Good evening. Thank you so much for inviting me to speak, Tantosan and Tassahara. And I'm delighted to see a group of Zen practitioners, yogis, and bakers And I'm sure there's others, but maybe I just don't know about them. Tassajara feels lovely. Not just this time of year, but this group of people who's practicing wholeheartedly. And I hope that everything that comes up this summer continues to remind everyone here of wholehearted practice. It is such an important service, Tassajara.

[01:03]

And the people who come here to Tassajara and become refreshed and go out into the world and into our own communities after being here are also doing something important. It's not just, it is personal refreshment and renewal. But it's also palpable what happens here at Tassajara, not just for the residents, but for everyone who comes and who brings it back as a gift to home. Nobody lives here forever. Everybody comes and goes. And what we do here is Suzuki Roshi's physical and verbal transmission to us, whether it's teacher to student or human to human, whether it's direct, whether it's indirect, whether it's intentional, whether it's unintentional, whether it's through teachings or through food and beds.

[02:30]

It's palpable, and it's real. So, thanks. Now, Mel used to give a wonderful lecture at the beginning of the summer guest season that talked about how every single person was the center of the practice, and every single person had to hold up the whole practice, and that way... The practice is held up, but that's not the talk I'm going to give tonight. I just wanted to remember that he gave that talk. And that really is how it is, not just at Tassajara, but also in the world as we practice. Each person has a responsibility and a joyful responsibility, I think, of gardening our own life. And the seed that gets planted, gets watered, and comes to fruition is Bodhi mind.

[03:42]

I want to wake up for the benefit of all beings. And before we did the Zen and Yoga workshop that Brian and I had been teaching, we asked people... What motivates your practice and what motivates you? And I think that it wasn't just this one group of people. I think any group of people might have come up with something similar. So one of the remarkable things about this question of what motivates your practice and what motivates you is that we had many different answers. But they seemed, when we read them, to really have something in common. There were lots of common themes. And people wanted similar things when it came down deep. And what that showed me is that there's a natural way in which everybody wants to wake up to be a good person, to be a kind person, to be a balanced person.

[05:00]

These were some of the themes that we found. And so it had to... It was remarkable because I really thought that somebody would say, well, I want to fix my knee, and somebody else would say, you know, I want to fix my hip, and somebody else would say, I want to be a happy person, and that it would be random. But it wasn't. It wasn't at all random. There were... It seemed like... when people thought through that question, that they really entered a realm of communication in which they were expressing something universal. And so that's what was remarkable. And every answer touched me in kind of a universal way. You know, like... in the same way that when I see a great work of art, or the Statue of Liberty, or the Rocky Mountains, or something like that, that it touches me.

[06:03]

So that was phenomenal, that naturally a whole group of people came to such common and universal themes. And so we... We've been studying this theme of naturalness, this very short weekend's worth of practice period type retreat. And Suzuki Roshi talks about naturalness, but it's not what we usually think. He says that often we think that naturalness is some sort of formlessness or not caring about specifics. And that's not actually so. And Suzuki Roshi's definition of naturalness is that something flashes forth from true emptiness without hindrance. And because of that, it arises in harmony and balance with everything, and there's no trouble, no problem.

[07:12]

And it seemed like that harmony and balance and that... sense of universal-ness that people's responses gave just resonated with each other as I thought about it. I just want to read you a little bit of what Suzuki Roshi said because I want to give you a flavor of his words. So I could read the whole chapter, but let's just read a little bit. So he says, this naturalness is very difficult to explain. But if you can just sit and experience the actuality of nothingness in your practice, there is no need to explain. Nothingness, he doesn't mean some sort of depressing void. He means something that is not conditioned by petty concerns.

[08:17]

He says, if it comes out of nothingness, whatever you do is natural, and that is true activity. You have the true joy of practice, the true joy of life in it. Everyone comes out from nothingness moment after moment. Moment after moment, we have true joy of life. So we say, shin ku myo uu. From true emptiness, wondrous being appears. Shin is true. Ku is emptiness. Myo is wondrous. And Wu is being. From true emptiness, wondrous being. I'm reminded of this afternoon I was looking for the meal chant. So I went over to the area where the residents do the meal chant.

