This time, I would like to explain about the transiency for seven days, which Buddhism puts emphasis on. Anyway, for week 16, I would like to concentrate on explaining the transiency. I think I mentioned some day about the

[01:09]

the the the way of understanding in Buddhism in comparison with Western way of understanding. Of course, comparison is not to criticize which is good, which is bad. Comparison is really comparison. Because, if you know, if you want to know what the black color is, you have to know the other side, the other color, which is called white or red.

[02:21]

So you have to explain what the white is, what the black is. In a sense, it is very important in order to understand clearly something as it is. So sometimes I explain some aspects of Western way of understanding, but I am not an expert, I am not good at the explanation of Western thought. Of course, you know so well better than I. On the occasion of studying metaphysical subjects,

[03:24]

you will realize that there is something which the Western or Western Orient, Europe and Orient, have something in common with each other. In order to research for the subject whether human beings exist constantly, forever or not, or for whether the God exists in this world. But I think Buddhism also refuses to explain whether human beings exist constantly,

[04:48]

even after death, or not. And also about the existence of God, too. And also in Western way of understanding, I mentioned some day, you know, one of famous philosophers also refused. To explain what it is, whether human beings exist constantly after death. But, logically speaking, one of Western philosophers completely refused. He mentioned that it is completely impossible to explain whether human beings exist forever or not,

[06:00]

even after the death. But, practically speaking, in other words, how can we develop our daily life in order to lead our lives under better conditions, day in and day out? But, then morally, in moral viewpoint, he gave a suggestion that human beings will be better to recognize the idea that human beings exist, human soul, exist forever even after the death,

[07:18]

or the God exists in this world. Why? Because to recognize this idea, it will help the human beings in their daily life in order to lead their life, to lead their significant life. That's why, morally speaking, in terms of moral viewpoint, it is alright for us to recognize a certain idea that human soul exists forever after the death.

[08:26]

But, in Buddhism, even in terms of moral viewpoint, Buddha completely refused that it is necessary to recognize a certain idea that whether human beings exist after the death, because it is completely of no use. Even though you recognize this idea, because this idea, the idea will never save human beings from their suffering with which they come into contact day in and day out.

[09:38]

This is a very different point between the two. Then, in order to explain what human mind is in terms of Buddhist psychology, I think they use the word conception of mukhi, the neutral nature of morality, I mentioned some day. From this point, in this respect, all we have to do is to focus our attention on our daily life before you put a strong emphasis on the metaphysical subject, such as whether human beings exist forever after the death.

[10:43]

Plainly speaking, look at your daily life, that's all. That's why they use the conception of mukhi in order to explain the subconscious mind, the neutral nature of morality, neither good nor bad. This is a very different point. If the metaphysical subject is beyond our intellectual pursuit, how can we handle our daily life? Then Buddha says, Buddha puts the emphasis on looking at your daily life, that's all. This is the implication that the conception of the neutral nature of morality possesses in itself.

[12:12]

When you try to explain what the God is, what the human soul is, then if there is nothing to look at our daily life instead of researching the metaphysical subject, what is it to handle? How should we handle our daily life? What is it that we must look at in our daily life? This is a very important point, too. Then, whatever kind of Buddhist sutra,

[13:36]

or many texts in Buddhism, the Buddha and the patriarchs always stress on how important the transcendence, the conceptual transcendence is for us. For instance, you know so well, one of the principles, one of Buddha's teachings, he taught us on the eightfold path. You know that, you know? The first two of the eightfold paths,

[14:46]

the Shakyamuni Buddha emphasizes we first of all practice to see in a proper way. This is the first point. And the second point is to think in a proper way. Then, what is right seeing? This is, it is called sho ken. Sho is right. Ken is to see. The second is right thinking. To think in a proper way. And from the third, from the third of the eightfold paths, the Shakyamuni Buddha described the concrete way of our daily life,

[15:58]

such as right word, the calm mind based on the Zen, the effort or wisdom, keeping the human life force in right proper way, and so on. But what I want to mention is why Shakyamuni Buddha emphasized the first of all to practice right seeing and right thinking. Before we practice, not before we practice,

[17:00]

we have to see into our lives in proper way at the same time and at the same time we practice. Then first of all we have to see, we have to see into human life in proper way. And then we have to think the human life in proper way. To see into human life in proper way. What is it to see? To see into the human life in proper way. What should we see into?

[18:03]

So, this is the important matter of considering again and again what we should see into our lives in proper way. Then Shakyamuni Buddha emphasizes that we have to at any cost to see into the human life based on transiency. Transiency. But transiency is not so easy to understand. I mentioned this before in Tascaha. The people said,

[19:18]

well, the Buddhism is something like, she said the Buddhism seems gloomy. Gloomy. So she said gloomy Buddhism. Maybe so. Maybe so Buddhism seems gloomy one. According to your common sense. Your common sense which you are usually supposed. But Buddhism is not gloomy. Gloomy. So that's why I would like to explain what transiency is for seven days. I don't know exactly.

