each inch of whole body. This is Ti-Shin, or the Cho-Shin, regulating mind. The word Chinese, the Soku, which means breath, has very interesting meaning. The Chinese word, Soku, consists of two parts, upper and lower and lower. Upper one, upper part is the, uh, what do you call, the, uh, we are using the letter, the Ji, uh,

[01:05]

literally meaning is the self, the self. And lower part is mind. The Soku, the Soku consists of the, the self and mind. But dictionary explain this word, explain the word, the Ji, or the self. The originally, originally the word of Ji is the same meaning with nose, nose. And then dictionary explain the meaning of the Soku, breath, says, saying the breath, breath comes from mind and comes, go out of the nose.

[02:17]

The breath comes from the mind and go out of nose. This is Soku, breath. This is the meaning of breath. So anyway, breath is, breath is something which you must let your, let your breath, let it in and out from your mind, from your nose. From mind, the breath comes from mind, means the mind always, mind always keeps close to the breath. No matter what, no matter what situation it may be.

[03:24]

If so, the practice of breathing is that you have to, you have to, uh, uh, you have to keep your mind, you have to keep the respiration with the scrupulous attention, scrupulous attention in the whole process of your respiration. From your nose to the bottom of your belly. Without separating, without separating, without being in absence of the mind.

[04:39]

This is called Nensoku or Chosoku, regulating breath. So when you translate, when I translate Nensoku into English, I have used the words following breath, following breath. So you follow, you follow the breath with scrupulous attention, which means, in other words, your mind keeps entirely close to the whole process of your breath. Uh, this is a brief point of explaining the practice of breathing.

[05:46]

Uh, you should remember, as Dogen Zen says, regulating breath enables man to comprehend the principle, the law of transiency and the principle of regulating mind. As if you learned how to swim, how to float. When you try to learn how to swim, you have to first of all learn how to float on the water. When you learn how to swim. Namo Buddhaya.

[07:20]

Namo Buddhaya. [...] All who know say I know. Ten things I know for less. I am allowed to say them. The things I desire are inexhaustible.

[08:23]

I am allowed to put an end to them. Love and armaments are boundless. I am allowed to master them. Love will never displace them. It is impossible. I am allowed to attain it. .

[09:28]

For a while, let's study Japanese today. By understanding the explanation of the way of breathing in Japanese, we try to understand what the proper way of breathing is. For this, I would like to explain the meaning of Japanese. In the chapter of Shobo Kenzo,

[10:53]

Dogen Zenji mentioned the way of breathing. In Japanese, 息は鼻より通ずべし。 息 is breath. 息 is breath. 鼻、息は This is a particular usage of Japanese, which states articles, which indicates the subject. 息は

[12:09]

鼻より 鼻 is nose. より is through, out of. 通ずべし 通ずべし Anyway, to pass, through nose. 通ずべし Yesterday, I mentioned a little bit the meaning of 息. In Japanese, 息 consists of two parts. Upper parts refer to the nose. The lower parts refer to the mind.

[13:15]

But, when you, the upper parts, the upper parts, the character is written by 字. 字 is self. Originally, the word self has the same meaning as the nose. Nose. I think in Zen Buddhism, when the Zen master directly who you are, Zen master always point out your nose. Zen master say, who is Katsugi? Zen master, you are. Then, before he pointed out my nose,

[14:25]

I said, this fellow. This fellow. So, when you try to show the expression of yourself, directly, I think nose is very important. Who is Katsugi? Katsugi, this fellow. Zen master says, you are. What is Buddhism? You ask Zen master, what is Buddhism? Where is Buddha? Zen master says, you are. Sometimes, he twist your nose. You are. That time, through your nose, you say, out. Oh, this is I. Then, the self, originally, is the meaning of nose.

[15:38]

This is very interesting. It's not my idea, dictionary says. Yes. The lower part is mind. Then, G is the nose. The mind refers to breath. Mind refers to breath. Now, when you breathe, when you breathe quick and hard, it is not called breath. It is called puff and punt.

[16:39]

Puff and punt. Dictionary says, that's very interesting. When you breathe hard and quick, it is not called breath. It is called puff and punt. Now, when you breathe moderately, it is called breath. It is called breath. So, what you are taking breath is to take breath moderately. This is very important. To moderately. And also, this moderately,

[17:44]

the word to modulate or to be modulate, means to extend. To extend. Or, moment you're cold. do you understand to extend? To modulate means to extend. To extend. To extend. To extend. Anyway, to extend.

