Again, I'm beginning with a storyline so far in the guidelines for practicing the way. First, we arouse the unsurpassable spirit of enlightenment. And in hearing this teaching about arousing the bodhi mind, then it is stressed that we have to actually put this into practice. Next, be clear that the realization of the bodhi mind, the realization of awakening, the realization of the Buddha way, is always entered through practice. Fourth point is that in this whole effort here, there should be not the slightest bit

[01:11]

of gaining attitude, not even trying to gain things for other people. Just to do this whole process of arousing the mind, putting it into practice, entering the way through practice, and doing all this just for the sake of doing all this. Completely pure motivation. And the fifth point is that in order to do this, we need to find a true teacher. Otherwise, even though we're trying to do this, our way of doing this and the actuality of doing this will go separate ways. Okay, that's the storyline so far, and now we come to the sixth point, which is, it's

[02:13]

difficult. This whole thing is difficult. We're talking hard. Sixth point is to look at a little bit how difficult it actually is to work with these dimensions of practice. And, perhaps, contemplating this difficulty, you won't think there's something wrong when you find difficulty. It won't be that you'll like it or think it's easy, but at least you'll say, well, I'm having a hard time, and just like Buddha had a hard time, just like Bodhidharma had a hard time, just like Dogen had a hard time, just like Suzuki Roshi had a hard time, just like I'm

[03:13]

having a hard time. Here we go. What you should know for practicing Zen. Practicing Zen, it says this, it says, practicing Zen, practicing Zen, is that a misprint? Practicing Zen, practicing Zen, studying the way is the most important matter in your life. You should not make light of it or be imprudent or hasty in any way about it. An old-time master cut off his arm. Another one cut off his fingers. These are excellent models from China.

[04:18]

Sounds like America's cult movement, some kind of cult thing, right? I didn't know, you know, that Yangshan, until I read this text, looked at the footnote, I didn't notice that Yangshan, the wonderful Yangshan, Guishan's pal, cut off two fingers because his parents wouldn't let him become a monk. He said, I want to become a monk. His parents said, okay, you're getting married. So then he came and said, see these two fingers? I wasn't kidding. He said, okay, okay. These are excellent models from China. It doesn't mean you should copy this, okay? It's just kind of like a Chinese metaphor for something, I don't know what. Long ago, Shakyamuni abandoned his home and left his country, gave up his empire.

[05:34]

These are excellent precedents for practicing the way. You may or may not agree, but that's what Dogen Zenji said. Of course, he said it in Japanese. People of the present say that you should practice what is easy to practice. Dogen lived in the Kamakura era of Japan, and two other really important Buddhist teachers were contemporary with him, Shinran and Nichiren. All three of these people actually kind of founded a religion, a new kind of religion in that time in Japan. Each of these religions had a very concrete practice that you could do. The Buddhism before that was very complex and mostly practiced by aristocrats, but all

[06:40]

three of these people put forth very simple practices that made Buddhism much more accessible to the masses. Dogen taught this sitting and working with a teacher. Shinran taught just chanting the Buddha's name, Nembutsu, thinking of the Buddha, and Nichiren taught just chant the name of the Lotus Sutra. These three concrete practices were said to be sufficient for realizing the way. Just sitting, working with a teacher, chanting the Lotus Sutra, and chanting Buddha's name. But the rationale for the other two practices were different from Dogen's rationale, and they were based on the idea that, you know, the world's a mess, you can't really do a hard practice. Do an easy practice, and rely on the power of the Lotus Sutra, on the power of the Amitabha, Amitabha's vows. Dogen said, this view is that it's too hard for ordinary people to practice.

