And some people feel like it may be a sufficient definition of the sitting meditation of the Buddha ancestors to say that it's dropping off body and mind. just wholeheartedly sit, and thus drop off body and mind. Drop off body and mind, just wholeheartedly sit. And when we say in English, drop off body and mind, it may sound like that's something that you do, but dropping off body and mind is not something that an individual person does by himself alone.

[01:38]

All things, including you and I, are engaged in Buddha activity. This Buddha activity we're engaged in affects everything around us. It's very broad, and it resonates back to us. When it resonates back to us, it helps us inconceivably. And the way it helps us inconceivably is called dropping off body and mind. The way you are helping everyone and the way everyone helps you is dropping off body and mind.

[03:10]

And to sit in this is called just sitting, or the sitting meditation of the Buddha ancestors. I think I heard a story about Dogen Zenji when he was in China, sitting in a meditation hall, and his teacher, Ru Jing, sang to the monks something about dropping off body and mind.

[05:07]

And he felt body and mind dropping off at that time. Has anybody heard a story like that? Today would be like when he heard those words, his own Buddha activity, his own enlightening activity, resonated back to him and helped him inconceivably. And he, unmistakably, experience dropping off body and mind.

[06:13]

Today I feel that the zazen practice or the sitting meditation practice that I am devoted to is the practice of continuous awareness. of current activity in the midst of delusion. Leaping beyond delusion and enlightenment. Not sitting

[09:42]

are walking in meditation to get enlightenment, or to get enlightened. They're practicing meditation by being pulled and shoved by the enlightenment activity of all things. All things are engaging us right now in enlightening activity, in Buddha activity. The way they're doing this is called dropping off body and mind.

[11:05]

Dropping off body and mind is the way everything is engaging you in the way you are engaging everything in Buddha activity. And this happens in the midst of delusion and happens in the midst of enlightenment. When I was in Los Angeles, I went out to dinner with my daughter to have an early celebration of her 30th birthday.

[12:28]

At the end of the dinner, as often happens in Chinese restaurants, they brought fortune cookies. And I opened the one that came to me, and I read it and I said, I thought and I said, Usually, almost always when I get a fortune cookie, I feel it's somewhat relevant. This is the first time I thought it was completely nothing to do with me. I said this to my daughter and wife and grandson. It said, you are very sociable and entertaining.

[13:49]

And I showed it to them, and they laughed a lot. It took me all this time to be ready to discuss with you the text called Vyajra Komali. So I feel ready. I wonder if you do. Or would you rather wait till another day? You ready?

[14:50]

What? Today's a good day. Today's a good day? This might not be a good one. When all things are Buddha Dharma, there is delusion, and enlightenment, practice, birth and death, and there are Buddhas and sentient beings. Another translation is, when all things are Buddha teachings. Another translation is, when all things are illuminated by Buddha's teachings.

[16:00]

So here again, it's like when all things are Buddha's teachings, when all things which are engaged in Buddha activity are teaching, or when all things are illuminated when Buddha's teaching. When the Buddha activity touches things, and that Buddha activity embraces them, and they embrace the Buddha activity, and then they resonate this activity. Or when they're just that way. So it's like, it's both ways. It's when they are the teaching, and when they are touched lit up by the teaching at that time. Or the translation we usually chant is as all things are going down.

[17:11]

So it's when and as. As they are, when they are, at that time, and so on. Then he says, there is, then there is, and he says seven things. Among all things, he mentions seven. So, of course, this could be long. But there's not space on one piece of paper for all things. So he just does seven. And I've noticed that the centurionist

[18:21]

during centuries from the time he said this till now, many of his disciples address this, there is, in the first sentence. When all things are illuminated by Buddhist teachings, when all things are Buddhist teachings, there is. But the there is there is the there is in this situation where everything is Buddha's teaching. So the there is is the there is which is illuminated by Buddha's teaching, too. It's the way things are, and the word is there is, or existence, or having something, or being, But this being is illuminating Buddha's teaching, and is illuminated by Buddha's teaching.

