"The Three Principal Aspects of the Path" by Lama Yeshe

During His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 1982 teachings at Institut Vajra Yogini, France, Lama Yeshe was asked to "baby-sit" the audience for a couple of days when His Holiness manifested illness. The result is this excellent two-part introduction to the path to enlightenment, in which Lama explains renunciation, bodhicitta and the right view of emptiness. These talks are included in Lama Yeshe's book The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism. You can also view these talks on DVD. For more information go to: www.lamayeshe.com.

Today, I'm unfortunate. And today, you're unfortunate as well, because you have to put up with me, the garbage man. You have to put up with my garbage; I'm the garbage man. Due to circumstance, His Holiness is experiencing some discomfort with his health, so we should all pray for his good health...and so that it won't be necessary to be in this situation, where you have to put up with my garbage. However, due to these circumstances, His Holiness has given me permission to baby-sit you.

Now, His Holiness has chosen a particular text by Lama Je Tsongkhapa, which we call The Three Principal Paths to Liberation, or Enlightenment. So today I'm going to try to give you an introduction to this text, but going into it in detail is not my business.

In Tibetan, we call this text Lam-tso nam-sum. Historically, this book derives from Lama Je Tsongkhapa's direct, visual communication with Lord Manjushri. Manjushri gave him this teaching and then Lama Je Tsongkhapa gave it to his disciples: Lam-tso nam-sum, the Three Principal Aspects. This is a small text, but it contains the essence of the entire teaching of Lord Buddha. Also, while it is very simple and practical, it is a universal teaching that everybody can understand.

Now, the three principles are renunciation, bodhicitta and the wisdom of shunyata; these three are called the principal, essential paths to liberation.

I want you to understand why they are called the three essential, or principal, paths to liberation, because in the Western world, the word "renunciation" has a different connotation; people get scared that they will lose their pleasure. But without renunciation, there's no way out.

Renunciation

First of all, all of us consider that we would like to be free from ego mind and the bondage of samsara. But what binds us to samsara and makes us unhappy is not having renunciation. Now, what is renunciation? What makes us renounced?

The reason we are unhappy is because we have extreme craving for sense objects, samsaric objects, and we grasp at them. We are seeking to solve our problems but we are not seeking in the right place. The right place is our own ego grasping; we have to loosen that tightness, that's all.

According to the Buddhist point of view, monks and nuns are supposed to hold renunciation vows. The meaning of monks and nuns renouncing the world is that they have less craving for and grasping at sense objects. But you cannot say that they have already given up samsara, because monks and nuns still have stomachs! The thing is that the English word "renounce" is linguistically tricky. You can say that monks and nuns renounce their stomachs, but that doesn't necessarily mean they actually throw their stomachs away.

So, I want you to understand that renouncing sensory pleasure doesn't mean throwing nice things away. Even if you do, it doesn't mean you have renounced them. Renunciation is a totally inner experience. Renunciation of samsara does not mean you throw samsara away because your body and your nose are samsara. How can you throw your nose away? Your mind and body are samsara --well, at least mine are. So I cannot throw them away. Therefore, renunciation means less craving; it means being more reasonable instead of putting too much psychological pressure on yourself and acting crazy.

The important point for us to know, then, is that we should have less grasping at sense pleasures, because most of the time our grasping at and craving desire for worldly pleasure does not give us satisfaction. That is the main point. It leads to more dissatisfaction and to psychologically crazier reactions. That is the main point.

If you have the wisdom and method to handle objects of the five senses perfectly such that they do not bring negative reactions, it's all right for you to touch them. And, as human beings, we should be capable of judging for ourselves how far we can go into the experience of sense pleasure without getting mixed up and confused. We should judge for ourselves; it is completely up to individual experience. It's like French wine-some people cannot take it at all. Even though they would like to, the constitution of their nervous system doesn't allow it. But other people can take a little; others can take a bit more; some can take a lot.

So, I want you to understand why Buddhist scriptures completely forbid monks and nuns from drinking wine. It is not because wine is bad; grapes are bad. Grapes and vines are beautiful; the color of red wine is fantastic. But because we are ordinary beginners on the path to liberation, we can easily get caught up in negative energy. That's the reason. It is not that wine itself is bad. This is a good example for renunciation.

