In the culmination of its quest, the great way of all Buddhas is emancipation and realization. Emancipation means that life emancipates life. And that death emancipates death. For this reason, there is deliverance from birth and death and emergence in birth and death. Both are the great way totally culminated. There is discarding of birth and death and there is crossing of birth and death. Both are the great way totally culminated.

[01:05]

In this passage, Dogen tries to explain what emancipation is. As I explained yesterday, this emancipation is transparent emancipation. Transparent emancipation means that life emancipates life and that death emancipates death. Yes. Yesterday, I mentioned as long as you exist in this world,

[02:29]

that you continually pour water into a bucket with no bottom again and again. Then at that time, someone asked me, if you don't want to pour the water into the bucket with no bottom, is it not necessary to pour to do every possible effort to do so? Do you think so? No exception. There is no exception. Everybody, even the president of Nixon, even the Shakyamuni Buddha, even the patriarch, even the Dogen, pour the water into the bucket with no water.

[03:36]

But bucket with no bottom is not good enough expression. Because if I say so, you presuppose some frame, well, bucket, bucket, how much, how big? Well, that's this side or this side or that side, that side. This bucket with no bottom is, well, strictly speaking, there is nothing corresponding to this size of the bucket with no bottom. Huge bucket, okay? Huge bucket. Maybe try to image universe, okay? Universe.

[04:44]

Universe bucket, okay? But even though you try to presuppose universe, what is universe? Including Japan? Including United States? Or including Russian? No, no, no. Russian is not. But anyway, there is nothing corresponding, there is no word corresponding to the bucket with no bottom. So I use universe, okay? Universe is limitless, expanse, limitless expanse. Okay, limitless expanse bucket, okay? How can you get the frame and how can you put the bottom to this limitless expanse bucket?

[05:53]

Can you put it? Can you try that? Anyway, as long as you exist in this world, believe or not, well, regardless of whether you like or dislike, you cannot escape from the making effort, okay? If you want to effort, you have to effort. Pouring water to the limitless huge bucket with no bottom, okay? Again and again. Okay. If you have even slightest conception or frame or some form,

[07:03]

well, universe is something like that. But your effort is not transparent, okay? Through and through, you shouldn't have any form, any frame, okay? And pour water into this bucket. Let's imagine. You are now making every possible effort to pour the water into this huge bucket, okay? Day in and day out. How can you measure, okay? How can you measure? How much you... How can you measure your effort? Your effort, okay? How much, what progress your practice makes?

[08:07]

How can you measure? One bucket for the water. If the small bucket with no bottom, maybe you can try. You can try to measure. Yes, a little bit water left. But into the huge, limitless huge bucket, okay? How can you measure? No measure. You can't measure. No measure. If so, what is the purpose? What is the main purpose of effort, okay? That's important. That is important. What is the main purpose of effort? In the realm of... In the huge, limitless bucket, okay?

[09:12]

No measure, but you have to make effort. Actually, you want to get rid of it, but you can't. You have to do. If so, what is the main purpose of the effort? Effort, okay? There is nothing but just pour. Just pour, okay? Just pour. Completely there is nothing, okay? There is nothing. Just pour. Within the realm of... In the realm of just pouring, you know? There is very serious, very strict life, okay?

[10:17]

As if you fought. You fought with real sword, okay? Real sword. No opponent. No opponent, but you have a real sword. If you touch a little bit, okay? Immediately your neck is... In the realm of moment, now and here, okay? The result. You can find immediate result. Which of two is... Which of two wins or lose, okay? That is the effort, okay? Each effort which you try to pour the water into the huge bucket.

[11:23]

Effort, okay? Very serious, okay? Because there is nothing else to expect how much. There is no measure. No scale. Even though you use an electric computer, you can't. Even Buddha cannot measure this effort. So around you there is nothing to measure, nothing to expect. How can you live? How can you live? How can you pour? How can you, how can you effort? What is the main purpose of effort? Okay. Okay. I think...

[12:45]

Shikantaza is like... Pouring water into the huge bucket. Okay? This is shikantaza. In other words... Shikantaza is as if... You fished with a rock, with a rod, with a hook. But this hook is not curved, okay? This hook is completely straight, okay? Straight, straight. How can you, how can you fish? How can you get fish? Shikantaza is like two fish with a straight hook.

