Within this degenerated age of the last dharma, people are not ashamed that they do not have the authentic transmission. They must be companions of demons. Their present possessions are activated by their past karma and are not genuine. Only taking refuge and venerating Buddha Dharma authentically, transmitting, can be their true place to return, for the sake of studying the Buddha way. So again, Dogen Zenji criticizes some people. And that might be made trouble for him and for his Sangha.

[01:19]

to show a true place to return. A true place to return is a realization of jitsu. Jitsu is true or genuine. The key is to return. And this key is the same key with the key in namo kie butsu, kie, that means take refuge. To take refuge means to return to the place we really belong to, we can really settle down.

[02:30]

in peace and harmony. So as a Buddhist student, we should return to the place where we can really settle down in peace and harmony. That is what here, or taking refuge, means. In that case, that means we take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. And we need to find a perfect, genuine way, a genuine place to return instead of our creation, depending upon our idea or desire. So Papa is true Dharma, Papa is true Buddha, Papa is true Sangha.

[03:31]

And in the case of Okesa, Okesa is a kind of costume. One of the points of criticism, I think, from Dogen is the Tang dynasty in China and also in the very beginning of the history of Buddhism in Japan. Buddhism was supported by emperors, government, aristocrats, and rich people. And in their imperial court, depending upon the status within the court. You know, the people's color of their costume or uniform is, you know, different. And because they, I mean, Buddhist priests or monks were supported and

[04:41]

sometimes visited the imperial court, they kind of invented the kind of a status symbol using the color of a person, or a kolomo. And that continues today, until today. So okesa became a kind of a costume or a uniform. You know, uniform and no form is completely almost opposite thing. You know, Buddha's robe should be a robe without form, but uniform It's the opposite idea, to make it into one form. And within this one form, like a military uniform, there are status, hierarchies. And Buddhism in Japan at the time of Dogen was almost like that way.

[05:51]

I don't have much time about the situation. in 13th century Japan, in order to finish this text. But if you are interested in the history of Buddhism at that time in Japan, is there any English book on the history of Japanese Buddhism? I hope there are some. Yes, quite a few. So we go ahead. First of all, we should know that kashaya, or okesa, is what all Buddhas venerate and take refuge in. So this okesa is, according to Dogen, this is Buddhadharma itself.

[06:55]

Next sentence he said, kashaya is Buddha's body and Buddha's mind. So this is Buddha. So we should not change depending upon our idea or conventional evaluation. That is his point. Okesa is really precious. This is Buddha's mind and Buddha's body, and this is a symbol of shohō jissō, or the reality of all beings, that is, the entire network of interdependent origination itself. So we should not change the design of depending upon our personal preferences, our ideas.

[07:59]

That is the point of Dobin. So we should study, what is the original or genuine orchestra? Can we find it difficult to find it around us? It is called the law of liberation. Here he lists up nine names of this robe. The first three are very familiar with us because those are the part of the robe chant. It is called the robe of liberation, the robe of the field of happiness, the robe of no form, The unsurpassable robe. Unsurpassable is Muzho.

[09:00]

Translation of Muzho is unsurpassable, complete, perfect enlightenment. So unsurpassable robe means there's nothing to compare with this. The robe of patience. Patience is, of course, one of the six parameters of Bodhisattva. And the robe of Takaragata, the robe of great compassion, the robe of the Victory Banner. Victory Banner means the sign of victory. When Buddha, you know, in essence, fought against Mahārāja under the Bodhi tree. When he attained Buddhahood, that means he had a victory against the delusions, or delusive desires.

[10:04]

Mahārāja is a symbol of those delusions. So this okasa is a symbol of victory of Buddha against the fallen. and the rope of unsurpassable stream awakening. This is Anuttara Samyak Sambho. In this way, we should truly receive, maintain kashaya and generate it by placing it on the head. Placing it on the head is what we do you know, when we do love chant in the morning. The Japanese word is chōgai. Chō means the top,

[11:09]

for pinnacle, for peak, that means top of the head. I'm dying to put on, to place. So chozai literally means put something from above your head. This is, you know, in the ancient times, when someone is giving something from the emperor or someone higher than the person, we receive like this. we receive okesa during the ordination ceremony, okesa warakusu, we receive like this. This is chodan. So chodan to receive is respect. And that is what we do with okesa when we chant. And we do the same thing with oryoki when we, in the beginning of oryoki meal. A more Japanese-proficient word for choudai is itadakimasu.

