shobogenzokandoのblog

This blog presents Kando Inoue roshi's activities, mainly his dharma talks of shobogenzo in English. Kando is the top advocate of shobogenzo by Zen Master Dogen.


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.

                                                                                                                              Japanese

Today's issue is to start with the following: "If you want to realize suchness, get to work on suchness right now.” I'll start with this. Dogen Zenji's reference to this saying is found in the words of Ungo Doyo Zenji, a disciple and successor of Tozan Ryōkai Zenji, saying, "If you want to attain the matter of suchness, you must be a person in suchness. Already being a person in suchness, why worry about the matter of suchness.” There is such a saying. In the Fugan Zazen-Gi, the sentence, "If you want to realize suchness," Dogen Zenji probably borrowed that sentence as it is here. It is expressed, “get to work on suchness right now.” And at the end again, this matter of suchness is brought up as follows: "If you achieve suchness for a long time, you will be absolutely such.” I don't think we have heard this word very often, but it seems to be a word that is used in China in everyday life. “Suchness,” I guess it's the Chinese word for "like this" or "like that." What is it that you do when you do Zazen? It is always the same, even when you are not doing Zazen, if you say what you do, then you have a use for what you are doing right now, right here, no matter what time it is. In other words, it says, "If you want to get what you want," but if you really want to deal with what is going on now, or if you want to get the contents, you are in such a situation at once, even though you would not do anything. “If you want to realize suchness, get to work on suchness right now.” “If you want to realize suchness,” I think that there is no distance of time, which is the best way to say “If you want to realize suchness.” You know.
It doesn't matter what kind of thing it is. When you do it like this,(he shows a thing,) “If you want to realize suchness,” which means if you want to see it, is that right? “get to work on suchness right now.” That's why you guys have are working on the matter of suchness ahead of time. When I do this, it means that the very thing is done on your own before you even think of looking at them. That is why that sort of thing is up there. So, there is no such thing that you do Zazen and something to happen there from now on. We have use for the present state itself. It is the same in human life. And what is always missing? The stupidity of human beings is that they are not paying attention to what they are doing right now. We are doing something, but we look for something else to do. Isn't that what you are doing? Many of you. Well, I guess I'll leave it at that. “The matter of suchness.” So, when you do Zazen, being in the present moment, being close to your present state of being, is the proof that you are making efforts, as it is said, "If you want to realize suchness, get to work on suchness right now.” Now, the next part of the article is about the state of Zazen, which is what you like, when you say, "I did Zazen," or "I am doing Zazen," or something like that.
“For practicing Zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately.” Well, sitting in a noisy place, in a noisy environment, is an aspect that does not go well with your practice. You are distracted by what is going on around you, if it is too noisy. It has to be quiet. But if the purpose of Zazen is to sit quietly, that is not the case. So, quietness may be taken to be the absence of sound. If, on the other hand, what is noisy is that when you are in touch with something and your mind is seeking other circumstances than the one you are in touch with, you may feel that the thing you are in touch with is noisy. You can tell by the fact that when we are alone together, it never feels like it's making a lot of noise. Well, let's say it's quiet. It would be nice to have the quietest room in the house. Also, sitting is not recommended immediately after a meal or when you have eaten a full meal. And then it says eating and drinking, so it's the drinking. The biggest problem with drinks is alcohol. Sitting with alcohol is not recommended in Zazen. It is normal not to do so. “Eat and drink moderately.” Be moderate. It is best to sit on the seven-tenth full.
“Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs. Do not think good or bad. Do not judge true or false.” There are many things that come up, but if you simply want to do Zazen, it is necessary to become only what you are sitting right now. That is why we are told “Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs.” Then it says, "Do not think good or bad.” Well, if you look at the legend, you will see that this is also a well-known story. In China, the fifth patriarch, to the place of fifth generation from Daruma-san, a man named Eno came to practice Zen, and afterwards, the fifth patriarch told the practitioners to show how they had achieved the state of mind that they were in. And then he reported that he would like to have someone succeed in his position if he could find something that would fulfill his wish. I wonder if the text says that there were about 500 people at that time. There is a person named Jinshu who is leading the way. I guess many of them would say that they are sure he is that one, and others have backed out. Well, let's skip that part for a moment, Eno-san who was there, accepted and succeeded to the lineage, he was given the kesa and the oryouki, which had been handed down from generation to generation, and while everyone was sleeping, avoid being noticed, the fifth patriarch, Konin-sama, took Eno-sama on a boat and took him to a secluded place. Then, the next morning, they found that Eno-san was not there, and when they asked what was going on, they found out that he had succeeded to the Five Patriarch and they decided to retrieve them. In order to retrieve the robe and the bowl, the kesa and the oryoki, a former military man, Myo was chosen to go after, and he caught up with Eno-sama at the foot of a mountain called Taiyu Mountain, he asked for the robe and the bowl to be returned. Then, Eno-sama put them on the stone like this, and said, "If you like, please take them.” And Myojoza, who came after them to retrieve them, realized that just bringing back the robe and the bowl would not mean that he was bringing back the Dharma that had been handed down. It would be just bringing back a thing and not taking back what it says is the true meaning of the inheritance, and that's where he would implore. He wants it back. When asked, Eno-sama said, "When you are 'not thinking good or bad', what is Myojoza's original face?” In short, he told him what our condition would be like when we leave our thoughts of human goodness or badness behind us. With those words, this Meisho-za opens his eyes. In essence, the Dharma itself has come to be able to be passed on within him. This is where such a legend of not thinking of right and wrong is. To really study things, something like this is necessary, I suppose.
