Comrades in the way, call forth as much as you can of love and faith and respect. Clear way all your obstructions. Drop all your taints and listen to the perfect light of the gentle Buddhas, taught for the benefit of the world, intended for heroic spirits. Buddha's body, it says in the Aotamsaka Sutra, radiates light.

[01:14]

Its physical forms are infinite and utterly pure, filling all lands like clouds, everywhere extolling the virtues of Buddha. where the light shines, all rejoice, and sufferings of beings are removed. And they are inspired with respect and goodwill. This is the autonomous function of all Buddhas. In the chapter on awakening by light, in the same Avatamsaka Sutra, there is a scene where the light reveals ten billion worlds.

[02:47]

again from the lowest hell to the highest heaven. And in each world there was a Manjushri Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva of sweetness and light, pleasant splendor Bodhisattva. And in all those worlds Each Bodhisattva Manjur Sri spoke in the presence of the Buddha simultaneously. And they said something like, Buddha is ultimately independent, not relying on anything without attachment. The essence of Buddha cannot be measured. The light A Buddha is ultimately pure.

[03:50]

It clears away all afflictions. Not moving, detached from extremes. It is the knowledge of those who have arrived at suchness. Buddha's knowledge is light. It is the absorption in light of the immutable knowledge free of all dualities of ordinary and holy, real and conventional. It is the light of non-discriminatory knowledge of the wise Bodhisattva Manjushri. It becomes manifest in this world in the non-doing of just sitting. As you may have been able to see from what I read in the Lotus Sutra yesterday, the ancient Buddha, Sun Moonlight,

[05:09]

with the aid of the bodhisattva sublime light, who was Manjushri in a former life, transmitted this light to his son, Dharma Mind, who finally became enlightened as the Buddha burning lamp. Burning lamp, Dipankara Buddha. and the burning lamp Buddha predicted the enlightenment of one of his students, who would someday become Shakyamuni Buddha. This light is transmitted endlessly In this case, from Sun Moonlight Buddha to Burning Lamp Buddha to Shakyamuni Buddha, and from Shakyamuni Buddha this lamp has been transmitted down to us.

[06:20]

And we now realize this lamp, this light, in the non-doing of our daily practice here. Handed down mysteriously, ineffably, ungraspably. The zazen of our school is absorption in the womb of light. It neither lets anything outside in or anything inside out. Nagarjuna received the transmission of this lamp and said, nothing whatever exists that is caused by itself, by something other than itself,

[07:41]

by both itself and something other than itself? Or by no cause? This is Nagarjuna's lamp, his light, free of all extremes. Can you see the ineffable middle way that he expresses in that verse? Nothing is caused by itself, by another, by both, or by no cause. This is called just sitting. Now, don't you think that that should be sufficient to cause something?

[08:48]

Don't you think so? Look, if you can't cause yourself, then something else can cause you. Doesn't that seem reasonable? Or if that doesn't work, couldn't yourself and something else cause yourself? It's more subtle than that. Because there's no self that you can get separate from yourself and the other who are both causing you. It's very subtle. It's so subtle it's called light. The way things really exist is light. Totally ungraspable, unnameable, And the more you let it be ungraspable, the more you don't dwell in what it is, the more completely this light circulates through your whole life.

[09:53]

The lamp is transmitted then to Prajnatara, who said, breathing in and breathing out, I don't dwell in body or mind. Just breathe and sit through everything without getting involved. This light is transmitted then to Bodhidharma who said, empty, no holy, And to Dogen Zenji, who said, life is like riding in a boat. You work.

[11:11]

the rudder and row with the oars and raise the sail. But the boat gives you a ride. And without the boat you can't take a ride. No one could. Although the boat gives you a ride, your riding in the boat makes the boat what it is. Can you see there that the boat doesn't arise by itself, or by you, or by both, or by no cause. Can you see that? And finally the lamp is passed to Ejo, who then teaches the absorption in this light.

[12:13]

And again, this light is transmitted to Tetsu Gikai and to Keizan, who then writes a book called The Transmission of the Light. The two main Zen histories for us are the transmission of the lamp and the transmission of the light. Now, I'm sort of a psychologist, so that's my problem.

[13:21]

And yesterday I held up a bowl and said that the light of Buddha's knowledge is simply this bowl left completely alone as a bowl. And someone came to me and said that while I was doing that, he was trying, he said when he first saw the bowl sitting next to me, he said that was the best he could do. He just saw the bowl there and almost left it alone. And then he tried to continue to leave the bowl alone. Or he looked at various things around the room and tried to just leave them alone. And he felt that it was too fast. He couldn't leave anything alone. He tried to get in there and stop himself from getting involved with things that he saw. But it was too fast.

