Shogun Zenji says in Bendo-ho, the way of practice, which occurs in Ehe-shinti, the practice of the Buddhas and Patriarchs is right in the way. They cannot be separated and separate and separate on the way. The presence of Dharma brings the practice into being. Without the Dharma, the practice cannot be brought into existence. Sit when everyone sits. Sleep when everyone sleeps.

[01:08]

All activities must be in accordance with everyone. It is useless to attempt to exceed the others in the practice, and to take a different way from others is not right conduct. This refers to experiencing the skin, flesh, bone, and marrow of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, as well as the casting of body-mind. Therefore, this reveals the practice enlightenment before creation, without regard to one's own realization. It is a koan given to one before his parents were born.

[02:15]

This practice is without waiting for the great enlightenment. The important point is, sit when everyone sits. Sleep when everyone sleeps. All activities must be in accordance with everyone. It is useless to attempt to exceed others in the practice, and to take a different way from others is not right conduct. When I was in the monastery, particularly during the period of training, during the training period, I was a shuso. At that time, a friend of mine was very strict in practice,

[03:24]

so I was always fighting with his practice. So, after 9 o'clock, after everyone sleeps, I sleep loud, and did zazen by myself. At that time, a friend of mine also slept loud. At that time, I was very angry with him. Why? I thought at that time, wow, that's come out. And, the other training period, two months,

[04:42]

we were fighting after 9 o'clock, because one monk tried to go out to sit, extra zazen, carrying his own round cushion and kyosaku. The other guy said, where are you going? He said, well, we're going to zazen. So, that guy said, sleep, when everyone sleeps. At that time, I was very angry with him. It was just the time, just after the Second World War,

[05:49]

young guy, all young Japanese, very rough, rough kind of. He has a kyosaku, round kyosaku like this, expressing his anger. But he didn't actually hit the other, his friend, but just a demonstration like this. Then, at that time, I read this part. Mentioned by Dogen. Sit, when everyone sits. Sleep, when everyone sleeps. It is useless to attempt to succeed others in the practice.

[06:54]

Wow, I was very surprised reading this part. But anyway, I wanted to surpass others. In the practice. It is, this way is not easy, this is not the easy way about practice. You should consider again and again why Dogen didn't say that way. Generally speaking, we are apt to attach the self, attach the self-ideas, self-centered ideas. According to Buddhism, whatever you do,

[07:57]

we are apt to have four kinds of delusions. One is self-delusion, self-delusion. The ignorance in regard to the ego. The second is selfishness, holding into the ego, or holding to the ego-ideas. And third is self-conceit. And fourth is self-attachment. Those four kinds of self-delusions, those four delusions, in reference to the ego, always make appearance, whatever you do, particularly when you do good.

[09:01]

Particularly when you do good, these four kinds of ego make appearance. It's pretty hard to get rid of it. The self-delusion is the delusion which is coming up from the bottom of your mind, whatever you do. I think you know so well what is self-delusion. Your mind says to yourself, no, no, I shouldn't, I shouldn't say, I shouldn't make a complaint, I should, all I have to do is follow the schedule, that's all, but something's coming up from the bottom of the mind. You can't stop it. You can't stop it.

[10:04]

Even though when you do something good, something comes up from the bottom of the mind. And selfishness is the delusion which leads you attached to your egocentric, egocentric idea. When you experience the Zen,

[11:19]

when you experience something good, you are the Zen. When you experience something good, you are the Zen. I think you believe how great the Zen is. But at that time, self-desiring is, you should consider whether self-desiring is good or bad, the true Zazen or not. Self is self-conceit. We are always measured, we are always measuring oneself with another, with another. Like me, when I was at age one,

[12:23]

when I was at age one, we compare our practice with others, which is good. And then if you find something good in your part, you are apt to be proud, apt to be proud of yourself. This is self-attachment.

[13:37]

Watch carefully, watch yourself carefully, whatever you do. All those four delusions always make appearance in your practice. It's very hard to get rid of them. Particularly, watch carefully when you do good. That's why Dogen insists that it's useless to attempt to exceed others in the practice. In a sense, it's pretty hard just to follow the schedule when everyone does,

[14:56]

because unconsciously or consciously we have even the slightest amount of our ambition, such as I'm wanting to attain enlightenment, or I am, I want to be a good student, exam. I want to be a good student, you know, I want to be surpassed a lot. In the practice of not only Dogen, in your daily life, in Tathagata, in Shantipati, you just follow.

