when a Zen master was training under his Zen master he stayed at his Zen his temple monastery for several years and practiced hard. One day this Zen master went to the deep mountain the depth of the mountain and stay there and practiced Zazen by himself making a small cottage. Then every me time meal

[01:18]

time he went back to his temple and have a meal with the monks but one day he suddenly stopped going back to the temple to have a meal then his master was very concerned about him what he was doing then this Zen master sent one of his disciple to take up what he was doing. That time the Zen master was sitting meditation at his cottage and this disciple asked him please go back to the

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temple because your master needs you. He went back to his temple with this disciple. Then the teacher the master asked his master asked why didn't you why didn't you come kind of went back to the temple to have meal with all monks at that time the this Zen master says it is completely not necessary to go back to the temple to have a meal with all monks because heavenly beings heavenly

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beings have brought some food to me from heaven so I don't need I don't need have meal with you. Then this Zen master very scold him and and later he he burned his cottage he burned. You know important point is this monks trained very hard in the depth of the mountain by himself I think he got enlightenment he was a very good monk enough to receive some food from heavenly being so I think his

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practice made very good progress if you compared the with another monks I think his practice was very good. Why did Zen master scold him and also burned his small cottage? When the Zen master scold this monk he said I didn't know I I didn't know that you have a crack of the mind crack of the mind in Japanese we call it ski crack of

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the mind through what through what the heavenly being enter heaven being enter and bring bring some food for to you in other words to say what the heavenly being whatever they are heavenly being or president of the United States whoever whoever they anyway to say what heavenly being bring some food to him is to say what he has already a crack of the mind which which which implies which implies the sign a sign of laxity that's why he scold him. This crack of the mind which implies sign of laxity is

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completely ego. That's why he scold him and also burned his cottage. As long as we are in Zen monastery the way of life is will life at Zen monastery is like it's like a ocean the which accept completely the water coming from various rivers whatever kind of river they are. The ocean completely open to accept to receive the water coming from various

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rivers. In other words I think in Zen monastery each of us lives each of us lives in the big ocean on the basis of life force in other words ocean is life force in this case. The level of life force and life force it follows it follows that everything grows smoothly constantly well. That's why the other day I mentioned the mind is mind is the earth mind is

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the earth. On the earth everything grows so well. So all we have to do is to follow the schedule program the schedule of the monastic life as long as we are there. But in this case this monk's this monk's mind was I think very serious in order to get the enlightenment I understand so well. But when this monk thought I would like to enlightenment as soon as possible. Then he thought I want to

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practice Zazen hard because this Zen monastery was not serious strict. So he went to the mountain and practice Zazen by himself very hard. Whatever kind of result he was he was received he was given through his hard practice good or bad. I think he had already some already his already the ego a sign of ego. I want to get enlightenment without following the schedule of the Zen monastery. This is already ego. As long as you are in the

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monastery monastery all you have to do is to make arrangement for yourself of yourself how to behave how to receive yourself. Because monastery is already life force already big ocean where everything grows so well. Why should we why we do we go to another place and practice Zazen specially in particular way. I think according to Buddha's teaching it's mentioned very often

[12:49]

the whatever kind of flower they are one grows in a beautiful garden one grows at the side of Lord we are nobody attention to it. When you see the tiny flower at the side of Lord you say oh poor flower why don't you the grows why don't you grow at the beautiful garden where everybody attention to it. But what is different between two tiny flower at the side of Lord and beautiful flower in a beautiful garden. What's the difference what's the different from two

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and between two. I think even a tiny flower which grows at the side of Lord where nobody attention to it nobody pay attention to it has the same life force as the other one. Which grows at the beautiful flower. Can you say can you say what two is valuable. It's pretty difficult. From this point all of us Buddha nature all of us life force then from this point in this respect all we have to do is to bloom to let the beautiful flower of your own bloom.

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This is that's all that's all whoever you are tiny flower or big flower or carnation or dahlia the sunflowers you don't care. They name you John or Tony or whatever kind of names you have. But why there is nevertheless there is something different something different but you can see it but you can't see in actual daily life. Dining is dining. Tony is Tony. Tiny flower is tiny flower. Violet is violet. It is impossible that violet imitate try to imitate try to become sunflower.

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It's impossible. Why there are different things. Why is there distinctions distinction. You know the level on the level which is called on level which is called so-called life force in the earth on the level of the earth ground. We should we should realize that many things everything grows smoothly good and bad not only good good and bad tiny flowers violet sunflowers. Then when you when you have a sign of sign of luck in your mind which implies luxury.

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I think luxury makes you miss something you know miss something in your daily life. And that time there's something bad what you have never expected before grows will grow. For instance if you put the tiny seed on the ground carelessly. Now after putting the putting the seed on the ground if you ignore this existence of the tiny seed without giving the water.

