workshop in Dogen Zenji's perspective. The idea of faith and practice in Dogen Zenji's perspective is not new, new one, but the pre-creation. We create through the history of or Buddhism in China, in India, in Japan also, where nobody haven't paid attention to. Basically, if you study carefully for Buddhist teaching, very naturally, will all come to in the same way as Tolkien did, he mentioned about faith or about practice.

[01:17]

So, Tolkien's perspective is very creative, very creative in a sense. if you study buddhism until you know pretty well very basic buddhist teaching is the faith in our being we are exactly buddha this is a buddhist teaching and also we have to believe If you believe in the Buddha's teaching which we are absolutely Buddha from the very beginning, wherever you are, but we have to practice on the basis of this belief.

[02:30]

So from this point, faith and practice is just relationship of thought and practice. For instance, thought means ideal. Seeking for the truth, idealistically or For instance, if you want to go to San Francisco, first of all, you want to make a plan. Psychologically, or philosophically, or geographically.

[03:35]

Anyway, in many ways, you have to make a plan how to reach San Francisco. If you get an idea of how to get to San Francisco, your practice must be exactly based on your idea, what you have had. So that is thought and practice must be one. But in the history of Buddhism, many schools, Buddhist schools emphasize this. We are Buddha. And also, we know pretty well, we are Buddha. Three of us are Buddha. All sentient beings are Buddha. But, if you start to practice, you don't practice in our way. Because we are practically, we are not Buddha. We are stinking. Do you understand? We are stinking.

[04:37]

Very stinking. We are not Buddha. Even though Buddha says we are Buddha. That's why, why don't you practice as a Buddha? Your practice, you do. The practice you have made is not your practice. That is a Buddha's practice. In terms of Buddha's eyes, your practice is not something you do, but practice drawn in by Buddhas and patriarchs. This is very important. So if you make a plan exactly idealistically to South Africa, how to get to San Francisco, anyway, you'll practice exactly from the beginning, anyway, based on your ideas. So who are going to San Francisco? Okay? So according to your viewpoint, you believe you are going to San Francisco, but I don't think so.

[05:43]

That is, you are going to, with a Buddha, means, anyway, big ideas. Idea of how to get to San Francisco. So idea of how to get to San Francisco leads you to, anyway, getting into the practice. Do you understand? Very natural. According to the, anyway, broad scale, Anyway, your practice is, anyway, not something you do. Your plans, and also many conditions, and the presence of San Francisco's, of United States, anyway, gives you a chance, gives you a chance to practice what you need is trick. So, anyway, our practice, Our practice must be exactly based on this Buddhist teaching we are.

[06:52]

So, at this point, we were in the Buddhist teaching. According to many Buddhist schools, we believe we are a Buddha, but practically we don't. For instance, Zen Buddhism. Rinzai Zen, or for a kind of Zen, in United States. We believe we are poor. But practically we don't believe we are poor. Because you are not poor, that's why you have to attain enlightenment. Why do you have to attain enlightenment? Because you are not poor. Do you think so? Psychologically, or even slightly if you think, I want to attain enlightenment. At that time it means what? It means you are not present right now. That's why you have to attain enlightenment. Where is the enlightenment? Enlightenment is in front of you.

[07:56]

So if you see the enlightenment in front of you, how do you understand enlightenment? Because enlightenment is far away from you. This is the Buddha's teaching anyway, okay? For instance, according to psychological, we can explain it there. The real psychological, very simple, according to Buddhist, the simple analysis. You know, the human cognition come to existence according to three points, six consciousnesses and six objects and six organs. and then six organs face to the object, so-called microphones, and then microphones exist in the outside of you, apart from you, assimilated with your six organs.

[09:06]

In other words, six organs are just like a mirror. Except 17, just like a camera. If you open your camera, immediately your object is reflected in the camera. That is a six-sense organ. Then that is called to be assimilated with six-sense organs. Consciousness participated in the function of the six sensor organs and six objects. Then six consciousnesses understand, oh, this is microphone. So what does consciousness understand? Microphone, Are the objects existing apart from you?

