Good afternoon, everyone. Does this work? Oh, yeah. It's amazing we have so many people. Well, during this Genzo-e Sesshin, we are going to study Shobo, Genzo, Yoibutsu, Yobutsu, or only a Buddha together with a Buddha. This, for some reason, this is a kind of a unique fascicle or chapter of Shōbō Genzō. This time we are going to use my own translation. In order to make my understanding clear, I had to translate by myself. afternoon, I talk about this fascicle and this expression, iuibutsu, yobutsu, came from the Lotus Sutra.

[01:14]

So I talk about Dogen and Lotus Sutra as a kind of introduction to this fascicle. In the Handart, I think in the very beginning it said, 38th fascicle of Shobo Genzo, the Dharma Eye Treasury, only a Buddha together with a Buddha. First of all, this number 33 is a kind of a mystery. Pardon? 38. 38. I'm sorry. My mind is mysterious. If you know how Shobo Genzo are written, traditionally it's said first Dogenzenji wrote 75 fascicles probably before 1246.

[02:22]

And once he compiled 75 volumes, he wanted to make it 100. So he started a new collection of Shobo Genzo, and he wrote 12 volumes. The twelfth fascicle or twelfth fascicle version of Shobo Genzo is Hachidai Nengaku, or Eight Awakenings of Great Being. That was his final writing, so he couldn't complete 100 collections. So tradition said we have 75 plus 12, that makes 87. But this is not only the collection of Shobo Genzo.

[03:33]

There are another one, 60 volume of Shobo Genzo and plus 28. That makes 88. Anyway, we don't know how this one, 60 plus 28, was made. Traditionally... That means we don't know. It said, you know, after Dogen Zenji died, there is a kind of a conflict at Eheiji in the time of third and fourth abbot. That was Gikai and Gien. After second abbot, Ejo retired. These two kind of a group had conflict. And Gikai was kind of kicked out from Eheiji.

[04:36]

I don't know if he was kicked out or left by himself, but he moved from Eheiji to Daijoji in Kanazawa. That is the first separation in Soto Zen tradition. And so after Gikai, this person, Diem, became the fourth abbot. And this person died 13, 14, I think. Then this fourth abbot of Eheji passed away. It said Eheji was half-broken. You know, the main buildings were burned. And this is the fourth. And the fifth abbot of Eheji was Gi-ung. Gion was not Gion's disciple, but Gion was a disciple of Jakuen.

[05:39]

Jakuen was not a Japanese. He was a Chinese person. He practiced with Dogen, Dogen Zenji, at Tiento Monastery in China. So he was a Chinese. But after their teacher Tendon Ryujin or Tendo Nyojo Zenji passed away, Dogen Zenji was already returned to Japan. This person, Zaku-en, he was still very young, went to Japan to practice with Dogen. And this person, Zhaquan, was a very quiet person. He didn't write anything, at least nothing remained, even one verse. But after Dogen Zenji passed away, Zhaquan left Heiji. and practiced by himself in remote mountains.

[06:43]

And later, the place, Jakyam practice became Hokyoji. This is not far from Eheiji. It's in Ono City. Hogyoji is still there. But because Gien passed away, Eheiji was not in good shape. So Gien was invited to take over the fifth abbot of Eheiji. At that time, it's said that temple buildings are half-broken or burned, and they didn't have manuscript of Shobo Genzo. Shobo Genzo was lost, maybe burned, or maybe someone took. So Giun Zenji collected as many fascicles of Shobo Genzo as possible.

[07:45]

And when Dion collected those fascicles, it became 60. I mean, he made 60 fascicle versions. And no one knows why, but 28 were separated, divided, and stored at AAG for some reason. We don't know. But according to Menzan, the 17th, 18th century, very important Soto Zen monk, Sukkara, is 28th. need to be stored separately, because within these fascicles Dogen criticized many of Rinzai masters or other Buddhist traditions.

[08:53]

We don't know if that is true or not. But Yoibutsu-Yobutsu is part of this 28th collection. Anyway, in the history of Eheiji, after Giun, for several hundred years, the Abasi of Eheiji was taking place from Giun's lineage. And, you know, when Gikai left to Daijoji, Gikai's disciple was Keizan. And Keizan founded Sojiji after he left Daijoji. And Keizan's lineage became mainstream of Soto Zen. So Eheji was kind of a small lineage.