[20:22]

I wonder if I will explain completely about the subject of transiency. In order to understand it, in order to make it understand. But at any cost I will do my best to explain what transiency is. If you read the book, The Z-Monkey, written by Dogen, you will realize many state, many emphasis

[21:29]

that Dogen always mentions about transiency. In order to realize human religious awareness. For instance, Dogen says to be free from egoism is to have a deep understanding of transiency. This is the primary consideration. And he said also, really bring benefit to others. Gaining nothing for yourself. This is a primary requisite for breaking free of attachment to the self.

[22:37]

To establish an attitude, you must first understand impermanence, a transiency. Our life is like a dream and time passes swiftly. This dual existence easily fades away. Because time waits for no one. You should, during this short lifetime, vow to follow the Buddha's will and help others in every way possible, no matter how small. There are many statements in The Z-Monkey

[23:46]

which he put emphasis on how important to see deeply into the human world, human life, based on transiency is. And also in the Sutra of Shishogi, Dogen says, impermanence offers us no foothold. The dual of our life, on what grass of the roadside will it fall? Even now this body does not belong to me. Life transfigured by time defies stopping even for an instant.

[24:56]

Once gone, the face of youth vanishes irrevocably. We cannot bring back the past. When suddenly confronted with impermanence, we cannot look for salvation to kings, state ministers, relatives, servants, wife and children, or treasures. Along we enter the kingdom of death, taking along only our karma of good and evil. That's terrible. And also in Gakudo Yojinshu, he said, first, in order to explain about the need for arousing the way-seeking mind,

[26:06]

he says, many names are given to the way-seeking mind, but they all refer to the one mind. The great patriarch Nagyarjuna said, the mind that sees into the flux of arising and decaying of the world is also called the way-seeking mind. Why then, in temporary dependence on this mind called the way-seeking mind, when we see through the flux, the selfish mind doesn't arise. The mind that seeks fame and profit doesn't arise. Purported by the spirit transit,

[27:09]

transit of time, we should train as though our head had to be saved from flames, against the weakness of bodily life. Therefore, the effort should be like the Buddha's arousing his foot. Although we may hear the fluttering call of the kin-nana god and the carving of a bird, it resembles to the evening wind blowing in our ears. Although we see a beautiful face like Mosho's, a beautiful lady, and Seishi's, it is like the morning dew touching the eye. If already free from the bondage of sound and color,

[28:13]

you harmonize naturally with the true meaning of the way-seeking mind. Since long ago, some haven't heard the true Buddhism. Some have seen very little of the Buddhist sutra, caught in the pitfall of fame and profit. Most of them have lost the life of Buddhism forever. They are to be pitied and regretted. Judging from the Dogen's statements I have read, I think you have understood how important to see into the human life, human world, based on the transiency is.

[29:15]

In order to seek, in order to seek the way-seeking mind, in order to seek the religious awareness, religious awareness, this is right seeing, right understanding. So we have to see, we have to see into human being, human world, based on the transiency, and we have to see in proper way, which means to consider and to think being and human world, which means to consider how we can be free from ourselves, tied up by delusion, suffering, pain, torture,

[30:31]

even the pleasure. Not only Buddhist Dogen's, the Shakyamuni Buddha also explained about this point. When the Shakyamuni Buddha practiced in his monastery with his many disciples and laymen, one day Buddha asked two saunas, one of his disciples,

[31:37]

the sauna, what do you think of the form, the nature of permanence or impermanence? In other words, what do you think about? What do you think about phenomena? What do you think about human life? What do you think about human world? Permanence, they are based on the principle, the nature of permanence or impermanence. The sauna said, the great honored one, it is of impermanence, it is based on the nature of impermanence. Buddha said, if it is impermanent, how are you supposed to feel from it? Suffering or pleasure? In other words, if the human life or human world

[32:48]

are based on the nature of impermanence, how are you supposed to feel from them? Suffering or pleasure? In this case, suffering is uneasiness. The pleasure is the meaning of comfortableness. So, Shakyamuni Buddha asked, if all which is impermanent is pleasant or unpleasant for you? Then sauna said, the great honored one,

[33:50]

impermanence makes me undergo suffering. So impermanence, the nature of impermanence, impermanence undergoes uneasiness. I think so, because no one feels comfortable facing perpetual changing, the perpetual changing of his body and his mind. Then Buddha says, would it be possible for you to attach to an object?