[10:12]

No. At that time, you never have a chance to understand the microphone. But after you understand the microphone, where is the microphone? Where is the microphone? Microphone is not an object. Apart from you, microphone is in you. That's where you understand the microphone. Okay? Do you understand? That is really true. So same applies to enlightenment, Buddha's, or emptiness. If you see, if you believe, I have to attain enlightenment because I am not Buddha. If so, enlightenment exists apart from you. At that time, if you seek for such a kind of enlightenment, you never have enlightenment. So enlightenment is going away from you.

[11:16]

The more you try to get, the more enlightenment goes away from you. Finally, you become crazy. Or if you are a lucky boy, maybe you can see, you can understand that enlightenment by your text. Or intuition. Intuition and telepathy is very sneaky. Very fickle. Because intuition is also instinctive knowing. Functional, instinctive. Just like a bird in a church. But even though you know enlightenment which exists apart from you, By your intuition, it's not really enlightened. So, anyway, important point is you are already enlightened.

[12:23]

That's why if you practice Zazen, enlightenment comes up. Because you have already. You are already enlightened. Otherwise, you never attain enlightenment. So important point is, if you believe you are Buddha, anyway, you have to practice from the beginning. Well, based on the Buddha, becoming a Buddha comes with it. This is talking in this understanding. So it's very different from others. Other schools, other schools always be outward about the U.N. and put us on practice hard. They have a big doubt in Latin enlightenment. Maybe they don't say it in that way. But anyway, checking you in the court.

[13:31]

Why do you have to check my court? It's not necessary to check you by corn, by teacher, by tree. You are already enlightened exactly. If so, all you have to do is what? You have to do practice just tuning in to the rhythm of Buddha. Anyway, there is a zazen and getting up in the morning, washing your face, now for meal, and go to school, and studies, are all of Buddha's practice. According to your viewpoint, the practice you do is not your practice. It is Buddha's practice. Because you are Buddha. So all you have to do is, through your body and mind, in a way, manifest the Buddha.

[14:34]

Buddha means, in a way, that is emptiness. But that is the Buddha's teaching. Buddha means simply speaking that only your existence doesn't make sense. Apart from others. Just like a bean, a bean. Rosary, rosary. A bean, a bean. One bead doesn't make sense. For the rosary, anywhere rosary, value of the rosary, a bead, bead, bead, comes into existence when it is connected, related with other beads. So individual existence doesn't make sense.

[15:40]

But your acronyms always stick to individual existence. I, always. My, my. Or I, always. I don't care. So this is, so from this point, your value of your existence is what? the I which exists in co-relationship with Osho. At that time, you are not something so-called you which you can take hold of. So finally, you as a Buddha is very vast, This is a buddha, so-called buddha. So if you catch me, oh this is a buddha, buddha says karagiri is buddha.

[16:45]

And then I say, I got it, this is not a buddha. So finally next moment, which karagiri? Buddha disappears. A different karagiri comes up. And then I hit it. And then I try to escape. The next moment buddha appears, oh this is a buddha. There is nothing to grasp exactly. Because this is Buddha's teaching. So that is the principle of Buddha. So you become very fast. So today I want to say faith. About faith.

[17:50]

The faith is a very difficult subject. in the spiritual life. But we have to understand this. So I would like to explain faith in terms of two points. Faith must be understood at first point as usual sense of faith, usual sense of faith. Second, the faith as bodhicitta. Are you familiar with this term? Bodhicitta. Bodhicitta means, actually we translate it to the way-seeking mind. Way-seeking mind. In Japanese we say hoshin or bodhichin.

[18:59]

Anyway, bodhicitta, body-mind. So, a face. First, the face, what you have usually understood, is the face which has always its own object. That object of the face is down. So faith is, from this point, we may say that faith is the first step to get into the Dharma. So that is called faith. So Dharma means the truth.

