Yes, sir. Welcome. Maybe I should change... Well, I should change to my idea. What? Even though you practice for many years, still emptiness is a very important subject.

[01:19]

You have to understand it correctly. Because most of people feel emptiness, let's say, vain or nothing, nothing in it, very vain or nothing. But this is an entirely misunderstanding of emptiness. Emptiness is that when you see the truth in terms of its function,

[02:21]

At that time the truth is, which is called emptiness. When the truth is exercised in the human world, it is called emptiness. It means no, how to say, residues. Residues. Residues. Residues. Nothing. No residues. It's very clear and lucid. Very lucid. transparent so that means freedom liberation when your life is nearly alive your life is alive means your buddha nature is alive when your buddha nature is alive anyway you are you manifest you can manifest Buddha nature as emptiness.

[03:43]

Lucidness as lucid, lucid as clear. Plainly speaking it is called freedom. Liberation. So emptiness is a different expression of the truth. Different expression of the truth. And wisdom is also a different expression of the truth. Only when you experience emptiness too, through your daily living, through your body and mind, at that time your capability Your capability, it is called wisdom. So everyone has this kind of wisdom. So wisdom is, wisdom is you, your body and mind must be exactly in the way truth itself, which is functioning from moment to moment at that time that is called emptiness.

[05:02]

So emptiness is the state of your functioning of your life. And then in terms of your capability, original capability in hearing in everybody is called wisdom. So wisdom and emptiness are different expressions of the truth. In the Buddhist technical term, truth is called Dharma. So if you see, if you understand emptiness as vain or just nothing, it's very difficult to follow the Buddha's teaching. But it's not. If you understand it like this, it's really a big mistake. misunderstanding because if you go to a workshop for Christianity or Catholic or Muslim or whatever it is they always emphasize the existence of God, the kingdom of God helping you so all you have to do is just believe in God and depend on God and you really

[06:31]

or throw yourself into the kingdom of God. Then God helps you. So that is pretty nice, don't you think so? So you can pray to the God. So Buddhism, if you see the Buddhism, maybe pretty similar schools here in Buddhism. So-called Shin-Ku. So according to traditional understanding of Buddhism, Buddhist faith is divided into two types. One is, well, completely depends on Amitabha Buddha. Because you are not powerful person. You don't have any power to save you, to be free from you by yourself. So anyway, you should completely throw yourself into Buddha's world.

[07:36]

On the other hand, Zen Buddhism emphasizes practice means you believe I have to do. I do practice. You do practice. So you have to do. So that means emphasis on individual practice. But according to Zen school, Individual practice is not the path. So you should completely depend on any one Buddhist path. So traditionally, the Buddhist faith is divided into two. And then if someone says, you are Zen Buddhist, so you have to do it. That is a practice. If you go to the same school chanting Amitabha Buddha, it's not necessary to do zazen, just chant Buddha's name and it completely depends on Amitabha.

[08:44]

So when I became a monk, I felt a little difficult to be the Zen monk, because Zen monks often emphasize individual practice, but in sin school, anyway, you can depend on whoever you are. It depends on, anyway, Buddha, whoever you are. So I told my teacher, I would like to be a sin school priest, giving up Zen monk. Because it seems to me that the Sin School's practice was a little easier for him. It depends on the Buddhas. So I told him, he said, oh, if you want, anytime you can go. But Sin School's practice is more difficult than Zen Buddhism.

[09:49]

Completely opposite. That's all. I didn't understand. I believe that anyway teachers are more difficult than Zen Buddhism I should stay anyway. I couldn't convert to a Zen school priest. But this is just a traditional classification of Buddhist faith, okay? Don't think Buddhist faith like this. You cannot attach to either one of them. You should be completely, well, depending on Buddhist faith, depending on Amitabha completely, ignoring individual practice. Or you can depend on

[10:50]

completely individual practice, ignoring the faith of depending on Amitabha Buddha. You cannot separate. Don't you think so? Your Buddhist faith includes two simultaneously. Simultaneously. You cannot separate. It's one. For instance, That's why, as a whole, Buddhism as a whole emphasizes wisdom. Wisdom is very interesting teaching. Everyone has, originally, regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not. Wisdom is your pure sense of consciousness anyway has a great

[11:51]

capacity, capability, to communicate, to touch, anyway, the tooth itself. Tooth itself. Electric. In other words, I, this one finger, this one finger, cannot touch this one finger, strictly speaking, but the wisdom can see this wisdom, this one finger. Do you understand? You don't. The eyes, for instance, the eyes, okay? Eyes. Eyes themselves can't see eyes. Do you understand? But you don't believe because you already have the knowledge and connected with the memories and educations and mirror, okay?

