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. Well, good afternoon, everybody. So there are handouts for late arrivals. If you want to place yourself in the mirror, a handout. Um... So I want to preface this by saying I am not a scholar with respect to the wonderful professors we've had. I'm not going to be using words like hermeneutical or soteriological, because I don't know what they mean. So this is a practitioner's kind of class, and it's also going to be... I don't like talking that much, so we're going to be all chanting a little bit. I don't want to have this class. The only time I gave a student class before, I talked about the Shodo Ka, the Song of Enlightenment. because I came across it when I was reading various things, and you certainly don't chant it here. And I kind of got curious about where that kind of lived in the lineage of Chinese ancestors and Chinese Buddhism.

[01:09]

My main kind of focus and enjoyment is Dogen. I'm a big Dogen fan. And I'm not super interested in Indian Buddhism. And so I started getting a little bit curious to how various Indian schools of philosophy... which I haven't studied, I don't want to talk about, and various other things, how they became, you know, transformed in China to the Dogen Zen that we mostly know. And Suzuki Roshi actually, you know, really brought forward in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. Like, if you read it when you haven't read Dogen, you don't notice that. But if you read it after you've read Dogen, you really notice how much Dogen there is in that book, I think. So, you know, some of these challenges that you... know and chant quite frequently. Some of them aren't. I mean, I have chanted all of them in various times and locations, but some of them we do regularly here and here, as I've done in other places. So, kind of as an overview, this is the lineage of Buddhist ancestors, or patriarchs, that we know and love so well that we chant in most days, starting with Bodhidaruma, who came from India.

[02:16]

The dates are, you know, somewhat ambiguous, sometime in the late 5th century, early 6th century. I'd highly recommend, if you're interested in Bodhidharma's story, a book around for the so-called Tracking Bodhidharma, which is his travels around China, where he goes to various places associated with Bodhidharma and actually finds a lot of historical records and kind of really pinpoints a lot of things about him. And then we have the very traditional transmission down through the Daikantina, the sixth patriarch, who most of you probably know about. And we're not really going to talk about him, in this class, but he does kind of have an influence on everything that comes underneath. So especially with Sekito Kisen and Tozan Ryokai. And then, you know, there's an, up to Tozan Ryokai, there's a, you know, you can see the dates here, it's kind of Bodhidami died around 530, Kanchi Sozan, the third ancestor, the composer Shinxing Ming, Affirming Faith and Mind, died in 606. Again, we don't know so much about when he was born. Yoku Daishi, who wrote the Shodoka,

[03:17]

was born in 665 and died in 713, Sekiro Kisen, born in 700, died in 790, and Tozan Ryokai, born just a little bit later, and died in 869, and then there's another kind of three, four hundred years till we get to Dogen. But you know, this is the kind of the golden age of Chinese Zen, where lots of stuff was happening, the various schools, the five petals of Zen were being established, which have kind of basically become Rinzai and Soto, and they all flow through Daikan Eino. Um... Excuse me for just a moment. Yes. It seems to be in a contrast to me. Does anyone mind if I turn on the lights? I can't read it. Oh, I'm sorry. Because it's still bright behind it. Does anyone else feel that way? Does that help at all? I was just thinking the central one. The other thing is, if you can't sit over here, it's not bright this way. It's not clear from behind. That might do the best. I mean, we're not going to be referring extensively to this. These are the... the names that we chant most mornings.

[04:17]

But I just wanted to kind of bring out a sense of chronology. There's two things to think about this lineage. One's an idea that Shohanku presented that, you know, in China, especially since Chinese Buddhism was very strongly influenced by Confucianism and Taoism, the idea of lineage and patriarchy was extremely important, that the ancestors were, you know, very important figures. And I think the way he put it was like, it was so important they had an authentic lineage, they had to make one up. especially going back into Indian days. But then again, some of these early figures are a little bit mysterious. And then the other thing which I was reading and tracking Bodhidharma, Andy Ferguson's book, is that Buddhism had been around in China for a long time before Bodhidharma got there. So why is he the first ancestor? Why do we think of him as the first ancestor? Andy Ferguson's idea is basically because he met the emperor and then went off and did his own thing. So he wasn't kind of politically sanctioned. He wasn't government authorized or anything like that. He was like the authentic teacher. And everybody, you know, at the time, I think Buddhism was very strongly, you know, managed by various emperors.

