Shall I just start? Good morning, everyone. Shohaku Okumura has been teaching in this company now for nine years. early days of the Valley Sendō in western Massachusetts. He was here for some years, then he went back to Japan and he taught and translated there for some years, and then nine years ago he came back to this country and has been teaching here since. First in Minnesota, and now as the director of the Sōtō-Shū Education Center. He lives here in the building with us, Yes, he is the translator of Dogen's Pure Standards for the Zen Community.

[01:16]

So, have you been studying Tenzo Kyokun? Yes. And Vrensan asked me to talk on the Three Minds or Sanshin. So, have all of you read until this part of Tenzo Kyokun? So, you know everything. Is this on? I'm not sure. No, it's on. No, if we could get it closer to your throat, I think. It's on your throat. It's closer to your throat. Okay. So, this morning, I'm going to talk on the three minds, or joyful mind, parental or nurturing mind, and magnanimous mind, or great mind, in Japanese, kishin, roshin, and daishin.

[02:22]

My teacher, Uchiyama Roshi, put very much emphasis on this teaching, Dogen's teaching on Three Minds or Sanshin. And in this book, Opening the Hand of Thought, if you have read this, part of this is a transcription of and translation of his last lecture. at Antaiji, right before he retired from Antaiji. That was 1975. And right after that, I came to this country and started to practice at Warezendo. And in his last lecture at Antaiji, he brought up seven points he had in his mind when he was the teacher or abbot at Antaiji.

[03:34]

And he wanted to transmit those seven points to his disciples. Thank you. One of those seven points is as follows. This is the third one, third of the seven. Uchamro said, Zazen must work concretely in our daily lives as the two practices, vow and repentance.

[04:40]

the three minds. Magnanimous mind, parental mind, and joyful mind. And, as the realization of the saying, gaining is delusion, losing is enlightenment. So, according to Uchiyama Roshi, these three minds is our way of life or our activities according to or based on those three minds is how our Zazen. in the Zen-do works in our daily lives. Since this was a kind of my teacher's last teaching, it has been very important to my own practice.

[05:43]

So for me to practice Dogen's teaching or to practice Buddha Dharma means to sit, practice Shikan Taza, just sitting and study, in my case, Shobo Genzo, Dogen's writing. And in order to study Shobo Genzo, I have to study, you know, entire Buddhist teaching. and live my own daily life with three minds, those three attitudes, a joyful mind, a parental mind, and a magnanimous mind. is, I think, my practice. And after I finished my tenure as a head teacher of MCMC, Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, I formed my own Zen community, and I named it Sanxing Zen Community, because to live with this Sanxing, or three mind, is most important.

[06:57]

at least one of the most important points in our practice. So first, I'd like to talk on the significance of these three minds, or sanshin, in terms or in the context of the entire teaching of Tenzo Kyokun and also in the context of Buddhist teachings. And Branstein asked me to talk on Dogen Zen's teaching on this, applied to everyday life. So how we can apply this teaching to our own everyday life. If I have enough time. I finished 10... 55? I'm 45?

[07:59]

Okay. This morning, I'm going to use this translation in this book, Rogen's Pure Standards for the Zen Community. This translation is made by Taigen Ranleyton, one of the Zen Center priests, and myself. In the very beginning of Tenzo Kyokun, Dogen Zenji said, if you have this book, page 33, it says, or if you have Refining Your Life, page, let's see, three, These two translations are kind of different.

[09:02]

I helped Tom Wright when he made this translation. And Tom Wright is kind of a very sincere person. And his attitude toward translation is, unless it's really readable and understandable in English, as English literature, translation has no value. And my attitude, I wanted to keep a Japanese flavor, even though it might be strange in English. So, when we worked together, we always had a conflict. This is a fruit of our conflict. And when I worked on this translation with Taigen, we tried to keep as literal as possible. So it might be interesting for you to compare these two translations.

