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2012.08.01-serial.00145
The main thesis of the talk delves into several expressions from Zen teachings, focusing on the interconnectedness of the individual and the universe. The discussion spans concepts like the "true human body," "gate of liberation," "single eye of Vairochana," and "dharma body of the self," using teachings from Dogen Zenji and references to numerous Zen figures. The examination of these expressions emphasizes understanding beyond literal interpretations, advocating a more experiential and intimate comprehension that transcends intellectualization and embodies the true nature of reality.
Referenced Works and Key Discussions:
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Gensha Shibi and Ankoku Ekyu: Explored for the saying, "the entire ten-direction world is a true human body," emphasizing the interconnectedness and non-duality of self and universe.
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Seppo Gison: Quoted for the expression that the entire earth is a "gate of liberation," discussed in relation to the Shōbōgenzō, highlighting the idea that liberation is omnipresent and not always recognized or entered even though one is within it.
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Dogen Zenji's Shōbōgenzō: Referenced multiple times; particularly the fascicles "Kūge" (Flower of Emptiness) and "Yuibutsu Yobutsu," reflecting on Zen expressions and reality perception.
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Avalokiteshvara and the Buddhist Sutra: Mentioned regarding the single eye and various symbolic interpretations of wisdom, underlying the importance of differing perspectives of vision and wisdom in perceiving reality.
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Diamond Sutra and Nagarjuna's Commentary: Discusses the five eyes (flesh eye, heavenly eye, prajna eye, dharma eye, and buddha eye) as a framework for understanding different levels of perception and wisdom. The progression from subjective perception to ultimate awareness mirrors concepts central to Zen studies.
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Nanyo Echu and the Sixth Ancestor: Discussed in exploring the concept of "dharma body," which pertains to the non-acknowledgment of the pure reality, underscoring Zen’s perspective on identity and true essence.
AI Suggested Title: Unified Essence Through Zen Perception
good afternoon everyone now we are in page 7 about one third is done we have a long way to go but from here I think it's not so complicated so I think I can go faster So this morning I just read those four expressions in the beginning of page seven. And he make a comment of each of these expressions. First one is, the entire great earth is a true human body. This expression is originally uttered by Gensha C.B.
[01:18]
But his sayings is quoted by his student. His student's name is Ankoku Ekyu. Genshashibi is famous... is famous for his saying of the entire ten-direction world is one bright jewel. So same kind of saying, the entire ten-direction world. Here it says entire great earth, but originally it says great ten-direction world. The Great Ten Direction word is JIN JIP PO KAI. SHIN JIT NIN TAI.
[02:31]
JIN JIP PO KAI. Jitsu, nin, tai. Entire, jin is entire. Jippo is ten direction. Kai is world. So entire ten direction world is shin and jitsu both means true or real. True and real. Nin is human. Human. And tai is body. So Dogen changed Jinjippo to Jin Daichi, entire great earth. Anyway, this expression, Jinjippokai Shinjitsu Nintai, appeared this person's angoku ekyu.
[03:39]
I'm sorry, I didn't check the Chinese pronunciation of these people's names. this person asked a question to Ryo Inju. Inju is like a director of his monastery. And Kokueki said, his late teacher, my late teacher said, The entire Ten Direction world is true human body. And he asked a question, if so, do you see the monk's whole? Do you see the monk's whole? Monk's whole, sodo, zendo. That means monk's whole. I'm sorry. That means this person is entire ten-direction world.
[04:44]
Then, you know, they are talking about within that temple building. If we are as big as ten-direction world, do you see this place? Actually, we are living and practicing this concrete place. If we are one with entire world, what is this where we are actually sleeping and sitting and eating, working, this concrete small place. Do you see this concrete place or not? Then this inju, or director, said, Master, don't have cataract. Don't have cataract? Cataract? is called genke or ka.
[05:46]
This means the flower of the eye, flower in the eye. It means a cataract, something, even though we don't see, there's nothing, but we see something like flowers. And this is the same word with kuge. Kūge means flower of emptiness and Dogen wrote one fascicle of Shōbō Genzo entitled Kūge or flower of emptiness but the fact this person said is master don't have cataract that means if we think you know I'm here and I And one with this entire ten-direction world, according to him, that is a cataract. That is a delusion, a real illusion. What we really see is the monk's hall and the platform on which we are sitting and all that we use for eating meals and actual activities.
[06:58]
that date to the place where we walk, sit, practice, eat, that actual place is ten direction world. Then Angkokwekyu, the abbot, said, our late teacher has passed away, has died, and yet his flesh, his flesh, his body, his flesh is still warm. That means my teacher is still alive. That means he accepts and recognizes this person's answer. So we need to be careful when we understand this saying. This kind of saying, ten-direction world, is true human body.
