Well, tell me if you can't hear. The other day I talked about case number two in the Blue Cliff Record, Joshua and the monk, and the monk asking Joshua, you know, commenting on the fact that Joshua was always talking about the Xin Xin Ming, and the real way is not difficult, it just doesn't like choice and attachment, or abhors, or whatever you want to say about it. And then questioning Joshu's response as being dualistic, And there are four cases.

[01:03]

The second one is the first case. And then 57, 58, and 59 are all three dealing with the same subject. And in each case, the monk brings up the fact that Joshu is using these two lines. And then the monk questions Joshu about what he means, and Joshu gives him a response, and the monk questions that the response is dualistic. And then Joshu, what would you say, Joshu closes his mouth. Joshu shuts the mouth of the monk in a non-dualistic way, but where is the non-duality?

[02:08]

Sounds dualistic. Everything that Joshu says sounds dualistic, so where's the non-duality? That's why they're koans. Koan is kind of like, where's the duality? Where's the non-duality? So all these four koans are really the same kind of koan seen from four different aspects. Just like the Xin Xin Ming is a koan as it opens and as it unfolds, all of the various lines are comments or different ways of looking at the same koan. or expressing the same koan. So it can be expressed in infinite ways.

[03:15]

And the Xin Xin Ming is just using a few of them. And so today, although I'd like to read all of them today, I don't think I can. But at least I'll start out with case number 57, where Master Engo introduces the subject and he says, you know, before I start, I'd just like to say something about lamps. When you trim the lamp, there's a way of trimming the lamp so that the light is rounded and takes the shape of the, what do you call that thing? The shape of the wick, rather than coming to a point.

[04:18]

So you should all learn how to trim the wick so that it makes a rounded light rather than a pointed light. Because the pointed light only gives half the light that a rounded wick will give. And it's not good for the lamp. So I just want to take this opportunity to say that. In Engo's introduction, he says, when you have not yet penetrated it, it is like silver mountains and iron cliffs. When you have penetrated, you find that you yourself are the silver mountains and the iron cliffs. If you ask how to do it, I would say that if you attain realization in the exercise of Ki, you will occupy the pinnacle of attainment and will allow not even the holy ones to spy on you.

[05:21]

If you can't do this, see and study the ancients' doings as follows. So that's introducing the case. And here's the main subject. A monk said to Joshu, it is said, the real way is not difficult. It only abhors choice and attachment. Now, what are non-choice and non-attachment? Good question. Joshua said, I alone am holy throughout heaven and earth. The monk said, it is still choice and attachment. Joshua said, you country bumpkin, where are the choice and attachment? The monk was speechless. And then in Setso's verse, he says, deep is the sea, high is the mountains.

[06:30]

The flies attempt to face the gale, the ant trying to attack the pillar. Choice and attachment, non-choice and non-attachment, a cloth-covered drum that reaches the heavens. That's the koan. Yes, you can't hear. What? You can only hear about every other word. Sit up here. Yeah, you can even sit in the aisles. Yeah. You sit it on here. Come on. Because I can only speak to one side at a time.

[07:38]

Good. Good. You get an A. And Gloria. Okay. So Master Engo says, when you have penetrated it is like silver mountains, no, no, I'm sorry, when you have not penetrated, it is like silver mountains and iron cliffs. Silver mountains and iron cliffs is a kind of metaphor which you run into in these cases. It means steepness, you know?

[08:39]

How can you climb up an iron cliff, right? It's like silver mountains, real slippery, very kind of precious metal, but very slippery. inaccessible. It kind of is a metaphor for inaccessibility. So when you have not yet penetrated, it's like silver mountains and iron cliffs. What is this? How do I do this? You know, I'll never get, I'll never find out. It's just too inaccessible. When you start dealing with a koan or non-duality, it looks like I am silver mountains and iron cliffs. But when you have penetrated, you realize that you yourself are the silver mountains and the iron cliffs. Nothing blocks your way except yourself.

