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. I wanted to actually say a little bit more, extend the talk a little bit at the beginning, if I may. There is a chapter in Zen Mind Beginner's Mind called, of all things... What? Control. Control, yeah. It's a chapter called Control where the teacher says if you want to train a cow something like the worst thing is to ignore it. The next best thing is to try to control it. The next worst thing? I think you said next worst but He says next worst, but I would say next best.

[01:02]

The next worst and the next best is to try to control it. But the best way, or the least worst, or the bratwurst, is to give the cow a big field. And he doesn't say, but I would add, give the cow a big field and watch it. Pay attention to it. So, if you want to train the mind and the body and the breath, the worst is to ignore them. Next best is to try to control them, which I did for a while, and I gave it up, pretty much. I have lapses where I try to control body, mind. Basically, my policy is to give up trying to control body and mind. I give it a big field, but I watch it.

[02:08]

I try to watch it. Watch it, watch it, watch it. So, it knows that I'm giving it a big field, but it also knows I'm watching it. Or rather, it knows it's being given a big field, but it knows somebody's watching, and it appreciates that the one who's watching is the one who gave it a big field. That the one who's watching is not trying to control it. Because trying to control it is kind of disrespectful. Because you cannot control this mind and this body. They're alive. And to relate to them like you control them is kind of an insult. But to say, you know, basically, I'll give you a big field and I'll be your attendant. I'll tend you. I'm your servant. I'm your caregiver. But I know I can't control you. You're too much. You're too alive. But if I attend you, you might learn how to attend yourself. And then we can both enter the process where there is control. But nobody's trying to control from the outside.

[03:11]

So those of you who are going to sit now and those of you who are going to sit who are not here, please tell them to give their body and mind and breath a big field And pay attention to that body-mind. Okay? And the other thing I promised is to read you a poem. And I would say this poem is also about relinquishing trying to control. Relinquishing control from the outside. And enter... the inner control of peace and harmony. Shall I read the poem now? And again, I don't have amplifications, so I'll be saying it kind of with a big voice.

[04:12]

And also I'll be holding it like this so I can read it. This is called, it's a French poem. I'm going to read the English translation. It's about portrait d'un wasso. How to paint the portrait of a bird by Jacques Prévert. Translated by Lawrence Ferlinghetti of San Francisco, North Beach. First, paint a cage. comment by me. The first thing we do is we imagine a world. And the world we imagine is a cage. We make a cage for ourself by our mind.

[05:17]

So, to reiterate the normal process, paint a cage. Actually it says to paint a cage, but this is Anyway, that's what it says. I'm glad I read this to you because I remember the poem differently. So this is the way he wrote it. First, paint a cage with the door open. Then paint something pretty, something simple, something beautiful, something useful for the bird you know paint those things inside the cage for the bird to attract the bird like for example paint a picture of Zen really beautiful simple picture of Zen to attract people to come into the cage got me those pictures

[06:36]

So paint these things for the bird then place the canvas against a tree in a garden in a wood or in a forest. Hide behind the tree. May I add sit without speaking without moving Can you believe this poem? Sit without... Without what? Without speaking. Sit in silence and stillness. Here's this guy teaching children to sit in silence and stillness. Sometimes the bird comes quickly.

[07:41]

But he can just as well spend long years before deciding. Don't get discouraged. Wait. Wait years if necessary. The swiftness or slowness of the coming of the bird having no rapport with the success of the picture. When the bird comes if he comes observe the most profound silence. Tell the bird enters the cage. When she has entered gently close the door with the brush. Then paint

[08:46]

Then paint out all the bars one by one. Paint out the bars one by one. of the cage one by one. Taking care not to touch any of the feathers of the bird. Then paint the portrait of a tree choosing the most beautiful branch for the bird. Paint also the green foliage and the wind's freshness in the dust of the sun and the noise of insects in the summer heat and then wait for the bird to decide to sing if the bird doesn't sing it's a bad sign

[10:12]

sign that the paintings excuse me for saying so bad but if he sings it's a good sign it's a sign you can sign so then very gently pull out one of the feathers of the bird and with and write your name in the corner of the picture and Some animal rights activists may be upset about pulling feathers out of birds, but this is an imaginary bird which you have put all the feathers on so you can paint out one and use it. So I thought this was a good example of how to practice Zen. Any questions or comments about anything in the universe?

