27
May
2018

Zen Mind, Beginner Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)

Format: audiobook, MP3, 96kbps
Shunryu Suzuki
Release year: 2013
Genre: Philosophy
Publisher: Do-it-yourself audiobook
Artist: Andrey
Duration: 15:48:22
Description: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is for those who are seriously interested in Japanese Buddhism and the practice of zazen meditation. The book is based on the conversations of the famous Zen master Shunryu Suzuki with a group of his American students.
This is a book about what is the right practice of Zen, what is the right attitude towards it and the right understanding of it. And about how you should understand your life and live in this world.
The book by S. Suzuki "Zen Consciousness, the Beginner's Consciousness" is one of the most significant modern works on the practice of Zen meditation available to Western and domestic readers.

03
oct
2015

Quantum Consciousness (Wolinsky Steven (Stephen))

Author: Wolinsky Steven (Stephen)
Release year: 2015
Genre: Esoteric

Artist: Vadim Demchog
Duration: 14:31:54
Description: This book is based on a simple yet profound truth: there are important lessons about how the human mind works in the way the universe works. Volinsky applies the lessons of modern physics to psychology in an original, practical, and exciting way. The author of The Trances People Live in: Healing Approaches in Quantum Psychology offers a step-by-step tutorial on experiential...

14
mar
2015

Consciousness and the Absolute (Nisargadatta Maharaj)

Author: Nisargadatta Maharaj
Release year: 2015
Genre: Philosophy
Publisher: Do-it-yourself audiobook
Artist: Nikosho
Duration: 06:11:08
Description: In this book you will find the final teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, his last dialogues with people who have come from all over the world. These discourses, which took place in the last days of his life, were the culmination of the rarest teachings that he transmitted to us, this is a collection of the very heights of his wisdom. He taught us to find out for ourselves who we are, to reflect on his words and find out if they could be true? He said that...

06
May
2018

Activity. Consciousness. Personality (Leontiev A.N.)

ISBN: 5-89357-153-3, 5-7695-1624-0
Series: Classical educational book
Format: DjVu

Author: Leontiev A.N.
Release year: 2004
Genre: collection, psychology
Publisher: Smysl, Academia
Russian language
Number of pages: 352
Description: The publication is dedicated to the centenary of the outstanding Russian scientist A.N. Leontiev (1903–1979). "Activity. Consciousness. Personality” is one of his main books, according to which psychology students are still studying in our country. The book also includes a number of works from the heritage of A.N. Leontiev, thematically close to this and ...

29
Apr
2017

The consciousness of beauty will save (Rudzitis Richard)

Author: Rudzitis Richard
Release year: 2016
Genre: Philosophy
Publisher: Do-it-yourself audiobook
Artist: BIGBAG
Duration: 02:34:33
Description: You can't say better about the book "Consciousness of Beauty will save" than H.I. Roerich did in her letter to R.Ya. "Consciousness of Beauty will save". That same evening we read this fiery hymn to Beauty. We read these spiritualized lines with delight. There is so much heart fire in them! So much Light, cheerfulness and joy! Books...

18
Apr
2017

Krishna Consciousness. Supreme Yoga System (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charan)

Format: audiobook, MP3, 128kbps
Author: A.Ch. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charan
Release year: 2016
Genre: esoteric, philosophy
Publisher: Do-it-yourself audiobook
Artist: Ironclad
Duration: 02:43:58
Description: It is especially difficult to apply the yoga system in the present age. It is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam that practicing yoga means focusing attention on the Supersoul, Vishnu. He is in your heart, and in order to focus on Him, you must curb your senses. Feelings are like wild horses. If you can't handle the horses pulling your carriage...

18
dec
2014

Mental viruses: how your mind is programmed (Richard Brody)

ISBN: 5-9763-0014-6, 0-9636001-2-5
Format: FB2, EPUB, eBook (originally PC)
Author: Richard Brody
Release year: 2007
Genre: Psychology, philosophy
Publisher: Generation
Russian language
Number of pages: 310
Description: A daring and witty book by Richard Brody turns everything on which psychology, political science and management have stood so far. Human thinking and behavior, he argues, are dictated by memes. A meme is a psychovirus, a mental image. It originates in our consciousness and begins an independent life. It multiplies and changes our behavior. Memes are funny, like Pokemon, and harmless...

