bodhisattva precepts which have these three aspects, we've been putting a lot of attention on the first aspect of bodhisattva precepts, the precept of restraint, the precept of presence. precept of letting go of outflows, letting go of concern for gain and loss in the practice of the bodhisattva precepts as the foundation for all the other practices so that they're done in the bodhisattva spirit And earlier we brought up the story of the Tenzo, the monk Tenzo Fushan, who studied with Gui Sheng.

[01:17]

And I look at that story as Gui Sheng training Fushan to practice with not expecting any gain. And Fushan was able to do so and became the great servant of our Soto Zen lineage. He was also a servant of the Rinzai or Linji lineage. But if he hadn't lived in that lineage we would miss his story but the lineage didn't need him in a sense. But we needed him in this lineage because the Soto Zen lineage came down to having one teacher in the lineage and that teacher found one disciple

[02:28]

one suitable successor, and that successor died. So the old teacher was left without a successor, and he was the last and only carrier of the Soto Zen lineage from his great ancestors. So he found this person who was already a Dharma successor, this person, Fushan, who was already a Dharma successor to Gui Shun after his tussle with him in his position of Tenzo. And he then graciously received the Soto Zen lineage, took care of it until he found a successor and gave it to Tosu Gisei Daisho. And so that particular style of Zen practice survived by his kindness, which he was able to perform because he was trained in the precept of presence by a great teacher.

[03:34]

And so he could train tosugise in the same bodhisattva precepts and give him this particular style of practice which Taiyo Kyogen wanted to transmit. And then Tosugise had a disciple named Fuyo Dokai, and Fuyo Dokai had many successors. So then Sotozen recovered, and not too long after that, Dogen came to China and received it and brought it back to Japan and so on. In the next example of training in bodhisattva precepts, in training in the precept of giving up concern for gain and fear of loss, we bring up the story of Tsu Ming training Yang Chi.

[04:40]

And I just, if I may share, I've really loved meditating on Tzu Ming and Yang Chi and sharing this wonderful relationship with you. I also then researched backward in more deeply than I had in the past. I researched backward in time from Tzu Ming to his teacher. and so on, back from his teacher. And I wanted to tell you about Fanyang, but I am feeling like I want to just briefly mention a little bit about Fanyang. And then instead of going into detail about how he trained Tzu Ming, I'd like to leap forward a few hundred years and talk about how Dogen trained Gikai.

[05:49]

Basically what I want to say about the relationship between Tzu Ming and his teacher, Fen Yang, is that Fen Yang really also trained him in the first bodhisattva precept of restraining outflows. Yang Chi thought Tzu Ming was refusing to give him any teachings. Tzu Ming was wholeheartedly teaching Yang Chi in his position of director of the monastery. Yang Chi served his teacher in the community wholeheartedly as director, but Yang Chi thought there was some other kind of instruction that he should be getting. He thought there was something over and above his performance of his daily duties to his fellow students and teacher. He kept, you know, yes, here I am doing all these things with you, teacher, but can I ask you some questions about Buddhism?

[06:58]

And as you know, somebody kept saying, just go do your work. You've got a lot to do. Or finally, the final statement was, since you know how to do your job, give it a rest. Give what a rest? Give trying to get Buddhism a rest. Give up trying to get the Dharma. Just do your job. And Again, to make a long, horrible story short, Fa Yang was more extreme in his rejection of Tzu Ming's attempt to get teachings. Tzu Ming also tried to get teachings from Fa Yang. Fa Yang was very well known, very famous. Fa Yang studied with 71 teachers. Anyway, he's a big a big figure in history of Zen.