[09:56]

That's why the problem between Eheji and Sojiji still continues. That means because Eheji was founded by Dogen Zenji, And Sojiji was, so Iheiji has more kind of authority, but Sojiji has much more power. you know, things get together. So the Soji-ji and Heiji still have a conflict, even today. Anyway, so Yuibutsu-Yobutsu is a part of this 28th Vasu-Fasukuru collection, and this collection is called Himitsu Shobo Genzo. Himitsu means secret. Somehow these 28 fascicles are almost hidden at the storage of a heiji.

[11:04]

But later in the 17th, 18th, 19th century, the Sotozen monk scholars wanted to make a perfect collection of Shōbō Genzō, and they collected all possible manuscripts written by Dōgen Zenji, and somehow they put everything together and made 95 particular versions. To do so, they include the Dogen's writings, which is never considered to be a part of Shobo Genzo, such as Bendowa. Bendowa was not written as a part of Shobo Genzo. Actually, Bendowa was lost for several hundred years, until the 17th century. no one knew where Gendoa was.

[12:10]

But in the 95 fascist version, Gendoa was included. Since then, Gendoa was considered a part of Shobo Genzo. And another one is Jiku-in-mon, that is Dogen's instruction for the people working in the kitchen. And Dogen said, you should not call rice as rice. You should call rice as kome or kome in Japanese. But Dogen said, don't call kome as kome. But you should call kome as okome. It's a polite way of calling anything in Japanese. Anyway, that is not Shobo Genzo. That is a kind of a Shingi. But anyway, those monk scholars in the 17th, 18th century collect all those possible manuscripts written by Dogen. made 95 classical versions to make it as close to 100.

[13:20]

But they couldn't find five more. Anyways, but, you know, in this collection, there's only 28. So where 38, the number 38 came from, we don't know. Maybe this was not by, this number 38 was not by Dogen, but some people later in that process of working this kind of compilation, they put a temporal number on it. And mainly, we study Shōbō Genzō on these collections. That means Yōibutsu Yōbutsu is not studied so much because it was hidden until 17th century.

[14:23]

So, you know, there in Japan, there is a collection of commentaries of Shōbō Genzō made before Meiji. Meiji is 1868. Meiji restoration happened. So that means before Tokugawa or Edo period, there are many people made commentaries on Shobo Genzo. Among the collection of all the commentary on Shobo Genzo made before this age was included this collection. It has ten volumes, and there are many. But the commentary on Yoibutsu-Yobutsu made before Meiji is only two. One by this person, Menzan, And another one, Menzan's, this is not correct, this is not Menzan's commentary, but the commentary entitled Monge was made actually by Menzan's disciple, not by Menzan.

[15:46]

And another one is called, entitled Shikki. This was made by a monk named Zou Kai. So in that collection of commentaries on Shobo Genzo, we only find two of them. So this first school, Yuibutsu Yobutsu, is not so much studied. And even after May's complete commentary on Yoibutsu Yomutsu, I found was only one. I acted two. One by Kishizawa Iyanodoshi. He's a very well-known modern Japanese Sotozen priest, and also he was a great scholar.

[16:51]

And he gave lectures on entire 95 fascicule version of Shobo Genzo. And the collection of his Teisho on Shobo Genzo, on 95 fascicule, was published, and it has 24 volumes. It's a huge volume. And so Kisidawa Roshi gave a teisho, lectures, on this fascicle. And another one is not known so well, but was made by Okada, He was not... He was a priest, but he was not as a master. He was a scholar. He was the president of Komazawa University. And he made almost the entire fascicle of Shobo Genzo that has eight volumes.

[17:58]

And part of it was Yoibutsu Yobutsu. So there aren't many, so many commentaries on Yoibutsu Yobutsu. So it's a kind of difficult, more difficult to study Yu-Gi-Oh! even in Japanese. You know, for example, Bendoa or Genjokon, there are tons of commentaries by before Meiji or after Meiji. But on this fascicle, there aren't so many. So that is one difficulty, to study yuibutsu-yobutsu. And when we even not read it, but when we see the writing in Japanese, the manuscript in Japanese, we see, you know, this is different from other fascicles of Shobo Genzo.

[19:06]

Because this fascicle mainly written in Kana, Hiragana or katakana I think originally it was written in katakana and some kanji or Chinese characters but in other fascicles of Shobu Genzo there are many Chinese characters and sometimes he quote from a Chinese text without translate but this is very Japanese mainly written in this text in Hiragana. And that doesn't necessarily make it easy to read. Because Hiragana is fanatic, phonetic on the sound, so where we should cut the sentence is kind of difficult to judge. There's no punctuation in there.

