We just chanted a verse which is called EHE KOSO, KOSU GAMON, which means the verse rousing of the vow, the bodhisattva vow, by the ancestor EHE DOGON. And this ancestor also taught or you could say claimed that when even for a moment we express the Buddha mind seal In our three actions of body, speech, and mind, by sitting upright in samadhi, the whole phenomenal world becomes the Buddha mind seal, and the entire sky turns into enlightenment.

[01:25]

It seems to me that this is a statement of Dogen's faith, the faith that sitting upright in samadhi and all the actions of daily life expressing the Buddha mind seal, transforms the entire phenomenal world, makes the entire phenomenal world the Buddha mind seal. How this occurs, the ancestors say, is inconceivable. the way this transformation of the world actually is living is not reached by our consciousness.

[03:06]

So again, the statement could be phrased as, when the actions express the Buddha Mind Seal. Then the whole phenomenal world, by a process which consciousness does not reach, realizes the Buddha Mind Seal, which liberates all beings and realizes peace. students of the teachings of Dogen Zenji might wonder how to express the Buddha mind in my gestures, in my voice, in my speech.

[04:38]

How can these three modes of action moment by moment, how can they express the Buddha mind seal? Again, I don't know. But I I do think that maybe if I offer these postures that you see now, you see my body in different postures, I offer all these postures, I offer them to the Buddha Mind Seal. I give all my postures to the Buddha Mind Seal.

[05:42]

That is one way that the Buddha mind seal might be expressed by my posture, my posture as a gift to the mind. A slightly different way of saying it is these postures are offered as the Buddha mind seal. One way I can imagine my postures, my sitting posture, my hand postures, that I can imagine them as offerings. And in that way, imagine them as expressions of offering and expressions of what I am offering to. Another word that comes to mind is, I offer my postures as service to the Buddha Mind Seal.

[06:59]

If I offer you my hand, I'm offering my hand to you. and I also could offer my hand as an act of service to you and as an act of service to the Buddha Mind Seal, serving you and serving the Buddha Mind Seal by every posture, by every gesture, I was working out in the gym some time ago, and a muscular man came up to me and said, can I use that equipment?

[08:28]

I was standing in front of some equipment, some exercise equipment, and the man said, may I use this? A gesture. I don't know what the gesture was, but it was probably something like this. And then he used the equipment and later he came over to me and he said, he looked me in the face and he smiled and he said, nice gesture. I didn't understand what he was saying at first. I thought he was talking about my T-shirt, because I have a collection of interesting T-shirts. And the T-shirt I was wearing, it said on it, Study the Self.

[09:35]

But he didn't read the T-shirt. So he said it again. Nice gesture. And then I understood, and I said, yeah, right. You're welcome. You're welcome, my friend. That's the gesture. Welcome. I didn't think, okay, welcome him. I don't know how it happened, but the gesture came, and he really appreciated it. And he told me, I want to teach my children that. when we express generosity with every gesture, when we express ethics and patience with every gesture, or each gesture in each moment, then the entire phenomenal world becomes generosity and carefulness and patience, according to the ancestors.

[10:52]

He saw it. He saw the gesture and appreciated it. Not everyone necessarily would see it, but he did. I don't know why he did, and other people might not, but he did. People tell me, you do not know. They tell me, you do not know how you're helping people. And then they tell me ways that they think I'm helping people that I didn't know about. But even after they tell me the ways I'm helping people that I don't know about, I still don't know how. But I want posture, every gesture, to express the Buddha Mind Seal. I want what I think to be an expression, a celebration of the Buddha Mind Seal. And when what you think is a celebration of the Buddha Mind Seal, the entire phenomenal world celebrates the Buddha Mind Seal.

[12:11]

That's the principle of inconceivable liberation. Today you've already been sitting and you probably will sit some more. When, even for a moment, you express the Buddha mind seal in your sitting posture, by sitting upright in samadhi, the whole phenomenal world becomes the Buddha seal. Also when you're standing, when upright in samadhi. If you stand and you say, I offer, I celebrate the Buddha Mind Seal with this standing posture, you might actually think, maybe I'll stand up a little more upright.

[13:18]

Necessarily, but you might feel like, well, since this standing posture is being offered as a celebration of the Buddha Mind Seal, I want to make it a really nice gesture. But not, you won't necessarily think that. Think that, then you can offer that thinking. as an expression of the Buddha mind-sill. Whatever you think, whatever you say, whatever posture, whatever gesture. So again, the ancestor Dogen says that the Buddha ancestors make it the true path of enlightenment, to practice offering every action to the Buddha mind so that the entire world can become the Buddha mind.

