Morning. Well, today we commemorate Buddha's parinirvana, the great final nirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha. In Southeast Asia, and I think in China, they celebrate Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and Parinirvana. at the same time in a ceremony called Weisak. But our Japanese tradition separates them and has a different date for each one.

[01:14]

So I want to talk a little bit about nirvana, because what is nirvana, and what is parinirvana, and what happened to Buddha when he died? Nirvana is a kind of mysterious notion. Since it's inexplicable, it's hard to talk about. It's a little bit like enlightenment. And especially parinirvana. Nirvana is not so, may not be so difficult. Parinirvana is more tricky and hard to exactly explain.

[02:17]

And there are different schools which have different ideas within Buddhism. Different schools have different ideas about what is nirvana and what is parinirvana. So this is a whole study in itself. But my understanding and my commentary is on the most simplistic level. which I feel is a very good level. It can become very complicated intellectually, so better to stay on a simple level and experiential level. Nirvana means literally blowing out, like blowing out the light, blowing out a lamp.

[03:25]

So sometimes it's expressed as annihilation, which is not really a correct interpretation. And so people think, oh, nirvana, extinction, what will become of me? Well, what will become of you anyway? But nirvana or extinction or blowing out or dropping means the dropping or blowing out or extinction of the three poisonous roots, greed, ill will and delusion. So everything in Buddhism comes down to these three, the three poisonous roots and the three beneficial roots.

[04:37]

The three beneficial roots are non-greed, non-ill will and non-delusion. So we have the positive stated in the negative, in a negative way. Buddhism always expresses the positive in a negative way. Don't do this, don't do that. Non-greed, non-ill will, non-delusion. But there is also a positive aspect, of course, to precepts, and to the elimination of the problems. So, there are three kinds of nirvana. Nirvana with remain-ear, which means that while living in this world,

[05:45]

one can enter nirvana. That's possible. And then there's nirvana without remainer, which is called paranirvana, which means when one dies or when one's body-mind is no longer in this world, there's no karma which creates another birth. And then the third kind, which is more Mahayana, is the Nirvana of the Bodhisattva, who, although is freed from all the effects of entanglements of greed, ill will, and delusion, still remains in the world or still remains within the realm of karmic activity without creating karma.

[06:53]

So the first is the nirvana of the arhat who is a recluse and is not engaged in the world at all. And the second is the nirvana of the realized person when they die. And the third is the nirvana of the bodhisattva who, although he could do what the other two do, chooses to remain in the entanglements of the world. in order to help sentient beings. This is called the life of vow rather than the life of karma. And it's of course the most difficult because the bodhisattva remains in the world out of compassion.

[08:07]

And it's said of the Shakyamuni Buddha that his whole reason for living is to help sentient beings. And then when his life is over, he knows when that time is and leaves. There's no reason for me to stick around here anymore. And he leaves. And that's the story of actually of Shakyamuni's great decease. He was traveling with his companions and giving talks in various places in India more than 2,500 years ago. I don't know the exact date. Everybody has a little different date, but somewhere over 2,500 years ago. And he and his entourage were invited to have a meal at Mr. Kunda's place.

[09:12]

Mr. Kunda was a layman. And so Mr. Kunda fed Shakyamuni some very special dish of mushrooms. Some people say pork. But it was a dish that was not good for him or for anybody. But according to the story, when Shakyamuni saw what the dish was, he knew, apparently, that it was not good for him. Thank you very much. This is called Sendaba, where I didn't ask for this water, but he knew that that's what I wanted. So, after he ate the meal, Shakyamuni said to Kunda, he said,

[10:23]

Ah, bury these mushrooms. Don't let anybody else eat them. And so then when they left, he started getting sick. And he had to lay down and rest. And he said, well, this is going to be it, actually. For me. But after resting, he got up and Ananda said, well, let's have some water. I'll give you some water. And he went down to the, well, actually, Shakyamuni said, I want some water. Please give me some water. He went to the stream, and the stream was muddy because cattle had gone across it. And so he came back and he said, Ananda said to Shakyamuni, well, the water's not fit to drink. He said, well, give me some anyway. So Ananda went and got the water, and then it was clear.

