As you may remember, there's a chapter in the Lotus Sutra called Comfortable Conduct or Serene and Joyful Practice or Happy Life. It's about the happy life of the serene and joyful practice of teaching the Lotus Sutra and instructions about how to be able to teach the Lotus Sutra. And the Buddha is asked by Namanjushri how these bodhisattvas can teach the Lotus Sutra and the Buddha explains that there's four methods. the joyful practice of body, serene and joyful practice of speech, serene and joyful practice of thinking, and serene and joyful practice of bowing.

[01:12]

And then the first one is the first practice to be steadfast in is has two parts. One is called the place of action and the place of intimacy or the types of actions that are appropriate to bodhisattvas and the types of intimacies that are are appropriate or the kind of intimacies for bodhisattva. And the place or the sphere of action is what? Do you remember what it was, the sphere of action, what that's like? No way of action.

[02:21]

Having no way of acting. Right. And then there's a little bit more to it. Having no way to act. Having no way to act and... Having patience. That's part of it, too. It's being patient and gentle. Not overbearing. Not overbearing or nasty. What? Agreeable. being agreeable, being that way. And then, with regard to any phenomena, living... They have no laws by which to act. Do you say no way to act? And then... And they don't discriminate. They're not trying to get anything. They're not trying to get anything. With regard to phenomena, they have no way of acting, they don't take action with regard to phenomena, but they do observe the phenomena's true characteristics.

[03:39]

They are gentle and so on, and then when phenomena appear to them, they don't take action. they observe. That's the place of their action. So we develop this body which is gentle and patient and agreeable and so on. And then this body is present and not taking action, but this body is in observing It observes all things in the way they really are. That's the place of the bodhisattva action. That is an action that does make sense in the teaching of the sutra, and also all the actions of the bodhisattva come from and are enacted in that place.

[04:48]

So any posture they take is a posture in that place. It's in the place of this way of being. Well, Dogen says in Genjo Koan, something like, when you find your place right where you are, the practice occurs, realizing the universe or realizing the ultimate truth. You find your place right where you are, observing the way things are, realizing them. And our translation is that basically they observe the way things are and they also don't discriminate in that place either. That's the bodhisattva's place of action.

[05:57]

And bodies are active. The bodhisattva's bodies are changing all the time, like everybody else's. So every moment the bodhisattva's body manifests, like everybody else's body manifests, and that body in this place is a body of the sutra. It teaches the sutra. It is a body in the place of the sutra showing the sutra. And the next part of the practice of the body is the sphere or the place of intimacy. So there again the bodhisattva is not intimate with beings just to be intimate with them. And again it says that they do not associate with beings

[07:02]

For example, it says, and this is a tricky one, it says, Bodhisattva Mahasattvas preach the Dharma to women. What? Then it says, do not preach the Dharma to women, displaying an appearance capable of arousing passionate thoughts. Now, is it that they don't preach Dharma to women themselves? appearances that arouse passionate thoughts? You're saying no? You don't think so? You think they do display appearances that arouse passionate thoughts? Huh? You don't think that? It says that bodhisattvas, when they preach the Dharma, they do not preach to women displaying appearances that would arouse passionate thoughts. Now, some people might think that they wouldn't be with women who are displaying appearances.

[08:19]

I thought it was the one doing the teaching. You thought it was the one teaching the teaching, and Laurie thought it wasn't the one teaching it. I think it's both. It's both. The bodhisattvas do not put on an appearance. They do not put on appearance which will arouse passionate thoughts. In other words, they do not put on appearance which will arouse thoughts, will make it difficult for the person to hear them, actually show them. This is body, right? They want to show the person their body, but they want to show it in such a way that the person doesn't get distracted by their appearance, but opens to their appearance so that they can see the Dharma gate, the Dharma gate here. They themselves do not also go and try to find people who are displaying which will arouse passionate thoughts in them.

