Asked me about a school, right there, that is Bodhidharma, Bodhidharma, the first Chinese teacher, he came to China, we don't know exactly when, but 500, maybe 10 or 11, he came to China. He was a prince of some country near India, Koshikoku in Japanese, and he was

[01:17]

one of the many teachers who practiced in Japan, in India, and he came to China, and there is a famous story about him. But before I explain, talk about him, I want you to explain something about those schools. We can hold it until he wants it.

[02:33]

Here it says, for master, this is in Japanese, Chinese, the translation of his name. In 1967, he gave it, who said, the man who painted this, and here it says, this man, he, with all manliness, he crossed the Yangtze River.

[03:36]

After, Shofang, who said, he crossed the Yangtze River, and went to Ging, this is Ging. In Chinese painting, which is called Nanga, they write some poem, or something, which is painting, and Chinese people call painting, no voice poem, which has no voice.

[04:44]

So, usually, they put some poem on the paper, and poem is, no voice poem, painting, no voice poem. Poem is, poem is no, picture with, picture with voice is poem. So, no voice poem,

[05:46]

so, they put, they put picture with voice, which is poem. So, usually, first reader, the scholar, he copies, and becomes copy. Poem is not copy. Picture, poem is copy. And picture has, poem, which has no voice. This is the point that he cannot say. So, he put poem on picture. Anyway, it is quite, almost all the Chinese picture has poem on it, especially Nanga.

[07:03]

Nanga, or Zen picture has, almost all the Chinese, poem on it. And, and, [...] both are very, you should, and, or, when you, and, you should, draw, as much as you can, before you take up,

[08:05]

take up. And, we use some, something like this, you know, stick. Why, you know, we use, because this is enough. Sometimes, by mistake, you know, you drop it, if you drop it, you, even though you don't break it, it will be like this, you know, it will be, what is called, break. So, it will be broken. So, as much as you can, you roll it first,

[09:08]

and take up, take up. And when you hang it, you should not hang it, like this. This is the, this is, and also, can be, you can, made in Hong Kong. This is very good. This is not so great.

[10:10]

This is called, stick. So, it comes like this, like this. And, when you hang it, you, without opening it, you should hang it, and then, like this.

[11:26]

This is how to hang it. And when you take up, you roll it first, and, this is, something, you should know, if you have, of course, you should do in that way, or else you, you will, you will have many, wrinkles. And if you, if there are many wrinkles, you know, it is not so valuable anymore. It should be perfectly smooth. So,

[12:40]

whether the scroll is good or bad, we can tell. But, when you take hold of it, the feeling of the scroll, by the, when you take hold of scroll like this, you know, if it is good one, it's a very soft feeling, and very carefully treated, because it is valuable. So, and some scroll, which is treated badly, even it is good, we don't pay so much money. If it is good, you know, just, when you look at it, before you open it, we can tell how valuable it is.

[13:45]

So, how you treat it, very important. So, first, you know, by look at it, and second, you take it, also like this. This is good. You may feel it. And open it little by little. Very good. And if it is good, we roll it again, and hang it. That is how we appreciate. That is, you know,

[14:49]

how we appreciate scroll. And we should not hang same scroll all the time. If you do so, the color will fade, or it will become dusty. So, we have to change once in a while, and change it for something else. And we should always, once in a while, we should hang it. If you don't, scroll will become moldy. So, it is pretty difficult to

[15:50]

read it. That is why all the scrolls, even the old ones, look like quite new. If it is good one, I will wear it. Now, Bodhidharma, when he came, to China, he visited Emperor Wu, or Bude. And there were famous Christians on earth. But, he asked him, And this is the first

[16:54]

subject of Rukmini's letter. Attention! The Emperor Wu of Riyang asked the great teacher Bodhidharma, what is the first meaning of holy reality? What is the first principle? Bodhidharma said, emptiness, no secretness, no holiness. The Emperor said,

[18:03]

confronting me, who is it? Who is here? And to a teacher or a holy person, he said, Bodhidharma said, I don't know. The Emperor did not accord. Thereupon, Bodhidharma crossed the river and reached the land of waves, Gifu, in Japanese. And there were more questions and answers. Bodhidharma asked him, I helped the living temples and supported many patronized

[19:10]

many teachers. What is the virtue of my deed? Bodhidharma said, no merit without his answer. So, the Emperor couldn't understand what does it mean by no virtue. In this way, Bodhidharma started his question and answer in China in 5th, first part of

[20:11]

the 6th century. The Buddhism was introduced into China in the first part of the 5th century. And many and many scriptures were translated into Chinese. And by the time Bodhidharma went to China, there were many schools of Buddhism. Do you know Pure Land School? Pure Land School was there already. And Tendai School. And

