Good morning, everyone. I continue to talk on this book, Opening the Hand of Thought. If we have this text, page 14, second paragraph of page 14. Let me read this paragraph. This is quite a long paragraph. whether we realize it or not. We are always living out life that is connected to everything in the universe. But when I say that, I am not talking about someone else's life or life in general, separate from myself.

[01:06]

The life that runs through everything in the universe is me. I don't mean me as an ego. I mean myself in the true sense, the universal self. It is the foundation of all life experiences. Eihei Dogenzenji referred to the reality of life in this sense as jin-issai-jiko. or the self that extends through everything in the universe. This self is not some fixed body. It's constantly changing.

[02:10]

Every time we take a breath, we are changing. Our consciousness is always changing, too. All the chemical and physical processes in our body are also constantly changing. And yet, everything temporarily takes a form. This is our true self, or jiko, This is the real or universal self or the reality of life, as I prefer to call it. Whatever way we put it, I am here only because my world is here.

[03:12]

When I took my first breath, my world was born with me. When I die, my world dies with me. In other words, I wasn't born into a world that was already here before me. I do not live simply as one individual among millions of other individuals. And I do not leave everything behind to live on after me. People go through life thinking of themselves as members of a group or society. However, this isn't how we really live.

[04:19]

Actually, I bring my own world into existence. leave it out and take it with me when I die. In this section Ucchama Roshi is talking about nirvana or our life based on true reality of all beings in which our man-made or artificial relation based on this person's self-centered thinking or desire. awakened to or find the true reality in which we are all connected with all beings.

[05:22]

It's not artificial connection using our thinking or desire or in Sanskrit expression nama rupa, the combination or compound of name and material that shows our man-made or self-centered relation with things produced within our mind. And in the previous few paragraphs, he discussed about time. Only this moment is a real moment. past has already gone and future has not yet come.

[06:24]

So only this moment is a real moment, reality. And within this moment, which has no length, within this present moment, without any length, entire past and entire future is included. And in this section, not section, in this paragraph, he is talking about this self. Not only the time, but this being as self. And first he said, whether we realize it or not, if we agree to it or not, if we understand it or not, We are always living out life that is connected to everything in the universe. You know, now we hear the song of birds and there are so many beautiful flowers.

[07:36]

suddenly appeared and some of them already disappeared in this spring. This change of nature or seasons When Uchamurose talks about life, you know, there's this life that not only individual beings being born, live and die, but we are living together with all those birds and flowers and insects and even, you know, airs and waters and everything. energy or life force which allow all those individual things, being born, living and dying, is the same life. And that same life is working with me and allow me to be born and to live in this way, in this particular way, as in this case, in my case, as Shohak.

[08:53]

And I die sometime in the future. So we think, you know, we are born within this stream of time from past to the future and present moment. We think we are born at certain time in the past and I have been living for so many years. And sometime in the future, I disappear from this world. I think this is very common idea about our life, our personal life. So I was born here at this moment. and I will die this moment.

[09:55]

So this is the period of time I stay in this world as a member of this community of human beings or all beings. What Uchiyama was talking about is maybe there is another possible way to view things, who we are. That is this being. That is, even before this person, shohaku, as individual are born, we are already there. Nothing appears and even when we disappear, nothing disappears. the course of changing impermanence and movement.

[10:56]

We are like a bubble in the water. A bubble is a kind of a condition of air packed in the water. So only air and water are there. There are no such things called a bubble. Bubble is a name of the condition. A tiny amount of air is packed in the water and it seems exists only in a period of time. from the bottom to the top of the water and disappear into the air. So there's no such individual fixed entity called a bubble. Only the relationship between air and water.

[12:06]

is named as a bubble and we are the same thing basically you know of course our life is much more complicated than the bubble but all you know millions of different elements getting together as a cause and conditions and make this being as shohaku. This is an individual being living from one particular moment to another particular moment. And as I have been saying, you know, I'm a Japanese, I'm a Buddhist, I'm a priest, so I cannot be American, Christian, something. I cannot change my karma. I have to live as a shohaku who was born in Japan and became a Buddhist priest.

