Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, Well, throughout the history of Buddhism, and especially focusing on Zen practice, and especially focusing on Soto Zen practice, narrowing that to Soto Zen practice, the essence

[01:13]

has always been characterized as light. And if we look at the Hokyo Zamai, the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, is talking about light and dark, light and darkness. And the Sando Kai, which seems like a development of the Hokyo Zamai, is talking about Actually, it's the other way around. Sondokai is first talking about light and dark, and then that's developed further in the Hokyo Zamai. And throughout the history of Soto Zen, focusing on light as the essence, we have Master Hung presented it as our practice as silent illumination.

[02:20]

And then Master U Mon, there's a wonderful koan which I've talked about many times in the booklift record of Master Yun Mon, where he talks about everyone has try to look for it, it's dim and dark. They can't see it because it's so obvious. And then Dogen has a commentary on that koan in the Shogo Genzo, which is called Komyozo Zamae. And then Ejo, Dogen's disciple, Ko-un Ejo, not Ko-an Ejo, Ko-un Ejo, has a commentary which he calls, Absorption in the Treasury of Light.

[03:43]

And this, of course, refers to Zazen. So this has always interested me, and I very much responded to Ejo's absorption in the treasury of light. And I've always thought of Zazen in that way. So that was a kind of affirmation when I discovered both in Dogon, Uman, Dogon, and Ejo. And there are many koans, when you begin to look at this, there are many koans which are referring to this. And many koans, which we don't ordinarily see as referring to this, we realize that they do.

[04:46]

So, this little book called Minding Mind, I don't know if you've seen that, that was published some years ago, not too long ago, because not too long ago, time passes so fast, you know, it was probably 10 years ago. But clearly translated, it's a number of meditation treatises from China and Japan. And he translated this, Absorption in the Treasury of Light, and included it in this little book. So I'm just gonna read a little bit of what Ajo says in his introduction. He says, there is a chapter on light in the Shobo Genzo, Dogen's Shobo Genzo. The reason for writing this essay now, in addition, is just to bring out the essential substance, the fact that the countenance of Buddhism is absorption in the treasury of light.

[06:03]

This is the unobtrusive application of inconspicuous practice. carried out by oneself and influencing others, proper to people who have studied Zen for a long time and have entered its inner sanctum. The unobtrusive application of inconspicuous practice carried out by oneself and influencing others is called Jijuyu Zamai. Jijuyu Samadhi, which Dogen talks about in the Bendoa. He says there is a means by which all Buddhas practice and expound the Dharma and express the Dharma, and it's called Jijuyu Samadhi.

[07:09]

There's Jijuyu Samadhi and Tajuyu Samadhi. Jijuyu Samadhi is characterized as sometimes self-joyous but it's self-realization, realization of our own essence of mind, and it's characterized as settling in your own understanding and then extending that to others. Extending the light, realizing your own light and extending that light to others and lighting others' lights. This is called teaching without teaching. It's simply When you have it, it influences others.

[08:13]

It's more than you can talk about. It's not something that you can really talk about. You can talk about it, but it's like we have to find it ourself, and then others are influenced by our own light. So illumination is illuminating the essence, is what we call practice, zazen. So this unobtrusive application, unobtrusive means you're not trying to do something, inconspicuous practice, not showing off. carried out by oneself and influencing others, proper to people who have studied Zen for a long time and have entered in its inner sanctum. The so-called treasury of light is the root source of all Buddhas, the inherent being of all living creatures, the total substance of all phenomena, the treasury of the great light of spiritual powers of complete awareness.

[09:33]

The three bodies, the four wisdoms, and states of absorption, numerous as atoms in every aspect of reality, all appear from within this. Yesterday I talked a little bit about the three bodies and the four wisdoms, when I talked about dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya, and the four wisdoms that are inherent in them. The flower ornament scripture out of the Tamsaka Sutra says, the great light of the lamplight illuminate, lamplight illuminate is a translation of Dipankara, the name of Dipankara Buddha. Dipankara Buddha is the Buddha before Shakyamuni, the sixth Buddha before Shakyamuni, who, and it is a, story about the aeons of difference between Jagadguru and Dipankara Buddha, but in the ancient past, Dipankara Buddha was walking with his retinue and there was a big puddle that he had to cross, and so at that time there was a

[10:57]

She had long hair, and so she laid down her hair so that Shakyamuni could walk across it. And she later became Shakyamuni Buddha, according to the story. It's a great story. So this great light of the lamp-like illuminate pervades the universe without differentiating between the mundane and the sacred. Thus, that Buddha has entered this hall, the reception of this once I heard is itself having entered the hall." And he goes on and on. It's quite illuminating. Well, he also said some other little things like, the spiritual light is unbroken from the infinite past to the infinite future.

