Here is a story for you about us. We have been studying wisdom. We have been studying perfect wisdom. We have been contemplating the wisdom of the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion. sometimes called Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva, sometimes called observer of the cries of the world. Many names for the bodhisattva of great compassion. And this bodhisattva is also called a great reliever of suffering. So the great compassionate being has a mind of great compassion, but also has a mind of great wisdom, beyond wisdom.

[01:18]

And this wisdom relieves all suffering and distress. We have been contemplating this wisdom during this intensive. In the Heart Sutra it says that Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing deeply Prajnaparamita, and in this practice clearly saw that all five aggregates were empty of own being. And thus, in this seeing, relieved all suffering.

[02:24]

I try, I attempt to be upright in the middle of this language that the bodhisattva sees that all the aggregates sees that form and feeling and conception and formations and consciousness are empty of own being. And thus, in this seeing, all suffering is relieved. Sometimes one might think Avalokiteshvara relieves the suffering, or that the seeing relieves the suffering.

[03:37]

or that Avalokiteshvara, living in this vision of emptiness, that living in this vision of emptiness relieves all suffering. So somewhere in that dynamic between the bodhisattva and the vision of emptiness, suffering is relieved. That's the story at the beginning of the Heart Sutra. Then the story goes on and Avalokiteshvara starts speaking, teaching Shariputra about perfect wisdom. I sometimes look at the Heart Sutra as describing Avalokiteshvara's practice and Avalokiteshvara describing her practice.

[04:49]

She's describing her practice, she's describing her meditation, she's describing her zazen. Her zazen is form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Her body is emptiness. Emptiness is her body. Her breath is emptiness. Emptiness is her breath. Her feelings are emptiness and empty. Emptiness is her feelings and so on. All the elements of her consciousness and the consciousness itself are vast emptiness And she sees this and practices this. And I propose that this practice of wisdom is what we mean in this school, in this tradition, by Zazen.

[05:56]

We might, at noon service today, chant an English translation of a text written by the ancient teacher Eihei Dogen Daisho called Fukanzazengi in Japanese. Could we chant that at noon service? So we'll chant that for your Dharma pleasure, Fukhansazengi, which could be translated as the universal encouragements for the ceremony of sitting meditation. I say the universal encouragements for the ceremony of perfect wisdom.

[07:14]

The universal encouragements for the ceremony of Avalokiteshvara's practice of wisdom. And I understand that many people feel that this text written by our ancestor Eihei Dōgen was modeled on another text about sitting meditation that was part of a standard monastic manual in China. One of the main monastic manuals for how to How to Live in a Zen Monastery was called in Chinese, I think, what's it called? In Japanese it's called Zen Un Shingi.

[08:20]

In Chinese it's called Chan Yiren Jing Wei. The Pure Rules for the Zen Garden. It's a Chinese text composed, I believe, in 1103 and very widely used for Zen monasteries. And probably when Dogen Zenji went to China, he got a copy of it, brought it back to Japan, and he used that text as kind of a model for his monastic manual. And in that text, one part of it is describing the ceremonial procedures for practicing sitting meditation in the monastery. But also, well, I'll just say that. And at the beginning of this text, it says, bodhisattvas who wish to practice

[09:31]

prajna who wish to practice wisdom should first of all give rise to a mind of great compassion, make extensive vows, and cultivate samadhi. So this is an instruction for sitting meditation, and he says that the bodhisattvas who wish to practice and realize perfect wisdom... So it's a meditation instruction, looks like addressed to bodhisattvas in the Zen monastery.

[10:33]

If there's any bodhisattvas in the Zen monastery, and they wish to practice bodhisattva wisdom, the first thing they should do is give rise to a mind of great compassion. He didn't say every time the bodhisattva, every moment the bodhisattva wishes to practice wisdom, they need to make a mind of great compassion. He didn't say that. But it seems to me that that must be the case. It isn't that you give rise to great compassion and then the next moment and practice wisdom, and the next moment you don't have a mind of great compassion and try to practice perfect wisdom. I think it means in every moment that the bodhisattva wishes to practice wisdom, she gives rise to a mind of great compassion.

[11:40]

For me, that's the kind of Avalokiteshvara I want there to be. I want there to be an Avalokiteshvara who has a mind of great compassion. And people might say, well, of course. But I want one that has a mind of great compassion, not just once in a while, but now. I've never done a survey, a lot of surveys I haven't done. Maybe I'll start someday, but I'm not asked every Zen student I meet, every moment, are you giving rise to a mind of great compassion? I don't say, when you start sitting Zazen, do you give rise to a mind of great compassion? And do you take care of the mind of great compassion through the whole period? And probably I'm not going to ask people that, but I will ask people and ask me, would you like to give rise to a mind of great compassion at the beginning of every meditation period?

