Welcome to the Great Assembly. This may not be a surprise to you if I say there seems to be, let's see here, there seems to be a sentient being here. And this sentient being has feelings and perceptions, it seems, and ideas and emotions and sensations. And one of the ideas that this sentient being has is that

[01:01]

It was born and born again and again and again now for more than 80 years. And that there are signs that this sentient being has been aging all along and now is aging, continuing to age. This sentient being has heard that soon it probably will die. And the sentient being has been sick since the sentient being was first born. It had illnesses and has continued to have illnesses for more than 80 years. This sentient being is feeling very healthy and grateful right now.

[02:07]

But again, there's an awareness that this wonderful life may not go on much longer. And also that this life, to some extent, everything that this sentient being has experienced and done will soon be forgotten. And like writing in the sand, it'll all be blown away soon. And there's an awareness that other sentient beings who have similar situation are more or less experiencing pain about the impermanence of life, about the death that's coming to them, and

[03:19]

there is a possibility under such circumstances to feel pain with many suffering beings and to care for them. Somehow sentient beings can care about other sentient beings. And that caring you could say, as part of being a sentient being. And a sentient being can be aware that others are suffering. And in caring for them, in loving them, and appreciating them, and seeing how beautiful they are, like right now, I'm seeing sentient beings, I'm seeing this assembly, And I feel great care, great joy in seeing your faces.

[04:35]

I'm an impermanent being, and yet I feel joy seeing the faces of other impermanent beings. And I care for them, and I'm happy that I care for them. And if they're suffering, I feel suffering. But feeling suffering for the beings that I care for is the greatest joy. And there's an opportunity, I've heard, to become awake in this world of impermanence and be able to help, to assist, to care for, and to work for the enlightenment of all sentient beings.

[05:41]

And those who wish to awake, truly awake, In order to care for all living beings, we call them bodhisattvas. We call them awakening beings. And for some time now, more than a year, we've been looking at a great scripture which offers teachings and instruction for the bodhisattvas. a great scripture called the Flower Adornment Scripture, which has been said to be the most detailed and extensive description of the practices of those who joyfully enter birth and death in order to help all living beings in birth and death become free

[06:51]

and joyful in the midst of birth and death by helping, by awakening, by helping and awakening all living beings. So again, we have been looking at the scripture and looking at the teachers in the teaching and teachers in the scripture and the teachings they have offered to these bodhisattvas, to these offspring of Buddha, to these beings who aspire to be Buddhas for the welfare of the world. And again, we don't know how long this sentient being will live, but certainly for the next 10 years, there's a joy at the possibility of continuing to study this great scripture and looking at these teachings for bodhisattvas. And the last time we met online here, we looked at the 11th book of the scripture, which is called Purifying Practices.

[08:06]

And I think there's about 140 verses in that chapter. And there are verses in many different situations of life, like living at home, as the first verse in the book, not 11, and it says, when bodhisattvas are living at home, they vow together with all beings that we may all realize that home life is empty and thus be free of all the stress and pressures of home life. That's one verse. So many other situations are described and each situation in verses of four lines, and the second line of each verse is, bowing together with all beings for the sake of all beings. Bowing together with all beings, that all beings will be in the best possible state.

[09:11]

This is the purifying practice. It's a practice to repeatedly remind ourselves that we're not practicing alone, that we do not do the bodhisattva way by our own power. We do it together with all beings, for all beings. That's chapter 11. Now, today I'd like to introduce you to chapter 12. And that chapter is called, one translation is, chief in goodness or foremost in goodness. Another translation would be chief, no, would be foremost in worthiness, foremost worthy. It's a name of a bodhisattva. So, in the previous chapter, Manjushri was giving the teachings. In this chapter, Manjushri, who had taught in the last chapter, is going to ask a question of another bodhisattva whose name is Foremost in Goodness.

