When Dogen Zenji met his master, Nyojo Zenji, in China and trained with him for two years, in Hokyoki written by Dogen, it is devoted to explanation of his experience under his teacher in times to gain enlightenment. He described, he really paid respect to his

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teacher, saying with bow on four, nine times, saying, nōrai shorai shōkūyaku, means the nature of the bowing and the bowable is emptiness. Kanno doko naishi, the responsible, responsive, responsive intercommunication is beyond the reach of meditation. So he bowed, he respected, he respected towards his Zen master, his Zen master in times to attain enlightenment,

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with bow on the four, saying the nature of the bowing and the bowable is emptiness. The responsive, responsive, responsive intercommunication is beyond the reach of meditation. The important question is the kanno doko, the responsive, responsible rapport responsive intercommunication between the Dogen and his teacher, between teachers and disciples, between the Buddha and human beings. The inter, in this case, the responsive rapport is not

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something, it's not something, the general conception, general conception of the world religion. In the Latin, the religion is to tie, to combine again the human and the absolute universe, God. From this point, the religion means some principle, some principle that combine human and God. But it's, the responsive rapport is a little different from this. Then, kanno doko, the responsive rapport, kanno is, literal meaning is to perceive,

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to perceive, or to feel, to see into, to see into. To feel, this is kanno. Kanno is, kno is to response, to response, to response. Do is Tao, in other words, this is truth, the truth. Do is truth. Ko is intercommunicate, intercommunicate. This is kanno doko. Then I translate kanno doko, the responsive rapport, responsive intercommunication. So, kan is, kan, to perceive, to feel, to accept, to see, to see, is that you yourself, you yourself perceive something, you yourself perceive something,

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you yourself feel something. In other words, you perceive, you perceive, you practice yourself, you perceive the Buddha nature, your Buddha nature through the practice. This is kanno. Then, no is to response, to response, respond, response, respond. To respond means, to respond something from the Buddha and Patriarch, Patriarch. So, when you, when you devote yourself to perceive something from your Buddha nature,

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your practice, regard it as Buddha nature, or Buddha, the Buddha and the Patriarch respond something. This is kanno doko, and nansi is the beyond, beyond the reach of meditation. Then, when, question is, when we get, we get the experience of responsive rapport, then, Dogen Zen says, the nature of the bowing and the bowable is emptiness, emptiness. This is very important. So, the other day, I mentioned concerning the practice of making

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rakusu. Someone said, making rakusu is the, the making rakusu with the Buddha, chanting Buddha nature in every stitch is sort of magic for us. The, so, I mentioned the chanting, whatever you do, our practice is not the sort of magic, not the sort of mystery. If you, I mentioned, that if you expect something from the result, what you have done, everything, everything may be, everything may be a sort of mystery, mysterious, or a sort of magic.

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Even your life. So, the, the bowing, the nature of bowing, the bowing and bowable is emptiness. This is very important. The, you know, the, you know, the, one of arts, in Japan, kyudo, kyudo, kyudo means the arrow, the arrow, arrow, arrow, this. You said the nature of bowing and bowable. What do you mean by bowable? Oh, you don't understand bowable? I see. In English, bowable means that you can, you're able to bow. That bowable. Okay. In other words, the bowing means, the bowing means you, yourself, who is

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bowing towards Buddha. And then, when you bow, there is something, the, like, the object of worship, you know, the Buddha, Buddha statue or something. This is, I mentioned the bowable. Okay. You understand? This is bowable. Then, in the art of the arrow, the practice, the purpose of the practice, the arrow, is not to hit the target, not to hit the center of the target. The purpose of it is

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to become one with the arrow and the actor, the actor, the holding bow, holding bow. Right before, when the arrow leaves the bow, you know, like this. At that time, the actor must be the egolessness, egoless. In other words, becoming one with the arrow and bow. This is the purpose of the arrowing, the arrow, shooting the arrow to target.

