Do you all have this handout? No. No? Oh, it's here? Could you pass around? Fire is passing around. Two weeks ago, I went to Green Gulch. and talked about a kind of a introduction of Sansui-kyo or Mountains and Waters Sutra. I talked on one another poem by Sushi. If there's someone who were there two weeks ago at Green Arch, a French person talked, listened to what I said this morning, might be surprised because I said almost opposite things.

[01:15]

The poem I quoted two weeks ago at Green Arch, is, let's see, is as follows. Regarded from One Side. This is a poem about Mount Lu, the very famous mountain in China for its beauty. He said, regarded from one side, an entire range from another, a single peak, far, near, high, low, all its parts different from the others. If the true face of Mount Lu cannot be known,

[02:19]

It is because the one looking at it is standing in its midst. So here Sushi said he couldn't see the true face of Mount Ryo because he is inside the mountain. And I talked, I don't agree with this translation because this said if If he cannot see the true face, that is because he is inside the mountain. But I don't think this is if. I don't think this is if, close, but always. There's no way we can see the true face of Mount Roo because we are within the mountain. So that means we cannot see. This morning I said, we can see.

[03:24]

I think those two opposite things were actually said by Dogen. So is Dogen contradicted? I think this is very important point to study and understand what Dogen is trying to say in this facet of Sansui-kyo, or mountains, water, waters, sutra. Well, everyone has a text? Then this afternoon, so this is one point of the Sansri Kyo. And please keep this point in your mind when you read the Sansri Kyo.

[04:28]

This morning, no, this afternoon, I'd like to talk as a kind of introduction of this study of Shōbō Genzo, San Suikyo. First, I'd like to talk about this text, and then maybe I talk on brief kind of a summary of Dogen's life and his writings. And if I have time, I'm going to talk on the meaning of the title, What is Shobo Genzo? What is Sansui-kyo? The meaning of the title. First of all, the handout you have is a copy of the newsletter, Darumai, from Soto Zen Education Center.

[05:36]

This issue is featured by the translation of Dogen, because at the headquarters of Japanese Soto school now has a translation project of Soto-shu text. Karl Gullfeldt has been working on translation of Shobo Genzo. And Griffith Folk made a translation of, together with American Sotozen teachers, made a new translation of sutras. You have been using this. I'm not sure whether you like it or not. But anyway, and that is a part of that project. And Griffith is also working on the book of ceremonies, ceremonies and rituals.

[06:50]

So Carl Vilferti has been working on translation of Shobo Genzo, but it takes a long time, maybe at least 10 years or so. It has been already five years past. And I'm a member of the editorial board of that project, and we decide to put one chapter of Shobo Genzo each time in this newsletter, then people can see what's going on. And since San Suikyo was, as he wrote in his essay, and Carl wrote in his essay, titled Circumambulating the Mountains and the Waters. He described his own experience about translation of .

[08:02]

So we put the translation of as a first translation in this issue. This was published in October last year. The back issues of this newsletter are in the library of the Zen Center, so if you are interested in the back issues, please go to the library. I copied three or four essays besides the translation of the text itself. The first one was written by Nara Yasuaki. is the real board chair of this project, and he described about this project.

[09:09]

We asked three American people who have been working on translation of Dogen, and those are Carl Wilfert, Taigen Dan Layton, and Kaz Tanahashi. We asked them to write about their experience of translating Dogen. And I think it's very interesting to you. So please read these articles if you like. What else to say? Well, in his article, Carl said, first he translated Sansei-kyo in 1971 at Pasahara. with Suzuki Shunryu Doshi's help. So he has been working on Sansei-kyo for a long time.

[10:16]

So I'm kind of honored to use his translation of San Suikyo as a text of this Genzoe. I think his translation is very good, really good translation. Of course, any translation has a limitation. I also have been working on translation of Dogen, so sometimes I feel very kind of sad because in the process of translation so many things is lost or changed. So I think what I can do is to fill the gap. I mean because I have been studying Shobo Genzo in Japanese.

