I was talking about, I was commenting on Zen Master Dogen's Ginjo Koan. Ginjo Koan loosely means, oh, is it off? That's all. Is that better? Genjur Koan loosely means how our practice proceeds in our life from zazen.

[01:34]

So I didn't finish. during Sachine, but I'll continue. And it doesn't really matter where you start, because each section is complete in itself. So in this part, Dogen says, when a fish swims in the ocean, There is no limit to the water, no matter how far it swims. When a bird flies in the sky, there is no limit to the sky, no matter how far it flies. However, no fish or bird has ever left its element since the beginning." Here, Dogen is talking about our practice. The fish is you.

[02:48]

You are the fish. You are the bird. And the water in the sky is our element. We are always totally immersed in our element. What is our element? We always have our true nature. Suzuki Roshi used to say, you should always find your practice within big mind. Small mind is important. Small mind is an expression of our big mind. We shouldn't neglect small mind.

[03:50]

we shouldn't criticize too much our discriminating, small, egotistical mind. But if we're only concerned about our small, egotistical concerns, then we've lost our way. But even though we've lost our way, we are still within our element. So our way can always be found because no matter how far we stray or no matter where we are, we're always in our element. It's not like you get to the end of the earth and then you can fall off like a cliff.

[05:02]

Our element is neither round nor square, but it's always present. But it is possible to get lost. And we get lost rather easily. And then we look for ourself. We look for our security. We seek something real. But the reality is all around us. So when a fish swims in the ocean, there is no limit to the water, no matter how far it swims. You can't find the limit of your true nature, but we often feel limited.

[06:05]

Because we identify with small mind, we think that when we lose this small mind that everything is over. So we cling to it at all costs and we nurture it and cherish it. even though it causes us nothing but pain and discomfort. Our true mind, our true self is unlimited, has no limit, and no matter what the circumstances, we can't really get lost, even though we feel lost. There's this koan, you know, when you get to the top of a hundred foot pole, where do you go?

[07:38]

You just step off. You just let go. Why do you just let go? Because wherever you are is the right place to be. but this is hard to accept always. When we're in a difficult place, we wanna be somewhere else. As a matter of fact, we're always looking for somewhere else to go. The hardest place to be is where we are. It's easy to be where we are when we're happy. When circumstances change, then we want to be somewhere else. So this is how we get lost. When we stand our ground, no matter whether we're happy or unhappy, we find our place.

[08:47]

And this is the secret of Zazen, the secret of practice. no matter how easy or difficult something is, we stand our ground and stay in our place. And we don't get turned around by circumstances. We don't get pushed around by feelings or emotions or false thinking or desires. But we stand in our place every moment. So Dogen says, when a fish swims in the ocean, there is no limit to the water, no matter how far it swims. When a bird flies in the sky, there is no limit to the sky, no matter how far it flies. However, no fish or bird has ever left its element since the beginning.

[09:53]

When the need is large, it is used largely. When the need is small, it is used in a small way. Thus, no creature ever comes short of its own completeness. Wherever it stands, it does not fail to cover the ground. Each creature goes about its business. a bird will peck the ground looking for seeds. An elephant will go charging through the jungle eating the branches from trees. But the elephant is functioning fully and the bird is functioning fully. The amount of true nature in each one is the same.

[11:01]

The elephant doesn't have more Buddha nature than the bird. The elephant doesn't have more Buddha nature than the ant. No matter how big or small When each creature is functioning fully and totally, that creature is bringing life to life. There's no need to compare yourself with other creatures or someone else. and the quick-witted, there's no difference. Someone who has an easy time in practice is no different than someone who has a very difficult time in practice.

[12:13]

Someone who looks very capable is really no different than someone who is totally at a loss. We only have these comparative values according to small mind. Small mind makes these differences. And of course, we get annoyed. We easily get annoyed when our creatures don't come up to our expectations and standards, and when we don't measure up to others' standards or expectations. But from the point of view of a big mind, each one is working at total capacity. Wherever you are, you cover the whole ground.

