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Good morning. Yesterday I didn't finish section 12, so I'll continue and hopefully I can finish this show this morning. Maybe I'm too anxious. Page 93, third paragraph. Let me read the rest of this section. Chao-chu said, it's because it does it knowingly. It deliberately transgresses. As a mundane occurrence, these words have

[01:05]

long circulated in the world, but now it is Chao-chu's or Jo-chu's utterance. He is saying that it transgresses on purpose, in full knowledge of what it does. There are probably few people who would not have doubts about this. The world, pushing into, are difficult to understand. in this context, but in fact they are not really needed here. Not only that, if you want to know the Undying Man in his heritage, you must not leave your own bag of skin. The Undying Man, whoever he may be, is never at any time separated from his bag of skin. to transgress knowingly is not necessarily pushing into such a bag of skin.

[02:13]

Pushing into such a bag of skin is not necessarily knowing and deliberately transgressing. It has to be deliberately transgressing because it is knowing. You should be aware that. This deliberately transgressing may as such contain concealed within its daily activity that constitutes the emancipated body of suchness. This is what is meant by pushing into. At the very time the daily activity constituting the emancipated body of suchness is concealed within me. It is concealed from you and from others as well. But although that is indeed true, do not think you are not yet free of ignorance, you leader of donkeys, you horse follower.

[03:22]

And that is not all. The eminent priest Yan Chu said, you may learn all there is to know about the Buddha Dharma, but in doing so, you completely falsify the bearing of your mind. Hence, even if your partial, halfway study of the Buddha's Dharma has long been in error, for days or even months on end, It still can't be anything but the dog pushing into such a bag of skin. It is a case of knowingly transgressing. But that itself is no other than being Buddha-being. So Dogen Zenji read this koan

[04:23]

or about Joshu's conversation with his monks on the Buddha-nature. His progeny's way of reading these conversations are, as I said, completely different from all other interpretations, such as in Momonkan or in Shoryonoku. And he leads this conversation about buddhanature as the condition of bodhisattva practice and how bodhisattva practice. And yesterday I talked about that part. yanku utau goshikidai utau goshikidai

[05:37]

In the original sentence, it means, because the dog has karmic consciousness, it's still here. But Dogenzenji reads two nouns, and this means beings for the sake of others. And this is being of karmic consciousness. So, we are beings, not we, but bodhisattva, is at the same time being for the sake of others, and also a being of karmic consciousness. And both are 100%. And I think karmic consciousness is a kind of a power to maintain and protect us as individual beings.

[07:19]

And this comes from, I think, the first five of the ten suchnesses. Each and every being has its own form, nature, body, energy and function. These are the first five suchnesses out of ten suchnesses from the Lotus Sutra. And these five, I think, refer to the uniqueness of each and every being. And next four suchness such as cause, conditions, result, and recompense. Recompense? The result, the secondary result. the relationship within time and space with other beings within time and space.

[08:34]

So the power to keep this individual being as individual is the function of our karma, goshiki, karmic consciousness. The problem is that God cannot exist or be alive of itself. We cannot live or even exist without relationships with others. So we are supported by others, all other beings. And at the same time, we need to support other beings within this mutual support. or mutual offerings, no one can live, or nothing can exist. So this is an aspect of our life that we are connected with all beings.

[09:39]

So these two are two, not aspects, not half and half, but from one side we are completely independent beings, and yet From Mother's side, there are no such independent beings, we are all connected. And this connection and relationship is all there is. We are individual beings like a knot of a thread. And there is no such thing as a knot, just a thread. A conditional thread is called a knot, or like a waterfall. Same thing. And yet, somehow, we have two contradicted energies to maintain this being as individual. And yet, we cannot live as an individual, independent being, so we need to live together with all beings.

[10:45]

without helping others, or we need to be a being for the sake of others. So this is the condition of both sattva. We need to protect, maintain and protect ourselves as individual, and at the same time we try to help others. Sometimes this is really contradicted in certain conditions. But I think we can find these two energy in any conditions. And here, Joshi said, it's of course referred to the dog, but dog is the Buddha nature. It's because dog does it knowingly, it deliberately transgress.