[11:32]

in Japanese way and my English is not really good one but somehow I have been working on translation and talking about Dogen in English so one thing I can contribute to American Zen as I said this morning is to fill that gap and I hope it's helpful for you. Anyway, so I start to talk on Dogen's life. Maybe better to write the numbers. How many people know Dogen? I mean, his life, about his life.

[12:37]

Do you need some information about his life? Okay. He was born 1200, so exactly 802 years ago. Because he was born in this age, it's very easy to count his age. And what we know is we don't know much about Dogen's life, but I just say what we really know, not really or not. 1213, he was ordained as a Tendai monk. So he was 13 years old. And every 10 years, he had a big change.

[13:43]

In 1223, he went to China. And in 1233, he founded his own monastery named Koshouji. And 1243, he left that monastery in Kyoto, or near Kyoto, and moved to Fukui Prefecture, or Echizen in ancient name, and established Eiheiji. And 1253, he died. So every 10 years, he had a big change. We don't know who were his parents. Traditionally, it said his father's name was Minamoto Michichika. And this person died when Dogen was two years old.

[14:46]

and his mother died when he was eight years old, so he became an Ohon. But modern scholars have different theories. Some modern sort of scholars think the person who died in 1202 was not his father but his grandfather. So his father was alive until 1227, until Dogen came back from China. But it seems his mother died when he was 18 years old. Anyway, he became a monk in 2013 at Mount Hiei. Mount Hiei was the main monastery of Japanese Tendai school at that time.

[16:00]

Hiei is the name of the mountain on which the monastery is located. The name of the monastery was Enryakuji. And it said when he was about 14 or 15 years old, he had a question about Mahayana teaching. It said, you know, everything and all people has the Buddha nature or Dharma nature. then why Buddhas and ancestors had to practice, had to allow the body-mind and study Dharma and practice hard and attain enlightenment. If everything is already Buddha nature or Dharma nature, why do we have to practice?

[17:01]

Why do we have to study? In a sense, that is a very simple question. And there are many answers in Mahayana teachings, but somehow he didn't like those answers, or at least he was not satisfied by those answers. So he left this monastery and started to practice Zen in 1217. So he was Tendai monk only about five years. At that time, he practiced Zen at Keninji. monastery founded by Eisai. Eisai was the first Japanese priest who went to China and received transmission from Chinese Rinzai Zen Master and came back to Japan and established the monastery.

[18:21]

And Eisai established a few monasteries or temples, but Kenrinji in Kyoto was the main one. And Eisai died 1215. And here is another kind of a problem for scholars I don't care about, whether Dogen met Eisai or not. It's a good discussion. Some people say yes, some people say no. We don't know, and I don't care. But at Kenrinji, Dogen practiced Zen with Myozen, who was Eisai's disciple. And so for six or seven years, Dogen practiced Rinzai Zen at Kenrinji Monastery in Kyoto with this teacher, Myozen.

[19:29]

And Myozen and Dogen went to China together. to study Zen with a Chinese Zen master. And he stayed in China until 1227. So he stayed in China for five years. First, he practiced with Rinzai Master, who was the abbot of a monastery named Tendozan Keitoku-ji. I don't know Chinese pronunciation. Anyway, the abbot of that monastery was Musai Ryoha. and somehow Abbot died about one and a half years later.

[20:32]

Before he practiced at that monastery, one important thing in his life is he met a Tenzo person from another monastery, and he had a dialogue recorded in his instruction for Tenzo. I try not to go into detail, otherwise it takes one hour or so. Anyway, that was a very important experience for Dogen, because in Japan he was from a very high-class family. And in Japanese monastic system in that time, people from high society become high-class priest. That means those people from high society

[21:36]

didn't work actually. They could focus on study and practice, some kind of meditation and ceremonies. And there are people from low-class families become low-class monks. And they took care of the high-class people. And Dogen was from a very high-class family. He said his father was, no, actually his grandfather was the naidaijin, that means secretary of the emperor. And traditionally it said his mother's father, his mother's father was prime minister. But anyway, so probably he didn't think working like a cooking in the kitchen was a work, it's not a practice, but a work for low-class people.

