Good morning. This morning, I'm going to start from section 14, ,, if you have English-only version, page 12. in Japanese. In Chinese, something like . This person's birth date is not clear, but he died 1104. So he died in the very beginning of 12th century. So about 100 years ago before Dogen Zenju was born. until here, I think Dogen Zenji introduced the masters in Tang Dynasty.

[01:14]

Tang Dynasty is, let's see, in Chinese history, many dynasties arise and stay for a while and disappear, like impermanence. Tang Dynasty was one of the most prosperous time in Chinese history. Tang Dynasty start 618, and it lasts until 907. Tang, in Chinese character, toh. Japanese pronunciation is toh, but I think Chinese pronunciation is Tang, Tang Dynasty. And six ancestors, Huinan or Eno, was born 638 and died 713, Huinan.

[02:31]

And the master Dogen discussed, one of the master Dogen discussed whose name was Wongo. Tōzan disciple died 902, birth date is unknown. So in our lineage, in our lineage, the six ancestor Huinan and until Ungo Dōyō, Daiyōshō, was in Tang Dynasty. And after 907 until 960, very short dynasties appear and disappear. About five. Five very short dynasties appear and disappear for about 50 years.

[03:37]

the political power was taken, different dynasties. And during this 50 years, the Chinese country was divided into many different countries, smaller countries. So there were a lot of social disorder. You know, one dynasty disappeared. I mean, one social, one system of society didn't work, so it collapsed. And until next system is established, you know, the society had a lot of confusion. And 960 Song dynasty was established. But this Song Dynasty is a kind of not as powerful as Tong Dynasty.

[04:41]

From the north, I think Manchurian came down to the south and always getting invading to China. And behind this Manchurian, there was a Mongol. And they also come down to the south. So the Song Dynasty are a relatively weak government. And let's see. 1127, Sun Dynasty lost almost half of the territory north of Yangtze River. taken by Qing, the Manchurian country. And the capital was moved to the south, Nan Qing, I think. That was the year 1227.

[05:44]

Until here, we call this Hok So, or Northern Sun Dynasty. And after 1127, we call it Nan So, or Southern Sun Dynasty. And Dogen Zenji visited China 1223, so about 100 years after Sun Dynasty moved to south. And 12, I think, 79, Sun Dynasty disappeared. you know, invaded by Mongols. So about 50 years after Dogen Zenji visited China, Song Dynasty disappeared. And in the history of Zen, between in Tang Dynasty and after the Confucian and Song Dynasty was established, the structure or nature of Zen practice has changed.

[07:14]

In this Shobo Genzo Gyoji, Dogen Zenji introduced one lay person, only one, as an example of Gyoji. And that was, I think, section 22. He was the emperor, emperor whose name was Tsen-so, really emperor. He was emperor in the end of Tang Dynasty, about 840-something. And 845, before this person, before this Tsen-so became the emperor, I need to read that part. 745, I'm going to talk about that.

[08:25]

The emperor before the emperor appear in this writing, Senso, his previous emperor was Buso, or Emperor Mu. This emperor abolished the Buddha Dharma. 845. 845. In the history of China, there are, I think, several times, four, three, four, maybe four or five times, government abolished Buddhadharma or Buddhism, including the Cultural Revolution in the 20th century, I believe. Why is the 20th century what today? In Taoism. Taoism and Buddhism was kind of competed each other.

[09:33]

And that emperor supported Taoism. Taoism. Confucianism is not really a religion. It was a teaching of government. So Confucianism is not independent from the government. Confucianism? Confucius lived in, I think, the third century before Christ. So a long time ago. Anyway, but for the government, there was a kind of a good reason to abolish Buddhism. Because, you know, when Buddhism become very popular and many people became Buddhist monks, that was a problem for monks, for government. Because Buddhist monks were exempt to be a soldier and to pay tax.

[10:42]

And Buddhist temples didn't pay tax. So they had a financial problem. So they need to reduce the number of the monks. and number of temples. That was one of the reasons. And from the government point of view, not many monks really became monks for their way-seeking mind. But in order to escape from being soldier or paying tax, When a religion becomes an institution or part of an establishment, something like that always happens. Anyway, so in this year, 845, the Dharma Buddhism was abolished for a few years, and this emperor became the emperor. This person, Senso, became the emperor. Then he restored Buddhism because this person practiced at the monasteries.

