The mountains and waters of the immediate present are the realization of the path of the ancient Buddhists. Master Puyo Dōkai said, The green mountains are forever walking.

[01:03]

In most Zen temples throughout the world, every day in their services, they chant the heart of wisdom which has gone beyond wisdom, and they say that existence is not different from emptiness, and emptiness is not different from existence. Although this is called the heart sutra, in a way this is a kind of heartless teaching. It's a heartless teaching which forces us to bring our heart into it or to find the

[02:41]

heart in it. This indication that the green mountains are walking, always, and the stone woman gives birth to a child at night, gives us some foothold. I introduced these words to you earlier this week, to those of you who have been hiking a lot, and those of you who have been hiking a lot, those of you who have been hiking out in the hills and the mountains, and those of you who have been hiking in the valley.

[03:41]

I haven't really explained what this is about, because I first wanted to talk to the one who doesn't need any explanation. Tonight, I'll give a little explanation. Very simply, the mountains are existence. The waters are the lack of inherent existence, the lack of inherent nature of all existence. The heart sutra says that when the bodhisattva, when the enlightening being of infinite compassion

[04:47]

saw that existence lacks inherent nature, when the bodhisattva of infinite compassion saw that existence lacks inherent nature, this was the end of all suffering, seeing, seeing, realizing that existence lacks inherent nature is the end of all suffering, but also understanding that the lack of inherent nature is not different from existence, is also the

[05:54]

end of all suffering. There is a lack of inherent existence inside existence. And there is existence inside the lack of inherent existence. Realizing this is wisdom which has gone even beyond wisdom. This is the end of suffering.

[06:55]

Master Dokai said, the green mountains are always walking. A stone woman gives birth to a child in the dark, in the night. This is the same statement. The mountains, the green mountains are always walking. Existence is always walking. And a stone woman, a barren woman, that which can't produce anything does produce a child in darkness. The waters produce mountains.

[08:11]

They, someone asks, what is the meaning of the ceremonies we do in Zen? The meaning of the ceremonies is, a stone woman gives birth to a child in the dark. Because of the barren woman, because of that which has no inherent existence, or because of the lack of inherent existence, because of that, we have a party every morning. We get up in the dark, except in the summer we get up when it's not so dark. We go up here in this room and we have a celebration of the stone woman.

[09:28]

We celebrate the barren woman. Our celebration is the child of the barren woman. Our practice is the children of the barren woman. Children of a woman who cannot produce children. This and this is the most joyous and heartless party. We come and do something in order to realize that we're not doing anything. We go way out of our way to do something very special, something that has no meaning,

[10:38]

except to celebrate the fact that we're not doing anything. And this action, these gestures of practice, which celebrate our inaction, are the realization of freedom. Really empty, yet inconceivably exist. One day, a monk came and asked the Zen teacher, Yun Men, where do all the Buddhas come from? Yun Men said, the eastern mountain moves over the water.

[11:45]

Where do all the Buddhas come from, teacher? The eastern mountain moves over the water. These words mean that all mountains are the eastern mountains, and that all east mountains walk over the water. For this reason, all mountains realize walking over the mountain.

[13:02]

Practice and verify it. This is the east mountain. In the waters, or on the waters,

[14:04]

in the waters, on the waters, in the dark, on the dark, in the lack of inherent existence, on the lack of inherent existence. In emptiness, some people think, in emptiness, in the lack of inherent existence, well, probably everything is just pretty much, you know, you name it. Probably things are pretty chaotic. Probably there's no logic. Probably there's no words. Some people think that. Do you think that?

[15:16]

In a void, in a void, wouldn't you think, perhaps, it would be pretty much whatever? But this void, this special void, which is not nothing, but is a void which is completely free of any category, which is completely free of anything you can grasp, this void within itself has a structure, has a logic. It's not irrational. It's rational. A rational void.

[16:26]

A rational, ungraspable vastness. A darkness with a light inside. A light of reason inside a sleep of reason. There is a virus in the body of human beings which thinks that you can grasp it. Or, if you can't grasp it, then it must be nothing. But it's neither of those. You can't grasp it, and it's not nothing. It's not a thing called nothing. It's got a structure, but you can't get a hold of it.

[17:30]

Right in the light, there is darkness. Right in the darkness, there is light. But don't try to see it as light. Don't try to grasp it as light. Don't try to confront it as light. The mountains. Right in the mountains, there is walking. That's the same as right in the light, there's darkness. Right in existence, there's emptiness. But don't try to grab the emptiness. Right in the mountains, there's walking. But don't try to grab the walking. Right in your walking, right in your life, there is walking.

