This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good morning, everyone. My name is Hoitsu Suzuki. I'm the son of the founder of this center. However, I'm not as great as the founder of this center. I just have the look of greatness. That's all. I'm the son of the founder of this center.

[01:01]

Thank you. Thank you. I came to the United States this time to attend the mountain seat ceremony of this center. I have been here for several days and I have observed how busy people have been with rehearsals of the ceremony itself as well as making other preparations. I am truly a worthy仏道修行者.

[02:08]

Not only that, I have observed people sitting in the morning and in the evening every day, and I deeply respect your practice as a dedicated Buddhist practitioner. But we began a dozen an hour later today. And I didn't know that. So I went to Zendo at 5 o'clock in the morning. So I went to Zendo at 5 o'clock in the morning. Of course it was dark, quiet and I felt lonely. But I had a lovely time there.

[03:14]

I felt as if I were sitting there with my father. Dogen said that sitting Zazen itself is enlightenment. When you sit Zazen, you sit with the heaven and the earth. And when you're now sitting in Zazen and doing other things, you have to become one with what you're doing. So when you're cleaning the building,

[04:29]

Or when you're eating meals, you have to become one with your activities. I often say that when you are doing your work, you should do it with the mind of Zazen. When you are eating meals, you should do that with the mind of Zazen. And when you sleep,

[05:30]

you should do that with the mind of Zazen. However, I would say that that may be slightly different from what Dogen meant. So what... So when you're cleaning, you actually cannot clean the building as if you are sitting zazen. Or when you're eating meals, you cannot do so with the mindset of sleeping. Zanmai. So there's a term, zanmai, or deep absorption. Sammari. There are different kind of absorption or zanmai.

[06:47]

There is zanmai for the time you are sitting in zazen. There is zanmai for the time you are cleaning. And there is zanmai mind when you eat. I hope you are all familiar with the term Zanmai? Somebody? Or the word is Samadhi? I hope you are all familiar with the term Zanmai? Somebody? Or the word is Samadhi? I hope you are all familiar with the term Zanmai? Somebody? Or the word is Samadhi? For the past three, four, five days, you have been working very hard to prepare for the mountain seat ceremony. This is the samadhi of the mountain seat ceremony. And while you're doing that, you perhaps were not necessarily thinking about Zazen.

[07:55]

And that's very important. So where do our distress and confusion come from? Often, while we are doing something, we think about something else, some other business. And then, While you are doing one thing, you actually are worrying about another thing.

[09:14]

And as you keep on worrying about these things, before you know it, your life is over. That's something we need to pay attention to. I also came to this center I have been coming to this center for decades. The first time I came here, I was perhaps 35. Now I'm 75 years old. I've been coming here to this place for 40 years. I've been coming here to this place for 40 years.

[10:28]

I've been coming here to this place for 40 years. I'm deeply saddened by the passing of the previous Central Abbott, Myogen-san, but his death It's not necessarily a mystery. Our lives are not that long. We can only do one thing at the same time. We can only do many things in this life. We can only do one thing.

[11:31]

We can only do one thing. Shekson was taught to us. When we were rehearsing, During the rehearsals for the coming ceremony, I observed some people attending the rehearsals, even though they themselves did not have direct roles to play.

[12:35]

In the ceremony. In the ceremony. So, participating in rehearsal without any expected role to play in the ceremony itself, what kind of benefit is there in that action? What kind of good will it do? But having somebody watch the rehearsal to make sure things will go well, that person

[13:36]

is actually practicing the samadhi or zammai of the rehearsal. 私たちは心も体もあまりに動きすぎる 常にあれを思いこれを思う 常にあちらへ行ったりこちらへ行ったりする Our minds and our bodies are always busy, too busy. We are always doing things, various things.

[14:40]

And in the end, we will not be able to accomplish anything. The Buddha told us to stop, to sit, not to move. And that was the beginning of that. I can't understand this. That is hard to, that is something hard to comprehend. Even if that's something hard to comprehend, but still, that's something we need to keep in our mind. Please do not forget. So remember now and then the Buddha said stop.

[16:06]

In kind voice, but still with stern words, the Buddha tells us to stop and sit here. Then what is it to sit in reality? That's something we should always keep in our mind. So remember the Dogen Zenji's invitation to Zazen.