[10:19]

So the narrator of the chapter tells us that Manjushri, having taught all these purifying practices, now wishes to reveal The mind which aspires to Buddhahood, which we call the bodhicitta, bodhi, awakening mind. And in particular, it refers to the mind which aspires, which commits, which vows to attain Buddhahood for the welfare of all beings. So the narrator at the beginning of book 12 says, now Manjushri's taught these purifying practices, now Manjushri wants to reveal the mind which aspires to awakening. But rather than he himself giving the teachings about the mind that aspires to awakening, he's going to ask foremost in goodness,

[11:33]

to teach us about the mind that aspires to awakening. So he says to foremost in goodness, beneficent one, beneficent one, please now teach this great assembly about the virtues and merits of the, what is it, of the Buddha way. He doesn't say of the mind awakening. And then he says, teach us the virtues and merits of practical application. Teach us the virtues and merits of practice. He says a more general thing, teach us the virtues and merits of practice in the Buddha way.

[12:41]

And then foremost in goodness says, very good, very good benevolent one. Great question, great request. Okay, I'll do it. So now please listen, benevolent one, carefully and closely to what I say. One translation would say, very good, benevolent ones, please listen. So foremost in goodness is saying to all of you, all benevolent ones, to please listen closely to what is being said. Are you listening closely? Let me look into each of your eyes. Are you listening closely?

[13:43]

Okay, so Benevolent One says, Foremost in Goodness says, the virtues and merits of the mind of awakening. So, he says, now he's going to talk about the mind of awakening. Manjushri did not directly ask him about it, but he could read Manjushri's mind, and he knew Manjushri wanted to hear about the mind of awakening. So he says, the mind of awakening is boundless, immeasurable. Its virtues are could never be completely described. Even if all the Buddhists together tried, they would not be able to. You want me to tell about the virtues and merits of the mind of awakening? And I will say a little bit.

[14:48]

I will say book 12. But what I say is like a drop of water in the ocean of what could be said about this mind that aspires to true awakening for the welfare of this world of sentient beings who live for a little while and suffer on and off the whole time they live. This mind is... a mind that will bring benefit to all sentient beings because it understands the true nature of reality. So once again, Foremost in Goodness has been asked to talk about this great mind indirectly, And foremost in goodness says, okay, I'll do it.

[15:55]

And I'm just going to say a little bit. And here comes this little bit, which we could spend months on. The first part he's already said, it is infinite. The merits and virtues of this mind are infinite, can never be measured completely. and I'll say a little bit. And then the next part he says, which I want to bring your attention to, is when bodhisattvas, when sentient beings, have this mind aroused in them, when sentient beings have this mind which aspires to awakening for the welfare of the world, when it arises in them, This is not without cause and not without conditions. When this mind arises in bodhisattvas, when this mind arises for bodhisattvas, it does not arise without causes and conditions.

[17:06]

Engendering pure faith in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Due to this, this wondrous mind, this vast mind of beneficence arises. Once again, this verse, when this mind arises in bodhisattvas, it does not arise without causes and conditions. developing and engendering, engendering and developing great faith in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Due to this, the body-mind arises. So, the book, the request is for... foremost in goodness, to teach about this mind. And the first thing he teaches us is that it arises by causes and conditions.

[18:16]

And the one and the cause and condition he brings up primarily, first of all, is the cause of pure faith in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. And then he goes on to tell how wondrous this pure faith is. For example, this pure faith can enter into authentic awakening. This pure faith is the source of all the Buddhas and the Buddha way. He talks about all the wondrous qualities of faith. But before we get into telling you how great faith is, I want to ask you, I want to ask the question, what is pure faith? What is this wonderful pure faith which, when engendered and developed, is the source of this mind?