[13:14]

So I am like a bubble. I live as a shohaku for a certain period of time. That is true, but this is not simply or only one possible way to see our life. That is what Ucchama Roshi is saying here. Our life is much longer or broader. or in more kind of a Buddhist philosophical term, we are empty. There's no such thing called shohaku. But this is just a collection of all different causes and conditions. So shohaku is not fixed individual entity, but we are living the same life with birds and flowers and grasses.

[14:28]

Well, now I list up the beautiful things, but there are also some, not all some, but many negative things. you know, suddenness, unhappiness, or pain, or dishonesty, or injustice, or other things are also, you know, reality of this network of interdependent origination. And we are part of it, like a bubble is a part of the water and air. So he's talking about individual person as shohak and also a universal life which allow all individual beings being as the individual beings.

[15:35]

And he called this universal life is me. he said, this is true self or true sense of self. My kind of idea of who I am, my identity, what I am, is kind of a man-made thing and a much more fundamental or basic reality. We are one with all beings. And this is not Uchiyama Roshi's unique opinion, but this is, for example, in Dogen Zenji's teachings. This is called Jin Isai Jiko. In kanji,

[16:40]

I'm sorry. Jin is whole or entire or complete. And itai means everything, all beings, everything or all. And jiko is the self. This is an expression used by Dogen Zenji. I'm sorry. Uchida Moroshi said this expression is used by Dogen Zenji, but I don't find in Dogen's writings this particular expression. He used ji in his style and jiko, but separately. Uchimura makes jinn and jiko together.

[17:55]

And also later in this paragraph he said, we are not appear in this world like a stage, and we disappear from this world when we die. But he said, we are born with this entire world, and then we die, this entire world, or the East Side, will die together with me. This is kind of a strange idea, but this is also mentioned by Dogen Zenji at the same writing. So I'd like to introduce that teaching of Dogen. So Ucchiamurusi is using kind of a... without using Buddhist or Zen technical terms, but what he's talking is not his personal opinion, but this is his interpretation or explanation of what Dogen said.

[19:10]

And... I think when we read Dogen, to understand in his way, as a meaningful way for modern people, is kind of difficult. So Uchida Moroshi's interpretation, this kind of interpretation of Dogen's writing is, to me at least, very helpful. to understand what Dogen meant and what is the meaning of his teaching as a modern person. This teaching of Dogen appeared in Shobo Genzo, Yuibutsu Yobutsu, You is only, but is Buddha, and you is together.

[20:32]

and butsu is Buddha again. So yui butsu yo butsu is only Buddha together with Buddha. And this expression came from the Lotus Sutra. When Lotus Sutra discussed the true reality of all beings, in the Lotus Sutra it said only Buddha together with Buddha can completely penetrate the true reality of all beings. And Dogen Zenji wrote another chapter of Shobo Genzo entitled True Reality of All Beings, or Shoho Jisso. So Yui Butsu, Yobutsu, and Shoho Jisso are very closely connected, came from the same sentence of the Lotus Sutra, chapter two, the tactfulness or skillful means.

[21:43]

Well, I don't have much time, so please let me read what Dogen says here. If you have this book, Moon in a Dewdrop, this section appeared in page 165, section 6 of Only Buddha Together with Buddha, or in this translation it said, Only Buddha and Buddha. It said, An ancient Buddha said, The mountains, rivers and earth are born at the same moment with each person. All Buddhas of the three worlds are practicing together with each person. Each person means each one of us.

[22:49]

So mountains, rivers and earth are born at the same time, same moment, with each one of us. And all Buddhas of the three worlds, three worlds means three times, that means past, present and future. are practicing together with each one of us. So, you know, this is the same idea with what Ucchama Roshi is saying here. When we are born, the entire world is born. And when we die, this entire world dies together with me. So each one of us and this entire world in which we are living is one thing. We are born together and live together and die together. The source of Ucchamurasi's idea is from this saying of an ancient Buddha.

