practicing together in this valley, what appears, what is appearing is our transient, other-dependent life. How it appears is our imagination. Our story. Every moment we have a story of what's happening. A fresh story. Here comes another one. Someone told me recently that they spent a whole day here in the valley without thinking of how many more days there are in the practice period.

[01:19]

A whole day without thinking, there are a blank number of days left. Have you ever had a day like that? Somebody told me they spent one hour without thinking how many more days there are in the practice period. One day, a monk named Baizhang accompanied Master Ma on a walk.

[02:29]

Paijian probably had a story in mind about what he was doing. Maybe he wasn't strongly adhering to his story as being what was actually happening. Taking a walk with Master Ma Perhaps you might consider that your story of what was going on as you walk with him step by step, that maybe your story is not what's happening.

[03:56]

Maybe something is happening that's not your story. And walking in this way with the teacher, you may be ready. Walking with the teacher, you may think, there's just a few more steps before we get to the meditation hall. Or, this walk will probably take ten minutes. But I wonder what's actually going on here as I walk with the teacher. I'm going to experiment with not strongly adhering to what's happening here.

[05:14]

to make myself ready to see emptiness. This time of year sometimes in this valley wild geese fly overhead. Sometimes they even fly over in December on a full moon night with a clear cold sky. They had wild geese back in China during the golden age of Zen too. And they flew overhead. And Matsu said, what's that? And Bai Zhang said, wild geese. Did I say geese? I'll stick to that.

[06:18]

And Matsya said, where'd they go? And Bhaijaan said, they flew away. And Master Ma said, took a hold of Bajong's nose and twisted it so hard that Bajong cried out in pain. So hard that Bajong cried out in pain. Ow! Ow! Harder than that, though. I think harder than that.

[07:25]

So then, Master, you should carry a little napkin. Get a better grip that way. Otherwise, it slips off just when you're getting good traction. These people don't have big noses either. You know, they're kind of flat, so they're not that easy to get a hold of. Like, you know, a Greek, a Roman nose would be... Where'd they go? They flew away. Twists the nose, and Baijian cries out in pain. And Matsu, the great Zen master, says, so you say they've flown away? So you say they've flown away?

[08:31]

And at that moment, Baijian woke up. he understood the absence of his story of his life in his life He returned to the attendance room. He was an attendant to Master Ma and there were some other attendants.

[09:35]

Apparently had three of them or more. He returned to the attendant room and was crying loudly. So his fellow attendant said to him, are you homesick? Thinking about how many more days are the practice period? And Baijian said, no. And the other attendant said, did someone curse you? And he said, no. then why are you crying?" Bhai Jan said, Master Ma twisted my nose so hard that the pain was unbearable.

[10:41]

The other attendant said, What did you do to offend him? Bhai Jan said, You ask him. The attendant went to Master Ma courageously and said, What did Attendant Hai do to offend you? He's in his room crying. Please tell me. The great master said, He himself knows. Go ask him. The attendant returned to Bhai Jan's room and said to him, the master says you already know. So I should come here and ask you. Thereupon Bhai Jan laughed out loud.

[11:52]

The other attendant said, a moment ago you were crying, so why are you laughing now? Baijian said, my crying a moment ago is the same as my laughing now. Another translation is, before I was crying, now I'm laughing. The other attendant didn't understand Baijian's behavior. The next day, Matsu went up to the hall to address the monks.

[12:58]

As soon as they were assembled, his attendant, Bajang, rolled up his bowing cloth, or his bowing mat. And Matsu got down from his seat and returned to his quarters, followed by Bajang. When they got there, Matsu said, just now I hadn't said a word. How come you rolled up my sitting cloth, my bowing cloth? Bhajan said, yesterday the master painfully twisted my nose. Matsu says, Is there anything special about yesterday that you noticed?" Bhajan said, �Today my nose doesn't hurt anymore.� Madhs said, �Then you really understand what happened yesterday.�

[14:09]

So my story for you at the moment, as it was yesterday, is I'm telling you a story about how teachers help students give up conceptual grasping superimposed on our life. Our nervous system naturally superimposes concepts on our life, naturally superimposes a story upon what's happening, moment after moment, and we naturally automatically believe these stories. The Buddhist traditions are trying to help people give up this grasping. This is a story about that. after Bhajan's enlightenment, see how relaxed he was with laughing and crying, or see how he could laugh and cry fluidly in response to the stories that appeared about his life.

