I seem to remember some expression like, this is a time to gather body and mind into one suchness. This is a a setup which is auspicious for gathering body, mind, and the whole environment into one suchness. It could also be a time for gathering the teachings of this tradition, which cares for the teachings of Ehe Dogen, to gather those teachings together with the teachings of the scripture.

[01:22]

which unravels and understands the deep intimacy of Buddhist thought. we chant that in stillness mind and objects merge in realization and go beyond enlightenment. Mind and objects

[02:30]

Merge in realization and go beyond enlightenment. Mind and objects enter enlightenment together and leave enlightenment together. this intimacy of the mind and objects, of subject and object. When understood, when we understand this, this is also called mental attention to suchness.

[03:35]

The sutra Unraveling and Understanding the Mystery says that the intimacy of mind and objects It doesn't actually say that. It says that the understanding that mind is engendered in such a way that it sees itself as objects this teaching is called mind only or cognition only. Understanding that objects are the mind being generated in such a way as to seem like objects is called mind only.

[04:53]

Understanding that is paying attention to suchness. And suchness, this suchness, which is the intimacy of subject and object, the intimacy of mind and objects, this suchness is what bodhisattvas meditate on in the process of realizing complete enlightenment, according to this sutra. What do they meditate on? They meditate on the teaching of cognition only. They meditate on the intimacy of mind and objects. They meditate on the intimacy of self and other.

[06:01]

They meditate on the intimacy of sentient beings and Buddhas. we have the opportunity again, this auspicious opportunity of stillness to look inwardly and see mind and object enter enlightenment together and leave enlightenment together and enter realization together and leave realization together. In stillness there is the opportunity to, I say see, but it's not see like recognition.

[07:02]

It is to see in an unconstructed way by sitting still. It is to realize without recognition this intimacy. And actually, when recognition comes into the intimacy, it kind of, in a sense, it can obscure the intimacy. So I take back my statement that we have the opportunity in stillness to see mind and object enter realization together and leave together. it's more we have the opportunity to participate completely in mind and objects enter realization and going beyond enlightenment.

[08:08]

We have the opportunity to participate in mind and objects entering the teaching of mind only And by participating in this teaching of mind only with our mind and objects, we enter into attention on suchness. Dogen Zenji, in commenting on the second major bodhisattva precept of not stealing, says, In the suchness of mind and objects, the doors of liberation open. In stillness, and having heard the teaching that in stillness mind and object join and enter realization,

[09:24]

Having heard that teaching, practicing stillness, we can enter with mind and object, because we are mind and object. We are mind, and we are the objects of mind. Receiving that teaching in stillness, we can enter the suchness of mind and object. And in that suchness of mind and objects, the doors of liberation open. I see in this teaching of Dogen Zenji, him being a practitioner of this cognition-only teaching of this sutra. This teaching, as far as I know, is first introduced into the world in this scripture. Chapter 8.

[10:26]

We're talking about the second bodhisattva, major bodhisattva precept, and the way of talking about this precept is also a way of understanding what we call zazen in terms of understanding the suchness of mind and objects. Also Dogen Zenji says, which you're familiar with this way of saying it, each moment of Zazen is equally wholeness of practice, equally wholeness of enlightenment. Each moment of intimacy

[11:59]

each moment of the intimacy of mind and objects, each moment of intimacy of self and other, is equally wholeness of practice, equally wholeness of realization. Each moment of understanding, of sitting still, each moment in stillness of understanding the intimacy of mind and objects is equally the same practice and the same enlightenment of self and others. Each moment of this kind of zazen, this zazen which understands the non-separation of subject and object, which understands this teaching of mind only, each moment of that kind of zazen is equally the same practice and the same enlightenment for both Buddhas and sentient beings.

[13:30]

cultivating stillness, entering and realizing stillness, and remembering and being mindful of the teaching of mind only. Being aware, remembering and remembering and remembering that mind and objects are intimate. That objects are mind. That mind is objects. Remembering this in imperturbable stillness and finally understanding this teaching.

