Present to be aware of our bodies. our thinking, our actions, and to help each other. This weekend includes a ceremony tomorrow, a precept receiving ceremony, the Bodhisattva initiation ceremony. and six people will be receiving the 16 Bodhisattva precepts.

[01:04]

And to have a one-day sitting preceding such a ceremony is, I think, very helpful for the ordinands to settle and focus and let go of their regular daily work activities. and continue with the preparation that they've already been doing for this ceremony. This morning we had a full moon ceremony, which is probably the oldest Buddhist ceremony, predates Buddhism. And we all had a chance to recite the bodhisattva vows and pay homage to Buddhas and bodhisattvas and the succession of teachers, the succession of ancestors, and to avow our karma.

[02:26]

our actions, our voluntary actions from beginningless greed, hate and delusion. So we all had a chance to recite these verses and repeatedly. And three times isn't enough. And at the end of the full moon, we take refuge. Taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. What is that? What is that? What is that in your heart? I received an email yesterday from someone I knew in grade school who was a very good softball player in my Girl Scout troop, and I haven't really thought of her or seen her in all these years.

[04:02]

we went to different high schools, and she, I don't know how she got my email, but she is someone who's in recovery, and she went to a talk at a particular facility that works with people in recovery, and the person who was giving the talk was talking about mindfulness, and practice and meditation. And so she bought this book, and in the book was my name as acknowledgment from the author. And she wondered, is this that person that I went to grade school with? And she wrote, and she's starting her practice of mindfulness And there was this sangha feeling with this person who will remain nameless across the years and the miles.

[05:17]

She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. And it was, it like collapsed all of its time and who we were back then. And it just became one sangha. one Sangha feeling, somebody taking a practice and wanting to connect. So our Sangha practice is essential. Someone might think, well, I can just practice Buddha and Dharma. but it's a triple treasure. And without sangha, without the support of sangha, and without the difficulties that arise in sangha, we can't find our true harmony, which is one definition of sangha is harmony, bringing forth harmony, bringing harmony to everyone, free from hindrance.

[06:34]

So we have harmony, but harmony is not in a vacuum. It's harmony among, between people, animals and plants, and the great earth. And it's not easy. It's not easy when we have fixed views and judgments and criticisms and clinging. The harmony that's the truth of our lives may be difficult to feel or practice. So, Sangha is harmony, the community of those who practice the Dharma or practice the truth of our interconnectedness that was realized by the Buddha.

[07:58]

And also, Sangha is helping others to be free. So there's a definition of Zen. When you are you, then Zen is Zen. When you are your own true self, then Zen is Zen. And when you are you, your own true self, then you are Buddha. Then you are your own true self, which is awakened one. This teaching is hard to swallow sometimes because of our karmic difficulties. So we're not saying that our awakened true self is our greed, hate, and delusion per se, or an acting greed, hate, and delusion.

[09:15]

But how greed, hate, and delusion has come to be, is not different, how it comes to be, the nature of it. So each one of us is just like we just chanted, Buddhas of old, whereas we, we in the future shall be Buddhas and ancestors. And if we think of that in too narrow a sense, it looks like we can do various things and turn into Buddhas.

[10:17]

But I think the teaching is to understand completely who we are and accept who we are. Right there is Buddha's ancestors. Someone in the practice period was recently telling me that they feel some sense of well-being or happiness even, surprisingly. And how did that, what is that? How did that come to be? And you can point at certain things. The beauty of practice period life, the simplicity and

[11:24]

the focus on sitting, the harmony of working together with others, all together, rather than working, striking out on our own for ourselves alone. I don't know how this has come to be, but I imagine it's It has a settled quality and an acceptance of something very simple. case in the Shoya Roku, the Book of Serenity, has Shakyamuni, the World Honored One, coming up to the seat and Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, hitting the gavel and saying, clearly observe the Dharma of the Dharma King is thus

[13:05]

And then the World Honored One gets off the seat. So... I invite you to take refuge in your own true nature, in your breath and body, finding your seat, opening and allowing whatever is present to be present, letting it go. and come home.

[14:11]

Not coming home to fix ideas. Let them go. And devote yourself, devote yourself to sitting still and very, very still so you can see how much you're alive and moving in your breath and body. How much you're connected to everything that's going on around you. And if you're not devoted, you will not be met fully.

[15:27]

And what you see will just be a reflection of your partial attempts to devote yourself to your life. completely devote yourself. Each breath, completely devote yourself. And gently, if you lose your presence, gently bring yourself back, gently. The purpose isn't to count to ten, or the purpose is to enact Your life. Your true life.

[16:44]

Our true life. January 1st, I celebrate my coming to Zen Center to stay, coming to practice to stay in a residential situation, 40 years. You know that quote of Dogen's, one continuous mistake, just one continuous mistake. So thank you for helping me and thank you for your efforts today.

[17:57]

Let's not waste our time. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our programs are made possible by the donations we receive. Please help us to continue to realize and actualize the practice of giving by offering your financial support. For more information, visit sfzc.org and click giving. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[18:31]

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