Now all ancestors and all Buddhas who uphold Buddha Dharma have made it a true path of enlightenment to sit upright, practicing in the midst of self-fulfilling samadhi. Those who attain enlightenment in India and China follow this way. It was done so because teachers and disciples personally transmitted this excellent method as the essence of the teaching. In the authentic tradition, of our teaching, it is said that this directly transmitted, straightforward Buddhadharma is the unsurpassable of the unsurpassable. When the first time you meet a master, without engaging in incense offering, bowing, chanting Buddha's name, repentance, or reading scriptures, you should just wholeheartedly sit and thus drop away body and mind. And even for a moment you express the Buddha's seal in the three actions by sitting upright in samadhi, the whole phenomenal world becomes the Buddha's seal and the entire sky turns into enlightenment.

[01:08]

So, that's enough for now, I think. And at the top of this scripture it says, self-receiving and self-employing awareness. And... Let's see, I'll write the Chinese characters for this. So in Chinese characters, This character means self, right here. This character means to receive. Also means to experience or feel. And this character means function or business or activity.

[02:16]

And the way Japanese pronounce it is G-JU-YU. G-JU-YU. So here it says self-receiving, so self-receiving, and then self-inclining, or self-business, or self-functioning. And it says awareness. So it's, you know, actually it's awareness is one translation, another, the Chinese is zam mai, which is the Chinese way of saying samadhi. So it means to be absorbed or concentrated on the self as it receives its function. To sit and be absorbed in the self as it receives its function.

[03:21]

is, according to Dogen Zenji, the directly transmitted, straightforward Buddha Dharma, and it is the authentic way of realizing enlightenment. It is the authentic realization of enlightenment. And in, you know, if we say our teaching, it means, our teaching means, for Dogen Zenji, it means his, the lineage that he received the teaching in, and he understands that his lineage is the lineage of Buddhas and ancestors.

[04:28]

So, I might also say our, and I guess I also mean our in the same way, the same lineage, and it's the lineage of the Buddhas and ancestors. There may be other kinds of sitting meditation. There are many kinds of sitting meditation, but this is the sitting meditation of the Buddhas and ancestors, according to Dogen Zenji. And as you see, this kind of being absorbed in this process of the self, as it receives or experiences its function, being absorbed in that is said to be not the way to enlightenment, but actually the way of enlightenment. It is itself said to be enlightenment.

[05:35]

And not only that, but being absorbed in this way, when you're absorbed in this way, when your body and mind are absorbed in this way, the entire universe turns into enlightenment. And the simple reason for this is that when your body and mind are totally absorbed in the self as it receives its function, you are absorbed in the self as it receives its function from the entire universe. So the entire universe gives your life its function. When you're absorbed in the whole universe giving you your life,

[06:39]

you realize enlightenment, and that enlightenment then resonates back to that which gives you life. That's the outrageous claim of this meditation practice. There are many implications of this, and we'll bring up a few of them this weekend. Someone wrote me a little note and he said that he read in a Zen text that one of the ancestors of Domo Zenji said that, he said that apart from discussing the realization of mind essence, I have received and give no other instruction.

[07:43]

And this person said, then, why don't I just talk, he asked me, why don't I just talk about this mind essence or buddha nature, why do I talk about things like, you know, karma, you know, and personal action and things like that. The teaching of a practice which is immediately enlightenment does not mean that you don't pay attention to the way your life is happening in whatever way it's manifesting. This, in some sense, very lofty teaching about a way of practice that is immediately enlightenment also is, in some sense, a very grounded teaching in taking care of the most ordinary details of moment-by-moment experience.

[09:05]

Because the way your life is manifesting is actually quite particular. and momentary and personal. That's the way it's happening. And the way we then respond is also the way we receive our function. The way we respond is the way we receive. And this is, again, rather difficult to understand. This kind of teaching is not the type of teaching which is about how you go from being a deluded person into an enlightened one.

[10:12]

It's not that kind of teaching. This is not the kind of teaching about how you improve yourself. This is a teaching which is directing your attention to how yourself is happening. Not making yourself better, but how you're happening right now. And if you can be completely absorbed and be totally devoted to how you're happening right now, that is actually the way that all Buddhas enter into enlightenment. Now one might wonder, how come they talk like, you know, How come sometimes the Buddha even talked as though he was encouraging people to get rid of their defilements and become a better person?

[11:23]

How come he talked like that? And I guess I would just say, I don't know. But he seems to have talked that way, and a lot of his disciples talked that way too, as though Buddhism was about making deluded people into enlightened people. So I guess some of you have heard something about that, right? That way of talking? So one of the famous Zen stories is about actually a great Zen master who, when he was a student, was sitting in meditation.

[12:25]

He was absorbed in a meditation practice, but he wasn't doing this meditation practice. this meditation practice of the self receiving its function. I don't know exactly how to describe meditation practice other than just say what he said it was. The teacher said, what are you doing? He said, I'm sitting in order to become Buddha. I'm sitting in order to become Buddha, he said. And the teacher said, I don't know what. Actually, we're speaking Chinese, so... The teacher went over and at some distance and sat down and picked up a roof tile that had fallen on the ground or something. And he started rubbing on it. And the student, who later became the great master ma, the student said,

[13:36]

a teacher, what are you doing? And his teacher, whose name was Huairang, he said, I am polishing this tile to make it into a mirror. And the student said, how can you polish a tile into a mirror? And the teacher said, how can you make a living person, a sentient being, into a Buddha? So what a lot of people think is you take an ordinary person, deluded, sentient being, living being, and you put meditation practice on them and you make them better and better and better and pretty soon they get really good. They get to be a Buddha. This is different. This is you take a sentient being and then you absorb yourself in this sentient being

[14:43]

as it receives its vital function. As the whole universe gives it life, you're right there. Which is the usual situation, actually. You are right there when this person that you are receives its function. You're always there. But to be completely there, and to be nowhere else, and to not try to make this person into a better person, That is the gate, that is the path to enlightenment. That way of being is actually enlightenment. And this kind of enlightenment, not only is the enlightenment at the place called the self, it also, because this light is the light which is received from all things, everything participates in this enlightenment.

