Page 175 Then the twelve hundred arahats of self-reliant mind reflected thus, delighted are we to gain this unprecedented experience. If you, world-honored one, could predict for each of us our future destiny as for the other great disciples, how glad we should be. The Buddha knowing the thoughts in their minds addressed to Maha Kasyapa, these twelve hundred arahats let me know in their presence and in order predict for them perfect enlightenment.

[01:08]

Amongst these exemplary, my great disciple Kandinya Bhikshu, after paying homage to sixty-two thousand courtesan Buddhas, will become a Buddha whose title will be universal light totality, worshipful, always perfectly enlightened in conduct, a well-departed understander of the world, fearless leader, controller, teacher of gods and men, Buddha, world-honored one, of the rest of those arahats, five hundred, will be revealed by Kasyapa, Gya Kasyapa, Gaya Kasyapa, Nadi Kasyapa, Karodayen, Udayen, Nirudar, Libata, Kapina, Bakula, Kunda, Svabhagata,

[02:30]

and others, all will attain to perfect enlightenment, all with the same title named universal light. Now arahat, twelve hundred arahats there and they are, they asked Buddha Shakyamuni to predict them, predict them, as well as other, his disciples, so little name of arahat here, this is just little, some, some arahat's name, name, and also Buddha predicted them giving their name, Buddha's name, that name is universal light, see, and also the, all, all the arahats

[03:32]

will gain same name, universal light, and at that time the world-honored one decided to proclaim this teaching over again, over again, spoke thus in verse, verse is same almost, the page hundred seventy seven, you know, the Buddha gave a name to arahat as universal light, Tathagata, that means

[04:54]

all beings turn into universal light, in other words, all beings are blessed already with wonderful capability, personality, turning into universal light, so everything becomes, everything is universal, not limited by individual, so that is original nature of all sentient beings, including human beings, and trees, birds, and also human consciousness, psychology, as psychological situation, anger, hatred, love, all sentient beings, they will turn into universal light, this is original nature of all sentient beings.

[06:02]

So that's why Buddha gave, anyway, name to them, universal light, Tathagata, and also, Buddha always gave the name to three persons, and also, the place, country, where they live, and also the time, eons, three, usually, that means, in order to build up Buddha's world, we need three, at least, man, place, the time, without time, we cannot build up Buddha's world, without place, we cannot do, without human, we cannot do anything.

[07:26]

So, man, place, the times, very important. 177, there are poems of 500 arhats present before the Buddha, having received this projection, ecstatic with joy, instantly rose from their seats, went before the Buddha, made obeisance at his feet, repeated their errors, and rebuked themselves, saying, World Honored One, we have constantly been thinking that we had attained final nirvana, now we know that we were just like the foolish ones, we are poor, because we ought to have obtained the Tathagata wisdom, and yet, were content with inferior knowledge,

[08:48]

inferior knowledge means small knowledge, narrow understanding, and the most important purpose of Buddhist practice is to be free from the highest stage of spiritual life, if you attain. So, constantly, you must be free from, you must be free from, this is our Buddhist final goal, free from is not idealistical, freedom, so you have to show, you have to live in constant freedom. So, if you attain enlightenment, you have to be free from enlightenment.

[09:57]

So, in the Buddhist scriptures, always mentions nirvana, nirvana is not enlightenment, nirvana is liberation, perfect liberation of which mysticism, and enlightenment, supernatural powers, all kinds of highest spiritual states, turn into nirvana, turn into nirvana, in other words, absorbed, melt into nirvana. Nirvana, that's why nirvana is perfect liberation, life in fluidity, that is called nirvana, so it's not enlightenment, it's not supernatural powers, it's not a certain spiritual highest stage.

[11:11]

If you reach a certain spiritual highest stage, then you can, this spiritual highest stage must be melted into one, enter into, anyway, nirvana. So, that is freedom, liberation, that's why Dogen Zenki says in Zenki, Total Dynamic Working, he says about the Buddhist patriarch's great way, the great way of Buddhist patriarch, that is, there are two things, he says, emancipation and genjo, perfectly manifestations, genjo manifestation, perfect manifestation, so emancipation means liberation,

[12:13]

emancipation means manifestations, so we have to see human body, human mind, the body of the world, and mind of the world, from two points, one is liberation, this is original nature of existence, in other words, liberation means impermanence, according to Buddha's teaching, and also according to Buddha's teaching, liberation is represented as dependent origination itself. So, if you, I told you on Wednesday, in terms of relative world, you can accept your human body, but continually, if carefully you see, if you see your body, finally your body becomes silent.