[07:49]

That's what these people are saying. Ordinary people can't practice. The practice and enlightenment were no longer possible. But Zen, and also Vajrayana Buddhism, say that actually the Bodhisattva vow means that you, and all beings, have the capacity to realize unsurpassed liberation. That you have that nature. It's not to say that you can make that happen, but that it is your nature to practice like a Buddha, and realize the Buddha way. However, the practice of a Buddha is not an easy practice. The Shakyamuni Buddha did not have an easy practice. As a matter of fact, part of his difficulty was that he practiced too hard for a while. First he practiced too easy, then he practiced too hard, then he practiced too easy, then

[08:54]

he practiced too hard, then he practiced too easy, until finally he followed the middle way. But it was hard for him to find the middle way. Once he found the middle way, it wasn't hard anymore. Then he had kind of like what's called fun. But it was hard finding it. Banke also was a Zen teacher who had a really hard time, almost killed himself. After he found the middle way, he said, hey, you guys don't have to try to kill yourself, I already did that, take it easy. But his way of taking it easy was not easy. It was just easy relative to almost killing yourself. You don't have to like necessarily get that close to like suicide to find the middle way. But the problem is that some people do get almost that close. That's not the middle way, but that's part of what looking for it sometimes entails.

[09:54]

The Buddha got close to death, Banke got close to death. These were, those were mistakes, but that was their problem. The Lotus Sutra says, the wisdom of the Buddha is very profound and infinite. Their wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. It's difficult, but then to think that there's another way besides this difficult way. This, according to the ancients of the Buddha, ancestor lineage, is a mistake. It just turns out that there's not another way and the way is difficult. Now of course the way is easy if you don't pick and choose. But since we pick and choose, it's difficult. And we do pick and choose.

[11:06]

Even the Buddha picked and chose. So in Dogen's time, many people of the world would say stuff like, I would really like to practice the way, but the world is such a mess and I have meager capacities. I cannot endure the difficulty of the hardships of practicing Zen, which according with the Dharma. I want to find an easier way, which is suitable for me. Make a connection with Buddha and attain enlightenment in my next lifetime. And, you know, why not? Just sort of like find Buddha, make pals with him, and you know.

[12:09]

Wouldn't that be nice? And some people, you know, some Zen monasteries and some other Buddhist places do fundraising that way. Some people, some rich people, like to just sort of hang around Buddhists, hoping that that'll do it. The fundraisers don't necessarily say, well, we're meeting with you now, but we want you to know that you're going to have to practice the way. You know, after you make this donation, we will say your name in the service forever. You'll always have your name listed in evening service. And we even have in the city center, the name of Chester Carlson, who made a donation to pay for Tassajara. Crucial donation, says founder of Tassajara, Chester Carlson. So he's like forever venerated as Zen center for helping establish his monastery.

[13:16]

But we didn't tell him, by the way, thanks for the donation, but also don't forget to practice from now on. We should really. After we cash the check. In Japan, mostly, in my experience in Japan, is mostly I talk to Zen people, people in Zen monasteries, and other people I talk to are cab drivers. Because on the train, you know, I don't necessarily talk to the people sitting next to me. I'm sitting next to them because my Japanese isn't good enough necessarily to talk to every Japanese person I see. But in the cab, there's time to talk. And when they find out what the shaved head's about, they always say, Zen shu, muzukashii desu. Shugyo, kibishii. The Zen school is very difficult. The practice is very strict.

[14:22]

I can't do it. Too difficult. So Zen has this reputation for really being hard in Japan. Whether it really is or not, it's got the reputation, which is really good for the monks. Because then people make lots of donations to them because they think these people are really sweating it out. And some of them are. But of course, whether they are or not, still, the practice is difficult. A lot of smart people think that enlightenment is not possible. Like Marx and Hegel. They were smart, and they thought, no, enlightenment is not possible. People can't, like, you know, get along. People are naturally lazy. And they just want to be either bosses or employees. They just naturally want to be masters or slaves.

[15:23]

They don't want to meet eye to eye. That's too hard for people. So since they won't actually try to meet eye to eye, we should set up a system of government and a philosophy which takes into account that people don't have it in them to actually meet a master and say, hey, master, I'm your equal. And masters don't really have the ability to look at their servants and say, hey, man, you're my equal. Get educated. So since they don't, let's set up a social system that takes into account that people can't actually meet face to face. It's too hard to meet a Buddha face to face and realize the way. Just too hard. So let's, like, get rid of Buddhas and get rid of students and have everybody be workers. Make everybody the same.

