if any

huh

for the last year i've been talking quite a bit about
ha
i'm meditating quite a bit on the bodhisattva vow
and
i didn't calligraphy recently
the for vows for bodies after the fourth grade power to the body shot back
and i mentioned copies of the calligraphy
so if you'd like this calligraphy he may have one i think there's enough for everybody but mean if not i'll make some more
the them
this is chinese
and it says in english set waxing and in the jap the jap and sino japanese way of saying it is
shoujo more hands sagan though hormone mario no because me mo na mujhe and sagan dan holman moody or say gang gocco but to the dojo know
but to da maggio say gun joe
have said chinese way of saying these characters in and in english it
living beings are numberless i vow to carry them across
our liberate them
afflictions are
inexhaustible
i bought a cut through
dharma gates are immeasurable
i bought to learn them all
and the boot away is unsurpassable i vowed to become at
and the the body thought was
they live by they they they live by by their vow by vows by these great powers like these these vows and other great endless vows they live by this
they carry forth their practice by these vows
to benefit all beings and highest and most complete possible way
and
the practice
ah
they're meditation practice you can say but basically their practice
is while
all the time thinking about how to help
all beings attain freedom and happiness
their practices to remember
that although they are devoted to innumerable beings and and want to save in move beings and even though innumerable beings are liberated not a single living being is liberated
somebody surface and the reason for this is that bodhisattvas while they're trying to help each and every living being they don't hold onto an idea of a living being or a self or a person
they live in the world of ideas of living beings
and selves and living beings they live in that world and they're devoted to all beings but they don't grasp anything so their practice
he has to not grasped the beings which they vowed to help
the practice is not to grasp the afflictions which they vowed to cut through their practice is not to apprehend
the dharma gates which they vowed to learn and their practice is not to grasp the boot away which they vowed to realize
so they have these vows which they really think about all the time
or at least a vow to think about the miles all the time
just like a buddha and they practice
not apprehending anything

and then coming along with this
with this
with this a working on cultivating the bodhisattva vows with all of you

ah emerges the lotus sutra is coming coming into our lives now
the the scripture of the dharma of flower of
the supreme wondrous dharma
and then also us for some reason rather i find myself
studying a chinese
text
which is called
the great wisdom
ha great jour
ah wisdom do what to do
open to the great wisdom power meter a treatise
i'm supposedly written by nagarjuna
so
i studied this text long time ago
and
i seem to be coming back to it and so now you get to come to it maybe for the first time
and it's the other day at a press meeting in green gulch we started to study the
this text dodger do lune and chinese in sanskrit it would be maha prisoner parramatta shastra in english you would be the treatise
on on the great perfection of wisdom

and part of the reason why i wanted to bring it up to today was because
what you right you'll see right now
at
the place i i started talking to people about was
the part of the tax to a day
working a day but where the the author nagarjuna he starts commenting on the on
the perfection of giving in part the reason why i started there was because that's part of what has been translated into english
so i had this big are two thousand and page
one two thousand pages of french translation and also i have the chinese and the other room there which i could show you maybe i will show you later
i'm a woodblock print past version of at which professor lancaster game to me about thirty five years ago
mr lancaster over at berkeley
and i was translating part of it from from french years ago but didn't get very far
and now i guess about tennessee chapter maybe seventeen to twenty five has been translated
i think it's about one hundred chapters but seventeen to twenty five has been translated so we started with chapter seventeen and that's the chapter which is talking about the perfection of giving
the transcendent body sought the practice of giving
but as it as it gets as it starts out to teach about the practice of giving you could the beginning of
the twenty five thousand and line project power meter so there's a text or twenty five lines twenty five verse lines
twenty five thousand verse lines
which is which has been translated into english by edward concept
and
so this commentary is actually a commentary on that sutra the heart center which we translate which was chat and study is about i think it's about two hundred and fifty four chinese characters which is about twenty five lines so this text is twenty five
thousand lines such quite a bit bigger
and towards the beginning of this text in chapter two it starts out by
i believe sherry putra
asking the buddha how a bodhisattva
a masada
who wants to know fully all dharmas
in all their modes as they really are how should they endeavour in the project power meter as the question
hey so this is the question at the beginning of chapter two and the buddha answers to shy putra it is by resort
to the dharma of not abiding that the body sought from my saatva abides in the persian power meter
k
how should the body sought but who wants to help the supreme enlightenment of the buddha's how should they endeavour in prajna up meta
the buddha has previously said those who wished to have the knowledge of the buddha should endeavour in pregnant by meta
in the perfection of wisdom so then shy put your says how should the body sought as who wish to become buddhas endeavor in
prajna per meter
and the boy says
they should resort to the dharma of abiding
by resorting to the dharma of non abiding they abide in the perfection of wisdom
okay by as a by resorting to the dharma or the method for the way of non abiding bodhisattvas abide live in live in the middle of
prajna power meter
syrah chinese characters here
the that part so it says by way of not dwelling by the way of not dwelling they do well by the way of not living in taking up abode in
in anything that's how body surface
live in dwell in the perfection of wisdom which they practiced in order to become buddhas
so i can't help but bring that up here because the name of this place is no abode
no boy slightly different expression from the dharma of non abiding tsunami dharma not abiding instead of saying no abode it says not abiding or an abiding so it's the way of nine abiding
which is the same as having a mind which has no abode

