I have some stories for you, as usual. So I have a story that human beings are social animals. They live together in groups. One of the things they do traditionally, and if you look back a ways anyway, is they tell stories about their group. They tell stories about where their group came from. The Houston Zen community and the Houston Zen Center, I think, is going to have a grand opening in May.

[01:16]

It's going to be in March. Or it's going to be in March. It's going to have a grand opening in March. It's going to be on March 8. It's my brother's birthday. Don't forget. He will be 58. March 8, 1950. So in a sense, today is not the grand opening of the Houston Zen location. Just a little while ago, you had a grand opening at it down the street, right? Now, but I guess I would feel remiss to not duly note how wonderful it is that the Houston Zen community has such a wonderful Houston Zen center.

[02:30]

And again, I've told the story. This is just a story from my perspective. Kathy and Glenn and other old timers. I think Kathy and Glenn are the most in the league. Kathy, Glenn, and the league might have other stories about the Houston and the appearance of the Houston Center campus. But one story that I like to tell is that Kathy Crouch, being a member of the community and also having a relationship with the San Francisco Zen Center, went to Green Gulch to practice one day and came to talk to me. and told me that she practiced in Houston and there was a practice community but there were various visiting teachers but they didn't have a resident teacher and she thought she thought it would be nice if somebody trained through the San Francisco Zen Center would come there and help out and I said I had all

[03:59]

Being in San Francisco, I sometimes thought of the rest of the country, and I often thought of Houston, because I never heard of the Houston Zen Center, and I knew Houston was a huge city full of suffering people. That means I heard that, that there was powerful people and also people feeling not so powerful, I thought it'd be very nice to have a Zen seminar or to do something to bring the Buddha Dharma to Houston. So I was very happy to come to Houston in 1990-something, I think. What was it, 92, 93? Something like that. So some people think 94. That's possible. And I remember I got off the plane and Kathy picked me up and took me to dinner with Glenn and Harvey Aronson, right?

[05:07]

He wasn't necessarily a member of the community, but he was. He was here and practicing here, and I already knew him. And so I practiced with the Houston Zen community, and I felt it was a good community. to send some of the senior practitioners of the San Francisco event center to come here and practice. They wanted to move here and be residentially here in Houston. And so I sent three senior priests. And the third one was Reverend Snowhut. And she really, you all appreciate her. You like the other people, too. But she really felt good about the community. And you felt good about her.

[06:15]

And then she visited a number of times to the San Francisco Zen Center. But when she got back there, she kind of lost contact with you. Somehow the communication kind of bogged down when she wasn't here. She didn't feel like the community was really keeping in touch with her, and she kind of like wasn't sure that they were going to practice because they weren't keeping in very good touch with her from her perspective. And so then I would go back to Houston and say, you know, it would be good for you to keep in more touch with Galen because she really loves to practice with you, but if you don't keep in touch with her in between visits, She may not feel encouraged in the wonderful San Francisco Zen Center to come to the wonderful Houston area. And I suggested at one point, build it and she will come. If you get a facility, I think that it would be hard for her not to come then.

[07:19]

Angels started to appear. and bringing resources so that people started looking for a place. A suitable place was found in Galen Kane. And then as the center grew, it started to get a little tight over there in the original place. So we started looking for a place a little bit more spacious with more facilities. And amazingly, down the street, we found this wonderful home for the Houston Sun community. And it really seemed like this is a building for a community. It's OK for a single family to live with a few kids. It's actually big enough for the whole community to have practice of many, many kinds to serve the formal practice community and to serve Houston in many ways.

[08:39]

So it's so auspicious, so wonderful, and I feel so grateful to the amazing causes and conditions of all the great beings that somehow have manifested to make this happen. It's just wonderful. And I'm glad that I could be here through this process with you. And when I got to participate in the first five-day retreat So that's a story, up till now, that I could tell. And if you can use that story and change it and tell it yourself to the future generations of this community involved,

[09:42]

Also, I came here in October, was it? September. And at that time, I was particularly inspired and shared with you my enthusiasm for the wonderful Bodhisattva vows. And in a way, I'd like to continue that with a little bit more emphasis on the vows and the practices of the vows and the performance of the vows this time. Well, I just did two of the retreats on this trip, and the first retreat was called, I think it was called, The Wondrous Dharma, Enacting.

