Before I forget, is this a five-session class? Is that what you thought? Well, I think that because I had to go away last week and there's a sesshin coming, I think that the last class will have to be after sesshin. So next week's the 12th, is it? So we'll meet next week. Next week's the 13th. So we'll meet next week, the 13th. The one after that's the 20th. You can come on the 20th, but we might not talk about koans. I mean, it'll be in the middle of Sashin. It'll be at the beginning of Sashin. So maybe we'll have something that night. But it won't necessarily be like, it won't be a class in this room probably.

[01:01]

So maybe next week we can decide what will happen the following week. But just in case we don't finish the class in a sense, in that way we can have a meeting after the session. So we're studying a story about one of the most Could you move that couch closer or something? You know, would that be all right? Or sit up here or something? Yeah. You can sit up here, Margo, if you want. You want to sit on a couch? Okay. Okay. Um... So we're studying this story about a Zen teacher named Linji, or... He's also known in Japan as Rinzai.

[02:15]

He's considered the founder of the other major school of Zen that survives in Japan, the Rinzai school. So... So here's the story and I think we've just heard about the cyclone that's hit Bangladesh and we're aware of, again, the vastness of human suffering on this little planet. So it's, I think, good to read the introduction again of this case. Devoted entirely to helping others, you don't know there is a self. There is self. You should exert the law, the Dharma, to the fullest.

[03:24]

without concern that there be no people. For this, it is necessary to have the ruthless ability to snap a wooden pillar in two. When about to go, then what? So if we are aware of our own and other people's suffering and devote ourselves entirely to helping others, which is the mission of the Zen school, which is a sub-school within the Mahayana movement, So that's the premise of Zen practice is devotion to helping others.

[04:27]

Okay? Any questions about that? No? So then, in the situation of being devoted to helping others, we're being told here by this person that in that situation where you are devoted entirely to the welfare of others you don't know there is self so any questions or comments about that no Well, I'd like to comment that the assumption in this case, as is the assumption in all these stories, is that we are entirely devoted to helping others.

[05:39]

And the warning or the training of these cases is to check with ourselves with our person who is dedicated to helping others to check to see if in fact we don't know there is a self. So, in one sense the sentence looks like saying if you really are devoted to helping people then just check to see if you don't know there is a self. That make sense? Not entirely. What's the question? Well, how can you sort of check to see if you don't know there's a self without, like, tied up somehow? How can you check? Yeah. Uh, by reading this story.

[06:42]

And if you read this story and you get tied up somehow, then you're done for. Well, uh, So you have to be able to check without getting tied up. In fact, part of helping people is checking on yourself and others. And you have to be able to check in and check out without getting tangled up. So you have to be able to ask yourself the question, why do I believe in self here? Without accusing yourself, so to speak. Yeah, you need to be able to ask yourself that question without getting confused. Of course, it doesn't mean that if you ask yourself that question and you get confused that that's not part of the process of becoming free of confusion about that question. Just like when you first study this story it doesn't mean that because you get confused when you're studying it that that means you're off the track.

[07:49]

You might be sometimes diagnosing the illness, not sometimes, usually diagnosing the illness is the first moment of treatment. So if you feel confused or tied up in a knot when studying these stories, that awareness of that confusion is already becoming more aware of freedom from self-cleaning. Does that make sense to people? Yes? Why a problem with the idea of going to helping others? Because if you're helping others, who's helping others anyway? That's the success of self, which is helping others. So why find just the idea of helping others without anything else? Yeah, so it's saying that in order to be entirely devoted to helping others... It's just your doing.

[08:58]

Yeah, but still, to be entirely devoted to helping others is the bodhisattva vow. So the bodhisattva vow at that level is dualistic. Sentient beings are numberless. I vow to save them. It's a dualistic statement. There's two kinds of bodhicitta. There's two kinds of bodhicitta. Bodhicitta means, bodhi means awakening and citta means mind or spirit. There's two kinds of spirit of awakening. One's a relative spirit of awakening or one's a relative mind of enlightenment and there's an absolute mind of enlightenment. The relative mind of enlightenment is in terms of me here and you there, I want to help you and [...] you. I want to help every single living being to be completely happy and I'm willing to do anything necessary and all that's necessary in order to make that happen.

[10:07]

That's a relative bodhicitta. And that thought of enlightenment is born when you get a kind of um it's actually it's born when you get a kind of inspiration or glimpse or intuition of the absolute or non-dualistic thought of enlightenment the absolute or non-dualistic thought of enlightenment is not you don't see any other people You don't see any objects. Therefore, you're completely undisturbed, completely radiant, and completely effective. What I'm going to say a little bit more, and that is this mind, this mind of enlightenment, this absolute one, this complete one, this perfect one, is the identity of

[11:12]

I'll say it the easy way first, the identity of compassion and emptiness. Or the identity of dependently co-arisen existence and emptiness. So there's two kinds of thought of enlightenment. Yes? This first sentence here, devoted entirely to helping others, you don't know there's a self, it almost sounds causal the way it's written. It would make more sense... I think causal is okay. You think that's all right? It can be causal and it can also be conditional. I was going to reverse it and have it make more sense for me. When you don't know there is a self, you are entirely devoted to helping others. How would that play out? Um, not necessarily true. Um, so we can come back to that.