so gang again we are struck by the auspicious nurse of the name of this place that this is a place that's named for the mind which the body sought for as endeavor
to live with the mind of know abode or
the mind which is devoted to a practice or a way of non abiding
so this is a place which has a name which is referring to the way bodhisattvas practice perfection of wisdom that is by
having no abode
now then this chapter is again on the prevention of giving so then following this it says it is by means of the dharma of having nothing whatsoever which is relinquished
that she perfects the perfection of giving this is because giver recipient and material object cannot be found
so this is this is the way they practice the perfection of giving the practice the protection of giving
by means of having nothing whatsoever which is relinquished by means of having nothing whatsoever which is given
the we're here for relinquishing his hatred also means to give means to relinquish or renounce but also means to give
by means of the way or the dharma of having nothing whatsoever which is given
she perfects the perfection of giving this is because giver recipient and object or not found cannot be found
cannot be found
another translation by edward cons is how then should the body sought from my hassan for make endeavors in the private in the private apart meta in the perfection of wisdom here sharing putra the body sought the my site for having stood in the perfection of wisdom by way of not having taken to stay
stand on it

hey buddy sought to stand in private upon me to by way of not taking a stand that's how they stand in it
and by taking a stand the project upon me to by way of not taking a stand we perfect the perfection of giving by way of seeing that know renunciation has taken place since
the gift giver and recipient cannot be apprehended

and then the boot immediately goes on to talk about how to practice to perfection of patient and practice of perfection of morality the perfection of patients the perfection of vigor the perfection of concentration and finally the perfection of wisdom of their the beginning of chapter
two of the twenty five thousand lines partner prime meter and this this paragraph is only about
five or ten lines of those twenty five thousand
and in the text that time beginning to study with you
ha
then we'll that paragraph his rise to nine chapters of commentary
i'm just told you have a few lines of the commentary on at once that the beginning of that paragraph naiad safe
and nine ten more chapters are commenting on this one paragraph
so nagarjuna in this text does not comment on every line of text twenty five thousand lines
how the commentary then goes on to say with various people think the protocol that the mark of the pregnant parmi des is actually i think the buddhist says that the market project parmi to
is that it has no outflows
and close his life
when the mind is concerned for gain and loss
for example the project par me to have no concern for gain and loss
so it's it's and it goes through for quite a few pages discussing various people's views in the project by meta
and then address all over
it sort of so what's the main point and and then goes back to the main point is that it is by resort to the dharma of not abiding that one abides in a project by meta and is able to completely fulfill the six perfections the subprime meters
and as as what is meant by the dharma of non abiding
by which one is able to completely
ah fulfill the six perfections
the responses it is in this manner that the bodyshop for contemplates all dharmas this is a with this is a way of contemplating to develop this this path of not abiding
somebody saw preserve are contemplating phenomena experience
as being neither eternal nor non eternal has characterized neither by suffering nor by bliss
they contemplate all phenomena as being neither empty nor substantial they contemplate all phenomena as being neither possessed of selfhood nor devoid of selfhood they contemplate all experience has been neither produced nor unproduced and neither destroy your undistorted in this man or one a
birds in the extremely profound perfection of wisdom
and yet still does not seize upon the mark of perception of wisdom member with the mark of the perfection of wisdom is
yeah now that the marked off the mark of of the perfection of wisdom is new outflows
how close are like being concerned with stuff like what does it like gum eternal non eternal
self would not selfhood empty it in substantial these kinds of things the party power meter
isn't concerned with any of that
all those says can be refuted even emptiness can be refuted
it's a really great thing but

