I would like to inter-relate some different themes, which I think would be clarifying. I'd like to inter-relate the discussion of the teacher-student relationship and the teaching about the turning of the dharma flower, and also relate this to some discussion I've had with you about different kinds of initiation. So, one way to speak is that our first teacher, the basic teacher, is the mother-teacher,

[01:01]

or, for short, mother, the successful mother, the mother who is unmovingly nurturing and affirming. It's the first phase, well, you know, I don't know if it's the first phase, it's a point in the constant evolution that we go through, we go round and round, so you could start maybe with, at some point, the point is, you're a success, you're unimprovable, and so on. This is the mother, this is the woman who takes care of us, or the man who takes care of us and gives us that feeling. Some of us have had men do this for us, some of us have had women do it for us, anyway,

[02:06]

so we need this, it's part of what we have to have in our development to live fully. Now I said the other day that Suzuki Roshi said that to call the flower beautiful is a sin, but I think he probably would admit that sometimes we must sin in order to help people. Sometimes you have to say, not to a flower, but people, sometimes you have to say, you're beautiful, because they don't necessarily know that unless you tell them. In some sense, they need to be limited and affirmed in a limited way, so you say, yes, you are strong, you are brave, you are beautiful, you are perfect, you are totally affirmed,

[03:09]

and in order to affirm sometimes we have to call them names, like beautiful, it's an insult that they need, it's treating them like children, which they are, but it's treating them lovingly as children, and giving them what children need. Some people don't get that at home, or before they come to the Buddhist temple, so they need to get it at the Buddhist temple, and sometimes they can't get enough of it at the Buddhist temple, so the teacher sends them to a psychotherapist, and sometimes people with the aid of psychotherapy can get what they couldn't get from their parents and can't get enough of from their teacher. Anyway, at a certain point, we have enough nurturing, hopefully. When I was a kid, I thought I had enough nurturing, but my parents weren't sure I was alright,

[04:19]

because I spent a lot of time in my room, in silent meditation. First they had my ears checked, my ears were ok, then they had the head checked, they sent me to a child psychiatrist, his name was Dr. Hansen, I was 8 years old, or maybe 9, and I traveled all the way across the city of Minneapolis to see him at a hospital, and at the beginning of each session he would say, I don't want to talk about anything, and I would say, no thanks, and then we would have fun building airplanes, sailing ships, forts, model cities, and not only did he give me the equipment to put the stuff together, you know, the paints and stuff,

[05:30]

but he helped me, and I could do a better job with his assistance than by myself. And so we worked this way, and after about, whatever, an hour of this kind of constructive work, he would say, do you want to talk about anything? And I would say, no thanks, and go back home. And then when I finished these things, I got to take them home. Yeah, this was good. I felt pretty affirmed anyway, but anyway, this affirmed me more. It was a good exercise for me. And once a month, all the crazy kids got together, and they had a group therapy in the form of parties. And we played homemade, and got, you know, cake and ice cream. So I did that for like nine months, but then soccer season came, and I wanted to play soccer instead. So I left my mother teacher and started playing soccer. And I played soccer until I came to study Zen.

[06:38]

When I arrived to study Zen, I moved to the next phase of my, I escaped from my mother, my successful mothering process. I realized I needed some discipline, so I came to Zen for discipline. So I went from mother teacher to training teacher. And the training teacher I got was Suzuki Roshi, who can be a mother teacher. He was a mother teacher for some people, because they needed it. But for me, I wanted him to be my training teacher, and he was my training teacher, not my mother teacher. Even though the mother teacher was always there, I didn't ask that of him, and he didn't give it. But he gave me the training teacher. So like, I remember one time, it would be like this. It would be like, I don't know what. It would be like, if suddenly, during, what do you call it, during a meal, if I would say to some of you who haven't been trained,