[23:57]

And we don't know who this ancient Buddha is. I tried to find who the saying is this, but I couldn't find the source of this quote. So maybe this is Dogen Zenji's creation. But Dogen made comments on this saying. He said, if we look at the mountains, rivers, and earth, when a person is born, His birth does not seem to be bringing forth additional mountains, rivers and earth on top of the existing ones. So if someone, when someone is born, the mountains, rivers and all things are born with that baby, then even before this baby was born, all those things are here.

[25:10]

So, and that seemed, you know, new, you know, mountains and rivers or a world were born with this baby. So as our common understanding, this doesn't make sense. And I think it's true. It doesn't make sense to me neither. So Dogen Zenji understands that as a kind of a common way of thinking, this doesn't make sense. yet, Dogen Zenji is always saying yet or however or but, yet the ancient Buddha's word cannot be mistaken. How should we understand this? Even if you do not understand it, you should not ignore it.

[26:19]

So be determined to understand it. Since this word is already expounded, you should listen to it. Listen until you understand. That means we should really inquire what this means. until we understand the meaning, why this ancient Buddha said in this way, even though we don't know who this ancient Buddha is. So Dogen requests us to try to understand this. And this is how to understand. So he introduced one possibility of understanding this saying. This is how to understand. Is there anyone who knows what his birth in its beginning or end is like?

[27:29]

Who knows what is the beginning of our life or what is the end of our life? We are here, but we don't know. We know because of the date written in our birth certificate. This person was born on certain date. But without those information, we don't really know when we are born. We don't really remember. and we don't know when we die. But only certain reality is we are living at this moment. All other things are kind of information we studied or we received from other people. So is there anyone who knows what his birth in its beginning or end is like?

[28:32]

No one knows either birth's end or its beginning. Nevertheless, everyone is born. It is certain that we are born, but we don't really remember how was our birth like. Similarly, no one knows the extremities of the mountains, rivers, and earth, but all see this place and walk here. So about the world, we don't know the beginning of the world or end of the world, but somehow we are here, and we see all things in this world, and we work together with those things within this world, and so we come and go.

[29:38]

Do not think with regret that the mountains, rivers and earth are not born with you. This is our common idea that all those things are there before we are born and they will be here even after we die. So we are like a guest of a hotel. and we stay there only certain period of time. So we and the hotel or the world is separate. We are just a visitor. We are not the owner of this world, or this world is not my world, but we are a visitor, and we stay for a while. and we leave, and yet this world or this hotel continues to be.

[30:49]

This is our common understanding of our life. But here there is a separation between this world and this person. So Dogen said, do not think with regret or sadness that the mountain rivers and earth are not born with you. understand that the ancient Buddha teaches that your birth is non-separate from the mountains, rivers, and earth. So according to Dogen Zenji, this is one possible understanding of what this ancient Buddha said. We are mountains, rivers, and earth are born at the same time together. This is like, I think, that means we are not really born.

[31:57]

In my case, I was born June 22, 1948. This is the birthday of Shohak, but actually this is not the beginning of my life. My life continues from the beginning, or even from the time of Big Bang. you know, after the Big Bang, nothing is added from the outside and nothing is taken out from this universe. So everything existing in this present moment was there from the time of Big Bang. So we are the same age with this entire universe. And within the process of changing, we take forms of all different beings.

[33:06]

And on this day, I was born as Shohaku, like a bubble appeared within the water, and stay, I don't know how many more years, for a while, and disappear into the air. So the moment the Bible appears in the water, on the bottom of the water, And that moment, the bubble disappeared into the air. We think this is the length of our life, but this is not really. The air, which is called certain bubble, was there even before it appeared on the bottom of the water, and it never disappeared. But the phenomenon, the bubbles, of course, are impermanent, so it appears and disappears.

