me

check check

i brought some
chinese calligraphy
brought to previous classes
this
chinese calligraphy
can be translated as
deep faith
cause and effect
easily be translated as deep faith in cause and effect
and it's am
it's the name of up
essay written by
the ancestor
have this
of this lineage named a hey dogan
he wrote this towards the end of his life
towards the end of his life he more clearly and literally
i was
expressing deep faith
an
causation
deep faith in the teachings of buddhism buddhist teaching of causation
the faith that the buddha's teaching is about causation
and deep faith
that
studying meditating
understand causation
is very important

it is not so common in on my overview of zen literature it's not so common to hear sen
then people saying
that
understanding causation is

the central
but
i think that the my understanding is a dog and i was of that view at least for part of his life
that understanding dependent core rising understanding causation
was essential
and in
in the early buddhist teachings seems to me and certainly now in
ha
the the way the buddhism is taught and studied in southeast asia in the terror and tradition
it is more common for them to explicitly say
that
dependent arising is a important teaching
or one of the most important teachings or the most important teaching of the buddha
at the pinnacle rising of course is very closely related to the to the reality and teaching of impermanence
and also it is said quite commonly that
if we do not understand dependent core rising
that we will be more or less
stressed out
and if we do understand dependent arising
we will be at ease
and free
within the reality of the pinnacle rising
not that there is no other realities independent dependent arising there's not some there's no place on to live
there's no things that
exist that aren't dependent ryzen

so some of you already have this piece of calligraphy if you'd like another one you may have it and if you don't have one you're also welcome to come and
receive one
at lunch at gringotts today i overheard the head of guess program saying something about
how about something
and i said
what are you talking about
it turns out what she was talking about which i suspected
was that they may they've made now shirts with this calligraphy on it
ah to sell on the green got your office
tatar are also the same person who's now and green gulch was the one who got
the toss hard teacher is going to touch her
but now it's going to have said instead of saying toss har on the sleeve is gonna say green gulch green oaks farm
which my grandson will actually be very happy love does he wants a green sh t shirt

