Good morning, everyone. In this session, we are studying Dogen Zenji's Shobo Genzo Zazen Shin. Zazen Shin literally means acupuncture needle of Zazen. So, yesterday I gave two lectures, two hours each. Since this morning, we have some people who were not here yesterday. I'd like to talk about a different section, another section. This writing, Zazen Shin, has basically three sections, three parts.

[01:03]

First one is Dogen's comment on Yaku-san's think of not thinking, how do you think of not thinking, beyond thinking. And second section is what I have been talking, the story on Nangaku's polishing a time. Dogen said, Awazazan is polishing a tile to make it into a mirror. It's very difficult. Almost impossible. Anyway, that is the second section. And the third section is about a poem written by a Chinese Zen master whose name is in Japanese Wanshi Shougaku. In Chinese pronunciation, something like Honji Chunjie.

[02:08]

I can't even pronounce his name in Chinese. So, I use Japanese pronunciation. Wanshi Shougaku. He, Wanshi Shougaku, lived between 1091 to 1157. And Dogen Zenji was born just 12, 1200. So when she died about 50 years before Dogen was born. And at the time, in Song Dynasty China, there are kind of two schools of Zen. One is called, let's see, one is so-called Rinzai Zen, another is Sōtō Zen.

[03:16]

And of course, this Wanshi Shōwaku belongs to Sōtō Zen. And the famous Zen master in Rinzai Zen at one stage of time was Dai E So Ko. I don't know the Chinese pronunciation. They are kind of contemporary. And this Rinzai master criticized Soto practice as Moksho Ja Zen. Mok means silent. Sho is illumination. And Ja means evil. Bad. Not good. Zen. And, of course, in Rinzai they use koan. Koan practice. and they put emphasis on a kind of a Kensho experience through Zazen sitting meditation.

[04:33]

So there is a kind of argument between these two schools. And Wanshi, like Daya's expression, Silent Illumination, So he wrote a writing about Moksho Mei. What is Mei? I don't know. Anyway, writing about silent illumination Zen. So his Zen, Wanshi's style of Zen is called silent illumination Zen. And, of course, Dogen received Dharma transmission from a Soto Zen master whose name was Tendo Nyojo. And I think Tendo Nyojo was a kind of a Dharma nephew of this Wanshi Shogaku.

[05:43]

So Wanshi was a kind of a great uncle of Dogen. So Dogen respected Wanshi very much. He often quoted from Wanshi. And Wanshi was also a good art and well-known good at writing poetry. He wrote verses or poems on 100 koan stories. And later, almost a contemporary of Dogen, whose name is Bansho Joshu, made a commentary on Wanshi's poems. And that was titled, together with Wanshi's poem and Bansho's commentary, titled, Shouyou Roku.

[06:48]

And it was translated into English and entitled, Book of Serenity. Maybe some of you are familiar with that book. Koan collection with Wanshi's verse and Bansho's commentary. But Dogen never read Shoryo-roku. Dogen was not in China, and Shoyoroku was not in Japan. Anyway, and traditionally, in Soto tradition, we think Dogen succeeded, precisely succeeded Wanshi Zen through Myojo.

[07:50]

So Dogen's Zen or Soto Zen in Japan has been considered to be a continuation of Mokusho Zen. But recently Japanese scholars started to think Dogen's Zen is kind of different from Wanshi's Zen. I'm not sure whether it's true or not. Anyway, so at the last part, third part of this Zazen Shin, Dogen quote Wanshi's poem, entitled Zazen Shin, for acupuncture need of Zazen. And Dogen made a comment, his own comment on this poem. And finally, Dogen made his own poem, with the same title, Zazenshin.

[08:57]

So the interesting point is whether Wanshi is the same in his Zazenshin and whether Dogen is the same in his own Zazenshin are same or not. Of course we can interpret in many different ways. So This morning I'd like to talk on Wang Shi's poem entitled Zazen Shin. And if I have time, I'd like to talk on Dogen's Zazen Shin tea. The meaning of this title, Zazen Shin, Shin is, as I said, acupuncture needle. that is used to heal the sickness. So, as I said yesterday, Zazen Shin means, Zazen is an acupuncture needle to heal the sickness we have.

[10:12]

So, we are sick. Even though we don't think so, somehow Buddha said, we are sick. And we need a treatment. And that is called Eightfold Correct Path. That is treatment. And our sickness is, you know, The suffering or pain caused by our delusion and delusive desires or so-called three poisonous minds. Greed, anger or hatred and ignorance. That is the cause of our sickness. That's why our life makes our life suffering.

[11:17]

And Buddha said, we can be healthy, we can recover. And that is the third of the Four Noble Truths, the cessation of suffering. And the final fourth Truth is the path which leads us to cessation of suffering. And that is the Eightfold Noble Path. And I think you already know what are those eight. Anyway, that is our practice. So Buddhist practice is a kind of a therapy, treatment. to make us healthy. That is very common understanding of Buddha's teaching, our practice.

[12:23]

But there is another way, not way, but I think, Dogen, not Dogen, but Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, taught eightfold noble path in different perspectives. He taught eightfold correct path or noble path within the system of four noble truths, but that is in his first teaching after he attained Buddhahood. But before he taught Four Noble Truths, right before that he started to teach those five monks. First, he said, he found a middle path.

[13:29]

That was the first thing he said, Buddha said. in his first turning of the Dharma, he found the truth. I found the middle path. And that middle path is the Eightfold Noble Path. So he taught the Eightfold Noble or Correct Path twice in his first turning of the Dharma, Dharma Wheel. In our practice, the Eightfold Noble Path as a middle path or middle way and as a part of the Four Noble Truths is kind of different, I think. He found this Eightfold Noble Path or correct path as a middle path in his enlightenment.

