Principles of Practice, Talk 4: Faith
March 22, 1986 Dharma Talk by Dainin Katagiri Roshi
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Transcript
This transcript is in draft stage.
0:00
Katagiri Roshi: Today I would like to talk about the key point of the practice in terms of faith.
In Gakudō-yōjinshū, “Points to Watch in Buddhist Training,” number 9, page 57, Dogen Zenji says:
To study the Way is to try to become one with it – to forget even a trace of enlightenment. Those who would practice the Way should first of all believe in it. Those who believe in the Way should believe that they have been in the Way from the very beginning, subject to neither delusion, illusive thoughts, and confused ideas nor increase, decrease, and mistaken understanding. Engendering belief like this, clarify the Way and practice it accordingly – this is the essence of studying the Way.
(From Zen Master Dogen: An Introduction with Selected Writings, translated by Yuho Yokoi with Daizen Victoria.)
So the essence of the practice, practicing the Way, is to believe that you are present right in the midst of the Way, “subject to neither delusion, illusive thoughts, and confused ideas nor increase, decrease, and mistaken understanding.”
This is the first important point. If you want to continue to practice spiritual life, I think we should believe that we are constantly present in the Way, and are not deluded, not having the illusive thought, with no increase, no decrease, and no mistaken understanding – something like that.
This is what is called “one world which makes two worlds”: a world of intellect or senses, and a world of so-called spiritual life. According to The Essence of Buddhism by D.T. Suzuki – we are studying wisdom and compassion through that text book – he says that most people believe the world is one only in a world of the intellect, but he says there are two worlds, intellectual and spiritual. But those are not separated, those are one. So, there is only one world, which makes two worlds constantly. And two worlds makes one world. This is the reality we live in constantly.
So, that one world is really pure and clean, but it’s not the pure and clean separate from the world of intellect or senses – it’s connected. But on the other hand, this world of the senses or intellect is not separate from this one world. So, it’s always connected. That’s why in a sense, one world is constantly manifesting a state of purity and cleanness, undefiled. If you touch it, you will burn out. If you don’t touch it, your life is frozen.
So this is, I think The Song of the Jewel Mirror [talks] about this point. It’s very difficult to say, but that is reality. That’s why we have to understand that one world as clear as we can – through the practice, and through the understanding with your wisdom, as best as we can, we have to understand.
So, yesterday I mentioned that one world is exactly a kind of very thin partition between complete sleep and waking up. The very first beginning of the waking up is not kind of “waking up,” not the concept of the waking up. Temporarily I say “the first thought,” but this is not thought – but it’s thought, because it is the very first. So, that is a partition, temporarily I say partition. But this partition is very thin, very thin.
So, the last moment of coming out of the complete sleep is exactly the very first moment of entering the waking up. So, that partition is very difficult to say what it is. Because it is complete sleep – you don’t know you are sleeping. This is complete sleep. On the other hand, you’re waking up. Two worlds there.
The two worlds are not separated, but we believe they are separated. That is intellectual understanding, dualistic. But [both worlds] are functioning in the same and one ground, so-called partition.
This partition is very thin, but I am talking about this partition with boundless expanse in space… enormous spatial expanse. So, [the partition] is very [three dimensional]. Okay? It’s not thin [like] paper. Temporarily I say partition, you know, very plain dimension, but it’s not plain, it’s very [three dimensional]. (Transcriber’s Note: Katagiri Roshi says “cubic.”)
But let me say like it this: when you come out of the sleep, and then are entering the waking up, that real moment – you don’t know, you never know. But there is. That is a practice; we don’t know what’s going on there.
For instance, according to The Awakening of Faith: at the tathagata stage, Buddha knows the finer of the fine vibration of the mind. Among the fine vibration of the mind, there is the finest vibration there; very minute vibration of the mind. Because mind is constantly moving. Even though you say moment – the Abhidharmakosha says the moment consists of 65 instants. If so, what is a moment, you know? So the moment is a very fine vibration of the mind, but still there is the finest vibration of the mind within the moment – that is at the 65th vibration of mind [he laughs a little]. How can you touch it? You don’t know what it is. But it’s there. Through zazen you can know this, you can notice this one.