[12:53]

Do you wish to give rise to a mind of great compassion at the beginning of every period of meditation during this session? Now you could say, well, how about you ask me? Ask me. Go ahead, ask me. Yes, I do. I wish to give rise to a mind of great compassion at the beginning of every period during this session. Go ahead, ask me if I wish to give rise to a mind of great compassion at the beginning of every moment for the rest of my life. Go ahead, ask me. Yes, I do. And that's what's recommended in the Chinese meditation manuals for bodhisattvas who want to cultivate wisdom in sitting meditation, is give rise to this mind of great compassion at the beginning of each period and in each moment for the rest of your life.

[14:11]

That's the basic thing for this wisdom practice. And then we have remedial practices for the people who forget called confession and repentance. Then, after you have this mind of great compassion, then you make extensive vows. Well, for example, I vow and we vow from this life on throughout countless lives to hear the true Dharma. I vow to taste the truth of the Tathagata's words That's an extensive vow. Sentient beings are numberless. I vow to save them. Delusions are inexhaustible. Afflictions are boundless. I vow to come to the end of them, and so on. These are examples of extensive vows. I vow to pay homage to all Buddhas. I vow to praise all Buddhas.

[15:16]

I vow to make offerings to all Buddhas. I vow to confess and repent my own shortcomings. I vow to ask the Buddhas, I vow to praise the merits of others. I vow to ask the Buddhas to stay in the world and turn the Dharma wheel. I vow to do all the practices of Buddhas. I vow to serve all sentient beings. And I vow to turn over the merit of all these practices for the welfare of all beings. These are extensive vows. This is recommended to somebody in a Zen monastery who's practicing sitting meditation. And then practice, and then practice samadhi.

[16:21]

Then practice being present and still and undistracted and relaxed and open. Now we're ready to practice wisdom. So that's what that text says. I mean, that's what that text says, and I said, made some comments on it. And then Dogen Zenji wrote a text kind of paralleling it, but he starts it differently. He doesn't say at the beginning of Fugan Zazengi, when a bodhisattva wishes to practice prajna, he should give rise to the mind of great compassion. He doesn't say that. He says something like, the way is basically perfect and all-pervading. How can it be contingent upon practice and realization?

[17:26]

The Dharma vehicle is free and untrammeled. What need is there for a person's concentrated effort? And yet, if there is the slightest discrepancy, the mind is lost in confusion. The Buddha way of great compassion and perfect wisdom is perfect and all-pervading. As I mentioned before, what's the role of personal effort? The role of personal effort is that if there's a slightest discrepancy in relationship to this all-pervading perfect way, if there's the slightest discrepancy,

[18:35]

the mind is lost in confusion, and the mind that's lost in confusion kind of misses out on this wonderful, all-pervading, perfect compassion and wisdom. So there's a job here, a job of taking care of the conscious mind so that there's not the slightest discrepancy between and among anything. Not the slightest discrepancy between suffering and freedom from suffering. Not the slightest discrepancy from form and emptiness.

[19:39]

If there is a slight discrepancy, the mind is lost in confusion. So one person says, if you want to realize this mind where there's no discrepancy, make these great vows. The other text is saying, this all-pervading reality needs us to make an effort. It doesn't mention the vows, but the vows are part of the effort to support the end of discrepancy or freedom from separation between this and that between here and there

[20:45]

Between here, nirvana, and there, samsara. Between here, samsara, and there, nirvana. If there's a slightest discrepancy between them, the mind is lost in confusion and we miss out. We're distracted from the great, all-pervading way. This morning the wind came, did you hear it? And then a voice came which said, the breeze at dawn has secrets to teach you or tell you, don't go back to sleep. The nature of wind is permanent and there's no place it doesn't reach.

[21:55]

But if we don't fan, then there will be a separation between our activity and the nature of wind. Our activity needs to be realizing the nature of wind. So there's not a discrepancy between our activity and the nature of wind. Then the Fukan Zazenkin goes on after saying this thing about if there's a slightest discrepancy. It gives instructions about just how to set up

[23:05]

to how to perform a ceremony, how to use a ceremony as a way to clear away any discrepancy, how to make your body and your robes an opportunity for no discrepancy. And at the center of the text, at the center of the universal encouragements for the ceremony of sitting wisdom, sitting meditation wisdom, sitting wisdom meditation, at the center of the text, Dogen Zenji says suddenly, think of not thinking. or think.

[24:07]

She doesn't say of in Chinese, she says think, not thinking. How think not thinking? Non-thinking. This is the essential art of sitting wisdom. And then he goes on to say, this zazen is totally culminated enlightenment. This thinking not thinking, which we practice, we practice thinking not thinking, we practice not thinking thinking, we practice that as non-thinking. We practice that beyond thinking. This practice which is beyond thinking is totally culminated enlightenment.

