This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good morning, bodhisattvas. Please get used to being addressed in this way. The bodhisattvas return the greeting. We have been sitting for some time now, and hardly any time at all. And we're beginning to establish some of the sishin practices. You know the difference between hearing a practice and establishing a practice is pretty profound.

[01:03]

And in Sesshin, we have a unique opportunity to establish practices instead of just hearing or thinking about them. So, how do we develop silence of speaking and silence of seeing through the body? The guideline says, be silent and still. But what is that stillness, that silence of the body? If it means dominating some part of the body with another part of the body, it's not silence or stillness. So please consider this well. What is silence of speaking? What is silence of the eyes as practiced through the body?

[02:06]

Sometimes we have to practice gross silence to find subtle silence, so to inhibit the desire to speak, to find the territory of silence. But just a little bit of a clue, if you allow your to establish your posture at every moment so that you have balance and physical awareness of where you are in space. And if you allow your eyes and your ears, instead of grabbing after sights and sounds, to receive sights and sounds from a quiet place, that reinforces the practice of silence. if you allow yourself to feel rather than going out after touch. So the object is not out there.

[03:14]

The object is the subject that's received through touch. Then silence begins to be a little bit more deeply and a little more intimately expressed. If Suzuki Roshi were here for one second, what I would want to see is how he picks up a teacup and drinks the tea. And I think that's what we're looking for when we sit sesshin, when we do a practice period, to find some way of living as whole beings instead of as partly embodied, partly aware beings. Another hint. Sometimes the practice of silence is discontinuous. So sometimes we speak and forget that we're speaking. Or sometimes we go after sense objects and forget that we're doing that.

[04:19]

It really helps to move with the breath. We can experience this in kinhin. We can practice it. The form of kinhin is very conducive. to understanding how to move with the breath because on the inhalation you lift and on the exhalation you place. And kinhin becomes an easy way to remember the continuity of physical awareness in the zendo. And... to begin to learn how to express it in all activities. It's not a matter of learning something. It's a matter of something learning us or permeating us. Now what makes Sashin a good place to find such activity or find such practice?

[05:26]

Well, I think in part because everything is taken care of. You know, there are many conditions for meditation that are thought of as good conditions, and pretty much they've all been given. So we've restrained our conduct according to some guidelines for Sishin. We've made a decision not to react. to certain kinds of experience, but instead to stay in silence. We aren't usually concerned with our livelihood during Sushi. We tend not to waste clothing or food, and shelter is established. And we have a form in which to relate intimately to each other without having to work it out.

[06:30]

Also, Sashin is an institution that's very well structured in relation to respect. Sashin, the form pays attention to the abbots and to the teachers. and is respectful towards Buddha, towards Dharma, and towards Sangha. Every evening we repeat the refuges. And our practice of taking refuge in awakeness is established and continuous. There's a teacher we can see. There's a meditation subject, the body. And there are living examples all around us of enthusiasm, energy, intention, and studying the self. We are reciting the metta sutta.

[07:36]

We're dedicating our effort to the well-being of other people in our lives. And we offer our practice back every time we do service. we offer our practice back to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. So it's a very auspicious set of conditions that will never come again. And because of that, because of the auspiciousness of the conditions, because of the firm establishment of respect in the individual body and in relation to each other, and to the temple. It's unique. This group of people is unique and will never come again. So yesterday Zen K. Roshi introduced the Mahatsatipatthana Sutta as a meditation subject for Sashin.

[08:42]

Or I should say, not the Sutta itself. but the study of the Buddha's teachings about the body. And in particular, as great vehicle practice. And just to review, we're focusing on the body in and of itself, on the body in the body. It's not the body as a thing to be learned. It's studying the body in and of itself as the body arises. Anytime greed or aversion or attraction rise up, instead we turn our attention back to the present moment, to our present activities. And we apply ourselves with right effort. This is what Blanche spoke about yesterday as being ardent.

