Reverend Daigon invited me to give a talk and he asked so sweetly that I just couldn't refuse. And then he thanked me so sweetly that I followed through. So here I am talking here to you and What I'm wanting to bring up tonight is kind of a follow-through on what I talked about on, not last Sunday, but the Sunday before. I think I gave a talk here on Sunday. And one of the things I brought up was that In a way there's two kind of ways of life.

[01:08]

One way of life is we call the life cycle of birth and death. Another kind of life is life that isn't cyclic, where there's not birth and death. Then in the midst of these two different ways of living, two different ways of life, there's also what we call the middle way or the bodhisattva way, which lives in those, in some sense, lives in those two worlds. The world where things arise and cease is a world of misery. You may have noticed, you may not have noticed, but I just proposed to you that where there's birth and death, there's misery, there's pain, and worse things than that.

[02:14]

And then there's a world where things aren't arising and ceasing, where things are naturally in a state of Nirvana, naturally quiescent and peaceful. And then there's the middle way or the bodhisattva way which lives in both realms. And we often speak of the compassionate bodhisattva being encouraged to develop or cultivate a mind which has no abode, which doesn't dwell anywhere.

[03:19]

And in particular, it doesn't dwell in samsara, it doesn't dwell in birth and death, and it doesn't dwell in peace. It's kind of like there's a game which some of you may not know about called Monopoly. Do the younger people know the game Monopoly? Do you know what that answer tells you? They still have it for people your age? So Monopoly, huh? What? They still play Monopoly? It's still happening? With their grandmothers. With their grandmothers. So, as you know, as many of you know, in Monopoly, one corner of Monopoly says, Go, I think. Is that right? And on the opposite corner it says, Jail. Or there's a picture of jail. And you can go to jail or you can just visit.

[04:21]

Bodhisattvas just visit jail. And they also just visit being free from jail. So bodhisattvas can go and visit liberation and they can visit bondage. There's not much, in some sense, need for compassion in liberation because everybody's free of suffering. the main point of compassion in the realm of liberation is not that the people in liberation are objects of compassion, because they're not, but it's just to keep the bodhisattvas from dwelling in liberation. So they don't really use their compassion for the realm of freedom, but because of their compassion they don't hang out there.

[05:23]

They have no abode there. We have a place over the hill called Null Bod. I don't live there. I just visit. Just like I'm supposed to, right? I'm not supposed to go live at Null Bod. So the bodhisattvas dwell neither in bondage nor liberation, neither in birth and death, in turmoil, nor do they dwell in peace. Yet they embrace both realms wholeheartedly." There's an Indian Mahayana text, it's a text that I believe appeared in India, and

[06:32]

It was written down by this wonderful bodhisattva named Asanga and he was the amanuensis for this inconceivable bodhisattva called Maitreya, our next Buddha. We have an ancestor, a historical ancestor who developed, who met Maitreya and took down Maitreya's teachings and brought them into the world. And one of the things he wrote down, it's called the Mahayana Sutra Alankara. Ornament or adornment of the Mahayana scriptures. And in the 17th chapter, Maitreya talks to Asanga about practicing loving kindness and compassion and sympathetic joy and equanimity.

[07:35]

And then Maitreya says, among these four great practices for a bodhisattva, compassion is most important. Of course, loving kindness is important. Of course, equanimity is important. And of course, rejoicing in the spiritual life goodness of other beings is important, but most important is compassion. So then Maitreya explains to us about compassion. The 17th chapter, verse 32, is about being neither located, being not located in either samsara or nirvana. the compassionate genius, the spirit of the bodhisattva that's waiting to be turned on everywhere in us and throughout the universe, this compassionate genius understands that everything in the life cycle of birth and death

[08:51]

is naturally both suffering and not self. And so, neither becomes disgusted nor damaged by any faults. Because they understand everything about the realm of birth and death. Because of their compassion, they're not disgusted by it. And because of their wisdom, they're not harmed by it. It's possible to be a compassionate being, but if you don't understand birth and death, you still might get disgusted by it. Shakyamuni Buddha was a great compassionate bodhisattva, but even in his last lifetime, before he understood thoroughly samsara, he was a little disgusted by samsara, even Shakyamuni Buddha. when he saw the misery of the world, he kind of was disgusted.

