After 39 generations from Buddha, Shakyamuni, there appeared a Zen monk named Yunman, Cloud Gate. He said to his monks, everybody has a light. But when you look for it, you can't see it. And you are in the dark. He asked, what is everybody's light?

[01:03]

At that time the assembled monks made no reply, so he answered, it's the meditation hall, it's the Buddha shrine. It's the kitchen pantry. It's the front gate. Now it's 91, 92 generations since Shakyamuni Buddha.

[02:20]

Still, everybody has a light. And still, if you look forward, you can't see it. and you're in the dark. What is everybody's light? Oh, my God. Nobody said anything. Just like the old days. What? Well, if you don't say anything, then I get to answer. So what should I say? It's a beating heart and blinking eyes.

[03:32]

and a misty day and chirping birds. So, like Ian Mun, I made a reply on behalf of everyone. I made a reply on behalf of the light. I made a reply on behalf of darkness. I made a reply on behalf of you kindly not saying anything. Later a monk came up to Yunman and said, the light pervades everywhere.

[05:27]

Yunman stopped him and said, aren't those the words of the scholar Zhang Zhao? The monk said, that's right, they are. Yunman said, fallen into words. Someone told me that his practice was deteriorating, that although in the meditation hall things seem to be going not too badly, in his daily life all he sees is increasing greed, hatred and confusion.

[06:47]

And hearing him say that I felt that his practice was not deteriorating, that rather the light was pervading out of the zendo and reaching his daily life. I would guess that it isn't that he used to not be involved in greed, hate and delusion, but that he didn't notice it. And that the light pervading starts to show us the greed, hate and delusion. until ultimately we see that there is nothing but greed, hate and delusion.

[07:53]

Sitting in the middle of the room we have the wise Bodhisattva Manjur Sri, the enlightening being of sweetness and light, whose light is so great that he sees nothing but greed, hate and delusion. People come up to Manjushri and say how splendid he is, how he is the prince of wisdom. compassion and discernment. But he says, you had better call me the prince of confusion and ignorance and greed and hate.

[09:03]

The word that's used for light in this teaching, in the teaching of Eijo Zenji, is ko myo, which literally means wondrous light. And it's the word for the flames that usually circle around a statue, a Buddha statue or a bodhisattva statue. The Zen teacher

[10:57]

Shui Feng said that Buddhas always turn the unsurpassable Dharma Wheel in the midst of these fierce flames. And again, Mun Mun said that these flames teach the Buddhas. And the Buddhas stand there in the midst of those flames and listen to the teaching. This light surrounds us and totally pervades us. The Buddha sits in the middle of this light and listens to the teaching and turns the wheel.

[12:00]

The Emperor asked Bodhidharma, what is the highest meaning of the holy truths? Bodhidharma said, empty, no holy. This is the light of Zen. This is the fire. What's the difference between realization of this light and not realization of this light. The difference is

[13:21]

that when we attach to flowers, they die. And when we don't like weeds, they grow. Those who are totally devoted to helping others don't know the Self. When we totally exert the teaching, we're not concerned that there's no people. I asked last night, I asked again, is there someone or something to which you are totally devoted?

[15:04]

I feel that total devotion is the light. I think the light also shines into us and helps us find out if we are totally devoted to someone or something. The light of total devotion shines out and comes back.

[16:30]

and looks, honestly looks, and lights up if we're holding out in our devotion. If everyone has light, then also everyone has total devotion. But if we look for it, we can't see it. But if we ask the question, what is the light? And to what am I totally devoted? We may be able to answer. even though we don't look for it. When asking, what is the light?

[17:40]

Without looking for it, an answer can come. All Buddhas live in the midst of fierce flames and there turn the Dharma Wheel.

[20:17]

Ejo says, this is casting aside all expedience Those who do not know this vainly work at stilling their thoughts. To what are we totally devoted to? To what do we give up all manipulation? What will we really leave completely alone? What do you completely trust?

[21:34]

When the Zen teacher Dasan was quite old, his attendant came to him and asked him where all the sages since antiquity have gone. And Dasan said, what? What did you say? His attendant said, the order was for a flying dragon horse, but a lame tortoise showed up. Dashan let the matter rest. Do you see the light in this story?

[23:24]

It's not over yet, but do you see the light? Blanche said, if they're not here now, they never were. He left it alone. He let the matter rest. A great Zen teacher giving a pretty lame answer and got caught at it.

[24:27]

Maybe he's just old and can't hear. Maybe getting a little senile. All you can hear is the songs of children now. Does the light diminish then when the faculties start to slip and there's no more dazzling chirping and blinding sticks flying? When Dishan was young, they say, he used to array the dragons and snakes. Monks all over China oriented, in awe of him.

[25:38]

Now he can't even answer his attendants' wise questions. Has the light diminished? As it says in the beginning of the story, sometimes you wrap a silk in steel. Sometimes you wrap a stone in brocade. Usually, strength overcomes softness. But what about softness encountering strength?

