So how's case 37? You say fresh? Finished? I said fresh. How's case 37? I was waiting to do the check. It went by fastball. You can open your book now. Cynthia, what is it? Really?

[01:29]

Great. Mahim, what is it? Yeah. Meg, what is it? Yeah. Yes? What is it, Rick? What's what? Are you done with this, Eva? Not only is karmic consciousness unbounded and unclear, there is no fundamental to rely on. On your behalf, let me say, good. Any other questions? It's intense. You want to taste it?

[02:34]

Once, no. It's fitness tea. What may fitness tea be? Taste it. It's intense. Meg? When the child of riches falls on the boundless road of destitution, does he still know he's the child, nor is the child of riches, or is the child supreme? They have no such idea. That's why when they fall they feel destitute. But still it's a child of riches.

[03:39]

I dream someone gave me a lot of money. Who was it? Some unknown people, a group of people. Did you fall down after a while? You mean like falling? No, I decided I could go someplace. Get out of here. But later. Ah, the prodigal daughter. Welcome. We're talking about children who get lost and forget their royal family.

[04:42]

This is a child. This boy ran away from home or walked away from home before he even realized his parents were rich. He just thought, these are my parents. Probably assumed everybody's parents were rich. Then he got lost and forgot. Couldn't remember that he came from a really good home. Good family. Like I think I mentioned, I don't think I mentioned in this class, but I mentioned in the other one, on the 30 verses, that those verses are kind of about the roots, are like your psychic roots, telling you the story, you know, about how your mind transformed itself to form ideas of self and other. And then we came in to be enslaved or in bondage to that story. And we forgot that we used to be a member of this great family.

[06:02]

And the forces of bondage don't want us to remember our old time, don't want us to remember that we came from a good family. And so even if we hear happy stories about ourselves, we're shocked to hear that. Even if we hear liberating information about us that we can be seen from other angles, we're shocked. Like if you tell a fish that it lives in flowing water, they're shocked because they think they live in a palace or they think they live in a house. So they're shocked to find out that their house is moving. They don't believe you. And if you tell a person who is a hungry ghost, who thinks they live in a river of pus and blood, if you tell them it's cool, fresh mountain stream, they think you're crazy. And if you tell a deva that the jewels that they're swimming in is just plain old earthly water, they'll be shocked too.

[07:12]

and so on. Whatever realm we're in, it's just a certain perspective which we're bound to. And we all come from, you know, someplace before our present perspective. And Buddhist stories are about, you know, our roots and or where we're going. And either way, we're kind of surprised when we get the message. Usually we're you know, holding the message off, but when we let it in, it's quite shocking. Hi, Dave. So is there anything else on case 37? Stuart? It's just that it doesn't necessarily sound like good news. What doesn't sound like good news? To hear that, um, that, um, The term consciousness is active and boundless, unbounded and unclear, and there's no fundamental to rely on.

[08:21]

It doesn't sound like commute. It sounds like trouble. Well, the boundless and unclear part, I can see that would sound like trouble. And I can also see why you might think if you wanted to have a fundamental to rely on, you might think that was trouble too. But because there's no fundamental, the boundless unclarity of karmic consciousness actually doesn't munch you up and doesn't kill you and make you born again. It's only because there's no fundamental to rely on that you can go through the apparent birth and death and be unclear about it. So the fact that there's no fundamental to rely on means there's no fundamental to enchain you. If there were a fundamental to karmic consciousness then you'd never be able to get out. But fortunately there isn't a fundamental to rely on or to depend on or to be enslaved by.

[09:23]

karmic consciousness needs a fundamental to work with. Without a fundamental, karmic consciousness goes flat. So it's boundless and unclear. Because it has no fundamental, it actually doesn't really allow itself to be established. If you realize the lack of fundamental nature to the karmic process, then you realize that the karmic process is the one and only content of subtle discriminating wisdom of the Buddha and is inseparable from Buddha's wisdom. It is the test ground of wisdom and compassion. and some early Mahayana scriptures and some middle Mahayana scriptures and some later Mahayana scriptures point out that the Buddha could actually put us into a kind of very nice scene where we would feel like, basically we'd feel comfortable and happy.

