Good morning. We've been studying the precepts and Precepts are about the rules or the law of karma. Basically about the rules and the laws of cause and effect. Because this happens, that happens. And because that happens, this happens. So everything is constantly affecting everything else in the realm of causation.

[01:06]

And nothing happens without a cause. This is Buddha's first law. Nothing happens without a cause. There is no spontaneous creation. Whatever happens is because of something. because of something else. So as we say, can say, whatever it is that exists is because of something that's not it, and yet is it. So everything outside of ourself is the cause of ourself. Therefore, everything is myself. So, precepts are about how to live in this world of cause and effect without being caught by karma, without being caught by anything in the world.

[02:31]

how to actually flow with life, in other words, and live in accord with the Dharma. Live in accord with the Dharma doesn't mean by somebody's rules, but it means by live in accord with nature, human nature, Buddha nature. So we say the easiest way to do that is to not to live self-centeredly or egotistically. Then you allow your big self, true self, to come forth and live your life. harmoniously with all things.

[03:34]

So, to illustrate this, I want to talk about a very well-known koan. This koan appears in the Mumonkan, And it's called Hyakujo's Fox. Most everyone is familiar with this koan in one way or another. And some of you never heard of it. Hyakujo was a very famous, well-known Zen master in the Tang Dynasty in China. He lived in between 725 and 814. He was a disciple of Baso, the great Baso, and he had many good disciples, one of which was Obaku, who figures in this case, Huang Po, who was Rinzai's teacher.

[04:57]

So when Hyakujo, one day, one day Hyakujo, who was the teacher, delivered a certain number of lectures, or teishos, and every time an old man appeared in the assembly. In those days, in China, when they had a lecture, like this, a taisho, well, with the monks, maybe not the lay people, but with the monks. The monks stood up and rose while the teacher gave a taisho. Maybe they weren't such long taishos. I hope not. So this old man was always there during the series of taishos, listening. And when the monks left the hall one day, this old man remained behind.

[06:10]

And Hyakujo asked him, who are you? He says, who are you standing here before me? Which is a rather formal way to talk to somebody. I think he probably just said, who are you? What do you want? And the old man replied, I am not a human being. In the old days of Kshapa Buddha, Kshapa Buddha is a prehistoric Buddha. I was the head monk on this mountain. living right here on this mountain. Sometimes it says I was the abbot, but sometimes it says I was the head monk, but whatever. And one day a student asked me this question.

[07:10]

He said, does a man of enlightenment or a person of enlightenment fall under the yoke of causation or not? And I answered, no, he does not. Since then, I have been doomed to undergo 500 rebirths as a fox. I beg you now to give a turning word to release me from my life as a fox. It's a well-known fact that a person in Buddhism, an enlightened person, is not subject to the law of cause and effect. But if you understand this incorrectly, you will be born as a fox right away.

[08:12]

So this is a subtle, subtle case here. about freedom and bondage. So then he said, tell me, does a man of enlightenment, he asks Hyakujo the question. And Hyakujo answered, he does not ignore causation. But there are various ways that this is translated. The way I like is, he is one with causation. I think that's a good translation. That's the non-dualistic translation. He is one with causation. That's the true fact. He doesn't stand outside of causality.

[09:16]

Not only does he not stand outside of causality, is totally causality itself. No sooner had the old man heard these words than he was enlightened, of course. And making his vows, he said, I am now emancipated from my life as a fox, and I shall remain on this mountain. But I have a favor to ask of you. Would you please bury my body as that of a dead fox? No, excuse me, as that of a dead monk. Bury my fox body Give my fox buddy a funeral as a monk." So Hyakujo had the director of the monks strike the gavel and inform everyone that after the midday meal, there would be a funeral service for a dead monk. The monks wondered at this, saying, nobody's been sick around here.