[16:25]

Since they can't face the fact of their difference. It's too hard. It's too hard to find that still point, that balance between self-assertion and recognizing the other. It's too difficult to find the balance between protecting your own rights and affirming the other's right. It's too hard. So forget it. Dogen says, no. I'm not saying it's easy. It's hard to do that. It's hard to, like, defend your own rights and recognize the other's rights. It's hard to assert yourself and listen to the other at the same time. Very hard. Much easier to just, like, listen to the other or assert yourself. Much easier. Easy to dominate or submit.

[17:29]

It's hard to do neither. Express yourself fully while you also watch and encourage others to do the same. That's very hard. But that's the practice. And that's how you take your intention to harmonize with the way into a relationship, and the relationship helps you not go off on your own. But it's hard. Harder. So since, actually, you know, since I gave that talk about teacher and stuff, things have gotten harder around here. A lot of people are on the verge of quitting after one day. Or a day and a half. Understandable. Understandable. In fact, the Dharma spread and is now present in the world

[18:40]

because our great founder, Shakyamuni, practiced with great difficulty and pain for immeasurable eons and finally attained the Dharma. If the original source is like this, how can the later streams be easy? Students who like to study the way must not wish for an easy practice. If you seek easy practice, you will, for certain, never reach the ground of truth or dig down to the place of treasures. I like this. If you try to find an easy practice, then even lying down will be wearisome. ... Even teachers of old who had great capacity

[19:46]

said the practice was difficult. You should note the Buddha way is vast and profound. It is not easy. However, Dogen Zenji also speaks of the way of Zen as the comfortable way. It's relatively comfortable to some other difficult ways. There are worse ways, even harder ways, than this one. But this way, even though it's comfortable, is comfortable primarily because of the comfort of knowing that you're practicing the way of the ancestors. And this is part of the reason why the thought of enlightenment for Dogen Zenji has to do with going into the difficulty and the intimacy with impermanence and struggle of finding this balanced place, but with the comfort of knowing

[20:47]

that you're modeling yourself on the ancient way. You can check. ... The word assert, by the way, has an interesting root, which I didn't know about. It means to join oneself. In order to practice, you have to assert. You have to join yourself in the face of another who you recognize and respect. It isn't just that you go to someone you recognize and respect and ask about the Dharma. You go there and you assert yourself in that face. But that's difficult for both parties. It's difficult. For example,

[21:48]

I've had two jishas over the years who knock on the door in a way that really bugs me. It's not wrong, the way they do it. It just... It just kills me. One of them did it the whole practice period and I never said a word. I kept trying to send these mystic vibrations to instruct. But I couldn't just... I couldn't just tell her to stop. I couldn't just ask her to do it the way I wanted her to do it. I won't tell you what happened to her. Now this practice period you don't usually do this kind of thing

[22:52]

but this practice period we have another case like this. And now the practice period is getting close to the end as you may or may not have noticed. Some of you I know are practicing really sincerely have not been thinking of the future and don't know that quite a few days have already occurred in this practice period. The majority have already happened. There's only three weeks left. What so soon? And all this practice period I've been trying to send these vibrations to the jishas to ask them to not knock so hard on the door. All these little signals I've been giving them praying to Buddha that he would stop. Finally with the aid of Dogen Zenji and the encouragement of the difficulty of the ancestors I finally said

[23:53]

would you please knock not so hard on the door or more softly did I say more softly? I finally said would you please knock more softly on the door? And he said yes. It wasn't that after I did it it wasn't that hard. It took me all practice period even though the first day I felt it. What kind of a wimp am I? I mean something like that's difficult imagine the other stuff we have to talk about. But it's never too late. So in the next three days a lot of you know a lot of stuff's going to happen.

