I think I started yesterday by acknowledging how much suffering there is in this world. Let's start there again today. It came to my mind the first page of a book. I read the first page of the book. It's a very popular book in the United States. It's called, I think, The Road Less Traveled. On the first page, I think the first thing it says is difficult.

[01:01]

And then there's an asterisk, and at the bottom it said, the Buddha taught the first noble truth is that life is suffering. It's not quite correct. I don't know what the Buddha said, life is suffering. What did he say? He said, the noble truth of suffering is this. aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow is suffering, grief is suffering, despair is suffering.

[02:09]

Association with unpleasantness is suffering. Association with the pleasant is suffering. Wants is suffering. In brief, the five aggregates of attachment are suffering. It's not exactly that birth is suffering, but rather that when we're grasping when there's grasping of our experience in that context of grasping we have birth and we have death. So the basic thing is that suffering is defined as grasping and when you grasp experience one of the things that happens to it, it turns into birth and death.

[03:10]

Our life, when it's not grasped, is not birth and death. Our life, when we grasp it and cling to it, is not birth and death. It is called nirvana. Our life is peaceful and joyful when there's no attachment to it. When we live in the pulsating, inconceivable, dependent co-arising of life, it's not birth and death. It's peace and joy. What is suffering? Suffering is life. And when we cling to life, there's birth and death and aging and pleasure and pain. And then all this is suffering.

[04:13]

But when there's no clinging, there's wisdom and freedom and ease. So the Buddha taught all phenomena are characterized by, well not all phenomena, all compounded phenomena are characterized by self and suffering. Nirvana is not characterized. Nirvana is a phenomena too. Peace is not characterized by suffering. Peace is not compounded. Peace is without attachment. So the reason we cling is because we have not understood the reality that what we're experiencing is our mind, that our experience is a consciousness

[05:31]

And it's a consciousness that is generated moment by moment in such a way that what it knows appears to be separate from itself. Mind is generated in such a way that it tricks itself into thinking that the way it knows itself is something other than itself. And that thing other than itself is substantial. So because we don't understand this situation, we cling in the midst of our consciousness. And clinging in the midst of consciousness is clinging in the midst of life.

[06:34]

Clinging in the midst of sentientness is clinging in the midst of suffering. And that is suffering. That's the basic definition. If we enter this teaching and become intimate with it, then the basis of clinging is no longer there. In the Heart Sutra, it's taught differently. It's taught that the bodhisattva practices perfect wisdom, prajnaparamita, and then the bodhisattva sees that all these aggregates of clinging are empty and there's no more clinging and then all suffering and distress is relieved.

[07:35]

So understanding emptiness of the aggregates is the same way to understand that the aggregates are conscious construction only. One's emphasizing the emptiness, the other is emphasizing that things as they appear to us are empty of essence, empty of externality. And as long as we have not become intimate with the emptiness of things, as long as we do not realize intimacy, the constructed quality of things, we are inclined to grasp at them. We don't actually get them, which is part of the reason why we try again and again, hoping that if we actually get a hold of something, we'd find peace.

[08:39]

The basic addiction. Basic addiction. is thinking that there's something there to grasp and then trying to grasp it and trying to grasp it. So in the teachings we've been studying this fall and this year the question is asked by bodhisattvas who is able to enter into Understanding conscious construction only. Who is able to enter into this teaching, realize it, and become free of affliction? And the answer is those who have been practicing the perfections for a long time.

[09:49]

and those who have been listening the teachings who have been reminded and who are reminded and contemplating the teachings deeply. They enter They become intimate with the teaching. They become free of conscious construction only by becoming intimate with conscious construction only. They don't stop conscious construction only. They become intimate with it and become free of it. They hear it.

