Yesterday, I told that the religious security or assurance, relaxation of our existence in Buddhism is to experience a peaceful, peaceful patience. Peaceful patience. From this point, our life, our lives are not something to struggle, to struggle for doing something. From this point, in Buddhism, life is to experience a peaceful patience.

[01:00]

I think you know there is one of the Zen stories, that Joshua, the Zen master, asked the monks, showing the cat in front of monks who had been discussing about Buddha nature. At that time, Joshua, the Zen master, passed by them. Then, he took the cat and showed the cat in front of them and asked them,

[02:17]

say something, whether or not this cat possesses Buddha nature. If you don't say anything, I will cut off the head of the cat in two. If you say something, I will not cut. At that time, monks didn't say anything at all. Then, Joshua cut the cat. You know, if you are a monk, if you are a monk, these monks, how can you answer to this question? You know, I'm showing, I show the cat, holding like this, and say something,

[03:29]

whether or not this cat possesses Buddha nature or not. So, as soon as I ask you, your brain starts to work. Hey, the cat says the cat has Buddha nature? No, no, I don't think so. The cat doesn't have Buddha nature. Right, right, right. Then also, again, you see your brain says, I think, you know, I think Shakyamuni Buddha says all sentient beings possess Buddha nature. That's why I think cats have Buddha nature. The other hand, your brain is saying again, telling it to yourself, you know, if I ask the cat, are you sure you have Buddha nature?

[04:40]

Maybe the cat doesn't answer anything at all. If so, maybe he doesn't have Buddha nature. You know, your brain always going around, around. Your brain, the function of your brain repeats the same thing in a certain place, which is called brain, a frame of brain. And then, on the other hand, you are very enjoying, you know, you enjoy very much, you know, discussing about this. Cats have Buddha nature or not? By yourself, looking at, discussing, you know, the, what it is, running on the stage like this.

[05:45]

Oh, yes, that's fine. But actually, you are always going around the same place. Even though you repeat the same things a thousand times, a billion times, you couldn't find, you cannot find any certain answer, you know, whether one of these cats have Buddha nature or not, you know. Then, what should you do? At last, all you have to do is just to accept, just accept this question and this reality, you know. This reality, what Joshu shows, shows a cat hanging down in that way.

[06:48]

That's all. That's why in the story, monks keep silence, that's all. Keep silence means to accept the reality. But your brain have some doubt, you know. Your brain want to seek for whether or not it has Buddha nature or not. Studying very hard about Buddha's teaching, but no answer. That's all, you know, just looking at, just accept this reality, you know. Then monks kept silence, but in this story, unfortunately, Joshu Zen master cut the cat, and very sorry for the cat.

[07:51]

Then Dogen Zen says, if I were the Joshu Zen master, I would let it go. Without killing, cutting off. Because he says, keep silence is really answer, right answer. Right answer is, in this case, I think to accept, to accept willingly. A willing acceptance, a whole-hearted acceptance, that's all. And when you can, when you can accept wholeheartedly, willingly, it's pretty difficult to say something in a word.

[08:55]

Not only this story, this morning someone asked me, Zen shu, Zen Buddhism emphasis self-powering. So you have to get enlightenment self-powering, by self-powering. But sin, school, emphasis, emphasis faith-powering. Of course, seemingly, Zen Buddhism emphasizes, emphasizes on practicing Zazen by yourself. Without borrowing anything from Buddha, from others, just do it. Just Zazen. What do you think about this question?

[09:58]

Can you gain enlightenment by yourself, or the self-power, or faith-power? Can you answer this question? If you say, yes, it can attain enlightenment by only self-power, I would like to ask you what self-power is. If you say, I can attain enlightenment by only faith-power, I will ask you, I would like to ask you what self-power is, faith-power is. If you say Amitabha, you say the power of Amitabha,

[10:59]

by the power of Amitabha you attain enlightenment, then I will ask you again what Amitabha is. It's pretty difficult to say something in a word. Even though you can chant the name of Amitabha, who chants Amitabha? Amitabha is Buddha's name. By ignoring your own presence in the reality or present, present, you can't. You can't chant even the Buddha's name, even your name. By virtue of two, is it possible to attain enlightenment? Then, I will tell you, say something right now.

