This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Encouraging words, nighttime words, and I realized they were echoing. a poem by Dogen that I had read earlier in the day. So I wanted to read that poem to you. How delightful mountain dwelling, so solitary and tranquil. Because of this, I always read the Lotus Sutra. With wholehearted vigor under trees, what is there to love or hate? How enviable, sound, of evening rains in deep autumn.

[01:02]

So that's one of Dogen's series of poems that he wrote about living in the mountains, practicing in the mountains, probably at Eheji. And here we are in the mountains, reading the Lotus Sutra. sound of rain in the deep autumn and life goes on. I wanted to talk with you about our zazen posture. I trust each of you is finding what's best for you, experimenting maybe with, as the session goes on, experimenting with heights and some of you need to vary your position, be in a chair sometime, we have people lying down.

[02:21]

All of that, all of those different variations support Each of your practices of sitting, whether you're lying down or not, we can call it sitting. Whether it's cross-layered or not, we call it sitting, our sitting practice. And last night when I said sitting all day, even though we served meals and cooked and did work of taking care of Tassajara and bath exercise, that's all sitting. I can all be thought of as sitting. In the widest sense, our Zazen mind in all of our activities. So one thing I wanted to bring up today with you is, well, two things.

[03:26]

One is the question I remember asking Patricia Sullivan after a class where she was saying, if you do this, you stretch your side body, and if you do this, you stretch this, and it's a really good stretch for this, and you stretch your... And I remember in that class saying, why stretch? It's like we're always told to stretch before you go for a run, or stretch before and after. Why stretch? And... And we have time in our schedule for stretching. So why stretch? And there's a lot of reasons that, you know, trainers and so forth can give you. But as one, since we are just one interconnected psychophysical event, when our muscles... Our muscles tend to hold tension, and this sometimes prevents full range of movement, free activity.

[04:34]

We talked yesterday, and Maria brought up miraculous powers and supernatural activity, and Suzuki Roshi calling that free activity, the freedom to move and respond. That is a heart freedom, but also there's the physical freedom. Are we prevented from actually turning, literally, towards another? Or towards ourself, actually, by the way we hold ourselves. So in our breathing... There's all sorts of muscles that are involved with our breathing, as well as joints. And in time and over age, as we age, those muscles get less and less flexible and impede our breathing.

[05:40]

Actually, our ability to take a breath, to inhale and exhale fully, a full breath. breathing, a full body breath. The diaphragm muscle, which is a big, big muscle that divides the abdominal cavity from the thoracic cavity and it kind of drapes over and it's shaped like a dome. And when the diaphragm is stimulated by the phrenic nerve, and the phrenic nerve comes from the brain, there's two of them that come down, and to the diaphragm. They stimulate the diaphragm to contract, and when it contracts, the resting spot of the diaphragm is this nice dome shape, and when we're stimulated to inhale, it drops, it contracts and drops and spreads, leaving room

[06:49]

more room in the lungs, in the pulmonary area, and a change in pressure, and the air comes in. This is a very, it's so marvelous, talk about marvelous, marvelous activity. And that action, all the muscles, the intercostal muscles between our ribs, the ribs open, and actually there's a connection with the heart which gets a massage as we're breathing. And if those intercostal muscles are not flexible, we can actually move the ribs out to inhale and exhale. This phrenic, phrenic nerve, the word Phrenic comes from the Greek, and it's associated with, was another word for mind.

[07:55]

So schizophrenia is a split mind, phrenia, phrenic. Phren means mind or heart, and also connected with frantic and frenetic. So the inhale, sometimes when we inhale, upon being startled or seeing something, Like that, that's like, that phrenic nerve is stimulated when we get frightened or I startle very easily and often I go, like that. Actually this morning there was a creepy crawly in my robes during breakfast and I noticed I didn't, because of sesheen I think I didn't do, I just tried to get it out and it, headed out under the tongue to join its friends, probably. So that inhale might come along with tension and startled and anxiety and holding a breath.

