I would like to say again that I've been proposing that enlightenment, Buddha's enlightenment, is considering dependent co-arising. The Buddhas are continuously clarifying karmic cause and effect. They are aware of all sentient beings who have karmic consciousness to deal with. So Buddha is clarifying it so that we can join into the consideration and clarification of the cosmic cause and effect.

[01:02]

Buddha's enlightenment is meeting Buddha face to face. Buddha's enlightenment is the meeting of Buddha face to face. The meeting of Buddha face to face is considering co-arising in this world together. Wang Bo says enlightenment is the silent bond among all beings. The silent bond among all beings is, of course, the way all beings are dependently co-arising together. contemplating this silent bond, contemplating dependent core arising, realizes enlightenment.

[02:15]

I meant to say, I say it quite often but maybe not enough, that in contemplating the Dharma, in meeting Buddha face to face, in meditating on the pinnacle arising, we start with being silent and still. Start each moment of the pinnacle arising by practicing the ritual of being silent and still. we seem to be actually moving and talking all the time. And while we're moving and talking, we can practice the ritual of being silent and still.

[03:19]

Practicing this ritual realizes silence and stillness in which dependent co-arising lives or as which dependent co-arising lives. And then we open to the Dharma in this silence, in our stillness and silence, in being still and silent, playfully being still and silent, we open to the Buddha, we open to the teaching of the Pinnacle Rising and the reality of the Pinnacle Rising. Opening to it means meeting things with compassion and non-attachment, meeting the of suffering, as the Buddha would say, with dispassion and equanimity and detachment.

[04:50]

In the Lotus Sutra, it makes the dispassion more warm and compassionate. But still, without abiding in what we are devotedly meeting, devotedly and compassionately meeting the cause of suffering, the origin of suffering. I think I'm going to say a translation of something the Buddha, not something the Buddha said, but something that people say the Buddha said. Something like, the body, monks, is not yours and does not belong to others.

[06:06]

In this teaching he's not so much saying that there isn't a self, he's just saying the self doesn't own the body and nobody else does. The body should be known. The body is not yours, it doesn't belong to others, and it should be known. It should be considered. Enlightenment is considering the pinnacle of rising. And you've got a body, consider the body, the pinnacle of rising. the body should be known and considered as, the pinnacle rising, but that's not what Buddha says at this point.

[07:36]

He says the body should be known and considered as former deeds, former karma, purposefully performed and thoroughly thought out. In regard to this body, a well-taught disciple practices well-centered attention. only to dependent core arising. When this is, that is. From the arising of this, that is.

[08:41]

If this is not, that is not. From the stopping of this, that is stopped. And then he goes on to mention the vision of the twelve links of dependent core arising. The body is featured in the twelve links. It's featured in a place called name and form or body and mind and it's featured in the six doors. The twelve links of causation are depending on the fundamental affliction of ignorance,

[09:52]

karmic formations arise. Depending on karmic formations arises, depending on consciousness, body-mind arise. Depending on body-mind, six sense doors arise. Depending on six sense doors, sense contact arises. Depending on sense contact, feeling arises. Depending on feeling, craving arises. Depending on craving, clinging arises. Depending on clinging, existence or becoming arises. Depending on existence, birth arises. Depending on birth, aging, old aging, sickness, lamentation, grief and death and sorrow arise.

[10:58]

But with the stopping of the body, there's a stopping of sense consciousness. With the stopping of karmic formations, there's a ceasing of consciousness, and so on. This process can be reversed. And there can be an end. How is the process reversed? By contemplating the process. How is the process contemplated? By contemplating your body as the process. And of course, in contemplating your body as the process, you're contemplating your mental construction of your body. as the process.

[12:12]

You're contemplating your story of your body. You're contemplating your story of your contemplation. You're contemplating all five aggregates when you contemplate one as you get into the contemplation. You've heard that to study the Buddha way is to study the self. To study the self, one way to study the self is to study the body. How does the Buddha say to study the body? It's not yours. It's not somebody else's. It is past

[13:16]

action purposely performed and thoroughly thought out. If we purposely perform the well-centered attention, then we realize how the body is former, purposely performed deeds.

