First of all, I would like to introduce a new priest who arrived at Zen Center a few days ago. His name is Ryuho Yamada. I think he will stay in the United States for two years, or over two years, I think so, and help Zen Center practice with us. Hello, I am Ryuho Yamada. I am very happy to meet you. I came to America on the 21st day of this month.

[01:07]

That day was the middle day of devotion days, Higan, or Higan in Japan. Higan, as you know, means nirvana. Higan, that is the other shogun. America is the other shogun, being from Japan, of course. This is a telling of, this is a geologically telling, the other shogun, of course. And in a profound meaning, I think, I don't know another part of America, I don't know. But in this Zen Center, it's nirvana itself, I think.

[02:14]

You are very kind and very honest and moderate, modest. This building, I like. And good taste food, I like. And fine environment. No sky, no smoke. That's not like Tokyo. Tokyo is very small. Moreover, we are very happy to have supreme teacher of Zen, Suzuki Roshi and Katagi Roshi.

[03:17]

Someday, I want to become like them. For that, I will endeavor. I will do the Zen with you. I will study with you. Thank you. I remember how awful my English was when I came to San Francisco. Particularly when Suzuki Roshi introduced me to Zen Center students, my English was really poor. It was beyond. It was really beyond, what would you say, explanation.

[04:23]

It's awful. But your mother said, very good English. We are very happy to invite such a new priest who speaks good English. Thank you. I don't think my English is good even now. Well. If you study the history of Zen Buddhism,

[05:26]

I think you will find a famous Zen master who is founder of Soro Zen in Japan, named Dogen Zenji. You are very familiar with his name. Because Zen master, Suzuki Roshi and I always talk about Dogen Zenji. He found, no, he seeked, no, excuse me, he looked out for a variety of Zen master and any other Buddhist teacher in order to solve his big doubt,

[06:42]

saying all sentient beings, all human beings are based on Buddha nature. Why is it we have to practice to seek Buddha nature? This question was very heavy for him at that time. Day in, day out, he looked out for famous Zen master or another Buddhist teacher in order to find the solution of this question. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the solution of this question. Then he made up his mind to go to China to see the real Zen Buddhism in China.

[07:55]

Then when, no, after, excuse me, on arrival of China, he had a chance to see a famous Zen master who had the position of Tenzo, who was the old age, maybe 70s, 70s or 80s. Anyway, this old Zen master was hale and hearty in his 70s or in his 80s. Then at that time, he came to the town to get the mushroom in order to serve the monks.

[09:29]

The Dogen asked him, why is it you have to come to the town to get the mushroom because you are very old? Why don't you stay in the Zen monastery and start reading the book of Zen Buddhism? Because there are many young monks who would take over your job instead of old age person. But at that time, old Zen master says, a young monk, you don't know exactly what the practice is. At that time, the Dogen Zenji didn't know exactly what the practice is.

[10:43]

Then he asked Dogen, ask him what's the practice, what's the practice? The Zen master says, there is nothing to be hidden in this universe. This is practice, what he wants, the Zen master wanted to tell Dogen, the meaning of the practice. Let's consider, about the Dogen's big doubt, why is it we have to practice even though we are based on the Buddha nature? You should keep in mind that there is already some question, already some question the moment when the Dogen have.

[12:05]

Dogen make a question, why is it we have to practice even though we are Buddha nature in an underlying essence? To make a question, we are Buddha nature, we are Buddha nature. Saying we are Buddha nature, in other words, to make a question, consider as the Buddha nature on which everybody is based. It is considered as comparing with another idea, I am not the Buddha nature, I am a common people. In other words, comparing with a pair of ideas, the Buddha nature and common people, or enlightened man or unenlightened man.

[13:21]

Then when you attach to the idea of enlightened man, at that time you have to make a question, we are what? What enlightened man? Then next moment, when you look upon yourself, oh I am not enlightened man, I am not qualified to be enlightened man, well if so, what an enlightened man? You have to continue making question like this the moment when you attach to the idea of whatever, the moment when you see it, the idea of enlightened man or unenlightened man. But in Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha's teaching is based on the middle way, middle way.