[09:10]

We can actually override the phrenic nerve, which constantly is giving these signals to inhale and then the relaxing of the diaphragm where it moves up again into its dome and pushes out the air out of the lungs. And then the phrenic nerve stimulates again and it contracts. But we can override that with our brain for a time if we need to. If we're swimming or something, we need to hold our breath. We can do that, but not forever. But I wanted to say something about the inhale and the exhale. So this inhale associated with maybe holding, anxiety, fear. And the exhale, the exhale for the body means everything's okay. We can relax. The diaphragm can relax back into its dome spot again and exhale.

[10:13]

completely. So the meaning of exhale for our psychophysical body is everything's okay. I'm okay. The world's okay. I can exhale. And this, the parasympathetic nervous system, which I mentioned last our talk, last one day sitting, which is involved with relaxation and actually elimination, digestion, immune responses and so forth, is stimulated by the exhale. When we completely exhale, the body-mind is able to relax. It means, they're synonymous maybe, they go together. And there's other things that stimulate that, which is stretching.

[11:17]

That parasympathetic nervous system. Stretching, having the head down, reclining, actually. So during our bath exercise, I think we sometimes have some idea of exercise, which I talked about before, too, as... burn calories or get toned up or buff or look good or something, I think those are kind of linked. But if we unlink that into thoroughly taking care at a very deep level all the systems that support our practice, support our responsiveness to one another, support our calm, and composure, that's really, really much more important because as we know, everything's impermanent no matter how beautiful we are.

[12:29]

But our composure we can have till our last exhale, which is our last. That last exhale is can be possibly, not always, in composure. So in the exhale, the abdominal muscles are not really, I mean in certain yoga breathing pranayama things, you use the abdominals, but in quiet breathing, We're not pushing with the abdominals. Sometimes people get into pushing their lower belly, thinking that that was the admonition or the instruction to push down. And I think there can be a firmness in the belly, but to use the abdominals and push, push, push is not recommended.

[13:42]

for our zazen, breathing. The breathing in zazen is whatever it is, actually. Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I'm aware I am breathing out. And however it is, shallow or deep, slow or fast, We're aware of it, just aware of it, and caring for it. And watching to see what happens next, because of the truth of impermanence, it will change. And after a time of settling, maybe five minutes or so, our breath becomes very quiet, inaudible. even to ourselves, and very subtle, can be.

[14:45]

But it doesn't make any sense to try and make that happen. That will just add stress. It's awareness, staying with, allowing. And eventually we might notice that the exhale does get longer. We can watch for that. all the way to the end of the exhale and see what happens. But just one other thing about the diaphragm and the connective tissues and joints, there also is a connection with the lumbar vertebrae.

[15:57]

And so when we do, if we're doing stretching, to do some moving the spine into, actually every inhale is a little bit of a back bend. teeny, tiny backbend. As we inhale, you can feel it. And as we exhale, there's a slight, you know, there's a, this is cow in the little backbend and cat while we're breathing. But during your bath exercise or during your stretching time, you might give your vertebrae these change positions and from side to side and little backbends. Being very careful to not go too far, but cat and cow is, if you're not used to, like full backbend or something, very useful. This will help your breathing. This will go along with full body, all parts of the body engaging in our inhalation and exhalation.

[17:08]

So we chanted the Fukanzazengi yesterday, which is a wonderful chant for the beginning of Sesshin. I think it just was on the rotation. And, you know, those admonitions, this Dogen wrote when he immediately came back from China. This was like, he had to get this down and disseminated. And I was reviewing yesterday... those simple admonitions. And wanting to encourage us all to just follow the Fuganzazengi. Do not think good or bad. Do not administer pros and cons. No gauging of thoughts and views. Gauging, judging, measuring, this is better, that's... stupid, da [...] da. Cast aside all involvements.

