This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Nice to see all of you, including the special visitors, guests up front. My name is Jordan, Jordan Thorne. I live to Gringolch. for almost 10 years, what seems like a long time ago, in the 1990s. And when I lived here, I had two kids who were young, maybe, the age of some of the kids here. And I remember well, one time when I was gonna give a talk here, I asked my daughter, Elizabeth, if she had any tips for me. And she said, Don't lecture to them, to the kids.

[01:02]

Keep it short. And tell jokes. And then she kind of had an afterthought. She said, but only tell funny jokes. And then she had a subsequent afterthought after that thought. And she said, you know, no jokes about math are funny. LAUGHTER A teacher asked her class, students, whatever I ask, I want you to all answer at once. What's two plus two? And they all shouted out, at once. I think maybe Lizzie was right. I have so many things in my sleeve, and one of them is a watch.

[02:13]

I want to read you all a story about two ducks and a turtle, okay? So relax, be very still, listen. Listen carefully. This is a story about a turtle who lived in a very large pond, bigger, I think, even than the pond back there. And it was full of cool, clear water. That is, until something unusual and kind of troublesome started to happen. What could that be? Well, this turtle lived a long time ago in a faraway land, and it became very hot. For many years, he was quite content swimming around the large pond. He basked in the sun on top of the stones and he sometimes would snap at passing dragonflies or try to catch a fat, juicy water beetle. And all in all, life was good until one summer, a scorching hot, dry summer, the rain stopped falling.

[03:25]

The sun shone so fiercely that the cool, clear water in the pond began to dry up. Little by little, the pond shrank, and every day it became drier and drier, until finally there's so little water left that the turtle decided he had to take action, that he had to find a new pond. He had to find a new home before where he would live to disappear completely. But how would he do this? So early one morning, as the sun took hold of this blue sky, the turtle set off to look for help. Before long, he heard two ducks quacking loudly to each other as they flew overhead. Quickly, the turtle called up to them. He said, ducks, ducks, you ducks up there, help me, help me. My home pond is drying up. Would you kindly take me to a new pond full of water? Quack, quack, [...] quack

[04:55]

And then I could hold on to the middle with my mouth, and you could carry me to a new pond. That's a good idea, agreed the ducks, and they landed beside him. But if we do this, you must promise that you will not open your mouth. And so it was agreed. The ducks placed the stick between them, and with the turtle holding on with his mouth, they took off. The ducks carried the turtle across the sky toward a pond full of cool, clear water shimmering in the distance. And on the way, they flew over a field where some children were playing. And hearing the flapping of the ducks' wings, the children looked up and they burst out laughing at the strange sight that met their eyes. One boy shouted up, how ridiculous, two ducks carrying a turtle on a stick. Doesn't he look silly? Well, this made the turtle so angry.

[05:58]

This really made the turtle angry. And even though he probably did look strange, there was a good reason for it. And so he shouted down in his anger at the children. He says, you're the silly weedle. And as he opened his mouth to shout, he let go of the stick and he fell to the ground. Now, it's a good thing. Turtles have a hard show. Okay? So, the poor little turtle lost his grip. He tumbled down out of the sky. He crashed onto the grass with a thumb and said, ouch, if only I hadn't listened to those children, I'll think twice. Well, actually, maybe I'm going to ask you, what was the lesson that the turtle learned? Does anybody have an idea? Yes? That's called the fundamental point. And I thought over there someone else had an idea.

[07:02]

Yes? He shouldn't have folded his mouth. Yeah, there's a bunch of reasons that he shouldn't have folded his mouth. But I think, okay, back there. Keep your promises, that's one. And another thing is, over there. Yes, yes. Hi. All of these are exactly right. And I'm going to say to all of you, That if there's a lesson that I think I should, when I hear this, that I should learn is to think carefully before you speak in anger. And even think carefully before you open your mouth at all and speak. So you never know what risks you're stepping into.

[08:08]

Now, I know that there's kind of a full program for the kids today because there's a special, maybe you do this every Sunday, but today you're making masks. And this is connected to, on, I believe it's May 1st, Buddha's birthday, will be celebrated at Green Gulch after a hiatus of some sort. And it's an enormous pageant, and part of the pageant is a kind of a play or a celebration with various masks. And Annie Hallett, who's our mask maker, is somewhere, someplace... Well, this is if Annie had a mask in a really good disguise. Hello. Yeah.

