Embodying the Lotus Sutra 

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How can I call living beings into the unsurpassed way and quickly perfect the body of a Tudor?
Would you be comfortable opening that window a little bit more?
Would that be okay with you, Luz and Lynn and Sarah? Is that okay? Open it a little bit more.
Is that alright? Charlie?
In one sense, I'd like to have the whole evening open for whatever you'd like to offer,
but I also felt it would be good to, in a sense, go back to the beginning,
to reiterate something very basic,
and that is the beginning of the scripture,
wherein we were told that the Buddha was dwelling in the city of Rajagriha on Vulture Peak,
with a huge assembly of a wide range of beings,
great Bodhisattvas, male and female saints and all kinds of followers,
and many kinds of beings that weren't human also, celestial beings of many kinds.
They're all there, and they come to the Buddha and make offerings, great offerings to the Buddha,
and then the Buddha gives a discourse called the Discourse of Innumerable Meanings.
It doesn't say what the discourse was, it just says he gave the discourse and that was the name of it.
That's all we hear in this scripture.
And then he entered into a concentration, a contemplation,
called the Station of Innumerable Meanings.
So he probably enters into contemplation of the discourse of the teaching he just gave.
And after he enters this contemplation, the sky rains down a wide variety of fabulous flowers,
and the earth shook.
Innumerable earths or lands shook in six ways.
This whole assembly is there,
seeing the Buddha, making offerings to the Buddha, seeing the Buddha, hearing the Buddha,
seeing the Buddha enter into concentration of the teaching that he gave.
The flowers falling, the earth shaking, they're all there.
And then the Buddha, from the tuft of white hair between his eyebrows,
a great light is emitted and goes off in all directions,
and in each direction illuminates innumerable lands,
and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and other beings in all those lands.
And so these people are sitting there, seeing the whole universe illuminated,
spiritually illuminated.
And in the assembly is the great Bodhisattva Maitreya,
the next Buddha in the next world epoch that will follow this one.
And he's wondering what this...
He's amazed by this scene and wonders if there's some meaning to it.
And he thinks, oh, Manjushri Bodhisattva is in this assembly,
and he has studied with innumerable Buddhas in the past,
maybe he has seen this before.
So he goes to Manjushri and asks Manjushri,
and Manjushri considers his past study with Buddhas,
and he says, yes, I have seen this before.
The same amazing events of Buddhas in the past.
And when I saw this in the past, following this,
they expounded the lotus flower,
the great vehicle lotus flower of the Sublime Dharma Sutra.
So probably that's what's going to happen now,
is that the Buddha will expound that Sutra again.
And Maitreya and other beings hearing about this
are very happy that they're going to get a chance to...
They've just heard this other Sutra, which we don't know what it was,
but they've heard this other Sutra,
and they've seen this fabulous event,
and now they're going to hear this sublime teaching that follows this.
So they're very happy at the end of the chapter one,
and then chapter two starts with the Buddha quietly and serenely
arising from his concentrated state,
and right away telling people that this wonderful Dharma
is very difficult to understand if you're not a Buddha.
And he goes on for a while about how difficult it is to understand.
And nonetheless, the people are still happy at the prospect of hearing this teaching,
even though the Buddha says it's very difficult to understand.
And then Shariputra begs the Buddha to teach,
gives a long speech and then begs him to teach,
and the Buddha says,
That's enough.
That's enough.
But I'm afraid if I would teach this, people would become shocked,
and dismayed, and perplexed.
So better not do it.
So then Shariputra,
Shariputra is like the leader of the monks,
he asks again,
and begs again,
and Buddha says, enough, enough.
It would just be too shocking to the people, I wouldn't want them,
they might get really disoriented and get in trouble if I teach this.
And so he asks again.
And then the Buddha says,
Well, since you've asked three times,
okay, I will offer some skillful devices.
This teaching, this truth,
this wondrous truth,
this wondrous truth, this wondrous law,
it's very difficult, but I'll try to find some way,
some device to help you with this difficult teaching.
And around that time,
five thousand people walk out of the assembly.
And the Buddha kind of chastigates them,
and after they leave,
and says that it's good that they're gone,
that they were kind of proud,
and arrogant,
thinking, you know,
well, if it's difficult to understand,
well, let's go someplace else
where the guy teaches some stuff that's not so difficult.
I've heard enough about how hard this is.
Let's go someplace else.
Or, you know,
he's just going to say the same thing again anyway.
He said before, which wasn't much anyway,
so let's get out of here.
So they left, and the Buddha kind of says,
good that they're gone,
but then the Buddha says,
it's good that you stayed.
Very good that you stayed,
and you will all become Buddhas.
So if you excuse me for saying so,
it's good that you stayed.
Even though you didn't hear
about what the wonderous truth was,
you still stayed,
just like the people in the Sutra.
So you will become Buddha,
according to the Sutra.
You didn't hear what the Sutra was teaching,
and you didn't hear the truth
that the Sutra is named after,
but you did stay,
just like the people in the Sutra,
and the Buddha said,
you people should know,
you will become Buddhas.
Did I mention here last week
about the Buddha,
I mean, about Dogen,
when he was dying,
writing a passage
on a pillar.
Is that right?
Did I mention to you
that the Jodo Shinshu
headquarters or institute
over on Durant
had this big altar
that they wanted to find a home for?
Did I tell you about that?