[18:29]

And let go of all affairs. I had received a phone call the other day from someone in the city with a litany of the certain things that were going on that were very upsetting to this person. And then when I was having the evening meal, I was gauging thoughts and views, and I was not letting go of casting aside all involvements. I was thinking about all these things. And meanwhile, the soku, it was the end of the meal, the soku came with a kentan towel. And I remember thinking, what is she doing with this towel here? I thought, she must have made a mistake. She's coming at the wrong time. But it was the time to lift up our bowls. And I just sort of sat there gauging thoughts and views and involved until there was a little bit of eye contact like, are you going to lift your bowl or not, honey?

[19:41]

And then, whoa, up went the bowl. And that was like a little vignette, you know, but that happens in Zazen, I think, like for the whole period. You know, it's like, but there's nobody to come and, you know, sort of push a towel in your face, you know, to say, wake up. So it is very strong if we've got something on our mind, if we've gotten some news. I think this is, you know, this is during Sesshin, we have... no mail and no phone calls and no conversations except for work-related and no writing. And this is all to help us, really. This is to support our practice because you get a letter, you know, and especially when you're that sensitive and open and... Or a phone call, you know, and that can...

[20:47]

it affects us so strongly, so strongly. We're used to it, this goes on all the time, but we create this container during Sashin to hold us in a beautiful way to help us to cast aside all involvements in seesaw affairs and seesaw the movements of the conscious mind, the shini, shiki, all the ways we flit about, not think good or bad, administer pros and cons. This, please let us take this to heart. I'm doing my best to notice gauging of thoughts and views and ruminating and thinking and coming back and coming back which is different from, oh, it doesn't matter, I'm just going to think about all this stuff.

[21:55]

That's a different mind. Those from our karmic consciousness will arise thoughts and stories and conversations and life events and what we have to do next week. All of that will come tumbling forth However, our effort to let it come and go, let it go without pushing away and without clinging. So the difference between that and engaging really engaging with this kind of thinking. It's not that our thinking is cut off. The production of thoughts, although it changes, still the thoughts will arise from our karmic consciousness.

[23:05]

As you know this quote from Uchiyama Roshi, like the brain will just produce thoughts the way other organs produce, you know, lymph and bile and whatever. Just production, just living production. There will be, thoughts will be produced. And they are impermanent. They have no separate self, just like all things. What is that? Is that squirrel? It could be also a miniature horse. So we sit...

[24:10]

And whatever thought arises, it is brought to you by virtue of your entire life and the entire universe and all things. That's what that thought is. You might think it's some petty little stupid thought or angry thought or judgment thought, but its arising is a dependent co-arising which is beyond... our understanding. It's an inconceivable production of the entire Buddha-verse, as Robert Thurman calls it. But we think it's ours, and we get caught, and so can we let them come and go? And this is classic, classic image, but it's so helpful, like the clouds in the sky, because clouds Do make shapes. It looks like an elephant. It looks like a jumping juggler.

[25:15]

Whatever. It looks. And then you watch and it will dissipate and turn into something else. Just and be gone. And then the next. This is just staying with our posture and breath and allowing coming and going. All day. So Dogen used the word sitting in his writings rather than meditate. He used whatever the character is for sitting, this just sitting. And this sitting enacts the truth of the Buddha way. asked a question that I didn't answer.

[26:16]

It was right after we read that section from the Lotus Sutra where the Buddha says the one great cause, the reason that Buddhas appear in the world, the meaning of the Dharma that Buddhas preach as appropriate to the occasion is difficult to understand. And the reason it's difficult is because of skillful means, because according to the circumstances it will sound different. Causal explanations and parables and so forth. Why is this? Because it is for the great cause alone that the Buddhas, the world honored ones, appear in the world. What do I mean by saying it is for this one? great cause alone that Buddhas, the world honored ones, appear in the world.