[10:00]

But when he thoroughly understood samsara as suffering and not self, not just suffering, then he was no longer disgusted and therefore he could stand to teach us So you can be compassionate, and many of you are really compassionate. It's wonderful how compassionate you are. But you also need to understand samsara, otherwise you could conceivably become disgusted. But if you understand, your compassion will help you. Your compassion will be able to be not disgusted. And also, if you understand samsara, you will not be hurt by it. it'll push you up around all over the place, but it won't hurt you. That's what Maitreya says to us. Abiding neither in samsara nor nirvana, having understood that all existence belonging to samsara is both of the nature of suffering and also of the nature of not-self, the one who possesses compassion and highest intelligence,

[11:20]

neither falls into nor becomes tormented by the faults of samsara. Again, due to prajna, the bodhisattva does not abide in samsara. Due to karuna, compassion, the bodhisattva does not abide in nirvana. The bodhisattva does not reject passions due to compassion. And the bodhisattva is not tormented or embarrassed by samsara due to prajna, great wisdom. Mahayana Sutra Langkara, chapter 17, verse 33. The next one.

[12:24]

On thoroughly comprehending samsara, observing that the world is of the nature of suffering, the compassionate one suffers, the bodhisattva suffers, by this fact that the world is of the nature of suffering. And he truly knows it. He truly knows the suffering as well as the means to get rid of it. He does not become exhausted therefore in his work in samsara. When she observes the natural suffering of the world, the loving bodhisattva suffers. Yet, she knows just what it is as well as the means to avoid it.

[13:29]

And so she does not become exhausted. So that's the Indian Mahayana way of talking about the Bodhisattva's work to have this mind which embraces beings in samsara and nirvana without locating in either. And how the Bodhisattva, because of her understanding, isn't afraid of samsara, isn't disgusted by it, isn't hurt by it, and doesn't get exhausted working there She vows to work there, and she needs to have understanding of her workplace, otherwise she will become exhausted.

[14:31]

And then there's a Zen way of talking about it, the Chinese Zen way to talk about this same situation. Our Zen ancestors let go of the ultimate, and you could understand the ultimate as ultimate truth of suchness and emptiness. which when you understand it, when you realize it, you realize nirvana. So you can understand they let go of the ultimate meditation, which realizes nirvana, or you can say they let go of nirvana. Anyway, they let go of the ultimate. They realize the ultimate. Our ancestors realized the ultimate and they let go of it. And they join hands with each other.

[15:53]

The ancestors hold hands with each other. They have a little social club where they hold hands. And they also hold hands with all beings and walk together through birth and death. They dare to enter the mud and water for our sake. to die and to be born together with us, with you. In reality, they have no other purpose than to melt the glue, untie the bonds for you and me, to pull out the nails and wrench out the pegs, They say birth and death is the life of Buddha.

[16:59]

The world of suffering and misery is the lifeblood of Buddha. Now, first let me read it. If we try to exclude samsara, birth and death, we will lose the life of Buddha. if we cling to it, birth and death, we'll also lose the life of Buddha. And what remains will just be the mere form of Buddha. Only when we don't dislike birth and death or long for it, Do we enter Buddha's heart? Of course, Buddha's heart is always open to us.

[18:02]

But if we're busy, if we're busy disliking birth and death or longing for it, you know, we're too busy. Too busy for Buddha, right? But I got better things to do than, you know, enter your heart, Buddha. I got to like, dislike or like Nirvana or both or neither. Well, neither would be okay. Okay, well anyway, that's the story. Now I'll do it again the way Dogen does it. See, I did a we. Did you notice I said when... If we try to exclude samsara from our life, we will lose the life of Buddha. But another way to say it is, birth and death is the lifeblood of Buddha if you try to exclude it. you will lose the life of Buddha. If you try to cling to it, you will also lose the life of Buddha. And all that will remain is an empty shell of Buddha's mind.