[08:04]
So our body is such a big thing. If we think in such a way, that is a delusion. And the second one, the entire great earth is the gate of liberation. This saying is uttered by Gensha's teacher. Gensha's teacher is Seppo Gison. Seppo Gison. Gi Song. Seppo is a person who had a conversation with Tozan about whether you select rice from sand or select sand from rice. This person, Seppo Gi Song, said something, said as follows, and Dogen Zenji quote this saying by Seppo again in Shobo Genzo Shoho Jisou.
[09:18]
What Seppo said is, the entire great earth is the gate of revelation, but people are not willing to enter. even though they are dragged. This entire ten-direction world or Great Earth is a gate of revelation but people don't want to enter even though they are, you know, pulled to enter. I talk about this expression later. And the third one is The entire ten great earths is the single eye of Virojana. I cannot find exact expression as this. But his Angoku Ekyu's Dharma brother is, let's see, Tenryu.
[10:31]
It said Jyōki. Ten-pyu-ju-ki is Angkoku Eikyu's Dharma brother. That means Gensha Shibi's disciple, another disciple. Says, I don't have time to talk about entire Dharma discourse, but in here, this person says, Jin-ju-po-kai-su-be-te-to- Ze is seki gan. To means to be entirely, all, and that is one single eye. But it doesn't say nairochana.
[11:42]
It only says one single eye. And I also cannot find the exact quote of the fourth one, the entire great earth is the dharma body of the self. But this expression, dharma body of the self, is used in a negative way. This is a conversation between 9-0-H of Maybe I don't need to write kanji. Nanyo Echu, he is one of the disciples of the Sixth Ancestor. And Dogen Zenji respects Nanyo Echu very much. Anyway, and he was the teacher of the Emperor. And this is a conversation between Nanyo Echu and the emperor.
[12:56]
The emperor's name is Su Tung. And this conversation appeared in, I think this is case 99. The emperor asked Nanyo Echu, what is the ten body controller? I don't really understand what five ten bodies, but ten body controller means Buddha. What is a Buddha? Then Nanyo Echu said, patron, that means emperor, walk on Virochana's head. Walk on Virochana's head. Walk above Virochana's head.
[13:56]
Here Virochana appears. So maybe Dogen made some kind of arrangement. So Nanyo-Echu said to the emperor, walk on Virochana's head. Then the emperor said, I don't understand. Then national teacher said, Nanyo-Echu said, don't acknowledge your own pure body of reality. Don't acknowledge your own pure body of reality. body of reality is dharma body. I think this is Thomas Curiel's translation. So this person said, don't see, don't perceive the pure dharma body of the self. So this is used in a negative way.
[14:59]
Don't stuck there that this entire dharma body is the dharma body of the self. But this is one example of this expression, the dharma body of the self. But here it is used in negative meaning. Anyway, those are four statements. And Dogen in Yuibutsu Yobutsu comments about those four expressions. Paragraph 7. What this meant is means first expression, true human body. What this means is that the true reality is the true body, the true reality of all beings, shoho jiso, is the true body of each one of us.
[16:12]
We should know that the entire great earth, is our own true body that is not false. If there is someone who asks why we usually don't know this, we should tell the person that we should bring the expression, the entire great earth is the true human being, intimately to ourselves. Or we should say the entire great earth is the true human body. This is the way we know that. This is Dogen's comment. So he says we should know that the entire great earth, this entire world, is our own true body that is not false.
[17:17]
So our body is not this enough, five or six feet tall collection of five skandhas, but this entire world is our body. And that is true body. Then if there is someone, I think this is a very natural question, who asks why we usually don't know. Usually we know, we think this is my body. This is a human body and this is not my body. This is not my body. The world is not my body. But why, if that is true, you know, the entire Great Earth is true human body, if that is true, why we usually don't know? Then Dogen says, we should tell the person that, we should bring the expression, this expression, the entire Great Earth is true human body,
[18:31]
intimately to ourselves. That means you don't try to understand as a kind of an objective statement. It should be applied to our own body and mind. That means it's not something we can see as an object, that this true human body is the entire world. When I, you know, draw this kind of, you know, Okay, network. And I say, you know, when we are part of this network, when I touch one knot, I touch this entire world.