[25:13]

And this totally culminated enlightenment is beyond our thinking. This beyond our thinking is totally culminated enlightenment. And totally culminated enlightenment is beyond our thinking. traps and snares can never reach it. We're encouraged to practice art which traps and snares cannot reach and which is beyond our thinking. And yet, it's called non-thinking. Non-thinking. It's a way of being compassionate with our thinking. It's a way of being wise with our thinking. A way of being wise with our thinking, and that way of being wise with our thinking is beyond thinking. And this is the essential art of sitting wisdom. This is the central art of concentration and wisdom.

[26:21]

Dogen Zenji starts out the Fukanza Zenji saying the way is basically perfect and all-pervading. What need is there for concentrated effort? He starts out in a personal way because he starts out with the koan with the problem that he had when he was young, actually not too many years before he wrote it. He had this question, if the way is perfect and all-pervading, why do we have to practice? And he realized why we have to practice. So he's telling his own story in this instruction. And he also feels that this story of think, not thinking, it's also his story and our story. It's of our ancestors.

[27:43]

So it comes from a story about our ancestor, Yakusan Igen Daryosho. Yaoshan, Wanyi, who lived in China, in the Tang Dynasty. He left his family when he was 17 to study the Buddha way in monasteries. And he studied sincerely But I feel, my feeling about him, it was that he couldn't find the way of no discrepancy.

[28:44]

He was not like one of the people who says, well, the way is perfect and all-pervading so I don't have to make an effort. He made an effort. But there was, I think, some discrepancy between his effort and the way in his mind. And so, he was not at peace. Finally, he met this person who we call Sekito Gisen Dayosho, or in Chinese, Shi To, which means on top of the rock. because Shurto sat on top of a flat rock in meditation, so they nicknamed him on top of the rock. He met Shurto. And he said, I've learned a little bit about the Buddha's teaching, and I've heard that in the Zen school

[29:57]

they encourage people to look at the human consciousness and see its nature and become Buddha. I've heard that in the Zen school they look into the human consciousness and see its nature and become Buddha. I don't really understand this. Could you please tell me? And Shurto says, this way won't do. not this way won't do. Being this way or not this way won't do at all.

[31:04]

How about you?" And Yaw Shan was confused. Actually, When he was confused, it doesn't say he was confused and he knew he was confused. And back in China, I don't know if they had this song, if you are confused and you know it, clap your hands. It doesn't say he knew he was confused, it just says he was confused. And when in that confusion, which I guess actually he didn't know he was confused. He was just confused.

[32:06]

In other words, he was karmic consciousness. But he didn't really know it. He wanted instructions about how to look at the mind and see its nature. And Shurto gave it to him. He said, being like this won't do, won't attain it. Not being like this won't attain it. Being like this and not like this won't attain it at all. How about you? In other words, look at your consciousness. What did you find? Do you see its nature? And the wonderful ancestor who is not yet an ancestor was going to be an ancestor pretty soon, but not yet one, was confused.

[33:09]

Just like us, he was confused. And Shurto says, your affinity is not here. In other words, the causes and conditions are not right for you here with me. Go see Madsu. Go see Master Ma. And Yashan did go see Master Ma. If he hadn't gone to see Master Ma, we might not have a lineage. We might not have got an ancestor. But he did. And he met Master Ma, and I guess he said, I heard about Zen, would you please explain it to me? Would you show it to me?" And Master Ma said, and there's different ways of translating it, but I'll try this way today. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I make it, sometimes I make it raise the eyebrows and blink.

[34:25]

Sometimes I don't make it raise the eyebrows and blink. Sometimes raising the eyebrows and blinking is right. Sometimes raising the eyebrows and blinking is not right. Another translation which is sometimes I raise my eyebrows and blink. Sometimes I don't raise my eyebrows and blink. Another translation is Sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Anyway, sometimes the blinking and the eyebrows raising works, and sometimes it doesn't. How about you?" he said to Yashan. And Yashan woke up.

[35:26]

Yashan saw the nature of mind. He saw the nature of confusion. He saw the nature of mind, of confused karmic consciousness. He saw its nature and realized Buddha. The nature of wind is permanent and there's no place it does not reach. It reaches the nature of mind is permanent and there's no place it doesn't reach. It's right there in confused karmic consciousness. This time, Yashan saw it. And in seeing it, there was no discrepancy between the mind of confusion and the mind of awakening. So it was called awakening.

[36:30]

It doesn't mention in the story that the mind of awakening was not different from the mind of confusion which he had all along. It just says he was greatly awakened and he started bowing to the great teacher. Maybe after he stopped bowing, Matsu said, what principle did you witness that leads you to start bowing? And Yaoshan said, when I was with Shirtou, I was like a mosquito trying to mount an iron bull. In our Shiso ceremony, we say something like, like a mosquito trying to bite an iron bull. But the actual character is a character for mount. So I've seen it translated as climb up or mount an iron bull.