[22:51]

and just studying Buddhist teaching or Zen koan or doing ceremonies or those things that, you know, practice for the monks. But when he met with this Chinese Kenzo, it seems he found the difference between Japanese Buddhism at that time and Chinese practice in the monasteries, the true spirit of Zen. That was influenced in his life and his teaching and his monastic practice in Japan after he went back to Japan. Anyway, because the abbot of that monastery, Musai Ryōha, died, Dōgen left the monastery to visit another different monasteries.

[24:00]

His biography said he didn't find a true teacher, a good teacher for him. So he was disappointed and he wanted to go back to Japan. during his travels he found the new abbot of the same temple whose name was Nyojo, was a very good teacher. So he went back to that monastery and met with this Zen master Nyojo, or Jiu-Chin in Chinese, and he found, this is my teacher. And unfortunately, his teacher from Japan, Myozen, died almost at the same time when Dogen met this teacher. After that, he practiced with Nyojo or Juchin for about two more years, and he received transmission and came back from China to Japan in 1227.

[25:17]

So he was still in his 20s. He was very young. And first three years he stayed at the same temple, Kenrinji, in Kyoto, but somehow he had to leave. And also Kenrinji was Rinzai, then monastery, combined with Tendai tradition. That was not the best place for Dogen. So he left, and he moved to outside of Kyoto. The name of the place was Fukakusa. Today, Fukakusa is part of Kyoto City, but at the time of Dogen, this is out of town. This is outside of the capital.

[26:22]

And first three years, he lived by himself. And in 1231, Dogen wrote Bendo-wa, or before that. Right after he went back to Japan in 27, he wrote Fukanzazengi, or the Universal Recommendation of the Zen. And Fukanzazengi was the first, very first writing of Dogen. And this Vendôa, written in 31, English-type translation of this Vendôa is, my translation of Vendôa is wholehearted practice of the way. And in 1233, he established his own monastery named Koshōji, maybe because people came to him to practice with him.

[27:31]

And in this year, he wrote Genjōkōan and Makahanyaharamitsu. These are the first writings of our data compiled in Shobo Genzo, Genjo Kōan. I think you know Genjo Kōan. And Makahani Haramitsu is a very short writings about Mahaprajna Paramita. This is a kind of Dogen's comment on the Heart Sutra. Anyway, so this 1233 is the beginning of his career as a teacher. He started to practice with his own assembly.

[28:33]

And next year, 1934, Dogen wrote Gakudo Yojinshu. Gakudo Yojinshu is a collection of ten independent essays about the things we should keep in mind when we practice the way. And I think 1235, he built his own, not a morass, but a zendo or sodo, monk's hall. and more and more people came to practice with him. And in 1936 or 1937, he wrote Tenzo Kyokun in order to give the people who came to practice with him

[29:46]

to give instruction about what kind of attitude the practitioners should maintain toward practice, not in terms of just sitting or standing dharma, but also working in the daily activities. And 1238, I think, he wrote Ikka no Myōjū, or One Bright Pearl, or Ikka no Myōjū. Yeah, One Piece of Bright Pearl. This is the first one to third writings in Shōbō Genzo. In this case, Bendowa is not included in Shobo Genzo. And after that, after 1238 or 39, next year, he started to write many chapters of Shobo Genzo.

[31:02]

And the Sansui-kyo was written in 1240. And until 1243, when he moved to Echizen, he wrote 47, I think, 47 chapters. Shobo Genzo altogether, it said, has 90-something, 95 chapters. So more than half was written by the year 1243. And he moved to Echizen and established his own monastery again, first named Daibutsu-ji, or Great Buddha Temple. And a few years later, in 1246, he changed the name of the temple from Daibutsu-ji to Eihei-ji.