[09:23]

They don't go looking for that either. And then it says a lot of other stuff they don't, a lot of other places they don't teach. They don't, also there's a traditional teaching for monks in the Buddhist tradition is that monks When they go places, they generally speaking are recommended to go with another monk and not to enter a house alone. So here it says too that they do not enter a house alone, somebody else's house alone. When they do enter alone, they just think about Buddha. In other words, if they enter the house alone, they practice the way we just talked about. They practice the bodhisattva place of action with their body when they enter the house without another monk.

[10:26]

And then also, they don't take pleasure in keeping pupils, monks, and children, nor pleasure in being with nature. They don't do that. They're not intimate in that way. That's the way they're intimate is that they don't do that. They're intimate with people by not taking pleasure in them being regarded as the teacher. They are intimate. Even though the people may regard them as teacher, they don't take pleasure in that. That's the way they're intimate. It would not be a proper intimacy if they did take pleasure And that's the first kind of intimacy. That's the first aspect of the way they are intimate. Any questions about that? Well, does that imply that Bodhisattvas are celibate or don't get married, or that there's no casualty if they do get married, or that the world is not at peace with the religious?

[11:39]

Assuming a Bodhisattva is male, and his wife or... Does it assume they're celibate? No. It just means that if they if you were looking at what do you call it looking like they were involved in sexual union the bodhisattva would not be making displays in order to arouse passionate thoughts in this chapter. They would not do that. Okay? Is there another chapter that might allow them to do that between their union, their marriage? I'm just, but anyway, forget about the next chapter, okay? I'm just saying that we have a picture here now of human beings or some beings who are in... You brought up sexual thing by talking about celibacy, right?

[12:47]

So when you say celibacy, I think you mean no sexual interaction, right? Okay. So bodhisattvas... I just want to say, you know, that... If sex was bad, there would be no Buddhas. We need sex to have Buddhas among human beings. So... But when bodhisattvas are sexually involved, they are not displaying appearances to arouse passionate... They are displaying appearances to help people be... be patient, gentle, not disturbed in their hearts, not nasty or overbearing. You're displaying a body... to encourage people to not take action with regard to phenomena, but first of all observe them as they truly are.

[13:50]

That's what they're displaying. Whether they're in bed with somebody, or taking a walk with somebody, or talking to somebody, or having lunch with somebody, whatever they're doing, that's the way their body is. And from that place, is where their action comes. And the action could be sexual involvement leading to reproduction or not, male or female. And there's no thing about, in here anyway, about homosexuality or not either. The point is very clear, I think. They aren't taking action with regard to the phenomena of the person they're involved with or ...sexual activity. They are not taking action. They are primarily observing the true nature of sexuality. And they're displaying a body which helps other people do that.

[14:53]

Their teaching, their body is teaching the sutra. And the sutra is teaching people to be open to the true dharma. So this would be sex where if there were two bodhisattvas involved it would be sex where neither one of them were giving rise to distracting thoughts. Thoughts of taking pleasure in possessing something or being regarded as beautiful or powerful or skillful. There wouldn't be that in this pleasant practice. It seems maybe, maybe, you know, sometimes you might think, well, gee, that seems amazing, but sometimes you might think, well, no, not necessarily. Yeah, I could imagine being sexually involved with someone without trying to display something to make them get all worked up.

[16:00]

I can imagine just being of service to someone, you know, just being devoted to someone in a physically intimate way. Just like you'd be maybe devoted to changing somebody's diapers when they're a baby or when they're an old person. You're changing their diapers, but you're not trying to arouse passionate thoughts in them, right? But you're like physically intimate. Your hands are like down around their anus and stuff, cleaning up, right? It's kind of right around the sexual area. But you're not trying to arouse anything, to get people to do something or to get some pleasure. You're just trying to what? See what's going on, so that the Dharma can be received and understood. For example, the Dharma of, I love this baby, I want to take care of this baby, give the baby that message. But also, not just that, but that coming from a place of what is the true nature of the baby?