[13:48]

Straight hook. Every moment you try to... Nothing. Nothing. But... Tiny fish doesn't catch this straight hook, okay? But if you get fish with a straight hook... Now fish is big, okay? Big, big. This fish will become a dragon, okay? The moment when this fish catches this straight hook... Ah... But each of you, not the tiny fish, okay? Each of you, this huge fish... You can catch.

[14:52]

You can catch this hook. Straight hook. In other words, as Shakyamuni Buddha says... All beings are Buddha, okay? All beings are Buddha. But... If Buddha says... Just do the Zen, Shikantaza. So go Shikantaza. Well... Unconsciously... Shikantaza... Is gradually curved... Like a hook, okay? Okay? Crooked hook. It's pretty easy... To catch, but... Shikantaza is now like this, you know. But in your head... You unconsciously... You make your Shikantaza curve...

[15:54]

Like this. Then you say, well, Shikantaza... Well, Shikantaza... You practice very hard... Under the Rinzai and Tibetan Buddhism... The Chinese Buddhism, Indian Buddhism... Everything, you know. Then come to the Shikantaza... Because there is nothing to get... So called enlightenment. Then come to the Shikantaza... You try to ask a Zen master... Can you get... Is it possible to attain enlightenment? By Shikantaza. I'm sorry. Shikantaza is completely straight, okay? But... You should keep in mind...

[16:55]

Each of you... Not small, tiny fish, okay? Each of you is huge. Huge fish. Which is possible to get the straight hook. If you find the straight hook... Try to hold it, okay? Hold it, okay? Hold it. Because Buddha says... All are Buddhas. All are Buddhas. Why don't you hold? Why don't you hang it, okay? That's enough. But you try to... Before hang it... We try to make it a curve. This is always something wrong, okay? Okay? Even though you go to the Rinzai... Zen master give a koan.

[17:57]

Some Zen master says... Koan is like a curved, crooked hook. But I don't think so, okay? The koan is not a crooked hook. Koan is also straight. Straight hook. Otherwise you don't understand, okay? If you think koan... As regarded as a crooked hook... You will be upset. And at last... You have to go to a mental hospital. This is really true. If you want to study the Rinzai... Try to study Rinzai forever. After, life after life, okay? Don't change your mind. Don't change your mind. If you want to... If you want to hang... If you find a... Don't change your mind, okay?

[18:59]

Hang it. Now whole life... Life after life, hang it. Because you are Buddha, okay? You are Buddha means... You are a huge fish. More than a whale, okay? So emancipation means... Transparent emancipation means... That life emancipates life, okay? Life you think is... Pretty tiny life, okay? Seen from your telescope... Your life is pretty big, okay?

[20:01]

Your life is Buddha. First, you have to stay... You have to plunge into and live in there. And learn little by little what... Straight foot is, okay? But you always try to do the opposite. First of all, you try to think... What? What is straight foot? It's impossible. Then I would like to get crooked foot first. The life is... Life emancipates life. And that death emancipates death. First of all, you plunge into...

[21:10]

The huge life... With... Which is alive. In the realm of straight foot. This is first. For instance... If you want to swim... Of course, it is important to learn... What water is. Or how to swim. You have to study. As you know so well... It is not good enough to study... How to swim. The way how to swim through the book alone. To study... What the water is. Through the book alone.

[22:11]

You know so well. Then, you try to jump into the water. That time you know what the water is. Immediately. But to know the... To know the water... It is not good enough... For you to know... To know the water. What water is like. After plunging into the water. Because... Within this realm... There are two things. First, water. And men. The moment when you jump into the water... You feel... Cold. Water is cold. Then you try to express yourself...

[23:15]

According to the way... How to learn. How to swim. Through the book. But actually... Your body is sinking into the bottom of water. Then you are... Struggle. You start to struggle. If so... There are two things. Water and men. And dualism. If so, it is not good enough... Just to know what water is. Just to know... The way how to live. How to swim through the book alone. Jump into the water. This is important first. Jump, plunge into the Buddha's world. Plunge into the straight fork first. At that time...

[24:18]

There is still... Two dualistic ideas. Men and straight fork. Then you say always... What? What straight fork? What Shikantan? But... You should never give up. You should never give up... Hanging the straight fork. You shouldn't get out from the water. If you get out from the water... You can't swim. Then, after plunging into the water... The important point is... You must be free... You from the water. At that time you can swim. You can swim. Sometimes you struggle. That's alright.

