I vow to taste the truth and love the darkness worse. Good morning. Last week I talked about the meaning of the four vows, the four bodhisattva vows. Today I want to talk about the meaning of triple treasure. Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. When we become ordained, we take the precepts. Whether we have lay ordination or priest ordination, we take the precepts and 16 Bodhisattva precepts. And the first three are

[01:01]

I take refuge in Buddha, I take refuge in Dharma, I take refuge in Sangha. So I want to talk about these three refuges called the triple treasure. We say I take refuge, but refuge is okay, but it's not complete meaning. Refuge has the feeling of protection, but actually we don't take refuge in order to have protection. maybe more we take what do we take refuge from or what are we escaping from so you can say we take refuge from falsehood or we take refuge in reality

[02:30]

So we have to kind of understand, well, what do we mean by Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha? Basically, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha means reality. Three aspects of reality or truth. You can also say, literally, I take, I return to Buddha, I return to Dharma, I return to Sangha. Or you can say, I am one with Buddha, I am one with Dharma, I am one with Sangha. So any of those three really mean the same thing, but they're three different ways to express the same meaning. You can also say, I am one with myself.

[03:38]

This is basic meaning. But then you have to know, well, what do I mean by myself? So there are three ways that we look at the triple treasure. One way is called one body triple treasure. And then there's manifest, the manifest triple treasure. And then there's the maintained triple treasure. One body triple treasure means Buddha, Dharma, Sangha beyond explanation or beyond understanding.

[04:47]

You know, most religions will reach some platform where you can focus on something like we invent the concept of God and then we focus on that concept and say this is the highest meaning. I'm not criticizing that but And people also say Buddhism is atheistic or something like that. But Buddhadharma doesn't stop anywhere. Buddhadharma can accept God, but, you know, we always go beyond some idea or some concept.

[05:56]

We even go beyond Buddha. Dogen says, Buddha going beyond Buddha. Always for our widest understanding, Buddha must go beyond Buddha, must go beyond concept of God or any idea in order to be completely wide open to reality. You must go beyond any concept or any ideology. This is beyond. We say wisdom beyond wisdom. When we announce the Heart Sutra, we say the Sutra, which is about wisdom beyond wisdom, beyond our anything that we can understand.

[07:02]

True religion is beyond our understanding, but not beyond our ability to be it. So we have such a thing called practice, which is called Dharma, or Sangha, actually. Dharma is our understanding, Buddha's understanding, the truth, the reality. Dharma means those people that we practice with, or in a wide sense, everyone. But it also means harmony and it also means practice. How you manifest the Dharma is as Sangha.

[08:04]

How you manifest the truth is in the most mundane actions of our daily life as Sangha. So in Zen practice we put emphasis on Sangha Someone like Shinran will put emphasis on Buddha, and someone like Nichiren will put emphasis on Dharma. But Buddha includes Dharma and Sangha, and Dharma includes Buddha and Sangha, and Sangha includes Buddha and Dharma. So whichever one you emphasize, the others are included, must be included. But in Zen practice, we put emphasis on Sangha.

[09:08]

We don't have any special Buddha that we pay homage to, or that is a focus for us. And we don't have any special Dharma or teaching, which is a focus. So our focus must be the truth as it arises from our daily life, within our daily life, which includes, which is Buddha, which is Dharma. So we don't have a special sutra that we follow. Sutra, of course, is the words of Buddha that are written down, or maybe some philosophy. And although we use those sutras and teachings, none of those sutras or teachings are the absolute truth, or our own truth.

[10:14]

We must always find the truth which is real through practice. Practice brings forth the reality. Study is helpful. Sutras are helpful. And thinking about Buddha, very helpful. Focusing on Buddha, very helpful. But, you know, There are some practices in Buddhism which visualize Buddha. You know, visualization practice of Buddha. But in Zen, we are Buddha. So when you do Zazen, this is to not visualize, but to actualize Buddha. paying attention to posture and breathing is to visualize the real Buddha.

[11:28]

Visualize doesn't mean to conjure up in this sense. It means to see, to be, to be and to see. Why do we have to, why should we visualize another Buddha? when Buddha is closer than hands and feet. So the one body triple treasure is the indivisible Buddha Dharma Sangha before division. And it's like expressed as Zazen or Shikantaza. But it's beyond our explanation, our ability to understand or explain.