[20:10]

So I cannot read that kind of manuscript. So I have to trust the scholars. And we now, we have a collection of Shobo Genzo made by Komatsu scholars, Sotozen scholars. And that's why we can read this manuscript. Anyway, that is a unique point of and another important point about this fascicle is this fascicle is traditionally but in this case traditionally from menzan this fascicle is about dharma transmission or shihou Shiho means Dharma transmission.

[21:19]

But when I read this first book, Yubutsu Yobutsu, I didn't understand why this is about Dharma transmission for many years. But this person, Okada Gifu, who was the president of Komazawa University, he how can I say, he categorized all 95 fascicles of Shobo Genzo into, I think, 15 categories, depending upon which topic Dogen is talking about. And one of those categories is about Shiho, or Dharma transmission. And according to this person, Okada Giho, Other fascicles on Dharma transmissions are, there are nine, and Yoyibutsu-yobutsu is the last one.

[22:32]

Other eight are kind of easy to understand why this person thought these are about Dharma transmissions. The first two is kesakudoku, and then kesakudoku is the virtue of okesa. And denne is transmission robe. So robe was used as a symbol of dharma transmission. So these are obviously about dharma transmission. And the third one is shisho. Shisho is a transmission document. When we receive Dharma transmission, we receive shisho, in which the lineage of ancestors from Shakyamuni is written.

[23:34]

So that is also very clear. This is about transmission. And the third, no, the fourth is juki. Juki. Or juki. Juki. This is also an expression from the Lotus Sutra. That means prediction. As I talked this morning, that young person, Sumedha, received a prediction from Deepankara Buddha. So this is also kind of a transmission. And the fifth is Katho. Katto is, in English, entanglement. Katsu is kuzu, you know, the plant, kuzu.

[24:43]

It's a kind of vine. And also fuji, to is fuji, that is wisteria. Both are vines. And katto usually has a negative meaning. That means entanglement. We have problems with other people. We have kato, entanglement. But Dogen Zenji used this word in a very positive way. Kato as a dharma transmission. In that way, Buddha awakened. and Mahakasyapa, somehow Buddha's awakening and Mahakasyapa's awakening become like a vine, and we don't know which is which, which is food, which awakening is food's awakening. They are all entangled from Shakyamuni to our generations.

[25:44]

He used this image of entanglement as, you know, each person as separate individual people, and yet their awakening is the same, all combined, entangled. And we cannot see this part is this person's and that part is that person's. And in this chapter, Dogen mainly discussed about dharma transmission between Bodhidharma and second ancestor Hyoika or Eka in Japanese. When Bodhidharma was old and he wanted to go back to India, he asked four of his disciples to say something about their understanding. And the first three people said something, but the last person, Huiko or Eka, didn't say anything but made prostration.

[26:46]

And Bodhidharma said, you know, you receive my marrow. That is a famous story. So in traditionally, always traditionally, that means who said so. That means we don't know who said so. said you know the shuiko or the second ancestors understanding was deepest that five bodhidharma said shuiko received the marrow of bodhidharma But Dogen Zenji was against that traditional understanding. He said all those four people are equal. You know, skin, flesh, bone, and marrow. It's not... In the depth, there's no such separation or classification.

[27:51]

But they are all received part of Bodhidharma. So it's a kind of a unique... interpretation of this transmission. So kattō is about transmission that is also very clear. And sixth is menjū. Menju is face-to-face transmission and in this fascicle Dogen wrote about his experience with his own teacher Tendo Nyojo Zenji. When he first met with Nyojo, Dogen made prostration and at that time Nyojo said the Dharma gate of face-to-face transmission is now completed.

[28:56]

So this is also about transmission. And the seventh is Udonge. Udonge is Udonbara flower. And of course this is about the story of Dharma transmission between Shakyamuni and Mahakasyapa. When Buddha was sitting on the seat, he just picked up a stalk of flower. This flower is called Udonge or Udonbara. And without saying anything, He just got this flower. But people in the assembly didn't understand. But only Mahakasyapa smiled. At that time, Buddha said, I have Shobo Genzo Neham Myoshin, the true Dharma I.

[30:03]

The Wanderer's Mind in Nirvana, and I entrust this to Mahakasyapa. So this is a kind of same kind of story with the Bodhidharma and second ancestors transmission. The Dharma is transmitted without speaking. So that is origin from heart to heart transmission. So this is also very clear. Udonge is about transmission. And eighth is ha-u. Ha-u means bowl. Oryoki bowl. and Aurochibol was also used as a symbol of transmission from the time of six ancestors. I think you know the story, the transmission from fifth ancestor to sixth ancestor Huinan.

