Good afternoon. Here are copies of the Uchiyama recited poem I mentioned. So if you want, please take one after this lecture. The last paragraph of page 12. Do not slander mountains by saying that the blue mountains cannot walk, nor the east mountain move over the water. It is because of the baseness of the common person's point of view. that we doubt the phrase, the blue mountain's walk.

[01:02]

Because of the crudeness of flowing mountain, without having fully penetrated even the term, flowing water. Yes. I'm sorry. Of our limited experience, we are surprised by the words, flowing mountain. Without having fully penetrated even the term flowing water, we just remain sunk in our limited perception. From here until the end of this section, the section of Fuyodoka's saying, blue mountains are walking, he picks up some views from our views and kind of criticize. The first one is, you know, maybe most of us have this reaction.

[02:11]

You know, it's not possible to bloom up and walk, you know, without any thinking. We just reject, you know, that's nonsense. And that's nonsense, too. So he said, do not surrender mountains by saying that the blue mountains cannot walk nor the east mountains move over the water. As he has been saying, said, you know, mountains really walk and of course, water really flows. It is because of the baseness of the common person's point of view that we doubt the phrase, the blue mountain's walk.

[03:14]

Because of the crudeness of our limited experience, we are surprised by the words, flowing mountain. So we view things and think depending upon what kind of idea, understanding, knowledge as a result of our experiences, study, or education. If we hear something which doesn't fit my system of knowledge, we just reject it and we say, that's nonsense. I think the process of our education is like a, you know, kind of a piling the block of, how can I say, piece of blocks to make a kind of a building of knowledge.

[04:17]

And when that, you know, building is completed, it's become our prison. It's difficult to get out. If you are a lawyer, or a doctor, or whatever kind of profession you have, in my case, a Buddhist priest, I have been building up the knowledge about my Buddhism. And it's become a kind of a building. And we often forget to keep the entrance open or the window open. But we, you know, how can I say, close everything. And we think that is the perfectness of my system of knowledge.

[05:22]

And we kind of, you know, have difficulty to open the entrance or window and get in to get new air, fresh air. Please. That's also the conditioning of parents and society and culture that makes us believe our view is the same. So you can get a hundred people in the room with a hundred different backgrounds or conditions. So when we hear strange things like mountains are walking, we just, you know, say nonsense. It's very natural for us. But according to Dogen, that is because of There was baseness and crudeness.

[06:25]

These are not good words. Anyway, I think that is true. So, somehow, for example, Ucha Moroshi said, one of the meanings of the practice of zazen, of letting go, is like a... doing massage on our head to make it soft. Or it's same as, you know, open the window and get the fresh air. That is, I think, one of the function of our Zazen. We become flexible by keep letting go of whatever thought or thinking coming up. But that is our usual way. And we call it, let's see, yeah, Dogen says later, so I talk it later.

[07:35]

But those are all limited view. And when we hear the words such as flowing water, it's a kind of a matter of fact. So we think, You know, when we hear, you know, water flows, you know, we don't, without thinking, we think that's a matter of course. But that is also a problem for us. So, he's saying we need to be free from our baby-made way of viewing things. created by our karma. Thus, the accumulated virtues of the mountain brought up here represent its very name and form, its vital artery.

[08:38]

The accumulated virtues mean the virtues accumulated by the practice or the walk of the mountains. And he said, Dogen said, two kinds of virtues. One is virtue of step forward or going up. Another is virtue of go down or stepping back and study the self. And as a result of those accumulation or practice, mountains is mountains at this moment. And we call it a mountain. And that is name and form of mountain, and that is a vital artery, artery.

[09:39]

That is artery. A vein. It's different. The artery goes where the blood goes out to the body, and the vein is where the blood comes back. I see. Artery. Vein. Okay, anyway, this is the word in Kechi Myaku in our lineage sheet. This is Kechi Myaku? This is Mei Myaku, not Ketsu. Ketsu is blood, but Mei is life. So, life artery or life vein. I think that means life itself. The blood is circulating this body. That is, you know, fat has been transmitted from Buddha through generations of ancestors. That is our vital artery. Please.