Who was the great Indian saint who drank wine? Do you remember that story? I don't recall who it was, but this saint went into a bar and drank and drank until the bartender finally asked him, "How are you going to pay?" The saint replied, "I'll pay when the sun sets." But the sun didn't set and the saint just kept on drinking. The bartender wanted his money but somehow he controlled the sunset. These kinds of higher realization-we can call them miraculous or esoteric realizations-are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like us, but this saint was able to control the sun and drank perhaps thirty gallons of wine. And he didn't even have to make pee-pee!

Now, my point is that renunciation of samsara is not only the business of monks and nuns. Whoever is seeking liberation or enlightenment needs renunciation of samsara. If you check your own life, your own daily experiences, you will see that you are caught up in small pleasures-we [Buddhists] consider such grasping to be a tremendous hang-up and not of much value. However, the Western way of thinking-"I should have the best; the biggest"-is similar to our Buddhist attitude that we should have the best, most lasting, perfect pleasure rather than spending our lives fighting for the pleasure of a glass of wine.

Therefore, the grasping attitude and useless actions have to be abandoned and things that make your life meaningful and liberated have to be actualized.

But I don't want you to understand only the philosophical point of view. We are capable of examining our own minds and comprehending what kind of mind brings everyday problems and is not worthwhile, both objectively and subjectively. This is the way that meditation allows us to correct our attitudes and actions. Don't think, "My attitudes and actions come from my previous karma, therefore I can't do anything." That's a misunderstanding of karma. Don't think, "I am powerless." Human beings do have power. We have the power to change our lifestyles, change our attitudes, change our habits. We can call that capacity Buddha potential, God potential or whatever you want to call it. That's why Buddhism is simple. It is a universal teaching that can be understood by all people, religious or non-religious.

The opposite of renunciation of samsara-to put what I'm saying another way-is the extreme mind that we have most of the time: the grasping, craving mind that gives us an overestimated projection of objects, which has nothing to with the reality of those objects.

However, I want you to understand that Buddhism is not saying that objects have no beauty whatsoever. They do have beauty-a flower has a certain beauty, but that beauty is only conventional, or relative. The craving mind, however, projects onto an object something that is beyond the relative level, which has nothing to do with that object, that hypnotizes us. That mind is hallucinating, deluded and holding the wrong entity.

Without intensive observation or introspective wisdom, we cannot discover this. For that reason, Buddhist meditation includes checking. We call checking in this way analytical meditation. It involves logic; it involves philosophy. So Buddhist philosophy and psychology help us see things better. Therefore, analytical meditation is a scientific way of analyzing our own experience.

Finally, I also want you to understand that monks and nuns may not be renounced at all. It's true, isn't it? In Buddhism, we talk about superficial structure and universal structure. So when we say monks and nuns renounce, it means we're trying, that's all. Westerners sometimes think monks and nuns are holy. We're not holy; we're just trying. That's reasonable. Don't overestimate again, on that. Lay people, monks and nuns-we're all members of the Buddhist community. We should understand each other well and then let go; leave things as they are. It's unhealthy to have overestimated expectations of each other.

OK, now I'd better get back to business. I think that's enough of an introduction to renunciation. Now, bodhicitta.

Bodhicitta

Bodhicitta is like this. First, you have to understand your own ego problems-craving, desire, anger, impatience; your own situation, your inability to cope, your own disasters-within yourself and feel compassion for yourself. Because of the situation you're in, start by becoming the object of your own compassion. It begins from there: "This situation I'm in, I'm not the only one with ego conflict and problems. In all the world's societies, some people are upper class, some middle and others low; some are extremely beautiful, some are medium and others are ugly. But, just like me, everybody seeks happiness and does not desire to be miserable."

In this way, a feeling of equilibrium begins to come. Somehow, deep within you, equilibrium towards enemies, strangers and friends arises-it is not merely intellectual but something really sincere. It comes from deep down; from the bottom of your heart.

Buddhism teaches you the meditational technique for equalizing all living beings in the universe. Without a certain degree of equilibrium feeling with all universal living beings, it's impossible to say, "I want to give my life to others." Nor is it possible to develop bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is most precious, a diamond mind. In order to have space for bodhicitta, you have to feel that all universal living beings are equal.

But I want you to understand the distinction between the communist and the Buddhist idea of equality. It's possible for you to experience the Buddhist idea of equilibrium right now; you can't experience the communist idea even after a billion years-unless everybody has a gun! It's not possible.