[12:52]

So you always look at your face reflected in the mirror. So you say, I can see the eyes. But that is you and eyes. But I cannot see, eyes cannot see the eyes themselves, okay? But wisdom can touch it. The wisdom which eyes has, anyone can touch. This, what eyes are distracted. This is your pure sense of consciousness. So any kind of religions, Christianity, Sufi, whatever it is, everyone can touch the truth. So it's not necessary to believe, to practice Buddhism. So any kind of religions, you can do it. because you have a wisdom, okay? But wisdom is, this is not a goal for the wisdom to communicate the truth itself, okay?

[14:01]

Wisdom is, wisdom has wonderful capabilities to know the truth itself directly and also free from, free from knowledge. Do you understand? Threefold. For instance, Karagiri knows who Karagiri is. So always, I know pretty well who Karagiri is more than you. So I said, everyone explains who Karagiri is. But nothing hit the mark. of who Karagiri is. So I know pretty much. So I'm proud of myself. Karagiri, I know pretty well. So this is wisdom, but it's not purpose or final goal of the wisdom. Final goal of wisdom is, if I know who Karagiri is, wisdom let me be free from knowledge of who Karagiri is.

[15:16]

In other words, one finger, this is not wisdom. Wisdom knows one finger itself, around nothing. But still wisdom has a great capability to let you free from the knowledge of what the one finger is. You don't understand. For instance, if you are dark rooms, okay? If you're in dark rooms, most of people are blind by the dark room. In many ways, in terms of excitement, or in terms of despair, or disappointment, in many ways. Anyway, if you are in the darkness, you are completely, in a way, blind. In other words, you are completely carried away by darkness. But wisdom is, know pretty well what the darkness is, and wisdom knows pretty well who is in the darkness.

[16:30]

And then, final goal of the wisdom is that, well, wisdom lets you be free from any knowledge of the darkness in which you are present. But usually, we are completely carried away by darkness. So if you read Diamond Sutra, the Bodhisattvas are always in the human beings, with human beings. So that means, it says, Bodhisattvas are in the darkness. But they are not in the darkness, means they know free world where they are what it is what the place is this is a wisdom this is a wisdom so from this point two aspects if you want to see the truth anyway two aspects one is with the wisdom you can communicate you can touch you can touch directly what the

[17:47]

truth is. On the other hand, if you touch it, the truth, you must be free from knowledge of the truth. That means you have to let go of your knowledge. What truth is. What do you mean by let go? That is practice. It's called practice. Without practice you cannot do this. Even though intellectually you say I shouldn't let go, no matter how long you think so, you understand let go, you'll never be let go. You'll never let go of anything. So let go is the only unique way to let go of something is to practice. or can I say, let's imagine there are six circles related to each other.

[18:55]

First one, first circle is a symbol of the truth. So just a circle, nothing inside. Just truth. Truth means very lucid and clear. Second circle is, well, second circle is a teaching because if you see, if you Even to see the dim image of the truth, you want to approach to. You want to approach, you want to experience it. So for this, that's why we have to be teaching. According to traditionally, maybe 6 parameters. At the 6th parameter we can say so. 6th parameter or 37 or practice ways in contributing to enlightenment. Traditionally, lots of complicated stuff there. But anyway, that is a teaching, OK? That is a teaching, plainly speaking. Plainly speaking, we can say teaching is, well, let's have a right faith.