[20:06]

Okay? The truth. So here, Dogen Zenji says in Gakudo no Jinshu, pointing out to the practice. You can see it in Master Dogen. He says, those who would practice the way should first of all believe in it. So those who want to practice Buddhist teaching, the way means the ultimate source of existence. Ultimate source of existence. In which human beings and also all sentient beings you know, exist and pass through.

[21:10]

This is the way, we say the way. So if you want to practice the way means that if you want to practice spiritual life or if you want to practice the truth, truth means freedom anyway. So religious practice is anyway freedom. to practice freedom. This is called spiritual practice, life, or religious life. Religious life is not only to believe in something anyway, but to be free from any idea of religious practice, so-called belief, or practice, or Buddha, or whatever it is. So spiritual life is You need to be liberated. That is a spiritual life. So, if you want to practice the way so-called spiritual life or freedom, should first of all believe in, in a way, the freedom.

[22:31]

Freedom is only within. And freedom is in the human world. Truth is present everywhere. Other one. So, that's why the wisdom says, those who practice the way should first of all believe in it. Those who believe in the way should believe that they have been in the way from the beginning. So what is the faith in the way? Faith in the way is to believe that you have been. You are what you have been or you will be. Continue on it forever, present from the very beginning, right in the middle of the way.

[23:32]

The truth. Freedom. So this is the faith. And then, so that's why the faith is, according to the first point, the first step to get into the truth. Or the faith is to pave the way toward entering or approaching the truth. This is the faith, in the usual sense. So, Buddhism says, in awakening of faith, in the book, Awakening of the Faith.

[24:39]

It says, there is a Dharma which can awaken in us the root of faith in Mahayana Buddhism. There is a Dharma, okay? There is a Dharma which awakens which can awaken in us the root of faith. The root means the source which creates something, which brings about something and promotes its growth. This is the root. The root of faith is to bring about something wholesome to benefit you and promote, help.

[25:45]

Help promote. Help you promote the growth of your life. Do you understand this? That is the root of faith. So faith is That's why faith in Abhidharmakosha, it says that faith is, what to say, limited and clear. Faith is limited and clear. Lucid? Oh. I think it's different. Just like a water. Trunk. Lucid. Lucid. Lucid and clean. So a very natural faith is, faith is exactly pointing out to the ultimate source of existence and also individual existence.

[27:16]

Your existence and also co-existence. Trees existence, others existence. That is the faith. So that's why the Abhidharmakosha says faith is lucid and clear. Lucid and clear means you cannot touch it. You cannot touch it. If you touch it, it's not lucid. It's not clear. Even though you say, I have a faith, that time it's not faith. It is already contaminated by the idea of faith. You have grieved. That's why human beings always create trouble. According to the religion. Look at the Israel. And Syria. Always fighting. Religious fighting. So, faith is lucid and clear.

[28:22]

Means you can't touch it at all. Absolutely you can't. So this is our Buddhist faith. That's why next, Dogen then says, Subject to neither delusion, illusive thoughts, and confused ideas, nor increase, decrease, and mistaken, understanding, mistaken understanding. This is the essence of studying the way. So what is lucidness and clear of faith? This is exactly no delusions, no elusive thoughts, no confused ideas, no increase, no decrease, no mistaken understanding.

[29:27]

This is essence of studying the way. If you want to study or plot the way, in other words, universe, in other words, you, in the universal perspective, anyway you have to do, you have to live, you have to take care of you, whatever it is, something wholesome or unwholesome or neutral, in the realm of no delusion, No juicy confusion, no juicy thoughts, no mistaken thoughts. That means when you see something, when you stumble over, in a way, stumbling over is an occurrence in the realm of blissful world. So, The basic ultimate source of the stumbling over is not something wrong or not something good.

[30:30]

Because it is emptiness and the Buddha. So all you have to do is, without any delusions or without confused ideas, without mistaking understanding, anyway, all you have to do is just to concentrate on taking care of something or with all heart and mind. That's pretty hard, isn't it? It's a simple practice, but it's pretty hard. But nothing else. You should stand over on the ground. You should stand up on the ground. You cannot stand up in the air. You cannot take a nap in the paradise. because you hate the ground on which you have stumbled. So you hate the ground, but you can't go to the heaven and take it up.