[32:14]

Eihei means eternal peace, so temple of eternal peace. But this Eihei was also the name of the era in China when Buddhism was first transmitted or introduced. That was the first century, I think AD 67. So people think the reason why Dogen named his monastery as Eiheiji is that was the first time really, truly, Buddha Dharma was transmitted to Japan. I'm not sure if that's true or not. and so he changed the name of the monastery in 1246 and from this year it seems he stopped writing so many chapters of Shobo Genzo but he put more emphasis on giving Dharma discourse at the Dharma Hall

[33:43]

And, of course, he had been giving the formal Dharma discourse from Koshoji when he built the first Dharma Hall. But after this, it seems he didn't write many Shobo Genzo anymore, but he gave, let's see, about 70 or 80 Jodo or Dharma discourses a year. That means more than twice a week, and at least once a week. And those Jozo, or former Dharma discourse, were compiled, recorded in Chinese, and compiled by his student, and later named Eihei Koroku, or Extensive Record of Eihei Dogen Zenji.

[34:48]

So he practiced at Eheiji ten more years, and in 1253 he died. So his life is rather short as the master. That was a very brief description of Dogen's life. So he spent his entire life just to search the way and to study the Dharma. And after he found the Dharma through his teacher, he really focused on transmitting that Dharma to Japan and tried to establish a community where people could really practice with a genuine spirit of Dharma.

[36:06]

That was all he did in his life. So his life was very simple. Nothing dramatic. Just sit, study, teach. That's all. So do you think you need a break? You don't need? OK. Can I talk just 90 minutes straight? OK. So that was his life. And as I said, Shōbōgenzō Sansuikyō, Mountains and Rivers Sutra, was written in 1240.

[37:16]

That was when he was 40 years old. And he was still in Kyoto at Kōshōji. To me, this is kind of important point. When I, at least I understand, I study and understand San Sui Kyo. I mean, because in the very first sentence of San Sui Kyo, he says, these mountains and waters, of the present are the expression of the old Buddhas. So mountains and waters at this moment. So he is trying to talk, he talks about the waters, mountains and waters, right at this moment.

[38:20]

And at least for me, these mountains and waters are kind of associated with Dogen's life at Eheiji. Eheiji was in very deep mountains, and Dogen really loved the mountains. And he often talked about the mountains and a cold winter in Echizen. And for a long time, my understanding of Sansei-kyo was associated with that scenery in which Dogen really lived. But somehow I found it was not at Echizen or Eheiji he wrote Sansuikyo. When he wrote Sansuikyo, he was in Kyoto.

[39:24]

And I'm from that area. I was born in Osaka and not far from Kyoto. So I know the geography of that area. There's no high mountains in that area. The highest mountain in that area is Mount Hiei. It's the only, and another one is Mount Atago and Mount Hiei. But I don't think Dogen wrote about those mountains. Otherwise, around Kyoto, there aren't high mountains. So Koyasan is not far away to the south. So even though he's discussing about the mountain and waters at present moment, this is not the mountain he really lived.

[40:34]

That's a kind of a strange things I found. And I tried to find what this means. Why did he say mountains and waters at this moment? Please. Of course. Some of the interpretations, I mean, when you talk about mouth, you can't really talk about mouth. No. You might not have been around the way to that mountain right there. You might have just been talking about the idea or... The mountain's just there. Yeah, that is what I'm talking, I'm trying to say. So mountain is, these mountains in Sanseikyo, in this writing, in this particular writing, these mountains and waters is not where he lived, but it's a kind of ideal thing. Later, after he moved to Eheiji, he really lived in the mountains.

[41:40]

I'm not sure whether you agree with me or not, but this is a very kind of important point to understand what he's discussing about. So he doesn't really discuss about real mountains where he lived, but this is a kind of an idea of mountains and rivers. of course, in Chinese culture and religion and culture, and also Japanese religions and cultures. Mountains are very important, both in Chinese religion, like Taoism, and also Japanese religion, like Shinto or Shugendo. So I tried to read the legends in the mountains, both in China and Japan.

[42:50]

But somehow his talking in Sansuikyo is very different from the religious practice in the mountains. For example, in the case of Japanese Shugendo, Shugendo is a very old folk religion of Japan from maybe prehistoric age. and that's combined with Buddhism after Buddhism was transmitted. And it's called shugen-do. Shugen means practice, and do means way. This is a kind of a combination of Buddhist and Shinto teaching and practice. And as a Buddhist element, this is basically tantric or mikyo or esoteric Buddhism.