[25:18]

Struggle. Sometimes you make your head... You make your head calm. You make your head cool. Even though your body is sinking into the bottom. Well, what should I do? Your way to sink into the bottom. Whatever... The kind of way... To swim... It depends on... Individual karma. Okay? Karmic life. Individual life. Someone attain enlightenment immediately... After listening to the Buddha's teaching...

[26:20]

Yeah, I get enlightenment. But even though you attended... You attend under famous Zen master... Under Shakyamuni Buddha forever... Probably you may not attain enlightenment. Let's imagine Ananda... One of great disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha... He attended... Shakyamuni Buddha... For his... For Shakyamuni Buddha's whole life. But only Ananda couldn't attain enlightenment. After Buddha's death... He was surprised. He was struggled. Wow! What should I do? What should I do?

[27:23]

But actually there is no way. Even though you continue to ask to yourself... What should I do? All you have to do is... Only you can do is... Just to continue to hunt... In straight foot. That's all. That time... You can learn... What water is like. You can learn the way how to swim in this... In this water. That time your life... Water... Water... Both are free. Each other. Anyway...

[28:26]

Planting to... Buddha. Which you are... Everybody Buddha. OK? First, planting to Buddha. And living... Continually. OK? Whatever happens... At that time... You will find... It is sure. It is sure. I bet you. I bet you... You will find... Realize... The life... Emancipated... Life... That life is huge. Huge life. And if you continue to do in that way... You can find death.

[29:27]

Emancipated death. OK? Ask... The who... Who was about to... His death. That time he wanted to invite famous priest. And... Get... Something... Sort of... Great instruction. How to settle. How to get... Religious security. And realization... Of... His existence. Then he invited... Great priest. And ask me... I am about to... Go to death. Die. And... Would you...

[30:33]

Would you say something to me? In order to make me come? Make me... Make me get... Religious security? This priest is one of our... Shin school priest. He said... Let's... Let's have... Invocation of Amitabha. Amitabha Buddha. Then this guy... Started to... Have invocation of Amitabha Buddha. Nam-myam-dao-tsu. Nam-myam-dao-tsu, nam-myam-dao-tsu. And pretty soon he found... Beautiful image of... Amitabha. With... The hundred...

[31:33]

Beautiful... Twenty-five Bodhisattvas. Beautiful Bodhisattvas... Coming down from heaven. And they said... He said... Come on this way. Come on this way. This guy was very surprised. Wow, how beautiful. He tried to make sure... Whether it is... It is true or not. Then he asked the priest... Now beautiful Amitabha... With twenty-five Bodhisattvas... Beautiful Bodhisattvas... Coming down from heaven. And says... Come on, come on this way. What shall I do? Is it okay to go there? The priest says... Don't worry, don't worry. Let's continue to have... Invocation of Amitabha. Then... This guy... Closed his eyes again...

[32:34]

Have... Invocation of Amitabha. Nam-myam-dao-tsu, nam-myam-dao-tsu. And next moment... He found... Very... Very... Which... Miserable face... For priest... So-called Arahant. Five hundred Arahants... With a head... Shaved head. And wearing the... The... Wear-out robe. And they said... Come on this way, come on this way. And this guy said... Wow. This time... Very ugly. Very ugly, you know. Ugly priest. Then... He wanted to make sure... Whether... They are Buddha or not. Or they are Buddha or not. Is it okay to go there? Then he asked priest...

[33:35]

Is it... Now... Very ugly priest... Come here... And said... Come on this way. Is it okay to go there? And priest says... Don't worry, don't worry. Okay. Priest... Chanted Amitabha. Then... He again... Chanted. And then... He is marching to... Death. Peacefully. Okay. Let's imagine... This is very important. Whatever happens... Don't worry. That's okay. That's alright. Let's have... Invocation of Amitabha. To have... Invocation of Amitabha means... To hang... Straight foot. Okay. To hang a straight foot...

[34:39]

So called Buddha. Okay. Okay. Sometimes you struggle... Like this guy. Even one minute before you die. Yes. Maybe... So do I. Now I am... Talking about Buddhism. So don't worry about it. But maybe... In my case... Probably... I will struggle. Right before... One minute before... I will die. Well... Please help. That's why I want to practice... With you. Anyway... I have to. I would like to hang... Straight foot. Whoever I am.

[35:41]

Whatever you criticize me. I would like to hang it. I would like to hang... The Buddha. Because... The Shakyamuni Buddha said... You know... This is very important. All of Buddha is... The very fundamental... Okay. Nature of being. Which everything is inherent... In. Without... Exception. Then... It is alright... If you want to have some doubt... On the essence... Essence of the... Fundamental being... Nature of being. You are Buddha. That's alright. Then if you go to the...