So, part of what I've been doing
coming to Berkeley
is I've been coming over in a truck
and carrying a huge altar
from Berkeley back to
this place called No Abode Hermitage,
which is being secretly renamed as
the Lotus Sutra Hermitage.
So, I made several trips
to bring this huge old altar over there
to put it in this hermitage,
partly as a place
to honor and revere the Lotus Sutra.
But it's a secret that it's been
renamed as the Lotus Sutra Hermitage.
It was a secret.
And so the shrine,
the altar will be assembled
and then there will be a place
where people can come
and pay homage to the
lotus flower of the true Dharma.
Even though the Buddha
doesn't tell you what it is,
you can come there and become Buddha.
My wife, when she saw the altar,
it hasn't been assembled yet,
but when she saw it she said,
I don't know what got into you.
She says, I don't know
what you were thinking of
when you accepted that thing.
It's going to take over the whole building.
People say, well it's okay with me
as long as we can still get in there.
And then last Monday,
we started a so-called,
sometimes called a koan class,
also called a class on stories
at Green Gulch.
And so part of what I'm
asking people to do is
when they hear the stories,
when they hear these old stories,
to think about how
the old stories are their stories
or how their story is the old story.
So the first story
that I just happened to bring up
will just happen to be the first story
of the Book of Serenity.
Story number one.
And
in the story,
the name of the story is
The World Honored One,
the Thus Come One,
Ascends the Seat.
So the case is,
one day,
the World Honored One
ascended the seat.
I didn't say so,
but one imagines that
he ascended the seat.
Manjushri
struck the gavel, boom,
and said,
everyone clearly observe
the dharma
of the king of dharma.
The dharma of the king of dharma is thus.
And the Buddha
ascended the seat.
And
it struck me
this week
how similar
and
how different
that case is
from the Lotus Sutra.
So the Buddha just gets up in the seat
and sits there.
Doesn't say anything.
In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha
sort of gets up there and sits there
and does say something, but he doesn't say
he doesn't say what he said he's going to say.
He doesn't say what people say he's going to say.
But he's there
with the people,
with the students.
He's there with them.
He's not someplace else, he's totally there with them.
But he's not
saying what the truth is.
So,
very similar
to the Lotus Sutra,
I thought.
In the Book of Serenity,
they don't have the lights coming off of them
and stuff like that,
but anyway, the Buddha's there.
In this case, though,
Manjushri,
instead of saying,
well,
instead of being asked,
well, what's all this fancy stuff he's doing,
means,
in this case, Manjushri,
nobody's saying anything,
it's very quiet,
people are just,
the assembly's there.
So Manjushri,
with nobody asking him, apparently,
strikes a gavel
and tells people
to look
to clearly observe
the Dharma
of the King of Dharma.
The Buddha's there,
not saying anything,
and Manjushri says,
clearly observe
the truth
of the King of Truth.
And then he takes one more step,
he says,
the truth of the King of Truth
is thus.
He kind of tells them
what the Buddha wouldn't tell them.
And the Buddha
gets down.
And then I also thought,
I was also struck
by how
in a way,
yeah,
a lot of Zen stories
are about
this,
about
the Dharma being
shown,
but not directly.
And then
people walking off
in disgust,
or
receiving it,
or somebody coming
and telling them
it is there.
There's a variety of possibilities.
So,
yeah.
And
I feel like the style,
particularly the style
of so-called Soto Zen
is very much like the style
of the Buddha's teaching
in the Lotus Sutra
and the style of the way
the Buddha taught
in the beginning
of the Book of Serenity,
before Manjushri says anything.
The Buddha is always teaching,
but sometimes the way
the Buddha is teaching,
it's very hard
to understand.
The actual truth
that he's teaching
is very difficult
to understand.
So then some people
help you
by saying,
observe it.
And then they say
it's thus.
But what does thus mean?
That maybe doesn't help
that much.
Where's the thus?
So,
a story I've told you
quite a few times is
one time there was
this Zen teacher
named Hui Nung,
and a monk came to see him,
named Huai Ran,
and Hui Nung says to Huai Ran,
where are you from?
And he says,
I'm from
Mount Sung.
And
Hui Nung says
to the visiting monk,
what is it that thus comes?
What is thusness?
What is thus
come?
And the monk says
to indicate it
misses the point.
When Geshe indicated it,
and he missed the point.
But he couldn't help it.
He couldn't let it
just be like the Lotus Sutra
and have everybody walk out,
I guess.
Well, not everybody,
but some people.
So he indicated it.
But this monk
who's being asked by the teacher
what is the Buddha
or what is the
coming of suchness,
the monk says,
well, I'm not going to indicate it
because I would miss it.
So the teacher is not indicating it,
he's just asking
what is it?
The student is not indicating,
he's saying
if I would indicate it,
I would miss it.
And the teacher,
they go on a little bit,
but basically the teacher says,
well, I'll go on.
The teacher says,
well, is there no
practice and enlightenment?
And the monk says,
I don't say there's not
parenthesis,
I don't say there is either.
I don't say there's not
practice and enlightenment,
just that it can't be defiled.
Just that I'm not going to defile it
by saying what it is.
I'm not going to say
what the Buddha is,
in other words,
I'm not going to say
what the Buddha's teaching is,
I'm not going to say
what the Sangha is,
but I'm also not going to say
there isn't a Buddha
and there isn't a Dharma.
And the teacher says,
this undefiled way
is what all Buddhas
are caring for.