The point is that Buddhism considers that we should have realization of equilibrium because we need a healthy mind. Equalizing others is something to be done within my mind, not by changing human beings externally. My business is not to be bothered by mental projections of disliked enemy, grasped-at friend or forgettable stranger. These three categories of object are made by my own mind; they do not exist outside.

As long as you have as an object of hatred even one human being, as long as you have an overestimated object of craving desire, as long as you have an indifferent object of ignorance-someone you ignore and don't care about-as long as you have the three poisons of hatred, desire and ignorance in relation to these three objects, you have a problem. It is not the objects' problem.

How can I be happy if Elisabeth [the French interpreter] is my biggest problem, my enemy? How can I be happy? Equilibrium is something to do with the inner experience. Forget about bodhicitta-we all have a long way to go. What I'm trying to express is that Tibetan Buddhism and Lama Tsongkhapa consider that equilibrium is most difficult to realize. So, it's worthwhile at least to try. Even though it is difficult, try.

Another way of describing equilibrium is to call it the middle way. That is why, from a practical point of view, in order for Buddhists to be healthy we should have an equalized feeling with Western religion and eastern religion. We should have an equalized feeling and respect for people who practice Christianity. That's the way to be happy, and happiness is your main business. I think it's a mistake for Western baby Buddhists to think that Buddhism is better than Christianity. It's wrong. First of all, it's not true, and secondly, it creates bad vibrations and makes your mind unhealthy.

I really feel that Buddhists can learn a lot from Christians. Recently I was in Spain and visited some Christian monasteries. The renunciation and way of life of some of those Christian monks seems much better than the renunciation I've seen in many Tibetan monasteries. Monks in Tibetan monastic communities often have individualistic attitudes, whereas the monks I saw in the Christian communities seemed to be completely unified. They had no individual possessions. For me, those monks were objects of refuge. Of course, if being individualistic is what an individual needs for his or her spiritual growth, that's all right. That's why different religions exist.

However, you should practice equilibrium in your daily life as much as you can. Try to have neither enemies nor objects of tremendous, exaggerated grasping. In this way, in the space of your equilibrium, you can grow bodhicitta-the attitude dedicated to all universal living beings.

Bodhicitta is an extremely high realization. It is the complete opposite of the self-cherishing attitude. You completely give yourself into the service of others in order to lead them to the highest liberation, which is beyond temporary happiness.

Our thoughts are extreme. Sometimes we put too much emphasis on and tremendous energy into activities from which we gain nothing. Look at certain athletes, for example; or people who put all their money and energy into motorcycle jumping and end up killing themselves. What for?

Bodhicitta is very practical, I tell you. It's like medicine. The self-cherishing thought is like a nail or a sword in your heart; it always feels uncomfortable. With bodhicitta, from the moment you begin to open, you feel incredibly peaceful and you get tremendous pleasure and inexhaustible energy. Forget about enlightenment-as soon as you begin to open yourself to others, you gain tremendous pleasure and satisfaction. Working for others is very interesting; it's an infinite activity. Your life becomes continuously rich and interesting.

You can see how easily Western people get bored; as a result, they take drugs and so forth. They are easily bored; they can't see what else to do. It's not that people who take drugs are necessarily unintelligent. They do have intelligence, but they don't know where to put their energy so that it is beneficial to society and themselves. They're blocked; they can't see. Therefore, they destroy themselves.

If you don't want to understand bodhicitta as an attitude dedicated to others-and sometimes it can be difficult to understand it in that way-you can also think of it as a selfish attitude. Why? In practice, when you begin to open yourself to others, you find that your heart is completely tied; your "I," or your ego, is tied. Lama Je Tsongkhapa [in his Three Principal Aspects of the Path] described the ego as an "iron net of self-grasping." How do you loosen these bonds? When you begin to dedicate yourself to others, you yourself experience unbelievable peace, unbelievable relaxation. Therefore, I'm saying, with the selfish attitude [of wanting to experience that peace and relaxation], you can practice dedicating yourself to others.

What really matters is your attitude. If your attitude is one of openness and dedication to all universal living beings, it is enough to relax you. In my opinion, having an attitude of bodhicitta is much more powerful-and much more practical in a Western environment-than squeezing yourself in meditation.

