Yesterday I saw the people wiping the floor with the meal board towel in order to make a cleaner place for people to put their oriokes who are sitting on the floor. So I asked Jim to see if he could find some planks to maybe plane and put down on the floor. And then Maya came in later, and I said, I asked Jim to look for some planks. And she said, what are you going to use the planks for? I said, what do you mean? So then I realized there'd be another use for those planks. We could walk them. Captain Hook style. Won't hurt you if you can fly. Okay. So we can use them between meals too. I don't know where we should install the planks.

[01:02]

You think it's funny? Good. Today I want to, I was thinking I would like to talk about Actually, I wanted to talk about one thing and then something else too, in two different arenas, but then I realized that that shows in my mind that these are somewhat different realms, which I think other people also feel that these two topics are in different realms. One topic is the practice of the bodhisattva to give rise to an unsupported thought, to produce a thought which has no abode and is not supported anywhere by anything. This is the mind of the bodhisattva who is working for the welfare of all living things.

[02:13]

And the precepts are also the life vein of the bodhisattvas. But the non-dual meditation of this unsupported thought and the practice of the precepts is sometimes seen to be different practices. But really, I feel that it's appropriate that I don't have two lectures today, one in which to talk about this unsupported thought of the bodhisattva in another lecture to talk about the precepts, but to put them together. Because really, studying the precepts helps us understand what zazen is, what an unsupported thought is. And also, to look into what an unsupported mind would be is the way to understand what the precepts are.

[03:17]

In fact, there are no precepts without a Zen understanding, and there's no Zen understanding without precepts. So I would begin by talking about this wonderful mind of the Bodhisattva. First of all, the Bodhisattva is born out of compassion. And compassion is born out of observing the anguish and misery of living beings. Compassion is born out of this observation of the suffering of living beings. Once compassion is born, then It may be possible for another wonderful thing to be born, and that is the thought, the aspiration, the spirit to attain perfect awakening in order to help all these and awaken all these creatures.

[04:43]

The thought of enlightenment is not born from us. It's not given to us by someone else. It's born out of our communion with Buddha. Buddha is also one whose compassion is born from observing the suffering of close family members, which is all beings to the Buddha. The Buddha sees how beautiful every living being is, and yet can also see that these beautiful beings who are definitely in his closest family are also suffering.

[05:53]

So, in order to join the Buddha practice, we must practice like the Buddha. And that means to practice on the scale of all living beings and the whole earth with this great aspiration of total devotion. Then for those who have made this aspiration, they asked the Buddha, how should one proceed in order to do the work of awakening oneself and others? And the Buddha said, the bodhisattva should produce an unsupported thought, a thought supported nowhere, not by sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or tangibles, nor by mind objects.

[07:09]

This is the mind which protects and develops the aspiration of the bodhisattva. A monk asked a young man, What is the work of the entire life of the Buddha?" And Yuen Mun said, an appropriate response. An apropos response. Apropos means to the purpose or to the point. What is the purpose of the Buddha?

[08:14]

The purpose of the Buddha is to awaken all beings and release them thereby from misery. The teaching of the Buddha is, what response would be apropos to that purpose? always concerned with what would be the appropriate response. And yet, having this concern without holding any agenda, without holding any fixed idea of what would be appropriate, because the mind of the bodhisattva is unsupported by any idea of how to do that. although the bodhisattva's mind may be full of ideas of how to be helpful, still the mind is completely free of all those ideas, unsupported by them, inundated and unsupported by thoughts of compassion, willingly overwhelmed and underwhelmed

[09:34]

whatever is appropriate. The basic form, or if you could dare say, the basic technique for allowing this unsupported mind to arise is just don't move. In every moment, realize imperturbable composure. Realize absolute stillness in every moment, and you will respond appropriately. And also, realizing complete stillness in each moment is not something which you do. It is something which you already are. You just need to wake up to it. How do you wake up to it? Asked the monk to the Zen teacher Ikkyu and Ikkyu said, Attention!

[10:47]

Attention! But teacher, please give me some method for how I can awaken to this absolute stillness. Give me some further instruction. E.Q. said, Attention. Attention. Please, teacher, tell me more how I can do this practice. Attention.

[11:47]

An unsupported thought does the work. sitting still in each moment of your life, no matter what position you're in, does the work. Or as Hamlet says, readiness is all. This is an unsupported thought. Are you ready? My brothers? Are you ready, my sisters?

