Good morning, everyone. I wanted to thank Tanto Nancy Petron for inviting me to give this talk and to also give the class on the second turning of the wheel, Vimalakirti Sutra, that I've been doing the month of July. And Koto, thank you for all your help. And I hope everyone is healthy and settled for today. I feel very grateful to be able to have a one-day sitting today. So this month, as I mentioned, I've been teaching or introducing the teaching of the Vimalakirti Sutra as an expression of the second turning of the wheel.

[01:13]

And a number of us have been gathering on Tuesday nights for this, and there's also some small groups, but four weeks to look at both the second turning of the wheel and the Vimalakirti Sutra is, you know, just touching in, really. But there are themes and teachings here that are, I have been finding enormously illuminating and encouraging and feeling the, I guess you would call it, wind of the family house, the ways in which what Vimalakirti is teaching has come down to us for all these years. These sutras, the Vimalakirti Sutra is part of the Prajnaparamita Sutras, the great Mahayana Sutras, including Avatamsaka Sutra and the Lotus Sutra and the

[02:32]

literature of Prashnaparamita, many different sutras. And these were all written after the Buddha died or came to be in about 100 before the Common Era through about 150 Common Era, give or take. So feeling, you know, this is a thousand plus years coming down to us, these teachings. And the Vimalakirti Sutra has, as the central teacher, actually, the Buddha does not teach all that much in the Vimalakirti Sutra. It's Vimalakirti. Buddha is in the beginning and the end, but mostly it's Vimalakirti who was a lay person, a lay follower, and some sense that he did was living in the Buddha's time. a lay follower named Vimalakirti.

[03:36]

And he is an expression or epitomizes the spirit of the Mahayana, the great vehicle, which is the second turning of the wheel. So just a few words about that. The first turning of the wheel or the old wisdom school, included the Buddha's first teachings, the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the ethical, strong ethical teachings with the vinya and moral deportment and so forth. But part of this teaching was samsara or our world of suffering is something we need to liberate ourselves from and get out of so there won't be more rebirth into the cycle of suffering.

[04:40]

And the ideal of the first turning were the Arhats. And maybe I'd say still are. And, you know, there are many, many schools in the first turning, but now we have Theravada. But there were 18 different schools. our hot ideal of liberation, no more returning to the cycle of birth and death, a personal liberation. Out of this, growing out from this wonderful teaching and practice and the establishment of the monks and nuns and the development of highly scholastic ways of analyzing our experience into nuggets or elements and working with these analyzations, etc.

[05:43]

It seemed that there was a kind of distancing maybe from the monks and the nuns who were able to spend hours and hours in meditation and so forth and do this kind of concentration practice and seemed to possibly be more distanced from the laity. And the lay practice was to support the monks and nuns and devotional practices and giving dhana practice and so forth. So about 140 years after the Buddha, the historical Buddha died, this other kind of teaching came to be. And I won't go into in depth the kind of differences, but what eventually happened was that it was, it seemed to be like a new, more than a school, almost like the difference between Christianity and Judaism, like an actually new way.

[06:59]

And Buddhism is very, very diverse, really. Today, we know there's many schools, different countries have different ways of practice that maybe wouldn't be surprising, you know, to someone in another country who wasn't familiar with them. So in this new turning, there were sutras that came out of this. Of course, the Buddha had died, the historical Buddha. But these sutras were said to come from the Buddha and start out with the same formula, the Ananda saying, thus have I heard. Ananda, who knew by heart all the teachings of the Buddha. And these... These different kinds of sutras have a different flavor than the Pali Canon.

[08:01]

The Mahayana Sutras include a kind of... The historical Buddha has changed into, you might say, the bliss body of the Buddha, the Sambhogakaya Buddha, the three bodies of Buddha, the reality body of the Buddha. There's different Buddha verses or universes where amazing things happen. And this may not be one's cup of tea. You know, some people don't find or present practitioners the chop wood, carry water, aesthetic, simple teachings we may have more affinity with. But these teachings of the Mahayana are for us. and to encourage us to practice. So the Vimalakirti Sutra is like this.