[11:02]

They hear the teaching. The teaching actually coming from those who are free, who have realized freedom from conscious construction. The teaching comes from those who are free of it. And these beings are expressing themselves from a place beyond conscious construction. They're expressing themselves from a place of freedom from it. And this place of freedom from conscious construction is inconceivable to beings who live within conscious construction and so when those speak to us we convert their message into words and by working with these words we can become intimate with these words which we may understand just constructions but actually amazingly in a way we have verbal descriptions we have verbal narratives of what's been going on in our life and we actually think those words like

[12:22]

somebody was cruel to me I hear myself thinking or say and I actually think that that conscious construction is reality I kind of know I just said that that that was just a verbal rendition of my life and I actually think that that actually exists in reality separate from something still This is not something to be unkind to. This is something to be kind to, kind to, kind to, kind to the story. And if we're kind to the story, all stories, if we're kind to the way things appear in such a way that we think we can grasp them, if we're kind to the grasping, if we're kind to the suffering, we're able to enter this teaching Once we enter the teaching, then we continue the same practice of being kind to everything and calm with everything, and we continue to live in the flow of the teaching, more and more fully realized.

[13:42]

When a bodhisattva has nothing in front of her, she realizes enlightenment. When a bodhisattva practices compassion and is deeply calm with what's in front of her, she realizes that there's nothing in front of her, that all that's there is ideas. Then she's enlightened, liberated, and then she can continue to be kind to whatever, whatever. She can be kind to whatever with nothing in front of her. She continues to practice generosity, ethical discipline, patience and concentration. in a wise way.

[15:09]

She continues to contemplate all living beings and there's no living beings in front of her. She contemplates all living beings and external to her. She contemplates all living beings and they're not separate from her. She contemplates them with no separation and practices compassion and concentration and wisdom. until these practices' fulfillment. All this time, kindness towards all beings is being developed, concentration with all beings is being developed, and wisdom is being transmitted. All along, everything is conscious construction only.

[16:18]

Someone said to me recently, we don't study koans, do we? Or, do we study koans? And I said, yes we do. We being we. Matter of fact, last night, the head monk that she saw presented a koan, which she was studying, and the group studied it with her. Remember that? Were you there for that? Is that your story? Is that a koan? Yeah, there's a koan about that she saw presenting a koan. So I said to this monk who asked me that question, I vow to study all koans.

[17:25]

I vow to study all stories. I'm very enthusiastic about studying all stories. When I was a younger person, there was a TV show called The Naked City. At the beginning of The Naked City, they said, in The Naked City, there are a million stories. Tonight, you will hear one of them. I vowed to study all eight million stories in The Naked City. Not that, but a whole new eight million. Everybody has eight million stories.

[18:39]

Everybody is practicing compassion towards their eight million stories. Some people are practicing compassion towards three or four stories, which is a good start. Practice compassion towards some. Find some story that you can be kind to. Like, you know, you can be kind to the Schuyler story or the Susan story or the Lisa story. even if you can't be kind to your father's story or your mother's story find some story to be kind to and then that will start the process of benevolence and benefit and then gradually extend stories that you have not yet been able to be kind towards so much suffering because

[19:52]

We don't understand so much suffering because we haven't been kind to our stories. It's amazing. People have a story about themselves and they're not kind enough to that story to not believe it. If you're really kind to your stories, you will not believe them anymore as anything but stories. I was struck to hear this young man talk on the radio. There was an international tango competition. And for the first time in history, the first three places were given to couples, tango couples, who were not Argentinian.

[21:04]

I think first place was Russian, second place, I don't remember, and the third place was an American couple. Now the American couple for America were Vietnamese and Armenian. And I heard them being interviewed. And the Armenian girl said her parents did not like her being a tango dancer. And the Vietnamese young man said his parents did not want him to be a tango dancer. They wanted him to be an engineer. or a physician and he said but maybe now that I've won the medal in the international competition maybe now they'll think I'm worth something maybe I now can feel like I'm worth something and I thought wow

[22:16]

Isn't that amazing? Such a dedicated, concentrated, actually probably kind young man. He must be kind to his partner. He must be kind to his body to be that dedicated to the dance. Believes the story that he's not really worth anything. It's amazing. It's not amazing that people have stories like that because we are creative. We can imagine anything, but that we would believe our stories. It's just amazing, isn't it, sometimes? Actually, it's always amazing that we believe that we're this constructed version of the infinite thing called life. There's a medicine for this.