[11:16]

You said I was a French Pardon? You said that was a French poem by a French person? I think he was a French person who lived in France and he spoke French. But he said North Beach. The translator lived in North Beach. Ah, the translator. Yeah. And the person who recited the poem to you lives at Green Gulch in a valley or a garden or a tree. Jackie, did you have your hand raised? Well, I've read this poem before, and I have a little bit of misunderstanding about painting everything pretty and taking the bars away. So do you want me to talk about painting something pretty? It's not zen life to me. Do you want me to talk about painting something pretty? Which you don't think?

[12:20]

You talk about contriving to make something pretty. Well, we do that in Zen. We make something pretty. The Japanese word for pretty is also the Japanese word for clean. So Zen temples, generally speaking, are contrived. We build a building with walls and doors. We build cages. We contrive. It's a contrivance. So birds will come in and sit. We build buildings so that people will come and sit. It's a contrivance. You could all... Pardon? We try to make it pretty. Look at this room. Notice this room. We try to make it clean. We try to make it... We try to make it simple.

[13:21]

Simple. We try to make it beautiful. We have these gardens. Suki does all this work outside here on this hillside. She's trying to make it beautiful. She's trying to make it simple. The zendo, we're trying to make it clean and simple to attract people to come and sit. Now, some people have, some teachers have a different style. They make a big rat's nest and don't, you know, see who will come then. This is right. But that's for people who only want one student in a million years. But Zen makes nice, makes beautiful. Zen temples are very beautiful, often, to attract people to come inside the cage and then we gently close the door on them. Just like the door, you've come in, you came into the pretty Zen temple. Maybe you didn't think it's pretty, but didn't you think Zen center was beautiful? Yeah. And it got you to come in and now you're inside and we got you. So now it's time to paint the walls away.

[14:24]

Paint everything that you came inside of. Paint everything in your world. Gently paint them away and without getting any paint on your feathers. How's that going now? Is it making like lots of sense? I... For me? Yeah, you. I didn't come in here because it was pretty. I came in here because I was in pain. Why come here among the various places? What was it about this place that you thought would help you with pain? I listened to a talk and it rang through. It rang... The teaching was set that day. Was the teaching beautiful? Yes. Yeah. The teaching is an example of something beautiful. Right. So you had this page, which is the human mind, now put a beautiful teaching in there to get the person to come and look at their mind, which you heard the teaching, you came, and you met your mind many years ago.

[15:37]

So for you, the teaching was the beautiful thing. And was the teaching by any chance simple also? In hindsight, it was simple. I didn't think it was simple then. Well, this is a children's poem. Pretty, simple, also useful. Something that might be useful. Was the talk useful? Did it seem like it might be useful? Yes. With your pain? Yeah. How are you doing now? Great. Thanks for your question. So, I see Barbara, but before Barbara, I think it was Homma. Is that right? Homma. Pardon? Jackie was first. Homma was second. And this is not like a preference for Iranians, but anyway.

[16:43]

And then Barbara. Jackie, Homa, Barbara, and then somebody else maybe. What's your name? Thais. My granddaughter, they call her Tiny. But you're Thais. Are you from Iran? No. It's okay, we accept you. Yes, lady? Okay. My question was when you mentioned about the field, that you're giving. The big field you give. The big field that you give and watching and observing the mind. In that big field. That big field. And watch the body. And watch the body. Yeah. The body and the mind in that field. Yeah. Then my question is. That sounds great. Let's do it. Regardless of the field.

[17:44]

I don't understand the vastness of the field, why we're getting the big field, right? And no matter what field, whether it's big or small, what I see is always the mind. Yeah, that attitude that what you see is always the mind, that's a big field. That's a big field attitude. That's an example of what I mean by big. Big means like... You meet somebody who looks like your enemy, or somebody who you think is not doing something helpful, you realize, oh, that's my mind I'm looking at. This enemy is not outside my mind, or outside the mind. This is mind. And I'm not trying to change it. And then that enemy can turn into Buddha Dharma. Okay. Okay. There I am looking. that the turning to the Buddha Dharma is... I'm trying to get rid of my mind, I'm sorry.