[09:08]

It sets forth amazing, magical universes that are really beyond our conception. It's an illustration of the inconceivable, which we can't grasp with words in our mind or formulate verbally, and the sutras try, but in doing so, when you read them, you find that you let go of trying to grasp the enormity of these Buddha verses and all the things that are happening. This is all part of the skillful means, where one actually experiences a kind of letting go of our usual way of being able to grasp stuff with words and concepts. So also in the Mahayana, the arhat ideal of personal liberation and not returning to the wheel of birth and death is replaced by the bodhisattva ideal.

[10:12]

The bodhisattva who, you know, amazingly vows to come back and live for the benefit of others until everyone is liberated. This is really, in contrast to the Arhat, this is quite an amazing change. And along with the Arhat ideal is the teachings of emptiness and the fact that we are interdependent And so interdependent that you could say we don't actually exist by ourselves as a separate, substantial entity. We are so interdependent with everything else that each moment of our existence is empty of separateness.

[11:13]

So these themes are the second turning of the wheel themes, bodhisattva ideal. emptiness teachings. And then, along with the emptiness teachings, transcendent wisdom is one might fall into nihilism. Well, if nothing exists substantially, how can we love and have compassion for beings, people, animals, and plants? This is the key to, I think, the Vimalikirti Sutra and the second turning of the wheel that the combination of this transcendent wisdom that sees the dependently, the co-arising of everything and still has compassion for beings and lives for the benefit of beings. That's a thumbnail sketch.

[12:16]

of the second turning of the wheel. And these teachings are not easy, you know, just emptiness in and of itself. These are not easy to grasp conceptually and, but we need an intellectual understanding actually in order to, I think, continue our practice or we might just say, forget this, this is too difficult. So to have some intellectual understanding is important. So the Vimalakirti takes these themes and expresses them. And Vimalakirti himself is a kind of amazing teacher that puts together the elements of our life in a non-dual way and teaches from there. And really, the more I read it and study it, the more I see it's about compassion and love, not separate from wisdom, which is the Mahayana, basic Mahayana teaching.

[13:36]

So one might say, and if you're studying the Vimalakirti Sutra and reading what he has to say, you might say, but how can I practice this? non-duality and this reconciliation of the opposites. And he talks about it all the time, but how are we going to practice this? What is the practice? How am I going to practice this besides reading the sutra and being devoted maybe to study? And that's where I feel like our Zazen practice is our practice to reconcile these teachings in our own bodies, expressing it in our own life. I was reading and studying with a group of people, a lecture by Suzuki Roshi from 1965.

[14:44]

July, actually July 26th. So just, you know, 55 plus years ago, 56 years ago. I'm not doing the math. Anyway, Suzuki Roshi starts out this, it's a session lecture. And he starts out by saying kind of the conclusion of the lecture, which is the reason I'm talking at all during this session is to encourage you to sit. To practice Haset. That's the end result. That's the conclusion of all my talks that I give is that you be encouraged to sit. So here we are today. We have a day to sit together and to bring alive in our own bodies and reconcile the opposites of our our way that we think, good and bad, praise and blame, good reputation, bad reputation, good student, bad student, I get it, I don't get it, all that way that we have of thinking that we get mired in, that I get mired in.

[16:06]

I remember I had this memory of saying to a teacher something like, Every time I look in the mirror, I just feel I'm so ugly and such a terrible person. And they said, don't look in the mirror. And I remember thinking, I was like completely thrown off. What do you mean? Everybody has to, you have to look in the mirror. How can you not look in a mirror? That, I don't know what that was, admonition. It was a kind of Vimalakirti teaching moment, like just stop. doing that stuff, you know, thinking in that way. But that's how we think. That's how, no, actually, this is our zazen, you know, the first time we go to zazen instruction, we're told, you know, we're given the practice of our bodies and sitting upright and then don't grab onto anything.

