Good morning. Well, today, the first portion of my talk is for the children. We have three children who are very regular attendees. And I just wanted to know, are you curious about this? You wanna know what that is? Well, one day. Oh, you too, okay. One day I was riding my bicycle and I went around a corner and I was leaning over and my pedal hit the, the street and my bike went, and I went, and I ended up breaking a little bone here, right there.

[01:06]

That's right here. It looks like this is, but this is not, this is just two fingers taped together so that this one doesn't move because that's where the little break was. And there was all this stuff, you know, and then this thing. And then, these are stars because I was a good boy. So, that's enough, right, for that one. Today, I want to ask you a question. Do you know, I know you do, but can you tell me what the four directions are Backwards, left, right and forward. Okay. That's very good. Can you tell me what the other four directions are? North, east, I think. Keep going. And west. Nobody eats shredded wheat.

[02:06]

East, West, North and South, right? So, which way is East? Right. Which way is West? Right. Which way is North? Yes. Which way is South? Yes. So, if you take a line, make a line between East and West, yeah. and then make a line between north and south, okay? So those are two lines, and they meet, right? So this line and this line, and they meet in the middle, and that's where you are. Wherever you are, you are always in the middle between east, west, north, and south. So if you always know where east, west, north, and south is, you always know where you are in a certain sense.

[03:37]

So that place where those four meet is called here. And it's also called now. Here and now is where those four meet. And so you're always there, wherever you are, you're here and you're now, here and now. So, here and now, you're sitting on a black cushion, a little round black cushion, and that black cushion is called, remember, a zafu. That's two words, za and fu, but they make one word out of it. So we say za fu. Za means sitting, and fu is the cushion. So it means a sitting cushion. And then underneath the cushion is called the za butan, the sitting mat.

[04:49]

And underneath the za butan is the Zen Do. The floor of the Zen Do, the room we're sitting in is called the Zen Do. So, I'll talk about that later. So, what is the Zen Do sitting on? The ground. And what is the ground sitting on? Grass. No, the grass is sitting on the ground. It's sitting on, yeah. The ground is... Sitting on earth. Earth, yes. The ground is like earth, right? No, the earth is sitting in space. In space, well, okay, we'll get to that. Don't jump ahead. So the ground is... The grass can't grow where the Zindo is because there's no sunlight.

[05:53]

Sunlight can't get to the ground here. So the grass is growing outside where there's sun. Yes? I was thinking that sun can go through these cracks. The little cracks? No way. No. The sun cannot get through the little cracks. But that's a good thought, you know. That's called investigation. Yes, David? The sun could get through from the open window. I know, but not through the floor. Good thought. Or, like, this could be just held up by little wooden pieces and some could go through the bottom. Good thought. But it doesn't happen that way. So we're sitting on the ground. The ground is sitting on Russell Street. That's the name of the street, Russell Street.

[06:58]

And then Russell Street is in Berkeley. And Berkeley is in America. And America is on the world. This round piece of earth. The world is on the? Universe. No, on outer space. Space. And outer space is on a galaxy. Yes. And the galaxy is in the universe. In the universe? That means I don't know. I don't know is the best. We know that much, but we don't know a lot more. We think we know a lot more, so we keep trying to learn more and more. But, wherever you are in the universe, you're always Hear now. That's right. Hear it now. So, when we do meditation in this building, it's called za zen.

[08:04]

Za is sitting, and zen is just this. Just sit. Just sit. Nothing else. Let's do that. Just like this. Sit up straight. Can you cross your legs? And we'd be very still. Did you ever play statues? No. Just sit very still and just sit. Now, breathe. And listen. See if you can hear. Just see if you can hear what you can hear. Just let yourself hear as far away as you can.

[09:09]

And very still. Be very still. It's hard to be still. Maybe the hardest thing. Well, that was very good. And then, at the end, we bow. Well, thank you for being such good Zen students. Today, our service, we had the memorial service for Dogen Zenji, who, as you know, went to China and brought back the Tsao Tung teaching, the Soto school teaching from China.

