Okay. Okay, let's start. Good afternoon. Let me read the next few paragraphs until probably the middle of page 63. You must understand that the being that the Buddha nature makes, the being that the Buddha nature makes, entire being, is not the being of being, unknown being. Entire being is a Buddha's word, a Buddha's tongue. the pupils of a Buddha Patriarch's eyes, the nose holes of a Zen monk.

[01:07]

Nor does the term entire being mean emergent being, or original being, or mysterious being, or anything of the like. much less conditioned being or illusory being. It has nothing to do with such things as mind and object, substance and form. Because it, like this, the self and surrounding environment of sentient beings, entire being, is, not in the least involved in the waxing influences of karma, is not bred by illusory causation, does not come into being naturally, and is not practiced or realized through miraculous powers.

[02:13]

Were sentient beings' entire being contingent to the power of karma or on causes or on coming into being naturally, then the realization of all things and the enlightenment of all Buddhas and the I-pupils of Buddhas and Patriarchs also would be produced in these ways, and they are not. The entire world is completely free of all objective dust Right here and now there is no second person. That is because we are aware that the root source of our illusion is shivered and our busily engaged and widely ranging karmic consciousness, inseparable from the Buddha nature, never ceases.

[03:19]

This is not being that is bred by illusory causation because nothing throughout the whole world has ever been concealed. To say nothing throughout the whole world has ever been concealed certainly does not mean that the world full of being is nothing but being. The idea that the entire world and everything in it are my personal possession is a false, non-Buddhist teaching. It is not original timeless being because it fills the past right on up through the present. It is not emergent being. because it does not receive even a particle of dust.

[04:21]

It does not separate individual beings, because it is an all-inclusive whole. It is not a beginningless being, because what is this that thus comes? It is not a being that appears at a certain time, Because my everyday mind is the way, you must know with certainty that within entire beings it is impossible, even with the greatest swiftness, to encounter sentient beings. Understood in this way, entire beings is in itself completely and totally emancipated suchness. So, in these several parables, he discussed what is the entire being.

[05:28]

He said the entire being is Buddha nature. And what is the entire being and what is not. And actually, He negates almost, not almost, but all the ideas we have about beings. Some of them are kind of a theory within Buddhism, and some of them are not Buddhist philosophy, but he kind of lists up all of the ideas we may have about beings in order to show the living, low reality of being that is actually moving, changing, evolving, taking place in each and every moment.

[06:35]

And that is Buddha nature. So if I try to explain each and every one of those words or theory, I cannot finish anything. So I just briefly talk about those ideas. He said, you must understand the being that the Buddha nature makes, makes entire being, is not the being of being and non-being. In this sentence, Dogenzen used the word entire being as a verb. It's not a noun.

[07:38]

Japanese is a kind of interesting language. If you put one word through to any noun, it can be a verb. For example, telephone in Japanese is denwa. Actually, den means electric. Electricity and wa is talk. So, denwa is telephone. And to make a phone call is denwa suru. Or meal in Japanese is shokuji. And shokuji suru means take a meal. So, when we put a suru, suru is like a do. do, then anything, any noun can be used as a verb.

[08:42]

And that is what he is doing here. So he said, the beings, that is, how can I say, do, not to, this is passive. So it's very kind of complicated. to translate it into English, something like, to be done, to be done entire beings, something like that. That means the beings that was made into entire beings by Buddha nature. That means each and every being are, as I said, not of the entire network of interdependent origination.

[09:49]

And because of the support by all beings, I can be here, I can be another. So this being, in this case shohaku, is allowed to be one integral being because of the Buddha nature. By the power, I don't like the word power, but by Buddha nature, I can be shohaku. that doesn't really exist. But temporarily, provisionally, this is shohaku. And yet, this is not really shohaku. And not only shohaku, but each and everything is like that.

[10:56]

We are an entire being. This sounds kind of Christian to me. Kind of Christian, that God makes the world and God makes us from dust and so forth and now this Buddha nature is making shohaku. The difference I think is that this world is not made by anyone. There is no first cause. It's a happening. Does it make sense? So Buddha nature is not God. Buddha nature doesn't create this world. But Buddha nature is the way all beings are within this world. And this world or the network of interdependent ordination was not created by anyone.

