Good morning, everyone. Before we start to read Dogen Zenji's Shobo Genzo Shofo Jisso, I'd like to introduce a little more information about this expression and also teaching about this expression. I think that helps. our understanding of what Dogen wants to say in this writing. The expression shoho jisso, as I said yesterday, refers to the reality or truth of each and every being's is. So, shoho is beings, and jissho is like, shoho is beings or dharma, and jissho is dharmata, something that makes dharma as dharma.

[01:14]

It's like human and humanity, or Buddha and Buddhata, or Buddha nature. So, jissho is something abstract, we cannot see, and universal, you know, humanity is shared by all human beings. Each one of us are different as a concrete being, but humanity is all-pervading. All human beings share humanity. That is the difference between beings or dharma and dharmata. This Dogen's writing, Shouhou Dissou, is his comment basically on the expression from the Lotus Sutra.

[02:22]

And this Lotus Sutra is also translated by Kumara Jiba, the person who translated Nagarjuna's Majamika Karika. And so... Kumarajiva's translation work was very important to kind of create the Chinese Buddhist philosophy. Anyway, this expression Dogen quote in his Shōhō Jisō is appeared in the second chapter of The Lotus Sutra. The title is, in the translation I used, tactfulness. Another translation is skillful means.

[03:30]

Skillful means or expedient means. The original Sanskrit word is Upaya. This is the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra. In the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Buddha didn't say anything. He was sitting in meditation called Muryo Gisho Zammai, the samadhi of something like an infinite meanings. And Buddha emit the light and illuminate entire Dharma world. And people expected that Buddha was going to expound very profound and absolute Dharma. That is the end of the first chapter.

[04:33]

in this second chapter that Buddha started to talk. It started something like this. This is the very beginning of the second chapter. It said, At that time, the world-honored one, rising quietly and clearly from contemplation, this contemplation in Samadhi, addressed Shri Putra, saw Buddha talk to Shri Putra, the wisdom of Buddha is very profound and infinite. But the first thing he said, the wisdom of Buddha is very profound and infinite. There are wisdoms In this translation, it says wisdom school, but I don't know what this school means.

[05:38]

The original word is a mon. Mon means gate. The gate of wisdom. That means teachings, Buddha's teachings about Buddha's wisdom. It is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. so that the Sri Labhakas and the Pratyekabuddhas cannot apprehend it. Buddha is talking to Shariputra, and he is Sri Labhaka. That means, my understanding, my wisdom is too difficult for you. So you cannot understand it. And Buddha said, fear four. because the Buddhas have been in fellowship with countless hundred, thousand, milliard courtiers of Buddhas, you know, Buddhas practice with many numberless Buddhas in the past lives, perfectly practicing the infinite law, law is dharma, infinite dharma of all Buddhas.

[07:04]

boldly and zealously advancing and making their fame universally known, perfecting the very profound unprecedented Dharma, and preaching as opportunities served, its meaning so difficult to understand. So Buddha has been expanding the Absolute Dharma, which is very difficult to understand. Then, Shariputra, ever since I became Buddha, with various reasonings and various parables, I have widely discussed and taught and by countless tactful methods or skillful means have led living beings, causing them to leave all attachments.

[08:19]

So because the reality Buddha awakened to and Buddha's wisdom itself is very difficult to understand. So Buddha has been teaching using parables and also many different kind of skillful means. He never taught the reality itself. He taught about reality using some skillful means. And the Lotus Sutra wanted to say is now he is ready to show the reality itself without using the tactful means. Therefore, because the Tathagata is altogether perfect in his tactfulness and parameter of wisdom,

[09:23]

Shaliputra, the wisdom of the Tathagata, is broad and great, profound and far-reaching. His mind is infinite. His expositions are unimpaired. His powers, his fearlessness, his meditation, his emancipations, his contemplations, have enabled him to enter into the boundless realness and to accomplish all the unprecedented dharma. So basically, Buddha is praising himself. Shariputra, the Tathagata, is also to discriminate everything. Preach the laws or dharmas skillfully.