[14:21]

If we do not purposely perform our deeds and thoroughly think them out, we do not join the body, we do not settle with the self. Then we are not thoroughly considering the pinnacle of rising. Most of us find it at the fleeting beginning of each moment of our life to be silent and still.

[15:33]

It's a great effort that allows us to be present with silence and stillness at the beginning of each moment and then to open to the moment and to remember the Dharma. But that seems to be what the Buddhas are practicing and encouraging us to practice. Along with this is honesty which I honestly missed that last moment. I missed the beginning. Oh, I missed the whole thing. I missed the beginning and I missed being silent and still at the beginning. And I missed being open. I missed remembering to contemplate what's happening as dependent core arising.

[16:46]

But I've heard that by confessing my lack of faith and practice, my lack of faith and practice and my lack of performance of this practice before the Buddhas, I will be relieved of this habit and be able to enter into this practice more and more thoroughly. So this way of talking is the way history tells us that the founder of the tradition talked. He said, when I was enlightened, this is what I thought about. The Pentecost rising and my dear disciples, you also could

[17:59]

Whenever you're looking at your body, pay attention only to dependent core arising. You're aware of your body as dependent core arising. You could join this practice with the Buddhas. The word dependent core arising so much in Zen, some you do. You don't hear about karmic consciousness so much in Zen, some you do. but I'm now trying to make this language be heard in the temples of Zen. And Dogen Zenji towards the end of his life also started to bring this out. Now I look and see ...way of talking as pretty much the same thing.

[19:05]

Turn the light around and shine it back. On what? On the dependent core arising of your body, on the dependent core arising of yourself. Study the self. Think of that which doesn't think. How do you do that? It's not thinking. How do you meditate on the pinnacle arising? How do you consider? It's an art which you can't grasp. But it comes forth when you engage what's happening with great kindness and non-dwelling. I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing dependent core rising.

[20:58]

I'll be looking at the body as past action purposely performed? Where is the body which is past action purposely performed? For those who purposely perform ...perform body will appear. For those who thoroughly consider every action, the body which is the fruit of thorough action is realized. one of the people in the session's husband sent me a little a little discourse on Zen sarcasm but one of the things that were said on there I thought was not sarcastic really but maybe it is but I thought it was very helpful it is

[22:57]

I think when you tell the truth, or when you're honest, you don't have to remember anything. This is what you call something that people find perhaps relaxing to hear that, especially if you have Alzheimer's. I don't remember your name, dear. What is it? I don't remember the Buddha's teaching. What is it? ...remember so I can ask you if I forget.

[24:06]

And you can tell me and then I can and immovably practice the teaching which you've been so kindly remembering I just feel really amazed right now that I just told you the detailed teaching from 2,500 years ago. There's lots of more things to clarify this teaching, but I just feel like it's pretty clear to you right now.

[25:36]

So unless I see that you need many sticky points that could arise, I'll just wait until you bring them up. I know there are lots of implications. that might come up that might challenge you in the practice. And I'm happy to say that I've seen the Buddha's response to them. But I don't want to tell you about them right now ahead of when you run into them. But there's antidotes to various pitfalls along this difficult path of meditation on dependent core rising, various places to get stuck Buddha was presented with them and showed a way for people to not fall into them or to get up out of them after they fell in. If any of you have fallen into a pit and wish to share that, you're welcome to bring it forth or in the future.

[26:42]

And hopefully the Buddha's teaching will come forth and be received in silence and stillness. Thank you, Connie. She's going to bring you a cushion, too. Can you hear me? Okay.

