Our inner power of practice will appear according to the situation and will respond to the situation you have. Like a bell, if you hit strong the sound will be strong. If you hit it soft, the sound will be soft. But our true nature, our true power

[01:04]

does not make sound, but actually whatever you do, the power is there, should be there. In this way we should understand our Zen practice power. It is not something to acquire, but it is something to appreciate.

[02:06]

When you sit, just to sit, to be ready to various activity or stimulation which will come from outside. But if your mind is caught by something, you lose your true mind. So without being caught by anything, just to sit without thinking, even thinking, is our true practice.

[03:16]

In last lecture, I told you this power from the opposite side. Zenkanto called the names of his past, this is, you know. But if you call by your own name, that is opposite side. The power itself is not something you can catch or you can understand.

[04:39]

If something happens, you will find out the power is there. But when you sit in this way, you have no idea of power. You are just sitting, that's all. But if you do something, the power is there. So in various activity, the power is there. So to call his boss is to call his name as a power, a hidden power. And to call his own name means to realize his power when you do something.

[05:40]

But actually, this is two sides of one coin. Here, we understand how to apply our practice in our everyday life. How to understand your everyday life. And how to understand your true practice. So true practice should be everyday life. And everyday life should be the true practice. And when you practice true practice, your everyday life should be there. This is how we understand our everyday life and how we understand our pure practice.

[06:52]

Last training period, when Bishop Sumi came, he gave us not a koan, but a story. The question and answer between Baso and Hyakujo. As you know, Baso, the horse master, horse master, we are told that when he speaks, his tongue reaches to his nose. With big mouth and a man of big physique. And so, that is why we call him a horse master, Baso.

[08:12]

Nangak's disciple and the Six Patriarchs' grandson. Hyakujo is the famous Zen master who set up all the monastic life, monastic rules. He is the first one who set up precepts, Mahayana precepts in its true sense. Before Hyakujo, almost all the Zen masters lived in precept temples. And observed Indian precepts. But it is not appropriate to observe Chinese people,

[09:30]

or Chinese priests who live in China, where the climate is different and way of life is different from India. But even though teaching changed into Mahayana, but precepts didn't. They didn't change precepts, which they should change. But Hyakujo did it and organized monastic life. Since then, we observe precepts.

[10:38]

Of course, after Hyakujo, we changed many times. We changed our precepts many times. Precepts is the way of life. Hyakujo, between question and answer, between Hyakujo and Horse Master. Horse Master and Hyakujo were making trip. Suddenly, wild geese flew over. And Basil asked Hyakujo, what is it? Hyakujo said, that is wild geese.

[11:45]

And Basil said, where are they going? They flew away, Hyakujo said. But Basil irritated with his answer and twitched his nose. And Hyakujo cried. That is the story. Here is something which we should understand.

[12:50]

At first, what did he say? What did Horse Master say? What is it? This is very tricky question. What is it? It may be wild geese. And at the same time, it is not just wild geese. When we see something, our power of practice should follow. Our Buddha nature should follow. Wild geese is not just wild geese. For the Zen student, wild geese is not wild geese.

[13:59]

Hyakujo is not just Hyakujo. And Basil, Horse Master too, he is also human. Buddha nature itself. So, what is it? That what can be everything. What is it? It is not just wild geese. Everything can be wild geese. I don't know whether Hyakujo knew it when he said that is wild geese.

[15:07]

And Basil said, where are they going? Where are they going? Where are they going? They are going somewhere. Even though they are going somewhere. They are there. They are there. They cannot escape from the Buddha nature. From our power of practice. Wherever they go, they are right here with us. But Hyakujo said, they fly, flew away. This is rather maybe careless answer, maybe.

[16:14]

Flew away. So, it is right here. Here. And Basil, take his nose, did it, flew away. Here, there are many wild geese on your nose. You know, if he is practicing always, if there is no gap in his practice, he wouldn't say, they flew away.

[17:22]

What will you say, if you are Hyakujo? Even though you say, they flew away, that is right answer, you know. Flew away, actually. They are not here anymore. But if you are prepared for his teachers, teaching his nose, it was all right. But in his practice, there was some gap. So he cried. But the way he cried, I don't know how he cried.

[18:30]

The way he cried is good. It is all right, even though he cried. So this kind of koan is very interesting. If you study this koan from various angles, you will appreciate the endless, limitless meaning in it. So, our way of life should be like this.

[19:40]

And even between great Zen master and great disciple, the way we talk will not be different from a usual person. But the difference is whether they are ready for various circumstances and conditions. Even a great Zen master, when he cries,

[20:55]

when he should cry, he may cry. When he should laugh, he will laugh. When everyone is hungry, he will be hungry too. But, there should be, there is some difference. Their hunger and hunger of usual person. If your practice is right, you will be ready for various activities.

[22:11]

So, what we will gain by, what the power we will gain by our practice is not common power. It is some special power. By special, I mean because it is special. It is special because it can be everything. Usually, special power is something different from usual power, which cannot be usual. We are always up to, you know, trying to get something usual, unusual.

[23:31]

You know, even though they say this is unusual, for us Zen students, it is not unusual. Only unusual thing is the thing which can be everything. Like, you know, money or gold. You know, you can buy everything with that. Maybe like salt. Whatever you eat, there is some amount of salt. In this way, our power is something like this, figuratively speaking.