[10:44]

Sudden and gradual. In terms of sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment? Let's see. I don't think so. The original word Dogen uses is shoshaku no kudoku. Kudoku is the word we had before, the merit or virtues. Shaku means to pile up or accumulate. Sho makes this passive.

[11:46]

So, you know, to accumulate or pile the kudoku, or merit, is very common expression in Buddhism. That is our practice, or our offering, bring about some virtues or merit. And, in order to become Buddha, we need to pile up or accumulate certain kudoku. That is the idea. Yes, yes, yes. So, yeah, in echo or dedication, we offer this merit, not for this person, but for all beings. And another way or another usage of this Kudoku is in the very famous Koan story about Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu. Bodhidharma said, no kudoku, or mukudoku.

[12:49]

That is the word. No merit. Please. Well, name... I don't think so. It's because of the merit of, you know, practice that has been done, you know, mountain has its name as mountain or Buddha ancestor has its own name as Buddha or ancestor. I think that's all in this context. So he says, there is a mountain walk and a mountain flow. And there is a time when the mountains give birth to a mountain child.

[13:55]

He says, you know, this is about dharma transmission from teacher to student. Somehow mountain give birth to next mountain. And he's going to talk about giving birth to a child later about a stone woman. So I talk about giving birth at that time. And the mountains become the Buddhas and ancestors. So mountains, you know, this entire world or network of interdependent origination in which we are part of it. This entire network becomes Buddhas and ancestors. This entire network, you know, practice.

[15:00]

And, you know, in Uchiyama-roshi's life, or my teacher's life, he was the center of that interdependent origination. And in my life, I am the center of this interdependent origination. So each and every one of us are the center of the world. That is a kind of strange thing. If we think of the world as a flat thing, like a map, you know, center must be only one. I studied geography in Japan using the map or atlas made in Japan. And the world atlas made in Japan, Japan is the center. And only one center. And often, you know, because Japan is so tiny, only that Japan is colored with red.

[16:09]

Japan has a red color. This is a special place. And that is my picture of the world. You know, input when I was a child. And it was very kind of difficult for me to become free from that frame. So, when I went to Massachusetts, in New England, in my atlas, that was the edge of the world. Really, the edge of the world. You know, if the center of the world is Japan, this side is New England, the edge of the world, and the other side is Europe or England. So for the first few years, I felt I was on the edge of the world. I'm sorry. But after a few years, I was there.

[17:21]

A Japanese family visited. The Japanese person was doing some kind of research at a hospital in Connecticut. And he had a family and children. And once we visited his house, and we saw his children's room and there was a map or atlas made in USA. And I was surprised. You know, that is the center of the world. You know, until then, I really felt, you know, the center of the world is in the west. And this, I was in the edge. But when I found the atlas in the USA, I found that this is the center of the world.

[18:23]

Since the Earth has three dimensions and it's a sphere, everywhere, wherever it is, is the center of the world. And I think that is very important. If we think the center of the world is only one, and it's me, that's a problem. But if we think there are numerous centers of the world, that means every one of us is the center of the world, and we respect that, then it's okay. We are all at the center of the world. And we should understand, not only me, but everyone of us are at the center of the world. And I think the important point is I see the world from this center. And you see the world from that center.

[19:28]

So all of you are part of my world. and I am part of your world. And I cannot see from that side. I can only see from this side. I think that is why our view is limited. So I don't think Dogen is saying there is some absolutely right view. Absolute view. But I think what he is saying is to our right view is that you know, our view is limited. I think that is very important. Wisdom. Our view is limited. But my view, from my point of view, is only view I can use, I can see. Only way I can see the world. So this is my condition. Not only me, but human condition. And when, you know, we

[20:32]

hear from others about the view from that point of view and we can have some understanding about how the world looks like from that side. That is the way how we study the world more kind of a broader perspective. And that is the meaning of listening Dharma, or studying teaching, not only from Buddhist texts or Buddhist teachers, but by reading and studying any books or listening to any people's opinion. By listening, our view becomes broader and more flexible if we understand that my view is not always absolutely right.