And this undefiled way
that all Buddhas are caring for
is the Lotus Sutra.
It's this sutra
which you can indicate it,
but that defiles it.
And if it's not indicated,
but you stay with it,
you will become Buddha.
If you walk off,
you miss the chance.
If you say what it is,
you miss the chance.
But if you stay with it,
you will become Buddha.
The Lotus Sutra doesn't tell you
what the Lotus Sutra is,
it just shows you,
but it doesn't tell you
how it's showing it to you.
But it does show itself to you.
Every single word
shows you Buddha,
without, of course,
indicating that.
And then another important person
in our tradition
is named Dongshan.
He's sort of the founder
of what's called Soto Zen in China.
And he met many great teachers,
but some of those great teachers
were like Manjushri.
In the
first case,
they indicated,
they showed it,
they defiled it
by showing it.
But they were great famous teachers
because the ones who show it
are more popular.
Because people can get it.
They were great
and they were popular,
but there was one kind of
not very popular,
not very great teacher
that he also visited.
And he became,
he was recognized
by all these other teachers,
but he also became recognized
by this person who
not many people would even care
about being recognized by.
It's kind of a nobody.
And so actually
after this nobody died,
somebody asked,
he was doing a memorial service.
He made an altar
where he put this teacher,
which is similar to an altar
where you put the Lotus Sutra
because the teacher
was the teacher
who didn't teach him anything.
Like the Lotus Sutra
is a Lotus Sutra
that doesn't directly
teach you anything.
The teacher and the Lotus Sutra
are very similar, I think.
But he honored this teacher
among all the much more
famous teachers.
And he said,
how come you honor him
instead of these other
famous teachers
who recognized you?
And he didn't say anything
against the other teachers,
he just said,
it's not because of the
profundity
of my Master's teaching
that I revere him most.
It's because he never
directly indicated.
Indicated.
He didn't schwa pa
in Chinese.
He didn't directly indicate.
We were together
but he didn't directly indicate.
That's why I venerate him most.
And so,
that was his teacher.
Dunshan's teacher is Yunyan.
And Yunyan's teacher is
Yaoshan.
Yaoshan
was good
but he was more famous.
Partly because he had
famous teachers.
But he was in the same
kind of way of practicing.
And his teachers
taught him this way.
There are many ways to teach
but the way they taught him
was he went to see them
and he asked them,
what is the
wondrous Dharma?
What is the supreme
Dharma of the Buddha?
So, he went to this
great teacher named
Shirto.
And he asked that.
And Shirto said,
Being thus
won't do.
Not being thus
won't do either.
Being neither
won't do at all.
How about you?
And
Yaoshan didn't understand.
He said, can you say more?
He said,
you should go see another teacher.
Go see Matsu.
So, he went to see Matsu,
who is even more famous,
great master.
And
he went to see Matsu
and he asked
the same question
and Matsu said,
Sometimes
I make him raise
his eyebrows and blink.
Sometimes
I don't make him
raise his eyebrows
and blink.
Sometimes raising
the eyebrows is
right.
Sometimes raising the eyebrows
is not right.
How about you?
He understood.
And went back
and Matsu said,
Yeah, yeah, that's great.
But
Shirto is your teacher.
So he went back.
So this is the sort of
the way of teaching.
You can't
It's too difficult to teach it.
So they have this
skillful means
by which we can
open to the teaching.
But still,
Manjushri had to do that.
So there is a verse
which celebrates
the case
which says,
The unique breeze of reality.
Can you see it?
Creation constantly
working her lumen shuttle
incorporating
the patterns of spring.
Into the ancient brocade.
But nothing can be done
about Manjushri's leaking.
Manjushri's what?
Manjushri's leaking.
His leaking means
his defilement.
His
you know
in studying this case we
it's often mentioned by people that
Manjushri is like the Judas
of Zen.
In that story.
He tells people where they can find the Buddha.
Right there.
The Buddha is there.
The Dharma is
you see, it's right there.
He tells people.
And defiles the Buddha.
But
he couldn't help himself.
He had to show the people
where the Buddha was.
So he could be in history.
So
there's this opportunity
to
yeah
to revere
and take care of
to read and recite
and copy
and teach
and practice according
to this wonderful Dharma.
Which doesn't tell you
this Sutra
which doesn't tell you
what the Sutra is.
It lets you
and me
be with it
and practice it
and realize it.
Even though we can't
or we're not supposed to
grasp it.
So
I
really
I've really
I've really been inspired by
you and
the Buddhas
and the Bodhisattvas
and the Sutra.
Inspired
and I really don't know why
but I am.
And
I'm happily building this
this big altar over there
at
Lotus Sutra
Hermitage.
And I also feel good
you know about
because Zen is not supposed to be
depending on any Sutra, right?
So
to be really intimate
with the Lotus Sutra
is not to depend on it.
To really worship it
and embody it
is not to depend on it.
So I feel like
you and I
have embodied the Lotus Sutra
here in Berkeley, California
this
this spring
by coming here
and
hearing
the Lotus Sutra
and not getting anything out of it.
And coming anyway.
Not to get something
but to give
to give
to the Lotus Sutra
to express devotion to the Lotus Sutra
to make it alive in this world
by listening to it
by revering it
that's what makes the Lotus Sutra alive
that's what embodies it
in your body
in our bodies
in this world.
