sitting and walking together, may we have a deep vow to practice loving-kindness and compassion for all beings, inwardly and outwardly. towards all humans and animals, to the whole environment, and inwardly towards all our experience. Being kind to even our pettiest thoughts. even our most unskillful thoughts.

[01:03]

On this ground, let us proceed. This year I promised at the beginning of the year, 2009, to focus on the Buddha's teaching of dependent core rising. And I promised to continue for the rest of the year. many causes and conditions led to me making this commitment to study causes and conditions. Also at the beginning of the year when I committed to

[02:23]

practice deep faith in cause and effect. I also mentioned that I have actually the belief that all beliefs are entirely dependent. All beliefs are entirely contingent. So I do have beliefs And one of them is that my beliefs are contingent. I think I also mentioned at the beginning of the year when I expressed my faith and my commitment to study dependent core rising, to study and practice with you. in this way that the president, the new president said, my faith is one that admits of some doubt.

[03:30]

One of the strengths of the previous president was that he seemed to have a faith which admitted no doubt. And many people liked that certainty. But I have the feeling, and it's kind of all another belief, that certainty makes us prone to violence. and uncertainty is more compatible with non-violence. Having strong beliefs without pride, without conceit. The Buddha speaks with great faith and great realization without pride, without conceit.

[04:43]

I commit to study dependent core arising because I think that enlightenment is exactly that. Enlightenment is studying dependent core arising, considering dependent core arising. If you're a human being, you think And enlightenment is for you to think about dependent core arising. And to think about it without conceit. To think about cause and effect knowing that you can't see it. I've heard that our ancestor Ehe Koso, Dogen Zenji, said that the Buddha Tathagatas never go beyond clarifying cause and effect.

[06:05]

Now some of us are sincerely and humbly considering cause and effect. As we practice this consideration, it may turn into clarification. I hope so. I don't know if it will. but I give myself to this work of considering cause and effect as the practice of enlightenment. Our first ancestor in Japan, Heihei Dogen Daisho,

[07:12]

had great literary ability. He wrote fascicles like Genjo Koan, which are so beautiful and difficult. Towards the end of his life, he said, cause and effect is clear. Those who practice on wholesomeness, fall. Those who cultivate virtue, rise. Someone might say, even a child knows that. Still, to practice it moment by moment, is difficult.

[08:15]

Maybe at noon service those of us who are not on the serving crew will be chanting the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Is that possible? And we'll shift that chant to tomorrow morning for the server's sake. In this chapter the Buddha is saying that she's always with us. However, we conceited beings who have various views and are proud of them, even the view that the Buddha is always with us could have that view.

[10:06]

I read in the Lotus Sutra that the Buddha is always with us. And to be proud of that view and apprehend that view blocks the view of the Buddha. if we give up our conceit about all our views, including the view that the Buddha is right with us, we will see the Buddha right now. We will meet Buddha face to face. And meeting Buddha face to face means meeting dependent core rising face to face. The historical Buddha taught dependent core rising, and this historical Buddha says, when you see dependent core rising, you see the truth, the Dharma.

[11:11]

And when you see the Dharma, you see me. Seeing dependent core rising is seeing Buddha. Buddha sees dependent core rising and sees us. All we need to do is not be proud. But that's very difficult and subtle and deep. Because our pride is deep. And we don't blame ourselves or others for that. We're born with a tendency to want to grasp some idea about what's going on. to apprehend the views that we have. Even our views of Buddhadharma or our views of dependent core arising. Our views of dependent core arising, if we're proud of them, block our view of dependent core arising.

[12:14]

Our views of the Buddhadharma, if we're proud of them, block our openness to Buddhadharma. So the kind ancestors say, if you have a staff, I'll give you a staff. If you don't have a staff, I'll take it away. This is the way they take away our staff. Being like this, ladies and gentlemen, will not do.

