We are on page 14. Yesterday afternoon I read the verse by this Zen Master Kōkyō Shōju. Let me read the verse from paragraph 15 to 16. is not a matter of discussion. Mountains, rivers, and the Great Earth are the completely revealed body of the Dharma King. People of today should study this exactly as the ancient said.

[01:09]

Already everything in the mountains, rivers, and the Great Earth is the body of the Dharma King. Therefore, things struck down are not other than the Dharma body. There is the Dharma King who understands this. This means that mountains are sitting on the earth, and the earth is supporting the mountains. When we understand this, the past moment we did not understand does not appear to obstruct our understanding. Also, understanding would never destroy not understanding. And yet, there are the mind of spring and the voice of autumn in both understanding and not understanding.

[02:16]

When we did not understand this, the loud voice that expounded this did not enter into our ears. The ears have been playing around within the voice. The time when we understand is the time when the voice has already entered into our ears and samādhi appears. We should not think that understanding is small and not understanding is large. Because this is not something we could understand by our private self. We should know that the Dharma King is like this. In the body of the Dharma King, the eyes are just like the body, and the mind is equal to the body.

[03:23]

Between the mind and the body there is not the slightest separation. Both body and mind are completely exposed. As I said above, we understand that the radiant light and expounding Dharma are both the body of the Dharma King. So this is a comment by Dogen about this poem. And this poem says, even the struck down, spread on the ground, those are the Dharma Kings, that means Dharmakaya. Not only those firewoods but everything in this world on the Great Earth is actually Dharmakaya.

[04:27]

So mountains, rivers and the Great Earth are the completely revealed body of the Dharma King. That means each one of us is revealed body of Dharma King. Not only human beings but each and every beings in this world is the body of Dharma King. So here this poem is saying the penetration of each and every independent being and universal and formless Dharma King or Dharmakaya, Dharma body, is completely penetrating each other. And Dogen said, people of today, we should study this exactly as the ancients said. So we should understand what this means and we should practice based on this insight.

[05:37]

Already everything in the mountains, rivers and the Great Earth is the body of Dharma King. Therefore things struck down like firewood are not other than the Dharma body. There is the Dharma King who understands this. So if we understand this, we are Dharma King, Dharma body. This means that mountains are sitting on the earth and the earth is supporting the mountains. So he is talking about the relation between each and every individual things within this network of interdependent origination. This entirety is Dharma body. But each and every beings within this network are also Dharma body.

[06:49]

So he is talking about this one and entirety, each and every part of this network and the entirety of network are one thing. These are penetrating each other. And what he is saying is mountains are sitting on the earth and the earth is supporting the mountains. I think in this case mountains are part of the ground, Great Earth. And mountains are sitting on the Great Earth and Great Earth is supporting the mountains. So Dharma body and each and every individual beings are the same as mountains and Great Earth. Actually each mountains are part of the Great Earth. So mountains are sitting on the earth and the earth is supporting the mountains.

[07:56]

And in this relation between mountains and Great Earth and each and every beings and entirety of network has some relation. Not some relation but exactly the same and yet completely different as I said before. That is what he is saying by the expression of knowing and not knowing. Now next sentence Dogen is talking about not unknowing. This not knowing and not knowing, I think we should remember what Dogen said before about the life and death. He quote the saying of ancient master who said

[09:01]

Death and life within life. And I said these four are same as emptiness. The clue is much simpler. Emptiness is shiki, form. And second one is form is emptiness. And the third is emptiness is emptiness. Emptiness is nothing other than emptiness. And form is form. So first two, death and life are permeating each other. And second two they are separate, completely different.

[10:29]

And yet within death life is hidden. Within form, within emptiness form is hidden. Within emptiness form is hidden. But they are completely different, independent and they are completely together. Always. How does that function with knowing and not knowing? That is what I am talking now. So the mountains and the great earth are exactly the same thing. But mountains are mountains and earth is earth. And when these two are permeating each other, these two know each other. And when they are independent they don't see each other and they don't know each other. So mountain is just mountain.

[11:33]

Mountain doesn't know the ground and ground doesn't know the mountains. So first two is knowing. And second two is not knowing. In Dogen's Japanese expression this knowing is E. And not knowing is Fu E. And Dogen used the expression E buppo and Fu E buppo. Buppo means buddhadharma. So here he said when we understand this, that means when we know emptiness is form and form is emptiness,

[12:37]

that means we are the dharmakaya and dharmakaya is ourselves. Our sitting is itself buddhadharma and buddhadharma is itself sitting. Then that is a time of we understand. And another meaning of this word E is to meet. So mountains and great earth meet. Or individual things and universal and boundless things meet each other. And when Fu E, there is no such meeting because they are completely independent. Completely independent and yet their other side is hidden. This is another meaning of when one side is illuminated, other side is in the dark. So when we understand this, the past moment we did not understand.