[21:39]

I think that is very important. because this human world becomes one society. Before 20th century, each country has its own territory and we don't have so much interaction. So Japanese people can be just Japanese. And we think Japanese way is totally, completely right way. But when we hear, you know, different view or opinion from outside of Japan, we have some rejection or some suspicion, you know, suspicious. And, you know, we are skeptical and sometimes we try to counter-argue or even fight. That is, I think, what happened in the 20th century. You know, people from different

[22:44]

cultural, spiritual, or whatever background meet each other and couldn't understand. Then it's very natural to argue or even fight. But I think in this century we need to, how can I say, study each other or listen to each other. That makes our view even a little bit broader. and our kind of building of our knowledge more kind of flexible, where we can get more fresh air. And I think what we are doing, at least what I'm doing, as a kind of, I don't like this word, but Buddhist missionary, from Japan.

[23:47]

You know, kind of a, how can I say, make Japanese Buddhists a little, you know, open to the rest of the world. And also by American people studying Buddhism or other Asian spirituality, you are view or idea can be even, can be broadened or more flexible. I think that is very important thing. If we, you know, human beings live together and within this, you know, one society on this small earth. So, actually, the mountains become the... I started to talk about this.

[24:53]

When Uchiyamuroshi was alive, Uchiyamuroshi was the center of the world, and he practiced as a universal self. So, that is one complete world. universal self, that is Uchamara's expression of the self, universal, or connected with everyone, penetrating with, you know, into the entire world. Please. Okay. Okay, so each of us is, you know, each of us is the center of the world. Now we have the universal self. Is that the same thing? Well, let's see, I think... Is that part of an enlightened type of mind? Enlightened type of mind? I think what Uchamurashi is saying, we are living within the world.

[25:57]

We are part of the world. And we are connected with everything. We are like a knot of the net. and everything is connected. But we can see this world only from inside. And as I said, you know, this entire network of interdependent origination, you know, is called mountain. And also, Uchamuroshi called this entire network as jiko, or self. And that is fact. you know, in his expression, universal self. That is this self. But this, including this entire universe, including or connected with this entire universe, is what Uttamaro said, self.

[26:58]

Or Dogen said, this entire world is the part of the boat, as he said in Zenki, when we are sailing on the boat. So we are part of the world, but the world is part of me. That is what Uchamaru Shimenko, when he used the expression universal self. OK? And so, this is his world. And when he was alive, that was his world. And as a disciple, I was a part of his world. But for me, Uchamurashi was a part of my world. And I'm, you know, this mountain. Or this mountain is me. Not after his death, but from the beginning.

[28:01]

So, you know, each person has kind of a complete, complete world. That is, which Amarose says, we are born with entire universe, and we live together with entire universe, and we die with entire universe. So when he died, his entire universe is dead. It's gone. But my entire universe is here. So he often said, you know, we often think that our life is like, or this world is like a stage. And when we are born, we appear on this stage. you know, pray for a while, and we exit from this stage. But stage is always there. I think that is our common view, but Uchamaroshi said that is not real reality for each one of us.

[29:10]

When we are born, this entire world was born together with me. And when we are leaving, we are leaving with this entire world. And the center of that world is me. And when we die, this entire world dies with me. But when we think, you know, when we think, you know, I know as a knowledge, because I studied history, before I was born something happened. and even Uchamaroshi died, I'm still alive. So as a knowledge or intellectual understanding, I think the world was there even before I was born and the world will be there even after my death. But that is our knowledge, our understanding, our intellection as a real reality.

[30:15]

There is no past before I was born as my own personal experience. That's all knowledge or information I get from studying. And I create that picture of the world or the history of the world as my system of understanding. And he said, that is not a real thing. That is human fabrication. And as a fabrication, it might be correct. As an understanding or knowledge, it's correct. But that is not a real thing. That is some kind of abstraction created in our mind. So as a real reality of our life, he said, We are born together with the entire universe and we are living together with the entire universe.

[31:21]

And when we die, my entire universe dies. So, what I was trying to say is his world is complete. Completely his world. And my world is completely my world. And so it's kind of a strange thing that, you know, Dharma can be transmitted from his world to my world. It's a very strange thing. And that is one of the reasons, one of the meanings of, you know, this Dharma is a stone woman. A stone woman doesn't give birth to anyone, anything. It's completed. There's no way to give birth to other or another thing, because it's a complete oneness.