[17:14]

And remember how to sit and keep his instructions in your mind. Zazen-no-moto-ni-asumaru Zazen-no-shito-ta-chua. Kore-wo-yoku-mi-ni-tsukeru-shitu-yo-garu. We have to master this art of sitting if you are interested in Zazen and sit Zazen. Zazen is not just lessons you should learn or the training you should do but it's something you need to be able to do because it's the shortest and easiest way過去の無料の仏たちが行ってきたところ釈尊以前から

[18:36]

This Zazen was done by countless number of Buddhas, even before. the Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha did not invent Zazen or meditation. It was practiced by the ancient seven Buddhas, which referred to the countless number of Buddhas before Shakyamuni. This is the path of the弱情 on the path.

[19:42]

This is the path of the弱情 on the path. This is the path of the弱情 on the path. This is the path of the弱情 on the path. So that thing is a way that a countless number of Buddhas have followed. That's the way of peace. That's a quiet way. And Shakyamuni Buddha taught us how to do so in and easy to understand words. Since then, Bodhidharma, Dogen, and perhaps even my father, Shunryu, have passed on the tradition and taught this way, which is not the road which goes around, not the roundabout way, but the straight road.

[21:02]

and that's the tradition which has been passed on to us from those Buddhas of ancient time to us in the present time. So people who are here are the people who are doing Zazen. Please learn how to sit properly. That's important and useful to you. This way. Maintaining the proper mudra like thisここにはあなたの宇宙があるこの宇宙と共に座る時々この北海上院を結んでいない人もいるけれど

[22:28]

There are some people who do not form this mudra Mudra signifies the essence of meditation as taught by the Buddha. When you become one with the heaven and the earth, this sign signifies that unity. In front of you, it is always important to be clear and transparent.

[23:41]

And your vision should be clear and transparent. And your mind should be as expansive as the blue sky or the whole universe. Dogeen Zenji told us that wishes sit zazen as if you are a fish in clean water or the bird who are flying across the beautiful sky Sometimes when I'm sitting in zazen

[24:56]

I get sleepy. Then I noticed somehow my vision got a little bit darker. Because my eyes were closed. That's my habit. My father taught me how to sit when I was a child. But the kids, when they are quiet, become sleepy and fall asleep. So I finally realized recently that if you sit with your eyes closed, you tend to get sleepy.

[26:08]

And if you fall asleep during the dozen, that's a waste of time. But okay, that's okay. And I started to like Zazen more and more. A.H.で Zazenをしていたとき Zazenの修行 A.H.の修行 65歳から 66歳かな 7年半ぐらい from the time i was 66 or so for seven years i was one of the instructors at ehiji temple and i sat with unsuis or young monks usually young people or young monks are not fond of sitting

[27:25]

Of course, there are some exceptions. They complain of the pain in their legs and if you fall asleep you get a stick. Of course, because I was older, Even when I fell asleep, nobody hit me. And that was actually difficult. It's easy to fall asleep when you're sitting. Staying awake is difficult. But sometimes, I felt a good place in the Zen Do, and I felt happy.

[28:40]

There was no prayer for the祝日. There was no prayer for everyone to sit. There are certain days the people did not sit Zazan at Eheiji, and nobody came to Zendo. And on those days, sometimes I sneaked out of my own quarter and went into Zendo and sat. Sometimes a young monk notices that I'm going to Zendo and he will come and sit with me. Then...

[29:49]

a few monks started sitting with me even on those days when they did not have to sit. And on those occasions I felt as if I were calling on my However, as the道元禅師 has learned the method of prayer, He said to him, he said, [...]

[31:13]

I will not forget that I will not forget. So when you practice Zazen, please remember what Dogen said about how to sit. And also remember the Buddha's word, stop and sit. Zazen is something which has been passed on to us from the ancient Buddhas. And not only that, it almost seems to me that sitting is an essential part of being human.

[32:19]

This is an essential action. This is an essential practice. So we should sit, as I said before, as if the fish is in the clear, clean water, or the birds in the big blue sky. That's how we should feel when we sit. Thank you. For more information, please visit sfzc.org and click Giving.

[33:38]

May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[33:41]

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