Good morning. Yesterday I talked on the concept or expression of Buddha nature as a Buddhist terminology. And I briefly reviewed the first seven sections of Shobo Genzo Buddha Nature. So this morning I start to talk on Section 8. That is page 84. From here, as I said, this Buddha Nature or Bussho has 13 sections. So from here, number eight, Dogen Zenji discussed about the six so-called koans, about a discussion about Buddha Nature.

[01:08]

And it's kind of interesting, all those people or Zen masters appear in those koan stories are all connected. And in Section 8, Chinese pronunciation, National Teacher Xi'an of Xianqiu in Yankangxian, a distinguished priest and disciple of Matsu. This is a person. And because I don't know the Chinese pronunciation, let me use Japanese pronunciation. This master's name in Japanese is Yankangxian. And in Section 9, , this is in Japanese.

[02:14]

And then section 10 is a discussion about the sayings of Chan Master Tachi of Mount Po Chan. This is Hyakujo Ekai. Hyakujo Ekai. Hyakujo Ekai. And number 11 is a story about Nanchuan and Xuampo. Nanchuan is Nansen in Japanese. Nansen Fugan. And another person in this story is Xuampo or Obaku.

[03:36]

And in this story, again, Isan-de-yu and his student, Jyo-san, Yanshan, Jyo-san, Ejak appeared. And number 12 is a very famous koan of Dogu Buddha nature, that is Jyōshū. Jyōshū, Jyōshū, Jyūshīn. And the final section, number 13, is a story or a dialogue between Zen Master, here it says, Chonsha Shinsen, but in Japanese his name is Chosha Keshin.

[04:46]

Chosha Keshin. All these people are very famous, well-known Chinese Zen masters, beyond the so-called Golden Age of Zen. That is about 9th century in Tang Dynasty. And these people are all how can I say, Dharma descendants of very well-known Zen master, Baso Doi. Baso Doi. Baso is a person who appeared in the story of Polishing the Tile.

[05:56]

Baso's teacher was Nangakujo, and Nangak's teacher was the sixth ancestor, Huinan, or Eno. So Baso is the second generation from the sixth ancestor. And Hyakujo, Nansen, And Chosha, Keshin, those three people are direct disciples of Basho. Let's see. I'm sorry, not Chosha. But Enkansayan is Basho's disciple. And Hyakujo Ekai is a teacher of Isan Reiyu and Obak Kyun.

[06:58]

Both Isan and Obak are Hyakujo's dharmas. And of course, Joshu Jyushin is Nansen's disciple. And Chosha Keshin was also Nansen's disciple. So Isan and Obaku are Dharma brothers. And Joshu and Chosa are also Dharma brothers. And that means Nansen and Hyakujo. So these are all so-called Dharma relatives. and Dogen Zenji discussed about their statement, their expression or discussion about Buddha nature. And I wondered why Dogen Zenji, in order to discuss Buddha nature, why he picked up all those people under the Buddha lineage.

[08:05]

He never quote our lineage or sect's lineage. That goes to Soto. And this is my guess. In order to discuss my guess, I have to introduce one thing. and it has something to do with the story I'm going to talk, I mean Dogen discuss about Wu and Mu granature. As I said yesterday, one point of Dogen's criticism about, against a mistaken view on the Buddha nature is some people think Buddha nature as like Atman, expressed by so-called non-Buddhist philosopher, Indian philosopher Seneca.

[09:22]

And Dogen then somehow repeatedly discussed and criticized this view from Dendoa, And one of the most, not important, but clear part of his writing is Sokushin Zebutsu. And Sokushin Zebutsu is the mind itself is Buddha. And this, the mind itself is Buddha, is Bhatt's teaching originally. But Bhatt said, please. I have a two-month ignorance. Last time I remember that you mentioned the ancestors of Atha and Buddha nature. And I mentioned that I have some difficulty when I understand what's the difference between the essence of both, Buddha nature or .