[12:11]

Can you answer to this question? It's pretty difficult. All of you maybe keep silence. Nobody thinks of the self as the self. With great confidence. Nobody trusts yourself, the self with great confidence. Even though you trust the self with confidence, the moment when I ask you, are you sure? Completely your answer, your confidence, your confidence start to move to the left and right, to the right. So at last, you say, I don't know.

[13:17]

That's all. I don't know. So if you think of something in your brain, you are completely repeating the same things. And then at last, you can't express something in the word. Just accept it, you know. Just I don't know. If you can express in a word, just I don't know. I don't know is complete means to accept, to accept reality, the truth.

[14:24]

You know, all of you are American. You're not sober. You are American. Before I ask you, are you sure to be one of American? You have American citizens? All of you are American. But the moment when you see, when you look at the American flag, you know, singing American national song, national song, you always take seriously, you know. You always respect, you know, American flag like this.

[15:28]

This attitude is to be aware of yourself, to be one of American. To be aware of yourself, who is one of American is to accept who you are. Regardless of the idea of whether or not you are American or Japanese. It is completely beyond, out of questions, you know. The moment when you see the American flag, just do it. If you think, if you think what flag is, what kind of material flag is made, you know, flag is just cloth, you know. Why you respect with this attitude? But this is, when you think of, think of truth in your brain, I think it's funny, you know.

[16:43]

It's really strange. But actually you do, you know. Before you have some question, before you feel some strange, you know. The moment when you see the American flag, you do like this. In particular, you know, Olympic game. So, I think you are always living in the truth, in the domain of the truth, without any doubt. And then also in the domain of the truth, in the domain of willing acceptance, you know. Acceptance makes you be aware of who you are, yourself, who you are, as American, as Japanese.

[17:49]

No doubt, you know. Now, also, that you feel comfortable, you can perceive, perceive. So, that you assure, you assure your presence, the existence of your own, regarded as American. The moment when you keep the attitude like this, keep attention like this, you know. The willing acceptance tells you something, you know.

[19:00]

Make sure of something, who you are, what it is. So, in the Zen story, monks keep silence, kept silence. Kept silence is to accept the reality, you know. That's why Dogen-sen says, if I were a Joshu Zen master, I want to, I want to let it go. This is truth. It means, it is sure that cats possess this Buddha nature, without any doubt.

[20:05]

So, the peaceful mind, I think peaceful mind is to acceptance, to accept, to accept the truth, reality, without any doubt. I don't make, I don't make mountain, you know. Uh out of more hill, you know, about the peaceful, peaceful, peaceful patience, you know,

[21:14]

about the idea of peaceful attention. It is not my big talk, you know. Chakramuni Buddha says in this way, it is mine, it is not my idea. In Buddhism says, in Buddhism, the the in technical, uh, Buddhist terminology, we use the word Anuttapattika means the unbornness, unbornness. Adam means the truth. Akshanti is patience, literally, patience.

[22:18]

So, the, in the Lankavatara Sutra, the, at page 125, uh, D.D. Suzuki explained about this, the Anuttapattika Dhammakshanti. Anyway, I will read it. The Anuttapattika Dhammakshanti In connection with the Anuttapada,

[23:21]

not being born, Anuttapada idea, it may not be out of place to say a few words about the Mahayana conception of what is known as Anuttapattika Dhammakshanti. One meets with this phrase quite frequently in Mahayana Sutra, though not so much in the Lankavatara. Literally, rendered, it means not born object patience. In Chinese, this evidently baffled some of European translators of Mahayana texts, but we shall be able to understand it much better now than they, as we have already explained what Mahayana means by all things not being born. The idea is simply that reality or dharma or existence

[24:35]

in general is beyond all predicable, predicable attributes and therefore in the failure of language and intellect, definition is impossible. And being outside the king of all, but direct perception, all we can state of it is emptiness or unbornness in the absolute sense. Anuttapattika dharma is a statement concerning existence from the Mahayana point of view. In this connection, dharma doesn't mean la-loy, nor a consequence, nor an idea. But the last term of the compound, kushanti, may be somewhat puzzling.

