Good afternoon. This morning I talked on the verse of... we call in Japanese... Hichibutsu Kaige. Hichibutsu... Kai... Ge. Shichi. Butsu. Tsu. Kai. Ge. Ge is birth. Kai is precept. Shichi butsu is seven buddhas. And Tsu is common or general.

[01:06]

That means the precept of all seven Buddhas. That is the name of this verse in China and Japan. I'm not sure if in Pali tradition they have a certain name for this verse or not. But anyway, this morning I talked on one interpretation of this verse of Common or General Precept of the Seven Buddhas. And the point of that interpretation is, the first two are about good and bad. The first two lines are not doing of evil and doing of good. It's one set of teachings for lay people. And the third line, purify your own mind, is going beyond good and bad.

[02:18]

That is the point. and on which, you know, the so-called Buddhist philosophy from early Buddhism, Abhidharma Buddhism, and Mahayana Buddhism, you know, developed to explain the kind of a contradiction between good and bad, and beyond good and bad. That is how I, you know, what I studied through my Buddhist study of early Buddhism, Abhidharma Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Dogen's teaching. But recently I found a possibility of another interpretation of this verse of Second Buddha's general precept. And I have not yet clearly understanding the difference. But I try to talk about it.

[03:25]

So please be confused. Now I'm confused. So please share confusion with me. That is, you know, the first two lines and the third line are not kind of two sets of teachings, but these three are simply one set of teachings, one teaching, one very simple and more practical teaching. In the very first and second verse in Dharmapada, it says, What we are today comes from our thought of yesterday. And our present thought builds our life of tomorrow.

[04:29]

Our life is the creation of our mind. If a man speaks or acts with an impure mind, Suffering follows him, as the wheel of the cart follows the beast that draws the cart. And number two, what we are today comes from our thought of yesterday. And our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow. Our life is a creation of our mind. If a man speaks or acts with a pure mind, joy follows him as his own shadow. So here, You know, what we are today came from yesterday's thoughts or mind.

[06:02]

And if our mind is pure, our life becomes joyful. If our mind is impure, our mind becomes painful. This is really simple. So it's not a matter of, you know, in the interpretation I talked this morning, purify our mind means going beyond good and bad. That discrimination or dichotomy of good and bad is itself defilement or impure. But here, there is a pure mind and impure mind. And pure mind makes our life joyful. And impure mind, our mind becomes, makes our life painful or suffering. So here, there is a kind of a dichotomy within the mind, pure mind and impure mind.

[07:15]

And purify our mind means we should become free from impure mind. Then we can do good things. Otherwise we do evil things and we create suffering. Do you see the difference? So purify your mind means we should become free from impure mind. This is another, I think, possibility of interpreting this Tsukai-ge. And same kind of teaching can be found in another sutta in Parinikaya. Recently, I mean, since September, I have been talking about right speech in Buddhist teachings.

[08:24]

And there is a teaching of good and bad in one of the sutta from the Middle-Language Discourse. Middle Length Discourse is in Pali, Mahajimanikaya. And this is sutra number nine. And the title of the sutra is, Right View. And I introduced this on one Sunday Dharma talk, so people who are there already know. But this teaching, Actually, this teaching was taught by, not Shakyamuni, but by Shariputra, somehow. So, the speaker is Shariputra. And this sutra is about Right View, one of the Eightfold Noble Paths.

[09:29]

This is the sutra, The Distinction. between good and bad, or wholesome and unwholesome, and introduce ten wholesome karmas and ten unwholesome karmas. Let me read. When friends, a noble disciple, understands the unwholesome and the root of the unwholesome, This unwholesome is a translation of, I think, Akshara. And the wholesome, and the root of the wholesome, this wholesome is a translation of Kusara. Kusara is good. And Akshara is a negation of good. So, good and bad. In that way, he is one of right view, whose view is straight.

[10:37]

who has perfect confidence in the Dharma and has arrived at this true Dharma. And fat, friends, is the unwholesome or evil. Fat is the root of the unwholesome. Fat is the wholesome. Fat is the root of the wholesome. So, he's discussing wholesome or good action, and unfolesome or evil action, and the root of each. Killing living beings is unwholesome. Taking what is not given is unwholesome. Misconduct in sensual pleasure is unwholesome. False speech is unwholesome. Malicious speech is unwholesome.