[12:31]

And before each meal, when we start to eat, we say itadakimasu. Not only within the Buddhist community, but in all Japanese society, we say itadakimasu. Many people still do gassho, but not all. But everyone says itadakimasu. That means we receive this. And in our zendo, instead of saying itadakimasu, we actually show it with our attitude or gesture. The expression, itadakimasu, a very common Japanese expression, itadakimasu, came from Buddhist practice. And also, when we finish eating, in Japanese, we say, gochisousama, or gochisousamadeshita.

[13:39]

And this is a funny expression. Go is the same as oh. kind of a term to make the word honorific. And chisou means to run about, running around. And this means, is there Ida Ten here? Ida Ten is a god of teaching. And yeah, Ida Ten is well known for his running fast. So he was a fast runner. That means teaching God Nidaten, run around the world and collect the good materials, ingredients. So, Gochisō-sama means we appreciate or thank to the Nidaten for his running around and collecting the tools for us.

[14:41]

So that expression, gochisō-sama, also came from Buddhist practice and the influence to entire Japanese culture. So we should, you know, liberate, you know, at least this okesa, because this is a symbol of Buddhism awakening. So because of this, we should not change it according to our preferences. So we should really regenerate this officer and try to keep the genuine form and, of course, genuine spirit of sewing, not only design, but when we sew and when we receive and when we put on every day, we should keep the same attitude.

[15:46]

as we receive Buddha's teaching or something very important. That's how we validate, actually, our own lives. We validate and appreciate and express our gratitude for the people and all things this network of interdependent origination that supports us, supports our practice. From the next paragraph, he discusses the material of the role of the orchestra. So, paragraph 19. As for the material of the robe, we use either silk or cotton according to conditions.

[16:55]

This trans-English word, cotton, is some explanation. Does it work? Hello? Hello? Does it work? Okay. The word I translated as cotton. is not really kotoba. Here, Dogenzenji pick up two, kinu or silk, and silk is kinu.

[18:02]

And the word Dogenzenji uses, fu or nuno. And this fu, according to the Chinese, Japanese dictionary, this fu means cotton. But in this case, it's not only cotton. In the vinaya, in the Chinese vinaya, there are 10 fabric materials listed. One of them is silk, and others, including cotton, hemp, and wool, wool, wool, then silk, all other things.

[19:05]

Here, Dogenzenji discussing about silk and other materials. So this is not only cotton. But I don't know how to say, you know, other different materials in one English word. So I translate, I use the word cotton, but this only refers to the particular material, cotton, which includes all other materials except silk, because silk is a problem, not a problem, not a question among the Buddhist Vinaya masters. So as for the material of the robe. So Dogen's point is whether silk or other materials are okay.

[20:15]

It's a little less. It's a little less. Well, I don't find it. Hello? It's coming out of those speakers, isn't it? That's the single wire. Hello? That's from the speaker. As I said yesterday, the founder of Chinese Vinaya school, Nanzan Dosen, Chinese pronunciation, this is Nang, and Shang, Dao, Xuan, X-U-A-N, and his date, 596 to 667.

[21:56]

So he lived in the 7th century, around the same time with Genjo, or Han Xuan, the famous translator. This person, because he was the founder of Vinaya school, he had most authority about Vinaya. And Okesa is a part of Vinaya study. And this person, in his writings, he said, silk should not be used, because silk is made by or through killing silkworm. So it has something to do with the precept of killing or not killing. But in the Indian Vinaya, it said silk can be used.

[23:09]

But there's one precept. in the Vinaya that many people, not many, but again, a group of six monks visited silk makers and asked them to donate silk to make their okesa. And the silkworms were still alive. So that means the silk maker had to kill the silkworms. And when Buddha heard that incident, he said monks should not ask the silk maker to donate the silk. So that, in order to do so, they had to kill the still-alive silkworm.

[24:18]

So that was profligate. But the silk fabric already, how can I say, abandoned, used, and abandoned, can be used in the denial. But this person, Nangan Dosen, was against that idea, and he changed the rule and said, silks should never be used as the material of Okesa. That was a point of discussion with Dogen here. Dogen is against that idea, silks should not be used. So that's why he's saying, it is never true that cotton is pure and silk is impure.