Anyway, our twentieth century lives don't allow us time for meditation. Even if we try, we're sluggish. "I was up too late last night; yesterday I worked so hard...." I really believe that the strong, determined, dedicated attitude of "Every day, for the rest of my life, and especially today, I will dedicate myself to others as much as I possibly can," is very powerful. Anyway, some people's attitude towards meditation is that they want some kind of concrete concentration [right now]. It's not possible to develop concrete concentration in a short time without putting your life together. And Westerners find it is very difficult to put their lives together; it's the most difficult thing. Of course, this is just the projection of a Tibetan monk! However, if you don't organize your life, how can you be a good meditator? It's not possible. How can you have good meditation if your life is in disorder?

I don't know what I'm saying! I think I'd better control myself!

Emptiness

The next topic is shunyata. But don't worry; His Holiness is going to explain shunyata. However, what I am going to say is that these three-renunciation, bodhicitta and the wisdom of universal reality-are the essence of Buddhism, the essence of Christianity; the essence of universal religion. There's no contradiction at all. Westerners easily rationalize that when a Buddhist monk talks about these three topics, he's on an Eastern trip, but these topics are neither Eastern culture nor Tibetan culture.

Historically, Shakyamuni Buddha taught the four noble truths. To whose culture do the four noble truths belong? The essence of religion has nothing to do with any one particular country's culture. Compassion, love, reality-to whose culture do they belong? The people of any country, any nation, can implement the three principal aspects of the path, the four noble truths or the eightfold path. There's no contradiction at all.

Also, you have to understand that the transmission of these three principal aspects of the path was passed from Lord Manjushri to Lama Tsongkhapa and from Lama Tsongkhapa down to the present time. It's not some exclusive Gelugpa thing; all four Tibetan traditions contain these three principles. Do not hold the misconception that the four traditions practice differently. You can't say that Kagyu, Gelug, Sakya and Nyingma renunciations are different; that Gelug refuge is different from Kagyu refuge. How can you say that? Even if Shakyamuni Buddha comes here and says, "They're different," I'm going to reject what he says. Even if Shakyamuni manifests here, radiating light, saying, "They're different," I'm going to reply, "No, they're not."

People are easily deluded; they hallucinate easily. The first and only thing you have to do in order to become a Buddhist is to take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha; that's all. How, then, can you say that Gelug refuge and Kagyu refuge are different? I want you to understand this. We have very limited concepts, limited orientation. I want you to see how limited human beings are.

Let me give you an example. Vietnamese Buddhists cannot visualize a Tibetan Buddha. Tibetans cannot visualize a Chinese Buddha. It is very difficult for Westerners to visualize a Japanese Buddha. Does that mean you ignore all these other Buddhas? Does that mean you discriminate, "I take refuge in only Tibetan Buddhas"? Or, "I take refuge in only Western Buddhas. I give up Eastern Buddhas; I give up Japanese Buddhas." Do you understand how we are limited? This is what I call human beings' limitation. They cannot understand things on the universal level and project in a culturally limited way so that their ego has something to hang on to; the Buddha that each nation's Buddhists hang on to is but an object of their ego-grasping.

Also, I've checked Western people out scientifically. Many Westerners have studied Tibetan thangka painting and the Buddhas they create are completely different. The Buddhas they paint are completely westernized, even though the dimensions are fixed precisely according to the Tibetan style and the examples they copy are also Tibetan. This is my scientific experience. This shows that human do things through only their own limited experience.

Anyway, I think it is such a pity that Gelugpas don't want to take refuge in objects that Nyingmapas also take refuge in, such as Padmasambhava. It's written in many Gelug Tibetan texts that Lama Je Tsongkhapa was a manifestation of Padmasambhava. Maybe I can also say that Lama Je Tsongkhapa was a manifestation of Jesus.

Well, I tell you, misconceptions can arise from when you first take refuge. But you have to learn that taking refuge is not simple; it's very profound. If, at the very beginning, you take refuge with a fanatical understanding of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, you freak out; you become a Buddhist fanatic. If you are truly Buddhist, my advice is to take refuge in the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. In the ten directions there's no division into west or east. Sometimes I think that orientation through the eye sense is not so good. Anyway, Buddha and Dharma are not objects of the eye sense.