[14:33]

When he attained enlightenment, he found the Middle Path. And he started to practice the Eightfold Noble Correct Path after he attained Buddhahood. So, for him, for Buddha himself, this practice of the Eightfold Correct Path is not a treatment. He was already healthy. He was already healthy. He was not sick anymore. He was Buddha. And after attaining the Buddhahood, he started to practice the usual path. So, this eightfold correct path is not therapy, or treatment, or means, or method. to get healthy for Buddha Shakyamuni. But he found this middle path within his enlightenment.

[15:40]

And after he became healthy, he practiced until the end of his life. He practiced this eightfold correct path. And when he started to teach people who are still sick, he taught with the same practice to the sick people as a method or treatment to recover a healthy condition. So he taught the same practice in different kind of perspective and not many people say so but I think this difference is very important. at least to me, to understand what Dogen is saying about his Dazen.

[16:42]

Our Dazen practice is, of course, part of Buddhist practice. Meditation is part of one of eight four correct paths. And also, as I said yesterday, one of the six parameters. So, meditation is always part of Buddhist practice. And because we are sick people, you know, this practice is a treatment or a therapy to make us healthy. important point is our practice is not simply therapy or treatment. If our practice is treatment, what shall we do after we become healthy?

[17:47]

We don't take medicine after we recover from sickness. What shall we do? Then we have to You know, see what Buddha did after he became enlightened. That means after he became healthy. He practiced eightfold correct path. You know, so the treatment for sick people like us and practice or activity of healthy people are same thing. That means The Middle Path or Middle Way is a healthy way of life. And when we are sick, this healthy way of life, that is Buddha's activity, can be a medicine. So, when we recover from our sickness, what we do is keep practicing

[18:55]

eightfold correct path or any kind of Buddhist practice came out of or kind of a different kind of application of the same medicine. Sitting with one thing and chanting or studying or we have so many different kind of practice in different kind of many schools in Buddhism, but all are a part of the Eightfold Correct Path. So, to me, the difference between the so-called Koan practice and this Shikampada or just sitting, is a kind of, you know, in the case of koan practice, you know, we use zazen or sitting meditation as a kind of a medicine or therapy to become healthy.

[20:15]

That is called enlightenment or satori or kensho experience. But in the case of Wang Shi's and probably Dogen's idea of sitting meditation is not a therapy which helps us to become healthy. But we, as Dogen said, this doesn't practice As I introduced yesterday from his Shobo Genzo Zuimonki, he said, this Zazen is Buddha's practice. It's not a practice for sick people to make us healthy. But it can be, you know, a medicine when we are sick. But basically, this is Buddha's practice.

[21:19]

That means Buddha's practice Shakyamuni Buddha's practice after he attained enlightenment. That is the basic idea of Dogen's Zazen. So our Zazen is not a therapy or a treatment means or method to get something or to attain something or to recover healthy condition. Basically, the model of Dogen's sitting is Buddha's sitting under the Bodhichitta. So, there's nothing to gain anymore. Just be there. And that's it. and yet we are still sick. That's a problem.

[22:20]

That's a big difference between Buddha's sitting under the Bodhi tree and our sitting facing the wall. I think it's important to see this difference. And yet, it's also important to see that our sitting is not a therapy. but our sitting is an activity of a healthy person, or Buddha's activity. So, in our practice there is a kind of a... how can I say... two so-called paradoxical or contradicted realities. But our practice of Zazen is Buddha's practice. Still we are sick people.

[23:22]

How sick people can practice healthy people's practice? That is a question. It's a really good question. A very difficult question. And I think Dogen is trying to write, or explain, express how Sikh people's Zazen can be Buddha's practice, how our Zazen can be manifestation of Buddha's enlightenment, or Buddhahood. Anyway, let me read Wang Xi's poem. If you have this print, page 14.

[24:32]

I put the original Chinese poem for me. Not for you. If you read Chinese, that's OK. Maybe not. My translation. This is my translation. But this is not a complete, final translation. But this is a kind of a working draft. And my translation, I try to be very kind of literal. So my English is very Japanese, not Chinese, but Japanese. So I think this is not good English. Anyway, so if you have any suggestion to make to improve this English, so please give me any suggestions.

[25:42]

One is Zazen-shin. The essential function of the Buddhas and the functioning essence of the ancestors. Knowing without touching things. Illuminating without facing objects. Knowing without touching things. The wisdom is by nature inconspicuous. Illuminating without facing objects. The illumination is by nature subtle. which is by nature inconspicuous, never has discriminative thought. Illumination, which is by nature subtle, never has the slightest separation.

[26:50]

Wisdom, which never has discriminative thought, has no dichotomy, but sees oneness. Illumination, which never has the slightest separation, has no attachment, but is evident. The water is clear to the bottom. A fish is swimming slowly, slowly. The sky is infinitely vast. A bird is flying far, far away. I don't know if this English translation is poetic or not, but Wang Shi's poem is really beautiful. And let me read Dogen's poem too, though I'm not sure I have enough time or not.

[27:52]

Dogen's Zazenshin is as follows. The essential function of Buddhas and the functional essence of ancestors. This rhymes exactly the same. Being actualized within not thinking, being manifested within non-interacting, being actualized within not thinking, the actualization is by nature Being manifested within non-interacting, the manifestation is itself verification. The actualization that is by nature intimate never has defilement.

