Good morning. Today I'd like to start to talk on part three of this book, Opening the Hand of Thought. The title of this part is The Reality of the Zen, page 41. In the last section, Uchiyamurusi discussed about the meaning of the Zen in the modern times. And now he starts to talk on how to sit. And of course our Zazen practice is based on Dogen Zen's teaching in the Soto Zen tradition.

[01:04]

But of course sitting practice or meditation practice has been a long history. It's said, you know, in India before so-called Indo-Asian Aryan people came into India. That is about 1500 BC, before Common Era. Even before that, there is a civilization. It's called Indus civilization, since from about 2000 BC. And they had a city. And now we find the ruins of those cities in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro in India.

[02:07]

And according to some scholars of Indology, even within those ruins of the city, they could find a statue of someone sitting. And some scholars think that might be people's practice meditation. Of course, we cannot say anything for sure. But some scholars think sitting practice exists even before Indian aliens came to India. And Shakyamuni Buddha was born, lived about, we are not so sure, but about 5 or 6 to 5 centuries before Kumamera. Maybe four.

[03:09]

We are not sure. Depending upon the source, it has almost 100 year difference. Anyway, around this time, I mean, alive, our friend Buddha started to practice after he left his palace. First he practiced meditation practice with two teachers. One person's name is Araracarama and another one is, I forget his name, something, Lama Buddha. I forget. I'm sorry. But around that time, meditation practice is one of the main practices for Indian spiritual practitioners. At that time, you know, their kind of goal or maybe goal of their spiritual practice in India at that time was to, you know, their idea was Ataman.

[04:34]

is a pure undefiled soul, like a soul, but this soul is imprisoned within this body or flesh. That is a source of delusions. So as far as Atman is imprisoned, within this body, Atman needs to transmigrate within six realms endlessly. So their goal is to release Atman from this prison of body. How can we let the Atman released from this body was a goal of their practice. And one method was meditation, sitting meditation. Another method was so-called ascetic practice. In the case of ascetic practice, they loosen the energy or power of body, weakness.

[05:43]

in order to allow the Atman, the soul, free from the power or influence from this flesh. Then the Atman can be free from deluded way of doing things. That is one method. And another one is meditation. By practicing meditation, they try to become free from those delusions that came from our body. So first Shakyamuni practiced that kind of meditation and it said he reached the highest point his teachers could teach. But somehow Buddha didn't think that is what he was looking for. So he quit that practice and he started to practice ascetic practice for six years.

[06:50]

And he practiced so much. you know, strictly. And his practice was such as, you know, stop breathing as much as possible. Or he ate only one grain of rice or I don't know what he'd eat a day. So he tried to, you know, weaken the body, the power of his body. But after six years of that kind of practice, we can see a statue of Shakyamuni who, when he quit that kind of practice, his body was only bone and skin. but he found that kind of practice was not also a right way.

[07:53]

So he also quit that kind of ascetic practice and he started to wash his body and receive some food. from a woman in the village, the rice gruel with milk. And he started to sit by himself under the so-called Bodhi tree. So actually the very beginning of Buddhism or Buddhist teaching is Shakyamuni Buddha's sitting meditation practice. And it seems, not it seems, but it's different from the meditation practice he learned from previously those two teachers. And the difference I think the basic difference between Buddha's practice or teaching and those practices done by other religious teachers is, as we all know, Buddha found there are no such things called Atman.

[09:08]

So his practice is not to release Atman from this prison called body. but he found body and mind are just a collection of five skandhas. There are no such things called anatman, to be released. So his practice is different, based on different insight or philosophies. Please. Did he find those things before he sat down under the Bodhi tree? I thought he found those things later. Ah, you mean when he awakened he didn't know that? No, I mean when he began to sit down, when he decided, when he watched and finally accepted the rights and love and sat under the Bodhi tree, at that moment he didn't have the understanding yet, did he? I don't know. I never asked him.

[10:10]

Have you? I don't really know. Even Buddha didn't tell, speak about the condition before he started to sit under the Bodhi tree. So I really don't know. According to his teaching recorded later, his practice of meditation under the Bodhi tree is different from what he learned. And so I'm not sure if when he started to sit under the Bodhi tree he had already that understanding clearly or not. Maybe not. Then we try to understand from his teaching, recorded later, his practice is different, I think. And the difference is, so this is my guess. I have no authority to say this is really true.

[11:14]

This is my guess. You don't need to believe it. As he said later, when he started to teach those five monks at Deer Park, what he found was the middle path between two extremes. One is the path of self-indulgence, to satisfy all the desires body and mind want. And another is like an ascetic practice he did, but that was self-torment. Yeah, mortification, yeah. You know, by weakening the power of our body, try to release the other pure soul. But what he found was a middle path between these two, and that middle path was the Eightfold Noble Path.

[12:23]

So according to later Buddhist teachings, what he found was there's no such fixed entity called Atman, but things are. gathering and collecting and forms like body and this, you know, five scandals. And to take care of these five scandals in a most healthy way is not being pulled by our desire and not being another kind of desire, you know, to, how can I say, do ourselves, you know, torment. That is his path. So he found this Middle Path and Eightfold Noble Path within his enlightenment, within his awakening. So for him, those Eightfold Noble Paths was not a method to reach that point.

