Good morning. So today we're memorializing Shakyamuni Buddha's Parinirvana. I don't know how many years ago, more than 2,500, something like that. But before I talk about his words, I want to say something about this scroll that we received recently. This scroll is, the character for dragon made in a very free way.

[01:02]

And it's a scroll that was done by a Zen monk named Dairyu. And Dairyu was a disciple of Nantembo who made our other scroll that's in the community room. both of which were given to us by Belinda Sweet. So she gave us this scroll and said, you can hang it up on February 4th, which is Chinese New Year's, and it's the year of the dragon. but I wasn't here on February 4th. So I said, well, to myself, we'll hang it up on Buddha's Parinirvana Day. So there it is. There's a book that was published, I think, last year, 20th century,

[02:15]

Zen art, Zen calligraphy. I think that's the name of it. And both of them, both of those calligraphers are featured in that book. So if you want to see more of their work, you can look at that book. That may not be the title, but the first full moon of the year of the dragon? When, today? Oh. Okay. So today, commemorating Shakyamuni Buddha's Parinirvana, I want to read you his last words. There are several versions of Shakyamuni Buddha's last words,

[03:19]

There's the Parinirvana Sutra, the short Parinirvana Sutra, which is more Theravada style. And then there's the large Parinirvana Sutra, which is the Mahayana Sutra, which is quite long and quite different. But this is called the Eight Awarenesses of an Enlightened Person. And it's according to some history, these were Buddha's last admonitions to his students. Dogen, Zen Master Dogen, when he was ready to pass from this life, made a commentary on these eight awarenesses.

[04:50]

So this is also Dogen's last words to his students, the last thing he wrote. But these eight awarenesses come from the brief It's called the Parinirvana Brief Admonitions Sutra of Buddha. But it's Dogen's way of expressing Shakyamuni's words. And I've read this before, but I think it's appropriate for this occasion. Some of you probably know this. The Eight Awarenesses of the Enlightened Person Parinirvana means various things, but it's usually referred to as Buddha's final nirvana.

[06:03]

When Buddha had done everything that he had to do in this world, then he let go of the world, and that's called his parinirvana. So the first one is called Having Few Desires. He says, all Buddhas are enlightened persons. Those things which the enlightened persons are aware of are called the eight awarenesses of the enlightened person. To become aware of this dharma is the cause for nirvana. Our master, Shakyamuni Buddha, taught this dharma on the last night before entering parinirvana. So having few desires is the first one. Not seeking too much among the objects of the five desires which are not yet obtained is called having few desires.

[07:10]

You notice he doesn't say not to have any desire. He says to have few desires. Desire, of course, is necessary for our life. Without desire, we don't have any life. So life is very much bound up with desire. But when you read the sutras, or think about Buddhism, we think, cut off desire, right? Don't have any desires. But that's not what it really means. What it means to let go of desire is to let go of greed, that which is more than what is necessary. to let go of more than what is necessary.

[08:18]

So a monk, Buddhist monk, will pare down everything, his whole life, to what is just necessary, which means no sex, no eating only once a day, having no possessions or few possessions, just enough, and so forth. But the monk still has some desires. There's the desire to eat, the desire to sleep, the desire to move around, the desire to seek the way, actually. So a very strong desire is the desire for way-seeking mind. So when, as I said before, when we put our effort into way-seeking mind, when our attention turns from seeking things to seeking the way, it's no longer called desire.

[09:30]

It's called way-seeking mind. So desire applies to that which is outside of seeking the way. So he says, the Buddha says, you monks should know, you students, should know that because those who have many desires search for fame and profit, there is much suffering. Those who have few desires look around less and desire little. Therefore, they have no worry of this sort. You should practice if only to have few desires. Needless to say, having few desires produces many merits. Those who have few desires do not have to flatter in order to ingratiate themselves with others.

[10:37]

Also, they withstand temptations from the various sense organs. One who practices having few desires has neither worry nor fear, for the mind is peaceful. Whatever one comes into contact with, one finds that it is enough and that the person never lacks anything. Having few desires, the person is in nirvana. This is called having few desires. So nirvana is described in various ways, but simply put, nirvana is the absence of greed, ill will and delusion. So it's not something that we acquire. You can't get nirvana. Nirvana is already our natural state, free from greed, ill will and delusion.

