Good morning. Welcome. My name is Mary. I'm a resident priest at Beginner's Mind Temple. And for the last six weeks, as Koro just mentioned, I've been leading a practice period. I'd like to thank Abbott David and the members of the Abbots group for inviting me and supporting me to lead this practice. So thank you to all of you for doing that. So we've been working with a teaching called the Lojong teachings. For those of you who are joining for the first time today, if anything you hear today sparks some interest for you, I would encourage you and suggest that you look on the San Francisco Zen Center website and look for talks that have been given during this practice period. We started the first talk on April 28th, and every talk since then till now has been related to these teachings.

[01:13]

And if you listen to them sequentially, they'll make more sense. So they build upon one another, and they provide a whole survey of these teachings. Again, if you are interested, please avail yourselves to that resource on the San Francisco Zen Center website. For those of you who have been participating in either the Sashin or in the entire practice period, I want to start by expressing my deep appreciation and respect. When I first was invited to lead the practice period, what I intended to do was share these teachings because they've been a big part of my life for many years.

[02:17]

What I didn't know was that we would be doing the spring practice period during a time of such grave pain, difficulty, aggression, manipulation. And so I feel that in terms of the teachings, the Lojong slogans have been, for me anyway, and I hope for many of you, the perfect medicine for the time. And the way that people have engaged over the last six weeks has been awe-inspiring to me. Through discussion, through small groups, through classes, through the Dharma talks, through study, everybody that has participated in this practice period has engaged with body and mind.

[03:30]

lent them their energy and their selves to this study, and I'm deeply affected by that. So thank you all very much. The point of working with the slogans in the practice of Tonglen, or in English, sending and taking, is to get in touch with the essence of our humanity, which is loving kindness and compassion. This is something that most of us are in disbelief around. That in this body, our essential essence is one of loving kindness and one of compassion. And we look around the world and we find it very difficult to believe. And I understand that. So... Through the study of these teachings, we've looked at the 59 slogans, almost all of them.

[04:35]

We've talked about the idea of absolute bodhicitta or absolute awakened heart. We've looked at the idea of relative bodhicitta through the lens of aspirational bodhicitta and action activity bodhicitta. And we've familiarized ourselves with the practice of Tom Glenn or sending and taking. And we've done this through many different ways. And now let's return to the beginning. So the first slogan asks us to contemplate four truths. The first is which is life is precious. So how is it that we have created a world where some lives are treated as more precious than others. How is it that we have allowed our fears to determine our actions personally and institutionally rather than our goodness?

[05:40]

How have we moved so far away from our basic nature? The teachings Speak to this. They tell us that we listen to our fears. We believe our fears. We engage them. We use them to cover over our essential goodness. We layer upon layer upon layer of fear and mistrust. Pardon me. in a way that prevents us from realizing that our bodies are brilliant. Our minds are brilliant. They are shining.

[06:42]

They are made from the stuff of goodness. we have trouble connecting with this idea. And this trouble prevents us, this disbelief prevents us from moving forward. And I think when we engage with the idea that absolute bodhicitta, the idea of a brilliant awakened heart, brilliant open heart, brilliant heart that is available to us at all times. I think we don't know how to do that. We don't know how to take the steps in order to have access to that.

[07:44]

I think most of us would like that. I think most of us think that that could be a really good idea even, that our lives... could use a little awakened nature. They could use an open heart. And so how do we take this heart that's been hardened and a shell has been built around it by our activities and our beliefs and our teaching and our belief in self and individuality? How do we crack that? And if we do, what will happen? Will that mean that we are completely exposed and defenseless in this world that we're living in? So these teachings for me showed me the mind of a bodhisattva, the mind of an awakened being.

[08:48]

They showed me that there are... steps that I can engage in in my daily life that support me to crack that shell. And that in cracking that shell, I'm less fearful. I'm less unwilling. I'm less... And that my capacity to connect with other people in fact grows rather than shrinks because I have this soft heart that I'm in touch with. So the 59 slogans, the Tonglen practice, is meant...