[12:24]

Yes? I wanted to ask you a comment, but at first, do you think there's any mistake that they're already going for the self? It just says there is self. You don't know there is self. I think it's fine to say you don't know there is self, or you could also put an A in there. It makes a difference to me. Because the way it's put here, it sounds like we're talking about a concept of self. It comes up again in three places there. Devoted entirely to helping others, if you don't see others as having an essence of self. and you don't see that you have an essence of self. And then again when it says, concerned that there be no people. Yes. So it seems like it's talking about a concept of some essence of self. If it is talking about a concept, of essence and self, that's the same, actually, as saying self. Self satisfies for that.

[13:28]

For the concept. When you say there is a self, the self can mean, and usually does mean, that you're attributing some independent existence to something. Now, it is possible to understand that there's a self which is not an independently existing self, but a self that's dependently co-arisen, an empty self. If you can do this with the understanding that it's a dependently co-arisen self and not an essential... Yeah, right, but... How do you want to say it? That's the way I want to say it. How do you want to say it? Say it that way. Entirely devoted to helping others. Realizing that others, there is no self, there is no essence. This is a dependently co-arisen other. You don't know that there is a self, a sensual self.

[14:30]

You understand it's a dependently co-arisen. Yeah, you like that way better? That's fine. It's longer though. I know, that's why I would write it like this. That's why I would write it like this. Like it is in the book? Yeah. Yeah, me too. But I just say that's how I understand it. Yeah, that's fine. This is your commentary. That's why it was all based on that little A there. Okay. But if the A wasn't there, you wouldn't have made this comment? No. Oh. The reason why I would say that it doesn't necessarily follow that if you don't know there's a self, that you'll entirely be devoted to others, is that I think people can have moments where they don't know there's a self, and that does not lead them then to devote themselves entirely to helping others. However, later they might, you know, and that moment of not knowing there's a self may later lead to the dedication, that glimpse of a moment of not knowing self, or that glimpse of freedom from any kind of attributing of existence to things, okay?

[15:44]

That probably would be helpful, but unless you also see that that is inseparable from compassion, you wouldn't necessarily then devote yourself to the welfare of beings. On the other hand, if you have already planted the seed of altruistic spirit of working for the benefit of altruistic spirit of enlightenment, of the desire to attain complete awakening for the benefit of all beings, if you planted that seed, and then you have a glimpse of not-self, then that would lead, then that would be, that would allow you then to be entirely devoted. When you first plant the seed of universal compassion, you are not necessarily, as a result of planting that seed, entirely devoted to benefiting all beings. Does that make sense? Sure. So many of us in this room have planted that seed and lost it.

[16:51]

Why did we lose that seed? Because we weren't entirely devoted to taking care of it. When that seed is planted, when that mind is born, is it common or uncommon for it to be lost? Amazing. It's amazingly common. It is one of the most common things that appear in the world to be lost. It's very unlikely that that wonderful mind of altruistic enlightenment will reach fruition. It's planted in a moment. It's a relative thing. It's a relative thought of enlightenment. It's planted in a moment, in a place. And then it's usually lost. Why is it lost? Because the person who planted it is not entirely devoted to carrying it out and protecting it and developing it.

[17:54]

They aren't entirely devoted to practicing the six paramitas, the six perfections, which are, what are the six perfections? Giving, moral conduct, ethical conduct, Patience, energy and effort, or effort, concentration, and wisdom. Because after you plan it, if you're not entirely devoted to those things, this thing can be lost. So there you are, it's lost. Then you have a nice insight into the baselessness of all phenomena, but you've lost the seed, so it doesn't necessarily have that same thing. If you haven't been taking care of this seed long, when you have this insight into the emptiness of the whole project that you've been involved in, if you forgot the project, then emptiness does not serve its purpose so well.

[18:57]

If you have the project of benefiting all beings, and then you realize the project and the beings are empty, Then you become much more efficient in this work, is what this is saying. Yes? I just wondered if this is another way of saying it. I wonder if it's also possible to combine it relatively and have some point of view, as to say, you sense that everything is not one. I mean, it can be in some sense, but there's no way I can benefit any part of the universe separately. So it's a lot... interrelated there's no helping there's no way to help others without helping yourself to help yourself without helping others right and that statement she just made could be an example that linguistic utterance she just made is a is a possible rendition of relative thought of enlightenment you following that but it also could be if she didn't believe in anything she just said and didn't attribute any substance to it and wasn't pushed around by what she just said

[20:03]

then it would also be a case of absolute thought of enlightenment. So they could, they can coexist in the same moment. But also, you can have one without the other. You can say the relative thought of enlightenment, like I want to help everybody, and be totally pushed around by that. In other words, it's a positive thought, to say the least, it's the most, among regular dualistic thoughts, it is the highest quality dualistic thought known to beings. It's the best dualistic thought. But if it's still dualistic, then it leaks. And if it leaks, it also sucks. And if it sucks and leaks, then this enlightenment worker gets burnout. And pretty soon this person who is dedicated to the welfare of other beings starts running away from these beings. Can you imagine a situation like that? I've seen it many times, you know. People try to help people, you know, dualistically. I try to help him and he tells me I'm a turkey and slaps my face. I say, well, that's the last time I'm gonna help him.