[20:01]

Right faith means what? Well, completely you research the truth and simultaneously let go of the knowledge of the truth you have learned. That is a faith. Okay? So, faith and right faith. If you have a right faith, anyway, you have to, you want to manifest it in your daily life. This is experience. Experience. So, right faith and experience. And also, next is, when your experience through the right faith is exercised in your daily life, your life becomes Very stable. Your life is going with a plumb. With a plumb? Very stable. Just like Ganges rivers. In the water of the Ganges river. It's very stable going. The stability and that is the security.

[21:08]

Spiritual security. As a whole your life is very stable and calm. and harmonious. And next, one more point is, if you can have your life very stably, very serenely, very calmly, very imperatively, next you have to share your life. That is called compassion. So, four things, right? Faith, and experience, and stability, security, spiritual security. And next, compassion, sharing with each other. That is a, well, plainly speaking, that is called teaching, okay? In order to experience the truth, how you can experience the truth. Directly, it's very difficult.

[22:09]

Without teaching, it's very difficult to approach to the truth. So that is a teaching and also art of the Buddhist art. Buddhist art means statue and also scripture and also picture of the Buddha, Bodhisattva, lots of things. Because this is a human emotion. Human emotion want to express anyway person who experience the truth. What kind of ideal, beautiful image of the human being? That is a Buddha statue. So through the Buddha statue, we can see a little easy way to communicate to the truth directly. That is an art. Buddha's art. How to preserve, how to preserve the truth from generation to generation, forever. That is an art and teaching.

[23:09]

And also, concretely speaking, this is a community, so called Sangha. Buddhist Sangha also, human society is also big scale of Buddhist Sangha, community. And the United States is a bigger scale of the Buddhist community than Minnesota community. And nations, universe, that is big. community, so-called Sam. So, and also through the practice, through the teaching, you have to anyway experience the truth. How can you anyway have to deal with those teachings, right? Faith and experience and also you know, spiritual security and compassion.

[24:11]

That is what we just say, most important focus. How to deal with this teaching. That is a practice, okay? In order to practice the teaching, there must be, there must be a very important focus, okay, focus, or point, point. you never lose it. That is so-called shikhan, with wholeheartedness. How to deal with the teaching? Anyway, practice it. Because the truth is, anyway, you can approach by your effort. So-called wisdom. Simultaneously, wisdom lets you be free from knowledge of the truth. So that means let go. So means anyway you should practice by your effort.

[25:15]

You should deal with the teaching by your effort. Simultaneously there must be letting go of I do. So called I do. Do you understand? If you practice you say always I do practice. If you see the progress I can progress. My dazen is progressing pretty much better than you. So that is pretty good, but in a sense, pretty good knowledge, but in a sense, this is a cause of trouble. So you have to next, you have to be free from this knowledge of wisdom. So you should practice. By your effort simultaneously, you should be free from Knowledge of the practice you have experienced. So simultaneously hold it. And simultaneously in a moment hold it and let go.

[26:17]

Do you understand? But look at your life. You always grasp it. I can do it. I can do it. No one wants to let go. Because you always want. Do you think so? I will do it. I will do it. I will get it. Always I will do it. But that's fine. But simultaneously you shouldn't forget, let go. Because this is the truth. Characteristic of truth. Characteristic of knowledge. So, that is so called Shikhanda. Do it, let go. Means Shikhanda. Just sit down. And then if you try to get something, if you become always hungry ghost, I want, I want, I want. So during zazen, during zazen, you always, I want, hungry ghost zazen. Do you think so?

[27:20]

Most of your zazen is hungry ghost zazen. I want to be, I want to be, I want to be. So constantly looking at the concentrate, oh I want to, good concentrate. I want, I want, I want. So you don't want to let go of concentration. So first you should concentrate on a breath, on zazen, a posture with wholeheartedness, and then you should let go of whatever ideas come up. Good concentration or out of concentration, you just concentrate. So grasp it, let go. That is a shikan. That is the key point. What the practice is. If you miss this point, whatever kind of effort you have made, what? It doesn't make sense? Sometimes. It becomes a troublemaker. This is the human world.