[07:43]

koki koki yo, during a meal, let's go sit up there with the clappers and give a chant. He did stuff like that. Just would call me out of a group and ask me to leave the service or something. But he trained me that way, and he knew that I would be able to do it, because I was there every day, watching him, and ready to do whatever he asked me. He trained me that way, but he was not affectionate to me at all. Gave me no affirmation except to give me training opportunities, which is a great affirmation, actually, I felt. It wasn't warm. But then one day, I saw him, you know, this was like a year after the time I told you about, what do you call it, the December 10th time when I asked him to go outside. And then a year later, I was going to come to Tassajara for another winter practice period, and I told him that I was going to do that, and he said,

[08:46]

I was talking to him right in front of the room, which would soon be the memorial hall to him. And I said, well, I'm going to go to Tassajara, and he said, good. And he said, I want you to learn chanting from Tathagatami Roshi. And he took my hand, shook my hand, and in that handshake, there was the mother teacher. There was the one of the universe in the handshake. It was always there, but he didn't show it to me, except on that occasion. Later, he would sometimes show it to me. But his greatest kindness was he gave me what I wanted, what I asked for. Right? I asked him to train me as a monk, and he did. He trained me as his disciple. So first his mother teacher, then escape from mother teacher, play soccer, whatever,

[09:48]

and then training teacher. And then after training teacher, he has no teacher. No teacher. Training teacher is immovably masculine. It's the father. Not cruel, but unmovingly setting standards, and that's it. Skillfully dealing with discouragement in the face of them. But there are standards, and we say, we do not let you pass through the gate confused. This is the initiation, which I call a fiery initiation. Did you know fiery spells F-I-E-R-Y? Isn't that amazing? You can't even find it in the dictionary when you're looking for it. Anyway, this is a fiery initiation.

[10:52]

It's an initiation where everything extra is burned away. All your stuff is, all your self stuff is burned away. All your confusion and delusion is dropped. You can't hold on to any of your cherished stuff. All you can bring through that gate is the form. Not your form, not the teacher's form, the Buddha form. And everything else gets burned away. This is training. And this hard work, which should be given to someone who already has a mother teacher. This is called the Dharma flower turning us. Turning us, and in the turning, every personal thing drops away. And all that's left is the Buddha Dharma, and your life. Training, which they call this, the whole process from mother up to the end of training.

[11:59]

In Sanskrit they call it asaikshamarga, which means path of training, path of education. The Dharma flower turns us, and in that spinning everything flies off. Then you enter the phase called beyond training, no more training. It's called asaikshamarga. No more teacher, you're on your own. And this is constantly dynamic, feminine creativity. In the end of all that creativity, we're back at unmoving affirmation. And we start again. I guess my experience at this time in my life is that I train, I'm in a creative phase, but I keep training. I keep putting myself up against the tradition.

[13:04]

Seeing what my personal thing is and trying to drop my personal thing. And then again entering into the creative. I personally cycle between the training and the creative in myself. When I finished the so-called Dharma transmission ceremony here at Takahara, 14 years ago, 15 years ago in January. At that time I thought, after all this training, after all this discipline, basically the end of it is you can be yourself. And do what you always thought was good. But you had to have stuff trained off you first. Before you could do what you always knew was right, but had some stuff in the way. But that never ends, this cycle. For me, in a way, it continues. I go deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper.

[14:04]

Constantly exposing myself as a other to you, to other teachers, to the ancients. Constantly conversing with the ancestors and seeing if anything sticks. If it does, keep confronting until it drops. And then I'm free again. And then I can act creatively and shockingly, harmoniously, freely and happily. And then train some more, study some more. How do I train? Like this. Does it train me still? Yes. Do I love it? Yes. Does it hurt sometimes? Yes. Does it cause me to drop a weight? Attachments which have accumulated? Do barnacles get knocked off? Yes. So I keep training myself and I keep going beyond my training. And after beyond my training, I feel firm.