[11:43]

So then, the second one is knowing how to be satisfied. Difficult. Knowing how to be satisfied. Knowing how much to take of those things which one already has is called knowing how to be satisfied. The Buddha says, you students should contemplate knowing how to be satisfied if you wish to be liberated from suffering. The Dharma of knowing how to be satisfied is the realm of riches, comfort, peace, and tranquility. Those who know how to be satisfied are happy and comfortable even when sleeping on the ground. Those who do not know how to be satisfied are not satisfied even when dwelling in a heavenly palace. Those who do not know how to be satisfied are poor, even though they are wealthy, while those who know how to be satisfied are wealthy, even when they have little.

[13:31]

Those who do not know how to be satisfied and are always tempted by the five desires are consoled by those who know how to be satisfied. This is called knowing how to be satisfied. So, letting go of greed and knowing how to be satisfied actually go together. They're two aspects of the same thing. In a sense, it's like being able to settle where we are and being able to use up what we have completely.

[14:41]

Suzuki Goshi used to mention that there was this old monk who had a pair of tabi. Tabi are these white socks that the monks wear in Japan. And he said every time that there was a hole or something in the tabi, he would put a patch on it. And he kept patching the tabis over and over again. Pretty soon there was none of the original tabi left. There was only patches. But these are very precious and wonderful tabis. And he, you know, Master Joshu, had a chair that he used to lecture from and sit Zazen in, a Chinese chair. In China and also in Japan, the teacher has a huge, very large chair which they used to sit Zazen in.

[15:45]

It's big so that you can sit in it, do Zazen in it. And Joshu's chair had a broken leg. So he fixed it with a stick from the fire, a charred piece of wood from the fireplace, and tied a rope around it. And his students wanted to fix it, put a nice leg on it, but he wouldn't let them do that. So then the third one is enjoying serenity and tranquility. Being apart from all disturbances and dwelling alone in a quiet place is called enjoying serenity and tranquility. Now, this is interesting because it's directed toward monks, right?

[16:49]

Withdrawing from the world, going to a quiet place in the woods and practicing. But actually, serenity and tranquility is something that we should have inside. It's not something that's conditioned from outside. A Zen student should cultivate serenity and tranquility so that it's not something that can be bumped or moved by circumstances. So that wherever you are, you have serenity and tranquility. And it's not dependent on going to the forest or the mountains.

[17:51]

I always say the best place to practice is in the midst of the noisy, busy city. If you can have calm, peaceful practice in the midst of the noisy, busy city, then you have true practice. If you have to go to the country in order to get quiet. It's okay. And people do that. Dogen did it. The monks do that. But It shouldn't matter whether you're in the country, in the mountains, or in the midst of the busy city. It should be all the same. Circumstances may change, but your inner condition should always be the same. I say always be the same, but you should cultivate that quality so that it's always with you and not dependent on circumstances. He says, the Buddha says, if you students seek joy and peace in the serenity and tranquility of non-doing, you should keep away from disturbances and dwell alone in a quiet place.

[19:11]

Those who dwell in quiet places are praised and respected both by sacrandra, chief of the gods, and by celestial beings. Therefore, casting away attachment to yourself and others, dwell alone in a quiet place and contemplate the cause of suffering. So, it is good, you know, to do that. It's good to go to a monastery if you can and practice for a period of time. And some people maybe should stay there. But for most of us to, you know, Retreat to a quiet place and then come back to a noisy place.

[20:19]

And retreat to a quiet place, come back to a noisy place. This is the rhythm of practice. It's like characterized by Shakyamuni's practice of retreating, going up the mountain, so to speak, and then coming down the mountain. Going up the mountain is to go to the solitary peak. Coming down the mountain is to come into the marketplace. To enter the zendo in the morning is to go to a solitary place. And then to leave the zendo and go into the world is to enter the marketplace. But when there's no difference, then you have some mature practice. The practice of a mature student is to be able to find a calm mind in every circumstance.

[21:34]

Then the next one is called diligent effort. Exerting diligent effort. Exerting oneself diligently and unceasingly in various beneficial practices is called diligent effort. Be precise, not careless. Proceed forward and don't regress. The Buddha says, if you students exert diligent effort, nothing will be difficult to accomplish. Therefore, you should make an effort to practice carefully, for when water flows constantly against a big rock, even a small amount of water will eventually dig out a large hole. But if one who practices becomes lax, it will be impossible to accomplish anything.