[18:35]

But you can't grasp the walking. There have been times in the history of Zen where most of the Zen people actually thought that emptiness, that the realm of the ungraspable, that the realm of darkness, was irrational, had to be irrational. And that the words of Buddha, coming from this void, were irrational. So, for example, the story of Nanchuan. The story of Nanchuan's sickle. They thought it was a story,

[19:36]

they knew it was a story from the Buddhas and ancestors, but they thought it was an irrational story. They thought it was an illogical story. They thought it was a structureless story. They thought that the way Buddhas and ancestors taught was to offer people irrational, non-logical, non-structural words to upset them. To instrumentally cause them to wake up. But look at this story. One day, Nanchuan was out with his monks doing some work in the fields

[20:38]

or on the mountainside. A monk came by looking for Nanchuan and said to Nanchuan, I'm looking for Nanchuan. Where is Nanchuan? And Nanchuan said, raised his sickle and said, this sickle cost me 30 dollars. 30 coins. The monk said, I'm not interested in farm implements. I'm looking for Nanchuan. Nanchuan. And Nanchuan said, it cuts very well. Some people think that that's irrational. I can't understand that that's irrational. Can you? To me it seems very rational.

[21:39]

Not very rational, just rational. I see the logic of non-duality there. I see that the Buddhas and ancestors talk just like that. And it's perfectly rational. Do you see it? Now it seems like a strange way to talk, doesn't it? Somebody... Like let's say I was a teacher here at Tassajara. And... the teacher at a temple gets the name of the temple. So this place is called Zenshinji. You know, Zenshin Temple. Right? So, they call me, if I'm a teacher, they call me Zenshin. Abbot Zenshin. So a monk comes down the path here, let's say I'm up the road, I'm breaking some rocks that have blocked the road. I used to do that. My first practice period here,

[22:43]

they had a lot of rain. See the rain? This is rain. And the rain came down, the rains came down, and the boulders fell on the road. Mostly, it just turns out that the way Tassajara is set up, the place where most of the boulders slip from is that place not too far from here where there's a lot of sandstone boulders up in the hill. You know what I'm talking about? And when it rains, they come rolling down on the road, and some of them are so big you can't move them with your hands or your feet. You've got a illogical statement. Is it? No, perfectly logical, isn't it? Big boulders can't move. So my job was to break the boulders. And the way I broke them was I took this drill, and I would go out and drill holes in the boulder.

[23:45]

And I would take the drill and put it down. It had a star on the top of the drill. And I would pound, with a sledgehammer, I'd pound a hole in the rock. And I'd turn the drill back and forth and hit it like this. And it took me 40 minutes to drill one hole. And in one work period, I could drill three holes. That was my job. Then after I had three holes, I'd put two pieces of metal in the hole. And then I'd put a spike in the hole that was the same size as the hole before I, you know, same size as the hole. But I put the two pieces of metal in so it was kind of, it couldn't quite get in. And then I would pound the spike, the three spikes into three holes, so they would get pushed down, but it would be a tight squeeze because the two pieces of metal plus the spike couldn't fit in the holes, so there would be some tension created,

[24:48]

and it would make a crack around the hole. And the crack would spread from the hole, and I'd go to the next hole and do the same, and the crack would spread from the hole, and I'd go to the next hole and do the same, and the crack would spread from the hole. And then I'd just keep doing that until the cracks met each other. And they did. And when they met each other, the rock would go pop. Then I'd have two boulders, but they were a little smaller than the first one. Then I'd try to move the two boulders, and if I couldn't, then I'd do the same thing to the two parts until finally I could move the boulder. That was my job. Do you know why I brought that up? I can't remember why I brought that up. Sickle. Oh, sickle, yeah, right. So, while I'm up there, see, if I'm the teacher, my name's Zen Shin, right? So while I'm up there, some guy comes down or some gal comes down the road.

[25:49]

They see this guy drilling these holes, cracking these boulders and trying to move them. And they come over and they say, I'm looking for Zen Shin. And I said, this is my hammer. This is my chisel. They bought them from me on the town trip last week. Who am I talking about? Who am I talking about? Huh? I'm talking about Zen Shin. That's Zen Shin. Zen Shin tension. So, and they say, excuse me, but, didn't you hear what I said? I'm looking for Zen Shin. Now, when they say Zen Shin, they could be talking, since they know Zen language, what they mean is they're looking for the teacher Zen Shin.

[26:53]

If they're looking for the temple, they say Zen Shinji. So I say, look how it works, watch. Is that illogical? It's kind of a strange way to talk, but to me it's very direct. I'm saying, this is me. You're looking for me? Here I am. Hi. Look, this is me. But you see, it seems illogical, because usually if somebody says, I'm looking for you, you say, well, here I am. Right? That's more usual logic, but that's not the way Buddhists talk. They don't have that dualism in what they do. Do you understand? If you say to a Buddha, I'm looking for you, let's say the Buddha's name is Ralph, okay? They say, I'm looking for Ralph.