[16:13]

Everything... gives this life its life. Therefore, everything enacts the drama, which is what the enlightenment is about. And this resonates back to everything that gives life. And then it resonates back again. This resonance goes back and forth of this absorption enlightening everything, everything enlightening this absorption. Buddha Dharma is the basis of this meditation practice. It is the basis of what we call sitting meditation, sitting meditation, sitting za, meditation zen, za zen.

[17:24]

The za zen of the Buddhas and ancestors is based on Buddha Dharma, on Buddha teaching. But Buddha teaching, Buddha Dharma is based on your life. And not your life in general as some kind of abstract thing, but your life as you experience it, as it's happening. So, The meditation practice of the Buddhas is based on the Dharma, the Buddha Dharma, which is based on your life. So the basis of this meditation practice is your life. So why even have Buddha Dharma in between? Why don't you say the meditation practice is based on your life? Now I got your first question. Why do you need a Buddhadharma?

[18:28]

Why do you say that this meditation practice is just based on your life? Of course it is. What's the Buddhadharma in between there for? What do you need a Buddhadharma for? Reflecting screen. Reflecting screen. Reflecting screen. Okay. Does that make sense to everybody? What? Maybe a trauma. What? A trellis. A trellis. A trellis for what? See what your life, where your life touches. So you can see where your life touches, yes, uh-huh. What else would Buddhadharma, what other use might Buddhadharma be for a practice which is enlightenment? Got enlightenment? Okay. This is enlightenment. It guides you into what?

[19:31]

Into that understanding of yourself. The Buddha Dharma guides you into that understanding of yourself. Yeah. The Buddha Dharma is to tell you that your life is the basis of enlightenment. Otherwise you might think that something else would be the basis of your enlightenment. Which is what most people think. Most people think, if they've heard about enlightenment, besides just the word enlightenment, they've heard, for example, enlightenment is really good. You know, you'd be happy, won't be afraid anymore, free of anxiety, you'd be wise, you'd be totally happy, totally helpful, you know, totally compassionate, and totally able to tolerate being compassionate. have all virtues, all skills, and it's not just temporary either, like forever. And also you don't even care that it's forever.

[20:38]

Total freedom. You hear about that, so okay, that's good. And then, so I would like to realize that, okay. In other words, I'm not already enlightened. This isn't it. That sounds good and that's not this. The Buddha Dharma is saying, you're right, it does sound good and actually, it is actually good and it's actually better than you think it is. And also, by the way, totally different from what you think it is. Matter of fact, what it is, it's your life. It's your life that's right under your nose right now. The Buddha Dharma is to direct you to your life. It's to bring you to your life. And of all things, the most difficult thing for us to pay attention to is our life. We have tremendous abilities to pay attention. We have tremendous ability to pay attention. We have tremendous ability to pay attention. We can pay attention to a lot of stuff.

[21:42]

We can notice subtle differences between various kinds of jewels. We can notice the subtle difference between the look on a person's face. You know, one little eyelash out of place, we notice it. One little eyelash back in place, we notice it. One little pimple, we notice it. One tiny scratch on our car, we notice it. One little tiny different smell on somebody, we notice. We are sharp at paying attention. But paying attention to our life, well, that's one of the things we very seldom pay attention to. Just what's happening. Buddha Dharma says that's the basis of the Buddha Dharma. The Buddha Dharma is coming up out of life to point you back at life so that you can practice meditation in the way which is enlightenment. Which is, the Buddha Dharma, this way of talking about this is the way of talking about enlightenment which points you back to your life. This is said to be enlightenment, but this is Buddha Dharma about enlightenment, which is Buddha Dharma pointing you back to your life.

[22:54]

As it's happening. As it's being born. Not just being born, but as it's receiving its business. This is the samadhi of the self receiving itself. This is also sometimes called this... This character, receiving, is also sometimes translated as enjoying. Sometimes they say it's a self-enjoyment, self-enjoyment samadhi, or absorption as self-enjoyment. also sometimes translated as self-fulfillment, self-fulfilling samadhi. Being absorbed in the self as it's fulfilled.

[23:58]

I just got this image of, like we say in English, you get a prescription, you get a prescription filled, You go to the pharmacy and you get your prescription filled. I guess they fulfill the prescription, right? They fill the little container or whatever. Anyway, they fulfill your subscription. Did they say that? You fill the subscription. Get your subscription filled. Prescriptions filled. So you have a self, right? Everybody's got a self, and actually the self we have is a limited self. But if you see how the self's receiving its function, the self gets fulfilled, and it gets fulfilled by everything. So when you pay attention to yourself and watch how your self gets fulfilled,

[25:05]

That's disawareness. You see your small self, which is not everything, and then you see how everything fulfills yourself. So when you see how everything fulfills yourself, you forget yourself. And forgetting yourself, everything fulfills yourself. Now, if you remember yourself, that's okay. Then what you do is you watch that self which you remember. If you watch that self which you remember, and absorb yourself in the self which you remember. That's not the self which is receiving its function. That's the self which has not yet received its function. It's still a limited self. You don't see it receiving its function, but if you watch that self that's not receiving its function from all things, just watch it and watch it and watch it, then all the things which aren't it, suddenly you see all those things giving it its light, and then you forget that self.