[17:08]

What is this baby? How is this baby? What is the true characteristics of a baby which has something to do with the true characteristics of an adult and of all things? That the baby is concentrating always on the middle way, no matter what she's doing. and she could do anything from that place of concentrating. But it would all be skillful and all from that place it would be encouraging the realization of Dharma. You look like, some, the last couple of weeks you look like you just kind of were mystified, but tonight you seem to understand better. Is that right? Yes? Sarah? If you take it out of the sexual realm and back into the teacher-student realm you were talking about, that seems to me like an immense challenge and a wonderful one.

[18:15]

But because there is, if you have the gift of being able to manifest something, there is something seductive. It's an act of love to teach well, and I think it's very easy then to get pleasure out of that, or to cross a line into having it be about the teacher being good rather than the student receiving. It is a joy to teach, especially to teach the truth. It's a joy. But if you're teaching the truth, you're not concerned about getting joy for yourself. You're teaching the truth by looking at the truth. And it's a joy to look at the truth. Now, if the people then look at you and say, oh, you're a wonderful teacher, and you find pleasure in that, Well, it's kind of a little bit like, you know, you're a little bit off the track.

[19:20]

Like, unless the pleasure is that they're happy. But the main pleasure here is not so much just that they're happy, but that you're looking, even when they're happy, you look at them like you do when they're not happy. And that's why they're happy, is because When they're happy, you look at them the same way you do when they're unhappy. In other words, they feel that the way you look at them doesn't obstruct your compassion. You don't discriminate between the happy student, the student who understands and the student who doesn't, the student who's practicing and the student who isn't. You look at them all the same because you're like not taking action with regard to them. You're observing their true nature. When they see that, they feel joy, which doesn't bother you. You want them to feel joy, but the reason why they feel joy is because you're meditating on them in this way.

[20:28]

The practice of the bodhisattva is to meditate on the middle way, no matter who they're talking to, and then they become a vehicle for the teaching, which is a great joy. but not just because a joy to them because they're in the position of being a teacher, the teacher in this case. Now there's people who are looking at them, although they're starting to feel this teaching, they still may think that that's the teacher and that, you know, and that they don't look at the teacher as they do at the other students, maybe. They haven't quite learned this yet, maybe. But when they learn it, they still see the teacher's in that position, but they don't discriminate between the teacher's position and their position because they've learned this. And again, the teacher doesn't discriminate between the teacher position and the student position when they get to this place of the bodhisattva's action. Actually, this is the intimacy, this is the intimacy, place of intimacy, that they don't get caught by that.

[21:29]

But the reason they don't get caught because they have this practice. So in that intimacy, does the teacher say she's practicing? They themselves are open to receiving a teaching. Yeah. They're open to receive, they're open to change places with the student, you know, change roles, and then discriminating again. Yes, right. So then the next phase The next part of the bodhisattva's place of intimacy is... The next part of the bodhisattva's place of intimacy is... Furthermore, bodhisattva mahasattvas contemplate all phenomena

[22:42]

as empty or as emptiness. This is the next phase of the bodhisattva's intimacy. It's not unrelated to this part, but I'm just going to go into it a little bit more now. So the bodhisattvas approach this place this place, what, of contemplating constantly, constantly, no, it doesn't say constantly, but contemplate all phenomena as empty. And then there's three, I'll give you different translations in the next part. They translate all phenomena as empty, and then, and all phenomena as empty. that being their true entity.

[23:44]

All phenomena is empty in accord with their true marks. All phenomena empty, appearances as they really are. All phenomena empty, duly established in reality. Okay? bodhisattvas contemplate that way in the practice of intimacy, of the place of intimacy. So all these phenomena are being contemplated as empty, as neither upside down, nor moving, nor receding, nor turning, just like space, like space devoid. That's Ebonics. Like empty space without innate nature, beyond the reach of all worlds, beyond the reach of all words, cut off from all courses of all words and expressions, inaccessible to by any words.

[25:02]

unborn, not coming forth, not arising, nameless, formless, really without existence, unimpeded, infinite, boundless, bottomless, unrestrained, only existing by causation, and produced through perversion or come to be turned upside down or born to be born by inverted notions. That was three translations of the last point. So they're contemplating all phenomena as produced through perversion or contemplating all phenomena that they come to be turned upside down to be born.