[18:46]

So, if you take a breath moderately, your breath must, well, call, the, communicates, communicates with, you know, infinite, infinity. Infinity, anyway. Or, with all directions. Did you understand? To breath, to take breath, moderately, means that your breath must communicate

[19:53]

with all directions. With the, the huge expanse of infinity. This is breath. This is breath. And also, the iki wa hana yori tsuzu. I mentioned the meaning of iki. So, I think, I hope you have understood what a breath is. So, judging from this point, any course, your breath itself, must be taken moderately, communicating with all directions.

[20:55]

With the direction of infinity. Infinity. This is breath. The breath, iki wa hana yori tsuzu. Tsuzu beshi. Tsuzu. This is very interesting word, too. Tsuzu is to pass, literally meaning, to pass. Or, to be open. To be open. The, the dictionary says that to pass is the same meaning as to arrive, to reach. And also it says to pass

[22:00]

is to go, to go and, to go and come. To come and go. To come and go and without staying at the same place, or without being choked to act with something. The, to go and, to go and come. Without staying

[23:06]

at the same place, even for a moment, or without being choked up with something. In other words, without disturbing, without being disturbed by something. If you want to go, if you want to pass over the Golden Gate Bridge anyway, from here, from edge to edge, from edge to another, you know, you have to pass over the bridge without being, you know, disturbed by anything. Unfortunately, when you have some traffic accident, you can't go through smoothly, you know. You have to stay at the same place, even for a moment.

[24:08]

It is not called to pass, to go. If you stay at the same place, at the same place, even for a moment, it is not the usual, entirely usual state of action or movement. For instance, when you go to the, when you go to the hospital, if you go to see the doctor when you have some sick, doctor asks you

[25:13]

first, do you have a urine, urinate? Urine? Do you have a urine? Or do you, do you, do your bowel move well? You said, oh, I am rather constipated. Then doctor give you, doctor gives you some medicine. What would you call this medicine when you are constipated? What? Ruxtape? Ruxtape. Ruxtape. Then you use the Ruxtape. You know, the next morning,

[26:19]

you will realize your bowel moving too much well, too well. What would you call, diarrhea? You know, you have a very bad diarrhea. Then you rush into the hospital, explaining, I have bad diarrhea. Then doctor give you some medicine. And then you take it. Next morning, your bowel complete stop. What would you do if you want to make a choice?

[27:21]

I am sorry, it is not called, you know, the smooth function of your bowel, because your bowel, the function of your bowel stops at a certain place, you know, even for a moment. Then to, to pass or to go to some place. So to pass means to arrive, to reach. From one place to another, without being disturbed by anything. This is to pass, to go or to reach. Anyway, if you eat some food from the mouth, you know, all organs must work completely well.

[28:33]

Normal. So your food must pass from your mouth to the bottom. Smoothly. This is important. Then, the word to pass refers to, refers to reaching from one place to another without being disturbed by anything. This is tsuzu. And also, to reach, the word to reach from one place to another. Means that

[29:37]

the road, the road is so huge, expanse, that you can never, you can never came across anyone at all. Did you understand? In other words, road communicates with all directions, all directions. Anyway, this is to reach. So this word sweep, sweep, sweeps off the,

[30:47]

the all directions. In other words, road ranges all directions. To the extent that you can never meet anyone at all. You can never see anything at all. It is huge expanse, like ocean, like desert. The state of the, how expanse the, how expanse ocean is, or how expanse the desert is. We call hitsu hattatsu.

