And now is maybe without having change. So it's no more change. So Buddha or Padmasambhava is permanent, without any change. This is the image of... reading these two-means sentences. And Dōgen-sensei read this shitsu and u as a noun, and he read this as a mirror or poem, and this u as being, instead of to have or to own. His way of reading this first sentence is, all living beings, entire or whole beings, are or is buddha nature.

[01:01]

So buddha nature is something which is owned by all discounted people. But all, be all of them, So it's not only living beings, but shi-tsu means entire beings, or whole beings, are buddha nature. So the way all things are is buddha nature. And it's kind of strange, I mean, even though Bogenzenji quoted the second sentence, I'm sure he didn't make any comments on this. But somehow, I think... So I have to guess how he made this sentence, according to his understanding.

[02:04]

Here, murai or tathagata doesn't mean a person, but tathagata is also the way all beings are. And tathagata is permanent or eternal, and it's moved and performed in the new and old and changed. That's the way I think he did before this. The path leading to enlightenment of all beings is eternal. And all means nothing. And all is being. All beings and being and change. Those are the kind of the way Tathagata is, or the way all beings are. So this sentence is not about, you know, Tathagata or the buddha sitting within the rotten flower.

[03:12]

But this is the way all beings in this entire universe is. Eternal, albeit nu, means nothing or non-being. And nu means being. And henyakas change. So everything is always changing. So we can say there is something as an existence or being, as a fixed entity. And yet we can say there is nothing. Actually we are here. So neither, both 無 and 無, and also neither 無 and 無, that is the meaning of emptiness. So, the way Dogen thinks it, I'm sorry, these two sentences, is the way all things are, the reality all beings, all things are.

[04:20]

Then I think I can start to talk on the second paragraph. Any questions about this, please? I'm sorry, I'm a little lost. Where did that come from? This is a quote from the Nibbana Sutra. Mahamudra's Nibbana Sutra. Yes, in this translation, it's the usual reading of the sentence in the sutra. I said he didn't comment on the second sentence in Shogun Genzo, in this writing. He did not so listen like this. OK? OK.

[05:28]

OK? This question isn't relevant, and you can just forget it. But what he just did, my understanding of what he just did, is he took away a value judgment, actually, because Buddha nature is So he's taking away the value of the lineage of being good. Yes, what he is saying is that buddha nature is not something precious and not hidden. But buddha nature is ordinary things. He wrote that buddha nature is ordinary everyday tea and rice. That means everything. And that is what is just going on here inside of ourselves. That is the point. And the significance of this change is he's going to discuss. Okay?

[06:30]

Please. Okay, Joe is to the parliament. And you need abide by the link to stay. Let me read this paragraph again, bottom of page 60. What is the essence of the word honored one's word?

[07:34]

All sentient beings, without exception, have the Buddha nature. It is his utterance of the Dharma teaching. What is this that thus comes? Whether you speak of living beings, sentient beings, all classes of living beings, or all varieties of living beings, it makes no difference. The word entire being, shitsu-u, means both sentient beings and all beings. In other words, entire being is the Buddha-nature. I call the whole integral entity of entire being sentient beings. Just at the very time when things are thus, both inside and outside of sentient beings are as such,

[08:47]

the entire being of the Buddha nature. Entire being is not only the skin, flesh, bone, and marrow directly transmitted from Bodhidharma to his disciples. For you attain my skin, flesh, bone, and marrow. Here, in this paragraph, Dogen discusses the meaning of this sentence. All sentient beings, in this translation, it's printed in italic. That means, in original text, it is written in Chinese. So, you know, for us Japanese, it's a kind of interesting thing. This Chinese sentence can, of course, mean It means in this translation, all sentient beings without expression have the Buddha nature.

[09:53]

And also it means all sentient beings, entire beings, are Buddha nature. So one single, very simple sentence can mean two things. So it's a kind of a double image. And to me, this is really important. One thing has to mean two things. Or one reality can be seen from different angle, then the same reality looks very different. While I lived in San Francisco, I gave a lecture on this writing, Buzho at Sokoji, once a month, and it took me three years.