[28:23]

Look at this. Everyone makes an effort to live a better life. But why do people create a lot of trouble? because they are just go one way, you know. They never thought, they never think that two ways, you know, going and return. Return means grasp it, let it go. This is very important. That is a shikan. It's very difficult to practice this kind of things in your daily living because in your daily living always grasping, grasping one way. So Zazen is pretty good. Zazen is sit down and you can do it with your whole heart. Simultaneous nothing. No applause. No applause, no success, no failure. Even though you dream, you have a daydream in your Zazen, no one scold you, no one criticize you. You can just sit down there.

[29:23]

That's comfortable, isn't it? So comfortable act of life. this is the zen. So sit down. This is the shikan. We call it shikan. Just like a smoke going up straight. So that is the third circle. After teaching, how can you deal with the teaching? The next, what do you mean by shikan? Shikan means, what do you mean by shikan? So that means forget. Forget. To forget. So Bodogin then says to learn the Buddhism is to forget the self. Because in the common lifestyle we always to learn. To learn means to get. To get something, to have something. Always one way. So if you want to practice exactly, if you want to deal with the teachings in proper way, you should get it but simultaneously let go.

[30:27]

Let go means forget to forget to get what you mean by to forget to forget means you should exactly do it by your effort perfectly and becoming one with Zazen at that time it is called forget forget or let go because if you become one with Zazen exactly at that time Just the zazen, flow of zazen is blooming. Around the zazen, flow of zazen, there are lots of noises and nature's singing song by the birds and whatever it is. They don't bother you. Just the flow of the zazen bloom. That time, no concept of so-called you. Practice it. Okay? Just zazen. So, this is a so-called forget.

[31:32]

You cannot see you as a practitioner in Zazen. Just the Zazen there. That is called forget. Okay? Forget. To learn the Buddhism is to learn the self. That is the fourth circle, okay? And the fifth circle is that is a little difficult because if you forget yourself, for instance, if you do Zazen, exactly one with Zazen, you say, I got it. Already consciousness, you know, catch the very pure state of your Zazen and you. Working together exactly, you say, I got it, wonderful Zazen. Or if you practice Zazen for long, right before you experience oneness, you can know, you can know it. Aha! I am going to the oneness. I figured.

[32:32]

That is not forget. Because you already know this. You know this already. Who you are or what Zazen is. You are. I am. I am going into Zazen as one. Do you understand? Just like a death. Looking at the death objectively. At that time death scares you. Because death is object. But when death is one with you, no complain, no nothing to say, nothing comment about the death. Do you understand? What do you mean? Nothing to comment, no self means what do you mean? Just be one with the death means please go ahead. It's a death. If you die, it's exactly one. Death is a very good example, but Zazen is a very good example.

[33:39]

Just two Zazen, just one, that is Shikan. That means forget yourself, no self. No self doesn't mean ignoring your existence. And then if you do Zazen exactly so-called forgetfulness, forgettingness, still you can be stuck in the knowledge of the forgettingness. So next, you have to be completely free from forgettingness. Okay? That is called, anyway, Nyo-nyo in Japanese, Nyo-nyo means suchness. How can you experience real forgetness?

[34:41]

I don't know. I don't know. I cannot explain, but you can do it. So, forgetness means A real forgetness means if you see knowledge, if you notice forgetness, forgettingness, okay? You have experienced, wow, right in the middle of a knowledge of the forgettingness, why don't you let it go? Don't fight. Don't fight with it. And then just forget. Just forget. How can you forget? Just do that way. When you do that. When you clean the room, just clean the room anyway. Then when you just clean the room, you experience forgetness. Then you say, I get it. That is already not forget. So real forgetness means experience of forgettingness.

[35:48]

right in the middle of knowledge of the forgettingness and then let go you have to let go of knowledge of forgettingness you have noticed so always in the moment of the practice always two practices two kinds of practice you should do it by your effort individual practice Simultaneously let go. Constantly let go. That is called Eternal Emptiness. Eternal Emptiness. Let go. Let go. And you will do it. Let go. How can you let go? That means just do it. Just do it. Perfectly is simultaneously let go. OK? That's two things. OK? Not different. Do you understand? Usually let go means little bit different practice from just do it it's misunderstanding so let go or no self or emptiness means anyway be one with the thing as it really is that is called let go so without without becoming one with the thing as it really is perfectly you never experience let go

[37:19]

So from this point, through un-desire then, we should experience let go or emptiness? No. For you can experience this one in everywhere. Friendly speaking, do your best. Someone says in California, putting a sign, don't worry. Be happy. And no, don't worry. Oh, just say, don't worry. And do your best. Don't worry. Do your best. Be happy. That's my science, but on a few ways. Eastern spiritual reader. I forgot the name, but on a few ways. Don't worry, do your best and be happy.

