Recently, this book, Primo Soto Zen, has been published by East-West, I think East-West Central Press in Honolulu, translated by Professor Masunaga. The Primo Soto Zen is a translation of Shobo Genzo Zuimonji, written by Dogen. I think there are two kinds of translations of this book, but this book is better than the previous translation by some priest, sort of Zen priest, I don't know his name.

[01:11]

Anyway, this is very good, very good book. I can recommend you to read this book again and again with my confidence. Mostly, the Shobo Genzo Zuimonji, this book is written for the purpose of educating priests, but the profound meaning between the lines, which this Zuimonji, Dogen Zenji wanted to tell us,

[02:26]

is also very good for the non-priest laymen. If you have some trouble, you are confronted with, try to read with composure, calmness, you will find a great suggestion from this book. So, I think it is a really good book, which is entirely adequate.

[03:37]

I would recommend you to read and to put it by your desk, always. Tonight, we will study one of the chapters of this book. In an evening talk, Dogen said, the purpose of awakening to the old stories of the patriarchs of Zen is to modify gradually what you have understood and thought up to now, under the guidance of a Zen master.

[04:45]

Even if the Buddha you have known up to now is endowed with the wishing marks, radiates light, and has, like Shakyamuni and Amitabha, the virtue of preaching sermons and bringing benefit to the people, you must believe it. If the Zen master tells you that the Buddha is a toad or an earthworm, you will have to give up the beliefs you have held up to now. But if you seek the Buddha's marks, his radiance, and the various virtues associated with him on the earthworm,

[05:51]

you still have not modified your arbitrary views of the Buddha. Just recognize as the Buddha what you see now before your eyes. If you follow the words of the Zen master and turn from deluded views and attachment, you will accord naturally with Buddha way. Yet, the students today clinging their deluded views and hold on to their personal ideas, thinking that the Buddha is this thing or that thing. If these things differ from what you they imagine, they deny that this can be and wander lost, looking for something similar to what their deluded ideas are.

[06:53]

They make scarcely any progress along the Buddha way. When told to let go of both hands and feet after climbing to the top of a hundred-foot pole and then to advance one step further further without regard for their own bodies, they say, it is only because I am alive today that I have the chance to study Buddhism. They are not really following their teacher. This must be understood thoroughly. So,

[08:16]

years since Zen Center has invited Roshi from Japan to guide us according to Dogen's way of practice. The most of our old students or new students, they have participated in the training period under the guidance of this Zen master from Japan. Now, we have Tatsugami Roshi.

[09:21]

So, during the training period, you believe it is natural, naturally, it is natural that you believe, you believe the training period is for your great chance, the opening to you to make a good progress in your practice. So, there are many students who are interested in participating in the training period. This is all right. Particularly, Tatsugami Roshi has a very strong spirit as a Zen master.

[10:34]

Driving you to practice, to try to hard, to try, to try hard to practice Zazen. Then, he always encourage, encourages all of you to practice hard and hard. And you cannot help escape, escaping from this hard practice at least during the training period, as long as you are, you are in the Tassaha. But the allowance I feel is that there is some trouble right after training.

[11:39]

Most of the students believe after training period, the guest season is not good enough to practice for us. Most of the students don't think I don't want to stay in Tassaha in summer. So, I want to go out of the Tassaha in summer and make money, make money for the purpose of participating in next training period. I think this is pretty good, but there is something wrong. Something wrong is you have your practice rise in a sort of bias. This is training period in which we have to practice hard.

[12:48]

In training period, what the training period is just adding just good chance opening to us to make a good progress in our practice. The rest of training period is not training, it's not good chance to practice. This is a sort of bias, sort of bias which you have, which you have attached it, consciously or unconsciously. So, during the training period, you try hard as much as possible to do that under the guidance

[13:53]

of the Zen master. Then, after training period, I came here and looked at your posture of your Zazen. There are persons, there are many, most of you have the posture of your Zazen like this, but during training period, you sit like this. Why? Under the guidance of a different teacher, not royalty sensei. You don't think it is not a good chance to practice, but in during the training, just a season, your Zazen is not real Zazen? You think so? If you distinguish, if you distinguish in that way, discriminate, if you discriminate between training or not training, I bet you will, you will never make a progress in your practice.

[15:04]

While you stick to, while you stick to the such a, the conception, this is training period, that is not training period. I think that such a people are practiced hard, with too much taste exists. And then, after the training period, you get really exhausted. Then, most of students stay in bed with a drooping spirit. But, practice is not something like, like that, practice is like taking breath, taking breath. If you want to take, if you want to take a breath, as long as you can, please take a breath.

