That, he means, when he says so, we have, you know, unusual skill in managing things, driving waves, following waves, and driving waves. Not much idea of driving waves, and yet so negative, or so passive, you know, to follow just to follow, following but driving, driving but following.

[01:01]

When you are completely with your surroundings, that kind of activity will appear, will be your own. That kind of power, or skill, comes from there doesn't practice, with right spirit. I think most of you have wrong idea, you know, about freedom, or things as they are.

[02:07]

When you think, you say freedom, or things as they are, it's not, it's not what I mean, at least. You are not, you know, seeing things as they are, because you have some special glasses, and through them you are seeing things, and each person has different glasses, so your opinion will not meet, you know, so the more you have to, you know, manage our group,

[03:23]

then more you will be getting confused, because you stick to your own, you know, eyes, on your understanding. And if, you know, you see things without glasses, if the picture you have is things as they are, then, you know, naturally everyone will agree with what you see. And you have to agree with some other person's understanding. But even you cannot agree, you know, because you have on your glasses, you know, even though you cannot agree, sometimes, you know, you should take off your glasses.

[04:36]

Oh, but I need these glasses, you know, as a teacher, I must have this one, so excuse me, I must wear this. Maybe what you said is right. If you, you know, realize what kind of glasses you wear, then you can easily agree, you know, without knowing that you have special glasses as a student, as a teacher, as an officer, as a Rokuchiji. So, you know, things become very difficult. So, when, you know, with this understanding, many good virtues will result, you know, humbleness, soft mind, or clear understanding, or sometimes sharp,

[05:53]

judgment, you know. Ah, by the way, we like bamboo very much, we Japanese like bamboo. Someone said, you know, when I came to America, that it's Japanese bamboo bonsai. I couldn't figure out what he meant, you know, that it's Japanese bamboo bonsai. Anyway, most people know we Japanese like bamboo. Actually, what he means, Japanese bonsai is very expensive. That was what he meant. No, that is Japanese bamboo bonsai.

[07:01]

But for us, bamboo is not something very expensive, you know. Bamboo, first of all, has very good nature. If you want to cut it in two, it will be, you know, if you, before you cut it, it will split in two. You know, if you cut it four, it will exactly split in four. And, you know, even though bamboo is ten, maybe thirty feet long, you can split in, just, you can split just in two. From the root to the top.

[08:07]

It will go in that way. No other plant can be split so nicely, you know. That is, you know, the nature of bamboo. But if you have that kind of, you know, to see things as they are, even though it is not bamboo, you can split right in two. As a nice thing, cut the cat right in two. Students amazed. Oh, they didn't have, you know, they didn't have time to criticize his killing a cat or violating the precepts.

[09:20]

It happened in that way, and when they realized, you know, the problem is all gone. That kind of, you know, activity or wisdom will appear. Only when you can see things as they are, without trying to see, or when you solve the problem without trying to solve the problem, How you can do that is just to sit. In China, you know, there was a famous scholar.

[10:24]

After they studied many things, or heard many things, then he used his ears to get rid of what he had learned. So when you have, you know, this kind of practice, even, you know, wisdom resulted by studying for a long, long time, going through many thousands of books. It is, you know, you should, you know, limit your ears. You don't need it.

[11:27]

Because of that, you can hear. That kind of, you know, freedom you will have. How? First of all, you have to have bodhisattva mind. And next, you must be concentrated on what you do. And your life must be based on our pure practice, shikantaza. Not so difficult thing, actually. Not so difficult thing, actually.

[12:20]

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