05
sep
2012

Techniques for influencing consciousness in computer training systems (Kolovorotny S.V.)

ISBN: 978-3-8473-1160-7

Author: Kolovorotny S.V.
Release year: 2012
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: LAMBERT Academic Publishing
Russian language
Number of pages: 81
Description: The theoretical and practical significance of this book lies in the proposed concept of the technology of influencing consciousness with the help of an interactive computer environment. Based on the developed technology, a model has been built that allows achieving the best level of assimilation of certain educational materials (programs), including during distance learning.

17
May
2018

Class struggle and social consciousness of the peasantry in medieval Western Europe (XI-XV centuries) (Gutnova E.V.)

Format: PDF/DjVu
Quality: Scanned pages + OCR layer
Author: Gutnova E.V.
Release year: 1984
Genre: History
Publisher:
M.: Nauka
Russian language
Number of pages: 358
Description: The monograph highlights the place and role of the class struggle of the peasantry in the overall development of Western European feudal society in the 11th-15th centuries. The author explores various forms of class conflicts, from individual uprisings to large-scale peasant uprisings, and convincingly shows that the struggle of the peasants against exploitation is an expression of the basic antagonism of feudal society. Special...

23
sep
2017

Reasonable behavior and language. Cheshire smile of Schrödinger's cat: language and consciousness (Chernigovskaya T. V.)

ISBN: 978-5-9551-0677-9
Series: Reasonable Behavior and Language
Format: PDF, eBook (originally computer)
Author: Chernigovskaya T. V.
Release year: 2013
Genre: non-fiction
Publisher: Languages ​​of Slavic Culture
Russian language
Number of pages: 448
Description: The book is a series of research by the author, which began with sensory physiology and gradually moved into the field of neuroscience, linguistics, psychology, artificial intelligence, semiotics and philosophy - all this is now called cognitive research and is an example of convergent and transdisciplinary development...

23
mar
2013

Encyclopedia of a beginner radio amateur (Nikulin S A., Povny A. V.)

ISBN: 978-5-94387-849-7
Format: DjVu, Scanned pages
Author: Nikulin S A., Povny A. V.
Release year: 2011
Genre: Technical literature
Publisher: Science and Technology
Russian language
Number of pages: 384
Description: The book was created specifically for beginner radio amateurs, or, as we like to say, "dummies". She talks about the basics of electronics and electrical engineering necessary for a radio amateur. Theoretical questions are told in a very accessible form and in the volume necessary for practical work. The book teaches how to properly solder, measure, analyze circuits. But rather, it's a book...

17
oct
2016

Zen Parables (Hu Munk)

Format: audiobook, MP3, 256kbps
Author: Hu Mank
Release year: 2016
Genre: Parables
Publisher: Do-it-yourself audiobook
Artist: Nikosho
Duration: 04:09:26
Description: A collection of stories, tales and parables, witnessed by a Zen monk named Mank Hu. He does not know what is Zen, enlightenment and Buddha nature. Although he really likes all these beautiful words, it is useless to ask him about them. There is absolutely no point in asking him anything. Because, although he likes to talk, he will not be able to accurately answer a directly posed question. It's not worth even trying. In general, he is very...

15
mar
2018

Top 10 Rules for the New Investor - Burton Malkiel

Format: audiobook, MP3, 192kbps
Author: Burton Malkiel
Release year: 2006
Genre: Business Literature
Publisher: Alpina Business Books
Artist: Andrey Barkhudarov
Duration: 03:17:00
Description: The simple and understandable ideas of Burton G. Malkiel, professor of economics at Princeton University, have attracted the attention of investors for more than thirty years, seeking to comprehend the laws of the financial world and learn how to use them to the greatest advantage. In this audiobook, Malkiel offers a simple, step-by-step strategy that suits any private investor. This is a complete practical guide that...

18
Jan
2018

Zen and photography (Petrochenkov A.V.)

