In the light of the fact that many of us may be feeling this way, over the next two sessions today and the session on next Tuesday, I thought I'd explore with you Buddhist practices around patience and diligent effort or resolute effort. And both patience and diligent effort are virtues that are included in traditional listings. virtues or wholesome practices, which a bodhisattva, which an awakened being who is practicing for the benefit of all beings, automatically embodies and expresses. And the qualities that can personally cultivate, that we personally can cultivate to aid us on the path of liberation. So patience entails a quality of willingness to allow things to unfold until we're able to actually see them clearly for what they are. So patience is an allowing.

[01:03]

It's an active endeavor to relax, to accept, to open to what's happening. And it's actually giving ourselves permission to slow down enough to really be with our experience. to really let go of our usual habitual busyness and our constant momentum and the ways that we turn inward and outward and various activities and the way that live activities are about taking us away from what it is that we're actually feeling or in many cases, what we want most deeply to be with. So our busyness is often geared towards accomplishment, getting something more in order to fulfill a sense of lack, some deep internal sense of lack that we might have. And we don't slow down enough to really be with our experience, to see that the moment that we are in right now and who we are is already perfect and complete in its own unfathomable way.

[02:06]

So we don't see how there's really nowhere for us to go and there's nothing to accomplish in this moment. Because of that, we can We can relax. We can kind of surrender to some degree and settle into just presencing, just being awake, aware presence to what it is that's manifesting in this moment. And from that presencing, then we have an idea, a wisdom comes forward for us to discern how best to move forward in some way. So with that introduction, I'd like to now kind of lead us into our meditation. So please, I invite you to find an upright, attentive posture, one that best accommodates your body. And throughout the meditation, giving yourself over to both the physical and mental posture that you, to a physical mental posture that is attentive and yet relaxed.

[03:11]

I'm going to ring the bell three times to begin our creative zazen, and then one time to end it. Now, allowing yourself to become aware of, connected with, and open to and relaxed into your present moment experience. Gathering your attention from wherever it's been, during your perhaps a busy day or maybe a quieter day, and simply allowing it to abide in the momentary experience of

[04:24]

being right here. Allow bodily presence to be the prevailing ground of your experience. Sometimes it might be helpful to use the breath as a touchstone to connect us to the present moment experience. You could either be awareness of the sensation of the breath, awareness of the sound of the breath. Or you might choose another touchstone that's somewhat mutual and constant enough for you to connect to whenever you need to reground yourself in some way. If you're using the breath, allowing awareness of the breath to gently allow awareness to gently accompany the natural rhythm of breathing in and out. It explores breathing in, fully taking a breath, and then when exhaling out, allowing yourself to rest in the exhale, allowing it to release and settle a little bit more deeply into your body, resting in the exhale.

[05:43]

If you're tending to awareness of the breath, If you notice at any moment, the mind wanders away from connectedness to the breath, perhaps it's distracted by a thought or a particular pain or discomfort or tension in the body or maybe an emotional state of some sort, fear and anxiety. Simply notice that this has happened. is a willingness to come back, to come back to whatever we're experiencing and feel it. You're allowing yourself to experience or feel the experience that you're experiencing in this moment. Allowing it to make itself known.

[06:51]

whatever way it's doing that, allowing it to reverberate through you, kind of like a ripple through water, or a breeze that went to the sky, and allowing it to pass through without grabbing onto it, or identifying with it anyway. continuing to bring awareness intentionally back to the immediate field of experience whenever it wanders off into stories about the past or future. Allow the mind to rest.

[08:05]

rest in the body, just as the body rests on the earth. Is there any place of tension or holding, resistance or grasping in the body-mind? Consider bringing awareness to those places. Allow it to be gently with that experience. I like to say to befriend the experience, to be a warm, open friend to it, simply listening and acknowledging the experience. So not trying to change the experience, even if it's unpleasant. We're not trying to grab onto it. If it's pleasant, it's simply shining the light of awareness on it.