[19:07]

Only when you don't dislike birth and death or long for birth and death will you enter the mind of Buddha. So that's an amazing situation that's been proposed by the Indian Mahayana tradition and the Chinese Zen Mahayana tradition that there's a possibility of becoming a bodhisattva and living like that. Of not trying to get away from suffering and also not trying to hold on to it or get anything out of it. and not trying to get nirvana or get rid of nirvana either. Some people actually don't like nirvana. One of the Buddhist scholars who was very kind to me, after he wasn't very kind to me, told me one time that...

[20:16]

He thought maybe the Mahayana was really because people were just afraid of Nirvana. Okay, so the question arises in my mind about these bodhisattvas is, so how are they able to not locate themselves or abide in either samsara or Nirvana? How do they dare to enter the mud and join hands with all beings and walk through birth and death? How do they dare do that? And the answer in the Mahayana scriptures is, well, there's lots of answers to it, but lately I've been struck by the description of how the bodhisattvas are able to be this way, as described in the Kashyapa Parivartta Sutra, the sutra with the Buddhist teaching, Mahakasyapa, one of Buddha's, well, he's the first ancestor in our tradition, Mahakasyapa.

[21:31]

Mahakasyo Dayosho. So how do Bodhisattvas understand in such a way that they can work happily, so that they can feel pain in samsara and work happily there without getting exhausted. How are they able to do this? How do they dare to do it and how do they keep doing it? And so one answer is the bodhisattva who wishes to live this way is constantly cultivating or meditating on right insight into all dharmas. What is a bodhisattva's correct practice? It is to think about all dharmas as they truly are. It is to sit upright and contemplate the true characteristics of all experience.

[22:37]

The true insight or the true observation means not to see self, not to see personal identity, not to see a sentient being or a life. You've got a life already, even though maybe people tell you to get a life, still you've got one. But in order to do the bodhisattva work, you have to contemplate life in such a way that you don't see a life. This is called the middle way, which is true insight. It's to observe reality just as it is. Then the Buddha says to Kashyapa, true insight means to regard forms like colors and smells and tastes and things, to regard forms as neither permanent nor impermanent.

[24:01]

Now of course the Buddha Dharma teaches that forms are impermanent, colors are impermanent Tastes are impermanent. Tangibles are impermanent. They are impermanent. That's a teaching. However, the Bodhisattva is now being told to learn to look at colors and regard them as not permanent, which most people have a lot of problems not regarding them as permanent. So it says, don't regard them as permanent. I had not heard about that, but also don't regard them as impermanent. You're supposed to learn to see them as impermanent. That's an important part of our practice. Well, when you can see them as impermanent, then don't. Most people easily regard things as permanent.

[25:02]

Fine, you got that down, don't. Don't do your old regarding things as permanent trip And when you learn to see impermanence, don't regard things as impermanent. Also do the same for feelings, conceptions, formations and consciousness. Chant the Heart Sutra, right? All dharmas are marked by emptiness. Form itself is emptiness. Emptiness itself form. The same for feelings, conceptions, formations and consciousness. Same instructions. Well, that isn't an instruction, that's just telling you that's the way it is. These forms are emptiness. Emptiness is these forms. These empty forms, feelings, empty feelings, empty formations, okay, don't regard them as, don't regard empty things as permanent, of course, or impermanent. When you see them as empty, you will not regard them as permanent nor impermanent.

[26:10]

The way they really are is that they're free of either permanence or impermanence. Bodhisattvas think about that. They spend their time. They're in the world, you know, helping people like taking hospice training and helping people die and helping people be born. Opposite of hospice training is midwifery. You know, helping people in, helping people out, and then helping the people in between. They're helping, helping, helping. But what are they thinking about all the time? Neither permanent nor impermanent. This person is empty. This form, this smell, of this dying person, the smell of this being born person.

[27:11]

This smell is neither permanent or impermanent. It says these bodhisattvas, these loving beings, they're thinking. They're not just loving, they're thinking while they're loving. What are they thinking about? Well, they don't think, they're thinking, this isn't, I'm not going to regard this as permanent or impermanent, that's what I think. Therefore I don't get exhausted. I love this stuff. But if you stop thinking that, you're going to slip into permanence or impermanence, maybe, and then you're going to get exhausted, exhaustamente. No. Where's that Mexicana lady? Is she here? Maray, Mexicana, señorita Mexicana. Mexicana señorita, is she here? No. Asolido, huh?