[14:54]

One is doing the essential meditation of bodhisattvas. You are meditating on suchness. And in that suchness, the doors of liberation open. So again, I feel an intimacy between And Dogen Zenji's central teaching here on Zazen about the unconstructedness and stillness, about the immediate realization of mind and object's intimacy, entering and leaving realization, this teaching and the teaching of the sutra. unraveling and understanding the deep intimacy of Buddha's thought.

[15:58]

Understanding this teaching of mind only we are then paying attention to suchness. Paying attention to suchness removes all the hindrances and obstructions to enlightenment. The sutra goes into considerable detail on this process by which one moves forward in enlightenment along with meditating on this suchness. Today I give you this simple, fairly simple teaching of intimacy mind only and suchness. See if this teaching can sink down

[17:17]

and pervade the stillness which we are devoting ourselves to realizing. In the course that Dogen Zenji sets out, in the course that the sutra sets out, in both cases we are encouraged to develop stillness, imperturbable stillness, and to receive the teachings about the nature of reality and learn to remember one, then the other, one, then the other, the one, [...] the other, the other, the other, until finally we can remember both at the same time.

[18:27]

And join these two kinds of practice, the practice of stillness and the practice of listening to, receiving and penetrating the teaching and then bringing them together. And when they're brought together, then we have the kind of understanding of this teaching which is attention to suchness. If there's any questions that would promote the welfare and happiness of all beings, they are welcome.

[20:01]

Up here. for the welfare, happiness and liberation of all beings. We have a microphone so people can hear what you wish to express. Thank you very much for this Dharma talk. You're welcome. My question is, is everybody's stillness the same? In suchness?

[21:13]

Yes. But I don't deny that in the minds of some beings, their stillness is different from somebody else's stillness. But this stillness is not my stillness or your stillness. The stillness in which we're practicing this practice is actual stillness. not something I possess or can lose, but something that I can realize together with you. I can only realize it together with you. However, you may not think that our stillnesses are the same. Mind and object enter That means your mind and all beings join and enter realization together.

[22:23]

In stillness, your mind and all beings merge and enter realization together. But some of the beings you're inseparable from may have many different opinions about what's going on. Still, we're intimate with them, and we realize that intimacy and stillness. And these are bodhisattva practices, so the people who are practicing this way are practicing for the welfare of all people, including the people who have different points of view or opposing points of view. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Thank you for your question. When you were talking about object and mind merging, I heard that as mind creates object.

[23:57]

Could you say more about the merging of mind and object? You could say mind creates objects, but you could also say that mind arises in such a way that it knows itself as objects. What mind is actually knowing is itself but it thinks of itself as objects. So you can say it creates it or just that the nature of mind consciousness is engendered or arises in such a way that the way it sees itself as objects and even as objects that are out there separate from itself. But really what it's looking at is itself. So when I'm looking at the creek Yes. I'm looking at my own mind. Yes, or your mind's looking at itself. When you are looking at the creek, your mind is there looking at itself.

[25:00]

And you're there too, so to speak, but not really in addition. Right. Yes. So please enjoy your mind looking at the creek. Or I encourage your mind to enjoy itself looking at it, the Greek. You're welcome.

[26:07]

Is Samadhi attention to suchness? Not necessarily. There are different kinds of Samadhi. So let's say you're in a Samadhi and you're focusing on some object. In the Samadhi you're concentrated on some object. when there is the understanding that this object is just cognition, then the samadhi is focused on suchness. But if the samadhi is looking at the object and thinks, that object's out there, or the mind is thinking, I'm concentrated on that object, I'm happy to be concentrated, this is great, I feel really good and calm, And, you know, the mind is talking in terms of I, or even you could say this.