[09:12]

You might explore inviting spaciousness of the breath into the particular area or location in the body that feels tense or agitated. And as you do, allow that space to relax, invite it to soften and release it some way. And in this way, we give permission to ourselves to feel what we're feeling, to be with the experience just as it is. bearing witness to however the experience is making itself known to us, but not identifying with the experience, not making itself out of it.

[10:31]

Allowing the experience to arise in the spaciousness, vast, open, boundless sky. The experience with the spaciousness of the breath. Encouraging it to be spacious in the body. Just resting. as best you can in this open, spacious experience. Maybe asking yourself right now, what if there is nothing to do? Nowhere to go.

[11:32]

Nothing to get or to achieve. Noticing any absence of a request or need coming forth. Notice the openness of that. And in that openness, allowing ourselves to simply be receptive. receiving, releasing, resting. Receiving, releasing, resting. Continuing resting now in awareness and silence.

[12:45]

the remainder of our meditation. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to be able to end the working day by doing zazen, particularly doing zazen for others.

[26:39]

So thank you for joining me in this practice together. So patience, or kashanti paramita, as it's also known as the third of the six perfections or the six paramitas. And the perfections of the paramitas, if you're not familiar with them, are virtues that are to be cultivated in order to strengthen our practice and to bring one to enlightenment, to waking up. So these are virtues that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas already express and manifest. And it's our endeavor to ourselves fully manifest them at some point. The six perfections, the six paramitas are generosity, ethical behavior, patience, joyful effort, sometimes called diligent effort, concentration or meditation, and wisdom. And there are numerous translations in this for the Sanskrit word kishanti, including patience, tolerance, forbearance, endurance, composure, acceptance, and forgiveness, interestingly enough.

[27:55]

And the literal meaning of the words means unaffected by or able to bear or able to withstand. And if we look at the Japanese and the Chinese characters for patients, it's also translated in two ways, two aspects to it. One is to endure, accept, bear, to live with, put up with. or intolerate. And then another variation is to endure insults, humiliation, abuse, or things that offend us in some way. And I found it interesting, the Chinese ideograph for Kshanti is formed with the image of a sword over a heart, right? A sword over a heart, therefore emphasizing the tolerance or the endurance of hardship in any number of forms, including the threat of the loss of life, but also pointing to the heart of the matter, which is fundamentally one about love and connection.

[29:13]

What is it that severs our experience of love and connection? So Kshant is not just a matter of enduring hardship and suffering. It's also about giving life and giving ourselves permission to be with life, to be with what is. So through the practice of patience, in time we might learn to bear the unbearable truths and experiences that come with being human, that come with just being in this life, in this very body. The thing is, this is an ennobling quality. So practicing patience builds character, integrity, courage, dignity, depth, and vision. So they're ennobling. It's an ennobling quality.

[30:14]

Dale Wright, in his excellent book on the Sixth Perfection, says that bodhisattvas, or awakened beings, who have trained in the virtue of patience, are imperturbable and well-composed, calm and focused in the midst of adversity. So rather than become overwhelmed by circumstance and fall into despair or complaint or bemoaning, a bodhisattva conserves their energy through positive steps. And those positive steps are always directed toward awakening. So Wright also writes, also notes that Kishanti of Patience is viewed as a strength. It's a strength that is a counterpose to weakness, such as the tendency to lose focus, to become fearful, to react in anger to abuses or slights that injure the mind or the body, as well as to yield to the temptations of surrender and despair.

[31:23]

Patience indicates a strength of character, a composure, a constancy of purpose that allows the bodhisattva to deeply embody unconditional love and to continue pursuing universal enlightenment in spite of enormous difficulty. So this points to that patience is an active endeavor. It's not passive. Oftentimes when we think of the word patience, we think, oh, I have to be passive in some way. It's not at all passive from a Buddhist perspective. It means actively attending to, to be patient. The word itself means to attend, tolerating, forbearing hardships and difficulties. And doing so is transformative. Practicing patience is a transformative endeavor. And it's one that's done for spiritual benefits.

