What I've been talking about is the realm of our experience. And how we talk about the realm of our experience. And how by the realm of our experience we can know the inexpressible. But of course I can't talk about the inexpressible. In your practice of jhana,

[01:03]

zazen, the fifth paramita. You may realize some concentration or some clear state of mind. You may be able to eventually play with your concentrations. So they're not something, they're something you participate with. But this, as I've said, is not the point of our practice. So to give up concentration, to give up the good feeling that you get from practice. For our life isn't something you can contain. in concentration or any kind of specific thing. That's why we don't know what practice is. Practice is something elusive. If we say, our life, you may think you know what your life is. If we say, practice, well, is that different from my life? Anyway, it raises some

[02:32]

question. Anyway, our practice becomes, our life becomes rather elusive, exactly what is practice. It's not concentration, it's not disturbance. How to find some bearing, some poise? How to find our what Tsukiyoshi called our true or perfect personality. The question has come up a couple of times now. If we say, act without hesitation, how do you How do you know when to act or how do you not jump in over your head? How do you also know what the right time is and the right place?

[03:51]

Actually, these are the same thing, to act without hesitation and know the right time and the right place. So, it's not hesitation and it's not rashness. You know, I said a while ago that karma exists in its own result, but your mind exists in its own result. So it's not surprising that your mind knows what to do. Your mind, your actions are an accumulation of thoughts. And your mind creates various choices for you. And then your mind makes some choice. And then your mind recriminates you and blames you.

[05:00]

or praises you for what you did. So it's not so surprising that the mind knows what's going to happen in advance and knows what to do. But we don't know when our mind knows what to do is the problem. Do you understand what I mean? In other words, our mind is always telling us, oh, do this, and you wait, or hesitate, or make sure. So it's some subtleness or easiness, freedom to answer your mind without hesitation, then what you do will be right. What Layman Pang said, existing within harmony. Or we say in the Neel chant, the natural order of mind. You know, this nose or face or body or mind all have their own harmony.

[06:27]

And we could call ego, then, a hubric extension of the mind, trying to take some credit or control the mind. And, of course, the mind punishes you for that. You can see it when you're in your sasheen. As soon as you notice you're doing zazen, as many of you have pointed out, you know, as soon as you notice, oh, my zazen's pretty good, ah, I am quite calm, that's the end of the calmness. That's quite observable. But how much do you observe in your life that your life starts to go wrong as soon as you think, oh, I'm doing pretty well. I'm Mr. or Mrs. or Miss so-and-so or Miss so-and-so. Anyway, you can be sure of things. You won't know the right moment.

[07:54]

if you have that kind of hubric idea. So, just to know what to do on each moment means to trust your mind. And it means to exist in the minuteness of your life, not from generalization to generalization, without generalization.

[08:59]

without knowing what the next moment will be. It's said even in the Prajnaparamita literature it says even the Buddhas don't fully know the dharmas. A dharma can't be fully known. So to not know what your mind and body are, and yet to trust, to find meaning in the phenomenal world. As I said yesterday, expressing our wholeness on each moment, in each particular thing we do, is how we have the mind of

[10:43]

distinctions, or what we mean when we say finding the one in many. Or, you know, we always say one and yet two, or one and many. And the mind of equality, which finds the sameness in each thing, or absorbs. No need to express anything. Just everything as it is, is okay, is to find the many in one, or concealment of the one. And the other is called disclosure of the one. My goodness. What's the point of making this kind of distinction which is hard to

[13:58]

just to see the point of, you know, to talk about one and many, it's just some two words. Until you see how we're caught in particular realms, how each one of us, you know, lives in a kind of realm, a particular system, you know, at least our thoughts, but the realms aren't limited to that. And ego tries to be king in a particular realm. The idea of a bodhisattva is that he can exist in any realm. So a bodhisattva is one... Another way of expressing a bodhisattva is you look down to a bodhisattva while you look up to a Buddha. Because a bodhisattva exists in your realm and you can't see him, you can't recognize him in your realm.