[26:13]

Okay, what did I say? Well, just, you know, the thing about how I like him to see himself how it's not getting fulfilled, how... You see the limited self? You see the limited self. Yes. And how you see that it's not going to fulfill. Right. Like, for example, there are certain things you don't feel fulfill yourself. Right. How you think it's not fulfilling yourself or how it really isn't fulfilling yourself. Is there a difference? No. Well, like, for example, maybe you think, I don't know what. Maybe you see certain things that happen to you don't fulfill you, don't give you your life. Then that self is not a self which is fulfilled by things. It's fulfilled by some things, but not by others. It's fulfilled by compliments, but not insults, or vice versa. It's not fulfilled by everything that happens. That's a limited self, right?

[27:25]

So you watch that limited self. I just don't quite see how, but watching that, it connects them to the other self that is getting fulfilled by everything. Because the self which isn't fulfilled by things is a self which, for example, I don't know, let's say you have an enemy or a competitor, and you don't feel like the enemy or the competitor gives you your life. Okay? So there you are. Right? Anybody ever had experience like that? So you feel like this thing does not realize me. So now you've located the self which is not realized by other things. Okay? So you found that self and so this thing over there, this event does not realize me.

[28:29]

You're getting awfully close. This does not realize me. This thing does not give me my life. My life is something which doesn't happen with this thing. Oops. I've got something there. I'm alive. I've got a life and something in my life isn't giving me life. Other things are. The things that are giving me life Well, those are good. I like those. They realize my life. But these things don't. And how does that feel? How does it feel, these things that don't give me life, that don't realize me? How does that feel? How does it feel? It feels bad. What kind of bad?

[29:32]

You pull away from it. Pardon? You pull away from it. So you pull away from it, but how does it feel before you pull away? Threatening. Threatening. What else? Threatening, enervating. Separate. Separate, yeah. Empty. Huh? Empty. Feels empty? You're threatened by emptiness. You're threatened by meaninglessness. You're threatened. You feel anxious. Okay? Now here's when the problem starts. Scott said, then you want to pull away. And where do you want to pull away? You want to pull away from the self which is not fulfilled. Why do you want to pull away from the self which isn't fulfilled? Because it feels bad to have an unfulfilled self. It feels bad to have a self which some things realize you and others don't. You're surrounded by things which aren't giving you life. All these things out there, they're not giving you your life. Matter of fact, they almost like think they're going to take your life away, like innervate you, tire you out, rob you of life.

[30:41]

Rather than giving you life, all those things out there which you can see as giving you life, you now see them as potentially robbing you of life. So you feel anxious. So you get... Now, she's seen this self, right? She saw the self. And she wants to know, well, how can it be that you can see this self receiving its light from everything? Right? And basically, it is that you're absorbed in this self. In the limited self, as it receives its function. So you see it's receiving things from some things, but not others. Right? So that limited self is the place, that self is going to be the place where you're going to see that it receives its function. So part of that self, maybe you can see it receiving its function, other parts you can't.

[31:42]

Concentrate on the part where it's receiving the function. Look at that part. Now, say, that sounds pretty good. That's almost like enlightenment, to see the self receiving its function. It is, right? The problem is, if you think part of the things that are happening around the self are not giving it its function. Because if that's the way it is, then you're going to want to get out of there and make yourself into a better person, like a Buddha, so you won't have to worry anymore about this anxiety. But the Buddha is the one who completely absorbed herself in that anxiety. And you start to see that the reason why this thing is not giving me life is because I say so. But that's painful to be right there and see that.

[32:45]

So again, you want to get away. Buddha's right there. What's your life? Your life is pain. Are you receiving that pain? Yes. Where does the pain come from? It comes from that I say this thing is not giving me life. But you're getting the pain. The pain is realizing that you are a suffering person because you say that's not giving you life. So you're starting to receive stuff because you're there. You are receiving something but you don't like what you're receiving because it's based on that you don't like some things. So since you don't like some things, you don't like this, so you want to get out of here. So it drives him back. This is the hard work of facing how your self is receiving its life. And how it is receiving its life is that because of the kind of situation we've got here, the way it receives its life is as anxiety.

[33:50]

Because that's the kind of self that's being given life. You got a self. What kind of self is? It's a self that thinks that these things are not giving us life. So then what you get is a life of pain. But that is your self. That's the one you've got. That's a deluded self. It's not just a limited self, it's a diluted self. It's not just an unfulfilled self, it's a self that's making itself continue to be unfulfilled because it's a self which says, this stuff doesn't fulfill me. It's actively saying, that doesn't realize me, that doesn't fulfill me. That's the self you've got, and that's getting life. The world is supporting you to reject it. But the consequence is you're in pain. That's the way it works. So let's get out of here. Let's get away from this samadhi. Let's get away from enlightenment. Enlightenment is to go right to that place and to sit there and watch how the person you are, which is somebody who rejects a lot of things and says they don't give me life, how that person is realized by that very rejection.

[35:00]

You get to be you rejecting the other. That's the life you get. If Buddha was there, Buddha would be right there with you, rejecting lots of things. I had a question. You have a question, but you can't say it? No, I think... Oh, you can do it? I didn't get at first what... I was trying to imagine what things in life don't Give one life, no way of talking about it. Because it seems like everything... Say it again. You're trying to imagine what? I was trying to imagine what things or actions or experiences in life don't... No, there aren't any. Yeah. There aren't any. So I was trying to understand what those things were like. The things that you say don't realize you. Anything you say.

