Before proceeding further, I would like to make a little remarks as to what was the subject to have discussed so far, briefly, anyway. We are making Rakusu by our hand, chanting the name of Buddha in every stage. Someone told me it is a sort of magic, she felt a sort of magic from making Rakusu, chanting

[01:13]

the name of Buddha in every stage. If you expect something from the result of what you have done, then not only the practice of making the Rakusu, but also all motivation, all movement in life comes to be a sort of magic, playing a game, something like that.

[02:23]

If you view the practice in the light of the magic, you cannot simply understand what life is, what life is like. So I mentioned, you should never expect something from the result of what you have done. All you have to do is to become yourself as you are, through and through.

[03:27]

in the extension of your life of certain circumstances, a lot to you. But to become yourself as you are, is so difficult to get taste of it, with your body and mind, through your daily life. Because to become yourself as you are, presents us a number of questions. What it is like? How, when, where? We should be ourselves as we are.

[04:45]

Is it a sort of progress that human action, human deeds go on? Human action gets to its destination. To become yourself as you are is not a sort of process. Process, excuse me, not progress, process. It seems, it looks like a process. But if you say it is, if you say to become yourself as you are, is a sort of process,

[05:52]

that the way you get to a certain destination in life, I think process in life, expressed in words, which is called process, is not already the vivid reality in life, which is pulsating day in and day out, moment after moment. As if you scoop a cup of water from the stream, you think you got some process,

[07:04]

which water itself possesses. At that time it is not the vivid water, a being of water, which is running constantly. So to become yourself as you are is not a sort of process. Now always, there are only the number of questions, how, where, what, behind you. This is the attitude in life, how to become yourself as you are.

[08:14]

Strictly speaking, there is no word to express. Zen Buddhism says, using the technical word, erase emptiness, or so-ho-ji-so, as erasement, or suchness. However, we don't yet understand clearly, what is it? When you become yourself as you are, even though Buddhism describes it using the word emptiness,

[09:32]

or as erasement, it seems to me that there is still something nebulous to understand behind us. What is emptiness? What is as it is-ness? One of the Zen masters described it in a little detailed explanation. In the way of a little detailed explanation,

[10:35]

In Shinjin-me, the Sutra of Shinjin-me, there is an easy way to understand the truth, to get rid of affective preference. And this Sutra continues to say, you should take away from selfishness. But still we have, we have still some questions, how to get rid of,

[11:41]

how to take away from selfishness, affective preference, the impulse of affective preference. If you ask yourself again and again, it is not so easy to understand, to accept it, without any conditions. But, I mentioned, the very important point is,

[12:51]

that as long as you practice Zazen, you plunge into, through and through, the Zazen itself. This attitude is manifestation of getting rid of the impulse of affective preference. What you think how to get rid of affective preference or selfishness is already questionable, to be left behind you.

[14:02]

Nevertheless, as long as life endures, carrying number of boundaries, since your birth, carrying samsara, carrying karma, what you have had, we cannot ignore that we are curious of how to get rid of, how to take away from selfishness, affective preference. Then today, I would like to explain little details.

[15:18]

Please don't misunderstand, that to become yourself as you are, is not to increase your eagerness, your ego. Most of people think, to become yourself as you are, is to allow your ego to be practiced in daily life. I think it is very big misunderstanding.

[16:33]

I don't mean the ego itself, no, I don't mean whether ego itself is good or bad, right or wrong. Ego itself has nothing particular to disturb your life. The point is how to deal with your ego itself. You know, in Buddhism, we say that delusion is identical with nirvana.

[17:43]

How do you think of this point? If delusion is completely identical with nirvana, why is it we have to practice? You know, I said the very important point is how you deal with ego of yours. It means that we are always curious of peep at crevice of shoji screen.

[18:58]

What ego is doing right now, looking at, peeping, you are always peeping at the crevice of wall, not hole, a hole, without sleeping. All day you are looking at, all day you are curious of peeping at crevice, peeping, curious of peeping through the crevice of shoji screen, what ego is doing.