[15:59]

Sometimes teachers use semi-miraculous methods to help people, but I don't like those methods myself so much. So I don't like so much making robes very heavy so people can't pick them up. And the Christian tradition I grew up in, I didn't like the stories about Jesus doing miracles, and I didn't like the stories of saints doing miracles. Miracles, what I thought miracles meant was doing things that I had no way of being able to do. When I read the Zen stories, I liked them because they seemed to be something that a normal person could do. So if people are walking around believing their story about what's happening and holding to it, you know, some teachers would walk by and just elevate themselves a few feet off the ground and fly around a few times around the meditation hall and then land again.

[17:29]

And then the person would go, oh, I get it. My story is not really something to hold on to. But I like things that are more conceivable that we would be able to do. However, even looking at this story about twisting somebody's nose, most of you could twist somebody's nose, especially if you had a little handkerchief to assist you. Most of you could twist somebody's nose. But even that's kind of a miracle. Like these days, you know? Could we really twist somebody's nose hard enough to make them cry out in pain and not, you know, have a grievance procedure brought against us? Thanks to people like Sala. Sala and Tova, you know, who are like making it impossible to help people.

[18:33]

Because you do one thing, you know, that doesn't go according to your story and they can sue you. Hey, you violated my story. But anyway, in the old days, it seemed like before I came to Zen Center, twisting somebody's nose seemed possible. Yeah, I could twist somebody's nose. Yeah, or my nose could be twisted. Are we being told by the story which we shouldn't hold to, that a great Zen master would spend his time twisting somebody's nose as a way of teaching the inconceivable Buddha Dharma. Squeezing the fingers and twisting the nose to teach, to reveal, to help somebody see

[19:39]

the thoroughly established nature of phenomena. To twist somebody's nose to help them be wise. And the story says that he was successful. It actually worked. This story, this teacher, Matsu, who Suzuki Roshi called Baso, Japanese pronunciation, was one of his favorites. And this story was one of his favorites. And I remember him telling this story. And when he got to the part about twisting the nose, he would just say, and Basso twisted his nose really hard. And this is how Grosjean would laugh. And I don't know exactly if I'm making this up, but I think of him laughing quite a bit at that point, almost bringing tears to his eyes. And I didn't laugh. I didn't understand what was so funny about that.

[20:42]

I kind of wish I could see his face again telling that story and laughing. I think I would look more closely at what he was up to. I might even get up and go over and twist his nose and see what he would do. But there was quite a few of us in the room at the time, but none of us got up and went and twisted his nose. I'm not laughing. I noticed a little fear yesterday when I was talking about doing things to help people get over grasping

[22:03]

their conceptual version of what's going on here. And I think what I was afraid of was that if I encouraged you to do that, or have it done to you, but particularly for you to do it, to let go of your conceptual version, I guess I was just afraid of nihilism. So some of the stories which we haven't seen yet When the monk lets go, when the monk transcends conceptual grasping, they flip into nihilism. So there'll be some stories like that to go too far. But now that I've told you that, go ahead. Transcend conceptual grasping. Give it up. And again, based on, what will protect you from nihilism is based on, if you excuse the expression, walking together with the teacher.

[23:16]

That you're living together, taking care, paying attention to the daily life, grounded in transient interdependent arisings and ceasing. This is that we're grounded here. We're grounded in taking care of these things and based on that go ahead and give it a try. Loosen the grip a little bit on your belief that this story is the way things are. And again, it's not so much that the stories stop, but rather that they arise and cease, that the stories flow, that other people can join in the authoring of your story.

[24:30]

Matsu has many great disciples. One of them is Bajang. Bajang was Matsu's attendant for twenty years. Here's a story about the Soto Zen lineage. It comes down from Shurto, Masa's cousin. And then after Shurto comes Yaoshan, And starting at Yashan, this interesting thing happens, is that Sherto's first and main disciple is someone who Matsu helps him with.

[26:32]

So Yashan is also a cousin, like Yashan's uncle, in a sense. I guess he's not really an uncle, though, right? No, not really an uncle. What is your father's cousin? Yeah. First cousin once removed, so... So, Matsu is Yashan's teacher's cousin. And Bajong, you'll see, also then, of course, is somewhat related to Yashan. And then Bajong's student, Yanyan, also gets help from Bajong. So these next two generations are generations that are created interdependently between these two lineages.

[27:47]

So in a sense, Soto Zen needs two lineages to make an ancestor. Our own lineage sometimes isn't enough. It's kind of an interesting thing about this lineage. So anyway, Yaoshan, the next disciple in our tradition after Shurto, comes to see Shurto. And he says, he's already studied a great deal before he comes to see Shirito. He's an experienced monk. He studied the precepts a great deal, practiced and studied them a great deal. And he says, in general, I have an understanding of the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of scripture. He was very scrupulous in his conduct.

