Good morning. Good morning. So this is wonderful. So many children here. And maybe if you feel like it, would you tell me all your names? Anne-Christina. Caitlin. Caitlin. Nicole. Nathan. What's your name? Ethan. Sophia. Olivia, I remember you when you were very small. Kalana. Cameron. What's your name? Don't want to say? Okay, somebody mysterious. Tyler. Tyler. Yes, I heard you, Kyler.

[01:03]

Yes, thank you. Sorry, it's hard to see where I'm looking. And you? Fiona. And you? There's someone I can't see, a mysterious person, a second mysterious person. Can you say it again? Yes. Junyata. Oh, how lovely. Lila. Jason? Marco. And you back there? Did I ask your name? Nathan? Right. Good. Oh, there's another one. Ben. Well, welcome, all of you. And there's another one I think I haven't asked beside Olivia.

[02:05]

Did I ask her name? Okay. And then over here, Luna, Tom, Plum, and Elizabeth. Yes. So I thought of the song Itzy. Oh, sorry. Yes. Say again. Ovelia? Ovelian. Great. And you? Jeremy? Okay. So, did I get everybody? Oh, these are many, many children. Yeah, she said Elizabeth. Yes. Thank you. So, I thought of the song Itsy Bitsy Spider. Do you all know this? Will you sing it with me?

[03:07]

And all the adult children too? Shall we start? Itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout Down came the rain and washed the spider out Out came the sun and dried away the rain. And itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again. Do you like this song? What do you like about it? Do you know? You like that, that it's crawling up. Well, maybe you also like it that even though the rain comes down and washes the spider away, once it's dry again, it just goes up that spout again.

[04:22]

It just does not give up. Exactly. Perfect. It does not give up its dream to get up that spout and to maybe look at the world, how it's from up there instead of from down from the ground. It just waits a little till it's dry, and then it goes up the spout again. So we can do the same thing. You know, when we are discouraged by something that happens, somebody stops us or says, you can't do this now, you have to do your homework first, or you haven't cleaned up your room, or it's not the right time, or it's not the right weather, you can remember, you can hold in your heart that what you wanted to do and do it later, or do it again, or you...

[05:35]

We're sliding down yourself, you know, when you try to get up a pole in gymnastics or something, and you just don't have enough strength to get to the very top. You don't have to think, well, now I can never do this. I'm not good enough, or I'm too weak, or you can just, you know, remember that you want to get to that top. And so you keep trying, like the itsy-bitsy spider. It just kept... You know, we can sing this song many times and it just keeps getting up. That's about the game. It doesn't give up. So do you know things that you don't give up? Yes? Do? Okay, that's a good thing to think about. Yes? Karate.

[06:39]

Karate. Karate. Great. Yes. Yes. Trying to avoid my homework. Trying to avoid your homework. Don't we all try to not have to do the things we don't like to do? But you could also start trying to do it first, then you have a lot of time afterwards to do what you like to do. Because sometimes we... Try to not do something for so long that finally when we have done it, there's no time left to do what we really want to do. But it's good to notice that, you know, that means you have a lot of force. So now you can choose what you will not give up. Okay, shall we sing it again? And I think you have a whole program waiting.

[07:39]

What are you getting out there? Eating? Oh, do we all want to be children and join the children's program? Because coming here, I thought, ooh, I would rather be in the children's program than sitting up here having to say something. Oh, so I think I have to do this first. Oh, and then I can go eat. Okay, thank you very much. Okay, shall we sing it one more time and then you go eat your way through the garden? Great. I think there are wonderful, tasty things out there. Okay. Itsy-bitsy spider and up the water spout.

[08:41]

Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried away the rain and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again. Thank you all for coming and have a wonderful rest of the morning. Thank you. So not giving up is one of the perennial topics of spiritual practice, of basically any practice.

[10:44]

When you want to learn something, you have to have a certain measure of perseverance, of not being deterred by the obstacles you're encountering that may be obstacles coming up inside obstacles coming up from outside seemingly look like they're coming at you and to remember and remembering is an interesting word because it really when you take it apart it says remember reconnect becoming a member of the whole which we are anyway, but which we so easily forget. We don't usually remember that. And so not giving up is really, really important. And, you know, in the state the world is in right now, and excuse me,

[11:56]

And the age we live in, it can be quite overwhelming and can be quite conducive to give up, to feel discouraged or overwhelmed or fearful. You know, the economic state this country is in, the ecological state the whole world is in, we live on, the war, And because we're living in this age, we get all those news served for breakfast, basically, and before we go to sleep. And so it's very easy to think that you can't make a difference, or it doesn't matter what you do. But then...