[28:12]

Okay. Anyway, it says they think. These bodhisattvas think. They think. She asked me if we could have fresh air. And I said no. And she said, we could have fresh air. Because he said no. He's the boss. Because he's sitting in that seat that Diagon asked him to sit on. Give me a break. It goes on, you know. It goes on, giving instructions. Buddha gives makasha for instructions. Okay? Don't you dare open that window. Don't you... If I've told you once... Maha Kashyapa, true insight means to regard the earth element as neither permanent nor impermanent.

[29:25]

To regard the elements of water, fire and air as neither permanent nor impermanent. This is called the middle way. This is the proper practice of one who wishes to live in the world for the welfare of others and not get exhausted. According to this scripture. The Buddha says, how come? Por que no? Por que? Permanent is one extreme. Impermanence is the other. This is funny, huh? It is quite funny. The Buddha says, how come the Bodhisattva doesn't regard any experience as permanent or impermanent? Because permanent is one extreme, impermanence is another. And the two in one of permanence and impermanence is the middle, which is formless.

[30:37]

shapeless, inconceivable, and ungraspable. To realize it is called the middle way, to observe things as they really are. Ego is one extreme. Egolessness is another extreme. without going either way, is the middle way, which is formless, shapeless, inconceivable and ungraspable. To realize it is called the middle way. To regard mind as real is one extreme. To regard mind as unreal is the other. To realize there is no mind and no mental functions is the middle way. Bodhisattva Mahakasyapa, existence is one extreme, nonexistence is the other.

[31:47]

Is is one extreme, is not is another. And that which falls into neither extreme is formless, shapeless, inconceivable and ungraspable, to realize this is called the middle way. And this meditation allows the bodhisattva to understand samsara, realize nirvana, and abide in neither. And Zen meditation, same thing. Same meditation. Practice period at noon service. Sometimes it's chanting the backward step. Stepping back from extremes and jumping into the upright cauldron.

[32:50]

Do you do that every noon service? Every other one. Okay. Same practice. Same meditation. Same thinking. with the depths clear, utterly silent, thoroughly illuminate the source, empty and spirited, vast and bright. Even though you have lucidly scrutinized your image and no shadow or echo meets it, searching throughout, you see that you still have distinguished between merits, between the merits of a hundred undertakings. then you must take the backward step and directly reach the middle of the circle where the light issues forth. Outstanding and independent, still you must abandon pretexts of merit. Carefully discern that naming engenders beings and that there is rise and fall with intricacy.

[33:58]

When you can share yourself then you may manage affairs and you have the pure seal that stamps the ten thousand forms. Traveling the world, meeting conditions, the self joyfully enters into samadhi in all delusions and accepts its functions, which is to empty out the self so as not to be full of itself. The empty valley receives the clouds. The cold stream cleanses the moon. Not departing and not remaining far beyond all the changes. You can give teachings without attainment or expectation. Everything, everywhere comes back to the olden ground. Not a hair has been shifted, bent, or raised up.

[35:05]

Despite a hundred uglinesses or a thousand stupidities, the upright cauldron is naturally beneficent. Zhaozhou says, wash your bowls and drink your tea. Zhaozhou answers, wash your bowl and drink your tea. do not require making arrangements. In the beginning, they have always been perfectly apparent. Thoroughly observing each thing with the whole eye of a patch-robed monk, spontaneous conduct. Any questions? Yes, Clay?

[36:09]

What do you mean when you say suffering? What do I mean by suffering? I mean being unhappy, depressed, not appreciating how wonderful and beautiful everybody is, and maybe want to do a little violence to jazz things up a little bit, maybe that'll help. It's not just pain, it's pain that I don't appreciate. So the Buddha didn't get depressed at the end of his life, apparently, although he was very sick. His teaching and his compassion and wisdom were unabated by his severe illness. He asked Ananda for some water and Ananda told him the water was dirty. And he asked Ananda for the water again and Ananda told him the water was dirty. And he asked Ananda for the water again.

