This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Is that, can I start? Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. It's been a long time since I last visited this Zen Center.

[01:22]

And when I came after this much time and seeing everyday practice, continuation practice unfolding here, I felt touched deeply grateful. Something so rare. I'm certain that the founder of this community is also deeply grateful. So I attended, I joined your practice of Zazen and chanting at the service.

[02:33]

And at the beginning of the chanting, we had nine frustrations. When I was young, I was okay. Now that I'm aging, I found it a little bit difficult. For the last 60, maybe seven years, you have been continuing these nine frustrations at the Zen Center. Yeah. It is indeed rare. I'm grateful for this. And congratulations for your Mountain Seed Ceremony. I wonder when you had the first Mountain Seed Ceremony here.

[03:40]

When it started for this occasion, did it start? Sorry. When the mountain sea is starting? So this is starting this afternoon, right? Yes, I knew that. But, I think that I'm going to do this at the time. I'm going to do this at the time. I'm going to talk to you about this. So way before this mountain seat ceremony came to this point, before it started, I heard that there was going to be a mountain seat ceremony.

[05:02]

And for me, the mountain seat ceremony already had begun at that point. And I've been deeply... I have to admit I'm still a bit nervous. And I believe it's the same with you too. Long before we had this day, you had already begun your mountain seed ceremony.

[06:08]

Cleaning up this place. Making sure everything is clean. So you had already been living through the mountains. This time, I came here and saw the inside of my house, and there was one person who was shaking my head around nicely. I was so excited to see my heart. Before this started, I looked inside a hall and saw someone wiping the brick, being seated, I think, with, and I saw how the heart and that action was so aligned, quietly wiping. So,

[07:39]

The mountain seat ceremony already was beginning, had begun before. And then with the people of this, not beyond this time and place, with all the people who were before us, who had passed away. I thought I'd like to talk about it. It's a question. [...] So one thing I was thinking of sharing today is actually something from Eihei Shingi.

[08:44]

And among this collection, there's a part that's called Shii Shingi. It's the pure standards for the administrators, directors. What it is contained there is the stories that it teaches us, shows us, how these everyday things around administration of the community, the small Bits and bits and pieces of these details of the work we do is all a practice.

[10:05]

I'm going to teach you how to teach you. I'm going to teach you how to teach you. I'm going to teach you how to teach you. One time, there was this monk, Hoe, who followed his teacher, Jimeo, visiting various temples in many different places, locations. And he followed Jimeo. Hoe followed the guidance and teaching of Jimeo, following him. But still, nonetheless, it had been really difficult for him to attain some sort of awakening.

[11:05]

So one time he asked, Sohoi asked Jinyo, saying, could you give me more specific instructions, guidance? What did I say? I didn't want to say anything. At the time, I said, You are a big temple of a church, and a lot of people are going to die. Now, I don't have to worry about it. I said, You are going to go to work. I said, You are going to go to work. So to this request, Jimmy responded by saying, well, you know, you're in charge of directing the community.

[12:16]

You're cunning the director. So, you know, don't get bothered. Just, you know, do your business. Go back and continue to do your work. And that's kind of how bluntly their reply came. But he also said that, you know, please, Don't rush. Take your time. And then when the time comes, you'll be taking care of your maybe a one big temple community when that time comes. Meanwhile, Jimeo was visiting this elder lady who was living near the temple.

[13:29]

And whenever Jimeo had time, he goes and visits. this elder lady, and maybe some socializing, having some good time? I didn't know how many people were able to do this. But nobody really knew what an experienced practitioner who's been dedicating her whole life, this elder lady.

[14:31]

So on one rainy day, when Jimeo was, again, leaving, heading out, Hoei could no longer wait. So he waited for Jimeo to show up on the way. And then, He threatened him. Like, you know, you must teach me. Otherwise, I'm going to... I'm going to beat you up, idiot. You know, it's amazing how violent the training monks used to be. I think I know some teachers who are beaten up by their own students.

[15:59]

So, you know, like maybe the teacher was also strict and used some sticks to the students, but then also the students used to beat up their teachers. And we don't do that anymore today. We don't do that anymore. When you're very...熱心, dedicated, passionate, seeking for the drama, then sometimes you will cite, you kind of get blind. So, Jimio said, oh, yeah, like, you know, if you can, if you understand what it means to work as Kannin, the director, isn't that enough for you?

[17:29]

And before he finished that line of teaching, just before he finished that line, the sentence, Hohe attained a deep awakening. I don't have to worry about it. Anyway, I got it. [...] Okay, so you might be wondering how he attained that awakening.

