Avalokiteshvara's perfect wisdom. Avalokiteshvara's emptiness. Avalokiteshvara's perfect wisdom speaks and says, our karmic consciousness is emptiness. Emptiness is our karmic consciousness. Karmic consciousness is not different from emptiness.

[01:04]

Emptiness is not different from karmic consciousness. Understanding this relieves all suffering and distress. Understanding this is practicing deeply the perfection of wisdom, which is the mother of all Buddhas. Over and over I've asked you, do you wish this sitting posture to express Avalokiteshvara's perfect wisdom.

[02:06]

Do you wish this body and mind to express the essential working of every Buddha, the working essential of every ancestor? Our ancestor Medicine Mountain, Yaoshan, had the great good fortune to meet Sekito Gisen and Matsu Dairi. He got to meet both of them. He got to meet one of them and He wanted Sekito, he wanted Shurto to show him, to help him understand becoming Buddha.

[03:19]

And Shurto tried, offered him, showed him, Shurto. And he said, being like this won't do. Not being like this won't do either. Being like this and not being this won't do at all. How about you? And Yashan was confused and couldn't speak. And Shirtos sent him to Matsu. When he was with Matsu, he could speak, he could move, he could bow. And after he bowed, Momsen said, what have you seen?

[04:33]

And he said, now I see that when I was with Shurto, I was like a mosquito trying to bite an iron bull. Of course, mosquitoes will not be very successful biting iron bulls. But mosquitoes can love iron bulls They can take care of iron bulls. And Yaoshan continued to be a good mosquito for the rest of his life and to take care of the iron bull. Fly around it.

[05:36]

To follow his teacher's instruction. To not waste time. Always take care of the iron bow. The essential working of every Buddha. he had a student named Yen Yen. And Yen Yen had a student named Dong Shan. And Dong Shan wrote a song about the precious mirror samadhi. At the beginning he says, the teaching of suchness has been intimately communicated by Buddhas and ancestors.

[06:52]

Now you have it. So keep it well. Yashan also received this teaching of suchness and took care of it. He took care of it And one day he was reading scriptures, I think while he was still studying with Matsu, before he went back to his first teacher, Shirtel. And one of Matsu's successors, Master Bayan, came up to Yashan while he was reading scriptures and said, you really should stop fooling people.

[08:06]

You should stop fooling people. And Yashan said, or Yashan rolled up the scroll and said, What time is it? What time of day is it? And Bhaiyan said, It's noon. And Yashan said, There's still that pattern? And Bayan said, I don't even have nothing. Yashan said, You are too brilliant.

[09:30]

Master Bayan said, I'm just like this. How about you? Yashan said, I limp along clumsy in a hundred ways. awkward in a thousand ways, and still I go on. He goes on. A mosquito taking care of the teaching of suchness. It's okay if you know what time of day it is. But sometimes you may not because you're taking care of the teaching of suchness.

[10:39]

But it's okay if you don't know what time it is. You can just ask somebody. And then if they don't know, then there's two of you. And the two of you can go try to find somebody who knows what time it is. There's an opportunity here to take care of the teaching of suchness. The great mosquito, Yaoshan, continues, to take care of the teaching of suchness. Limping along, singing his song side by side. At the beginning of the Book of Serenity, there's a story about the Buddha.

[11:55]

I think it says, the world-honored one. It doesn't say Shatimuni. It says the world-honored one. I don't know which world-honored one this is, actually. It says the world-honored one ascended the seat got up in the seat and sat. And Manjushri Bodhisattva apparently was there because he struck the gavel and said, clearly observed the teaching of the sovereign of teaching, the teaching of the sovereign teaching is thus." And the World Honored One got down from the seat.

[12:58]

This teaching of the World Honored One is thus and It has been intimately transmitted and now you have it. How do you take care of it? Do you wish this to be taken care of it? One day, Yaoshan was in his room, limping around, taking care of the teaching of suchness. And the superintendent, the director of the monastery, came to him and said something like, Teacher, it's been a long time since you ascended the seat. The monks want you to give some instructions.