So, [let’s say] if you are engaged in a perfect state of concentration, okay? Let’s [look at] your mind in zazen. And then you really feel exactly planting into the samadhi. But still you can see the very minute vibration of the mind, so-called perfect concentration, okay? Perfect state of planting into samadhi. You can see: “Oh, I am planting into the perfect samadhi now.” Something like that. This is the very minute vibration of the mind by which you can realize what you are doing, what is mind.
But no matter how long you realize, you recognize this minute movement, vibration of the mind, you never be free from vibration. No. Because even though you say, “I am perfectly calm now” – [he laughs,] that is already vibration. So “thinking not thinking” begets thinking. So realization of the perfect samadhi begets vibration of the mind. So you never be free from vibrations.
So how do you be free from this very minute vibration of the mind, from moment to moment? It’s very difficult to say. How do you do it? No, we don’t know. But this is tathagata stage, according to The Awakening of Faith. It is true!
So finally, that is the place [where] the one world, where the very minute vibration of the mind can be realized: by Buddha’s tathagata. At that time, buddha-tathagata knows how to live there.
Because whichever you think, no matter how long you cognize or you realize that very minute vibration of the mind, you never stop vibrating your mind. So how do you stop vibrating your mind? This is, it’s very simple, very simple. It’s very simple, but it’s too simple to know. [He laughs.] So all you have to do is just be there.
Just be. […] Tathagata knows how to stop vibrating. That means to just be exactly – with no second person, no second thought. This is total dynamic working. You become exactly one.
15:16
So that [what Dogen Zenji talks about] in the chapter “Buddha Nature.” [It is] a little bit difficult, the terms there, but let me read it:
Therefore the self and environment of sentient being, whole being is not in the least involved in the waxing influences of karma, …
… this is the usual worldly affairs, our karmic life…
… is not bred by illusory causations, does not come into being naturally, is not practiced or realized through miraculous powers. Were sentient beings, whole being contingent on the power of karma or on causes or on coming into being naturally, then the realization of all saints and the enlightenment of all Buddhas and the eye pupils of buddhas and patriarchs also will be produced in these ways, and they are not. The entire world is completely free of all dusts as object to the self. Right here there is no second person.
“Right here there is no second person.” Karmic life – how can you be free from karmic life? So by realization of the karmic life, you can be free from karmic life. But what do you mean, “realization of karmic life?” That is still vibration of the mind.
So real karmic life… You have to understand what is karmic life. Karmic life is not the karmic life separate from this Buddha’s world, one world. But if you say “by realization of the karmic life I will be free from karmic life,” this is already you believe that karmic life is separate. So that’s why here it says, “karmic life is exactly Buddha’s world, all sentient [beings,] whole being.” That means the whole universe.
If so, do we believe [there is] no karmic life? Yes [there] is; here is karmic life! Because it is very closely connected with one world, so-called whole beings. That’s why it exists.
If so, we cannot be free from it? But you can be free from it, because […] “free from” means no karmic life, because it is exactly connected with one world, so-called whole universe. That means the karmic life is exactly [the] whole world by itself – not karmic life is the whole world, karmic life exactly whole world, no partition between. This is the reality of the karmic life, the reality of the samsaric world, which is constantly going in the realm of this partition I mentioned.
How can you say the very first moment of the karmic life? When you get into the karmic life, can you say the very first moment of karmic life? Nothing to say. It’s very pure. It’s immediately connected to the eternal world, truth, so it’s very vast. Vastness of karmic life means nothing: no concept, no perception of karmic life.
But on the other hand, as long as you get into karmic life, there is karmic life; it’s very clear. So we say karmic life is there. But karmic life is not separate from the truth; that’s why karmic life is very closely connected. That’s why karmic life exists.
This is a little bit difficult to understand, but that’s why you can think about this state of the partition, what’s going on there. When you think about what’s going on there in the realm of partition between, you can see it is not a dream, it is not waking up. It is something. So waking up and sleep, completely both come into there, as one. Nothing to leave any trace.