[32:32]

There are said to be three primary dimensions of patience or kashanti. And they are, one, enduring conditions. So this is the ability to endure personal hardship, to have tolerance for discomforts. hardship, poverty, pain, and to even persevere regardless of one's personal suffering. And then the second dimension is patience with others. So focusing on human relationships in particular. So having the capacity to tolerate without anger or hatred any injuries of body or ego that are caused by other people. So any particulates spoken to, to be patient with insults and aggravation that's caused by others, and even forgiving them. Again, pointing back to one of the roots of meanings of patience is to forgive.

[33:36]

And then the third dimension is tolerating and accepting the truth of the Dharma. And this means cultivating the capacity to tolerate as Wright says, a more comprehensive vision of reality, one that undermines the longstanding habits of mental insecurity. So in other words, accepting truth refers to accepting difficult truth about ourselves, that we are mortal, that we are often greedy, that we often have hates. And often to accept the truth of the illusory nature of existence. So accepting dharmas, the truth of reality, this can be hard to tolerate sometimes, particularly when it throws into question our sense of being a separate self. Given that current pandemic circumstances that we find ourselves in, I want to focus on the first of these three dimensions patients.

[34:46]

in regard to enduring conditions, because I think that, for many of us, is the most alive aspect right now. And the perfection of patience begins, actually, is rooted in the acceptance of the Four Noble Truths. This is the Buddha's teaching, that there is suffering, that there is dukkha, there is dissatisfaction, there is dis-ease, and there's disease. So the truth is that we're all around going to encounter hardships in this life. That's just the way it is. It's not that we can avoid them during our practice, but what practice supports us to do is figure out how to encounter and relate to dukkha, encounter and relate to our suffering in a way that brings some measure of relief. In Zen Mind and Beginner's Mind, Suzuki Roshi notes that the usual translation of the Japanese word for patience, which is nin, N-I-N, he notes it, but then he goes on to point out that he says, the problem with the word patience is that it implies we are waiting for something to get better.

[36:05]

We are waiting for something good that will come. A more accurate word for this quality is constancy. a capacity to be with what is true moment to moment after moment, to discover enlightenment one moment after another. One must force themselves to be patient, but in constancy, there is no particular effort involved. There is only the unchanging ability to accept things as they are. So, from this perspective, Patience isn't a matter of just waiting, but of being willing to constantly bear with or to be present with, presencing reality. Whether or not we like it, it's not about liking it. And we're doing this at the service of a calling that's greater than our own personal comfort and ease.

[37:08]

It's not just about us, it's about all beings. How is our patience, our patient effort, serving and benefiting all beings? And I think that one of the primary practices that we can take up for the cultivation of patience is obviously meditation with Zazen. And Zazen supports us to develop the capacity to, what I like to say, to be unmoving in the face of discomfort and difficulty. To be unmoving, but that doesn't mean not to be moved, right? It doesn't mean not to be unmoved in terms of we feel what's going on. So Zazen is not about not feeling. It's not about denial or disassociation. So in the guided meditation at the beginning, I'm trying to encourage, feel what you're feeling. It's reality. It's true.

[38:09]

It's okay to feel it. The question is, how can we feel in a way that is compassionate and generous? So our effort in Zazen is to hold the mind and body in a steady way, a kind of upright, we say, right? Kind of like the ship on water, despite whatever the swirling energies and waves are. that are happening around us, whether in the form of sensations or thoughts or emotions, you know, any of these might normally topple us over how it is that we can find our upright posture again. So we're training ourselves through Zazan to wholeheartedly experience the experience, even if it's deeply disturbing. And if we practice Zazan on a daily basis, we practice tolerance, of discomfort, as we're sitting there on the cushion, mind, body, and spirit, whatever is uncomfortable and unpleasant, we're, in doing so, training ourselves to have the eventual capacity for the bigger challenges in life, such as the loss of love, of a job, of disease, war, oppression, other injustices, and including a pandemic.

