I'm afraid I'm making you hotter because I cough and my lecture is too long. It's maybe pretty difficult to understand because of my vision. Last night I was trying to... my skeleton of lecture was like this. Can you read it? The first teaching, we have four or three series of Buddhist teachings.

[01:23]

The teaching... The teaching that... The teaching that everything is changing. In Japanese, shogyo mujyo, or Chinese, shogyo mujyo. Teaching that everything is changing. This teaching can be... could be understood in two ways. The one, the teaching adds the law of the truth. This teaching is always true, you know, whether we observe it or not.

[02:33]

So, I think... So, for... If everything is changing, that means non-substantial. There is no substantial being, you know. We are only composed beings from various elements.

[03:36]

So, we are non-substantial beings. A, non-substantiality. B, as the presupposed teaching of the teaching of selflessness. Teaching of selflessness is the teaching that everything changes. Teaching of selflessness, the second one. It's two of the four important teachings. The four teachings are teaching that everything changes, and teaching of selflessness, and teaching of suffering,

[04:43]

and teaching of nibbana. Those are the four important teachings of Buddhism. So, we call it four series of Buddhist teachings. And this teaching is a presupposed teaching for the second teaching of selflessness. Because everything is composed being. So, there is nothing which is understood to be self. That is a teaching of selflessness. Usually, if we say selflessness, you may understand that that is a teaching.

[05:52]

You know, for a human being who is very selfish, you know. But actually, not only human being, but also everything has no self. So, and the actual teaching for human being could be, this teaching of selflessness, you know, everything is changing, could be a prize for the human life. A, to be free from attachment. If, you know, everything is changing,

[06:56]

there is nothing which we can attach to, actually. So, this is for human being, the teaching of attachment, non-attachment. B, idea of faith, free from idea of faith. And C, to make best effort in each moment. So, only way for us is to make best effort in each moment. Because that which actually exists is we in this moment, you know. Because we will change into something else in another minute.

[07:58]

So, the only way to reach the reality is to make best effort in each moment. This is actually the framework, fundamental framework of Buddhist teaching. And the second teaching is extended teaching from the teaching that everything is changing. And this is the teaching of selflessness. A, in time span. B, in space span. In time span, because we are changing moment after moment,

[09:03]

so, there is nothing to be called self. In space span, you know, we are interrelated to many things. We cannot be completely independent from other beings. So, in space span, we should understand that everything has no self. So, you see, the way of change, in the way of change, nothing permanent involved. It means that, you know, in some religion, you know.

[10:06]

Everything creates us, you know. We do not understand in that way. Everything is changing. Then you may ask, who make us, you know, change? But, we do not have any idea of something like God, who make everything changes. So, we have no idea of somethingness, whatsoever. So, including everything, you know, everything changes. There is nothing which does not change. So, that is why people called Buddhist, non-Atheist, you know.

[11:13]

We have no idea of God, which is absolutely. Permanent. And which has almighty power. We have no such idea. So, here, in way of change, nothing permanent or absolute is not involved. So, in short, we do not have any idea of deity, which is permanent. This is the teaching, you know, teaching of selflessness as a true law of the truth.

[12:17]

And when we apply this teaching to our everyday life, it is also non-attachment, teaching of non-attachment or teaching of emptiness. We studied about this for pretty long time, emptiness, emptiness, emptiness. Emptiness is form and form is emptiness. And then put emphasis on this emptiness. And this is what we were studying, studying in hot weather last night. And I was making my best effort, drinking so many, so much, so many cups of water.

[13:21]

So, I said, let's take it easy. This will do. The third teaching is, third teaching is actually, this is pretty hot teaching too. Teaching of suffering. Everything suffers. Even it is not suffer, we suffer. Why we suffer? And if we know why we suffer, we will find, we will have some way to be free from suffering.

[14:41]

And this is important. Because we believe in the theory of cause and effect. So, if we can get rid of cause of suffering, actually we will be free from suffering. Because suffering has some cause for it. And there is, you know, complete relationship between cause and effect. We cannot change the result. But, if we have some certain cause, we will have its effect accordingly.