[27:47]

Can you hear her in the back? Where I'm getting caught is in the terminology as well as this presented for us. And in some ways I feel like I walked into the graduate class and I'm in the wrong room. So yesterday you were referring to codependency arising as karmic consciousness, is that correct? Karmic consciousness is an example of a dependent co-arising. Of a dependent co-arising. So in that sense it's the form. It's a form. Yeah, it's a form more like all things are dependent co-arising and the type of dependent co-arising called karma is extremely important because karma can have an effect to enclose us in our own karmic construction of the world.

[28:58]

So there are types of things that are dependent co-arising, which is everything. There's also the dependent co-arising of karma. So based on ignorance, karmic formation arises. Based on karmic formation, a consciousness arises which depends on the, you know, destruction of the world and so on. So dependent co-arising is both a teaching of how this works and also the principle that everything is dependent co-arising. I see. and human beings not just human beings sentient beings they all have this kind of karmic consciousness so they all have this problem of constructing a view of the world that they can grasp and then putting a graspable view of the world which is not graspable but it's very useful to have this tool so we use it

[30:08]

But then we become enclosed by it. And then once we're enclosed by it, we use it again and re-enclose ourself. And within this system, meditate on it, Buddha teaches, there's a dependent core rising in misery in this karmic consciousness. I see. And then... for ourselves. And then also from this place we also do things which harm others and create disturbance in the whole world. And so as Buddhas clarify karma consciousness by contemplating dependent co-arising of karma consciousness, that process is enlightenment. Yes. And this whole thing is based on compassion and they wish to draw others into this contemplation. I see. And I think you said yesterday that there is no outside of dependent co-arising.

[31:16]

At least I thought I remembered. I think that's right. There's no outside of co-arising or inside of dependent co-arising. Okay. But there is a dependent co-arising of outside and inside. Okay. And so then... Those are dependent core risings. Those are dependent core risings and beginnings and ends. But those are dependent core risings. They're not substantial things. Rising in Buddhas. But Buddhas are not substantial things. Buddhas are not substantial things. So then in the morning... Buddhas are the way that dependent core rising things are actually working together and illuminating each other. Okay. And then in the morning when we chant Great Robe of Liberation, field far beyond form and emptiness, wearing the Tathagata's teachings, saving all beings,

[32:19]

does that chant refer to then? It refers to that wearing the robe, putting the robe on, performing that, and performing that as meditating on dependent core rising, that that action is saving all beings. And it's beyond form and emptiness. Yes. It's beyond form and emptiness, yeah, but not outside of it. Oh, okay. It's free of form and emptiness. It's not stuck in form or emptiness. It's not stuck in form or... It's not stuck in the insubstantiality of form. It's not stuck in feeling. It's not stuck in the insubstantiality of feeling. it's a performance of the actual relationship, the dependent core rising in form and the dependent core rising in space. And it's also the realization that the dependent core rising is also insubstantial.

[33:29]

May I ask another question? For an undergraduate. Thank you. Thank you. But it's true, there are graduate students in the room, and I think we should talk to them, too. Okay. Then... No, no, I'm not saying you have to go on. I'm just saying I do come and talk to graduate students, and graduates can enjoy being in a graduate seminar. I enjoy it very much. Thank you. Because the graduates are going to be gone soon, so I want them to get the Dharma before they leave. I do, too. And go in and go out, tell people about it. I want them to take the authentic, true Dharma as they go out to help everybody. And then you can stay here and become a graduate student, too, if you want. Okay, I'd like to do that. It'll take a little while, but... We're very slow at Zen Center. I see. Usually. And even when we're fast, we pretend to be slow.

[34:38]

I like that. So I won't tell anybody about how fast you got it. I don't have it. My question is about... Hold the microphone a little higher. My question is about the other part of what we study here at Green Gulch Farm, which is farming and gardening. And I'm curious in contemplating dependent co-arising, you mentioned the 12-fold chain and You know, there's a lot to learn about there. But how do I use that in my daily life, for instance, to grow tomatoes? When you're growing tomatoes... For instance, my... When you're growing tomatoes, the Buddha sees that you know and consider that you have a body.