[13:27]

The whole ground means the whole universe, actually. And Gutei used to raise his finger like this. Every time someone asked him a question, he would just answer this way. What does this mean? It means wherever you are, you don't fail to cover the whole ground. It means in this finger, this finger is supported by the whole universe. If you want to understand, study the finger. But if you think about it too much, you'll lose it. There's also another saying, a tall bamboo is tall, a short bamboo is short.

[14:43]

A tall bamboo is a complete bamboo. A short bamboo is also a complete bamboo. Each one has its function and doesn't interfere with the function of anything else. So, when the need is large, it is used in a large way. When the need is small, it is used in a small way. Thus, no creature ever comes short of its own completeness. Wherever it stands, it does not fail to cover the ground. Someone wrote me a letter. I made a, I did an interview with Susan Moon about Dharma transmission, which was published in the Turning Wheel.

[15:58]

And a woman wrote me a letter kind of somewhat criticizing what I said. And she said, I said that Dharma, I don't like to use the word Dharma transmission. I like the word, to use the term, entrustment. And she said, there's a big difference between entrustment and transmission. Transmission means to give something, you know, and what she said, not so bad, to totally empty yourself so that your teaching, your teacher's teaching will fill the empty space. But actually, Nothing can be transmitted to you. You should empty your mind, yes, but not so that someone else can put something else into it.

[17:02]

You should empty your mind so that Buddha nature fills your mind. Reality fills your mind. Each one of us is endowed with Buddha nature, with our own intrinsic enlightenment. Nobody can give that to you. Your teacher can help you to awaken to it. But No one can give you something and no one can take something away from you that's real. If something can be given to you and taken away from you, then it's not real. If you want to find reality, you should find that place where nothing can be given and nothing can be taken away.

[18:11]

So Suzuki Roshi used to say, when you are you, Zen is Zen. Not when I give you something. As Uchiyama Roshi said, we can't exchange even a fart But you are complete in yourself. And purpose of practice is to find that completeness. Often we look to others for completeness. When we, you know, it's hard to find our own completeness. So we depend on, we develop a symbiotic relationship with someone else to complete us.

[19:21]

which is pretty normal for human beings. That's our normal mode, is to find someone else to complete us. We find a wife or a husband or a girlfriend or a boyfriend or whatever to complete us. But we need to find our own completeness where we stand. When we have a good relationship It's really nice if each person finds their own completeness before they engage with each other. Or if they are engaging, to at least keep working on finding your own completeness. Often I do weddings for Zen couples. And then I think, well, shouldn't Zen couples be getting married?

[20:27]

Yes, if they continue to work on their own completeness together. That's why in the wedding ceremony, I always say, give each other space. Treat each other as Buddha, but give each other space. Don't depend too much. Depend, yes, but don't depend too much. Don't stop the growth of each one's practice. Ideally, A marriage should help each one's practice, promote each one's practice, not put an end to it.

[21:35]

Often people will get married and then they'll quit practice and lead a normal life. A normal small-minded life. So then Dogen goes on and he says, if a bird leaves the air, it will die at once. If a fish leaves the air, the water, it will die at once. In other words, if you leave, he's talking about Zen students here, actually. He's saying if you leave the practice, you will die in a certain way. Your spiritual life will not continue, and you'll be lost in the realm of delusion.

[22:36]

If the fish leaves the water, it will die at once. But also, you know, fish cannot live in pure water. They need something. There needs to be something in the water. And birds cannot live in the pure sky. They need something, some kind of impurity in order to survive. So it's imperative. The water we live in and the air we live in is the water and sky of delusion. It's not pure sky or pure water. It's water that's diluted and it's sky that's diluted. If we try to separate ourselves from the triple world, we try to separate ourselves from the mundane life around us, we can't really live.

[24:00]

This life of impurity, is also Buddha life. We tend to think that Buddha is just pure being, which is true, but this pure existence also includes impure existence. If we try to leave the impure existence, we'll die at once. But I don't mean air pollution or water pollution. This is not talking about the physical environment. He's talking about the day-to-day existence of feelings, emotions, thoughts, and society. and our surroundings.