ISBN: 978-5-98124-260-1
Format: PDF, Scanned pages + OCR layer
Author: Petrochenkov A.V.
Release year: 2007
Genre: The art of photography
Publisher: Kind book
Russian language
Number of pages: 208
Description: Photography today has become the most popular, accessible and inexpensive type of contemporary art. But to become an artist, it is not enough to learn how to aim a camera lens and press a button. A real artist is not at all the one who has managed to perfectly master the technique of photography, but the one who consciously strives to become a creator. To harness creativity...

18
Feb
2015

Woodcarving. A complete course for a beginner (Khatskevich Yu.G. (ed.))

ISBN: 5-17-001663-8, 985-13-0157-4
Format: PDF, Scanned pages
Author: Khatskevich Yu.G. (ed.)
Release year: 2002
Genre: Leisure, hobby, craft
Publisher: AST, Harvest
Series: My profession
Russian language
Number of pages: 192
Description: The book introduces the reader to various types of mosaics and wood carvings, techniques and techniques for their implementation. Valuable recommendations are given on the acquisition and use of wood and tools for its processing. The publication also does not forget modern devices and materials. Recommended to anyone who loves crafting. Content

07
oct
2013

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)

Format: audiobook, MP3, 192kbps
Author: Pirsig Robert
Release year: 2013
Genre: Romance
Publisher: do-it-yourself audiobook
Artist: Efimov Yuri
Duration: 16:35:17
Description: The author of the book, who is also its main character, reflects on how the world works. Traveling on a motorcycle with his son and friends (husband and wife), he uses his own experience from the past, which was gloomy and bright at the same time, reflections of thinkers of the past and present, on what is happening on the trip, explores and explains what is happening in the minds of people on the planet. From a practical and artistic point of view. For device examples...

Shunryu Suzuki

Zen consciousness, beginner consciousness

FROM TRANSLATORS

The book "Zen Consciousness, the Beginner's Consciousness", for the first time completely published in Russian, is addressed to those who are seriously interested in Japanese Buddhism and the practice of zazen meditation. The book is based on the conversations of the famous Zen master Shunryu Suzuki with a group of his American students.

Suzuki Roshi represented one of the most influential branches of Japanese Buddhism, the Soto school. Its founder was the monk Dogen (1200-1253), the brightest of the Japanese philosophers, a deep and original thinker, the author of multi-volume works and translations of Buddhist treatises from Chinese.

This is a book about what is the right practice of Zen, what is the right attitude towards it and the right understanding of it. And about how you should understand your life and live in this world. Despite the apparent simplicity and ease of presentation, the book requires a considerable amount of internal tension and concentration from the reader. But for those who are not going to practice Zen, the views of Suzuki Roshi, his understanding and explanation of life as such, can open up a new joy of being and bring you closer to comprehending the true secret of earthly existence.

Zen Mind, Beginner Mind by S. Suzuki, first published in English in 1970. and has gone through more than twenty editions since then, is one of the most significant modern works on the practice of Zen meditation available to Western and domestic readers.

Two Suzuki. Half a century ago, an event comparable in historical significance to the translation of Aristotle into Latin in the thirteenth century and the translation of Plato in the fifteenth century occurred when Daisetsu Suzuki single-handedly introduced Zen to the West. Fifty years later, Shunryu Suzuki did something equally important. In this one book of his, he hit the exact note of coherence that Americans interested in Zen needed to hear.

If Daisetsu Suzuki Zen is excitingly bright, then Shunryu Suzuki Zen is ordinary. Satori was central to Daisetsu, and it is the charm of this unusual state that in many ways makes his work so compelling. In Shunryu Suzuki's book, the words satori and kensho, its closest equivalent, never appear.

When, four months before his death, I had the opportunity to ask him why the word satori was not found in the book, his wife leaned towards me and whispered sarcastically, “It’s because he never had it,” and then the roshi, playing along with her, feigned fright on his face and, putting his finger to his lips, whispered: “Shhh! He shouldn't hear this!" When our laughter had died down, he simply said, "It's not that satori isn't important, but that's not the side of Zen that should be emphasized."