[31:36]

So you have to stand up immediately on the ground. If you stumble over on the ground, you can't use anything else. That's pretty hard, but it's a very simple practice. That's pretty hard. And also, Dogen Zen says, in the Choho Genzo, he says, the root of the faith is that which is free from oneself and another. Faith, the root of the faith means that you are the ultimate source of you, your existence. The reality, source of your reality is completely free from you, and others. That means Wusid.

[32:39]

That is Wusid nature and Kriya nature. So-called freedom, liberation. That's why you can go anywhere. You can do anything that you like. So, the root of faith is that which is free from oneself and another, that which is not brought by one's intentional conclusion, nor by one's fabrication, nor by one's persuasion, nor by regulations one built up. So this is a fake. So-called faith is rucid and clear. You cannot touch it. But you are always in the realm of ultimate natures because this is you.

[33:48]

But you cannot touch it. That's why this is a little bit more confused. A little bit difficult to understand but If you practice doesn't, gradually you understand this. So, face the root of the faith, that which is free from oneself and another, that which is not brought by one's intentional comparisons. No one gives, no one forces you to believe in something. Maybe you can believe, just like a, well, Unconscious advertisement, you believe very well. How wonderful, you know, how wonderful stuff is through the advertisement on TV. Unconscious advertisement, do you know that? Unconscious advertisement is always one minute, you know, on the screen.

[34:52]

So you hate it. But if you hate, you are already contaminated by unconscious advertisement. So it's very effective. So, if you don't care, don't be angry. Or don't enjoy. Or don't be neutral. You are completely okay. Absolutely okay. At that time, you are free from unconscious advertisement. But if you see it, immediately your consciousness starts to work. Your consciousness is cool. So, very naturally you believe, but this is not the real belief. So by the teachings, by the Buddhist doctrines, if you believe, but this is the idea of the faith.

[35:58]

In a sense, it is helpful for you. first step. So, a real faith is that which is free from one self and another, that which is not brought by one's intentional compulsion, nor by your creation, nor by your deification. You really create something. And believing the face of the Buddha, you know, and then you really believe it. That belief sometimes could make your life happy. But it's not real faith. That is, if you believe in such a faith, it is hallucination of the faith. So, nor by others' persuasions, nor by regulations, one builds up.

[37:14]

Therefore, it is infinitely transmitted from West to East, wherever you are. You are American, you are Japanese, wherever you are. Faith comes into existence wherever you may go. But if you anyway stick to some idea of faith according to your common sense, sometimes it really disturbs your life as well. Okay, so that is the first point, so-called face, which you have usually believed. So that face I told you before has its own face, object.

[38:20]

So this face probably may pave the way toward approach, the approach to the truth, of entering the truth. But the second point, the face as the bodhicitta, this face as the bodhicitta is not the face as the first step to enter into are the truths. The faith that's our bodhicitta is the faith which must be subjectified.

[39:27]

Subjectified. It must be alive in your life, in your daily living. This is the second point. Faith as Bodhicitta. For this, in order to make the faith alive in your daily life, I want to say you who believe in something must be empty. You must be selfless. so-called I-believe.

[40:32]

The faith you have believed must be emptied, must be free from idea of faith. So very naturally there is a negation of the self. Whatever it is, whatever you believe, something good or something evil, whatever you believe, anyway, Anything you have belief must be free from you. You must be free from anything you have belief. Because faith is lucid and clear, very clear. Then when you yourself are emptied or denied or negated, that time faith itself manifests as it really is, very naturally, doors open.

[41:47]

For instance, if you come into this room, let's imagine this room is very messy and also rock'n'roll music, loudly. And people are fighting each other, screaming. Then you come in. You try to meditate. You try to return to faith which is lucid and clear. You can't do it. It's pretty hard. The more you try to do, the more you become crazy. Do you think so? So the important point is, if you want to be returning to the ultimate source which is lucid and clear, well, according to these circumstances, it must be clear and lucid. Peoples are lucid and clear. Then you become it. Very naturally, you become lucid and clear.

