September 1st, 1977, Serial No. 00101

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Zen Center. A is a student, B is a teacher, C is a place, circumstances and then all three of them are working together in peace, in harmony. At that time you can see the presence of a Zen Center in peace and harmony. So what should you do? Students, what should students do? Well, you cannot take care of your life isolated from B and C. Anyway, your life is exactly something being, exactly being connected, interconnected with B and C. At that time you can support, you can support your life and also B and C. But if you have an ego, you

[01:09]

cannot work together with B and C. Anyway, you should give life to the characteristic of A as it is. This is. Actually, your life must be work with people. Your life is not your life, your life is not life conceptualized, okay, in which you can get the germinating of ego, constantly. But the best one, only one way of giving life to the characteristic of A as it is, is just work with people, interconnected, interpenetrated. This is the best way. So at that time, at that time A is not A. A is

[02:12]

totality a Zen Center. So this is called yuku-jodo, okay, yuku-jodo, going toward, anyway going, you have to go in some place, okay. For instance, if you see the zazen, or if you see the beautiful scenery, okay, imagining in your head, how can you feel from a beautiful scenery without going there, without moving toward. If you see the trees, which is beautiful, okay, imagining, okay, I saw the beautiful trees in Japan while imagining. That is the imaginary being. But the important point is, you should move toward the tree. If you feel beautiful, anyway you have to move toward, okay, see it, anyway see it. If you want to paint the

[03:17]

trees on the canvas, anyway move toward trees. It means see it. You feel something, initiatively. If you don't move, well, tree doesn't come up to you. Anyway, first you should move toward and feel, okay, feel, even a little bit. This is the second, okay, jodo, yuku-jodo, going toward, anyway, people. This is Bodhisattva practice. Bodhisattva practice. So, in the explanation of the fifth figure, it says the Buddha, without dwelling in nirvana, nirvana goes back and forth to life and death and teaches all according to their circumstances. This is what is called unique. This is, you are unique. You are, everyone is very unique. The only one.

[04:22]

That's why Buddha says, I alone is the one, the one, the holy, the enlightened man in heaven and earth. Exactly the same. You are really unique. When you work with people constantly in peace and harmony, that time your life is very valuable. Then you need being. No one can imitate. So, karagiri should be karagiri, okay. Karagiri should be karagiri, is, is, anyway, swimming in the ala-jodo, be in the dimension of the being, being the pure land. Anyway, karagiri must be karagiri. Then, next, in the second pure land, the karagiri-fu ought to be. Become karagiri. Become karagiri. Karagiri ought to be,

[05:35]

karagiri-fu ought to be, is, in other words, the true state of karagiri. Karagiri-fu ought to be, is, become karagiri. Means, to work with B, C, D, in peace, in C. That time, karagiri is really work. It's really work. Good or bad, right or wrong, speaking, his speaking is good or his speaking is bad, it doesn't matter. Anyway, all I have to do is to plunge into your life, censor and build in circumstances and then I should open, open my mouth and explain my heart. This is karagiri-fu ought to be. Just be karagiri. So, that is called, in Zen story,

[06:44]

it's called fumae. Fumae means, literally, it means not, not obscure, not obscure or not cheap, not cheap. And one, one thing, according to the pure land, this first line, the state of the pure land, that is called, according to Zen Buddhism, that is flaku. Flaku, inga. Flaku means not to fall into, not to fall into. The inga is cause and effect. Cause and effect. Fumae, inga, is not obscure, the cause and effect. Well, in

[07:50]

Buddhism, cause and effect are completely same. In the Buddhist world, not different. Because, this is our being, we all sentient beings are right in the middle of being the pure land. So, you cannot measure whatever you struggle, try to know what it is, you never can. So, all you have to do is just be with the being the pure land, immense expanse of Buddhist world. That is all you have to do, from moment to moment, day after day. At that time, what should you do? Karagiri, should be karagiri. Karagiri become karagiri. That is very simple. Karagiri become karagiri. Karagiri become karagiri means, so, there is no particular thing, no cause, no effect. Karagiri becomes karagiri. That is called flaku, not falling

[09:02]

into a law of causation, a law of causation. All you have to do is karagiri, become karagiri. You become you. You sell yourself in the self. So, I told you sometimes, in order to explain the Zen, you must be you first, then next you become one with you as you are what you are, then next you should sell yourself on the self. That's all. It says, at that time, you are you, who is free from the law of causation. That is flaku inga. And then, nevertheless, my inga is not obscure. The law of causation means karagiri, who ought to be, become karagiri. So, karagiri is not cheated by karagiri. Because karagiri become karagiri, as he is. He is karagiri. So, I study hard.

