Mostly, generally speaking, Bosh's lecture is always centered on just the ultimate point, which we have to take into account. In other words, based on the essential point, the truth, the fundamental essence, the fundamental source of human life. I think this is Rossi's lecture, so-called Teisho.

[01:17]

I myself think that my lecture is also focusing on the ultimate point. I think so, but a little bit my talk is going out of the ultimate point. In other words, my talk is going around, hanging around, just outside. But outside of the ultimate point, I'm dragging my delusions out from my mind. In China, there was a very famous Zen priest, as you know so well,

[02:36]

named Chang Han, in Japanese, Kanzan. I think the pair together has been a very favorite subject of painters. You know the picture, the pair together, drawing the pair, Kanzan and Chang Han and Jutoku, two monks, lunatic monks. Did he say lunatic monks? A little bit crazy. I think not only Zen monks, all of you are a little bit crazy.

[03:37]

From this point, all of you are called lunatic students of Zen Buddhism. The Chang Han was a very famous priest of Tang Dynasty in China. I think those days, I think the Chinese monks were spending, Chinese monks enjoyed their lives.

[04:49]

From the bottom of their mind, by the complete understanding of the ultimate point of human life, you will recognize that there are many interesting stories. Which occurs in a book of records, Hekigan Roku, which is very popular for Zen students.

[05:50]

If you read this book, you will find transcendental humor, air of freedom. In these stories, which occur in the book of records, I think these stories are very profound. They refined the stories concerning the principle of Zen Buddhism. So the book of records was very popular in China and also in Japan.

[06:57]

All students are interested in reading this book and try to understand the principle of Zen Buddhism. Judging from the content of these stories, I think the Zen monks in China really absolutely enjoyed their lives. Based on the transcendental humorous air of freedom, there is no amount of serious or hard practice. So that's why someone says, someone called such monks, lunatic monks.

[08:03]

In Japan, I think they have been interested in the book of records too. But in Japan, there is a little bit different feeling from the principle of Zen Buddhism. Particularly, the Chang Han, the lunatic monks, enjoyed absolutely his whole life. With the humorous air of freedom.

[09:18]

He says as follows, he composed some poems. But I cannot translate completely this poem. Anyway, briefly I will explain this poem. He says, man seeks for the fountainhead of the river. You can find the fountainhead of the river.

[10:26]

You can trace the river to its source. But nobody can get at the totality of water itself. Which is flowing, concentrated ceaselessly in a steady stream. This is a very interesting poem. Man seeks for the fountainhead of the river.

[11:43]

Not only scientists, but also all of you who are interested in the practice of the Zen. Try to seek for the fountainhead of the river. Because in our daily life, to say what you have some trouble. Without being satisfying, without satisfying yourself.

[12:58]

Is to say that you try to seek for the fountainhead of the river. Consciously or unconsciously, our mind focuses to seek for the fountainhead of the river. I think through the practice of Zen, someone finds the fountainhead of the river. So called the enlightenment. This is, I get the enlightenment. Someone finds themselves to turn out how awful they have strong delusions.

[14:08]

Strong suburban of ego. I think, you think maybe the delusion and the enlightenment are different meaning. Between two. Different between two. But strictly speaking, I think the delusion and enlightenment are completely same. Completely same. When you are satisfied with your practice, at that time you may get enlightenment. Oh, I get enlightenment. How wonderful my practice of Zen is. But on the contrary, when you are not satisfied with your practice of Zen, you think, oh, how awful I am.

[15:10]

Your mind is always focusing to seek for the same thing. But difference is just the point, whether you are satisfied with yourself or not. That's all. So from this point, even though you find yourself to stay, to remain a being in the world of delusions. I think the point, the result, what you are seeking for is completely same between two.

[16:23]

I think, you know, as Kanzang Changhans said, Man seeks for the fountainhead of the river. Although you can't trace the river to its source, such as the enlightenment or delusions, the same thing. But nobody can get at the totality of flowing water, stream of water.

[17:49]

You know, when you are not satisfied with yourself, I think unconsciously you are against yourself. You are a resistance anyway, unconsciously or consciously. In a sense, it means you are not satisfied with yourself. But in a sense, you are satisfying yourself by discovering of your delusions. In other words, you are delighted in sitting on the chairs of delusions. You know, the... I think, you know, from this point,

[19:05]

there is just a different point. How you see yourself, from what direction you can see yourself, in terms of enlightenment or in terms of delusions. In terms of delusions, you are not satisfying yourself. But in a sense, on the contrary, in a sense, what you are not satisfied, and you suffer from those delusions, is you stay on the chair of delusions even for a moment. Unconsciously, you don't know exactly. But anyway, I don't like myself.