[14:28]

He couldn't stop. So here's the psychological part, which is also about words. In fact, no one can be fast enough to intercede between what's happening and the belief in the substance, the substantiality, the inherent existence of what's appearing. You can't be fast enough to get between the two. because they come up together in every moment. There is what appears and the imagination of what's appearing, that the object of your perception really exists.

[15:28]

They come up together. Not first the concept of the object, and then the idea that exists. They come up simultaneously. However, they are always separate. In fact, they're separate. In fact, what's happening is protected from the belief in inherent existence. Because in what's happening, the imagination of real existence is absent. However, although it's absent, the belief is right there also.

[16:32]

There is a separation. However, we usually compound the two, and this is the cause of suffering. The light which removes this suffering, which removes this affliction, is the light of what's appearing all by itself, where this attribution does not reach it. It is not the light which tries to keep the belief in substance away. That won't work. Because this light is manifested through the non-doing of just sitting. Through the non-doing of letting things be themselves. That's how the light appears. And the light then simply eliminates the fact, the fact, that the belief in substance is always nearby, but is always separate from what's happening.

[17:39]

However, if you look, you may catch yourself mixing the two up. But if you look again, you'll notice, you may not notice, but you can notice that the way that they're compounded, The way that you infect or impute reality and substance to that which is empty, the way that you connect them is actually where they're separated. So rather than try to avoid the connection between the belief in existence, the imagination of existence, and what's happening, admit that you confuse them. And in that confusion, in that connection, is exactly where they're separated, just like my hands coming together here. Where they're joined, where they're confused,

[18:48]

is exactly the place that they're separated. And simultaneously, or on the other side, the perfect separation of these two is also where they're connected. All this is too fast and too subtle to do anything about. That's why we don't say go in there and try to change things or tamper with this equipment. We just say, absorb yourself in the light. What's the light? It's the way things are.

[19:55]

How do you absorb yourself in the way things are? There's no way. This light has no abode. If I hold up a cup, you can't say the light is in the bowl. You can't say it's located in the bowl, but you also can't say it's not located in the bowl. It's not some other place either. If it wasn't in the bowl, if it wasn't located there, then it would be located in the address called not the bowl address. It's not there either. It's not inside or outside what's happening. That's why it has no abode. However, if you have a place, if you have a location, if you have a body, it is the nature of your body. The nature of your body is light. This light does not appear in the world when Buddhas come and does not disappear when Buddhas go.

[21:07]

When you are born, the light isn't born, and when you die, the light doesn't disappear. There's not more light in Buddhas and less light in unenlightened people. The light is not diluted when we are diluted. And the light does not become enlightened when you wake up. It has no sign and no name. It will never tell its name. However, it is the way all names actually are. It is the bright, radiant, liberating nature of all names. So it does not reject names. or cherish names.

[22:14]

And we should not reject or cherish names. That's why we just sit the name. The name just sits. And if the name just sits, realizing its nature, that's the light. It's ungraspable, yet while being ungraspable, it is active throughout your whole body. It is just thus complete and clear, ineffable, inconceivable spiritual light. If we can believe and accept this mystic message, we do not need to ask others about truth or falsehood.

[23:28]

It will be like meeting an old friend in the middle of town. You don't need to seek a seal of approval from a teacher or crave a prediction of enlightenment. Much less be concerned about animal cares such as food, clothing, shelter, and emotional attachment. Much less be concerned about getting rid of concern for food, clothing, shelter, and emotional attachment. You can be totally into nothing but concern for your next meal. And that total concern for nothing more than what's for lunch is exactly the same as not being concerned at all.

[24:31]

What's the difference? We think there's a difference. This samadhi, this absorption in the treasury of light, is from the very beginning the sanctuary of the ocean of realization of all Buddhas. It is purely transmitted Buddha sitting and Buddha behavior. Comrades in the way, you should sit peacefully in Buddha sitting.

[25:42]

Just sit thus and don't waste time. It's called the sanctuary of straightforward mind, the absorption in the womb of light of inconceivable liberation. Once there was a light and it got transmitted all the way up to E.E.

[26:56]

Cummings. And he wrote a story for his daughter. Once there was an elephant who did nothing all day. He lived in a house on top of a hill And there was a curvy, winding road from his house down to the bottom of the hill. And there were trees along the path.

[28:01]

And at the bottom of the hill, there was another house where a butterfly lived. One day the butterfly thought, I wonder who lives in that house at the top of the hill. I think I'll go visit. And the butterfly fluttered up the road to the elephant's house. And the butterfly, with her wing, knocked on the door of the elephant's house. Knock, knock. Hello, is anybody there? The elephant responded by not saying anything at all. The elephant thought, has someone come to visit me?

