As I said in the announcement for this retreat, great compassionate beings appear in this world to play and to teach others how to play. They come to play to teach others how to play. And by teaching others how to play, others are helped, benefited, released from suffering. Zen students, some people who are Zen students aspire to be aspire to live in this world playfully to teach others how to play.

[01:09]

I would suggest that when our activity, when our actions are united with reality, then our actions are rituals. Of course, our actions are always united with reality. So another way to say it is that not only when our actions are united with reality but they are united or they come together with an understanding of reality. When we act for the welfare of others, when we act for the welfare of all others, together with an understanding of reality, then I would say our action is ritual.

[02:51]

And in this case, it is the ritual, yeah, it's the ritual enactment. Our action is ritual, so it's the ritual enactment of reality. The ritual enactment of reality is also called enlightenment. And I propose that the way to help others is to act with the intention of helping them together with understanding reality. and one aspect of understanding reality is while you're devoted to helping others you understand that others are yourself or there are no others. If we in order to help others

[04:02]

and think that others are not our self that still is trying to act to help others but it's not the same it's not the same as the action of Zen Buddhism than Buddha is acting to help others together with understanding that there aren't any others to be found. I don't know how many of you would say that you're in a helping profession. Would any of you say that you're devoted to the helping profession? Some of you would. I just thought I might mention that I looked up the word profession and the sort of the root meaning of the word profession

[05:18]

vows made upon entering into a religious order. That's the etymology of the word profession, is the vows entering a religious order. You profess vows and then you're initiated into this religious order. So in the order of great compassionate beings, the profession would be the vow to live for the welfare of all beings. That would be the profession. The profession is For a bodhisattva, for an enlightening being, for a Zen student, the profession is to live for the welfare of all beings.

[06:30]

To live for the welfare of all beings is to act moment by moment for the welfare of all beings. Everybody acts moment by moment. But not everyone remembers moment by moment that this action is for the sake of all beings. The profession of enlightening beings is to vow to make all your actions to help others. And If I vow to do something, for example, to give someone a place to sit, or if I vow to give someone some water, and I vow to do that, and then I...

[07:45]

and I give the water or give the seat that's an action and it would be a fulfillment of the vow for the welfare of others however it becomes a ritual when the action is joined not just to helping others but with the understanding of your relationship with them I just heard this expression, somebody said, a psychologist said, I do not think that mind exists, that mind really exists as an entity. I'm a psychologist, I study mind, I study the psyche, I study the mind,

[08:49]

I study the mind, I study the mind of myself, I study the mind of others and I do this to help others. I want to learn to study their minds so that they will be able to receive and experience psychotherapy, therapeutic experience with their mind so they will become mentally But this psychologist said, I did not really think that the mind which I'm devoted to really exists as an entity. I'd say if that psychologist continues to practice studying the mind and helping others study their minds, and the word therapy, by the way, has a root to pay attention or to attend to.

[09:53]

if the psychologist continues to study the mind and help others to study their minds, this understanding of the mind doesn't really exist as an entity, then I think that they would be, their psychotherapy would be like, more like Zen practice. Because their therapy would become ritual. Because they would be studying something which is by itself. they would be devoted to understand the mind and the mind which they wish to understand they understand that it does not exist by itself as an entity. Also if they practice psychology studying the mind which means studying people or other animals that have minds so psychology could also be studying humans or animals for their welfare while understanding that the humans do not really exist as entities.

[11:14]

The humans which I am devoted to help They do not exist out there as an entity separate from me. I also do not exist as an entity over here separate from them. I don't really exist as an entity. My patients and my clients don't exist as an entity. The mind doesn't exist as the entity. And I'm devoted to myself, to the patients, and the mind. I'm devoted to this stuff. I want to help all this phenomena. And I have the belief that what really helps is to be devoted to something while understanding that that thing doesn't exist as an entity. It's not that it doesn't exist, it's that it exists not as an entity.

[12:18]

How does it exist? It exists interdependently. which means it's not an entity. It has no entity existence. It only has dependent existence. So another ritual in Zen, besides the ritual of introducing people to each other, is the ritual of meeting face-to-face with somebody. Ultimately, we aspire to a face-to-face meeting between Buddhas. A face-to-face meeting between beings who are devoted to all beings and to each other. And you're devoted to them.

[13:22]

And you understand that the person you're meeting does not exist as an entity. And the person who you are, who's meeting them, does not exist as an entity. This is the... a ritual. You're meeting with the person, but it's a ritual of what? Of two Buddhas meeting. Because you can't get a hold of the meeting either. The people who are meeting don't exist as entities. The meeting doesn't exist as an entity. And yet we perform this action to celebrate and ritually realize that which cannot be grasped as an entity, as what really helps. beings, or this is helping beings.

[14:26]

So I asked a moment ago, do some of you feel comfortable saying something like, I'm devoted to a helping profession, or I'm devoted to the helping professions. And some of you felt so comfortable saying yes. But I also thought, I wrote that down, and I also thought, is there anyone, or excuse me, is there anyone's work, is anyone's work other than helping others? I call your work helping profession, but is any of your work other than helping others? Almost no one's work that I can think of is anything other than helping others. That's what all work really is. so in some sense in reality everybody's in a helping profession everybody's work is for helping others about twenty about twenty two years ago I went with my wife to the UC Medical Center in San Francisco and

[16:09]

One of the hospitals is called Moffitt, I believe. One of the big buildings is called Moffitt Hospital. Is that right? Anybody know? One of the tall buildings there. And so I had a niece that was just born. A Chinese niece. And she was born and she had to have open heart surgery right after she was born. Because one of the I think artery or maybe an artery pulmonary artery that usually closes upon birth didn't close so she was losing she was bleeding internally because this this thing that usually closes off at the time of birth didn't happen for her they just a few years before they developed this operation at UC Medical Center for fixing that that heart problem, that actually arterial problem.