all dharmas are empty and the body starts up contemplates all dharmas as not empty
and also not substantial
in this way
working with emptiness and form they developed this
mind of know about
and they don't seize upon you know this this bodies this pregnant prime me to which has the mark of not getting involved in any other stuff
they don't seize upon that mark either
so don't seize upon the president per meter which doesn't seize upon anything
this is how they developed the
the dharma the path the way of not abiding
and we get to be in a place called
non abiding
we get to be in a place called the time wherever we are
so it made me really irrelevant but are you happy henry

anyway i'm very happy that we get to
being a place of know abode
that we get to live in the middle of the
perfection of wisdom in living in the perfection of wisdom means live in thereby having know about
this is the great perfection of wisdom of the bodhisattvas which allows them to develop the perfection of giving the perfection of
ethics the precepts the perfection of patients the perfection of diligence the perfection of concentration and perfection of wisdom of course this is how they perfect and realize buddhahood
so i think one time there's a story that one time
certo
ha came upon
one of his students name he outshone
and ja schon was sitting in meditation
and he said the ja schon
what are you doing
and ja schon said i'm not doing anything at all
and chateaux said
then are you ideally sitting
and yeah shaun said if i were idly sitting i would be doing something
and shirt toasted d i shan't you say that you're not doing anything at all
what is this not doing anything at all
what is that
you know that is right what is it
no abode not abiding that's what is that's what he's doing
which isn't doing anything at all
of course you're doing many things like climbing the stairs to heaven
where descending the escalator to hell
are helping somebody put a bandaid on
are smiling of course you're doing things
but also no matter what you're doing he had the opportunity to not do anything at all
to practice the way of not abiding
so great
the great student
certo asked the grace to student what is this not doing anything at all
and ja schon said even the ten thousand sages don't know
nobody knows what this nine abiding is that we all have the opportunity to practice
even the buddhists who recommended very highly
even the buddha's disciples who are recommending and very highly and are so happy about this opportunity don't know
and they sing that they don't know
sacher toe sang a song of not knowing what it is
traveling along together you and me
just according with circumstances as they come
although we're always like this
together
even the town ten thousand sages don't know what we're doing
and they also don't know what we're not doing
we can pack to site that here too you can practice not doing anything at all

have two more stories in our lineage
i'll tell one known another one later
so yeah shaun
i was sitting again he was sitting again and again and again he was sitting again after his teacher caught him sitting
and he said that even the ten salt and say it didn't know what he was doing and his teacher was really happy
he kept saying and people kept coming up don't ask him what he was doing
so his mom comes up to him in fines and sitting there and he says when you're sitting in movably like this what you're thinking
and ja schon said thinking of not thinking
are thinking
what doesn't think
and monks as well how do you think of not thinking and he says
non thinking or beyond thinking
same thing
he's sitting there
and he's thinking of not thinking
and what's not thinking what's thinking i'm not thinking
it's not
it's to take a stand in the perfection of wisdom by not taking a stand in anything
so whatever kind of thinking you've got going on
whatever it is you don't take a stand in it
you don't take a stand and doesn't mean you're rejected or walk away from it
it doesn't mean you walk towards it
it doesn't mean you make it eternal
are not eternal doesn't mean you make it produced it means he just
let it be what it is as an act of giving and when you let it be as an act of giving you don't think you're the giver you don't think you're the receiver
or rather you don't have a hand being given the receiver as a gift
you give a gift
without having anything to give
that's the way you sit or stand and are beyond thinking whatever kind of thinking happens in your life
in other words whatever kind of karma is going on in your mind
you're right there with it completely present
not doing anything at all
if you're thinking completely present with it
not abiding in it
just present with it just intimate with not in it
and in this way you find your place in the perfection of wisdom right them
he also practiced the perfection of giving it the same moment in the same way
your graciousness towards everything that happens
is not an action
there's no actor there's no action
and there's not
acted upon

