Last... yesterday, I ended this passage that says, on both day and night, allow all things to come into and reside within your mind. Allow your mind or yourself and all things to function together as a whole. And I want to just start with a new section. I read a section before I talked about it, and I'm going to read this next section before I talk about it.

[01:18]

The next section goes, when you return to your room, this is after all the preparations for the meal are complete, to clean up thoroughly, putting everything back where it ought to be. When the drum sounds and the bell rings, both morning and evening, be sure not to miss zazen. You're going to see the master to receive his teaching. When you return to your room, shut your eyes and count the number of people in the sodo." Sodo is like a zendo, except that that's where the monks live. sit. So, zendo is like this, where we come and just sit zazen. Sodo is where the tatamis are arranged going this way, and then everyone lives on a tatami. All the monks live together on a tatami. So when you wake up in the morning, you sit, you wake up and sit zazen.

[02:24]

First thing, you wake up and pull the blanket over your head and zit-sazi. So all of your possessions are at the foot of your tatami. You live in the zinda, but it's called the soto. Do not forget the elder priests and retired monks So this is what he's saying to Tenzo about thinking about who's around, who he has to feed, or who she has to feed. Do not forget the elder priests. He says, go into your room and shut your eyes and think about this. Count the number of people in the Soto. Do not forget the elder priests and retired monks, plus those living in single rooms. include those in the infirmary or any other elderly people.

[03:30]

In addition to these, any monks who are not on leave and others who may have just arrived but are not yet living fully within the community should be taken into account. And finally, those living in any of the sub-temples within the complex must be added. If there are any doubts, check with the heads of the offices or those in charge of the various residences where people might be staying. When you know the exact number in the community, then calculate the amount of food to be cooked. For every grain of rice to be eaten, supply one grain. In dividing one grain, the result may be two half grains, or possibly three or four. On the other hand, one grain might equal a half a grain, or perhaps two half grains. Then again, two half grains might be counted as one whole grain. you must be able to see clearly how much of a surplus will be created if you add one unit of rice, or whether there will be enough if you take away one unit." Sounds a little bit confusing, but... Sometimes,

[04:43]

In those old monasteries there really wasn't enough food to go around for everybody. So sometimes a half a grain equals one grain. Sometimes one grain equals three grains. Three grains equals one grain. Something like that. You have to know how to really measure things well. And Dogen was, people would say, well, there aren't enough, there's not enough food to go around for all the people that want to be here. So frequently the Advil would say, well, we just eat less. Each one of us eats less. We put more water in the soup. When you eat a grain of Lu Ling rice, you may become the monk Guishan.

[05:50]

When you add a grain, you may become the cow. Sometimes the cow eats Guishan, sometimes Guishan pastures the cow. Consider whether you have thoroughly understood these matters and are able to make these calculations. Go back over everything again, and when you have understood these details, be prepared to explain them to others according to their capacity to understand. Use ingenuity in your practice. See the cow and Guishan as one, not as two, even though temporarily they appear that way. In your day-to-day life, do not forget this even for a moment. If someone comes to make a monetary donation for the food, consult the other officers concerning how that money is to be used. This has been a custom in Buddhist communities down through the ages. As for other kinds of donations to the community, such as items that will be distributed among the residents, again, consult the other officers.

[06:53]

In other words, do not infringe on the authority of other officers or make decisions outside the boundary of your responsibility. After each meal has been carefully prepared, place it on a table. Put on your okesa and spread out your zagu. Facing the sodo, where everyone does zazen, Offer incense and bow nine times. Afterwards, carry the meal into the soto. All day and all night, the Tenzo has to make arrangements and prepare meals without wasting a moment. If he throws all his energy into whatever the situation truly calls for, then both the activity and the method by which he carries it out will naturally work to nurture the seeds of the Buddhadharma. Just taking care of the function of the Tenzo enables all the residents in the community to carry on their practice in the most stable way. It has been several hundred years since the Buddhadharma was introduced into Japan. This is talking in the 13th century.

