Now as we come to the end of our intensive, I again wish to return to the basics, to return to take refuge in the basic teaching of the Buddhas and ancestors to go for refuge to the true path of enlightenment, to sit upright practicing in the midst of self-fulfilling awareness. And

[01:02]

that could be rephrased as to sit upright practicing concentration in the midst of the self-receiving and self-enacting samadhi. So again, it's possible to do many practices to practice concentration diligent work, patience, bodhisattva precepts, giving, wisdom, study, all these practices, to do them being upright in the context of this great self-receiving and employing awareness. But that's the context always of the true path. We do many practices within this self-receiving and employing awareness.

[02:15]

Another way to say it is that we are upright and practice in the midst of the great bodhisattva vows. So bodhisattvas practice uprightly in the midst of their vows. They progress along the path by means of their vows. They do many practices, innumerable practices, but they're carried forth by and carrying forth the bodhisattva vows always around and through in the midst of what they're doing. One story I can tell of my history is that I saw

[03:30]

I got a glimpse of bodhisattva practice in the stories of Zen ancestors. And I wanted to be like those ancestors. In other words, a vow arose in me to be like those bodhisattvas. And then I found out they had many practices that helped them facilitate their vows or many practices they could carry on with their vows. And I learned those practices and I started to do those practices and sometimes I forgot the vow. For example, concentration practice. I saw that they practiced concentration, so I started practicing concentration. But then I got mostly focused on concentration, and I forgot that I didn't come to Zen to get concentrated.

[04:36]

I came because I wanted to be like the bodhisattvas. And they practiced concentration. So then I started practicing concentration and forget the point, I came. and get concerned with me getting concentrated rather than me becoming part of that great movement of bodhisattvas. And many people have that experience of seeing the beautiful forest and think that maybe it would be good to learn to be a tree and then forget the forest. So all these practices that we're doing are perfectly good but it's Really, if it's bodhisattva practice, we don't forget the vow. We don't forget the point is not for me to get concentrated or me to be successful at practicing precepts. It's for me to join this great practice of all beings in whatever practice I'm doing.

[05:45]

So it's difficult to make effort towards a practice and keep in touch with the big picture which is what attracted us in the first place. Maybe some people heard about getting concentrated and that's what they came for is to get concentrated and they didn't care about becoming a bodhisattva. That's also okay but that wasn't my story. My story is I wanted to be like these very skillful beings but when I entered the training I sometimes forgot that and got caught up in the training. And sometimes when I was successful at the training, then I remembered, oh, this isn't what I came for. Now that I've achieved this training, now that I'm skillful at this training, this wasn't the point. So it's not the end of the world if you lose sight of it, because you remember usually. I also want to say something which is kind of a cute characterization.

[07:10]

I saw this cartoon about cuteness and it had a picture of a little dog There's a series of cartoons in the New Yorker which have dogs, a lot of dogs in court often. Anyway, there's dogs in court, little tiny dog looking up at this big judge up on a big seat. What do they call the place where a judge sits? Huh? The bench, sitting up on the bench. And the judge is looking down at the dog and said, you can't plead cute. As a matter of fact, yes. So this is a cute characterization of Zen, which is, it came up in relationship to something that Rei Rin brought forth, which was about doing this true practice of enlightenment without incense offering, bowing, chanting Buddha's name.

[08:26]

So sometimes Zen is characterized as going down fast and coming up slowly. And some other schools of Mahayana Buddhism go down slowly and come up fast. So we go down, it says, from the first time you place yourself before a teacher, just sit down. and drop off body and mind. Just sit in the true path of enlightenment in the midst of the self-fulfilling samadhi. Just enter that samadhi. As soon as you meet a teacher, enter that samadhi and sit there. As soon as you have placed yourself before a teacher, enter the true path of enlightenment and continue to practice there without any kind of preparation And once you've entered, very quickly gone down to the bottom of the practice and sat in the true practice, then come up slowly by incense offering, bowing, chanting Buddha's name, repentance, reading scriptures, sitting zazen, etc.