[10:12]

It's amazing. Karagiri, when karagiri think of himself from his karmic life, I think, I evaluate karagiri is not good. So, I have to learn lots of things. I study every day, zazen. But, here is a karagiri. Here is a karagiri. What's the difference between karagiri he is and karagiri he was? Exactly the same. Karagiri is karagiri. But, different is a lot of stuff in it. That's all. That's all. Not different. Well, you say that a woman becomes a mother, okay? A woman becomes a mother, of course. Only when you have a baby, a woman, you become a mother. But, what's different? It's not, you say, at that time, you understand mother in terms of a time process, okay?

[11:24]

Here is a baby, as a cause. And then, here is a mother as an effect. Then, you judge. This is, here is a baby. Here is a mother. But, it is not a good understanding. When you become a mother, that's something particular. A particular person becomes a mother. All you have to do is, it means, real meaning is, according to Buddha's word, here, okay? Woman becomes woman. That's all. Woman becomes woman. That's all. This is a flaku-ima, okay? Flaku-ima. Not falling into the law of causation, but on the other hand, a woman, anyway, when a woman gives life to a woman as it is, then at that time, she can give birth of her baby. Because, that woman, who is not falling into causation, gives life to the personality of her life. Interconnected, interpenetrated, all sentient beings.

[12:41]

At that time, baby is here. Then, that woman is called mother. But, actually, what is a mother? What is a baby? All are same, okay? All are same. From where mother and baby come? They come from woman, who ought to be becoming woman. That's all. This is my, we call, my end. So, in the story, Hyakujo Zen Master becomes reincarnated as a fox for 500 years. Fox means various aspects of human life. Mother, baby, woman, trees, birds, suffering, pleasure, suffering, pain, many kinds, various aspects of human life.

[13:51]

That is called fox. Fox. Fox means when you work with all sentient beings in peace and harmony, interconnected, interpenetrated, you can create, you can create your own life. What is alive, that is fox. This is your life. Fox. Then, if you are Buddha, anyway, you have been reincarnated as a fox for 500 years. Anyway, from the beginningless past to the endless future, you have to be. You have to be a fox. You cannot stay, I am Buddha. You cannot stay at the stage of Buddha. Anyway, you have to transform into fox. It means sometimes mother, sometimes baby, sometimes young lady, sometimes funny lady, beautiful lady, and sometimes, that is Avalokiteshvara.

[15:03]

Avalokiteshvara appears in the form of 333 bodies, boys, girls. Anyway, you are already Buddha. So, anyway, you have to appear in the various forms, more than 33. Then, for many, many years, 500 years, anyway, you have to be. This is going toward the Pure Land. So, in the explanation of the figure, the Buddha, without dwelling in nirvana, goes back and forth to life and death, and teaches all according to their circumstances. This is what is called unique. Unique person. So, anyway, each person, when you can practice in that way, your life is called iron man.

[16:53]

Iron man can appear in the various forms, 33, more than 33 forms, just like Avalokiteshvara, boys, girls, prostitutes, anyway, trees, birds, in order to save all sentient beings. That is called, it's not easy. That's why you have to be iron man, immovable, immovable person, right in the middle of samsara, six realms of samsara. You mustn't be divided. Your life is just like a lotus flower, blooming in the mud. You shouldn't fight with mud. Well, if you understand the truth, if you understand that you are Buddha, and the trees are Buddha, and all sentient beings are Buddha, you shouldn't fight.

[18:02]

Christianity is Buddha. Buddhism is Buddha. All sentient beings are Buddha. Then, at that time, it's not necessary to fight. But keep in mind this point. Even though you don't fight, the world fights you. You should keep in mind. Otherwise, you cannot bloom, you cannot let the beautiful flower of your life bloom, because your life is like a lotus flower. So mud, mud water, always fighting, lotus flower. But lotus flower doesn't care. All he has to do is just to let the beautiful flower of his life bloom, sticking out of the surface of water, mud water. They say so, don't they? So don't fight.

[19:05]

But in many occasions, people bite me, because I need Jesus Christ. You don't need Buddhism, you need Jesus Christ. You need a God. God is one. I always thought he was called by some person, stubborn man. Well, if he knows the ultimate truth, which is called God, it's not necessary to fight. Then, third, third one is, B is naru-jodo. Naru means to become. To become presently. To become right now, right here. This is naru.