[22:42]

It is like trying to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together. If you stop rubbing before the wood gets hot, you can't start a fire. This is what is meant by diligent effort. So we call this wholeheartedness, to really put yourself totally into whatever it is that you're doing. And it's also called right effort in the Eightfold Path. And the next one is called not forgetting right thought. Right thought is mindfulness, and it's also maintaining a way-seeking mind, keeping your attention focused. in the right place, not letting your mind wander.

[23:49]

This is also called maintaining right thought. Protecting the Dharma and not losing it means right thought, or not forgetting right thought. Protecting Dharma means protecting your practice, not letting yourself get swayed or drawn away from practice or the Dharma. The Buddha says, if you students seek both a good teacher and good protection and support, nothing is better than not forgetting right thought. For those who do not forget right thought, the robber-like multitude of For this reason, you should always keep right thought in your mind and regulate it well, for if you lose this thought, all sorts of merits and virtues will also be lost. If the power of this thought is strong and firm, then even though you mingle with the robber-like five desires, you will not be injured.

[24:58]

Just as if you go into battle dressed in armor, you will not fear the enemy. I don't know if that's true. Even though you have the armor, you still fear the enemy. This is the meaning of not forgetting right thought, but it is a kind of protection. When you put your trust in your practice, then there's a kind of protection that practice affords. I can't explain what that is, but you always know where you are. you don't get lost, and you don't get confused. Or if you do get confused, you know how to find yourself. I think that's a very important aspect. And then the sixth is called practicing samadhi.

[26:01]

Samadhi means concentration, but it means more than just concentration. It means intuitively being one with the essence of things. Dwelling in the Dharma undisturbed is what is called Samadhi. Sometimes it's called unifying the mind. Concentration which is unifying So sheen is called unifying the mind. Bringing body, mind, and breath into one concentrated, one concentrated activity.

[27:07]

So there's no scatteredness and no ego, no egotistical activity. One can have concentration and still have egotistical activity, but Samadhi is concentration without egotistical activity. That's what makes it different. You're not doing It's also called not leaking. So when one is concentrated in samadhi, there's no leakage of desire or concentration. The Buddha says when you students unify your minds, the mind is in samadhi.

[28:16]

Since the mind is in samadhi, you know the characteristics of the creation and destruction of the various phenomena in the world. In other words, you are able to see how everything arises and vanishes. For this reason, you should constantly practice with diligence and cultivate all kinds of samadhi. When you gain samadhi, the mind is not scattered, just as those who protect themselves from floods guard the levee. This is also true for practice. For the sake of the water of wisdom then, cultivate samadhi well and do not let it leak out. So samadhi actually holds prajna. The sixth ancestor in the Platform Sutra says samadhi and prajna are like the lamp and the light.

[29:19]

Samadhi is like the lamp or the vehicle. for wisdom, for prajna. And prajna and samadhi are really not two different things. So when samadhi is strong and concentrated, then wisdom, prajna, arises. as the expression of the lamp of samadhi. The seventh one is called cultivating wisdom. There are many aspects of wisdom, many ways to describe wisdom. He says, wisdom is aroused by hearing, reflecting, practicing, and realizing.

[30:30]

Hearing means that we hear the Dharma, hear about the Dharma. Reflecting means that we think about the Dharma. Practicing means that we actually engage the Dharma, and then we realize. So the Buddha says, when you students have wisdom, you are without greed. So this goes back to the first one. Greed and wisdom are connected, or lack of greed and wisdom are connected. Always reflect upon yourselves. Do not lose this wisdom. In this way, you can thus attain liberation in my dharma. One who does not is neither a follower of the way nor a non-follower. nor is there any other name for that person. True wisdom is a stout boat which crosses the sea of old age, sickness and death.

[31:34]

It is also a great bright torch in pitch black ignorance, a good medicine for all sick people, a sharp axe which fells the tree of delusion. Therefore, by means of this wisdom which is heard, reflected upon and practiced, you will increase your merit. When one has the illumination of wisdom, even though one's eyes are merely physical eyes, one is a clear-seeing person. This is what is meant by wisdom. And of course, there's many ways to talk about wisdom. The wisdom of seeing the great round mirror wisdom, which sees things as it is, without distortion or partiality, and then the wisdom which sees the identity of all things, and the wisdom which sees the difference, and the wisdom which

[32:48]

understands how to put the other three wisdoms into action. So we should always be aware of these four wisdoms. Then the eighth, the last one is called avoiding idle talk. It's interesting that that should be the last word, avoiding idle words. Avoiding idle talk means avoiding gossip and so forth. There are four precepts which speak about idle talk. The one about not lying, not telling untruths, and not discussing the faults of others, and not boasting and putting others down, and not disparaging the three treasures.