[32:22]

But somehow, you know, this complete oneness, dharma of complete oneness, transmits from you know, Bodhidharma to second ancestor, and from second ancestor to the third ancestor, and from Ujjyama Roshi to me, somehow. It's a very strange thing. It's mysterious. And a stone woman gives a birth to a child is an expression of this strange thing or miracle. There's no way to transmit, but somehow it's transmitted. Because his world is only his, his understanding, his point of view, his karma is only his, and my karma is only mine. But somehow his life, his entire life transmitted to me.

[33:27]

And what I'm doing here is is in a sense, how can I say, in a sense reincarnation of his life, or his practice at least. So he is still alive, in that sense. It's kind of a strange thing to say. We are, each one of us are completely independent. And yet, you know, we are completely one. And Dharma, the life, has been transmitted from teacher to student, or parents to children. It's really strange thing. I often use the word strange, but this strange is a translation for me of myo. Myo in myoho. Myoho is sadharma. SADHARMA SADHARMA PUNDARIKASUTRA SAD SADHARMA SADHARMA SAD DHA You know the part of the Lotus Sutra SADHARMA PUNDARIKASUTRA SADHARMA SAD means wondrous or excellent or wondrous, excellent, beautiful

[34:53]

Yes. Myo. Myo means strange, too. Wanders means it's beyond our thinking, beyond our understanding, beyond our grasping. Anyway, that's how, you know, the mountain becomes mountain, and mountain gives birth to mountains. And next, he picks up four kinds of views appeared in Buddhist sutras about mountains. Even when we have the eyes to see mountains as the appearance of grass and trees, earth and stone, fences and walls, This is nothing to doubt, nothing to be moved by.

[35:59]

It is not the complete appearance of the mountains. This is a kind of common sense. Mountain is a collection of grasses and trees, earth and stone, fences and walls. This is a very ordinary thing. of the views. We have other mountains. That's a collection of, you know, dirt, rock, trees, and many different kinds of living beings. That is mountain. So this is nothing to doubt, of course. And nothing to be moved by. It's nothing special. So we can accept this. easily, naturally. But he said, it is not the complete appearance of the mountains.

[37:03]

He said, this is not complete. Our common sense, common idea of the mountain is not complete. The original word for this appearance is genjo in genjo koan. So another possible translation is manifestation or actualization of the mountains. And next one is, even when there appears an occasion in which the mountains are seen as the splendor of the seven treasures, this is still not the real refuge. Some people or some beings see the mountain as a splendor of the seven treasures.

[38:06]

Seven treasures are not particular jewels. But the names of the jewels are not important, but something very valuable, rare, and beautiful. So sometimes we see mountains not simply as a collection of dirt or grasses and trees, but sometimes we see the beauty of the mountains like jewels. you know, as, you know, like a poet, or a photographer, or a painter, see the mountain as like a jewels. It's really beautiful. That is one way to see mountains. And that is fine. As, you know, as like the poems by Su Shi, Su Dong Go. You know, by seeing those pictures, photos, or by reading poems, or paintings, we see the beauty of our life.

[39:19]

So it's a really wonderful thing. But he says, this is still not the real refuge. Real refuge, I think maybe, as English expression, difficult to understand what it means but this is a translation of jikki jitsu means true or real or genuine and ki means to return And this ki is used as a compound with e. Ki-e means taking refuge.

[40:23]

Namu ki-e butsu. So ki-e is a Chinese translation of namu in Sanskrit. And jitsu is true. So, true things which we return to or which we take refuge. That is the meaning of this true refuge. Please. Oh, genuine. True, real or genuine. So that means three treasures for us Buddhists. And Dogen Zenji, I think, in the Shobo Genzo Kiesanbo, taking refuge in three treasures, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, he said, we take refuge in three treasures.