[10:43]

with karmic consciousness being that way, but we would never, we still wouldn't realize freedom unless we have to deal with, deal with it. So therefore the Buddha doesn't shelter us from the facts, but encourages us to study how karmic consciousness works. And if we study how it works, we will realize it has no fundamental. So the fact that everything is empty It didn't sound like good news to the emperor of China when Bodhidharma told him. He didn't consider that to be a gift. And it was only by name-dropping that he reconsidered. Anything else on case 37? In the introduction, the part about taking away the hungry man's food, is that like, what is it?

[12:07]

It is. That's fine. Yes? It's also like active consciousness is boundless and unclear. In a statement like that, it takes away a hundred persons from it. Hopefully. You've said on other occasions that we have to go against the natural way. Yeah, we take away hungry people's food and get people who are stuffed more to eat. We clean the clean.

[13:33]

What did you learn from case 37? What's that a picture of, Linda? An owl. Well, you're into owls, aren't you? I'm not quite so sure that he didn't have a chance to vlog. In this place, when a bunch of pets attacks, he may have an opportunity to realize there's no fundamental to rely on. If he just popped up with something as a fundamental, that might not be such an auspicious event that's being stuck there for that long.

[15:04]

I think the question, what is it, is a good practice question. If he could have said, yes, indeed, that could have been a response. So what did you learn in case 37? I can't offer any fundamental response to that. I've learned to keep inquiring, keep reexamining precepts to ask myself, what is it? It occurred to me that when the Emperor Wu asked Bodhidharma what his self was, he said, I don't know.

[16:29]

And so do you know the self or not? What is it? That's the question you have to address. Do you carry this story with you? I carry this looking around for myself. Do you find it? No. I find tentative feelings or Do others have ways that this koan is working in your life now?

[17:42]

I saw the sun today through the fog. Today was one of those days when it was easy to see the sun through the fog. Not to put it down, what I said. Today was a day to see the sun through the fog. Andrew? When I was in college, I worked for a farm machinery dealership. I was, I got, I was low and cold, and I'd often drive the truck to go out and pick up a big piece of farm machinery and haul it off someplace. And it was kind of a scary experience because you'd load on this huge piece of machinery, and if it wasn't tied down right, it could shift on you as you were driving along, and you could feel the truck shift back and forth on the highway. I had a lot of trepidation about that, worried about it.

[19:03]

One of the older followers that was around at this point was talking to me. One day he said, do you ever have to go truck around and try that machinery? I said, yeah. He said, yeah, I did that too. There's only one rule you have to remember when you do that. Go like hell and don't look back. You don't have to wait for me to ask you to say something. I'm reminded of the slapstick comedy routine where a stoop's down to pick up a hat and the hat moves forward and just keeps down.

[20:12]

Because the self is so elusive in the scene, it's gone. But I still think that's my life. So, it's not so funny. Yes, it is. You need practice. Sometimes you need a lot to think with the subject. I find the sentence, no fundamentals rely on, constantly coming to me in terms of seeing how many fundamentals I rely on, including that sentence.

[21:28]

It's just constant. So it's a really interesting sentence that came out of that case for me. How about the fundamental affliction of ignorance as itself the immutable knowledge of all Buddhas? How's that working? It seems like we're studying it everywhere. In every class I'm going to, every meeting I'm going to, that seems to be, that's like, with everything cleared away, that's the only thing to realize.

[22:31]

Once you can realize that, you're free. And when we're talking about it in every single, all over, it feels like it's the main thing we're talking about. It's fundamental not to rely on it. So everybody's kind of like set now, and you can all, this is in, this is, you got it in your life, and you can carry it forth and practice.

[23:34]

Is that right? It's in your stream of your life now? Hmm? What stream? How about you? Hmm? I didn't know I was going to be here until half an hour ago. Oh, excuse me. You tell her. All I can think about is Winnie the Pooh. I know it. What about Winnie the Pooh? When people... I haven't read any of them. When people are talking, I keep thinking about when they were born. Well, I... I keep being surprised about this.