[09:09]

Thank you all. Kind of, there's almost a second start to this talk. So here I go. Let me start again by saying hello to everybody. My name is Jordan Thorne. While I did live here some years ago, I currently live in San Francisco at the Zen Center there. I'm the Tonto at City Center. And today, I'd like to talk about zazen. And to help me talk about Zazen, I'd like to use a poem by a woman, Naomi Shihab Nyai, and it's called, the poem's called Famous, so I'll be quoting from it.

[10:17]

Naomi is a person who, the last few summers, has co-led a workshop at Tazahar with Abbot Paul Haller. The river The river is famous to the fish. The loud voice is famous to silence, which knew it would inherit the earth before anybody said so. The cat, sleeping on the fence, is famous to the birds, watching him from the birdhouse. The tear is famous, briefly, to your cheek. The tear is famous briefly to your cheek. Zen practice is a lot of things. It's a practice of ethics and concentration and the cultivation of wisdom.

[11:23]

But the essence and core of Zen practice is found through the through meditation, through Zazen, through sitting down on a cushion and facing yourself, through the act of becoming famous to yourself. And making a decision, making the decision to Sid Zazen, is turning towards becoming extraordinarily, I'll use a word, that I believe Reb is using, sometimes intimate, is becoming extraordinarily intimate with the activity of your mind, of our minds, of our hearts, your hearts. And we, sitting down, we sit still. We breathe. We sit still a little longer in the moment of today. And in doing so, we find how so easily today becomes tomorrow.

[12:27]

how today is full of yesterday. And we discover how this very moment, this exact very moment, becomes thoughts about our sweetheart, thoughts about our bank account, thoughts about everything that's we might want to happen to us. The river is famous to the fish. The loud voice is famous to silence, which knew it would inherit the earth before anybody said so. The idea you carry close to your bosom is famous to your bosom. The boot.

[13:32]

The boot is famous to the earth, more famous than the dress shoe, which is famous only to floors. These words describe a kind of great closeness, where the boot is famous to the earth, where the loud voice is famous to silence. I read recently in a book, toward the end of a book by Philip Moffat about the Four Noble Truths. He describes an event that happened some years ago, I think actually a good while ago, maybe when I was living at Green Culture or even before, an event that happened at Spirit Rock where Spirit Rock was hosting a conference of teachers and

[14:35]

illustrious teachers, I'm sure. And one of the special bonuses of this conference was that for one day, the Dalai Lama was going to be able to participate in the event. He'd accepted an invitation. because the Dalai Lama was only going to come for one day, there was people, and he's such a lovely teacher, people were excited and looking forward very much to his event. And when he came, he decided, instead of having a dialogue, I actually don't know what the whole day was like, but in the part that Philip Moffat described, the Dalai Lama decided to invite the people who were the volunteers and had hosted done the work for this workshop. He asked them to sit in front with him and ask him questions while the teachers sat to the side and watched.

[15:42]

And at that time, one of the student volunteers raised her hand. And she said, she asked him, she said, I have been practicing for many years now. I go to retreats. I have a home practice. I keep the ethical precepts. At first, when I began, I felt all sorts of changes in my life, but not for a long time now. These days, it seems like I'm not getting anywhere in my practice. What do I do? And after hearing this question, I read that the Dalai Lama was silent and quiet for a good long while. And then he said, he said, I know just what you mean. Sometimes I feel like my own practice is not progressive.

[16:53]

The Dalai Lama said, I know what you mean. And then he continued and he said, What I do in these moments is reflect over the 15, 20, 25, and more years of my practice, and then I can see that some movement has occurred. And then I can see that something has changed. This is an example of the perseverance and the faith and the commitment to continue that's necessary if one undertakes this thing called practice. The river is famous to the fish. The idea you carry close to your bosom is famous to your bosom. The loud voice is famous to silence.