But if so, [is it] nothing? Yes it is. You can go any place. So that is a dead end, but it’s not a dead end, it’s a beginning. You can go [to] a world of waking up, you can go [to] a world of one world, eternity. You can go any place.
So this is the so-called one person with no second person, exactly.
This is called belief. It’s belief. With no confusions, no perverted views, no increase or decrease, no misunderstanding. Because it is very pure nature of reality, which is going on from moment to moment. Life is going exactly like this.
Not only the waking up. When you stand up here – right here, right now – where is the very inception of the standing, being here? What do we mean? Who stands up? I stand up? That means it’s too late, [it’s] already conceptual world. The floor lets me stand up? It’s already a concept, conceptual world. The universe lets me stand up? It is still conceptual world. So who lets me stand up? I don’t know. Even though I don’t know, I stand up right here.
So that is very difficult to say: “I don’t know,” but here is standing, here is the reality that I stand up.
So in the very inception of being here and now – in other words, the very inception of the birth – [it] is completely out of questions. But in that realm of the world, you are creating your life, constantly. That’s why everyone has a great capability to create a world, life.
So everyone has great capability to create the human world. Whichever [way] to go: bad, good, whichever.
But if you realize that realm of the world, one world, so-called partition I mentioned, I think you cannot create an unwholesome world – because it is very pure, and because you can see all sentient beings living in peace and harmony. This is one world in the realm of the partition. So you cannot do something wrong, or hurting; you cannot hurt anybody. So very naturally you create a peaceful world. That is so-called creative, creativity of life with all sentient beings.
That is first [that] we have to believe [we ourselves are] exactly present right in the midst of this way.
25:23
But next, in the process of reaching this one world – so-called belief, faith – Dogen Zenji says there are two processes. One is, cut off the root of discriminating thinking. Second, body and mind dropping off.
This is our practice. This is […] one of the processes to reach that belief: one world; you are present right in the midst of the Way, without any delusions, confusions, perverted views, mistakes. How can we reach there? That is first, we have to cut off the root of discriminating thinking.
I mentioned the root of discriminating thinking is very minute vibration of the mind. This is called root, the root of the discriminating mind. We are always discriminating. Do you understand? Even though I am talking about this with wholeheartedness, still I am discriminating! “Hey, Katagiri” – right in the middle of talking, I am talking to myself simultaneously as I am talking to you: so-called “Hey, Katagiri… you are pretty good.” [He laughs.] But at that time, very minute vibration of the mind. Or if you dance on the stage, you are completely devoting yourself into dance, but still your very minute vibration of the mind is poking into that perfect state of the dancing – and then thinking, evaluating, discriminating. Do you understand what I mean? This is called root, root of discriminating mind.
So how can we reach that there, the oneness, so-called faith, Buddhist faith? To cut off that root means [you say], “Please… shut up.” [He laughs.] “Just do it.” That’s it. Don’t you think so? Please shut up, keep your mouth shut, do it. That’s all we have to do.
For instance, I mentioned maybe before, a gentleman in Japan was interested in running a business. So he asked a Zen master, “I have a big problem, so please help me.” So the Zen master said, “What’s that?” And then he said, “I am very interested in running a business.” Well, whatever kind of business, business is all right. But he was interested in running a business, and the teacher said, “Oh, that’s interesting. Please do it.” But the gentleman said, “I don’t have any money.” And then the Zen master said, “If you don’t have money, how can you run a business?” You cannot run a business, so stop and forget it. You know, stop running the business! [He laughs.] Stop thinking of running the business. [But] he says, “That is my problem, because that’s why I want to run a business.” Do you understand? And then Zen master says, “How can I help you? That’s your business, not my business.” [He laughs, and a person or two laugh.]
Is that clear for you? That is cut off the root of discriminating mind. Not ignoring discriminating mind. We are always doing [something] like this. “I want to do zazen, but I don’t want to have physical pain, et cetera. And I want to sleep in bed until 10 o’clock. So I want to do zazen, I want to deepen my life, et cetera; I want to be happy. But I don’t want to do zazen getting up in the morning!” [He laughs.] That is your problem. How can I help you? I don’t know; that’s your business! [He laughs.] Do you understand?