[15:07]

And I come back to training. Round and round I go. No end for it. So I go from the end to upper end. Also, this creative dynamic feminine phase, after training, is called a watery initiation. The fiery initiation is training. And after training you have a watery initiation. And then you go back to the first. So by this training, by this unmoving standard masculine side of training, body and mind drop away. And then you enter into acting from the dropped away body and mind. And then you turn the Dharma block. You turn the Dharma. In your liberated state, you're even freer than the Dharma.

[16:09]

You're the Dharma when you're blossoming. And the way you turn is the way the Dharma turns. And one of the points I want to make is that, again, if you come for training and you get affirmation or get nurturing, it's okay. I have a nice surprise. Wow. A warm handshake. Wow. A little bonus there. How sweet. He's totally warm. And also, sometimes when you get affirmation in your training, it's like super training because you kind of feel like, well, what's going on now? You know? Like some teachers used to say, it may be all right if practice is easy for you for a while. Remember that one? Then he also said, there's one time he said, blah, blah, blah.

[17:16]

You know? You're getting promoted kind of at a young age. I'm sure you won't be arrogant about that. So affirmation when you're in training is more training. It doesn't hurt you. But the other way around is dangerous. If you come for nurturing and get training, it can break you. So a teacher has to be careful not to give training to someone who's asking for nurturing. And this has been a difficulty. There's just a wonderful, terrible story of Hakuin who gave somebody training who needed nurturing and broke the guy. Hakuin said he made two mistakes in his life teaching. That was one of them. He gave strong training to somebody who didn't want it, wasn't ready for it. So you have to be careful and check to see, does this person want training or nurturing? Sometimes people come for nurturing, I mean for training.

[18:17]

They say they want training. I don't believe it. I give them nurturing. And then sometimes they say, I feel like you're giving me nurturing, nurturing, nurturing. You never give me any training. You're always so affirming and agreeing and pleasing. Like someone said that to me a while ago. Here. Oh, you're always, you're always, you know, saying I'm doing well and stuff like that. He said, you know, he's a friend of Hakuin. He said, I feel you always give me the curved hook. He said, why don't you give me the straight hook? The next time he came, he asked me something. I said, do you want straight hook or curved hook? He said, straight. So I gave him straight. He said, ding. I said, straight, you know, that makes a short toast sound. There's straight ones, you know. Ding. Straight is a ding. Is that affirmation, that ding, or not? Again, excuse me for being spontaneous, but...

[19:19]

I was in Minneapolis at this exhibit at the Walker Art Museum. There's an exhibit there where you walk into it, and it's like a multimedia exhibit, and it's called The Bells of Tassajara. You people have been experiencing that here? The bells of Tassajara? Do you hear bells all the time? I'm hearing bells all the time, and sometimes it is bells. Teen teens, and anyway, lots of bells going on here. And I just found out recently that they're going to make a movie called The Bells of Tassajara 2. And guess who they asked to play the role of? Father Flanagan. Anyway... This is an example of dynamic feminine. Sometimes you like it, sometimes you don't. But basically, it's okay. It doesn't hurt you, does it?

[20:22]

Maybe he looks a fool, but it's okay. It's okay. I don't need to look good anymore. Because if you don't like it, that's pretty much it. Like always. But I used to think there's more to it than that. Okay, now we're ready for Section 8, I believe. Of the Guidelines for Practicing the Way. This is called The Conduct of Zen Monks. Ring any bells? Zen Monks? You guys are officially Zen Monks. This is about you. This section is about non-attachment and no end of practice. Those are two things about Zen Monks. They practice non-attachment and they don't ever stop practicing. The conduct of Zen Monks has been directly and uniquely transmitted

[21:26]

by Buddha ancestors throughout the 28 generations in India and the 6 early generations in China without addition of a hair and without destruction of a single particle. That's the training. You can't add a hair or take away a particle. You try? No, no, no. Burn that off. Thus, the robe has been transmitted at Taosheen, Taosheen's extensive help, and the Dharma has spread in boundless worlds. Presently, the Tathagata's treasury, a true Dharma eye, is flourishing in Great China. This Dharma is such that it cannot be obtained by groping and searching about. In the realm of seeing,

