This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good evening, everyone. Can you hear me okay? I'm going to ask. I want to help. I'm realizing as I'm getting older, my eyesight is like, meh. And so I'm going to see if this helps. Thank you. Once again, welcome. For anyone who may not know me, my name is Tenzin David Zimmerman, and I reside here at San Francisco Zen Center, particularly here at City Center. I've lived here for 26 years in residence. And I currently serve as both the central abbot and the abiding abbot.

[01:01]

So they keep me busy. And I want to welcome also everyone who's not only in the room, whether or not you're new or returning, been here for one day or 50 years. Welcome. And also everyone online who is observing now or in the future. Tonight's Dharma Talk is the first of Dharma Talk of a 10-week practice period that we have just started and we're holding here both at City Center and also online. And this morning we had an opening ceremony where we went around to the divine altars in the temple. And so my intention this evening is to kind of help set the stage for the practice period by offering a both a brief orientation to what is a practice period and what are we going to be doing, and then also introduce the topic of our study for this particular practice period.

[02:04]

I have to confess, I just cut off an hour and a half board meeting. That was pretty intense. So my mind is trying to make the shift from that world to this realm. So if something goes awry, that's probably why. For those of you who are new, and how many people are new? Oh, welcome. Wonderful. Whether or not you're new to Zen or new to San Francisco Zen Center or new to the Buddha Dharma in general, a practice period is a seasonal event in which people come together for a period of intense Dharma study. And this tradition dates back to the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, so 2,500 years ago, when during the rainy season... The Buddha and all his disciples, or the sanghas, we would call them, would gather into one place for an extended period of time.

[03:05]

And usually it was about three months during the duration. And they would just focus on their communal practice, meditation, dharma study, inquiry, and whatever work they need to do to take care of themselves. And this... kind of tradition of intensive training periods has continued throughout Buddhism, and particularly in Chinese and Japanese Zen communities. And the Japanese word, in fact, for practice period is ongo. So you might hear me refer to this as an ongo that we're participating in. And the word translates as peaceful abode or peaceful dwelling place. So kind of makes you want to... Right? Do an Ongo, do a practice period, that invitation to peace. And the purpose of an Ongo is to create a container in which we collectively support each other to deepen our practice by taking the time to first clarify our intentions.

[04:11]

Why am I practicing? Why am I here? what is the nature of my practice, to kind of settle and quiet our bodies and minds, to cultivate what we say in Buddhism, clear seeing, being able to see more clearly what is true rather than our stories about the world, to embody whatever insights that we might have during our practice, and then more fully integrate practice into our lives. So what happens when we get off our... our meditation seats, and go into our daily life. How do I translate that? How do I include that? Practice never ends in Zen. It's a continuous expression of the awake heart-mind manifesting in any activity that we're doing. And so a time of ongoing encourages us to return to and align with our deepest yearning and vow. especially amidst a very busy urban life that can kind of distract us and make it more difficult to hear for ourselves, this quiet, subtle voice.

[05:21]

What is most meaningful for you? How do you want to live? What kind of person do you want to be in the world? What do you want to manifest with your life energy? And sometimes we get so distracted or get so many messages from others about how we should do that that we lose contact with our deepest truth for ourselves, our own authentic voice. So a practice spirit is an opportunity to be able to come back and listen deeply to that. The topic of study for our Fall Ango is the six paramitas. And I frame these as bodhisattva practices for an uncertain world. And anyone familiar with the paramitas? And I'll say a little bit later, so good to hear of you. Sometimes they're also referred to as perfections. So maybe you also heard that particular term. And the six paramitas form the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism.

[06:23]

the Bihana Buddhist path, and include the transcendent practices of generosity, ethical conduct, patience, diligent effort, meditation, and wisdom. And I'll say a little bit more about these later. So over the next 10 weeks, we're going to explore what it means to cultivate and embody these six paramitas. And not just for our benefit. We don't really do anything just for our benefit in our Buddhist practice, but actually for the will of the world, the welfare of the world, the welfare of all beings. And also during the practice period, I'll be leading an eight-week class on Monday nights in which we'll dive a little bit more deeply into the specific ways to take up and integrate each of the paramitas in our lives. So other elements that are contributing to the structure of the ango will include, of course, daily periods of zazen.