[10:18]

about. After the meal, Hyakujo led the monks to the foot of a rock at the far side of the mountain and with his staff poked out the body of a dead fox and performed the ceremony of creation. That evening he ascended the rostrum and told the monks the whole story. This is a kind of Zen fairy tale. story. Chinese people really like this kind of story. It kind of mixes fantasy with fact, you know. So that evening, he ascended his seat and he told the monks the whole story. Obaku, who was Huang Po, Obaku,

[11:25]

number one student. Thereupon came forward and asked him, he said, the old man gave the wrong answer and was doomed to be a fox for 500 rebirths. Now, suppose he had given the right answer. What would have happened then? He's kind of a challenge to Yakujo. What can you say about this, Yakujo? teacher. Hyakujo said, come over here and I'll tell you. So Obako went up to Hyakujo and boxed his ears, gave him a big slap. This is controversial. Some people say, He just kind of went like that as a gesture of a slap, but he didn't really hit his teacher.

[12:32]

Whether he did or not, you can believe whatever you want. Yakujo clapped his hands with a laugh and exclaimed, I was thinking that the barbarian had a red beard, but now I see before me the red bearded barbarian himself. I'll explain that. Master Mumon, who collected this story, said, not falling under causation, how could this make a monk a fox? Not ignoring causation, how could this make the old man emancipated? So these are two questions about this case. If you come to understand this, you will realize how old Hyakujo, old Hyakujo is the fox man, how old Hyakujo would have enjoyed 500 rebirths as a fox.

[13:38]

The monk, the old man said, not only was I on this mountain in the time of Kasyapa Buddha, but my name is also Hyakujo. And then Munman's verse, he says, not falling and not ignoring. Two faces of one die. Die means a dice. Not ignoring, not falling. A thousand errors, a million mistakes. So now I will go back and talk a little bit about it. So Hyakujo was giving his talks and the old man appeared. Yes, you can't hear? Read the story. Yeah.

[15:13]

Not falling under causation. Yeah. This is Muban's comment to all of us. Not falling under causation. Right? How could this cause the monk to become a fox? And not ignoring causation. How could this cause the fox to become a human being? Or become emancipated? If you come to understand this, you will realize how old Hyakujo would have enjoyed 500 rebirths as a fox. If you really understand this, you realize that how he actually enjoyed his 500 rebirths as a fox. We think, God, that's really bad that he was a fox for 500 rebirths.

[16:15]

Because we think in terms of good and bad. So that's part of what the story is about. So when Hyakujo Osho delivered a certain series of taishos, an old man always followed the monks to the main hall and listened to him. When the monks left the hall, the old man would also leave. One day, however, he remained behind, and Hyakujo asked him, who are you? And the old man replied, I'm not really a human being. In the old days of Kashapa Buddha, I was a head monk living here on this mountain. One day, a student asked me, does a man of enlightenment fall under the yoke of causation or not? If one is really enlightened, will you actually be subject to the laws of karma? In other words, in your actions, will you be accountable?

[17:28]

And I answered, no, he does not. Since then, I have been doomed to undergo 500 rebirths as a fox. I beg you now to give a turning word to release me from my life as a fox. A turning word is like a word that turns you, turns your understanding. Tell me now, I'm asking you, does a man of enlightenment fall under the yoke of causation or not? And Hyakujo answered, he is one with the law of causation. An enlightened person is one with the law of causality. In other words, not just not standing above it, but one with it. This is how we find our freedom. You know, in a dualistic sense, we think freedom is to be free, is to be separated from something.

[19:00]

To be free from something is to be separated from something. But actually, to be free from something is to be one with something. When there is oneness, there is no opposite. When you're sitting zazen, you become one with the pain in your legs. Then there's no such thing as pain. Right? But as long as you don't like it, as soon as you don't like it, you become separated from it. And then you're caught by it. This is the big problem we have. This is the problem, and this goes for all the rest of our life. You think that if you get divorced, that you can be separated from your problems, but

[20:08]

It's not so, even though you get to lead a different life. The long cause and effect is still working. I'm not saying you shouldn't do that. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, but the long cause and effect keeps working. You don't, you can't cut it off. So, a problem, you know, with the old monk's remark that the enlightened person is not subject to the law of causation

[21:12]

is that he created an enlightened person separate from the law of causation. There are enlightened people, and there are enlightened people who are free within the law of causation. But there are not enlightened people who are free separate from the law of causation. So it looks like the enlightened person is above, you know, floating up here somewhere above the law of causation, not touched by life. That was his big mistake. That's why he became a fox. As Nyogen Senzaki says, he postulated an enlightened man and separated himself from the law of causation, which equals fox.