[17:16]

So she had this operation where she was born. And I will not tell the whole story, but I'll just say that as we were going in the elevator up to see her, and I was in the elevator in this kind of large building, it just struck me that this elevator and this big building and all these people who work here The point of this whole huge operation was to help people. Huge operation, tremendous expense, and it's all basically, the point of the whole thing is really to help people. Now someone else could say, no, it's really for the hospital to... And that wasn't what I was getting at that time. I was just really struck by how, what a tremendous effort. human beings make to take care of living beings, not just human. There's tremendous effort for animals too. I mean other animals.

[18:18]

So I thought to myself, is anyone's work other than helping others And so it's the same as saying, is anyone's work other than enlightenment? Because enlightenment, what enlightenment is, is helping others. That's what it is. It's not anything in addition to that. But the mind, that does not really exist as an entity, and does not exist as entities, and others who do not exist as entities if all those don't exist as entities then also helping others doesn't exist as an entity and also therefore if enlightenment is helping others it doesn't exist as an entity either these things exist as entities they can all be ritually enacted and that's the only way to enact them is by ritual because you can't get a hold of them you can only do something

[19:32]

which realizes them. Just like you can't get a hold of love, and if you understand it, you ritually practice love. You say stuff like, may I help you, or I love you, or something like that. That doesn't get a hold of love, because love cannot be got a hold of, but it enacts it, it realizes it. And part of what I'm emphasizing this weekend is that if you think you can get a hold of love, if you try to help people and think you can get a hold of love, then you don't think you're doing a ritual of love, you think you're doing actual love. No, I'm actually loving you. This is actually love. The problem with that way of thinking, the thinking behind that way of talking, is that you're making love into a thing, which it isn't.

[20:41]

You might also make the person you're loving into a thing, which they aren't. In reality, the love's going on very nicely, the enlightenment's happening, but if we're not careful, we exile ourself from the helping others that's going on. And if we're exiled from it, others may also be exiled in it because we may be setting a bad example and they may follow it. So then everybody, then a lot of people are exiled from what? From this thing which can't be grasped. But if you try to grasp it, somehow you magically lose it. but if you magically don't try to grasp it if you imagine not grasping it but simply ritually enacting it then because you're not trying to get it

[21:43]

And others who you're practicing it with, they aren't hindered from it either, unless they try to grasp it. But you're trying to set an example of not grasping, and if they pick up on it and join it, then everybody gets to realize what we can't have helping others, but we can realize it. Partly by wanting to realize it, as part of it we want to realize it being devoted to it and also the other part is you get to realize it if you don't try to have it if you don't try to possess it if you don't try to make it into an entity so all your professions all your professions, if you wish your profession to be enlightenment, if you wish your professions to help others, then you basically have the same attitude as the Buddhas.

[23:03]

That's what they want. They want all their actions, all their work to be helping others. But they understand that all their action, all their work, is not an entity. Therefore they enter into the helping others. And all of our actions, all of our work, can be that way. And also, the other theme here is that when your work is for others and you realize that your work cannot be grasped and others cannot be grasped, it goes into play. then you're devoted to something without trying to get anything. And it's play also because you enter into the process of your relationship with everybody. You do all kinds of things like give up control and so on and so forth. One time my wife gave me kind of a, not exactly a compliment,

[24:16]

it was more like she recognized because I didn't really make myself this way but she said your vocation and occupation and profession and avocation are all the same thing and she also said and you should be aware that some people do not have that good fortune But I would like to share that good fortune with everybody so that everyone, their vocation and their avocation are the same. And vocation means to be called or calling. Avocation means to be called away. Hobby. Hobby is kind of like called away from your main calling.

[25:19]

So what I'm proposing is a playfulness so that your calling and your being called away are the same thing. So forgetting about your calling is the same as remembering your calling. so that you don't get attached to your calling. Like, I got to keep being whatever, you know, a Zen priest or something. I can't forget it. I got to keep doing it. Well, that's not my calling. My calling is not my calling. My calling is to... Another word for... Another meaning for... What do you call it? Vocation is a strong sense that you're on the right path. That you have the right career. That's your vocation. Occupation to be their vocation.

[26:23]

I want everybody, whatever they're doing, whatever work they're doing, working in a hospital, helping little baby girls who are about to die to live, washing dishes in the same house, cleaning the floors in the hospital, cleaning vomit in the hospital. I want everybody's occupation to be their vocation. So they feel like what their work is, their occupation or their profession, they have a sense that this is the right path. How can we make what we're doing not be the right path, but how can we have a sense that this is the right path? I'm proposing how to do that Make everything you do, number one, cleaning up vomit, cleaning up shit, cleaning up blood, cleaning up water, cleaning up dishes, cleaning up hearts, cleaning up minds, cleaning up cities.