[44:04]

Did you say ecstatic? No, esoteric. Esoteric. And what those practitioners do is to, in order to purify their mind and body, they stayed in the mountains and do kind of an ascetic practice. You know, eating only nuts or walk, you know, long distance every day or climb up really steep mountains. But what Dogen is writing here has nothing to do with such a thing. But he's writing, mountains are walking. What this means.

[45:05]

I think that's the point I'd like to say from his life, Dogen's life, in order to study this particular writing, titled Sansui-kyo. I am going to talk on the title, Shobo Genzo and Sansui Kyo. Shobo Genzo is very famous writing, so I think all of you know this word, Shobo Genzo. And the translation of this Shobo Genzo is, you know, in the case of Carl's translation, Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma.

[46:23]

Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma. I try to translate as True Dharma Eye Treasury. because the connection between I and treasury is not, how can I say, clear to me. And this expression, shōbōgenzo, is not so old expression. It was made in China, not from India. And even in the history of Chinese Zen, it's relatively new. I mean, this expression is well known as one of the koan in the mumonkan, or gateless barrier.

[47:31]

This expression is about, is appeared in the story of transmission, dharma transmission from the Shakyamuni Buddha to Mahakasyapa. You know, according to the story, or koan story, in the Mumonkan, it said one day, in front of the many people, many disciples, Shakyamuni Buddha picked up one stalk of Udonbara, I don't know what kind, but some kind of flower, without saying anything. Then the eldest Shakyamuni Buddha said, according to Momonkan, Shakyamuni Buddha said, I have the marvelous mind of nirvana, the true form of the formless, and the subtle dharma gate.

[49:15]

independent of words and transmitted beyond doctrine. This I have entrusted to Mahakasyapa. This is what Buddha said, Shakyamuni Buddha said when he transmitted Dharma to Mahakasyapa. So Shobo Genzo is the name of the Dharma. which was transmitted from Buddha to Mahakasyapa, and after Mahakasyapa, you know, many generations until, in this case, Dogen, or until to us. So Shobo Genzo is a part of longer name or longer expression.

[50:19]

In Japanese, the full name of this Dharma is Shobo Genzo Neham Myoshin Jisou Musou Mimyou no Houmon. That is one word. And this translator doesn't translate treasury or zoo. He only said the true dharma I. Because it's kind of difficult to understand what treasury or zoo means. That's what I'd like to discuss now. And the rest of the name of this dharma, the marvelous mind of nirvana, marvelous or wondrous, myoshin, wondrous dharma, wondrous mind of nirvana.

[51:28]

Of course, nirvana, opposition of samsara. So this neham myoshin or wondrous mind of nirvana, means the life. In this case, mind does mean our human psychology. But this mind is Buddha mind, and Buddha mind is not psychology. But Uchida Morioshi, my teacher, often said, this is not mind, but this is life. Life includes mind, but mind is part of life. So life, in this case mind, includes body too. Next part is true form of the formless.

[52:36]

or jissou musou, jissou is true form, and musou is no form. You know, jissou musou, that means this came from the Diamond Sutra. the true reality of all beings. True form is no form, or true form is not form. That is the expression in the Diamond Sutra to express emptiness. True form is no form. This means true form of each and everything, or true form of our life. He has no form. And this is a kind of important point when we study Zen and also Dogen's teaching.

[53:42]

Dogen often discuss about two forms of all beings, or shoho jisso, And this shoho jisso has no form, formless. No form is true form. But Dogen often said that we should see both sides, form and no form. Our true form has both form and no form. Within Mu's soul, our form is here. And No, or Mu, is also there. So Mu and the soul are together. And according to Dogen, this is two sides of one coin, or two sides of one reality.

[54:50]

So we should see both sides. Anyway. That is, true form has no form, or true form is no form, is the way all things are, according to Mahayana Buddhism. And that is, that dharma is... has been transmitted from Buddha to Mahakasyapa and later generations. So this is most well-known popular source of this expression, Shobo Genzo. But, you know, Mumonkan, or Gateless Barrier, was written or compiled in 1228.