[41:29]

Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, because those three are jikki. He used this word, expression, jikki, truly, really return to. Do you understand what I'm saying? Please. Are you saying that in the reference to seven treasures, No, he said seven jewels. Hichiho, seven jewels, or seven treasures. It's different from three treasures. Different word. Seven treasures here means various valuable, beautiful jewels. not necessarily three treasures or triple treasures.

[42:30]

But this word, jikki, means we really return to, we really truly take refuge. So, what he's saying here is to see mountains like a jewel or beautiful way, as an artistic way, is not really where we should return, where we take refuge. That means it's still somewhat karmic. It's beautiful and it's really wonderful, but still, you know, conditioned. And next one is, even when they appear to us as a realm of the practice of the way of the Buddhas, This is not necessarily something to be desired. Some people see that, you know, mountain is a place where Buddhas and, you know, sages and all those spiritual practitioners practice.

[43:44]

And yet he said, this is not necessarily something to be desired. Something to be desired is a translation of Aishō. Aishō is place, Ai is to love. Something we love. And this is an expression, Sekitōkisen. Sekitōkisen. I think we know Sekitōkisen. used in his poem titled So An Ka. So An Ka is a poem or a song of thatched hermitage. He said his hermitage is a very small hermitage on the rock. Sekito means head of the rock. I mean, head of the rocks. That means he built a hermitage on that huge rock. That's why he was called Sekito, or rock head.

[44:49]

It's like an iron head. Anyway, Sekito said, this small hermitage is not worldly people's aisho, fear to love. Worldly people don't love such a small, humble hermitage. So, what he is saying is that kind of view about mountain, that this is a spiritual place, is still not necessary we have to desire to go. And, next one, even when reality is more than this, the crowning appearance of this vision means this is the highest vision, that this mountain is the inconceivable virtue of Buddha.

[46:06]

So, as this is actually what Phat Dogen said, The mountain is a result of accumulation of conceivable virtues, of practice. So, actually, this is actually his view. But he said, their reality, the reality of the mountain, is more than this. So these are, he said, these are all views. no matter, you know, these are mistaken and these are wonderful, but... Mistaken sort of in the sense of incomplete. These are not mistaken. Yeah, incomplete. But he says, these are not complete view of the mountains. And he said, each of these appearances

[47:09]

This appearance is also Genjo. Each of these appearances or views we create when we see the mountains, depending upon our karmic consciousness, is the particular objective and subjective result of past karma. They are not the karma of the way of the Buddhas and ancestors, but narrow, one-sided views. Even we see the mountain as the virtues of Buddhas and ancestors, still that is one-sided, narrow, karmic views. The word objective and subjective is a translation of EHO.

[48:29]

and shō hō. Dōgen just used e and shō, but e and shō is an abbreviation of e-hō and shō-hō. And this hō is the ninth of ten suchness I talked about this morning. That is, retribution. Retribution of certain activities or karma in the past. And it says there are two kinds of retribute we receive from our past karma. And shobo is our body and mind. And efo is our environment, our circumstance. So, you know, Shobo is our particular individual, in our common understanding, individual condition.

[49:52]

In my case, I was born in 1948 in Osaka, Japan, in a certain family, and grown up there, and received certain education. That is my Shobo. body and mind. And the circumstance where we are born, and that kind of condition, in that circumstance, is Eho. And Shobo and Eho, you know, form this part, this self. As, you know, not only Uchiyamuroshi, but Dogen is saying, Shobo and therefore makes this self. So a whole is, you know, this world actually. This world in which we are living.

[50:53]

And Shobo is ourselves, this body and mind. And both are retribution from our past karma. That is a basic understanding or a basic usage of this expression Eho and Shobo. Eho would be objective? Yeah, in this translation. Subjective in this translation is Shobo. And objective is translation of Eho. Please. I think that's different, a different word, but the idea is the same.

[51:59]

Yes? Is the same hole connected to the first five elements of suchness? That is a show hole. connection or a relation with all others in the past and present. Next, ho. I think so. And according to Abhidharma, you know, this sho ho, the part of body and mind, is my personal retribution. But a ho is, you know, for example, all people here share this eho now. So this is called gu-go. Gu-go means sharing karma. So, because we share the same karma, we are here and talking or discussing same thing.

