Does this work? OK. I'd like to summarize what I said yesterday, and I want to discuss two more points before starting to talk on the text of Kesakudoku. As I said, what I introduced yesterday was the older version of Twelve Links of Coordination. And to me, the difference between this teaching and Twelve Links of Coordination is very interesting. Where is the marker? the twelve links of causation is a kind of a result of the effort of early Buddhist monks to kind of make formula of the Buddha thought.

[01:20]

I don't think Shakyamuni Buddha himself made such a system of teaching. Buddhist Sangha became big and many people come and they need certain foundation of teachings. And that effort started right after Buddha's death. And the Twelve Links of Causation is a final kind of result of that effort. But before that, there are many different versions. And after Twelve Links of Causation was fixed, all the various versions created before were almost hidden. Not many people pay attention to those older versions, and yet those remained as a part

[02:27]

the older scriptures such as the Dhammapada or other parts of the Nikayas. Well, the 12 links of causation is as follows. First, let me write in Chinese characters. First one, myo. Ryo. Shiki. Myo, shiki. Roku, myu. Jyu. This is for myself. You don't need to read. Jyu. Next one. In English, mumioid ignorance.

[03:42]

Ryo is, in one translation, re-becoming, and shiki is consciousness. Can you read this? Ryo-shiki, in one translation, is, as I said yesterday, psycho, or physically, Personality. Personality. Oops. Thank you. So we need six sense organs. And soku is, I'm sorry, Contact.

[05:02]

Ju is feeling or sensation. Ai is craving. Shu is grasping. U is becoming. Sho is birth. and old age and death. These are twelve links of causation. And we see these twelve links from this way and this way. They try to find the cause of old age and death and found birth. And the cause of birth is becoming.

[06:06]

And the cause of becoming is grasping, and go further and further, and craving, feeling, contact, sixth sense organs, and psycho, physical, personality, consciousness, re-becoming, and ignorance. traditional understanding is this is a cause and result of three lifetimes. This from four to ten is a present lifetime. Somehow because, I'm sorry, from three. because of basic ignorance. Somehow we create karma and we are becoming and we are born at this present lifetime. And we experience things as a contact of six sense organs and some object.

[07:20]

But in this twelve links of causation, object is not included. That is the point. And we have feelings, present and unpleasant feelings, therefore we have a desire or grasping or hatred. And when we find something desirable, we crave it. and we want to make it by our own. And that activity becomes another cause of future lives. This is the basic teaching of Twelve Links of Causation. But as I said yesterday afternoon, the older version from Stani Pata is a little different.

[08:21]

It starts from very concrete day-to-day problems. The first question was, whenever there are arguments and quarrels, there are tears and anguish, arrogance and pride, and grudges and insults. To go with them. Can you explain how these things come about? So the question is the cause of very day-to-day ordinary problems we, all of us, experience. So it's not a matter of previous life and next life. It's about this lifetime. And Buddha said the cause is preferences. Preference is the same as grasping, shu in Japanese.

[09:26]

And this, in the study part, it goes, the I has impulse of desire. And from fear comes the impulse of desire. And they found a present and un-present sensation. But why, sir, is it that we find something present and some unpleasant? This is a sensational feeling. What could we do to stop that? And this idea of becoming and this integration, could you explain where that comes from?

[10:30]

And the Buddha said, it is the action of contact. And in this sthanipāta, contact means contact of... In this version, there are no six sensory organs. Contact means shikhi, or consciousness. And in this version, myōshiki or nāma rūpa is not something like a psychophysical personality. This is an external object. So, shiki and something else, myoshiki, consciousness and myoshiki, contact. Our consciousness and external object, contact. Then we have feeling, and craving, grasping, and actually take actions.

