This podcast is offered by San Francisco Zen Center on the web at sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good morning. So this is our last class. What I'd like to do is finish off the comments I had about Anapanasati and then maybe open it up and you can where we ask questions about what we covered in the classes or any thoughts you have going into Sushin. You know, in general, in the class, I've only said one thing, and that is, if you're mindful for what happens, instead of being stuck in it and suffering with it, you can see it for what it is, and let it teach you how to liberate your mind, feelings, body, and everything else you think you have from afflictions and suffering.

[01:18]

So the process of anapanasati You know, I think in Zen, there's two maybe somewhat perplexing messages in that they seem contradictory. You know, one message, especially in Soto Zen, is just let it happen. It doesn't have to be anything special. Just let it happen. Let it come. Let it go. Ordinary mind. Nothing special. nothing to attain and no one to attain it and then the other message is yeah right but just you try it and see how hard it is you need to sit your scenes you need to follow the schedule you need to do what you're told to devote yourself to the discipline and dedication of practice

[02:25]

I think part of the insight that we're asked to cultivate is to see how those are not contradictory. They're both relevant. To bring it back to Suzuki Roshi's phrase, you're perfect just as you are, and you could use a little improvement. Or put it maybe in a less poetic way, And you need to practice to realize that. And then in Anapanasati, to come to this observant state, this observant state that can see what's going on, that can see the... habituated response, how it colors and influences and biases the moment, sees it, but isn't lost in it.

[03:39]

And then the fundamental of engaging the body, engaging the breath, and doing this inner work of seeing how something settles. Something in that tending to body and breath allows for a settling. And that's the first two quartets. And the third quartet is, well, as you start to engage mind, you can start to see the more subtle work of what it is to settle mind. And Buddhadasa uses experience, gladden, concentrate, liberate. That's what you do with your mind. Or that's what you undo with your mind. And of course, this is a reiterative process.

[04:42]

When you're more saddled, the capacity to engage in this deliberate way, to put it in a certain kind of language, when there's less preoccupation with the object of thought there's more capacity to let the mind itself and the activity of mind be what's held in awareness. And as you hold the mind in awareness, then you can start to see how mind is being related to and what the alternative might be. to start to become more sensitized to the mind, as I was talking about in the last class, Dogen Zenji saying, turn the light inward. Turn awareness into seeing what mind is rather than just being engrossed in the object of mind.

[05:51]

And then these four qualities, experience, really that, starting to see and feel, what is mind? Or the way I've been talking about it is, what is the mental disposition? And then where I ended up last time was Buddhadasa translates the word as gladden. Gladden the mind. You know, sometimes in our practice, Often, not as a product of our effort or calculation, we experience a palpable release. And it's interesting because often that release is mingled with a difficult emotion. Sometimes that difficult emotion is fearless.

[07:03]

there's a whole other quality of that release which has more to do with a kind of something almost like a sweet sadness. It's like where you get a visceral sense of how you've suffered and how your own struggling has compounded that suffering. But in that moment of releasing that becomes all the more apparent. And there's the release and the relief, and so something feels more spacious. And it's indicative of the more karmic processing of our psychology as some suffering in our experience, in our life, and we need to manage it, defend against it, somehow discover how to cope with it.

[08:19]

And then as we release, as we settle, to just let it be what it is becomes more possible. This isn't something we figure out, not to say sometimes our thinking can't be helpful, but it's more of a process of experiencing that something reveals itself. As you become more settled, your own dangerous emotions, your own dangerous perspectives on yourself and the world, or there's more capability to just acknowledge them. Less reactiveness, less denial, less need to get in there and fix it, change it, just as it is.

[09:33]

Something in that release provides relief. Something in that process gladdens the heart. It's a term that Buddhadasa uses. In other places, the same word is translated as steady. It's like something in you just kind of becomes more spacious with the experience itself. And then the next quality is concentration or samadhi as in continuous contact. Just staying with it.

[10:36]

Just staying with your experience rather than moving away, either through reactiveness, defensiveness, or distraction. The agitation of distraction or the attraction of desire. Just sort of staying right there. Becoming more connected to the nature of mind. And then in that quickening or in that ripening, more thoroughly letting go of what you're holding on to. I offer you this because I think we all do this all the time.