[13:46]

Was buppo the word that was used for not human beings but ordinary human beings? Yes, the same word. In the very beginning of this first course he said buddhadharma cannot be penetrated by human beings. Yes, the same word. So in order to understand human buddhadharma we need to be buddha. So only buddha together with buddha means we are already here. To see, to awaken buddha reality that we are already here and yet we are studying the dharma. So we are living and practicing within dharmakaya. Let me go forward.

[14:49]

So this time of understanding and time of not understanding, the past moment we did not understand does not appear to obstruct our understanding. So understanding, the time of not understanding does not obstruct the time of understanding. So these two are not abstract. So he is talking about the relation between this and this. That means, you know, in Sandokai he said ego and fuego. Ego is each thing permeates each other. And fuego is not interact. Interact and not interact. And it says further, interact and not interact, interact. So it's a very dynamic relation.

[15:54]

So not knowing, unknowing permeate each other and interact each other. So we cannot fix anything in any place. It's always moving and changing. So there is no fixed view possible. So we have to always see moving and changing and living reality as just moving. Nothing can be fixed within our views. That's why, you know, we have to practice. Within practice, all of them are actualized within it. But when we start to think, you know, this becomes kind of a three or four fixed principles. And we try to, you know, interact them. And when we are doing such a thing, we are, you know, out of this network.

[16:58]

We are thinking about the network. Excuse me. So the time of understanding does not distract it by the time of not understanding. And understanding does not destroy not understanding. So understanding does not destroy not understanding. And not understanding does not disturb understanding. They are supporting each other. And yet there are the mind of spring and the voice of autumn. In both understanding and not understanding. In both ways, wherever we are, there is a spring and autumn. That means impermanence. You know, the time of growth and time of weathering.

[18:02]

We become active sometimes and we become quiet or calm down. Often we are young, we have so much energy. But after 60 or 70, we become getting more quiet and small. And finally disappear. Whether we are understanding or not understanding, that reality of impermanence and no substance or no self is moving around. Please. The original word he uses is kokoro eru. Kokoro eru. In eru, in Chinese character eru is toku.

[19:05]

Kokoro eru means to understand. Actually it means to attempt to get with mind. And fue is kokoro e zaru. Not negation of kokoro eru. So he doesn't use Chinese compound, he uses Japanese word. Kokoro eru and kokoro e zaru. And next he talks about fue and e. When we did not understand this, maybe this is not past, but this might be present. When we don't understand, when we are independent each other, the loud voice that expounds this truth or reality or principle

[20:14]

does not enter into our ears. The ears have been playing around within the voice. That means there is no such separation between the voice and the ear. So the voice doesn't get into the ear, because ear and voice are the same thing. Not understanding means there is no such relation between subject and object. And teaching and understanding. The teaching is about how we are living and practicing. And about understanding. The time when we understand is the time when the voice has already entered into our ears. So in the case of understanding or, how can I say, permeating each other,

[21:21]

emptiness and form permeating each other, then the voice of this teaching enters into our ears. So there is a voice and ear, and they become one. But when voice enters the ear, they become one. Then the samadhi appears. That is samadhi. But this not understanding is beyond samadhi or before samadhi. Before the separation of samadhi and not samadhi. That means when our mind is not in samadhi, that means when we are thinking. And there is a separation between subject and object. Both are included within not understanding. But when we are in samadhi, those two are there. And we should not think that understanding is small and not understanding is large.

[22:28]

No. In this case, this is our, how can I say, our understanding, our practice, our study. And when we understand, we are kind of limited. The limitless dharma body enters into this small body. And we understand, and these two permeate each other. But in not understanding, there is no such thing called me. It is simply one thing. So usually we think, you know, this is small and this is large. But Dogen said we should not think in that way. There is no such comparison. In order to compare, we have to make separate. And these two. Haven't you previously used the word voice to mean wisdom?

[23:34]

Voice is teaching. And he said light, radiant light. It appears soon. The radiant light is wisdom. But voice is teaching about wisdom, I think. Here it is. So understanding and not understanding is not a matter of small and big. Please. The ears have been playing around with the voice. That idea of playing around, what word is he using for that? Asobi ariku. Asobi ariku means walking around, enjoying walking. Asobu means not for work. You know, as I talk about Morinaga Roshi's definition about samadhi and work.