[34:52]

What you can attach to? Or to the idea of selfishness and to unchangeable substantiality, if everything is transient, suffering and changeable? And sauna says, I don't think it will be possible. So, I think from this point, you have understood, Buddhism always emphasizes the very important practice of seeing into

[36:12]

the human life, human world based on the transiency. Briefly speaking, I think, in a sense, transiency, the principle of transiency assumes the principle of nihilism. Nihilism. So you said, that's right, you said, you said Buddhism is gloomy. But this is okay, whatever you think, whatever you think, Buddhism, whether Buddhism is gloomy or not, little by little, I will explain. Buddhism is not gloomy. Okay, for seven days. Today, anyway, I would like to explain the transiency,

[37:22]

the idea of transiency in terms of linguistic way of understanding. In Japanese, transiency is called Mujo. This is, Mujo is one of Buddhist technical term. Mujo, Mu is nothing. Jo is permanence. So, no permanence. So, Mujo is no permanence, impermanence. But, plainly speaking, we use the, in our daily life, in Japanese daily life, the, another word, Hakanai, Hakanai. Hakanai means, literally meaning of

[38:25]

Hakanai is not to make a progress, not to make good progress. This is literally meaning of Hakanai. Which means the same viewpoint as the word Mujo, impermanence. So, impermanence, Mujo comes from Hakanai. So, Hakanai comes from the word of, or, what would you call, the Hakagaiku, is to make progress. To make progress, the Hakagaiku is the opposite to Hakanai. Hakagaiku to make good progress

[39:27]

is opposite to the word Hakanai, not to make good progress. Did you understand this point? Mujo comes from the Hakanai, not to good progress. This is very interesting point, you know. The, I think, look at our daily life, modern life anyway, in 20th century, in 20th century, look at your daily life who lives in 20th century, 20th century. We call this life, we call this present modern age,

[40:29]

modern age. I think now only me, but all of you feel everything is, everything is getting on so quickly, you know, so quickly. Not only in United States, but also in Japan too, you know. Japanese try to make a train which is very fast, you know, which is very fast from Tokyo to Osaka, you know. So far, it took us, it took us six hours from Tokyo to Osaka. But now, it took us, it takes us

[41:34]

three hours from Tokyo to Osaka. If you ride on special express train, you know, pretty fast, you know. Pew! And also in United States, the people try to, try to make a big, huge, huge airplane, you know. In order to reach any countries, any countries in this world as fast as we can. But anyway, everything outside,

[42:35]

everything outside is going on quickly. So it is pretty hard for us to keep up with, keep up with the dizzy, the, dizzy, what would you call it? It's pretty hard for us to keep up with the dizzy the tempo, tempo. At which the society now is moving, you know, quickly. Then at that time, how do you feel? All of you anyway

[43:44]

lives in the society named America. America. I think everything in America is quicker, going on more quickly than Japan. I think in Japan, you know. But whatever happens, whatever happens outside, in your society, to tell the truth, we really want to keep up with, we catch up with the tempo at which the human society is now going on, you know. But however, however you make effort,

[44:51]

however great you make effort, you cannot help realizing that there is, there may be something which you cannot keep up with. Keep up with the bewildering, the quick changing changes of the times, you know. Then at that time, how do you feel? You feel, you feel the society is, you feel the tempo quick changes of the time make you pensive. You know, in other words,

[45:53]

everything outside in your daily life makes very good progress. But on the other hand, everything which you attempt to carry out hardly make good progress, you know. That's why you can't, you won't realize the reality that you cannot keep up with the bewildering, the quick changes of times. Then you feel a sort of transiency, you know. Because you can't, you can't keep up with. But on the other hand,

[46:59]

you try to make every possible effort more and more to carry out, to be successful in your business. So as not to fall behind the quick changes of the times. But unfortunately, there may be something that your effort cannot catch up with, or with the quick changes of society. Then at that time you feel

[48:05]

transiency. Transiency, you know. So transiency is, that's why, is the meaning of not making good progress, you know. Not making good progress. Whatever you do, however great you make every possible effort to follow, to obey the the temple of society in the United States. When you, when you make no good progress in your movement, in your activities, it makes you pensive, it makes you feel impermanent.

[49:06]

It makes you feel impermanent, impermanent, you know. Or pensive, or sadness, sad, something like that. But society, the temple of society, temple of the times, the quick temple of the times and society in our days, is getting on quickly, regardless of however you feel. the, look at the Disneyland. I have never been there, but I always, I see the Disneyland on the pictures. Disneyland is one of

[50:10]

famous spots, which every children loves, you know. And try to go there. Because Disneyland is a kind of, sort of dreamy world, with beauty, human beauty, the feeling of beauty, the feeling of dreamy, dream. You know. The feeling of fantasy. But I, not only the children, but also I would like to go there someday, and to see what Disneyland is, and I would like to play there with the children, to ride on the plane.

