Earlier today, Roger asked me if I saw some changes in the way I was practicing over the years. And I mentioned some things to him. One of them was that I think I'm more gentle than I used to be. And very few people have complained about that. Yeah. It's not exactly that I've become weaker, but I think I have. seeing how gentleness is very helpful.

[01:04]

And another thing that occurred to me just a while ago was that I think that I've become more interested in how Zen or the Buddha diamond, the Buddha way, can be expressed in such a way as to make people feel included in it without in any way denigrating or respecting their own background and culture and tradition. And not only that, but how it can be presented in such a way as to encourage beings, religious beings or beings of all different types of religious views.

[02:27]

Some people's religious view is that religion is no good or that they have nothing to do with it. but they don't believe in it. So together with the people who think that religion is good or unavoidable or whatever, all different beings with all different views, I'm kind of concerned how can teachings be offered in such a way as to make people respect all people. And even while really disagreeing with them, totally disagree with them perhaps simultaneously deeply appreciate and respect them so that people of very different views theists and theists and deists and non-deists and Buddhists and all other varieties of religious activity so that they could really deeply appreciate each other and converse with each other and .

[03:39]

So one of the basic teachings of the tradition of the Buddha Dharma is that nirvana is peace. And so fundamental issue for the tradition. But I think for Jesus, peace was also a fundamental issue, wasn't it? He didn't talk about peace as kind of the main point of his teaching. And I think for Judaism, too. comes, it would bring peace to the people of Israel and peace to all beings, even non-Jews. It would bring peace and prosperity to the entire humanity, including, of course, the Jewish people, but not just them. And I don't know if you can find something like that in all religions, but you might find that value of peace even among jihadists.

[04:48]

So anyway, I'm very concerned with that. And I think this thing about respecting each other in peace, and I think disrespect and violence and war can go together. So I'm hoping, I'm more and more concerned as in my later years with expressing myself My understanding in such a way as to encourage other people to appreciate people that are different from them and have conversations with people who are different from them for the sake of peace. Now, it is said within my story of to me and you that all Buddhas have just been transmitting the wondrous truth

[06:17]

All Buddhas have transmitting the wondrous truth and realizing unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. That's basically all that Buddhas do, is transmit the wondrous truth. Mutual, together, they do it together. Buddhas together transmit this wondrous truth and realize enlightenment. They live and they dwell in the truth. They live in the truth. They live the truth. They care for it and they give it. And they receive it and they give it. It surrounds them and it penetrates them and they give it all. This is all they're doing all the time.

[07:19]

And we also, all of us, all humans and all non-humans, live in the same truth. However, most of us have some resistance to the truth in which we live. So we're actually living in the truth, but we don't fully realize it because of resisting it, because of having difficulty opening to it. And having difficulty opening to it is that we have difficulty opening to, for example, other human beings.

[08:29]

We have tendency to be afraid. Humans are often afraid of humans. Humans are also sometimes afraid of other animals and plants and mountains and rivers and oceans. and airplanes and death, humans are often afraid. And not necessarily so afraid of, but they're painful. Some things are painful. Like some people who we may not feel too afraid of, but we feel pain when we see them. Or we can have bodies just in relationship to the environment or what's going on inside of our body. We feel pain. We feel sick sometimes. All of these, we have trouble, not because of these pains, we have trouble opening to pain and fear. And not opening to pain and fear, as you know, is a condition for more pain and fear.

[09:46]

In order to open to the truth in which we live, and opening to receive it and then join the transmission of it, in order to fully open to it, we have to also open to everything. We can't close to fear and open to the truth. We can't close to people who are different from us and open to the truth. We can't close to pain or pleasure or unskillfulness or skillfulness. We can't close really to anything and then at the same time be open to the truth in which we live. And that's it. So there's this big challenge to learn how to open to our life in all its forms so that we can open to the truth.

