I would like to express my very much heartfelt gratitude to the Headquarters for providing us with this kind of a wonderful opportunity to share the Dharma together, and also Anderson Roshi being told on and so on, Fisher Dojo also to provide us wonderful opportunity such as this. It must have been quite hard work to adjust the schedule to put this one month 25-30

[01:07]

people extra with a different schedule, so we really appreciate it. On behalf of the participants, I'm one of them, I should like to express my thanks to all of you and please overlook our rudeness and also disturbances for your daily and monthly schedule plan while we are staying here. This is good for all of us to appreciate what I'm going to talk about today. Just before we came to Zendo to have this time, we had an extra schedule. We had to have a kind of an urgent meeting,

[02:30]

and we talked about our fundamental things relating to the practice and especially being here to spend one month. It was nice, and I'm glad that we have had this at the very beginning. All of us expressed our concern about the Dharma in this country, and I'm sure all of you are concerned about what is to be the most important tenet or the doctrine of Soto School and also hearts of Soto School and what kind of religious organization Soto School is. That's what I want to talk about today, relating to the theme or the topic of this particular session of one month sponsored by the Headquarters International Division.

[03:53]

The theme for this is Hōtō no Denji. Hō is Dharma, and Tō, the torch or the light, illumination. Dharma torch or the illumination of the Dharma. Denji. Den means to transmit. Ji means to uphold, to let it continue. How we can transmit the Dharma and maintain it, hold it, and continue it in this country. So, as a subtitle, Kai and Shingi. Kai, I think all of you know how Kai, but I think in English, I think most of the time translated as precept.

[05:11]

And Shingi is regulation. I'm going to talk about Kai and Shingi in the next few days. But today, Hōtō no Denji, Kai and Shingi, as the main thing, main part, or main scheme, or the main means, actually more than a means, but more than a means, by means than a means to maintain the Dharma torch and transmit the Dharma and whatever it is, transmit and let it continue. And I think all of you are in one way or another interested in that.

[06:19]

So, as a sort of school, of course, that is the main thing, and that's why headquarters chose this topic. And it seems to me it is a very appropriate and adequate topic for all of us to reflect on, both as a doctrine, as a principle, as well as the practice that we have been doing. Then, in the constitution of the Sōtō school, there I mentioned the doctrine. As the most important doctrine, the most essential doctrine, they say what is it in the Sōtō school.

[07:25]

And this is the third article of the Sōtō constitution. And it says, in accordance with the right Dharma, which is directly transmitted by the patriarchs, and according to that, shikan taza, sokushin zebutsu wo jōtō suru wo shūshi to suru. We make that most essential doctrine as to transmit that shikan taza and sokushin zebutsu.

[08:41]

All of you know shikan taza and sokushin zebutsu. That's a famous koan by Baso, and also Dogen Zenji writes about sokushin zebutsu. Sokushin means very body, and zebutsu is the Buddha. This mind, hanshin in this case, the mind is the Buddha. That's a famous koan. But Dogen Zenji writes about, in the Shogō Genzō, an earlier part of his writings. And shikan taza and sokushin zebutsu wo jōtō suru, transmit shikan taza and, or maybe even and is unnecessary, maybe kamma or hyphen, whatever. Dogen Zenji put these two together, shikan taza and sokushin zebutsu wo jōtō suru.

[09:43]

Jōtō suru, directly transmit. And this is a very important thing, shikan taza and sokushin zebutsu, shikan taza. Dogen Zenji, this is three, no, two years ago. We had meetings like this, not quite like this, but similar to this kind of meeting in Karuizawa, sponsored by headquarters two years ago, and we had it in Karuizawa, in the mountain. And at that time we had a few lecturers from Komatsu University. And one of the lecturers said a very interesting thing about shikan taza.