Likewise, “Give up the operation of mind; sensation, discrimination, cognition.” This is the popular edition of the Fukan-Zazen-Gi that I am reading now, but there is one thing left that was written down before this. The earlier version does not seem to have survived. There remains a book called "Tempuku-hon." Among it, is this phrase called “one consciousness of doubt.”  Consciousness of doubt is doubt, and then “limitless thinking,” which means, in the monk's case, questions and answers, “limitless thinking” is. But, to put it originally, when a merchant trades, nothing is priced at the beginning, so the seller and buyer negotiate and come to an agreement on the price, trade, and that is what is meant by “limitless thinking.” “limitless thinking” means no matter how long you try, you will never reach a conclusion. They are doing things like, "This or that,” no matter how long it takes, which is the feeling that raises doubts about the "what is the meaning of the word?” In the Tenpuku version, he mentions that these two things are the main reasons for not making things clear. And then, when it comes to what we should do to truly go beyond them, there is a word for that:
直下承当, (Jikige Jhouto),: receiving directly." 直下承当, (Jikige Jhouto),: receiving directly is to learn from what is going on here, right now. Well, I think it would be good if you could take a look at this in conjunction with what is written here. “Do not judge true or false.” "Do not think good or bad.” “Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs.” I guess humans think that something is not clear unless we think about it. We are strange animals. CLAP! (He strikes his palm.) When we do this, there is a kind of “one consciousness of doubt.” You hear the sound, and you can hear it perfectly like this, but CLAP! CLAP! It's strange. When “one consciousness of doubt” occurs, you wonder what it is. When such a thing happens, you enter a totally different world from the one you heard now, right? You understand, don't you? What you are dealing with is already different. That's why you can't practice anymore.
I'll go to the next one. “Give up the operation of
心意識,( shinisiki), :consciousness, working of mind: sensation, discrimination, cognition. Stop measuring with 念想観,: (nensokan), :consciousness, thoughts and views. Have no designs on becoming a Buddha.” Many things have been brought up. Regarding 心意識,( shinisiki), and 念想観,(nensokan), those things will come out first before we do something. When we take up one thing that thoughts come to mind, or various things come out in your mind, it is the same. They will appear first, before you take it up as an issue. Before you can say how it is about, something has to come to mind first. It is only when something comes to mind that you begin to take it up and do something about it. When something comes to mind first, since it suddenly appear at a place where you have no business, it is just a matter of having a sudden appearance, isn't it? It is impossible to try to prevent it from appearing. It is impossible even if you try to prevent it from emerging. That kind of thing is firstly to stop the operation of 心意識, (shinisiki), working of mind. You say to stopping it, even though you can do nothing about it, you are still hindering what has come out, which is the evidence that you are dealing with 心意識, (shinisiki), and 念想観(nensokan).
Because this is the problem of mind, you feel very troublesome. However, the others, called five organs, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body, whose functions are all movements come first. It is the same with the way of eyes. You say you see things, but the truth is that things appear to you before you see them. Because things are seen, you start taking up the things you see, saying, "This is such, this is such. It's probably the same with sound. Before you hear a sound, the sound is clicked, right? When you hear a click, you pick up the sound and say, "Oh, I heard a click. That would mean that everyone is driving
心意識, (shinisiki). To stop is the way everyone is initially being in such situations. Everyone before you deal with. When you bring something to your mouth. When you take something to your mouth and put it in, the taste of what you put in your mouth will come out first. At that point, you are not operating a thought , and you are not measuring a view. Well, you are clear without having to do anything, so that's good. Well, you are clear without having to do anything, so that's good, more than that, I guess. You know without asking, "What is it?” You know clearly without asking yourself why or what it is. Your way of understanding is that when you hear a sound, you are trying to understand more than just hearing this sound, CLAP! When a sound is made, if it sounds as the sound is being made, it means that it is clear how the sound really is. When you sit, you should sit in such a way. When you are sitting, your whole body is active, so things can be seen, heard, and many other things are being done, and many things come to your mind, so to those things.