[26:09]

They come to be turned upside down to be born. Or they're born through inverted notions. This is, and then, that's one instruction. I actually wrote here that it's like the Lotus Heart Sutra. It's like the Heart Sutra, but kind of the Lotus Sutra's version of it. So the bodhisattva's first practice is they're contemplating like the Heart Sutra on everything they meet. They apply the Heart Sutra, a perfect wisdom, to all phenomena. This is how they make their body a teaching vehicle. Any questions? I'm just totally confused.

[27:12]

All phenomenon is perversion? That last part was a kicker, wasn't it? No, no, it's not all phenomenon is perversion. All phenomena are produced through perversion. Yeah, yeah, that's three translations. Phenomena come to be turned upside down to be born. Or phenomena are born through inverted views. You have to turn phenomena upside down to get them to be born. You have to pervert them in order to get them to be born. What's the alternative to them being born? Alternative? Unborn. That's what he says. You should contemplate them as unborn. Unborn, and then you could say, and then contemplate them as born through perversion. They don't get born by their own nature. They get born by perverted notions. It's through turning things upside down that they get born.

[28:17]

Things are basically empty. Things are empty, and if you turn them upside down or look at them through perversion, they seem to be born. And then, of course, they die. because they're born. What's the phenomenon? Pardon? Well, the sun, the sun is a phenomenon. So the birth of the sun, the birth is not the actual nature of the sun. The way the sun really is, is the sun is empty of sun. Beyond, for example, the sun is beyond the reach of all words. For example, sun. Or Helios. Or Sule. It's beyond any words. Or Gary. It's beyond Gary too. That's one of the ways it is. It's unborn. It's moving.

[29:21]

It's unrestrained. It's infinite. That's the way the sun is. The moon's like that too. And you're like that and I'm like that. We're empty. We're bottomless. We're ungraspable. We're beyond the reach of any words. They are encouraged in the Lotus Sutra and in the Prajnaparamita Sutra, they're encouraged to meditate on these teachings, to contemplate these meditations. No increase, no decrease, no birth, no death. No birth, no death is kind of equivalent to unborn and undying. However, there is the birth of things, but how are they born? They're born through upside-down views. The mind takes something and twists it around, and then it seems to be born. And looking at its unborn, well, we have a way to flip it.

[30:24]

We flip it from unborn to born. But you have to flip around with it to get born that way. It's through a perversion or an inversion that birth appears. Yes? Are you suggesting that things that are unborn are still part of the vessel? Am I suggesting that things that are unborn are part of the vessel? They're part of... They're a part of the emptiness. They're a part of the emptiness? They are emptiness. Like a person is not born and their unbornness goes with their emptiness. The emptiness of... is the true nature of Ron. The true characteristic of Ron is that he's empty, he's infinite, etc.

[31:29]

He doesn't move, he doesn't increase or decrease. There is change, but it isn't exactly that Ron changes, just that there's a Ron. Ron changes, we don't have that Ron anymore, we have another Ron. But all those Rons are empty and impermanent and unborn. and they're all marked by emptiness. All Vrans are marked by emptiness and all Saras and Frans are marked by emptiness. Bodhisattvas are watching the emptiness all the time so that they can teach the Dharma. They're intimate with the emptiness of things, the middle way of things. They contemplate that birth depends on inverted views. I'm still struggling with this.

[32:33]

You're still what? I'm still struggling with this a little bit. Yeah. Sarah, Shale are all unborn or inherently empty. Not inherently empty. What? What's the significance of being born? What's the significance of being born? Depends on the birth. Bodhisattvas are born by vows. So that's why we... Among all the different non-Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas are considered the supreme sentient being because they're born out of compassion. They're born out of good roots. They're born, you know, of their great vows. That's how they're born. Here, in this suffering, to play with these other sentient beings teaching the Lotus Sutra. So, for them, the meaning of birth is bodhisattva life, the life of teaching the Lotus Sutra for the welfare of sentient beings and also to help out the Buddhas.