[10:46]

And he said that, he asked us actually, I think Yoshinami sensei was there. He asked us, do you know how many places in the Shobo Genzo the word shikan taza is mentioned? Any of you know that? And he said three places. And I said three places, a little less number, maybe a little bit more. Fortunately I have a dictionary, a special dictionary about Shobo Genzo. And I checked it, and I found out that in seven places in the Shobo Genzo, shikan taza is mentioned. And I have the seven places that he mentioned, that maybe I can briefly share with you.

[11:51]

And the interesting thing is that among seven, the five of them are quoted as Tendo Nyojo Zenji's words. In other words, his teacher. While he was in China, two years, studying under him. Maybe he instructed like that. And it says... Shōkō raihai nenbutsu shusan kangin wo mochizu. Tadashi shikan ni tazashite shinjin tatsuraku suru koto wo weshi. That's one of the messages that Tendo Nyojo Zenji had presented. Maybe he occasionally repeated that remark.

[12:57]

And Tendo Nyojo Zenji does that. And he does it five times, five places out of seven. Isn't it something? And what we should notice is that he doesn't just say do shikan taza. And doing shikan taza, and do that shinjin tatsuraku. Drop out the body and the mind. And in one place, he uses that drop out the body and the mind, shinjin tatsuraku. He says, tatsuraku shinjin. Tatsuraku shinjin surashi. There, Keizan Zenji writes in Denko Roku, the transmission of light. In the fascicle of Dōgen Zenji, he writes about this story.

[14:07]

Maybe most of you know. There, he says shinjin tatsuraku, tatsuraku shinjin. And tatsuraku, tatsuraku. And he uses that in a little bit different implication, context. In one place, it's used tatsuraku shinjin. In other words, what I want to say is that shikan taza is of course very, very important. Everything is there. But just sitting, in a way it's enough, and in a way it's not enough. And what the other part of it. That's in Sokushin Zebutsu. The mind, this mind is the Buddha. And what's this mind? And again, Dōgen Zenji talks about it in Sokushin Zebutsu no Maki.

[15:10]

And actually, all he talks about is, in a way, 75 fascicles of Shōgō Genzo, first Hirō. And that's what he talks about. This very mind is the Buddha. Then coming back to the shishōgi, relating to the constitution of Sōtō school. I should like to say something more about it. As a matter of fact, this afternoon, just before we came here. About a dozen of us, of which two of them asked that, I don't know, I don't understand it clearly, what the teaching of Sōtō school is. And I don't know what Sōtō school really teaches.

[16:16]

Or even hierarchically, what it is. As a matter of fact, I don't know much either. But according to the constitution and further elaboration of what Sōtō school does, that's what I want to appreciate with you this afternoon. Along with the articles of Sōtō school. It's a very rich thing. I don't know how much I can cover, but I'll try. Beside this third, I wonder how. There are actually two. This one, I have the translation here.

[17:16]

It's the constitution. It comes to eight, nine, ten articles. Very short, maybe I can briefly go through with this. I should like to mention that I think very important, of course they're all important, but especially I feel important for us to remember and reflect upon, and furthermore, to really practice it. As our practice. So, that third one I said. And the second one, the tradition. This is also very important. Someone this afternoon in that meeting, also this one came, tradition. How tradition is important. And here, what the tradition of Sōtō school is, is defined.

[18:18]

The Sōtō-shū. The Sōtō-shū means school. The Sōtō-shū has a tradition that it has been constantly engaged in transmitting the right law of Shakyamuni Buddha, which has been handed down by successive patriarchs through immediate communication from one mind to another. This is a tradition of Sōtō-shū. And I was mentioning this, that transmitting the right law of the Dharma. So, the Bussō Tanden no Shobo. And I want you to be careful about this though. Not transmission of human beings. This Bussō Tanden no Shobo.