In the next place, it says, "Have no designs on becoming a Buddha.” This kind of thing has a historical event. In the book "Zazenshin" (Shobogenzo, Zazenshin), which I think you have read before, there is an exchange between Mr. Nangaku Eiyo and Baso Doitsu. In there, this thing called " becoming a Buddha” is found. Let me briefly introduce the story. Baso-san was always doing Zazen, and when his teacher Nangaku-san passed by, he called out to him, "Hey, what are you doing?” In difficult words, it says, “Daitoku, what are you planning thus, in Zazen?” That's what they call it. At that time, Baso-san said, “Zusabutsu: planning to become buddha.” The “Zusabutsu: planning to become buddha” that appears here is referred. I guess it's said, planning to make Buddha, or drawing Buddha. Then the master, Nangaku-san, would take a brick from his side, place it on the stone like this, and rub it together. Seeing this, his apprentice Baso asked, "Master, what are you doing?” The master said, "Yes, I'm polishing it to make a mirror.” The “Zusabutsu: planning to become buddha” is mentioned in such places as this as a legendary event. When this story was first introduced to the public, there was a discussion between a master and his disciple. The master was sharpening a brick on a stone, and the disciple Baso asked the master, "Can you polish a brick to become a mirror?” Then the master said, "Do you become a Buddha by doing Zazen?” So many people have taken up this story to say that the master Nangaku pointed out, "Even if you do Zazen, Zazen is not about becoming a Buddha," and that this is incorrect and the wrong way to do it by saying something like "polish a brick to make it into a mirror.”
But when we refer to the Dogen Zenji’s Zazenshin, as I have told you about this, so if you want to know, please look at it again. What Dogen Zenji brought up is entirely different from their sayings. First of all, Dogen Zenji mentioned that the relationship between the master, Nangaku, and the disciple, Baso, is in tune and this story is based on it, he takes it up as such. According others, it is also said that the disciple does Zazen because he does not understand it well, that he is always doing Zazen, though, what he is doing, or that he is doubting Zazen. It is said that the master said this because he did not want him to do Zazen in such a wrong way. Their understanding of the story is that the master Nangaku said to Baso because he could not afford to let him do Zazen in such wrong way. Dogen Zenji sees things completely differently than that. One of them, when Boso replied “Zusabutsu: planning to become buddha,” when he was asked what he was doing in Zazen, Dogen Zenji indicated us what was the meaning of this “Zusabutsu: planning to become buddha,” to receive as becoming buddha, saying Zusabutsu. Even though Baso says “Zusabutsu: planning to become buddha,” when he says to plan becoming buddha, we should truly study the meaning of his saying, what kind of thing Baso is expressing as “Zusabutsu: planning to become buddha,” which Dogen Zeni has left us.
In other words, there is a Buddha-like object on the other side, and one is supposed to practice and attain Buddhahood in the same way as that Buddha-like object. That is the way ordinary people use the term "making Buddha." But what does Baso really mean when he talks about “Zusabutsu: planning to become buddha?” CLAP! This is what it means “Zusabutsu. “It is not a matter of becoming buddha or not becoming buddha from now on. That is what is being questioned. I think we need to ask ourselves the same question. It is not the same as having a picture in one's mind that one will attain Buddhahood, become a Buddha, or attain enlightenment, and then trying to make efforts and devices to make it come true. That is not useful.
“How could that be limited to sitting or lying down?” Things that we generally say, like sitting or lying down, those things are out of the question, I would say. “How could that be limited to sitting or lying down?” So now it comes down to the content of Zazen, the form of Zazen, and things like that.
“尋常,(jinjyo),:usual” it's called jinjyo , and I guess we used to call it an "jinjyo elementary school" or something like that. “尋常,(jinjyo),: usual” some of you may be old enough to remember when you hear such things. “At usual sitting place, spread out a thick mat and put a cushion on it.” Though it is shown in this way, there are quite a few Zazen meetings that do not have a thick mat: zabuton, so I would like to ask you to review this. It is better to use a cushion that is a little larger than a regular cushion and a little thicker. The zafu is used on top of such a mat. To put it a little more bluntly, some materials are made of a kind of cloth that causes friction between the cloth of zafu and the object you are wearing when you sit down, so that the cloth slides easily. And there are things that make good contact with the object you are wearing so that you can sit without slipping. It's a good idea to be careful when sitting on such things. The size of the zafu is also determined by the condition of your hips or buttocks, your body weight, and other factors. Or the panya of its contents, which is not cotton but panja. The amount of panja that should be used is slightly different for each person, so please try to devise it yourself instead of just using what you have bought.
The next step is how to form the legs. The first is the full lotus, and the second is the half lotus. In the full lotus, the right leg is raised over the left thigh. The next is to raise the left leg above the right thigh. This is well understood by everyone. You can also see how deeply you should raise and cross your legs by trying. In the half-lotus position, you simply raise the left leg above the right thigh. When trying, in the case of half-lotus position, what to do with the right leg that is not specifically crossed, if the right leg is placed under the left knee cap, the right and left knees will not be stable when they are placed on the futon. If you pull the right leg toward the inner thigh, both knees will be placed evenly on the bedding, which is what I would like to mention.