That’s why, if you want to reach tathagata stage, all you can do is, “Please keep your mouth shut. Just do it.” That’s all you can do. Alright?
But students are always depending on the teaching: “Please help me, help me.” Well, yes, I can help you. But you should know that there is something in the realm of vibrating your mind very minutely. At that time there is nothing for me to do. So all you have to do is you just be in the tathagata stage. That’s it. How? Cut off the root of the discriminating mind.
You want to keep smoking? Yes, you want to. But it’s not good for you, so the cigarette case always says it’s not good for your health. So you don’t want to keep smoking, but you cannot stop it. So [you say,] “This is my problem, please help me.” How can I help? That is always what we do.
So this is the best way, very simple, and you have to do it. I can help, and also ancestors and buddhas can help. But this is [that] the ancestors and buddhas always back you up; they are always behind you, encouraging you. Finally what you have to do is to do it by yourself.
So this is the first point: you have […] to reach that faith. Believing in yourself right in the midst of the Way, which is completely peaceful, harmonious – with all sentient beings. You should trust in you like this, and believe in you like this.
How? This is the practice. First, how can we do it? How can we reach there? That is the practice: first cut off delusion, the root of discriminating mind. And then very naturally, secondly, Dogen Zenji says, body and mind [are] dropping off.
[…] This is called total realization. If you cut off the root of discriminating mind, put yourself right there, and then you can see the whole situation of the Twin Cities [as] if you are on the top of the IDS tower.
But we always have a problem: I want to see the state of the whole situation of the Twin Cities area, but I don’t want to go [to the top of the IDS tower], you know? You want to see, but you don’t want to go. So how can I help? Nothing. So all you have to do is: go. That’s it.
So that is, if you put your body right there, then you can drop off your body and mind, you can be free from the root of discriminating mind. That means you can be exactly one with the very minute vibration of the mind. And then, no concept of the minute vibration of the mind.
So constantly you put your body and mind right in the middle of the very minute vibration of the mind, there. This is a very important practice. Constantly you have put your body there, put your body there, next moment, next moment, again and again.
35:48
But Dogen Zenji was very compassionate, very kind, if you read The Record of Things Heard. In the Gakudō-yōjinshū he [said it] like this: you cut off delusion, cut off the root of the discriminating mind, right here, right now, day by day; this is the important process to reach that Buddhist faith. But [in The Record of Things Heard], Dogen Zenji said, still it’s pretty hard. It’s very hard.
Very naturally you can see [that] you are tempted by worldly affairs. Even though we know how important practice is, [and] what kind of practice is important for me, for all of you, [still] it’s very difficult. So Dogen Zenji says, or ancestors and buddhas say, “Please forsake your body and mind, plunging into Buddha’s world.” That means plunging into that just one world, the very first moment of being present right now, right here; which is very pure and clean, beyond good or bad, right or wrong. We have to practice; that is called “forsake your body and mind.”
But still, the worldly affairs [unintelligible]. So it’s very difficult.
From [here] on, […] I give you the spirit of Dogen’s compassion through this Record of Things Heard. I don’t want to translate it, I don’t want to read it [verbatim], but this is the first thing Dogen Zenji mentions. You have to constantly forsake yourself, give yourself to that one first very moment, which is pure and clean. But it’s very difficult. Because if you live in the worldly affairs, you are immediately tempted by many circumstances, conditions.
And then very naturally people say, “I don’t have the way seeking mind, I don’t want to have aspiration. I want to have aspiration, but it’s very difficult to keep it.” So we say, “I don’t want to practice.” Because Dogen Zenji or ancestors say that first you need the way seeking mind, bodhicitta, but what you can see is yourself who is constantly tempted by the worldly affairs. So very naturally you lose the spirit of bodhicitta, …
[Tape change.]
… you give up. But Dogen Zenji [says it] like this: “Even though you don’t have bodhi-mind, please be willing to follow the teaching, follow the practice, to be the follower, because nothing is impossible to a willing heart. So please do it, even though you don’t have a bodhi-mind.”