[10:53]

And then this truth has to help other people open to it. And also, once we're open to it, we are immediately at peace and fearless and join in to working up the truth. So again, as I was kind of alluding earlier to what I hope to work for in terms of promoting respect among all beings for all beings and bring forth a teaching which encourages all religions in particular to respect each other. Part of this truth is that it's the truth, the great power of how all beings are cooperating

[12:07]

Most people know quite a bit about the appearance of non-cooperation. But most people could learn much more about the power of cooperation. Most people are somewhat familiar with non-cooperative power. Imperial power, imperious power, dominating power, power which is trying to control, power which is trying to command, power which is trying to dominate. Most people are familiar somewhat with that. It's in parents, teachers, children, government. I would say it's a well-established element in ethos called the United States of America.

[13:23]

Control your children. Control your students. Control your dog. Control yourself. Dominate your students. Dominate your children if necessary. command yourself and your children and your dog to behave properly so they don't bother anybody. So they don't cause harm. Relating to people in such a way that they're harmless, I think, was good. I think that would be fine if we related in a way that's to promote harmlessness and even benefit. But I oppose that using our power, and we are powerful beings. We are a powerful nation. But we are using our power to some extent, not completely, but to some extent we're using our power in a commanding, imperious, dominating, attempting to control way.

[14:35]

And this way of using power It will eventually fail. It will collapse. All imperial use of power, all dominating use of power, all controlling or contriving to control uses of power, collapse. And there are examples of it in long, great history, and history shows that they all collapse. This great country, will collapse. If it continues, it will collapse. Its power will collapse. It will cause great waste and damage if its power, wherever it uses its power, in a commanding, disrespectful, dominating way. I propose that. That way of behaving will crash.

[15:38]

What I hope can happen is that enough people will open to the truth, open to the truth of how we're working together, open to the power, and open to the use of power in non-imperious forms, in cooperative forms, non-controlling forms, contributing appreciative forms, forms of support, forms of generosity to use our great power to assist and benefit all beings, not just all humans, but all fungi. Fungi live under the ground. And at certain times, they send up sprouts to disperse spores called mushrooms.

[16:47]

Mostly fungi are underground. Fungi support the entire ecosystem, and the entire ecosystem supports fungi. Fungi does not control the ecosystem, does not dominate the ecosystem. As you can see, you hardly even see it. It's not bossing you around. It's promoting your life. It has tremendous power. It takes nutrients from beings who have more and passes it to beings who don't have as much. And the beings from whom it takes more than they need They benefit by not having too much, and then sometimes when they don't have enough of something else, the fungi pass it to them. They sponsor and support the entire ecosystem in which they live, and the entire ecosystem supports them to do their work.

[17:49]

Their work is this work. So we wish, I wish, to support all beings, not just humans. with the aid of the wondrous truth, which doesn't belong to Buddhism, but which the Buddhas live in, and we live in, and the Buddhas have opened to, and have received, and have translated, entered it, and have become completely the same as it. So that's what they do, is transmit it and receive it. And they're transmitting it to us, and we are more or less closed. So, again, as we say, although we live in it, although it's all pervasive,

[18:55]

Unless we practice, we don't realize. So this weekend, I'll be talking to you about practices, ways of practice to open and realize the truth in which we live so that by living in the truth, we can transmit this truth so that we can enter into the cooperative power which heals and benefits all beings, and cooperative power of this nation, if we realize it, this nation living in peace, and I should say living in truth and realizing it, nation will not perish from this earth. That nation will not collapse. That nation will be changing every moment and will be a new nation every moment. It will never be destroyed.

[19:57]

It may be able to grow this non-imperious cooperative nation before the other one collapses. And this nation then can enter into a cooperation and bring our great resources and benefits to other nations, and they to us. Like I said before, it's not exactly that I'm weaker than I used to be, although I'm not the person I used to be. I still have some strength. But for example, I have grandchildren, and I I am not imperious with them. I am not dominating of them, and I cannot be dominating of them. I could only be a fool and think that I could be.

[21:04]

They won't let me be, and I can't be, but I don't want to be. I want to cooperate with them. I want to nurture them, and I'm already a nurturer. They nurture me. I want to nurture them. And I have power. I have grandfather power to nurture these grandchildren. And they have grandchild power to nurture their grandfather. It's a very powerful, widening, healing relationship we have when we're on the beam of cooperating. When my oldest grandson was pretty young, He sometimes would look up at me and suggest we do something. He'd say, granddaddy, let's do X. Sometimes in my mind, I felt some closeness to X. That doesn't sound like a good idea.

