I heard myself about to say that the practice of the Buddha Way starts with compassion. But I thought, well, I don't like to say the Buddha Way starts I think it's somewhat arbitrary to talk about the Buddha way starting and stopping. I was gonna say the Buddha way starts with compassion, but I think maybe I feel more appropriate to say the Buddha way is compassion. but actually it's not really compassion. It's just inseparable from compassion.

[01:02]

Maybe I could say its source is compassion, but it doesn't really have a source. Maybe I could say compassion is fundamental, but it doesn't have a fundamental. Anyway, we have to I feel we have to deal with compassion right away. Right away, not to say to start even, but this seems to be today, and today I think we have to start right now with compassion. And I hope that each of us, Stay close to compassion from now on. I may forget to remind myself and you to stay close to compassion every moment, all day long.

[02:25]

but maybe you can remember even if I forget. But I want to remember and I want everybody to remember to stay with the awareness of the great suffering in this world, the suffering of all things that are the slightest bit off from the middle way. And I personally use my body to remind me to practice compassion, or remind me to stay close to compassion.

[03:32]

My body is... Practicing with my body is a way for me to stay close to compassion. And the way that I focus on compassion is with my hand. when I'm sitting with my hand. And the way I focus with my hand is I put my hand in this mudra, this mudra we call the cosmic concentration mudra. which is I make an oval with my hand. And then I place my hand against my abdomen, below my navel, below the navel.

[04:55]

And I actually touch my small fingers, both of them, against my abdomen. I don't touch, I don't push hard, but I make a definite contact there so I can actually, my fingers can feel my robes against my abdomen, and my abdomen can feel my hand. Enough contact. And at that point is where I remember compassion. And I also remember the mudra. And if I don't remember, the way my body is, is that the contact, I lose the contact.

[05:58]

The hand moves away from the body. If I don't touch it, it doesn't automatically stay in touch. I have to be aware almost every moment to make that contact. I can't coast and just touch it and then go along for a little while without paying attention to that. And that's why I use the hands in this way, because I can't take a vacation from this attention. and have that contact. And this is something that I've been working with for more than 30 years.

[07:06]

When I first started sitting, I didn't do this. I didn't have the idea to touch the hands to the abdomen. I just put my hands in the mudra and just put them in my lap, which is fine. And that takes attention, too, to make the mudra, even if you set it in your lap or even if I set it in my lap. But I can make the mudra and set it in my lap, and the mudra can stay in the oval position, and I can sleep with my hands in the mudra. Not to mention I can drift away even if I'm not asleep. But I can't make the mudra and touch my abdomen and go to sleep. I haven't got to that point yet. I can put my hands in this mudra, I can sit up straight, and I can forget about compassion.

[08:15]

It's possible. I can even keep my hands in contact with my abdomen and forget about compassion. But if I'm that alert, if I'm alert enough to touch my abdomen in that state of alertness, it's not a lot more work for me to remember compassion. I can also have my hands in my lap and make this mudra and think of compassion and remember compassion and practice compassion, I can do it. But I still am drifting away from my body. So the combination of moment-by-moment attention with the practice of compassion is what I would like to realize.

[09:22]

If I'm completely present, although I might not be practicing compassion, it's not difficult to do so. If I try to practice compassion and I'm not present, who knows what's going on, because there's not presence. So I recommend you try to be completely present at the point where your hands touch your abdomen. And if you find it difficult to be present at that point of your hands and your abdomen moment by moment, I share that difficulty with you. It's very difficult for me, too, and continues to be. But I find that that state of mind, that state of presence, moment by moment, is the way I want to be when I meet myself in all beings.

[10:37]

I'm amazed how well some people do this. I watch their posture and see them with their hand there, moment after moment, hour after hour. So some people are really gifted that way. For me, it's a struggle. It's really hard. to keep that contact, to keep awake there. And I find that the rest of my body naturally wakes up if I'm awake there.

[12:00]

The rest of my body is awake if I'm awake there. But if I'm not awake to that point, I'm not awake at that point. Part of me is not present. So I guess it's like I'm emphasizing the most difficult point, and if I take care of the most difficult point, the easier attentions line up. It is not exactly a coincidence, but you could call it a coincidence that the place that I'm talking about, this place below the navel, just happens to be at the center of gravity of the body. If you sit cross-legged, the center of gravity just happens to be right where your hands are, when your hands are touching your abdomen below your navel. So,

[13:08]

In one sense, of course, it's reasonable that it's good to focus at the actual physical center of your body, which is this point. And also, it's, to me, reasonable that the center is the hardest place to focus, because there's only one center. There aren't ten, there's just one. But there's infinite number of other places So being at the center, that's it. And all kinds of distractions in the universe are whizzing around the center. So it's the best place to focus. It's the central place, but it's the most intense place. And everywhere else is easier because you can just jump from place to place.

[14:18]

But this is the same place every moment of your life. All day long, it remains your center. Even when you're standing up, it's still your center of gravity. You're standing up straight. The most important thing is that you own your own body.

[15:23]

That you own your whole own body. Nobody else owns it. Nobody else can own it. If you own it, you're doing your job. All day long you've got a body. Do you own it? Do you own it? Do you confess it? Do you own up to it? Do you take responsibility for it? This is most important. If you don't own your own body, the treasury of true Dharma eyes will bounce off you because you're bouncing off your body.

[16:31]

If you own your body 100%, the treasury of true Dharma eyes will settle itself at your center. will sink deeply into you because you're not running away from your body. As our loving ancestor Dogen said, The study of the way with the body means to study with your own body. To study the way with your own body means to study the way using this lump of red flesh.

[17:42]

The body comes forth from the study of the way. The body is coming forth from the study of the way. Everything in the universe comes forth from the study of the way. Everything that comes forth from the study of the way is the true human body. When the great Master Ma was about to die, the superintendent of the monastery came and said, Master, how's your body?

[19:21]

Master Ma said, sun-faced Buddha, moon-faced Buddha. How's your body, sun-faced Buddha, moon-faced Buddha? One time I asked my wife, why did you marry me? And she said, for your body. Then she said, your Buddha body, of course.

[20:35]

I got a body, you got a body. Everybody's got to have a body. But there's only one body that's for me, and that's the good old Buddha body. Please take care of your body as the Buddha body. Please take care of the Buddha body as your body. Please. This is the study of the way. Please make this mudra of the Buddha's cosmic concentration with your own hands and place it against your own abdomen, below your own navel. moment after moment, and practice the Buddha way, staying in touch with great compassion every, or I should say, each moment.

[22:05]

You do this for the welfare of this world. This will take care of Buddha's body. This will manifest Buddha's body. this will realize the Buddha way. And it's very difficult to practice this way. But not impossible. Just start with one moment. This moment. And again. And if you slip, confess, and go back to taking care of all beings through practicing with your own body, taking care of this lump of red flesh. Thank you for listening to my request.

[23:20]

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