[20:09]

It seems to me that it is the person, it is the person who is delighted in the touching of running soar, running soar, and says, oh it's dirty. If it is dirty, it is not necessary to touch it, but unfortunately the human being have

[21:15]

a certain tendency of being curious of touching a running soar and say, oh dirty, it's dirty. Not only a running soar, if you find yourself to be very beautiful face, beautiful look, you are always looking at, peeping at the crevice of shoji screen, how beautiful your look is. And you are always touching with a beautiful look and say, oh how beautiful it is. But actually beautiful look or running soar has completely nothing to do with your life itself.

[22:32]

Strictly speaking, your life is always going on like a stream before you are curious of touching a running soar or beautiful look, saying, oh how dirty it is, or saying how beautiful it is. That's a problem, that's a problem. As long as we have such a temper, you cannot understand the practices, what practice is like.

[23:35]

Why is it we have to practice? While you are curious of peeping the ego through the crevice of shoji screen, sometimes you have to struggle for getting rid of ego. Sometimes you are sitting on the chair of being delighted in, oh how wonderful, ego itself, how wonderful it is. Or you say, how awful my ego is, please help me. Know how you feel through the ego, dislike or like, both are the same.

[24:50]

In the light of creating the trouble in daily life, how do you get rid of the ego? Even though you, no matter how you try to get rid of it, you cannot get rid of the ego which you have. But the master says always to you, you should get rid of, you should cut off ego.

[26:05]

At last you are completely at loss what to do with your own ego. Then at last you make mad. Nevertheless there are some who are proud of themselves by being infatuated with becoming mad. How many times I was faced with mad, crazy, upset, through zazen, through koan. If you have time, try to practice under Rinzai Zen Master.

[27:14]

Rinzai Zen Master will give you some koan, mu. Always Rinzai Zen Master give blow to your hip, to encourage to get enlightenment. In other words to cut off immediately your ego itself. But the more you practice hard through the koan mu, the more you find your ego never leaves. From your daily life.

[28:18]

Your ego always in daily life. Then you have to give up concentrating on the koan mu. If you have a very weak character, weak nature, weak temper, and so you have to be upset or crazy. I think if you are given some koan mu, you are always peeping koan through the crevice of shoji screen. What is doing? What is doing? What koan mu is doing?

[29:23]

Or that koan mu is or such and such. I don't like a mu. If you find some benefit through your zazen, oh fine, that's wonderful, mu is very good. Zazen is wonderful. But both is same. That administration, that sort of annihilation. Toward your ego. That you feel yourself by peeping the ego at the koan mu through the crevice of shoji screen.

[30:32]

Without sleeping, you know. Rinzai Zen master says don't sleep. All day night you should zazen. You should concentrate zazen with the koan mu. And then you do zazen. But your zazen and so your zazen is something that you peep the koan mu through the crevice of shoji screen. As if you say it's dirty, it's wonderful by touching of koan mu. Or koan mu is not so good. Or koan mu is very good to improve myself. The same.

[31:38]

But actually koan mu has nothing to do with your daily life. Strictly speaking. Because koan mu itself is your life itself. We just use a word, the word, the mu, in order to explain what my life is. So, if you practice koan mu, you should get rid of, first of all, such a temper, such a one's nature.

[32:52]

Who is always curious of peeping what they are doing through the crevice of shoji screen. Saying it's dirty, how dirty it is, how beautiful it is by touching of it. This is your ego. So actually, strictly speaking, if you want to practice koan mu, all you have to do is to settle on yourself in the extension of koan mu itself or the zazen itself. That's all.

[33:55]

In other words, to become yourself as you are. In the extension of zazen, I wrote it to you at the stage of present, now, here. Dogen Zenji says in the first paragraph, which occurs in the book titled by the way of practice. The old buddhas and patriarchs, they practice within the principle or do or tao, by which all sentient beings, all beings follow.

[35:08]

The practice cannot be expected without the principle by which all beings follow. There is the birth or life within the rule. The birth or life cannot come to being without the rule. Therefore, you should sit together with others if they sit. And go to bed when others do so. Both dynamic and static movements you do must be oneness, must be one with that which all monks are doing.

[36:40]

The ambition you try to excel all the others in the practice is absolutely of no use. There is not a manner in the monastery, Zen monastery, for you to go in different direction from all the others. This way is the practice to get a taste of the skin, the flesh, the bone, and the mouth of buddhas and patriarchs. And that it involves revelation or emancipation of the mind and body.