[11:05]

The next one was called, Embodying the Buddha Way, and now this one is called, performing the Buddha way. Each of those are part of the same process. In acting the truth, living the truth, seeing the way, and performing the way. So there's an implicit proposal there that performing the way embodies the way. Or you can embody the way by performing the way. What I could call a statement of enlightenment.

[12:44]

And the statement is of enlightenment or a statement by enlightenment or a statement for enlightenment or from enlightenment is that we, as all beings, in particular all sentient beings, living beings, live in the wondrous Dharma. We live in the truth. We dwell in the truth. We dwell in the wondrous Dharma. That's where we live. It's a vast, profound, Sweet intimacy. All beings. Which means with all Buddhas, all sentient beings, and all non-sentient beings.

[13:51]

This is where we live. This is the statement from the Buddhas. and the bodhisattvas, they propose this to the world. And sentient beings can hear this, at least they can hear the words. We live, another way to say this is that we live in the total graciousness We live within a total graciousness of all beings. Or we live within a gracious totality. You can come back in the room. It's fine. You're welcome. Unless you want to leave again right away. It's really okay.

[14:55]

If you need to leave the room during these events, you're welcome to do so. I have the good fortune of receiving a name from my teacher, Zenki, which has been translated as the whole works. Within the whole work, we live within totality, and we live within a totality that are work. It works intimately and graciously. It doesn't leave anything out. That's how we live, within a gracious totality. We live within the wholeheartedness of all beings. That's how we live. Another way to say it is we live, we dwell,

[15:59]

The Buddha way is the way of total graciousness of gracious totality. This is our actual true home right now. But unless we practice And as we practice that gracious totality, we miss that gracious totality. So many of us, many human beings, for example, not just human beings, also rats, banana slugs, and deer, do not practice that way, and therefore they do not realize. They think they live in a world where there's just partial graciousness, or sometimes they think they live in a world where there's no graciousness, where they do not feel gracious towards other beings and they do not think other beings feel gracious towards them, where they do not feel that way, they do not think that way, they do not think that they are gracious towards all beings, and they do not think that all beings are gracious towards them.

[17:30]

And people who think that way and feel that way are, of course, more or less frightened, tense, miserable, etc. And in that tense misery and fear, in addition to all that, at risk, they're at risk of becoming violent and cruel. Not everybody who's afraid and tense and miserable is violent. A lot of the time, people who actually patiently endure the misery and the fear and don't strike out at other beings which is good, but they're at risk of it when we're miserable and especially when the fear spikes or the pain spikes, we're at risk of striking out to try to eliminate it or avoid it.

[18:50]

So, of course, not being, not realizing this wondrous truth Gracious intimacy with all beings, our gracious intimacy with the profound sweet Dharma, it's a serious problem not to realize it. And so what I'm emphasizing is the Buddha way and the performance of it. Because if we practice it, we will realize this truth. And I say, if we practice it, we will realize it. And to say right away there, it's not . Then we realize the practice is the realization. And I will say that probably over and over and over because

[19:56]

I can forget that too. And I know many people just can't hardly even think of it. So if you'll excuse me and support me, I will say that over and over until it sinks into everybody, including me. The performance of the practice is the realization of the Buddha way. There's not another Buddha way. So on a very practical daily life way, each of us, each of us or almost all of us, devote our life energy to caring for others.

[21:06]

caring for our relationship with others and caring for ourselves through caring for others and our relationship with them. And many people come to me and talk to me about how they're trying to care for their relationship with their friends, their children, their spouses, their parents. Many people come and talk to me Many people actually, a smaller number of people, a smaller percentage, the majority come and talk to me about how to relate to other human beings. And actually quite a few people come and talk to me about how to relate to their dogs and cats. Remember this Russian... Russian Orthodox monk.

[22:12]

I think his name was Starych Ambrozy. And I remember he was, he spent part of his day just doing doksan, you know, people come and meet with them. And I think in private usually, maybe his tent was nearby, but anyway, one after another people would come to visit him. One time he was a peasant. You know, his relationship with his cow. And there was a Russian aristocrat waiting out, you know, in the waiting area. And this peasant was taking a lot of time getting instruction from this, you know, how to practice with his cow. And the aristocrat opened the door and said, you know, I've been waiting a long time, you know. He said... Just wait a little longer, I'll be, you know, I'm taking care of this gentleman and this cow.