[15:28]

So a bodhisattva also means a plan of enlightenment or an enlightenment being. What's the activity of enlightenment? Which is to be free from or move in any realm, any particular realm. If you're caught in a particular realm, there's nothing a teacher can do except greet you in your own realm, because there's no way to talk to you or to express to you something outside your realm. So we say every realm has its Buddhas and patriarchs, but they're not recognized as Buddhas. But in every realm there is someone waiting for you till you see you're at the point where you have some chance to see the boundary of your realm. And then someone will make some suggestion or sign which will show you

[17:05]

background or the lucid or subtle existence, so that you can act on the subtle existence. So to exist in a particular realm means that you take some... I say these words but I can't convey to you what I mean. It sounds the same always, what I say.

[18:27]

to exist in your realm without possessing it is to be able to move in various realms. So the activity of a bodhisattva is to exist in any person's realm without possessing it. And by that to show each being how to exist without possessions, without any points of attachment. And our zazen practice is just some concentrated opportunity to find a way to exist without any points of attachment. I think for now this is too enough to say about this. Do you have something you would like to talk about, some questions? Yeah.

[20:02]

Well, maybe the most essential attitude you can have in Buddhism, in practicing, I don't like to say so because it sounds so religious, is humility or humbleness. And I don't think you can realize your practice unless you're willing to be a nobody. I mean, really, you have to be willing to be a nobody, completely. Some nondescript, ineffectual person who's just surviving barely. And who's willing to pitch in a little. If you can do that,

[21:11]

Maybe you have some chance of realising your practice, but maybe the greatest difficulty is pride. And I sometimes feel that, I mean, the most obvious difficulty we have, and what is often much worse than physical pain, is mental suffering. And mental suffering seems to come from anger. You know, often you look and it's some kind of anger. madness, but behind that there's usually pride, some proud feeling, some unwillingness to let go. And with that feeling you cannot have the mind of equality in which you see the action in everything. the action of enlightenment or Bodhisattva. You're always defending your particular realm. Is that enough?

[22:40]

By the way, if you're doing that, you're changing habits, you know? Situations change. How many nights have you rested? What are your alternatives? To not trust and back in sideways? Yeah. But first of all, you've created a future in which your plan is going to come into effect. Right now, everything is present. And if you know that completely, you'll know

[24:19]

how this moment becomes the next moment. So there's really no problem about planning for the future at all, because what you do right now is the future. I wish I was Suzuki Roshi to communicate to you so wonderfully as he did. Very close to what I just said about humbleness is the ability to realize that this very mind is Buddha.

[26:13]

Matsu said, Baso always said, this very mind is Buddha. And if you can, in everything you do, say, remember, this very mind is Buddha. You're making a mess of things? Oh, Buddha is making a mess of things. So do you want to worry about the period of Zazen now?

[27:34]

You're in lecture now, right? You're in lecture now, or something like that. We could say that. And in a while, the whole Zendo and this whole planet is going to get up and walk into the next period of Zazen. And you'll go along with it, right? Now, if the whole Zendo wasn't going to get up, and this walls and room and everything, and go to the period of Zazen, you'd have to worry about the next period of Zazen. I'm sorry, I can't express what I mean. It's something quite obvious, but yet... I want to. I want to. Too much. That's why I can't say what I mean. What?

[29:15]

I'm glad we don't have our high school guidance counselor here listening to these insane questions. You just wiped out a whole profession. I don't know about any past. There's something you can remember, or photograph, and then have the photograph. I don't know what value it has, or meaning, something, some trick.

[30:43]

into this great thing. Sometimes we tease ourselves with missed opportunities. But anybody who teases themselves with missed opportunities is currently missing another one. But we like to miss opportunities because it gives us something to think about.

[32:58]

You know, it gives you the sensation that something's happening, or could have happened. And the could have happened is more substantial than the happened. Because the happened disappears, and the could have happened continues as history. What you really did in your life, you forgot. You remember all of these could'ves and might'ves. Like the video sheet says, right thinking is that state of mind when you've been startled by something and you just notice it. That's right thinking. What difficulty? Only in Tarzan?