[35:44]

There's a body there growing tomatoes, and the body doesn't belong to you or the tomatoes. So don't forget your body when you're growing tomatoes. And don't forget the tomatoes when you're growing your body. And remember this body which is growing the tomatoes, consider it as past action. purposely performed and thoroughly thought out while you're growing tomatoes. When you're growing tomatoes, at the moment, planting each seed, planting each seedling, at the beginning of the moment, be silent and still. It's kind of required. Silence and stillness is part of the deal. Practicing in daily life. Everybody's yelling at you. The tomatoes are yelling at you. It's hard to be silent and still with all this going on, with the earth, you know, bubbling and growing.

[36:55]

But that's what is required. It is required that if you wish to practice the way why you're growing tomatoes, that you be silent and still in each moment and open to the Dharma in each moment. and in that way plant the tomatoes. If you still wish to plant, you are silent and still. If from the silence and stillness and opening to the Dharma there is the desire to plant tomatoes for the welfare of beings, well, please plant them. And then continue this practice here, you know, like my grandson comes here and he sees these people out there in the field planting not tomatoes, because we don't plant tomatoes here anymore, but planting other kinds of things like lettuce and broccoli. He sees them planting them and he loves them, so he wants their activity.

[38:02]

He sees them paying well-centered attention to their body. and he wants to work with them and then he sees them go to the Zendo and he wants to go to the Zendo. So if you practice this way other beings will want to join you in the practice of Zen Buddha meditation in the garden, in the Zendo, at the supermarket, doctor's office, in the cemetery, in the hospital, in the bedroom, on the freeway, waiting in line at DMV. Isn't that perfectly clear now?

[39:04]

I have one more question. And it goes back to the Saturday in a convoluted sort of way on the Sandhya Nirmacana Sutra. Back to the Sutra, Chapter 4? Yeah, back to Chapter 4. Sabuddhi and the Buddha? Yeah. And so when I get ready to grow my tomatoes in the community garden, it's a big, long process because a lot of weeds in this particular garden. And so my inclination is to pull out all the weeds and to root out all those weeds. And so thinking about the path of the Arhats who attempted to extinguish defilements And becoming proud of that accomplishment, I'm a little bit uncertain about when it's skillful to work with defilements, for instance.

[40:15]

Good. It's good to be uncertain. And how we're weeding. Zen monks have been, especially Japanese Zen monks for a long time, have been doing a lot of weeding. There are beautiful temples that are built, but then the weeds grow up. They go out and weed them. This is their problem, how to weed, how to clean the temple and how to weed the courtyards. How do you do that? Can you do that when you're silent and still? Can you do that and practice the bodhisattva precepts? Can you do that and meditate on the pinnacle rising at the same time? It's hard, but that's what the yogis are trying to learn to do is

[41:22]

get a work assignment, sweep the ground, pull the weeds, grow the tomatoes. Can you do that and stay conscious of the teaching while you're doing it? And again, the teaching is to be kind, not to try to control the weeds, not to try to control the body, giving up trying to control the tomatoes. I don't really know what happened but when I was eight years old somehow the causes and conditions came together for me to start digging in the ground behind the house where I lived. I was digging with the intention of planting tomatoes and when I dug I found all kinds of trash in the ground.

[42:33]

I think the backyard was maybe someplace where people just threw trash for a period of time. So I dug and I took out the trash. I don't remember any gaining idea. I don't remember anything like, I want to get rid of this trash. I just took the trash out and took the broken bottles and the cans, just took it out and put it in some place. I think I really enjoyed just digging in the dirt. That's all I can remember is enjoying digging in the dirt. I don't remember feeling like, what's all this trash in the garden? Because it wasn't a garden. It was just a place to have a garden. And so I just dug there and then after a while we planted tomatoes and some other things.