[26:40]

There are hundreds of stories of Dishan's strength. And it did a lot of good. It overcame a lot of softness. and clarified the matter. Now the attendance is strong and the Zen teacher is weak. So he just lets the matter rest. Still, even though he's getting weak and senile, they let him take bath. So the next day when he was coming out of the bath, the attendant passed him some tea and he patted the attendant on the back. And the attendant said, this old fellow has finally gotten a glimpse. Again, Deshan let the matter rest.

[27:52]

There are various historical interpretations of this story. One that I imagine is that what sometimes happens is even these old Zen teachers get old and their disciples take over most of the work And so maybe you might come, if you were a young monk, you might come to a big monastic complex to be a Zen monk. And you might get assigned to take care of the old master of the temple. And not even know that this person was the teacher of the more active teachers. Not even know that this person was...

[29:03]

going to be a great historical figure. But just wander in the temple and have some old senior monk assign you. So there you are taking care of this old duddy. Fuddy duddy. And so you might actually say, oh, I'm a Zen student, so I think I'll ask, since I'm attending this guy, I'll ask him some questions. And you think of a sharp question like, where have all the sages of antiquity gone? And the old guy says, huh, what? And you say, say, the order was for a dragon, flying dragon horse, sir, sir. and you're acting like a blind tortoise, I mean a lame tortoise. That's one possible scenario I can imagine.

[30:07]

Another scenario is the kid knows that this guy has been at certain times in his life, that this guy has been a great mover and shaker in the Zen world. But now he's getting old and falling apart, so he doesn't have much to offer anymore. But still the kid's pushing on him. Come on, pops. Don't give up yet. I'm your attendant. I've got to get something out of you, so come on, give me an answer. He probably still has a few beans left. But no, you can't even answer this question. On the other hand, the next day, the attendant passes his boss some tea and he gets a pat on the back and he thinks, oh, maybe, maybe, that's pretty good. And again, the teacher let it rest.

[31:23]

Is there more light in strength meeting weakness than in weakness meeting strength? Most people think so. But what are you going to do when the great white waves come? What's spiritual power going to do for you then? Before Doshan was a great Zen master, he was a great scholar. A strong scholar. And he heard about the Zen people. He was a scholar of the Diamond Sutra.

[32:57]

He lived in part of China next to Tibet, Sichuan. And some of the Zen strongholds were to the southeast of him. So he left Sichuan to go down and destroy the Zen devils. But as I've mentioned before, the Zen masters had old ladies stationed in the hills to protect them from invaders, invaders from Tibet and Sichuan and northern China. So as Deshan approached the Zen monasteries, he first ran into an old lady who sold various kinds of cakes and muffins and other treats.

[34:03]

And so he ordered himself one, but she said, excuse me, sir, but I see you have on your back a pack of books. What are they? And he said, they are scriptures of wisdom beyond wisdom and commentaries. I'm an expert on this stuff. She said, oh, well, I'd like to ask you a question, may I? And he said, certainly, go right ahead. She said, in the Diamond Sutra it says that Past mind cannot be got at. Future mind cannot be got at. Present mind cannot be got at. With which mind will you eat these refreshments? And not only that, but if you can't answer the question, I won't give you any.

[35:07]

And he couldn't answer the question. I recently discovered another text which has a variant on the story where actually after he couldn't answer the question she said, well, actually I'm going to give you something anyway. I don't want to see you go off hungry. So he said, oh, thank you. And so she said, do you want anything on it? And he said, yeah, make me one with everything. So she did. And she told him where he could go get more of this stuff.

[36:13]

So he did. And he went to see a Zen teacher named Dragon Pond. And when he got to Dragon Pond temple, he went inside and Mr. Dragon Pond was hiding behind his screen. And he went into the room and he said, I don't see a dragon and I don't see a pond. And Dragon Pond stepped out from behind the screen and said, therefore, you really see Dragon Pond. So Bishan departed and came back later at night and just stood near Dragon Pond. And Dragon Pond said, finally, after a long time, it's getting late.

[37:19]

You better go. So Dishan walked out. But when he got outside the room, he said, it's dark out here. I can't see. So Dragon Pond said, oh. come here, I'll give you a lantern. So he took a paper lantern and lit it and gave it to Dishan. And Dishan took the lamp and Dragon Pond blew out the light. And Dishan was enlightened. Those who do not understand the deep meaning of this vainly try to still their mind.

[38:27]

Trust everything to inhalation and exhalation and jump into the womb of light and don't look back. This is called in Soto Zen, just sitting. It's called in Mahayana Buddhism, total devotion to helping others. And we don't know what it is, but we keep going straight ahead, step by step. And Blanche says, if the ancient sages aren't here now, they never were.

[40:24]

Where have they gone, ladies and gentlemen? You can answer it. You can answer. Or I can answer for you. Huh? What's that?

[41:10]

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