Welcome. Welcome to this temple. In this temple we often say, we often speak of our aspiration here in this world to free all beings so they may dwell in peace. Welcome to this temple of aspiration. Welcome to this place where we aspire to make an unceasing effort to free all beings so they may dwell in peace.

[01:03]

In this world where there is so much turbulence uncertainty, unpredictability, violence and cruelty, where there's so much fear and hatred. We vow in such a world to remember to remember our vow to make an unceasing effort to free beings from fear and hatred and delusion so that they may give up violence and cruelty and dwell in peace.

[02:34]

We are here to support each other, to remember the great compassionate aspirations of the enlightened ones. We're here to be reminded and to help our friends remember. in the midst of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. To try to remember in the midst of the onslaught, which often seems overwhelming, to not quit to give up only our resistance to being here upright and wholehearted.

[03:46]

To not quit listening to all these cries and watching all this suffering and to be present and compassionate with it all. So we remember and we say over and over again unceasing effort to free all beings so they may dwell in peace. To remember the activity of the enlightened ones, or to remember the activity of enlightenment, the pivotal liberating activity of all Buddhas, to remember this pivotal function of all Buddhas, which liberates beings and helps them dwell in peace.

[05:01]

this pivotal activity, this pivotal effort of freeing beings from ignorance and hatred could be imagined like a jewel with many aspects. I also could imagine it as a hurricane, which embraces great turbulence and at the same time realizes a peaceful center. I could also imagine it as a great song, a song of all beings, Last Saturday morning, we had a ceremony at a place called Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center.

[06:40]

On the surface, a lovely surface, It was a ceremony for a woman who we called Oksong, which is a respectful term for wife in Japanese. She lived at Zen Center for 30 years. She was our good friend for 30 years. She was our teacher. She was our mother. She was the wife of the founder of Zen Center, Suzuki Roshi. I'm bringing her up to show you a facet of the jewel of the unceasing effort

[07:54]

to free all beings, to show you a facet of Buddha's activity. And this jewel turns and shows all kinds of light as it turns. So again, on the surface, we had a ceremony for this woman. on January 9th I believe this year she passed away in Japan and I couldn't go I didn't feel like I could go because I felt I needed to stay here in this temple because I was leading an intensive meditation retreat and

[08:58]

the central abbess of Zen Center felt like she had to go to Japan, so she wasn't here. And our abiding abbess, Fu, was at Tassajara, so I felt like I had to stay. I was very sorry not to go to Japan for her funeral because she was so kind to me. So kind to me for so many years. to tell you the truth, or to be candid, I should say, I don't know if it's the truth, to be candid, I don't know if she liked me. She never said to me, I like you, Tenshin-san. She called me Tenshin-san. And even though she was older than me, as I became older, she called me Tenshin-roshi. This older woman addressing me so respectfully.

[10:02]

But I don't know if she liked me, but she was very steadily kind to me, always kind to me. And not just me. Also to Fu. And many, many, many people. I laugh because she probably told Fu that she liked her. Did she? she did tell some people that, I love you. She never told me. I heard her say it to other people. But again, to be candid, I didn't feel like, well, why didn't she tell me that she loves me? I didn't feel that way. I felt like, she can say that to them, great. She's so kind to me, she doesn't have to ever say she loves me. For more than 30 years she lived with us.

[11:12]

She supported her husband to be our teacher, and she became our teacher. After he died, she stayed many years, partly because she asked him when he was dying, what should I do after you die? And he said, please stay and help them, and she did. So, on the surface, We took her ashes from here down to Tassajara and we had a ceremony of transferring her ashes from a little container because most of her ashes are in Japan. A small amount of her ashes we transferred from a little urn into the memorial site with her husband's ashes. We poured her ashes in with her husband's. So we did that ceremony.

[12:13]

That ceremony is a facet of the pivotal activity of Buddhas. it's a facet of the effort to free all beings, to pay our respects to someone who is kind to us. And people ask me, how did the ceremony go? And I said, and I really felt it, it was an exquisite gem. It was just so beautiful the way we walked from the Founders Hall of Tassajara quietly in procession walked slow step by step up the mountain respectfully placed her ashes with the Founders ashes and then walked quietly back and the whole and it's a long walk

[13:35]

And the whole ceremony took 45 minutes and wasn't rushed. And it felt so complete. And for me, it was another little thing I could do to express my gratitude to her. The little thing I can do, step by step, in my wish to make an effort to free all beings from suffering so they may dwell in peace. I was invited strongly to give a talk that night and so I did and I talked about her and her husband.

[14:39]

Forty-six years before that night, I was at Tassajara with her and her husband. I'm laughing because 46 years before that night was my last night at Tassajara that summer. It was July 9th, 1970 and I was there with the whole community and her old son whose Buddhist name is Myōmon. No. Jigetsu. Myōmon.

