Good afternoon, everyone. Now we start to read the Hokketen Hokke from the beginning. It's already half of the Genzo is over, but still we are starting point. But I don't think we wasted time. to understand what Doge is going to write. In this first clue, I think we need have the same kind of understanding as a background. OK, let me read paragraph one. Within the Buddha-lands in the ten directions is only being of the dharma flower.

[01:14]

Within these Buddha-lands, all Buddhas in the ten directions and three times, and beings of ultimate awakening, anuttara samyaksambodhi, are turning the dharma flower and being turned by the dharma flower. These activities are original practices within the bodhisattva path, without backsliding or deviating. the wisdom of all Buddhas that is extremely profound and beyond measurement, and peaceful and calm samadhi that is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. Perhaps as a Buddha, Manjushri, there is the form of suchness of only Buddha together with Buddha within the great ocean, Buddhaland.

[02:19]

Perhaps as Sakyamuni Buddha, there is appearance in the world of one saying, only I know this reality, and the Buddhas in the ten directions are also thus. This is nothing other than the one time when he desires to open and display the Buddha's insight and enable living beings to realize and enter, saying, I and Buddhas in the Ten Directions are able to know this matter. Perhaps this is Samantabhadra. There is the accomplishment of the inconceivable virtue of the dharma flowers turning and the spreading throughout Jambudvipa of the profound, great and eternal anattara samnaksam body.

[03:21]

This dharma flower is the earth, which is able to nurture the three kinds of grasses, the two kinds of trees, and many large and small shrubs. And this dharma flower is also the rain that is able to moisten them all. Unknowingly and without being known, Samantabhadra causes the Dharma flowers turning to be completely practiced and perfected. Before Samantabhadra's dissemination of the Dharma is yet finished, the great assembly at Vulture Peak has arrived. Shakyamuni verified Samantabhadra's coming and going in the form of light emitted from the white curl on his forehead. While Shakyamuni's discourse to the assembly is not yet half finished, there is the dharma flower's turning that makes Manjushri consider giving the prediction to Maitreya, the future Buddha.

[04:36]

Samantabhadra, all Buddha's All Buddhas, Manjushri and the Great Assembly on Vulture Peak must be the insight parameter of the dharma flower's turning, which is good in the beginning, in the middle and in the end. For this reason, Shakyamuni Buddha appeared depending only on the single vehicle for the sake of the single great matter. Because this emergence is nothing other than the single great matter itself, it is said that only Buddha together with Buddha is able to perpetuate the true reality of all beings. Because the dharma is without fail the one Buddha viku. The only Buddha certainly enables the only Buddha to penetrate it.

[05:38]

All Buddhas, including the seven Buddhas, enable each and every Buddha to penetrate true reality, and they enable Shakyamuni Buddha to complete it. This is the introduction of this fascicle. And in the first sentence, he said, within the Buddha land in the ten directions. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I think as English, this is not a good sentence. But I keep this kind of strange form of English to show how he, Dogen, wrote this passage using the phrases from the Lotus Sutra.

[06:54]

Within the Buddha Land in the Ten Directions is Ji, po, butsu, do, shu. Only being is yoi, u. And dharma flower is hokke. From here to here is a quote from the second chapter of the Lottasutra. And he only changed the last part. In the Lottasutra, it said, Jippo is ten directions.

[08:24]

Butudo is Buddha land. And Chu is in, within. And Yui is only. U is there is, usually. So within ten directions, Buddha lands. there is only Ichijoho is one vehicle dharma, and not two or three. That is what is said in the Lotus Sutra. This is the usual English. Within the Ten Direction Buddha lands, there is only one vehicle dharma. nothing, two or three. There's no two or three vehicles. But he take this part out and changed Hokke, Dharma flower.

[09:32]

And what he said is, Jippo Buzo Chu Wa Hokke No Yui U This is how he wrote in Japanese. So he doesn't translate Chinese sentence into Japanese, but he used the original Chinese within Japanese. That's why, you know, his writing in this fascicle is difficult to read and even understand and, of course, to translate into English. So I translate this as, within ten, Buddha runs in the ten directions. And I said, is Yuyi Wu only being?

[10:36]

You use only being and dharma flower. So as Yujaruk English, this is only thing there is in ten direction buddha land is dharma flower. That means there's nothing other than Dharma flower within ten-direction world. So everything, all things, ten-direction Buddha land means here. this entire universe where we are living now. So he doesn't, that is what he said, when we read the Lotus Sutra, we should study the Lotus Sutra about, it is written about our life, our practice. So this world, this Buddha land is where we are, here and now.

[11:37]

So only things there is in this world is dharma flower. That means everything we encounter and even we ourselves is dharma flower. There is nothing which is not dharma flower. That means even delusion is dharma flower. Even if I say I don't agree with this, then still that is dharma flower. And so this dharma flower in Dogen's another expression is kūge. Kū means empty. Flower of emptiness. He wrote another fascicle of Shobo Genzo entitled Kuge, Flower of Emptiness.