[23:24]

It's called compassion and concentration and wisdom and enthusiasm for doing these practices. Because this world of suffering needs these practices. When bodhisattvas have nothing in front of them, they are enlightened. They are able to get to the place of having nothing in front of them. They are able to get to the place of intimacy with all beings where nobody's out there anymore and nobody's in here anymore, but everybody's in the intimacy. They get to that place by practicing generosity towards what's happening, ethics with what's happening, patience with what's happening.

[24:31]

And they're very enthusiastic about being very calm and open with what's happening. And they enter into enlightenment. And then they continue the practice for the welfare of all the beings who aren't out there, who aren't in front of them, who aren't separate from them. And they gradually transmit and encourage beings to enter this practice of the great vehicle To encourage this practice and let you know that it's really a family affair, now I offer you some stories. Stories which don't specifically mention in technical detail these teachings of the Great Venerable Buddha about conscious construction only.

[25:42]

which don't specifically mention the six perfections of the bodhisattvas, but which show them in daily life situations, in our history, and our present. the Zen school sometimes is spoken of as having five families. You can count them on one hand or the other one. Five families that actually come down to, you know, now. There were other families, but they didn't make it to the to the 21st century. And the all five schools come from two teachers who were students of one teacher.

[26:53]

The one teacher is called the sixth ancestor of the Zen tradition. Daikan Eno Daisho in the morning. So this wonderful person had many disciples but two of them also had many disciples and their disciples took care of the family practice of the Bodhisattva way such that it lived a long time. Now, about 1,300 or 1,400 years since that time. And these two disciples are Shurto, no, excuse me, Chingyuran, and Nanyue. Nanyue Huairong and Qingyuan Xingzi. We say Qingyuan Xingzi, we say in the Japanese pronunciation of his Chinese name, Seigen Gyoshi.

[28:02]

Gyoshi means walking and thinking or thinking while he walked, Singsa. Always thinking, what was he thinking? He was thinking about the Dharma, which means he's thinking about the welfare of all beings who are not separate from him. And Singsa had one main disciple, and Nanyue had one main disciple. Nanyue's one main disciple was named Matsu. Master Ma. And Chingsa's main disciple is called Shirto, or Sekito Gisen, Dayosho. Our lineage really comes from both of these lines. So, for example, the next person in our tradition is named Yakusan Igen.

[29:11]

or in Chinese, Yaoshan, which means Medicine Mountain. So we are in the line of Seigen Gyoshi, Sekito Gisen, Yakusan Igen. And Yakusan, Medicine Mountain, first studied with the other line, He first studied with a student of Master Ma named Baijong. He studied with that lineage from the time he was 14 till he was 34. He was the great teacher's attendant for 20 years. And then the great teacher died. And he left the great teacher. He'd been practicing under this amazingly auspicious situation. of having one of the greatest teachers closely supporting him and him closely supporting the great teacher, Baijiong.

[30:22]

But at the time of his teacher's death, he had not yet understood conscious construction only. But he still had been practicing diligently all those 20 years with his teacher. I think he left the monastery where his teacher lived and he went to meet another teacher. Oh, I got this wrong. Sorry. Yaku-san. It wasn't Yaku-san that studied with Bajang. Yaku-san and Bajang were like contemporary inheritors from Yakyong, Sekito, and Bajang from Matsu. It wasn't, it wasn't, Yashan didn't study with Matsu.

[31:30]

Yashan didn't study with Bajang. But Bajang and Yakyong knew about each other. They heard about each other's teachings. They respected each other. Then there was a monk, actually, who had an older brother. And his name was Yun Yan. And his brother's name was Da Wu. So Yun Yan and his actually biological brother both studied with Bai Jiang. And Yuen Yen was Pai Zhang's attendant for 20 years. And Yuen Yen didn't understand conscious construction, even though he did the same thing that I said Yao Shan did. He wouldn't have been able to do the job for 20 years if he hadn't been doing the job for 20 years.