[14:33]

The middle way is very important teaching, but in Japan, a middle way is not merely a middle way, what you are usually supposed, in Japan one of the governments spoke, no excuse me, one of the governments described the policy of his own, when he had the campaign of government on the street,

[15:40]

he said, I don't belong to a democratic policy, I don't belong to the policy of communism, I just belong to the middle way. At that time, one of among the audience said, hey, be careful not to crash into the street car which runs in the middle of the street. Don't be careful, please be careful, be careful not to crash into the street car which runs in the middle of the street. Well, this is point, well, let's imagine this is, I think maybe it is 12 inches long, anyway, let's imagine this is 12 inches long,

[17:03]

if you want the middle point of this, of this 12 inches, what is the middle point? Well, if you want, if you want to find the middle point, how much? 6 inches, then I want now to get the middle point, then you got the 6 inches, you will get the point of 6 inches, then this is middle point. But this middle point is not to ignore the zero point or 12 points, 12 inches, this point.

[18:11]

In order to get this point of the 6 inches, how can you get, how can you get this middle point of the 6 inches? Can you get, let's imagine, can you get the middle point of the 6 inches ignoring, ignoring this size, this point or that point? In other words, the totality of this length, can you? I don't think so, you know. If you want to get the middle point of 6 inches, you have to understand first, this point and that point, in other words, you have to understand the totality of this length, which is called 12 inches, and that time you can get, you can get the point of 6 inches.

[19:27]

If so, the idea of middle way is not to ignore, not to ignore the idea of enlightened man or the idea of unenlightened man. Okay? If you want to get the middle way in life, you have to understand the totality of the human life, who is based on the both, unenlightened man, the idea of enlightened man or the unenlightened man. At that time you can get the middle way, middle way, in life. So middle way is not to ignore. I don't want the delusion. If you practice zazen, you know, you ask always, how can I get rid of my delusion, my thought?

[20:36]

Actually, it's impossible. It's impossible. The more you want to get rid of delusion or thoughts running through your head, the more you find lots of thoughts. Even though, even though you can get rid of one of the thoughts, then next moment, I don't want, I don't want the another thoughts. So you think, I don't, I want to get rid of second delusions, in other words, another delusions. But strictly speaking, what you think, what you think, I want to get rid of another delusion is already delusions. It's already right in the middle of, middle of the thoughts running through your head. So strictly speaking, you can get, you can get rid of that, your thoughts, your delusions.

[21:41]

So if you want to get rid of your delusions, your thoughts, you have to understand the totality in life, including the enlightenment, including delusions, including thoughts. This is middle way. Okay? So, the middle way in this respect, the middle way is that the self, that you must be expansive, expansive into not only the delusions, not only the idea of delusions, but also into the idea of enlightenment, in other words, that you must be expansive, expansive into the totality in life.

[22:50]

In other words, it should be open, anyway, first, before you are affected with the idea of delusion, or thoughts, or enlightenment, Buddha, or God, and so on, whatever. You are the self who is sitting right now, must be expansive, at least to this self, who is about to sit, before you are affected with your delusions. Then while you are attached to what you are looking into, looking into what the enlightenment is, you cannot understand exactly.

[23:54]

The self is expansive, continuously, always, into yourself, into delusion, into the enlightenment, into others, into the universe, anyway. Then the master said, Dogen Zen says, just do it, do Zazen, consider it as Shikantaza, Shikantaza is, you should be expansive to Zazen itself, to Zazen itself. Before you suffer, before you suffer from the thoughts, or delusions, and any other ideas of enlightenment, Buddha, and so on.