huh
bodhisattvas vowed to care for each be how do they care for each being
hey
letting them be
did they know anything about flooding and be
they don't know what it they don't know what letting it be is nobody does
people think various things about letting it be and they let people think
whatever they think about what letting it beers
it's not an action it's a path
call the perfection of wisdom which they live in by not taking a stand in anything
they live with everything without taking his band in anything and because they don't take a stand in anything they can live with everything those of us who take a stand and things can only live in some things
this is a way that you can actually stand to live with all things by not taking a stand in anything
this is what makes body cyprus
how demo
fearless
tucked them was a japanese word by the way
which means pretty much
total
it usually translate as very but it's thought demo like thought the movie he means very good
but today it means totally good
really good demo good
total demo fearless how can they be poked a more fearless because
they don't grasp any of those outflows they don't grasp any abode and they also don't grasp
so they can go right ahead and grasp
without taking a stand in grasping and they can meet people who are grasping away
without abiding and being them are not paying them
they're not doing anything at all and that's how they take care of their fearless total devotion to every critter

in the that
ah the differences are taking a stand a vow is a vow is a while you know vows like i'm here and in an intention which has been promoted to a promise
he is not king said
isn't it a way of taking a stand you can use it as a way of taking a stand if you'd like to know i mustn't it was no you mustn't
i didn't say i didn't items or they can fall because body visit are nourished by valve system does basic their bid there when he caught their main diet his vows
they must make vows

