Avalokiteshvara always look at microphone in terms of Avalokiteshvara, but simultaneously he can't see microphone in terms of microphone's presence. So, two ways. That's why Avalokita means observing and being observed. Dogen then says in Genjo Koan, when one side is clear, the other side is in darkness.

[07:36]

Do you remember this one? If you see one side, the other side is in darkness means the other side is behind. Behind. For instance, a piece of paper with two sides, front and back. If you see the front, we are always seeing a front. Even though, no matter how you peel the papers, in order to know limitation of the front or limitation of the back, we don't know. Where is the limitation? Where is the border? Border between the front and the back. If you see the piece of paper in terms of the front, No matter how long you research the limitation or border of the front, well, no, you cannot see anywhere of the front.

[08:37]

Completely, you always see the front. Nevertheless, this is the human way, Kalagiri think, the human world, and the whole world, Kalagiri's world. If you look at me, well, Karagiri is not Karagiri. Karagiri is your world. So the whole world is completely Karagiri's world. And then, nevertheless, this world is not Karagiri's. Because in the Karagiri's world, there are many beings exist. Trees, birds, but trees, birds, the suns, the moons, Heirs, sesshins are all seen by karagiris. So trees, birds, sesshins are not real birds. Trees, sesshin as they really are.

[09:41]

So they are temporal, provisional beings. I have seen. Do you understand? That's why there are lots of misunderstandings there. Someone says, someone says, I love Sachine. Someone says, I don't like it. Next moment, you love it. Next moment, you don't love it. So, always you look at the human world in terms of you. So that is one way, always. Observing the world. But you don't see the world as it is. You don't see the you. Who is observed by the world? So you have to know this. So if you see the Se Shin, you are a person seen by Se Shin anyway. But if you see the Se Shin always in terms of you, well always Se Shin is your world, your Se Shin.

[10:43]

But you completely miss the chance to deal with the Se Shin. Sesshin as a provisional being, well, helping each other, accepting sesshin, one another, sesshin after sesshin, you know. But if you see all of this in terms of you, on one way, well, you cannot see the sesshin which exists in your territory as a provisional being because he is apart from you so he is something you want to see you want to deal with but this is of course it is important but on the other hand you are Se-Hin, you are already person seen by Se-Hin.

[11:48]

So Se-Hin takes care of you anyway. So Dogen then says when one side is clear, the other side in darkness means when you see the front, through and through the front. Whenever you go, or wherever you go, you may go, no matter how long you research, This piece of paper, front is front. But nevertheless, back is behind. But you don't know what is the border between the front and back. So Avalokiteshvara always look at the front, using the front, but he doesn't ignore the back. He knows. He knows freely, freely the back. So he used the front with the back. So you can use, you can handle yourself with the Sesshin.

[12:54]

You can handle the Sesshin with you. That you is universe. So that is Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara is always observing something freely. To observe is not to observe, to see with your eyes. You have to observe with your eyes, with your mouth, with your nose, with your ears, with your body, with your mind, and with the whole world. and alaya vijnana anyway. In other words, you have to observe with the whole body. That is liberation. That is liberation of observation. That means Avalokiteshvara. In the Gengyo Koan, he always says, to see the form with wholeheartedness.

[14:12]

To hear something with wholeheartedness. To taste with wholeheartedness. It is not just like the moons reflected in the water, he said. Because no gap between the moons and the water, no gap between the front and back of the piece of paper, no gap between. When Avalokiteshvara observed the front and dealt with the front, constantly front, from the beginning to the end, because Avalokiteshvara looks at the whole world in terms of his eyes, body, nose, ears. But on the other hand, he doesn't ignore the back, even though he cannot see.

