Morning. I've been away for a while. I've been gone and now I'm coming back. An old blues song says, I was thinking of the blues this morning because the 19th annual blues festival is going on over at Fort Mason. It's pretty cold right now so I don't miss not being there. I have, I've thought of the blues over the many years and connected to Buddhism. I thought someone could do a research paper on the blues and Buddhism. Bluesism, yeah.

[01:04]

It's like when the lyrics go, don't the moon look lonely, shining through the trees. The moon in Chinese and Japanese poetry is usually first to enlightenment. It's the title of a book, Hazy Moon of Enlightenment. The moon is important in Japanese poetry and Chinese too. And then there's the old blues song, don't the moon look lonesome, shining through the trees. And it goes, don't your arms feel lonely. Excuse me, it's kind of hard to hear. Oh really? Oh, well. How's that? Talk this way? They usually say don't speak into your lap. In this case I have to.

[02:07]

I guess I could talk louder but I'm feeling kind of tired today. Where was I? Michael, you interrupted me, where was I? Yeah, the next line is, don't your arms feel lonely when your baby's packed up to leave. Well, loneliness is something that can be cherished. In fact it is cherished in Japanese culture. It's called wabi, feeling of being alone, sad. And that you kind of appreciate it. I think that's what the blues does also. It's a celebration of sadness. Yeah.

[03:11]

And being alone, we all have to be alone sometimes. That isn't actually what I was going to talk about. I thought I'd get it in. The festival just started a few minutes ago. I was going to talk about the festival. I was going to talk about, or not talk about, what is Buddha. There's a sort of case in the Blue Cliff Record, actually that's what it's all about. So. The title of it is Hui Chao Asks About Buddha.

[04:18]

The thousand stages have not transmitted a single word before sound. If you have never seen it personally, it's as if it were worlds away. Even if you discern it before sound and cut off the tongues of everyone in the world, you're still not a sharp fellow. Therefore it is said, the sky can't cover it. The earth can't support it. Empty space cannot contain it. Sun and moon can't illuminate it. For there is no Buddha and you alone are called the honored one. For the first time you amounted to something. Otherwise, if you are not yet this way, penetrate through on the tip of a hair and release the great shining illumination. Then in all directions you will be independent and free in the midst of phenomena. Whatever you pick up, there is nothing that's not it. But tell me, what is attained that is so extraordinary? Does everyone understand?

[05:25]

No one knows about the sweating horses of the past. They only want to emphasize the achievement that crowns the age. Leave this matter aside for the moment. What about Sweet Tooth's public case? Look into what's written below. A monk named Hui Chao asked Fa Yen. Hui Chao asked the teacher, what is Buddha? Fa Yen said, you are Hui Chao. So... What is Buddha? You are Michael. Does that mean Michael is Buddha? Or what? What is it? Ask him about... We always talk about it. When you attain it, what is it?

[06:26]

Does anybody know? Does anybody know? He mentioned in the beginning about... that only you are the world-honored one. You probably know the story, but I'll say it again. When the young Shakyamuni was born, his mother was hanging on to a tree and he came out of the side. So the story goes. He immediately got up and walked in all the directions and said, the sky above, the earth below, only I am the honored one. Sounds kind of pretentious. In fact, in another case here, one of the old monks said,

[07:36]

if I had been there when that kid said that, I would have beat him to a pulp and fed him to the dogs. Then the commentator said, that's the way to talk. We all always hear, what is it? What do you come here for? Why are you here? Are you here to learn how to sit and practice meditation? Why do you want to do that? Why do you want to do that? Are you looking for something? What is it? So we say, what is Buddha?

[08:47]

And he says, you are Huichao. Does he mean you are Buddha? Or you are Huichao? The people of later times just went to the words to make up interpretations. Some say Huichao is himself Buddha. That is why Fa Yen answered as he did. Some say it's much like riding an ox searching for an ox. Some say the asking is it. What relevance has any of this? If you go on understanding in this fashion, not only do you turn against yourself, but you seriously demean that man of old. If you want to see the whole of Fa Yen's device, you must be a fellow who doesn't turn his head when struck. A fellow with teeth like sword trees

[09:51]

and a mouth like a blood bowl, who knows outside the words what they refer to. Then you will have a small portion of realization. If one by one they make intellectual interpretations, everyone on earth would be an exterminator of the Buddhist race. As for Chan traveler Huichao's awakening here, he was constantly engrossed in penetrating investigation. Therefore, under the impact of one word, was as if the bottom fell out of his bucket. So why do we talk so much about it all the time? Is there nothing else to do? Maybe we should just sing the blues.