[18:52]

You're trying to get rid of your mind. It looks like that, doesn't it? Yeah, because even that turning could be my mind. So I'm never free of this mind. Even with the Buddha Dharma, even that turning, that turning is the turning of the mind. How would I know it's not the mind? Everything is the mind. That's okay. The turning of the mind is the liberation of the mind. And the liberation of the mind is not a substantial thing. It's also just the mind. It's the mind understanding that it's just the mind and that frees the mind from thinking the mind more than the mind. You're welcome. Barbara? Yes, I have a question that's actually very practical and important to me going into session. And since I was in the kitchen, someone asked about moving as I was in.

[19:56]

So I spent, you know, seven weeks trying not to move, and it's been very difficult, so I paid attention. when the instruction is and the tuition is insulting, don't move, and you said, yes, I won't move, what happens when you're in a lot of pain or whatever and you actually just want to move or even go from here to the chair or whatever? Yes, that is a practical question. Thank you. Is it practical or impractical? Practical. Practical, yes. So you're asking a practical question. When you're sitting and you're in pain, okay, at that moment, if I was sitting and I was in pain, I think it would be good for me if somebody came up to me when I was in pain and said to me, give up moving, that I would say, yes. And then, after I said yes, I might say, I think I will move now.

[21:07]

I think that would be helpful. So, what you're saying is, yes, I embrace the attitude and aspiration of not moving, and I would move. I embrace, I wish to embrace the attitude of giving up trying to control, which is the same as not moving. Not moving means give up trying to control my movements. So I'm sitting there, and let's say I'm giving up trying to control my movements, and I feel pain, and then a movement arises because it seems like a good thing to do. Or the body expressing itself. Moving is the body expressing itself, yes. And there's two ways of the body expressing itself. One is it's expressing itself because something outside is controlling it into movement.

[22:08]

That's the way that we call, that's what's called, you know, trying to control. And we try to control, basically, we're just enacting our habits. The body doesn't really happen according to our habits, but we interject and impose our habits upon our dear body. But if you give up trying to control your body, you'll notice the body is actually alive and expressing itself. But if you try to control it, you may miss the wonderful body expression, which is sometimes it sits still, and then sometimes it feels pain, and then sometimes it says, it might be good to move. What do you think? And sometimes you say, it might be. I'll take it into consideration. And now I would say, actually, yes. In concentration, in samadhi, both movement and stillness are allowed. And if the stillness is allowed, the stillness is controlled by the process.

[23:13]

And if the movement is allowed, the movement is controlled by the process, not imposed. So when you're sitting, you have this wonderful opportunity to see what it's like. And sometimes it's painful, and sometimes the thought arises, it might be good to move. And you might say, yes, it might. And then you do it, and then sometimes you find out it was good to move. And sometimes you find out it wasn't good to move. And then you try again and again and again, and you become a Buddha. You become a Buddha by this process. This is how you make a Buddha. This is how you make a Buddha, which is similar to how you paint the portrait of a bird. later this question, but I think you kind of find sensitivity here between honoring your aspiration to follow good forms of discrimination, which is not moving, versus this inner expression of your body.

[24:18]

It seems that it's a really hard thing to discriminate. Well, you said versus, right? Yes. Following these forms is not versus taking care of your body. This practice is a practice of taking care of your body. The way to take care of your body is give up trying to control. Giving up trying to control from the outside, giving up trying to impose control on your body is the path to entering the process where your body is controlled into appropriate beneficial care. This tradition is about benefiting bodies. learning the path of benefiting bodies, learning how to take care of your body in a way that's free of your habits and is in accord with what your body is actually involved in. So your body might, sometimes your body might feel pain and it might feel like, I think I'd like to move.

[25:28]

But also... I'll just express that. And then somebody hears that expression, I think I'd like to move, and says, yeah, but this is a Zen center, so we shouldn't necessarily move. I hear that. So give all that a big field. Don't try to control the situation. Give up trying to control it. And you'll find that the cow will get up and move sometimes. And the movement I'm proposing will be the movement of the Buddha. It will be the Buddha adjusting the posture. And it will be done with great respect for the body, respect for the other practitioners, respect and appreciation for this wonderful tradition, and great happiness to be in a room practicing not moving. It's beautiful.