[13:29]

But after he reached that point, he found that was a healthy, wholesome way of life. And after that, he practiced the Eightfold Noble Path until his death. And then he taught his students, he taught this is a path to reach the session of suffering. But when his student reached the session of suffering, what Buddha taught was to continue to practice the Eightfold Noble Path. So those practices taught as the Eightfold Noble Path is not simply a method to reach there, but that was a path of wholesome, healthy way of life. So it's not simply a kind of a treatment to become healthy, to recover health, but this is a healthy way of life.

[14:36]

Anyway, so meditation practice is a really important practice in entire Buddhism, any traditions of Buddhism. When we read almost all the Buddhist sutras, we find when Buddha started to teach, give a Dharma talk, before that he was sitting. meditation. One of the examples was the introduction of the Diamond Sutra we have been studying. You know, Buddha practiced meditation in the early morning and stood up and went to the village to do takohatsu to beg for food and return and eat the breakfast and wash the bowls. and sit again and started to talk to the assembly. That was, it seems, that was his day-to-day, you know, life and practice.

[15:45]

So his meditation or sitting practice was really a part of his life, of course, one of the Eightfold Noble or Correct Paths. And later in the history of Buddhism, of course, there are many different sects or schools or traditions appeared. And in each and every school, they had their own some kind of method or approach of meditation practice. And our tradition, so-called Soto Zen tradition, founded by Dogen Zenji in Japan, is a part of those many schools in Buddhism.

[16:46]

And I'd like to introduce another thing, that is, sitting was not only in India but also in China, sitting might be, not might be, was a practice, not like a Buddhism, but sitting was practiced by some people. For example, there is one story in the book of Chuan Tzu. Do you know Chuan Tzu? He is one of the most important Taoist philosophers. It says Chuan Tzu lived around 4th to 3rd century BC, so not so different from Shakyamuni Buddha. Confucius lived in the 6th century, and Lao Tzu also around the 5th or 6th century.

[17:52]

So Lao Tzu and Confucius and Shakyamuni lived around the same time, and Chuan Tzu a little later. If you have not read Grabokov Chancellor, I recommend you to read his books. This is a really interesting book. There are so many interesting stories, and this is one of them. This is a conversation between Confucius, Confucius and one of his disciples. Of course, this is made-up story. You know, Chinese people don't mind about, you know, make-up stories. They don't care whether it's historically true or not. Yen Shui was one of the disciples of Confucius.

[18:56]

He said, I am improving. He said, I have some improvement in his spiritual study. Then Confucius said, what do you mean by that? the disciple said, I've forgotten benevolence and righteousness. You know, benevolence is jinn in Japanese pronunciation, and righteousness is gii. And jing and gi is first two of five most important virtues in Confucianism. Jing, gi, lai, chi, and shin. Lai or lei.

[20:00]

Jin is benevolence, and gi is righteousness or justice, and rai is courtesy, the etiquette. And chi is wisdom, and shin is trust. So those are five most important virtues in Confucianism. So when he said, I've forgotten benevolence and righteousness, I've forgotten the most important teaching of Confucius. Of course, this is Taoist story, so we don't need to believe purpose is truth. So to forget this teaching is improvement or progress according to Daoist. That's the difference between Confucianism and Daoism. Then Confucius said, that's good. Confucius said, that's good to forget those things.

[21:08]

But you still haven't got it. So he's like a Zen master. Another day, the two met again and Yen-Hui, the same disciple, said, I'm improving. He said, I still have some progress. Then Confucius said, what do you mean by that? the student said, I've forgotten light and music. Light is another translation, this ray, right? R-Y-T-E, the forms of doing things. And music... I've forgotten lights and music. And Confucius said, that's good, but you still haven't got it.

[22:11]

Another day, the two met again, and Yang Hui said, I'm improving. So he's getting better and better. What do you mean by that? And the student said, I can sit down and forget everything. I can sit down and forget everything. The original expression for this sit down and forget everything is the bow. Za is the same za as za in zazen, sitting, and bo is forgetting. So I sat and forget everything, not only those virtues or forms. But this time when he sat, he forget everything.

[23:15]

Confucius looked very startled and said, What do you mean, sit down and forget everything? said, I smash up my limbs and body. I smashed up my limbs and body. That means I'm free from body. Drive out perception and intellect. Cast off form. do away with understanding and make myself identical with the great thoroughfare. That's me. Thoroughfare. Thorough and F-A-R-E. Thoroughfare. What does this mean? Road. The original word is to, to. And it said, .

[24:23]

is like a penetration and reaching. And this is a part of Tom Lai's dharma name. His dharma name is Daizu. No, yes, Shoyu Daizu was his dharma name. Anyway, this too is used as a translation of English, not English, but a Buddhist term. For example, next January, I'm going to study a talk on Shobo Genzo Jintsu. Jintsu is often translated as divine power. This too is the same kanji. And in this case, this too is like a power to penetrate.