[15:17]

So, the back is behind doesn't mean two things put together. If I say the back is behind, you immediately think two things still there. That means two things are confronted with each other. At that time this is dualistic. But Dogen Zen says to see or to hear, to taste, to understand the world with wholeheartedness it is. not just like the moon reflected in the mirror in the water so completely if you see the moon that is real moon no water but no water means behind the moon but that behind the moon that's behind the moon water is behind the moon that means the water is there

[16:25]

and water is there and then put together but I cannot see the water in temple for a certain period of time it doesn't mean that. Complete one. I can't explain this. But that's why Dogen Zen says. Anyway, you should see, you should hear, you should do gassho with wholeheartedness. In that realm of total working, total process of the practice, there is nothing to pin down, this is front, this is back. All you have to do is just see the gassho when you have to do, just do gassho. Just see the gassho and listen to gassho, do gassho with wholeheartedness. That is ultimate state of reality, Gassho is present. You are present there.

[17:28]

At that time, nothing to say, nothing pinned down. This is not religious practice. This is whatever you do, I told you yesterday. Baseball, practice of baseball, practice of football, anyway, nothing to say. So that is So spiritual life means total working of your practice. This is spiritual life. Well, it's not two combinations. It doesn't mean a combination of two things. Anyway, you really devote, jump into the reality as it is. It really is, at that time, what is it? That is total working and process of your practice. That is completely nothing to say.

[18:33]

But your consciousness is clear. Nam is Avalokiteshvara. So everybody is living right in the middle of Avalokiteshvara. You are Avalokiteshvara. cooking and making, cooking in the kitchen, this is avarokiteshvara anyway. If you really observe the food and you and the whole kitchen, at that time whole world look at you. You look at the kitchen, you look at the food, but simultaneously whole world look at you, observe you. That means avarokiteshvara as a cook. So, that's why next, Avalokiteshvara, being engaged in the practice of deep rising of paramita, behold thoroughly emptiness of the five scandals with the whole body.

[19:34]

So, Avalokiteshvara, you have understood the meaning of Avalokiteshvara, what kind of Bodhisattva he or she is. So, Avalokiteshvara is engaged in the practice of deep prajnaparamita. Anyway, Avalokiteshvara doesn't mean a kind of image. It's not a kind of image. Bodhisattva is not a kind of image you can imagine. Avalokiteshvara is practice itself, being engaged in the practice. At that time it is temporarily said, we say Avalokiteshvara. So anytime you can be Avalokiteshvara. Regardless of whatever you feel from your life. So being engaged in the practice, this is Avalokiteshvara.

[20:41]

And then it says of deep prajna paramita Prajnaparamita must be deep, must be deep. Prajnaparamita is not intuition, not intuition. Prajnaparamita is not merely wisdom. I don't know, wisdom, perfection of the wisdom, maybe so. But anyway, temporarily said, wisdom, Perfection of wisdom is not merely pure reason. Pure reason means everyone has consciousness. This consciousness anyway has great its own capacity enough seeing directly the truth as it really is.

[21:45]

directly. That is your consciousness. So what kind of consciousness can see the truth directly as it really is? This is, we say, pure reason. Pure reason. The pure reason is the very ultimate nature of the consciousness. When you make your consciousness clean and loose it through the practice day by day and then you can see your consciousness can touch directly what the truth is. But still this pure reason is still part of the consciousness. Part of the consciousness. So wisdom is human capacity enough to see what the pure reason is.

[22:49]

If you see the truth directly, most people stay in pure reason. I got it. That's why we say, I think, therefore I exist. If you touch it, you say, I got it. That is already you stay with it. And then you say this is the spiritual life. No, I don't think so. Because you are tied up with pure sense. Pure reason. So finally you have to be free from pure reason because pure reason is a part of the consciousness which means a part of impermanence, changing constantly. So what is the pure reason? You cannot say. You cannot see. You cannot smell what the pure reason is. Finally it disappears, just like a steam. The moment when you catch the pure reason, it disappears like a steam. So wisdom has great human capacity enough to see what pure reason is.