[11:25]

You know, this is like miracle stuff, right? You don't have to believe this. So then they went a little bit further and came to this place between these two sala trees. And Shakyamuni Buddha laid down and everybody knew that he was going to die, so he gave this talk, and he said, I've given you all my teaching, and the main thing is to follow the precepts. If you follow the precepts, you will abide in nirvana. And he said, I've taught you everything I have to teach, and there's no reason for me to stick around any longer. He said, even if I was to stick around for 20 more years, I couldn't add anything to what I've already given you. So, goodbye. Most of us, you know, cling to life.

[12:31]

We don't really want to go like that. But it's a good way to go, a very good way to go. I hope that we all would be able to go in this manner. Seeing that our life was over, and actually following the process, which is called nirvana. Nirvana is letting go of clinging, not desiring death, not clinging to life, but simply living life in the place where you are, totally and fully, without clinging to this moment or to anything, or to any situation, or to... Without inordinate desire.

[13:43]

without ill will and without delusion. Nirvana is not a state that you get or it's not something that you can seek. It's simply the natural order of mind when delusive mind is not there, when ill will is not there, and when greed is not there. acquisitiveness. It's simply our natural endowment. If it was something special for only certain people, it wouldn't be true. So some people think, well, nirvana is bliss. But actually, nirvana is just reality. It's just abiding in reality.

[14:46]

So when people think nirvana is bliss, they think it's some wonderful thing that they want. Because we all want to be blissful. But reality, abiding in reality, is rather joyful. True joy comes from abiding in reality. Delusion is thinking that we can get joy from toys. Children get joy from toys, but at some point we have to let go of the toys and take up the real issue of life, the real issue of life and death. birth and death, and looked very carefully and courageously at the problem of our birth and death.

[16:01]

So, you know, I've often talked about Dogen, Master Dogen's eight aspects of the enlightened person, eight characteristics of an enlightened person. And these are Dogen's last words. And word for word, they're Shakyamuni Buddha's last words. Dogen lifted them from Shakyamuni Buddha and gave them as his last talk. And I'm sure added his own comments to them. And so I think it's appropriate to express those. So when Shakyamuni's disciples asked him, what are your final words?

[17:19]

He said, and Dogen expresses it this way, all Buddhas are enlightened persons. Those things which the enlightened persons are aware of are called the eight awarenesses of the enlightened person. And to become aware of this dharma is the cause for nirvana. Our master, Shakyamuni Buddha, taught this dharma on the last night before entering parinirvana. So the first is having few desires. And Shakyamuni and Dogen say that having few desires is the direct cause for nirvana. when one is no longer pulled around by desires. And he describes it as like a flame. The flame of a candle is sitting upright, but when the wind moves, the flame blows this way, and the flame blows that way, and gets pulled by the various forces.

[18:32]

And... nirvana and lack of desire. The flame just stays straight up and it's very bright. So the first one is actually freedom from greed. And the second one is knowing how to be satisfied. with very little, or how to be satisfied with what we have. And these two really go together. The two aspects are the same thing. So, in the first one, Buddha says, he says, you monks, because he's talking to monks.

[19:35]

You should know that because those who have many desires search for fame and profit, there is much suffering. Those who have few desires look around less and desire little. Therefore, they have no worry of this sort. You should practice if only to have few desires. Needless to say, having few desires produces many merits. Those who have few desires do not have to flatter in order to ingratiate themselves with others. Also, they withstand temptations from the various sense organs. One who practices having few desires has neither worry nor fear, for his mind is peaceful. Whatever he comes into contact with, he finds that it is enough and never lacks anything. Having few desires, he is in nirvana. This is called having few desires. Desire, he didn't say no desires.