[07:55]

Yet no one has ever written about the preparation and serving of meals as an expression of Buddhadharma, nor have any teachers taught concerning these matters. Much less has there been any mention of bowing nine times prior to offering the meal to the residents. Such a practice has never entered the minds of people in this country. Here, people think nothing of eating like animals with no concern for the way they eat. What a pathetic state of affairs. It truly saddens me to see things this way." And so forth. I want to talk a little bit about Guishan and the cow. Guishan is Isan in Japanese. When you eat a grain of luling rice, you may become the monk Guishan. When you add a grain, you may become the cow. Sometimes the cow eats Guishan. Sometimes Guishan pastures the cow.

[08:58]

Consider whether you have thoroughly understood these matters and are capable to make these calculations. Go back over everything again, and when you have understood these details, be prepared to explain them to others according to their capacity to understand. Use ingenuity in your practice. See the cow and Guishan as one, not as two. Even though temporarily they appear that way in your day-to-day life, do not forget this, even for a moment." There's an old story about Guishan and the cow. One day Guishan said to his students, a hundred years from now, after I die, I will appear as a cow at the bottom of this mountain, and on my right flank will be written, this cow is Gresham. Now, you think that

[10:03]

that this cow is Guishan, it's only a cow. And if you think that Guishan, if you think that this cow is Guishan, it's just a cow. You're wrong because it's just a cow. And if you think that Guishan is this cow. You're wrong because it's Guishan. How will you decide whether it's Guishan or the cow? Did I get that story right? If you think that this cow is glacial, you're wrong, because it's just a cow.

[11:14]

I think you did get it right. But the other side is if you think that The cow is just a cow, it's not just a cow. It's not just a cow, it's Guaisheng, right? You think it's just a cow? Not just a cow, it's Guaisheng. So, what is it? But Guishan is, to talk about it a little bit, Guishan is Guishan, and the cow is our everyday activity, or you can say Guishan's body.

[12:16]

And we know that our everyday activity is not fixed, it just comes up and arises and meets us. so to speak, but we feel that Isan, or myself, is fixed, and that something meets Isan, something meets myself. This is just another way of talking about what we've been talking about, what Dogen's been talking about all along, that even though it looks like I'm fixed, as Isang, and the work comes up and meets me every day, we can say nothing exists really, but we feel that we do exist, as I exist as Isang. And with that feeling, I meet things.

[13:25]

I meet everyday circumstances and deal with But isan sometimes is the cow. Isan is no different from the cow. Isan is also changing and is not fixed. And circumstances need isan. Circumstances are isan. Isan is nothing but circumstances. There's no fixed Isan or Guaishan. But circumstances are circumstances. The pots are the pots. And Guaishan is Guaishan. But Guaishan is Guaishan only through the pots and pans.

[14:27]

And the pots and pans are only the pots and pans through Guaishan. there's identity and yet separate identity and yet there's no fixed thing which is a standard for that identity. So Dogon is using this little story to talk about how things arise, how we arise with things, and how what we do makes things happen, and how things make us happen. And he talks about it in various ways. So he says, when you eat a grain of lu-ling rice, you may become the monk Guishan.

[15:34]

When you add a grain of rice, when you add a grain, you may become the cow. Sometimes the cow eats Guishan. Sometimes Guishan pastures the cow. When the cow eats Guishan, Guishan is completely, totally work, totally involvement, total involvement, and loses himself in the cow. And sometimes Guishan pastures the cow. Sometimes Guishan is dominant. Sometimes it's like turning and being turned, which Dogen talks about in here later on. Sometimes we are turned by things, and sometimes we're things turn us.

[16:36]

And when we're turned, then things are in the ascendancy and we're in the descendancy. And when we turn things, we're in the ascendancy and things are in the descendancy, so to speak. So sometimes Issan is dominant, sometimes the cow is dominant, but always together. They're always one thing. They're not, even though they appear, as two things. So he says, don't ever forget this, that you're really one thing. The east side and the calvet are always one thing, even though they appear as two things. So he says, See the cow and Guishan as one, not as two, even though they temporarily appear that way, as two.