[12:58]

Dogen Senji, the teacher, the 12th century teacher and founder of this Soto Zen school that this place and this practice is part of, this meditation practice we do here at Zen Center at Green Gulch Farm, says, your, your, each person's practice affects the entire earth and the entire sky in the 10 directions. although not noticed by others or yourself, it is so. So that's quite a radical statement. It's saying, you know, whatever you do affects the, whatever you do, and that means even the minutest thing affects the entire earth and the entire sky in the ten directions.

[14:00]

Do you believe that? It's kind of hard to really believe that, but I would suggest you could take it on as a context for a while and experiment with, that if that were so, that could be a relief because it could mean you could go to the smallest possible thing you can do. You know, you don't have to end the war, you know, figure out how to fix the economy and hold global warning, and otherwise it's not worth even trying. You can start with the tiniest little bit you can do in your day. right where you are in your life. And all of Buddhist practice is really based on helping us see, helping us understand that how we usually automatically perceive the world is actually only part of the whole truth.

[15:21]

It's the conventional or the phenomenal layer of reality but that there is an other reality that's part of the whole truth, and that is that we are inexorably, completely interconnected, and that we are all one, that we are all individuals, and at the same time we are all one body, one happening. We are all stardust from the Big Bang. We all share the same air, the air that helps our body survive to do its functions, to reproduce. So we breathe the air of China and of Asia and of the Arctic and of any place on this power planet.

[16:28]

So each person's practice or each person's action, even each person's thinking, affects the entire birth and the entire sky in the ten directions. And even though we or others do not notice that because our perceptions are not tuned into that, It is so. Then he also says, between aspiration or your intention, practice acting based on your intention, enlightenment and nirvana, there is not a moment's gap. They are all one. even though our usual thinking thinks, well, this is me deluded, and then if I practice long enough, then I get enlightened, and then I don't have any problems anymore.

[17:40]

Which is, I'm sorry, I have to disappoint you, it's not how it works. It's all happening in the same moment. So what is the smallest thing we can do? You know, what is the least I can do? Like reuse this plastic bag one more time. Recycle my paper. Ride my bike occasionally instead of using the car. Smile at the cashier in the grocery store. knock at my neighbor's door, who I may not have seen for a while, just asking if everything is okay and well in her life. You know, it's amazing. We don't even know our neighbors here in Mill Valley. There has become a way of, you know,

[18:47]

saying hi when you meet them on the street but when you move in you don't go around knocking at all your neighbor's door introducing yourself and your kids and saying we're moving in and this is who we are and we hope we're going to have good neighborly contact which used to be the case. Dry your laundry outside There's a wonderful article by Barbara... What's her name? I just lost her name. Gates. Barbara Gates. In the Inquiring Mind of last fall, fall 2007, and about drying laundry outside. It's really worthwhile reading. And a little quote out of there is, for years our laundry had spun in tangled wad, hidden in the dark, churning in artificial heat.

[19:56]

In trips to the dryer, we hurried in and out of our cellar. Drying laundry fueled global warming and bad moods. Now, in the open space of our Berkeley garden, that sassy line of clothes, visible to all, flounces its colors, blue, white, red, green, yellow. As the breeze winnows through purifying the laundry, my occluded thoughts loosen and clear, bending, stretching, breathing in the sweet scent, the face blind with sunlight, spirits brighten. So that's her contribution to add a little less to global warming.

[20:59]

So we also can practice appreciation, which is one of my favorite things. things to practice because if we get bogged down by all the bad news which of course is what gets told in the papers there are no papers around that talk about mostly about those little acts of heroism that are happening that change the world like sometimes there is like there was a few weeks or maybe months ago there was an article about all those kids in high school that were researching and looking for projects that were supporting other people in distress. And they did wonderful things. They earned money and sent it to support building schools somewhere in Africa.

[22:12]

So they got really engaged and it was a project of their school. So that's something that when you read it, you just feel like, oh, I can do something too. It's so uplifting. So to really also be aware that what usually we get fed as information is usually bogging us down. And it's so big that we feel helpless. So then to remember that Whatever we do, every little thing affects the entire Earth and the whole sky, the whole universe. So to practice appreciation is also in the midst of being so inundated with terrible events happening all over the world. is actually appreciating every little thing that is in our life, that we have a roof above our head, that we have food to eat, clothes to wear, friends, family,

[23:38]

that we live in a relatively moderate climate, that the air we breathe is, you know, quite good if we compare it to Beijing or Calcutta or even Mexico City, that we have... can brush our teeth in the morning, that our feet carry us where we need to go, that our body helps us do the work we're doing. There are often things we just take for granted. We only notice them when the foot's hurting and then the foot's a problem, and we kind of get upset with the foot. think it's a bother to have to take care of it. And that's kind of a mindset.