[21:07]

You do about five or 10 of those things and you just run away from people. Say, I'm getting out of here. I'm not gonna help people anymore. They're crappy. Especially when you try to help them, they're crappy. If you come in real heavy, like you're gonna break their necks, they're real sweet. this is what can happen to you if you think dualistically, even when you're in the process of working for the benefit of others. So, it is possible to have the relative thought of enlightenment without the other one. They don't necessarily, you don't necessarily realize that they coexist. They do actually coexist all the time. You can also have the absolute without the relative, but having the absolute without the relative really isn't a problem. It's just that you're completely awakened, but you just don't think the thought, I'm going to help people, that you just do So in fact, they do coexist all the time, and our job is to realize their identity, their coexistence, which is the same as to bring this relative thought to complete fruition by joining this wonderful relative thought, using it to generate lots of positive energy through these practices of giving, ethics, patience, enthusiasm.

[22:23]

concentration and wisdom to generate all that power, well, at least concentration, and then use wisdom, non-dual wisdom, to protect this thought of enlightenment from outflows, from gain and loss. So it will grow up, and the weeds of gain and loss will be removed from it, okay? That's what the first sentence is about. And it's also what the second sentence is about. If you exert the law, the Dharma, to the fullest... there will be no concern it won't bother you that there's no other people okay it's basically the same thing in other words most people tend to get lonely when they if they think there's no other people my god I can't stand that but if you're dedicated to the welfare of all beings and you exert that the teachings and practices of benefiting all beings to the fullest you can stand to live in the world where you realize there isn't any people there

[23:28]

to help. It isn't scary to you anymore. It doesn't trip you up that there's nobody out there. Not to mention, it doesn't make you say, well, if there's nobody out there, well, then I'm not going to work for their benefit. You work for the benefit of non-existent beings. If you work for the benefit of existent beings, you will eventually run away from those existent beings. Existent beings, existent beings as non-existent beings are taught by the Buddha. If you believe beings exist, then beings will be misery to you. If you believe that happy people exist, happy people will be misery to you. If you believe unhappy people exist, unhappy people will be misery to you. Whatever you think exists, whatever you approach or whatever approaches you is poison. But if you don't believe that people exist, then people are bliss to you. Okay, well that's sort of what the introduction's about.

[24:34]

Except for the next part is kind of scary. It's saying that it is necessary to have the ruthless ability to break a wooden pillar in two. I don't know if that was a good example, but... It is necessary to have the ruthless ability to break a wooden pillar in two. What do you think of that part? It doesn't mean you're applying it all the time. You've got to have that ability. What does that mean to have that ability? Does that mean you have to be a magician in order to be an effective bodhisattva? For this, okay, they say for this.

[25:37]

What's this? For this entire devotion, for this situation to be entirely devoted to helping others, it is necessary to have a ruthless ability to snap a wooden pillar in two. What's that about? To not be afraid. Huh? To not be afraid. It is necessary to not be afraid. That's for sure. That's not so bad. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? Why don't you be afraid of that? It's not a pillar. It's not a pillar. Nothing's a pillar to you. Could you say a little bit more about that? You might be afraid, but that can't oppose you somehow. You might be afraid, but that can't oppose you. Yeah, in other words, you can snap fear in two. Right. Grace, I'd like you to step closer. Do you like back there better than up here? You're so far away. You want to sit on a couch? You can sit on this couch. But I don't want to force you to come in there.

[26:40]

You're just so far away. I can't see you and I can't see Margo. But if you don't want to come, it's okay. You can stay back there. I don't want to force you. Okay, good. I'd like to tell you that Grace gave me... She kind of warmed my heart the other day. She told me... Do you mind being praised in public? She told me that at the hospital she works at, during lunch hour, she talks to the other doctors about Rinzai's blind ass. Isn't that terrific? What do those guys think about this story? It was women. What do those women think about this story? Well, they... Is this the hospice unit? No, this is upstairs. This is the regular hospital. They thought it was kind of nuts. They didn't get it, and we're going to do more. How did you happen to... Because I didn't get it either.

[27:46]

Do you understand better now, tonight? A little better, yeah. Did you tell him that this is something that he was doing right before he was dying? I didn't. This is a deathbed discussion, okay? Do you understand? Rinzai is about to die, right? This is a discussion of a dying Zen master... And it's also a discussion about how do you help people. That's what it's about. So it actually is completely apropos of hospital discussions. But I'm surprised to hear that most hospitals, I would think that they would have trouble discussing blind asses and stuff like that in conjunction with their work. But I think that's what I want to talk about here. I want to see if we understand how this koan helps us actually in the work of helping people. Because that's what this story is about. It says in the introduction, the intersection says, you probably don't notice that this is about helping people, so I'm going to tell you this is what it's about. This story does not have a self of helping people.

[28:47]

You don't look in there and say, oh, there's a self, like Rinzai patted him on the head and gave him a dollar. Or it doesn't even say that somebody got enlightened. In the stories where they say that people got enlightened, you say, oh, that's good. Even though they broke his arm, still, probably okay. because of the, you know, high benefit that occurred there. But here, we haven't got to the story yet. So, do you have a question already? No, no, I have a comment. Oh, another comment, okay. I'm thinking this last one, this ruthless ability is to not have any idea what it is to help someone. Sort of like, it might look like you're being ruthless in helping someone, it may look like you're being ruthless instead of helping. Yeah, sometimes you have to do something which you know most other people will think is not nice. If you can't ever do what other people don't think is nice, sometime you're going to do something really bad.