[24:55]

I expected to spend a long time in this case, but we don't seem to be doing it, so I'll pass off the next case. Case 38. Anybody need one? Copy. What did you expect to spend time on? Well, just the innumerable little images and nuances and subtleties. But, you know, All I care about is that you all will testify in blood that you're working on this case for the rest of your life. Right? I want to ask you a question.

[25:56]

Thanks. Would you pass this back to... Jennifer. Anybody else need one? Study Center classes at Green Gulch. I'm including an attendance sheet. Okay. A question from Mahin. Yes, Mahin. If there is any fundamental to rely on... If there what? If there is anything to rely on. If there is? If there is or if there is nothing. If there is or if there isn't? Yes. Yes. Or if there is no fundamental to rely on. Yes. Can be both of these cases the duality of mind, anything?

[27:01]

Not, yeah, a game of mind. It can be something to rely on. Can what be something to rely on? If there is no fundamental to rely on. Yes. That's the way I think. Is that just in my mind? Not my mind. Is it just in your mind that there's no fundamental to rely on? Is that some activity of my mind? Is what some activity of your mind? if there is no fundamental to rely on. When you say that? I just want to know, is it a game or is it reality? Is it a game or a reality? Is it a game of my mind, thinking that way?

[28:04]

How do I know? How do I know? It's really now fundamentally to rely on just as the thing is. That's what this case is about, is how do you know? Guishan says to Yangshan, how do you know? How do you check this out? How do you prove it? How do you verify this teaching? And he says, if I see someone, I say, hey, you. And then I say, what is it? And if they hesitate, I say, I say that. If they don't hesitate, what do you think happens if they don't hesitate? Hmm? Hmm? Depends on the mood, yeah, depends on the mood. Whatever, right? Hesitate or not hesitate. It depends on that moment, actually.

[29:08]

Yes. I'm asking, right? Yes, that's right. So, what is it? You hesitated. That's ignorance. That's ignorance. Did you see it? If I didn't know, is that ignorance or I just don't know that I know, I just don't know. I don't get it. Good. Good. You know what that is? According to this teaching, that's ignorance.

[30:11]

Did you see it? You've got ignorance now. What am I going to do about it? That's ignorance again. Did you see? That's ignorance too. So far. Where's the immutable knowledge of the Buddhas? Who said that? It seems like it's a slippy slope.

[31:24]

If you're on either side of what is it, you're in a lot of trouble. But you can't stay on what is it. No, you can't. So if there's no hesitation, then nothing can be proved about the karmic consciousness? Is that the implication of the story? That is, the proof depends upon the hesitation, but you can't complete the proof if there's no hesitation. That's right, you can't complete the proof if there's no hesitation or no. And there's two ways to hesitate. One is to act too soon. Yeah, it would be act too late. What does it mean to act too soon? That wasn't that. Do you think that you know?

[32:25]

Come on, Henry. Yeah, I'm trying to act too soon. That's what I mean. Boy, you'd think it'd be easy, though. You think it'd be easy? It is easy. You're doing it now. Now you're acting too soon. Do you understand? That was too late. That was too soon. Do you see? That was too late. This is too soon. I think I may be getting it. Getting it? That's too late. You see? Oh, okay. Wait a minute. That's too soon. You see what I mean? You were there for a while, weren't you? It's hard to stay there, isn't it? Now we're back in ignorance again.

[33:31]

So you can only be untied with somebody else. That's right. It takes two Buddhas. Because we're split into two parts. Which part is this? It wasn't a split at that time. That was wholeness. Easy come, easy go. Who wants to live here? You mean someplace else? Hmm? What? You mean someplace else? No, I mean who wants to live here? What's what got to do with it? Um, it's got to do with it.

[34:38]

It's, uh, what is it? It's, it's a way of expressing, I mean it as a way of, of wondering, Who wants to live such a life? The wants is... Somehow I feel like wants is part of us. It's like willingness. Also, who's willing to? Who's willing to? Not to turn away from it? Not to turn away from it? Who's willing to not turn away from it? Yeah, where's the intention to not turn away? Where is it?