[42:53]

That's why are all things you believe. You must be free from anything you have believed. At that time, this room must be free from idea of this room, or the idea of this room coming from you, coming from others. Anyway, this room must be completely free, which is called lucidness and clearness. At that time, you become spontaneously, positively lucid and clear. That means you are denied, negated. If you and any ideal you believe is negated, at that time real faith, the door of the real faith opens. as it really is, spontaneously, positively.

[44:01]

So from this point, real faith is, I want to say, spontaneous open of the door, which is clearness, which is the unclearness and lucidness. In your life, That is called real faith. That time it is called faith. That is a Bodhicitta. You are negated. You are completely negated. Negated doesn't mean to destroy your existence. That anything you have believed or you have thought, anyway by your consciousness, Anything fabricated by you, by your consciousness, anyway, should be put aside for a while and see you and others in the universal perspective.

[45:08]

Open yourself. At that time, faith comes up. Just think of this room, Zen Do. Zen Do is completely free, free toward you. This is open, completely. Whoever comes. Then at that time, I don't say, or you don't say anything to anybody. But people feel. People can open their new heart in this temple. So that is called real faith. Real faith is exercise. It means ultimate source. ultimate source of individual existence is really exercised spontaneously, positively. When the circumstances is free from you, free from others, free from intentional comparisons, others' persuasions, anyway, regulations, etc., that time your life becomes flowers, blooming, naturally.

[46:20]

This is a faith. so-called bodhicitta. Bodhicitta should be understood in two points. One is bodhicitta as so-called effort, so-called energy. Effort is just like energy. Helping to achieve or accomplish something. Accomplish the goal, what you want to do. That is energy. So energy, effort, is different from action. Effort is just like energy to support you

[47:23]

to help your life. Constantly. So, the bodhicitta is kind of an effort of moving toward any way to ultimate source of existence. Constantly. Under all circumstances. Any way you try. Okay? So, in the dictionary, effort is physical and mental energy to do something, to achieve something. This is the effort. This is the bodhicitta. And second bodhicitta is practicing self, action, as action, as a practice. So I am talking about bodhicitta as an effort, energy, support your life. Faith and bodhicitta is just like energy to support the whole house by additional pillars.

[48:36]

The whole house is sort of leading to the light. Your life is just like the whole house. Don't you think so? If you look at your life, You don't feel the new house, okay? Fancy, nice, vivid house. If you look at your life, immediately your life becomes old house. Just like an old donkey or a horse which has been injured in many places. I'm going to old barns. Do you understand? That is your life. If you look over your life, you are just like old donkeys.

[49:38]

Going to the old barns. Carrying the last of the injured. Scars. Just like my operations. Scars. So... Bit naturally you become mad. If you look at your life like this. So you become mad. I feel lazy. Lazy. I'm sorry. You become lazy. You become, you hate your life. In order to be free from this, all the household, all donkey going to the open, anyway you must, you need, anyway, Effort is images. So in Abhidharmas, if you have a time, read the philosophy and psychology in Abhidharma. It explains effort.

[50:39]

Definition of effort. In Sanskrit we say vr, v-i-r-y-r-a. It's very interesting definition. Let me read a little bit. While confidence and respect paves the way toward our goal, it is only energy via or via inquiry that we are able to achieve the goal or actually set out for its attainment. Energy is thus the behavior of the energetic man, as well as the active activity displayed by him. So very naturally, bodhicitta is bodhicitta as an effort, as an energy, but the next moment, bodhicitta leads you to get into the actual activity.

[51:50]

So that's why in Dogen Zen, it says always, Bodhicitta and practice and enlightenment nirvana goes in circle endlessly without cutting off. So bodhicitta immediately leads you to connect to the practice, actual practice. Because it's energy. But I am talking about just the energy. Next day or tomorrow maybe I can talk more. So energy is the behavior of the energetic man as well as the activity displayed by him or it denotes that which is to be effected or carried out methodically and by suitable means. suitable is intended in the sense of bringing about beneficial results.

