Buddhas speak to encourage beings to live like Buddhas, which is to live moment by moment for the welfare of all beings. Now, most of us do not know exactly what the welfare of beings is, Some of us may think we do, but even if we're not sure, we can still, in the present, offer our life for the welfare of all beings. I don't know if Buddhas are sure what is helpful to all beings but I feel confident that that's what they want and that's what they offer their life for.

[01:09]

And in the mode of offering our actions, all our actions offering all our thinking all of our mental activity all of our postures, all of our speech, offering them all for the sake of the way of benefiting all beings, that this is the mode in which we may be able to taste the truth of the Tathagata's teaching, taste the truth of the Buddha's teaching. which again enables us to re-enter a life of service to each and every being. about 30 years ago in this room a visiting a visiting teacher from Japan talked about a story and this story has been coming up in my mental activity for the last

[03:08]

month or few weeks. I don't know what time of year I heard this story. I don't know what time of year the story was supposed to have occurred. But I thought I might offer you the story today. And I offer this story for the welfare of all beings. About a thousand years ago, there was what we call a Zen master who lived in China, and his name was Feng Shui. A monk came to him and asked, silence and speech are concerned with... Now I'm going to tell the story more simply first.

[04:34]

Silence and speech... both transgress. How can we get through without transgression?" And the teacher said, I'm always thinking about hunan, in March, the hundred grasses fragrant, the partridges chirping. the fuller version would be something like the monk asks Shrey Fung, no, Fung Shrey.

[05:47]

Silence and speech are concerned with vagueness and alienation are involved in vagueness and alienation. How can we get through without transgressing? I'm always thinking of Hunan in March. Partridges singing in the fragrant hundred grasses. When we speak,

[07:10]

speech is somewhat concerned with alienation, or it's involved in some alienation or separation. When we're silent, that opens the door to some vagueness, some obscurity. How can we avoid the alienation of speech, the separation that comes with speech, and the vagueness and obscurity of silence? How can we give up our habitual ways of thinking,

[08:15]

and still, or I should say, without compromising, precise awareness. This is proposed, the monk wants to know how to walk the path which doesn't transgress, how to walk the Buddha way of benefiting beings. I want to benefit all beings. How can I walk that path free of my habitual ways of thinking? And yet, without getting into foggy, murky, sameness.

[09:20]

Everybody is the same because the path is for the sake of everybody. But that doesn't mean that the sharpness and precision and uniqueness of everybody is undermined. As a matter of fact, in order to live for the welfare of others, we need to deal with them uniquely. Speech is willing to deal with the uniqueness, like, this person is better than that person. I like this person slightly more than that person. But there's alienation there and separation. This is quite habitual for us. But it's a kind of transgression from living for the welfare of all beings wholeheartedly.

[10:38]

But to give that up and think that if we just sort of close our eyes and be still and silent, and then we won't be bothered by the differences between people, and then we will be able to serve them equally, that's a transgression from the path too. We have to deal with people in their uniqueness, and it's what I call it, the devil's in the details. I feel okay in general about helping people, but specifically in this case, I have a little resistance. Maybe if I would just blur my vision a little bit, or wear sunglasses, that it would be easier, or put a clothespin on my nose, then I would say,

[11:43]

How can we meet beings and relax with the specific details and relax our usual way of being with them? For example, relax with our story that they're related to somebody we knew before. even like they seem to be the same person I knew yesterday. Thinking that somebody's the same person they were a moment ago is a habitual thing to do, but that alienates you from the person in front of you. You don't mean to alienate yourself, but you're looking at somebody else. which is habitual.

[13:02]

So this story is about somebody who maybe knew how to walk the path without veering into separation or sameness. And then he had something to say. He enjoyed March. Not as much as he enjoyed March, he enjoyed thinking about March in Hunan, where the flowers are fragrant and the partridges are chirping. if he had mentioned some other scene that he was always thinking about that wasn't so pleasant, I don't know if the story would have stayed in my heart so long.

[14:22]

Actually, the story didn't stay in my heart so long. It just, a story like the story I heard before comes up again and again. freshly, quickly. This story can be a way to encourage us to walk the middle way. of living for the welfare of all beings. I offer that I shouldn't so much focus on what he said, the lovely image that I keep remembering like he says he did,

[15:36]

the lovely image which, when I remember it, it tends to be always new and fresh. Talking to you about it, it's in danger of getting stale. But usually when it comes up, it just comes like the sound of the quail. chirping of the quail here. We have quail here, not partridge. But when the quail chirp, I might think of this story. But it's not for me to be saying that I think of that. But how can I find this place that he supposedly spoke from?

[16:46]

How can you find this place that the ancient teachers speak from? It's pretty clear that the place is where you are. The place you are is the place where all Buddhists speak from. And then when in that place they speak without veering into alienation or vagueness, they're speaking from the place where they are, dealing precisely with what they're doing, rubbing the corners of their eyes, nodding their heads, touching their feet, precisely, and at the same time giving up a habitual way of doing that.

[17:50]

Giving up a habitual way of thinking about our life, their life. This is part of the work of helping others is to keep our mind fresh. Not keep our mind fresh, find our fresh mind. Find the spring of mind. Find the spring of mind in every mind. Or not so much even find it, but open to it. Taste it. The truth of the Tathagata's words is tasted freshly A stale taste is not the real taste.

