As we are notified, we will start form “Think of not thinking.” In the previous session, we have completed the form of Zazen, and now we have reached the part of sitting, to the expression of "and settle into steady, immovable sitting.” Everyone is probably the same, but when you go to study Zazen, the first thing you are taught is how to how to make the shape of the body. Such things are taught continuously, and a form is created when you are sitting or doing Zazen. I don't think there is much of a problem up to that point. I don't think there is anything difficult about it. If there is a problem, it may be that your body is not accustomed to the new way of doing things because it is a little different from your normal life. That will be a matter of gradual adjustment. The problem is that if you don't get enough of what I have shown you today, you will not be able to convey the true meaning of Zazen.
“Think thus the state of not thinking. Not thinking, how do you think thus the state of not thinking? Non-thinking.” This is a direct quotation from a question-and-answer exchange between a monk and Yakusan Kodo Daishi, who succeeded to the Dharma of Sekito Kiaen Zenji. There is a book called "Zazen-shin" in the Shobogenzo, which I am sure you have read before. It is a question-and-answer dialogue between Yakuzan Kodo Daishi and a monk. “What are you thinking in the steady immovable state?” "Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” "How can the state of not thinking be thought?” "It is non-thinking.” Well, that is the way it is. And this is important when you are sitting. "Thinking thus the state of not thinking,” is not human thinking. In the "Zazen -shin" left by Zen Master Dogen, there is a saying, “Not thinking but manifesting.”
For example, a bird chirps. It can be “peep-peep,” or it can be "caw-caw," but when a bird chirps while you are sitting, as saying, “Not thinking but manifesting.” I wonder if it is correct to say that we hear it when it sounds like "caw." Caw. When we add a lot of words, it gets tedious, but “Not thinking but manifesting.” I guess that's what happens when it sounds "caw." I know you all will say you heard that. It's not the way people think. Even though you don't do anything, yet, you instantly become such when it sounds caw. Rumbling, clattering, everything is like that, isn't it? “Not thinking but manifesting.” When you hear the sound, your life is exactly as it sounds, even though you don't add your own thoughts to it. This must be the way of practice.
I have just shown this as one of the functions of a human being, but if you look at the entirety of a human being's appearance when he or she is doing each and every thing, you can see that when the eyes are open, the appearance in front of the eyes is just as it is, even though there is nothing to be done about it. It is not as something that we can see because we want to see it. Whenever we open our eyes, we see things like this. Because it's when you are sitting, so not much else may happen. The sense of touch as a body, you know. The cold and warmth, warmth and coolness. There are things like the wind blowing. It is the same with all of these things. You don't do anything, and yet things are as they should be. In sum, what we can say is that the current situation, the current situation of each individual, is not something that is going to be done from now on. There is nothing that can be done from now on to create the current state of being. That is the way it is when you are sitting, to put it straightforwardly. Therefore, as we were just talking about, the thing will be done undeniably before it causes human thinking. In not thinking. The fact. If you don't learn directly from the way you are acting, being there, the true meaning of Zazen will not be conveyed to you. If you do so, you will find that you are living without anything that is me. In not-thinking. To really be in this state "Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” as it is written here, is to be in oneself, in one's own way of being, rather than in one's own way of thinking, which is what "Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” means. It is not useful to just sit there and leave it to others. You have to really be in touch with the truth of yourself.
This monk was told that, and asked, "How can the state of not thinking be thought?” How can I do that? So, Yakuzan Kodo Dasishi says, "Non-thinking" is what it is all about. For example, when you are sitting, CLAP! if it sounds like this, even though you don't do anything, as I have said many times before, you don't think or receive anything, but if you just stay there and when the sound is made, you become like that. This is what is called "non-thinking.” If you do it with your eyes, you will see it like this, as it says in the Fugan Zazen-Gi (open and show the printed booklet of the Fugan Zazen-Gi), when things are in front of us like this, even though we don't do anything, it always comes out this way. This is how all of you are now, isn't it? It would be better if I explained it in more detail, you know. But when I explain it to you, your mind starts working, and you start to understand it. This is not about understanding. It is not to understand that when we do it like this, it will become like that. We are here for this fact. It's about the fact that it's becoming like this. That's what is called non-thinking, that's what is really done in Zazen. The trouble is, however, that when I teach them, they start to understand. That's why they never look at the facts, no matter how long it takes. That's why it is necessary to be non-thinking. “Not thinking but manifesting,” We don't think, we don't think anything. We don't tell how it happens, but when we open our eyes and something like this happens, (expands sutra book and shows it) it always happens in that way. That is the real aspect of human life, of everyone.