[19:31]

So I would say that this faith is a relationship. Like we often say, I believe in such and such. Or we could even say, I believe in Buddha. And I'm saying to you today that if I feel like I believe in Buddha, if I feel like I have faith in Buddha, that's a feeling I have. And it might be really a wonderful feeling. I don't know. or I might even have faith in one of you or all of you. This is a feeling I might have, or an idea I have, or even a philosophical position I have. What I'm saying though, I'm proposing that faith is not my idea of faith. It's not what I'm thinking. I'm proposing that faith is a relationship

[20:45]

For example, we just heard that faith arises depending on things. It arises in relationship to causes and conditions. It arises because of relationships. And once it arises, it continues to be relationship. And also in particular, this pure faith is a relationship with God. authentic awakening. The faith is my ideas, yes, but it's the relationship of my ideas and your ideas to authentic awakening. So I'm proposing to you that pure faith, mature faith, The faith that gives rise to the mind of awakening is an intimate relationship with Buddha, which is an intimate relationship with Buddha's teaching, the Dharma.

[21:55]

And it is an intimate relationship with the Great Assembly. Our intimate relationship with each other, right now, is pure faith. which includes and is the same as our intimate relationship, each one of us and all of us, with true awakening, with Buddha. That faith, that relationship between my thoughts, my feelings, my opinions, my sensations, my pain, or I could say the thoughts of this sentient being, the feelings of this sentient being, the opinions of this sentient being, the sensations of this sentient being, the pain and pleasure of this sentient being, all the things of this sentient being are not the faith.

[23:06]

The relationship of all those things and each of those things with all beings and with all Buddhas, that is pure faith. And from there, the Bodhi mind arises. What's the Bodhi mind? The mind which aspires to awakening. which chief or foremost in goodness is going to tell us about. And one of the translations of this one verse I'm talking about says engendering pure faith. Another translation says developing. So I think both words are good. This pure faith is engendered and also is developed. How is it engendered?

[24:10]

It's engendered by causes and conditions. Pure faith is a relationship which arises in relationship with causes and conditions. It is a dependent co-arising, and it is dependently co-arisen. Pure faith is a dependent co-arising, and it is dependently co-arisen. It's something which has dependently co-arisen and it's something which continues to co-arise. So it has a co-arising and also it can be developed. One of the ways it can co-arise is by noting the relationship. And one of the ways to note the relationship is to say, I take refuge in Buddha. I take refuge in Dharma. I take refuge in Sangha.

[25:10]

I take refuge in Buddha, vowing with all beings that we may unite and lead the great assembly into the great way. We take refuge in Buddha together We take refuge in Buddha together is a gesture acknowledging and expressing this relationship. We don't make the relationship, but we can express it by saying, I take refuge in Buddha. I take refuge in Buddha is I take refuge in the relationship with Buddha. In taking refuge in Buddha, I also am vowing that all of us together will unite and lead this great assembly into the great way.

[26:25]

I take refuge in Dharma. We take refuge in Dharma. This is an expression which develops this faith, which renews this faith. We take refuge in Dharma together, vowing that we will enter the treasure house of the scriptures, which are an ocean of wisdom. And also, we take refuge in sangha, bowing together to bring harmony to everyone free of hindrance. These are ways to engender together with all beings. I make this offering together with all of you and my offering together with all of you engenders this pure faith

[27:37]

And in this pure faith, this body-mind has a chance to arise. Another thing we can do, which as I said before, is bow. We can actually bow to Buddha. We can offer incense and bow to a statue. We can offer incense and bow to a teacher. And when we bow, We can do a bowing verse to purify our act of faith, our act of reverence. And the bowing verse could be person bowing, person bowed to. One who is bowing, one who is bowed to. There are nature and no nature. This body, the bodies, not two. I take refuge in Buddha. The one who's taking refuge and the one who's gone to for refuge, they have the same nature, no nature.