[16:13]

As natural as you can. By realization, by realization of observing modulation, in dealing with, in dealing with your breath, naturally. As long as you, your life endures, you know, you have to, you have to take breath. Irrespective, irrespective, irrespective of the idea whether you like or dislike. All practice is like taking breath. You have to take breath forever, as long as you are alive. Or, whenever you may be, or whatever you happen, or whatever, whatever you happen to do,

[17:26]

in whatever situation you may be, as much as possible, you control your breath. In controlling your breath, controlling the breath, make your mind calm. And, carry it out, carry it out, and be successful in doing something. Uh, for instance, uh, for instance, uh, if you want to play the baseball game, I think baseball, uh, play, uh, uh, baseball is a sort of, uh, sports.

[18:35]

Uh, which make you, which make the people, and which make the people enjoy the determination, whether loose or weak. So, as long as you think, as long as you participate in playing baseball game, um, you have sort of bias. A baseball game is to win at any cost. Baseball game is a sort of sports, which you, which you, you must win. Then, you try hard to play baseball

[19:49]

with a particular tense. Uh, um, and while you are participating in baseball game with a certain conception of the win, um, it seems to me that you playing, you play the baseball game, in other words, it seems to me that you, uh, no, excuse me, it seems to me that you play baseball game as if you are fighting with a certain conception of win. I have to, I have to win.

[20:53]

Then, you strong your body, the function of your, function of your body, function of, uh, mind. And, and as always exercised under certain situations, according to a certain conception, I have to win. Because while, while you cling to a certain conception, I have to win. It means that you, you are fighting with a certain conception, you know. Not through baseball game, not free function of your body and mind. So, at that time, always, you will find some mistake during the playing baseball game.

[22:11]

But during the training of the baseball game, you didn't mistake catching the ball, coming up to you, not hard, not fast, but slow, you know, slowly. You never missed catching the ball during the training, but in the match, in the, in the match of the baseball game, you very often mistake catching the ball, because you are, your body and mind, your function of your body and mind is not completely free. Because you are, your body and mind is tied up by that certain conception, I have to win. If you want to win from the bottom of your mind, important point is that you must have open mind, open-mindedness,

[23:24]

in whatever situation you may be during the playing, playing game. I need to cling to the conception of win, nor cling to the conception of defeat. While you are fighting with something, your mind is not open, completely open. While your mind is not open, it means that you are fighting with a certain something, a certain conception. In Japanese, we call open-mindedness, kyoshin punkai, kyoshin is empty mind.

[24:35]

They always, whatever you want to do, from the truthfully, truthfully, seriously, important point is that your mind is open. You have to have open mind. To succeed, to succeed in doing something, this is very important. Neither clinging to the certain idea of win, nor defeat. So if you want to practice Buddha's way, truthfully, sincerely, seriously, important point is, first of all, that you have to have open mind. Without fighting with, without fighting with certain conceptions.

[26:01]

This is training field, this is good chance to train, good chance to practice Buddha's way. That is not good chance to practice Buddha's way. Whatever you may be, your mind must be open first. While you are fighting, fighting with something, it means that your mind stick to, attach to a certain conception. This is training field, which is just, just integral part, part of whole training, whole life. You have to accept, you have to accept whole part of, whole part of your practice.

[27:15]

Then, the Dogen Zen says, the purpose of awakening to the old stories of the patriarchs of Zen is to modify gradually what you have understood and thought up to now. Under the guidance of the Zen master. You know, under the guidance of the Katsudan Roshi, he doesn't say, he doesn't say that you should cling to the certain conception. This is training field, which is open to you to make a good progress, good progress in your practice. Of course, it doesn't mean, it doesn't mean you shouldn't, you shouldn't practice hard. You should practice, you should try hard to practice during the training field, but don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand,

[28:38]

to which the only training field makes you enlightened, only training field makes you practice progress. That's a big mistake. So, in Dogen, the Dogen says in the first chapter, I will read this chapter, this is very interesting. There is a story about a monk in the assembly of the certain Zen master. The monk always carried around with great reverence a golden image of the Buddha and other relics. Even when in the dormitory, he constantly abumed, bumed, b-u-m-e-d. You don't understand?

[29:44]

Burned. Burned. Oh, oh, I'm sorry. Burned. He constantly burned. Incense to them. He constantly burned incense to them and showed his respect with salutation and offerings. One day the Zen master said, the Buddha image and relics that you are worshipping are worthy of no use to you later. The monk disagreed with him, but the master continued, this is the handiwork, handiwork of demons. Threw them away. The monk grew indignant and started to leave. But the Zen master called after him, open your box and look inside, look inside.