[24:44]

So if we start appreciating what we have and really enumerate it to ourselves and say, thank you. Oh, thank you. We will live in an environment that is resourceful and not scarce. And we will be more creative. So appreciation and giving go hand in hand, because if we appreciate, we give attention to what is just there supporting us. If we smile at the cashier, we give a moment of awareness to that person. Thich Nhat Hanh, for example, the great Vietnamese Zen teacher, says one thing you can practice is practice a half smile.

[25:51]

And we are often kind of caught up in honesty and authenticity, and that means when I'm in a bad mood, it better shows and everybody knows it. I'm not going to make a half smile that's just lying and that's just not being authentic. And so to try that out, and he doesn't say, you know, go around grinning. He says, try a half smile, because actually when you use your muscles that way, something happens to your spirit too. You know, you can't take yourself too seriously anymore. It's like, oh, here's my bad mood, but oh, here are other things too, and this is not all I am. I am many more things than just what I feel at this moment.

[26:53]

And it also may express your intention. Your intention of being a kind, loving, available being, which according to this tradition you all are with no question regardless of what you think about yourself regardless of how many evidence you pile upon top on top on top of each other that you are not because there I was grumpy and I'm always grumpy and there I'm not friendly and I it's your Buddha nature which we all share which is one other thing that we all are totally one in, is that you are intrinsically empathetic, compassionate, kind, and awake. That's another one that's kind of hard to kind of... Me?

[27:58]

Really? How could that be? All my evidence speaks against it. Can I hold this? Even though what I think and my conditioning is saying something else and my experience, the way I interpreted it and the way I hold it and remember it, memorized it, is here. And then there is this saying that I am inexorably, unavoidably kind, empathetic, compassionate. available, awake, fully human being. Can we make enough space to allow both of those to be there and not think one or the other has to win, not engage in, well, is this right? Then I'm wrong. Or if that's right, then this is wrong.

[29:00]

So giving is, Giving attention, giving awareness, giving appreciation is an act of the spirit of generosity. And that is one of the first perfections or paramitas or practices that Buddhism is encouraging us to do. Because if we are generous, it transforms our life. And it can be just that little bit generous of reusing a plastic bag a few times. Or giving a little bit of time of thought how to save a little bit of water. Where am I just not attentive to the use of water when I use water?

[30:07]

Can I change something without having to turn everything upside down? Can I listen to my child when it comes home and let it have its experience but be completely there for it not fixing it, not changing it, not getting upset about it because it is upset, not just being a witness in appreciation and compassion and really be interested in its experience. And if we are interested in somebody else's experience, We can't really hear it when we are engaged in thinking how to fix it or how to help them or how that affects us and how I would respond in that situation or what my memories of situations like that, then I'm busy with myself.

[31:24]

I'm not really available to just hear the full experience and feel what it shares. me, with us. That's a form of giving. That's a form of generosity. That's an act of remembering that we are all interconnected. It's also a form of sharing the heart. So when we encounter pain in ourselves To actually give time to feel that pain. Usually we go in our head and try to fix it too, to get away from it. What can I do to not have to feel it? What should I have done 10 years ago so this will be happening now? There are many ways we try not to be with what is happening at the moment or what we experience is happening at the moment.

[32:34]

So when we encounter pain in our life, can we just give that some space for a moment? Breathe into our hearts and remember also, and that's also this remembering, remember that there are innumerable other beings, people in this world at this moment experiencing a similar pain. Or when we have a wonderful event happening and we are happy and we are just totally satisfied and happy to give that a moment to really savor it and cherish it and then think of all beings and hope that they have moments like that too.