also i have a a reading list and extensive reading list
how about dependent arising
though i thought this dish is reading this should be expanded
and the book called being upright should be added to the list
because being upright has a chapter
a kind of introductory chapter on to pinnacle rising
someone to add
i'm being upright to this reading rest upon
the pinnacle rising
ha
i in my view is that i cannot see causation
ah my individual consciousness and certainly my sense consciousness cannot see cause and effect
the you know the fleshy i can see an event followed by an event followed by an event
in some people think that
this
moment is the cause of the next moment
which to some extent his true
but you can't see this moment
followed by the next moment
you can actually see that you can see
a particular object in this moment followed by an object and next moment so we can actually see causation causation is not something or in my view of causation is not something seen or understood by sense consciousness
so it's deep faith in causation means
various things that i mentioned
but part of would be that we would be paying attention to are remembering are being mindful that causation is important and at the same time now
i'm suggesting that you you're aware of something that you can't see
or rather year you're a directing your attention towards something you can't see
everything you see is a dependent core arising
but seeing a thing that's a the pinnacle rising is not the same as same the pentacle rising
say it again
everybody you see is a dependent core rising but seeing a dependent core ryzen doesn't mean that you see the pinnacle arising
to see what is has dependently core reason is not the same as seeing the pinnacle arising
so we will see dependent core rising with a wisdom i and the wisdom i is not an individual consciousness
and yet the wisdom i
can eliminate individual consciousness which is important to individual consciousnesses that they'd be illuminated
also i said this before i say again the buddha said
one who sees dependent core rising seas the dharma
one who sees the dharma sees me the buddha
but again that seeing the tenant quarter rising is not something that we are
see with our sense consciousness
so how do we see it
so that's what i
as part of
what i mean
what to explore with you and i started last week by suggesting
ah
being silent and still
he is i think seems to me
essential essential for understanding
this central teaching of the buddha's
and also i said earlier silent and still
present and ready
for
i said whatever comes whatever i can also say present and ready silent and still present and ready to meet
silence and stillness
so the pinnacle rising is silent and still
but it is also
silence and stillness
so we can practice the ritual of silence and stillness
to make ourselves available present and accountable present and available to meet silence and stillness
to meet the panic arising
so another song which can be changed slightly is
sigh land lie eight whole me lie
all is calm all is bright
in this case it's referring to dependent or arising
the pinnacle arising is a silent
i'm moving
light
the pinnacle rising is the light
of all things
and this light is of course bright
and as silent and it's still
which of course is the same
as the buddha
the buddha of each thing
is it beauty
is is dependent arising
and this beautiful the panic or arising
this beautiful brilliant the pentagon rising up everything of each thing
his silent and still
and i'm proposing that we practice being silent and still has the first step
and we act which we repeat over and over moment by moment we do the same practice of
silent and still to meet
the dharma to meet the buddha to meet the pinnacle arising
i may not say that every moment to you but i'm saying that i'd suggest
thing that every moment we practice that way
if we wish to make ourselves available to the to the to the dharma and to the buddha
so remembering to be silent and still is similar to remembering to return to buddha and returned to dharma
and of course returned to sanga because tonga is the community which is dependently core rising together
huh
so not another step deeper into
this meeting
i guess i'll just use the word concentration
ha i would guess that the you're not you that maybe you're not surprised that are silence and stillness might be a place in which concentration could be developed
that makes sense to you
even if someone singing or playing the piano or dancing
maybe it makes sense to you
that if they were silent and still as there were singing
that that would go with them being really concentrated while they're singing is that makes sense
and of course we're in a yoga space or the same with yoga you're doing these postures but
silently an immovable
and i'm not and then everything changes and there's another posture
a different posture even if it has the same name
here in this context of learning this teaching and
realizing the boot away
the postures that we assume are not just for the health benefits of the posture
when we were using a posture to first of all
be silent and still with that posture to use that posture to be silent and still
and we're using that posture
as an opportunity to open to ah
the truth
so we might we might start now
ah a life where we are going to try to remember
in the midst of oliver activity
in the midst of all of our
singing and dancing
in the midst of all of our crying and shouting
in each moment to be silent and still
so that no more no matter what the rising there's a possibility to meet the light
of wisdom the light of truth in the moment
and not concentrate on this
concentrate on this but what i mean by concentrate is not so much that you focus on this
try to like
limit yourself to it but rather now in addition to silence
and stillness
we now open and unite
with
the world
open a new night to our whole environment
and then
that's concentration so silent stillness and now concentration
and our environment
is our whole environment is
all the conditions and causes that give rise to us
all the things in the world we depend on
is our environment our environment is all the things we depend on so now we're going to
open to this
world which is now opening to dependent horizon
we're opening to the world were opening to dependent or arising and we're opening to the dependent core rising of the world
and we're opening to the world of dependent arising
so the gesture in silence stillness presence
openness
an openness which is allowing
our unification
silence stillness and now concentration on dependent arising
not necessarily thinking of the word dependent cauterizing not necessary thinking of the were the word dharma although you can
you can think of the word wall the word sealing the word dharma
the expression dependent horizon rising anything that anything that comes up your open to it
but being open to anything that comes up i would say major opened to the pinnacle rising
being opened to part of what's coming up
he's not appropriate to opening to causation
opening to part of what's going on are noticing part of what's going on is our usual way of seeing things
like empty john's face now nice steps face
nice the marshes face
i don't see everybody's face at once
and when i see one face after another or one room after another or one life after another this is the kind of seeing where i don't see the pinnacle rising
so the place i see the pennant or arising is to open to everything which is means i'm not opening just to what i can see
and of course i'm not opening to what i like among what i see
only or what i dislike among what i smell or hear
i'm basically just concentrating which means i'm basically open to my whole environment
silence and stillness will help me
dare to open
two more than i can hear smell touch taste or think
but including everything i hear smell touch taste
see and think open to all that
but more more open and and more united with more than that
here are some of you have been already heard and recited
i text also by this a person who wrote this essay on deep faith and cause and effect door again
ah he uses he says that the true path
he says now all buddhas and all ancestors have made it the true path of enlightenment to sit upright
in the midst of
ah self-fulfilling awareness but more literally is in the midst of
self fulfilling concentration
a concentrated awareness of receiving and employing a self
and so again he doesn't use the term but to me i'm sure my view is he could have said hall now all buddhas and all ancestors have made it to true path of enlightenment to sit upright in the midst of concentrate
eating on causation
what causation the causation of receiving itself
from the whole world and giving herself to the whole world concentrating on that is the true path of enlightenment
so here again i'm proposing that this zen ancestor is teaching concentration on dependent core arising with that expression and at that
i think everyone would agree practically that that is the central meditation of soto zen and their words the central meditation of soto zen is concession
and
for each of us the causation of herself
and
how the world is caused by us how we are based on the world and the world is based on us this is the central zen meditation of this tradition
and yeah so and i have faith in this tradition and the the meditation practice for this tradition and i have in some ways more faith in it now that i that i feel that it's actually so
in also non-sectarian
okay
so that's the next step
gay
this is the concentration step
in the process of
entering into not so much in the process of you or me understanding independent pinnacle arising
but the process of you and me entering into the realm of understanding and living there
and the price of admission
do the realm of the silent light of the dharma
his silence and stillness
and the next thing yet to pay his concentration you have to pay attention to concentration
and it would be good
if we can learn to do this every moment
including during times when you're taking a break from it do it
learn to do it when you're not doing it
because the you know the whole world's depending on you to get with this program
otherwise you're a stress factor for innumerable beings
and you shall be forgiven for that if you ever happened to forget to practice the buddhist forgive you and feel compassion for us when we forget to be silent and still
tracy
thank you thank you