[22:29]

In Japan, the fox is very part of the folk lore. And if you go to a lot of Japanese temples, they have Shinto shrines within the temple compound. And they always have these two foxes. And they're so beautiful. They're made out of stone, of course. The stonemasons are very good. And these foxes have such an incredible presence because they're real foxes, and they're really foxy. They represent all the foxiness of our life. All the manipulation and craftiness and dark side and playfulness. All the stuff that we would rather put over there.

[23:35]

Foxes are very well respected because of their ability, their power. So, no sooner had the old man heard these words than he was enlightened. Making his vows, he said, I am now emancipated from my life as a fox. I shall remain on this mountain. I have a favor to ask of you, though. Would you please bury my body as that of a dead monk? So Hyakujo had the director of the monks strike the gavel and inform everyone that after the midday meal, there would be a funeral service for a dead monk. The monks wondered at this saying, everyone's okay and healthy, what's the problem? I mean, who could they be talking about? And so after the meal, Hyakujo led the monks to the foot of the rock, of a rock, some people say the cave, at the far side of the mountain and with his staff poked out the dead body. of the fox and performed a ceremony of creation for a monk, cremation for a monk.

[24:46]

So that was kind of like, you know, tying it all up, you know, ending, totally ending the fox life, fox's life. So that evening, He ascended his seat, and he told the monks a story. And so Obaku stood up and asked him, the old man gave the wrong answer and was doomed to be a fox for 500 rebirths. Now, suppose he had given the right answer. What would have happened then? Suppose he had given the right answer, but underneath, the meaning underneath that is, supposing somebody today gives right answers all the time, what about that? In other words, he's kind of talking about his teacher, he's talking about Hyakujo, kind of hinting at Hyakujo, like saying,

[25:57]

show me your enlightenment teacher show me your that's what he's saying and so yakujo says well come on up here and i'll show you and so obaku went up knowing what yakujo was going to do because they're just understanding between the student and the teacher, he knew, he could intuit that the teacher was going to give him a swipe. Not a verbal answer, but something, you know, something straight and direct and touching. So instead, Obaga went up and gave the teacher a slap. And the teacher said, thank you very much for your great understanding of it. That's what that's about. He said, you were going to tell me I'm enlightened, but I'm telling you that you're enlightened.

[27:14]

I don't know why this is in the story, but it's a kind of addenda. Then, Hyakujo clapped his hands with a laugh and exclaimed, I was thinking that that barbarian had a red beard. Barbarian means Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma was called the red bearded barbarian because the Chinese always thought of everybody outside of China as barbarians. So, that's true. Still do. Bodhidharma was a Persian or an Indian, somewhere in between Persian and Indian, and he had a red beard. And so, saying, well, I had a picture of somebody with a red beard, but now I see him standing right in front of me. You know, you are, you're actually Bodhidharma.

[28:16]

Then Mumban has this comment, and he says, not falling under causation, how could this make the monk a fox? And I already told you, because he postulated an enlightened person who is above the law of causation, that made him a fox. He separated himself from the law of causation. And then he says, not ignoring causation, how could this make the old man emancipated? Because as soon as he understood, he became one with causation. And therefore he was freed from his fox life. So, the purpose of Buddhism, Buddhadharma, your practice, is actually to be free from karma.