[29:11]

And again, the butterfly knocked at the door. Knock, knock. Hello? She said a little louder. Is anybody home? The elephant thought, Oh, my God. I think there is somebody out there. Are they coming to see me? The elephant got so excited he couldn't say anything. And then the butterfly really whacked the door hard and yelled, is anybody in there or not? Finally the elephant said, yes, someone's in here. Butterfly said, who are you?

[30:18]

Elephant said, I'm an elephant who sits and does nothing all day. Butterfly said, may I come in? The elephant said, please do. And opened the door and the butterfly came in. And they had a conversation. After some time, the butterfly asked the elephant if the elephant loved the butterfly a little. And the elephant said, no, I love you a lot. The butterfly and the elephant were very happy about this and the trees also were happy about this and they thought maybe the butterfly loved the elephant as much as the elephant loved the butterfly.

[31:40]

The butterfly said, well, I think I'm going to go back to my house now and Maybe sometime you could come down to my house and visit me." And the elephant said, Well, I would like to do that. Sitting, doing nothing all day, At the same time, somebody is busy doing something all day. When the one who is busy gets mixed up with the one who is not busy and the butterfly comes to the door and knocks, the one who is not busy

[33:07]

who's very excited that someone has come to visit, who loves this person before they even know who they are. That unbusy one, that one who does nothing all day, somehow is hard to realize because there's a busy one who says, oh no. Not this person. Or, oh, good, this person. Or, oh, good, this person, but uh-oh, this person is changing. Now I want to get rid of this person. And so on. There's somebody who's so unbusy that she can be totally devoted to everything that happens. who trusts himself so much that he can leave himself alone, who trusts herself so much that she doesn't have to even give herself a name, who doesn't have to say, I exist, or I don't exist, or I both exist and don't exist.

[34:34]

There's somebody who is that unbusy. This somebody is called Mrs. Light. If you go towards Mrs. Light, you won't find her and you'll be lost in the dark. If you want to find Mrs. Light, it's probably best to go towards the darkness. go to the place that has no name, where I can't do anything all day. The transmission of the light, the transmission of the lamp is a gift to let us be ourselves,

[35:42]

to let ourselves do nothing all day and realize that that is always separated from the busy mind that doesn't believe that things are good enough and has to attribute existence to them. It is also the confidence in yourself such that you don't even have to get rid of the busy one. and you can totally accept the busy one. I ask you, to what are you totally devoted, or to whom are you totally devoted? Deep down inside of us, there is somebody who is totally devoted to being what he is, to being what she is, and not adding or subtracting anything.

[36:57]

This person welcomes every being with inconceivable joy. We manifest this person in the world through the non-doing of just sitting and just walking and just lying down and just having lunch and just shaking hands with a friend. join in the chorus of the ancestors and I say that I humbly beseech comrades who are true students of the way to not hold on to a single state or perception, to not rely on intellectual understanding, to not keep

[40:43]

what you have learned in meditation. To cast aside body and mind into the womb of light. And don't look back. I ask you to not seek enlightenment and don't brush away delusion. Don't be averse to thoughts arising and don't fondly continue them. Just sit grandly under this roof. If you don't continue thoughts, they cannot arise at themselves. Just be like space. Just be like light. Just breathe and sit through everything without getting involved. Then each thought will be the light of psychic wisdom.

[41:48]

And let go of that too. Then you can go to work to benefit other beings without being concerned that there aren't any. When I give Sunday talks, I like to end with a song. And part of the reason why I like to end with it is to make people realize that the heavy things I've just said are really a joke. It's a joke. And the other reason why I like to have singing at the end is because it's a thing which everybody can do together if we pick a song that they know.

[43:04]

And it gives people a sense of participation. And I'm happy to sing a song today with you, too, if someone can think of one. I haven't thought of one. But even if we don't sing a song now, you people, we people, can do something together without saying a word. We can blankety-blank just be ourselves. with total devotion and confidence that compassion will come forth from this just sitting. So unless somebody has a suggestion of a song, I'm gonna stop.

[44:11]

I'm gonna stop anyway. Any songs? I don't like that one. Doesn't mean we can't sing it, though. Want to sing that song? Huh? What? Smiles? That's fine, but you got it. Okay. Ready?

[45:13]

Does everybody know it? No, you don't. What do you know? This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. Twice? Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Three times? Is there anything more than that? Just let it shine anywhere you want. Is that the lyrics? Yes. And the tune is... What's the tune, Norman? This little light of mine, I will let it shine. This little light of mine, I will let it shine. This little light of mine, I will let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

[46:17]

Everywhere I go Everywhere I go Everywhere I go I can't let it shine Everywhere I go I can't let it shine Everywhere I go I can't let it shine Oh, oh, oh, oh ... [...]

[47:17]

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