[08:07]

And Su Ming went to study with him and Fa Yang wouldn't let Su Ming come into the room. He wouldn't let him come into the room for instruction. And whenever he tried to get any instruction, Fa Yang just completely rejected his any attempt to get any teachings from him. And, of course, after years of this, Su Ming vents his frustration and, of course, Fa Yang said, I've always been teaching you wholeheartedly. You just don't see it that way. And he woke up. And then it's repeated. The same story is repeated between Su Ming and Yang Chi. So people set up these really great teachers who've got a lot of good stuff to give you, and then people run over there and the teacher says, trying to get something?

[09:17]

There's other styles of teaching, but this is demonstrated here. Hold up a great jewel and have everybody gather around it and then say, who's going to try to get it? So if I may, I'd like to go forward to now the 13th century. These stories are occurring in the 10th and 11th century, the stories of Tzu Ming. Tzu Ming lived a short life. By the way, Tzu Ming had 50 Dharma successors. Yang Shi being one of the two most prominent ones. somehow he found 50 people who gave up trying to get diamond transmission from him and they got it. Hundreds probably, thousands probably tried to get it and couldn't stop.

[10:22]

It was so attractive. And one more story today about Tzu Ming, if I may. Tzu Ming was invited to come to the capital of China to receive honors from the Emperor of China. And unlike some other Zen teachers, he went to the capital and received the honors. And on his way back, traveling with his attendant, he stopped and said to his attendant, I feel a paralyzing wind.

[11:23]

And his mouth went crooked. So he had a stroke, apparently. You know how that happens sometimes? You know, one side goes limp, you lose muscles. And his attendant said, teacher, you're always insulting the Buddhas and reviling the ancestors. Now what will you do? And Sun Ling said, don't worry, I'll straighten it for you. There, see? But from now on, I'm not going to play any jokes on you. And then he shortly died after that. He died shortly after that. And you've probably heard this story too.

[12:50]

One day, I, we, were sitting in the Buddha Hall in San Francisco Zen Center. And Siddhartha Kriya was giving a talk after he had had his gallbladder removed in the spring. This is the spring of 1971. And he looked out at the group. I thought he was looking at me. And he said kind of emphatically, things teach best when they're dying. And I thought, hmm, what's he saying there? So Dogen had his senior disciple was Kohun Ejo Dayosho. That's his first successor who became abbot after him at Eheji. And Ejo was older than Dogen. And then the next disciple in our lineage after Dogen, after Eijo, is Tetsugikai Daisho.

[14:04]

Tetsugikai was quite a bit younger, and he served the Eheiji community as Tenzo. And he was really a wholehearted Tenzo. the kitchen was below the monastery and after he made the meals he would carry them up through the snow to the monastery for the monks. So Dogen really appreciated Gikkai. And again Gikkai really almost wholeheartedly performed his duties, but Kikai thought there was something more to the Buddha Dharma than carrying food through the snow to the Zendo for his brothers and sisters.

[15:18]

He thought there was something more than something more to Buddhism than just sitting upright. He thought there was something more to get than this, or not even this. So in the final year of Dogen's life, on the eighth day of the seventh month of the fifth year of the Kensho era, Master Dogen's disease returned. I was very alarmed and went to see him. So this is like 12...

[16:30]

probably the summer of 1253. So Ginkai goes to see Dogen. And Dogen says, come close to me. I approached his right side and he said, I believe that my current life is coming to an end. with this sickness. In spite of everyone's care, I am not recovering. Don't be alarmed by this. Human life is limited and we should not be overwhelmed by illness. Even though there are ten million things I have not yet clarified concerning the Buddha Dharma.

[17:39]

Still, I have the joy of not having formed mistaken views and of having genuinely maintained correct faith in the true Dharma. the essentials of all this are not any different from what I have spoken to you of every day." So I would, if I may comment, The great teacher was still studying Buddha Dharma. There were still many, many things he would like to clarify if he would live on. Many things still could be studied and understood more deeply. But he had the joy of not having mistaken views.