[05:25]

And in some cases, you know, over the centuries, you know, there was purges of Buddhism and monasteries were closed down and everything. But this, you know, became like the authentic teaching lineage. There was no kind of appointed teachers here. This is like the transmission of the mind. You know, so this is like the authentic teaching is coming down. So maybe this is why, you know, these figures kind of become very strongly important in our school, and especially, I think, in Chinese days. And especially when we were to get past the sixth ancestor again, there's a kind of sectarian divide that some of you know about, which gets referred to in some of the charts that come later on. So these two, for me, are kind of like the prelude to the kind of main stuff, which is here. And if we don't get into them all today, you know, I'm not expecting to get... right the way through all this stuff today but i think we have scheduled another time for another class so um but what i want to do is you know i don't necessarily have a huge amount to say about these things but i want i'm really wanted to share my kind of enjoyment of them and you know my love of what they present and you know what is it they present so i think you know the way we do this you know every day is we chant these things this is our chanting practice which is for me it's like a step up from meditation practices breath practice awareness practice

[06:39]

So, again, you know, you might not be so familiar with chanting the first couple, but I'd like to do them anyway, and then we can kind of think about what they mean. So I hope everyone can see a copy. And then maybe we can chant them together in the usual way. Everyone can see a copy. Are we good? Okay. You're my ghost. Okay, Bodhidamas, wake up Sarma. All the way is attachment and the goal of those who practice its freedom from appearances. It's a such or same attachment is enlightenment because of the experience it's but of the being's awareness mortuses. His minds are aware of which the way of enlightenment is not therefore called but as to see the same. Those who free themselves from all appearances are called but as to the appearance of the appearance it's no appearance can't be seen.

[07:46]

They shall leave that can only be done by means of waste and waste. For every year, secondly, this teaching bars on the brave year. Oh, and we use the three realms. The three realms are greed, anger, and delusion. To believe the three realms means to go from greed, anger, and delusion. Back to morality, meditation, and wisdom. We need a kind of addiction. Have no nature of their own. They've had no idea what's capable of reflection. It's time to see that the nature of greed, anger, and delusion. It's the Buddha nature beyond greed, anger, and delusion. There is no other Buddha nature to Sutra say, Buddhas are only become Buddhas while living with three poisons and purishing themselves on the pure Dhamma. The three poisons are free, anger, and division. The great vehicle is the greatest of all vehicles is to convey us the grace of those who use everything without using anything and who travel all day without driving. Such is the vehicle of Buddhas to Sutra say, no, the evil is the vehicle of Buddhas.

[08:49]

When we realize two, seven, six senses aren't real That the planet forgets our fictions And so such things can be located anywhere in the planet Understands the language up against us You're just saying the cave of planet predicts us to all ascend The opening of the MRI is the door of the great vehicle What if you were not thinking about anything is zen? Once you know this walking, standing, sitting, or lying down Everything you do is zen You know that the mind is empty is to see But I look for those of the ten directions, have no mind to see, no mind is to see, to put off, to give up, to stop, without regret, is the greatest charity, to just take motion and still misses the highest meditation, morals keep moving while our hearts stay still, not die, meditation suffices that of both mortals in our hearts, people who reach such understanding, viewing themselves from all appearances, without a fervient cure, all illnesses, without treatment, such as a fabric, using the mind to look for reality is illusion not using the mind to look for reality is awareness freeing oneself from words is liberation remaining unleashed by the gust of sensation is guiding the dharma transcending life if death is leading off of life suffering and other systems using the mind not creating delusion system like the method engaging in the interest of system no fiction is nirvana no experience system like

[10:19]

The show exists. When you wake up, it doesn't exist. More don't stay on the shore. Those who discover the greatest of all people stay on the shore, nor the other shore. They are able to leave both shores. Those who see the other shore is different from the shore. Don't understand. Delusion means mortality and awareness means good health. They're not the same and they're not different. It's just that people are seeing race delusion from awareness. to be with this or to be sick. But we're aware there is nothing to escape. And what happens that the mind is efficient and devoid of anything else? Nor does it exist. Morals keep creating the mind when it exists in our house. Keep negating the mind when it doesn't exist. I thought it was not present to me. It seems to create nor negate the mind. This is what's meant by the mind that neither exists nor does it exist. The mind that here exists nor does it exist is called the middle.

[11:21]

So some things I was thinking while that was going on. So this is actually only the first part of the wake-up sermon. If you read a book called The Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma by Red Pine, which is in the library, which I'll put back there after this class, it actually goes on for like four or five more sections. And there are other teachings attributed to Bodhidharma, including the one which I think is more usually translated here, The Essentialist Practice of Bodhidharma. And again, we can't know if he actually wrote these things, but we can take them you know, without going into scholarly research, we can take them as representative of kind of the Zen thinking of, you know, that early time in China. So anyone have any observations on how they found that or what things jumped out at them from reading that? Tantos. Well, it seems to me, having just had this class on the nirvana structure, kind of... See that in here. Greed, anger, and delusion have no nature of their own.