A vehicle to realize
emptiness
a vehicle
to realize
what can't be grasped
a vehicle
that unifies all vehicles
is a vehicle that cannot be grasped
and that's what the Lotus Sutra
is saying it is
although it says that's what it is
it also has to make itself ungraspable
in order to perform its function
to unify all vehicles
and to unify all paths
of all beings.
And we talked about
one of the chapters
chapter 14
which gave instruction
to Bodhisattvas
who want to teach this sutra
we spent quite a while on that chapter
and that chapter is called
you know
Pleasant Practices
or Pleasant Ministries
and relatively speaking
it is quite pleasant
in the previous chapter
which is called sometimes
exhortation to be firm
or
exhortation to devotion
and in that chapter
what is implied
is a more aggressive
a more aggressive
style of teaching
it doesn't literally say it
but a lot of people interpret
that
that that style of teaching
is what's being referred to
in the previous chapter
so we read chapter 14
could you get me some water Stephen?
so chapter 13
the Bodhisattvas say
tell the Buddha not to worry
if he has to do this
if he has to do this show
called disappearing
so he is going to do that
he is going to go away now
and disappear
thank you
and
and he is
in a couple of chapters
he is going to tell us
that he hasn't really disappeared
that is the chapter we just recited
but it is going to look like
he disappeared
to a lot of people
and it is going to look like
there is a
it is going to look like
things are really bad
and that the whole world
is
you know at risk
of you know
of falling into
serious ill health
it is going to look like that
so the Buddha
but the Buddha has got to do that
otherwise some people won't practice
so when that difficult time
comes in the future
and I am not
and I have disappeared
when I have to
even though I am still here
who is going to take care
of the teaching
and these bodhisattvas
come forward and say
we will
and also they want to know
if we do come forth
and we are going to teach
then how can we teach
under such difficult circumstances
so chapter 14 tells you
how to teach
when things are tough
chapter 13 also tells you
how to teach
when in a sense
they are tougher
the same tough situation
but now
in chapter 13
not only is the world
a tough place
but everybody is being
real mean to you
you are teaching
the lotus sutra
for their welfare
but people are
beating you up
and reviling you
for teaching it
I don't exactly understand
why the people
of ancient times
put chapter 13
before chapter 14
it seems like
it would be better
to reverse them
because
advanced usually
follows
but anyway
those two chapters
are there
and it is
more advanced
to teach the lotus sutra
in such a way
that it aggravates people
so the chapter 14
is not an aggressive
style of teaching
it is a very gentle
style of teaching
but chapter 14
and also chapter 20
are more aggressive
styles of teaching
13 and 20
in 20
it is called
never disparaging
it is about a bodhisattva
that walks around
and everybody
the bodhisattva meets
the bodhisattva says
I don't disparage you
you will become Buddha
he says that to everybody
he reveres everybody
and
a lot of people
get riled up
by him
revering them
and telling them
they are going to
become Buddha
in his heart
he really does
revere them
and he really wants
to tell them
this good news
that they will
become Buddha
but some people
get really irritated
if somebody tells them
that they are going
to become Buddha
and they beat him up
but he still
keeps revering them
and he still keeps
saying this
like Desmond Tutu
getting beat up
and being concerned
for the people
who are beating him up
so part of
what is going on
in the Lotus Sutra
is one style of teaching
we just did
which is kind of
difficult to understand
but not that
it is not aggressive
but chapter 13
and chapter 20
are talking about
there is another
dimension of teaching
where you teach
in such a way
that people
have a hard time
with you
and give you
a hard time
they don't like
the way you are
and these Bodhisattvas
say even when
they give us
a hard time
for teaching
we will continue
to teach
yeah
well it is
for more advanced
people
yeah
no
no just maybe
more intense
you know
more intense
more
I don't know what
not so gentle maybe
huh
could be demanding
you could be just demanding
could be demanding
of yourself
that can irritate people
you know like
if you live in a community
and you don't eat
very much
people can feel
you know
threatened
or like in a koan class
the other night
somebody said
that she felt
a strong impulse
to cut off
one of her fingers
and make it as an offering
to you
huh
to you
well not exactly to me
but as an expression
of her devotion
and so it created
quite a stir
in class
that she might do that
and so one person
came up and said
please do not do that
and another person came up
and said
I think that's great
not that you cut
your finger off
but just that you'd feel that way
so this is like
you know
either she might get beat up
or I might get beat up
for having a class
where people might cut
their fingers off
this is like
so the people
who beat
the people who beat
the person up
who is teaching
in this way
they're not advanced
right
right
but some people
when they see
that kind of teaching
it's just the right thing
for them
it really pushes them
over the edge
into the truth
but it's very
you know
it's a teaching
it's an advanced teaching
and so
I told you this story
I think last summer
and recently
I told you the story
of Lin Ji's enlightenment
Lin Ji is
this
very important
spiritual figure
in the history of
the world actually
millions of
followers
come from his teaching
so he's a Chinese
Zen master
the founder of the
so called
Rinzai school of Zen
which
you know
was the dominant
form of Zen
in China
at its height
and he was
in a monastery
with a big teacher
a huge teacher
and
the head monk
who was also a great
became a great teacher
said to him
how long have you been here?
and he said
two or three years
he said have you gone
talked to the teacher yet?
and he said no
so we should go ask him
question
what should I ask him?