[18:49]

For example, the mistaken view that there's something to get out of this joyful study of Dharma. the mistaken view that there's something to lose or gain in this life. He believed in that and he believed that the true Dharma is revealed in that discipline of avoiding those outflows. So he was a happy student even though he was sick and hadn't yet finished the study of all of Buddha Dharma but he would love to continue to study, but it looks like it's not going to happen. And here he has this wonderful student, Gikai, and he says, this monastery is an excellent place. We may be attached to it, but still we should live in accord with the temporal and worldly conditions.

[19:57]

The Buddha Dharma, in the Buddha Dharma any place, is an excellent place for practice. When the nation is peaceful, the monastery supporters live in peace. When monastery supporters are peaceful, the monastery will certainly be at peace. And the monastery is called Eheiji, the Monastery of Eternal Peace. You have lived here for many years, Gikai, and you have become a monastery leader. After I die, stay in the monastery. Cooperate with the householders and the monks. and protect the Buddha Dharma I have taught.

[21:06]

If you go traveling, always return to this monastery. If you wish, you can stay in the hermitage." Shedding tears, I wept and said in gratitude, I will not neglect in any way your instructions for both the monastery and myself. I will never disobey your wishes. Then Dogen, also shedding tears, holding his palms together, said, I am deeply satisfied. For many years I have noticed that you are familiar with with the worldly matters, and that within the Buddha Dharma you have a strong spirit of enlightenment. Everyone knows your deep intention, but you have not yet cultivated grandmotherly mind, grandmotherly heart.

[22:20]

As you grow older, I'm sure you will develop it. Grandmotherly heart is the heart that is the fruit of the practice of the Bodhisattva precept of restraint, which means to perform performs in ceremonies wholeheartedly, not expecting any Buddha Dharma in addition to that. To sit as the performance of the Buddha way, not to sit so that you can have the Buddha way. Well, that there's some Buddha way in addition to the sitting. If you sit this way, you have the Buddha way. That's the grandmotherly mind.

[23:25]

And to do that, and to give your whole life to taking care of, for example, sitting, or offering incense, or preparing meals, or eating meals, or bowing to your friends, to perform these duties as performed in the Buddha way, but not expecting an additional wonderful, profound Buddha way to come to you. That's grandmother mind for Dogen. And that's grandmother mind for Tse Ming and Yang Shi and Fa Yang and Gui Shang and Fu Shang And this wonderful monk, who Dogen loves so much, he's saying, you have not yet cultivated this mind. Even though he's doing all these things for his teacher and his friends, he still thinks there's something more to Buddhism than just this.

[24:36]

He still thinks there's some truth beyond this wholehearted performance of the whatever, you know, whatever. Anything, any place, is an excellent opportunity for the Buddha way if you do it without trying to get anything out of life. And any kind of good thing you do is a good thing, but if you don't do it for it's just in this completely non-gaining way, it's not grandmother mind. And this great student was not doing these great services for the monastery in the grandmotherly mind way. So at the time of this conversation, apparently, Gikai was not the director of the monastery.

[25:36]

However, Dogen in this conversation is basically saying, I want you to be director after I leave. as you'll see. Then Gikai says, restraining my tears, I thanked him. At that time, the head monk, Koen Eijo, was also present and heard this conversation. I have not forgotten the admonishment that I did not have grandmother heart. However, I don't know why Dogen said this. Some years earlier, when I had returned to Eheji Monastery and gone to see him, he had given me the same admonishment during a private discussion. So this was the second time he told me this. On the 23rd day of the 7th month,

[26:40]

So the first thing is the eighth day of the seventh month. Now we're in the 23rd day of the seventh month. Before I went to visit my hometown, I told Dogen, Dogen told me, you should return quickly from this trip. There are many things I have to tell you. Five days later, on the 28th day of the same month, I returned to the monastery and paid my respects to him. He said, while you were gone, I thought I was going to die, but I am still alive. I have received several requests from the Lord Yoshishige Hatano, at the government office in Rokuhara in Kyoto to come to the capital for medical treatment. At this time I have many last instructions, but I am planning to leave for Kyoto on the fifth day of the eighth month.