[29:52]

Right? That's going to happen sometime. That what you should do is going to look bad, and you're not going to do it because you don't have the courage to do what's actually helpful rather than what looks like helpful. Yes? Also, I think that this ruthless has a quality of without hesitation. Yes. For me, that's the strongest thing I get. Right, without hesitation. Or impeccability. It's being able to go right to the funnies after reading about the situation in Bangladesh. And it's the ability to go right from the funnies to reading about Bangladesh. With gusto. It's about also, it's about going ahead and doing the work that you believe in even though nobody buys your work. I just heard about this painter this afternoon, who I knew a little bit about, named Arthur Dove.

[31:01]

And he was a very successful illustrator when he was young. Then he went to Paris and met Matisse and some other young lions. Is that what they were called? Wild beasts. He met some wild beasts. And after that, he didn't do any illustrating anymore. He started doing some other stuff. And nobody bought anything. He never made another penny on his paintings until he was practically dead. He did get a government. He got a patron after a while. But he couldn't sell his stuff. And he just kept doing it. Just producing his stuff for the rest of his life. He never stopped. And there are people like that, which are very, you know, like the poets, they're writing poems that nobody buys, nobody reads. They just keep churning them out. Yes? The first time I read this through, I didn't read the word as ruthless. I read it as worthless. Yeah, same thing.

[32:04]

You have to be ruthless enough to be worthless. What are some other meanings here of ruthless? Yeah? Okay, yes? Focused energy. Focused energies. Yes? Does pillar have anything to do with support? Yeah, it does. Supporting a structure in... Yeah, it does. ...your mental structure and the way to help is to support this movement. Yeah. And also, another translation of this character instead of pillar is pillow. Snap. Oh, it wouldn't now? Yeah, in China they have wooden pillows, right? And ceramic pillows. And bamboo pillows and stuff, you know. Stick on their side. With these little... So break a... Break a... Break a... The point of support for your head. Break your neck. Whatever, anyway.

[33:05]

This is a... So what we have here is it's a lead-up, right? To this kind of talk that's in this story and to the shout. Usually, Chinese people don't shout at each other very often, especially you don't shout in Buddhist temples. They're very quiet and gentle most of the time. But once in a while, they shout. And Rinzai himself shouted quite a number of times. Okay, we're getting ready for the shout. Most people can't snap wooden pillars in two, so that's so like very beyond your ability. Yeah, definitely. Right. Part of what's necessary in order... Force of nature. Hmm? Force of nature. Yeah. Part of what's involved here is to go beyond your humanness and become like a force of nature. To go beyond the limits of being human to becoming more... to becoming one with nature itself. In order to do this, in order to be totally devoted to the welfare of others, we need to realize nature.

[34:09]

We can't do it as a person. That automatically, again, has outflows for one person to be going around helping other persons, other animals. So there is a transcendence here of human limitation that's necessary. It is human to not devote ourselves entirely to the welfare of others. It is also human to love others and want to help people and want to hang out with people and have lunch with people and chat with people and take walks with people and make love with people and be born from people and all that stuff with people. It's not exactly human, however, to be entirely devoted to benefiting others. This is a little strange. And this is, we're actually, this course, this Zen course is actually heading towards being unusual. To be a person who is entirely, heading towards being a person who is entirely devoted to helping others.

[35:12]

100% devoted. That's all you're doing. This is not usual. However, this is the goal of the Zen course. And I just want to say, in case I die in the next few seconds, that all that means is that you become completely yourself. And becoming completely yourself is very unusual. It's very, very difficult. How is that ruthless? It means that you have to give up all, every last stitch of ideas you have about who you are. You have to be completely ruthless about everything you think you are and everything you think other people think you are. You know, in order... Do you know the word genius? Genius is a Latin word which is a name of the household god, the god of the household, the protective god of the house.

[36:16]

To develop your genius, you have to be able to become free of what other people and you think about yourself. You have to be ruthless about becoming free of what other people think of you and what you think of you. Most important is to become free of what you think of yourself. So maybe then ruthlessness only applies to ourselves and not to how we help. Yeah, it means ruthless applies to your own attachment. It is your own attachment that doesn't make it possible for you to snap pillars in two. So the ruthlessness is like that. It's very difficult, but it's something very simple too, just to be who you are. It's simple but difficult. It's difficult to be that simple. It's difficult to be that stupid. To actually not be able to think of anything fancier than being yourself. It's easy to think of something fancier than being yourself.

[37:21]

That's called being a demon. It's easy to be a demon. Easy. However, that is not being ruthlessly yourself. And therefore, demons, although demons can help some people, especially people who are trying to work, develop good relationships with demons, and help demons, so demons help people who are trying to help demons, give them some stuff to work with, being a demon does not help the demon, because a demon is not a demon. Demon is a person who is unwilling to be themselves. Okay? Now, are we ready for this case? Do we understand what Zen has to do with helping people? Yes? I don't see why it necessarily has to be without hesitation. I don't quite see that.

[38:22]

Oh, why? Didn't we already deal with this in a previous class? Did we? Oh, sorry. I forget. Well, basically, I propose to you that hesitation is non-existent. It's just an idea. That there actually is no hesitation. Dharmas are not waiting to happen. But there is a dharma called hesitation. It looks like this. There's no hesitation in that. Did you see how I did it? I had no hesitation. Okay, now who wants to recite the case? Are we ready for the case? Okay, so Rinzai is about to die. He's about ready to die. And so what does he do? He gets sentimental. He gets sentimental? And what does he do to express his sentimentality?