[53:08]

So, my karma and your karma are in certain part the same. We share the same karma, that's why we are here together. That is the idea. And what Dogen is saying here is, the view, in whatever view, whether we view the mountains as he said, he only said four, but there must be much more. The way of viewing mountains of poets or painters or businessmen are different. Sorry, please. You said that Eho was kind of a shared karma? Yeah. Would that be some way to explain how transmissions, the job of transmissions? Karma transmission.

[54:09]

So, when you were speaking earlier, Well, in my world, you know, Uchiyama Roshi is one of the Eho. And in his world, I'm one of, part of his Eho. And in his life, his body and mind is Soho. And in my world, this body and mind is my Soho. And our view is created in the kind of interaction or relationship between Shobo and Eho. So, that is what he is saying here. So, depending upon the condition of our body and mind, and the condition of our circumstances, environment, we create many different kinds of views.

[55:17]

And whatever view, even the view he's writing here, is just a view. It's limited. It's created by our karma. That's what he's saying. So this is the part he's saying we cannot see reality. Whatever we see is just a creation of our karma. So it's limited. We have no We cannot have any view which is not limited. Because we are inside of the world. And to see the world, we have to take a position, take a side. And we cannot see the entire world because of this person's existence. I think that is what he is saying. So, our view is always only our view. Our view cannot be mountains themselves.

[56:30]

And this expression, narrow one-sided view, is very kind of a common expression in Chinese and Japanese. The expression, literary expression, is a view through like a tube or a straw. You know, when we see the world through a straw, we see only this part, this side, a very tiny part of the world, but we think That is the entire world. That is the kind of imagination of this expression. We only see with, you know, a tube like a straw. Or another expression is a frog in the well. A frog in the well sees the heaven, sees the sky,

[57:38]

only, you know, this size. But a frog thinks that is the entire world, our entire sky. And that is how we view our world. And the analogy of, you know, blind people touch the elephant is the same. The analogy used also talks about a board-carrying fellow, someone carrying a board on their shoulders. That is also a famous expression in Buddhism. Having tunnel vision. Is that a common English expression? Tunnel vision. Yeah. Pardon me? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We use that expression too. And his father criticized, kind of, how can I say, teaching in Zen.

[58:59]

He said, turning the object and turning the mind is criticized by the great sage. Great sage here means Buddha. And explaining the mind and explaining the nature is not affirmed by the Buddhas and ancestors. Seeing the mind and seeing the nature is a business of non-Buddhists. Turning the object and turning the mind is, in our practice, any kind of practice, maybe meditation practice, somehow we try to change our mind or we try to change the object. You know, we sometimes think our meditation practice is, you know, kind of a, how can I say, some kind of psychological change.

[60:03]

And to be enlightened is to be to become certain stage or state of mind, different stage of mind, or not ordinary. And only within such a stage or condition of mind, we can see the reality as it is. That is a kind of a common sense of meditation practice. If we, if our mind is, if we attain certain condition or certain stage of mind, we can see the object as they are. That is a kind of a common understanding of even Buddha's teaching. To have Buddha's wisdom is to see the things as they are. And that is correct.

[61:08]

But he is saying, Dogen is saying, that is criticized by the great sage. Actually, what he used is scolded. Because I think there is a separation or duality between mind and object. And explaining the mind and explaining the nature. Mind is shin, and nature is shou. Sesshin, sesshou. Mind-nature. This mind-nature, I think, is Dogen used in some question in Bendowa. You know, the mind, some kind of the nature of mind, or sometimes we call it a true self or original face.

[62:15]

If we think true face of the self or original self is something inside of a self or even Buddha nature. What did I say? Buddha nature, true face. original face, true self, or Buddha nature, if we think those are within ourselves somehow hidden in this body and mind, and to explain or expound such mind nature is through teaching or enlightenment, then, Dogen said, is not affirmed by Buddhas and ancestors. And seeing the mind and seeing the nature, this mind and nature are the same thing.