[20:36]

He said few desires. Desire is a necessary aspect of our life. But as I've said many times, in Buddhism, desire means neediness. And When desire is turned into way-seeking mind, or turned toward way-seeking mind, it's no longer called desire. It's called way-seeking mind. So there is a desire for the Dharma, but that's not the same as desire. It's not desire for creating an ego. So desire means that which creates ego, that which creates a sense of self, a false sense of self.

[21:41]

Whereas way-seeking mind leads to a true sense of self. This is why Buddha is so down on desire. because desire is what keeps the karmic propensities perpetuating themselves and keeps creating a sense of self over and over again. And then the second one, knowing how much to take of those things which one already has is called knowing how to be satisfied. The Buddha says, you lay people should contemplate knowing how to be satisfied if you wish to be liberated from suffering. The dharma of knowing how to be satisfied is the realm of riches, comfort, peace, and tranquility.

[22:47]

Those who know how to be satisfied are happy and comfortable, even when sleeping on the ground. Those who do not know how to be satisfied are not satisfied, even when dwelling in a heavenly palace. Those who do not know how to be satisfied are poor, even though they are wealthy, while those who know how to be satisfied are wealthy, even when they have little. The difference actually between wealth and poor can be our attitude. When the commentators talk about nirvana, nirvana is not a change in you or a change in circumstances. It's simply seeing in a different way. simply seeing in a different way so that things don't change, but the way you see things is not the same.

[23:59]

Those who do not know how to be satisfied are always tempted by the five desires and are controlled or consoled, I'm sorry, by those who know how to be satisfied. And then the third one is called Enjoying Serenity and Tranquility. And of course, serenity and tranquility come out of non-greed and knowing how to be satisfied. That follows completely from those other two. And he says, by avoiding the crowd and secluding oneself is, of course, he's talking to monks, right? So, not going along with the fads and seeking a lot of company.

[25:08]

in order to distract you from the task at hand, knowing how to be at peace with yourself. And when one has some seclusion, it's easier to be at peace with oneself. But I must say I take a little issue because it's easy to be at peace with yourself easier when it's sometimes when you're by yourself and there's nothing disturbing you. But the test of your tranquility is to put you in the middle of the marketplace. To put you in the midst of chaos and then see, test your tranquility and your peace of mind. But he says, casting away attachment to self and others, dwell alone in a quiet place and contemplate the cause of suffering.

[26:13]

Well, no matter what's going on around us, we should find a quiet place and contemplate the cause of suffering, no matter what our situation is. And then the fourth one is exerting continuous effort to not slacken your effort, to not become complacent. Tranquility and serenity can lead to sloth. And it needs continuous effort to move yourself. One has to find serenity and tranquility within strenuous effort. You know, we work hard and then we rest, and then we work hard and then we rest. But we should be able to find the rest within the work, within our activity to find that still place in which we are always at rest.

[27:29]

even though we're moving. This way we don't get worn out. He says, exerting oneself strenuously and unceasingly in various beneficial practices is called diligent effort. Be precise and not careless. proceed forward and don't regress. Then the fifth one is not forgetting right thought. This is called maintaining right thought. Protecting the Dharma and not losing it means right thought or not forgetting right thought. In other words, you know what your practice is and you don't forget what it is. Even though you do forget, you remember. You know, our practice is called the practice of recollection. Practice of recollection means that you're always turning, coming back to what your intention is.

[28:38]

This is zazen. Zazen is the practice of recollection. You sit there still, but your mind is going out someplace, and then you, oh yeah, bring it back, and you bring it back, and you're continually bringing it back over and over again. And the same in your daily life, continually bringing yourself back because we're getting drawn off by desire and our passions and our confusion and our delusion and our ill will. And continually coming back to practice. This is called maintaining right thought. And then the sixth one is called dwelling or practicing samadhi. Dwelling in the Dharma undisturbed is what is called Samadhi. But we call it Zazen. We call it single-minded attention.