[09:41]

And the biggest mountain, the biggest silver mountain and the biggest iron cliff is your own what? Stubbornness? Resistance? Resistance? Looking for the problem out there. Looking for the problem out there is the biggest silver mountain and iron cliff of all. Looking at the faults of others, thinking that the world is wrong, thinking that there must be some mistake, And then he says, if you ask how to do it, I would say that if you attain realization in the exercise of Ki, which is Zen Ki, you will occupy the pinnacle of attainment and will allow not even the holy ones to spy on you.

[11:15]

This is a kind of interpretation by Sakida. He likes to use the term qi a lot, which is good, actually, and I think it's very appropriate here, because he focuses you on the actual practice. But I think the text says it in a little different way, and clearly says, interprets it as, here if you can reveal an action and observe an environment, occupy the essential bridges without letting profane and holy pass, I like that, this would not Oh yeah, this would not be beyond your inherent capacity, right?

[12:24]

I like the occupy the bridge and not let profane and holy across. I think that's very good. That's, that's Joshu's way actually. To occupy the bridge, it's like a narrow bridge over a chasm, right? And you're the person, you're the gatekeeper. And you don't let profane cross that bridge, and you don't let holy cross that bridge. If they do, you knock them over the side. You're the gatekeeper. That's very good. You're the keeper of your own mind. And it's not beyond your inherent capacity. It's not some special ability. He's not talking about some special ability. He's talking about your natural capacity. But it seems extraordinary. To live in a non-dualistic way seems extraordinary, like it takes extraordinary ability, but it's actually your natural endowment.

[13:30]

That's why the iron, before you understand it, it looks like silver mountains and iron cliffs. But when you understand it, you realize that you have been stopping yourself all this time. you are your own worst enemy? So Sikhita puts it into a different, a little different way and he says, if you attain realization in the exercise of Ki or Zen Ki, Qi, you know, this area below your navel is called Qi, energy. Qi, clear energy, or primal energy. And it's called, in Zen practice, it's called Zheng Qi.

[14:33]

And sometimes we name people Zheng Qi. Great dynamic working of the universe. You plug in to the great dynamic working of the universe through this part of yourself, by opening that up. And that's what Zazen is. What is the theory called? But anyway, it also means breath, but in the sense of life breath, the breath of life, the primal breath of life.

[15:40]

So when we sit zazen, we're not concerned with mental activity. We're only concerned with primal activity, primal aspect of life. And the mind, thinking mind, takes its place in harmony with it. Usually, we tend to give too much authority to thinking mind. And so thinking mind, we put the thinking mind on the throne. And then everything, all the other parts take their place around thinking mind. But if you want to live in a non-dualistic way, you have to put ki on the throne. And then all the other parts take their place around that, around

[16:47]

the primal energy. And thinking mind takes its place, its rightful place, instead of superseding primal energy. This is Zen practice. This is why Joshu can say things that he does, because he's not relating to thinking mind as He's not relating to thinking mind as the first order. Thinking mind sorts things out after experience, but experience is first. And then thinking mind sorts it out and makes it intelligible to us. But when thinking mind has the ascendancy, it doesn't have any direction.

[17:55]

It can take all kinds of directions, which are good or bad. And as you notice, in our world, thinking mind leads us all over the place. And people are talking to each other through thinking mind and never get anywhere. Because it's just your idea against my idea. thinking mind is wonderful, but it has to be guided by something more accurate than itself. And that is ki energy. We call this place the sea of ki. Kind of like the key of C in reverse. This is the, Suzuki Roshi called it rice paddies.

[19:06]

But it's the place where you actually, your life really takes place. Your deepest life takes place. So Sakhita says, interprets this as, if you ask how to do it, I would say that if you attain realization in the exercise of ki, zen ki, you will occupy the pinnacle of attainment and it will allow not even the holy ones to spy on you. That means nobody can reach you. Nobody can reach your understanding. Even Buddha can't plumb your depths. If you actually trust yourself, you know, if you really trust yourself, then this is where you find your trust. And in Zazen, you know, you go through all kinds of things.