standing advanced if you pain he's not a stand if you a pleasure is not as band but you can stand in pleasure and you can stand in pain if you have a vow it's not a stand even if you say i stand here that's not a stand you can abide in that statement that you stand here or not
so bodhisattva vows are if you take care of them properly
in the way to take care of them is not to take him not to abide in them
just like the way to take care of a child is not to abide in the child
do we think your plan is not to abide the way to take care of a community the way ticker of practice is not to inviting it if you want the practice of good to become put them a good then you do not take a stand in it and that's how it will flourish
so the vows or what we're trying to grow in realize
in the way so you make the our you have been caught you have the
you had the basic vowed to attain buddhahood so you can help all being accessed the body checked them and then you have the body chicken and new promise to follow through on their bodhicitta you had the spirit of wishing to become enlightened to help our beans and then you promise to become enlightened help all beings then you have a
now in the wish which is the seed but then you promise to follow through and the wish but then i wish
and that wow
dogan says
it's very perishable this wish you can lose it easily
the way you protected is by practice the the the way you protected as by practicing the perfection of wisdom if you practice the protection of wisdom your vow will not be lost if you don't you can easily lose it
for example i was talking to someone recently who actually feels as bodhisattva vow and like wants to help people
and like wants to listen to people's stories and help people listen to their stories
and but notice is sometimes when he's listening to something for stories including his own story he wants to get something out of the conversation at that point he forgets the perfection of wisdom
and
not completely destroy everything you've accomplished of to that point but
hurt it hurt that desire to become buddha hurt that vow to help all beings by trying to get something out of this project we must not try to get anything on it because that's
an outflow
i want to save all beings and then try to get and try to get saving these out of this that's an offer the my partner power meta protects our desire to help all beings from trying to get something from helping our beings
the bodhisattvas i'm trying to help all beings without trying to get anything
and they're trying to actually give to that project without getting caught in being a giver or the receiver
i think i like to be the receiver today so i can get something and like to give i like been i'd like to be the giver so i can give something and then maybe later received something has a really good giver and so on
the perfection of wisdom protects the bodhisattva vow from being lost damaged or riding
the vow is not a stand it is the lifeblood of the bodhisattva it's not a stand
but if you make it into if you take a stand in it you heard it
or just you can lose it
can i often use example dogan says it's do i think maybe anna does it but anyway this this this this this wish to benefit our beings at the beginnings like a like a firefly
for it's like a candle and
you know
a gentle breeze can blow it out for blow it away
but if you take care of this this little flame he can grow into a great forest fire
and then strong winds only make it stronger
but you must promise
this wish is these vows when as protect them by the perfection of wisdom and also the protection of giving
under the auspices of that of the perfection of giving so give a give away your vows don't hold onto them
give away your routes
don't try to get this piece of paper
and have to give it give it away
so actually in actuality we do not take a stand anywhere we are created
by the universe and we create the universe that's not a stand
it's a position which we are taught are being taught to not take a boat in to not camp out in and we'd learn to do that we are actually now standing in this place called pregnant per meter
okay you welcome thank you for your question
yes
how many amplify what you say if i can hear you i'm an amplify it
if i notice
something if something notices it doesn't how about it is how about it it was noticing
see there can be that if there's noticing rather than something noticing or if i notice that can just be noticing
yes the is noticing
so strong
if there's an awareness are noticing have a strong attachment yes yes yes
when what
have compassion yeah have compassion right and how and what kind of compassion true star with how about being generous towards the strong sense of of grasping of attachment
not don't try to reach i didn't know just be festival generous towards that be gracious with it
all right
and then when you're ready
don't try to understand it don't try to get anything like understanding but just sent you there right in the neighborhood of this strong attachment practice the private upon me to
practice
taking no stand in this
strong feeling of attachment
taking no stand in it having not taking know about the path of a bowl with strong attachment is very similar to practicing giving with it to be gracious with it just letting it be isn't you know when you let somebody be you don't move into them
he just with them and letting them be and you're not abiding in them when you're that way with them you're being generous and you're also practicing
the way of non abiding you're practicing the project per meta with this feeling a strong attachment
pardon
flickr happened yeah i saw it
for one second and you let it go
yeah that's what they do that's what flickers are
flickr dissimilar similar to zephyrs
the zephyrs our little fleeting
breezes is
and projects i can do cause

zippers products effort we haven't struck
the kind of the kind of what
if as we have your as efforts
not abiding zephyrs
and non-binding everything because this is the place of not abiding that way practicing
and yet feedback at this time

can you hear
she says could you please help us

okay
yeah style and also it was just start by being gracious towards what you just described
this rush of use a rush of energy okay so there's a rush of energy so just sales
take no stand means be gracious with it
she said to say welcome welcome rush of energy not liking it not disliking it just welcome
and i'm talking to you know but i don't you don't look like you're saying welcome to what i'm saying
he looks like you tried it looks you feel sadness but are you welcoming the sadness as you feel it
why
well as split up it from watching to watch and welcome dublin what a w w dot coma
r w w w w worldwide welcoming watching watch for welcoming a wide
okay all right take care of it please right
linda

think thinking comes from our pain constant thinking we can combine something yes that's right for our pain come from
for example i think i can abide and being may resident be me
and that's
christian i'm happy handing me
which i can't i can't have behind me i can apprehend you etc nobody knows what we're actually not doing

the guy says for that
potted
the gracious with that
the gracious with nodding which shaking your head
the surface
when you don't abide there
what if you're stuck don't abide in being stuck

putin you can't do a note you can't do it you're not doing it
you're not doing anything at all when i'm teaching you how to not do anything at all
i'd like to see it off
but that that's how you do it
like this
that's how
but i can't let it be this
saying that you can't be beat is k
right be gracious for that
this back to that you said you couldn't be gracious how by now
what is
his compassion
yes no
did you see it

oh you've gotten to the place of the ten thousand and sages finally welcome to the club is such a problem with hear it
home but this but you see what you say just know i mean what you don't know
what you don't know sage
later maybe
what is it coming
ah but can you say without seeing it just as just let it out he just let it out can you let alone know the poem okay no
patty