[39:37]

Indian Buddhist sage, Shantideva, said that there is nothing which remains difficult if it is practiced. So when we meet everything with a posture and as a practice, everything becomes bearable in some way. We bear it. We hold it. And Shantideva also said, only through suffering is there escape. So not going around it, but not by bypassing it, but directly acknowledging it and facing it, going into the suffering to see its true nature, to see what it's actually made of. So Kushanti as the patience of perseverance or endurance also keeps us from succumbing to doubt, to discouragement, to fear. And not only in our everyday life, but also in our practice, you know, our practice of meditation, the Dharma.

[40:45]

So patience requires an act of will to intentionally turn to and experiences what it is that we're experiencing in terms of particularly seeing our sense of self, right? So it calls for us to make a choice. rather than fall into resignation whenever we encounter something that might be discouraging in some way. And when we actively engage patients, we make an act of participation on our part. It's actually empowering. It calls forth from us our own agency. We remember, I have agency. There's something I can do. even if it's to choose simply to turn to what is uncomfortable. So patience also requires us to draw forth of the fourth perfection, which is viria, energy and effort, because it takes constant effort and courage to bear up and ensure the challenges of realizing our deepest intentions, even in the face of strong headwinds or

[41:59]

heavy burdens, whatever they might be. The fundamental ones are greed, hidden solution. So Suzuki Roshi said, we should practice and live with patience. In this way, we can control our lives. But control does not mean to gain or achieve something. It means to appreciate and constantly enjoy our life as it is. So patience at its core is a relaxation of the heart and mind, a relaxation that actually reconnects us with a fundamental sense of joy and ease. It's a relinquishment of resistance, a kind of surrender which allows the mind and heart to open. So in the surrender, we give ourselves over to a greater confidence that's founded on our Buddha nature. that we can bear with anything because we are not separate in any way.

[43:03]

Our fundamental nature is open, vast, balanced. It can bear and hold everything. So practices for patience. Give yourself permission to feel what it is that you're feeling, to just be with the difficulty. without initially trying to change it or fix it or engage it in any way. Just noticing what's present in the moment. It's first noticing. And then perhaps invite spaciousness, or I often say the spaciousness of breath, into the area, particularly the area of the body, that you might be experiencing any sense of discomfort or impatience, tension, encouraging acceptance or a gentle acknowledgement of it. even acknowledging, yes, it's unpleasant. But just that acknowledgement is actually empowering to notice what is true.

[44:04]

And you might take up practices of metta and compassion practices, you know, expanding metta to yourself, loving kindness to yourself, goodwill, a wish to be free of suffering in some way. Again, this is an active endeavor. Also, putting the situation that you're having difficulty bearing with into perspective, putting it into context, recognizing not only what is it that's uncomfortable and pleasant environment, but also notice what is it that's pleasant. So noticing not everything is unbearable. There are many things that actually bring a sense of joy and ease that exist simultaneously with what is difficult to bear. And the other aspect of that is to study the dependent chorism nature of the experience. Another way you could say that is to study the emptiness of the actual object or situation or the fault or feeling that you're having.

[45:08]

Noticing how it's a dependent chorism and that finally there is nothing inherently existent in that experience that we're trying to tolerate. The experience itself isn't permanent. It's not lasting. It's constantly changing, even in subtle ways. When we look deeply into the nature of experience, we find there's nothing solid there. It's just kind of this wave of energy that's squirreling in some kind of particular pattern and form. And then that we were relating to that wave in some fashion. how we relate to that constant change is on us. It's our responsibility. It's our place of power, our place to actually activate inspiration and aspiration for liberation. Again, not only for ourselves, but for all beings.