[11:43]

Sometimes we don't notice we're doing it. Sometimes it's not convincing. The issues of your life come back with a compelling authority. It seems like that that moment of settled, noticing the state of mind and letting it just be what it is, seems more like a fluke, you know, just kind of coincidence of the moment. And then your agendas come back in and assert, but wait a minute. Are you kidding me? You have a lot to worry about. If you could see how the more thoroughly and the more frequently we can allow such a way of being to happen, the more it starts to set up a plausibility, the more it starts to set up an authority in the nature of how we're responding to being alive.

[13:02]

Does that make sense? Any comments or questions about that? I'll assume then that that was utterly obvious rather than utterly mysterious. I think in a way it's both, you know? It's like, yeah, you've said that 20 times already. It's true. And part of the challenge of practice is how thoroughly can you translate it into relating to your own inner workings. You know, it's like, hmm. Given the experience I've had sitting Zazen the last couple of weeks, how does that influence, guide my effort, help me frame what's been going on for me in a way that upholds

[14:18]

practice how does it help me appreciate what a moment of mindfulness is how does it help me appreciate that shift that shift from being in being living according to the agendas of my karmic life, shifting from that to seeing the workings of my karmic life, and discovering something about settling in the middle of them. At one point, in one class I was talking about shunyuta, the nature of emptiness, that those workings of your karmic life, they are constructs, they are impermanent, they are relative propositions.

[15:27]

So from the point of view of Anapanasati, a grindedness that allows that to start to become apparent. Grinding the body, grinding the mind. And then the last quartet, from that settled place, quite literally, to start to see with a little more clarity, or a lot more clarity, the nature of what is. It's an interesting way to sit sometimes rather than to just sit and notice change. just notice how the object of attention what arises in consciousness console can move all the time a little bit more thoroughly sometimes when there's spaciousness it moves

[16:48]

It moves in a kind of random association. When the mind is fixed on a certain topic, it moves with a sort of habituated sequence. When I start to think about this, then I think about it this way, then it has these kinds of feelings, then I feel it in my shoulders, then, you know, this, you can see that kind of progression. some kind of conditioned unfolded but either way it has a lifespan you know no matter how determinedly you're you're worrying being furious about something or desiring something, it has a life cycle.

[17:59]

The intensity of it comes, the intensity of it goes. And so another practice is to let it all come and go. What you might say, You know, at the start of the Heart Suda, it says, avalokitesvara, when practicing deeply the prajnaparamita, the perfection of wisdom. Perfection of wisdom is to see the nature of what is. That it's impermanent. That even things that come into being with intensity go out of being. Can you even watch the passionate issues of your life? Even when you're in the throes of it, you can be momentarily distracted by the garbage truck.

[19:05]

You can be momentarily distracted by some pleasant thought. that comes to my mind is hospice work. You know, hospice work is not a straight line, you know. This person's going to die. I've sad. What a boss. There is that theme to it. They are going to die. They're in hospice. But there's moments of humor, you know. There's moments of great aliveness, some things just so vibrant and alive. And there's moments of loss, there's moments of sadness, there's moments of impermanence.

[20:07]

And then the last two factors, and in some ways the factors get more subtle as they go along. That factor is one of a kind of dispassion. Not grasping. Letting it come, letting it go. And then the next factor is ripening that, not being caught up in it. And then the last factor is equanimity. can you just see what comes and goes just as the play of the moment? Not to say that as it comes, it doesn't have its own flavor, its own color, its own emotion. But even that's just an arising and falling of the moment. how many times have you heard all that?

[21:25]

Yeah. Lessons will be repeated until learned. Yeah. And then what I've been saying is, on that basic proposition, on that basic paradigm, in a way, that's where Zen practice starts. As we think of it in terms of the scriptures, the Zen scriptures that we've inherited, where we read these books of koans, we read these beautiful poems. You know, the shadow of the bamboo sweeps across the steps. Not a single mote of dust is disturbed.

[22:39]

A teaching on equanimity. A teaching of awareness that just meets the moment without trying to change it. but in a way just refinement on the basic teachings. But before we go there, just thinking of that proposition, let me phrase it this way. So, carefully, cultivating a presence, a settledness, an openness, a non-attachment. And then discovering within that non-attachment that it doesn't require special conditions.

[23:47]

Interestingly, your mind doesn't have to be free from thought. It's more about not... not getting caught up in thought. Your body doesn't have to have perfect posture and vibrant energy. It just has to be present enough to experience what's going on. But it's in the dropping away that we discover something that is formless. It's in... To bring it into an emotional modality, as we come to terms with our deeper emotions, our more visceral emotions, the more mobile emotions that come in our everyday life,

[25:03]

It's like there's more capacity to roll with them. Let's say when you've touched something about the visceral fear of death. Then when you see that play itself or influence a momentary experience. There's more tolerance, there's more capacity to just stay with that. Equanimity isn't, you know, rigid uprightness. It's more like a fluid rolling with what happens. You're influenced by the emotion and you come back to uprightness. So the more... Something has been experienced as a place of freedom.