[09:22]

And as I walked into that area, Abdel was there, and he was teaching people how to make some sort of swirly bread. What was it? Is there someone here who was there? Cinnamon rolls. It looked great. Whatever it was, it looked like it was going to be great. And he was talking about the properties of the bread and how to make it come forth as itself. And that's what I mean. That, you know, there's nothing about bread that, there's nothing about like flour and thyme and nuts and, you know, ground tree bark that seems like it would make cinnamon rolls. And yet somehow, you know, Dale's presence and his hands and experience and the attention of everyone combined to turn those ingredients into something that, you know, I came there to find the meal champ.

[10:38]

And, you know, I just had to keep coming back a couple times because it was so great. I sneaked by a couple times to... Here's some more. So that's naturalness, coming forth from nothing. Flashing, the complete story flashes wholeheartedly with the inhalation and releases into the universe with the exhalation. You know, I sometimes think of guest season as the exhalation of our life together. And practice period is the inhalation of our life together. That we build up this remarkable store of positive energy, and then we exhale. We give it. And so it's incredible. And nature herself, or himself, is like this.

[11:45]

Things come into being, they go. All of nature exists with remarkable wealth and abundance. And we can learn from it moment after moment. So nature, we think of nature sometimes as something outside. But why do people come to the mountains? to experience the beauty and refreshment of nature. It's because nature is inside, not just outside. The five elements, you know, we're all just feel. You're sitting on something. Your buttocks are on something. That's very earthy, you know. Your feet are on something. The chair is solid. The cushion is on the ground. That is earth. And Your dinner is digesting and turning into energy.

[12:45]

That is fire. You know, the respiration is air. The circulation is fluid. And inside us is a vast universe, and that is space. So nature is right here, and we don't have to do anything or go anywhere to experience it. But isn't it wonderful To see a mountain and be able to sit with solidity and stability like a mountain. You know, to see the stream and sit with the fluid mind like the stream that fills up whatever enclosure or direction is given. Or to be limitless like the sky or vast and deep like the ocean or... all pervasive like space. And here we can see the whole Milky Way. We can see millions and millions of stars and experience what our life is in a different way that resonates with the stars in us.

[13:59]

You know, like the Rumi poem, don't seek outside yourself. for flowers, you know, inside yourself. Hundreds, I don't remember the exact words, hundreds and thousands and millions of flowers. That will do for a place to sit. You know? So all of nature is right here. And all of nature can teach us if we can only be present to it. Our earth present to earth, our sky present to vastness, our depths present to the ocean as it shows itself to us. You know, Dogen Zenji wrote many wonderful things. And one of the things he wrote is this fascicle of the Shobogenzo called...

[15:06]

Valley sounds, mountain colors. And in this valley, the sounds are all recognizable by us, except the other day there was a drone. So, okay, I didn't really know what it was, except someone said, there's a drone. And then I realized that, you know, I had heard that sound in the city. But most sounds, like even, you know, you hear someone's footsteps and you say, oh, there's Greg coming for service. You know, you can hear the tempo and recognize who it is or what's happening. Or, oh, there's that blender that we hardly ever use. They must be making soup, you know, or whatever it is. And we would recognize that. There's the sound of the Benji truck. Wow, they must be taking compost out to the flats because it's that way, you know? Anyway. So, and when we actually can appreciate it and be struck by it and awakened by it, that is awakening.

[16:15]

There isn't a separate awakening that comes with only special sounds. So, yeah, Dogenzenji says, the tongue does not take a break. The colors are beyond coming and going. There's a wonderful story. Let's see if I can find it. Yeah. Okay. So do you mind a bedtime story? What time is it? Five after. Okay. I'll just read the bedtime story and then stop for questions. There's more I can bring up in response. But here, this is a story about someone's enlightenment from nothing special. So... meant to be an example, okay? So, Xiangyan Zhixian studied at the assembly of Guishan Lingyue, Zen Master Da Yuan, sorry about the lack of tones, I don't know the characters that this goes with, who said, you are bright and knowledgeable.

