When all dharmas are the
Buddha-Dharma, there is delusion and enlightenment, there is practice, there is birth, there is death, there are Buddhas, there are sentient
beings.
When myriad dharmas are all not the self, there is no delusion, no
enlightenment, no Buddhas, no sentient beings, no birth, no death. Because the
Buddha Way is originally transcendent over abundance and scarcity, there is
birth and death, there is delusion and enlightenment, there are sentient beings
and Buddhas. And yet, this is the way it is, flowers fall in our longing, and
weeds grow in our loathing.
Driving oneself to practice and
enlighten myriad dharmas is delusion. The myriad dharmas advance towards
oneself to practice and enlighten is enlightenment.
Because it is the essence, it is the state as you are, which is like with eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, and form, voice, smell, taste, sense, and dharma. Look, when I say plainly, the six organs as eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind are provided, and these six organs are also same that they are formed not to be able to work for one’s sake, if one wants to use them for himself. Eyes are inevitably related to things, even if it is necessary or not. Everything, it is not necessary or not, it there is the need or not, eyes are formed that they should see. They are in public that much. Six organs are all like that, ears, mouth, and body too.
Now the most difficult thing to understand is the mind. Even the mind is actually formed just the same. Being so, before one is aware of, anyways, when you think you are going to do something, there is being in existence beforehand. Which is the state of the mind. The state of just being is dharma. What is called dharma is things. The mind as a thing has correctly moved as such. What is being free from doing is like that. Because such a state is the right way, The Realized Law of the Universe is, it is formed as it is. The Realized Law of the Universe, it is not to say anything difficult. When this one is thrown away there, the thing of that sort will be clarified.
I will go on to next one. “When all dharmas are the Buddha-Dharma,” is said. “When all dharmas are the Buddha-Dharma,” means, as I just said, for the first time, the Buddha taught that this one is made to be public existence. It is Buddha Dharma. In general speaking, it is said that there are things like this and that at such and such a place. All see what are fixed things, they see them as they are fixed, and talk about them, which is generally said all dharmas. Buddha Dharma knows clearly the thing as the content and it is only held publicly. If applied on people, what myriad things say is that, namely, there is being deluded and being enlightened for people, being so, there is the fact that they must practice. The reason why it is so, it is because there are problems concerning life and death, which is expressed. And there is the Buddha who saves it and there are sentient beings who are saved. Why the saying of this sort is expressed is that there is no doubt we came out publicly as all dharmas, but we have had it in our possession, we have come to foster this one with the idea of the self; “I am.” Since it has been possessed, there are various hindrances, all of which Shakyamuni enabled to know. Dogen Zenji also clearly knew that. Then the dharma as “When all dharmas are the Buddha When all dharmas are the Buddha-Dharma,” has come to be shown like this.
And if we say how the dharma should be is, never mind, no matter how the thing said deluded or the thing said enlightenment might be, it is just as it is and there is no original form. There is no entity. To know it truly is the teaching of the Buddha-Dharma. Since there is nothing like fixed self, to be saved, there is saying that no sentient beings exist to save. And when realized, it is just such, even if this one said “I am deluded, I am deluded.” Being so, look at this. It is not the case that a woman become a man. It is not the case that a man become a woman. It remains unchanged. This one has thought trivial matter, which has done you harm, so the Buddha-Dharma is right. Watch yourself. Which part do you grasp to change? It is not to change the slightest or it does not do anything. Being so, nothing gets damaged. Without getting damaged, a person has been changed completely in every part. This one is really made to be changed like that. And next part comes out because there is the matter how we should be in order to know the realty.
Please read the following words. “When myriad dharmas are all not the self,” Everything, like the view of human beings, such as human beings or Dharma is completely vanished. It has disappeared bottomless. It has become as such. There is no delusion, which is true as there is no seed of delusion. Because you are not deluded, it is unnecessary for you to get enlightened. That is right isn’t it? Look the earlier words. Sentient beings have to realize because they are all deluded. And you think there are the seeds of enlightenment and the Dharma. You have kept the two seeds. There is the state completely free from suchlike seed. This is of great importance. This is the most important thing in Buddhism.
“When myriad dharmas are all not the self, there is no delusion,” Being so, there is no need of Buddhas, no sentient beings, accordingly what is said birth and death come to be out of question. Though it doesn’t become a problem, this one is not without existence. This one exists just like before, all the more because such a seed like self exists nowhere, this is intimate. What is said Shinnyo-Itu; the truth is pervasive and thorough, is the same. (When you are without self, you always become one and act with things.) Body itself becomes whatever it is on the conditions, wherever it goes and acts freely. This is formed like that. There is an aspect to get through suchlike thing. Even though, we have such kind of state, it comes to be a problem.