[51:11]

I think, you know, the, you can find the, you can find a variety of the world. The past of United States. The past to the present. Since the United States was born in this world, the human primitive life, the modern life too. I try to, I think I've, you know, you can find

[52:17]

by what variety of the world in Disneyland is made. Is it made by the natural source? Natural, using the natural tree, or natural board? I don't think so, you know. It's pretty hard to make such a huge variety of the world in United States since the United States was born to, up to the modern world of United States. Primitive life and modern life and modern life. So, human being,

[53:23]

even though human being is a human being find it's difficult to create variety of the world in nature. So, they attempt to create variety of the world carrying huge rock, huge plastic tree from the United States, from the whatever, French, or Japan, or from all of the world. And also,

[54:23]

if you create variety of the world using the huge plastic trees or plastic rock, huge rock, it seems beautiful. It seems beautiful. In appearance, you feel really beautiful. But this beauty never come home into your heart. Just beautiful. Oh, how beautiful. How beautiful it is. That's all. Wow, how wonderful it is. That's all. This is modern life.

[55:29]

I mean that I don't want to criticize Disneyland. Same is true. Same is true of human life. Not only in Disneyland, not only in United States, but also in Japan too. If you find it impossible to create something, you know, you try to make every possible effort to try to build it. Getting some styles, using the plastic trees or huge rock, plastic house, plastic pipe, plastic human being, plastic boat.

[56:33]

This is true. And then, to tell the truth, it makes human being pleasure, enjoy his life. Instead of seeing into the deeply human being based on the transiency, you know. When Shakyamuni Buddha put emphasis on hey, look at yourself based on the transiency. Oh, I don't like that. Then, you try to create a huge airplane, a huge train in order to reach

[57:38]

quickly, you know. And to get the plastic trees, plastic huge stones, plastic human being, plastic fish. This is true. And then you try to cover your eyes, cover your, cover the principle of transiency. I don't like that. Uh, the, I mean, I don't mean that I criticize modern life. You know, I feel something missing, you know, in our daily life. As long as you, your life is induced

[58:40]

in modern life, it is alright to live, to lead your life, to lead, to find, to find your daily life under the better condition. Day in and day out, that's okay. But the, I think we need, we need the practice, we need to practice all looking at ourselves. Before you, before you running here and there in order to get the

[59:42]

plastic stuff for the purpose of creating the variety of the human world and enjoy human beings' lives. We need the practice, we need to practice look at yourself, which means to, which means to be, to practice, which means that it is necessary to look at to make your mind calm. If you, if you feel something, if you feel, if you,

[60:43]

if you realize the reality that it may be, it may be difficult for you to keep up with the quick tempo of the times and society in your daily life and suffer. We need to practice look at ourselves with calm. This is very important occasion, occasion with occasion to

[61:46]

enable human beings to catch up with, to make the effort. So as not to get behind the quick tempo of quick changes of the times of human societies. That's why the word of transiency as mentioned before comes from the word of HAKA GA IKA NAI not to make good progress. That's why

[62:55]

that's why Dogen Zenji says always in his work trying to be free from egoism is to have a deep understanding of transiency. This is the first primary consideration. And also he said to establish an attitude, you must first understand impermanence. In order to cultivate your life, your personality because your life must be open

[63:58]

to others, to your society. Your life is really valuable in order to help others in every way possible, no matter how small. Even though you are the person who cannot keep up with excessive quick changes of times, individuals are inherent in having their

[64:59]

great capability which enables you to see into the depths of human life based on transiency. From this point I think the transiency, the principle of transiency is not the principle of nihilism which enables human beings to feel despair. It enables human beings to escape from their life to the absolute world. the principle of

[66:08]

transiency is really a concrete way of human world, human life which is displaying moment after moment in the reality of the present. To see the principle of transiency is not to understand it with intellectual sense. It is to understand it in our daily life instead of chasing after

[67:10]

the subject of metaphysical study. That's why Shakyamuni Buddha and many number of patriarchs put emphasis on focus our attention on seeing into the deep depths of human life on the basis of the transiency. In order to cultivate your daily life, your personality, in order to keep up with the modern life, modern society, not to get behind

[68:14]

the modern life not to make you despair. That's why we have to consider we have to open our mind again and again and consider what the transiency means through your practice. Through the practice of tranquility in the Zen. This is the practice of our Satsang. So, transiency is, briefly speaking, to become yourself with opening your eyes

[69:15]

as you are. If you want to know, if you want to know yourself, the concrete aspect of the society in the reality of the present as it is. Beyond the function of intellectual sense, at any cost we have to make yourself, make your body, make your mind calm. On your own question. As if your body and mind were a huge building rising towards the sky.

[70:16]

If you want to know, if you want to live there with comfortableness, you have to settle on yourself. We have to settle the building on itself rising into the sky. This is the Zen.

[70:45]

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