[20:15]

I don't like zazen, I don't like a lecture or anything. Anyway, you are always against or resistance, consciously or unconsciously. I think it means... It seems to me that, you know, you find some fountainhead of the river. The difference is, you know, what's the color? The difference is, what do you find? What kind of color you find? Delusion or enlightenment, the color is the same. Even white, even black, even red, the same. The color comes from, white color comes from white colors. If you can understand white color as it is,

[21:18]

there is no resistance, there is no against. There is not necessary to be against something. But you cannot see white color as it is. You expect white color, you know, something red color. Because you are not satisfied with the fountainhead of the river, so-called delusion, white colors. That's why, oh, I don't like white colors. Then, unconsciously, you are expecting, you expect another kind, other kind of colors, red colors. Coming from white color, that's troubles. That's big troubles. Don't you think so? The same. Even though you get the enlightenment, oh, I get the enlightenment.

[22:20]

Next moment, you discourage, how awful I am. The same, completely the same. But anyway, from many kinds of various directions, from the various directions, men try to seek for, anyway, the fountainhead of the rivers, anyway. Consciously or unconsciously. But important point is, nobody can get out of the totality of water, which is flowing constantly, ceaselessly. Nobody knows. Nobody knows. Because you don't know.

[23:21]

You don't know how much, how long you sit. You remain sitting on the chairs of delusions. Even while you are, you suffer from the delusions. Because in a sense, you are satisfied with your delusions, suffering from delusions. Oh, I am suffering. I am suffering. Please help me. But even while you suffer from delusions, or complaints, or some resistance, resistance, or while you suffer, you know, from resistance, or anything else, white colors, red colors, or purple colors, whatever it is, a stream of water is always going on.

[24:25]

A stream of water, including you, while you suffer, while you are suffering from delusions, or the complaints, or resistance, anything else, is going on constantly, ceaselessly. But we don't know that. We don't know that. Maybe you say, I know. I know so well. A stream of water is always going on. I know. But actually, you don't know. You don't know completely. That's why you complain. To make a complaint is to stay, to stay at a certain point,

[25:26]

at a certain point of so-called delusions. While I was a college student, I confessed how I suffered, how I suffered from my delusions, or my, you know, something, pains, mental pain, to my teachers. At that time, I was crying. Then I confessed. I confessed how awful I suffered from my pain, from my, you know, delusions. He laughed at me.

[26:27]

At that time, I was very angry with him. Why is it you have to laugh at me? I am serious. I am very serious. But he laughed. He laughed at me and said, Oh, Katagiri, don't sit on the chairs of your suffering. Don't sit. Don't remain sitting on the chair of so-called suffering. What do you think? That's what you think. At that time, ah, that's right. Even for a moment, you know, even for a moment, you cry and you suffer, you confess, you know, how awful I am, how awful I suffer from something, you know, please help me, you know, something like that. It means, it means to, it means that there is nothing but staying

[27:31]

on a chair of suffering. That's all. But you don't know because, because your life, including suffering or pleasure or any kind of pain, is going on, constantly, ceaselessly. That's why you don't know. But you can complain, you can make complain, you can confess, you can confess your sufferings to somebody. It means you have, just for a moment, to, which means to find, to get, to trace, to trace the river its source. So called,

[28:32]

how awful I suffer from something. But important point, as Chang Han said, nobody can get at the totality of water, which is flowing constantly, ceaselessly. This is very important. This is very important. In the world of streaming, constantly, ceaselessly, someone said, wow, how wonderful it is. Someone said, how awful. But just to, you know, there is, something exists. There exists something, you know. There exists something such as expressing your surprise, expressing your joy.

