I would like to explain 4 bows for 5 days, rest of the training period. Every lecture, every time when the lecture is over, we chant the 4 bows. I bow to the Buddhas, the sentient beings and numberless, I bow to them, I save them. Desire is inexhaustible, I bow to put an end to them. Dharmas are boundless, I bow to most of them.

[01:05]

The Buddha's way is unsurpassable, I bow to attain it. Very often I was asked by the students, Is it possible to save all sentient beings, to put an end to the delusions or desires? Or is it possible to master the Dharmas, to attain the Buddha's way? I think in terms of selfish, one-sided ideas,

[02:07]

in other words, in terms of ordinary people's viewpoints are based on selfishness. If it's true, it's very natural that you will have a lot of questions such as, Is it possible to save all sentient beings? But as long as we chant in our everyday life, other 4 bows, the 4 bows must be in accordance with our daily lives, otherwise 4 bows are completely nonsense.

[03:19]

Then today, I would like to explain what a bow is. According to Buddhism, our life is repeated, created. Our life, no, our lives are created. A sensual world, again and again, by the result of karmic life produced by the preceding. So, Shakyamuni Buddha explained some aspects of karmic life. The so-called 12 linked chains of originations, 12 causations.

[04:43]

The first of the 12 causations is the ignorance, which is the cause of the evil behavior. This is the delusions, rooted into the human mind, this is ignorance, delusions. By delusions, we create the, in Japanese, gyō,

[05:53]

gyō means, anyway, deed, which I mean is deed. This deed is karma. This karma is created by delusions. By the delusions, we create karma produced by the preceding life. This is karma. This is karma. Then, by the karma, we create consciousness. Consciousness, which is the first consciousness, which is the first consciousness after conception takes place in the womb.

[07:02]

This is consciousness. And then, next is the mental functions and matter in the five organs and mind. The first one is delusions. The second one is karma. The third one is, in a way, consciousness. This is consciousness, which is the first consciousness after the conception takes place in the womb.

[08:05]

This is the cause of making, the cause of suffering. So, ignorance and ignorance or delusions and karma and suffering are called three evil paths, three evil paths. In other words, three poisons. By these three evil paths, we create, human beings create the samsara's world. Then, from this point, we would say that we live in karma.

[09:19]

We live in karma. We live in karma. In Japanese, gosho-shin. Go means karma. Sho means to be born. To be born. Shin is body. Gosho-shin. Karmic life. In other words, samsara's life. Life in samsara. This is the general state of human life. State of human life. But, on the other hand, there is no karmic life, no karmic life, no karmic life which is contrasted with karmic life.

[10:39]

No karmic life is to live our life without repeating samsara's state of life, without creating samsara's world. Without creating samsara's world is to be born in this world with no delusion, karma, and suffering. The state of this life is called to live in vow, to live in vow, which Bodhisattva devote himself to practice.

[11:49]

Life after life, this is Bodhisattva's practice. Even Bodhisattva, as long as Bodhisattvas exist in this world in the form of human life, how can they exist in this world in the form of no karmic life? In other words, without karmic life, without creating, without this body and mind. Even Bodhisattva has, even Bodhisattva exists in this world in the form of man in order to cultivate him.

[12:58]

If so, how can they exist in this world in the form of no karmic life? In Buddhism, it is true that we can live, we can live our lives in vow. When you live in vow, we can be born in this world without karmic life.

[14:03]

Karmic life. So, this is called muro-shin. Muro means no karmic. Shin is body, muro-shin. So, Bodhisattva is said to have existed in this world in the form of no karmic life. This is Bodhisattva. In the Mahayana Buddhism, all of us are Bodhisattvas. For instance, I think I mentioned before in my lecture, I used to practice a glider.

[15:21]

In my high school, the, if you ride on a glider, one person keeps hold firmly of the glider. All the rope behind the glider tied up at the pole, so as not to move, not to fly. One person hold, keep hold, one person keeps hold firmly of the rope behind the glider.

[16:35]

Mostly, ten person hold the rubber rope in front of the glider. If you hold yourself ready to start, you have to say, my mark is pine tree before, something like that. Mark is electric pole before, something like that. That time, the person holding the rope firmly behind the glider says, yes, okay. Then, he said, yes, alright. Something like that. Everybody, leader, when the leader make sure, make sure that everybody are ready to start.

[17:53]

Leader says, let's go, let's walk. Ten or about ten students pull the rubber rope. About thirty steps. Now, the rider just hold the pole, beam, just above head, like this. Hold this beam with your right hand. In the thirty steps, the leader says, let it go, lifting his right hand. That time, the person hold the rope behind the glider,

[18:55]

let the rope go, leave the rope. The course, my course for the beginner was just sliding on the ground, on the surface of the ground. Not fly in the air, just sliding on the surface of the ground. Day in and day out, you have to practice sliding on the ground. Then, the moment when the leader says, let it go, the glider is a little bit up towards the sky.