[11:50]

And this, you know, event made a very important change in the history of Zen. Before here, other schools of Zen, not Zen, but Chinese Buddhism, are much more popular than Zen. Zen is kind of a small, in a sense, counterculture religion. In the Pan Dynasty, the masters just went to mountain and made their monasteries. It's not really supported by government. But those other schools like Tendai or Kegon are supported by government or high society people. But then the temples were broken, and Buddhist scriptures were burned, and monks were kicked out from the temple and had to be forced to go back to lay society.

[13:10]

Those schools, based on teaching, had great damage. Their study and teaching is based on those books, texts. But fortunately or unfortunately, then people didn't put so much emphasis on the text. So after this event, Zen spread all over China. Also, this emperor who restored Buddhism was also practicing Zen, so he was a sympathetic supporter of Zen. So after this year, Zen become much, you know, popular religion. 845. That is... Yeah, oh, I'm sorry. A few years after that,

[14:12]

When this person became the emperor and restored Buddhism. Yeah, maybe 47 or something. About two years. The person who restored the Buddhism is Chen So. It's appeared in Gyoji. Section 22. Section 22. Yeah, yeah. Zen is one of the Buddhist schools. But Zen became popular after this incident. Please. Yeah. Yeah, Tang Dynasty had almost all Chinese territory today, I think.

[15:20]

So it's a huge country. It was, I think, the most developed country in the world at that time. I think after the Roman Empire disappeared in Europe, there were not so much civilized countries yet. Anyway, so between 50 years between the Tan Dynasty was corrupt and the San Dynasty was established, there are a lot of social disorder. And in our age, Ungo Douyou was the last person died before within Kang dynasty. And three generations. After ungo, do-yo, if you are familiar with Japanese pronunciation of the masters, do-wan-do-hi-dai-yo-sho, do-wan-kan-shi-dai-yo-sho, and ryo-zan-en-kan-dai-yo-sho.

[16:31]

Those three masters are really unknown. I mean, we know only their names. And their date or death birth date is not unknown at all. So somehow, they lived in this age. A song was established, Taiyou Kyogen Daiyosho. That was a Ryōzan Enkant disciple. Again, kind of appeared in the history. and Taiyō Kyōgen's disciples, Tōsu Gisei and Fuyō Dōkai. In the time of Fuyō Dōkai, Sōtō Rinjūs again become popular. And the difference between Sun Dynasty and Tan Dynasty Zen and Sun Dynasty Zen is Sun Dynasty Zen Buddhism is establishment, was the establishment, most powerful school of Buddhism in China.

[17:49]

And, you know, larger monasteries, were supported by government. And a lot of those big monasteries were appointed by the emperor. So it became a very public thing. Dongxiang. Dongxiang. Douzan is before ungo, so around the second half of ninth century. And this person, Fuyodokai, was really a popular person, very prominent Zen master. So he was given the purple robe from the government or the emperor, and he was appointed to be abbot of a certain big monastery in the capital.

[18:53]

But Fuyodokai rejected it. He didn't want to. And at that time, to reject something asked by emperor means to die, at least punishment. So this person, Fuyodokai, was exiled to some countryside. And he moved there. That was, I think, his hometown. And there he founded a small monastery named Fuyo-zan. That's why he was called Fuyo-dōkai. And in that part two of Shōbōgenzō-gyōji, Dōgenzen-ji, quote a long jōdo or dharma discourse of this person, Fuyo-dōkai. He is famous. When he was exiled, his monastery was very poor.

[19:59]

And his monastery received some amount of rice from the support around there. And he simply divided the amount of rice he received a year into 365 portions. And if they don't have so many people, they could eat cooked rice. And if one person came, then they add one scoop of water. And it becomes like a gruel. And more people came, they added more water, so it became like a rice soup. And he never asked his supporters to make donation. That was very famous in Dogen's lineage anyway.

[21:07]

after Song Dynasty, Soto lineage become again, you know, popular. And in Rinzai also, same thing happened. And this Goso Hoen lived, died 1104, but in this story, Dogen quote in Gyoji, Gosu Hōen talked about his teacher's teacher. His name is Yōgi, Yōgi Hōe. Yōgi Hōe lived 992 to 1049. So this, he is about contemporary of Taiyou Kyogen in our lineage.