[34:14]

So our life is much longer than we think. That is one possible understanding. And that is what Dogen Zenji suggests, or his understanding of this saying. But Uchamuro's interpretation might be, I think, different from Dogen Zenji's. He discussed about the same point in this book, Refining Your Life. This is Uchiyama Roshi's commentary on Dogen Zenji's Tenzo Kyokun. load the diagram and explain how his understanding of this thing, we are born with this entire world, and when we die, this entire world dies.

[35:30]

I don't think I have time to discuss this today, but this is a source of my idea that Fat Dogen Zenji teaches in Tenzo Kyokun. Tenzo Kyokun is a form of Jiju Zammai. not form, but a kind of Jiju-Zanmai in our daily lives. Dogen Zenji said, our Zazen, sitting on the cushion facing the wall, is Jiju-Zanmai. I think not only when we are sitting, but our life itself can be Jiju-Zanmai. And what Dogen teaches in Tenzo-Kyokun is how we can practice Jiju-Zanmai in our daily lives.

[36:39]

And basically what he's saying is, as a reality, we are all separate. We cannot exchange even a fad. That is Sawakiroshi's saying. And yet, using language, we have kind of a common ground, common space we can understand using words and concept. And then, this is the third part. Pulsar diagram means we create a kind of a common space, a virtual space in which we can communicate each other using our words and we share the system of value or judgment.

[37:44]

And we think our life is, you know, we are born on the stage of this world, and we are chasing after something we think, or as a commonly thought, something valuable. And Ucha Moroshi pointed out that it's money in these modern times. Money or all good things we can buy using money. So we chase after something we think that has some value, and we escape something. we think that is not good. So because of our thinking or discrimination using our mind and words and concept, our life becomes running after something or escaping from something, like within this diagram.

[38:51]

So we try to achieve things and we try to escape from where we are. But Ucamaro thinks that is basically based on our illusion created by using our discrimination, discriminating mind. But as a real reality we are living together with all beings within this entire world. And this entire world is born when we are born, in my case, June 22, 1948. And me and this entire world is living until I die. So this is another you know, interpretation of this ancient Buddha's saying, you know, from Dogen.

[40:03]

That means, when we are born, you know, we or this self and all other beings are living together. And in using the Buddhist terminology, this word of each one of us is called not called, but consists of six sense organs and six objects of sense organs, so subject and object in common sense. And when the subject and object encounter, we, not we, but there's something happened in our mind. Those are called consciousness and six consciousnesses. So, six sense organs and six objects of sense organs, that means all beings, and consciousness.

[41:11]

And these three sets of six makes eighteen, in Japanese we call it a kai, I think the Sanskrit word for the sky is darts, eighteen darts. And this is our world, you know, how we encounter with objects. And when these subjects and objects encounter, we create consciousness. is this person's world. So this includes both subject and object and our consciousness or image and understanding and judgment about this encountering.

[42:13]

This is the world of me. And so this world is Shohak's world. And the world in which we are created by encountering of subject and object Shohak and the object of Shohak is a unique world. You know, now I am a speaker, so I'm talking, and you are listening. So this shohaku is a speaker, and you are listeners. And within this world of shohaku, I appear as a speaker, and you appear as listeners. And this is my world. But within your world, I appear as a speaker and you are a listener.

[43:15]

And my shohaku world, in which I'm talking and I see each one of your faces and some face seems sleepy. Some faces seem, you know, being bored. Faces, you know, seem, you know, listening with interest. Or I think some people, you know, may be understanding and agree with what I'm saying. Or other people think, you know, this is nonsense. And, you know, that is how I, you know, how can I say, see and receive and understand what my world is. And so you are part of my world of shohaku. and show up as part of your world as a speaker and you listen to what I'm saying and you try to understand and try to think this is nonsense, that is fine.