[24:42]

In this case, this is not a work or a task, but it's playing. And Dogen Zenji used not the same expression. He used the word yuke. I think in Bendowa. We're playing around in the samadhi, in Jijū samadhi. So Jijū samadhi is not a task or a work. But we are like the kids playing in the sandbox. So there is no separation between person sitting and sitting. So that is the meaning of this asobu, play around. Okay? Nice idea. Okay. Because this is not something we could understand by our private self.

[25:47]

Because of our thinking, we don't understand this. So we should know that the Dharma King is like this. Which means this is the structure of the Dharma body of Buddha. So the Dharma body of Buddha is not simply emptiness or nothing. It has a structure. And there is a relation. And interaction and not interaction. Independence and dependence and interdependence. So it's very dynamic and not so simple. It's very complicated if we try to explain about these. That's why in Buddhism there are so many written texts. And none of them are perfect.

[26:48]

The perfect sutra is these things happening. Yeah. There is a verse, waka, I think Japanese. It said, you know, everything in this earth is chanting the unwritten lotus sutra. Unwritten, not written, lotus sutra. Where is that saying from? Someone's waka poem. I forget whose. In the self-receiving samadhi we've heard about all rocks and grass. Is that the same as Dharmakaya? Each and everything, grasses or flowers or trees or birds, everything are expanding the lotus sutra. Those are a lot of rocks too?

[27:54]

I think so. Mountains are walking. Please. I have a question about this term, the dharma king, which it sounds like is synonymous with Dharmakaya. Why that term king? It's such a human... That is the word used in the poem. That is used, the expression used in the poem Dogen quote. It said, the completely revealed body of the dharma king. Body of dharma king is ho, o, shin. Shin. O means dharma. I am a king. Shin is body. Ho, o is dharma king and that refers to Buddha.

[28:59]

So ho, o, shin, body of dharma king is same as dharma body. Is that a common reference to Buddha? Yeah. It's quite common. Why though, but why the king? Why that particular expression? I don't know why. But for example, there is a saying that is stated by the witness of Mountain Sage ceremony. It said, what is that? Ho, o, ho, nyo ze. Dharma of dharma king is thus. Yeah, dharma of dharma king is thus. This dharma king is the same word. So, I don't know why Buddha is called dharma king. Maybe for ancient people king is the greatest human being.

[30:04]

So to show respect to the Buddha, people called Buddha as a dharma king, probably. Here we are. So, until here he talks about the relation between ee and fu e, or understanding and not understanding. And finally he says, in the body of the dharma king, this body of the dharma king, the eyes are just like the body and the mind is equal to the body. That means, even though this word body is used, this is not necessarily body. It can be called eye, Buddha's eye. That is the expression appeared before. This entire great earth is Vairochana's eye.

[31:06]

So we can call this eye, or we can call this Buddha mind. Whether we call this Buddha body or Buddha mind or Buddha's eye. You know, whatever word we can use, if we want. So there is no such distinction between body, mind and eyes. Between the mind and the body, that means Buddha's mind and Buddha's body, there is not the slightest separation. Both body and mind are completely exposed. This completely exposed is the same expression with completely revealed body. So, within here, Buddha's body, Buddha's mind, Buddha's eye, that is wisdom, are completely revealed or exposed.

[32:13]

Nothing is hidden. That is another important thing by Dogen. Everything is revealed and exposed. There is no hidden secret. Everything is already revealed within this universe. Nothing is hidden. But we don't see it. That's a problem. So, and finally he said, as I said above, we understand that the radiant light and expounding Dharma are the body of the Dharma King. Radiant light is referred to the light appeared in the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra. In the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Buddha was just sitting. He didn't speak anything.

[33:15]

But from his forehead, the radiant light emitted and illuminated the entire world. That radiant light. And from the second chapter, Buddha started to speak. That is expounding. So, radiant light refers to the reality itself. And expounding or voice refers to Buddha's teaching about that reality using words and concepts. So, we understand that the radiant light and expounding Dharma are both the body of the Dharma King. So the reality itself and the teaching about the reality are exactly the same. That means the truth and the reality.

[34:21]

That means we usually, or in Zen, there is a common expression, moon and finger. Moon is reality itself and words is a finger to point out the moon. So, the common usage or meaning of this expression, moon and finger, means we should see the moon and don't cling to the finger. Because finger is not the moon. But here, Dogen said, moon and finger are one. And I think Ryokan said the same thing. If we see the reality, the finger and the moon are one. Notify, in Dogen's teaching, studying is really important. Please. So, radiant light is the reality itself, also wisdom.