[35:39]

Who is it? This kind of thing. All that stuff is late and early, yeah. But somehow, I mean it as a way to knock on the door. Yeah, on the door of myself, on the door of the other. What about gratitude? Gratitude? When the feelings of gratitude arise in me, the question of wanting to be here or not wanting to be here doesn't seem to be the issue. I am here and I'm thankful. And from that might rise the aspiration to want to make an effort at being here more purely, and rather than aspiration, in fact, it's a response to that gratitude.

[36:47]

Right. But another response to gratitude is to invite some people to join you. And that's the way I meant it. The way you meant what? Who wants to live here? So if you're grateful, sometimes you might want to know who wants to live here in this world, this grateful world. Now who wants to, who wants to, I don't know what. turn the Dharma wheel, who wants to maintain the essential working of the Buddha way, who wants to live, who wants to live in this way. And, of course, this way is not it, but it's kind of an invitation. And so this case, for some reason or other, is very dear to me.

[37:52]

So I just want to make sure that nobody misses out on this case and that it's an inspiration to you now. From now on, I don't want anybody not to benefit Right, in this case, in this case. Hearing you talk this way, I keep thinking about lineage. One of the things which occurred to me reading this in Munich, in terms of what is it, makes me think about Bakereshi. Some continuity in terms of Bakereshi being in this case. In the case. Mm-hmm. Not apart from anybody else. But included. A companion. Another way of talking about it is I guess I want somebody to join me in this case and I want you to feel like somebody is joining you in this case, that you have this case with.

[39:05]

that you have some friends to practice this case with forever, and that there's a sangha around this case. And we could do this with other things, of course. It doesn't exclude anything else, but just somehow I feel that way. I just wanted to check that out in this case to see if it's in your lives. And I just looked at Pat, you know, who's kind of new to Green Gulch. And I thought of Karen, who's new to this class. And maybe it seems like they could just walk in here and be connected through this case forever. Take this case away with them. Be taken away by this case. And join a family through this story. And maybe some old-timers feel left out.

[40:13]

And I don't know. So I just kind of want to know about that. You know, I really was feeling this story in the last few weeks when we started reading it, because in the building that I work, it's bought. And so on one side, 22 people have to move. And in one section, there was this woman at Hachenda for a long time, and she... had planted trees and had gardens. And it was walled off. And it was a really beautiful place. And it was really dear to her. And then all the people were in the process of letting go of these spaces. no fundamental to rely on, but they were in too much pain. But with this woman, I really connected, because her tree, her curly willow was cut down, and all the fences were down, all the plaster and shambles, and I came over, and she stood in the midst of it. She didn't walk away.

[41:15]

She really stood there for days, just looking at it. Not really sad or anything, but so I came over, and I was feeling that story, no fundamental to rely on, and She looked at me and I felt like she was just like, you know, like sort of, that's life, but in a really beautiful way. And she still keeps standing there. And I just thought that was amazing. She didn't, she wasn't cursing this or and try and hold on to it or anything. She just sort of just stood there and she already knew the story. And then I got to share... What do you mean she was just standing there? She was... She was... She was just being in that place, and the whole thing was sort of coming down around her.

[42:22]

And she wasn't grieving. She was sort of just watching it happen. She was going to move to another place, but her attitude was accepting of the process of change and not trying to hold on or And she wasn't in fear of what was going to happen. And I got to see how all the other 22 people who were pretty close in the building, they just sort of came with how they were dealing with their fundamentals, which was their spaces, their places, and their identities, and the change. She was different from the others? I thought she was really different. She wasn't trying to get people to commiserate with her. She was just being there.

[43:23]

She's the way you want to be? Yeah, I did admire that about her, that she didn't turn away. She didn't... She could turn away from the difficult legs, even though all her hard work and all her growing up with plants and all this sort of change. She could stand there. And then she could share it as well with me, I mean, just in the connection with the eyes. Did you talk to her? What did you say? I said, yeah, I know. I know how this is. That's it. Yeah. That's about it. Okay. Yes? Is there anyone who needs to be poisoned?

[44:23]

Yes. Why is it bigger? Why is it bigger? Well, you know, I thought of some things to say, but they're not as interesting. And if you really care about their question, it's not interesting. What I have to say in response are mostly not as useful, probably, as if that really is a question for you. For you to just...