[29:34]

And you think, oh, this is my joy. And you think, how awful I suffer. Oh, poor myself, poor I, poor myself, oh, poor boy. You said to yourself always, oh, poor boy. And when you get joy, enjoy your life, oh, you boy, you said to yourself always. And you enjoy. But the foundation is completely same. Foundation, foundation, which means, which means, nobody can get to the totality of water, which is going on constantly, ceaselessly. Then, the foundation is completely same,

[30:38]

you know, no discrimination, like water. Even though there is stone, stone try to, a rock try to disturb the water, streaming of water, of water just going on. That's all. But in appearance, there is something still, there exists still something, means just waves, waves. Waves are, waves are identical with, you know, expressing your surprise, expressing your joy. The trouble comes from your stickiness, you know. When you find waves, many kind of waves, I don't like that, I like this, something like that. But regardless of your stickiness,

[31:39]

your life is always going on, like a stream. So from this point, you know, there is nothing but just expressing, expressing your surprise, someone says, wow, someone says how wonderful, someone says how awful, that's all. Completely same, you know. Then, I think, it may be difficult to understand. But even though through the practice, I think you understand, you may understand, you know, the source of, the fundamental source

[32:42]

of human life, based on the stream, ceaseless streaming of life, in the water. You can understand, maybe. But, you know, even though you understand this, it's not enough. Because the moment when you understand, when you think, I understand, the fundamental source of human life, even though the moment when you understand the ceaseless, ceaseless streaming of liver, water, you know, the

[33:43]

streaming of liver, water, you miss something, you miss something anyway. You miss something. Just one moment, you know, there is some gap, very slight, slightly gap. When, you know, slightly gap is just is when, how you understand, when, how you understand this streaming of liver, expanded, extended into your actual daily life. I have to explain more. If you read Lao Tzu, Lao Tzu, this book is Zen

[34:47]

from the West, written by Sohaku Ogata. He translates Tao, Tao, Tao, written by Tao Tzu, Tao Tzu. In this book, he explains the Tao, the meaning of Tao, anyway I will read. There is something evolved, something evolved evolved from the chaos existed before heaven and earth. It is without sound and substance. It is independent and immutable. All-pervading without undermining anything.

[35:52]

Think of it as the mother of the universe. I don't know its name but call it Tao. Forced to describe it, I would call it great. The great flows constantly and is therefore far-reaching. Which means that it returns to its source. Therefore, Tao is great. As are heaven, earth and the king, the bearer of Tao. There are four great ones in the universe and the king with Tao is one of them. He follows the law of earth.

[36:58]

The earth that of heaven. The heaven that of Tao. And Tao follows the law of nature. The important point is the last sentence. He follows the law of earth. The earth that of heaven. The heaven that of Tao. And Tao follows the law of nature. Anyway, something evolved from the chaos existed before heaven and earth. Nobody knows. As Khen Zang Chang Han said, cannot get at totality of water or your human life. Something like chaos, it evolves.

[38:01]

Your life evolves from the chaos. From the chaos existed before heaven and earth. Maybe in the terminology of Buddhism, you say it is ignorance. Anyway, Lao Tzu said that something evolved from chaos. Existed before heaven and earth. Existed before your birth. It is without sound or substance. It is independent and immutable. Completely, if you use the terminology of Buddhism,

[39:08]

you say this is tranquility. Generally speaking, it says it is silence. Silence, completely silence. It says it is without sound or substance. It is independent and immutable. Completely, something exists independently. Immutably. I think, let's imagine you would confront death. Completely, you would be upset. What shall I do? Even though you strive for escaping from your life, from the death,

[40:11]

there is nothing but expressing your emotional troubles. Sometimes shouting, sometimes crying. Whatever you do, there is nothing. No way. There is no way of escaping from death. Then in the world of confronting death, you always are going on, going and coming, here and there. But right after going and coming here and there,

[41:21]

there is nothing but silence. The totality of silence. Nobody can get out of the totality of silence. Nobody. Even yourself, even you, who is confronting death and suffering from death. Cannot get out of the totality of death. Silence. Nobody can reach it. This is, he says, it is without sound or substance. It is independent. Completely, you must exist independently. Nobody helps. Nobody helps. Even though you shout, please help me. Nobody can help you.

[42:26]

You just get out of the totality of silence. That's all. So Lao Tzu says, it is without sound or substance. It is independent and immutable. Only the totality of silence is immutable. Nobody can get it. Nobody reaches it. Nobody can reach it. Whatever happens, only death is immutable. Forever. They are all pervading without undermining anything. Think of it as the mother of the universe. They are all pervading. The silence, the totality of the silence, completely penetrates into every inch of human life.

[43:31]

It's actually defunct. The totality of silence is at once immutable and penetrates into the actual fact of your daily life. That's why you have to suffer. You have to suffer from something. When you confront some troubles, then you must express in various ways, such as complaining, making a complaint, being resistant, sometimes fighting with each other. That's all. Then, you know, it is a very big verse.