[12:48]

Usually, kuge means delusion. You know, when we have some sickness, In our eyes, we see something which is not there. That is called a cataract. That is called kūge, the flowers in the sky. But Dōgen did this kūge as a flower of emptiness. You know, it's a flower. It's beautiful, but it's empty. It means impermanent. and no fixed entity, fixed substance. So all existence, all beings is flower of emptiness or flower of dharma, dharma flower. That is how Dogen used this expression, dharma flower means flower of emptiness. And the Ramachi for dharma flower,

[13:54]

so this is the first sentence and he said within this Buddha lands all Buddhas in the ten directions and three times this is what we chant at least three times a day ji, ho, san, shi, yi, shi, fu, were all Buddhas in ten directions. And being of ultimate awakening is anuttara samyaksan body, being of anuttara samyaksan body. This refers to bodhisattvas, living beings with body, anuttara samyaksan body. That is what bodhisattva means. So bodhisattva is an abbreviation of anuttarasamyaksambodhisattvas. But in this case, he not only referred to those bodhisattvas appeared in the Lotus Sutra, such as Manjushri or Samantabhadra or Avalokiteshvara, but all beings existing within this Buddha land as dharma flower.

[15:23]

are bodhisattvas. We are all there to support each other, work together with all beings. And we are supported by all beings. This way of being is what bodhisattva means. So anuttarasamyaksambodhi or alternate awakening is not some kind of happening within our mind, but anuttara samnaksambodhi is the true reality as it is. That is true awakening. So there's no such separation between the person who awake and the truth or reality that is awakened to and being seen. This one reality without separation or this seamless reality is itself awakening.

[16:27]

This idea came from the teaching in Mahayana Buddhism, that is, Buddha. awakened to the Dharma. So wisdom, Buddha awakened to the reality of all beings with the wisdom. But Buddha is a part of that reality. So in that sense, the Dharma awakened to the Dharma. So dharma, the person who awakened, and the dharma which is awakened by Buddha is the same dharma. So there's no such separation between subject and object. So wisdom and reality, seeing, by the wisdom or by using the wisdom is the same thing.

[17:34]

So awakening and the reality Buddha awakened to is the same thing. So, Buddhas and bodhisattvas and all beings are turning the Dharma flower. So all beings are turning the dharma flower, and all beings are dharma flower. All beings are dharma flower, and all those dharma flowers are turning the dharma flower, and also being turned by the dharma flower. This turning the dharma flower is ten hokke, ten hokke, turning the dharma flower. That is what Shuinan said. When our mind is enlightened, we turn the dharma flower.

[18:42]

And when our mind is deluded, we are turned by the dharma flower. It's turned by the dharma flower is translation of hokke ten, So in the case of Shuinan's conversation with father, before he met Shuinan, father was turned by the dharma flower. That means he didn't really understand the meaning, essential meaning of the Lotus Sutra. But after he received the teaching from Huinan, he started to turn the Dharma flower, means he understood the essential meaning of the Lotus Sutra and he expressed it. So in this case there is a transformation, that means before he met Huinan, he was in delusion.

[19:47]

But after that he becomes enlightened. That is the difference between being turned by dharma flower and turning the dharma flower. But here Dogen says there's no such difference. So all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, everything is at the same time turning the dharma flower and also being turned by the dharma flower. So neither is negative or positive. So being turned by dharma flower is not we are in the trouble. That make sense? That is the difference between what Huynhan said and what Dogen is going to say. So these are two, how can I say, two expressions of one reality.

[20:52]

Buddha is practicing and awakening and teaching. and we are studying and we have understanding and awakening, and we try to share that experience with other people. This is what is happening. Even when we are deluded and we know nothing about dharma, that is what we are doing. Yes, or everything in the phenomenal world is empty. Is empty, therefore that is emptiness, yes. That is ultimate reality. There's no two realities. That is only reality.

[21:55]

That means form and emptiness. Form is emptiness and emptiness is form. That is one reality. It's not a matter of there are two realities. In one reality, form is emptiness. In another reality, emptiness is form. But these two should be always together and one thing. Okay? So, what is happening? Everything happening in this universe, is dharma flower is turning into dharma flower. And these activities, all these things happening, are original practice within the Buddha bodhisattva path. These original practices within the bodhisattva path came from chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra, that is the chapter of Buddha's lifespan.

[22:59]

it said Buddha practiced for many lifetimes before he was born in India. as a bodhisattva. That practice, before he was born in India as a siddhartha, is called original practice. That original practice allows him or enables him to be Buddha in his last, final lifetime. So this original practice enables Buddha to become Buddha. So everything happening in this universe is Buddha's practice or Bodhisattva practice. And that we bring, you know, that all beings, all beings become Buddha.