[17:29]

Say something about yourself before your parents were born. but don't use words you have learned from sutras or commentaries. Okay, Xiangyan went... So Dogen says, Xiangyan tried and tried, but could not say anything. He poured through the many books he had collected over the years, but could not come up with anything. He's sitting there going... Say something about myself from before my parents were born. Oh, no, do not rely on sutras. Anyway, he must have felt like, you know, the miller's daughter in the room full of straw, trying to spin it into gold before the morning. But anyway, it says, Dogen says, he was deeply ashamed. And deeply ashamed, he burned all his books.

[18:30]

and said, a painting of a rice cake does not satisfy hunger. I will be just a gruel monk, not expecting to understand Buddha Dharma in this lifetime. A gruel monk means one who supports the assembly by cooking rice, an equivalent of a kitchen assistant. Okay? So he followed this vow for years. Anyway, he went back to being a guest student. That's where he stayed. So he'd been there for many, many years. So one day, Xiangyan said to teacher Guishan, my mind is just a blob. He said, my mind is undifferentiated, but basically it means my mind is just a blob. Nothing comes forth. I can't say a word.

[19:33]

Could you please explain this to me, Master? He was desperate. And Guishan said, you know, I don't mind explaining it to you, but if I do, you'll resent me forever. And Xiangyan did not understand. But sometime later, He went to the memorial site of a national teacher on a mountain, and he built himself a hut. And for company, he planted bamboo. You know, he was done. But one day, while he was sweeping the path, a pebble from the path flew up and struck the bamboo. Okay? And it was unexpected. And he suddenly woke up. And he had a thorough awakening at the sound of that pebble. And so he went and took a bath, cleaned himself thoroughly, and presented himself towards his mountain.

[20:43]

So he turned and faced the mountain where his teacher had asked him that impossible question years before. And he offered incense, and he prostrated and said, Master, If you had spoken for me at that time that I asked you, this could not have happened. Your kindness is deep, deeper than my parents. And then he wrote this poem. One stroke dissolves knowledge. Struggle no longer needed. I will follow the ancient path, not lapsing. into quietude. Noble conduct beyond sound and form, no trace anywhere. Those who have mastered the way call this the unsurpassable activity. And he, later he went back to Guishan and presented his poem as his answer.

[21:49]

And Guishan said, this one has gone through. So that is in the fascicle about naturalness. And I'll stop. And if you have questions or comments, please say something. So often in our teaching, when we ask the question, what is waking up? Sometimes the reply to that is, uh, well, we wake up. Many times we wake up, um, but it's thousands of times throughout the day, different sounds, and waking up to this moment. Uh, things happen over and over again. It seems like in this story, waking up is a significant, you know, uh, rare occurrence that is a single turning point.

[22:57]

There seems to be a difference there in definition, I guess. Yeah, there is. So we're talking about thoroughly waking up. You know, so in other words, we can wake up a thousand times a day, but do we? That's the question. So, you know, the practice that we do, there's two ways to see it. One way to see it is that we're already thoroughly awakened, right? That which we are seeking is causing us to seek. We're thoroughly awakened. And not only are we awakened or have we awakened, but it's all of us throughout the body is awakening. So that's one way to see it. And another way to see it is that we haven't thoroughly awakened. Really, really not. You know, get real. Have we thoroughly awakened?

[23:59]

Is everything really striking us with complete appreciation? Or are we kidding ourselves? So that's the other way to see it. And this is a very classic dichotomy of ways to see our awakening. And let's see if I can... I actually took a note on this wonderful question. Wonderful because I took a note on it already, but I don't know where my note is. But let's... Nope, can't find it. Oh, wait, maybe it's here. Nope, no idea. Okay, so you can read about it in the Platform Sutra. I don't know if you remember the story that the person who was going to become the sixth ancestor was an illiterate young man.