[53:04]

It is dominance in the sense of sovereignty by overpowering idleness. Effort is Effort leads you to overcome sublimity of mindfulness. That's the effort. Bodhicitta, the way-seeking mind, physically or mentally, any way you should have energy toward moving toward the approach of the truth, ultimate nature. And it is dominance in the sense of lawliness by energetically taking hold of the problem at hand. So energy is, effort is something which you can take hold of problem at hand.

[54:13]

focusing on one. This is energy. This is effort. So in this way, energy is supporting as well as strengthening. And just as an old house stands when supported by additional pillars, as also the aspirant, when supported by energy, doesn't lose the healthy factors, be it some of them or all of them. So also, energy doesn't allow the co-existent and associated functions of fall back and recede, but strengthens and reinforces them. This energy is not the physical output but it is that which penetrates the whole attitude and mental outlook of man dealing with the problem of attaining spiritual maturity.

[55:30]

It is itself graded according to intensity according to the intensity of the manifestation Do you understand effort, human effort? The bodhicitta is just like an energy leading you to move towards truth under all circumstances. This is an energy freeing you from idleness, laziness. When you look back over your life, you become immediately all-encompassing. So, I want to say one more thing.

[57:09]

You don't understand still our faith is rooted and clear. but you can't pin down what it is. But this is real life, real life, whatever you do. I want to say this point. Faith, which is lucid and clear, is going beyond your intellectual knowledge. Why is it we have to seek for this faith? Because the ultimate source of existence is exactly in accord with the foundation of individual existence. So at any cost, everybody has to tune into the dial of the rhythm of the ultimate source of existence.

[58:14]

Then, at that time, you can exist in peace and harmony with all such beings. But unfortunately, his faith is completely lucid and clear, which you cannot pin down what it is. That is the point, the problem. But this is the ultimate source of reality which you are present in. For instance, when you want to be a baseball player, every day you have to run here and there in the baseball ground, catching the ball hit by coach. You don't know where the ball comes. You cannot read the coach's mind, where the coach is hitting the ball for you.

[59:17]

Do you understand? Sometimes the coach is really mean, you know, to let you run here and there, not logically, really illogically. He takes care of you as a baseball player. So every day you have to... Anyway, important point is wherever ball comes, you have to catch it. In order to catch, you have to always move it to the right, to the left. There is no guarantee where the ball comes. But you always do it. It is useful. That practice is useful. You think so. Oh, this is maybe useful. But maybe, even though you practice like this, maybe you cannot be the number one of the baseball players.

[60:19]

Still, end of the baseball player? The last risk, last rank, excuse me, last rank of baseball players. But you are outstanding here and there. There is no guarantee you become, you will be the number one baseball player. But you do the same thing as the other two. But intellectually you believe it is useful. But strictly speaking, you don't know. Did you think so? Why do you practice? You believe practice is helpful. Or someday you believe that it is helpful. But the next day you don't know why you do Zazen. Because Zazen doesn't help you at all. Because you have to come back to the human world. Don't you think so? So you believe for what is Zazen? So one day you believe Zazen is useful.

[61:20]

So day by day you do Zazen. Then when you believe Zazen is useful, at that time you really appreciate Zazen. It's still very eventful. You don't know. For a certain period of time you believe that. But I hear it's not. So sooner or later, you don't believe that it is useful. So finally your office questions, why do you do that? Don't you think that? Finally you say, well, Karage says the office doesn't. And then you say, I believe Buddha. That's great. You know, when you say, I believe Buddha. Well, what do you mean to believe in Buddha? Still, this is also complete beyond usefulness or uselessness. Buddha said faith.

[62:21]

There is a logical sense here? Yes, some sense. Philosophical sense. I explained. That's why I explained Buddha's faith. According to the explanation of the Buddhist faith, you can believe. You can believe in the Buddha's Zazen. But practically, you don't believe because it doesn't make sense in your actual life. How do you do all this? So, strictly speaking, what you do is, anyway, to pour the rain of the total energies within, what to say, within the lucidness and lifting clearness, going beyond uselessness or usefulness. This is your total effort. That's why you exist.

