So we recently were studying case 46, and I felt like case 46, I'll leave that to you to come back on something with that one. And case 47 is up after case 46 because we go in chronological order here. So case 47 is called Zhaozhou Cypress Tree. Galen made some copies of this case.

[01:10]

If you need copies of the case, could you raise your hand? Eileen, can I talk to you after class?

[02:17]

Can I talk to you after class, please? Everybody got a copy that needs one now? Thank you. You're welcome. So this story is... You can have a hard time with the story if you want to.

[03:30]

It offers an opportunity for great frustration, if you wish, But just let me tell you, before you even look at it, that you can go home tonight after this class with a content heart. Matter of fact, you can go home right now with a content heart. On the other hand, if we try to get anything out of this story, or out of our life, we're going to have a problem.

[04:37]

And you may not know that if you try to get something out of your life you're going to have a problem, but you can find out very quickly if you try to get something out of this story that you'll have a problem. I think it's good to approach this story from the point of view that you're already a success. At least for today. At least on Monday. I don't know about tomorrow. And it's not that I don't care about tomorrow. It's just that I think it's better not to. Just be concerned maybe for this evening. Now, if you're a success, particularly if you're a success as a, what do you want to say, Zen student, or Zen comrade, or Zen woman, or Zen man, or Zen master, if you're a success, then you might very well want to spend your time, at least part of your time, studying stories like this.

[06:02]

I guess some of you are here just on a week visit to Green Gulch, you may not even be considering whether you're a success at practicing Buddhism or anything like that, so such kind of talk may seem strange to you, but for the rest of you, I'm sure, success or failure at practicing Buddhism is a thought that is now crossing your mind, or it just crossed, or perhaps it's stuck now somewhere. Anyway, it is very important to be successful at practicing the Buddha way. Because if you're not successful, that means you're just miserable and a troublemaker. Whereas if you are successful, you're happy and helpful, skillful and kind in this world, and using the opportunity of being a human being well. So let's be successful and study this case, shall we?

[07:09]

Successful ones? Here's the introduction. The cypress tree in the yard. The windblown flag on the pole. It's like one flower bespeaking the boundless spring. like one drop telling the water of the ocean. Do you understand that? Just a slight footnote for some of you that are not familiar with Zen stories. There's a famous Zen story about two great masters in our tradition. No, excuse me, they weren't great masters. Two bums in our tradition who were looking at a flag blowing in the wind. And they were arguing.

[08:12]

And one of them said, I think it's the flag that's moving. The other one said, no, I think it's the wind that's moving. And they asked their teacher, well, which is it? The teacher said, it's the mind that's moving. And then later, one of the disciples of that teacher, about a thousand years later, said, it's not the wind that's moving, it's not the flag that's moving, and it's not the mind that's moving. It's the moving that's moving. That's the story being referred to here. That story about the flag is like a drop of water. What does it do? It tells you about the ocean. And this story here about Cypress Tree is like a flower that tells you about the boundless spring. Now, I don't mean to be rude. I just want you to know that if you didn't get goosebumps when I said that, you probably should leave.

[09:18]

Should I say it again, just to give you one more chance? Well, the ancient Buddhas, born periodically, go far beyond the ordinary current in this ocean. Not falling into words and thought. Can you understand, how do you understand verbally? Okay? A monk asked Jiaojiao, what is the meaning of the patriarchs coming from the West? What is the meaning of Bodhidharma coming from the West? Again, you know what that means? That means about this... One of our ancestors, Bodhidharma, came from India to... came west. Is that what it says in that?

[10:18]

In our copy it's... Huh? In our copy it's, what is the living meaning of Chan? Yeah. Well, the regular thing says, what's the meaning of the patriarch, Bodhidharma, coming from the west? Coming from the West means in China you look West. India is in the West, right? From China. So when they say coming from the West, they mean coming from India. What's the meaning of the Bodhidharma, the 28th ancestor in our lineage coming from India? What's the meaning of that? That can be translated or paraphrased as what's the meaning of Zen? Or what's the meaning of Buddhism? Okay? Okay? And Giorgio says, the cypress tree in the garden. Actually, he said jardin. He studied in France when he was a kid.

