Rev. Jodo Cliff Clusin: Fukanzazengi (part 3)

Rev. Jodo Cliff Clusin concludes his talk on Fukanzazengi, Dogen's Universal Recommendations for Zazen (part 3).

Transcript

So, we're going to continue our leisurely stroll through the Phukhan Zazengi.

About halfway through, but we might finish today.

So, this is Dogen's instructions for Zazen, and he gives many pointers as to

our attitude towards Zazen.

And I also think of this as a little, he's a little bit marketing.

He's making an argument for Zaza and it's like, well, you know,

Buddha did it, Bodhidharma did it.

Why do you think you don't have to do that?

Very basic points.

So I'm going to tie into where I left off last time,

which is actually one of the most I think the word's enigmatic one of the most

confusing sentences in the whole text,

think of not thinking how do you think of not thinking,

non-thinking this is in itself the essential art of zazen.

So here's an explanation I've come up with recently after 50 years of running into this sentence.

And anyhow, this explanation currently works for me.

So not thinking sounds like a corrective. Like, oh my gosh, I'm thinking.

Let's not think.

And it occurs to me that's a little bit like,

don't think of a pink elephant so good luck with that don't think of a pink

elephant oh my gosh, I'm already thinking of a pink elephant.

Okay non-thinking,

it already exists so that'd be the realization of you know what But I was already

not thinking of a pink elephant.

The nature of reality is generally not thinking of a pink elephant. It already is our state.

So I say non-thinking is what's happening before thinking, after thinking, and during thinking.

Non-thinking is the basic state that already exists.

So thoughts are very ephemeral, very, and probably less substantial than we think.

So, that's my explanation for non-thinking as opposed to not-thinking.

Next paragraph. The sasana I speak of is not learning meditation.

It is simply the Dharma gate of repose and bliss the practice realization of

totally culminated enlightenment,

it is a manifestation of ultimate reality traps and snares can never reach it,

once its heart is grasped you are like the dragon when it gains the water like

the tiger when it enters the mountain,

For you must know that just there in Zazen, the right dharma is manifesting

itself, and that from the first, dullness and distraction are struck aside.

The Zazen I speak of is not learning meditation.

I don't know, when we learn a skill or a concept, we kind of are building on knowledge.

But he says, Zazen's not like that. So,

we say Zazen kind of involves unlearning.

Learning our you know, habitual.

Unconscious autopilot. You know, it's waking up from that. So I used to,

there's a meditation studio down in Denver and I taught secular mindfulness

meditation, which was actually Zazen.

I just didn't call it Zazen.

I made some minor things to it, but I taught it as kind of a one-shot deal.

I probably should have put together a series, but it was like...

But this couple, they came back for a few weeks in a row.

I said, oh, you're back. They said, yeah, we decided we're going to keep coming

until we have mastered meditation.

My thinking of that now is,

you know, good luck mastering meditation. If we're lucky, we'll let meditation master us.

So, okay, so it's not learning. meaning it's not, you know, a normal skill like that. What is it?

It is simply the Dharma gate of repose and bliss.

The practice realization of totally culminated enlightenment.

It is a manifestation of ultimate reality.

Traps and snares can never reach it. So once again, like non-thinking, this is,

it's, it is a gate that we, we do zasa and we go through this gate.

And And Dogen's point is the original nature is already there.

Repose and bliss is the natural state.

Totally culminated enlightenment is the natural state. Ultimate reality, it's already here.

So traps and snares can never reach it to me it's this isn't a game you know it's not,

and um,

just to hint at i think some people make zen practice into more complicated than it needs to be,

It's not a trick, it's not a trap.

It's already here. Then this next sentence is probably my favorite line in the whole Fukanzo Zenki.

Once its heart is grasped, you are like the dragon when it gains the water,

like the tiger when it enters the mouth.

So you can imagine a wild tiger that's out of its element, a dragon that's out of its element.

It's not doing that great compared to, I don't know, this just seems like such

a powerful image, you know, a tiger returning to the jungle,

a dragon returning to the ocean.

Just the sense of aliveness, the sense of being at home, the sense of some kind of power and energy.

So I think, you know, in a way, the analogy speaks for itself.

But I really like it.

But, I mean, he says, first he says, it's not learning meditation.

It sounds like, well, there's nothing happening. But then he says,

once his heart is grasped.

So there's something happening.

It's just not, it's just coming from the heart. It's coming from the whole spirit,

not so much learning, reading, reading, reading, learning, learning.

It's more like your heart.

For you must know that just there in Zazen the right Dharma is manifesting itself,

and that from the first dullness and distraction are struck aside.