[11:35]

That is the cause of the problems we have. So in this version, it has only 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 links of causations. So this is only within this lifetime, within our daily lives, how we can avoid or become free from the problems we have with other people within our community life. is the point of this teaching of dependent origination. And when they, I think, this is my guess, but when they established the teaching of twelve links of causation, one of the points they want to make clear is, you know, Buddha taught there is no Atman, and yet Buddha didn't negate

[12:40]

transmigration, or reverse. How reverse is possible if there is no Atman? And this is one of the answers by the Buddhist teachers, that there is no Atman. Still, because of the karma caused by our ignorance, our life continues from past life to the present life and present life to the future life. But in the older version, that is not the point. Buddha only mentioned how we can be liberated, free from the problems we have in this lifetime. And one of the most important differences is the meaning of this Nama Lupa.

[13:41]

So our practice is in relationship with others. But in the case of twelve links of causation, this is a kind of a personal effort, individual effort, to eliminate basic ignorance. That's the first cause of our problematic karmic lives. So, you know, when we start to practice following twelve links of causation, our goal is to eliminate basic ignorance. And this great ignorance belongs to the previous life. And only Buddha and only a small number of people named Arhat can see the past lives. So this teaching can be completed by

[14:47]

Only Buddhas, and in the case of early Buddhism, Buddha is only one, one person, Shakyamuni. And a small number of brilliant people could complete this process and enter nirvana, and they never come back. That's the point of practice. In this version of dependent origination, the problem is not the ignorance in the past that is the first cause of our life, but the problem is how we encounter and interact with other people. To me, this is very different. But once twelve links of causation were established, no one questioned even Nagarjuna didn't question about this teaching.

[15:49]

So this became a kind of authority after Abhidharma philosophy and teachings were established. But when we study Dogen Zenji, this teaching, our delusion and enlightenment are within relationship with others. It's very important. That is what he said in the Genjo Koan. The older version of the program. You know, in the very beginning of Genjo Koan, I think you are all familiar with it.

[17:25]

So Gen Genji said... My mind doesn't really work, so I have to read. He said, conveying ourself toward all things to carry out practice enlightenment is delusion. And all things, or myriad dharmas, coming toward the self and carrying out practice enlightenment. In this case, practice and enlightenment are one word, practice enlightenment. practice slash enlightenment, or shusho. Through the self is realization.

[18:27]

So I think this is the definition of delusion and enlightenment by Dogen Zenji. And according to him, delusion and enlightenment or realization is within relationship with self and all myriad things. or Banpo. And he said, to study the Buddha way is to study the self. And to study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be verified by all things, all myriad dharmas. So, to study in Buddha's way is to study ourselves. And to study ourselves is to study, no, to forget the self.

[19:29]

That means, because there are no such things called self. Then, you know, the self and all living, all Buddha's dharmas, How can I say? Existing together. It's not a matter of subject-object, or consciousness-nama-rupa. But we are living, existing together, or maybe co-existing, or inter-being is an expression of this way of being together. And to be verified by all things is to let the body and mind of the self and body and mind of others, all mere dharmas, drop off.

[20:36]

You know, this is a very important expression of Dogen's teaching, dropping off body and mind. And his teacher, Tendonyojo Zenji, said, dropping off body and mind is zazen. So our zazen is dropping off body and mind, and our zazen allows us to put our entire body on the ground of interbeing. or interconnectedness, or the network of interdependent origination. There is a trace of realization that cannot be grasped. So we can't grasp the trace of what we realized. Because realization is something we can do or we can experience as my own personal experiences.

[21:39]

If I can see and I can say I experience such and such, then there is already separation between self and all living beings, or all beings. So, even though we experience, But we cannot say, I experienced. Because it's before our, how can I say, relationship as a subject and Naropa as an object. So we can express this experience only in a negative way, like a forget-the-self. who are verified by all beings, the self as independent entity somehow melts away. So our practice is we endlessly keep expressing the ungraspable trace of this realization, living together with all beings, being together with all beings.

[22:59]

You know, this is a really important point when we study Dogen Zenji. His, not a definition, but his understanding or teaching about enlightenment and delusion, therefore practice. Practice is something which connects delusion and enlightenment, or practice and enlightenment together. So the relationship between self and all mere dharmas is very important in Dogen Rinpoche's teachings. It's not really a matter of eliminating our ignorance that exists inside. and take it away.