[12:58]

Yes, Lord. Are you ready for the journey? Yes, Lord. Are you ready no matter where it takes you? Yes. Are you ready if it's even off the end of a plank into vast emptiness? Yes. Are you ready if it means that you will die? Yes, Lord. What's the point of all this? An appropriate response. But do you believe Sinners, do you believe? Standing at the edge of a vast pit, are you ready to jump?

[14:10]

Even though you don't know what direction to jump. Think a happy thought and you'll jump. Thinking a happy thought is jumping. Under such circumstances as the suffering of all beings, think a happy thought, and that's a jump. Oh, suffering being, hello. Give me a hug, please. The first precept of the 16 Bodhisattva precepts, first precept is Buddha, number one. What's Buddha? Buddha. produce an unsupported thought, that's Buddha. That's how to meet Buddha. That's how to remember who you are. And also, as we mentioned earlier, no shopping.

[15:15]

Just always... Buddha. What's Buddha? What is Buddha? Buddha's just always being concerned for the welfare of living beings. That's what Buddhas are always concerned with. So you just be concerned for the welfare of all beings. How do you be concerned for the welfare of all beings? Well, you can think like, hey, Taiyo, how you doing? But you don't have to think, hey, Tayo, how you doing? You can say, hey, Roger, how you doing? Or hey, Anthony. There's no abode for this thought. This thought can be anything. The point is it's always concerned for all beings and it has no abode. It's ready for whoever is at your doorstep. Who is at the doorstep now? What do they want? Are you ready? Are they ready?

[16:19]

One who has clear eyes has no nest. This is the first precept. This is the last precept. hey master, how come you don't read scriptures? This poor wayfarer doesn't dwell in the realm of body and mind when breathing in. Doesn't get entangled in myriad circumstances when breathing out. This is the scripture I always recite. 100, 1 million, 1 trillion times.

[17:30]

It's my favorite scripture. Breathing an unsupported thought. Now, when you hear about the precepts, they're pretty kinky and detailed. You might get caught. You might get entangled. So let's look at a precept or two. Let's see if we can stay close to these precepts and not do anything. So the first precept is Buddha. Can you stay close to Buddha and not do anything? Can you stay close to Buddha and not do anything? Not even stay close while you're staying close? That's the first precept. Next precept, stay close to Dharma and don't do anything.

[18:34]

Just stay close to Dharma with empty hands, empty mind, unsupported thought. Are you close to Dharma right now? Is Dharma close to you? Have you gone back to Dharma? Do you want Dharma? Are you on the side of Dharma? Is Dharma on your side? Are you taking refuge in Dharma right now? I vow with all sentient beings from this life on throughout countless lives to hear the true Dharma, that upon hearing it no doubt will arise in us, nor will we lack in faith, that upon meeting it we shall renounce worldly affairs.

[19:46]

What worldly affairs will you renounce when you hear the Dharma? All of them, of course. Any in particular? How about a supported thought? How about a mind that has a support? How about that worldly thought? Will you renounce your body and mind when you hear the true Dharma? I get goosebumps hearing myself talk. So that's the second precept. Stay close to the Dharma. Listen to it. Receive it. Love it. Be loved by it. Be so close that you can't do anything.

[20:50]

Next precept is stay close to the community of those who vow to stay close to the Buddha and the Dharma. Those are called the refuges. The three refuges, the three refuges, the refuges, the return flights. This returns to you. Then comes the three pure precepts, which we now have in the meal chant as avoiding evil, avoiding all evil, doing all good, saving all beings.

[22:16]

Those are three pure precepts. In Sanskrit, the first precept is called samvara-shila. And the second one is called Kushala Dharma Samgraha Shila. And the third one is called Sattva Kriya Shila. Samvara Shila means discipline or restraint. Shila means precepts. Precept of restraint, which is sometimes also said to be, avoid all evil.

[23:27]

Next one, kushala dharmasamgraha. Kushala means wholesomeness or skillfulness. Kushala, wholesomeness or skillfulness. And again, I mentioned before, it comes from the root, the word kusa, which is a grass that grows It grows in Asia. It's like pampas grass. It has a very sharp edge on it. And when collecting it, monks had to be careful not to cut their hands on the kusa grass. The meditation cushions that they made were made from this grass. It makes a very nice meditation cushion. The bugs don't like to crawl up through the kousa grass to bite your butt. So you make a nice kousa grass seat. And if you can collect the grass skillfully, you won't cut your hands.