[63:24]

That is the ultimate source of reality in you. Trust me. You don't know? How do you know? Within the realm of you don't know, your effort is really paid. Your total effort is really anyway exercised. That's why you can't support. You cannot survive. Don't you think so? You don't still believe, huh? So if you want to be a baseball player, just run. Here and there in a baseball field, baseball ground. But you can't run here and there on the baseball field ground up front. But under the guidance of a coach. You need a coach. So, right in the middle of running, in order to catch the ball, sometimes you feel senseless.

[64:40]

Why do you do this? Right in the middle of the Zen, can you believe in happiness? You believe. You touch it. That is the real source, the ultimate source of your present reality, day by day. This really supports your life. This energy really supports your life. That is called the way-seeking mind, bodhichitta. So bodhichitta is completely focused on Focus on this day and completely devote yourself into something, one thing, totally. At that time, you don't know whether it is useful or useless.

[65:44]

That is bodhichitta. So you have to create these energies constantly. You don't know what it is. What it is. Zazen is. You don't know Buddha's Zazen because you do Zazen. You don't believe. But anyway, as long as you do Zazen, you do Zazen, you completely earn whether it is useful or useless. Useless. You are doing that. But consciousness always tries to catch, you know, tries to catch from the back of your head. And unfortunately your head is bored. You can't grasp it. Slippery, thin. You have hairs, you know. Your consciousness is always catching up, always. From the behind. Do you understand?

[66:49]

But ultimate source of reality is not something you have to catch up. You have to be right on. You know? When you do Zazen, it's just right on. But the consciousness immediately pulls you back. And then try to catch what Zazen is. At that time, gently it comes up. Use fitness or use force. But it's too late. You already tried to catch, tried to grasp boy's head from the back. You never grasp it. That's why priests always shave their heads. That is the reason why we have to shave our heads as a priest. Nothing to catch it, you know. I'm sorry. You shouldn't be a priest. If you want to get something fascinating, right?

[67:51]

Exciting. You shouldn't shave your head. But if you shave your head, nothing will catch it. You have to always bring it on. This is the Buddhist faith. Hence it's called bodhicitta. You should create this energy. That is very important. So, what I want to tell you is, pay a little more care for attention. The ultimate source of reality, you are always doing something. What is it? It is useful for you or it is useless for you? Whatever you say. You have to survive. You have to be alive. Do you have a question? I just wonder, so faith is not something

[68:56]

We always say, in English, we have faith, but my understanding is we don't have faith, but we must be faith. It's like we must be at peace. Manifest faith, not have faith. Is it possible to have faith? I have. Already have. But beyond you, whether you have a faith or you don't have a faith, you are already a faith. You have already a faith. That's why you are present in faith. Do you understand? It's like we're all Buddha. We all have faith. When you were talking about the microphone, I didn't understand what on that when you said that we have a microphone inside of us.

[70:12]

I didn't understand. Is it perception of the microphone? Perception of the microphone? We're talking about perception. But you don't believe that it's a perception of the microphone. You say, that is really a microphone. But you think so? Now I have another question. Why does it pop? Well, because the real microphone is completely beyond your perception of the microphone. Your understanding comes from Anyway, perception of the microphone reflected in your mirror. So that microphone is already microphone limited by your ideas. That's why if other people look at this microphone, other people don't believe in the microphone in the same way as you believe.

[71:23]

So everyone look at the microphone in a different way. But look at the God, the idea of God, you know, Israel, Syrians, all these different Gods, you know. But they believe in one God, you know. That one God is all you want to see. Rigid, you know. Rigid. One idea of God. But it is not a real God. It is a perception of God. Some persons believe. So from this point, the real microphone is completely free from your possession of the microphone or others' possession of the microphone. Do you understand? This is a microphone as it is, as it is.