[09:47]

that we apply ourselves with some effort, that we continually look at our actions. We are continually aware of our actions to see whether they're skillful or unskillful in relation to what we're doing. And then when there's a skillful one, we work with it. And when there's an unskillful one, we deliberately turn away from prolonging it. We let it have its beginning, its middle, and its end, and we return back to the subject at hand. And alert, Blanche spoke about alertness yesterday. I don't know if you've ever heard a conversation with, if you've ever had a conversation with Paul in which he says, what's happening now? That what's happening now is alertness. What's happening now, right now? Alertness means to sharply and clearly be aware of now.

[10:53]

And then Blanche also spoke of mindfulness. But in great vehicle practice, mindfulness is suffused. It's brought up in the context of our deepest intention. our inmost intention, to wake up with and for all beings, and to allow our intention not just to be skillful, but to come forth from our great vow, our deepest intention, whatever that is. So there's a deliberate emphasis on big mind when we study the body as great vehicle practice. And big mind, in Zen, I should say, I don't know whether to say big mind or big body, because we're also talking about the body of all beings, the heart that includes all beings, the body that expresses unity with all beings.

[12:00]

So it might seem like the stages of practice that Blanche talked about yesterday are separate practices, but they aren't. They're one practice. First practice is focusing on the body in and of itself, I think she said. Second is to focus on how it arises, stays for a while, and then goes away. And the third stage is to refine this cultivation. The fourth stage is to dwell in emptiness. So these are steps and stages. You've heard that zazen is not about steps and stages. But this not being about steps and stages doesn't mean that you don't care about them or study them. It means you're not caught by them. So it's very useful to use steps and stages as a way to explore the life that's arising right now.

[13:10]

For instance, we can study the breath. So Suzuki Roshi talked about studying the breath in Zazen or in Sashin, and he invited us to count the breath, whether to count inhalations or to count exhalations. And that's a way of finding a connection with the breath. And I think that this practice period we heard a story of, okay, I counted. Now what? And we heard Suzuki Roshi's response, which was not. Let's just say it was not. Okay, you're done. Now you can move on to the next thing. It was something else. But there might come a moment at which counting seems a little bit rough. And you can use the... I don't know if you've experienced this, but...

[14:15]

Before you count, there's an intention to count and a sense of contact between the mind and the breath body to allow that number to come up. One. So before that, one comes up. If you're counting the breath according to Suzuki Roshi's instructions, there's a moment of contact with the breath and then a remembrance of counting as a practice, and then the number one seems to spontaneously arise. But there's a moment at which that one may seem extra. So you can simply know the breaths that arise. So you can try it now. If your breath is long, just know that it's long.

[15:19]

If your breath is short, just to know that it's short. You can know whether your breath is long or short even while listening to lecture. And doesn't it provide a sense of continuity with the sitting posture and a sense of quiet stillness and peace in the ears to know? oh, this is a long breath, this is a short breath. The words this is a long breath, this is a short breath are extra. And you can train yourself thus. Not just breathing in or breathing in or short breath or a long breath, but you can train yourself the body itself to be aware of the long and short breath.

[16:21]

So that breathing in is an experience of the whole body. And breathing out is an experience of the whole body. And when I say body, I mean body and mind. Because for it to be an experience of the whole body, it means that it's mind. For it to mean an experience of the whole body, it means that it's body. And just to breathe in and out, the whole body breath in, the whole body breath out, calms and settles the self on the self. it calms and settles the whole created body, the whole body of form on itself.

[17:23]

And this is what's called the body in the body through breath. And you'll notice that if you turn your attention or if you allow the intention to turn towards a breath, that each breath has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And whether you're interested in how it arises, where it arises from, or how it comes into being, Or whether you're more interested in how it fades away and where it goes. Or whether you're more interested in the rhythm and unifying life of the arising and passing away of the breath.

[18:41]

Wherever your interest is there. that in itself is an experience of the nature of human life. So being aware of how the breath arises, stays, or passes away is an experience of birth and death in and of itself. And Even while listening to lecture, it's quite possible to be immersed in the rhythm of the breath arising, staying, and passing away, or just arising, arising, or just fading, fading. I suggest that if you're sleeping, to focus on arising will even out your state.