[19:36]
So we are all really connected with the entire world. When I talk, this expression in this way and if you understand uh what i'm talking then this is an illusion that means that is what dog is saying we should not think in this way as an object or as a concept but we should apply this expression right to this you know actual five scandals And this is the entire great earth because this is empty. So here we need to understand, you know, we think we are one person and there are a collection of many people and I'm one of them. If we think this one person is this entire great earth, I think that is a mistake.
[20:47]
But my kind of a strange idea is one equals zero equals infinity. This one should be negated. That is what Dogen said when he said to study Buddha way is to study the self, but to study the self is to forget the self. And to forget the self is to be verified by all beings in the ten directions. So when we forget this, then this ten direction world appears. Otherwise, if we don't negate this oneness, this one of many, and we think, I am infinite, if I am infinity, then that is an illusion.
[21:52]
That makes many problems. But this one should be negated. This one is zero. That's why this body and mind, these five skandhas, are all pervading. And not only about this person, but also space and time. You know, in Genjo Koan, he said, there is a before and after, this is time, past, present and future. And when a firewood is at the dharma position of firewood, before and after is cut off. So when it is in the position of firewood, then this is 100% firewood.
[22:54]
When he discuss about time, I think not because of one particular statement, but when we study Dogen and what he's saying about time, I think there's three kinds of times. And one is, of course, this kind of flow from the past to the future through present moment. This is a kind of a common idea of time we have. Time flows from past to the future. And now we are at one moment called present moment. But actually this one moment, if we take a close look at it, you know, this entire past has gone, so it's not a real thing.
[24:07]
And entire future has not yet come, so this is not a real thing. Only moment, only real moment is this present moment. And important point is this present moment has no length. If there is even a slightest length, then we can cut into two. And this is past, this is future. So present has no length, that means zero, right? Then if that means time disappeared, that is what I'm going to say next time past is gone future has not yet come and present moment is zero so time disappeared and then time disappeared as you said you know the time eternal time time which doesn't flow appeared
[25:18]
Does that make sense? You know, in Jiju Zanmai, Togen Zenji says, our Zazen is one with all times and all beings. That means when we are sit and letting go, we are only this moment, this moment which has no length. Here, when we say here and now, this now has no length. When I think now, there are rings, even slightest. Even when I think now, you know, or we say now. Now, when I say now, who is still in the future? And when I say who, now is already past. So it has rings. But actual present moment has no rings. That is in our zazen of letting go of thought. Then somehow Dogen said our zazen is one with entire time.
[26:26]
And this time doesn't fly, doesn't flow. That means from the beginningless beginning until the end of end. This is one seamless moment. we cut the time in this way as present, past, future, and we measure the time using something useful, meaningful for us, like a length of one day or one hour. Then we cut and it becomes a segment. But when we don't measure the time, from the moment of Big Bang until now, it's one seamless moment. So time doesn't flow. To me, that is eternity. The time that doesn't flow, it's always there.
[27:29]
It's really one moment. And then, you know, this one time, one time of Zazen, and this one time disappeared because there's no such length. Then it become eternity. This is another example of one equal zero equal infinity. And space is the same. Then we say here, what is fair here, if we say this is here, then we can separate, divide this room into two. And no matter if there is a slightest, what do you call, size, then we can cut into two. So real here has no space, but it's only a dot which has no size.
[28:39]
You know, actually here has no space, and actually present moment has no length, and this one person is no person. That is a time we can say this entire great Earth is true human body. Please. I still don't understand why time does not flow, time becomes infinity. To me, infinity means no separation. There's no way to measure. It's beyond measurement. One moment, next moment. This moment is... Okay. That's a good answer. Please. Time being, my...
[29:41]
Time is being, and being is time. And the self, in Uji, he used the expression ga-u-ji. Ga or go. This is one thing. Go with self. Self being time is one thing. Please. Sorry to ask so many questions about this, but there's also, has any said that present includes past and future? Can you explain that, please? Yeah, you know, this present moment has no length, so that is zero. But within this zero moment, entire past is deflected and entire future is restricted.
[30:54]
So that means past and future came out of this moment. That make sense? This deflected means it's not really existing, but it's deflected here. I mean, this person's, this person, what I'm talking is all the reflection of what I studied in the past, right? If I didn't study in the past, I'd memorize and think and experience. You know, I cannot say anything, but what I'm saying, what I'm thinking now, and what I'm saying is a reflection of my entire past. Right? That I get. It's a future I don't get. And the future comes from what I'm doing now. Because I'm doing this, something happens.
[31:55]
Right? Right. So without what I'm doing now, there's no future. Entire future is from here, what I'm doing. Please? Free determination. What you're doing now is based on the past. Well, it may change depending on what I do next moment. So this is one element. What I'm doing now is reflected to what I'm going to do next. That means if I make some mistakes, then next moment or tomorrow I have to make, I have to apologize and make corrections. So what I'm going to do is reflected, will be reflected what I do in the future.