[19:20]

And this relates to the very core, the so-called Hanshū-shī, the most important teaching, more than teaching. The essential, the fact that which has been transmitted generation after generation up to us. See, according to this tradition, we do Shikan Taza and the Sokshin Zen, Sokshin Zetsu, see? And this very mind is the Buddha. That's what here, in this article, it's mentioned as the Shakyamuni Buddha. Then I mentioned that the Shobo Genzo,

[20:21]

that Dōgen Zen Chan writes, that the very mind is the Buddha. In that fascal, he clearly states this fact. He says that kako genzai mirai no shobutsu no tomo ni hodoke to naru toki wa kanarazu shakamuni butsu to naru. All the Buddhas in the past, present, future, become Shakyamuni Buddha at the attainment of the Buddha. And he says, the Shakyamuni Buddha is the mind is the Buddha, Sokshin Zetsu. That's what we should transmit.

[21:23]

And that's the content of Shikantaza. Then when you do that, your Zazen becomes Zazen of the Buddhas. Anyway, that's the tradition. Then the doctrine, abiding by the right law of Bussō Tanden. The Sōtō-shū, Bussō Tanden means direct transmission of the Buddhas and patriarchs. Bussō Tanden. The Sōtō school doctrine is transmission of Shikantaza and Sokshin Zetsu. That part, at the beginning, I talked about. Then Article 4, the objects of reverence.

[22:27]

The Sōtō-shū shall primarily honor Shakyamuni Buddha and shall honor Kōso-jōyō-daishi and Taiso-jōsai-daishi as its two founders. Now that's the next part. Honor Shakyamuni Buddha, not who he is. Usually we understand Shakyamuni Buddha as a historical figure who lived 2,500 years ago in India. Yes. And what he did. All of you know. He was a Hindu. And somehow he couldn't quite feel comfortable with his own tradition.

[23:30]

And he didn't necessarily leave or lift his tradition, but he had to do something with himself and study those different teachers. And finally, through the deep samadhi, he realized something. Then he became a Buddha. We honor Shakyamuni Buddha, and what Dogen Zenji says about him. Even we chant every day. When we eat,

[24:35]

numerous nirvana-kaya Shakyamuni Buddhas. What are we talking about? What are we chanting? What are we adoring for? Who are they? This is honor Shakyamuni Buddha. Other Buddhas or bodhisattvas, however, are acceptable as the principal image in the temple. This is also an interesting thing, no? We might just read it, temple. This is a temple. Now this is, of course it's a temple. But wherever the Buddha is, that is to be the temple. Even the bodhisattvas.

[25:42]

We have a beautiful statue of this Kusita Garbha bodhisattva. I don't know if he is exactly, could be a Kanin Bodhisattva. Even Dogen Zenji says, Kanin Bodhisattva is a Shobo Myo-nyo light. The Tathagata of the name of Shobo Myo, Shobo, same, light, Dharma. And Myo, illumination. He's a Shobo Myo-nyo light. And he says, parents of all the Buddhas, much of Kanin Bodhisattva. And also in the Lotus Sutra, Kanin Bodhisattva is described as heart, 33 transformations. And 33, it's not only 33, no?

[26:46]

Even here, how many of us? In a way, we are all transformations of Kanin Bodhisattvas. That's what Kanyashinyo says. In many ways, how this, all the bodhisattvas in the temple, by the way, even in Christianity, what Christ said, it's a beautiful thing, no? Kingdom of God is in your heart. I'm sure some, half of you must be, must have the Christian background, or Judeo-Christian background, Jewish, maybe the same too. Where is the God? Sure, must be in his kingdom.

[27:54]

And where is his kingdom? And what is that heart? And where is it? In that heart, in the first column of Sokushin Zen Butsu, the mind is the Buddha, he says, he means Dogen Zenji, no? Dogen Zenji says that, and, the mind is all the dharma. Then he says, Mind is the mountains, rivers, stars and the moon. What kind of mind is that?

[29:00]

And coming back to each of us, no? What's this? Life. That's what all Dogen Zenji talks about. That Genjo Kōan, that 75 phascals, he put that Genjo Kōan as the first phascal of Shogo Genzo. And among the commentaries of Shogo Genzo, the most important, famous one is Gosho, done by Kyōgo, priest Kyōgo. And, he says, relating to that Genjo Kōan, he says that, Dogen Zenji wrote these 75 phascals of Shogo Genzo.

