In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Tonight, I want to give you some correct idea of Buddhism or Zen. In a word, Zen is the teaching or practice to see things as it is or to accept things as it is,

[01:22]

and to raise things or other goals. This is the fundamental purpose of our practice and meaning of Zen. But it is actually rather difficult to see things as it is. We may say you are seeing things as it is, but actually we do not see things as it is.

[02:25]

I don't mean that you are distortion of sight. You know, if it is something, this shape looks short, but this shape looks longer. I don't mean that, but when you see something, you already start to intellectualize the things you see.

[03:32]

As soon as you intellectualize something, it is not already just what you saw. When I was young, I wanted to practice, true practice, and I wanted to know what is the way-seeking mind in its true sense. The way-seeking mind is, anyway, to do something good is maybe the way-seeking mind. The mind to do something good maybe is the way-seeking mind.

[04:38]

So I get up very early and wash the toilet and sink before the other students get up. I thought that was a very good thing to do. But first many ideas occurred to me. When I was doing something, I was afraid something would see me. I wanted to do it just by myself without being noticed by anyone else. If someone sees, that will not be pure practice, I thought.

[05:40]

But before they see, my mind was already going wrong. I asked myself whether I like to do it without being noticed by anyone, or I wanted to be seen by, to be known by someone else. Why do I do something like this? So, in this way, I couldn't assert my way-seeking mind.

[06:43]

I couldn't assure. I was not so sure of the purity of my way-seeking mind. Sometimes I saw the one room lit up by a lamp. Of course I hid myself. But I thought someone may come down because someone lit up already, so he may come down. So I hid myself. It seems to me at least I'm doing something good and with pure mind, but my mind was not so pure.

[08:00]

My mind is wandering about. I couldn't make my mind sure. And I was at a loss what to do, and I suffered, you know, a little bit. And I thought and thought and thought, but I should do it. One day, when I was listening to the lecture of my colleague, the teacher said, It is impossible to catch our mind exactly, especially it is impossible to know what we have done.

[09:07]

The mind which acted some time ago, the mind which belongs to the past, is not possible to catch. And even the mind which is acting right now is not possible to catch it, actually, he said. So I thought, there is no wonder why it is so difficult for me to understand my mind. So I gave up to make sure my way-seeking mind, and since then I did it, just, you know, without thinking.

[10:17]

Just because it is good, I did it. And at the same time, whether people see me or not anymore, my problem. So when you want to see, when you want to make sure your mind, you cannot catch it. But just when you do something, and just when your mind is acting as it goes, that is how to catch your mind in its true sense. Anyway, it is rather difficult. But to see things as it is, because to see things is not, how to see things as it is, is not just the activity of our self or eyes.

[11:45]

This is why we put emphasis on practice. To do something without thinking is the most important point to understand ourselves. Anyway, what I want to say is that it is difficult to see things as it is. And that is why we should practice our way. People may say, if the purpose of Zen is to see things as it is, then there will be no need to practice.

[13:00]

Here is the Greek problem. Anyway, I think the most, in your everyday life, The good practice may be to make your flower garden or day's flower. Or to make a garden. That is, I think, the best practice. You know, when you sow some seed, you have to wait the seed coming up.

[14:15]

And if it comes up, you have to take care of it. That is our practice. Just to sow a seed is not enough. To take care of it, day after day, is very important for the good garden. Or for some other work, like building a house. Once you build a house, heat work, it's finished. If someone writes a book, if someone has written a book, that is enough.

[15:30]

But for a garden, it is necessary to take care of it every day. Even though you make a love garden, it is necessary to take care of it. So, I think, our way is to make garden, nearly the same as to make your own garden. Or to raise some vegetables or flowers. And each seed or each plant has its own character.

[16:38]

And has its own color. And if it is stone, each stone has its own character. Long one has some solemn, profound feeling. And down stone has some perfect, simple expression, perfection. And square one expresses some rigidness or austerity, austere feeling.

[17:51]

And each stone has its own character. And if it has no solid, it has some deep, profound, mystical feeling to it. Those are, you know, those are the character of each material you use in your garden. But people will say, if people say, whatever we do, that is Zen, you know, I am seeing things as it is. People will see, you know, individually, one by one.

[18:57]

But that is not enough. You see, actually you see. Maybe you see things as it is, you may say. But you are just seeing each material and each character of the material. But for a gardener, it is necessary to make garden beautiful. If possible, the gardener should express some meaning or some particular beauty according to order. If someone wants him to build some calm garden,

[20:05]

he must make the garden accordingly. If he wants some solemn feeling or austere feeling, he makes the garden something austere. Then, he has to choose the material, and he has to make it more austere by contrast, or by association, or by harmony. There, there should be some rules where there is harmony. How to make harmony is the rule.