[11:39]

Harsh speech is unwholesome. Gossip is unwholesome. Covetousness is unwholesome. Ill will is unwholesome. Wrong view is unwholesome. This is called the wholesome. a kind of definition of good and bad, or evil and... good and evil, in early Buddhist teaching. And these ten, this is unwholesome, so-called karma. The karma of actions made by three actions. by our body, speech, and mind. And the first three are killing living beings, and taking fat is not given, and misconduct in sensual pleasure are the unwholesome karma made by our body.

[12:49]

And next four, false speech, malicious speech, Harsh speech and gossip is unwholesome karma made by our speech. So, and last three, covetousness, ill will, and wrong view. I think these three are same as greed, hatred, and ignorance. So, three poisons of mind, actually. are the twisted or unwholesome karma made by our thought or mind. So all the ten unwholesome or evil actions made our body, speech and mind. And next, it says, and fap is the root of the unwholesome.

[13:57]

Greed is a root of the unwholesome. Hate is a root of the unwholesome. Delusion is a root of the unwholesome. This is called the root of the unwholesome. To me, it's kind of strange. The last three of ten unwholesome actions and the root of the unwholesome are the same thing, at least to me. Probably this means that within the ten unwholesome karmas, maybe this is kind of a concrete thought come up and produce in our mind, a particular thought. And the root of unwholesome or three poisonous minds are the root of the unwholesome, much deeper. That creates our unwholesome or evil action through our body, speech and thought.

[15:03]

So, anyway, the root of evil is three poisonous minds. in this teaching. And next, Sariputra says about wholesome karma. And what is the wholesome? He said, abstention. Abstention from killing living beings is wholesome. Abstention from taking what is not given is wholesome. Abstention from misconduct wholesome. Abstention from false speech is wholesome. Abstention from malicious speech is wholesome. Abstention from harsh speech is wholesome. Abstention from gossip is wholesome. Uncovered justness is wholesome.

[16:07]

Non-ill will is wholesome. Right view is wholesome. This is called the wholesome. So wholesome actions or karma is simply a negation of unwholesome. And fat is a root of the wholesome. Non-greed is a root of the wholesome. Non-hate is a root of the wholesome. And non-delusion is a root of the wholesome. This is called the root of the wholesome. So, wholesome and unwholesome, or good and evil. The root of good karma and evil karma is three poisonous minds and being free from three poisonous minds. This activity, good and bad, evil activity and our mind are one thing, and this is the root or cause of wholesome or unwholesome karmas.

[17:25]

Then he says, When a noble disciple has thus understood the unwholesome and the root of the unwholesome, The wholesome and the root of the unwholesome, I'm sorry, the root of the wholesome. He entirely abandoned the underlying tendency to lust. Underlying tendency means deeper so-called karmic consciousness. Deeper consciousness. And he abolishes the underlying tendency to aversion. He extirpates the underlying tendency to the view and conceit, I am, the self, or ego. And by abandoning ignorance and allowing true knowledge,

[18:33]

He, here and now, makes an end of suffering. So, if we become free from impure mind, that is, three poisonous minds, and we do things based on pure mind and wholesome mind, then we can do good things. can end the suffering. That's it. It's really simple. There's nothing, you know, there are such kind of philosophical things of good and bad dichotomy and going beyond good and bad dichotomy between samsara and nirvana. If our mind is purified and we are free from three-poisonous mind, our suffering ends.

[19:41]

And if we cannot and we are being moved by our three-poisonous mind and doing ego-centered way, then our life becomes suffering. That's all. It's very logically very much simpler. Of course, practically it's not easy. This is, I think, another possible interpretation of the birth of seven Buddha's precepts. Let's see. the underlying tendency to aversion, he said, he avoids the underlying tendency to aversion.

[20:43]

He extirpates, extirpates, e-x-t-i-r-p-a-t-e, extirpates, the underlying tendency to the view, to the view, and concede I am. So this is the wrong view. So three underlying tendencies, that is, the underlying tendency to lust, L-U-S-P, and underlying tendency to aversion, and underlying tendency to the view and conceit I AM.