[20:18]

We go through all kinds of, everything in our life comes up in the process of our years of Zazen. And through that, because we come out, because the more stuff we go through, the more we're thrown back on ourself. And where we are thrown back to is here. And then we learn to trust this aspect of ourself. If you haven't reached that kind of trust yet, you still haven't found yourself. So this is where Joshu is coming from. This is the place of non-duality. This is the place where all things come from. This is the oneness, the duality, where the many things arise from.

[21:24]

And so we go back to that one and play in the two. We say not two, not one. It's not exactly one, it's not exactly two, but it's one and it's two and it's not one and it's not two. But it is one. It's the one place where everything is reconciled. And it's a place where we all meet. It's a place where we can all meet. And when we sit in Zazen together, even though each one of us is sitting by ourselves, we're all sitting in the same place, and this is where we are all meeting. It's not a lonely place. You can't feel lonely in Zazen. I mean, it's possible that you may feel lonely in Zazen, but Zazen is the last place where you feel lonely. So, then Engo says, if you cannot do this, see and study the ancients' doings as follows.

[22:44]

And the main subject. A monk said to Joshu, it is said the real way is not difficult. It only abhors choice and attachment. You know, the chin-chin-ming? Now, what are non-choice and non-attachment? So that's a legitimate question. What is non-choice and non-attachment? What is it? How can you say it? How can you express that? Joshua said, I alone am holy throughout the universe, throughout heaven and earth. Well, Joshu is borrowing this statement from Shakyamuni. Do you remember? I'm sure you do.

[23:46]

You were there, weren't you? When Shakyamuni, after seven days, after he'd been born for seven days, he stepped forward like a precocious child. And he lifted one finger to the heavens and the other to the earth, and he said, above heaven and earth, I alone am holy. And this is a non-dualistic statement. But from the point of view of duality, it sounds egotistical. So the monk said, it's still choice and attachment. What are you talking about? You sound egotistical, teacher.

[24:52]

It's still choice and attachment. And Joshu said, you country bumpkin. Where is the choice and attachment? And the monk said, well, This word alone, I've talked about this before, at its root alone means at one with, and it's construed usually to mean isolated from. So it has these two meanings. The word alone has these two meanings which are opposite to each other. On the one hand, it means isolated. I am alone in the universe.

[25:53]

I am alone in the universe means I am isolated. I am an isolated piece of the universe. Or I am alone here and the universe is out there. But fundamental meaning is I am the universe. I am not apart from the universe. There's nothing in the universe that is not myself. I am one, at one with the universe. Alone means at one. There is nothing in the universe that is not myself. And at the same time, I am this individual, all alone. A part of the universe, but not apart from the universe.

[26:57]

So it's kind of a wonderful statement because it has both of those extremes in the same word. It's a perfect, non-dualistic statement. perfect non-dualistic statement. It couldn't be expressed any better. I alone am holy throughout the heaven and earth. Holy also means whole, simply speaking. The word holy means complete or whole. Bodhidharma says, emptiness, no holiness. But actually, that's also a non-dualistic statement because holiness, no holiness, is the same as emptiness, which means complete.

[28:11]

Country bumpkin is the kind of term that was used in those times. Nyogen Sensaki, in his commentary, which I read a long time ago, said, a country bumpkin is a farm boy who flies to New York City and he gets off the airplane and he looks around and he says, where is New York City? meaning you're right in the midst of it, but you can't see it. I used to like the title of Geo Kennett's book, Sailing Water by the River. They changed it to Zen is Eternal Life, which is, you know.

[29:23]

But selling water by the river is a wonderful metaphor, you know. You don't need to, do you? Just go for yourself and get, why do you need to buy it from somebody? Just go and get your own. So anyway, I can't read my notes. Deep as the sea, high as the mountain, the flies attempt to face the gale. In the koans concerning Joshu, Setso always has this kind of verse, you know, praising Joshu.