[11:21]

That's only part of the story, but actually that's enough. But just so you'll know it's enough, I'll tell you the rest of the story. So, the monk comes and says, what's the meaning of Buddhism, right? What's the meaning of Zen? And the teacher says, the cypress tree in the garden. And the student says, teacher, you shouldn't use like an object or some objective thing to indicate the meaning of Zen. You're not supposed to do that, right? When you're talking about the meaning of Zen, you're not supposed to like point at something outside yourself, some object, that that would be the meaning. The meaning shouldn't be out there, right? So the monk pointed that out to the great master. You shouldn't do that. And the great master said, hey, I didn't. I didn't. When I said, in other words, when I said that the meaning of Buddhism is the oak tree in the garden, I wasn't pointing something out.

[12:44]

I wasn't talking about an object. So I didn't do that. So the monk says again, well, what is the import of the Bodhidharma coming from the West. What is the meaning of that? And Jojo said, the cypress tree in the garden. That's the story. Now, did you get any goosebumps on that? Did you? Should I leave now? Probably. I'll accept you can stay, but the rest of you people didn't get to stay. Probably you didn't get it because I wasn't looking right in your eyes when I said it. You ready? Yeah, I'm ready. Cypress treating the guard. Did you get him? One or two. That's okay. Two?

[13:50]

One or two? At least. Where were they? When women look at babies, their eyes tend to dilate in fright. No. No. No. And when... When... I guess not just among children, but among adults too, when you look at somebody's eyes who are dilated, your eyes dilate in response. Of course, they can't be too far away to have that happen. You have to be able to see somewhere in the neighborhood of the eye. When babies look at a dilated eye, the dilated eye of the woman, men's eyes don't dilate at babies, they squint. When the baby sees the dilated eyes, they kind of relax.

[14:52]

They feel kind of a release. But when they see the man's face all squinted and twisted, they giggle. They also laugh. They tend to laugh more when they see these dilated eyes. Laugh more. Cry less. Laugh more. Did you get goosebumps on that? So if you didn't get goosebumps on either the story or that, you should leave. That covers everybody? There must be somebody who didn't get him who's holding out here. He doesn't want to be embarrassed. That's one of the ways to tell if you should teach emptiness to people. If you hear the word emptiness and you get goosebumps, I just got them. I can stay. Okay, emptiness. Feel goosebumps? Emptiness. Did you feel goosebumps and emptiness?

[15:54]

Oh, yeah. Goosebumps. Goosebumps or tears. Anybody cry when they hear emptiness? Emptiness. Tears or goosebumps, you get to hear about it. Otherwise, it's dangerous. This story is not quite that dangerous. This story is like emptiness inside of an iron case. It's even better than emptiness. This is a great story, do you understand? Do you hear the story? Okay, so... That's it. Do you have any questions? Do you feel content now? Do you feel like a success? You're studying Zen, right? How lucky you are. Yes, Michael? I was curious if the cypress tree was introduced to China.

[16:56]

Pardon? If the cypress tree was introduced to China, was it indigenous to China? Was it indigenous or introduced? I really don't know. But you know, in Central Asia, you can see probably it came over the Silk Route because in Central Asia you can see some cypress trees. And I don't think there's cypress indigenous to Siberia. I don't think there's cypress. But I think in Central Asia you find some cypress. It probably got spread from the Middle East to the Silk Route over to China. But I don't know. I don't know about the cypress that live in California whether they're native. But we do have cypress here, right? So you have cypress here, and we have cypress in the Middle East. I don't know about China, but it is a cypress tree. Sometimes they translate it like this as oak tree. But the first character can be in Japan, maybe they tend more to think of it as an oak tree.

[18:03]

OK. Yes? What's the meaning of the reason? What is it? Come up closer. What, is it still? Did you come closer? Closer? Did you come closer? No, I went further. Did your eyes dilate? I don't know. They did. You didn't know, huh? You see them so far away. They're so far away. He's got glasses. That's exactly why. Without these glasses I would not be able to tell. So now, do you understand the living meaning of Zen Buddhism?

[19:10]

Yes, thank you. You're welcome. It's Bob. Hey, Bob, they can see it up here. You can have it. She's dangerous tonight.

[20:11]

Is that guy over there with the glasses over there? Show your head. He's Bob. There's another Bob here. I know that. Are you ready? Tell me when you're ready. Okay, I'm ready. Emptiness. Did you get goosebumps? They're coming, weren't they? Then you have to stay. The Chan master, Hui Zhao, went to Fa Yan's place. And Fa Yan says, where have you recently come from?