Suzuki Roshi stayed with us in America for only twelve years - just one cycle in East Asian reckoning, but that was enough. Thanks to the activities of this small calm man, there is a flourishing Soto-Zen organization on our mainland today. His life represents the Way of Soto as perfectly as possible the fusion of man and the Way. “In his attitude to everything, the “I” was so absent that we are deprived of the opportunity to talk about some unusual or original manifestations of his character. Although he did not attract everyone's attention to himself and did not leave a trace as a person in the worldly sense, the traces of his steps in the invisible world of history lead straight ahead. His monuments are the first Soto-Zen monastery in the West, the Zen Mountain Center at Tassajara; its city branch, the San Francisco Zen Center; and, for most people, this book.

Without losing sight of anything, he prepared his students for the most difficult; to the moment when his tangible presence turns into emptiness:

“When I begin to die, at the very moment of my death, if I suffer, you know, then everything is in order; it is Buddha suffering. You don't have to be embarrassed by this. Maybe we all have to deal with excruciating physical or mental pain. However, it's ok, it's not a problem. We should be very grateful that our life in a body... such as mine or yours is limited. If our lives were unlimited, then we would have a real problem.”

And he secured the succession. In the ceremony of the Mountain Throne on November 21, 1971, he ordained Richard Baker as a successor to the Dharma. His cancer was already at such a stage that during this ceremony he could only move with the help of his son. And even then, with every step he took, the stick he leaned on hit the floor with a steely zen will that showed through his soft exterior...

Two weeks later, Teacher left us, and at his funeral on December 4, R. Weiker, addressing the multitude of people who had gathered to pay tribute to Teacher, said:

“It is not an easy path to be a teacher or a student, although this must be the greatest joy in this life. The difficult path is to come to a country where there is no Buddhism and leave it, advancing students, monks and lay people on the Path and changing the lives of many thousands of people throughout the country; the hard way is to establish and nurture a monastery, urban community, and practice centers in California and many other places in the United States. But this “hard way”, this extraordinary achievement, was not a heavy burden for him, for he bestowed upon us his true nature, our true nature. He left us as much as a person can leave, everything that is most necessary - the mind and heart of the Buddha, the practice of the Buddha, the teaching and life of the Buddha. He is here, in each of us, if we want it.”

Houston Smith,

professor of philosophy

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

For a student of Suzuki-roshi, this book will be the consciousness of Suzuki-roshi - not his ordinary or personal consciousness, but the consciousness of Zen, the consciousness of his teacher Gyokujun So-on-daiyosho, the consciousness of Dogen-zenji, the consciousness of a whole series - interrupted or continuous, historically real or mythical - teachers, patriarchs, monks and laymen from the time of the Buddha to the present day, and this will be the consciousness of the Buddha himself, the consciousness of the practice of Zen. But for most readers, this book will be an example of how a Zen master speaks and teaches, an educational book about how to practice Zen, about living in the spirit of Zen, and about the foundations of right attitude and understanding that make Zen practice possible. For all readers, this book will be a call to comprehend their own nature, their own Zen consciousness.

Zen consciousness is one of those arcane expressions that the Zen masters used to encourage us to pay attention to ourselves, to make us go beyond words, and to awaken in us the desire to know what our consciousness is and what our life is. For the purpose of all Zen teaching is to encourage us to ask ourselves questions and seek answers to them in the deepest manifestation of our own nature. Calligraphy on p. 15 reads nyorai in Japanese, or tathagata in Sanskrit. This is one of the names of the Buddha, which means “one who followed the path; one who has returned from suchness; or he who is suchness, true being, emptiness; perfect in everything." This is the fundamental principle that makes the appearance of the Buddha possible. This is Zen consciousness. During the execution of this calligraphic inscription, when the disheveled tip of a large xiphoid yucca leaf growing in the mountains around the Zen Mountain Center was used as a brush, Suzuki-roshi said: "This means that the Tathagata is the body of the whole earth."

The practice of Zen consciousness is the consciousness of a beginner. The simplicity of the first question, "What am I?" necessary throughout the practice of Zen. The mind of the beginner is empty, free from the habits of the expert, ready to admit, doubt and open to all possibilities. It is a consciousness that is able to see things as they are, a consciousness that slowly, step by step, and instantly, with the speed of lightning, can comprehend the original nature of existence. The practice of Zen consciousness runs throughout this book. All sections of the book directly or, sometimes, indirectly, deal with the question of how to maintain this state of consciousness in the process of meditation and throughout our lives. It is an ancient way of learning, using the simplest language and everyday situations. This means that the student must teach himself.