[11:10]

which we practice today, and Dogen is quite a towering figure in Japanese Buddhism, and his philosophical, so-called philosophical works and are not really exactly philosophy, because in the East philosophy and practice go together. Abstract philosophy is not practiced, or abstract philosophy is not prevalent in the East, because philosophy is about something, about practice, more than abstract. So Dogen's writings are difficult, but not because they're abstract, but because they are all based on

[12:23]

the principle of non-duality. And the most difficult thing for us to understand is non-duality of duality. So Dogen's works are very much koans. Almost every line or paragraph is a kind of koan for us, because his work, his thinking, is all in the non-dualistic realm, which is basic Mahayana Buddhism and beyond. So in honor of Dogen, Dogen was born in 1200. died in 1254, I think, and I went to China and, as I said, brought back this Soto Zen teaching as his touchstone. And so I want to comment on his work, which we're all familiar with, called the

[13:36]

Dogen wrote Fukan Zazen-gi, one of his early works when he came back from China, and it's called the Universal Promotion of the Principles of Zazen. So Zazen was, of course, Dogen's all of his writing, a hundred fascicles of Shobo Genzo, are really based on Zazen, this very simple practice. So it's amazing how much he could, came forth from him based on this simple fact of Zazen. So fukan zazengi basically means universal practice of the principles of zazen and what it means for practice.

[14:51]

So he starts out by saying the way is basically perfect and all-pervading. In other words, the dharma, the way of practice is perfect. Perfect is okay. There are a lot of terms that are translated and have various shades of meaning. You could also say complete. The way is basically complete or perfect and pervades everywhere. So we're always in the realm of the way, whether we know it or not. And the way is simply open. The Dharma, the Tao is simply open. The Mumon, the gateless gate is always open. And all we have to do is walk through wherever we are in whatever we're doing.

[15:58]

But we don't realize it. So the way is basically complete or perfect and all-pervading. So how could it be contingent on practice and realization? In other words, why do we have to do anything if the way is perfect and all-pervading? If everyone has Buddha nature, all beings are Buddha nature, why do we have to do anything to attain enlightenment? And this was Dogen's, question when he went to China. So how could it be contingent upon practice and realization? The dormant vehicle is free and unhindered. What need is there for concentrated effort? Indeed, the whole body is far beyond the world's dust.

[17:01]

Who could believe in a means to brush it clean? It is never apart from one right where one is. So what's the use of going off here and there to practice? So this is Dogen's basic question, and then he answers the question. He says, and yet, if there is the slightest discrepancy or division, the way is as distant as heaven from earth. If the least like or dislike arises, the mind is lost in confusion. So if there is the slightest discrepancy, in other words, discrepancy here means dividing, being dualistic. So for really understanding what the dharma is, we have to experience the oneness of duality. So the slightest discrepancy is to fall into duality, like and dislike.

[18:20]

If the least like or dislike arises, picking and choosing, the mind is lost in confusion. Suppose one gains pride of understanding and inflates one's own enlightenment. glimpsing the wisdom that runs through all things, attaining the way and clarifying the mind, raising an aspiration to climb to the very pinnacle of the sky. So these are all, of course, enlightened aspirations. One is simply making the initial partial excursions about the frontier, but is still somewhat deficient in the vital way of total emancipation. He's talking about striving, striving for enlightenment.

[19:25]

You may be striving for enlightenment and glimpsing the wisdom that runs through all things, attaining the way and clarifying the mind, and you gain this pride of understanding. So for Dogen, and for any enlightened teacher, pride, or it's another term for ego, pride of understanding, is probably the hardest thing to control for one who is an experienced practitioner. One may be very learned and have insight and so forth, but if this pride of understanding arises, it's worse than not knowing anything at all.