[10:59]

And at the last lecture of Buzho or Buddha Nature, I showed a copy of a painting, I think, You are familiar with this one. This is the painting titled, My Wife and My Mother-in-Law. In this single painting, there are two things in there, a young lady and an old lady. And these are not half and half. You know, from one way of viewing this, this is 100% a painting of a young lady. And from another way of viewing this painting, this is 100% a painting of an old lady.

[12:04]

So it's not half and half. And I think Phap Doge is talking about Buddha nature and karmic nature or karmic consciousness, or samsara and nirvana, or delusion and enlightenment. These are in the model of the hidden Buddha nature. even though we are like a lotus flower. And yet, there is a Buddha sitting within these deluded beings. In this model, something very precious is within these deluded beings, or defiled beings.

[13:05]

It's a part of it's hidden. And yet, in this model, from one perspective, this entire being is Buddha nature. And yet, this entire being can be a deluded karmic consciousness. And this entire world is samsara. So many terrible things are happening. And yet this same world can be nirvana. So it's not a matter of something precious thing, or is hidden within terrible things. But depending upon how we see the world, how we see ourselves, whether our way of viewing things is liberated or not.

[14:06]

This entire reality of our life can be nirvana or can be samsara. It's not half and half. I think that is what Dogen is trying to say. So, Buddha nature is this painting itself. And we can read this from one side, this is the Buddha nature. or a beautiful young lady. And from another side, this entire painting is a not-so-beautiful old lady. So I think the way of thinking is different. That is the point. to understand Dogen's insight about the Buddha nature and karmic nature.

[15:10]

I mean, yesterday morning I talked on the first dialogues about Doge's Buddha nature in Joshu Roku. And Joshu said, Doge has no Buddha nature because the Doge has a karmic consciousness. But here, Togen later discussed, the karmic consciousness is nothing other than Buddha nature. In the case of the dog, and also in the case of human beings like us, this is karmic nature or karmic consciousness. The same thing, exactly the same thing, is nothing other than Buddha-nature. Anyway, so when you read this, you know, italic sentence, all sentient beings without exception have the Buddha-nature, please read in your mind, read this, all sentient beings and all

[16:27]

entire beings are Buddha nature. And because that is what Dogen meant. It is his utterance and Shakyamuni Buddha's utterance of the Dharma teaching. This utterance is the translation of expression DO KEN BO RIN KEN HO OR BO RIN

[18:10]

In this translation, it's translated simply as utterance, saying. But this 道 is saying, 道 in 道徳. But this translation doesn't translate this part, 天道理. 天道理 means turning the dharma wheel. So this saying, 一切衆生失路不生 in Japanese, is, Phap Dogen said, is the turning the dharma wheel. And that means, Phap is this that thus comes. I think many of you know this expression. Phap is this that thus comes. It is from a common story. of the Sixth Ancestor, Hsuan-Yi Nan, and one of his most famous successors, Nangako Ejo.

[19:30]

Hsuan-Yi Nan, Nangako Ejo, first predicted Hsuan-Yi Nan, the Sixth Ancestor, And, as you replied, I came from Motsu, from the Motsu teacher, Ame, who lives, I believe, he promised that he would practice with this teacher, Ame, at Motsu. Probably because the teacher recommended Mingaku to visit Huinan, actually. Mount Sui is northern part of China and Huinan lived in the south. So it's a long distance.

[20:33]

It took more than a month to walk. So it's not a short visit. So in order to do such a trial, the person should have a strong determination. Anyway, so Nangaka replied, I came from such and such place. Then he was sent this thing. How do you feel this coming? How do you feel this coming? This is an interesting question. In Japanese, we pronounce this sentence as sō-mo-butsu-in-mo-rai.

[22:04]

Question. Sō-mo is fact. And butsu is think. And inmu is such or thus. And rai is come. So, literally, that thing does come. That does come, I think, is a good translation. That means, What you are, not who you are, but what are you? What are you, the person who came so far from the north of China to visit Huinan? What is the person, or what is that thing, that came so far from the north? He couldn't even understand the meaning of the answer.

[23:22]

So he studied with a human for eight years. And after eight years, he finally understood the meaning of this question. And he visited his teacher, Nangaka, and said, When I first met you, you gave me this question, and I finally understand what this means. Then Huineng asked, How do you understand? Then Nangaka-jyo said, I don't need to write it. But let me write it, because I'm not thinking to translate.

