Good morning. Is it hot in here? Or is it just me? So maybe if anyone wants to or can slightly open a window, that might help. Okay? Okay. Hi. We'll do a little bit. And we're going to do something fun now, okay, to start. So from here to the corner is group one. Okay. From the corner to the middle is group two. From the middle to the corner is group three. And from the corner to the door is group four. Could group one, when I point, could group one clap? Clap together. Okay. In a way that works with each other. Go ahead. Group one. Go ahead. Thank you, group one. Okay, could group two tap something, like the floor or two things together?

[01:05]

Together. Thank you, group two. Let's see, could group three whistle, sing, or chant together? Thank you, group three. Okay, and could group four... make sounds like... Thank you. You don't have to be limited to my rhythm. Pick one of yours. Okay, and when I point, you'll go together. If I point at two groups or say all groups, we'll do that. Okay? Thanks, everybody.

[02:26]

Okay. And that is actually a Buddhist teaching, which is called identity action or working in cooperation. What you just did was you were listening. and making a sound at the same time. And that's something all of us can do whenever we do something. If there's people around us, we can sing, we can play, we can do dishes, we can do anything. And there are lots of things we can do every day. For instance, is there anybody? I'm talking to kids of all ages now. So if you're a young kid, you can answer this question. And if you're an old kid, You can answer it in a different way. So how many kids like it when somebody reads to them? Okay. And how many kids know how to read?

[03:27]

Okay. How many kids are going to know how to read? Okay. How many kids like reading to other kids? Okay. Is it okay if I read you a story? Okay. It's a story about kindness. So I have to find it because I printed it out, but I just stuck everything into a big pile. And so a bunch of stories, but... Oh, here it is. At least part of it. Okay. And then when I used the computer, I did it wrong by mistake so that the pages go from... bottom to top or something instead of... Anyway, I have no idea how this story is going to turn out, but if it's in the wrong order, let me know, okay? This is called The Elves and the Shoemaker. Once upon a time lived a very poor shoemaker and his wife.

[04:37]

They only had enough leather left to make one pair of shoes. That's all the leather they had. They only had a little bit of thread, a little bit of leather, and there was only a little bit of food. So he was very sad. He cut the shoes before he went to bed, and then he went to bed. So before going to bed, He laid out the leather, and when he woke up, there was an amazing pair of shoes sitting on the table. In fact, they were so beautiful that somebody came by and paid enough money for two pairs of shoes. And so he got enough leather for two pairs of shoes, and that night he went home and cut out two pairs of shoes.

[05:40]

And he put them on the table. He put the leather on the table and went to bed. The shoemaker and his wife went to bed. And when they woke up, guess what was there? What was there? Yeah, there were two pairs of shoes. And so he was able to get enough leather for more shoes. And he went to bed having cut out and put out the leather for four pairs of shoes. And when he woke up, guess what? yeah shoes a lot of shoes beautiful shoes and each each night he'd go to sleep having cut out the leather for a lot of shoes lot more shoes and each morning he would sell them for enough money for shoes and food but and soon they became very well off both the shoemaker and the wife were very well off and they had enough money for

[06:43]

good food and tea and milk, eggs, sheets, and all sorts of things in their house. And then they got curious. They said, we wonder what goes on at night when we're not looking. So that night, the shoemaker's wife had an idea. She hung a sheet in the doorway and said, They stayed up late and just peeked through the sheet to see what they could see. And what did they see? You know this story, right? They saw two elves making the shoes. And they were cutting and pasting the shoes together so beautifully with such care that the the shoemaker and his wife became very moved.

[07:46]

And then the wife said, Honey, those elves don't have any clothes. They're just wearing little, you know, little pairs of cloth there, and they don't have any clothes. Why don't I get some cloth and make them some clothes? So all that night and the next day, the shoemaker's wife made clothes and for the elves. And that night, along with the leather for 24 pairs of shoes, they laid out the clothes and some cookies and milk. Okay? And then the next, that night, they snuck behind the sheet and looked to see what they could see. And what did they see? The two elves came in and the elves sewed the shoes, put them together, left them on the table, and then they went, what's this? Cookies and milk we see.