[31:11]

Huinan received the robe, okesa, and a bowl. So this is also about transmission. So all those eight fascicles are very clearly about transmission, dharma transmission. But I didn't understand why Yuyi Tsubutsu is... written about or on that transmission for many years. Probably I still don't understand why. But that is what I think, at least to me, one point of studying this fascicle, why this is, this Unibud-Tyobud is about transmission. That is another point. keep in mind so in the very beginning I'd like to introduce what Menzen said about this first group and he said he clearly said this is about Dharma transmission

[32:31]

Menzan wrote a summary of each fascicle, a very short summary, and he composed a verse, a praising verse of the fascicle. And his summary and praising verse, his menzans, is as follows. First summary, menzan said about this Yoibutsu-yobutsu. This is my very rough translation, and I didn't ask anyone to edit, so English is not good. So you can edit by yourself. So Menzan said, this first clue is about we should not be lacking in carefulness and wholeheartedness regarding identity of verification of the master and the disciple.

[33:52]

Therefore, those who receive the transmission because of the master's power or for gaining some benefit, or because of worldly sense of obligation or duty, are not the legitimate heirs. Those who receive the transmission simply because of Dharma are, as Dogen Zen discusses, in this first group. So, well, let me finish this summary. The teacher and the disciple who are legitimate successors of the Buddha, are called yuibutsu-yobutsu.

[34:55]

So Mendon said those teachers and disciples in Dharma transmission are called teacher is yuibutsu and disciple is yobutsu. So only Buddha together with Buddha. So in Mendon's understanding, these yuibutsu and yobutsu, only a Buddha together with a Buddha refer to teacher and disciple in Dharma transmission. So he said, the teacher and the disciple who are legitimate successors of the Buddha are called yuibutsu, yobutsu. or only a Buddha together with a Buddha. If not, they are completely yui-bong-yo-bong. Yui-bong, he changed Buddha into bong instead of yui-bong-yo-bong.

[36:07]

Bom Myo Bom. Bom is an abbreviation of Bom Phu. Bom Phu means deluded human beings. Deluded human beings. So if those teachers and disciples really transmit dharma, if the disciples receive real dharma, true dharma from the teacher, then they are yuibutsu, yobutsu. Both are Buddhas, only Buddha, together with the Buddha. But if, I think this means, when the time of menzan, There were even, maybe today too, still, some disciples or some students received transmission because the master had a big temple.

[37:14]

That is about, Menzen said, those who received the transmission because of the master's power. or for gaining some benefit, like if the person received a transmission from that teacher, maybe the person, the disciple, could take over a big temple. That kind of or not such for the sake of power or benefit, but in some cases they give or receive transmission because of some worldly obligation. that kind of phenomena happening in his time. So this transmission should be really transmission of dharma.

[38:19]

So according to Mendon, what Dogen Zenji is writing in this first group, is what is the dharma. that is transmitted from the legitimate teacher to the legitimate disciple. And his praising verse on this fascicle is as follows. The blood vein from Vulture Peak, the blood vein from Vulture Peak continues throughout thousands of kalpas. Blood vein, that refers to Kechmyaku. you know, the lineage. When we receive the precept, we receive the ketchmyaku or lineage paper in feet, you know, from the left circle.

[39:32]

You know, Shakyamuni's name is here and it goes through our ancestors. And finally, Our name, and this goes back to the original circle. This is the idea of dharma transmission. And this, Fat Menzan said, is the blood vein. This red line is blood vein. from Vulture Peak, so it started from Vulture Peak. Vulture Peak refer to the place where the Lotus Sutra was expanded. So it came from the Vulture Peak, continues throughout thousands of kalpas, not only 2,000 years, but thousands of kalpas it continues.

[40:32]

Those who transmit the Dharma hold up the Dharma lamp until the endless future. So we should, if we are legitimate Dharma descendants of Buddha or Bodhidharma or Dogen, we should hold up this same Dharma expounded by Shakyamuni. So hold up the Dharma lamp until the endless future. That is our responsibility if we receive Dharma transmission. So if there is the slightest deviation right here within this transmission, we should feel ashamed as a monk who seeks fame and profit. Let me read the entire verse.