[12:25]

And Buddhists have only become Buddhists while living with the three poisons and nourishing themselves on the pure Dharma. And kind of giving as a counterpart to greed, hate, delusion... Morality, meditation, and wisdom. Shiva, Samadhi, and Prajna. Yeah, the one that always goes on about. I never really install the Chishisha, the Three Teachings, which is pretty old. Older than Bodhidharma. So there's a Mahayana flavor in this, definitely. Which, you know, is definitely looking backwards. And then, you know, there are other things that I find kind of looking forward. And there's a lot of language here that I find is reflected in Genjo, Ko, and other things that come later. I think right near the beginning where it says the appearance of no appearance can't be seen visually and only be known by means of wisdom the way it's kind of taking the positive and negative and saying that nevertheless these things do exist anyone else have any thoughts about this?

[13:33]

or questions? Really similar to Dogen language, using the mind to look for reality as delusion, not using the mind to look for reality as ignorance. Well, this is one thing that really interests me. It's like, as you go through the, you know, 20 generations, basically, and, you know, six or seven hundred years, the language and the way these things are expressed remain remarkably similar in a lot of ways. Well, I feel a little... I think it's beautiful. I feel a little frustrated with not using the mind to look for, as we just said, reality is delusion. Because I think if you don't see reality, then you have a mind. So to use your mind in ways that actually help it to slow down or help it to stop. I think it's what at least the... some other teachers point to and I think this is a great teaching and I think it does sort of maybe limit the kind of preparatory practices and concentration practice and I think that this is where I find it interesting it's very kind of exhortatory you know it's like really like

[14:47]

this is what you should be doing and a lot of it is cutting away at those there's no talk about stages here there's this stage and this stage especially it doesn't say very nice things about our hearts either so it's cutting away a lot of that we have to do this, do this and this this is the famous four line thing that's attributed to Bodhidharma about not depending on words transmission separate from the teaching pointing directly at the mind realising true nature so this is what You know, this is aimed at this. You know, maybe it is undercutting those kind of activities. So maybe that's a good thing. Often when I chant or am introduced to things like this, there are phrases that just strike me as true. And I'm really drawn to when we're deluded, there's a world to escape. And when we're aware, there's nothing to escape. I find that to be quite beautiful. I know. That's simple and clear.

[15:48]

Anyone else have any phrase or phrase in the jump? James? I was just wondering if you could give a little explanation of the appearance of appearances as no appearance. So I think it's understanding that conventional reality has no ultimate is. It's just conventional reality has no ultimate basis. It's a transient thing with no existence of its own. Which is, you know, it's the kind of thing they're talking about in the Heart Sutra. Form is emptiness. And at the same time, emptiness is form. And as he says later on, they're not the same and they're not different. Which is the line that I find the most interesting here. Especially when it comes down to the sound of Kai later on. So yeah, things we think are appearances actually have no fundamental reality. I enjoy that concept, the line of whoever realizes the six senses aren't real.

[16:56]

Whoever realizes the six senses aren't real, that part kind of, I'm drawn to that part. And it's connection to science, quantum physics, how we describe what the world, how it exists, that things aren't really everything's space. I really appreciate the line, not thinking about anything is sin. That's one of the lines I have on the line. Once you know there's walking, standing, sitting, lying down, everything you do is sin, to know that the mind is empty is deceitful. Yeah, I think this is, you know, kind of part of key to where China's Buddhism works. And again, I think this is kind of like the break from some of the Indian schools, I think. And especially like the idea of walking, standing, lying down, everything you do is there. I think this again comes up very strongly in other things that we all read. So yeah, there were a few lines that I kind of particularly had.

[18:01]

That was one of them, not thinking about anything is there. They're not the same and they're not different is, I think, again, something we'll come back to as we look at some of the other ones. And anyone capable of reflection is bound to see that the nature of greed, anger and delusion is the Buddha nature. So again, this is negating the idea that we have to start by eliminating all these things in order to get somewhere. These two are inextricably bound. We exist in the interplay between them. And if we think that one is separate from the other, then that's where we're getting deluded. Moving on. Let me move on to the next one. So we moved down two generations to Kanchi Sosan. And again, not much is known about him. He may not have even written this. There were various other poems that came around this time. And I have a kind of a bibliography, which I can copy if anyone wants it.