ask him about
what the
what the
what do you call it
the lotus flower
of the wonder
wonder's Dharma is
what's the quintessential
truth
of the Buddha way
so he went and asked
Wang Bo
and Wang Bo hit him
kind of aggressive teaching
I would say
for an advanced
for an advanced practitioner
and but even he didn't get it
didn't understand
he just thought he got hit
and didn't quite think
that was
he just didn't see the point
but Wang Bo was
I think
this is not what he would do
with most people
so the head monk
says to him
how did it go?
and he said
well he hit me
he said oh
you should go ask him again
so he does
and Wang Bo hits him
and he sees the head monk again
and the head monk says
well
he said he hit me again
oh
well
you should really go see him again
and he does
and he gets hit
and the head monk says
well how about this time
he said he hit me again
and
I'm leaving
right on the edge there
he's almost like those people
that left the Lotus Sutra
almost like
perhaps some of you
in this class
there were moments maybe
when you thought
I don't get it
I'm out of here
but it doesn't look like
you got that far into that
because you're still here
so then the head monk said
ok
you can leave
but at least go say goodbye
so he said ok
and then the head monk
went and told Wang Bo
he's leaving
he's really a good monk
be careful of him
don't help him
and Wang Bo said
I know
so
he goes and says goodbye to Wang Bo
and Wang Bo says
well don't go too far
there's a friend of mine
lives over the hill
I think he could help you
so he goes to a nearby monastery
and visits this other person
and tells him the story
and the other person
when he hears the story
he says
oh my god
how kind Wang Bo was with you
he gave himself completely to you
he really put himself out there
you know like
very aggressively
because that's what you needed
you were this very strong monk
but he needed this
intense interaction
apparently
and
Wang Bo
Wang Bo put himself out there
for Linji
in a way that
a lot of people might
think that he should be
you know
what do you call it
what's the word
when you get kicked out of the bar
disbarred
disbarred
he should be disbarred
he should be
you know
like my grandson said to me
you know
if a Buddhist master
knew how you were teaching
they would fire you
so anyway
sometimes when you're really
teaching intensely
to help people
some people really
don't like it
and
Linji kind of didn't like it
kind of didn't think it was really
teaching
but then he saw it was
and that was his great thing
so
now these other people
like
other stories
they were also teaching
in a very difficult way
they weren't giving
they weren't giving
they weren't indicating
that's hard too
but there's another story
I think
a number of these stories
are in Being Upright
there's another story
that's in Being Upright
I think
which is about
a monk
an arrogant monk
who went to see
the teacher Hakuin
and he came to see Hakuin
and
and
his teacher
sent a letter with him
which said
this guy's got a problem
so be careful of him
you know
take care of him
but he's
he's really arrogant
he thinks he understands
perfectly enough
I can't teach him anything anymore
so I sent him to you
and Hakuin
was real tough on him
and it broke the guy
he went insane
because of the way Hakuin
yelled at him
he went insane
and stayed that way for years
and later Hakuin said
I made two mistakes in my life
and
that was one of them
the way I treated him
was not appropriate
I pushed too hard
so it's a
it's a dangerous path sometimes
to do the
teaching that a person needs
so we have to be very careful
at advanced levels
you can really hurt people
if you're
but sometimes at advanced levels
people need to be pushed kind of hard
because they're quite
they're quite stable
and nothing disturbs them
so they can stay in their position
very calmly
and you can push them around
and they can adapt
but still at some subtle level
they're holding
so sometimes
something really intense
needs to be offered to them
in order to get them to shift
a little bit
but that's also very difficult
to offer such intense teachings
so the Lotus Sutra
has chapter 13 in it
and chapter
20 to exemplify
very intense
high energy
kind of teaching
like where you would
walk in the street
and say that to people
where you would be considered
a fanatic, right?
if you said to everybody
I don't disparage you
you will become Buddha
that's a very advanced person
in a very advanced practice
but
so that's part of the mix
of the Lotus Sutra
to show this kind of
this variety
and we can talk about this more later
but I
I just wanted to
kind of tell you
that other side of the story
in terms of teaching styles
that the Sutra offers
so you've seen a number
of different teaching styles
you see the style of the Buddha
and you see the style
for Bodhisattvas
which are somewhat different
does that make sense to you now?
yes?
about Manjushri
about Manjushri, yes
he helped himself
and you said
he had to say it
because
why?
