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. Today's talk could be called Even Further Details on the great activity under the patch robe. Someone came to meet me and said, from the first time you meet a master without engaging in incense offering, bowing or chanting Buddha's name, repentance or blah, blah, just wholeheartedly sit and thus drop away body and mind.

[01:14]

what I would like to say is that when you first meet a master, when you meet a master, if you meet a master formally, you offer incense and do prostrations. So if you look at the story of the person who just gave that instruction, just wholeheartedly sit and thus drop away body and mind, when that person first met his ultimate teacher, when they first met, he offered incense and did prostration. It also says in this book, in this chapter, Shobo Genzo Durrani, the Durrani of the Treasury of True Dharma Eyes, it says, when you come to meet the teacher and are about to meet formally, offer incense and bau, if the teacher is standing, ask the teacher to sit down or be comfortable.

[03:12]

In some ceremonies we do, some very intimate ceremonies we do in this lineage, when the disciple comes to meet the teacher, the teacher is sitting in the chair. And when the teacher sees the disciple come, the teacher gets down from the chair and stands. And then the disciple says, please sit down. And the teacher sits down. disciple offers incense and does prostration. So when our amazing ancestor, Dogen, met Ru Jing for the first time, he offered incense, burned incense, and did prostrations. At that time, according to our ancestor, his teacher, Ru Jing, said, Dharma gate of face-to-face transmission between Buddha and Buddha, ancestor and ancestor, is now fully realized.

[04:36]

He said that in their first meeting. And I'll come back to that in a minute. So there is incense offering and prostration, then Dogen Zenji wholeheartedly sits and drops off body and mind. He practices with Ru Jing and he's able, with the support of the teacher in the Sangha, to wholeheartedly sit and thus drop away body and mind. Then he goes back to Ru Jing. after wholeheartedly sitting and dropping off body and mind. And he goes to meet Ru Jing again and offers incense and does prostration. And Ru Jing perhaps says something in Chinese like, well, how are you?

[05:51]

And Dogen says, body and mind dropped off. And Rujang says something complimentary. And Dogen says, don't praise me too easily. And Rujang says, dropped off body and mind. So... In the Zen circus, in the circle of Zen, sometimes it looks like people are just wholeheartedly sitting and dropping off body and mind. Sometimes it looks like they're offering incense and bowing to the teacher. But it's a circle. We cannot wholeheartedly sit. and drop our body and mind if we do not honor the teachers.

[06:55]

We cannot do it by ourself. And the teachers can't do it for us. But by respecting the teachers, we receive the teaching to wholeheartedly sit and drop our body and mind. So going back to what I said earlier, which I said I'd come back to, when Ru Jing says the Dharma gate of face-to-face transmission is now fully realized, usually in the past when I think of that story, I think, oh, wow, they just met and the Dharma transmission is realized. I still think that's... part of what it's about. But now, in this practice period, I'm emphasizing that the practice of offering incense and bowing, that realizes, that's the realization of the Dharma gate of face-to-face transmission.

[08:07]

It's not so much that Dogen's this great guy, which he is, or that you are, which you are. It's not about you or me. It's about the practice. When that practice is done, the Dharma, the face-to-face transmission, is fully realized. Which is the same as saying, when there's this formal meeting in the world, when there's this formal meeting in the world, the Dharma's in the world. there's a difference between the Dharma transmission that happened when Dogen Zenji first met Ru Jing and two years later they had another Dharma transmission ceremony this one Ru Jing gave him a driver's license documents of succession so there's

[09:21]

There's different kinds of dharma transmission. One kind of dharma transmission is that for some reason or other somebody says something to you and then you wholeheartedly sit and body and mind is dropped away. That's dharma transmission too. Once you offer incense and bau, then you don't have to offer incense and bau. You just sit. Most of the people in this community come to the zendo and just sit. And then the person who's acting as the doshi comes in and offers incense and boughs on behalf of the whole sangha. We're trying to reduce global warming.

[10:24]

by not having everybody burning incense before they sit. But the doshi is doing it for you. I now offer you another story about some more attendance. Lots of attendance. Lots of stories about attendants, and also most of the stories about people who aren't attendants are told by the attendants. So, once there was a great teacher named Guishan, a Chinese person, and he had many disciples. Actually, one of our ends, he's not in our direct lineage, but he's definitely part of our lineage because he was a teacher to our founder of the Soto School in China, Dengshan Liangzhi, so Tozan Ryokai.