[10:25]

Good. That's good to forget. And that is what we're discussing, what the difference between Ataman and Duna nature is in this entire long writing. It's very difficult and very subtle. When he discussed this expression, the mind is itself Buddha. This mind and Buddha nature is the same thing. So depending upon how we understand this expression, Basho's expression, the mind is itself Buddha, we can be the target of Dogen's criticism.

[11:35]

And Dogen discussed in this chapter of Shobo Genzo Sokshin Zebutsu, the Buddha, I'm sorry, the mind is the self-Buddha at this point. He really focused on this point. So I'd like to introduce what Dogen is discussing. In the very beginning of this chapter, the Shobo Dogen said, what every Buddha and every patriarch or ancestor has maintained and relied upon without exception is just mind here and now is Buddha. This mind here and now is Buddha is this person's Nishijima translation of Sokushinze Butsu. But he said there are many mistaken views about this mind is itself Buddha.

[12:47]

He said many students, however, misunderstand that mind here and now is Buddha. did not exist in India but was first heard in China. As a result, they do not recognize their mistake as a mistake. Because they do not recognize the mistake as a mistake, many fall down into non-Buddhism, non-Buddhist teaching. So this is really, at least according to Dogen, this is a really important point, whether we are Buddha's student or not Buddha's student. And the mistaken view, the point of mistake is when stupid, I'm sorry, Dogen like this word, when stupid people hear talk of mind here and now is Buddha,

[13:57]

they interpret that ordinary beings' intellect and sense perception, which have never established the body-mind, are just Buddha. I don't like the word established body-mind. This is arousing, awakening, or bodhicitta. that means allows the way-seeking mind and take a bodhisattva vow to study dharma and practice dharma. So any, you know, without being allows body-mind taking a vow and practice, if we understand our or ordinary human beings' intellect and sense perceptions.

[14:59]

As we studied in the Twelve Links of Causation, this intellect and sense perception is a cause of transmigration, a cause of suffering within samsara. So we have to work on this. And yet if we consider this is Buddha nature, then that is a mistake, very serious mistake. That means whatever we do is okay, because that is action or activity of Buddha nature. That is the point. So what Dogen wants to say is, unless we allow the body-mind and actually practice, there's no such thing called Buddha-nature. That is just a cause of transmigration. And that is called karmic consciousness. So we need to clearly make distinction between karmic consciousness and Buddha-nature.

[16:09]

and also the Atman. There's another kind of discussion whether karmic consciousness and Atman is the same thing or not, but here, now, this is not an important point, so we can put it aside. Atman, karmic consciousness, that is a kind of our energy, life energy, and which makes our life, you know, competition and chasing after something or escaping from something, and as a result our life becomes samsara. That is a cause of suffering. And when we allow the body-mind and take a vow and practice and try to be liberated from karmic consciousness, what is the difference between the source or cause of suffering and the cause and that energy?

[17:23]

which allow us to allow the body-mind and practice and become Buddha. Are these two are same or not? That is the point of this discussion. And if we say that those two are the same, that's a mistake. That is a fat dog and thing. But are they really different? That's the point. And that is what we have to think. And even Dogen didn't give us the answer. But he gave us how to think about it, how to inquire. What is this? How different? Is these two really different or not? That is quorum. And there's no fixed answer. So we have to inquire. And our practice is a process of this inquiry.

[18:26]

I was just wondering, obviously, the mind itself is Buddha, one of mind. That is what Dogen is discussing now, whether it happens with mind. Is he saying that when this mind is samsara, and there's delusion, and when this mind is speaking lie, then there's buddha mind. Yeah. So what is this? That is the point of this question. There is only one mind. Which mind? It is just a matter of really, or delusion, Well, still, you know, if it's one Buddha mind, and it is a thing we discuss, this one Buddha mind appear as a

[19:35]

source of delusion and source of enlightenment. That is the point. And if this one mind, or so-called Buddha nature, is something which doesn't change whether we are deluded or enlightened, then what is one mind which doesn't change? That is Dogen's question. Is it same or different with Ataman which doesn't change? That's the point. So we hear his discussion. I'm pretty sure he didn't give us the answer. But he just point that is mistake. So the point of mistake by stupid people is considering our intellect and sense perception which have not yet established our body-mind is Buddha nature, or this mind that is itself Buddha.