In this respect, our practice differs somewhat from ordinary religious practices. Joshu, the great Chinese Zen teacher, said, "A clay Buddha cannot pass through water; a bronze Buddha cannot pass through an oven; a wooden Buddha cannot pass through fire." Whatever it is, if your practice is directed at a particular object, such as a clay, bronze or wooden Buddha, it will not always be effective. And as long as you set a specific goal in your practice, this practice will not help you fully. It may help you while you are moving towards this goal, but when you return to everyday life again, it loses its effectiveness.

You may decide that if there are no goals or objectives in our practice, then we do not know what to do. However, this is not the case, we have a method. The method of practice without a goal is to limit your action, or focus on what you are doing at the moment. Instead of keeping a certain object in mind, you must limit your action. When your mind wanders somewhere, you cannot express yourself. But if you limit your action to what you can do right now, at this moment, then you can fully manifest your true nature, which is the universal Buddha nature. That is our method.

When we practice zazen, we reduce our action to the very minimum. We maintain the correct posture and focus on sitting - this is how we manifest the universal nature. Then we become Buddha and manifest Buddha nature. Therefore, instead of an object of worship, we just focus on the action that we are performing at this moment. When you bow, just bow; when you sit, you just have to sit; when you eat, you just have to eat. When you act like this, that is the universal nature. In Japanese we call this ichigyo-sammai, or "single act samadhi". Sammai (samadhi) is "deep concentration". The result is "one action".

It seems to me that some of the zazen practitioners here may be of some other religion, but I have nothing against it. Our practice does not belong to any one particular religion. And there is no need to be tormented by doubts whether you should practice the way we do or not, because our practice has nothing to do with Christianity, or with Shinto, or with Hinduism. She is for everyone. Usually, when a person is committed to a certain religion, his position becomes more and more like an acute angle, facing away from himself. But our approach is not like that. With us, the tip of the corner is always turned towards ourselves, and not away from us. So there is no need to worry about the fact that Buddhism is different from the religion that you may practice.

Joshu's saying about different Buddhas refers to those who associate their practice with one particular Buddha. A buddha of only one kind cannot serve your purpose fully. Someday you will have to get rid of it, or at least stop noticing it. But if you have revealed the secret of our practice, then wherever you find yourself, you are your own boss, you are the "boss". Whatever the situation, you cannot neglect the Buddha, for you yourself are the Buddha. Only this Buddha will fully help you.

Study yourself
The point is not to have any deep feelings towards Buddhism; we just do what we're supposed to do, like eat dinner and go to bed. This is Buddhism.

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves. It is impossible to study yourself without some study. If you want to know what water is, you need science, and scientists need a laboratory. There are many ways to study what water is in the laboratory. So, you can find out what elements it consists of, in what states it exists, and what its nature is. But in this way it is impossible to know water as such. The same is happening with us. We also need training, but simply by studying some teaching, one cannot know what the "I" as such is. Through teaching we can understand our human nature. But teaching is not ourselves; it's just some explanation of what we are. So if you are attached to a teaching or a teacher, that is a big mistake. When you meet a teacher, you must leave him and you must be independent. You need a teacher to make you independent. If you are not attached to him, he will show you the way to yourself. You find a teacher for yourself, not for him.

Rinzai, an ancient Chinese Zen teacher, used four methods in teaching his students. Sometimes he talked about the student himself; sometimes he talked about the doctrine itself; sometimes gave clarifications about a particular student or teaching; and finally, he did not give any instructions at all. He knew that even without any instruction, a student is a student. Strictly speaking, there is no need to teach the disciple, for the disciple himself is the Buddha, although he may not be aware of it. And even if he is aware of his true nature - if he is attached to this awareness, it is already wrong. When he is not conscious of it, he has everything, but having realized, he believes that what he is conscious of is himself, and this is a big mistake.