[09:53]

So we do kind of go down fast right away, boom, and now from the true practice of enlightenment, now integrate this true path of enlightenment in all other practices. Come up to all the practices of bodhisattvas, all the practices of your life. So it's a fast entry into the true path and a slow integration of it with everything in your life. The other path is do incense offering Do bowing, chanting, reading scriptures, confession and repentance, and so on. Do all those, all those, and finally get to the true path. But once you're there, you've already done all the practices, so they've been integrated beforehand. So it's a slow going down and a fast coming up. there is a kind of thing that we offer the true path right away.

[11:05]

we offer the teaching of suchness. It's been intimately transmitted by Buddhas and ancestors. Now you have it. So please take care of it. Please weave it into and apply it to every moment to every action please weave every action into the fabric of the ancient teaching of suchness please take care of it we're not asking you to get prepared we're giving it to you right away it's being intimately transmitted to you now If you practice concentration, please take care of this teaching.

[13:09]

If you practice giving, if you study the teachings, if you serve the community, while you're doing that, please take care of the teaching of suchness, which has been intimately transmitted by the Buddhas and ancestors and now given to you. you are entrusted with it. And all the Buddhas and ancestors who have realized this teaching are practicing with you, happy to help you. You don't take care of it by yourself. That's part of it. Congratulations.

[14:24]

Now you have it. Congratulations. Now you can keep it well. And as you let this Dharma fill your body and mind, you'll realize somehow that you can make even more wholehearted effort in taking care of it. and that will not be an unhappiness. That will be like a sense of infinite horizons of growth which is the same as infinite horizons of helping others grow. All these people who can understand the Dharma better what a great thing. What a joy that there's more to be learned.

[15:33]

even though we already have received the true Dharma. With every drop of rain, it's coming. With every silence between each drop. Isn't that amazing?

[16:35]

We can hear the spaces between all these drops. We can tell that they're not just one big drop. We have wonderful ears. Is there anything you'd like to bring forth? This is very shaky. This is working? Okay. I have very shaky understanding of the question that I'm going to ask you. So I'm going to try and make sense of the question.

[17:41]

Dogen talks about actualizing the fundamental point. is actualizing the fundamental point, realizing the interconnectedness of all beings? And if this is so, what is actualizing? Is it cognitive understanding only? Is it cognitive understanding only? Providing everything I've said makes sense. This actualizing the interconnectedness of all beings. Well, that's part of what we've been saying is that like in a dance, right? Yes. So is realizing the fundamental point in a dance just cognitive?

[18:50]

Yes. And I would say no. Right. It's also the dance. Right. So, when the dance is done, that dance realizes the fundamental point. And our ideas about the dance are there too. Right. But our ideas about the dance do not reach the dance. Right. And do not reach how this dance is manifesting the fundamental point. But the dance is manifesting the fundamental point. Everything is. And that's our problem. How is that so that the dance is actualizing the fundamental point? And we have ideas about that but there's also doing the dance. And that when we're doing the dance we're wondering, how is this the realization?

[19:56]

And the answer to that question is the dance. So someone might say, you know, the fundamental point reaches everywhere, the fundamental point of dancing reaches everywhere, so why do we have to dance? Like that story in the Genjo koan, right? If the wind is permanent and reaches everywhere, so why do we have to fan? This is a cognitive understanding. And the person says, you understand that it's permanent, but you don't understand the meaning of it reaching everywhere. What's the meaning of it reaching everywhere? The fanning. That's not just cognitive. But it is cognitive. There's a story of fanning going on. But it's how the fanning is actualizing the wind. The wind's there anyway, but you don't realize it if you don't join it with the fanning.

[21:04]

The dance is here anyway, but you have to do the dance to realize that the dance is everywhere. May I? Going back to the interconnectedness of all beings, I feel connected to some beings, but there is big regret that I don't feel connected to all beings. Could you hear what you said? You couldn't? She said, I feel connected to some beings, but there's real regret that I don't feel connected to some others. To all beings. To all beings, yeah. So, feeling connected to some beings is correct. You are connected to some beings. Feeling connected to all beings is a correct feeling in a sense. It's in accordance with reality.