[20:54]

That is Dogen point. This derives from never having met a true teacher. The reason I say that they become non-Buddhist is that there was a non-Buddhist in India called Senka, and Dogen Zenki introduced the teaching of this person, Senka, whose viewpoint is expressed as following. So the following is a teaching by this person, Senka. He said, the great truth exists in our own body now, within this body now. This is not Dogen or Buddha, but this is Senka. Please be careful. It sounds very similar. The great truth exists in our own body now. so we can easily recognize its creation.

[21:58]

In other words, a spiritual intelligence, a spiritual intelligence, or rei-chi in Japanese, distinguishes between pain and pleasure, naturally senses cold and warmth, and recognizes discomfort and irritation. This is a function of six sense organs. And they said, I mean, Dvashemka said, that is the truth. That is a function of this spiritual intelligence. The spiritual intelligence is neither restricted by myriad things. nor connected with circumstances. That means this intelligence has no connection with other things. It is independent.

[23:02]

It can exist without connection or relationship with other things. Things come and go, and circumstances arise and pass. But the spiritual intelligence, that truth, that real thing, always remains, so doesn't change, doesn't come, doesn't go. It's always there. Unchanging, remains unchanging, so it's permanent. This spiritual intelligence is all around, prevailing all souls, souls. Common and sacred, whether we are deluded or enlightened, all of us have this spiritual intelligence without distinction. In its midst, illusory flowers, illusory flowers in space exist for the time being.

[24:13]

So phenomenal things are illusory flowers. But when momentary insight has appeared, momentary insight sounds like a sudden enlightenment, has appeared and things have vanished and circumstances have disappeared. So those things happening around us is just an illusion. Then the spiritual intelligence, the original essence, alone is clearly recognizable, peaceful and eternal. Though the physical form may be broken, body may be broken, the spiritual intelligence departs unbroken. So even though our body will be broken,

[25:14]

But this spiritual intelligence doesn't break, it's never broken. It's permanent, really permanent. Just as when a house burns, a house burns down in a fire, the master of the house leaves. So the body is like a house. And the spiritual intelligence is like an owner of the house. When the house was burned, the owner just get out of the house and buy a new house. That is reincarnation or rebirth. You know, many people think this is Buddhist teaching, but actually Dogen said this is This perfectly clear and truly spiritual presence is called the essence of perception and intelligence.

[26:16]

It is also described as Buddha and called enlightenment. So This spiritual intelligence which never changes, which never ceases to exist, but is permanent, is called a Buddha or enlightenment. It includes both the subject and the object, and it permeates both delusion and enlightenment. So let the myriad dharmas and all circumstances be as they are. That means whatever is happening or going around us, it doesn't matter. That spiritual intelligence does not coexist with circumstances.

[27:23]

and it is not the same as things. It abides constantly through passing kalpas. We might also call the circumstances that exist in the present real insofar as they derive from the existence of the spiritual intelligence. because they are conditions arising from the original essence. They are real things. Even so, they are not eternal, as the spiritual intelligence is. for they exist and then vanish. So things are allowed and vanish, but this intelligence, spiritual intelligence, doesn't allow and cease. The spiritual intelligence is unrelated to brightness and darkness.

[28:34]

Because it knows spiritually, we call this the spiritual intelligence. We also call it the true self. We call it the basis of awakening. We call it original essence. And we call it original substance. Someone who realizes this original essence is said to have returned to eternity and is called a great man who has come back to the truth. After this, after we return to that truth, he no longer wanders through the cycle of life and death, So if we find that spiritual intelligence, we no more transmigrate within samsara.

[29:42]

He experiences and enters the essential ocean where there is neither appearance nor disappearance. There is no reality. other than this. But as long as this essence has not emerged, that means until we discover it, the three worlds and the six states of samsara are said to arise in competition. And Dogen said, this is the view of the non-Buddhist senka. So this is non-Buddhist idea. And we need to make the distinction very clear what Dogen's Buddhist teaching says and what this kind of non-Buddhist teaching is.

