Huh? Is that OK? Is it on? OK. Is that okay? Can you hear okay? In the back? Yes. Okay. Well, good morning. This morning, this is the first talk of the year, I think. First Saturday talk of the year.

[01:17]

So I want to set a tone for the year. And so I've decided to talk about what's called the eight awarenesses of an enlightened person. those eight aspects that we should be focusing on to bring out our awareness of enlightenment. These eight awarenesses were, according to Dogen Zenji, were the last teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. And they were also the last teachings of Dogen. So there's some significance in this. These seem fairly simple, you know, in Buddhism, Buddhadharma. Buddhists always like to make long lists of things.

[02:22]

The Eightfold Path, the Six Paramitas, the Five Hindrances. There's a whole collection of lists, Buddhist lists, that are aids to study, to help us keep mindful and aware of the guidelines for practice. So I would say these are eight guidelines for practice. But they're called the eight awarenesses of the enlightened person. So they're given quite a prominence. I've talked about these before over time. This particular translation is by Maezumi Roshi and his students. So the eight awarenesses, I'll just name what the eight awarenesses are.

[03:27]

Having few desires, knowing how to be satisfied, cultivating serenity and tranquility, diligence, right thought, samadhi, wisdom, and no idle talk. Sorry. It's interesting that that should be the last one, right? After wisdom, we'd think that it would, the lists usually end in wisdom. And they overlap quite a bit, all these lists. Wisdom is usually the last one, but here it's no idle talk. So I find that interesting. And so will you. So the eight awarenesses of the enlightened person.

[04:36]

Dogen says, Master Dogen 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, first, having few desires. He says, not seeking too much among the objects of the five desires, which are not yet obtained, is called having few desires. The Buddha says, you, he's saying monks, but you can say you students, or you should know, whoever you are. You should know that because those who have many desires search for fame and profit, there is much suffering.

[05:46]

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. 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 finds that it is enough and never lacks anything. Having few desires, one is in nirvana. This is called having few desires. And according to the Four Noble Truths, life is subject to suffering. Suffering is an important aspect of our life.

[06:48]

And the cause of suffering is desire, inordinate desire. So we say delusions. It's an interesting kind of interpretation. Literally, it's desire. And, but we like to use the word delusions because delusions is a little less personal. It's more, delusions is more like mental, whereas desire is more feeling. It's a little more personal. So I think people like to use the word delusions because it covers a larger area. But strictly speaking, it's desires, inordinate desires. And I remember one time Suzuki Roshi was giving a talk about that. And I said, well, don't you think it would be better to say delusions?

[07:52]

He said, no, desires. He was very adamant about that. You know, we love our desires. And we don't like giving them up. We don't like anything interfering with the objects of our desires. So it's really a hard thing to say. Because we identify with desire. We identify with, I want. And this I want is the cause of so many problems and vexations. It causes problems to ourselves and it causes problems to everyone else. So having few desires is really the basic Buddhist practice. It's really the basic Buddhist practice.

[08:55]

And everything else is commentary. And this is why it's the first, I believe, this is why it's the first on the list. Each one of these aspects contains all the others. So really there are 64. Eight times eight. So you can, when there are few desires, it's more easy to be satisfied, and so forth. and all the other qualities arise from this contentedness. But it's really hard to be content. It's one of the most difficult things. You know, we are eating beings, devouring beings. And we not only eat through the mouth, we eat through the ears, we eat through the eyes,

[10:00]

We eat through the touch. So each one of our senses is a kind of mouth that we have visual eating and auditory eating. So we're always taking something in. And I think greed is an inordinate kind of desire. You know, we say don't have desires, but that's not, strictly speaking, correct. It means, when we say to let go of desire, it means to let go of greed, or something that's more than what's necessary. So, it's hard to feel satisfied. There's some emptiness, empty feeling somewhere.

[11:03]

So we want something to fill that void. And so we latch on to various things to fill the void. For Zen people, Zazen fills the void. Because Zazen is the void. Contentedness with the void. total immersion in the void and total satisfaction. The problem we have is when we're not in the cushion. Zen practice and Buddhist practice, Zen practice in particular is called the mind school. Mind meaning big mind and small mind.