[26:32]

And the word kindness came up. Yeah. Just a little kindness for yourself. Well, little, big, anyway, kindness. Kindness, kindness. This whole thing's based on loving kindness and compassion. That's the basis of the whole thing. Which leads us to wisdom. Where we actually understand our body. Our marvelous, inconceivable, uncanny body. Where we'll actually enter into the process Where it is, where there is a control, where it's controlling the universe, and the universe is controlling it. The universe is controlling our body. But our body is also controlling the universe. To realize that is called Buddha. We have the ability to realize this. That's called Buddha nature. We can realize this real body, this real mind. by giving the body and mind a big field and then watching it.

[27:36]

We don't just give it a big field, which is really important. We watch it. And the gift and the watching that it can give to us can watch us. And then we can watch each other together and realize harmony. Pynas? Thank you, sir. Yeah. My question is... One second. Can you remember the other question? Can you wait? Judging is one of the cows in the field. So, if you're watching something, and judgment arises, give the judgment a big field too. Did you follow that?

[28:40]

The big field allows judgment. There's judgment out there. Like you might look at the cow and say, I judge, I reckon that's a brown cow. I judge. So I give it to Kyle a big field and I give my attitudes and opinions of the Kyle a big field too. Because we're talking about the mind and the body. And then giving things a big field and watching them realizes that there's not really a versus here. There's not like this versus that. There's this working together with that. But it looks like this versus that. So I don't know. If that was clear, you look like you have this appearance like you didn't understand what I said. I'm just trying to absorb. I didn't get my sense. It's just because I heard the other day an analogy about the two arrows.

[29:44]

Don't throw the second arrow. When you're suffering, when it's not some problem, then you feel guilty because you feel that way. So that would be the second arrow. So I guess that's one of the... Yeah, but what I'm saying is, if you do throw the second arrow, then give that, you really don't, if you're watching the cow, you don't have to really be saying, that's a good cow, it's a bad cow. You don't have to, you say, I'm just watching this, actually I'm watching this, I'm watching and I really don't know if it's a cow, but I think it's a cow. And then you can add, but thinking it's a cow is kind of an arrow. already. But if you watch the arrows with a big field, you will become free of the arrows. The arrows will turn into Buddha Dharma. The arrows will turn into the truth if you treat them properly. Properly means to the point of liberation from the arrows. Throwing more arrows isn't necessary, but if we do, we just do the same with the additional arrows.

[30:48]

No matter how many arrows there are, we do the same practice. And then you have another question? I do not control my inner peace. Me as outside the process, me controlling the process of inner peace, that's my usual thing. People try to control themselves into peace. That is... That's the habit. If you give up trying to control your state of peace, if you give up trying to control your state of disturbance, but also pay attention to it, you enter the realm where actually the whole universe is working to realize peace. And so there is kind of a control, but it's not from the outside.

[31:53]

It's not me controlling my life. It's me entering the realm where my life is actually supported, you could say, or controlled. Everybody's making me be me. And me is making everybody else be them. So my name actually in Chinese is Zenki, which can be translated... two ways, which you can translate as the whole works. But whole works has two meanings. One is a colloquial meaning and the other is a standard English meaning. The colloquial meaning of the whole works means everything. The standard English meaning is a sentence, which means the whole works. How does the whole work? It works through the parts. The whole works through you being you. The whole works as me being me.

[32:56]

That's how the whole works. And it's a lot of work to make you and a lot of work to make me, but it's been accomplished. And that's it for the moment. You have to be you and I have to be me because the universe has made you this way and the universe has made me this way. And me being this way and you being that way is also everything. So, and in that sense, there's control in this huge process. There's control which makes each of us the way we are. So there's no more need to try to control the situation or make it different. But if we don't watch it, we won't realize this. We won't realize that there is, that things are being made in a very precious and irrefutable way. And the way that that happens is freedom. I have to be myself, you have to be yourself. In order to train myself to be myself, I have to give myself a big field.