[43:36]

And they grew. I don't know what happened, but they grew. And I was amazed. And now I'm happy that it was silent and still before I even heard the teaching. And now I want to continue growing tomatoes. But now I've heard the teaching, I want to remember it. Because I guess some people, when they're digging in the ground, they want to get rid of the trash, that they don't love the trash. I was blessed, I loved the trash, I loved the earth, and I loved planting tomatoes. But I really had no gaining idea about, I had no idea if I was able to grow them or win a prize, number three, third place.

[44:47]

I did not enter the contest even. Someone secretly submitted my gardening contest. And I did not go to the meeting where they handed out the prizes. I heard later that I won third place. The reason why they gave me the prize was not because my garden was very good, but because of what I started with. They had these beautiful, like, wonderful earth to work with, you know, and they do these fabulous things. But I started with, you know, a trash heap. And I loved it. And trash. I love karmic consciousness. I'm so happy to study karmic consciousness. And now I find out that the Buddha recommends it, so I just feel really affirmed by the tradition.

[45:58]

So you have some karmic consciousness to take care of? Absolutely, yes. So please enjoy it. Thank you. Would you move that over that way a little bit? Just a little bit. Thank you. Thank you, Matt. Would you like a cushion? No, thank you. Put it up here anyway for somebody else maybe. So, karmic consciousness.

[47:03]

Karmic consciousness. Hallelujah. The pit of karmic consciousness. The question that I have for you is, when Buddha says, be still and silent, there is a part of me that thinks he said that because he's a man. Oh, yeah, right. And when he talked about the 12 links and consciousness, he did not talk about the different neurological makeup of men and women. Not that I know of. Well, maybe he did. They didn't have to find out. But it wasn't a recurring theme that I've noticed.

[48:06]

I think those differences are profound and cause a lot of our suffering. And I always contemplate what is it that makes a man not want to talk? Or to say things like, I love you. Or if a woman wants to talk, that he'd talk. So that's my dilemma. And I also... David, any response to that? Yeah, what came to mind is that a friend of mine had a dream, and the dream was that we were sitting in the zendo and having a party in the zendo, sitting in our seats as usual, facing the wall, you know, upright posture.

[49:26]

It's just that you could turn and talk to your neighbor. That's what came to mind. One last thing. You sound like you're pretty interested in men. Pretty interested in men, yes. And in women, too. Yeah, well, you sounded like that, too. I understand women more, so I have less... Do you by any chance approve of your understanding of women? Do I approve of my understanding? You said you understood them better. Yes, I do. I do. I don't approve of my understanding. Well, I'm glad to hear that part. Maybe that's why you're here. And I was hoping you'd give me some more helpful hints about what Buddha said.

[50:33]

Well, I particularly think that you feel like you don't understand is closer to what Buddha is teaching you. That when you feel like you don't understand and you're not so sure of your understanding, I think you're open to the truth. So the Buddha's kind of like, yeah, just be right there with that. Does that mean I don't understand women when I think I understand them? No, you do have some understanding of women and you do have some understanding of men. We can't avoid that. But to be open to that maybe you don't understand correctly, that's when the... But if you think you understand correctly, you've got the door shut. But when you have an understanding, you can't avoid that. Sir, are you correcting me by saying if I thought I understood women correctly, I don't understand them?

[51:41]

Is that what you just said? No. You have an understanding of women and you have an understanding of men. That's my understanding that I'm giving you. You do have an understanding of both. That's what I'm saying. However, I'm also adding that if you I'm sure men, then the Dharma door is open. But if you're sure about your understanding of women, the Dharma door is shut. Yeah, really. Why is it shut? Because of pride. Pride shuts the door. Is it pride or just... If you have clarity and you approve the clarity, the Dharma door shuts. That's what the Sutra, Chapter 4, was saying. These very, very clear monks, advanced graduate students, they had a lot of clarity, but they were proud of themselves.