[21:16]

And he said, Hui Zhao said, from Zhaozhou. And Fa Yan said, I hear Zhaozhou has a saying, the cypress tree in the yard. Is that so? Hui Zhao said, no. Fa Yan said, everyone who's been around says the monk asked him about the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West, and Zhao Zhou said, it's like the tree in the yard. How can you say no? Hui Zhao said, the late master really didn't say this. Please don't slander him. Everywhere, Huizhou was called Iron Beak Jiao. Master Shen Meng used to have people go through this story first to clear away intellectual views.

[22:17]

And now I'm not clear. And Master Shen Meng said, the three mysteries and the five ranks are all within us. Okay? Okay. The Three Mysteries are the Three Mysteries of Huaijiang, Huaihai. He taught the Three Mysteries. The Three Mysteries are all in this story. The five ranks of Dongshan are all in this story. But which story is it? Is it the story about the cypress tree? Or is it the story about Huizhao saying no? Jiaojiao doesn't have this teaching. Which story is it? How are they different? Which story is it? How are they different? Which story is it? Both. Huh? Both. It's both. They're not. Same story. Okay.

[23:20]

So, either one of these stories is the same story. You can use this story You can use this story to start with in studying these stories, these koans. Or you can also understand that this story contains a great deal. It contains the whole ocean of Zen. Get goosebumps? Did you? Do cypress trees live a long time? I don't know. Anybody know? I looked up cypress in the dictionary and it's associated with death and mourning. Cypress branches in the cypress.

[24:28]

Really? Yeah. And that's not everywhere, because around the Hudson Bay, there's a story about they have a lot of vitamin C. And when a crew of explorers explored the Hudson Bay, they all had scurvy. And the Indians, when they landed, the Indians saw this and gave them cypress leaves and some tea, and it made them all better. And they called it the Tree of Life. It's not cypress leaves, though, right? They don't have scales. Yeah. That's fabulous. Life and death, that's fabulous. I don't know if they live a long time. They live a little while anyway. I know that. I've seen one for quite a while now. On the parking lot. You know the Cypress Tree in the parking lot? Do you know about that? Huh?

[25:31]

We have one here. Is that an inside joke? Now, it's not an outside joke. Okay? We don't have any outside jokes here. But that doesn't mean it's an inside joke. Now, the monk said, Master, you shouldn't have outside jokes, right? You shouldn't be talking about cypress tree that's outside. You shouldn't do that in Zen, right? The parking lot is not outside at Green Gulch. We don't have outside parking lots, but that doesn't mean we have inside parking lots. Don't go into reaction. Do you understand? Good. However, we do have parking lots. And we have cypress tree in our parking lot. Because this is a Zen center, right? A well-equipped Zen center. If I was trying to be funny, you wouldn't be laughing.

[26:38]

I've tried many times to make people laugh. They never do. But when I tell the truth, it's a joke. You're getting it now, Bernd, huh? I can tell you're catching on. Chan Master Junru Feng awakened to this story and right away went into the abbot's room to see Master Langya Guangzhou Jie. Lisa? Lisa, good. Yes. I'm just checking on you. She's studying 46. Oh, she went back to 46? No, but she's done. Guang Zhao asked, how do you understand it? Zhen Ru said, all night the bed mats warm.

[27:44]

As soon as you awaken, it's dawn has come. Guang Zhao approved. Zhen Ru Zhenru's realization of this story was excellent. Tiantong's versification of the story is not bad either. Okay, now we go into a little kind of, you know, a little party now. A little versification, a little celebration of our hero, Zhaozhou. Zhaozhou lived to be 120. Okay? And apparently he was doing pretty well right up towards the end. He studied a long time, and then after he studied for a long time, like until he was 60, he was a student, then after he was 60 he became a successor to his great teacher.

[28:52]

Nanchuan. And then he went on pilgrimage to study with other people. Do you know who he studied with? Well, so you got Jiaojiao, right? You got Jiaojiao, right? Then Jiaojiao's teacher is Nanchuan. Who's Nanchuan's teacher? Basso. Basso. Matsu. Matsu had... 139 enlightened successors. That Zen teacher made 139 Zen masters. Not to mention, you know, several thousand wonderful practitioners of Buddhism. But he made 139 masters. A lot of them went into hiding. But 89 of them were, you know, made themselves known to the public.