[24:04]

It's not like cancer, part of our body. And when that cancer causes problems, we can take the cancer away. Then we become healthy. But that is not at least Dogen's teaching. Dogen's teaching is, problems are caused within the relationship between self and others. So somehow we have to, how can I say, reshape the relationship between self and others. And in order to do so, we have to awake to the reality that we are living together with all beings and there's no such thing called self. You know, self is like a... famous analogy is bubbles in the water. Bubbles in the water.

[25:06]

We see bubbles, so we cannot negate that there are bubbles in the water. But there are no such things called bubbles. You know, bubbles is just a condition of the air packed in the water. So only water and air are there. And certain condition or relationship between air and water is called a bubble. So there's no such individual entity called bubble exists. And another relationship between water and air is clouds. You know, clouds is the way water exists, not exists, being in the air. So there are no such things called clouds. It's just that air and water are the same as bubbles in the water.

[26:12]

And we are the same. We are like the bubbles, and we are like the Plus, to awaken to that reality, depending upon the causes and conditions of this entire network of interdependent origination, we are living and changing. That is so-called impermanence. And that is the meaning of egolessness. to awaken to that reality is the very basis to kind of reshape the connection or relationship with others. That is, I think, the point of Dogen's teaching. And as I said yesterday, the key point of this, you know, reshaping the relationship between self and medial dharmas is dhārma.

[27:22]

In our dhārma, you know, sitting upright, facing the wall. Facing the wall means facing nothing. There's no object, only the wall. And yet so many different, you know, things coming and going within our mind. So in our zazen, it's really clear that all things coming and going are just bubbles. It's an illusion. It's not a real thing, because there's no object in our zazen. And we have no object inside, because we don't count breath, we don't watch breath, we don't work on koan, we don't use mantra, we don't do any visualization, we just sit. So there's no object, so no relation between self and object, both inside and outside. This is really one.

[28:23]

There's no separation between the person sitting and the entire world, or the all-medial dharmas. That is what Dogen Zenji described in Jijūzanmai, in Vendova. When we sit and show the Buddha mudra, this entire universe becomes enlightened. That means, you know, to show Buddha mudra means, mudra is like a, you know, mudra in Japanese word is in. That is like a stamp. And stamp in Japanese culture, or Chinese too, is like a signature in American culture. That means if we found this stamp, this is guaranteed, this painting or calligraphy or writing was done by this person.

[29:26]

So when we find the Buddha mudra in our activity, this belongs to Buddha, not belongs to this person. I think that is the point of Jijugamma. It's not our samadhi, it's Buddha's samadhi. It's stamped by three treasures. You know, in our Ketimewa group, we put the stamps of three treasures. That means this belongs to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. And in our Zazen, we stamp this body and mind and this activity of three treasures. That means this is not my personal effort to improve this person, become more kind of a desirable being. to accomplish certain goals.

[30:30]

But our practice of zazen is forgetting the self. Then, you know, within this activity of just sitting, the stamp of three treasures, or samboin, was there. That is the point of this zazen, our practice. As Buddha said in the final part of this teaching from Thanipāta, there is a state where form ceases to exist. The form of nāma-rupa ceases to exist. It is a state without ordinary perception and without disordered perception. and without no perception, and without any annihilation of perception.

[31:35]

To me, this, I don't like the word state, but this is the same as, you know, beyond thinking. Within our zazen, all different kinds of conditions within our mind, coming and going. But our zazen has nothing to do with those things. Those are like bubbles in the water, or clouds in the sky. But our zazen itself is being stamped by three treasures, or buddha mudra. is beyond thinking. Beyond thinking includes thinking and non-thinking, or not thinking, or shiryo and fushiryo. That is hishiryo. So, you know, our Zazen, our practice of our Zazen is the pivotal point of

[32:40]

kind of reshaping or changing the relationship between self and all immediate things. You know, the separation between self and object, as Nama Rupa, kind of disappeared, and we forget ourselves, and we don't disappear, it's there, but it's there as a part of the network of interdependent origination. And this teaching, I think, or this teaching of Dogen Zenji came from The Mahayana teaching, especially the teaching in the Lotus Sutra about the reality of all beings, or in Japanese, Shōhō Jissō, and this teaching of Shōhō Jissō, or the reality of all beings, and why in Dōgen's teaching, we are in Gokesa,