[11:56]

In the original translation, this means somehow because of the karmic consciousness, the dog had a karmic consciousness and made various karmas in the past life Therefore, the dog was born in that lifetime as a dog. That is what this means. Because of the karmic consciousness and the activity of karma, because of that karmic consciousness, because of the karma from the past lives, even though the dog is of Buddha nature, to push into that skin of bark. This means, in the original conversation, Dogen Zenji interpreted this as how we as a Bodhisattva practice.

[13:07]

So we transgress, we make mistakes, knowing, deliberating. I don't like the word deliberating, but this means almost intentionally, on purpose. Other mundane utterances, These words have long circulated in the world, but now it is Chao-shu or Jo-shu's appearance. In this state we make mistakes even though we know it is a mistake. This is a very common excuse when we make a mistake. Somehow we cannot avoid the mistake because of our karmic twist.

[14:14]

or a habit. Somehow, even though if I do this in this way, I make a mistake, still I do the same mistakes. That is a very common expression in, I think, any society. But Dogen wants to interpret this thing I know, but I make a mistake as an expression of buddhadharma or bodhisattva practice. That is what it means. But now it is joshuka atmas. So this is not a usual meaning. He is saying that it transgresses on purpose in full knowledge of what it does. On purpose means because of his Baba, because of Bodhisattva Baba, the dog did not leave this world, this samsara.

[15:25]

That's why, on purpose, he was born as a dog. There are probably few people who would not have doubt about this. Of course, I have a doubt. I'm not sure whether what he's saying is true or not. But anyway, the words pushing into are difficult to understand in this context. But in fact they are not really needed here. Pushing into means the Buddha nature pushing into the bug's skin. How can we believe such a thing? Buddha nature is something formless. And of course skin bug is a certain form. So the formless Buddha nature somehow get into, enter this strange form.

[16:34]

This poem is not so good thing. I don't really like this poem. Especially when I was a child, I didn't like this poem. You know, because I was, how can I say, extremely tall as a Japanese boy. I didn't like it. So I'm happy to be in this condition. Anyway, as a tool to practice, this body is not so well designed, I think. So many problems with this body. But anyway, according to Dogen, we are born with this body because of our bodhisattva vow. So, no complaining. But he said, not only that, If you want to know the undying man in his hermitage, you must not leave your own rub of skin.

[17:47]

This is an expression from a poem made by Sekito Okisen. Sekito Okisen was the Zen master in my lineage, and he also composed a very well-known poem entitled, Samdokan, or Merging of Difference and Unity. And this poem, this rhyme, came from a poem entitled, So-am-ka. So-am-ka is a song of grass hermitage. Grass hermitage means the hermitage, you know, of the roof is made of glass. And he described his life. Sekito literally means head of a rock.

[18:48]

And that means he built a hermitage on the head of the rock, on the big rock, that's why he was called Sekito, stone head. And in this poem he describes his life within that grass habitats. And he said, I don't fear worldly people live. And I don't love or attach myself to the things worldly people attach themselves. And this is part of it. And this undying man is of course the so-called true self. And yet, he said, undying man is nothing other than this five skandhas. That is what... You must not leave your own bag of skin.

[19:54]

So, this undying man is same as Joshu said, Five skandhas. Five skandhas are undestructive nature. So undying man is nothing other than these five skandhas. Undestructible nature. So this undying man is not like an owner of a house and house was burned. leave and get another house. But the owner and the house is the same thing. So, in order to understand who we are, we cannot escape from these five chakras, this body and mind, no matter how much we dislike it, no matter how strange it is.

[20:58]

So we have to, in order to study this undying mind, undying mind, we have to study these five skandhas. To transgress knowingly is not necessarily pushing into such a bag of skin. So if we think there is something formless named Buddha nature has to get into this bag of skin, This enter is a problem because there are no such two things. So this enter is not necessary, that is the problem of strength. But this undying man and five skandhas and Buddha nature and this skin burn are the same thing. To transgress knowing is not necessarily pushing into such a bag of skin. Pushing in such a bag of skin is not necessarily knowing and deliberately transgressing.

[22:09]

It has to be deliberately transgressing because it is knowing. This knowing is of course wisdom, prajna. Not because of our karmic consciousness, but because of wisdom. We practice with these five skandhas, this limited body which has certain form, because this has certain form, this has certain limitation. But we need to know it, see it. That is our practice of prajna. And Bodhisattvas does not dwell or stay in samsara because of pleasure.