[26:12]

The more the conditions are not depended upon that provide our well-being. So how about that concept? Does that make sense? You got that one? Yes, Denise. I'll try. Once towards the end of Sashin, someone told me this story, which stuck with me for a long time. He said, in the last end of Sashin, I had this unrelenting craving for Rishi's peanut butter cups. He said, I couldn't stop thinking about it. And as soon as the sheen was over, I went out and I bought a pack, you know, like a dozen. And of course, I started to devour them.

[27:16]

And maybe as we all might expect, about halfway through the dozen, he started to feel kind of sick. But that way we can grasp something And then it becomes so real. It's like we're holding our breath until we can live out this construct that we've created. Happiness is Rishi's putting up out of cups. There will be something in that experience that will be so nourishing and fulfilling. I mean, who of us hasn't got caught in something hundreds of times? But to see the creation of the idea, to see how the idea, the construct, associates itself with desire, to see how the urgency of the desire pushes aside

[28:31]

other propositions about what happiness is, what fulfillment is, what the request of practice is. To see that happen, and to not be fooled by the thought. So you touch something deeper, and in touching something deeper, it doesn't mean you never have a craving for Rishi's peanut butter cups, it just means you're not so convinced by it. He's like, yeah, maybe. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. I'll see how I feel later. Something about how when we touch something deeper, we're not so fooled by our own stories. Or to put it in a more dharmic language, As we settle down and see more clearly the nature of existence, of how conditioned existence comes into being, when we see it more clearly, we're less likely to be completely fooled, somewhat fooled, less likely to be completely fooled by how it arises.

[29:57]

So that. And then when we have these beautiful teachings that say, you know, it all comes and goes like the spring breeze and, you know, the autumn rain. Beautiful. But there's a work, there's a practice to do that lets that become an experienced realization. And then the question for each of it is, okay, given who I am, given the patterns of thoughts and feelings, I assume none of you are actually that passionate about Rishi's peanut butter cups. But maybe there's something else. And maybe it's not about desiring something to eat.

[31:06]

Maybe it's about... some problem in your life, it's hard to not hold tight one. Or something else. No? So what is it to start to see that? And maybe more challengingly, in your practice, when the impulse to grasp it starts to come up, What is it to see the grasping? What is it to see? What happens when it's energized? Then what happens when the emotions become stronger? There's a simple way in which we work, which is when we have a strong emotion about something, we're more likely to take it as true.

[32:09]

It must be true if I feel this strongly about it. If I really want peanut butter cups this much, they must really be good. If it comes across as a whimsical thought that can't quite, that has no passion, well then, it floats right through. spiritual practices like the Buddhist practice another danger associated with that is we can see the pain associated with grasping but I think sometimes we also have a tendency of wanting to move into a kind of denial or suppression of something that you don't know perhaps also equal legittity that has repercussions you know But that porousness you're talking about means actually still acknowledging and seeing the grasping tendency.

[33:18]

And I've seen that in my own practice. I think we've seen it on the whole dynamic of consequences, depending on the nature of it. But I've seen it in a self-care, but I'm not really, you know, something I don't want to really pay myself, right since I have a long history of my smoking. I've worked for years, not smoking. You know, it's kind of like, it's just not part of my reality. It's totally misassociated by a few years ago. And then something will happen and the trigger will come up. And I realized that after a few back and forth that I wasn't building that kind of capacity to deal with cravings when I was just completely, I think that's a great point.

[34:28]

I think in practice, often we do rely upon suppression and tranquility. When you're held within a container where there isn't much opportunity to activate the desires of your life, often they subdue. And then along with that, within the diligence and sincerity of our practice, that suppression. In an interesting way, I would say, neither of them is completely off the mark. It's more like each of those rambles through in an experiential, experimental way, discovering how to work with our own stuff.

[35:39]

And the process of learning is that it's messy. You don't go in a straight line. You try this, and then you think, oh, this is more about suppression than actually getting deeply in touch with the grasping and letting the grasping go. I'm more over here suppressing it. I would say, in a way, you mess around like that to discover how to distinguish. You watch yourself. Or the same thing with tranquility. Oh, I'm subduing and holding something at bay rather than letting it come and go. And again, I would say, that has its own place. Often most of us need a quieter, settling place to let a certain kind of inner work happen.