[34:11]

These are all forms of idle talk, as well as gossip and just thinking of something to say in order to disturb the quietness of no talk. Sometimes we just can't help saying something. We can't stand the silence, so we have to say something. That's idle talk, but dualistic talk is idle talk, opinionated talk, a partial talk which only presents one side of something, which leads to no particular end. So the Buddha says, Having realization and being free from discrimination is what is called avoiding idle talk.

[35:20]

So, non-discriminating talk. To totally know the true form of all things is the same as being without idle talk. That's very interesting. If you don't know truthful talk, don't say anything. Sometimes they say, three times out of four, you should not say anything. The Buddha says, when students engage in various kinds of idle talk, your minds are disturbed. Although you have left home, you are still not liberated. Therefore, you must quickly abandon mind-disturbing idle talk. If you would like to attain the joy of the extinction of delusion, you must first simply extinguish the affliction of idle talk. This is what avoiding idle talk means.

[36:23]

So these are the eight awarenesses of the enlightened person and things to keep in mind as we live our life of practice. and Buddha's last words. Do you have a question? Yes. Five desires? Yeah, what about them? What are they? Well, desire for sex, food, sleep. Part of it hinders us.

[37:34]

Wealth, fame, food, sex and sleep. Wealth, fame, food, sex and sleep. I'm guilty of some of those. How close to Shakyamuni Svarupa did he preach, or is the sutra written that says, don't take my word for it, do it yourself? What about that? Yes, is that at the beginning of the teaching? realize your career is still going on?

[39:04]

Well, I don't know whether it's at the beginning or end, but I would say it's the beginning and the end. Listen to my words, but you should find out for yourself, prove it for yourself, not just believe what I say. It's okay to believe what I say, but you should prove it for yourself, whether you believe what I say or not. One of the admissions was, I talked a bit about surrender. And I'm wondering, is this serenity? Well, rather than talking about, you can say serenity and tranquility, but composure is what you're talking about.

[40:34]

Composure, actually, better term. How to have composure, which means that you don't get shaken apart. You don't have a structure that's like bolted down for earthquake. It's more like Frank Lloyd Wright's, he built the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo on a sliding scale on rollers so that when the earthquake came, the building would go back and forth. instead of falling apart, that's called composure. But within this composure, does this composure include, like if we let go of differences, or if we let go of attachment to our particular body?

[41:40]

someone faces me and they're angry. There is anger. Is that composure there no matter where that anger is? It's not being caught by the anger. Whether it's here or there? You're talking about the other person. Well, you know, to not catch anything and hold on to it. You know, you get a blast of anger and you can do various things with it. You can let it pin you against the wall. You can let it destroy you. Or you can just let it go through.

[42:53]

You don't have to react. If you know how to respond without reacting, then you can have, the response comes from the calmness of your mind. Mark wants to say something. Just to follow up on Rick's question, when Jesus overturned the tables in the temple, he'd be seen as composed. Was that his composure? Well, he was angry. He was demonstrating something. But he didn't, he wasn't attached to his anger. He was using anger as a demonstration. So he wasn't caught by it.

[43:57]

Is there any way It's like a flash of lightning, but it's not, it just comes and goes. It's not like, he was always angry, or his state of mind was anger. So you can use, you know, anger, problem with anger is that it uses you. And it's one of the easiest things to be caught by, but when anger arises in us and it can be used in a beneficial way but it's very dangerous so someone who has compassion and control can use anger

[45:10]

But most of us get used by it, though. You have to be careful. Suzuki Roshi used to say, Zen masters get angry. Maybe not so good, but they don't hang onto it. I get angry, I show anger sometimes at you, but I'm not angry. I sometimes use anger to make a point, but I'm not angry. So anything can be used as long as there's no attachment or ill will. Anger is not necessarily ill will. Ill will is associated with anger, but the anger doesn't have to be ill will.

[46:18]

It's just a strong emotion. I have to quit. So, thank you.

[46:31]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