[20:29]

So what he's talking about here is someone who feels that they have gained enlightenment and they're very proud of their understanding and feel that they're finished. That's what he's talking about. Then he talks about the Buddha and and other enlightened people. Nina mentioned the Buddha, who was possessed of inborn knowledge. The influence of his six years of upright sitting is noticeable still, or Bodhidharma's transmission of the mind seal. The fame of his nine years of wall sitting is celebrated to this day. Since this was the case with the saints of old, or with the sages of old, how can we today dispense with negotiation of the way?" In other words, even Buddha, even Shakyamuni,

[21:42]

did six years of Zazen before he was enlightened, and Bodhidharma sat him facing the wall for nine years. So these people practiced even though they had inborn enlightenment. So he's getting to the to his point here by saying that even though we all have inborn knowledge and inborn intuition, we still have to practice. It doesn't mean that you don't have to do something. So the point here is, why do you have to do something? If we all have Buddha nature and insight, why do we have to do something? So this is where he brings out his understanding that practice itself is enlightenment.

[22:54]

Enlightenment without practice is just an idea. That's his point. So then he says, you should therefore cease from practice based on intellectual understanding. Pursuing words and following after speech and learn the backward step that turns your light inward to illuminate the self. Body and mind of themselves will drop away and your original face will be manifest. If you want to attain suchness, you should practice suchness without delay. Suchness is zen. Zen is, I mean, actually it's suchness. And this is what I was talking to the kids about, just this, is suchness, just this. So of course, intellectual understanding is important, words are important, speech is important, but nothing is as important as turning the light inward.

[24:10]

So how do we turn the light inward? What does that mean, to turn the light inward? Each one of us is actually a vehicle for light. Human being is a vehicle for light. And when we sit zazen, the light, because of the limitation of our activity, the light becomes evident and bright. If you light a match outdoors, Doesn't make much difference. But if you light a match in the closet, it lights up the whole closet. So this is turning the light inward. When you light the match in the closet, it lights up the whole closet. And then that light becomes evident.

[25:14]

So then he talks about zazen as sanzen. Sanzen is a word that is usually in Rinzai, san means interview with a teacher, but here it means zazen. So I'll just say for zazen, a quiet room is suitable Eat and drink moderately. Cast aside all involvements and cease all affairs. In other words, drop the world. Do not think good or bad. This is non-duality. Do not administer pros and cons. Cease all the movements of the conscious mind, engaging of all thoughts and views. Have no designs on becoming a Buddha. Satsang has nothing whatever to do with sitting or lying down. There are the four postures, sitting, standing, walking, and flying? No. Sitting, standing, walking, and lying down.

[26:21]

So zazen is not one of those postures, even though when we sit, it's not sitting, usual sitting, it's sitting in just this. So at the site of your regular sitting, spread out a thick matting and place a cushion above it. Sit either in the full lotus or half lotus position. That's ideal, but not necessary. In the full lotus position, you first place your right foot on your left thigh and your left foot on your right thigh. In the half lotus, you simply put your left foot against your right thigh and you should have your robes and belt loosely bound and arranged in order. Then place your right hand on your left leg and your left palm on your right palm, thumb tips touching, then sit upright and correct bodily posture.

[27:23]

neither inclining to the left or the right, neither leaning forward nor backward. Be sure your ears are on a plane with your shoulders and your nose in line with your navel. Place your tongue against the roof of your mouth with teeth and lips both shut. Your eyes should always remain open and you should breathe gently through your nose. This is basic Zazen instruction. And you should give yourself basic Zazen instruction every time you sit Zazen. Then you won't fall into bad habits. It's easy to fall into bad habits when you sit zazen, when you don't give yourself zazen instruction. If you know how to give yourself zazen instruction and you do that every time you sit, then it's very easy for you to give zazen instruction to somebody else because you know what you're doing. But if you don't do that, then you lose touch with what is really going on. in Zazen, so often people will be sitting, but they're not sitting Zazen.

[28:25]

Also, when he says, sit upright in correct bodily posture, don't lean forward or backward, and so forth. So Zazen really depends on balance, and balance is basically balancing our upright energy with our ease or relaxation. If I say relax, relax is not a good word to use for satsang because then people will think you mean but to sit upright with energy, full energy, balanced with ease. So the balance of total energetic activity with total ease is how we sit Zazen.