[22:31]

knowledge, knowledge, knowledge perishes. In the realm of seeing Dharma, knowledge, knowledge, knowledge perishes. And each impediment arises. When the Dharma is seen, perception is lost. The Dharma cannot be perceived. Understanding this is called perceiving Dharma. At the moment of attaining, the discriminating mind is surpassed. However, we don't, you know,

[23:41]

camp out in this surpassed state. We don't linger in seeing Dharma and letting go of perception. We don't linger in seeing Dharma In body and mind, there is no abiding, no attaching, no standing still, no stagnating. These Zen monks never stay in one place. They never become stagnant. They're called fuzi-sui, clouded water. Literally, they used to travel all over the place. But no matter where they are, they don't stay in that place. They don't move, and they don't stagnate. This is the trick. Unmovingly, don't stagnate. They drop off body and mind,

[24:43]

and they act from the body-mind dropped off. This is the conduct of Zen monks. How about you? You? You're getting very close. Don't go to the view. A monk asked Zaojo, does dog have buddhi-nature or not? Zaojo said, Moo! Moo! This happens in Zen temples. Moo! People say that, people hear that. Did you hear that? Moo! Dog's energy says,

[25:44]

within, Moo! Can you fathom Moo? Moo! In the word Moo, can you fathom the word Moo? Can you hold Moo? Try it. Moo! Can you hold Moo? Some people think that they can hold Moo, right in Moo. Or hold Zen practice, right in Zen practice. No. This is not the conduct of Zen monks. This is why Zen is so cool. We do not hold to Moo, we do not hold to Zen. We can't. If we try, it's called stinky practice. That's why everybody loves Zen, because anybody can have it,

[26:46]

because we don't. We don't own it. They come here, because we're up front, not having it. We don't even call it, not Tathagata. So, beyond this word Moo, can you measure anything, or grasp anything? Moo! There is entirely nothing to hold on to. Please try to release your hold, and releasing your hold, observe. This isn't surprising, is it? You've heard about Zen monks behaving this way, right? Releasing your hold, and releasing your hold,

[27:47]

observe. That's your intention, many of your intentions. Let go, open up, and observe. I say to you, open your hands, just let go of everything, and see. How? When you observe like this, thoroughly, it follows that the two aspects, of motion, and stillness, do not arise at all. Does this sound familiar? This is harmony of body and mind. When you observe thus, you harmonize body and mind,

[28:49]

and there is no gap between movement and stillness. This is the one practice of Samadhi. The one practice of Samadhi. Release your hold. No gap between movement and stillness. Don't even grasp the apparent difference between movement and stillness. Don't grasp the gap between Sashin and after Sashin. Let go of Sashin, let go of after Sashin, and watch. No gap. This harmonizes body and mind. This harmonizes Sashin and after Sashin. This enters the one practice of Samadhi. Those who lose track of this are many.

[29:49]

You who study the way will come to awakening in the course of study. If you keep practicing like I've just been talking about, if I keep practicing like this, there is a guarantee from the ancestors that you will come to awakening. I think you know that already. Trust that. I say this nice thing again. However, even when you complete this way, you should not stop. Even when you complete the one practice of Samadhi, and reach awakening, and there is no gap between movement and stillness, and you don't fixate there, even when you're doing so well, you should not stop. He says, this is my prayer, that you monks will not stop practicing

[30:54]

when you reach that point. So he says, when one's body and mind have not yet been filled with Dharma, but have plenty, one thinks that she has gained Dharma. But when Dharma fills body and mind, she thinks something is lacking. She thinks something is missing when it fills her. But even though it fills her, she still doesn't have it all. But because it fills her, she knows it. When it doesn't fill her yet, she thinks she's got it all. So Doga Vinca says, fill her up. But when she's filled,

[31:56]

she'll know there's something lacking. If you don't think something is lacking, you're not full yet. If you think something is lacking, you're fine. Keep filling. Okay. Next. Brad, don't try to finish this text. Next. Section 9. You should practice throughout the way. Quite a different way of translating this. You should practice towards the way. Two different ways. Towards sounds dualistic, but anyway, that's possible translation. Towards or throughout the way you should practice. Courageous people who study the way should first know what is correct and incorrect in the practice throughout the way. In practice towards the way.