When you don't hear a word from the teacher but just sit, that's called teaching without learning. But sometimes this is not enough, and then we listen to lectures and have discussions. But we must remember that the purpose of the practice that we do in a certain place is to study ourselves. We are learning to become independent. Like a scientist, we must have certain ways of studying. We need a teacher, because it is impossible to study the "I" through the "I". But make no mistake. You should not appropriate what you have learned from the teacher. Classes with a teacher are part of your daily life, part of your constant activity. In this sense, there is no difference between practice and the activity that you do day in and day out. So to find meaning in life in zendo is to find meaning in your daily activities. You practice zazen to find the meaning of your life.

When I lived at the Eiheiji Monastery in Japan, everyone there just did what they were supposed to do. That's all. It's like waking up in the morning: you have to get up. At Eiheiji Monastery, when we had to sit, we sat; when it was necessary to bow to the Buddha, we bowed to the Buddha. That's all. And when we practiced, we didn't feel anything special. We didn't even feel like we were leading a monastic life. For us, it was ordinary, and the people who came from the city seemed unusual to us. When we saw them, we wanted to say: "Oh, these are some unusual people!"

But when I once left Eiheiji for a while, it was different when I returned. I heard the various sounds accompanying the practice - the ringing of bells and the voices of monks chanting a sutra - and a deep feeling came over me. Tears welled up in my eyes and I could feel them rolling down my cheeks! It is the people living outside the walls of the monastery who are able to feel its atmosphere. Those who practice do not really feel anything like this. This seems to be true of everything. When we hear the noise of the pines on a windy day, then maybe the wind is just blowing, and the pines are just standing in the wind. That's all. But people listening to the wind in the pines may write poetry or feel something unusual. So, it seems to me that everything is happening.

Therefore, the main thing is not to have any feelings towards Buddhism. It doesn't matter how you feel about it, good or bad. For us it doesn't matter. Buddhism is neither good nor bad. We just do what we have to do. This is Buddhism. Of course, some encouragement is needed, but encouragement is just encouragement. That is not the real purpose of the practice. It's only medicine. When we are depressed, we need some kind of medicine. When we are in a good mood, we do not need medicine. The medicine should not be taken with food. At times medicine is necessary, but it should not replace food.

Therefore, of the four methods practiced by Rinzai, the most perfect is not to give the student any explanation about himself and not to encourage him in any way. If we imagine ourselves as a body, then the teaching can become our clothing. Sometimes we talk about our clothes; sometimes we talk about our body. But the body or clothing is, in essence, not ourselves. We ourselves are a big action. We are only manifesting the smallest particle of this great action, that's all. So talking about yourself is in the order of things, but in fact it is not required. Before we open our mouths, we are already manifesting a great being that includes ourselves. Therefore, the purpose of talking about ourselves is to correct the misunderstanding that occurs to us when we are attached to some particular temporary form or color of a big action. We need to talk about what our body is and what our action is, so as not to make mistakes related to their misunderstanding. Therefore, to talk about oneself is, in essence, to forget about oneself.

Dogen-zenlzi said: "To study Buddhism is to study oneself. To study oneself is to forget oneself." When you are attached to a temporary manifestation of your true nature, it is necessary to talk about Buddhism, otherwise you may think that this temporary manifestation is your true nature. But this separate temporal manifestation and true nature are not the same thing. And at the same time - it is one and the same! For a while it is; for a tiny fraction of the time it is. But this is not always the case: in the immediate next moment it is not so, and thus this temporary manifestation is not the true nature. To realize this, one needs to study Buddhism. However, the purpose of studying Buddhism is to study ourselves and forget ourselves. When we forget ourselves, we are actually the true operation of the greater being, or reality itself. When we realize this, there are no problems in the world, and we can enjoy life without experiencing any difficulties. The goal of our practice is to be aware of this.

polish tiles
And when you become yourself, Zen becomes Zen. When you are you, you see things as they are, and you become one with your surroundings.

Zen stories, or koans, are very difficult to understand until you know what we are doing every minute, moment by moment. But if you know exactly what we are doing every moment, koans will not seem so difficult to you. There are quite a few koans. I have often told you about the frog, and each time everyone laughed. However, the frog is quite an interesting creature. Besides, you know, she sits just like us. But she doesn't think she's doing anything special. When you come to the zendo and sit down, you may think that you are doing something special. Your husband or wife is sleeping and you are practicing zazen! You are doing something special, and your spouse is just lazy! So maybe you understand zazen. But look at the frog. She sits just like us, but she has no idea about zazen. Watch her. If something annoys her, she will make a grimace. If something edible appears, she will catch it and eat it, and eat it while sitting. Basically, this is our zazen, not something special.