[10:55]

Seems like we have to talk to somebody about it to bounce it off. Or ask someone to say, that's not it. What? What is that one from the Lotus Sutra? It only takes a Buddha and another Buddha to... What's the next one? To manifest? To fathom the reality of all existence. This was talking about enjoying being alone. I'm turning around saying, you have to have somebody else there. I think these things are full of contradictions. You usually have some nice poems in here.

[12:08]

The Summit of the Mystic Crossing Yeah, the summit of the peak of the mystic crossing is not the human world. Outside the mind there are no things. Blue mountains fill the eyes. The summit of the peak of the mystic crossing It's not the human world. The summit of the peak of the mystic crossing

[13:46]

So nobody is going to tell me what it is? Good. I was thinking about... What is it? Who is it? Who is it that best comes? Who is it that's speaking? Who is it that's sitting here? Who is it that's listening? And then this old... Who's on first and what's on second? I don't know. Another contribution from American culture to Buddhism. We can get overwhelmed with words

[15:12]

trying to explain it. I think that's why I like Zazen. It's quiet. Sometimes. But we do need words. I'm not saying forget about it. But we keep reading about it being beyond words. Words can't say it. One time at Tassajara I gave a talk that was completely the theme about words are useless. And someone was waiting for me after the lecture very upset with me. She comes from a family of writers. She said, what do you mean? What do you mean? You have to have words. I said, sure you do. But you said not to use them. I said, no I didn't. Many words. I brought a whole book of poetry with me. Just in case.

[16:14]

Little Sun at Midnight. I think that's enough right there. This is Muso Soseki. He's a 13th century monk and priest and poet. And he designed gardens. You might say he was the founder of the modern Japanese garden. His gardens are still around in Kyoto and other places. My voice dropped again. Thank you. But I was just flipping through it and I seemed to keep falling on poems that he's talking about old age. And that was quite interesting to me because I'm becoming familiar with that. And this one is called Old Man to the Point. No inheritance is like that from a true heir of the Dharma.

[17:16]

And there is no other school or different sect with which to quarrel in your old age. You have gone deeper into the truth under everything and your eyebrows have grown down over your chin. Old Man Advancing. Beyond the point where the rivers end and the mountains vanish, you have kept on walking. Originally the treasure lies just under one's feet. You made the mistake of thinking that now you would be able to retire in peace. Look. In your own hut, the meditation mat has never been warm. It kind of gets into the feeling of the blues and chill feeling of spending all your life.

[18:20]

This one is called Truth Hall. First the outer gate, then the inner gate under the high roof, the lower roof, deep within. There is no argument to be heard. Each of you will be sure to find the deepest truth in yourself and say, Maitreya Buddha of the future, no more thank you. I've had enough. One of my favorite poems, long poems, I've been reading

[19:49]

is by the third Chinese ancestor. And it begins with, the supreme way is not difficult. Just don't pick and choose. It goes on and on. Stop making judgments, making them good and bad. But you have to make some decisions. I have a new position here at Zen Center.

[20:52]

That's why I left Tassajara, to come back here and be director. And up until now, I've never had to make those kind of decisions. I was usually associated with the Zen Do, which there are some kind of judgmental things go on there, but now I'm faced with picking and choosing. And I keep quoting my favorite poem, which is, don't pick and choose. It's what is Buddha. Say, just do it. Just get up. Just go to the Zen Do.

[21:53]

Just sit down. Just get up. And then someone says, you have to make a decision. No, I won't. I don't want to pick and choose. Well, one more, and then I think we've had enough. The copper, the copper of bright money, buys a fried cake.

[22:55]

He gobbles it down into his belly, and from then on, no longer feels hungry. Well, I was just thinking of a term that we use at the end of the tea ceremony. When the ceremony's over, we say, shitsurei ni tashimashita. And what that translates literally is, please forgive me for being rude and careless. Thank you.

[23:45]

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