First of all, I wish to send my heartfelt thankfulness to the reverend Suzuki, who gave us such wonderful opportunity to talking with you and practice such wonderful Zen way. But I feel many trouble to speaking of my foreign language, English. It's due to my not studying English. I have been only six months ago came to Los Angeles as my missionary work. Usually, I speak Japanese, so not trained to speak English.

[01:13]

But I believe you beyond the world language, you must understand, you can recognize what I wish to speak to you. If you feel so, please agree and accept. In reflection, the Buddha's giving day, Buddha and his siblings always gathered a big, huge under the green tree and face to face, sometimes talking, sometimes not talking, Buddha and his disciples always acknowledge and feel beyond the world, heart to heart.

[02:21]

What Buddha say? It's all of you, I think, teach it from reverend Suzuki and this Zen Center member every time through the dozen way. This time, I was very much grateful you join here and practice this hard way to enlightenment or awareness of yourself. It must be very wonderful thing, particularly this modern life, material world and spiritual

[03:26]

life seems very, very unparalleled and unbalanced. Suppose we are sitting here, but at the same time, what happened in our world? Is it happy world? What should we realize and attain our holy aim and lofty purpose among the human being? Two hundred years ago, Japanese monk of Zen sect explained one part of himself reflecting

[04:28]

his past life, he told his disciple. It's written by Chinese poet, may be difficult to understand for you, so here only I translate our meaning. How many often we faced blowing the kyo-sak, it remained my shoulder, black, dark time of hitting, beating. I'm longing for, it's very, very long to me. I saw it directly reflect my younger age, how many times my master beat me.

[05:33]

But this time, I was so happy to have feeling, looking everyday, enjoyness and direct feeling of mine come from. So, now I'm longing my master, why you beat more strictly? Master said, this time your session, it seems must be difficult in the hardship of your physical, and same time mentally, how do you got feeling or not?

[06:46]

One day, Buddha experienced, before he getting enlightenment, he suffered his body, many, many painful feeling. Like you know, ancient Indian school, it says 96 schools standing during Buddha's living day. Buddha himself pilgrim from here to another, there to another. Suffering painful and hard way, he never stopped walking and training. After that, he aware well, where I can find out calmness of my soul, and the peaceful

[08:02]

place of my inner heart. One day, he downed mountain, passed the river, stopped under the great body tree, practiced zazen only sitting. One day, one week later, he aware himself, what is real happiness, real calmness. Then, his Buddha nature appeared, it was the time when he downed brilliant star glittering light. This is Buddha's enlightenment as you know, but reflect this case, you could attend like

[09:20]

this enlightenment awareness. It's not only a story, but real yourself. So, your hardship not others, and the way to gain that awareness always belong to you. Maybe it seems hardship for your physical, but trend up, trend up, then you can attend yourself one day. So, I'm very delighted to join you, and going to same way, never lusting my opposite a show of our awareness.

[10:23]

What way should we go? Where we can find out unchanged happiness? It makes all human being same time. Today, reverend Suzuki ordered me and asked me to speak to you, but mostly I feel many trouble for experience of that mental world. But, it's my duty to speak something about this. Rather, I wish to hear from you, what you experienced, what you experience has been,

[11:27]

or have been, and what aims. It must be lofty aim. One day, I wanted time to have talking about, and speak each other face to face, and make a steady way in this United States. Therefore, the Session Assembly, very, very important things to us. One western poetry says, to stand and stare. You can suppose like this for me.

[12:33]

Our daily life always busy, much busier. There, we can't reflect us, and when I think I want to stop, but from behind another power push us to go on, go on, go ahead. My willingness, and always misfortune, and we are unwillingly to proceed. But that time, which way? Is it my willing way or not? Maybe it's a social life so-called.

[13:36]

But, once, one time, we must stop, and face the opposite. What face to me? It's our good not, beauty or not, happiness and unhappiness. It's best important thing to face on through my everyday life. So, maybe it's a short word to stand and stare. Is it best to us? Of course, this July is a way, a later way of this year. We divided a year half, former six months and later six months, we can suppose.

[14:47]

This is a time to reflect past six months, where, what we are, what things we had, and face to our coming later six months. There, one stop and stare of my coming six months. It shouldn't be our duty or not. It's a best time. We have this session assembly to reflect and face the coming future of ourselves.

[15:53]

So, there is nothing meaningless of our daily life. Even one thing, it's very meaningful. Especially, like this session meeting. Very, very enormous world that we make up ourselves to facing in our future. It must be unknown, but it must be believable. So, you practice this hard way. This hard way must be bring us best effort, best growth. You can agree with me?

[16:56]

So, there is passing through, and our life must be so short. But, this time is the best. Once, Uman said, every day is the best. Isn't it awareness of ourselves? You practice Zazen, and through Zazen, you must build up your steady mind, steady awareness. So, same time, it make up and very effective in our human life. Not only America, all over the world, their suffering, miserable things always happen.

[18:08]

So, we change and make it happy. Never changing, and never lost mind of our lofty aim. What shall we do? So, in closing, I'm awfully appreciate for you to join and doing Zazen, sitting calmly, realizing the way of happiness and to build up. Thank you. www.mooji.org

[19:23]

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