[21:12]

We have many colors, but the color may be sometimes, two colors may be sometimes colorless. Or may be in harmony. Or may be in contrast. If you use red to green, that is the contrast. If you use red and orange, that is the harmony. Or that is, may be that harmony, may be the order, color order. Blue, starting from red, orange, and yellow.

[22:17]

Yellow, and blue, green, and blue, and violet. Those six colors, if you arrange it in this order, that is color order. But if you arrange red and yellow, that is harmony. And if you use red and green, that is the contrast. So, by using those rules, you will accomplish. You have purpose, and you will have the beautiful garden. So, just to live whatever you like, that is not the way to live.

[23:29]

If you want to live, you should follow some rules. If it is stone, if there is sharp, straight, narrow stone, it expresses some mystical feeling. And if the stone is this way, like this, it expresses calmness, or peaceful. And this and this is contrast, in contrast. But round one will be harmonious to every stone, round stone.

[24:34]

It goes perfectly with any kinds of forms. And stone which has right base, like this, expresses some stable feeling. And this stone is in contrast with some massive stone, like this. And round standing stone and this kind of massive stone is in order.

[25:50]

But just to arrange stone in order, you cannot make a beautiful garden if you arrange the stone just in order. So, in contrast to further enhancement, you should use some stone which is in contrast with the stone you use it. In this way, there must be some rules. So, if you want to live in its true sense, in relationship with others, and in relationship with you which lives, which has been living in past and which will live tomorrow,

[27:09]

there must be some rules. And the rules, although it looks like no rules, but actually there is some rules, some strict rules in it. So, to live day by day in its true sense means to live in some perfect rules. This point in Zen, this point is also a facet. Zen is not just personal practice.

[28:17]

And our enlightenment is not just personal attainment. When we attain enlightenment, everything should be enlightened. That is the rule of enlightenment. When we find our position in this moment, we say we attained enlightenment. When we live with others, and when we live with other beings, we say we attained enlightenment. So, if you think that enlightenment is something, some personal, just personal experience, this idea of enlightenment is to correct just square stuff or just round stuff.

[29:37]

If someone likes beautiful stone, in which you see something blue and something white, that means, if that is enlightenment, he will have, he will correct the same stone. But with the same stone you cannot build any interesting garden. You should use various stones. Enlightenment is the same thing, you know. If you attach to some particular enlightenment, that is not enlightenment.

[30:48]

You should have various enlightenments. And you should experience, various experience, and you should put emphasis more in relationship between person and person. In relationship between person and person. And in this way we should practice background thoughts. According to the position you have, you find yourself in it.

[31:50]

This is the outline of our practice and how you attain. If the enlightenment is just to correct, or just to be proud of a certain kind of experience, that will not, that kind of experience will not help you at all. And if that is enlightenment, there will be no need for Buddha to strive hard to save people after he attains enlightenment.

[33:02]

What is the purpose of wandering about the dirty road, dusty road in India? If to attain enlightenment is the purpose of living, Five Bodhidharma came to China from India and sit for nine years in Shurin Mountain. The point is to find our position moment after moment and to live with people moment after moment according to the friend is the purpose of our practice.

[34:04]

So, I wonder if I could express myself, if you understood what I said. But I think we have some more time. Do we have some more time? And will you ask me questions? Can you put too many stones in your body? Maybe better to do that after our journey.

[35:14]

Some more questions? Question? Can you please try to summarize again the idea of the transmutation of enlightenment? Summarize? Is that possible? Summarize. Summarize. In Japanese, summarize. Summarize. Make a short statement. About the true teaching, say again what you said about the true teaching. The true teaching is to accept things as they are and to raise, to let it grow as gods, as true gods.

[36:30]

I understand your question. The purpose of our practice. And how we do it is to live on each moment and in the right position. It means to give some nourishment day by day when they want it. That is the purpose. And to understand what they want it. So you should be able to talk with them. That is the aim. Thank you very much.

[37:39]

I should not talk too much. I should summarize. Summarize. All right? Thank you. Thank you. And at the same time I wanted to correct the misunderstanding of Zen. Just to do something, whatever you like. It was Zen. Thank you. And it is not positive. We call it Jiren Ken Gedo.

[38:41]

Jiren Ken Gedo means Gedo of life of natural things. Like the whistle. You said after you fed the seed, then you have to wait for the seed to come up. Does the gardener do anything while the seed is coming up before it sprouts? The gardener will give some water and we will go and watch it every day.

[39:43]

He or she is very busy. Very busy. Should the gardener build one's garden the way one wants it or the way other people want it to be built? Some gardeners build according to the order. But he may build the garden just for himself. Why did you choose a gardener as an example? Because I like it. Thank you.

[41:08]

What happens if you don't follow the rules of order? Actually it is not possible not to follow order or rules. But if you do not follow how to follow the order, you cannot be successful in your work. You cannot do anything actually. When you rest, it is a waste of time. The more you work on it, the more you will have efficiency, how to follow the rules. Actually it is not possible for us not to follow any rules.