[25:33]

And there are six divine powers practitioners can attain through practice of meditation. So I think when Chinese people translate the Sanskrit word, they had some kind of association with this expression. And they used this word as a translation of jintsu. But in Shobo Genzo Dogen said, these six divine powers are small powers, not great. So this could also be interpreted as a great penetrating power. And according to the commentary on Chuan Tzu, this Dai Tzu is same as great Wei or Dao. Anyway, so he said, I smashed up my limbs and body when he was sitting.

[26:46]

We don't know what kind of posture. It's because it doesn't say. But somehow he sat and smashed limbs and body. That means he was free from his body. Drive out perception and intellect. So he stopped thinking. and cast off form, so he was free from any form, and do away with understanding, he let go of any understanding he had about those five virtues or Confucius' teachings, and make myself identical with the great thoroughfare, that means great Tao or way, so he become really one with this Tao." This is what I mean by sitting down and forget everything, or the bow. I think this expression, the bow, sitting and forgetting, is used in some of the Zen literature.

[27:53]

I don't remember which one, but I think this was sometimes used. Then Confucius said, if you are identical with that great Tao, you must have no more likes, not only likes, this means likes and dislikes or preferences. So it's not so different from Buddhist teachings. So when we, he said, when you forget all those things and become one with thou, thou or thou or way, you are free from preferences, like and dislike. And if you've been transformed, you must have no more constancy. Constancy is a joy.

[28:55]

In Buddhist terms, this joy is permanent. That means I think he is free from grasping or his attachment to something which doesn't change. So you really are a worthy man after all. With your permission, I'd like to become your follower. This is Confucian saying. possibly Confucius actually said, I want to be your student to his students. Anyway, this is one of the examples, you know, sitting was kind of practiced or used as a kind of, you know, meditation to improve their spirituality, at least in Taoism. I don't think in Confucianism.

[29:59]

So this idea of sitting and forgetting and later Zen Buddhism in China had, I think, a very close connection. The saying, the great way is not difficult when the purpose is cast aside. That is from Shinjin Mei. So that great way and this great way might, for Chinese people, not so different thing. But we need to be careful. What is the sameness and difference? What is the similarity with Buddhist teaching and Taoist teaching? And Dogen Zenji clearly said, at the time of Dogen, in some dynasty, there is a kind of idea that Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are similar, or those are the three legs of one pot.

[31:13]

But Dogen Zen clearly negates that idea. And he said Buddhism is different from Confucianism and Taoism. So he didn't like that idea. Then what is the difference? We have to make it clear. That is one of the points when we study history of Chinese Zen Buddhism. It fathoms the sameness or similarity and difference between Zen and Taoist practice. Some people say they are same, completely same. Some people like Dogen said, no. Anyway, so we can see, you know, even in China before Buddhism was introduced, sitting was practiced.

[32:15]

But then we started to try to find the process of, you know, introduction of Buddhism from India to China and Chinese civilization and especially spiritual philosophy and cultural practice. encounter each other and become, influence each other and become something Chinese. That process is very interesting and dynamic and yet very complex. So it's not so easy to understand. So in the early stage of Chinese Buddhist history, Chinese people interpret Buddhist teaching using Daoist concept.

[33:24]

That's why, for example, Sanskrit word body, that means awakening, is translated as Dao. The old translation of Anuttara Samyaksam Bodhi is Mujodo. Mu is no, and jo means above or upward. So nothing above, that means supreme or highest way, is all the translation of Sanskrit word anuttarasambodhi. And also the Chinese translation of body citta, awakening mind, is dou xin, this dou, dao, mind of dao.

[34:26]

So they translate awakening or body with this word dao. That is not really the same concept. But somehow Chinese people interpret Buddhist teaching of awakening to the, you know, absolute reality. So they thought absolute reality is the same as Tao. And awakening to that reality is also Tao. Sounds like a good idea. Yeah, so here is another twist here. But that is one of the necessary process, you know, Chinese people try to understand one religion or teaching made in India. And that process continued about, let's see, 400 years. And around the 5th and 6th century, a translator whose name was Kumarajiva came.

[35:42]

And he was the first, it said he was the first person, he and his students, Chinese students, were the first group of people, Chinese people, who tried to understand Buddhism with Buddhist concepts. Before that, they had no way to understand Buddhism as Buddhism. But they interpreted Buddhism, Buddhist teaching, using Taoist concepts and ideas. Please. How did they translate the notion of nirvana? Nirvana was translated as metta, Metsu is distinguished to finishing, teething. Opposition of sho, sho is arising. And this Metsu is also used, you know, as a name of the third truth within Four Noble Truths, Metsutai.

[36:58]

in this case, truth of cessation. And so they understand nirvana as a perishing. And that can interpret perishing of desires or delusive desires or to die. It could mean both. and actually Buddha's death is called Nirvana. So that interpretation was possible. So later, they stopped translating Sanskrit words using Daoist concepts, Daoist terms. And they found nirvana is something different. So they tried not to translate. So nirvana is transliterated as ne-ham.