[29:42]

Concentration. Good concentration. And Samadhi has many names. but it's being one with the activity without ego, without self-centeredness, being totally engaged in activity without self-centeredness, without dualistic thinking. The Buddha says, when you unify your minds, the mind is in samadhi. Since the mind is in samadhi, you know the characteristics of the creation and destruction of the various phenomena in the world. For this reason, you should constantly practice with diligence and cultivate all kinds of samadhi.

[30:52]

When you gain samadhi, the mind is not scattered, just as those who protect themselves from floods guard the levee. This is also true for practice. For the sake of the water of wisdom, then, cultivate samadhi well and do not let it leak out. The seventh is called cultivating wisdom. He says, wisdom is aroused by hearing, reflecting, practicing, and realizing. And self-awareness. Buddha says, when you monks have wisdom, you are without greed. Always reflect upon yourselves. Do not lose this wisdom. In this way, you can thus attain liberation in my dharma. And then when one has the illumination of wisdom, even though one's eyes are merely physical eyes, one is a clear-seeing person. This is what is meant by wisdom. The eighth is avoid idle talk.

[31:54]

This is the last one. Avoid idle talk. Having realization and being free from discrimination is what is called avoiding idle talk. To totally know the true form of all things is the same as being without idle talk. Buddha says, when you engage in various kinds of idle talk, your minds are disturbed. So it's like keep your mind on the Dharma. Don't let it get lost in trivia. and in gossip, and in speculation, and in views, and always keep coming back to the Dharma. Otherwise, the mind just gets lost in mindless chatter, and we see it happen among the greatest of practitioners. I can tell you of many instances where I've seen the mind get lost.

[33:02]

Many minds get lost together in rolling downhill. Therefore, you should quickly abandon mind-disturbing talk if you would like to attain the joy of the extinction of delusion You must first simply extinguish the affliction of idle talk. This is what avoiding idle talk means. And then Dogen says, these are the eight awarenesses of a Buddha. Within each one, all eight are contained, thus making a total of 64. This is very common in Buddhism. Each one contains all the others. And so even if you study one, and concentrate on one, all the others are there. So when you actually practice one, you know, like there, how many, 37 limbs of enlightenment, 37 practices,

[34:17]

of meditation in Buddhist practice. And so you can't practice them all at the same time except by practicing one. When you practice one and concentrate on one, all the rest are there. This is very much like when you practice Zazen, all the practices are there. That's why practice can be reduced to some very simple thing, some very simple way. If you try to do everything, you can't do it because you can only do one thing at a time. So if you really totally practice one thing thoroughly, you find that all the rest of them are there. And the more closely you practice, the more you can see those other elements within each when practicing one. He says, broadly speaking, the number could be infinite.

[35:28]

But for the sake of simplicity, 64 is enough. This is the final teaching of the great master, the Reverend Shakyamuni. And it is the ultimate teaching of the Mahayana, spoken at midnight on February 15. He then entered complete nirvana without any further Dharma teaching. The Buddha said, you should continually and single-mindedly strive to accomplish the way. Every Dharma in the world, whether active or non-active, meaning a thing in a sense, is characterized by destructibility and unrest. Now please keep quiet and say no more. Time passes on and I shall enter complete nirvana. This is my final admonition. Do you have a question? Yes, Greg? When my dog, Maxie, died, I was told to be there.

[36:34]

It was pretty heavy. I saw her breathe her last. Well, this happens to everyone. And the what between life and death? Ah, yeah. Suzuki Roshi said, breathing is like a swinging door. In and out.

[37:36]

When you concentrate on breathing, all you have to do is be aware of the swinging door. In and out. Birth and death. Birth and death. Exhaling is letting go. Inhaling is inspiration. Inspiration brings us to life, and expiration allows us to let go. That's the swinging door of our life. Inspiration and expiration. to be right there at the doorway. When inspiration comes, to totally be inspired. When expiration comes, to totally expire. To totally let go. This is nirvana.

