Shunryu Suzuki Lecture
Audio Problem set
68-10-00-H
[fragment]
JG's first pass - see CM's 2nd pass

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Zenbuto Buto tuw[j g1] a assembled them.

Zenbuto tuwa, on that page you are holding there.

Might not know human were very relative because Nagas in the room, Gandhavara, behomoths, Garudas, Kinaras, great serpents, man and beings – men and beings not two. Men and beings not two, as well as governors of the region, rulers of armies, and rulers of four continents.... All of them with their powers gazed upon the road in astonishment, in amazement, in ectasy.

We had already around the quarter of … gaijaku....

Before Buddha entered, some explanation of who he is. We had those few people like four kinds of his group – monks, nuns, and then male and female lay libertants. And gods – “gods” means devas, and devas mean gods in ancient time. Nagas and goblins. Goblins means – it means “yakusha”. Goblins. And we had those groups already. Gandhavaras and demons. They're … Gandhavaras and demons – that means “Asuras”. Ashura. And the Garudas and Kinaras and great serpents. Great serpents here means “Mahahora”.

Those names may be for us better to be written in Sanskrit, rather than English, because it is difficult to know what it means, and there are errors in translation!

You will have many translations. I don't know what is the difference between goblins and demons! {Laughter}

First, goblin. First one means yakusha. Yakusha is … we haven't yakusha here, frankly. Those are called devas, nagas, and yakusha, and Gandhavaras, and Asura, Garuda, Kinara, Manhora. Manhora, Kinara, Garuda … those are called Eight Devas in Lotus Sutra. Eight Protectors of the Buddha. Those are the supernatural beings or devas.

In Lotus Scripture, we have eight Guardians, but some other scriptures we have six. In this case, we include devas, nagas, kinara, Gandhavara, Asura and garuda. Those are six. And together with Yakusha an Mahoran, the last one, great serpents – those are characterized by serpent, as a kind of … mystic or supernatural feeling, or a kind of god. The point is before Buddhism, it must be god, but here in this picture, they are treated like a rain streak[j g2] , likely man's story unlike … phantom. And that is composition according to doctrine. You will understand there are all kinds of creatures who live. And those are included in this theory of people.

Important is the point of the material is that Buddha appears. Buddha is sitting here, and he is trying to tell all the people and all those gods. For a long time [j g3] he had lived as the Buddha.

And Asura are fighting, they like fighting activity, and it means they fight through fear. Active fear.

This is a kind of mythology of the world, not just facts. Obviously. And 23 tribes like [Shakya]. Shakya is, you know, some kind of tribe, 15  living in lecture, important lecture.

If you bring something to Buddha, it was important to touch your head bowing.

And Naga must be involved in ceremony. They are thought of as your relatives in...without your images, may be no idea of your dying how it will be. And why we need images, really, because no one has the ability to see themselves.

Garuda: this is some eagle, with very long wing. It fights the Naga. [Next bit too soft, needs filter 12:31-13:53] . The rest of Nagas were with Garudas there. Garuda. Garuda, this is very famous bird that always guard the Buddha. It is wearing the mark of the god and the Buddha.

Again, those people came … more of those people came after Buddha entered. It was doing something. When he entered, more of those human beings, and he said deva beings and supernatural beings and entered nature came and joined with those attendants.

In this way, the supernatural is caused by Buddha. The other thing was – the other thing that has happened then the miraculous spirit of the forest, within [?] a big storm is coming. This is none of them, on part of the man. Because other people coming [16:18-16:32 needs filter] before going, having history. There is a way, wisdom is described. It extend over 18,000 Buddha fields. This Buddha fields is Buddha. When he, Buddha, was younger, Buddha field and Buddha world extend over 18000 Buddha fields. Buddha world, in the Eastern part. There it is said, Eastern Province, but as you will found out later, this is not exactly the word. It was chosen to give more realistic feeling, to in this way say “Eastern Province”.

So, for all those Buddha fields, are illuminated by its radiance of thousand of Buddha fields. After the Buddha for thousand there are many things – in Japanese [18:39-19:17 needs filter]. And after that, intermediate period, for them, the root of what he said was Hinayana practice. Hinayana practice doesn't mean it was limited by the Buddha. Hinayana is … and people, they have named it Hinayana practice, And really to any effect make this Buddha activity. And [ayapapa server,] and then there were all those devasand other fields.

 

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Source: digital audio archive from DC. Problem set. Thanks to audio work by AW, transcribed March 2012 by Judy Gilbert. Work in progress. Further preparation to post by DC