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What would be happen. For instance if you plant a beautiful flower tulip or whatever kind of flower you try. As long as the tulip is right on the ground I think naturally it grows so well. As long as the sun the moon the rivers the mountains the airs disappear from this in this world. Tulip grows so well when you plant it.

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Because tulip even the tulip even the grounds even your human your effort even yourself grows on the level so-called life force. But why but if you after planting it if you if you don't take care of it so well. Some bats come up to tulip and they try to eat them. At last tulip has to die. But from this in terms of life force in terms of Buddha nature in terms of the level of the ocean or earth.

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Even the bat even the tulip has a life force. We don't like to kill them we don't like to kill the bat we don't like to kill the tulip too. The important point is not whether or not you try to kill the bat you try to kill the tulip. Before you try to think whether I should whether you should kill the bat or not. You try to consider again and again why why bats why bats exist around this beautiful tulip. Where is fault you or bat or tulip or ground.

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If you miss something anyway bats come regardless of the idea whether you don't you like or dislike. If you miss something if you miss if you miss taking care of your life if you miss something which you take care of a tulip. Bats come because even the bat is a part of a life force part of the ground part of the earth part of you. That's why when a bat exists in front of you you say I don't like it. From this point where is fault bat has a fault or tulip has a fault.

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When when you have the lack of the mind which implies a slight laxity. Something bad something bad grows so quickly so fast regardless whether you like or dislike. So you should remember again and again that there are many things there are many things. There are everything which they grow so well on the level on the same level so-called as the earth ground life force according to Buddhist technology it is Buddha nature.

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Now only good things but also bad things grow so well. And also in terms of life force there are no conception of bad good and bad but on the other hand you should memorize you should memorize that but is bad. In terms of the level of the life force the Buddha nature on the ground but is bad good is good. Because bad comes from the lack of the human mind which implies laxity.

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Strictly speaking all human beings or all sentient beings grows in the beautiful world so-called life force. In order to miss something by ignoring the life force there is something bad so-called bug. Which star is which star to eat beautiful tulip and sunflowers and violet and rose. So if you understand if you understand everything grows on the same level so-called Buddha natures called life force.

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We have to take care of we have to take care of the plant or your life so as not to not to grow not to make something bad grow. Because your life force is your life force you are you are completely life force you are completely Buddha nature. The tulip is completely Buddha nature as long as you plant the tulip on the ground you have to take good care of tulip before and after. That time tulip grows naturally so smoothly without bad. In our practice I always mention when you put your hand when you put when you put your hand together.

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When you put your palm together in other words when you do gassho you should gassho with wholeheartedly wholeheartedness or mindfulness. You know gassho and your body or mind exist in the life force. Within the world so-called gassho in the domain of gassho your life your gassho exist in the life force. If so you have to take care of your gassho take care of your body or mind.

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In other words you have to make arrangement for your state of mind state of body state of gassho in order to in order to make your life grows so well so called gassho. If you miss if you ignore the even a portion of gassho gassho is I think is not so good gassho. When you do gassho why we have to why do we gassho properly?

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Why do we do gassho properly having the proper posture? Because when you do gassho you have to take good care of gassho with mindfulness. Otherwise it is pretty easy for a sign of ego a sign of luxury. In other words a kind of bugs come into your gassho come into your zazen and the bugs eat your zazen bugs eat your gassho and gassho must die your zazen must die.

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Where is fault? Bugs is fault? Your zazen is fault? To say what you have to take care of your life moment after moment is to say what you take good care of your life. So as not to create the bugs universe a sign of ego. A sign of the crack of the mind which implies eating your life which eat which start to eat your life eat your zazen eat your gassho.

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Eat your bow. Even though you don't like bugs as long as bugs life endure with his own life force. Bugs exist in this world regardless of the idea whether you like or dislike. This is true. If you want to take care of this bug you have to take good care of the bugs which so as not to the hurt disturb the tulip violet. The life force if you ignore the existence of bugs bugs come up to the tulip and start to eat it.

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If you want to give Buddha's compassion to the bug you have to take care of the circumstances around the tulip. If you take good care of circumstances around the tulip I think bug doesn't come. If so it's not necessary to kill them but if you miss if you ignore the existence of bugs bugs come quickly.

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So when you do gassho when you do zazen you should take care of your body and mind in the domain of gassho and zazen. So as not to bring not to bring many kind of bugs to your zazen to your gassho. This is why Zen master scold him and burned his college. Whatever kind of hard practice you can follow and something good result will given to you will be given to you.

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There is still a sign of ego that's why Zen master scold him. In other words there is still a kind of bugs which start to eat him. When you stand up on the earth when you sit on this chair I have to take care of my body and mind in the domain of this chair. The domain of the world so-called chair with mindfulness. If I ignore my body the existence of my body and mind in the domain of the chair without mindfulness I think I must I must fall down from from the chair.

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As long as you are at the Zen monastery all you have to do is just follow. The schedule of monastery life taking care of good care of your body and mind and all circumstances around you. That's all. There is no enlightenment except this attitude in life.

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