[10:31]

Use gentle words and cheer the heart of all. Shariputra, essentially speaking, the Buddha has altogether fulfilled the infinite, boundless, unprecedented dharma. And next he says, he said, enough, Shariputra, there is no need to say any more. So Buddha reject to say any more. He started to talk about this absolute dharma, but Buddha said, Buddha has hesitation because it's too difficult for Sri Ramakrishna. because the law which the Buddha has perfected is the chief unprecedented dharma, or law, and difficult to understand."

[11:38]

I think this hesitation of preaching or expanding came from the Buddha's hesitation of teaching after his attaining awakening. he stayed under the Bodhi tree for three weeks. And he had hesitation to stand up from the seat and to teach because the reality or truth he awakened to is too difficult to understand for many living beings. And the Indian god asked Buddha to start to teach. And Buddha rejected twice. And the third time, he accepted. And here in the Lotus Sutra, instead of the Indian God, Sariputra is asking Buddha to expound the Dharma.

[12:46]

And Buddha rejected twice. And the third time, he started to talk. So this part of Lotus Sutra and the beginning of Buddha's teaching, after Buddha starts to learn from his sitting under the Bodhi tree and start to teach, he has some connection. Anyway, before he started to talk about this dharma, he said, only a Buddha, together with a Buddha, can fathom the reality of all existence. This reality of all existence is shoho jiso. And Dogenzen picked up this expression as a title of from this place of the Lotus Sutra.

[14:13]

But according to the modern scholars, in the original Sanskrit, in this place, there's no Sanskrit word for . So this is a kind of Kumara Jiva's creativity. He put this expression, shohoji-so, in here. So only a Buddha, together with a Buddha, can fathom the reality of all existence. My translation is true reality. I put true reality of all being. I'm not sure true reality makes sense or not. It's kind of redundant. But I want to use two words, jitsu and so, because of Dogen's writings.

[15:16]

And that is to say, this reality of all beings is, that is to say, all existence, or all beings, has such a form, such a nature, such an embodiment, such a potency, such a function, such a primary cause, such a secondary cause, such an effect, such a recompense, and such a complete fundamental whole. Here the Lotus Sutra list up ten suchness. And that is Dogen quote in Shobo Genzo. And this ten suchness is really important in especially Chinese Tendai teachings.

[16:19]

I'm going to introduce later. But these ten suchness does not also exist in the original Sanskrit Lotus Sutra. So this is also addition by Kumarajiva. So Kumarajiva was a very creative translator. Creative translation and honest or direct translation is sometimes opposite, contradicted. But if Kumara Jiva didn't translate the Lotus Sutra in this way, Chinese Tendai teaching, mainly established by Tendai Chi-I and also Dogen, Dogen Shohojisto doesn't exist.

[17:23]

So Kubera Jiva is a really important person to understand Tendai teaching, Chinese Tendai teaching, and Dogen's teaching. Those 10 such things is, let me first read in kanji. So Shou, Pai, Riki, Sa, In, Nen, Ka, Ho, and Honmatsuku Kyoto. The pronunciation is so, sho, tai, riki, sa, in, nen, or in, nen, you know, ka, ho, and hon, matsu, ku, I'm sorry.

[18:58]

In this translation, so is form. So is nature. And tai is embodiment. Riki. is a potency. Sa is a function. In is cause. In this translation, this says a primary cause. Primary. cause, and N is a secondary cause.

[20:11]

And eighth one is effect and recompenses. And the final one is a complete fundamental whole. Maybe I don't need to write it. Whole. Yeah, W-H-O-L-E, whole. This means each and every being. As a reality of each and every being, there are ten suchness. These are called suchness, or thusness, or nyōze in Japanese.

