This afternoon, I'd like to talk Ryokan's Waka poem on begging, or takuhatsu, and praying with children. Any problem? This one? As I said, Ryokan was trained as a Sotozen monk, and he completed his training with his teacher. And, when his teacher passed away, he left the monastery. And, when he returned to his hometown, he lived in a hermitage, as I said. in the mountains, and his main practice was begging, or in Japanese, takuhatsu.

[01:14]

He walked on the street in the village or town nearby and received some food or possibly some money. That was how he supported his life. You know, takuhatsu or begging is something American practitioners, American Zen practitioners almost cannot experience. But takuhatsu or begging is a very important practice in the Asian Buddhist tradition from India. When Indian people became a monk, They gave up everything, all the property or belongings and privileges, and they are allowed only to have three robes, three kinds of robes, and one bowl.

[02:19]

And that bowl is called ōryō-ki in Japanese. And it could be metal or ceramic. But now, in Japanese tradition, we use the wooden bowl, set of wooden bowls, not only one, but four or five. But originally only one big bowl. And in Theravada tradition in Southeast Asia, you know, a big bowl, and monks did not cook. So, in the temples, they don't have a kitchen for monks to cook. So, every morning, monks, after morning meditation practice,

[03:19]

they walked to the nearby village or town to beg for food. That is how they received the food, and they went back to the monastery and ate the food before noon. After the noon time, monks, Indian monks, could not eat anything. That was prohibited by Vinaya precept. So, they ate at twelve in the early morning. Originally, that was not there. They ate only one meal a day. But when it was cold, I think Buddha's mother, I mean stepmother, Vajrapati, I think when Buddha and his assembly visited his home country in Nepal, it was cold in the morning.

[04:29]

So, Mahapajapati worried about the monks' health because it was cold. So, Mahapajapati asked the Buddha if he could offer some food in the morning to the monks. And, at that time, Buddha said, if it is a very thin Rice gruel. That means a small amount of rice with a big amount of water. Traditionally, it's said it should be thin enough when you, you know, gruel and put something like a finger. there's no trace. That means it's very thin. Then that is OK. So it's not really like a meal. The main purpose is to warm up their body.

[05:33]

So that was their morning food. And their main food is after the food they received through begging. and they returned to the monastery and ate before noontime. That was how Buddhist monks supported their lives. So, without lay community, monks could not live. So, from the very beginning of Buddhist history, monks and lay community are always together. Some lay people came and visited the monastery to share the practice. At least twice a month, on the day of full moon and new moon, they visited the monastery and participated in the practice.

[06:36]

Also, on those occasions, they had a ceremony. about the precept. The leader of the Sangha recited all of the precepts they received, and if the monks thought they did some mistakes against the precepts, they spoke up and made prostration. I'm sorry, dependence. That was the very beginning of the practice of repentance in Buddhism. So, the practice of repentance, or sange, in Buddhism is very old, even from the Buddha's time. And that tradition still continues, and that is a ceremony we did, we had this morning, called Ryakufusatsu, or Uposatha. That's the name of the ceremony here.

[07:38]

Full Moon Ceremony. Because the ceremony was done on full moon day and new moon day. That's why the ceremony is called full moon ceremony. Anyway, so takuhatsu, or begging, is a really important practice for Buddhist monks. And not only Buddhist monks, but also lay Buddhists or even people who are not Buddhist. of practice, donation, or giving, or offering, or in Sanskrit, dhāna. Dhāna is one of the six parameters, dhāna parameter. So, during tapas, monks hold a begging bowl and walk on the street.

[08:43]

The rule is the monk should not skip over any house. They have to visit all the houses, whether the people offer or not. And whatever they receive, they just receive. not only the practice of offering by the lay people, but also for monks. This Takahatsu or begging is a practice to offer the opportunity for lay people to make donations or make offerings. So, offering itself is a very important practice, both for monks and lay people. and not only the opportunity to make donations, but also for monks.

[09:45]

Sometimes monks were invited by lay people and for meals. And on that occasion, lay people offer the meals and monks offer the Dharma, Dharma talk to those hosts. That is how monks and the lay community support each other. That is a tradition from the Buddha's time. In Japan today, Takahatsu, or begging still, is practiced, and the temple I practiced with my teacher was a very small temple named Antaido. And Antaiji has no family members. No family members in Japanese temple means no income. So we supported our life by begging.