[25:11]

And then he says, know that water is life and that sky or air, I don't like to use the word air, but air is okay here. Know that water is life and the air is life or the sky is life. Life is the bird and life is the fish. Beyond these, there are further steps that can be taken. In this way, there are practice and enlightenment, limited life, and unlimited life. Life is water and life is fish. Water is life and air is life. Life is the bird and life is the fish. In this kind of understanding, subject and object are no longer in opposition.

[26:39]

You yourself embody life and life embodies you. You and life are not two different things. You and your activity are not two different things. You and your surroundings are not two different things. What makes you is your surroundings. And what influences your surroundings is you. So when we let go of self-centeredness, let go of our ego, we realize that we're not separate from our surroundings. and that what we call ourself is this person plus our surroundings, no matter where we are. We don't live in a vacuum, as we say.

[27:45]

One of the problems we have in hanging on to ego is that we identify with a self. And we don't see that the extent of our true self. We're brought up in a way to see nature as over against a human being. There's human being and then there's nature. That's two different things. But human being and nature are not two different things. Human nature and other nature are all nature. Buddha nature. Buddha nature includes all things. If we take ourself out of the center, then we can feel comfortable with our bigger self.

[29:00]

life itself. When we identify with life itself instead of just me, then we have our security. We don't have to worry about losing this form. As we get older, we start thinking about losing this form. When we're young we think about it too. There comes a certain time, I've said this before, there comes a certain time in your life when you realize that you're no longer going up, but you're going down. Like an airplane. So we start thinking about I didn't start thinking about this until I was about 60.

[30:03]

But now I think about it every day. Yesterday I was 70. And I think about it more and more. Somebody said, or people say, well, gee, what does it feel like to be 70? It feels not much different than 69. But you start thinking about it, well, and then all the things that you think about, how am I going to, see, you may have 10 years or 15 years, and you kind of think, well, gee, maybe more, and then maybe less. But actually, we're all in the same boat. All of us are in the same boat. And any one of us could go like that. So it's good to decide how you're going to do that or what your attitude is going to be toward this.

[31:19]

Or how do you think about it? There are many ways to think about it. But if you identify with life itself and not just with this body, then it's easier to let go of this body. Because there's no way to get lost. The only way you can get lost is to cling to this body, to cling to this body-mind. is the only way you can be lost. When you let it go, then you can sport freely as a bird in the sky or a fish in the water, because wherever you are is your element. And when you think about it, nobody survives.

[32:25]

Nobody. Absolutely no one. or no thing. So there must be some wonderful thing about it. So just to be in our spot, wherever we are, is the right place to be. Just to be thoroughly alive when you're alive. and to be thoroughly dead when you're dead. So Dogen says, beyond these there are further, I don't like that translation, beyond these there are further steps that can be taken, is I think more accurate.

[33:28]

In other words, we shouldn't stop there. We should always continue to practice. Somebody said, well, are you going to retire? If you don't have a job, how can you retire? But, you know, how can you retire anyway? retired from what? You have to continue to practice all the time. Practice is just continuous. And our life should just be one continuous practice. It's possible to go fishing, but I was never, although I like fishing, I'm not so good at it.

[34:31]

He says, in this way there are practice and enlightenment, limited life and unlimited life, which encompass, practice and enlightenment, which encompasses both limited life and unlimited life. So our practice takes in, that's right, to account our limited life and our unlimited life. So when we think, we want to think in terms of unlimited life, you know, eternal life, right? But eternal life only is always present. Each moment is a moment of eternal life or unlimited life. Unlimited life, I think, is a better term than eternal. Unlimited life and limited life. So this earthly life is our limited life.