[14:30]

That's their path. Again, that's his statement of faith and And then he tried to offer everything he did in that way. Still, and yet, even his devoted students might have a hard time actually believing that. They might think, that there's something other, there's some other kind of peace, some other kind of enlightenment, there's some other kind of Buddha way from my actions being offered in this way. This practice of the Buddha mind in every action is also called

[15:45]

grandmother mind or grandmother heart. One of Dogen Zenji's wonderful devoted students was called Tetsugikai. And Tetsugikai was a very wholehearted practitioner at Eheiji when Dogen Zenji was living. And to make a long story short, When Dogen Zenji was close to death, he called Tetsugikai close to him and said, you're such an outstanding and sincere practitioner.

[17:04]

You take such good care of the monastery, but you're not really practicing grandmother mind. Tetsugike wrote that down in his journal, and he said that Dogen Zenji had told him before also that he was not practicing the grandmother mind. And then a little while, a few Dogen Zenji told him a third time, I know you will someday start practicing grandmother mind, but you haven't really started. And then Dogen Zenji died. And a year and a half Tetsugikai finally understood what it means to make every action the expression of the Buddha Mind Seal.

[18:16]

And he, at that time, he told his new teacher, Ko-on Ejo Daisho, he told him, when our teacher, Dogen Zenji, told me about Grandmother Mind, when he told me that our daily life, that offering our daily life as the Buddha way is the Buddha way, and there is no other Buddha way than our daily life. I did not believe him. The great student didn't believe the teacher. Finally he did. He didn't believe the teacher, he was still a wonderful student. He gave so much to the Sangha and to the monastery. He was the tenzo and the director

[19:17]

he still thought that there was some other way to help people other than this hand gesture, these words, and these thoughts. If you have some doubt, you're like some of our ancestors who doubted this teaching, who thought there's some other way to help people than what you're doing now. And the way to help people is to give your current action, just give it to helping people, even though you don't know how this current action is helping people, liberating people, enlightening people, serving people, celebrating the Buddha Mind Seal. you can give your life for this purpose.

[20:26]

And if you think, for example, I don't believe this statement, that thought, I don't believe this, and use that thought as an expression of the Buddha Mind Seal, even though you don't believe, in expressing the Buddha Mind seal by your thoughts. No matter what you think, offering what you think, no matter what it is, as a celebration of the Buddha Mind, that makes the whole world Still thoughts will arise.

[21:46]

Still visitors will come. And one of the visitors that might come is boring, If the thought boring is given as an expression of the Buddha Mind Seal, the entire sky turns into the Buddha Mind Seal. If you push the thought boring away, That opportunity turns from an opportunity to express the Buddha Mind Seal into . The thought, I don't believe in this teaching, is not a demon. It's just a thought.

[22:48]

The thought, I do believe in this teaching, is not a demon. It's just a thought. whatever the thought is, is not a demon unless you push it away. But even if you push it away, if you use that karma, mind's sale, no problem. Infinite thoughts, infinite vocalizations, infinite gestures. Each one is an opportunity to express the Buddha mind seal.

[23:55]

And again, the statement is, sitting upright in samadhi. So it could be sitting upright, standing upright, walking upright, whatever. And you're in samadhi. And samadhi means you are not distracted from the activity of using this action as the celebration of the Buddha Mind Seal. if I'm a little bit distracted from using these gestures, then I'm not in samadhi. And that little bit of distraction of using and this one, and using these words, the little bit of distraction is a little bit of out of attunement with

[25:10]

the realizing of Buddha mind in the entire world. But we are undistracted in our activity. And use this one right now, not another one, not a better version of this one, not a less good expression of this one, but And we totally use this one. We are in samadhi, we are upright, and we're using this opportunity. And then everything changes and we have a new thought, new posture, new words. I don't think Tetsugikai Daisho said to Dogen Zenji, I don't believe you.

[26:39]

I don't believe in that, I don't believe that expressing the Buddha mind seal in the three actions is the whole phenomenal world realizing the Buddha mind seal. I don't think he said, I don't believe it. and he saw that he wasn't believing his dear teacher. His teacher didn't say, you don't believe me, he just said, you're not following my instruction. You're great, you're the greatest, and you're not following my instruction. But Tetsugikai listened, and he did not forget that and he eventually understood and did not doubt this teaching. it's sometimes difficult for human beings to understand that the great activity liberating all beings from delusion and realizing peace, that that great activity occurs in stillness.

[29:09]

We often think that activity means movement. But there's a teaching which says this activity of helping others and the activity of all others helping us, that that great activity of mutual support and mutual benefit, that that activity occurs in stillness. Benefiting self and others does not require moving from this spot. Matter of fact, if we move from this spot we may miss it.

[30:18]

The inconceivable mutual assistance occurs in stillness. It occurs in using this moment These words, these thoughts, use this one to celebrate inconceivable mutual assistance, to celebrate the great activity. Use this gesture, not another one. Use this gesture and this gesture. Use this thought and this thought, not another one. When there's another one, use another one, not this one.

[31:18]

Don't move from this opportunity. Don't move from this opportunity. Don't move from this opportunity. Use this one. This is the one to use. To speak. This is the inhalation to inhale. And in this stillness of using this moment and these actions That's where enlightenment is living. And if we move, it's still living in the stillness of our body, speech, and mind. We're alive and well, but if we move, we miss it.

