I don't know what he said, but somebody said to him, you said that if we're not enlightened, we can't really help people, or we need to be enlightened in order to help people. You said that, and... But if that's the case, then almost no one in this hall or most of us in this hall would not be able to help people. So what should we do or how can we help? And then he says, well, enlightenment has many meanings. But the point is helping others. That's the point of what? Of enlightenment.

[01:02]

In the bodhisattva way, the point of enlightenment is to help others. Helping others is enlightenment. Enlightenment is helping others. And Helping others means or is, and there's different ways to say this, the warm way to say it in a way is, helping others is thinking that they're yourself. Or helping others is considering them as yourself. Or helping others is understanding that they are yourself. That's kind of a warm way to put it, isn't it? In other words, helping other people is understanding that they're you.

[02:09]

That helps them. That helps others. It doesn't hurt you a bit. It actually helps you too. But when you understand that others are you, yourself, they are helped. That is what we mean by helping others. Now another way to say it, which people find sometimes chilling is, helping others means understanding that there's no others to help. That also helps others. That is actually what helps others is to understand there's no others to help. So the bodhisattva understands enlightenment is to help others and helping others is to understand that there's no others to help. And while I'm helping others by understanding that, and when I understand that, that understanding, I should say, helps others, there actually are no others that I'm helping that I understand aren't there.

[03:17]

Understanding that others are empty saves, relieves suffering and helps. Another way to put it, which is back to the warmer side, is helping others means understanding the oneness of all beings. Helping others means understanding the one vehicle So understanding the one vehicle, understanding that others are empty of other, they're empty of other, and they're empty of self. Understanding that and understanding that others are yourself, the same, different ways of putting the same thing. That's what helps people. That's what helps beings, this understanding, together with the basic project of enlightenment, which is to help others. If anybody could understand that others are themselves without being primarily devoted to helping others, they might miss out on the fun.

[04:28]

But for those who are committed to helping others, that's how they accomplish their goal. And so you can go to the hospital and visit sick people or go to the hospital and be a doctor or a nurse or a social worker and try to help people, and that's great. But it doesn't necessarily help them. You might actually just frighten them, you know. You might confuse them. because you might bring with you lots of delusions and sort of dump them on them like, I'm coming to help you and you're not me and I'm the helper and you're the helpee and you're sick and I'm healthy or I'm somewhat healthy or I'm a little bit sick but I can still help you because we're not two and here, have some pollution. Now they might actually say, oh, thank you very much.

[05:30]

I understand that you're me. And so your visit actually might stimulate them to wake up even though you don't. But it ain't necessarily so that visiting people in the hospital is helpful unless you're understanding that they're you. So the point, again, is being helpful. Now some people come to Buddhist practice places and I ask them what they are up to and what they want and they tell me honestly they want liberation and actually they're thinking of themselves being liberated from all things that they don't want to be caught up in. They want freedom and that's like great and some people actually want liberation for everybody But wanting liberation could also be said, I want to work for liberation.

[06:33]

I want to help people. But some people actually don't want to help people. They just want liberation, which is fine. They're welcome. It's just that that's not the point. The point is not liberation. The point is helping others be liberated so that they can help others be liberated. That's the point. That's what some people say, and I'm one of them. That's it. That's it. And then I just thought I might mention that if you want to be able to see that others are yourself, if you want to see that others are empty of otherness, otherhood, you want to see that the oneness of all beings, then there's a practice of loving all limits. Loving all limits. Like loving the limit of yourself when you come to an end and somebody else starts.

[07:38]

Or when you come to an end and there's a space and then somebody starts. Various possible ways of looking at it. Loving that boundary between yourself and somebody else. Loving that boundary, loving that limit opens the door to seeing who people are. to seeing and understanding that they're you. Our mind naturally, you know what I call it, we come by it honestly. We innately project limits upon the universe. We just do that quite naturally, innately. We do it. We put limits on the world. We put frames on the world. We put frames on the landscape.

[08:42]

We put frames on the masses of living beings. We put frames on ourself. We put frames on our feelings. We put frames on our emotions. Our mind frames things. So we can love that. And that, what I just told you, is also framed. That's a framed story of how we frame. So I think we could love that we frame and love the frames. And I'll just briefly mention that one of the early teachings of the... I don't know how early it was, but one of the teachings of the historical Buddha... is called the foundation of mindfulness, but it also could be called mindfulness of frames. Mindfulness of the frames we project upon everything we're related to, all living and non-living beings we're related to.