ah
well if it's a middle step i would suggest you make it a middle and our next step
and then with you angry and yeah and then if and then if you can do that is usually just put on this would unfortunately
the open up the possibility of of a perpetually postponed anger
so if you kept practicing his way you might never get to be angry again
but you have your past anger
sorry you know there isn't like he didn't get a chance
you know you've you've lived
ready

yeah yeah yeah you wouldn't do if you if if you introduce you will not be able to do anything anymore
however you will have your activity you enter into a realm of understanding of much greater activity
then and in beating can conceive of you will enter into inconceivable activity
inconceivable unlimited vitality
an unlimited function
but no more you get to know more you doing anything because i was always just an illusion

heart of concentration is is giving up
if you're holding on you're not really open

the when might we have come for the microphone
what problem with microphone have with the wind
the large low rumbling problem
you think large low rumbling as a problem
my my face the microphone my think so wow
you've got quite a microphone with you
ha

if anyone listens to this recording
you now know what the problem is somebody is fanning you
and this fantasy this fan is fanning the dharma into your marrow of your bones
the let it come with that will let that low rumbling come in to you
open to it
even though you probably can't hear me because of the rumbling
great activity

you can good
yeah silence stillness concentration and you enter into this great activity
you can still perhaps is still my able to see some activity
occasionally
and if you do
it would be good to be silent and still with it because then you'd be more ready to accept responsibility share the responsibility for the activity you see
yes fran