[29:39]

And that's what we should always be working toward all the time. Then you don't get tired. You don't feel, you actually induce energy. And you feel this freedom, wonderful freedom. So he says, once you have adjusted your posture, take a deep breath, inhale and exhale, rock your body right and left and settle into a steady, immobile sitting position. And then he says, think, not thinking. How do you think? Not thinking, not thinking. This in itself is the essential way of zazen. He says art of zazen, but art is a funny kind of word. I don't think zen is an art, it's a way. So I don't know if art is the best translation. But,

[30:41]

So this is the koan of Zazen. People say sometimes, well, you know, in Soto Zen, they don't have koans. But actually, Zazen itself is a great koan. And some people have a koan, and they sit in Zazen with the koan, like Mu, or something like that. But actually, when you do that, the koan that you're thinking about becomes more important than the zazen. So in zazen, think not thinking is a koan. Zazen itself is the koan. You don't need something extra. That's why sitting is just sitting. Shikantaza. Shikantaza is just sitting, as sitting.

[31:50]

Not as solving a koan or something like that. Just sitting is itself the great koan. Shikantaza is the koan that includes all koans. Which is not to say that we shouldn't study various koans. But if we practice Shikantaza, this is the basis of all koans. So, what is think not thinking? Non-thinking. But actually, beyond thinking and not thinking. If we say it's not thinking, that's not right. And if we say it's thinking, that's not right. It's thinking, not thinking. That's the koan. Not falling into grasping or aversion.

[32:56]

So it's really the entry into nonduality. Then he says, the zazen I speak of is not learning meditation. It is simply the dharmagate of repose and bliss. The practice realization of totally cultivated, culminated enlightenment. So for Dogen, practice is enlightenment, enlightenment is practice, and they are inseparable. You may have a Satori experience or an enlightenment experience, but enlightenment experience, so-called, is not as important as practice.

[34:13]

People tend to, when you read a lot of literature, there's this idea that what you're doing is trying to reach Satori. or enlightenment, which is this big prize, which is big ego. Throw it away. There's nothing wrong with enlightenment. Enlightenment is practice. This is the hardest thing to realize because we think, easily think, well, this is just my everyday life. This is just, you know, nothing special. Great enlightenment is nothing special. This is our great koan, the koan of our practice. Great enlightenment is nothing special.

[35:16]

And when we understand that, we have our freedom. How do you find your freedom right where you are doing what you're doing on this moment without interfering or thinking that it's somewhere else? Shakyamuni Buddha says, just lay down the burden. My whole teaching is, just lay down the burden. Lay down all the stuff you're carrying around. There's no super place to be. If you find yourself in some super place, that's great, but it's not necessarily enlightenment. I remember in the 60s, LSD was the big thing, and Suzuki Roshi, people were trying to get Suzuki Roshi to take LSD.

[36:34]

And he says, LSD may be really great, you know, wonderful, and you may have this wonderful trip, you know, but it's not enlightenment. You can go ahead and do that if that's what you like to do, but it's not enlightenment. So he says, the zazen I speak of is not learning meditation. In other words, it's not step-by-step learning meditation. It's not one of the meditation practices. It's a sansen which covers all the meditation practices in there fundamentally. It is the dharmagate of repose and bliss once you let go, the practice realization of totally culminated enlightenment.

[37:37]

It is the manifestation of ultimate reality. Traps and snares cannot reach it. Once its heart is grasped, you are like the dragon when the dragon gains the water, and like the tiger when the tiger enters the mountain. Those are the places where the tiger and the dragon like to be, for you must know that there, in Zazen, the right dharma is manifesting itself, and that from the first, dullness and distraction are struck aside. I mean, that's open to controversy. We don't think that when we're falling asleep, right? Nevertheless, if you get a good night's sleep, you can do this. When you arise from sitting, move slowly and quietly, calmly and deliberately, and don't rise suddenly or abruptly. In surveying the past, we find that transcendence of both unenlightenment and enlightenment and dying while either sitting or standing have all depended entirely on the strength of zazen.

[38:42]

We find transcendence above unenlightenment. Delusion and enlightenment are simply two aspects of one thing. So enlightenment, beyond enlightenment, beyond duality, beyond, unenlightenment and enlightenment is true enlightenment. So we have to understand and realize and accept that we live in the world of delusion. But to live in the world of delusion with enlightenment is enlightenment. So to realize our delusion is enlightenment. To know the difference between delusion and enlightenment while we're living within the realm of delusion, without creating a duality between delusion and enlightenment.