[22:15]

Goto Houen was a disciple of this Yogi Houen. And Yogi Houen is a founder of two sub-school of Rinzai. One is Yogi, and another is Oryu, or Koryu branch. So from Yōgi to Gosohōen, that was the time of Yōgi, 992 to 1049. So 11th century is a time of re-establishment of the monasteries, actually, after this confusion. And the monastery at that time was much larger than Tang Dynasty. And also the economic system in the society had changed.

[23:20]

In Tang Dynasty, they had monetary system, but money was not so important. Only on the high society, in the farming villages, people don't use money. But in Tang Dynasty, the money is more important. So even the Zen monasteries involved in economic activity, that means they had a business. to make money. And this person, Gose Hoen, was young. He practiced at a monastery, and he worked for refining rice and selling the rice and made money. And that story about this person, Goso Hoen, appeared in Ehe Shingi.

[24:29]

Dogen Zenji respected this person very much. And especially in Chiji Shingi, I think you are familiar with Chiji Shingi. Chiji Shingi is a pure standard or regulation for temple or monastery officers. And in Chiji Shingi, Dogen then collected many stories of Chinese masters, Zen masters, who practiced as temple officers, how they worked as officers. And he admired several Zen masters, I mean Dogen, and Goto Hoen was one of them. And I think this story is very interesting to see the condition of Chinese Zen monastery at that time. This is from Dogen's Pure Standards for the Zen Community.

[25:36]

If you have the book, page 147. The master was Fayan, or Gosohoyen, this person who is talking about his teacher's teacher. Was a Fayan of K'i province. Thanks to high priest, Hai Shui Shwaodom, this is Gosohoyen's teacher, so yogi's disciple, of Baiyum Mountain in Shu province. settled his investigation of the great matter and deeply penetrated the bones and marrow of dharma. Showa Don, his teacher, made him manager of the mill at the foot of the mountain. So monastery was on the top of the mountain, and mill to refine rice or other grain on the foot of the mountain.

[26:49]

mountain. So it's kind of separate from the practice place. And they had a business. Each year, Uzu Fayan got money from grinding rice and wheat. So he had a business. So not only he or that monastery, but larger monasteries started to do business to support their buildings and monks and practice. The monasteries became much larger than before. He opened a pawn shop He opened a pawn shop to earn interest and hired workers.

[27:53]

So monastery hired laypeople. workers, and except for making food offerings, put the remaining money in the temple accounts. So he put the benefit, the profit he got from that business into the temple's account. People from the temple constantly spied on Uzu Fayan and criticized his conduct to Shaodan, the abbot, claiming that Uzu Fayan spent his days at the mill drinking wine, eating meat, and feeding women guests. Yeah, he actually did.

[28:55]

The whole temple was in an uproar. When Udu Fayan heard this, he intentionally bought meat and alcohol and hung them out in front of the mill. and also bought cosmetics and makeup for his women friends. Whenever the monks came around the mill, Uzu Fayan would touch the women and laughingly banter and tease them, completely without restraint. He really did it. One day, Shaodyuan called him, the abbot called him, to the abbot's quarter and questioned if this was true. To which Uzu Fayan nodded agreement without further words.

[30:06]

Xiaodong, the abbot, suddenly slapped his face. Of course. Wu Zifan's expression did not change. And he made a prostration as he was leaving. Xiaodong, the abbot, scolded him, saying, just leave immediately. Uzu Fayan said, please wait for me to finish my calculations and list the accounts for the next person. Some days later, Uzu Fayan told Xiaozhuang, the abbot, after excluding expenses for buying alcohol and meat, There remained 300,000 in cash to put into the temple accounts. Shodan Gryabot was greatly amazed at this and understood that petty people had just been jealous of Urufayan.

[31:20]

This is the story. So, you know... they had some kind of new practice. I'm sure in Tang Dynasty, they never had such a practice. So I think, you know, people like Fayan, worked hard to keep the monastery and monastic practice catch up with the condition of the society. So they worked hard, they made money to support the practice. And I'm pretty sure some people didn't like it. And Yet that is the kind of, you know, main trend of the Zen Buddhism at that time.

[32:25]

So this is our interview to read what Fire said after he became a teacher. I mean, we can understand why Fayan said in this way. So after Goso Hoen, or Uzu Fayan, became the abbot, he gave a discourse to his own assembly and introduced what his teacher's teacher, Yogi Hoen, said, or did. The master Hōen or Fayan of Mount Goso or Uzu said, When my master's master, that is Yogi, first lived at the temple on Mount Yogi, ,, the rafters of the old buildings were broken.