[21:21]

So it said, Nyoze-so, Nyoze-sho, Nyoze-tai, Nyoze-diki, Nyoze-sa, Nyoze-in, Nyoze-en, Nyoze-ka, and Nyoze-ho. So these are called ten suchness. And each and every being has these ten aspects. That is what this Lotus Sutra translated by Kumarajiva is saying. And this is shoho jisso. And Kota Sutra doesn't explain what this means. Just restart. Please. Number nine is recompense. Recompense. Another translation is retribution. I'll explain later what this means.

[22:46]

So the Lotus Sutra doesn't explain what this means, but my understanding is these ten suchness, within these ten suchness, first five refer to the uniqueness of each being or the future or characteristic or particularity of each being. Each being has its own unique form and unique nature and unique body. In this case, form means something we can see, so looking, appearance. And nature is each person has different personality, in the case of human beings. And dog has dog nature, cat has cat nature. And each thing has its own nature.

[23:49]

And Tai, here it said embodiment, but I think this is just a body. Each thing has its body or a substance. Actually, in the Buddhist philosophy, there's no substance as a fixed entity, but as a tentative being, we have some substance or body. And each one, each being has its own unique potency, or I translate, energy. power, some energy, each one of all beings has its own power or energy or potency, and function, some work. Even the mountain is working, or the blackboard is working, and I'm working, everything is working.

[24:59]

So each and every being has its own unique features. And next four, I think, shows that each and every unique individual being cannot exist without relation with others. And six and eight In and car, six and eight, effect or result. Or cause and result is a relationship within time. For example, a seed of a tree is planted. you know, as a result, you know, the tree grow and bloom flowers and bear fruits.

[26:11]

That is cause and result. So each and everything is within the relationship between cause and result. You know, seed is a result of previous, you know, life. And this seed is a cause of future life. So each and everything is a result of something previous and cause of something in the future. So everything has connection with the past and with the future. This is what cause and result, I think, means. So without the causality, the sequence of cause and effect, nothing can exist.

[27:17]

And I think seventh and ninth This translation says secondary cause, but usually this is translated as conditions. Pardon me? Conditions. And how is recompense or retribution? That is, for example, even If a seed of some certain plant is planted on the soil, if there's certain condition help this seed to sprout and grow, the seed cannot, you know, live.

[28:23]

All the conditions that help a seed to sprout and grow is in conditions such as a seed needs humidity and certain temperature and sunbeam. Without all those conditions, a seed cannot sprout. If a seed is, you know, put on the table, it doesn't sprout. And the seed is, you know, cooked by human beings, you know, it cannot sprout and grow. So all those conditions that helps a seed to grow is the relationship between this seed and all other beings.

[29:29]

And not only the conditions positively or actively help or directly help a seed to grow such as humidity and temperature, things or the fact that For example, a bird didn't come to pick up the seed to eat. That something didn't happen is part of the conditions. So negative things didn't happen is also a condition that help a seed to sprout and grow. So not only things happening to help a seed grow, but also things didn't happen is also a cause condition for a seed to grow that means everything within this universe is a condition for a seed to grow even you know a certain distance between sun and earth if the distance is too little more closer than the

[30:52]

earth is much hotter, then certain seeds cannot grow, or even we cannot live. So there's a certain distance between sun and earth. These are one of the conditions when small, tiny seeds can sprout and grow and produce something. Actually, everything is a condition for everything. Everything is connected with everything as a condition. And then the seed sprout and the plant continue to grow. As a result, the tree blooms flowers. This is a result of this cause, but this result is not only that result or effect of this seed giving activity of this seed.