[11:58]

It's there already. somehow, and we don't know why and how. That's why this is a kind of a wondrous dharma. But he said, that being is not a being of being and non-being. Being of being and non-being means It is not a relative opposition of being and non-being. In here, non-being means lack of being. That is the basic usage of the words who and more. We say, here is a marker. And when I hide this, there is not a marker.

[13:01]

So, you know, being or not being is opposite. If it's here, we say this is here. And when this is hidden, we say this is not here. This being and non-being, or wu and mu. This is wu. When it is hidden, it's mu. But what Dogen is saying is, this being, as an entire being is not such a being that is hidden or appeared, but that is not relative. And he said, entire being is a Buddha's word, a Buddha's tongue. the pupils of a Buddha's eyes, the nose holes of a Zen monk.

[14:05]

Buddha's word, Buddha's tongue, means those words have absolute meaning. It's not relative. And pupil of Buddha Patriarchs also means a wisdom which sees the things beyond discrimination, beyond duality, beyond dichotomies of being and non-being. And that is the North Hall of the monk. North Hall of the monk means North Hall is the in a hole through which we breathe air, and that keeps us alive. So this is a connection of inside and outside of ourselves. And this connection, coming and going of the air, keeps us alive within the interdependent origination.

[15:16]

So the air comes in and goes through my body and keeps my body alive and I continue to be shohaku for a while. That life, that is life. That life is actually the breath or the air to breathe in Japanese is iki. and to live, in Japanese also, ikiru. So, breathe and to live is the same thing. So, the nose hole is an important part of our life, which allows me to be alive. And... this word, nor does the term entire being mean emergent being, or original being, or mysterious beings, or anything of the like, much less conditioned being or illusory being.

[16:39]

These are the examples of the terms used in Buddhism. Emergent being means the things appear and disappear, arise and perish, come and go. These things appear and disappear is an emergent being. Until a certain time it is not there, but because of the causes and conditions somehow it appears. and stay for a while, changing the shape, and disappear. This is emergent being, coming to being. And original being means original being. The Japanese word is hon-u.

[17:42]

Hon can be original or also can be true, true being. Original being means, you know, things are coming and going, and yet somehow there is something which doesn't change, doesn't come into being and disappear. That is original being. Or, mysterious being. Mysterious being is a translation, myo-wu. This myo-wu is used Together with shinku, shinku and myo, ku means emptiness, and shi is true, true emptiness. And, I don't like the word, mysterious, but wondrous is a better word, better translation, wondrous being. That means true emptiness is not simply a lack of being. But it's a wondrous being.

[18:49]

That means to be empty or emptiness is not opposition of being or existence. But the way we are is emptiness. That means we are here but we are not really here. That's reality. It's here and yet it's not here. It's not substantial. And yet, non-substantial being, I am here. There is no such thing as shohaku. Temporarily, I am here. And I am talking about what I studied, and what I think, and what I experience. That is shohaku. And this is empty. And yet this is somehow wondrously here. That is the idea of true emptiness is wondrous being, or wu, shinku, myo, wu.

[19:57]

But he said, in this case, being of entire being is not such a being. or anything of the like, so whatever term used in Buddhism or non-Buddhism, or Western philosophy or whatever, about the being, the entire being is not such a being. That means this entire being is beyond any definition. But what he meant when he said this is, The fact is that does come. The being, the actual being without being processed through our mind, through our intellectual thinking.

[21:01]

Please. Yes. And also including our as a result of you. I don't understand the question. Well, that is the next thing. He said, much less conditioned being. Conditioned being, you know, interdependent co-arising is a kind of a conditioned being, right? Something happened, then something, another thing happened, being influenced by this.