[35:24]

Wisdom is something we cannot understand or we cannot... Yeah, wisdom beyond discrimination, that is prajna, wisdom which sees emptiness or oneness. You can say so. But the wisdom is manifested through our practice, through our activities. But when wisdom or truth become the object of our thinking mind, then that is already the finger. So, there is a difference between finger and moon. But this finger and moon are actually penetrating each other. So, we should see both sides. So, Dogen is always complicated. When we grasp one side, Dogen said, no.

[36:26]

When we grasp another side, he said, no. So far. Finally, we have to just see. Stop thinking. Please. You said that nothing is hidden, everything is revealed. And at the same time, you said that emptiness is hidden, then form is hidden. It's hidden, but emptiness is hidden in the form and the form is hidden in emptiness, but it does not disappear. It doesn't disappear, but it is hidden. Yes. The meaning is different. Yes. Even though the old lady is hidden, but the old lady is still there. It's exposed, but we only see the young lady. Yes.

[37:28]

That is what hidden means. Yes, I understand that, but then we also say that nothing is hidden. Yes. So, the old lady is not really hidden, it's there. Yes. Yes. You know, talking, using language is a problem. But we cannot, using language, we cannot share the understanding. So that is a problem. So it's important to know the difference between finger and moon. But without this kind of talking, using language and concept, we cannot share the moon. That is the problem. Okay. Now, we are going to read the final part of Yuigitsu Yobutsu.

[38:30]

And from here, what he is saying is not so difficult or complicated, so we can just read. Hopefully, I can finish this morning. Paragraph 17. There is a saying from the ancient times. Unless we are a fish, we don't know the mind of the fish. Unless we are a bird, we cannot trace the path of the bird. So he picked up again the fish and the bird. Somehow he likes fish and bird. As an analogy of ourselves living within this mountain.

[39:34]

Another expression is a person in the mountain. Same as a bird in the ocean. I'm sorry. A bird in the sky and a fish in the ocean. Same thing. That is an analogy of our situation of living within the world. So bird understands bird and fish understands fish. But human beings cannot understand bird or fish. People who understand this principle are rare. Those who only understand that human beings do not know the mind of fish and that human beings do not know the mind of birds understand this principle mistakenly. The way we should understand this principle is that

[40:40]

a fish together with a fish without fail knows each one's mind. So fish and fish can understand each other. And bird and bird can understand each other. And Buddha and Buddha can understand each other. So this is the logic. If we understand Buddhadharma, we are Buddha. In the same meaning as all dharmas are true reality. And true reality is all dharmas. So when we understand Buddha or Buddhadharma, we are the Buddha. Even though we are merely merely human beings. It is different from human beings who do not know the mind of fish.

[41:43]

Even when they wish to climb the dragon gate, they know each other's minds and share the same intention. This refers to the dragon gate is one place in the Yellow River, I think, in China. There is a big, I think, three-fold waterfalls. And it is said from the ancient time, it is said when a fish go up the dragon gate, the fish become dragon. That is what dragon gate means. And Dogen said in Shobo Genzo Zui Monki, this dragon gate is the monastery or the sangha. So when anyone, any human beings enter the monastery and practice together with other members,

[42:51]

following Buddha's teaching, they become dragon. And Dogen said, even though that saying in Zui Monki, he said it is in the ocean. So it seems different dragon gate from the dragon gate on the river. But in Zui Monki he said, at the dragon gate, the water is the same water. And fish are the same fish. And yet, without fail, fish become dragon. When we enter the monastery and eat the gruel, okayu, every morning, and practice together, practice zazen and other day-to-day things, we are dragon. Please. At the beginning of that sentence, it is different from human beings who do not know.

[43:53]

And then the implication is the minds of fish? Or could it be the minds of other human beings? After dragon gate? No, before. It is different from human beings who do not know the minds of human beings. Could that be... You know, that's in brackets, so that means an interpretation. Yes. So, he said, unless we are fish, we don't know the mind of fish. Unless we are bird, we don't know the bird mind. So human beings don't know the mind of fish or bird. That is why I put the mind of fish in the bracket. So I think human beings can understand human beings' mind.