[32:58]

The great tamer of being, Shakyamuni, sat under the tree and was immediately awakened to the way when he saw the morning star. This way of enlightenment cannot be reached by any but Buddhas. Buddhas alone can be enlightened and Buddhas have transmitted to Buddhas, ceaselessly. How can those who have attained enlightenment not be Buddhas? The practice to practice throughout the way is to actualize the limitless realm of the Buddha way and to illuminate all aspects of the Buddha way. The Buddha way is under everyone's heel.

[34:02]

The Buddha way is right under your feet now. Right under your butt now. You are maintaining Buddha's Zabu. Buddha's floor. This is a little bit of the what do you call it? What is it called? I just told you. Did you hear? It's the limitless realm of the Buddha way. It's all aspects of the Buddha way. These things you take care of right now. Immersed in the way. Clearly understand right on the spot. Another way to say it is obstructed by the way. Clearly understand right on the spot. Immersed in enlightenment

[35:07]

you yourself are complete. Obstructed by enlightenment you yourself are complete. Therefore even though you arrive at full understanding still this is only part of enlightenment. Obstructed by enlightenment you yourself are complete. Therefore even though you arrive at perfect understanding this is only half of enlightenment. This is how it is with practice throughout the way. People nowadays

[36:13]

this is Kamakura Japan it seems to be true still people nowadays do not people nowadays who study the way do not understand where the way leads or ends. So they strongly desire to gain visible results. And the Buddhist centers that give visible results are more highly populated than those that don't. Can you imagine how many people would be trying to get into Tatsahara to get healthy and get visible results? I mean there are enough people already, right? But fortunately we don't get visible results. One of our former students said I looked in on this place

[37:14]

they shake. At the Rochester Zen Do they get Satori. At the Stanford Zen Center we have bad bats and babies. This is no visible result practice. Unfortunately we do have the visible results of nice real estate so a lot of people come for that. So a lot of people strongly desire to gain visible results because they don't understand the way, where it goes. When you understand where it goes where does it go? It doesn't go towards visible results. That isn't where it goes. Where does it go? It goes towards understanding the way which is totally cool but no visible result. Visible results

[38:14]

perish in obtaining the way. However there is proof of obtaining which is not a visible result. You need to train on that one. Who would not make this mistake of, you know, desiring visible results? It is like someone who runs away from his rich parents leaving a treasure behind and wandering about. Though he is the only child though she is the only child of a very wealthy family she endlessly wanders as a menial laborer in foreign lands. Indeed it is just like this. This kid is

[39:15]

trying to get visible results. Wanting to liberate all beings is not trying to get visible results. It is wanting to liberate them and then cover your eyes for the horror show of what they are going to do then. You know what I mean? The Buddha is not trying to get visible results like, you know, okay, there is Rebecca we will liberate her and then she will be really good looking. Her hair will go back. It won't be gray. The gray spots will drop away. Or she will be liberated and cut that stuff off and have a really nice haircut. No. It is not to desire visible results or auditory results or gustatory results or olfactory results or tangible results

[40:16]

or conceptual results. It is not to get those things that you liberate people. You liberate them so they are liberated and then you see what happens. You don't know what it is going to be. Those aren't the results you are looking for. You are looking for liberation. You see the difference? Now do you understand? But it is hard not to look for visible tangible results when you think you have lost your family inheritance. Those who study the way desire to be obstructed by the way. Not get visible results. They desire to be obstructed by the way. They desire to be immersed in the way. That is what they desire most. Like I was saying, you desire to be in accord with the way rather than have people like you.