[36:05]

There really is nothing that's happening that doesn't realize you. That's enlightenment. The enlightened person doesn't have anything. The enlightened self doesn't have anything which doesn't realize her. Everything realizes her. In other words, she sees what she keeps her eye on. There's many, many selves in the world. What the Buddha keeps her eye on is the self that's receiving its function. Not the self which already has its function and then, takes that function and does stuff with it. There is a self like that. Have you seen that one? Anybody seen that self? The self that's got a function, that's got a license? That's the self of a deluded person. So if you've got one like that, fine. But the self of enlightenment is the self that's receiving its function. Can you see the self that's receiving its function?

[37:08]

It's right at the same place that the self that's already got the function, but thinks that it got it on its own, that it was born with its function. It's like kids, you know, that their parents or Santa Claus brings them presents and says, they say, here, here's your little toy. They say, this is mine. They forget that it was given to them. Now if they've got it, they think they've got it. And now they come with this toilet. Or their grandmother makes them a little blanket and then they have the blanket and it's my blankie. Then it's theirs. And then they carry this thing which was given to them around as though it were theirs, that they had it. It comes with them. They come with it. Rather than realizing what was the self that was receiving the blanket? What was that self that received the blanket and when it received the blanket it became this child that had a blanket and felt the blanket in her hands.

[38:16]

What was that? Rather than now I got the blanket and I wonder who's gonna try to steal it from me. But you also, even in that case, you can say the self you realize in that case is you realize the self which comes to you from the Dharma called possessiveness. So there's a self that's always receiving its function and there's a self which already has its function. And with that function it goes around and does things. There's another self which is always getting its function. So That's really the true function. If you can't see any other self than that one, you're fine. That's all you've got to see. The other one's not real. This is hard to get.

[39:17]

Yes? I was wondering then, taking the analogy of child, how often do you deal with a conflict? I mean, if you have a child who has a pants on and... You know, you have to say no to that child, and yet you know that in your saying no, you're not only... Well, my experience is not only am I angry at the child for having the tantrum... Well, let's just start before we get too far into the story. Right off, there you are. And a child is... You want to have it be your child, your offspring? Or any child. Well, specify what it is. Is it your child or somebody else's child? My child. Okay, your child. There you are. Your child is screaming. This scream comes to you, okay? Now, the question is, does that scream realize yourself? That's question number one. I don't know.

[40:19]

Well, it's not so much whether you know or not, but are you absorbed in the self? There is a self there that is realized by the scream of her child. It's not that that self is enlightenment. It's that being absorbed in that self is enlightenment. So there's a living, there's a life, there's a life And the life is such that when a baby screams, this self is realized by that scream. If you see that self, that's enlightenment. And if you see how that scream gives life to this self, or how that scream is your life, That scream is your life. You don't have like two lives, like your life and the scream. The scream is your life. The scream enlightens you.

[41:24]

When you see that the scream is your life, what you receive yourself by the scream, you are the mother by the way that scream is. When you're there, Then there's an enlightenment which knows how to respond to the scream. This is immediate enlightenment on the scream. Scream and an enlightened response. When the scream realizes you, the scream enlightens you. the scream enlightens you. And then, the enlightenment resonates back to the child. And it might resonate back to the child by saying, you know, what's the matter? It might resonate back to the child by screaming back. But the scream is enlightened.

[42:29]

It's enlightened by the child. This is a totally helpful screen back. I don't know what the response will be, but it will come from this enlightenment by the screen. You do take care of the child in response to the screen and how the screen realizes you. From that realization you care for the child. based on nothing other than what you are at the time of this screen. That's all there is. You can make it more complicated, but that's the most direct route. Just be there, be absorbed in... And also, right now, while I'm talking to you, when you hear my words, are you realized by my words? Do you see yourself... Can you see the self...

[43:32]

rather than yourself, can you see the self which is realized by hearing these words? I don't know if you were next. Was anybody ahead of her? She just raised her hand just now. I just want to make... Can we open some of those up early? Because I think that there's some air missing here. There's some air missing? When somebody left a missing air, I mean... That's right. Is anybody ahead of Jane besides Salvi? Okay, so Jane. Is that the same as saying, being absorbed in your experience of your words? Is it the same as being absorbed in your experience of the words? Or the screen, whatever the example is.

[44:36]

Being absorbed in your experience of the words is very close. Very close. But There's two ways for that to happen. One way is I'm here and then I now have an experience of those words. Okay? The other way is the experience of the words gives me my life. I'm not there prior to that. So... I just want to mention that what is implied in what I just said is that this absorption is in a sense to be present before anything happens. In a way.

[45:38]

And then suddenly something happens and then your self is realized by what happens. I'm just wondering if, let's say we're realized by all things, then... Excuse me. I don't want to exactly say that we're realized by all things. Okay? We can say that. That's okay to say that. But I just want to change it slightly to, not so much saying we are realized by all things, because, you know, in Buddhist circles, of course we know that's true. It's not so much to say it, it's to actually see it. to look to see where is that self. I just wanted to change a little bit from, let's say we are, to saying that enlightenment is to be absorbed in that event.

[46:47]

But you want to say, say we are. If that is the case, then it seems as though... If what is the case? That if we are... we're absorbed in all things, if we realize by all things, if all things realize, if I understand you correctly, fill us. Say it again? All things fulfill us. I don't want to actually say that, okay? That what Buddha sees is, you know, what's really happening. And that what deluded people see is not what's happening. I don't want to say that. I don't want to say what's happening is everything's fulfilling ourself. I don't want to say that. I just say that for the Buddha, everything fulfills the self. But there's another world where things don't fulfill the self. Where the self goes around fulfilling things. Those are two worlds.