The Christian way of explaining God as something universal and omnipresent is good. Actually, that's a good way of understanding things-better than "My Buddha; my Dharma; my Sangha." That's rubbish! That itself is the problem. If you get attached to the particular object of "my lama" or "my things," it's ridiculous. Buddha himself said that we should not be attached to him, or to enlightenment, or to the six paramitas. We should not be attached to anything.

Well, time's almost up. I still feel it's unfortunate that His Holiness could not come. I really feel that inviting His Holiness is like having a second Buddha come to this earth. Therefore, it is un-fortunate that he cannot be here and you have to put up with such garbage-an ordinary person like me.

From - "The Three Principle Aspects Of The Path" by Lama Yeshe, copyright Wisdom Publications.

Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935–1984) was a Tibetan lama who, while exiled in Nepal, co-founded Kopan Monastery  and the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. Trained in the Gelugpa tradition Lama Yeshe was renowned for his dynamic, humorous and somewhat unconventional teaching style. He was also hugely responsible for generating much interest and growth of Tibetan Buddhism in the west.

It was reported that Lama Yeshe deliberately refused the prestigious "Geshe" degree, despite having studied for it: Many years later, when pressed why he had shunned the degree, he would laugh: "And be Geshe Yeshe?"

Sera Monastery did award him an honorary geshe degree in the early 80s. He also used to joke that he was a Tibetan hippie: "I dropped out!"

"Beginners Mind and Zazen" - Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to sit in the cross-legged position, or to attain enlightenment. It is difficult because it is hard to keep our mind pure and our practice pure in its fundamental sense. The Zen school developed in many ways after it was established in China, but at the same time, it became more and more impure. But I do not want to talk about Chinese Zen or the history of Zen. I am interested in helping you keep your practice from becoming impure.

In Japan we have the phrase shoshin, which means "beginner's mind." The goal of practice is always to keep our beginner's mind. Suppose you recite the Prajna Paramita Sutra only once. It might be a very good recitation. But what would happen to you if you recited it twice, three times, four times, or more? You might easily lose your original attitude towards it. The same thing will happen in your other Zen practices. For a while you will keep your beginner's mind, but if you continue to practice one, two, three years or more, although you may improve some, you are liable to lose the limitless meaning of original mind.

For Zen students the most important thing is not to be dualistic. Our "original mind" includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself. You should not lose your self-sufficient state of mind. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

If you discriminate too much, you limit yourself. If you are too demanding or too greedy, your mind is not rich and self-sufficient. If we lose our original self-sufficient mind, we will lose all precepts. When your mind becomes demanding, when you long for something, you will end up violating your own precepts: not to tell lies, not to steal, not to kill, not to be immoral, and so forth. If you keep your original mind, the precepts will keep themselves.

In the beginner's mind there is no thought, "I have attained something." All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something. The beginner's mind is the mind of compassion. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless. Dogen-zenji, the founder of our school, always emphasized how important it is to resume our boundless original mind. Then we are always true to ourselves, in sympathy with all beings, and can actually practice.

So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind. There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind. You should not say, "I know what Zen is," or "I have attained enlightenment." This is also the real secret of the arts: always be a beginner. Be very very careful about this point. If you start to practice zazen, you will begin to appreciate your beginner's mind. It is the secret of Zen practice. . . . 

When we practice zazen our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, the air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and the outer world is also limitless. We say "inner world" or "outer world," but actually there is just one whole world. In this limitless world, our throat is like a swinging door. The air comes in and goes out like someone passing through a swinging door. If you think, "I breathe," the "I" is extra. There is no you to say "I." What we call "I" is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no " I , " no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door. So when we practice zazen, all that exists is the movement of the breathing, but we are aware of this movement. You should not be absent-minded. But to be aware of the movement does not mean to be aware of your small self, but rather of your universal nature, or Buddha nature. This kind of awareness is very important, because we are usually so one-sided. Our usual understanding of life is dualistic: you and I, this and that, good and bad. But actually these discriminations are themselves the awareness of the universal existence. "You" means to be aware of the universe in the form of you, and "I" means to be aware of it in the form of I. You and I are just swinging doors. This kind of under- standing is necessary. This should not even be called under- standing; it is actually the true experience of life through Zen practice.