[22:10]

Some kind of closeness. They'd say, granddaddy, let's do X. And there'd be a little say, together? Granddaddy, let's do X. Together. And your little hand would reach up. And when I heard together, no matter what it is, I will do it with him. And if he wants to do it, it's potentially dangerous. Of course, I have some reservations about that. But if he wants to do something potentially dangerous, together, we can do it together and disarm it. Together, its harmful power can be neutralized. If I try to stop him, then he won't do it. But if I try to stop him and seem to dominate him and command him to not do it, it doesn't feel right.

[23:31]

Something gets killed or something gets lost. Something gets harmed. So if he wants to do something harmful, then I actually overpower him to stop him from something else harmful happens. Namely, the harmful thing that happens is I contribute to us missing the power. I miss, I do something to contribute to us being distracted from living together, he and I living together in truth. But if it's a dangerous thing and I go with him, nothing ever will go wrong. Usually, not only does it usually work out okay and the danger doesn't manifest, but this wonderful healing thing happens between us, over and above safely negotiating the danger field.

[24:38]

An example of this is when he was a little boy, he lived in Chinatown in San Francisco. And I would sometimes take him for a walk in Chinatown. One day, he wanted to . The streets are very busy, lots of trucks and cars. And I didn't want him to go in the street because I thought he might get hurt in the street. So I tried to protect him from going in the street. without stopping him from going in the street by using my power to command him, to control him to not go in the street. I tried many ways to do it, to gently interact with him without controlling him and yet protecting him in the street. Very difficult dance to protect from something without slipping into controlling the person. Protect these people, this nation, or some other nation from doing a harmful thing.

[25:52]

Protect them from harm without trying to control them? Very typical. I did my best, and it wasn't too bad, maybe. Afterwards, I realized what would have been best for me to go with him into the street, for us to go into the street together. Because actually, we often went into the street together. We went into the sidewalk we were on. We had to go into the street. Now, we went into the street at a crosswalk, but he wanted to go in the street between the crosswalks. I didn't do it, but later I saw it would have been better for me to go with him where he wanted, and me be with him as he goes into the street and sees the trucks, he sees the cars, he sees how big they are, and I'm with him. And if anything goes wrong, he wants me to help him not get hit by the truck.

[26:56]

He's not resisting me. And get into the traffic to a certain extent, And he and I decide when it's time to go back under the sidewalk. And we will discover the time together. We will find out. But I missed a little bit. I missed it. I didn't go in the street with him. I didn't do what he wanted to do together with him. And yet I didn't really... I kind of snuck around being imperious and knowing better than him. I wasn't overly... But I thought of another example where I did better. One time I was taking a bath with his mother when she was a little girl. Excuse me. Three or four... about the same age as him, and she was out of town.

[28:03]

So just she and I in the house taking a bath, and she said, let's go in the kitchen and get the dishes and take them into mommy's bath and break them. I said, told Susan. She said, you're crazy. I don't know what my grandson would have done, but if he wanted to go on the street, I said, actually, OK, let's go. I don't know how far he would have gone, but I'd gone on other excursions with him that were somewhat potentially dangerous. I went with him. I didn't try to stop them to go on these other potentially dangerous excursions, like into the woods, or into the countryside in the dark and cold. If you wanted to do those things, in those situations, seeing relatively speaking may be a little less dangerous, but still somewhat dangerous.

[29:12]

If you wanted to go into the dangerous place, like one night, it was like November, pretty cold. After dinner, it was dark, and he wanted to go out into the dark, down into the fields of Gringold's Farm, and dig in the dirt. So that little boy wants to go out in the dark, cold night, and dig in the dirt. Seems kind of brave, quite an adventure. It was like, it seemed like a pretty big deal to me, but I didn't try to stop him. I thought, okay, if he wants to go, I'll go with him. We put on his little, I would call it, his little plastic gardening kit that he strapped under his waist. He and I and our little dog named Raji headed out into the dark to get him.