“Because the Buddha Way is originally transcendent over abundance and scarcity,” This “abundance and scarcity,” is large or small, you can regard them as various problems. All problems. The teaching of Buddhism is, when we hit our bottom, outstanding from suchlike problems from the beginning. This is the talk of being now. Everything is by far the best from the start. Accordingly, on which this is said, “there is birth and death, there is delusion and enlightenment, there are sentient beings and Buddhas.” The state of Shakyamuni is like that and sentient beings all admit such things, so there comes out the salvation. Being so, the essential real phase of you is formed on the same condition as living buddhas. This is decided. Without fail. That is why it is righteous.
If there was a difference between the body of the Buddha and bodies of us, like the difference between snow and a ball of charcoal, it cannot be helped. However, from one point of view, it is a charcoal ball in the same way. But regarding whether we know the content of this ball of charcoal or not, such a thing has been completed.
“There are the living buddhas; sentient beings and the Buddha. And yet,” if I explain why it becomes a problem, “this is the way it is, flowers fall in our longing, and weeds grow in our loathing.” What it means is because you have feelings likes or dislikes. The discriminative mind arises and causes problems saying likes or dislikes, that is why it comes to be in disorder. This is what he says. “flowers fall in our longing, and weeds grow in our loathing.” Nothing else. Being so, there is the phrases in the beginning of the third patriarch’s shinjinmei; Xinxin Ming, “The way is not difficult, it only excludes picking and choosing.” “ Once you stop loving and hating, it will enlighten itself.” That means it. Like that everything is extremely clear and in order.
“Driving oneself to practice and enlighten myriad dharmas is delusion. The myriad dharmas advance towards oneself to practice and enlighten is enlightenment. Those who greatly realize delusion are buddhas. Those who are greatly deluded about realization are sentient beings. Moreover, there are those who are enlightened upon enlightenment, and there are those who are deluded in the midst of delusion. When buddhas are indeed buddhas, there is no need for them to perceive that they are buddhas. Nevertheless, they are realized buddhas and they go on being buddhas realizing.”
“The myriad dharmas advance towards oneself to practice and enlighten is enlightenment.” From this side, not from the side your eyes, from the side of things it advances to you like this, everything has such inevitability. It is fine with the inevitability as it is. Then next could be said embellishments of writing. “Those who greatly realize delusion are buddhas.” If a person who had been deluded realized, he would say “Oh that is so!” what you have though the seed of delusion is the seed of enlightenment., which is whole. You can know that you have thought as earthly desires or ordinary mortals but it is actually not the case. You can know it. But even if you are completely provided as such, it is said, “Those who are greatly deluded about realization are sentient beings.” Being said like this, you say “Even if you say such a thing, I have full of earthly desires, or, it is a preposterous story that you overstated this one the buddha,” and you get set to escape. This kind of thing happens. Many people say “What? You say this is the buddha, you made a big thing. It is an absurd story. The teaching of the Buddha is not such a trivial matter.” They said like that and they sound to esteem the Buddha. They sound they set a high value on the Dharma, though, that is a self-centered opinion. (an egoistic opinion) It is so. Because Zen adepts experienced this and say firmly, “Anyone can do it,” “destroying what is accomplished is the thoughts,” but they get set to say “We cannot be satisfied with the thing of that sort.” Then having experienced what the Buddha says and practice it, but they are the men who ignore the Dharma of the Buddha. Being proud is like that. It is the opposite of their saying. They are so proud. That is right. Although you don’t know what you should do yourself, you say it cannot be done, or it is impossible to be made with the way we are now, which is being proud. You don’t know it.That is why the Buddha said, “Those who are devoted to my teaching are my disciples, and those who have such views are not my disciples.” That is natural. Even if he taught them, they ran away.
Furthermore, look! “Moreover, there are those enlightened upon enlightenment,” Because there are a lot of problems on the state enlightened as Dogen Zenji talked about Prajna, many problems on the content like that, you will truly come to be able to believe the minute details of the teaching “Yes it is,” after you realized. On which, “Moreover there are those enlightened upon enlightenment.” But,“and there are those who are deluded in the midst of delusion.” About this, there are some people who explain that this is expressed to go back into such delusion as human beings. That is not so. This means you are deluded again in the delusion. I would like you to know that such kind of thing is precisely classified. When I say what it is, what is to say “and there are those who are deluded in the midst of delusion” this one itself. This one is, isn’t it? We are deluded with only what we have. And on the state being deluded, you have another delusion which you expect someone do it somehow. Saying that there may be something which save this one, you think out an absurd idea and try to go relying on. The more you go searching for, the more far it will be. Which is said here “those who are deluded in the midst of delusion.”