[37:58]

Therefore, this is the practice of enlightenment beyond the state of the uncivilized earth. And the koan beyond the state of chaos in the earth. It doesn't expect enlightenment. All buddhas and patriarchs practice within a principle by which all beings follow.

[39:10]

In this case, the practice principle is expressed by the word Dao, Do in Japanese. The meaning of Do is different from Dao Tzu, the principle of Dao Tzu and Daoism. The Zen master says, Dao is like a space. The day before yesterday I mentioned, according to the Sozen Zen master, the Dhammakaya or Buddha is like a space. Dao implies the time and space which means universal medium which life moves.

[40:36]

In constant transformation. And life relates with all sentient beings. This is the principle, the meaning of principle. Everything which exists in this world cannot help following in that principle. All buddhas and patriarchs practice within a principle by which all beings follow.

[41:40]

So if you ignore this principle, Dao, you cannot practice. Not only the buddhist practice, no matter what professional business you follow. Wherever you may go, you cannot get rid of the extension of the principle by which all sentient beings follow. If so, in the world where you stand right now, right here, you make up your mind to stand up firmly with relative security.

[43:05]

Settling on yourself. Settling yourself on yourself. Within probability. In other words, all you have to do is to become yourself as you are. Then next, the rules. Originally, the Dogen Zen used the word Dhamma. The rule in the monastery is to look after what is set up according to the principle by which all sentient beings exist. This is the rule. Without this rule, there is no birth or life.

[44:19]

What is the rule? What is the principle? Then Dogen Zen says, therefore, you should sit together with others. If they sit and go to bed with you. When you listen to the bell, which is designated for beginning the Zen period, you should go to the Zen door and sit with others. It is very simple. It is very simple. In the extension of simple life,

[45:32]

when others get up early morning, you should get up. When the others sit, you should sit together with others. There is nothing but becoming yourself as you are in the extension of this simple life allotted to you. It is not necessary to pick who you are, what Zazen is, what is use, what is of use, what Zazen is to use.

[46:49]

To the crevice of the short screen. The more you touch, what Zazen is like, saying how beautiful, how awful it is, how beautiful it is, how great it is, whatever you say. You cannot understand the transparent being in life. Which means to become yourself as you are.

[47:56]

You never understand. As long as you are curious of touching or touching a running soul, which is called Zazen, which is called ignorance, which is called delusion, whatever they are, and says how wonderful Zazen is, how great Zazen is, Zazen is completely a waste of time, whatever you say. It seems to me that you increase. Your ignorance, in other words,

[49:12]

your ignorance is trampled all over your life, over every inch of your life. You know, in other words, if you think, I want to die, you are always thinking, concentrating on just one point, I want to die, I want to die. It seems to me that you are directly touching the human temple, based on ignorance.

[50:18]

Such a temple, as long as you continue to touch it, no matter what you say, no matter what you feel from this, such a temple based on ignorance is constantly trampled over every inch of your life. And then at last you cannot move an inch, and at last you cannot get rid of it. And you have lost what to do. Then, such a temple based on ignorance, which is continuing to be trampled over every inch of your life,

[51:27]

impels you to the bottom of death, that's all. Even though you touch it, or you don't touch it, as long as you are a human being, all of us have some troubles, not only you. The important point is, you should know, you should recognize, such a temple based on ignorance, which unconsciously cannot help let the ignorance be trampled over every inch of your daily life.

[52:36]

By being, by touching of ignorance, enlightenment, or zazen, or delusion, whatever they are. And then you say, oh I don't like it, or I love it. In order to know yourself as you are, you should sit, you should settle on yourself before you measure yourself with your rule. Then the other day I mentioned a donkey looked down a well. A well looked up the donkey. Your donkey is always saying how wonderful zazen is, or I don't like how terrible zazen is.

[53:44]

Touching the zazen, peeping the zazen, peeping what zazen is doing through the crevice of shoji screen. Then you say, oh how wonderful, or I don't like it. This is your donkey. You should know this donkey, you should realize this donkey. And then you should sit, you should sit, you should settle on yourself, on the self, which is called your donkey. Who is always screaming, shouting, or making complaint, or being dry in sitting on the chair of zazen, sitting on the chair of delusions,

[54:58]

or ambitions. It is necessary, it is really necessary that your donkey must be watched over by a well. Who is, who is nothing to tell you, nothing to give suggestions. How, when, where, I should become myself as I am. Zazen is like a well, a sort of well.