[56:02]

That is one year after Dogen left China. So it's clear he didn't read Mumonkan. And all the Zen texts, all the Zen literature made in the 10th century or 11th century, like the oldest collection of koan stories, not really koan stories, but the oldest collection of biographies of the masters, was titled Sōdōshū. Sōdōshū is a collection of ancestral hall that was compiled in 945, I think, in the middle of 10th century, actually by Korean.

[57:08]

And then, I don't know, masters or student. And the next one, the most well-known in China was Keitoku Dentoroku. That is a collection of 1,700 koans. That means in that collection, 1,700 people, biographies of 1,700 masters are collected. And this was compiled in, let's see, how do you say in English? 1003, 1003, I mean, 1004. So very beginning of 11th century. So it's about 200 years before Dogen.

[58:20]

In those texts, in the story of Dharma transmission from Shakyamuni to Mahakasyapa, about the dharma he has are different, not shobo genzo. But what Buddha said, according to the Keitoku Dentoroku, or Keitoku Dentoroku is often translated into English as a transmission of dharma lamp. Instead of Genzo, Buddha said Shojo Hogen. Shojo Hogen is kind of an authentic Buddhist term from China and from India. Shojo Hogen means clear and pure Dharma eye.

[59:27]

So there's no treachery. And it's very understandable without treasury. What treasury means here is, at least to me, is difficult to understand. What is treasury? And I inquired a long time ago about this treasury or zoo in Shobogen Zoo. It means Shobogen is clear through Dharma eye. That is Buddha's wisdom which sees through the Dharma or all things as they are. That is through Dharma eye. without any distortion. You know, Buddha's wisdom sees the everything, reality of all things without any distortion by our three poisonous minds.

[60:35]

That is shobo gen. That is clear. But what zo means, treachery, I didn't understand. And another expression without zo, without gen or ai, shobo zo, is also used from India. Shobo zo, treasury of true dharma. That means true pitaka. In this case, this treasury is a translation of Sanskrit word pitaka. What is pitaka in English? Basket, three baskets of Buddhist scriptures, that is sutra, shastra, or commentary of the sutra, and vinaya. Those are called three pitakas. And we call it kyōzō, ronzō, and ritzō.

[61:44]

So if this zō means pitaka, it's clear. The meaning is clear. But what is a pitaka or a basket or treasures of this ai? Dharma I. So another interpretation of Shobo Genzo is Shobo Zo and Shobo Gen. That means a collection of true Dharma and also the I which sees the true Dharma. That is wisdom. But if we translate treasury of eyes of true dharma or treasury of true dharma eye, it sounds like this treasury or in this treasury the eye is stored. True dharma eye is stored. What does it mean?

[62:47]

I don't really understand. If dharma or scriptures are stored, it's very clear. But for this treasury in which true dharma-I is stored, you know, I don't really understand. And actually no one really understands. And actually this expression or even this story about transmission between Buddha and Mahakasyapa appeared not in the, of course not in the sutras made in India, But it said, this story appeared in the sutra titled, Daibonten o Bonbutsu Ketsugikyo.

[63:50]

I'm sorry. It means the great, that is, bonten. Brahma, the Indian god, asked Buddha, give a question to Buddha and resolve his doubt or questions. This is the title of this sutra. but no one had ever seen this sutra. It said it was stored at a storage in a certain palace of the emperor, but no one really read it. There's no evidence such a sutra really existed. And even if it existed, it was made in China. And because this story appeared only after the Keitoku Dentoroku, in the case of Sodo-shu, or collection of ancestral hall, and Keitoku Dentoroku, record of Dharma lamp, there's no such story, Buddha took up a flower and smiled.

[65:20]

that was made, this story was made after Keitoku Dentoroku, that means after 11th century. So you don't need to believe that really happened. So historically, this expression, shobo genzo, is kind of questionable. We don't know the source of this expression, and at least I'm not sure the meaning of this expression. but somehow Chinese Rinzai Zen master, whose name was Daiei Soko, he was about 100 years before Dogen, so he lived in the 12th century, collected, I think, 600 koan stories.