[22:08]

So this is a Buddhist theory, even this is a Buddhist teaching. conditioned being. And yet, here, Dogen said, this entire being, as a buddha-nature, is not a conditioned being. The unfathomable. Please. The dependent origination, not what it brings forth, Is that origination? Is it itself? I think that is what Dogen is talking. So, you know, each and every being, everything, how can I say, comes into being within the process of dependent origination.

[23:14]

interdependent origination is conditioned being. So actually these are all included into entire being. But the fact he is negating here is the idea or concept when we use those words. Does it make sense? Do you see any kind of discrepancy between this chapter and the chapter on Buddha and Buddha? I don't think so. Do you have some sentence in that chapter? I don't think there is a discrepancy.

[24:42]

Here he is kind of a, how can I say, negate all the concepts we may use, concepts and ideas we may use about beings. And he said, this actual entire being is beyond any such concept or idea or... How can I say? Concept or idea is like a copy of the reality, the real thing, you know, like a map. map is the copy of the Earth. And yet, the map itself is not the real thing. So any map or atlas is not the Earth itself. So whatever map or atlas we think this is true or that is not true, then those are nothing to do with the actual earth itself.

[25:55]

I think that is what he is doing here. So he doesn't negate all those teachings as a map. But he's saying map is map, map is not reality. Does it make sense? I think that is what he's saying. Please. Is it like unconditioned? Unconditioned. Because you talked about conditioned, so it's just the opposite? Well, actually everything is conditioned. Oh, everything is conditioned. In reality, everything is conditioned, really. And yet, if we think everything... When we think everything is conditioned, that is already our thinking. It's a kind of a map, or like taking a photo.

[26:58]

It's a copy of the real thing, and as a theory, it might be true, or might be right, might be wrong, or mistaken. But those are all already being processed in our mind. So, what he's trying to do is show us the reality before being processed with our mind. That's why he negates almost everything. But as a Buddhist teaching, some of them are really right things. Sensei, when you say, before we think about it, or before we experience it, the reality before we experience it, there's no such reality, right? There's no such reality before we experience it, because is only what we experience, and once we experience it, then it's completely conditioned and completely unconditioned.

[28:07]

I guess to be more clear, I think the word before gives me an idea. There's experience and then there's something before experience, as though it were in time. But I don't think you mean that, but maybe you do. So I'm asking, do you mean before? Is there such a time as before? I don't think it's a time. Kind of logical. Yeah, I think. Experience or thinking. Yeah. It's the actual thing we are actually living. And any idea, thought, or teaching is a copy of that reality.

[29:15]

And that reality cannot be explained or conceptualized or anything. Although we are living in that reality, and actually within that reality we are making the copy. And yet we cannot see it. If we see it, then that seeing itself, how can I say, the reality is always, how can I say, outside. Whatever we say or think, it's already within the, how can I say, realm. Within my thinking, my experience, my understanding, map. So, the reality itself or experience itself is really unknown or cannot become objective. If we see it as object, then it's already not the real thing.

[30:22]

That's why, you know, that's the... not why, but... That is the fact this, you know, if we try to point one thing, the one thing, we are already off the mark. So the way we really, not encounter, but really one with that reality is letting go of thought. Open my hand and really just sitting. That is our zazen. In our zazen, even our thought is part of that reality, and yet we don't observe it. We just be there. So, I'm not the observer of the reality or truth, but I am part of that reality. I think that is what Dogen-renji meant when he said, Jijyuu Zanmai.

[31:26]

There is no other. This G is not the self as a person. Please. To me, to call it a map or a copy indicates that there is some variation between the reality and the map or the copy. I don't think so, because it's more like a code, a language that has no code or language at all with reality. You get my point, but I'm saying that in English, the connotation That's what I mean.

[32:29]

That is what I mean. Yes? It seems like with other Zen masters wanting to point out the same thing to people, they would take a stick and hit them, right? You know, like they would bring them back to what is before concept. And Dogen is doing the same thing using words. Does that not make words real? Does that not make the experience of words reality? Yeah, we are hit by Dogon with these words.