[39:24]

He admonished. He admonished Rinzai. San Shun, which means three saints, or three holy ones. What does he say? After I pass on, don't destroy my treasury of the eye of truth. But he didn't say it like that. How did he say it? I can't tell you. Oh, come on, say it. Anybody else like to say it the way he said it? Huh? Would anybody else have to say it the way he said it? Come on, people, say no. No. Why don't you want to say it the way he said it? Huh? What'd you say? That's a good reading. Well, also, you should say it the way you say it.

[40:25]

So how would you say it? That's the way Rinzai said it. How would you say it? After I pass on, don't destroy my treasury of the eye of truth. Rinzai? Rinzai said that. How come you're saying that now? Well, I'm saying what he said. But why would you say that? Don't you have something else to say to me, teacher? Well, it's written here. You know, I'm reading. Okay. How dare I destroy the master's treasury of true Dharma eyes? Well, if someone suddenly questions you about it, how will you reply? What was that? Who would have known that my treasury of the eye of truth would perish in this blind ash?

[41:31]

So any comments on that story? Do you understand it? It's very simple, except for one thing. Any comments? Oh, I'll just ask... Oh, you have a comment. Go ahead. I've just always been wondering who this and this blind ass refers to. Is he referring to himself? No. He's about to die. He's not referring to himself. Well, sometimes I think so. You just keep thinking that way? Well, I don't think all the time. And you know what? It's okay to have a new school. That's pretty humble. Huh? That's pretty humble. Yeah, but Rinzai's not humble. Okay, so aside from this new school, any comments?

[42:36]

I think he's pretty sick. Well, anyway, not necessarily sick, but he was about to die. Either he's sick or there's no more fun. Some of these Zen teachers died before they got sick. They died because there was nothing fun to do anymore. Margot liked that one. One of the causes of death listed in the Abhidharma Kosha is there's no more fun. And some Zen teachers, they're really good Zen teachers and they get these excellent disciples and the disciples hog all the work. So they're sitting around doing nothing to do and they go, okay, see you later. And they cross their legs and they die. But they're not sick. They have just nothing left to do. So they decide to trade in their body and be born in a situation where they have more work. or play, or whatever you want to call it. So he wasn't necessarily sick, but he was about to go. It doesn't say that he was... I don't know of anything that says he was in real bad health.

[43:43]

But he was about to go, and he did go right after that. He went... I don't know how fast he went when he decided to go, but he left. Okay, so he's not necessarily so sick, but it's a serious situation. He's going to see going away. This is his last chance to be sentimental or whatever with his wonderful disciple. Yes? Is this sort of insult, compliment? Definitely. This is Zen. In Zen, because Zen teachers have such excellent students, they cannot find any way to compliment them enough. So they usually resort to insults. Yeah. Insults will get you everywhere. Insults will get you everywhere, yes. Anyway, they... It's just... Zen students are so excellent that there's no way... So you have to sort of resort to insults. I've been trying that for years, but people just aren't getting it. They think I'm mean and nasty. And I'm trying not to be influenced by that.

[44:48]

But I think I'm giving up. I've been... What happened to the explanation of this blind ass? Pardon? What happened to the explanation that he was going to get on this blind ass? What do you mean, the explanation that I was going to get? I said, sometimes I think that... Yeah, he said sometimes he thinks that way. Hey. Yeah? You got a comment on it? On that he thinks that way? We already did. I said... No. You said you don't think so. I said you don't think so. And then he said that sometimes I think that way. Yeah, yeah. And then what did I say? Nothing. You said sometimes it's all. Yeah. So what do you... That made me want to talk a little bit about that statement. also be wound. It's being destroyed by this person. That's also a great compliment that your disciple would destroy your teaching. There are two compliments.

[45:48]

The student is supposed to destroy the teacher's teaching. As in snapping the pillar. as in meet the Buddha, kill it, as in step on your teacher's shoulders and squash the little bugger. And you know, your teacher doesn't like it either. He says, teacher says, or she says, you know, you've got to stand on my shoulders, but when you do, the teacher does not like it. It's not pleasant. But the teacher says, I know this is necessary. I know it's necessary. I know, I know, I know. I read it in the books, it must be true. There's no one up there. Yeah, there's no one up there. I know I'm not really being that full of having this lousy disciple. And that's the usual, that's the traditional way to understand his story anyway. Rinzai's giving him a compliment, double compliment, by calling him an ass, blind ass, and also saying he's destroying my teaching, and I don't like it, and other people are going to not like him for doing this either.

[46:59]

Like Homer destroyed Greek history. Plato was very upset with Homer for wrecking Greek history. And he did, he wrecked it. And what do we have now? That's what we've got. That's it. Somebody should wreck Homer. Try it. It's difficult, don't you think? It's a little late, too. James Joyce had a good go at it. Yeah, he had a good go at it. That's right. And what's his name? Kostinakis also tried to destroy it. He wrote the Odyssey again. I don't know if he succeeded. I don't think so. It's a good one. Yeah, he tried. Good attempt. We should all try to destroy Homer. Because Homer's Greek history is in our little body and mind, according to him. Yes? Is that sort of recognition of transmissions?