[13:17]

Nothing to say, not only human body, mind too. Life, if you see carefully, continually research life, finally nothing to say, because if you reach really core of human body, human mind, that time only one thing you can see, that is, being composed by all conditioned elements, that is nothing to say, just functions, conditioned elements. And then, in Buddhism, we say this is a twelve category of the world, or eighteen category of the world, we say so, or five scandals. But that means, that means that a particular world doesn't exist out of ourselves, so called five scandals, or eighteen category of the world, we don't.

[14:34]

That means exactly the impermanence, nothing to say, nothing to comment about this. So that is, all human body turn into silence, turn into silence. From the silence, anyway human body, human mind, anyway comes up. That is original nature. Then this body, it doesn't mean this body doesn't exist, it exists. Constant manifestations, perfectly manifestations of the unutterable, the body, a self, trees, birds, constant, that is called beauty, perfect beauty. That is in technical term, we say genjo, perfectly manifestation.

[15:40]

That is nirvana, it's very nirvana. So, then arahat, so arahat realized their own inferior knowledge, so rebuking themselves, and reflected themselves on them. Saying a word on one, it is as if someone goes to an intimate friend's house, gets drunk and falls asleep, meanwhile his friend having to go forth on official duty, ties a priceless jewel within his garment as a present and departs. The man being drunk and asleep knows nothing of it.

[16:47]

On arising he travels onward till he reaches some other country where for food and clothing he expends much labor and effort, and undergoes exceedingly great hardship and is content even if he can obtain but little. Later his friend happens to meet him and speaks thus, That, sir, how is it you have come to this for the sake of food and clothing? Wishing you to be in comfort and able to satisfy all your five senses, I formerly in such a year and month and on such a day tied a priceless jewel within your garment.

[17:51]

Now as of old it is present there and you in England's. Isolating and worrying to keep yourself alive, how very stupid. Go you now and exchange that jewel for what you need and do whatever you will, free from all poverty and shortage. And this is a parable given by the Arhat, 500 Arhat predicted by Buddha. And reflecting upon their own inferior knowledge, small knowledge, shallow understanding. So anyway, that is, Dogen Zenji mentions, wrote the chapter so-called One Bright Pearl.

[18:58]

We are anyway constantly one bright pearl, universe, one beautiful universe, unit, unit of all sentient beings. Unit of one, of universe. Well, it means Buddha nature. Buddha nature is not something you have to understand or you have to be agree with. But anyway, through your life you should get taste. And little by little, if you behave as a Buddha, they naturally, well it means usually, if you do your best to live in this world, anyway do your best.

[20:16]

Then very naturally Buddha has water, pure spring, pure water spring, anyway coming down, coming up from the ground. This is Buddha nature, then you can understand. I always mentioned about, anyway, the Buddha's teaching, human beings in terms of Buddha nature. That's why you don't understand, Dogen Zenji also mentioned always like this. And also even though you see the human world, how to handle the human world, not from dualistic sense or common sense. How to deal with human world from Buddha nature. So that's why little difficult to understand because we don't pay attention to this. So, the other day someone asked me if I don't agree.

[21:20]

I understand this, but you can't understand or you can't be agree with. So I don't want to say something you should agree with. So, complete beyond whether you agree or not, I'm talking about something which you will have to taste through your human life. That is Buddha's teaching anyway. Impermanence, egolessness, emptiness, this is not matter of understanding or you should be agree with. Complete beyond. But it is true. If it is true, truth is something you have to anyway find it. Filling into your daily life, gradually you understand.

[22:25]

That is in Buddha nature. The Buddha also is like this. When he was a Bodhisattva, he taught us to conceive the ideal of perfect wisdom, but we soon forgot neither knowing nor perceiving. Having obtained the Arhat way, we said we have reached nirvana. In the hardship of gaining our living, we had contented ourselves with a mere trifle. The Buddha also is like this.