[38:38]

Zazen is a nirvana. If you practice zazen completely, totally, it's a nirvana. No self. Self is dropped. Dogen Zenji says, drop body and mind. Body and mind dropped. No self. Simply, you know, as Shakyamuni says, just bare phenomena rolling on. There is a deed done, but there's no doer of the deed. There is something felt, but there's no feeler of what's felt. This is called big self.

[39:53]

Big self is expressing itself as our lives. When we let go of the duality, then there's just life. Life itself, we identify with my life. It's okay, we have to do that. But it's really not my life. It is and it isn't. It's bigger than my life. It's bigger than any of us can understand. I didn't say that. I said the bodhisattva is not creating karma.

[40:58]

I mean, his intention is not to create karma. And yet, the Bodhisattva is always manifesting clear action. And so, it does have effect in a way. Right. There is volition. The Bodhisattva has volition. But the Bodhisattva's volition is not self-centered. Therefore, the karmic consequences are not the same as for someone who is creating self-centered karma.

[42:03]

So volition is not necessarily karmic, but karma is volitional. because karma simply means a volitional act. And then there's the karma result and the karma fruit, karmic fruit, and it can be good or bad or neutral. So ideally, the bodhisattva is creating karma which is not good or bad, even though it may be good or bad on some level. It's not dualistic. So we want to do good, and we don't want to do bad, which is fine, you know.

[43:09]

But the bodhisattva who has that intention is not creating good and bad. I'm Susan. I think that serenity and tranquility is a result.

[44:12]

It's like happiness, the pursuit of happiness. I don't think you can pursue serenity and tranquility or happiness. Serenity, tranquility, and happiness come by not pursuing, actually, by the non-pursuit of them. If we pursue them, then we always end up with something that resembles them. but it's not true tranquility or serenity or happiness. There are many substitutes, there are many things that make us seem happy and tranquil and so forth, but underneath there's still a problem.

[45:21]

Well, I agree with that. I think that's true. I just mean that you can't sit around and wait No, you cannot sit around. That's right. It will not happen. Although sometimes it does. Sometimes just not doing anything, you suddenly feel very tranquil, you know, but you can't stay there. We get insights, you know, or the curtain opens up for a moment and then for no reason at all, we feel that way, you know, But I think that's a view. And it's like, this is how you could feel. But then you have to do something. But to do something, it's a non-doing doing. In other words, you do the work over here in order for this to happen. But if you go over here for this to happen, trying to make it happen over here, it won't happen.

[46:29]

It only happens when you're working over here. Yeah. You said, you were talking about not needing to have toys. Yeah, toys are okay, yeah. That, you know, that it's fine for children to have toys, but as an adult, we need to look at the serious matters of birth and death. And I sort of think that children engage and everything, and seem to be just so present in their lives, and they're not sitting there contemplating birth and death. And in some ways, it would seem that that would be where we would all want to try to be. But how do those fit together, that being so present as a child,

[47:31]

and contemplating birth and death? Well, when we do it as a child, we're totally present. But when we do as a child, when we're an adult, then we're distracted. If you do the same thing as an adult that you would do as a child, then it's called distraction. So, as a child, you play with children's things. And as an adult, you play with adult things. But it's not called play, it's called work. But you should find the play in your work, that's right. So the bodhisattva's field is called the field of play. When you find that freedom, then it's all play. contemplation doesn't necessarily mean intellectual.

[48:59]

Contemplate does not necessarily mean intellectual. There's a different word for that. called meditate. Contemplate means, doesn't necessarily mean to do something with words or thought, it simply means to be one with your activity. So and you know Dogen says to study the Buddha Dharma is to study the self, but study doesn't mean reading a book about yourself.

[50:02]

You're the book and everything around you is the book or is the field of study and study means just do something over and over again like zazen. To study the self is to sit zazen without intellect without the interference of your intellectual mind. So it's called play. So it's good to maintain our childlike qualities all throughout our life, but not our childish qualities. That's the difference. It's nice when you can see somebody who's very old and you can see their child face still there.

[51:06]

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