Present: Kobun (K) · Babette · Barbara (B) · Glenna (G, Gl) · Hathaway · Ruth · Carmelia · Mary Kate (MK) · Anne · Margaret · Nena Siedenburg · Charlotte Basham
February 11, 1975. Gert's House.
K: Joyce feels bad. Joyce's daughter in some accident. Later on some one called. A fire. She went some where. Mountain place. (paraphrase)
B: I think it was in the Santa Cruz Mountains where she was living.
Kobun opens a big book full of Japanese writing.
K: (to Glenna) How was Shosan?1
G: It was like a diamond.
K: It was nice.
(He has also a little book with Japanese writing, blue green, paper back, faded orange.)
K: Dōgen Zenji lived 13th century, during Medieval times in Japan. 1200 he was born, and he died at Eiheiji at 54. Supposed to introduce his figure — what kind of existence he was. Two things in my mind, which always appear at the same time. One is a kind of very (missed), because no one can understand what he is.
One who lost parents — he was very, very young. Mother passed away when he was about 3 years old. 8 years old he lost father, and he entered into (missed) Tendai temple at age of 13 years, very young, and he came down the mountain two years later and joined to Rinzai master Eisai Zenji, city of Kyoto, and ordained. Best monk guidance of Myōzen, the successor of Eisai. And 23 years old — 1223, 1223rd year — he went to China with his master Myōzen, and studies in China for almost 4 years. 1st 3 years he travelled about Chinese country. Finally he met with this master Rujing.2
The first meeting with this Rujing, everything was in order for him, and he had great time: 1 year satisfactory (missed) with this master. Returned to Japan when he was 29 years old.
Think we have studied these few years about Dōgen's material. Quite easy, reliable material. Many writings, records of his talk — very difficult to understand, very difficult to read before understanding, and yet these forms he left in this world is still in possible realm face, and even he lived in deep mountain in order to point (put?) an opportunity of right transmission of Dharma.
He said a man or half man, he said — even half man, not whole man — is right, it is possible to expect next generation. Seems this 1 man or half man is beyond number. (transcriber got confused her) Not 2, 3 — he seems not thinking of big number. Countable number, but his concern was to be complete man; complete man, even have ½ man.
Why it is so: you are artist, to enjoy your art, let all people enjoy your art, is not — to succeed it to generations is extraordinary impossible thing. You may feel so. If you feel that this art is not mine, it was given to me, then you begin to feel there is big responsibility to continue even after you disappear on this earth. This point is very important point to understand what kind existence Dōgen Zenji was.
One figure which I always feel: that he is something, somebody, who is not able to be understood. Probably his direct disciples had always felt same way. Something beyond form, beyond a form of man, he has. Because of that, people came to him like a little piece of metal moves to another metal piece. Magnet power. Form is quite similar. There is power — some pulling or pushing forth which is invisible but possible to me feel.
Before I introduce many materials he left for us, I like to introduce a (missed) poem he wrote down — about 50 poems he had.
(Kobun reads from little faded old looking book. He reads the Japanese and then he translates into English. I will put in dashes where he read Japanese. I am sorry I did not get the Japanese words down.)
— No tainted, no polluted mind in the water of mind. Noon dwell in it.3
K: Can be understood 2 meanings. One is being pure, and another meaning is dwell in, lives in.
— Crashing waves to —
— Is when wave come to rock, it crashes and splashes up here.
Gl: Spray?
K: Spray? Turned to light, so all together. This is his poem about Zen, so you feel a man in the mind water — man water of pure mind — turn to the millions light crashing of the wave.
— is bowing. What do you call white bird, black, looks like crane4 but little small? A white heron in the snow field.
B: No, that won't do.
K: Very white bird. It appear in the field, especially like little, after snow melt they appear.
Gl: Could it be a stork?
B: No, I don't think so.
Nena: They are bigger and their legs are red.
(some talk about the bird.)
K: This bird has burning scarlet eyes and black beak. It's about this big. (2 feet?) Very white. Bird white — Sagi5 — in snow field. Covers the old winter grasses, all over, just one color white; hide himself in the shadow of him.
Gl: This is bowing.
K: Umm. (agreement)
— Grass hat, in the spring wind, leaves of my words fall down. People see them. The song of flower.
K: What is that little insect which has light in his tail?
B: Firefly.
K: Firefly.
— In the moonlight of the dawn — no, in the shadow of dusk moon, by the hillside, firefly float in it with dim light.
Very strange, interesting poem.
— How seldom it is to have time. Even I have many months, days in vain. How seldom it is to have time among many suns and moons.
K: Suns and moons is months and days of, how do you say, time spending.
Gl: Somehow that seems like a young man's work.