[12:05]

Big mind is the universal mind, which we all share, and small mind is our individual piece of mind, little piece of mind. which is an aspect of big mind, but it's our slice, our particular me, mine. When we let go of me, mine, then we merge with big mind. So what obscures merging with big mind is our sense of self and desire. So desire creates Personality, desire creates self and obscures big mind. So greed, ill will, and delusion are called the three poisons, actually, but the three aspects which obscure mind, obscure our true self.

[13:16]

But our big mind is always there. but it's like the clouds covering the sun. So our greed or our desire or need for something is a substitute for big mind or true mind or true self. And the more we continue to search in the wrong place, the further we go from a big mind. So then, it's interesting, he says he comes into contact with having few desires, one is in nirvana.

[14:35]

What does it mean to be in nirvana? It means basically the absence of greed, the absence of ill will, the absence of delusion. And nirvana also is called the cool place. Some people think, well, nirvana means the light goes out. But I think that's a misinterpretation based on birth and death. But nirvana means the cool place, the place that right in the center of the cool light Master Hong Jue has this wonderful phrase, he says, to step into the center of the circle from where light issues forth. That's true mind, but it's not a hot light, it's a cool light.

[15:38]

So the second one is knowing how to be satisfied. happy wherever you are, knowing how much to take of those things which one already has is called knowing how to be satisfied. Now it's interesting because he says, knowing how to take of those things which one already has. So in a sense, everything belongs to us. Something is yours and something is mine on one level. But on a bigger level, nothing really belongs to anybody in particular, and everything belongs to everybody. But what I need for me is what I is helpful to me, so I would rather that I have it than you have it. But if you want it, you can have it. Suzuki Roshi used to say, these are my glasses.

[16:44]

These aren't exactly my glasses, but you let me wear them, and I appreciate that. And Eken Roshi says, Although nothing belongs to me, this is my typewriter and it's really helpful for me. So I'd rather that you didn't have it, I'd rather that I had it. So the Buddha says, you 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. So in other words, to be, find your comfort wherever you are instead of looking for ways to be comfortable. I'll get back to that. Those who do not know how to be satisfied are not satisfied even when dwelling in a heavenly place.

[17:49]

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. Those who do not know how to be satisfied are always tempted by the five desires and are He says consoled, but I think pitied might be better, by those who know how to be satisfied. So this is called knowing how to be satisfied. So how much do we really need of what we have? You know, it's very interesting in our society, we always have so much more than we need. Last night I walked around my neighborhood and people were emptying their garages. There was stuff on the sidewalk that people put out from their garages that had been there.

[18:54]

It looked like 40, 30, 40 years. Old bicycles. Oh, stuff that we accumulate, we can't help but accumulate. Our society is constructed in such a way that it's hard not to accumulate. Just almost impossible not to accumulate because so much comes our way. And we're taught and coerced and advertised into having so much stuff. And then it's, you buy into it. Even though you resist for a while, you buy into it. You can't help it. My son's friend was over the other night, and it turned out that my wife's father passed away, and she collected stuff from his house.

[19:58]

And there was a microwave. And we'd never had a microwave. And we're not sure how to, you know, do we really want a microwave? But you know, there it is. And my son's friend, he said, you mean you never had a microwave? You know, what? How can you get along without a microwave? How could you possibly do anything without a microwave? So, it's very interesting. We're just brought up thinking we need all these things. Thinking we need so much. So actually, it's so satisfying to do something very simply. It's very satisfying when we have sashimi and we have simple cooking, even though the cooks are working very hard.

[21:03]

But the cooks are working hard. That's good. Making something very simple and with simple means. And everything is so satisfying. It's not necessary to have anything more. So then, but non-greed and knowing how to be satisfied really go together, of course. So the third one is called enjoying serenity and tranquility. Being apart from all disturbances and dwelling alone in a quiet place is called enjoying serenity and tranquility. The Buddha says, if you monks 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.

