According to, according to Goddess, one of Goddess, the, for kesa, kesa which you have chanted every morning after morning zazen, we try to comprehend what the buddhist love is. In this goddess book, the translation of verse of the kesa says, how great in the

[01:09]

kesa, how great in the kesa, a virtuous garden far beyond form and emptiness, a world where the Tathagata's teaching and save all sentient beings. How great is the kesa. We chant, we have chanted the verse of kesa in Japanese, daizai gedappuku. The English translation, the translation in English doesn't present the meaning of gedappuku. The translation in English says how great is just the kesa. I think the word kesa is a corruption of Sanskrit, kachaya, which means no solid, no

[02:27]

solid color, no solid color were the clothes, clothes, dyed clothes, dyed clothes, the clothes are not the, what would you say, the clothes are cloth dyed, cloth dyed, you understand, dyed. The one is the no solid color, no solid color, no solid color. Second meaning is cloth dyed, cloth dyed. This is the meaning of the kesa from the Sanskrit, kachaya.

[03:35]

The first verse says how great is the kesa. In Japanese it says daizai means how great, daizai means how great. Gedappuku means, literary meaning is the love of liberation, liberation, liberation, the love of liberation, or love of emancipation, love of freeing. It is the meaning of gedappuku. So, the original meaning of the kachaya in Sanskrit is as mentioned before, the no solid

[04:46]

color. From this point, sometimes the kesa has another name which is called gedappuku, gedappuku, the love of liberation. No solid color means no attachment, no attaching any color, any solid color, so it means the kesa is the cloth material of kesa is made up of the cloth dyed with no solid color,

[05:49]

with no solid color. So, the kesa is completely free from the sense of color, sense of color which is sometimes attracted by human mind. If you use the original color, solid color, red, white, yellow, something like that. In Buddhism, it is said that this solid color, that human mind is sometimes distracted by

[07:00]

this colorful color, solid color. So, no solid color is just a neutral color, neutral color. You can say this is red, this is black, or this is yellow, something like that. In ancient times, the Buddhist priest dyed cloth, cloth, a material of kesa with the skin of, the skin of tree, which is natural color. Skin of tree or leaf of tree, leaf of tree. Then the first verse says how great is the love of liberation, love of liberation.

[08:11]

I think the important point is why is it that the Shakyamuni Buddha emphasizes the the describing, describing kesa in the first verse. Regarding as the liberation, emancipation, freeing of human mind. This is first important point.

[09:15]

The other day I mentioned the, if you want to free, no, feel, if you want to get the comfortable feeling, you know, after hard work, first of all you have to, you try to look for some place where you can, you can get the peaceful mind, peaceful feeling and comfortable feeling anyway. Then as soon as when you get, when you find out the tatami floors or chairs, and the you, you immediately sit down there before you research what it is, because the important

[10:28]

point for you is to get the comfortable feeling right now, right here, anyway. And when you take a bath, you try to, you try to plunge into the taking bath, try to enter the tub, and get the comfortable feeling, that's all. Then Dogen Zen says if you want to seek for the Buddhism, you try to, you try to first of all plunge into the Buddhism, which is called bath tub. Now why you seek for the Buddhism? Why do you seek for the Buddhism? I think you, you got the, you have got all tired out, you know, completely in the modern society.

[11:36]

Then you always looking for the, some place where you would, you would get the comfortable feeling anyway. Then fortunately you, you find out, you find, found out, you know, a certain, a certain religion, which is called Buddhism. Then now you plunge in, you are just in the, in the world of the Buddhism. Then you get, you get, you've, you've got the, some comfortable feeling. Strictly speaking, you should, you should get to the comfortable feeling. Anyway, and if, and if you plunge into the bath tub after the hard work,

[12:37]

because the, I think human, human feeling, and human feeling in Buddhism is a special implication. It's a little different from my usual sense, what you have thought, human feeling. The human feeling is the deeper, profound implication that the human feeling has, in a deeper, in a more profound implication. More than, than the common sense, common sense or the, the common idea. Common idea which you, common idea of human feelings.

[13:51]

Which you have thought. The, the D.D. Suzuki explained, described these human feelings in Zen Buddhism and Japanese culture. You try to read this book. You will find the, the meaning of human feelings. He said, he explained, he described the human feeling as, regarded as intuition, intuition, intuition. So, I don't want to explain the, the subject of the human intuition now.