[25:31]

So silk can be used. The point of pure and impure is not a matter of cotton or silk. point or yardstick of pure or not pure, impure, according to Dōgen, not only Dōgen, but Buddha, is whether the material is still with desire or attachment or craving, or if someone still has some attachment to that silk, neither silk or cotton or any material, Monks should not take it, because that is stealing. Monks should not take anything that is not given. That is the precept. So if the favorite has some attachment to someone, the monks should not take it.

[26:40]

That is the precept. So it is never true that cotton is pure and silk is impure. And yet, we never see people disliking cotton in favor of choosing silk. This is laughable. So don't make discrimination between cotton and silk. This is same as in the story of Vimalakirti Sutra. Humanitarian kind of split side against Mahakasyapa and Shibuti don't prefer to receive food from poor neighborhood. But if we really understand the equality of all things, monks should receive any food from poor people and rich people without making discrimination.

[27:43]

This is the same thing. If we prefer cotton and dislike silk, that is another discrimination. That is Dogen's point. As the everlasting dharma of all Buddhas, the law made with, as I said before, I use Japanese word, funzo, or funzo-e, instead of excrement cleaning rugs. Funzo A is considered to be most superior. Funzo A is a funzo Fun literally means excrement or shit.

[29:02]

And zo or so means cleaning. I think you use the word soji for cleaning. That so is this so, same kanji, to clean, to sweep. And E is robe. And this word, funzo-e, is used in both the material monks find in the garbage heap, the material to make the robe, and also the robe made from that material is also called funzo-e. So both material and the robe are called funzo-e. And according to Sanskrit, this fun doesn't really mean excrement.

[30:08]

But funzo is a word for the garbage heap, like a junkyard. So that means people discarded the materials they didn't use anymore. Those are free from their attachment or desire. So those are free to take. That is what Fumizo means. And important point is he used this expression, Fumizo, in this writing, not only as a log material, but he said, we are FUNZO. And this entire network of interdependent organization is FUNZO.

[31:09]

That means we have no market value. And yet, this is most valuable. Market value means conventional value, valid only within human society. But ultimate value is not only within human society, This entire network of interdependent ordination, or shoho jiso, is beyond human evaluation. It supports human society or human beings, but it's not only for human beings. So the value we should, or measurement of value we should use is not

[32:15]

something only valid for human beings, or in a sense, human's central value. But we are, because we are living with other living beings, and not only living, but all other beings together, and we are supported by all beings, we should use another measurement of varying things. And then Sawakiroshi said, Zazen is good for nothing. This is very well-known teaching of Sawakiroshi, my teacher's teacher. That means good for nothing. I really like the word good for nothing. That means it has no market value within the human conventional society. But this is much broader or boundless value.

[33:24]

But for human beings, it has no value. We cannot sell this garden, and we cannot sell this world, and we cannot sell our life. But those are more important or precious than something we can buy. I think that is the meaning of priceless. We cannot put a price. We cannot trade. We cannot buy. We cannot sell. But this is the only thing we have. So beyond duality, no evaluation, no judgment, that is the value or value of this life we are living in. And this network of living, not only living, network of being, inter-being, that should be the true kind of measurement of value.

[34:32]

How can we make or keep this network of interdependent nations in better shape, or healthy, wholesome shape, I think should be the measurement of our value. So I think for now, especially in this modern world, our value is so much self-centered for human beings. We think we can use anything in this world as a material for making us, human beings, happy or satisfy our desires. That is the basic, I think, delusion for us.

[35:34]

We think we are the center of the world, We are the most important beings, and we are the owners of this planet. And everything within this world can be used for our satisfaction. I think that is the basic view we have in this modern world. But that is basic delusion. It's almost upside down. You know, we are a tiny part of this nature. And yet, we use anything in this nature that is interdependent to each other. We think those are our possessions and we can use them. We have the authority or power to use them as our, you know, will. So, you know, this kind of a transformation of measurement of value is really important.

[36:41]

And I think that is what Dogen is saying, we should not change depending upon our preferences, our like and dislike, our judgment of value, valuable or not valuable, or meaningful or not meaningful. we should see much deeper or much fundamental ground in which everything is living together. Let me go further. There are 10 kinds of, or four kinds of funzoe used to make kashaya. So there are four kinds of abandoned rug. Here, Dogenzenji only lists four kinds. That is, they are burned clothes, clothes chewed by oxen, clothes chewed by rats, clothes used to cover cops, and so on.