[22:06]

Those who dwell in quiet places are praised and respected both by Sakrendra, 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. Those who desire the company of other people suffer from their relationship with them, just as a tree will be broken and die when many birds roost in it. The bondage of worldly involvement will drown you in suffering, just as an old elephant drowns in the mud because he's unable to get out by himself. To liberate oneself from complicated involvements is called detachment. So, this sounds very extreme, you know, like Dogen is, or Shakyamuni, who he's quoting, don't, you know, don't get involved with a lot of people in society, is what he's talking about.

[23:10]

He's talking to monks. And all the birds on the branch will break down the tree. I think that we can understand this as not that you shouldn't have involvement or be involved with people, but you should be careful how you do that. You should be careful with what you become involved with that takes you away from practice. That's what he's talking about. So serenity and tranquility, as I said before, serenity is described as like the sunset in the evening, a very serene kind of sunset in the evening, where it's very quiet, everything calms down, activity calms down, and nighttime,

[24:25]

That space between day and night where it's just that very quiet place, serenity. You feel peaceful. And tranquility is like the ocean when the waves have calmed down and it's just very peaceful and calm ocean. That's tranquility. So, tranquility is like when all the waves have calmed down, then you get a clear view all the way down to the bottom. You can see all the way down to the bottom. There's nothing obscuring your ability to see all the way to the bottom. You know, agitation, there are the five hindrances.

[25:30]

The five hindrances are called wealth, fame, I'm sorry, the five hindrances are greed, anger, ignorance, conceit, Doubt and wrong view. Those are not the five hindrances. Sense desires, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry and flurry, restlessness and agitation, and skeptical doubt. These are the five hindrances. So, ill will, you know, desire and ill will are, ill will is like giving in to anger, giving in to blame, not accepting your own complicity in things.

[26:37]

And so we want to put that on others. So that is an obscuring, fault, actually, which stirs up the water, stirs up the clouds, and so we don't have an opportunity to really settle. And the only way to do that is to let go. Very difficult. The five hindrances are very difficult to let go of, but it's something that we have to work with all the time. sense desire, of course, which we've been talking about, and then ill will, which is maybe just as hard, if not harder, because anger arises and then we latch on to it. So we have to understand what is the thing that we really want most of all? What is the most important thing? Well, the most important thing for a Zen student is to reside in big mind.

[27:49]

That's the most important thing. Free of ill will, free of greed, free of all the hindrances. So we have a choice. Do we want to reside in anger? Do we want to reside in greed? Do we want to reside in worry and flurry? When we get into these states, we may not know what to do, but if you have a practice, if you understand practice, you'll understand that you can let go of these things and reside in big mind, which is more desirable. When big mind is desired, that's not called desire anymore. That's called way mind, way-seeking mind. Desire, in this sense, is egotistical desire, not desire for release.

[28:53]

So, the fourth one is called exercising, exerting diligent effort. Exerting oneself diligently and unceasingly in various beneficial practices is called diligent effort. Be precise and not careless. Proceed forward and don't regress. The Buddha says if you exert meticulous 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. 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. So this is what is meant by diligent effort. It's like seeing something through. not slacking off.

[30:07]

It's constant effort. Effort builds strength. It's like when you exercise, if you lift weights, eventually you will have a strong body because you're working against something that has resistance. Sometimes we say Buddha is an obstacle, meaning resistance. When we work against resistance, we build up strength. So if we're stubborn, that's not such a bad thing. Stubbornness can be turned into diligence. So when we work with effort, given the problems we have, we create, it builds up strength for practice.

[31:16]

And working hard against, with difficulty, brings out our strong spirit of practice. So the more difficulty we have, and address it, the more it brings out our spirit of practice and makes us stronger. So we don't give up when things get difficult. And the fifth is not forgetting right thought. This is called maintaining right thought. Protecting the Dharma and not losing it means right thought, or not forgetting right thought. The Buddha says, if you 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 deluding passions cannot break in. For this reason, you should always keep right thought in your mind and regulate it well.