[35:42]

But life itself, life and death, are really two parts of one thing. And this one thing we call unlimited life. which includes both birth and death, life and death. So, when we have the freedom to fly or to swim, when we let go of self-centeredness or small mind, we can swim in big mind and without hesitation. Nishiyari says,

[36:51]

In his comment, if a bird leaves the air, it will die at once, he says, as soon as we depend on any scheming or manipulation, we immediately lose the life and wisdom of Buddhas and ancestors. Scheming and manipulation means trying to figure out a way to avoid it, or to escape it, or to hide. We think of all kinds of ways to escape or manipulate, but it doesn't help. It doesn't help. So we have this wonderful Buddha nature, and the place to express it is in this world, because this is the only world we have.

[38:09]

While we're in this world, we should express our true nature and let it roam freely, follow our nature. and give it some direction and let it direct us. As Dogen says, to turn and be turned. Sometimes we turn things and sometimes things turn us, but to be able to harmonize with our surroundings and influence and be influenced. and to let big mind influence small mind. So not so easy to do, to always live in the realm of big mind, but that's our practice. And even though we can't do it perfectly, we should never stop that effort

[39:18]

That's our effort in practice. Do you have any questions? In order to separate big mind from small mind, we have to discriminate.

[40:21]

Is that a complication? Is that something that we shouldn't do? Yeah, this is called the practice of non-discrimination. We have to discriminate because we have to tell the difference between one thing and another. The mind discriminates between the spheres of senses. This is hearing, this is touching, this is smelling, this is seeing. These are discriminating activities of the mind. And thinking, thinking divides. thinking is discriminating and it compartmentalizes and divides. So we're living in a realm of divisions, but it's encompassed as one whole. So we see the divisions, but it's hard to see the whole.

[41:27]

So when we stop discriminating, then the parts come together and we experience wholeness. But at the same time, we have to discriminate. So discriminating is discriminating on the basis of non-discrimination. It's called the discrimination of non-discrimination, which means without self-centeredness. without ego. So discrimination is important, but by itself, it's the realm of getting lost. You get lost in the multiplicity of life. Well, I think his responsibility for himself is maybe to do what he's doing.

[43:01]

But when you're young and vital, I always thought, I'm going to live to be 120. I really believed that because I had so much energy and never got sick and all this. And I would look at people who were sick and I'd think, what's the matter with them? We noticed. But as people get older, they get more tired. You know, the body starts to slow down and deteriorate, you know, and the muscles, you lose the muscle tonality and your organs are not working as well, so forth, so. People just slow down. But that can also be a good process. When you slow down, you can actually allow the mind to enlarge. When things are going quickly, the mind is very tense, you know?

[44:05]

But when they slow down, the mind can open up and expand, if you allow that. But if you don't, you know, some people, some older people understand it, some don't. I remember Chino Sensei, when he would deal with old people that are dying, What he would help them to do is to let go. Just help them to let go so they could enjoy their transition. Open their mind and enjoy their nature without having to do anything, without having to have any responsibilities in the small world, in the narrow world. If we have Zazen, you don't have to worry when you get old because you have a way to live your life which is just very expansive and allows you to make that transition.

[45:12]

Finding a rhythm? Yeah, finding rhythm in your life is very important. But what does that have to do with discriminating and non-discriminating? The two things oppose each other. Discriminating and non-discriminating don't have to oppose each other. That's a good point. Discriminating, we tend to think of discrimination on one hand and non-discrimination on the other. But within discriminating, you can let go of discrimination. And within non-discrimination, you can find a way to discriminate.

[46:29]

And a rhythm, to find a rhythm of your life is actually to be in touch with the rhythm around you. So that whatever situation you walk into, you can move within that rhythm. So rhythm is not something that's fixed necessarily, but it's harmonizing with things. So if you don't have, if you, you know, the mind of, into contact with something, then the mind harmonizes with the circumstances. And then when the circumstances are over, the mind is at rest again.

[47:34]

This is the attitude of a Zen student's mind. I don't like to put it into, to confine it like that, but it's so. Suzuki Roshi used to talk about the frog. The frog is sitting on the rock, not moving, nothing happening. But then the fly comes by and then he either swallows it or spits it out. But then he resumes his composure again. Just sitting on the rock. Hmm.

[48:20]

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