[27:32]

Whatever you do, whatever your work, do it for the welfare of all beings together with understanding that you can't get a hold of this great project do it together with giving it away this thing you're so important don't hold on to it in other words realize it and don't hold on to it because you can't get a hold of it if you're doing brain surgery and you're holding on to it I'm suggesting You're not helping others. You're exiling yourself from helping others right while you're doing this important activity. And the same goes if you're cleaning up garbage and you're holding on to that. This isn't a ritual garbage collection.

[28:35]

you're holding on to it. And therefore that... I shouldn't say you hinder, but that holding hinders the actual way that garbage collection helps others. All others. All others. Each garbage collector helps all others when they want to. When they're collecting garbage and they actually... they're actually collecting garbage right now, this garbage, for all beings. That's how Buddhas collect garbage. And they do collect garbage. Buddhas do collect garbage. When there's garbage there to collect. They do... and clean up excrement when it's there to be taken care of. But they do it... they clean up this excrement for this person but they do it for all beings and they also realize that they can't get a hold of anything. and they don't even hold on to their great profession of being a Buddha.

[29:40]

If they do, they're temporarily not a Buddha. So, again, I think all of our work can be ritual enactment of enlightenment. All of our work can be play and a ritual enactment say ritual enactment of enlightenment or take away ritual and just say enactment of enlightenment must be ritual or say ritual enactment of enlightenment must be playful I'm not attached to what I just said by the way even though I said must must but you know there's no such thing as must that i'm that i have around here i don't have any musts but i offer you a bunch of musts for you to use as you wish and i hope you realize that none of these musts exist as entities they just they need they need you to uh

[30:53]

they need you and me and they've got you and me so we've got musts and must nots and should nots and whatever you want. So in one sense this weekend I will address specific ritual forms for you to practice but also I'm suggesting to you to make every action this weekend and please for the rest of your life make every action a ritual which means is done with the mindfulness that none of your actions really exist as entities Be mindful of that. Or another way to put it is be mindful that any action that you're involved in is involved in.

[32:01]

But let's start with you. Any action you're involved with is a dependent core arising. It's not a separately existing thing. It's a dependent core arising. It's something that's happening with the support of things that aren't. And that's one way to talk about it. The other way is make every action playful. Same thing. So I'm suggesting that enlightenment is play and playful. And I'm suggesting that's the only way that the truth can be transmitted. Because as soon as somebody loses the playfulness, the transmission of reality is somewhat hindered. Somebody's holding on in the flow.

[33:03]

Somebody's resisting and tightening up. But again, if you resist, if you tighten up, And you do that for the welfare of all beings and realize there's no entity called Titan. It's happening again. And I will also... I suggest you do this with everything you do. Make your entire life all your actions for the welfare of all beings. All your actions, things which you're being mindful of them not existing as entities. All your actions. And then we have specific traditional forms which you can also practice in the same way. And one of them, I just did, I did that traditional introduction.

[34:09]

It's a traditional introduction. It's partly traditional in the workshops that I go to. It's a tradition in those now. It's becoming a tradition at Zen Center widely. I do it at classes too. But it's also an African village tradition. I heard. That's where I heard it. I wasn't in Africa but I heard that the practice is in a certain village in Africa. And then we also have traditional practices like sitting. Sitting and walking. And so this weekend we have a schedule which you may have seen and we'll have sessions of sitting and walking meditation. And maybe I'll talk to you about how these can be practiced in some forms which are given as ways of testing practices for the sake of all beings without grasping the forms.

[35:27]

So some forms are given specifically so you can see you can catch other people can catch you too because you're using a form that we're doing together. Catch yourself or help others catch themselves at making the form into something that exists by itself separate from everybody else. And when we get into these forms you may notice that this starts to happen for you, and then we have some stuff to work with. So another form we have is a schedule, which I'll tell you now of the schedule. And then you can look at the schedule and think about whether you want to as the ritual and act of enlightenment. So the schedule is another form. And you could hear this, receive it, and then give it away.

[36:33]

Remember it, receive it, receive it, remember it, give it away. And understand that this is the process of enlightenment. This is the way to help others. It's to receive things and give them away. And show people how to do it. Really? This is how to help others. We have this session which I would suggest we end sometime before it gets really late. Then in the morning we have a session offered at 6.30 and I would suggest that we do two periods of sitting meditation. with walking meditation in between. So we have a sitting, walking, sitting and then we have walking and we have some discussion like this. And then I would suggest that there be an opportunity to have both.

[37:40]

And you can do walking meditation to brunch and then you can do brunch meditation you can go have brunch for the welfare of all beings. And while you're having brunch for the welfare of all beings, you can be mindful that this act of having brunch could be the enactment of enlightenment. That you could go tomorrow and have brunch like Buddha has brunch. You could. If you want to, Buddha is inviting you to do so. To have brunch as Buddha has brunch. And I think you know what I think about how Buddha has brunch, don't you? How do you think I think? What? What?

[38:44]

Buddha has brunch wholeheartedly, yeah. And what is wholeheartedly... What else is wholeheartedly like for the Buddha's Altogether with all beings have breakfast for all beings. That's the way Buddha has breakfast or brunch. Breakfast is a different story. But this is the way they have breakfast, wholeheartedly. And so I'm suggesting that for Buddhas, Whatever they do, they do for the welfare of all beings. That's their wholeheartedness. They don't do anything for the welfare of just a subset of all beings. So you could go and have brunch of all beings tomorrow morning. That's what I would actually invite you to do. And if you resist that, I would invite you to consider

[39:52]

doing it. And if you resist that, I would invite you to consider being wholehearted about your resistance. And the practice of going and having breakfast for the welfare of all beings, resist wholeheartedly. In other words, resist for the welfare of all beings. So some of you might want to be the resistors this weekend. That's one of the job assignments here. That's one of the play assignments. Resist this whole program of virtual enlightenment enactment. But I beg you to be wholeheartedly resisting. And if you're wholeheartedly resisting, that means, hey, somebody's got to resist. I'm going to do it, and I'm going to do it for the welfare. So the rest of you can not resist. I'll do it all for you. And somebody else says, I want to join you. Fine. There can be two of us. Or maybe the whole group wants to resist. Then the whole group is wholeheartedly resisting everything that's being suggested for the welfare of all beings.

