From the next paragraph, Dogen cites many examples of how Shakyamuni Buddha and patriarchs practiced. First of all, Dogen takes Shakyamuni Buddha's practice as an example. The Shakyamuni Buddha, the compassionate father and great teacher, practiced in the heart of the mountain at the age of 19. He completed attainment of the way simultaneously

[01:08]

with the earth and all living beings at the age of 30 and practiced until he was 80 in the mountain, a forest and a monastery without returning to his castle and standing aloof from the affairs of the country. The Shakyamuni Buddha, the compassionate father and great teacher, practiced in the heart of a mountain at the age of 19. In history, it is said Shakyamuni Buddha became a priest when he was 19. If you read Sutra, the day explains

[02:22]

the situation of Shakyamuni Buddha when he was about to go out of his castle. The Sutra, the brave kind of Sutra, tried to represent the history of Shakyamuni Buddha or history of famous Zen master, which all are very beautiful, dramatic. Even in the history of Shakyamuni

[03:33]

Buddha, particularly when he was about to go out of his castle, some Sutra says the door of the castle didn't make noise. Right before when he tried to get out, the door was open naturally without making noise, and for the gods who protect Buddhism, called the horse named Kandata to the mountain where he practiced under asceticism,

[04:35]

out of his castle, throwing away his position as a priest or as a king in his future. I think it is not so difficult for me to get out of my temple because I don't have a special important position. But for Shakyamuni Buddha, he has a very important position, which would be the quick king in future. But strictly speaking, not only Shakyamuni Buddha, but also for everybody, to try to get out,

[06:23]

to try to leave your home and to do something for yourself is not so easy. I used to escape from my temple position as a priest when I returned from my age monastery to my temple. One day I escaped from my temple because I didn't like a priest. Actually, I liked a priest, that's why I became a priest, but after coming back from my age temple, I really hated a priest. I really hated a priest because my master didn't teach anything at all. All day, all I had to do was just to clean, fix a meal, wash the clothes, that's all.

[07:41]

At that time, unfortunately, my temple was remodeled and also building new temple, new building, new building, which is called Founder's Room, Founder's Hall. So every day, two or three carpenters came to my temple and cut the wood and clean the wood with what you call clay. So every day, I have to clean, I have to clean the old temples because two or three carpenters scattered many things all over my temple, so I had to always clean.

[08:54]

After that, I have to fix the meal for them. That's every day. That's really nonsense, I thought. I always think, why? Why did I become a priest? The purpose of becoming a priest was not to serve carpenters. The purpose of becoming a priest was to learn, to chant sutra, to learn what Buddhism is. But my teacher didn't teach anything at all. It was very difficult for me. So one day, I escaped. Midnight. But strictly speaking, it was too late because before I left the temple, I was already nervous, feeling too nervous, and I couldn't eat meal.

[10:06]

So I lost weight so much. But every day, I had to work. I had to work. My mental situation was very weak, and physical situation was very weak, but nevertheless, I wanted to escape. Then one day, midnight, I escaped, sneaked out, without making noise. I opened the doors carefully, but nobody helped me to get out. So I always very carefully sneaked out. Then I escaped, but I had to crawl. I had to climb not a high hill, not a high mountain, but just a little hill.

[11:23]

I had to climb a little hill, a small hill, and walk. I think it took about one or two hours to get to the next town, a small town. So I had to walk. But before I climbed the mountains, I was already exhausted. I was completely exhausted. Then I fell down. Then I looked at the moon. At that time, it was a completely full moon, a very beautiful full moon. Then before, when I was very nervous, hating the priest, hating my teachers, everything, I hated everything. One day I confessed in front of my teacher, I would like to give up the priest. He said, OK, if you want.

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But wherever you may go, everything is the same. I didn't understand, everything is the same. But I didn't understand, wherever you may go, everything is the same. This is very important, but I didn't understand. So I got out. Then the moment when I fell down on the road, in the middle of the road, I looked at the moon. The moon is very beautiful. Whenever I see the moon, the moon is the same. Wow, that's right. The moon is the same. Even though I suffered so much, the moon is always the same. No change. Wow, beautiful. Well, I understood a little bit at that time. I couldn't explain, but anyway, I understood the statement mentioned by my teacher.