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Aiming, yeah, aiming. So, the way. The Don Quixote is very different, the character as religious man. In Kamakura period, in comparison with the other, the great religious man, Shindan and Nichiren.

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The Shindan are founder, the founder of pure land school, consisting on chanting the name of Amitabha. Of course, even Shindan devotes himself, devotes himself to living his life in the big world, which is called Buddha. But his practice has still something regarded as religious basis, which is the object of worship, the Amitabha. But of course, Dogen devote intuitively, artically himself to practice Zazen.

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So, different point is that Dogen, he plunge into the Buddha's words as a human being, as a human being or practitioner, practitioner, as a practitioner. And then, he tried to listen to what kind of sound come from himself as practitioner. In other words, he tried to plunge into, he tried to plunge into Zazen itself. When he has to practice Zazen, then he tried to listen to the sound from himself.

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From his Buddha nature, what kind of sound come from. Before he criticize, before he analyze what Zazen is, what human being is, he tried to listen to the sound of Zazen. Then, as the Dogen mentioned, the nature of bowing and the bowable is emptiness. The main purpose of Dogen's practice is, first of all, to hit, to hit the Zazen itself, to hit again Zazen itself, against Zazen itself. And then, try to again and again listen to the sound from himself.

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Then, that's why when he gained the enlightenment, he said the Responsive Rapport, Responsive Rapport is beyond the reach of meditation. I think he can listen, he can listen to sound, which is Kanno Doko, Responsive Rapport. Responsive Rapport, between the teacher and him, between Buddha and himself. In other words, I have to mention a little more about the state of practice.

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Once you become one with your practice, the bowing, gassho, chanting sutra, and Zazen itself, then, in the tea ceremony, in the book of Japanese culture written by D.D. Suzuki, a chapter is devoted to explanation of tea ceremony. D.D. Suzuki said, the tea ceremony is based on the principle of four points.

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One is the harmony, wa, harmony. In Japanese, wa. D.D. Suzuki explained about this harmony. You know, even the art of tea ceremony is not the purpose of drinking a powder of green tea. Okay? The end, each individual, individual action, deeds, in the process of tea ceremony, doing the tea ceremony, the purpose of tea ceremony is to become egoless, to become one with individual actions, each action, each practice.

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When you deal with pero, pero, or teabowl, tea kettle, tea water, when someone says, I refused to taking the drug, at least, as long as you are one of our students of Zen Center, I don't want you to take a drink, take the drug, whatever kind of drug they are. So, someone says, even in Japan, you drink green powder tea, you know, green powder tea really stimulate our emotions, nerves, to excite.

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So, drinking of tea, powder tea, is same thing, same as the student drink and take the drug. But, I don't think so, you know. Try to consider the purpose of taking the drug. I don't care whatever kind of drug you take, you are driving in taking it, that's all right. But, question is, what's the purpose, you know, what is purpose? What do you want from the taking drug? What do you want, what do you want, what kind of experience you want to get from the drug? You know, at least in the practice of tea ceremony, we don't care, you know, we don't care what kind of experience you,

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what kind of, what kind of, what feelings you experience from the green powder tea, green powder tea, or a sort of drug, a sort of very strong, very strong marijuana, we don't care, you know. The purpose is completely different from the purpose which the people try to take a drug. The purpose exists in the process itself, in the process of tea ceremony, you know, doing tea ceremony. In other words, strictly speaking, not the purpose of tea ceremony, it doesn't exist in the process of doing tea ceremony.

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The point is, main point is, right in the middle of the world, which make it, make it become process itself. What is, what is, what does, what does make process become process itself, you know? Did you understand this? You know, you practice zazen, you know, what, what make you, what make your zazen, practice zazen, you know, make your zazen zazen itself? Who, who, who make your zazen, who make your zazen zazen itself? This is point, very important point. Dogenzin says, this is, there is no word to explain it.

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Then Dogenzin says, this is buddha word, this is buddha word. Then, the purpose of tea ceremony as mentioned before is to become one with each activity, each actions, whatever you do. Getting, taking care of petal, kettle, and green tea, or tray. The, D.D. Suzuki explains as follows, the character for harmony also leads gentleness of spirit, gentleness of spirit.

