The Eight Great Awarenesses of an Enlightened Being, and this is based on the last teaching which Buddha gave just before he passed into, passed beyond, went into his parinirvana. So it's the last teaching that Buddha gave his disciples, and it's the last versicle of the Dobermuth, that was kind of an interesting symmetry there. Maybe we should keep working on it forever, too, and not worry about any cosmic significance to working with these. But they're so, these Eight Awarenesses, or their Eight Practices, or their Eight Understandings.

[01:06]

I thought that many of us are doing these, trying to live with these already, but to bring them forth, and to make them conscious, and we might want to take up one or more of these for this summer, and focus our practice on one aspect. These are all, although we say eight, they're actually all the same, facets of one mind. So you'll see as I read them how interconnected they are, it's impossible really to separate them, it's just a different way of talking about them. But each point throws a different light on what we're talking about. These eight points sound a little bit like what I just read, about an easy way to become

[02:15]

a Buddha. The first one is have few desires, the second one is knowing how to be satisfied, the third is enjoying quietude, or serenity and tranquility, the fourth is exerting meticulous effort, or diligence, the fifth one is not forgetting right thought, or unfailing recollection, sixth is practicing samadhi, seven is cultivating wisdom, and the eighth is avoiding idle talk, or vain talk. It's kind of interesting that the last one has to do with speaking, usually, and these will sound very familiar to those of you who've studied Buddhism a little, because there's

[03:15]

an overlap with the precepts and with the Paramitas and the Eightfold Path, most of which end with samadhi and wisdom. But in this listing, we end with idle talk, vain talk. So, the point of practice is really to be where we almost can't get to right now, to get to this present mind and body, to be in this breath. I think some of us through Charlotte's work, Charlotte and Charles' work this week, actually achieved concentration on the body and breath, and we're able to bring life to our limbs,

[04:27]

to our arms, our hands, to be aware of the shifting of weight, on letting the leg take all the weight of the body, or just today, I don't know if we did this in the residence section, today we spent a long time just lifting our arms and experiencing the movement in the shoulder, in the shoulder girdle, when the arms went up, and very slowly came down. Very subtle, very meticulous, tiny changes, but so rich, such a rich awareness of what was going on in the body. And I got really carried away, I developed wings, and she had us doing this endlessly,

[05:30]

up and down, up and down, partly because somebody complained about stiff shoulders. And at some point, my arms went way up, and my breath was so full, and the feeling in my body was so free, like I wanted to reach, extend to the ceiling. That kind of awareness, bringing life to our body, to our activity, is something that's within our capacity and reach at any time. We don't need any special tools, any special instruction, we need a quiet place, a concentrated place, and some encouragement, because the body really wants to be free and wants to

[06:33]

be aware and awake. Some of you may have seen Joseph Campbell's series, The Power of Myth, on TV, and also a book, he published a book of this material, his lectures and interviews. In there he said, people aren't really interested in the meaning of life, what people are interested in is the experience of their life. And actually, when we think about that, it's true. We really are searching for, waiting for, that moment of really being in our life. And that being is in the body, this experience of sensation, of knowing, what it's like to

[07:38]

be in your abdomen, your lungs, to be in your throat, to actually have your hands, be in your hands. So I'm really grateful to Charlotte and Sylvia and Charles Brooks for bringing their work to us this week and reminding us of something that we talk about all the time, and maybe don't do so much, because we're thinking about how to do our life, thinking about something we should be doing, instead of just doing it. These eight practices, or eight awarenesses, are not hierarchical, as I've said, it's more

[08:45]

like maybe horizontal, a circle, and as we practice them, we become more and more deeply and subtly aware of the depth of difficulty and the depth of opportunity with each one. You know, somebody said to me today, for those of you who are guests, we've had two days of all-day sitting here yesterday, yesterday was one group and the day before another group sitting all day, and one person said today, but even though I tried to be present all day, I made an effort to be with my breath, in my posture, I really felt that I wasn't

[09:49]

in touch with my experience, I wasn't really there. It is so hard, that's not an uncommon experience, there is something between us, some covering, some curtain or some veil, and then sometimes that just drops, and we're right in our body, we're present for sensations and feelings, and we're in our thoughts, in our thoughts. So I'd like to talk about them a little bit, I won't try not to be too systematic, because every time I try to get systematic, it goes flat, so I'll try to keep it a little livelier. My sense is that we can't be present, because we're afraid, fear keeps us from actually

[10:58]

just being where we are, being with the person we're talking to, or being in the activity we're doing, being present in zazen, we're really afraid to be in whatever that is, that present moment, the fullness of something that we may not know, fullness of something that's not something our mind knows, it's the unknown for us, and it's too much of a challenge, we don't feel up to it, our body's not ready for it, or our mind's not ready. So given that most of us have some difficulty, virtually all of us,