[07:33]

So anyone who is participating in the practice period, I highly encourage you, strongly encourage you, to have a daily practice of meditation, even if it's for five, ten minutes. Here in the temple, we do it twice a day. We have two periods in the morning and a period in the evening. But it's a very fundamental aspect of our practice. It really helps with settling. And so it's offered here in the temple and also offered online. We're also going to have two day-long sittings. The first one is going to be this coming Saturday, and then we'll have another one in November as well. And also two sashines. The sashines are multi-day sittings, multi-day periods of sittings, a three-day in November and a seven-day in December. And, of course, there'll be these twice-weekly Dharma Talks, so Wednesday night Dharma Talk, as well as the Saturday morning Dharma Talk. And one of the things that practice period participants particularly enjoy are the small group discusses,

[08:42]

how do I say this, small group discussions. So there'll be an opportunity for those who are signed up to meet with other practitioners in groups to talk about your practice and particularly how you are yourself integrating and understanding the paramitas in your life. And so there'll be an opportunity to do that either in person or online if you're signed up. And of course, you know, ceremony is a very important part. So we'll have a number of different ceremonies, including the full moon ceremony that we do on a monthly basis. And then a special one that people find particularly interesting is one called sujiki, where we feed the hungry ghosts. And we have a tradition here of doing it around the time of Halloween as well. But typically it connects with the ceremony of Obon in Japan. And lastly, we'll continue the tradition of inviting a number of students to give a 20-minute, what we call, way-seeking mind talk.

[09:43]

And that's a talk in which they share their life circumstances and the spiritual inquiries that have led them to practice. And it's a very intimate, wonderful way to get to know various Sangha members and kind of hear the common themes that have brought many of us to practice. And I also want to acknowledge May Elliott, who is sitting over there. May is going to serve this practice period as what's called our Shusou, or head student. And that's a very traditional for a practice pair. That basically means she'll be kind of sharing my teaching seat. It's a way to begin training someone to take the teaching seat. That's as if she agrees next week when she's formally invited to enter, to actually enter. She may at the last minute run out the door and change her mind. And what she'll be doing is supporting us in a number of ways.

[10:46]

She'll also be giving Dharma talks. She'll be leading small groups, meeting with practice period students over tea. And next Wednesday, May will give her Wasek in Mind talk. So you'll get to hear what brought May to practice and what has been her path. Also, I want to acknowledge and appreciate the very Zen Center staff who will be helping to create a supportive practice container for our study of the paramitas. You know, it takes a village to raise a child and it takes a sangha to put on a practice period. And so there is particularly Tim Wicks, who is our tanto or head of practice. Over here, Michael Novak, who is our Eno, our head of the meditation hall. He's not feeling well this evening, so he's not here. And also our online programs team, which includes Dan Gudgel. I'm not sure Dan is here. I don't see him at the moment. And also David Chow.

[11:49]

So they'll be kind of the online point person for anyone that is participating online. There are courses, my Jisha or ceremonial, Tendit Ellen. She'll be one of the small group leaders as well. And then my assistant, Lorenzo, who is actually in Baltimore taking care of his mother-in-law. So thank you. And everyone else, everyone who is in the temple, contributing in myriad ways, all of you, once again, thank you for your support of our mutual practice together. So I hope that just gives you a very brief, helpful overview. and orientation of the components of the fall practice period or ongoing, and how it is that we're going to collectively create a supportive environment for deepening our practice over the next 10 weeks. There is still an opportunity to sign up. So if any of you feel inspired to do so, you can do so either going back to the website.

[12:51]

You can also talk to Tim over here. who's sitting in front of the makugyo, that fish-like wooden instrument, or Ellen here. Ellen can also help point you in the direction. So if you have any questions about what it entails, So for the remainder of this evening, I want to offer an initial introduction to the six paramitas, including some context for understanding their importance in Buddhism and Zen, and reflect on how these transformative bodhisattva practices might help us navigate the world that we find ourselves in. And I... think most of us would agree that we live in challenging and uncertain times. Does anyone disagree with that statement?

[13:52]

Good. Great. Okay. You know, frankly, I think throughout history, every people have always said these are challenging and difficult times. So I think it's part of the human condition to find ourselves in such times. And, you know, every day we receive news of the cruelty, the pain around the world. It's really not easy to escape knowing and hearing about the suffering that we inflict on each other in various forms, and also in our communities and also across the world. And the reality is that we live in a world that's filled with danger and uncertainty. And many of us face it every day when we wake up. You know, it may be you get up and you look at your social media, your news, and you just get this onslaught of the challenges of the world, the pain, the suffering that various people are experiencing.