[33:01]
So it's, how can I say, it's open-ended. Please. So our present moments, plural, in print, in numbers, Present moment? Infinite? There's moments. Infinite in number? I think so. If we try to count, there's no time I can finish. I think. Well, anyway, there we are. I started to talk about this 1 equals 0 infinity. I forget. Anyway, let me return to the sentence. So if someone asks why, we usually don't know.
[34:03]
don't know this, we should tell the person that we should bring the expression the entire great earth is the true human beings intimately to ourself or from here to ourself, not as a concept or a theory. Then Dogen says, or we should say The entire great earth is the true human body. This is the way we know that. What this? I think this means not knowing. You know, that person asked why we don't usually know this. This we usually don't know is the way we know this. Does it make sense? Good. Dogen used this knowing and not knowing in many different ways.
[35:07]
And one important way he used is A and Fuei. or chi and fu chi. Our common usage of to know and not to know means, not to know means a lack of knowledge. So I don't know. But that is, of course, Dogen used these words in the same way, in the same common way we use.
[36:10]
But he, again, on other occasions, he used opposite, not opposite, but, you know, for example, when we learned how to drive a car, First we have to learn the structure of the car and how to operate. We have to think, read, think and memorize and understand. And then we start to actually drive a car. That is what knowing, I know how to drive a car and I can drive a car. But when we are really getting used to driving, we don't think, you know, which gear we should put or when we should push the brake pedal.
[37:12]
We can do it without thinking, without knowing. That is what not knowing means. Sometimes no gain use. That means, or, you know, how to use Oryoki. When we start, we have to learn how to do things under order. And it's pretty much complicated for beginners. So during Oryoki meals, we have to think. We have to understand and think and try to do. So we are really careful one by one. But when we get used to, you know, orioki meals for after 10 years of practice, then without thinking we can do that. That is what fuie means. And so e-bukpo And understanding Buddha is a first step.
[38:18]
But when we really enter and practice and live the Dharma, there's no space to think about what the Dharma is. We are doing. And that is called Fue, Fue Dutto, not knowing. And probably this usage of Dogen came from one Koan story, I think about the Hogen, the Master Hogen. When he was leaving his teacher's monastery to do pilgrimage, the teacher asked, what is pilgrimage like? Then Hogan said, I don't know. Then his teacher said, not knowing is most intimate. So because it's too intimate, that means we ourselves, there's no way to know, to understand. This entire great earth is the self, true self.
[39:27]
Because we are right there. We cannot see... that reality as object. That's why we don't know. We usually don't know is the way we know. Does it make sense? So when we read Dogen, we have to kind of, how can I say, put our mind in different mode. We have to be free from usual usage of the words. But is that really not knowing? In the analogy that you used of driving a car, you learned that already. And so in knowing it and doing it, it's not that you don't know it, you've already learned it. Now we are learning.
[40:29]
By studying Dogen, we are learning this entire world is our true body. Even until now, we never think such a thing, but now we start to study, learn. Then, in our practice, maybe we cannot know as an object, but we can experience that we are actually there. We are one with the entire world, the entire Great Earth. When we understand Fat Dogen's saying here, in our life we can experience and feel that me and all beings in this entire world is really one thing. That is how we start to think and understand and forget understanding and actually not knowing. That is a process, if you like the process.
[41:34]
Please. The image that comes to my mind is when I was a child, I studied piano. And I had to spend a long time with the music and do it over and over and over and over. And then when I got to a certain point, I could play the piece without thinking about it. But if I started to think about it, I lost it. I think same thing. In other words, if we think how to sit and how to breathe, how to let go, when we thought, I have to let go. If I'm thinking I have to let go, there's no time I can let go. Because I should let go is another thought. So by just sitting, we can let go. Please. Yeah, everything.
[42:41]
Okay, please. Do you think there's some assumed reference in all of these? I think it's connected. Great Earth means where we actually are, not only this planet Earth, but the space we are existing in. That means in Buddhist terms, dharma world or dharma dots. You have something to say? I was just going to say, not knowing sounds like having your teacher hiding within you. Right. Please. And not knowing, what part of the mind is that? I don't know.
