..續本文上一頁ay life. He was very, very particular because he thought it is impossible to express what does it mean by bodhisattva”s way in word or in philosophy. Before he gave up philosophy, before he gave up art, or literature, or scientific approach, he had had pretty good understanding of science. Today we call it science, but at that time in Japan there is no idea of science. It was twelfth century. But he was—in this point he was wonderful person. He [laughs]—he understood—in his mind—he was very scientific mind, and he was—he understood philosophy of history and history—philosophy itself. And he had good knowledge of philosophy of religion as you started at—by—after Kant.

　　By the way, when we say science or philosophy, we mean pure science, pure philosophy, not philosophy under the authority of God or some particular belief. It is the same philosophy after you have had—after—since Renaissance. This is good points—good point—one of the good points of Buddhism. We, you know, we treat human being as human being. Religion is not some particular thing. Religion is to find—to find true meaning of human nature. We do not try to change human being to God. From beginning to end, we are human being. We should be human being. There is no need to be God [laughs]. Some religion, you know, treat us as a god.

　　Christian—in Christianity, I think it is impossible for you to be a god, the God. So for Christianity there is—Christian—there is no danger in this point [laughs]. Human being is always human being. I don”t know after you die what you will become. What will become of you I don”t know. You go to heaven and [laughs] you—will you become a god or what

　　 I don”t know exactly. Maybe even though you go to heaven, you are human being and simple person, maybe. Unless you cannot be a god. Which [laughs]—which is it

　　 Will you bec- [partial word]—do you—are you supposed to be a god when you go to heaven

　　 Or still human being

　　Student A: In Christianity

　　[Some discussion in audience ensues, mostly unclear:]

　　Student B: Angels.

　　Student C: Angels.

　　Student B: Angels, say.

　　Suzuki-rōshi: Angels.

　　Student B: Some think they”re in-between. [Laughter.]

　　Student D: Neither one. Hee-hee.

　　Suzuki-rōshi: Neither. Anyway, that is not our problem so much [laughs, laughter]. For us, you know, even though you become, you attain enlightenment, you are also human being, not—and “buddha” is another name for a human being. Buddha and human being is same nature, same quality—same one quality, strictly speaking. It does not mean you become buddha, or buddha devaluated [

　　] to human being. It is not so. Same quality. When you realize your nature, you are—true nature, you are called “buddha.” And what is buddha-nature is the point.

　　In this point and—in your philosophy, Northrop[4] came to the nearly the same conclusion. It was—it was not so hard for philosophers to explain or to establish phil- [partial word]—authority of philosophy even over the religion. They thought they could understand religion in philosophical way, in scientific way. So they tried and tried and tried and discussed and discussed until almost all the religious—almost his own religious mind can accept his own philosophy. And conclusion was that the idea of God is not something better than human—idea of human being or less—or less than the idea of human being. Ideal—by ideal what he meant was the same idea we have, our true nature, that ideal is not better than human being or worse than human being. It is human nature itself, according to Northrop. This is very close, you know.

　　So in this way he, you know, replaced idea of God for idea of human nature. In human nature, there is authority which is nothing bigger than—nothing stro- [partial word]—nothing better …

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