If you look seriously at yourself, you believe that “I don’t have a bodhi-mind.” We don’t know what the bodhi-mind is. But even though you don’t [know], [still,] practically, please take the initiative to practice, okay? With a willing heart. Constantly. And then, naturally you will come to deepen your life.
Why do we have to do it?
Then Dogen Zenji says, “In the ancient time, there were many, many ancestors, buddhas, who tried to practice, […] under various conditions, without being tossed away by cold and heat, et cetera. Anyway, they were very patient and continued to practice. Ancestors and buddhas are not strong or brave persons, but nevertheless ancestors and buddhas have been practicing for long with a willing heart, so that’s why they reach the Buddha’s way. So please look at the ancestors and buddhas in ancient times.”
This is encouragement for us. Don’t look at yourself only, but look at yourself in terms of ancestors and buddhas: how they did it, how they continued to practice.
Why [did they do it] in that way? Because they realized their body and minds are nothing but a dharma container. Which is an excellent being which has great capability to deserve, to practice the Buddha way.
So, please do not believe that you are – what would you say – despicable. Don’t put yourself down. Because you are a great dharma container, your body and mind is a great dharma container. Don’t [be discouraged].
44:03
Dogen Zenji encourages us like this, and then naturally – not naturally, probably – we could have bodhicitta, the way seeking mind. Let’s do it! Let’s start to practice zazen, and listen to Buddha’s teaching. Let’s start.
But: the more seriously you start to practice – for five years, ten years – the more you can see no “hit” among the hundreds of attempts to hit to the bullseye. It’s very difficult.
In other words, in the beginning of getting into the Buddha’s Way, everyone enjoys it very much, because you can see the new world, and you can see yourself who has been really transformed, every day. So did I, in the beginning.
But when you get into the middle of the Buddha’s world, we don’t know what’s going on there. [He laughs.] Finally we are very confused: confused with yourself, and simultaneously you are confused with your friends and society, because you cannot exactly get the peaceful communication with the people and the societies.
It is very natural. Because the Buddha’s world or the world of the universe is very vast. So if you are being in the middle of the world, it’s very difficult to know what’s going on, how your practice is making progress. You don’t know how much your practice is making progress. No. So it’s very [confusing].
So very naturally, you can see no “hit,” among the hundred thousand attempts to hit the bullseye. Nothing. So most people are completely discouraged.
And then Dogen Zenji says, “But don’t be discouraged by realizing no hit among the hundred attempts to hit the bullseye. Please don’t be discouraged, and continue to be a follower of the Buddha’s Way, by virtue of turning a willing ear to buddhas’ and ancestors’ teaching, and giving a willing hand to teachers and ancestors and buddhas. And please, continue to practice like this.” He said waku jū chishiki, which means following the teacher – following a great teacher, following the ancestors, following the buddhas. And [after waku jū chishiki], waku jū kyōkan means following the scriptures, Buddha’s teaching.
So don’t be discouraged; please continue to practice, by virtue of the turning [your] willing the ears to listen to Buddha’s teaching, and giving your willing hands to great teachers, ancestors, and buddhas.
[…] Continually you do like this. This is called “to learn the backward step that turns your light inwardly to illuminate yourself.” Which is called reflection. This is a reflection.
[…] “Learn the backward step” means, let’s return to that very inception of the moment. The very inception of the time and space. The very inception of gassho, or zazen. In other words, just put yourself right in the midst of the inception of doing zazen, gassho, standing, et cetera. It means let’s go back to the original moment, the first moment. Again and again, again and again. And then, if you do it, even for a moment, it “turns your light inwardly to illuminate yourself.” Very naturally you create a wholesome world, a peaceful, harmonious world, even [if] you don’t see it. This is, naturally it’s going.
So that’s why, if you continue to do it, naturally you will come to enhance or to deepen your life. Even though you don’t know how much your practice is progressing or not, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes you can see how much; sometimes you cannot see. Most of the time you don’t see how much your practice is making progress. No. But all you have to do is constantly go back to that source of being, existence. Anyway, let’s go back, let’s go back, every day. And then, that is called the backward step. Not withdraw. Anyway, let’s go [back].