[30:08]

He wrote actually more than that, in this, one version of Shogo Genzo, 75 volumes and phascals. And he says, Master Kyōgo says that only Dogen Zenji wanted to say is that, then among these 75 phascals, he said, all phascals just explain the one principle. That is, munōjo, mu, hishi. Tada, zenki no dōri no mi o akasu. Among all these phascals, in these all phascals, what he wrote is that, munōjo, no subject-object separation.

[31:13]

And mu, hishi, no this or that. In other words, citing these two, what he says is that, not separation, not separating. Anything, good, bad, right, wrong, life, death, enlightened, deluded, all these things. No division. Then he repeats that. Tada, only zenki, zenki means undividedness. Tada, zenki no dōri no mi o akasu. Only he clarifies the principle of this wholeness, undividedness. Now that's what Sokushin-ryō-butsu is too.

[32:21]

Mind is mountain, rivers, stars. Nobody knows how many stars, how big the world is. That's all one mind. In other words, no division. Acceptable as the principle he mentions in the temple. And tenet five, living up to the fourfold principles of the scripture named the shushō-gi,

[33:22]

the Soto-shū shall have as fundamental tenet the practice of zenkai ichi-nyō and shushō-funi. These are, I'm going to talk about kai and shushō-funi. It's also the regulation of all these things. How we practice. Good, we have more time, huh? This shushō-gi, I wonder how much this is an important part, so let me talk about a little bit more about this shushō-gi. I think all of you know this shushō-gi. Two years ago was the hundredth anniversary of

[34:25]

shushō-gi. And a hundred years ago, this year is the second year shushō-gi was published and this shushō-gi is a very unique sutra. Actually, all Dōgen-zenji's words are taken from Shōbō-genzo. I counted, I don't remember exactly, maybe my memory is not quite right, over twenty different fascals. He had excerpted and picked up a few nice passages and about a hundred years ago the head of Soji-ji and the head of Ehe-ji did it. as their responsibility

[35:27]

and responsibility in editing this was published. But the body was made by Ōichi Seiran, a layperson who was quite a scholar and also a very religious person. Not just studied Sōtō-tsukutana, Sōtō-tenzan, but he studied other tenets, Buddhist tenets too. But he briefly first made it and Takiya Zen-ji who was head of Ehe-ji monastery, he refined it. And it's beautifully done. Many of you, I'm sure, read it in English and when you read it in English somewhat the taste becomes kind of flat and not without really getting the kind of sense, original sense of

[36:29]

Dōgen Zen-ji's writings. But still there very meaty, important part is there. If I can touch it sometime, I'll talk about it along with my talks about Kai. Today I just want to talk about this Zenkai Ichinyo and Shishō Funi in this article I mentioned. Zenkai Ichinyo is Zen and Kai are one. Zen and precept are one. It's a little hard to understand what it means. But this is as the characteristics of the teaching or the doctrine

[37:29]

of Soto school. So what does this mean by saying that Kai and Zen are one? Either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I'll talk about this. Maybe tomorrow I'll talk about this. I have to touch to this point and talk about it a little more in detail. Today I just touch it. Next one Shishō Ichinyo the same thing. I think you know the word Shishō Ichinyo. Practice and realization are not two. How practice and realization could be the same thing? How could it be one thing?

[38:29]

And that's a kind of characteristic of Soto and Dōgen Zenji's teaching. It's a wonderful teaching. What does that really mean? Then how we should practice? That's what I'll touch on tomorrow. Shishō Ichinyo I want to mention relating to this about Keizan Zenji too. Since we have these two founders there are certain kind of rather contrasting interesting characteristics among two founders

[39:32]

we have. Dōgen Zenji he was really marvelous. The more I study the more I admire him. Of course if we become critical it's an endless thing. Even Shakyamuni Buddha himself was criticized. Even he was attempted to be killed more than one time. That kind of thing always happens. But anyway Dōgen Zenji I don't say that he is 100% perfect. Such thing is out of question. He is marvelous. What makes him so unique