[21:45]

So, again, this is three poisonous minds. Greed, anger or hatred, and ignorance. So, greed, anger, and hatred, three poisonous minds, is cause of evil deed. So if, when we purify our mind and become free from three poisonous minds, we can do good things. And our life becomes free from suffering. So, it's a very simple teaching. And I'm not sure if it is the original meaning of the birth of seven Buddhas. Probably this one might be the original meaning. If we practice and become free from three poisonous minds, you know, we end the suffering.

[22:59]

Otherwise, our life becomes suffering. So please keep in mind two possible interpretations of this one verse. And I'm not sure yet what is the influence when we read and study and interpret Dogen's teachings. features closer to Dogon. I'm not sure yet. But the interpretation I talked this morning is much more kind of philosophical. And that, how can I say, could be explained in the development of Buddhist philosophy. OK. Then, now, I start to read the text.

[24:18]

Thirty-first chapter of Shobo Genzo, Showaku Makusa, or Not-Doing-of-Any-Evil. I found three English translations of this chapter, but somehow I didn't want to use those three. So I tried to make my own translation. And so, Johnson helped me to edit a little bit. I asked her to just make a correction of spelling and grammatical mistakes. So this is not yet a good translation. This is a pretty rough translation. So if you have any suggestions to improve expression and readability,

[25:24]

Please give me any suggestions. First of all, I don't like evil and good. Is there any better word or not? And I also don't like not doing and doing for makusa and bugyo. Makusa, especially the word makusa, not doing evil, is not doing, or makusa is kind of a very strong, powerful word, but not doing, English word not doing is not so powerful. So I need a better word for not doing and doing. Anyway, Let me read the first page. I use this, you know, version, both Japanese and English translation.

[26:30]

If you have English only version, it's two paragraphs. Not doing of any evil, doing of all good deeds. Clarification of one's own mind. This is the teaching of all Buddhas. This teaching, as the general precept of the ancestors from the seven Buddhas, has been authentically transmitted from former Buddhas to later Buddhas. and later Buddhas have received its transmission from former Buddhas. It is not only of the seven Buddhas. It is the teaching of all Buddhas. We should strive to study this principle.

[27:33]

These Dharma utterances of the seven Buddhas always sound like Dharma appearances of the seven Buddhas. What has been transmitted and been received from one to another is just penetration to the real situation at this place. This already is the teaching of all Buddhas. It is the teaching, practice, and verification of billions of Buddhas. This is the introduction of this entire chapter. So... First Dogen said, this teaching, in this verse of the general or common precept of seven Buddhas, is what has been transmitted from Buddha to Buddha.

[28:48]

And this means Buddha has been living in this way. So, obviously Dogen is saying that this is not admonition from Buddhas to deluded human beings like us, and saying you should not do this or do that. But this is a way of life for the awakened ones, awakened people, to the reality of all beings. And it is not only of the seven Buddhas. It is a teaching of all Buddhas, even though this is, in China and Japan, called the verse of general precept of seven Buddhas. But Dogen said this is not only for seven Buddhas, but all Buddhas.

[29:52]

All Buddhas. is a translation of Shobutsu. That is part of the final line, the teaching of all Buddhas. So, he thinks, this teaching, not doing evil and doing good and purify your mind, is the teaching of all Buddhas. So, this is the Buddhist teaching. This is the essence of Buddhist teaching. which has been transmitted from Buddha to Buddha. We should strive to study this principle. So, he said, this verse is really important. These Dharma Attrances of the Seven Buddhas always sound like Dharmatranses of the Seven Buddhas.

[30:57]

This Dharmatrans is a translation of Ho-Do. And this can be read as ho and do, dharma and the way. Do is way. But this way can also lead us to utter or speak. So, one interpretation is that dharma and the way of seven buddhas. And dharma is teaching. And the way is a practice in that case. But I interpret this as utterance or words of seven Buddhas that refer to this verse.

[32:05]

That means all seven, not only seven, but all Buddhas, teach this teaching, pointed or expressed by this verse. So, this is a teaching of all Buddhas without any exception. And what has been transmitted and been received from one to another, is just penetration to the real situation at this place. I think I need to explain this. The real situation at this place. This is a kind of unusual expression. The original expression of Dougen Zenji you see is Kori.