[30:55]

What is the difference? What is the point of Dogen's discussion? Please. I think this is Dogen's interpretation of this person's teaching. Zenka is all about the contemporary of Shakyamuni Buddha. He was one of the spiritual religious leaders at the time of Shakyamuni. Please. I think that would help me from my practice to see more into this paradox that how a true self, as long as it's independent, yet it embraces anything, anything that exists. I mean, our illusion or anything that we experience, it is itself a true self, yet it is independent.

[32:03]

I understand the practice of just... I don't know if I'm making all my questions. Okay, let me continue Dogen's discussion. So Dogen introduced this kind of teaching. It's sound... similar with Zen teaching of true self, or true self is enough. And unless we are very careful, we think this kind of idea is Buddhism. And Dogen introduced one Chinese Zen master who criticized this idea.

[33:05]

And he pointed that many Zen masters at his time had the same idea. The master is Nanyo Echu. Nanyo Echu is one of the Dalmayas of six ancestor Huinan or Eno. So that was Dalmanku. Nanyo Echu, national teacher Daisho of the great kingdom of Tang Asuka monk. From which direction have you come? So someone visits the Master from the South. Again, South. People from the South see the problem somehow. From which direction have you come?

[34:09]

The monk says, I have come from the South. The Master says, what good counselors," I don't like this word, counselors, this means master or the master or teacher, are there in the South. The monk says, good counselors, good teachers are very numerous, so there are many good teachers in the South. The master says, how do they teach people? The monk says, The good teachers of that quarter in the South teach students directly that mind here and now is Buddha. That is Buddha's teaching. The mind is itself Buddha. Buddha means consciousness itself. So he said Buddha is consciousness.

[35:12]

You now are free and endowed with the essence of seeing, hearing, awareness and recognition. So as said in Seneca, we can sense cold and heat, or present and present. This is a function of consciousness, and this consciousness is Buddha. That is a teaching in a sense, according to this monk. And this essence is able to raise the eyebrows and to wink. We can move our eyes because of this consciousness. And to come and go. And to move and act. It pervades the body so that when something touches the head, the head knows it.

[36:22]

When something touches the head, the head knows something is here. And when something touches the foot, the foot knows it. Therefore it is called the true all-pervading intelligence. This is all-pervading intelligence. Apart from this, there is no Buddha at all. So, you know, the function of consciousness which knows when it's cold, it's cold, when it's warm, it's warm, when it's hot, it's hot, and he said, that is Buddha and nothing else. Sounds like them, right? And this body must appear and disappear, but the mental essence, same as spiritual intelligence.

[37:24]

Mental essence has never appeared or disappeared since the limitless past. This never appeared nor disappeared sounds like the Hatshepsut saying, neither arise nor cease. So we need to make distinction, what the difference between this kind of teaching is saying when he said, never appear nor disappear. That means it's eternal, permanent. But when the Hathor Sutra says, no, neither arise nor cease, it means because there's no such things. That's the difference. Where is it? The appearance and disappearance of the body is like a dragon changing its bones, a snake shedding its skin, or a person moving out of an old house.

[38:38]

So same idea. This body is inconstant, that is, impermanent. Body is impermanent. The essence is constant or permanent. So within our body, essence is permanent, but the form of our body is impermanent. So there are two parts. And the permanent part is Buddha, and the impermanent part is you know like a dust covered the diamond that's the same idea of so-called common view of buddha nature what they teach in the south is for the most part like this and this this is one at least one interpretation of buffalo's teaching

[39:40]

And then the Master Nan-myoho says, if it is so, they are no different from the non-Buddhist Seneca, he said. In our body, he said, means Seneca said, again Dogen introduced Nan-myoho's explanation of this Seneca's idea. In our body there is a single spiritual essence. This essence can recognize pain and irritation. When the body decays, the spirit departs. So when our body is dead, the spiritual essence leaves the body and buys another body and continues to live within that body. This essence can recognize pain and irritation when the body decays, the spirit departs.