[24:57]

Usually I have a policy of you know when I used to do practice periods here and come and go a lot I never bring something up just before I left because it's really weak you know hard to bring something up major and then split and people don't have any any way to relate to you about it. But this time I'm changing because we're all going to leave. So I'm not going to I'm actually going to keep bringing up major stuff right to the well almost to the end. Actually to the end. Well maybe not in the morning of but all the way to the 19th I'm going to be bringing up major stuff to catch up for my laziness and cowardice in the first part of the practice period. So but remember you know I really have to do it. So if you feel like you're getting more than you share I'm sorry. Some people however are having an easy time for some reason. I was once having an easy time

[26:00]

and I went to Zgrish and I said Roshi I'm having an easy time. I mean I was worried because this was strange. It's like I was it was easy. There was no pain for a little while there. He said it may be all right for you to have not have hard practice for a while. So it's okay if you're not having a real hard time now and if you kind of like bliss out to the end of the practice period it might be okay. Don't worry. This morning somebody told me about the pain of having to eat dairy in the second bowl this morning and I told her that I would also not eat dairy with her so I didn't have the buttermilk and bananas this morning. Out of sympathy for the pain of

[27:05]

this person eating the banana eating, you know being forced, having this this dairy product forced upon her which she knows the origins of and feels bad about. But I'm not going to necessarily like just to be difficult start forcing this person in Doksan to eat dairy. I'm not going to go out of my way to have a little like dairy jug here to force drink this drink I'm not going to do that. But there's other things which I sort of have to do I think because I feel them I don't feel like I have to force dairy people to eat dairy I don't feel it. Suzuki Roshi did however feel that sometimes. You know those stories. Right? You don't know that story? Well, you know the one about the meat, don't you? You don't? You don't?

[28:07]

Well, he was traveling from Tassajara to San Francisco with a vegetarian and he said, I'm hungry. And the vegetarian was the driver. Suzuki Roshi didn't drive. Parenthetically, one time we asked him how come you don't drive? He said, it's too dualistic. You be dualistic. I'm going to sit here and be non-dualistic. So anyway, this guy was being dualistic. I'm a vegetarian and so on. So anyway, he's driving down the road and Suzuki Roshi said, I'm hungry. Please stop. The guy said, no. There's no place here suitable to eat. So he drove further. He said, please stop. I'm hungry. The guy said, no. There's no place here. There's hamburger places. Please stop. Finally the guy stopped and they went in.

[29:08]

This was pre-vegan time. The only thing on the menu that he could eat was a grilled cheese sandwich. So the guy ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. Suzuki Roshi ordered either a hamburger or a steak. I don't know which. And they took a bite of it and he said, this is no good. Here, you eat it. Took the guy's grilled cheese sandwich. He was a sweet guy most of the time. Really. If the Buddha way were originally easy to practice then teachers of great capacity from olden times would not

[30:11]

have said that the practice was difficult and understanding was difficult. Compared with people of old, we today do not amount to like one hair compared to the number of hairs on nine cows. With our small capacity and shallow understanding even if we today strive diligently and regard this as difficult and excellent practice, still it does not amount even to the easiest practice and the easiest understanding of the teachers of old. It's getting kind of dramatic there, isn't it? What is this teaching of easy understanding and easy practice which people nowadays like? It is neither secular teaching nor Buddhist teaching. It does not compare with the practice

[31:12]

of anybody. You should regard it as a product of ordinary people's extreme delusion. Even though they try to attain liberation they find nothing but endless rounds of suffering. On the other hand if... On the other hand we can see that breaking bones and crushing marrow is not difficult compared to harmonizing the mind. Harmonizing the mind is most difficult. Again the practice of prolonged austerities is not difficult but to harmonize bodily activities is most difficult. Now people didn't actually break their bones. Well actually one guy did break his bones but people didn't really break their bones and crush their marrow but they worked in a sense so hard that those are metaphors

[32:13]

for how hard they worked and they did practice extreme austerities old timers. But those austerities they said were not as hard as harmonizing body and mind. Those who did those hard practices said the middle way is the hardest thing to find. Harmonizing body and mind means one practice Samadhi. One practice Samadhi is what's really hard. Harmonizing with your teacher and teacher harmonizing with students. This is the most difficult thing. So Dogen says you know it's relatively rather easy to lay down one's life or to cut off one's flesh or hands in an outburst of emotion. Considering worldly affairs we see that many people