[38:05]

Maybe I don't need to write the kanji. And not only Neham, but also Prajna was not translated, but transliterated as Hanya. Hanya in Chinese is something like Panya. That is a transliteration of Prajna. And they define what this Sanskrit word means, that how Chinese people make Buddhist teachings in their own. That was happened around the 5th century. Buddhism was first introduced to China in the 1st century, so it took them about 400 or 500 years. one of the eminent Chinese Buddhist masters, this person, Tendai Chigi, the most important philosopher or master in Chinese Tendai tradition, wrote a text called Makashikan.

[39:23]

I'm sorry, it's not right. Makkha is also a transliteration, maha, that means big or great. And si is stopping, and kan is seeing or viewing or observing. And these words, si and kan, is a translation of Sanskrit words shamatha and vipassanah. Samatha and Vipassana are two methods of meditation in Indian Buddhism. And this person, Tendai Chigi, or in Chinese pronunciation, Chi-i.

[40:33]

Chigi is Japanese. Chi-i is Chinese. And he lived in the 6th century. and he was the most important teacher or philosopher in the Tendai tradition. So he lived around the same time with Bodhidharma. And this text, Makashikan, Maha Samatha and Vipassana, is the most important text or manual of meditation practice, not only in Tendai school, but also in Chinese Buddhism later, later than Tendai, Chigi. And this is kind of a big text. And there is an English translation made by Paul Swanson, who lives in Nagoya in Japan.

[41:42]

Anyway. So it's difficult to read this text. But he also, Chi Yi, also wrote a shorter version of the same kind of text. And we call it a shoushikan. Shō means smaller, smaller shikan. This is much shorter, about 30 pages or so. It said this person, his brother was a general, military, but he was sick and it said his brother was dying. That time he recommended his brother, elder brother, to practice meditation. So for his brother, he kind of made a shorter version of meditation manual.

[42:45]

That was Shoshikan. And this Shoshikan became much popular than Makachikan. And today scholars think this manual for meditation by Qi Yi, become a text of meditation practice in China, including Zen. about how to meditate, like posture and breathing. Zen people in Zen schools didn't invent something or add something new. They followed the forms and methods of meditation. But Zen people kind of interpreted Buddhist teachings very kind of a free way, not like us scholars.

[43:48]

And they expressed their insight freely using their own expressions. That was difference between Zen school, Zen tradition and other teaching schools. So as a meditation technique, like posture and breathing and how to control the mind, mainly based on those two text by Chi Yi. That is what today's scholars think. So these two meditation manuals are really important to understand how they actually practice in Chinese Buddhism, practice meditation.

[44:51]

And because Dogen, Dogen Zenji, became a monk in Tendai tradition, for Dogen, this Makashikan and Shoshikan are also important texts. Now I start to talk on Dogen. about Zazen practice. Dogen Zenji wrote so-called Zazengi, or a manual of Zazen description of how to practice Zazen, at least four times. The first One was written when he came back from China to Japan in 1227, right after he received Dharma transmission from his teacher, Tendo Nyojo Zenji.

[46:11]

He came back to Japan, and in this year, right after he went back to Japan, he wrote Fukanzazengi. And he rewrite it in 1233. This 1233 is the year he founded his first monastery, Koshouji. And the name of the era of this year is Tenpuku. So we call this version Tenpuku Bon, or Bon means version, Tenpuku version of Kanzarengi. And this is written by Dogen himself. And that calligraphy still remains.

[47:16]

And the scroll in my office says, is Dogen's calligraphy of Kanzazengi, of this version. Of course, that is a photocopy. It's a real thing. It's a national treasure stored at Eheiji. So we can read this version today. And third is in 1243. This is the year Dogen moved from Koshuji to not Eheji yet, but through the mountain. Maybe we can say Eheji. But Eheji was not built until 1245 or so. In this year, he wrote Shobo Genzo Zazengi.

[48:24]

This is the third Zazengi. And Fukam Zazengi is written in Chinese, but Shobo Genzo Zazengi is written in Japanese. as a part of kana-shobo-genzo. And fourth, the date is unknown, but another version of Kanda-Zen-Gi is included in Eihei-Koroku, Volume 8. And this is the version of Kanzazengi we usually read. And there's a little difference between Tentoku version, and we call this Rufubon. Rufubon.

[49:36]

Rufu means circulating. That means popular, popular version. So we can read both two versions of Fukanzazengi. And scholars study factor difference. And there is a 10-year difference between 1233 and 1243. And they try to see the difference of Dogen's understanding of Zazen. by comparing these two versions. It's kind of interesting. But the first version, written in 1227, was lost. So we don't know what the first version looked like. And there is another description of Zazen in Dogen Zen's writing.

[50:38]

It's not Zazen, but it's included in Bendoho, Bendo Ho is a part of Ehe Shingi, and Ehe Shingi is, you know, the book, Dogen Standard for Zen Community, is a translation of Ehe Shingi, and Bendo Ho is part of it. And Bendo Ho is a description how monks practice within the Sodo. Sodo is monk's hall, day and night, including sitting, sleeping, eating, All those things. And when he described how monks practice in the monks' hall, he described how to sit.