[40:47]

Just as when a house is burning, the master of the house departs. The house is inconstant or impermanent. The master of the house is constant or permanent. When I examine people like this, this is 9-0-8-2. This I is 9-0-8-2. When I examine people like this, they do not know the force from the truth. How can they decide what is right? When I was on my travels, that is, when was young, he traveled to visit teachers, I often saw this kind. Recently, they are very popular. You know, those people, disciples of Batho, were really popular.

[41:49]

Batho had, I think, more than 80 Dhamma years. They were very popular. They gathered assemblies of three or five hundred. three or five hundred people and eyes gazing toward the heavens, they say, this is a fundamental teaching of the South. They take the platform sutra, platform sutra of the sixth ancestor. They take the platform sutra and change it This is said by Shunyan disciples. They changed the platform sutra and mixed it in folk stories and erasing its sacred meaning.

[42:51]

So Manoichi was complaining that those people changed Shunyan's platform sutra. So Hunan sacred or authentic teaching was missed. They delude and disturb recent students. How could there be called the spoken teaching? How painful it is that our religion is being lost. really strong criticism. If seeing, hearing, awareness and recognition could be equated with the Buddha nature, immorality would not have said the Dharma is transcendent over seeing, hearing, awareness and recognition. When we use seeing, hearing, awareness and

[43:55]

recognition, it is only seeing, hearing, awareness and recognition. It is not pursuit of the Dharma. So this person, this Zen Master said, that kind of idea is not Buddha Dharma at all. or is he talking about Wausau students? I think Nanyo Eche is talking about these people. They call them Southern School, and they criticize so-called Northern School. And they said their teaching is Southern Enlightenment. Teaching in the northern school is gradual enlightenment or gradual practice.

[44:59]

I think so. Nanyo was, I think, much older than Baso, but only one generation difference. Nanyo was Baso's dharma uncle. He didn't have these same years. That is Togain trying to check if Basso and his disciples thought the same as Seneca or not. That's fine. That is my guess. why, you know, in Shodo Genzo Bussho, Dogen Genji picked up those people's examples and statements, and whether this is Buddha Dharma or not. And I think he said, basically he was saying they are teaching not Seneca's, but Buddha Dharma.

[46:14]

That is my guess, but we need to study more closely. The name of the teacher, Seneca, is that a Japanese pronunciation? Seneca, yeah, Japanese. No, Japanese pronunciation, Senni. Senni. And Seneca is Sanskrit. OK. And in Sokshinzebutsu, he After Dogen introduced this thinking of Seneca and mistaken view in so-called Southern school, and later he said, then what is the mind that is Buddha? So he didn't negate this expression, the mind is itself Buddha. Then what is this mind? If we're mistaken, mistakenly consider this mind is something like a spiritual intelligence that is not the teaching, then what is this mind that is Buddha?

[47:26]

And Dogen said, realization in practice like this is just mind here and now is Buddha, picking itself up and authentically transmitting itself to mind here and now is Buddha. Authentically transmitted like this, it has arrived at the present day." And he said, the mind that has been authentically transmitted, the mind that has been authentically transmitted through Buddhas and ancestors, means one mind as all dharmas, and all dharmas as one mind. This is, I think, a very important point.

[48:29]

Thank you. And Uchimaru Shofu quotes this, one mind is all dharmas, and all dharmas are one mind. That is Isshin. This is Isshai Ho. And Isshai Ho Isshin. And Isshai Ho Isshin. So the mind that Buddha has raised is one mind. And this one mind is nothing other than all dharmas. So one mind is exactly all dharmas.

[49:35]

And all dharmas are one mind. This means The network of interdependent origination, the entire network of interdependent origination in which everything is interconnected, is one mind. So this mind is not something stored or hidden within this person's body. and which is permanent and which sends the stimulation from outside. So this one mind and the spiritual intelligence is a completely different thing. This is the reality of interdependent origination and that is one mind. So Uchamayoshi often said, this mind has nothing to do with our psychology or consciousness.

