In order, I mean, to the order of Zen Master Daikon of Hōrinji Temple on Sokezan, in Shoshu District. And it's interesting, then he switches to Chinese. The Shoshu District of Guangdong. I wonder why, maybe they have trouble finding out what, how to say, Shoshu. Well, in the note, it looks like they've got the Japanese for it, but... Yeah. Anyway, this is our sixth ancestor. And it says, to the order of, in the great kingdom of Sung, there came a monk called He boasts, I have recited the Lotus just 3,000 times.

[01:17]

The ancestor said, even if you recite it 10,000 times, if you do not understand the sutra, you will not be able to, you will not be able even to recognize your errors. Hotasi says, the student is foolish. Until now, I have only been reading the sutra aloud, following the characters. How could I have hoped to clarify the meaning? The ancestor says, Try reciting a round of the sutra, and I will interpret for you. Kotatsu recites the sutra at once. When he reaches the speeding and means chapter, the ancestor says, stop. The fundamental point of this sutra is the purpose of the Buddhas appearing in the world.

[02:27]

Although it is found in many metaphors, the sutra does not go beyond this. What is that purpose? Only the one great matter. The one great matter is just the Buddha's wisdom itself. It is to disclose, to display, to realize and enter Buddha's wisdom. It is naturally the wisdom of the Buddha And someone who is equipped with the wisdom is already a Buddha. You must now believe that the Buddha's wisdom is simply your own natural state of mind. So whatever historical...

[03:37]

validity there is to this story. This story is taken as a keen story in, especially in Soto Zen, but I think also in Rinzai Zen, that the Sixth Ancestor is saying the main part of the Lotus Sutra is this simple statement, the one and great causal condition for the Buddhas in the world is to... What does it say? Open here? Disclose? Disclose, open... display, realize, and enter. Or another translation would be open, demonstrate, awaken, and enter Buddhist wisdom. So that's for the sixth ancestor, that's the main point of the sutra. Tanhashi didn't do four. What? Tanhashi-san, he didn't do like the four things.

[04:39]

Yeah, you can combine them. What is the single central matter? It is the Buddha unfolding knowledge and entering realization. Yeah. So you can combine the first two and the second two that way. Open and demonstrate. Open and demonstrate and realize could be awaken and enter. I think Burton Watson also does it in two. I think it's somewhat justifiable because, you know, Chinese, when spoken, is dis-syllabic. I mean, di-something, two characters at once, especially when you're talking. So you wouldn't set their compounds by two? If you set those four characters, the Chinese person would never hear it as... two words, each made of two characters. Because the sounds of the words are so similar that they often use a second word with the same meaning range to reinforce that it's that ma that they mean.

[05:51]

So knowledge is jadao, both of which have something to do with knowing and getting. And So if you think of him as speaking this, then he probably would be heard as saying, as he's translated this. However, when you read in the sutra, When you're reading a sutra, it's Buddha speaking, and he's not speaking Chinese. So then the Buddha said four. So in Sanskrit, religion is four, and then Chinese translation is four, but then if they speak it, in particular if the sixth ancestor would say it, it would somehow be heard as colloquial. And then it would be heard that way, so it's kind of interesting to do it with two... But we understand that those actually are four different, although they overlap and they can be written that way, they're actually four different, I think that they're actually four different phases in the process.

[06:56]

And I think very important for Soto Zen is that the awakening and entering are not the same. that the psychological experience of awakening and the actual realization are not the same. One can be recognized and the other cannot. Is that the same with entering? Is that the same with entering and awakening? Yes, entering is like the realization. The word for awakening is the word for satori. So it has the word character for satori, or awakening, and this character for entering. Which can be reckoned with. A realization. Satori, people recognize satori. Oh, I see. You know, they say, yesterday I had satori. So-and-so had satori during sasin. But you don't have realization during sasin. That which can be recognized is not realization. But they also can happen at the same time.