[17:57]

The Spirit Rock student said, I've been practicing for many years. I go to retreats. I have a home practice. I keep the precepts. At first, I felt all sorts of changes in my life, but not for a long time now. What do I do? This, I think, is something we might all know about, this feeling. And this is something that... The practice of zazen gives us the chance to become intimate, to become famously intimate with this sensation. Because, and I say this with some personal regret, what many of us take seriously as our life is like a passing daydream, a succession of thoughts. not grounded in what's happening at that moment.

[19:02]

And this daydream of how and what we imagine our life to be, it's usually so all-compelling that we take it as the solace of our life, take it as the solace of our day. We see it as the way we can get through the day. We go home and lay down on the couch. think about what we believe will make us happy. There are many stories in our life. There are many beginnings for each of us that have brought us to this room today, brought us to this place where now together we have the opportunity to practice, to notice the close space between us, also to notice the close space between yesterday and today and tomorrow, the intimate relationship that success and failure have to each other, and the twin relationship

[20:26]

nature that mindfulness and distraction carry. Not just in our zazen, but in our life. As the Bodhisattva's vow says, Dharma gates are boundless and we vow to enter them. This really is true. Dharma gates are boundless, so we vow to enter them. And practicing the Buddha way, there are many Dharma gates to go through. Zazen is just that. Zazen is the practice of sitting down on a cushion or on your couch or in a chair or wherever you are and being mindful. It's a Dharma gate. The river is famous to the fish. The boot is famous to the earth. More famous than the dress shoe. which is famous only to the floors.

[21:28]

The bent photograph is famous to the ones who carry it and not at all famous to the one who is pictured. One thing that happens is One thing that happens in Zen practice is that we become our daydreams, the daydream of our life becomes exposed to our awareness. And we investigate the sort of delicate space between what it is to become, to be present and to be absent in a moment, in our actions, in our relationships.

[22:37]

We're encouraged by so many of the things that in a Zen center that we, that are part of our background. For instance, there is a, text on sitting zazen taught by Dogen Zenji, and it says in there, if you are confused, mountains and rivers block your way, because if there is the slightest discrepancy, the way is as distant as heaven from earth. And this is true. When we're sitting on the zafu, or when we're practicing meditation, The smallest thing that arises to take us away from our effort to be mindful and present is as large as a mountain, even though it's the smallest recollection. It takes us to a place far away, launches us. As Dogen said, if the least like or dislike arises, our mind is lost in confusion.

[23:53]

our mind is lost in confusion. But you know, if you want to find yourself, one way is to begin by acknowledging you're lost. At about the same time in history that our Japanese Zen founder, Dogen, was starting his temple in Japan called Eheji at around that same time, approximately. On the other side of the world, someone named Dante wrote a poem, a very great, enormous poem about the Divine Comedy. And in some ways, Dante channeled the Spirit Rock student who said, I've been practicing and I don't know if I'm making any progress.

[24:57]

I feel lost. The opening lines of his poem says, in the middle of the road of my life, I awoke in a dark wood where the true way was wholly lost. In the middle of the road of my life, I awoke in a dark wood where the true way was wholly lost. And then, did you know that? No Metz? I think they teach that, actually, in Italian. It's a kind of wonderful, important bit of words. So this is just like Dogen saying, if you're confused, mountains and rivers block your way. This is like this bird rock student asking for help.

[25:58]

We awake and we look around and we're in the midst of a dark wood. We don't know for sure where we are. But also, in the midst of this confusion, the way is perfect. and all-pervading and all around us. And it's just what is happening also. The way is perfect and all-pervading. But I think we forget this. We have a tendency to forget this. The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds. watching him from the birdhouse. I want to be famous to shuffling men who smile while crossing streets, famous to sticky children in grocery lines, famous as the one who smiled back.

[27:07]

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous or a buttonhole. Not because it did anything spectacular, but because it never forgot what it could do. Because it never forgot what it could do. I want to tell a story about Suzuki Roshi. This is a story which I read. I never met the man. And it's a story about another person, a person who I have met, a Jodo Shinshu priest named Reverend Ogui, actually Bishop Ogui now, in the Buddhist Church of America.