[15:56]

Zen-ni. That's her posthumous name that she was given when she died. Jigetsu means moon of loving-kindness. Myōmon means wondrous fullness. Zen name means Zen priest. So I was there with the founder and his wife, and then I left House of Hara the next day to go to the city center of Zen Center. And I arrived at dinner time. I went into the dining room and sat down and had dinner. And some people at the table were there and I said, and they welcomed me, and I said, it's my birthday.

[16:58]

And they said, sure. They didn't believe me. And a few days before that, 46 years ago, I asked the founder, Suzuki Roshi, if I could be ordained as a Zen priest. And he said, yes. And then his wife, Oksan, measured my body for the robes. And then a month later, I was ordained as a Zen priest. Getting ordained as a Zen priest is another facet of the unceasing effort to free all beings so they may dwell in peace.

[18:22]

We have ceremonies where we become priests and we receive, we ask for the bodhisattva precepts. We ask for the teachings about the unceasing effort to free all beings. We ask for those precepts. We receive those precepts. We ask for the precepts. We receive those precepts. We vow to continue to practice them. This is another facet in the jewel. of Buddha's pivotal activity. And also we can have, as lay people, we can also receive the precepts WE CAN ALSO REQUEST THE PRECEPTS AND RECEIVE THE PRECEPTS AND VOW TO PRACTICE THE PRECEPTS. THIS IS ANOTHER FACET IN THE JEWEL OF BUDDHA'S PIVOTAL ACTIVITY. BUDDHA'S PIVOTAL ACTIVITY IS WE ASK FOR THE BUDDHA'S TEACHING.

[19:30]

THE BUDDHA GIVES US THE TEACHING. THE BUDDHA ASKS US, WILL YOU PRACTICE THE TEACHING? WE SAY, YES. THIS IS THE PIVOTAL ACTIVITY OF BUDDHAS. So on that day, August 9th, 1970, before the ceremony, I was in the teacher's room. He was there. He told me what my name would be, Tenjin Zenki. And he explained my name to me. He gave me a wonderful name. This is another facet in the jewel of the Buddha's pivotal activity. The Buddhas and the disciples of Buddha give names to new disciples.

[20:34]

Just like when we're born, our parents give us name. When we're born as disciples of Buddha, we get a Buddha name. he gave me a wonderful Buddha name. And his, and Ok-san was there and he left the room. And I said to her, is there some present that I can give Roshi to express my gratitude for his kindness and welcome me as his priest student and she said, your practice. If I had given him flowers or fruit or a new robe or

[21:42]

something else, that would have been a gift. But that wasn't a gift that Oksan suggested I give him. If I give him mangoes, that's a gift at that time. But the practice is a gift that has no end. It's not just to give the practice on that day. I didn't understand that I was to give the practice that day. I understood that the gift I should give him is my practice forever. Of course, if I gave him even one day of practice, he probably would be very happy. But I think he wanted me to practice forever. I've been trying for 46 years to practice.

[22:53]

And my effort is part of this jewel of Buddha's pivotal activity. When I sit in that seat there, when I walk around Green Gulch, when I walk around Mill Valley, when I walk around Brooklyn, when I walk around Europe, I want to practice in all those situations and I practice as a gift to my kind teacher who was so kind to me. He also, I don't know if he liked me, he never said, Tenshin-san, I like you. But he was so kind to me.

[24:04]

He said, you are my disciple, not I like you. He said, Good job. Again, he seemed to like some people. I watched him. He really seems to like those people. So when I sit on that seat, and I make the effort to sit upright and sit still for a moment and another moment, every moment I sit there, I sit to express

[25:07]

Buddha's pivotal activity of freeing all beings so they may dwell in peace. That's what I'm wanting to do when I sit there. And now I'm sitting here and it's the same. And I have an extra help in remembering and forgetting and laughing and remembering what I'm doing here at this seat. What I'm doing here in this world is giving a gift to my teacher. Every moment I can give a gift to my teacher. I'll never finish repaying his kindness, but every moment I have an opportunity to give another gift to him. And the gift I give is to remember the practice. And I didn't say, remember to practice.

[26:11]

I would have said, I remember the practice. Because the practice isn't something I do. It's my actual relationship with all of you. That's the practice. I don't do our relationship. I don't do the pivotal activity of all Buddhas. I don't do the unceasing effort to free all beings. That's what we really are. And I wish to remember that. And that effort, that Buddha activity, is something that was given to me. And it was given to me by Buddhas. It was given to me by Suzuki Roshi. He gave it to me, and he's given it to you. And then his wife tells me, if I want to repay his generosity to me of giving me the Buddha's teaching and the Buddha's activity, the way to do it is to practice what has been given to me.