[24:57]

This is practice, but even Dogen, they suffered so much from the idea, why we have to practice, even though we are based on Buddha nature. At that time, even Dogen looked into a one-sided idea, which is called Enlightenment, or Buddha. He didn't understand unenlightenment, he didn't understand the totality of in-life, the totality of practice, including enlightenment, including delusions. That's why he asked the old Zen master, you are so old, that it is not necessary to come to the town to get the mushroom, to serve the monks.

[26:22]

Why don't you ask a young monk to come here and get the mushroom? At that time, Dogen says, you are very old, you are very old, this is already questionable. I am young, you are old. I am Japanese, you are American. This is already questionable. Actually, I am Japanese, I cannot get rid of this reality. Or you cannot get rid of this, that reality. You are American. This is true. But there is something more than such discrimination. Before you suffer from the idea of Japanese, the idea of American, there is the absolute place where you can be expansive into yourself, into others, into all human beings, into all sentient beings.

[27:45]

That's why you can say, oh poor boy, but you see, poor man, poor boy, whoever they are, this is practice, this is practice. But that's why Dogen Zenji asks, you are so old, that it is not necessary to work hard. Why don't you ask a young monk? It is already questionable. That's why Zen Master says, you don't know exactly what practice is. My master passed away at 85 years old.

[28:49]

Until his death, he worked. He worked. I was very amazed when I became a Zen priest. That time he was, I think, in his 60s. He was not hale and hearty even in his 60s and 70s, but he worked continuously as much as he can, he could. Sometimes I thought to my master, why don't you take a rest?

[29:52]

Please take a rest. Please take a rest. Why don't you have a coffee break? He just continued. At that time he said, don't worry about it. My body is my body. I know so well my body. If I think I need some rest, I will. Why don't you have your breakfast? It's already questionable, because I pick up some idea, you are old man. For example, if I look at the small tiny flowers at the side of the road, very tiny flowers, but it is beautiful.

[31:03]

I say, oh, poor flower. Why don't you bloom? Why don't you bloom in a beautiful garden where everybody pays much attention to you? Why don't you let the flower of your life force bloom at such a place where nobody pays attention? Oh, poor flower. Well, it is delusional. All he has to do is to let the flower of his life force bloom, that's all. Whatever I say, poor, you are very beautiful. This is practice for this tiny flower. This is practice for my master, how old he was.

[32:07]

Now, I don't mean you push. You push the old man to work hard. It's not necessary. I don't mean that, okay? Don't push old man to work hard. That's poor, really poor man. So please, please be considerate or thoughtful to old man. Please take a rest. That's all right. But there is, you should keep in mind that there is something which is called practice. What is called practice on which that the young man or old man must be based on, based. What he has to do is what he has to do anyway. You cannot send representative. You cannot send representative.

[33:17]

From Zen center, you know, I am Katagi. So, you are very old. Please take a rest. Then, I will find some representative from the Zen center students, you know. Then, Zen center, one of Zen center students said here, I am Katagi. It's nonsense, you know. It's nonsense. Whoever I am, poor English or good English, or intelligent or not intelligent, or great Zen master or poor Zen master, whatever I reflect upon myself, whatever you criticize me, there is something, there is something which I have to do, you know.

[34:24]

Regardless of the idea of poor man or good man, this is practice, this is practice. That's why Zen master says, you don't know exactly what the practice is. Then, the Dogen, nevertheless, at that time, Dogen had very strong desires to seek what the practice is, what the Buddha nature is. Then, he asked what the practice is. Zen master said, there is nothing to be hidden. Okay. If you think, if you think, oh, I am poor spirit of Zen students, it means, it means you immediately, you look at yourself at the corner of small box, small box.

[35:33]

As if you have picked up a speck of dust from the corner of the small box. He says, carefully. And then you find, oh, I am poor spirit of Zen students. Not in a big world, not big box, very small box. Not in the middle of the box, at the corner of the box. Whatever you say, I am good spirit of Zen priest, Zen students. The moment when you find yourself to be a good spirit of Zen students,

[36:37]

next moment you will find yourself to be poor spirit of the Zen students. This is really true. Then you have to continuously to pick up a speck of dust, which is called good spirit of Zen students, poor spirit of Zen students, going and coming, back and forth. Not in the universe, in the small box. That's why it leads you to one confused to another. The infinite delusion, infinite poor spirit of the students, or good spirit of the students, exists in the same world. Same world.