[25:08]

And he went to the monastery and was given the assignment of sifting the rice from the sand. And you can read about that story also. I believe, in the Tenzo Kyokun. But this one is in the sixth, in the Platform Sutra. And so he just worked there for a while. And then one day he was tooling around in the monastery and he heard about this contest that his teacher was giving. And the way he heard about it was that he saw a poem that the Chusot had written, the head monk had written. And the purpose of the contest was to find the next abbot. And whoever wrote the best poem would get the prize. And so Chusot had written this poem about the mind is a mirror and

[26:19]

This embodied life is the mirror stand. And day after day, you've got to polish it so no dust can alight. Okay? So that's kind of like our practices. It's kind of like our yoga practices where we purify body and mind. You know, you don't go up to the baths and it says you're already pure. It says, with all beings, I wash body and mind, free from dust, pure and shining within and without. means you're going to get clean, and that's what this poem said. Okay, so our future, our hero said, could somebody read me the poem? And a guy read him the poem, and he said, well, that's pretty good, but how about write my poem, okay? And so he wrote the poem that said something like, nope, mind is not a mirror, nope, no mirrors stand, moment after moment, nothing comes up, where could dust a light?

[27:23]

So this dichotomy is alive and well. And anyway, the story is told from a nothingogenic perspective, so it doesn't really honor the other side, but we actually have both sides. We have both Sazen and Sokishinze Butsu. So we have both sitting and from a big mind experiencing our life, and we have this very mind is Buddha. We have zazen and we have everyday life, and those are both important. So we have steps and stages, which we tend to downplay, and then we have complete, perfect enlightenment that exists in anywhere we live. Anywhere we see, anything we see, anything we feel, anything that comes to us can poke holes in our delusion if we're open to it. So that's the other side. So are we really awake every moment?

[28:29]

That's a question. In my own experience? You know? No. I would say not. I would say the number of idiotic and deluded things I do... far exceeds the number of awakened things I do. Really. I mean, by factor of a lot. And so, and Dogen said, he even said, that's our practice. Our practice is to notice delusion. You know? Sorry. So, I really can't help you with your question, but it was a very good question. They keep asking questions like that, but ask him. Ask Greg or Layla. Layla would be really good. She's really the senior priest here. You can ask Layla, and she'll give you a really good answer.

[29:31]

Or Linda. Or Leslie. Leslie's good, too. You know, and if you want someone who isn't, like, an official teacher, then ask Keith. And Keith will give you the answer that Leslie won't give you. So that'll be a good thing. Okay? So anything without which this evening will not be complete. Inquiring minds. Oh, I have one question from someone who said, but we love nature, and if nature is so great and so awakening, how about all the dissonance and horribleness that comes up in nature. So what I would say is that taken all together, nature is complete, balanced, and round. And when we see part of it, it's horrible. It has that capacity.

[30:37]

So we really have to step back from our ideas and Take nature on its own terms. We are an expression of nature, not the other way around. So we don't get to judge it. We get to appreciate it and appreciate that all of those dissonances that we see outside are nothing compared to us. So nature itself experiences pain. but nothing like the suffering that we experience on a day-to-day basis. And may I just close by saying that we have the capacity to notice the dissonance, to appreciate it, to help support people who are caught by it, to help support ourselves.

[31:39]

We can actually say things like, make a statement about the people who were killed in Orlando. And it won't make sense of it, but we can invoke dignity and beauty and a sense of action that's appropriate. So this is all we can do in this life. All we can do is Appreciate nature for what it is. Appreciate ourselves as part of it. Understand that we have a lot to learn and we can begin to do that. And that's pretty much what we can do, I think, in this life. And thanks so much for being examples of a place, a monastery that makes sense. And thanks so much for coming.

[32:42]

and taking on that spirit, and of going back, and embodying it in all different ways of life. And I love this more than I can say. I appreciate your presence, and I'll try to stop so that you can take it back. Thanks. May our own intention equally extend to every being.

[33:25]

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