[33:19]

Kori no tsu shousoku. NO, TSU, SHO, SOK. KO means this, and DI is within. NO is of, and TSU is penetration, to penetrate. And shōsoku is like a letter, or information, or news. And information and news is about how things are, what is happening, the situation or condition of this place, calling within this.

[34:34]

And kori is kind of a Zen expression, kind of a pair with nari. Na is that. This and that. And kori means this present, actual, particular place. It's not somewhere else. Or this kori and nari is also used as a ji and ri, particular conventional reality in which we are actually living. And nari is something ultimate or absolute. So I translate this shosoku as real situation, the things really happening, And kori means this concrete life in which we are living, within and without ourselves.

[35:43]

That means things happening within our mind, within our body, and within the world in which we are living. So this actual life of human beings. So the way of actual life, reality of our life, So, this means fat has been transmitted and been received from one to another. It's nothing other than the reality of our own life. So, in that sense, there's nothing to be transmitted. You know, Vibhashi, Vibhashibutsu Daigosho, it says transmit. the Dharma to the Shikibutsu, the Yosho, and it continues until this age, including 7 Buddhas, almost 19 generations.

[36:52]

But there's nothing to be really transmitted. But some of this dharma that has been transmitted is the way we are, the actual reality of our life. So actually we don't receive anything. So in one commentary on Dogen Shogun Maksa, he said, Vipassi Buddha transmitted Vipassi Buddha. and shikibutsu, transmit to shikibutsu. So there's nothing like a fixed stuff which can be transmitted one to another. In China, after Bodhidharma, Actually, the legend was made after the Sixth Ancestor, that as a symbol or evidence of the Dharma transmission, the robes, or okesa, or the doors are transmitted.

[38:11]

And of course, you know, bowls, Oryōki, and Okesa are important. That is a symbol of the Dharma. But the actual thing that has been transmitted is our own life. So, by, you know, Awaken to the reality of ourselves and living, expressing our own reality of life. We transmit the Dharma. So, there's nothing actual, nothing physical or external that has been given from my teacher. So, I transmit nothing but Mr. Zazen and the way I live my life. And this teaching of the Seven Buddha's Precepts is, according to Dogen here, is that thing that has been transmitted.

[39:29]

So this not doing evil and doing good and purifying one's mind, purification of one's mind, is the thing, or not the thing, but the reality that has been transmitted from Buddha to Buddha. This already is the teaching of all Buddhas. It is the teaching, practice, and verification of billions of Buddhas. So, he said, this is not... In the verse it said, this is the teaching of all Buddhas. But, Phatogen's saying here is not only teaching, but it's also, this is the practice of all Buddhas. And this is the verification of all Buddhas. This teaching, practice, and verification is Kyo.

[40:45]

Kyo, Gyo, and Sho. Kyo, Gyo, Sho. Teaching, practice, and verification. Another possible translation of Sho is enlightenment. as a kind of a process of our practice, as an expression, mon shi shu shou. Mon is to hear. or listen, shi is to think.

[41:55]

Shu is practice. Shu, same as shugyo, as a compound. And sho is sensho. So, about the teaching, you know, we hear the teaching, and we, when we hear, listen to some teaching, we think about it. And if we think the teaching might be true, or might work to me, we try to put the teaching into practice. And through practice we found the teaching is really true. That is a means of verification. The literal meaning of this word, shō, is verification, or proof, or evidence. That means when we hear the teaching and think about it, and we think that might be true, but through our practice,

[43:11]

we understand it, we know it's really true. So our practice is evidence of the teaching is true. But usually we use this kind of expression. We think practice is cause. and show where enlightenment is a result. After many years of practice, we found that teaching was true. That is a verification. But Saint Bogenzen said, practice and enlightenment are one. That means the evidence of the truth of the teaching is within practice. We don't need to wait until we've found it is true.

[44:14]

That is, the point of Dogen's teaching of practice and enlightenment are one. That is, shu, sho, ichi, nyo. One reality. Shu and So are one reality. It's not a matter of, this is a cause and this is a result. So within our practice, the evidence of that teaching is true, is already there. That is Togen Zenji's basic teaching. And here he said, this teaching of the Seven Buddhas' general precept is that all Buddhas have been teaching and have been practicing and have been verifying.