[32:27]

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. Just as if you go into battle dressed in armor, you will not fear the enemy. This is the meaning of not forgetting right thought. In other words, don't forget your practice. Don't forget what you're doing. And it's also sometimes called mindfulness. Right thought is mindfulness, basically. So all of our activities are within the realm of practice. If whatever we do is within the realm of practice, which is continuous, then even though we make mistakes, we know how to come back. We're always falling off.

[33:28]

We're always coming back. You may think that because I am up here as the teacher talking about all this stuff that I may be free of all this stuff, but I'm not. I have greed, I have delusion, I have places where I'm not satisfied. I have all these qualities that everybody else has, but I know what my practice is. My saving grace is that I know what my practice is, most of the time. Sometimes I forget. Also, there's a practice called the practice of recollection. which is always coming back to what you're doing.

[34:30]

And what you're always doing is called practice, no matter what you're doing. So one way of practicing is to say, well, how is this practice? How is this practice in all of our activities? And the sixth one is called practicing Samadhi. Dwelling in the Dharma undisturbed is what is called Samadhi. There are many ways to express what is Samadhi, but here he says, dwelling in the Dharma undisturbed is what is called Samadhi. The Buddha says, when you monks unify your minds, the mind is in samadhi. This is a description of, or not a description, but this is how we describe zazen, or sashin, unifying the mind.

[35:32]

When you unify your minds, the mind is in Samadhi. 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 aware of how things arise and how they cease. You're always aware of the arising and ceasing. This is basic Buddhism. this basic Buddhist meditation is to always be aware of how something arises and how it ceases in order to understand transiency, which is the basic practice of the universe. 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.

[36:37]

This is called samadhi. So sometimes we say not leaking. And this not leaking also has, I think is related to no idle talk. As an example, when we have sushin, we build up a lot of samadhi power because of our concentration, totally concentrated. And then when we start talking and stuff like that, all that energy starts leaking out. All that samadhi concentration starts leaking out. But this also, When Dogen talks about tranquility and serenity and the birds, too many birds on the branch, that's also kind of leaking, not staying contained, maintaining containment, actually.

[37:50]

And imperturbability, actually Samadhi is called imperturbability. The imperturbable state where even though things bother you, you don't get bothered by them. You're always in a balanced state and always totally centered. So that when something pushes you over, like somebody insulting you or whatever, Even though you may rock, you don't get pushed over. You always come upright. So this is, Samadhi is maintaining balance and composure. Actually, Samadhi is composure.

[39:12]

And composure, no matter what, is strong Samadhi. So the seventh is called cultivating wisdom. Wisdom is aroused by hearing, reflecting, practicing, and realizing. The Buddha says, when you have wisdom, you are without greed. Always reflect upon yourselves. Do not lose this wisdom. In this way, you can thus attain liberation in my dharma. One who is neither a follower of the way or one who is neither a monk or a layperson. One who does not is neither a monk or a layperson, nor is there any other name. True wisdom is a stout boat which crosses the sea of old age, sickness, and death.

[40:13]

It is also a great bright torch in pitch-black ignorance. 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. Clearly seeing. Self-awareness. Clearly seeing. and being aware of your own shortcomings and faults. So wisdom is the expression of enlightenment and enlightenment is the ability to see your own faults and your own shortcomings and your own delusions. That's one definition of enlightenment and certainly wisdom.

[41:14]

So you're always correcting yourself Or at least you are aware of how you could be correcting yourself. But there's much more to wisdom than that. Of course, we talk about the four wisdoms, which I don't want to go into right now. And then, the last one is avoiding idle talk. Having realization and being free from discrimination is what is called avoiding idle talk. To totally know the true form of all things is the same as being without idle talk. The Buddha says, when you engage in various kinds of idle talk, your minds are disturbed. Although you have left home and become monks, you are still not liberated.