[10:50]

And so we went to takuhatsu usually twice or three times a month. And that was enough. buying some food and paying utilities and so on. So our life was very simple. The food we ate was always brown rice, miso soup, and some vegetable dish. That is the main meal for lunch. In the morning, almost 365 days, we had a rice gruel, or brown rice gruel. So, our life was... We had supper also, so we had three meals a day, not like Indian monks.

[11:53]

So, Takahatsu was a very important practice for us also. And when we did Takahatsu, In Japan today, we receive mainly money, not food. Sometimes people donate rice or other food, but mainly money. It's not big money, coins, usually like 10 cents or 15 cents, at most one dollar. But when we are taught that kind of attitude, our behavior, when we walk on the street, what we are taught is, from the Indian tradition, we should not skip over any houses. So we should stand in front of each and every house.

[13:03]

whether they make a donation or not. We hold an oryoki or a baking bowl like this and we wear straw sandals and bare feet and put on this rope and we put on the bamboo hat. So, we don't see the And people don't see our face. So people really don't know who this person is. But they make donation in trust of this robe and bowl. So they don't know to whom they are making offerings. So there's no discrimination.

[14:07]

for the people who make donations. They cannot make a choice to whom they can, you know, offer. And for us, whether, you know, the donation is a large amount of money, or even one penny, or whether they offer with very, you know, polite, attitude. Sometimes, some very good Buddhist people even worship monks who are begging. So, whether those people offer such a polite attitude, or sometimes people shout Sometimes they don't like monks, Buddhist monks.

[15:12]

And sometimes, or more often, people just ignore. They have no reaction. That was most kind of painful for us. It seems those people don't see us. We are like a transparent. Whatever, you know, attitude they took towards us, we should keep the same attitude. You know, because we are a beggar. There's no reason they need to, you know, respect us and make donation. There's no responsibility, no rules they have to do such a thing. But we are just walking on the street. and stand in each and every house, and just stand. And another important point is don't disturb anyone on the street.

[16:14]

There are people walking or people working at the shop. We should not disturb anyone. So just standing, holding our bowls, And we not chant, but we make a sound like a ho. Ho means how. How means ōryōki, bows. So, we just say how. So, we don't explain what we are doing. So, you know, in Kyoto many people know Takahatsu. So, there's no explanation. But, for example, when we went to Osaka. Osaka and Kyoto are very close, but very different. Osaka is used from the past, you know, Osaka is a city of merchants, business.

[17:18]

Osaka is the second biggest city in Japan, and I was from Osaka. My family had been a merchant in Osaka for six generations, so I know pretty well the mentality of Osaka people. In Kyoto, people really respect monks, but in Osaka, they are different. But not so many people are so polite to Buddhist monks. But somehow, we have to keep the same sincere attitude, and we need to pay. express respect to everyone, even when the person shouted at us or ignored us, we keep the same attitude with respect. So, it's really good, but hard practice in a sense, because within our mind things are happening, of course.

[18:29]

When people make offering politely, we feel happy, but when people shout it, but we need to keep the same polite, respectful attitude toward everyone in any situation. That is really a good practice, to keep the same respectful, polite attitude to everyone. And when we practice Zazen within the monastery or temple, we feel we are doing something more superior to other people's work in our daily lives. So we can see, when we are in the temple and studying Dharma, we see the world, in a sense, from a higher place to look down, in a sense.

[19:58]

Not with, you know, not disparagement, but somehow we are thinking we are something special. But when we do Takahatsu, we feel you know, normal people in the town. So that was very helpful for us to keep the balance. And also, we are supported. You can see we are supported by all those people's work. So, Tako-Atsu is really a hard practice and yet very helpful practice for us to study, you know, situation or condition or whatever people we are facing, we need to keep the same respectful attitude. It's like, you know, venerate everything as, you know, this person, Bodhisattva, never disparaging his practice.

[21:05]

So, I really understand, understand, you know, for Ryokan, because his main practice was begging, or takahatsu. You know, this practice of never disparaging bodhisattva is really important to him. And it's a really powerful practice, because, you know, the actual people are there. We cannot escape. So, we have to respond with the same attitude towards the different people who are, you know, some people are good, sometimes people are not so good, some people are almost, you know, violent, but we keep the same quiet mentality to any people in any So that is the meaning of the practice of Takahatsu for Buddhist monks.