[14:54]

Or it may be that when you walk outside your door, even within your house, you are encountering some great distress in some way. You know, and things such as, of course, violence, ongoing wars, murders, racism. governments abusing their citizens, humans abusing the environment, and not to mention the various natural disasters that arise. Sadly, many of these events and the resulting suffering are fueled by, or tend to give rise to, you could say, human emotions and behaviors such as greed, anger, divisiveness, cruelty, fear, and hopelessness. So it takes a lot of courage and compassion to actually maintain an open heart and an open mind during such times.

[15:56]

At least I find that to be the case. I don't know how it is for you. And so the question remains, okay, so what are we to do? What are we to do when we face... all this tremendous suffering within this one and around us and in the world. You know, the Buddha Dharma teaches that navigating and addressing the world's problems begin within us. And so often we're so busy pointing out there, if only they would change, then everything would be fine. But the actuality of Buddhism says, uh-uh, no, no, you have to turn... the light inward and look at this one and how suffering arises in this one. So how we gather and maintain our presence of mind and cultivate a deep concern and care for the world begins with understanding and healing the fear, the turmoil, the divisiveness within our own minds.

[16:59]

So minds that perceive separation, and threats create a world of separation and antagonism. And minds that see oneness and interdependency foster oneness and harmony. So you could also put this a slightly different way. Our suffering is fundamentally a matter of holding the perception and the belief of being an illusory, separate self. We somehow feel ourselves to be separate from the world and those around us. And in that process, we suffer. And our habitual tendency to grasp or cling to this perception, to believe it, to reify it, it creates dukkha, suffering, disease, dissatisfaction, right? However, Zen also teaches that when we let go of the belief in a separate self, when you put that aside, when you don't reify it, when you don't give it energy or authority, and you let go also everything you believe and think that you are, as well as everything we think the world is, all the stories, interpretations, ideas that we have about the world around us and about other people, when we drop those,

[18:32]

and just stay in open awareness, our true nature, our basic Buddha nature, as we would say, can then shine forth and function freely. So if we can, you know, you could say, if we just get out of our own way, if we just get out of our own way, our basic nature, our authentic nature, our authentic self, will respond spontaneously, naturally, and skillfully to whatever arises. And in doing so, it will have a way of harmonizing better with the situation and with others around us. But this letting go of our self-narrative and the associated beliefs that we have about ourselves can be challenging because of our karmic habit patterns, old, old habit patterns that we have developed basically from the moment we took our first breath. the ways that we have created a sense of self and have expressed that through our body, speech, and mind.

[19:38]

And much of these habit patterns, they have a root of some sorts in what Buddhism calls the three poisons of greed, hate, and delusion. And they're deeply entrenched. You could say they're almost at this point wired in us in some way because we've been enacting them for such a long time. In some cases, they've been embodied. And Buddhism also teaches us practices and dharma offerings that encourage us to cultivate wholesome qualities and practices that can serve as powerful antidotes to our tendency to grasp and self-cling. And it's through these practices that we begin to taste what we call liberation. And we achieve a true maturity or personhood in a Buddhist sense.

[20:40]

And so as practitioners of the Buddha Dharma, everything we study, you could say our framework for self-study is constantly asking ourselves, how is this activity? How is this action that I'm engaged in, body, speech, and mind, whatever it is we're doing or saying or contemplating, is it liberating? Is it liberating for myself? Is it liberating for others? So the Buddha himself said, I teach suffering and the cessation of suffering. In other words, I teach how suffering arises and I teach how suffering can be ended. So, we might consider approaching all of our Dharma practice from this lens, asking ourselves, how is this a liberative practice? How is what I'm doing a liberative practice?

[21:45]

Or is what I'm doing in some way reifying or serving the belief or the story of a separate self? How do I take up this practice as something that will liberate not just me from self-clinging and help alleviate suffering, but that it will likewise support others in that endeavor? So part of the thing that we're looking at is I'm looking at my own behavior, but I'm also looking at the ways that my behavior affects others and maybe might contribute in some way to their own suffering and disease. Now, in Manihayana Buddhism, the term bodhicitta, anyone know that term, bodhicitta? A few people, yeah? It refers to the mind that aims for liberation. So bodhi means awakening, and citta means mind or heart or intention.