[20:23]

To complete. Naru is to complete, presently complete. According to Dogen's words, that is genjo. Genjo is presently completion. Presently completion. Kowan becomes perfect. Perfect. So what becomes perfect? Kowan. Kowan means Buddha. So that is naru. Naru-jodo. Naru-jodo is becoming the pure land. That means, becoming the pure land means to purify society.

[21:28]

To purify society and the pure land is entirely actualized in reality. This is naru-jodo. Well, if you become Iron Man, if you become unique being, and if you become Iron Man, well, you have, you have a big omen. Omen? Hero. That hero is not small hero. That hero is universe. This is big hero. That hero is called Buddha. So, if you become the unique being and Iron Man very naturally, very naturally, your life is very appealing to all sentient beings.

[22:42]

Well, you can educate, help, being very naturally, very naturally. This is true. It is true. First of all, anyway, you must be the unique person. The unique person in all sentient, in the human world. Then, you should be Iron Man. At that time, you are Buddha, who can educate, enrich, and help all sentient beings, purifying society. And, the letter of mind, in the center of the Suva-siddhika, it is a red letter. It implies the Buddha's compassion.

[23:43]

Buddha's compassion. Buddha's compassion is divided into three. One is shu-jo, shu-jo-no-je-hi. Compassion of shu-jo means all beings. Well, later I will explain. Second is compassion of dharma. Third is compassion of no conditions. No conditions. So, compassion of all sentient beings means, this is a compassion which is a little affective. Affective, affective, affective. This is very common compassion. Everyone has. Do you understand?

[24:47]

This is very common affective compassion. Like expressing the mother's love to her babies. This is first compassion. This is called compassion of shu-jo. It means all beings. Second is compassion of dharma. This is the compassion with deep respect. This is the compassion of dharma. Do you understand? That is a little bit deeper than the first one. First one. Compassion with deep respect. Spiritually. That is sort of the compassion which happens very often between teacher and students and so forth.

[25:49]

And third is compassion of no conditions. This is real. Third one is real compassion. Compassion of no conditions means your compassion or kindness is extended to all sentient beings. Everything. With no limitation of a particular person or a particular inanimate being. Anyway, your compassion is extending to not a particular person, everybody. This is a third kind of compassion. Because if you practice, if you experience, if you become the unique being, an iron man and purify the society, educating people and enrich others' life, helping others' life, very naturally there is a compassion extending to everybody without discrimination.

[27:09]

This is real compassion. So Sunday, last Sunday I told the meaning of love. Love is same. Love with affection. Affective love. This is very common love. But second love is love with respect. With respect. The third is love extending to everybody. Inanimate being or animate being. Visible being or invisible being. That time this is real compassion. Buddha's compassion. Buddha's love. So, This is what is called iron man.

[28:32]

Patrick says, in practicing the way, one must be iron man. This is, I have finished explaining the daiji. As conclusion, let's recall the total picture of daiji. First figure is the meaning of the body-mind, the practice and realization. The body-mind is in accord with the principle of the Buddha nature. Body-mind, I told you before, body-mind is to carry out the all-realistic practices. Because of no presence of the self without being in interrelation with others.

[29:45]

This is the Buddha's teaching. So, the body-mind is the spirit to help all sentient beings. That is body-mind. That body-mind is exactly in accord with the principle of the Buddha nature. Because everything is interconnected. The practice and realization is that which lasts for three ashtanga kalpas. Which means a numberless, innumerable, countless period of time. Anyway, your practice must last forever. Forever. This is the meaning of the first figure. The second figure describes the final fruit brought by means of the aforementioned body-mind.

[30:48]

The third figure describes the Buddha's body up to the final stage. The fourth figure is the land the Buddha body depends on. The fifth figure is Iron Man in practicing the way. He practiced under the guidance of this Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva. Whatever Chizawa Roshi asked him to do, he never accepted. He was very often scolded by his teacher. One day, he had the chance to listen to a lecture given by Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva explaining this daiji. The last lecture, he explains this Iron Man.

[31:55]

Chizawa Roshi was very impressed by this Iron Man because he had practiced for many years. Under the guidance of very strict teachers. So finally, this Iron Man mentioned in daiji was Buddha. Giving the big shock to him. Then, at that time, he felt, I wanted my teacher to write this Iron Man in paper. But he was scared to go to ask to write this letter, Iron Man. Because Chizawa Roshi knew that he had never accepted his request, whatever it is.