[19:01]

A lot of these are in this lovely book called The Poetry of the Enlightenment by Pastor Shen Yen. And some of them are kind of very complementary, I think. But this one is, yeah, I think particularly well-known. And again, it gets chanted in different places at different times. There are many different translations. And when I was at Great Bar, they actually had a translation that has a very particular meter. And they kind of chant one line at one tone, and the next line at the tone down, and then back and forth. And it has a very kind of strong rhythm. And I think, you know, again, a lot of these are written as poetry. But most of the recipes were written as poems. And so the original language obviously has a very particular form and power of its own. And I think it's probably true of the Xinxing Ming, especially. So some of you may be more familiar with this. Ready to chat? I'm trying to keep you guys awake. Xinxing Ming. in a great way it's not difficult for those who have no preferences when Latinate are the plans and everything becomes clear and I'm disguised make the smallest distinction however and I've been at Earth I say infinitely apply if you wish to see the truth then all knowing is for or against anything to set up what you like against what you dislike is the disease of the mind when the deep meaning on things is not understood the mind's essential reasons deserve to obey all the way

[20:30]

perfect like a space where nothing is lacking and nothing is in your sense indeed it is due to our choosing to accept or reject that you do not see the true nature of things that none of any entanglement of other things nor any of your feelings so that it must be serene in the quietness of things such erroneous views will disappear by themselves when you try to stop activity to achieve prosperity or very effort fills you with activity as long as you remain in one extreme or the other you will never know what is so do not let this take away fairly both activity and passivity assertion and denial to deny the reality of things is to miss their reality to assert the emptiness of things is to miss their reality the more you talk and think about it the further astray you wander from the truth stop talking and thinking and there is nothing you will not be able to know to return is the root is to find the meaning but to pursue the honesty or any sense Yes, details of smacking a moment of their reply to the theories of going beyond the theories of emptiness.

[21:36]

The changes that appear to occur in the empty world we call real only because of our ignorance. To pass it for the truth only cease to cherish opinions. Do not remain in the two of us. It's a state of voice. I've perceived carefully if there is even a trace of this. The matter where did wrong, the blindess will be lost in confusion. Although all dualities come from the want, do not be accepted. even to this point when the light exists undisturbed in the way nothing in the world can offend and when you think of it no longer offend it ceases to exist in the old way when you're discriminating cults arise the old mind ceases to exist when thought objects vanish the thinking subject vanishes it's when the light vanishes objects vanish things are not just because of the subject the mind is such because of things understand the relativity or peace too and the basic The reality of unity, of leftiness and dissentience The two are these distinguishable, and each contains in itself a whole world If you do not discriminate between course and finding Will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion To live in the great ways, only to reach human or difficult But those with limited views are fearful, and irresistible The faster they hurry, the slower they go, they plead Cannot be limited, even to be attached to the idea that lightning Is to go astray, just let

[23:00]

things be in your own way that it will be believed if I make the Lord willing obey the nature of things then you will walk free and not discern with positive knowledge of truth is hidden for everything it's murky and unclear and the burdens of practice of judging brings annoyance and previous what benefit can be derived from distinctions and separations if you wish to move in one way do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas in order to accept them fully as identical with true enlightenment, what lies man strives to no goals, but the foolish man, beggars himself, this is one, grand, and not many distinctions arise, from the clinging needs of the ignorant to seek mind, with a discriminating mind, is the greatest of all mistakes, rest and unrest, derived from illusion, with enlightenment, there is no liking and disliking, all dualities, suffer from ignorance, it's very external, there are like dranks of flowers in the air, foolish to try to grasp them, being in a glass, right and wrong, such thoughts must finally be abolished at once, if the eye and next sleep, so all dreams will naturally cease, if the mind makes no dissimulation, to ten thousand things are as they are, a single essence will withstand the mystery of this one essence is to be released from all intangibles, when all things are seen equally, the timeless self essence is reached, how comparisons or analogies are possible in this class, this relation is to take a dissimulation,

[24:30]

A manifestation, very emotion, both movement and rights disappear When sexuality seeks to exist, all in this itself cannot exist To this ultimate finality, no law or description of lives For a unified mind in accord with the way all self-sentence Chaining ceases the absentee of disillusion The action in life and true faith is possible With a single stroke, beyond freedom, for blood, they should be placed to us And we hold to nothing, all to accept, declare itself with no restriction of the minds that are here with love, feeling, knowledge, and imagination are of my own value. It's for a little session to stay with beliefs. Self, the moral of the self is directly into harmony with this reality. Just as we say, when God rises, not to it, it's not to. Nothing is separate, nothing excluded. No matter where enlightenment means entering this truth. It is simply beyond extension or diminution and time. Space in it, a single fight, it's 10,000 years Emptiness here and it is there But the infinite universe stands always before your eyes It's vividly large and infinitely small No difference for admissions that vanish There no boundaries are seen So this is the repeat and not being Don't waste time and dust from our universe That had nothing to do with this one thing All things move among and intermingle without distinction To bend this realization is to be