[29:59]

Zhaozhou went and visited all of them. Or all that were still alive, because they were, you know, older than him. That's after he finished his long basic training with his teacher. Then he went around and visited all the other masters. Then after that, he took up residence. So, they say, the bank eyebrows lined with snow. His eyebrows, right? There's snow on them. He studied so long. Bank eyebrows lined with snow. River eyes contain autumn. Ocean mouth drums the wave. Boat tongue rides the current. Okay? So you got Jiao Jiao, he's got these eyebrows, you know, with snow on them. And he's got eyes that's got rivers running through them, in and out of them, across them, up and down them.

[31:08]

That's the kind of eyes he had. He's got a mouth that, like, makes waves in the ocean. And he's got a tongue that rides the waves. When he talked, sparks came off his lips. So these verses, I celebrate this person, this student of Chan, Zhaozhou. He had the ability to quell disorders. The strategy... Is this bothering you, this window being open?

[32:10]

No, no. That's okay. Want some water? Yeah, I want tea. Well, tea. Yeah, you're right. He had the strategy of great peace. Do you see his strategy of great peace? What is it? Did you see it? What kind of strategy did he have for great peace? What was it? He had a boat tongue. He had a tongue that, like, rode the waves. The waves of what? Huh? What waves?

[33:11]

Huh? Yeah, but what was happening? What was happening when Zhao Zhou was riding the waves? What waves were these, huh? Disorder. He rode the waves of disorder. Where did the disorder come from? His mind. His mind, his tongue, his mouth. His life. His life. His being. His being. Zhaozhou, Zhaozhou, huh? I was just saying words. His words, Zhaozhou, you know, Zhaozhou's words stirred up the ocean, and they still are. They stirred up the ocean all over China. Zhaozhou's talked, and all of China started going like this. And then he would ride the waves that his karma, his speech, created. That was his strategy for peace. All of us, all of our lives are the condition, similarly, for the waves to be stirred up.

[34:22]

This is our successful mode. Our mode of success is that we are conditions for activity. Have you stirred anything up?

[35:31]

Has your mouth stirred anything up today? Have you drummed up any waves today? I mean, it's a conceited way to put it, but I mean, you know what I mean? Has your mouth been the condition for the stirring up of waves, for the drumming up of waves? Has it? Have you ridden the waves that thus arose? In case number it says that accomplishing the work of great peace or accomplishing the work of great peace has no sign.

[36:40]

You see, you can't have a sign because your life is the condition for stirring up waves. You can't have a fixed approach for great peace. We have to adjust to the circumstances as they arise, and they're constantly changing. Can you see Zhao Zhou's method? Can you see how he stirred things up? Cypress tree in the garden. The monk stirred him up. Then he responded and then he stirred everything else up. Then the monk stirred him up again by pointing out that the teacher shouldn't make this an external thing. And then Jojo comes right back.

[37:49]

Then the monk comes back again. Then he comes back again. This kind of swinging back and forth together. Eyes meeting eyes. Eyes noticing whether the other eyes are dilated or not. Seems to be a matter of life or death. Or maybe not a matter of life and death, maybe just a matter of About carrying on a certain way of living. A spiritual parallel to evolution.

[38:51]

Spiritual evolution. I'm looking back at Case 5, which is so similar in a way. What is the great meaning of Buddhism? Yeah, Case 5. What is the ultimate meaning of the Buddha way? Yeah, the great meaning of Buddhism, I say to you. And the Master answers, what is the price of rice in the wind? And the question seems very similar in 47. Very similar. Basically the same question. Yeah. Well, you could say it's the same answer, but I don't feel like it's the same answer.

[39:54]

I don't get it. Well, I'm glad you said that. What's the difference? Well, that's what I'm asking you. Well, one difference is we have now... What do we have? We have the same lineage, right? No, we have different lineage. Different lineage. Seigen Gyoshi, Qingyuan, Xingzi, the person in case five, is of a different lineage from the lineage of Zhaozhou. That's one difference. Different style, different style. Everybody loves Zhaozhou, but you know the thing about Zhaozhou, amazing Zhaozhou?

[40:58]

Hardly had any disciples. No disciples. He couldn't reproduce. What does that mean to you? He said it all. Huh? He said it all. He said it all? That's what it means to you? What else? Does it mean anything more than he said it all? With a dilated eye. Oh, yeah. Division of labor. Oh, excuse me, yes? Nobody could exceed him. Nobody could exceed him. Okay. He got off the wheel. He got off the wheel. He got off the wheel. How about tonight?