[41:36]

The blood vein from Vulture Peak continued throughout thousands of kalpas. Those who transmit the Dharma hold up the Dharma lamp until the endless future. If there is the slightest deviation right here, we should feel ashamed as a monk who seeks fame and profit. So he, Menzan, requests us to receive the Dharma that was transmitted from Shakyamuni to Mahakasyapa and go through Bodhidharma and Dogen Zenji and to us. Otherwise, we cannot call ourselves as the dharma heirs of Shakyamuni. Anyway, this is Menzon's summary of this first group.

[42:44]

Next, I'd like to talk about Dogen and the Lotus Sutra. Dogen Zenji was originally ordained as a Buddhist monk in Tendai tradition in Japan in Tendai school the entire teaching was based on the Lotus Sutra especially the understanding of the Lotus Sutra by Tendai Chi Yi Ah, geez, dude. CHI or CHI, I forget, but in Japanese I am sure his name is CHI. The great Tendai master who wrote commentaries on the Lotus Sutra and also Maka Shikan.

[43:53]

Maka Shikan is shamatha and vipassana and Maka is maha, big, large, great. great shamatha and vipassana, or stopping and seeing. That is the main teaching of Tendai school because Dogen was ordained as a Tendai monk. Until he left Tendai school and started to practice Zen, the main teaching he studied was about the Lotus Sutra. So Lotus Sutra was very important for him. studied practice Zen and received a transmission from a Chinese Zen master, Nyojo Zenji. It seems Dogen Zenji continued to study the Lotus Sutra and in Shobo Genzo he often quote from the Lotus Sutra.

[45:03]

According to scholars, I never met try to how many times Dogen quote Lotus Sutra in Shobo Genzo, but scholars do. And according to a scholar, it said Dogen quote the Lotus Sutra 51 times. and in 27 fascicles out of 95. I think it means quite often. So even after he started to practice then and he became a Zen master, for him the Lotus Sutra was very important and he often quote the Lotus Sutra and even right before his death, when he was dying, you know, he became sick in 1253.

[46:14]

He left Eheiji and went to Kyoto and stayed at a lay student of Dogen whose name was Kakunen. And a few days before he passed away, he walk around the room he was lying down, and he chanted the part of the Lotus Sutra. And according to Dogen's biography, the part of the Lotus Sutra he chanted the night before his death is part of chapter 21 of Lotus Sutra. The title is Divine Power, Divine Powers of the Tathagata, or in Japanese, Nyorai Jinriki Hon, and what he championed.

[47:24]

If you have this book, page 347, the paragraph says, Therefore, after the extinction of the Tathagata, you should all wholeheartedly embrace, read, and recite, explain, and copy, and practice it. It means this sutra, Lotus Sutra. As you have been taught, in any land, Wherever anyone accepts and embraces, reads and recites, explains and copies and practices it, this it is again Rota Sutra. as taught or wherever a volume of the sutra is kept, wherever a volume of the sutra is kept, whether in a garden or in a woods or under a tree or in a monk's cell or a layman's house or in a palace

[49:06]

or in a mountain valley, or an open field, that means everywhere, wherever, there. In all these places, you should put up a stupa. You should build a stupa and make offerings. So everywhere, anywhere, we should build a stupa And I make offerings. Why? Because you should understand that all such places are places of the way. In this case, this way means awakening. Anuttara Samyaksan body. So place of the way refers to the place where Buddha sat under a body tree when he attained awakening.

[50:07]

That is, you know, the original word for this place of the way is do or joo. Japanese word dojo is used where we practice something like martial arts or other Japanese arts are called dojo. So we think dojo is a kind of a place for practice but originally as a Buddhist term dojo means the place of awakening. not a place of practice. So this refers to where Buddha awakened under the Bodhi tree. That means this paragraph in the Lotus Sutra is saying is wherever there are people who accept, read, study and practice Lotus Sutra and Lotus Sutra is stored is where Buddha attained awakening.

[51:25]

So we have to make veneration and build a stupa. Stupa doesn't necessarily mean building. That means our practice can be a stupa. So you should understand that all such places are places of the way. They are where the Buddhas attain supreme awakening, anuttarasamyaksambodhi. They are where the Buddha turns the Dharma, Dharma wheel. They are where the Buddhas reach complete nirvana. So not only the Buddhagaya, where Buddha attained awakening, but Buddha turned the first Dharma wheel at the deer park to the five monks, and where in Kushinagara Buddha entered nirvana.