[47:50]

One is the ordinary world, which is the world of suffering. I don't want to say that world just doesn't exist. There is that world of misery where not everything is realizing. But that's not the whole story. The rest of the story is there's another world which is simultaneous with it and coextensive with it where it's the other way around. That everything does fulfill you. So I don't want to say that everything fulfilling you is what's really true. I'm just saying that if you are focused and concentrated and absorbed in that world, then you're on the path to enlightenment. Then that's enlightenment. And being absorbed in the other world, the other way of seeing the world, is misery. They're the same world. And I'm not saying one's more true than the other. I'm just saying one is misery and one is... freedom. One is endless suffering and the other is endless freedom and happiness. They're the same world looked at from two different points of view.

[48:52]

I'm not saying one's better than the other. And one of the characteristics of this kind of teaching of the person called Dogen Zenji is a strong emphasis on that we do not prefer this world where you receive your life from all things. We don't prefer that world over the world where we go around and lay our trip on everything. We don't prefer the world of where everything enlightens us over the world where some things do and some things don't and the ones that don't we try to get rid of and the ones that do we try to hold on to. So even in the world where some things do confirm you, you've got problems with those too. Right? As long as you're in a world where some things confirm you, you're going to... When you're in that world, you're going to be holding on to those. And things that don't, you're going to be rejecting. That's the world of misery.

[49:54]

In this meditation practice, we don't prefer the world of enlightenment over the world of delusion. We don't... We see them both at the same time. They're actually the same world. So that's why I don't want to say it really is true that our life is receiving its function from all things every moment. I don't want to say that's the way it is. I'm just saying that when you're focused on that, that's the path of enlightenment. But there's another option. That is, don't see that everything gives you your life. Don't see that everything realizes you. Don't see that everything confirms your life. Don't see that everything gives you your function. Don't see that. We have that option. And we sometimes take that option, and that's cyclic misery. That is an option. And Buddhas live on that option which they don't take. they respond to and are working with all beings that are taking the option of misery.

[50:57]

I won't even say it's a wrong option. It's just misery. Flat out, endless, unremitting misery. But it isn't that it isn't happening and that happiness and freedom and enlightenment are happening. They happen together. There isn't... the world of where you're receiving your function from all things, separate from the world where you're laying your trip on all things. There isn't like a separation between those two worlds. You don't have one without the other. They're pivoting on the same thing. They're pivoting on the self. That's why, going back to Jane's question, if you just experience what's happening, is that this thing? No. you've got to have this pivot on the self. You've got to see how does what's being absorbed in the experience is good, but you have to see how does that experience relate to the self. Self, self, self. Okay?

[52:00]

And the two ways that it relates, it's not that one's true and the other one's not true, it's just that one lives in enlightenment and the other one lives in delusion. The deluded one doesn't hold up in enlightenment. However, enlightenment can penetrate delusion. But delusion doesn't penetrate enlightenment. So in that sense, we might say, well, see, delusion is not really as true as enlightenment because it kind of can't stand enlightenment. Well, in a way, we can say that, I guess, but not at the beginning. Because that's our bias. Our bias is we prefer happiness and freedom and enlightenment over unhappiness, bondage, and misery. We have that preference. So we've got to really try to balance it. And that means come back and give more attention to the world which is happening. How are you doing, Robert?

[53:09]

I will say, however, that there are just these two options. There's not a third option. Again, I'm not saying that the way the world is, that what's really happening is that your self is receiving its function from all things. I'm not saying that it's really true, and it's only true, that your self is realized by all things. That's just one of the options. The other option is your self is realized not by all things. Those are the two options. But those are the only two. That covers the ring. Those are the two worlds. I don't know of a third one. And they are coextensive. They're the same world. The same world looked at from enlightenment or delusion. When you look at it from delusion, it really does look like not everything is helping you. Only some things are helping you. When you look at it from enlightenment, everything helps you. The child's scream, the starving person, the war, everything helps you.

[54:13]

But it doesn't mean war is good. It just means war gives you your function. If you're a Buddha and there's a war, you say, oh, this is a job for me. And you go to the war and you do the enlightened thing in response to the war. But you don't say, oh, darn, I just had things kind of all enlightened and now they're quibbling again. They're arguing now. It's no. It's whatever happens, that's a job for Buddha. Whatever happens, that gives Buddha her license to function. Now Buddha can take care of this. Now Buddha can... Everything. Happy people. Buddha has a job for happy people. Buddha has a job for unhappy people. People in bondage, people in freedom. No matter what happens to the self, it gives itself life. That's the way it looks to Buddha. So you've got to tune in to this dimension where this self, which you've got, which right now is only fulfilled by some things, you've got to tune in to that self. Because that's the same self that's going to be... It's exactly the same self that's going to be the place where everything confirms.

[55:16]

That's the hard part. Because we don't want to turn into this self which is not yet. Not yet what? This self which is confirmed by all things. We don't want to turn into the one that's not yet that way. Because the one who's not yet that way, there's anxiety all around. Who would want to check into that place? Only Buddha. And it turns out that we've all got that self right here. We've all got the exact thing that Buddha would be paying attention to. The Buddha would not trade in your experience on anything else. That's the other thing that people have trouble understanding is how Buddha wants us to be free and happy and doesn't want us to be different. Buddha looks at us, sees if we're not completely liberated, Buddha looks at us and says, I wish they were liberated.

[56:27]

I want them to be liberated. At the same time, does not at all disparage us. Does not at all think, gee, I wish they were different. I want this person to be completely enlightened and I'm very happy that they're the way they are. Because the way they are makes me happy because the way they are gives my life. My life is totally given to me by suffering people. And I wish that they would be completely liberated. But I don't wish they were different at all. I just wish they would understand the way they are. But they wouldn't be able to understand the way they are if they weren't the way they are. They've got to have something to work with. And they do. I wish they would use it. This is not wishing they were different. It's wishing that they would realize what they are. And also understanding. But I know it's hard for them because it's very difficult to actually focus in on what's happening and look at that self and see how it works.