[33:46]

who sometimes have to go away, you know, because people need them to go away. And then after they go away, they need bodhisattvas to carry on the work. So the historical Shakyamuni Buddha has gone away. Each one of these sections starts out, after the Buddha's extinction, when the Dharma is about to perish, how will the bodhisattvas teach? Like this, like we're talking about here. How's that, Ron? Better? Working on it? Will you next read, sort of? I was maybe trying to help Ron out a little bit. Yeah, help not. Emptiness is about no birth, no death. I don't know if it's about no birth, but in emptiness, there's no birth. In the context of the way things really are, in the context of ultimate truth, there's no birth or death. There's no colors, no sounds, no smells, no touches, no tastes either.

[34:55]

In the context of not being able to find anything, you can't find anything. Of things being unborn, you can't find them, and you can't find birth either. And when it talks about inverting or perverting, that's the only way to see birth and death. That's the only way to see birth and death. Light and sun, etc. Yeah. But you don't have to have perverted views to see emptiness. Perfect. So I don't know, let's see, there's quite a few hands. Michelle and Linda and John, was there other people? Let's start with those. Yes, Michelle. So anything that is added to the herd of the seen, up to there is just contemplated, then it's born. It's not something that's added.

[35:59]

Yeah, the birth is added to the herd. So you're hearing something, and then to have birth of that thing, you add something to that thing. The thing actually doesn't have birth. Ultimately, it doesn't have birth. So you have to add something to the thing that it doesn't really have. It doesn't... Pardon? Right? Then you limit it, right. So the actual way the thing is is unlimited. You have to add limits to it. And one of the limits you can add is that it's born. You know? Yeah. Yes, Linda? Being with these little Bodhisattvas are born out of compassion, or to me. Yeah, yeah. Well, very sharp of you, Linda. They are born. In other people's mind. No, they're... Well, in other people's minds they're born, yes.

[37:10]

Their mom and dad think they're born because their mom and dad have perverted views. But the Bodhisattva also goes along with that and they adopt perverted views to be born. So even before the Mahayana arose, the Buddha said that you have to have a perverted... Birth consciousness is a perverted consciousness. You can't come into birth without getting kind of dirty. The world where you can find things? Yeah? The world where things are limited? That's the world of perverted view. I mean, you don't necessarily have to have perverted views, but the birth of that world depends on a perverted view. Once you're born into a world, you can get over your perverted views and go back to being the world as you, you know, but without having birth.

[38:19]

So there's an expression, you know, in one of the, in the Book of Serenity there's a story about Jojo talking to the monk. And so the famous story is the monk asked Zhaozhou, does the dog have Buddha nature? And Zhaozhou says, and the monk hears that as no. Mu means there isn't any or no. So the monk thinks that Zhaozhou is saying, no, the dog doesn't have Buddha nature. Okay? So then he says, Then he quotes the sutra, he says, all living beings have Buddha nature, why doesn't the dog? And Jiao Jiao says, because of karmic consciousness. And then either in another occasion, or the same monk or different monk says to Jiao Jiao, does the dog have Buddha nature? And Jiao Jiao says, yo, which means, and then the monk says, well, if it has Buddha nature, why does it enter into this stinking skin bag of a dog?

[39:29]

Actually, he just says, why does it enter the skin bag? And Jaojo says, because it knowingly and willingly transgresses. So bodhisattvas knowingly and willingly transgress. Now you say, are there lower level bodhisattvas that don't do it knowingly? At the moment of birth, if you're actually a bodhisattva, you knowingly and willingly you pay the price of admission to the land of birth and death out of compassion, you transgress. Because you want to help, you want to teach a Lotus Sutra or something like that. So they do transgress, they do... view in order to be born in this world and some of you may have done that and you maybe forgot so but you can just kind of just start remembering that that's why you're here that's what you that's what you came here for so part of what you can understand is that as I was saying last weekend to the extent that you're surprised by what happens the future

[40:50]

triumphs over the past. To the extent that you're surprised by what happens, your future triumphs over the past. So your life like that, okay, changes what you're here for. You didn't get forced into here. You didn't stumble into this situation. You didn't have a purpose. Why do we do that to begin with? Do what? It's probably not an answerable question, but you think, why do we all agree or be encouraged to come into this? Like I said, some people do it out of their vow. Other people do it out of the habit of trying to get something.

