“When you arise from sitting, move slowly and quietly, stand calmly and deliberately. Do not rise suddenly or abruptly. In surveying the past, we find that transcendence of both mundane and sacred and dying while either sitting or standing have all depended entirely on the power of Zazen. In addition, triggering awakening with finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet, and effecting realization with a whisk, a fist, a staff, or a shout cannot be understood by discriminative thinking; much less can it be known through the practice of supernatural power. It must be dignified deportment beyond sound and form,-is it not a principle prior to knowledge or perception? Therefore, you should not discuss intelligence as superior and lack of it as inferior, make no distinction between the dull and the sharp-witted. If you concentrate your effort single-mindedly, that is itself engaging the way.”
Well, I think it's okay if I read up to that point. It says, “When you arise from sitting,” We usually do Zazen, but it doesn't mean that we sit all the time before that. Nowadays, I think most of the places do Zazen for about 40 minutes for each burn. So, you uncross Zazen after 40 minutes. It is the same for a single burn, but even when you sit several times a day for a long time, here is how it looks like when you uncross Zazen. “Slowly and quietly,” is slow. It is written, “stand calmly and deliberately.” “Do not rise suddenly or abruptly.” How exactly is it taught? It says that after you bow lightly with your palms together, place both hands palm up on your knees, and move your body from side to side, starting with small movements and then moving to larger and larger movements, and then relaxing, which is called "move slowly and quietly,” This does not mean that you don't have to do it because you are already accustomed to it. As you exhale, do this, and as you exhale, sway your body to the left and right, and inhale as you bring it back in. At the beginning of Zazen, when the form is formed, one exhale, after breathing out, and after taking two or three deep abdominal breaths, this swaying from side to side is required. This is before sitting, but when you uncross Zazen, you start with small movements and then gradually increase the size of the movements.
Then you untie your legs and, if you're facing the wall, you're going to turn right around backwards and stand. When you do this, you must stand up quietly, not clumsily, and without making any violent movements. This is not only a matter of good manners, but it is also very difficult to sit in the same position for a long time without moving the body a little. The same is true when driving a car. After driving for a few hours, well, two hours at a time for a long period of time, you are advised to take a break, get out of the car, stretch your arms and legs, and take a deep breath. If blood circulation becomes poor, it can cause problems in various places. I would like you to do this.
In this Fugan Zazen-Gi, it is not written how to practice 経行,(kinhin), walking between long periods of Zazen: Skt. Cankramana. So I think it would be a good idea to include 経行,(kinhin), walking when standing rather than sitting. I will explain briefly 経行,(kinhin), walking. You will proceed in a clockwise direction. Go straight and turn right at the end, walk straight and turn right at the end, if the building is a square or rectangle, we proceed in that way. Proceed in a clockwise direction to form roughly a single circle. The speed of the legs is the same as the stride, i.e., breath in and breath out, half the length of the foot, for each breath. First, advance the right leg. The feet line up like this (showing both palms on the screen), first proceed the right foot half forward, then stop here and exhale, then inhale, and when you exhale, bring the left foot forward, stop there and exhale out, then inhale, and generally proceed like this when you exhale. When the foot moves forward, it would be better to stop there and, if possible, let the weight rest evenly on the soles of both feet, and then exhale and inhale as the foot moves forward. The left hand is held with the thumb in the middle, and the right hand is placed on top of the left hand. The hand is held horizontally at chest level, about one fist in front of the body. The gaze will be about the same height as the person standing, about one and a half to two meters, you should walk with your gaze lowered.
The previous section was a bit different. I have just read the first part of the article, and when we inquire about the state of the late persons, various things are mentioned, which, if summarized, tells us that if we do Zazen correctly, what we can really get as a result of it. So, recently I have often come across people say that Zazen in Soto sect has no purpose, but if you look at the Fugan-Zazen-Gi, you will see that when you do Zazen properly, you will be able to obtain this kind of thing, so it does not mean that you do not seek a purpose or result, but rather that you naturally change when you become truly aware through Zazen, even if you do not seek it. You are supposed to read like that.