[18:59]

How do we allow ourselves a fresh taste of truth now? I don't know what you think your job is in this room right now. I don't know what you think your responsibility is right now.

[20:09]

Usually people don't say, If I say, what's your job? Usually people don't say, to taste the freshness of the moment. To taste the truth right now. I imagine that even if someone thought, when asked that question, what is your job? Even if the thought arose after hearing this kind of talk, you might think, my job in life is to taste the freshness of this moment of experience.

[21:26]

You might think, if I say this, people will think I'm rude or strange. Maybe I shouldn't say it. I don't go to cocktail parties. very often I have been invited to a few in the last years but I haven't gone but I do sometimes see in the movies that cocktail parties are still going on and at cocktail parties sometimes people say what do you do And then some people make some cute answers like, I rob banks.

[22:38]

But how about, I taste, my job is to taste the truth of the present experience. How about you? It's less sectarian to say that than, my job is to taste the truth of the Tathagata's words. You could say that. If they ask you what you mean, you could say that. I'm a disciple of the Buddha way. I'm a disciple of the people who are living for the welfare of all beings. And part of our job is to be present, to be here. That's my job, is to be here. What's your job?

[23:48]

My job is to be here with you. Since I'm here with you, that's my job. and not only and being here means that I'm tasting I'm smelling I'm seeing I'm hearing and I'm touching the freshness of this moment with you that's my job it's a hard job I sometimes forget. But I don't change my job. I just don't do it very well. But I try and occasionally the job is done. And I'm very encouraged every time I'm here with you.

[24:55]

and I taste the freshness of the moment. I've never regretted it. But I have habitual thinking which I sometimes transgress into and lose the freshness. And I'm sorry about that. And after being sorry, I come back to the middle and rededicate myself because it's from here, it's from this place and this tasting of the freshness that beings are helped. This is the equipment that we put on in order to be ready to be of service. The equipment is the equipment of the present situation and to really experience it freshly. And then we might say, it's nice to meet you.

[26:00]

This is just simply living our life moment by moment, really in the present, welcoming the freshness and experiencing the freshness for the welfare of all beings. Or, for the welfare of all beings, we train ourselves to be in the present from which we can show and demonstrate others how to be in the present because that's the place they too will enter the service of all beings. But people say, it's hard because our habit is to be thinking of the future and the past And even when we're in the present, to be a little afraid of telling people what we're doing.

[27:36]

Because it's kind of unusual. It's unusual to tell people that your job is to be present and ask them if they would like to join you. And as you may have seen if you've ever been at a cocktail party or heard about one, sometimes in the cocktail parties two people meet and there's a moment when they're actually both present and tasting the freshness of the moment.

[29:18]

And they're both struck deeply, deeply touched by being together in the moment with this person. And then one of them who can't stand this tasting of the truth says, now what should we do? Should we go someplace? Like, we can't continue this like this. We've got to go someplace where nobody's watching. This is too intimate. Or, you know, we should make something out of it rather than just say thank you for this and see what comes next and do it again. So that's a transgression.

[30:26]

And so I'm transgressing. Okay. Ready to come back? Yes. I'm here again and I don't know what to do. And sitting in this seat, there may be some expectation somewhere that the person here who's sitting here should know what to do. So like Part of me is thinking, well, maybe if I look at my watch, I'll know what to do. And then my watch will say, you know, 11 o'clock or something, and that would be like, okay, now that's gone on long enough, we can, like, get out of here.

[31:41]

We can go someplace else besides here. So now my, my, I'm wondering now, how can, how can this end with a song? But not just with a song, but you telling me with a song. Anybody have any reading glasses? Here they come. What?

[32:53]

They're going to say, get a job. Do you know that one? No. Do you know it? I just suggested that Rep. Schutzen get a job since he's been talking about So I'll just sing the beginning of Get a Job. But you can join me and those of you who are not ready. Yip, yip, [...] boom, [...] get a job. Yeah. Wow. Wow. Thank you so much.

[34:10]

It's quarter of three. There's no one in the place except you and me. So set him up, Joe. I got a little story I think you ought to know. We're drinking, my friend, to the end of a brief episode. So make it one for my baby and one more for the road. Is that enough? Okay, now we get into the unknown. See if you can be present for what's going to happen. This may be stressful.

[35:29]

Which reminds me of another song. There may be trouble ahead So while there's music and moonlight And love and romance Let's face the music and dance I know the routine. Put another nickel in that machine. I'm feeling so sad. Won't you make the music easy and sad? Could tell you a lot, but you got to be true to your code. So make it one for my baby and one more for the road.

[36:41]

You never know it, but buddy, I'm kind of a poet. I've got a lot of things I want to say. And if I'm gloomy, please listen to me. Tell it's all, all talked away. Well, that's how it goes. And Joe, I know you're getting anxious to close. So thanks for the cheer. I hope you don't mind my... Bent in your ear But this torch that I've found It's gotta be drowned Or it soon may explode So make it one for my baby And one more for the road

[37:57]

It's 11 o'clock. May our intention equally

[38:25]

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