[45:29]

Uh-huh. So what would the Buddhists, what would the Buddhadharma want to poison? Attachment. They want to poison attachment. They want to poison relying on fundamentals. Yeah. So who can administer the poison? If that's the poison. That's the corruption. So that's a good lead into the next case. Are you ready? Meet the one son for the master. Can a broken wooden ladle in your ancestors skull?

[46:37]

A donkey saddle rim is not your father's jawbone either. When breaking earth, separating reeds, how do you discern the master? Then she said to the assembly, there is a true person with no rank, always going out and in through the portals of your face. Beginners who have not yet witnessed it, look, look. Then a monk came forward and said, what is the true person of no rank? Then he got down from the seat, grabbed and held him.

[47:45]

The monk hesitated. Then he pushed him away and said, the true man of no rank, what a piece of dried crap he is. Delusion and enlightenment are opposite. Subtly communicated with simplicity. Spring opens a hundred flowers in one puff. Power pulls back nine bulls in one yank. It's hopeless. The mud and sand can't be cleared away, clearly blocking off the eye of the sweet spring. If suddenly it burst forth, it would freely flow.

[48:50]

You like this case, Martha? Yeah, I felt like when I read it today, I read it before, but I read it again today. I felt, like especially the verse in the commentary, I felt like I was falling in love with it. I mean, it was just very elated. It made me feel very elated. I love the verse. If you got depressed, would you have fallen in love with it? I was depressed recently. Did you draw a picture of the turd? I thought about it last week. We're going to have a turd painting contest. I need a poem about a turd. This turd? No, the turd on the hill. Was it a cow turd, by any chance? A horse turd. A horse turd. Cow turds are kind of like flying saucers. A cow puck. A cow puck?

[50:22]

You call them a cow puck in Tennessee? In Kentucky. In Kentucky. In Minnesota, you call them cow pies. What do they call them in Chicago? Deep Bush? Okay, you want the next case? Okay, case 39. What? Well, there's a lot of connections here in the words, isn't there? A lot of connections in the words.

[51:36]

The same, the same, uh, the same true person, you know, is coming in and out of your face. Coming in, in through the light of your face. Always, this true person is coming in and out of your face. What? Is that what you were watching? Yeah, that's what I was watching. It's fun to watch that. It's lots of fun to watch that. Is there more difficulty with the beard? And hair. Faces are really useful for watching.

[52:45]

How come he added this, at the end of the same verse, he added a new line, like, remember that Butler watches me play, or that was added at the end, but not in the verse? Uh-huh. He did it again. He did it again. There's an addition. Mm-hmm. All right, how do you mean? Hangzhi also said dangerous. That's not even... No. Oh, for the verse? Yeah. Oh, I see. Hangzhi also said dangerous. You know, I... I don't know. I guess I'll look at the Chinese and tell you. It doesn't seem to go with the verse.

[53:50]

It doesn't go with the verse? No, the spirit of the verse. Oh, what's the spirit of the verse? Hmm? What's the spirit of the verse? You can't stay. You can't stay? Oh, Martha. Where do you go? Hello? Where did you go? I'm still here. You didn't go anywhere? I don't think so. You don't think so? Okay, so I'll ask again. What's the spirit of the verse? You're the one who said it wasn't worth the spirit of the verse. What's the spirit of the verse that you were referring to? Or are you just kidding us? And there is no spirit in the verse. Well, for one thing, there's nobody's name that's mentioned.

[54:58]

You know, it's bringing somebody, some guy's, something this guy's naming to him. You know, it's like a commentary instead of just this, the verse just seems to kind of spring forth, you know. The person who wrote the verse, his name's Hung Jur. Oh. I see what you mean by that. I'm getting to see, yes. So where did the dangerous come from? So just picture dangerous. Now you got the verse, now the word dangerous, okay? It's added. The person wrote the verse, now one more word is being put in there. So the person writes the verse, and then we're told that he said, then after that he said dangerous. Yes. So probably what happened was he gave the verse, and then he said, dangerous.