[23:14]

And Bodhisattvas never leave samsara because of compassion. So compassion and wisdom are two things. Because of compassion we are... staying in samsara, we are free from samsara. Not uni, but bodhisattva. And yet, because of compassion to... or because we are being for the sake of others, we never leave samsara. So bodhisattva practice is basically contradicted. And our practice is to leave going through this contradiction. being free and yet not leave. We stay here but we are not here. Sir, can you say that we never leave samsara because of compassion but bodhisattva does what, because of wisdom?

[24:16]

Bodhisattva does not dwell in samsara because of wisdom and because of compassion bodhisattva never leaves samsara. So our practice is, in a sense, this contradiction is Pat Duggan's mistake. We purposely make this mistake and try to walk in this contradiction. If we are more clever, we can leave Yasensara and stay in peace in Nirvana. But we purposely make a mistake and stay here. And when we practice going through this basic contradiction, Dogen says, you should be aware that this un-deliberately transgressing may as such contain, conceal, concealed within it daily activity that constitutes the emancipated body of suchness.

[25:29]

This emancipated body of suchness is That time. That is in Shinjin Datsuraku. To take off or drop off. And time is body. So, that time emancipated body or body that is dropped off. So, within this practice as a dog or as a Bodhisattva which has post-karmic consciousness and yet we are practicing and living for the sake of others. This contradiction. our day-to-day activities going through these two contradicted energies.

[26:37]

There is, he said, contained, concealed within each daily activity that constitutes the emancipated body of suchness. So within that action, activity as a practice, as a practice of bodhisattva dharma, there is emancipated body. That means within that activity we can find nirvana. And, you know, in Buddhist philosophy there are three kinds of nirvanas. One is so-called Uyome-han. That is, when Shakyamuni Buddha attained Buddhahood, he attained nirvana. And yet, while he lived, because he had a body, he had some pain, and he experienced maybe some sadness, one of those things, so it's not perfect nirvana.

[27:42]

And yet he was in nirvana. That is called u-yo me-ham. U-yo me-ham. U-yo. U-yo. U means being. Yo means something extra. In that case, his body was something extra. And when he entered parinirvana, that means when he died, he gave up his body. Then he entered perfect nirvana, that is mu-yo-me-ham. U and mu, same thing. U, mu. Nothing extra. So, after his death, Buddha entered Parinirvana, perfect nirvana, without bodhi. And in the case of bodhisattva, there is a third kind of nirvana. In Japanese we call it the Muju Shonehan.

[28:43]

Mujyosho mehan, mehan is nirvana. Mujyosho means no dwelling place. No dwelling place nirvana. That means we don't dwell neither samsara nor nirvana because of wisdom and compassion. That no dwelling is bodhisattva's nirvana. And within our practice, using this skin balm in our daily lives, we can find it concealed and yet we can see or find that no dwelling or no abiding nirvana within our daily practice. Can you say it in Japanese again for the first one? 無住所めは. 無住所.

[30:01]

無 is no, 住 is to dwell or stay, and 所 is place. So Nirvana, without any fixed state to state. And this is what is meant by pushing into. So, Buddha nature pushing into this skin bank and practice. Using this practice, using this skin bank, we can find emancipated body. that is meditation air. So this activity, this practice, using this skin valve is according to Dogen, achieving to, I mean, Buddha nature get into this skin valve.

[31:09]

And at the very time, the daily activity constituting the emancipated body of suchness is concealed within it and it is concealed from you and from others as well. This is talking of body and mind. Talking of the body and mind of the self and the body and mind of the others. That is what he wrote in Gensokyo. And that is our zazen. So within our zazen, even though we use this skin verb that has karmic consciousness, and it's always coming and going, still when we apply and let it go, all those functions, workings of karmic consciousness, then that skin burn is dropped off body and mind.

[32:21]

So even though our practice is limited with, in my case, shohat karma, and yet, but although that is indeed true, do not say you are not yet free of ignorance. even though we need to practice with our karmic consciousness. And the nature of karmic consciousness is ignorance to protect me. Still, he said, you should not say you are not yet free of ignorance. Within this practice, we can find Nirvana as a Muju Sumeru. Also we can find Not time, but we can be as the being for the sake of others. It is living together with all beings. Please.