[21:12]

Sanrong, Hosso. There were many schools were... There were many schools established already. So, Bodhidharma did not introduce any scriptures. But he said to have wrote Lankavatara Sutra. But he did not bring any scriptures. There were no need to

[22:12]

introduce any more scriptures. And he came to China just to practice Zazen or to bring the teaching into practice. He came to China. That is why he came to China. And what we should remember is there were many Indian Zen teachers at that time. And he was one of them. Recently you know as we Soto priests put emphasis on Bodhidharma Zen, or Sixth Patriarch Zen, or Zen in early

[23:14]

Tang dynasty. So some people you know say Bodhidharma we don't know when he came. Maybe he is some legend or what is told about him is almost not historical. There is no historical evidence. And he may be some legendary person. But even though we don't know exactly when he came and when he died,

[24:15]

but there were actually many teachings which were left by him. And those teachings described in various books is not safe. That is why you know there are some doubts whether he is historical person or not. But many scriptures in many scriptures there were

[25:19]

various records about the second Patriarch and the third Patriarch. Second and yeah we have second but third Patriarch we haven't not much record. And fourth, fifth we have. And that he is called the sixth Patriarch means there was the first Patriarch and the first Patriarch was Bodhidharma. Whatever the person he may be if he is one of the many teachers who were in India and practicing that is enough. And moreover there are many

[26:29]

teachings which was left by him. And this you know I don't know who are you in front of me you know. What is the first principle? The Emperor asked. I don't know he said. I don't know or no there is no holy person or no sacred teaching. That was his answer. Then until the teacher from India the Emperor

[27:30]

asked. Bodhidharma said I don't know. This I don't know. It's not usual I don't know. Last night I talked about Canadian talked about Dinothera fun. If you you know if you bring to him it is too late as the teacher said. If Dinothera fun is the first principle whatever you say that is not right. Or it is too late.

[28:31]

Before you say something it is right. If you say something about it you already put limitation to it. So it is not right. Bodhidharma you know if the Emperor thinks he is the holy one that is not true. When especially when the Emperor asked him what is the first principle first principle is not something holy or not holy. Whatever you say about it it is not right. So he said I don't know. No, not matter of holy or not holy. Who are you? He said. If I am Bodhidharma

[29:33]

that is not perfect. So he said I don't know. So since then on the sixth sixth day back when when Nangak called him for the first time where are you from? He said. That is already question about the first principle. Where are you from? Who are you? I don't know it's right you know whether he is He may have some name but that is just name and not

[30:34]

himself. this kind of question and answer started from Bodhidharma. And intellectually this point was discussed by many teachers even before Bodhidharma came to China. According to the Sangha school they are they have they understand or they classify our teaching

[31:36]

into the first principle and the second principle. The second principle is the principle which we can study and talk about intellectually. And the first one something which we cannot talk about. If we talk about it it is already the second principle. So we classify our teaching into and all the teaching which was which is written on the paper is the second principle. The first principle is you know the principle

[32:37]

which is which you cannot talk about and which we transmit to Master from Master to Master from Patriarch to Patriarch. But the teaching which we transmit has is not written. So how do we transmit it from one to the other? That is the point we should study. And according to Tendai school

[33:39]

there are you know aspects of being and non-being. And the third aspect includes being aspect of viewpoint being and non-being and it is something beyond being and non-being. That is the third aspect. So and according to Tendai school even though you when according to the

[34:44]

third aspect you cannot arrange our teaching this way or this way to arrange teaching this way. Or this way. A time span or a space span is the teaching which is in the third dimension. But the teaching the absolute teaching which we transmit one master to the other is not this kind of teaching. According to Tendai school it is so.

[35:45]

So whatever and according to Shingon school the something which is told by Buddha is not we cannot authorize anyone or any teaching by what was told teaching what is told by what was told by Buddha. How we authorize our teaching is according to Shingon school. Daini sutra Daini sutra which is supreme teaching which was told by Buddha and which was told by told by Buddha to without any audience you know

[36:48]

if this is very funny but if the teaching the teaching which was told by some special person according to to his character or to his ability is not absolute teaching because it was told by him like a medicine. To the patient. If patient changes you know teaching will change so it is not absolute teaching. But Daini sutra which was told by Buddha to to himself is

[37:52]

the only teaching which we can depend on. But this is not complete understanding. That is why Daini put emphasis on our practice whatever the teaching is which was told by someone who is not absolute teaching. This is traditional understanding of our teaching not only Zen but also for every school Zen Buddhism. Even according

[39:01]

to the Shin school for believing Amida Buddha as a saver of sentient beings this is also true. Amida Buddha when we say Amida Buddha Amida Buddha includes everyone of us. The mouth we repeat Amida Buddha's name is also Amida Buddha's mouth not our mouth. When we believe in when we practice when we repeat his name with this idea Zen

