In the first talk of this practice period with the community, I asked all of you what you are devoted to. And is there something that you are totally devoted to? And since I asked that question, some of you have told me about your devotions. And I have been always inspired to hear this, to hear of your devotions.

[01:07]

I have devotions also, and I think to myself, too, what am I totally devoted to? What beings am I totally devoted to? Am I totally devoted to every single living being? I ask myself. And I wonder what that means. I ask myself also, am I totally devoted to beings who are no longer alive, who are our benefactors, and what that means? Am I totally devoted to Dogen Zenji, Shakyamuni Buddha, Suzuki Roshi, Kadagiri Roshi?

[02:30]

And what does that mean if I am? I think about this, and when I think about this, I feel alive and humbled at the same time. I already talked to you about what Dogen Zenji's devotions were, and how in his final days he expressed his devotion to the triple treasure by writing Buddhadharma Sangha on a piece of paper and hanging it on a pillar and walking around it chanting the refuges. Also as he was even perhaps more sick and in bed, one day he called his disciple, Gikai,

[03:49]

to come close and he said, concerning the Buddhadharma, during this lifetime there are ten million things that I don't know, but I do have the joy of not giving rise to evil thoughts concerning the Dharma of the Buddha. I certainly have correct faith, and this correct faith is all that I've taught, nothing else. You should understand this.

[04:55]

Correct faith, and total devotion, total devotion to the triple treasure he had, and correct faith in regard to his devotion. It is possible to be devoted to something but not have the correct faith. But by continuously being devoted to the triple treasure and receiving the precepts over and over we may be able to also not give rise to an upside-down understanding of these precepts. Also, early in this practice period I told you the story about Stonehead asking Medicine

[06:29]

Mountain, what are you doing here? And so I also ask you and myself over and over, what are you doing here? We may not be able to surpass Medicine Mountain's response or Stonehead's joy at his response, but we may be able to, or certainly we can vow to meet in accord with their great spirit. And then Medicine Mountain asked Cloudy Cliff, what do you do?

[07:40]

How do you deal with birth and death right before your eyes? In fact, we have already surpassed Cloudy Cliff's response. We can do better. It wasn't such a good response, but we cannot surpass his sincerity and his devotion and his simplicity and his steadfastness. But we can consider, what do we do? And we can try again to vow to meet in accord with his sincerity and his devotion to consider,

[08:56]

what do you do about the world of birth and death right before you now? What do you do about the world of human conception that manifests right now? And now, what do you do about the world of before and after and the misery of this world? The calm, or perhaps I should first say the patient, acceptance of this world of birth and death, until we are calmly able to contemplate it, gives rise to the wonderful mind of renunciation, the firm willingness to die of this world of before and after, to live without holding

[10:08]

on to conceptuality. Okay? The will to drop conceptual mind, the willingness to let the conceptual world drop away, will arise in us if we can calmly, patiently sit in the middle of birth and death, with all

[11:09]

Buddhas, developing this soft, meek, tenderized mind, so tender it does not need body-mind or any concepts, and in this mind also the clear vision and wisdom of the unworkability of the realm of before and after, the clear wisdom that the realm of before and after will never get worked out, can never be fixed, it's structurally impossible.

[12:13]

You can see this, which again supports this mind of renunciation to be born. Now I sincerely do not wish to offend anyone, but I'd like to ask Daniel to read something from our Western tradition, something about contemplating the world of birth and death. The words of the preacher, the son of David, who came in Jerusalem,

[13:18]

said, Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil of which he toils under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, and birth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it harbors. The wind blows to the south, and goes round to the north. Round and round goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full. To the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. All things are full of weariness. A man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

[14:24]

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done. And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, See, this is new? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to happen among those who come after. I, the preacher, have been king over Israel and Jerusalem, and I applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the sons of men to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and is striving after wind.

[15:31]

What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered. I said to myself, I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge, and I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceive that this also is but a striving after wind, for in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. And she who increases wisdom increases sorrow.

[16:46]

Where do these tears come from? They come from water, from this earth, into the body, and then looking at birth and death, the waters flow out again. The Bodhisattva way is to renounce absolutely everything

[18:01]

in the world of birth and death. Vowing not to abandon any living being is why we renounce everything. Renouncing everything, we enter Buddha's world, and entering Buddha's world, we return to birth and death, but after having, let go of it. We do not throw away birth and death. That's not renunciation. Renunciation is to renounce our attachment to it, our interest in getting anything out of it, our hope of fixing it. Once we give up all gaining idea in the realm of before and after,

[19:07]

we enter Buddha's world, and by our vows, we return to this world of before and after, and we play the game. And with no attachment, it's a joyful game. But the way we're built, we Bodhisattvas, we must thoroughly recognize the pain of birth and death before we let go of it. And once we let go of it, birth and death is not different from Buddha's world. Once we let go, and our hands are empty,

[20:21]

everything comes into our hand that we need to help beings. By watching, I know that the stars are not going to last. I have seen some of the best ones melt and run down the sky. Since one can melt, they all can melt. Since they all can melt, they can all melt in one night.