[24:23]

Setsu means to explain, to talk about. And ji means to point it, to quote it. So setsu ji means to point that thing, that thing, the scholars. To point that thing. Ichigoto means one thing. So to point that thing. But in this case, I will try to explain it. Soko means immediately, at that point, at that moment. Fuchio means after work. After work. So for me, I will try to say something about that thing, that thing, this case. You know, after work. about that thing, the scams.

[25:39]

And that thing means this thing. Who is this? What is this? So, I would find encouragement in this expression. I would find encouragement in this expression. I would find encouragement in this expression. The first cause, this is not a question, this is a starting point. The reality of all beings, the way all beings are, is the expression, the only expression, or can use to point things happening, how things are, is a flat thing, a flat thing on the table, that's all. That means it's nothing, it cannot be anything.

[26:40]

So flat does not mean nothing. Something in this kind of work is used in Chinese literature to show the variety beyond and what is happening inside and outside of ourselves. We can control even humanity only with one fact thing. And this fact thing is, you know, I think, you know, I think, this. This is this. Then we add some explanation as we go through all of the work.

[27:43]

That means if we say this is a body or a body of the being itself, we miss the being itself, the being of itself. That is our view. I think the form of perception is never normality, nor ordinarity, nor nature, nor current consciousness. I'm not the same, I'm all alone. According to the Rinpoche, it's all nature. So bodhichitta is not something good, or something precious, or something not valuable. The reality in which we are living, not only that. Please. No, bodhichitta and karmic consciousness are the same thing.

[28:49]

Two different meanings of the same thing. So we're dealing with a non-dual reality. Yes. And it's a wonderful practice. To see, you know, this reality, in order for it to be known, we cannot think of it. And we can't live without thinking. And the way we think is the way we view things. We view things depending upon how we are educated, how we are grown up, what kind of experience we have in the past. That is karmic consciousness. And because, you know, I was born in Japan and I became a Buddhist, my overall view of things is Japanese Buddhist. And that is my karmic consciousness.

[29:52]

So my view is limited. And I think our practice is letting go. That means becoming free from clinging to my own doing things. And that is what we do in our Zazen by taking hold of thought. Opening the hand of thought means opening the hand of a grasp, my idea, my system of value, my view. And become free from that all doing things. That is our practice. That means we become, not become, but we become to that reality before we go in reality or out of reality. And that is our practice. Please. Would that also be letting go of whether we think a young lady is beautiful and an old lady is... Yeah, we do.

[31:03]

And we can find beauty in all the ladies. And some women can be not so beautiful. So, you know, our judgment, our judgment should be with God. But that's the way we can, how can I say, refresh our way of doing things or our way of thinking. Please? You're not saying not to have value judgment. We cannot live without value judgment. For now, I'm talking about one lesson in the book, so instead of taking a walk outside, it's too late to do this, because this is my practice.

[32:04]

I'm still sitting here, I'm talking, and it's kind of scary for me. This is a very good judgment in itself. And without this kind of judgment, we cannot do anything. But sometimes I need to be free from this kind of judgment, and this can improve. Anyway, okay? So, Father Dharma said, about the nature, is the same as a wonderful expression for a vision that does come. And this is not a question, but this is a statement. That means what the nature is, the way all things are, before being processed by using our thought, using our mind, not our reality.

[33:24]

And he picks up some Buddhist truths about existence of being, and he discusses what is empowered being, or shitsu-u. All right, we speak of living beings. Living beings is shujo. And sentient beings, sentient beings is ijo. U means to have. This same u, in shitsu u. And jo is sentiment. So ujo is a living being that has sentiment. And gongjo, all classes of living beings is to associate with gongjo. And one of the benefits of reading things is going low. I don't think we need to discuss about the difference of these.

[34:43]

These are just terms used in Buddhist scriptures to show certain kind of beings. The important thing is it makes no difference. That means there's no distinction between sentient beings, like human beings, and living beings, including plants and microorganisms, or those living beings and non-living beings. So all beings, including all such distinctions or categories, are shitsu-u. The more important thing is shitsu-u, meaning both sentient beings and all beings, sentient and non-sentient, living and non-living beings, are all included in this shitsu-u.