[20:02]

At the same time, my body is tipping backward. That time, my mind disappeared. My mind disappeared. Mind disappeared completely. Then, I was surprised, where is my mind? The moment when I was surprised, where is the thing, where is my mark? That time, the glider started to move already. Then, a very strong wind, I had to face a very strong wind press. Then, at the same time, at the same time, at the same time, it was basically frightening me, frightening me into confusion. So, I pulled the control levers toward me, like this, good, and glider's up.

[21:10]

Then, I pushed, I pushed the control levers against me, like this, better. Then, boom! Boom! The moment when I felt into the ground, I thought, oh, something's wrong. It's too late. Everything disappeared. My mark disappeared. My cause is, you know, I'm completely mistaken, mistaken. You know, it looks like a candy which is given to the child who is crying. The mother gave the candy to the child who is crying.

[22:18]

Then, that child stopped crying quickly. You know, as long as we are, we try to have object, which you are expecting, the outside, something like my mark is pine tree. When, as the circumstances, when, as the circumstances change, every time circumstances change, you know, the marks completely disappear. Glider's is up, when glider's is up, you know, my body is tipping backward, at that time, marks disappear.

[23:20]

Of course, I really, I had the confidence, you know. Right after saying my mark is pine tree, all I have to do, all I have to do is to go toward that destination, pine tree, that's all. So, I am very comfortable, you know. Right after I decided what my mark is, which looks like a candy, this is my candy. The next moment, the circumstances changed. Glider's up, my body was tipping backward, that candy disappeared. Where is my candy? Then, at that time, I try to, I need, I need to get another candy.

[24:29]

Another candy. Because the change of circumstances frighten me into confusion. So, I need, I need another candy. The confusion let me, the confusion let me, the pulling the control lever toward me, unconsciously. Next moment, push, I push the lever control toward, against me. Moment after moment, my life is completely accepted. You see? Then, the, when I fell into the ground, that time I realized that something wrong, something wrong.

[25:35]

It's too late, it's too late. But, the, our life, our life is apt to seek something like that. Seek something, a candy. My mark is currently before. We are always chasing after this mark. Like a candy. But, according to the Buddhism, everything changes. Everything exists on the basis of the law of change. Even a pine tree, which I have to aim at, pine tree also exists on the basis of change. So, while we are chasing after, we are seeking, we are seeking the object we are expecting.

[26:49]

Like a pine tree. You see? You have never, you have never get rid of confusion or upset. Every time when the circumstances change, you have it. The it leads you into bewilderment, moment after moment. Then, when you hit your forehead against something, ground or wall, you realize, oh, a mistake. This is karmic life. We live in karmic, karma. Karma. But, in order to live in birth, in no karmic life,

[27:56]

whatever happens around me, at that time when I control the grinder, I can control, I can control grinder smoothly. If I have my mark within myself, this mark is the tranquility, or what would you say, you can say anything, you can use any word according to the Buddhist, tranquility, or zenjo, jo, or zazen, or impermeability, or calmness. If I had, if I had the calmness or tranquility,

[29:00]

I would have, I would have, I would have controlled grinder anyway. At that time I didn't have the real mark within myself. That's why I made a mistake. I realized a big mistake until, until I fell into the ground. So, from this point, the mark is, the mark exists within ourselves, within ourselves. Then, wherever you are, wherever you are in our daily life,

[30:07]

we make every possible effort to seek, to seek this mark within yourself, in what direction to go, what to do in the reality of the present. This effort, this effort that you constantly seek a mark, a mark within yourself, is called a vow. The person who, the person who try to seek this mark within yourself, constantly, forever, is called bodhisattva.

[31:14]

Then, the, what we live in vow, what we live in vow is, we constantly live in our life, to seek the true nature of your own, or real treasure of your own house. Without, without seeking the object outside which you are expecting, that time you find yourself to live, to live, live,

[32:29]

worth living, to live life worth living. You say, maybe you say, I am, I found, I find myself to live life within a worth living by being, by learning the Zen Buddhism, you say that. But, if you believe yourself in that way, try to consider again and again, are you sure? Or maybe, there is something, there may be something, object, which you are expecting in your mind, unconsciously or consciously.

[33:39]

Consciously. Like one of cells, one of cells established intellectual sense in your brain. Then, it looks like, it looks like the, the zazen, the interesting, interesting zazen. Now what, now what you live life worth living by learning the Zen Buddhism, looks like a member of organization, member of a certain organizations, organizations, established, established, no, formed, formed a link in the chain of intellectual sense.