[33:44]

And they badly suffered from wind and rain. So when Yogi started to live in his temple around that year, I think beginning of the 11th century. I think probably because of the social disorder of before, you know, some dynasty was established, the temple was very in a bad shape. That was when yogi started to practice as a abbot. That was the end of winter. All the temple buildings were old and dilapidated, particularly the monks' hall, where monks sleep, sit, and eat.

[34:54]

Particularly, the monks' hall was severely damaged. The entire floor was covered with snow. Snow and hail. And there was no place to sit for monks if they didn't sit on the snow. Snow poured on the elder monks who had already snowy hair. venerable seniors with large eyebrows seemed to harbor sorrow and crinkle their eyebrows. The monks in the assembly could not practice zazen with ease. Maybe so. Then one patched robe monk requested with utmost sincerity to repair the building.

[36:00]

My master's master dismissed, saying, my Buddha once said that we are in a decreasing kalpa. Decreasing kalpa is like, you know, there's an increasing kalpa and decreasing kalpa in which the longevity of living beings are increasing and decreasing. And we are in the decreasing kalpa. That means everything is getting shorter or smaller. Even the high cliff or deep valley is impermanent and constantly changing. Even the mountain is changing. How can our desires be fulfilled completely? How can we seek satisfaction? This is what Yogi said to his assembly.

[37:05]

So don't seek satisfaction. Just sit there on the snow. Many of the sages in ancient times practiced qingxin or walking meditation under a tree on the open ground. That is an excellent example and profound style to practice emptiness. That was a way practice in India. But climate are different. between India and China, especially in this place. It seems very cold. Although you have left home and have been studying the way, your activities are not yet in peace. That means your activity and the way is not really become one.

[38:09]

You can practice only for 40 or 50 years. Who has such extra time to concern oneself in constructing lofty buildings? Life is short, so we should just practice. Then, after all, he did not approve it, so he dismissed the plan of repairing the buildings. Next day, he ascended the Dharma Hall and gave a discourse to his assembly. I have just became the abbot of yogi. The roof and walls are ramshaku. The whole platform is covered with pearl of snow. He said, it's beautiful. The monks hunched their shoulders from the cold and sighed in the darkness.

[39:18]

But I reflect that ancient people lived under a tree, or maybe under trees. And he consequently did not give permission to fix the building. That was what Gotthoen talks to his own disciples using his teacher's admonition to his assembly. I don't think when Gotthoen gave this talk there temple's buildings are so bad shape because, you know, was a person who worked hard to reestablish the monastery, and he made money to fix the building. So I think the... Yes.

[40:25]

That is a problem. Yes. So I think the condition of their practice place should be much better. But still, maybe in Gosohoen assembly, some monks complained about something inconvenient or in perfect condition. I think that was why Gosohoen talked about his teacher's teacher's admonition here. So, you know, the history of Zen after some dynasty is a kind of a history of Zen practice or the monastic practice become popular in society and supported by government and not only government but entire society and become a kind of a part of establishment.

[41:27]

And the problem, that is okay, but the problem is people came to the monasteries not because of their way-seeking mind, but because of part of that establishment. And to be the abbot of those large monasteries is like becoming the president of a big university. They are supported by the government or a high-class society. So in order to seek that kind of fame or profit, people became a Buddhist monk. That was a problem, and those people were not so interested in this kind of practice. being poor and just sit. And even though I think people like Gus Hohen, who made effort to develop that kind of, you know, monastic system, still he sees the danger that, you know, genuine spiritual practice he had, or his teacher, and his teacher, his teacher-teacher had.

[42:49]

That's why I think Gosohoye made this admonition. And actually, not only the monastic system, but Zen teaching become available to larger society. And this person, Gosho Hoen, was the original person who made it possible. In Rinzai tradition, Gosho Hoen, this person, is considered to be the original master who started koan practice. And Gosho Hoen's disciple, one of Gosho Hoen's disciples, was Engo Kokugon. Engo Kokugon was the person, master, who made Brooklyn's record. Engo Kokugon, the name of the person?