[27:18]

The world honored ones appear in the world because they want living beings to open a way to the Buddha's insight and thus become pure. They appear in the world because they want to demonstrate the Buddha's insight to living beings. They appear in the world because they want to apprehend things with the Buddha's insight, apprehend or realize. They appear in the world because they want living beings to enter into the way of Buddha's insight. This alone is the one great cause, Shariputra, for which Buddhists appear in the world. And Maggie was saying, was asking, well, what is this? the way of the Buddhist insight. And what is Buddhist insight? What is it? So the Buddhists appear in the world to open, to help beings to open to, to demonstrate Buddhist insight, to help beings to realize Buddhist insight and to have them enter.

[28:28]

But what is Buddhist insight? what is Buddha's insight? Probably this is, to even talk about it, is a skillful means in words to say what is Buddha's insight or what are we talking about, the Buddha way or the Buddha Dharma. After our meals, when we do our chanting, we say, abiding in this ephemeral world like a lotus in muddy water. The mind is pure and goes beyond. Thus we bow to Buddha. So the Buddha's insight, the Buddha Dharma, is the insight that all things are impermanent, ephemeral, all things no matter what.

[29:41]

And that no thing that appears in this ephemeral world has separate self, has self-nature that's its own by itself. And all those things together in this ephemeral world that are impermanent and lack separateness All together is one whole body called Buddha. Myriad objects partake of the Buddha body. So all these so-called things that appear including your body, mind, and thoughts, and what's arising from your karmic consciousness, all things are one whole being.

[30:50]

You know, Suzuki Roshi's quote, things as it is, that people thought maybe he was grammatically incorrect, you know, shouldn't it be things as they are, but that was his way of describing the reality of all existence, the reality of our Buddha nature, things as it is. This one whole body, myriad objects partaking of the Buddha body, ephemeral, and yet, like a lotus in muddy water, the lotus... appears in the world and its roots are deep in the mud. The lotus only grows in muddy water, lagoon-y kind of places. It doesn't grow in clear water, just mud. If you've ever seen a lotus pond in Thailand or other places where you might have seen them, it's not clear water.

[32:03]

You can't even see to the bottom, you know. So abiding in this ephemeral world is no abiding. Connected with all beings, with this one great causal condition for appearing, which is to help all the beings to open to to demonstrate to them. Open, demonstrate, realize, and enter. What? To realize and enter and have it be demonstrated to all living beings that each and every being, no exception, is one great body, is within the one great body. This is Buddha nature, this is awakened nature, this is Buddha's wisdom.

[33:15]

And that's the only reason for awakened ones to come into the world, to help us see too. Because it's our truth that we can't see. So with compassion, opening, demonstrating, realizing and entering, helping beings to open to and demonstrate so they can see and realize and enter. Those four things over and over and over is the Buddha's vow. And we receive the benefits of that. and receiving the benefits we, you know, in the morning when we chant. The doshi has the head down with hands raised, you know, when we say through the compassion, you know, may our life reveal their compassion.

[34:23]

All the Buddhas and ancestors who have been trying to teach this and open and demonstrate, realize and... enter, help us to do that out of compassion. May our lives reveal their compassion. May we do our best to hear the true Dharma that we just chanted, that upon hearing it no doubt will arise in us. This dharma is hard to hear, O Shariputra, as it says in the lotus over and over. This is hard because when we think of ourselves and what our life is, we think often, well, we think lots of things, but sometimes we think failure, a wreck, this, that, and the other. We have all sorts of views that seem very, very far, very, very far from

[35:26]

Buddha's wisdom, Buddha's way, Buddha Dharma. So we have to be permeated with these teachings. Our mind and body has to be over and over and over again permeated because it's like water off a duck's back. It just slides off. It's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, tell me about it some other time. Which is why the Buddha said, no, no, I can't tell you. I can't, no, enough, Shariputra, enough. No, it's enough said, I can't. I understand that. I understand how it is the Buddha, you know. You know, the skill and means stories that we told each other, and it was wonderful to hear the room buzzing with skillful means stories. I was thinking afterwards, that little book used to be called that David Chadwick put together to shine one corner.