[19:45]

And if you're overexcited or in pain, to focus on fading or passing will even out your state. Or if you're confused, to notice arising and passing and its rhythm will help bring your mind to a state of rhythm and peace. Whatever it is, if it's a wholesome or skillful state that helps you and other people in Sushi actively nourish it. And if it isn't, do something else. And you'll notice that breathing in and calming, that this is an experience of the Quality of the mind itself at this point, that breathing in, noticing arising, or breathing out, noticing fading, breathing in and out, noticing rhythm, ties the attention to the quality of the mind itself.

[21:04]

And it feels pleasing and wholesome to be able to do that. It's a calming of the mind itself, a calming and settling of the attentive quality of the mind. It brings us into the present. So this process matures and settles itself over time, breath after breath, period after period. And we begin to settle and come closer to the moment, to the present moment. Either the awareness becomes refined or the physical mindfulness, it becomes very simple so that you don't have to have many thoughts about it to maintain it.

[22:16]

It becomes effortless. no matter what occurs. And there's a sense not just of depending on the qualities of sesshin, but of independently holding sesshin body and sesshin mind, no matter what occurs. Blanche talked about this yesterday as entry into emptiness. Basically, it's empty of whatever isn't there, of whatever is imaginary or supposed in favor of what is happening at this moment. To be on the cusp of its arising or the cusp of its passing away moment after moment is something that we can do and listen to lecture or go to the bathroom and work. whatever else we need to do.

[23:17]

Now, if you've read Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, I don't have it in front of me, but in I think the second chapter, Suzuki Roshi talks about breathing as a swinging door, the rhythm of the breath. as a swinging door. First chapter, he talks about how when you cross your legs, you can't tell which is which. And the second chapter, he settled us on the breath and talks about the breath as a swinging door. And if you want to experience mindfulness of the breath through Suzuki Roshi's gate, first settle your posture. And you can do that if you need a micro-adjustment to your posture. Or if you need to rest, please do to keep the pliability of your mind.

[24:24]

If your mind becomes unpliable because you're forcing, then give yourself a rest, a mental or physical rest with uprightness, not losing the intention of what you're doing. But if you want to experience breath mindfulness through Suzuki Roshi's gate, you can count until the counting begins to appear rough to you. And then go to, then begin to establish yourself on that tiny little sense of intention or connection just before the counting would arise. That's called following the breath. And following, if you follow until following becomes rough, you can sit at the place where there is no sign even.

[25:27]

It's a feeling of stopping on the present moment without pushing away or negating anything that arises. You can simply sit in the realm before anything arises. You can drop any concept of body and mind, any condition of body and mind, and simply be. Your gashô is your dropped-off body and mind, your dropping-off body and mind. Your teacup is your dropped-off body and mind. And as you continually steep yourself in the stopped mind, in the present mind, as your practice of the present matures in depth and confidence, moment after moment, there may come a moment in which you're called on to help someone or to support someone or to attend to someone or something.

[26:44]

In response, you may have to spontaneously reactivate body and mind to study intimacy, and that's okay. That's part of the sushin practice too. Now we have a wonderful story in our tradition about Bodhidharma's teacher, Prajnatara. And Prajnatara was a great teacher and for many years thought to be a man. And now there's some question about whether Prajnatara may have been a woman. We don't know. The American Zen Teachers Association and the Soto Zen Buddhist Association are debating whether Prajnatara was a man or a woman, and maybe in a hundred years we'll know. what we're certain of is that Prajnatara was a great teacher and his or her practice is embodied in us.

[27:51]

So the story about Prajnatara comes about when Prajnatara is invited by a raja in eastern India to a feast. And It was the custom at the time when there was a feast or a special occasion that it was a kind of a commissioning or patronage for the dharma. And so there would be food and something to drink, and then everybody would say, mujo, jin, jin, or the equivalent. They would say... having it to see and listen to, to remember and accept. I vow to taste the truth of the Tathagata's words. And then the teacher who had been invited for that patronage would teach about a sutra, about Buddhist teaching.