[38:01]

and he lists up another kind of sunzo in page 55. Around the middle of page 55, I put a number. Let me read those things. Clothes chewed by cows. You know, there are still many cows in India. And cows are holy, sacred animals. So people don't chase cows, even they chew their clothes, maybe. Clothes chewed by rats. Clothes burned by fire. Cloth soiled by menstruation. Cloth soiled by a childbirth.

[39:04]

Cloth used as an offering at a shrine. Since shrine is in the forest, and when some people do some prayer, they offer cloth or something. And they leave the cloth there. And those clothes are free of desire or attachment. So monks could take those clothes left at the shrine. Seven, the clothes left at a cemetery. That is the clothes used to cover the dead person. And clothes used as an offering with a prayer. This is the same thing. And clothes discarded by king's officers. According to the commentary, this means king's officers.

[40:12]

kind of change their status. They get new uniform, and the old one is not necessary anymore. Then they change their position. In such occasion, they throw the old uniform, and they get new uniform. for the highest position. And those old ones were discarded. And clothes brought back from a funeral. This is also used for covering a dead person. Those kind of clothes are abandoned. So in the next sentence, page 55, it says, these 10 kinds of clothes are discarded by people and not used within human society.

[41:23]

So this has no market value. And that is important point. So good for nothing. If monks pick them up and use them as pure material for kashaya, those are pure, even though they are soiled. So in this case, pure or purity means without defilement of human desires for attachment, for clinging. That is the yardstick of judging whether this is pure or impure. So I go back to page 18. People of the five parts of India discarded these kind of clothes on street or field.

[42:32]

Since it is the same as funzo, the robe made of funzo is called an funzo-e, or funzo robe. So practitioners pick up such rugs, wash them, sew them, together and use them to cover their bodies. Discarded rugs can include various kinds of silk or cotton. So sometimes we cannot make this distinction whether this is cotton or other kind of fabric or silk. We should discard this view that discriminates between silk and cotton, and study fat funzo means.

[43:41]

So the discrimination between cotton and silk is not valid to make judgment whether this is pure or not pure. So we should really study fat funzo means. In ancient times, when a monk washed a funzo robe in Lake Anabatapta. Lake Anabatapta is kind of a lake in the center of the world, near Mount Sumeru. All the four great rivers in India originate from that pond or lake. Four rivers, like Ganges, Indus, and I forget the names of two other rivers, but all those originate from this lake.

[44:49]

So this lake, the water in this lake is very pure, no defilement. No human requirement. But this is a story about a person whose name was Shuna. Shuna. He was not a monk. He was a shaman. He didn't receive the Vinaya. And it said this person, Shuna, was Shariputra's youngest brother. He tried to wash the discarded ragu, funzo, in that pond with that pure water. Then the Dragon King praised it with a rain of flowers and made prostrations.

[45:51]

So Dragon King here is a kind of a guardian god of the Dharma. phrased, you know, the discarded rags, this person's shina, you know, picked up from the garbage heap. That is purity. And some Hinayana teachers, this again refers to the teachers in the Vinaya school, in China and Japan, particularly Nanzang Dosen. Some Hinaya teachers have a theory about transformed fabric, which must be without ground. A person of Mahayana might laugh at this.

[46:55]

This nun, Vinaya, said Buddha had a robe with silk. So he had to make some excuse for leaving. Five Buddha used silk okesa. And it said he, in his dream, he went to the heaven. and had a conversation with one of the heavenly beings. And the heavenly beings taught him that the silk used for Buddha's okesa was not really a silk made by silkworms, but it was a transformed fabric. And according to that text, this means some kind of heavenly being produced this transformed fabric, so it's not really a silk.

[48:07]

That is a kind of excuse. That is what Dogen is laughing at. And his counter-argument is Hat is not transformed fabric. That means everything is a transformed fabric. Today, we make fabric from oil. or a cone, or a tree. So everything is really transformed. So Dogen Zenji's discussion is not only that kind of strange, transformed material, but everything. even cotton, or hemp, or all the other, not only fabric, but everything, including this body and mind, are transformed material.

[49:13]

So, although they trust their ears, that hear of the transformation, they doubt their eyes. that see the transformation. That means their discussion is only intellectual, only the discussion for the sake of discussion. They don't see the real, actual transformation that is happening always in front of our eyes. And yet they try to create certain kind of a feeling or doctrine. We should know that among the funzo-e we pick up, there might be cotton that seems like silk, and there might be silk that seems like cotton.