[26:00]

So that's easy, isn't it? I think most of you have probably heard some of this before, especially the first line, it's very well known. It's not difficult for those who have no preferences or those who can choose. Um, in order to shout international comment or question? Do you have any idea? Yeah, um, I think the second line was, uh, I don't know, I heard a bit of, it sounded a bit weird when I, when I sounded like, when love and hate of those absence, like the absence of love, I mean, I don't really know what, what they meant by that at that time, but, I think you're probably clinging in a version maybe more closely.

[27:02]

I don't think I actually mean like love, like sentimental love. But, you know, clinging in a version, maybe. Yeah, I think that makes more sense. I mean, again, if you look at a different translation, there may be a slightly different spin on that. I like that we did all those and then words. Words, yeah. Well, also, I like the idea of, you know, the way he says it is words basically bind us to time, which is kind of interesting. Well, this one also says, neither love nor hate, and you will clearly understand. But, well, you know, these are celibate monks who are, you know, off there in the mountains by themselves. So, do you think it's probably more about romantic love? No, I don't think it's so much about romantic love. I think it's more about, you know, clinging to things and attaching to things. Catherine? I'm used to a different translation where the sense that it comes across a little differently but it's rare in any of the sutras to receive the direct instruction of any kind and in the translation that we're accustomed to the phrase when the least doubt arises sickly say to yourself not to has been very helpful

[28:23]

and I've shared that as being helpful with others and it's the only suture that we had in our chant book that would have something like an instruction like that yeah it's interesting how you know how these things I said you know Bodhidhamas wake up sermon to me kind of feels like you know wagging fingers like hey you get to it and this one feels like but here it is guy you know this is so simple this is all you have to do you know but it really is like presenting you know to take it away I was going to say that one of the translations I wrote is that it uses like and dislike instead of loving. Yeah. That would be a little more helpful, maybe. But also, I really like the line of the way that I know, the one-eyed version of it, I know is things are things because of life. Right. Life is a line that could do something. Yeah. I was really just like that, the way it's showing interconnectedness.

[29:29]

Definitely. Here we're getting this thing about the mind that's going to become very important, I think, in later Chinese Buddhism. And, Milo, there was something here that reminded me of your question. It's like, to seek mind with a discriminating mind is the greatest of all mistakes. And these Chinese don't, you know, they have it in theater. Because I wrote my note for that verse, you know, just like it says in Bodhi Dharma, you know, this is very similar to the kind of language that Bodhi Dharma is using. And again, you know, later on on that page, with a single stroke, we're free from bondage. This is like, there's no stages involved here. And we can just cut through this delusion all at once. And I'm talking about the world of suchness. And the other thing I underlined right towards the end, actually, which I don't think I've ever really taken in in the same way before, is like, to live in this realization is to be without anxiety about non-perfection. And this is something I was talking about in my talk. We think we want to strive and be better and be perfect. Let's just not have anxiety about non-perfection. Non-perfection is our human state of affairs, so let's just relax with that. But otherwise, he is saying, this is leaping clear of many in the wild, as Dogen says in Genjokko.

[30:36]

This is looking at these both sides and like, don't get stuck on this side, don't get stuck on that side. Don't get stuck on this, don't get stuck in that. So it's really this kind of juggling act. The other thing I noticed is, you know, this one says, the great way is not difficult. And if we look through all of these, like, they're, and again, this is maybe where the Taoism comes in, you know, talking about the way, you know, and I think, uh, you know, the Chinese Buddhists co-opted the idea of the way from Taoism to talk about Buddhism. So a lot of these sutures are talking about what, you know, this is the way, what is the way? Um, from, you know, from the life point of view, how can we explain this to you? Um, And then we also get towards the end, like, in this book, suchness. And I think, again, this is, you know, this suchness is something that will come up again and again. Jake? I was struck by when the mind exists undisturbed in a way, nothing like that, when the thing can no longer then cease to exist in a great way.

[31:40]

That implication of transforming and that and then also upon reading that when the mind exists within the way just undisturbed in a way undisturbed in a way so again yeah it's all about this kind of big capacious mind that can take all these offices in and just be tranquil and then yeah you don't get quite so hung up on stuff in the way that you used to um on the bottom part of the first place all the realities come from the one do not be attached into this one do you by any chance know like what this is referring to like the one i mean like what the chinese might have been used to oh i'm not so sure i wonder what how Shenyang translates it Shenyang's translations i think because he's a chinese speaker himself he will

[32:44]

use maybe a closer word rather than a more poetic word. That's a song of mine. This one just says two comes from one, yet do not even keep the one. But it doesn't capitalize the one, so it may just be I was just surprised, I think, by the language, because usually I would assume, let's say, like emptiness, or the absolute, or democracy, or whatever. Or the source. And again, this could be more Daoist-influenced language rather than, you know, the Strait of Buddhism. There's one line that's confusing me, where it's talking about...