[42:21]

Even though you look like following any rules, actually you are following these. If we are always following rules, can we pick which ones? I mean, you said that even though it doesn't look like it, we are always following rules whether we know it or not. Do we get to a point where we can pick which rules we are following more than we can now? No. That is practice. So that is why we should practice our way back and forth. My practice should not be just giving lectures.

[43:30]

I should sometimes listen to you. We have to change our position. In our practice, that is very important. If a lot of insects come and start eating up the garden, or if there is a hail storm or a frost, what do you do then? You see, there it is necessary for you to follow some rules and you should have some purpose. We say gana. Gana means to purpose, to have some purpose.

[44:37]

For Buddhists to save all sentient beings, even though it is not possible, to save them all is our final desire. Our effort should be directed in that direction. So if the purpose of managing the garden is to help hungry people, you should protect the plants from hail and insects. So yes, it is some purpose. Or else we cannot live. We need to have some purpose. And that purpose sometimes not complete or not wide enough.

[45:50]

Everyone works for someone else at the same time. Even a sheep will be kind to his wife, at least to himself. But he is not kind enough to be kind to his neighbor. That is why he steals something from neighbor. So we should have some ultimate desire for which we strive. We say even though the truth is incomprehensible, we have to study it completely.

[47:08]

One after another we will find some new theory or new truth. Even in scientific or physics. Science or physics. So it is not possible to reach the final ultimate truth. Even so we continue our effort. Even though to be friendly with each other. It is not impossible. But we should strive to be friendly with each other.

[48:11]

Even though our inward desire is limited, one after another we have some inward desire. But we should strive for the generation from those buddhists who have desire, who have final desire. Before you do not practice our way, knowing this truth, knowing the reality. Whatever you see looks like absurd. But once you start something with those four noble desires,

[49:27]

you will understand everything is practicing our way. Even insects, or animals, or gorillas, in the ground, are striving for our way. We are saying our way. What is the relationship of what you are saying to my mind? You refer in chant the natural order of mind. Oh, natural order of mind. If you understand that, you are a big Zen master.

[50:32]

Natural order of mind. But even though you don't understand it, as long as you are striving for it, to keep the natural order of your mind, and that's good enough. What do you say to a person who says, he says that I'm happy in the world and I don't want to do Zazen because it's painful, and I would rather stay asleep if I'm asleep now, I would wake up because it's so painful, and I'm happy, why should I become unhappy? When they find themselves quite happy enough to survive,

[51:48]

they will not have a chance to study Buddhism. When they have some problems, they will start our way. And when they have a true understanding of life, which is full of suffering and full of problems, they will start studying our way. So, the best way may be to suggest something, or to make them understand what they are doing actually. That is the best way I think. Thank you.

[53:00]

A guest asked me tonight what the meaning behind the position of shaving heads was, and I didn't know. Aha. Yeah. I'll explain it. If I explain it, I don't want to explain it. You have another, some more questions about it. I'm a question master, question. You will not understand what really it means. Anyway, it means, you know, this I say always,

[54:08]

this is the fundamental hairstyle. If you have a lot of problems, you can do it. I'm giving you, maybe, you know, something like this, you know, you can do it. Most of the bad, you can do it. If you want to come, you can do it. This is the fundamental hairstyle. I don't have a problem. Thank you.

[55:18]

Some more questions? Next time I'll explain it. Thank you. I haven't heard of it. All of that, I mean, that's an order. Hmm. Yeah. Yes. Yes, rational. We are both emotional and rational beings.

[56:34]

So if you want to follow rational order, you know, we will, we cannot survive. And we should be emotional too. And emotional and rational order sometimes does not go together. But purpose of the order is the same, you know, to survive. Because emotional order is based on to protect our, you know, activities which we have in this moment. We don't want to change our situation. While the rational order to encourage us to take new steps. In this case, rational order says,

[57:41]

we tell you this, if you do this, the result will be this. Yes. This is rational reasoning. So rational order will suggest next step for you by reasoning. So it encourages you to go one step ahead. But emotional, you know, tendency doesn't like to change our situation. And if we change our situation, one of, always we cannot survive. Even though rationally it is possible,

[58:47]

but actually we cannot change our position so quickly. So in this case, emotional order may say, don't do that. So emotional one is more, nature is more positive or conservative like religion. It is almost impossible to change a religion into Christianity. You know. Religion is very emotional activity.

[59:57]

But when you find really emotionally, when emotionally, when you make it impossible to support your emotional life anymore, then big change will happen to you. Emotionally, you know, you don't want to change your husband. But if it is impossible for you to maintain the relationship between you and your husband, emotional, you know, all of a sudden big change will happen to you and you will be divorced or you will divorce your husband.

[61:14]

This kind of entanglement is there. But purpose is to sustain, no, to support our life activity. So human are more emotional than men. Women, the purpose or motto of man is to work. And we are...

[61:54]

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