[23:35]

When he was a Bodhisattva, he taught us to conceive the ideal of perfect wisdom, but we soon forgot. Bodhisattva himself always teaches ideal of perfect wisdom because his life is just like this. Constantly being in perfect wisdom, but he doesn't stay there. So constantly come back to human world and teach. But he is always in perfect wisdom. In Diamond Sutra, Bodhisattva's conduct is described in a different way on the basis of this idea.

[24:35]

Bodhisattva is always in the darkness. In the darkness means complete devotion, full devotion into. Bodhisattva devotes fully himself into something, but at that time he is not in darkness. He knows everything, so everything is bright. Usually we are in darkness and we become blind. This is a different point. So Bodhisattva realizes we are Buddha. They are Buddha. Constantly riding in the middle of the Buddha nature. They are called darkness, but they realize.

[25:38]

But we forgot. This is a different point. Page 178. Our form of Nirvana, but we have considered it to be the real Nirvana we have obtained. World Honored One, now we know we are really Bodhisattvas predicted to attain perfect enlightenment. For this cause we greatly rejoice in our unprecedented gain.

[26:47]

Thereupon Ajanta Kaundinya and the other desire to announce this meaning over again spoke thus in verse. Okay. Do you have some questions? Bodhisattva in the verse it says we neither perceived nor knew it gaining but a little of Nirvana. Where? In the verse on page 179, two thirds of the way down. What place? 179? Yeah, two thirds of the way down it starts out, we neither perceived nor knew it gaining but a little of Nirvana.

[27:48]

How can you gain a little of Nirvana? We neither perceived nor knew it. Yeah. Or gained. Gained but a little of Nirvana. Yeah. Or it says in the text a form of Nirvana. But because of our ignorance we neither perceived nor knew it gaining but a little of Nirvana. A little of Nirvana means a mutual sense of enlightenment. In other words, inferior knowledge. In other words, we have constantly been thinking that we had attained enlightenment, perfect enlightenment.

[28:55]

This is just a little Nirvana, a little Nirvana. It's not perfect without it. Well, it seems, I don't know how you can cut off Nirvana. You don't know how to cut off? I don't understand when they cut off Nirvana which seems to be one, to cut it up into little parts. Well, we say, but even though you have very small knowledge, you know, small knowledge it is not completely different from, you know, big knowledge. So, a certain state of psychological situation is called temporary small knowledge or sometimes big knowledge, sometimes middle size of knowledge, but they are anyway.

[30:05]

They are perfect knowledge. But knowledge appears sometimes under a certain situation. Always. There are terms that knowledge is small, little. So, under certain circumstances, perfect knowledge is always working. But under certain circumstances, knowledge appears in a different way. So, Nirvana is always here. Nirvana appears under certain circumstances and then Nirvana becomes little, middle and big. Perfect, not perfect. Always. But this is, originally there is anyway perfect Nirvana. What was that?

[31:09]

Hey. Earlier you were talking about Nirvana and you mentioned five skandhas, eighteen realms and twelve full chain of causation. I didn't understand what you said there. But you were saying something about Nirvana and then you mentioned those things. I didn't understand. I missed what you said. Could you just say a little bit more about that, you were talking about Nirvana. What did I say? Well, you were talking about Nirvana and then you mentioned five skandhas and eighteen realms and twelve full chain of causation. You said these are all something related to Nirvana. Did I? Well, I thought you were turning into a universal light.

[32:18]

Did I say something? Yeah. You are saying those... Yes. Yes. Everything turned into universal light. That's why Buddha gave the name to the five hundred arahats, so called universal light. Okay. I have another question too about prediction. Hmm. Let's see what I have down here. It says prediction according to Dogon.

[33:19]

It's not just to get some idea about our fate after death, but rather process itself. The process itself right now, right here. Prediction is really alive from moment to moment. This is human practice. Can you say some more about that? Sure. A term prediction is already the attitude toward human life, which we consciously or unconsciously see their life in terms of time process. So we believe that time is going through the past to future. So if you use the prediction, so time is already limited. So you say prediction is what?