[18:51]

That's not something you need to know. Think about it. Anyhow, Ho'e stood up right there and offered three bows on this wet, muddy ground. And then he asked this question, what does it mean for us to be facing in this narrow path face to face? And Jinyo said, Well, you're on my way. Could you step aside? I'm on my way. Jimio said, I have to go visit my friend. It was really.

[19:54]

He said, Ho-e was on his way. He said, you're on my way. That's what Jimeo said. The next day showed up a proper tire, a formal tire, offered incense and forage, frustrations and forage, bounced to junior the next day. So that was his way, Koei's way of showing gratitude to Jimyo doing his bow.

[21:13]

But yet to that, Jimyo in response just said, cut, cut. And then he said, Not there yet. Not there. You're not still there yet. That's it. There's a lot of people who don't know. There's a lot of people who don't know about it.

[22:16]

There's a lot of people who don't know about it. There's no money. Why don't you pay attention to me? I said, there is a teacher who doesn't. I said, where did I go? I said, I said, I'll go. [...] So one day, or so whenever he's to Gmail, I was to continue to visit his friend, the elder lady. But then one day, it was a day for Shou-san, this whole assembly questions and answers where

[23:22]

But then Hoi was anticipating the bell to start, but he didn't hear the bell. So he went to ask the training monks, why aren't you ringing the bell? And to which the training monk replied, well, we don't have our teacher. And Hoi immediately thought, well, Jimeo must be with his old friend. And he went to see him where she saw Jimeo lit more fire in the stove. And the elder lady's friend was making a rice grill, a porch. But, and then he heard the genius friend saying, well, it's time for you to go back to your temple and for this old assembly of monks, they are waiting for you. Omae san ga watashi no koko roo kaeru guai no koto wo yutte goran.

[24:27]

Watashi no koko roo hikku likaresu dake no koto ba o haite. Soしたらそれがいい koto wo yutta ra watashi ga kaerou. So de na kata ra omae tachya issan no daishu, shijouza, zembu, [...] shijouza, zembu. You say, you [...] say, Excuse me, I made a little mistranslation. Oh, yes. I'm sorry.

[25:30]

So the person was saying, please come back to the temple because the whole assembly is waiting. That's Ho-we, who came to see Jimeo. Sorry, there's a mistranslation there. To which Jimeo replied, saying, then say or proclaim some teaching, something that would... 心をひっくり返す means turn my mind, my heart and mind around. Basically, say something that would impress me to that level. That would change my mind so that I would go back to the temple. Otherwise, all this assembly of monks, they can go anywhere they want. So he then put on this, kasa means umbrella, but it's the one you put on a hat, right, kasa.

[26:31]

And then he walked around here and there. To which Jimeo was really pleased to see, which was something. And he came back to the temple and told him to go to the temple. And there's a story that he was so pleased that he decided to go back to the temple and preach the town. So ever since then, every time OA or others notice jimyo, trying to sneak out of the temple or just start wandering around out of the temple. And they start ringing the bell for Shou-san. One time, Jinryo was really upset or maybe angry.

[27:46]

He said, why are you folks ringing? Ringing the bell in the evening for the Shousan, like this time of the day. I don't think it's part of the schedule. And then that month's reply, yes, there is. And so he said, well, it's been the rule, it's been the standard since he was saying your teacher's day, which was Hoei's grandfather. So that's a story from the beginning.

[28:54]

When I look at that story from the beginning, the first thing I learned was that I learned about myself, [...] When you look at this story in retrospect, the whole flow of the story, you realize Hoei initially was pursuing, seeking his practice. Then he realized that his work, everyday work, is a practice. So up to this point, the whole purpose had always been about to be convinced to deepen his realization, to deepen his practice for himself.

[30:15]

From there, he evolved. He went beyond that. where he cared for the entire sangha, the mountain, the temple, where in which he would even, he would even not use, but to make his own teachers a means or just kind of, see, I guess to use his own teachers. For the whole son.

[31:20]

And this is a story of someone who would later become the Zenji, be called Ho-e Zenji. Shishou no jimio to you show this kid. Well. Oeo. [...] I didn't see a good condition. I didn't see it. I didn't see it.

[32:26]

I didn't see it. [...] About the heroist teacher, Ji Myo, he said unkind things sometimes. Sometimes he wasn't really showing the best of himself, the best of himself, rather something different. And that all came from his compassionate mind. all so that Ho-e can be guided. So they came from a bigger mind, and that was a source of all this teaching, the way he was guiding Ho-e.

[33:45]

This is a prayer of the church. It's [...] a prayer of the church. You practice every day here, whether for your centers, for dojos. And then all this practice has zazen as its basis, its foundation.