[12:34]

although we can talk about it and we can explain it and we must do that. So this is why we have the triple treasure manifested. The manifest triple treasure is Buddha sitting on the altar or the Dharma as expressed through the sutras and the Sangha as expressed through our collective practice and association and common goals and understanding. This is called the Manifest Three Treasures. it's manifest as Buddhism.

[13:40]

And we say the Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, is Buddha. And in Zen we say all of us have Buddha nature and have the potential to bring forth or express Buddha nature as Buddha. That sentient beings or ordinary beings and Buddhas are not different. This is the Dharma of the Manifest Three Treasures. Dharma means truth which is not messed with. The truth that's not toyed with or partial or twisted in some way to benefit myself or to rationalize my own understanding.

[14:47]

So truth is the impartial reality. This is a meaning of Dharma. Things just as it is. And there are many approaches to truth, just as it is. This is the goal of science, is to uncover or discover truth just as it is. So religion should have the same eye, but from a different point of view. religion is not just to discover the truth about phenomena, but the truth of beyond phenomenal truth.

[15:53]

And to see into the reality of how things go. what our life is about. So in both Western and Eastern religion, dharma or truth is not a respecter of persons. There's no respect for our ego. or truth has no respect for our ego or no respect for our partiality or our wishful thinking. Just seeing with a clear eye how it is. So when we see or understand how it is and we go along with that reality, then we have some practice of truth and insight, and we manifest the dharma ourself.

[17:16]

So dharma or truth is not something from outside, but is intrinsic. So through seeing everything as it really is, we manifest dharma and preach dharma, not through words, but through our true understanding and through our actions and our attitude. So this is manifest. manifesting Dharma. And a Sangha, as I said, in Zen we emphasize, put the emphasis more on Sangha, which is not just practicing together, but the relationship between us.

[18:27]

the relationship between teacher and teacher, and between student and student. Because we say in Zen practice, our teaching comes direct from teacher to disciple, teacher to student, all the way from before Shakyamuni Buddha. because we don't rely on a special teaching and a sutra. The teacher actually is considered Buddha, not some perfect person, but Buddha nevertheless. This is important to understand. The teacher is Buddha, but the student is also Buddha.

[19:31]

So teacher is teacher Buddha, and student is student Buddha. And the teacher is also a student. And the student is also a teacher. But the student has the role of student, and the teacher has the role of teacher. So, you know, we say teacher is Buddha, and when we have doksan, or some occasion, the student bows to the teacher. But the student is bowing to Buddha, not to the personality of the teacher, but to the teacher Buddha.

[20:42]

At that time, it's rather impersonal, actually. Not something personal, not some kind of worship of the teacher, but just respect for the teacher's Buddha nature. And a teacher also respects students' Buddha nature, but you can't separate a person from Buddha. When we bow to each other, we have to do so with the highest attitude. So when we practice in this way, it should bring out in us our highest nature. If it doesn't, or if our lower nature, so to speak, interferes, then

[21:56]

causes a big problem. But given the problems that may be caused, we make our effort to bring forth our best effort, best attitude in giving and receiving, or offering and receiving. So if we take something personally from that offering, we have big trouble. But if we know how to use it correctly, then we have a wonderful opportunity. Because there's no Buddha outside of sentient beings. In a way, you can say that the one body, three treasures, is before Buddha, before sentient beings.

[23:23]

It's the way things, reality of the way things are, before our understanding or before human beings appeared. And manifested three treasures are the expression of that through our human activity. So our human activity, it's not something that we make up. But it's the expression of that reality before human beings appeared. A famous Zen koan is, what is your original face before human beings appeared? So sangha, each one of us is sangha, and sangha has the meaning of harmonious relationship, harmonious relationship with Buddha and with Dharma.

[24:57]

And you can say that sangha is the But even though it's the third one, it's in between Buddha and Dharma. And it's the harmonious relationship between Buddha and Dharma. Between truth, reality, and ourself. But it's, on another level, the way we relate to each other and to everything in this universe. Although generally we think of Sangha as people who practice. But people who practice is a specific kind of Sangha. And then everyone around us also belongs to this big Sangha, because we don't think of people as being inside or outside of Buddha Dharma.