[33:37]

That is a way of giving to ourselves, but also giving to the whole universe. It's not an isolated and isolating factor. So one of the slogans, there was one Buddhist teacher way, way back. wanted to look up when he was born, but I didn't, so I can't tell you, but very, very old. He put together slogans that the Tibetans use, and one of the slogans is, don't be swayed by external circumstances. So that's the itsy-bitsy spider again. Don't be swayed from your intention, from your dream,

[34:40]

You know, there's this thing, follow your dream by external circumstances. You may have to adapt it, but don't let go of it. You may have to be patient and wait for a while. Don't forget it. Remember it. Reconnect yourself to it. You can practice this with giving yourself an intention every day in the morning. today I'm going to practice patience. And then in the evening, say thank you and offer whatever your day was like, whether you think, your mind thinks this was good, I did a good job practicing patience, or I did a really bad job practicing patience, I'm a failure. That's not... It's not about evaluation.

[35:42]

It's about, in the end of the day, offering that whole practice, whichever way it went through that day, to all beings. Because whatever you do, the minutest little thing affects the entire sky and the entire earth, every moment. So we all know the story about the butterfly you know, flapping its wing somewhere in China and then we are having a hurricane over here. So in the morning you have an intention and during the day you try to keep an inquiring, inquisitive, open heart. And in the evening you dedicate all this to all beings. it's thinking of others it's including others in your everyday life and it the interesting thing is it helps us because one of the hardest thing to get over is that we take ourselves so seriously and that is so isolating so

[37:10]

So the Dalai Lama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, it can be tremendously beneficial when dealing with difficulties to be lighthearted in one's engagement with life so that one will not take oneself too seriously. And he is also the one who says, never give up, no matter what is going on. Never give up. Develop the heart. Too much energy in your country is spent developing the mind instead of the heart. And don't we see that in children? Children usually come straight from the heart in their responses when they're small. And then they get, you know, they're vulnerable, and then they have pain, and then they have joy. And then we think we have to protect them. And then we start thinking with them how they can avoid the pain. And we don't realize that by engaging their thinking too much, we close down their hearts.

[38:19]

If we think a particular way. If we teach them to avoid and avoid and avoid, that may be painful, it's... build little fences around us. Then we have little walls so everybody else becomes a potential enemy that can hurt us, hurt our feelings. So we better protect ourselves. So then people don't need us anymore. They need our protection. And then we feel not met. So it's a vicious cycle. So develop the heart. Be compassionate. not just to your friends, but to everyone. Try a day of smiling at everyone, regardless of how you feel inside. Just respectfully, hello, smile. Be compassionate. Work for peace in your heart and in the world.

[39:24]

Work for peace, and I say again, never give up. No matter what is happening, no matter what is going on around you, never give up. So just keep walking up the spout. The Dalai Lama is also the person who says, every morning when I wake up, I cultivate my motivation. He doesn't think, well, I've practiced so long, I don't have to do this anymore. He knows that this is like the spider. You can't give up cultivating your heart, cultivating your mind, cultivating your intention.

[40:27]

Because if we don't, everything is... undermining that. It's really like when you have a garden, you have to weed. If you want to have your house clean, you have to wash the dishes. There's no way around it. I mean, well, there is one. You can use paper plates and throw them away every time, but then you may not have the money to do that. So there is something about relentless or perseverance and that it's not ending, that there is not A time when you can say, well, I never have to clean my teeth anymore, don't have to wash myself anymore, wash my clothes, clean my house. I've arrived. I'm beyond that. Doesn't happen. It doesn't have to happen because it's not over there that you're going to be more awake, more human, as, you know, who you are, truly are, completely awake, completely human,

[41:28]

and compassionate and awake. So to end today, I'm going to read to you a poem by Mary Oliver, which is her way of expressing her continuous and persevering practice. And it's called When Death Comes. When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn. When death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me and snaps the purse shut. When death comes like the measle pox. When death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades. I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering what it is going to be like, that cottage of darkness.

[42:37]

And therefore, I look upon everything as a brotherhood and sisterhood. I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering what it is going to be like. that cottage of darkness. And therefore, I look upon everything as a brotherhood and sisterhood. And I look upon time as no more than an idea. So you can't postpone. I'll do it tomorrow. I'll do it next time. And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and sisterhood. And I look upon time as no more than an idea. And I consider eternity as another possibility. And I think of each life as a flower, as common as a field daisy and as singular.

[43:46]

So that's the oneness and the difference. And I think of each life as a flower, as common as a field daisy and as singular. And each name a comfortable music in the mouth, tending as all music does toward silence. And each body a lion of courage and something precious to the earth. When it's over, I want to say, all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom taking the world into my arms. When it's over, I don't want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular and real.

[44:52]

I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened or full of argument. I don't want to end up simply having visited this world. means your practice affects the entire earth and the entire sky in the ten directions. Although not noticed by others or yourself, it is so.

[45:53]

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