[24:31]

So kusala means to be able to handle the dangerous material of your mind without getting cut, or anyway, when you get cut, to learn from getting cut, until you get more and more skillful at handling your life. Kushala dharma, things. Dharma means things in this case, so the wholesome things. Samgraha means to gather. So the precept of gathering all the wholesome, skillful things, that's the second pure precept. The third precept, sattva, kriya, beings. Kriya means to develop, mature, purify. The precept of developing and maturing beings. These are the three pure precepts. Today I'd like to talk about one of the first type, the precepts of restraint, of avoiding evil.

[25:39]

And to do this, I'm going to use a Zen text. which is called in Japanese Zenkaisho. And I won't get into the whole history of the text, I'll just tell you that it means something like the essence of the Zen precepts. And the text has several layers. The first layer is the precept. The second layer is Dogen Zenji's comment on the precept. And the third layer is his disciple Senne and Senne's disciple commenting on Dogen's comments. And the third layer is notes and comments by an 18th century Soto Zen priest So the first layer of the first precept of restraint is said to be here, not to kill life.

[27:05]

That's the name of the first precept of restraint. I again propose to you that this precept helps you understand what an unsupported thought is. And also, I say from the beginning, as you approach this precept, a bodhisattva has an unsupported thought. So what is Dogen Zenji's comment on this precept? His comments on the precepts are called, in Japanese, Kyoju Kaimon, which means instructions on teaching and conferring the precepts.

[28:21]

So in this text, in this instruction on the precept, Dogen Zenji says, Life is not to kill. Life is not to kill. He says it once. Let the Buddha seed grow and succeed to the life of wisdom of the Buddha taking no life. Life is not killed. This is very concentrated, and maybe today you won't be able to digest the whole thing, this short little thing by Dogen.

[29:27]

But I'd like to go over it a little bit to help you with it. First of all, looking at the Chinese original, the name of the precept is Not, one character not, next character kill or killing, and then the next character is life. Not killing life. That's the first precept. Then Dogen's comment is different. Instead of saying, not killing life, he says, life is not killed, or life is not to kill.

[30:33]

Life is not to kill. Let the Buddha seed grow and succeed to the life of wisdom of the Buddha taking no life. And then at the end it says, life is not killed. And the word not at the beginning is a word which means like not. The word at the end that's used is a different character. It could mean not, but it also sometimes means don't. But it also has a kind of transcendental meaning, almost like, which is not prohibitory. A more absolute statement pointing to, almost like saying, not killing his life. So there's a kind of progression here in this first statement.

[31:45]

The first part of the precept says, not killing life precept. Then it says, life is not to kill. And at the end it says, life is not killed. Not killed. Killing life. Life is not to kill. Life is not killed. There is, I propose to you, a light in these precepts that's being pointed to by these words, which is not what we think and have thought the precept means.

[32:52]

It's pointing to our actual life. According to that light, of course killing is violating that light. but also not killing, is violating that light. This light is about neither transgression nor non-transgression. The light of this precept, this precept is pointing to a light of the mind which has no abode. One who has a mind of no abode will definitely not kill. But more than not kill, the mind has no abode is completely certain that it will never kill.

[33:58]

And it also does not get involved in not killing. It avoids transgression and non-transgression. A mind that kills is a mind that has an abode, a heavy, horrible abode of killing. A mind which has the abode of not killing is a self-righteous mind. I don't know if it's heavier or not, but it's a heavy, heavily supported mind. The precept is pointing to the mind between Transgression and non-transgression. It's pointing to an incredible, inconceivable, freed mind. And again, of course, the bodhisattva does not kill.

[35:02]

This precept can help us understand what kind of mind we proceed on the path with. With what kind of a mind we practice compassion. Life is not to kill. Let the Buddha's seed, let the seed of great compassion grow and succeed to the life of wisdom of the Buddha taking no life. Life is not killed. Life is not to kill and life is not killed.

[36:18]

Here's a Zen story, okay? One day, Dengshan, was taking a stroll with his spiritual uncle, Mi. And a rabbit ran by in front of them on the road. And Uncle Mi said, fast or swift. And Dengshan said, how do you mean? And Uncle Mi said, it's like a commoner being made into a prime minister. Tung Shan said, a venerable, such a venerable old gentleman as yourself, and you still talk like this?

[37:40]

Uncle Mi said, well, how about you? And Dung Shan said, after generations of nobility temporarily fallen into poverty. They see a rabbit running across the road. Uncle Mi thinks, how fast it is. It's like in China, you take a commoner and make it into a prime minister. You know what it takes to make a prime minister? Commoners have to study for a little while to be prime ministers. They have to learn a lot. They have to study so long and so hard that it almost is inconceivable that they can go from being a commoner to be a prime minister. Like our tea teacher, Nakamura Sensei, used to say, it takes three generations to make a tea master.