[33:55]

in a certain way, and using go-ryoki in a particular way, and venerate even the room or space when we enter the zen-do, we bow to the zen-do, and we bow to each other when we meet. Why this practice is important? not important, but meaningful. I think it's coming from Dogen Zenji's understanding of the teaching of shoho jitsuh. And shoho jitsuh has something to do with this teaching of Buddha, liberation. exist within relationships between self and others. So, that is called interdependent origination, not dependent.

[34:58]

So, I'd like to introduce Dogen's teaching about Shohho Jisuto and our day-to-day lives. And I briefly talk about our Zazen practice, and that is a key point to kind of turn around the relationship between self and others, and then how we can live, or how we should live, on the basis of that awakening, is the point, I think. And one of the very important and helpful teachings about this point, what is the best way or best relationship or connection between self and all beings. And, you know, food and eating bowls and clothing,

[36:01]

and space to live, or sleep, are part of the most intimate, close things among muddhya dharmas for us. So what kind of attitude we have toward those things, food, clothing, and shelter, is kind of a, how can I say, point we can examine our attitude toward all living beings, or all medial dharmas. So we encounter with all medial dharmas, we cannot encounter all of all medial dharmas at once, but we encounter certain persons, certain food, which is offered, and certain clothing which is available to us.

[37:04]

What kind of attitude and idea we should keep to make the connection or interdependent origination between self and ideal dharmas. is the point of Logan's teaching, in this case about okesa, or clothing. And when he discussed about how to use oryoki in Fushiku Hanpo, he really clearly mentioned this point. So I'd like to introduce the very beginning of Fushikuhanpo. Fushikuhanpo is a part of Ehe-shinri. I'm sorry, Fushikuhanpo in English is the Dharma for taking food. This is a part of Ehe-shinri or the English title of our translation, Ava means me and

[38:09]

Kaigen Dan Reiton's translation of Eihe Shingi is Dogen's Pure Standards for Zen Community. So this is a part of regulations. And this Eihe Shingi is a collection of six independent writings about different aspects of our practice life. And, of course, I think one of the most important and well-known parts of teaching is Tenzo Kyokun. Tenzo Kyokun is an instruction for Tenzo. And this Fushiku Hanto is teaching for the people who receive the food prepared by Tenzo. So Tenzo Kyokun and Fushiku Hanto are one pair. So in Tenzo Kyokun, Dogen taught people who prepare food, how they use that work as a method, not a method, but a way to express this interdependent origination.

[39:30]

And in Fushiku Hanpo, he teaches how the people who receive the food prepared by Tenzo, can express the same attitude toward all beings, but in this case food and body. So this Khampo is the description of how to use Oryōki. Nothing philosophical. except in the very beginning, as introduction, he described a very basic principle of receiving food. And this is the same as our attitude toward okesa. So, I'd like to talk about this. And again, I mentioned about or the reality of all beings.

[40:35]

If you have a copy of Dogen's Pure Standards for the community, this is page 83. Dogen says, As Sutra says, if you can remain the same with food, all dharmas also remain the same. If all dharmas are the same, then also with food you will remain the same. This same is a problem. The original word Dogen uses is To.

[41:42]

The literal meaning of this kanji, or Chinese character To, is equality. And Dogen Zenji used this word, for example, when he said, practice and enlightenment are one, he used shusho itto. And first I translated this itto as one and equal. But someone said one and equal doesn't make sense in English. So we translate this as one and same. One and same makes sense in English, but one and equal doesn't make sense. So I translate this to as same, or sameness. And this to is a... I have to be careful... important word.