[30:52]

When the enraged monk complied, he is said to have found poisonous snakes coiled within. As I see it, relics should be reverenced since they represent the Tathagata's image and his remaining bones. It is wrong, however, to expect enlightenment just by worshipping them. This is an error that delivers you into the hands of demons and poisonous snakes. The Buddha's teaching has established the merit of practicing reverence so that the image and relics offer the same blessings to men and devas, as does the living Buddha.

[32:05]

It is quite true that if you revere and make offerings to the world of the three treasures, you eradicate your crimes, gain merit, remove the karma that leads to rebirth in the evil realms and are reverted with birth as man or deva. But it is a mistake to think that you can gain enlightenment in this way. You know, it is a mistake to think that the only training period is just a good chance to make your practice, to make progress in your practice. This is a great mistake. How about the rest of the period? Guest season? All usual, your daily life?

[33:09]

It is not a good chance to make progress in your practice? I don't think so. It is a very good chance to make your practice, to make good progress in your practice. Even in the guest season, even in the city life, even in the country life, I think I am afraid that if you stick to the certain conception of a training period or not training period, I am afraid your practice will become the poisonous snake. If you look at the inside, inside of the box, which is called the training, look at your box, look at the inside of your box, what is it?

[34:12]

Don't turn your practice into a poisonous snake. For this, first of all, you have to have an open mind, open mind, without fighting with any kind of conception. Of course, I don't mean, I don't mean you should be reluctant to practice in the Buddhist way during the training period. I don't mean you should practice hard specially, in the special way during the training period. Of course, if you practice hard during the training period, I think you will find something great, some great instruction through your practice.

[35:26]

But it seems to me, whatever kind of great instruction you will find during the training period, it is silent and it seems as if you woke up your mind, your eyes, by the electric shock, electric shock into your brain. Which is called the training period. I think electric shock makes you wake up. Then you find something, wow, training, that is pretty nice, but after the training period, like this. You know, according to the western way of researching the mind, I think not only western people, recently even oriental people, you know,

[36:46]

I try to research, try to research the way of understanding, research the way of understanding what the mind is. I'm giving the electric shock, always. Then the scholars always looking at the reactions, agitations showing in your brain. Of course, if you apply the very great electric shock to your brain, it makes you, it will wake you up. To guide, to guide to go, to guide to go in right direction. To guide to find something good, something good. Imagine, you know, let's, let me, let me tell you something, you know.

[37:47]

During the dazen, in the dazen, you feel pain. In other words, your mind suffers from pain. Then the scholars, the psychologist, you know, psychologist applies the electric shock to your brain, to your body. I think electric shock make you, make you forget the pain, just for a while, you know. I think so. And then you, the electric shock enable man to guide, to go in right direction, right to go. So, so, so, so, like this. But the electric shock, electric shock don't understand. Electric shock never understand the whole situation of the mind, which is, which is suffering from pain in dazen.

[38:48]

Who is suffering from pain? Mind, mind suffers from pain. Just for a while, electric shock make you forget, you know, suffering, suffering from pain in dazen. This is for good. But in a sense, it, it means that the electric shock, electric shock, electric shock make you forget, forget understanding, understanding deeply the whole, the whole being of the mind. Which is suffering from pain, in a sense. The important point is, you have to know, you have to know, you have to understand deeply or completely the whole, the whole being of the mind, which is suffering from pain. Then the master says, stay with your pain in dazen.

[39:55]

This is pretty good. Because staying with the pain make you understand deeply what the pain is. But before you understand, before, if you, if you avoid, if you avoid this effort, staying, staying with the pain. Giving the, applying the electric shock to your body, you know. You never understand the whole being of the mind, which is suffering from pain. Then, I think in dazen, in order to make the people understand deeply the, who you are in what, whatever situation you may be.

[41:15]

The zen master always says, to correct your body, to adjust, to correct your bad habit, bad custom, in attempt to orient yourself in right direction. Without escaping, without applying electric shock, in other words, before you, before the, before you have, you are curious, before you curious of applying electric shock to your body. The first important point is that you correct, you know, you correct, you adjust your bad posture, bad habit, by realizing, realizing of your customs of your habit, which has been accumulated from the past up to now.

[42:35]

To orient yourself in right direction, staying with the pain, whatever it is. Uh, to have right posture, to regulate your breath, to have the right posture of your mouth, or eyes, of eyes, of a hand. The second point is to make, to make the function of all beings, your body and mind, uh, be exercised in proper way as they are.