[33:30]

And we awake. Or sometimes we hate this. Sometimes we get bored and just throw this away and go to work. Or go to Zendo. That is the fourth dogma in French, we say dōtoku. What is dōtoku in English? Dōtoku means expression. And this is dōtoku. Dōtoku is, when we awake to a certain reality, that experience should be expressed by using words. He wrote one chapter of Shogogen's Dōtoku. So using words is not something we have to avoid in Dōgen's teaching.

[34:36]

He negates all the conceptual thinking using words. That's why his writing is so difficult. and so full of contradictions and paradoxes. I think he does this intentionally to make us awake to the reality prior to and before the same meaning. I mean Dogen. who can speak English. Please. Isn't that the basic premise of the Yogacara school? Mind only? What does it do in the description?

[35:39]

Innocence. Innocence, yes. All the thinking, image or experience we do is through our sense organs and mind, intellect, thinking mind. That means creation of five skandhas. And yet, Doge is not so philosophical. He is not philosophical, but he is more like a... Yes, he knew that, of course. So, he said, this entire being is not much less conditioned being or illusory being. Illusory being is being created by our illusion, delusion. and many of our concepts are illusory beings.

[36:47]

It has nothing to do with such things as mind and object, substance and forms, so it's not a dualistic thing or a dichotomy. But being is really there, it's moving around, changing, and evolving within and without ourselves. That's reality. Please. I think of it as, when you talked about the moral in the bone, the essence of things, I think of some of this as an atom. Atom? Dogen is saying is that, really, it's the atom and the nucleus and the electrons all of that, and it's always moving, and in process, and changing. And so, that to me is the nitty-gritty of what I think he's getting at. I think that the idea, it's really moving, changing, nothing stays.

[37:55]

It's dynamic, really dynamic. Because it's like this, the self and surrounding environment of sentient beings, and that is the entire being, self. And the surrounding environment is the network of interdependent origination in which we are born, live, and die. And this refers to a kind of theory in Abhidharma, particularly Abhidharma kosha, you know, the self, this body and mind, and the environment are the result of

[39:05]

causes and conditions called karma. Our present life is a result of our karma in the past lives, but not only our body and mind, but also the environment is the result of our karma. And yet, the employment of the world is not only the result of this person's personal karma, but all of us, all beings living within this world, share that karma. So these two are in the Buddhist term called eho, shobo and eho.

[40:07]

Ho means result or recompense. And sho means light. Shobo means this body and mind as a result of past karma. And Eho is the world as a literally means a rely on or a foundation of this self can live. That is the world or environment. And that is also the result of karma. That is the idea explained in Abhidharmakosha. And Dogen is saying, entire being, as the self and surrounding environment of sentient beings,

[41:10]

is not created by such a waxing influence of karma. So this is a kind of a negation of the theory in Abhidharma teaching. It is not bred by illusory causation. This is about a twelfth length of causation. Because of ignorance, After twelve links, the result of our life-long suffering is caused. So, this twelve links of causation is so-called cause and dependent origination. are caused by our ignorance. That is what this means, illusory causation.

[42:17]

And that does not come into being naturally. Naturally means without cause. You know, this is not Buddhist teaching. In Buddhist teaching, nothing is caused by naturally. That means without cause. you know, arise with some cause. So, this is not a Buddhist idea, but he negates all of them, and is not practiced or realized through miraculous powers. Miraculous powers are like six divine powers. superhuman, supernatural powers. So he negated almost all ideas about a being or how it caused. And because, he said, were sentient beings, entire beings, contingent on the power of karma or on causes or on coming into being naturally,

[43:37]

then the realization of all sentient beings, all saints, and the enlightenment of all Buddhas, and the eyepieces of Buddhas and Patriarchs also would be produced in these ways, and they are not. If the entire being is caused caused by those things in the way those theories explain, then the Buddha's enlightenment is also a result of illusory causation or just a natural happening. or in whatever way, but Buddha's enlightenment, or nirvana, is not within the realm of cause and conditions.