The first thing that comes out is " transcendence of both mundane and sacred. " The reason why Zazen allows us to transcend the idea of greatness or triviality is because we are not treating things from the standpoint of our discrimination and discernment, so that is why it is natural for such things to happen. When we look at things from our own viewpoints, we tend to have likes and dislikes and pros and cons, but if we don't use them, and just focus on the facts of our activities, things like right and wrong, likes and dislikes, and the ordinary and the sacred, the contrasts disappear completely. The reason why it disappears is because all we have is the present state of activity. Humans have the power to think and imagine things, even though there is only the present state of activity, so they bring out such things and create something to contrast them. We don’t do that in Zazen. It is really just the way you are working on yourself right now. This is the reality of everyone's life, isn't it? If you do that, you will definitely go beyond the ordinary and the sacred, and there will be no more superiority or inferiority. If you look at it more closely, you can see how people can interact with each other in their daily lives when there is no more superiority or inferiority, which is to say that they become very gentle. When you live with people, you recognize the other person, recognize yourself, and you will be affected because your viewpoint run in confusion within that situation.
The next part, "dying while either sitting or standing," means to die while sitting or standing up. In “Blue Cliff Record case 80” shows 隠峰倒化,(Inpo touka). "In" is hiding, and "peak." This case mentions that a man named Inpo died while standing on his head. For more details, please refer to the article. I wonder if this is the person who died standing up. He died standing up. When the time came, he asked if there was anyone who had ever died standing on his head, and was told that no one had ever done so, and that he would die standing on his head. Then, he died as he was standing on his head. Well, there are all kinds of people. It's a sitting-out-standing-up death, you know. I think it is quite common for people to pass away in a sitting position. When the time comes when you want to choose, you can do it as you like, whether you want to do it lying down on the bed or sleeping, or any other way you want. (Laughs.) Please choose one. Well, even death is not something to be worried about or feared by everyone, but rather, it is a magnificent way to end one's life, using it as one's freedom. It's a wonderful way to die, the way people wish they could die like that. Why does Zazen make us lose our attachment to death? That has been true from the beginning. Attachment and clinging occur because we recognize ourselves as we are, and when we do Zazen, we can clearly see that there is no concept of "I" attached to our original state of being. I want you to be aware of this, to be in touch with the truth of yourself, and say, "Yes, this is true.” By letting this power take care of them, they will be able to freely do their activities in this way, which is brought up in the first place.
So many examples are raised next as well. “In addition,” it is said, besides. “triggering awakening with finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet,” which is that the four cases are combined with one kanji character each, like this. First of all, there is the character for "finger." There are many different kinds of it, but one of the most famous is called 倶胝,(Gutei), which I think appears in無門関, (Mumonkan),:Gateless Gate. There was a man named Gutei who lived in a place called Jinhua in Zhejiang Province. He was asked a question by a nun, called 実際尼,(Jissaini), and when he could not answer the nun's question, he became indignant and went on an ascetic journey to various places, and later began to practice Zen with a Zen master called天龍,(Tenryu)osho, who had inherited the Dharma of 大梅,(Dabai), Zenji. When he told the whole story he had experienced to Mr. Tenryu, Mr. Tenryu held up his finger like this, without saying anything. That is all. By holding up that finger, all his doubts were cleared away, and he was able to give a clear answer to the question asked by the nun. He was enlightened. There is such a person called Gutei.