[30:19]

I wasn't trying to control him. I was practicing the truth. I was living in the truth of he and I cooperating, of us, of the vital energy of grandfather and grandson living together in truth. So we headed out in the dark, and as we approached the field, there was a pond. And he stopped and he said, what's that? And I said, I think it's frogs. Croaking. And he said, do you need a ribbon? And he said, okay. So he kept walking, got closer to the pond. And again, the sound of the frogs got strong. And he said, let's go back. I think Ozzie's getting scared. If you can open to the truth that you live in and let it in and let it out and live with it, you can continue that way of perceiving this truth and giving this truth.

[31:54]

And you can be a beacon of truth and live that truth. And you can teach the world the truth of universal cooperation among all beings. You can teach the truth which will bring peace to this world if you open to it and realize it. And so the practices are to help us open to the truth. It means help us open to every aspect of our life. And in the process, we also open to the aspect of everybody's life and how all those aspects are in cooperation. And the tremendous healthy and healthful power of that, which is already here, but if we get anything wrong, using power in other ways, you will distract closed.

[33:01]

Yeah, so that's what I thought I'd start by saying. If any of you want to come forward, if there are any Copy, the bootstrap drop is repeat, guiding now. Stopped it. Thank you. Good point. Good point.

[34:10]

Let's do this together. Jaw. You can take me. Either way. I just met Reb at dinner tonight and asked him about Reb. As a question I had personally, didn't know if it meant Reb, as in Rebbe, that he had been a rabbi, was a rabbi, or I cheated on my wife. Half tongue in cheek, maybe it means rebel. I think it's Governor Rebel, Johnny Reb, or maybe it's just a personal nickname. So at dinner tonight, I asked and got the answer.

[35:16]

In fact, he's born in Mississippi and was named Rebel by his Yankee parents stationed in Mississippi. Bringing that back to is talk tonight about domineering power, whether it's the United States, whether it's a parent, whether it's my husband against the wife. Or children against parents. Or children against parents. Well, that's where it leads. The dominator, if you picture the yin of Taoism, the seeds of the opposites, the dominating power contains the seeds of rebellion. And that's what it produces in the world. And that's the conflict we're seeing now in the world. And I just thought that the bread brought that out nicely.

[36:25]

Thank you. I always thought it was a good name to live up to. My father thought it was a good name for a football player. Ole Miss Rebels. I think he wanted me to come back and play for Minnesota. After I was born in Europe, And I went back to Minnesota with my mother. So I would like to go back to Mississippi, and Ed told me that it's a beautiful state. So I would like to go back to Mississippi and go to my father's country, which is in Faulkner country, and see my birthplace, see people. Mississippi is a long way away, and no Zen Center in Mississippi has invited me yet.

[37:35]

If anybody knows a Zen Center in Mississippi, they're urgent to invite me. Care to offer anything? Bring anything up? I have a question. Please come. You go first. Hi. He's not here again. Oh. Thank you for everything that you said. I feel inspired and hopeful. I had the experience today of walking my puppy to the street for the first time to see the cars.

[38:37]

And there was that within myself in that moment, you know, as I observed him and I observed myself and projected my fear onto him that the cars were so fast and There was a moment. Yes. So I think that's an example of what puppies are so much faster than kids. I think a leash is a controlling leash. It's more like an equalizing speed leash. So I guess a really old grandparent puppy should have leashes on them. The leash should not be used to control. It should be used to keep in touch, to keep together. It was a, I was sitting here saying I had that today, together moment, and it was the first time that we went to the street. You did this big adventure. It was great. And I still am great. So, that's not my question. My question, that's the story. That's today's story. That's one of the stories.

[39:39]

You spoke about being as Buddha being in truth and exuding the truth, living within it and exuding it, and it goes out to the world and comes in. And that's something that I would strive for, seeing that I'm not striving. And yet the word that keeps coming up for me is embodied. Yeah, embodied. And I'd like to ask you to talk about embodying. It's not just the Buddhas that are receiving it and giving it all. It's just that there is a state of development where you realize you're receiving it and giving it all. And by realizing it, you're better able to facilitate it. But it is happening anyway. And so the way we embody it, that's what we're talking about. That's the name of this bookshop.