[50:45]

So it's always been translated into modern Japanese as inochi or seimei, that means life. Life. So this one mind is reality of our life. And that is all pervading this entire dharma world. So the reality of this interdependent origination is one mind, and that is Buddha mind. It has nothing to do with our spiritual intelligence. It's not something within ourselves. Please. Is that, before you said, Perception and interaction is not, during this day, it's not a trajectory. It's a requirement. How is that different? That's the point we need to think or understand what the difference.

[51:51]

That is question from Dogen, and we have to answer. Please. Sokushin ze butsu. Sokushin is this mind itself, or this very mind is Buddha. What is your question? I just want the character real soon. Oh, character for Sokushin ze butsu is Sokushin ze butsu. This soku is soku in the Heart Sutra, it said, shiki soku zei ku, ku soku zei shiki.

[52:54]

That same soku, the rupa or form is itself emptiness, and emptiness is itself form. That same soku. And this mind is Buddha. According to Dogen, this mind is not special intelligence, but the reality of interdependent origination. . [...] Oh, seimei. Seimei. Seimei in Japanese word for life. And, you know, our, of course, our consciousness and function of our consciousness, such as perception, sensation, perception, are, of course, a part of this life.

[54:07]

and part of this interconnectedness. But it's not the nature, but it's a function of life. And it allows us to create twisted karma and create samsara. And it also allows us to allow the body-mind and start to practice So this mind is much kind of deeper and broader than our consciousness. Consciousness is just a tiny part of it. Anyway, that is my guess why Dogen Zenji picked up those examples of bathos, Dharma heirs and their disciples. whether their teaching, so-called Zen teaching in its golden age, is really Buddhist or not.

[55:10]

So this is kind of a very serious question. Please. It's kind of related. One of the teachings he brought back to Japan was the Book of Records. And as I recall, in geography, the icons in there are actually from the same school. Oh, yes. Yes. Those people are kind of a big star of them. And they are important coins came from those people. So... What Dogen, to me, what Dogen is doing here in Bussho is to review if Zen is really Buddhism or not. So it's a deep discussion. Thank you. This morning I just talked about my guess, five dogms, pick up these examples and try to check their teachings.

[56:18]

So now I think I'm ready to start to talk. Section eight, please. Question about this method. You say it doesn't give us the answer. That seems to be a good way to approach it. he tells, he goes through, it's not this, it's not this, it's not this, just destroys all, what's left. And it reminds me of, is it Fa Yang, the Fifth Soul, Fa Yang, something like that, the Fifth China School. Fa Yang. Fa Yang. Fa Yang. Or Hogan. Hogan, yes. And he, there are several kinds in the famous collections where somebody comes to him, makes a statement, like a fireblood's coming or something like that. And he says, no, and hits him with a stick. So what is it?

[57:22]

He says, fireblood's coming. It's the same in words. But the method is, In Dogen's method, the thing was at least similar with Nagarjuna's method. They negate all possible ideas and try to, not try to, but ask us to show the reality itself before thinking, before being processed or cooked with our thinking mind. That is the point. Anyway, so let me start to Section 8. Actually, Section 8 and Section 9, Section 8 is about this Zen Master Enkan Saiyan, and Section 9 is Isan Reyu, and they say a completely opposite thing.

[58:28]

Enkan Saiyan said all living beings have or are Buddha Nature, or Ubusyo, and Isan said all living beings not have Buddha nature, completely opposite thing. And these two came from one story. So I'd like to introduce that story. I couldn't find anywhere else but in Shinji Shobo Genzo. This is a translation of, you know, there are two different Shobo Genzo. One is the Shobo Genzo we are reading, written in Japanese. And Dogen made another Shobo Genzo, another text entitled Shobo Genzo. And it's not really Dogen's writing, but it's a collection of 300 koans.

[59:34]

And scholars consider this was made pretty early, right after he established Koshoji as a kind of a text for his students to study the teaching. Anyway, this story appeared on page 160. This is the 15th case of Book Two. It has three books, Book One, Book Two, Book Three, and each book has 100 koans. Actually, this is not Dogen's writing, but Dogen just collected those stories. He didn't write any comments on it.

