Now as we enter into this rohatsu session, the session which celebrates the Buddha's enlightenment, the enlightenment of the Buddhas, We also are coming to the close of a period of practice of about two months. Many people have entered this session who have not been participating in the fall practice period. and I want to try to integrate the newcomer's process that's been going on.

[01:02]

One story I could tell is that at the beginning, around the beginning of the practice period, actually I brought up what is the point of Zen practice. And I suggested that the point of Zen practice is enlightenment. Beginning of the practice period, I offered this suggestion. at the point, or you could also say the goal of Zen practice is enlightenment. And now we come to celebrate the Buddha's enlightenment at the end. And then I also asked rhetorically, what is enlightenment?

[02:12]

and again suggesting that enlightenment is helping others. Which when I hear that and I got the feedback from others that when they hear that they like that way of talking about enlightenment. Enlightenment is helping others. Helping others then I again suggest helping others is understanding that others are ourself. Understanding that others are ourself helps others, and that's of the Buddha way. Now, it just occurred to me a moment ago as I was bowing, if one understood that others were oneself and then one lived from that understanding, expressed that understanding through all of your actions throughout the day, well, that would be what I just said is the point.

[03:39]

What is, would you go to a Zen center then and practice with a group of people. I don't know if you would. You might practice anywhere. Interacting with beings, expressing to them the understanding that they are yourself. Teaching them to understand that others are themselves. Teaching them how to help others. Maybe Zen centers are for people who are trying to learn this, who are studying this teaching and trying to learn and understand this simple but in some ways difficult to thoroughly understand teaching that others are self. It seems like most people naturally are born

[04:49]

thinking that, in a way, thinking that others, in the sense that they own others, and everybody's there to serve them. And then later they find out that there's some debate about this, and then they start to be not so sure about who they own, and start to think more deeply that others are not themselves and become afraid and violent, etc. So we have a Zen center. There's a practice of sitting here, which we do, and also walking and working. studying teachings and interacting in the Zen Center.

[05:58]

Supposedly, I think some people might again say that the point of the Zen Center is helping others. How is the practice here helping others? How is it helping those who are practicing here to understand the teaching that others are our self. So when we come to the Zen Center and we start to practice, we then hear teachings about the practice, and maybe you can see that some of the teachings we hear about the practice are potentially going to help us understand that others are our self. When most people come to Zen Center to practice meditation, or a lot of people do come to Zen Center to practice meditation, we have like beginner's meditation instruction given on Saturdays in the city center, on Sundays here.

[07:18]

I think it's ...instruction in meditation or beginner's meditation instruction. People come to learn to meditate. Doctors recommend meditation to people who have heart problems and so on. So people, a lot of people are wanting to learn to practice meditation. So we teach them how to sit and so on at these meditations. And then you come into a sesshin, and in the morning of the first day, like today, you make a text. And the name of the text is, in English, Universal Encouragements for the Ceremony of Sitting Meditation. You may be heard this morning that the zazen that I speak of is not just learning meditation.

[08:30]

It's not just learning how to concentrate. It's not just learning how to take care of your body and mind. Although, what we're doing here is being mindful of our body and mind, taking care of our body and mind. Sashin is a good time to really be mindful of how you care for your body and mind. Actually, to be mindful of caring for your body and mind. Each moment is a good moment to care for your body, care for your mind. Take care. Again, at each moment, we have an opportunity to take care of our body and mind. But the zazen I speak of is not just taking care of your body and mind.

[09:35]

It completely includes that. The zazen I speak of is simply the dharmagate of nirvana. So while you're caring for your body and mind, and we all hope you do, there's a practice available in the midst of caring for your body and mind, a practice which is the gate of nirvana. It is simply the gate of repose and bliss. There is a practice which is totally culminated in enlightenment. That's also going on. So while you're caring for your body and mind, and once again, please do, there's a practice being offered to you by this school. It's the practice of totally culminated in enlightenment.

[10:37]

And while you're caring for your body and mind, each moment, you can make the carrying of your body and mind into a ceremony. A ceremony which is a totally culminated enlightenment. So this is another major point being raised during this practice period and now during the Sashim, that enlightenment is equivalent to nail performance. Once again, taking care of your body and mind, you have your seat, you have your place.

[11:44]

I need to take care of this body and mind. I need to pay attention to this body and mind in order to be here to do the ceremony. Now I'm here. Now you are sitting taking care of your body and mind. And now there is a practice which is the practice of helping others, the practice of understanding yourself, the practice of nirvana. I make this body-mind a ceremonial offering which is equivalent to enlightenment.

[12:49]

I perform together with you the ceremony which is equivalent to enlightenment. What I'm doing now, and if you join in this practice, is maintaining the essential Buddha way. And maintaining the essential working of the Buddha way is none other than ritually performing the Buddha way. This talking, this sitting, is a talking and a sitting which fills the entire universe.