[22:51]

So bodhicitta can be translated as the awakened heart mind or the mind of enlightenment. And so bodhicitta is the profound aspiration. May I awaken completely for the benefit of all beings. So this is not merely a wish for our own enlightenment, our own awakening, our own freedom from suffering. Rather, it's the union of wisdom and which is clear seeing, seeing things clearly, and compassion, a sincere wish for all beings to be free from suffering. So may I awaken completely for the benefit of all beings. And this, in turn, is the heart of the bodhisattva path. In fact, bodhicitta is also described as the very mindset of a bodhisattva.

[23:52]

And a bodhisattva, another way of saying that is a Buddha to be. So the root word for bodhi, bodhisattva, bod means to know. It means knowing things as they truly are, seeing clearly the world, not through your lenses of self, your condition and interpretations, but dropping all that and seeing directly what is. And sattva is someone with heart and courage. So bodhisattva. Simply put, a bodhisattva is someone with a heart or courage for awakening. Are you that person? Do you have the heart and the courage to awaken, to be free? Or does it seem a little scary, a little intimidating to think, I could be free, right? And again, the iterate... To reiterate, our awakening, our freedom, is not a solitary liberation or awakening.

[24:59]

It's for the benefit of all beings. Now, the path of the bodhisattva, the one who wants to awaken for the benefit of all beings, is also the path of the paramitas. And we can think of the six paramitas, again, as I said earlier, they can be known as the six perfections, as engines. of the Bodhisattva's path. You know, defining how a Bodhisattva lives, acts, and trains their mind. A Bodhisattva naturally follows and embodies these six transcendental virtues. And so by cultivating the Paramitas, a Bodhisattva brings their true nature, their authentic nature, their true self, their Buddha nature, into full expression. It can be completely expressed through taking up the six paramitas. Buddhist scholar Donald Lopez, Jr., he describes the term paramita, or perfection in this case, as having two etymologies.

[26:12]

So the first etymology of paramita derives from the word parama, which means highest. or most distant, or most excellent. And because of that, it's one of the reasons paramita can be rendered as perfection or excellence. And so the six paramitas are often referred to as transcendent perfections. They are transcendent because they transcend the duality of subject and object. and the practice of the perfections are also seen as empty or free of any self. So they transcend dualities in their fullest expression. And the second more creative yet, more kind of widely reported etymology, divides paramita into two parts, para and mita. And para means beyond, beyond. Or it can also mean the further bank or the shore or the boundary.

[27:17]

And mita has the meaning of that which has arrived. And you can even break it down a little bit more to the suffix ita in mita can also mean that which goes. So the word paramita means that which has gone beyond. That which goes beyond or transcends. And according to this interpretation then, paramita literally means having reached the other shore, going beyond. So what is this other shore that we're trying to reach, right? And what does it mean when we say go beyond? From a Buddhist perspective, paramita implies that from this samstaric state of being, meaning this state of suffering, this dukkha, this dissatisfaction that I might be experiencing in my life, we cross over to the shore of nirvana, to a state of being totally free of suffering.

[28:29]

So Paramita is going from the shore of dukkha to the shore of enlightenment or liberation. However, this is not a passive process. It's not just like you get into a boat and you pay your ticket and you get there in due time. It actually requires some effort. The Buddha apparently said, don't just hope for the shore to come to you. If you want to cross over to the other shore, the shore of safety, well-being, non-fear and non-anger, you have to swim across or row across. You have to make an effort. And this effort, we are told, is encapsulated in the practice of the six paramitas. In the Samadhi Damanacana Sutra, translates as Unraveling the Intent, the Buddha also describes the paramitas as the basis for training that guide the bodhisattva or Dharma practitioners like us toward the goal of awakening our enlightenment.

[29:36]

So the foundation of training. Those of you who know Greg Fane, who used to be a long-time resident here, he used to call Tossahara in particular, but San Francisco Zen Center, a Bodhisattva Training Academy. So welcome. You are here at a Bodhisattva Training Academy. You're training how to be a Bodhisattva to awaken for the benefit of all beings. to taste liberation and manifest liberation in your being for the benefit of all beings. This is our purpose. This is what we're doing here. If you want to know, this is what we're doing here. It's not just cooking great food in the kitchen. Okay, so I'm going to briefly introduce each of the six paramitas. What's the first paramita? Generosity, dana paramita. Use the Sanskrit. So dana paramita is the practice of selfless giving and generosity.