[33:45]

When such dualities cease to exist, oneness itself cannot exist. I was hoping no one was going to ask me about that. It seems like, yeah, this seems different to what I'm saying about oneness and the rest of it is one. This is where words are going to fail me completely. It's like halfway down the second day. Yeah, I know that I'm thinking of, so I was looking at that earlier, but yeah, I really hope for... But, you know, I underlined the next line. To this ultimate finality, no law or description applies. You know, so this going beyond oneness, you know, like, is there a way to talk? There is no way to talk about it. So I think, you know, so there's, you know, stopping, stepping out of discrimination and dualities. And then there's, you know, then there's the world of sameness. And then stepping out of the world of sameness, what is that? You know, what do we have left? Is there anything left?

[34:46]

And I think, you know, a lot of these Koen stories are talking about this kind of thing, like how, you know, all things return to the source. Where does the source return to? You know, okay, what's the answer to that one? You know, it's exactly the same problem that posing here. And, you know, I think it's trying to push you to a place beyond language and conceptualize it. I think it's humble to think it's inside and outside in the same way that... If there's no inside and outside, you can no longer speak of inside and outside, but we can sort of sense, you know, what's being expressed. Well, we're going to come across a line soon, so there's no inside, outside, nor in between. And, you know, again, it's the way I think other students talk about neither existence nor non-existence. You know, like, what is that other thing, what is that other state? I don't know the answer to that one. Yeah, there's one whole part about objects, when follow objects manage, just thinking subject manage.

[35:52]

And then later on, things are obvious because of the subject, the mind is such because of things. So it's a distinction between things and objects. Things and objects are not synodalists. Things become objects because of the subject. Yeah, so there are many things, and our relationship is the idea of subject and object. Yeah, but then it goes on later, just let things be in their own way, nor is it neither coming nor going. So then that's not asserting subject and object. Right, but if we could let things be things rather than to be objects for a subject. And everything dwells as it is. Yeah, and that's the kind of naturalness that there is. and everything is just flowing along as it is. So again, not grasping in a fortunate way. Because we're not denying that things exist. Well, for him, that seems to be what he means by emptiness.

[36:58]

Understand the relativity of these two are invasive realities, the unity of emptiness. In this emptiness, the two are indistinguishable and either contained in itself in a world. So we get out of this... some objects' relationship into things as they are, then we're in that fullness or in that unity of emptiness. Is there a problem there? No. I find it interesting that the way it gets very compactly stable. Yeah, I mean, he's going to say he's much more skillfully than I can, but I wouldn't like to contradict it. Now we're at the edge of my knowledge, so I want to move on. If you're expecting me to have all the answers to all these questions, then you're going to decide the mistake of it. So we're going to leap a few generations here. So Dai Doshin, Daiman Konin.

[37:59]

Dai Doshin, not much we know about. Daiman Konin was the fifth ancestor who set up the whole thing with the sixth ancestor. And the sixth ancestor, of course, was the illiterate woodcutter who had this natural realization. And again, it's not one of the scholarly types, but you know, was profoundly naturally enlightened. And then, you know, we got into the sectarian split between the associated northern graduate school and the southern school, which, you know, I really encourage you to look it up. And speaking of which, there are many ways you can read these stories, and I really want to put a plug in for this book that's in the library, The Origins of Zane, which tells all these stories in comic form. I actually knew it in this kind of square format where it's called Wisdom of the Zen Masters. This is a slightly different book. But for me, these stories really came to life by actually looking at these figures as drawings and hearing these very familiar stories with faces attached to them. And this is particularly true when we get to Yogodaishi. So Yogodaishi was one of three or four of the six ancestors' main disciples. Now, we think more about Sigen Gyoshi because he's the one in our lineage, and Yogodaishi is the one side.