[28:53]

The manifestation that is by nature verification never has distinction between absolute and relative. Intimacy without defilement is dropping off without relying on anything. Verification beyond distinction between absolute and relative is making effort without aiming at it. Water is clear to the earth. A fish swims like a fish. The sky is vast, extending to the heavens. A bird flies like a bird. This is Dogen's. I think Dogen's poem is not so poetic like Wanshi's.

[30:00]

but it's very interesting to compare. So now I start to talk on each line, and briefly, and after that I talk on Dogen's comment on each line of Wanshi's poem. It said, the first line is the essential function of the Buddha and the functioning essence of the ancestors. The original expression for essential function is and the functional essence is kī-yō.

[31:02]

So one just changes the order of the word. And kī means function. As a Chinese character, kī originally means weaving machine. That is, I think, the oldest machine, I think, human beings created. Or at least one of the oldest machines. And so it's a kind of a machine or mechanics. And there's a certain point if a person who is working with that machine is pushed or moved or something, the entire machine starts to work. function. That is the original meaning of this Chinese character, qi. And in Dogen's writings, this qi is used as an expression such as zen-qi.

[32:12]

Zen means entire or whole or complete. And zen-qi is one of the chapter of Shobo Genzo. And it's usually translated related into English as an entire or total dynamic function. So that is key, the function, working, moving, changing. And yo, in this translation, essence. This yo is like a, what do you call, you know, the fan, right? Fan has many kinds of bamboo, like a stick, and there's one point, how do you call this point, which gets those different things together.

[33:16]

Intersection? Intersection? Where they intersect? Intersection. How do you call that case of the fan? No. Pivot? Pivot part. Anyway, that one point gets everything together and makes, you know, that collection of these things as a fan. If this part is broken, it doesn't function as a fan anymore. So this is the essence. It's a very small, tiny point. But this tiny point keeps the entire farm as a farm. If this point is missing, the farm is not a farm anymore, even though everything is there. There's no, what can I say, connection.

[34:18]

So this is a point or hub of interdependent origination. And when she is saying, this zazen, this poem is about zazen, this zazen is the essential function of Buddhas. So it's very clear, you know, our zazen, this zazen, at least his zazen, is not a therapy to make sick people healthy people. But he said, this Zazen is the function and essence of all Buddhas. This Zazen is the fact that all Buddhas function as Buddhas and makes all Buddhas to be Buddhas.

[35:22]

Does it make sense? You understand what I mean? So, the kind of a... how can I say... view of seeing this simple sitting practice is kind of different from our common understanding of, you know, this is a method or therapy to... since I have a problem or sickness, I need some treatment to make me a healthier person. Of course, because this practice is a function or essential function for all Buddhas, also this helps us and this can be a treatment. But this is not simply a treatment, but this is essence

[36:25]

or essential function of all Buddhas is sitting. And he changed the order of the work and says, Ki-Yo, or functioning essence of all ancestors. Ancestors means the Buddhist masters who have been transmitting Buddha's teaching, Dharma, and also Buddha's practice. So all Buddhas and all ancestors who have been practicing or transmitting this Dharma, Buddha's Dharma, that is Middle Path or Middle Way, that essence is Zazen. Zazen is Buddha's and ancestors' essence, or essential function.

[37:27]

And within this Dazen, one says, knowing without touching things, and illuminating without facing objects. This illumination is shown in boksho, silent illumination. So we really just sit silently facing the wall. And within this sitting, there is no object. You know, only the wall. we sit facing the wall. Facing the wall, I think, is important point in our practice. I mean, Bodhidharma's practice was called Hekikan, wall watching.

[38:41]

So, wall is very important meaning in our practice. Wall is something which has no meaning. You know, on the wall there's nothing written. Just a brown or white or a very simple thing. It has no meaning. So, wall cannot be the object. So, when we are sitting facing the wall, actually we are sitting facing Buddha. There is no meaning, beyond meaning, beyond our discriminated mind. So, when we sit facing the wall, we are sitting facing non-discrimination or beyond discrimination.

[39:45]

That is Buddha. So we sit facing the Buddha. And when we sit, facing the wall, you know, there's no object. Still, so many things happening inside of ourselves. So many different kinds of thoughts, emotions, or feelings, or illusions, or daydreaming, or sleepiness. All different kinds of conditions come up and go away. I think that is what we all of us experience. But, you know, since we are sitting facing the wall, there is no object. Whatever thought comes up is illusion.

[40:49]

It's not reality. And it's very clear to us There's no object. So, when we think, we think about something. But that something is not in front of us. So, you know, it's just kind of an idling of our consciousness. And this, our thought within our Zazen, is like an idling, or Uchamuroshi expresses this secretion from our brain. Even though there is no object, all these different kinds of thoughts come up. Often our thoughts are very small, ridiculous things, but often we

[41:52]

or sometimes we think of dharma or lofty philosophical thoughts come up. But still we are sitting facing the wall and in our zazen we let go of those thoughts. So in our meditation there is no object. We don't... contemplate on something. We really just sit. And within this just sitting, so many things is going on. And we hope, we wish, you know, or we think. No thought is enlightenment. But that is not. You know, our mind is often very busy. And we often feel that When we are sitting in the Zen door, our mind is busier than when we are outside of the Zen door.

