This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. So I'm, as you might know, I'm in a place called Green Gulch, Green Dragon Temple. And we have been respectfully and diligently following the protocols of our Health and Safety Committee here in this valley. And so far, no one has become infected with the virus.

[01:02]

So we are blessed and fortunate. Also, we have enough food. And we have good air. And today, we have a blessed rain in our area, which has had fires and Drought, today we have rain. I could go on and on about all the blessings that the people in this valley have been receiving. And at the same time, that we receive these benefits we also fortunately are aware that many other beings are sick and don't have enough to eat and are living in bad air and we're aware of that here

[02:32]

I'm aware that this valley where we live, where we are blessed to live, was taken from indigenous people by European immigrants. They took it from the Native Americans who lived here. We didn't receive this valley to live in as a gift from the people who used to live here. And the food we eat and the blessings we receive have come at the expense of slave labor and unjustly cheap labor. So at the same time as enjoying the fruits, we also feel the pain of injustice and cruelty that has been done for hundreds of years.

[03:59]

I mentioned to some friends a few days ago that I heard that the task of a historian is to preserve the memory of suffering so that we can read their accounts and not forget suffering. And I also mentioned another statement, which is that the highest level of ethical development is to not feel at home even when you're in your own home. Even when you're in your own home, realize that the extent to which your own home comes at the suffering of others.

[05:18]

So we do have homes, we are blessed, and also we're not, or at least I'm not completely at home. I am called the suffering of the world to practice compassion to practice responding to it in a way that will promote liberation from suffering that will promote peace and harmony in the midst of great suffering So I start with my situation because that's where I practice. And I guess I wish to set that example and encourage you to start with where you are right now and practice with your situation.

[06:33]

another way to talk about our situation is that we may not be able to see. It may not appear that the world is at peace and in harmony. We may feel surrounded by a lack or at least incomplete peace and harmony. Even while we aspire to work for peace and harmony, for justice and kindness among all beings, it may not appear. So I start by suggesting that in a world where I do not see peace and harmony, I practice with peace and harmony in order to see, to realize peace and harmony.

[07:58]

Now, I've heard that the Buddha sees all suffering beings, hears all suffering beings. sees all forms of injustice and cruelty, sees all forms of greed, hatred and delusion. And simultaneously the Buddha sees peace and harmony among all beings. I imagine the Buddha feels pain when the Buddha sees peace all the greed, hate and delusion among living beings. That the Buddha feels pain at the appearance of injustice and cruelty. At the same time, the Buddha feels inconceivable joy

[09:12]

at seeing the Dharma and seeing how to help people be at peace. The Buddha feels great joy at sharing life with all beings and teaching them how to realize liberation from suffering. So in a situation where the Buddha sees peace and harmony and sees beings who do not see peace and harmony, the Buddha gives a practice, a practice we can do with every situation, which is very short in a way, basic description, which is practice all virtue,

[10:19]

Be flexible, soft, harmonious, upright, and honest. Practice that way and you will see the Buddha right in front of you practicing that same way with you. The Buddha, of course, also practices all virtues. is flexible, unstuck, harmonious, honest and upright. And so the Buddha practices that way and the Buddha also sees the Buddha face to face. One of our ancestors named Ehe Koso, whose verse I chanted at the beginning, interpreted the statement, practice all virtues, as meaning, enter the mud and water of all beings.

[11:56]

Enter the mud and water of all suffering. Listen to the cry of each living being. Listen to the cry of each drop of rain. Moment by moment. Observe the suffering. Moment by moment. Contemplate each being. Moment by moment, listen to and see each being. And each being means each sound of the wind, each drop of rain, each human face, the mountains, the waters, all the animals. Practice with all living beings, moment by moment. And how? By being gentle.

[13:00]

and soft with them. Careful and respectful. Harmonizing with them. Attuning to them. And being upright with them. Not leaning towards them or away from them. Not to avoid them to the right or the left. Being this way is the way the Buddha is, and being this way, the way the Buddha is, is to meet the Buddha, receive the Dharma, and be in the assembly of the Buddha. The assembly of the Buddha is all living beings. All varieties of life are dealt with in this way, in this practice.

