This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. I have a memory that after I was ordained as a priest, of a Zen priest is to encourage Zazen. I don't remember whether I was alone with him at that time or not, but I did hear him say that. I appreciated the simplicity of the instruction. This morning the thought crossed my mind that he didn't say the job of a Zen priest is to practice zazen.

[01:05]

He could have said that too. I think that seems true in a way. But he said it was to encourage. So now I feel like the job of a Zen priest is to transmit zazen. Or that zazen is transmitting zazen. Transmitting zazen by giving of a face and receiving a face. This is how zazen is transmitted, and this is zazen. Zazen is giving a face. Zazen is transmitting zazen. It's not a thing by itself. It's a transmission by which we can personally realize something that's not personal.

[02:18]

That we can personally realize a way that's not realized by a person. That's only realized by Buddhas face-to-face with Buddhas. We... and participate in this process, which can be called zazen, or again, face-to-face transmission. when we hear some ancestors say, this great way of face-to-face transmission, this great way of zazen, is not realized by a person.

[03:22]

It's only realized by Buddhas together with Buddhas. We people might feel left out. But this teaching is for us. We're not left out. We are invited to join the process which is realized by Buddhas together with Buddhas. It's a process that we do not personally accomplish. It can accomplish us, though. And we use our personhood to realize what is not realized. We use our own face and body. And during the last session, I talked about three stories from a book called Transmission of the Light.

[04:32]

Three stories, which could be three stories of... Buddha together with Buddha, or face-to-face transmission. First one is the story of Shakyamuni Buddha practicing Zazen under the Bodhi tree, realizing face-to-face transmission with the whole universe. This was his sitting meditation. This was his zazen. His zazen was realizing the way together with all beings face-to-face. Next story, Shakyamuni Buddha face-to-face with Mahakashapa. Shakyamuni Buddha practicing zazen with Mahakashapa. Mahakashapa practicing zazen with Shakyamuni Buddha.

[05:39]

This practicing together is the transmitting of the treasury of true Dharma eyes, the subtle mind, the wondrous mind of Nirvana. This is the Zazen at that time. This is the face-to-face transmission in that case, at that place, at that time, with those people, not personal. But they used their persons in the process. Next story, Mahakashapa and Ananda. Ananda studied with Buddha, but then... And he became an arhat after Buddha passed away. But after he became an arhat, he became a student of Mahakashapa. And they also met face to face. They practiced zazen together. and Ananda woke up to face-to-face transmission.

[06:48]

Before that, he had a personal practice of remembering all the Buddha's teaching and being a very sincere practitioner, but he didn't understand face-to-face transmission yet. Even though he was an arhat, he still didn't understand the way by which we can realize a path which is not personal. But with Mahakashipa, it was realized. Now, the next story is the next ancestor, which we chant as Shon na Washu, which is a Sino-Japanese transliteration. of Shanavasana, Shanavasana in Sanskrit, the third ancestor after Buddha.

[07:53]

I heard that before Shanavasana practiced, or went and practiced with Ananda, he was a wizard practicing in the Himalayas. at a non-Buddhist temple called Hogwarts. But he left there and found Ananda. And at some point he said to Ananda, What is the... is the original, unborn nature of all things. And Ananda pointed to the corner of Shana Vasana's Kshaya.

[09:08]

I don't know which corner. could have been this one, here's one, here's another one, there's one down here, where's the other one? It's back there someplace. There's four corners, right? So, Ananda pointed to the corner, or a corner, of Shanavasa's kshaya. And then, Shanavasana said to Ananda, what kind of thing is the original awakening of the Buddhas? And Ananda took a hold of the corner of Shanavasana's kishaya and pulled it.

[10:15]

And Shanavasa personally realized what is completely impersonal, called Great Awakening. So Ananda was successful in encouraging Zazen practice, transmitting Zazen practice to Shanavasana by this way. By using his hand, his finger, his thumb, and Shanavasana's rope. By interacting that way.

[11:17]

treasury of true dharma as the wondrous mind of nirvana is transmitted. This person, Shana Vasin, There's stories about him, and one story is that when he was born, he was born with clothes on. And when he became a monk, the clothes he was wearing turned into Kishaya. And... very nice kishaya, so that in the summer it was a cool kishaya, in the winter it was a warm kishaya.

[12:29]

This ancestor was a person for whom robes were a really major part of his life. So there's stories about him that in past lives he gave 500 bolts of cloth to to 500 Buddhas. of thing is the unborn nature of all things.