[52:42]

And because they approved of their clarity, the door to the ultimate truth was closed. So what do you do? What do you do? If you have clarity. Well, it would be good if you had clarity to not approve of it. To say it's clarity. What does approve mean? It means being proud. When you approve of yourself, it means being proud and conceited. So it's just saying, I understand this, but let it just be there the way it is? Yeah, right. Or even, I understand it up in front. This is my understanding, which I offer the world. Here I am, I've got an understanding, and it seemed like crystal clear. Here it is. But I'm actually not certain about it. And if you disagree with me, you are welcome to do so. And you can invite me to reconsider what my understanding is.

[53:47]

And I want you to. And in the interaction between my understanding and your understanding, in that playful interaction, we realize Buddha. I still wish men would talk more. Yeah, and I welcome you to wholeheartedly wish men would talk more. When you feel that way, I welcome you to be wholehearted, express that wish, sing that wish to the highest hill. Okay. With no attachment, please. And that will open your voice and make it even more wonderful. Okay. One more thing? I wanted to... Thank you and the Sangha for this wonderful retreat.

[54:48]

This is Shane. I felt very supported by everyone. And I also, last year for the first time, I had a Buddhist wedding ceremony. And you also ordained a priest at that time, if you recall, in Europe. And I was so surprised that Pia and Hokai made a trip to come all the way to the States to sit with us. And I sat next to Pia in the Sachine in Switzerland last year. It's wonderful to have them here. They're such a great addition to our Sangha. So I wanted to say thank you to them. Thank you.

[55:57]

I came up here because I don't think, I'm not sure, but I don't think you or anybody on Jane's serving crew or Jane has yet developed sufficient Alzheimer's to, and I don't, and I think I haven't, I want to apologize for yesterday's barging into your entrance and crews. It was another time, and I think you'll may remember an earlier time when I had a similar moment with nature calling really strongly when I lived here in Cloud Hall.

[58:03]

And I wasn't wearing my glasses, so I couldn't see anybody's faces. There's something about not wearing my glasses that softens everything. It's kind of a Monet world. I'm like swimming. So this is my apology. I couldn't see. There may have been looks of dismay or been sitting with this. I couldn't see anybody's faces, so I'm sort of ashamed of not being able to be more ashamed or something. But in any case, I was happy it was Jane's crew that I had that insight that Jane's crew was particularly playful. And I know what Jane herself is. And I want to thank everybody for bearing with me. The rest of you may not know what happened at all.

[59:10]

Thank you very much. Nobody noticed the darting figure? Thank you. Well, I do remember saying, I'm coming back to you. Excuse me, I believe I heard myself say excuse me to you, Reb, as I went by. Did you hear me say this? I did. You know, I just couldn't quite be sure if that was sufficient. Deeds purposely performed and thoroughly thought. Thank you so much. You're welcome. You don't I'm hoping you don't want to retell the story, that earlier one, which you told many years ago.

[60:19]

I'm guessing you don't. You're hoping I don't? I'm not attached to you not telling me. You're not attached to me not telling it. Okay. Thank you very much. Honored to be in your presence. It is mutual. Yesterday you alluded to, along the lines of self-study, which I feel is my main purpose for .

[61:19]

You alluded to this idea of conceit and pride being a defense mechanism, if you will, for being vulnerable and letting go and which I really related to and the day before that I was sitting in Zazen and believe it or not I was thinking and that's something that actually came to me that I needed to work on was not talking so much and being boastful and anyways I related to that so and thank you for Bringing that into light, and my question is, you also alluded shortly after that, but didn't expound on the idea that boredom, which I think might be this, either lead to depression or being depressed, which I've also had bouts with at different times in my life, is the same thing.

[62:28]

Can you please? Yeah, I think boredom is also kind of like a, when we get close to the truth, one way to defend against it is to say it's boring. As we start to open up to the unconstructed stillness of dependent core arising, which is not necessarily saying, this is really cool, this... when everything's quiet and still and the doors are opening, sometimes we haven't been controlling and now there's an opportunity to really give up control and open to. At that time sometimes we say, this is kind of boring and that's enough activity. Boredom is kind of an activity.