[37:41]

Not in the small box, in the big world. Next, what is called transiency, the principle of the transiency, discipline of the transiency. Watch everything is in the perpetual flow and the move, like a stream of river. You can't pick up. But your brain or our mind want to pick up a speck of dust. The moment when you find it. But it is not the practice, it is not the practice, true practice. The true practice is that you are expansive, expansive through and through to the self, to the self who settles on, who settles himself on the self.

[38:46]

You must be expansive to yourself, to others. On earth, as long as you sit on the zazen, you sit zazen, you must be expansive to zazen itself. Before you pick up the aspect of dust. At the corner of the small box. That's why the master says, there is nothing to be hidden. You know, let's imagine you are on the airplane, just the airplane. As long as you are inside of the airplane, which is flying in the high airs, high air,

[39:57]

you have to trust on the airplane, you have to trust on the pilot, the stewardess or others and yourself. The airplane is, the airplane is right on the stream, right in the stream of water, which is called, which is called transiency, which is called perpetual flow and move. You are now on the airplane, including you and including others, including pilot, including stewardess. But when you look at, when you look at yourself and others and airplane,

[41:08]

from the getting out of the stream of the water, which is called airplane, you will feel, you feel, you feel fear. Oh, oops. I'm scared. Because nobody knows what is in store, in store for us, what will be in store for us. Even in a moment, you know, if you think it, if you think of yourself, if you think of airplane, immediately you feel fear. But because at that time, you will find the airplane, which is moving so fast.

[42:11]

But strictly speaking, you have to be right on the stream of the river. River. When you're right in the stream of the river water, you don't understand, you cannot realize, whether your stream, stream of the water is moving, including airplane or yourself. You and others and even the airplane seem to stop. But anyway, important point is, you have to be, you have to be right on the airplane. In other words, right on, right on airplane, be right on is to trust yourself, to trust on yourself, to trust on airplane, to trust on pilot and stewardess and so on, everything.

[43:30]

Including circumstances, see? See? At that time, you feel comfortable. Then nevertheless, there are many things, many things which crops up. If you go to Japan, I think stewardess serve you three times. Serve you, you have to eat the big meal three times. About four, nine hours, maybe 12 hours. Let's imagine you have to eat. Not that you have to, but if you don't want, I don't want, you say I don't want, no thank you, that's all, that's okay.

[44:35]

But sometimes I feel guilty, I have to eat. Too honest, too honest, so I ate three times. I felt not so good, you know? Stomach was, looks like a swan. Then at that time, why they have to serve three times for nine hours? It's nonsense. It's nonsense. Then I don't want, you know? I said it's nonsense. But even it's not, what I think it's nonsense is also a one of pie, one of, it's one of my good friends, which is called transiency, you know?

[45:44]

Which is called stream of the river. Even nonsense, the idea of nonsense, three times meals are all moving with me, with me. And then right in the middle of the stream, I say, oh, it's nonsense, or that's good, delicious, you know, delicious meal. This is very good meal, steak, you know? Why don't serve the green tea? Next time, right after the dinner, the stewardess serve the champagne, wow, champagne. And then right after champagne, stewardess bring the whiskey, wow, whiskey. Sometimes I say, oh, it's nonsense, it's too much. Sometimes, oh, it's not necessary to serve the champagne after the dinner, you know?

[46:49]

Because I am already full. I have no spare place, spare room to put in. But whatever I think, all things in together, in all are moving. In the airplane, in the airplane. Not out of the airplane, you can't. Right on the stream of the airplane. Those are not terrible events. But let's imagine if hijackers makes appearance in front of you. Hey, hold up, this is terrible event. But even hijacker is part moving, you know?