[55:59]

After he was talking to his monks, he read the verse, and then he said, dangerous. Or he wrote it, and then he wrote at the bottom, dangerous. Is it dangerous to mug the sand, tamp it, tear it away, or would it be retrieving from us? You're asking, is it the mud and sand cannot be cleared away? I think trying to analyze this poem is dangerous. You do? Yeah. I hate, it's like talking about song lyrics or something. Is it that you hate it, or is it that it's dangerous? It's dangerous because you can get lost in it. You mean you're not lost before you start analyzing it? I'm more lost, excuse me.

[57:04]

You're more lost when? In analyzing. Get more lost. So you'd like to stay over in the less lost way? And not get into the more lost way? I don't know what's going to happen. Pardon? I don't know. Yeah, of course. Yeah, makes sense. So he's saying it's dangerous. And maybe he's saying what's dangerous is to analyze his bones. Maybe he's saying, be careful of this poem, don't analyze it. Maybe that's what he's saying. I feel like we've really jumped ahead. Do you think I can start at the beginning? Of what? This piece. Sure. It's Martha's fault. I don't feel chest. Yeah. Yeah. I think about today's the truth, but I must talk to those words.

[58:30]

Arleji said to the assembly, there is a true person with no rank always going out and in through the portals of your face. Beginners who have not yet witnessed look. Look, Just tell someone to look and they'll see.

[59:58]

Would you say that again more loudly? When he says, look, look, I was wondering if you can just tell someone to look and they'll then be able to see. You're wondering about that? Are you looking? No, I don't. What do you see? Are you enjoying the ride? Yes. What did you say, Stuart? I said it's that I don't know the beautiful knowledge of the Buddhas. What I don't know? You want to just float through the room, in and out of that focus.

[61:05]

Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about, old buddy. I don't know, just issued one set of portals and floated into the portals of other mortals. Portals, portals. [...] Even in a hundred-thousand-billion-club bus, I had years to see and listen to, to remember and accept. I admire the dictates, the truths, and the exactities of stories. Once upon a time, the great master Linji said to the monks, there is a true person of no rank always going out and in through the portals of your face.

[62:28]

Look. What is the person of no rank? Girl! Stop! Shit! Which corner were you using? Give that woman what?

[63:33]

Lots of money. She was given some money earlier today. I gave her some money on your behalf. I hope you'll forgive me and support me for giving away your money. That's true. Are there any left? You want some? You do? Okay. That's the third person. Got her. But you have to pay $110 to get money. Okay? Sure. I'll give you $177 if you give me $110. How's that? Yes. How are you, Jerry? So tough. So how's it going? How's the observation going?

[64:59]

Are you watching this person, this true person of no rank come in and out of your face? It's a man with rank. You saw one of them too? Would we recognize one without rank if we saw it? What did you say? Question? This is Family Feud. Come on. It's our face times. Sorry. Number one. Yeah. That why you're bragging? Mm-hmm. Would we? Hmm? Would we recognize? If you recognize, okay, then that's not what we're talking about.

[66:26]

Well, you should look though. But then can we answer the question if we're seeing? Did I say seeing or did I say looking? Did I say watching? Oh, you said watching. But how would we know if we were watching? a man with no rank if we couldn't recognize him or her? Well, you don't need to know. That isn't necessary. The question is, are you watching? So are you just being open to whatever? Are you watching? Not as much as I could be.

[67:32]

Somewhat. I'm thinking. Pardon? I'm thinking. Thinking. So you're thinking and watching, or just all thinking? Both, but it's hard to watch when I'm thinking. Well, you know what I would suggest? No. I would suggest you make your thinking watching. watch my thinking?

[68:36]

No. You said watching your thinking would be the same as just watching, okay? Okay. But I would say also make your thinking watching. Then you can watch more, right? You thought you could watch more, didn't you? If I wasn't thinking, I could watch more. Right, so make your thinking watching. So am I changing what I am thinking? No. You're changing what you're thinking all the time. But your thinking can be watching. Does that make sense to the other people in the room? Well, I asked her if she was watching. And she said she was somewhat, but she felt she could do it more.