[42:52]

So he discusses about this to, equality. And this sutra he quotes here is a Vimalakirti sutra. In the first part of Vimalakirti sutra, Vimalakirti was a layperson, and yet he was very enlightened. And one time Vimalakirti became sick, so Shakyamuni Buddha asked his disciples to visit him. Vimalakirti to console. But all his disciples rejected because they had a very painful experience with Vimalakirti. I think you are familiar with this story. And this expression appeared in the case of Shibuti.

[43:59]

Shibuti and also Mahakasyapa both said when they were begging, In India, Buddhist monks beg food. So begging and food is connected. And both Mahakasyapa and Shubhuti are very excellent monks. Of course, Mahakasyapa was the first ancestor in our lineage, and he became the leader of the sangha after Shakyamuni died. And Shuddhupati was considered to be the person who most deeply understood the teaching of Shunyata. But when Mahakasyapa did takuhatsu in a kind of poor neighborhood,

[45:01]

Vimalakirti appeared and said, if you beg food only from the pure neighborhood, you don't really understand equality. So you should beg food from the rich people too. And Vimalakirti was a very rich person. So Vimalakirti kind of criticized Mahakasyapa's practice. His practice was kind of very conservative. He tried to practice simple and strong. And about Shibuti, Shibuti was also in Takhatsu, and he came to Vimalakirti's house. Vimalakirti was a very rich person, so Vimalakirti, you know, if you really understand the Dharma, you have to really understand the equality of all beings.

[46:15]

And somehow, in that sutra, in that story, Shibuti didn't answer any questions from Vimalakirti. That was the story. This is a really interesting story, so if you... I don't have time to discuss in detail today, but if you are interested, please read the Sutra of Vimalakirti. Anyway, this is Fat Dogen's quote. He said, if you can remain the same with food, all dharmas also remain the same. Those, Mahakasyapa and Shibuti, really penetrate the reality of all beings because they are the superior disciples of Buddha. So if you see the teaching of equality of all beings, that means no discrimination.

[47:26]

There's no discrimination between fancy food and plain food. Then if you understand the teaching or dharma of equality, you should accept any kind of food, whether it's plain or fancy. If you want to get only plain food because fancy food causes attachment, then the person does not yet really understand the dharma of equality. That was the point of that story in the Vimalakirti Sutra. And here Dogenzenji is a little twisted about this equality between food and dharma. In the story in the Vimalakirti Sutra, Vimalakirti said, if you understand the equality of all dharmas, you also should understand the equality of all food.

[48:38]

But Dogenzenji made a little twist and he said, Just let dharma be the same as food. And let food be the same as dharma. So, this is different. Dogen mentioned that food and dharma are the same, instead of plain food and fancy food. But food and dharma should be the same, or to. That means, you know, food, something, you know, material. And Dharma is truth, or reality, or teachings. We think, you know, Dharma is valuable or important, but we don't, you know, usually appreciate so much about food. It's just things we need to keep our life.

[49:41]

But what Dogen is saying is, we should really value the food, same as Buddha's teaching, or Dharma as reality or truth. That is the point of this teaching on Fushiku Hanpo. So, Dogen continued, for this reason, if Dharmas are the Dharma nature, The food also is the dharma nature. Dharma nature is the same as buddha nature. As a kind of terminology, buddha nature is about living beings, and dharma nature is about things or beings, like beings, but basically the same thing, the reality of both living and non-living beings. So food and dharma should be equal.

[50:43]

That is the point of dogma. So as we liberate and value and appreciate dharma, we have to appreciate the food in the same way. That's why we have to validate the food we receive, and we have to validate the bowls we use to receive the food. And if the Dharma is suchness, suchness is reality itself, thusness. If the Dharma is suchness, food also is suchness. If the Dharma is the single mind, food also is the single mind. If the Dharma is body or awakening, food also is awakening or body. They are named the same.