[28:47]

The body of this one and the body of the Buddha are not two. So this paying homage to Buddha, going for refuge in Buddha, can be purified by remembering that we're taking in refuge to something which has the same nature as us. We're taking refuge in something that has the same nature as us. Our body is bowing to another body which is not separate from us. In this way, we develop pure faith. And this is the source of the Bodhi mind. This is the beginning. This is one verse from the beginning of chapter 12, discussing greatness of faith, how to purify it, how to take care of it and develop it,

[29:54]

as an ongoing work so that this mind of awakening can arise and arise. So this is a little introduction to Book 12 of the great Buddha Flower Endowment Scripture. Does the Great Assembly want to offer something to the Great Assembly? Does the Great Assembly want to make an offering to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha? Yes, it does. But how? I can hardly wait to see what the Great Assembly will be offering to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. And also the Dharma means, offerings to the Dharma mean offerings to the Flower Adornment Scripture.

[31:00]

It's given itself to us. Now, let's offer something back to the Great Scripture whose nature is the same as us. If no offerings come, I'm just going to keep talking. Okay, I see some offerings. Thank you, Roshi. When you say that bodhicitta arises with causes and conditions, is it subject to dissolution? Is it subject to fading? Thank you for that question. Thank you so much. That's a good question. And that question, I would say, engenders faith. So one of the ways to purify your faith is to ask questions about this faith. If you have faith in the bodhicitta, part of keeping it pure is to ask questions about it.

[32:07]

So you're doing that. as he's keeping his faith in bodhicitta pure by asking questions, is it permanent? Well, the first one, the first bodhicitta is not permanent. The first time it happens, it just happens at that first time. It is not permanent. However, it can rise again. It can arise again and again and again. And the merit of the first, and the sutra says, the merit of the first time it happens is inconceivably great. But then it says, how much more so if it happens again and again and again and again for eons? How much more great? So it does arise, but also it can be lost. So sometimes people say bodhicitta, the first time it arises is like a flame of a candle.

[33:15]

And it can be blown out by a light wind. The first time bodhicitta arises, the merit of the first time is inconceivably great and this wondrous thing is like a flame of a candle and it can be blown out. So we need to protect it by giving rise to it again and practicing all the bodhisattva practices. And it also says that Our ancestors also say that although it starts like a flame of a candle and can easily blown out, if you take care of it and keep giving rise to it by continually calling for it and giving yourself to it, it grows and grows and grows into a great forest fire. And then if you blow on it, it just gets stronger.

[34:21]

So at a certain point, the bodhicitta, although it keeps changing and growing, it doesn't get blown out anymore. But at the beginning, bodhicitta can be lost for one moment, two moments, or unfortunately, a really long time. And we protect it by doing the bodhisattva practices, which it uses to realize itself. Roshi, is there a way to work with our negativity as not separate from our bodhicitta? Negativity. Okay, so the previous chapter said, it didn't actually say it, but it could have said, when the bodhisattva is feeling negativity, he vows together with all beings that they may all realize the emptiness of negativity and be a blessing to all beings who are afflicted with negativity and set them free.

[35:33]

That's how we, a bodhisattva, would work with negativity. Of one way, they would vow together with all beings that we all together may realize the nature of this negativity, which is emptiness. And thereby, Bring blessings to all beings who are afflicted by negativity. Teach them how to do the same practice. Thank you very much. You're very welcome. Thank you for questioning bodhicitta. It grows on questioning. But don't question too hard or you'll blow it out. Good morning. Good morning. I have two questions, and I think they're about faith. The first question is, I usually think of faith as sort of an attitude that my mind might hold, but what I heard from you this morning makes me think that you are talking about faith more as an activity.

[36:50]

Yes, right. For example, you might have the attitude that sitting upright and still is good. Okay? But the actual faith is sitting upright and still. That's the faith. It's an actual, it's an activity. And the activity is not something you do by yourself. But you could have the attitude it would be good to sit. Or even I want to sit. Okay, that's an identity. But when you sit, actually, that's a relationship. That's an action which is a relationship of your body and the earth and all sentient beings. When you sit, now you could say, well, my attitudes are also like that. Yes, that's right. But that wouldn't just apply to the attitude that sitting is good. That would apply to all your attitudes. the way they're in relationship to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, that way that they are, that's the faith.