[40:59]

More than fine. Please do that. And that would be the same as having brunch like a Buddha does. Do you understand? It's the same. Wholehearted... And I propose to you, you cannot be wholehearted. I cannot be wholehearted if I don't do anything for the welfare of all beings. Now, you may think, well, I can be wholehearted without that. Well, if you think so, then show me that wholeheartedness and then show me what it's like to do it for the welfare of all beings and tell me that that wasn't more wholehearted. Tell me. Tell me that, if that happens. So far, nobody's told me that, but this may be different. that's the kind of creatures we really are. That's the way our heart really is. I propose that to you. And then after brunch, you're invited to come back here and we'll do some more sitting and walking and discussion. And I think I might also give you instructions about how to make your walking, how to make your walking the way Buddhas walk.

[42:11]

and give some instruction about how to formally walk, meditating on the walking activity. Then we get another break, more nourishment, more feeding can happen, and I'd like to suggest a change in the schedule that you have. It says 2.30 to 5.00, I suggest 3.00 to 5.00, so you have more of a break at that point for for any kind of resistance you'd like to work on. Because I don't want you to have a tight resistance space. You can get a big break from this from 1 to 3 instead of 1 to 2.30. Following this, I'm telling you the schedule. With, you know, some stuff mixed in with it. Then you come back here and we again, at three o'clock, we'll start again with some sitting and walking rituals, more discussion, and then we get another break and then we can have dinner and come back and do the same thing in the evening.

[43:28]

So this is the schedule. And then Sunday morning, also start at 6.30, but the day's shorter on Sunday. We're going to end around noon or so. So that's a schedule for you to play with. And I would encourage you to play with the schedule and I would encourage you to use the schedule as part of your play and to play with the mindfulness and and to consider if you'd like to relate to the schedule for the welfare of all beings. And another ritual, formal ritual, that is traditional in the tradition of the Buddha's teaching is to ritually

[44:37]

come forward and meet face-to-face around or regarding the practice and it can be around the practice of meeting face-to-face because again enlightenment is basically meeting face-to-face That's basically what it is, meeting face-to-face, what I said earlier. It's wholeheartedly meeting face-to-face, not just for the person you're meeting, not just for yourself, but for all beings. So that's another ritual which you're invited to enact. And there's a little meeting space right here. I'm sitting in it myself. And you're invited, if you'd like, any time to come up and sit in the meeting space and meet.

[45:39]

For the welfare of all beings. Unless you're resisting that, and then... So, I think you're getting the picture, right? So now it's time for... And you can come up here and meet face to face. You can come up. Rosanna. Welcome. This is Rosanna. Or is it Roseanne? Is it Roseanne? It's Rose. Oh, it's Rose or Roseanne? Rose. Okay, Rose. So, if you'd like to come up here and give me feedback, you're welcome. If you'd like to come up here and ask questions of me or other people, if you want to come up here and give me a kiss, Leon, you want to come up and give me a kiss? This is Leon, who you met earlier.

[46:49]

I didn't really mean that. This is not Leon you met. This is not Leon you met earlier. This is a new Leon that I never met. Hi. Hi. Is your name Leon? Do you want to go by that? My name is Leon. Leon, okay. I came up here to give you a kiss. All right. So I have two things. One is... the question myself but um can you hear him okay this is red is that good or not you said you had two things yes and then what did you say i think i might be able to answer the first of the good well Okay, yes, thank you. I was thinking that you might think and I might agree that there is no such thing as an entity. I don't know if I go that far because there is such a thing as a, quote, entity, unquote.

[48:10]

There is the idea of an entity, but the idea of an entity is not. That's what I would think. So I just want to be careful not to get too rough with this entity. there's no, you know, there's no entity that, there's nothing that exists really as an entity, but things can appear to be entities. It can be the existence of the appearance of an entity. That would be different. Yeah, that's different. So to say there's really no thing as an entity in that context, I agree. The second one was about understanding beginning when you were talking about reality yes I was thinking that perhaps you thought there was something that was not real that and if that's so I was wondering what that would be yeah an entity is not real something that exists by itself is not real

[49:29]

But the idea of something that exists by itself, it has a, what do you call it, a provisional reality, a conventional reality, which is the idea of something existing by itself. But the idea is imagining something that doesn't exist at all. So understanding reality is where I get into, I guess, where I... I think everything is real. And I think what you just said was that there are certain concepts that are not real. Well, the concepts are real concepts, but what they're a concept of doesn't exist. About something that's not real. And we can imagine there is a kind of, what do you call it, a conventional existence

[50:34]

of something which does not exist. So there can be the imagination, there can be the conventional existence of an imagined thing which doesn't exist at all. But the imagination has a kind of conventional existence. It doesn't have a, you know, it's not really real because you can't find the thing it's imagining. But we do have ideas of things that don't exist. But we do have those ideas fleetingly, dependently. So could I assume that the only thing that's not real are ideas we have of things which are not real? It's not so much the ideas aren't real, it's the thing that the idea is about is sometimes not real.