So we normally think, oh man, I'm tired, I'm distracted, and I need to get to being free from that.

But I think Dugan's point is kind of like the not thinking, non-thinking,

our original state is actually,

alive and energetic and present.

So experience the dullness of distraction is kind of like thoughts.

That's a temporary thing, but the ground with what we practice on is already free from that.

When you rise from sitting, move slowly and quietly, calmly and deliberately.

Do not rise suddenly or abruptly.

In surveying the past, we find that transcendence of both unenlightenment and

enlightenment, and dying while either sitting or standing, have all depended

entirely on the strength of Zaza.

When you rise from sitting move slowly and quietly calmly and deliberately do

not rise suddenly or abruptly,

so this is a bit of a hallmark of Soto Zen is to,

the other remaining school of Zen they're pretty into jumping up I don't know how they do it,

they jump up and start running like right after the bell rings.

Somehow their legs must not be as asleep well I guess you can do anything but

practice Dogen's setting up a different, a little different approach like let's keep this,

calm, quiet, deliberate,

that's, you know, it's kind of grown out of zazen. But, you know,

he's just saying, well, this is,

the approach he uses. In surveying the past, we find the transcendence of both

unenlightenment and enlightenment.

Okay, everyone thinks, well, the point of practice is to transcend unenlightenment.

Okay, this is also a little bit different from my understanding of the Rensai School.

And I'm sure they're also into transcending enlightenment, but they really emphasize.

Transcending. On enlightenment, the dogon always makes it as a point,

don't get stuck on enlightenment.

You have to transcend your experience, your limited experience,

even if you have a wonderful, powerful enlightenment experience.

That's still a limited, temporary experience. You need to let go of that. You need to keep.

Keep transcending. Okay, this is an interesting point.

Dying while either sitting or standing. He says both these, the transcendence,

in this dying depended entirely on the strength of Zazen.

So, through Zazen can transcend on enlightenment and enlightenment.

So, Dogen does seem here slightly impressed with these stories of Zen teachers who,

they're dying, and they say, well, you know, I'm going to sit Zazen and die in the Zazen posture.

Or standing up, well, there's one story of a guy who decided, he did a headstand.

He said, I'm about to die now. I guess he was good at yoga, too.

He just set a headstand and died.

So then there's another story.

Teacher died sitting zazen. And then his body didn't fall over,

you know, he was just sitting there and the monks were like,

I don't know, he's sitting zazen, we can't like...

So his sister came, the teacher's sisters came and just pushed him over and

said, But, oh, he was always such a show-off.

So, in a way, Dogen seems to kind of—I mean, it must be hard.

I don't know what it's like to die, but I would think you probably don't feel that good, you know?

You probably—but, you know, if you're used to sitting Zazen when you don't feel that good, anyhow.

Anyhow, Togin seems a little impressed with this ability.

He goes on in this vein a little bit.

In addition, the bringing about of enlightenment by the opportunity provided

by a finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet,

in the effecting of realization with the aid of a hosu, a fist,

a staff, or a shout cannot be fully understood by discriminative thinking.

Indeed, it cannot be fully known by the practicing or realizing of supernatural powers either.

It must be deportment beyond hearing and seeing.

Is it not a principle that is prior to knowledge and perceptions.

So he's referring to the koans, the stories.

Maybe someone has traced back the story involving a finger, a banner.

That was the Ananda's enlightenment.

A needle or a mallet. And then I think a hosu is the ceremonial whisk.

That a teacher carries and then a fist, a staff.

So maybe just their stories, I think they just hold up a fist and hold up their staff.

Or some stories where they swing them around a bit. But,

so these examples of enlightenment,

well, he says they go beyond discriminative thinking.

And so sometimes supernatural powers come up, and even some of the Buddhist

literature, we think of those in terms of something that could be developed through meditation.

But he says it's deportment beyond hearing and seeing.

Is it not a principle prior to knowledge and perceptions?

So once again, he's pointing out this natural state that's already here.

But as humans, we're just kind of taught, we kind of live in,

oh, it's knowledge, you know.

I suppose you could say my explanation of not thinking, non-thinking.

Oh, that's like knowledge.

But no, actually, to understand it, you actually have to sit as in.

And prior to perceptions, so we're, you know, we think that reality is our knowledge

and our perceptions. You know, we're very.

We're very caught by perceptions. Which, of course, perceptions are what's happening.

But then you're tossed around by perceptions.

Then you're like, oh, this is the way it is. I had this perception.

But the perception, once again, is ephemeral.

Possible, possibly not as substantial as the whole of ultimate reality,

the way it is prior, prior to our thinking, prior to our perception.