[37:54]

And that's the activity. That's Buddha activity. That's a really different way to think about it. It is. Yeah. That's why I came today, to give you a different way to think about faith. It's not thinking about something other than yourself. It's about thinking about how you're a relationship, for example, with all beings and Buddhas. Our faith, the pure faith, is a relationship with Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. And Sangha means all beings in this case. It's different. Yeah. And that sort of leads to my second question, which I think is also about faith and understanding, which is that in the way I conventionally think of myself, To say something like, well, I want to become Buddhist just sounds ridiculously ambitious. Somehow wrong, you know?

[38:58]

Thank you for mentioning that. Yeah. Many people come and say that to me. Yeah. Hear about this Bodhi mind and they say, well, I'm sorry to say I do not aspire to be Buddha. That's just too much. Yeah. However, you have this faith, it arises in that faith. When you feel intimate with Buddha, then you don't think it's too much to aspire to be Buddha. When you don't see Buddha as separate, when you realize Buddha has the same nature as you, which is emptiness, then it's not so arrogant to wish to be Buddha. And you only wish to be Buddha in order to help people, not to be your great... Karen Buddha, you wish to be Buddha because that is what's needed to help people the best way. And in this faith, this arises not by you, but by this relationship with Buddha. The relationship with Buddha, the intimate communion with Buddha gives rise to this faith.

[40:01]

But me sitting over here, I don't dare do that, which is good. Some people do, but... But some people say, no, no, it's too much. Well, that's not what it is. It's not you by yourself going to be Buddha. That's a huge reorientation. It is. Yeah. It is. It's kind of, you know, I wish I could, you know, snap my fingers and make that shift. But that doesn't seem. Well, you can do that. Go there. There it is. It didn't happen. This is expressing faith in, it was the faith of my relationship with Buddha. This is an intimate relationship with Buddha. Expression of intimate relationship with Buddha. And from there, this thought arises.

[41:03]

So it's okay to snap your fingers or whistle. or hold your nose. There's additional practices that we do. Or sometimes the teacher takes your nose and twists it. Thank you very much. I also want to mention the reading the sutra together, if that's okay. Okay. I'd like to also mention reading the sutra together. Some of us are gathering on the first Tuesday of every month to read the sutra together over Zoom. And it turns out that the next time that we're planning to read is also Election Day. And so I would like to invite people to join us. You know, I think it's a It's kind of a sweet thing to do on Election Day, and it's a way perhaps to deal with some of the anxiety around what's happening. So if people are interested, please send me an email. Okay, thank you.

[42:04]

Studying the future is a way of dealing with the anxiety. A nice side effect. It's not really a side effect. It's sort of the point of the sutra. It's to help people who are feeling anxiety. It's not really a side effect. It's sort of the main point. Reading the sutra at gmail.com. Yeah, thank you. Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you, good morning, and good morning to the Great Assembly. Reb, I want to thank you for opening the treasure of this chapter to us, and this is amazing, and also for focusing on faith.

[43:06]

My experience of faith in the Buddha is my heart is beating. I'm breathing. I have life force going through me just like we all do. And there's a relationship, the life force. And so that's my offering. But I also have a question. This is a technical question about the last chapter that we did, Chapter 11. I have a version. I read one of the verses praising the Buddha's virtues. They should wish that all beings fulfill all virtues extolled endlessly. And to me, that omits what you quote, which talks about doing this together with all beings. So my question is, what version are you reading? Because I think the omission of doing it together with all beings is limiting my understanding of this work.

[44:15]

Yeah, so we have vowing with all beings and vowing that all beings. Yeah. I vow with all beings, that all beings. So I would say, I wish with all beings that all beings will accomplish great virtue. But if you translate it, the Chinese does not usually let you use two words for one character. But the character could be with or that. I vow, or it actually just says vowing with or vowing that. And most people say vowing that they attain happiness or vowing that they attain virtue. But I'm emphasizing a more purifying way is vowing with them that they, vowing with them that they enter Buddha's way.