[33:28]

At the very time, it says concealed within it, it is concealed. What's the it? I'm not sure. That time only, at the very time, the daily activity constituting the emancipated body of satiness is conceived within, I think, within itself. Within the activity itself, I think. The expression, you know, leader of donkeys and you host follower. This, in Japanese, the person in front of a donkey and behind a horse. There are many or various interpretations for this expression, Rosenboro.

[34:31]

One of them is donkey walks slow and horse run quick. So if we put donkey in front of horse, the order is opposite. So it means derivative way of doing things. And another thing, the person in front of donkey and following the horse is a servant. The Lord is on the donkey or on the horse. But servant needs to walk. In the case of donkey, the servant can walk in front of the donkey because it doesn't walk so quick. But in the case of horse, if the Lord is riding the horse, the servant should be after the horse.

[35:33]

So this means a karmic person that is not the law, that is not the conduct of a horse. So we have to live as a karmic person. And yet we should not say, I'm not still yet released or emancipated from ignorance. Even though we need to live with this limited body and mind, That is karmic consciousness. But still, within our practice, we are already released from that karma or suffering within samsara. So, this is also Dogen's expression that within our practice nirvana is already there, or enlightenment manifests itself within our practice, even though this person is still deluded.

[36:47]

This practice, our practice is already enlightenment. This is another expression using donkey and horses. Before donkey leave, horse arrive. In this case, donkey is a kind person and horse is Buddha nature or enlightenment. So in our practice, even though donkey is still there, horse has already arrived. So both are there. Within our practice. It's not a matter of... Our practice is a method to make a donkey into a horse. We are still a donkey, but still already, horses are already alive. And that is not all.

[37:49]

The eminent priest, Yang Ch'u, Yang Ch'u is Un-Go, Un-Go-Do-Yon. He is a disciple of Tozan Ryokan, the founder of Chinese sort of school. So, Un-Go-Do-Yon, is our ancestor, said, you may learn all there is to know about the Buddha Dharma. There are so many things to learn about Buddhism. And we do, like memorizing Four Noble Truths, or Twelve Links of Causations, or in order to practice, we need to learn how to do Soryoki, or how to make how to keep the throne, orchestra, all those stupid things. But in doing so, you completely falsify the bearing of your mind. Studying such a thing is, according to this person, but a mistake.

[38:54]

And yet, we purposely, intentionally make such a mistake. because we are already... But because of that mistake now we practice. So that mistake is intentional mistake. So practice based on vow to help others is a mistake. But in fact this expression is same. And yet without this mistake there is no such thing called Buddha Dharma. So we are deliberately or purposely or intentionally making mistakes. Practice one mistake after another. So our type of practice is one continuous mistake. Nothing else. So we cannot be proud of it. Hence, even if you are partial half-way study of the Buddha Dharma, no matter how much we study and how long we practice, still our practice and knowledge is partial half-way study.

[40:16]

It can't be perfect or complete. As the four bows said, Dharma gate is boundless. But we vow to... The version we chant is to enter them. It means, hōmon muryō seigan gaku, gaku means to study. Even though the Dharma is numerous, we study them all. That means there's no time we can study them all. in part to do it. So no matter how much we study, we are still partial half-way study. So even if our partial half-way study of the Buddha Dharma has long been in error, so this is total error, for days or even months to end, or this entire lifetime, it will

[41:26]

It still cannot be anything but the doing, pushing into such a bag of skin. So this complete error, total error of life is the expression, dog pushing into such a bag of skin. But this is process of our bodhisattva practice to fulfill this strange vow. So, it is a case of knowingly transgress, but that itself is no other than being Buddha-being. Actually, Dogen said, u-bushsho, that means being or u-Buddha-nature. So this is a practice of wu buddhanate, practice using these four, these five skandhas.

[42:34]

Then I start to talk on section 13. This is a story about the master in Chinese, Changsha Chinxuan, or in Japanese, Chosa Kenshin. As I said before, he was one of the disciples of Nansen Fugan. And Nansen was Joshua's teacher. So Chosa, this person, and Joshua were Dharma brothers, each other. And this story is very interesting. At an assembly of the practitioners under Changsha Chen Tsen, Minister Chu said, an earthworm is cut into two parts.