[30:39]

And this involves giving a number of things, material support. It could turn in that form. It could be giving time or energy or other resources, but for the benefit of supporting others. And it also includes opening our hearts. to ourselves. We have to be generous with ourselves. So often we kind of leave ourselves out of that generosity. And extending loving kindness and compassion and wisdom, not just to ourselves, but to all beings. What is the second paramita? Ethical tanha, sila, or shila, depending on which language you're using. So sila refers to ethical conduct or moral discipline. And You know, you could say in many ways it involves paying attention to your thoughts, your words, your deeds, so that you can live and act with clear intentions in a way that you're not creating any harm. Sila also entails kind of turning away from that self-centeredness, you know, that kind of me, me, me that we always kind of have focused on.

[31:48]

And again, refraining from any actions that harm ourselves or harm others. And in the Mahayama tradition, the ethical conduct includes observing the 16 bodhisattva precepts and also upholding being honest, upholding nonviolence, having integrity and compassion. What's the third paramita? Patience. Kashanti. So, Kashanti is the practice of patience, forbearance, and endurance. And it involves being willing to face our difficulties. Really look, bear with, be with, and transform them into the path. So any challenge or difficulty you have, ask yourself, how can I practice with this? How can I make this a gateway for practice? Rather than resentment, turn towards it. Transform it into a path of liberation in some way.

[32:50]

And the next, the fourth one is? Uh-huh. So the virya, paramita, that can be translated in different ways. Virya is the practice of diligence, effort, sometimes it's translated as energy, perseverance. And all that is related to on our spiritual path. How do we maintain diligent, diligent effort? How do we persevere in the face of obstacles and challenge? It's also this aspect of bringing energetic, joyful effort. Like, oh, no, I have to practice. Okay. It's like, great, I have an opportunity to practice, right? That uplift that comes with what a wonderful opportunity. This human life, you know, gives me this opportunity to practice and move towards liberation, right? So it helps us. When we have viria, it helps us fuel life. and cultivate wholesome qualities of how we might be, you know, and kind of overcoming those unwholesome habit patterns, you know, that you might have, and helps us to also purify the mind.

[34:04]

What's the fifth Paramita? Jyana, Jyana, Paramita. Jyana refers to... You know, different ways of meditation, meditation of concentration, Zen, Zazen, right? And it's this development of one-pointed, a focused, one-pointed awareness. How do I concentrate the mind into this present moment, fully being here? And it involves cultivating a clear, calm, focused mind through meditation practices, yes, you know? And... But when we do this, when we call such a meditative mind, it enables us to actually see more clearly the reality or things as it is. You know, what's really happening here rather than all the stories that I have? We kind of cut through our stories and our delusions to see things as it is.

[35:06]

And what is the sixth paramita? Ajna Paramita, which can be translated as wisdom, sometimes discernment, yes. And involves developing insight into the nature of reality. What exactly is reality? How do I understand it, perceive it? And wisdom also includes the understanding of compassion. When you have true wisdom, you naturally have compassion. And also understanding the three marks of impermanence, that there's no inherent self, and the interconnectedness of all phenomenon. Everything is interconnected. We are deeply, deeply intimate. We are not separate whatsoever. And this kind of prajna paramita helps us to transcend our ignorance, the ways that we're blind to reality, blind to things as it is due to our delusions, and gain insight into what you could call the ultimate truth.

[36:15]

So while each of the six paramitas, again, they're generosity, ethical conduct, patience, diligent effort, concentration, meditation, and wisdom, right? They can be treated as separate subjects for practice. You could take each one of these up as an individual practice on its own, right? But in actuality, they're interdependent qualities, right? So in other words, they're not developed in a kind of a strict linear sequence. Okay, first I have to do generosity, and then I'm going to move on to ethical conduct, and then I'm going to get patience. But actually, they're meant to be practiced simultaneously because they mutually support each other, and they strengthen each other. So, for example, ethical discipline provides the stability for meditation. So if you're an upright person, if you're not lying and stealing and killing, your mind's going to be a little more settled.

[37:20]

So when you sit down on the cushion, you can have a quiet mind. But if you've been kind of unethical and been doing very harmful things, your mind is all going to be agitated. So it'll be hard to actually concentrate. And then meditation sharpens wisdom, which wisdom in turn supports a profound sense of generosity. When you realize there is no separation, the wisdom of seeing our interdependency, then you're naturally going to be generous, you know? Because what's mine is yours in a certain sense, right? So while we talk about... talk about them as having kind of a particular order, and we'll kind of study them in a particular order. The paramedics are kind of less a map than a kind of description that unfolds, you could say, organically. It's almost a spiral quality as you study them. They kind of reinforce each other, and not so much of a straight line, but a spiral of discovery or rediscovery as you go.

