Last week we went through this story at the dualistic level of ordinary conventional reality and talked about how this is a discussion. This story can be a discussion. There's a place up here, Grace. This can be a discussion about the nature of our life. And you can have this discussion in dualistic terms, like wondering whether a dog has the Buddha nature or doesn't. And you can answer that question dualistically. Yes, it does have it. Or no, it doesn't have it.

[01:03]

And then if it does, you can ask questions based on having it. And if it doesn't, you can ask questions based on not having it. Perfectly reasonable, dualistic conversation. could also be going on among two people who are meditating on the non-duality. So, we can now look at the story from that point of view, or from that, with that in mind. So the original question is, does a dog have the Buddha nature or not?

[02:08]

And last week, the man with the A's hat on said something. What did you say? I said whether it's conventional or automated, If it's necessary to us human beings having a dog, you know, interdependent or arriving, or if a dog can be needless. A dog can be needless? If a dog's life has actually come to our life, right? Yeah. So if somebody says, does a dog have Buddha nature? He says, oh, do we need dogs? Okay. This is not necessarily dualistic.

[03:10]

The dualistic understanding of the story does not necessarily lead to that question. I'm not saying that's a non-dual question, but discussions at the non-dual level don't have to have non-dual questions. Okay? So I'm not saying his question is dualistic or non-dualistic, but I think that that question is not... unnecessarily dualistic. So if somebody says, does Stan have the Buddha nature or not, then Herman might say, well that means do we need Stan or not? And do we need grace or not?

[04:13]

I don't know. I don't care if I don't see how the need question arises from that. Oh, it doesn't. It doesn't. But he just asked that question. Oh, okay. And the thing about it's, you know, somebody gave me this card. Got a little picture of what looks like a donkey, but I think it's supposed to be a dog. And it's got a little, like, this dog's dreaming about some person sitting cross-legged with a bump on top of his head. Looks kind of like a Buddha. See? And down below it says, this is why it is said that someone with clear eyes has no nest. Okay? That's it. That says it in the commentary. It says that. So, in a simple way, if you're asking the question on a dualistic level, then there's certain machinery that comes into play.

[05:25]

Like, if you really are wondering whether the dog has Buddha nature or not, And if you really are interested in which of some set of existential possibilities the dog's Buddha nature falls into, now one set of existential possibilities, it has two things in it, right? It exists or doesn't exist, but you could have more than two, right? How many could you have? Hmm? At least four. At least four. So how many could you have? How many existential possibilities could you propose? How many categories, how many types of existential categories could you propose for the Buddha nature of a dog? Infinite. However, in fact, if you put it into any category,

[06:32]

Then you're trapping the dog. So, part of what this is about is that when this question is asked, you can respond according to the situation. And I thought that was a nice response that he had. But you, my friend, could have a different one. So, what's your question about... When you hear the question, does a dog have Buddha nature, what do you have to say? What is Buddha nature? Yeah, that's nice. So, Buddha nature... We don't have to get into a nest about what Buddha nature is. We don't have to. We want to. We want to, don't we? But maybe we could just start out our class tonight by contemplating

[07:51]

the possibility of our life of having this wonderful thing called our true nature not be something that has any categories? And how would we be? Where would that leave us, ladies and gentlemen? Pretty sad situation. Well, I'm emphasizing the side of the life of a dog. or the life of living in a Zen center that doesn't have border guards.

[08:53]

You know what I mean? By not having border guards? Temple guards? Well, no, border guards. Temple guards are very inefficient. They let all the wrong people in. Border guards would keep out the people who would disturb the program. What do you mean by barrier gate? What do you mean by barrier gate? What do you mean by barrier gate? Now, we should, those are, what are you called? Is that Diane back there? Yeah. Did you hurt yourself? Yeah. I guess so. What happened? Oh, I just had tendonitis in my foot. Oh. Are you going to stand there all night, or is that, if you want to sit down? You want to sit? Do you have a chair? Chair.

[10:02]

Chair. Chair. So he's talking about barrier gates like you mean, like Tongario sitting in the snow or something, you mean? Is that what you mean, Daryl? By barrier gate? Daryl? Hello? I don't think it's not necessarily what you mean. Perhaps in China and Japan, maybe once. It doesn't have to be that. I know it doesn't have to be that, but is that what you mean, that kind of thing? Yeah. Okay. No, I think our Zen center should have those kind of barrier gates. But the thing is that the people who are willing to go through those initiatory gates are, if it's a real Zen center, some of the people who get in there will be troublemakers. Why would they be troublemakers? You know what I'm driving at?

[11:02]

No. Because they're kind of non-dual. Because they're willing to do whatever. Because they're kind of non-dual and they're willing to do whatever to make a point. But not my point. Yeah, their own. Their own point. Wouldn't that be true to their own nature? Even if they could be troublemakers. This is a person whose true nature is a troublemaker, right? Yes. They get in. This is a sad situation from the point of view of the other people, some of the other people. All right? That's just one way to describe a sad situation. A sad situation is when no troublemakers get in. That's not a sad situation. That is total delusion.

[12:05]

Pretty sad situation. But the thing is, you're not sad. That's the problem. You have no trouble because you keep out all the people who keep doing things to show you that this is samsara. And why is it samsara? Because you think they're troublemakers. So people get in the test to see if you have any nest. If you have any nest, then... and you don't protect yourself from all sentient beings getting into your life, then you're going to have samsara. Does that make sense? So if the Zen center doesn't have any people that are bugging the other people, it's not a very good Zen center because the people there are dreaming. Question I would ask is, what would you protect yourself from? And you said, you need to protect yourself. What would you protect yourself from?