“This is the essential art of Zazen.” What is this essential thing as a word, I wonder, since it is called術,(jutsu), I guess you could call it skill. I believe you could say that it is the most important thing when practicing. The key to要術,(jutsu.) In fact, I would like to talk about this a lot. And there is no such a thing as this non-thinking, except for now. There is no such thing anywhere, and before anyone says anything, as we have all been talking about, there is no one who is lacking the state of being now. There is nothing to add, nothing at all, to the way things are now. To that extent, it is the state of one's whole body and mind. It is necessary for everyone to make this clear to themselves. Zazen is the way to get in touch with the truth about oneself, to clarify oneself, and to save oneself from being truly uprooted. It is capable of doing the practice just by the state of where you are sitting right now. There is no such a magical way to practice.
But if we touch on it in this way using simple common sense, it is really obvious, isn't it? When the truth of a thing is truly revealed, like this, CLAP! it is the same with a sound. When a sound is made, you are really in the presence of that sound. There is no way that the truth of the sound can be revealed after the sound has ceased. That would be everyone's imagination. It's all about understanding. Because you're doing that, you're not getting anywhere. What is really conveyed that is called "Shikan-Taza: just sitting," and the reason why we sit so intently is because this state is really present in everyone's life right now, so we have to be really close in this way, CLAP! There, CLAP! if there was something to do with it, it would not be like this. CLAP! It is just an example. It is the same when you touch things. (Showing the scripture) If there was something to add or remove here, it would not necessarily be like this. This is what happens when you don't do anything. Suddenly, it is the most certain way of being. There is no doubt, no hesitation, no sense of anxiety that we should be doing something. It really is exquisite state of affairs, all of them. That is what is happening now. That's how you are in touch with the truth of yourself. Well, I guess that's enough.
And there is a little something else added. The first thing that comes up is, " The Zazen I speak of is not learning Zen. " I believe that if humans strangely take it that way, they will become clearer and clearer as they do the same thing over and over again, or as they progress in their training, and so they practice and take the time to do so, but human beings still overlook things, don't they? What I mean by that is that things are always done one at a time, and not accumulated. I'll try. CLAP! CLAP! Listen to the sound, but like this, CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! You say you hear it over and over again, but the sound is always once and for all. But how can it be? I wonder if this is how they come to understand it, as if they are hearing the same thing over and over again. CLAP! CLAP! It's because you don't think “the state of not thinking.” Because you don't stay like this in the world which is non-thinking, not the way of thinking, CLAP! CLAP! it is not clear for you. CLAP! CLAP! Do you hear the previous sound like this? CLAP! No wonder you can only hear the current sound. We can't do learning Zen. You can't listen to it over and over again and get better and better at it. What is happening now will always be happening there at the present time.
It is the same when you look at things. In front of me, there is a teacup, and it is only one teacup placed there, so when we do it like this, common sense tells us that we are looking at the same teacup over and over again, right? However, when you try it, you will always find only the current situation, no matter how many times you say "many times." There is no such thing as piling one on top of the other, comparing what you just saw. We do it in terms of the way of thinking. The eye, the actual eye, doesn't show what you just saw. You have to study this point carefully. Otherwise, it becomes learning Zen. This is not learning Zen. Zazen is not learning Zen. It can be called Zazen, or rather, the study of true things. It is not only Zazen. In all of life, to learn the real thing, it should always be that way. It's amazingly so.
Another one, “It is simply the dharma-gate of repose and bliss,” it says. What is it? It's like this even if I don't do anything, it must be at ease, right? There's nothing difficult at all. CLAP! When I do it like this, for everyone to hear. Looking at things is just like this, and even though you do nothing, nor do anything else, when you do it like this, it becomes such, so it's good. When you look at what's inside, there's no confusion at all. It's just purely it is made in such a way that things are done exactly as they are at the time, without a single deviation. How much easier is it when you don't have to fix things without dealing with them? If something is bothering you and you have to fix it, even just a little bit, you must be very busy. It's not as if you can just leave it all behind, but you can live a life so organized that there is no problem at all, no matter what. You can't understand this unless you really leave the human way of thinking, stop thinking, and learn only from the facts of the present.
