Good morning Zen comrades. What is the essential meaning of the Buddha Dharma? Whenever Ludzu saw a monk coming, she would immediately face the wall. Whenever Luzo saw a monk coming, she would immediately face the wall. Immediately means not later.

[01:25]

It means as soon as you see something, face the wall. It means whatever millions of things come your way, understand they're not objects. They're not somebody else. This is not easy. But Luzo did that whenever anything came. Could you see if he could stop doing that during lecture?

[02:32]

The great teacher, Stonehead, Sekito Gisen Daisho, had two particularly outstanding students. One is named Medicine Mountain, who is in our lineage, , and the other one's name was . who is the ancestor of many other great Zen teachers in China. One day, Da Wu asked Stonehead, what is the essential meaning of the Buddha Dharma? Stonehead said, not to attain,

[04:01]

not to know. This is whenever Ludzu saw a monk coming, he would face the wall. Whenever someone comes not to attain and not to know, This is facing the wall. It's essential. It's simple. It's extremely difficult because it goes in the opposite direction from our ingrained human tendencies. Still, the ancestors practiced this way.

[05:03]

Perhaps not always, but this was their intention, and this wall-gazing has been transmitted to us. This practice of not to attain, not to know has been transmitted to us. Now, Dogen Zenji says that this question that Dawu asked of Stonehead about the fundamental meaning of the Buddha Dharma is a question asked not by beginners or those recently started, but it was asked for us. Dawu asked this question

[06:11]

when he was ready to understand the fundamental meaning if he had heard it. Stone had said, not to attain, not to know. Please understand that in the Buddha Dharma This meaning is in the first thought of enlightenment all the way up to the ultimate level. This fundamental meaning is not attaining. It is not that there is no aspiration for enlightenment, no practice, and no enlightenment, but simply

[07:12]

not attaining, not making the universe into an object. If we are willing to do as these ancestors did, to face the wall immediately whenever anybody comes. Then we create the appearance of a spiritual life. Then we create the appearance of spirits. spirits that are sometimes called angels if we are not willing to face the wall whenever a monk or lay person comes then we create the appearance of ghosts

[08:40]

If we are not willing, whenever anything comes, to not attain and not know, then we create the appearance of ghosts. Then we create the appearance of darkness and denial of what we are. Today's ceremony of feeding ghosts is to recognize and to some extent become aware of as much as possible the ghosts which have been created by all sentient beings and ourselves by our unwillingness

[09:56]

to face the wall by our unwillingness to let our mind be like a wall. Because we have been unwilling to practice like a wall, not making the world into an object. We have created ghosts in our lives. We have created areas of darkness, areas where we put things outside of ourselves and made things be at a distance from ourselves by this seeing them as outside ourselves. Today is a ceremonial medicine for this long-standing unwillingness to do as the ancestors have done.

[11:17]

It's not a time to be hard on ourselves for our past lack of courage. It's not a time of punishment or criticism at all. To the contrary, it is a time of forgiveness and understanding that as human beings it's very difficult for us to face the wall whenever a person comes. Not to mention to face the wall immediately. So today in this ceremony, literally, loudly,

[12:21]

We will call. We will invoke and evoke. We will call inwardly and we will call outwardly and welcome the results of unfulfilled life. of life not lived fully which has created the appearance of ghosts of unsatisfied spirits. I didn't say it creates the existence of them. I said it creates the appearance of them. I don't say these things exist

[13:24]

I don't say true spiritual life exists. It's a question of creating the appearance of the true practice and the appearance of ghosts. Calling within, calling without. We welcome what we don't know We do it in this ceremony and if you want you can start doing it right now. You can welcome gently all that you've neglected in your life. We don't want to frighten these ghosts. We don't want to be harsh.

[14:32]

We want them to feel welcome and safe. As part of this ceremony, we chant a song of remembrance. We pay homage to five gentle Buddhas. With your chanting, you will create a mandala, a circle of gentle Buddhas into which we will welcome these spirits, some of which, when they come, you may vaguely sense or perhaps even clearly sense some of which you may not be able to recognize consciously.

[15:35]

But we open ourselves to them and invite them. To our utmost we will recognize them and recognize also our limitation, creating this warm and welcoming and forgiving space. And also we make a little promise that we will feed them. And while creating this sense of welcoming, we will try by various other words to open their throats, to open our throats so that we may and they may receive nourishment so that they may be fed.

[16:55]

When we sit or stand and let these things come up in our consciousness, we ask them, what do they want? What do they need? In what way have we neglected them in the past? Most of all, these aspects of life just want recognition. They just want to be heard. They just want to be met, not as objects.

[18:10]

And we will ritually feed them. We will make a little lunch for them of rice and vegetables and tea Just like we feed ourselves here in this zendo, we feed these spirits. This kind of feeding may not seem to you what you expect Zen practice to be, but this kind of feeding of rice and tea is all there is.

[19:46]

So we thank the kitchen for making us lunch. In the domain of the Buddha ancestors, having tea and rice is everyday activity. Having tea and rice has been transmitted over many years and is present right now. this vital activity of having tea and rice comes to us. Having tea and rice is facing the wall.

[21:01]

One day the superintendent of the monastery came to see Jaojo. He said, a monk has come. And he asked, what is Buddha? Jaojo said, tell him to have some tea and go. The superintendent did that and came back and asked Jaojo by saying, well, I told him what you said. And by the way, teacher, what is the Buddha?

[24:08]

And Jaojo said, have some tea and go. Sometimes when things come, it's easy to serve them tea and let them go. Sometimes it seems more complicated than that. But it may be that really what's happening is that moment after moment things come. And all that we need to do is have tea and go. And that's all anything needs.

[25:10]

But it keeps coming in hundreds of billions of forms. And we have to be thorough and willing. We have to open our throats to this moment after moment. Dogen Zenji's teacher, Tiantong Rujing, once taught the assembly by saying, I heard that a monk asked Baizhang, what is an extraordinary thing?

[26:20]

Baizhang said, sitting alone on Great Hero Peak. The assembly of all beings cannot move her. For now, let her totally sit This is what Bhaijaan said. Let him totally sit. Feed her. Fill her bowl with rice and tea.

[27:28]

Today, if someone asked me, what is an extraordinary thing? I would say, is anything extraordinary? Do you know what that means? I brought these bowls from Tassajara, and now I'm eating with them here in this zendo. In the domain of Buddha ancestors, there is always something extraordinary. Whenever anyone comes, immediately face the wall.

[29:05]

In the realm of Buddha ancestors, there is always something extraordinary. Sitting alone on Great Heroin Peak, Being allowed to totally sit is itself an extraordinary thing. Do you feel allowed to totally sit? Do you feel allowed to be who you are, to be how you are? Do you feel Buddha's compassion allowing you to be like this. If you do, you make Buddha's compassion alive, and this is called having tea and rice.

[30:06]

Beyond this, there's nothing to Buddha's practice. Each and every extraordinary activity is simply having rice. A monk's bowl, a yogi's bowl is used for having rice. What it is used for and what is used for having rice is a monk's bowl. Being filled is to know rice.

[31:30]

Eating rice is to be filled. To know is to be filled with rice. To be filled is to continue eating. Whenever Ludzu saw someone coming, he immediately faced the wall. This is the everyday activity of Buddhas and ancestors, which is nothing but having tea and rice.

[32:45]

This means, you ate rice for breakfast this morning, and I don't know what's for lunch. I hope you can open your throats and have lunch I hope you can feel allowed to totally sit it's the same thing Me.

[33:51]

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