[17:40]

In your day-to-day life, do not forget this, even for a moment. If someone comes to make a monetary donation for the food, consult so forth. So I really want to get through with this, so I'm going to have to go on. I'd like to discuss it more, but since I want to get through, I want to go on. Then he talks about the story of meeting the monk in China, the Tenzo in China. He says, when I was at Mount Tiantong in China, a monk called Lu from Qingyuan Fu was serving his tenzo. One day, after the noon meal, I was walking to another building within the complex, when I noticed Lu drawing mushrooms in the sun in front of the butsuden, or the Buddha hall.

[18:45]

He carried a bamboo stick, but had no hat on his head. The sun's rays beat down so harshly that the tiles along the walk burned one's feet. Lu worked hard and was covered with sweat. I could not help but feel the work was too much of a strain for him, His back was a bow drawn taut. His long eyebrows were crane white. I approached and asked his age. He replied that he was 68 years old. Then I went on to ask him why he never used any assistance. He answered, other people are not me. You are right, I said. I can see that your work is the activity of the Buddha Dharma, but why are you working so hard in the scorching sun? He replied, If I do not do it now, when else can I do it? There was nothing else for me to say. As I walked on along that passageway, I began to sense inwardly the true significance of the role of Tenzo. I arrived in China in April 1223, but being unable to disembark immediately, I stayed on board ship in the port of Ningbo.

[19:52]

One day in May, while I was talking with the captain, An old monk about 60 years of age came directly to the ship to buy mushrooms from the Japanese merchants on board. I invited him for tea and asked him where he was from. He said he was the Tenzo at the monastery on Mount Iyuan and added, I am originally from Xishu, although I left there over 40 years ago. I am 61 this year and have practiced in several Zen monasteries in this country. Last year, while living at Guyun, I visited the monastery on Mount Ayuwong, though I spent my time there totally confused as to what I was doing. That's kind of a self-effacement, actually. He knew what he was doing. Although you hear this frequently from people. Then, after the summer practice period last year, I was appointed Tenzo. Tomorrow is May the 5th, but I had nothing special to offer the monks. I wanted to prepare a noodle soup, but as I did not have any mushrooms to put in it, I came here to buy some."

[20:59]

May 5th, Cinco de Mayo. But it's also Bodhidharma's birthday. May 5th is Bodhidharma's birthday. It's a time when it would actually be nice to have a Bodhidharma offering. Anyway, he says, I did not have any mushrooms to put in it, in the soup, so I came here to buy some. And I, Dogan, asked, when did you leave Ayuwong? And he replied, after lunch. Is it far from here? Oh, about 14 miles. When will you go back to the temple? I am planning to return as soon as I've bought the mushrooms. You can't imagine how fortunate I feel that we were able to meet unexpectedly like this. If it's possible, I wish you would stay a while longer and allow me to offer you something more. I'm sorry, but that's impossible just now.

[22:01]

If I am not there tomorrow to prepare the meal, it will not be made well. But surely there must be others in a place as large as Ayuwong who are capable of preparing the meals. They will not be that inconvenienced if you are not there, will they?" And he said, I have been put in charge of this work in my old age. It is, so to speak, the practice of an old man. How can I entrust all that work to others? Moreover, when I left the temple, I did not ask for permission to stay out overnight. But why, when you are so old, do you do the hard work of a tenzo? Why do you not spend your time practicing zazen or working on the koans of former teachers? Is there something special to be gained from working particularly as a tenzo? He burst out laughing and remarked, my good friend from abroad, you did not yet understand what practice is all about, nor do you know the meaning of characters. When I heard this old monk's words, I was taken aback and felt greatly ashamed.

[23:02]

So I asked him, what are characters and what is practice? He replied, if you did not deceive yourself about this problem, you will be a man of the way. At the time, I was unable to grasp the meaning of his words. If you do not understand, please come to Mount Ayuwong sometime and we will talk about the nature of characters more fully." With that, he rose quickly. It is getting late and the sun is about to set. I am afraid I cannot stay any longer. Then he left for Mount Ayuwong. In July of the same year, I stayed on Mount Tianthong. One day, the Tenzo from Ayuwong came to see me. He said, as the summer practice period has ended, I shall be retiring as Tenzo and plan to return home. I heard that you were here and wanted very much to talk with you and see how you were doing. I was indeed happy to see him and received him cordially. We talked about various things and finally came to the matter he had touched on aboard the ship concerning the practice and study of characters. He said, a person who studies characters must know just what characters are, and one intending to practice the way must understand what practice is.