[40:33]

is I think his understanding of this wholeness like practice and realization are one. That no division see. He doesn't say that no differences though. In a way we are all different. Phenomenal world all different. I don't know how many human beings living on the earth. Each individual needless to say distinctly 100% different one from each other. Then what makes that undivided whole? That's what

[41:40]

he talks about over and over and over and over. In such way which no one did before him maybe even after him that's what his uniqueness and we have such wonderful opportunity to appreciate this treasure and this Dharma. Now I want you to think about this and transmission. Transmit what? Who

[42:41]

transmit what from whom to whom? That's the most basic thing of Kai. That's what says Zen and Kai are one. Zen, that word, maybe some of you might study the Chinese character Han, the Chinese character, Zen, then the left half we call Hen, that shimesu hen, shimesu means to show and another half Tan, one, single, one, to show one, that's Zen. I don't

[43:41]

know this. This etymological implication seems to me a little fishy, but that's what it means. I don't know, when they use this word, Zen, as a translation of the word from Chinese That's what it means. No divisions. How we can live and how we can practice such life, that's our

[44:42]

practice. That's what we appreciate in one way or another through these precepts and also Shingi, the regulations. Number six, ceremonies. Soto School shall perform its ceremonies according to the instruction of the Buddha and two founders and according to the Soto Shu traditions for religious rites. These ceremonies and rituals and rites, I am sure many of you may not particularly like it, but recently I found a very interesting thing, and I learned myself a

[45:43]

lot. That is, I think, maybe some of you read some of books and I think we published in the PD or Ten Directions or maybe we just sent it in a sangha letter or something like that. But anyway, I was asked to talk about ceremonies and rituals. How are ceremonies? And I found a very interesting thing about the ceremonies. See, I looked for them. Isn't it fascinating to cure? And a cure is like a synonym, like a heal, recover, and

[46:43]

a heal. And I thought that was like cure or heal, recover, and that heal. And I suddenly realized that maybe health, the root of the health, could be that heal, see? To be cured, become healthy from some condition, the bad condition, the heal into the better condition. See? The heal, health, healthy. And this ceremony, ritual, or formality, what is the opposite of these words? Informal? Casual? Slappy? Opposite. In other words, being so,

[47:43]

maybe you make yourself get sick. And actually, unfortunately, that's what is happening. Lack of so-called discipline. But it's not even discipline, see? It's not something forced from outside. But that is supposed to be something inside. In other words, the ceremony, or the ritual, it's sort of the order of form of existence. In order to survive, in order to live, we have to have certain formality, certain ritual, even to wear. Nobody

[48:46]

comes to Zazen all week to sit with the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and certain Dharma friends, brothers, and sisters. Nobody sits with underwear and without even brushing hair, when lying down on the floor. It just can't be done. So these formalities, I don't particularly feel like exaggerating, no? Or rather, I should like to emphasize, and never be too much emphasized, that how we are ignoring the importance of formality and the ceremonial way to

[49:47]

make things go better. I saw here that it says hundreds of ceremonies. That's what I want to share with you too. Satoshu shall perform its ceremonies. And it's interesting things, isn't it? According to the instruction of the Buddha and two founders. Luckily, I didn't translate this, so I can completely rely on this. It doesn't have my interpretation. I'm just appreciating what it says with you. So as the instruction of the

[50:48]

Buddha, how do you take it? So when we just read this, there's not much there. But when you carefully appreciate it, even each word means very special implication, and it conveys us a lot. At the beginning, I should like to kind of touch this much. I think I just still have a few more articles to go up to ten, but these are the rest

[51:49]

of it. Shall I just read them? Maybe I'll just read it, Then we close this. But please hear this transmission of the Dharma. Regarding the transmission, it might be nice to mention that one more thing is Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma wrote a few articles about it. Scholars say that most of them are not his original writing, except one. You might know that, two entries and four practices. That one, a very short one, but that one is