[08:48]

Beautiful clothes we see. And they put them on, and they dressed each other. You take the hat. No, you take the hat. You take the shirt. Oh, I want the T-shirt. Oh, no, please, I want the T-shirt. No, you have the T-shirt. And they put together outfits and put them on, and then they started dancing and singing around. We are so happy. We've got such beautiful clothes. And then the other elf looked and said, Look, there's cookies and milk. Let's get some. They ran to the cookies and milk and drank and ate their fill, and then they left, and they never saw them again. But the shoemakers... And the shoemaker and the shoemaker's wife would always be grateful to the elves for as long as they lived. And the end. The shoemakers and the elves.

[09:51]

Okay? So I don't even know, but it's quite possible that the shoemaker's wife learned how to make shoes from watching those elves. And he became the shoemaker's husband, and they lived together happily ever after. Okay? OK, so those are stories about that was a story about kindness. And we also did an exercise in cooperation. OK, and that's the Buddhist teaching for today. And if any big kids want to stay and hear some more about kindness, cooperation and two other qualities of a Bodhisattva, please stay. And if you'd like to practice kindness and cooperation with the children, please go to the lounge. Okay? Thank you very much. Thank you. Please come any time, okay? You're welcome to come. You know what I forgot?

[11:04]

I forgot my copy of the Bodhisatta Shishoho. So I'll just have to talk about it without having the text in front of me. I knew I forgot something. Have a seat. You can make yourself comfortable and be kind to your knees and to your body. Does anyone need a... And to your L's. Yeah, to your L's. So if you need to adjust yourself so that you're sitting equally on your two buttock bones, if there's any adjustment, you need cushions? There's a spot here. You want to come sit? If there's any adjustment you need to make to your body so that the size of your trunk have some lift and some breath so that there's height, tallness, width, and depth of the body so that there's room for the breath.

[12:09]

That's kindness to yourself. So one of my favorite fascicles of the Shobogenzo, the Shobogenzo is the treasury of the true Dharma eye. And one of my favorite chapters in that book, which is a collection of lectures and writings that Dogenzenji gave, is a chapter called the Bodhisattva's Four Methods of Guidance, the Bodhisatta Shishoho. Dogen Zenji was the founder of Soto Zen in Japan. And actually, he was trained as a Tendai monk. He decided to become a monk when he saw the incense rising from the incense bowl at his mother's memorial service. woke up to the reality of impermanence and our human life, which is a life in which it's marked by certain kinds of suffering because we have ideas about how things should be.

[13:15]

So the ideas that we have include that everything should be permanent, that it should be for ourselves, related to ourselves, that we often think that things are good, that actually aren't good, that kind of idea we carry around with us. And when things don't work out the way we think they should, we get frustrated, irritated, angry, upset, bewildered, full of grief, and full of despair. So these are things that happen to people. So often when people go away or die, or aren't what we think they should be, or when our life changes in some way, or when it's not all about us, there's a moment of irritation that happens there. And like the Buddha, 2,500 years ago, Dogen Zenji awoke to the reality of this truth, and that what we can do about how frustrating everything is, is to practice.

[14:29]

appreciating the miracle of life just as it is, moment after moment, breath after breath, feeling after feeling, sensation after sensation. We can live in the present and we can appreciate our lives and the connection of all life just now. And so Dogenzenji became ordained as a monk to be able to dedicate his life to manifesting and that truth, the way that it had been manifested generation after generation. And at the same time Dogenzenji was becoming a monk, there were many lay people who were also practicing the way of Buddha. And they were practicing in the way that lay people practice, which is, given my responsibilities, my commitments, my relationships, and my priorities, given the form of my life as it is, how does truth, how does goodness arise on this spot?

[15:35]

How does my own life become a sacred place? Not sacred in some ritualistic way, but truly holy, holy as in whole and an inspiration to everyone and everything. How do I wake up here? So both priests and lay people have similar questions, but the form is different. And the person who becomes interested in such topics and centers his or her life around them is called a bodhisattva. Bodhi is awakeness. Sattva means being. Or sattva is also a kind of knowing. So it's like a being who's interested in wisdom or a being of light. And the Bodhisatta Shishoho is about four central practices of a bodhisattva, a being of light.