[50:22]

There are 10,000 differences in local customs and nature's creation is immeasurable for us. We cannot make a judgment with our fresh eyes. Fresh eye is the opposition of dharma eye. So if we see each and every material with our fresh eyes, we cannot make judgment. We cannot really see what we are. So we should see things with our Dharma eyes. When we get such material, we should not discuss whether it is silk or cotton. We just call it funzo-e. So this funzo is important point of this okesa. And not only this robe,

[51:27]

But he says, even if there are human or heavenly beings that turn into funzo-e, funzo rags, they are not sentient beings, but they are simply funzo-e. He says he is funzo-e. And even if there are pine trees or chrysanthemums that turn into they are not insentient beings, but they are simply hunzo. You know, human and heavenly beings are living beings. And here, pine trees and chrysanthemum are commonly considered to be non-living beings, but not sentient beings. But both are funzō, that means without human evaluation, free from human attachment.

[52:39]

These are not nāma rūpa for human beings. These are, as Rōgen Rinzai said in Shōbō Genzō Busshō, these are buddha nature. When we believe and accept the principle that funzo is not either silk or cotton, neither gold, silver, pearl, or Noah's Jewel, or even Noah the Broken Tile, from the polishing tile story, whether it's a precious thing or not precious, depending upon our human evaluation, we should accept this. Funzo is neither variable nor not variable.

[53:46]

But this is just, everything is funzo. Then, the principle of funzo manifests itself. This manifest is genjo. You know genjo in genjo koan. So, this is important expression in Dogon. When he discuss about zazen, he use this genjo koan. So, he use the same word here. And next sentence is the same. until the view that discriminates between silk and cotton is dropped off. This dropped off is a translation of Datsuraku in Shinjin Datsuraku, dropping off body and mind. So when we become free from this discrimination, based on human evaluation, then we drop off our clinging to the material or to the evaluation or judgment.

[55:06]

And we see only kunzo, the being free from any attachment. So that means if we really receive Okesa, we should see the reality of all beings and drop off our discriminating mind. Once a monk asked the ancient Buddha, in this case, Huinan, the sixth ancestor of China, you receive in the middle of the night, or monk, hyonmei or obai, cotton or silk. Ultimately speaking, what is it? So someone asked to the hyonmei, what is the material of the okesa he received when he received dharma transmission from the fifth ancestor?

[56:15]

as a kind of a symbol of Dharma. Then the ancient Buddha, that is Hinan, said, it is neither cotton nor silk. We should know that kashaya or okesa is neither silk nor cotton. This is the profound teaching of the Buddha Way. This is not only about the material of okesa, but this is also same as sangha. Sangha is called Great Ocean Assembly. That means into the ocean, many different kinds of water entered from different rivers.

[57:21]

And yet, once any water from different rivers gets into the ocean, there is no separation, no discrimination. It's only one ocean. not only in India, but in Buddhist sanghas, there are many people come from different backgrounds, came in, and this becomes just salty water in the ocean. And salty water is the taste of Dharma. So, there's no separation or discrimination, whether this is from a great river or from a small tiny river. But this is one great question.

[58:22]

So whether some people are very well educated like Dogen, from a very high class family, Some people are from humble families. Some people are very brilliant, intellectual. Some people are not really educated, like Sawakiroshi. Sawakiroshi only graduated from elementary school, but somehow he became a professor at Komagawa University. And Uchiyama Roshi studied Western philosophy, and he finished master's degree. So he had a master's degree, but he never taught anything. If he wanted, he could, but he didn't want to. He just wanted to practice in a very poor life. So all that, you know, kind of individuality, individual conditions, karmas, should be, are still there.

[59:36]

You know, even though I'm living in America and speaking in English and trying to share the Dharma with American people, still, I'm a Japanese. And I cannot speak and think in the same way as you American people do. And yet once we are within a sangha, we are all Buddha's children. So this funzo is the same as Buddha's children. The individuality or personality or condition is still there, but still we are all blood children, same as, you know, it become a part of orchestra, silk is silk, and cotton is cotton.

