In Avatamsaka Sutra, it is said that Tathagata, Shakyamuni Buddha, has lived up to the practice of what is called eleven kinds of maintenance. Anyway, Shakyamuni Buddha lives up to execute eleven kinds of maintenance for centuries.

[01:06]

The ninth of them is what is called the practice of Gyoji. Gyoji is a limiting practice. A continuous practice without stopping even for a moment. This is Gyoji, which Shakyamuni Buddha has practiced for centuries. Dogen also describes this point, Gyoji, in Shobo Genzo.

[02:11]

Gyo is practice. Ji is maintenance. So our practice is to practice continuously without stopping, without ceasing even for a moment. This is our practice, Gyoji. Menzen Zen Master who flourished in, I think, the 11th century or so. He was a very famous Zen Master in Japan. Because he tried to wake a solo Zen priest

[03:19]

from the collapse of the phenomenon of solo Zen in Japan. His name was Menzen Zen Master, Menzen. Menzen Zen Master explained this Gyoji. The unlimiting practice is to maintain the body-mind, body-mind or the way-seeking mind, or religious awakening. This is Gyoji according to Menzen's explanations.

[04:28]

So our practice is to maintain the body-mind, the way-seeking mind or religious mind, religious awareness. But we don't understand what is religious awareness or what is body-mind. The body-mind is described by three things I will mention. According to Awakening Faith by Ashiv Gosar,

[05:34]

One is Jikishin. Jiki is direct. Shin is mind. Direct mind. One is direct mind. In other words, direct mind is to maintain your effort. How to keep, how to come into contact with the truth. This is direct mind. In other words, the direct mind is to make every possible effort to come into contact with the truth. Plainly speaking, Jikishin is to be straightforward.

[06:39]

To be straightforward. To be straightforward, it seems that the practice to be straightforward is easy practice, but it's not so easy. For instance, the Zen master always says, Straighten your back in the Zen. Straighten your head and open your eyes. Close your mouth. Put your teeth together. Your tongue should be attached to the upper jaw. But most students sit very comfortably. Someone says, it's not necessary for us to do Zazen with tense.

[07:48]

So, you should sit very comfortably. Relax. Relax. But Dogen says, please straighten your back. Just straighten your back. Straighten your head. You know so well. Your head understands so well. Yes, I understand. Straighten your back. Yes. Straighten your head. Yes. I understand. But your body, gradually like this. It's not so easy to be straightforward. Because someone says, someone makes you do something. No, no. Zazen is not something like that. Zazen is not to straighten my back with strong tense. That's okay. Because Indian priests sit Zazen very relaxed.

[08:50]

I think that is Zazen. The Japanese Zazen is not so good. But anyway, if you want to make your mind balanced, imbalance, being in balance. I think first of all, you have to make your body being in balance first of all. This is important. But unfortunately, you have acquired lots of bad habits since your birth. So, those bad habits tell you, please do Zazen in relax. It's not necessary to do Zazen with tense.

[09:51]

So, we have to see. We have to see ourselves, spiritually and physically. Then we have to make every possible effort to correct. Physically and mentally. There are lots of variety of the habits which you have acquired since your birth. This is important. That's why Dogenzin says, let's straighten your back, your head. Open your eyes. Close your mouth. That's all. Then all you have to do is just to follow this. Yes. This is to be straightforward. If you go to Japan, I think the Japanese Buddhism is completely far out.

[11:03]

The Buddhism, what you are wanting, because Japanese priests have taken interest in not Buddhism, modern model of Buddhism. Modern. Four years ago, I went back to Japan. At that time, a friend of mine was very interested in building a huge apartment in the territory of his temple. Is this Buddhism? Is Buddhism what you want? He said, this is modern age. That's why. This is modern age. Buddhism must follow the modern age.

[12:06]

Stream of modern age. That's why he has to. He takes very interest in building a huge apartment in the territory of his temple. And then, he didn't practice Zazen. Nothing. No practice. It is not the attitude of Buddhists who are making every possible effort to be straightforward. To be straightforward is to keep. To keep how to contact with the truth.

[13:10]

What is the true meaning of Buddhism? Even though age changes. Yes, age changes moment after moment. This is true. But we have to open our eyes towards what is the true meaning of Buddhism. What is the true meaning of human life? This attitude is very important. Most Japanese priests forget the direct mind. What is focused on realizing how to come into contact with the truth?