[33:58]

Which means I'm not trying to control myself. I should say, I might be trying to control myself, and if I am, I give my controlling a big field. I even give up trying to control myself and to stop trying to control myself. So I might say, oh, I was trying to control myself there. Okay? It's possible to do things... the process and the same thing you can do imposing control upon the same action. We're trying to shift from the habitual approach to enter the process. I should say one might wish to switch or as you say turn from things being things to control to things teaching us. Yes? You're using words that I would like to hear more about.

[34:59]

You're saying universe. Did you talk about universe makes you a certain way, creates you to a certain beginning? What do you think the universe is in that context? All the conditions that make us. So there's many conditions that make me and many conditions that make you. The conditions that make you are... are somewhat different than the ones that make me. The product has some similarity in that we're both, what do you call it, called humans. We both use language. So there's a lot of similarities, but there's something unique about you and something unique about me. And many, many things go into making the unique being you at this moment. And then because there's so much involved, when those things change, you change. So because we depend on other things to be ourselves, and all those things are changing, we're always changing. But at the moment, we're this, and really we can't be anything but this.

[36:03]

But also this can't last for more than this moment. And everything supporting us means we support everything. And everything's like that. Like when we sit, we use this hand mudra, the whole body is involved in making this hand mudra. The way this hand mudra is depends on my legs, my back, my head, my arms, my wrists. And if I make it this way, it's equally dependent on all those things, but in a different way. But also, this hand mudra makes my whole body. When I'm like this, I have a different body than when I have like this. And so it's our job to really settle in on being ourself, which is made by the whole universe and which makes the whole universe.

[37:05]

That's the place of the process. And in that process, there is freedom. And there is a kind of control in the sense that we have to be free. We can't get away from it in the process. We can only get away from it by imagining we're separate from the process, and then try to control the process. And it's almost like we are. Even though it's still part of the process, we distract ourselves from it. And that's our habit. Okay? Yes? Okay. You were saying that observing ourselves in the field, and that observation is kind of like the witness... It's like a witness, yeah. Yeah, so just being kind of neutral in that state. Well, the big field means that you're kind of neutral. You're kind of like neutral.

[38:08]

And if there's any non-neutralness, that's just another thing in the field. And even the neutralness is in the field. There's not a witness, actually, you finally realize there's not a witness separate from the field. At first, it's like there's somebody watching the mind or watching the body in the field. There's a witness which feels like they're giving the cow a big field. But after a while you realize that there's not something in addition to the big field and the cow. And the other part is if you feel like, you know, you're talking to someone and you know it's going to turn into an argument or a being great kind of... You're talking to someone and you... and you think maybe it's going to turn into an argument? Yeah, it does. You can feel the beginnings of the argument? Know the pattern, yeah. You see a pattern arising? Yeah, and you want to keep that internal harmony and peace, but you find yourself not able to. So the name of the cow now is not able to avoid the argument.

[39:13]

Right. Now we have a cow which is called an argument. So then, got an argument. And now you give the argument a big field and watch it. I hang up. I usually hang up. So then you have hanging up is the cow. You look at the hanging up. And then the telephone rings. And then you have the telephone ringing. And then you have feelings like wonder if I should answer the telephone. I wonder if I should answer the telephone is the new cow. The fresh cow of the moment. so where does that all go she says where does it all go we have a famous story about that one time a great teacher named Matsu was walking with his wonderful student named Baijong and some some geese flew overhead

[40:20]

And I think the teacher says, what's that? And the student said, it's geese flying over. And then the teacher said, where have they gone? Just like you, asked. You're like the master. And then the student said, they've flown away. And then the master took a hold of the student's nose and turned it. And at that point, when Suzuki Rishi told the story, he always laughed. I never did understand why he was laughing. I guess you guys do. So anyway, you as the teacher asked, where did they go? Where do those thoughts go? And someone might say, well, they go away. But he also could have, the student could have not answered the question about where they went. And he could have turned the teacher's nose. But I can't reach you. Yeah, good.

[41:28]

I can't reach you with my thumb and forefinger. Yes? I have a hard time just watching the cows. I want to talk to the cows, I want to climb the tree. Wanting to talk to the cow is another cow. It's another cow. Give the new cows the same kindness you gave the previous cow. Every moment of your mind is a new cow. So here's a cow. I want to talk to the cow. Welcome, wish to talk to cows. Welcome. I want to talk to the cows this way or that way. Welcome. Welcome. I want to talk to cows in a way which would be extremely destructive to the universe. Welcome. But then maybe you slipped.