[38:26]

That's very nice, you know, motto of life. If I say, explain the emptiness like this, it makes you confused, but in your daily life, you can do it. So do your best means you are too intimate with this term, do your best. But no one understands what do you mean by doing your best. Do you understand? Do your best means always do your best. To do something and get. That's all. It is not do your best. Do your best means do your best and get something. Simultaneously let go. Then another time you can be happy. So, do your best. Just do your best. This is a shikan. Anyway shikan. Otherwise, you cannot understand what the human life is.

[39:29]

What is the truth? Why the human life is identical with the truth? Because most of the people suffer. Why? So, you don't understand. If you don't... Do your best to live in this world. So wherever you are, even though you don't understand Buddhism, never mind. Under the guidance of the teacher, anyway, do your best to live. That is pretty good. Do your best means do your best. For you, for others. For others, you should get something and forget it. Let go. That means nyono, the suchness. This suchness, that is sixth circle, last circle. This last circle connects directly the first circle, circle two.

[40:33]

So two and human life is exactly the same. Do you understand? This is called emptiness. So emptiness is, emptiness is anywhere you should go toward, anywhere to, by your effort, by your great effort, anywhere go. Next, you should let go means, you are completely left by the truth. You live, you live by your effort, moving toward the truth. This is one way, okay? Simultaneously, if you want to know the total picture of the truth, you should let go. For this, how can you accept yourself? Means, you should believe that you are lived.

[41:41]

You never live by yourself. still want to say you are developed, you are helped by big scale of the world. So Christianity, according to Christian sense, obviously emphasizes this aspect. God is a help, God helps you. Well, of course, that is true. But without your practice you cannot know this. So that's why in Christianity there is also practice. I don't know what kind of practice it is, but still they have to do. So simultaneously two things. Two are not two, two are one. So that is called emptiness.

[42:43]

When the two things you should get by your effort and simultaneously you let go that two things exercise in your daily living, at that time the state of your aliveness of your life is called emptiness or liberation. So emptiness is not vain. What you feel pessimistic, But if you feel pessimistic, you are still looking at the emptiness or truth objectively, just like a death. If you see the death objectively, it makes you pensive and pessimistic. You don't want to make an effort to live, because everyone should die anyway. Sooner or later, I will have to die. Well, why do I do this? You know, do exorcism with the pain.

[43:47]

Why? Why? We should... I am poor more than... in comparison with the president of the United States and other wealthy people, you know. It's ridiculous. So, well... The important point is not looking after the death or the truth or nothingness at a distance. You have to be exactly one with emptiness. In other words, you have to, any way you have to touch it. This is a teaching. How can you touch? This is the teaching. And then if you see the teaching next, you have to know how can you deal with the teaching.

[44:48]

This is the practice. So called shikhan. When you practice exactly, next you should forget it. If you forget what you have done at that time, still you are stuck in forgettingness. So next. You should still continually practice the very goal of forgiveness. Constantly. This is a practice. Undefiled practice. Day by day. That time it is called satsang. Called Buddha. So you exactly connected with the thought. So called truth. This is the sweetly emptiness. Okay, do you have a question? What does it mean when you say one needs to let go of the truth?

[46:33]

Huh? You said something like one has to let go of the truth. Knowledge of the truth. Knowledge of the truth. Concept. If you experience the truth, that means some concept of knowledge, concept of the truth. You can have that. Do you understand? Because you can see the truth objectively. The next is you have to be one with the truth itself. You must be right in the middle of the tooth, anyway. For instance, when you want to swim, what is swimming? So you have to learn, anyway, through the books and actual practice.