[08:04]

So anyway, this is very important for the Sixth Ancestor, and we don't think, we call this the One Great Matter in Soto Zen. But for Dogen, a more important point than this, the Sixth's most important point, although this is the One Great Matter, The main point of the sutra is the eternal life of Buddha. The fact that Buddha is present is more important for Dogen. So Dogen is showing us, he's trying to show us, demonstrate that for the Sixth Ancestor, this part about the One Great Matter is the main point of the sutra. But later Dogen will say that for me the most important point in the sutra is that the Buddha is with us. Not just the reason why the Buddha is with us, which of course he agrees with, but that the Buddha is with us.

[09:13]

So the reason why is very important, because otherwise you wouldn't understand what Buddhas are here for and how they get here. That's nice to know. Very important. And we need to participate in that. But Dogen thinks it's more important. Yeah, we do. But by the way, they're with us, helping us do the practice. And that is more important in some sense because that is the reason why we will do the practice. So he agrees with the Sixth Ancestor and with the Lotus Sutra that that's really the point of our practice. But we also, what's more important than that is that the Buddhists are with us and will make sure that we do practice. And this is the great happiness of Dogen. And this is the great happiness of the Lotus Sutra because of that We will participate in the one great matter, because the Buddhas are going to make us into Buddhas, because they're present and powerful.

[10:23]

But we can resist, and that will have some consequence. But fortunately it won't permanently prevent realization because the Buddhas are present all the time doing their work and they will force us into Buddhahood. So you look for a Buddha in Sarah Palin? Definitely. Not to say she is a Buddha. But I should regard her as what? Future Buddha. Hmm? Future Buddha. I should regard her as a bodhisattva. Never, never disparage? Never disparage. No one did he disparage. They disparaged him.

[11:27]

Sir, they didn't disparage you, that's okay. Yeah. Throwing pot shots at me. Yeah. So would you say that Buddhas are all-powerful and they will make you practice? Or there's one way to think of that, which might be illustrated in the lotus that you're being surrounded by, like a page of gold ink and blue surrounded by Buddhas who are... Or all things are Buddhadharma, all... The Buddhas can't make you be enlightened, but if they could, they would, out of compassion, but they can't zap you into realization. That's right, and also they can zap you into realization, but they can do it all.

[12:30]

So the way they zap you is they interact with you in such a way that you do the practice. So we have to participate in this practice. If we don't, they can't make us Buddhas, but they are pressuring us to do the practice. If they could do the practice for us, then we would be Buddhas. Then they would not only be encouraging us, but they would make us a Buddha. Mm-hmm. So, Sixth Ancestor's emphasizing we must participate in this process, but we're not going to do it without those who are born because of this practice assisting us. But they don't do it. They support us to do the practice. But they will be successful. This sutra is saying they will be successful. And then it gives you examples of all these people, if they would do these things, these are people who will become Buddhists.

[13:42]

Now what about people who haven't yet done these things? It doesn't mention them. It just says everybody's going to become Buddha. So everybody's going to do something eventually. But I can't think of a place in Dosuja where it mentions a particular person who's going to become a Buddha without mentioning a particular person that's practicing that's going to become a Buddha. So if you find me a place like that, I'd be interested to see it. So he says everybody's going to become Buddha, but then they point to particular deluded people who are doing something, some little shred of practice, and that person will become Buddha. but then also everybody will become Buddha. So, so far in this text, now we're talking about the sixth ancestor, I just wanted to forecast that Dogen will now get ready to tell us what he thinks is the key point.

[14:44]

And I'm sort of now emphasizing the difference between this somewhat theoretical statement about the causes and conditions of a Buddha, which is very important, It is called the one great matter, and we do speak of it. But to know the vitality, the living practices, the presence of the Buddhas. And sometimes I would guess I kind of accord with Dogen that that's the most important point. And that makes possible that we can talk about the one great matter. Just like we were talking about yesterday in the priest meeting, there's giving going on in this world. Material giving is going on. even before there's a Buddha. It's a natural part of the universe. But the giving of Dharma requires the appearance of a Buddha. And this sutra is saying that Buddha has appeared and is present. So we can have this Dharma.