[34:22]

The future life, you know. So very naturally, we think the life in a dualistic sense, relative sense. But generally speaking, the Buddhist teaching always emphasizes presence right now, right here. And also past, present, past, future, also absorbed into present. And also past, future, anyway, comes from present anyway. Evolved from the anyway present. So because the, strictly speaking, original nature of time is not something you have to see in the time process.

[35:24]

In the time process. Time, past, present, future. Completely no partitions. That is eternal time. So prediction itself is already, we see the human world, human life, you know, dualistically. That is okay, but because this is a really strong tradition in India. But it's pretty hard to know what prediction is. So because prediction is something to give to human beings, the human who is living in the present. And that person has to accept predictions. But we cannot go any prediction in the future. Future is nothing but the picture.

[36:28]

Imagination. Don't you think so? Past is also imaginations. Real one is only present. But present is also not a real present you believe. Real present is, present we believe is just like imaginations. So you cannot depend on present. So real present is no partition, no idea. So for so called present, separate from past and future. So prediction must be exercised in this level, a stage of eternal time. For this, anyway, prediction very naturally should be understood. Like a token. Where is it that Dora discusses prediction?

[37:55]

There is a particular chart. Chuky, I think it's named Chuky. Prediction. Chuky. Ok.

[39:08]

Ok. He says in here that he is talking about something he said. That that person will pay homage to the 62,000 Kodas of Buddhas. Could you explain what do you mean by paying homage? Hmm. Paying homage. We call in Japanese Ki, Ki means return or throw away. It means dependence.

[40:25]

So we throw away, we offer completely to dependence. Dependence means original nature of existence. We have to return to this origin anyway. That is for paying homage. Not only just the gassho and bow. But when you do gassho and bow to Buddha, at that time you have to throw, offer your body and mind fully to origin of existence. Dependence means there is no business, no sense of business in taking, give and take.

[41:32]

That is paying homage. Usually if we bow to Buddha or if we pay homage to something, always there is a little sense of business. It's called give and take. But paying homage is completely full devotion to it. Anyone can bow to the Buddha, but it's completely different according to your attitude. That is important for us. We can always emphasize that one. Everyone can bow using the hands and the same pattern of bowing. But the quality of the bow is different in everybody. So that is, you have to completely devote yourself fully to Buddha.

[42:39]

That is kie, throwing away to dependency. Dependency means original nature of existence. There is no sense of business in give and take. That is original nature of existence. In the story of a man who goes to see his good friend and falls asleep drunk, and has a jewel sewn in his garment. I'm a little confused by why he would have the jewel sewn in his garment by his friend. It seems according to how you've explained it, the jewel would already be in his garment. Even before he came.

[43:42]

Could you explain why his friend had to sew it in? Why it wasn't there when he first came? Well, we anyway are always educated by people's conditions and circumstances and many things. So called teaching and human experience, wherever you may go. In many ways we are constantly educated. Regardless of whether you like it or dislike it anyway. So even though you suffer so much, but you are educated. Through the suffering, etc. Because there is always Buddha's compassion, he is open to all sentient beings. That is compassion, so on.

[44:44]

That is in one meaning. Already, that's why we already have jewels. Because of whether friends give it to him or not. Even though friends sleep or not, anyway he has already. But we forgot anyway. We forgot. Constantly anyway, we have to teach. We have to teach. We have to educate. So friends and people, teachers and all beings, anyway, teaching gives you a suggestion, information and who you are, what you have. That is a teaching. Also, generally speaking, we are constantly educated, but we forgot how wonderful our presence is.

[45:55]

So that's why we have to remind human beings of how wonderful, how valuable their presence is. Through the teaching, through the suggestions, through the advices, etc. So that is putting the jewels into. But I don't know when, how. So it depends on, finally, the friends also don't know how to tell him. But all he has to do is, all we have to do is, individually, anyway, people have to do their best to help. That is really something. That's why this person, anyway, lives very hard. But through this living, through his living, anyway, he learns.

[47:01]

He has been educated. And that is a likeness of time he realized. That is a time, that is a likeness of time when the friends can tell him. So friends can tell him and he can, also, he can realize. So same thing, just like a mother taking, taking mother. Mother taking and take, you know, tapping from the inside and mother tap the shells from outside and then come out. So we need both, effort. Individual effort and also others' compassion. But others, the effort and the individual efforts are already in Buddha's compassion, compassionate world.