That is called backward step, that is called reflection. That’s why this reflection [begets] suffering, really suffering. (Transcriber’s Note: It’s not clear here whether he means reflection begets suffering, or suffering begets reflection.) But that suffering is completely beyond your intellectual understanding, [it’s] before your intellect is suffering there. Because everyone has to go back to there. Consciously or unconsciously, the root of your being is coming from that realm.
So very naturally, everyone always goes back to there, consciously or unconsciously. But most people don’t realize it. Even though they are standing there, they don’t realize it. But they are very interested in the world after second moment, second thought, third thought. That is the so-called samsaric world. That’s why the problem is going on and on. There is no peace. The more they try to get the peace, the more they beget not peace, in order to get the peace. That is samsara.
That’s why if you want to be peaceful, please go back to the source of the first moment of the peace you have thought. Let’s go back. This is the backward step. The backward step is not escaping from. Anyway, let’s go back to that first moment of peace you have thought.
In other words, cutting off the root of discriminating mind, be peace right now. Right now, with your whole body and mind. And that is immediately you create peace, peaceful world.
But it is [an] event which occurs just in a moment. So you don’t see it.
So that’s why very naturally according to your intellectual sense, you can see “no hit” among a hundred thousand attempts to try to hit the bullseye. Nothing.
That’s why we need the encouragement – “please, follow like this” – [which] Dogen mentions.
55:14
That is called reflection. And also Dogen Zenji mentions in this book – Number Six, page 53 – the second paragraph from the bottom:
The Buddha Sakyamuni said, “Turning the sound-perceiving stream of the mind inward, forsake knowing and being known.”
(From Zen Master Dogen: An Introduction with Selected Writings, translated by Yuho Yokoi with Daizen Victoria.)
This is cutting off the root of discriminating mind, so-called reflection. “Learn the backward step, and turn your light inwardly to illuminate yourself.” How do you do this? This is “Avalokiteshvara turns the sound-perceiving.”
Avalokiteshvara is a Bodhisattva who listens to the sound of perfect observation of the world. By means of observing very closely what the human world is, what human beings are, then he can listen to the kind of sound, very deep sound – in other words, very minute vibration of the world and of the human beings. Very deep. That is called suffering.
Suffering is completely beyond your consciousness. It’s there. Because constantly we are return to the source, return to the source, even though you don’t know. So very naturally people are struggling for their life. Why do they struggle for their life? Because they want to get the something very deep, beyond consciousness or unconsciousness. That is they try to get that first moment of being present right now, right here. Where two worlds make one: intellect, spiritual world. This is this partition. Okay?
So constantly there. Constantly we want to get it! But this is so-called reflection. Whatever we do, always we reflect upon ourselves. “Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you are happy? Yes, you are happy. But are you sure?” Constantly you ask yourself, and then try to get something which makes it possible for your happiness to be. Still you want. Because this is to try to come back to the source, naturally. This is suffering, so-called.
So does suffering come from your intellect or your six senses? No. Completely beyond. That’s why [it’s a] “noble truth” – suffering is noble truth. So suffering is pretty deep.
So Avalokiteshvara listens to that sound. If you listen to the sound, immediately you are caught by the sound which you can hear, and also the sound known by human beings, [or] Avalokiteshvara. It’s already subject and object. So we are already washed away by the sound-perceiving stream of mind – that means the six senses world, created by the six sense organs. We can hear, immediately we create six senses world. That is samsara. Then, naturally, most of us are completely washed away by this six senses world. Whatever you listen to or whatever you know – good or bad, wholesome, unwholesome, whatever – we always [are] carried away. We always are discriminating.
So very naturally Avalokiteshvara listens, but simultaneously Avalokiteshvara is free from knowing and [what] is known. Free from subject, object. It means Avalokiteshvara constantly stands up in the source, [the] first source, the very basis of the being, which is silent and stable, from where the life of all sentient beings blooms. So Avalokiteshvara constantly goes back to that space, that world, that point. And then, he or she can help. He or she can help all sentient beings.
So that is called “Avalokiteshvara turns the sound-perceiving stream of the mind, forsakes knowing and being known.” According to Dogen’s message, I think you have to cut off the root of discriminating mind.