[27:10]

This concentration is on that object, and that object is out there somewhat separate from this awareness of it. That's not attention to suchness. That's attention to ordinary dualistic thinking. That's not really attention to it. That is ordinary dualistic thinking functioning in a concentrated situation, a samadhi. So there were samadhis in the world before the Buddhas appeared. So the Buddha practiced samadhi before the Buddha awoke to these teachings. I guess I had a slight misunderstanding, or maybe not even slight, of samadhi as being a sort of total awareness. And a total awareness would be an awareness of suchness. Are there gradations in samadhi?

[28:15]

Well, you could say gradations. You could say gradations, or you could just say different species of samadhi. There are samadhis, concentrations, that are not are not authentic Buddha concentrations. They're not concentrations of the Buddha ancestors. They're concentrations. So, you know, if you look in a Buddhist dictionary for the word samadhi, they might say what you're saying, but the context is a Buddhist samadhi is like, a samadhi of the Buddhas is like this. Yes. But there's other kinds of samadhi. Samadhi is mental one-pointedness. The definition of Samadhi is mental one-pointedness, but there's even different understandings of what we're mentally one-pointed about. So to be mentally one-pointed and the meaning of that is that you understand that objects are in fact the mind appearing to itself as objects.

[29:21]

with that understanding, then the samadhi is paying attention to suchness. So the Buddha's samadhi is wisdom combined with meditation, wisdom combined with concentration. My understanding is that when Dogen teaches samadhi, he's talking about a samadhi which is inseparably intimate with wisdom. But there are samadhis, there are concentrations which are not intimate with wisdom. Thank you. You're welcome.

[30:46]

Could you say again with the two, you said there are two practices that can be done together. Two practices done together? Yeah. One is called, you know, tranquility or stillness. And it pays attention to non-conceptual objects. The other is wisdom. It pays attention to teachings and it understands the teachings. And then those two need to be united in order to realize suchness. So just to have an intellectual understanding The correct intellectual understanding of this teaching is good, but that's not really wisdom.

[31:49]

Wisdom has to be united with concentration. So we need to develop both. So this whole discussion of intimacy really lives in stillness. Enlightenment lives in stillness. So in the tranquility practice stillness, would you say that that practice is ceasing one's discrimination, discriminative mind? It's not exactly that. Your discursive thought could cease. That would be possible. That does happen sometimes. But it's more like the stillness is the fruit of giving up discursive thought.

[32:55]

So by continually giving up discursive thought moment by moment, the fruit of that, the reward of that, is body-mind stillness, body-mind stillness, but a soft and flexible stillness. That's the fruit of it. And then when that fruit's there, you actually can turn the mind towards these teachings which you've already learned, maybe in a non-samadhi situation. When you bring these two meditations together, it's not that you are completely still in your mental faculties, your discriminative faculties. You still have the concept of, say, mind and object where they're merging.

[34:02]

I often use the example of surfing. it's not so much that the ocean becomes smooth and flat, although it might. I guess that happens in some parts of the ocean called the doldrums. Sometimes the ocean can be flat, and that flatness could be due to some kind of yogic process, some kind of concentration process. But what I'm talking about is that by giving up the movements of the minds, by letting go of them, by being there and letting go of them, you come to be able to spend on the fluctuations with complete stillness and balance, like a surfer. Things are changing extremely fast. You know, the surfer's interacting with the forces of nature which are constantly changing, and yet they find

[35:05]

equanimity which is this which is what they live for is that equanimity but not just equanimity on the beach which they actually have trouble finding but equanimity in tremendous impermanent flux of their mind and body in relationship to this environment so yeah so it's there is stillness, there is imperturbability, but in the midst of constant change. And all these changes are the objects which the teaching are saying, all those objects that are changing, all these constant offerings of objects, of knowledge, now that you're calm, See if you can remember that the water is splashing and the waves flowing all around you in your stillness.

[36:07]

Can you remember the teaching which is that this is the mind looking at the mind. The mind looking at objects is the mind looking at itself. Then we have the tranquility united So to understand the teaching out there in the waves is different than to understand the teaching in a classroom. That you actually could remember the teaching under those tremendously vital situations requires both that teaching and that concentration. Would you say that in that equanimity that there's no grasping? In that equanimity, which is united with that understanding, there is no grasping. However, there is still, due to past activities, there's little signs on every little particle of water splashing in your face.