[44:28]

But anyway, the world, this is a very small world now, but the world I see and the world you see or you experience as a listener, and the world I experience as a speaker might be the same world, but might be very different. I'm not sure if what I'm thinking, I'm thinking in Japanese, and I'm trying to speak in English, so even I'm not sure what I'm thinking and what I'm talking is really the same thing or not. So I'm not sure what I'm talking and what you are listening are the same thing or not. Maybe you are thinking completely different things from what I'm talking. But we, as a kind of a common understanding, as a conventional understanding, we think now we are getting together at the zendo in Sanshinji and learning or studying Dogen's or Uchamuro's teaching.

[45:43]

And I think that is true. on the ground of common understanding or conventional understanding, but the experience, actual experience, as a person, as this world, Shohak's world or your world, might be very different. And we cannot share, even though within my world you are there, And within your world, I am there. But this world is really unique of each person's. I think, so this is another, I think, possible interpretation of what this ancient Buddha said, you know, this world is born with this person, and this world is dying when this person is dying.

[46:53]

And according to Chiamuroji, this is only real world as reality of our life. but somehow we kind of are abstract, you know, from, you know, each person has same experience, not same experience, different experience in the same, what we call structure. And within thinking we think all these are happening within this one world. Does it make sense to understand what I am saying? So according to Uchiha Morose, this is only real life, only real reality. So my Shohak's world is a really unique world. Not only Shohak's, but each and every one of us has a very unique world in which you are the center of the world.

[48:01]

And this world can be seen and experienced only by you, only by us. This is Uchamurasi's understanding of Dogen, Lord, in Yuibutsu-yobutsu. And in Yuibutsu-yobutsu, as I said, this expression, jin issai jiko, appeared in Yuibutsu-yobutsu, and it appeared in the next paragraph. Within the comments of Dogen, about the second sentence of this quote, All Buddhas of the Three Worlds are practicing together with each person. Dogen said, Again, all Buddhas of the Three Worlds have already practiced, attained the Way, and completed realization.

[49:10]

So Buddha's practice is done, already completed, and we are not yet. How should we understand that those Buddhas are practicing together with us? So in our conventional thinking this is nonsense. And Dogen Zenji knows that. But he said, first of all, examine a Buddha's practice. Examine a Buddha's practice. A Buddha's practice is to practice in the same manner as the entire universe and all beings. I don't agree with this translation, in the same manner, but What I think Dogen is saying is all Buddha's practice or all Buddha's practice is to practice together with all beings within entire universe.

[50:26]

If it is not practice with all beings, it is not a Buddha's practice. It is not practice with all beings. It is not a Buddha's practice. This, you know, with all beings is a translation of Dogen's expression, jing is sight. So he doesn't use this expression, jinsai, together with jiko. But Uchiyama Roshi put this jiko and jinsai together. So within Buddha's practice, Buddha's practice is not Buddha's personal effort to make himself into an enlightened individual person. but his practice and his enlightenment is together with all beings.

[51:35]

And that is a teaching within Mahayana Buddhism. This being so, all Buddhas, from the moment of attaining realization, Realize and practice the way together with the entire universe and all beings. So this, you know, we and all Buddhas are practicing together because of the nature of Buddha's practice. As a Buddha's practice, Buddha should include or embrace all beings for the sake of all beings. There is a saying from the Lotus Sutra that all triple worlds, three worlds, is my world or my dwelling and all beings within that world is my children.

[52:52]

That is a quality of Buddha's practice and enlightenment and teaching. So this means not because of our personal effort or our fortunate or unfortunate condition, but because within Buddha's practice we are included, because we are part of all beings. So our practice is not a personal individual effort to make this person even a little bit better, but our practice, according to Dogen in this teaching, our practice is participation to that Buddha's practice. embracing all beings. Of course, as individual, I cannot embrace all beings. But by letting go of our individuality or egocentricity, we are part of Buddha's practice or Buddha's enlightenment or Buddha's teaching that is really one with all beings.