[22:16]

Please. Would you like to just explain, then, after somebody makes a donation, the monks chant, Zaiho, I forget it, but the gift, When we did takuhatsu and people made some donations, we chanted a very short verse about praising the virtue or merit of dharma. That is, It's amazing I didn't know. I haven't been doing takuats for more than 20 years after I came to this country. But I practiced takuats when I was at Antaishi for three and a half years and that was until 75.

[23:22]

My teacher retired in that year and I came to this country and lived in Massachusetts for five years. 75 to 81. And I returned to Japan after five years. And after about three years, I lived by myself in a small temple in Kyoto as a caretaker. The owner of the temple allowed me to stay there and take care of the temple buildings. of people. And I decided to support my practice by takuhatsu. So, when I was at Antaiji, we did takuhatsu together with other monks. So, several monks walked on the street together. But, when I was alone, the takuhatsu was really different.

[24:29]

When several monks together, Takahashi is really fun. The rest of the month we just sit or study or work in the temple, in the compound. But with Takahashi we can walk and see people and see what's happening in the city, in the town. So it was fun for me. And it's also a good exercise. We walk usually from probably 10 in the morning until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. So we walk 5 or 6 hours. And it's a really good exercise. But when I lived by myself, I did tako-hatsu by myself, same as ryokan. It was really difficult when I did tako-hatsu by myself. You know, when I did takotsu with other monks, people know we are from certain monasteries, and the donation they made is used to support the temple practice.

[25:48]

But, when I did takotsu alone, people cannot tell if this is a real practitioner or just a fake. just did, you know, doing begging for the sake of life. You know, they couldn't tell. And we cannot explain. I cannot say, you know, I'm a real monk. So, people's... how can I say? Response? Response? Yeah. Observation. People's eyes kind of caught You know, this one person walking with blissful love, whether this person is really a sincere practitioner or not. So, I need a kind of courage to continue.

[26:53]

But sometimes I feel a depression, you know. If I want to make money in an easier way, I knew a better way of making money to support my practice. But I decided this is the way I practice. But sometimes it's very difficult. One time, I think, There was a boy, about 10 years old. He came. He didn't make donation. He came and told me, or asked me, not asked me, it's not asking. He said, you want money, right? That means he thought I'm just a beggar. And yet, I couldn't say no, because I really want money.

[28:00]

you know, that's why I'm doing Takahatsu. But if money is really what I wanted, then I didn't do Takahatsu. I knew some, you know, easier or better way of earning money. So I couldn't say yes, I couldn't say no. That was really big koan to me. That's what I said. But, when we receive, in any amount of donation, we chant this short verse, zai ho nise kudoku. Zai is material, and ho is dharma. And, nise means two kinds of dana, or offerings. Zai ho nise kudoku is merit, or virtues. Muryo is boundless. So, the merit of dhāna practice, whether it's a material or a dharma, that merit is boundless.

[29:10]

And dhāna paramita is a dhāna parameter. And gusoku enman is this practice of offering. endowed with complete virtue and benefit the entire Dharma world. That is the meaning of this short verse. So, each time when someone makes a donation, we chant this short verse. Even when they don't make a donation, we just bow, lower our head, and go to the next house. That is how we practice Takahashi. So while you're doing this, when you're doing it by yourself, do you very often think, ah, this is just like real Kanda?

[30:14]

Yeah. And sometimes I was depressed. Poor real Kanda. When I read about it, it's fun, huh? Sometimes I feel, you know, I don't want to do this anymore. So I stop it and go back to the temple. So it's really a hard practice, not only physically but also mentally. Physically it's hard. In the summer it's very hot and humid. We need to put the same layers of clothing. So it's very hot. And in the winter it's cold. with bare feet. So physically it's really difficult to practice, but mentally it's also very difficult to practice. But it was really helpful for us, for me at least, to keep the well-balanced attitude toward the people in the world.

[31:19]

Well, I need to go to Ryokan. The first poem I'd like to talk about is the third poem on page two. The next one is the poem I talked about this morning. This is about Takahatsu. Let me read in Japanese first. In the English translation, in my begging bowl, violets and daisies mixed together Let's make an offering to all the Buddhas in the entire three worlds.