[51:46]

So there are five kinds of texts, and four of them are available today. So when we study Dogen's teaching about how to do Zazen, we study those four texts. Please. Isn't there a text called the Zazen Shin? Zazen Shin is not about how to practice, but the meaning of practice. So it's not so much the meaning of it, it's not giving instructions? It's not about how to practice, but how to understand this doesn't practice ease. So it's different. I don't know, I don't remember when, but I translated all those four Zazengis.

[52:49]

If you are interested, you can make a photocopy of these four Zazengis. And those four Zazengis are based on Chinese Zazengi, included in Zen-Nen-Shin-Gi. This kanji is pronounced as en. But we pronounce zen and en becomes zen-nen. It's like a liaison. So we call this zen-nen-shin-gi. Shin-gi is pure standard. Zen and en is like a garden.

[53:53]

Zen-nen means zen-monastery. And this pure standard is the regulations of the monasteries. And this regulation was compiled in 1103, so about 100 years before Dogen's birth. And part of this Zenrin Shingi is the Zengi. and written by one Chinese Zen master whose name was Choro Sosaku. And I also made the translation of this Chinese zazengi.

[55:02]

And this zazengi is still used in Rinzai school. So in Rinzai, they still use practice based on this zazengi. But somehow Dogen Zenji didn't like this Zazenji. There is a short, very short writings of Dogen about why he composed Zazenji, his own Zazenji. And he said, in this Chinese Zazenji made by Sosaku, there's some distortion according to Dogen. That's why he wrote his own zazengi. But when we compare Dogen's four texts about zazen and this one, the Chinese zazengi, about posture and breathing, there's no difference. But the beginning and the end in fukan zazengi.

[56:07]

For example, Dogen said, the way is perfect and complete. That kind of, you know, his understanding of what zazen is, it's very different from Sosaku's zazen-gi in Zenrenshin-gi. So it's also interesting to understand Dogen's understanding of the meaning of zazen practice. What is the difference between Chinese and Dogen's? So sometimes in the future, if I have a chance, I'd like to study those five zazengi, compare those five zazengi and try to understand what is Dogen's point, what's the difference. And the scholars think the form of Zazen, like a posture and breathing and those things in this Chinese Zazen is not so different from Tendai's.

[57:21]

shoshikan, or pendaya's description of how to sit. So about the posture and breathing and those things, they didn't change so much. But one of the might be important difference between Tendai's Zazengi or meditation manual and Zen meditation, including this Chinese Zazengi, is in Zen, From China, we keep our eyes open. In Tendai, it says they close their eyes. And what the significance of this opening and closing is a very subtle point, but scholars discuss why this change happened.

[58:26]

So that is one of the point, you know, interesting point we study these texts. Anyway, I don't think this is a time to study Dogen and Tendai and Chinese Zazengi. So I just introduce these kind of information as an introduction to read Uchiyama Roshi's description of Zazengi. So I read the hard copy of my translation of Forza Dengi. If you are interested, please, could you make a photography? I leave it on this table. OK, now I start to read this text.

[59:38]

Page 41. The reality of the Zen. How to do the Zen. Maybe I think all of you are already familiar with how to sit, so I just read. And if I have something to comment, I say, I talk. And if you have some question, please give me. Page 41. The meaning of zazen must rest stably on the act of zazen itself, so the question of how to do zazen is essential. First of all, the room where you do zazen should be as quiet as possible. I think we don't need to argue about this. Of course, it's really better to sit in a quiet place.

[60:44]

It's really difficult to sit in a noisy place. So quiet place is best. It should be neither too light nor too dark. And it should be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. This is also desirable, but sometimes it's not available. At Antaiji, you know, the zendo was not so... good building. Antaigi was founded by, the founder of Antaigi was Oka Sotan Roshi. And when they found Antaigi, that was beginning of 20th century, so Antaiji was very kind of a new temple and Antaiji was established for the students who graduated from Komazawa University and wanted to study Dogen continuously.

[62:03]

not like a school, but like a monastery. So Antaji was built as a study monastery. And the idea came from one layperson who was a successful businessman. Probably he used to be a monk, but he quit to be a monk and became a businessman and became a successful person. So he wanted to use some of his property, wealth, for dharma. So he made a donation to build their temple for study. Of course, one person made the donation to build that temple. So it's not too much money. So in order to build the temple buildings, they moved the old temple buildings

[63:10]

probably in Nara, and they disassembled the old buildings and moved and assembled again. So the temple was new, but the building was not so new. And when I first sat five-day session there, that was after maybe about 50 years after it was rebuilt on that location. So the building was not so in a good shape. You know, between the walls and pillars, there's a space. And so we had a very good air circulation. That means in the winter it's very cold. The temperature was not so different from outside. And it could be, I don't know, maybe in Fahrenheit, you know, like a little bit.

[64:21]

zero freezing, so something like 28 or 5 or 8 in centigrade, like minus 5. So it could be very cold. And in the beginning, right after World War II, Uchida Moroshi and some of his Dharma brothers moved to Antaigi. They didn't have money at all. So in order to prevent the air coming in, Uchida Moroshi made paper curtains using rice bags that were free from a rice shop. And that paper curtain was still used when I first visited there. That was 1969. And at that time they already had a small kerosene stove.