[63:16]

And the word kensho is seeing the nature. Dogen Zenji really didn't like the word kensho. Because, according to him, there is a separation of self and the nature. And we, the self, see the nature. But the nature cannot be seen, cannot be the object of the subject. Nature is ourselves. So, as we cannot see our eyes, our eyes cannot see our eyes, there is no way we can see the nature. I think that is the point of Dogen. But this word, Kensho, is really important in Rinzai Zen. So, this is a source of long discussion between Soto and Rinzai.

[64:24]

But I don't want to get into that discussion, please. Well, in Rinzai, Kensho is Satori. Kensho and Satori are the same. Dogen Zenji discussed about what Satori is. And one of the titles of Shobo Genzo is Daigo, Great Satori. So, he talked about Satori. But for him, satori is this mountain itself. And, you know, walking on mountain is great enlightenment or great satori. Satori is not something we can see as object or something we can attain as my personal position.

[65:32]

I think, basically, even in Rinzai, Rinzai Zen, they are the same, not so different. I mean... I'll talk about this later, when Hitogen discusses incomprehensible... something. in the section of Unmo. And sticking to words and sticking to phrases are not the words of revelation. Of course, this is a very common saying in Zen. Words and phrases, that means our intellectual, conceptual understanding. There are words that are free from such realms. So we should go beyond words and phrases."

[66:38]

And he said, there are such words free from such clinging. And that is, according to Dogen, the blue mountains constantly walking and the east mountain moving over the water. So these phrases, these words, are beyond words. So if we, you know, if we study Dogen's writing, and we grasp it as his teaching, and make it concept, then we miss his teaching. That is the meaning of, you know, Blue Mountains constantly walking. But, you know, what Dogen is writing here and what I'm talking here is still words.

[67:40]

So if we grasp this as words or concept, then we miss it. So this is a very important point when we study Dogen. She's trying to kind of, in a sense, destroy or They construct our views. But by reading and studying his writings, we may create another view. And we think this is right teaching. Then we miss the point completely. No. So that's why he's saying we should give them detailed investigation. We have to really carefully study what these words mean. Please. In a row of words, the blue mountain is constantly walking. I feel like I've taken that in as much as I can at the level of words.

[68:43]

Each mountain moving over the water, I don't feel so familiar with that one. Are you willing to say more about that? Yeah. Next section is about Umon's saying of each mountain's walk over the water. I'd like to finish one more paragraph. I think... I hope I have enough time. This is about a stone woman. The stone woman gives birth to a child in the night. This is part of Fuyō-dōkai's saying, after a blue mountain is always walking. This means that the time when a stone woman gives birth to a child is the night. And this night means the same as the darkness in Sandokai. You know, the branching stream flows into darkness.

[69:52]

This darkness or night means How can I say? Beyond discrimination. And the expression stone woman is used in Hōkyōzanmai. I think you are familiar with this expression. In Hōkyōzanmai, it says, the wooden man starts to sing, the stone woman gets up dancing. And it is not reached by feelings or consciousness. How could it involve deliberation? So this is something beyond thinking. So beyond thinking means no discrimination. And next few sentences.

[70:54]

There are male stones, female stones, and stones neither male nor female. They repair heaven and they repair earth. There are stones of heaven and there are stones of earth. Though this said in the secular world, it is rarely understood." These are all kind of a quote from the Chinese classics. But I don't think I have time to talk on each one of them. So these are... I don't think I need to explain what this means. But what he wants to say is, after that, at the time of birth, at the time of birth, are parent and child transformed together? And we should not only study that birth is realized in the child becoming the parent.

[72:04]

We should also study and fully understand that the practice and verification of birth is realized when the parent becomes the child. Please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah, I think that is what I said. You know, he is saying the same thing. Mountain gives birth to mountain, or mountain child, and stone woman gives birth to stone child. So, please, Yes.

[73:09]

Yes. So, blue mountain, blue mountain, blue mountain. And also this is Dharma transmission. I think I had something to say, but somehow I forget. Oh, this, you know, the meaning of child and parent. He said, child become parent and parent become a child. I think this is, this child and parent is same as the present and eternity. or living beings, or bodhisattva as a practitioner and buddhas.