[32:34]

I have two questions about these translations. First, in the second line it said violets and daisies mixed together, but originally Ryokan said it's tanpopo. Tanpopo is dandelion. I don't really understand why The translator changed the name of the flowers. I think Western people don't know what dandelion is. In Japan, instead of weed, dandelion is weed, just like here. But you can eat it. We can eat, but it's weed, basically. No one grows it. Sumire or violet is the same. It's pretty, but no one grows violet. So those are very pretty flowers, but no market value.

[33:43]

But that is an important point. I'm not sure about daisy. So I really don't understand why they change the name of the flowers. And the second question is the last, final line. It says, to all the Buddhas in the entire three worlds. I don't think this is three worlds. This is three times. Mio no hotoke means the Buddhas in the three times. That means past, present, and future. These three worlds mean the triple world. The world of desire, and world of material, and world without material. Those are called triple world, or in Japanese, sangai. Sangai and sanze is different. You know, in Japanese, world, Japanese equivalent of English

[34:49]

And se is time, and kai is space. So, when it says san-ze, that is three times, past, present, and future. And triple world, or three worlds, is sangai. So, that is very basic Buddhist terms. So, I don't really understand why translators translate in this way. You know, three worlds, or triple world, is a world of transmigration, where beings transmigrate from hell to heaven. Those six realms are called three worlds, or triple worlds. in those triple worlds there are Buddhas, because that is samsara.

[35:54]

It's a good idea to have Buddhas in those triple worlds, and actually Buddhas are, but that is not a common understanding as a Buddhist term. So, this should be all Buddhas in the three times that is past, present, and future. this is a mistake. So, you know, when we read Buddhist texts only by translations, there might be some problems. Depending upon the translator, even if it's not a mistake, depending upon the translator's interpretation, there might be So, please.

[36:57]

Sumire is violets. Sumire is violets. So that's direct translation, but tanpoko is dandelion. So only the violet is correct. Yes. So tanpoko, maybe it looks the yellow flowers closer to a daisy. I don't know. Is daisy white flowers? Not really. Yeah, it's yellow. Yeah, with a yellow center. White flowers. But they're typically white with a yellow center. Uh-huh. Yeah. In the yard. OK. Anyway, to understand the situation he wrote this poem, or he is describing these poems, probably reading other first three Waka poems in this handout might be helpful.

[38:06]

Let me read from the third one. I read only English of these three poems. The third one is I was on my way to beg, but passing by a spring field, spent the whole day picking violets. So, in the spring, in the place, in the area Ryokan lived, is something very special. That means they had a lot of snow during winter. Because cold wind from Siberia comes to Japan over the sea. So the wind brings a lot of moisture. And when the wind hits the mountain, it goes up and becomes snow.

[39:10]

So sometimes the entire village or town is under the snow. is where Ryokan lived. So those are called snow countries. So when spring comes and snow melted and disappeared, and those wildflowers blooming, it's really a completely different world. During winter, it's completely white. probably they never see the blue sky during the winter. But when spring comes, snow melted away and those wildflowers start to bloom. Then people's mood

[40:12]

I don't think he could do taku-hatsu in the winter in that area. So, you know, when it's getting warm and the time those white flowers bloom, he also became active and go down to the village and, you know, violets and dandelions. And also, you know, children came outside to play in the field. And often children want to play with ryokan. Ryokan was famous and popular among children. You know, at that time there was no school. So for children in the farming village, You know, that field is the only place they could play.

[41:20]

So, and, you know, there's no... What's the word? I forget. No one who took care of children, because all parents and all grown-ups are working in the field. So children need to play by themselves. For those children, the strange person like Ryokan was a kind of a toy. So they wanted to play with Ryokan and also Ryokan wanted to play with those children. So, often, it is often, ryokans forget about doing takahatsu and playing with children and picking those wild flowers, violet and dandelions. So, in this poem, he said, but passing by a spring field spent the whole day picking violet.

[42:34]

Probably, for him too, also, begging or takuhatsu is not an easy practice. So, if he found children, it might be a good excuse. Not to do takuhatsu, but pray the entire day. And he could also have joy. So, that was the situation. you know, the poem we are reading. And the one above this poem is, Oh, my poor begging bowl, I left it behind, picking violets by the picking the flowers, he left his begging bowl behind by the roadside and went back home.