[13:10]

I didn't say you needed to protect yourself, did I? I thought you did. What did you think I said? You thought I said that? I wonder what I said that made you think that. My interpretation is that. We talked about border defense. What? I said, yeah, I said a good Zen Center doesn't have border shards. But what do you have to protect yourself against? Is there something we need to protect ourselves against? Yeah, I'd say so. Well, not ourselves. Ourselves are the main thing that gets into the gates consistently. But I think there is something to protect ourselves against. What would that be? Trying to protect ourselves, hurting other people. What would you do? What? Delusion. Right. Delusion.

[14:11]

Having a nest? Having agenda. Having agenda is okay, but you don't make a nest out of your agenda. If there's no agenda, then this isn't non-duality. If there's no agenda, then dogs don't have Buddha nature. I mean, then you take the position dogs don't have Buddha nature if you get rid of agendas. Also, if you say, I guess if you would say, all agendas are okay with me, then you might take the position, dogs do have a Buddha nature. All phenomena do have a Buddha nature. You take that position like they have it. So, let's look at the story again. Uh, and, uh... Yes?

[15:15]

Well, make shame, cause it, cause for quarantine, or... The ordinary form? Uh... The ordinary form comes, comes, uh, consciousness. ignorance, karmic formations, consciousness, name and form, contact, feeling, both six senses, contact, feeling, thirst, cleaning, becoming. Well, before we go on, though, is everybody okay with not having a nest?

[16:16]

So then, are we also talking about not having a nest because I'm really dispersed on the other hand. It can sound that way, but if you... If you listen to what I said to Andy, you know Andy? Andy. Andy, Brian. So what I said to him was, you don't not have agendas. He's still chock full of agendas. If you're chock full of agendas, you are, aren't you? Yeah. so you're not dispersed you have agenda number you know n minus three right now and then in the next minute you have another agenda you have specific agendas all throughout the day don't you so it's not dispersed you have you have specifically whatever whatever's on your plate on your plate that's not dispersed that's it that's not a nest that's a dog And the question is, does that have Buddha nature?

[17:28]

And that question can be understood as, does that agenda which is appearing in your life now, as whatever your experience is, does that have Buddha nature? Dualistic understanding of it is, I'm asking you, does it have Buddha nature? Or does it not have Buddha nature? In other words, does what you're having vis-à-vis enlightenment have any, is there any category or relationship between awakening and your state? And if you say no, that's another example of a categorical relationship. Understand? To say, you know, that's another nest. So your life is very specific always. That's why, that's how we can make our life into samsara, because our life is a sitting duck for attachment. We can always grab it because it's delivered to us in these little packages called experiences, which we are built very well to take a hold of.

[18:36]

And not only that, but we are extremely fast philosophers, and we not only grab things experientially, but we attribute existential categories to everything we run into. We are instantaneous philosophers. This belongs in existential category. Boom. Exist. Not exist. Both. Neither. Or go on from there. Make up new versions of that. You can do that stuff. You do do that stuff. So not only do you have specific experiences, but you attribute everything. clear sharp existential categories to everything you do that's why you may not think you're that sharp but that's why you can't move anything or i'm not saying you can't move anything but when you can't move things when you're trapped it's because you not only have an experience and you can never have any slightly different experience from the one you're having that's dead set on every moment But the attributing of some existential category to it is another matter. However, you do it all the time. So not only do you have specific, undispersed, unvague experiences, but you make specific categorical attributions to things.

[19:44]

Every moment. And if you don't, fine. But why don't you start just with the assumption that you do it all the time? Check it out. See if you don't. And if you don't, it's very easy to work that out. If you say you don't, then just come and tell somebody how you don't. And see if you can say that without falling into another one. It's very difficult. That's why I think Herman's question is kind of nice, because it didn't really fall into a category when he asked the question. It was more a question of, hey, do we need dogs or not? That doesn't have to be like anything about existential category, the Buddha nature. And Jordan's question, what is it? That's good, too. The second question is kind of useless. The first question has kind of like, you know, it's a basis of study in the world. And the other one's a basis of study nowhere, which is a good place to study.

[20:48]

And you always have some place to study nowhere from. And as you may know, nowhere can also be regrouped to be now here. It's the same thing. And that's the same as not having a nest, right? So it may sound like not having a nest means something vague, but it really means that in your specific experience, which is completely given to you by all your friends and neighbors, including all the Bryans you used to be, delivered to you moment by moment in its uniqueness. To be there with the uniqueness of this experience and to be intimate with it, really intimate with it, you know, like so now here that you're nowhere, and to catch yourself putting your chip down in some existential category, just catch all that stuff, that's also what it means to not have a nest.

[22:12]

Not have a nest does not mean you jump off the edge of your nest and sort of say, I'm not in this nest anymore. That's another nest. It's called suburban nest. You can't get out of your nest. You can't get out of it. That's another nest. You can only realize that there isn't a nest. Part of what I was feeling was just a caution about going to part of the other direction, sort of like where you do have temple guards, which you do have Tangaria, which nobody just kept outside and dispersed situation.

[23:15]

Yes, that's true. But what I'm emphasizing is another turn of the coin, namely, or turn of the screw, I should say. And that is, by having a kind of initiatory experience in a Buddhist community, it makes it all the more likely that you'll make a nest out of your relationships with people. Everybody just breezes through here and nobody has any commitment, and people come in without making any any effort or anything, then it's easier for you to not care about people. If you don't care about people, it's easier for you not to attach to them. But when you require people to demonstrate their sincerity, it makes it all the more likely that you'll make a nest out of your perception of them. Because shouldn't you care about this person and care about every little thing they do, since they've demonstrated how wonderful and sincere they are? So if you want to make the situation more, if you want to make your attachment more, have more teeth and bite you back, then make everybody you have a relationship with have initiation into your life.