[13:45]

Wherever you may go, everything is the same. This is the point. So I should go back. So I go back to my temple and then sneak in. But it was very hard for me to even go back because at that time I was completely exhausted. Anyway, not only Shakyamuni Buddha, for all of you, when all of you try to get out of the city life, or when you try to leave your home and do something, it is not so easy. But anyway, when Shakyamuni Buddha got out of his castle, he was at the age of 19.

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And he practiced under the set teachers. He completed attainment of the way simultaneously with the earth and all living beings at the age of 30. Then after, as you know so well, after six years, after practice under the ascetic teacher of six years, he decided to go down the mountain to make his body strong. And sit under the Bodhi tree and attain enlightenment. He was at the age of 30. And he completed attainment of the way simultaneously with the earth and all living beings.

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This is a very difficult point for a Buddhist to understand fully. Anyway, when you consider human problem, we have to carefully think of it. In terms of three dimensions, three categories of dimensions, one is the dimension in which the human being exists.

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The human being exists. The human being is in the dimension. Excuse me. The human being, we can live in the dimension of the human being. The human being. When you see a human problem in terms of only a human dimension, you realize that there are lots of problems which is called ego. Egoistic world. Egoistic world. So, within only human dimension, it is really impossible to find out the clear resolution of the problem of birth and death.

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Which everybody are confronted with. So, if you want to know clearly the problem of human, the birth and death, which the human being are confronted with, we have two another dimensions. In which all living beings exist. Not only human beings. It is total dimension including human beings and living beings. Living beings belong to the animals. The one more thing is the dimension in which not only human beings, not only the living beings, all beings exist.

[19:40]

All beings exist. All beings includes living beings, non-living beings, such as trees, rivers, rocks, and so on. So, if you try to figure out the clear solution of human problem, we have to see it from a different angle. The human dimension and living being dimensions. One more thing is all beings dimensions.

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In the dimension of all beings, in the dimension in which all beings exist, it is the huge expanse of the dimension in which not only human beings, not only living beings, but also everything exists. Everything, visible, invisible, exists in harmony, in peace. This is the dimension of all beings. In this dimension, the life force of human beings, life force of living beings, or life force of all beings, or non-living beings, they all exist in peace in the same situation.

[21:57]

So, living beings, human beings, non-living beings, all beings exist in the same and differentiated dimension. This is the huge expanse of dimension in which everything exists in peace. In terms of this dimension, our problem, the problem of human birth and death is getting clearer, getting clearer. In this respect, animals, birds, cats, dogs, trees, rocks, water, rivers, human beings,

[23:09]

men and women, poor or rich, all are in the same and differentiated dimension. In other words, they all exist in equal. So, in the Zen story, the master says, dog has Buddha nature, tree has Buddha nature, rock has Buddha nature, human beings have Buddha nature, everything has Buddha nature. In this respect, they all completely exist in the same and differentiated dimension. In this dimension, all are the same, all are equal.

[24:09]

What's the difference between man, human beings, and living beings? Animals, birds, cats, dogs. Cats, even a cat, even a dog, even a tree, water, rock exist in the same level as human beings exist. But the difference is that only man, human beings, realize what it is through a practical, through their experience. But unfortunately, dog or cats, rock, water, cannot realize in what situation they exist.

[25:25]

Strictly speaking, they exist in the same dimension, in the same and differentiated dimension as human beings exist. It is true, but they don't, unfortunately, they don't, they cannot realize it. Only man cannot realize it. This is different point between the animals and man. That's why man, all of you, try to give a great sympathy to cats and dogs. Trees, grasses, water, rock. Anyway, to say what all things exist in the same and differentiated dimension is to say which.

[26:39]

We shouldn't have any kind of ism. We shouldn't have any kind of ism. But actually, we don't understand clearly what is this dimension in which everything exists in equal, equality. It's not so easy to understand clearly with your head. So, in other words, this is top of the egoistic world created by human, by human dimension. Human dimension is here. The dimension of living beings is here.