[44:43]

That is called mui. What is mui? I forget the word. But that is beyond causations. It doesn't come, it doesn't arise, and doesn't perish. When he says entire being, does he mean what you've been calling buddha nature then? Yeah, he's saying entire being is buddha nature. And buddha nature is not those, how can I say, those things explained or thought using those various concepts, ideas, or theories. Yes, that is the point. He negates all of those things, but he doesn't really negate it.

[45:49]

It's like the Heart Sutra says, no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue. But it doesn't mean there's really no such things. But it's here. And yet it's not here. That is the point. But here he said, one side. But within the entire being, all those things are included. So we must be careful when we read Dogen. The entire world is completely free of all objective dust, right here and now. There is no second person. This is an important point. That means this entire world is completely free from all objective dust, free from duality or dichotomies.

[46:59]

Actually, objective dust is kyaku jin. The literal meaning of this kyaku is a guest. And this expression, kyaku-jin, guest, dust, is referred to something like our original mind, so-called original mind, or common idea of Buddha nature, is pure, undefiled. and yet the dust comes in like a guest to the hotel and makes the mind dirty. That is the idea of Buddha nature, the common idea of Buddha nature. Yesterday I talked about nine examples or images of Tathagatagarbha.

[48:05]

And another more commonly used example or image is a diamond covered with rock and dirt. When diamond is found in the mountains, it's covered with rock and dirt. In the theory of Tathagatagarbha, this expression, kyakujin, is used as the same as those rocks or darts that cover the diamond or Buddha nature. And so, in that theory, the first thing we need to do is to find, to discover, that there is a diamond in it, even though it's covered with rock and dirt, so we cannot see the beauty of the diamond.

[49:09]

First we have to find it, and then we need to work to take the dirt and rocks away and polish the diamond. Then our Buddha nature becomes really beautiful like diamond. And diamond, whether it's covered with dirt or not, diamond is never changed. Diamond is diamond. That is another image or example of Tathagatagarbha or Buddha nature. But Dogen is negating this image. I mean, in For example, in Rinzai tradition, the enlightenment experience is called kensho. And kensho means to see the nature. To see the nature means to see the Buddha nature. And this seeing is almost like discovering.

[50:15]

So kensho experience in Rinzai tradition is to discover the diamond, even though it is still covered with rock and dirt. And Dogen Zenji really strongly negates that idea. I think because according to his idea, not idea, but his teaching or his practice, our practice is not treasure hunting. You know, please. So it seems like, in what he's saying, would it be correct to say that the dust is also the entire being? Yes. Yeah, yeah. It's not that there's a different color. Like what he's saying here. Yes.

[51:19]

But, you know, this little paragraph, you know, the entire world is completely free of all one human being. Actually, and there's nothing, there's nothing that can, you know, this widely ranging karmic consciousness, inseparable from the Buddha nature, never ceases. If you feel that way, in Zazen, you have got the gun. If you really have that thing, if you sit there and you feel like, this did it, you know, this does it, I don't know what it is, were in his writing. So diamond is not something hidden. It's always revealed. That is Hakishin. So this entire world is one piece of diamond. Diamond is not something hidden within that.

[52:27]

But diamond is always you know, revealed, you know, as this entire world. Togen means there is no objective dust. Please. Objective dust means something which covers the diamond. Please. No, I know to purify my life enough, you can regularly go to the same door, or whatever. It's quite a lot of work. That may be considered treasure hunting. But, on the other hand, it has to get done too. So there's some emphasis on that sometimes, some emphasis on this complete, entire being.

[53:28]

Okay. So this entire world is completely free of all objective dust. Nothing hides this diamond. It's always there. You know, that is the same as, you know, This entire ten-direction world is one piece of bright power. Nothing is hidden. I'm sorry, I hope this question doesn't sound like an answer, but going back to the previous paragraph, I guess there's a question in my mind, something like, okay, I think it's the question then why do we practice, basically. I think it's like, well, That was his original question when he was a teenager, why we have to practice. And this is the answer.

[54:46]

to his own questions. Like here and now, there is no second person, there is no object, or no separation between subject and object. This entire ten-direction world is one piece of bright pearl or diamond in which me and all beings live together, and nothing is hidden. And when we see that way, then everything within this world is part of the Buddha nature. including our discriminating mind, or our delusions, or whatever, everything he negated in the above, is part of that world.