[44:59]

Hopefully. But we don't. Sorry. But we don't. We don't understand the mind. That's part of our problem. Because our mind is hitting us with a whole load of delusions. We don't see it as delusions. But we see delusion is delusion. We see delusion is delusion. Eventually. Eventually. Hopefully. Even when they wish to climb the dragon gate, so when fish, you know, climb the dragon gate together, they know each other. But we human beings don't understand the fish's mind. And they share the same intention. Also, to endure swimming up through the nine difficult bends of the Chaikyam River,

[46:07]

this is another big river in China, and there are nine bends, difficult to swim up. Their minds are shared by all of them, all of the fish. Unless we are fish, we are not able to understand this determination. Why fish want to go up such a difficult river? It's so difficult, and many of them die in the process, like salmons or other different fish. But somehow, in the case of salmon, they return where they were born. So, that is the kind of knowledge we have. Why they want to go up the river, but we don't really know why they want to do such a thing.

[47:08]

Why is such a thing necessary? They can enjoy life in the ocean. Please. Yeah, that is what he is going to say later. And next, he says about birds, and finally he says about human beings or Buddha. Yeah. Also, about birds flying in the sky, there is no way for animals walking on the earth, animals including human beings, to know the birds' track. This expression came from one of the koans by Tozan. The master, Tozan Ryokai, said, we should go the birds' ways of birds,

[48:13]

and the way of birds means there is no trace. So, we can see where birds go. That is traceless. So, our practice should be like the birds, you know, migrating each year in the same way, but there is no trace. Even though there is no trace, they know where they are going. So, our practice should be traceless, like the path or way of the birds. That means no trace in our practice, but we want to have a trace, and that is memory. You know, I did such and such great thing, or such and such difficult practice, therefore I am okay, or I am a great person. That is a clinging to the past. That is not traceless.

[49:15]

But our practice should be traceless. That means each moment we just do that, and forget what we did, and next moment do another thing. That is like a traceless practice. And Dogen Rin said in Genjo Gohan, Buddha does not know they are Buddha. Just expressing Buddha-hood, traceless path. So, the animals cannot follow the birds' path, by seeing the trace even in their dreams. Because they don't know that there is such a path of birds, they cannot even imagine it. I don't think I need to explain.

[50:17]

And yet a bird can see the traces of hundreds or thousands of small birds having passed in flocks, or the tracks of so many lines of large birds having flown to the south or migrated to the north. But among the birds, Dogen said, they know this is a trace of a large bird or a small bird. And this bird we don't know. Still, why Dogen knows? How Dogen could know? Birds know their traces. This is the same as what he said in Jiju Zanmai. All those things happening between sitting person, sitting and all beings, or entire Dharma world,

[51:19]

all those things cannot be entered into the perception of person sitting. Then why he could know that? But somehow he knew. Those birds can see them as clearly as we see the traces of cars on the roads or the footprints of horses on the grass. So we can see those footprints of the animals or the trace of a cat or a cow. But birds can see their traces. So birds see the traces of birds. But he wants to say that Buddha can see the traces of Buddha even though Buddha's way is traceless.

[52:20]

Buddhas are the same regarding this principle. Buddhas can think of how many lifetimes the other Buddhas have been practicing and they know all Buddhas, both small Buddhas and large Buddhas, no matter how countless the number of Buddhas is. So Buddha knows the Buddha, Buddha's way. I think that is why he wrote Shobo Genzo Gyoji. Gyoji is continuous practice. It has two volumes, two fascicles, first and second. Dogen introduced how Buddhas and ancestors practiced. That is the traces of Buddhas and ancestors. And if we understand their path or their way of life,

[53:33]

then we are the same kind. So we can follow those ancient masters' path. And when we start to walk, we find what they did. Even though those are stories, maybe not the actual thing really happened. In those stories, the great aspects of those people are written, but their mistakes are not written. So we see they are really great people and we are not such great people. But when, I think, even Bodhidharma, it said Bodhidharma sat nine years facing the wall, but I think he had some meals. And he needed to sleep. And he needed to go to the toilet.

[54:35]

So all those things are not written. So we imagine Bodhidharma sat 24 hours a day, six days a week for nine years. And we see we cannot do such a thing. But as a reality, I think Bodhidharma, even Shakyamuni Buddha was a person, a human being. So we cannot say we are not such great people, so we cannot do it. Often we make that kind of statement as an excuse not to do it. Ah, here we are. So if we are Buddha, we know the traces of Buddha. Unless we are Buddhas, we never know this at all. You know, such a way of life,

[55:36]

such a way of life means a life led by a vow, taking a voice out of a vow, and practice following the Buddha's voice out of a vow. Unless we study and meet with an actual example, of people who really lived in that way, we cannot even imagine that such a way of life is possible. So it's really important to encounter with real, actual living examples. In the case of the story of Sumedha in Shakyamuni's past life, when he met with Dipankara Buddha, and he asked the Buddha to walk on his hair, he felt something from the Buddha's presence,

[56:40]

and he took a vow to become like him, like the Buddha. Then that aspiration or transformation in his mind is known by the Buddha. So without saying anything, there is a communication between Sumedha and the Buddha. This is called... Excuse me. In Chinese expression, 感, know, 道, call. 感 literally means feeling.