For what you are wearing, “Put your robe loosely and arrange them neatly.” Avoid using anything that constricts the body as much as possible. Especially, things like thin trousers that make your legs feel tight. Or things that constrict around the waist. It is better not to use things that constrict the body too much, even if the upper body is the same. Something loose-fitting would be better.
And by "arrange them neatly,” it means not to treat your clothes in a way that looks ugly from the other side, generally not in a way that your clothes are housed on top of the futon and extend out from it. Monks are taught to make sure that their robes and kesa do not reach their neighbors, but rather that they fit neatly into their own bodies. Also, we teach them to treat their clothes in such a way that they look neat and tidy from all angles. I don't think it's that indecent in the case of western clothes, though. There is no such thing as sitting with the bare skin exposed, especially on the lower half of the body. Since many women participate, it would be a good idea to have at least one scarf with you and drape it over your legs. If there is such a thing. Do not expose your legs. I guess that's what I mean when I say "to be in good order". There are no precautions here against wearing gaudy or primary colors, but when you come to the Zazen dojo, as much as possible, you should avoid wearing eye-catching, gaudy, or showy clothing.
Next is the hand shape, with the right hand on top of the left foot and the left palm on top of the right palm. The tips of the thumbs should be facing each other. Then the thumbs will form an oval shape. Then you lower it all the way down to the top of your feet along the body, and when the shape is formed, you releasing your tension of the body.
Next is, “Straighten your body and sit upright,” the body. “leaning neither left nor right, neither forward nor backward.” Another way of saying this is, “Align your ears with your shoulders and your nose with your navel.” This is generally a good shape, but there are a few more tips. As for the spine called vertebrae, there are five lumbar vertebrae located at the hips, from the sacrum up. The pelvis, the pelvis is like this, it comes out of here like this. Lumbar vertebrae. There are five vertebrae, and the third vertebra, which is in the middle of the five vertebrae, is roughly around the navel when viewed from the front. If you move your abdomen all the way forward, the third lumbar vertebra will be extended. Like this, the lumbar vertebrae form an S-shape from the waist, like this. So, the third lumbar vertebrae are stretched here. On the other hand, if you do it like this, we say your lower back is down. So the bottom is stretched like this. That's, well, I think that's the important part of stretching the body. When we have people sit down, we look around and try to push the area with our hands, and most of them stretch out by themselves. If we press it lightly, most people will stretch it by themselves. The place where the lumbar vertebrae are fully extended is the place where the lower back is in place. There is a place where if you put it all the way on, the strength will be lost all at once and the body will not collapse. This is the position of the nose against the navel and the ears against the shoulders. It is comfortable to sit in such a way that the more you sit, the more you can sit in a form that is neat and steady, without any tension.
Now let's look at the inside of the mouth. You say that the tongue should touch the upper lobe and clamp the lips and teeth together. Clamp them together. You can see how it looks like. How does it look like? Is it attached or not when you clamp the lips and teeth together? If you experience for yourself how it feels when you are attaching the tongue and not attaching, you will be able to tell whether you are doing this or not when you are sitting down.
“Always keep your eyes open,” It is simply written like this. When we teach, it is written in other places that we should not make the eyes narrow or tense, so in order to get half-open eyes, you should look down at about 1 meter away from the eye. It is not difficult to keep the eyes in the half-eye position, but if the posture is maintained as shown above, the eyes will be in the most comfortable position when the chin is pulled back. When you do it like this, when you sit down doing it like this, it's usually about one meter away. It's time, isn't it? I'm almost there, and I've got one more thing to finish with the part of body. I will read a little to the point, “and breath softly through your nose. Once you have adjusted your posture, take a breath and exhale fully, rock your body right and left, and settle into steady, immovable sitting.” Breathe through the nose. Breathe through the nose, abdominal breathing method. Inhale to the 丹田: Tanden, to the lower part of the belly, and then exhale slowly. Before that, the first thing to do is to do what is called 欠気一息,(kanki-- issoku) exhale one breath.” Before the current abdominal breathing, open the mouth a little and exhale completely, then inhale through the nose into the Tanden, and exhale slowly. After the abdominal breathing has been done four or five times, place your hands palms up on both knees. And sway your body from side to side. It is better to do these exercises knowing what they are for. When you make a shape, excess strength enters in various places, so in order to sit comfortably, you need to loosen your body, so you should sway left and right with that intention. Go down slowly while exhaling, then back up while inhaling slowly, then go down while exhaling slowly. In this way, you start with a large movement at first, and then make smaller and smaller movements to the left and right, stopping in the middle after about seven or eight times, and after that, you sit as if a rock were placed firmly on the ground, which is what we call "and settle into steady, immovable sitting.” I will leave the "Think of not thinking." for the next time. I would like to finish only about shaping form. 