is it the same yeah to say
yeah
jimmy
difference between

what's there between detaching and non abiding
not abiding ah
who would apply does it attaching
now there was you wouldn't abide in detaching
and if you try to get
the difference between those two that would be attaching and providing
can you see that
there it is
that's what you can give up
and then you realize both
hmm
non attachment
he mean non attachment is
it's it's another thing non-attachment detachment non-attachment okay don't don't abide in non attachment
actually nothing cleans away taxi everything's upright
and you realize that
when your gracious with everything
attachment is actually upright
detachment is upright non attachment is upright everything separate
but if you're no practice uprightness with things you don't realize it
everything everything has a non abiding way that it is
that's a as meditate on the way things actually
live
don't make things that way they are they meditate on the way things actually are
but if you don't meditate on the way they actually are you will miss the way they actually are
they don't meditate it on the non abiding way the nine a mining dharma you'll miss the non abiding dharma of all things
they meditate on the non abiding dharma of all dharmas they take no stand in all dharmas including the president barack meta as a way i'll standing and living in the private private
the always say something catherine this
said that taking a stand and something it's kind like painting itself in it
yeah when you're answering tracy can of like maybe the difference between a vow and not inviting i mean and taking a stand with be that if like if you plant yourself in your vow it's not exactly anymore but you're standing is still have all but you give damaged it if you're constricting it
just like again with a friend get plant yourself and your friend it constricts your friend but if you like just let your friend be your friend you age your friend and realizing themselves and your age your relationship and realizing itself and you a the project upon meeting realizing itself
at this point i'd like to bring up something which i was sort of asked to bring up and that is
are you okay guys
with the
but these other people being here with you
is it okay with you that is kind of crowded in here sometimes
where would you like to be less crowded and how many people would you like us to get rid of
the
so we're welcoming your feedback on whether this is all too crowded
how would also welcome in your assistance is there anything that is that people can do to make this ah to help with the work of this is that part of what you're asking what kind of things could probably help help with

you need help in in and making these events work gay
so could people come to you and ask you how they can help
how would that be more work
so what you suggest aaron and eileen

okay and when you get worried your practice graciousness toward your worry
yeah well if you have any trouble just ask rachel she'll explain to you how to do it
right when you help her finish it to see see that good
you didn't look like you believed you could help i mean knows mr
and
so we welcome your feedback about this and one thing i thought of was perhaps we could have more than one one day sitting
a month or something maybe that would make it
not as crowded probably would
seems like that might happen
so any any feedback you have on this situation please let me know or eileen and aaron know and thank you erin eileen for all your great efforts in making these events happened in the car pooling has a couple of and goings at capping love it more
now the carpool he really does help i think we're very fortunate that the people live in this neighborhood let us park on the streets and saturdays
a lot of groups sitting groups or aggravate the the neighborhood they live in because of their cars coming so
that really does help us out of something that would be helpful relatives at cars
each month it seems there are some people who non not bring us residents but people who come and stay at gringotts either the night before the retreat or the night after i mean know they both day or the night after and people who are doing that with cars or without cars would communicate with the assist
isn't about that like several days before the event that would help in organizing minimizing the number of cars that go to and from okay
charlie

he'd be happy to another workday okay
the i think we could have another word case
this false
and it's wonderful to see some people i haven't seen for a while appearing here
great
and she's a new people like is it jesse josh
are you some is your mother here
are you came with harmison whereas home his son
i see you brought your friend josh okay thanks for coming how's it going
yeah good
yes
it's been

this year
we every birthday now or later
huh
they have a plane
seeing how happy birthday limited it's a happy anniversary has that get both it wasn't the same time you understand anniversary means
the bush dog
how about how about the bush dog
okay
in happy gibberish
you have your shock to you have the bird shot their burned and having a bird shot to you
you're not thinking at are you
to answer
congratulations burnt how your health
if you're good today
well we can have a little lunch and now if you like
me
the really extend to every be and place where true
the way the numberless i love to save them delusions are inexhaustible ah do and them dime
the sorry boundless ah to enter them buddha as way is unsurpassable hi to become it
hi i'm going to put these a calligraphy to an altar but i i recommend that you pick him up later so the fans all