[22:06]

But the feeling of connection is not the connection. And the feeling that you're dancing is not the dance. You can feel like you're dancing with people or not. But the feeling of dancing is not the dance. So, and if you feel like you're not connected, that might feel bad. Some people might not feel bad too, but to you, you regret that feeling. Okay? But that's, again, just your story about... about interconnectedness is that I have a story about it and my story includes that I don't feel it in relationship to some beings. So that's a lack of faith and practice. By revealing and disclosing the sense that you do not feel connected and also that you kind of believe it, you melt away the root of believing that story.

[23:13]

But it isn't that you then switch over to believe some other story. You realize interconnectedness by admitting your stories about its presence or lacks. By admitting, I have a story about my connection with you, and I have a story about my lack of connection with somebody else, by revealing these stories and my beliefs in them, which are actually a lack of faith in the teaching and the practice. Because again, it shows that I think that I'm doing the connecting or something like that. That the connection has something to do with just what I think. By revealing this before the Buddhas, it melts away the root of that belief. And does a moment come when it is possible to realize fully the interconnectedness with all beings? The moment comes, yes. The moment comes. And that moment is, what do you call it?

[24:18]

It's the moment when we see that our stories are empty. So our stories are empty at that time. When Avalokiteshvara is practicing deeply the Prajnaparamita, she sees that all elements of experience are empty. And at that time, it's a time that she sees that. At that time, she realizes the reality of the fundamental point by graciously taking care of her stories of connected to some and not connected to others. Thank you very much. Good morning.

[25:29]

I have a story for you. Stop me if you've heard this one. We're talking about true dragons and carved dragons. And the other day you suggested that we might offer our practice to all buddhas and bodhisattvas. I suggested that? I think so. Okay. I'm glad I did. And that's a traditional, that's one of Samantabhadra's vows, is make offerings to buddhas, and the best offerings are your dharma practice. That's really the supreme offering to buddhas is dharma offerings, so offer your practice Yes. That's the best gift to Buddha. So, here I have my modest little orioke practice.

[26:38]

And as I practice it, I've started following your suggestion to offer it to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. And I do that with the awareness that it doesn't reach the heart of orioke, nor all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Yeah. And here's where I get in trouble. Okay. That suggests to me, like, okay, here's this heart of Oriyoki, and then on the other hand, here's my modest little practice of orioke and that's like okay here's a true dragon and then here my here's my little carved dragon right and so what i get caught in is that that sounds like duality to me okay here's this and here's that can you turn the lights up on this well um they they're they're two different things but they're part of the same reality Okay. There's no carved dragon without real dragon and no real dragon without carved dragon.

[27:42]

So they interpenetrate or inter... They're not really two. Yeah. Even though you can count one, two. Okay. But that's... The teaching is that they're not two. And if you become intimate with one, you become intimate with the other because they're one being. But... Being human beings... When we're in the presence of a dragon, we naturally carve one. When a dragon appears to us, we carve one real fast in our mind. And then after we carve it in our mind, we carve it in our body. Like we say, dragon. That's a verbal carving of the dragon. Or you say, new. You can put the dragon into speech, or you can put the dragon into a posture. or make a statue. But we naturally do that. We human beings are conscious beings, and when a conscious human being meets a dragon, they make a story of it.

[28:45]

I think I do that with Orioki. I think I make up a story about what's good Orioki. You could also make a story of what's a good carving of a dragon. Yeah. Well, I think that is carving my dragon. That's fine. Making up the story. Good and bad are part of the... We can say it's a good dragon or a bad dragon. We can say it's a good real dragon or a bad real dragon. Or substituting clumsy for bad. All that's part of it. Inattentive. And offering all that effort to the real ordeoki, the true ordeoki, not in the spirit of trying to make it become the true ordeoki, but becoming intimate with your... With your little practice, with your formed ordeoki practice. With the understanding that it is the true practice. They're not separate. They're not separate. They're not separate.

[29:51]

Thank you. You're welcome. And I heard a story that it's your birthday today. It is. At your 79? I am. And where did all that time go? I love you. And thanks for coming, spent coming to 79 practice periods here. Happy birthday dear me. Happy birthday to you. Many more. Well, since the carved dragon came up, I thought of this again.