[32:14]

But when a flower blooms, somehow it has its influence from to others. You know, when we see, especially for us Japanese, when we see cherry blossom blooms in the spring, we feel happy. So that is not the purpose of a seed of, I don't know, cherry blossom, cherry tree has seed or not. You know, that is not the purpose for a cherry tree to make us happy, but somehow it has effect that we become happy. Or because of, you know, many flowers blooms, we can offer the flower to the Buddha. You know, this is not the reason the flowers bloom, the plant living, but somehow when flower

[33:18]

plant bloom flowers, it help us to practice. And also, when we, when there's, you know, fruits, you know, animals or birds can eat the fruits. And the fruit eaten by the bird can be carried somewhere else and next generation, the seed in the next generation can grow somewhere else. So, and also as Ryokan wrote in his poem, flower blooms, you know, what is that? Butterfly. Butterfly visit the flower. And even though flower doesn't invite butterfly, somehow butterfly visit the flower.

[34:22]

And butterfly and flower help each other. Butterfly does something for the flower and the flower, you know, offer honey or nectar. So somehow, as a result, also, you know, has connection with all other things in the universe. I think that is what this retribution or recompense means. In the case of Buddhism, this of course means a seed is a arousing body-mind. This is a starting point of our practice. And we study and practice and we grow and become mature. And when we mature in certain degree, you know, when in the beginning we are helped by many things, we need to support from all beings actually, not only teachers or Buddhist books and also the Sangha.

[35:38]

the conditions we can practice. And we become mature, grow and mature as Buddha's children. And when we become mature in certain degree, we can offer something to other people as a support or help of other people's practice, as a co-practitioner or as a teacher. And ultimately, when Bodhisattva become a Buddha, this is not the end of this process. When Bodhisattva become a Buddha, you know, Buddha needs to teach as a Buddha's practice to teach all other beings. So in the beginning or in the process, we are helped by all beings. And when we become matured, we can also support others.

[36:45]

So this recompense means a fruit that has something to offer to other beings. Please. I don't understand the difference between eight and nine, the results. The result is like When we study something to become a teacher, we study and we master something, we attain certain knowledge and understanding. That is a result of study. And when we master certain degree, we get a license to teach, become a teacher. That is You know, to get certain understanding, knowledge, and skill is a result, and become a teacher is a recompense, a retribution of the result.

[37:58]

So the result is a connection within this person. I didn't know in the beginning. But by studying something, now I understand this. And when I understand this, you know, I can teach. So this is a—Inga is a connection within me, within time. And en and ho is a connection with me and other beings. So when we attain awakening, that becomes Buddha. That means Buddha needs to teach. I think that is car and hoe. Please. Before saying this part, you were saying, Number six, seven, eight, nine, something they have in common, but I couldn't catch what you said.

[39:01]

Oh, I said these four is relation with others. These five is a uniqueness of each being. And the next four is a relationship with others. Relationship, relation, relationship, any being cannot exist without relationship with others. So this is my understanding of these nine suchness. Please. Number one, can you say more about that? Form. How is that different from three? Three? Three is body. difference between form and body. Form is appearance looking, you know, each one of us has a human body, but looks different.

[40:03]

Right? That is appearance looking form, something we can see. Okay. And number 10. This hon is beginning, and mats is end. Hon beginning means number one, and mats means number nine. That means from number one to number nine. Kukyo means ultimately. means equal, one and equal or one and same. That means these nine is not nine independent items, but these nine is one thing as a whole.

[41:11]

Does it make sense? That means These nine are not different parts of one being, one existence, one thing, but these are just one thing. Everything has these nine aspects, and these nine do not separate each other. This is one thing. That is what Honmatsu Kukuyoto in this translation said, their complete fundamental whole, another translation is their consistency from beginning to end. And another one is

[42:21]

absolute identity of their beginning and end, absolute identity. So actually these nine are one thing. This is my understanding of this teaching in the Lotus Sutra about the reality of all beings. That is, each and every being has its own uniqueness, unique form, nature, body, energy, and function. And yet each unique being, each one of us is a unique being, and yet this unique being cannot exist without relationship or support with others. So this shows two sides of interdependent origination.

[43:25]

One is each and everything is connected with everything. We are not of the net. This is the Indra's net. Everything is connected with everything. So each knot looks like independent being, individual being. We don't see this thread. This thread is transparent, so we don't see that thread. So we think each and every knot or being are independent and individual and unique, and that is true. And yet without relation with other all other beings, you know, this cannot exist. In that sense, each being as individual is empty, no self-nature.