[43:48]
The realm of letting go of thought. Opening our thought, open the hand of thought. That is fear. I don't know. Not knowing is happening, I think. That is real, actual life. Please. Rishi was saying we can't know it as an object, but we can experience it. Do we know that we experience it? That's a good question. If we try to observe our experience, then it's something different. Then it becomes another object. So what Uchamaro said is what we can just do without observing or evaluating whether this is it or not. So it's very, this is what Ujjana Roshi often said, this is very unsatisfactory.
[44:52]
There's no way to make sure I'm on the right track. Please. There's a story about Suzuki Roshi at the end of the Sashin. He said three people in the Sashin had attained enlightenment, but they don't know it. We are the same. Please. Is this related to not having fixed views and experiencing things correctly? Yeah. That is what Ujjama has meant, opening the hand of thought. Yes. So this is, how can I say, about the world of practice or doing or living, not thinking. Please. How can I explain? You know, in our common way of understanding of now, here, and now is even now has certain lengths.
[46:20]
Now I'm talking in this room. In this case, this now has a length of about one and a half hour. This is now. But this is not really now. The now is, you know, if this now means one and a half hour, then we can cut into two. Now, this moment, and the past, it's already gone, and well, it's already for ten. I need to talk twenty more minutes, or thirty, forty, anyway. Then, even though our... concept of here and now has some length and size, but as actual reality, now has no length, and here has no side, but only a position.
[47:31]
Same as the definition of dot in mathematics. Dot in mathematics has only position, no size. I'm sorry, this is our answer to your question or not. Please. Pardon me? Right. There's no now. So time disappeared. But we create the story. You know, I am here because I became my teacher, disciple, and studied English, so I have to study.
[48:33]
I have to talk about Dogen's teaching in English. That is a story in the past, and that's why I'm doing this. And because of this, you know, I become so tired. And that is about my future. You know, this is a kind of our story, memory and expectation, or my plan. That is within our mind. It's a production of our mind. As an actual reality, there's no such thing, only this moment. Well, I thought this is simple. But it takes time.
[49:34]
Well, let me go to the next about the gate of liberation. Also, the entire great earth is the gate of liberation. As I said, this is a supposed thing. And let me introduce Fat Dogen's comment about this thing in Shobo Genzo Shoho Jisou. This is interesting. Dogen quote Fat Seppo said, and he comments, Therefore, we should know that even though the entire earth and the entire world is the gate. It is not easy to exit and enter. Right? This entire world is a gate. So how can we enter? How can we exit?
[50:37]
Because we are already there. Then... What page are you on? Ah, this is not Yuigachiro. This is from Shohojiso. There aren't many who have exit and entered. Actually, no one can. Even when they are dragged, they do not enter, they do not exit. When they are not dragged, they do not enter, they do not exit, whether they are dragged or not. They don't enter and they don't exit. Those who try to take forward steps and enter will make mistakes. If we try to enter, that is a mistake. And those who try not to take backward steps will stagnate. So there's no way to enter and there's no way to exit.
[51:44]
What can we do? Dogen's question. And his answer is, when grabbing the people and trying to make them getting in and out of the gate, they are getting far and far and far. If we try to grab someone and try to enable this person to enter, then we are getting far and far. So when grabbing the gate and trying to put it into the people, then there is a possibility to get in and get out. Do you understand? That is same as Dogen said in Genjo Koan. When we convey ourselves to the myriad dharmas, you know, that is delusion, but these myriad dharmas are the date of liberation, coming toward the self.
[52:56]
Then there's a possibility. This is really interesting to me. Anyway, I return to Yoyi Butsyov's about this expression. The entire great earth is the gate of liberation. Defer to the reality that we are not entangled or restrained in any way. That is what liberation means. The words, the entire great earth, are intimate with the time, with the year, with the mind, and with the words. They are intimate without any crack. So the meaning of this expression, entire great earth, means intimacy.
[53:59]
And that which is limitless and boundless should be called the entire great earth. So the entire great earth is intimate and yet boundless. That is what entire Great Earth means. And we are already there in the gate of liberation. But we don't feel we are liberated. That is the problem. But if we want to get into the gate of liberation, even if we seek to enter into or exit from the gate of liberation, it is not possible. Why is it like this? We should take a look at the source of the question aroused. That means this expression, the entire great earth is a gate of liberation. So even if we want to seek where the gate of liberation is not,
[55:08]
it is not possible to accomplish. That means wherever we are, that is the gate of liberation. Sometimes we feel we are really bound by everything, all the connections, all the relations within certain situations, and we don't know how to exit from these conditions. But I don't remember exactly what kind of conversation, but when a monk asked the teacher about the person's difficulties, some problems, then the teacher said, that is the entrance to the Dharma. Entrance or exit. That means right here, right now in that situation is if we don't escape from there. That is the gate of liberation in whatever how difficult the situation is.