[27:40]

Also, the bottom is the dimension of all beings. This bottom is very important. Then, in this bottom, in this dimension, everything exists in equality. But it's not so easy to understand this bottom. What is it? What is it? So, Buddhism sometimes says universe. Universe. You should know the huge word which is called universe. Universe. When you say universe, it is not proper, proper explanation of the truth. It is still a sort of idealistic understanding, universe. Then, in Chinese, in Chinese philosopher thinks it is Tao.

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See, Tao. Human being must follow the Tao, the truth of Tao. The Tao is very huge. In other words, Tao is the truth of nature or the law of nature. You can't control. You can't control. You must follow. You must obey the truth of nature. It is called Tao. I think in Christianity, it is called, I think, God. Think God. Conception of God. Therefore, philosophers, many philosophers, western, oriental, oriental, philosophers concentrate on this point.

[29:48]

What is the bottom of the world? What is the bottom? What is the fundamental dimension, fundamental nature of the dimension in which everything exists in peace, in harmony, in equality? What is it? Then philosophers try to think of it for long years. Then after that, as a result, it is called time. Time. Fundamental nature of time. System. Then Buddhism. In Buddhism, it is called Buddha nature. Many expressions, many expressions. You can explain using those many expressions, words. My question is,

[30:51]

the great truth which enable man to keep away from dust. Dust means attachment. As mentioned yesterday, attachment derives from mischief of karma which tries to stir your thoughts, wishes. At that time, attachment happens. A important point is which we have to get complete liberation

[32:03]

through practice of Buddhism. How can you get complete liberation? It is not... The other day I mentioned that if you want to live in this world

[33:10]

according to religious life, if you want to live religiously in this world, you should not be blind man. Now that you are growing up, you shouldn't be blind man. Even though you don't understand what is the fundamental nature of dimension in which everything exists in peace, harmony, and equality. What is it? Zen master says, it's a question beyond intellectual sense. It is true. But it doesn't mean you should ignore. Ignore to think, to consider what it is.

[34:15]

Your brain, your head, your spiritual life should be open to it fully. Sometimes you have to think of it, what it is. Sometimes throwing away and practice turns into practical, the actual practice. So now that all of you are completely growing up, is living in modern society, you shouldn't be a blind man. If you are blind man, they are apt to ignore the functioning of humans, the intellectual sense,

[35:20]

and just believe, believe. Just believe. To believe is faith. I don't know how to explain what belief is. If you are the blind man, you just believe. You don't, it doesn't matter what it is. Logically, what? According to the traditional way of understanding, such as Bible says, Old Testament says, and so on,

[36:24]

and Agama says, and Buddha says, and Dogen says, everything has Buddha nature. So you should be Buddha nature. Yes sir, I believe in Buddha nature. It is the person who becomes blind man, blind. But sometimes you must be blind. But it's not so easy to become blind man forever, continuously, because you are an adult. So you must use your head. If you want to study Buddhism, as Dogen says, or Patriarch says, or Buddha says,

[37:26]

you must be egoless. You throw away ego and plunge into the practice, actual practice. This is important. But it doesn't mean to ignore, ignore to become the growing up, to become adult. You should be adult. So, in Buddhism, there is completely nothing, no idea of ism, sort of ism. Even when you try to explain the fundamental, the nature of the dimension in which everything exists, in peace, harmony, and equality,

[38:28]

there is no idea, no isms. Then Buddha says, if you want to know the meaning of Buddha nature, just see, just see the ripeness of time and occasion. Just see, in other words, just see the causal relation of time and space, time and occasion. This is very interesting point. Just see, just see. It's not so easy to just see the causal relation of time and occasion. What is time and occasion? This time and occasion is

[39:30]

appearing and disappearing in the fundamental dimension, which is going beyond interpretive sense. You can't catch it. But anyway, as long as you exist in this world, you are alive, or everything exists, as long as everything exists, everything is in this dimension, in which appearing or disappearing. Just see this time and occasion. Just see the ripeness of time and occasion. It's not so easy, because the ripeness, when is ripeness? When is it that time is ripe, or occasion is provided?