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And to my mind, gentleness of spirit seems to describe better the spirit governing the whole procedure of the art of tea. Harmony refers more to four, while gentleness is suggestive of an inward feeling. This is very important point, you know. The harmony, the harmony refers more to four. Anyway, in order to become one with kettle or tea powder, tea ceremony itself, you have to create, you have to create the harmony in forms of, you know, taking care, holding the tea, tea can, you know.

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Tea can, with wholeheartedness, anyway. The, I think, the form of practice, the form of practice implies the harmony, harmony. In other words, you bow, you bow to the Buddha. Important point is, not whatever kind of, whatever kind of object of worship you bow, important point is, important point is, how you bow. How you bow, right now, right here, with eagernessness.

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In other words, with harmony, with harmony. You know, in the, at least in the domain of your form, regarded as bow or gassho, you know. You have to be, you have to find the harmony within this form, gassho, bow, zazen. Or walking on the street. If you don't feel the harmony, your zazen, your mind is always going and coming, over and there, over and here and there. It's pretty difficult to make your mind calm. So, that's why we, peace of our minds, to have proper posture, proper posture.

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Within the posture, there is the harmony, there is harmony. Position, if you say what, why, why does this posture is useful for us, particularly in our day? It would seem to waste time, in a busy day, busy every day. But, important point is, first to plunge into this form, regarded as zazen, with oneness, with eagernessness. With harmony, with harmony anyway. Whatever you do, you have to feel harmony, you know.

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If you stand up here, if you sit on this chair, you have to feel harmony anyway, from this form. In other words, comfortable anyway, the feeling, comfortable feeling. This is form, this is form of sitting this chair. This is my form of sitting this chair, with harmony. That time, I can't, I keep sitting on this chair. If I don't, if I don't feel the harmony from this form, sitting on the chair, I always like this. It's pretty difficult, you know. Rather, the posture of sitting on the chair always baffle me. Baffles me.

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I can't stay here, you know. What shall I do? That's why this form is very important. Posture, this posture is very important. Whatever you think, whatever you criticize this form, important point is, how I feel this form. This is form, this is form. That's why he explained, according to his explanation, harmony refers more to form. You know, anyway to plunge into this form, Sitting on the chair, whatever kind of chair, whoever you are, I am, I don't care anyway. If I have to sit here anyway, I have to sit with harmony, the feelings of harmony.

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In other words, to hit against the chair, to hit against directly this posture, this form. Based on harmony, the feelings of harmony. At that time, what do you feel? Then this is, the harmony is, in other words, harmony, the content of harmony, content of this form is the feelings of gentleness. Soft heartedness, soft heartedness. Soft heartedness. I think if you plunge into, if you rush into this form, your mind experiences many things. Oh, I don't like this chair, you know. I don't like that, I don't like this chair.

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I like a black chair, I like general chair. Why I have to sit this chair? Then in other, in a sense, oh I love, I love so much. Because this chair make me rushy, you know. You know, from this form, you experience many things. What do you feel, experience many things is, you know, the, you have to curve. You have to curve in maximum, anyway. Like this, like a, like a ball, you know. When you pull the ball, you know, ball curve, curve so much, in maximum.

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Right before to break, like this. You have to, what you, to say what you feel many things from this form, from this harmony. Is to say what you experience many things. Which means to make your body, to make your mind, to make your feeling curve in maximum, anyway. Like this, but don't break it. This is, this is gentleness, this curve. To curve is to feel gentleness, to feel gentleness, soft hardness. Now in Japan, it is the best season of typhoon. Typhoon.

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The, the Japanese house is very, little bit weak, the breakable. Breakable, the, when the big storm comes. Then we are always close the door. This door made by the, the whole wood, whole wood, without glass. We use two doors. The, the, one door is the glazing, glazing glass, no, no. The door glazed, glazing the glass. Did you understand? Glass like this, you know. The glass door, you know. The door with glass.

