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. So it seems to me that in order to realize Buddhahood, one needs to study delusion and study it so thoroughly that you actually immerse yourself into the creative process of suffering, delusion, affliction, and defilement. Almost all living beings have plenty of delusion and affliction. But almost all living beings require considerable training and study to be able to pay attention to delusion consistently in order to be able to be calm and quiet with delusion.

[01:26]

delusion and the afflictions that come with delusion so we need training in being calm and in order to be calm with delusion and affliction we also need to learn how to be generous and gracious with delusion we need to learn how to be very careful and vigilant of delusion We need to learn how to be patient with delusion. And we need to be really enthusiastic about being calm with it. And we need to be enthusiastic about studying it and entering into the creative process whereby delusion arises and suffering arises from the delusion. So as many of you know, one of the content of Buddha's enlightenment was this process, this creative process of the creation of affliction.

[02:41]

So he basically taught, based on the affliction of ignorance, karma arises and based on karma which is based on the affliction of ignorance and delusion consciousness arises a consciousness which carries the effects of the karma which is generated in response to the affliction of ignorance and delusion and then this consciousness arises leads to further ignorance, further ignorance, further karma, and further consequence. And in this way, a perpetual process of delusion, affliction, affliction, delusion, consequence, affliction, delusion, conscious goes round and round.

[03:45]

So this year I'm trying to encourage the meditation on this process, leading hopefully to actually immersing ourselves in the process by which the consequences of our past action, which are based on ignorance, that we enter into that creative process so that we are in the process by which our past action becomes our future. And in this space we have the possibility of what's called enlightenment about delusion. At the end of this talk we'll probably recite four vows. The second vow is something like, delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them. It really, I think, might be good to say delusions are inexhaustible.

[04:59]

I vow to understand them completely. The last vow is the Buddha way is unsurpassable. I vow to become it. The way you become the Buddha way is by understanding the inexhaustible delusions, the inexhaustible afflictions. which come with delusions. So this year I'm focusing on the creative process of delusion, which is the same as the creative process of the creation of the world. as the Buddha teaches, that the world is the consequence of all the deluded activity of all living beings.

[06:03]

The world we live in is the consequence of all of our deluded karmic activity. And if we understand this process, the world we live in can be completely transformed. Probably not overnight. It's almost time to stop. Before I do, I thought I might just mention a brief little course on immersion in delusion and realization of enlightenment. I think it's six or seven steps.

[07:10]

First step can be called commitment or trust. The first step in the process is to commit to realize the liberation of all suffering beings and to commit to the practices which are the liberation of all suffering beings. To commit to the vows of enlightening beings, to commit to the vows of saving all beings, understanding delusion, learning how everything is adored to the truth and realized in the Buddha way, committing to ethical discipline, committing to practicing generosity, committing to practicing patience, committing to practicing concentration and so on.

[08:20]

Start with commitment. a sincere commitment and then based on this commitment relax after making this big commitment relax relax completely with everything that is given to you relax with the heat in the summer Relax with the cold in the winter. Relax with affliction. Relax with delusion. Relax with delusion. Relax with your thinking, in other words. Oh, things are going pretty well. Relax with that. Things are going really badly.

[09:21]

Relax with that. That was really stupid. Relax with that. That was brilliant. Relax with that. This is terrible. Relax with that. This is great. Relax with that. Relax completely with whatever. But again, people are often afraid to relax with whatever because, for example, if they see cruelty and they relax with cruelty, they might say, well, they might go along with it. That's why you have to commit to compassion first. So I commit to be kind and I commit to not be cruel so that when cruelty comes I can relax with it. It wouldn't be good to go along with cruelty and indulge in cruelty

[10:23]

It wouldn't be good to be cruel. So that's why we commit to not being cruel. It wouldn't actually be good to attach to being anything. So we commit to all good things and then we practice relaxing with everything. In order to enter into the creative process of delusion, we have to relax with delusion. the stronger our commitment to great compassion, which involves generosity, ethics, patience, enthusiasm, tranquility and wisdom. In committing to that, we dare to relax with affliction. Then we can enter into the creative process of affliction.

[11:30]

And if we enter into the creative process affliction, we can understand affliction. Once again, first step, commit to all that is good. Next step, relax with everything good and not good. Next step, play with everything. Play with what you're relaxed with. And if you're relaxed with it, you can play with it. Play with everything. Play with cruelty? Yes. Dance with cruelty? Yes. Dance with kindness? Play with kindness? Yes. Play with gentleness? Yes. It doesn't say, I'm not saying be kind.

[12:31]

And be cruel. I'm saying when affliction comes, relax with it, then you can play with it. And if you can relax and play with it, you can enter into the creation of it. If you enter into the creation of it, you enter into the understanding of it. If you can enter into the understanding, which is based on entering into the creation of delusion, you enter into the process of liberating beings, including the current meditator, from delusion and affliction. In order to become free of unskillful behavior, in order to become free of delusion, in order to become free of affliction, we don't need to like or dislike affliction.

[13:47]

We don't need to like or dislike delusion in order to be free of it. Most people do like or dislike delusion. delusion. Many people like their own delusions and don't like other people's. Some people like other people's and don't like their own. Some people dislike everybody's delusions and some people like everybody's delusions. A lot of possibilities here. But I'm not talking about liking or disliking delusion. I'm talking about loving it. I'm talking about being compassionate with it, which means completely open to it and relax with it. Then you can play with it. And if you can play with it, you can be there with the creative process.