[65:27]

So there was some heating, but it didn't make so much change. So it was very cold. So it's desirable to have cool in the summer and warm in the winter. But if we think, unless we have such a place we cannot practice, then we may have no time to practice. So sometimes we need a determination, whether it's cold or hot, we just sit. important to, you know, make as cool as possible in the summer and as warm as possible in the winter. kill yourself with heat and cold. That is traditional attitude.

[66:32]

But that is a koan. But as a reality, even in the traditional monasteries, in the monks' hall, in the summer, you know, monks' hall has kind of a, what do you call, there are two walls. And this space is used as a walking meditation. And people, this is called night time. And this is called gaitan. Here is another seat. This is called gaitan. And here is an entrance. And monks in the monks' hall sit on this platform. And here is a manjushri. And in the summer, at the entrance, both front and back entrance, in the summer they hung like a bamboo curtain in order to allow the air comes and going.

[67:50]

And in the winter they put a thick cloth curtain in order not to allow the wind to come in. And even at the time of Dogen, according to Ehe Shingi or Bendo Ho, they put a what we call a fireplace, in which they burned charcoal. So it's not very warm, but they had certain, you know, things to, certain effort to make it warm. So it should be warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

[68:54]

Care should be taken not to allow wind or smoke in the room. So both this wall and this inner walls, there are windows. to get sunlight from outside. So there's no direct sunlight in the zendo. There are two layers of windows, so it must be better than anti-zendo. You know, warm air doesn't go out and cold air doesn't come in. And it's a little bit, you know, cooler than outside in the summer. That's how, you know, they try to make it cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

[69:57]

And not too dark and not too bright. and care should be taken not to allow wind or smoke in the room, while the room itself should be kept neat and clean. So monks clean the monks' hall and, of course, the Buddha hall every day. In that tradition, we still do here. After zazen, we clean up. In other words, try to create a settled and peaceful environment where you can continue to sit on a regular basis. So to create a peaceful and clean and quiet warm in the winter, cool in the summer place is

[71:07]

desirable and try to take care of, we need to take care of the place we sit. Because, you know, when we sit, our zazen or our five skandhas and the world or the space is really one thing. To take care of zendo is to take care of our body and mind. And when we sit, this zendo sits together with us. So, you know, this is not simply a space we can use to practice my zazen, but me and we and this space practice together. That is the basic idea. If possible, it is also good to enshrine Buddha statue, offer flowers and burn incense.

[72:13]

In the case of monk's hall, you know, this one, Manjushri is enshrined in the center. And, you know, flower, candle and incense is offered. Also water is offered. sometimes not Manjushri, but his name, Chinnyo Sonja, the first monk who understood Buddha's teaching. No, among the five monks in their part. Yeah, not Shaliputra. Shaliputra became the Buddha's disciple later, after those five monks. What's his name? Kandana, yeah. In Japanese, Kyo-chin-nyo. was, is enshrined as a, you know, first, you know, this is a monk's hall, so first Buddhist monk, he, who understood Dogen, not Dogen, but Buddha's teachings.

[73:30]

But here Dogen, not Dogen, but Uchamuroshi's writing for not only the people who practice in the monastery, so this is written for lay people, so if they want to have their own sitting space at home, he's saying whether to enshrine, you know, it doesn't need to be Manjushri or Kyojinyo. Any Buddhist statue is fine. A Buddha statue represents the tranquility of the Zen and is an artistic expression of the compassion and wisdom of the Zen. This way we create an atmosphere that supports our doing the Zen.

[74:40]

So not only our five-scandals sitting, but this space and the neatness of the space, and air circulation and Buddha statue and flower from somewhere else, from the nature, and incense and all those things support our practice and actually sit with us. This way we create an atmosphere that supports our doing zazen. So important point is we sit together with all beings. Of course, things in the zendo, other people in the zendo, and also not only things and people in the tender or amongst all, but also all beings in the entire universe supporting our practice and we practice together all of them.

[75:41]

So we should always take good care of the environment that supports our zazen, paying respect to the place where we sit and bowing when entering the zendo or sitting hall. So in order to show or express our gratitude and respect to that space, when we enter the zendo, we bow we make bow, standing bow with gassho. Twenty-five, maybe I can read one more paragraph. To complete your arrangement, lay down a large flat cushion, a zavuton or a zaniku. That is the flat cushion or mat we use.

[76:46]

In Japan, we call it Zaniku, and Zabuton is a much smaller one. We commonly use, not only in the Buddhist temples, but in our common family houses, we use a much smaller, same kind of mat. We call it Zabuton. And the big one used in the temple or monastery for Zen is called Zaniku. And actually, futon, not zavuton, but futon means in Dogen's and Kezan's writing, futon means zafu. Zafu is... And futon is this fu and ton. and all together read zabu tong.

[77:56]

So zabu tong actually means zafu, the round cushion, not a flat cushion. Tong means something round. So here is some confusion. But it's not a serious, important, serious confusion. So we call this zabu tong. That is fine. And this Fu is the name of a certain plant. The fabric from that plant is used for making futon, not before we had cotton. And I don't know the English name for this plant. I see some of those plants even in Bloomington.