[09:52]

to encourage us to work with ourselves and to stabilize in a way that allows us to feel confident about engaging with the world. We think we have to do something brilliant. to be brilliant. We think we have to do something wise to be wise. We think we have to do something kind to be kind. And these teachings actually tell us you don't have to do anything. You are brilliant. You don't have to do anything. You are wise. And you don't have to do anything.

[10:56]

You are kind. So it starts with this. It starts with this idea that I understand you don't believe this. I understand that this seems impossible. And yet, walk on this path. Step on each of these 59 stones. See what happens. Check after a time. Does something feel different? These are painful times. And I think that Many people want to get out and do something. They want to do something.

[11:57]

And these teachings are saying to us, please wait. Please look at yourself. Please examine your own hindrances. Please examine the places where your ego... is screaming for you to protect yourself please settle down and think about who you are and how you react to the world and examine those things very closely it's saying to us once you know these things once you examine them carefully they will start to change. They will start to open. Our understanding, our tolerance, our allowing people space, our listening to our own opinions and believing them to be always the best opinion, those voices will quiet.

[13:13]

we will start becoming more tolerant. We will start giving people space. We will start being kinder to ourselves. We will start being kinder to other people. I think the experience for most of us is that we have voices that speak to us all the time and the messages those voices are saying are things like you are not good enough you need to do these things to be a better person you need to act differently and the Mind training allows us or encourages us to settle down and to hear these voices for the first time, to hear how negative they are, to hear how they limit us, to hear them for what they are, which is very negative, limiting things.

[14:44]

that we've said to ourselves a million times. Wanting to understand this talk, wanting to understand these messages. And then once we start understanding the things we say to ourselves, then looking deeper, and seeing where those messages are coming from. Seeing if we need to keep believing those messages. Seeing if there is someone who we used to listen to who would tell us those things that we don't need to listen to anymore. Understanding where this comes from allows them to change.

[15:46]

If the teachings say that if we continue to ignore the messages and push them down, they will fight in our bodies for recognition. And they will keep on being the powerful voices that we listen to. And... So if we first hear them and then start exploring them, being curious about them, acknowledging that they're part of who we are, those messages change and they get replaced by the messages that a bodhisattva would say to you. So the teachings provide us with something reliable to guide us.

[16:52]

Something that will lead us in a direction that in our deepest being, we know we want to go. I think for many people, when they come across the idea that we already have awakened nature, there's a part of each of us that understands the truth of that. And yet there's also a big part that's very skeptical because we look around and we see the violence in the world. And we are very sophisticated and sort of slippery beings.

[17:57]

We start to believe that we have to protect ourselves from that violence, that we have to protect ourselves from the way the world is. we start shoring up that belief by pointing outside of us ourselves and saying, see over there, because of that, I have to be this way. I have to cover over my goodness. And indeed, there are many people in the world whose life experience leads them to fear. Absolutely. I'm not debating that. Whose life experience leads them to have to protect themselves.

[19:00]

Those of us who don't live in that terrible situation, who have a life where we can sit down and study ourselves, that we have the luxury of not having to work every day to feed ourselves, to get clean drinking water, to support our families. Those of us who have that luxury are being asked to help support to change the world. And these teachings are saying, value that luxury. Value the possibility that through self-study, you can change the world. And through self-study, the world is changed, and then we move into it.

[20:12]

So using these 59 slogans, we can use these as stepping stones to walk towards an understanding of our brilliant heart and mind. And we can learn to acknowledge the ways we cover that brilliance over and then move to accept ourselves. This doesn't happen overnight. We've been learning for a long time to believe the message, the slogan, we aren't good enough. For many of us, that's been a lifelong study, a lifelong belief.

[21:21]

So it doesn't happen that you just wake up one day and say, I don't believe that anymore. This is a patience practice. It's a generosity practice. It's a diligent practice. It's an effort practice. It's a wisdom practice. These take time and gentleness. They take attention. It takes kindness. I'm sure that many people are frustrated and would like to have something that happens suddenly.

[22:29]

Some pill that miraculously ends this pandemic. Some vaccine that suddenly takes away this virus. some magic thing that suddenly will end climate change, some instant snap of the fingers that will end systematic oppression for black and brown people. And that's not the way it's going to work. However, it feels right now with what's happening that in this darkness, there's hope for change. That people are starting to see that this is not going to suddenly change because somebody else will do something about it.

