This bow is based on the principle of interdependence. When you can bow, it is to understand, to worship the intrinsic Buddha. That's why I said when you bow, you should bow with wholeheartedness. It means to bow, what you can bow with wholeheartedness is to worship with worship. Fundamental and intrinsic Buddha. From this point, intrinsic, fundamental or intrinsic Buddha exists all over of your daily life. You will have to give up the belief that you have held up to now.

[01:02]

But if you think the Buddha's marks, his radiance and the various virtues associated with him on earth world, you will still have not modified your arbitrary views of the Buddha. Just recognize as the Buddha what you see now before your eyes. You know, just recognize, just recognize as the Buddha what you see now before your eyes. To bow, to stand up with wholeheartedness, I said to worship intrinsic Buddha, Dhammakaya Buddha. But it's still, but it means you still have not modified your arbitrary views of the Buddha.

[02:09]

All you have to do is just recognize as the Buddha what you see now before your eyes. All you have to do is to stand up with wholeheartedness. That's enough, as Dogen Rinpoche says. This is to worship intrinsic Buddha, Dhammakaya Buddha. If you follow the rules of the Zen master and turn from deluded views and attachments, you will accord naturally with the Buddha way. If you practice in that way, regardless of the idea whether this is training period, that is not training period. Some person asks very often to me in the kitchen how to practice in proper way.

[03:15]

When I was in A.H. monastery, I practiced. I am very lucky that I practiced, I could practice under the guidance of the famous Zen master named Hashimoto Roshi. His life followed completely as Dogen Rinpoche says in the Shoko Genzo. Even when he washed his face, he followed the old style of washing his face according to Dogen's suggestions. So I followed too. If you follow in that way, when you stand up, you know, washing face, when you enter, before you enter the bathroom, you have to bow, you have to do gassho and bow, like this.

[04:20]

And then open door, and stand up, stand up in the sink, washing sink. Gassho, bow with gassho, like this. And you take the toothbrush and chant the special verse. Before taking the... wash your face using the water, you must chant the verse with gassho. You have to always gassho, you have to do gassho always, and do something. This is very good, this is very good practice. The priest wears the robe, he always bows before he wears gassho.

[05:27]

And wears the robe. Next when he wears, he is ready to wear the kesa. Bow and wear. But this practice is very important. In whatever situation you may be, it is pretty easy for you to do gassho, before you do something. It's pretty easy. So why don't you start doing gassho and bow, before you deal with something. Before you try to read the book, before you open the book, try to do gassho. Straighten your posture, and do gassho with the hand in proper way. Like this, inviting gassho, bow.

[06:28]

And open the book. That's why Dogenzin says Buddha is, Buddha is not merely the image of Sakamune Buddha, Amitabha, or Avalokiteshvara. Buddha is thought, or earthworm, or vegetables, or even a speck of dust. Or even a bunch of grass. Yet students today cling to 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 they imagine, they deny that this can be and wonder lost.

[07:32]

Looking for something similar to what their deluded ideas are, they make scarcely any progress along the Buddha way. Then what should we do? Then Dogenzin says, when told to let go of both hands and feet, after climbing to the top of the hundred-foot pole, and then to advance one step further, without regard for their own bodies. But, nonetheless, someone says, it is only because I am alive today that they have the chance to study Buddhism. And say, oh, I can't, I can't, I can't let go of my hands and feet, after climbing to the top of the hundred-foot pole. Of course, it is not so easy to believe the Dhammakaya Buddha, in other words, the truth, or principle of interdependence, or the principle of transiency.

[08:46]

But before you have some doubt, before you try to think of it, when you have to stand up, when you have to bow, you should let go of your hands and feet, after climbing to the top of the hundred-foot pole, which is called bow, which is called zazen, which is called standing, which is called regulating your breath, you should take a head further, one step further, you should take one step further, immediately. If you think, it is only because I am alive today that they have the chance to study Buddhism, they are not really following the teaching, their teaching.

[10:05]

This must be understood first. Shikantaza, shikantaza is not merely, is not merely open to practice of zazen. It is not merely open to standing up, bowing, washing your face. As mentioned in the beginning of my talk, you should have open mind, open mind first, as if your mind is a mirror, without unevenness of its surface.

[11:19]

If your mirror is uneven on its surface, you think the reflection of your face is exactly spoiled by the unevenness of the surface of the mirror. From my opinion, during the gestation, there is a very good chance to make your practice, make a good progress in your practice, more than in during study, more than in training period.

[12:30]

Because you will find lots of agitations emerging from your brain, mind, by applying electric shock to your body. It is called various type of guest, training. Then you think, oh, Tassajara life is mostly same, same way, same way as the city life. This season is very good practice for you. Whatever kind of electric shock, whatever kind of guest come up to you and make a complaint, try to first gassho, thank you, and listen to it, okay?

[13:44]

This is very good. A friend of mine, who is teaching at Komodo University, always do gassho. When he sees some person off, whom he hates, he gassho. He do it, you know? And every morning, he bows, many bows in front of Buddha, saying thank you, thank you, great teacher. Chanting the name of person, his teacher, or any kind of type, anybody, whoever he like or he hate, he pay particularly respect to the people whom he hate.

[14:57]

He always, zen chishiki, hand bow, chanting the name, his name. This is very good. So practice is, practice is, open, completely open in front of you, whatever you may, whatever you may do, in wherever you may go, in whatever situation you may be. So this gassho is very good practice for you. So this gassho is very good practice for you. So this gassho is very good practice for you.

[15:34]

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