[44:26]

Without connection or relation with others, you know, not cannot, doesn't really there. And yet each not has its own unique form and nature, body, energy and function. So this shows two sides of reality of all beings. One is uniqueness of each being. Another is connection with all other beings within this network of interdependent ordination. Please. Could you say a little bit more about Nyose? Nyose. For example, you just described it and you didn't use the phrase such, but in the translation it's such a form, such a nature, such a body, etc. What does that add to it? Okay.

[45:28]

Can I? This particular one, I mean, the such seems to point to a particularity. Actually, this word, nyōze, means particularity and beyond particularity, both. This is kind of an interpretation in Tendai tradition and also interpretation of Dogen by Sotoze masters. Nyōze has two sides, nyo and ze. Nyo literally means like, ze is this, like this. This means this particular thing.

[46:33]

And nyo is this is not really this, something like this. You know, it is like in Zazen Shin Dogenzen says, bird is flying like a bird. It's not really a bird, but it's like a bird. It's like this. When he says like a bird, that's Nyo? Nyo? He uses Nyo? Yeah, this word. So Nyo is like something like and this. That means each and everything, each and every particular thing is not necessarily this thing. Suzuki Roshi said, not necessarily, or not always so.

[47:35]

So he said, not one, not two. Right. That is another expression. of emptiness, not one, not two, or not woo, not moo. Anyway, this nyoze is the word used as a translation of thusness. Not a translation of thusness, but a translation of ta-ta-ta. tapata is, it's like this. And English translation is thusness. So tapata, nyōze, and thusness is one thing. San, do. San, do, kai. Yes. Yes.

[48:35]

And nyō, and in that case nyō, and ze is kind of a how can I say, contradicted each other. And yet, no-they is one thing. So this is, well, I'm going to talk on this later. There's three things in here. One is no, another is they, and the third is no-they as one thing. You know, in the Nagarjuna's teaching, there are two truths, absolute truth and conventional or relative truth. Well, I have to say a little later, but this absolute truth and relative truth is one truth. And in Tendai's teaching, these three, instead of two truths, Tendai, especially Chi-I,

[49:39]

I mentioned three truths. Sam, tai, three truths. And those three truths are ku, ke, and chu. Q is emptiness. And K is, what is K? K is expedient or tentative. What is a noun for tentative or expedient? Anyway, Chu is middle.

[50:46]

This means instead of... Ku is considered to be the absolute truth in Nagarjuna's teaching, and Ke is relative truth. Actually, these three truths came out of Nagarjuna's Mahajamika Karika, and it said, everything caused by causes and conditions is empty. Therefore, it is tentative being. It doesn't really exist. Provisional being, provisional, provision. So it's there, but it's not there. And to And this is, Nagasena said, everything coming and going within causes and conditions is empty, therefore it's provisional.

[51:57]

And that emptiness and provision is middle. So these are three way of viewing one reality because everything is coming and going, arising and perishing within time and space. It's empty and it's provisional. That is the meaning of the middle. And in the case of Nagarjuna, emptiness and provision is called two truths. But in Tendai, especially Tendai-chi, these are three truths. And he kind of, not create, but he taught kind of a meditation based on those three truths.

[53:02]

First, we should see All provisional beings are empty, so we should see emptiness of provisional beings. This is called ku gan or ku kan. Kan is contemplation or meditation or vipassana. So seeing each and everything we see is provisional beings, and yet we have a tendency to see this is a real thing, and I want this or I hate that. But to see emptiness of all beings is to be free, released from that kind of clinging or attachment.