[48:03]

You can understand it that way too, that it perishes in him. I mean, it's not mine, it's now not mine. Yeah, this is Dharma transmission. That is Dharma transmission. Dharma transmission is when the teacher's Dharma dies in the student. And that's why teachers like to disown their students after it happens. Even though theoretically they knew it would happen when it actually happens, when actually the bite happens. When a student turns around and bites your arm off, you don't like it. Is that common? That you don't like it? No, that teachers disown students. It seems to be pretty common, although not highly publicized. Because it's embarrassing. You know, there's a Buddhist precept against that, right? About slandering people? No. Well, that's another one. Blind ass, that's kind of slanderous, isn't it? Okay, that's the kind of straightforward way to understand that statement.

[49:16]

But the hard part is, the part that I have trouble with, is the shout. No, you don't. No, there it is. Well, does anybody have trouble with the shout? What did you say? Well, does anybody else have trouble with the shout? Yeah, it makes me nervous. I like it. Just, I want to, before you get out of this problem, I want to make it a little bit worse. And I want to point out that in the commentary, it says... that, well, basically it says that this shout here on this piece of paper is one of the greatest shouts of all time. He says that since the time when the great Zen master, Matsu, Master Ma, yelled at the other great Zen master,

[50:24]

ever since that time that he yelled at him and deafened him for three days, there's never been a yell, a shout like this one. So, before you get out of the problem of this shout, please address and take on the difficulty of the fact that this shout is being said to be one of the greatest shouts of all time in Zen. Have you registered that? Yeah. Okay, now, please get out of the problem of that shout. Out of the problem of it? Well, didn't that make a little problem for you? That it was the greatest shout? Yeah, do you see what's so great about this shout? He put everything he had into it. Didn't say that. Even if he said it that way. What's so great about this shot? Haven't you read all these stories about people shouting? What's so great about this one? This is even better than all Rinzai's shots, they say. He swept Rinzai away.

[51:33]

This reminds me of AU entering the head. What time is it? I think it's time to stop the class. 8.30. What's your problem? Is somebody making noise over there? I said, God, I don't get it. He's the newest student. He sees the ember, has no clothes on. Well, okay, that's what you say. So, um...

[52:41]

I also would like to remind you once again that the top, I don't know where it is on your thing, but it says, just before the verse, it says, in that time, the time of this story, the style of the House of Linji naturally had the true imperative. What a pity to let it go. So this commentator is saying that the time of this story, this house of Linji and Sancheng still had, naturally, still had the true imperative, the true command, the true urgency, the true mandate, the true obligation, the true complete, compelling, immediate action. And this commentator is saying the school lost it later.

[53:53]

You've maybe heard some teachers criticizing later Rinzai in China that they're just copying, going around yelling and hitting each other all the time like Rinzai did, but it was just like, you know, it had lost its true, its true immediacy. Its true immediacy, its true urgency. Yes? Well, if they really lost it, where's the pity in that? I don't see that. Yeah, well, that's a good point. You want to get anything more out of that than that? Well, it's just like we were saying the other day. I mean, how can you have the next Rinzai if you still can't get rid of the old Rinzai? No, I mean, what you say is right. So you want to make any more out of it than that? No, I'm just curious about it. Yeah, I think that's true. What's the big deal? What's the big deal if Buddhism totally gets lost? Wouldn't that be a pity?

[55:00]

He shook his head. Yeah. That it wouldn't be a pity? What? What do you want to say? I said it. I know, but what do you want to say now? Nothing. So you don't mind Buddhism gets lost to you? It'd be convenient for you, as a matter of fact, wouldn't it? I don't know. Believe me, it would be. If William got lost, you'd be my boss. Let's give it a try. What should I do? Very thoughtful boss. Carry on. Okay, lost. So, now that Buddhism's been lost, okay, let's carry on here.

[56:02]

I don't know what Tian Tung will finally say. Here it comes, folks. The verse, the robe of faith is imparted at midnight to Hui Nung. Everybody know who Hui Nung is? No. Hui Nung, have you heard of the Sixth Patriarch? Huh? Sixth Patriarch, big name in Zen history. Almost all the schools of Zen come from the Sixth Patriarch. Hui Nung. Sometimes known as Workman Lu. Because his name was Lu and he was a workman. He got Dharma transmission before he was a priest. And all the other monks in the monastery thought of him as this kind of dumb or at least uneducated guy who pounded rice in the back room. And they called him Workman Lu.

[57:04]

His Buddhist name was Hoi Nung. Abel or... having the ability of insight. The robe of faith is the robe of Zen tradition, the robe of Bodhidharma. It was used for six generations as a symbol of faith. By giving that piece of cloth to the next generation, you could show people. People say, what proof do you have of Dharma transmission, of inheriting the Dharma? You show them the cloth. And they look at the cloth, and they would have faith. It was material proof. Material proof of the Buddha that's lost. So that robe of faith was transmitted at midnight. A stone woman gives birth to a child at midnight. This robe of faith was given to this workman at midnight.

[58:14]

stirring up 700 monks on Huang Mei. Huang Mei is the name of the mountain of the Sixth Patriarch, which means Yellow Plum. There were 700 monks on that mountain, and they all got pretty upset because in the morning, after he gave the robe and the bowl away to this guy and had the guy ran off in the night, the next morning he said to his monks, I'm not going to teach anymore." I lost my dharma. And people said, what happened to it? And he said, none got it. The ability got it. And people said, hey, Workman Lou's name was none. Let's go. Let's find him.