[16:44]

So for laypeople and monastics alike, for householders and monastics alike, these are important practices if we want to be on the bodhisattva path. You know, so there are four of them. And they're not just from the time of Dogenzenji. They've actually been practiced in many different lands and in many different ways. The first one is giving. And actually, the ancient name for these practices is in Sanskrit, is called the chatu samograha vastu, or the path of the four holdings, kind of holding. I think Samo is equally or together.

[17:47]

So I wouldn't swear to this, but it's how we hold to the bodhisattva way. And in Chinese, they're called the four all-embracing virtues. And I can't remember the name right now, but that's the name. The first one is giving. Giving is twofold. We can give material resources and fearlessness, particularly fearlessness on the path or to turn towards a life of suffering to a life of awakening. And giving material resources, often in Buddhist congregations around the country, people focus on dhana as the gift of material resources. So there's a dhana basket, which is meant to be a basket in which you put money.

[18:48]

Actually, this is an adaptation of the Buddha's practice of walking with his bowl in the early morning. This is a practice that's done in a lot of Buddhist countries, in which you walk with your bowl and you chant a sutra. And then somebody comes and hears and puts something in the bowl. So in the morning, the Buddha and his disciples would go around, hold the bowl, and recite a sutra. And people would come and put food. And the practice is to eat whatever's put in the bowl. Actually, there's stories in Japan about people who received various things in their bowls and ate them. And you can imagine. But today, even in...

[19:52]

various traditions. You walk around with your bowl, and if someone puts, even if you're a vegetarian, if someone puts meat in your bowl, you eat it. Or if someone puts Coca-Cola in your bowl, and you don't believe in corporations, you drink it. Okay? So you drink it because, or eat it, because that's an offering. And people know that that's the practice of a monk, and so they give things that a monk might need. And that's the same as tapping or clapping and listening to the other person. What's the next tap or clap or whistle, you know, or that the other person might need, that the other group might need to express harmony? And so material resources aren't just material resources. In one way they are, because they're food, they're clothing, they're money, whatever. But material resources are also a direct gift. from bodhisattva to bodhisattva.

[20:55]

And it's not like I am giving this to you. It's like we give something to each other, and that's the spirit of giving on the Buddha way. So, for instance, if you wander around as a monk in this lineage doing, and we don't do this practice in San Francisco, Suzuki Roshi once tried and I think he got ticketed. But the practice is to walk around with your bowl saying ho, ho, ho, or doing a chant which talks about the unity of giver, giving, and so on. And it's an important practice. And So one time, Blanche and I were in Japan, and we were staying with Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi at Rinso Inn.

[21:57]

And that's in Yaizu, in the tea-growing area, and that temple has been there for a long time. And Suzuki Roshi decided to take us on alms rounds, takahatsu. And so he called the Danka, the congregation, and told them, we're coming for takahatsu. And would you be willing to do this practice with us? And they said yes. But it turned out to be like trick-or-treat for UNICEF. So the first thing is, people wanted to know if, as Americans, we wanted white rice or brown rice. And then one of the nuns and a driver drove around behind us to hold the rice that we had gotten. And we would... we would wander around and chant, in a line and chant. And people would run out and say, brown rice, you know, and give us brown rice. And we would give a chant. And everybody was very happy. And then later, we picked the tangerines, Natsumikan, in the temple grounds and made marmalade and also waffles.

[23:11]

for the congregation, and they came. There was a party, a kind of affair, and they came and had waffles, and those waffles and the marmalade disappeared in about two minutes. That's an example of giving. So fearlessness on the path can be given through material resources or through standing by someone, walking with them, or encouraging them in a hard time. This is a traditional practice. So if someone's poor, you give something to help them. If someone who doesn't have skill to work, a bodhisattva can teach them to work or to find that skill. If people live in fear or anxiety, a bodhisattva takes care of them and supports them. And It's not just a practice of I give you this or you give me that.