[09:43]

We put frames on them. Interpersonally, we put frames on the world. And intra-psychophysically, we put frames on the world. There's a psychophysical inwardness of us, and we put frames on it. Like greed, hate, and delusion. Good and bad. That's a frame. So the Buddha taught the frames of mindfulness, and he said, this is a direct path This is a direct path and it's really a good thing and basically is being mindful of frames. For example, be mindful of the body frame. Be mindful of the foundation of the body, the frame of the body. Be mindful of the frame of feelings. Be mindful of the frame of mental states like agitated, calm,

[10:46]

evil, good, worried, distracted, concentrated. Beware of these frames and beware of mental objects like, for example, various teachings, analysis of sensory experience, you know, formidable truths. aggregates, the five aggregates, hindrances to being aware, all these things. These are the things, these are the frames that he recommends being aware of. So he says, like for example, a monk, a yogi, when standing is aware of standing. In other words, when we're standing, we have a frame on our life called standing. When we're sitting, the monk is aware, is mindful that they're sitting.

[11:49]

In other words, when you're sitting, most people will have a frame that they're sitting. And a wide variety of frames for that, which we put on the body, which we call sitting. Some people might be saying that we're sitting right now, but some people might not say we're sitting. They might have a different frame on us. But you know, perhaps most of us are doing, for various reasons, most of us may be putting the frame sitting on our body right now. Our body is not the frame of our body, but we frame our body. Our body is actually other people's body. That's what our body actually is. Our body is actually empty of body. And so on. Our body is actually the oneness of all beings.

[12:51]

That's what our body actually is. So, Tore Zenji says, when I regard the true nature, you know what he says? When I regard the true form and the true nature of all things, Yeah, when I look at the real form, when he's looking at the real form, he sees that everything is the glorious revelation of the Buddha. When you look at your body, when you first look, what you're seeing is a frame you put on your body because you framed it. That's not the real form of the universe. That's a frame that your mind puts... on your body. And if you look at that frame and you love that frame, you will realize that frame is empty. The body, which is actually a frame that you put on the universe, is empty.

[13:59]

And then if you see that, you will see the real form of the universe. you will see through the frame of your body that everybody is you. So, he's been, he's been, Tore Zenji, I guess, was loving the frames that his mind was putting on the world so he actually can see the real form. And you and I also can see the real form of the universe if we will love the frame we're putting on it. And some of the easiest frames for us to notice, for example, is the frame of our body, which we're putting on the universe. Because we're highly oriented towards that. So that's a real good one to love. And love means, like, you pay attention to it in a loving way. Even when the frame is sick body, aging body,

[15:06]

degenerating body or gorgeous body, indestructible body, whatever the frame is, I'm suggesting to you that if you love it, you will realize it's empty and that frame, the frame when loved or loving the frame is the gate to the true form of the universe. And when we see that, That vision is what helps others. That's the point of enlightenment or that's what enlightenment is. So I'll probably be talking about this for the rest of the year and I hope you I greatly benefited and I hope I am too, but mostly I hope you are because I'm into helping you and realizing that you're me.

[16:12]

And the Buddha goes on, you know, so not all these physical postures are frames for you to be, he says, mindful, but the way he talks about mindfulness, I would summarize by saying love. Or another way to put it is love. What I mean by love includes mindfulness. So loving somebody includes being alert, ardent, remembering to pay attention to them, and clear. And alert means paying attention to them the way they are now, not like, yesterday he was my friend, so I'm sort of dealing with the person he used to be. No, the new person, the one here right now, to pay attention to this one, to be warm about that, to remember this and to be clear about it. And to be, you know, really let the person or let the body or let the breath

[17:34]

Really let it be what it is. If it's long, you know it's long and you love it. If it goes from long to short, you know it becomes short and you love it. You don't like it. You don't like short breaths. You don't hate short breaths. You don't hate long breaths. You don't like long breaths. You love whatever length of breath you have. You love whatever body you've got. even though it's kind of in certain relative way maybe a lot less attractive than the one you used to have. And also the person you're talking to is a lot less attractive than they used to be or than the person you were talking to a minute ago. They're not as cute, but you love them. In other words, you love the frame you're putting on them. Now, they may not get any cuter than they are right now.

[18:38]

However, this loving of them is the door to the true form of the universe. And attractive people are just as good opportunities to love as really repulsive people and vice versa. In both cases, there are opportunities for love in the context of the bodhisattva. Likes and dislikes may arise. If a like arises, it's another frame to love. If hate arises, it's another frame to love. It's a frame-up. It's not reality, but your mind has framed it and you're geared to grasp it and therefore like or dislike it.