[54:03]

So first we have to see the emptiness of each and every provisional being. That is called ku gan, in order to become free from our clinging to our idea. And next is kei kan. That means we need to How can I say? We should not cling to this emptiness. Sometimes, or usually, often, when we see emptiness of all beings, we cling to emptiness. And we forget the importance of each and every being in our daily lives. So we have to return from emptiness to provisional beings. without provisional being there's no such things called emptiness. Emptiness doesn't really exist.

[55:06]

Emptiness is the way provisional beings are. But when we think we see emptiness of all beings, that means we feel liberated to our idea or clinging or attachment, then we feel we are free and we can do anything we want. That is a kind of a sickness of empty or emptiness. Sickness caused by clinging to emptiness. So we need to return from emptiness to provisions. This is called kekang. So we need to go from here to there and There to here. We have to return to provisional beings, because that is the place we live, actually.

[56:08]

And to see both ways at the same time is called Chu-gam, or Chu-kam, at the middle. Can you talk about a co-religion count, please? This one? This kan means to see or to contemplate. And nyo sometimes is considered to be ku, and zed is considered to be ke, this particular thing. And this particular thing is provisional and it has no self-nature. It's empty. That is what nyō means. It's like this. And yet, it is this, but it's not like this.

[57:13]

But really it is. It is like this. That is the meaning. So nyō and ze are contradicted, and nyō-ze as one word includes two sides. These three truths are a basic kind of structure of Chinese Buddhism, or not only Buddhism, probably Taoism also. One thing in which two kind of opposite things are included, like yin and yang, yin and yang working together. And one working as a whole is one reality. Same as you said, in the Sandoka, nyo is spiritual source, spiritual source.

[58:18]

And ve is branching stream. And there's another word. Another line that is, the root and branch return to the source. Root and branch return. This source is shu. So in Sandokai, there are three things. Within this shu, basic foundation, source, spiritual source, and branching stream. are there. So within one reality, two kind of opposite power is working and make things happen and changing. That is a basic idea of Chinese Buddhism.

[59:20]

And that's the same idea expressed by the Honmatsu Kyoto. Yes, yes. Which one? This one? Kukyo is ultimate. To is equal. Equal. But it's not equal, really. I mean, that is what Dogen discussed, or not discussed, but said in the very beginning of Fushiko Hanpo. You know, Fushiko Hanpo is a part of Eihei Shingi, in which Dogen describes how to use Oryoki. In the very beginning of Shukohanpo, he said, food and dharma are one and the same. He said this to, one and equal. I translated it one and equal, but Taigen said one and equal is strange.

[60:21]

If it's equal, there must be two things. If it's one, the English word equal cannot be used. So we use one and the same. And yet, in Fushiko Hanpo, if you read it, he said, this toe is not a toe of comparison and, say, impair or equal, but this toe is toe in the Shoto Tōgaku, that means Anuttara Samyak Sam Bodhi. Anuttara Samyak Sam Bodhi. Samyak means absolute equality. To see things really equal, that is Anuttara means, right? Anuttara Samyak or Samyak means inseparable or incomparable. being separable. Tōshō tōgaku.

[61:26]

Shōtō tōgaku. I forget. I'm sorry. Okay, here we are. I started to already talk about Tendai teaching, about these ten suchness. And So I continue Tendai teaching about this Shoho Jisto and Ten Suchness, which has something to do with these three truths. In Tendai, those Ten Suchness, first one is no The soul. According to Tendai Chi-i, he read this in three ways.

[62:33]

The first one is he changed the order of the words. Nyozetsu is an order in the Lotus Sutra. But he read, Tendai Chi read, there are two more ways. He change, just change the order. The most important master in the Tendai tradition. In Japanese we pronounce this chi-gi.

[63:49]

But in Chinese, Chinese pronunciation is chi-i. He lived in the sixth century, around the same time with Bodhidharma. The soul knew. And another way is a soul He just changed the order of those three Chinese characters. This is the usual way to read the Lotus Sutra. And so this is Ze, So, Nyo. And . And said, when we read this , this shows the .