[45:18]

So, this verse is not request from the buddhas to us, but this is the way all buddhas have been living, have been practicing, have been teaching, and have been verifying. So, as a buddha's student and as a bodhisattva who takes vow to live like buddha, we need to follow this way of life, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. All the practitioners, all bodhisattvas, in the largest range, all beings are bliss, innocence, if we don't misunderstand it.

[46:34]

OK, next section. Next, he starts to discuss about not doing of any evil. This section, discussion about not doing of any evil, is the main part of this chapter. So this is the longest section. Let me read a few paragraphs. In regard to the all evils which we are discussing now, among good nature, evil nature, and indeterminate nature, there is evil nature.

[47:39]

Its nature is just non-arising. The nature of goodness, the nature of indeterminate, and so on, are also non-arising, are without defiled leakage, and are the true form of all beings. At the same time, at each concrete place of these three natures, There are innumerable kinds of beings in all evils. There are sameness and difference between evils in this world and evils in other worlds. There are sameness and difference between former times and later times. There are sameness and difference between evils in the realms of heavenly beings and evils in the realms of human beings.

[48:50]

How much greater is the difference between what are mentioned as evil beings, good beings, and indeterminate beings within the Buddha way. and within the secular world. Good and evil are time. Time is neither good nor evil. Good or evil are beings. The beings are neither good nor evil. When the beings are in equality, evil is in equality. When the beings are in equality, good is in equality. This being so, when we study the screen unsurpassable to awakening, that is, Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi, when we hear the teachings, do practice and verify the result,

[49:59]

It is profound, far-reaching, and wondrous. We hear of this supreme awakening, sometimes following a kicher, and sometimes following the sutras. At the beginning, it sounds like, do not do any evil. If we don't hear, do not do any evil, It is not the true Dharma of Buddhas. It must be a suggestion of demons. We should know that. That which says, do not do any evil, is the true Dharma of Buddhas. This saying, do not do any evil, is not set up in this way through fabrication of ordinary human beings. When we hear the awakening in the form of verbal teaching, we hear in this way.

[51:08]

If we hear this way, that is the utterance of supreme awakening using words. Since this is already the utterance of awakening, these words are themselves awakening. Upon hearing of the utterance of the supreme awakening, being turned by this utterance, we wish not to do any evil and keep practicing not to do any evil. When any evil is going on not to be done, the strength of practice is immediately manifested. This manifestation shows itself in an amount equal to the entire earth, the entire world, all times and all beings. The measurement of the amount is not doing.

[52:14]

Maybe this is enough for now. This is Dogen's interpretation. I hope you understand. I'm sorry, but I don't. So, this is just my thought. What I'm going to talk is about I think when I read these writings. I don't think, or I'm not sure at least, if what I read and what he wrote is the same or not. The first sentence is easy. In regard to all evils which we are discussing now, so now he discusses about sho-aku-makusa, not doing of any evil, and said evil, or aku, is one of the three natures.

[53:32]

This is three natures, or sansho. Three natures is a kind of so-called Dharma numbers. You know, in any of the Buddhist teachings, there are a set of numbers, like threefold pure precepts, four noble truths, six parameters, to make the teaching easy to memorize, I think Indian people restart those things. And this free nature is about good and bad or evil and neutral. We call it zensho.

[54:33]

Shō is same shō like a bushō, buddhan nature, so good nature, or nature of goodness. And akushō, aku is bad or evil, same shō. And mukhi means neither good nor bad, that means neutral. So there are three natures in terms of morality or ethics, or our karma, good karma, evil karma, or bad karma, and neutral. Neutral means it doesn't bring about either painful nor joyful result. It's neutral. Good action. bring about a joyful result, and bad action or evil action bring about a painful result.

[55:51]

That is a law or principle of causation of karma. And next sentence. Its nature is just non-arising. This is questionable. The word for non-arising, Dogen uses, is mosho. Sho means to be born, to arise. So, literally, non-arising. Of course, this means nothing arises, nothing perishes. That kind of idea of emptiness.