[57:49]

And 道 is responding. Response. And 道 is way. And call, what is call? It's a cross or a margin. Pardon me. Communion. Communion, okay. 道 is way. It is like a margin. 感 is... In the case of Sumedha's story, Sumedha felt something from the presence of Dipankara Buddha, and Buddha responded to Sumedha. And their way is merging or... interconnect, merge, merge, become one.

[58:57]

Anyway, this is a very important expression for Dogen also. When Dogen first met his teacher, Tendo Myojo Zenji, Dogen did frustrations. At that time, Myojo Zenji said... What he said? 道来所来 所来生 空宅 感, know, 道, call 難識 能来 It's a person who makes frustration.

[59:57]

And 所来 is a person who receives the frustration. That means, in that case, Dogen and Myojo. 所 is nature. 所, 空, 宅 is empty. 宅, calm, quiet, peaceful. That means, a person who makes frustration, a person who receives the frustration, they are not two individuals. They become one as emptiness. And their... Dogen's... not a feeling, but something happened in Dogen, and something happened in Myojo. Their way merge each other. And that incident is

[61:01]

難識 難識義 means difficult to think or discuss. Difficult to think or discuss. 義 is to talk, to think, to think or discuss, to express, to explain. So, you know, when we meet with a living example, something happened to us, and the Dharma, the Buddha or teacher find, respond to that. That is the way we can start to practice. We can put our body and mind in that path of the teacher or the Buddha. This experience is really important. Please. I think both feel something.

[62:12]

Both Sumedha and Deepankara Buddha, that's why Deepankara Buddha could give him a prediction that he will become Buddha in the future. And I think Myojo felt something when he first met Dogen. There's some connection, Dharma connection, with this new, very new student from Japan. I think. Could this also be the Yotsuryobutsu that we've been talking about? Yeah, yes. This is what Yuyibutsu means. When we have this kind of communication with that language, then both Myojo and Dogen are Yuyibutsu and Yobutsu. Both are Buddha. Could you say this phrase again? Sho? You mean the meaning of norai and shorai?

[63:18]

This one? Sho. Pronunciation? Shorai, sho. Sho is nature. Ku, yes. Ku and jaku. Okay? Yeah, sho, ku, jaku. Nang, shi, gi. So I think even in our life, to meet with some living example is really important. Not only in Buddhist practice, but in any way. Whether you are a scholar of some field, or you are an artist, or some kind, any kind, if you are an athlete.

[64:22]

Whatever ways, it's really important to find, to meet some model. Then that, how can I say, then something inside of ourselves comes out, and we find the way to go, the path to go. Here we are. Who? Thank you for that. For what? For what you just said. Okay, you're welcome. Unless we are Buddhas, we never know this at all. There might be some people who question why we don't know. This is because the Buddha's traces can be seen with Buddha's eyes, only by Buddha's eyes. Those who are not Buddhas are not endowed with Buddha's eyes.

[65:28]

We cannot know how Buddhas count the numbers of things, what is the Buddha's way of thinking or behaving. We don't really understand why such a person did such a thing. But when we have the same eyes, then we know. Please. Pardon me? I guess so. I don't know. I'm not sure. That's why he could write in this way, I think. For example, he was from a very high-class noble family, and if he wanted, he could be a very high-level government official.

[66:31]

Or if he wanted, after he became a monk in Tendai school, if he wanted, he could be the top of that religious order, because he is from a high-class family. But somehow he left and he went to China, and after he came back from China, before that he had some property, wealth, inherited from his family, but probably he spent all that wealth to go to China, I think. So he had nothing after he came back. People who live only in the mundane world could not understand that kind of motivation and activities, but some people understand why Dogen did such a thing.

[67:38]

Hopefully. So if we do not know this, we should inquire into the trace of the Buddha's path. If we are not interested in, we cannot or we don't do this anyway, but when we do this, I think we are somehow interested in about Buddha's teaching or Buddhist practice, then the sprout is there. So if we still don't understand or don't know, then we need to inquire. That means we have to study, so there is a direction we need to go. If we see the traces of these Buddhas with our eyes, we should investigate whether we are Buddhas

[68:41]

and compare our footprints with the Buddhas. To do so, we need to study how Buddhas and ancestors have lived and practiced, to know that reading like a Shobogenzo Gyoji or continuous practice is really helpful and important to see the traces of Buddhas and ancestors. While we are comparing them, the Buddha's traces are known. Length or shortness, shallowness or depth of the Buddhas are known. We can know. We can clarify our own traces by inquiring into the traces of the Buddhas. Kishidaro said this shallowness should be eliminated.