[64:58]

That means this form is nyo. When we read in this order, this means this form is nyo. And this nyo means not necessarily, not always so. That means empty. And when we read this nyo-ze-so. In this case, nyo-ze is an adjective modified as so.

[65:59]

So this means so as suchness. So as suchness. So that is nothing other than suchness. Right? When you wrote it in the translation, it could be form as suchness, nature as suchness, body as suchness. Yeah, that is what Dogen is doing in Shobo Genzo. I think following Chigi's way of reading, these three things. I'm confused now. So as nyose is that third thing, and this second one is so that is like this.

[67:07]

That shows particularity. or provisionality, it's not an absolute thing. And yet, as a form of this being, it is like this. And in this case, this show is, or so, form is Nyose. This is kind of a very subtle way of reading things and interpretation in Chinese. We cannot translate into English well, so I'm sorry. And I can't explain well in English using my poor vocabulary. Could you say the first one again? The first one he started out saying... Hm? So as such, as long as he and I do not...

[68:10]

But then I thought you said the third one was soul questions. Yeah. Let's see. The soul is one first, and this is second, and this is third, according to Chidi. This soul, this form is the way we live this as a kukanda. the contemplation of emptiness. So we see this soul, this form as emptiness or new. And second one is this, how can we translate? Kakunogotoki soul, the soul or form that is like this, this particular thing. That is K. You know, this soul, form of the thing, is Nyo.

[69:23]

And the third thing is, any soul, this soul is itself Nyoze. Does this make sense? First of all, it's in the middle on the board. Yes, this is fine. I'm sorry. Anyway, this is how Tendai Chi, or Chi, uses this teaching from the Lotus Sutra on the true reality of all beings and the teaching of ken-suchness. Another teaching in Tendai using this ten-sechiness is called Ichinensanzen. So this is another thing. I hope there's books on Tendai teaching, but I can't find English book on Tendai teachings.

[71:00]

It's very interesting. Ichinen means one are thought or thought. And it can also mean one moment as a time. And Sunday means three thousand. This means each and everything at this moment includes three thousand What, 3,000? I don't know. Maybe 3,000. In fact, you know, there are 10 Dharma Wards. first six is six realms of samsara, you know, hell, the realm of hungry ghost, animal, asura or fighting spirit, human beings, and heavenly beings, those six.

[72:21]

And asurabhaka, asurabhaka, Pratyekabuddha, bodhisattva, and Buddha. Those are called ten worlds. And the first six are called samsara. And the next four are realms or worlds of spiritual beings or bodhisattvas and not bodhisattvas, but what we call holy people. And this sanzen means those in kendai teaching, within each of those ten worlds, another nine is included. So within the hell, that is, from hell to world of Buddha is included.

[73:27]

Even in the world of Buddha, hell is included. So this makes one hundred worlds. And each being in this one hundred worlds has ten suchness. That makes one thousand. And there are another three kinds of worlds. That is world of living beings, world of living beings. And it's shoujo second. And second is world of five skandhas. And the third is world of environment of living beings. Environment?

[74:29]

Environment. Those three. I think that means the world of human beings in which we are living as human beings and thinking and evaluating things. That is one level of this reality. Another is we are all just a collection of five skandhas as elements. And the third is all those things as human beings or living beings and five skandhas are taking place. That is called three worlds, and this makes three thousand. This means each and every, all every beings in this entire Dharma world is included within this one moment, or one thought. This is

[75:33]

very basic teaching in Tendai, and I think it is important to understand Dogen. That means each and everything and all other things in this entire Dharma world is one thing. Within, you know, the smallest being, entire ten realms is included because everything is connected, and so this one thing and this entire things, beings, are really connected. So when we pick up one thing, we pick up this entire network. So then that is, I think, what Dogen says, here is an example, when one person is sitting even for one moment, this entire universe becomes enlightenment.