[29:45]

You know, Suzuki Roshi was talking about ancient Buddhism, there are the powers, the six powers of the arhats, you know, the power to hear 10,000 miles, the power to fly, these supernatural powers, you know. And Buddha said there is one power that is not any one of those powers. It's the power that is not supernatural, but is natural power, which is greater than any of those other powers. It's greater than any of the supernatural powers. It's our natural ability to be free from karma, which is what Buddhism is about.

[30:49]

You don't have to cultivate supernatural powers. All you have to do is find your own ability to be free from karma. But being free from karma does not mean to stand above karma or above the realm of cause and effect, but to be one with it. non-duality. So our practice is not to separate ourselves from life, but to enter totally into life without being bound by it. That's the trick. to live in the world but yet have total freedom within the world following the law of cause and effect.

[31:59]

So there's a little interesting difference between just doing what you want and doing what you want within the law governing karma. So the enlightened person has the ability to do whatever you want to do within the law governing karma. But if you do whatever you want, ignoring the law, then you get caught. You get squashed. So you have to know what you're doing. And that's why we have precepts as a kind of guideline. for dealing with the law of cause and effect. So this is not ignoring causation, not ignoring the law of cause and effect.

[33:17]

How could this make the old man emancipated? By being one with it. Just like being one with zazen, when you sit zazen. And like being totally one with your activity, whatever you're doing. This is called the practice of shikantaza, just doing, or just Simply put, just doing without being self-centered. If you come to understand this, you will realize how old Hyakujo would have enjoyed 500 rebirths as a fox. In other words, he was just being a fox, totally. If you are a fox, be a fox, totally. Whatever you are, be what you are, totally.

[34:23]

Suzuki Roshi used to say, when you are you, through and through, then Zen is Zen. But there's also good and bad, and there's also right and wrong. That also figures into it. That's slippery, too. Very slippery. It's possible to always do the right thing without thinking about it, if you are totally one with the law of cause and effect. So then, Mumon has this verse, not falling into causation and not ignoring causation. Two faces of one die.

[35:27]

The die has six faces with numbers. The die is like... The die is like essential nature. and the numbers are always changing. So, the facets of our life are continually changing. Sometimes we're a fox, sometimes we're a hungry ghost, sometimes we're a fighting demon, sometimes we're a human being. And the circumstances are continually changing on the face of the die, but the die is always the die. Then he says, not ignoring, not falling. A thousand errors, a million mistakes. The infinite facets of Buddha nature.

[36:29]

It's okay to understand this, but In order to live it, you can't hesitate. It means that you have to accept your life moment by moment. Suzuki Roshi used to say, people would say, well, what is Zen? He'd say, Zen is just living your life moment to moment, one moment at a time. Just living your life one moment at a time. Thoroughly. Thoroughly. He didn't say thoroughly, but he meant thoroughly. One moment at a time. Each moment is your whole life. So, how we accept each facet of our changing life, moment by moment, without hesitating, whether it's good, bad,

[38:04]

whether it's a mistake or whether it's a great accomplishment, to accept everything equally. Do you have one question? I had a clever little insight which I got and tried to not be too distracted by when we were talking this morning. When Buddha was talking about the arhats having these powers, these supernatural powers, he said, well, you know, when you're enlightened, you won't have that power. But I was thinking in a way it's similar in that, like, if you get really clear,

[39:17]

Yes. When you practice, you'll find that you have certain powers, but you don't practice to cultivate those powers or to bring them up. If you want to avoid falling into, when you practice, just practice for the sake of practice, If you practice to get something, then you're falling into. The moment you practice to get something, to gain something, you become a fox. Be careful. Can you practice to be protected? Protected? Protection is from the inside.

[40:48]

Your protection is here. You cannot control the circumstances. You can only control this. So would it be proper to practice to cultivate your ability to protect yourself? You should practice in order to throw off all protections, all defenses. You should be totally defenseless. The best defense. Don't defend yourself. So that's a good koan. How will you be protected by not defending yourself? Very good, go on.

[41:51]

And you might get shot. Both are a mistake. Both are a mistake. That's it.

[42:36]

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