This time, I would like to talk about Zen Master Hakuin’s description about how wonderful
Zazen is. And also, he wanted to recommend to us to do Zazen. The reason he started to
do Zazen was that he had a lot of trouble and he wanted to figure out what the cause
of the trouble was. Then, he started practicing [Zazen], then eventually, he just realized
who he was. After his revelation, he found a difference between what he was thinking
about himself and the Truth. What his true self is. The difference is the difference
between heaven and the earth. That was the reason he just wanted to describe this. And
then, those of us who just want to be completely satisfied with the presence of our self and
feel at ease. He recommended that we do Zazen. That’s the reason that he gave this description.
Then, I would like to mention about what he described about what our true self is. He
said, “Sentient beings were originally buddhas.” We are originally Buddha itself. So, we don’t
have any trouble. Although people say they have a kind of trouble, it’s very strange,
so for that reason he mentioned this: Although we are Buddha, for someone
to realize this, we have to do Zazen. We have to practice Zazen. So, just like water and
ice, there is no ice apart from water. Exactly water and ice are the same substance. But
water is very flexible. When you put water… pour water into any container, it becomes
exactly the container as it is. But with ice, when you put ice into any container it is
always unstable and stumbles a lot. That they [water and ice] are very much different. Although
the same substance, why does this difference occur? Basically, Zen Master
Hakuin mentions in this sentence is that our true self is exactly just like water. So,
our true self is very flexible. Just like when you just face here and there, we just
become what we just face to. This flexibility, any kind of things, as long as we just face
it, any kind of things we just become as it is, as they are. This flexibility. But although
we have this flexible mind, but we have a kind of trouble, questions or problems. Where
they come from is from a misunderstanding about who we are... what our true self is.
If a person realizes who their true self, he or she doesn’t have any trouble, conflict
or questions, because our true self is very flexible. So, once we just face this, we become
this. No separation at all. No separation happens before recognition. Before recognition,
there is no separation at all. As long as we… be the self… never be separated, we
will never have any question or trouble at all. But, before recognition we are not separated
from the things at all. But, once we just recognize the it [the thing], and then, we
just try to think about what we just recognized. You may know about what recognition is. If
you just recognize this, you just recognize this. But you never recognize this because
as far as recognition is concerned, the things being recognized and the person who recognizes
it… Two things… Two things have happened. Then, we can just recognize the things. But
you only recognize this. But at the same time, you just recognize this thing, the self. Then,
the thing and the self are separated. Before you recognize the thing, it is exactly the
same, no separation at all, between the self and the things. What has happened is that
you recognized the things and you just recognized the self. Before you just recognized the things,
the self never existed, never come up. This thing is
very important. But unfortunately, as this thinking or thought comes up, you just recognize
the thing and then the self comes up, so you and the things are separated. Two or three
things happen. This is not true, but before recognition, there is exactly no separation
at all. But before recognition, you never… this never comes up in your mind, because
after recognition, the things and the self are just separated, then you can just recognize.
That’s the only thing that comes up in your mind. But before recognition, things are never
separated at all, and this never comes up in your mind. This is totally why we have
a kind of friction, a kind of trouble. So, the ice… what Zen Master Hakuin mentioned
about is, as I told you before, things are exactly the same, between water and ice. But,
when you freeze the water, by your way of thinking, you just freeze yourself, by your
thinking. Then, you just tie yourself and then you feel very uncomfortable. You are
always very uncomfortable. You feel not so safe or not at ease. But you have frozen yourself
by your thinking or thoughts. So, you just throw away… You just never deal with your
thinking or thoughts coming up in your mind naturally, without any reasons. So, if you
can do so, the ice will be able to be melted. The things that are tied can be untied. So,
this is what Master Hakuin mentioned about: “Just like the water and ice, there is now
ice apart from water.” Exactly the same substance. So, you should simply do Zazen.
What Zazen is, simply… the thinking or thoughts coming up in the mind, just throw them away.
This is Zazen. So that, the things you are tied with by your thinking, will be untied.
Then, you will be completely free from everything. This is Zazen. The thing he [Master Hakuin]
wanted to mention about that we are just like water and ice, there is no ice apart from
water. There are no Buddhas, but sentient beings. You know, Buddha and sentient beings
are exactly the same. The person who just doesn’t care much about their thinking or
their thoughts coming up in their mind, this is Buddha. This is Buddha. The person who
cares much or deals with a kind of thinking or thought is… he or she is a sentient being.
That is very different, but no different at all. But the thing is, how you deal with thinking
and thought, that is.