[14:17]

Yashan said, please ring the bell. They rang the bell, and the monks assembled. Yashan came in and got up in the seat. Just like Shakyamuni Buddha did, or just like the World Honor One did, he got up in the seat and sat. And then he got down and went back to his room. The director followed him to his room and said, "'Teacher, you said you'd come and give instruction, but you didn't say a word. You just got up in the seat and then got down.' And Yao Shan said something like, "'For scriptures, they're scriptural teachers.'

[15:35]

For commentaries, there's commentarial teachers. Why are you unhappy with this old monk? When Yashan got up in the seat, I don't know if Manjushri was in the group. And his great, not very smart, Successor, Yuen Yuen, I don't know if he was there either. But I would like to pretend that Yuen Yuen was there. Yakusan Igen Daiyosho, Ungan Donjo Daiyosho. I would like to pretend that Ungan Donjo Daiyosho was in the assembly. We can think about whether we want to imagine Manjushri's there too.

[16:40]

He might have been there too, hiding behind a pillar. When Yashan got up in the seat, Yuen Yen did not hit the gavel and say, clearly observe, the Dharma of the sovereign of Dharma is thus. He didn't... Point that out." And the director didn't point it out either. In the first case of the Book of Serenity, Manjushri points it out. Here's the Buddha showing the teaching And Manjushri tells people, here's the Buddha showing the teaching. But a thousand years later, more than a thousand years later in China, when the World Honored One gets up in the seat, nobody points.

[18:02]

And because nobody pointed, somebody thought the World Honored One did not give the teaching. Later, after this story, there was another story about Yaoshan's grandson, Tungshan. Yakusan Igen Dayosho, Ungan Donjo Dayosho, Tozan Ryokai Dayosho, Yaoshan, I'm doing, that's Japanese, Yaoshan, Yunyan, Dongshan. Do you know what Dongshan wrote, Linda?

[19:07]

Do you know what he wrote? Do you know what he wrote? Do you know what he wrote? Yes. He wrote the song in the Jilmir Samadhi. Dungsan wrote that. One day he was doing a memorial ceremony with his friends. They were having a party together. And what do they do at their parties? They do memorial services for their ancestors. This is like Chinese Zen fun. After the ceremony is over, the people who take care of the altar get to eat the offerings. So he's doing a memorial ceremony, and either at some place during the ceremony or afterwards, one of the monks says to Dung Shan, the author of what?

[20:15]

Right. Yeah. They asked the author of this, who taught us that the teaching of suchness has been intimately communicated by Buddhas and ancestors, and now you have it, that person, A monk says to him, why are you doing a memorial ceremony for Yuen Yuen when you met all these other really great Zen masters who appreciated you? And Dung Shan says, well, it's not like I really thought he had a great teaching and profound understanding. It's not because of that that I'm doing. It's not because of his great understanding. Maybe he did have great understanding. I take that back. Anyway, it's not because of his great understanding that I'm doing this ceremony. I'm doing it because he never pointed. He never said, look, there's the teaching of the Buddha.

[21:22]

He never pointed there or there or here. Being like this won't do. Not being like this won't do either. Being like this and not being like this won't do at all. How are you? Yunyan didn't point. Pointing sometimes seems to be helpful. Who knows? And even the great Bodhisattva pointed But it looks like there's something about this tradition, which is kind of tough, that some of the ancestors didn't point. It's not a real popular way to teach. If somebody's pointing and saying, look at this great teacher. We have this excellent teacher. We have this excellent teaching. Wow. People say, people gather from all around to see what is it.

[22:27]

But if somebody gets up and nobody says anything and then the guy goes away, hmm. And what did he say in the Jewel Mirror Samadhi? He said many things. One thing he said at the end, he says, practice secretly working within like a fool, like an idiot. Where did he get that? Did it come from Yuen Yuen? Did Yuen Yuen get it from Yaw Shun? Is this a lineage of fools and idiots? Or just people who are kind of like fools and idiots? We're not really fools and idiots. We're just like fools and idiots. We sometimes try to bite iron bulls but then we see how foolish that is.