[63:30]

It's enough of an opinion to close the door again. And pride is a very similar function. But they're both kind of defenses for advanced practitioners that come up for advanced practitioners to kind of block them in their work. Like, I don't have to study that, that's boring. I don't have to read that teaching or hear that teaching. It's boring. Or I've heard it before. Oh, he's saying that again? Uh-huh. Whatever. He's saying that again. I don't need to hear that. And boring, kind of similar. They're both kind of like, there's some things I don't need to hear because I've learned enough. Or some things are just, let's face it, not interesting. And I don't have to listen to things that aren't interesting because I've got important work to do.

[64:33]

So maybe one's active and one's passive manifestations. Maybe, yeah. And I just wanted to say to you and everybody that as a martial arts teacher, this is very important that you find a way to intensely interact with people without pride, that you can practice with your students. you know, in a way where there's no trying to control them. It's just, you know, in a situation where people are really usually trying to control, for you to show a way to dance together and to perform the movements together and to protect beings together without being the proud teacher. And you have a great, wonderful opportunity And the Buddha, you know, I've often said this to people, when I walk around the city, particularly young men come up to me and say, you practice martial arts?

[65:39]

And I say, what kind? I say, Zen. And they go, oh, cool. But if they ask me how so, I say, well, the Buddha was a martial artist. he interacted with people physically without pride and showed non-violence in very intense interactions, even non-violence towards people who were very violent. He was able to meet violence with non-violence and teach this martial way of interacting with no pride. All these people in the street, I'm trying to learn this. I'm a disciple of the martial artist Shakyamuni Buddha. Without a doubt. With some doubt. Maybe not in your sight, but in my sight.

[66:40]

It's one of the things that attracted me to Zen was I thought, well, this is a martial arts even when you can't walk anymore. Like Grace Damon. Although she may start walking again. We'll see. Thank you for your instructions. You're welcome. Today, a particular part about the body, it hits a place in me that interprets this instruction into, well, it's my fault. Basically, it goes in the direction of, I'm responsible for whatever experience this body has. And then I'm hearing further instruction which go in the same way. So this is one of the pitfalls, and the Buddha has something to say about that.

[67:59]

Do you know what Buddha says about that? There's no self. There's no self? Yeah. But it's not so much, it's not so much there's no self. That there's no self means, you know, you can't find one. But he's not so much saying there is no self, he's saying the body does not belong to you. That doesn't take away your responsibility. that just makes you not fall into a pit of responsibility. It lets you stand on the earth upright. I'm responsible for this body, but it's not mine. And I'm also responsible for other bodies that aren't mine. And nobody else owns my body, and I don't own anybody else's body. And I'm responsible for all bodies. You're responsible, but you don't own it. But it's a place you can practice.

[69:07]

What? Practice seeing this as dependable arising. But you don't get to have all the responsibility for it by yourself because of dependable arising. But not alone, because it doesn't belong to you. Well, there comes the second extension of this pitfall when I'm hearing a few saying, be silent and still. It sounds to me also, well, I got to do it, which I guess is not the point. You need to perform the ritual of being silent and still so that you can realize silence and stillness. You can't do silence and stillness by yourself. But you can do a ritual. You do. You do do the ritual. You perform the ritual. A lot of support, but you do perform the ritual of silence and stillness. And in that ritual you realize, you perform the ritual of being silent and still.

[70:11]

And you realize silence and stillness. And there you can contemplate what would be good to contemplate as not yours, you're no more responsible this than others are. Neither you nor others own it. But both all are responsible. And the more carefully you perform your physical actions and think them through, the more effective will be your meditation on Dependent Core Rising of this body. And then we come to feelings. And feelings are sometimes due to past karma, but not all are. Not all the feelings are, but even though they aren't, in other words, even though you don't own the feelings, even though you're not in control of their manifestation,

[71:19]

Even though you don't own them and even though you didn't make them by yourself, still contemplate them as dependable risings. But don't take all the responsibility for body or feelings and so on. I feel another hug. ...to approach it with the question of what is Sangha. You want to approach the hook? Yeah, I have another contraction that I feel. Yeah, and you want to approach this contraction with what? With the question, I would like to understand what Sangha is. What Sangha is, okay. And some part of me thinks... a group of people I can actually point to. But then if I think of, well, do I really feel like, you know, this group of people is a place I can take refuge in? Or do I feel like I have taken refuge in? I wouldn't say that that isn't complete and that wouldn't be the complete story.