[15:50]

This is our belief. No one can change the law of cause and effect. If you don't, if you eat too much, you will have stomach ache. No one can change. And if you have bad karma in previous life or past life, or in past time, you will have bad result. And this is Buddhist belief. But anyway. Here, we should know why we suffer. The teaching of suffering. And when we know why we suffer, we will know how to get rid of the cause.

[16:58]

And how we change, we will know how to change, how we improve, how we could improve our life. But why we suffer is, actually, you know. The reason why we suffer, or cause of suffering is ignorance.

[18:02]

Ignorance. Ignorance means we do not know the true teaching that everything changes and that everything has no self. Because we do not know anything about those teachings, we suffer. Actually, everything changes, but, you know. We expect things not to change. For instance, I am changing, you know, every day.

[19:09]

So, but I am not anymore young. But I feel as if I am quite young. And I expect to treat me as a young boy. But, you know, I am not young at all. And next year I shall be much older. But I feel as if I am always young, like this. Or like, you know, I was 40 or 45 years old. As I expect you to treat me, you know, as a young boy. Or as I expect me to be always young, when I see myself in the mirror, I shall be very discouraged.

[20:15]

That is suffering. You don't know this kind of suffering, because you are too young. But for you there is particular suffering. That suffering is suffering, because you have too much energy. To have too much energy is also suffering. There are many sufferings, but the cause of suffering is we actually don't know, not much about that. And Jay said this morning to me, Alan Watts, he is very famous, as you know.

[21:32]

Ignorance means ignore, to ignore. Ignore. Intellectually we know everything changes, but actually we don't like things to change. So ignore the truth, ignorance. Maybe so. I thought he said, ignore ants. He said to me, don't kill ants. Ignore ants. But he was right. We should not ignore the truth.

[22:44]

And we know that we should not ignore the truth, but still we ignore. We are always trying to ignore the truth. Truth, we think, should be true with others, not with me. That is illogical. How I feel, how we feel. The matter of birth and death is inevitable for human beings. But we know the truth of birth and death. But we think as if that truth is for someone else, not with me.

[23:50]

With me, I feel as if I live forever. Even though someone died, even though we see someone die, we don't feel that matter of birth and death is universal suffering for us. And someone may feel, oh, this is terrible, you know, when your friend dies. This is terrible, you know. But someone may not feel so seriously, even though your friend dies. But if your direct relative dies, you will feel, you will be sad.

[25:06]

But someone will not, even if your direct relative dies, you may not feel so bad. But when you feel, when you are dying, you will feel terrible. That is a human way. And that is true for all human beings. So we count suffering, four, four sufferings or eight sufferings. If we count the suffering of birth and death,

[26:11]

suffering of illness, suffering of old age. I say birth and death, so it is true, actually. Suffering of birth. Birth should be a great suffering for us, even though we do not remember. But it should be a great suffering for the baby and for the mother. So suffering of birth, suffering of illness, suffering of old age, suffering of old age, and suffering of death. Next suffering for me will be suffering of death. And that is four.

[27:14]

And there are some more, we count just four, but actually there are many and many sufferings. The suffering of separating, being separated from someone whom you love, that is one. The suffering you meet whom you don't love, that is actually very true. I don't know why, but if you think over and over you will find out why. Who is, who should be blamed for. Anyway, we suffer. For meeting someone you hate, you don't like, that is next one.

[28:19]

And suffering you cannot gain which you want, this is hate. And that is, you know, if you think over and over about it you will find out why. It is because, in short, because you expect things, too much. And you expect something which is not permanent to be permanent. That is another reason. In this way you will find out many reasons why you cannot gain what you want.

[29:25]

And the last one is, we suffer because of our own vitality, or unbalance of vitality. Or difficulty, difficulty to control our desires and vitality. Those are the four, another four sufferings. So we say four sufferings, or eight sufferings. So suffering of birth, suffering of illness, suffering of old age, suffering of death. And suffering of separating from, being separated from Sama Buddha.

[30:35]

And suffering of, to meet someone who you do not like. And suffering of which you not gain which you want. Suffering that you cannot have what you want. And suffering of unbalance of the vitality. Those are eight sufferings. But in short, those sufferings come from ignorance. The fundamental suffering is caused by the idea of self.