[36:31]

I think the new edition has a different name. It's Vignettes of Suzuki Roshi. And I realized they're all skillful means stories. It's just little stories of some encounter with Suzuki Roshi that was skillful for the person, which is why they remembered it and told the story. And I thought, what if we put together a little booklet of skillful means, skill and means stories? I thought, and we could publish it like a little booklet and give it to the people who come for the Shusul ceremony and take one home. Anyway, I was thinking about these skill and means stories, and one of the skill and means stories for me was so skillful. It was so deep. It so turned my life around that it's almost too intimate to tell you.

[37:33]

So I won't tell who or when or what, but basically it was somebody saying, I accept you just the way you are. I accept you. I accept you. Accept. Accept. I accept you. And I couldn't believe anybody could because I was such a horrible person. How could they accept me completely? And that compassion, you know, it was almost like, oh, if that person who I admire can accept me, it was like a little crack in the case of in the cement case. So the Buddha is saying, not only I accept you, but I will do everything. The only reason I'm here, the only reason I'm teaching all the sutras and all my activities is because I want you to open to the truth of your nature, your awakened nature.

[38:44]

And I want to demonstrate it to you. I want you to realize it and fully enter and then help other beings. That's it. That's the whole story. Though it is hard to accept. So in our practice on our cushions, when we're sitting, this practice of not gauging thoughts and views, thinking good or bad, casting aside involvements, and all these admonitions that Dogen gives us, his understanding of Fukanzazengi was coming back to the original.

[39:50]

The Fukanza Sengi arises out of Dogen's, the context that he was living in, which included, you know, studying at Mount Hiei and studying in China and being exposed to many, many, many different practices and teachings and meditation practices. And he basically... you know, said, this is getting back to Shakyamuni's, you know, original teaching. It's just sitting. The Zazen I speak of is not learning meditation. And it has nothing to do with the meditation postures, walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. What I'm talking about is resuming your true nature and enacting it. embodying and enacting it on the cushion.

[40:54]

Because you yourself, just the way you are, lack nothing. You don't have to be acquiring and getting special powers, special concentration levels, or anything. It's so simple and so difficult. So the think-not-thinking, how do you think-not-thinking? Non-thinking is working with thoughts that come up, but not chasing after them and turning them and elaborating and gauging and analyzing and manipulating. It's just that thought is a no-thought, meaning it is empty, it is arriving, in this form, sponsored by the Buddha-verse, in this psychophysical event called whatever you want to call it today, that is impermanent and unable to be separated.

[42:16]

In the Sandi Nirmo Chana Sutra it says, about a thing, it says, what is a thing? It's the question. And the answer is, what is a thing? What is a thing? It is that to which the Aryas, or the noble ones, have been greatly enlightened. That's what a thing is. That's what thought is. What is a thought? What is a thought? It is that to which the noble ones have been greatly awakened. That's what a thought is. It's inconceivable even though it's a conception. What is a conception? What is a conception? It is that to which we have been awakened to. That's what it really is. There's nothing you can grab. So we can work with our thoughts like that as they arise and vanish.

[43:29]

So may our lives reveal their compassion what really is more worthy of your attention and energies and vigor. Our practice is strenuous. We need to rest along with the strenuousness. So please take care of yourselves. Let's all take care of ourselves as we practice together. I wanted to end with this wonderful, mysterious poem by Juan Jimenez, translated by Robert Bly.

[44:53]

called Oceans. And it reminds me of Sashin, that's why I wanted to read it to you. I should learn to memorize this, it's not too long. I have a feeling that my boat has struck down there in the depths against a great thing And nothing happens. Nothing. Silence. Waves. Nothing happens. Or has everything happened? And are we standing now quietly in the new life? I'm going to read it again. Oceans. I have a feeling that my boat has struck me. down there in the depths, against a great thing.

[45:57]

And nothing happens. Nothing. Silence. Waves. Nothing happens. Or has everything happened? And we are standing now, quietly, in the new life. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma talks are offered free of charge, and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, visit sfcc.org and click Giving.

[46:36]

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