[56:18]
That is the way we can liberate. And actually we are liberated from the beginning because there is no self This is just a five-scandals and empty. That is the gate of liberation. So this gate of the liberation is, as any Buddhist teaching says, when a subject meets with an object, there's a contact. And as I often said already, the sequence of suffering starts. we want to get something we want, or we want to escape from something we don't want, and we are often, too often, we are not successful, so we suffer.
[57:20]
But what he's talking, not only Dogen, but Buddhas and all Buddhist teachers talking is there's another direction, not going that way to create a burning house. of three worlds there is a exactly the same condition we can find the gate of liberation that is the way we see the emptiness of not only object but also subject When we see emptiness, then we can see we don't need to necessarily go this way to chase after something we want or escaping from something we want. That is the place where we can find a very peaceful, stable foundation of our life.
[58:23]
and we just sit right there by letting go of thought. Then we don't need to start to learn after something we wish we want, or learn from something we don't like, but sit right now, right here, and anyway accept and work with the situation. That is, so wherever we are and whatever difficult condition we are, that we are right at the gate of liberation. But it's really difficult. Sometimes I feel, you know, we feel we cannot sit. The situation is too difficult, too painful, so I cannot sit. But actually we can sit and letting go. I mean, you know, I started to practice, actually practice when I was 19.
[59:29]
So I, you know, have been practicing in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, now I'm in my 60s. I feel really fortunate that I could experience, live and see the life from the Zen. even in a very difficult situation, I could sit. My sitting was usually a five-day session almost each month. And I take a vow to continue to practice this way. And I did for about 20 years until about I became 40. That means I at least did 10 sessions a year for 20 years.
[60:31]
That means almost 1,000 days I'm just sitting from 4 in the morning until 9 in the evening. After 20 years, almost three years, I'm just sitting. It's really a waste of time. If I didn't sit and do something else, maybe I did much meaningful thing. But that was really, I think, really fortunate for me. I could see the entire life, at least adult life from Zazen. And in a certain way, that practice protects me from doing something very stupid. Otherwise, I might go very different ways.
[61:34]
But the Zen or Sesshin is to me like an anchor of a ship. I don't float away, but I try to stay here and now without making too much kind of fantasy and story and chasing after something I wish. It's really, I think to me, a powerful practice, but I gain nothing. But doesn't itself, I think, is liberation. We're failure. So there's no... Before you go on, I just want to ask about this pair of questions here. So... I took this statement, we should look at the source of the question aroused, as Dogen suggested that we should wonder, we should look at why we want to ask, why is it like this?
[62:46]
Yes. Why or where the question comes from, the source of the question, that means we are already there. That is what he is saying in the last sentence. We cannot find anywhere which is not a gate of liberation. So right where you are, that is the gate. Next is one single eye. Also, the entire great earth is the single eye of Vairochana, means that a Buddha is the single eye. Do not imagine that a Buddha's eye is always like a human eye.
[63:53]
There are two eyes in the human body, but when we speak of the eye, we only say human eye. we don't say there are two or three. Those who study the teachings of Buddhism are not taught that the Buddha eye, the Dharma eye, the heavenly eye and so on are actually eyes. To understand them as eyes is off the mark. now we should hear and understand that there is only the single eye of the Buddha, that is, the entire great earth itself. There might be a thousand eyes or ten thousand eyes, but for the time being, the entire great earth is the one among them. Although there are so many eyes, it is not a mistake to say that this eye is the one among them.
[65:04]
Also, it is not a mistake to understand that there is only one eye in Buddha's body. There must be many different kinds of eyes. There are Buddhas who have three eyes, a thousand eyes, or eighty-four thousand eyes. Your ears should not be surprised when you hear that Buddhas' eyes are like this. So this is about one single eye. And of course, eye refers to wisdom. you know it said the Avalokiteshvara has one thousand hands and each hand has one eye so Avalokiteshvara has one thousand hands and one thousand eyes in that case you know hand is doing something actions but when we do actions in the case of Avalokiteshvara to help others Avalokiteshvara needs wisdom
[66:15]
that five abhidhata tesvara has seven eyes. And some Buddha statues have three eyes, two eyes and one eye on the forehead. So there are many different kinds of eyes and Dogen refers to three kinds of eyes, that is, three or four buddha eye dharma eye and heavenly eye these three eyes came from buddhist sutra that is the diamond sutra if you study diamond sutra i think you know what these eyes are These are three of five eyes.