[60:37]

And yet, this is just a piece of orchestra. So, any one of us came from all different kind of background, still, when we become or entered a Buddhist sangha, this is just one sangha, like an ocean. And yet we are still different. Next, I want to go until page 24 today. Venerable Sharnabhasa, In Japanese pronunciation, Shonawashi is the third ancestor who transmitted the Dharma, Dharma treasury. He was born wearing a robe. This, you know, in our lineage, Shaka Munibutsu Daiyosho, Makakasho Daiyosho, Ananda Daiyosho, and Shonawashi Daiyosho, this person.

[61:48]

And it says this person was born with a robe, if you believe or not. And this robe was a secular garment when he was a layperson. When he left home and became a monk, it became a kashaya. And not only Shonawa-shu, but there's another example of the same. Also, Rikushumi Sakura. I'm not sure of the Sanskrit or Pali name of this Rikushumi. In Japanese, this is Senbyaku Rikushumi. Rikushumi Senbyaku. Senbyaku means bright white. bright white, but somehow in Nishijima's translation, it says Sakura, S-U-K-R-A.

[62:59]

And in Yokoi's translation, the name is, I'm sorry, Nishijima and Yokoi's translation, this dictionary's name is Sakura, And in Tanahashi's translation, her name is Pundarika. I don't know. I couldn't find the Sanskrit name of this person. Anyway, after arousing the body-mind and offering... I don't know if this is really a carpet or not. The Chinese character is very unusual. When I look up the dictionary, it says carpet. But I don't think it's a carpet. Some kind of fabric. To the Buddha, in her past life, has always been born with a robe.

[64:05]

Life after life, and within the middle existence between lives, So she was always wearing the bright white robe in life after life, even between these lives. In the present lifetime, when she met Shakyamuni Buddha and became a home reaver, the robe she was born with immediately transformed into a kashaya. This is the same as venerable Sarnabasa or Shonawashi. So those two people were born with robes. And when they are at home, their robes were laid in clothing. But when they become Bikku or Bikshuni, their original robes

[65:14]

they were gone with, became the Lord, i.e. Okesan. In Shobo Genzo Shijuuhichihon Bodai I hope I have the copy. It is an English translation. This is a title of a chapter of Shobo Genzo. And English translation in Nishijima is 37 elements of body. 37 elements of body. And in this one section of this chapter, Dogen Zenji said,

[66:16]

as follows. Here he discusses about the impurity of body. This is one of the four, how do you say in English? Four foundations of mindfulness. And one of them is seeing the impurity of body. And about impurity of body, Logan says, The point of the present reflection, that the body is not pure, is also like this. He discussed something before. And on this basis, the totality of body, the entire body, the totality of reflection, this is kan, and the totality of not being pure, are just the kashaya to which a mother gives birth.

[67:22]

If a kashaya or okesa is not the kashaya or okesa to which a mother gives birth, Buddhist patriarchs or ancestors never use it. How could Sawanabasa or Shonawashu be the only one? This means not only Shonawashu and this Senryaku Bikuni, but all of us were born with Okesan. We should carefully apply our minds to this truth learning it in practice and perfectly realizing it. It means the kashaya to which a mother gives birth. That means all of us, when we are born, all of us are born with kashaya.

[68:32]

You can see this kashaya means buddha nature. So he... It's really kind of complicated. He's discussing certain form of love, but suddenly he's discussing about Buddha nature. So he's always back and forth between form and no form. Always. So we are confused. We are always confused. when we, you know, read Dogen. So we have to be very careful what he's discussing about. You know, these stories about Shonawashu and this Sendyaku Bikuni, you know, it's kind of a, how can I say, like, you know, just a story. We don't pay so much attention. Just a story.

[69:36]

When he read this with his dharma eye, these robes, they were born with buddha nature. And that buddha nature, when we are a lay person, manifests itself as a lay clothing or garment. And when we become a monk or priest, that becomes kokesa. So, okesa is not something outside of our body and mind. This is our life. But actually, he is discussing about how to pick up the material of okesa. That is a particular form of law. So, we are always confused by his kind of back and forth between certain particular form or certain particular thing.

[70:38]

And the reality beyond any form is always back and forth. And if we try to grasp this side, Dogen said, that is not right. And yet we try to cling to that side, Dogen said, that is not right. So we are always confused. And this confusion is a very good way of letting go of thought. Whatever way or side we cling to, Dogen says, don't do it. And we should actually do both, without clinging to any side. That is, in Dogen Zenji's expression, just do it, or shikan taza. without clinging to this particular form of sitting. And also this particular form of sitting, as I said yesterday, is a form that expresses no form.