[26:08]

If only the Sangha are Buddhas, then who are the others? So there are no others. Everyone is Buddha, whether or not they're Buddhists. So being a Buddhist doesn't mean so much, actually. It's not necessary to be Buddhist. Buddhist is just a way of organizing our practice. Suzuki Roshi says that we always leave some seat. He didn't say where or what, but leave some seat for Buddhas who are not Buddhists. The world is loaded with Buddhas who are not Buddhists.

[27:13]

and outstanding teachers of other religions are also given that place of honor or respect for their understanding and their work. So we should be a little bit careful about how we think about who is a Buddhist and what are Buddhists and this sort of thing. Buddhism is wonderful because it should be just reality, just the study and practice of reality. whatever that means. But in order to organize ourselves and practice, we have Buddhism, Buddhadharma.

[28:29]

In order to study truth, we have Buddhadharma. But it's not fixed. If it's fixed, it's not Buddhadharma. And if our truth is fixed truth, it's not reality. But that doesn't mean that all of your opinions and ideas are Buddhadharma. Everything has to be tested. So that's why Buddha says, don't just do what I say because I say it. You should find out for yourself. You have to test your own understanding. Your understanding has to be tested. So your opinions and ideas have to stand up under scrutiny or under the test of reality.

[29:38]

So that's why we're very careful about bringing up our own opinions and passing them off as truth. The third category or the third way of looking at the three treasures is called the maintained three treasures. Maintain means practice, actual practice of Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. But it also means maintaining the practice through coordination and handing down from one generation to another, maintaining the way in that way.

[30:45]

So it's maintaining that way through dharma transmission and through ordination and keeping buddhadharma or the practice and the study of buddhadharma from dying out. Not that truth will die out, but we feel that we would like to keep it going, keep this 2,500 year practice going. So that's maintaining, but not just maintaining, but maintaining it in the right way, in a way that doesn't solidify.

[31:56]

Maintaining doesn't mean to put the truth in a box or in a drawer. and worship it as some idol, but to maintain the spirit of testing, improving, and the direction of practice. There are a lot of people, or some people who have good understanding of Buddhadharma and Zen, who say, well, what do we need all this formality and certain style of practice for? So they kind of abandon everything and start from scratch, which has some merit, actually.

[33:04]

but it can be a little one-sided. Iconoclasm has its merits, but if you become too one-sided, then you don't have the benefit of everyone that came before you. the collective practice of all the ancestors that came before us, which I think is very important. So within our formality, within our formal practice, we should be free of formal practice. To be free of formal practice doesn't mean to get rid of formal practice. It means to not be bound by formal practice. If you get rid of it, then you lose something.

[34:06]

If you get rid of casual practice, then you lose something. So on one side, our practice is very formal. On the other side, our practice is very casual. Casual means that we practice, we use any form that we encounter as a way to practice. That's the other side. One side is when you leave the zendo, every form you encounter is a form, is a way to practice. You use that form. That's your koan. How do I use this form to practice? How do I use the bus to practice? How do I use my job to practice? These are forms of practice, if you know how to practice. So we have the formal side, and we can see what practice is through the formal side.

[35:15]

You can see it. It's visible. But when you go out the door, it's not visible. You have to create the visibility That's your job. That's your practice. When you leave the door of the zendo, in which it's just all out there, there's nothing there that says, this is practice. There's no black cushions. So whatever you step into, oh, this is the zendo. How do I practice here? It doesn't look like a zendo, but how do I practice there? How do I make it a zendo without any black cushions or bowing or chanting or lectures? So both sides are necessary.

[36:18]

They're both two sides of one practice. So this is how we maintain practice and how we teach to other people. If we just have our own way, we can get very selfish. Selfish practice, even though you make tremendous enlightenment, is not real enlightenment. it only becomes enlightenment when you turn your practice over to others, when you share your practice with others. No matter how great and enlightened you may be, if you don't share your practice with others, it's not yet real enlightenment.

[37:38]

even though we may think so. So these three aspects, one body, three treasures, manifest three treasures and maintained three treasures, Three ways of viewing Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. So Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are nothing more than just ourselves. I am Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. You are Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. But what is myself? Suzuki Roshi always talked about small self and big self.