[10:05]

For example, this very first sentence of Tenzo Kyokun. Maybe it's interesting for you, so I read both. In this translation, it says, From the beginning, in Buddha's family, there have been six temple administrators. They are all Buddha's children, and together they carry out Buddha's work. Among them, the Tenzo Chifuku has the job of taking care of the preparation of food for the community. And in this translation, from ancient times, in communities practicing the Buddha's way, there have been six offices established to oversee the affairs of the community. The monks holding each office are all disciples of the Buddha, and all carry out the activities of a Buddha through their respective offices.

[11:16]

Among these officers is the Tenzo, who carries the responsibility of preparing the community's meals. I think the meaning is the same. But, you know, in this translation, we use a Buddha's family instead of community or Buddhist community practicing the Buddha's way. Buddha's family is very literal translation. Butsuke, Buddha family. So, in China, people called Buddhist community or monastery called Buddha's family. You know, their idea I mean, the unit, the basic unit of society is family system in China, also in Japan. So, to be a family is very important. So, Buddhists are called Buddha's family, and Confucianists are called Confucius' family, and Taoists are called Taoist family.

[12:26]

Dogen used the word Buddha's children, or bushi. Bushi, Buddha's children means bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas are people who allow the vow, bodhisattva vows, and when we are not mature enough, we are still a child. But when we become really matured, we become a Buddha. At least we have a direction toward becoming Buddha. That is our goal, although it takes almost forever. But that is our direction, to become Buddha. And Uchiyama Roshi said, to become Buddha means to be a really matured person. to be a real adult, which Murashi often said. Many of us, almost all of us, are fake adults.

[13:36]

Not really adults. Physically, we are adults. Fake. But spiritually, we are really childish. So to become really matured or adult person is to become Buddha. And it takes a very long time. So we are in the Buddha's family, if we are within a Buddhist community or Sangha. And each one of us is Buddha's children, still childish. But when we become mature, we will be a Buddha. And this Buddha's family has a family business. That is Buddha's work. So we should understand what is Buddha's family business. The original word for Buddha's work is Butsu-ji, Buddha's affair, or Buddha's work, or Buddha's business.

[14:53]

I go to the last part, very last part of Tenzo Kyokun, where Rogen discusses about the three minds, and especially the magnanimous mind. In this translation, page 49, and in this translation, page 8, 19. After Dogen pointed out those three examples of three great Zen masters, Dogen says, you should know 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 from the bottom. You should know that former great mentors all have been studying the great word and right now freely make the great sound, expound the great meaning, clarify the great matter, guide a great person, and fulfill this one great cause for Buddhas appearing in the world.

[16:26]

How could avatars, temple administrators, heads of monastic departments, and monks ever forget these three kinds of minds? Here, Dogen used the word, fulfill this one great cause. Or before that, he said, the great matter. This great matter. is a translation of dai-ji. Ji is the same ji with butsu-ji, Buddha's matter or Buddha's work. So great work means Buddha's work. And the final expression, fulfill this one great cause. One great cause came from the Lotus Sutra that says, Ichi daiji innen, one great matter, cause and conditions, innen. That means the reason why Buddha appear in this world.

[17:33]

So, you know, in the very beginning of Tenzo Kyokun, Dogen said, we have in the Buddhist Sangha, or Zen community, we have six administrators, or six chiji. Not only six, but there are many other, you know, offices or positions, or functions. And all of us are Buddha's children, and we carry out Buddha's work. And what is Buddha's work? Or what is Buddha's family business? And that is, according to Dogen, that is to fulfill the one great cause for Buddha's appearing in the world. So, for a fact, Buddha appeared in this world. And we have to carry out The same thing, why Buddha appeared in this world, through our practice and work, as we do every day.