[35:48]

And the next sentence I think is interesting. In other words, an eternal being is the Buddha-nature. So this eternal being, without any exception, is itself Buddha-nature. And the core, the whole eternal entity of an eternal being, similar to beings, This I call the whole internal entity of internal being, sentient beings. So sentient beings are, each one of us, a human being. And this whole internal entity is a kind of internal expression. He said, entire being is shih-tsu.

[36:59]

And internal entity is shih-tsu. Each is one's own. So shi-tsung is an all-being, and shi-tsung is all-empowering. So all-empowering of all beings, instant beings, that means us. This is a kind of, I think, important expression. That means, let me introduce one from Shakyamuni Buddha, easy, one time.

[38:05]

I think this has something to do with the one-one-things-are, according to Buddha. If you look at this book, it is in 1480, in Shogun's Eiji, a long time ago, he said, since such is the phenomenon of communism, we must study and learn the world phenomena and universe processes, things, and each of the grasses and each of the fruits exists as the entire earth. These conventional goals are the consequence of Buddhist practice. When you have arrived within this field of suchness,

[39:11]

It is a single voice, a single form that forms an understood, an utmost understood. The voices are understood and not understood. This is an interesting sentence, but I think this one is Grasses have each and every being, not special beings. Each and everything in this entire world exists on the Great Earth. Let's see.

[40:21]

In Genjo Kohan, as you know, there was a definition of Enlightenment and Religion. And he said, when we compare ourselves to other beings, and cannot practice enlightenment. You see, that is danger. But all negative things come towards oneself, and allow oneself to cannot practice enlightenment, is enlightenment. That is a very basic definition of focus, delusion and enlightenment. So according to Dugan, enlightenment and delusion, or Satori and Ayoi, is within the relationship between self and living beings.

[41:28]

There are many different beings. I don't know if you are aware, but I don't think it will be the last time. I want to find each and every single anna in the collective. I want any anna in the camp. [...] I want any So, we don't see the corruption clearly, but in the Dogen sense, we have phenomena and non-violent nonsense. And each of the grasses and each of the fruits exists at the entire earth.

[42:46]

In this sentence, entire earth is the entirety of this network of interdependent origination. And each grass, or each thing, is like a knot of this network. So what Fr. Dogen is saying here is we should see that each and everything is within the network of this Great Earth. So we are, actually we are independent, we are individual, and I am you, I am not you, you are not me. So we are some individuality, and yet these individual things cannot exist as really independent or individual. We, we can live only within the relationship with others. AI is not we.

[43:50]

but without air I cannot live even a moment. And water is not me, but without water I cannot live. And even when I think in a kind of very egocentric way, still I have to use the language. And in my case, Japanese. And this language, the ability to use the language, the ability to think using the language is a gift from the society. So even without the relationship with other things or this entirety, even I cannot exist as an individual person. I cannot even be egocentric, selfish. I can be selfish because of the help of others.

[44:52]

And I think that is true. That reality, you know, we are very tiny, individual things, and we are so self-centered. And yet, as a reality, we cannot, we are existing, living, or being, within this entire network, in the whole Earth. And knowing or to awake to that reality is according to Dogen, is the beginning of our practice. That means when we awaken to that reality, somehow we cannot help but feeling that, I'm sorry, I'm so selfish. That is a repentance, and that is a point we take a vow.

[45:55]

We allow the body-mind, and we try to study more, and we try to practice. That is the beginning of our practice. Then we feel our way of life is not healthy, is not natural, and too self-centered, too egocentric. Then we try to find a better way or a more healthy way of life. I think that is the starting point of practice. And then we aspire to study and practice in that way. The entire network is working within us. According to Bodhidharma, that is Buddha. And that is the kundata, the force or energy that allows us to feel that my evocentric way is not healthy.