[17:12]

Don't push anything away. Just allow things to arise and go away. Come and go. And Suzuki Roshi in this lecture says that we have two ways of understanding, like the two truths. One is the conventional way, discriminating mind, dualistic way of thinking. And another he calls intuitive knowledge. And then he brings up, he brings up words, and that words themselves, our language itself, is dualistic. our many other teachings attempt, Dogen in particular, attempt to use words as medicine to kind of help us to unhook from the way we attach to words and ideas and concepts and discriminating things.

[18:34]

But words themselves don't reach it. But using words to help us to realize that words themselves don't reach it is part of Vimalakirti and many other teachers, many other koans, you know, using the words to show us that we can't get a hold of it that way. And that allows us hopefully to relax, you know, the Dharma gate of repose and bliss, right? is our Zazen, our Zazen practice from Dogen in Fukan Zazengi, the Dharma Gate of Repose and Bliss. So Suzuki Roshi goes on to say to not attach while we're sitting to our thinking or our, he says, sensitivities.

[19:37]

And my sense of that is like preferences or I like it, I don't like it, that kind of thing. And just whatever image comes to mind, just accept it. This is Suzuki Roshi. You just accept it and let them go out. Whatever sounds you hear, let it come in and let it go out. That's all. Very simple. And then he says, when you do not pay attention to the outward object, you will find out your true nature. Now, this is Suzuki Roshi in 1965, and this echoed for me the teaching of one of our ancestors, Prajnatara Dayosho, Hanyatara, Hanyatara, Hanyatara in our

[20:39]

in our ancestor when we chant. Of course, we haven't done that in over a year, right? These ancestors are teaching that very same teaching. Suzuki Roshi is carrying on the family way. So Prajnatara means pearl of wisdom. And Prajnatara's in the... Book of Serenity, the third case of the Shoya Roku, the Book of Serenity, we have Prajnatara, who is invited by a Raja. He's an Indian teacher, part of the lineage from Shakyamuni down through Bodhidharma, who is also from India and comes to China, right? So a raja of an East Indian country invited the 27th Buddhist ancestor, Prajna Tara, to a feast.

[21:45]

And usually inviting a monk or nun to a feast or a group of monks and nuns to a feast, the host would then be, I guess, expecting that there would be teachings offering or chanting of sutras or something in a kind of reciprocal way. We provide food for your meal and you provide teachings. But Prajnatara, Hanyatara, didn't do this chanting. So the Raja asked him, why don't you read scriptures? And Prajnatara says this wonderful meditation instruction, really, for our one day sitting. Prajnatara, which Suzuki Roshi just said in that lecture, I quoted.

[22:51]

He said, this poor wayfarer doesn't dwell in the realms of body and mind when breathing in. doesn't get involved in the myriad circumstances when breathing out. I always reiterate such a scripture. Hundreds, thousands, millions of scrolls. This is Prajnatara to his host, the Raja. This poor wayfarer. Wayfarer is like... you know, a person of the way, but also a kind of mendicant, you know, a kind of cloud and water practitioner who doesn't get caught, actually. He not, you know, he doesn't have an, this is the mind of no abode.

[23:54]

This poor wayfarer doesn't dwell in the realms of body and mind, meaning the five skandhas, And all the interior thoughts and things that come up, he doesn't get, he doesn't dwell in that when breathing in. And doesn't get involved with the myriad objects when breathing out. All the things that are going on, all the stuff we're supposed to be doing or didn't do, and the sounds and the annoyance. Just let that go. Just like Zazan instruction. Whatever comes up, you let it come up. Now this, I always reiterate such a scripture, hundreds, thousands, millions of scrolls.