[66:28]

and titled Shobo Genzo. So Dogen's Shobo Genzo is not original. But the master Daiei Soko, he's a really great and well-known master in Rinzai tradition. He was a contemporary of Sōtō Zen Master, whose name was Wanshi Shōgaku. Wanshi and Daiei were close friends, and yet they had a kind of a famous argument. Daiei called Wanshi's or Soto's way of practice as Moksho Zen. Moksho means silent illumination Zen.

[67:32]

And he put one more word, Moksho Ja Zen. and 邪 means evil or mistaken. So Daiei criticized Mokushōzen or Wanshi's style. But once he took this word, mokusho, or silent illumination, as a positive expression of his style of practice, and wrote a kind of a long poem entitled Mokusho Mei. And Dogen's lineage came from Wanshi's Dharma brother, whose name was Shinketsu Seiryo, or Choro Seiryo. If you chant the lineage, this person, Shinketsu Seiryo. So Dogen is of course in the Soto lineage and Dogen criticized Daiei very strongly.

[68:45]

But somehow he borrowed this title of Daiei's collection of Kōan stories, Shōbō Genzō, to his own collection of Kōan stories. He made, I think, in his thirties, while he was at Kōshōji, he collected 300 Kōan stories. He just collected, he didn't make any comments. He just collected 300 Kōan stories and entitled this collection, Shōbō Genzo. Much later, probably after he moved to Eheiji, he also titled the collection of his Japanese writings, Shobo Genzo.

[69:52]

So actually, there are three Shobo Genzos. One is by Daiei, another is first one by Dogen, that is simply the collection of 300 stories. And this one, the most famous one, at least for us, Dogen's Lightings in Japanese. So I'm sorry, but I don't really understand what Shobo Genzo means. Do you have some idea? One possibility is, as I said, Shobo Zo and Shobo Gen, treasury or storehouse of true Dharma.

[70:57]

That is his writings. and also shobo gen, true dharma, I. So two things. But if this is a treasury or storehouse of true dharma, I, what this storehouse means, I really don't, I have no idea. Please. Mm-hmm. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that it could be the treasury or storehouse of what is seen by the true dharma eye. And what he writes is what is seen with this clarity of vision. Yeah, I think that's a possible interpretation. In that case, that is also the storehouse of dharma. or writings, or his idea, or teaching, as an expression of his way of seeing Dharma.

[72:11]

I think that is a possible interpretation. So in this case, this zoo or storehouse or treasury is a collection of his writings about the Dharma seen by true Dharma eye. Maybe that is my understanding. Any questions? Please. Were the testicles of Shobo Ginzo originally given as lectures? Were they originally written out by Dogen? And at the end of each chapter of Shobo Genzo, it said, this was some of them, it said, it's written the 13th day.

[73:19]

And he used the word Jishu. Jishu means show, literally show to his assemblies. So somehow he showed his writings to his assembly, but we are not sure whether he gave lectures on what he wrote or not. So we are not sure. Is the title Shogo Genzo in Dogen's own hand? Did he have in mind from the beginning that he was making a collection? I'm not sure. I'll check. Some modern scholar doubt. whether Dogen compiled and named the collection of his Japanese writings Shobo Genzo by himself or not.

[74:21]

But many scholars think that's Dogen. And we have no evidence. Please. The story of Buddha and Shampa. Although it was in the room on Kahn, and I heard you say the building probably didn't read that, wasn't it likely that it was being used as a teaching in the homesteads that you visited? Have you just heard it? You mean the story of the transmission? Yeah, of course. It was actually Dogen wrote or made verses on 90 koans.

[75:22]

And this story is one of them. So it's very clear that he knew that story. So the story was at least older than Dogen. Please. Pardon? You mean these 95 volumes of Shobo Genzo? No, it's written in Japanese. I think this is also a very important point. Even in the 17th or 18th century until Meiji era, many Buddhist scholars wrote their writings in Chinese. I mean, Chinese for Japanese, not only Buddhist, but also Confucianist too.

[76:36]

Chinese is a formal language to use. I think it's like Latin in European countries. Please. There's something about the way it was written that needs to be translated into Japanese. That's a question. Because sometimes when I hear people talk about English translations, they say, oh, well, that was translated from the modern Japanese translation. So could you say, is that true? I mean, is there something about it that is very difficult for modern Japanese people to read and so it must be translated for Japanese readers? Is that true? Yes. So the translation that's being done by the translation project, that's from the original? Yeah, Carl is translating from original Dogen's writing. But these days, many translations to modern Japanese have been published.