[24:33]

Make everybody sort of ante up to have a relationship with you. Then you'll care more about them, and if you have any attachment, it'll hurt more because you care more. That's good. It's good because you can see that relationships where you have a commitment, mutual commitment, and there's real sincerity there, are totally unworkable with the slightest bit of attachment. He looked nervous, Lloyd. That last bit went in crossways. What part? No attachment? Totally unworthable. No attachment. Yeah, samsara is totally unworkable. It will not work out. Samsara is the way our life seems when we make a nest out of it. Even a slight nest.

[25:38]

A slight nest in a situation of total commitment is a pretty good nest. And that nest will hurt. And you cannot work it out. So you know, what's the problem with that? How do you want it to be? I guess I'm like, yes. Well, that's really good. Will I what? Swat in another idea of this, the idea of many agendas without expectation. Many agendas without expectation? Agendas without expectation. Yeah. That's kind of the same thing. But again, without expectation doesn't mean there's not an expectation. It means if there's an expectation on the agenda, that that's the way it is. And not making a nest in that means, first of all, you accept that you've got an agenda with an expectation.

[26:39]

And that has a certain quality because of those ingredients. Okay? And not making a nest there also means that you catch yourself at also attributing existential category to that. You own up to your karma. You own up to the fact that in order to get a skin bag, you've got to pay a karmic entrance fee. You own up to all that. And then if there's any attachment, you'll notice you naturally will want to drop this whole thing. You'll want to drop your nest. However, you can't drop your nest because if you try to drop your nest, it's just going to be another nest activity, nesting activity.

[27:40]

You're going to just make yourself try to make yourself a better nest. That's not going to work. But you're wanting to drop the whole thing will get stronger because you'll realize that you're holding on is what's causing the problem. So you want more and more to drop the whole thing. Now, it turns out The message from the Buddhists is the whole thing's already been dropped. So that's why you don't have to drop it. But you have to be willing to drop it exactly as much as it is being dropped. In other words, you have to want to drop it. You have to completely want to drop it. If there's the slightest bit of not wanting to drop it, you won't be able to keep up with the dropping that's happening. So as you sit more and more in your life of where you're holding on and feel the pain of that, your will to drop gets stronger and stronger until finally your will to drop coincides and is in accord with the causation of your life, which is that the attachment causes pain and you want to drop it.

[28:48]

And it's exactly that meeting right there that brings you into accord with the fact the reason why you want to drop it is not only because it's painful, But even more deeply, more deeply than wanting to get out of pain, is that we want to be in accord with reality. Being in accord with reality is much more wonderful than just having pain taken away for a moment. We have moments where there's not much pain, or where the pain is very subtle. But it's not just the absence of pain, it is rapport with inconceivable beauty. which is when we're in accord with reality. But the only way we line up with reality is by sitting in a still and experiencing the results of our attachments and watching the will to drop all this get stronger and stronger. But this story is not about that exactly.

[29:53]

This story is about people who are, what are they doing? Let's try to figure out what they're doing. Does somebody have a question before we do that? Yes, Pam? Isn't it true that before you drop having a nurse or realize that you don't have a nurse, that you don't do have a nurse? No, it's not really true that you have a nest. It's really true that you think you have a nest. That's really true. And it's really true that the nest which doesn't exist appears. That's really true. What makes something really exist or not exist? What makes it really exist or not exist? that it doesn't really exist.

[30:57]

Well, there's many ways you can know. One way you can know is to catch yourself in the act of saying that it exists. You can notice that you're the one who says it exists. So attributing inherent existence to the appearance of a nest is something you can actually catch yourself doing. And you can notice that there's a nest that doesn't have the belief in its existence. And then there's the belief in its existence. There are two different kinds of functions of your life. If you can see that, you can see, oh, here's the belief in the existence of the nest, and here's the nest. But there is the appearance of the nest. We don't say that there isn't. So there's a constant appearance of things that don't exist. In other words, there's a constant production of appearances. That is true. We don't say that's not true. We just say that the only reality that these things have is the reality you attribute to them.

[31:57]

The only reality they have is the reality that their appearance is, and then the reality that they're more than that, or the belief that they're more than that, is something that you put on them. And you can catch yourself at that. Another meaning of truth is that truth is what makes you happy. And believing that this nest has inherent existence makes you miserable. So that's another reason why we say it doesn't truly exist, because the things that truly exist, when you encounter them, they make you cry for joy. It's arbitrary from the point of view of happiness, that's right. This whole program, truth in this program is what makes people happy, free, and compassionate. That's what truth is. It's not a truth aside. This truth only bears on what sets people free from misery. It's not some other kind of truth.

[33:02]

It just happens that a whole bunch of other kind of truths may come running behind us. That's not important. The main thing that Buddha is concerned about is curing people of misery and all the cruelty that people do because they're miserable. But there's some kind of minor truths or minor clarities, I shouldn't say minor, but I would say There is some truth to it in the sense of objective understanding, for example. You can discover what you're up to in the process of releasing yourself from your own attachments. And you can see, oh, now I see what I was doing. I didn't see it before. And then you can see that that actually is, that's actually what's going on and it always was. You just didn't see it. So there's a kind of revelation there or insight there. But it's not just insight, pure and simple, like solving a math problem. It makes you happy. It is a relief. You feel released.

[34:07]

You feel flexibility. You feel so much flexibility, you don't even care if you suffer anymore. Freedom is actually so much fun and so beautiful that pain doesn't even need to be removed anymore. And part of the reason why is because if you're completely free, pain isn't really there. But the word truth is a tough one. Maybe I shouldn't use it. All I can say is that most of us most of the time do attribute inherent existence to things. We really do go around thinking that things are existent. And I think if you look carefully, you can notice that that is the source of your problems. And then if you don't do that, you get a break. And I have not ever seen an example of where somebody wasn't doing it where they didn't get a break. I have seen examples of it where they stop contributing existence for a moment or they notice that they are doing it and therefore get a little break just by noticing it.

