This morning I offered the story of the teacher Baizhang and the wild fox. So at one point supposedly when the wild fox was a human he was asked does a highly cultivated person fall into cause and effect and he said no. So then he got 500 lives as a fox. If he had said yes some other result would have happened. I don't know what it would have been. If he said yes they do fall into cause and effect. Something else would have followed. There would have been consequences of that.

[01:21]

So then he asked the teacher please give me a turning word and the teacher says well now ask me the question. Does a highly cultivated person fall into karmic cause and effect? And the teacher turned does not fall into does not obscure. He didn't turn it from does not fall into does fall. And if the monk, if the person had said does fall he wouldn't have turned it probably to not fall. I don't know what he would have done but anyway he turned it to does not obscure cause and effect. Does not deny, does not ignore. The highly cultivated person does not ignore cause and effect. And this story is offered in many Zen contexts

[02:34]

but one place it's offered is in an essay by Ehe Koso whose vow we chanted this morning. Ehe Koso, Dogen Zenji, he gave that story and the chapter he gave it in is called deep faith in cause and effect. The chapter is not called falling into cause and effect, the chapter is not called not falling into cause and effect, the chapter is called deep faith in cause and effect. Train yourself to develop deep faith in cause and effect so that no matter what's happening you believe that the causal process is what deserves your presence. Then if there's unwholesome

[03:44]

action, the study when there's unwholesome action brings peace. If there's unwholesome action, the trust in deep faith in cause and effect, that brings freedom and peace. But that has to be a deep faith because the right and wrong are spinning around all day long. Right and wrong and can't tell which are spinning around. And in the midst of that we try to turn and keep studying the causal process of our self, of our relationships. Now the Buddha does say avoid doing unwholesome and do the wholesome, so fine. But it isn't

[04:50]

that I trust the wholesome and don't trust the unwholesome, it's that I trust the causal process of the wholesome and the unwholesome. I try to do good, but I notice sometimes I'm not sure I did. If I'm not sure I did, I admit I'm not sure I did. If I think I did, I admit I think I did. That's part of being where I am and now that I'm here, I can practice the Dharma, which is letting the situation practice deep faith in cause and effect. And if the monk says, okay, I heard you say deep faith in cause and effect, now would you give me a turning word? I don't know what the teacher would have said, but I think

[05:58]

the teacher might have said, you're already free. But the monk didn't say, give me a turning word after he gave him a turning word. The monk said, now I'm free. I'm free of cause and effect by your turning word. But he didn't say, now I don't fall into cause and effect, he just said, now I'm free. Thank you. But again, we have to train in order not to get disoriented by all this karma and disoriented from what? From deep faith in causation. Deep faith that this is what we should be paying attention to, and also we cannot see causation. We see stories about causation, but we can't see causation, so we're having deep faith

[07:05]

in something that no one can see. But the ones who have deep faith in this invisible causal process realize it, understand it. They understand the invisible coming together of causes and conditions, and dispersion of causes and conditions, and coming together, they realize it, they understand it. And they're happy about understanding it. So, when we're sitting, our sitting could be the practice of perfect wisdom. Our sitting could be good friendship. Our sitting could be deep faith in cause and effect. Those are

[08:14]

synonyms. Deep faith in cause and effect is practicing perfect wisdom, is good friendship. And from this practice of good friendship, perfect wisdom, deep faith in causation, comes the appropriate response. The Buddhas are deep faith in cause and effects. The Buddhas are perfect wisdom. The Buddhas are good friendship. From this good friendship comes the appropriate response to sentient beings, which is to demonstrate deep faith in causation, to demonstrate perfect wisdom, to demonstrate good friendship, and open people to, open sentient beings to good friendship, open sentient beings to perfect wisdom, open sentient beings to faith in causation, faith in karmic causation, and accepting that that comes with karmic activity. So we're

[09:23]

not trying to get away from karmic activity, we're trying to find the correct position to be in it, so that the correct response can come. I agree with that, those words. But I certainly don't want to abide in them. I hope you don't either. Thank you all for another splendid day at Noa Bode. Thank you Eileen for your vast network of arranging activities. Thank you Karen and Karen for cleaning this place so well the last couple of days. Eileen for cleaning last weekend.

[10:28]

They've been cleaning the place because they prefer to clean rather than to kill. I don't know if you prefer. Anyway, they're committed to not killing rather than killing, and by cleaning they hope that the rodents will go someplace else to hang out. They seem to be using this place as a racetrack. Thank you for ringing the bells. Thank you for arranging the appointments. Thank you all for making this place. I was in the interview room and I found this stack of lists of people coming to one-day sittings. All these one-day

[11:30]

sittings, about twelve or so a year, for I don't know how many years. How many? Fifteen? So anyway, a lot of people have been practicing here. It's impressive. And you are some of them. So may our good health continue so we can continue to uphold the practice of the Bodhisattva's non-abiding mind. Thank you. Thank you. May our intention equally extend to every being and place with the true merit of Buddha's way. Beings are numberless.

[12:36]

I vow to save them. Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them. Your mother face are boundless. I vow to enter them. Buddha's way is unsurpassable. I vow to become it.

[13:02]

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