[24:05]

So this entire universe is moving toward Buddha way, or Buddha land, or Buddhahood. And without backsliding or deviating, this is an expression from another chapter of the Lotus Sutra. I don't think I need to refer to each and every phrase. If you want to check where these phrases came from, if you have the translation by Nishijima, In his book, he mentioned all of the references. So if you want to check, please read that book. So this expression, without backsliding or deviating means, backsliding means we stop practicing and go back.

[25:15]

And deviating means go somewhere else, different directions. But this is only direction all beings as dharma flowers are going. This is called one vehicle. Everything goes to the same direction, one direction. So this is one-way traffic. The wisdom of all Buddhas that is extremely profound and beyond measurement. This one reality, one vehicle reality. has no way to measure because there's no separation between the things happening and the person who measure, like an observer. There's no observer. Observer is part of this vehicle. So we are all going toward the same direction as a dharma flower.

[26:21]

And peaceful and calm samadhi, peaceful and calm samadhi is unshow zammai. Zammai is samadhi, and this word unshow, appeared in the beginning of the chapter two, skillful means, in the Lotus Sutra. That means in the introduction, Buddha was sitting in the samadhi, and so he didn't say anything. But in the very beginning of chapter two, skillful means, he come out. from the meditation. And it said he come out from the samadhi peace-free and, maybe in this translation, peace-free and clearly.

[27:36]

That is what unshow means. And Dogen Zenji uses this expression, unshow, in Fukanzazengi. When we stop sitting and standing, we should stand calmly, particularly the translation calmly, and something like deliberately. We should not stand up abruptly. That is the word, unsure. So we stand up from the Zen, peacefully and clearly. I don't know what clearly stand up means. But this means peaceful, calm, without any agitation, and also deliberately and slowly, without any abrupt action. So to me this is interesting.

[28:41]

This is the way Shakyamuni get out of the samadhi. But he said, ansho zanmai, that is samadhi. That means even when we stand up from zazen, we are still in the samadhi. So that is one name of samadhi. That is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. Nan-ge, nan-nyu is another expression from the Lotus Sutra. This is about Buddha's wisdom. So basically, what Dogen is saying in this first paragraph is this entire universe, ten-direction world, is in samadhi, in which everything is existing as dharma flower coming

[29:51]

and going, or arising, staying for a while, and blessing without any clinging. It's like, you know, clouds in the sky. Somehow, you know, in the blue sky, somehow, clouds appear, stay for a while, changing the shape, and disappear. Sometimes, you know, we have very peaceful white clouds. but sometimes more than half of the sky is covered with clouds, and sometimes the entire sky is covered with clouds, and sometimes we have rain or snow or storm or lightning. All different kinds of things are happening, but nothing lasts forever.

[30:57]

So things are coming and going without clinging. A cloud doesn't cling to be a cloud. A cloud is water floating in the sky. So that water came from the ocean and stayed in the sky for a while as a cloud and go down on the earth, on the ground, and become the, you know, rivers or lakes, pond, and go down to, return to the ocean, and it's continue. And the water sometimes become like ice, sometimes become like hot water. But water never hesitate to change. When spring comes, all the snow somehow melt and go to the next phase.

[32:07]

In the spring, water do something else instead of snow or ice. So this, you know, changing as impermanent stages of being, this is a practice. as a being, and our practice is following that natural change without clinging, but somehow we have clinging. Yeah, I don't want to change. I like to be the snow without defilement. I don't want to go down to the muddy water in the rice paddy. Somehow, you know, we have like and dislike and hesitation and clinging. But our practice is just follow this natural changes, impermanence.

[33:21]

Usually we feel impermanence is a negative thing. Because of impermanence, we cannot be happy. Because we have desire that when we have something we like and when our life is in good situation, I want to keep them as they are forever. But somehow it changes. So we feel sorry or we feel sad. And we cannot rely on anything. That is kind of a natural feeling for us when we see and experience impermanence, we feel sadness. And that is okay, but we cannot, how can I say, anything to stop.

[34:22]

everything is going. So no matter, even though we have sadness and grief, you know, we have to let go. And we have to let ourselves go also. That is how we awake to the reality of impermanence and no-self and interdependent ordination. So sadness or even feeling of pain is a natural thing, but still we have to accept them and we need to go. And that process, that entire process is the practice as a bodhisattva. And that is how the dharma flowers are. And next section, perhaps, as the Buddha Manjushri, Dogen said, Manjushri Butsu.

[35:39]

Manjushri is a Bodhisattva, so this is a kind of a strange thing. He called Manjushri as Buddha. there is the form of suchness of only Buddha together with Buddha, that is, yuibutsu, yobutsu, within the great ocean Buddha land. This great ocean Buddha land refers to the 12th, chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra. The title of that chapter is Devadatta. Devadatta. I think you know who Devadatta is. Devadatta was Ananda's brother. Cousin? Okay. Ananda was Buddha's cousin, right?