[42:16]

Therefore, you must quickly abandon mind-disturbing idle talk. Even if you would like to attain the joy of the extinction of delusion, you must first simply extinguish the affliction of idle talk. And this is what avoiding idle talk means. So it's interesting in the precepts, there are four precepts which are about melting off. One is don't lie, and don't discuss the faults of others, and no boasting and deprecating others. And don't abuse the three treasures. Don't bad-mouth the three treasures. So those are four precepts which are concerned with idle talk. But when he says,

[43:19]

Having realization and being free from discrimination is called avoiding idle talk. So, idle talk is talk which is based on discriminating mind, making judgments, blame. You know, the sixth ancestor says, even if in his wonderful poem, he says, we should not get into blaming people. When you blame people, criticize people, you yourself are at fault. That sounds very strange because we know there's a lot of people to blame. There's a lot of blame to go all around, as we say. But when we have this kind of feeling and thought, we should remember to not fall into the delusion of blaming.

[44:29]

How do we avoid that? That's your great koan. So this avoiding idle talk, not so simple. You know, people who have enlightenment may sound like they're chattering away in idle talk, but it could be very profound. Whereas people who have a dualistic mind may be talking about very profound things, but it's just idle chatter. So we should let go of gossip and talk that is harmful to people and which creates dissension and is blaming.

[45:43]

And look at our own faults. And look at how we receive something. How are we closed and how are we open? And what do we do when... What is there to defend, basically? You know, when we throw something back, what is there to defend? That's something to really think about. Do we build a wall around ourself or do we leave ourself open and just let everything come? If there's someone there, we have to defend it. If there's no one there, we don't have, there's nothing to defend. We don't have much time for discussion.

[47:08]

But Peter has a question, so... It sounds like... I'm understanding that you had a question about, you know, not desiring too much. It sounds like desiring too much is what you were talking about, greed, perhaps. Looking in the wrong place. Looking in the wrong place for satisfaction, yeah. you want. Isn't that an expression of good mind? Yeah. So there's nothing wrong with desire. Desire is not the problem. What the problem is, is looking for something in the wrong place. Or looking for the... not being able to... Desire is what gives us impetus.

[48:12]

Right? So the impetus is not wrong, but the direction is not right. That's the problem. So we get caught by desire. That's the problem. So that's why, you know, when desire is turned toward the Dharma, it's no longer called desire. I don't call it desire. I call it way-seeking mind. Takes the place of desire. That's the turning of desire. into wisdom through a way-seeking mind. Transformation of desire. We say, you know, desire bad, get rid of desire. That's not right. Desire is just desire. I was kind of thinking about it from the other, in the other direction.

[49:16]

And how, you know, given that we're humans, and humans are naturally, should interact with other humans, and, you know, then of course there's a Bodhisattva way. I guess I'm just thinking, you know, there's also that danger of trying to hold on to this energy that you're talking about, rather than giving it all away. Oh yeah, we don't hang on to that. We give it all away. Every day. Matter of fact, we're continuously giving it away. Actually, that's the basis of practice, is that you're continually letting go and continually giving away. But in a social, literally. He's making himself available to other people and not always building his own quiet space.

[50:21]

Right, I understand. Dogen is talking from the point of view of a monastic, right? So that's why he's talking about it like that. But he's attributing this to Shakyamuni, who was also a kind of monastic. So, you have to, you know, give some credit for that, but at the same time, it's a controversial thing, the branch and the birds, you know. It always, it's like, well, wait a minute, you know, that's not quite right, you know, but you have to see it from that point of view. And I think that we have to see we're more, in some sense, society-oriented. So it doesn't exactly apply, literally. But I try to understand it from the point of view of chattering.

[51:22]

And sometimes that's fine, but not to get caught by needing so much. I think it boils down to, what do you really need? And I think that's what he's talking about. How do we address the problems of the world without blaming the Bush administration and W? Well, give credit where credit is due. But don't get caught by your own feelings. Don't get overwhelmed by your own feelings. Because then you can't do anything. So you have to be able to use... Anger does come up. Anger and blame come up. So when they come up, what do you do with that? You can use that energy to do something.

[52:25]

But if you're just being spiteful, it doesn't help. So I think that using that energy, using that anger, using that energy to do something positive opens that up for you so that it's not obscuring your big mind. Yes. Thank you. Be triumphant.

[53:04]

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