[24:12]

But we're mutually working together to become intimate with each other's needs. Okay, the second of the four means of guidance is kind speech or right speech. And it's... Giving is also one of the six perfections. And for people who understand, who know the six perfections, it's also another statement of bodhisattva activity. But there is kind speech or right speech, which is part of the Buddha's basic path to alleviate suffering. And the Sanskrit name for this is priyavachana or kind. It's not just speaking. It's not just words, but a kind voice. forgiving tone, a tone that admits the other person. And so it's not, it's presentation skills are important for bodhisattva.

[25:20]

It's not just something that's put on. It's a way that you present yourself so that other people are encouraged. So, Right speech is respectful speech and speech that takes the other person into account. So, for instance, if people, if someone in your life does something that's kind or praiseworthy, a bodhisattva might acknowledge it. Like, say, that was an amazing thing that you did the other day when you were working with that little boy. Or, I was so moved by the way you trimmed those greens so that you didn't waste the stems. So it doesn't have to be something big and fancy.

[26:20]

It's acknowledgement or mirroring of other people is part of kind and respectful speech. And... A lot of times we tend to notice the bad things that people do and complain about them. And it's an interesting skill to sometimes turn it around and notice the good things that people do and learn how to mirror them. And we also learn a kind of equanimity in that practice where even if somebody does something you don't like, you learn how to mirror it in a way that reflects the intention that they may have had. So, for instance, when you came into my house after the party had already ended, I felt so upset because we missed having that good time together. Next time, would you let me know you're coming late so that I can...

[27:28]

still have a few people around and we can have fun together, or whatever. Or, next time would you please let me know if you can't come so I can tell you that the party's over, or whatever. The request is based on mirroring the other person's action that may have felt painful to you in a way that they can relate to, that may have related to their action. That's kind speech. If someone is in fear or despair, or grief, a bodhisattva can say comforting words. So, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. You know, a little goes a long way. It's not Pollyanna-ish to speak this way. If somebody's about to or has done something that transgresses boundaries or hurts other people, kind speech doesn't mean that you're just kind of nice and an idiot sort of way.

[28:31]

You have to understand what to say and when to say it and how. You have to. Otherwise, you become part of the causes and conditions of that action. Okay? And part of kind speech is listening. And the third beneficial, the third Bodhisattva's way of action is beneficial action, or artha-kritya. Artha is purpose, and it's also alignment. And kritya is making or creating or acting. So we're aligning the actions with other people's bodhisattva heart and mind. So it means to... to act helpfully, equally.

[29:33]

So when we say beings are numberless, I vow to save them all, does that mean I vow to save them all except my Aunt Mary, who divorced my favorite uncle? You know, does it mean to save them all except for him or her? Okay? So... bodhisattva carries a mind that bodhisattva manifests a mind and heart that relate to other people as something related to us. That's beneficial action. And cooperation, which is called samanartata, is cooperation, and we had a taste of that before. And pretty much, we can overtly cooperate with people, or we can cooperate by example.

[30:39]

So these become very important, and I realize it's probably getting a little bit late, so I will have mercy on your legs pretty soon. You may want to adjust your posture so that so that you can really be kind to yourself and cooperate with parts of the body. Do you know the Aesop's fable about the belly, where the other parts of the body got really angry and jealous at the belly and said, we're always doing stuff for you. The arms said, we're always carrying stuff around. The legs said, we're always running to Safeway and so on, or actually to Rainbow. The brain said, no, not Safeway, Rainbow. Sorry, I don't mean to advertise for any particular business from the Buddha's seat. I apologize. But anyway, because they're good people working at Safeway as well. But anyway, the belly said, do you really mean it?

[31:47]

And everyone else in the body said, yeah, damn straight we mean it. And the belly said, okay, do you mind if I take some time off? And the other guy said, we don't need you. You're just a pain. And so the belly decided to take a vacation and got a flight to Hawaii and was lying on the beach and everybody else said, hey, wait a second, I'm getting weak. I can't lift myself. I can't move. I can't make... Let's go in and out to breathe. I'm feeling really sick. And so they emailed the belly and said, come back. We need you. Help. It's an emergency. And the belly came back and said, and then they started working together in harmony. OK, so if it's your knees or if it's your back, really, it's part of the whole picture. Please take care of yourself on this spot.