[37:38]

Or I was like a mosquito on top of an iron bull. There's an R-rated version of this which I'll tell you about if you ask me some other time. So that's the story of Yaoshan realizing no discrepancy between confusion, karmic consciousness, and perfect wisdom. And there's more nice stories about Yaoshan spending time with Master Ma, which might come out later in the wash.

[38:41]

But for now, I just want to mention that this is how he got started in his practice of thinking, not thinking. Realizing that not thinking is thinking. Realizing that confusion is emptiness. He stayed with Matsu for a couple of years, and then Matsu said, you know, you're just fine, but your teacher is actually Shinto. So the just fine Yaoshan went back to his first teacher, who told him that it wasn't right for him to be with him, but he went back and I guess things were more simpatico at that time, and he spent some more time with Shurto.

[39:46]

Are you following this? So now Shurto and Yaoshan are back together, continuing study after enlightenment together. And one day, after enlightenment, Yashan is sitting. And who should come up but Shurto and says to him, what are you doing? And Yashan says, I'm not doing anything at all. And Shirtou says, well, then are you idly, idly? Do you know what idly means, Al? Idly? Are you idly sitting?

[40:47]

And Yashan says, if I were idly sitting, I would be doing something. And Shirtou says, you say you're not doing anything. What is this not doing anything about? And Yashon says, even the 10,000 ancient sages don't know. Don't know what? Don't know this not doing anything. And Shurto then becomes poetic, Chateau wrote the Harmony of Difference and Unity. He sang that poem. Here he sings another one, which is, We've been living together for a long time, just traveling along, singing a song side by side.

[41:50]

Through all kinds of weather, it doesn't matter at all. and nobody knows who we are or what we're doing. What good will it do to look everywhere to figure us out? And eventually, Yashan, I guess, leaves his teacher And people start coming to practice with him and one day when he's sitting again, what's he doing? He's sitting there. He's not doing anything at all. And nobody knows what he's doing, including him. And nobody ever will know what he's doing, including him. And a monk comes up and wonders what he's doing and says, basically, what are you doing?

[42:53]

What are you thinking? sitting there like that, so still like a mountain. And Yashan says, thinking, not thinking. Doing, not doing. Monk says, how do you think, not thinking? Yashan says, non-thinking. Yashan says, the way I do, the way I think, not thinking, is beyond thinking. And I propose to you that the way of realizing that thinking is not thinking is a practice which is beyond anybody's thinking. It's an inconceivable practice which is going on all the time but the way it's going on is inconceivable.

[43:56]

And that practice is the way of realizing that thinking is emptiness, and emptiness is thinking. Realizing that thinking is emptiness relieves all suffering and distress. I think these people are my friends, That's confusion. But the way my confusion of thinking these people are my friends is not different from emptiness. That's the relief of suffering. I think this is a wonderful intensive. And the way that thought is not that thought relieves all suffering. And the way that thought relieves all thought is beyond all thought.

[45:02]

And it's called by Yashan, non-thinking. This is the essential art of zazen. It's the way that form is emptiness. It's the way of perfect wisdom. It's also called right thinking. It's also called nonviolence. It's also called renouncing your story about what's going on in this world. Not denying your story about what's going on. Renouncing it. Donating it to goodwill. Donate all your stories about this world to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. And in that donation, you open to the way that your story is emptiness. And the way your story is emptiness relieves all suffering.

[46:09]

Avalokiteshvara observes all stories, listens to all stories, observes all stories, listens to all stories, renounces them all, is nonviolent towards them all, doesn't harm them, and in this way of relating to all stories realizes that all stories are emptiness, This is how all suffering is relieved. By realizing that all the stories of suffering are emptiness. In order to realize that all stories of suffering are emptiness, we must be non-violent towards them. We must renounce them. Again, don't touch them, don't turn away from them.

[47:19]

This is the essential art of zazen. We've got the stories. Oh, it's very nice here. We've got the story. This is too nice here. We shouldn't be here. We are selfish to be in this nice place. We've got that story. It should be nicer here. It's not nice enough here. It's kind of like there's a great sickness in this Sangha. We should, you know. There's many stories about this place. People are frowning. People are smiling. People are confused. People are clear. People are enlightened. People at Green Gulch are very compassionate. People at Green Gulch are really confused. We have many stories about many things and everything. We have a story for it. And then there's the practice of right thinking with all these stories.

[48:26]

And this right thinking with the stories is the essential art of zazen, by which we realize form is emptiness, stories are emptiness, and this, it relieves all suffering. Back to the beginning, a mind of great compassion. We need the mind of great compassion at the beginning. And from there we move on to practice non-thinking, right thinking, May our intention equally extend to every being.

[49:25]

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