                                                                                                                                            Japanese

Today's installment is from the phrase, “It is never apart from this very place. What the use of traveling around to practice?” It is rare idiom "大都,(Oyoso)." The lower character means the capital. It is the center of things. In politics, the capital is the most central place that is called the capital. It says, “It is never apart from this very place.” This is probably how everyone is living this life. I think you can read it in a normal way without thinking too hard. “It is never apart from this very place.” The way everyone is living their lives is existing in the present here and now, and no one is living apart from it, right? But many people still think they have to go somewhere. There may be many people who feel as if they are missing something, or that there are obstacles in their way. “It is never apart from this very place.” As I have always said, there will be no one living far away from the body and mind that we have received, which is the body that you think of as mine. And we always refer to the place where this body and mind are located as "here". This place. And the way this body-mind is working is called now. Well, when you really look at it that way, there is no place that is far away. We are always perfectly living right here. Following that, he continued, “What is the use of traveling around to practice?” The word 脚頭,(kyakuto),:legs and head is used. The legs are feet, so it must indicate that there is a destination and that the person is heading there. And then the head means whether you can understand it or not. Whether it makes sense or not on the way of thinking. Is there a need such a thing or use of it? It means whether or not we need to use such a thing to practice, because this word comes after the first part of the sentence.
And something that reminds me of this, in Dogen Zenji's "Gakudo yojhinshu: Guidelines for Studying the Way," there is a criticism which seems to sum up the religious world of Japan at that time. One is "心外,(shinge),: outside the mind," which can be either the mind or the body. One criticism is, "some masters have people seek the Dharma outside the mind. " There is one point that says, "Some make people seek real awakening outside of the body and mind," saying that there must be something more real than our present state of being. The other one is, " Some masters make people desire to be beatified in the other land. " The other land means to tell people that there is a true place of salvation and salvation elsewhere, away from this place. The "Other Land of 往生,(ojho) passing away," you know the meaning of "passing away," don't you? We use such terms as 大往生, (daiōjho),: a peaceful death. These words are found in the documents left behind by Dogen Zenji at that time. I think these words are representative of following points, “What is the use of traveling around to practice?” The reason why it came up is that there are so many ways to show what is said now, and that is the wrong way to teach.
Since we are doing this now through the ZOOM screen, I want you to watch and listen to me this way. You have no use for anything else. When I am doing this, (waving a ballpoint pen) I'm sure what I'm doing here is in your place, and I'm sure it's conveyed to you. Even if we take just one of these things as an example, this is the real thing. Which is everyone is living now. When we do this, (shows a ballpoint pen) look at this. No one leaves this place. No one leaves from this state of being right?
Whenever I do it this way, we will be living properly like this, exactly as it is, without leaving. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! (He claps his hands.) CLAP! If it's louder, we'll do it this way. (Make a loud sound) CLAP! Well, there are many other ways as well. Holding something is one of them. (Grasping the ballpoint pen.) Letting go would be the same. (He opens palm to show ballpoint pen) This is how I want you to study. I want you to study your own state. “It is never apart from this very place.” So, when you do it like this, you don't do anything like training. Even if you don't do any training, you'll get there, just as it is. It is the same with understanding. If I do it like this, you will understand it like this. (Showing the object) When I do this, you can't say you don't understand what it is. If you don't know what it's like when I do this, it means that you are not in tune with the state you are in and are not familiar with it. It means that you are thinking of something crazy. So, when I do this, you will be out of it. It says, “What is the use of traveling around to practice?” but it is not necessary. That's what you all do every day, from time to time, in your practice of Zen. It is not about doing something somewhere. What you call practicing Zen is not about doing something somewhere else. It is. It's about the way this thing is really living right now, in the flesh, unfolding right here. It would be a relief if you could clarify what that is about, because it's about you. What is it to be troubled, to suffer, to doubt? There must be something that is not clear to you.
The next phrase here is the one that points this out. Even though, as I have just said, we have done so well, " And yet, " it says. Yet, even though everyone seems to be so clear on themselves, “if there is a hairsbreadth deviation, it is like the gap between heaven and earth.” It has been pointed as such. This phrase is from the
信心銘,(shinjin-mei),:Inscription of Faith.", left by Sosan Zenji, the third generation of Zen masters from Daruma, China, there is first a phrase that says, “if there is a hairsbreadth deviation, it is like the gap between heaven and earth.” At the beginning of the Inscription of Faith, it says “The supreme Way has no difficulty, Just dislikes picking and choosing. Just don’t hate and love And it is clearly evident.” After the first sentence, it says, “if there is a hairsbreadth deviation, it is like the gap between heaven and earth. “Which, I think Dogen Zenji must have received as it is.
The next sentence, “And yet, if a slightest obedience or disobedience arises, the mind is lost in confusion.” it is found a little further down the line in this Inscription of Faith. There it goes, ”If there is a slightest right or worng, you lose your mind in confusion.” He made it " if a slightest obedience or disobedience arise," The word “obedience or disobedience” is used ”in the Inscription of Faith” in the idiom " obedience or disobedience competes with each other,”and I think he skillfully rewrote the sentence in this way. We all notice big differences very well, but I believe that it is relatively difficult to notice small differences. So, we tend to overlook them and allow them to go unnoticed. This is the most important question for professionals, and I think it is the same for all things.