So he says, because this is the way it is, this being the case,

intelligence or lack of it does not matter.

Between the dull and the sharp-witted, there is no distinction.

You concentrate your efforts single-mindedly, that in itself is negotiating the way.

Practice realization is naturally undefiled. Going forward in practice is a

matter of everydayness.

It's so very naturally we think an intellect is important, and it's true,

a lot of the people are attracted to this practice.

I think we've kind of gone the intellectual route, and it's like,

well, something's a little bit off.

And just thinking we're mastering things just through the intellect.

So then we turn to more immediate experience.

Chop wood, carry water, just take care of your life. We move toward that with kind of knowing.

But also we're still very precious against.

We might feel...

You might notice you feel a little...

Disappointed in people that don't seem to have your level of intellect.

You might notice that, I don't.

On the other hand, that's probably what people would think.

Pretty disappointed in our intellect. So,

anyhow, so he says it's not a matter of that, it's just It's a matter of, well, being present.

Concentrate your efforts single-mindedly negotiating the way. So just being present.

Letting a whole lot of stuff drop away. Once again, your heart,

your single, your effort,

is much more important than the intellect.

Once again, practice realization.

That's another hallmark of Dogen is,

equating practice and realization without a gap.

Kind of undermining, first I'm going to practice, then I'm going to have realization.

His point is, well, you know, realization's already here.

It's available.

It's right there. When you practice, practicing is realization.

And realizing is practice. Practice is what realized people do.

Um...

Okay, and then this is Shokin's favorite line coming up here.

Going forward in practice is a matter of everydayness.

Oh, he says that every day.

It's just taking care one step at a time, one dish at a time, one everydayness.

That's where it's at.

He's not too big on study useless like well this is it let's just take care

of every day pretty good pretty good medicine,

pretty good for awakening up okay the next section is a little bit difficult for me.

In general, this world and other worlds as well, both in India and China,

equally hold the Buddha seal.

And overall prevails the character of this school, which is simply devotion

to sitting, total engagement in a mobile sitting.

Although it is said that there are as many minds as

there are people still they all negotiate the

way solely in Zazen why leave behind the seat that exists in your own home and

go aimlessly off to the dusty realms of other lands if you make one misstep

you go astray from the way directly before you.

Well, I guess I have trouble with the line.

Overall, prevails the character of this school. But this essay is really,

I mean, it's kind of about Soto Zen, but it's also, it's about Zazen.

And it's about the ultimate reality.

That is here. So...

But I'm still, like, not comfortable with,

well, it just sounds too much like bragging and putting down other people overall

prevails the character of the school.

However, last year I heard a talk,

one of our virtual field trips, and the teacher, he presented this kind of conceptual

diagram done by a professor of mindfulness.

And then in Fort Collins has a you can get a PhD in mindfulness and he put out

like 42 mindful activities and I understand the teacher he wanted to say the

Zen Center is just kind of not just,

rigidly zazen or nothing, but I think he... I kind of was a little bit upset.

He's kind of like, well there's yoga, there's tai chi, there's writing poetry,

you know, they're all just like zazen.

They're all... well yes, of course. But on the other hand,

Sazen's pretty unique.

So I'm a little bit like, my dog in here is like, well, the point I'm trying to make is Sazen.

However, so,

like you said, the koans' stories, which inspire us and challenge us,

they came from out of the milieu of a bunch of people practicing a lot of zazen.

So he's equating zazen with reality the way it is.

So reality the way it is prevails over everything before we start.

And actually, there's other parts where Dogen says, we shouldn't say Soto Zen.

We shouldn't even say Zen.

Other times he comes across as kind of non-sectarian. Like, well,

we'll just practice meditation.

So, like a lot of...

The genius is, I mean, contradiction is his basic reality once we start talking.

So, so he can be all, he can make both points.

Okay, this character in this school, which is simply a devotion to sitting,

total engagement in immobile sitting.

And last time I didn't go into the word, just before he talks about not thinking,

he says, settle into a steady, immobile sitting position. I didn't talk about immobile.

I'm going to talk about immobile a little bit now because I've done a fair amount

of sitting with Tibetan Buddhist groups, a fair amount of sitting with Vipassana,

a fair amount of sitting with Thich Nhat Hanh groups.

And Zazen is kind of unique in stressing sitting still, which seems it's pretty intense.

I think that's one thing that makes people a little less comfortable with Zen.

Okay, one thing to know is we're not exactly sitting still because if you pay

close attention to your body and your breath, your body is moving.

It's like that.