[13:18]

Not being like this won't do either. Being both like this and not like this won't do at all. How about you? How are you really? How are you really How are you really underneath all the pride? What is this sentient being without pride, really? I have this view. I'm not sure about it. Easy to not be sure about it, actually. My view is that you all practiced very sincerely yesterday, that you practiced without tremendous pride, but that there's still some.

[14:25]

I feel you considered practicing without conceit about your views yesterday. I don't know if it's true. It's just what I thought. It's just what I felt. I felt the same about me. I felt quite uncertain yesterday about what the Dharma is, about what dependent core rising is, about whether even the Buddha is for sure the teacher of the truth. We also chanted a section of a text by Dogen called Self-Receiving and Employing Samadhi.

[15:39]

It says, now all Buddhas and all ancestors who maintain Buddha Dharma have made it the true path of enlightenment to sit upright practicing in the midst of self-fulfilling samadhi, self-fulfilling awareness. This text, I feel today, could be seen in two really different ways. One way would be sit upright in the midst of what's happening. Everything that's happening is a dependent core arising. So you're sitting in the midst of dependent core arising. and don't think, just sit and intuitively you will realize the dependent core rising.

[16:54]

But another way would be sit upright in the midst of dependent core rising and Believe in it. Consider it. Believe that considering it and understanding it is the Buddha way. Sit upright in the midst of deep faith in cause and effect. Sit upright in the midst of deep faith in clarifying cause and effect. Simultaneously being aware of the likelihood that there's some pride about this practice.

[18:07]

And can we admit that we have some grasp of it? There's the expression which came up this morning, the blind leading the blind. I'm not saying you're blind. I'm just saying maybe I am. And I'm your designated leader. But I'm letting you know that your leader's blind. So be careful. He may be leading you into a pit. A pit of belief.

[19:13]

in cause and effect. A pit of belief in the text which says, when you see dependent core arising, you see me. And when you're not conceited and proud of your understanding anymore, you will also see me. somebody, and it might be you, is taking away my understanding. Somebody's taking away my wisdom. I don't know who did it. And I really, I love you, but I'm going to take yours away too, if you let me. But I'm telling you beforehand, it's a blind man that's going to take away your understanding.

[20:22]

So you can open your hand and your heart to the Dharma. I'm not... I really feel good about this. I have no ill will towards you, but I think I'm going to take your understanding away, because you took mine away. I want to return the favor. Thank you very much. Socrates walked around Athens. I got to walk where he walked. There's a part of Athens called the Agora, which is the root of agoraphobia. It's the part of Athens I like the best.

[21:26]

I had nothing against the great temples where people went to worship, but I really liked the Agora where they used to walk around and talk to each other. And people said, you walk around Athens and you meet the young people and you're like a stingray. You zap them and then they go numb. And we're going to punish you for that. You touch them and you take away their understandings. And Socrates said, yeah, but your story is incomplete. They do the same to me." I like that story. And he loved those kids. But as far as I know, he never found anything out.

[22:29]

His ungrasping study of cause and effect, I love it. I think in that way Socrates is close to our founder. So you might say, well Socrates was better because Shakyamuni Buddha put out this teaching of dependent core rising. so people could grasp it. Yeah, that's a problem. But again, once he puts it out there and they try to grasp it, then he comes to help them to not grasp it. You can't get it by grasping this teaching of dependent co-arising. You can't realize the Dharma by grasping the teaching that Cultivating virtue, you flourish. Cultivating unwholesomeness, you fall.

[23:39]

There's the text. There's the teaching. How can you open to it without grasping it? I'm going to change the words of our first ancestor in Japan slightly. Please allow me. I mistakenly thought that Bodhidharma's beard was red. But surprisingly, there is a red-bearded Bodhidharma

[24:42]

Not falling into cause and effect and not ignoring cause and effect brings more cause and effect. Do you all want to know causes and understand effects or not? Cause and effect is clear. And it shall continue to be.

[25:32]

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