[79:00]

The top is something like this, and it's dark brown. Cat tails. Cat tail. Cat tail. Do you use, yeah, it usually grows in the wet place. Do you use this plant for making like a cushion? For the stuffing or for the fabric? Stuffing. Oh, I made some with cattails once. They got flat faster than others. In the fall or winter, this part become like a cotton. They used this plant in China and in Japan also, ancient times. Now we all use cotton. Is that the plant that they often talk about in the... Is it in one of the Zen texts that talk about the wheat, the wheat plants and the flowers, the white?

[80:05]

No, it's different, different plant. I think that is ashi, ashi or yoshi. And this is, Japanese name of this plant is gama. And Chinese pronunciation is fu. So futon, now used in this country, came from this futon. So first we put the square futon or zaniku. and put the round cushion on it. But at certain monasteries, like the Yoji, they, I'm not sure right now, but they didn't use daftam in the Sodo, because they thought tatami is daftam.

[81:10]

tatami. There is a tatami on the platform and they thought this tatami is draft on. So they didn't use this square mat. I'm not sure right now. Anyway, so sit down on top of that, on top of Zabton or Zaniku, trace a Zafu, a round, firm cushion. Sit down on the Zafu facing a wall and fold your legs. Sit on the front part of the Zafu, not squarely on the middle of it. I think you understand. I don't need to explain this A few people can cross both legs by putting the right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh in the very stable classic full lotus posture.

[82:19]

See figure 4. I think you know this. But it is not possible for most people. This, you know, a few people can, but it's not possible for more people, is addition by Jisho, the editor. Uchamurashi didn't write this. You may be able to place your left foot on your right thigh or your right foot on your left leg. This is called the half-lotus position, see Figure 5. In any of the zazengis made in China or Japan, only full-lotus position or keikafuza and half-lotus or hankafuza is described. No other method of sitting is there. Your knees should be resting firmly on the dabhton.

[83:28]

This way, the weight of the upper part of the body can be distributed stably on three points, both knees on the zavaton and the buttock on the zav. So this is an important point to make our sitting stable, to support the weight of our upper part of our body on three points. points, both knees and the buttock. Buttock is on the center of zaniku and knees are on the zaptron. So this becomes like a tripod. This is important to make our zazen stable. Let me read one more sentence.

[84:31]

This is about another way of sitting. And in Uchiyama Roshi's original, this paragraph is not there. So this is Jisho's addition. If you cannot place one foot on the other leg, you can sit cross-legged with both legs and feet resting on the zaktum. In the posture known as Burmese, see Figure 6, so both legs are on the zaktum, not on the thigh. If your hips or knees do not permit sitting cross-legged, you can sit in a kneeling position known as seiza and rest your buttocks on a low bench or on a daf set on end .

[85:38]

You can also do the zen Sitting in a chair. This is more difficult because it is harder to settle into a stable upright posture on a chair. Sit with your knees slightly lower than your hips, your feet planted on the floor or on a cushion if necessary. you may find it helpful to use a cushion for lower back support, but the upper back should sit freely upright if at all possible." So Jisho-wan added these three kind of additional ways of sitting. Jisho's teacher was Tozen Akiyama,

[86:40]

He is a friend of mine, and when he read this version of Opening the Hand of Thought, he asked me, is this okay? This way of sitting is okay, but to add this, you know, even Ucchamsara has never, I think, never seen, never done, and never seen, even never know such a way of sitting as a jazen practice, to add his book as a part of, you know, his writings. I mean, his opinion is it's okay to give that information in this book because it, you know, allowed all, I think, almost all Zen centers to sit in that way. So it's okay to give this information. include this information about sitting in Burmese or Sesa or using a meditation bench or chair.

[87:50]

And we also I sometimes sit on the chair, or these days, lately I have to sit in Burmese when I have pain on my knees. So it's okay, but is it okay to put these things as Ucchiamorosi writing or not, was his question. I didn't know this thing is added as a main part of the book until this was published. So this is still a question for me. Not as a practice, but as a way to make a book. It could have been like an appendix. appendix or a footnote or something like that. Actually, when I was a tantaiji, I was in charge of zendo and Zen practice, and also at that time I was already studying English.

[89:06]

And one time there was a visitor, I'm not sure he was American or not, but he came and said, I wanted to practice zazen, but I couldn't sit on the floor. It is possible to sit on the chair. At that time I had completely no idea sitting on the chair can be zazen. And we had only one chair at Antaiji. That chair was used for Uchama Roshi when he gave lectures. So I told that person, you know, we cannot sit on the chair in the Lendo. And I said, even we don't have chairs, any chair. And so that person couldn't practice at Antaiji. And at that time, the person said to me, that you will have to deal with this.

[90:11]

This means people who cannot sit in half lotus or full lotus position. To me, until I came to this country, to practice zazen means to practice to sit in the way Dogen Zenji described in Fukanzazengi, No other method of sitting is zazen. To me, that is very clear and I was kind of stubborn about that point, like the person from Israel. Zazen is sitting in full lotus or half lotus, that's it. But as the visitor said, I have to deal with it, not for other people but for myself. Now I cannot sit in the lotus, and now I have to sometimes sit in Burmese, which is better.