[40:33]

It's pretty difficult. But when you try to catch it, time immediately escapes, like an eel. This is time. This is good ripeness of my occasion. This is ripeness of time. This is ripeness when occasion is provided. For me, catching is not occasion. It is time sort of shown on a clock. In the fundamental ground of time and occasion, they are just arising, or appearing or disappearing. That's the continuation of appearance and disappearance. That's all.

[41:33]

You can't catch it. And then also Buddha says, if you want to know the meaning of the Buddha nature, just see. Just see the causal relation of time and occasion. Time is the relation in a vertical. Occasion is the intersection. The occasion is the place where time comes across with space. Okay? Space. This is occasion. So occasion is the actual function of time. So I said human beings exist in the intersection.

[42:36]

This is time and space here. So before you try to insert a certain idea into it, just see. Just see the causal relation of time and occasion. In other words, just see yourself as you are. In other words, just see the origin state of yourself. Yourself, so-called being-soulness. Being-soulness. Or the source of being-soulness. Being-soulness. In Japanese, which is called to-tai-tai. To-tai-tai. It's pretty difficult to translate it.

[43:41]

The being-soulness. The source of being-soulness. Just there. So just see yourself as you are. It's not so easy. Because always evasive. Evasive. The moment when you catch you, or this is I. Next moment, different I. I attain enlightenment now. Wow, wonderful. Next moment, not enlightened. Illusion. What's happened? When I was ahead, my practice was completely wonderful. Everything is wonderful. Right after, the moment when I came back from the AAG, everything was completely worse and worse. Completely upset.

[44:42]

So just see, just see it now, now-ness. In which you are alive, as you are. It's pretty difficult. It's pretty difficult. But the Buddha says, or Dogen says, or many patriarchs says, before you try to insert a certain ism into it, if you want to know the meaning of the Buddha nature, or the meaning of fundamental nature of dimension in which everything exists in peace, in harmony, in quiet, there is nothing better than just seeing. Just seeing. Yourself as you are. Just continuation of just seeing. It's not easy. It's pretty difficult. Then there is some question.

[46:01]

If so, just see the causal relation of time and space. What makes the likeness of time and occasion come into existence? What it is? That's the question. What makes the likeness of time and occasion come into existence? The Dogen says, only dharma arises in time arising.

[47:03]

In time arising. The only dharma. Dharma is many things. Many things. Flower blooms when the spring comes. This is dharma. Let's imagine the scenery. Flower blooms when the spring comes. Only dharma arises in time arising. When spring comes, dharma arises. Flower blooms. Flower blooms. You can't discriminate which of two comes first. You can't. The moment when the time comes, flower blooms. Blooming flower exists simultaneously. Simultaneously.

[48:05]

This is arising. Only dharma arises in time arising. In time arising. Flower blooms. Also, no trace. No trace of arising is left behind it. What is life? Arising. You see, our head tries to think. In time arising, flower blooms. What arising? What arising? Dogen then says, that's why no trace of arising is left behind it. Just arising. Accordingly, arising is beyond perception and discretion. I think so. I think it is true. The moment when you see the flower blooms,

[49:12]

and you think, oh, spring comes. There is some space. Some room to see, to think. But actually, the times, our time comes, the moment when the flower blooms, simultaneously, flower blooms, and spring comes, arises simultaneously. Then, next moment, you think, what's arising? What's arising? No trace of arising is left behind it. But nevertheless, there is some doubt. What? What is it that no trace of arising is behind it?

[50:20]

What is it? I can't understand. But strictly speaking, to think in that way, I don't understand. What is no trace of arising is left behind it? It is already, it is, it is perception and discretion. And also, even the perception function of the perception and discretion is within the arising. Arising only. Arising only. That's all. You can't catch it. For instance, you sleep in your bed, like this. While you catch yourself, it is not true sleeping, true state of sleeping.