[43:53]

Yeah. This person, Uldufayam or Goshoen, one of the disciples was Engokokugon in Japanese. In Chinese, it's here in this chart. This person lived 1063 to 1135. You know, the or the is still, even today, the basic of koan practice. And also Hōen, I mean, Tengoku-Kugon's disciple was damnation.

[45:02]

Mokushō, zhā, zhen. Zhā, I think I talked before, but zhā is the opposition of shō, or true or right. So evil. And those two Dharma brothers, Kinketsu Hideo and Wanchogaku, took that expression, silent illumination or mokucho, to express their Dharma or style of practice. Anyway, that was a kind of a situation of Chinese Zen before Dogen Zenji visited. So that was about, you know, 70 or 80 years before Dogen went to China. And in Dogen Zenji's writings, Dogen very strongly criticized Daiei Tōkō, who criticized Mokusō Zen.

[46:16]

But Dogen Zenji respected and admired this Goso Hōen, and his disciple Engō Kokugon, who made the Blue Cliff Record. And the scholars started to think Dogen's criticism against Daiei Soko is not fair. And I think that is true. I don't really understand why Dogen then had to criticize this person, Daiei, so strongly. That is one of the questions or topics or issues of photo scholars these days. Why Dogen criticized so severely to that particular Zen master, even though they accept that person as their teacher and his teacher. I don't know why, anyway.

[47:23]

So that is kind of a background of this dharma talk. Yes, yes. And that discussion still continues today. More than 800 years. So, that is the background of this talk. So, you know, although the masters or the teachers tried to keep the monastic system and practice suitable for the, you know, social situation,

[48:32]

But they also have the danger to go in that way. So they keep, you know, courting their children. Don't do that in the spirit of practice. Well, I continue reading, going to keep He got off the fire, or the fire, consequently, you know, that is the old way. Nevertheless, multitudes of monks from four oceans and five lakes, that means all over China, wished to come and hang their monk's staff at his monastery, the yogi's monastery, to practice with him.

[49:36]

This is Dogen. This is Dogen. Gotohen's quote from Gotohen is over. He consequently did not give permission. We should be delighted that so many people were absorbed in the way. We should die our minds with this utterance and inscribe them in our body. I'm not sure whether our mind has some meaning in English or not, but this is the literal translation of . Yeah, that's strange. Not strange, but . Pardon? In view.

[50:44]

In view. And Dogen introduced one of Houen's things. Master Houen once gave an instruction saying, activities do not exceed thoughts. Thoughts do not exceed activity. We should value these things. So our thinking and our activity, our practice should go together, get along. Our thinking is larger than our practice. That is the problem. And later, Dogen then discusses at this point thinking or thinking or expanding and practice in section 16, 17, and 18.

[51:52]

So I hope I have time to talk, to be there. Anyway, we should consider this night and day and practice this morning and evening. We should not vainly be blown away by the wind from east, west, south or north. Next few pages, Dogen talks about not to build a fancy building. I think it's not so difficult to understand, so I just read this part. Moreover, it's country of Japan. Now he talks about Japan. The palace of the emperor and the mansions of ministers were not really opulent buildings.

[52:59]

These are plain and painted buildings. Even less, house and people who left home and studying buddha way comfortably live in lofty buildings. If someone has attained an imposing mansion, it is certainly from a long livelihood. It is rare being undefiled. It is not a matter of argument if it has already been there. Do not try to be involved in constructing luxurious buildings from the outset. Grass hermitage and praying unpainted buildings were the places where sentient beings loved to live. Students in the later generation should study it, never be against it. But actually, the descendant of Dogen visited huge temple buildings in Japan.

[54:00]

Although people such as the Yellow Emperor Gyo, Washun, and so on are in the mundane world, they live in fat buildings. That was an excellent example of the world. Shishi said, if we want to see the conduct of the Yellow Emperor, you should see the place Gokyu, the palace. If we want to see Jyo and Shun's conduct, you should see their palace for sure. The Yellow Emperor's government office was sat with grass and called Gokyu, and Shun's government office was covered with grass and named for sure. we should pay attention that Gōkyū and Tōshō were both sat with grass. In comparing us with the Nero Emperor, Jō and Shun, the differences are more than between heaven and earth.