[16:14]

The practice of just following is not so easy. But our practice is not to attain enlightenment, not to attempt to surpass others in the practice, in comparison with others. That's why Dogen Benji says our practice is Gyoji, which means being just in maintaining, maintaining the practice.

[17:16]

Maintaining the practice has very deep profound meaning. What is this? If you follow just your own life, do you think it is easy? It's not so easy. According to the Buddha's eyes, Buddha's, Dogen's, soul, or Buddha's, the patriarch's eyes, our practice and your practice, or teacher's practice, are all based on a limitless dimension,

[18:18]

going beyond. But before you criticize and before you discriminate, my practice is good or my practice is bad, our practice must be practiced beyond the discrimination of good and bad. And then you should settle on yourself right in the midst of practice, beyond the discrimination of good and bad. If so, you cannot practice. You have random, you cannot practice recklessly. Each moment allotted to you is to imprise the rest of your life. If you, I've mentioned, I think I've mentioned before,

[19:38]

if you read the chapter of the Sengyo, of purifying your body, with regards to the Shobo-Rinpoche, usually when you do urinate or feces, we have a preconception that urinates and feces are dirty things. But actually, according to the Buddha's eyes, the patriarch's eyes, Dogen's eyes, even the urine or feces are not something which you, which belongs to the category of discriminating good and bad, between good and bad.

[20:43]

Dogen says, through the mind, body, through the body and mind, is assuredly undefiled. There is a method for purifying it. Originally, the body and mind is assuredly undefiled, but there is a method of purifying the body and mind. This is very important, but it's not so easy. You get the taste of it through your practice. You understand so well, everything is Buddha nature. The master of taste and of taste, we understand this point just with our head.

[21:54]

Everything is Buddha nature. Everything is Buddha. In order to get taste of it through and through, you have to practice continuously. If you understand this point even with your head, you try to put it into practice with whole heart, yes. So do your gassho when you do gassho, when everyone gassho. There is a method for purifying one's mind. Which is not the case only for the body and mind,

[23:07]

but incline also the nation, the earth, and trees. The nation and earth themselves are not tainted. It is the Buddha's vow to purify them. And even after tainting, Buddha foot will be continued consistently. The earth, even the earth, even the heaven, even the place where you may be, even the place where you may be, wherever you may be,

[24:14]

of belonging to Buddha's world, which means everything is clean. Everything is undefiled. Nevertheless, there is a method of purifying your body, purifying your mind, purifying your feet. Then we are, see, I like to call this, before you use the bathroom, Bogen Zen says, please feel like this. It means, if there is something, even an insect, would you go out of my way just for a while? I am using, I am doing, moving or hitting.

[25:19]

Then you use. But around, every ground, everywhere, is undefiled. So why we have to do like this? Same is to this side of human life. If you do something bad, then the policeman take you to the jail. Policeman says, you are bad guy. You are robber. So, push you, push you into jail. Open the door. Stay there. That's all. When the time, when the time comes to have a meal, meal, get in. You look like a pig or

[26:25]

cow. But when the, in terms of Buddha's eyes, you know, Buddha, if policeman were Buddha, you know, the Buddha says, would you take a rest for a while in jail? Because if you are in society, I'm afraid you will disturb other's life. So would you stay here just for a while, until you awake yourself? This is very gentle, very compassionate. What's the difference between two? You should be staying in jail, pushing you. Buddha says, would you stay in jail just for a while, until you awake yourself? Because you are Buddha means you are Buddha.

[27:31]

I would like, I would like you to, to be in our society, be God. But if you, if you, if you join us, you will always disturb other's life. So I would like you to stay in jail just for a while. Good. This, the attitude, very, very different. Therefore it is a gap, a big gap between heaven and earth. That's why Dogen Rin says, everything is Buddha, everything is pure, undefiled. But the least method of purifying, everybody, everybody is Buddha. It's not necessary to practice hard. Tomorrow we will have to sleep.

[28:36]

It's not necessary to practice hard. Everybody is Buddha. But the least method of practicing, because if you don't do anything, if you don't practice anything at all, I think, I'm afraid you will go in a different direction which you have expected, which you have never expected before. So please practice hard. This is Buddha's art. This is Buddha's compassion. And also Dogen Rin says,

[30:03]

this refers to experience the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow of the Buddhas and Patriarchs as well as the testing of body, mind. This practice, this practice is not merely practice which you have thought. I am poor student. That's why I have practice. This is, it is. This is the conception of the practice which you have understood so far. But our practice is something more than that. That our practice must be felt in more bigger world, dimensions.

[31:07]

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