[43:00]

But, as I said yesterday, that is why we come to a quiet place. In our daily lives, we live in a noisy place. And because outside is so noisy, we don't hear the noise from inside. But when we come to a quiet place like this, like here, you know, we start to hear a noise from inside. That's why, you know, we feel our mind is busier than the rest of our life. But I think that makes, because we feel our mind is busier, because our mind or our life calms down. So you don't need to worry so much about the busyness of your mind. But the important point is even though our mind is busy and we think about so many things, for example, you know, I have some bad experience with certain person and that person makes me angry.

[44:14]

And such kind of feeling or emotion and thinking about that person, and we think, why did that person do such and such? All those kind of things come up in our mind. But because we are sitting facing the wall, the person is not there. So it's very clear, this is just an idling of our consciousness. There's no object there. So, when we sit in the zen-do, It's safe to let go. Even if we let go, nothing happens. So we can let go. But in our daily lives, it's kind of dangerous to let go. I mean... You know, in our daily lives, there are really, actually, objects. That person is in front of us.

[45:16]

So we have to be careful. We have to think. This person is really me. Or this person is saying or doing. So, the way, the function of our consciousness in our daily lives and in the Zen-do, when we are sitting facing the wall, is kind of different, I think. Because there is no object. When we let go, we can let go. And even when we let go, they come back. Immediately. But when we let go, it's gone. But come back. More, you know, many times. But, you know, when we sit in this posture, and when we find that we are chasing after some thought,

[46:17]

or we are involved in certain emotion, we return to this upright posture and deep breath, breathing through our nose, abdominal breathing, and keep our eyes open and let go of whatever is going on. So this posture and letting go, and breathing, and awakening, we keep our eyes open. This is the point we return in our sitting. So anytime we find that we are deviating from that point, in many ways we deviate, almost always we deviate. But whenever we find we are deviating from that point, we return to that point. Next moment, we deviate another way and come back.

[47:25]

And sometimes we become sleepy and fall into sleep. Then we should wake up and keep our eyes open and return to this point. It's nice to have a point to return. Otherwise, We don't know where we go, even when we deviate somewhere else, but we don't know. So it's nice to have a point to come back. And in our Zazen, this posture, breathing, and awakening, and letting go of whatever coming up in our mind, in that point we return. So in our Zazen, Our practice is not try to stick at this point, but we return to this point. That is our practice. And, you know, the title of Katagi Roshi's book is Returning to Silence.

[48:35]

And I think that means returning to silence means returning to this point. Whenever we found we are deviating from this point, we try to return. And this is what we do in our zazen. Not only once or twice, but many times, millions of times. In so many different ways, we deviate from that point. So, in our Zazen practice, there's no object. And we don't think. Even though we don't think, thought comes up. It's kind of strange to say, but thought is there.

[49:41]

But I don't think. Thought automatically comes up by itself from our consciousness. According to Buddhist psychology, the deepest layer of our consciousness is called araya, araya consciousness, the eighth consciousness. First five are consciousness caused by our sense organs, eye, ear, nose, tongue and body. And sixth is our usual psychological mind, thinking consciousness. And seventh is called mana. Manas or mana. Mana consciousness. That is ego consciousness. And deepest consciousness is called araya. And Sanskrit word araya means storehouse. You know, all experiences we have since from our birth, or even before our birth,

[50:50]

we forget about the experiences, but all experiences are stored. And depending upon what kind of those experiences are stored as a seed, and depending upon what kind of seed, what kind of experiences are stored in this araya consciousness, we encounter some object, the seed comes up and makes us take certain action. Because each person has different seeds, different experiences, that is called karma. Even when we encounter the same object, we take a different reaction. So, whenever we encounter some object, something comes up from our mind, from our deep consciousness, sometimes from a very shallow mind, sometimes it comes from very deep, deep consciousness, and sometimes we don't know why.

[52:17]

our own nature, our tendency, our personality. But our personality is created by our karma. That means our experiences. You know, but when we are sitting facing the world, there is no object. Still, you know, the entire consciousness, not only eighth, but all consciousnesses are still functioning. So, seeds come up, even without object. And when we try to think what this is, when we try to think what this thought, why this thought come up in our dazen, we deviate from dazen. We grasp this thinking, this thought, as object. So we start to interact with this thinking or this thought or feeling.

[53:33]

So in our zazen, we don't pray or interact with anything coming up. We just let them come up and let them go away. We don't grasp or we don't judge or we don't examine or we don't observe. We do really nothing. Actually there is no object outside and also inside. We have no technique. And really just sitting. And by this letting go, we don't create karma here. We don't react. We just let go. I think that is from my experience. That is a kind of release of my consciousness.

[54:35]

In our daily life, it's kind of an obstacle to function as a person in society. We replace so many things. What we try to forget, what we try to ignore. But all those things come up in our life. So sometimes we feel very painful to sit because we have to face the negative side of ourselves. But we should be patient. Just sit with something negative come up. Just sit with it. It's not harmful. don't fight against it. Sometimes we face positive side of ourselves, but whatever kind of thought or feeling or emotion come up, we don't interact, we don't pray, we don't fight against it, against anything, but just sitting.

[55:50]

And within this just sitting, our entire Consciousness just functions as consciousness. And this consciousness has no object. It functions as it is. So we negate anything and we affirm nothing. We are just as we are. And when we sit in that way, we start to feel, you know, something we usually cling or grasp as me, or shouhaku, is just a collection of those, you know, seeds stored in our arya consciousness. And when we let go, we can let go. Still, we are alive. Somehow, you know, in our daily life,

[56:54]

unless we cling to this shohaku, this identity as shohaku. I feel, you know, I'm a Japanese. I was born in Japan. And I grew up as a Japanese. And I became a Buddhist. And I became a priest. So my identity is a Japanese Buddhist priest. So I try to behave to be a good Buddhist priest. That is my kind of a self-identity. But I'm really not Japanese. I'm Japanese only when I meet someone who is not Japanese. I didn't know even I was Japanese until I learned that there are countries besides Japan. Whatever, you know, kind of definition or word trying to define who this is is a kind of comparison with others.