[45:17]

So as we read, we can just kind of insert the width to help us improve our understanding. So our four vows are sentient beings are numberless. We usually say we or I. We usually say I, but it doesn't say it. Actually, the Chinese does not say we and does not say I. It says sentient beings are numberless, vowing to save them. Okay. Sentient beings are a number of us vowing to save them. We could say, it doesn't have a character, but that's different. But in that, in chapter 11, it says vowing that or vowing with in their presence. In the presence of all beings, vowing that. With all beings, vowing that. So I am adding that to purify the idea that we vow by ourselves, by our own power.

[46:23]

We vow these good things, that beings will attain them. But also we vow with them. We support them to do the same, they support us. We wouldn't be making these vows if it weren't for them. But I am doing an interpretive reasoning here. I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Rev. Hiroshi. I don't think I can articulate the question. I just wanted to say just vast deep gratitude and vast deep awe for all of the wonderful teachings and the teachers in Buddha Dhamma Sangha.

[47:36]

Just thank you. And I'm in deep awe. Thank you for expressing the relationship. That's it. Oh. Hello, I pray to Santa and to Red. I'm glad to see you. And you're talking of faith. This morning made me wonder about my practice.

[48:45]

Where is it? where I'm at in my practice. And a sorrow came up for all the ways that I feel I am. Yeah, lack, lacking of practice. And a wish for confession and repentance. All that came up. And, yeah, I haven't been on a retreat for a very long time, and... I sit by myself, or alone by myself, but I sit by myself, and I am

[49:58]

I wonder about that a lot over my practice. What is it that you wonder about? How much I am in working with my with my practice how much i am um really um working for the way i want to work with my practice um harder for me when i am when i don't go to retreat and and sit together with others and Yeah, it's like I don't get the same help, I guess, to see where all the ways that others can help me to see.

[51:22]

Yeah. Well, and I think many people share that with you, that they want to practice. but they have a harder time practicing when they're not with other people who are wanting to practice. That's a normal situation. Yeah. And some people tell me about that. For example, I myself felt that way. I wanted to practice, but I noticed I wanted to do certain practices, but I noticed I couldn't do them. I wanted to practice sitting meditation, for example, but I noticed I wasn't doing it. Yeah. But then the thought arose in my mind, well, maybe if I was someplace where other people were nearby...

[52:22]

and I could sit with them, maybe then I would be able to practice. And so I did go somewhere where other people were sitting nearby, and then I could do it more regularly. So that's quite normal. But what about when you can't go to someplace where there are people to sit with, which would help you? What do you do then? That's it. Then what you do is you want to. Yeah. You want to. And wanting to is what you have. That wish you have. And it's hard for you. And the thing you're wishing for, you're having trouble realizing it. But you have the wish. And that is... just so great that you want to, that you want to practice the Bodhisattva way.

[53:26]

However, you're having a hard time. And if you could practice with other people, it probably would help. You'd probably get support. And your faith is... But it's also like... Say again? Yeah, I was going to say that when I sit, I mean, I sit quite a lot. I don't sit together with Cassandra, and it feels like my sitting, it's... It's really wonderful to sit and it hasn't been like that for me. I've been having a lot of trouble with sitting during for very many years.

[54:39]

I struggled very hard just to sit with myself and now it's It's so much easier for me to let myself be, to let my mind be, and it has really changed my whole life. So I feel better. I am helped. Even if I sit by myself, I feel like I sit together. With everyone, in a way, but... So that's very great. But... Yeah, it's still, I feel like... That I...