why i proposed again last week i
propose that
that the movement comes and goes sound comes and goes
the appearance of arising and ceasing
there is the appearance of arising and ceasing
there is appearance of of things dancing with each other
and the way this is actually happening this dance is it this dance is occurring
in silence and stillness
that's where the dance is occurring
the dance of the pinnacle arising in the world
which includes all all visions of movement and stillness our visions of stones all appearances of stillness
like a music you have got rests you have music you ever rest
so in music to others like rhett there's movement and their stillness and in movement there's movement and stillness
but that kind of movement and stillness that dance occurs in unconstructive song stillness and silence
you get you heard i saying you guess what
you can't conceptualize how workshop or even if you did conceptualized hot work tear and scripted to some satisfaction that would be a conception of it
dependent core rising is inconceivable it is beautiful
and it is inconceivable beauty i would suggest you also the beauty is inconceivable
you can conceive of it but the conception of it is not the beauty
light also is inconceivable
so this this thing he is inconceivable this this actuality of how we live is inconceivable
it can manifest as appearances of movement and still and stillness and appearances of of sound and quiet
and also as again the zen zen teacher dogan says all this up all this dependent rising this beautiful dance that everything's doing with each other with itself
it does not appear within perception
perception occurs within it
but it doesn't occur within perception
the dance of all things
the perception occurs there and the the appearance and disappearance of perceptions occurs in silence and stillness and this is not the yeah so that we do not perceive the pinnacle arising
but the understanding of dependent arising is accessible
because we're living in it
the question is how can we make ourselves available to it
how can we predict make ourselves present to what it presenting itself to us
hey
ah well
we understand it by when were kind to each other we understand our kindness
it's not me but is not me being kind or me thinking i'm kind
but why not but the kindness of us when our kindness is the understanding of this our compassion is the understanding of this so compassion is not a person
but his compassion something that lives among people sometimes
when there's cat compassion and loving kindness among people than this teaching this reality is manifested in the relationships
and you can then you can think oh i understand when this compassion that that that the that compassion understands
the kind of girl rising
but that thinking is not the compassion
and itself we practice loving kindness and compassion
where manifesting this reality
i mean not we are we are giving ourselves to a practice of loving kindness and compassion in that practice
his manifesto the pinnacle horizon is manifesting
on constructed as and stillness
compassion
isn't moving
compassion isn't talking
compassion is the radiant way that talking and moving are happening
so i didn't say this but not another approach to the study his practice loving kindness and compassion every moment towards all beings
that's another way
but still i would suggest that if you're practicing compassion that you might also simultaneously be silent and still
you can talk to people but simultaneously be silent and still you can say
may i help you do need something
and if there's compassion in that question
how bottle of silence and stillness along with it
that's not going to hurt the compassion
how about opening
the what's happening that's not going to hurt the compassion
how about being compassionate towards all beings that's not gonna hurt and are reopening
so the opening
and the compassion and the silence and stillness they understood that's what understands this teaching
so that it's how it's how we can practice so that we will open to the teaching and and enter the teaching
and the way we open and enter it is the way we understand it's not the way i understand it's the way the practice i give myself to understand the practices the understanding
not me and i don't have to understand but i can give myself to a practice which understands and i can give myself sometimes one hundred percent and as where there's nothing left over all there is the practice and know me left over and yet i'm completely taken care of
and that and that is the and that is the understanding at that moment
of the of the dharma of the buddha up the pinnacle horizon
you can even speak rather loudly and be silent and still
and all the noise
are all the little quiet murmurs that we make i'm suggesting the all occur within silence and stillness
but if we don't
you know
practice silence and stillness
we might not realize the silence and stillness if we don't practice being silent and still we might not realize the sounds the stillness
in which all events are
dependently cauterizing rising together so we kind of have we have to give herself to to practice
and we kind of have a self to give so it's quite convenient
jeff i was wondering

when you say about playfulness
years

a manifestation of the pentateuch arising yeah
yeah
yeah so you're suggesting that playfulness is a manifestation independent girl rising i agree
and i'm so i also agree that compassion is playful
compassion is generous it's com
it's
gentle it's flexible
it's relaxed even relaxed with pain
and it's playful
and it's open
it it applies to the compassion i'm talking about applies to everything
and playfulness also i would suggest is when you're kind of open to everything
you could have
partial plate at playfulness or your play with just some people but not people
but the real playfulness this is where you actually going to play even with the limit of who you play with
i don't play with those people but i'm just kidding
i really do know
huh i appreciate that the
how we practice sounds and stillness last week and
at least part of the time
and so on this week i'd like to add to the sounds and stillness or this is being silent and still add to that being concentrated
being open to our whole environment
open to being intimate and unified with it
nancy