[43:44]

Uh, to make all agency of your internal organs, external organs, be exercised in proper way as they are, in, as it is-ness, as the such-ness, as just so-ness. Uh, this is Zazen, this is Zazen. To have a posture, to have a right posture, to have a right posture of your mouth, of your hand, to regulate your breath in proper way, is not to practice in particular way. To drive you into a particular direction, to practice in this way is to orient yourself, to orient all agencies of internal or external organs, work in proper way, smoothly as they are.

[45:04]

This is Zazen, this is Zazen. When you can do in that way, your mind is completely open. Your mouth works in proper way, your eyes works proper way, in proper way, your breath is regulated in proper way. At that time, the posture of your body is working in proper way. It follows that your mind is working, is exercised in proper way. What your mind is working, exercised in proper way is to have open mind. Because your mind, your body is completely free.

[46:09]

It means free, freedom, free, uh, freedom means, free is, free means that all agencies of internal, external organs must be exercised smoothly, as in proper way as they are. Uh, then... The, even if the Buddha you have known up to now is endowed with distinguishing marks, radiates light and has like Shakyamuni and Amitabha, Amitabha, the virtue of preaching sermons and bringing benefit to the people, you must believe it, if the Zen master tells you that the Buddha is a toad or an earthworm.

[47:22]

Uh, so Tetsugan Roshi said very often, whatever you do, hitting drum, hitting bell, walking in Zendo, all were practiced for you. Uh, Dendro Raffi, Akira said, he always said, very often, he always said in Nara, it's not his ideas, this is truth, he explains just the truth, what truth is. If you think, if you, if you believe the Buddha is, the Buddha is a sort of image, sort of image which is called Shakyamuni or Amitabha or Kambodhisatva, you try hard to worship them from the bottom of your mind.

[48:42]

Bowing, offering incense, but the other dogma says, you should be careful, you should be careful not to turn the image of Buddha or Amitabha or Kambodhisatva into a poisonous snake. If you believe Buddha is, Buddha lies, Buddha lies in only the image of the Shakyamuni Buddha or Amitabha or Avalokiteshvara. After training, after training, practicing of worshipping, heart, offering incense, offering food, bow with bow, with bow.

[49:51]

You will find some imagination, you will find the presence of, appearance of the Buddha in front of you or Amitabha or Avalokiteshvara. As mentioned before, one of the enthusiastic, serious, enthusiastic adherents, worshippers of Amitabha. Was already and was about to pass away.

[50:58]

Before she thought, before she passed away, she wanted to invite the priest, outstanding priest. She had been respectful. Then, she asked when the priest came to her bed, and this already asked him, I am about to pass away, what shall I do? Priest said, let's chant the name of Amitabha.

[52:09]

So she tried to, she tried hard to chant the name of Amitabha. In a few minutes, she stopped, she stopped chanting and asked him, Sir, I found, I saw the beautiful Amitabha. Coming down from the heaven, with his many company, being accompanied with his disciples, bodhisattvas.

[53:25]

Then she said, the Amitabha said, please come on, come on, come on this way. At that time, she was hesitated just for a while, what to do. Wow. She was completely attracted by this beautiful scene. Wow, what a beautiful place. Then she opened her eyes and asked the priest, Sir, I saw a beautiful scene. Amitabha, Amitabha was coming down from the heaven with many bodhisattvas. He said, come on this way. What shall I do? She asked the priest, what shall I do? He said, let's repeat, let's continue to chant the name of Amitabha.

[54:38]

Then this already continued to chant again among those Amitabhas. After several minutes, she saw something wonderful again. At that time, she saw many arahants with a miserable face. Not miserable. Sometimes an ugly face, with a bald head, with a bald foot. She saw the 500 arahants coming up to her and saying, come on this way, come on this way.

[55:39]

At that time, she was also hesitated what to do. Then she opened her eyes and asked the priest, what shall I do? The priest said, answer in the same way, let's continue to chant the name of Amitabha. She continued to chant the name of Amitabha. You know, whatever kind of bodhisattvas or Buddha image, or arahant, what kind of Buddha or bodhisattva you see, you see, you can see. Don't worry about it. When you see, when you see an arahant, you just bow with respectful, with respect.

[56:58]

With respectful spirit. With respect. When you see, when you see a bodhisattva, you just bow. With your knees, open your knees, with all heartedness. Notifying zazen, this afternoon I told to some of you, in giving the instruction how to sit. When you sit, zazen on your round cushion, some of you are rushing into the round cushion.