[28:53]

Now I want to find out about the southern teaching pointing directly to the mind, seeing the self-nature, and becoming a Buddha. Truly I am not clear about this teaching and I ask the Master's compassionate instruction." This is Yaoshan talking to Shirto. Shirto said, Being this way won't do. Not being this way won't do either. Being this way and not this way won't do at all. How about you?" Yashan couldn't say anything, and Shurto said, Your affinity is not here.

[29:57]

Go study with Master Ma." And Charlie asked Andy Ferguson how far away these two temples were. And Andy thought about 350 miles, which is a really long distance. in old China or new China. It's a very mountainous country. So it's a long ways. So maybe it wasn't that far, but anyway, Yashan leaves Shirtou and goes to see Master Ma. So he paid his respects to Master Ma in accordance with Shurto's instructions. He then posed the same question, asking for the same compassionate instruction to Matsu that he'd asked Shurto.

[31:09]

And Matsu said, sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Sometimes And that's also translated sometimes as sometimes I raise my eyebrows and blink. So Zen teachers are often, their activities are often described as raising the eyebrows and blinking or winking. They're sitting there, you know, really calmly, right? And then a student comes and they go... They become animated, and sometimes they don't. But the literal translation actually is, rather than sometimes I raise my eyebrows, it's sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink.

[32:12]

That's also what the Buddha did, in a sense, when Mahakasyapa raised the flowers, kind of raised his eyebrows and blinked or winked. sometimes I make him raises eyebrows and blink sometimes I don't make him raises eyebrows and blink sometimes raising the eyebrows and blinking is right sometimes raising the eyebrows and blinking is not right how about you Yashan woke up. He then bowed to Madsu and Madsu said, What principle have you observed that makes you bow?

[33:21]

Yashan said, Now I see that when I was at Shurto's place, I was like a mosquito trying to mount an iron bull. Matsu said, since you are thus, you should uphold and sustain this well. However, and in parentheses, even though our interaction woke you up, Shirtou is still your teacher. Yashan stayed with Matsu for three years and then went back to Shirtou.

[34:30]

He comes to say, you know, I've studied Buddhism a lot and basically I have a good conceptual understanding of Buddhism. I've got a great story about the Buddha way. But my story about the Buddha way is between me and the Buddha way. Please show me a way directly in. The first one says, Being the way you are won't do. Being the way you are will not do. If you're interested in actually directly accessing the path of enlightenment, being the way you are will not do. And not being the way you are won't do either. And

[35:40]

Being the way you are and not being the way you are won't do at all. How about you? That was Shurto's try. Didn't work. Wasn't time. And that's what Shurto said. The conditions aren't here. And I'm not going to try again tomorrow. just leave and go see the great Zen master Matsu, my cousin. And Matsu does basically the same thing. You want to understand the Buddha way? Okay? You want some instruction about understanding the Buddha way? Sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Sometimes I don't make him raise his eyebrows and blink.

[36:50]

Sometimes raising the eyebrows and blinking is right. Sometimes it's not. How about you? Do you have a story about your life? About your practice? Here's another story about your life. Sometimes I make him raise his eyebrows and blink. Is that about your life? Or you have some other story that's more applicable, like 29 days left? Or is it 30? Who knows the actual number? Do you know? Charlie doesn't know. Barbara knows. So that's Barbara's story.

[37:59]

And Charlie's story is he doesn't know. But being the way Charlie is will not do. And being the way Barbara is won't do either. How about you? This is another story. But the purpose of the story that Matsu tells and the purpose of the story that Shurto tells is to help you get over stories. So you're pretty well grounded in the daily life of the practice. Now you can actually experiment with getting over your stories of your life. You can try on an ancient story about how somebody tried to help somebody get over his story. bowstring is drawn.

[39:56]

It's being held. Are you ready for it to be released? Are you ready for your nose to be twisted? Will you sign a waiver? Grasping. Grasping. It's the best I can do at a distance. Can't tell if I did?

[41:11]

I didn't. That's the problem with distance. You don't get to tell. You don't get to know. What's the essential meaning of the Buddha way, they asked Shurto? Not knowing. Not attaining. But even though, but even though or even so, still you get, you can get some nice, you know, attraction on the skin if you squeeze it. You can tell if you got a hold or not. And then just turn it a little bit and see if it works. And if it works, you don't need to know. I think maybe you people should go see Master Ma.

[42:21]

Obviously, there's no affinity here. yes I think there are there are conditions coming together to make a day. I kind of feel a day happening. A day is being dialed in for you. You can enjoy it.

[43:24]

I can enjoy it with you. And you can watch the great activity arise from these conditions as rendered by your mind. And I've told you now, story after story, that you can become free of what you think is happening. And again, that's just a story too. They are intention.

[44:27]

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