[51:41]

So like an idea of Leon is on the same par, is basically on the same par as Leon. There's a conventionally existing Leon and there's a conventionally existing idea of Leon. Those are both conventionally exist. like entities. But the word Leon, or the person Leon, isn't saying that Leon's an entity. He's just a person, a man. The man is not the same as saying that Leon's an entity. And your mind. You have a mind. We don't say you don't have one. It just doesn't exist. Entity. But it does exist not in this other way, which is not entity-like. It exists interdependently. So you and your mind do exist interdependently. Yes. But not entity-like. But if you were an entity, you could get a hold of an entity.

[52:45]

There's no such thing. Like if you make helping into an entity, there's no such helping. But there's another kind of helping, which is not an entity, which you can't get, but that can be enacted. And you can have ideas, which all sort, exist dependently. An idea can be of something that doesn't exist dependently. Which is a real idea. It's a conventionally real idea of something that's not conventionally real or real in any way at all. It's totally wrong. But funny thing is people believe in some of those, they actually believe in some of those entity-like Yes, I think that was the basis of my question. They believe in their profession as an entity.

[53:47]

They believe in the people they're helping as entities. Now their belief, that's a dependent core, that exists interdependently, but to think that your belief is also an entity, they think that what they believe in is an entity, and they even think their belief is an entity. And their thinking this way is not an entity, but that thinking does exist. But what they're thinking of does not exist at all. Like a belief that's an entity. But there is such a thing as a belief in such a thing. Yes, I think I want to believe that everything's real. Well, thank you for confessing that. And then I think when I, because I think that When I leave that and try to think that there are things that aren't real, it's pretty confusing for me. You don't have to leave that.

[54:48]

See, he says he confessed that... Did you say, I have a belief that everything is real? I want to believe that everything is real. Oh, you want to believe, but do you? Have you got there yet? No, gosh, no. Okay, so now we're just talking about you wanting to believe something. Because it's easy. That can be dealt with too. So you can want to believe certain things and you can also believe certain things. Both are available. Like some people could believe that everything's real. There are people like that. We say that there's people like that. And somebody else could want to believe that everything's real. Yes. And you don't have to like try to get rid of the the person who believes everything's real or get rid of the person who wants to believe that everything's real? Do you really want to believe that everything's real? I think I do when I get lazy. I think when I think that I'm having a hard time deciphering what's real and what's not real.

[55:49]

And then I want to say everything's real. Okay, there's so much work to distinguish between them? Yeah, well, it's... Yeah. But at the time you think it's so much work, at that time I think you've succeeded at thinking that the hard work is real. Yes. So in that case you're successful at believing something's real. Like it really is hard to pay attention to what's going on. And that actually exists as an entity and I get in trouble with it. So I'm going to stay away from that. So now might be a good point to mention that when we run into this stuff, like beliefs, whatever belief they are, or beliefs and desires and wants. So again, I said if you want to help people,

[56:51]

then it would be good to not make that want into an entity or the people you want to help into an entity. However, most people probably when they start wanting to help people they do make the helping into entity and they make the people into entity. Most people probably do that. So we don't have to get rid of those people who are like that. And they don't have to get rid of themselves. So what we do now is we want to help them. We want to help them cure their wanting. of cleaning.

[57:52]

Cure their wanting of making their wanting into an entity. One way to do it is to make it a ritual. If you want to help people but you really think that helping is a graspable thing, then if you start to help people as a ritual, as you get into that, you start to realize, I want to help and I'm ritually practicing helping, but I can't actually get a hold of the helping or the helped or the helper. That's one way to do it. Another way to do it, which is basically the same thing, is be very kind to the making the wanting into an entity, making the helping into an entity, and making the helping into an entity. Be very kind to that.

[58:54]

Continue to be devoted to it and devoted to it and devoted to it, even though making what's going on into something you're clinging to. And the more you are devoted and kind to the person, to the people, to the activity, and to the clinging, the closer you get to the place of continuing to be kind, but without acting in such a way as to become attached to what you're devoted to. I think I get it. Now give it away. Thank you. You're welcome. Your feet went to sleep? My ankles, actually. Your ankles are asleep? Well, we give you lots of time now to do various things. Thank you. You're welcome. I need to do a ritual playing with the microphone batteries because of the red light.

[60:16]

Angela, here comes a person I never met before and I call her Angela. And she's got written on her chest, deep faith and cause and effect. It says deep faith and cause and effect. And if you have deep faith and cause and effect, that would encourage you to be mindful that everybody you meet is not an entity. Everybody you meet is a dependent core rising. So every time I come up here in my heart, I feel alive tremendously. You feel alive? Yes, I do. Do I need this? Do I have to? Do you need this? Do you have to? Well, I will, for the benefit of all beings.

[61:30]

Whoa! I do feel. So this Angela here is alive, huh? Yes. Oh, great. I do feel all the support. I feel all beings and the support of all beings here. And I don't know where that comes from. You don't know where the feeling comes from? No, I don't know where that, yeah, that feeling or that sense. You want to hear? Trust. All beings, okay. And one of the beings is trust. Something that comes up for me when trust and the support of all beings is arising is to be able to ask other beings, would you, could you help me?