[58:08]

Like this. But because you think, such people think that zazen is to sit on your round cushion with a posture, particular posture. Of your body, of your back, of your head, of your hand. So to stand up in front of your round cushion, before you sit, is not to practice, not to practice. If you think you can do roughly, carelessly, you can rush into the tendo and just sit. But when you stand up in front of your round cushion, to stand up is also practice.

[59:18]

This is great chance, this is great chance to make progress in your practice. If you stand up, if you stand up in front of your round cushion, please stand up with all heartedness. I said very often, with all heartedness. In other words, understand, comprehend deeply yourself, who is standing up in front of you. Without applying electric shock to your body. Whatever kind of habit or custom you have, I think all of you is not always easy to stand, even to stand up in front of you.

[60:22]

Because each individual have a certain habit or customs, or body postures. Even if the master says, stand up straightly in front of your round cushion, then you think, yes sir, and stand up straightly, but your posture is like this, look like this. Then, we need, that's why we have to practice under the guidance of the teacher. Even though you believe your posture is right, the right is, you should remember right is not always right.

[61:35]

It is important for us to orient yourself in right direction again and again, under the guidance of the teacher, this is very important. Whatever you do, stand up in front of your round cushion, you should stand up with whole heartedness, and then next, gassho, do gassho. And then next, bow, and turn around, bow again, and after that you are ready to sit on your round cushion. This is, this attitude is very important. That's why Dogen then says, Buddha is not the image of Chakramuni Buddha, or Avalokiteshvara.

[63:16]

If the master says, to stand up straightly, you practice, you should believe it. You know the, in Buddhism, the conception of Buddha is divided into three kinds. The one is, the Genshin-butsu, in Japanese, Genshin is present body, the Buddha with present body. The Genshin-butsu is the Sambhogakaya of Buddha, which enjoys the reward of his laborers. In other words, the Sambhogakaya is the Chakramuni Buddha who was born in India, 2500 years ago, and attained enlightenment.

[64:28]

This is Genshin-butsu, Sambhogakaya. And second is, Jyuji-butsu. Jyuji is to hold, to maintain, the butsu is Buddha. Maintain the Buddha which you are always maintaining. Jyuji-butsu is a new Manakaya. In other words, the Buddha incarnation of the truth. It is like, it is like the Amitabha, it is like Amitabha, you can see it, you can see it. The Amitabha was not born, was not born in this world, in order to guide the human being. Because Amitabha is the symbol of truth.

[65:37]

The Buddha incarnation of truth. The third is Ritai-butsu. Ritai-butsu is the fundamental or intrinsic Buddha, which is called Dhammakaya Buddha. Fundamental or intrinsic Buddha means by which all things, all sentient beings is alive in the way as they are. Not only human beings, animate beings, inanimate beings. In a sense, it is easy for us, easier for us to worship the Sambhogakaya Buddha or Dhammakaya and Nimbanakaya Buddha.

[66:52]

To worship, in other words, to worship the Shakyamuni Buddha who was born in India 2,500 years ago and attained the enlightenment because history, historical achievement was completely approved, approval. To worship and to worship the Buddha incarnation of the truth. On the contrary, it's not so easy, it's not so easy for us to worship the Ritai-butsu, the fundamental or intrinsic Buddha. Because to worship this Buddha means to understand deeply, profoundly the existence of inanimate or inanimate beings as they are.

[68:11]

That's why there are many ways, many ways of pursuing, pursuing the study of Buddhism psychologically or philosophically. Or religiously, to make people understand much better the worshiping the fundamental or intrinsic Buddha. Philosophical speaking, Buddhistic philosophical speaking, I think the intrinsic Buddha is represented by some idea of transiency or emptiness or nothingness or interdependence.

[69:35]

Or conditioned origination and so on. So through the practice, Zazen, we have to understand this point, principle of transiency, interdependence. Why do you, you have some doubt, why we should, what we should vow before you sit? To the students who sit, sitting next to you. I think seemingly you sit by yourself, but I don't think you can't sit by yourself. Even though you sit at your room by yourself, you can't sit without any help. Even though you sit at your room by yourself, even though you sit alone at your room, your Zazen is affected with the situation of your room.

[71:02]

The situation of the outside, outdoor. So to sit, to sit, to sit alone is to sit with all sentient beings. This is true. To sit with the air, the sun, the moon, the rivers, the sound of rivers, the mountains, the house, any situation of external or internal objects. As long as you sit with it together, it is true, it is true that you should vow, you should vow before you sit to the students sitting next to you.

[72:21]

Because you are all the students, visible, invisible.

[72:33]

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