[33:14]

do such things even for the sake of attachment and fame and personal profit. Yet it is most difficult to harmonize the mind meeting various conditions and beings and situations moment by moment. It's hard to meet and face the disharmony with someone you care about. Not to mention to feel disharmony with someone you care about a lot. Your ancestors of spirit, your ancestors of blood. Your successors of spirit, your successors of blood. To feel disharmony with these beings, what's more painful? This is necessary

[34:17]

to face this pain. To adjust and arrange our activity to be calm and peaceful so that it accords with the Buddha way. This is difficult. To tame the mind and take care of the mind so that it is unified so that the unified nature of our being is actualized. The one practice samadhi. This is difficult. Zen Training Zen Training

[35:17]

is not really about giving you confidence in your basic Buddha nature. It's based on your confidence in your basic Buddha nature. Zen Training is to help you drop your attachments to self so that your Buddha nature fully blooms. But if you don't have confidence in your Buddha nature, you should get it. And maybe you should get it from a Zen teacher or some kind of Buddhist teacher or from somebody else. Anyway, you do need to truly have confidence that you are a Buddhist child because you are. We all are. You need confidence that you are truly a vessel for Buddha Dharma. But one person can give you both nurturance and confirmation of your Buddha nature

[36:21]

and also train you to drop your attachments to your small self. But you can't come and ask for both at the same time. You have to choose. You have to say, OK, I want nurturing. Just cuddle me and confirm me. That's what I want today. I don't want any training. Or I do want training. I want to be on the Buddha way and if I'm holding on to anything, if I'm veering off, I want feedback. So not too many people come to me and say, I want nurturance. I want you to confirm my Buddha nature. I want you to keep telling me that I'm a Buddhist child. Most people come and say, please tell me if I'm veering off the path. I'm willing to, myself, confirm and nurture. But then that should be the name of the game and don't expect that you're getting Zen training. You've got to choose. You can't give both at the same time.

[37:22]

They're different agendas. They address different phases in the process of your Buddhahood being realized. Fundamental, if you excuse me for saying so, is this static, unmoving, feminine nurturing. That you are accepted unconditionally, by Buddha, no matter what, forever. You always are a vessel for Dharma. But you get sick of that at a certain point. Buddha doesn't say you should get sick of that. Your Buddha nature drives you away from that out on your own for a while. And then you get sick of that. You get sick of being on your own. Because you realize that you're deluded. That you can't manage the unfoldment of your basic goodness. Of your unshakable goodness. You're not mentioning. You can't handle that. This phase is called the dynamic masculine.

[38:24]

Where you're going to try to unfold and realize your goodness on your own. Well, have fun. This is called being a teenager. Hopefully you'll survive. And you all have survived. Basically, here you are. None of you are teenagers, right? Except some of you sometimes pretend like you're teenagers. Like one of you said recently, I noticed that when I give the right answer, when I'm good, I have a short interview. And when I'm bad, I get a long interview. It's true. When you're on the beam, there's not much to talk about. Except, straight ahead. If you're bad, all these corrections have to be made. Not corrections, but feedbacks, right? So those long, miserable meetings, they're long. And then people are saying, gee, they're in there for a long time. They must be a better student. That used to happen right here in Tazahara,

[39:26]

you know, in the olden days, with the old masters. Suzuki Ueshi used to have that little cabin 20, used to be his cabin. It's where the kaisando was. And people used to sit and wait for Dōksan, and they would like, you know, time the people before them. And one of my best friends, you know, and really a good Zen student, used to say, geez, so-and-so's been this long. I can't think of something we talked that long. He really felt inferior, because he couldn't, like, stay in there for an hour. Suzuki Ueshi used to say, give me a break. So then you get a break, and the student who's giving you a break feels like, geez, I'm no good. Because I'm like, what are you doing? Shikantaza. Ding! Ding! So anyway,

[40:27]

after you, you know, run away from home, and, you know, try to, like, unfold your buddhahood on your own, you realize you need help. You need training, because your selfishness is interfering with the realization of your basic goodness. So then you go in for Zen training. But Zen training is not, yes, yes, yes, yes. I mean, it's yes when it's yes, but sometimes it's no. Sometimes, no, you're off. That's not it. You assert your position, and the other person says, uh-uh, drop it, drop it, drop it. This is called the static, heavy, boring, masculine. After you finish that, and all your attachments are burned away, this is called the fiery initiation. Then there you are. Buddha nature, unencumbered by selfishness.