[42:31]

Oh, here comes the habit. I'm going to try to control that one. So you take a step backwards into the control realm. I'm going to control this impulse to talk to cows. Okay. Then I give that impulse to control a big field. And then sometimes, which is the worst... You just ignore the whole thing. But then sometimes you wake up and say, I've been ignoring these cows. I'm sorry. Now we got I'm sorry. And maybe you try to control I'm sorry, but maybe you don't. Maybe you just say, okay, we accept I'm sorry. Now we're back in observing this mind with a big field. And sometimes this mind wants to talk in great detail to the cows. But that wish is another cow. No, it doesn't have to be.

[43:40]

Counting the breath is another cow. The breath is a cow. Control your body, control your breath, control your mind. Body, Breath and mind are all mind. So one way to watch your mind is to watch the impulse to have a conversation with somebody. Or the judgment of a cow. That's one thing to watch. Another thing to watch is the image of the breath. Oh, this is, I have an image of an exhale, the image of an inhale. I have a tactile image. I have auditory image of breath. And then I have this body, which I'm have the image of being upright. So I'm giving this body a big feel. I watch it. I let it be what it is with all its feelings. I watch the breath. And if I'm counting my breath, I watch the counting of the breath. And if the counting of the breath, you know, goes beyond 10 or I forget even about counting my breath, then I have forgetting counting the breath is the cow.

[44:47]

It's the mind. This is how to train the mind is to pay attention to it in this gracious way. And by paying attention in a gracious way, you find a way where you're actually kind of like really there all the time. So you kind of enter into the realm where you're being supported to be present all the time. But everybody's supporting you to be the whole universe. is making you into somebody who is present. You don't make yourself present all by yourself. Everybody helps you. And you, being present, helps all of us. To enter the realm of this imperceptible mutual harmony and assistance, we do it by giving up trying to control. And then we enter the realm where everybody is actually supporting each other to be who they are. And... be free of who they are.

[45:51]

But karmic consciousness is very exciting. It's giddy. Karmic consciousness is giddy. It excites us to the point of getting distracted from giving things a big field. So then we say, okay, I got distracted. I give my distraction a big field. When you give your distraction a big field, that's a calming gesture. Yes? The relationship between outside controlling and constriction, contraction in the body. The relationship between Outside controlling or imposing control and constricting of the body and mind. Yeah, like the idea like I'm trying to sit here. They sound very similar.

[46:52]

Constricting, trying to impose control on my body, generally speaking, is pretty much the same thing as constricting my body. Because the very attitude of I'm going to control the body is a constricted, restricted, and limited sense of the body. As though the one... who's trying to control the body is not the body. That's kind of a limited idea of the body. The body really isn't something that's separate from the impulse to control. The impulse to control is a body function. It's arising out of a body that's in relationship to the world. The actual relationship of the body and the world is our mind. And the body allows and the world allows the thought of I'm going to control this body. So even the thought of controlling is actually sponsored by everything. So we shouldn't hate or try to get rid of the mind which is trying to control. We should be kind to that mind too.

[47:55]

But constriction of the body is very much in harmony with trying to control it. And giving the body a big field. is very much in harmony with not constricting it, not limiting it, not trying to control it. But it's hard to give up trying to control the body. Therefore it's hard to be free of constricting the body. So part of the kindness is to be patient with how hard it is to give up trying to control the body. But to try, so we don't try to give up control of the body. Don't try to give up control of the body. Don't try to give up, don't try to control the body. Don't try to give up trying to control the body. Don't try anything.

[48:58]

Just say yes to what you want to say yes to. And you do want to say yes to being still. You do want to say yes to being free. You do want to say yes to not moving. Sometimes. So you just say yes. So if somebody says, be still, and you say yes. You're not doing it. You didn't do the yes, but the yes is in accord with not moving. If somebody says move, you say yes. You didn't do that. And now the movement is in accord with not moving. It is in accord with not controlling. It's like a sort of a free response. Yeah, it's a free response. But it's controlled. Various circumstances, when you say to some people, be still, they say no. That was free too.