[35:01]

Anyway. But that, then, the, the, for a while after you start to practice zazen, you are very happy, you find yourself to be happy. But the more you practice zazen, the more you realize that there is nothing to improve your character, your personality. Then you discourage. In order to make your practice, ah, ah, turn into your life themselves, lives themselves.

[36:06]

Or make your practice, ah, turn into the part of your life. It is not so easy. I think it takes time, takes you long time. As I mentioned before, the, our practices must, must be like, something like, ah, candy, object which, ah, which you are expecting in your practice, in your daily life. Your practice, your practice is end itself.

[37:13]

Your practice is end itself. Because your practice is your life. Your practice must be identical with your life itself. Otherwise, when you realize, when you realize, realize no progress in your practice, you will discourage, discourage. Then whatever happens around your practice, the important point is we have to constantly to seek, ah, the mark, ah, within yourselves. It is a practice itself, which means that the practice is the end itself.

[38:16]

Ah, ah, then, ah, this, the four, four vows, each vows, explain how to, how to get taste of this vow in our daily life. The first one, first one is, all sentient beings' numbers, I vow to save them. The, it is, broadly speaking, how to contact with, how to contact with all sentient beings. How to get taste of vow, how to get taste of your lives based on, based on the vow,

[39:25]

according to the Buddhist enlightenment, Buddhist enlightenment. The second verse is, the desires are inexhaustible, I vow to put an end to them. Ah, then, the, ah, second verse, ah, explains, the how to, how to, ah, how to control, how to contact with your daily life, based on the ignorance. The, ah, as long as we exist as one of, as a man who has, who has karmic life,

[40:35]

then, in terms of human being, in terms of human being, how to contact, how to contact, how to get taste of, in your daily life, ah, which you, which, which you have, you have ignorance, delusions, and suffering in common. Ah, the third verse is, what should we learn, what should we learn, in our daily life, in order to live in vow. The fourth is, ah, at last, what would be, what would be, what would, ah, there be.

[41:52]

Ah, through practice, the first verse, or second verse, and third verse. Ah, this is at a briefly point, a brief point which the four vows, measure. Ah, anyway, the vow is, vow is, constantly to seek, to seek the true nature of our own. Ah, as we constantly resolve to live our life for the purpose of seeking the true nature within yourself, you are called Bodhisattva.

[42:59]

Ah, this month, ah, this month is auspicious occasion, ah, when Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, and the Bodhi tree. Ah, this day is called Jodo, Jodo, ah, enlightenment, enlightenment. Enlightenment is called, in Japanese, Jodo. Ah, Do is, I think, Bodhi, Bodhi is enlightenment. Jodo is, ah, literally meaning, to become, to become, to become. Ah, or to accomplish, to accomplish.

[44:00]

So, Jodo means to accomplish enlightenment, to accomplish Bodhi, to accomplish Bodhi. Ah, in this point, in this respect, I think, I believe that to know something, to know something is not merely to have a knowledge about something. Have something, accumulated in your mind. But to know is, to know is, the, to accomplish, to accomplish, in other words, to be in touch with, to be in touch with the, what would you say, touch in the reality of the present.

[45:06]

This is to know, to know. So, vow is, vow is not to understand, not to understand, I vow to save all sentient beings. The vow is how to, how to accomplish, how to be in touch with the truth, with the body and mind. In other words, how to be, how to be in touch with the enlightenment, the enlightenment which Shakyamuni Buddha attained under the Bodhi tree. This is vow, this is vow.

[46:11]

Then the enlightenment is not, is not the idea out of the relation to our daily life. If enlightenment has close relation with our daily life, I think you will have some question, how to, how to, how to realize, how to contact with this. Then as long as we are human beings, our effort must, must focus this point, to this point, how to contact with enlightenment, in other words truth, or the nature, true nature of your own, in our daily life. This is the enlightenment which Shakyamuni Buddha attained under the Bodhi tree.

[47:23]

So vow is, as mentioned before, to seek, to seek the true nature of your own, which means, to get taste, to get taste the true nature with your body and mind. Then in daily life, in our daily lives, our effort, when our effort focus to get taste how to contact in our daily life, that time each verse is called Bodhisattva. So, Jodo is enlightenment accomplished, accomplished in reality, accomplished in the reality of

[48:40]

enlightenment, is to taste, to be in touch with the truth, with your body and mind. This is vow, wherever you are, this is all what human beings need in our daily life. Not to seek, not to seek the object of the worship, which is called God, which is called Buddha. This effort is in words called vow, then those who has this effort, who make this effort, is called Bodhisattva.

[49:46]

So, whatever happens, hope, each verse hopes that we try to seek this vow, constant, try to become Bodhisattva, constant. This is very important.

[50:16]

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