[51:20]

When you sleep completely, you can't understand. You can't understand. Whether you are asleep or not, you don't. While you understand, I am sleeping now, it is not true sleeping. It is not. In other words, you can lift others. You can hold. You can lift others. I can lift this stick. But this stick itself cannot lift itself. In other words, I can't lift myself, by myself. So, perception cannot catch perception itself. Discretion cannot catch

[52:25]

discretion itself. Did you understand this point? A complete sleeping cannot cannot be caught up by complete sleeping. Because just sleeping there. Complete sleeping only there. That's all. This is real meaning. Real meaning of complete sleeping. Just arising. The fundamental nature of time is just based on just arising. So, Dawkins says, Arising is assuredly identical with

[53:28]

the real reality which time and occasion thus comes. Because time is arising. What is arising? What is arising? It is arising only. It is arising only. What is arising? So, if you want to know the truth, just see the causal location of time and occasion. Causal relation of time and occasion. Just see. What is the ripeness of time and occasion? But that would seem that

[54:29]

one wouldn't be using one's intellect then. There seems to be a problem there. Because if you're using your intellect and not being a blind man, you seem to convict that at different times. Just sitting, or just seeing, or just sleeping, or just being. And how does one use one's intellect? From where? Because human beings want to know. Want to know what it is. Because actually in our daily life you feel some vanity. You see? And also, the problem is vanity prompts most people to do something continuously. But if you understand

[55:31]

the deep fundamental dimension in which the time is just arising, going and coming. In other words, in the huge dimensions, huge expanse of dimensions, including human beings, living beings, all beings. You can understand why I have, why is it that I have to feel vanity. See? Vanity. But only in our daily life we try to think, we try to see ourselves just in terms of human dimensions. In other words, you feel something in terms of your sensation.

[56:32]

See? See? That's a problem. That's a problem. For instance, there are lots of examples, lots of examples created by people. For instance, a man, a middle lady who has had cosmetic surgery, nose job, or face lift. And then a man ran into this woman. That time he said, I listened, I listened. The cosmetic surgery

[57:35]

has improved your appearance hundred percent. Hundred percent. Hundred percent. The moment after, he said, she gives him a very nice stare to him without even saying thank you. So, he has to feel like two saints. Oh my goodness. That's his experience. The next day,

[58:38]

let's imagine that he meets another girl. The moment when he meets that girl, he notices something. He notices something. Because this girl, it is very clear that this girl has also cosmetic surgery. Nose job or face lift. But at that time he prompt, prompt, or pretend that he doesn't notice whether he has, she has cosmetic surgery

[59:42]

or how wonderful it is. He does not because he had a very bitter experience. So he ignored completely. Then immediately she said, did you notice anything different about me? Of course he knows so well, but at that time he feels foolish. What's the matter? But completely he is upset. He is upset. And then someone says, a vanity. Vanity prompts most of people to have

[60:45]

cosmetic surgery. I think so. I think so. So to ignore, that's why to ignore is unkind. To ignore is unkind. But at that time he tried to admire how beautiful it is. So he said, recent surgery has improved your appearance 100%. It means, what does it mean? What does it mean? Let's imagine, your looks 100% cosmetic surgery is completely successful. 100%. It means her face was completely worse before. How miserable, how ugly,

[61:46]

she was. So she knows so well. So she gives completely ice stairs to him and walk away immediately without even saying thank you. But she always feels vanity. She always feels vanity. Why? Even though he got the wonderful operation, cosmetic operation, and appearance, her looks is complete, 100%. Why? Nevertheless, she feels some vanity. See? It means if you look at the human life just in terms of just human dimension,

[62:48]

you feel always vain, vanity. you always ignore very fundamental nature of dimension in which just time is appearance or disappearance going beyond perception or decreation. In other words, emptiness. That's why Nagyarajuna says, philosophically speaking, it is, that time is based on emptiness. You can't catch it. But only human sense try to, unconsciously try to catch it. This is human, this is human nature, human brain. You can't get out. So you have, you feel.

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