[43:50]

Not only once, but many times. And sometimes, you know, the person who walked by on that road found Ryokan's begging bowl and pick up and give back to Ryokan visiting his hermitage, but sometimes the bowls stay overnight. And he, I think it was in one Chinese poem he wrote, he wrote about, you know, maybe Japanese, I forget, you know, even though the begging bowl was left on the roadside, No one took it. That means no one took the ball. That means no one paid any attention. That means the ball is really valueless. So he was sorry for the ball.

[44:59]

Even he forgot it. No one took it. It's really valueless. is his feeling about the books. So, in his world, there's nothing valuable. I mean, in the worldly value of systems, you know, he received free, and he didn't pay back. And he lived only things, food and other things donated by the people. And whatever he has is not has a market value. So, his world is very different from the world we are living in.

[46:02]

You know, now, today, everything is valued. That is, you know, with money. You know, how much does this cost? But in Ryokan's world, nothing costs nothing, but somehow they offer and receive. That's really a different kind of world. Anyway, so this is Ryokan's life in the spring when he was happy. Can you explain the poem that we were reading on the other page a little bit about what he means by let's make an offering to all Buddhas? Because those are the powers that he received as an offering. Yeah. And so let me talk about that poem later. I'd like to finish another one. The first one in this handout is, this is not picking flowers, but playing with balls.

[47:15]

Playing ball with the children in this village, spring day, never let the shadow fall. So, around the same time, in the spring days, maybe they get tired of picking wildflowers, they started to play with a ball. And Ryokan was pretty much good at playing with ball. He loved it. So he made a special ball for him and played with children. And he could play with children the entire day. the kind of life he spent. So, in the day, in the spring day, when he played with children, he wished, you know, this day never end.

[48:18]

He didn't want to go back to his habitation in the dark. So, that was a kind of life he, or the world he was living. So, now I return to the poem we are reading. So, this poem is about the practice of offering, or dāna pāramitā. In my begging bowl, he has in that poem, this ball has no value. No one cares about it. So this is really good for nothing. And those violets and dandelions also have no market value.

[49:28]

They are pretty, they are beautiful, and they decorate the entire you know, world. But they have no market value. No one, you know, pick for sale. No one grow them for sale. You know, one... Sometimes, Uchiyama Roshi, my teacher, said he was like a violet. And when he said he was like a violet, means his teacher, Sawaki Kodoroshi was very famous and a great Zen teacher in Japan, and he was a very tough person. But Uchiyama Roshi was physically a very weak person, and he was very much an intellectual person. and yet he transmitted TB from his first wife in his early 20s.

[50:39]

So he lived with TB for more than 50 years. So half of his lung didn't function. So it was really difficult for him. So he was physically a very weak person and mentally very gentle and an intellectual person. my teacher, Uchiyama Koshio Roshi, and he has a really good sense of humor. But, you know, some people compare Saoki Roshi and Uchiyama Roshi. You know, people often say, Sawaki Roshi was such a great, strong, tough, typical Zen master. But Uchiyama Roshi was so thin, and not so strong, not tough, but gentle person, and very intellectual person. So, people often say, Sawaki Roshi was like a great Zen master, but Uchiyama Roshi was not.

[51:45]

And he himself thought so. You know, Saki Roshi was greater than Master. So, Saki Roshi was like a rose, flower of rose. But, he said, I am like a violet. But he said, you know, violet doesn't need to become a rose. Violet blooms violet flower. That's enough. Violet doesn't need to desire to become like a rose, that gorgeous, expensive flower. You know, rose can be something for safe, but violet cannot. But in the But in nature, whether a big flower or a tiny flower like a violet, there is no such value difference.

[52:50]

So, if we are violet, just flower the violet flower, bloom the violet flower, which I must say, no seed, that is enough. And this expression, violet and Violet and Rose, I think, came from one Catholic nun's expression. I forget the person's name. Something like Theresia. French nun. So, you know, there are big flowers and small flowers, and bigger flowers are beautiful and maybe valuable. People love it. But those violets and dandelions are not valuable, but still very beautiful. So we don't need to make such a value comparison.

[53:51]

That is the meaning of these flowers, violets and dandelions, like us. What Uchagara said is, we should bloom if we are a violet, just bloom violet flower. But if we don't even bloom the violet flower, then that is a problem. Our practice is not to become rose, violet become rose. Our practice is rose bloom rose flower. free our own life force. Our practice is to freely manifest our life force, whether we are rose or violet or dandelion.

