Denkai Talk: New York, Nov 15 2014 by Andrew Tootell

In this lecture/discussion, Sono gives some background detail on the “three turnings of the wheel”, culminating in Yogacara. He also comments on the meaning of three natures and compares it with western phenomenology.

This morning, we will be contemplating our finitude and how by facing and embracing our finitude, we can learn to live a life full of appreciation and meaning.

Nonkilling: Life is nonkilling. The seed of buddha grows continuously.

Maintain the wisdom-life of buddha and do not kill life – Dogen Zenji

Appreciate your life – Maezumi Roshi

In this lecture today, we will first review the discussion about the “three natures” that I introduced last month from the work of the Yogacara philosopher, Vasubandhu. Then we will begin to discuss a contemporary philosophical school called Phenomenology and its similarities to Yogacara. We will then finish today’s lecture by reading and discussing a chapter from Joko Beck’s first book called Experiencing and Behaviour which I think will help us make the link between what these Yogacarins and Phenomenologists are on about because Joko has this way of being able to express these complex ideas in a simple and straightforward way.

Shinsho directs us home in this beautifully crafted guided meditation:

A magnificent round full moon is rising before you and the path ahead is well lit.

You have arrived home.

‘Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet’ says Thich.

We have caused a lot of damage to the earth. Now is time to walk home with love. It is only possible if we do not constantly think of the future or the past. Life can only be found in the present moment.

THE CASE: The priest Jui-yen called “Master!” to himself every day and answered himself “Yes!” Then he would say “Be aware!” and reply “Yes!” “Don’t be deceived by others!” “No, no!”" (from "The Gateless Barrier: The Wu-Men Kuan (Mumonkan)" by Robert Aitken)

This is good practice for everyday life. He is basically calling out the name Master! And the key is the effortless immediacy of the response – YES! That YES is everything. What is he saying Yes too? Who is the Master?

In this lecture we sample the Yogacara teachings of Vasubandhu called the Treatise on the Three Natures, which form the philosophical backbone of Yogacara. So, what are the three natures? They are three interrelated aspects of our experience: the imaginary, dependent and complete or realised nature. In a nutshell they are:

The imaginary nature of things is what we think they are.

Their dependent nature of things is that they appear to depend on other things.

The complete, realised nature of things is that they are not what you think they are

Leave Everything Alone is a guided meditation on our core practice – the simple art of “just sitting”. I will leave lots of space and silence in-between my words. Just-sitting is the practice of non-doing – Wu Wei in Chinese. Effortless. No need to cultivate. If you are efforting you are straying away from the way. It is simply surrendering to the immediacy of our natural functioning.

This is the first of a series of talks on precept practice given by OzZen teachers and facilitators. This talk focuses on how to practice a nondual psychologically minded approach to the precepts influenced by the teaching of Bernie Glassman, Nancy Mujo Baker and Barry Magid.