[18:52]

So we need to study what is this great matter or great cause. Why Buddha appeared in this world? And this is mentioned in the Lotus Sutra, the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra. It says, for Dogen, or in order to understand Dogen's teaching study the Lotus Sutra is very important. He often quotes from the Lotus Sutra and his basic understanding of Buddha's teaching or Mahayana Buddhist teaching is based on the Lotus Sutra because originally he was ordained as a Tendai monk And the basic teaching of Tendai school is based on the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

[19:56]

So the Lotus Sutra is really important to understand Dogen. So if you want, I recommend to read this. Any translation is OK. This is not a particularly good translation. I think there are three or four English translations, so anyone is okay. I mean, there's no perfect translation. Anyway, in this translation, it says about the one great matter or cause for the fact Buddha appeared in this world. It said, these laws Laws, in this translation means Dharma, this Dharma, cannot be understood by powers of thought or discrimination. Only the Buddhas can discern them. Therefore, because the Buddhas, the world-honored ones, only on account of the one very great cause,

[21:06]

This is our Dogen quote. Appear in the world. Shariputra, why do I say that the Buddhas, the world-honored ones, only on account of the one very great cause, appear in the world? Because the Buddhas, the world-honored ones, desire to cause all living beings, to cause all living beings to open, to open their eyes to the Buddha knowledge so that they may gain the pure mind. Therefore, they appear in the world. Because they desire to show all living beings the Buddha knowledge, they appear in the world. Because they desire to cause all living beings to apprehend the buddha knowledge. They appear in the world because they desire to cause all living beings to enter the way of the buddha knowledge.

[22:17]

They appear in the world. Shariputra, this is why It is only on account of the one very great cause that Buddhas appear in the world. So this is the one great cause Dogen mentioned when he discussed about the great or magnanimous mind. So what we should aim at through our day-to-day activity is how we can fulfill this one great cause. And according to this Lotus Sutra, the purpose or reason why could appear all Buddhas, not only Shakyamuni, but all Buddhas in the ten directions, past, present and future, appears in this world.

[23:23]

open, allow all beings, or cause all beings to open their eyes to the Buddha knowledge. I don't like the expression, translation, Buddha knowledge. This is a translation of Sanskrit word, Buddha darshanam. Our Chinese translation, BUSHI CHI KEN, Buddha's CHI KEN. CHI is to know, and KEN is to see or view. So, I don't like knowledge. Maybe insight is better. Buddha's insight, Buddha's view, Buddha's way to see or view things. Not human way, but Buddha's way. and show all living beings the Buddha knowledge, and cause all living beings to apprehend the Buddha knowledge, and allow them to enter the way of Buddha knowledge.

[24:33]

So, this is what Buddha wanted to do. show and make us understand and enter means to practice, really live within or based on this Buddha knowledge or Buddha's insight. Then next problem is fatted Buddha's insight. Buddha's insight... Buddha's... yeah, that's a problem. Because Buddha, you know what Buddha means, as a Chinese character, the Chinese character for Buddha has two parts. The right side part is human beings, and the left hand side part means not. So Buddha means not human. So Buddha's knowledge means not human knowledge. That means we view things with human knowledge, human insight, human way of viewing things.

[25:42]

And human ways means, you know, our view, our understanding, our system of value is limited. or created by our karma. Karma means the experiences we had since our birth or even before our birth. You know, I am a Japanese. I was born in Japan, 1948. That is three years after World War II is over. So Japan was very poor. So my way of doing things or my system of values or picture of the world is greatly influenced in that condition or situation of Japanese society when I was born and grown up.

[26:47]

And later, I didn't like the how the Japanese society is working, or people in the Japanese society as it was working. So I wanted to escape from that system of value. And that's why I started to practice Buddhism and Zen. That was about 1970. So I became a Buddhist. and I was ordained as a priest. So basically I'm a Japanese Buddhist or a Japanese priest. But that is my karma. So I cannot see things as Americans do. And I cannot view things as Christians do. And I cannot view things as women.

[27:51]

do. So my view is very limited and all human view are limited. Limited means kind of one-sided or biased. You know, I cannot see, you know, backward. I can only see this part of the world. So now I know fat prayer. behind me, but I know that because of my memory. Even though I don't really see the reality of my backward, but I know that there. That is my memory, and memory is not reality. But using memory, I create a kind of a picture of the world. Memory or knowledge that I attained through my experiences and studies.