[34:46]

It is, but then you do cooking, you clean up your place, you do errands, you do all kinds of work. This is an expression of your mind trying to embrace, include all phenomenas in heaven and earth as a whole practice. Thank you very much. So I think that's probably the American people from the United States.

[35:59]

I think it's a good job. It's [...] a good job. I was sharing this story, this Dharma talk at Toshouji, where I served as a seido one time. And I think it was somebody, a practitioner from United States, I'm not sure, who asked me a question. If this is so, isn't it exactly the same with people in general? who leads our everyday life. And the mothers who take care of children take care of these. So you asked me, oh, here she asked me this question.

[37:16]

Why didn't Gmail give them more thorough guidance? I mean, if we do your work and that's enough, I still don't get it. I think there's something not right. That was, yeah. So that's what he said to me. It's a little bit difficult, but... It's the same thing. Your mother is cooking or washing [...] or washing. It's the same thing. It's the same thing, but... What is different from what [...] is different

[38:47]

So I had to pause for a moment back then, and I wasn't sure how best I could reply. Yes, it is the same. It is the same. When you take care of your family, when you do all this, you clean up, you do laundry, you take care of everyday things. But then there, you have to think, what is that difference? How is it different? And again, as Jimeo instructed us, this is something you have to inquire yourself. You have to kind of feel and then realize yourself in the midst of that. When you talk about samari, zanmai in Japanese, there's a word called Jijiu zanmai.

[40:04]

Freely receiving samari. Thank you very much. If you want to do something, you can't do something. [...] The sammai or sammari that I'm talking about here is you do something not for some purpose. The doing that you're doing itself is everything, that purpose.

[41:11]

Otherwise, this doing would not be embodying the sammari. So if you sweep the street right outside of the building, I know people who walk by the streets would enjoy the beautiful view of this building and might enjoy the time as they walk by this temple. That is a joy to be, and that is your joy to be, or your heart, or your安定, or your満足, so you can connect with your work.

[42:25]

If you do this practice of sweeping, for example, if you do this for your peace equanimity, for something that fulfills your mind, then it is a it is a precious, precious practice. I'm going to take a look at my work. [...]

[43:29]

When I see everyone here, I see how you engage in your practice, everyday activities, and I can sense, I can see how that is filling your mind, filling your heart, mind. And by looking at that, I can see how the purpose of the Chichi Shinri, the pure precepts for administration temples, has already been fulfilled, has already been fulfilled. As I said before, Ji Myo said this. If you understand the work of kannin directors, wouldn't that be enough? Wouldn't that be sufficient? It was the other way of

[44:31]

Asking, what else are you seeking? Is there any more that you're looking? This is something for all of us, including myself. This is something we all need to keep that. Let it sit in our mind. First time I came to the Zen Center, as I remember, that was right before my teacher passed away.

[45:54]

I think it was 56, 57 years ago. I felt deeply touched to see the people here practicing Zen. That was also the moment I reflected on my self in youth, asking myself, are you doing all right?

[47:05]

Now, I'm 83 years old. When I'm 80 years old, I can think of things in the future. age 80, and you kind of start to think of what comes after, follows after. The future, the future. I can't help but then think.

[48:35]

about how much we understand ourselves before we conclude or conclude my life. I've been supported, helped a tremendous number of people through my life. Until today. So, in the next year, the ceremony of the time, when I was in the聖堂, I would say, to [...] say,

[50:17]

Tomorrow I've been serving the mountain suit ceremony at Seido. As a Seido, this role that I play, there's a part I hammer down, the biakutsu, announcement. Let's call it biakutsu. Then I say... The king of the Dharma... Thank you. I was trying to pull that out of myself. And that's what I'm going to say tomorrow. Is Shakyamuni Buddha sat on top of the mountain stair?

[51:48]

to preach Dharma, the Manjushri Bodhisattva said, That is the Buddha Dharma. Yeah. Yeah, it's not. It's [...] not. This, or is it that? No. This, look, that is, this is the Buddha.

[52:50]

Jackson's教え is this one, and this is the big universe, and this is one of the big universe, and this is one of the big universe, and this is one of the most important things. This is one of the most important things, and this is one of the most important things, and this is one of the most important things. really teachings. Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha told us what is teaching? The teaching of sitting with heaven and earth, all phenomena, together with them, we sit. And there's that. That is what he told us.

[54:01]

This is the teaching of the earth and human beings. It is the most important part of the world. It is the most important part of the world. It is the most important part of the world. I'm sure you all understand this. This how precious, how important this is teaching is for the earth that we live, for humanity. It is my wish that you will continue to realize.

[55:06]

It's neither swaying to the right, being swayed to the left. And then confirm this through your own practice. 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, please visit sfzc.org and click Giving. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[55:48]

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