[36:39]

Is Devadatta Ananda's cousin? I think brother. Vedanta's brother? Of Ananda, not Buddha. Of Ananda. Anyway, this person somehow, after Buddha became old, this person wanted to be the second Buddha, took over Buddha's Sangha. So he recommended Shakyamuni to retire. I was happy if someone asked me to retire. But Devadatta was rejected. So he wanted to kill Buddha. And he worked together with the prince of King Bimbisara. So he encouraged his name, Prince of King Bimbisara of Magadha.

[37:42]

And he encouraged him to kill his father and to cover the position of king. And this person did. And Devadatta tried to kill Buddha, and he tried a few times, but he failed anyway. But he injured Buddha's some part of the foot, and Buddha injured and had blood. Anyway, because of that activity, that action, to make a conflict within the Sangha and also injured Buddha's body, he fell down to the hill. So he stayed in the hill.

[38:46]

But in this chapter 12 entitled Devadatta, Shakyamuni gave Devadatta prediction that Devadatta will become Buddha. And in that chapter, Buddha said in one of the previous lives of Shakyamuni, Devadatta was his teacher. So within this one riku, devadatta is included. But in that chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Manjushri was working in this Buddha land, great ocean Buddha land. Manjushri was in the ocean Buddha land. And another story mentioned in this chapter is dragon daughter, daughter of dragon king.

[39:57]

And Manjushri said, I have been teaching in this ocean land. And some bodhisattva asked, how is your teaching activity going on, successful or not? And Manjushri said, it's pretty successful. And as one example, Manjushri asked this dragon daughter, come to the place. And within... one instance, this daughter became Buddha. That is the story. So this chapter says even the evil person like Devadatta who had to go to hell, And also, you know, this dragon daughter is, because it's dragon, it means human beings, animals actually.

[41:07]

So beings in the realm of animals or in hell receive the prediction that they are going to become Buddha. So no one is excluded. That is the message of this chapter 12. Anyway, in that chapter, Manjushri was the teacher. And in this sentence, yuibutsu-yobutsu, or only Buddha together with Buddha, in the context of Lotus Sutra, this means only Buddha can fathom the true reality, no human beings. But here, in this writing, Dogen uses this expression, yuibutsu-yobutsu, means everyone is Buddha.

[42:09]

Only Buddha, together with Buddha. Everyone appeared in this sutra are Buddha. And because all are Dharma flowers, no deluded human beings or even deluded human beings are Buddha. Only Buddha together with Buddha. So this sentence is about Manjushri, and the next sentence is about Shakyamuni. Perhaps as Shakyamuni Buddha, there is appearance in the world of one thing, only I know this reality, and the Buddhas in the ten directions are also thus. In the Lotus Sutra, this means only I, only me, no human beings, and also all Buddhas in other Buddha lands can fathom the true reality of all beings.

[43:18]

But I think here Dogen meant, as I said, we are all living beings. existing as dharma flower, know this reality. Maybe later he said, there's not possible to know, but it's doing, it's happening, it's there. It's not a matter of... relation as subject and object, and I know that. There's no observers. So Buddha appeared in this world. Shakyamuni appeared in this world, and not only Shakyamuni as a Buddha, but all beings appear and stay for a while and disappear. This is how Shakyamuni works. Please. And he used another, perhaps, for Samantha Butler.

[44:29]

Perhaps, I think, perhaps means, you know, that Dharma flowers perhaps appeared as Manjushri, perhaps as Sakyamuni, perhaps as Samantabhadra, perhaps as Shohak, perhaps as you. So Dharma flower does not... particularly means certain great people. And all those, you know, Manjushri, Shakyamuni and Samantabhadra are dharma flowers. And not only those great people, but we are also dharma flowers. Therefore, perhaps we are dharma flower. And what we are doing is turning the dharma flower, and we are turned by dharma flower.

[45:38]

This is nothing other than the one time when he desires, he means Buddha, to open and display the Buddha's insight and enable living beings to realize and enter and enter, saying, I and Buddhas in the ten directions are able to know this matter. He desires to is yoku, rei, shujou. Yok is desire, and rei means to make living beings, to make or to enable living beings to realize and enter the Buddha's insight.

[46:49]

That is what is said in Chapter Two. So important point is this word, yok, desire. Buddha has desire. to allow all living beings to desire to open the Buddha's darshanam, or insight, and point out or display the Buddha's insight, and enable all living beings realize the Buddha's insight, and allow them to enter the Buddha's insight, that desire. So Buddha has desire. Of course, this desire is another name of vow. Buddha took a vow to share Buddha's insight with all beings. I think so.

[47:53]

So, you know, this yoku is a source of Buddha's delusion. You know, in this chapter, Dogen talks about shinmei, as Fina said, that means mind in delusion, and shingo, mind in realization. Not only we human beings, but Buddha has mind in delusion. And that mind in delusion is this desire. And this is the sickness of Buddha. Buddha always said, reality or truth cannot be expressed by using words and concept and logic, and yet always Buddha tried to.