[24:57]

This is Prajnatara's scripture. And Bodhidharma echoes it. If you know Bodhidharma, his teaching to his disciple, Huayka, is very similar to Prajnatara. So it gets passed on. He says, outwardly sees all involvements. Do you know this from Bodhidharma? Inwardly, there's no coughing or sighing in the mind. With your mind like a wall, you enter the way. This is Bodhidharma's walls sitting. And when it says a mind like a wall, it's not like you become kind of unfeeling and like a wall who has no life to it. It's a wall that whatever happens, it's the mind of a wall.

[26:01]

Whatever happens, you allow it to happen. You don't push away. You don't grab hold. This is mine like a wall. So no involvements. And then no coughing or sighing like this coughing or sighing to me is kind of self-criticism and beating ourselves up maybe or complaining, you know. No coughing or sighing in the mind. Whatever it is that's coming up, we allow it. This is upright sitting. This is our zazen mind. We don't push it away. I would be much better off if that thought didn't come up. It comes up. It comes up from our karmic consciousness and our alaya, vijnana. Things arise. But upright sitting, the upright sitting is that, and this is Vimalakirti, the reconciliation of these dualistic things are that we don't push it away.

[27:16]

We don't think we'd be better off without that thought or that problem or that illness. Upright sitting is there it is. We let it be. And our zazen is, this is our true nature. We sit in the middle of that. So I think it's, you know, so we do get caught. I do get caught with thinking it should be different. And if I just work harder or concentrate more or study harder, or all those things. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't study and concentrate. But being caught in, then I would realize my true nature is something. Our true nature includes everything that's coming up.

[28:20]

And Vimalakirti takes this teaching of the reconciliation of opposites and weds it to liberative techniques where he uses, you know, we take something that, for example, this one comes to mind, Rahula, the Buddha's son, who was, became a monk and joined the order, and he renounced. He would have been, you know, head of the clan, the Sakya clan and prince, and he renounced that, right? And when I hear that, I think, how wonderful, what wonderful practice to renounce worldly affairs, you know? So he's teaching... in the sutra, all these people are reluctant to go and inquire about Vimalakirji's illness because he's been, he has related with them in such a way that it was difficult for them or embarrassing.

[29:34]

So in this case, Rahul is teaching about renunciation, the joys of it, the wonderfulness of renunciation, you know, and I remember reading that thinking, oh, how wonderful. Vimalakirti comes in and says, you're talking about renunciation and how wonderful it is and teaching these people about renunciation and that they should do it. I thought people who were renunciants had let go of things. And here you are attached to your renunciation. And this is a very subtle point, you know, actually. Vimalakirti finds the places, the little places where even in great spiritual practice, one can be caught. And he does that, you know, using Prajnaparamita, you know, where... But then he goes, but renunciation is wonderful.

[30:36]

But are you caught by it? So... Uprightness is not doing away with renunciation. Well, then I guess I can't do renunciation practice. No. It stops us. What do I do? How am I going to practice? And when we have dualistic, when we only have the choice of it's either this or that. So upright sitting allows for Attachment to renunciation coming up. Non-attachment to renunciation coming up. And it just is clearly aware. And this is what Huayka said to Bodhidharma when Bodhidharma said, you know, cease all involvements. Outwardly, cease all involvements. This is the same as breathing out. I don't get involved in the myriad things.

[31:40]

This is Bodhidharma's way of bringing his teacher's teaching alive to his disciple. Inwardly, have no coughing or sighing. With your mind like a wall, you enter the way. This is just watch it all and allow without pushing or pulling, remaining upright. And then Huayka, his disciple said, I have ended all involvements. Bodhidharma said, cease all involvements. And Huayca then says, I've ended all involvements. And Bodhidharma basically said, you know, if you've ended all involvements, hasn't that fallen into nihilism? This is this danger with or misunderstanding, danger and misunderstanding. And it can be serious, serious danger, Suzuki Roshi says in that.