[13:58]

That's the kind of sitting it is. It's a sitting which fills the entire universe. And it is a sitting that is filled by the entire universe. This is the sitting which is the same practice and the same enlightenment as all beings. This is the sitting which I speak of. This is the sitting which is understanding. Practice is the same practice as your practice. that others' enlightenment is the same enlightenment as your enlightenment. And now, one, two, three, this sitting is this, and the same enlightenment as all beings.

[15:04]

This sitting realizes enlightenment. This sitting realizes others are myself. That's what the sitting is for. I have a sitting, you have a sitting, I give your sitting and my sitting away. I give it to enlightenment. I give your sitting to helping others. to the understanding that others are yourself. Every moment I'm sitting, I have a gift to give. I'm not using my sitting to get anything. I'm using my sitting as a gift to the actual practice here. I'm giving my sitting to the Dharma gate of repose and bliss.

[16:10]

Of course, when we're walking, we can give our walking to helping others. Give our walking to understanding others are ourself. These other people we're walking with who are tailgating us, these people who are in front of us, who have a huge space in front of them, these people have the same practice and the same enlightenment as us. I give myself to that practice now. Doing walking meditation, every step unfolds the practice of the Buddha.

[17:13]

In other words, every step is the ceremonial of the essential working of the Buddha way. I must be present and careful of my steps in order to participate in the ceremony. Now that I'm present, Here we can enter this ceremony. We can enter it every moment. We can realize the understanding which helps this world. We can realize the understanding that others are ourselves in this simple of totally culminated enlightenment, totally culminated understanding others are ourself. Once again, we will have things to take care of this week.

[18:30]

We'll be taking care of others, will be taking care of self. Sometimes it may be rather difficult. Each one of these moments is equally wholeness of practice, equally wholeness of enlightenment. Perform that, otherwise it will not be realized. Well, what about if the other people perform it? Then will it be realized? Yes. But we can join it. It is being performed. Beings are performing the Buddha way and realizing the Buddha way, and we can join it. And that's the practice of this school. In our ceremony of Zazen, in our ceremony of the Buddha way, the form of what we're doing and the form of sitting, which we're doing, and the actual living, sitting Buddha are inseparable.

[20:11]

And the Buddhas have transmitted the teaching of the Heart Sutra to tell us that this is so, that this is possible. Our sitting and the ultimate truth are inseparable. The forms we're doing and their emptiness are inseparable. So we are performing the Heart Sutra. We can perform the Heart Sutra. Every pain and pleasure we have is inseparable from emptiness. Every form we take is inseparable from the Buddha's form. We can perform the ceremony which enacts that moment after moment. enlightenment is helping others.

[21:53]

And it is equivalent to performing the Buddha way of helping others. One might be ready to intend and perhaps vow that every action in this session is the ceremonial performance of helping others. That every action of body is given to the ceremony of helping others. and, of course, receiving their help. Every action of body, speech, and mind exposes the Buddha's seal, the Buddha's seal of helping others and being helped by others.

[23:09]

Every action of body, speech and mind is expressing the Buddha seal, which is others are ourself. And ourself is others. If one were practicing like this and one forgot, or one couldn't, or one was unwilling and resisting, like, this person is not myself. This action right now does not express that this person I'm looking at is myself. I can't make my thought that they're not myself. of the teaching that they are myself.

[24:24]

I can't do it. I'm holding on to the idea that they're not me. I resist making this thought that they're not me. And offering this thought this mind which thinks they're not me, offering that to the performance that they are me. I still have this idea that they're not me. I don't have to lose it. I just make it the performance that they are myself. I can still be a deluded, selfish person and make this deluded self one who's performing the ceremony of this other person who I do not feel devoted to is myself.

[25:38]

no matter how stupid we are, if we can be mindful of how stupid we are and be present with that stupidity, we can perform the ceremony which is enlightenment. We can realize the living Buddha way no matter what's going on, if we can be present with it. If you by any chance look at someone and think, I'm happy to give my life for this person, I think they are myself.

[26:59]

They're who I really am. That's a very wholesome thought. Now there's an opportunity to make that wholesome thought also the ceremonial performance of enlightenment. not just a wholesome thought, but this wholesome thought is expressing the Buddha's seal that others are myself. So again, no matter how skillful or unskillful the thoughts are, no matter what actions of body, speech, and mind, they can be given to the practice. which is simply the Dharmaget. I've totally culminated in enlightenment. I'm still surprised, happily surprised, surprised to be happy to hear myself say to you that enlightenment is equivalent to ceremonial performance.

[29:23]

And if you're surprised, I'm happy for you.

[29:39]

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