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. Very happy to be here tonight. My name is Greg. I'm the Tanto, or Head of Practice, at Tassahara. And I'm really happy to talk to you tonight. I'd like to begin my talk by thanking and acknowledging my teacher, Sojourn Mel Weitzman, Sojourn Roshi, abbot of Berkeley Zen Center, my home temple. And to say that my talk is just to encourage you in your practice.

[01:01]

several people have asked me, what are you going to talk about? What are you going to talk about tonight, Greg? I said, well, I think I'm going to talk about renunciation. I think I'm going to talk about renunciation. Misha Merrill, Misha, is here visiting us, and she asked me that. And I said, I think I'm going to talk about renunciation. And she said, oh, Misha Roshi said, that's just in time for the full moon ceremony that's going to happen tomorrow night. I was like, oh yeah. I had not made that connection. That's true. But I think the reason I want to say it up front is also I had the thought that I might get to the end of the talk

[02:07]

And you might say, I thought he was going to talk about renunciation. When did that happen? So that might happen. So just to let you know, believe it or not, I think I'm going to talk about renunciation. People usually think about renunciation as getting rid of stuff. I think that's pretty common. giving stuff up, like you give something up for Lent, or you stop eating meat, or in Buddhists, some schools of Buddhism, they don't take meal after midday, or they don't handle money, or they don't have sexual relationships, this kind of thing, or even... Yeah, anyway... This is a pretty standard idea of renunciation, and that's all true.

[03:12]

That's all true. And this practice, hopefully, is a joyful practice. It's a joyful letting go, ideally. I think some people think of it as a... Maybe even some of you tonight already is like, he's going to talk about what? Well, anyway... I actually... I'd like to talk about... I'd like to introduce Koan from the Mumankan, the gateless gate, that I've been working with in... not with... Well, I can't even say not with the teacher because I've been talking about it with Sojan Roshi, actually. And I've been kind of... as we say, sitting with it, or just turning it over in a classical way, which is something unusual for me.

[04:13]

That's not something I've done in my practice, in my training. I think I was inspired by going to American Zen Teachers Association Conference in June up at Great Vow Monastery in Oregon. And, you know, that's a pan-zen, so there were a number of Rinzai teachers there. and Sanbo Zen, and Korean Zen, and a number of them do koan practice, and we talked about koan practice. I met a couple of greats like Daniel Terraño and Nelson Foster, to name a couple, and we talked about koan practice, and it was very interesting to me. So this koan I've been kind of sitting with I want to emphasize that the koan, typically, it doesn't have an answer.

[05:16]

There's a question in this koan, and I'm going to give you an answer, but don't be fooled. The koan doesn't have an answer. It's a koan. I'm actually going to give you several answers, but... It doesn't have an answer. It's a koan. So it's just, it's for you. The teacher offers a koan. It's an offering. It's a little something for you to take home and try it on. Water it. See what sprouts. Style of thing. So, let's get to it. This is case 45. In the Muankan, this is Robert Akin's translation, Robert Akin's commentaries, Akin Roshi. He entitles it, his translation, Wutsu, who is that other?

[06:22]

Wutsu said, Shakyamuni and Maitreya are servants of another. Who is that other? Would you like to hear it again? Wutsu said, Shakyamuni and Maitreya are servants of another. Who is that other? Okay, first I'd like to say a little bit about who is Wutsu. He's not a teacher. I think that's a well-known in our lineage. but actually all of Rinzai Chinese and Japanese Rinzai Zen and Korean Zen descended through this one person. He was a great Song Dynasty China teacher, a Wutsu Fayan, who lived from 1024 to 1104 of the Common Era.

[07:29]

Wutsu ordained at the age of 35, which was kind of late, for his time, for his tradition. Usually a priest would enter monastic orders as a young man, sometimes a very young man. But for whatever reason, he didn't ordain until he was 35, and then he was studying quite academically. He studied with Tripitaka masters, in other words, the College of Scriptural Knowledge. It said that he had some doubts about the nature of knowledge. And isn't that a lot of us? I think a lot of people here probably have some doubts about the nature of knowledge. And he, a famous exchange from his story, the story of this teacher, he asked his teacher,

[08:34]

what about it, you know? And his teacher said, it's like drinking water and knowing for yourself whether it's hot or cold. It's like drinking water and knowing for yourself whether it's hot or cold. And Wutsu said, well, I know about hot and cold, but what does it mean to know for yourself? And his teacher said, maybe you should go south and study with a Zen master. So he did. And he became a great Zen master himself and had 40 years of ministry with many, many disciples. So, once Wutsu said to his assembly... Shakyamuni and Maitreya are servants of another.

[09:40]

Who is that other? Who is that other? That's what I've been turning over for a few weeks. Who is that other? Who are Shakyamuni and Maitreya? Well, they're the big luminaries, right? Shakyamuni is the founder of this religion. The original, Siddhartha Gautama, about 2,500 years ago. The historical Buddha. And Maitreya is the Buddha of the future. The Buddha yet to be born. And Chinese iconography, Maitreya is also, well... There's a monk, Hotei, who's sometimes called the Laughing Buddha. This is like Buddhist Santa Claus.