Here is something like a koan about a frog. Baso was a well-known Zen teacher, nicknamed "Teacher Horse". He was a student of Nangaku, who in turn was one of the students of the Sixth Patriarch (Hui-neng (638-713)). One day Baso, while he was studying with Nangaku, was sitting practicing zazen. It was a man of large build; when he spoke, his tongue reached his nose; his voice was loud; and his zazen must have been very good. Nangaku saw him sitting like a huge mountain - or a frog. Nangaku asked, "What are you doing?" "Practicing zazen," replied Baso. "Why do you practice zazen?" - "I want to achieve enlightenment, I want to become a Buddha," the student replied. Do you know what the teacher did? He picked up tiles from the ground and began polishing them. In Japan, after we take tiles out of the kiln, we polish them to give them beauty. So, Nangaku took the tile and began to polish it. Baso, his student, asked, "What are you doing?" "I want to turn this tile into a jewel," said Nangaku. "How can you make a precious stone out of tiles?" Baso asked him. "How can one become a Buddha by practicing zazen?" objected Nangaku. "Do you want to achieve Buddhahood? Buddhahood is not beyond your ordinary consciousness. When the cart is not moving, do you whip the cart or the horse with a whip?"

Nangaku meant this: whatever you do is zazen. True zazen exists beyond lying in bed or sitting in zendo. If your husband or wife is in bed, that is zazen. If you think, "I am sitting here and my spouse is in bed," then even though you are sitting here cross-legged, this is not true zazen. You must always be like a frog. This is true zazen.

Dogen Zenji commented on this koan. He said, "When 'Teacher Horse' became 'Teacher Horse', Zen became Zen." When Baso becomes Baso, his zazen becomes true zazen and zen becomes zen. What is true zazen? When you become yourself!

When you are you, then whatever you do is zazen. Even if you are in bed, most of the time you may not be yourself. Even if you are sitting in a zendo, I would like to know if you really are you in the truest sense.

Here is another famous koan. Zuikan, one of the Zen teachers, used to refer to himself constantly. "Zuikan?" he used to call out to himself. And invariably answered: "Yes!" "Zuikan?" - "Yes!" Of course, he lived all alone in his little zendo, and of course he knew who he was, but at times he lost himself. And whenever he lost himself, he turned to himself: "Zuikan?" - "Yes!"

If we become like a frog, we will always be ourselves. But even the frog sometimes loses himself and makes a sour grimace. And if some edible insect appears, she catches it and eats it. So I think the frog always comes back to himself. I think you should do the same. Even in zazen you can lose yourself. When you get sleepy or when your mind wanders, you lose yourself. When your legs start to hurt - "Why do my legs hurt so much?" - you ask yourself - and you lose yourself. Your problem becomes a problem for you because you have lost yourself. If you don't lose yourself, then even if there are difficulties, you won't really have problems. You are just sitting in the middle of a problem; when you are part of the problem, or when the problem is part of you, then there is no problem, because you are the problem itself. The problem is you. If so, there is no problem.

When your life is always part of what surrounds you - in other words, when you turn to yourself, in this very moment - then there is no problem. When you start wandering in some kind of illusion that seems to be something separate from yourself, then your environment is no longer real and your consciousness is no longer real. If you yourself are deluded, then everything around you becomes a hazy, blurry illusion. As soon as you plunge into illusions, there will be no end to them. Illusory ideas one after another will take possession of you. Most people live in delusion, preoccupied with their problems and trying to solve them. But just to live is really to live inside problems. And to solve a problem means to become a part of it, to merge with it.

So, are you whipping a wagon or a horse? What are you quilting - yourself or your problems? If you are wondering what you should be lashing, then you have already begun to wander. But when you actually hit the horse, the wagon will move. In fact, a cart and a horse are not entirely different things. When you are you, there is no problem what to whip: a horse or a wagon. When you are you, zazen becomes true zazen. So when you practice zazen, your problem is also practicing zazen. Even if your spouse is in bed, he or she is also practicing zazen - when you are practicing it! But when you don't practice true zazen, then here he is your husband or wife, and here you are, two rather different, rather disjointed people. Therefore, if we follow the true practice, then at the same time everything else will practice with us.