[55:41]

Need help. Did you say you need help? Others to, yeah. Yes, I need others. Others. Yeah. Well. Faces. I do too. We all do. So, how are you going to get help from others? How are you going to find a sangha? We need to find a sangha. And you know it. And the fact that you know it is good. Until you do, it's going to be very difficult for you to practice. But you do have the valuable thing is that you do want to find a teacher and you do want to find a sangha. That's the good part. Then the hard part is, and if you don't find those things, you're going to keep wanting to. And when you find them, then you'll be able to realize the support that you need.

[56:54]

Yes. But remember, you want to. Thank you for your questions. Yes, that's it. Thank you. Oh, hello. Hello. Thank you all for being here. Thank you, Charlotte, for demonstrating confession. I need help. At work, there is a man who stops me from time to time and he says, you're smiling all the time. I don't understand it. And I say, I have good medicine. But your point earlier, Reb, there is suffering all along.

[58:14]

The suffering... I feel it is unbearable. It's almost indescribable, particularly in the times that we're living in. It has really penetrated me. I've been thinking of faith, and I read the Nicene Creed the other day. And they call it the Nicaeum. They call it the symbol of faith in the Christian tradition. And it is really glorifying a person. And in my life, It's the person I'm looking at now that has given me the greatest faith.

[59:27]

And I can imagine that others in this gallery share the same feeling. I'm being very touched by the mystical Christian tradition. But I would never shout from the rooftops the glory of that person or the glory of this person. I would shout from the rooftops the glory of the Prajnaparamita. but I believe all my friends in California would think that I was being dualistic. Maybe not. I just want to share that the faith

[60:40]

For me, at least, to support what you've said needs a face. And we can relate to that face, to that person. I'm not against abstract faith or philosophical faith, but I'm just here to give thanks for the personal faith. Thank you. And I really don't want to change the subject, but the woman who appears above the candle on my desk, I also have great faith in. And I love her very, very much.

[61:45]

And people refer to her as being black, but most people don't recognize her superpower, which is her ancestry from the great India. But I'm shouting from the rooftops and just thank you again. There we go. I was having trouble understanding the connection between relationship and faith, or I am having trouble understanding it.

[62:48]

And I find myself reframing it in a way. I want to know if I can tell you how I'm reframing it and have you tell me if I seem to be understanding it. Can I do that? The way I'm kind of understanding it is that being in relationship with Buddha is being open to everything, being open to each person, each being, each thought that I come in contact with or that arises, and that a lack of faith would be to be unaware of the story that I'm having about that person or thing, or to believe the story, or to narrow my worldview, thinking that the Buddha that I'm experiencing in that moment is my story.

[63:57]

Or perhaps that my faith and my relationship is with that story and with that being and seeing them both as a story only and as a being. But I guess the way I'm seeing it as being a relationship is remaining open and remaining aware of the stream of stories that I'm that are arising about what I'm experiencing while I'm trying to remain open, and that faith is remaining open. Is that a way of understanding what you're saying? It is a way of understanding what I'm saying, yes. wanted to say something uh uh for charlotte as well and i've done a lot of sitting on my own over many years and and um and it's it can be very difficult and i also find myself um uh wanting to to sit with community um

[65:23]

But I've often thought, well, I'm sitting that. And somewhere in the world, in some time zone, there are a lot of people sitting. There are a lot of monks sitting. There are a lot of priests sitting. There are a lot of lay people sitting. And there's bodhisattvas everywhere. And at any time, whether that's theoretical or actually totally happening in the moment, there are people sitting with you. Thank you for this beautiful teaching.

[66:28]

I recognize that the infinite compassion and wisdom of the way of the Buddha is boundless. And that helps me when I'm identified with my limitations. It helps me tremendously to have this faith. that recognizing the emptiness of these limitations and accepting the internet, boundless wisdom and compassion, the way of the Buddha, of all the Buddhas, of all the Bodhisattvas, helps me not to feel alone. It helps me to accept that things are as they are, the dependent arising of the way that things are. has some divine beauty and wonder.