he felt
I guess he felt
you know
the Buddha was sitting there
we don't know how long
the Buddha was sitting there
but the Buddha was sitting there
maybe he felt like
they're not
he couldn't stand it
they didn't understand
what he was teaching
you know
he felt like he had to
draw their attention
to something
you know
who knows
maybe they're sitting there
saying
well I wonder when
he's going to start teaching
you know
or maybe they're asleep
I don't know
but in a way
he shouldn't have done it
he should have
let the people
have this boring Buddha
who just sits up there
and quietly
and they don't think
he's giving them anything
even though he did
make the effort
to get up on that seat
it's kind of like
not being able to
just trust and wait
or
you know
and I was just reading
another fascicle
teaching by Dogen
called Buddha Nature
and
it's a chapter where
he's dealing with this issue
of Buddha Nature
which in the Lotus Sutra
Buddha Nature
the word Buddha Nature
doesn't appear
but many people
think that
what the Buddha Nature
in the Lotus Sutra is
is just the emptiness
of the Lotus Sutra
is the Buddha Nature
the emptiness of the way
the Lotus Sutra teaches
and the emptiness
which the Lotus Sutra
recommends Bodhisattvas
meditate on
in chapter 14
part of the Bodhisattvas
place of practice
place of action
and place of intimacy
is to meditate
on emptiness
to meditate on Buddha Nature
so
in this chapter
Dogen says
you know
many people teach
all living beings
have the Buddha Nature
but a higher teaching
in a way
is all living beings
are without Buddha Nature
and you can hear that
two ways
one is
all beings
are without Buddha Nature
or all beings
what they are
is
without Buddha Nature
that's what they are
and then he says
and he likes that
all beings
are without Buddha Nature
what we really are
is we are
without Buddha Nature
that's what we are
that's our nature
but
then he says
to say that all beings
are Buddha Nature
or have Buddha Nature
slanders Buddha Nature
and to say that all beings
are without Buddha Nature
slanders Buddha Nature
but you must say
that they have Buddha Nature
and that they are without Buddha Nature
you must say that
wow
you don't have to say that
yes
is the reason that
the monk got hit
when he asked
about the Buddha Sutra
is that because
he was defiling
the truth
by wanting it to be
told to him
I don't
I'm not sure
but
I think his problem was
that he was
thought he was fine
and he was kind of fine
he was a wonderful
monk
but he thought
he didn't need to
go talk to the teacher
so the head monk
said to him
what
have you gone to see him
I don't need to see him
I'm fine
he thought he was ok
I think he was
yeah he was
he couldn't tell
that
that he had some
limited idea
of what the truth was
he was doing quite well
but he had some limited idea
so
when he went to see
and he was
he was fed that question
so he went to see the teacher
the teacher
gave him something
to find out if he was
holding any place
and he was
balanced enough
to have his place of holding
indicated
but he didn't see that
as kindness
he didn't see how the teacher
was trying to help him
well when the teacher
slapped him
he didn't think it was
he thought
you know
it was just a slap
he didn't feel like
how kind of you
to slap me
you got
you know
you got me right
where I was holding
in that one
but later
when he went to see
the other teacher
he could see
that the teacher
that there was
really kindness
and then his
whole style of teaching
was that way of teaching
yeah that was
and he was very successful
had lots of great students
and
cause that's what
that's what worked for him
so he did that
with his students
and
but still
at the beginning
of his record
at the beginning
of his teaching record
he says
if I were to
accord strictly
with the source
I wouldn't be able
to open my mouth
but
if I don't
many of you
won't be able
to get a foothold
so
he didn't say anything
he just says
if anybody wants
to interact with me
come on
so they come up
and they
interacted with him
he still couldn't
he still didn't say
what it was
but he interacted
with people
and in the interaction
somehow
the skillful interaction
they could open
to this thing
which is very difficult
to understand
buddhists can understand it
but for
non-buddhists to understand
you sort of have to like
do it through interaction
through some kind of device
of interaction
like
go to a class
where you don't get anything
that's a device
to go to a class
where you get something
that's not a device
that's just your usual way
of trying to get something
so somehow
the skillful means is like
to offer enough
to have people come
and not get anything
and then somehow
encourage them to come back
and not get more
and when they've done that enough
give them something
they really
don't think is
good at all
but it's
difficult to give people
things they don't think are
that they don't think
are good at all
it's very difficult
like in that class
the other night
it was very difficult
when she said
she was thinking of
cutting her finger off
I really didn't want her
to cut her finger off
but I also didn't want to
tell her not to
cut her finger off
I just wanted to know
how
oh she also said
but I'm afraid
if I cut my finger off
that I'll become
very arrogant
and think I'm better
than other people
so that was good
so then I said
but I don't think
my job is to tell people
what to do
and some people
want me to tell people
what to do
if they say they're
going to cut their finger off
they say you should
tell them not to
cut their finger off
but fortunately
other people in the class
tell them not to
cut their finger off
and I can ask them
how is the story
you're telling me now
the story of the ancestors
show me that
I think that's my job
is to get people to look at
what their story is
not to tell them
to change their story
but people kind of want me
to tell them to change
their story
if they say they're stupid
they want me to tell them
that they're smart
if they say they're smart
they want me to tell them
that they're stupid
or at least they're not smart
they have stories about
what I should be doing too
and my story is
I should be helping us
look at our stories
and I hope we have a story
no
I'm not implying that
no I'm not
because even in the Lotus Sutra
the Buddha didn't give them
the truth
but they were very very happy
at the prospect
well they were very very happy
just to see Buddha
and
you know
I myself
was very happy to see my teacher
I didn't get anything from him
but I was just very happy
to be with him
and when he went away
I wasn't exactly happy
that he went away
but I was kind of happy
that he went away
because I knew that he had to go away
for me to grow up
so
I was just kind of happy
about the whole thing
even though I didn't really
get anything out of it
but if you think you got something
it's okay
that's your story
but
according to Lotus Sutra
you're going to become Buddha
because you came to this class
and you listened to the
Lotus Sutra
not tell you
what
the truth was
didn't you?
now I sort of told you
what it was
I told you it was emptiness
but I didn't tell you
what emptiness was
did I?