[77:46]

I'm pretty sure more than 10 translations to modern Japanese, because unless we really study Buddhism and Chinese and Zen literatures, even Japanese cannot read Shobo Genzo without commentaries. When I did some English translation, it's clear to me this is translated from modern translation, not from the original. Please. Some of Dogen's own, how can I say, writing, handwriting remains in various places.

[78:53]

But after Dogen died, Shobo Genzo was, how can I say, copied by hands because they didn't have, I think, woodblock printing yet. So they had to copy by their hands. And many people copied in various places and stored in various places. And there are basically one, two, three, four basic collection of Shobo Genzo. One collection is called 75 volume version. Another is called 12-volume version. Traditionally, this 75-volume version is compiled, made by Dogen, and 12-volume version

[80:08]

was what Dogen wrote after he finished writing 75 and started to new version, new writings. And he wanted, Dogen wanted to make 100 volume version. But somehow he, because he died so young, he couldn't complete it. So only 75 plus 12, 87 are left. So those two collections are traditionally considered original. And there are other collections, like 60-volume versions. And scholars used to think this was made by a fifth abbot of a heiji whose name was Giun. It said Gion tried to take the chapters in which Dogen criticized Rinzai.

[81:19]

Rinzai, the masters. Yeah. But some scholars doubted. Anyway, there are 60 versions, and also there are 28 volume versions. That was a collection stored at Eheji. And some people I think those 28 was kind of a leftover when Gu made a 60 volume version out of 75. But these days, especially last several years, scholars at Komoda University had a kind of a hot argument about what is Fitch version or is Dogen's, how can I say, final teaching.

[82:27]

Some scholars think the 12th volume version written in the final days of Dogen should be because it was written in the later times. This is true teaching of Dogen. what he wrote in the 75 version is not true. That means he changed, Dogen changed his mind or his teachings or his idea. You know, there are scholars are very, how can I say, trying to kind of create a new image of Dogen. And please. Have you studied both versions? Do they differ significantly? Yeah.

[83:36]

Some chapters are almost opposite. You know, Stephen Hayne wrote a book about Fox Cohen. Fox, yeah. Hyakujo or baijion under fox. And Dogen comments in two chapters of Shobo Genzo. One is daishugyo or great practice. Another is jinshin inga. teaching means deeply trust or believe in cause and effect. And his comment, his interpretation of this story about Fox, do you know the story of Fox?

[84:43]

Almost opposite. Yes, yes, passion. And some people think Dogen changed his mind and criticized what he wrote. But other people think both are his understanding, two sides of one teaching, and no one knows which is true. So, you know, Shobo Genzo, was a kind of a hidden in a monastery, only in the small circle of sotozen masters could really study. But now many people started to read Shobo Genzo and many people made their own interpretations.

[85:47]

So this is a kind of a new epoch of study, of Dogen study. So it's really interesting to read such argument among scholars. But one thing, something which is kind of missed in that scholastic academic argument, I think, is practice, especially practice of Zazen. That is from my point of view. whether we could really understand Shobo Genzo or any writings by Dogen without practice, without zazen. That means without Shobo Gen or true Dharma eye or not. Whether we can understand what Dogen wanted to say with our kind of logical thinking or not.

[86:53]

And in a sense, this is very kind of an exciting time of Dogen study. Please. Isn't there the saying that only a Buddha with a Buddha can express the Dharma? True Dharma, I would kind of signify that two Buddhas together expressing Dharma. Two Buddhas together. Yeah, only Buddha with another Buddha can express. Oh, no. And that's the same expression from the Lotus Sutra. And that is very kind of important expression for Dogen. Only Buddha together with Buddha can fathom the true reality of Dharma. So, yeah, yes, it is. Well, I think it's time to stop discussion and go back to sitting.

[88:01]

Thank you. I hope you enjoy this session. Thank you.

[88:10]

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