So when you practice zazen, there is no idea of time or space. You may say, "We started sitting at a quarter to six in this room." Thus you have some idea of time and some idea of space (in this room). Actually what you are doing, however, is just sitting and being aware of the universal activity. That is all. This moment the swing- ing door is opening in one direction, and the next moment the swinging door will be opening in the opposite direction. Moment after moment each one of us repeats this activity. Here there is no idea of time or space. Time and space are one. You may say, "I must do something this afternoon," but actually there is no "this afternoon." We do things one after the other. That is all. There is no such time as "this afternoon" or "one o'clock" or "two o'clock." At one o'clock you will eat your lunch. To eat lunch is itself one o'clock. You will be somewhere, but that place cannot be separated from one o'clock. For someone who actually appreciates our life, they are the same. But when we become tired of our life we may say, "I shouldn't have come to this place. It may have been much better to have gone to some other place for lunch. This place is not so good." In your mind you create an idea of place separate from an actual time. Or you may say, "This is bad, so I should not do this."

Actually, when you say, "I should not do this," you are doing not-doing in that moment. So there is no choice for you. When you separate the idea of time and space, you feel as if you have some choice, but actually, you have to do something, or you have to do not-doing. Not-to-do something is doing something. Good and bad are only in your mind. So we should not say, "This is good," or "This is bad." Instead of saying bad, you should say, "not-to-do"!   If you think, "This is bad," it will create some confusion for you. So in the realm of pure religion there is no confusion of time and space, or good or bad. All that we should do is just do something as it comes. Do something! Whatever it is, we should do it, even if it is not-doing something. We should live in this moment. So when we sit we concentrate on our breathing, and we become a swinging door, and we do something we should do, something we must do. This is Zen practice. In this practice there is no confusion. If you establish this kind of life you have no confusion whatsoever.  Tozan, a famous Zen master, said, "The blue mountain is the father of the white cloud. The white cloud is the son of the blue mountain. All day long they depend on each other, without being dependent on each other. The white cloud is always the white cloud. The blue mountain is always the blue mountain." This is a pure, clear interpreta- tion of life. There may be many things like the white cloud and blue mountain: man and woman, teacher and disciple. They depend on each other. But the white cloud should not be bothered by the blue mountain. The blue mountain should not be bothered by the white cloud. They are quite independent, but yet dependent. This is how we live, and how we practice zazen.

When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon everything. Without air, we cannot breathe. Each one of us is in the midst of myriads of worlds. We are in the center of the world always, moment after moment. So we are completely dependent and inde- pendent. If you have this kind of experience, this kind of existence, you have absolute independence; you will not be bothered by anything. So when you practice zazen, your mind should be concentrated on your breathing. This kind of activity is the fundamental activity of the universal being. Without this experience, this practice, it is impossible to

attain absolute freedom.

From "Zen Mind, Beginners Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki, copyright; Weatherhill inc.

Shunryu Suzuki dharma name Shōgaku Shunryu (May 18, 1904 – December 4, 1971) was a Sōtō Zen roshi (Zen Master) who popularized Zen Buddhism in the United States, particularly around San Francisco. Born in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, Suzuki was occasionally mistaken for the Zen scholar D.T. Suzuki, to which Shunryu would reply,"No, he's the big Suzuki, I'm the little Suzuki.

Commentary on "Bodhisattva's Four Methods Of Guidance" - by Dainin Katagiri Roshi

"Identity action does not function in a small area called ego, but in the vastness of existence. When we clean a room, the room is in us. Then we and the room communicate with each other in the rhythm of identity action. We have to take the best care of the room we can, because the room is not a material being apart from us. The room is a great being called Buddha-dharma. Buddha-dharma means the unity of Buddha and us, Buddha and the room. It is nothing but a great being, just a great being completely beyond out speculation. Cleaning the room is not something someone makes us do. This action comes up from us, from the unity of Buddha and us and the room . . . . Taking the best care of the life of each being and circumstance, we can practice giving, and then we can practice loving speech with our mind, words and body. This is beneficial action. In all these practices there is always identity action.