[32:35]

But because he did the Dao for 20 years, he was supported to do it for 20 years, and he did. And his teacher did not complain. Even though he did make some comments now and then. So then, Yun Yan and Wu went off together and they both went to study with Yaoshan, Medicine Mountain. And another student who also studied with Yaoshan, Zhuanzi, Dajun, and I think he was older than either one of them. So we have this situation of this great teacher, Yaoshan, and he has these three big disciples,

[33:44]

Da Wu, Yun Yan, and Chuan Tzu Tung Cha. Later I'll give you some stories about Yun Yan and... Yun Yan and who? Huh? Yao Shan. And maybe later I'll give about Yao Shan and not Bai Zhang, but Yao Shan and Bai Zhang's teacher. And Yao Shan and his teacher. Matter of fact, later might be now. So Yao Shan at some point, Yao Shan actually met his teacher. And his teacher was this person named Shuto, which means something like stone head or on top of the stone.

[34:59]

You should be understood as on top of the stone. Like Shuso means seat head or head seat. or on top of the seat or sometimes it's a head also so shiso can mean first seat shu and so shiso means seat so shiso means first seat head seat on top of the seat and so on so this guy's name was on top of the rock because he used to sit on top of a rock so he's called on top of the rock, Shirtou. So Yashan went to Shirtou. Yashan was already an experienced student of Buddhism had been teaching and practiced the ethical precepts for a long time, but still needed some wisdom teaching.

[36:09]

He was practicing the precepts, but he didn't understand the precepts. He didn't understand that the precepts were conscious construction only. He didn't understand that The Buddha Dharma is conscious construction only. He didn't understand that he was conscious construction only. The Buddhist, the Mahayana, the great vehicle teaching is conscious construction only too. He didn't understand that the wonderful teaching of bodhisattva precepts is conscious construction only. But still he was devoted to them and loved the precepts and loved to practice them and tried to practice compassion and ethics with all beings. But somehow he didn't understand yet. He was still suffering. So he asked, who did he ask? Huh? He asked Shurto, that's right.

[37:11]

He asked Stone Person on top of. He said, please help me. And Shetho said, being so won't do. Not being so won't do either. Being so and not being so won't do at all. Do you hear an echo from something you heard recently? this morning's case. Okay? Four generations later, that teaching between Yashan and between Shurto and Yashan still vibrating through the lineage.

[38:12]

And the lineage still using this teaching of this monk who is trying to get some help to understand what in this practice. And Shirtua says, being just so won't do. Not being just so won't do either. Being both won't do at all. How about you? Darshan couldn't feel, couldn't notice his response. So Shinto sent him to the other great master, Master Ma. This guy got to meet the two greatest teachers in China. They're working together.

[39:14]

One gives him his best. Not quite time, apparently. So he sends him to another one. I don't know how far away he had to walk, but he walked all the way to Master Ma. He told Master Ma what happened, and Master Ma said, I don't know if he told Master Ma what happened, but anyway he went to Master Ma and asked for help and Master Ma said, sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Sometimes I make him not raise his eyebrows and blink. Raising the eyebrows and blinking is right. Sometimes it's not. How about you? And Yao Shan understood instruction only.

[40:21]

He understood that these teachers were not out there he understood that there's nothing out there, that out there is a conscious conspiracy only. Now, in mentioning that to you, I think, wow, what a life that would be to have nothing out there. What would that be like? Well, it's very easy to tell you it would be inconceivable. You would be living in the inconceivable if you lived in the realm where nothing's out there, nothing's in here, and you're intimate with all beings. This is inconceivable. Nobody can conceive of it, but we can enter it.

[41:27]

This teaching is a way to enter And this is the first example I offer you of a story of what's called the tango of conscious construction only. In this case, between a student and two teachers, two dance partners. So Great Master Ma witnessed Yao Shan wake up and said, okay, great. But still, he sure told your teacher to go back again. So Yao Shan went back to and practice with him longer. And you may hear some more stories about these two studying the teaching together. And so these other three peep monks come and study now with Yashan. The one I want to emphasize in this session is the monk named Jungse Now, easier name to remember about him is that he's called the Boatman.