[69:48]

There are no shallow Buddhas. And finally he says to attain these traces is called the Buddha Dharma. We are done. But as a whole, I think what Dogen wants to say is in this first clause, Shobogenzo Yueyubu Zyobutsu, I think is it's not so complicated, but it's kind of complicated. That is, in Gakudo Yojinshu, Gakudo Yojinshu in English is a point to watch in practicing or studying the way. This is a collection of ten short essays by Dogen

[70:50]

to the people who want to come to a Koshoji and practice with Dogen to know what they should keep in mind. And in the section 9, section 9 is titled as You should practice toward the way. You should practice toward the way. Toward means ko, mukau. Mukau. Mukau. And this is a part of the expression shukou that appeared in shukou in Nansen and Joshu's conversation. And Dogen used this expression in Yueyubu Zyobutsu also.

[71:53]

There is a certain direction we should go. Go forward. And Dogen said practice toward the way. So we should practice toward the way. This is the title. And yet in this essay about practice toward the way, Dogen says practitioners of the way must first of all have faith in the way. We need to have faith or trust in the way. And what kind of trust we need to have is those who have faith in the Buddha way must believe that one, the self, is within the way from the beginning. We are already in the way.

[72:54]

That you are free from delusive desires, upside down ways of seeing things, excess or deficiency, and mistakes. So in order to talk about we should practice toward the way. So way is a kind of a goal or direction we need to go. To do so, he said, we need to have faith that we are already in the way. So there are two sides. That is, I think, exactly the same with in the Lotus Sutra. Within Buddha's eternal life, Shakyamuni Buddha allows bodhicitta and practice, bodhisattva practice, and attain the way. So within the way, we practice toward the way.

[73:55]

So there are two sides. We are already there, and yet we need to walk toward the way. These two are complicated and contradicted. And yet, Dogen always said these two sides. We are already in the way, but we have to practice toward the way. It's very simple. We are already there, and yet we have to go toward the way. You know, this is, I think, same as what Suzuki Roshi said, we are already perfect, but we have to make effort to become better, even a little bit. That is the same thing. And that came from this entire understanding of the structure of Buddha Dharma. I think based on the Lotus Sutra. We are already perfect, and yet we have to make effort to become even a little bit better.

[74:57]

This is the same idea. And this is the very basis of Dogen's teaching of practice is itself enlightenment or verification. When we practice, we are already in the way. And yet, even though we are in the way, we have to practice toward the way. So way has two meanings. One is already there, and another is we need to go there. We need to practice toward the way. These two are almost like we are already in the ocean, and yet within the ocean, we have to go certain direction. And this is like a river. River has certain direction to go, and the goal is the ocean.

[75:59]

But this stream in the rivers go down toward the ocean is already in the ocean. That is the image of Dogen's teaching of practice and realization, in which we can say everything are Buddhas, Yui-butsu and Yo-butsu, and yet we have to practice. And in the case of Dharma transmission, both teacher or master and disciple are both within this way, and yet still practicing toward the way. I think that is what Dogen really wants to say in this first school. Please. Like you are saying, you know, like ocean, can we say like

[77:00]

we have to go towards infinite? No. Never is perfection. Always there is more. So even that we are there, the way goes to infinite. So like that? In Dogen's expression, always going beyond Buddha. No goal. There is no goal. Our practice is endless, but in each moment we are already in the goal. That kind of strange, kind of contradicted idea. But if we understand this point, this point, I think, what Dogen is talking in entire Shobo Genzo is not so difficult. His expression is difficult, but what he is trying to say, trying to show us is not so difficult.