[47:02]

So I start to think something, you know, healthier or better, or peaceful, harmonious in my life. I think that is what this expression is. It's one. We are one. One of them. And we are connected with this entirety. So this entire network is my network. My name is Shouhaku, so I'm here. I'm individual. I cannot live for you. And now, at this moment, people in this room is within my world. I'm living here within the relationship with you. I'm talking and you're listening. And I'm going to do my best

[48:06]

to talk about my understanding of Dogen, and you are listening, so you are all part of my world. And I am part of your world, and I may speak something meaningful or something useless, I'm not sure. but the world in which you are part of it is defined, the world not being defined, the world in which I am part of it. So it's not, those two worlds are Completely I don't want to be teaching you. So we speak only using one word. And if we have 50 people here, there are 50 words.

[49:19]

And I don't know the word in which you are the center. And you cannot see the word I'm the center. And yet we are interrelated to each other. That is how the interdependent world of imagination works. I think that is not the reason, but that is how one thing can be seen from many different ways. And in Genjo-ko I'm going to expose this as You know, fish, and hungry ghosts, and heavenly beings, and human beings see the same water in different ways. Not only those completely different living beings, but even human beings, each one of us sees the world in a very different way.

[50:24]

subtle, the sound won't be very subtle, so I can guess, I can think of how you feel, how you think, how you view things, how you feel. But that is still things happening in my world, not in your world. So in a sense, we are completely independent. And at the same time, we are completely interdependent. You know, the English word interdependent is kind of interesting. If there's no independence, there's no interdependence. If there's no dependence, there's no interdependence. So within interdependence, independence and dependence are included. You know, these two are kind of contradicted. But within the word interdependent, both are there.

[51:33]

If there's no dependence, there's no interdependence. And there's no independence, also there's no interdependence. Because if... Anyway, this is Dogenzen's view of how things are in this world, where we exist as a kind of each node of the entire network of engagement. And this is kind of an interesting way of being. We cannot say, so each knot in existence, because knot is just a name of condition of the net.

[52:37]

And yet we cannot say there is no such knot. There's a note. So, you know, we are here, but we are not here. Shohoku is just a name of the condition of these five skandhas. You know, when five skandhas get together and in certain condition become shohoku. But after some while, they disappear. So, we cannot say Shoboku doesn't exist. And yet, we can say Shoboku really exists. That is the meaning of one and one. And what one and what one? That means cool or emptiness. And that's, excuse me, that's kind of a wonderous or strange way of being. It is called the wonder stone or buddha nature, please.

[53:40]

Is that net or energy field attracting us, or is it neutral, or is it resistant? You used the word allow us to feel. All of those are, how can I say, reactions. to virtual reality, so all are included. It can be adaptive. It can be like, sometimes we feel this is really like God's world, or Pure Land, or Paradise, or sometimes it's like Hell. So all the different animals or commercial situation is generated from this network. So good things can be interconnected, and also bad things or dangerous things also can be interconnected.

[54:43]

So, I don't know. That is the Buddha nature. But for the people, for us who are like the body-mind, or as a principle, take four principle goals, this is the field of the work, to fulfill those goals. How can we, you know, free all beings? How can we put an end to delusion? How can we study the mind? How can we realize the Buddha way, or the Buddha's awakening? That may not be the only place we can work, study, work on practice, not fulfill, but, I don't know, another English word, to fulfill the bliss of abundance.

[55:56]

Sometimes it can be a very difficult situation. And sometimes it can be a very harmless, happy situation. But for the current situation or the end, somehow we have to practice for the sake of the forbidden practice. Here we are now. What is this that thus comes in that moment, say, before discrimination, before a name is going to pass? Is there even the idea of a being, or is it more like that, that what is this that thus comes includes all of that, includes the whole network? What I said is after I

[57:02]

I think about that network. So this is my thinking. So don't take it. This is my thinking. Whatever I'm talking is what I'm thinking. So this is my thinking about the reality before thinking. So we need to receive it, accept it, before thinking. Another person will have to think. And finally, explain to others what you have to think. So how can we use our thinking mind to express and share the reality before and during thinking? This, I know, is apparently the reason why we have to study Dharma in this kind of strange way, by strange principles. It's wrong.

[58:08]

It's a wrong version. Please. I think I'm still in the group because my family in Indiana, my friends in Japan, And, you know, things happen in work or wherever, I think. So we are connected to our minds? Not so, I don't know, but... So, how can I say? The metal, you know, we breathe the same air. We drink the same water. I'm not saying water, but... It seems like it happens on both levels. I'm not with you, but you still are connected to me in many ways.