[32:52]

Just as an example, I'd like to point to this lecture, which is available on the internet, and it's by, let's see, Paul's Blanches and my Dharma brother, Alan Sinaki. Okay? So Hozan Alan Sinaki and I study together with our teacher, Sojin Mel Weitzman, and Alan is the vice abbot of Berkeley Zen Center. And his... His lecture on the Internet is called Vowing Peace in an Age of War. So I can't really discuss the whole article, but it's a really great article. I highly recommend it. And maybe I'll leave it on the front desk and someone can bring it in for the question and answer, if that's okay. So Alan's talking about his decision to live a life of peace. And examples of peace that inspire him.

[33:59]

And the Bodhisatta Shishoho as the four methods of guidance as an encouragement or inspiration to practice peace. So he tells a couple of stories in this article. So one is about Tetsugin Glassman. who's, he practiced under Maezumi Roshi and was a teacher in the White Plama Sangha. And then he put his robes away for many years and became a clown. And now he's founded and is leading the Zen Peacemaker Order, which is based in the East Coast. And so Tetsugan... decided to start a bakery. He was inspired by our Tassajara Bread Bakery at San Francisco Zen Center. We used to have Tassajara Bread Bakery. And Tetsugen, having a strong inclination towards piecework and towards social activism, decided to educate, to give vocational training as part of the bakery.

[35:12]

And so he took in people who didn't have jobs didn't have homes, and trained them to do work if that's the work that they wanted to do. And he also made work for people growing ingredients and so on. So all the food was sustainably produced. And I think that some of those growing places, some of those farms or gardens, also produce food for other... such as Ben & Jerry's and so on. So a bodhisattva's idea can spread widely and influence society. And so some of his projects recently involved bearing witness at Auschwitz and then recently gathering together various religious groups and local people. in the area of Auschwitz to do peace work and have a different example in the world.

[36:15]

And Alan says about Sojin Roshi, it's another example. Talking with senior students recently, Sojin Roshi said that wherever there is human suffering, we should first of all simply help people, including ourselves, before we find fault with any system or organization. even though such systems might have to be changed. So even as I confront structures that perpetuate great harm, I try to see all the people who co-create these structures. In order that my own heart of wisdom and compassion may open more easily, I must recognize and admit my own ability to do harm. So recently I had the experience of... I was billed by AT&T for a phone call that I didn't make, and the call was to India, and it was for $130 and change. And so I called AT&T in December and said there was this call on my bill, and they said it'll be resolved in 10 days.

[37:22]

And then every month they proceeded to tack on late fees and say I hadn't paid my bill. And so... last week I received a disconnection notice. And so I had the opportunity to call AT&T again. Okay? And so I was reading this little statement by Alan and realized there's a way to call AT&T that admits the people and deplores the action. So it's this practice in action. Okay? So... Anyway, I could go on for several hours on this topic, which I really love, but I would like to close with a couple of statements by Shantideva, a great teacher who wrote A Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life. Okay? Just two short verses. And this is after he's gone through...

[38:25]

all the qualities of a bodhisattva, like patience, forbearance, enthusiasm, effort, concentration, and wisdom. So he set the whole thing out. And then he says, this is from the dedication. First, may those feeble with cold find warmth. May those oppressed with heat be cooled by the boundless waters that pour forth from the great clouds. of the positive energy of bodhisattvas. Do you want to hear this again? May those feeble with cold find warmth. May those oppressed with heat be cooled by the boundless waters that pour forth from the great clouds of the positive energy of bodhisattvas. And then the second verse is... For as long as space endures and for as long as living beings remain, until then, may I too abide to dispel the misery of the world, the suffering of the world.

[39:41]

May all the pains of living creatures ripen in my own karma through the might of the bodhisattva sangha or community. May all beings experience happiness. Okay. So thank you very much for your patience and compassion in clapping and making sounds, in sitting with your own legs and back just as it is, and in listening, reflecting, and hearing the teaching. And my own mistakes I take responsibility for and any good for this. May it spread and may it reflect back on the teachings of my teachers and the awakened heart of all beings.

[40:49]

Thank you very much.

[40:51]

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