“if there is a hairsbreadth deviation, it is like the gap between heaven and earth.” I have heard from the craftsmen who built things like the Tokyo Tower that they built the tower according to the blueprints and they also made the parts, of course, if there is an error of even 0.01 mm, or 1/100 of a millimeter, in building such a tall tower, it will never be able to be assembled when it goes to the top. So, once they are all assembled on the ground, the parts are disassembled again and then lifted back up and assembled again. Even the craftsmen do this. Onigawara, or large tiles, are attached to the highest part of the roof, and they weigh several tons. A single block of onigawara for a large temple weighs several tons. So, they are assembled once on the ground and when they are assembled properly, they are disassembled and brought up to the top for assembling. Otherwise, they would not be able to make any adjustments up there, they say. I think this is a good example of how important the saying ,“if there is a hairsbreadth deviation, it is like the gap between heaven and earth,” is. If we are not honest with ourselves, we will overlook this point and deceive ourselves. And that leads to the fact that you will not be able to complete the right thing on your own. On your practice.
Likewise, “obedience or disobedience,” when things that obedience or disobedience are said, they become confusing. “the mind is lost in confusion.” When this is done, when I do this (Show ballpoint pen waving from side to side), I don't think there is any error there. Like this. (Showing the ballpoint pen left and right.) Like, I have done like this. There is not such a sluggish thing to obey it fitting perfectly, is there? What do you think? But, it's a mystery to humans. ”Eh? Un? What?” A glimpse of something like that tends to happen. Or there is a realization like, "Oh, I'm sure that's it. Is it the " obedience " side? It is the obedience of adaptation. In any case, the fact that such things happen itself makes the state of being now confusing, doesn't it? There really is no such thing as obedience or disobedience in the state of now. How is everyone doing when they are sitting? It is the very same way you are sitting right now. No matter where you look, every single thing is. There is no way to do anything about it. There is no need to touch it. In this way, you are attending to the truth of yourself. To be in attendance is to be learning from the truth of oneself as it is, as it is called
参禅,(sanzen),:practicing Zazen. When we say studying or practicing Zazen, we think that there is an object, so it is easy to arise a kind of deviation here. When you feel as if you are looking at the truth of yourself, you come to set the object. Then, it is easy for deviation to occur. Well, I would like to mention something like that as a precaution.
And in response to this, what is said now, “if there is a hairsbreadth deviation, it is like the gap between heaven and earth,” “And yet, if a slightest obedience or disobedience arises, the mind is lost in confusion.” Of which content he gives us a few more concrete examples in the following paragraphs. “Suppose," he says. You might read it as
”直饒い(tatoe),: even if," but you go on to read it as "直饒い,(taitoi),:Suppose. You might say, “(Yoshinba.)" So, even if something is so and so, it becomes something like unforgivable, “直饒い,(taitoi),”means. We use this "直饒い,(taitoi)," when we say that even if it is so, even if it is like that, we can never forgive. I think it is a very strong word. At first glance, it seems fine, but yet it is impossible to forgive. The meaning of " never can be forgiven" is contained in the idiom, "直饒い,(taitoi)."
So let me tell you what he wrote, first of all, ”you gain pride of understanding,” is "会,(e)," correct for
理会,(rikai), understanding. 理会(rikai). 理(ri)is that of logic. 会,(e),is this会,(e),we can understand by saying, "Oh, that's what it means. “pride of understanding,” Don't other people understand this? Saying, “I understand this so well, but they don't understand it,” must mean that you are proud of your 会,(e),understanding.
“and gratify with your own enlightenment,” It has the character "enlightenment" written on it. You can say that you understand yourself. Chinese character "heart" radical at left and I at right. Reading from the kanji character for "enlightenment," to be enlightened would mean to understand oneself at least. “and gratify with” means that you look at it this way, as if saying, this and that, it's this way and that. When you have a little experience, you can understand what the patriarchs left behind, like solving a riddle, by reading it like this, "Yes, that's exactly what it means, surely it must be so," you could understand. Say, "Sure it is, there is no doubt about it." Such a thing is usually called “and gratify with your own enlightenment.” However, in terms of the content of this the pride in this “you gain pride of understanding,” or “and gratify with your own enlightenment,” it is only the level of understanding based on the human viewpoint.
So, in retrospect, it is clear that there is “a hairsbreadth deviation,” and that “a slightest obedience or disobedience arises.” A genuine movement is never subjected to any kind of treatment of what is happening at the time, or what is just as it should be. Like this, CLAP! (He claps his hands) There is no intervention of understanding that if the sound is made, we can hear the sound as it is, even though we don't do anything. You see. While we can understand that there is no room for intervention, we are all doing it with our heads. Once all of these things are cut off, once you don't encounter the truth of yourself which has been separated from everything else, something remains that you can understand no matter how much you try. When what we understand remains, it is difficult for us to let go of what we understand. While we are studying with understanding, we are anxious if we don't have what we understand. However, there is no use for real things to be understood, not a single thing. There is no need to carry it around. So, no matter where you poke around, you will never find anything like doubt again. There is such a difference.