[67:16]
Do you know those five eyes? You know, Diamond Sutra is one of the oldest Mahayana sutras. Prajnaparamita Sutras is a collection of like 600 volumes and Diamond Sutra is one of the oldest because early sutras, Diamond Sutra does not use the word shunyata or emptiness yet. even though the main topic of Prajnaparamita is emptiness, when Diamond Sutra was made, people didn't have the concept of emptiness yet. So this is very old expressions, those five eyes.
[68:23]
And probably this, so Diamond Sutra is much older than Nagarjuna. And probably Nagarjuna's teaching about two truths may come from those five eyes. I'm not sure. This is my guess. And those five eyes are nikugen, tengen, egen, And a hōgen. And butsu gen. Niku gen. Ken gen. E gen. Hō gen.
[69:26]
And butsu gen. Those are five eyes. And niku is flesh. Fresh eye, or physical eye. And ten is heaven. So heavenly, heavenly eye. And A is wisdom, or prajna. Prajna eye. And fourth is, ho is dharma, dharma eye. And last is buddha eye. And in the Diamond Sutra, Shibuti asked to Buddha, I'm sorry, the Buddha said to Shibuti, Shibuti, what do you think? Does the Tathagata possess physical eyes?
[70:29]
Physical eyes is fresh nickel game. And Shibuti said yes. And Then Buddha said, Shibuti, what do you think does the Tathagata for this divine eye? This divine eye is ten-gen. And the same question and answer repeated five times. So Buddha has all those five eyes. And in the sutra, there's no explanation about these five eyes. But Nagarjuna made a commentary about those five eyes. And this is from a translation of Diamond Sutra by Red Pine. And Red Pine introduced Nagarjuna's commentary on those five eyes.
[71:31]
First about Nikugen or flesh or physical eye. Nagarjuna says, the physical eyes see the near but not far. We can see close, near, but we cannot see too far. So our eye has limitation. See the near but not the far. The front but not the back. Our eye can see front, but we cannot see the back. And the outside, but not the inside. When there is a lid, we can see the outside, but we cannot see inside. And the light, but not the dark. When it's bright we can see, but when it's complete darkness we cannot see.
[72:39]
The top, but not the bottom. We can see the surface of the ocean, but we cannot see the bottom of the ocean. Because it is obstructed or limited, a bodhisattva seeks the divine eye. So this second is divine eye. And about divine eye, Nagarjuna said, the divine eye sees both the near and the far, the front and the back, the outside and the inside. the light and the dark, the top and the bottom, so this eye, heavenly eye, can see what our fresh eye cannot see. Top and the bottom, all without obstruction, so this eye has much more powerful than our human eyes.
[73:49]
I never met human beings, so I don't know what kind of life they have. But we can, maybe I can guess, you know, this is like, this is our eyes, which can only see the surface or front or outside. But this eye is like a rational way of thinking, rational or scientific. When we see things with our human eye, We see and we make judgment based on whether this is good for me or not good for me, or this is valuable or not valuable, or useful or not useful. But when we think, you know, with rational thinking, we can think more kind of objectively. Is the word you're saying relational? Rational.
[74:52]
Rational. That means, you know, now we can, you know, with our physical eye, we can see only one side of moon because moon is always facing one side. But because of the artificial satellite, we can see the other side of the moon. So we can get more information or knowledge. and we can collect all different kinds of information, and we can see from even the backside of the moon or inside of our body. So I think this is our subjective way of thinking, and this is more rational and objective way of thinking. But anyway, both are discriminating thinking.
[75:53]
And about the third eye, before going to the third eye, Nagarjuna continued, but the divine eye sees only those provisionally named things that result from the combination of causes and conditions and not their true appearances. those thinking, subject or object of thinking, we cannot see the true appearances. That means emptiness. Not their emptiness or their formlessness. Formlessness. Their non-existence. Their breathlessness or their deathlessness. the same hold for their past, their present, or their future.
[76:58]
Hence, a bodhisattva seeks the prajna eye. So bodhisattva needs the third eye, prajna eye. And about the prajna eye, he says, the prajna eye does not see beings. does not see beings, does not see the forms. For all common and differentiating characteristics are extinguished. This prajna eye sees oneness of everything, emptiness of everything, without any discrimination, without any evaluation. So that is the eye which sees emptiness. It is free of all attachments. It is free of all attachments and immune to all dharmas, including prajna itself.
[78:05]
So prajna is free from even prajna itself. But, and yet, but because it does not distinguish anything The prajna eye cannot liberate other beings. Because it does not distinguish anything, the prajna eye, the eye which sees emptiness, cannot liberate other beings. because this eye doesn't make any distinction. Does it make sense? In order to help others, we have to know what is the cause of this person's problem. Each person has different cause and result and different kinds of sufferings.