[62:37]

It's a way of supporting all beings. Just another way to... It's just another way? Yes. Another way to... practice being devoted to all beings, one of the ways is to say to whatever you help me. Yes. That's one of the ways. Another way is may I help you. Yes. That's all. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. So the thought arose in this mind over here or wherever it is, was that playful? But I'm not really asking you that question because I don't want to sort of encourage you to think that you could get a hold of something called playful.

[63:45]

But still that doesn't mean you interfere or I interfere with the question arising, was that playful? Now, you could say, well, clearly it was a ritual. It was a ritual, didn't you? Wasn't that obvious it was a ritual? Well, yes it was, but it's really a ritual if she and I understand that what she did is an entity, that our meeting was not an entity. Then to go ahead with... keep acting with that understanding, then the ritual is really fully realized. Now is it playful? And again, can you say yes or no without imagining that there's a thing called If you don't imagine this, if you don't, or I should say, if you, even if you imagine, I should say, can you imagine saying yes or no to the question, was she just playful with me and was I playful with her?

[64:57]

Were we being playful? Question. And say yes or say no without grasping. when you say yes but without grasping well it wasn't, it was and say no without grasping it wasn't and also say yes without grasping that it wasn't and say no without grasping that it was can you do that? I say yes you can I say we can be that way so the thought arises was that playful or another thought could be that wasn't playful being playful And what do I do with the thought we weren't being playful? I'd be kind to that thought. I'd be playful with that thought.

[65:59]

I mean, I vow to be. Part of being playful is that you vowed to be that way without thinking that there's such a thing. such an entity. You dedicate yourself to something which is an entity. Now, if you don't want to be playful, then it would be good to imagine that not being playful was an entity. If you don't want to be playful, then also it would be good to imagine that being playful is an entity. Does that make sense? If you want to not be playful, then imagine being playful is an entity, is something that exists by itself, that you can get a hold of. That will help you not be playful. And also, if you want to not be playful, then imagine that being not playful is also.

[67:06]

That's part of the reason why I think the word ritual and playfulness complement each other. If you're trying to be playful, you can try to be playful and you can try to be nice. You can try to be playful without thinking that there's such a thing all by itself as playful. But then if you're trying to be playful without thinking that there's a thing called playful, you're doing a ritual of playfulness. I don't think I'm really being playful now. No, I'm just doing a ritual of being playful. Like right now, I'm doing a ritual of being playful with you. This is a ritual I'm doing here because I don't think there's really such a thing as me being playful. But I even can tell you, I feel really like I'm being playful. I'm really doing a ritual. Or I could say, I don't really feel like I'm doing a ritual, but I feel like I'm being quite playful.

[68:13]

So then I'm leaning over to, I'm being playful, but I'm making, I got a hold of the playful, but then it's... Or I feel like, well, I'm being playful, but there's no such thing as being playful, so I'm just doing a ritual of playful, but then I lose the playfulness. Because what I mean by the playfulness is something that I think is playful. So this is the balancing act between doing something and being devoted to it without knowing what it is. Like, for example, this weekend you could do the ritual of loving everybody without knowing what love is. But be mindful that that's what you're doing here, is that you're ritually enacting and you don't know what it is. And also you don't know what the people are who you love. So you're devoted to being loving towards all the people at Mama Donna because they're your neighbors and you don't know who they are.

[69:16]

So that's kind of playful. Playing with people who you don't know who they are is more playful, I would say, than playing with people when you think you know who they are. It's not so playful for you to play with me when you think you know who I am, when actually you never met me before. And now I'm gone. We do not know who each other are in reality. And remembering reality, we start playing with each other. When we play with each other, we open to reality. Who is this before me? The ancient Zen people ask, who is this in front of me? Don't know. And then people think, ooh, wow, don't know. But that's playful. But that's Zen playful, not ordinary idea playful. It's like, yeah, I don't like that playful.

[70:19]

Well, let's have a different one then. What kind do you want? Let's do that one. We don't have to do that don't know one. We can do another one. I do know who you are. But again, I say, I do know who you are, but really, at the same time, because I'm being playful, I do not know who you are. I know who you are, but that's a ritual of saying I know who you are to ritually enact that I don't know who you are. And I bet in this life I know who you are. I sometimes forget that's my bet, but that's my basic bet. My bet is I don't know who you are. I believe I don't know who you are. And when I'm with that belief, I don't regret it. I do not regret that so far. For a while. I mean, I've done it.

[71:23]

There was past Rebs who did it. And the current one thinks it's a good idea for me to be mindful that I don't know who you are. I find that a playful way to be with you and then everything is a ritual enactment of reality. And I have this idea which I kind of believe in in a playful way That's the way Buddhas are, is that they go around meeting each person not knowing who they are. And they're totally devoted to all these beings that they do not know. And they're not devoted to any beings they do know. But they are devoted to all beings

[72:26]

They are devoted to all beings that they don't know. And because they don't know, they can be. And those who do know, have a hard time being devoted to all beings. Because when you know some beings, you think, well, not this one. Like my grandson has trouble being devoted to George Bush. because he thinks he knows who George Bush is. And now that George Bush isn't president anymore, a lot of people who used to know who George Bush was and had trouble being devoted to him, now they're not so sure they know. Now they're lightening up and they're not so sure who George is. And they're almost ready to start loving him. And Dick Cheney, too.