[91:15]

If I cannot sit, In full lotus or half lotus, I have to quit or I continue to sit in other ways. That is kind of a koan to me, last several years. There's also the difficulty sometimes in a group where, you know, a person with a handicap. Right. Yeah. It's a kind of a discrimination or rejection of those people to practice. If we say, if you cannot sit for lotus or half lotus, you cannot sit here, then we don't have so many people. I don't think it's a good idea. But of course, you know, as a thing of practice, you know, a full lotus is more stable, and a half-lotus is a little less stable, because when we sit half-lotus, you know, only this one side is put on another side.

[92:23]

So even a little bit, upper part of our body lean this way or that way. So I recommend people, if we sit half lotus, change the legs each period. If they sit a lot, like a session, if they sit only once a week, that's fine, that's okay. But if they want to sit a lot in half lotus, I think better to change right and left. our legs, not exactly each period, but often, in order to keep our spine straight. If we sit that much, like a five-day session every month, at least ten times a year for twenty years, if we want to sit in that amount of time, we must be really careful about our posture, otherwise we, you know, injure our spine.

[93:30]

Please. Another kind of problem that I've noticed sometimes with behaviorists and given instruction, Sometimes the beginner will just take the easiest posture and never really advance. They never try to do it with someone who already has a posture. Right. So it's kind of important to encourage people to sit, if it's possible, even little by little, push a little bit, to sit half lotus or full lotus. Yeah, that's another problem. So clinging to half-lotus or full-lotus is a problem, but to avoid them is also a problem. Well, I think it's quarter to eleven.

[94:34]

This is a good place to stop. Any questions? Please. In the first question, Is the text straight from Utsuro without any additions? Not 100%. Me and Tom Wright, and this was also edited by Disho Warner, there might be some changes, but not so many like this version. I mean, I'll be reading it, because I've read this a hundred times, I'll go... I mean, I'll just recognize it. It's not exactly the same. I don't look. It's like there's a love in it. Right. I think he, I mean she, Jisho Wano, works a lot. In terms of readability, it's improved.

[95:37]

But I find some places, some examples that meaning is changed, or twisted, or some meaning is lost. So whatever we do, some people don't like it. So I don't complain against Jisho, but I also want to keep these two versions together. And I also tried to read the original Japanese version. And another thing is, you know, this is not the first translation. This is the second. Actually, the original translation, the first translation was published in 1973, much earlier than this one.

[96:40]

That version was entitled like, Approach to Zen, and translated by Steve Yannick. He was one of the American practitioners who can read and speak fluently, Japanese fluently. And he was the main person to make the first translation. But when I was in Massachusetts, at Verizon, we used that version. But when I went back to Kyoto, and which I was asked, me and Tomorai to work on translation together. First thing that we wanted is to make another new translation of this book because we didn't think that first translation was good enough. Okay?

[97:42]

Please. Please. Well, In India, I think even today in Theravada traditions, each monk has their own hut or cell, small cabin. And in the morning, since the time of Buddha, they sat by themselves. They didn't have like a zendo for all the members of the community to sit together.

[98:49]

Probably when Buddha gave a Dharma talk, they get together, because Buddha was sitting, all those people were sitting, but they listened to Buddha's teaching. But I think in India they didn't meditate together. And also some Buddhist monks, like Maha Kachapa, didn't like to live in a monastery. Maha Kachapa continued to live in the forest, and that tradition continues still today. In Thailand, they have a forest tradition. And they continued to practice meditation in that way. And some people at the time of Buddha practiced meditation in a graveyard. Their dead body was there.

[99:54]

They watched the process of decaying of the body to see the impermanence and to be free from attachment to our own body. So in India it was important. Not important, but that was the way they practiced meditation, practice in the nature, like us, sitting in front of trees as Buddha did, or sitting in the... deep forest or facing the rock or those places. And in the beginning, in China also, people said sitting outside is better or important. But not only in Zen, but also in Tendai tradition, it seems they had Zendo.

[100:57]

And they had a room or a hall for the monks in that community to practice Zazen together. So it started in China. And so in then monasteries in China had this kind of monks' hall, and they stay in that hall 24 hours together with other monks. Please. I was just wondering if that would be a reflection of the Mahayana, and it's even more of a social aspect, or more of a... It might be so. I mean, that is one of the kind of reason they started to practice in the monks' hall. And Dogen Zenji said it is important to sit together with other monks.

[102:02]

And when it's time to sleep, they have to sleep. So do things together with all the assembly is important in Dogen's tradition. In Rinzai tradition, like during Rohatsu Sesshin, the monks or practitioners were encouraged to sit outside after the evening zazen is done. Even in the winter, Rohatsu Sesshin sat outside as long as they wished. And it said until the elders or seniors went to bed, you know, junior monks couldn't go to bed. So there is a different tradition. But in the case of Dogen Zenji's tradition, we understand it's important to sit together with other monks in the Sodo or Zendo.

[103:16]

So what's yā mean? We call that yāza. Yāza literally means, yā means evening or night. Yā is sitting. Okay. Okay. Thank you.

[103:36]

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