[39:05]

But he was the guy who came along and challenged Sixth Ancestor, and Sixth Ancestor said, yeah, you got it. And then he tried to leave, and Sixth Ancestor said, well, you can stay a bit. And he said, well, why should I stay? I've got it. Yeah, you've got it. So he stays for one night, and then goes off. And it's a great story, and you can read it in all the kind of come-on collections. But the drawings in here, particularly, I rather enjoy. I'm happy to pass that around if you want to take a look at it. So I was always kind of taken by his story, especially like this guy who just shows up and says, yeah, I am, you know, at the sixth ancestor, who was like, you know, this big, big figure in Chinese realism, says, yeah, I got it. You know, he studied with the Tendai School, but then was kind of naturally enlightened. And then he wrote this fantastic work called the Shodo Ka, or the Song of Realization, which we're not going to shout because it is, how many verses is it? I think it's about 69 verses. If you want to go, again, I'm going to put this back in the library.

[40:07]

This is Kota Sawaki's commentary on Ashokoka. And I think I'm the only person who's taken this book out in the last five years. Really, it's a great read. I mean, if you've read Kota Sawaki, let this up. He's very idiosyncratic. You know, he's a... Shohaku's teacher's teacher. So he's, you know, in a lineage that we kind of hold dear. So he's Kota Sawaki's teacher. And... you know, had some very strong opinions and expressed himself very kind of forcefully in a lot of ways. But his commentary is pretty amazing. You know, 50 new verses. But it's a great read. And, you know, certainly reading this and reading Deshimaru's, who was also in the same lineage, comments about this, and also in a book by Niogen Senzaki, who was a mid-20th century teacher who came to America. You know, they're all saying that Shogakai is a really important text in the sort of same lineage. And I'm thinking, why don't you ever talk about it? Why doesn't nobody even know about it? So rather than the whole 52 verses, there's just the first section I've copied.

[41:11]

Most of you have it on that one page. There's one copy where it's on the back of Bodhidharma's wake-up sermon, so if you can't find it, it's on the back of the first page. We're talking about the first translation. Okay. Friend, do you not see? This tranquil man of the way who has attained awakening and has ceased studying and acting, he doesn't remove illusions and no longer searches for the truth. The real nature of our ignorance is no other than our Buddha nature. Our empty and illusory body is the Dharma body. When one awakens to the Dharma body, there is no longer anything. Our own original nature is the true and intrinsic Buddha. The clouds of the five aggregates float here and there in vain. The bubbles of the three poisons rise and burst, empty. So we want to read the other translation, which doesn't have all the same lines on it, but just those two lines.

[42:15]

Don't you see that person of the way who has gone beyond all learning, who is completely at ease and has nothing left to do? She, he, doesn't get rid of delusion, nor does she seek for the truth. Ignorance itself in reality is Buddha nature. Our empty, illusory body is the body of the Dharma. When the Dharma body is completely realized, there is nothing other, there are no objects. The source of the self-nature of all things is a pure and absolute Buddha. So this has a very different tone to it than things we've just been reading. And I remember when I first read that, it's like, wow, this is a whole different approach to things. And especially with this, again, this kind of first-person approach. I think, again, if you're looking at the original... Chinese, I think this idea of friend kind of gets across a particular tone of address that was being used at the beginning. But it's like this tranquil person of the way. So instead of like, here's what you have to do to attain the way, you can do it right away if you want to.

[43:18]

It's like, okay, this is what it looks like. And the 52 verses that go on, he goes back and forth about his own awakening and kind of goes back into history and various other things and some various poetic bits. I think by common accounts, this first stanza really encapsulates basically what he's trying to tell us. And what is he trying to tell us? I think I'd like to sum that up for him. You don't have to try so hard. You don't have to try so hard. You don't have to get rid of delusion, and you don't have to seek the truth. That sounds even easier than getting rid of preferences, doesn't it? So I think this is the kind of one of the characters that starts coming up in the Koan story, so we should start getting, you know, kind of written or compiled not long after this. Especially if you know the story of Seppo and Ganto on Turtle's Mountain. Like, you know, Seppo's sitting hard and wanting to get in line, wanting to get in line because he's not at peace.

[44:18]

And Ganto's just like taking a nap. You know, he's like, he's just completely relaxed because he's done the hard work. He's figured, you know, he's realized his true nature. And he's just like, he's not trying anymore. And so there's something very appealing for me about this kind of like, oh, yeah, I've done that now. And, you know, what he says is that, you know, you don't have to look for anything. You know, this ignorance is Buddha nature. Our actual illusory body is the body of the Dharma. And so, you know, we kind of think, well, there's this whole Dharmakaya. Where is it? Where is it? It's like it's right here with the three delusions, you know, with the three poisons. And exactly the same way that Bodhidharma was talking about. You have the greed, hate, and delusion. And they're right here. There's no other... There is no other dharmakaya that is anywhere else. There is no other Buddha nature that is beyond the three poisons. Cat, it looks obvious. We're completely at ease and nothing left to do. Doesn't that sound nice? I like to sound like that.