[47:37]

Anyway, you should learn what swim is. And then you can get the knowledge of swimming. What is real swimming? Real swimming is no concept. Anyway, it's just swimming. Don't you think so? But human consciousness is very tricky because human consciousness always catches what you are doing right now, right there. Always, I am swimming, I am swimming, I am swimming. Don't you think so? If you do that, good, good. Eating pizza, I'm eating pizza, I'm eating pizza. I want to introduce this pizza to my friends in India because it's delicious. I always think like this. But just to eat, just swim in, just swim in. So next, you have to know, you have to know what the swim is.

[48:38]

That's the concept of swimming. But real swimming is right there. Right in, swim in. Do you understand? That is called shikan, or forget-ness, forgetting-ness. But forgetting-ness doesn't mean ignoring the function of consciousness. Consciousness is very clear because you should have a knowledge of how to think, how to say. So your consciousness must be clear. Otherwise you don't know how to think. So you have to understand you, you have to understand the circumstances in ocean, lake, etc. and also technically you have to learn what the swim is. For this, your consciousness constantly clear and working very well. Not crazy, not schizophrenia, not blind.

[49:44]

Normally your consciousness must be exercised. Then next, just jump into the ocean. Swim. OK? So from this point directly, Buddhism is not the goal to talk about Buddhist teaching. Anyone can talk about teaching. Anyone. That is a second thought. Still there are lots of practice there. So, if you see somebody who talks Buddhist teachings pretty well, at that time you really believe, you know, that is a great teacher.

[50:56]

I don't think so. It is, in a sense. So, two types of, you know, the things. In this Gakuto Yojinshi, I've changed completely my topic. Billington says a few minutes. Five minutes. Even though there are differences between faith and dharma, between instantaneous and gradual in practice, one must inevitably wait for practice to transcend in verification.

[52:07]

Verification means, anyway, enlightenment. OK? So it means that even though there are differences between faith and dharma, between instantaneous and gradual, Faith means that you believe in somebody, something. For instance, Ryokan, you know the Ryokan Zen Master in Japan? He was a very great calligrapher. So, even though you don't know who Ryokan was, you really believe in a calligrapher. Or on the other hand, you don't care. You don't care how calligraphy is good or not. It doesn't matter. You really believe in Ryokan himself. For instance, you say, in Japan there was a famous Zen master.

[53:11]

So he always wrote the calligraphy. Then people really believed Him, you know? Regardless of whether calligraphy is good or bad. So, why do you want my calligraphy? They said, well, that calligraphy is written by you. So, it doesn't matter if the calligraphy is good or bad, you know? They believe in you as a person, okay? That is what would you say, gradual practice. On the other hand, well, person, you don't care the person. Well, just believe in the calligraphy. Maybe person is a little bit slip off from all the dark, you know, way of life, you know, way of calligraphy and masterpiece

[54:17]

Just like a god. Van Gogh and, you know, Van Gogh. Van Gogh and Picasso. Look at this Picasso's pictures. Wonderful, isn't it? But I don't know Picasso himself. I don't know Van Gogh himself. But whoever Van Gogh was, whoever Picasso was, you just trust in, believe in, must believe. You want to buy it, don't you think so? This is instantaneous, believing dharma. You can believe. So a person anyway talks about Buddhist teaching dharma. And then you really are set down. At that time, you are a person who attains enlightenment immediately. But, you don't care about teachings.

[55:19]

You just believe in a person. That is a gradual process because, you know, a person is always changing. You understand? So, that is, Dogen says, even though there are differences between faith and dharma. So you really believe in dharma. So, whoever they are, anyway, well, it doesn't matter. It's just a dharma, too. Talked by, mentioned by a person. And between instantaneous quietly in practice. One must inevitably wait for practice to transcend enlightenment. So practice, practice. Whatever kind of differences there are between faith and dharma, important point is practice. I told you, anyway, I have told you.

[56:22]

Practice. That practice is strength. Forgiveness. And real forgiveness. Then you become exactly forgettingness itself. At that time you connect immediately the truth itself. That is complete beyond your consciousness. That is just a practice, day by day. So Buddhism is not just a talk, but Buddha's teaching. You have to practice.

[57:17]

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