[41:52]

Because, you know, in the past they had that perverted view, so now they continue to have a perverted view, but it's unconsciously propelled by unconscious habit into birth. They just feel this force coming of past karma, of their past stories at birth. Whereas bodhisattvas train themselves so that they don't have this compulsive birth thing. as part of their vow. So it isn't compulsive. It's voluntary. They want to do it. They know it's going to be hard, but they're up for it. John? I don't have anything. Is it kind of like play? Play, yeah. It's definitely like play. What? Without preference, sir. results? Without preference for a result, but they do want a result.

[42:57]

They want to teach other people to play. They want to teach those who do not know how to play, to play. Because if we can start playing with this, then we can open to emptiness. So like you're here in this class, you're actually playing with this, you're starting to play with this way of thinking about your body as a practice body. That it could actually be helpful for you not to take action on things, but just observe the way they are. Just thinking about that is kind of playful of you, actually. A child would probably be willing to do it, but a lot of adults would not. They would just say, you know, and they'd have a lot of habit patterns that would make it difficult for them even to consider not taking action, or not having a way to take action in regard, or having a rule by .

[43:59]

Children are willing to do that. They're willing to play without a rule on how to play. And they're also willing to change the rules, you know, will they nilly for their advantage. Yes? I just thought it occurred to me, is devotion adopting a rule, maybe to free yourself up from other rules? You could do it that way. You could say it that way. I've always been confused by the teaching, take the backwards step. Yes. Yes, it sure could. Flip it the other way. Or, you know, like, usually we think that things are out there on their own.

[45:18]

So you could look back at yourself. When you look at something, you could actually see that you're looking at yourself when you look at it. Rather than you thinking you're looking at something that's not you, out there on its own, that actually you're looking at yourself, that's another step. You're reversing your way of thinking. So like I'm looking at you, but I'm actually looking at the middle way. That's a backward step. I'm looking at you, but really I'm looking at in order to teach the Dharma with you, or in order to teach the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra on the occasion of you. That's a backward step. And that teaches me who I am. And helps me understand how my life can be at the service of the Dharma.

[46:30]

How my life could teach the Lotus Sutra by that reversal, that flipping, that reversal, that backward step, that turning around. You can call it coarse if you want to, I don't mind. It's a version of it anyway, with or without coarse. So you look at somebody, you got a problem with them, okay? So one thing you said, there's something in me that I have a problem with, but I see it as them being the problem. In other words, another way to say is, they're not me. They're not me.

[47:33]

Now how about, they are me. So, there's something about them, I don't like something about them, there's something about me I don't like, but how about just flat out, they're me. They are me. Is that something to do with the way they really are, is that they're me? Is that something to do with their emptiness, is that they're me? The way they're, and the way they're me is beyond any words. and it's unborn and so on. And then there's, at the end of this section, the Buddha says, there, or there, or what does that say?

[48:34]

There I say, thus I say, Oh, no. Therefore, I think. Therefore, I say, constantly to delight in contemplating things such as these is termed the bodhisattva's sphere of intimacy. Therefore, I say that one should constantly delight the form of phenomena like this. This is what I call the second thing that bodhisattvas, mahasattvas should associate with. That is why she preaches, ever wishing to see such dharma. This is the second place of the bodhisattva mahasattvas the second place that Bodhisattva Mahasattva is approached with intimacy. The third translation is a little different. It says, after this description of this meditation we just went through, it says, that is why she preaches.

[49:43]

The reason she preaches is ever wishing to see such true Dharma. That is why she preaches, ever wishing to see such Dharma marks as these. See is how you can preach and you preach in order to see the true marks of things. And then when bodhisattvas enter a quiet room and uprightly contemplate phenomena in their true meaning, Then arising from such meditation towards all sentient beings, I'll say, they reveal and expound and preach this sutra, the mind shall be at ease, humidity and weakness. But it really takes a lot of training to always be mindful, to meditate on the middle with regard to everything that comes.