[55:04]

Even those emperors' government offices were touched with grass. Even mundane people lived in grass-touched buildings. How could home-leavers desire to live in a lofty hall or important building? We ought to be ashamed. The ancient people lived under trees, in the woods. Those were the dwellings dug by both deities and home believers. I'm not sure about these. The Miero Emperor, or the disciple of the Taoist master Kosei, who lived at Kodo. He lived in a cave in the Kodo mountain. Now, in Great Song China, many of the emperors and ministers have handed down this excellent spirit Even those people in the dusty secular world are like this.

[56:07]

How could monks who left home be inferior to the people in the dusty secular world? How could we be more defiled than those people? So Dogen was directly... admonished not to build a big lofty building for monks. And he continued, among the Buddha ancestors, I introduced a word, there are many who received offerings from heavenly beings. equal to the second Buddha. Buddha did never reject offerings by anyone. However, when they had attained the Way, Heavenly God's eye could not reach, nor demons or spirits did not have means to see them.

[57:20]

This refers to those three masters Dogen introduced. We should clarify this point. When heavenly beings and God practice Buddha Ancestors' conduct, they have a means to approach Buddha Ancestors. When Buddha Ancestors totally transcend heavenly beings and God in their verification, verification from the enlightenment, They have no means to look at them, and they cannot get close to Buddha ancestors. Nansen, or Nansen, is another disciple of Mazu or Basho, said, because this old monk had not enough strength to practice, I was seen by the spirit.

[58:23]

This refers to a story about Nansen. When Nansen someday went to, I think, a rice field where they grow rice or vegetables, and there was a certain monk to take care of, in charge of, you know, growing vegetables. Even though Nansen didn't tell that person that he was going. But somehow this monk was ready to meet the abbot. And Nelson wondered why this monk knew he was coming. Then this monk said, last night, yesterday evening, a guardian god of that place, the earth, told me that Nelson is coming this morning.

[59:44]

At that time, Nelson said this. You know, because this old monk had not enough strength to practice, I was seen by the spirit. And nothing asked the monk to make some offering to that spirit. we should know that being seen by demons and spirits who do not practice is due to lack of strength of practice. I mean, this is a kind of admonition not to be glad, to become happy when we receive some good reputation. That is one of the ways we grieve or are faced after some kind of pain that defies our practice.

[60:51]

And Dogen is going to introduce another example like this. This is about Wanshi Shouwaku, the Chinese photo of the master contemporary with Daiei Soko. In the assembly of Master Shougaku, the Master Wanshi, Shougaku was this person's personal name, Shougaku. And Wanshi was the honorific name given by the Emperor. And so, commonly this person is called Wanshi Shougaku. Sometimes this person, it was called Tendo Shogaku because he was the abbot of Tendo Monastery, like a Tendo Nyojo.

[61:54]

In the assembly of Master Shogaku, the Master, one see at Mount Taihaku. Taihaku or Taibo is another name of the mountain, another mountain, another name of the thin mountain, I think, of Tendo Mountain, Tenton. The guardian god of the temple buildings said, I had heard that Master Kaku had been living on this mountain for more than 10 years. I always try to reach his bedroom and see him, but I cannot go forward, and I have not known him. This is a Daibyan god of the temple building called Gogalanzin. I think in the Japanese Monastery, they enshrine this god, Kogaranji, the god who protects the Garan temple building.

[63:14]

But it said this god couldn't see one seed. And Dogen says, truly we find the place of a predecessor who was the person of the way. And he started to talk about Wanshi Chogaku. The monastery on Mount Tendo, or Tenton, was originally a small temple. While Master Shogaku was abiding as the abbot, once Shogaku lived in this monastery, Tenton Monastery, for I think almost 32 years. I think he was very young. Not very, but in his 30s, I think. So while he was living at the Abotata temple, he swept a Taoist temple, Nanari, and the temple of a teaching school, and so on, and established the current Keitoku-ji, or Jingde Monastery.

[64:35]

So once he was a person who established this monastery as a big during the monastery. Before that, it was only a tiny temple. So one was also a person who worked hard to, you know, establish the monastic system in some dynasties. After the master passed away, Athenian mandarin and court secretary, whose name was Oh Hakusho, or Wang Bokshin, were writing the record of the master's activities. So our government officers wrote Wang's biography. At the time, someone requested the king saying, you should write that he or she took the Taoist temple, the Nanami Undertaking School temple, and established current Tendo temple.