[41:18]

Of course you would like people to like you, but your primary thing is to be in accord with the Dharma. To be on the side of the law. As opposed to well what will make people like me and you know visible results. Those who study the way, those who study the way seek to be immersed, to be obstructed by the way. For those who are immersed and obstructed in the way, all traces of enlightenment are forgotten. How come? It's because to be obstructed by the way, to be immersed in the way, you're one with the way. When you're one with the way, the way cannot be a perception. You can't get what you're

[42:19]

immersed in. Okay? But some people don't want to be immersed in it because they won't be able to get it. That's the thing. If you stay outside of it, you can get it. But although you don't get visible results, what kind of results do you get when you're immersed in the way? You know what kind you get? When even for a moment you immerse yourself in the way. Sound familiar? Expressing the Buddhist seal in body, speech, and mind by sitting upright in samadhi, the whole phenomenal world becomes the Buddhist seal and the entire sky turns into enlightenment. This is what you get when you immerse yourself in the way. However, it's not a visible result. Because of this, all Buddhist Tathagatas, as their original source, increase their Dharma

[43:21]

bliss and renew their magnificence in the awakening of the way. Are you following this? Sound familiar? Should I go on? Is that enough? This is what it's like when you're immersed in the way. Furthermore, all beings in ten directions in the six realms, including the three lower realms, are at once obtained pure body and mind and realize the state of great emancipation and manifest their original face. At this time, all things realize correct awakening and myriad objects partake of the Buddha body. Sitting upright under the kingly Bodhi tree, you immediately leap beyond the boundary of personal awakening and at this moment you turn unsurpassably great Dharma wheel and expound the profound wisdom, ultimate and unconditional. But this Dharma wheel is not like, you know, one of those wheels on TV where they spin and you win something. You can't actually see the Dharma wheel

[44:22]

like, you know, okay, well sometimes people do see a big silver Dharma wheel in the sky, but it's not actually, that's not the one you turn. The one you turn is the entire universe. Here's the universe. You turn this. You can't see the universe in its entirety. But that's what you turn when you're immersed in the way. But you can't perceive that because you're totally one with it. And that's how you turn it, because you're one with it. You become one with it by being trained into a nobody, a forgotten self. Now, that oneness turns the unsurpassably great Dharma wheel, and this oneness expounds the Dharma. Not you, not me. The one practice

[45:23]

Samadhi expounds the unsurpassable ultimate wisdom. And not only that, but because of this, trees, grass, earth, walls, tiles, pebbles, all engage in Buddha activity. Those who receive the benefits of wind and water caused by them are inconceivably helped by Buddha's guidance, splendid and unthinkable, and awaken intimately to themselves. Those who receive the water and fire benefits spread the Buddha's guidance based on original awakening. Because of this, all those who live with you, you forgotten you, you trained you, you immersed in the way you, you obstructed by the way you, you not looking for visible results you,

[46:27]

because everybody is inspired and helped by you. And speak with you and obtain endless Buddha virtue and will unroll inside and outside widely, vastly, the entire universe, endless, unremitting, unthinkable, unnameable, unstoppable Buddha Dharma. All this, however, does not appear in perception. It's not a visible result because it is unconstructedness and stillness. It is immediate immersion in realization. It is total obstruction by enlightenment. Okay? That's a little picture. Then, Dogen Genji concludes this section by talking about two things. What are they called? They're called the two things. Those,

[47:34]

first of all, those who practice the Buddha way should, first of all, trust in the Buddha way. Those who trust in the Buddha way trust that they are already within the Buddha way. Trusting in the Buddha way is not trusting the Buddha way. You know, it's not like trusting the Buddha way over there. Trusting the Buddha way means trusting that you're already in it. That's the trust. If you trust the Buddha way, you trust that you're already in it. That's the kind of thing it is. And if you trust that you're already in it, that's what trust is like. It's a funny trust. And trusting in this way, there is no delusion or false thinking,