[57:37]

It's very difficult because we have all these habits of looking other places and looking at other things. That's why we need this big Buddha Dharma to encourage us to practice this way. because we deeply think that Buddhism is about making us think of somebody better. And we hear this thing about all sentient beings are precisely, fully endowed with the character of Buddha. We hear that, but, you know, it's hard for us to understand, right? Isn't it hard? It's hard. He said that

[58:46]

You said something that Buddha is defined by suffering people, or suffering people basically give Buddha something to do, or give Buddha existence? Yeah, suffering people don't exactly give Buddha something to do, although I might have said that. It's that suffering people confirm Buddha's life. So, okay, so you're not saying that Buddha does not exist without suffering people. What that sounds like is that if suffering were to be eliminated, Buddha would cease to exist. Yeah. There wouldn't be any Buddhas if there weren't any suffering beings, right? So you can try to figure out what that would be. No suffering beings. Take them away. And I don't see any Buddhas. Why not? Why not? I just don't see any. Do you see Buddhas all by themselves without any suffering beings? I don't know. I'm being sarcastic. Huh? I'm being sarcastic?

[59:49]

I believe so. What do you see when you see no suffering beings? Do you see Buddhas? Happy birthday. She said happy birthday. Thank you. So maybe there are some kind of like Buddhas out there, all happy and no suffering beings around. Somehow I can't, I don't see it myself, but hey, it's a free country. Claire, did you have your hand raised?

[60:58]

Yes? Did you have your hand raised? It was your hand, right? It was my hand. I feel a little silly asking this question, but when you say that all things give us our function, can you talk about what function is? Again, she says, I say that all things give us our function, right? That's what Prabhupada was saying. But I'm saying this, okay? Mm-hmm. So how come nobody quotes me saying, how come people go and say, you say all things don't give us our function. How come you're not quoting me that way? Huh? Didn't I say that? Didn't I say all things don't give you your function? Didn't I say that? Yep, just a second. So, it's not to quote me to say that all things give you your function. What I'm saying is that being absorbed in all things giving yourself to function, is enlightenment. I'm not saying enlightenment is what's happening.

[61:59]

I'm saying that you, you, right now, as you are, as you receive your function, that's Buddha. And that's who you are. But also, you, as you don't receive your function, and as you already got it, and you use it on everybody else, that's what we call a suffering person. So I'm not saying that you are one or the other. I'm just saying that when you're this way, you're Buddha. When you are yourself, being yourself, and that's it. And everything supports that. And you're absorbed in you being you. I'm saying that is the path of enlightenment. I'm not saying that's the way it is. I'm just saying if it's that way, then you're in good shape. And if you're not that way, you're suffering. Just saying, if it's this way, it's like this, and if it's that way, it's like that. I'm not saying which way it is. But if you want to tell me how it is, I can say, oh, you're enlightened.

[63:03]

Well, my question was, is that when you use the word function, that something, I know it's my experience, but if I have a limited self that says something's getting me up my life, something's don't support my life. Yeah. Great. And so I wondered if you could just expand on the word function a little bit, I guess. Function? Yeah, like the concept of my, you know, function. Function, you know, this heading here says self-employment, right? Self-employed? Are you self-employed? So self-employment or like, you know... Do you have questions?

[64:17]

Actually, I think I'll wait for the weekend. No, don't give up. No. I guess when I think of the universe, when I think of the universe supporting my life, and I think of it in a limited way, that some things do and some things don't. I'm not sure if when you're speaking, I feel that I'm not quite understanding what my function is, when you say that, what my life is. When the universe doesn't support my life, how I feel, where I where I am in that, where myself is in that. I'm getting a little twisted here.

[65:23]

Does this make any sense? Yeah, it makes sense to me. So I'm just sitting here, you know, and you're giving me, you know, you and everything else is giving you my function. See, I'm talking now. You said, you asked me, did I, is it making sense? And I said, yeah. So I understand that the way that I then come to meet the world and respond is because of how I experience the universe. Yes, how you come to meet the world and respond is based on how you understand the universe. Right, so it's either from a limited place where things that are happening that I don't like, that I feel are not as important.

[66:26]

Yes. So I either come from that place, or I come from a place that I see that everything is important. Right, that's right. And so probably most of us think that some things are supporting us, And when we understand things that way, then we live a life where we think that way. And that's called misery. Now, if that's what's happening, that's your life. You've got a life where you're miserable. At least at that moment, you're miserable when you think that you're operating with partial support from the rest of the world. Some things are helping you, some things aren't. And not only that, but you yourself, in your independence from some things, are now going to do something about the things you don't like.

[67:31]

And most of us do quite a bit of that. That's called karma. Something's off. This is not good. This is not giving me my life. This is not giving me my life. This is not realizing me. This is not enlightening me. This is not enlightening me. What's happening now is not an enlightenment event here. This is not enlightenment. This is not what I came for. This is not what I thought it was going to be like. I want something different. I want a more enlightening situation. And I'm going to do something about it. I'm going to go to different seminars. And this is a free country, so I can change seminars anytime I want. Right? That's the world of bondage. We're hung up, we're bound, we're trapped in that way of dealing with situations.

[68:36]

Because we think things aren't enlightening us, that goes right along with, I'm going to get in a situation that does enlighten me. When things aren't enlightening me, that's wrong. Well, see how that works? Things don't realize you, things don't enlighten you, and you can say, well, that's wrong. In other words, yes, right, I'm not being enlightened, so this is wrong. This is not helping me, so it's not helping me. I don't like this. This isn't promoting my life. This is not giving me my life. This is not good. I'm alive. I need something that gives me life. And this is not it. So, it's no good. And I can do something about it. And I want to do something about it. And this is what I'm going to do. That's karma. And that's our habit. Well, It isn't like we should say, don't do that, because to see that that's our habit, to see that that's how we respond to these unenlightening events, these unenlightening people, these unenlightening teachings, to see that that's the way we respond to them, and that we respond by saying, I don't like this, I'm going to do something about it, and then we do something, and then to see what the consequences of that are, the consequences are that more unenlightening things happen, and then we do more karma to...