[21:24]

That sorrow will come. I know it. I know it. I mean to sit up every night and look at them as long as I can keep awake. And I will impress those sparkling fields upon my memory so that, by the by, when they are taken away, I can, by fancy, restore those lovely myriads to the black sky and make them sparkle again and double them by the blur of my tears. Mark Twain. Continuing to meditate on birth and death.

[22:48]

Something has spoken to me in the night, burning the tapers of the waning year. Something has spoken in the night and told me I shall die. I know not where, saying, to lose the earth you know for greater knowing, to lose the life you have for greater life, to leave the friends you love for greater love, to find a land more kind than home, more large than earth, whereon the pillars of the earth are founded

[23:58]

towards which the conscience of the world is tending. A wind is rising and the rivers flow. Thomas Wolfe. You can't go home again. Now we are meditating on birth and death and we may be able to feel the mind of renunciation growing in us so we can go right ahead and meditate on birth and death and let this mind, which is the basis of awakening, be born. But still,

[25:01]

I think it's good to point out that the usual order of teaching in the Buddha way is that in order to successfully give rise to this mind, before you do that, you need to receive Buddhist precepts. Myself, my poor self, trying to enter the realm of full contemplation of birth and death, I do not have the power to do it on my own. I must be humble and ask all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and all sentient beings to help me. I must repent and open my heart

[26:05]

and go for refuge in the triple treasure. I must humbly go for refuge in what I really am, which is all sentient beings. I must realize my fragility and my vulnerability and ask for the help of all sentient beings, which is my true mind. And I will be met and supported

[27:21]

as I am already supported before I even go. And then, receiving the refuges, and receiving the other precepts and vowing to practice them, and vowing to study them to help me understand Buddha's mind, and then using these precepts to help us sit upright, to show us what upright sitting really is,

[28:25]

and to encourage us to practice it with total devotion. Now we practice with our present understanding of what Zazen is. Now we practice with our present devotion. But our understanding and our devotion can become deeper by continually receiving Buddha's precepts and practicing these precepts over and over and using these precepts to understand Buddha's mind deeper and deeper so we can sit more and more in its true sense. And then, while continually receiving and maintaining these precepts of the Buddha, we sit in this world of birth and death and contemplate it

[29:28]

and learn it and let our wisdom show us what it is and let the mind of renunciation be born. We sit and feel the pain of it. We practice patience with it. And if we can't be patient, if we can't stand to be ourselves completely, yes, then we do slip. But it is a temporary slip. And then we get up off the ground and we remember that although we've slipped, we have not forgotten our fundamental commitment. Which was established when we first received the precepts. Once you receive the precepts,

[30:30]

once you vow to practice them, then even though you fall on your face, even though you can't stand the pain, the effect of receiving the precepts and vowing to practice them is there forever. There is a structure, almost like a physical thing, in the world of Dharma, which again will help you get up off the ground and will start walking again. Footnote. I will describe in detail, if you wish, the theory of how this structure is established by Avishnapti Rupa in the Dharmadhatu. End footnote. There is a scholastic theory

[31:32]

on how vow works. And again, once we are patient with this world of pain, we let the mind of renunciation be born. And that's pretty much it. And just keep walking around and around like that. Round and round the triple treasure, letting your wisdom grow, your renunciation deepen, your compassion gets more vast. So, if you can't stand to be just yourself,

[32:43]

if you can't stand to experience your life as the manifestation of total dynamic function, if you can't stand it, you temporarily fall into that state. So that's the story which some of you heard yesterday. I'll say it again. As Dungshan and his spiritual uncle Mi were walking along, they saw a white rabbit run by in front of them. Uncle Mi said, Swift. Swift means fast.