[28:55]

So, Buddhist priests view things from the Buddhist priest's point of view. And doctors view things from the doctor's point of view. and lawyers view things from lawyers' point of view. So, as human beings, we need to take a point of view to see things and to make judgment. And based on our karma or experiences or what we studied, basically, or what we inherit from our culture or society, our view is limited. And my point of view and your point of view, or Japanese point of view, or American point of view, or Buddhist point of view, or Christian or Islamic point of view are often different. I think that is the reason we have so many problems.

[29:59]

For me, to live in this country is really difficult. So, in order to live with, not only live, but practice with American people, I have to do some kind of compromise. That makes me a little bit American. So, when I go back to Japan, I feel they are strange. And I'm pretty sure they think I'm strange. And American people think I'm strange. So all people are strange from any point of view, I think. So, you know, it's very difficult. I think it's very natural for us to have difficulty to live together with other people. So to live in a community, especially where we spend 24 hours together, it's really difficult.

[31:13]

And that is what we do in Buddhist monasteries. It's really difficult. But somehow by having such difficulty or hardship, we understand that my point of view is not necessarily or absolutely right or true. And we start to see there are many other points of view. I think that is one of the ways we go beyond our discrimination. That allows us to start to listen to others' point of view. I think that is one of the ways we study Buddha's knowledge or Buddha's insight.

[32:14]

How this world can be seen. from different point of view or different cultural or spiritual background. I think that is the way we started to see Buddha's darshan or Buddha's insight. That is beyond, kind of beyond or being free from my personal karmic way of viewing things or judgment or discrimination. I don't think it's possible for us to completely eliminate our karmic view. and I don't think it's necessary. But if we cling too much to my own cultural background or even religious or spiritual faith or practice, we create problems.

[33:19]

So, at least in our Zazen, instead of clinging or grasping, we open our hand Let go of our thoughts means let go of our personal, karmic way of doing things. And according to Dogen, this sitting and sitting upright posture and breathing deeply from our abdomen and keep our eyes open, and let go of our thoughts, is itself Buddha's wisdom. That means Buddha's darshan, or Buddha's knowledge. So, in our practice, according to Dogen's teaching, our sitting and letting go, or letting go of any thought, came from our consciousness. Thought came from our consciousness means

[34:20]

our coming view, whatever is coming. When we sit facing the wall, there is no object. But still, so many things come up from our consciousness. And as a reality of right now, right here, there's no object, so nothing should be happening. But somehow, somehow it happens. Those coming up from our consciousness is, you know, is really clearly illusion. Because it's not reality right now, right here. But still they come up. So, how can I say? Almost always. And since we are sitting in the zendo, a very quiet place, we feel our mind is much more busier, busier than we are working outside of the zendo. So we often feel, you know, what's the use of this sitting?

[35:27]

It doesn't make me calm. But I think that is the most important point in our practice. Just let anything come up freely and let them go away freely. We don't grasp. We open our hand. This is the way we become free from... It's there. I mean, any thought come up from our deep consciousness, you know, coming up, so it's there. But if we don't grasp it, open our hand, we don't think. Thought is there, but we don't think. This is a strange thing to say, but I think you understand this through your experience. Thought is coming up from our consciousness, but we don't grasp, we open our hand. In that case, thought is just empty, coming and going, like clouds in the sky.

[36:29]

disappears and stays for a while, changing, transforming the shapes and disappears. Our thought is like this. So, once we grasp it and take action based on this thought, you know, I think and I take action based on my thinking. This is what we usually do in our daily lives. But in our Zazen, in Zazendo, We are free from our thoughts. We can let go. And it's really a revelation, I think. It's really freedom from our own karmic self. And according to Dogen, that is Buddha's darshan. So basically, sitting in Shikantaza is Buddha's knowledge or Buddha's insight. It's not a matter of I attain or I study or I learn some skillful way to see the reality and attain some kind of wisdom.