[27:55]

Although you would be very well suited to accompany me on this trip, there is no one else who can attend to all the affairs of the monastery. I want you to stay and take care of the administration. Sincerely, care for the monastery affairs. This time I am certain that my life will be over. Even if my death is slow in coming, I will stay in Kyoto for this year. Do not think the monastery belongs to others, but consider your own. Presently you have no position, but you have served repeatedly on the senior staff. You should consult with others on all matters and not make decisions on your own. Since I am very busy now, I cannot tell you all the details.

[29:03]

Perhaps there are many things I will have to tell you later from Kyoto. If I live to return from Kyoto, then the next time we meet, I will certainly teach you the secret procedures of Dharma transmission. However, when someone starts these procedures, small-minded people become envious, so you should not tell other people of this. I know that you have an outstanding spirit for both mundane and super mundane worlds. However, you lack a grandmotherly heart. Brackets.

[30:06]

You still think there's something more to the Buddha Dharma than this conversation? Close brackets. Dogen had wanted me to return quickly from my trip so that he could tell me these things. I am now recording these further details. No, I am not recording further details. Separated by a sliding door, the senior nun, Egi, heard this conversation. On the third day of the eighth month, Dogen gave me a woodblock print of the eight prohibitory precepts. for training in the precept of restraint.

[31:07]

On the sixth day of the next month, bidding farewell to Dogen at an inn in Wakimoto, I respectfully asked, I deeply wish I could accompany you on this trip, but I will return to the monastery according to your instructions. If your return is delayed, I would like to go to Kyoto to see you. Do I have your permission? Dogen said, Of course you do. So you don't need to ask any further about it. I'm having you stay behind only in consideration of the monastery. I want you to attentively manage the affairs of the monastery. Because you are a native of this area and because you are a disciple of the late Master Akon, many people in this province know your trustworthiness.

[32:25]

I'm asking you to stay because you are familiar with matters both inside and outside of the monastery. I accepted this respectfully and this was the last time I saw Dogen. And it was his final instruction to me. Taking it to heart, I have never forgotten it. Tetsugikai was not able to work with Dogen to work out this basic precept of restraint. He was not able to complete his study of grandmother mind with Dogen.

[33:34]

After Dogen left, he continued his study with Dogen's senior disciple, Koen Eijo. And after a year and a half, he finally realized that he did not believe his teacher. He loved his teacher, he was devoted to his teacher, but he didn't really believe his teacher's teaching. that the Buddha way is the performance of your daily life. But after a year and a half, he finally found Grandmother Mind and became our ancestor. It took me, I couldn't understand when I read this story, I couldn't understand what was missing.

[34:53]

But then later when I read his confession that he didn't really believe his teacher's teaching, I understood that, yeah, even though he was a wonderful, wonderful person, he still really didn't believe that there wasn't something to get there wasn't some gain involved, that there wasn't something better than this, and that there wasn't something worse than this. He didn't really believe that there's nothing to gain or lose, even though his most dear teacher told him that. But he hung in there and he did finally understand. Leaping forward 800 years or 700 years, coming into the 19th century, we have a Soto Zen priest whose name is Nishiari Bokusan.

[36:16]

And he had a student whose name is Kishizawa Iyan. Kishizawa Iyan was the person that Suzuki Roshi studied with after his first teacher died. Nishihara Bokusan was the abbot of Sojiji, the abbot of one of the two main temples of Soto Zen. He was a well-known Zen master. He became well-known because he wasn't afraid of samurai. Some famous stories about samurai trying to scare him and he was not scared. Zen masters are supposed to be able to do that. To respond to threats from samurai with loving kindness.