[35:14]

I notice that people do that and then the next moment they sort of make up for that little break with a vengeance and then they suffer more afterwards. That sometimes happens. Sort of like, oh, you think it's like the habits say, oh, you think you can take a break? Okay, well, take this. Now you're really going to be stuck in your habit. You try that one more time and we'll make it 10 times as bad. So it's kind of like the part of us is very, you know, doesn't want the situation switched around and will kind of like punish us for being free for a moment. That sometimes happens. But basically, I've never seen anybody who authentically just drops everything for a moment who doesn't get happy at that time and feel great. Even though they don't even notice it. You can tell they're happy. And often they do notice it. And when they notice it, they agree. So that's what this story's about. So now let's see if you can do it. Did you have your hand raised? What did you want to say? I was wondering, your name is Michael?

[36:18]

Michael. I was wondering about the earlier subject before the last question was raised. It would seem to have a precondition in it, in the sense that we talked about the nest and the nest. There was a whole period of discussion when you were talking about the nest and dropping the nest and so forth. It seems that there is an assumption in this, namely that there is me being able to drop the nest, that there are two entities, the nest or the many nests that I have. And then there's me who has sort of a choice of dropping it or not dropping it. I wonder about this, in which way I differ from the nests. You brought that in the room with you, what you just saw. We didn't say that.

[37:20]

No, but I heard you talk and I was listening. But I didn't say that. This sort of came as a question for me. That attitude is actually exactly the same as having a nest. That I have a nest or I drop a nest is another nest. You don't drop the nest. We cannot willfully drop body and mind. If I'm here dropping body and mind, body and mind is not dropped. Body and mind drops, but nobody drops it. Body and mind is dropped by its own nature. The nest is dropped by its own nature. The nature of a nest, the nature of an opinion, the nature of an agenda, the nature of an expectation, the nature of all things is that they're constantly dropped off completely. That's a teaching of impermanence, teaching of change. We don't have to keep turning the dial of change. We don't have to do that. That's not our job.

[38:21]

We have to catch up. That's all. We just need to catch up with what's happening. So, how do you catch up with what's happening? Not by trying to drop things faster, because that's another way of holding yourself back. How do you catch up with what's happening? How do you catch up with what's happening? Yes, by being immediately present. Yes, and how do you be immediately present? Sit still. Take a breath. Sit still? What? Take a breath. Also suffer. Suffering is telling you... suffering telling you suffering is telling you that you're holding back that you're behind schedule that you don't believe and you don't want to believe you don't really believe or you don't completely accept the teaching of change or of impermanence therefore you're suffering okay but if you don't accept that you're suffering then you're going to suffer more even if you don't realize it so suffering is

[39:30]

is part of what you have to do to catch up. Now, if you just sit there and suffer, if you just sit and suffer, naturally, your willingness to drop off comes along. Just suffering is not enough. Not enough. You have to also, on top of suffering, on top of being, on top of suffering, and on top of being willing to suffer, on top of being willing to suffer completely, you also have to want to drop the whole thing, which is the cause of the suffering. like this movie out now, not only do you have to accept suffering, but you have to love Jesus. What? You saw that movie? Yeah, I did. I saw the end of it, too. What movie is that? It's called The Rapture. The Rapture. Yeah. What are you doing with your pen? Is that a pencil? Are you making the ink? Are you making the lead come out? I thought she was going.

[40:43]

This brings up the question again, how am I different from my suffering? How are you different from your suffering? Because you were, again, it's a matter of speaking, I think, and maybe I'm not used to the way things are being put. When I say, how do I relate to my suffering? How do I drop my suffering? What is my relationship to my suffering? I always hear the distinction between me and the suffering. Yeah. So perhaps everybody in this room understands that there is no distinction between the two. But you don't have to hear from the way. Naturally, there is a distinction. So part of what you have to admit is that you're making a distinction. If you admit that you're making a distinction, you become more at peace and settle with that you're making a distinction. And that will help you just not be other than your suffering. And the more you're not other than your suffering, the closer you are, you're realizing your intention to drop.

[41:59]

But probably part of what we have to admit is that we do feel like our suffering is over there a little ways. And that we would like to get away from it. Or we would like to find out who is responsible for it. We would like to blame it on some of those people who got back, who got into the place, who got into the room. Yeah. The people who are not cooperating with making things so that we wouldn't be suffering. So our suffering not only wouldn't be over there, it just wouldn't be. But in fact, there is suffering because things are not going according to our plan. Or at least they're not going according to my plan. I don't know if they're going according to yours. But when they don't go according to my plan, that reminds me, oh yeah, this is samsara. Why is this samsara? Because I have some attachments. Okay, what do I do? Well, let's not make a distinction between me and samsara.

[43:06]

Let's completely let samsara be samsara. Isn't that like knowing that we know rather than deliberately transgressing anyway, like the story says? We know that anyway. And yet we're still going to do it. It is like that, definitely. It is knowing and deliberately transgressing. That's what it is. That's right. Mm-hmm. So do you want to look at the stuff? What does it mean? I don't know. Well, like right now, I can't see your face, so I thought you moved it. Thank you. Was that a trick so I could see her lovely face?

[44:08]

Before that, I was accepting that I couldn't see her. I was letting samsara be samsara. What a bad arrangement. Here she's talking to me, and Susan's face is in the way. Or she's hiding behind Susan's face. I don't know. That's samsara. I... I let samsara be samsara. And sure enough, I got rewarded for it by getting to see your face. That's the way it goes. Any other questions? Did I let samsara be samsara? Now, if you don't cooperate with me, then I'm still letting samsara be samsara. So this monk asked Jaojo, first of all, I want to talk about when the Jaojo said no. All right? So we already talked about no means, on the dualistic level, means no, it doesn't have it. Now Dogenzenji says at this question, does a dog have Buddha nature?