[56:54]

But many commentators on Short Maksa think instead of this shō, or arising, same word is nature. The difference is only this is there or not. So many people read this as instead of non-arising, no self-nature, no fixed nature. So I think that's more clear, more understandable. Even though there are three different natures, in terms of morality or ethics, good, bad or evil, and neutral. Basically, or fundamentally, those natures have no fixed nature.

[57:59]

That means empty. Good, bad and neutral is not fixed. It's empty. So not only evil nature, akusho, also the nature of goodness, and nature of indeterminate, zensho and nukisho, and so on, are also without fixed nature. So it's not fixed. Nothing is fixed. And without defiled leakage. Defiled leakage is Uro. Translation of Uro.

[59:00]

I'm using law. Law is to leak or leakage, and this refers to our delusion or delusive desire, which leaks from our mind. Uro. Uro means there is a leakage. That means our activity, in order to fulfill our desire, is called Uro. And our activity without desire, selfish desire, is called Muro. And our activity of Uro is a cause of transmigration within samsara.

[60:26]

And our activity without leakage is the practice toward nirvana. That is a basic usage of this expression, Uro and Muro. And please. Uro and Muro. Uro is a nature or activity, actions, in order to fulfill our desire, our ego-centered desire. And Muro is our activities without ego-centered desire. And uro is a cause of transmigration within samsara. If we do something, either good or bad, good or bad, you know, we transmigrate within six realms from hell to heaven.

[61:37]

You know, the cause of this transmigration is called uro. the leak from our mind. And there is no such leak, is Muro. And that activity allows us to become free from transmigration, from suffering, and allows us to enter Nirvana. That is the usage of these two expressions. And Dogen Zenji says, all of all those three natures, good, evil, and neutral, are muro. That is, without the five linkages. That means that is taking place within nirvana. This is strange.

[62:38]

Because good and bad activity is a kind of a cause of transmigration. There can't be Muro or Nirvana. But he said this is Muro. And, ah, the true form of all beings. This true form is translation of jis-so. True form, jis-so is reality of all beings. Jis-so is an abbreviation of sho-ho jis-so. The true form of all beings, all dharmas. So, basically he's saying, but an evil nature is a reality of all beings. Our, not our, but a common understanding of true form is the reality only

[63:52]

Only buddhas together with buddhas can see, can awaken too. And because our deluded human beings like us cannot see the reality or the soul of all beings, we create, you know, good and evil karma. That is the cause of samsara. That is the basic usage of this expression of Shokuh Jitsuh. So only Buddha can see the Jitsuh, or true form. But he said, good, evil, and neutral nature, all of them are without linkage. And that these are themselves reality of all beings. is really against a common understanding of usage of these words in common Buddhist teachings.

[65:00]

So basically here he said, including evil, good, and neutral, they are all within the reality of all beings, and empty. and free from any defilement. I think this is a dangerous statement. That means nothing is... there's nothing so-called delusion or deluded mind. Everything is reality itself. including evil. And evil is free from our delusion, or delusive desire, and it's reality itself. But he's always saying, and yet, or here he said, at the same time,

[66:14]

At each concrete place of these three natures, there are innumerable kinds of beings. These beings are translations of dharma, media dharmas. So, as a fundamental or ultimate reality, all good, evil and neutral are reality itself. And yet, within those three natures, a concrete reality. That is the meaning of each concrete place. This concrete place is same with the expression Dogen used as kōri, this place. This place. That means as an ultimate reality, there is no such distinction between good, evil, and neutral. They are all reality. And yet, within our concrete day-to-day lives, there are many different situations and different beings.

[67:27]

And that also means good and evil and neutral are empty. There is no such fixed nature. That means it's different in its situation, or condition, or time, and places. That is what he is saying in the next sentence. In all evils, all evils is a translation of sho-aku. So this evil is plural, or sho-aku is plural. In all evils there are sameness and difference between evils in this world and evils in other world. This world and other world means this world is called Asaha world, the world of patience. and other worlds. There are many other worlds according to Buddhist cosmology.

[68:37]

So the good thing and bad thing, or the standard of good and bad in this world and in other worlds might be different, might be same, might be different. So there must be difference and sameness. And there are sameness and difference between former times and later times. You know, in ancient times and this present day, this moment, this day, these days, there are standards of good and bad. Even the same action can be considered to be good in the ancient times, and yet now it can be considered to be bad or evil or mistaken. So, good and bad is not really fixed. Or, there are sameness and difference between evils in the realms of heavenly beings and evils in the realms of human beings.