[58:05]

I'm a Japanese means I'm not American, or Chinese, or French. And I'm a Buddhist means I'm not a Catholic, or I'm not Muslim. So, and I'm a priest means, you know, I'm not a real person. So, when in our Zazen we are just facing the wall, that means we let go of all this comparison. Then who is, what is this? I'm not a Japanese. I'm not a Buddhist in my Zazen. And I'm not a priest or a teacher. Now I'm a teacher. So I try to teach. I try to explain, express my understanding of Dharma. as a Buddhist priest. So this is one of my functions as a Buddhist priest. When I meet people in the zendo, I have to behave as a Buddhist priest.

[59:14]

But when at home, If I give a lecture to my kids, it's a problem. So I'm a Buddhist priest only when I'm in the Zen dorm. Or only when I put on my robes. When at home, I try to be a father of my kids and husband of my wife. Then, what about when we face the world? I'm not the husband of my wife. I'm not the father of my kids. I'm not the teacher of my students. I'm not a disciple of my teacher. I'm not a Buddhist. I'm just who I am. That's all. And also, we kind of think, I'm a great person.

[60:17]

good-for-nothing person. We have different kind of judgment to ourselves and also other people. This grasping or identity is just a mind creation created by our mind. When we compare this person with other people, or something else, or we try to compare who I am with who I want to be. And we have kind of an inferiority complex always, because we always compare ourselves with who we want to be. But in sitting, we should let go of such comparison. Then we are not so great. And yet, we are not so terrible.

[61:24]

We are just who we are. To see that we are just who we are, the so-called life force, in Uchiyama Roshi's expression, the life force, before our deeper than our thinking, our consciousness, function. So our zazen is not to control our consciousness, but we... How can I say? Just let them come up free and let them go away freely. We don't control. We, in a sense, we negate any thought or feeling our emotions come up from our consciousness. But at the same time, we embrace all of them.

[62:28]

We accept everything. And we find such grasping is just grasping, and we can open our hands. That's, I think, when the expression we had yesterday, the mind ground, mind ground, and that is in Uchiyama Roshi's experience, life force starts to function. Some force, which is larger than our consciousness, or deeper than our consciousness, starts to function. Not starts to function, but it's always functioning. But we don't see, because we only see our life in our consciousness. But when we leave our function of our consciousness alone, we find something deeper than that.

[63:32]

And I think that is real life. That is connected with all beings. But our consciousness separates ourselves from all other beings. Even when we separate ourselves from all beings, all other beings, still our life is really connected with all beings. We cannot live without air, we can't live without water, or we cannot live without knowledge we have, knowledge or ability to think. We think using words, But this word is not our personal possession. The word is a gift from the society. We studied from teachers, or parents, or friends, or all other people.

[64:34]

So that is a gift from the society. And air, or food, or water is a gift from nature. In whatever way we think who we are, whether we are great or terrible, whatever way we grasp this being, we are really connected with all beings in a deeper layer of our life. And our zazen allows us to wake up to that deeper life. So, our dozen is not a method to control our consciousness. So, it's a kind of, how can I say, a kind of boring practice.

[65:40]

Nothing dramatic happens. with pain or sleepiness, or we often get bored. And yet, from my experience of Zazen practice, I find that whatever thought I have, My life force is always functioning. It's like we are living under the clouds. And under the clouds we have different kinds of weather. So we have different kinds of conditions in our life.

[66:44]

So sometimes we get angry. Sometimes we become sad. Sometimes we are really happy. So our life is always up and down. Or sometimes the entire sky is completely covered with clouds. Or sometimes we have a very beautiful blue sky without any clouds. Or sometimes we have a storm or lightning. We have to live within various different conditions. But still, above the clouds, the sun is always shining, and the sky is always blue. I think we have the sun and the blue sky within our life. People are above that. maybe just above our consciousness.

[67:48]

Within consciousness there are many different conditions. And our, you know, still there's no way to control the weather. So there's no same with the weather. There's no method to control our condition of our consciousness. we need to find that the sun is always shining, the sky is always blue, but underneath the clouds, within our consciousness, there are so many things happening, we have so many different conditions, and we are always up and down, and we have to be patient, And I think, other than sitting practice within such condition, always changing condition, sometimes very severe, sometimes very difficult or painful, sometimes so wonderful.

[69:04]

Not too often. By sitting, Within so many different conditions, in the same posture, I think we learn how to live within these ever-changing conditions, with keeping the same upright posture. I think that is a kind of a, how can I say, merit or virtue of a zazen. But we have to be very patient. What am I talking? I forget. Knowing without touching things. And eliminating without facing objects. So within ourselves there is no object.

[70:06]

our entire life, including our consciousness, is just burning, or just shining, or just living. And one should continue this. Knowing without touching things, the wisdom is by nature inconspicuous. So that is wisdom. So usually we think wisdom is a kind of a tool we can use in order to find the truth. But here this knowledge or knowing and wisdom has no object. So it's not a kind of certain way our mind functions. That is not wisdom. But he said, this wisdom, that is much deeper than our usual thinking, is by nature inconspicuous.