[19:24]

So this there is is not the there is which is the opposite of there isn't. It's not the existence which is the opposite of non-existence. It is the there is in the middle way. When everything is illuminated by Buddha's teaching, then everything is the middle way. Everything is showing you the middle way. And everything exists in the middle way, free of the extremes of existence and non-existence, substantial existence and substantial non-existence. The Buddha teaches the way things are free of these extremes. Things can exist, independently, but not substantially.

[20:36]

They also cannot not exist substantially either. They can only not exist interdependently. So interdependence means that nonexistence isn't substantial and existence isn't substantial. So in that way we have delusion and enlightenment. Practice We have practice, we have practice, but not in a substantially existing way. Only in an interdependent way. So now he will, in a few words, teach these seven things.

[21:42]

It starts by teaching about delusion. To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. acting on and witnessing everything, while carrying a self is delusion. In the midst of this delusion, to be aware.

[22:47]

To be aware that you're carrying yourself forward to the Zendo. You're carrying yourself forward to the baths. You're carrying yourself forward to work. You're carrying yourself forward down the path. You're carrying yourself forward to meet a person. to practice with somebody. You're acting upon the world. You're witnessing the world while carrying a self. This is delusion. I propose the practice is to be aware in the midst of this deluded activity.

[23:49]

And it does seem to be possible to be aware while carrying the Self forward, acting upon the world, while witnessing and acting upon the world while carrying the Self, or holding the Self. And this awareness is awareness of delusion. I have a little problem with the translation that we're usually using in the next line, where it says, that myriad things come forth and experience themselves as awakening.

[25:51]

It's nice, but I lost the yourself there in that line. So I like it better when you leave the self in both sentences. To bring a self or yourself forward and meet and practice and realize things is delusion. When the things come forward and realize the self is enlightenment. I propose that awareness in the midst of delusion, total awareness in the midst of delusion, One is not attached to delusion.

[27:08]

One turns and leaps in delusion, and the self is open to be confirmed by the coming of all things. One is able to realize enlightenment by practicing awareness in the midst of delusion. And continue the practice and therefore leap from enlightenment to continuous awareness in the midst of A pattern of relationships in the form of the self acting on the world.

[28:08]

Awareness of the self acting on the world. Until the self is so completely settled in this pattern of delusion that it's forgotten. And at that time, we move to the second sentence of the Ginga Koran. At that time, we don't bring ourself to anything. We see, we understand, it cannot be found. And then there is no delusion. and there is no enlightenment. When all things are good at dharma, there's delusion.

[29:19]

By practicing awareness in the midst of delusion, which is illuminated by Buddha-dharma, we are practicing in the midst of delusion being illuminated by Buddhadharma. And when delusion is illuminated by Buddhadharma and we practice awareness with it, we realize, we see that it cannot be found. And then there is no delusion. Enlightenment is also illuminated by Buddhadharma. Or enlightenment is also Buddhadharma.

[30:23]

But delusion is equally Buddhadharma as enlightenment. Enlightenment is not more Buddhadharma than delusion. Practicing awareness in the midst of delusion is practicing... Or one might be able to practice awareness in the midst of delusion because one realizes that delusion is illuminated by Buddhist teachings. And by studying delusion, by being aware in delusion, you are receiving Buddhist teachings as much as you receive Buddhist teachings from enlightenment. When you

[31:28]

Study and learn about delusion. When you're aware in the midst of delusion, and you receive Buddhist teachings from delusion, moment by moment, you will realize that delusion cannot be found. When you study enlightenment, you will realize that enlightenment cannot be found. It doesn't have a self any more than delusion does. And then there's no enlightenment. When myriad things are without self, or without an abiding self, there is no delusion and no enlightenment. The Buddha way is basically leaping clear of the one and many.