[27:54]

They come up to a Buddha named Ralph and say, I'm looking for Ralph. Ralph doesn't say, oh, I'm Ralph. The Buddha says, well, I don't know what the Buddha says. Well, gosh, how do you do? Or, I'm working on rocks. Or, welcome to the road. Or, me too. They got this problem, the Buddhas. They're logical. They're rational. But their rationality is not the rationality of duality. Their rationality is not the rationality of, I'm something other than this. I'm, there's somebody here pounding, there's a pounding here, and then there's a person pounding here. There's my toys and then there's me. They don't think that way.

[28:57]

That's not their logic. They got different logic. Their logic is, this cost 30 coins. They don't do that to teach somebody something. They do it because that's the way they are. They don't have any space around what they are. The mountains are the mountains. They're not the mountains talking about the mountains. You go up to the mountains and say, I'm looking for the mountains. They don't say, well, they're right over there. Now, ordinary people do that. Those mountains that tell you where the mountains are, are not the mountains of the immediate present. Those are the mountains of the immediate, or not so immediate past or future. They're the mountains of someplace else, from here and now. Those are the chicken mountains.

[29:58]

Those are the cowardly mountains. Those are the lying mountains. Those are the sleeve ball mountains. But those mountains, those are very logical and reasonable by your idea and my idea of reasonable. They follow the usual reason. They follow the reason of, I'm someplace else, so I can tell you where I am. I've got some location I can tell you about because it's someplace other than here. It's right over here. But Buddhas have a logic, but it's not the same logic. It's logic though. It's the logic of emptiness. It's the logic of void. It's the logic of the ungraspable, absolutely joyous freedom, which is the stone woman that gives birth to the child.

[31:01]

They are the children of the stone woman. They are not the children of a fertile woman. Those who are children of fertile women are deluded people. Those people go to study Zen. And after they study Zen, they become the children. Their life becomes the children of the barren woman. And they're perfectly logical, but it's a new logic. It's the logic of the void. It's the logic of freedom from suffering. It's the logic of green mountains forever walking. It's the logic of the eastern mountains moving over the water. I'm getting a little excited.

[32:10]

I'm getting parts coming. Dogen's Edge is really great. Listen to this. Please know that you are not alone. That this quote, that this teaching, of the east mountains moving over the water, is the bones and marrow of the Buddhas and ancestors. The mountains and rivers of the immediate present are the realization of the path of the ancient Buddhas. That's the beginning of the scripture. Then he says, know that this teaching, eastern mountains walking over the water, is the bones and marrow of the Buddhas and ancestors.

[33:14]

All the waters are realized at the foot of east mountain. All the waters. What are the waters? Darkness. What are the waters? Emptiness. All the waters are realized where? At the foot of east mountain. What's east mountain? East mountain is all mountains. What's mountains? Phenomena. Existence. Where are the waters realized? They're realized at the foot of the mountains. Consequently, all the mountains ride on the clouds and stride in the heavens. The peaks, the peaks of all the waters are all the mountains. Ascending and descending

[34:25]

walks, ascending and descending walks of all mountains takes place over the waters. Since the tips of the feet of all the mountains walk across all the waters, splashing all the waters merrily. Their walking is free everywhere and their practice and verification is not non-existent. All the waters. All the water appears at the foot of the eastern mountain. Accordingly, all mountains ride the clouds and walk in the sky. Above the water are all the mountains. Walking beyond and walking within are both done on water. All mountains walk

[35:27]

with their toes in all the waters and splash there. You should know that the eastern mountains travel on the waters is the bones and marrow of Buddhas and Zen adepts. The waters have become manifest at the feet of the eastern mountain. For this reason, the mountains climb to the clouds and walk in the heavens. The top of the heads, the top of the head of the waters is the mountains. Walking both heading upward and right down is on the water. The points of the feet, that is the toes, of the mountains walk on the water and cause the waters

[36:28]

to spurt forth. So the walking is uninhibited and it is not that there is no cultivation and realization. Okay? Here is a mountain. Okay, I got a little mountain. See it? But I'm holding the bottom of it. Alright? This is a mountain. Now, down here is the foot of the mountain. Okay? We have foothills, right? Here is the foot of the mountain. Now, what's at the foot of the mountain? Huh? Water. Water. Water. Now, what's the mountain? Huh? Existence. Existence. What's the water? The lack of inherent existence. Okay? So, see the image of the mountain?