[36:47]

And then as that starts to happen, then the capacity to take it into a more noisy interior life or exterior life starts to come forward. Any other thoughts, comments? Yeah. And one of the things we're going to look at, because in a way, this fascicle we'll be chanting at lunchtime. This is Dogen Zenji's commentary on all of this. And one of the things that he says in there, he says, this is not a product of your conscious mind, of your cognitive process.

[37:58]

And I would say it's not, I would say more like You have the experience, and then something about how that experience reframes. When you have some insight into some pattern of your own thinking, feeling, there's information. You may hold that information just knowing about how you let something in your body or even something in your mind release. That's how you come into a relationship with not grasping onto that concept. But you also may have some kind of insight. Oh. I tend towards this way of being with regards to that. And I can watch for that. Well,

[39:07]

Buddhist psychology and Buddhist practice is not so concerned with all the causes. I mean, actually, from a Buddhist point of view, everything contributed to this moment. So the causes are, you know, multiple. So we move on to Shashin. Any other thoughts about all of this? Yeah. The only question that I had, I was reading this book before, I think. And it kind of goes back to what you brought up about nothing special, not to just let it happen.

[40:09]

I'm trying to, there's this phrase that keeps coming up about long thinking. And I'm trying to figure out how that concept or directive work fits into what you've been describing. What you've been describing feels more comfortable to me because it's more dynamic. The concept of non-thinking? Yeah. In one hand, it's a simple admonition. It's saying, stop trying to figure it out. That's not what it's about. It's about experience directly and let that inform the understanding and even more subtly the insights with regards to the self and the nature of what is.

[41:14]

And then in another way, it's an instruction about meditation, about zazen. Experience directly rather than think about practice. Experience directly. Yeah. The way I've described it, and this is the deficit of what seems to be a more sequential process. When you read on Upana Sati and other early texts, there's something sequential. you do this and then you do this and then you do this and then you're done you know so therefore there is somewhere to get whatever that done is you know and then on upon a society it's equanimity no and so there's a goal so then there's success and failure then there is

[42:41]

the effort to succeed and the effort not to fail. Then there is dualistic thinking. So later teachings came along and emphasized that. And when you look at the Zen school, you can see that flavor. And so one way to understand it is to say that it came along as an antidote to that sequential thinking. And you could even say it came along as a rebuttal. But I've been saying it came along as a compliment. That kind of thinking, that fundamental notion of the request of practice,

[43:44]

The Zen School came along and approached it in a certain way. And to develop my own thoughts a little bit further, I think variations of these basic practices have always been part of the Zen School. The noted literature was... almost like the unique contribution of the Zen School. But they did lots of zazenda, they did lots of basic practice. But the things that were noted were the shout, the gesture that was unusual, or the teaching that offered a complement to what had already been brought forth through a thousand-plus years of practice.

[44:46]

But they brought forth to complement rather than contradict. That's the proposal I'm making. So, Shashin. The nice thing about having done a couple of weeks of more intensive sitting that is that the transition won't be so abrupt you know not like you you're in the throes of your busy life sitting about 30 minutes a day and then suddenly you're in sashin sitting most of the day and but still there's a transition you know and still there's a request to enable that transition. Okay, this is about immersion.

[45:50]

This is about being fully immersed in the activity of awareness as much as you can. Throughout the 24 hours, as much as you can. And to let that express itself as you go through activity you're sitting you're eating taking a break the work everything as much as you can releasing the usual habit There's something about our habits, the things we usually do, the things we usually preoccupy ourselves with, right down to the usual way we walk, that reestablish and sustain our usual way of being.

[47:12]

And when that's fully active, it becomes invisible. And when it's allowed to loosen up more and more, it becomes visible. And even though Anupanasati basically describes it... It's a fairly sophisticated yogic practice, to let the body settle that much and become that intimate in its own being, to let the mind settle that much and become intimate in its own being. The support of that is just not feeding that habit energy as best you can. As best you can, letting something slow down and becoming more deliberate with each activity. And to let this couple of weeks of sitting flow into Sashin in that way.

[48:29]

Each part of what we do has its own deliberate dedication. And just as I was saying about we settle into our unsettledness, to not exactly be prepared for the worst, but it's a journey. Who knows what you're going to experience? Maybe you'll experience a sense of calm and release that just makes you feel like you're floating. Or maybe you're going to notice something's going to float to the surface that's particularly poignant and painful. Something that you realize, oh, I've been managing to hold this down.