[37:21]

There's little habitual characteristics on everything. But if you continue to practice this way, all that gets cleared away. So that not only is there no grasping right now, but there's no way to grasp ever again. That's why we bodhisattvas don't just see suchness and then their course is over. They don't just pay attention to suchness in this way and then they're the Buddhas. Then they start their long training program of using this attention to suchness in relationship to all the waves that are coming to them, all the splashes that are coming to them. And in each case then, not grasping, and also in not grasping, becoming free of what could be grasped, becoming free of what used to be grasped.

[38:29]

So in that way, they purify the entire ocean of any way to be grasped by each moment of not grasping in this kind of samadhi. You're welcome. It seems to me that another way to talk about what you were discussing this morning is that the practice of dropping our body and mind is a practice of renunciation.

[39:55]

Yes. Renunciation. You could say renunciation of things we hold as separate or renunciation of separateness. So this teaching is saying there's nothing out there separate to grasp. And if you think about that teaching, it promotes your renunciation of these things to be grasped. And that's also called dropping off body and mind by Dogen. So is there ever a point when, I guess, when you do drop off body and mind and, let's say, looking at the creek, and there's no longer you looking at the creek, and so then there isn't

[40:59]

to the point that they're not looking? Would that just be a place of abiding? So you said you're in a situation where there's an understanding that mind is looking at itself as the creek? Yeah. And then what's the next part of your question? So then is there... I'm wondering where the place of activity comes in. Is it something that there is no looking? There's just no you and there's no... At that point that you're describing, at that point you're describing, the action that emerges from that understanding is the next action. There will be a next action. The next action will be, for example, the action of hearing something. or the action of being aware of an intention. But what you hear then will be seen, the understanding of what is heard will be the same.

[42:05]

Namely, oh, this is the mind hearing itself as a sound. This is the mind knowing itself as a sound. The next moment is an intention arises. The mind arises and it has an intention. And the mind sees its intention But it sees that the intention is the mind appearing to itself as an intention. And that intention is an action. And then the intention actually might be to say something. So then again the mind sees, the mind realizes there is the understanding that this speaking, which there's an awareness of, is the awareness appearing to itself as speaking. So that each moment, whatever the environment is, whatever the action is, one is able to abide in this samadhi of suchness, this samadhi of mind only.

[43:11]

And every moment there's action. Or activity, anyway. There's activity of hearing and seeing, and there's action of intending, and wishing and then enacting the wish verbally and physically. All that's going on and the samadhi could ride that all, all that, and stay on an upright and immovable presence in all that change. That would be what we're training for. The Buddhist Olympics. Welcome. So, when the mind is experiencing itself as hatred or envy or any kind of wholesome or unwholesome mental factor, is there a

[45:54]

either what might appear outside or what might be a result of the appearance of something outside? Is there a practice or a Is there an orienting the mind to something that is wholesome? Does that make sense? So the mind seemed to have the object of, did you say hatred? So the mind is aware of this object called hatred. Now, if this person is actually in the process of practicing this kind of

[47:02]

union of concentration and wisdom, they see this affliction, this hatred. It's an affliction. It's an afflictive emotion because it can cause suffering. They see this and they send the practices of generosity, ethical discipline, and patience to address this. It's possible that these practices have been going on and that this particular object has emerged even though in the previous moment there were these practices. But now they have to be applied again to address this affliction. And that's the way to address the affliction in order to, in some sense, care for it so that it won't disturb the meditation which will actually remove the affliction.

[48:10]

But in your case, I just want to make clear that we have to make sure that we're sort of caring for the affliction first. If we're caring for it, then we could actually continue to be calm with it. have equanimity with it, if we can be equanimous with it, really calm with it, and relaxed with it, then we have a chance to remember the teaching about everything that we know, including this. Then we would be able to continue to remember the teaching and apply it to this example in tranquility. So it is possible that someone's actually in tranquility, deeply doing this meditation together with the teachings, uniting wisdom, and then, boom, some hatred arises. Well, we have to take care of it, first of all. We have to give first aid, so to speak, to make sure that it's cared for.