Later, whenever a monk came to see Gutei after he had attained enlightenment, Gutei would hold up one finger like this, and showed it to him as he always did. Later, whenever a monk came to see Gutei after he had attained enlightenment, Gutei would hold up one finger like this, and showed it to him as he always did. And then, this time, I don't remember exactly how it was written in the original, but there was a young person, a child, I guess about 10 years old or younger, who had not yet been ordained, by Gutei's side. Whenever someone came to the Master and asked him questions, he always held up his finger like this to show them. In that situation, when the master was not present, a person happened to ask the child, "How does your master always give a sermon? And the child held up his finger and showed it to the visitor. When the master came back, he heard that, and with a sword he was holding, he cut off the child's finger like this. When he cut off the child's finger, the child realized the true meaning of what the master was doing. Well, I guess such stories are anecdotes about this thing called the finger. I am sure there are many more if you look for them.
Is the character for "竿(kan)" in "竿(sao)"? Is this also in Mumonkan? The case 22. So, if you are reading Mumonkan, you will understand well if you look at it. There was an exchange of questions and answers between Honorable Kasyapa and Ananda, the disciple Ananda asked his teacher Kasyapa, "Besides the gold brocade kesa that the Buddha gave you as a proof of enlightenment, is there anything else that you have been handed down yet? When asked Venerable Kasyapa called out to Ananda, “Ananda.” When he called out, "Ananda," Ananda immediately responded, "Yes.” When this exchange was over, Venerable Kasyapa told Ananda to take down the sermon pole, which is a flag that is erected in front of the gate to let people know that there will be a sermon today. Well, I think this kind of thing is what the word "pole" means here.
And then there is 針,(hari), and (shin),:Hari, which means a needle. This is 龍樹,(ryujyu),:Nāgārjuna, who is said to be the founder of the eight sects of Buddhism. When Honorable Kanadeva met with Honorable Ryujyu, he must have tried to ask something to Ryuju-sama. At that time, Ryuju saw that Kanadeva had great power. Then, he had an attendant nearby bring a bowl or container filled with water and placed it in front of Honorable Lord like this. Then, Kanadeva who was holding the needle threw it into the bowl, or rather, dropped it into the bowl. It is expressed 契悟(keigo), : pledge of enlightenment, it is written the character契う,(kanau), After seeing it , he was confronted with the truth of himself, the truth itself, and all his previous doubt were completely removed.
The fourth 鎚,(tui),:hammer is called a 鎚砧,(tsuichin), : hammer and anvil. which is a device used publicly in the dojo to announce things to various people. It is called 鎚砧,(tsuichin), : hammer and anvil. It is expressed as the Dharma of lunar path. (The lunar path means the path that is located between anger and greed on the road when walking in search of truth.) There is a long hexagonal shaped cylinder with a hammer on the top. The top one is a鎚,(tui), hammer. The bottom one is砧,(tin) an anvil. These are in one set, but there are also tools that make a clanging sound to announce various things. This is a tool that makes a clinking sound and announces various things. This is called the 白道の法,( Hakudo no Hou),: the Dharma of lunar path. The oldest one is,whenever the Buddha gives a sermon, Monju Bodhisattva listens to him, and when the sermon is over, he comes out and chants, "Taikan Ho-O-no-Ho, Ho-O-no-Ho Yo-Ze," which clearly proves that the content is as wonderful as what you have just heard here. That would be, well, an old thing.
For those of you who read Mumonkan, it is called 三座説法,(Sanza Seppo), :the one in the third seat speaks. Is this the case 25? This is the 三座説法,(Sanza Seppo). In the dream, Kyozan was told that it was his turn to give a sermon today, so he got up and gave the sermon by hammering at the place where there was 鎚砧,(tsuichin), : hammer and anvil. This is what is called “triggering awakening with finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet,” I have given you four examples, and many people have used various things to show you how to practice Buddhism.