[51:44]

There are many saying the word same appeared in this section, but the same is that toe. And Doreen pointed, that's what this toe means. So I talk later. Their name the same and their significance is the same. So it is said that they are the same. They are the same means the food and dharma are the same. So we should keep the same attitude toward food and toward dharma. As Sutra says, name the same and significance the same, each and everyone is the same. Consistent with nothing extra. And Mazu, Mazu is one of the most famous Chinese Zen master, Mazu said, or Basil Goins, if the Dharma realm is established,

[52:52]

Everything is entirely the dharma realm. Dharma realm is hokkai, or dharma world, or dharma universe. If suchness is established, everything is entirely suchness. So food and everything we receive, or okasai the same, everything we encounter is suchness. If the principle is established, everything is entirely the principle. If phenomena is established, principle and phenomena is we and we, something, ultimate reality and phenomena or relative or concrete reality. If phenomena is established, all dharmas are entirely phenomena. Therefore, this same is not the sameness of parity or equality.

[53:59]

Parity and equality. That's why, because Dogen said this toro is not equality, that's why we translate as same. He clearly said this is not, this doesn't mean equality by comparing two separate things. but this is oneness of all beings, as reality of all beings. But the sameness of awakening to the true sameness, this awakening to the true sameness, is a translation of Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi. The Chinese Translation of Anuttara Samyaksa Bodhi or Ultimate or Supreme Awakening is Mujo Sho To

[55:10]

shō, gaku, mujō, shō, tō, shō, gaku. This tō is the same tō. And mujō is a translation of muttara. Nothing beyond this. So, mujō means unsurpassable. And this part, shō, is Anuttara Samyak. This is part of Samyak. And this is a part of Sambodhi. Both Sam means true, or real, or right. Sho, in Shobo general. And To is equality, or sameness. And Gak is awakening. So, fat, he said, the word Vimalakirti used as equality or to, sameness, is, you know, with different fancy or plain food.

[56:32]

This to is a to within Anuttara Samyaksa body. So, this awakening, is the way we see all mere dharmas as the same, as tau, truth, equality of all beings, without any discrimination or classification. We see what Buddha sees, everything equal, there's no value judgment. That is Anuttara Samyukta's body, and that is how we should see the food in the case of eating. In fact, we should see the things, you know, the material of okesa. So this attitude of receiving any food prepared by Tendo or donated by lay people, the practice of this

[57:40]

Anuttara Samyukta Bodhi, receiving everything with gratitude without making discrimination. That is a very important point of when we practice Takahatsu. I think I'm going to talk on Ryokan's poem about Takahatsu at Berkeley Zen Center on Saturday, after this Bendo A. And I think I'm going to talk on my experience of Takahatsu, but Takahatsu is really important and wonderful practice, but it's not possible to practice in this country yet. I think, I hope someday it becomes possible, but Takahatsu is really interesting, important, and difficult practice to you know, receive, to encounter and receive all different things from all different people with the same attitude, same, you know, gratitude.

[58:49]

Anyway, so Dogen said this equality or sameness is the sameness of Buddha's supreme or ultimate awakening. Awakening to the true sameness, this Anuttara Samyaksambodhi, is the ultimate identity of all the suchness, excuse me, the ultimate identity of all the suchness from beginning to end. This is, let me read a little more. The suchness of the ultimate identity from beginning to end is the genuine form of all dharmas. This genuine form of all dharmas is translation of Shokho Jitso, true form of all beings, or reality of all beings from the Lotus Sutra.

[60:00]

And which only a Buddha, together with a Buddha, can exhaustively penetrate. So this is Buddha's awakening, the reality of all beings. Therefore, food is the dharma of all dharmas, which only a Buddha, together with a Buddha, exhaustively penetrates. So food, how we receive food, with gratitude, without making discrimination, or saying preference, or like and dislike, is the practice of Amitabha Samyaksambhodhi, and the practice of the reality of all beings, And just at such a time, just at such a time, there are the genuine marks, nature, substance, power, function, causes and conditions.

[61:16]

For this reason, Dharma is itself true. And food is itself dharma. So he is discussing the identity of food and dharma. And these things I read are ten such things. The teaching of ten such things from the Lotus Sutra. Again, let me write down in Japanese first, I mean Chinese. SO SHO TAI RIKI SA IN NEN KA

[62:28]

Ho, and what is the last one? Honmatsu Kukyo To. In this translation, this So is Marx. Is there another one? Marks, or a common translation is form. You know, I discussed about muso yesterday. That is no form. This form. And sho is nature. Tai is body. In this translation, we translate as substance. And Riki is power or energy.