[54:13]

That is what this jin is sai, or what is the translation of this expression? All-pervading self. All-pervading self is one translation. is not because of our effort or our understanding, but because we are part of this network of interdependent origination. We are born as a part of this network and we are living within this network and we are dying, but nothing appears and nothing disappears. even though a bubble appears and stays for a while and disappears. Or a bubble and a cloud, clouds in the sky are the same thing.

[55:18]

A bubble is a condition of air packed in water, but clouds are a condition of water floating in the air. Those are the same thing. And those two, bubbles and clouds, are used as a symbol of emptiness in Mahayana teaching. And that means we are, as a collection of five scans, we are the same as bubbles and we are the same as the clouds. We appear and disappear, and yet nothing appears and nothing disappears. And according to Uchiyamuro's significance of this understanding or this view of our life, that we are not born as a visitor of the world within this society of competition is, I think, what he said.

[56:31]

He said, if you have this book, page 43, he said, regardless of where we might find ourselves, there is only the self, which is always the self. Hence the expression, I alone am revered in heaven and earth. This is the saying of the Buddha Shakyamuni when he was born. I alone am revered in heaven and earth. And what Ujjamaa Roshi is saying is not only Shakyamuni, but each and every one of us is the same as the baby Buddha. I alone am revered in heaven and earth, and this I is not this person as individual, but this I including this entire world.

[57:45]

So the world is not some entity which exists apart from us. The world is where we function. Likewise, the life of the true self is not some entity apart from our functioning and working. Everything we encounter is our life. Everything we encounter is our life. So life is not only this part of the world as subject, but the life and the self include all three. This entire world is the self. And depending upon what kind of attitude we take, we keep toward ourselves and others, this world becomes different.

[58:50]

So we have responsibility. about the condition, whether this world is a peaceful or harmonious world, or a world of violence or pain. Our discussion has evolved a long way from the ordinary dualistic way of seeing ourselves and our lives. However, without going through this evolution, it would be impossible to comprehend any discussion on the Buddha Dharma or the Tendo Kyokun. When we change over from seeing our lives in the usual way toward viewing everything from the perspective of the Buddha Dharma,

[59:58]

The significance of our daily activities will inevitably change as well. Maybe better to read one more paragraph. Maybe not. I'm going to start this point when I talk on tenzo-kyokun from April. Today is already April, so during the practice period we are studying tenzo-kyokun on Wednesday evening study group. And so, in order to talk Dogen's teaching in Tenzo-kyokun as a Jiji-uzanmai, I'd like to start this point.

[61:02]

So, the important point for Uchiha Moro is to change the view of our life. or the self or the world, the significance of our activity is also transformed. That means our action is not simply our personal attempt to make this person more powerful, stronger, important, and famous or whatever we want usually. And that creates, makes our life a competition with other people and also with ourselves in which we experience so many, you know, sufferings.

[62:05]

So this transformation of viewing ourselves and the world enables us to live the life as nirvana. That is what Ujjya Murasi wants to say. Any question? Please. There might be a use for pointing out that in psychology, and the mind is considered the sixth sense. But that raises an interesting question. Eighteen thoughts then, easy, consciousness, eye, sees, candle, or whatever. Candle is assumed to have a reality that is independent of what's in my mind. but if the mind is somewhat the senses, then what is the order? Is there that which the mind sees within the mind, which is not itself the mind?

[63:14]

Yeah, that is what, you know, the idea of six senses, sense organs, and six objects encounter. So this is a... Yeah, like feeling and perception is part of this consciousness that is happening in our mind. So we are not sure whether it's really there or not. Right. That is what five skandhas also means. Between rupa, or object, and consciousness, there are three things, feeling or sensation, perception and formation. All those are functions of our mind and create this world.

[64:20]

Thank you. OK, anything else? OK. Thank you.

[64:29]

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