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The other one is, the other one is the door made by just wood. Just wood. Which is used outside, outside. In order to hold, hold break, in order to, in order not to break the, the door with glass. The, break the glass when the big storm comes. But recently, we use, we use, we use the door with glass only. Without, without using the wood door, wooden door. Because it is said that glass is, glass has very strong quality.

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To bear, to bear the strong storm. For a, which is blowing at the speed of 50 or 60, 60 meter, or an hour. This storm is, storm is very strong. This storm has enough strong strength to fall down the electric, an electric pole. Which is turning in at the side of water. And this is 50, the wind, which is blowing at the wind, at the speed of 50 or 60 meter. Is enough strong to fell down the electric pole at the side of road.

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This is very strong. But this glass, the glass, it is said the glass has enough strength, enough strong to bear the, the storm, the, the, the storm at the speed of 50 or 60 an hour. So at that time, the, when you, when the storm comes, in our brain we know already how strong the glass is. But we, we cannot believe, we cannot trust the glass, the strength of glass. When the storm comes, because storm is very, the, you are very scared, very scared of storm, strong storms.

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Then the people have to put up the bar, put a bar outside of the glass, the door with glass. Like this. At that time, glass is very easy to break it. So if you want to keep the glass, you know, it's not necessary to put up the bar, you know, against the outside of the door. Even the glass, the door curve, curve in maximum like this. It never break, it doesn't, it never break. Just curve like this. Also it keeps, it keeps properly, it keeps, it holds strong storm without breaking.

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So the, whether a things, a thing, or whether a thing continue to live in this, in this world, to live in this world, requires, requires the, the, what would you say, requires the feeling of, feeling of the soft hardness, soft hardness. Like a glass door, like a door with glass. Glass itself plunge into, you know, glass is completely directly faced with the storm itself.

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And also he always keep his own harmony. Now what, what glass, what does glass feel? What does glass experience this harmony? This is curve. It implies, it implies soft hardness in form, in form of, in form of curving itself, curving himself like this, like a bamboo. It's pretty hard, it seems pretty hard. But it has to do, you know, curve. In order to keep his own harmony, this is soft hardness, soft hardness. Then the, if you want to continue to live in this world,

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we have to find this feeling of soft hardness. Planting, being faced, being directly faced with zazen, bow, chanting, storm, spring, spring harmony day, beautiful days, or rainy days, or windy days, whatever kind they are. Particularly in our day, there are many, many problems concerning proportion, concerning food. Of course, we want to cut off such a bad karma, which let human being create again and again, more and more.

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Then, we try to get rid of those problems, without using the car. Someone says, someone sent a letter to me, Katagiri sensei, don't use a car. Then, in a few days, a couple of days, in a couple of days, he came to, he came to see me. And he said, did you, did you receive the letter? Yes. No, I didn't understand at that time, what kind of letter you sent me. I sent, I sent a letter saying, don't use a car, use a horse. Oh, that's you. Then, I asked him, you don't use a car? Oh, yes, I don't use car.

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I used to, I used, I used car before, but now I don't use. Then, I asked him, when you take a trip, what, what, what do you do? What kind of vehicle you use? You use, you use airplane, or you use just your foot? Well, what, what do you do? He said, oh, oh, I use, I always take a trip with a hitchhike. That's funny. He doesn't use, he doesn't use a car, but he use other's car. But, but he wanted to take a trip by the hitchhike, he. That's funny. That's funny. Then, he said to me, please don't use a car.

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The same thing. I don't use a car, or I always take a trip by hitchhike, by using other's car. The same thing. Because car is always create proportion, problem of proportion. It's pretty difficult to cut off in two, you know, clearly. Don't use, don't use a car. Use a car. It's pretty difficult. Uh. You know, the, the other day we had the local church meeting, discussing the problem of food. The cabbage, the cabbage, the, the, we discussed whether we should, we should eat the cabbage by the market, you know.