Well, I will go on further, “gaining the wisdom that knows at a glance,” it means that you can feel it in a slightly different way than usual. "Well, I've been told this all the time, but I really didn't have anything that was me." Such a thing is said “gaining the wisdom that knows at a glance,” It's not bad, right? It's not bad, but that's about it. The same is true of “clarifying the mind,” which is really the true meaning of what has been conveyed. When such a thing becomes clear to them, they become elated, or perhaps they say, "This is it," and they are like being in the highest spirits, having no regards to others, or I could say, "the more Moors, the better victory." In any case, they hold what they have noticed about themselves and wield it at random. If there is an opponent, he will knock him down. It is what is called
説破,(seppa): arguing down. You defeat the opponent with questions and answers. They see that their opponents are completely beaten, saying what they are capable of doing, that's what people who are "arousing an aspiration to reach for the heavens,” The truth is, they should have become gentle. Because it is a matter of course. You know, people talk about how to use knives and scissors, referring to sharp things like that. If you let them hold something dangerous, you know, like enlightenment, they will cut it into pieces because it's so sharp. They cut through anything, even people's flaws. There is no use for that. Enlightenment is not about beating people up.
“and you are playing in the entranceway,” Even if there is a glimpse, such as stepping into the world experienced by the ancestors of the Buddha, it is still, “but you are still short of the vital path of emancipation.” It's not genuine. It is clear that those who have experienced it, if left unchecked, will feel their own inconvenience in many ways. There is a sense that there is still a distance between what one experienced and its true meaning. There is still a slight distance among the things that are said to be this way and that way. Because there is a gap, many things will enter into that gap. Then, " I should have made this clear, but why am I not?” Things like that come out. When we see this kind of thing, “but you are still short of the vital path of emancipation.” You have the power to do whatever you want freely, but because you have noticed something and have it within you, you start comparing it again with what you have noticed and start doing things like how the state of now is. It is useless with that kind of thing.
“ Moreover, note the traces of six years of upright sitting by the Buddha who was possessed of inborn knowledge. The traces of his six years of upright sitting can still be seen. Or Bodhidharma's transmission of the Mind-Seal, his nine years of facing a wall is celebrated still.” First of all, the story of Shakyamuni Buddha and the story of Bodhidharma is shown here. In both cases, they show the state of sitting. In the Gion Shosha, it is written, “inborn knowledge.” It means he was born with it, I guess. “inborn knowledge.” To know. To know by nature, to cite just one example, you all don't know that your eyes see things. You are born with it. You know. You do not know naturally that your ears hear sounds, but you can hear sounds and see things. That is what is called “
生知,(syoti),inborn knowledge.” We say, 承知,(syoti),"Do you know?” In such a situation, the Buddha sat for six years of upright sitting. So, saying that you do sit means that you are in your original state of being, in this way. At that time, the condition of the Buddha in those six years of upright sitting does not mean that he was enlightened. It is not Zazen based on being enlightened. Nevertheless, as a being born with, and without knowing it, in the certainty of being able to see and hear things, he was able to attend to the situation as it was. In the way the Buddha was sitting in that time or thereabout, he is not pursuing things by thinking, but he is really dealing with how things are by facts in such a way. Click. Click. So that's how we sit. Rustling of leaves: crinkle. You know. The wind might blow because he is under the linden tree. The leaves might sway. Many things can happen. Every single one of them is there just as it is, he sits there like that as the way he is. He is in the way he is, just the way he is.
In the case of Bodhidharma-sama, it says, “Bodhidharma's transmission of the Mind-Seal.” This is written that Daruma-sama, who has attained enlightenment, is sitting facing a wall to convey the true meaning of his enlightenment, “his nine years of facing a wall is celebrated still.” He is seated. The situation in which Bodhidharma sat was eventually spread throughout China. It might be difficult to hear the fame of Bodhidharma throughout the vastness of China like today. China at that time was divided into many different countries. But in China, one of the top Zen masters, Eka, went to visit Bodhidharma as a serious pursuer of Buddhism. This is probably because of these things. That is why there is a meeting between Eka and Bodhidharma.