That's why we should always turn to ourselves, test ourselves, who we are, like a doctor tapping himself. It is very important. This practice must go on continuously, moment by moment. We say: "When it's still night outside, the dawn is already dawning." This means that there is no gap between dawn and night. Autumn comes when summer is not yet over. This is how we should understand our life. We must practice with this understanding and resolve our problems in this way.

It is enough, in fact, just to work hard and unidirectionally on your problem. You just have to polish the tiles; this is our practice. The purpose of the practice is not to make a gem out of a tile. Just keep sitting; this is practice in its true sense. It does not matter whether or not one can achieve Buddhahood, whether or not one can turn a tile into a jewel. The most important thing is just to work and live in this world with such an understanding. This is our practice. This is true zazen. That's why we say: "When you eat - eat!" You have to, you know, eat what you eat. Sometimes this doesn't happen. Although you are eating, your mind is somewhere else. You don't taste what's in your mouth. As long as you are able to eat with meals, you are fine. You have nothing to worry about. This means that you are yourself.

When you are you, you see things as they are, and you become one with your surroundings. This is your true self. Then you will have true practice; you will have frog practice. She is a good example for our practice: when a frog becomes a frog, Zen becomes Zen. When you fully understand the frog, you become enlightened; you are the Buddha. It will be good for others too: for husband or wife, son or daughter. This is zazen!

THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE BEGINNER

The beginner's mind has many possibilities, but the expert's mind has only a few.

It is said that the practice of Zen is difficult, but the reason for this is misunderstood. Difficulty is not because it is difficult to sit in a cross-legged posture or it is difficult to achieve enlightenment. It is difficult because it is difficult to keep consciousness and practice pure at its very core. Since its inception in China, the Zen school has developed in many ways, but at the same time it has lost more and more of its original purity. However, I am not going to consider Chinese Zen or the history of its development. I want to help you protect your practice from distortion and contamination.

The Japanese word shoshin means "beginner's mind". The purpose of our practice is to keep the consciousness of the beginner constantly.

Suppose you read the Prajnaparamita Sutra aloud once. You can do it quite well. But what happens if you read it out loud two, three, four times or more? You can easily lose your original attitude towards her. The same can happen with any other Zen practice. For some time you will keep the consciousness of a beginner, but if you continue to practice for a year, two, three or more, then, despite certain successes, you risk losing your original state of consciousness, not constrained by any framework.

For Zen students, the most important thing is to keep from duality. Our "original consciousness" contains everything. It is always inexhaustible and self-sufficient. We must not lose this self-sufficiency of consciousness. This means that your mind must be truly empty and ready to receive, but not closed. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. The beginner's mind has many possibilities; the connoisseur's mind has only a few.

If you are too partial, you limit yourself. If you are too demanding or too greedy, your consciousness will not be inexhaustible and self-sufficient. If we lose the original self-sufficiency of consciousness, we will lose all our moral precepts. When you're demanding, when you crave something, it ends up breaking your own commandments: don't lie, don't steal, don't kill, don't be immoral, and so on. If you keep the original consciousness, the commandments will keep themselves.

There is no thought in the beginner's mind, "I have achieved something." All self-centered thoughts limit our boundless consciousness. When we have no thought of achievement or self, we are truly beginners. And then we can really learn something. The consciousness of the beginner is the consciousness of compassion. When our consciousness is compassionate, it is limitless. Dogen Zenji, the founder of our school, has always stressed the importance of renewing the immensity of the original consciousness. Then we are always true to ourselves, compassionate to all living things and can engage in real practice.

Therefore, the most difficult thing is always to keep the consciousness of the beginner. It does not require an advanced understanding of Zen. Even if you have read a lot of Zen literature, you should read every sentence with a fresh mind. You should not say, "I know what Zen is" or "I have attained enlightenment." The real secret of any art is also to always be a beginner. Be very, very careful in this regard. If you start practicing zazen, you will begin to appreciate your beginner's mind. This is the secret of Zen practice.