[59:16]

Which leads to another good story, but I'll just go on now to the next verse. The eye of truth of the branch of Linji. The blind ass destroying it gets the hatred of others. Okay, this is There's a double... Is this a double entendre? I don't know if that's the right way. The sixth patriarch, when he got the Hui Nung's Dharma, he destroyed it for the whole monastery. Nobody could have it anymore. He ran off with it and they never saw him again. He destroyed the Dharma of the temple, that guy did, by receiving it. Here too, the teacher says, this guy is destroying my Dharma. So you see now here, two meanings of Darwin. One is the guy takes it and runs off with it. The other is, even while he's still there, he destroys it. And he makes it. Other people don't like it. And you know what? That seems to happen in the world, actually.

[60:20]

If there's a teacher and the people appreciate the teacher and then the teacher transmits the Dharma to the person and if the person keeps the Dharma the same as what the teacher was doing then the people are happy. They don't lose their Dharma. Right? But if the teacher transmits it to the person actually the person cannot have the same Dharma as the teacher and therefore if he does the Dharma is dead but the people are happy because they don't lose anything. But they're really not happy. They're really not happy. If the teaching gets transmitted, this is tough. If the teaching gets transmitted, it gets destroyed and the people don't like it. That's why the sixth patriarch ran off. Because they would have killed him. He said, you get out of here. If you stay around here, they'll kill you. And I mentioned that there's two meanings of killing. One meaning of killing is they'll kill him because they'll actually physically kill him and try to get the bowl and roll back from him because the teacher must be totally crazy to give it to this guy.

[61:36]

That's one way they'll kill him. But the other way they'll kill him is they'll make him into their teacher. and he was 24 years old, and if he had become the teacher of those 700 monks at that time, he would have been totally destroyed. He was not ready. He was the Dharma successor, he was supposed to be the Dharma successor, but he wasn't ready to teach. And there's several reasons why you can say he wasn't ready to teach, but one of the reasons why he wasn't ready to teach was because those monks would have forced him to teach what the teacher taught. And he did not teach what the teacher taught. Even though his teacher was equally great to him, he taught something different. But he needs 16 years to protect himself from those monks forcing him to teach the same Dharma that his teacher taught. They had to lose it and live with it being lost for 16 years. And then, if it's lost, it really is the same Dharma, but it has to be destroyed. The other meaning of it, which is basically the same thing, is he wasn't ready to absorb all the projections and everything that happened to you in that position of being the successor of such a great teacher.

[62:45]

But it's the same thing, basically. Why did the teacher stop teaching? Why? Yeah. Why didn't you work on that for a few years? Let me know what you think. Among your other projects. Mind to mind, they seal each other. Patriarch to patriarch, they pass on the lamp. Leveling oceans and mountains magically produce a rock. That's a rock. It's a big fish. Well, I guess it's... I think it's a fish that turns into a bird. It's a giant fish that turns into a phoenix.

[63:46]

Leveling oceans and mountains magically producing a rock. Just the name and word is hard to compare. In sum, the method is knowing how to fly. Another translation of this is it's just that such splendid words are hard to compare with anytime as a device he can metamorphose After the secret transmission on Mount Huangmei, south and north bickered for 20 years.

[65:11]

That's a historical fact, you know. After this transmission occurred, Linji went to the south, and there was another guy up in the north that some other people said was the true successor. So they fought back and forth. Wei Nang went to the south. Wei Nang went to the south. And what did I say? Linji. Linji. Linji made a clear transmission. But even now, some people don't get it. This kind of technique is like a giant fish becoming a rock. Mountains and seas being leveled. Wei Xu Updaigwe said, the ancients waited till death. Why did the treasury of the eye of truth, after all, die out in a blind ass?

[66:16]

Linji carried out his plan in a hurry. Sansham, too, was hasty. Because of this, the sense of father and son was forgotten. eventually causing people of later times to lose hope. If one doesn't find flowing water, one must go to another mountain. The original record, Sangchun finally bowed after Linji said, my blind ass, this was not quite good-hearted.

[67:20]

Linji then bequeathed the verse, saying, if one asks how it is, along the flow without end, real elimination, boundless, bespeaks it to him. Apart from names and characteristics, people don't understand. Once the sword is used, it should be immediately polished. When he finished the verse, he calmly passed away. Canton brings this case right up to the good part, then stops. Samshan bowed. Linji spoke a verse. This is a real letting go of an easy dismissal here. Is there anyone who can show some spirit for these ancients?

[68:23]

Dangerous. Dangerous. What's dangerous? If you show too much spirit for them, you might get stuck with some angels. You might get stuck with some angels? Or stuck with some angels? Can each of you say in your own way what's so dangerous here? What's dangerous? Dangerous is to try to copy. Dangerous is to try to copy? Huh? Dangerous is if he had not left. Dangerous is if Rinzai hadn't left? Linji hadn't left? Yeah. That would be dangerous too, yes.

[69:26]

Dangerous is if you believe in this stuff too much. Dangerous is the thing that you get. Yeah. You ready? Ready? Can I come back later? Dangerous? Hello? Dangerous? Not shouting. Yeah. What do you mean, not shouting? Would that be dangerous, not to shout? Not having the ability to snap a pillow. That would be dangerous? To not have that ability? Yes. Do people want to volunteer or do you want me to call on you? It's like the sword that should be immediately polished. It's like if you hang on to anything of that, it's not polished.