[28:12]

And Reverend Ogui came from Japan as an ordained minister in the Jodo sect in the 1960s. I believe he was sent to the temple in Los Angeles area, and it was a shock to him. In Japan, he had majored in English, and he came to America and discovered that nobody understood him. And also, He had a crisis of faith and experienced in his ministry to the Buddhist Church of America temple a great doubt that what he was doing or saying was helpful. And he fled from Los Angeles to San Francisco, where he got a job at the Buddhist Church of America bookstore, which was near to Sakoji Temple.

[29:17]

and where Suzuki Roshi would sometimes go to buy books or would sometimes visit there. And they struck up a kind of connection. On the one hand, Reverend Suzuki was, Suzuki Roshi was the head of a temple and an older man. And on the other hand, this was a young, sort of lost Japanese, fellow working in a bookstore and trying to find himself. And as a gesture of friendship, Suzuki Roshi sometimes invited Reverend Agui to come by Sakoji Temple. And one afternoon, Reverend Agui said that Suzuki Roshi came by and said, you know, I'm giving a talk tonight. Why don't you come to Sakoji and listen to me? And he felt, well, I can't turn that down. Of course, yes. I'll be there. And sometimes when, this is a quote from Reverend Ogui, sometimes Suzuki Roshi gave a talk to his English-speaking students.

[30:32]

I went once. And at that time, when he was speaking to us, something struck me. that made my life change, so that I wished to continue as a Buddhist, so that I wished to continue to practice. Sometimes Suzuki would use a little Japanese along with his English to help him think, I guess. At this time, he started talking and walking in front of people, back and forth slowly. Unlike the way I'm sitting here, I think Suzuki Roshi would actually stand. There was the people's head and cues. And so at this time, Suzuki Resha was standing in front of the audience, and he was walking back and forth, slowly and steadily, and then he said, Today. Today, wajana. Today, wajana. And then Okuwi explains that todaywa is the subject, and jana is like is, with emphasis.

[31:36]

Then he said, today, izu yapare today. Izu is just is, pronounced kind of Japanese-y. And yapare means absolutely. Today is today. Then he walked back slowly and steadily in front of us. And then he said, today is not yesterday. Then again, he walked slowly back and forth in front of us. And speaking in that way, he said, today is not tomorrow. And then he walked up to one of the persons sitting in the front and he grabbed him by his neck and shook him and shouted at him, do you understand? And Reverend Agui was surprised at what he was doing. And then he smiled at all of us with

[32:39]

all of his heart, a warm smile, and said, today is absolutely today, not yesterday, and not tomorrow. That is all. Then he left. And Reverend Agui says, I couldn't even stand up after hearing this. I had thought the problem was I couldn't speak English to my parishioners, and yet... Suzuki Roshi had just given a powerful talk that used like 11 words. And I realized the problem wasn't my vocabulary. It was my heart. Suzuki Roshi, quoting again, only used such limited English language. Today is absolutely today. Today is not yesterday. Today is not tomorrow.

[33:41]

That is all. And Reverend Agui says that this stuck with him and gave him encouragement to continue and to re-enroll as a minister in the Jodo school. And at this time he's the, I don't know, archbishop or bishop, he's the head of the Buddhist churches of America at this point. And He tells this story as the reason that he was able to kind of find his vocation again. This fact that today is today, today is not yesterday, today is absolutely today. This is today becoming famous with today. This is you and me. If we can feel this, if we can know this, this is... complete intimacy and intention expressed. The river is famous to the fish.

[34:52]

The loud voice is famous to silence, which knew it would inherit the earth before anybody said so. The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds watching from the bird house. The tear is famous briefly to the cheek. The idea you carry close to your bosom is famous to your bosom. The boot is famous to the earth, more famous than the dress shoe. which is famous only to floors. The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it and not at all famous to the one who is pictured. I want to be famous to shuffling men who smile while crossing streets. I want to be famous to sticky children in grocery lines, famous as the one who smiled back.

[36:00]

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, or a buttonhole, and not because it did anything spectacular, but because it never forgot what it could do. So I hope that I can not forget what I can do, and I hope that all of you won't forget as well. Thank you very much. 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. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[37:02]

@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_81.24