[14:58]

Some other day I would like to explain it. But now the important point is, I would like you to understand the human feeling has a deeper and more profound implication. Than the common sense of human feelings. I think the human feeling, the feelings are completely, absolutely the support, maintain the, your, the total, total existence of your life, including body and mind. If you ignore the, this feeling, you cannot, you cannot find the comfortable, you cannot

[16:05]

find stable, stable feelings, stable attitude in life. At anywhere, anything, anywhere, anywhere. I think the, from this human feelings, there are many kind of, many kind of emotions, which would be, which would create lots of trouble, which is called 108 delusions in Zen Buddhism. But even though from this point, you know, the, whatever it is, whatever the human feelings,

[17:06]

whatever kind of emotion, the, the human feelings, present, us. In reality, human feelings are completely support, the total existence of your life, body and mind. Then, then when you, when you get some trouble situation, you try to find out the better place where, where in, something good will give you, which means save, would save from

[18:29]

your difficult situation. Then, whatever, then, then when you, the, the, the, discovering, uh, no, finding the better place where in, you could find out the comfortable feeling, you could get one comfortable feeling, before you analyze what it is, the human feelings,

[19:41]

that impel you to research the better place to get the revelation. I lead you to sit there with the feeling of free, freeing of your mind. So, the other day I mentioned, all you have to do is to plunge into the, taking the bathtub,

[20:55]

you know, after the hard work. Now, when you get there, when you get all tired out after the hard work, well, it doesn't mean you blindly jump into the bathtub, you know. Uh, you have to carefully, you have to carefully call with bathtub, bathtub, which you encounter at the stage of right, right now and here. You have to, you have to carefully call with your body, mind, with human feelings.

[22:05]

You have to carefully take care of, take good care of each motion, each motion, each activity, each activity, by your body, by your mind. If you blindly plunge into the bathtub, it follows that you will find some big mistake, such as hitting your forehead to the bathtub. Now, it doesn't, it doesn't make any difference whether what kind of type, what kind of bathtub is, what kind of shape bathtub has, what kind of shape, form bathtub has.

[23:24]

Round or square, it doesn't matter. Whatever kind of, whatever kind of bathtub there is, as long as it is the things that we encountered, we got it as one of our human, human body and minds, what a part of a human body and mind. We have to take good care of it, as well as you take good care of your body and mind.

[24:28]

Then, I think, the strictly speaking, when you want to get the comfortable feeling, when you want to get the release from the exhaustion, all you have to do is to get the comfortable feeling through the practice of taking bath. That's all. It's not necessary to analyze what it is, what kind of comfortable feeling I got, I've got. Now, actually, you think by practice, by practice of taking bath,

[25:39]

you think, I got, you get, you get comfortable feeling. But if your comfortable feeling is something analyzed by your intellect sense, you know, you plunge into the bathtub and you get the comfortable feeling. It is still something which exists in the system of time, you know. I do this, then I got there, I've got this. As a result, if the comfortable feeling is something like that,

[26:43]

it is not real meaning of comfortable feeling, which could release from your exhaustion. I think, the strictly speaking, the comfortable feeling release from your, you know, comfortable feeling itself release from your, the exhaustion. In other words, the comfortable feeling, the, you know, the drive you to get the comfortable feeling itself. There is nothing to leave any room to analyze. That's why I mentioned all you have to do is to plunge into the taking bath, that's all. Then it means, it doesn't mean, it doesn't mean that

[27:50]

you couldn't get the comfortable feeling after taking the bath. Taking the bath leaves, leaves your life. Taking a bath, taking the bath leaves your comfortable feeling. Taking a bath itself immediately give you, bring you, you know, the feeling, the comfortable feeling. There is completely no amount of analysis. What it is, what kind of comfortable feeling I got, or when or how I got. You understand? This is very important.

[28:54]

At that time you, you feel, oh, I got the comfortable feeling, I get comfortable, how nice this bath is. So, I think the, to plunge into, to plunge into, bring something to you, you know. Which means, as mentioned before, the psychic peace where you can take rest in peace anyway. Before you analyze what it is, you know, that thing is something like that, you know. When I get the, when I fell into the awful difficulties,

[30:11]

I always look for some place where something comfortable feeling, some comfortable feeling could be given to us, to me, you know. Now, wherever I went, there was completely nothing to get. And sometimes I went to the, a certain place and suddenly I found the feeling, the feeling, ouch, you know, hitting my forehead, against the wall, wall, this is not a better place for me. Then I returned back to another place.

[31:15]

Yes, I think it, it would seem that it is, it seems a good place. So, I rush into the, rush into that place. Immediately I found some feeling, ouch, hitting my forehead. Then, but, but nevertheless I couldn't stop, I couldn't stop rushing into the here and there, to look for something, some better place. Always I hit, nevertheless I hit, I hit, I hit my forehead against some place, against the wall, always. But I couldn't stop, I couldn't stop looking for, rushing into. Then, at last, my body and mind completely exhausted, exhausted.