We are more or less ignorant and crazy, but it doesn't matter. We are already ignorant, so we must be right in the middle of ignorance and make the best of ignorance. That is all we have to do. But usually we add something extra to ignorance; we hate it and our life goes away from us. How can we be free from ignorance? How can we take care of ignorance? If we take care of our life by saying "I hate my life", it is pretty easy for us to make our life short. My teacher always said his health was not strong. He said maybe he would die at sixty. He said he was weak, but he took the best care of his body and he lived to be eighty-six. The same applies to your room. If you rent your room from others you may think because you don't own it you don't have to take care of it. This is not the Buddhist way. Whether your room is rented or not, it doesn't matter. The room is a great being, our clothes are great beings, our boots and shoes are great beings, completely beyond our speculation. Day by day we have to practice 'identity action', 'giving', 'loving speech' and then there is 'beneficial action'.

If we see our life as an object separate from us, it is easy for us to create fear and anxiety and confusion. When we see our life we may feel many things. This is called experience. Of course it is ok, but it is not the total picture of the way to live. We must put aside and be one with our life, that is all we have to do. This is most important. When we dance, we cannot look at the dance, at the stage, as something separate from us. We must be right in the middle of dancing. At the time we are one with the dance and are realizing the significance of the dance. Later, when we reflect on the significance of dance, we are separate from it, but our understanding is the result of dynamic identity action.

We are human beings, so we are always thinking in terms of others and us, a leader and the people, zazen and us, Buddha and ordinary beings. Even though we know Buddha's teaching pretty well, ignorance comes up very quickly in our daily life. So, day by day we have to do our best to practice identity action. Because they are aware of how ignorant everyone is, Bodhisattva's take a vow to practice identity action continually.

With a gentle expression, with a kind, compassionate attitude, we have to take care of our life and other people's lives. If we practice identity action, the other three methods of guidance are included. Very naturally we can practice beneficial action, we can really help others. Then we can fulfil our duty in life."

- from "Return to Silence" by Dainin Katagiri

Danin Katagiri was a Zen master in the Soto Zen lineage of Suzuki Roshi and founder of the Minnesota Zen Meditation centre in Minneapolis, USA.

"Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance" by Dogen Zenji

Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance

BODAISATTA SHISHŌ-HŌ

Bodhisattva Quan-Yin

The Bodhisattva's four methods of guidance are giving, kind speech, beneficial action, and identity-action.

1 "Giving" means nongreed. Nongreed means not to covet. Not to covet means not to

curry favor. Even if you govern the Four Continents, you should always convey the correct teaching with nongreed. It is to give away unneeded belongings to someone you don't know, to offer flowers blooming on a distant mountain to the Tathāgata, or, again, to offer treasures you had in your former life to sentient beings. Whether it is of teaching or of material, each gift has its value and is worth giving. Even if the gift is not your own, there is no reason to keep from giving. The question is not whether the gift is valuable, but whether there is merit.

When you leave the way to the way, you attain the way. At the time of attaining the way, the way is always left to the way. When treasure is left just as treasure, treasure becomes giving. You give yourself to yourself and others to others. The power of the causal relations+ of giving reaches to devas, human beings, and even enlightened sages. When giving becomes actual, such causal relations are immediately formed.

Buddha said, "When a person who practices giving goes to an assembly, people take notice." You should know that the mind of such a person communicates subtly with others. Therefore, give even a phrase or verse of the truth; it will be a wholesome seed for this and other lifetimes. Give your valuables, even a penny or a blade of grass; it will be a wholesome root for this and other lifetimes. The truth can turn into valuables; valuables can turn into the truth. This is all because the giver is willing.

A king gave his beard as medicine to cure his retainer's disease; a child offered sand to Buddha and became King Ashoka in a later birth. They were not greedy for reward but only shared what they could. To launch a boat or build a bridge is an act of giving. If you study giving closely, you see that to accept a body and to give up the body are bothgiving. Making a living and producing things can be nothing other than giving. To leave flowers to the wind, to leave birds to the seasons, are also acts of giving.

King Ashoka was able to offer enough food for hundreds of monks with half a mango. People who practice giving should understand that King Ashoka thus proved the greatness of giving. Not only should you make an effort to give, but also be mindful of every opportunity to give. You are born into this present life because of the merit of giving in the past.

Buddha said, "If you are to practice giving to yourself, how much more so to your parents, wife, and children." Therefore you should know that to give to yourself is a part of giving. To give to your family is also giving. Even when you give a particle of dust, you should rejoice in your own act, because you correctly transmit the merit of all buddhas, and for the first time practice an act of a bodhisattva. The mind of a sentient being is difficult to change. You should keep on changing the minds of sentient beings, from the first moment that they have one particle, to the moment that they attain the way. This should be started by giving. For this reason giving is the first of the six paramitas.