[49:34]

But now it's come up. Or even more perplexingly, Maybe a mix of both. But can you, in that arising, either way, can it be held in the light of awareness? Okay. That's what's happening now. Can you be present for it? And when the bell rings, can you just go back to Zen? And recognizing there's also the alchemy of zazen happening. That as you sit and bring awareness to the body and bring awareness to the body, it has an influence. Something in your own psychosomatic being

[50:41]

is starting to be worked over. Can you stay open to that? Can you take care of your body? I mean, one of the challenges in Sashim, let's be straight about it, is that how do you stay aware of your body when your body's hurting and getting tired? as best you can I would encourage you as best you can to try to sustain your best posture I didn't notice if your body is slumping or you're just parking your body

[51:43]

and spacing out, something like that. Try to keep the body alive. You know, there's a famous Vipassana teacher, Goenka. You know Goenka? Anybody not? Anybody. So part of Goenka's process is you constantly scan your body. Keep your body alive. You just keep scanning your body. I'm not suggesting you do that. I think in the Zen school, there's awareness of posture. And that's the process of enlivening and sustaining aliveness in the body. And that's a big support. And the process of continually breathing into that alive body. And just as we've been talking about for the last couple of weeks, and then whatever comes forth is the teacher.

[52:58]

Whatever comes forth is the present moment. Nothing interrupts the present moment. How can it? If it's here, it's part of it. It's such a kind of silly, simple teaching, but when you start to attend in that way, whatever arises, bring attention to it. It's so attractive to think this is what should be happening, and anything other than this needs to be Changed. Whatever arises is the present moment. Joshua says to Nansen, how do you practice?

[54:01]

Nansen says, ordinary mind. Whatever's here is it. So as you take your seat, body, breath, disposition, and then everything that arises is it. And then the other thing, discipline. As much as you can, hold yourself. completely to an exacting standard. Give over to what's being set up. Give over to the schedule. Follow it as thoroughly as you can.

[55:02]

If you notice you're tending to come late, make an effort not to. that kind of discipline. So does that stimulate any questions about you, Shin? From my experience, I noticed that not too much interaction with people, but hopefully this will be emphasized of that, for example, eye contact conversation. And I think, so, they comment about that, and also, in a bigger sense, how is it? I call it the practice. Sometimes I notice that, you know, being in the Sangha, you know, practice, I think, well, that spirit will really help you.

[56:11]

And then I don't like to do it myself in the city. And then sometimes when I'm facing to . It's a thing that's going to be .. I think in each of us. But one thing is to kind of believe it as trust me that each person is Yeah. That's a great question. To not make eye contact.

[57:15]

That's classic. To not get caught up in socialization. To let us stay present with our inner being. And then this other question. I think our classic admonition is let the person go through the process they're going through. they're sitting there weeping, giving the space to weep. This is the usual way we think about it, especially in the Zendo. Just let the person have that... space where they can just be who they are and not have to feel like they have to perform or behave in a certain way so that the people around them are not prompted to do something or not disturbed.

[58:26]

And I think there's some wisdom to that, that kind of spaciousness, that kind of permission. And I hear your other point, too. There are many times each of us is relieved, supported, encouraged by a kind word. I think officially we're saying, well, go talk to a practice leader. Go and talk to a practice leader. If you have an issue, you need to be... I would also say there is a way in which we can express our caring and support wordlessly. And I would say certainly we should do that. And I actually think that when we're tuned into each other, something of that wordless connection can be very supportive.

[59:34]

And then I would say that sometimes saying something is helpful. Even though it's not within our admonitions. Our admonitions are let each person have their own experience. Let them be what arises for them. And if they have some particular problem, they can discuss it with a practice leader. But... I think maybe if the person's in a particular state of distress where we think, hmm, I should say something. But I think it's... It's much more skillful, and maybe in keeping with our tradition, to try to rely on this sensitive silence and making that kind of space.

[60:49]

As I say, when we are tuned in, we feel each other's support. We can sense that... someone's silence is not neglect or disinterest, that they're actually holding us with their silence and with their sense of connection. someone was right after the first thing of the sudden time, they were too small, and they wanted to manage to... any people had conversations? I just want to ask you to... Yeah.