[14:20]

This is the direct mind. This is the first body-mind. This is the first practice of body-mind. In Buddhism, the body-mind, the way-seeking mind is identical with the religious faith. So, whoever you are, even though your practice is poor, even though your practice is excellent, it doesn't matter. Moment after moment, you try to be straightforward towards the truth. To be straightforward towards the truth means that the truth to live is just to live.

[15:30]

Just to live. With all heartiness. This is jikéshin, direct mind. The second is daihishin. Daihishin is great sympathetic mind. The sympathetic, in other words, Buddhist compassion. Compassion is we have to be thoughtful and considerate to all living beings, not only to human beings, but also to all living beings. This is the great compassionate mind.

[16:35]

I think it's pretty easy to be considerate to all living beings. But, whatever you do in Buddhism, you have to settle yourself on the self in the sphere of emptiness. This is very important. Whatever you do, when you teach something, when you teach Buddhism, you have to be in the sphere of emptiness. When you give, when you are thoughtful or considerate to all living beings, you have to be considerate to nothingness or emptiness.

[17:43]

This is very important. But you don't understand what do you mean. What do you mean by being thoughtful, considerate to nothingness or emptiness? This is what is called Jinshin, the deep mind. Deep mind. The deep mind is to be considerate or thoughtful to emptiness. For instance, the deep mind is to see yourself, to see the long-term yourself, long-term yourself, not short-term you. You have to take good care of yourself, not just now.

[18:44]

From the long-term period, long-term period, you have to be considerate to yourself, to others, to your friends, to all sentient beings. For this, sometimes it must be patience, it must be perseverance. Perseverance. Usually in our daily life, usually when you realize that your friend made a mistake, you say, oh, you are not a Buddhist. This is common sense. This is common sense which your brain, which your mind, lets you criticize. Criticize yourself and others. But before you criticize in that way,

[19:57]

you have to be considerate to this guy. Seeing him from long-term viewpoint, long-term viewpoint, since he is a virus, birth to death, or life after life, you have to take care of him. Whatever he does, sometimes you make a mistake, sometimes you break your ball, when you visit your friend's house, I think the mother scolds the children, when the children break the ball, what are you doing? You will be stupid. He is not stupid. He is not stupid. At that time, of course, he made a mistake.

[21:04]

He makes a mistake. But why the Shakyamuni Buddha must say, all sentient beings are based on Buddha's nature, Buddha's nature? Why? So, if you want, if you want to educate someone, it takes a long time. For instance, if you want to take care of Zen center, it takes a long time. You have to be patient. You have to have very strong perseverance. If you have a short temper,

[22:06]

you can't take good care of the Zen center. Even yourself, you can't. You have to always give up your life. You have to always give up practicing. You have to always hate the Zen center, or yourself, your friends. Whatever you try to take care of, you have to see them from a long-term viewpoint, with a considerate spirit. This is a deep mind, a deep mind. In Japan, there are very big temples, just next to my village.

[23:08]

At that time, when I was there, the abbot of this temple passed away. Then, the people discussed about who was the successor of this temple. Then, his son was very young, about 29 or 30 at that time. All village people were against him. Because he was stupid. He was not qualified to be the abbot of this temple. They always said, let him go out. But for a long time, they discussed, they even dared to freeze the next abbot of the temple, but there was no conclusion.

[24:12]

Then, at last, they decided to invite this young guy. Then, for 10 years later, now he is a very good abbot of the temple. Nobody says he is stupid. Even though he seems to be stupid right now, you should understand, oh, he is stupid. That's okay. Then, you are Buddha, all stupid guys are Buddha also. So you have to contact, come into contact with him, with considerate spirit.

[25:16]

In other words, to see, to take good care of him, from long-term viewpoint, you have to see the long-term him, long-term his guy, this guy, with patience, with perseverance. This is the deep mind. Tomorrow, we will have a special ceremony for Richard Baker, who is the new abbot of this temple. Bodhisattva, Daipusatsu Zendo, and Tassahara Zenshinji. I think the, if there are 100 people,

[26:23]

the 100 people have different viewpoint to new, for new abbot of this temple. Of course, it is true. But, if you want to take good care of yourself, and Zen center, we have to practice the deep, deep mind, which is considerate to all sentient beings, and also to emptiness. To emptiness is, before you criticize yourself, Zen center, or new abbot, you try to be considerate to emptiness. To be considerate to emptiness is to see yourself, to see others, from long-term viewpoint.

[27:27]

Long-term viewpoint. This is the way-seeking mind. So, please take care of new abbot of Zen center, or Tassahara Zenshinji, and also take care of Zen center. Thank you.

[27:56]

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