[43:44]

The two parts move. In which part do you think the Buddha nature is found? The master said, have no illusions. Chu said, what about the movement? The master said, just undispersed wind and fire. So, according to the teaching of the Mahayana Buddhism, all living beings have Buddha nature. So, even earthworms have a Buddha nature. and when this earthworm cut into two, both sides are still moving. So, whether... I mean, the question, the personal question is, which side can we find the Buddha nature? This side or that side? Or can Buddha nature also cut into two and half Buddha nature still stay in here and another half stay in there?

[44:58]

there or not? Is buddha nature can be cut into two or three or more? Or is it just one thing? This is an interesting question. But the master's answer is, have no illusion. Have no illusion is maku, mo, zo in Japanese. maku mo zo maku mo zo This maku is not negation, not such as a sho-aku maku star.

[46:00]

This is the name of one of the chapter of Shogun Genzo, Shouakumakusa, means not doing anything evil. It's not the same mark. And more is false, illusory. This mo is part of the fourth precept. Don't make false speech. That false speech is mo-go. Go means the words or speech. Mo-go means false speech. So the name of the fourth precept is mo-go-kan. And so is the third of the five skandhas, usually translated as perception, sensation, perception, formation, the perception.

[47:31]

And this thought is the same or perception is the same thing in the short sutra from the Stanley Parker about the teaching of dependent origination. And as a final teaching, Buddha said, without ordinary perception, without misordered perception, and without no perception, and without no annihilation of perception. This perception is this world. So, disordered perception is more so. You know, we can... have some imagination which is nothing to do with reality.

[48:39]

That is in the example of Zazoma, a snake, a rope, and a flax. The snake is to see a rope as a snake. is mozo, force or disordered perception. It's not there but we see it like that. When we see some flower or tree, we sometimes feel like it's a ghost, something like that. We see something, it is not there. That is mozo. So when Uchiyamuro said, atama no omoi no tebanashi, letting go of thought or opening the hand of thought. This thought is this kanji. So when we are letting go of thought, we let go of this mozo.

[49:45]

So our practice of zazen is practice of mako mozo without illusory or perceptions. we let go of illusory perceptions. And actually, not only to see a rope as a snake, but also to see the rope as a rope is kind of an illusory perception, because there is no such thing called a rope. Rope is just a collection of the fiber, and the fiber is a collection of something else. Whatever perception can be, illusory perception. Seeing more than a snake is also one of the five forms of emptiness? Five forms of emptiness, yeah. Okay, so that means to see, to think.

[50:55]

There is a buddhanature using one piece of ashram as illusion, according to the master. And when the person saw that one living being was cut into two, and to think fair buddhanature goes, which part buddhanature goes, is also an illusion. But he said, stop thinking in such a way. That means the body and mind and the rest of it go forward. Don't think in such a way. Or don't chase after illusory perception. But this person still said, what about the movement? Both sides are moving. to have Buddha features.

[51:59]

Then the master said, just on this first wind and fire. Wind and fire is first wind and fire, fūka. These are two or four great elements of all beings. Five skandhas is one way to, how can I say, analyze all beings. But another one, four great elements, that is chi sui ka fu, earth, water, fire, and wind. It says all beings, are made of those four elements, four great elements.

[53:02]

In the case of human body, bone is earth element, which is solid. And blood is water element. And heat is fire element. and movement, we can move. That is wind movement, wind element. So, in this case, both sides, both pieces of ashram still moving, and the Zen Master said, this is only because those four elements are still there, not yet scattered. That's why they are moving. So, it has nothing to do with Buddha nature. That is the fact.

[54:05]

This is what the Master is saying. Now, Dogen's comment. Should the Master's unearthed one be cut into two parts? be explained as meaning it was one part before it was cut into two. And the person asked, one aslan was cut into two pieces. And Dogen's question is, before it was cut into two pieces, was it one piece or not? Was it merely one piece? I mean, there's no such one piece. without the connection with all other things. So is it really one piece or not? So we should think more in detail.

