Online teisho given by Koten Roshi on October 16, 2022 for ZCA

忍、忍耐の忍。 ねばり強くきたえた刀のは。忍は「心＋音符刃」で、ねばり強くこらえる心。	Endurance, perseverance, persistence, tenacity: the one kanji “nin” can mean all of these. It is written with two kanji, one placed above the other; above is the kanji for sword that has been hardened or tempered, and below is the kanji for heart/mind.
なぜ忍が必要かと言いますと、手のつけようがないことなんです。	So why is endurance and perseverance necessary in Zen? It is because there is nothing to hold on to or hang on to.
ところが人はどうしてもそのものをそのものにしておけません。	But the problem is people just can’t leave things alone, can’t leave things alone just as they are.
そのものにしておけないために、先ほどの坐禅をして仏様になろうとするお坊さんのように何か働きをするわけです。	And because we are unable to simply leave things just as they are, we do zazen and try to become Buddha, we try to do something, to somehow get involved.
ですから大きな間違いが生じるわけです。	And this is where a big mistake occurs.
ところが今の状態に任せて手をつけないということが一番大変なことなんです。	However, just completely give yourself up to the present, one’s present circumstances, and don’t try to do anything. To do nothing at all is the most difficult or hardest thing of all.
お釈迦様が最後にお説きになった涅槃教というお経があります。	The last discourse or sermon that the Buddha Shakyamuni gave is a sutra called the Nirvana Sutra
その中に持戒という戒を保つことも、それから苦行ということもそんなに大変なことではないと言うております。	In this sutra Buddha says that observing the precepts, and also doing ascetic practices, these are not so awfully difficult
ところが、その忍を保つ、保ち続けるということは非常に大変な事ですね。	However, Buddha says that this perseverance in leaving things as they are, continuing to persevere like this requires enormous, persistent effort
それですからその忍をよく保てる人は非常に大きな力を生かしておることになる。すなわち目覚めた人、悟りを開いた人だという事です。	Therefore the person who is able to persevere in leaving the present moment as it is acquires great power and vitality, in other words, he or she is the person who awakens
禅の方の言葉で言いますと求心をやめるという、求め心をやめなさいという事です。	A Zen expression says, give up the seeking mind. Stop searching.
求め心さえ無くなれば、非常に心は静かになる、平和になるという事です。	If one would just give up the mind that searches, things become very quiet. It would become peaceful, calm.
皆さん今すぐに求め心をやめたと決めて、やめてご覧なさい。平和になるでしょ？	Everyone should right now give up this seeking mind, and see for yourselves. Doing this, wouldn’t you become calm and peaceful now ?
平和になりませんか？なぜ平和にならないかと言いますとね、求め心を止めようと思ってやめたからなんです。	But trying to do this, it doesn’t become calm, does it. The reason it doesn’t become peaceful is you try to give up the seeking mind by thinking. Give up seeking.
話が元に戻りますけれども趙州という和尚が平常心是道と答えたそのことも、求め心をやめさえすれば、結果が今のこのままの事実、このままが道であるということがすぐ解るということなんですね。	There is an ancient Chinese koan. Joshu, who became a very famous Chinese master, is just beginning his zen practice under Nanzen Zenji, and asks his master, what is the Way? Nanzen Zenji answers, Everyday mind is the Way. Hearing this answer you immediately realize that if only you would give up the seeking mind, the result would be that the present reality just as it is, that this itself is the Great Way.
私たち今、皆さん方があまり苦労をしなくても、本当に苦しまなくても、すぐにその道が何とかして分かっていただけるように努力をしておるわけです。	I am making an effort here trying to have you all come to have some understanding of the Way without too much hardship or trouble.
しかし一応今のように法理、法の理ですね、法理というものを話をさせて頂かなければ皆さんでお分かりにならない法理。	But it is necessary to talk a little like I am right now about the reasoning or fundamentals behind the Dharma. Without this, you won’t have an understanding of these fundamentals.
しかし、なる程、そりゃ言われた通りにやっていけば良いのか云うような考えを起こしますね。「先生の言われた通りに坐禅をすれば良いのか。」とそういう考えを起こします。	However, you think, Ok, then I’ll do my practice just as the teacher says. You raise this kind of thinking.
しかしその通りに、言われた通りに先生の言葉を聞く「人」があるわけです。	But here there is someone, a perceived person, who is listening to the teacher’s words exactly as they are spoken.
どうしても、ですから人が先生の言葉を一応自分のものとして受け止める。	Without fail, there is a person, someone, tentatively speaking, who is listening and taking in the teacher’s talk/words.
ですから自分では先生の言われた通りにしておるつもりになりますけれども、実は自分の見、自分の我見でもって先生の言われた通りにはやっておらないということです。	And so although our intention is to be following exactly what the teacher says, in reality what we are doing is based on the notion of a self, and so we are actually unable to do or carry out exactly as the teacher says.
そういうものを自分の見（けん）と言います、見解になる。先生の言葉で今度は自分の見解となって現れる	This is what is called egotistical views, views/value-judgements based on the self. What happens is, what is originally the words of the teacher have now manifest becoming one’s own personal view or judgement
ですから、「本当のことを知ろうと思うよりも、この自分の見をやめなさい。」とこう言う。	So instead of one thinking one must come to know what truth is, instead one should endeavor to give up personal or egotistical views.
本当のことを求めるよりも、自分が「知ろう」というそういうものの、見解はやめなさい。そうすれば本当のものが求めようと思っても求められてはいないんですよ。	Rather than seeking truth or the true state of reality, instead, one should give up this viewpoint/standpoint of wanting to know, of “I have to know.” In other words, if you think you are looking for truth or reality, then you are not really seeking it.
いかに「このものの考え」というものが根本のものを知るために邪魔になっているということをご存知頂けたかと思います。	In this way, I am trying to point out somehow that what gets in the way of our knowing the fundamental nature of things is thinking/thought.
そこでもう一度道元の言葉を引用しますと、正法眼蔵の中から引用しますとこういうことを言っております。	Here I would like to refer to the teaching of Dogen Zenji as he wrote it in the Shobogenzo, or Treasure and Eye of the True Dharma.
仏道を習うというは自己を習うなり。	The study of the Buddha Way is the study of the self.
自己を習うというは自己を忘るるなり。	The study of the self is to forget the self.
自己を忘るるということは万法に証せざるるなり。万法というのは全ての法。	To forget the self is to be one with all things (all dharmas), to be awakened by all things.
万法に証せらるるということは自己の身心、自分も他も、他己の身心をして脱落せしむるなり。全て無くなってしまう。	To be one with all things is to drop off mind and body of both self and others (all things). Everything completely drops off or falls off.
ですから仏道というものは自分自身のことである。	In this way, what is called the Buddha Way is one’s own personal matter
自分を知るということは即ち仏道を知るということ。	To know oneself is namely to know the Buddha Way
そして初めて道というものが知れるわけです。自分そのものが道であったと知ることができる。	What this means is one can know for the first time what the Way is; we come to know that we ourselves, as we are, always were the Way
その道が分かりますから、今度自分の足でその道を歩くことができる。	Knowing what the Way is, we are now able to actually walk the Way for ourselves with our own two feet.
ですから仏道の修行というものは一度自分を無くしてから本当に自分を無くしてからがようやく仏道の修行に入るということになる。	Therefore in order to practice the Buddha Way, we have to one time first forget the self. Once we have forgotten the egoself we are then able to really enter into the practice of the Buddha Way