Well, before that, it is often introduced that he met with the Emperor Wu of Liang. Bodhidharma-sama himself went to China. His teacher, Prajnatara, said in his last will and testament that when the time was right, Bodhidharma-sama waited until he was 80 years old, and at 80 years old, he went to China. From a penetrating point of view, it is reasonable to say that in China, the idea of accepting the Buddha's stories has sprouted. Maybe you could call them
"諸子百家,(shoshi hyakka),: Hundred Schools of Thought " or something like that. It was a time when there were many people of all kinds. So, you would say that the time has come for him to come over to this place. On the other hand, in China, the Wu Emperor of Liang was very well acquainted with Buddhism, and he himself wore a robe and taught the contents of sutras, built many temples, and trained many monks. I believe that he must have heard about Daruma-san and invited him to stay at his place as a guest of honor. For this reason, there was a Shaolin temple, which was more of a magnificent guest house than a hotel, and high priests from India had been invited to the temple before Daruma-san went. After the meeting between Daruma-san and the emperor, they had various conversations, or perhaps it was a Q&A session, but they were still unable to fully convey the true intentions, so he left there and went to the Shaolin Temple, as we are told. He sat there for nine years. That is what we know. It is like saying, "Look at the trail." “If the ancient sages were like this,” all of our predecessors are spending their time in such a way. So, we, the present generation, should practice in that way, he said. He's probably asking what we're lingering about. It is no use talking about what we should do. Now, he encourages you to drop all that and sit down right now.
“Therefore, put aside the intellectual practice of investigating words and chasing phrases.” This would be an academic study. That's what he means. You start studying things like, "Here's what it says, here's how it's worded, here's what it means." We need to stop doing that, don't we? But it can't be helped. When you have documents and read them, you want to know, so the more you don't know, the more you ask about it.
I have just read that, for example, there is a word "
祇園:(Gion)." There is a town named "Gion" in Kyoto, this is the "祇園精舎,(Gion Shoja),:the Jetavana monastery." Somewhere in the beginning of some document, there must be a reference to the sound of the bells of the Jetavana monastery. Gion is used in this way. There is a place where an elder donated his mansion in the Kosala country. Well, the phrase "the intellectual practice of investigating words and chasing phrases” means that if there is a word "祇園:Gion," one should study it and find out who said it, why, and how it was said, in this way. There are bugs that want to know, so we do it, but I think that pursuing them is the opposite of going in the direction of clarifying the truth about ourselves. Even words such as "body and mind drop off" are unfamiliar to us, so when we see such kanji characters, we begin to understand them as "the intellectual practice of investigating words and chasing phrases,” and if we do that, we will not go toward sitting. We're not going to go in the direction of practice. They just see it as an object. I'm sorry to say this, but people who are called scholars, who have been scouring various references and publishing papers, are supposedly not aware of the truth about themselves. Unfortunately.
There was a parishioner of the temple where I used to serve concurrently, who was engaged in the casting business, and professors from a university would come there to study and ask how to do it. He passed away, but the old man told me that a professor from Tukuba university came to my place to learn how to make castings, and he laughed and said that if I had the academic ability like the professor, I might not have done this. He said, "I'll show you everything there without hiding anything, so please go and study." He showed them the castings there, but they said, "I still don't understand" What I am trying to say is that there is a difference between learning and actual work, isn't there? A professor at an agricultural university can teach us a lot of things, such as how to make vegetables, how to make soil, how to analyze the composition of soil, and so on. After he came and gave a lecture, we went to the field and asked him if he could show us what he had just talked about by practicing it here. He said the teacher didn't even know how to hold a hoe. I think that's really true.
Then, it is said, “Learn the backward step of the light turning and shining yourself.” I think you need to really look at your own truth this way. Being in this way. Living day to day. What would be the problem? There should never be a problem in other people, first of all. This is surprisingly unknown. A problem arises in you, but when the problem arises, you feel that something else is causing you to do it, and then you snap at that object, saying the person has ruined your life. It is certainly a cause, but the other major cause is how you are dealing with it now, which is where the biggest problem arises. t is the same with hesitation. It is the same with doubts. It's not a phenomenon that occurs in others. Well, that's “the backward step of the light turning and shining yourself.” What are you doing? That's why we have no use for others. In order to practice. When you focus on your own present state of being in this way, you can see that clearly.
As I mentioned earlier, there is also the truth that we are completely away from such things and we are living in a state that is called "inborn knowledge," which is our true nature, our original purpose, and we are doing things properly without even knowing it. The same can be said for the ear. When a sound is made, you hear the sound. When the sound stops, you don't hear the sound anymore, which is the truth of the "inborn knowledge" that you are using without knowing it. That is the way it is supposed to be. But we can't grasp that we can no longer hear what we hear, but why do we grasp it? The ear is such a tool that if there is no sound, no matter what we do, we cannot hear it, but it is strange, there is a feeling on the person as if what they heard remains somewhere. There is a feeling that what you have seen is still there somewhere. That is why the Buddha spent six years upright sitting in what is called "inborn knowledge.” Well, if you try to learn from it, you will find that there are many things that you have seen and heard, many things that are active in your body, just as they were there at that time, and you will be completely clear about it, even if you don't do anything, which is the appearance of the six years upright sitting. What are you learning from? Then, " Body and mind themselves will drop away, and your original face will manifest.” I think you will get it like, "Oh, I see.” I'll end here.
                                                                       

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