[49:14]

Otherwise, it would potentially disturb the tranquility. But if it's well cared for, maybe the tranquility doesn't get disturbed. So we're then maybe able to continue this meditation on the nature of this affliction. And by meditating on this affliction in this way, this particular one, by meditating on hatred in tranquility, with the teaching that it is the mind appearing to itself in this way, this affliction is not just removed, but the tendency towards it is removed. But not the first moment you see it. I should say, this particular one will be removed at that moment and will never come back.

[50:19]

But the tendency towards needs more combination with wisdom so that such things, similar things like this, won't even come back anymore. Because there'll be no tendency towards it. Even if other conditions which used to give rise to it are still there. So it sounds like you're saying that the practice for... cooling an affliction and the practice of getting it out at the root are different. Yeah. I think I mentioned in this practice period that the first three bodhisattva precepts or bodhisattva training methods are for, you could say, cooling and soothing and benefiting beings in affliction. And the last three are about removing and even removing at the root, about liberating beings from those.

[51:29]

And we're starting this session by me going to the last two perfections, concentration and wisdom, focusing on the last two perfections. But the first four need to be practiced in order to perform these last two perfections. It sounded like, when you were talking before, it was like you could do both those practices at once. I mean, maybe not when an affliction is... When you said both those practices, which two are you talking about? Mind-only practice of meditation on suchness. Yes. And also tranquility. Also an antidotal practice, say, if an affliction arises. When you say antidote, do you mean different from the calming and the wisdom?

[52:31]

If the calming being applying, like you suggested, the four paramitas to an affliction that has arisen? We need to practice the first four paramitas to afflictions that have arisen in order to successfully practice the fifth concentration, right? You understood that, right? I understood that. But you can practice the fifth and sixth paramitas until an affliction arises, in which case you switch to practicing. No, not necessarily. Since you have been practicing the first four, and then now you have concentration, it's because you have been able to deal with afflictions that have arisen and still be concentrated. So maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the first four.

[53:36]

But in fact, the concentration is grounded in or is supported by the first four. We can't do the kind of real concentration without the first four. And partly the first four has been applied to afflictions. There are some things which aren't so afflictive, maybe like Goodwill is not exactly an affliction. It doesn't really cause pain. Wishing beings well isn't really an affliction. But we practice those four with that too. And then if you are practicing tranquility and wisdom, you might not be surprised if a thought of goodwill arose. And I wouldn't be either. But a thought of goodwill is dealt with as cognition only in this particular situation, because we're trying to develop this meditation on suchness.

[54:40]

Now, it still might be the case, though, that a thought which, generally speaking, would disturb samadhi would arise and not disturb it. And one of the best ways for it to arise and not to disturb is to see it as mind only. So it's possible that ill will could arise seemingly as an object of this consciousness, but it wouldn't be such a big issue about whose ill will it was. Because whether it's yours or mine, it appears to me as cognition only. So maybe I shouldn't have mentioned to go back and practice the first four. But I would say if you lose, if you get knocked off the surfboard and you lose your tranquility and forget the teaching, then you should go back to practice the first four and then come back to practice the last two, to practice stillness and awareness of mind and objects entering into suchness together.

[55:54]

So that practice has the potential of both cooling the afflictions and also getting them out at the root. That practice being the combination of meditation and wisdom. If you're practicing those practices, the afflictions have already been cooled. So it's not just cooling them. These last two are not just cooling them. The first four, first three and sort of the fourth two, that's about cooling them and easing them. The last one, you actually become free of it. And then the last, in the Samadhi, you become free of it. And with the wisdom combined with the Samadhi, the tendency towards it, you know, even when it's not there, the tendency that someday you might do it again, that one, that gets removed too. So one is it gets removed, and the other gets removed, as you say, at the root. There's no root for it anymore.