[15:45]

And the Sixth Ancestor says, When mind is in delusion, flower of Dharma turns. When mind is in realization, we turn the flower of Dharma. What does the other translation say? Did you find that spot in the sutra, this verse? Yeah. When you are deluded, you are turned by the Dharma blossoms. When you are enlightened, you turn the Dharma blossoms. When your mind is enlightened. Is that what you mean? This is Tam, how she says the translation. Yeah. Oh. Is this off the internet? This is the one that Bo said, right? This must be... Yeah, it's an older version. Is this an older version? Yeah. So that one says when your mind is... When your mind is deluded, you are turned by the Dharma blossoms. When your mind is enlightened, you turn the Dharma blossoms. Okay. Is it different? Yeah. Okay.

[16:47]

So this is a... This is a great statement. And I... I wanted to say another way that sometimes he's going to say it, I think, is when you're weak, the Dharma flower turns you. When you're strong, you turn the Dharma flower. It's another way. I've heard it. unless we are clear about ourselves, however long we may recite the sutra, it will become an enemy because of its meanings. Without intention, the mind is right. With intention, the mind becomes wrong. When we transcend both with and without, we ride eternally on the white ox.

[17:53]

Is that a translation? If you cannot clarify the meaning after chanting the sutra at great length, you become its enemy. You become its enemy. It becomes your enemy. Yeah, it will become an enemy. You become its enemy. Thinking beyond thinking is right. Thinking about thinking is wrong. If thinking and beyond thinking do not divide the mind, you can steer the white ox cart endlessly. Could you mind it? Yeah, and thinking is the character for mindfulness. Where'd it go? Where'd it go? There it is. Yeah. Without thinking, thinking has the ability to be true. Mm-hmm. And with thinking, thinking attains, oh, attains, is that like false, attains falsehood or something?

[19:00]

Mm-hmm. and thinking, and the other one said, what was the other one? Intention. Intention. This character could be translated as intention or thinking, and also it's translated as mindfulness, or just also means a moment of thought. So which one, thinking, beyond thinking, that? Yeah, which is interesting. Which part is mindfulness? Thinking. So in Chinese, it's without something. Something could be called thinking, intention, or a moment of thought. So mindfulness is right? So without mindfulness, mindfulness is right. Without mindfulness, mindfulness is immediately correct. With mindfulness, mindfulness, you attain falsehood.

[20:04]

Kind of misleading to say, thinking beyond thinking, because the name of the book, which is a different character than, you know, thinking not thinking. Yeah, this is not Shiryu Fushiryu. It's not that one. This character is a character which is made of two other characters. One character means mind, and the other one means now, or present. Yeah, the character for mindfulness that's often used is now mind, or the mind of the present. It's kind of nice. But it also means a moment of thought, a present moment of thought. And it also means to remember, and it also means, it also could be a thought, and it also could be an intention. So it has a range of meanings. NIN-NIN-JU-SHEN-GYI. Like in moment by moment. So the repeating of characters, you have thinking or intention or a moment of thought.

[21:10]

So the first one is... Without thinking, intention, moment of thought, the thinking, intention, moment of thought is right? Right. So it's repeating the same characters? Yes, so it's without thinking, thinking is right. With thinking, thinking is wrong. I have to say it, with thinking about thinking, or without thinking about thinking. So I think, basically, to make a long story short, this means the mind of no abode is right, and the mind with abode is wrong. If the mind is kind of sunk into the mind, then we're just, you know, in delusions. But when the mind is not sunk in the mind or doesn't abide in the mind, that mind is the right mind. In the same way, when we approach the sutra, if our mind sinks into it, we don't understand what's going on.