[69:47]

There are, you know, within the six realms, the realms of heaven or hell, our realm of hungry ghosts, animals, asuras or fighting spirits, human beings and heavenly beings. In each realm, the standard to measure good and bad or evil can be different. So there's no such fixed yardstick to judge certain action is always bad or always good. Good and bad is really depending upon situation and condition. And even in one and same situation and condition, one action can be good for certain people, and can be harmful to another people. So, it's really difficult to make judgment whether one action is good or evil.

[70:56]

The definition of good and bad or evil in Buddhism is very simple and clear. Any actions that increase pain or suffering is evil. and any action which reduces pain and suffering is good. But one action might influence in opposite way to other different people or different beings. So to make judgment whether one's particular action is good or evil or bad is really difficult because the nature of good and bad is not fixed. So, good and bad should be determined within the, how can I say, the sequence of cause and result.

[72:09]

And not only one sequence of cause and result. But there are many different, almost numberless, sequences of cause and result. We must be really careful, but we usually see only one sequence. For example, when we do some kind of exercise, like jogging, we think jogging is a good exercise to become healthy. So as our expectation, as a result of exercise of jogging, we become healthy. So this is cause and result. And we think jogging is a good thing. But if we, you know, jog every day, you know, without considering our actual physical condition,

[73:15]

You know, jogging, even not heavy, but just a little running can cause a heart attack. Or if we jog carelessly, we may be hit by a car. Since unexpected things happened, we doubt the principle of cause and result, because we only see the result of this action should be becoming healthy. But there is another sequence. If we walk or run carelessly on the street, we are not to be hit by anything. That exercise can cause sickness. So we sometimes have doubt about the principle of cause and result.

[74:25]

But beyond our expectation, all different sequences of cause and result are really working. So, our, you know, judgment of good and bad can be very different from our way of thinking or our expectation. And that is because good and bad, or evil, is with a fixed, safe nature. And how much greater is the difference between what are mentioned as evil beings, good beings, and indeterminate beings within the Buddha way and within the secular world. So here he said that the difference between Buddha way and secular world are much greater than the difference between human world and heavenly world, or so on.

[75:39]

because the direction is different. In the so-called secular world or secular dharma, to fulfill our desire is the direction we want, the result we want to get. But in Buddha way, to be free from our self-centered desire is the direction. So, something which helps us to become free from our selfish desire is a good thing. But in the secular world, something which fulfills our desire is a good thing. So, the standard of good and evil can be really opposite between Buddha Dharma and worldly Dharma. So, he said, good and evil are time.

[76:53]

Depending upon the time and condition, certain thing or certain action can be good or bad. And yet, time itself is neither good nor evil. Good or evil are beings. This being is also dharma. And the dharmas are neither good nor evil. So, good and evil is a kind of a judgment we make towards certain things and certain time. And when the beings are in equality, Evil is inequality. When the beings are inequality, good is inequality.

[77:56]

I have to talk on this equality, I think, more than one hour. So, let me talk this tomorrow morning. This is very important, what this equality means. Let's see, we have ten more minutes. Well, I think this is a good place to stop. So, any questions? No questions? Sometimes when we sit, we set expectations rather than awareness. And you mentioned expectations with jogging, as opposed to just jogging.

[79:00]

Do you have a similarity in how we live our lives through expectation or awareness? Yeah. Even if our practice of Zazen, if we do practice it with the expectation to become a healthy, better, wise person, then according to Dogen, that is defilement. And his teaching was, just sit. That means sit without any expectation. But he said, sitting is itself awakening. Sitting is sitting and letting go of any expectation, any thought, is itself awakening.

[80:06]

Awakening from our karmic consciousness. That means we do nothing based on our karmic... based on any thought from our karmic consciousness. And when we practice Dazen in that way, we are free from our karma. At least while we are sitting facing the wall and letting go. We are free. We don't do any... We don't take any action based on our karma, our desire. We let go of everything. And that is, according to Dogen, liberation. And also deceiving and letting go is itself awakening and prajna. Dogen Zen uses not doing, or makusa, in this way, by letting go and do nothing based on our personal desire or expectation.