I mean I told you what it was
but I didn't really tell you
what it was
did I?
but even if I did
nothing can be done
about my leaking
if you force me
I will
I will indicate something
but you haven't been
pushing me too hard
thank you
you've allowed me
what did you say?
you used several times
the word
become a Buddha
and that has
several implications
time and become
something that you are
become what you are
to become what you are
you used the word become
which implies time
a goal
time, yeah
part of
the Bodhisattva path
which I
we had the class
last summer
class on vows
making vows
which also talked about
in the koan class
and here last summer
making vows means
to solemnly promise
and to promise
you're getting into time
because you're saying
my thoughts right now
are thinking of
committing myself
to a course of practice
to a way of life
and I
I'm willing to live
in the world of time
and I'm willing to
speak of the future
I'm willing to commit
in the future
in the present
I'm willing to commit
to the future
and that's another danger
and that's what probably
brought up this thing
about cutting the finger off
because
when you promise
and when you commit
part of what you need to do
is you need to have enough
development to be able
to deal with time
and future
you also need to be able
to develop
you need to be aware
that there's a difference
between yourself and others
and you need to be aware also
that whatever commitment
you make
there's conflicting intentions
whatever vow you have
there's conflicting intentions
at least one
and that means that
it's not necessarily
going to be possible
for you to fulfill
whatever your vow is
without any problems
and the last point
about this is that
when you make a vow
when you solemnly promise
you need to do it
in the presence of someone
who you respect
like the Buddha
or a Bodhisattva
or a teacher
or in the presence
of something abstract
like your own honor
or your own authenticity
but then another way
which they used to do more
is or
that there will be some
punishment
if you don't fulfill
your commitment
and that led to the person
saying
well
I'll cut my finger
so
that's a dimension of
time
is part of this
becoming Buddha thing
because in the realm
where there's no time
in some sense
we don't have a problem
with this Buddha thing
but bring our Buddha realization
into the world of time
into the world of birth
and death
okay
like we're talking about last week
the way things really are
is that they're unborn
but with perverted thinking
we tip them upside down
and make them born
so in the world where things are born
is the world where Buddhas appear
and disappear
that's the world of time
and in that world
I make vows
in the world of emptiness
you don't have to make a vow
but in order to realize
the truth in this world
we need to deal with time
yes
so I heard you say earlier
that there are teachings
of the Buddha
and teachings of the Bodhisattva
and they're somewhat different
would they be characterized
by what you just described
that the Bodhisattva teachings
are found in this time
phenomenon
versus
the Buddha's not being
and I'm wondering
therefore
I was just thinking
the Bodhisattva teachings
usually teachings about
defilement in that sense
whereas the Buddha
doesn't teach in a way
that you see defilement
of what he's holding
the truth
yeah I think
the Bodhisattvas
can be more defiled
than the Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas
Bodhisattvas are sentient beings
like the rest of us
and they are willing
to be reborn
again and again
whereas Buddha
you know
is just a show
on the part of the Buddha
they're not really
being reborn
they don't have to
they don't have to
do this kind of
upside down perverted thing
in order to get born
they appear
by pure vow
so they're more perfect
and more complete
so that the Bodhisattvas
like in the Lotus Sutra
the Bodhisattva teachings
is it like
in a Shakespeare play
where you have the dumb play
where you have the lower characters
act out the higher themes
in an accessible
way or
I'll think about that
but I think it's more
that
that the Buddha
is eternal
and only appears
in this way
to come and go
whereas Bodhisattvas
are like other sentient beings
they're not eternal
they're still going through
birth and death
the Buddha doesn't really
go through birth and death
the eternal Buddha
just appears to go
through birth and death
so there's a difference there
we can relate more
to the Bodhisattva
in that sense
exactly
we can relate to Manjushri
with the weak in there
yeah
and we go
and their path
is our path
whereas the Buddha's path
isn't exactly our path
the Bodhisattva path
is the way we become Buddha
but the Buddha
isn't like a person really
but the Buddha
can be a person
Bodhisattvas
are persons
human persons
or some other kind of person
whereas Buddhas
really are eternal
all pervasive
you know
limitless
being
and Bodhisattvas
are limited
they show us
how to be limited
in a playful
relaxed
liberating way
the Buddhas
don't really show us
how to be limited
except that one special way
where they do this thing
of being born
and so on
basically that's not
their basic function
their basic function
is they're with us
all the time
according to this sutra
so there's a difference
and I
I think
our lives will change
I think our lives
will change
in probably
a beneficial way
if we arrange
our living space
sometimes called
our home
home in such a way that there's a place in the home for venerating the Lotus Sutra, for
venerating the Buddha. But in particular, venerating the Lotus Sutra also makes it a
place where you can actually read the Lotus Sutra, and write the Lotus Sutra, and chant
the Lotus Sutra, a place where you can embody it. If you make a place to embody it and you
embody it, that will transform your whole house, your whole neighborhood. It will become
a quiet place, it will become a holy place. So I'm kind of encouraging you to think of
ways that you can make a place for the Lotus Sutra and watch and see how that affects your
whole life, how your body and your house and your family are benefited by making a
place to honor, copy, recite, and so on the scripture. Having a statue of Buddha is fine
too, and again that could be a place where you also make Buddhas and do ceremonies, but
all these kinds of things are ways to embody it. And be gentle about it. Don't be nasty
and overbearing about this. If you can't figure out how to set up a place for the Lotus
Sutra in your house, be gentle about that. Don't get down on yourself for not having
a Lotus Sutra place in your house next Tuesday. But just consider that, how your life would
change if you had a place to read, recite, make copies, and place the Lotus Sutra, and
think about it and study it and so on. How would that change your life and would that
be beneficial to have one place like that? And would that place become a place you took
care of really carefully? Probably it would. Maybe not. Some of you are real, I don't know
what the word is, but maybe you'd say, well, the Lotus Sutra place is going to be in the
garbage pile or something. Okay, that's kind of creative. Does that make sense? No? Tracy?