[11:52]

So Tozan went to him and asked him about a teaching he heard about concerning insentient beings expounding the Dharma. And he didn't understand the teaching, and he went to see Guishan to talk about it. Our ancestor, Dongshan Liangje, visited many of the great teachers in China. There were lots of them at that time. Lots of monks were offering incense and bowing and just sitting and dropping off body and mind. And so he asked Guishan about the story of Incense Jinping's expounding the Dharma. and Guishan asked him if he could recite the story and he said yes he could and he recited the story to Guishan and when he finished the story he said he didn't understand and could Guishan help him and Guishan raised his whisk and said do you understand

[13:23]

And he said, no. And he asked him if he could tell him more. And he said, the mouth born of my mother and father cannot say anything more for you. However, I do have a friend who I think you can respect. So he gave him a referral. to one of his friends named . So Guishan is very important in our lineage in that way, among others. He's also important for many other stories that have been transmitted to us about his practice.

[14:25]

Now, he had many disciples, as I said, and two of them were his attendants. And one of them was named Yangshan. Yangshan is also sometimes called Little Shakyamuni. So Yangshan went to see his teacher. Or you could say his teacher was lying down and Yangshan went to see him. And when Yangshan went to him, his teacher turned over and laid on his side facing the wall. And Yangshan said, I'm your student. Please don't be so formal. another translation is I'm your student don't turn your backside to me so Guishan started to get up but by then Yangshan had already started to leave Guishan said Yangshan's full name is Yangshan

[15:55]

Hui Ji, or Yang Chan. I think, yeah, Hui Ji. So Guishan says, Hui Ji. And so Hui Ji comes back. And then Guishan said, let me tell you about my dream. And Hui Ji leans forward to listen. And Guishan says, I want you to see, I want to see how you would interpret it. So Hui Ji immediately went and came back with a towel and a basin of water.

[16:57]

Just like Dogen says we should do. Always bring a towel and a basin of water. Now, he said that a long time ago. He didn't realize that we don't usually carry a basin of water with us. But actually, at Tassajara, by the instruction of Reverend Fane, he should always have a a water flask with you that says Tazahara on it if possible. And a little towel. So that if you ever run into anybody, you've got your water flask and towel to offer to them. So thank you very much for instructing the monks to carry their water bottle with them. But don't bring it in the Zendo, please. check your water bottles at the door. Which, by the way, I heard that in the old days of Tatsahara, hot springs, where our old zendo used to be, which is now the student eating area,

[18:21]

that used to be what's called a dining room, but sometimes called a bar. And people were supposed to check their guns at the door. People came to Tatsara with guns on horses to hunt pigs. And they were supposed to leave, not bring their guns into the bar. So now we don't tell people not to bring their guns into the bar, but we say, check yourself and your water bottles at the door of the Zendo. But when you leave the Zendo, you can pick up your water bottle and yourself again, and then you'll be ready to serve the Buddha ancestors and realize the face-to-face transmission. So, finally I get to the story of Yangshan bringing the basin, the flask of water, and the towel, which he gives to his teacher, and his teacher then washes his face and dries it with the towel.

[19:40]

And then he sat up, right? And dropped off body and mind. That actually you won't find in the text. That's my editorial. Then another attendant named Xiang Yan came and Gui San said, Hwayji and I have been sharing miracles. And these miracles are like one step beyond the usual miracles. They're not like the small miracles of the small vehicle. These are like, this is my editorial comment.

[20:59]

These are great miracles of the Mahayana. The great miracles of Mahayana are bringing water and towel to your teacher. So Xiangyan says, I was in the wings next door. Some people who don't speak English as a first language might not know what in the wings means. Is that right? In the wings means like on a stage. of a performance. The edge of the stage is called the wings.

[22:01]

So the stage is where this miracle is happening and Xiang Yan was in the wings next door. He said, I was in the wings and I saw everything clearly. I witnessed everything clearly. Guishan says, disciple, you must try now. Xiangyan immediately goes and makes tea and brings it. And then Guishan praises both of the attendants saying, your miraculous powers and wisdom are far superior to those of Maha Madgalyana and Shariputra.

[23:13]

Maha Madgalyana and Shariputra were Buddha's head monks, shishos. He had two shishos. And Maha Madgalyana was... foremost among Buddhist disciples in miraculous powers. And Shariputra was foremost in wisdom. Shariputra, that's why he's in the Heart Sutra. Avilakitashvara's student in the Heart Sutra. So these two disciples transformed transcend the Buddha's attendance, Guishan says. So this is a story of paying respects to the teacher.

[24:24]

In this situation, the miracle of dropping off body and mind. The miracle of realizing the essential pivot is realized. There is another, there's several other comments that Dogen Genji makes in this Durrani of Treasury of True Dharma Eyes. And one of them is that when we are prostrating ourselves to our teacher, who transmit Dharma to us,

[25:27]

We do so regardless of time or place. Sometimes we do prostrations. Also, here's another example of complementary translations. Here's one. Sometimes we do so while we are lying down. That's a fun translation. Or while we are eating. Or while we are going to the toilet. Another translation is sometimes we do prostration while the teacher is lying down. Or eating. Or even while the teacher is going to the toilet.