[25:43]

What has patience to do with this existence that is to be designated as unborn? Kushanti, of course, means patience here, as when it is one of the six parameters, or designation, or acquiescence, acquiescence, but not in its ordinary sense, ordinary sense. For kushanti here doesn't mean to endure or to suffer patiently. Endurance or suffering implies unwillingness and resistance to a certain extent. The sense of Buddhist kushanti, however, is a willing compliance or acceptance.

[26:54]

When the anuttapanna view of existence is truthfully recognized and accepted, it becomes the principle of one's conduct, determining the whole attitude of mind. Strictly speaking, the term is not the intellectual one. It belongs to the will. It is a wholehearted acceptance of the ultimate fact as perceived by a mind free from errors or wrong judgments. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, a chapter is devoted to an explanation of ten kinds of kushanti,

[27:58]

patience. One kushanti in sounds means to listen to the oral teaching of the Buddha, to accept it without fear or hesitation, and to abide in it wholeheartedly. Second kushanti of obedience is to reflect upon the nature of things and truthfully penetrating in it, to keep the mind pure and serene. Third kushanti in the unborn nature of existence has already been explained. The rest of the ten are realized when one attains to the knowledge of the things as like maya. Four, mirage, fifth, dream, sixth, echo, seventh, shadow,

[29:07]

eighth, phenomenal, nine, and empty, this empty is ten. That this way of looking at existence is generally mahayalistic and that it is not the same as regarding existence as altogether and substantial from the relative point of view has been already made clear as I hope in the preceding section. From this point, I think the the patience in Buddhism is not to endure, to suffer patiently. If you look at the Japanese dictionary, the patience means the state that mind is in peace, in peace. The second meaning is the

[30:26]

this is very interesting point, the second meaning is what would you say the complete awareness, complete awareness. The patience means complete awareness or the awareness without fail, awareness without fail. Or to make sure of your own awareness, this is patience. So from the meaning of this relative security in Japanese, which is called anjin,

[31:39]

an means peaceful, jin is mind. It is the peaceful patience anyway. Anjin is a religious security is more than the comfortable, comfortable feeling, more than comfortable feeling. I used to be in Japan, I used to visit village to village

[32:44]

to show the puppet, to play the puppet show for children. I'm making the puppet by myself I had some group, so I went, I visited village to village to play the puppet show, you know, for the children. It was very interesting business for me. Then I had to hide behind the stage, little stage, and then I have to, my hands is moving freely with the puppet doll, you know. And then instead of doll, I have to say something, you know, behind the stage, you know.

[34:02]

All children are very interesting, you know, interested in listening my voice, not my voice, the doll's voice. You know, and also I found very interesting scenes. You know, at that time, the audience were not only the children, but also there were many adults, you know, young and old, with their own children, you know. Then the children looking at the puppet show was very enjoyed, laughing, like this. Also, I found very interesting scene because even adults were very interested, very enjoyed,

[35:08]

very enjoyed the puppet show, like children, laughing and clapping hands, as if puppet show was completely true, true scene. You know, some adults, some of the audience, you know, they teared, teared on his face, with joy, with sorrow, sadness, you know. That's very interesting, but actually, on the stage, the object watched, the people looked at

[36:13]

what's going on on the stage, you know, on the stage, not real things. Also, there were not real person, just a doll, just doll. The voice came from not doll, came from me, using artificial voice. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, like this. Uh, you know, if you seek for something in your brain, anywhere in your brain, you know, you know, actually, you enjoyed very much seeing the puppet show, seeing the event

[37:27]

which is running on the stage, you know, very enjoyed. And also, the problem is, trouble is, that people believe that puppet show believe the something as if puppet show was really true scene, true scene. That's why they laughed, they enjoyed, was crying, clapping their hands. Important point is, I was behind, behind the stage,

[38:37]

you know, who is I, you know, the truth coming from the me, you know. Truth is going on behind the stage, you know, behind the stage, but people look at just only stage, you know, where something is running and enjoyed. But truth is behind the stage. Who is I? Now, I is, I is completely truth, you know, truth from which all proceeds, all proceeds. Puppets, artificial voice proceed.