[31:56]

Hitsu, hit means seven, number of seven. Tsu is to pass anyway, to pass, to go, to be open, to communicate with all directions. This is tsu. Hattatsu, hatt means eight. Hattatsu is to reach, to reach the goal of human life, or whatever it is, to reach some point, some place, to reach one place to another. So, it make no, it doesn't make difference whether or not the number, the seven or eight is important. Important point is

[33:03]

hitsu, the word, the two words, tsu or tatsu. Or the, the meaning of hitsu hattatsu is used for the person who, who absolutely enjoy, becoming himself, becoming, becoming true to himself, absolutely independent, independent, or self-free, in its, in its just so, or in its is-ness. So we call,

[34:11]

we call such a person hitsu hattatsu no hito, a man of hitsu hattatsu. His capability communicates with all sentient beings, or all directions, or universe. In other words, this person is, this person is always master of himself in whatever situation he may stand. And this is called a man of hitsu hattatsu. So from this point, Dogen then says,

[35:11]

iki wa hana yori tsuzubeshi. The breath is something which is sailing smoothly, expressing his, its capability which communicates with all directions, all directions, without being disturbed by anything, without being choked up with anything. From your nose, from one place to another, from nose to the bottom of the belly.

[36:13]

This is breath. This is breath. This is the, this is the quality, the quality of the breath. Regardless of the idea whether or not you are aware of. But actually when you do that then, I'm afraid you will you will not take the breath smoothly without being disturbed by anything. You have realized some problem

[37:19]

in your breath. Have you realized some problem in your breath? What is what is wrong? I think the annoyance you will, you feel is that each individual has had

[38:23]

a certain type of life under which you have created, you have accumulated some customs or habits. You know, it is that western people, most of western people has, you know, their back curved, particularly upper part because the western people they are, they have customs to go to bed on the, using the bed, soft bed. I don't know it is true or not.

[39:26]

But anyway, the western people have some customs to go to bed on the bed. And then, before you are aware of the idea whether it is good or bad for your posture of your physical situation, you have had already the bad habits, you know. You have, but the, but the upper part of your back curved. When you are aware of your back, then you sit Zazen. After receiving the instruction

[40:33]

how to sit, given by Bill Kwan, a teacher, straighten your back, pull your chin in, open your eyes, how is your mouth? Is your tongue attached, attached to the upper jaw? Are you sure? You said, yes. Immediately, after the moment, your tongue is playing with delight by itself in the mouth. Like a butterfly. Then, teacher said, are you sure your tongue is attached to the upper jaw? Uh-oh, no, no. The next moment,

[41:33]

your tongue is playing with delight. And teacher said, straighten your back, straighten your upper back, upper part of your back, curved like this. But, all of you sit like this. You sit in Zazen. Zazen with drooping head, sometimes with drooping spirit. Oh my god, feel bad. But, at least, all of you try to hard, try to hard sit meditation

[42:34]

in proper way what you are supposed. This is right posture. This is right posture. This is right posture. If there is someone, if there is someone who have sit during this, you know, the session, someone sit like this, then put his chin like this, then I realize his chin is very stiff, rigid. But his chin is not bad. But his chin itself is not good, it's not bad. Something make his rigid, his chin rigid. It's funny, huh?

[43:37]

That's a problem. Would you pull your chin in? Yes, that's all. But you can. What's matter with you? So, in the Tatsuhara, Tatsugami Roshi scored all students because all students had very bad postures. Through the session, seven days session, he scored always. Straighten back! Pull your chin! Pull your chin! Throw them out! But I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the Tatsugami Roshi. Any suggestions

[44:47]

are lost to your postures. But there is nothing bad, nothing bad on your breath, on your body, on your back, on your chin, on your tongue. What is bad? What is wrong? Why do you, why have you, why must you practice hard day in and day out? Nevertheless, Buddha says all sentient beings possess Buddha nature in underlying essence. That's fine. That's fine. It seems to me that the butterfly is playing over the beautiful flowers.

[45:48]

All sentient beings possess Buddha nature. But when you look over your past life, when you look over your life, present plane, in life, why? Why must you practice hard? The purpose of your practice is to cut off, to cut off your delusions what you attain enlightenment. What's the purpose of the practice, you know? The purpose of the practice is to cut off the very stubbornness of your eagerness or karma. Even though, I'm sorry for you, even though, even though you practice for long years,

[46:50]

life after life, you can't cut off the stubbornness of karma. The stubbornness of your ego. Stubbornness, the troubles which happens between the man and woman, you can't cut off. But Buddha says, man and woman possess Buddha nature. Therein, there is no troubles. Why we have trouble? Then, annoyance we feel is this is very important that regardless of the idea whether

[47:51]

or not you are aware of, you have you have had a certain type of life surrounded by custom or habits. What you have created or accumulated by yourself unconsciously or consciously from the past to the present. Then, the purpose

[48:52]

of zazen, the purpose of having the proper posture, having the proper way of breathing, proper way of regulating mind is to adjust, to regulate regulate to regulate to correct your customs or the habits rooted deeply into into the some part physically and mentally. The purpose of zazen,

[49:52]

the purpose of having the proper posture or proper way of breathing, proper way of regulating mind is not to cut the bad habits, not to cut off your karma, stubbornness of karma. Okay, this is very important. That's why the Shakyamuni Buddha from the ancient time up to now, Shakyamuni Buddha has continued to speech, having the proper posture of your zazen, having the proper way of breathing when you do zazen.