[24:10]

I asked him once again, well, what are characters? He replied, one, two, three, four, five. What is practice? There is nothing in the world that is hidden. Although we talked about many other things, I will not mention them here. Whatever little bit I have learned about characters and practice is largely due to that Tenzo. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 characters, Chinese characters. But 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 means everything. You could count up to Endless counting means the 10,000 things. And what is practice? There is nothing in the world that is not hidden. Meaning, when you understand what practice is, everything is the way.

[25:12]

Nothing is a hindrance. And this is right in keeping with what Dogen has been talking about all along. When I met him again with my teacher Myozen, who later died in China, I told him of my meeting with Utenzo from Mount Ayuwong. He was extremely happy to hear about it. Later on, I came across a gatha. that Zui Du had written for one of his disciples. 1735. The truth you search for cannot be grasped. As night advances, a bright moon illuminates the whole ocean. The dragon's jewels are found in every wave. Looking for the moon, it is here, in this wave.

[26:16]

in the next. I'll read that again. One, seven, three, five are characters. The truth you search for cannot be grasped. As night advances, a bright moon illuminates the whole ocean. The dragon's jewels are found in every wave. Looking for the moon, it is here, in this wave, in the next. Moon. Enlightenment illuminates the whole universe, the whole ocean. The bright moon illuminates the whole ocean. There's nothing concealed. The dragon's jewels are found in every wave. Sometimes, you know, we sit in thousands and what comes to us comes in waves. waves of pleasure, waves of pain, waves of mind dharmas, waves of feeling.

[27:26]

The dragon's jewels are found in every way. Looking for the moon is here, in this way, in the next. It dawned on me then that what the Tenzo I had met the previous year had said coincided perfectly with what Zui Du was pointing out in his gatha. I realized more than ever that the Tenzo was a man fully living out the Buddhadharma. I used to see the characters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Now I see also 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Future students must be able to see that side from this side, as well as this side from that side. Practicing with intense effort, using all your ingenuity, you'll be able to grasp genuine Zen that goes beyond the surface of characters. To do otherwise will only result in being led about by variously tainted Zen that will leave you incapable of preparing meals skillfully for the community.

[28:32]

That's really a nice poem of Zui Du, and it very well matches what Dogen realized from the Tenzo. In Dogen's time in Japan, the reason why he criticizes Japan so much is because at the time, up until Dogen's time, Buddhism was a practice which was set aside from daily life, delving into the mysteries of life in a way that wasn't necessarily connected with daily life. And Dogye knew he was searching for something. And when he went to China, this meeting with the Tenzo was Aside from his meeting with his teacher, Wu Jing, Tendon Yojo, meeting with the Tenzo was the most significant thing that he encountered in China, because he realized through that encounter the understanding of daily life as the way, which became the cornerstone of his practice and his teaching.

[30:14]

And that's why this is actually the heart of everything that Dogen's saying in here is coming out of this encounter. So pretty important for him. And so when he talks about variously tainted Zen, he's talking about one-sided Zen, or searching after enlightenment apart from finding yourself, settling on yourself, within yourself, within the events of daily life. So he also mentions the fact that no one ever talked about this in Japan, Nobody ever talked about bowing nine times and offering the Buddha tray for meals.

[31:30]

They didn't think about meals. Apparently the various practices didn't, according to Dogon, didn't include that kind of inclusion. And then I'll read you just the next paragraph and then stop. Regarding the Office of Tenzo, stories such as those I mentioned previously about Guishan and Dongshan, Sepo and Tozan, and Sepo turning over the rice bowl, have been passed down through the ages.

[32:32]

In addition to the monks from Mount Tianpong and Mount Ayuwong, I met and talked with monks who served as tenzo from other monasteries. If we look closely into some of these stories, we will realize the meaning of characters and the nature of practice. Actually, just working as tenzo is the incomparable practice of the Buddhas. Even one who accedes to the head of the community should have these same attitudes." So when he's talking about tenzo, he's also talking about Sentient beings are never at peace.

[33:41]

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