[23:16]

So most people talk about human relationships and dog and cat relationships, and a few people talk to me about cows. I'm not supposed to do this, but last night, earlier in the day, somebody said, oh, you have a cell phone. I said, yeah. I said, my tall girl gave it to me. And last night, I was talking to my tall girl. And she called me on the cell phone that she gave me, and I just recently learned how to answer it. And I also learned how to turn the ring around. By accident, I discovered that I had the ringer tone turned down to zero. So just buzzing. I saw this little picture with the thing, and it said...

[24:24]

ringer tone zero. I got it up to three. So then when she called, I could hear it. And I answered. And she said, cell phones work sometimes. And I said, yeah. I told some people today that a girl gave me this cell phone. And she said, well, just because you're in Texas doesn't mean you can call me a cowgirl. I said, I know. But that's what people here think of you. They think of you as a cowgirl. Otherwise, they wouldn't know who I was talking about. She said, I'm not your cowgirl. I'm your cow pig. No, no. She said, I'm not your cowgirl. I'm your pig girl. Because she's born in the year of the pig. What year were you born in? You're my ram boy. Rat boy. Rat boy.

[25:27]

OK, so anyway, not so often do people come and talk to with Buddha or Bodhisattvas. Sometimes they do. So now I'm trying to emphasize with this group, yes, let's take care of our children. And let's look at how we do that. Let's look at our relationship with our spouses and our friends and our employers and our employees and our co-practitioners at the Venn Center and our parents and our teachers and enemies. Let's look at all these relationships and look at how to practice with them. Okay? Yes, we do that. And with our cats and dogs.

[26:32]

But I also want to open up a picture and make all these relationships, make each relationship not just taking care of this person and this relationship, but make this the performance of the Buddha way. Learn to make every action, make every good action of caring for this world in particular details. And again, it's inanimate things too, like compost piles, recycling areas, shifting ashes, sweeping the floor. All these relationships make them the performance of the Buddha way. make them something, make the action of your relationship with all the Buddhas.

[27:44]

If you're taking care of your child, great, totally appropriate. If you're taking care of any being who's suffering or any being that's happy, every being you're taking care of, yes, that is appropriate. The Buddha way recommend caring for beings, yes. And, and offer that care of this relationship, offer it to the Buddhas. The Buddhas love that gift of you caring for beings. The Buddhas love the gift of your practice of ministering to suffering beings and assisting beings in any way that's helpful. Learn to think that your service to each other is not just service to the person you're serving, but service to the Buddhas.

[28:54]

And I say learn to think this because not too many people I meet and know do think of what they're doing as a gift to Buddha. I did not think when I went to the San Francisco Zen Center to practice that I would find a place to sit in meditation as a service to the Buddhas. I didn't think that way. Now I want to. Now I recommend that. I don't know if you're ready to take this step, but this is the step I'm offering. That's a possibility. Someone said to me just quite recently here in Houston, he said, it requires care. And I think the it in his case was his marriage.

[30:10]

I think that's what he's referring to. But I just heard it requires constant care. And the it I heard was marriage, yes, but his marriage to all beings. On my first visit here to, not to here, but to Austin, I met with people and did a mass wedding ceremony, all the people at the event. So your marriage, I agree, requires constant care. Yes. Yes. but that it also could be your relationship with the Buddha way also requires constant care. Now, requires means if you want it to flourish fully.

[31:12]

It requires. But also, I would suggest to wrap through that, and say, it requests constant care. It invites constant care. It welcomes constant care. Not requires like it's, you know, bearing down on you like, give me constant care. It's more like, please give, saying, please give me your constant care so that you will see that I'm giving you my constant care. Please give to me so you can see how I'm giving to you Open up your heart to me so you can open up to see that my heart is totally open to you. Yeah, it. Your marriage, your children, your parents, strangers, people, you know, aggressive, miserable, violent, people on the street.

[32:22]

welcome your constant care, constant compassion, constant service, constant worship, constant praise, constant alignment. While you're caring for your friends and family and strangers, The Buddha way welcomes you. You align yourself with the Buddha way while you're caring for innumerable beings one by one. I call it Dharma wheel alignment. Or you could say Dharma wheel alignment. The wondrous Dharma graciously invites you to constantly align yourself with it.

[33:33]

Caring for each thing. Yes? Why not with the Dharma? if you're caring for yourself, if you're looking into your own heart to see what you feel, if you're watching your own behavior, training yourself to be mindful, good, and make this care of your own behavior, again, a service to the Buddhists, an offering to the Buddhists, a worship of the Buddhists. And I think this is unusual for Zen students to hear this kind of talk.