[22:22]

We need to understand when we're studying the sutra that we're studying ourself. And we need to understand when we're studying ourself, we're studying the sutra. so we don't abide in the sutra, the self, or the mind. This is the... In other words, we're studying emptiness when we're studying the sutra. We're studying our self. But if we think we're studying something out there, separate from us... It's our parents. If we think Sarah Palin is separate from us, we're wrong. But when we understand that she's not, in other words, we don't abide in the thought of her, then we're right. And then the Dharma flower is turned. When the Dharma flower is turned, we don't think Sarah Palin is out there. The dharma flower is turned as like the flower of the true dharma is realized in the world.

[23:30]

It's out there. The dharma flower is blossoming. But when we don't do that, it's still turning us. But, you know, it doesn't blossom because we're sunk into our own story. So we have to have this mind which has done an abode, and then when we have that mind, then this mind, this kind of way of being turns the dharma flower. So it's turning anyway, but it doesn't bloom unless we accord with it by having this mind which, without thinking, thinks, and without abode, abides. you know, without taking a stand, you take a stand and not taking a stand. This basic dynamic, again, is this, the name of this fascicle, is about turning the losage. It's not grabbing it. It's not forgetting about it.

[24:32]

It's being with it in this turning relationship and realize that when we abide, We're in delusion. The process is still going on, but the flower is not blossoming. In some ways, it's very close to those two sentences in the Genjo Koan, but kind of opposite in that the Genjo Koan is like, the myriad things come forth is enlightenment, whereas this is enlightenment is you turning. I noticed, too, it doesn't have the character for you. Yeah, it's really the opposite. That's why it's confusing, because it seems like to be turned by Dharma blossoms sounds pretty good. Yeah, like that's more the dogma version. Yeah. Turning you. Yeah. So when you realized you turned... Then you're turning. Then you're turning. So talking through this, I realized that these four aspects of the one great matter is a model for the transmission on Vulture Peak.

[25:51]

The Buddha opened the Dharma. turned turned held it up turned it which is a display uh and uh maha kashapa awakened and buddha then said you know we are we enter together Right, but in that moment he says, I have the eye of the true treasury of the Dharma and I entrust it to Mahakasyapa. In that moment it was like a mutual entry into the Dharma, so that moment is a model is modeled on the four aspects of the one great matter. And it's not just one person. I mean, it involves that there's a second person. And the whole Sangha, the whole universe is present for it. I think that's what makes it such a powerful story.

[26:59]

And that story makes this teaching powerful teaching. It's happening. Is it also in the Lotus Sutra? No, no, it's not in the Lotus Sutra. We can't find it, right? We don't know. It first appears like, I think, like the 9th century in China. There's no record of it. There's no scriptural source? There's no pre-Chinese record of that story between... There's stories of Mahakasyapa and Buddha... about stories about them, but this particular story, especially them going up in the cave with the burning chickens. We don't find any Indians. So where is it in the... Oh, is it in the transmission of the light? That's where it is. It's in the transmission of the light. It's also in the... Yeah, it's in the transmission of the lamp also. It's in the lamp and the light. And it's other places, too. There's various places.

[28:03]

Griff Borg sent us his research on it, but he wasn't able to find anything before the 9th century. By the 10th century, it's a very popular story in the Zen tradition. Is there even a case in the Mumon Khan? It might be. Holding up the flower? Is it? It might be. One of the Cohen collections. Definitely. It might be in there. So, are you going to be here next week? I don't know. Depending on you, that's right. So he might be here next week. Oh. Oh. So we, in case you're not, of course, we want to wish you well. Oh, thank you. In case you are, we want to wish you well. You're right. What a deal. Maybe I can come up occasionally for a Tuesday meeting in the mountains.

[29:06]

It always sounds easy from this end. From this end, yeah. When you guys are down there, it's like... We will try to carry on without you. Be heard.

[29:20]

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