[37:34]

But when we sit and letting go, and just be calm, calm down, is Buddha's insight in which we are really free from our human knowledge or human insight. And the problem is how we live based on that Buddha's knowledge or Buddha's insight when we stand up from sitting and go out and do something. When we do things or even when we just walk on the street, it's very dangerous to let go, open our hand. You know, when we do something, we have to think and we have to make a choice. And in order to make a choice, we need to make discrimination. Fat is better than another thing. So we need to use our discriminating mind.

[38:36]

But how can we express or manifest this Buddha's darshan or Buddha's knowledge or insight in our day-to-day lives? Using our discriminating mind. That is the koan we have to work. until the end of our life, I think. There's no time we finish this koan. And Dogen's teaching in terms of kyokun is how we can manifest this, you know, the darshan. That means, according to Dogen, the great mind or magnanimous mind. Magnanimous mind is, as Dogen said, in page 49.

[39:42]

It said in this book, page 49, it said, as for what is called magnanimous mind, this mind is like the great mountains or like the great ocean. It is not biased or contentious mind. So he said this mind is a mind is like a mountains, huge mountains, and a great ocean. This huge or great means Bhagavad Gita, same Chinese character. If you go to Kyoto, you will see a Chinese character on the mountain in the east side of Kyoto. That is Dai, or called Daimonji. That is the Chinese character for great, or big, or magnanimous.

[40:48]

And that Daimonji is, how can I say, people make fire on that daimonji on soon, August 16th. And August 16th means in lunar calendar, July 16th. And July 16th is the next day the summer practice period is over. Summer practice period end usually July 15th. And July 16th they burn this big daimonji. So it has something to do with the practice period. And in our practice, we study this dai, daimonji, or character for great or magnanimous.

[42:01]

And, you know, great mountain means the big mountain doesn't move. It's immovable. It's very stable. And yet, on the mountains, there are so many living beings living. You know, huge trees, or short grasses, or big animals, and short insects, small insects. All living beings are living. And the Great Mountain doesn't make a choice. The Great Mountain allows all living beings to live together. That is the idea of the mind, the magnanimous mind, that it's stable and allows all beings living vividly. And the Great Ocean is often used as a symbol of analogy of Buddhist Sangha.

[43:09]

that the Great Ocean accepts all water from any different rivers and there is no discrimination. or any water from different river become, you know, one ocean. There's no separation. So acceptance. Accept everything. All people coming from any background and become one ocean. That is the idea of great mind or magnanimous mind. It's very difficult. Actually, almost impossible, I think, for each one of us. But in our Zazen, we can do it by letting go of our own yardstick of measuring or judging things.

[44:11]

And we need to apply this mind of Zazen in our day-to-day lives in which we have to make discrimination. How can we make discrimination based on a non-discriminating mind? It's very difficult. And I think this is an endless koan. There's no fixed answer. So we have to always think, how can I be free from my personal judgment? And still, I have to make a judgment. And how I can make my personal judgment, not based on my own preference, but based on this magnanimous mind. You know, it's almost contradicted.

[45:14]

But somehow, that is our life. if we are Buddhist or Buddhist children. How we can manifest the, how can I say, Buddha's compassion, which accepts everything equally, all beings equally, and try to help without any discrimination, using our limited capability, It's really a difficult thing, but somehow we try to do it, and there's no way to accomplish it. That's why Uchiyama Roshi said, as a bodhisattva practice, we need vow and repentance, because we cannot be complete. And yet, as a bodhisattva who takes this vow, we have to try to do it.

[46:17]

So, always we need to awake to the incompleteness of our practice based on our vows. When we chant the four bodhisattva vows almost every day, And we need to understand the contradiction between the first half of each sentence and the second half of each sentence. Sentence beings are numberless. We vow to save them all. If sentence beings are numberless, we cannot save them all. Well, I try to use this word with a Buddhist definition.