[38:50]

You cannot start practicing tea and be a tea generation, be a tea master. Your children's children could be a tea master. So imagine taking an ordinary Chinese person, a commoner, which means somebody who can't read, and make them into a prime minister. That's how fast it could be, Uncle Mi said. Do you understand? In other words, according to Buddhist teachings, an ordinary person like us, okay, can be made into a prime minister like that, can be made into a Buddha like that. That's as fast as it can happen. And Deng Xiaon says to his uncle, oh, please, are you still talking like that? Well, how about you? Well, it's like, it's not that you're going to change rapidly. from what you are now into a you-know-what. It's not going to happen fast. Although, of course, it can happen fast.

[39:52]

It can. So I won't even say you can't change into a fast. The point is that after generations of nobility, you have temporarily fallen into this state. You temporarily have forgotten who you are. So of course, since you've forgotten who you are, as soon as you remember, you will swiftly return to what you were. But don't forget, Dung Shan says, it's not that you can rapidly change from being a commoner like this into a great bodhisattva. It's not that you can go from having a mind that has an abode to quickly change to someone who has a mind without an abode. It's not so much that, although that's true, you can, and you're being encouraged to do so. But remember, the reason why you can do that is because that's the mind you've already got. You don't have to manipulate your mind with an abode into a mind without abode.

[40:55]

You simply need to open your peepers. It's already there. shining happily, telling you life is not killing. But it's also telling you life is not killed. There is a precept in the world called don't kill life. Uncle Me says life is not killing. Uncle Dongshan says life is not killed. These gentlemen were really something, in my opinion.

[41:59]

For example, on another occasion, which is just a few lines later in the text, they were walking again together, and they came upon a stream of water. And as they stood there before this water, Dongshan says to Uncle Mi, Well, on the occasion of crossing this water, how is it? And again I say, how about it folks? On the occasion of meeting some water, or meeting a driveway, or meeting a threshold, how is it? So on the occasion of meeting water, Uncle Me said, the feet don't get wet. Now, I'd say that's pretty good news.

[43:07]

Don't you think so? It's similar to walking on water, isn't it? Pretty fantastic statement. The feet don't get wet. But guess what Dung Shan said then? Oh, a venerable old person like you, still talking like this? And Uncle Mi says, how about you? And Dung Shan said, If you can believe it, he says, the feet are not wet. See the difference? Both are good, neither better than the other, but there's a progression there. The feet are not wet. That's why they don't get wet. The reason why we have a precept of not killing is because the non-dual teaching of a thought which has no abode, then you better restrain yourself from killing and not killing.

[44:33]

If you understand and have realized the thought which has no abode, your life is not killing and your life is not killed. Your life is not killed. Your life is something which lives and that's it. And it lives and it lives and it lives and it dies and it lives and it dies. That's your life. This is [...] not killing. This life. That is your life. that has no abodes, which has no supports, which you can't get any leverage on, which is always exactly what it is, and it doesn't get wet. And it isn't wet. So don't get it wet. This is Dogen's very short comment on the first precept of restraint.

[45:44]

Not killing life precept. Now, tomorrow, I'd like to go into the commentary on Dogen's short commentary. If you have some question now about your life, you're welcome to speak. Or if anybody wants to walk the plank, We don't actually have it here yet, do we? We have the plank? Okay. We have the plank here. If anybody wants to walk it, we can set it up. Or a question? Yes? Is this a question? Okay. That's a correct understanding.

[46:47]

What do you mean, in that? In that not just not doing something. Right. But more strictly reading through this, to do the letter of the law, but also more active in your office, protecting. It's also protecting, definitely. What's more fun than protecting life? Yes, definitely protect life. If you see a deluded person about to enact their mind which has the abode of killing, please, push him off the plank and catch him too. Yeah. Yes. If you have a mind, an abode, it's not killing. Pardon?

[47:49]

Yes. You don't kill, no, but you violate the precept. To not kill is not killing. Non-transgression is not the same as transgression, but non-transgression violates this precept, violates all precepts. Okay? But non-transgression is not transgression. Okay? Okay? No? To be involved in killing, to have a mind which thinks it's killing, okay, that violates the precept. That has the abode of killing. Like right now, if you have the, right now you're sitting there, and if you have fixed the idea that you're not killing, if that's what you're hanging out in, you violate this precept. In other words, your mind has taken the abode that you're not killing. Okay? If you're stuck in stage 1B, which is called not killing, then you violate the precept.