[70:28]

It's not ready for the next. That's what's dangerous, is that you use a sword and hold on to it. For each of you, please, tell me what's dangerous for you or for this situation here. What's dangerous? Yes. I would think the dangerous thing would be to just only hang on to what the teacher has to say and not assimilate what the teacher says and then have it come to your attention. Yeah, right. That's dangerous. Please, we don't have much time. Not being yourself. What? Not being yourself. It's dangerous that you might not be yourself. That's very dangerous. It's a great danger, yes? Dangerous is believing that shouting or not shouting, that in either shouting or not shouting, the truth lies. Movement is any direction when you think you know where you're going.

[71:33]

Danger is not knowing what's dangerous. Yeah, what's dangerous? Not learning to be ruthless. Not learning to be ruthless, yes. Being afraid of being an idiot. Being afraid of being an idiot, that's dangerous. Yes. Having to speak. Having to speak is dangerous. Being proud of being an idiot. Being proud of being an idiot is dangerous. Thinking there's something that's dangerous. But if you get really, really proud of being an idiot, that's pretty good. Because that's really stupid. Excuse me. I said thinking there's something that's dangerous. That's dangerous too, yes. That's very dangerous. Yes.

[72:38]

It would be really dangerous, if it's good, for the spirit of the ancients. Because if you really got what this was about, you would be a very dangerous person. And it would be dangerous to you. That too. The thing you've got. Yeah, and you would be very dangerous. Because you might snap fill you into all kinds of crazy things. You might be a Zen master selling dangerous people. It's really, really likeable. Zen mythology is not really dangerous, but people feel like they're dangerous. Because there are people who are tempted to think that they're really a certain way. Somebody who's really themselves, sure enough, people think, my God, he's that way. So they think it's dangerous. He's not really dangerous at all. But people feel like he's dangerous, or she's dangerous. It didn't mean necessarily like... I don't care what you meant.

[73:44]

You can say what you like, too. It's a free country. As someone who can get things done, it's pretty dangerous. They might get something done as opposed to leaving it. That's right. That's what I thought you meant. Oh, okay. Okay. Quickly, quickly. We don't have much time. What's dangerous? Destroying the treasury. Destroying the treasury is very dangerous. Ooh, boy, that's a bad one. Fortunately. What else is dangerous? Not destroying the treasury. Asking questions. Yes. Listening to answers. Listening to answers. Giving answers. Not asking questions is really dangerous. It's hard to say which is most dangerous, asking or not asking. They're both right up there. Please, more, more, quickly, quickly. Nothing. Nothing's dangerous. Everything.

[74:44]

Everything. The people who've already answered, take a fast on answering. New people. Quickly, quickly. Keeping it together. What? Thinking there is a treasure. Thinking there is a treasure. What did you say? I said thinking there's anything dangerous. Okay. That doesn't count as a double treasure. Okay, more, more, more, please. Thinking there's a cell. Thinking there's a cell. Yes, it's dangerous. More, come on, quickly. They're easy to get, come on. Down the tip of your tongue. Speak, speak. Looking in mirrors. What? Looking in mirrors. Looking in mirrors is dangerous, yes. Thinking you understand. Thinking you understand is dangerous. To stay where it's safe. What? To stay where it's safe. To stay where it's safe is dangerous. Really dangerous. To stay where it's safe. To stay where it's safe is dangerous. Being here. Being here is dangerous. Being here is dangerous. Thinking there's not a self is dangerous.

[75:45]

Come on, more people. Some people haven't spoken, quickly. What? Not being here is dangerous. Really dangerous. More, more. A few more. Staying up too late. What? Staying up too late. Staying up too late is dangerous. Biting more than you can chew. Biting more than you chew, yes. Three more minutes. Finding out the last two people haven't spoken. That was already given, but you can say it over again. It's OK. Spitting into the wind. Spitting into the wind. Old age, sickness, and death. Old age, sickness, and death are dangerous life.

[76:48]

Wanting to fly and not wanting to fly. Feeding the dog. That doesn't sound too dangerous. That sounds pretty good to me. Yes? Feeding the dog. Feeding the dog. You're checking here. Well, I think you have a pretty good sense of what's dangerous, if you agree with everybody else. Leon? Dangerous, dangerous. D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S is dangerous. I like that. Did you like that one best?

[77:52]

That was the best one? That's the one you liked the best? Well, I wouldn't... It's almost time to stop. I just wondered... How do you feel about being entirely devoted to helping others now? Do you feel... It's pretty dangerous. It's pretty dangerous, yeah. Do you feel... How do you feel about that now, after studying this case for two weeks or three weeks? Safe. Serious reservation. It's like signing up for the guillotine. Like, it's a lot more complicated than I thought it was. It's too damn simple. Anything else is sickening.

[78:56]

Unfortunately. Unfortunately. Unfortunately. Could I see you after class, young lady? Anything else for tonight? So, next week we'll study Case 14. Do everybody have a copy of Case 14? Well, do you have copies of Case 14? So you can get copies of Case 14. After class, we'll put them up here on the table. And... You can come up and get it if you want one. You can come up and get one, okay? And then study that. And next week we'll study case 14. But you can start studying it before, of course. But we'll discuss it in class next week.

[79:49]

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