[31:43]

Self, which we have subjectively, and which we have objectively. We think, you know, everything is substantial, everything exists. Just as you see, but actually it is not so. Something you see is created by yourself. If you do not see anything, there is nothing actually. Because you see something, there is something. So in one sense we are creating things by our eyes, or by your ears, by your five sense organs.

[32:56]

And there is nothing which is purely subjective, or objective. Something which exists is subjective being, and also objective being. This is very true. You may say that is not true, but actually it is so. You may say objective being is something which really exists, and subjective being is something which you yourself created. But actually, you know, for us, something exists is very subjective, maybe 80% or 90% subjective.

[34:14]

And it means that, at the same time, ignorance. Our ignorance creates our subjective ignorance. Because of ignorance, our subjective function of five sense organs creates things. We don't know why, but a human being creates many things. Not only spaceship, but always we are creating something. I have a scroll done by famous Zen master. It says, a piece of stone in the air.

[35:24]

It says, a piece of stone in the air. Actually there is no stone in the air. You may find some electric bulb, but there is no stone in the air. But we see many stones. Something subjective, something which we create in the air. That is something which we see. And this is very true. Even though your scientific mind will not accept it, but actually there are many things, many difficulties. Difficulties which we create. So I say, homemade difficulties.

[36:24]

Difficulties created by yourself. This is the cookies I made. Please have it. This is very good. I don't know if everyone thinks that is good. But at least you may. You think this is very good. Maybe so. Maybe not so. I don't know. That is very true. But you think the cookies you made is best. And there is no just cookie. Cookie is something, maybe always best cookie. Whatever cookie is, the cookie is always best cookie.

[37:35]

Especially when you make it. When someone else makes it, especially someone who you don't like makes it, that is always bad cookie. So cookies are always good cookies and bad cookies. No bad cookie. No just cookie doesn't exist. So cookies are very subjective, you know. Subjective view. Subjective view. Maybe 1% of the objective cookies.

[38:37]

Most cookies are 99% of cookies. Subjective cookies. I don't know. I think Buddha was very wise to say, we create things. And all the beings are created by ignorance. We ignore the truth. Yes. You may ask then, who created this ignorance? The terminology of ignorance is which was created, endless, beginningless time.

[39:48]

We don't know when it was created and who created it. We don't support something, someone who created. We have no idea. We are not interested in who created it, how created it. Yes, we are interested in how things are created, but we don't say who created it. This is the difference between Christianity and Buddhism. So as a Buddhist, it is alright to say, I don't know.

[40:50]

I don't know who created the ignorance. But it's quite alright for us. If you are Christian, you shouldn't say so. If you say so, you are not Christian anymore. You should say, God created. And then you will ask, why he created? There is no end. So it may be better to say, I don't know. I don't know. I may ask you, why do you ask such a question? That will be my question for someone who asks it.

[42:03]

This kind of discussion should be continued sometime, which is not so hard. What I was talking about? Anyway, because of ignorance, everything exists. This is another translation. The teaching of selflessness.

[43:15]

Selflessness. That you ask, you know, why we have ignorance, means you try to figure out some substantial being must have created ignorance. We Buddhists are more interested in how everything is going on, like silence. Not who created. How everything is actually going on is the main point of Buddhist teaching.

[44:17]

But we do not seek for what exists besides our... besides the things we see, besides phenomenal world. In Western thought, there is idea of absolute, but actually we don't have the idea of absolute. Like you understand by absolute. For us, the word absolute is another interpretation of each phenomenal being.

[45:27]

So absolute and phenomenal being is two sides of one coin. There is no absolute beyond our phenomenal world. This is also the point you should always... Remember, when you study Eastern thought, you should put this point always in your mind, or else you will not pass the course. You will always fail to pass the course. Because you stick to the idea of absolute, absolute, absolute, absolute. And ignore the reality.

[46:29]

Ignore your human life. We say ignorance, you know. But ignorance, to know that we are ignorant is wisdom. To know what is ignorance is wisdom. And that you don't know, what is wisdom is ignorance. If you know we are ignorant, and we are creating things because of ignorance.

[47:22]

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