[37:11]

Because he wanted some water. When you're teaching, such as you just articulated, and I understand what virtue, what it says, you need to grasp it, push it away. Would you say that again, please? If I understand the terms by which you're articulating that, when I hear a teaching that you just read or have been reading here, I can either say it is true or to say that it is false. Yeah, just let it in. Yeah, let it in. Or be in this receptive mode where you don't get exhausted by what's being given to you.

[38:18]

Yes? Would you please discuss the dimension of not impermanence? Of not impermanence. Yes. Things are neither permanent nor important. When you say not impermanence, you mean impermanence? Well, perhaps. But I meant the bodhisattva is to live in a place in which they realize... No. No. No. No abode, that's right. Ah, you got it! Oops, I got it. Bodhisattva is not supposed to live in a place. Not supposed to... Just visit, yeah. Yeah, wholeheartedly visit. So you don't visit the place. You practice the way, which has no abode. So as part of that no abode thing... Yeah? Yeah, as part of that... Yeah? Things are neither... Things are neither to be grasped as permanent nor impermanent.

[39:30]

Right. So can you discuss the sense in which things are... We're familiar with the teaching of impermanence. Yes. But I think that many of us are less familiar with the dimension of things not being impermanent. It's not that they're not impermanent. It's that you don't regard them as impermanent. You don't grasp them as impermanent. you don't get over into the wonderful realm of impermanence. Of course, getting into the realm of impermanence means getting into the realm of delusion. You don't do that either if you're on this middle path. But you don't even go over to the correct teaching that things are impermanent. But you're not saying that they are not impermanent. compounded things are impermanent, but you don't regard them that way. That's correct, but if you regard them that way, it's a little incorrect to regard them that way.

[40:34]

So it's not that they're not that way, It's that you don't regard them that way. You don't lean at all in that direction. Just like nirvana is liberation, but you don't lean towards nirvana. You don't lean towards nirvana and away from samsara. You don't lean towards samsara and away from nirvana. You're upright. You're in upright cauldron. you're cooking an uprightness in the midst of all these delusions and enlightenments and Buddhas and sentient beings. You're sitting there in this middle place so that when you get to that balanced place you can be there and do your work without getting exhausted. But if you start leaning, then you start leaking, And then you can't walk. Then you'd say, well, I'm holding hands with you, but I don't want to go with you into death. I think I'm going to let go of you now. Or you're going to go into birth. I don't want to go there.

[41:38]

No, don't come back. Because I'm getting all leaky. I'm losing my energy because I have preferences and expectations. Is that clear? Yes. Okay. Jojo says, drink your tea, so I'm going to do what he said. May I? No. Go ahead. Please. Don't. Did you want to say something?

[42:44]

May I say something? Do you want to say something? May I say something? Yes, you may. Because if you did it when I said not to, you'd have to go backwards two steps. I think I hear you. And I think I understand, but if the practice is the way not to experience that much suffering... If the practice is the way to not experience that much suffering?

[43:45]

If I understand you and hear you and I practice the way not to experience that much suffering, Are you saying if you practice the way you don't experience much suffering? Did you say if you don't experience much suffering, there's not much fun either? Is that what you said? That's right. If there's no suffering, there's no fun. That's right. But Fortunately or unfortunately, the bodhisattvas have plenty of suffering, so they have a lot of fun. Bodhisattvas have much more fun than certain other spiritual, I don't know what you call them, experts who don't have much suffering, but they don't have much fun either. There are such beings.

[44:47]

They don't have much suffering. That's just, you know, they just don't because they happen to be in a place where the conditions for suffering are not there and they're not in communication with the peasants who are not able to enter these states of bliss. So they don't have much suffering and not much fun either. So bodhisattvas do feel suffering about all the people that are and they have great joy, not about their suffering but they have great joy being with all the suffering people. And if they're away from the suffering people, some people are away from the suffering people, and they don't have any suffering, but they also don't have great joy. And after a while, they get a little scared of the suffering. They get sort of out of shape. They're in bliss, but it's a little bit like, are you ready to go back down there with those suffering people? No, I don't want to. I'm too happy. But they're not really happy.