And, by the way, just to touch on something, in the story of 倶胝,(Gutei), Osho-san, the one who just lifted one finger, Mumon Osho-san has added this kind of thing in the “Gateless Gate,” so I guess it would be helpful. "The place of enlightenment of Dutei and the child." Both the monk and the child were enlightened, but the place where they were enlightened was "not on the finger head.” This finger is called the finger head. The head of the finger. But it is not on the finger head. Mumon Osho-san says, "This is not the place where they were enlightened.” And then, "If you are able to attain enlightenment here and now," if we can see through where these people have truly attained enlightenment, then we can truly understand the Zen of Master Tenryu's Isshito-Zen, and a third person would be able to skewer Tenryu, Gutei, and the child, as well. I am sure that is true for all of you. If you really know such things yourself, it is only natural that you would be able to clearly understand what people are saying and conveying, how, where, and what they conveying. Well, that is how we use it.
The next one is " with a whisk, a fist, a staff, or a shout." This too must be four, four examples. It's called "brushing off.”
First of all, a tool called a 払子,(hossu): Hossu, which was shaped like a horse's tail and used to shake off mosquitoes, flies, and horseflies, came to be used in China, and it eventually came to be used as a Dharma tool to indicate the Dharma. It is called a Hossu. Stories come out about using such things.
There is a story about this between two people, Gyosi Seigen and his disciple Kisen Sekito. The master, Gyosi Seigen, showed a Hossu like this, "Is this found in Sokei?" Sokei is the place where the Sixth Patriarch Daikan Enou, who was the master of Gyosi Seigen, is located. He asked if there is such a thing at the Sixth Patriarch's place. So, as is the case here, if I show you this Hossu like this, and ask you if you have something like this, you may only take it as if you have a Hossu or not, but when I do it like this, what do you really see in it when I show you Hossu like this? (Showing an object.) What place is that? As Mumon-san said earlier, " It is not on the top of the finger," and there is not a place where you get enlightened on the top of a Buddhist monk's finger. Therefore, when it is said "Is there this kind of thing in Sokei?" I want you to take a good look at such a point as well. Well, in this exchange, Shekito-san said that it is not in Sokei, nor in India, nor in the Sixth Patriarch's place, nor in India. Then, Seigen-san asked if you have ever been to Sokei or India. Since he said that there is no such thing in India, the master asked him if he had been to India. As long as he says so. So, the master is to say, "Have you really seen it?” It means “I want you not to tell me a lie. Don't tell me something that is not true. Don't tell me something you've heard somewhere else.” It is the same for all of you. When you yourself say various things in a responsible manner, you have to be so. Otherwise, you cannot take responsibility when you are blamed. He said, "If I go to the West Heaven, I will see that there is it. This kind of exchange took place between Seigen Gyoshi-san and Sekito Kisen-san, and Sekito-san was penetrated that he was apparently not yet able to recognize the truth by his master, Seigen Gyoshi-san.
This alone (showing things), showing this kind of thing, will reveal how much power you have. It would be the same for everyone. When you are shown like this, (he shows a ballpoint pen), it's good if you understand the essence of Buddha Dharma, it is out of question if you are thinking, "What is he doing?" Raise one’s fist, for example. I guess they are trying to incite us. Like this. (Showing a ballpoint pen) There is also raising it upward like this, but there are many other ways. When I say what the essence of Buddhism is, it is interesting if you have the ability to put your fist on the other person's body like this. There is no point in trying to imitate. Just let you know. If you do it that way, even if you think it will be the answer, the first time you do it, the other party may be upset when you do it that way, but when they ask you what you mean, that is the end of it. If you don't know the true meaning of it. Because you don't know what you are doing even though you are doing it, that's why it's boring. Even if you do it this way. It's interesting, isn't it? If you don't know the true meaning of what you are doing, even if you are doing it yourself, you will lose your power. There is a doctor of acupuncture and moxibustion, and what is about a needle came out before. There are various kinds of things. “A staff, or a shout" is well-known, so I'll just say it plainly. Like "Tokusan's stick" or "Rinzai's shout." Tokusan Osho beat everyone no matter what they asked