[41:29]

Then you go into, like, total bloom. All the junk's been pruned away, and your essential, unique buddhahood blooms forth in what's called the dynamic feminine. You do your thing based on selflessness, never seen before, awesome, and sometimes difficult to accept. Other people have difficult times. You have no problem with it, because you don't care. In the end, we go back to the static feminine. In the end, we go back to unconditional we're okay-ness. But then, it bursts forth again, and round and round we go. If you want unconditional love in the form of unconditional affirmation, then ask for it, and you can get it. You deserve it.

[42:31]

You need it. If you need it, you need it. But training is not that way. So, state what you want. If you want a cheese sandwich, ask for a cheese sandwich. If you want non-dairy, ask for non-dairy. If you want a hamburger, ask for a hamburger. Don't come in for, you know, vegetarian and expect a hamburger. But that's difficult. It's difficult. Because some people want both. It's okay to want both. Just be clear about which one you want now. At this moment, which do you want? It's okay to say, would you please give me a hug? It's okay. It's okay to like to get a hug. It's all right. But

[43:34]

if that's what you want, ask for that, please. And if you want training, ask for training. And if you change from one to the other, put a little flag you put up saying, we're changing now. And I asked people, this morning, I asked many people, do you want Zen training? And many people said, well, didn't I already tell you that? And I said, yeah, but I have to check again sometimes. Because I was thinking of doing some Zen training right now. I'm not going to do it if you don't want me to. Some people told me yesterday they wanted it, so I didn't ask today. But after a few days, I start wondering again sometimes. But this is difficult. Although many

[44:41]

have endured extremely difficult practices, few of them have attained the Dharma. Just difficult practice is not enough. Do you think that people practicing austerities are to be respected? Although there have been many, few of them have attained the way, or they still have not harmonized body and mind. Shall we value the observing of precepts? Many people observe the precepts, but do not attain the way. Because they don't harmonize body, mind, and precepts. You can't just receive the precepts and say, okay, I'm in. I'm just going to practice the precepts according to my idea. You have to harmonize body and mind, which means harmonize your body, other bodies, your mind, other minds, and the precepts. This is difficult. But when you harmonize

[45:44]

body, mind, and precepts, you do attain the way. But just practicing them according to my idea does not realize the way. Many people try. Like Yaoshan, the great master. When he was a young monk, he was an expert on precepts, and he practiced minute attention to detailed doing. I'm not attaining the way. I think I'm going to go study Zen. So he went to see our old friend, Shirto, Sekito Gisen Daisho. And he said, I've been practicing the precepts a long time, but I still haven't resolved the great matter. Please, in your great compassion, show me the Dharma. Sekito obstructed him and said, Being like this won't do.

[46:45]

I've heard that from teachers. Not being like this won't do either. I haven't heard that. Being both like this and not like this won't do at all. How about you? Or as I used to say, How about you? Yakusan Igen didn't get it. Yakusan Igen didn't get it. He's trying to practice the precepts, okay? He goes to the Zen teacher to try to help him harmonize body and mind. This is a real sincere person. The great Sekito Gisen tries to help him. It doesn't work. He tries to find to help him harmonize body and mind and attain the way. It doesn't work.

[47:47]

So then Sekito says, The conditions aren't right here. We don't have an affinity. Go study with Master Ma. Matsu. So he goes and studies with Ma. He tells him about his talk with Sekito, with Shirto. Ask him too to help him harmonize body and mind. Master Ma says, Sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Sometimes he doesn't raise his eyebrows and blink. Sometimes raising the eyebrows and blinking is right. Sometimes raising the eyebrows and blinking is not right. How about you? Yaoshan understood.