[42:05]

Tonight, tonight. She's still alive. You mean we have a chance here? He can have a successor at last? Huh? What are you laughing about, Toby? He didn't have any successors. That means maybe somebody here could be a successor. Who knows? Something's coming, I can tell. Could it be you? Yes? No. Well, then I won't call on you.

[43:14]

I don't know. But when I read it, I have the immediate feeling that this... Someone talked about the problem of command study. What do you want to be sent away for? I still want to stay. But is there nothing you want to be sent away for? There's nothing you want to be sent away for? Isn't there something you want to be sent away for? You know, it's not that bad. You just go out in the parking lot with a cypress tree. You know, Jonathan will pick you up later. So, isn't there something you'd like me to send you out for?

[44:17]

What would it be? A captain? So far you can't tell me, but you don't have to keep telling me that over and over. Just tell me when you can tell me. Alright? Isn't there something that you'd like me to send you away for? Yes. What? What? Say it. It's stuck in your throat or in your heart? Where is it stuck? Come on, Bernd. It's stuck in words. Come on, Bernd. Jump over the words.

[45:18]

Tell me what I'm looking for. Say it. We don't have any... I would say a living gesture, but that sounds... You want me to send you away for a living gesture, or you want me to send you away for a dead gesture? Sending away at the going as a living gesture. Yeah, the going will be a living gesture, but what dead... You want me to send you away if you make a dead gesture? You don't want me to send you away for that? For making it? Yeah, if you make a dead gesture, I should send you away, don't you think? Okay. Are you ready to go? If you tell me to, yes. Would you please go out in the parking lot now? Okay. Thank you. And you know where the cypress tree is? Sure. Okay. Please go out there. Anybody else want to go out there now? It's the most beautiful tree on this property. Don't try to make it easier on him, Jeanette. I think we should venerate that tree.

[46:22]

We just spent quite a bit of money venerating that tree out there. Jonathan, don't forget to bundle up now. It's chilly out there. What did I say? Jonathan, don't forget to bundle up. It's cold out there. What are you going to say now? I'll remember that. Okay, anything, any other questions? Hmm? Any other problems with koan study? Huh? Yes? I just thought of a pragmatic question. What are the three mysteries in the five lives? It's a pragmatic question? No, it's not pragmatic. It's theoretical.

[47:27]

It's not basic. It's advanced. It's advanced theory. You want to talk about advanced theory? Right now you want to know? Well, I mean, maybe later on. Well, there's one more leaving. Clay, where are you going? I'm going to go out to the side. All right. I thought we should all go. You thought we should all go? Yeah. Too cold. Well, how many people want to go out to the side? Raise your paw. Well, you said, Pat, you didn't raise your hand. Okay. Why don't we go later? We will go later. I think the people who want to go out to Cypress Street should go right now. Other people may come later.

[48:31]

Does this mean we can't come back? Of course you can come back. Dead or alive. Can I give them any excuse to leave? No. We won't say anything about the people who left, okay? Would the people who are in the back come up and sit and fill in the empty seats, please? Okay, now, this is an opportunity here for, what do you call it?

[49:57]

Let's open up to that possibility, shall we? I mean, really, that would be good. But I was thinking it's an opportunity for, what do you call it? What do you call it? Testimonials? It's a time for commitment. Vis-a-vis case number 47. So rather than just go around the room in some kind of systematic order, let's start by those who are ready to speak. What's happening, Carol? I moved it. But your face, you look so, you look so different. What happened to your face? Do you know what happened to your face? You don't know what happened to your face? No. Okay.

[50:58]

I thought maybe you knew. I noticed a big change. Okay, so I'd like to hear from you people what you're going to do, how you're going to study this case, what's your intentions. Yeah, what are your intentions? You know how... You come over to the house and the guy says, what are your intentions? What are your intentions here? What are your intentions vis-a-vis this case? Just to, you know, start by volunteers. Yes? We'll let the moving move. You're going to what? Let the moving move. Let the moving move. Okay. Could you be more specific? Or not necessarily more specific, but tell me a little bit more. Yeah, in the story. So I can check to see, check on you? Yeah. The story you talked about when we first came in, about the line moving, the wind moving the flag, flag waving, the wind waving. Oh, that's what you mean. Okay.

[51:59]

So you're going to do that with this case? Okay, thank you. I understand. Does everybody else understand how he's going to practice with this? Okay, any other... Yes? There's no difference between being inside here and outside there, and I've had the misfortune of becoming fascinated with the fact that I want to stay in here. You want to stay in here? Yeah. Good. You notice that about yourself. So are you making a kind of commitment there in any way? That you can tell me about a commitment in terms of studying this case? I'm having disturbance that I want to stay in here. Any commitment or intention regarding that thing you've noticed in relationship to this story?