[69:39]

She felt like she was also thinking, and she felt her thinking wasn't watching. So she felt her thinking was partial. I mean, her watching was partial, that it was being interspersed with thinking. So she felt she was watching and thinking. So I suggest that she make her thinking watching, and then she could be totally watching. Everything could be watching. Simultaneous. Hmm? Simultaneous. Simultaneous. Well, we're not talking about getting rid of the thinking, we're just talking about making the thinking be watching the same thing. Not making them the same, just making everything watching. And let the thinking be watching. Let everything you're doing be watching this true person go in and out of your face. And a true person of no rank, right? That's part of the reason why this true person can be always going in and out of your face, because this person doesn't have any rank.

[70:41]

And also, any kind of judgment or thinking you're doing can also watch this person. Can be the watching of this person. Not that that watches, but that could be the watching. How can you verify him if you don't realize him. To realize him means it has to be always. And if it's always, then if you think something's not watching, that has to be watching too. This is my logic I present to you. My logic comes from the logic of the case. If you have some other logic, please come forward. You're welcome to disagree if you do. Your first premise is that everything is watching? No. My first, my premise is, is not a premise. My first response is, in order to understand the always coming and going of this person, we have to always be witnessing that.

[71:53]

And therefore, if you feel like you're witnessing, if you're looking for it and being open to it some of the time, and you feel like you're doing something which is not open to it, I'm saying bring, gather that activity also into the activity of watching. If you're watching is like, if this is watching and that's not watching, then you need to make this into watching too, but not by pushing it over into something else, but understand that you can watch from your thinking. you can witness thinking too. Thinking can be the true person in and out of your face too. It is. It is, yeah. So we need to understand that so that we feel like we're always watching, so we can always witness, so we can experience what Linji is talking about, if we want to understand his teaching in this case. So witnessing your thinking. Witnessing your thinking, not making your thinking into watching.

[73:02]

No, you are witnessing your thinking. There is awareness of thinking. But don't discount thinking as not watching. That's what I'm saying. And you don't have to change the thinking over into watching. Just understand that thinking can be watching. Watching is not your idea of watching. Is awareness watching? Is he using awareness in watching? Or could he be using awareness in watching and changing it? He could, yeah. Does watching have an object? Well, in this case, what's the object? The object has no rank. Right? And the object's something that's always going in and out of your face. And this object is the true person. Okay? So, it's not an object. You just think it's an object. But if you think there's an object, that shouldn't, the object shouldn't hurt you.

[74:05]

What's the word for wreck? Position. Status. Marks. Distinction. Distinction. Characters. Characters. Yeah, all those things. But anyway, you know who this person is, right? It's always going in and out of your face. You know what this face is, right? You know what that face is. But let's not say the taboo word tonight. Let's just look for this true person that doesn't have any marks, that doesn't have any ranks. Let's just look for this person. Let's see if we can see this person, this true person, coming in and out through the portals of our face. What are the portals of your face, by the way? Eyes, your pores, your tongue, your nose, your ears.

[75:13]

It's coming in and out through all your senses all the time. Right? Let's witness this person. Let's look at this person. If you've already seen him, then let's hear about him. If you haven't seen him, then look. But don't look part-time, look full-time. And for now, Linji is not asking you to say anything or ask any further questions. He's just telling you, if you haven't met this face, then look. That's the instruction from the old, from the master. That's the instruction of this case. So, you know, I'm willing to go along with that instruction and start practicing that. Is everybody else willing to? Yes.

[76:26]

It seems that it vivifies the teaching of case 37. Yeah. And also the third person. Yeah. In this case, it's one of those cases where one can see that it makes sense that this case would follow the previous one. and gives another little foothold, which we shouldn't really have, but anyway, he is offering us another foothold into the practice of case 37. I mean, that's the way it seems to me. I don't know, does that make sense to you folks? When I hear those words, the two things that came up for me was the immutable knowledge, the ignorance is the immutable knowledge, when I heard your thinking and watching.