[31:16]

When Mayo was here with you yesterday, the day before, I think, talking about the carved dragon and the poor man who loved carved dragons and the terror. A little closer. Hold the mic a little closer. A little closer? Yeah. Okay, when Mayo was talking with you about the carved dragon and the man who loved carved dragons, it occurred to me that it was similar to the story of Emperor Wu and Bodhidharma. And just that, I thought that might add something to the conversation. Maybe you'd like to say something about it or not. Did you hear what she said? Do you know the story of Bodhidharma? Actually, the story of Emperor Wu, that he was a historical person who was a great patron of the Buddhist Sangha, and he also studied with notable practitioners.

[32:33]

And then there's a story that this person named Bodhidharma came to visit the emperor. And the emperor asked Bodhidharma, what is the highest meaning of the... Well, actually, the extended story is the emperor said to Bodhidharma, you know, I built all these monasteries and supported all these monks and nuns. What's the merit of this? And Bodhidharma said, no merit. So this is his carved dragon, a beautiful carved dragon of imperial support of many, many practitioners and building, you know, wonderful monasteries. This is a great carved dragon. And then he asks the teacher, what's the merit? And the teacher says, basically, it's a carved dragon. There's no merit to it. And then he says, what's the highest meaning of the holy truths? And Bodhidharma says, no holy, vast emptiness.

[33:36]

So again, he's kind of getting exposed to the true dragon here. And it's kind of shocking. Because he's a good devotee of the carved dragons of Buddhism. And then he says to Bodhidharma, who is it that's facing me here? And Bodhidharma says, don't know. And then Bodhidharma leaves. And then after he leaves, the emperor said to his court, to probably the national teacher, something like the national teacher who was in his court, he said, who was that bearded man? And the national teacher says, That was Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. That was the true dragon. And the emperor said, could we get him to come back?

[34:48]

And the national teacher says, I don't think if you sent all your followers to get him, I don't think he would come back. So then he went to Shaolin Temple which means the temple of the little forest and he sat facing a wall for nine years. So what did he do? He went and showed the ceremony of Zazen. The true dragon says, oh here's a carved dragon for you guys to work on. And From there we have our tradition of using the form of sitting as an offering. Form of sitting as an offering, form of sitting as an offering to the practice in the midst of this vast emptiness filled with Buddha's compassion where we sit.

[36:06]

Moment by moment. What? I do want to face a true dragon, and I'm turning away, so... I do want to.

[37:47]

I can't hear you. Help! Give me that. Hands. They can't hear you.

[39:30]

Can't hear, can you? I'm just noticing the contractions and I don't see them as a dance and I'm sorry about not seeing that. And I'm putting this lack of faith forward. Thank you. And are you putting the lack of faith forward in a contracted way or a wholehearted way? There were many moments between them. I would like to offer you the non-contracted one.

[40:38]

Thank you for your teachings. I would like to offer a story if you will listen and if it will be told out of a place of compassion.

[41:59]

I can't hear you. Okay. Is this on? Yes? It's on. Hold it closer. I said that I would like to tell a story if Reb would listen and if it would be told from a place of compassion and vulnerability with the community, if you will listen as well. I'm holding the story gently and acknowledging it. And I went through that process earlier today while chopping broccoli in an enactment, a mental enactment of coming forward to share it with you. And I thought that I would enact that now and in community. In Zazen, In Zazen, I come to a place where I feel like I'm standing in a doorframe and that I'm leaving one room with the possibility of entering a new space.

[43:23]

And I'm not sure what's in store in that new space. but I keep looking over my shoulder into the room that I'm coming from, which is part of a self that I'm leaving, and I am afraid to leave it. Knowing that there's newness and possibility, if I step out ahead, And so I'm fearful and I'm fearful in Zazen and I'm fearful not to be in Zazen and I'm fearful for my lack of perhaps faith in the practice or what will happen if I take another step forward out of the doorframe and I'm scared.