[40:01]

that is to believe in Amida Buddha it is not because we repeat his name that we that Amida Buddha save us but because all of us originally Amida Buddha a part of Amida Buddha so the only thing we should do is to believe in him that is our idea understanding how we believe in Amida Buddha. Even though for people we describe Amida Buddha's

[41:01]

world in mystic way or in beautiful way or fantastic way it is just good devices of Buddha in this way before Bodhidharma come to China people were already prepared for accepting Zen Buddhism and after 500 years since Buddhism

[42:03]

came to China Buddhism become more and more stronger and stronger and at last Zen Buddhism almost covered whole China from the end of Tang Dynasty but it took pretty long time maybe 7,800 years yes I am back as I was

[43:34]

asked about that school I explained more about Bodhidharma and the situation and in what situation Bodhidharma started his teaching so

[44:43]

if you have questions and maybe if it is too fast for you you can press which is called atman or big self changing to small self especially teacher and big self changing to small self and there were many various religions independent religions religions for sake of

[45:43]

religion not for sake of people so Buddha started Buddha at first he wanted to be saved to protect his people as a priest but he found out it was not possible so he tried to protect his people in his true way and he started to study various religions and he found out all religions at that time was not so good and he started

[46:44]

his own religion for people to help people that is started Buddha so many teachers even many teachers at that time compared to Buddha so maybe he put a name to all religions but we we have said Buddha gave us poetry Buddha started some poetry religion again but that is not his fault his fault was fault fault and

[47:52]

it is all the religion is good if we study with society for the people and so on so on which is good and we need various religions so because there are maybe different types of people so each one of us need his own religion so strictly speaking religion is should be his own in

[48:59]

the first we have our own teaching in our life so necessarily enough it's because of true teaching and we can communicate with each other this is also true and in order

[50:04]

have to practice to an unbroken band of pure white silk for 10,000 miles. And I don't understand if that's something which we attain as our practice becomes purer and stronger. So that we can say as our practice was beginning, it was not like that. But as it became a better practice, then we experience our practice in that way. Or rather, that once we understood pure practice, we would see that all of our practice had been of that type. Do you understand my question? Yes. It is both, you know.

[51:11]

Before you realize our religion, our practice, through and through, there were religions, you know. But after you understood religion, there's no religion because we are always with people and we are struggling with the same problem. What we are doing is not different from what everyone is doing. We find out this truth. After going through various understanding and attainment, we come to the starting point

[52:31]

again, and on and on we follow this way with people. So that is, you know, the point after you went through religion. And at the same time, it is starting point of religion. So first... It doesn't make much sense. It looks like someone is violating it. Like David.

[53:31]

Do you have a pen and paper? I can't choose between them now. Would you explain to us again what you mean by the beginner's mind? Beginner's mind? Beginner's mind is, you know, when you are stuck, just stuck here. Stuck. You have no... no pre-space, you know, preconceived idea. You don't know anything about religion. And you open your whole mind to the position.

[54:34]

That is beginner's mind. After you went through, but if you study our way, you feel as if you understood Buddhism. And as if you attained something special. That is quite usual. But sometimes you just lose your beginner's mind. So if you feel, you know, even though you study Buddhism, you should like to study more. And your study is not good enough.

[55:41]

Then what you study is Buddhism. You understand? That is beginner's mind. And that beginner's mind is also big mind. And... Five? Is my answer is acceptable? Many times I think the beginners, they know more than... when they are asked a story. Then they feel as if they know the reason. When you first come, you think you know enough. Yes.

[56:49]

But what we are studying, you know, like this in our lecture is to have some outline of you know, Buddhism in lecture. Without some outline of teaching or suggestion, you cannot practice, you know. You cannot study. That is why I give you some advice or framework of Buddhism. And to point out to point out some important point in your practice. Yes.

[58:05]

First principle. Second principle is, you know, original. Common sense. Teaching which is for patient is second. But people know this is just for some particular patient. So there must be, you know, some actual teaching which is for everyone. People, you know, Buddhist seek for some teaching which is permanent. And what is that permanent teaching?

[59:10]

That was a problem for them. And we reach the conclusion that whatever it is, what is told by someone is not the first principle. Then what is the first principle? The first principle is something which you cannot understand. To which there is no approach. First principle. First principle depends on first principle? Depends on, but the way it depends on is

[60:17]

first principle. Even though you extend the second principle, you cannot reach the first principle. If you ask one and one and one, how many ones you ask will be enough? As in infinity. So in infinity, the first principle is completely beyond. Then the second principle. Or you may say the view point is quite completely different.

[61:25]

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