[47:49]

Moving in the stream of the airplane. In the stream of the river. In the airplane, in the airplane. All things, good and bad, nonsense or good taste or whatever you think, all things moving in the same stream, same stream. But the moment immediately, immediately when the hijacker makes appearance in front of you, pointing against your chest with revolvers, hold up, you feel, oh, I don't want to die. So please, God, don't let me die. It means already immediately you try to get out of the stream of the river. Stream of the, you know, stream of the river.

[48:51]

Stream of the death. Stream of the death, I don't want. At that time you feel scared. But actually, let's imagine when you are about to die, with a revolver, from a revolver, boom! You know, how do you feel? You feel scared? I don't think so. All you have to do is just to experience big shock. One big shock, boom! That's all. And then this one big shock is identical with death. Death, no fear, no fear. That's why Zen Master, when Zen Master was killed by the soldier with a sword,

[49:58]

with one straw, that time he says, he says, a flash of thunder cut in piece the breeze of the spring breeze, spring breeze, something like that, no fears. Death is like this, boom! That's all. But if the hijacker tries to slowly, you know, the point against your chest with knife, really slowly like this, you really scared, you know. Wow! Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Please wait a minute. Before I die, I want to do lots of things to do something.

[51:03]

I have to tell my wife I am about to pass away. Please, wait a minute. And I have to tell my wife how much money I left. I will leave. Please, wait a minute. But even though whatever you say, I just always slow like this, pretty hard, you know. Can you wait for this death with calmly, composure? It's pretty hard. Because you are already looking at the death, you know, out of the stream of the transiency, stream of death. Stream of death is already moving very quick. Phew! Even the birth, even the death is moving. And the airplane, the same thing, nothing special. But when the hijacker lets his knife move slowly,

[52:12]

you cannot help looking at the knife, death, out of the stream of the death. You cannot be right on the stream of the death. You can't. So you have to always look at it. That's why you're scared. But the moment you are right on, the stream of the death, it is already death before you are aware of. That's all. And then, at that time, not only you, it is not necessary for not only you to die. But also, everybody dies. The whole world, completely,

[53:15]

death. Disappears. Like our cameras, shadows. That's all. So when you die, everything is disappearing. This world is completely disappearing. Okay? But I am still scared. To the death. It's easy to say it that way. But it's pretty hard to experience with your whole body and mind. That's why we need practice. Always, just a continuation of being right on.

[54:17]

Right on. The birth, when you say, this is birth. Right on, being right on the stream of the death, when you say, this is death. You have to be right on the stream of the Zazen, when you say, this is Zazen. In other words, it is. It means that you are expansive into yourself before you suffer. From the death, from the birth, from the Zazen, from your pain, from your thoughts, from your delusion. There is nothing, there is no better way, there is no better way to settle yourself on the self with dignity

[55:24]

than to just right on the stream of Zazen, bow, walking, sitting, speaking, chanting, eating. That's all. If you ignore this practice, you can't understand. You can't understand your life about your life. That's why, as Zen Master says to Dogen Zenji, the practice is that there is nothing to be hidden. There is nothing to be hidden. Even the death, even the birth, are always moving in the same stream of transiency, of airplane,

[56:31]

which is called transiency, which is called perpetual movement flow. This is our practice. This is our practice. The practice is very simple, very simple. But it is so simple that you can't understand. The death is, when you pass away, it's very simple. No amount of discussions. How much I feel, I have to feel pain, no amount of discussions. While you are waiting for the death, looking at it out of the stream of death, you must be, you must be always fear.

[57:35]

You must always fear. And at last, it leads you to one confusion to another. That's all. That's all. I'm sorry for you, but this is true. So, Zazen is the criticization. Zazen is the essence of our practice in life. Whatever you feel, as long as you, while you are sitting, you must be expansive, frankly, completely into yourself,

[58:45]

into the self. Whatever happens, happens. Thank you.

[58:54]

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