[44:28]

And I want to tell that story and acknowledge it and hopefully receive help from the Triple Treasure to hold it gently. I think of an instruction that goes, the breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep. You have to say what you really want. Don't go back to sleep. People are walking back and forth at the threshold, at the doorframe where the two worlds meet the doors round and open don't go back to sleep so if you feel yourself standing at that threshold be awake there and say what you want

[45:57]

and listen. You don't have to go anywhere. The two worlds are meeting. You're not really in one or the other. You're in both. You're at the meeting of the two. You don't have to move. You don't have to move a particle of dust. How can I want with no gaining idea? You can stand and do a ceremony of being still as an offering to wanting with no gaining idea. Your stillness can be a ceremony celebrating not trying to get anything. but giving yourself to being where you are without trying to get being where you are but offer yourself to being where you are and if you notice that you're trying to get something from offering yourself then admit that and try to give again

[47:29]

without expecting to get something back. Say what you want as a gift not to get something. Be where you are as a gift not to get something. Be still as a gift not to get something. Stand in the round door and be awake as a gift, as a gift, as a gift. Thank you. A lot of people would be for you.

[48:38]

I have two questions. The first one is the one I don't want to ask, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. Sometimes... Well, I had an experience in Zazen where I got really scared. Scared. Would you speak up, please? Okay. I had an experience in Zazen where I got really scared. And so I've been working with that. And I want to... tell you what my practice is see if you think it's correct um when fear comes up I offer warmth can you hear that

[50:26]

When fear comes up, I offer myself and all beings warmth. Do you want to sing that practice? When fear comes up, I offer warmth. and then I feel good yeah and then I offer that to the great mind truth and then I have and then you have I've been doing a practice which I wanted to check with you about, which is allowing my practice to blossom in its own time.

[51:39]

There's a practice of allowing your practice to blossom in its own time. Thank you. And now I have one more question. Yes. In this realm of continuous unremitting supporting and being supported by everything, I've been concerned about the animals and how they must eat each other and be eaten. And I feel reverence for the heron, and I feel reverence for the gopher. And I just wonder how is that okay, and how can I help them?

[52:45]

How can you help them? Have any ideas how you can help them? Well, I could... offer their well-being to the Great Way of endlessly supporting and being supported? You can offer their well-being. You can offer your wish for their well-being. Yes. Make that an offering to all Buddhas. And what else? How is it that their suffering is okay? I'm not saying their suffering is okay. But I would say that what you could offer is being gracious with their suffering, like you'd be gracious with your suffering. And if you can be gracious with your suffering, your suffering will receive that kindness and be influenced.

[53:46]

And if you're kind towards the gopher and the heron, they will receive that influence. They will learn that from you. And also, if you realize part of your graciousness is that the heron and the gopher are there for you. They're offering their life to you to say, okay, what are you going to do for us? How are you going to help us with this problem? They're bringing this problem to you. This is for you. And for anybody who sees them, it's for you. It's all for you to help your practice so your practice can help them. So you feel deep gratitude to them to offer this struggle, this painful struggle they're having. My question suddenly seems very unimportant.

[55:32]

But I was thinking about the going down fast, coming up slow. I once talked to Edward Brown about that, say the difference in just starting your practice as sitting rather than just doing preliminary exercises, whether it's prostrations or offering incense. He was saying that he thought in Zazen, the preliminaries were there. So two people might be sitting next to each other with the exact same posture, but one person was doing preliminary exercises, whereas the other person was doing something more advanced. So I sort of wanted to bring that up and see what you felt about that. I agree. And I agree.

[56:38]

Two people sitting, one could be like chanting Buddha's name, practicing repentance, reading scriptures in their mind that they've memorized, and the other one could be just sitting in the midst of the self-fulfilling awareness. So Dogen's instruction is go right to the true path, right away. As soon as you have put yourself before a teacher, go right to the true path. Don't wait. Do it now. and now enact that by repentance, offering incense, making innumerable endless offerings, studying, and so on, prostration, and do all those practices to express being in that place of the true path.

[57:48]

express the true path in innumerable practices, but don't do the innumerable practices to get to the true path. But the other way is do this stuff, get ready, you know, let's get all ready and let's get, you know, I set up and now enter the true path. So they're two sides of the same coin. So this kind of instruction maybe works for some people and maybe another instruction works better for other people. They're all heading for the same place. Some maybe just want to prepare more. But really, the path is including everybody in all the different approaches. Thank you. That makes sense because it seems like Dogen's struggle was, you know, why do I need to practice if I'm already enlightened? And so that seems to go right along with that, that that go right to the source, but also you need to practice or do preliminaries.