[50:02]

they may think that they made it happen but actually it was free so yes is free no is free and if you don't give up trying to control you miss that that was coming not by personal control imposed on your life but it came from the freedom of your life and it could not be otherwise and it is not otherwise it's your life but if you try to control it you kind of magically just do dissociate yourself from your life but you're controlling your life rather than your life is asking you a question and an answer comes contraction with in the body then like sitting you just so yes and just sit well if the contraction arises in your body you you give it a big field You say, welcome contraction.

[51:07]

It's kind of like the rope you were talking about, sort of a powerful image to me, the rope we could say. Yeah, the rope unraveling in the boat is an image, for example, the moment of a contracted body. If you're not careful of that, you get taken away by it. If you're present with it, you can welcome it. And then it just keeps unraveling. And then you get the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing. But if you're not careful, you get caught by this stuff and pulled all over the place. But that's where you find peace, is in this body which is every moment giving you a challenging opportunity of something moving, fleeting by, which if you're careful of, you can let it fleet. You can let it fly. And then the next one, and the next one. presence of being there with your constantly changing body and mind, that presence will discover peace.

[52:11]

If we lose your presence, you get pulled by it. If you don't see it flowing, like on the land where the rope's not flying all over the place, where the land's not going like this, then you think, well, you know, I don't have to be present. I'm okay. And then you're just stuck. But during Sashin, when we're sitting a lot, It's kind of like being in a storm at some points. The body's constricted and in pain and it's hard to find your place of presence and balance with all the stuff that's going on. And to keep saying, give it a big field, welcome. Give up trying to control this. Give up trying to have a different body and a different mind. A better body, a better mind. Give up trying that. And if a nice body, a nice mind comes and you like it, give up, give that up too.

[53:14]

Give up trying to get another one of those nice bodies and nice minds. Nice body comes, give up trying to hold on to it. Difficult body comes, give up trying to hold on to it or get rid of it. Is that enough for today? It's enough for tonight. Yes, Abby? I just wanted to share a brief story and thank you to everyone. Abby, could you come up here and do the story because we recorded? Because I don't think it'll be recorded unless you come up here and speak into this microphone. in many of your other questions, I kind of repeated your questions, so it kind of got recorded. But this is going to be a story.

[54:15]

Maybe you should say it in there. Okay. Here you go. Storytelling. Okay. So the story that I wanted to tell was about when I went home to Chicago, to the Chicago area for Thanksgiving, and And in a lot of ways, I think of the geese that fly overhead and migrate south as my first spiritual teachers as a child. And the day after Thanksgiving, I was going out to the car to go someplace, and I saw a small flock of birds that were in that arrow formation that looked sort of like geese, except they had this weird movement, and it was like a pulsating movement And then they had this strange call, and I'm too embarrassed to imitate it for you. But it was really unusual, and I had never heard it before.

[55:16]

And something really special happened when I saw these birds and I heard this call. And later I was having lunch with my mom, and I said, Mom, I saw these birds, and I don't know what they are. And she goes, Oh, those are the whooping cranes. And I said, whooping cranes? And I said, where have I heard a story about the whooping cranes before? And I said, aren't they really endangered or something? And she goes, no, I think they're just threatened. There's a nesting site that's close by. And I said, really? And I said, oh, okay. So later, I went to the internet and I looked at the whooping cranes and I saw the hand puppet. And I remembered your book. And it really just reminded me how important ecological awareness is. And so I just want to thank everybody here at Green Gulch that works in the farm apprenticeship program and in the gardening program and everyone who worked really hard during the practice period to hold this space for us because it's just so, so...

[56:30]

liberating, really, to see a species come back from the brink of extinction like that, one that you've never seen before. And I thank you for sharing that story with me, too. So that's all I wanted to say. Thank you. A story and being upright about Tex. A whooping crane named Tex. A female whooping crane. Should I go now? Thank you for the story. You can stay there. Okay. Stay there. Anything else today, this morning, this afternoon? Please take care of your body and mind. 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.

[57:33]

For more information, visit sfcc.org and click giving. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[57:44]

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