[79:09]
So in order to help those people, we need wisdom which sees difference and cause and conditions. So this prajna eye is not the final thing to become Buddha. So prajna eye cannot liberate other beings. Hence, a bodhisattva gives rise to the dharma eye. So next thing is dharma eye. So this prajna eye is wisdom without discrimination, seeing oneness and equality. Please. So when you discriminate the dharma eye, would that be like grabbing the date and putting it into the I think so. Let me read Fat Nagarjuna's about Dharma-I.
[80:10]
The Dharma-I enables bodhisattva to cultivate a Dharma and to realize a path as well as to know the expedient means. In order to expedient means, expedient means means a skillful means. To give a skillful means, we need Dharma eye. You know, prajna eye cannot do that. In order to find a skillful means and to give to the people who are in the trouble, we need dharma eye that can make distinction, make discrimination, think what is the cause of this person's problem. to know the expedient means by which other beings can do so. You know, Sakyamuni Buddha gave many skillful means to each people, each person he encounters,
[81:22]
So his teaching was like a doctor's, see the problems of each person and give different medicine. To do so, Buddha need Dharma eye. Prajna eye cannot work in that way. So the Dharma-I, however, is not omniscient in its awareness of the expedient means for liberating beings. Hence, our voice sattva seeks the Buddha-I. So Buddha-I is the final thing. And as about Buddha's eye, Nagarjuna says, there is nothing unknown to the Buddha's eye. So Buddha's eye knows everything. Though it might be completely abstracted, it can see everything.
[82:31]
What to others is distant to a Buddha is near. What to others is dark to a Buddha is bright. What to others is confused to a Buddha is distinct. Fat to others is fine, to a Buddha is coarse. Fat to others is profound, to a Buddha is shallow. There is nothing of which the Buddha-I does not learn. Nothing it does not see. Nothing it does not know. Nothing that is difficult, and yet nothing that is perceived. The Buddha eye sees everything, but nothing that is perceived, seeing without perception. The Buddha eye shines forever upon all dharmas. So actually, Buddha's eye is not the eye which sees some kind of object, but actually Buddha's eye is this reality itself.
[83:46]
And so, this includes all other four I's and perfectly developed. Could you read again? Where? From Narva Jiva, nothing it does not learn, and then nothing it does not. There is nothing of which the Buddha eye does not learn, nothing it does not see, nothing it does not know, and nothing that is difficult, and yet nothing that is perceived. So this thing is without perception. That means this Buddha's eye is the reality itself.
[84:52]
There's no observer. But anyway, these four, I think these two are discriminative or hundreds discriminating thinking or wisdom. And the third one is beyond discrimination, which sees oneness and emptiness and equality of all beings. And fourth, but this one is again discriminating thinking, which can discern or make distinction depending upon cause and conditions and what is the problem for that person. So there are two discriminative minds or thinking. Please.
[85:55]
What did you say was the problem with the Dhammahai? Dhammahai. Dhammahai. Omniscient, yes. Omniscient in its awareness. So there are two kinds of discriminative thinking. And as Nagarjuna said, this is a kind of a process of development as bodhisattva. So first two is real discriminating mind. First one is subjective and second is more objective or rational way of seeing and discriminating things. But this Prajna eye is the eye which sees equality and oneness of all everything, which doesn't make any discrimination. And later this is called the prajna or wisdom, which sees emptiness.
[87:00]
But in the Diamond Sutra, the word emptiness does not appear yet. And the third is dharma-ai which also discriminates the mind but it goes through this no discrimination. I think these are how can I say, the origin of how Nagarjuna sees things from ultimate truth and conventional truth. And in Dogen, as I said this morning, there are four points. Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form. And emptiness is just emptiness. That is same as Dharma eye. And form is just form. All this kind of seeing the things from all different perspective, both discrimination and non-discrimination, I think
[88:12]
came from this teaching in Diamond Sutra. That is my guess. I don't know if some Buddhist scholars think so or not. Anyway, so these eyes are not really like human eyes. These eyes refer to wisdom, which sees oneness or nothingness or emptiness or manyness, multifoldness, and makes separation. That's why Dogen says there are 10,000 or 84,000 eyes, but these are one eye, actually. Well, it's already 10 to 5. I think this section is not so difficult or complicated.
[89:15]
So if we understand those different eyes, and these are actually one eye, I think that is enough, I hope. So tomorrow morning I start from middle of page 9 about Dharma body of the self.
[89:34]
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