[42:38]

That was his nickname. This person, the Boatman, I got that name because after he studied with Yaoshan for 30 years and became Yaoshan's disciple along with Yunyan and Dawu, all of them became he said to his Dharma brothers, he said, you two, the way he was talking, we don't know his dates, but I feel like he's their older brother, partly because he studied with, well, I wouldn't necessarily mean that, for 30 years. I don't think they could have studied with Yao Chan for 30 years. But anyway, he talking to him like he was his older brother. He said, you two should, after our teacher dies, you two should go out and basically you should start monasteries. I'm too lazy.

[43:42]

He said, however, I'll keep you informed of my location. And if you meet very sincere practitioners, send them to me and I'll try to give them what our teacher taught us. So, he... they all left their teacher when their teacher died and the boatman became the boatman and he made his living running a ferry boat across the river taking people across the river that was his job

[44:53]

And the people did not know, he did not tell them, that he was a successor. To who? To Yao Shan. He didn't tell people. He just transmitted the Dharma the best he could in the business of ferry boating. This business also went along very well because at that time there was a three-year suppression of the Buddhist practitioners. Now here comes a long story, but it's good to tell you.

[46:21]

So the boatman in his job is the boatman, and Da Wu and Nguyen Nguyen are teaching people in monasteries. And Dawu went to this place called Jhingwa where he happened to see a monk named Jaishan who was giving a lecture. Okay, is that clear? So among the three great disciples of Jaishan, Dawu is traveling around teaching people, and he goes to a monastery, and at that monastery, a monk is giving a talk to the assembly, giving a lecture to the assembly.

[47:24]

And then a monk who was in the assembly asked Jyotishan, what is the Dharmakaya? What is the true body of Buddha? He said, the Dharmakaya, the true body of Buddha, is formless. And the monk said, what is the Dharma I? And Joshan said, the Dharma I is without defect. Who heard this, he laughed loudly in spite of himself. Jashan got down off the lecture platform and said to Dawu, something I said in my answer to that monk, correct, and it caused you to laugh out loud. Please don't withhold your compassionate instruction about this.

[48:28]

I'm struck by a person like that who's giving a lecture and somebody laughs at him and he's ready to get off his seat and receive instruction from that person. So Jai Jahn does seem to be, although he's giving lectures, which is still, when laughed at, He got off the seat and asked for instruction. Maybe Da Wu thought. Da Wu said, you have gone to the world to teach. You're teaching now, but have you not had a teacher? I have had none.

[49:42]

May I ask you to clarify these matters? And Da Wu said, I can't speak of it. I invite you to go and see my brother who lives at Hua Ting. Jashan said, Who is he? And Dawu said, Above him there's not a shingle of roof tile. There's not ground to plant a hoe. If you want to see him, you must change into your traveling clothes. After the meeting was over, Jashan packed his bag and set out for Huating. When the boatman saw Jaishan coming, he said, Your Reverence, what temple do you reside in?

[50:56]

Jaishan said, I don't abide in a temple. Where I abide is like, and the boatman said, It's not like? It's not like what? And Joshan said, it's not like a Dharma that meets the eye. Where did you learn this teaching? And Joshon said, they're not in a place which the eyes or ears can reach. The bowman said, a single phrase and you fall into a path of principle.

[52:09]

Principle. Then you're like a donkey tethered to a post for countless eons. Deshan went further. You've let down a thousand foot line. You're fishing very deep, but your hook is still three inches shy Why don't you say something? As Darshan was about to speak, the boatman knocked him into the water with his oar. When Darshan got back into the boat, the boatman yelled at him, speak, speak. Jashan tried, Jashan tried to speak but before he could speak the boatman suddenly Jashan attained awakening to the meaning of conscious construction only.