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The market, because cabbage has a poison, cabbage has a poison, you know. Spreading the DD or chemical, chemical things. You know, it's pretty difficult. Don't use, don't eat cabbage. Okay, you should eat the cabbage. Also, it's pretty difficult. Now, don't use the egg. Because when you look at the, when you look at the, at chicken, you know. The human being always puts the chicken to, you know, to, to have, to have, to, what would you say? To lay, to lay, to lay the egg. All day. All day.

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All years. All, all his life. Without, even, without ceasing, even for a moment. Electric system, make him lay egg. That's wonderful. So you say, oh, don't, poor, poor chicken, you know. Ah, poor chicken. Not only chicken, you know, a poor human being. Then you said, don't use chicken egg, because poor chicken, you know. Then, if you think so, let's, let's get the chicken in the natural environment.

[51:15]

You should find a farmer who take care of chicken in natural environment. Oh, this egg is natural things. That's fine. So you should get a farmer who take care of chicken in natural environment. But, unfortunately, this egg is very expensive. Very expensive. I'm sorry that very expensive. And also, this farmer, this farmer's business cannot be existence. It's very difficult to keep, hold. This farmer as a business, it's very difficult. So. Then, looking around the financial situation, or your daily life, or, you know, which is, where is cheaper, cheaper chicken, cheaper egg.

[52:34]

You know. If you get the egg on the market, on the safe way, very cheap. You know, it's pretty difficult how to do, you know. It's pretty difficult to cut off clearly. Into, don't use, you should use this. It's pretty difficult. Then what should I do? What should I do? This is very important. Watch carefully, watch carefully your daily life, your modern world. Trusting, trusting of, trusting on human being, trusting on, trusting the scientist, chemist, you know.

[53:37]

And then, all we have to do is to be faced with ultimate faith, with acceptance of ultimate faith. Which means, your life is existing vivid right now, right here. I don't, we cannot, we cannot ignore modern life as long as you stand up with your foot on the earth which is called modern life, modern world. Universe, I don't like to accept, I don't like accept everything which is going on in modern life.

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That's why we have to watch carefully. Then we have to face, directly face with life itself, trusting the people, trusting your friend, trusting artist, trusting chemist, trusting physicist, trusting the scientist. Then you have to curve, your life must be curved like a glass, like a bamboo. Always you have to keep the posture regarded as you, named Bob, John, Peter, Steve, Katagiri.

[55:56]

You have to keep my posture with harmony. Trusting people, trusting glass, trusting all sentient beings. Then through this experience you have, you have to feel many things. I don't like this, I don't, I like this. It means you must be curved in maxima. This is soft heartedness. Through this experience of soft heartedness, you have to experience kanno doko, the responsible rapport. Responsible rapport, what truth is. That's why Dogen Zen says, When you bow to the Buddha,

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The nature of the bow, bowing and the bowable, is emptiness. When you make a bow, you plunge into the bow itself first. In harmony, with harmony. Then you feel many things from the experience of bow. Which you must be curved in maxima. That time, the responsive, you experience responsive rapport. Between you and your Buddha nature. Between you and the truth. Also the responsive rapport is beyond the reach of meditation. Meditation. I can't tell you what responsive rapport is.

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The content of responsive rapport is, The only, only the reality, the only the acceptance. The acceptance of ultimate fact. That you are faced with something with in harmony. Making your body, your life, your mind curved in maxima. This is kanno doko. In this world, in the domain of this experience, it's pretty difficult to say, Don't do that, don't do this. It's pretty difficult to cut off. Evidently, in two. Don't use air, don't use cabbage.

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You use cabbage which grows in natural environment. This is true. We all would like to get this. We have to make every possible effort to see this goal. Which we would like to get natural cabbage. This is our practice. But on the other hand, you have to watch care for yourself. Who cannot get rid of modern life. As long as standing. Keep standing with your foot on the modern earth. It's pretty difficult. That's why watch care for yourself. Thank you very much.

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