[32:27]

I couldn't move, I hit. That time I made up my mind, let's practice Zazen. At that time, when I, the moment when I sit meditation on the round cushion, I felt something, oh, this is good, very good, you know. The moment when I sit there, something stopped, you know. The Zazen let me stop, let me stop something, let me stop doing something. I found that, oh, fine, that's wonderful, you know, that's all, nothing. It was not, not necessary to, for me to analyze what Zazen is. I couldn't understand, at that time, now, even now, I don't understand what Zazen is.

[33:34]

But after looking for, you know, here and there, some better place, where I would be given to the psychic peace, you know. I noticed that there was completely nowhere. To impel me to the other shore, where we are in, would be given to the psychic peace, Nirvana, something like that. Then something, something drive me to sit here.

[34:40]

At that time, all the old delusions, old struggles, old human, you know, terrible feelings, you know, fall down together, simultaneously, like this, from the top of the mountain. And then, all things have gone from my body, you know, from my body, which meant big mountains, consisted, which consisted of delusions and struggles, and huge mountains. It's pretty difficult to fall down. But, as soon as when I sit on the ground, the cushion, then that big, huge mountains, you know,

[35:45]

fell down, completely, suddenly. And, I felt very good, so well, that's it. This is, this is that I am looking for. I think, such is human life. Someone asked me this today, a difficult situation, since a difficult situation has nothing to do with the Buddhism, our practice, you know. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe not. The true practice, if you, if you think through the practice, Zazen, and you try to get the,

[36:58]

get rid of the difficult situation, you couldn't. Because, like my experience, a difficulty, even a difficulty, or pleasure, or love, or happiness, or all things, already exist, exist. And, you know, the, this small space, this small space, on the small space, like a round cushion, you know, not over there, not, not, not, not here, not over there. Not in India, not China, not in Japan.

[38:04]

In other words, the, all things exist in, already in psychic peace, anyway, a peacefulness. So, if you want to comfortable feeling, or if you want to liberation, anyway, try, try to sit on, try to plunge into the, the bath tub of liberation, anyway. Bath tub of round cushions, bath tub of your life, which is in reality, as you are. At that time, you can feel, you can get some comfortable feeling.

[39:20]

So, which is completely free from the difficult situation, or any thought. So, you just plunge into the bath tub of liberation, doesn't mean to plunge into blindly there. It is sure that you fell down, you fall down, you stumble over there, you stumble over the rock, which is called the bath tub of liberation. Then, the plunge into the bath tub means,

[40:25]

immediately to get the comfortable feeling, you know, without any thought. Through taking, through taking good care of the bath tubs, or your towels, or your head, your hands, your legs, your mind, your feelings, all things surrounded by you. You have to take good care of all of them. Because, all things exist right in the middle of comfortable feeling, anyway. you know, you practice zazen for a long time,

[41:55]

and nevertheless, you come faced with the difficult, many kind of difficulties. But, practice doesn't tell you, doesn't tell you anything, you know. How to, how to release from such a difficult situation, you know. But, the practices, practices, like the comfortable feeling, the moment when you get the, when you take the bath. Practices like that. But, when you, when you are faced with a difficult situation, you cannot understand this.

[43:01]

So, you always see many things in terms of a certain conception, that I am, I have, I am a, the, I am faced with a difficult situation. Then, you want to make, you complain. You know, at that time, as long as while you are, make complain. On the ground that you cannot get rid of your difficult situation. Then, all things surrounded by you are right in the middle of self-delusion,

[44:16]

which is one of three delusions, you know, three poisons, which human being possess. Greed, anger, greed, anger, self-delusion. Making complain is self-delusion, like a bubble. At that time, you cannot good take care of all things around you, as surrounded by you. When I tell you, please sit down, please practice more, oh, I don't want to practice. What is use, what is useful, what is useful, what is the use of practice, does it? But, important point is, when you want to get the comfort of feeling,

[45:35]

as mentioned before, you have to learn the comfort of feeling itself, you know. Not taking the bath, you know, comfort of feeling itself. Because, you get immediately, suddenly, the comfort of feeling right after, right immediately, you know, the moment when you take the bath, when you are in the bath tub. So, comfort of feeling, bring you comfort of feeling itself, you know. At that time, comfort of feeling leaves your life, which is vivid and pulsating in daily life. Such is comfort of feeling, you know, such is the practice which is called taking bath.