[60:38]

Pardon? No, that's different. That is Togokori Freikou. This is different. He collected 300 koan stories. This is a story. I think this is a very interesting story. Of course, this has not really happened. And the author is Nishijima? Yeah, this is translated by Gudo Nishijima and published from Williamsburg. Anyway, this story is something like this. In former times, Master Isan Reiyu, Isan Reiyu was a person caught in Section 9. So here Isan's saying appeared first.

[61:43]

In former times, Master Isan Reiyu preached to an assembly No living beings have Buddha-nature. No living beings have Buddha-nature. That is Isai Shujo, all living beings, no busho. Busho. And at the same time, Master N. Kamsayan, this is the Zen Master appeared in Section 8, Master N. Kamsayan one day preached to an assembly, all living beings have Buddha nature.

[62:46]

This have Buddha nature is all. So mo and u are of course completely opposite each other. So they said something completely contradicting. In the order of Master Enkan, a monk in the assembly of Master Enkan, Not one, but two. In the order of Master Enkan, there were two monks. And eventually, they purposefully set off for the order of Master Isan Reiyu to resolve this problem. So these two masters said opposite things.

[63:49]

So the disciples of Enkan Sayan, who said all living beings have their own nature, visited Isan's assembly, Isan's monastery, to figure out the difference between these two masters' teachings. Arriving at the order, arriving at Isan's monastery, Although they listened to Master Isan's preaching, they could not fathom the Master's teachings at all. So the people who came from Enkan's assembly did not understand Isan's teaching of Mu Bussho at all. It didn't make any sense to those people. They were rather proud of themselves.

[64:50]

And one day when they were sitting in the garden, they saw Master Kyozan coming. This Master Kyozan is Isan's disciple. So that means those two monks thought Isan didn't understand Buddha-nature. That means Isan didn't understand Buddha-dharma. and they become, their teaching, or their teacher's teaching about Buddha nature, all living beings have Buddha nature, is superior to Isan's. And they, so one day they saw the major disciple of Isan, whose name was Kyozan, and asked, start to talk to, they decided to count Master Kyozan by saying, Elder Brother Monk, we recommend that you study Buddhism diligently.

[66:00]

That means Isan teaching was not Buddhism, because it is saying something against what the Nirvana Sutra is saying. So he said, don't slacken off. Elder Brother Monk, we recommend that you study Buddhism diligently. Don't slacken off. So they had compassion to this poor disciple of Issam. Then Master Kyozan, or Kyozan or Jyozan, Sejaku, draw a circle in the air. He draw a circle in the air, spread out his two arms, spread out his two arms, and leaning backward, spread out his arm again, as if spreading out a seed.

[67:10]

Then he asked the two monks to reply. So Kyo-san asked to say something. The two monks were astonished and did not know what they should do. So Kyo-san just make a circle. And I'm not sure what this English translation means, but to me, when I did the original, he fold that circle with both hands and throw it away, backward. So there's no circle. And he asked, what is this? Or you should say something. So the circle is the same circle as the circle appeared when Nagarjuna sat in the room.

[68:17]

That is Buddha's full moon shape. That is Buddha nature. So he draw a circle or round full moon shape and hold it and throw it away. So it's not here, there. And he asked, what is here? That is what moods means, at least according to this story. But these two monks didn't say, couldn't say anything. So Master Kyozan exhorted them saying, encouraged them saying, you should study Buddhism diligently. Light away, don't slacken off." So Kirsten said exactly the same thing those two months to him. Then he said, goodbye, understood.

[69:22]

As the two monks were returning to Master Enkan's order, so these two monks didn't understand Isan's teaching and Gyozan's teaching neither, so he left the monastery and went back to Enkan's monastery. And after traveling some miles, in the original story it says 30 miles, so they walked 30 miles, one of them suddenly realized something. So he said passionately, we should be clear that Master Isam's words that no living beings have Buddha nature cannot be wrong. Then he returned to Isam. So one person understood what the move sure means, and he returned to Isan's monastery.