[63:41]

In this translation, power. And Sa is function or work. Ni is cause. Ei is conditions. Ka is result. Ho is not here in this translation, but ho is, what is ho? Let's see. Oops. Oh, retribution. into revolution. And the final one, honmatsu kukyo to, honmatsu kukyo to, is the expression we translated as the ultimate identity from beginning to end.

[65:01]

Ultimate. Kukyo is ultimate. to its identity or sameness or equality from the beginning to the end. And beginning to the end means from number one to number nine. And my understanding of this teaching of ten suchness as a reality of all beings or true form of all beings is The first five are the uniqueness of each and every being. Each being has its own unique form, and unique nature, and unique body, and substance, and power or energy. And each one of us, or each one of beings, have its own function or work, something we can do.

[66:04]

So the first five refer to the uniqueness of each being. And the next four, from six to nine, is a connection or a relationship within time and space. You know, yin and ka is a relationship within time. Thank you. The most well-known example is seed and fruit. Then we plant a seed of a certain plant, we can get a certain fruit.

[67:06]

If we planted an apple tree, then we get an apple as a result. So this seed and fruit, or yin and ka, ka actually means fruit, is a relationship within time. When seed was planted on certain place, which has certain conditions, that is M. If seed is kept in a dry storage, it doesn't sprout. So in order to seed, in order for seeds to sprout and grow, we seed in certain conditions. such as humidity, or certain temperature, or sunlight, or nutrition from the earth, soil.

[68:08]

Those are the conditions that support the activity or practice of seeds. So this number seven is a connection within space. without, you know, without a connection or support or relationship with others, from others, the seed cannot grow, cannot exist even. And when a seed has certain conditions and keeps practicing, keeps living, keeps working, then it, you know, blooms flowers and bears fruit. And that is not the end of the story. But when certain plants bear fruits, even flowers, it has something to offer to other beings.

[69:16]

You know, when we see a flower blooming, somehow, you know, we feel good. The flower makes us happy. That is not the purpose of the plant to, you know, bloom flowers. But as a result of the practice of the plants, the plants make us happy, even though that was not the primary goal of the plants. The goal for the plants is to produce seeds for the next generation and continue their lives. But somehow, when a plant, there are bloom flowers or there are fruits, they offer something to others. Or flower blooms, you know, famous Rokan poem is, you know, bees or butterflies come to get the nectar.

[70:24]

and bees or butterflies help the flower to spread the pollen. So there's an interconnection between the result of this practice and all other beings. So, number seven and eight is a connection within space. So, all together, the teaching of ten suchness, I think is, you know, each and every being is unique. As a, you know, we are living as a knot of interdependent origination, and the thread is transparent, so we cannot see the interconnection, and yet we are all interconnected. So without the support of our relationship with others, the knot cannot exist, same as a bubble or a cloud.

[71:35]

So we cannot say each independent entity, each kind of condition of causes and conditions within this entire network. And we are supported to be, to live as ourselves. And by living, freely living our life, we also support others. That's how, you know, we are living together with all beings. So my understanding of this teaching is that the first five is the uniqueness of each and every being, and the next four is the interconnection with all other beings. And the final ten, ultimate equality or identity from beginning to the end, means those nine, is not nine separate independent items, but this is just one thing.

[72:45]

That is what this expression, kukyo to, ultimate identity, means. Please. I mean, the practice of Takahatsu. Begging. It is not yet possible. That is what I said. Let me finish this teaching in Fushikampo. Finally he said that this Dharma is what is received and used by all Buddhas in the past and the future.

[73:48]

This dharma means the identity of all nine things. That means interconnectedness. And each and everything, all dharmas, exist only as a part of the network of interdependent origination. And we kind of generate this entire network. That means we generate each and everything within this network. And in this case, food is a part of this network. So we should receive food as Buddha received any food he was offered. In practicing with that attitude, we practice Buddha's awakening, that is, anuttara samyak sambodhi, to see things equally, as identical, or oneness, without any discrimination.