[32:44]

You know, there can be serious problems if you have a misunderstanding of the teaching and kind of carry that forth. So he says, I've ceased all involvements. Bodhisattvas don't cease involvements. But he said to cease all involvements. He said, well, are you falling into nihilism, nihilism? And Hoeka said no. I haven't fallen into that. And Bodhidharma says to wake up, well, prove it. And wake up says, I am always clearly aware. I am always clearly aware. Therefore, words cannot reach it. So this teaching that we can't get at it with words,

[33:44]

our words, we can't have the teaching in that way, treating the Dharma like an object. Bhimala Kirti goes into quite a saying about not treating the Dharma like an object, like a thing, rather than this living, flowing, arising, true, that we can be clearly aware of and realize. Not grab it, though. Not have it. And all these words that I'm saying are to encourage us in our gratitude for this, for having come upon, being exposed to, having been taught to sit upright in the midst of this life.

[34:45]

practicing clear awareness. I am always clearly aware. Therefore, words cannot reach it. And then Bodhidharma says, this is the essence of the mind, which all Buddhas realize, doubt no more. And this might echo other koans that you know of or stories where I am like this, you are like this too. All the Buddhas and ancestors are like this. So we can watch today in our sitting, in our upright sitting, where we lean into things. You know, this mind that neither grabs nor pushes away, is expressed in our upright sitting, neither leaning forward nor back, neither grabbing at things, getting involved, nor pushing away and, yeah, pushing or pulling.

[36:03]

And if there's pushing or pulling, clearly aware that that's what's arising. That's a possibility with our upright sitting. I was reading a lecture by Tenshin Roshi where he brings up Fukan Sazengi, where it says dullness and distraction are struck aside, right? When we're practicing Sazen dullness. And I always think, but I am dull and I get distracted. But the stricken side is that if dullness arises, you're clearly aware of dullness. If distraction arises, you're clearly aware of distraction. There it is. Clearly aware. And not pushed around by it. Mind like a wall. This is how we reconcile these opposites with our own body, mind, with our own upright sitting.

[37:08]

with our Zazen practice. So these meditation instructions I've found in terms of the Vimalakirti Sutra, he doesn't ever say really Sitzazen in so many words, but I feel like we can't Understand it by trying to intellectually grab onto what he's saying. Although that can encourage us. We can just realize it in our, by sitting like, and this is his practice, Vimalakirchi's practice, Lotus and Muddy Water practice, where we sit in the middle of our suffering and the suffering of the world. And we neither push it away nor grab onto it. And we respond.

[38:12]

We will respond out of compassion and love. Even though the teaching says there's no substantial being or earth or people, animals or plants to grab onto. This is really unfathomable, I feel. And at this unfathomable with our concept. It's beyond our perception. And yet we're given this practice to sit upright in the midst of this life. So here we are online today, practicing together in this of, I mean, talk about magical universes, you know.

[39:15]

I don't think Vimalakirti could have imagined. Maybe he could have, actually. He's kind of a magician. What we're able to do here, be together all across. I'm not sure if people are from other countries besides North America or but certainly an unusual ability. Now we're used to it, but to me, it's still magical that we can do this together. So let's practice together for the day and please take care of yourself and give yourself the benefit of all the practices you've been taught. Silence and stillness, taking good care of your body, taking good care of everyone you meet, bowing to each thing, each person as Buddha, and allow

[40:38]

gratitude to arise and fill your life. Okay. Thank you very much. May our intention equally extend to every being and place with the true merit of Buddha's way. Beings are numberless. I vow to save them. Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless. I vow to enter them. Buddha's way is unsurpassable. I vow to become it. Thank you very much, Agent Roshi.

[41:44]

Thank you to the assembly. As mentioned at the beginning of this talk, owing to the one day sitting and the silence we're cultivating, we will forego question and answer period. The regular form will resume next week. For those of us who are participating in the one day sitting, please switch Zoom rooms at this point. The link and the password are available in the email you have. Zazen will begin at 1116. Thank you very much.

[42:17]

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