[51:05]

And then, of course, the basic also stance, which is easier in some ways to memorize or remember, of being gentle and patient and not overbearing Fran? I'm still thinking about the bodhisattva and being born, and I'm wondering if the bodhisattva has to take in order to be born because of a vow of compassion, how can they know that they won't get lost in the perverted views that they're taking in order to teach and be compassionate? How do they not get lost in it? by practice. But I'm not saying that all the bodhisattvas do not get lost once they adopt the perverted view in order to be born so that they can play with sentient beings and teach them how to play.

[52:19]

I'm not saying they don't get lost in that process. It's a risk. Yeah, there's a risk that you will get lost. But my general impression is that if you are born through perversion out of bodhisattva vow, although you may slip, you'll come out of it because your vow is pretty strong. You'll recover eventually. And I think, if I remember correctly, the Buddha talks about three or four types of birth. One type of birth, you're at conception, you're not conscious, at the embryological stage, you're not conscious.

[53:21]

At the delivery phase, you're not conscious. I mean, you're a conscious being, but you're not like aware. Oh, here we go. Conception. The next kind of person, maybe there's just two, is at birth. It's kind of like, okay, here we go. We're going to do this now. We're going to do this thing. in order to be born and play with sentient beings and teach them how to play and enter the Buddha way. And the next one is, but then they forget after that. During the embryological phase they forget. And then they forget during, they always continue to be forgetful during the delivery. They remember They're aware at the conception, they're aware during embryological and they lose it in the delivery.

[54:28]

And the last one is at conception, embryological development and in delivery, they stay conscious. And the Buddha says, the first one is most people. Most people are unconscious during all. So there's four, unconscious during all. The second one is a saint. They're conscious for one and lose the next two. The third one is a bodhisattva. Is it necessary to believe in reincarnation to the God, or to be able to... I mean, is reincarnation like a fundamental tenet of these teachings? Yeah, it's a fundamental tenet. The Buddha's basic teaching of right view is that action has consequence, there is rebirth, there are accomplished beings, your parents do deserve respect, and so on.

[55:39]

So one of the key ingredients he's saying, you have to open your mind to Like you say, do you have to... Is it a basic tenet that action has consequence in Buddhist teaching? Yes. Do you have to believe it? No. But if you don't even listen to it, you won't be able to practice much at all. When you first listen to it, you... go, okay, and then you listen to it some more and you go, okay, you listen to it some more, okay, you listen to it some more, okay. The more you listen to it, the more you listen to it, the more you listen to it, the more you open to it, the more... And the same with the teaching of rebirth, you know, you just keep listening, you hear about it. But this isn't rebirth, this is just birth, okay? But however... There's something that says, okay, I'm going to get born. And the force of power leads to this conscious birth, conscious conception.

[56:44]

I do not know any text that says when the conception happens, however. This is part of the pro-life, pro-choice thing. I don't know at what point the conception occurs. and it doesn't say exactly, in any scriptures I know of, at what point in the process that occurs. But at that point you've got a conscious being, whether they know it or not, and a saint would be somebody who knows that they've made that choice, could have made it for various reasons. So just talking about the birth process that everybody goes through in these different phases, and it takes a lot of training to stay conscious. Can you imagine staying conscious as you get flipped around from, you know, through the growth process and go through all these changes and just keep remembering, oh yeah, I'm here. Yep, we're just watching the way things are here.

[57:50]

That would be very cool. It would, yeah. We're talking about being able to stay conscious of your intentions and your vows as you go through these big changes. You know, now we're born, but now we have various kinds of illnesses and, you know, Alzheimer's and dementia. you know, or whatever. All these big changes that are happening to us, memories going all over the place. But you've got to learn to tune in the beam of loss of memory, what's the nature of that? Memory, what's the nature of that? Always being the beam, this is the beam to beyond. You can teach the Lotus Sutra no matter what you're becoming, no matter what you're changing into. As in Bodhisattva's This is like during, you know, we're talking about during a time when things get really tough,

[58:55]

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