[You may ask,] “Shall I do zazen forever, in order to deepen my life, in order to make my life happy?” Yes, you should do it.
But you don’t want to [have] the physical pain, and you don’t want to get up early in the morning, et cetera. So, well… if you don’t want, please, don’t do zazen. But still you want. If you want, please come. But you don’t want. So always back and forth, back and forth. How can I help?
So all you have to do is, you have to forsake knowing and being known, “shall I” or “shall I not.” You just be. At that time, you are a really great person, so-called Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, who can have a really willing ear to listen to the sound of the world, the sound of you. And then, you can help. This is compassion.
So, this is the point of the practice in terms of Buddhist faith.
Constantly, first of all, you are a great container. Trust in this: you are a great container, beyond good or bad, right or wrong. Don’t put yourself down, don’t despise yourself. Anyway, encourage yourself constantly, and do it.
That’s why Dogen Zenji says practice is just like walking in the mist. It’s a really good example: walking in the mist, constantly, and then, before you are conscious of it, your dress gets wet. This is our practice. Otherwise, you cannot continue to practice, no. It’s very difficult to build up peaceful world. But if your practice is exactly just like walking in the mist, before you are conscious of it, your dress gets wet. If you practice like this, you really create peaceful life. And you can help all sentient beings.
Okay. Do you have a question?
[There is a long silence.]
1:06:35
So, I think usually you can see the person who really wants to [do] religious practice always judging people, and criticizing people, in an intellectual sense, always. For instance, if somebody makes a mistake: “You are a bad boy!” You [can’t] do it in that way, because you exactly eliminate the great capability of human beings as a dharma container. You cannot do it. Whoever or whatever people make a mistake, et cetera, basically, you have to really respect the person, or beings, et cetera, and then encourage them to stand up straight again.
But we don’t do it, usually.
That’s why Dogen Zenji says, the basic attitude is this, but nevertheless, you cannot follow it exactly, it’s very difficult. That’s why you need the compassion, wisdom, encouragement, practicing together, et cetera.
Read this Record of Things Heard. Shobogenzo is very strict in a sense, but on the other hand, this Record of Things Heard tries to encourage us to practice, to follow the Buddha’s way, continually, with really deep compassion.
1:08:38
So, I’m talking [about] the Precepts and Lay Ordination every Saturday, but not this [Saturday]. But maybe from next Saturday, I will continue to talk about [this, because] the same applies to the Precepts.
Buddhist precepts have a pretty deep meaning. To break the precept is, of course, to break the precept. But it doesn’t mean that breaking a precept completely destroys the human life; I don’t mean this! Do you understand this? But most people say, if you break the precept, you are [out of the question]. That is really cold, don’t you think so? No compassion. [He laughs.] In a sense, strictly speaking, it’s pretty good, you know? Because it’s very serious, very strict. You love so much practicing strictly… but on the other hand, you don’t like strictness. [He laughs.]
So you must be strict, but on the other hand, you must be very compassionate. Strict practice must be backed by compassion and kindness, generosity. And then, you can really keep going, and living in peace. But otherwise, it’s very difficult to understand what the Precepts are, what human beings are… why we have to follow the precepts, why we have to believe the Triple Treasure, and why we have to make repentance, et cetera. It’s very difficult.
So, in general Buddhism, always first Buddhism shows us very basic principles: you have to stand up there, and you have to practice there. This is universal. On the other hand, Buddhism shows us: look at your everyday life. Are you alright? Can you follow this way? Are you standing up in this principle or discipline given by the buddhas and ancestors? Are you standing there? Look at your everyday life.
And then if you see your everyday life, completely your life is far from this principle or discipline, et cetera. And then most of people give up. But this is not compassionate toward the human life! Because it is not a reason why your practice, your real practice, your real life should be dispensed with. No.
So, you have to continue, go back, you have to stand up constantly in the basis of the teaching. That is “learn the backward step.” Constantly go back, go back, go back.
And then, take care of your everydayness with compassion, encouragement, generosity. That’s why there are the six paramitas there.