[32:39]

I have again a little problem with that translation. Another one would be, the Buddha way is basically leaping clear of abundance and lack. Abundance, all dharmas. delusion, enlightenment, practice, birth and death, sentient beings and someone, abundance. Things are illuminated by Buddha's teachings, and we have abundance. Appreciating the Buddha's teaching, appreciating all things being illuminated by Buddha's teaching, one realizes that none of them can be found. You can find them, but you realize they can't be found.

[33:46]

You find them in your superficial search. In your thorough practice, you understand they cannot be found. In that sense, there is no diverging and there is no enlightenment. And they don't mention practice in the second line, because realizing, because studying things as Buddhadharma leads you to realize that they can't be found. Realizing that they can't be found is the practice. But it's not the whole practice. Because the Buddha way is basically leaping beyond delusion and enlightenment, birth and death, practice, sentient beings and Buddhas.

[35:01]

It's basically leaping beyond. It's living beyond abundance and lack, form and emptiness. The Buddha way is not enlightenment. And it's not delusion. It's leaping beyond enlightenment and delusion. continuous awareness in the midst of delusion, wholehearted awareness in the midst of delusion, is necessary in order to open to the Buddha Way of leaping beyond delusion into enlightenment, and leaping beyond enlightenment into more enlightenment, and into delusion,

[36:13]

whenever necessary, which is awesome. And leaping beyond delusion in the midst of the practice of awareness and delusion is dropping all body and mind. and leaping beyond enlightenment. And the continuous practice of awareness and enlightenment is dropping all thought and mind. Deluded body and mind, enlightened body and mind, let enlightenment of all things pull you out of there. You don't leap by your own power, you leap by the power of your Buddha activity, which comes to you from all things, and goes from you to all things, and comes back to you from all things.

[37:35]

Appreciating how we're being engaged is appreciating drop-and-roll body and mind. If we don't appreciate, then we are in delusion, and to practice awareness there, you will come to appreciate, which is called enlightenment. Enlightenment is when all of these come forward to appreciate you into being you. The Buddha way is not enlightenment, it is leaping.

[38:50]

The Buddha way is not delusion, it is leaping. The Buddha way is not sentient beings, it is leaping. It's not Buddhas, it's leaping. It's not practice, it's leaping. Are you guys leaping out of here? Look at them leap. That's it. Yeah, that's it. She's leaping. In their dignified way. Could you hear any of that, Ken? Absolutely. Absolutely. one of the ancestors of this lineage named Seigen Yoshida-yosho.

[40:09]

He said, when I first started practicing, mountains were mountains and rivers were rivers. This seems to me to be when all things are illuminated by Buddha's teaching. When the mountains and rivers are Buddha's teaching, then there are mountains and rivers. And we practice continuous awareness with the mountains and the rivers.

[41:09]

which our Buddha is teaching. And when we first start practicing, we think that the mountains and rivers exist. But by studying them, by learning the Buddha Dharma from the mountains and the rivers, up to thirty years, he saw that the mountains are not mountains, and the rivers are not rivers. But then some years later, he leapt beyond. Mountains are mountains, and rivers are rivers. And then, mountains and mountains, and rivers and rivers again.

[42:23]

But now you understand that you're walking with the mountains, that the mountains are pulling you along in dropped-off body and mind. You and the mountains are leaping together. You and delusion are leaping together. We are leaping together in delusion. and link them together and enlighten them.

[43:26]

What did you say, Tyler? There may be no what tomorrow? Can you say there may be no tomorrow? Soon we'll be without the moon humming a different tune and then there may be teardrops to shed but while there's music and moonlight and love and romance let's face the Cole Porter knew about delusion.

[45:26]

Is that enough for today? Can you say sing another verse? There may be trouble, my friend So while there's music and moonlight and love and romance Let's face the music and dance Before the fiddlers have fled Before they ask us to pay the bill And while there's still a chance Let's face the music and dance

[46:46]

@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_86.03