[53:06]

See if you can rephrase it in terms of an intention or commitment of study. That's a good thing to start with. Anything else? Yes? I'd like to meet Zhaozhou. You'd like to meet Zhaozhou. Okay. Yes? Actually, this kind of reminds me of me a little bit, because my wonder has been really stirred up, you know, a lot of suffering. And it actually makes me have more compassion for myself and for Zhaozhou. and Zhaozhou, Zhaozhou, Zhaozhou. Zhaozhou, yeah, Zhaozhou, that's good. It kind of gives me a little bit of a thing about the... Actually, I kind of had this revelation today too, so it's kind of perfect that I'm actually kind of getting a little more interested in my suffering instead of pushing it away. Finally. Whatever that means.

[54:09]

Felicitaciones. So are you making some commitment about this now? Yeah. What is it? To continue living with that. Okay, good. Yes? My intention is to ask what is the living meaning of chocolate or something. Okay. Next. Anybody? Planting a cypress tree in the kitchen. Okay, great. Wonderful. Next, please. I'm going to be myself. Uh-oh. I'm not going to commit. Did you commit to that? Yes. Okay. So you can go outside now. Maybe later. Next. Next, please.

[55:10]

Over here. I have this thought that Zhao Zhou could have said you, and I want to study that. He could have said you, and you want to study that. You want to or you're going to? I'm going to. Okay. You're going to. Okay. I got it. Next, please. I think I'm just going to sit here and go along for the ride because I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I mean, you lost me. Well, that's not a commitment. You're going to sit here? It's like, what's he saying? I don't get it. But you're going to... The commitment is, would you say... Just sit here and go along for the ride and see what happens. What are you going to do when the class is over? Do what I do whenever the class is over. What's your commitment when the class is over? My commitment when the classes are? Yeah, like, you know, around 9 o'clock, what's your commitment? Well, I don't know what will happen at 9 o'clock.

[56:12]

I mean, maybe I'll go to my car. What's your commitment? Well, I don't know. That's what I want to know. Let me know soon, okay? But you want to know what my commitment was here, now. No, no, to this case. To this case. But not this case, like, for the next half an hour. This case, period, for the rest of your life. For the rest of my life. Go along for the ride. Huh? I want to go along for the ride and see the suspense. All right. So you're committed to that. Yeah. All right. Next, please. I'm going to enjoy myself. You want to enjoy yourself? You're committed to that now? Okay. Bert. My intention is to look in the garden. Okay, look in the gardens. Toby. I've got to confess that I'm in a clueless camp. Clueless camp? Yeah. Well, what's your commitment, though? I don't find any commitment is calling for anything. If the commitment's not in the koan, that would be like the koan being outside. I'm asking you, what is your commitment to this koan?

[57:18]

Think about it. You've got some time. Reggie? I have no intention. You're committed to that? Yes. Okay. Leanne? Because you're asking about this case, somehow emptiness has, for me, was the big... So I suppose it's a work. You're committed to that? Yeah. Okay. For those who... Who said you could come back? Okay, while you are out, I asked the good students a question. You ask the better ones. And, but I'd like to ask the defectors the same question. And that is, what commitment are you ready to make to this koan?

[58:20]

Okay, to this story. All right? So. Next. Live it. You're committed to live it? Live it. Okay. Next. Yes. Water the roots. Water the roots. Yes. I'm not going to try to understand. You're not going to try to understand. Yes. To do what I feel is right. Okay. Charles. To respond. You're committed to respond? Your eyes are dilated again. I know I'm a condition for this. I'm responsible for what's happened to this man. Carol? I'm going to observe how excited I get. You're committed to that. Okay. Next. Susan.

[59:28]

I can feel the calling in my body. You're going to feel it in your body. Okay. Grace. To follow my heart's desire. Okay. Thank you. Next. I'm going to stir up waves and ride. Good. Creighton. I'm going to understand this case, and then I'm going to forget it. All right. Bernd. We gave me a gift. I'm going to pass it on. You want to pass it on? Sure. Can you make any commitment beyond that? Well, if you can, let me know. We've got about 20 minutes. Next. Next. Any other commitments to this call on, to this story?