[45:16]

What this means is, does an enlightened person keep practicing? You don't like that? So does a dog have Buddha nature is not asking whether a dog does or does not have Buddha nature. That's not what the monk's talking about. He looks surprised after all this introduction.

[46:18]

What is that? I already told you that. That's why you look that way. Does the dog have gluten nature? It's not asking whether it has it or has it not. What it's asking is, does an enlightened person continue to practice? Do you keep practicing after enlightenment? That's what it's asking. Is that right? You want the answer? Yeah. Can you practice or can you practice in the same way? Tell them, Jordan. Why? Why not? So how are you guys doing nest-wise? Comfy, very comfy. See now, you can hear that on two levels.

[47:31]

Can you hear the two levels? Yeah, very good, Stuart. Now, we don't know which one he was talking about. It could be both levels there, right? He's free to carry on like that. At the same time, his suffering may be intense. He looks kind of happy. Oh, happy days. William, how are you doing nest-wise? What's your name? Ma'am? Yeah. Patricia, how are you doing? I'm okay with my nest.

[48:31]

Are you also okay with your no-nest? Or you have a nest in this very class? I'm vacillating. Between what? Between having a nest and not having a nest? Do you want me to talk to you for a while? You're throwing me off balance. Do you want me to come back later? Huh? Do you want me to come back later? No. Oh, okay. Good. No. This is not random harassment. She made a face. So, if you people are smiling, I won't call. If you look asleep, I might call on you. But definitely if you go... Like I see you trying to figure out what's going on and find your nest again, then... I'm likely to ask you how your nest is.

[49:34]

So may I ask you some more questions? So you're vacillating between having a nest and not having a nest? Is that how you put it? OK, can you understand what I've been saying is that when you don't have a nest, that's also having a nest? Is that clear to you? That's another kind of a nest. So you kind of are sitting there in a nest, right? And I'm bothering you a little bit? Well, I came here to be bothered. Right, okay, so. Right. So here you are, you nest. Either way, you're going to be tracked between different styles. Nest, you're going from nest to nest. Nest to not. Nest, nest, nest. Do you know about this? Again, I told you last week about this thing. This logic of the perfect wisdom. A is not A is the implication that you draw from A is A. And therefore, that's why we call A A, because A is not A.

[50:57]

If the meaning of your nest is it's not a nest, that's why we call it a nest. It's just a little logic kind of thing. What about not having a nest? How would that be? I'm suggesting to you that the way you experience that or get your eyes cleared up is by admitting that you have a nest, which you seem to be willing to do. So here you are, being willing to admit you have a nest. When you have a nest, admitting that you have a nest is kind of like having clear eyes. All right? In other words, you're being honest. You've got a nest. Is that all right with everybody? And if you keep being honest, your reward for being honest is that you start to feel what it's like not to have a nest because people who have nests do not spend that much time admitting that they have nests. They have more important things to do.

[52:04]

So if you keep being honest, your eyes get clearer and clearer until finally you realize you don't have a nest. But you realize you don't have a nest by admitting nest, [...] which is also the same as pain, [...] pain. Pain nest, pain nest, nest pain, I have nest pain. Can there be a nest too, admitting nest? What? Can there just be another nest, sort of pointing to admitting nest? Definitely. That's why you're likely to be able to see that you're pretty solidly into the nesting, because there can be even a nest of admitting your nest to become free of nesting. In other words, the more you get wise to yourself, the better. And we are extremely clever. I mean, we're extremely clever.

[53:08]

Human beings are extremely clever. And some people are even more clever than other ones, but everybody is basically very clever at making nests. It's also important not to theoretically admit that you're making a nest, but to try to catch yourself on the spot. Yes? Do you mean like attachment or having a set idea? Yeah, attachment, set idea, saying that what's happening belongs in some category of existence, like this is real or this is happening or isn't happening, like this is a good class or it isn't a good class, rather than I think it is or I don't think it is.

[54:11]

And then if you get into I think it is, okay, then I actually believe in the existence of my thought that it is. I'm not saying you shouldn't do that. I'm saying you probably do do it. And how about admitting what you're up to? That's called admitting that you're up to making a nest, admitting that you believe in the existence of what you're thinking. That's not nest-making. That is nest. That is like the beginning of letting go of your nest. Because the more you admit... that you're attributing, the more you actually catch yourself at attributing reality to what you're experiencing, the more you're totally reversing the whole setup of your mind. And you're revolutionizing your whole way of life. And you're revolutionizing it in a way that will release you from your attachment.

[55:11]

So seeing that dog either does or doesn't have food in nature, that's nested, and that's what he's trying to forget or trying to acknowledge? Yeah. Is that what your introduction about the nest relates to this? Yes. Also, the commentary says that's why it is said. See, it says in the commentary, did you read it? If someone says that dog's Buddha nature surely exists, well, afterwards he says, no, it doesn't. So that doesn't work. If it surely does not exist, still previously he said, yes, it does. So that doesn't work. And if you say that And if you say that to say yes or no is just a temporary response spoken according to the situation, in each there is some reason.

[56:18]

That is why it is said that someone with clear eyes has no nest. That's where I'm getting this from. That the proper response in the midst of these questions and either answered, The setup that these guys are working on is to try to find out what it would be like to have clear eyes. And clear eyes has something to do with not having a nest. However, clear eyes also has to do with admitting that you have a nest. To admit that you have a nest is clear eyes. And that sets you up to even more clear eyes to realize that there isn't a nest and you don't have a nest. But you have to admit you have a nest. You have to admit your attachments before you can witness that they're being released. You have to be at the place of where your attachments are to see them.