[23:33]

Hopefully. And we switch from trying to suck blood out of iron bulls to taking good care of them. the iron bull of every Buddha, the iron bull of every ancestor. It is manifested, it is present with our not thinking, with our thinking not thinking, with our non-thinking. with our pointing and our not pointing and our beyond pointing.

[24:50]

It is completed with our without interacting or not interacting. It is completed with our not touching it and not turning away from it. We're taking care of the iron bull of suchness. We take care of it by not getting hysterical about it or obsessive. How can you take care of something consistently, moment after moment, without being obsessive or compulsive? How can you follow the schedule completely? How can you complete the suchness of this schedule completely without obsession?

[25:57]

That's how we follow the schedule of suchness, without obsession and without hysteria, without getting excited and without hesitating. Thinking, not thinking. Not thinking, thinking. How do you think? Not thinking. Non-thinking. How do you think? Not thinking. Don't touch it. Don't touch the thinking. Don't touch the non-thinking. Don't hesitate with the thinking.

[27:08]

Don't hesitate with the fear. Don't touch the fear. Not touching the fear, not turning away from it. Fear, not fear. Not fear, fear. All suffering and distress is relieved. Hesitate. Fall in a pitfall. Hesitate and be lost in regret. Get excited and this wonderful opportunity is a pit. This is how to practice like a fool, like an idiot.

[28:16]

You don't have to put a show on so you look like a fool. Matter of fact, we suggest to keep your zendo costume arranged in order. You know, be tidy. Look presentable. but inwardly a fool who doesn't touch or turn away. And in that way of not interacting and also interacting, you realize freedom from interaction. And this function is completed in the moment, for now.

[29:39]

For scriptures, there's scriptural teachers. For commentaries, there's commentarial teachers. For Zen, there's Zen teachers. Like Yashan. What's Yashan teaching? He's teaching people how to be free of thinking. He's teaching people how to realize that thinking's not thinking. He's trying to set people free of clinging to the scriptures and clinging to the commentaries. He's trying to set people free of Zen. He's teaching people that Zen is not Zen and teaching is not teaching. And not teaching is teaching, because he's teaching, not teaching.

[31:11]

So why are you unhappy with me? Didn't I show you that teaching was not teaching? You asked me to teach you and I taught you that not teaching was teaching. When I tell jokes, usually nobody says, clearly observed, that was a joke. Usually nobody points to my jokes. So I hesitate to point to Yaoshan's jokes. Maybe you could see where I would point.

[32:18]

or the Buddha's joke." And Manjushri pointed at the Buddha's joke, but nobody pointed at Yashan's joke. I didn't do it just then, did I? Did you catch me pointing? the presence, the manifestation of this essential working occurs in our thinking, not thinking.

[33:47]

It occurs in our not thinking, thinking. That's where it manifests, that's where it's present. And in this realization, of thinking not thinking, there is something that's beyond thinking, which we call non-thinking. It's right thinking. You got thinking, you got non-thinking, and you also have right thinking or non-thinking. But non-thinking is not thinking, and it's not not-thinking. It is nonviolence. It is renunciation. It is non-harming. Along with our thinking, there is renunciation of thinking.

[34:54]

And with renunciation of thinking, there is thinking not thinking. In taking care of thinking correctly, we take care of the teaching of suchness. All day long, most of us know, or it's not too difficult to know anyway, we might get distracted, but it's not too difficult to know that there's thinking going on, a whole lot of thinking going on. Splish splash, I was taken aback. There's a whole lot of thinking going on. Great balls of thinking. Most people notice that. But do they renounce it?

[36:02]

the rare and wonderful thing is to renounce great balls of thinking and little balls of thinking. Renounce it. Renouncing thinking is non-thinking. Be non-violent with a whole lot of thinking going on. Be non-violent with it. Don't harm it. By saying it's what you think thinking is, don't harm it. In this way, you practice non-thinking with thinking, and you realize thinking, not thinking. And when you realize thinking's not thinking, then you practice nonviolence towards not thinking, thinking. I imagine Yashan's teaching this very nicely. What a wonderful gift he has given us.