[24:01]

And then it's not good enough. Wisdom is great capacity enough to know how we can live right in the middle of impermanence, so-called emptiness. We can live and right in the middle of liberation of purism. Liberation of pure sense of human consciousness. Anyone. Free from. That is a wisdom. That is a wisdom. So wisdom is not a kind of a consciousness, but it's a consciousness. Kind of a consciousness, but something more than that. So wisdom is, someone says wisdom is just like a pure reason.

[25:04]

Yes it is. but something more than this. So in Buddhism we say that is araya-vijñāna. Araya-vijñāna is consciousness. That means the pure sense of consciousness which has great capacity to touch directly what the truth is. Then when you touch the truth directly, truth becomes avakarasi. fixed form. So it's not real truth. Real truth is what? Just like a waterfall in terms of time process, that the Buddhist psychology says. So Avalokiteshvara knows, has great capacity to touch directly what the truth is, but simultaneously he knows. He knows

[26:05]

what he is. That is just impermanence, just waterfall in time process. In terms of space, Alai Vijnana is vast expanse of ocean, universe, cosmos. So each moment, at each moment there is constantly just like a waterfall as one. You can see. And then each moment, water is full. The waterfall is running. Simultaneously, you can see the total picture of the waterfall, including mountains, trees, birds, skies. That is so-called Araya Vijnana. Wisdom. So wisdom can catch. Total picture of the waterfall so-called truth, okay?

[27:12]

Running waterfall is running constant from moment to moment, simultaneously, alive Virginiana can catch the, well, the waterfall including the trees, birds, mountains, skies, airs, and human beings, birds, okay? It's a complete topic. And then Arraya Vijnana knows how to live. How to live right in the middle of this total working of the waterfall. This is the freedom, being free from Arraya Vijnana. Because Arraya Vijnana cannot stay with the form of Arraya Vijnana. That's why Avalokiteshvara always look at the microphone but simultaneously Avalokiteshvara free from Avalokiteshvara.

[28:12]

Then Avalokiteshvara can see the microphone in terms of microphone. But usually we don't. We always see the microphone in terms of me. So you have to be free from. You have to be free from your viewpoint. That means simultaneously you are observed by the world. You may have a question. How can I be observed by the world? That means you must be free from your view. That means simultaneously. You are observed by the world, by the microphone. So, this is wisdom. Avalokiteshvara. This is Avalokiteshvara. This is simultaneously Prajna Paramita, wisdom.

[29:15]

Perfection of wisdom. So, perfection of wisdom must be deep. It's not intuition. It's not pure reason, philosophically speaking. It's not consciousness, but it seems to be consciousness. But more than that, that is wisdom. Because wisdom is a part of consciousness, but wisdom must be free from its own consciousness. At that time, that consciousness really works. And subject And in the realm of subject and object simultaneously as one. That is called wisdom. Perfection of wisdom. In the realm of perfection of wisdom, there is no form of consciousness. So it's pretty hard to put a certain label on it. So that's why in Buddhist psychology we use the temporality term Ara Vijñāna, but that is not the goal of the speech of life.

[30:25]

The final goal is no form, no perception of Aravindana. This is the final goal. So this is called Prajna Paramita. Prajna Paramita. It's pre-deep. It's pre-deep. Unfathomable. So that's why Avalokiteshvara being engaged in the practice of deep Prajna Paramita. If you read this one, simultaneously you can see Avalokiteshvara here. And then there is a being engaged in the practice and deep prajnaparamita as object. But that is not real meaning of Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara itself is anyway prajnaparamita, it must be. You must be, if you want to be Amalokiteshvara, you must be pride in your paramitara, wisdom.

[31:30]

In other words, if you see the microphone, you have to see the microphone, but simultaneously you must be free from your views. Otherwise you cannot understand the microphone as it is. Because you always use the microphone in terms of your feelings, and sense, and emotions, understanding. So always you kick it out, anytime. When you love it, you really hang on. If you hate it, it's pretty easy for us to kick it out. Don't you think so? This is not Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara looks at the microphone simultaneously being free from his own observations. And then that means Avalokiteshvara is observed by the microphone. So simultaneous is there. Communication is there. That is Prajnaparamita.