[10:43]

He's a big, you know, with big belly, and he's actually the figure on the napkin table in the courtyard. With his arms up like this. Hotei, in the house, bringing you love. Because Maitreya means the loving one. Maitri means loving kindness. In Pali, metta, the metta sutta, loving kindness. In Sanskrit, Maitri. Maitreya is the loving one. Very jolly, very giving. Also in the ox herding pictures, the last picture, entering the marketplace with gift bestowing hands, that's Maitreya. Maitreya. This Hotei person actually was a historical person. There was actually such a monk. And he was so loved. He was so loved. He was just such an awesome folk figure that the Chinese said he must have been an incarnation of Maitreya Buddha.

[11:51]

So they kind of conflate Hotei and Maitreya. But Maitreya is the Buddha yet to be born, the Buddha of the future. So, you know, here's these, they're the big ones, right? For a Mahayana Buddhist, they're like tops, Shakyamuni and Maitreya. And these two are servants of another. Oh, really? They're servants of another? Who is that other? Who is that other? In the commentary, it said that At the time, Wutsu asked this question of his assembly, someone in the assembly piped up and said, Joe and Mary, or, you know, whatever the Chinese equivalent of that is, you know, like, Steph E, Steph R, Alicia, Goyo, you know.

[12:53]

Shakyamuni and Maitreya are servants of them. Shakyamuni, Maitreya, Bodhidharma, Jiaojo, Nanshwan, Dogen, Kazon, Mel, Reb, Linda Ruth, Abbot Steve, Ed, Leslie James, Yu, You, you, you are all servants of another. We're all servants of another. And that other is no other. See, I already answered the koan once, but don't be fooled.

[13:56]

All of us are servants of another. I mean... Hello, guest season. That's what we're doing all day long. 24-7. Dana Paramita. Giving and giving. Not only to the guests, but to each other. To each other. We take care of each other. In this community... We take care of each other. And it's pretty amazing. I wish that everyone could have the opportunity that I have, or especially like when you lead a retreat, but actually all the time I get to listen to people say how much Tassajara means to them. Guests, students, students who have left and come back, people who come back every summer, people who have lived here for years.

[15:08]

All of us are servants of another. So I was... Introduced to this koan earlier this year, in the beginning of the year, in the winter practice period when Sojin Roshi came down. The practice period was kind of divided between Sojin and Paul Howler. And Abbot Steve was going to help lead it too, but unfortunately, as most of you know, Abbot Steve passed away on New Year's Eve. and is greatly missed. So Sojun and Paul did it, and Sojun was here in the first half of the practice period, and Linda and I asked if we could study with him. He said, what do you want to study? We said, we'd like to study light, because Sojun is into light.

[16:21]

So we studied Shobho Genzo Komyo, which is Dogen's essay, Komyo means radiant light. So that's Dogen's essay about light. We studied that, and then we also studied a much longer essay written by Dogen's disciple Ejo called the Komyozo Zanmai, which is fun to say. Komyozo Zanmai, which means the samadhi of the treasury of light, the treasury of radiant light. It's translated here in this little book, basic Japanese and Chinese meditation instructions, translated by Thomas Cleary. It's called Minding Mind. And Thomas Cleary translates it as absorption, that would be samadhi, in the treasury of light.

[17:27]

So we were studying this with Mel, and we came to this passage, and he says, well, that references a koan in the Mulan-kan. You might want to check that out. Here's the passage. Ajo says, the light is everyone. Shakyamuni and Maitreya are its servants. What is not more in Buddhas or less in ordinary beings is this spiritual light. So it is existent in all. It is the whole earth as a single mass of fire. The light is everyone. Shakyamuni and Maitreya are its servants. What is not more in Buddhas or less in ordinary beings is this spiritual light. So it is existent in all.

[18:29]

We all have it. We all are it. We all are Buddha nature. How do we see the Buddha nature in each one of us? That's what everyone who studied with Suzuki Roshi said about Suzuki Roshi. I've heard. People always used to say, he saw the Buddha nature in me when I couldn't see it, or he saw the Buddha nature in everyone. I'm very interested in that. I'd like to be able to do that. Yeah, I'm interested in that. Woman's comment. I don't need to read the case again, do I?

[19:34]

Nah. Woman's comment. If you can see this other and distinguish him or her clearly, then it is like encountering your father at the crossroads. You will not need to ask somebody whether or not you're right. It's like encountering your father at the crossroads. Hey, pops. There you are. I wasn't expecting to see you. You didn't need anyone to tell you, ah, it's dad. Obviously. Obviously. You know for yourself. Trust your practice. Please. Have confidence in your practice. Trust Zazen. Trust your practice. It's like the Buddha said in the Kalama Sutta. Do you know that one?