[54:56]

I'm very touched because the idea that the whole hillside is covered with violet is like From the beginning there has never been any stinginess. Right. No attachment. No clinging. It gives itself away. Right. And it gives itself away so successfully that people don't value the beauty. Right. People don't care. People don't have attachment to those beautiful flowers. But they are, in fact, the most beautiful. They're just freely given. Anybody can have them. And, you know, in Shobo Genzo, Bodhisattva Shobo... What is Bodhisattva Shobo in English? In my translation, four embracing dharma, actions of bodhisattvas. In that first group, Shobo Genzo, he wrote about four kinds of practice as a bodhisattva.

[56:08]

And second is Aigo, or loving speech, or kind speech. And third is beneficial actions. And fourth is identity action. I think Alan Smirky put that translation. I worked with Alan. Dharana making offering or Dharana Paramita is like offering the flowers in the distant mountains to the Buddhas. So, he said, even though those are not our possession, we can make offering. That means we offer the attitude of no attachment, no clinging. That is the best offering. And that same thing, Sawaki Kodoroshi said the same thing.

[57:18]

He said, you know, the air makes offerings. The water makes offerings. Everything in this world, trees and flowers, makes offerings without attachment. But only human beings want to get instead of offer. The most precious offering is our attitude of not clinging, or without greed, to live without greed. That is, I think, what Ryokan is saying here. Those violets and dandelions, blooms as their own life force. And yet, their presence, their presence gives us, you know, what's the word?

[58:27]

Joy. When we see the fields and mountains are covered with violet or dandelions or other flowers, you know, we become really happy. And yet, we have no attachment to those small flowers. That is a perfect practice of Dharana Paramita for both sides. They have no greed for people's appreciation. They don't ask people to praise them. And people don't have any attachment to those small flowers, and yet they are just blooms, and their beauty gives us a very deep joy. That is really the best practice of offerings.

[59:29]

And even when we offer, you know, now I'm talking, this is a kind of offering, I try to share my understanding and my practice with people, this is actually the only thing I can offer. But my experience or my practice has no market value, I think. But to me there is some precious thing there. That is, I think, without attachment or clinging, that I try not to, how can I say, make myself or my life or my practice or my teaching as something for sale. Of course, as I said, when I did Takahatsu, I needed some money or some food to support myself and my family.

[60:36]

But I have no desire more than that. That is the world of Ryokan, I think. Just bloom our life force and offer the beauty to other people, and not only people, but to this world. enjoy, you know, both sides just enjoy without any clinging attachment or attachment. That is the most precious thing. That was what Sawaki Kodo Roshi said. So, the best offering for us is to live with this attitude toward our life without greed. So, we offer and receive instead of give and take. That is a kind of a difference between Ryokan's world and the world we are living in this modern society.

[61:45]

So, here in this poem, Ryokan was picking Violet and Dandelions, with the children and put them together in his baking bowl. So, baking bowl has no value, and violet or dandelion, those small flowers, have no market value. But Ryokan offers these flowers to all the Buddhas in the three worlds, three times, and, of course, in the ten directions. That is what we chant during the service. After chanting and dedication, we chant Ji-Ho-San-Shi-Shi-Fu. That is all of us in the ten directions, and three times. So, what Ryokan is doing with children is the same as what we do during the service.

[63:00]

The merit or virtue produced by this practice is offered to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and all beings in this time and space. One important point in this to receive offering for making offerings. Usually, he received offering with this bowl, baking bowl. But now, he offers these beautiful flowers to all Buddhas. So, the bowl to receive offering can be a bowl to make offering.

[64:02]

I think that is the important point here. I mean, if you practice Oryo Kimi, does everyone practice Oryo Kimi? So you know that we chant during Oryo Kimi. I think right before we open the set of Oryoki, Tosan-Rinku-Jakufa, the English translation here, three wheels. Yeah. Three wheels means giver, the person who makes offerings. and the receiver who receives the food, and the offering is the food itself.