[32:34]

So that is Avalokiteshvara. So Avalokiteshvara is deep Prajnaparamita. Avalokiteshvara is deep Prajnaparamita. What is Avalokiteshvara is deep Prajnaparamita. Nothing but being engaged in the practice. That's all. That means Avalokiteshvara must be present right in the middle of the ultimate state of reality. What is this? Practice. Run. Here on earth. On the baseball ground. Then right after this you say, well, what is useful? That is extra already. So, right in the middle of the ultimate state of real reality, one of the Daini said, just plucking a paramita. At that time, you become Avalokiteshvara.

[33:37]

You become a baseball player as Avalokiteshvara. And then at that time, you as a baseball player, anyway, can see the ball, in terms of you and you are observed by the ball. So you can catch it immediately. Before your consciousness works. So you can immediately catch it. So the coach knows this. So even though you hit it, the coach always hits the ball in a completely different direction which you have never expected. You expect to always hear, Please give me the ball here." But coach hit the ball the other direction, completely opposite direction. Because your wisdom, your pure sense of consciousness must be free anyway, must be free. So coach always punish your consciousness, okay?

[34:41]

Punish your consciousness, but you don't like it because you have never done before. So physically it's very hard work. Physically hard work. Just hard work. Don't you think so? Hard work. But pretty good. Anyway, just like running here and there on the baseball ground is huge. It's not this kind of territory, areas. Baseball ground is vast horse pastures. So-called universe. You have to run here and there in the universe. So that's why Avalokiteshvara being engaged in the practice of deep practice paramita beholds thoroughly emptiness of the five skandhas with the whole body, whole body. So Avalokiteshvara beholds thoroughly.

[35:44]

This means don't think Avalokiteshvara is here And there are some objects here which Avalokiteshvara looks at. So-called be-in, be-holding salary, or five skandhas, or with whole bodies. So, if you look at this relationship in terms of your sense, Avalokiteshvara is here, object is here, five scanners. And then Avalokiteshvara sees the five scanners and then what does Avalokiteshvara experience? That is emptiness. How does Avalokiteshvara experience emptiness of five scanners? With whole body. You always understand like this.

[36:46]

That is dualistic. But Avalokiteshvara, I told you constantly, Avalokiteshvara is not image. You can draw a picture by your consciousness. Avalokiteshvara is with a being fully alive from moment to moment. That is temporally called Avalokiteshvara. So Avalokiteshvara sees thoroughly into, see thoroughly into is Avalokiteshvara. Do Gassho is Avalokiteshvara. With whole body that is Avalokiteshvara. Then as a result you can see Gassho. This is anyway Avalokiteshvara. What is the Gassho? Emptiness of Gassho. impermanence of gassho.

[37:50]

So that is Avalokiteshvara. So there is no object and no subject. But if you read Prajnaparamita, according to the dualistic sense, you don't understand, you never understand, you never understand meaning of Avalokiteshvara. In Japan, if you go to Japan, Almost everywhere you can see statues of Avalokiteshvara. And people really pay homage to this because Avalokiteshvara seems to be that female look. Very soft, wonderful kindness, kind. You feel anywhere from Avalokiteshvara statues. Feeling good. The very soft kindness, compassion, saving all sentient beings. Wherever you make Avalokiteshvara is always going there to help somebody.

[38:54]

Everybody loves it. But it's not Avalokiteshvara. The real Avalokiteshvara is you. You are Avalokiteshvara. Because when you see the Avalokiteshvara statue, Jyugasho, then at that time, Do you see the Baroque Tishbara as an object? While you can see the object, as a Baroque Tishbara, you are not art, you are not real practice, you are not practice. So called Gassho paying homage, you don't do it, because still object is over there. And then you can show love. Please help me, Avalokiteshvara. Are you? Then Avalokiteshvara has to answer to your question. Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am. If she doesn't, you really mad at Avalokiteshvara.