For many people, however, they understand that they touch things in their daily lives, that they hear sounds by touching things, or that they can see things by touching things. By touching something on the other side, you understand that you are seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, separating, feeling pain, itching, and so on, that such things are happening. Almost. That's because they are observing on the basis of recognizing themselves. But I would like you to experiment here and see, what is the situation when you can really see things? What is the situation when you open your eyes and see things? Definitely, it is only the appearance of the other side that you are thinking about. It's just what can be seen. There is nothing of this side. There is nothing about the so-called "self" side. Sounds are made, birds are singing, that kind of thing is the same, isn't it? When it says chirp, chirp, there is no indication that something will come out of this side. They just say chirp, chirp. That's all the appearance of non-thinking. “Without thinking, yet manifesting.” It is completely different from the human's conventional way of thinking and handling things. That is your true nature. It is not that you can hear because you were taught. It is not because you were taught that you can see things. It is not because you were taught that you are able to understand. Whenever you touch something, it will instantly become exactly the way it is. Everything. As the state of body and mind. All the activities of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are like that, and no one has ever become like that by being taught by anyone, you know. That is the reason why it is at ease.
The next part says, “the practice-realization of totally culminated enlightenment.” Zazen is not just the state of sitting. It is a way to make everything clear, everything becomes clear because of it. That's what they say, “totally culminated enlightenment.” The whole truth is clearly shown in its totality, without leaving anything out. That is the way it should be. If it comes to giving a little reason and offering it to your understanding, no matter how long you think your life is, ultimately it is just the way you are living right here, right now. Other things will not come up. We have the ability to line them up in our thinking. We can think of what we have experienced. Or we can think about the future and put them out there, but there is no appearance of truth other than how we are here and now. The appearance of thinking about past and future is only here that it takes place, and even though it is done, it unfolds so beautifully that there will be no trace of it anywhere, no place where it disappears, no place where it is stored. That's why they call it "the practice-realization of totally culminated enlightenment.” That's really all there is to it. However, since there are subtle human abilities such as memory and the ability to reproduce, these abilities come into effect, and this kind of thing becomes unclear. Zazen is a great thing. Because everyone is in the here and now, in the very truth of himself or herself, and if you try to stay in that fact, you are formed in a way that makes you realize your own self clearly. But then, after being born, they gradually gained wisdom and began to see things in various ways, and they only know how to look at things from the perspective of such a sort of discrimination. We have become only to do things that way. That's why you feel things are complicated, and that's why you are struggling. The only practice that can really save us from this is this Zazen that is being handed down to us. There is nothing to do.
I picked up some of Dogen Zenji's words like this, for example, he said, “Cutting through the conventional knowledge and thoughts of miscellaneous impurities, it is often the case that they have clarified their true state of being.” “The conventional knowledge and thoughts of miscellaneous impurities” is the character for messy and dirty. “Knowledge" means to know, to see, to think, to figure out. “Knowledge and thoughts,” to cut off such things, it means to cut off, to stop, or to leave. Then, everyone will be able to see clearly what they are really like. As I have always said. Facts are not attached to good or bad, like or dislike, as we humans think. That's really how they are. People who touched it put their own views on it, and say it is good or bad, they like it or dislike it, and that is how they live their lives. What you have caused yourself is causing you pain, trouble, and annoyance. But the truth of the matter is, as I have been mentioning all along, the way we are living here now, whether we want to or not. We're all working like everything is going away, even if we don't do anything about it. Thankfully. Why don't you see the truth of it for yourself? You are doing it. There is no other way to learn it but to learn from the fact. It is impossible to learn by thinking. No matter how much you think about it without seeing the real thing, it is impossible to see the real thing. You can imagine it. Imagination is not the real thing. If you see the real thing, there is no doubt about it. There is no need to tell. There is no need to tell, "This is how it is, that is how it is.” Everyone has to be clear about it, no matter what. That's the way it is when you are doing Zazen. What is Zazen about? "The enlightened man in the west, in the east, have followed the way." In India, as in China, it is said that people have learned from those who are clear about this. It is impossible to be clear by learning from the teachings of those who are not clear. I am sure that many of the things we have just talked about will prove " totally culminated enlightenment.”