[12:05]

we take on this practice we call zazen, to bring us into the body, it's a body practice, and to allow us to see, soften the body, enliven the body, become intimate with the body, become acquainted with the body and with the mind, and through this acquaintance, gradually break down the resistance, the fear, the anxiety, the doubt, so that we can just enter our experience. In zazen, we under-stimulate ourselves

[13:07]

in order to see what this phenomenon, this mind-body phenomenon is, and that's an antidote to the way we are. And so this first awareness of having few desires arises out of restless mind, the mind of dissatisfaction, the mind of boredom, the mind of agitation. When we're agitated inside, because we're not content with who we are, because we're always wanting a little bit more, a little bit different, when we're not content inside, we're looking for a stimulation outside. If we don't find it outside, as we notice in zazen, we stimulate ourselves inside.

[14:12]

Think of all kinds of entertaining thoughts, we get angry at people, we get angry at ourselves, and we cook up a lot of stuff. In this mind of, this restless mind, you know, this is the fundamental teaching of Buddhism, that we're separated from who we are because we think we are somebody, and then we think we don't like who that is. We make up somebody that we think we are, and actually Buddhism tells us and teaches us, and our experience in zazen, is that there is only impermanence, there's only the arising and falling away of sensation,

[15:22]

of feelings, of thoughts, of sensory experience, consciousness. So, the antidote, the teaching is that everything is, that life is transient. Life is impermanent. Everything changes. And we sit zazen and actually meet that, which, and we meet our stomach that's hanging on, or our breath that's hanging on, our diaphragm that's hanging on, and little by little, simply

[16:25]

through sitting, the tension in the body begins to relax. That was interesting to me to watch in the workshop, that little by little, without intending, but simply because of focusing on the exercises, the breathing changed, the breathing relaxed. And in zazen we bring our breath down to our abdomen, we take it away from the noisy brain, the active brain, the overstimulated brain, bring it down to our abdomen, and calm ourselves down. And this practice has two dimensions. One is detachment, coolness, the other is engagement, fire engagement, passionate engagement. And we look to find a balance between stepping back

[17:31]

and going forth. And actually, they're not different. They're two aspects of one being. So the first practice is having few desires. And most of the desires are too interested in things. This practice brings out people who aren't so interested in fancy clothes or fancy cars, but we do get interested in television sets and VCRs and walkways. But the desires that we hang on to, even when we let go of some material desires like clothing, the desires we hang on to

[18:34]

are the desires for recognition, for approval, for fame, for being loved, for being well thought of, for being better than other people, for being admired. So, I noticed when I went to this wedding not so long ago that I inadvertently found myself buying a very classy dress, which I normally wouldn't have bought. And as soon as I bought this rather classy dress, all kinds of accompanying desires arose with it. I was suddenly catapulting myself

[19:39]

into a new level of presentation. So I needed shoes, and I needed a handbag, and I needed various other... I needed future events to wear this dress to, and I needed partners who would share my new style of clothing. And I didn't know where I was going to get all this, so I immediately took the dress back. And I thought about what a funny turnaround this was for me to be. Not exactly typical. I realized that what I had done was a desire for a brief time, an alternate way of life. I desired an alternate life from the life that I'm living, and that was represented by this classy dress. It was sort of going through my mind, I hadn't thought about it. And then I realized

[20:44]

how we're always desiring alternate lives than the life we're living, whether it's another sexual partner, or another mate, or another friend, a better position, anything other than what we have. And that we get into a lot of trouble because we can imagine life other than the life we're living. And the deep teaching of Buddhism is that we're only living this life. And imagining alternatives is the suffering, is misery, is tremendous agitation and genuine restlessness.

[21:48]

So the second of these awarenesses is knowing how to be satisfied. That's one that we have to spend a lot of energy and thought examining pretty deeply. What does it take to satisfy us? Does what satisfies me today satisfy me tomorrow? I was, I felt so nourished by the workshop today, by the satisfaction of breath and awareness and presence in my body. And I think all of us who've done Zazen for some time know that it's very important to be aware of what's going on in your body.

[22:51]

The deepest satisfaction that we have is the satisfaction of Zazen, the fullness of our breath in our body, the presence in our breath and body, and the quiet, the experience and the knowing of our life as it's gone by. So Zazen, once again, can be a model. Zazen is a model for this life of Buddha's awarenesses. Just as Zazen is a kind of renunciation, an understimulation of our overstimulated mind and body, a renunciation of

[23:52]

the opportunities in the world, the sensory world, the sense of form, and a return to home, to our original nature, we say. And the third of these awarenesses is enjoying quietude. Maybe literally that means going away from the clamoring crowd into the forest and contemplating the arising and perishing of experience. But another way, enjoying quietude, is again the experience of Zazen, is the being in our life in a way that doesn't add anything to it. It's the non-doing of our life. Zazen is non-doing.