[24:42]

But gold or salt is not actually the power we need. Something you cannot understand what it is. Something which is beyond our understanding. Something which you cannot put it in words. So we say, teaching out of letters. Teaching which will be understood if we have ears to listen to it, eyes to see it.

[25:47]

But if we do not have eyes to see, we cannot see. That is the teaching out of letters. If you try to, it is like, as Dogen Zen said in his poem, it is like letters. It can be letters written on high rock, high rugged rock on the seashore.

[26:57]

Even in storm, no waves can reach. Even though you try to see it, you cannot see it because it is too high. The only way, but the high rock on the rugged seashore is always there. Giving various teachings to us. This kind of teaching is true teaching. And this kind of, our practice should be like this.

[28:02]

We should, through our practice, always expressing the truth. This kind of truth, practice, is practice. The introduction to this talk, to this subject,

[29:23]

between Baso and Hyakujo. Engo introduced the subject and said, what is called the substance of the universe, substance of the universe, or the great Tao, is not something which exists outside of the universe. It is omnipresent and not contained in one part only. Its total activity is entirely independent. An enlightened Zen scholar is one who understands this mystery

[30:35]

and understands all ordinary circumstances and knows how to deal with it. Such a man may be called one who has the right of a graduate. With regard to his words and verse, if he omits all self-regarding ideas, he will attain to the mysterious power of controlling life and death. The power to bring enlightenment by the positive word using,

[31:58]

positive word using, or negative, silent method of instruction. Well, now, in what way did the ancient attain to his ultimate serenity? Here is something for you to ponder. Here he says, in translation, mysterious. Mysterious does not mean, you know, something mysterious. Mysterious. Mysterious means, you know, it is mysterious, beyond words.

[33:02]

You know it, you can understand it, but you cannot say, you cannot put it in words, because words are just, it is not possible to say various understandings, various understandings from all realms, if you say, you know. From one side, you cannot say at the same time from the other side. So that is why we say mysterious.

[34:08]

Mysterious. So even enlightened master cannot say anything properly. Wild geese is wild geese. If it flew away, it flew away. You cannot say, it is there, and it flew away. That doesn't make any sense, you know. Then, you know, master will ask you, which do you mean? Is it here or there? You have no answer. No answer is right. So it is impossible to say, you know, to put the reality into words.

[35:13]

So that is why we say mysterious. But mysterious, it is not mysterious. Mysterious, it is too, you know, obvious that we cannot say. Words is not, words is mysterious. For us, you know. It is mysterious that we cannot say anything, having in big words. Even Zen master, even Vassal of Buddha's time, rich to know, cannot say anything. If he says something, you should understand. You should understand. You shouldn't fool us by your long tongue.

[36:26]

That is right, you know. So, if he had a job throughout his time, Buddha would have been very pleased. Not mysterious, you know. Too obvious. Too clear. So, we sometimes call it reality. Reality, it is too obvious. So, Zen is not mysterious at all. Yes.

[37:53]

Yes. So, appreciate rewards. This is also interesting. That wild duck, just what was it? Vassal saw it and started a conversation. The object of his talk would have, would have been love of mountains,

[39:11]

clouds, seas, the moon, and earth. Hyakujo did not understand, understand. It just flew away. He himself wanted to fly away. Instead, he himself was silenced. The wild duck, just what was it? Vassal saw it and started a conversation.

[40:18]

The old teacher, in his practice, there was no cessation in their practice. They are always practicing their way. They are always ready to various activities. That is how we should be concentrated on our activity. The concentration,

[41:23]

our concentration is not usual concentration. Concentration means usually, to be, we say, to be involved in something. But, at the same time, we should have freedom. So this kind of concentration is more deeper and more natural. If you are trying to be concentrated on something, your effort is directed to one way only. So it is difficult to change. If your concentration is quite natural,

[42:24]

you can change anytime. And you will be ready to change your direction of effort. So this kind of concentration cannot be studied by usual everyday practice, everyday activity. Just Zen can do it. Through Zen, you can have this kind of training. When you have some object, you know, some object, somehow your effort is directed to that object. It means, you know, your effort is working on one way only.

[43:33]

In that way, you cannot understand how to change the direction of effort. But in, just by practice of pure Zen, you can, you will practice how to shift, make shift in your effort. In this scene, our practice is concentrated to put more power in your tummy.

[44:50]

But that does not mean, you know, to put special power in it. It means to put some power quite naturally without making, without trying too much to put strength in your tummy. So this practice should be, should follow, should be followed by various instructions of sitting,

[45:57]

mudra, or breathing, or like keeping your back straight. And if you have some pain or some difficulty, it is good chance to practice it. Because if your pain is this much, this much, you know, controlling power will appear. So, you know, but if you do not know this secret, you will be involved in just pain. But if you know the other side of the pain, you know, which is keeping balance in your practice,

[47:03]

you will appreciate the feeling of the pain. Because pain is this much, you have power of training this much. If you have no pain, maybe it is rather difficult for beginner to appreciate the power of Zen. So, the ancient disciples and teachers were ready to study true way in our everyday life. But Hyakujo looks like he didn't understand this, he was not ready for question and answer with his teacher.

[48:29]

But no one knows, he may be, he might have known it.

[48:42]

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