[27:30]

So I do and I forget and I remember and I do and I forget and I remember and I practice. and I receive it, and I practice, and practicing it, it's transmitted. And also practicing it is a gift to my teacher. So last week, last Saturday night, when I remembered Oksan giving me this teaching, you want to give your teacher a present? Yes. Give him the practice. She said, I think, your practice. But anyway, give him the practice. Now I realize that if I could ask her, Oksana, what can I give to you for all your kindness? I think she might say the practice of

[28:43]

She might hit me first, I don't know. You know, slap me and say, what do you mean what you can give me? Of course you should give me the practice, silly boy. But she might not. She might just say, the practice. I think what she thought would be my gift to my teacher, she would also like that to be my gift to her. So not only now can I sit here and practice as a gift to my teacher, but also I sit here as a gift to my great benefactor, Moon of Love and Kindness, And all day long, everything I do, I can remember possibly to have what I'm doing being opportunity to make, to remember the practice and to give the remembering and the receiving of the practice to these two wonderful people.

[30:09]

Well, while I'm at it, maybe I could give the practice to somebody else, too. Maybe this practice that I'm doing, that I'm devoted to, I could also make this a gift to all Buddhas. And maybe I could also make this practice a gift to all living beings, to all of you. So I think I will. this is my unceasing effort, is to have everything I do be offering the practice as a gift to all living beings, all Buddhas, and all my great benefactors. And the thought arises, but what about people? who have not asked the question, is there some gift I can give to this kind person, and have not received the answer, your practice, then I would say, please understand that if you wish to do some kindness to the founder of the San Francisco Zen Center,

[31:44]

Shogaku, Shinryu, Daisho, Suzuki Roshi, if you wish to give him a gift, the gift he would like you to give him is practice. If you'd like to give a gift to his wife, who you never met, but now that you know about her, you might want to give her a gift. What I think she would like is for you to practice. And if you'd like to give a gift to all the Buddhas, that would be an appropriate gift. You have a great gift to give to all the compassionate beings. And if you'd like to give a gift to all living beings, even those who are wracked with fear and hatred and have violent thoughts, if you'd like to give a gift to them, the practice would be appropriate. But I do sometimes forget.

[33:05]

In the midst of this turbulent world, I sometimes forget. But then I remember, too. And I laugh at myself for forgetting and go back to work. What's the work? To remember and to receive the practice and to practice it and transmit it And my gratitude for the kindness that has been given to me by so many people is part of the motivation which enlivens my remembering and giving of this gift, giving back the gift of kindness which has been given to me. Give back the gift. Receive the kindness. Give back the kindness. This is the pivotal activity.

[34:07]

are Buddhas. Buddhas receive compassion and give compassion. They give us compassion, we receive it, we say thank you and give it back, and they receive it and say thank you and give it back. This intimate compassionate interchange this pivoting between all of us and everybody else. This is Buddha's activity. You've always had it. I've always had it. Now again today it is stated. We have this reality, which is the reality of enlightenment, which is the reality of helping each other become free of all affliction.

[35:11]

And now we have an opportunity to take care of it. And now we have another opportunity. And now we have another opportunity. I'm laughing because I just thought of a story of Suzuki Roshi. What time is it? Hmm? I thought of this story because I said to you, and now this is another activity. And now this is another activity. And I was going to say, so can you remember that now?

[36:16]

Can you remember when you walk out of here? Kind of to say to yourself, now is another opportunity. When you walk out, the next person you meet, can you remember, oh, this is another opportunity. For what? To repay the kindness that I have received. Here's another opportunity. Here's another opportunity. Here's another opportunity. Everybody I meet is an opportunity for me to remember to practice and to remember to give a gift to my teacher. But again, we might think, OK, I remember it till the talk's over.

[37:19]

I'll remember it till I get to my car. But another kindness Suzuki Roshi showed me is that he didn't mean for the practice to end. So there's the story of him teaching me how to count people in Japanese. We were flying on an airplane. And he said to me, now I'm going to teach you how to count people in Japanese. There's counters. So he said, one person is shtori. Two people is futari. Three people is sannin. And so on. He taught me how to count people up to ten. Shtori, futari, sannin, yonin, gonin, shichinin, hajinin, kunin, tou.

[38:25]

And he said, now you try it. So I tried it and finally got it right. He said, he said, continue. So I did. And then he fell asleep. And when he fell asleep, I stopped counting. And when I stopped counting, he said, So I started counting again. And I sang him that lullaby and he went back to sleep. And when he went to sleep, I stopped.

[39:29]

And then he said, And I started again. And he went to sleep again. But I didn't stop counting. I got the message. He wanted me to continue all the way to Portland. So I did. Before he made that clear to me, maybe I thought, oh, I have something else to do in this life other than practice counting people in Japanese. But he wanted me to continue. So I laughed this because I was saying, you know, this is another opportunity.

[40:37]

This is another opportunity. So Suzuki Roshi and some other people would like you to continue this opportunity all the way to the enlightenment of all beings, please continue the practice, which means keep receiving it and transmitting it without end. As a gift to the great Suzuki Roshi and the great and the great, all the great Buddhas, all the great kind beings who aren't Buddhists, too. Because they also want you to practice, I would say. Please take care of it now.

[41:42]

Because I'm going to sleep soon. May our intention...

[41:53]

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