[70:35]

The other one went several miles farther, so this person didn't understand at all. And when he was crossing a river, he had a realization too. He said to himself fervently, The words of Master Ihsan, that no living beings have Buddha nature, are excellent. And it is natural for him to say so. He also returned to Ihsan. So God's people understood, you know, Ihsan's teaching of Mugusho is superior to Enkan's, their teacher's teaching of Mugusho. I think so. So this Wu and Mu is the main topic of our next six sections. And Dogen's point is we should see or we should understand Buddha nature as from two sides, Wu and Mu.

[72:05]

It's not a matter of Wu is Buddha nature or Mu is Buddha nature. But we should, because Buddha nature is the reality of dependent origination. not simply Uru, and it's not simply Mu. And somewhere Dogen Zenji interprets a saying from the Diamond Sutra. In the Diamond Sutra it said, to see Soso, to see various or all forms, to see all forms as no form is to see true form. So in that sutra said that form is negated, so form is phenomena, it's just appearance.

[73:08]

So we should see something formless beyond these phenomenal forms. Then you can see the true form. But Dogen He's always reading different way. But he read, to see both, to see both form and no form is to see true form. So that's the difference between the ordinary kind of understanding of the teaching of sinyata or emptiness. Usually, the teaching of emptiness is negation of forms. So to see formlessness, emptiness, that is negation of our usual way of thinking. These things exist as a form, but actually there's no such thing.

[74:09]

That is a common understanding of teaching about emptiness. But Dogen's point is that is not enough. He said we should see both form and formlessness, or form and emptiness. That is a way we You see the true form. That is middle way, please. When I read you, I thought that was the emptiness. Emptiness is also emptiness. Please. Fire, for... like both U and Mu, and neither U and Mu. Those are four statements.

[75:12]

And Nagarjuna often negates all of them. And what Dogen is doing is, I think, the same thing. then how things appear that is what i think the same thing that is uh same thing as we do in our dungeon you know the king of thought is negate all possible way of thinking And that is what, in the teaching of dependent origination from the Stantipata, without ordinary perception, without disordered perception, without no perception, and without any annihilation of perception. This is what we do in our Zazen by letting go of whatever coming up in our mind.

[76:16]

That is the meaning of opening the hand of thought. And what Nagarjuna and Dogen is doing in their writings is do the same thing using words and logic and concept to show the limitation of the validity of concept, logic, and thinking, and allow us to see the reality itself, at least face the reality, beyond any possible idea or thinking or opinion happening in our mind. So this is a kind of zazen within writing and within thinking. So using thinking, we go beyond thinking.

[77:19]

That is the method of Dogen, and that is our practice, actually. When we study this kind of writings like Dogen's or Nagarjuna's, we are always being challenged. And whatever idea we have is negated. So we are really kind of confused and irritated. And it's kind of painful. But that is a way we can see the reality beyond thinking. grasping or beyond, how can we say, you know, the way we think or the picture of the world created by our thinking is something like an atlas or map of the world.

[78:24]

And that is not the real world. That is a very incomplete copy of the world, of the earth. because the map has only two dimensions and the Earth has three dimensions. There's no way to produce the perfect copy of the Earth on the flat space. So something is distorted, and our way of viewing things is the same. Something is distorted around the center, relatively accurate, that the edges are all distorted. So we need to, I think, study how this map is produced, what is the method, and what kind of distortion is caused by the way of making this map water. I think that is one of the things we have to

[79:30]

study through Buddhist teachings and also not only Buddhist, so-called Buddhist teachings, but all other teachings or books or whatever we study. We study how distorted our view is, and we try to make our map of the world even a little bit more accurate. That is what we do in our practice of studying Dharma. And yet, Zagen is different. Javan is not a practice to make collection of our atlas. But when we sit facing the wall, we sit on the ground of Earth, not on the atlas.

[80:34]

We let go of the map. and sit on the ground that has three dimensions. So our practice of letting go is not a correction of distorted view, but by letting go of distorted view, we put our entire being, body and mind, on the real reality. I don't think I have time to start to the Section 8. So, any question? Any question? No question, wow. Okay, thank you very much.

[81:32]

@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_84.11