suddenly i was in berkeley
well i'm glad you made it
i think i thank all the buddhas and bodhisattvas for getting your hair
huh
is this isn't something more that to be expressed he he he became coffee became

yeah i don't know how it happened either i'm actually i don't know how anything happens
we don't know how things happen actually that's part of the outrageous that ness of this class
is that you're coming here to hear that you that we do not know how things happen
we have theories
and
in the sense our theories some of our theories i think the buddha would say that right
that's right it's it's right what you said but that's not actually how it happens even though you're right so if you say everything happens depending on things other than herself for that's correct
but that statement three then i just expressed isn't actually it just words it's not actually what the words are referring to
that is
utterly inconceivable
yeah
ha and
so that's what i think
and that's what i sometimes act like
and and that's how things even seem to me
or yeah
so anyway i hope you get home tonight so you can come back next week and tell us what's next week's like and the other amazing things that happen
yes elaine

yeah you could say that who
but i would even say that any movement you make actually doesn't even have a beginning
for it the restarted it starts from beginning less time in other words he starts from from beginning was it began at beginning this time
ah
it did not begin now
the oliver actually is that you don't have beginnings dependent cold water rising is a teaching to help us understand that there's no beginning or end to our life
beginnings and ends are imputations which human beings put on a life which doesn't which transcends beginnings and ends
some animals do not
no think that their life has a beginning or an end
they do not conceive of them
little babies for example they're pretty cute aren't they they're pretty adorable but they don't think they are a beginning in an end
they have some other delusions but they don't have that when you that to learn that one
they think the only universe
but they don't think they were beginning and in but they learn how to do that how to think that and then suddenly there seems to be one
they're active
but they don't
they don't think the way they were later think
michelle
when he said
faith
i didn't feel i don't know be dead but he's talk like he did and he wrote a fast go about it
somewhere
we see

you

i didn't say an causation i i just said no i just oh okay
the there is causation but no beginning
yeah so part of this is there is no cause of causation so as one of things about buddhism we don't have a causer of the causation
there there are other religious traditions were say that there's a cause of causation that's something set causation in motion buddhism says
no can you won't be able to find a cause of causation
there's no fundamental
underlying this causation process
how doesn't need to be
whether there's a fundamental or not if you don't understand the causation process
trouble and if you do understand it
it's wonderful
but understanding it does turn out to entail that you understand that there's no cause
it's no beginning of causation
however there is a call the causation of beginnings
you know beginning to appear in those causation of them but their illusions you never will you'll never be able to find a beginning or an end
for example of yourself
and that's it that's another buddhist exercise is see if you can find the beginning of yourself of the end of yourself
and if you look and verify that you can't find it that turns out often to be very helpful
and it's a very closely related exercise too
silence is dullness and concentration
hi i had this
you appear to me
my mind makes a peer makes the appearance of you all being
very deep deeply considering the situation he looks like you're contemplating something really deep
needs or something deep or you're contemplating deeply i did you look like
i hope you are
i hope i am
and i pray that that you will be able to continue to deeply consider
this thing you can't see
and the way to consider it so far i'm suggesting is just keep returning to silence and stillness
that's cutting gear ratio a book that's and he write the book but one of cut category his first book is called returning to silence isn't it
i'm suggesting
return to silence and stillness
and
concentrate
be open
in the midst of that slap in the midst of being silent still be open to silence and stillness because that's where the dharma is happening
be silent and still an open to great
compassion and loving kindness compassionate loving kindness happens in the openness of silence and stones
steph
we don't understand why you say so
wonderful
position
i don't know i'm just a kind of a puppet of of this program and i be i'm being made to talk like that i don't know why i don't know why i'm talking like that but i'm i moved and created to say that the pentagon arising is
beautiful beyond any idea of beauty
and it's just kind of like the best medicine for all problems
somehow that's why i'm that's what i'm talking and it's nine o'clock

don't forget your party favors if you want them
here
is the most intelligent