I have a memory that the founder of this Zen center once said that the job of a Zen priest is encourage people to practice Zazen. One way that people may be encouraged to practice Zazen is by practicing Zazen oneself. That seems, right now, that seems like a really good way to encourage people is to

[01:12]

practice it. And again, practicing it oneself is not just for oneself, but to encourage others to practice Zazen. Today, I think all of us have the opportunity to practice Zazen and to encourage others to practice Zazen. Encouraged by others to practice Zazen. I think that way now. And I'm telling you that. So I could sit here now practicing Zazen and say no more.

[02:32]

Perhaps sitting silently is a really good way to encourage people to sit. And now I saw on the schedule that there's a Dharma talk. Is that right? Does it say Dharma talk? Yeah. So I already talked. Maybe that's enough. Now some of the Zen ancestors have said that they thought that the best way to show the Buddha way, the best way to show the practice of Zazen was in silence.

[04:35]

Bodhidharma set that example of sitting still and silent for a long time to show the practice of Zazen. But he also talked a little, apparently. So the story goes. And the Buddha also talked a little. Actually, it looks like he talked a lot. And Suzuki Roshi talked quite a bit too. Now I imagine that he talked to encourage people to practice zazen. he spoke in order to help people understand what it was.

[05:45]

Because they might have looked at him sitting and thought that the practice was what they saw. In other words, the practice was how he appeared to them in their minds. So he said a little bit about it. So maybe I will now say a little bit about Zazen. I will say a little bit, actually not about Zazen, I will tell you a little bit about what I think, what I'm thinking about Zazen. This is not about Zazen. This is about thinking about Zazen. And I think, or this thinking here, is that Zazen is the Buddha way.

[07:07]

So, when our teacher said, I think he means encourage people to practice the Buddha way. ...that now are being spoken are words expressing thinking. And there's no need, according to this thinking, for you to doubt what is being said or to believe it because it's not true. It's just words. And the words are Zazen is the Buddha way.

[08:18]

We use the word Zazen. as a synonym for the Buddha way in the Zazen school. The Zazen school recommends the practice of the Buddha way. The Buddha way school recommends the practice of Zazen. Also, I think that when I'm talking about Zazen, there's a possibility that words, you may get disoriented and not be able to hear the meaning clearly. So I mentioned a famous introduction to a koan about Zhaozhou.

[09:19]

and the dog having or not having Buddha nature. This is an introduction to listening to the words of the Zen stories. A gourd floating in the water. push it down, and it turns around. The diamond in the sunlight has no definite shape. It shoots forth light, but its shape is constantly vibrating. You can't get it with mindfulness.

[10:35]

And you can't get it with consciousness. Even an immensely cultivated practitioner is still turned about in the stream of words. So there are words which recommend being aware that words spin us around. But also, don't be afraid of being spun around by words because even a greatly cultivated person gets turned by words. Mindfulness cannot get it. Mindlessness cannot get it.

[11:39]

It's not supposed to be gotten. It is supposed to be practiced. And maybe you know what it is already. But in case you don't, let me tell you what it is. It's Zazen. It's the Buddha way. And it's right here in this room, floating in the water, glistening brilliantly in the sun. Mindfulness cannot get it. Mindlessness cannot get it. But it's here, always. And we can take care of it. We can take care of something that we can't get.

[12:39]

Just like our life. Even though mindfulness cannot get it, mindfulness is recommended by the Buddhas to help us be present with the turning. so that we can be turning in the words that we hear and that we think. We can get spun around by the flow of our organic consciousness and still not get disoriented, not get disoriented from the practice of Zazen. from the practice of the Buddha way. The Buddha recommends being aware of your posture.

[13:47]

First of all, be aware of your posture, of this posture of the body that's appearing in consciousness. And give yourself to an ongoing mindfulness of posture. An enjoyed posture. A celebrated posture. And also be mindful, aware of the breathing. And be aware actually of the breathing posture. And the posture breathing. Recently, when I pay attention to my posture, I can't pay attention to my breathing. When I pay attention to my breathing, I can't be aware of my posture.

[14:52]

And I said, why don't you pay attention to your breathing posture? Because your breathing is in relationship to your posture. And your posture is in relationship to your breathing all day long. It's a breathing body. It's a breathing of the body and a body breathing. Being mindful of this breathing body helps us not get disoriented by the words we hear and think. We would like to be mindful of the Buddha way, of the way of freedom and peace for all beings. But when the words come, we sometimes can forget.

[15:56]

What is it again that we're practicing? I remember recently, Okay, maybe I should come back to my posture that's breathing. Okay, now I'm here. Oh yeah, it was zazen. That's what I was practicing. It was the Buddha way. Oh, I'm oriented again to the practice. Whoops, I've got to go back and not lose track of this posture breathing. So as a It's a basic seat. Please do the world a favor. Do all living beings a favor and take care of mindfulness of the breathing posture as consistently as you can. And then listen to the teaching of the Buddhas, the teaching

[17:07]

of the Buddha way, the teaching of Zazen. Many Zen practitioners have said, Zazen is the Buddha way. Maybe I'm the only one who ever said it. I really don't know if that's true. But anyway, I am saying that. Zazen is the Buddha way. And one Zen ancestor said, followed by many others, said, to learn the Buddha way is to learn the Buddha way.