[44:38]

Then he said, I don't know its name, but call it Tao. I think he said, if you may call, if you may say that it is called Tao. In other words, as the Chan Han said, it is the ceaseless streaming of water. Forced to describe it, I would call it great. There is nothing but great. That's great. Then Lao expressed Tao. Lao called it just Tao. If you can say it is so-called Tao,

[45:46]

someone says silence, someone says transiency, someone says tranquility. Actually speaking, you should just stick to democracy, or principle of democracy, principle of communism, or principle of Buddhism, principle of Christianity, something like that. Because otherwise it is very difficult for us to reach it. Then, judging from the understanding of Tao, Tao always exists, always exists as the ideal of human beings who seek for constantly.

[46:48]

Then some principles, some rules come to be in our daily life. But such understanding of the totality of the water, or Tao, or truth, is not enough. I think we have to make an effort to break out, to go through something like a borderline between your understanding and the totality of the truth,

[47:58]

totality of the water. We have to anyway go through this. So the other day I remember I explained the Mono Mina Jitoku, which means everything of itself settles on itself as it is. Mono means a thing. Mina means all. All things. Jit means of itself. Jitoku means to settle, or to be as it is, to exist as it is, to exist in its suchness. This is Jitoku.

[49:01]

Katagiri exists as I am. Even though I struggle for escaping from Katagiri, I can't. My nose is my nose. Even though my nose is twisted like this, I can't escape from twisted nose. The Mono Mina Jitoku is everything of itself settles on itself as it is. In other words, simply speaking, it is suchness. It is as it is-ness, as it is-ness. So I mentioned before the pine tree is pine tree. Bamboo is bamboo.

[50:02]

Katagiri is Katagiri. Bamboo expresses himself as he is in its suchness. At that time we can say it is bamboo. At that time we can appreciate the bamboo as it is. Basho, one of our famous poet, named Basho, composed the poem. My translation may be not so good, but anyway I will translate this poem. A playing on flowers.

[51:04]

A horsefly was killed by a sparrow. A playing on flowers. A horsefly was killed. By a sparrow. The interesting point is that Basho gave this poem the title, which is the suchness. It is titled as the suchness or as it is-ness. Mono Mina Jitoku.

[52:07]

Everything of itself settles on itself as it is. This title is very interesting. Judging from this poem, a playing on flowers, a horsefly was killed by a sparrow. He understands this scene, the actual scene, regarded as the suchness, which means everything of itself settles on itself as it is. He composed another poem. It is composed on, it is titled, composed on horseback, horseback.

[53:14]

He says, at the side of the road, the road of Sharon, the road of Sharon, was eaten by my horse, was eaten by my horse. I think Basho travelled all over Japan riding on a horse. Let's imagine that way. Then his horse found a road of Sharon planting in a hedgerows, hedgerows. The horse started to eat the road of Sharon. On the other hand, the road of Sharon expressed full function of his horse life force.

[54:23]

Regardless of how beautiful I am, regardless of the idea of how awful I am, for the road of Sharon there is nothing but the blooming, the flower of his life force blooms, that's all, in the hedgerows. But the horse started to eat. And Basho looked at it, this scene. I think, you know, for the horse, I think he started, he is eating, he was eating the road of Sharon with no mind, no mind. Without appreciating how beautiful this flower is.

[55:31]

Just see. And then look at the, there is some person who look at this. This is Basho. I think for Basho, in his intellectual faculty, he started to think of something. Oh, how awful, you know, my horse is. Why is it you have to eat the beautiful road of Sharon? It is not necessary to eat the road of Sharon. Leave it alone. If you leave it alone, you can appreciate how beautiful the road of Sharon, how beautiful it is. Why is it you have to eat it? Maybe he said to himself, in his little brain.

[56:35]

And then towards the road of Sharon, he is still thinking, oh, poor boy, poor boy. Why is it you have to, you have to let the flower of your life force bloom in another place? Nobody can reach you. Nobody can reach you. You know, but even Basho thinks so. There is nothing but the totality of life force. So-called road of Sharon, so-called the horse, so-called Basho. That's all. But this life force is just going on.

[57:40]

And then within this world of going on. Basho thinks, Basho gives some sympathy to Sharon, road of Sharon. Oh, how poor, how poor boy. Maybe he was angry with his horse. Why is it you have to eat it? But that's all. That's all. Even Basho cannot reach, cannot reach the totality of the road of Sharon. He cannot reach the totality of the horse itself. And also, even Basho cannot reach the totality of Basho itself.