[46:11]

Okay. I've said enough. I've yabbered on long enough. So why don't we open up? to the group and see if any of you have something you want to particularly share about your practice with patients right now, or even inpatients. Inpatients is welcome. You know, whatever it is, how are you practicing with this particular, you know, here and now? So, Darren, I see your hand up. Tim is going to help us. Darren, we can't hear you. There's something going on there? There we go. Okay. So what I've been doing in my practice lately is trying to use coronavirus as a teacher of some sort. And I've been thinking about how the Buddha, before he was the Buddha, decided to leave his little bubble of luxury...

[47:13]

after seeing the three sites, you know, the sickness and the death and the old man. And I think, you know, in our culture, it's very easy to kind of be distant from those things. And coronavirus has made them a lot more intimate. And especially like the old age one, I remember when I first heard, oh, it doesn't really kill any old people. And I was thinking, oh, good thing I'm not old, right? Or sorry. Sorry, it doesn't kill any young people, right? Right, right. So I said, good thing I'm not old. And then it turns out I am old. I'm 45, and people are dying who are 45, right? Yeah. So I think what I'm trying to endure is just the more immediacy of death and sickness and old age, how it's closer than I realized, really. And so being patient with that and not trying to look away. Yeah. For those of the enduring the dharma, you know, the third aspect of a dimension of patience.

[48:17]

It's true. Old age, sickness, and death. It's a fundamental truth. All things pass, right? And it's often only in situations like this, where the great matter, life and death, gets right smack in our face, that we actually have to turn to that truth and begin to look at our relationship to it. right? So that's why this is a wonderful time to practice because we can't just be kind of la, la, la, everything's fine. I'm just going to ignore our old age sickness and death, right? It's actually here now. And even though we might not in this very moment feel our own old age sickness and death, it is so much more kind of directly put in front of our face that we really have an opportunity to say, okay, how am I going to relate to this fundamental truth of suffering? Of life. Thank you. Okay, Tim, help me. Who's raising their hand? Is that Terry raising her hand?

[49:22]

It's Terry. Yeah, I've experienced terror recently. Not for myself personally, but for the whole country. So I just, if you could say, I know you have been speaking to that, you know, but if you could say a little more about Kashanti and fear. Well, first to be, to study, what is terror for you? How do you know that you're experiencing terror? That's a label applied to a bunch of experiences or conditions that you are experiencing, right? And so you can ask yourself, well, where is this terror that I'm feeling? How is it making itself known in my body and mind?

[50:24]

And I'll just suggest that there's a thought, there's an idea, and then that thought and idea has with it, following up almost simultaneously in many cases, a physical experience. Right? So you can notice first the thought and then the bodily sensation. So studying that. And then you can ask yourself, well, what is this thought about? What am I terrified by? Right? And, you know, in this case, yes, people are going to suffer. People are going to die. People are going to get sick. I might get sick and die. Yes. That is always true. I have to say that's not what my terror is about. What's your terror about? My terror is about what's going on in the country politically and how it might devolve. Whether we're going to have a democracy or a war or whatever.

[51:30]

Again, that's a story. You're applying an assumption. You have ideas. which is great to have an imagination about what might happen. And of course we might include a number of scenarios in our planning and like, well, let's work towards certain wholesome beneficial scenarios and make sure that unwholesome, not beneficial scenarios don't happen. So we're using, you know, our, our, obviously our heart's concern, that we want the best for all beings and we see things going in a particular direction and we might work towards changing that. But the terror itself, again, it's an idea. It's a thought, right? And you can be terrorized by that thought or you can use that thought and your heart space to inspire you into action to benefit, to create beneficial change, right?