[56:58]

The last two do that. But they don't really cool it. It's already cool. If it's not somewhat cool, if you're not somewhat cool, you can't even be on the surfboard in the first place. I mean, you're just, you know, you're in the water. swimming for your dear life, getting bumped in the head with a surfboard and stuff. And maybe, you know, and it's a lot of ill will coming up about the surfboard and the waves. But then you have to cool it with the first three and a half. And then when you're okay, you get back on the surfboard and And actually you're free of affliction, so you can stay on the board even if a thought of ill will would arise in the mind of the surfer, they don't get distracted by it, they stay balanced. And if a mind of lust would arise in them, it just bounces off their concentration, so to speak. So they can, no matter how lovely the observers on the beach are, the surfer is not distracted.

[58:06]

If they are, they fall off the board and have to practice the other practices in the water. I think you got it. In your surfboard analogy, you mentioned these little signs there on all the little bits of water.

[59:34]

I've noticed that one of the surest ways to fall off that board is to start reading those signs. And I'm wondering, it seems that in my experience, the quickest way for an afflicted motion to take hold is when I impute characteristics onto objects. It's also one of the quickest ways to stop seeing when there's mind. So I wonder, is there a practice that can be employed when I'm noticing myself starting to keep characteristics onto objects so that it doesn't necessarily flare up into something more elaborate? If you are still on the circ board, if you're still tranquil, you can see that imputation is going on.

[61:02]

And then you can remember the teaching that this is an imputation, that this is actually just mind appearing to itself as an imputation. And this awareness will set the meditation free of that imputation. But it's not that when there is tranquility, when there is stillness, and when this teaching is being remembered, it's not that things appear without signs. Signs have been signs have been related to and studied all along. And now we're able to be calm with things that have signs, that have imputations. We're able to be calm with them and even remember the teaching about what these signs are. So it's not that there's no imputation.

[62:05]

It's that whenever the phenomena arises with the imputation, we bring the teaching to it. And then we're free of it for the moment. So I think you're right. When you impute things to phenomena, generally speaking, you're toast. Got big problems. This is affliction, that you would hold your invitation to be the thing. This is the source of affliction. So this practice is like to somehow get to a state of tranquility even though the mind still does that. Get to a state of tranquility while the mind is still doing things which are fostering the afflictive process. However, we're now calm enough with the afflictive process. We've been caring for these afflictions well enough that we're allowed by this practice to be

[63:06]

calm. Now, next step, bring in this teaching about these things, apply the teaching to them, and then the actual tendency towards imputation, which creates signs and everything, actually starts to be cleansed. The tendency gets cleansed away. But the things which we didn't handle skillfully before, which we fell for, they're still appearing to us. But now we have some way to deal with them, and we have a new way to deal with them, which will lead to complete freedom from them. And then, of course, it's also possible to fall off and... you know, lose the concentration and just be, again, believing them with no tranquility and then be quite upset.

[64:09]

Well, then we practice giving, ethical discipline and patience with the situation until we're ready to go back and be tranquil with whatever the next set of phenomena with imputations on them that are given come to us. You're welcome. I feel that the questions are getting into the dense fabric of this teaching. Very good. It's very simple in a way, but as you get into it, the fabric's very, very dense. My question is a little complicated, and there's two parts.

[66:36]

So the first part is, is the mind and object entering realization and leaving realization together, is that the same as arising and vanishing? Or is arising and vanishing something that's happening within that? Well, the... mind and object arise together and with assistance of the Dharma they kind of enter into this mind-only teaching. They enter into suchness. They enter into enlightenment. But they don't stay there. Then that's just a moment. Then we have a new mind and object. which leave enlightenment so that the next mind, so that they or the next mind and object can enter again.