[37:30]

A mountain is heavy, right? Okay? Got this big heavy mountain and at the bottom of the mountain with the whole mountain squashing down, what's at the bottom there? The lack of inherent existence. Each thing is very heavy like that. At the bottom of the thing, squished down at the bottom all the weight of the thing, right there, the whole thing bearing down right there at the foot of it is the emptiness of the thing. The toes, the tip of the feet, now he says, now get the feet right, the tip of the feet, the tip, the toes of the mountain are dangling down in the water and they cause the water to spurt forth. What's this stuff spurting forth? What is that stuff? Emptiness. Huh? Emptiness is spurting forth.

[38:31]

Where is it spurting forth? From the toes of the mountain which are splashing merrily in emptiness. Where are the toes of the mountains? Huh? What is the toes of the mountains? What is it? What is the toes of the mountains? Huh? Huh? What is the toes of the mountains? Do you understand? What is the toes of the mountains? What is it? Tell me. It's going to be hard to say. You're going to have a hard time. You're going to have a real hard time, but say it. What is the toes of the mountains? Our life? It's pretty good, but not so good. Say it again. Yeah, there you go.

[39:35]

Huh? Just like that. Huh? Or, Eh? The toes of the mountains are what it said earlier. Remember what it said earlier? Not everybody, some people didn't hear this whole thing, but it says, each abiding, these are mountains, okay, the mountains and rivers of the immediate present. Immediate present, okay? Not the past, not the future, but the immediate present which has the past and the future working for it too. Okay? The dynamic present. The mountains and rivers of that place are the actualization of the path of the ancient Buddha. Now here it comes. Abiding together, each abiding together in its phenomenal expression. What's the phenomenal expression? Well, it's a whole mountain, right? It's a whole mountain is a phenomenal expression. A mountain is a phenomenal expression. Right?

[40:35]

A mountain is a phenomenal expression. Okay? Abiding in its phenomenal expression, it realizes completeness. Or, it realizes, it consummates the qualities of thorough exhaustiveness. It consummates the qualities of thorough exhaustiveness. Now those are the toes. It realizes total exertion. In other words, it realizes total exertion. It's completely what it is, right down to the tips of the toes of the mountain. Imagine a mountain, okay? Big mountain. Imagine it's got toes, little teeny toes at the bottom. And those toes coming down, the mountain's got time and space to come down to toes and toenails. And write big encyclopedias about toenails. Those toenails go into the water

[41:39]

and splash narrowly and cause the water, cause the emptiness, to spurt forth. So there it is. That's form and emptiness. Okay? Every morning we go, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness not different from form. It's nice, okay? But what does that mean for your life? What's your form? What's the toes of the mountain of your form? What's the toes of the mountain of your feeling? What the toes of mountains of your concepts? What the toes of the mountains of your perception? What the toes of the mountain of your consciousness. Those toes Emptiness are dangling down into emptiness, splashing there merrily and causing the emptiness to splatter you into relief from all suffering.

[42:40]

This is the realization of emptiness. This is not just talking about emptiness, this is not thinking about emptiness, this is getting emptiness into your life. How do you get into your life? With your form, with your feelings, with your emotions, with your concepts, with your clean, with your consciousness, with your inclinations, with your dishonesty, with your cowardliness, with your courageousness, with whatever you're doing, your phenomenal life, just right there, right there. Honestly doing what you're doing, with unshakable faith that this is where you're sitting. Each of you sitting in your place, your dharma position, your dharma position, your dharma position, your phenomenal expression, your phenomenal expression, your dharma position, your dharma position, each of you has your place at your mountain. At the foot of that mountain, okay, at the foot of the mountain is the water, okay, alright? And that mountain is moving over those waters and the toes of that mountain is splashing

[43:47]

in the water and the water is spurting forth. Well I think that's about the greatest teaching I ever heard. Just think about that, those images, so helpful, so thoroughly exhaustive, so totally exerted. And I really would like you, and I really like me, when I walk around in this world, to put my feet down on the ground and have those feet hit the ground and have those little toes grip the earth, really just like they're gripping the earth, exactly like they're gripping

[44:48]

the earth, inside my shoes or, what do they say, ten toes over, hanging over the edge of my Zaris or whatever they're doing, my feet on the ground, thoroughly exhausting each step. So I beg you, and I beg me, maybe I even ask you, are you ready to do Bodhisattvas? Are you ready to dedicate your life to all sentient beings? Well, are you? How do you do it? Well there's many ways, but one way is you put your foot on the ground, you take a step, and that step is the mountains, and at the bottom of that step is the waters, and in the toes of that mountain you meet the emptiness of your life. And when you see the relationship between the toes of your life and the lack of inherent

[45:53]

existence of your life, then your life will be free. You understand? Are you ready to walk like that? Now I want to even ask if you're ready to walk like that, or just say, are you walking like that? Is this kind of walking alive or dead? May my life be churning with the trade of bringing and place, with the true merit of

[47:15]

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