[40:44]

Isn't it called Embodying the Truth? Isn't that the name of this bookshop? Grandmother Mai embodying what? Embodying the Buddha way. Embodying the way Buddha's received the truth and given the truth. Three practices. So with regard to embodying, And there's a noting that would be required in the embodiment of it. So I become a vessel, a vehicle of which I'm aware. I have felt for myself sometimes there's an excitement and feeling as if I'm drinking and pouring simultaneously. And there's also some attachment to it, too, because it makes me feel important. I mean, wrong means that's how you're not having any attachment in the process. But I really want to change.

[41:45]

I want the world to change. I want to be part of making that difference. You have to know how to want something with no attachment to it. That's part of the course. So just do my thing. an attachment to the outcome and just embody it and be... We learn to do that. So, in fact, what we learn is that we want something and that we're doing and we're acting with attachment so that you can just reveal and disclose the attachment. Together, everybody, especially with those who kind of know about the attachment, the Buddhas, so you can reveal and disclose your attachment and then the attachment will melt away. Okay, so it's okay to experience it and note it and know that... That's one of the main things to be aware of, is that you're trying to do good and there's an attachment in you doing good.

[42:46]

Sure, I want to make a difference. So to learn how to do good without tightening up around it is a necessary thing for us to learn. But the way you learn that is, I'm trying to do good, but I'm tense. I prefer to do the good rather than I'm just doing good. All the things we add and stick to around good, all those things need to be revealed and disclosed. Dissolved. They will be dissolved by that process. And I'm just noting, and I'll continue to work with that. The word embodiment has the word body in it. And then there's like a noting, but we feel constriction. I'm hearing or sensing that the body has a part to do with the whole process. And for me, Zen's been a lot mind stuff.

[43:46]

Body, speech, and mind. Three types of actions. So you can be tight in your mind, you can be tight in your speech, and you can be tight in your posture. So we want to take all of our actions, mind, speech, and body, and line them up with the truth. And also notice if there's any tightness in any of the alignment. And reveal the tightnesses to the great community, in particular to the great confessors called Buddhas. Reveal that. She disclosed that. In body, speech and mind. Mind, speech and body. Can you tell me your name? No, Bernie. Bernie, yeah.

[44:47]

So, how does an uncooperating nation become a cooperating nation in a world of uncooperating nations, some of which would do it harm in the transition period of becoming a cooperating nation? Well, right now we have a nation called the United States of America, which does seem to actually, I mean, the leaders of the government are willing to admit to some extent, sometimes quite, that they're trying to establish military domination of the entire planet. That's their agenda. They would also like to achieve economic and political domination, but I think we can kind of see that's not happening. We are kind of dominating, but we're like a giant, you know. We are the giant. the giant reaches over and tries to do something and it's dominating but dominating doesn't mean it succeeds when you try to dominate a child doesn't mean the child will come under your control it just means your attempt is to dominate strong you know but you can be we're unsuccessful in our efforts that's going on simultaneously right now in this room we are talking about people in this room

[46:14]

Realizing the truth. Opening to the truth. Letting it in. Realizing it. And then... And live in the truth. Realize the truth. Hold the truth up. In this country. Until more and more people join the truth. The truth. Actually, in truth, we're cooperative. Domination is a lie. You can't dominate something and then not dominate it. A big, strong person can't actually dominate anything, even though they're strong. But they can cooperate. A big, strong grandfather can try to dominate, but he won't succeed. But if he tries to cooperate, he will succeed because cooperation and domination and one-sidedness is a lie. And so the living lie is going on and will continue until it collapses of its own. But we can start tonight growing a new dedicated to truth of cooperation of all beings, not just all humans, not just all nations, and hold that truth up until it becomes more and more alive.

[47:34]

So this, I mean, this is what you're talking about seems to start with individual consciousness and, you know, immediate circles and however it would happen until there's enough people, like you say, who can recognize the truth. But while this is happening, there's politics in the world, you know, other countries that would like to dominate the world. While this is happening, yes. It's happening right now. We have political things going on. And if we, each of us, together, we're doing this together right now. You say individual consciousness, but we are doing, our individual consciousness are working on the same thing right now in this room. This has an influence. Us thinking about this, us making our body, speech, and mind line up with the truth right now in this room has an influence on the political events of this country. It does have an effect. It may feel like it's small, but it's a question of what are you going to contribute?