[34:38]

I think so, and I've gotten feedback to the effect that they've never heard this kind of talk in Zen context before. But I have, and it wasn't just me that was talking. I find this in the ancestor Dogen particularly. particularly towards the end of his life, talked very much about serving Buddhas, worshipping Buddhas, venerating Buddhas. He says, the so-called Zen teacher, Dogen, says, those are those who venerated Buddhas. Those who realize the Buddha way are those who serve the Buddhas, who venerate the Buddhas, who worship the Buddhas, who praise the Buddhas, who make offerings to Buddhas. Buddhas have practiced that way.

[35:42]

And some people say, a lot of Zen students also say, you know, I'm not that interested in becoming Buddha. I just want to, you know, be happy or... And I used to say, fine. I don't to be happy. I remember also one time I read this story about the founder, our personal person we speak of as the founder of Zen in China, Bodhidharma. His main disciple, Huayca, that he taught Huayca, not much, but he taught Huayca outwardly, all involvements. Inwardly, no coughing in the mind.

[36:46]

With the mind like a wall, you enter the Buddha way. And I like that teaching and meditate in that teaching. I hear about that teaching quite a bit. But what I wanted to raise today was that I was kind of concerned with that teaching that Bodhidharma gave him. In other words, how can I meet people and see my mind being activated in them? In other words, how can I meet people and just meet people without meeting people in my mind going into all kinds of stories about the meeting? And then one time I read the instruction again and it said, Huayca served Bodhidharma. And I thought, oh, I was kind of thinking that Heike went to study with Bodhidharma, and Bodhidharma gave him this nice... Bodhidharma's successor.

[38:03]

And now they're saying, yes, that's true, but Heike served Bodhidharma. And I don't think he meant he served him just like one moment, but that his basic relationship was he was serving his teacher. That was his practice. And his teacher was giving him teaching. And he gave him this one teaching, he gave him some other ones too, but he gave him this one teaching, and then he gave him another teaching. So he gave him that teaching, and for seven years they worked on that teaching. And he tried to understand what it meant. while he was serving his teacher, while he was honoring, offering himself to his teacher. In that mode, he was studying.

[39:06]

He wasn't studying to try to get the understanding of the practice himself. He was studying the teaching as a service to his teacher. If a teacher gives you a teaching, and you practice it, that's good, but I'm trying to emphasize that it's a service to the teacher that you study and practice the teacher's teaching, that the relationship is more important than some particular teaching. Like if the teacher asked you to sweep the floor, That's the teaching they gave you, and you sweep the floor. A lot of people sweep the floor, and they get into sweeping the floor, but they don't notice that they're sweeping the floor to serve the teacher, venerate the teacher by doing the practice of sweeping the floor. And you can notice that. You can think that.

[40:08]

And if you do, then you're not just sweeping the floor, and you're not just sweeping the floor following your teacher's instruction. you are performing the Buddha way. And performing the Buddha way is realizing the Buddha way. And again, people often think, oh, okay, so now the teacher gave me some teaching like sit the floor or sit still or outwardly cease all involvements. The teacher gave that to me. And I'm practicing that. And it's a service to the teacher. And in this way, I will realize the Buddha way, rather than this is the realization of the Buddha way.

[41:13]

But when I read that service, to me it was a surprise. Somehow I hadn't thought of him. The service part, I wasn't expecting that part. I didn't think of a student going to see a teacher and asking the teacher to teach. I didn't think of it as a service. I thought of it more like a teacher to teach me. And when Hui Cao went to Bodhidharma and asked him to teach, Bodhidharma said, you know, go away. You're not sincere enough." And he demonstrated his sincerity and I accepted him as a student. But I didn't think of the student as serving Bodhidharma. And I would say now, today, that to ask the teacher a question or to ask the teacher for Need requires welcomes to understand that this is caring for the teacher, caring for the relationship, not just trying to get a teaching for yourself to practice.

[42:37]

And the caring for the relationship, serving the relationship, is performing the Buddha way. And we can't avoid the Buddha way, but we alienate ourselves or misalign ourselves when we try to practice without noticing that our services and offerings to the Buddha and the Buddha way. But again, when I was originally studying Zen, I saw these teachings and I thought, oh, these are nice teachings and I'll try to meditate on these teachings and practice these teachings. I didn't think that when I was studying this, I was serving a Buddha. And I'm saying now I feel like I was really missing a point.