“It is the manifestation of ultimate reality. Traps and snares can never reach it.” This is how you all are doing it now. This is the "公案,(koan), : ultimate reality," the state of the public. This is how things are unfolding right now for everyone. “Manifestation,” just in front of our eyes, the thing as it is, is being done like this right now. It is “manifestation,” “the manifestation of ultimate reality.” “Without thinking, yet manifesting.” CLAP! “the manifestation of ultimate reality.” CLAP! Without being forced by anyone, without being tied down by anyone, such activities can be done publicly. “Traps and snares can never reach it.” CLAP! Which means that there is nothing to get in the way. What should we do? There is no need for it. I suppose tools such as "羅籠,(rarou), : Traps and snares " are used to catch fish and birds, but there is nothing like that, not a single object to get caught, and our lives are so free and easy that it takes no time or effort at all. CLAP! Isn't it becoming like that? After you have done that, you leave that part alone, and take up this and that after you have done that, all you see is such a world, which makes you boring. That is the world of thinking. There must be a world of non-thinking before that world of thinking. What do you think? CLAP! You probably hear the sound first before you think you hear it. When I do this (show things), before you think, "Oh, I see it," there must be something exactly as it is. How about that? "Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” Before the way of human beings, the reality is being done as the appearance of our bodies and minds. In this regard, " Traps and snares can never reach it.” That's right.
“Once its heart is grasped, you are like a dragon that has gained water, like a tiger in the mountains.” There is nothing to say. You will all be able to use your true strength. Each one of you. Expressing it in a big, exaggerated way, he is saying it is like a dragon, or like a tiger. You may be painting the dragon as imaginable animal, a wonderful thing, but human beings have such great power that we think there is nothing more wonderful than it. Like a dragon, they say. And then it would be like being called the king of a hundred beasts...a tiger. Tigers and lions are the same. Well, these are some of the things that are mentioned here. So, each one of us has our own original state, so we will be able to live our lives without being discouraged or depressed.
“You should know that the true Dharma is manifesting itself, so that from the first dullness and distraction are struck aside.” This is a good way to clear things up, isn't it? It's the right thing to do, because it's “the true Dharma.” The right way of doing things is, CLAP! it means that when we do this, we hear exactly what it sounds like. If I do it like this (show an object), you say it looks the way it does. If I hold it like this, it becomes as it is, and if I put it in my mouth like this (drink tea), it tastes as it is. This is what is called “the true Dharma.” Not a single, what is it, evil thing will come out of it. What do you think? There is no sign of causing suffering or distress to anyone, on this fact. That's why all dullness and distraction have been empty, or it is formed in a way that everything has been able to come apart. However, the reason why you feel as if various things are sticking to you in your daily life and not letting go is because of the world of human discretion. It must be something you caused. I guess that's about enough time for today. I'd like to leave it at that.
“Think thus the state of not thinking. Not thinking, how do you think thus the state of not thinking? Non-thinking.” This is a direct quotation from a question-and-answer exchange between a monk and Yakusan Kodo Daishi, who succeeded to the Dharma of Sekito Kiaen Zenji. There is a book called "Zazen-shin" in the Shobogenzo, which I am sure you have read before. It is a question-and-answer dialogue between Yakuzan Kodo Daishi and a monk. “What are you thinking in the steady immovable state?” "Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” "How can the state of not thinking be thought?” "It is non-thinking.” Well, that is the way it is. And this is important when you are sitting. "Thinking thus the state of not thinking,” is not human thinking. In the "Zazen -shin" left by Zen Master Dogen, there is a saying, “Not thinking but manifesting.”
For example, a bird chirps. It can be “peep-peep,” or it can be "caw-caw," but when a bird chirps while you are sitting, as saying, “Not thinking but manifesting.” I wonder if it is correct to say that we hear it when it sounds like "caw." Caw. When we add a lot of words, it gets tedious, but “Not thinking but manifesting.” I guess that's what happens when it sounds "caw." I know you all will say you heard that. It's not the way people think. Even though you don't do anything, yet, you instantly become such when it sounds caw. Rumbling, clattering, everything is like that, isn't it? “Not thinking but manifesting.” When you hear the sound, your life is exactly as it sounds, even though you don't add your own thoughts to it. This must be the way of practice.