You look quizzical. What I mean by make sense is, does it make sense that if you made a
place like this, it would change your house? I just want to mention, I didn't go looking
for this shrine, it was offered to me, and if somebody else got it that would have been
okay with me, but it was calling out for a home, like an animal at the animal rescue
league or something, and I said I'd take it and nobody else said they wanted it. So, it's
in my life and in yours too now. It's funny how this stuff happens. I hope you don't mind
that it's in your life too, because it's in my life. Yes?
I'm sitting here pretending to have understood something that I didn't.
Oh, thank you. You were pretending? Thank you for letting me know.
When you said you didn't get anything out of being your teacher, I feel like that's right-speak,
Zen-speak, but I don't believe you mean that, or whatever you mean I don't understand, and
I feel like I should.
Well, thank you for telling us that you were pretending that you understood that for a while,
and you got over that, right? Yes.
So, now you're in the place of, I don't understand what you're talking about.
I think it's important that I do.
You feel bad about it? Oh, I feel good about it. So, I hope our good health continues so
we can keep talking about what the devil I'm talking about.
I think this is a wonderful thing for us to talk about for the next period of time, into the future,
and I'm really glad you're not pretending to understand.
It's already been beneficial that you would try to pretend to understand and let me know
that you were pretending. That's already helped the story.
This is a good story.
The story of Rev not getting anything out of his relationship with Suzuki Roshi.
Would it make any difference if you do that with the Heart Sutra, for example, versus the Lotus Sutra?
If you do it with the Heart Sutra, I would think that also will change your house.
If you do it with the Buddha statue, if you do it with the Heart Sutra,
watch how it changes your house if you make a place.
Like in my house, I actually have, which I will give to somebody if they want me to give it to them.
I have a beautiful piece of paper. Unfortunately, I bent it recently, but it could be ironed.
It was a kind of cardstock paper of the Sutra card that we used at the Zen Center when it was in Japantown.
We had these Sutra cards, and it has Heart Sutra with Chinese characters,
and then Romanized pronunciation, and then English translation on these cards.
I have one of those old cards, and it's in my bedroom, and it's on top of a big pile of other Sutras,
just lying there, and it's the Heart Sutra.
But, you know, the way I put it there, I keep putting it there carefully.
Sometimes it gets moved around a little bit, and I straighten it,
and I keep the whole area around it clean, because it's such a lovely little thing, and it's just sitting up there.
And if anybody wants it, I'll give it to you.
I've been looking for somebody to give it to.
Maybe I could give it to Michelle. Do you want it, Michelle?
Sure.
Okay, I'll give it to you, and then you can take care of it,
and keep straightening it and making sure it's clean in the area around it.
And your house will change, and I hope it's okay with Linda if he brings that in.
The whole world starts to move around things like that that we value.
But it's different from, like, if you had a diamond ring,
you might, like, build a safe around it or something, which might not be very nice.
But to have a Heart Sutra, maybe you don't try to protect it from everybody,
you want to share it with people, and you want to show people that you have it there,
and they can look at it too, and you keep it in a place where they can come and read it,
and recite it with you, and you have a nice place to do that with them.
So you have a little temple there where you have your Heart Sutra.
So these kinds of things happen.
And, like I say, it's kind of aesthetically pleasing, it's not a tacky kind of thing.
I just wanted to say I kind of did that without thinking about it when I moved to my new space.
You set up an altar to chant the Heart Sutra?
Before all of the Sutras, I just wanted that space.
And what happened was I hadn't expected anything.
It's really wonderful to go home to, but my roommate, because I have a roommate,
I didn't realize it started giving tours of my room.
It's not that big, but...
And so people were like, hey, can you come to my place?
But it's just a good feeling, and I hadn't expected anything like that.
That's very good not to expect anything.
So I'm not saying you should expect something when you set the altar up,
I'm just saying, set it up and see what happens.
I don't know how it's going to change your life, to bring the Lotus Sutra into your house,
but it will, and I'd be interested to see how it does, if you make a place for it.
Like this thing I chanted, this thing that Dogen wrote,
where you have the Lotus Sutra, the place you recite the Lotus Sutra,
the place you put the Lotus Sutra down, that becomes the place where the Buddha is enlightened.
That becomes the place where the Buddha practices.
That becomes the place where the Buddha enters Parinirvana.
So put the Lotus Sutra in your house and see what happens.
See if it becomes the place where Buddha is practicing.
I don't know what will happen if you put it there, but it might transform your world.
So you can see.
But don't expect anything.
That will make it hard for you to see what's going on.
If you expect, oh, this is going to really like...
Then you might miss what really happens.
Something will happen.
I don't know what it will be.
And if you don't do that, something will happen too,
and I don't know what that will be either.
I really don't know.
But I just thought I'd bring this up.
And I'd be happy to hear more stories about what happens to the Lotus Sutra.
And Donna looks like we're running over time.
It's time to stop.
And if you would like to keep these, you may.
If you don't want to keep them, just give them back.
Thank you.
Sorry I didn't get in touch with you today.
That's OK.
I'll bring my thoughts back.