[70:05]

to get rid of those unenlightening things and have more enlightening things happen. We see that that happens and seeing that that happens and watching that that happens is enlightening. So as you watch how these unenlightening things are happening to you and how you get pissed off and try to fix these unenlightening situations for yourself, as you watch how that happens, as you watch how actually you're doing these things to yourself, you become enlightened. more acting like, this is what I'm dealing with. You start to notice what you're doing. You start to notice how you're running away. But then you're actually, in fact, watching how this is giving you your life. And this becomes enlightening. And it's the same self that's not being helped is the one that's being helped. And how this self responds to not being helped is exactly what's giving this thing life. The life goes on, the life goes on.

[71:10]

That's why if you meditate on how delusion works, you understand how enlightenment works. So you don't have to trade in the situation where not everything enlightens you for a situation where everything does, because that's exactly the same situation. You need to meditate on the world where you don't think everything enlightens you, and see what you do in response to that, And that gets to be the world where everything starts to enlighten, where everything is enlightened. So the point is, work with what you have now. That means to be enlightened right here, right now. Work with this. Work with this. The Buddha Dharma is telling you, work with this. This is your enlightenment right here. There's no other enlightenment than this. Yes.

[72:18]

Yes, that's exactly the same. Yes. To carry yourself, to meet people and to practice Buddhism or to live your life and interact with other living beings while carrying the self, that's delusion. Got the self? That self will travel. Have self, we'll meet situations and we'll figure out what to do about it. I confirm things. I confirm this, I don't confirm that. I confirm this, I don't confirm that. This is good, this is not good. I confirm things. I'll do these practices, I'll do those practices, I won't do those practices. I'll go over here, I'll practice Buddhism, I'll practice Zen, I won't practice Pure Land, I'll practice Christianity now. I'll practice good, I'll practice bad. I'll practice bad, I won't practice good. I'll do this, I'll do that. This is delusion. I'm going to do my practice. That's delusion. I'm here, I practice.

[73:19]

That's delusion. But when everything comes forward and confirms myself, [...] and everything's like that, And then to act from the place where everything comes and gives me my life, and then action comes out of that, that's enlightenment. In both cases, there's action. You know, action, action, action. In one case, action comes from, I'm here, I'm going to act. The other one comes from, everything's happening, and now there's action. The second one's enlightenment, the first one's delusion. But this samadhi is not to prefer the enlightenment over the delusion. Which means there's a delusion, If there's enlightenment, you're absorbed in whatever's happening. If it's delusion, it's delusion. If it's enlightenment, it's enlightenment. Delusion is not enlightenment. Enlightenment is not delusion.

[74:19]

They're not the same. There's no preference. And that, the no preference of enlightenment over delusion is the path of enlightenment. Which just kind of binds it. Well, so I'm supposed to practice a way of not having preference for enlightenment, and that'll be enlightenment, so I should practice that way? It's up to you. I'm just telling you that when you don't have a preference for enlightenment over delusion, really, when you don't prefer good over bad, when you don't prefer self over other, or other over self, But you just work with what's happening. That's enlightenment. Working with what's happening means, this is my job, this is my job, this is my job, this is my job. Including, this is my job, and I don't like my job.

[75:20]

That's fine. But you understand that this job that you've got, that you don't like, giving you your life. If you do, that's enlightenment. If you don't, it's delusions. Is it Jack or Joe? Jack. Jack, Joe, Jack. I've always wanted to ask you this. Here's your chance. And it deals kind of with expectations and goals. And in my practice, I think of this as my ability to real-time process what's going on. To be in the moment, then, too. Okay. Reb, in your life, are there moments when you're off your game where that real-time paradigm is not clicking for you?

[76:21]

I'm just wondering what it's like for you. You are? Yeah. So now we got that straight. Is that, is that, is that proposite or okay question to ask? It sure is. Good. Is it okay if I answer the way I did? You gotta think about it. Well, okay. And let's see, Salvi had his hand. Who else had their hand? I kind of did. Kind of did? Okay. Make this short, okay? Salvi? Yes. It's about something that you were saying about running away from something.

[77:21]

And it brought to me the possibility that sometimes I get confused into if I am letting go, or renunciating to alleviate me from the pain, so sometimes I get confused if I am too soon. Okay, I got it. Or what's the other option? Or if I am really running away from the pain. I thought that was what you already said. Pardon me? It could be that I... You have some pain? Yeah, I have pain. And so sometimes you think you might be running away from it? Because sometimes I say, well, you know, this person has this and that problem, you know, and I think with love and compassion on that person, and I abandon the situation. And sometimes I feel that I could be too soon to abandon the situation.

[78:27]

Abandon what situation? Dropping or letting go what a person could have done to me. You mean someone hurt you, is that what you're talking about? Right. Someone hurt you. With an action or something that a person had said. Yes. And I think about it and then say, well, you know, this person might have problems or this person have this and that other situation. I just let go. But maybe sometimes I feel that I can do that too soon to... get rid of the pain that is causing me the action this person has done to me. So I have the confusion sometimes between a real renunciation or running away from a situation. Well, the real renunciation you haven't mentioned yet. The real renunciation is that when someone hurts you, you see whether that hurt gives you your life. That's the real renunciation.