[52:31]

So you're transforming that terror into constructive engagement. So there's no, I don't have to stay with the terror. In other words, I can move. You can move. Yeah. I mean, oftentimes we do this. We're afraid of something, right? And I say, pick up the fear as you would a ball under your arm and just keep going. It doesn't mean you have to get rid of the fear. Just know it's there. Oh, okay. There's fear. There's terror. It's with me. You know, it's part of the experience I'm having right now, but I don't need to let it cripple me or stop me in any way, right? Thank you, Terry. Okay. I'm going to rely on... Is it Pasha next? Hi, I'm Shauna. Oh, Shauna. Hi, Shauna. Thank you so much. I have two comments. I just want to clarify. You said by practice sitting, I can gain control of my life, which means to enjoy life as it is, not in gaining things.

[53:44]

Is that correct? That's a quote from Suzuki Roshi. Okay. He was pointing to that. And the other thing that you said was feelings, they're real. And so I've been living... my practice and my life in the last while is like feelings are not facts. So I spend all this energy trying to not maybe put weight to them and not trust them. But what you said kind of confused me. Well, feelings, you know, again, when you feel something, even it's an emotional state, you know, it has an energetic quality. So it's presence. Now it may be that the thought, that gave rise to the feeling is not a fact, right? So you've got to study the thought and the feeling, the emotion state, and is there a relationship, right? So, you know, again, is it true? Is it really true?

[54:46]

I don't know if you're familiar with the work of Byron Katie, right? She has four questions that are very powerful to ask ourselves when we're working with thoughts. Is it true? Is it really true? And then I forget the other one. Something happens if I don't hold that thought, what happens if I turn it around? So I'm sorry, I can't remember all of them. But the study, you know, to see what she has to say about working with our ideas, our thoughts about things, right? So again, but not to dismiss what we feel. What we feel is happening, right? The truth of it is we're feeling something we're feeling. But it doesn't necessarily mean that the thoughts or the belief on which that feeling is based on is true. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Thank you. And is it Pasha now? Who's next? Yes. All right, Pasha. Hello. Hello.

[55:47]

It's so good to be here. And thank you all for this Zoom. I just discovered this is my first time. Really? Welcome. And, yeah, I appreciate this Dharma talk. And what I can relate is kind of finding, you know, what's good in the pandemic, you know, and kind of turning my attention to there are actually a lot of things to be grateful for. You know, there are a lot of things going on. I just went outside today and the spring is here and the flowers are blooming. And those, I think it's apple trees or cherry trees are blossoming. And I'm walking in the park and I see in the Golden Gate Park, there was those ducks and they are seen by the lake.

[56:52]

and then they walk like like nothing is happening you know and then uh they sit down and they put their beak kind of behind the the wing you know and kind of taking a nap in the park so peacefully and calmly and i see their feathers they're so beautifully laid and fit there to each other and make these colors that shine on the sun. And then when I'm with them, there is nothing wrong. There is no problem. Life is beautiful. But then I go turn on TV, read the news, and I feel depressed. So I'm seeing kind of I can have a choice. where I put my attention.

[57:57]

And there is always beautiful, infinite life going on. That's what I'm discovering. That's great. And that really, you know, again, to widen the aperture, you know, to see that there are multiple things happening all at once. Yes, there is suffering happening. And also there's tremendous beauty. And, you know, what I find so encouraged by is how, So much of humanity is coming forward and helping each other and supporting each other and so many wonderful expressions of generosity and love and caring. It's profoundly beautiful. And it's brought forth in this time of difficulty. It's brought forth by the fact of the difficulty. It's only coming forth in part because of that. But also it's always present. Most of the time we're more or less kind to each other. So it's wonderful to touch into joy. What is it that's present that we can enjoy and appreciate?

[58:58]

It's a healing capacity. And it's so good to see everybody's faces. It feels so connecting. So I appreciate it. And thank you so much for this Zoom meetings. You're welcome. I look forward to seeing more of you. So is it John that's next? John Tierlink? Yes, and thank you so much for your offering. I don't necessarily show my picture all the time because sometimes this is scary. But I do appreciate these meetings and these nights, and especially for your offering tonight in regards to patients. I appreciate everyone else's patience who are having to stay home and can express to someone who is dealing with this straight on, that I very much appreciate their contribution in that way. And the other specific point for this patient's portion tonight was that two days ago, I was driving back from the hospital, going through Goldgate Park.