[13:36]

Ananda points to the robe. We say Sometimes at Zen Simeon we say O-kesa, and the O is honorific. So we say honorable or honored kishaya, O-kesa. The word kesa means, one version is, it means dull color or soiled color. It was originally made from cast-on materials, and then the various materials would be put in a vat of dye and made into a kind of compromised color, like brown, reddish-brown, or even darker colors, but basically a boiled-down version of various colors.

[14:57]

But another etymology of the word means unborn color. And so that etymology, and even the dull color, is kind of a hint. that, again, Buddhas are not, we shouldn't be looking for Buddhas as some form or some color. taking care of cloth, taking care of colors, but not looking for Buddha as a color.

[16:14]

Taking care of each other, taking care of ourself, but not looking for Buddha as some form of care or color. what kind of thing is the original unborn nature of all things. He points to the robe. So I don't think he's saying that the robe is the form of the unborn nature of all things.

[17:30]

I don't think he's saying the robe is not the form. I think he's saying, don't look someplace else for the unborn nature of all things. There's no way to get away from it. There's no need to seek it. There's no need to get away from anything. There's no reason to attain anything. It's a good question and a good response. I imagine Shanavasana understood this, and therefore he asked another question about the original nature of Buddha's awakening.

[18:34]

He wanted to clarify how Buddhas are born, where Buddhas are born. And now they're... They're going to clarify where Buddhas are born. And they're born at that moment by Ananda taking a hold of the corner that he pointed to and pulling it. Using a personal robe to realize what's not personal. Using this face and this nose to realize what's not personal.

[19:48]

using this face and this nose to practice zazen. Using this body and this face to express the Buddha mind seal. morning we chanted the Fugan Zazengi which says at one point in India and China they all are characterized by this form of sitting wholeheartedly sitting upright in Zazen it doesn't just say Zazen it says wholeheartedly sitting upright in Zazen wholeheartedly sitting upright, personally, wholeheartedly sitting upright in zazen, in what?

[21:03]

In the Buddha mind seal, in face-to-face transmission. We can sit with our face in zazen. We can sit with our face in face-to-face transmission. we can display the face-to-face transmission with our face, sitting in this room. Just like all these ancestors, all the Buddhas and ancestors, use their face to display the Buddha mind seal, which is not their face. It's their face being used to show face-to-face relationship. And the same, we can sit and use our robe.

[22:04]

We can put our robe on and bring our robe to the Zendo and use our robe to display, to express, to raise the flag of the Buddha Mind Seal. Just like Janavasana did, he brought his robe so Ananda could use his robe to express the Buddha mind seal. Ananda could use his own robe, which Mahakashapa probably gave him, which Buddha gave to Mahakashapa. He could use his robe, display his robe, and then use his successor's robe. We can use these things to display something which is not these things. But we can't skip over these things to realize what is not these things.

[23:17]

We have to use these things to realize what is not these things. With the intention of transmitting... the Buddha mind seal, face-to-face transmission. In the chapter on face-to-face transmission, towards the end, Doga Zenji says, because of face-to-face transmission, I was able to have, because of dropping off body and mind, because of dropping off body and mind, I was able to have face-to-face transmission with my teacher. But he didn't mention that because of face-to-face transmission, he was able to drop off body and mind and therefore was able to have face-to-face transmission.

[24:27]

Body and mind dropping off is transmitted to us. It is Zaza. Dropping off body and mind is given to us, and we receive it. And nothing is given to us, and we receive nothing. And yet, this not one single thing being given to us, and not one single thing being received, that is... receiving the face and giving the face. Dogen and his teacher did that. And then there's dropping off body and mind. And because there's dropping off body and mind, there's face-to-face transmission. You can use your body to sit up right here. we can use our bodies to sit up right here in the midst of zazen, which means in the midst of everything.

[25:37]

Which means in the midst of everything, meeting us and being met by us face to face. Nose to nose, finger to finger. And again, this practice of displaying this practice, at that time, the whole world becomes this practice. I don't know what causes and conditions made up the story of Shana Vasan and put him as our third ancestor. But anyway, that's the story I told today.

[26:40]

And if you want to discuss anything about it, you may come forth and do so. Don't worry about me.

[28:04]

I'm okay. But still, at times like this, I miss Greg Benza. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma Talks are offered free of charge, and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, visit SSCC.org. and click giving.

[28:34]

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