[59:15]

I think so, yes. But it's different. It's also a memory, an expectation. I think in different levels, even in the realm of thinking, even if I reject to think of you, still I'm connected with you, I think. So even within the realm of thinking, we are connected, I think. I think we have to go further. The next sentence is, just as the very ground from things and thus, since thus is, you know, the fat thing, thus come, that thus, both inside and outside of sentient beings,

[60:27]

are, as such, the entire being of the Buddha nature. So it's not only, Buddha nature is not something hidden inside of sentient beings. But according to Dogen, not only inside, but things inside, happening inside of myself and outside of myself, are all Buddha nature. So there's no exception, this total entirety of the universe. And also it includes time, and past, present, and future, all buddha nature. So buddha nature is not something that exists as we usually think, but buddha nature is the way things are. An entire being is not only the skin, flesh, bone and marrow directly transmitted from Bodhidharma to his disciples, from you attain in my skin, flesh and marrow.

[61:47]

This comes from a story of the Watan fusion from Bodhidharma to his four disciples. Bodhidharma was very old and he thought he was ready to go to India. Actually, he needed to die, to be dead. He asked four of his students about their understanding. And each one, first three people, said something. And to each person, Bodhidharma said, you attained my skin. And to the second person, Bodhidharma said, you attained my flesh. And to the third person, he said, you attained my bone. And the final person was Rika, or Hyuko, the second Patriarch.

[62:54]

He didn't say anything. But he came in front of Bodhidharma and made three prostrations. Without saying anything, he returned to his seat. And then Bodhidharma said, you attained my merit. And common understanding of this story is skin, flesh, bone, and marrow are kind of lumps. Skin is shallower. Layers, yeah. And flesh is underneath. And bone is much deeper. and more is even within the body. So this is kind of a lux. Only Shuko attained Bodhidharma's moral, that means essence.

[64:00]

So he transmitted under Dharma's dharma, and became the second ancestor. But, in which, the world is always very awake. In Shodanism, Kato, I think in English translation is empowerment or something like that. He quoted this story and said, these four are not four different ranks. So it's not that Hinko has the deepest understanding, but those four are all equal. Because Bodhidharma's skin is Bodhidharma's skin. And Bodhidharma's flesh, tongue and marrow are all Bodhidharma's, that means Dharma.

[65:09]

So all four disciples equally transmitted Bodhidharma's Dharma. That is Nagarjuna's understanding of this story. And that is perhaps the same here. So not only the people, or superior people, who transmitted Dharma, like modern students. But all of us, all living beings, and not only living beings, all beings, are modern natures and still fresh born now. So there is no relax and no exception. We all kind of inherit the Buddha nature, because the way all things are is Buddha nature.

[66:13]

So the way we are is Buddha nature. I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't know even whether Bodhidharma really exists or not as a historical person. I don't really think so. The teaching in the, I can't say, Sanskrit, Japanese, and Buddhism's teaching, for example, in the two matrices and four matrices, are kind of different, I think. But I think to me, there was certain group who valued that sutra in their tradition before the 6th and 7th sisters.

[67:41]

But somehow, the priority changed from the Ukyo to the Kongo-kyo or the Do-ryon Sutra. And people in that group I think connected the sutra with Bodhidharma. So I don't think Bodhidharma's teaching is based on the sutra. That's my guess. No. According to the Pope himself, it's until the fifth ancestor, the Roman king. And the sixth ancestor, the Roman emperor. That's my real question.

[68:50]

The way Dōgen interprets this, conventionally you could say that Bodhidharma is talking about the bereavement of realization. Would you agree with that? I don't know. It's still an open conversation. I'll say the question again. I'm not sure about Bodhidharma himself. Bodhidharma is in one tradition, but there is a whole understanding of Bodhidharma said. But I'm not sure that that is anything safe. I agree. Modern scholarship says, probably once in a billion lives.

[69:58]

I do not agree with that idea in terms of alienation. OK. Shall we finish? Ten minutes. Okay, let's see. So I continue from here. Thank you.

[70:30]

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