[73:29]

This is a guy, his name's, what's his name? Hirsch? Seymour Hirsch. Seymour Hirsch. He's a writer. And he writes about people, one of the people he writes about is Dick Cheney. And I heard him the other day talking about Dick Cheney. You should not underestimate Dick Cheney. Dick Cheney is very smart. And then he said something like, I don't know, I don't remember the exact context, but he said, it's so satisfying. And I think it's so satisfying for me to basically struggle with Dick Cheney, for me to write these articles about him and what he's up to and try to keep track of him and tell everybody what he's doing. But it's so satisfying because he's so smart.

[74:37]

He knows how to cover up what he's doing really, really well. He does my job super hard. But he is like... I don't know if there's anybody he loves as much as Dick Cheney. I mean, Dick Cheney is like his life. You know, it's just like... Yeah. Your main adversary is your life. Of course, also your main partner is your life, too. Your main supporter is your life. Your main unsupporter is your life. The people you don't support are your life. In other words, the people you don't support, support you. And if you're wholehearted about this, you realize you can't get a hold of any of this stuff, and therefore everything you're doing is a ritual. And also, you're playing with Chick Cheney.

[75:38]

Very satisfying. Karen. Karen's going like this. She's working those thumbs. They're moving so fast they can't even twiddle. Or they're twiddling. They're twiddling. Is there anything else you'd like to offer at this time? Any feedback? Any questions? Any testimonials? Any proclamations? Any professions? Do you wish to make a vow and enter a religious order? You can do it. You can enter a religious order right here. It's not quite as lofty as a declaration. It's more a clarification. A clarification. You're going to clarify something? Yeah, within me. Well, let's hope so.

[76:42]

Why not? So, if I understand... when I don't hold something as an entity, I can play with it. Right. What I'm not sure about... Actually, when you don't hold it, you're already being playful. Right. So then the ritual... Like me. ...comes in... A ritual comes in when I'm devoted to that? That's a ritual and play? No. What's the difference between ritual and play? When you go ahead and do it, even though you're just pretending or playing, that's a ritual. I don't get the difference. I think that's play. I don't know who you are, but I'm going to play that I know who you are. I'm going to play with who you are. Okay. So I agree, that's play.

[77:44]

That's good. I don't know what it is, but it's play, and I call it play, and I'm being playful calling a play with you. But it's also a ritual, because you don't really think you're being playful. If you really think you are, then it's not a ritual, and it's also not playful. But if you're being playful, not even knowing what playful is, then your playfulness is a ritual. I still don't get what ritual is. It's seeming like they're the same thing. Play and ritual? They are. There's no difference? Well, the difference is that there's some things which are called rituals, which if you do them playfully, then they're really realized. But there's some other things which aren't called. which people do. Nobody calls them rituals, but when they do them playfully, the way they do them is a ritual.

[78:49]

It's a ritual of enlightenment. It's a ritual of really doing something. No, it's a ritual of enlightenment. It's a ritual of things not being an entity. It's a ritual of helping people. It's showing people who have ideas how to be with their ideas in such a way they're not caught by them. So it's a ritual enactment because you're not really doing a thing. You're not doing a thing called helping people. You're doing a ritual of helping people. How is that different from playing with helping somebody? In this case, it's the same thing. But I'm saying sometimes people are playing something that's not a ritual form. What's not a ritual form? What's not a ritual form? Like eating breakfast.

[79:52]

Some people don't think it's a ritual form. But can't everything be ritual? You can make everything ritual, yes. What's the intention then? It's the intention, but you have to have understanding too. And when you're playful, the understanding is there. When you're actually being playful, you understand reality. So, when you're being playful, you understand reality, plus being playful understands reality. Being playful is the gate to reality. But also when you're being playful, you are actually, you're doing reality. And at some point, you wake up to that you're doing reality because of the playfulness. But even before you kind of realize it, you are in fact, when you're being playful, you are enacting reality because reality is playful. Reality is not stuck on being real.

[80:56]

It's playful. Reality isn't a thing, an entity called reality. Reality is there are no entities. Truth, the real truth, is a truth that all truths are contingent. And being playful is the way to enter it and realize it. In this case, because it's enacting reality for the sake of helping beings, it's also called a ritual, a religious ritual. So they're kind of the same, but they're also kind of different. because the word ritual doesn't strike people like the word play the word play kind of tells you what ritual is like and ritual tells you something because some people think play is not ritual so ritual helps the people who are limiting their idea of play to open it up and play helps people open up their idea of ritual

[82:14]

but in fact they're the same because they're both appreciation of reality and this is what helps people is appreciation and enacting reality because the problem is not full appreciation and enactment You're welcome. Is your name Deborah? Deb? What's your name? Tina? Valentina? Your name's Deborah. Your name's Deborah. That's Deb and Deborah and Valentina. Is your name Linda?

[83:17]

Huh? Linda. What's your name? Doris. Apple? Appel? Is it Dutch? German. I have a colorful fish painted by a person whose name is spelled with two P's. A-P-P-L-E. Dutch guy. Valentina, please come. Valentina, please come. What did you say? You get to meet somebody you really didn't meet before. So. Hi. Hello. I'm a little nervous. May I join you? Sure. Okay. Here we are. Here we are. First of all, I'm not a Zen Buddhist. Neither am I. So maybe my terminology will be a little bit different.