[65:51]

The secretary said, no, it should not be included. Such a thing is not the virtue of a monk. Or to make the monastery big is not the virtue of a monk. Many people of that time prayed the secretary. Dogen said, we should know that such a thing is an ability of mundane people, not a virtue of a monk. First of all, from the very beginning, when we enter the Buddha way, when we enter the Buddha way, we transcend the human and heavenly beings. within the three realms. We should inquire in detail that monks are not used by the three worlds.

[66:58]

Three worlds is the world of desire. Both ourselves and environment. So this is kind of a... I think the important point when Buddhism becomes kind of a part of culture. Same thing happened in Japan after Dogen. We should practice and study using our entire body, speech, and thought, both our self and environment. Although the virtue of the continuous practice by Buddha ancestors has, of course, the great benefit of serving human and heavenly beings, human and heavenly beings are not aware that they are assisted by Buddha ancestors.

[68:02]

Now, in carrying out the continuous practice of the Great Way of Buddha Ancestors, do not distinguish between great hermit and small hermit. I don't really understand of this knee. This knee great master and not so great practitioners. I'm not really sure and men done or those scarred also not sure of this knee. And do not discuss brilliance or dull wittedness. So without making such a discrimination among people, we just focus on this continuous practice. Simply discard fame and profit forever and do not be bound by ten thousand objects, everything.

[69:06]

Do not wastefully spend days and nights and diligently practice as if you extinguished the flame on your head. Do not wait for great realization. This is a very typical dogma. Don't wait for greater realization. Greater realization is nothing other than the tea and the rice in our daily life. So our day-to-day activities in the practice at the monastery or community is greater realization. So please Wait for, I think, here I mean to expect or to do something to attain that thing.

[70:10]

Pardon? Right. Yes. Yes. And next sentence is, do not wish non-realization. This is also very Dogen. Do not wish non-realization. Non-realization is a treasured jewel within one top knot. So non-realization is higher than great realization. That is the Buddha nature or the reality of life beyond or before our awakening or realization. So it's already there in our top knot.

[71:18]

And the next one is a very powerful thing. But simply, if you have home and homeland, leave your home and homeland. If you have family ties, leave your family ties. If you have fame, leave your fame. If you have wealth, leave your wealth. If you have fields and gardens, leave your fields and gardens. If you have king, leave your king. Even if you don't have fame and wealth and so on, you should leave them all. So he said, if you have those things, you should leave them. And even if you don't have them, you should leave them. And this is like Joshu. You know, Giorgio said, come on, ask Giorgio. I have nothing. That's all I do. He said, you know, take it down.

[72:24]

But he said, I don't have it. Then Giorgio said, take it with you. Take it with you. Take it with you. You know, this idea that I don't have anything is something that person has. So take it with you. I think Dogen is saying the same thing. If you don't have it, don't think that because you don't have it, you are okay. The idea you don't have it is still something extra. Discard what? Envy. Envy. That is non-realization.

[73:30]

I gain nothing, but if I think I gain nothing, then you gain it. So you can leave it. The principle is clear that we should leave what we already have, and also we should leave what we haven't had yet. This is itself one single piece of continuous practice. Discarding fame and profit while being alive and continuously practicing one thing, one practice, is continuous practice that prolongs the Buddha's longevity. Buddha's longevity is same expression Dogen used when about, you know, Shakyamuni Buddha was 19. the Buddha's age, 19.

[74:38]

So Buddha's longevity, that is said in the Lotus Sutra, in the chapter of the Lifespan of Buddha at Tathagata. That longevity, so that is the longevity or life of this circle of the way. This continuous practice right now is definitely continuously practiced by the continuous practice. I think you understand what I'm saying. It's not my or our practice, but continuous practice, continuously practice, continuous practice. So way is practicing the way, or Buddha is practicing Buddha's practice.

[75:40]

There is no speck of that called yin or ai or shohak. And if we practice in that way, We should love and venerate our body and mind that carries out continuous practice, even though it is our own. The body and mind that is practicing in this way is not our personal position, but it's already the part of Buddha's longevity, Buddha's life. So we should really love and venerate, respect even our personal body and mind. I think this is a good place to stop. This afternoon, I'm going to talk on 16 to 18 about expanding and practice.

[76:44]

I'm sorry, but I can't finish this, you know, part one of Georgi this time, but I think it's okay, right? I hope we have another time, you know, the cycle of the way does not, you know, stop. I hope I have another time to talk on this writing of Dogen.

[77:34]

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