When you breathe in, actually, your shoulders rise, if you pay attention.

So there's this kind of soothing internal massage happening as we're sitting.

So it's not like a rock through and through.

If it's a rock, it's a breathing rock. It's constantly,

well, if you get right down to it, your heart's moving, your digestion's moving,

your circulation's moving.

So it's not quite, it's not a dead stone.

On the other hand, let me say, I haven't had poison ivy, but,

I mean, so that might be different.

But I'd say I have never had an itch that doesn't go away eventually without itching it.

And it can be just a super, super strong itch, and I'm sitting there and it seems rather inhuman.

Like this seems like, what is this, torture or something? It's like,

no, I'm not going to itch it.

And I've never had an itch that doesn't go away.

So, sitting pretty still, but it's not, I don't, my approach isn't to not make a big deal out of it.

So, there's one thing, like, avoiding fidgeting, or like, avoiding just randomly

rubbing your face and stuff.

I'm just sitting pretty still, but so sometimes sitting still in a stable posture,

after a while our legs hurt, our back hurts, so then we say, well,

we adjust your posture and then sit still again.

And so beginning sitters, me especially, like every five or ten minutes,

I've got to lift up my knees and hug them with my arms.

And then when I lift up my knees, hug them with my arms, I just sit still like that for five minutes.

And then go back, cross my legs, sit still like that for five minutes.

So some Zen centers say when you're going to move to bow first,

but currently that's not my approach.

That's just kind of more stuff. So when you move, just move.

Just take care of yourself.

But it's pretty different.

Everyone brings in their water bottle. And they're sitting there and they're

like, well, I think I'm going to take a swig of water.

Sure, that's natural. That's human. But if you don't bring your water bottle.

Just do your best to sit still. It brings up energy. It brings up intensity. It brings up awareness.

In a way that I think is pretty powerful.

Anyhow, don't take my word for it.

Okay, where was I? Stuck on immobile. Okay, there's as many minds as there are people.

Okay, yeah, he's not talking about getting rid of differences.

But in Sazen, they all do Sazen, and their uniqueness comes up, lots of stuff comes up.

So he's not saying there's some people that can't do zazen.

He's saying whatever you, whoever you are, whatever your mind is, zazen is available.

Why leave behind the seat that exists in your home and go aimlessly off to the

dusty realms of other lands?

The point here being this is a practice you can do now. So, it's like, kids, try this at home.

Don't try this at home.

It's available. But yes, everyone thinks, oh, I've got to go to,

I don't want to get into the Monastery in Japan thing, but they think they have

to go somewhere, some special place. It's available now.

If you make one misstep, you'll go astray from the way directly before you.

Well, our practice is to pay attention to what's directly before us.

And when we don't, it's kind of a misstep.

But fortunately for us, time moves on pretty quick. so.

So they're still directly before us.

You have gained the pivotal opportunity of human form. Do not use your time in vain.

You are maintaining the essential working of the Buddha way.

Who would take wasteful delight in the spark from the Flintstone?

Besides, form and The substance are like the dew on the grass,

destiny like the dart of lightning, emptied in an instant, vanished in the flesh.".

So traditional Buddhist teaching does teach about reincarnation,

and out of all the many life forms,

There's practically infinite lifeforms, whereas human lifeform is, there's not that many.

So if you believe that way, it's a motivation.

Like, wow, this is, let's take advantage of being a human this time,

and the Buddha way is available for us humans.

Especially because we need it. We were born, I said,

with the miraculous power of intellectual discrimination which has some rather nasty side effects.

I don't know if they—before we were born, there was like a warning.

You can choose this human form but you should know that here's the side effects anxiety worry.

Anyhow do not use your time in vain,

you are maintaining the essential working at the Buddha way it would take wasteful

delight in the spark from a Flintstone well children would,

kind of you just like you know the Flintstone is meant for starting a fire and

starting a fire is like important to staying alive,

so maybe they kept that tool kind of,

in a safe place but kid pulls it out with these sparks so I don't know So, um,

well, so, I don't, well, there's a balance.

It's a balance between, uh, some need for enjoyment and downtime or,

so I think, video games, but, uh.

I don't want to criticize video games, because I've never played them. I can't.

I try, and I can't. Like, the basketball was going the wrong direction, you know.

I can't figure this video game stuff out.

But on the other hand, video games seem like, well, you're being pretty present.

You're developing this kind of tactile skill. So anyhow,

but I am, yeah, have questionable habits around this thing and the Washington Post.

And so that's balance in human life.

And we need to work out that balance for ourselves.

But something like Zazen is pretty easy to not do.