[53:29]

He nodded his head three times The boatman said, Now you're one with the pole and line. Just act by your own nature and don't defile the clear waters. Joshon asked, What do you mean by throw off the line and cast down the pole? The boatman said, The fishing line hangs in the green water, drifting without intention. The bowman said, There is no path whereby words may gain entry to essence. The tongue speaks, but cannot speak.

[54:37]

The bowman said, When the hook disappears in the river waves, the golden fish is encountered. Jashan covered his ears. The bowman said, that's it, that's it. He then enjoined Jashan. saying, Hereafter, conceal yourself in a place without trace. If this place has any sign, don't stay there. I stayed with Yao Shan for 30 years. And what I learned there, I pass to you today. Now that you

[55:39]

Stay away from crowded cities. Instead, plant your hoe deep in the mountains. Find one person or half a person. And don't let this be lost. I tell you this story. Can you hear it resonating in the koan this morning? one, two, three, four generations this resonating up to up to Lu Pu and then beyond to Tien Tung and then beyond to you. One person or half a person who won't let it die

[56:44]

Joshan then bid the boatman goodbye. They didn't study together very long. Dawud did well to send this man to study with the boatman. Goodbye, teacher. As he was leaving, the boatman yelled, your reverence. and stopped and turned around. The boatman held up the oar and said, Do you say there's anything else? He then capsized his boat and disappeared into the water, never to be seen again. This is the boatman. transmitting the Dharma.

[57:52]

Yes? We want a repeat of what happened before Joshan covered his ears. Is that right? The boatman said, when the hook disappears into the river waters, the golden fish is encountered. Jia Shan covered his ears. So then we move on to Jia Shan meeting Lu Pu. and Lu Pu becoming his successor, giving the teaching of the koan, which I feel this koan is again a demonstration of people dancing together with this teaching of conscious construction only, which has been transmitted

[59:25]

for at that point about a thousand years in the Mahayana and the Great Vehicle teachings. So I look forward hopefully without leaning forward to the opportunity of going deeper into this into the transmission of this teaching within the Zen family within our family. Lu Pu again is like the brother of the person from whom we descend directly in this temple. So Yun Yan is the master of Dong Shan. So the Lu Pu lineage is like, Lu Pu is like an uncle to Dong Shan. No. Lu Pu is like a cousin to Deng Shan.

[60:30]

Because Lu Pu's grandfather is Deng Shan's father. Deng Shan's father is Yuan Yuan, and Yuan Yuan is the boatman's Dharma brother. So Lu Pu is like a younger cousin to Dungsan. But Dungsan also taught this teaching. For example, we will chant today probably Dungsan's poem, which is the Precious Mirror Samadhi. The Precious Mirror Samadhi is all teaching. Perhaps you can see this the teaching in the koan in Dung Shan's poem about this precious mirror samadhi these are all different vibrations and reflections of the basic Mahayana teaching that the aggregates are conscious construction only which means the aggregates are insubstantial and empty and when we understand that

[61:54]

we stop grasping them. When we stop grasping them all suffering and distress is relieved. But we must practice a lot of kindness to the aggregates and think up and meditate on the teachings a lot in order to be able to enter into their true nature. And kindness is to be patient with our current level of intimacy with our life, our current level of compassion and our current level of wisdom, to be compassionate with our current level of understanding. Whatever that level is, even highly evolved bodhisattvas who have developed greatly still are practicing patience with their level of understanding and with other people's level of understanding.

[62:59]

Patience with people who are trying to find out if it's okay to really be slow at learning this stuff. Can somebody be patient with me? learning at this rate that I'm learning? Can somebody be patient with the limits of my realization of compassion for all beings? Can somebody be patient with me not particularly wanting to be kind to somebody? I believe that somebody is patient with us. He is patient with the limits of our compassion. I request that person to come and meet us and support us, to learn to be patient with our present level of realization of Buddhist compassion.

[64:17]

it just strikes me as really marvelous to be patient with our present realization of Buddha's compassion, even if it is tremendously extensive. And there is, contemplating that, there is a joy To continue developing compassion for the sake of all beings. I beg you to be compassionate now and forever.

[65:36]

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