[71:22]

That means very tiny, small, we cannot even see it. But there is wisdom. And illuminating without facing objects, The illumination is by nature subtle. The original word in conspicuous is bi, very small. And the original word for subtle is myo. And bi-myo, as a modern Japanese, means subtle and excellent, wonderful, very small. but somehow it's really wonderful. So, one should say, even when we really just sit, still our life force is shining and illuminating in a very subtle way.

[72:30]

And that is wisdom. is not wisdom as prajna in Buddhism is not our knowledge is not our ability to see the truth but actually truth is itself wisdom or reality is itself wisdom and then we awaken to that reality without biased thinking influenced by ego Ego-consciousness is another meaning of wisdom. See things clearly without conceptual thinking. And illumination, which is by nature subtle, never has the slightest separation.

[73:30]

And wisdom, which never has discriminative thought, has no dichotomy but seems oneness. One should use words such as wisdom, knowledge, or thought. I think that is a point Dogen didn't like. These words still imply something like psychology. So Dogen didn't use these words, knowing, illuminating, or wisdom, or those things. But he used manifestation. It's not a matter of to know, or to be wise, or to illuminate. There is no... That is what Wanshi is saying. illumination or knowledge or wisdom, there is no separation between self or subject and object or all beings.

[74:41]

But once he tried to show the reality before separation of self and others, that means reality of interconnected origination, but still he used the word wisdom, knowledge, illumination, that implies some kind of inner concept, some kind of separation. That's something which is illuminating, and the reality which is illuminating. And I think Dogen wanted to try to avoid that kind of connotation of these words. That is my understanding. So, according to Wanshi, within this sitting, simple sitting practice, real wisdom, or prajna, is functioning.

[75:44]

That is not function of our consciousness, but the function of our life force, or mind ground, or the expression Nangak used in that story is Dharma. the dharma eye of mind ground. That starts to function, which has no separation. It's entire oneness. And in Wangchi's poem, he said that wisdom sees the oneness. But this is a problem, I think, for Dogen. He doesn't like this wisdom sees oneness. Wisdom sees non-discrimination. If there is something called wisdom, and there is something called reality or truth, and there is the action of seeing, it sounds like there is separation.

[76:48]

Even though, when she is saying there is no separation, that is the problem of using words, or using our thinking mind, Even when we try to express or point out the reality before thinking, we have to use words. And in order to use words, we have to think. So this is a kind of very paradoxical thing to do. We try to point out or express something before separation or before thinking, using thinking. And a basic function of thinking is separation. That's why I think the expression or say of many Zen masters are full of contradiction and nonsense.

[77:51]

I think. Anyway, Wisdom, which never has discriminating thought, has no dichotomy, but sees oneness. And illumination, which never has the slightest separation, has no attachment, but is evident. Attachment is the function of our three poisonous minds. Within sitting, actually there is nothing to attach, because there is no object. But somehow we still attach ourselves. Sometimes we attach ourselves to this sitting, or we attach ourselves to letting go. and we attach ourselves, how we can be free from discriminating mind.

[79:05]

Then we start to think, and we think this is a good thing, this becomes an object, and this is something we want. So, whenever we start to think as a subject, this object is something we want or something we hate, or neutral. The thing neutral is not so much problem for us. So something we want and something we hate are the problem. That is how we feel we need to work. But in our Zazen we just let go of everything and leave or trust everything in this life force which is deeper than our consciousness. That is how, you know, so-called Buddha nature, or Buddha mind, or in Uchiyama Roshi's expression, our deep, our universal life force starts to function within this small self.

[80:18]

And we see that we are really living together with all beings. We are connected with all beings. And final two lines. The water is clear to the bottom. A fish is swimming slowly, slowly. So, in our Zazen, we are like a fish swimming in the clear water. And we are like a bird. The sky is infinitely vast. A bird is flying far, far away. So fish is swimming slowly, and this water is really boundless. And a bird is flying far away, so there's no goal, because the sky is boundless.

[81:24]

There's no goal, but somehow a bird is flying. In Genjo Kohan, which we recited this morning after the morning service, Dogen used the same analogy of fish swimming and bird flying. And he said, no matter how small a fish is, or no matter how small a bird is, all these fish, and small, and birds swimming or flying the entire universe. Depending upon the size of a bird or fish, there are really small fish, tiny fish, and there is a big fish like a shark, and the range of where they swim

[82:29]

the size of the space is different. But even a tiny bird like a sparrow flies the entire sky. And a big bird like a hawk or an eagle also flies the entire sky. So we don't need to worry how much, how big we are, or how much territory we have. but we are just flying or swimming within the boundless sky or boundless water. And that is our zazen. So our zazen is really a natural function of life, bigger than this small shohaku. We don't have much time.

[83:38]

We finished at 12.30. We have 25 minutes more. I don't think I have time to talk on Dogen's comment on this poem, so I try to talk on Dogen's poem. Okay. Dogen's poem is thus The Essential Function of Buddhas and the Functioning Essence of Ancestors this line is exactly same with Manjushri's and he said being actualized

[85:28]

within not thinking. This not thinking came from Yaksan's koan story. When Yaksan was sitting, a Zen master was sitting, a monk asked, what are you doing? What do you think in Zazen? And Yaksan said, think of not thinking. And the monk asked, how do you think of not thinking? Yaksan replied, beyond thinking. And this not thinking came from Yakusandri Prai. Think of not thinking, fushiryo. It's not hishiryo. It's not beyond thinking. This is fushiryo. And being manifested within non-interacting. Non-interacting is translation of fuego. Ego is interacting, and huego is non-interacting.