[23:44]

The Lojong teachings are very specific. They say you need to train your own mind. You need to do something, and that's something you need to do. You need to start now. You need to change by effort, and you need to do that yourself. There's support for you, and you need to do it. So another thing that these teachings talk about is that we believe that I'm here and everything else is out there. And by extension, this very firmly held belief allows us to think this issue, all of these issues that I just mentioned,

[24:51]

are other people's problems. I'm safe here. And the teachings say that is not true, that there is no out there and there's no in here. They say, for those people who don't know so much about Buddhism, that there's also an out there and an in here. So that can get quite confusing. And I think for the purposes of the Lojang teachings, the idea of dissolving the separation between out there and in here is extremely important because we believe That if we protect in here, we won't be affected by out there.

[25:58]

And these teachings say over and over again that that is not so. That we all live and breathe the same air. We are all dependent on one another. We are all affected by one another. and affect one another. We are all connected. And so working to establish and rekindle this fire of connection is extremely important. To start believing that self and other are not so clear. The practice of Tonglen strengthens our ability to see that lack of separation. Over time, effort with that practice works to soften that divide.

[27:12]

It works to bring us in conversation. Not just when we choose, but all the time. We are with all beings in conversation all the time. And we have often covered that over or turned that off, have denied that. And so the effort of a bodhisattva is to acknowledge that connection, acknowledge that conversation, and being willing to accept responsibility in there. I'm looking at this figure of Avalokiteshvara, Huan Yin.

[28:16]

who hears the cries of the world and responds. We are those people. We are that energy. We can open up to hearing the cries of the world, and we do have the strength to respond. This happens slowly. We develop confidence. We develop strength. We develop wisdom. And then we start acting. We start acting in ways that help. We start being brilliant and kind.

[29:23]

It doesn't take much effort for me to feel so hurt right now, to feel deeply sad to feel the pain that is being caused by this idea that some lives are more precious than others. And I try not to cover that over because it is what's happening right now. And I'm making a commitment to study myself so that I can understand that I'm connected to all the people that are suffering in this moment.

[30:45]

and to try to do good and be kind. And I know many people who have been participating in this practice period are working diligently towards that same place. very easy to become discouraged it's very easy to think there's nothing that can be done and many people are marching and protesting the mayor of Washington for those of you that don't know had the street leading up to the White House painted with these huge bright yellow letters saying Black Lives Matter.

[31:53]

It's awe-inspiring. We can change ourselves through patience and kindness. We can change the world through patience and kindness. We have that possibility. So thank you very much for participating in this practice period, for participating in this Dharma talk, for participating with me in the study of the mind training slogans and Tongwen. Before I close, I'd like to thank a couple of people. Through the practice period, I've been giving a number of Dharma talks, and I've been accompanied on those Dharma talks with the beautiful art that Paola Pietranera created.

[33:10]

So earlier in the practice period, on this side, were her folded cranes, and now it's this incredible piece of Souvier art. I find her work inspirational, and I've enjoyed so much setting up with her this place to get these talks from. So thank you, Paola, so much. And I'd like to thank... my partner, Aaron, for supporting me during this practice period, for being the Tenzo, cooking all the meals, taking care of the kitchen, for being the work leader, taking care of the house, for being the Sheikah, for being the director, for being the person behind the person.

[34:11]

So thank you very much, Aaron. Finally, to thank the people that in a moment got busy on Zoom, Kodo, Joshin, Matt, Greg, all the Don Rio hosts, all the people, John Voss, who have put together this technical world that allows us to keep spreading the Dharma. Thank you. Let's do the closing chat, Koro.

[35:21]

May our intention equally extend to every being and place with the true merit of Buddha's way. Beings are numberless. I vow to save them Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless. I vow to enter them. Buddha's way is unsurpassable. I vow to beat them. Thank you so much. In keeping with the silence of Sesshin, we'll forego a question-and-answer period, and everything will be back to normal in that respect.

[36:32]

For the one-day sitting and Sesshin participants, we will move over to the Sesshin home. Zazen will begin at 11.15. Thank you.

[36:50]

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