[65:07]

In the case of Oryoki meal, Tenzo, the person who worked in the kitchen, who made the preparation, is the giver. Of course, the food came from somewhere else, so this entire community is the receiver. But within this community, Tenzo is the giver. Tenzo offers the energy and bodhicitta, body-mind, and she transforms the Tenzo's energy to the meal. So the meal is really an offering from the Tenzo person. But the Tenzo person has no attachment to the food or to the result of the person's work, labor. And, people who receive the food also have no attachment.

[66:09]

We should just receive without saying, I like this or I don't like this. We just receive as much as we need. That is what Ōryōki means. Ō means, Ō is to, Ō is the corresponding. and ryō means amount. So, ōryōki means the container or bowls. We receive the food as much as we need. So, we need to understand Buddha's teaching of, you know, shōyoku chisoku. What is shōyoku? Shōyoku is a small or few desires. That is part of Hachizai Nengaku. We need to practice small desires and knowing satisfaction. How much is enough? So, our Oryoku-miru is a practice of offering and receiving without greed or attachment, and know how much is enough for us to live in a healthy way.

[67:25]

So, the meaning of that verse during Oryoken Ryu is those three wheels. Those three wheels means those three parts, giver, receiver, and the food, turn the wheel of Dharma, or Paramita, should be both free from attachment, greed. then this really becomes a wheel of Dharma, just turning. And this turning of Dharma is the circulation of all beings. All beings make offerings and they circulate. Air comes into my body and But when I drink, this water becomes part of my body, and stays for a while, and goes away.

[68:40]

So this is a circle, and everything is living within this circle of this entire Dharma world, or in my expression, a network of interdependent origination. Everything is going and coming, and going and coming. and we are the same. We are also being born, stay for a while, and go away, but during our life we receive so many things. When we are born, we have nothing, but somehow we have something. So, these are the gifts from nature. Because we take something, we don't think this is a gift. We buy this, so we exchange it. But actually, if nature doesn't produce, support farmers, there's no food available.

[69:48]

So even those commercial goods are a gift from nature. So I think our practice of making offerings is to keep this circulation without disturbing it. But usually we think, you know, this person is under my territory. We kind of make a barrier around me, or a wall, and think this is my territory. and we make calculations, how much comes in and how much goes out. And when incoming is larger than outgoing, we think our life is successful. I think that is a very common sense in this world. And everyone lives in that way.

[70:50]

In this conventional human world, that is OK. But we should know that is not real reality. That is a kind of a made-up kind of an idea. And so, within human society, that is okay. But we should really understand that is a kind of a fiction, valid only among human beings, I think. Actually, as a reality, everything is circulating, this movement going, instead of thinking, you know, this is the final place. Everything should stay here. That is a problem. That is why, you know, after we receive the food, and before eating, we make a tiny offering.

[71:54]

You know, those food are a gift from the nature, but we try not to make this person as a terminal or final place for this circle, but we keep this circulation, so we return a little bit to the nature. That is the meaning of this tiny offering called Saba in Japanese. Spirit offering. because it's to offer to the spirit. So, this is the idea of living or practicing Takahatsu when we receive, but this is not the final place, but try to make the offering circulate. That is what Ryokai is doing here.

[72:57]

to receive the offering from the people, but sometimes I think he felt a kind of, how can I say, a sense of good for nothing. So he also wanted to offer something, but he had no position, so he picked, you know, violets and dandelions with children, and that was the only offering he could make to all the Buddhas in the three worlds, three times, I think. So, to me, this poem has a really deep meaning. It's not just a description of his playing with a kid and having a good time.

[74:02]

This has something to do with the practice of Dharma Paramita as a very important voice-satva practice. The third line says, let's make an offering. So, let's make means he's talking to children, not only for himself, but he asks children to make offerings to the Buddha together. That is also an important point. This is a kind of a teaching to those kids. let's do this and then that they place the flowers someplace? Or how are they making the offering?

[75:05]

I'm not sure. It doesn't say anything. But in Japanese farming village, there are almost all interceptions. There are some Buddhas So, if they wanted, they could bring the flowers to those Buddhas. So, that is, you know, it's a very joyful and playful, you know, activity, but it also has a very deep meaning, I think. I stopped at 3.30. We have a little flexibility. I think people are really enjoying it. Well, then... Can I just share?