him. Rinzai is said to have shouted "Kha-" at someone no matter what they asked. Although on the surface they were violent, they knew the true meaning of each person's usage, and had the ability to politely tell the truth to anyone who wanted to ask in any number of other ways. That is what is called "accordance with realization.” It accords with enlightenment. I have just listed eight of them, but " cannot be understood by discriminative thinking,” which simply means that we do not understand what we are doing even if we treat it with the thinking of a human being. All of these things are impossible to understand with that kind of thing. “What is the Buddha?" CLAP! You know, "What is enlightenment like? "(He makes a stabbing gesture.) Prick! Stabbed with a needle like this. That's what it means. If you do such a thing with human discretion, after being pricked, you will just think afterwards, "What is that supposed to mean?” There is no use for such a thing. That is why the phrases, "triggering awakening with finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet, " and "effecting realization with a whisk, a fist, a staff," have been used since ancient times. If they explain, everyone understands, but when we get to the point where we say, "I understand," the true meaning is lost. That is why they do not explain. You can explain a lot about what happens when you get hit, folks. You may be able to explain what will happen if you are slapped. But that doesn't convey the true meaning of this slapping. When you give a slap like this (slapping his cheek), the true meaning of the slapped place is so certain to everyone, it jumps over everything already, and there is only the appearance of it, inevitably, without doing anything, without believing, without being clear, without being thorough. And yet people can't believe that, that such a thing. Is that the true meaning of Buddha Dharma? I can't believe that such a thing is the true meaning of Buddha's enlightenment.” It seems we think that we do such things in many places every day. We all know that we are always living like this in the present moment, at any given moment, but there are very few people who can believe it. There are very few people who really believe that there is no other way than this. That's why they go to other places to practice. You still want to do something. Why don't you stop? It's a good opportunity.
The first thing that comes up is, “It must be dignified deportment beyond sound and form,” The easiest way to understand this is that when we say, “It must be dignified deportment beyond sound and form,” everyone should have heard like this, CLAP! when we listen to sounds or when people talk to each other, there is none who hear 100% of what is being said, even though they are supposed to be hearing exactly what the other person is saying. That much is true for the voice, you are not there in the appearance of the real voice itself, like this. I think you have added things like, "That person is saying that." The fact that you're listening it's not what I'm talking about. What do you think? When do you put such a thing when you ask? You said, “He said such a thing.” Listen to your ears, they have never heard a sound like that person saying that. Yes, that's for sure already. No matter how he is talking, it has never sounded like he is saying it that way. There is only the appearance of sound. That is “deportment beyond sound and form.” It is made so that no matter who touches it, it can only be heard as it is being spoken. Whether it is a baby or an adult, a different nationality or a different language, it sounds exactly as it is being said. That's probably why it's good.
In the case of things, form is things. When we see things, we say they are beautiful or ugly, young or old, male or female, and so on, but when we see things, things are never seen in such a discriminated way. It just looks exactly as it is. This is so certain that I don't even need to say it. It's just the way it looks, but that person did it. Like that. It has never appeared that way to our eyes. That's what it's called “deportment beyond sound and form.” “Deportment" means that it is said to dignify. It's orderly. It has never been out of alignment. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! It definitely sounds just as it is. (Indicates ballpoint pen.) Everyone can see this as such. We do this every day. Without knowing it. So, when you don't know, it's going so well. However, when you add something that says you know something, that you have figured it out, you understood it, even if only a little, confusion arises. You insist. "I am like this." "I think like this." We insist. When we don't know, we don't insist. It is natural. If you can do it that way, you are living your daily life calmly, casually, and without hesitation. That is the way it should be.