[49:11]

In the beginning, when he stood up from zazen under the Bodhi tree to teach five monks, I think he tried to express or explain what cannot be expressed or explained by words, but somehow he tried. and gave the expedient or skillful means that how he could share the same experience and awakening with those five monks. And that is the beginning of so-called Buddhism. So Buddhism started because of Buddha's desire And this desire is kind of Buddha's sickness. If he didn't start stood up from the seat under the Bodhi tree, I think Buddha's life was much easier.

[50:17]

And there's no such things called Buddhism. But because of his desire, Buddha had to stand up and walked long distance to the deer park and taught. After that, religion, so-called Buddhism, you know, started and Buddha had a lot of problems and difficulties to teach and control, not control, but deal with those monks. who made so many problems or mistakes. You know, there are at least 250 precepts in Vinaya. That is a record of Buddhist monks' mistakes. And each time Buddha saw, you know, some monks did certain unforeseen things, Buddha had to say, you should not do such a thing.

[51:21]

You know, if he didn't stood up, he didn't need to do all such things. You were saying that we should understand the Lotus Sutra as, and Dogen encourages us to understand the Lotus Sutra as our practice. Yes. And so what you just said about Shakyamuni Buddha is about 5,000 years ago. Maybe that happened 2,500 years ago. But according to Dogen, According to you, actually, we stand up. Yes. And we have to, following Shakyamuni Buddha. We cannot stay in the Zen door. We have to stand up and share the same dharma with all beings. So this is not about only Shakyamuni Buddha, but this is about our own practice.

[52:30]

So this desire is our desire. That means our vow. Because of this desire, we are always in trouble. If I don't have this desire, I didn't need to come to America. Somehow, when I started to practice Adhantaji with my teacher, somehow my teacher asked me to study English. Somehow I said, yes, I could. I couldn't say no, even though I was not interested in studying English at all. When I finished university, I didn't speak any English, even though I studied English for almost ten years from the middle school, because I was not interested in studying language at all. But when my teacher asked me, somehow I could say no.

[53:36]

That was my mistake. Was that your desire after Reagan? I think Uchimuroshi's desire. You know, at that time, that is early 70s, many Westerners went to Kyoto and wanted to practice Zen, and many of them came to Antaiji. So when I was there, We had a five-day session each month, and we usually have 50 to 60 people sit in a five-day session without toys. Anyway, one third of the participants were resident practitioners of Antaji, including monks and laypeople. And another one-third is laypeople from outside, Japanese laypeople from outside. And another one-third are Westerners, you know, young Americans and some Europeans.

[54:45]

They are called hippies. And somehow they are very... energetic and have a desire to practice and study Zen. And Uccemozhi also had desire to teach. But because he didn't speak any Western language, he need a translator. And there are a few American people, practitioners, who could speak Japanese. So Ucchiamurusi asked those people to translate. Even though they spoke Japanese, they didn't really understand or knowledge about Zen Buddhism. So Ucchiamurusi had another desire. to have a Japanese translator, Japanese person who understand Buddhism and speak in English.

[55:50]

So he asked almost all his disciples if they want to study English. And only three of them said, didn't say no. Double negative. And unfortunately, I was one of them. So he, Uchamaro sent those three disciples to the English school in Osaka, and that English school was run by Graham Petty. It was Sawakiroshi's disciples, Graham Petty. He was one of the first Americans who practiced at Eheiji. And then Sawakiroshi died in 1965. Graham was in Kyoto, and he sat in the 49-day session.

[56:55]

When Sawakiroshi passed away, Uchiyama Roshi didn't do any funeral ceremony. But instead of ceremony, he had 49-day session. And Graham sat with Uchiyama Roshi. That is a connection. And somehow Graham started to run that English school in Osaka and Tokyo. So when Uchiyamoroshi sent his disciples to his English school, he gave discount. But the fee was paid by Uchiyamoroshi. So I studied English because of Uchiyamoroshi's desire and payment, and Graham's generosity. So I cannot use my English for my own purpose.

[58:01]

I have to use my English for the Dharma. That is a problem. Anyway, so that was Uchamurasi desire. But after I started to study English and practice with American people, Uchamurasi desire become my desire and my sickness. And I'm still sick. That's why I'm here. Anyway, you know, this is the same sickness with Vimala Kirti's sickness. Because all beings are sick, bodhisattva are sick, so we need to work, whatever we could do to help, you know, all beings, including ourselves. How can we restore health? Do you have something to say? Yeah, I'm curious about effort. Effort?

[59:03]

Nature being its encounters and nature being life, it changes. It seems like that little effort would have to be exerted in order for that to appear. It's naturally it appears. But this desire, it seems like they would create an effort towards When we're, you know, for us being sick, if we're sick, with our presiders, ways that, uh, with our sicknesses that, um, exert that separate to, um, practice a lot of the changes that happen at their heart. I think this desire, another name of this desire is vow. This vow is a source or energy to make effort. We keep making effort as much as possible because of this desire or vow to walk the path toward the Buddhahood together with all beings.