[57:22]

Well, I think the word buckle, you know? Buckle means to attach, but it also means to break apart. Right? Yeah. In some way you're saying that, or I'm hearing that mental formations are nests, but also the way out of the nests, or the way to see that the nests have no... Mental formations are not nests, but you can make nests out of mental formations. No matter what it is, mental formations, consciousness, feelings... Mental formations include greed, hate, and delusion, faith, lack of faith, diligence, lack of diligence, concentration, lack of concentration, decorum, lack of decorum, all these mental formations. They in themselves are not-ness. There are no-ness.

[58:25]

But anything can be made into a nest simply by saying that this is a nest, that this exists. Or by saying it doesn't exist. or by saying it doesn't. Anything can be made into a nest by the slightest attribution of any kind of reality or opposite of reality. Any kind of existence attributed to things or the opposite of that or a combination of that or excluding both of those and all the other possibilities you can dream up which are endless, all that kind of activity is attributing an imaginary thing to something which is appearing, which has an existence which is not non-existence, but an existence which is so radiant that no category can encompass it. Mental formations are just inconceivably bright light. That's what they are. But if you... But if you call them mental formations, they're not. That's right. If you call them mental formations and believe that that word mental formation reaches them and encapsulates them,

[59:31]

and brings them home, then you're done for. However, the key to being released is to admit that you're doing that all the time. And admitting that you're doing all the time is a complete reversal of the way most people are operating. Most people are going around zapping, putting this kind of existential status on their experience all the time and not admitting they're doing that. Therefore, they're bewitched by their own activity. What about the level of wanting to do this? Wanting to do what? Well, I mean, it seems to me if I look honestly at my own experience, not only do I do it, but I actually want to do it. I mean, there's a part of me that wants to feel attached. Sure. And I'm willing to pay the price of suffering. Sure. And I haven't gotten to the point where I don't want attachment. I'm sort of thinking maybe I can sneak. Well, see, that's good too. That's good. See, you're admitting that you, not only are you admitting you do it, but you're admitting you want to do it.

[60:33]

That's good. That's been even a little bit more extra chunk of honesty there. Best policy. That's good. And why do you want to? It's fun. You're powerful. You've got big powerful existential category muscles. You're much more powerful at that than you are even at admitting that. Not to mention you can't be powerful at dropping this stuff because your power is not what drops it. What drops it is the whole universe cooperating with you. You don't drop this stuff. What's happening drops this stuff. That's also why no matter how much you resist, no matter how much you screw up, you can't interfere with it. Things are going along very nicely, being dropped all the time. You don't have to worry about that. Because it's not only your work. If you had to do it, then things would be way behind schedule, like you are, or like I am. But fortunately, things are not behind schedule because they're not dependent on our effort,

[61:34]

And our effort is mostly going in the opposite direction to the way things are going, therefore we suffer. But if you somehow can start being honest about this and not run away from the suffering, your resolve to drop this and catch up with reality will get strengthened. And your resolve will bring you into accord with what's already happening, and then you realize That you're constantly being liberated from the way things seem to be, not by you doing anything, but by just simply you stop resisting what they're like. Mental formations are the Buddha nature. But we grab them, and then they become darkness and misery. And if we don't feel that misery, then our resolve to drop is not very strong and therefore we lag behind and therefore the whole thing just gets stronger and stronger.

[62:45]

That's why I ask, how's it going? And I'm not asking you how is it to not have a nest, I'm asking you how is it to admit that you have a nest? How is it to admit what you're up to? Do you like to do that practice? Probably not. But does it make sense to you that that's the practice of penetrating wisdom? Do you actually want to try such a practice like right now? Do you want to turn around and check on yourself? Can anybody in this class actually, well, don't brag now, can anybody spot that you're actually doing this right now? Can you catch yourself in this basic human enterprise of attributing inherent existence to things?

[63:51]

Which we're probably all doing quite a few times every second. Can you catch yourself at that? If you can, your eyes are starting to open up. And you're learning what's called the backward step. Which turns the light around and will illuminate what you really are. This is why everything seems like, when you talk about these things, there's always a point at which emotion is reversed. There's always this point, so you say, you know, the moment you capture what you're doing, you say this is what you're doing, then this nest isn't there. It's as if the whole energy goes the other way. And not only that, but all this talk is just to remind us of something that's going on anyway.

[65:00]

It's going on through this whole class. What we're trying to realize is, is going on. And at any time, anybody can just swivel and realize it. And maybe several of you have already, many times. Various inhales and exhales may be signaling that. Do you need anything? Or do I need anything? Do I need any encouragement? Do I need any permission to totally reverse? To totally revolutionize? the direction that I'm moving in and thus realize liberation and make myself really effective to help people. Do I need any help? I know I need help, but what help do you need? Do you lack anything to start doing this practice?

[66:03]

Yes. Well, I think I notice that I'm creating this stuff all the time. I mean, it's pretty intense, but there's some more likeness to doing that, but also I feel like my diaphic patterns are so strong that just noticing them is helpful, but doesn't mean I have control over them. No, you don't have control of it. This thing that we're talking about now is not to get control of your habits. What is it? You tell me. I'm not talking about getting control of your habits. What am I talking about? Noticing them. Being aware of them. In particular, I'm talking about this one fundamental habit, which this story is very much bearing down on. It's bearing down on the habit of, does a dog have Buddha nature or not?

[67:07]

Do things exist or not exist? Does our enlightened nature fall into a category of existence? And if it doesn't, where is it? What is it? That means it's not someplace else from this suffering. It isn't that kind of a thing that it moves away from our suffering. Our suffering doesn't belong into any category of existence and Buddha nature is in exactly the same place. Both of them are completely untrapped by any of our attributions. That's why they're non-dual. We think, you know, our suffering, we know what category to put that in, and then we fool around with categories of Buddha nature. And then if the Buddha nature should wind up in the same category as the suffering, then for a moment we say, oh, I'm enlightened. But it would just be a categorical coincidence.