[33:45]

He means by fast, he means that you can attain enlightenment fast. Okay? He sees a rabbit run by, that reminds him how fast you can attain enlightenment. It can be very fast, like that. And Dungshan says, How? And uncle Mi says, It's like a commoner being made into a prime minister. That's how fast. And Dungshan said, Such a venerable old person still says such words. Uncle Mi says, Well then, what about you? Dungshan said, After generations of nobility, temporarily fallen into poverty. After receiving Buddha's precepts

[35:06]

and vowing to practice them, which is the most noble thing, we temporarily fall. We temporarily shirk from being exactly what we are and feeling exactly what we feel and thinking just what we think. We temporarily shirk from life is living. We temporarily shirk from life is not to kill. We temporarily shrink from life is not killed life. Temporarily we fall from the dignity of the precepts. We fall from the great nobility of life is not to kill. Tien Tung wrote a verse about this

[36:18]

and today I'll just read the first two lines. Although someday I'd like to go through the whole thing because the verse refers to many wonderful Chinese stories. Some are about commoners becoming prime ministers. The first two lines commenting on this story are matching strength with snow and frost. Walking evenly through clouds and sleet. The comment on this verse is reeds crave rain and dew. Pine and cypress can stand wind and frost. When the year is cold you know the pine and cypress are the last to wither.

[37:20]

This means not changing along with conditions. As for talk of nobility in poverty great men and women can bear this. Walking evenly through clouds and sleet. Directly transcending into the state of enlightenment is already too slow. What is hardly realized is that traditional nobility is originally rich and honorable. And the first precept the interpretation of the first precept by Dogen Zenji

[38:26]

is like this story. Life is not killing. Life is not killed. Life is not killing is like swift. A commoner is made into a prime minister. After generations of nobility temporarily fallen into poverty is life is not killed. When I say that I mean that's my interpretation. So these precepts

[39:33]

these sixteen Bodhisattva precepts and now in particular these ten great precepts can show us the function of Buddha's mind. The function of Buddha's teaching. Each of these precepts is an opportunity to demonstrate a different aspect of Buddha's mind and Buddha's Dharma. So I hope as we go through these precepts by the time we finish them if we do finish them that you could see whenever you hear one of those precepts you can hear a teaching with it. You don't just hear a prohibition you hear a wonderful teaching showing you how to realize what life is

[40:34]

and what death is and what Buddha is. Again if you look at these precepts from the human point of view these precepts are focal points by which our mind can think about ethics and by discussing and contemplating these precepts from the ethical point of view we can discuss and deepen our ethical understanding. We may be able to, which would be good. By sharing our human opinions about what these precepts are and working together

[41:36]

in mutual respect we can deepen our moral philosophy. But again, these precepts offer a much greater possibility than that. In addition to the offering of possibility of ethical philosophizing together which really is necessary in this world they offer the possibility of revealing the light of the precepts which is the Buddha. If we can see the light of these precepts we can learn how to live our life as Buddha by these teachings. And then if we return to the world of birth and death

[42:37]

and return to the discussion of what these words mean ethically our ethical discussion will be illuminated by Buddha's mind and the discussion will go much more smoothly because you will not be any longer hindered by any self-righteousness and you will deeply respect the people whose opinions are different from yours and they will be inspired also to drop their attachments and enter Buddha's world and return to the discussion with the light of detachment and freedom from self-righteousness. Then the people who have become free of self-righteousness will be discussing what righteousness is and this discussion will be infinitely more beneficial

[43:40]

than self-righteous people talking about what these precepts mean. And as it stands now of course all of us have some problem with self-righteousness and this self-righteousness is a great impediment to our discussion. So I hope that during the rest of the practice period there will be numerous opportunities in all Sangha events and in subgroups to discuss the precepts and in those discussions I hope that we personally for ourselves not for other people we notice for ourselves any self-righteousness that crops up and we notice the outflows the leakage around this self-righteousness and again

[44:41]

by that painful lesson by sitting calmly with the painful realization of the effects of our self-righteousness the mind to renounce our self-righteousness will get stronger and we will finally be more interested in righteousness than in the righteousness which we own which is ours. ...of a process of examining these precepts and discussing what really is ethical in a way that would be really effective. A funny thing is that when I first when I got to the ten precepts

[45:46]

or when we got to the ten precepts I thought that the precept the first precept was the easiest one to discuss the teachings of Kyoko and Dogen and so on and I thought it was going to be the shortest lecture yesterday but again, the more I look at this first precept you know, I don't even know how we could get to the first precept during this practice period but I think that today I would just say that the essence of the teaching of the first precept at least in the Soto school the essence of it is again, this life is not killed that life is zenki-gen life is the manifestation of the whole works life is not killing

[46:50]

or life is not to kill means that your life in every moment is just what it is and is ising itself in other words, the first precept means zazen which means that you sit with steadfast devotion and faith that this sitting is just this sitting and this life is the manifestation of the entire working of the universe and no conceptuality can reach this intense radiance of your experience and also