[14:06]

And dealing with things this way, we will see that this is what the Buddha is doing at the same time. In this way, we are, in a way, copying the Buddha's practice. We are copying imitating the way the Buddha is. Now, if I am practicing this way, which I am trying to practice, thoughts may arise in my mind And also, beings come to me and tell me the thoughts that arise in their minds when they try to practice this way. And I'd like to address some different types of dilemma which arise in the minds of people when they're trying to practice the way the Buddha practices.

[15:23]

So one thing that comes up is sometimes people are trying to, are devoted to wholeheartedly engaging with all beings, wholeheartedly engaging with whatever activity they are involved in. Wholeheartedly, again, means respectfully, flexibly. harmoniously, uprightly, and honestly. That's how to wholeheartedly practice in whatever situation we're in. And some people do want to practice it that way, and yet they feel that they're not able to. And when I say that, then I think of the chant, which I chanted and some of you chanted with me at the beginning, which encourages and praises the practice of confessing and repenting any lack of faith and practice.

[16:59]

So, If we are trying to listen to all beings and be with each and every being in this wonderful Buddha way, and we notice that we're not wholehearted, one way we might feel is that we should go someplace else and be with some different situation And then we would be able to be wholehearted. Like go to Green Gulch and do a practice period with the wonderful people at Green Gulch. And then you would be able to be wholehearted. And people actually have that experience, that they go to the temple, they go to the Zen temple. for a training experience, and they're more wholehearted.

[18:01]

So then when they're not at the temple and they feel that they're not wholehearted, they might think, I should go back to the temple where I can be wholehearted. Perfectly reasonable thought. And so what I want to emphasize is that when we have a thought like that, Do what the Buddha does with a thought, with all thoughts. If you have the thought, I want to be wholehearted in my meetings with every living being. I want to practice all virtues with every living being. I do. And I also understand, if I practice that way, I will see the Buddha. And meet the Buddha face to face. And the Buddha and I will practice the way together.

[19:06]

And all beings will be liberated. That's what I want. But I'm not being wholehearted right now. So I want to go someplace where I can be wholehearted. When the Buddha sees that kind of thought, the Buddha practices with that thought. The Buddha does not move. The Buddha is silent and still with the thought. I should go someplace else to practice so I can practice wholeheartedly. That thought, the Buddha does not skip over that thought. The Buddha meets that thought wholeheartedly. And in meeting that thought wholeheartedly, we will see the Buddha. In meeting the thought, I'm not practicing well, so I should go someplace else. Meet that thought wholeheartedly. And you will discover Buddha in that thought. And the Buddha would do the same thing with that thought.

[20:07]

And then again, the person says, yes, but still, if I go to the temple, if I go to a training session, then I know what you're saying is true and then I can see it will be true. So I want to go there. I said, fine, don't skip over where you are right now. You're in Germany. You're in California. You're in Minnesota. You're in Washington. You're in Illinois. You're in England. You're in Sweden. You're in Italy. You're in France. You're in New York. You're in all of these places. In all of these places, Buddha is sitting where you are. Sitting where you are is Buddha. And sitting with your doubts. Wholeheartedly sitting with your doubts that you're practicing is Buddha.

[21:16]

So again, people contact me and tell me they want to come here so they can practice. I say, fine, but don't wait till you come here to practice. Practice right now. Don't move an inch. Practice with where you are now, including your doubts. And confess your doubts. Confess your lack of wholeheartedness. I'm not being wholehearted right now. Confess it wholeheartedly. Confess lack of wholeheartedness wholeheartedly. And you are practicing the Buddha way. But this dilemma does come up. Again, I'm trying to practice. I'm not doing very well. I should go someplace else. And, you know, one of the things that just popped in my head was I'm trying to practice.

[22:23]

I'm not practicing very well. But I'm practicing wholeheartedly with not practicing well. I'm actually hungry. And I think my blood sugar level is dropping. I'm getting tired. It's hard for me to pay attention to what I'm doing. And I need to pay attention to practice. However, I am paying attention. I'm noticing that I'm having a hard time. I'm noticing that I'm hungry. And I can go and have some food. which is appropriate without skipping over my hunger. I can practice wholeheartedly with my hunger while I go and get some food. Or I can skip over my hunger, which means not practicing with that living being, that hunger. The Buddha practices with her hunger right now.