[52:49]

said to be the authentic writing of Bodhidharma. But the rest are kind of questionable, or at least debatable. But anyway, in Bodhidharma, how does the Jukai, receiving the precept, the definition of the Jukai? Dogen Zenji writes also the first Jukai in the Shogogenzawa, receiving the precept. And he said, ha? Ju to wa den narita. Ju, receiving, is den, the transmitting. Receiving is transmitting. And den to wa kaku narita. Transmitting is to become aware. Kaku. Awaken. Transmitting is to be awakened. And busho wo kaku

[53:51]

suru wa Jukai to yu. You realize your own Buddha nature is called Jukai. Receiving the precept. And that's another interpretation of Kai, Jukai. this also has kind of a substitute or supplement or implement that ha? That question says that Zenkai Ichinyo as a characteristic of Soto school Soto tenets. Zen and Kai are one. How? See? You realize yourself as the Buddha nature yourself. And again that's what Dogenzen emphasizes

[54:52]

over and over and over. Today's part should be okay. And let me just read number article seven. Statute Statutes Am I pronouncing right? Okay. The Soto school statutes shall consist of the Soto school constitution the Soto school rules and the Soto school regulations. And these are actually part of the one we are going to study for this as known as Gyojikihan sort of regulations. Gyojikihan is I

[55:52]

also made a comparison because of this meeting I made a comparison between Gyojikihan and also Keizanshingi. And very similar. I was amazed. It got to be similar. Much more than I was expecting. I appreciate it. Then seven two dash two the Soto school statutes have been established upon the basis of firm conviction of all its followers who wish for its harmony and prosperity. And seven article seven dash three priest supporters and devotees belonging to the Soto school shall abide by these statutes and carry them out with spirit and faith.

[56:53]

And practice there are eight and nine both practice but practice of different categories please figure out. The Soto practice objectives shall consist of attaining a comprehensive understanding of the Buddha and two founders and training transmitters of the light of the law and persons capable of propagating activities. This is a very important part especially the transmitting of the light of the law which all of you are involved. Practice practice nine shall be performed constantly in everyday temple activities especially in the Soto Shu Sodo and educational institutions. This is more like Sodo regardless

[58:01]

whether it's official or not. And in Article 10 Propagation all Soto Shu followers shall perform propagation activities. And Article 11 this is actually the last one of this division. Propagation activities shall include the lectures broadcast publications ceremonies various events and other suitable methods as also all of you are doing. From tomorrow we will get into a little bit more in detail. And also at first meeting no first my talk I should like to express this is my

[59:01]

personal really deep deep thanks to Todo here and retired abbot Tenshin sensei translating Zen Kaisho Zen Kaisho is one of the most important document of Soto school regarding Kai. I'm going to talk about it. And Narasaki Roshi is going to talk about portion of it. So I have to sort of cover what it is. We make kind of easier for us to understand what Narasaki Roshi is going to talk about. I try to

[60:03]

lay that kind of general background for us to understand his talk better. But that translation and another translation what was another one? Zen Kaisho and Samotsuhiben we have Samotsuhiben translation too. And this is also very, very helpful. We didn't make this copy. If it's necessary we have to ask Tenshin sensei how we can do. That one is necessary. At least Fujita sensei who is

[61:04]

going to interpret Narasaki Roshi's talk and has it, so he's pre-studying now. Studying about it. But anyway, this was a big help. And luckily we have just two copies. Both Keizan Shingi and Ehei Shingi came out and unfortunately all of you can't have it, but I have it. I was expecting that all of you can have it by this meeting, but I have to change my plans to talk about since all of you don't have it. I don't know still how to do it, but I have a brief idea, so let me struggle through how I can best share with you. All right? again,

[62:05]

my personal thanks for providing us and providing especially me to share the Dharma with you in such a way that my knowledge is very limited, and my practice is very poor, and I'm not in a position of taking this kind of position to take to talk to you, but somehow I was assigned, so I try my best, and if you have any suggestions, please give me and I try to do my part the best I can. Thank you.

[63:05]

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