[48:03]

So wherever you may go, it's always, time is ripening, getting ripe. Is that process of the education and creating the time, or the time being ripe, is that part of Magic City, part of Magic City, or is that the journey beyond Magic City? Beyond Magic City. Beyond that, the process is constantly moving toward real Buddha's world. Experiencing, creating Magic City. Here is a very interesting, that is the eastern post.

[49:25]

It's pretty long. Zen Sermon of Bankei Zen Master. A monk addressed Bankei. I was born with a short temper, which is always flaring up. My Buddhist teacher has done his best to help me, but without success. I realized myself it is not good, and I tried to correct it, but it is something I was born with, so I haven't been successful. What should I do to rid myself of this temper? With your teaching, I hope this time to cure myself. If I do, when I go back to my native place, I can stand before my master again, and it will prove a lifelong credit to me.

[50:43]

Besides, so please give me your teaching. I did this one because hatred, friendliness, kindness, all human beings, all psychological situations turn into, anyway, the universal light. So that's why I did. Bankei said, Zen Master says, you have a very interesting inheritance. Pretty good answer, so you should listen to it. In this short temper, here now, in this short temper here now, if so, bring it out right this instant. I will cure it for you. The monk said, I don't have a temper now. It appears suddenly when something irritates me.

[51:47]

Bankei said, then, you weren't born with it. You precipitate it yourself on account of some chance cause. Such causes may arise, but still, where could the temper come from if you didn't generate it? You allow your temper to rise because you are partial to yourself and contend with others to establish your own ideas over theirs. And then you said that it is something you were born with. You show great lack of filial, filial, f-i-l-i-a-l, pity. Filial? Filial piety. Indeed, in lying the blame on your parents.

[52:53]

At birth, each person receives a Buddha mind from his parents. He is born with not a single other thing, yet his illusions he produces by himself through his own one-sidedness. Is it not foolish to regard them as inherent? If he didn't make them himself, where or wherever could they come from? It is the same with all these illusions. Unless he deludes himself, no delusions will appear. People are mistaken on this point and they create in themselves through their own selfishness and deep-seated habits that which is not inborn.

[53:58]

At the same time, thinking that it is inborn because of this, they cannot help but be in delusions with regard to all things. Do they treasure their illusions so much they would rather live by them than by their one Buddha nature? Were they to know the one Buddha mind's great value, they would realize that Buddhas are those who couldn't be deluded even if they wanted to be. That enlightenment consists in being free of illusions and that there is no other way to become a Buddha. Come close, listen to what I say to you that grasps it well. Your temper appears when someone does something you think is contrary to you.

[55:03]

When things do not go according to your expectations, you are anxious to advance your own way of thinking. You oppose the other person and kindle your temper all by yourself. You are a most unfilial son to complain of being vexed by an inheritantly short temper and then to unreasonably accuse your parents of having presented it to you which they didn't. What is really inborn will be present now. It is not present because it is not inborn. Your short temper is something you call on yourself from time to time when the organs of your six senses are stimulated by external conditions and you struggle to oppose them.

[56:22]

Wanting to affirm your own way because it is there to you. If you are not partial to yourself and didn't contend against things or give rise to opinions, then where could the temper come from? It couldn't appear. Our illusions are self-created. They derive from our attachment to self. This applies universally to all illusions which arise without exception because of our fondness for ourselves. When there is no such fondness, illusions do not appear. Listen carefully. Your parents gave you a Buddha nature when you were born. Nothing else. From the time you were a tiny child, you have watched and listened to people in their fits of ill temper and you have learned from them and imitated them until irascibility.

[57:42]

Irascibility has become a part of your own disposition too. Now from time to time you arouse your temper but to think it is something you were born with is foolish. If now you realize your past fully and henceforth do not allow your temper to arise, then you will have no temper to cure. A more direct way than trying to correct it would be not to produce it in the first place. To try to correct it after it has appeared involves a great deal of effort and in the end will prove futile.