[76:42]

So one person's activity or action influences the entire Dharma world. It came from this kind of idea. I hope I can explain in a better way, but for now this is my limitation. Yes. Is that somewhere in this text? No. It's from Gendai teaching. But I think it's important to understand what Dogen is writing in this. Well, it's almost 10.30, I mean 11.40, or 10.30. Oh, another thing. So this is the teaching in Chinese Tendai. And another thing to understand what Dogen tried to say is something to do with Japanese Tendai teaching.

[77:51]

You know, Tendai Buddhism was transmitted from China to Japan by a Japanese master whose name was Saichō. He lived in the 9th century. And he founded a monastery on Mount Hiei, right near from the capital Kyoto. And his school, Tendai, is one of the two most powerful Buddhist establishments from 9th century until today, even. especially in the time of Dogen. And Dogen became a Buddhist monk in his tradition, Japanese Tendai. And in Japanese Tendai, the teaching of Shahoji-so is

[78:53]

kind of transformed from Chinese Tendai. In Chinese Tendai, Shōhō Jissō is, as I translated, true reality of all beings. So, of Shōhō no Jissō. And yet in Japanese Tendai, people start to interpret this as Shoho is just so. All beings is itself true reality. It's not a matter of true reality of all phenomenal beings. You know, all phenomenal beings is provisional and it's always changing, so we cannot grasp and we cannot rely on. So we need to see the reality of that concrete being which is always changing.

[80:13]

Also, this dharmata or true reality is something which doesn't change. Which doesn't change within something changing. Like as I said, like a human and humanity. Humanity doesn't change, but human beings is always changing. So this is concrete being, and this is kind of a reality of those concrete beings. So this is something abstract and universal, and these are particular beings. And that is how, you know, in the Lotus Sutra or Chinese Tendai, understand this expression, shokou jisou. But in Japanese Tendai, they started to say, to think, beside all beings, all this concrete, each and every particular being which is coming and going, arising and perishing, there are no such things called true reality.

[81:18]

That is kind of different between Chinese Tendai and Japanese Tendai. So in Japanese, uh they put a very strong emphasis on particularity each and everything which is impermanent therefore everything always changing and it you know cannot it's not reliable but beside that thing, there's no such reality. Does it make sense? It's not a matter of some abstract reality that is hidden within concrete reality, concrete beings. But these concrete beings, it's always changing and emptying.

[82:24]

is itself true reality. So we should not separate these two. And this is the same as Dogen said about the Buddha-nature. In the very beginning of Shobhogans of Buddha-nature, Dogen quotes a very famous statement from the Nirvana Sutra that all living beings have Buddha-nature. he read this statement as all beings and entire beings are Buddha nature. That means Buddha nature is something which exists inside of each living being. But the way things are is Buddha nature. Therefore, each being is Buddha nature. And in the case of Shokhoji thought, Dogen also did not do it this way. Besides each and every being, there's no such thing called true reality.

[83:34]

Please. When you talk about Buddha nature, or when we talk about true reality, my mind seems to try to envision some fixed concept, some theme. And I think that probably has something to do with the Western heritage of Greek thought, where a chair was supposed to be an embodiment, what I'm sitting on, of some perfect chair, which, of course, no one ever got to hear. That, I think, that relation between shoho and this is quite the same. You know, this is like an idea. Ide, this is a real thing. This cannot be perfect. This is always imperfect. And this is perfect and universal. It doesn't change. It's like a concept. And this is a real thing.

[84:39]

And we think, you know, real things, actual things are always changing and imperfect. We cannot rely on them. try to find something we can rely on which hasn't changed. That is the way we try to search the truth. But what Tendai and Dogen is saying is this is the only way, this is the only place we can live. There isn't anything outside. Right. Yes. Well, I think this is, these things, this point from the Lotus Sutra and Tendai teachings in Japanese, Chinese and Japanese is kind of a helpful information to when we read Dogen's writings.

[85:40]

Otherwise, I don't think we can understand what he's saying. Any question? Okay, thank you.

[85:52]

@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_89.29