[12:13]

This is called perpetual energy. Utterly free of senses and objects, the essence manifests real and eternal. This is called permanent stability of radiance. Trusting in this spiritual light, abiding peacefully, imperturbable, is called the supreme concentration of simply sitting. So this is Zazen. Sometimes we wonder, well, what are we doing in Zazen? So boring. You know, we are so used to living in our imagination that when our imagination is no longer operating, fully functioning,

[13:24]

we don't know what to do. We think that there's something missing when we can't access our imagination, when we're simply present in accessing reality. And then sometimes we say, Well, I'm just sitting here and nothing's happening. Because we want something, expect something to happen due to our imagination. So imagination is a kind of, it's wonderful, but it's also delusive. Wonderful stuff. You know, I used to always live in my imagination. I still do, but, and I thought if I didn't live in my imagination, what would I have? So Zazen, you know, is not to live in your imagination, but to simply be a vehicle for light.

[14:38]

Empty vehicle so that you transmit, light is transmitted and you transmit light. It's like we're transmitters. we receive and we, it's not that we're actually giving. It's just that we're allowing the essence to enter into our society or our environment. This is called enlightened activity. That's why Zazen is called enlightened activity, because it's transmitting light. What is enlightenment? Light. If you think of it some other way, you should call it by a different name. But we don't always, you know, we don't recognize it.

[15:59]

We don't have that realization all the time. But it's not just when you're sitting, of course. Sitting is what allows this to come forth in a way that other activity obscures it. So when we let go of our imagination, our thinking mind, our expectations and just sit still, be still, and become absorbed. Absorption means samadhi. Clearly he likes to use the term absorption because he doesn't like to use the word samadhi, because he feels that people will think it's something exotic, too exotic. but samadhi in the treasury of light.

[17:04]

Komyozo samadhi, as Dogen calls it. Actually, it's called divine light is one translation of komyozo. Radiant light is also another translation. So, if you are really sitting zazen without trying to imagine something, or following up your thoughts, and without trying to gain interest in something, and just allow light to radiate, then this is Zazen. But this is, we wonder sometimes, well, why do I keep doing this?

[18:19]

It hurts. It's long. Why are we doing it? Because something happens, but we don't always realize what it is that's happening. So it's hard to recognize, very hard to recognize, because it's so obvious. So I have a koan here from the Blue Clip Record. It's Wutsu's, what is that other? Other, in this case, can also mean that one. The same character, it means either other or that one. So Wutsu, who is that other? or who is that one?

[19:20]

I like that one, actually. Utsu said, Shakyamuni and Maitreya are servants of another, or that one. Tell me, who is that one or that other? Who is that? Shakyamuni and Maitreya are servants of another. I like that. because we usually think of Shakyamuni and Maitreya as the highest. So who are they serving? What is it that they're serving? So Master Uman in his comment says, if you can see this one or this other and distinguish him or her clearly, then it is like encountering your father or your grandfather or your grandmother at the crossroads.

[20:27]

You will not need to ask somebody whether or not you're correct. So this is also when meeting your father or grandfather or whatever is like meeting your original face. I remember when my son was born, And the nurse picked him up and said, you can be the first one to see him. I thought, oh my God, that's my ancient face. My prehistoric face. Really, that's what I thought. I also thought he looked kind of squishy, like Menachem Begin. Really ugly.

[21:32]

But it was just like, it really was, I was looking at my, and I'm like, God, there's something so primal about this, it's my original face. So, you know. Then Master Wumen's verse says, don't draw another's bow. Don't ride another's horse. Don't discuss another's faults. Don't explore another's affairs. So these are two sets of admonitions. The first two, don't draw another's bow, means draw your own bow. Don't depend on somebody else's word for things. You should experience it for yourself. Don't ride another's horse is somewhat the same, but it's like express your own truth.

[22:40]

How do you do that? when we give a talk or talk about what we've read or studied, in order to really do that effectively, it has to be your own expression. just to talk about something is not enough. It has to be your own expression that is being expressed through what this other person says, so that it's not just something that someone else said, but it's really yours. So if I'm here talking about something that somebody else said, it has to be mine as well.