[58:50]

There is no need to rid yourself of it if it is not produced to begin with so bear this deeply in mind. If you grasp this securely and apply it to the matter of your temper you will find that you cannot be deluded by any other things as well. Then you will dwell constantly in the unborn buddha mind and for you there will be nothing else. Live and work this very day by the unborn buddha mind and all things will be found in harmony. It is for this reason my sect is called buddha mind sect and for the same reason you are a living buddha today.

[59:50]

It is not this the priceless thing that is directly pointed at. Trust yourself to me. Do as I tell you. If you begin by accustoming yourself for 30 days to dwelling in the unborn from then on naturally without any trouble even if you grow tired of it. You cannot avoid living in accordance with the unborn. You will by then have become a splendid dweller in the unborn. And because the buddha mind is unborn you will be constantly functioning in accordance with your buddha mind. That means you are a living buddha that very day.

[60:52]

I want all of you to listen to my words as if you were today reborn and renewed. If your minds hold any preconceptions they will not admit what others have to say. So if you listen now as if you were born anew you will hear my words as if for the very first time. And as you will thus be without preconceptions you will take and understand fully each word as I speak it. With that the dharma will be fully achieved. Okay. About 30 minutes after. 30 minutes later.

[62:41]

What month and year is this? Hmm? Oh. This is October 1973. Volume 5, number 2. I think, I don't know, maybe this is still continuing. Translation will continue in the next issue. Pre-volume. It's very interesting articles you can read. What does it say? It mentions the unborn buddha mind. Unborn means before your birth.

[63:52]

In other words, nothing to, no one can touch. Before you were born anyway. Okay. It doesn't, but it's manifesting all the time. Hmm. Unborn means always it appears. Just like, you know, the term, no birth, no death in Mahayana. No. Unborn means buddha nature is complete beyond born or coming or not going.

[65:04]

Coming or going, complete beyond this. Buddha nature is always with us. No, it doesn't mean that. Or buddha nature is coming from somewhere. No, it doesn't mean. So, complete beyond buddha nature is born or not. So that is called unborn. Boom. If we say it's there, we already think, we already think something fixed. Just like avocado seed. So that's why it's not. If we say it's not, we don't believe it's there. So, that's why we say it's there. It's because it's not coming, it's not something coming from some other place.

[66:14]

That is called unborn. What does this equate with any of the consciousnesses like 7th or 8th or 9th or any of that? Does it have anything to do with, is it similar to the Ayurvedic jhāna or anything like that? Unborn buddha mind, does that relate anyhow in some way to the concepts of... Tathagatagarbha? Yes. It's an Ayurvedic jhāna. Ayurvedic jhāna. How do you spell A-R-Y-V-I-J-N-A?

[67:24]

What you just said, how do you spell that? A-R-Y-V-I-J-N-A? A-R-Y-V-I-J-N-A? Arya? Arya. Vijnana. V-I-J-N-U... Excuse me. V-I-J-N-A. N-A. Vijnana. Vijnana. V-I-J... A-R-Y-A. V-I-J-N-A. N-A. It's the first word that I... Arya. A-R-Y-A. Yes. Yes.

[68:28]

Arya means holiness. Holy. It's a holy mind. Sometimes I have a little problem understanding differences between terms in Buddhist psychology and other than Buddhist psychology, for example. Maybe next time I'm planning to... I'm thinking, okay? To study, you know, a little bit of the psychological aspect of Buddhist teaching. What would you say? Awareness of faith?

[69:28]

Awakening. Awakening of faith. I want to use that textbook. That's very interesting. Buddhist culture. So you can learn lots of terms. Well, in this case, for example, when you said Arya-Vijnana, it's a psychological term. Maybe it's not so important, but what kind of a term is unborn Buddha mind? What do you call that? Not psychological? Not psychological. If you use Arya-Vijnana, it's already a term, a different term. Psychologically, so... So you can say psychologically speaking. Yeah, psychologically speaking.

[70:31]

Temporarily we say Arya-Vijnana, but unborn Buddha mind is not... Not the Buddha mind, you think, and not the Arya-Vijnana. It's something always walking every day. So this is unborn. Well, maybe unborn Buddha mind is compassion. According to the function of the unborn Buddha mind, maybe compassion. Tomo. Tomo.

[71:10]

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