[43:41]

The main point is of our intimate non-dual relationship with the Buddha way, which is that we are included in it all the time, we live all the time, but if we don't practice that way, we miss it. Even if we're doing Buddhist practices, if we lose track of these practices are serving the Buddha, We missed the Buddha way. Practices are really simple and childlike, like sleeping on the floor, or offering a stick of incense, or doing one bow, or chanting one verse, even something very simple like that. If done this way, our practices, which are performing the Buddha way, and they realize the Buddha way, and they realize it selflessly at the same time.

[45:01]

But it's hard to, I find it hard to stay on this beam because it's a new and unusual way to see things. And since Reverend Snowhide has returned, I'd say a little bit more. And that is, in this retreat we're in now, there's quite a few periods of sitting meditation on the schedule. So we have this practice. What's it called? It's called just sitting. You've heard about that? So I would propose to you just sitting. When we say just sitting, we mean sitting, which is enacting the Buddha way. Now, right now, you're sitting.

[46:15]

And when your sitting is enacting the Buddha way, or when your sitting is performing the Buddha way, or when your sitting is each moment caring for the Buddha way, aligning with the Buddha way, praising the Buddha way, then the sitting is just sitting. Then the sitting is you're doing it. but you're doing it selflessly. You're not doing it to get anything, you're doing it to give everything. So again, when the sitting is a service to all the Buddhas, and that means to all beings too, because Buddhas include all beings, it can be a service to one being, fine, but also a service to Buddha means a service to all beings. You can sit with a friend and your sitting is a service to your friend.

[47:22]

You can intend that. That's good. But serving the Buddhas by your sitting, making your sitting a service to the Buddhas, means you're serving all beings, the practice of all beings. So for you during this retreat, there's a possibility at each moment of sitting In each moment of sitting, you understand and you intend that this moment of sitting is serving. This moment of sitting is an action of sitting, and the action of sitting is an action of worshiping Buddhas, of adoring Buddhas, of celebrating Buddhas, and adoring and celebrating all Buddhas. Each moment of sitting is honoring, serving the Buddha way.

[48:27]

So I sit and you sit, but the actual practice that we're talking about, the Buddha way practice, is how your practice is serving everybody's practice and how everybody's practice is serving your practice. The actual practice of the tradition is that you sit in service of the sitting of all beings. So each moment of sitting is equally the same practice and the same enlightenment as all beings. That is sitting, which we call sitting. And sitting that way is called also selfless. And it's called dropping off body and mind.

[49:35]

I should say it's very easy to accept when it's accepted. But I'm sitting now and the sitting is an act of worshiping all Buddhas. I'm sitting and the sitting is a service to all Buddhas. It's in alignment with all Buddhas and so on. I'm performing the Buddha way by using this sitting as a performance of the practice of all beings and the enlightenment of all beings. Every moment of sitting given to the Buddha way. Every moment of sitting performing the Buddha way. And of course then every moment of walking, every moment of talking, every moment of Every moment.

[50:43]

Could you please bring that cushion that's behind you and put it over there? Actually, I misspoke. The cushion and the mat. The mat and the cushion. It's a new Zen novel. Yes, please. Thank you. And look who's here. For some reason. This this. discussion of performing leaves me to offer a place, a particular place for you to come and perform the Buddha way.

[52:32]

And I hope you're performing the Buddha way where you are right now, but you can also perform the Buddha way up close with me if you want to. And throughout this retreat, you're welcome to come up here You don't have to raise your hand. You can just come up here and perform the Buddha way in this ritual space here. And you can also face me or face your community as you speak. You can means I welcome you to do so. There's a lot that could be good for you. And it's disconnected. That's disconnected from everybody else that's recorded. Okay. Thank you for coming. Thank you very much. Thank you very, very much for coming.

[53:35]

You're welcome very, very much. Thank you for pointing it out. When you were thanking Various of us were being part of the Houston Dance Community and the Houston Dance Center. It's really nice to hear my name mentioned. And then this emulating Native American woman who is so important to the Houston Dance Center. And the selfless service and selfless performance is one of the total attention and care is shared by so many people. So can I say some other names? And you're welcome to say other names. Thank you, Dave. And thank you, Kim. And thank you, Jill. And thank you, Betty. Absolutely essential people. Thank you, Joe.