[55:08]

And Dogen said, no. In the house of the Buddha and Patriarchs that could never be true. There is no such one piece of earthworm which can be cut into two. and the earthworm was not originally one. It did not become two because it was cut, so it's not a matter of one or two. You should concentrate your effort directly in practice on what is being said here about one and two. Of course, when Zen Master discussed about one and two, he is discussing about absolute truth and phenomenal or conventional truth or beyond discrimination and conventional truth as a kind of a result of discrimination or distinction

[56:23]

Well, two means relativity. One is absolute, ultimate oneness. So that's the two parts. So Dogen does not really discuss about Aslan. He's talking about the Dharma. One and two. Does the two paths of the two paths move mean that prior to the cutting there was one path or that one path transcends Buddhahood? You know, when we discuss about Buddha nature, somehow Buddha nature is cut into two. Move and move. Move Buddha nature and move Buddha nature. you know, Itau and Goshiki Zaya, you know, Buddha nature and karmic consciousness.

[57:29]

Whenever we start to think and discuss, somehow Buddha nature becomes cut into two. And that is the original one Buddha nature before discussion, before thinking. We cannot, even when we say one, That is already relative with two. So real one, ultimate one, cannot be even discussed, cannot be even thought, cannot be said in any way. Whatever we say, even one or ultimate or absolute, that is already relative. Absolute is relative with relative. However, the discussion we have about buddhanature is already relative. So, what is this real oneness before we discuss, before we think of?

[58:34]

And that is one path to transcend buddhahood, go beyond even buddhahood. The utterance two parts has nothing to do with whether or not the minister understood it. So it's not a matter of ask one, but this is a matter of how we can express Buddhadharma. Does not overlook the two part moves, has to say. So we should not overlook two parts. That means we have to discuss, think and discuss what this one, ultimately one reality can be discussed, explained, expressed using words and concepts. And although the two parts that were cut were originally one thing, is there another one thing in addition to the original one thing?

[59:53]

That means when we discuss about one thing, that one thing is already relative. So we are talking about two things, absolute and relative. and is there real absolute beyond these two kind of relative of absolute and relative? If we say so, this is again become relative. So, what he is saying is, beside this, you know, relative way of thinking, discussion using words is very incomplete copy of the reality. Still, that is the only way we can discuss and understand the Absolute Truth. That is beyond our understanding, beyond our thinking, beyond our even imagination. Rather, we are living within it.

[60:56]

So our discussion is part of that ultimate reality. To say of their movement that the two parts move can only mean movement in the same sense that Rihanna, which moves the passions, and Prajna, which removes them, are both equally movement. The person who made the question said these two both Either part is still moving. And he, Dogen, talks about this two-part movement. And he thinks this two-part movement is Jo and E. He said, Biyan and Prajna. But...

[62:00]

The word Dogen uses is Jodo Chi Batsu. Jo is Samadhi and Chi is wisdom. And this expression again came out of the Parinirvana Sutra. It said, in order to take out, get rid of delusion, In this case, delusion is like a tree which has root. In the Sutra it says, first we should move the tree with hands, shake the tree. And this is a function of Samadhi or Dhyana. And with wisdom, when the root is loosed up, we can take it up, take it away from the earth.

[63:08]

This is the function of wisdom. So by practicing samadhi, we shake the illusion. And by the practice of wisdom, we take it up. That is two movements. According to Dogen, that is how we become free from mozo, or illusory perceptions. That is our practice of Samadhi and Prajna. That is the movement of Asla. So, as we discussed, or Dogen discussed in Section 10 about Samadhi and Prajna practice equally.

[64:11]

These two, this Aslan cut into two is also again the movement of Samadhi that is beyond discrimination, no discrimination. And wisdom is discrimination beyond discrimination or beyond non-discrimination. Anyway, we need those two. That is a movement of the Buddha nature. So, practice Meditation, Buddhism and Wisdom or Insight or Prajna. These two are how two pieces of Buddha Nature move. What did you mention about Samadhi, the last statement that you made? The question is discrimination beyond discrimination.

[65:16]

Samadhi is beyond discrimination and Wisdom or Prajna is beyond beyond discrimination. I'm sorry. When the person said, in which part do you think the Buddha nature is found? This should be, the Buddha nature is cut into two parts. This is what Dogen has been saying. It's not the ashram that is cut into two, but the buddhanature was somehow cut into two. When we discuss about buddhanature or when we practice buddhanature, somehow buddhanature was cut into two. So in which path do you think the ashram is found?