[52:29]

So all those people who fear the lotus sutra they are stored and studied and practiced, is the sacred place of Shakyamuni, where Shakyamuni attained awakening and turned the first dharma wheel and entered nirvana. So we should venerate all those places which have the Lotus Sutra. But I think the reason why Dogen chanted this part is not necessarily the written scripture called Lotus Sutra. But Lotus Sutra for Dogen means much broader or larger meaning. And I think that is what is written in this Uibutsu Yobutsu Fasuku

[53:32]

I'd like to talk a little more about Dogen and the Lotus Sutra. But to talk about the Lotus Sutra is a kind of a challenge. someone said I don't remember probably Jim said when Maezumi Roshi talked about koans people are exciting but when he started to talk about Dogen people start to sleep and Taigen Ranleyton wrote a book about Dogen and the Lotus Sutra. And in part of his book, Taigen's Lot, Suzuki Roshi gave a series of talks on the Lotus Sutra for more than one year, from 1968 to 1969 at Pasahara.

[54:43]

Most of the students found the talks were dry and deadly dull. So the combination of Dogen and Lotus can be very boring. So I tried to make it more kind of interesting. But I'm not sure I can be successful or not. It's again traditionally. Traditionally from Tendai Chigi. Lotus Sutra has 28 verses. And it's separated into two parts. One is, first one is called, let's see, in Japanese, shakumon. Another is, second is called hommon.

[55:55]

And Taigen translates shakumon as a trace teaching. Trace, I think. And this one as an origin teaching. I don't know what trace teaching means. But anyway, the most important chapter in the first half is chapter two. Houben Hong. Hobe means uttaya, or skillful means. And the center of second part of the Lotus Sutra is juryo-hung in Japanese. Juryo means lifespan, so Tathagata's lifespan.

[57:06]

These two are main teaching, these two chapters are main teaching of the Lotus Sutra. And in the chapter two, this expression is only Buddha together with a Buddha appeared. In the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha didn't say anything. He was just sitting and emit the light from his forehead and illuminate entire, it doesn't say entire universe, but it said eastern part of the universe. But Dogen said eastern part of the universe means entire universe.

[58:10]

Anyway, so this light in Japanese was called ko-myo. my translation is Radiant Light. And Dogen Zenji wrote a chapter of Shobo Genzo entitled Koumyou. And when he talks about this radiant light, he refers to this light emitted by Shakyamuni in the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra. So, first of all, this entire Dharma world is illuminated by Buddha's radiant light. That is an important point to keep in our mind to understand the Lotus Sutra.

[59:13]

And... Pardon me? What did I say? I like... it is important to keep this in mind, that when Dogen talks about radiant light, he refers to this light in the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Then people like Manjushri and Maitreya start to question what this radiant light means. And Manjushri said this is a sign that the Buddha is going to expound. the final teaching, final ultimate Mahayana teaching called the Saddharma Tundarika, that is Myoho Renge Kyo.

[60:21]

But in the first chapter, Buddha didn't say anything. But second chapter, in Ho-Wen Hon, he started to talk. And so, in that case, Shari Putra, one of the ten major disciples of Shakyamuni, asked Buddha to expound that teaching. But Buddha rejected, said, no one could understand it. But Shaliputra asked three times, and Buddha finally started to talk. And that talk, what he, Buddha, said, is about yoyibutsu-yobutsu. And that part is quoted by Dogen Zenji in Shohoji-sou.

[61:23]

Shoho means all beings. And this so is true reality. So true reality of all beings. This is another chapter of Shoho Genzo. So in order to understand yuibutsu-yobutsu, it's kind of important to study together with shoho-ji-so, because this expression, yuibutsu-yobutsu, came up with this word, shoho-ji-so. Chapter 2, yes. What the Buddha said is, yui, butsu, yo, butsu, nai, no, gu, shin, shoho, jisso.

[62:47]

only a Buddha, together with a Buddha. Naino means be able to. And gujin is a periturate. so true reality of all beings. So this sentence means only a Buddha together with a Buddha can penetrate true reality of all beings. So this means only Buddha, no human beings can penetrate this true reality of all beings. But later, in the same chapter, all Buddhas appeared to this world in order to open and show and allow people to realize and allow people to enter

[64:05]

Buddha's darshanam, or Buddha's insight. And Buddha's insight means show how much he saw. So there is a kind of a contradiction. First Buddha said, only Buddha can penetrate this true reality of all beings. But later he said, all Buddhas appear to this world to teach this true reality of all beings, to to show this reality to all beings and allow them to live awakening to this reality so it's a contradiction only Buddha together with Buddha no human beings but to teach human beings or living beings to teach this reality is Buddha's job so it's kind of an impossible job But anyway, what this means is one of the most important points of the Lotus Sutra.