[39:55]

And I'm not ready for questions yet. Dying while either sitting or standing, you know, he's making allusions to various He's saying the third patriarch in China held onto a branch and he said, goodbye, die. So I'm going to leave you now. And, don't worry about me, he died. So, in addition, the bringing about of enlightenment by the opportunity provided by a finger, which is an allusion to Bhute, and his one finger Zen. A banner, which is an allusion to Mahakasyapa, enlightening Ananda. Take down the banner, take down the flagpole at the gate, Ananda.

[40:59]

was not enlightened, and he couldn't attend, after Shakyamuni's death, he couldn't attend the Arhats meeting to decide what was Buddhism and what was not. So he became enlightened by Mahakasyapa. Mahakasyapa, I don't wanna talk too much about this, but in those days, one set up the flagpole, a monk would set up a flagpole and invite other people to come and have a debate. And Ananda memorized everything that Shakyamuni had said, apparently. And he was ready to debate anybody, so he set up a flagpole. Mahakasyapa came along and said, Ananda, Ananda said, what? Mahakasyapa said, take down the flagpole at the gate, and Ananda was enlightened, and then he could attend the conference.

[42:13]

a needle or a mallet, the effecting of realization with the aid of a whisk, a fist, a staff, or a shout. These are all means by which people are enlightened. It cannot be fully understood by discriminative thinking. Indeed, it cannot be fully known by the practicing of realization of supernatural powers either. I would read you those, but we don't have time. There must be deportment beyond hearing and seeing. Is it not a principle that is prior to knowledge and perceptions? So in other words, this realization of practice enlightenment in zazen goes beyond all these things. This being the case, intelligence or lack of it does not matter. Between the dull and the sharp-witted, there's no distinction. If you concentrate your effort single-mindedly, That in itself is negotiating the way. Practice realization is naturally undefiled, and going forward in practice is a matter of everydayness, not some special time.

[43:20]

That's why our practice is daily practice. Nothing special, just come and practice for the sake of practice, not to gain something. not to get some special thing. If you understand, can appreciate every single moment, no matter what's happening, then you have some realization. Without choosing and picking, we tend to think that enlightenment is some wonderful thing, and it is. And the thing that's wonderful about it is that we can appreciate our adversity. If we learn to appreciate every moment, no matter what is happening, that's enlightenment. When you pick and choose, it's not, that's delusion. But we live in the world of picking and choosing.

[44:25]

Nevertheless, so I know it's time to go, but I'm just gonna finish this. In general, this world and other worlds as well, both India and China, equally hold the Buddha seal, and overall prevails the character of the school, which is simply devotion to sitting, total engagement in immobile sitting. Although it is said that there are as many minds as there are persons, still they all negotiate the way wholeheartedly in zazen. Why leave behind the seat that exists in your home and go aimlessly off to dusty realms of other lands? It's right here. If you make one, if you make a misstep, you go astray from the way directly before you. So this kind of refers to the prodigal son or daughter who goes off looking the world around for, you know,

[45:31]

and then returns home to find that it's right here. I don't say you don't have to do that, but it is right here. You have gained the pivotal opportunity of human form. Do not use your time in vain. You are maintaining the essential working of the Buddha way. Who would take wasteful delight in a spark from the Flintstone? Form and substance are like the dew on the grass, destiny like the dart of lightning, emptied in an instant, vanished in a flash. Please honored followers of Zen, long accustomed to groping for the elephant, like, you know, that one. Do not be suspicious of the true dragon. Those are two stories right there, but devote your energies to a way that directly indicates the absolute. Revere or respect the person of complete attainment who is beyond all human agency, that is, no longer seeking outside. Gain accord with the enlightenment of the Buddhas and succeed to the legitimate lineage of the ancestors' samadhi.

[46:39]

That's another story. Constantly perform in such a manner and you are assured of being a person such as they. Your treasure store will open of itself and you will use it at will. questions, but after tea, we have 20 minutes of questions. I'll come back and send them. Thank you for your patience.

[47:12]

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