[81:22]

That is what not doing means. So, the expression not doing does not mean prohibition of doing something, but not doing is our attitude of just letting go of whatever thought comes up from our conscious, our karmic consciousness. That is the way we become one, or we awaken to the reality of all beings, before separation between self and others, or self and object. Can you just speak a little bit more? You just mentioned being freed from self-centered desires and worldly versus Dharma.

[82:25]

Well, in our common human activities, We have motivation when we think we can get some good result. That is expectation. Without this, you know, expectation or kind of a goal, it's really difficult to find any motivation to do anything. Or we think that is not clever. What we think that is stupid. To do something without any expectation of good result. And according to Dogen, that is worldly dharma. That means our actual way of life.

[83:30]

And Buddha's way is to do things without any expectation. Just doing. So, these two are really opposite. But, in Dendoha, Dogen said, there's no Buddha Dharma within worldly Dharma. And it's clear, but we should know that there's no worldly Dharma within Buddha Dharma. That means within Buddhadharma there is no such separation between Buddhadharma and worldly dharma. But within worldly dharma, in the Buddhadharma, to do things without expectation is nonsense. That's the difference between Buddhadharma and worldly dharma. But Buddhadharma includes worldly dharma.

[84:32]

You have something to say? I'm trying to formulate my questions. One question is, would you talk some more about nakusa? You said, not doing is not a very good translation, but could you tell us some more about what that word is? Well, maku is not or never size to make or to do. So maku, not doing really literal translation, so the meaning is okay. But it doesn't have much power. Makusa is kind of a very unusual expression in common Japanese. So it has very strong power. And Gogen Zenji discusses about makusa later in this writing, so I will discuss more about makusa. I'm wondering whether it had that power when you first used it, or whether it has that power now because of the way you used it.

[85:44]

Because not doing it might just need a few hundred years. Well, I think it's become powerful because of Dogenzenji's interpretation, Dogenzenji's usage of this word. Otherwise, you know, the original translation of the Pali verse, it simply means, don't do it, or never do it. Or, kind of a, you know, request you should not do, you shouldn't do it. But Dogen Zenji used this makusa, don't doing, as a noun. Not doing. That means do nothing. It's like surrender.

[86:47]

To me, this is the same as opening the hand of thought. Do nothing. Let go of thought. We do take any action based on my idea and my expectation. That is maksa. Yes. Non-doing. No kind of artificial, man-made action. But we are moved by the reality of all beings. We become really a part of this reality of all beings, this movement. So our action in that sense is not by our personal activity. You know, when Dogen Zen describes our Zazen, he says, we show the Buddha mudra in three karmas. That means body, speech, and mind. And showing Buddha mudra means, mudra is like a signature or a stamp that certifies, you know, this thing belongs to Buddha, not belongs to Shohaku.

[88:10]

So this mudra is like a logo, you know, in this culture. This means when we show this Buddha mudra, Buddha's logo, this action belongs to Buddha, not belongs to shohaku. That's the meaning of showing Buddha mudra through three actions or three karmas, body, speech and thought. That means we do nothing. through our body, mind, and thought. Body, speech, and thought. Actually, in our Dazen, we do nothing. So this practice belongs to Buddha, not belongs to Shohaku. And when we wear the robe, or when we receive the robe, is that that same kind of stamp? You know, this orchestra is, you know, because this is abandoned rugs, made of abandoned rugs, and get together.

[89:22]

This means no self-nature, and empty, and being free from any desire. No one says, this is mine. Actually, if we say, this is my love, then we against the teaching of Okesa. So this Okesa is called Daisai Gedapuku. Gedapuku means the law of liberation. And Musou Fukuden'e. Musou means no form. So if we think this is a uniform, or Buddhist priest or monk, then we are against the teaching or idea of okesa. Because this is not uniform in one form, right? This should be more form. So, this okesa is a symbol of Buddha.

[90:32]

This means The person who is wearing, put on this okesa, belongs to Buddha. Must belong to our person, personal so-called ego. And yet often we don't understand that. And we act in opposite way. And say, this is mine.

[91:01]

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