[60:18]

And of course, our capability, each person has different capability and different tendency. And my capability, even though it's not perfect, was, you know, because I was born in Japan and trained in Japan, I can read and study Dogen in Japanese and other Buddhist texts. And because of his, Uchimaru's desire, somehow, you know, I studied English. and I practice with American people, so I can use this body and mind as a kind of a, not a tool, but a, what is the word? Tanwa. Tanwa. Yes, sir. vehicle vessel of this.

[61:20]

Yeah, this. Yeah, I think we understand what I'm saying. So this, this desire or vow allow us to make effort, and we keep making effort, please. I was just wondering if that helps to keep the balance? But the effort of allowing the connected with reality, the natural changes that occur and allowing that, does that give us the energy for us to deal with the answer to all of our anxiety? You said balance. What is the balance? What are the two things that need to be balanced? Desire? Not necessarily. Do you think the practice of allowing the natural appearance of change in problems, giving us, if we're allowing the natural appearance, does that help us to

[62:36]

had the energy to answer Carl about his age? You know, our energy came from, you know, this, how can I say, interbeings. We are supported by all beings because we are supported by all beings. You know, our energy came from the water, We drink the food we eat, and in my case, I receive energy from my teacher to study and practice the Dharma. And that energy allow me to work for making offering, to, in my case, make offering of what Dogen is saying by making translation and speak in this way. So that energy came from this interconnectedness. OK.

[63:38]

Please. What Dogen said that why we make proud Could you say it again? I think that is part of my energy. I studied Dogen, therefore I practice in this way. But my energy came from not only from Dogen and his writing or teaching, but my energy to practice and to share the teaching came from my life. My life that is supported by all beings. Without this energy, my belief or faith in Dogen's writing doesn't work.

[64:45]

It doesn't work. That means I don't think I could continue this effort. how can I say, the first original energy was given by Uchiyama Roshi and Dogen's teachings. But when I started to work, somehow I feel the energy from inside of myself. That's why even Uchiyama Roshi passed away. you know, I could, I can continue. So Ujjamaa Roshu or Dogen is a part of this all beings support me. So I'm supported by all beings, including my teacher and Dogen Zenji or Shakyamuni Buddha or Huinan or anyone, all beings.

[65:54]

Yes, of course. If no one listen to me, I cannot speak. If I speak in this way without anyone, that's strange. So you, because of your support, I can offer. If there's no one who want to receive my offering, I cannot make offering. So yeah, you are the most important supporter at this moment. I don't know. I don't know if that is love or not. love and attachment is the same thing.

[67:00]

You know, when I first read my teacher Uchimura's book, I was a high school student. I was 17 years old. I knew nothing, but I had many questions. And yet somehow, when I read his book, I wanted to live like him. without knowing what he was teaching. I think because when he was a teenager, he had the same problem as I had. That was, what is the meaning of life? Why we have to live? And how we should live? He had the same question, and he devoted his life to find the answer. And so he first went to the university to study Western philosophy. and he also studied Christianity.

[68:03]

But after that, he became Buddhist monk. And then he found his answer to his original question within Sawaki Roshi's teaching and practice. After that, Uchiyama Roshi shared the answer he found with other people. And by reading many books when I was a high school student about religions or spirituality, I knew there are many of such teachers. But Ucha Moroshi was the first actual person who lived in that way. I think that's why, even though I didn't understand his answer, he found. That was Dogen's teaching and practice. But still, I wanted to live like him, means I wanted to really devote my life to find

[69:09]

the answer to my questions as Ujjamaa did I think I'm not sure that is love or not but somehow if I didn't encounter his teaching and actually I didn't meet with him and I had a chance to practice with him I couldn't live in the way I have been living. So I still don't know if I love him or not. Devotion. Almost like he's part of me. It's not like I love him or I respect him or I follow him. But somehow what he wrote and what he taught become part of myself somehow.

[70:19]

Well, Iris, answer to your question? Is that a face-to-face conversation? No, really. Maybe. Have you realized that you're off one of the names? Yeah. Yeah, face-to-face transmission means not through, you know, written language. Only Buddha together with Buddha. Well, here we are. We have a long way to go. So I have been talking about this word, he desires. He desires to open and display the Buddha's insight and enabling living beings to realize and enter, saying, I and Buddhas in the ten directions are able to know this matter.

[71:27]

So that means even though first Shakyamuni said, you know, no, only Buddha, no human beings can understand this true reality. But now he says, I and Buddhas, in this case these Buddhas include all living beings, in the ten directions, are able to know this matter. So in a sense, this is Buddha's faith. Buddha's belief that all living beings can understand this, even though before he said it's not possible. So Buddha has a contradiction. This contradiction came from his desire to share. That is about Shakyamuni and It doesn't have to be a contradiction.