[78:04]

He is always trying to point this this idea that we are already perfect, and yet we have to keep practice. Not to get there, but that is the direction, and that direction is where we are already there. So this is mentioned in the Continuous Practice Vesicle. So it's the idea, I think, that there's no final destination or way. I mean, place. I've arrived. This is always going, always traveling. Yes. And still we are already at home. And we're always at home. Well, it's twenty-five. We have five more minutes. Do you have any questions or comments? Please. When you first read the general sheet,

[79:08]

do you think you had this in mind? I didn't know this kind of expression, but when I read his book, I... I don't know why. I had no understanding at all. But somehow, I was sucked toward that direction. And first I met Uchiyama Roshi after I started to study at Komazawa University. He came to Tokyo to give a public talk. That is the first time I met him. Before that, I wanted to visit an Antaiji, and I did once. I went to Kyoto and tried to find Antaiji, but I couldn't find Antaiji, because Antaiji was too small. From the outside,

[80:10]

Antaiji was not like a Buddhist temple. So I couldn't visit Uchiyama Roshi before that. But after I started to study at Komazawa University in Tokyo, he came to Tokyo to give a public talk. That is the first time I really met him. But I was one of the audience, so he didn't meet me. But at that time, I was sure he was my teacher. But I didn't know, you know. This is what is written in Buddhist text. Very different. Very different. Well, right. It doesn't matter. Yeah. Please. What Jogen is like?

[81:18]

I still don't know. To me, Jogen is a really high mountain, and I look up to him still. But as an actual person, I have been studying and practicing Jogen's teaching for 40 years, and I think that is longer than he practiced his style. You know, he started to teach when he received transmission when he was 27, and he died when he was 53. So his practice is less than 30 years. I have been practicing for more than 40 years. Still, he is much taller and greater than me, and so I still need to go toward there,

[82:21]

walking toward him. But recently, after I became 60, I feel, you know, Jogen died already when he was 53. So in terms of aging, practicing with aging body, I have entered the realm Jogen never experienced. So what I'm trying to do now is how Jogen's teaching can be practiced with this aging body. And that is very kind of exciting practice, and I need a beginner's mind. You know, this word, beginner's mind, is used in, I think, in Zeami's... Zeami is a very well-known prayer and writer,

[83:27]

and he said there are three kinds of beginner's mind. First one is when we are really a beginner, a novice or apprentice. We have to study everything from a teacher. And second type of beginner's mind is after we become independent from the teacher, we become actual, you know, prayer. You know, each day, each situation, depending upon his condition of his body and mind, and condition of the people in the audience, and the condition of society, you know, even they pray the same, no pray, but they should be, each day, the person have beginner's mind, because that is only one moment, one time. And that is the second kind of beginner's mind.

[84:28]

And third kind, according to Zeami, is when he became older, you know, his body cannot do what he did when he was young, and yet he has to express the same thing. How can, you know, those actors can express the same thing when he was young, with this, you know, aging body? To do so, he said, we need the third kind of beginner's mind. You know, to do, to pray this, no pray, today, with this body and mind, is really first time. So each time, we need a beginner's mind. And I have just entered that realm, so I feel, you know, now I'm really a beginner,

[85:33]

and I'm kind of excited about this. This is not really a negative part of our life. Who was it that said that? Zeami. I think, Zeami, do you know, no pray, they are me. I read this, you know, many years ago, so I don't really remember if really, really, Zeami's writing or not. But I think so. Please. So, are you working toward a new translation of the whole Shogun Genzo? I have no desire to translate the entire entire Shogun Genzo, but

[86:35]

you know, since 2002, I have been giving Genzo-e four times a year, and some people are transcribing my lectures, and I'd like to make books from those lectures, and now I have four or five book projects people have been already working, such as Sansuikyo, Zazenshin, and Kesakudoku, and what else, Bendo-wa, and maybe Daigo, or Great Realization, and I also would like to do three more Uchiyamuroshi books. The first one is, that is what I'm working on right now, a new translation of the Teaching of Homeless Kodo,

[87:38]

that was published from Shumucho, but it's out of printing now. So I'm making the new translation, and with my comments on each of Sawakiroshi and Uchiyamuroshi sayings. And two more Uchiyamuroshi books, one is the book entitled Self, or Jiko, the book I first read when I was a high school student, and another one is his collection of his essays on Kannon-gyo. Kannon-gyo is a sutra of Avalokiteshvara, because he was a physically very weak person, often he couldn't sit, and when he couldn't sit, even when he was in bed, he chanted, he practiced chanting of the name of Avalokiteshvara.

[88:40]

Namu Kanze Onbosatsu. And he wrote about this practice, and basically what he was saying is this practice of chanting Namu Kanze Onbosatsu and sitting in the zendo is the same practice. And I think this Uchiyamuroshi's essay on Kannon-gyo is very helpful for people who cannot sit, including myself. So that is my work. Yeah, I'm going to stay until tomorrow morning here, so in the afternoon I'll be here, so if you want to, I can do that. Pardon?

[89:49]

Sold out? That's good for you. It's not my fault. Well, please. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I really appreciate your practice. I really enjoyed practice and sharing Dogen Zen's teaching with you. Thank you very much.

[90:32]

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