[48:43]

What are you going to learn? I'm going to learn about dreams. And it's going to be what the lie is. The lie is quite obvious. We know enough about it. It seems to be quite prevalent and quite well established. It doesn't need to be any more well established, in my opinion. But the truth needs to be more deeply realized in each of us. Now, when the truth is more deeply realized, Individuals will become more and more fearless. And we as individuals will understand and be able to demonstrate for ourselves and others that we are cooperative. And if they are cooperative, we'll be able to show people and inspire people to cooperate with each other by the joy and realization of this truth. And that will grow. And that needs to grow.

[49:46]

I shouldn't say needs to grow. I want it to grow much more. I don't know how much it's going to. But even if it doesn't, I still am totally excited and happy about working for this thing. So I'm going to give my life to this, whether anything's accomplished during my life or not. This is what I want to contribute to. It's a division of labor. Some people are working on imperial power and achievement. I see it crashing. I'd like to know this other thing, even if it doesn't get anyone. It's already gotten a lot better with me. I'm already more gentle and a better grandfather than I would have been when I was 25. Fortunately, I was a grandpa. I was not a grandfather. But now I am. Things are working out really well. I can stand to be cooperative now. After 41 years of living in Zen Center, I can dare to be cooperative.

[50:48]

It's still scary. Let me people have some say in this situation. This is your retreat, not mine. We're doing this together. I'm not controlling you. I'm not making you sit in those rows. Somebody put him out there and you sat on him. Things might get out of control here. But you can still realize cooperation. What happens? Anything else tonight? Please. When we last spoke, it was in San Francisco at Green Gulch, and I was asking you about practice and the path and talking about...

[51:57]

Wanted to be a parent and what it would be like to try in the... I'm not blaming you for what comes next. But wondering, we talked a lot in the previous retreat about the state of the world and some of the things you alluded to with aggression and the state of... global warming and things like that. And all of that went out the window the day after I left Green Gulch and I get a phone call when my fiance said, guess what? And I guessed what? And now all of it is no longer a philosophical discussion, but a reality. And... Thank you. Do you want to be a good father? Yes. I want to be a good person. I want to be a good father. But What I find is the spirit of cooperation eluded me, the spirit of practice eluded me, and I think it's almost like this lifetime of things undone and fighting the spirit of selfishness, if you will.

[53:10]

And I felt like up until then... Fighting the spirit of selfishness? Fight. Fight the spirit of selfishness? Fighting. Fighting the spirit. So do you want some feedback? Sure, I was going to ask a question. I understand. Okay, you understand the question. Do you want feedback? I don't know which question, but do you want some feedback before you get to what you want us to do? Yes. You said fight the spirit of selfishness. Fighting the spirit of selfishness is the spirit of selfishness. Being gracious with the spirit of selfishness. Cooperate with the spirit of selfishness. You've got the spirit of selfishness. Now, cooperate with that. Be gracious with that. And the cooperative spirit will grow up of the spirit of selfishness. So, you're... You're going to notice some spirits of selfishness are going to arise as you enter into this parent path.

[54:16]

Spirits of selfishness will arise if you don't but are generous with it and gracious with it and cooperate with it, not indulge in it, but dance with it. The spirit of cooperation will grow. in the very mud of the spirit of solstice. As we say in Zen, the horse will arrive before the donkey. The lotus starts in the mud and stays in the mud until it's finished its job. And it finishes its job when it flowers, fruits, and disperses its seeds. So its job never over. And the seed go back in because they grow in the mud. Now, what's your question? Thank you for that. I think about the path of going to a retreat. I mentioned I had the intention of having a daily sitting practice after my last book.

[55:19]

feel that because it it's in my mind somewhere this thought was boy that sin stuff made a lot of sense it'd be good if i could do that but it somehow it wasn't accessible my heart was close to it and it you feel like you're on a path no longer on it maybe it's the spirit of the thought of of did you say your heart close to something You said? Okay. So, mine is too. Now, we have to take care of this heart that's closed. We have to be gracious with this closed heart. That's closed to something, to some feeling, to some situation. Buddhist heart is not closed to Democrats or Republicans. Buddhist heart is not closed to atheists or Christians or Jews. Buddhist heart is not closed to terrorists. but our hearts are closed sometimes. If we can be gracious with our , we will open to the Buddhist.