[23:26]

The Buddha practices with her pain right now. And she takes care of her hunger and her pain. She takes care of her pain. She doesn't try to get rid of her pain. She practices compassion with her pain. She doesn't try to get rid of her hunger. She practices compassion with her hunger. She liberates her hunger by practicing compassion with it. And if she doesn't practice compassion with her hunger, she confesses and says she's sorry that she didn't practice compassion with her hunger. And when she confesses that she was not compassionate to her hunger, she's doing the same practice as Buddha. practicing the pure and simple color of true practice when she notices her lack of practice and confesses it and says she's sorry.

[24:45]

This is the pure and simple color of true practice of the Buddha. All these thoughts, all these dilemmas that arise in our mind are the muddy water that the Buddha enters. All these thoughts are sentient beings calling for our minute and thorough attention. Another dilemma that may come up, which does come up, is... Okay, I'm practicing with this mud and this water right now. I'm listening to the sound of the rain. I'm wholeheartedly attending to my doubts.

[25:47]

I'm wholeheartedly confessing my lack of faith. I'm wholeheartedly listening to this suffering person. I'm wholeheartedly reading about the history. of injustice in this country. But, what about all the other things that need attention, that I'm not attending to? What about all the other beings that I'm not taking care of? I'm sitting in a nice valley, with beautiful rain and peaceful people, I'm taking care of being upright, honest, gentle, and harmonious. What am I doing for all the other people?

[26:49]

How can I just stay here on this Buddha's seat? that question arises, that doubt. And that doubt is also, again, calling for compassion. So I wholeheartedly practice with that doubt if I want to do the Buddha practice. The doubt that sitting in a peaceful place, practicing all virtue, being upright and not moving, and practicing all virtue, like the Buddha, that that addresses all the suffering which is not coming to me right now. That in fact, that is the transmission of this Buddha practice to all beings.

[27:51]

This is very difficult to understand, and so it's natural that we might doubt it. And we take care of that doubt. That doubt, when we take care of it, deepens our faith in practicing the way the Buddhas practice. We don't try to get rid of that doubt in the Buddha practice. We don't try to get rid of the doubt. We take care of it like a precious living being, which it is. The Buddha takes care of doubt with great compassion. And the faith of the Buddha grows in taking care of doubt of the practice. And by the way, the teaching also says that when you take care of your doubt, that care is transmitted to all beings.

[28:54]

They are joining your practice. You are joining their practice. They are receiving the benefits of this compassion towards what? Towards doubt. That our practice reaches all beings. And the way we practice and verify that our practice reaches all beings is by practice. And... that way of practice opens the door to oceans of doubt. Oceans of being questioned. And that practice welcomes being questioned and doubted. And again, grows on doubt. This is called great doubt. And it comes to someone who really is wholehearted.

[29:55]

And that wholeheartedness then embraces that doubt. Once again, I've said almost nothing, and I feel like I've said too much. I could imagine, and as I often imagine, I could imagine you are all completely clear about what I've said. And you understand me really well. And yeah, and you think, yeah, I want to practice like a Buddha too. And it sounds really hard. And I understand that Buddha doesn't say that it's easy. Buddha does the hard practice of being a Buddha.

[31:00]

Buddha joyfully does this very, very challenging practice of being a Buddha. Buddha is hardworking, and it's a joy for Buddha to be hardworking. And, yeah, and I'm, yeah, so I could imagine you understand me really well, and that you're filled with joy about what I've said to, to you today because I am too I'm full of joy at what I've shared with you I think that if I could practice this way in one moment that would be great not to mention two and you could practice that way right now and you would be very joyful if you did yeah This is the joyful practice of the Buddhas I'm talking about in this world of suffering.

[32:03]

Buddhas practice in the world of suffering, of cruelty, of injustice, of environmental disrespect and cruelty. That's where Buddhas are practicing. They're practicing nowhere else, and that's where we are too. We have the opportunity of joining this marvelous, joyful practice. Thank you for listening to this podcast. offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our programs are made possible by the donations we receive. Please help us to continue to realize and actualize the practice of giving by offering your financial support. For more information, visit sfzc.org and click Giving. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[32:55]

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