Mind is beyond measure. Things given are beyond measure. Moreover, in giving, mind transforms the gift and the gift transforms mind.

2 "Kind speech" means that when you see sentient beings you arouse the mind of

compassion and offer words of loving care. It is contrary to cruel or violent speech. In the secular world, there is the custom of asking after someone's health. ln Buddhism

there is the phrase "Please treasure yourself" and the respectful address to seniors, "May I ask how you are?" It is kind speech to speak to sentient beings as you would to a baby.

Praise those with virtue; pity those without it. If kind speech is offered, little by little virtue will grow. Thus even kind speech which is not ordinarily known or seen comes into being. You should be willing to practice it for this entire present life; do nor give up, world after world, life after life. Kind speech is the basis for reconciling rulers and subduing enemies. Those who hear kind speech from you have a delighted expression and a joyful mind. Those who hear of your kind speech will be deeply touched-they will never

forget it. You should know that kind speech arises from kind mind, and kind mind from the

seed of compassionate mind. You should ponder the fact that kind speech is not just praising the merit of others; it has the power to turn the destiny of the nation.

3 "Beneficial action" is skillfully to benefit all classes of sentient beings, that is, to care

about their distant and near future, and to help them by using skillful means. In ancient times, someone helped a caged tortoise; another took care of an injured sparrow. They did not expect a reward; they were moved to do so only for the sake of beneficial action.

Foolish people think that if they help others first, their own benefit will be lost; but this is not so. Beneficial action is an act of oneness, benefiting self and others together.

To greet petitioners, a lord of old three times stopped in the middle of his bath and arranged his hair, and three times left his dinner table. He did this solely with the intention of benefiting others. He did not mind instructing even subjects of other lords. Thus you should benefit friend and enemy equally. You should benefit self and others alike. If you have this mind, even beneficial action for the sake of grasses, trees, wind, and water is spontaneous and unremitting. This being so, make a wholehearted effort to help the ignorant.

4 "Identity-action" means nondifference. It is nondifference from self, nondifference

from others. For example, in the human world the Tathāgata took the form of a human being. From this we know that he did the same in other realms. When we know identity- action, others and self are one. Lute, song, and wine are one with human being, deva, and spirit being. Human being is one with lute, song, and wine. Lute, song, and wine are one with lute, song, and wine. Human being is one with human being; deva is one with deva; spirit being is one with spirit being. To understand this is to understand identity-action.

"Action" means right form, dignity, correct manner. This means that you cause yourself to be in identity with others after causing others to be in identity with you. However, the relationship of self and others varies limitlessly with circumstances.

The Guanzi says, "The ocean does not exclude water; that is why it is large. Mountain does not exclude earth; that is why it is high. A wise lord does not exclude people; that is why he has many subjects."

That the ocean does not exclude water is identity-action. Water does not exclude the ocean either. This being so, water comes together to form the ocean. Earth piles up to form mountains. My understanding is that because the ocean itself does not exclude the ocean, it is the ocean, and it is large. Because mountains do not exclude mountains, they are mountains and they are high. Because a wise lord does not weary of people, his subjects assemble. "Subjects" means nation. "Wise lord" means ruler of the nation. A ruler is not supposed to weary of people. "Not to weary of people" does not mean to give no reward or punishment. Although a ruler gives reward and punishment, he does not weary of people. In ancient times when people were uncomplicated, there was neither legal reward nor punishment in the country. The concept of reward and punishment was different. Even at present, there should be some people who seek the way without expecting a reward. This is beyond the understanding of ignorant people. Because a wise lord understands this, he does not weary of people.

People form a nation and seek a wise lord, but as they do not know completely the reason why a wise lord is wise, they only hope to be supported by the wise lord. They do not notice that they are the ones who support the wise lord. In this way, the principle of identity-action is applied to both a wise lord and all the people. This being so, identity- action is a vow of bodhisattvas .

With a gentle expression, practice identity-action for all people.

Each of these four methods of guidance includes all four. Thus, there are sixteen methods of guiding sentient beings.

This was written on the fifth day, fifth month, fourth year of Ninji (1243) by Monk Dōgen, who transmitted dharma from China.

Translated by Lew Richmond and Kazuaki Tanahashi