[68:10]

And then if you couldn't hold them together anymore, you'd lose it. But actually they're both in the same category called not having a nest. This case is the gradual dissolving of the nest. I mean, is it gradual dissolving in the nest? Progress is slow. Yeah, progress is slow. That's true. It's also sudden. It's also, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. I keep, my mind keeps coming back to case 17 as I'm listening to this about the meaning is on the hook. Yeah. And the zero flight is nest, kind of the same. I'm feeling like it's the hook.

[69:13]

The nest is the hook? Yeah. And that, I don't know. Admitting you're in the nest is, or on the hook, is like getting intimate with your tricks or your habits. And that the melting away or the oneness is when you reach this zero point. If there is a place that's zero point. Well, you know. I'm not capable of answering right now other than what I'm saying right now. That's my response. Pretty useless, huh? Somebody have something to help us? Huh? That was a verbalization of being lost. Is there some point, probably a still point?

[70:17]

which is the point of time turns. And there's a point of which the recognition of what you've been calling reality, which isn't reality, that's what you've been thinking of it. And you realize that that's what you've been seeing as reality. And there's this sort of like stillness before the stone rushes, by the way. So at that point, what appears to be reality, Yeah, they go together. So practically speaking, How are you going to do this practice that these people are doing here in this story?

[71:27]

They're asking questions, right? And they're also acting completely ordinarily. I mean, they're talking about Buddhism, but that's what these people talk about, right? These guys, they live in a monastery, and this is a Zen teacher and Zen monk, so they talk about this stuff. So in other words, our conversation should be about our daily business. That's all. If you're in a class on studying karma, I guess you should be talking about karma or something. If you're in class on cooking, you should talk about cooking. Not should, but you probably will. So they're showing the example of daily life. You just talk on daily life level. Can you also do this other practice simultaneous without messing around? Do you have a feeling for how to do that? Because I think that's what's important in this story. And if you don't, it would be really kind of you to say you don't and ask the question about how to do it.

[72:38]

When you say this, do this other practice, what did you move? Not exactly. Did I say do this other practice? I mean do the practice of admitting what you're up to in your daily life. So it isn't like you should change your daily life and start talking in a kind of like slanted way of kind of like, well, I'm still talking daily life, but actually I'm not. I'm talking this special, different way now. No, you just keep talking the usual way. Like for me, I'm just talking my usual ways. This is my usual way of talking, which may sound unusual to you, but that's just, I talk this way all the time. And sometimes I have to stop talking this way because people don't like it, but that's just me stopping talking this way. It's not like I'm trying to change it into a special, more Zen way. This is just my daily talk. So all of us should just continue that, but at the same time, how can I at the same time admit what I'm up to? How do I do that? How do I catch myself in the act of having a nest?

[73:40]

How do I do that? How do you do that? Do you have some question about that? Yes. One of the phrases they called out to was, keep your mind with things. Which always starts from dead in my child. That's useful. Listen to something like that. Yeah, that's the same thing. Well, no, one is think of the mind that thinks, okay? That's case number 32 of the Book of Serenity. Think back to the mind that thinks. That's case number 32. We haven't got there yet, okay? There's another one of think of that which doesn't think, okay? Imagine not having an imagination. Imagine that. That's another instruction. Imagine that you couldn't imagine that things have inherent existence.

[74:47]

Imagine that. Are you going to say something, Grace? I was going to ask you a question. It seems that the special level in this is actually... is almost in the form of confession, and it's saying, okay, in this moment I'm attributing the inherent existence to X. But it also seems that that requires the presence of the other person. That it's tricky to do that with yourself, that you actually have to be engaged in dialogue. You can do it with yourself, and then if you think you're successful, you should do it with somebody else. I mean, if you try with yourself and you don't think you're able to do it, then it's not, you know, unless you get discouraged and you give up, you don't need to talk to somebody else. But if you think you're actually able to catch yourself at doing it, in other words, I've caught, I've actually caught the culprit.

[75:49]

If you think you've actually been successful, Then you have something to confess. The major, number one sin of human beings, you can confess them. I caught myself. I admit I attributed inherent existence to something. And if you go tell somebody else, they may say, well, you say you did that, but you still haven't admitted it. And then you could say, oh, yes, I did. And then you'd see if you really, that would show you that you didn't really think that. Because you would have attributed inherent existence to the attribution, to catch on yourself with that. If you really did it and you're really successful, you'd be very flexible. You wouldn't have to fight anymore. Because you're willing to admit you're willing to admit that you're on a trip. Yeah.

[76:52]

Slippery is a way to hold on and not let go. And we're very slippery. We're very slippery. And if we admit how slippery we are, really, we would be flexible. We're indestructibly slippery. We're like, what do you call it? We say, a grease mountain. But you know, one, two, three, four, five, six people have asked almost all the questions. Now, I don't mind that, but I wonder about the other people. Pam asked some questions, too, and Carrie asked one, but mostly just a few people asked all the questions. Excuse me. A few more there.

[77:53]

But still, what about all the other people? I invite you to come forward and, you know, the class is almost over now, so not time, but in future classes, I encourage more of you, the ones who haven't, Maybe we can next class have all the people who usually ask questions. Don't know. No, just wait. Just wait and let the other people go first and see if we can stand the silence. They'll probably have to wait quite a while before they'll say anything. But several people have not said anything who I know have something to say. But it's not that they're afraid necessarily either, just that they, what do you call it? They need a little space. They get invited by space.