[86:35]

And manifested, being manifest, is a translation of jo. And being actualized in the previous line is gen. So Dogen Zenji here uses the expression genjo. He separates two Chinese characters and use gen and jo. So, together with these two lines, he said, this genjo, or actualization, or manifestation, genjo in genjo koan, within not thinking and within non-interactive, that means, The manifestation of reality or function of this total function or life force, universal life force is not dependent on how we think or whether we think or we not think.

[87:50]

It's beyond our thinking. So our life force really simply manifesting itself without thinking. It's starting to manifest because I am thinking. But it's a natural function, so it's beyond thinking, or we cannot control with our thinking. And non-interacting means As we sit facing the wall, we have no interaction with others, no comparison, as I said before. We are just who we are. But within this no comparison, just being who we are ourselves, we find this self is not separate from everything else, but we are completely connected

[88:58]

So this entire network of interdependent origination is the Self. So in that sense, there is no interaction. Everything is a part of this universal life. But that universal life is actualized or manifested within this just sitting We have no interaction with others. We are just who we are. Just be there. And being actualized within not thinking. The actualization is by nature intimate. Intimate also means no separation. To be intimate in Zen literature To be intimate means to be one.

[90:01]

But he doesn't write the number, one or two or three. So he is not intimate. And being manifested within non-interactive, the manifestation is itself verification. Verification is a translation of sho, That is often used as a translation... often translated as enlightenment. Such as when we say, in English we say, practice enlightenment are one. This practice enlightenment is shu and shou. For shou, literally the shou means proof or evidence. of shu. So, in a sense, in our common understanding of shu, shou is a result of our practice.

[91:08]

As a result or fruit of our practice, we attain shou. And we usually call this is enlightenment. But in Dogen's teaching, this shu and shou is one thing. That means, shu shou ichi nyo, or practice enlightenment. Could you point out this kanji for shou in here? shou is in the third line on page 20. The last Chinese character is shou. Shin is above Sho. So he kind of separates the compound Genjo and Shinsho. Genjo, Shinsho means intimate enlightenment or actualization or verification.

[92:18]

And the actualization, that is by nature intimate, never has defilement. Not having defilement is also an important expression in Dogen's teaching. No defilement. This came from another koan story. This defilement is Our practice is defiled by our desire, our three poisonous minds. So this zazen is not defiled by three poisonous minds. So within zazen, the universal life force manifests itself without defilement of our three poisonous minds. even though three poisonous minds are still there, but our practice is bigger than this, or three poisonous minds are part of it.

[93:33]

So we don't kill our three poisonous minds. So three poisonous minds are there, but they function as a part of universal life. And three poisonous minds function in different ways when we see the reality of all beings. Greed functions as... Yesterday I discussed that even our way-seeking mind is a greed. But our greed functions as a way-seeking mind. We are greedy to find a way, but we become greedy help others. We become greedy to do something good. And anger is used as anger against our delusion, or anger against something negative, something which creates suffering.

[94:44]

And ignorance functions as no discrimination. So, in our practice, as a part of this universal life force, three poisonous minds function in a different way. So we don't kill our three poisonous minds, but we use our three poisonous minds to practice, to practice our birth. But we should be careful but it's still a three-positive mind. So if you bring to the forms of an object, it really starts to function as a three-positive mind. So we have to be always careful. And the manifestation that is by nature verification never has distinction between absolute and relative.

[95:52]

Absolute Anger, if I start to express, it takes another hour, so... It's too long for you. I think we are hungry. Maybe I don't have time to explain, but this means a kind of a way to view the reality from two angles. One is If you were here yesterday, one is called dragon or particularity, and another is universal way of believing. Everything is one. There's no separation. Those two are concrete and ultimate, or phenomena, or supreme, universal reality. But there is no such separation in this sitting practice when we let go of our thoughts.

[97:05]

Intimacy without defilement is dropping off without relying on anything. We don't rely on anything. We let go of everything. And this is dropping off. body and mind. So let go, let go of thought, not only thought, but letting go is dropping off body and mind. And verification beyond distinction between absolute and relative is making effort without aiming at it. As you know, the word aiming at it came from the story of Pershing Gatai. So, without aiming at it, We just practice. Without, how can I say, without hunting mind, we just, as someone said, in archery, we just aim at right posture, upright posture. We don't see the target.

[98:07]

Actually, this, you know, be mindful within this right posture is the target. And that's the fact we do in our Zazen. keep our posture upright, and keep letting go, and keep our eyes open, wide awake. So we practice without aiming at it. Aiming at it means aiming at becoming Buddha, or aiming at enlightenment, or aiming at whatever we want. And water is clear to the earth. A fish swims like a fish. He doesn't say fish is a fish. He said fish is swimming like a fish. This means in our zazen, in my zazen, this person is not shohak.

[99:12]

This looks like shohak. But this is not really shohak. Something like shohak. And the sky is vast, extending to the heavens. So there's no separation between anything. A bird flies like a bird. And shohaku is sitting like a shohaku. This is the expression of emptiness, and formlessness of this being. When we grasp this body and mind as shohaku, this is shohaku. But when I let go of my identity, this body is just this body, and my mind is just my mind. So, I feel in my sitting,

[100:14]

feel like really free. I'm free even from myself, my grasping to myself. And it's really, to me, it's a really precious time to be, to sit facing the wall and just be not myself, just be as this is. It's really precious. You know, when we stand up, and go to somewhere else, I have to think, you know, what I am now. Whether I'm a Buddhist teacher, or I'm a father, or a husband, or a customer, or a traveler, you know, in each occasion I have to grasp what I am, what is the role I have to play, and I have to play in a correct way. So I have to always, you know, observe, think and define who I am, how I have to act.