[56:17]

That is a kind of strange thing. And here, next sentence he says, That is because we are unaware that the root source of our illusion is severed, severed is to cut off. And our busily engaged and widely ranging karmic consciousness inseparable from the Buddha nature never ceases. this expression, the root source of our illusion is severed, cut off, is taken from Shodoka. What is Shodoka? The Song of Enlightenment of the Way. And in that poem he said,

[57:21]

To cut off the root of illusion or illusory thought is what Buddha verified, and his practice is not to cut off the leaves or twigs. We need to cut off the root, not the small things on there. That is each and every illusion, or delusive thought we have. And we need to cut off the root. And fat-dogging is here, same here, is that within our delusive thought there is no root. Root is already cut off, whether we know it or not. That means our delusion has no root. That's why it's delusion. Delusion or illusion is lack of reality.

[58:29]

It's not reality. It has no root within reality. So, if we really see the nature of illusion or delusion, it's as the same poem, Shodoka, says, those are kind of barbarous. bubbles in the water, coming and going, no substance. If we see that illusion and delusion is no substance, or the root is already cut off, or actually there is no such thing called root within delusion, then we are free from delusion, even though delusions are still there. delusion doesn't disturb me, or we are not deceived by delusions.

[59:30]

When we really see the root of delusion or illusion is already cut off. And this is, I think, this is what we experience in our zazen. When we sit facing the wall and let go of whatever is coming up in our mind, at least I have been practicing Dazen for 35 years. I never had even one single thought that lasts forever. Believe me, this is true. The thoughts are coming and going, coming and going. There's no root. It's like a cloud in the sky. So when we barely see the nature of illusion or delusion or illusive thinking, it's there and yet we are not being pulled by those illusive thoughts.

[60:44]

That is a revelation. And often we don't know the root is already cut off. So we are being moved by our elusive, delusive, self-centered thinking. But when we return to that reality by letting go of whatever idea or thinking, then we find that the root of that thinking is already cut off. So those thinking doesn't disturb me. Sometimes, not always. Please. Does that mean that the statement that Steve made has no root? Yes, that's what I think Dogen is saying.

[62:00]

And widely ranging karmic consciousness, inseparable from the Buddha nature. conversation between a monk and Joshu. Joshu said, Dog has no Buddha nature because Dog has a karmic consciousness. But here Dogen is saying, karmic consciousness and Buddha nature are not two separate things. But we need to know that karmic consciousness is karmic consciousness. And that is the way our brain works. as a reality of interdependent origination. Somehow our mind creates something which is not real, which is not true. Please? You have something to say? That story, you know, Buddha has no, and dog has no Buddha nature, because dog has karmic consciousness, shows how, how can I say, how different, how far we are from the Buddha.

[63:39]

Because we cannot live without karmic consciousness. And yet, this insight that karmic consciousness is also part of the function of Buddha-nature, we are kind of released. And yet we need to know that our karmic consciousness is not real thing, or without thing, the thought we think using karmic consciousness is not reality, it's an illusory thought and the root is cut off. And yet this function, the part of our life, work in our brain to kind of produce illusory thought that is not really true, is a part of the function of Buddha nature.

[64:48]

And so the important point is we need to have wisdom not to be deceived by those illusory thoughts, then we can really enjoy those illusory thoughts. Actually, this ability to create something which is not real is really important. You know, all the movies, novels, stories, and even religious visions are all something which we do not see with our eyes. We don't hear with our ears. We don't feel with our hands. And yet, it might be more powerful to show us the truth. Actually, Fat Dogen's writing is not true, really. Where does wisdom originate?