[37:23]

So Suzuki Roshi's second teacher was one of his was one of his successors, at least one of his successors. And when Kishisawa Iyan was studying with him, I remember one time I heard that one time Nishihara Bokusan said to Kishisawa Roshi, you're not my disciple. And Eon said, what's the matter? And he said, you bow to me in formal situations, but when I'm lying down or when I'm going to the toilet, you don't bow to me. So you're not my disciple. And sometimes Kishizawa Eon would try to get something from Nishihara Boson.

[38:25]

And whatever he asked for, he didn't get. But he kept studying with this person who wouldn't give him anything he asked for. But then he saw something, he thought of something he really, really wanted. There's an expression in Soto Zen, iron person. It means a bodhisattva who won't ever turn back on her commitment to the path. No matter how much she's frustrated, she just keeps walking down the iron road. And Kishizawa Iyan wanted Bokusan to calligraph those two characters for him.

[39:39]

Kishizawa Iyan was a great calligrapher and he wanted his teacher's calligraphy of that term of Soto Zen, iron person. Of course he knew if he asked for it he would not get it. Now there was an old man, a householder, who was kind of like he was to Bok San like the old lady was to Tsu Ming. And whatever the old man asked from Bok San, Bok San would give him. So Kishizawa Iyan went to the old man and said, Would you ask the teacher to calligraph you the characters for Iron Person? And the old man went to Bok San and said, Would you calligraph me the characters for Iron Person?

[40:48]

And Bok San said, Eon asked you, didn't he? That's kind of a punchline, isn't it? And then something happened after that. And I think what happened was that that E.ON found a way to stop trying to get something from Voxon. Therefore, he became Bokusan's successor.

[42:03]

And he was very kind to our founder, Suzuki Roshi. And sometimes he would come to visit. Sikoreshi would go study with him at his temple, which is not too far from Sikoreshi's temple. He would visit this senior teacher and listen to his talks on Dogen's teachings. And sometimes that teacher would come to Sikoreshi's temple, but Sikoreshi's temple was hierarchically superior to his temple. So when he went to visit Suzuki Roshi, he bowed to Suzuki Roshi. And Suzuki Roshi tried to get down and not receive the bows. And Kishisawa Iyan said, you sit there and receive them. You must. Let me bow to you.

[43:10]

and I hope I can say this in a polite way, but I remember one time a visiting dignitary came to visit Zen Center when Zen Center used to be in Japantown before it was at its present location. And this person came in and I was struck by the appearance of pomposity. Do you know what pomposity means? Arrogance? Do you know the word arrogance? Do you know that word? Do the visitors from other countries know what arrogance means? Yeah. You have that in Germany? Anyway, he just looked like, you know, it looked like there was a big, suddenly this big... This person's coming in the room like, well, here I am. And Suzuki Roshi's response was to be very humble and go along with that.

[44:24]

For me, this great teacher is having this relative uh... some you know someone who should be coming to study with him coming in and uh... and she just was basically just bowed down to him i was impressed that he could do that i'm just a brand new student i couldn't bow down to that guy who do you think you are coming into our zendo like that you know like well this is my zendo That's the way my grandson would, you know, be. Anyway. Suzuki Roshi could do that. Please, please, yeah, good idea.

[46:09]

For the sake of the audio recording, someone whose legs were not awake just tried to stand up. And then he sat down again and now he's walking again. There he goes. So if I look at my life, I... I could imagine that Suzuki Roshi passed away before he could train me completely. That if he had lived longer, he might have said to me,

[47:19]

You're doing pretty well, but you haven't yet cultivated grandmother mind. But he died before he could say that to me. So I don't know about this. But after he passed away, we survivors, we surviving students of his, have been struggling with the bodhisattva precepts for forty years, and almost exactly, well no, forty years, and on the fourth of February, two months, We've been struggling with the Bodhisattva precepts and trying to understand how to practice them.