[72:29]

He changed. I think that's one of the things I like about Buddha is that he changed his mind. I think so. He changed. That means he went through contradiction. And integrate. Work together with whatever coming to him. And perhaps this is Samantabhadra. Samantabhadra is another bodhisattva. Samantabhadra and Manjushri are often together with Shakyamuni. If you go to old Japanese temples, French Shakyamuni was the main Buddha. There is Manjushri and Samantabhadra. And Manjushri is a symbol of wisdom. And Samantabhadra, as we chant during Oryoki meal, Samantabhadra is a symbol of our practice, practice based on our vows.

[73:39]

And Manjushri is sitting on the lion. And Samantabhadra is sitting on the white elephant. Elephant, right? Yes. So those three, Manjushri, Shakyamuni, and Samantabhadra, is a kind of one set of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. That's why Dogen picked up those three Buddha and to Bodhisattvas. Not that translation of name of Samantabhadra, no. No. So about Samantabhadra Dogen's rite, there is the accomplishment of the unconceivable virtue of the Dharma flowers turning and spreading throughout Jambudvipa of the profound, great,

[74:52]

and eternal anuttara samyaksha body. In the Lotus Sutra, Samantabhadra appeared in the final chapter, chapter 28. That was the first time Samantabhadra appeared. And Manjushri appeared in the first chapter. So this is also beginning and end of the Lotus Sutra. And what Samantabhadra did was spreading this teaching of the Lotus Sutra in this Jambudipipa, means this world. So Samantabhadra has been working to share this teaching on the reality of one vehicle with all beings. And this dharma flower, as Samantabhadra, is the earth.

[75:55]

which is able to nurture the three kinds of grasses, the two kinds of trees, and many large and small shrubs. This analogy came from the Chapter 5 of the Lotus Sutra, entitled The Parable of Medicine Herbs. And in that chapter, Buddha said, you know, this dharma is like a rain. You know, the rain from the same clouds. This is called dharma rain. You know, reach the ground, And there are many different kinds of plants. Some are big trees, others are small trees, and some are grasses, tiny grasses. Some bloom beautiful, luxurious flowers.

[77:01]

Some have simple, yet pretty flowers like a violet. All different, not only plants, all different living beings, plants and animals, including human beings, all receive the same rain from the same clouds. And when they receive the rain, somehow the rain moistens and nurtures life, and yet each and every being are all different or unique. So one dharma nurtures all different beings in unique ways. So there is also one vehicle, but many different things are included and all nurtured by this one vehicle dharma.

[78:01]

That is what Samantabhadra is doing by his activity of disseminate this teaching. And this dharma flower is also the rain that is able to moisten them all. So it's the ground and also the water or rain to nurture all living beings. Unknowingly and without being known is an expression that came from the Lotus Sutra. That means there's no separation between person who knows and what is known. This expression is used to mention the Buddha's wisdom. It said the Buddha's wisdom is difficult to understand, difficult to be known.

[79:10]

And this difficulty is because there's no such separation between subject and object. It's not a matter of we lack of some ability. That's why we don't understand. But there's no way to know or understand because there's no separation. So Samantabhadra causes the dharma flowers without being known, turning to be completely practiced and perfected, turning by the dharma flowers. So Samantabhadra was turned by dharma flowers, and Samantabhadra turns the dharma flower. And what he's going to say next, several sentences, means those three people's activities are not three different persons' activity done in different time and space.

[80:28]

But they are all Dharma flowers' work. So before Samantabhadra's dissemination of the dharma is yet finished, the great assembly at Vulture Peak has arrived. That means Samantabhadra's activity and Shakyamuni's activity are not two separate activities. It's interconnected, or this is one activity. And Shakyamuni verified Samantabhadra's coming and going as activity in the form of of light emitted from the white curls. Shakyamuni verified what Samantabhadra did with this light emitted from his forehead that appeared in the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

[81:32]

When Shakyamuni was sitting, he emitted the light and illuminated the entire world. And that is the way Shakyamuni verified Samantabhadra's activity. And while Shakyamuni's discourse into the assembly is not yet half finished, so Shakyamuni was still teaching, there is the dharma flowers turning that makes Manjushri consider giving the prediction to Maitreya, the future Buddha. This happened in chapter one, in the introduction. Maitreya talks with Manjushri talked with Maitreya and Manjushri gave said that you will become Buddha

[82:36]

in the future. So this is a prediction to Maitreya. That means those three people's activities, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Shakyamuni are not three separated people, three separate activities, but all of them are dharma flowers, turning dharma flowers. So Samantabhadra, all Buddhas, Manjushri and the Great Assembly on Vulture Peak must be the insight parameter. of the dharma flowers turning, which is good in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end. That means these are all one activities, even though these are done by different Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

[83:38]

And this insight parameter is translated of chi-ken. This expression also appeared in the Lotus Sutra. And this chicken is knowing and seeing. And this is the part of Buddha's insight. And Lotus Sutra added paramita. And paramita means perfection. Perfection, perfection. So this Buddha Darsananda is perfected within their activities.