[14:51]

And in that process, the great artist of compassion is alive. You can be somewhat compassionate and not be in this process. You can sit on the side of the process of the creation of delusion and watch the delusion but not enter into the creative process of it and practice compassion. And many people do. They actually do practice compassion having not entered into the creative process. But to be most compassionate And to be able to speak and posture and think most vitally and most beneficially, I'm proposing we must enter into the creative process that the Buddhas all enter into. Based on ignorance, there arises karmic formations, karmic actions.

[15:56]

Based on that, karmic consciousness. Based on that, all kinds of activities. Based on that, more ignorance and affliction and more action and more consequences. And this is how all the suffering arises. This is what the Buddha realized. We are invited to enter into this process, this kind of terrible process of delusion and suffering because that's where enlightenment lives. That's what enlightenment is working on. That's where Buddhas are born in understanding this process. And to commit to

[16:59]

all the virtues of enlightening beings, which are, again, giving ethical discipline, patience, enthusiasm, concentration, and wisdom. To enter into the commitment to these, we usually do that with the aid of a community and a teacher who witnesses our commitment and supports our continued commitment to these practices. And then... can dare to relax with this life of suffering and all its delusions and then we can enter into playing with everything and discovering creation we can become artists of compassion or compassion artists where we

[18:01]

are working together with the process of creation for the welfare of all beings. And once again, you can work for the welfare of all beings and not be immersed in this process and still bring benefit to beings. It's not that you have to be in this process in order to bring benefit to beings. It's just that to do the Buddha's work, to be most vital and most effective, we need to enter into this creative process. That's where the Buddhas are generating the most helpful exercise of compassion. That's where delusion is understood. You can understand delusion a little bit at a distance. But to thoroughly understand it, we have to plunge into its creation.

[19:03]

So there's no self separate from the process because delusion is basically that there's a self separate from the process. The sense of a self separate from the process of creation is the basic affliction of life. But of course we're not separate from creation. We just think we are and shy away from creation and that suffering. So now we have to train ourselves to re-enter the place where we've always been. And again, the price of admission is commitment to virtue and relaxing completely with whatever comes. That's the price of admission. Then when you're in there, you can start playing and so on. The residents here, many of them have come and talked to me while I've been here and told me that they're tired.

[20:22]

One of them thanked me for coming and thanked me in advance for giving this talk and said she hopes that she's really going to try to stay awake. So I know we get tired working hard. I encourage the people who are tired and working hard, I encourage you to get lots of rest and relaxation. Now, many of you here in this room, I think, are guests, and I encourage you to get rest and relaxation, too. I think you came here for that. Maybe. Yeah, please rest and relax. And when you're ready, whether you're a resident or a guest, you can make a commitment to the welfare of all beings and all the virtues of enlightening beings and then you can completely relax.

[21:37]

If you completely relax, then you can start playing with this tiresome situation. with this tired person that seems to be nearby and if you do you will find a spiritual energy which is more or less boundless you still may be tired just like you were before but something's going to start waking up it's called Buddha and there can be Buddha in a tired person in somebody who needs a rest. And there can be Buddha in a rested person too. It takes great courage and commitment to relax and rest in the present.

[22:47]

So this is an art. And it's not an art that the artist does by herself. It's an art that's realized when somebody who wishes to offer herself as an artist plunges herself into the creative process for the welfare of all beings. And then this art is realized. And from this place there can be poetry, there can be dancing, there can be painting, photography, cooking, music, singing, sitting, walking, sweeping, all these things are works of art emerging from this creative process.

[24:28]

So some people venerate the ancient masters who spent quite a bit of their time sweeping temple grounds. And people think, well, we don't venerate them for sweeping the temple grounds. We venerate them for their great students and their great compassion and their teachings. But these people, when they were sleeping in the ground, that was their artwork just as much as when they were talking. So you don't have to be a poet, but if you're in this place, when you talk, your speech will be poetry. Maybe you won't write it down, maybe it won't get published, but your speech will be poetry. Maybe nobody will remember what you said, maybe they will.

[25:39]

But the energy that comes from this place, when it gets put into words, You know the word poetry comes from poesis, right? Which means to create. So your speech will be creation expressed from this place. And your movements, even though maybe nobody will recognize it, will be dance. And the sound of your feet on the ground will be music. And if you pick up an instrument that you've never seen before, people may not think you're skillful, but it'll be music. And people may say, yeah, and it's bad music. But it will be music.

[26:47]

And it won't be yours. And it won't be mine. It will be ours. Everything we do will be ours from this place. And this will mean liberation from suffering. My commitment goes to the rest of the year, but I think it'll go beyond because I've just started a text which is called Embracing the Great Vehicle.

[27:51]

And I think it's going to take a while to get through this text. And this text is about the creation of delusion, the creation of cyclic suffering, and the understanding of that as Buddhahood. So I think this project of realizing Buddhahood is going to go beyond 2011. not come to Tassajara again this summer so I just you know say that summertime and the living is easy fish are jumping and the cotton is high

[29:03]

Your daddy's rich and your mama's good looking. So, listen to this part. So. Little baby, even while you cry. Not shush. This is not shush. Love. Even while you cry. Love. Love that cry. Time and the livin' is easy Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high

[30:30]

Your daddy's rich. That's true. And your mama's good looking. That's also true. So rest, little baby, even while you cry. One of these mornings you're gonna ride of singing you're gonna spread your wings and you'll take to the sky until that morning there ain't nothing can harm you with that

[31:30]

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.

[32:01]

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