[74:18]

Within our practice, within the walking of the mountains, you know, we grow and we get mature and become parents. That is a process of our practice. A child like us, We are still a baby at the bodhisattva. We, you know, try to deepen our understanding and practice and getting more and more mature. And we become a parent. This is one way of understanding the process of our practice. But he is also saying, you know, each step of our practice within each step of our practice, that is, Dharma position. You know, the parent appeared, or parent manifests within each practice.

[75:23]

So in that sense, parent becomes child, or Buddha becomes bodhisattva, to teach and help all beings. So there's a kind of a mutual interaction between living beings and buddhas, or this particular moment and eternal reality working together. This moment of dharma position is a kind of intersection of, how can I say, phenomena, phenomenal beings like us, or like mountains and waters, and eternal Buddha. So, eternal Buddha comes to us and allows us to practice, to manifest Buddha's life.

[76:32]

And through our day-to-day practice, We, in a sense, invite the Buddha. And we manifest Buddha's life without our activity, without our day-to-day activity, even though it's very incomplete. Still, beside this incomplete practice by ourselves as a practitioner, there's no such thing as Buddha's mind or Buddha's enlightenment. You know, if we don't practice, Buddha's enlightenment is done. It's over 2,500 years ago. Because of, even though our practice is incomplete, but still, because of our practice right now, right here, at this dharma position, Buddha's enlightenment is here. Otherwise, Buddha's enlightenment is something in the past and only recorded in the sutras.

[77:38]

but because of our actual practice, actual activity, Buddha's enlightenment still continues. So, our practice is very important. That is what Dogen really wants to say. In the writings like Shobo Genzo Gyoji, continuous practice, you know, we manifest, our practice manifests Buddha. Yes, yes. Our practice is actually Buddha's life. And that practice is walking on mountains. I'd like to... We have a few minutes, I think. I have one interesting kind of a discourse by Dogen.

[78:39]

This is the second discourse from Ehe Korok, about our views, about our karmic views, or... What did you say? Tunnel views. As I said, the frog in the well is a very common expression. Maybe I don't have enough time to read the entire discourse, so I just read the final conclusion. He is discussing also about whatever way we view the Dharma world, that is, limited view. And he said, How can we consider an atom small? Both are not true.

[79:43]

He discussed two sides of views. And he said, both are not true. How can you get it right with a single phrase, with one expression? And smashing our old nest of views, held of the whole universe, until now, and dropping off our old sandals, want to enter and leave an atom until now." He's discussing about our view about the entire Dharma world and getting to atoms, the smallest thing. And how will you speak of it? How do you express this? reality beyond viewing things with karmic or tunnel views. And the last sentence is very, I think, interesting.

[80:46]

I love this. A frog, a frog on the ocean, a frog on the ocean bottom, eat gruel. The jeweled rabbit in the heaven washes the bowl. Jeweled rabbit. Do you know what is a jeweled rabbit? Moon. Washes the bowl. This is a description of our Oryokimi. We are the frog on the ocean bottom. Do you understand? You know, usually a common expression is, a frog is in the well. So the frog has only limited view. But here, Dogen says, the frog is in the ocean.

[81:49]

There's no such frog in the ocean. But a frog in the ocean, I think, is a very beautiful image of bodhisattva. We are not in the well. We are in the ocean. It's a boundless place. So, we are not already... not a kind of a... How can I say? In the closed, you know, block building. So, it's open. But still, we are a frog. We are a tiny thing. Even though we are a very tiny thing, but still, or already, we are in the vastness of the ocean. And we... Ocean means Sangha. And we eat gruel. That means our practice. And when we, the frog, eat a gruel, the moon, the rabbit in the moon, washes the bowls.

[82:58]

You know, this is the expression Yeah, this is the expression of our daily practice. So, it's like, how can you express it? Just use your imagination. This is his expression of the phrase to express this, you know, the tiniest thing is expression of vast, boundless reality. And what he's saying is our day-to-day practice eating gruel or breakfast and wash the bowl. Within that, each and every such tiny, ordinary activity, you know, the moon rabbit is washing the bowl. I think it's really interesting and beautiful image.

[84:00]

Yes, I think so. Buddha or Buddha mind or Buddha life or universal reality, whatever you want to say. Sorry, I talked too long. Thank you.

[84:25]

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