It is such steadfast but there arise various problems, so on the risky point which problems or errors might happen, Dogen Zenji shows next. “When a man rides in a boat and he moves his eyes to the shore, he misapprehend the shore is moving. When he closely keeps his eyes fixed on the boat, he knows that the boat is moving forward. Similarly, when one discerns the myriad things with the confused body and mind, one mistakenly thinks that one's own mind and nature are permanent.” It is written like this. When it comes to one’s own mind and nature, here is “I” who is steadfast and assumed, sit there forever, on whom various things appear, like that it is likely to admit this what promotes. You tend to see that there is what promotes. It is a mistake. He spoke it in similitude of a boat. That is so. Likewise, when we are on board a train, children say, seeing outside, “Wow, utility poles run! Utility poles run!” When we see outside, we feel like the train we are on board doesn’t move and the utility poles are running. But seeing close this one, we are moving together, with other side. Like that, this one has nothing fixed. so, it is in concurrence. Which is Dependent Origination. CLAP! CLAP! (he claps his hand) It’s same as this. That this sound was made is, CLAP! when the both hands clash one another to become oneness, it sounds. Similarly, all perception through six sense; of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and consciousness, are all oneness as it is. And so, every one of them is Dependent Arising. Everything is new. The former thing with this, the former one is intimate with next one, this is, that is, which is not. Now one by one, at that time, at the place, it is new. Being so, it is said if you once take it up, it is new. In that sense, if you want to rejuvenate, I recommend you zazen. CLAP! With this sound, it is always new, so you can rejuvenate. Nothing old is not left, this. Like that, you and others are both together. When moving you move, which condition is the true aspect of this one. Therefore, you have to calm your mind of now and get along with the body and mind.“With the confused body and mind,” is that to observe things with the view which I am or what is mine is, that becomes problem. It is supposed to happen you feel like what you have might be stolen. Then you can proceed without such a thing at all.
Recently a person seemed to have mistaken, as I always say that sort of thing, he asked if the Buddha Dharma didn’t concern with human beings and their lives. The thing is we should fundamentally know first oneself who is in such. And if it is without constancy, it could be said it is all right to become sick. Yes, it is OK to become sick. Because we are formed to become sick or to be healthy, one way or another, it is true. It is not mistaken. Even though, when being sick, it becomes inconvenient for this one to be used on the usage, so it is unpleasant. Then on the way to use this one, if such inconvenience as sickness happens, you know it saying “Is that so?” and got to a doctor to get a treatment. When treated, you will recover because it is Dependent Origination. In other words, doctors just know the law of Dependent Arising and only prescribe for patient medicine suitably. There is no other thing but it.
Similarly, because we keep our health on Dependent Origination, we become sick or come not to be free even though being made to act freely, so we say it is inconvenient for us and troublesome. It is so, it is inconvenient for human beings, on their lives it is in convenient for the them to live and we must take any methods to make it favorable at all cost. We will have to take nutrition, which is not the thing we should not do. It is the thing to be done.
And let me talk another one. “Firewood becomes ash, and does not become firewood again.” This is what I told you now. “and does not become firewood again.” That is so. The former firewood is once burned, it doe not become original firewood again. Since it is Dependent Arising and Dependent Ceasing, it is always new. “Nevertheless,” but even so, “the ash after and the firewood as before.” Everybody promises too far, viewing like that, which is said. But that shouldn’t happen, firewood is ahead and when burned it certainly becomes ash. Yes that is that. The way in the world of human beings is like that. Despite of that, as it is said here, firewood is time of being firewood and ash is the time of being ash.
“Know that firewood abides in the Dharma state of firewood” and “and it has a before and after.” It is not fixed. To the end of earth, being ahead and being behind are both the state of you every moment, which is said. Then, “Just as firewood, after having become ash, does not again become firewood, so after dying a person does not become alive again.” This shows that there is the mistake which you see this with thoughts. If that is the case, there is no necessity to hold a memorial service from the beginning, it comes out you want to say such. Having been said like this, however, you cannot be satisfied, so we have to preach at all cost. To hold a memorial service is preaching. Yes, it is. When died first? Being alive, while being alive, you treat like that, what is being dead, or what is being alive, on which there lies the big problem.
Therefore “This being the case, not to say that life becomes death” In Dharma, it is not said that life becomes death, which is the definite state of Dharma. As the function of dharma said death, as the function of dharma said life, thin one acts. It is Dharma-body. That is why “Therefore it is called unborn.” And so, it is unclear, when this voice come out, even if you say this comes out, you act, you don’t know where it began. When you see this. (showing one of his hand) you will recall such a thing. It is such, isn’t it? Even as for this, none decided the starting point here. No one decided that it arises from here. No one knows. It starts all of a sudden from unknown place. All are such. Even though I am doing with this, you all don’ know. Without knowing, it begins there. It is always settled to move like that. “That death does not become life, which is the Buddha preaching established in the turning of the Dharma-Wheel.” That is to say, it is like that on Dharma, saying rather than on Dharma, it is clear that all of your figures are settled like that. “Therefore, it is said imperishable.” That is so. Saying to die, there is no seed because this is the thing as Dharma. Only as Dharma-body. In what is said Dharma, it is not known, if you say there is the seed of Dharma somewhere. This is because to raise this is the Dharma without doubt. Raising my hand, it is the Dharma for certain. This hand, raising and putting it down. But then if one were to say the Dharma raising and putting down like this exists somewhere, it is unknown. Without knowing this is formed to act like that.