[60:34]

I'm committed to, it's like one flower be speaking about in the spring, like one drop telling of the water of the ocean. That gives me goosebumps. And I'm committed to sort of hang out with that. You're committed to hang out with what? It's like one flower if you're speaking about the spring, and like one drop telling of the water of the ocean. You're going to sit with that? Yeah. Okay. And? I'm going to honor myself and the people around me as living, breathing beings. You're going to honor yourself and the people around you as living, breathing beings. Is that what you said? Okay. Jeanette? I'm committed to be one human telling of the boundless compassion of the universe. Would you say that again, please?

[61:38]

I'm one human. I'm committed to be one human telling of the boundless compassion of the universe. Anyone else? Yes? I'm committed to sleep with the frogs until I wake with the bell. You're committed to sleep with the frogs? Until I wake with the bell. Until you wake? With the bell. With the bell? Yeah. Sleep with the frogs until you wake with the bell. Okay. Right back to other people. I'm committed to not competing. I'm committed to not competing.

[62:40]

Not competing. I'm committed to having understanding in the biggest of things and the smallest of things. I'm committed to understanding this koan. That's my question to everybody, right? I'm asking you, how are you committed to understand this koan? That's the question I'm asking. This is your answer, right? How can you understand emptiness? How? Well... Do you have any idea how to understand emptiness?

[63:45]

Do you have a little bit of an idea how to understand it? None? Not even a little? I don't think so. No. Okay, well. Do you have... Well, maybe. Okay, what? What little bit did you have? I can't say. It's too embarrassing. But do you know what it is? Sometimes. But I mean, can you tell yourself? Yeah. Would you tell yourself out loud? It'll be good. I guarantee it. Come on, tell us. It's just words we hear. They're not trite, but you use them all the time. Who does? Who uses them? One uses them. One uses them. Come on, say it.

[64:46]

You. Yeah, I know. Say it, please. Please. Save all beings. Saving all beings will help you understand emptiness? Yeah. No, it's... That's my understanding of emptiness. A little portion of it. Saving all beings is understanding emptiness? Or... I don't know, you can tease me. Come on, you got a little bit there to work with. Got to get something to get... What? There's some relationship between understanding emptiness and saving all beings, right? What's the relationship? It's too embarrassing, I can't say it. What's the relationship between doing what you're embarrassed about and saving all beings? Huh?

[65:49]

Well, I should hear you say it in your voice. Yes. and they will be your own words. What's the relationship between being embarrassed or doing what we're embarrassed about and saving all beings? What's the relationship there? I don't know. Do you know? Why? You know, kind of. I don't know. You don't know, but you have some idea, don't you? Have some idea about the relationship? You've got doing this embarrassing thing and then saving all beings. What's your relationship there? Are they related? No, not really. They're not? Do you think that you can... Maybe if I'm already embarrassed, I can do it. But since you're already embarrassed, right? Mm-hmm. What's the relationship between the way you already are and saving all sentient beings?

[67:00]

Hint, hint. I don't know. Yes. I don't understand the question. You don't have to understand the question. All you got to do is answer it. Would you just move over out of the way there and answer the question now? What's the relationship between the way you are right now and saving all sentient beings? I don't see a relationship. What's the way you are right now? Dance. What is saving all sentient beings? I don't know. Well, you didn't say either. Just before you knew the answer, the last question, you had an answer, right?

[68:07]

Dense, right? That was the answer, wasn't it? Mm-hmm. Okay, well, you knew that, right? Yeah. Okay, now I have another question for you. Ready? Mm-hmm. What's saving all sentient beings? The cypress tree in the garden. Where'd that come from? Yeah, see? You don't have to understand to answer these questions, but you do have to answer them. You've got to answer these questions. You can't get away from this. Neither can I. Being embarrassed is not a way to get out of this. Being embarrassed is your answer. That's your answer. I didn't tell you to be embarrassed. I didn't tell you that was the right answer. You came up with it all by yourself. Nobody else had that one tonight. You're the one that had that.

[69:07]

They had other ones. Everybody's got their own answer. And you've got to give it. You must, you must give it. Otherwise, as I mentioned yesterday, I'm being codependent with you. Right? You've got to come forth with your stuff. Otherwise I'm going along with you like being I don't know what or being something else from that. Like I'm going along with you being a failure or a success but really I'm going along with it in a codependent way. Because I'm not asking something of you. But I am asking something for you. And if you give it, then, you know, I'm not independent of you, I'm not codependent with you.