[34:33]

Yeah, Sashin gives us lots of hours to notice it. My nose, too, ever since fourth grade Well, there's no doubt that having coals and stuffy noses and things like that has to do with your particular physical inclinations, but also your state of mind. But we can't, if you understand what I mean by elusive practice, you can't refrain from being in those situations which give you colds. So, as Suddhi Rishi would say, runny nose Buddha. That's not

[36:06]

If you can completely understand that, there's no problem. And then help you out of a realm. A realm is something in which the seeming comprises the real, or what you take as real is only seeming. And in such a situation in which you take for real what's not, you can never find your life. You can't ever adjust your life or find some guideline or find any satisfaction, because

[37:26]

it turns out not to be real or true. So, to exist in any particular realm, you must know the one and the many and the many and the one, and how to express your wholeness in each particular thing, and how each particular thing is one. Again, it's what I was talking about yesterday, you know, what are called the mysterious gates, how to exist in simultaneous realms, or I've been calling it today lucid practice. Yes? Yeah, more or less. But, some of you overlap on each other a lot. And, I mean, I don't want to make it too mechanical, but, you know,

[38:44]

I think you understand what I mean. If you see the One in everything, there is no realm, there is no problem of communication. So some practice, Zen practice, you know, emphasizes practices like this very mind is and everything you do reminding yourself, this very mind is Buddha. And maybe the only possession worth having is some question like that, that's real in your life, in your practice. This very mind is Buddha. So when you say that, you feel it. In every circumstance you, ah, this very mind is Buddha. Then whatever the particular circumstances are, will be in harmony, because your actions won't be caught by a particular realm. So whatever you do is all right, running nose or... It's just right then, the particular form you have, and no matter... it's no better or worse than a particular form of having a nose that does not run.

[40:24]

The man of, you know, Rinzai's man of no rank means really no rank, no... There are no real differences between one person and another, one kind of person and another, ethnic or racial, us and anything. It's an equality which transcends our tiny distinctions that we take and make so important. If you are completely yourself, completely your particular form, you transcend all forms. There is no problem, actually, the whole universe respects you.

[41:45]

A bodhisattva is one who doesn't even notice distinctions that make ordinary people tremble. talking like this to me. I'm talking about something that you understand very deeply within you, but which we shouldn't talk about too much. to act on the phenomenal world. Just everyday life is the essence of Buddhism.

[43:54]

To realize enlightenment is just to be able to do this. And to realize enlightenment is to do this with others, or practice as, exist as a bodhisattva, an enlightenment being. There's no way you can Avoid this kind of responsibility. If you avoid it, you'll be caught in some particular realm. If you're free from it,

[45:08]

from some particular realm, you'll take whatever form is necessary, moment after moment. That's the actual meaning of being a monk or a priest. There are three uses for being a priest or a monk. One is to practice together. So we need some way to practice together. So if we practice together, it looks like monk's life. So whether you're a monk or not, you all look like monks, more or less. Not caring too much about our... adjusting our dress every day. just existing with each other, sharing some lifestyle. That's the apprentice. That's being a monk as useful during your apprentice time. Unsui means cloud water apprentice. So you're a cloud water apprentice.

[46:39]

And then another use of it is as a way of life. It is also a way of life. Another use of it is teaching. But these three are separate, not necessarily one. Sometimes we are a monk to teach. Sometimes we're a monk as a way of life. Sometimes we're a monk as a cloud water person. way of a bodhisattva is to take whatever form is useful in whatever realm he exists and to not be possessed of that realm. All these kinds of questions, is there past, present or future? Is there suffering?

[48:00]

are meaningful if you know what the actual conditions of your life are, how to answer them. what the way is that answers them. You can't abstract them out of the way.

[49:33]

To do so is interesting and helpful and maybe some pointer. But the way itself has to be realized by you when you have some good opportunity. And that opportunity may be realised at any moment, just remember this very mind is there. Thank you.

[50:46]

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