[71:47]

But if we cling to the side of no form, we are in the problem. So we have to sit actually with this body and this mind. So, and particularly on the certain cushion, in certain place in the zendo, and certain time of the day, we have to, you know, follow the schedule. We cannot sit whenever we want. When we practice together, we have to sit in certain place with certain form, with certain, you know, procedure. together with other people. And that is a poem. And sometimes we feel this is nonsense, this is meaningless. You know, I can sit on the mountain, I can sit at my room, and I can sit anytime I want.

[72:49]

So, the Dharma should be something homeless, which should be free from any form. So we can do whatever we want. That is another extreme. But if we bring it to a certain form, a certain place, that is another extreme. So we should just do, right now, right here, following the situation where we are in. That is particular for now, you know, a practice place, this Sangha is our Sangha. Even though we are visitors, so we are not really a member of this Sangha, but still, as far as we practice in this building, we are part of this Sangha. So we have to follow the harmony, the order and harmony of this Sangha.

[73:54]

That is our practice. my form is much better than this one. I can say in such a way, because I knew how we practice in Japan, and we can say that is much more authentic or traditional, but to discuss in such a way is really meaningless. When we practice together with people in this summer, we need to practice letting go of our clinging to our own forms. That is, then, you know, our practice becomes fundo, free from attachment or defilement of our So, when Dogen, you know, quotes this kind of stories, we have to be really careful what he's trying to say.

[75:03]

So, we should clearly know that kashaya is neither silk nor cotton, and so on. According to Sawaki Roshi, Sawaki Kodoroshi, about this story of being born with a lung. In his teisho on kesakudoku, he said, I'm not sure in India, but in Japan, some babies were born with, what is the English word, placenta. the baby who was born with placenta looks like wearing a robe. So those babies are named, in Japanese, kesa, in the case of boy, kesa-o-o. Something using this kesa. The people consider that placenta as robe, or kesa.

[76:15]

So probably this story These people were born with placenta. That makes sense. But I'm not sure it's true or not. But a circular sense. So, moreover in this way, the virtue of Buddha Dharma is able to transform body, mind, and all myriad things. When we leave home and receive the precepts, our body and mind, and also our environment, are immediately transformed. Although this truth is very evident, simply because of our foolishness, we don't know it. It cannot be the case that The everlasting Dharma of all Buddhas applies only to Sarnabasa, or Shonawashu, and to Sakura, or Senryaku Bikuni, and not to us.

[77:26]

We should not doubt that we receive benefit according to our lot. So not only Shonawashu and Senryaku Bikuni, we are all being born with Okesa. That is what he is saying. So we are already wearing okesa whether we enter particular form of okesa transmitted in particular tradition, so-called Zen Buddhism. And yet, when we meet and encounter certain teachers and become a number of certain sangha, also receive the okesa as a wish-fulfilling form. But we should not forget this okesa is not just a collection of pieces of fabric, but this okesa and our life, our buddha-nature we are born with is the same thing.

[78:37]

the transformation of our life, both our lives and our environment. Sawakiroshi, 1110. Let me speak a few minutes more. Sawakiroshi said, when we wear okesa, our selves and our environment, are already completed, completely transformed. And he said, to wear okesa, to put on our okesa and just sit, is itself liberation. It's not a matter of, you know, as Dogen Rinzai said, this is a talisman of, you know, attaining the Buddha's awakening. But Sawakiro said, When we receive and re-venerate this orchestra and futon orchestra and sit and let go of our thoughts, then we are already, not only we, but our environment is also completely transformed and completely liberated.

[80:00]

Of course, this came from Dogen Zenji's teaching of practice and enlightenment are one. we need to, how can I say, we need a faith to practice with such an attitude. So, when we read this particular chapter of Shogun Gendo about Okesa, he is, and Dogen Zenji is talking about our faith. And then we read, you know, Dogen Zenji quotes several stories from Buddhist scriptures. These are about Dogen Zenji's faith. And if we are a student of Dogen Zenji, we have to clearly understand what this means and whether this faith is meaningful or not to us.

[81:01]

I think that is what we need to study. The second half of this writing is really long quotations, and Dogen put only short comments. So probably this Tesakuroku is still in the stage of working draft. The order of the writings is still some confusion. So probably he didn't really complete this writing, I think. That is my guess.

[81:37]

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