[19:45]

Now we have to develop this new training to love it. Love limits everything. And I thought I might also just say that this afternoon when we're working, some of you are going to go away, but you can apply this when you leave too. But particularly I hope that during work today that we're able to continue to practice compassion while we work. In other words, continue... to love the limits that you're putting on the things you're working with. We've rented a dumpster, which would be nice to put something in there since we rented it at a ruinous expense.

[20:54]

But, you know, I really would like you to Love the frame that you put on everything that you touch, that you bring to that dumpster. I'd like you to stay in touch with loving whatever you're dealing with throughout this work period, to remember that while you're working. This is a great opportunity. The management is allowing you to practice while you work here. I don't know if it will increase the amount of stuff that gets in the dumpster or decrease it. I'll watch to see if I put more or less in the dumpster if I practice this. And also the body which is like picking stuff up and moving it around here. Love that frame.

[21:57]

Love your body while you're working today too. Take care of your body. Take care of what your body's relating to. Love inwardly, psychophysically, mindful and loving of the body, of the posture. Love your posture, whatever posture you're in. Notice what posture you're in. Now I'm standing. Actually, now I'm kind of bent over, twisting to the side in order to grab this thing. This is the frame that I'm putting on the universe of my body right now. Okay? Please enjoy that. Enjoy being mindful of your body posture throughout the work period. This is similar to saying while we're busily... taking care of this property, this space, while we're busily taking care of it, remember the one who's not busy.

[23:02]

Remember the one who's just loving whatever's being given, whatever's coming. And whatever comes, you could say, is a frame job. Because in reality, things are not coming and going. But our mind projects coming and going upon the world, so then things are given in the coming and going frame. And again, if we love these frames of coming and going, we're open to the world of no coming and going. Which is similar to remembering... No coming and going while you're coming and going. You're saying love dualism? Love dualism. Love dualism. Dualism is one of our, what do you call it, our most famous and outstanding frame-ups.

[24:17]

the great frame, the basic frame of dualism, of self and other, of birth and death, of truth and falsehood. That frame of love it. I'm tempted to say love it to death, but I don't really want to. make you think that you're going to kill it, but kind of love it to death in the sense of love it into radiance. Love it into the true form of the universe. And also love delusion and anger that way too. Love, delusion and anger, yeah. Love, delusion means love the frame. The basic delusion is basically a frame that we impose upon the world which if uncared for can choke it and also can whack us mightily.

[25:39]

Quack, quack, quack, yes. I've sometimes heard you talk about things like love or other virtues. Sometimes you talk about them as if it's something you can develop and practice, and sometimes you talk about it as if it's not something you can do, it's just the way things are. Right. Are these two different? You can develop the ritual enactment of love. Love is reality. We do this framed version of love, so we open to the reality of love. You can develop the working with the frame. And then the time comes when the frame just is realized as empty, and then you realize the actuality, which is not being framed, which is not being grasped.

[26:50]

But without the framed version, you can't realize the actuality. Without the framed version, you can't realize the actuality. Without the framed version, we would just be the reality. But we wouldn't necessarily realize it, we would just be it. love or compassion or intimacy i would say are is the reality is the true form of the universe it's the actual way that beings are helping each other in order to realize this we must we must do a uh kind of like a developed a cultivated a cultivated version of this or a version of this which can be cultivated but that goes with this framed version of it that we have. And that can be developed. And it's developed and developed and developed until finally it just drops away. So when you say something like love isn't something you can do, you're not saying just give up the enactment and look for the best.

[27:56]

No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying please devote yourself to the enactment of it, to the ritual performance of it. Like today during work, try to make work a ritual performance of love. And if you have to stop working for a second and remember, now what's the point again of being here? Oh yeah. Loving. Whatever comes, that's the point of being here. Okay, now let's go back to work with that understanding. So in a way that's the same thing as saying, doing something thoroughly. It's the same as doing something thoroughly, yeah. Loving something is the same as doing it thoroughly.

[28:58]

Doing it thoroughly means being mindful, gentle, not trying to get anything, giving yourself entirely to it, and letting it be itself. All that's included in thoroughness. Yes, when I first came to this country, I encountered very devoted Protestant people. who rest in churches, like being specific the Presbyterian Church and others to California. And I was turned off by an exuberant sort of lovingness that seemed not real to me. And if I connect that which is saying, I don't know what their real practice is, and maybe it seems not to be real to me, and it was real, but to me it seems like... So the practice I'm talking about is when you meet people

[30:12]

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