[23:45]

So don't discuss another's faults. You know, pay attention to your own practice. Sixth Ancestor says, don't find fault. Even though others are at fault, when you are fault-finding, you are in the wrong. You're just defeating yourself. minimizing yourself by talking about other people's faults. We should recognize when we're at fault or when others are at fault, but often you know when we're talking about the faults of others we're really talking about how we project in that way, and when we talk about others' faults, if someone says something to me about somebody, then even though I don't believe that, or may not, it has some,

[25:12]

effect. So when I think of that person I think of that fault and it had some coloring in the way I think about the person. So we should be able to see things clearly as they are, hopefully not influenced by others' perceptions, Still, we have to see for ourselves. And don't explore another's affairs. Gossip. But it's more than that. It's manage your own affairs. I remember Suzuki Roshi, he said, when I walk through Tassajara, I don't look to the left or the right.

[26:18]

Meaning, I don't look at people's faults. I just look at where I'm going. Good way. Just look at where you're going. And look at where you are, and look at what you're doing. pay attention to what you're doing. I was talking to some students who have very high positions at one of Zen Center's practice places, and they were talking about, well, there are a lot of teachers, I don't really feel an affinity with these teachers. what I said to them was, you should inspire others. To pay attention to your practice, you have these wonderful positions of authority and working with people.

[27:20]

You have to find that authority within yourself. And you have to find your own inspiration and find the inspiration that can help others. Helping others, you know, is the best thing we can possibly do for ourself. This is GGU Samadhi actually. GGU Samadhi is finding the light in yourself and then helping others with it. You know, if when you're feeling self-absorbed which is different than absorption in the treasury of light. Self-absorption is simply self, you know, you can't get out of thinking about yourself all the time. Help somebody else.

[28:22]

Self-consciousness is what hinders us from actually accessing our light. When we're no longer self-conscious, then everything works perfectly. It all works perfectly when we're no longer self-conscious. There are two kinds of self-consciousness that I've talked about before. One is thinking about yourself all the time, worrying about yourself all the time. And the other is seeing the whole universe as yourself. as your subject of consciousness. So, inward and outward. Well, that's a very encouraging teaching. They encourage those students to inspire others. What I heard was that they had a lament that they weren't really inspired.

[29:30]

They come and talk to me. Sorry, but I can't help them. Now they serve each other. In other words, you may feel, there's no one that I feel that could be my real teacher. So you have to be your own teacher. You have to find it within yourself. That's what you're doing anyway. That's all a teacher can do, is help you to find it within yourself.

[30:40]

This is definitely my idea, but I'm going to ask you the question. Do you think sometimes people that are complaining like that are just, they're not open to other voices and they just have some idea about what a teacher is supposed to say? Yes. Oh yeah. Absolutely. That's right. So, yeah. The way to deal with that is to challenge the people around you and that creates a give and take, it creates a revolving of the dharma. So if you don't feel that they're awake, wake them up! Thank you very much, because just saying be your own inspiration and reminding us of the distinctions between self-absorption and ego, something pops with them.

[32:08]

It just shifts the energy and the attention on that part. Yes, we need to remind each other. So, Zazen is our teacher. Our basic teacher is Zazen. So, I mean, I can remember times when I felt all kinds of different ways. And when I sad zazen, everything was resolved. If you're really sitting zazen and trusting in that, everything becomes resolved. But mostly we try to figure our way out of things. So we have a mental disposition

[33:11]

We depend on our mental disposition rather than on our immersion in zazen for guidance. Of course, we do use our mind, mental disposition for guidance, but the fundamental guidance is our intuition. But even when our mind is not clear, we're supported by this. Well, there's the Thai temple, right?

[34:23]

I don't know what they're singing, but it sounds pretty nice. So Ejo says a lot of things, but he says the flower ornament scripture also says, the body of Buddha radiates great light of infinite colors, perfectly pure, like clouds covering all lands, everywhere extolling the virtues of Buddhahood.

[36:07]

All who are illuminated Beings with pains have them all removed. Everyone is inspired with respect and develops a compassionate heart. This is the independent function of enlightenment. And he also says, so the knowledge of the enlightened is light, a concentration of the light of immutable knowledge beyond the two extremes of ordinary and holy or absolute and conventional. It is the light of the non-conceptual knowledge of Manjushri who represents great wisdom. This becomes manifest in the effortlessness of simply sitting. So although I had always had a great confidence in my teacher,

[37:51]

My teacher always pointed to Zazen, not to himself, as the teacher. So that's how I can become independent. I can become independent because my teacher was my guide, but I wasn't stuck on him. they always point it to Zazen. And so wherever I am, or whatever I'm doing, Zazen is the basis. So I think that we really all do experience that illumination, but we don't always realize that that's what we're experiencing.

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rules.

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