[72:21]

So... And it would also exclude the dependent co-arising teaching. So is then Sangha something more abstract? What comes to mind first is Sangha is an object of compassion. I thought it's the dharmakaya. Pardon? I thought Sangha is the dharmakaya. A nirmanakaya, but... Sangha is an object of compassion is what comes to my mind. And if you practice compassion towards the Sangha, then you may find it quite appropriate to go for refuge towards the Sangha which supports you to practice compassion. If the Sangha supports you to practice compassion, then you go for refuge in what supports you to practice compassion. if the sangha has object of compassion, and then you don't practice compassion towards the sangha, then I can see that it would be pretty difficult, not impossible, but pretty difficult to go for refuge in a sangha that you're not practicing compassion towards.

[73:35]

It's not full of fully realized Buddhas. but it is full of objects of compassion. This Sangha is this wonderful field of sentient beings for bodhisattvas to practice compassion. And if we can't practice compassion, then it's hard to go for refuge. Not impossible, but hard to really sincerely do it. But when it comes and compassion goes to meet it, then you say, oh wow, thank you. I want to go for refuge here. And if there's some other place where you can practice compassion, then that would be good to go there and practice compassion there. And then extend that compassion to more So it would be really good to find some opportunities before you feel like, oh, I'm happy that I can be compassionate towards this being.

[74:51]

You could be a sangha, a part of a sangha, if you could practice compassion towards yourself. So you're wonderfully appreciated for bringing us pitfalls. Thank you very much. You're welcome. I have a confession.

[76:26]

I have a long-standing nemesis here at Green Gulch. I have many stories about this person. Not helpful. Oh, you have a story that this person is not helpful? No, my stories are not helpful. But do you also have a story that this person is not helpful? I think that might be included there somewhere. But actually I'm beginning to see that... You're beginning to doubt it. She is, yes. It was... I was sitting in Zazen yesterday before lecture, contemplating dependent co-arising, of course. A vision came to me that... Dependently co-arose? I don't know really where it came from. Quite unexpected, actually. And I'd like to share, I was going to invite this person up, but instead what I'd like to do is open it up to anyone that I may have harmed, including leaving my dirty underwear on the pillow.

[77:45]

Sorry, Miriam. But I would like to invite anyone I may have harmed, please close your eyes. And me standing in front of you with my hands in gassho and prostrating before you. And then very gently, very tenderly kissing your right foot And then very gently and very tenderly kissing your left foot. And then coming back up to standing. Another standing bow and handing you a flower. And this is not any flower. This is your favorite flower. And it's the most beautiful flower that you've ever seen.

[78:49]

and I ask you and I tell you that I want to give you you and I let go of my stories about you and I wish you the beautiful song of the birds in this valley I wish you well and I would like to offer anyone at any time, if you'd like to enact this in person with me, I'd be happy to do so. Thank you. Want some feedback? I would suggest that when you encourage this imagination of you standing before them and bowing to them, that before you kiss their feet, you ask them if you may.

[79:58]

And if they say, no, thank you, just kiss the ground. And then when you give them the flower, say, may I give you a gift? And if they say no, say, that's enough. More in this. And, you know, because this may be overwhelming to them. Do you agree? I do. So may practitioners of the ritual of being silent and still, opening to the Dharma of the Buddha, opening to the enlightenment of considering dependent co-arising moment by moment.

[81:39]

May our attention

[81:47]

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