[26:31]

Sometimes we prostrate from afar with fences and walls between us. Like Muslims do, right? They prostrate to Mecca with walls and fences and skyscrapers between them and Mecca. Dogen says sometimes we do too. Sometimes we prostrate with eons between us. In the morning we prostrate to beings who are eons away. Sometimes we prostrate with birth and death between us. Sometimes we prostrate with enlightenment between us and nirvana between us. So this is, I feel, touched that our practice is very close to Islam in this way.

[27:52]

When I say our practice, I mean our practice if I join the people who say that our practice is prostration. Suzuka Rishi's teacher, Gokurji and so on, was big on prostration. I heard he was somewhat proud about the callus on his forehead. I think Suzuki Roshi was a little shy to tell us about prostration. But as far as I remember him going to recommend it was to say something like, excuse me, but it's good exercise. I think he was right.

[29:00]

If he thought this, I think he was right that if he had pointed out to people this practice, a lot of them would have left Zen Center. Because they would have thought, oh, how arrogant he is to tell us about bowing to the teacher. He's the teacher. He never told us to bow to him, that I remember. Now that the Dharma is well established, I can mention this to you. If almost everybody leaves, it's okay, because more will come. We've grown up a little bit. We can stand to hear the inter-sanctum of the tradition, which is bowing, which is paying respects.

[30:01]

until you see, oh, Buddha. Pay respects to ordinary, [...] ordinary people as an opportunity to see Buddha, who's not an ordinary people. I actually would like to discuss with you what this great teacher is at some point soon. But even before I discuss it with you, you might be able to see the great teacher. So again, it says, when we're bowing to the great teacher, the one who transmits Dharma to us, You don't have to bow to not great teachers. Unless you want to just sort of get into the bowing so that you can see the great teacher and then bow to the great teacher.

[31:12]

Could you follow that? Thank you. Kishizawa Iyan his teacher was Nishiari Boksan and one day Nishiari Boksan said to Kishizawa Iyan you are not my disciple and Kishizawa Iyan maybe he said something like, Why?

[32:15]

Why am I not your disciple? And Nishiyari Boksan said, Well, because you only bow to me like in the Doksan room or in the Buddha hall. But you don't bow to me when I'm lying down or like going to the bathroom. So you're not my disciple. Yesterday someone bowed in the direction of me in the dirt. Didn't even have a bowing cloth to bow on. It got all dirty bowing in the dirt. So now that I'm saying this, I'm well aware that some people may start bowing to me or bowing to somebody in some unusual spots.

[33:21]

So it makes me kind of want to hide out in my cabin. But anyway, that's what it says here. Don't worry about time and place. But it does say someone who has transmitted dharma to you. There it is. That's sort of a translation from the text. It also says that while the disciple performs... these many kinds of prostrations, the teacher does not return the prostrations, but only joins the palms.

[34:24]

And it says occasionally the teacher may do a single prostration, but in general does not. So that's an instruction which... has been given. In the manuals, for some ceremonies we do, it says that the disciple does such and such baas, and the teacher does not return the prostration. Teachers usually do return ga sho, join the palms, is usually returned. Or join the palms and then a baas, standing bow or sitting bow is often returned. But prostrations are generally not returned. And there are stories about the exceptions to the general rule.

[35:29]

So Blanche Hartman, for example, I think said one time she was bowing to Suzuki Roshi and he got up and bowed to her. And somebody else told me that that happened between Suzuki Roshi and themselves. I thought it did cross my mind. Hmm. But that never happened with me and him. And I have on some occasions myself done it with people. But generally in the formality of of the ritual, it says for the teacher to play this role of the receiver of the prostrations rather than the returner. However, in the manual for the Shishol ceremony, it says that the teacher, the head student, the head seat, comes and does three bows and then at the end does three more bows.

[36:41]

And in the second set of three, the teacher, the Dharma flag teacher, does one in response. And that manual says that would be an exception to the rule. And you could imagine, well, it's just emphasized what a special training situation this is. But this issue of, this is a tender issue of Democracy and hierarchy, all these things are in our minds around these things. Another miracle I wanted to share with you is...

[37:43]

the ancestor Dogenzenji saying that when the world honored one Shakyamuni Buddha was alive all sentient beings humans and non-humans alike came to him for refuge So he had human students, but he also had divine students. And he also had other kinds of non-human students. And when they came to him for refuge, they prostrated themselves to the Buddha. And the point I'm raising here is not only that, but they faced north. So in this room, when the doshi is prostrating, the doshi is facing north, pretty much.