[18:30]

To study the Buddha way is to study the self. Once again, may I remind you, hopefully you remind yourself, when I say the words to learn the Buddha way, I'm also trying to be mindful of the breathing body while I speak. When you hear somebody say to learn the Buddha way, Can you hear that? Can you hear those words and still be mindful of your breathing body? Can you? Can you? Some people say yes. Good. Can I speak and be aware of the breathing body? I think so.

[19:32]

Can I speak and lose mindfulness of the breathing body? Can I hear someone speak and lose mindfulness of the breathing body? Yes. Someone says, oh, you're so wonderful. I might get distracted from my breathing body. You're so below average. I might get distracted from my breathing body. The words happen. I get spun around. But it is possible to be mindful of your breathing body while someone's telling you that you're not approved of. that you're not a good teacher, that you're not a good student.

[20:35]

Have you noticed that? That you sometimes forget to pay attention to your breathing body? Have you noticed that sometimes you can remember to pay attention to your breathing body? Now I'm saying to practice Zazen is to practice the Buddha way. To study the Buddha way is to study the self. To practice Zazen is to study the self. Is to learn about the self. Learning about enlightenment, about Buddhahood, is learning about what the self is.

[21:50]

And the self, I feel that the self is a little considerably more subtle than the body posture. And more subtle even than breath. And more subtle even than feeling or emotions. It's the sense that somebody is here with feeling or that there's somebody here who has feelings. And there's a feeling of somebody being here who has a body. And this is a subtle thing. Being aware of ...helps us calm down so that we can be aware of the self and study it. So it's possible that we can be mindful of this breathing posture today, a lot of the day.

[22:57]

Also be aware that there seems to be somebody here who, for example, is the owner of a body. and maybe not the owner of some other bodies. So I can put my finger on my eye when it itches because I think it's my eye. I can massage it when it hurts because I think it's my eye. However I do, of course, ask permission before I touch this. But I have this feeling like your eye isn't mine. So I almost always ask permission before I touch your eye. If I have food on my face, I might wipe if people remind me to.

[24:02]

I've noticed lately people are reminding me more often to wipe my face, like when I was a little baby. you have something on your face. Maybe they feel uncomfortable to see food all over my face. Maybe they feel compassion for me and want to help me look tidy. So they say, you have food on your face. No, you didn't get it. No, over there a little bit more. But they usually don't just walk up to me and wipe it off. Maybe they don't think this body is theirs. That sense that this body is not yours is a sense of self. Do you have that? Do you feel like this body isn't yours? I don't really believe that this body belongs to somebody

[25:16]

to me or you, but me and your own bodies. And studying that sense of ownership is essential to understand the Buddha way. Because if we don't study the self, then we'll misunderstand it. We need to misunderstand it. that feeling of ownership of the body and other senses too. We naturally, without education, misunderstand what the self is. We have to study it carefully with each other in order to understand it. And not understanding the self is not understanding the Buddha way. And not understanding the self is is suffering. Because when we don't understand the self, our basic misunderstanding is that the self can be grasped.

[26:23]

And it cannot. You can't grasp the process by which there's a sense of ownership. The self is that kind of a thing. If you study, you realize it cannot be. And if you realize it cannot be, then you realize the mind of the Buddhas, which does not abide in self, does not abide in the body breathing, does not abide in anything. this non-abiding in anything, is zazen. And this day, there's plenty of things that one could dream of abiding in. There's plenty of dreams to abide in. And there's also the possibility of studying the abiding

[27:26]

Understanding it and giving it up. And this is Zazen. This is the Buddha way. Freedom. This is peace. And by practicing this, we can encourage others to practice freedom, peace, study of the self, learning of the self. We all have a consciousness to study. And being mindful of the body in that self-consciousness and the breathing in that self-consciousness help us sit still and quiet and study the self-consciousness and understand it and do the work of the Buddhas.

[28:29]

The Buddhas do this work. The Buddhas are constantly studying the self, understanding it, being free of it, realizing the Buddha way. Buddha is studying everybody's self. when we study oneself thoroughly, all selves. So, here's a great opportunity in this life to practice Zazen, to practice the Buddha way, to study self-consciousness, to study consciousness where there's a self, to learn about that and become free of it by quietly, calmly, compassionately self, while being grounded in awareness of the breathing body.

[29:47]

Quietly explore how the gourd gets turned about when you push it down in the water. Quietly explore how it gets spun about by words and watch and learn the Buddha today. Please. This is a great opportunity today Please take care of it.

[30:32]

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