[20:34]

In the Pali Canon, there's a little town of Kalama, which must have been like a busy intersection because a lot of people came through there. And the good people of the tiny town of Kalama were confused because they said to the Buddha, well, this guy says this, and this person says that, and we don't know what to believe because they kind of contradict each other. Who are we supposed to believe, Mr. Wise Person, Shakyamuni guy? And do you know that one? This is very well known. The Buddha said, come Kalamas. No, I added that part.

[21:41]

The Buddha says, kalamas, when you yourselves know, when you yourselves know, these things are good. These things are not blameable. These things are praised by the wise. Enter on and abide in them. When you yourselves know. This was strong advice from the Buddha. It's very relevant advice. It's like drinking water and knowing for yourself whether it's hot or cold. Please trust your own practice. The verse. Don't draw another's bow. Don't ride another's horse. Don't discuss another's faults. Don't explore another's affairs.

[22:44]

It's seldom that a verse in a collection of koans is so straightforward. He's just got some really good advice for us here, people. Don't draw another's bow. Don't ride another's horse. Don't discuss another's faults. Don't explore another's affairs. Don't do that. You know that thing you've been doing? Where you're getting involved in what someone else is doing? Stop doing that. How do you stop doing that? Yeah. That's a big question. You have to let go. You have to let go. And that can be pretty scary. So I would like to acknowledge... No one is saying, hey, come to Tassajara and do this practice. It's easy. Nobody's saying that.

[23:49]

It can be scary. It can be scary to let go. 20th century Zen master Zenke Shibayama Roshi commenting on this verse referenced... very famous passage from Dogen's Genjo Koan. To study the Buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind, as well as the bodies and minds of others, drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no trace continues endlessly. To study the Buddha way is to study the self. Somebody once said to me, you know, we talk about ourselves a lot at Tassara. That's true.

[24:50]

But that's not the whole truth. Because to study the self is to forget the self. Yes, you should study yourself, know your tendencies, know your proclivities, and then go beyond. Forget. Forget. To be willing and able to forget the self and actualize, be actualized by myriad things is a form of renunciation. Letting go. In the spirit of the full moon ceremony, this is the third pure precept. I vow to live and be lived for the benefit of all beings. Sojourn Roshi says, you let big mind be the boss. You take orders from big mind.

[25:53]

You let go of trying to control the situation all the time. You're renouncing fear. You're renouncing your need to be in control. your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away because you've renounced seeing other people and other things as out there. Because you've renounced seeing other people and other things as being out there, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. People sometimes say, what we're doing in Tassajara, does this have any relevance for the real world?

[27:01]

Does this have any meaning? Are we just navel-gazing in some ivory tower? Alda in the wilderness. Don't bother us. We're busy sitting zazen. Leave us alone. What has this got to do with social justice? Quagmire wars? Environmental degradation? Catastrophic climate change? What's this got to do with all that? How's this going to help all that? I think when you let go of seeing other people and other things as being out there, you maybe learn

[28:14]

the courage and the capacity to not put people in special camps, to not build lots of barbed wire fences, to not require special people or special schools or special rules to keep people at a distance because you're afraid? It seems to be the tendency It hasn't been working out so well for many centuries.

[29:17]

It's brought us to the brink of nuclear holocaust probably a few times. Maybe we could try something different. Maybe we could renounce seeing other people and other things as being out there. and cultivate great compassion. Love. In short, Jesus of Nazareth said, love your enemies. Love who? You've got to be kidding. Two millennia later, still too radical to cop to. So that's my answer to if you think what we're doing has no relevance for the real world.

[30:37]

I disagree. Shakyamuni and Maitreya are servants of another. Who is that other? Maybe one of you would like to say. Maybe you have a question. beg your pardon? Without exclusion?

[31:41]

Yeah, sure. Thank you. Thank you for your smile. Yes. So, are you putting the practice of Masa Hara under the category that's, I think, A.D. recruit, the practice of being different? Anything more specific? Yeah. Gee, I thought I was being pretty specific. Yeah. When you don't objectify the world when you don't try to turn things and people to your advantage when you just let them be as the man said

[33:06]

carry yourself forward and experience myriad things as delusion, that myriad things come forth and experience themselves as awakening, that, allowing that, I think is really subversive. I think it's counter to, in particular, excuse me, but the whole consumer economy, the whole way we were raised, get things, control things, control people to help you control things. Yeah, so, yeah, I think it's kind of different. Does that help? alive you know this is a living practice this is what are you doing what are you doing with your heart your mind your body how are your choices going to be informed

[34:36]

Suzuki Roshi put a lot of emphasis on warm-hearted practice. When you sit, you sit with a warm-hearted feeling. When you're with other people, you have this warm-hearted feeling. You extend that to the whole world. This is an expression of our connection. This is how we enter into renouncing fear. Renouncing seeing other things and other people as out there. It doesn't happen overnight, except when it does. And it doesn't happen easily. It can happen.

[35:45]

Trust your own practice. Trust your own heart. Like drinking water and knowing for yourself whether it's hot or cold. Thank you for your attention. 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.

[36:29]

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