K: Yes. These were written when he was pretty young. (puts away little book. It has a wreath of flowers around the edge and is tan, not orange.) (Looks in another small book.) Chinese style poem is just —
— How lovely it is, life and death, like change of cloud, going through path of illusion and awakening. Only one thing is clearly done, only one thing as (has?) been done. Voice of night rain in hut of Kakusai. (spelling?)6
K: — is name of the place this poem was written, when he left K city to suburb of K. (puts away small book.)
K: Meeting with Nyojō Zenji (same as Rujing, Chinese master of Dōgen) — in China Dōgen left some kind of diary. (he has a larger paper bound book) Dokusan diary. Dokusan is individual meeting with master. Meeting is called Shōken or Menju (sp). Shōken is mutual seeing, and Menju is face transmission — face to face transmission.
(Glenna takes over writing down what he says here. I am going to transcribe her notes as they are written. She guessed at how to spell the Japanese names and words.)
K: Shōken. Men ju — little more direct sense than mind to mind. In Shōbōgenzō he left this very impressive meeting. For him very fatal, not accidental — very natural meeting with this master. Dōgen arising way mind since small boy, little boyhood, visiting many teachers in home country, and knew a little about causation (cause and effect), truth of causality, and yet not clear about triple treasure, true home of triple treasure. Busily sticking around the form of teaching. Later, after entering into Senko Zenji (Eisai) 1,000 light and listened to the fragrance of Rinzai — how come to Sung dynasty time with Myōzen Dharma master.
Million miles of voyage, putting illusory body, drea[m,] like body on the rough ocean; at last had the opportunity to throw body and mind on your Dharma seat. (This is short letter to his master, Mu jo.)
This is real present fortunate occasion. Isho7 is my master with great compassion, great mercy. To this small falling one — distant, without choosing time and season, without formality — very very often crying to your square room. (His master's square room.) Wish to ask my innermost (missed): life death is great matter. Impermanence swift, fast time doesn't wait now. If I miss this time, I will regret. Basic master, great master, with great compassion permit my questions on Dharma to you.
(& he wrote down this Chinese letter and brought it with him; after 100 times bowing he showed it to him.)
Master spoke, coming asking of little Gen (Dōgen): From now on, day, night, without limitation of time of day and night, with robe or without robe, it is not hesitated to meet with you who ask a path. Like old father forgive everything. No formality of the grandson. 7th month, 2nd day of Hōkyō gannen,8 1225.
K: What is this? Dōgen asks: what is this mind, what is that approach to the spirit of Bodhidharma's coming abroad? "With this thinking there is a transmission outside of teaching." — another — teaching — outside or besides — transmission. [marginal note in a later hand: Kyō · ge · butsuden]9
B: Is transmission always outside?
K: This is question I will speak to later. When Dōgen was there, monks spoke this word like catch phrase.10 So Dōgen (missed) to his master. Nowadays every one speaks of this kyo (teaching) in terms of study of direct approach to mind of Bodhidharma. Master mentioned and said: great way of Buddha Patriarchs — why it has inside or outside? This means there is no inside of Buddha's way. And yet not speak of this word, Kyo — besides teaching there is transmission. To say so is because of Patriarch came to China directly to transmit the way and action, including all sutras, all teachings in it. In this reason it is said that Kyo. There is no 2 Buddha dharma in this world.
Way before Bodhidharma came to eastern lands, there were history of practice in the eastern land (China), and yet there was no Mu shi (master).11 This master is not the sense of teacher, but of host and guest. The patriarch came to China like all nation accepted a king. When such time come: nation land, nation treasure, nation people, all are center directed.
(he looks at the ancient looking, buff colored pages with green calligraphy book)
K: This material is about 50 questions and answers that Rujing (Nyojō) recorded. This is dharma discussion. It is rare to see this kind of material. Dōgen prepared many kinds of hammers and tried to hit gong from different directions.
That great way to Buddha Patriarch is in only face giving, face receiving; receiving face, giving face. There is nothing else, nothing much, nothing less. This face giving — to meet with the face giving is to face to your own face. With joy, with pleasure, with faith, with action, receive it.
After 3 years of wandering around — maybe traveling around the land of China — he finally came to the gate of Tiantong mountain, Taibai (star of Venus).12 When he came close to the gate, he saw small figure, very small, inside the temple. As usual he did very formal way to go into the temple, and finally came to the door of dharma hall. Small figure is this master. He bowed on the floor and stood up. Master said: last night Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva appeared to tell me this would happen. Now it has happened. So welcome.
Dōgen, many places in Shōbōgenzō, he speaks of this occasion. Dai ge jo hitsu13 means great subject is completed. Maybe everyone has this kind of experience — real meeting with other people, without any effort, mutual acceptance. This record: even such occasion come, he always did this formal thing. One hundred bows, asking: may I come to you anytime, taking off all masks, I can come with my bare existence?
MK: Must be very intense young man.
K: I always feel intense from top of head to bottom of him — shock goes through — [the sheet ends here]