[84:41]

Their activity means activity by Manjushri, Shakyamuni and Samantabhadra. And again, this is not what Dogen is talking about, is those three people sometime in the future, in the past, was people in this kind of interesting stories. in the Lotus Sutra, but these are about our practice again. That means Buddha's activities and Bodhisattva's activities are all part of our practice with wisdom, and our practice activities based on our vow. That is Samantabhadra. And Manjushri is our wisdom.

[85:42]

We study from the teacher and also from the text and from our own practice experiences. So, our practice and my teacher's practice and my teacher's teacher, Sawaki Kodo Roshi's practice, are all practice or activities of dharma flowers. Dharma flowers are turning dharma flowers. So, you know, of course, Sawaki Roshi and Ucham Roshi are very different people. They are very, really different, extremely different. You know, Sawagiroshi was very tough, very strong person, both physically and mentally. And he was very stubborn. Pretty much extreme person. When he says something, his dharma talk is like splitting big wood with a big axe.

[86:54]

When he says something, there's no discussion. No one can give question. But Uchiyama Roshi was a very intellectual person. And he was physically a very weak person because he had TB. When he was a university student, he married. And his first wife had TB. And he transmitted TB from his first wife. And she died within a few years. And after that, Uchimuroshi married again before he became monk. And his second wife also died when she was pregnant. Within a few days, he became sick suddenly, and she died with her baby.

[87:59]

That was another reason Uchimuroshi made decision to become a monk. he found that he had to practice. You know, studying philosophy doesn't help him. He had to do something with his own body and mind. So even though he was a physically very weak person, mentally he was very strong. He had no fear about dying. So he has no hesitation to practice with his very weak body. And that's why he had to retire when he was 63. As a then teacher, 63 is pretty young, younger than I am now. But he had to retire because of his physical condition. But after his retirement, he lived more than 20 years.

[89:08]

So he said when he retired, he said after his retirement, his practices are only seeing his life and death. his practice as a teacher is done, over. So now he study and practice just experiencing and studying life and death and sharing this experience, process of aging, sickness, and dying to the younger people. So he lived more than 20 years. He died when he was 86. So he lived 23 years after his retirement. If he didn't retire, he couldn't live such a long time. Anyway, so he used his difficult physical condition as a kind of a tool to share the dharma of life and death with young people.

[90:23]

So after he retired, he wrote many books, including about the sickness and aging and dying. So Sawakiroshi and Uchamuroshi are very different. And Uchamuroshi was a very gentle person, very different, but their practice is the same. So they are both dharma followers, and yet they are very different. So, you know, the way we can offer, the way we can teach or practice or share the Dharma can be very different. And that is okay. We need to find our own unique way to share the Dharma. And yet all people's activity is activity of Dharma flowers. Here we are.

[91:27]

Let me finish next paragraph, paragraph two. I'm sorry, it's already ten to five, but I don't think I need to talk much. For this reason, Shakyamuni Buddha appeared depending only on a single vehicle, one single vehicle, for the sake of a single great matter, that is, to share the Dharma. And our life, we are the same. We appear to share the Dharma, because we are the Dharma. Because this emergence is nothing other than the single great matter itself, so our birth is a single great matter, and our life is a single great matter, and our dying also, like Ujjama Roshi's, is also a single great matter. It is said that only Buddha together with Buddha is able to penetrate that reality of all beings.

[92:41]

That means all beings are Buddhas. So only Buddha together with Buddha means all beings. And because the dharma is without faith, the one buddha viku, the only buddha, certainly enables the only buddha to penetrate it. So each one of us is only buddha, only buddha and only buddha. Everything, everyone is only buddha. That means very unique buddha. We are all unique. but we can share the same dharma. So all Buddhas, including the seven Buddhas, enable each and every Buddha to penetrate through reality and they enable Shakyamuni Buddha to complete it. In this case, all Buddhas and Shakyamuni Buddha are working together. That means all the ancestors in our lineage allow us to practice in our unique way.

[93:50]

So all the movement of Dharma, flower turning, the dharma flower. And we are part of it. Please. Perfect question. When Dhrishri made the prediction of Sumatra, and earlier, he had said that Dhrishri and Sumatra were both exalted, but did these reporters do that? Did you say... Well... And so I don't know. But that is what is said in the first chapter one of the Lotus Sutra. But I don't know why Manjushri did. But in the first chapter, Buddha didn't say anything. He was just sitting. And Manjushri interpreted this is the sign Buddha is going to preach, expound the great dharma.

[95:07]

And Maitreya was a person who gave the question to Manjushri, what is the meaning of these strange things happening? I think within that conversation Manjushri talks about Maitreya's future becoming Buddha. No, not in the Lotus Sutra, that Dogen. Okay, it's almost five, please. It's a way that faculty can verify someone's about this coming and going. There's a white committee and a white column. It's worth it. It's definitely worth it. Yeah, in silence. And in the Zen, he verified the activities.

[96:13]

So that also means our Zen and our daily activities are not two separate things, but they are both inter-penetrated. Okay, thank you.

[96:27]

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