[36:51]

The inside question... Is given to you. Then what... Buddha nature is. What Buddha nature... What enlightenment is. It is one way... To live. But... Strictly speaking... Koan is not something like that. Okay. First of all... You have to accept. You have to plant into the... Fundamental nature of being first. Because you are alive now. The essence of the fact... The reality... So called you are alive now... And here... Is very fundamental nature of being. There is no excuse.

[37:53]

Regardless of... Whether you like or dislike... You already plant into it. And live in there. But... Only your head... Try to trip... To... Two hundred years ago... Or two hundred later... Years later. As mentioned before you... First of all... You plant into the water. Okay. And then... You can learn... What the water is. To master what water is... To master the way how to live... Is to be free from... You free from water. It is not good enough...

[39:02]

For you... Only to know what water is like. To know the way how to live... Is not good enough. Then you have to live in continually there. And then sometimes struggle... Sometimes be happy... Being happy... Sometimes being unhappy. But there is no other way... Nowhere to get out... Just live in there continually. If you do so... It is sure that... You will be free from you... Free from water. That time your life is... That life emancipates life. Your life is transparent life. Your death is transparent death.

[40:03]

For this reason... There is difference... From birth and death. And... Emerging in birth and death... Both are great way... Totally culminate. If so... Struggle... Struggling... Or being happy... Being unhappy... Both are great way. But... The moment when you see your life... Through your telescope... You say immediately... Wow... No... The expression of no... No... Wow... I don't like it.

[41:11]

It means... That ignorance... Appears... And attach to your life. Attach to... Sort of... Discipline of... Independent. Independent origination. Which is opposed... To the Buddhist principle. Dependent origination. Be careful. This is very usual. Be careful. Very careful. When I get up... Early morning... You feel sleepy.

[42:18]

Wow... Sleepy. I would like to stay in bed... Little more. That is... That is ignorance. That is suffering what you... Suffering seen from your telescope. But suffering is pretty huge. Sleepy is pretty huge. Like a bucket with no bottom. If you understand sleepy like this... Wow... Sleepy. I want my sleep... Sleepy. I would like to stay in bed more. Little more. The moment you understand, right? Sleepy is also... Big bucket with no bottom. Wow... Okay. Accept. Then, next moment... Try to take one step forward.

[43:20]

So... I mentioned before... Plunge into the suffering itself. Plunge into the sleepy... Sleepiness. Okay? Plunge into the sleepiness is... Okay? Is not to stay in bed. Okay? To accept sleepiness... And take one step forward. Okay? This is plunge into. Okay? In other words, to learn what the water is. In order to be free from water... And free from you, yourself, too. Okay? This is plunge into. I'm living. Plunge into sleepiness... And take one step forward. Because at that time... You learn something new. Okay?

[44:20]

Not new. Not new. Vivid. Vivid. Vivid man. Okay? Vivid man. Dynamic working. You can learn. And watch. Watch. And then watch carefully. Still sleepiness. Okay? Then... Plunge into the sleepiness. Take one step forward. Okay? That is very important. Okay? Effort. Plunge into the sleepiness is not to stay in bed. Okay? Of course, I understand... You. How sleepy you are. Because so do I. No difference between you and I.

[45:30]

But there is something different. Okay? If you realize... If you realize this point. Straight fork. If you realize even sleepiness... Or... Happiness or unhappiness. All are straight fork. Okay? Hang it. It's plunged into. Okay? Plunged into. Doesn't mean to attach it. Plunged into the... Right after that. You have to take one step forward. If you realize... The straight fork. Okay? And then... You start to act. Okay? Okay? But if you don't realize this straight fork...

[46:40]

You find immediately... Crooked fork. Curved fork. It's called sleepiness. Or happiness. Or unhappiness. And then you are completely hooked. There is deliverance from birth and death. And emerging in birth and death. Both are the great way totally illuminated. There is discarding of birth and death. And there is crossing of birth and death. Both are the great way totally illuminated. Anyway... Tiny selfishness.

[47:49]

Okay? You have. Each of us possesses. Should be thrown away. Okay? If you want to hook... You should hook. You should be hooked. Okay? With a straight fork. Okay? Straight fork. This is Shikantaza. Shikantaza. This is... The Shakyamuni Buddha's... Religious experience. All of Buddha's. Thank you.

[48:33]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