[66:18]

So this is again the relationship between buddhanature or itau and karmic nature or karmic consciousness. Buddhanature comes into two. Each side is the other karmic consciousness. Now, here is an appearance that must be penetrated with great care. So we have to inquire what this means. Does the two paths move? In which path do you think the Buddha nature is found? Meaning, if both move, they are not worthy to contain the Buddha nature? This is Dogen's question to the questioner. The question was, if the ashram cut into two, there must be, if Buddha nature should be this side or that side.

[67:28]

And Dogen's question is, if it's cut into two, should Buddha nature need to make choice which way, which side Buddha nature need to go? I think that is a question. Or half of the earthworms can have buddhanature or not? Or does it mean both move, so it is equally movement, but where in that is buddhanature found? Anyway, this is just as usual, Dogen keeps questioning. and we need to answer. The Master said, have no illusions, or mako mozo. The essential meaning of this is fact.

[68:32]

Again, this is... Usual reading of this sentence is a question. Fact is the essential meaning of this. This translator thinks this is not a question, but this is a statement in Dogen. So this kind of strange thing, Buddha nature can be cut into two, or Aslan can be cut into two, or one thing can become half. This is a kind of strange thing. But the essential meaning of this is part means oneness. Somehow we cannot grasp in any way. That is our life. This is totally one thing and yet it is two. So thus it means not having illusion. So we should open our hand.

[69:37]

Open the hand of thought. Keep letting go. That's how we can see that reality. Therefore you should penetrate through practice. Whether this means in the two paths, both moving, there is no illusory thought, or this movement is not illusory thinking, or is it just in the Buddha nature, there are no illusory thoughts. So this is again Dogen's series of questions to examine this statement. means. So he does not give answer to these questions. Or is he simply without reference to the Buddha nature or the two paths? Have no illusions.

[70:39]

So there are many different ways of understanding this question. What about the movement? Does this mean since they are moving, does another buddhanature have to be added? So one buddhanature can go this path, then another buddhanature can push into another path, or not? Or does it try to express if they move it, is not the buddha nature or that movement has nothing to do with buddha nature and the master's answer undispersed wind and fire undispersed wind and fire brings the buddha nature into manifestation that means the collection of five skandhas or four great elements

[71:46]

manifest buddha-nature. Should we say that the movement is the buddha-nature or should we say that it is wind and fire? So the earthworm, both piece of earthworm is moving. It is buddha-nature for collection of four great elements. or it is buddha nature or karmic nature. What is this? Movement. We must not say that buddha nature and wind and fire appear together. We should not say these two appear together with one movement. And we must not say that one appears while the other does not. So, then, Buddha-nature appears with Buddha-nature, but somehow, next moment, Karmic-nature appears, and Buddha-nature disappears.

[72:55]

We cannot say, we cannot think, we should not think in that way. Sometime Buddha-nature is here, and next time, Karmic-nature is here. Nor can we say that wind and fire are in and of themselves, the Buddha nature. So he is negating all the possibilities we can think of. Vempa is the way we stop, you know, illusory perceptions. Not stop, but being free from. It's still there, but we let go of it. Therefore, Chan Sha or Cho Sa does not say there is a buddha nature in the earthworm or that earthworms have no buddha nature.

[74:01]

He just says, undisperse wind and fire. So, the four great elements are still together and moving. That's it. The living actuality of the Buddha-nature must be controlled from Chonsha or Chosha's utterance. You must quietly concentrate your effort on the words, undisperse wind and fire. What is the ruling principle of undisperse? and dispersing still together. Does undisperse refer to accumulations of wind and fire that have not yet reached the stage where they must disintegrate and scatter?

[75:08]

It could hardly mean that. Of course this is, you know, common understanding or meaning what undispersed means. It's not yet, you know, dispersed. It means it's still together. But according to Dogon, this means wind and fire undispersed is the Buddha expanding the Dharma. wind and fire and the sparks. So, something like this is here, is the way the Buddha is expanding the Dharma. How the Buddha is teaching, expanding how Dharma is. Five skandhas get together and keep moving, keep living as five skandhas, in this case as Sohak. And that is how Buddha expanded Dharma.

[76:13]

And can this fast wind and fire if the Dharma expanding Buddha? The same thing. This body is Dharma. The five skandhas are expanding what Buddha is. Or what Buddha nature is. That is to say, it is the arrival of the time of one sound preaching the Dharma. One sound preaching the Dharma is an expression that came from the Lotus Sutra. Even one sound, one teaching, one Dharma. Even the stories, even though Buddha say one thing. Depending upon the capabilities of all assemblies, of all the people in the assembly, they understand, they hear different Dharma.