And even if you have done it, “When Dharma has not completely filled one's body and mind, one feels it is already sufficient.” and “If the Dharma fills one's body and mind, in one respect, one feels insufficiency,” is said. This seems to be inconsistent for you. If I explain what this means, there is to realize the way at first, the real state that you attain at the time of realizing the way, when you experience forgetfulness, is that you decisively fell into the world of nothingness, as I told you before, it comes out that thing is just as it is itself, the movement as Dharma is just the movement as it is. You can be satisfied on that state. Because it is the basics, absolute basics. Looking at the basics, you say “Ah, that was good.” It is what is said the determination of ease. The determination of ease comes to be definitely fixed there that it is all correct.
Therefore, from the point of view, To say that “one feels it is already sufficient” comes out. To say that “Ah, it is fine with this” comes out. But like this, “When Dharma has not completely filled one's body and mind,” is indicated here, that is not all yet. Only after you have attained such basics, the working of Dharma comes to appear. The birth of Buddha Dharma is it. Having got the basics like that, each and every dharma come to happen. Being so, all is what is preached as it is and we gradually come to know that we are as we are what is preached in Buddha Dharma.In the meaning of that sort, the state when you just realized here and now, it says “one feels it is already sufficient.” Also, one should obtain such a reliable thing. At that time one still feels if there might be some other thing, it is useless. That alone is certain. And yet the whole dharma itself, this one will have been broken to pieces everything, the person who got and the dharma was attained will disappear, and one will become just an ordinary person. I shall say one returns the original mediocre person, in order to come the point, there is a distance for a while, so this is indicated such a state.
Thereupon next word came out. “Know that water is life, know that the sky is life. There is bird being life, there is fish being life.” At any rate, it is the matter of inseparable relation, which is explained like this. It cannot be definitely separated. Cause and effect are oneness. And that the oneness of cause and effect is not the oneness of cause and effect by doing practice. Note, for the first time, it came out without knowing. What is unaware came out without knowing, toward the thing came out, various names are attached such as 偶々人or 万鏡。Ten thousand mirrors. Being so, it is originally your true phase that is not the region being involved in human views as such. As that is the true state of each, Dogen Zenji spoke it here.
As there are such things, there is necessity for us to know this boundary. Then an explanation for this comes out. “Do not learn that attainment necessarily becomes one's own knowledge, that it would be recognized by one's intellect.” We have the ability to know that the boundary is unknown, though, on that occasion, when I have done this, CLAP! (he clapps his hands) whether everybody could make it clear or not, the thing is it is not so. This is, when one comes to live in the world called indiscriminative wisdom; nirvikalpaka-jñāna, where thoughts do not arise, and always touch things such place, then one will become to know. Because of that, “attainment necessarily becomes one's own knowledge,” do not think that there are just things we can get to know.
Here as Dogen Zenji says, “The realization-evidence of the Buddha-Dharma, the living road of right transmission, is like this.” Because it says that the nature of wind is constancy and there is no place it does not reach, you can use however you please. You can act whatever you please. Why do you need to go around asking what the truth of yourself is? But it cannot be helped even if you agree that is so as you cannot gain confident. There lies the thing which we must do. If mistaking that, you have a thought that the other person realized, Dogen Zenji got enlightened to tell us the state of enlightenment, all we have to do is to believe his words and imitate, which is dreadful. Human beings cannot satisfy just with that. By all means, we cannot truly satisfy if we don’t try to grapple directly. And there are those who demand it and don’t demand, there is no help for it. Many people have the intention to do until they satisfy to their heart content. You must necessarily attain such a state. But there comes mistakenly out such movement like we don’t need to use a fan as wind is constancy. Such people don’t know about being constancy and the nature of wind. They cannot manage efficiently being in the state of now, even though they talk about the true nature or being the state of now. Because you are supposed to be the person who manages, so Dogen Zenji said, “Because the nature of wind is constancy, the wind of Buddhism causes the earth manifest being gold and ripen the long river into sweet creamy milk.” This means that because we are stoked up like that and anything and everything is the activity of your own itself you should become a person to use it for the sake of others, he said. Of course, for you sake, too. He described it such. Whole water of Tenryu River has been ripen into butter as it is written sweet creamy milk of the long river. It is nutritional supplement. I want you to be the person to use it freely having taken it as nutritional supplement.