[60:10]

It was a gorgeous day out. And there was a group of about 15 or so young adults, kids gathered together skateboarding having a good time social distancing was out the window and my initial response was not one of patience it was one of great frustration but as you related tonight's talk i remember that at the same time there was the other part of my voice going gosh that was so beautiful to see how they were interacting What a great day, how much fun they were having and all that. But that was squashed by the what are they doing? And, you know, I think in retrospect, it was nice to bring back that equanimity that you gave to me to that moment. And so thank you very much. You're welcome. You're welcome. And also, you know, your great concern comes from a place of love.

[61:14]

Yeah. which I think is why you're doing what you're doing, right? And I don't know for anyone who's a parent, I'm not a parent, but what I understand is when we have someone we care about and love, they still have to take responsibility for their actions, right? And so we have to allow them the agency to be responsible for their actions. We can remind them again and again what would be beneficial, but in the end, they have to take the steps. So we have to allow them That's part of this aspect of freedom. Each person has to make the effort. So to love and also give people the space to find their own way to meeting the situation. And sometimes it's heartbreaking when they make choices that actually don't end so well. Thank you again, John. Okay. Let's see here.

[62:15]

Alex? Is Alex around? Hi there. Hi, Alex. Just struggling to unmute. Thank you. I was reading a book by Hannah Arendt Thinking Without the Bannister. And she wrote an introduction to a book, The Warriors. And it was written from a different time and a perspective post-war. And I thought something resonated with me about this time. So I'll share a quote from the book. There is in many today as great a fear of a sterile and unexciting peace, as of a great war. anything is better than to have nothing at all happen day after day.

[63:23]

You know that I do not love war, want it to return, but at least it made me feel alive as I have not felt alive before or since. Greg comments, peace exposed the void in them, that war's excitement had enabled them to keep covered up. And I figure that it's just another side of something that's happening today and what will happen if we're in this unexciting, closed-up sort of space. But we have to approach it, I think, with patience and kindness. Thank you. Thank you, Alex. Thank you for sharing that quote. I appreciate it. I'm conscious we're kind of at the end of their time, but I also thought We could try something slightly different. And that is if you feel the need to sign out, you're welcome to sign out.

[64:24]

And maybe anyone who has a question remaining, try a few more minutes and maybe we can engage with them. And so, again, thank you for being here. And if you need to check out. or not check out, but sign off. Please take good care. And anyone who wants to stay on, we'll take a moment, a few more moments. How about Seishin? Hello. Greetings from Washington State. Hello. I have a specific question for advice I'd like to ask you. I work as a nursing assistant at a nursing home. long-term care facility in Bellingham. Obviously, that's a difficult place to work right now. And I care for people who are the most at-risk people you could possibly be. And I work as a nursing assistant, so I'm relatively low on the hierarchy of care provided.

[65:34]

I provide very physical care. I'm not a therapist or... doctor, that sort of thing. And I've been wondering, and I'd like your advice on this, how to show up to these people who are experiencing tremendous anxiety. Most of the positive things in their lives, like family visits, activities, social dining hall, et cetera, have been taken away from them. They're quarantined in their rooms, they don't get to see anyone. And I've struggled how to show up in a positive way where I have very limited time and very limited capacity. So how do I be in positive presence in their time here? Thank you for that question. And thank you for the important service that you're offering, the fundamental work. And again, the intention for why you're in that role. I imagine it comes from a profound, deep heart space, a wish to alleviate suffering.

[66:39]

and to be with others and to be a loving, compassionate presence. So tapping into that before you enter each room and in the short time that you have with them, what is it to kind of allow that heart space to be as wide open as possible and to extend to each person, to include each person in that heart space. So just the way you're being with them Not necessarily what you say, but just your open heart presence will offer them some sense of feeling seen, mattering, that they matter. They'll have some quality. They'll feel kind of this limbic quality of care coming from you. And even just a little bit, that someone said hello to them, that someone treated them with kindness and generosity. with warmth will make a difference for them. Just a little bit.