[39:46]

Now, what kind of I is? What kind of I is? In other words, what is the truth? Who is, who is taking care of the puppet? Or a certain story with puppet? It's pretty difficult to explain what the, what is the truth, who is I? I cannot say, it's pretty difficult to say something about this.

[40:58]

All I have to do is just do it. in one of our Buddhist book written by Tan Ling, who is, who was great, the great priest of Tendai school in Japan. He tried to explain what the religious security, assurance and relaxation of one's existence. So, the, where should we point to focus on?

[42:10]

In order to have religious security, who, who is taking care of puppet show? So, this absolute, this absolute have, this absolute is I. Related with puppet show. In other words, the truth, the absolute is absolute from which all proceeds is something related, related with phenomenon, various phases of human life. Now, what kind of, what kind of person is there who taking care of puppet show?

[43:19]

It's pretty difficult to explain it, but he says, JAK SHO, JAK SHO means quiet, quiet illumination, quiet illumination or calm illumination. The I is, I behind the stage, who is taking deal with the puppet show. It's very difficult to explain who I am. Just to give a calm, calm illumination towards puppet, towards the stage of puppet show. Nobody knows. Nobody knows who is, who is behind the stage. But all I have to do is just to give calm illumination.

[44:32]

This calm illumination never audience enjoy very much puppet show. That's why they are loved. If you take, if I take again, the one of the Zen story as mentioned before, for example, the monks kept silence. Monks kept silence, it's pretty difficult. Kept silence is, why kept silence is right answer. In order to prove that cat has Buddha nature, it's very difficult. But I can't, we cannot explain it, you know, in using a word.

[45:47]

Because reality is, reality implies, reality shows the real presence of cat, who is living, alive. If you put, if you put some word on it, it is not real, real life of cat, what you can't have. Then all we, we have to do is just to keep silence, there is nothing but to keep silence, that's all. The kept silence is something, is to give some calm illumination towards

[47:02]

the question whether or not cat possess Buddha nature. I can't explain, audience don't know who is behind the stage. If they know already who is behind me, who is behind the stage. The cat again was there behind the stage, maybe they know, but at least while they are, they are enjoying very much, they completely forget who is behind the stage. If you stick who is behind the stage during the puppet show, you don't, it's pretty difficult to enjoy puppet show itself.

[48:08]

And nevertheless, all I have to do is just do it, you know, just do it, just take care of puppet on the stage. The giving a calm illumination towards puppet, towards puppet, to puppet. Then at that time, puppet is not merely puppet, the audience completely accept. The audience, they realize a willing acceptance as a puppet show, which is not merely puppet show, as if each puppet was completely living.

[49:19]

Because the puppet, puppet have completely related, relation with the truth, the person who is behind the stage. And also, truth is, the person who is taking care of puppet show, doesn't show on the stage, just behind the stage and just doing something without any doubt, without any expecting. It means to give a calm illumination, calm light, tranquil light, tranquil illumination. So the priest named Tan Neng, who belongs to Tendai school,

[50:33]

they, what kind of, what kind of person is behind the puppet show, who is truth, who is called truth, is tranquil illumination. So we have to, we have to find the peaceful mind, peaceful mind, or religious security within the absolute, within the absolute form which all proceeds. So the audience, puppet, the stage, or curtains, audience, including the person who is taking care of it.

[51:36]

And also, the truth doesn't appear in front of audience, in front of, on the stage, doesn't appear on the stage, just behind the stage, and also, they are constantly giving the tranquil illumination. This is religious security. We have to find the religious security within the tranquil illumination, tranquil light, constantly shining toward phenomenon, all phases of human life, phenomenon. This is the meaning of the religious security, or assurance and relaxation of one's existence.

[52:56]

If you use Japanese, this is anjin. An means an-nin, which means peaceful patience. I think that's all tonight. Thank you.

[53:32]