[25:00]

It looks calm, it looks quiet, but there's enormous activity and energy in Zazen. And Zazen we're aware of, noticing the tremendous flow that is our momentary existence. And just knowing this endless change, endless transformation, endless arising, without commenting on it, without adding to it, is quiet, enjoying quietude. Enjoying simplicity, enjoying tranquility. So even when we enter a busy guest season,

[26:11]

after a relatively calm winter, we can watch the energy come up, we can watch the feelings arise, and we can practice non-acting. We can practice not expressing that impulse. Watch that feeling, but not practice it. These are not easy to do, and we just take it on as an experiment. What do we learn about ourselves? Practicing not acting on feelings. The minute we act on our feeling, we gravitate toward one person or thing, and we push away something else. And that way we are always in a tug-of-war with life, with our experience. We're always

[27:17]

absorbing it into ourselves. We think it's all there for us, and we miss its independent existence, or we're rejecting it, and we miss its fullness. So somehow to look at each thing without the coloration of desire or rejection is to enjoy quiet, enjoy a kind of serenity. And that's, of course, coming against the deep grain of our habitual being, which is always reacting, always reacting, always grabbing things, always pushing things away. So Zazen, again, shows us how to develop the capacity, the softness of body, the strength of body, and the softness of mind to be present, and just let things flow

[28:23]

through us, around us. We must have had a very wide texture of mind, a very wide texture of body, so that everything that came up would just come into me, and through me. We didn't reject anything. And then diligent effort, meticulous effort, as Buddha says, is like pouring endless drops of water on a stone, and eventually a hole in the water. So diligent practice is every day, making continuous effort, but also being willing to take a break when we need to, being willing to refresh ourselves. And intelligent effort is setting realistic goals and completing whatever task we take on,

[29:39]

and that will give us confidence in our own ability to engage with our life, with what we call our practice, with our activity. And not forgetting right thought is to continuously come back to you. I am here. Continuously come back to the three treasures. I am Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Buddha as the teacher, we've been. Dharma as the teaching, we've been. Sangha as the harmony

[30:43]

between self and everything else, between difference and unity, between sameness and indifference. Continuously coming back, not forgetting right thought, is continuously coming back to the awareness of our identity with all of life, our non-separation from everything, and our willingness to make the effort to realize our deep, deep interconnection with everything. Practicing samadhi is collecting our thoughts and energy. When I was thinking about this, when I thought about how many times,

[31:48]

it seems really hard to get across the room, because in my apartment in San Francisco, because I'm not sure whether I should make a telephone call, or pick up a coffee, or write a letter, or make out a check, or pick up a book, there are times when you just find you almost can't move, because your mind is pulling you in various directions. And sometimes it's really obvious and gross, like you stand in the middle of the room and you can't move, because you're pulled. Other times it's very, it's more subtle. There's just some interference. Try to do something, but actually you have some other agenda going. And practicing samadhi is more and more trying to bring our agendas together to just what we do, so that we're actually doing whatever we're doing, completely wholeheartedly, completely whole

[32:59]

bodily, whole-mindedly. And when we have had that experience, as I think many of us have had this week, it's a wonderful encouragement. It's about the difficulty of bringing our minds back to what we're doing, if it can be done. And I think activity is an easier place to do it than in the bathroom. In the bathroom we see so much restlessness of our mind. But in the dining room, or in the kitchen, when we actually have the use of our arms, stomach, and legs, our whole torso, we actually, and because there are tasks to do that have to be done, I think for many of us it's more, it's easier to find concentration and stabilization. And the next one is cultivating wisdom, insight.

[34:02]

Watching things coming and going. Watching things pass by. Knowing that there isn't anything that lasts. We are only our activity. We are not anything in addition to our activity. Even though we are Buddha, the teacher within, there's no one there. There's just the doing of our life. So cultivating wisdom is actually studying this phenomenon. Studying how feelings pass away, how impulses come and go. How anger arises and passes. How greed, if it's not acted

[35:10]

on, actually passes. And that inherently, our experience is that life is somewhat frustrating, or always a little bit frustrating, or a lot frustrating. And actually knowing that we act out of this discomfort and unbalanced, unsettled state of mind and body most of the time, and continue to come back to stability, continue to come back to calmness and balance. And avoiding idle talk. Dead talk, I read today, is talk which gives you something to hang on to.