[79:28]

If it does, then you'll have an enlightened response for that person. Which might be, owie, [...] or you got me, that was a good one. Or, don't ever do that to me again. Or, misty mist. But if you try to figure out what to do, then you're coming from delusion. I got hurt, now what am I going to do? This didn't confirm me, so now what am I? I saw me. I'm pretty smart. I can do renunciation, I can punch him back, or I can run away. I have all these options. Which one should I do? Here I am. I'm already here. This person's hurting me. What am I going to do? What am I going to do? This is not good, or maybe it is good. I don't know. I'll try to figure it out. This is bondage. This is karma. Renunciation means you drop all that and you see, is this my life? Yes, Salvi, this is your life.

[80:38]

Wow. Then from there, the right action comes from that renunciation. That's the real renunciation. This is the real change from what am I going to do to how is this my life? Drop your body and mind and how is this your life? And you'll see. And then that person will do something wonderful. I don't know what. I don't want to be here when it happens, but I... Okay, and mark that. It's too late. Thank you. Anka? It kind of is a little bit what he said about how I can... It all leads me to making choices. Am I not having the responsibility to make the right choice in my life? Are you not what? I mean, do I not have the responsibility to make the right choice in my life? In delusion, in delusion you do.

[81:42]

The world of delusion, you're responsible for making the right choice. And so in the world of delusion, I guess I hope you make the right choices. But that's the world of delusion, where you... You make the right choices. Everything comes to you, happens to you, blah, blah, blah, blah. You're sitting there, okay, now this is happening. What do I do? What do I do? This is endless suffering. I hope you have a good time doing that. I hope it goes well for you. But I know you're going to get pooped out eventually. People do not enjoy this. Decision, decision, decision, decision, responsibility. This is not fun for us. So many people come to me with anguish. Oh, this decision, that decision. Well, how do I make the... It's terrible. It's difficult. Should I go? Should I stay? What's right? What's wrong? Okay? But I'm not saying you should run away from that. But just understand that that point of view is the point of your delusion. You figure out what your decision is going to be.

[82:43]

It's delusion. You're in that world. You accept that world as delusion. then that will be enlightenment. So I change my perception? Not your perception, no. You change your intention. Your intention is to work with what happens all the time, no matter what. That's your intention. You're absorbing that intention. That's the way to path of enlightenment. You're still there maybe making decisions all the time, anguishing over what is the right decision. You're still caught up in that. This is just the world. Everybody's doing that. Bank robbers do that too. When should we rob the bank? Today or tomorrow? Should we blow people's heads off? No, let's not kill anybody. Anyway, but now they're shooting us. Well, they're killing them. This is the world, you know, trying to figure out what to do. We live there, right? That's called the world of suffering. To intend to continue that and try to make that world better and better and better is an ordinary understanding of how to make a Buddha.

[83:52]

Get better and better at making decisions and finally you'll be a Buddha. No. I don't think so. That's like polishing a pile to make a mirror. No. It's the intention to leave that world alone and just watch how it works. and watch how it works, and watch how it works. I want to see how this world is working. When I see how this world is working, this world confirms me, gives me life. Because in fact, that's how the world is working. The world is giving you life. And so you can make decisions. But you make decisions not by you making decisions, but because the world gives you the ability, the function, the license, the capacity to make decisions. But we've got to turn it around. Since we've got to turn it around, watch how you've got it, see how it works. So your focus is on this samadhi. I mean, you're focusing on this point of view of how do you make decisions, rather than what is the way you make decisions, rather than how am I going to make better decisions.

[85:01]

You're already in the world of, how can I make better and better decisions? How can I make better and better decisions? How can I be, you know, how can I make decisions which are so good that I'm going to be like, you know, like one of the best decision makers around? This is what people want to do. They want to be like the best decision maker in this world which is built on somebody trying to be a good decision maker. The whole world's totally built on this intention to be really good at stuff. So now I want to get better in that world. This world totally made up on that impulse. So there you're there. There you are. The path of enlightenment is to watch, is to study this. Not try to make it better. Not try to make it worse. But to understand it. How are you going to understand it? Work with what's happening. That will enlighten you. Now it turns out when you're enlightened you can make decisions. People look like you're making decisions but you aren't making them anymore. You're sitting there. You're sitting there. You haven't even arrived yet. There's not even anybody there. They're just sitting and suddenly something happens and it's As soon as it happens, there's a decision.

[86:03]

Every time anything happens, there's a decision. At the same moment, you do something, you don't do something. I mean, something happens in response. Somebody goes like this, you go out. Child screams, you're elected. Somebody says, hello, you say, hello. You always, instantly, simultaneously make your decisions. But you don't make them. They're given to you by the situation. The pastor says, does that make sense? I say, uh-huh. That's my decision. Did I make it? If I made it, I'm in the world of suffering. If it came to me, it was given to me, it's a world of enlightenment. Okay? This is a change in your intention. It's the intention towards enlightenment rather than the intention towards getting better at karma. Okay? Now, of course, in the world of karma, you should be good at karma. Of course, that only makes sense. Otherwise, karma is going to blow up in your face.

[87:06]

But that's not good enough. You have to not only get good at karma, you have to watch, you have to study. Oh, is it Liz again? Or is it Basha and Liz? Liz? It's really short. Oh, let's see. So, someone deceived me, I feel hurt and deceived. That feeling of being hurt and deceived is my function? Someone, what? Someone hurts you? Someone deceives you. Someone deceives you. I feel hurt. Deception happens. Then you feel hurt. This is my function? This is how I'm confirmed? Yeah. Okay. That's it. That's it. That's what you've got to work with at the moment. But I guess it's getting a little late. For some people who want to get up early, I'll be reaching adjourn. So it's adjourned.

[88:07]

See you tomorrow at some point.

[88:12]

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