[84:25]

I used to know a woman named Valentina who wasn't a Zen Buddhist. How about you? Are you a Zen Buddhist? Last time I checked, no. But maybe right now I am. Yes, you are. Yeah, if you start trekking, I know, yeah, yeah, so, you know, maybe. So, on the nature of reality, so I'm sitting there doing meditation one day, it occurs to me that The reason the mind struggles with what is real and what is not real is because it perceives that polarity, one is mutually exclusive of the other, and it occurred to me that perhaps both are true. Real and equally unreal. And so, maybe because I'm reading too many science books, but I realized that everything is not real on two levels.

[85:32]

If you want to look at it scientifically, obviously everything is made out of empty space because the particles that infinitely apart from each other. Yet, I don't want to walk through that wall. It's pretty real from where I'm standing. On the other hand, another way things are not real is you look at the spiritual traditions in the world and they describe how everything is consciousness. And it's just an illusion of separateness. So yes, we are all one. I don't exist and you don't exist. We're all together. We don't exist separately. We don't exist separately. And yet, in a relative sense, this relative reality is equally real. Equally real. And so I realized then there is no struggle. Although they're equally real, you could say, one will liberate you and the other won't. It all depends. I sort of see myself like a drunken seller, like, say we're one foot in relative reality and one foot in ultimate reality.

[86:38]

So, like, I have to stay balanced so that the oneness that I perceive in ultimate reality informs my choices and decisions and understanding of relative reality. And I think this is how I got your thing about plagues, that to understand reality is to understand And therefore, being mindful of that, right action spontaneously arises. It doesn't have anything to do with you. I wouldn't say it has nothing to do with you. It just is not limited to you. Right. Well, it has something to do with you in relative reality, but if you reside in mindfulness, right action spontaneously arises. And then it is a play, because you don't make it personal. Mm-hmm. Hey, maybe I'll make it. By Sunday I'll be there. Hey, maybe you won't. Maybe I already made it.

[87:41]

It looks like you've got to pass through the gate, but on the other side. I think we need to really love the gate. from both sides and if you really love the gate there'll be no sticking to the gate and then there's no gate and if you really love the open then you won't stick to that either so you can have a gate and then you love the gate again and then you realize oh it's really open and you love that you don't stick there either so the point is no sticking no sticking and just keep moving and if you're sticking love the sticking And then keep moving. Don't make it personal. Don't make it personal. And if you don't make it personal, love making it personal. And then it's no longer personal. And then it's no longer personal. Well, it's still personal, but you're not, you can't find it anymore. Right. And you're not stuck in it. So it's now the personal to celebrate. Right. Cool.

[88:43]

Cool. Totally. Totally. Thank you. You're so welcome. Thanks for the microphone. Thank you. Yes, Susan.

[90:02]

Welcome to the land of red lights on microphones. Yes? Well, I wanted to see if I might find a way to be playful with some resistance I'm experiencing, because You want to be playful with some resistance? Well, I would because I don't really want to be resistant, but I'm feeling resistant. And you said, you know, if you're going to feel resistant, you should feel resistant wholeheartedly. But I'm not wholeheartedly resistant because I don't want to be resistant. So I thought maybe if I came up here and played with it, I would either get more resistant or less resistant. Yeah. You might get more. It might stay exactly the same, but that's going to change. So I would say love your resistance. Yeah, I know you would say that.

[91:05]

Yeah. But love actually, love to try to, you're having trouble loving it? You're having trouble being patient with it? Yes. So, can you be patient with the impatience? Can you be generous towards the impatience? Probably not. Are you saying you can't right now? Are you feeling impatient? And can you be gracious towards that impatience? Do you want to be? You do? Can you be calm with that wanting to be? Does calm include crying? Does calm include crying? Not necessarily, but calm can either be calm with crying, because it still can be calm. And you can be calm with crying. Do you feel some calm with the situation?

[92:16]

Yeah, a little bit. Some patience now? A little. Some gentleness? So now we have some calm and some patience and some gentleness with the resistance? Some welcoming of the resistance? Some giving up trying to control the resistance. Hmm? Are we ready to start playing yet? Yeah? Almost? Yeah, maybe. Getting close, yeah. This is how to warm up to be playful with the resistance. Resistance is a being. All beings are treated in this kind and loving way. And then we don't attach to them. And then we don't attach to them.

[93:21]

They're free. They're helped. So then the resistance is liberated. But it doesn't have to go any place. It's just a free, unhindered resistance. it's not really causing a problem anymore. So, is there anything else you want to give me? Okay. So I ask you tonight,

[94:47]

and we may forget. The person who we are tomorrow may not remember what I asked tonight. That when you're sitting tomorrow in the morning, I ask you to consider whether you're sitting, whether you want your sitting to be for the sake of all beings. I ask you to look and see if you want your sitting meditation and your walking meditation to be for the sake of all beings. And I ask you now the question I ask or I just ask the question, do we want the rest of this night to be lived for the sake of all beings? Do we wish our actions

[95:52]

for the rest of the night to be for the sake of all beings. That's that question. And I hope it's helpful, that question. Is there anything else anyone would like to bring up? Any questions about... Oh, I want to mention also that If you'd like to have a meeting with me, a private meeting rather than just in this room, this is Connie and she will help arrange individual meetings in the room across the hall. Anything else you'd like to express tonight? Shirley, Tina, and Julia. Three generations.

[96:56]

Tina and Shirley. Robin and Romy. Are you okay, Romy? Your back hurt? Does it hurt? You're okay? Thank you very much. I hope to see you tomorrow.

[97:37]

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