[47:35]

So, we must be kind of careful. Dependence... How can I say? When Japanese people accept Christianity and translate Christian scriptures into Japanese, they use Buddhist word, sange, as a translation of repentance. So I use repentance as a translation of Buddhist term, sange. And in Buddhism, there is sange. So, please don't forget about the Christian meaning of repentance. So, let me use the word sange. Well, I heard you say, repent for our incompleteness in fulfilling our vow. And that's different than sin, which means wrongdoing. But what I heard him say is to repent that we cannot fulfill the vow, although it is our deep intention to.

[48:41]

Which is different to me than sin. I think a feeling of being bad or incomplete, sadness, all are included. The original meaning of sange in Buddhism is, after each practice period, they had a fusatsu, or I think you practice here, ryaku fusatsu. That is a kind of a ceremony of repentance. And in Indian Sangha, the leader of the Sangha recites the precept. And if someone thinks they did something against that precept, they make a kind of confession.

[49:45]

That is the original meaning of sange in Buddhism. So it's a kind of, you know, I'm sorry I did such and such mistake and I try not to do it again. So that is the beginning or origin of the meaning of sange or practice of sange in Buddhism. But later, especially in the Mahayana Buddhism, sange has much broader and deeper meaning. And sange is not simply saying, I'm sorry, I made such and such mistake, and I try not to do it again. That is one form of sange. But in one Buddhist Mahayana sutra, it said, if you want to practice sange, you have to sit upright and see the reality of all beings. So, in that sense, I mean, when Dogen Zen used, I mean, not Dogen, but Uchiyamuro uses vow and repentance.

[50:57]

This repentance is Zazen itself. Vow, so what he is saying, our Zazen is a practice of vow, for Sattva vow, and our Zazen is a practice of Sange. In our zazen, we take those four vows to fulfill Buddha's family business. And yet, we awake to incompleteness of our practice. So, our zazen, in which we see the reality of all beings, is itself repentance, or sange. That is the Mahayana idea of sange or repentance. So in this case, repentance or sange is not simply say, I'm sorry, I made such and such mistakes and I try not to do it again.

[51:57]

But this sange is awakening. to the reality of our, how can I say, karmic self. That means we cannot be free from our individuality. Even I have a vow to save all beings, for me it's difficult even to take care of my children. you know, it's very difficult to save even my children. So, when I feel that side of myself, you know, I feel, you know, taking a bodhisattva vow to save all living beings seems kind of delusion or telling a lie. And I think that is true.

[52:59]

But somehow, we cannot help taking such a vow Otherwise, you know, we cannot live in this world. So, I think vows and repentance, or in Japanese, seigan and sange, is two sides of our life. It's not simply a matter of feeling of guilt or sin. And it's kind of what you were talking about with this non-discriminative mind. I'm going to say all beings, because to say one less than all beings, I'm already discriminating. So the spirit of what I'm trying to do is, in a practical day-to-day way, every being that I happen to encounter in my life, I'm going to take care of them in the way that I vow to do so.

[54:05]

And that's the practical implementation of it. the heart that we need. Well, anyway, we don't have much time. What Dogen wants to say in this Tenzo Kyokun is doing practice each and everything in our daily lives based on those three minds is the way we carry out our four bodhisattva vows using this concrete body and mind which is limited in many ways.

[55:18]

So, for example, at Tenzo, if I cook, I cook in Japanese ways, and it might be not good for you. But somehow I have to use my karma to serve some concrete person or people. So how can I work in each and every situation using my limited capability, experiences, understanding, knowledge for even one person now I'm meeting or encountering. So I can do, I can serve or help one person or one thing each moment. So, as a manifestation of our four bodhisattva vows, you know, right now, right here, we have to put our entire energy into what we are doing.

[56:28]

In the case of Tenzo, we have to just cut chopping vegetables to offer to, in Dogen's expression, to offer to three treasures. not to satisfy our personal desire. I think that is the point. We have to think and find how we can do in the best way in each situation or condition. I think that is what I have to say this morning.

[57:13]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