[58:49]

You know, then Basho understands this totality of the truth as it is. Then he gets some, he gets the totality of life force. At that time he can compose some poem like this. Playing on a flower, a horse flies was killed by a sparrow. Or after a sun rose, the rose of Sharon was eaten by my horse. Nobody can get at the totality of water itself. Which is going on constantly.

[59:57]

I think only within this world, the world of poems comes to being. And the real understanding of sympathy comes to existence. You know, just from this poem, I think you can understand some sympathy towards the horse or towards the rose of Sharon. And also towards Basho himself, who cannot do anything at all. Even though he has a great sympathy towards the rose of Sharon. He can't, he can't reach.

[61:01]

He can't reach the totality of the rose of Sharon. Even though having a great sympathy towards the rose of Sharon, towards the horse, towards himself also. Just existing, just exist. This is very important. This is not something like empathy. Within the world of street, ceaseless street. You have to have some sympathy, you have to have some effort. You have to have some expression of your surprise or joyfulness or sufferings.

[62:08]

Even though you have expression of surprise and suffering, the pleasure or joy, you can't reach. You can't get at the totality of suffering or pain or joy itself. Or towards, or even towards yourself, who is suffering from pain or something else. That's all. At least something exists, that's all. At least some big world where no amount of argument or complaining or suffering or pleasure avails, avail. Here.

[63:11]

Here. But you have to give, you have to have the feeling of suffering, feeling of sympathy, feeling of effort, feeling of empathy. A feeling of the feeling of pain. Strictly speaking, what is existence? When you understand the truth. I think Sukhi Roshi always said, when you sit in meditation, you always confess how pain, how pain my leg is. My pain is, I feel pain often. Of course, when we have Sesshin, six days Sesshin, I think you will explain how pain, how often you feel pain from your leg.

[64:25]

That time Roshi said always, you should accept the pain. That's all. You should accept the pain. This is very important. Maybe you think, why is it we have to accept this pain? You think, probably there will be something, another world where you can escape from pain. So you complain, you may complain, I feel pain, so I don't want to practice Zazen. Even though you confess, he said just accept, accept your pain. This is very important.

[65:30]

Like a Basho, a Basho, all he has to do is just to accept. The totality of the laws of Sharon, the laws of Sharon of his whole, of his own life, existence, life. Just accept. Nevertheless, he has to do something. To make effort to sympathy, to give sympathy, to give, to understand, to make every effort to understand this. Whatever you do, nevertheless, nobody can get at the totality of the water. On the contrary, you have to do something.

[66:34]

This is completely a contradiction, a contradictory state of human life. Then what to do? At last, just do it, just do it. Just accept. When you just accept the totality of the laws of Sharon, of the whole, of himself, that time he can compose this poem. He can, I think he can practice Zazen. He can understand the world of Zazen, the world of human effort, the world of sympathy. So anyway, whatever happens, of course you make a complaint, lots of complaints.

[67:41]

You are resistant against everything anyway. Some rules or even yourself. But you should remember, there is nothing but just accept it. As long as you are right in the middle of the world where you just exist now and here, you have to accept the world of now and here. That's all. This is our practice. Then at that time, when you hit the bell, the sound is not merely sound. Through the sound, you have to understand the totality of the bell, the totality of your life, the totality of all circumstances with all sentient beings.

[68:51]

Based on silence and the words Tao. When you settle yourself as you are, right in the middle of this world, of here and there, here and now, at that time you may say you are you, as you are. Pine tree is pine tree. It is Mono Mina Jitoku. Everything of itself. Settle on self as it is. So anyway, whatever kind of my nose, shape of my nose is, I have to express myself with all heartiness. That's all. Then through this experience, I have to understand the totality of myself,

[69:56]

the totality of all sentient beings. That's all. This is our practice. This is our practice. Then the master says, just do it. No amount of argument avails here. Just do it. Then master always says, just do it. That's why you may want to complain. You have to suffer from something. But strictly speaking, there is nothing but just do it. Just settle yourself. As you are. This is ultimate point of human being. If you want to settle yourself as you are, this is very important.

[70:59]

This is our practice. Shikantaza, shikantaza. It's the same. Otherwise you can't compose a poem. Otherwise you can't understand yourself. However you struggle for yourself, this is very important.

[71:20]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