So Dogen's making a point that we should wake up to our condition and our especially

form and substance are like the dew on the grass.

Destiny, like the dart of lightning, emptied in an instant, vanished in a flash.

Impermanence.

Uh my the boss i work for it's

uh he'll say to me periodically you know if you count up how many months you

have left to live it's shocking so he's in his uh early 50s i think uh so you know he He doesn't have,

I did teach him and his partner meditation in there.

They do guided meditations. He goes, oh no, there's no way I'm sitting in silence.

So they're not quite my students, but they do say I led them to guided meditations,

which they start their day with.

Anyhow, the point is, he's right.

And I, well, as I'm kind of physically, mentally deteriorating here,

it seems more true than ever.

I don't have a lot of time left. and that's the case for everybody so so what

do we want to do with the time we have left okay last paragraph it's a great one.

Please, honored followers of Zen, long accustomed to groping for the elephant,

do not be suspicious of the true dragon.

Devote your energies to a way that directly indicates the Absolute,

revere the person of complete attainment who is beyond all human agency,

gain accord with the enlightenment of the Buddhists succeed to the legitimate

lineage of the Ancestor Samadhi.

Constantly perform in such a manner and you are assured of being a person such as they.

Your treasure store will open of itself and you will use it at will.

Please honored followers of zen long accustomed to groping for the elephant,

do not be suspicious of the two true dragon so there are two stories in that sentence,

And this story of the blind people feeling an elephant and describing it,

one is holding the leg, an elephant's like a tree,

one's touching the sides, this is the rough wall, one's touching the tusk,

this feels, and they're all describing.

And this is the human condition, they're all describing reality from their point of view,

And they're all 100% sure they're right.

But they also happen to be blind.

So this is the way we all are. We're all like, oh, this is, man,

this is what I've lived through. This is what I know. This is what I believe.

This is it, you know.

And they've done studies with a ball perfectly painted blue and one half blue

and one half red. and two people facing each other looking at the same ball.

And they've done this by age, where young people just can't fathom what's going

on. No, this ball is red. This ball is blue.

So that story is a very important point for humans.

Then there's another story. Do not be suspicious of the true dragon.

It's a wonderful story. There was a guy in ancient China, whatever, who loved dragons.

He bought every book about dragons. He had every kind of artwork about dragons.

Just really obsessed with dragons. We can relate.

People get obsessed with things. So there was a dragon who heard about this

guy. And he's like, wow, this is cool.

You know, there's this guy that likes dragons. I'm going to go visit him.

So, the dragon came and stuck his head in the window, and the guy, he fainted.

Just stone cold fainted. He could not handle a real dragon.

Well, this is our situation. Token is saying, Sazen practice is the real thing,

and sentimentally, intellectually, we're like, yeah, God, that is just so great.

But it's actually...

There's actually a true dragon, not just our conceptual one.

And we can stop being freaked out by it.

So that's a beautiful line.

Devote your energies to a way that directly indicates the absolute. Now,

similar to if you want to attain suchness, you should practice suchness without delay.

Anyhow, be interested in, be interested in and apply yourself to what's directly indicated,

about reality. right now.

Then revere the person of complete attainment who is beyond all human agency.

Gain accord with the enlightenment of the Buddhas.

Succeed the legitimate lineages of the ancestor Samadhi.

Constantly perform in such a manner and you are assured of being a person such as they.

So we can take as a role model we can take be inspired by,

the practitioners in the past,

and once again we're all individuals we're all of our own ways,

that we want to go about it but still he's saying this is available,

if you follow this teaching he says perform in such a manner.

You are assured of being a person such as that.

So I say,

on one hand it's not that simple, on the other hand it is that simple.

And the final line, beautiful, the treasure store will open of itself and you will use it at will.

So, a little contradiction here, but, so you don't master Zazen,

you let Zazen master you.

You don't attain enlightenment, it's a happy accident, because we're trying

to make ourself accident prone.

So there's some triangle but it opens of itself.

You're a treasure store. You have a treasure store. It opens of itself.

You're not there saying like you're not there saying don't think.

You're not there saying open.

I'm going to open it.

It's a couple. I'm going to master meditation in two weeks. It opens of itself.

Then it says, and you will use it at will. So the freedom, you talk about freedom,

so being a way to kind of know you have choices, to know.

So this treasure store, you know, there's part of you that, you know,

you're in charge, you can decide.

There's a freedom here. So you both have, you know,

you still have autonomy to make your own decisions, decide what to use and what not to use.

However you might have this good fortune of your well he says your treasure

store will open it will but of itself so I'm glad there's a some more lifetimes,

okay.