[67:41]

So it isn't that mind and object enter there and disappear forever. They enter in a given moment and then they go beyond that. They don't get stuck there. So one translation is they merge in realization and go beyond that realization. So they have arisen together, they have been realized together, and then you could say they cease, which is part of the reason to go beyond that realization, because that realization is over, in a sense. For that mind and object, that realization has done its job. And then the tranquility of experiencing tranquility in the midst of all of this? You could say in the midst of, or you could say this is what occurs in tranquility. Because it says in stillness, you could say in tranquility mind and object merge in realization. In stillness, or in tranquility, mind and object enter into realization together.

[68:47]

So how does this happen without any duality and without any essence? Because it sounds like two things. Well, we have duality in a sense. So we have duality and then in stillness the partners come together and get over it. You know? But ordinarily we have mind and object in a dual state. So then we create this stillness and then in the stillness we allow them to join and enter into this intimacy, this non-duality. And we don't stay there. We go beyond that for another opportunity to realize the non-duality of duality and non-duality. When you say another opportunity, this is kind of the crux of it.

[69:48]

That sounds like a continuous being. Well, you could say continuous being or you could say continuous practice, a practice that arises and ceases, but somehow basically the same practice happens again. So we say in each moment of zazen, in a sense there's a possibility of having a moment of zazen, another moment of zazen, another moment of zazen. So in a sense there's a continuous practice, a continuous way of being with these constantly changing, fleeting opportunities. Is the tranquility separate or the same thing as the mind and object emerging? Is it the same? Is it different? The wisdom doesn't see it as the same or different. For the wisdom, the actuality of the samadhi or the concentration transcends sameness and difference.

[70:55]

But it's possible when you could have a tranquility and you think it's different from wisdom or different from something, you could think that. But in a sense, it's a practice you can do while you're still in duality. And you've been receiving teachings in a sense about non-duality. So once you're concentrated, those teachings can arise in that concentration. And when they arise in that concentration, then the samadhi can be united with the wisdom. So it's not separate then. And that's when we really understand this teaching, is when it's not only... Yeah, that the... that any concentration that arose from dualistic cultivation becomes united with the teaching of non-duality, the teaching of mind only. And then at that point, it's not so much that it's separate or not separate, it's intimate.

[72:03]

So you could say it's not separate. But before it's united with the wisdom, that the mind that's the tranquil mind might still be caught by dualistic notions. But that still is a great asset now as we turn to look at the teachings which refute the understanding of that concentration. The uniting, I guess I'm thinking if it were full enlightenment, then would tranquility or uniting or mind or object, would any of those apply? Maybe not. But this is how the bodhisattva, this is like, you know, it's quite a feat to be able to, it's quite a, it's a great gift.

[73:11]

That's a great gift. To be able to hear these teachings is a great gift. To understand them is a great gift. Understanding with the tranquility, then this understanding is attention. Now the bodhisattva is paying attention to suchness and that ongoing dedication to meditating on suchness will lead them to a realization which we talked about as being, what is it called? It's called variation. So it leads to an enlightenment which has a true body like existence, non-existence, subject, object, all that. This is the bodhisattva's meditation practice leading to this fruit. in the fruit is just vast purity.

[74:16]

There's no manifest activity and so on, as we talked about in the last Sashin. So the last Sashin I talked about the final chapter of the sutra. Now I'm talking about the yoga training part of the sutra, which is two chapters back. I talked about the fruit, now I'm talking about more details of the training which leads to this unconstructedness and stillness. Thank you very much. You're welcome. I would like to do prostrations again, but I don't know if you'd rather that I just leave so that there's time for somebody else to ask a question. I just don't know what to say. Get prostitution for that, please. And so it has been proposed in other teachings by the great ancestor that this practice of prostration to the great teacher has the power to realize this wisdom united with concentration.

[76:12]

Would you like some water? Would you like a microphone? Thank you for bringing this water. You're very welcome. So my mind... see you as an object already. And not only my mind or my consciousness see you as an object, my mind compares me and you, comparative mind, and I think, I want to be like you. Not this one, but that one. So, and I try to be patient to it and be kind to it and be open to it.