[101:23]

But only in sitting facing the world in the Zen world, I don't need to be anyone. I can be just I am. And yet, this sitting is very painful. And boring. Good for nothing. Any questions? Any questions? No questions. Good. This is sort of a basic background question, but it has something to do with When you were talking about the eight layers of consciousness, and the first five correspond to the sense organ and the sense object.

[102:33]

And the sixth layer is your psychological mind. Could someone think of that in terms of your thoughts Is the thought object? I think so. The sixth consciousness is the consciousness or mind which has object and which, you know, like in the five skandhas. Perceive it and create imagination and make judgment and put it into certain door of our categories. and make it into a concept. That is a function of six consciousnesses. So when Gyatso-san says, beyond thinking, or like other people have said, non-thinking, is that somehow an intellect to be without putting things into boxes or engaging thought objects?

[103:50]

It's possible to say that still that is a mental activity, but when it's functioning without object, is this really mental activity or not? That's a very interesting question. And I don't know. Ask some psychologist. Shanti, you talked about the essence where it's a time point where all things come together. That essence, or the concept of essence, can that be interchangeable with mind-ground? I think yes. That is, you know, that functional essence is Zazen. And that then is a manifestation of that mind ground.

[104:59]

What's the word in Japanese? Shinji. Since yesterday you talked about entanglement with your teacher and making the practice your own, on a personal, you may say, when you felt like the practice was your own, I think, in a sense, my entire practice is entanglement with my teachers. And the same entire practice in my own. It's not half and half. I cannot say this part is continuation from my teacher and this part is my own. I cannot separate in that way.

[106:03]

Of course, in fact, I'm talking now. Uchiyama Roshi never spoke in English. So this is my practice. Still, you know, I'm thinking in Japanese and speaking in English. It's very difficult. And Utsenboros never did it. So this is a new thing. But without his teaching, without something I transmitted from him, I cannot talk in this way. So even though this is something he didn't do, still this is continuation. or my teachers, or even Dogen's, or maybe Shakyamuni's practice. So I cannot say, you know, this part is entanglement and this part is not my own.

[107:09]

Does it make sense? This is a terrible question, but I don't have to ask. This is about Dogen's voice, and translation for a native English speaker. I can't imagine, for example, having to read Shakespeare or Milton in another language. You're struggling with Dogen, and my translation of Dogen is Dogen's language translated into modern Japanese, translated into English. And my only friend who was fluent in Japanese refused to work with Dogen with me. But yet, you know, I had tremendous desire to hear his voice. Having looked at Dogen translations in English, does his essence come through?

[108:12]

Through any English translation? Yes, when you look at an English translation, Does it make you giggle because it's ludicrous? Or is there something essential that's there? I'm not sure. I don't want to say no. But I cannot say yes. Would you advise us then to learn the medieval Japanese? Well... Actually... his writing is not really Japanese. No. He uses his own language. Sometimes he even ignores the grammar. Yes, it's a problem. That's a problem. And especially when he reads Chinese, because Chinese is not his own language, he reads Chinese sentences

[109:19]

very kind of, how can I say, free. And in his case, you know, he created something very new and wonderful. But many people cannot do it. If I do it, people just think that's bad English. Well, James Joyce did it. Yeah, I know. Some talented poet can do it. Like, you know, like a magician of the words. So that's my second question. You know, people say Dogen twisted this around, or Dogen broke this, or Dogen rewrote this. But maybe, given the grammar, when you look at it, Dogen is really just trying to pull the truth, you know, the re from the g. Is that a possible point of view? I think so. And, I'm asking... Unless we experience what he is trying to point out, we don't really understand what he is saying.

[110:27]

So I think practice is important to understand Dogen. By practicing what he taught, we understand what he is saying, not through simply language. but through our heart, but through our experience. Why he had to say in this way or that way? Why he couldn't express the same idea with normal Japanese? And I think that is very important point. When we, or someone, try to show the truth or reality we found, or we experience, that is, that seems beyond thinking or beyond language, how we can express it? That is really a question.

[111:30]

And I think talented poets or novelists or literature do it, not only their masters, Sometimes people do that. So if Dogen took refuge in poetry, which I believe he did, can we follow him? It's up to you. I think we can. Actually, many people try to follow him. I just wanted to comment, though. Isn't that where mind ground comes in? Because we're not thinking our way there. We are not thinking our way there. So it transcends language. Yes. And yet we have to use language to express it to the people. That is the point, the reason, you know, not only Buddhist or Zen or Buddhist, not only Zen and Buddhist, but the

[112:43]

writings. In my case, I'm familiar with Buddhist and Zen literature. They try to express the reality beyond language using language. This is really think of not thinking. That's why it's very difficult and full of paradox and contradiction. And if we see that same reality Dogen found, I think I believe we can understand why Dogen expressed in this way or that way. You had said, in responding to Marion's question, that if you have the experience Dogen had, then you can just understand.

[113:50]

That is my hope. No guarantee. The question is, if you have some sort of experience in Dublin, how do you verify that that is the same place Dogen Was it rather than just being deluded? Actually, I don't know. If I try to judge it or evaluate it, then I already miss it. The real thing. So there's no way to examine or test or evaluate that it is the same or not. There's no way to compare them. That's a problem. Thank you very much for your patience.

[114:45]

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