[76:13]

I don't know if anybody's visited the area that Ryokan lived in. It's very beautiful. It's in Niigata, and it is kind of northern Japan. when I visited there maybe five years ago or so. If you can imagine, not a valley, but kind of like a valley, very green everywhere, the lowlands. And then there's a hill, a mountain, and there's bamboo. And Ryokan's hermitage was up there. So it's just a very beautiful. I didn't see hardly any buildings around. It's very country. You drive out on a road, and it's really beautiful. So if you can ever, I don't know if you can picture it in your minds, but if you ever have an opportunity, you go. Thank you. Breeze? Going back to the first page, the first poem, playing ball with the children in this village.

[77:17]

Spring day, never let the shadow fall. I feel his great joy. with the children there. Yeah. But I'm thinking you can also find great joy in the shadows in his hut, maybe not immediately, but you know, there's a little bit of attachment that I can't mention that he's not very great joy in his hut, too. Well, I think he loved playing with children, but at the same time, you know, he wrote a poem, for example, Page 3, 1, 2, 3, third poem in page 3. The poem is, it's not that I don't care to mingle with others, only that I'm better at amusing myself.

[78:21]

I think by nature, this is his nature, he could enjoy himself. And even there's a story, when he was a kid, in the village, they had a festival, so all children went to the festival, probably at the Shinto shrine. But Ryokan, when he was a kid, he didn't like to go to that kind of place, but he was reading books in his room. So his mother, out to have a good time with other children. But, he left home, but he stayed by his home. So, as a kind of a, how can I say, karmic nature, he loved being alone. But, so, playing with children, I'm sure he enjoyed.

[79:25]

But, that was not his karmic nature. But that is a kind of his practice as a bodhisattva. So there is some kind of a transformation. If he was free, I think he preferred to be alone. And he enjoyed being alone in the hermitage, in the darkness. And in the night, by himself, he sometimes doesn't and he wrote poems and he made calligraphy. That was how he enjoyed himself. But he also, as a part of his bodhisattva practice, sharing joy with children and other people, he kind of intentionally made himself available to those people, I think. Please.

[80:27]

I get the impression that perhaps he enjoyed children, but maybe he didn't enjoy mingling with adults so much. So maybe there's that difference. There's a story that he enjoyed a festival, Bon Odori. What is Bon Odori? Bon Odori. It's dancing. It's a part of a festival. And he liked dancing with people. He enjoys drinking sake, but probably that is not his karmic nature, but it was his second nature he created by himself as a part of practice. That is a fourth embracing action, that is identity action. When he prays with children, he makes himself like a child.

[81:29]

And when he has a good time with various people, he makes himself at the same level. He doesn't say, I'm a spiritual teacher kind of attitude. Let me read one more poem. famous. So probably you have heard. This is about his farewell poem before he died. That is page 2, the bottom of page 2. This poem was given to a lay woman. said this woman was a maid of the family Ryokan visited.

[82:29]

So this was not a rich person, but a common person. And this woman, I think, pretty much liked Ryokan, and Ryokan was to write a poem for me as a keepsake. And this is, so this is his poem as a keepsake. And that is, What have I to leave as a keepsake? In spring, the cherry blossoms. In summer, the warbler's song. In autumn, the maple's crimson leaves. So he, while he was alive, he enjoyed those natures. And those natures are his, ah, what is the word?

[83:30]

Legacy. Legacy, right. That means his life was really one with those things in the nature. And another important point in this poem is this poem is based on Dogen's poem. on entitled Hongdae no Menmoku that is an original phrase. That is a very important point of Zen practice. And I think if you watch the Dogen movie, the poem was in that movie. I really don't like the movie, but this poem was used in that movie. but do you know the English translation? Something like Haru wa Hana, Spring Flowers, Natsu Hototogisu, Summer is Kuko, and Aki wa Moon in the Fall or Autumn, and Snow in the Winter.

[84:36]

All are very beautiful, that kind of Anyway, this poem by Dogen is a really important expression of his understanding of Dharma. And Ryokan kind of borrowed the idea. So, Ryokan said, you know, this world, this nature, everything in this nature is his legacy, and this is my keepsake. That was Ryokan himself. So I think that is Ryokan's life and Ryokan's world. It's already 35. Any more questions or comments? I really like talking about Ryokan.

[85:40]

It's very different from Dogen. Until yesterday, I gave two lectures a day on Dogen's writings. It's really like a heaven. But talking on ryokan is more like playing with kids in the spring field. So I really appreciate you come to listen to me. Thank you very much.

[86:04]

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