[48:49]

Dogen Zenji says, I love this part. Brilliance is not primary. Understanding is not primary. Conscious endeavor is not primary. Introspection is not primary. Without using any of these, harmonize body and mind and enter the Buddha way. Shakyamuni Buddha said, Avalokiteshvara turns the stream inward and disregards knowing objects. Avalokiteshvara turns the stream around and forgets objects. Avalokiteshvara turns the stream around and practices one practice samadhi. Forgetting objects. Entering the way.

[50:10]

This is the meaning of separation between activity and stillness simply does not arise. Make the body and mind one with no division between movement and stillness. This is difficult. Meeting another being. Forget the object. Drop the object. Recognizing an object, forget the object. Meeting another being.

[51:13]

No gap between activity and stillness. This is harmonizing body and mind and it's difficult. Avalokiteshvara forgets Avalokiteshvara Well, he has more to say about this, but I guess you kind of got the point. Right?

[52:15]

Or maybe I'll mention this. He says for some people their own views are primary. Do you know anybody like that? For some people their own views are primary. Particularly at Green Gulch. I give talks there and afterwards people come to me and say that was a good talk. Just what I think. And I think uh-oh uh-oh for both of us. I'm catering to people's views and they're liking it. That's slightly different from

[53:33]

you're talking about what my problem is right now. That I feel good about. So way back in Dogon's time people would open sutras and memorize a few words and think about the Buddha Dharma and then they would go see a teacher and if the teacher agreed with what they read and what they thought they would think that the teacher was right. But if they disagreed they'd think the teacher was wrong. They did not know how to abandon their mistaken tendencies. So this is a tough one. Again to assert your view and drop it. How do you do that? That's difficult. Don't

[54:38]

be dishonest and pretend like you don't have a view but at the same time don't hold your view as primary. Just assert it. This is my view. And then drop it and listen. Or listen and then say this is my view. Rather than this is my view and who is going to agree with it and that's right. Students of the way should not employ thinking, analysis or any such thing. Students of the way know that the Buddha way lies outside thinking, analysis, prophecy, introspection, knowledge and wise explanation. If the Buddha way were in these activities they would not have realized the Buddha way by now. If Buddha way were in these activities why would you not have realized the Buddha way now

[55:39]

since from birth you have perpetually been in the midst of such activities. Students of the way should not employ thinking, analysis or any such thing. Though thinking and other activities perpetually beset you, if you examine them as you go your clarity will be like a mirror. The way to enter the gate is realized only by a teacher who has attained Dharma. It cannot be reached by priests who have attained, who have studied letters. And use these letters to bolster their own view. .

[56:50]

. . . In studying the Buddhist teaching in scriptures and commentaries, in listening to the Buddhist teaching given by practitioners and teachers, the point is not to bolster and reinforce your own view. It is also not to undermine and discredit your own view. The point of listening to Dharma and studying Dharma is to harmonize your view and other views. In order to harmonize your view and other views, you need to drop your view and listen to others.

[58:24]

Don't worry, your view will always come back. It doesn't need to be gripped. And you should honor your view as your view and take care of your view The whole world needs you to take care of your view and present your view. This is your job. Come forward and say, here's my view. Present it just so. That's your job. And then if it's done fully, if it's done fully, if it's done fully, it drops. If you don't present fully, it sticks. Part of Zen training is to learn how to present your view, to present your understanding so fully that yours drops. Part of Zen training is to tell you when you present it too strong or too weak.

[59:27]

When you present 106% of your view, or 94% of your view. When you present your view just so, and then let it drop. And receive the other view just so, and let it drop. Let it penetrate and drop all the way through you. Dogen Zenji thinks this is possible. Buddha thought it was possible. They thought it actually was realized. Such a kind of meeting, such a kind of practice. But a lot of other smart people thought it wasn't possible. How about you? Satsang with Mooji

[61:34]

Satsang with Mooji Satsang with Mooji www.mooji.org

[61:39]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