[39:57]

This is a very common respect in my village. The old man who was very serious, Respecting the Avalokiteshvara and the Buddha statue and also Gods in Japan, Japanese people usually believed. That idea of Gods Japanese people believed are completely different from Gods of Christianity. But anyway, he really believed, he really devoted himself to believe this. But finally, During the Second World War, he killed her wife by mistake. He cleaned the gun, you know. He was a hunter. He cleaned his gun by chance. By mistake, you know, the gun was explored.

[41:11]

And then he killed one of them. And then after this, anyway, during the Second World War, he had two, three sons. They went to the war, and all of them died. So he was really mad at this situation, which he had never expected. because he believed I was a very serious Buddhist. And Avalokiteshvara believed that if he was a serious Buddhist, Buddha Avalokiteshvara should protect him, his family, his son, anyone. would be completely reversed. He was really mad. Then he destroyed his altars and he came to the temples and he destroyed something.

[42:19]

So that is a very common type of respecting something. So always you look, you are observing the Avalokiteshvara on one way. But it's not good for you. So you must be observed by the Avalokiteshvara. That means just show respect. What is this? Being engaged in the practice. What do you mean by being engaged in the practice? That is a deep prajnaparamita. Even though you don't understand this is a prajnaparamita. Wisdom. You can touch it. The truth. And nevertheless, you can be free from anywhere your consciousness. How? With the whole body. Do it. With the whole body, do it.

[43:22]

Where am I? That is in the ultimate state of reality. Right there. Dogen Zen says Nikon. Nikon means right here. Right now. Which is, which time is, which time has been present, which time was present, which time will be present. Anyway, right now, right here. This is the ultimate state of reality. You are present. Trees are present. Anyway. No exceptions. No exceptions. So, this is Sing Thoroughly Into. Sing Thoroughly Into. Just sing Thoroughly Into is Avalokiteshvara. So if you want to be Avalokiteshvara, just sing Thoroughly Into. So that is Emptiness is Form.

[44:26]

Emptiness is Form. So when you do Satsang, Most people are disappointed about your practice. You disappoint your practice because sometimes you don't see any progress. So sometimes you see just pain. Sometimes you feel good beyond pain. Sometimes you feel good right in the middle of pain. Whatever it is. This is emptiness. So, right in the middle, you should really realize, you should realize, anyway, form is form of the Zen. Right in the middle of emptiness. How? I always tell you, you must be Avalokiteshvara. At that time,

[45:30]

You can experience lots and with good and bad, disappointment and lots of things. That is called fading away. Sometimes developing, sometimes feeling good, sometimes feeling not good. Decisive and permanent. So emptiness is formed. The form is form, so finally what you have to do is just buy the flower and deal with the flowers and take care of it with best, whole body and mind. That is called form is form. And then next is emptiness is emptiness. When you deal with the flowers with your whole body and mind with your best, At that time, your consciousness catches it and says, I did it. Well, you must be empty. Forget it. Let it go.

[46:32]

All you have to do is, day by day, from moment to moment, just do it, just do it, just do it. Nothing but continuation of practice without leaving any trace of your practice. Just like a bird swimming on the lake. Just birds fly away from the light without leaving any trace. That is, emptiness is just emptiness. What is emptiness? Emptiness is when you are Engage in the practice of form is form, at that time you can really experience emptiness is empty, simultaneously. Simultaneously is still extra time.

[47:34]

Not simultaneously, more than simultaneously. Oneness, but oneness is still extra. I don't know, how can I say, no words. appropriate words. So this is Dogen Zenji's particular explanation. You can find this expression, explanation in any sutras, any commentaries, Buddhist books. Emptiness is emptiness, form is form. Then next he says Still you are hanging on a certain ideal. Philosophical ideal. Form is form. Emptiness is emptiness. So Dogenzin says next it is hundred grasses. So trees, flowers, that's all. So all sentient beings. When you see the real flowers, real flowers, that's enough.

[48:37]

And there is many things.

[48:42]

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