[58:54]

Thank you. When Dogen says, in delusion be entirely in delusion, and then something like enlightenment be entirely enlightenment, what does that, what does... Can you hear him? Can you hear him okay? When Dogen says, in delusion be entirely in delusion, and then when in enlightenment be entirely enlightenment, what does...

[60:02]

in delusion be entirely in delusion? I mean, I wouldn't say it means, but my feeling is that when we're in delusion, practice wholeheartedly in delusion. It sort of is like we're in delusion and enlightenment and we sort of waft back and forth. And the sense that we're in both at the same time is what I have a sense of what you're saying before. But it almost sounds like it's a commitment to recognizing that we're in delusion. And being in that recognition, as you say, wholeheartedly. Is that any... I think that's helpful to understand it that way.

[61:08]

Yeah, because it's just like, it's there, be it, recognize it, you're in it. And wholeheartedly practice that way. Thank you. My question has to do with this phrase.

[62:15]

Can I put this here? I wanted to ask you about... Would you hold the microphone closer to your mouth? Yes. Do you pronounce it fukan zazen chi or gi? Gi. Fukan zazen gi. Okay. Well, there's this part that says, You should therefore cease from practice based on intellectual understanding, pursuing words and following after speech, and learn the backward step that turns your light inwardly to illuminate yourself. And what I was wondering about is... Traditionally, I think, when there's a Dharma talk during a session, the teacher doesn't take questions afterwards.

[63:22]

Traditionally they don't take questions? Well, that's my understanding, but I'm not sure that's true. So, and I've also heard that in a lot of Zen practice places that if students have questions that they're encouraged to take those questions to the cushion and, you know, search within themselves for the answers to those questions. Can you hear her? So I was just... So you said when students have questions, they're encouraged to take the questions to the cushion and explore those questions within themselves? Yeah. And how did they get that encouragement? Well, from the teacher. So they went to see the teacher? Maybe.

[64:24]

They went to talk to the teacher? Yes, but only very briefly. Only very briefly. Encouragement can be given succinctly. Like, go explore, go explore. Yeah, take the backward step. And then after they explore, then what do they do? Well, if they can't find the answer to their question, then they... Presumably, they then talk to the teacher. They go to the teacher again? And the... Dogasan. Pardon? For Dogasan? And then they get a succinct instruction again? Go back to the cushion? Maybe. Yeah. So it's kind of like... inwardly exploring and then going to see the teacher and going back to inwardly explore, those two together.

[65:26]

Sounds like a good idea to me. Yeah. So that is, I think that's traditional Soto Zen, that part of its inner exploration, which we call just sitting, you explore inwardly, and then the other part is you dramatically enact that inward exploration with another person. And you go back anywhere they explore. So go back and forth between those two, those two together are how we practice usually in this tradition. Yeah. And sometimes they're going to see the teacher, you do with other, you know, you invite a lot of people in the room when you go to see the teacher. That's also... Yeah, it is done, yeah. It was done in China and Japan and now being done in the West. Yeah. Of going to the teacher... with other people in the room and then going back to explore further and then coming forth again.

[66:31]

So that's the way we're doing it now, right? Yeah, but sometimes the emphasis is more on Zazen and, you know, I guess there has to be a balance. I guess I have a bias about this. I have a bias. You have a bias. And what is your bias? My bias is in favor of a little bit more self-exploration. A little bit more self-exploration. Reliance on one's own inner wisdom, finding it. So you'd like a little bit more emphasis on Inner wisdom. Okay. And maybe fewer words. Fewer words. That's just my bias.

[67:35]

I was just wondering what you think. In your case, I would like to accord with the way you want to do it. Okay. In her case, I would like to accord with the way she wants to do it. Not say much. I think you started today's talk saying something like returning to the basic, I don't know if you said simple, but the basic teaching.