[38:54]

Does anybody ever use a compass to see how much this is north-south oriented, this room? Is it pretty north? Anybody know? Pretty north. So the bowing to the altar that the doshi does or the jishu does is in the traditional direction. And the city center also, the city center Buddha Hall, is oriented that way. And Green Gulch also is kind of oriented that way, although Green Gulch is... It's hard to know what direction anything is at Green Gulch. But it actually is sort of, I think, towards the north, the altar. And yesterday... when I was sitting here and some people were prostrating south. But I was trying to prostrate north, but I couldn't. But I just want to point out that Dogen Zenji is making some effort to write some paragraphs on the importance of that since, you know, and when, what is it, and when particularly he mentioned that his first five

[40:16]

when they went for refuge in him, they faced north and did prostrations. And since that time, all who have come into the Buddhist orders to receive the refuges and wishing to devote themselves to the true Dharma have naturally prostrated themselves facing north. This is the state of compliance with the right Dharma. It is beyond the plans and intentions of teachers and disciples. This is the great Durrani itself. And then it says, There is a great Durrani, and it is called the mind of round, complete enlightenment.

[41:36]

There is a great Durrani, and it is called formal meeting. There is a great Durrani and it is called the realized prostration. There is a great Durrani and its name is the patch robe. There is a great Durrani and its name is the treasury of true Dharma eyes. When I read this, I thought, oh, that's a Durrani. What I just said was a Durrani. Actually, when I was reading it, I was saying it. I was chanting it. I woke up to that I was reading a Durrani, explaining the Durrani. And then the next thing Dogen says is that by chanting this Durrani, which he just wrote,

[42:43]

By chanting this Durrani, we have pacified and protected the whole earth. By chanting this Durrani, we have calmed and protected the whole earth. By chanting this Durrani, what Durrani? There is a great Durrani and its name is the Patch Robe. The Patch Robe is the great Durrani. There is a Durrani and its name is the formal meeting. By chanting this Durrani, we calm and establish the whole universe. By chanting this Durrani, we calm and build the whole world of Buddha. All the Durrani's see this Durrani as their mother word. All Durrani's make this Durrani their consonants and syllables.

[43:48]

Therefore, know the Prajnaparamita as a great miraculous mantra. There is a Jurani, and its name is a patch robe. That's a Jurani. When you say that, that's a miraculous Jurani, or just a Jurani. And it removes all suffering. And it's true, not false. That's a proclamation. A Jurani is a proclamation of the... miraculous power of a practice. All Buddhas arouse aspiration, endeavor in the way, attain the way, and turn the wheel of Dharma from the gate of this Durrani.

[45:08]

What Durrani? There is a Durrani and its name is a formal meeting. There is a Durrani and its name is the Okesa. There is a Durrani and its name is the Shobogenzo. Enlightenment is a Durrani. It's not just a state. It's a state which proclaims itself. in order to benefit beings. It's not just a great, wonderful thing. It's a chant. It's a show. It's a performance. You might think, even if it wasn't a performance, it would still be great. But it's not that kind of thing. It's a kind of thing which is not only great, but it's a performance.

[46:17]

It's an enactment which has an effect. This being so, you... There's another difference in translation. This being so, you, who are descendants of the Buddha ancestors... should thoroughly and painstakingly investigate this dharani. Or we, who are Buddha's disciples, who are descendants of Buddha ancestors, should thoroughly investigate this dharani. And then a final nice... parallel translation is that in sum, that which is covered by the patch robe of Shakyamuni Buddha has been covered by the robes of the Buddha ancestors.

[47:38]

Could the kitchen just stand still for just a minute and listen to this? Is that okay? That which was covered by the robe of Shakyamuni Buddha. That same thing has been covered by the robes of the Buddha ancestors. And that which is covered... by the robe of the Bhuvat Buddha ancestors is that which is covered by the patch robe right now. And the other translation is, to be wrapped in the robe of Shakyamuni Buddha is to be wrapped in the robe of the Buddha ancestors. To be wrapped in the robe of Shakyamuni Buddha is to be wrapped in the robe of Suzuki Roshi.

[48:51]

To be wrapped in the robe of the Buddha of Shakyamuni is to be wrapped in the robes of all Buddha ancestors. To be wrapped in the robe of all Buddha ancestors and Shakyamuni Buddha is to be wrapped in the patch robe. Thank you for waiting. So some of you might think, well, we should have a sewing class soon. I'm really not trying to get everybody that doesn't have a patch robe to get one. Really not. I'm just saying if you've got one, what that robe's wrapped around is what Shakyamuni Buddha's robe was wrapped around. I'm saying that...

[50:13]

because Dog and Zenji said it. 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 sfcc.org and click giving.

[50:40]

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