[32:57]

So, there was an old man, Buddhist layman, who was very intimate with Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva. Whatever he asked, he accepted. Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva accepted with a smile. So Chizawa Roshi got a good idea, oh, that is, probably I should ask this old man. So, he asked. So this old man said, well, alright, I will. So next day, this old man went to Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva's room, carrying the food Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva likes very much. Every time, he brought something. Then, this old man said, how are you, Roshi? He said, yes, I am okay. And then, the old man said, here it is, here is a very favorable food for you.

[34:04]

Oh, thank you. And then, he said, after offering, showing this favorable food for him, and said, may I ask you something? Then, Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva said, what is that, what is that? The old man said, I want you to write a letter on a small piece of paper, rice paper. Then he said, what kind of letter, what word? The old man said, well, I think you gave a lecture about Daishi explaining Tekkan, Iron Man. So, I want you to write Tekkan. Then, immediately, this Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva changed his face.

[35:06]

Because he knew. He knew who asked. Immediately. He knew who asked. So, he made his face. He said, you ask, you ask. No, you don't ask. You don't ask. Kisa, young, asked me, asked you, eh? The old man said, eh? He said, well, I'm restless, how can I explain? Finally, he said, yes. Young asked me. Then Nishi-Ari Bodhisattva immediately stopped talking. And one word, He said, hmm, sōka, sōka means he laughs a lot. He said, hmm, he laughs, and then tears in his eyes, not very good, and then he said,

[36:20]

it's helpful, I'm all right. This is the relationship between the teacher and the disciple, okay? That is very important. Why does the teacher cry, tears in his face? Because his body and mind is not his. His body and mind is really just not his body and mind, exactly the same. Whatever he does, he knows very well, straightforward. That's why I told you before, well, practice. Don't practice what you like. You can practice, because you can practice anytime what you like. But when you face, when you are confronted with a practice you don't like,

[37:26]

at that time pay careful attention to it, okay? Don't escape, don't get away from that. Stay with it, practice it. If you practice in that way, very naturally you can feel teacher's way of life. If you always practice in an easy-going way, you don't understand. You don't understand, you never understand the Buddha's word. So, Zaroche, Roshi practiced under the guidance of Nishiyari Boksan, who very often scolded, never accepted Zaroche's request. At that time he said, I always try to escape from,

[38:28]

but if he thought, I would like to escape, teacher already knew his feeling. So his attitude immediately changed, to keep him here, in many ways. So finally he couldn't escape. Then, he knew very well, Zaroche, teacher's mind, and also why did Nishiyari Boksan scold him very often? That scolding is to make a square ego, round. But Zaroche, who was young at that time, didn't understand that. He just accepted something as it is, scolding, for instance, scolding.

[39:38]

But actually scolding was not scolding at that time. To enrich, to educate him. Nishiyari Boksan really plunged into disciple's life, and appeared in many forms, just like Avalokiteshvara. 34, 33 bodies, sometimes good Zen master, sometimes gentle Zen master, sometimes very strict. But whatever kind of forms he appeared, they are really the totality of Avalokiteshvara appearing in many forms. That's why, finally, they can enter into Zen. That's why Nishiyari Boksan didn't say, but he understood, disciple's mind.

[40:40]

After liking that character, Nishiyari Boksan said to old man, I admit, this disciple, that he had been patient for many, many years with me. He knew very well. But if he escaped from his teacher's life, he wouldn't have understood Nishiyari Zen, Dharma transmission. I told you before, patience is not the patience which you can bear. Patience is the patience which you can't.

[41:43]

Patience is to bear what you cannot bear. This is called real meaning of patience. But what is the practice? Practice is not the practice what you can do easily. This is not real practice. So why the Buddha and Patriarch advise you to practice anyway continually for countless number of period of time? Why? We have to say. Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, Patriarchs have to say. Because practice is not easy. That's why you have to practice. But usually we don't. If you see hard practice, you escape. If you don't like, you escape too easily. Because there are lots of choices. If you do so, escape very often, you can't be the iron man.

[42:51]

Actually, I should start to learn with you about Kechi-myaku too. But Kechi-myaku is pretty similar with Shisho. Shisho, very similar way. I told you in the first lecture. Kechi-myaku implies that the one undivided whole of layman and priest, ordinary person and Buddha. Shisho is the undivided whole of teacher and disciple. That is a different point.

[44:03]

But the rest of them are very similar. If I have time in the future, I would like to explain more about that. Thank you very much. Be patient with me.

[44:24]

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