[45:21]

So it's really, you know, this is just completely being one with all circumstances. very dark. So I think, well, yeah, that's interesting, because he was a, you know, he started off as a Teddai monk, so he read all these philosophies, and there's one, he's like, I read all this stuff, and it's just like counting, counting sand in the ocean, what a complete waste of time that was. And so he kind of, you know, and he says, you know, the Buddha's approach was pretty, pretty tough on that one. So it always, yeah, having been through the scholarly route, he then says, you don't have to study all this stuff. You don't have to decide what you just have to awaken to your true nature. Right here and there. Here's my raised eyebrow. What about the Harris-Bretz deviation? Yeah. That's probably true too, but I think if you're fully enlightened like that, there is no... There's no saying it, yeah. Yeah, this is one that doesn't actually say the Harris-Bretz deviation. But I think if you're... I was going to say...

[46:31]

I really like how all of these poems have used simile and metaphor to kind of go beyond what's not expressible in words. Yes. And kind of hack language, even though the way is beyond language, to use language to express something that's inexpressible. Yeah, we have to find ways to express it. You know, this is the whole thing about Zen is not dependent on words, but there's a lot of Chinese poems out there telling us all about this. Yes, indeed. Yeah, describing aggregates as clouds and three poisons as bubbles is, I feel like, a lot more effective than just saying, they're empty, they don't, you know, don't worry about it. You know, like, it's a lot more effective than a more intellectual way of saying it. Yeah, and you tell me here, bubbles, I also think of the Diamond Citra again. Mokshu. Yeah, I like this image of bubbles, because it's like a bubble moves through water, so it's like, where it's like, water is like, even... I think we might just have time, and this is probably where we're going to reach into the next one.

[47:43]

Especially because, for me, the tone is incredibly similar. To move on to the . So the is like the song. This is the song of the . And again, we get to Sekito Kisen, studied as a young a very young monk with like hanheno and then took up with his disciples seigen and also wrote the sound of kai the harmony difference in equality you'll get to but this is like a very different feeling from the sound of kai but very similar for me to the shoulder class so we again this is something that gets chanted in some temples um so we could chant this one The grass on it where there's nothing of value After eating I'd relax and enjoy a nap When it was complete it freshly disappeared Now it's been licked and covered by leaves A person in the hut lives here calmly Now stuck to inside house I heard it's clean Places where deep people live He doesn't live, where deep people love She doesn't love And it's not, it includes the entire world In ten square feet An old man in living swarms and their naked

[48:59]

Jeremiah on a body soft like truss without tap in the middle, although we can't help. Wondering will this up, perish or not, perish or not. The original master is present, not dwelling south or northeast or west. Remedis, unsteadyness, it can't ease and plants. A shining window below, the green plagues, jay palaces, or with million towers. Can't compare with pictures significantly that covered. All things are impressed. Thus, this mountain monk doesn't understand at all. He no longer works to get free Who would proudly arrange seats Trying to let dice guests Turn around the light to shine Within the angels return The vast inconceivable source can't be fixed Or turned away from me the ancestral teachers Be familiar with their instructing mind Brasses to build a high life So give up a goal of hundreds of years And relax completely Open your hands and walk in the sick thousands of words Myriad interpretations are only just free Again, this is just like, it's so easy.

[50:12]

You just have to relax and enjoy yourself. Well, you're stuck in there right now. Yeah, so the grass up wears nothing of value. Anyone wants to build one? I know some of you probably want to run off to yoga right now. I think we'll come back. We have a follow-up date scheduled for the 19th. So I think we might come back and look at this again. Thomas-san, do you want to make a comment? No. No. I mean... Last word. No, if you'd like to illuminate us. Who's to illuminate you? And... I'm curious. I've chanted this before. It's very popular with cabin crew. Don't ask me why. Cabins? Huts? I don't know. We certainly chanted it when I was in cabin crew.

[51:12]

But this first time, because I caught this class this summer on the Bhima Lakirti Sutra, so 10 square feet, I think, I actually think that could be a reference to Bhima Lakirti's closet. And then he goes on to say who would probably arrange... Did you come here for a seat? Or did you come here for the Dharma? That's kind of interesting. All the Zenis were into the Vimalakirti Sutra. Yeah, who is the old man? Forms in her nature. Is that Sekito or is that... Vimalakirti. Thank you for the reference. I'm sure he would not have made that reference. Do you have any observations while that's fresh in your mind? Those will come back and jump together in a few days. See, we're kind of halfway through. We're just getting to beauty stuff. So come back next week and we'll find out more.

[52:15]

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.

[52:35]

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