[77:41]

And also, what came up almost simultaneously is the spiritual, in the subtle round mouth, the spiritual works turn. I don't know if that resonates, but it seemed like that, making you thinking and watching. Is that... Right. Do you understand this, what you said? I don't understand the meaning of the first word actually she's using. I don't know how to pronounce it. Immutable? Yeah. Immutable? Yeah. Immutable means like mutation, like genetic mutation, means to change. Immutable means doesn't change. Okay? So the unchanging... immutable knowledge or the immutable wisdom of Buddha. Buddha's wisdom is always the same. What's happening, though, the ignorance is always manifesting in different ways.

[78:43]

This kind of ignorance, that kind of ignorance. Buddha's wisdom, though, is the radiance of ignorance. And it's the same light. All ignorance has the same light, which is Buddha's wisdom, which is a light of liberation. from whatever form of ignorance it is. But complete liberation is complete liberation. It doesn't vary. That's the immutable knowledge. And the immutable knowledge is the truth or the radiance of ignorance. So, in this case, coming in and out of your senses is ignorance, in a sense, ignorance. Sensation, which we're misconstruing, Missed sensations. Missed sensations, missensing. And so this material, as Sonja said, this material can turn back and forth between delusion and enlightenment.

[79:53]

So that's what the verse says, right? Delusion and enlightenment are opposite. subtly communicated with simplicity. They're opposite, but they're in relationship to each other. Is there a space in between them? There's no space in between them, no. They perfectly seal each other. Yes, Mark? When you asked if we wanted to live here, A picture I had of my mom was getting rid of furniture. How do you feel about that? I feel great about that. Did you talk to your wife about this? Oh, good. You know, Jeanette did her homework from this class on the way to the car a few weeks ago.

[80:57]

It's a good time to do your homework on the way to the car, because once you get in the car, you may stop doing your homework. So at least try to do your homework between now, between here and the car, or between here and your house, and then see how far into your house you can continue to do the homework. It's hard. But let's see. Let's tonight have the homework be how far can you get before you stop doing this homework. So do residents have an advantage here? No, because the point is, if you're leaving, you might be able to make it to the car. And then when you get in the car, can you keep practicing when you get into the car and close the door and start driving? Can you continue the practice? Residents are lucky to get out of the car. And so try to note how long you can practice. watching this true personal rank come in and out through the portals of your face.

[82:01]

See how long you can watch it after the class ends. And see if you can note the time when you lose it, when you can't stand to live here anymore. So Mark's going to maybe try to get all the way home to talk to his wife about it before he loses it. If you lose it before you get home, you don't have to talk to her about it. Okay, now, one thing I'd like to ask is that nobody talk to me after class. Okay, so I can make it easier for me to practice it, okay? I want to see if I can get home. Nobody talk to anybody. Yeah, let's have nobody tonight have nobody talk to anybody so everybody can see, just get a good start on this practice. And then... Henry wants to talk to Jennifer. Can I ask a question? Can I ask a question? Yes. Go ahead. Are we having a class next week to make up for the one we missed?

[83:05]

Since we missed a class while I was at Tassajara, we won't have one next week. No, don't you mean we will have one next week? David. See, I came here that night. And I had something to give you. We take away the hungry person. And grab him by the throat. We will not have a class next week. We won't. Unless you want to. Why is it the only time? Because the next week you'll be at Tassajara. The week after the session I won't be at Tassajara. I'll be here. When do the classes end? When do the classes end? By the way, are you people practicing right now? When does the class end?

[84:08]

Today. No, but I mean, when does the other classes end? This week. This week? So if we have a class after Sashin, does that count as a make-up class? Huh? Huh? Does it? Yeah. Everybody okay then? So we have a class after Sashin. That's the make-up class. What would that be? That would be June 6th. June 6th. So it's up to you folks to make this work between now and then. It's going to be a rough ride. See if you can make it to the parking lot or, you know, to your house. And then try to note when you lose it, when you stop practicing, when you get distracted. And then if you can note it then, see if you can pick it up again. Okay? And I may be able to work this into the session talks.

[85:13]

We'll see. Everybody all right? Everybody ready? Now what are we doing? We're looking, right? For this true person. of no rank, who's always coming in and out of the portals of our face. We're going to witness this person coming in and out of our face. Make our intention

[86:01]

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