It is “the principle prior to knowledge or perception.” It doesn't become that way because you understood it. It's not become like that because you know it. (Shakes the ballpoint pen from side to side.) It is not necessarily become like that because you know that it always works like that. It's not because you understood that it would work that way. You know. That's a story you know very well, isn't it? That is how you are when you are doing Zazen. It says, “Thinking thus the state of not thinking.” “How can the state of not thinking be thought?” “It is non-thinking.” Non-thinking is the appearance of something like this. It is the appearance of a real thing that is beyond human discretion and discrimination. It is there before thinking, first. Before you all came into the world, because you did. You were here before you thought you were coming out. You know. I'm sure. It must be the same with a sound. Oh, before you say you heard it, before you recognize that you heard it, the sound is already there, isn't it? Before you know that something like that just passed in front of you, it must have been done exactly as it was. It is “the principle prior to knowledge or perception.” Because it is a rule, there is never any imbalance. There is no confusion. If someone doesn't control it from now on, it will not be possible to have a orderly life like that, but it is so well organized that there is no need for that. That's why it's good. After all, if people come out and do such a thing, and then set up such a controlling thing based on that knowledge, the Buddha Dharma is a trivial thing. It is a fiction. Buddha Dharma is not made up. It is not made by people. It is like this.
Accordingly, “Therefore,” it is not necessary to discuss whether one is wise or foolish. “make no distinction between the dull and the sharp-witted.” As in Japan, if one really wanted to learn and practice, the best way to do so would have been to enter a temple as a novice monk and become a monk in a temple, which would have been the best way to go in those hard times. No matter what social status you were, if you entered a temple, you were beyond such things. There was a system like Jisha-bugyo (magistrate of temples and shrines) and there were temples like shelters called kakekomi-dera, and if they entered there, they were beyond the reach of the world's power. In many ways, a temple was also a place to save people in that way. Academically, if you went to a temple, you would have had better facilities for learning than in the general public. This was a time when there were no schools. Even if you wanted to read and write, there were no materials to do so. There were no so-called written materials. When the sutras were imported to Japan from China, they were transcribed and copied with great effort, and in many cases, the transcriptions were imported to Japan and placed in places like temples. People who wanted to read them would borrow them, copy them again, and make a second copy. That is how we learned in those days, you know. If one stayed in a temple and engaged in practices, one could manage to get at least one meal a day, which was enough to sustain one's body. Even when it comes to clothing and grooming, as is probably the case even today, people are still living frugal lifestyles, with a simple meal: one bowl of soup, one dish, or sanne-ippatsu: three robes and one begging bowl, which is really all that is needed. In any case, doing Zazen is like that for many reasons. Therefore, they do not selectively choose those who are not clever or dull in their training. We do not reject those who come, and we do not chase those who leave. If someone really wants to train, we will let them in.
However, if they can't stand it and leave on their own, we don't want to hold them any longer because we don't want to force those who are unwilling to stay, so we will say, "Please do as you please," and if they leave, we won't force them to follow. This is also a necessary way of being parents when raising children in today's society. In other words, it is called parental detachment from the child, and not being attached to the parent or the child is the reason why people grow up to be really lively and big. Zazen is a wonderful practice in this sense. “If you concentrate your effort single-mindedly, that is itself engaging the way.” There is no need for anything else.
In general society, if it comes to the question of what we live for, we have to work to survive, to eat, to build a house to live in, and so on. To build a house to live in, and many other things like that, people work hard all day long to secure the things they need to live. However, I think it would be a good idea to think about this again from a modern point of view, but there are plenty of vacant houses, and people don't use them because of their likes and dislikes. If you think lightly and use a soft mind, you can enter any vacant house and use it right there. Even if you don't build one. It will be fine for about a hundred years, if you take care of it a little. What do you think? Why don't you do such and such a thing? Such an old house looks like a place where someone has lived and used it, and everyone has a problem with that way of looking at things. Then why do you go to other countries for sightseeing? You are going to spend money to see such an old thing that is thousands of years old? It's funny, isn't it, people? They allow it there. They don't do it here. If something is from an archaeological site and is so worn out that it falls apart when touched, we would cherish it, but if it is something that someone else has worn out, we would throw it away. If you wash it and use it, it is usable enough. Monks must have collected such items, made kesa, and used them as kimonos. Well, in this way, “If you concentrate your effort single-mindedly, that in itself is wholeheartedly engaging the way.” If you master the way, you will truly be able to practice.