I have just shown this as one of the functions of a human being, but if you look at the entirety of a human being's appearance when he or she is doing each and every thing, you can see that when the eyes are open, the appearance in front of the eyes is just as it is, even though there is nothing to be done about it. It is not as something that we can see because we want to see it. Whenever we open our eyes, we see things like this. Because it's when you are sitting, so not much else may happen. The sense of touch as a body, you know. The cold and warmth, warmth and coolness. There are things like the wind blowing. It is the same with all of these things. You don't do anything, and yet things are as they should be. In sum, what we can say is that the current situation, the current situation of each individual, is not something that is going to be done from now on. There is nothing that can be done from now on to create the current state of being. That is the way it is when you are sitting, to put it straightforwardly. Therefore, as we were just talking about, the thing will be done undeniably before it causes human thinking. In not thinking. The fact. If you don't learn directly from the way you are acting, being there, the true meaning of Zazen will not be conveyed to you. If you do so, you will find that you are living without anything that is me. In not-thinking. To really be in this state "Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” as it is written here, is to be in oneself, in one's own way of being, rather than in one's own way of thinking, which is what "Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” means. It is not useful to just sit there and leave it to others. You have to really be in touch with the truth of yourself.
This monk was told that, and asked, "How can the state of not thinking be thought?” How can I do that? So, Yakuzan Kodo Dasishi says, "Non-thinking" is what it is all about. For example, when you are sitting, CLAP! if it sounds like this, even though you don't do anything, as I have said many times before, you don't think or receive anything, but if you just stay there and when the sound is made, you become like that. This is what is called "non-thinking.” If you do it with your eyes, you will see it like this, as it says in the Fugan Zazen-Gi (open and show the printed booklet of the Fugan Zazen-Gi), when things are in front of us like this, even though we don't do anything, it always comes out this way. This is how all of you are now, isn't it? It would be better if I explained it in more detail, you know. But when I explain it to you, your mind starts working, and you start to understand it. This is not about understanding. It is not to understand that when we do it like this, it will become like that. We are here for this fact. It's about the fact that it's becoming like this. That's what is called non-thinking, that's what is really done in Zazen. The trouble is, however, that when I teach them, they start to understand. That's why they never look at the facts, no matter how long it takes. That's why it is necessary to be non-thinking. “Not thinking but manifesting,” We don't think, we don't think anything. We don't tell how it happens, but when we open our eyes and something like this happens, (expands sutra book and shows it) it always happens in that way. That is the real aspect of human life, of everyone.
“This is the essential art of Zazen.” What is this essential thing as a word, I wonder, since it is called術,(jutsu), I guess you could call it skill. I believe you could say that it is the most important thing when practicing. The key to要術,(jutsu.) In fact, I would like to talk about this a lot. And there is no such a thing as this non-thinking, except for now. There is no such thing anywhere, and before anyone says anything, as we have all been talking about, there is no one who is lacking the state of being now. There is nothing to add, nothing at all, to the way things are now. To that extent, it is the state of one's whole body and mind. It is necessary for everyone to make this clear to themselves. Zazen is the way to get in touch with the truth about oneself, to clarify oneself, and to save oneself from being truly uprooted. It is capable of doing the practice just by the state of where you are sitting right now. There is no such a magical way to practice.
But if we touch on it in this way using simple common sense, it is really obvious, isn't it? When the truth of a thing is truly revealed, like this, CLAP! it is the same with a sound. When a sound is made, you are really in the presence of that sound. There is no way that the truth of the sound can be revealed after the sound has ceased. That would be everyone's imagination. It's all about understanding. Because you're doing that, you're not getting anywhere. What is really conveyed that is called "Shikan-Taza: just sitting," and the reason why we sit so intently is because this state is really present in everyone's life right now, so we have to be really close in this way, CLAP! There, CLAP! if there was something to do with it, it would not be like this. CLAP! It is just an example. It is the same when you touch things. (Showing the scripture) If there was something to add or remove here, it would not necessarily be like this. This is what happens when you don't do anything. Suddenly, it is the most certain way of being. There is no doubt, no hesitation, no sense of anxiety that we should be doing something. It really is exquisite state of affairs, all of them. That is what is happening now. That's how you are in touch with the truth of yourself. Well, I guess that's enough.
And there is a little something else added. The first thing that comes up is, " The Zazen I speak of is not learning Zen. " I believe that if humans strangely take it that way, they will become clearer and clearer as they do the same thing over and over again, or as they progress in their training, and so they practice and take the time to do so, but human beings still overlook things, don't they? What I mean by that is that things are always done one at a time, and not accumulated. I'll try. CLAP! CLAP! Listen to the sound, but like this, CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! You say you hear it over and over again, but the sound is always once and for all. But how can it be? I wonder if this is how they come to understand it, as if they are hearing the same thing over and over again. CLAP! CLAP! It's because you don't think “the state of not thinking.” Because you don't stay like this in the world which is non-thinking, not the way of thinking, CLAP! CLAP! it is not clear for you. CLAP! CLAP! Do you hear the previous sound like this? CLAP! No wonder you can only hear the current sound. We can't do learning Zen. You can't listen to it over and over again and get better and better at it. What is happening now will always be happening there at the present time.