[46:40]

When I get, when I get all tired out after hard work. So, when you want to get the comfort of feeling, turn into the comfort of feeling anyway. That time comfort of feeling leaves your life, life leaves your comfort of feeling. Comfort of feeling leaves your life. Comfort of feeling brings to, bring you to comfort of feeling itself. There is completely no amount to analyze this. From where it comes from, from where it comes, right here, you know. If you understand this feeling, you know,

[47:52]

you know, without, without any conditions, without any conditions, you try to, first of all, you, you go and get, get the, go to take the bath, you know. When you get all tired out, that's all. Regardless how much, regardless of how much you get the comfort of feeling, it doesn't matter. Anyway, important point for you right now is to get the comfort of feeling. That would release from your exhaustion. How much, it doesn't matter how much, how much taking the bath release from your exhaustion.

[49:02]

It doesn't matter, anyway you have to, you know, you want to. And that time you'll learn what, how comfortable feeling is. What is release is, what is liberation from the exhaustion is. If you understand this, the all things around you, by, surrounded by you, the bathtub or towel, your body and mind, all part of your body, should be a part of your comfortable feelings, you know. In other words, all things consist of comfortable feeling, the world of comfortable feeling, you know.

[50:05]

If so, you have to take care of good, good care of all things, your bathtub or your body and mind. But if you analyze this situation, oh I didn't get the, I didn't get the feeling, comfortable feeling completely, just a little bit. As long as, as much as possible I would like to get, I would like to get the 100% of comfortable feeling. Actually it's really not, it's impossible. But if you analyze this situation, your head drives you to think in that way. Oh I got just a little bit. Then you may complain, oh that bath is not so good, like that. So at that time bath is not one, a part of your comfortable feeling, you know.

[51:10]

The bathtub is a part of self delusions. As long as you, the, you are in the world of self delusions, you never can, you cannot, you can never take good care of all things. With scrutable feelings, with comfortable and considerate feelings. Then the Dogen Zenji described in Bendo Ho, the way of practice, the way of practice. The first paragraph, in the first paragraph he says, all Buddhas and Patriarchs practice within the existing being of Tao, Do, Tao.

[52:20]

Do is the practical aspect of Buddhist teaching, Buddhist teaching. Then Do refers to a practical aspect of Buddhist teaching. So Dogen Zenji used the technical word, the Butsu Do. Butsu means Buddha, Do means Tao anyway, if you use Chinese pronunciation. The, he doesn't use Bukkyo, he doesn't use the word Bukkyo, he always use Butsu Do. When you, when he tried to emphasize the practical aspect of Buddhist teaching, Butsu Do.

[53:25]

So, the comfortable feeling is not a certain conception, you know. The, that you could get, you could get after analysis. Analysis by your interactive sense, you know. Comfortable feeling is completely practical aspect of your daily life. There is no, no room to be left for analysis, you know. What is comfortable feeling? It's just here, you know. You know, I tried to ask you what is, how, how do you, how, how you get the comfortable feeling? What is comfortable feeling? You cannot explain it. So from this point, you know, the human, the existing being of human life

[54:42]

is completely surrounded by, enclosed, enveloped by the existing being of Tao or Do, or practical aspect of Buddhist teaching. In other words, there is psychic peace, there is peaceful wherever you may go. Your life is surrounded, enveloped by the peacefulness anyway. If you want peacefulness, you try to sit in the middle of the peacefulness, that's all. And take good care of all things.

[55:47]

If you can sit right in the middle of peacefulness, you can take good care of all things surrounded by you. Then, all Buddhas and Patriarchs practice within their existing being of Do. They do not practice apart from the existing being of Do. You cannot practice, you cannot, you cannot get comfortable feeling while you may complain. Oh, I just get a little bit comfortable feeling. Oh, that bath is not good. If you think so, while you, while your life is like that, you cannot practice at all. They do not practice apart from the existing being of Do.

[56:55]

This is Do. Comfortable feeling Do, Do tells you something, Do lets you, leads you to learn something. Do itself leads you to learn what Do is, what practice is, who you are, what comfortable feeling is. There is birth, there is birth within the Dharma. In this case, Dharma is the Buddhist, the theoretical aspect of Buddhist teaching. Four Noble Truths or Eightfold Truths, something like that. Strictly speaking, the human life is within the Dharma anyway.

[58:02]

Ended up by Buddha's confessions or Buddha's considerate feelings. This is birth. What you are alive impels, implies the existing being of your birth. You have to find the comfortable feeling in the world of the birth, which is going on moment after moment. The birth cannot be without Dharma. Like my experience, how often I try to look for better place, even hitting my forehead against the wall, I couldn't find, I'm lost.