[69:01]

And you talked about the context of we come to practice and we concentrate and we do these practices regularly. remembering the the big point of why we came to do it in the first place which is our vows or the bodhisattva vows and i was wondering if there was any place in the bodhisattva vows besides dealing with suffering um or besides this response to suffering to also respond to pain um This might not make a whole lot of sense, but I have this story of... There is some story that I've heard of, you know, the Buddha can step on a tack or something and he feels pain, but doesn't feel suffering. Something like that. But in the absence, or before we all...

[70:06]

achieve before we all realize liberation and there is some preventable pain in the world? Stop. When a woman is delivering a child and doesn't have a lot of pain medication, she might experience pain. But she might be like totally joyful at the same time and have no resistance to the pain and not want to be any place else and not want to be at any other time not wishing it would be over not wishing there would be more not looking to the next moment not wondering when the baby is going to come just be right there in this intense pain with no resistance and feel the great joy of life.

[71:15]

Buddha would be like that too, even if he wasn't a woman. So there's no suffering there at that moment. There's just the practice. The practice of all beings at that moment is painful. All beings are helping this woman in the process of delivering this baby. And if the baby by chance could practice that way, the baby too would be in great joy. so there's pain but no suffering sometimes in those situations and some women look back to that moment and they have a taste of the truth but some women never stop resisting which is understandable but they don't get to the place of really

[72:19]

giving up resistance to this pain, and so they don't experience the full joy of our practice. So, ultimately, hear you and and so that's a big reason why I would like to be committed to this path but and in the mean meantime before before we learn to to fully be present amidst pain or whatever is going on and not also have the suffering there that we kind of add. Before we learn to be present, yes. With whatever is going on, like pain or, you know. And before everyone else learns that and realizes that truth, which I'm sold on.

[73:22]

Yes. Yes. Is there some... Is it beneficial to be working on... So... So like the nail that the Buddha steps on. Like being very intentional about not leaving nails on the floor. It's not like prevent whatever pain is preventable. Not that that's the answer. That's not like ultimately whatever happens, happens and you can be present with it and there can be no suffering. But one hopes that that's the ideal. Before you can get to this place, okay, it is recommended that you realize that you have a vow.

[74:25]

Okay. You have a vow to realize this place, which you do not feel you've realized, but you want to realize it maybe, do you? You're totally sold on that, are you? Totally sold. Yeah. So that's your vow. So take care of that vow. Every moment remember that vow. And then go and pick up tax. Or if you can't pick them up, make an announcement that there's tax on the floor and tell people that maybe they could go over that way so they won't step on the tax because you don't want them to step on the tax, do you? No, that's fine. And that's completely in accord with this vow. which you haven't fully realized. But while you're telling them to watch out for the tax, don't forget to vow. I hear that.

[75:33]

I'm wondering if there's something, maybe not in the Bodhisattva vow, but if there's something that's also saying it's also beneficial to be concerned about these tacks even though they're not what they are. You think it's beneficial to be concerned about the tacks, don't you? I do. So then it would be good for you to do what you think is beneficial. This is your karma. your attempt to do wholesome karma is to do what you think is beneficial. So you're doing this karma and hopefully you're doing karma that you think will be beneficial. Yes. But while you're doing this karma of doing what you think is beneficial, like collecting the tax so people don't get hurt or practicing concentration so you're not distracted, while you're doing these wholesome practices, don't forget the vow. which can be realized even if you're stepping on a tack which you missed to pick up, even if you're not concentrated.

[76:47]

And you can also pick up tacks without getting distracted from the vow while you're picking up the tacks. But if you don't remember the vow, then you might actually get angry at somebody and try to hurt somebody who's interfering with your picking up the tax. Because you forget the point of your life, the fundamental point, which you wish to realize. So you are going to keep doing things like picking up tax, or you might even start putting tax out for people to step on. You might do that. an evil thought may arise. I would like so-and-so to step on a tack. Ooh, that was a bad one. That might arise in your mind, or if not in yours, one of your friends. But if you remember your vow, you can be gracious with both wholesome and unwholesome. In the story of the non-sentient beings expounding Dharma, when the national teacher said, if I heard it, you would not be able to hear my teaching, what did he mean?