[29:01]

And so there was food and there was drink. and presumably there was a chant or a dedication, and Prajnatara didn't say anything. And the teachers, the rajas said, why don't you recite the sutras now? And Prajnatara responded, This poor wayfarer doesn't dwell in the realms of body or mind when breathing in, doesn't get involved in myriad circumstances when breathing out. I always recite such a sutra, hundreds, thousands, millions of scrolls.

[30:06]

So not to dwell in the realms of body and mind when breathing in. Not to become tied up internally. Not to get involved in circumstances when breathing out. Not to get attached externally. This is the sutra that's always being recited on the inhalation and on the exhalation. I don't know how many breaths we take in a lifetime. In yoga practice, our life is measured in breaths. And this sutra is always being recited, every breath, if we can hear it. Now the introduction to this case, this case is in the Book of Serenity, it's case two. right after the story about Bodhidharma.

[31:14]

And right after the story about the case three, right after the story about the Buddha ascending the seat and being quiet, right after the story about Bodhidharma. I might be getting my case numbers mixed up here, but I think of it that way. So right after the story about Bodhidharma is the backstory to Bodhidharma. the story about Bodhidharma's teacher. And the introduction of the case says, the state before the beginning of time, a turtle heads for the fire. The one phrase specially transmitted outside of words and letters. The lip of the mortar bears flowers. Now tell me, is there any having it to see and listen to, to remember and accept in this?

[32:21]

So we can think of the turtle heading for the fire as us heading for our body and mind, the state before beginning of time. We can think of our teaching the way the teaching falls on our life, as the lip of a mortar bearing flowers. Not dwelling in realms of body and mind and not being involved in myriad circumstances has no track or trace. It's just breathing in, just breathing out. How can reading sutras or giving a lecture pierce this life?

[33:32]

How can... coming to sesshin, drop body and mind. Sesshin is a time when we can experience the pivotal nature of each moment. That's all. Seshin, even though it's a special time, is not a special life. After all, it's the same breath, the same mind. On inhalation, the realms of body and mind are just as they are.

[34:39]

That's us. On the exhalation, life is just as it is. That's the world. The pivot of seshin, the pivot of the breath, is the pivot of self in the world, self in things, self in people. All we need to do is to stay in the place of the pivot of body and mind. Now, as I said before, you can count the breath, you can follow the breath, you can be in the...

[35:47]

present before inhalation and exhalation. You can do this in the zendo in zaza, at work, going to the toilet, sleeping. It's possible to sleep and follow your breath. If Your kitchen work requires concentration today. You can use the lens of the breath to look at what you're chopping or saying. To keep evenness as you give someone directions or to give evenness as you pick up the knife. When you change bodily posture, when you bow, when you rest, when you put your legs back, you can use the lens of the breath to do that.

[36:56]

The function of breath awareness in Sesshin is... We can use it to reach very refined states, but also we can just... be in the breath and it will put the mind, the awareness in a more useful place than just the ceaseless flow of thoughts. So how do we nourish our intention to wake up? Nourishing the mindfulness of the breath, nourishing the concentration through the breath, nourishes our awakening intention. Inhalation. and exhalation, moment after moment. So let's try this.

[38:05]

Take a moment to reestablish your sitting position. and your connection with the earth. If it's established, just stay. Now Dogen's Zenji said, When you have adjusted your posture, take a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. You can even rock your body slightly left and right to settle into a steady and immovable sitting position. But this rocking the body

[39:12]

left and right. You can also rock the body. Inhale, Li, and exhale, Li, to settle into a steady and movable sitting position. The body is always being rocked this way, in the arms of Mother Prajna. And by turning the mind and body to observe this just in the breath itself, the Dharma gate of repose and bliss becomes the shape of our body and mind.

[40:15]

It's not difficult. Just be in the present, the present body and in the present breath. Moment after moment, in lecture, in zazen, in the bathroom, in yoga, giving someone something, receiving something from someone. This is Sashi. Thank you very much. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma Talks are offered at no cost 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.

[41:24]

May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[41:27]

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