[50:54]

The Shakyamuni Buddha has, must have, must have speech, give lectures to all sentient beings from the ancient time to now. He has to, in order to correct, adjust the stubbornness of the habits or customs rooted deeply into some place, physically and spiritually. I don't know where. I don't know where your stubbornness of the customs or bad habits rooted into. Because there is particular place, there is no particular place where it ought

[51:58]

to be rooted into. For instance, karma, if you cannot do zazen properly, even though practice hard for long years, you say, oh, I can't do zazen. I want to give up zazen. Why? Why? You say, oh, I am very sinful, I have very stubbornness of ego, which provides me from doing zazen properly. Do you have something, do you have some place which do you have a certain particular place where stubbornness of karma is

[52:59]

settling, resting? I don't think so. Just you yourself, there is the only you who is thinking, who is thinking of it in that way. I am sinful. Then, regardless of the idea whether you are realized, you are aware of what truth is, what the true quality of the breath, what true quality of zazen is, all you have to do is, right now,

[54:01]

right here, to correct, to adjust, to regulate the a certain custom, a certain habit, rooted deeply into some place, physically and spiritually. This is important. If the trouble happens from your custom, your habit, what you have, what you have accumulated, what you created by yourself, you should remember that it is real, true, that you can correct, you can adjust, you can regulate, you can return

[55:02]

yourself into proper situation. This is true. Don't think, I have very stubbornness of ego, stubbornness of karma. That's why I can never do proper zazen. Don't say that. That's it. In all the latest stories, ten minutes more, these stories are known

[56:05]

well by the children, of which are here and run in race. Do you know that, this story? That's very interesting. Let's, one day anyway, I travel and I hear, I have a chance to discuss, let's run in race. From the bottom of the hill to the top of the hill, let's run in race. That's very interesting. Then, are you ready? Stop. Go. Then, you know which of two is faster, you know? The rabbit,

[57:07]

like a rocket. Turtle, walk like this. Then, rabbit realized this, that he has got completely tired. Then, he thought, let's take a rest. Because, turtle is chasing after me very slow. That's okay. I have sufficiently enough time to make me

[58:08]

rest for a while. Then, he sleeps. While he, you know, rabbit, regardless of whether the rabbit sleeps or not, the turtle continued to walk slow, like this. Like this. Then, turtle reached the top of the hill faster than the rabbit. When the rabbit is aware of when the rabbit woke up, the turtle has gone. Well, there is turtle. It's too late. Turtle already on the top of the hill. You know,

[59:16]

the question is not to matter which of two is faster or slower. It is not the matter of discussion. The fast runner is better, is good, or slower runner is bad. It doesn't matter. Important point is rabbit must realize his own capability. In a true sense. He knows himself, I am faster. I run, I can run faster than rabbit and turtle. He knows.

[60:17]

He knows, but actually, strictly speaking, he didn't know that. He didn't know that. That's why he slept. For instance, here is a rock. Before you don't know, you don't know the quality of the rock. Before... I am sorry. If you don't know, if you don't know the capability, the quality of the rock, hard or soft, if you don't know the quality of your head, hard or soft, you always discussion. You have always always always discussion, you know? Which of two is

[61:21]

which of two is harder? My head or this rock? And then, let's try to let's try to hit my head against rock. Let's test my head to see which of two is harder. Can you do this? If you can do, you are ridiculous. Because you know. You know completely which of two is harder or which of two is soft. In the domain of the complete understanding, complete comprehension,

[62:21]

which of two is harder, which of two is softer, there is no amount of discussion which of two is softer or harder. All you have to do is to accept the rock the way as it is by the realization of the quality of the rock. of the rock. By

[62:53]

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