[67:39]

To wish them to say, I wish you wellness. How can I help you today? Acknowledge something about their being, their quality, how they are that's affirmative. So they feel connected to and recognized in some way. So that's just starting there. right, and extending your love out, you know, doing a metta practice with them, or doing a tongue limb practice. I don't know if you're familiar with tongue limb, you know, in some way, even before, you know, as you go into the room while you're with them, and then once you leave afterwards, continuing to offer them kind of this warm, open heart presence. They'll feel it. They really will. Well, thank you again, Session. Seixin. Seixin. Seixin. Thank you. I see one more hand.

[68:43]

Mary. May. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, David. And then... I think this patience is actually paramount, especially during this time. You know, it is so easy to have so much anxiety when we just started the shelter in place. Actually, my anxiety started even before because I'm a mother, you know. How come the school is not closed? You know, you just worry every day. And then I remember I just, before the school closed, that week and i was just sending letters you know to the to the superintendent i'm like you know this the truth you know please um and then even though they're not decision makers right but you just have to do that um and then after the shelter in place that was was put into order and then you just start you know you know as a mother you're always worried it's like hey did you what did you wash your hands you know 20 seconds you know

[69:56]

And all of that, you know, many moms. And also for California, you know, has been a long time. It's been a huge frustration that, you know, our test is pending. Oh, my God. You know, that kind of thing is like, I'm like, I think I cut you. I think the second aspect of the patient that tried to practice is giving. You know, it's a... everybody needs the time. You know, this is a new thing to everyone. Everybody adjusting, adapting, you know, teachers is adapting, and then every program, you know, after school program, they're all learning. This is a new thing for everyone. So I try to go deeper, you know, why I'm so much anxiety or whatever. Maybe it's because of faith, right? It's the... you just have to kind of like cultivate and continue cultivating this state.

[70:59]

And then there is, things will be fine. You know, look at the flowers. The flower doesn't open in five minutes. It's opening, it's opening, right? In a couple of days, it's fine. And then now in like five minutes, you know, I think we're just so conditioned to like everything like boom, boom, boom, you know, happen like so fast. And then, and we want to grab, we want to grab, gratification immediately. But I think this one is taught me by two things. It's forgiveness and also faith. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mary. Yeah, the giving time for things to unfold. And this is a part and part of patience. Allow the unfolding of reality, of causes and conditions. to unfold in the time that they unfold. So it's really, the universe doesn't work on our agenda or our timeline, right?

[72:02]

So how do we give over to it and allow it to make its discoveries and recognize that it may not be what we think it should be. In many cases, it's not. So the faith in something, a larger unfolding, that's unfathomable. Our conscious minds can't make sense of it. And we want to, we want to grab onto it as a way to control, right? If I could just understand, then I would have something solid to rely on. And in Zen, we keep pulling out that rug. There's nothing to rely on. There's no separate, you know, sense of self or anything that you can lie on because it's all one huge boundless you know unfolding of existence right okay it's allowing just allowing okay thank you okay one more and then we'll have to sign out millicent from australia

[73:16]

Millicent, your sound's not working so well. You sound like Minnie Mouse. Try again. You muted yourself now. I can't unmute you. Try again. You really sound like Minnie Mouse. It's very endearing, but the sound's not coming through. So, Melissa, I'm going to stop you because we can't actually understand you because you sound so distorted. I'm so sorry. But it's wonderful to see you, you know, and I hope we have a chance to connect later. So, I'm so sorry. So, okay, my friends, it's time to sign off. Thank you for those of you who stayed on. I wish you well.

[74:25]

Good luck with your practice. I hope to see you maybe next week, next Tuesday. Be well.

[74:35]

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