[65:18]

Right after this sentence, the Lotus Sutra says about this true reality of all beings. It says, there are ten suchnesses. And those ten are... Let me write... In Japanese, first, so, sho, tai, riki, sa, and in, en, ka, ho, and hom, matsu, ku, So is form.

[66:37]

And so is nature. And tai is essence or substance or body. And riki is power or strength, maybe power or energy. And sa is function. Function. And in is cause. N is condition. And ka is result. And ka, ka, k-a. And ho is, what is ho in this translation? Recompense. Recompense. Recompense.

[67:43]

Okay, okay. Recompense. And the final one, Hon Matsu. kyo, to, in this translation is ultimate identity from the beginning to the end. These are called ten suchness, ten suchness is. And this is what true reality of all beings means. And... ultimate, ultimate identity from the beginning to the end. From the beginning to the end means from number one to number nine.

[68:47]

So, shou, tai, diki, So this is the fact that the true reality of all beings means. That means each and every being has those ten suchness. Pardon? Suchness. Suchness. Myōzen means such, S-U-A, suchness, tensuchness, peace. So, what this means... Sa, S-A-E, kanji, tsukuru.

[69:54]

of what this means. This is my understanding of what this means. I think the first five refer to the uniqueness of each individual being. Each person, each thing has its own form, its own unique nature, its own unique body or substance, and its own unique energy or power and function. Each and every thing, each and every being, each and every one of us has our own uniqueness. So these are kind of individuality. And next four until nine means these unique beings, each and every unique beings, can exist only within relation, only within relationship with others.

[71:21]

That means I think in and cause and result is a relation within time. You know, the most best example or most example of we use is plant. For example, within time, some seed is planted. That is a cause. Seed is a cause. And when, you know, even when seed was planted, if certain conditions are not there, seed cannot, you know... is the word, sprout. So seed need water, humidity, or sunlight, or certain temperature, and other elements.

[72:31]

If those conditions are there, seeds can start to grow, and it's finally become a big tree. And tree has a flower... bloom flower, and bear fruits. And within the fruit, there's a seed for the next generation, and the life cycle continues. In this case, you know, this seed is a cause, and fruits is the result. Actually, Japanese word ka means fruits. that means result. So in or cause and result is a relation between, within time, within time. And this one in condition means in order to, in order, you know, this seed to sprout there are certain conditions.

[73:46]

and not only the conditions which support this seed, actively support this seed to grow, but something or everything, everything negative that doesn't happen. is supporting this seed. For example, if right after this seed was planted, if a bird came to pick up, then the seed cannot grow. So all the birds who didn't come to eat this seed support this seed. Everything that didn't happen not only everything that support this seed actively all things that didn't happen to destroy the seed disturb the seed support the seed that means everything really everything so this condition means this entire space all beings this entire space is supported support this seed to grow

[74:56]

And it continues. And then the plant free matured. It has flowers and fruits. When the flower blooms, the kind of purpose or meaning of these plants for this activity is to continue the life to the next generation. But not only that, but also these flowers or fruits offer something to other beings. You know, the flower, when flower blooms, the bees or other insects come to get nectar, and the nectar nurture those living beings.

[76:01]

So this plant has something to offer when it's premature. So when it's not matured, the plant needs support from all beings. But when the plant is mature enough, they have something to offer. And that is this whole means, recompense. That, you know, this plant is our most understandable example, but this is not about the plants, but this is about bodhisattva practice. When we allow bodhicitta, We need support from teachers and co-practitioners and the guests, all beings, and support by other people. So we receive support, but when we mature, we can offer something.

[77:13]

And when a Bodhisattva became a Buddha, Buddha can really offer and support all beings. That is what this means. This recompense means in terms of the Lotus Sutra, becoming Buddha. And becoming Buddha is not the end of this story. When Shakyamuni became Buddha, that was a starting point of teaching. So Buddha continued to practice and teach. So now Buddha offers Dharma to all beings. So when we are baby-born sattva, we receive teaching, dharma, from many people or many things, and we study and continue, and when we are fully awakened, we have something to offer.