[30:35]

He says, deep as the sea and high as the mountains. That's Joshua. The flies attempt to face the gale. That's the student. The ant trying to attack the pillar. Choice and attachment. Non-choice and non-attachment. A cloth-covered drum that reaches the eaves. Cloth-covered drum is like a drum that doesn't really make any sound. You know, if you put a cloth over the drum, it's like also a child's drum. So it's kind of like, these questions are like beating a cloth-covered drum. they don't really, they don't have any real resonance to them.

[31:39]

And the monks are always challenging Joshu. And Joshu is always like a, Joshu is kind of like a master at Aikido. You know, he uses the monk's question to throw the monk without doing very much. Joshu doesn't shout, he doesn't beat, he doesn't yell or scream. He just quietly says something. The first thing that comes to his mind. And because of who he is, whatever he says hits the mark. He doesn't even try to say anything special. Because there's nothing special to say.

[32:45]

It's just ordinary stuff. It's just the most ordinary stuff. Joshua is the most ordinary person, saying the most ordinary things, and without even making an effort to be anything special, or to say anything special. This is a kind of special statement because he's borrowing it from somebody else, but he means it. You know, it applies to all of us. The other day, I received the newsletter from Joko Beck. You know the newsletter? And it had 18 statements about what practice is.

[34:00]

And none of these statements are statements that we don't already know about, right? But she put them all together and sent them out. And what they are, she says, what practice is. And then she just lists these. But I would say there are 18 ways to go beyond picking and choosing. You can actually answer the monk's question. What is non-picking and non-choosing, Master? So I want to read you the 18 practices, which I would call eighteen practices of going beyond duality. The first one is practice is about experiencing the truth of who we really are beyond duality.

[35:08]

Practice is about being with our life as it is, not as we would like it to be. Or I would say, not as we necessarily would like it to be, because it might be as we would like it to be. You know, Master Rinzai said, I control the universe. And someone said, well, how do you do that? He said, Everything that happens, happens exactly as I would want it to happen. Practice is about the clash between what we want and what is. Practice is about the transformation of our unnecessary suffering.

[36:14]

Practice is about attending to, experiencing wherever we are stuck, wherever we are holding and whatever blocks us from our true nature. Practice is about turning away from constantly seeking comfort and from trying to avoid pain. Practice ultimately deals with just one thing. The fear at the base of human existence, the fear that I am not. Practice is about willingly residing in whatever life presents to us. Practice is about seeing through our belief systems, so even if they remain, they no longer run us. Practice is about turning from a self-centered view to a life-centered view. I would say a Buddha-centered view. Practice is about learning to be no one, not giving solidity to any belief system, just being.

[37:26]

Practice is about learning to be happy, but we will never be happy until we truly experience our unhappiness. Practice is about slowly increasing our awareness of who we are and how we relate to life. Practice is about moving from a life of drama to a life of no drama. No pun intended. Practice is always about returning to the true Self. Practice is about finally understanding the paradox that although everything is a mess, all is well. That's a good one. Practice is about learning to say yes to everything, even when we hate it. Practice always comes back to just the willingness to be.

[38:31]

Each one of those could be a taisho, the basis of a taisho. But each one is about how to go beyond dualistic thinking and acting, how to go beyond duality. how to go beyond picking and choosing, and choice and attachment. And they all seem really difficult, impossible, some of them. How do you say yes to everything? Each one is a koan. Each one presents you or each one shows you your own silver mountain and iron cliffs.

[39:40]

It's not how do you penetrate this, it's how do you penetrate this. How do you really get to this? So last few practice periods, I've suggested to people that whatever happens to us, whatever comes to us, we say thank you with gratitude. This is a working koan. how to appreciate everything that comes to us without judging it as good or bad, right or wrong.

[40:47]

Otherwise, we can't really penetrate. We can't get to the bottom of it because we're picking and choosing. clinging with attachment. And in the previous koan, number two, at the end, he says, difficult, difficult, choice and attachment, difficult, difficult. So we can say difficult, you can also say not so difficult, pretty easy. It's not difficult or easy. Difficult and easy are just choice and attachment.