[36:20]

And alive talk is that which takes away your assumptions, and whatever your understanding is. So I hope that I haven't given you anything that you want. And if I have, that's just another bondage for you. That's just something else to remember. God. Now, does anybody have any comments or questions about what I've said so far? I appreciated your talking about our imaginary life, the life that we imagine we could have if we weren't in the moment that we're actually in, or the moment that we're not quite actually in,

[37:26]

probably. And I wonder how much my life is spent thinking that, because I can imagine this other state, thinking that I can get to it if I do x, y, or z. And so I guess I'm linking this, perhaps because I want to talk about two things, and they may not go together, but the idea of Zazen as enunciation is a little, makes me a little squeamish. I'm much more comfortable with your calling it return, because I think that that picture of if I do x, y, z might include some feeling for if I renounce these things, then I can have this imaginary life. If you want to say something to that. Um, wait, but you made that connection for me again. You're more comfortable with Zazen as

[38:39]

return, return to original nature. Yes, and to the present experience as a way to avoid to avoid the idea of Zazen as, yeah, thank you. See, I call it renunciation because I feel that Zazen is a very radical turning away from our activity before we come here. It's a radical examination of all of our assumptions of what life is about. You know, the step ladder, which achievement, most of us are doing Zazen with the mind of attainment. And we measure our success, we had a good period of Zazen, and we didn't have a good period of Zazen. We're getting someplace in Zazen that we want to be. So, I think it's just

[39:46]

illuminating to see that this is an endless source of delusion for us. We're endlessly imagining another period of Zazen than the one we're doing. There's the perfect Zazen that we read about someplace, so it sounds like somebody did. And if we were doing that instead of what we're doing, we'd be enlightened, I guess, we'd be Samadhi. As the Ginja Poem says, sentient beings are deluded about enlightenment, and it is Buddhas that are enlightened about delusion. So, somehow we have to break that pattern and accept and be willing to feel okay. With this. This is the only body I have. This is the mind I have. This is the intuition I have. I can either settle into this, finally, after trying everything I can to get away from it,

[40:58]

or continue to chase my tail. So, it's the one thing we don't want to do. We don't want to just be here. I don't know why not. Because for everybody else, this is where we are. I see you as there. And it's fine with me. I want you to be there. And you're not easy to be there, for whatever reason. And it's okay with you for me to be here. And I can help you. But, we're coming back to that. What's not enough? Why are we deficient? And why do we feel we're deficient? Or, we have an overabundance, and some people feel somewhat arrogant. But I think at the bottom of arrogance is deficiency. Does that address what you're doing now? The other image that you mentioned of the rock and the water dripping, the kind of patience

[42:03]

that that water is, also is what I hear you speaking of now. That's what is required to actually allow ourselves to be right where we are. It's the patience of water. Practicing with, everybody is idealistic about practice. And it seems like, and that was true, I think, when we started practicing with Suzuki Roshi, there was a real sense of, if we did this, if we were really gung-ho for ten years or eight years or something, we'd get to the other shore, whatever that was, or get to the other side. And we were unprepared for the actual fact that the more we sit, the more in touch we are with our actual body and mind. And the more we see how greedy, how deluded, how ignorant, how confused

[43:06]

we are, and are more willing to be there. The course of practice is to settle into confusion and delusion. You know, Okamura Sensei said the other night, we are from the beginning born as Buddha, and we are deluded to the end. And somehow we don't want to settle for that. Somehow each of us is going to be the exception, I think. And it's true that each of us is the exception. But only by sitting in my seat can I become Buddha. You can't sit in my seat, and I can't sit in yours. But you can sit in your seat and be the Buddha that you are. Somewhere in there, that kind of reality, that kind of acceptance of this little sentient being

[44:12]

is the passageway to seeing that Buddha and sentient beings are one. Being wholeheartedly this sentient being is what you see as Buddha. And when you're wholeheartedly your sentient being, yourself, I see you as Buddha. And you see me. Maybe you don't see yourself, but I do. But so, this is very simple, obvious teaching, but it's so hard to do. So, we're talking about it as the summer has gotten launched a little bit. So, if there is something in here that you can take on and actually study, actually study with some attention and diligence and interest, I'd be interested in it.

[45:19]

I mean, when you see your endless delusion, it's huge. Oh, that's how my mind works. It wants to get out of this life, so I get it pretty dressed, and I think I can get out of it. Isn't that interesting? But I don't want to be out of this life. It's getting late. And I know a lot of people on this set, a lot of them in yesterday. I promised that, you know, I'd say something about the yajna sats, but I think I'll save that for tomorrow, because we are going to have the opportunity tomorrow afternoon for those who have not done the ceremony to practice it. And the ceremony tomorrow night is a return, is a reaffirmation that the Buddha

[46:24]

nature of that side of us, which is our original nature, which is constantly being liberated from fixed ideas and fixed form, which is supporting our sentient being side, our karmic side, which is covering our Buddha side, and they go back and forth. And in the ceremony, we will take refuge and pay homage and take the vows again as an affirmation of this acknowledgement of the Buddha mind. That we know and we touch and we base our life on the Buddha mind that each of us has and shares. Thank you very much.

[47:48]

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