[45:53]

They'll be even more happy when they get back into suffering. So you work in the kitchen, right? Yes. And you're quite happy, aren't you? Yes. Yeah, that's because there's a lot of suffering in the kitchen. Right? Have you noticed? Huh? I don't know that. Oh, that? So you're not having much fun. My question is... The question is, being the middle, if we don't experience that much suffering, being the middle... Being in the middle, you do experience suffering. The bodhisattvas experience suffering, but being in the middle, they can... they are able to not run away from the suffering. If you get away from the middle, you get flipped out of the suffering. You'll be isolated from it.

[46:55]

You'll still be suffering, but you won't have much joy because you won't be in the center. The Buddhists sit in the center of suffering. And they can sit there because they got this good seat, this upright position. So they're sitting in the middle of suffering. All of it. They're centrally located without locating themselves. They're in the middle of all suffering. So there's pretty much unlimited suffering around the Buddhas. It feels like if any are Really the center of it, it doesn't feel that painful anymore. That's what I'm saying. When you are really, you are not pushing it away. Usually we don't grasp suffering. Usually. I don't know. When you're in the middle, it doesn't seem so painful. Yes, that's my question.

[48:01]

When it's really in the center, it doesn't feel that much. But there is no complaint. When you're in the middle and it doesn't feel like much, it may be because when you're in the middle, you're not measuring how much it is. In the middle, you're emphasizing being in the middle rather than calculating how much it is. So it may not seem like much because when you're off to the side, you're measuring all the time how much it was. When you get to the middle, you don't know if it's much or little. You're not doing that anymore. Yeah. Then it's not really excitement and fun, like, It's not like excitement and fun?

[49:11]

Okay. But it's also... It's not like excitement and fun, but it's also called inconceivable joy. But it's not joy like you usually call excitement and fun. It's a different kind. it's a kind that makes it possible for you not to get exhausted. Because you've got this job to do. Can you say something about the suffering of suffering? Pardon? The suffering of suffering. The suffering of suffering? Well, there's a suffering of suffering, there's a suffering of pleasure, and there's a suffering of neutral, right? The suffering of suffering is when you're in pain that you, you know, are dwelling in it, rather than that when you're in pain you do not regard it as existent or non-existent.

[50:12]

So if you're in pain and you regard it as existent, then you'll have the pain of pain. If you're in pain and you regard it as non-existent, you'll have the pain of pain. But if you're in pain in the middle way, you won't be dwelling in pain or in nirvana. Actually, you will enter nirvana right while you're in samsara. So you're in the pain, and by practicing middle way, you enter nirvana. But you enter nirvana without abiding there. you enter nirvana when you're in suffering without pushing suffering away. And you enter nirvana without holding on to it. But you do naturally enter into peace in the middle of suffering when you practice the middle way in suffering. But if we don't practice the middle way in suffering, then we have suffering in suffering. But also we have suffering in pleasure if we're not in the middle way.

[51:15]

I like to use this example of one of our students who started practicing early. I forgot how old he was, but anyway, he loved warm showers or hot showers. But as soon as he got in them, he started suffering because his mother only let him stay in for a little while. So as soon as he got in, he started crying because he knew he had to leave this place he loved. That's suffering in pleasure. But now, he practices the middle way in the shower. And he knows his wife's going to make him get out of the shower pretty soon. So he knows the shower is impermanent. He's not going to be able to stay there forever. But he doesn't regard the shower as impermanent or permanent. And so now he just has pleasure in the shower. Can we close the window?

[52:27]

Huh? Can we close the window? We definitely can close the window. But you can't. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Okay, there's one more paw. But it went away. Come back up. It went away. What about reaching out? Yeah? Is that already too much? Don't regard it as existent or non-existent and you won't get exhausted according to this teaching. Don't say there is reaching out or there isn't reaching out. And then when you're reaching out you won't get exhausted. You won't get disgusted. you won't be tormented.

[53:29]

and have no intention of leaving here.

[54:17]

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