..續本文上一頁erstanding:

　　The practice is some—something which we try to get out of evil. This is our practice. If we by training—eventually we will attain enlightenment, and we would be completely free from evil. That is our practice.

　　This is usual understanding. But this practice is small practice, not big practice, not pure practice. That practice is your small practice. There is no big mind in your practice. So to be aware of—to—knowing what is true buddha-nature—what is true nature—being aware of it, and—and practice our practice as a practice of big mind is our true practice.

　　So in our practice there is no evil or no good. It is not matter of evil or good. Both is good. There is no need to fight with it. Just let them come and let them go out. So-called-it evil or good are something which your small mind created. In—for your true nature there is no good or bad. Your true nature is something which is beyond good or bad. It is valuable because it is beyond good and bad. It is valuable—it is—because you cannot figure out what it is.

　　If you cannot accept something intelligible, you are still pursuing good or bad in worldly sense, scientific way, philosophical way, or ethical way. You are not pursuing religious practice.

　　Ryōkan—do you know Ryōkan

　　[1] A famous Sōtō priest. He didn”t mind—[he said] “nothing bad”—the secret of the Sōtō way. Concerning Sōtō practice, he was very strict, but [laughs] he didn”t—he didn”t mind whatever they say or whatever he himself feel. He doesn”t mind—he didn”t mind at all. Even though he is sick, he didn”t mind. Even though people did not understand him, he did not mind at all. But if someone ask seriously—seriously, if he is not serious he didn”t mind, but when he thought someone was quite serious or sincere, he mind very much. And if he—if someone ask him what is Sōtō way, he was very serious. While he has strict sense of buddha-nature, his buddha-nature is very very sharp and strict. Because of that strictness, he can accept whatever life he had—he could accept his life—his poor and humble and unfortunate life. But he didn”t mind at all because he had, you know, strict sense of buddha-nature.

　　So our practice is the practice to accept everything as it is and to do things as much as you can. Don”t be greedy about your progress in your practice. If you can make progress, little by little, as much as you can, that is enough. But concerning to the sense of buddha-nature, it should be very clear and strict.

　　We say you cannot plant any plants on the stone [laughs]. You should be like a stone. You cannot plant anything on it. Any good or evil cannot grow on the buddha-nature. It is so hard and so strict. Good and bad is delusion. Any delusion can [cannot

　　] grow on your spirit. Or we say shinsatsu[2]—when you—this is Chinese word. You cannot—any needle can—cannot thrust into—thrust into a stone. Shinsatsu—when you—it is impossible to thrust a needle into a iron. This kind of spirit is wanted when you practice our practice. Then you will make—little by little you will make progress.

　　So Dōgen-zenji says our practice is like to go through the fog. It is not like to go out in thunderstorm [laughs]. If you go out in heavy rain, your clothes will be all-at-once wet. You will be soaked in water, but sudden rainstorm will not penetrate in your, you know, underwear. It will [laughs] [probably gestures to show water running off a surface]—but fog—when you walk through the thick fog for a long time, even though you don”t know—realize your clothing is wet, it is wet, and it will penetrate into your underwear. This is the true practice. You don”t think you made some progress, but [laughs] you did a remarkable progress if someone who knows what is real practice will acknowledge…

《Sesshin Lecture: 9 AM - July 29 1965》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…