[48:36]

no confusion, no increase, no decrease, no mistake. To arouse such trust and illuminate the way in this manner and practice it accordingly are the fundamental of studying the way. That's the first point. This kind of faith. The next point is you do this by sitting now this isn't actually, you do this by sitting severing the root of thinking and blocks severing the root where are we? Severing the root of thinking and blocks has somebody typed this wrong? Anyway, you do this by sitting. You do this faith by sitting. You sit

[49:37]

as trusting you're already in the way. This is the way you sit. And this is an excellent means to arouse true beginner's mind. And again, some people think that that practice is for beginners. But for Dogen and Suzuki Roshi, this is a way to keep arousing beginner's mind. It's not for those who have beginner's mind, it's how to arouse the authentic beginner's mind. The beginner's mind is I'm already included in the way. I'm already Buddhist child. I'm already in the best family. I don't need to worry about, you know, working my way through college. My parents own several colleges. Therefore, I sit

[50:45]

as an act of testimony and witness that I'm already in the way. This is the way. This is the first point. To sit that way, not to get something, not to get results, but as a testament to trusting we're already in the way, to a testament to no delusion, no false views, no increase, no decrease, no mistakes. Who knows what that is? Nobody. You're there already though, and you can't know it because it's not other than you. You are, you are no increase, no decrease, no mistake, no delusion. That's what you are. You are already. I don't try to get visible results. That's what you are. Sitting, you testify to that. I actually trust that.

[51:46]

I trust the Buddha nature. That's the first point. Second point is drop body and mind, let go of delusion and enlightenment. This is the second aspect. Okay? But you can't do the second one, but the first one. Unless you can. Generally speaking, those who trust that they are within the way, that they are within the Buddha way, are most rare. So, even if we all now trust that, still it's pretty rare. But why not all of us trust that and sit that way forever? I sit, and this sitting holds up the banner of Dharma which says each sentient being

[52:50]

is completely no increase, no decrease, no false perceptions, no delusion, perfect enlightenment. That's what the person really is. Not trying to get something. Each person is already immersed and obstructed by the way. Then drop body and mind, and also drop and let go of delusion and enlightenment. Let go of what you are. Anyway, this is rare, he wants to say. If you have correct trust that you are within the Buddha way, you understand where the great way leads and ends. If once in sitting you sever the root of

[53:52]

thinking, eight or nine cases out of ten, you will immediately attain understanding of the way. Eighty or ninety percent will immediately attain understanding of the way if you sit like this. Now another place he says, if you wholeheartedly sit like this, ten out of ten will attain the way. So the way I understand this is, if you sit like this, ten out of ten will attain the way, but eight out of ten will attain it right now. So you got a good deal here. You will definitely attain it, but only eighty or ninety percent of the time you attain it immediately. We have now finished nine sections out of ten of this text. And you heard

[54:57]

me, I said I wasn't going to try to finish. Right? Did you hear that? But I can let go of that. But I can also let go of it and not do it. I think that's what I'm going to do because you know, of the nice music that started now, we listen to it and it's much better than my dharma talk. It's the sound of monastic building repair. This sound happens in many monasteries for thousands of years. It's an ancient tradition to repair those buildings. So the next section I won't deal with, even though it is the most

[55:58]

interesting and wonderful section. But who knows? We may meet again someday. And we can start with section ten. But don't worry. You are completely obstructed by section ten. You are already completely immersed in section ten. Please have Buddhist faith that you are completely already on the path of section ten. I trust it, because I've read it, but I know you're already immersed in it and I hope you do too. And so therefore, in the midst of this symphonic accompaniment, you're ready to drop body and mind and attain your original

[56:58]

face. Congratulations.

[57:00]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