[39:15]

Small self is an expression of big self. Small mind is an expression of big mind. Small mind is what we usually think of as our self. Big mind is original face or true self. behind big self, small mind, or small self. Even though small self has many difficulties and sees itself in some way, big mind is always moving its reality through everything. Even though we may feel today I'm 35 or whatever you are, big mind is always moving while you're thinking this.

[40:20]

Big mind is moving on. Wherever you are, big mind is moving on. I'm doing its own thing. So, the purpose of practice is for small mind to realize that it's an expression of big mind, and that no matter what small mind thinks, big mind is behind it, everything. So Zazen is to just let go of small mind and let big mind emerge. It's beyond enlightenment and delusion. Do you have any questions?

[41:33]

Yeah. Well, at first, you know, when you sit Zazen, you do it for yourself. You come to the Zendo because you want to sit Zazen. But after you get tired of doing Zazen, you just sit Zazen because it helps everyone. Because your practice of Zazen helps everyone. When you give up your notion of why you do Zazen, then you can freely do it just for its own sake. And, you know, I enjoy Zazen, but I don't necessarily always want to do Zazen. But I do Zazen because

[42:43]

Just because. I don't want to say because of you. But when you realize what it is that you're doing, you realize you don't just do it just because you want to or just because you like to. Because you're here, it helps me to be here. Because you practice, it helps me to practice. So when we just turn our life over to practice instead of doing it just for our own sake, then we're benefited. That's a big benefit to us as well as to others. But if you start thinking of self and others, you get into trouble. Doing something for others can be just as selfish as doing something just for ourself.

[43:49]

So we say, do it just for the practice. Just do it for the sake of the Dharma. When you practice, it brings Dharma into the world. Whether or not you think that your practice is good or bad, or I'm just a beginner, or something like that. So maturity is not just in practice, but true maturity is to do something for its own sake in which it will benefit others and it benefits yourself. But to do something just for your own benefit is okay, but it's not so mature. And to do something just for others, it's a little bitter, but it can also cause problems.

[44:52]

There's a teacher who said, Don't say, I'm washing the toilets for you. Just wash the toilet to get it clean. Never mind for who. While you said that the Zen school does not emphasize a particular sutra, we do chant the Heart Sutra. We do chant the Heart Sutra. The song of Zen is the Heart Sutra. But don't be attached to the Heart Sutra. The Heart Sutra is one of those things which keeps our mind focused. When we chant the Heart Sutra, although the words have meaning,

[45:58]

We don't really pay so much attention to the meaning of the words when we chant. We just chant the sutra. And that being one with chanting, just being chanting, is the essence of the practice. As a matter of fact, if you said peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter, as a little chant, and become one with that, you know, it could almost be the same thing. But it's better to use the Heart Sutra. Although, you know, if you get too hung up on the meaning of the words, it might be better to chant peanut butter. It's a little more meaningless. Or meaningful if you're hungry. Yes, or meaningful if you're hungry. But you can't chant Mu or Aum.

[47:04]

Aum is kind of, Tibetans have taken that over, Aum. But Mu is coming from underneath, like Aum and Mu. Same thing, actually. In order to find out what Mu is, you can't find out by thinking about it. You can only chant, you can only become one with Mu. The purpose of using Mu as a koan is that there's just nothing else but Mu. There's no Mu, no you. And to enter the Dharma door of non-duality, you can use peanut butter. Or you can chant the Heart Sutra every day and just be one with that chanting. This is why we emphasize, I try to emphasize, just chant.

[48:09]

When you chant the Heart Sutra, just chant. Never mind what the words mean. You can always study the words. There are a lot of good commentaries on what the Heart Sutra means. But when you're chanting the Sutra, just be the Sutra. And if you do that, the whole essence of the practice is right there. This is, you know, to be able to enter without understanding. We enter beyond our understanding. We can practice something which is beyond our understanding. If you have to understand it before you practice it, you never get there. There's an old saying, I allow the barbarian knows it, but I won't allow that he understands it.

[49:25]

So anyway, I think it's important for us to understand, or to know, what we're doing, whether we understand it or not, but to get some understanding of the three treasures and the precepts. It's not so easy.

[50:07]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