[78:40]

I'm not feeling well today. I have a kind of headache. Would you go ask Sister Maya? You have to go ask her because she's got the microphone. When the national teacher said that If he heard the teaching of the non-sentient, that monk wouldn't be able to hear him, what did he mean? What is your question? That's my question. What did he mean?

[79:40]

What do you mean? I'm not clear about this point. What do you want to understand? it seems that the non-sentient, that all beings are actually expounding Dharma and that something seems wonderfully clear about that, actually. So why did the national teacher, it seems like, I must be missing something. It seems too obvious. It seems too obvious that all things, that all the rubble is expanding Dharma. And it seems like the national teacher actually, how could he not hear that?

[80:51]

He was putting out tacks. I'm stepping on them. Does anyone else have any input on this story? Were the tacks preaching the Dharma? Yes, thank you very much. You said that it's obvious to you, but I heard a story that it's not obvious to almost everybody else. So would you clarify that difference? Well, in terms of the teachings, we've been hearing that Everything coming forward every moment and just expressing itself is the perfect working of the universe.

[82:14]

That's how I understand the Dharma, what the Dharma is. It seems I mean, we all can easily forget that, but I think on some level, no one would be in this room if they didn't actually hear that in some kind of very basic, obvious way. Do you agree? Well, I do, but you have to ask everyone else, too. Do you agree? Of course. I think we probably all agree, but do we believe it and do our actions carry through that belief? So when you see the rubble, you know, the maintenance rubble, do you see it expounding dharma before it goes in the dumpster?

[83:20]

I often miss it myself, but... There's a trust or something like that that we return to. But still, this doesn't address the point. I think it did, right there. That's how the national teacher helps the monk. That's how the National Teacher helps the monk realize it in practice, rather than just understand it with his head. By missing it. If he heard the teaching, then the monk would not be able to hear him. Yes, if he had heard the teaching,

[84:25]

then the monk would not be able to hear the teaching, which is that the monk does not realize this teaching. That's the teaching of the national teacher to the monk, to help him realize this obvious teaching is missing in his practice. And how would that have not worked if the national teacher had heard, was hearing the non-sentient? Reverend Owl, if you believe the teaching, how can you hear it? Is that what he meant by not hearing? I have no idea what the National Teacher meant, and I don't really care. I'm asking you, if you believe the teaching, how can you hear the non-sentient beings preaching the Dharma?

[85:28]

How can you not hear it if you don't believe it? If you believe anything, how can you hear the non-sentient beings expounding the Dharma? What? Tenshin Roshi's statement about his headache was the answer to your question. What was that?

[86:31]

You missed it. What makes you think so? How can I get rid of this thing? Did this one come? Did this come one? sent word to his sons that he had died? Is that right? Did I hear that correctly? I heard something like that. Is he a liar? Is he what?

[87:34]

Can you say that he has committed a woeful lie? Are you implying that the national teacher was saying something skillfully, but there was, might seem a little bit off. Maybe the national teacher considered this monk one of his sons. Can you hear the teaching of the non sentient? What did you say? It's raining. That's what I thought. Do you hear it, teacher?

[88:38]

Hear what? So where's the dragon? Yeah. If the national teacher thought that he could hear

[89:44]

that he was in communication with the real dragon, would you go study with him? With such a person? I might, but I don't know. I might. But that doesn't hinder the one who wouldn't. Good. Is the one who wouldn't sentient or insentient? Do you really want to know? What will you give me if I tell you?

[90:52]

What song will you give me? I just heard that a French writer named Stendhal said, you can accomplish everything in solitude except character. For that, you need conversation. He didn't say that last part.

[91:56]

You can accomplish everything in solitude except character. In order to manifest your inner work, you have to converse with other beings. And that, of course, is a different kind of difficulty than you have inwardly. So we have a Sangha in which to practice Dharma study, and we do part of it inwardly and part of it in conversation. Thank you for your willingness to converse in the Sangha.

[92:58]

Thank you for supporting the conversation. I have confidence that your character is thus being developed.

[93:15]

@Transcribed_v005
@Text_v005
@Score_91.04