It is the same when you look at things. In front of me, there is a teacup, and it is only one teacup placed there, so when we do it like this, common sense tells us that we are looking at the same teacup over and over again, right? However, when you try it, you will always find only the current situation, no matter how many times you say "many times." There is no such thing as piling one on top of the other, comparing what you just saw. We do it in terms of the way of thinking. The eye, the actual eye, doesn't show what you just saw. You have to study this point carefully. Otherwise, it becomes learning Zen. This is not learning Zen. Zazen is not learning Zen. It can be called Zazen, or rather, the study of true things. It is not only Zazen. In all of life, to learn the real thing, it should always be that way. It's amazingly so.
Another one, “It is simply the dharma-gate of repose and bliss,” it says. What is it? It's like this even if I don't do anything, it must be at ease, right? There's nothing difficult at all. CLAP! When I do it like this, for everyone to hear. Looking at things is just like this, and even though you do nothing, nor do anything else, when you do it like this, it becomes such, so it's good. When you look at what's inside, there's no confusion at all. It's just purely it is made in such a way that things are done exactly as they are at the time, without a single deviation. How much easier is it when you don't have to fix things without dealing with them? If something is bothering you and you have to fix it, even just a little bit, you must be very busy. It's not as if you can just leave it all behind, but you can live a life so organized that there is no problem at all, no matter what. You can't understand this unless you really leave the human way of thinking, stop thinking, and learn only from the facts of the present.
For many people, however, they understand that they touch things in their daily lives, that they hear sounds by touching things, or that they can see things by touching things. By touching something on the other side, you understand that you are seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, separating, feeling pain, itching, and so on, that such things are happening. Almost. That's because they are observing on the basis of recognizing themselves. But I would like you to experiment here and see, what is the situation when you can really see things? What is the situation when you open your eyes and see things? Definitely, it is only the appearance of the other side that you are thinking about. It's just what can be seen. There is nothing of this side. There is nothing about the so-called "self" side. Sounds are made, birds are singing, that kind of thing is the same, isn't it? When it says chirp, chirp, there is no indication that something will come out of this side. They just say chirp, chirp. That's all the appearance of non-thinking. “Without thinking, yet manifesting.” It is completely different from the human's conventional way of thinking and handling things. That is your true nature. It is not that you can hear because you were taught. It is not because you were taught that you can see things. It is not because you were taught that you are able to understand. Whenever you touch something, it will instantly become exactly the way it is. Everything. As the state of body and mind. All the activities of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are like that, and no one has ever become like that by being taught by anyone, you know. That is the reason why it is at ease.
The next part says, “the practice-realization of totally culminated enlightenment.” Zazen is not just the state of sitting. It is a way to make everything clear, everything becomes clear because of it. That's what they say, “totally culminated enlightenment.” The whole truth is clearly shown in its totality, without leaving anything out. That is the way it should be. If it comes to giving a little reason and offering it to your understanding, no matter how long you think your life is, ultimately it is just the way you are living right here, right now. Other things will not come up. We have the ability to line them up in our thinking. We can think of what we have experienced. Or we can think about the future and put them out there, but there is no appearance of truth other than how we are here and now. The appearance of thinking about past and future is only here that it takes place, and even though it is done, it unfolds so beautifully that there will be no trace of it anywhere, no place where it disappears, no place where it is stored. That's why they call it "the practice-realization of totally culminated enlightenment.” That's really all there is to it. However, since there are subtle human abilities such as memory and the ability to reproduce, these abilities come into effect, and this kind of thing becomes unclear. Zazen is a great thing. Because everyone is in the here and now, in the very truth of himself or herself, and if you try to stay in that fact, you are formed in a way that makes you realize your own self clearly. But then, after being born, they gradually gained wisdom and began to see things in various ways, and they only know how to look at things from the perspective of such a sort of discrimination. We have become only to do things that way. That's why you feel things are complicated, and that's why you are struggling. The only practice that can really save us from this is this Zazen that is being handed down to us. There is nothing to do.