[56:07]

You are like a donkey. Always you are, you are very difficult to deal with, call with your own donkey. Because he is beyond your own care. Always making so much noise, if you try to practice zazen, if you try to look at the well, which is called zazen, zazen doesn't, the well doesn't say anything to you.

[57:17]

You have to sit, you have to sit, you have to continue to look down the well. Look down zazen, which is called well, or donkey, no well, I'm sorry, well. The well, this well has nothing to do with your curious. That you are apt to be delighted in peeping through the crevice of shoji screen.

[58:22]

Nevertheless, you have to sit, continue to sit, continue to look down the well. To continue to look down the well is to become yourself as you are. Who is the you? Who is the you before you measure? With, by your own rule. So, the rule in Zen Monastery is set up according to the principle by which all sentient beings follow.

[59:30]

This rule is not merely rule which we have thought usually. There is no birth without this rule. That's why when the monks sit, you should sit together with monks. When the monks go to bed, you should go to bed. There is no amount of ambition that you try to rise above the common level. Among those, this is very simple way of life.

[60:43]

This way is the way to get the taste of the skin, the flesh, the bone, and the marrow of Buddhists and Patriots. The rule is not merely rule which tied up your life. To follow the rule in Zen Monastery, it involves liberation, freeing the mind and the body. Therefore, this is the practice of enlightenment beyond the state of the uncivilized earth.

[62:03]

They have nothing to do with manifestation of those practices of enlightenment. And the koan beyond the state of chaos on the earth, he doesn't expect the enlightenment. Our practice is the way of the way, the basic way in life, in the extension of the world. And before you begin to be curious of peeping what Zazen is, what enlightenment is, through the crevice of Shoji screen, before you try to touch the enlightenment of Zazen, the daily routine of monastic life,

[63:30]

what they are like, what their purpose is, all you have to do is to become yourself as you are in the domain of monastic life. In other words, you must be watched over by the you who become completely yourself as you are, which means measure yourself by your own ruler.

[64:50]

. [...]

[65:55]

. . . I believe what we can trust on, what we can trust or what we can rely on, is the only practice of Zazen which Buddha gave to us. It is not necessary to leave the principle of Buddhism, the principle of a certain school,

[67:10]

which is called Soro school or Rinzai school, Shingon, Tendai or Shinshu, there are many schools, many Buddhist schools in Japan. But through what we can trust is only to continue the practice of Zazen. And through practice of Zazen we have to realize ourselves as we are, wherever we may go.

[68:30]

And through practice of Zazen from the beginning we have to learn the self. . [...] Fortunately monastic life has given us a very concrete way of life. How to become yourself as you are, in the domain of circumstances, in the domain of your daily life, unlocked to you.

[69:44]

Before you are curious, I tell you to peep what your life is like. Through the crevice of a short screen, through the touching of it, . That's why Dogen Zenji gave, Dogen Zenji says in the first paragraph of the book titled A way of practice, as I mentioned, if you want to strike, you try to strike in front of Zazen, in the domain of the Zazen self.

[71:16]

Nobody tells you, thank you very much for your trouble. If you strike, because nobody gives plenty of food and money to you, in the practice of begging on the street, you try to, you want, you think, you feel that you really want to strike. If you strike on the ground that people don't give plenty of money or food to you,

[72:36]

there is nothing but death, that's all. The practice of Buddhist begging, there is no strike. If you want to strike, right in the middle of the Zazen, you should strike. When you get up in the morning, you should wash your face carefully, and come to the Zendo and sit.

[74:09]

When the time comes, when you work, you should work. Sometimes you feel awfully difficult, as you want to shout or scream, and understand your feelings. What you scream or what you shout implies to people your life through the crevice of short scream. All you have to do is to settle on yourself before you peep your life through the crevice of short scream.

[75:28]

This is the basic way of practice, this is Zazen. This attitude is to become yourself as you are.

[75:41]

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