[59:28]

Then, I sit, at that time I found some better place. This is my life, not over there, not the other side, not in that direction, not in this direction. Under my foot, what I am. Therefore, you should sit together with monks, if they sit. Even though you, I think when you are faced with a difficult situation, I understand you feel wanting to make a complaint, I understand. But, there is completely nothing but doing something with others, as long as if you are here, that's all.

[60:55]

If you make complaint, because you don't understand, you don't understand the way of being free from difficult situation, through your intricate sense, so you make complaint. It looks like the person, it looks like me, who had been looking for here and there something better place, some better place. Therefore, you should sit together with monks, if they sit, and go to bed when the monks do so.

[62:01]

There is nothing special, there is nothing special to do, there is nothing special to rise above the common level. Than, than what the others do. Activity and positivity, emotion you are presenting must melt into one with that which all monks are doing. It means dynamic or static, both of motion, both dynamic and static motion, must tune up to the all monks behavior, manners.

[63:16]

Which is melting into one with all monks. The ambition you try to rise above the common level of other monks is of no use. You try to get rid of this situation, this situation, where in you are in, where you are in, it's really no use. Because your body and mind is here, your head is always India or China or Japan, not here. Then you are always thinking of many kinds of Buddhism, that Tibetan Buddhism is good, or I Ching is good, maybe I Ching could give me some solution, some solution of my difficulties.

[64:37]

Or that, let's go there, but still your body is here. Even though you are here, you know you are always compete with others. Then you want to practice hard, harder than others do. Then try to, you try, you have always certain excellent ambition, which I will try to rise above the common level, you know. Let's practice that thing after the nine, after the, go to bed.

[65:38]

The ambition you try to rise above the common level of other monks is of no use. It is not simple manner in the monastery for you to go in a different direction from the monks. Whoever you are, what kind of difficult situation you are confront with, as long as you are here, all you have to do is to plunge into your life itself.

[66:43]

At that time your life, your life tell you something, or your life bring you to your life itself. This way is to get the taste of the skin, the flesh, the bone, and the marrow bone, which Buddha and patriarch have. I think this is the practice, this is to learn, to learn Buddhism. This is to learn the comfortable feeling when you want to get the comfortable feeling. This is, this practice is to learn the Buddhism when you want to get the Buddhism.

[67:45]

And that, it involves liberation of the mind and body. In other words, the comfortable feeling involves comfortable feeling. Comfortable feeling possesses in here, in here, in here. Inherent. Comfortable feeling itself, which means liberation. It follows the practice and enlightenment beyond the state of uncivilized earth, uncivilized earth. How much you cultivate yourself through the practice, it doesn't matter.

[68:59]

The practice, the practice makes you synchronize into a comfortable feeling. Now, taking a bath synchronizes into the comfortable feeling. Comfortable feeling immediately synchronizes into the practice itself, which is called taking bath. Which is called, in other words, inputable feeling or stable feeling. This is practice, this is enlightenment.

[70:07]

Enlightenment, in other words, comfortable feeling. They follow the practice and enlightenment beyond the state of uncivilized earth. Beyond the idea of whether the reality is manifest or not, the truth is manifest or not. I think this is our practice. This is the Gedatsu, liberation. So, Kesa, word Kesa, which is corruption of Sanskrit, Kachaya, is love of liberation.

[71:11]

You know, the Dogen then says, you should sit, the Zen, with Kesa, with Kesa. Kesa is liberation, love of liberation. In other words, don't make complaint, anyway sit, plunge into the Zazen itself. That time your life is completely enveloped by Zazen itself, Buddha itself. That time you can get comfortable feeling, peaceful. At least while you are sitting, you can take resting peace.

[72:16]

By covering with Buddhist love, we must plunge into the Zazen, into our life. Because, not one Buddha, two Buddhas, not only one Buddha and two Buddhas, but also many thousands of Buddhas and Patriarchs are retained, carefree, thoughtfully, considerately, scrutably, scrupulously, take good care of this Buddhist love,

[73:28]

making by their hand, chanting the Buddha's name in every stitch. So, this love is not cross, it is many thousands, it consists of many thousands of Buddhas, Patriarchs. That's why it is called love of liberation. So, liberation, by liberation our life is enveloped, because of the idea whether you comprehend that situation. If you don't understand, you over and over again, plunge into the Buddha's word day in and day out.

[74:34]

This is our practice. Thank you. BUDDHIST CHANT

[75:09]

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