[65:54]

Pardon? Where does wisdom originate? where the wisdom originates. In Shobo Genzo, Makahane Haramitsu, Makahane Haramitsu is Mahaprajna Paramita, and prajna is wisdom. And in that chapter, Dogen said, five skandhas are five examples of prajna. So prajna is the way all beings are. So that is our origin. Original, what's the word? Original wisdom, the way things are. Who relates with that wisdom? Actually, I think it is. Original wisdom. I mean,

[66:55]

Actually, one of the definitions of Buddha nature in the Parinibbana Sutra is Buddha nature is ultimate emptiness. And ultimate emptiness is wisdom or prajna. So in that sense, Buddha nature is wisdom or prajna. which sees the truth or reality as they are. So it is 4.30? 4.30, okay, we have more time. This is not being that is bred by illusory causation because Nothing throughout the whole world has ever been concealed.

[68:04]

This expression, nothing throughout the whole world has ever been concealed, I think is well-known in so-called practitioners. Because this is used, or this expression appeared in Dogen Zenji's Tendo Kyokun. Nothing is hidden. And this expression was told to Dogen by a Chinese Tenzo, but originally this expression was one of Soto Zen masters. His name was Sekisho Kensho. He is a disciple of Dōgo Enji. And Dōgo Enji is a Dharma brother of Ungan Donjō.

[69:09]

And Ungan Donjō is a teacher of Dōzan Ryōkai. So Dōzan is a founder of a Chinese sort of school. So Sekisho, Keisho and Tozan-ryokai are kind of Dharma cousins. So very close relation. And this Zen Master's style of practice is very kind of extreme. I mean, his Zen-do is called Koboku-do. Koboku means dead tree. That means monks, they are sitting like a dead tree without moving. Anyway, the expression comes from a conversation between one of his monks and Sekisho.

[70:22]

This master, Sekisho Kensho, was in his abbot room. Outside the window, a monk walked. And from outside, the monk asked to Sekisho, He said, I am in a very close distance. So the monk is seeing the Sekisho in his room very close. How come I don't see him? Somehow the monk didn't see the abbot. Then why did he talk, speak to the abbot? So this is not a simple question.

[71:29]

Then Sekito said, I say that in the whole world, I say that in the whole world, it is never hidden. So in this case, this it is his face, or he himself. He is not in the entire world and never hidden. Do you understand? I don't understand. So I don't think the monk understood. You have something to say? Yeah, I was going to ask you, I was going to ask, was he not saying that his original self as buddha nature? Yeah, that's it. Let me continue to talk the story.

[72:32]

This is not the end of the story. So the monk, I think he didn't understand what this means. So the monk told this story or experience to Setpo, another Zen master. and asked, what did he mean when he said, in the whole world it is never hidden? Then Seppo said, is there any place, is there any place that is not Sekisho? Is there any place that is not Sekisho? Sekisho is the name of the mountain which the master lived. So, of course, this is a made-up story. Don't think this really happened. But the question, the monk's question, I don't, even though I'm very close to you, I never, I don't see your face.

[73:46]

Why I cannot? Actually, sexual is not a fixed entity. He is talking about sexual as Buddha nature or as an entire being. So that's why he doesn't see a particular face, a particular karmic existence. And sexual's answer is, it is never hidden within the entire world. That means it's always there, and not only always, within time, but also anywhere. That means this sexual, as entire being, is always and everywhere. That's why this monk doesn't see as an object, as an object of his eyes.

[74:51]

That means there is no place within this entire world that is not sexual. That means his home. So this entire world is his home. And this entire world is actually his entire being. That's why the monk doesn't see it. Our friend Dogen went to China when he was 23. He met Tenzo, who came to his boat to buy a Japanese mushroom, and friend Dogen asked to talk about the meaning of words and letters, and also practice. And at that time, Tenzo said, I'm busy, I don't have time to discuss such a thing now, because he needs to go back and cook and prepare for tomorrow's banquet.

[76:09]

So he left. And next summer, Tendo visited Dogen at the monastery and they again started to talk on the same question. Then Tendo said, nothing is hidden in the entire world. And that's fine. From that experience to Dogen Zenji, this expression, nothing is hidden in this entire world, is very important. And this is about Buddha nature. So Buddha nature is not something hidden. That is the very basis, foundation of his understanding of Dharma.