[48:58]

It's pretty hard for you people probably to sit here and not be stuck in the view that you're not killing. I understand that. It's hard for me too. Matter of fact, as soon as you're there, you're finished, you're done, you're stuck, and you're violating the precept. There's a mind which doesn't get stuck in not killing. And nobody here is killing right now either, right? But to get stuck in the fact that you're not killing is difficult to avoid because your mind wants an abode. When the topic, when the precept of killing is up, well, which word, what abode are you going to take? You've got the killing one. That kind of doesn't make sense right now. But some of you might take that one. Okay, fine. Probably, if you really weren't allowed to take the abode of not killing, some of you would take the abode of killing, just to have an abode. Even if you had to violate the precept to have an abode for your mind, you'd go for it, probably. But it would be tough, because we'd stop you. So then you'd be stuck there. Actually, probably if somebody tried to kill somebody right now, they'd probably be enlightened, because we'd stop you from getting an abode.

[50:02]

Do you understand? Hmm? Hmm? We have the plank here, too. We might need the plank. We've got it here if you need it. Walking the plank and jumping off the end, that's the mind which doesn't get into killing or not killing. When you jump off the plank, you probably wouldn't be thinking, oh, I'm not killing. You also probably wouldn't be thinking, oh, I'm killing. You'd probably think, hey, I'm flying in midair. I wonder what's going to happen next. That's the mind which isn't in either one. But a lot of people walk around patting themselves on the back thinking they're better than killers because they think they're not killing. Self-righteous people, very violent people. You know, they're like time bombs. Just poke them the wrong way, these non-killers, and see what they'll do. They're violating the precepts And, of course, the killers, people going around saying, hey, man, I'm a killer.

[51:07]

I'm a hot killer. They're violating the precepts, too. Both these people are lazy. They're not willing to face up to how radiant and energetic human beings are and what life is about. So they camp out in killing or not killing. To be confused between the two and not really be sure what you are is better. That's a little closer, right? Just to be a little confused about it is better than taking up a fixed abode. So Bodhisattvas can be a little confused about this precept. That's okay. Yeah. What mind did Nansen have when he killed the cat? Gee, it's hard for me to say. And I don't know if he really did kill the cat because life is not killed. So I think the most important thing is, what mind do you have when you think of that story? Life isn't killed.

[52:15]

Ah, a convert. Yes? Life isn't killed. Is that equal to life cannot be killed? Therefore, since life cannot be killed, we have a precept, and it's the first precept, saying, life, it says, do not kill life. Life is not killed. In other words, don't violate reality. It's a terrible violation of reality. It's such a violation of reality that you will be sent to hell if you violate it that way. So, please, Follow this precept. It's your life. But it's not a kind of crunched up, closed down, gray life.

[53:16]

You know, it's not like you got this energy, okay, I want to kill something and you got to close down on that life. You don't have to. Your actual life Your full life is not killing. That's what your life really is. That's the real fun side of life, is not killing. And that's because life is not killed. You join the reality club when you stop killing. When you stop the illusion, when you stop the mind, which takes the abode of killing. That's why this precept will help you. If you understand this precept, you'll understand what it means to not move. You'll understand what it means in Zen when it says, stop the mind. Stop the mind means your life. So these precepts can help us understand this wonderful practice of totally wasting your time, not moving.

[54:24]

Yes, you want to use the plank now? No, I have a question. Since you brought it up. This, we shall renounce worldly affairs. Yes. Does that mean we shall renounce worldly affairs in order that we can again, on that to them, breathe the darkness? When you renounce worldly affairs, okay, as soon as you renounce them, they fill your hand. That's right. They come right back to you all fresh, spanking new and clean when you renounce them. If you hold on to them, what you've got is dead worldly affairs. Stinky, dead, useless, boring worldly affairs because you kill them by holding on to them. If you let go of them, you get fresh, spanking new worldly affairs. New babies, new sick people, new old people, new you.

[55:31]

That's right. As soon as you let it go, it fills your hand. As soon as you find the mind which has no abode, you get a mind with an abode, which you have no attachment to. It's been delivered just now before you can get a chance to get a hold of it. Then as soon as you get a hold of it, it's dead again, and you have to let go again, renounce it again. Find that mind of no abode. Step off the end of this 100-foot pole. Step off this 100-foot pole and practice the precept of not killing life. Practice the precept of life is not killed. Practice the precept of life is not killing life. So I guess we should stop now, unless somebody wants to do the plank.

[56:41]

No? Everyone's just too polite, right? May our intention...

[56:56]

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