[67:33]

And if that's a shared beauty and wonder, that's a shared joy among all the doers from the Sanctuary, it's a bit of three jewels. And to realize that in Sangha is such a great blessing. to hear the teachings. Also, that infinite, boundless aspect of the faith helps me to accept that the Dharma is limitless, and that as much as my passion may be to study the Dharma, to learn the Dharma, It allows me to accept with that faith that I don't have to do it alone, that you are there, that you are there studying the Dharma, practicing the Dharma, teaching the Dharma, that all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas are there carrying the tradition, keeping the flame alive.

[68:44]

It's a beautiful, joyful faith. I pray in that faith that your practice and your giving, your bodhisattva way may continue. With you. Yes, and with you. Thank you. The piece that you spoke about that's churning in me is awakening the bodhicitta in order to lead all beings to the great way or something like that.

[69:58]

I'm not sure if I quite have that. I know I'm a person who tends to hide my practice in my daily life. I think I'm protecting the candle flame from being buffeted by others' opinions about it. And I wonder if you could talk something about the nature of leadership in our daily lives or how engendering leadership together with all beings is realized. I quoted one version of the practice of refuge in Dharma, which is, I take refuge in Dharma together with all beings. Oh no, that was Buddha. I take refuge in Buddha and together with all beings, unite with them

[71:06]

and lead the great assembly, which I'm adding, which I have united with. So taking refuge in Buddha and then vowing together with the great assembly or for the great assembly to unite with them and lead. So the uniting is connected to the leading into the great way. So if you have this wish to help people enter the great way, It sounds like uniting with them will facilitate the leadership. And this is taking refuge in Buddha. I take refuge in Buddha that all beings can unite and lead the great assembly. Or I take refuge in Buddha And vow that all beings can unite and lead the great assembly into the great way.

[72:10]

But that includes taking care of your flame. But you're taking care of the flame so you can remember about uniting. And sometimes in order to take care of the flame so you can reunite, you might have to close the windows for a little while. Okay, and then, okay, now I'm ready to open the windows. So for the sake of uniting, I need to protect this flame from the wind. But I'm doing it so that I can unite with the wind. Excuse me, wind, for putting up a little shelter so I can keep this flame going, and I will reunite with you later. And together with you, we will lead all beings into the great way.

[73:12]

And I go for refuge in Buddha in order to take care of my vow. to unite and lead all beings. Thank you. about practicing alone or with others and feeling the need or desire for help that arises from being practicing with others. I wanted to mention that Nowadays, it's not as good as in the flesh, but nowadays it's possible to practice with others this way on Zoom and so on.

[74:26]

And for the last few years, I've been in two or three groups that arose out of your community. that read books together. One group reads your books, another group reads the texts that we're interested in. But I just want to say that real, true friendships have arisen out of those groups and real intimate sharing about practice and about our lives happens in those groups. So I just, I wanted to mention to anybody who feels lonely, you know, that this is actually available now. Yeah, that's all. Well, thank you. And not to say anybody in particular, but maybe we think of Charlotte. Charlotte. Maybe Charlotte could find some groups like this.

[75:30]

and get some of the help she needs in this way. Thank you. Because she was kind enough to share this need and this feeling so we can address her. But she's not alone in this at all. Many people feel this. Right. There's also some really good in the present moment teaching online. I often listen to Gil Fransdale's guided meditations. So there's actually a way to be with others. And yeah, if she or anybody wants to know more about it, they could contact me or Yuki with that reading the sutra email. Yuki knows a lot about these groups. Yeah. Thank you, Linda. Okay. Thank you. and the great assembly.

[76:48]

Thank you for your teaching. And I would like to share with you when you talk about a because of the rising, and I thought of the country, and the verse said, I think, They resonate to each other. I just would like to share this. Thank you. Well, it's 11.31 in some places.

[77:49]

And So I really appreciate the contribution of this great assembly to this great assembly. Thank you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[78:15]

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