I picked up some of Dogen Zenji's words like this, for example, he said, “Cutting through the conventional knowledge and thoughts of miscellaneous impurities, it is often the case that they have clarified their true state of being.” “The conventional knowledge and thoughts of miscellaneous impurities” is the character for messy and dirty. “Knowledge" means to know, to see, to think, to figure out. “Knowledge and thoughts,” to cut off such things, it means to cut off, to stop, or to leave. Then, everyone will be able to see clearly what they are really like. As I have always said. Facts are not attached to good or bad, like or dislike, as we humans think. That's really how they are. People who touched it put their own views on it, and say it is good or bad, they like it or dislike it, and that is how they live their lives. What you have caused yourself is causing you pain, trouble, and annoyance. But the truth of the matter is, as I have been mentioning all along, the way we are living here now, whether we want to or not. We're all working like everything is going away, even if we don't do anything about it. Thankfully. Why don't you see the truth of it for yourself? You are doing it. There is no other way to learn it but to learn from the fact. It is impossible to learn by thinking. No matter how much you think about it without seeing the real thing, it is impossible to see the real thing. You can imagine it. Imagination is not the real thing. If you see the real thing, there is no doubt about it. There is no need to tell. There is no need to tell, "This is how it is, that is how it is.” Everyone has to be clear about it, no matter what. That's the way it is when you are doing Zazen. What is Zazen about? "The enlightened man in the west, in the east, have followed the way." In India, as in China, it is said that people have learned from those who are clear about this. It is impossible to be clear by learning from the teachings of those who are not clear. I am sure that many of the things we have just talked about will prove " totally culminated enlightenment.”
“It is the manifestation of ultimate reality. Traps and snares can never reach it.” This is how you all are doing it now. This is the "公案,(koan), : ultimate reality," the state of the public. This is how things are unfolding right now for everyone. “Manifestation,” just in front of our eyes, the thing as it is, is being done like this right now. It is “manifestation,” “the manifestation of ultimate reality.” “Without thinking, yet manifesting.” CLAP! “the manifestation of ultimate reality.” CLAP! Without being forced by anyone, without being tied down by anyone, such activities can be done publicly. “Traps and snares can never reach it.” CLAP! Which means that there is nothing to get in the way. What should we do? There is no need for it. I suppose tools such as "羅籠,(rarou), : Traps and snares " are used to catch fish and birds, but there is nothing like that, not a single object to get caught, and our lives are so free and easy that it takes no time or effort at all. CLAP! Isn't it becoming like that? After you have done that, you leave that part alone, and take up this and that after you have done that, all you see is such a world, which makes you boring. That is the world of thinking. There must be a world of non-thinking before that world of thinking. What do you think? CLAP! You probably hear the sound first before you think you hear it. When I do this (show things), before you think, "Oh, I see it," there must be something exactly as it is. How about that? "Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” Before the way of human beings, the reality is being done as the appearance of our bodies and minds. In this regard, " Traps and snares can never reach it.” That's right.
“Once its heart is grasped, you are like a dragon that has gained water, like a tiger in the mountains.” There is nothing to say. You will all be able to use your true strength. Each one of you. Expressing it in a big, exaggerated way, he is saying it is like a dragon, or like a tiger. You may be painting the dragon as imaginable animal, a wonderful thing, but human beings have such great power that we think there is nothing more wonderful than it. Like a dragon, they say. And then it would be like being called the king of a hundred beasts...a tiger. Tigers and lions are the same. Well, these are some of the things that are mentioned here. So, each one of us has our own original state, so we will be able to live our lives without being discouraged or depressed.
“You should know that the true Dharma is manifesting itself, so that from the first dullness and distraction are struck aside.” This is a good way to clear things up, isn't it? It's the right thing to do, because it's “the true Dharma.” The right way of doing things is, CLAP! it means that when we do this, we hear exactly what it sounds like. If I do it like this (show an object), you say it looks the way it does. If I hold it like this, it becomes as it is, and if I put it in my mouth like this (drink tea), it tastes as it is. This is what is called “the true Dharma.” Not a single, what is it, evil thing will come out of it. What do you think? There is no sign of causing suffering or distress to anyone, on this fact. That's why all dullness and distraction have been empty, or it is formed in a way that everything has been able to come apart. However, the reason why you feel as if various things are sticking to you in your daily life and not letting go is because of the world of human discretion. It must be something you caused. I guess that's about enough time for today. I'd like to leave it at that.