[56:23]

So if there's any closeness in your heart, stop and take care of that closed heart. That closed heart is like your baby. Take care of it. If you don't respect a closed heart, you will become a . If you're gracious with a closed heart that arises, Closed heart will pass away, and the graciousness will grow. Another cold closed heart might come. If you're gracious with that, the graciousness grows more, and that closed heart will pass away. Closed hearts and open hearts are passing by all the time. But if you cooperate with them, if you respect them and you're kind to them, the Dharma will grow in response. It's easy for me to say that. It's amazingly difficult to talk to us this way, but I'm put and convinced this is the way to go. Thank you.

[57:26]

You're welcome. Thank you for bringing this forward. Any further gifts? Well, we have the gift of the session guide. Did anybody else have anything? I didn't want to stop you. You weren't trying to control anything. So we have the schedule posted outside the cinema door and on the wall above the table there. I also put copies by the walls of those restrooms on the . Look at that. Before I forget, you know, normally we have a wake-up bell.

[58:29]

Somebody walks around and kind of rings a little bell. There are some people in some of the dorm rooms where we are who are not in the retreat. and um what we will do instead is um i'll just go around and knock on people's doors so i know which door is not to knock on so i'll be talking from the door and that's the wake-up bell That's what that is. So I'll just be . So in terms of the schedule, just try and follow the schedule. That's basically it. The session is . Much else, just do it. And part of the on time, We'd like for people to be in the Zendo.

[59:29]

Let's see, what? Receipt by 6.25? Isn't that too early? Is that 6.25? You made the schedule. Maybe it's a good idea to get up before 6.15. But if you're dead, you'll wake up well again. Roger, wake up to 6.15, be in the Zendo by 6.25. Is that what you just said? 6 o'clock you have in the schedule. Was someone around on the schedule, please? 6.45. 6.45. Can somebody look at it? There's copies of it. It's not in there, Fred. Just look on the table, please. It's 6.45. Yes, what? Wake up at 6.15. Right. And what does 6.45 say? So you don't have to be, uh, be in your seat at 6, what, 640? 640. So this is what I copied from last year.

[60:30]

That's why that picture was there. So be in your seat at 640. Now, you know, silence will start after we finish here tonight. And please try and be vigilant about that. I know it's tempting sometimes to want to have a good time. It's very tempting. But we would really like to try and keep it as quiet as we can. Trying to control it. As Mitch is sorry, as obedience to awareness, just be aware of your compulsion to want to talk and just be silent. Of course, there may be instances where you can have some special concerns, some questions about the schedule, or if some emergency is coming up in Kentucky, the doge should know about that. And there will be, the doge is on the list, just put your name on the list.

[61:39]

See all three of us if you want, and just one or two or whatever. Just put your name on the list there, and then one of the Jishas. Evelyn isn't here tonight, is she? She's here. Coco? Oh, there you are. Okay. So Evelyn's here. Okay, she will be Mitch's Jisha. Chris here is Rep's Jisha. And they will, you know, maybe if I need it. But anyway, so someone will come to your seat and tell you when it's time to go to Billingson. If any emergencies come up, you'd have to leave for any reason, any unforeseen reason. If you worry about your phone, if that happens. Then there's the meals. So breakfast will be at 8 o'clock. And what we do, if you're not familiar with it, Go into the dining room and get your food and sit down and then wait in silence until everybody's seated.

[62:50]

And then the GP will hit the clappers and there will be a chant that we'll do. We can go over that and we'll go over that in the morning. A lot of us eat at different paces. Traditionally, when you have a formal oriole, you eat fairly quickly in the meditation hall. But there's no real need to do that. Just, you know, eat your food. And if you like to eat slow, that's fine. done, GQ will hit the clappers. And at that time, whether you're done or not, just kind of pause the meeting. And then most people, after that, there may be an Indian chat. And then most people will get up and go. And it's fine to just continue meeting if you're done. So that's fine to just meet your base. The information for the payment of the retreat is on the sheet back there.

[64:08]

If you haven't already paid the balance, please just put the balance of your payment into that box that's marked for that, and then there's a list

[64:17]

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