[78:15]

So this end or condition and whole recompense is a duration within the space. That is my understanding. Cause and result is relation within time. And condition and recompense is relation with other beings in the space. That is my understanding. So each and every being has its own unique characteristics. But that unique thing, unique beings, can only... exist within relationship with others throughout time and space. That is to me what these ten certainties means. And the last one

[79:15]

ultimate identity from the beginning and end is these nine. These nine suchnesses are not nine independent items, but this is just one thing. These nine are just one thing. That means all each characteristics of each beings and relation through time and throughout space, this is one thing. Nothing is separate from other things. Please. Can you say why they're called suchnesses? Suchness means this is not our perception, human perception or interpretation or evaluation.

[80:28]

These are the things as they are. It's not observation from human beings. That is why Buddha said these suchness or true reality can be penetrated only by Buddhas, no human beings. So this is another important point. But my question was, you know, this is very understandable. reality to us, why we cannot understand. I think we can understand this, and this is kind of true. But what the Lotus Sutra said, only Buddha together with the Buddha, no human beings, means what I'm talking now and what you are listening, then we are thinking and we think this is understandable or reasonable.

[81:38]

That is our thinking. But we cannot really see the reality of this entirety of reality because we are part of it. We are always inside. So we see the world and the history only from my point of view. So we cannot really see the things as they are. We can see from my karmic point of view. So even though this is written in Buddhist scriptures, this is kind of an explanation by using concept. So when I'm talking this, I'm talking about my understanding of what is written in the Lotus Sutra. We don't really see the reality of those ten suchnesses. We can understand, we can interpret, and we can accept.

[82:40]

But that is all what we do from my point of view. Because we are Buddhists, we try to accept what is written in Buddhist scriptures. And we think, I understand. But that is already the concept within Buddhist tradition. We don't really see this reality, the entire reality. So this is an important point. We don't see it, but we can experience it. Because to see, we need to be outside of this entirety, and it's not possible. And I think this is an essential teaching in the Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra.

[83:41]

And the teaching in the Nyorai Juryo Hon, or Tathagata's Lifespan, should be get together. That means we are living, or we are born, live for a while, and die. for a certain period of time, and we are there in a certain place, and we move around, and we die at a certain place. And in the case of Buddha, as I said this morning, Sumedha allows bodhicitta, and and started to practice as a bodhisattva practice for 500 lifetimes. And after that, he was born as a prince in India, and he practiced within this lifetime, and he attained the Buddhahood.

[84:46]

When we see only this part, Shakyamuni is a nirvana kaya. But when we see this entirety, Sakyamuni is a Sambhogakaya. But when we see more larger scale, Nyorai Jiryohon, or Tathagata's lifespan, says Buddha was attained Anuttara Samyaksambodhi, the endless beginning. This was not the starting point. So from the endless beginning until endless end, this is Buddha's life. within Buddha's eternal life. That is what the Tathagata's lifespan, chapter 16, saying, basically.

[85:51]

That means within Buddha's eternal life, these things happen. This is called Dharmakaya. Within Dharmakaya Buddha, Sambhogakaya starts to practice certain points. So Sambhogakaya has beginning, but Sambhogakaya has no end. Nirvanakaya Buddha has birth and death, beginning and end. All those things, individual things or individual beings, appear, stay for a while, changing the shape and disappear within this Buddha's eternal life span. That is my understanding of essential point of Lotus Sutra, to make these two chapters together. So, not only Shakyamuni Buddha, but each and every one of us in our seed of a plant is the same.

[87:04]

We are born, live for a while, changing the shape, and disappear, of course. But this is happening within Dharmakaya Buddha. To me, this is an important point to understand what Dogen is writing in Ye Butsyobutsu and also Shoho Jisso. Please. No end. Like Amitabha Buddha, It has no end. Please? I have a question about classical. No, both kanji and probably katakana, not hiragana. I think so. It's very difficult to copy exactly the same because we are not a copy machine.

[88:18]

Especially when there is some part we don't, difficult to understand, we interpret and we think this is correct. Not Dogen, but the writing was mistaken. And we interpret and try to copy in the way it makes sense to me. So those fascicles are commonly considered as Dogen's, even though a small part of his own personal handwriting is still available. But the main part was copied. Please. Yeah, I think Uji, what Dogen wrote in Uji is his insight about time in this framework.

[89:23]

I talk about Dogen's insight about time and its beings and space. Not today. I think it's time to stop talking and go to Dendo. Tomorrow morning I'm going to talk about Fat Dog and Lot in the very beginning of Shoho Jiso.

[90:12]

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