[78:55]

So we might try that next time. Just leaving a little bit more... Those of you who've got the questions right on the tip of your mind or already ready to come in, that's great. I think that's fine. But some of your friends need a little invitation. So let's give them a little bit more space in the next class and see what happens if they come forward. My question is, do we want to go beyond impulsive consciousness? And if we do, how do we do that? Or do we want to do that at all? Impulsive consciousness wants to go beyond impulsive consciousness. Which I don't criticize impulsive consciousness for wanting to do that. That's fine. However, I would just tell you that Going beyond impulsive consciousness does not mean that there's not any impulsive consciousness anymore.

[80:05]

Or I should say, if you mean by going beyond it that there's not impulsive consciousness anymore, then you're just not able to function as a compassionate being anymore. The life of the compassionate being in the world is made possible by impulsive or karmic consciousness. Because the content of an enlightening being's wisdom is karmic consciousness. Karmic consciousness itself is in non-discriminating wisdom. If you look inside of non-discriminating wisdom, what's in there or what's at the place of the realization of non-discriminating wisdom is karmic consciousness. Karmic consciousness is the address of penetrating insight. If you take away karmic consciousness, There's no place and there's no way for non-discriminating wisdom to function in the world. It's never the slightest bit separated from it either.

[81:10]

It's not just that that's the address of it, but it's up in the penthouse someplace. It's completely inseparable from karmic consciousness. The Buddha nature is precisely the coming down, is the knowing and deliberately transgressing. That is the Buddha nature. Buddha nature is completely cozy with knowing and deliberately transgressing. Buddha nature is there in all situations. But the way it's there is not the way we usually think things are there. It's not there like it is there or not there. It's not that kind of there. It's there by the very nature of the way things are. It's not like There's things and then they got the Buddha nature in them or something. or that they have the Buddha-nature, or don't have the Buddha-nature, or sort of have the Buddha-nature, or partly have the Buddha-nature, or a lot have the Buddha-nature, or double have twice as much Buddha-nature. All those ways of thinking about how they have it, it's not that way.

[82:12]

It's by the nature of the thing that the Buddha-nature is completely inseparable from it. So the nature of ignorance, the nature of hatred, nature of these things is the Buddha-nature. However, if you're angry, you have zero chance to realize that, so don't be angry. The nature of anger is the same as the nature of love. Same nature, which is called no nature. So we don't try to get rid of karmic consciousness. The Buddha nature is precisely, knowingly, and deliberately transgressing into this form that we're in right now. Buddha nature is... uniquely realized through our lives here at this moment. This is the only way it ever can function. It cannot be functioning the slightest bit different from this. There's no way. Okay? And if we can catch ourselves at our habit of attributing inherent existence, we will be able to realize this.

[83:16]

I say, we realize it. It will be realized by our willingness to be a discriminating agent, by our willingness to be, if you'll excuse the expression, a sinner who is constantly putting stuff in categories, is constantly taking light and making it into ice cubes. or whatever we do. But it's hard for me to be that humble, to admit that I do that kind of thing, that I take radiance and limit it and defile it that way. But if I'm willing to be that humble, then I get the gift of... Oh, I don't know if I know what it is.

[84:35]

So we didn't talk about this case very much. I'm sorry, in a way, that we didn't study it and read the commentary and stuff. But you have it, right? So you can read it. and we're not done with it. I beg you to realize the Buddha way this week by catching yourself in your nesting activity. And if we can catch ourselves in our nesting activity, I think some of us might really get some big encouragement Because that's where the not-nesting will happen. That's where the eyes will clear up in admitting what we're up to. And so next week, the people who haven't been talking, I hope, will give you a little bit more space and maybe you can participate and come forth a little bit more.

[85:43]

And I also would be happy to do this class quite differently if you'd like. I don't know how we could do it. We could break up into small groups or have every person come forth and demonstrate the nature of Buddha or something like that. You know? If you want to do something like that, I'd be happy to do it. As I've said before, yes? Yeah, I would too. The verse. I'd like to talk about the verse. I'd like to talk about the commentary. And I have some other commentaries too I'd like to talk about. But somehow, you know, it just didn't seem appropriate tonight. I kind of felt like there's some basic work, which if we don't do it, it's kind of like it's just real kind of like interesting stuff that is a little bit ahead of us. So before we can fly, I think we have to admit that we're in a nest and maybe we're not yet fledglings.

[86:51]

Is that what they are? When they're ready to fly? I think we have to find out what it's like here in the nest. with mom before we're ready to fly. That's what it seems like anyway. So I'll give you a homework assignment. It's kind of awesome, but I'll give it to you. You can write it down. Here's the assignment. I think this is a kind of a... I hope this is a compassionate assignment. The assignment is Check yourself out. See if you can catch yourself at making a nest. See if you can catch yourself at believing that your experience belongs in some category of existence. Even see if you think Buddha-nature, see if you can catch yourself at making Buddha-nature, that kind of thing. See if you can catch it. And if you don't, if you can't find it, then I'd like you to, if you do find it, I'd like you to say when you find it.

[87:58]

Exactly when. Was it on inhale or exhale? Where were you? What was it about? What was the thing you found it on? And if you can find several, write all of them down. And if you get too many, well then, have too many. Just let me say one more thing, okay? And that is, if you can't do this, then write down on a piece of paper that you weren't able to do it. You don't have to confess it in class, but if you can't do it, admit it to yourself that you actually couldn't catch yourself at it. Okay? So catch yourself at it, or don't catch yourself at it, or if somebody else wants to say that they didn't do it, that would also be interesting. Yes, Jim? I was just going to ask, is a bodhisattva one who's willing to sit in the nest until all the eggs get hatched? Sure. Yeah. A bodhisattva is willing to sit in the nest until all the eggs don't get hatched, too.

[88:59]

Do you want to say something? Do you need a short piece? Yeah, if you can't find it, you found it, huh? If you can't find it, you've found something. You have to tell us what it is, okay?

[89:19]

@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_90.12