[72:32]

So that's why I said you should use a microphone as a Buddha means don't use, don't deal with a microphone according to your sense or feeling or perception. Anyway, you must be a calm leveled mind, peace leveled mind, universal leveled mind. Deal with the microphone. At that time, you can deal with the microphone and the body. Do you understand? At that time, you can really focus and devote yourself to deal with the microphone, with your whole awareness. That is called Ishikara. Yeah, anyway, as long as you are sitting in a proper way, anyway, very naturally you experience.

[73:42]

If you don't experience something, well, there is something wrong. It is so. For instance, if you take a trip in a proper way, very naturally you can see the sinner. It's not necessary. Try to catch the sceneries. Do you understand? Without taking a trip. If you want to get the sceneries, well, why don't you take a trip? Not as a runner. Anyway, improvise. Do you understand? There is an experience. So any kind of experience is just like a scenery. You can see. And then, Real, how to say, total devotion, total devotion to the Zen, right now, right here is like taking a trip, moment to moment.

[74:44]

But it includes scenery, okay? It includes scenery, that's why the scenery comes up, But people don't believe, if you really focus, if you have a total devotion to Zazen right now, right here, they don't believe for scenery is what exists. But the scenery must be excluded. Included. Not excluded. Included. Okay? But if you don't believe this, very naturally, we outdo them logically or intellectually, but you are not blessed. Why don't you get attentive in your experience of enlightenment? This is nothing but a sin. Well, in a sense. In a sense. Strictly speaking, you know. But if you deal with the sin in as improper way as it is, it becomes enlightenment.

[75:52]

In. Tell from your life. Could you say something about resistance? Resistance? Resistance. Resistance. Like, resistance to faith, or resistance to the energy that we need, or resistance to seeing ourself, knowing that, you know, finding a place within us where we're good enough. It seems like the resistance really gets in the way. Is that ego? Yeah, that is resistance. Resistance. Resistance. Resistance. It's ego which creates all idleness, laziness. Why is that coming up? Because you're always looking after... you always create your own world.

[76:57]

Like ego. It's not an ego if you understand it in a proper way. If you understand the world created by you is exactly the world fabricated by you. And that full awareness of the world fabricated by you is helping you. It's not resisting. But if you don't awaken to this, if you always believe the world is is your world and also the truth of the world. At that time, you're really attached to the world you believe. And then if you see somebody who don't believe the world, just like you, you really fight. So, resistance comes from human laziness. Human laziness leads you

[77:58]

Not to see exactly the world as it is. That's why, anyway, strictly speaking, there is no way to resist. So you have to be right on. Complete beyond resistance, or not resistance, complete beyond it. If a person has an idea or belief in the form of Zen Buddhism, it seems like a contradiction to the teaching of Buddhism. The form. The idea. Yeah, as a religion.

[79:03]

That seems to be a contradiction to the teaching of not having a set belief, set idea? I understand, but in a sense I don't understand what you mean. I don't think a form of Zen teaching is not always wrong. Explained by somebody, taught by somebody, is not always wrong. What is the main point of your question? Well, maybe if someone believes that Zen Buddhism is the best religion, it's number one, but the teaching is always like, doesn't teach that.

[80:06]

That is the problem. You mean that. Form of Zen Buddhism. Yeah, if you attach to the form, the teaching is no form, but still is form. Yeah. Well, form of Zen Buddhist teaching is important. Important point is, anyway, form of Zen teaching must be digested through and through by your body and mind. not only digested by your head, okay? That is important. That's why we always teach, our Buddhist teaching always says, anyway, Bodhisattva, the idea of Bodhisattva is not Bodhisattva. That's why it is called Bodhisattva, you know? Means, form of teaching, Buddhist teaching is, are important for this, you have to You have to digest form of teaching means until it becomes one with your body and mind.

[81:19]

Means be free from, going beyond. Going beyond doesn't mean going to the heavens, ignoring the human world or ignoring the form of Buddhist teaching. Going beyond means anyway digest through and through until it becomes energy. through that blood. The end is there. But even though for centuries, from century after century, we all have experienced like this, but there's still a problem. Yeah. Because very human beings are ignorant. Come on. Big hit it.

[82:15]

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