[62:03]

So there's a shift, you know? There's a standard we've been operating by for the last couple of weeks, and we're just sort of shifting the standard, a little bit more diligent with regards to the silence and our activities. So my question, so at the end of the day, you know, at 9 o'clock, There might be a lot of this in the hallway downstairs. There might be some talking. So we should not be talking during the session. That's correct. Okay. Well, what we're saying is, you know, we said, okay, it's going to be silent at this time. And then there was a certain amount of talking. Maybe some people more than others. And now we're saying, okay, well, let's all shift. Let's not have talking.

[63:07]

The only talking during sushin is functional talking during work period where you need to communicate with someone with regards to doing the work that you've been asked to do. That's the only conversation we would have. Or if some functional talking, if you need to talk to the eno about something with regards the formal practice in the zendo or something. Write notes. Another little thing about signing up for Docasign. So, visually, I would move or rather would you hope we are sitting, standing at the top of the stairs after our reunions, but we're just to take minutes. So, Again, we will be more relaxed about it, and we take a couple to meet at other times.

[64:12]

People have to decide that, which was fine with me. But I think the organization would just keep that . Does it? Yeah. Can we have more? No. Only figure out who else is available. Unless there's another G-code, if there is, we'll let you know.

[65:21]

We'll let you know. Did you have a question? Was that it? Yeah. Okay. Yes. Let's start with the admonitions. It's 7.30. We'll read through the guidelines of the machine, and then we'll go and have one period of Zazen, and that'll be it. If you feel like you know all the details of orioke, you don't need to go. And if you don't, you know probably better if you do go, if you're not so sure about some of the details of orioke. Yes, several people want to know the actual book.

[66:37]

Okay. Okay. If we have people meeting us up on Saturday, it's going to miss you at what time. Six o'clock. We'll be done. Just because I need to get a taxi so much to Saturday or Saturday. You feel like that? Yeah. Yeah. But don't worry about that. We'll take care of it. We'll accommodate that. We'd like to stay Saturday night. We'd stop the office. Yeah. And very likely that's possible. The work period is much shorter.

[67:39]

We'll work on the schedule today and then we'll post it by the end of the afternoon. I think it depends upon what you set up when you arrived. I mean, if you told them you were leaving, Friday, are you leaving on Saturday? Well, then they may or may not have booked your room. As I say, if you told them you were staying Saturday night, don't worry about it, then they've already accommodated that. If you're just doing something different from what you previously agreed, but if you're not, there's no problem. Okay, don't do that nitty-gritty. to have any exalted closing statements. Something about remembering that... In many ways, practice is a journey into the unknown.

[68:56]

And in many ways, we're ambivalent about that. The familiar, despite all our complaints about it, has its own kind of familiarity, its own kind of reassurance, its own way of... We've rehearsed it, so... We know how to do it. And then it holds us, binds us within its web of habituation, stopping us from seeing and experiencing something bigger. So this journey into the unknown, careful... relationship to maybe our own reluctance, hesitation, concern, and remembering there's another part of us that loves adventure, another part of us that is truly curious.

[70:27]

What is existence beyond the habituated thoughts and feelings I have about it. What is it to open up? What is it to taste the world, taste existence in a bigger way? And even in the midst of Shashin, when we can become preoccupied by the particulars. Oh, two more periods and already my knees are hurting, you know, or whatever, or my back's hurting or something. You know? Yeah. But in the midst of that, can you still hold some appreciation for this opportunity? This is an opportunity to unpack and unbind that which is holding your life in a closed way, that which is weighing on your life.

[71:35]

To see it for what it is and to find within that seeing liberation. It would be lovely if this could all happen in the midst of a body and mind that were just serene, energized. They happen in the body. It happens in the body and mind you've got. That's just the deal. It happens in the circumstances, the people you're sitting with, whether you are inspired by them or infuriated by them. It's how to stay true to the deep request. And in your staying true to it, it really helps the people around you. In Sushin we become more sensitive to each other. When someone's walking along mindfully, you feel it.

[72:40]

You feel that. And one of the most powerful ways is in our speech. Really try, even if you do need to talk, try to talk in a way that keeps our covenant, our covenant of awareness. And when you do that and others feel it, they're instructed, they're inspired, they're supported. And that's our covenant, to help each other in that way. That's our immediate covenant. expression of the bodhisattva va. We're literally helping each other to do sushin.

[73:41]

Okay. Those are my exalted words. And you'll hear some of this again this evening when we read the admonitions. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma talks are offered free of charge and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, please visit sfcc.org and click giving. May we all fully enjoy the Dharma.

[74:27]

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