[37:17]

What a wonderful gift it is that our central Alice comes to the talks. In her busy schedule, she still manages to come and practice with us in this little room. without pointing. Nonviolence is not thinking, and it's thinking. It's thinking, not thinking. This whole little group of thinking, not thinking, and non-thinking, this little group playing together is the essential working of every Buddha.

[38:30]

Form emptiness, emptiness form, and practicing with form is emptiness, emptiness is form. How do you practice with it? You don't harm it by pointing at it. You don't grab it. You don't turn away from it. You stay with the great ball of fire. You walk around it. You don't try to touch it or turn away. This is where it's manifested in this way of practicing. And this presence, this manifestation is inherently or naturally intimate. This presence is naturally intimate, and in this natural intimacy is where the presence lives.

[39:52]

The intimacy between thinking, not thinking, and non-thinking. In that intimacy is where the essential function of liberating all beings lives. And in the place, in the manifestation of this essential function, there's natural intimacy. You don't have to work at getting thinking, not thinking, and non-thinking close together. They always are. And when they're working, they're intimately working. One's not better than... emptiness isn't better than form. Not thinking is not better than thinking. Non-thinking is not better than non-thinking and thinking. They're all good friends working together to liberate all beings. It's completed without interacting and its interaction is inherently verified.

[40:58]

the interaction is inherently verified or naturally. The character is self, character for self, and then the character for verification or proof. It's completed by interacting and not interacting, or it's completed without interaction and interaction. interacting and not interacting, it is completed. And this completion is inherently verified. The completion is inherently verified by this interaction and not interaction. That's why we practice together and naturally interact with each other and don't interact with each other. We leave each other alone and don't leave each other alone. and we don't touch that process and we don't turn away from that process.

[42:04]

This is how we prove it. And there is proof in this pudding. There is proof. And the proof is in the interacting and not interacting. This is how we work to complete and we work to complete until it's completed for everybody. This presence, inherently intimate, it is ever without stain or defilement. There's no way for there to be stain or defilement in this intimacy. Its completeness inherently verified, it is ever without upright

[43:22]

or inclined. The translation we've been chanting is, is completeness inherently verified? It is ever without relative or absolute. But I think upright and inclined is better translation. I think the two characters could be understood as absolute and relative, but the basic meaning of the first character, show, is correct or upright. And the next character means kind of like leaning. So again, if we're like at this place where form meets emptiness, we want to practice being upright. We don't want to lean into form, touch it, or turn away from it. We don't want to lean towards emptiness or turn away from it. We want to be upright. Where form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Being upright with thinking, not thinking.

[44:27]

Got the thinking, be upright with the thinking, and you will realize not thinking is thinking. Be upright with samsara, which is thinking, and you can be upright with nirvana, which is thinking, not thinking. But it says here that this verification, the proof, is that it's neither leaning, of course, nor upright. It's free of leaning, of course, but it's also free of being upright. So this is an uprightness which we don't have which we're not holding. It's an uprightness which doesn't lean into former emptiness, it doesn't lean into touching or turning away, and doesn't hold to being upright.

[45:44]

It's an uprightness which is an upright renunciation of form and emptiness, of emptiness and form, of thinking and not thinking. And it renounces itself too. It's a verification which is non-violent with uprightness. and therefore it's free of uprightness, and therefore it is uprightness. And it's verification being free of being upright or leaning, Its verification makes effort.

[46:51]

The verification makes effort. The interacting without interacting, the verification is complete and intimate. And it makes effort without figuring or thinking. It works without thinking. And this is called the water is clear all the way to the bottom. A fish swims like fish. The sky is clear throughout the heavens. A bird flies like a bird. This is our foolish, stupid way.

[48:05]

This is the essential function of every Buddha. It's fully working, and every moment it's renounced. Every moment it's renounced, it's fully working. Now you have it. Please take care of it. Please take care of this essential function of every Buddha. Please take care of Avalokiteshvara's practice of nonviolence and renunciation and non-harming.

[49:24]

all karmic consciousnesses and all emptiness of karmic consciousness. May our intention equally extend to every being and place with the true merit of Buddha's way. Beings are numberless.

[50:14]

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