[74:59]

That is why we receive food and use oryogi in a very, how can I say, respectful and thankful way. This is an expression of our gratitude to this network of interdependent organizations. and each and every being, or living beings, especially the tenzo and people working in the kitchen, or people who offered the food, or even the nature, which, you know, any food is a gift from the nature. So by receiving food without saying like and dislike, we express our gratitude and also awakening to the reality of all beings in which we are part of it.

[76:03]

And finally he said, this food is a fulfillment that is the joy of dharma, joy of dharma and the delight of meditation. The joy of dharma is ho ki. And the light of meditation is zen netsu, the delight of zen. Zen? Delight. D-E-I. I'm sorry. D-E-L-I-G-H-T. Delight, joy. You know, this is kind of a Dogen's teaching, why we have to use oryoki in certain ways to show our respect, gratitude, and awakening to the interdependent origination that supports our life. That's the only way we can exist.

[77:09]

And when we study Kesa, this is really important. This text, Kesa Kudoku, is not so difficult to understand. It's not like Buddha nature or Uji. It's not so philosophically difficult. It's rather simple, and we can see another aspect of Dogen Zenji. When we did Kesakudoku, he is not a scholar, and he is not a philosopher, but he is a very, how can I say, what is the word? Good student of Buddha. with faith, not so much philosophical idea, but he is really a humble student of Buddha.

[78:21]

Well, we don't have much time. I wanted to mention another point. But this morning we don't have time, so I will talk in this afternoon. I'll start to talk on the text. Any questions or comments? Please. These ten are called ten suchness. Okay? And also, this is called shofo jitso, reality or true form of all beings, or all dharmas. Okay? Please? When you were talking about the human origination earlier, you said it was in the ignorance, and the focus is perhaps more on the personal configuration.

[79:34]

Yeah, of course. I think This includes both teachings. Within time we need to work with the sequence of this continuation of our karma within time. And within space we are living together with all beings. So this is a kind of integration of both. So it's not a rejection of one thing, I'm taking another thing. Please. It's very simple, but I really wonder why did you make this thing to study, because the Shambhala is four books, and I looked yesterday, so many.

[80:44]

Yeah, there are so many things, but we have to study one by one. Why is it so important? Or is it important? I think we understand why okesai is important for Dogen when we read this text. And okesa is also important personally in my lineage. My teacher's teacher was Sawaki Kodoroshi, and he put very much emphasis on okesa. One of his most famous saying is, shave your head and put on wearing okesa and sit. That's all. Very simple. So, in my lineage, you know, okesa is very important. And also, you know, many of you have already been wearing raksu.

[81:51]

This is a simplified form of okesa. And why you wear okesa or raksu? That's the meaning of this wearing. That is what Dogen-ji is writing about in this text. So, at least in our practice, as a student of Dogen-zenji, this is one of the most important parts of his teachings. And, to me, an important point is, you know, Dogen's philosophical teaching is very difficult and subtle and deep. But because of this kind of formal teaching, like using oryoki as an expression of our awakening and gratitude and wearing okesa, We can do this. Even if we don't understand Dogen, that kind of difficult teaching, we can practice what Dogen taught, and we can really do.

[82:59]

what Dogen is discussing in his very difficult writings. So, if we cannot, we don't have such a kind of a formal, concrete practice, only people who can understand the very difficult teaching of Dogen can be Dogen's disciples. But because there are many concrete practices using our body, even though we don't really understand intellectually what he is discussing, still we can practice what he is teaching. So it's very, to me, I have been practicing as Dogen's student for more than 30 years, but at least first, the first 25 years, I really didn't understand what Dogen was talking about.

[84:04]

Of course, I understood some expressions, but I didn't really understand the deep meaning. But still, because there's a form, like sitting, and using Oryokin, and Takuhatsu, or wearing robes, I could continue to practice until I really start to understand or the Dogen's teachings start to make sense to me. So I think this is really important teaching and also practice. Thank you. Thank you very much.

[84:55]

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