[70:16]

Then we're starting to be interdependent. Then there's something, this pupil, entirely eyeball thing comes into play here. Have you said what your thing is? No. Okay, so that's one. One that hasn't yet. Linda, have you? Looking at what you're going to... No. And Sandy? Melissa, have you? Okay. Andy? No. Cindy? Bill? Bill's ready. Bill raised his hand. Is that it? Yes, that's it. That's a good one. Yes. I want to find my way to Joshu's house. Great. Bridget, I didn't hear from you, and Diana, and Stuart, and Pat.

[71:17]

Pat, you already said yours, Pat. What was it again? You're going to live it. And Eileen, and what did you say, Susan? In a body. And, okay, who else is left? And Wendy, and Dave. And parents... He did something, but I want... You finished that one. Now there's another one coming. Okay. Oh. You didn't finish that thing? You're going to keep doing it? Okay, fine. Then you're done. Peter. And... Okay. That's it. So I'd like to hear from you people when you're... Oh, and Jennifer. I'd like to hear from you people when you're... Well, you kind of... Did you say something? You did, but then you... Well, I didn't really give her the answer. Yeah. Well, there's something more from you. So I would like to get something out here so that, you know, otherwise, I don't know what's going on here. I mean, you know. You know what I mean? Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you understand now? What I'm doing? What you're doing? Yeah, what I'm doing.

[72:18]

Do you understand what I'm doing? Well, what do you think I'm doing? Well, sort of, what do you think I'm doing? Well, you're trying to get a fix on where we're going, where we are, what's happening. Yeah, right. And I'm trying to get you to come out and tell me what you're up to, what your agenda is, what your commitment is vis-à-vis this story. Okay? Wendy? I'm committed to leaving class with contentment in my heart. I'm committed with being with the cypress tree in giant seasons. Enjoying the seasons? I can finish mine. Okay. Can you ask me a question? What is your commitment vis-à-vis the cypress tree in the garden, in the parking lot? Okay, finding a genuine answer in my commitment. Okay. In your commitment or that is your commitment?

[73:20]

That is it. Okay, good. I'm committed to get out of my own way. All right. Okay, well, it's getting close to the new bitching hour. Oh, here he comes. No, I'm committed to watching the wooden ducks that I'm trying to put in. Good, good, good. You do that. I do that. Okay, thank you. Okay, so next week we're going to have another class, okay? It's going to be like the 20, what, 22nd or something like that? Or what is it? Huh? Going to have a class next week? And we're going to have to do that too, right?

[74:24]

29th or something, right? Going to have classes. So next week's going to be class, I'd like to then, it's kind of like, I'd like you to come back and express yourself, I don't know, I'd like you to come back and tell about how you've done in your commitment to this story. And those of you who haven't expressed yourself, I'd like you to, you know, tell me during the week, if you can, call me on telephone or send me a letter telling me what you're going to do. And I'd like everybody to come back to class next week and follow through on this a little bit. As much as you want, as much as you can. I'm not saying that's going to finish it, but I'd like you to, I'd like this thing to, you know, to bring something forth, okay, bring something forth, display yourself, display your body in relationship to this story. May I, would you accept me being that way that I am, to ask that of you?

[75:30]

This is a really good story to do this with too, believe me. This is a great one. This is a great opportunity for you. This is going to be a great week if you, you know, pick up this assignment and practice it. It's going to be wonderful. But this is nothing to do with like, this is nothing to do with like, you know, you're not already a success. You're already a success. You know, not knowing what I'm talking about, you're already a success. Whatever your situation is, that's not what we're talking about here. It's not like you're going to do this thing and then you're going to be a success. You are a success to have somebody talking to you like this. Do you understand? You're a success to be in a situation where somebody asks this of you. You're extremely lucky that someone would ask this of you, would ask such a great thing of you. you'd be asked to really practice and study this story.

[76:36]

This is called communication with the ancestors. Now, this is an opportunity to actually face and meet ancestral being and bring yourself into the true nature of existence by that kind of meeting. So, You're already a success to be able to have this practice opportunity this week. But I still would like you to come and demonstrate your success next week. Express yourself on this point as much as you can next week. That's what I'm asking you to do. So that's what we're going to do next week. If you come. We might be standing up in Cyprus. Well, if that's where you are, I'll come up to the party. One question. What's your intention? My intention is to realize all you people. Yes. Yes.

[77:39]

Yes. Okay. Good night.

[77:46]

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