[54:36]

And thank you, Bruce. And thank you, Louise, again. And thank you. Without you, it would not be possible. Without you, it would not be possible. Thank you. I understand that you're thanking all these people. You're thanking them by offering to the Buddhas. I feel like it made the Buddhas happy. They're smiling at me. Yeah, you can offer them to the Buddhas because it's a personal... Yeah, and the personal practice you do of expressing your thanks to all these humans is honoring the Buddhas.

[55:50]

And serving the Buddha. You serve the Buddha in this world, this human world. You serve the Buddha in this human world. You serve the Buddhas in this human world by thanking him. Thanking humans, serve the Buddhas. Not thanking humans does not serve Buddhas. I never heard a situation not thank people. Thank you. Yes, that was good. Very nice to trust you to thank us. And thanking people serves the Buddhists. And if I thank you, I honor the situation. I say thank you very much. I'm honoring him and keeping him alive by repeating his words. Thank you very much. He taught, thank you very much. When you say, thank you very much, you're maintaining the Buddha down.

[57:03]

Maintaining the Buddha way. Performing the Buddha way. It's not, thank you very much, and then you project the Buddha way. No. Thank you very much. Perform the Buddha way. very much, or even thank you, at that moment, you know Buddha. And you may think, well, I'd like to know Buddha some other way. Well, let's not thank you very much. I take it back. I keep that. I got distracted. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for intertwining your fingers. Thank you. So I want to tell you that the practice I'm

[58:19]

I'm not waiting to bring it forth and offer it to you. I'm not waiting. I'm doing it today, as you saw. I'm offering you a practice and I'm not waiting until I've perfected this practice before I offer it. I'm not waiting until I can practice this way every single moment before I tell you about practicing this every single moment. I'm telling you of a way of practice that I wish to fully accomplish and which I really trust. But my trust is not 100%. Because I sometimes am involved in some action, and I forget to celebrate that this is performing the Buddha way. But I do not get depressed. passionate about that, I just say, oh, forgot.

[59:25]

Let's get back to work. Hi-ho, hi-ho. It's not the work we do. Joyfully return to the work. Deb, I want to thank you very much for that invitation. That invitation gives all of us the opportunity to sort of get. And so you remind us. Thank you again very much for the reminder. While we might not think ourselves perfect in our

[60:26]

not thinking ourselves perfect. There's perfection, which is required by that invitation. We live within perfection. We live within total graciousness. And sometimes we forget. And the graciousness lets us forget. And then we just come along and invite us to another. Yes. and graciously invite it again. I'm so glad you're here.

[61:27]

Thank you. Thank God. I'm so glad you're here, too. Thank you for saying that. I wanted to tell you as an offering that I was distracted right after I saw you last week. I got in this big fight with my son's lacrosse coach about this email thing, and I was really suffering. Like, I was really, you know, I was noticing all this. It's so interesting and I just stopped it. It's so interesting you're talking about this because I've had this offering practice for several years where it's sort of different than what, oh maybe it is. But it's about offering all that suffering. You know, just take it to my altar and offer it up. And it just, it just... Practice. at the moment of suffering, at the moment of suffering, at the moment of giving what you are to Buddha.

[62:30]

Don't ever miss a moment of offering what you are to Buddha. Not to get rid of it, but just to use your suffering as a moment of relationship to celebrate that intimacy. So I'm afraid right now that I'm not in it. When you can give your not suffering, give the absence of that suffering, make that a gift too. Thank you for landing.

[63:42]

Thank you for what? For landing. Thank you for landing. Yeah, it was nice to land. And appearing in our lives again. I think the teaching that you are just relying has become a intensified lesson for me right after I got home. I mean, I don't know if that's okay. To possibly appreciate and love and be noticed through appreciation for those people that have not been I think I can hear you, but can you hear her?

[64:45]

I'm having trouble hearing you. Give them the gift of more volume right there in your speech. So the lesson, what I'm covering is that you have two eyes. The other thing you have is an eye. in some way began for me right after I used the song often. Yeah, great. And at first I judged myself that I didn't appreciate fully that the two individuals, one was right on Monday, just a beautiful way of trying to kind of a gift of time in the night. And then right after the Buddha took care of that person, another came up towards the end of the week just to spy on me for a second.