[77:11]

The reality or buddhanature is always revealed, and yet we don't see it because it's too close. Same as the monk didn't see the sexual face. We are too close, actually. Me and buddhanature is not two separate things. We don't see because it's too close. That is why he is saying, this is not a being that is bred by illusory causation. That is actually the Dharmadāsa, the reality itself. And let me be a little bit in a hurry, I want to finish

[78:16]

To say nothing throughout the whole world has never been conceived certainly does not mean that the world full of being is nothing but being. I don't really understand what this means, but according to a commentary, this is an idea about one of the sixty-two views about Atman, or Ga or Ego. That means this entire world is a fixed being called Atman. And the next one is almost the same kind of idea, the idea that the entire world and everything in it are my personal position is a false non-Buddhist teaching.

[79:23]

And I think these two are kind of difficult to, how can I say, clearly understand the difference between Bögen's saying using the expression Nothing is hidden within the entire world and these two. And also I often draw the circle to show the network of interdependent origination. This is also dangerous. If we are not careful, we think that, you know, one knot of interdependent origination and this circle as a whole, if we think these two are kind of fixed entity, this is exactly what is saying about Atman and Brahman.

[80:30]

So important point we need to be careful is not each individual being as a knot of network. And this entirety does not really exist. It's not a fixed entity. So better not to draw the circle. But somehow, somehow it's necessary. This is a very subtle point. Sometimes, even in Zen tradition, we discuss about small self and big self. This has the same problem, or small mind and big mind. This also has the same, might be the same problem. If we think that self, small self and big self, as a fixed entity, then it's against Buddha's teaching of no-self.

[81:43]

And I think the next paragraph is not much to say, I think. because this is a total negation of any idea of being. It is not original being, original timeless being, because it fills the past right on up through the present. It is not emergent being, because it does not receive even a particle of dust. It is not a separate individual being because it is an all-inclusive whole. It is not a beginningless being because fat is this that thus comes. It is not a being that appears at a certain time because my everyday mind is the way.

[82:58]

You must know with certainty that Within entire being, it is impossible even with the greatest swiftness to encounter sentient beings. Understood in this way, entire being is in itself completely and totally emancipated suchness. Well, first several sentences are negation of any ideas. So I don't think I need to talk. The last three sentences. It is not being that separates at a certain... No, not this one. You must know with certainty that within an entire being it is impossible even

[83:59]

with the greatest swiftness to encounter sentient beings. You know, in the quote of the Nirvana Sutra, that said, all living beings and entire beings are Buddha nature. But here, Togen said, entire beings and all living beings never encounter each other. And that means because entire beings and living beings are the same thing, the same thing cannot meet each other. Same as our eyes cannot see our eyes. So there is really no separation. This one entire reality as an entire being is itself Buddha nature.

[85:11]

No dichotomies, no separations, no duality. And understood in this way, entire being self-completely and totally emancipated suchness. This emancipated suchness is totai-datsuraku, datsuraku in shinjin-datsuraku. So, datsuraku means to drop off. Shinjin-datsuraku is dropping off body and mind. And he used this word when he discussed about our zazen. But this datsuraku is not only our zazen or our conditions, but the way this entire being is, is datsuraku, dropped off.

[86:15]

That means the root is already cut off. So even though we cling to, But there's nothing to cling to. And yet we try to cling to. That is our, you know, delusion. Did Doge never feel alone? I mean, you know, it's a difficult question. Do you think he had the capacity to feel alone? I don't know. Maybe not. How could he ever felt alone? You know, he'd be like, I'm not alone, I mean, you know what I mean? Yeah, not only Dogen, but we are, each and every one of us, are never alone. We are living, being together with all beings. And yet, in our mind, you know, I'm I, and I'm not anyone else.

[87:16]

That is, I think, a source of loneliness. But probably Dogen feels loneliness when his students didn't answer what he wrote. I think. I'm pretty sure. The expression he uses on the second half of each sentence is a kind of Zen expression. So this is not a cause, but this is almost like as this expression says, I think.

[88:30]

I think it's time to stop. I'll continue next morning.

[88:40]

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