[48:31]

But he did seem to be wanting to teach us to practice without trying to get or gain anything. He did seem to be trying to say that to us. And as I told you earlier during this intensive, when his wife was murdered, After that he seemed to become more gentle. And one of my Dharma brothers said to me, perhaps our teacher is too kind to us. He was trying to train us, you know, to give up trying to gain something.

[49:48]

But maybe... maybe he was a little too kind. So maybe he left before we were trained. Probably. So we're trying to continue this training after his departure, aren't we? Using his teaching and the teaching of his teacher and his teacher's teacher and all the teachers who are trying to treat this grandmother mind, this mind of the bodhisattva, which practices and realizes that there's nothing to grasp, that there's nothing out there to get a hold of.

[50:49]

And in realizing this we can practice all the wholesome dharmas and work to mature and benefit all beings. But part of the course is to understand there's nothing to get, there's nothing to grasp and therefore give up grasping. Bodhisattvas need a mind that doesn't grasp anything. and we have the possibility that we can notice when the mind does seem to be grasping and we can confess that and we can regret that and we can confess that and regret that and we can someday give it up and also give up giving it up and so on

[52:11]

after he said that things teach best when they're dying, he was starting to make plans to leave San Francisco and go to Tassajara for the summer. And I was in a position at the Zen Center of being director. and I told him that I wanted to go to Tassajara with him. I didn't know it was the last time he would go to Tassajara in his life, but I still thought I would like to go and be with him at Tassajara. And he said, okay. And then I said, but I probably shouldn't go because I'm the director and also lots of other students would want to go.

[53:52]

So that would probably disturb the community if I got to go with you and they had to stay in the city while you were at Tassajara and I got to be with you there. And he said, hmm, yeah, maybe something will work out. So he went to Tassajara and that was his last summer and the people that were there with him I'm sure they all treasure that time. He gave the rest of his life there that summer. He was still able to go to the Zendo and teach and he worked so hard for the students. But I'm really glad I didn't go because I think what he was teaching me was stay at the temple and take care of the temple. Don't try to get more time with the teacher. So I'm glad I didn't go and I got a big reward for not going because he came back and I got to be with him from the time he came back from Tassajara until he died.

[55:08]

And he didn't go to the Zendo anymore or give lectures, but he was teaching us as he was dying so beautifully. His teaching was coming out of his illness. His teaching was coming to us very nicely. So we could all receive that and never forget it. But still, there are a hundred million things in the Buddha Dharma that have not yet been clarified. But we can have the joy of understanding what we need to do in order to continue our study. And we also have the joy of knowing that there's a way to deal with

[56:11]

forgetting our duty. And that by noticing and looking at our shortcomings we will more and more align ourselves with these precepts. As Dogen says, this is the exact transmission of a verified Buddha. This is the pure and simple color of true practice, the true mind of faith, the true body of faith. We have lots of work to do, but this is how we can do it. So we're so fortunate to receive this teaching about how to receive this teaching. Some of you will be staying in this valley, but I've heard that some others will be leaving.

[57:25]

We will miss your bright eyes and sweet smiles. The intensity of this intensive, the enclosure of this container, The white light that has surrounded us day by day is such a wonderful blessing that the world has supported us to be here together. And all of you have received this support and worked with it so well. It's really amazing. I'm so happy that we could do this. And we have a few more hours together. I can say thank you very much, but I mean thank you to the whole universe that supports us to be together this way. Just like I used to say, I don't know how I could be so lucky, so fortunate to be with Suzuki Roshi.

[58:38]

I don't know. I can't see that I did anything that would allow me to have the good fortune of practicing with him and I also don't know I don't see why what I've done in this life to have the opportunity to practice with you this way. So I'm grateful and I don't know how I managed to be given these gifts and I don't know how you have been managed to be as wholehearted as you are and how you have been so lucky to receive what you've received. But anyway, I'm sure on behalf of you all, I say thank you very much, which is, again, what Suzuki Roshi used to say. I never heard him say thank you, only thank you very much.

[59:33]

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