[42:00]

They are. When you're really doing something, some hard work, and you're totally involved, it's not hard work. But as soon as you get self-conscious, as soon as you step outside, or someone says, gee, that's really hard work, then you think, oh yeah, I'm really working hard. You can't peek. Don't peek. Don't reveal. As soon as you start to review, you think you're working too hard. This happens all the time. When you're just doing, it's not hard or it's not easy. It's just doing what you're doing. Sometimes there's more energy expended than at another time.

[43:04]

But when you use energy correctly, energy flows into you. There's not a certain amount of energy that you have. There's no energy tank that you're using up. Energy flows through you. So we tap into the great energy source. How do you tap into the great energy source? You just open yourself up and you just do what you do completely. And when you open at this end, energy will flow in. And we're just a channel for energy. Let it flow. It's not easy and it's not hard.

[44:07]

It's just what we're doing. I don't say we don't need to rest. And as you get older, you need to rest more. What? Did I answer your question? Oh, yes. Say that again. When you get older, you need to rest more. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe not. The main thing, actually, is to stay open and induce energy. If you stay open and use yourself completely in the right way, energy will flow. It's better than trying to conserve it. Although we should try to conserve it by doing the greatest amount of work with the least amount of effort. That's real conservation.

[45:10]

Conservation is not to hoard energy, but to use it in the best way. So you do, you find out how to do the most using the least effort. Then all of your effort becomes joyful. That's how you enjoy life. When you're working against yourself or when you're doing too much or too clumsy or you're not really paying attention to how you work with things, then you get tired out. So in whatever our activity is, how do we use the least amount of energy to do the most amount of work, to have the biggest result? And this is what we do in zazen. To pay attention to your posture in zazen is the most important thing. And to find the right posture and the balance rather than using all this effort.

[46:18]

If you know how to use, how to balance yourself, and where the balance points are and where the basic seat is, then you balance everything and you're doing the most, you're being the most complete with the least amount of effort. How do you find that? That's what you should be looking for in zazen every time you sit. You do? What is it? Well, I've been finding, since last night, noticing that zazen goes real quick, and then work goes real slow, and I have to take a nap. Is that because I'm sick, or tired, or am I not entering?

[47:20]

Is it harder? Well, maybe there's some resistance to the work. As soon as resistance comes up, we start getting tired. Resistance makes us tired. So, you know, the things that make us tired are emotional problems, resistance, you know, things like that. The actual work makes us tired, but not as tired as those other things. So when you can put yourself into the work without any emotional problem or resistance, then your body is tired from working, but that's a good tiredness. You've done something, you've accomplished something, and your body feels tired, but it's a good tiredness. But when it's accompanied by resistance and emotional problems, then it's a different kind of tiredness, a waiting tiredness.

[48:26]

pretty different, and it takes a toll on you. So, think about that. What's my resistance? Why am I resisting? What else is there to do? I mean, it comes up in all of us, you know, you're not alone. So, to just engage with what's in front of us, without questioning it, is our practice. And our koan. They say in Soto Zen, you guys don't study koans. It's not true. We just study koan in a different way than from the book, because our life and everything we do is the koan, the genjo koan. is right there in front of us all the time.

[49:27]

And we can study Joshu, but actually we're studying ourself. So Genjo Koan is really our koan, and we thank Dogen for it. It says to study the self, to study the dharmas, to study the self. And to study the Self is to forget the Self. How do you forget the Self? You just do what's in front of you, without questioning it. You know, when you go to a work meeting, the work leader will say, When you do this, and you say, OK, you may feel, God, it's raining. It's wet as hell out there. I don't even want to go to a work meeting. Much less get out there and shovel in the rain.

[50:38]

But once you're out there in the rain, it feels great. If you just let the rain engulf you, no problem. Have fun.

[50:53]

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