[32:25]

In other words, if we move to think, we have to move to practice. As this arm moves, As this arm makes gestures, this arm can also be celebrating stillness. This arm movement can realize stillness.

[33:30]

If I celebrate stillness, it seems to move. And the same for you. It could be that you don't understand Dogen Zenji's teaching, but maybe I don't.

[34:45]

So I'll give myself another example. If you're taking care of someone who you really care for, if you're taking care of someone that you really want to help, and they're very sick, let's say. And you're in a room with the sick person, like Tetsugikai was in a room with Dogen Zenji. Perhaps you can imagine that when you enter the room, every step you take you're very careful to disturb the person. You may be quite aware that you're going into the room to help them.

[35:52]

You're not going in there to entertain yourself. And if you... the flowers that are in the room, you would adjust them for the welfare of your friend. And if you adjust their pillow you would adjust the pillow not for fun, for yourself, but to help them be more comfortable. And if you touch them, you would touch them as an expression of kindness. And if you brought them food, or if you fed them, you would feed them in a way you would wish to be encouraging, calming, nourishing. Does that make sense that you might be like that?

[36:54]

And you wouldn't have to, like, remember you just would naturally make everything you do for their welfare. That's the reason you're in the room. Maybe if they weren't sick and you were in the room with them, maybe you were sitting down, singing and dancing, maybe then you wouldn't then you wouldn't naturally remember that everything you're doing in the room is for their welfare. But sometimes it's very clear that everything you're doing is for their welfare, and that's why it's sometimes called grandmother mind. When grandmothers are taking care of their grandchildren, they don't have to keep remembering. I'm here for their welfare. I'm here to help them.

[37:59]

It's just natural that everything they do is for that purpose. It's kind of like the Buddha Mindsville is a sick grandchild, sick child that you're taking care of. And you wouldn't want to overlook even one moment of taking care of this dear little Buddha Mind seal, which may die any moment if you don't take care, or even if you do take care. The child is there. The Buddha Mind seal is here. You have it. We have it. But we need to take care of it.

[39:03]

And it's going to be there no matter what you do. But the realization of it will die if we get distracted. However, it's not a permanent death. Notice, I got distracted from caring for the realization of the buddha mind seal which takes care of the buddha mind seal the realization died and now i want to resurrect it by taking care of it again by offering everything i think each moment i think everything i say and every posture i make to offer them to the care of the Buddha Mind Seal and the care of the Buddha Mind Seal is the realization of the Buddha Mind Seal, which seals the whole phenomenal world.

[40:06]

But again, a guest may come and say, this is really boring to be in this hospital room forever. I want to go someplace where I'm not surrounded by fragile that need my care. Okay. We hear you. Do you want to use that thought? to express the Buddha Mind Seal? No, I don't. Okay, you want to use that one? No, I don't. Well, you're welcome to be refusing to use these opportunities. As long as you need to do that, we're going to be with you. All ideas are welcome to the Buddha Mind Seal. Someone sent me a postcard recently.

[42:25]

Actually, they didn't send me the postcard. They sent me a photograph of a postcard that I sent 45 years ago. The person who sent me the postcard is my older daughter. I sent this postcard to her before I knew she was my daughter. I didn't know she was my daughter when I sent the postcard to her when she was two years old. and I didn't know she was my daughter, and the postcard starts out, I know you. Now, I don't know how that I wrote those words, I know you, to this two-year-old girl who was my daughter and I didn't know she was my daughter.

[43:37]

But I think I did write that or a guy with my name wrote that forty-five years ago. And then the postcard goes on and I'm talking about the Buddha Mind Seal. I've been writing postcards to the Buddha Mind Seal for forty-five years and I I know the Buddha Mind Seal, but I don't know that the Buddha Mind Seal or my son or my brother or my sister. I don't know and I do know. And I'm sending postcards and talking about the Buddha Mind Seal for 45 years. And at the end of the postcard, I said, again, I know you.

[44:48]

But it's difficult for human beings like me to live in such an awesome dharma where everybody is my brother and my sister and my father and my granddaughter and my grandson and my daughter and my son, where everybody is all that. I might want to go live someplace else that might be too intimate. And when I think such a thought, there's an opportunity to offer that thought as an experience. so it doesn't do any harm.

[47:05]

Matter of fact, it's the place of enlightenment. So it appears the same thing over and over for forty-five years. But when you have a very short teaching, That's about all you've got is to say it over and over. I hesitate to say what I'm about to say, but here it comes anyway. Perhaps I can stop talking now, because perhaps all of you will talk about the Buddha Mind Seal.

[48:22]

And I won't have to say it anymore for a while, because it's in good hands. and good bodies, good arms and legs, good words. So maybe I can stop now and you'll take care of it for the rest of the day? Please? Thank you.

[48:52]

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