[77:28]

That one sound Dharma means the Buddha's original teaching. But, depending upon our karmic consciousness, we hear and understand in different ways. That is why there are so many different approaches of understanding Dharma and practicing Dharma. So, this is also one and maybe, or one and two or more. That is to say, it is the arrival of the time. This is the time of one's son preaching the Dharma. That ultimate reality, which is separated or divided into... before separation into two, is now expanded.

[78:38]

One's son preaching the Dharma is arrival of the time. So within this moment, actually each and every moment, without illusory perception, is the time Buddha is preaching or expanding this one's son Dharma. Each and every moment, This one sound Dharma is expressed, but because of our karmic consciousness, we hear in very different ways. Sometimes we don't hear as Dharma. And next we discuss about life and death. Moreover, to think that Buddha-nature exists only for the duration of life and cannot exist in death betrays an extremely feeble understanding.

[79:49]

That means two pieces of earthworm are moving because both are still alive. Therefore, there must be Buddha-nature. But, what about when both peace die or are dead, is buddha-nature there or not? If only living beings have buddha-nature, dead body of earth one, dead body of this person, five skandhas, is there buddha-nature or not? And Dogen said, the time of life is being buddha nature and no buddha nature. And the time of death is being buddha nature and no buddha nature. This is u-vushu and mu-vushu. Whether we are alive or dead, we are both u-vushu and mu-vushu.

[80:54]

So it has nothing to do with life and death. If there is a question about the dispersal or non-dispersal of wind and fire, it can only be about the dispersal or non-dispersal of the Buddha nature. So, the movement of four great elements, earth, water, fire and water, wind and fire, is a movement of buddha nature. So whether they are together and they are dispersed in either time or either condition, they are both Wu buddha nature and Mu buddha nature. So even the time of dispersal must be buddha-nature being, or this is u-buddha-nature, and buddha-nature move, or mu-buddha-nature.

[82:13]

Even the time of non-dispersal, that means still we are alive, must be being buddha-nature and no-buddha-nature. Hence, to cling to the mistaken view that The presence of the Buddha nature depends on whether or not there is movement, that its spiritual working depends on whether or not there is consciousness, or that it is inherent or not in being perceived to be so, that is not Buddhism. So Buddha nature has nothing to do condition, but buddha nature is the changing of all these conditions itself, the movement of all these conditions itself, the movement of buddha nature.

[83:18]

But for infinite kalpas past, foolish people like us, foolish people in great number have regarded the consciousness mind as the Buddha nature. So we think Buddha nature is something, some way, some particular way of our function of our consciousness, how our mind works. But they have regarded it as the original person, to graphically solve the real mistake. Buddha nature has nothing to do with how we think or how we behave. All such movement or activity is a movement of buddha nature. So buddha nature is but basic thing.

[84:18]

I think this is the end of section 13, and the final few sentences are kind of a conclusion of this entire writing on Buddhism. I think. In making further utterances about the buddhanature, and this won't be a cease, I'm sorry, this won't be a case of entering the water and getting covered with mud. The buddhanature is a fence, a wall, a tile, a pebble. You know, this expression, entering the water and getting covered with mud. is a description of bodhisattva practice to work together with all beings to help all beings.

[85:30]

Like a water buffalo, we need to work in the muddy water and we become muddy and wet. And Dogen Zenji picked up another expression, fence, wall, tile, and pebble. That means each and everything. And this expression came from There is a master who said, teachers in the south have all mistaken. He said, the mind of ancient buddha, kobushi, shouhekigaraku, a fence, wall, tile and pebble, That means each and everything is the mind of ancient Buddha.

[86:49]

That means buddhanature. So, you know, we as a bodhisattva or as a dog, we get into muddy water and practice. But that practice, not only that practice, but each and everything in this world, whatever we encounter within our life is buddha nature. Then, next is the final question. When making an appearance beyond this, so, Dorendenji has been discussing about buddha nature, you know, so long, and he said so many things, but he said beyond making an appearance beyond this. So, based on what he discussed, he had been discussing, Ushi says something.

[87:53]

What is this Buddha nature? Do you fully understand? So, finally he asked...

[88:05]

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