[38:26]

So these six practices define the bodhisattva's heroic path, as it's sometimes described. And, you know, these six paramitas, they're distinctive to the Mahayana Buddhism, and they're considered essential guides for us in Zen. But there are actually other sets of paramitas that are somewhat similar, and they often number ten. So these paramitas also appear in Tibetan Buddhism as well as Theravada Buddhism or in the early teachings. And Theravada Buddhism, they're known as the paramis. And so there's kind of a shared recognition throughout the entire Buddhist tradition of how important these core spiritual practices are. And it's interesting, in Theravata Buddhism, the list is slightly different when you start expanding to 10. It includes renunciation, it includes honesty, resolve, love and kindness, and equanimity.

[39:31]

So some of the things we'll do in the class is look at why these different lists, what's included, what's not included, and how we might want to consider practicing with both. But they're all leaning in the same direction. So that's part of what we'd be looking at in the class. Where are we in time and space? Okay. I think I'll just share one more thing. In many ways, the bodhisattva path to practice, it's a radical practice. It's radical to be a bodhisattva. It's actually extremely challenging, too. And it goes against so much of our conditioning, the ways that society has conditioned us in our kind of ingrained habit patterns, which is geared towards again, what does this do for me, my needs, me, [...] right? The Bodhisattva framework is always we. What can this activity, how can this activity support us together, right?

[40:35]

And so it entails a fundamental shift in our approach to life. How it is that we live that can begin with kind of a serious examination of our fundamental attitudes. including understanding where our attitudes come from and how they have been conditioned through our upbringing and how they condition the way that we think, the way that we see, the way that we feel, and the way that we act in the world. I actually found it helpful to think of the pyramid as not just as practices or virtues, but as stances or attitudes. In fact, I toyed with the idea of naming this practice period along the lines of practicing the Bodhisattva's six liberative attitudes. And Webster's Dictionary defines attitude as a manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition. So an attitude can also refer to a physical position or a posture that conveys a quality, a special quality of feeling.

[41:42]

So physical, but also posture of mind. And we can talk about posture of the physical body in your meditation, but what is the posture of your mind in your meditation? What is its stance? So attitude more or less refers to one's stance or orientation or position. relative to a particular experience or situation. So what is your stance? What is your position? What is your attitude? How are you relating to any experience that's happening in the present moment? Someone cuts you off in traffic, what's your attitude? You can pick all kinds of things in your life and ask, what's my attitude here? Why do I hold this attitude? What is my position in relationship to this? And how does it influence my behavior? And most of the time we're unaware of our fundamental attitudes or orientation, at least until something threatens them or challenges them in some way.

[42:44]

So we can think of the six paramitas as liberative attitudes, attitudes or mental postures that we can intentionally take up and practice and live in order to help us to have a good, wise, harmonious relationship to our own experience, and how it is that we are relating to others in the world. I was going to say something about character, but I'm going to skip that for another time and conclude by saying, you know, the six parameters are far more than just a list of virtues. In fact, we could consider them virtues that go beyond virtues. They are dynamic, they're practical, they're profoundly transformative ways or paths of living. And they're rooted in Mahayama traditions, vast compassion. Zen is fundamentally rooted in compassion.

[43:47]

Even though we talk about Zen, talk about wisdom a lot, it is fundamentally the expression of compassion. And so they offer a clear map for crossing from the suffering of our self-centeredness, to the freedom of awakening, connecting with all being. So consciously weaving generosity, ethical conduct, patience, diligent effort, meditative concentration, wisdom, into the fabric of our daily lives and the world around us. It's more than just about, am I a good person or am I a nice person? By taking up the paramitas, we're actively training, training in becoming bodhisattvas, using every moment, every situation in our lives, especially the difficult ones, particularly the difficult ones, who are the best ones, as a way to wear away this fundamental sense or belief of a separate self, to wear away our habits of greed, hatred, and ignorance, and to uncover our innate capacity

[45:02]

for compassion, for love, for clarity and peace, and for this quality of boundless care for the entire world. So the path of the paramitas affirms that awakening is not found in escaping life, but in engaging with it fully, wholeheartedly, and we might say perfectly, through the six perfections. So I'll stop there. Thank you very much. I hope that has intrigued you enough to consider whether you'd like to study the six parameters and how you might approach them and understand the context of them. And again, I appreciate you being here and I appreciate everyone's contribution, including this stand, to the practice container that we are co-creating together. For more information, please visit sfzc.org and click Giving.

[46:22]

May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[46:25]

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