[78:33]

You do? I do. Good. But still this comparative mind doesn't go away. Well, if you keep being kind to it, it doesn't so much that it goes away, but what you mean is other comparative minds come. Right? Well, you practice kindness towards this comparative mind. You said it doesn't go away, but actually it does go away. You just said another one comes, another one comes. It's not the same one, it's a new comparative mind. You get new comparative minds coming to you. Like after the previous comparative mind, a new one comes. Yeah, that often happens. A very similar one. Yeah, it could be very similar.

[79:35]

Very similar, but not the same one, a new one. It's a brand new, similar comparative mind. If you're mean to it, it also will go away. It will go away, but another comparative mind will still come. If you're mean to comparative minds, they'll go away. If you're kind to them, they'll go away. However, more comparative minds will probably come whether you're mean or kind to them. Thank you for the question. The point is to develop compassion. And you can develop compassion. For example, if you have many children who have comparative minds and are going around saying, I'm better than you, you're worse than me, you're better than me.

[80:39]

That's right. If you have children who have competitive minds... And you can practice compassion towards them. That's the point. Not to get rid of the children. It's to develop compassion. So the more comparative minds come, the more you practice generosity and graciousness towards them, the more the generosity and graciousness grows. And then if you practice ethical discipline towards them, practice the precepts, not hating them, not saying bad things about them, the more you practice ethical discipline and you're careful with them, the more compassion grows. The more you're patient with the pain of them, the more patience grows. So this grows. Plus, it also takes care of them. It benefits them. Benefit them. it benefits the afflictive states.

[81:41]

It brings benefit to them. So these practices that you're trying to do bring benefit to these painful emotions, painful kinds of thinking. So the benefit, it brings benefit to them and also grows your benefiting abilities. You get more and more able to benefit and to help and be kind to difficult situations and easy situations. And then, as a result of that, you can move on to actually calming down with these afflictions. So even when the comparative mind comes, you can finally start to be calm with it. And then if you can be calm with the comparative mind, the afflicted, painful comparative mind, if you can be really calm with it, then you can practice wisdom with it. you can enter into the practice of the bodhisattva that will actually, this practice, if you just continue that practice, that will realize, that basically, that practice will realize enlightenment.

[82:57]

Just caring for beings without the wisdom and the concentration, that's good, but there's no end to that. It benefits beings, but it doesn't liberate them. So it benefits, it benefits, it benefits. You have to move on to the last two or the last three or especially the last two perfections of concentration and wisdom. That's what liberates beings. So the wisdom and concentration are the things Klan was talking about, to get rid of the roots? Yeah. So which means the converted mind doesn't come upon anymore? Yes. It doesn't come up anymore. Well, it comes up just like it used to come up, but there's no imputations on it.

[83:58]

There's no signs on it. So it's not an affliction anymore. It's like will is taller than Yuki. It's like that. And it's not an affliction anymore. It's just an opportunity for enlightenment. It's an opportunity for pure love. There's nothing afflictive about any of these things anymore when we actually purify them. so that we can see reality in them. So it isn't that the Buddha makes no comparison. The Buddha can still say, this is a new student, so I send the new students to this teacher. These are the senior students, so I send these students to another teacher. The Buddha can make comparisons, but the Buddha doesn't attribute anything to these things that he's comparing.

[85:05]

So the Buddha is completely free. And these comparisons don't obscure the vision of reality. But mind habitually imputes things to phenomena so we can't see what's going on. and that makes us have greed, hate, and delusion. And then we have to be, again, kind of the greed, hate, and delusion, but it doesn't mean more greed and delusion doesn't come. Comparison itself is not, you know, an afflictive emotion. Warm, cold is not an afflictive emotion. But when we put... when we project things onto heat and cold, then we feel pain. So if you're trying to, yeah, if you're trying to practice this way with these things, this is the Bodhisattva way.

[86:09]

But it's not in, now if you practice this kindness with greed, hate, and delusion, the greed, hate, and delusion, actually those do, we don't need them. But we do need comparative mind to help people. Thank you very much. You're welcome.

[86:37]

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