[47:52]

part of this not part of this teaching so much but part of the commentary on this is that it's very difficult for us to stand just being ourself without any conceptual commentary so again in order to do that there is this repeated opening our heart going for refuge and vowing to practice the precept again until we work ourselves into it completely until we melt the stars into ourself not to kill

[49:05]

is a manifestation of the whole works not to kill is the realization of the whole works life is a manifestation of the whole works death is a manifestation of the whole works this precept is the manifestation of the whole works this precept is the whole works manifest this precept is the entire universe this precept is the one vehicle of buddhism This not-to-kill is just not-to-kill, and beyond this not-to-kill being just this not-to-kill, beyond this not-to-kill being one precept, beyond this not-to-kill being ten precepts, there is nothing to expect. Beyond you being you, there's nothing to be expected.

[50:10]

And you being you is not you. It's not red, yellow, blue, white, green, black. It's not existence or non-existence. It's not form. It's not mind. And this not-Buddha, which is this precept, is completely present in all the things that are not-to-kill, beyond this not-to-kill, beyond this not-to-kill, beyond this not-to-kill. Now, I can stop.

[51:38]

And the kitchen can go or I can read that story, a Zen story called, Ten Shin Brushes His Teeth. Either way, do you want to vote? How many people want to stop now and how many want to hear this story? How many people want to stop? How many people want with me to stop now and how many people want to hear the story called Ten Shin Brushes His Teeth? I know, but this has got a commentary. This has got, you know, line by line. How many people want me to stop and how many people want me to go on? Okay, this is called Ten Shin Brushes His Teeth. Well, actually, it's called Ten Shin, the whole works, Brushes His Teeth. Was it by? It's by, I don't know who it's by. Isn't it by you? What? Maybe, yeah, right, you'll see.

[52:40]

So, when a monk approached the teacher, why don't you stay, it'll take a minute, just a second, it really is short, I won't say anything about it, we'll have lunch later if it's a problem, okay? Just let us know, we'll wait. A monk approached the teacher and asked, no, a monk approached the teacher and asked, what do you do about birth and death before your eyes? The monk said, I'm sad about it, I believe it, I indulge in it. Ten Shin said, that's enough. Oh, excuse me, the monk said, I'm sad about it, I believe in it, I indulge in it and the comment is, the monk is just following the abbot's instructions. Has this monk ever disobeyed?

[53:53]

Ten Shin says, that's enough. Comment, taking the point, preventing further harm. The monk, what do you do about birth and death before your eyes? Comment, fair is fair. Ten Shin, I brush my teeth, I use floss and I have a special little dental instrument that I get the gums with. The monk, the comment, the abbot's duties are many. He uses 70-80%. The monk, how about right now?

[55:00]

Ten Shin, excuse me, the monk, how about right now? Comment, the monk can move, but should be stopped. Ten Shin, I taste the results. The teacher then bestowed a kind word on the ensnared monk. This isn't quite right. The teacher then said, sometimes I don't brush, floss and use that dental instrument. And then the monk said, how about then? And I said, I taste the results. Then the teacher said to the ensnared monk,

[56:09]

at least you didn't answer like Yun Yan, like Cloudy Cliff. He said there was no birth and death. Comment, really very kind. Is it a trap? The monk ventures. Yun Yan was right. Comment, Yun Yan said the right words, but he didn't say it right. Ten Shin, too coarse. The abbot notices, but puts a stop to it. Still concerned with the matter, the monk further asked, what would you write on a pillar and walk around? What words would you write on a pillar and walk around? Ten Shin, I'd write words, words, words.

[57:10]

Feeling ashamed, he said further, that's too smart. Actually, if I were close to death, really close, I'd write Buddha Dharma Sangha. Commentary, this praises Dogen Zenji in his final hours. These are not words of ordinary leaking. They are the ordinary words of the functioning principle. Leaping clear of birth and death, yet working in the midst. There are words, there is dying. Honoring the ancient teacher, Ten Shin adds, there are, in this lifetime, ten million things I don't understand about Buddha Dharma. In that way, I'm like Dogen Zenji.

[58:19]

But I can't yet say, as he did, that I do not, that I have the joy of never giving rise to evil thoughts concerning the Buddha Dharma. And I cannot yet say with certainty, as he did, that I have correct faith. The monk bowed and withdrew. May our intention equally penetrate every being and place with the true merit of Buddha's way. I vow to save them, delusions are inexhaustible.

[59:58]

I vow to end them, Dharma gates are boundless. I vow to enter them, Buddha's way is unsurpassable. I vow to become endless. If the kitchen would like to go ahead, you can go ahead. Thank you. Thank you for staying.

[60:26]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