[65:50]

And while I was working, oh, I have to talk dramatically. It was the teaching of self-doubting. And that's really one of the things that invites me to completely open up to what it really is, whatever it is that is being delivered. That's the truth. And it hurts. Yeah. It hurts so much when the hair is strong. Me neither. Yeah, having a body, it sometimes hurts when it holds open. Like when women get hurt. And it hurts from the body to deliver the baby.

[66:55]

But it's good. It's wonderful. Yeah. But it's not. It's part of the deal. It's to give and give and give sometimes. But it's also joy. And we see right in that very moment. At that very moment. But it does try to even The lesson I'm feeling is it hurts to move away from what life really is. It's painful. You keep doing it, thinking that... That's misery. Yeah. One is misery. The other is the pain of ignorance. One is from distraction. The other is from... Avoiding.

[67:57]

Yeah, one is from distraction. The other is from change, just from change. It's been growing. The one kind of pain is the pain that's growing, that's stretching. The other pain is pain from contracting. And the pain that comes with the pain is the one that opens up in a great way. The other is a distraction. I showed that during, you know, seminary, you know, during a week, how minutely we make associations and things. You think, can I make it easier? But it's terrible. It's actually, just like only pushing one yourself. And I remember the times when I used to fix long machines, you know, by the second or third day, as a muscle contract.

[68:58]

It really, I know. Well, what I'm feeling to say now is the maneuvering can be fine if longing is a gift to the Buddha. But if it's maneuvering for me to avoid the pain, it's not terrible, but it's a kind of a distraction. But to adjust my posture as a gift to all of you, which I might be more comfortable. I might be more comfortable after I move, but the movement is a gift. And if I move, into what I think would be more comfortable as a gift, and it's not more comfortable, I'm still happy.

[70:06]

Because basically it was a gift. Secondarily, it was a gift of me moving to a more comfortable posture. And then again, the next posture is a gift. So our posture is changing all the time. Each one of these postures is a gift. and that can include adjusting your posture to take care of your body when your body's saying, maybe it'd be good for you to move. Okay, well, I'll try it. I receive your request to move, and now I'm not going to do anything. I'm receiving the request and giving to your body, and I'm also giving to all my friends at this moment. Bring that into the movement of the body, and then the movements are not me trying to get away from the pain of me giving a movement of my body to the Buddha and all people.

[71:11]

Try that. Well, I'm not... For me, it's not so much a message, it's more an illustration. For me, practice comes out... It's something that is inviting you to embrace. The pain is inviting you to embrace, yeah. The pain is welcoming you to offer yourself to the Buddha. Yeah. The very... The very... The thing that was trying to maneuver was actually the pain. Yeah. Well, I don't know if the pain was trying to maneuver. Just as you said, it was an offering to you, an invitation to you. And you can see the invitation as an invitation to maneuver, or you can see it as an invitation to make an offering.

[72:11]

Yeah. And so you try both ways, and you know it's raised up now, right? Absolutely. And it's simple then. It's so simple, it's hard to be consistent. And thank you for your song last weekend. Which one? The Gospel According to Lord Abraham. You're welcome. Actually, I offered this to Valentine before. I found the site, beautiful site, with a picture of a dog with a baby laying on it. And the song comes out. automatically as it goes back. So the next day after, people were still simmering with the stuff that just happened to me. And I answered that, and there was a lot of positive pride in it. So thank you for sharing that wonderful song. It's such a lovely song, really.

[73:12]

That's all I say. Thank you. I wanted to thank you for serving me all these years and for sticking with me. You're so welcome. It's been a great honor to play this role for this wonderful community. to watch it grow. You know, in a culture, what goes for me, you know, not just with me and with you, but, you know, with, I'm there, you know, you can see that.

[74:29]

Yeah. [...] I, I perform it. Yeah. And the performance is done. Well, I probably can't stop now. It's a tree of green, red roses too. They bloom for me. and for you and I think to myself what a wonderful world I see skies of blue and clouds and white bright blessed day dark sacred night and I think to myself what a wonderful world

[75:41]

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, are also on the faces of the people going by. I see friends shaking hands, saying, how do you do? They're really saying, I love you. I'm your baby. Crying, I watch them grow. They learn much more than I'll ever know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. Yeah, I think to myself, what a wonderful world. I had to do it, and I said, I've been watching it grow. The baby in Houston community, growing, crying and growing.

[76:48]

Growing and crying. Everybody's coming along. All right. Thank you.

[77:27]

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