This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good morning. Always in our practice, we're clarifying the principle, the request of practice. We're putting it into practice. We're doing it. And experiencing the fruits, the consequences of that activity. Drawing the principle out of the realm of ideas into the realm of experience. What's arising?

[01:02]

How are you practicing with it? What happens when you practice with it? The process is remarkably straightforward. And the human experience is remarkably something else. Complex. Amazing. Unendingly varied. So to have a way to return to the principle. Okay, what am I doing again? Oh yeah, it's us. And how do you do that? Uh-huh. Be the moment. And what helps to be the moment? Okay.

[02:04]

Got it. Especially as we're settling more fully in the Sashin. You know, despite its many confusions, and prejudices and biases, the karmic world we create with our ideas has a certain clarity to it. We repeatedly like what we like and dislike what we dislike. Okay, got it. That's clear. As we start to settle, And we're not grasping and clinging to those notions and emotions so strongly. A more subjective experience.

[03:09]

A more fluid. As we pay closer attention, we see the movement. Things come and go. Sometimes you notice them coming and going. quite quickly. But the principle doesn't change. Just be what is. The practice doesn't change. Just be what is. this willingness to open experience, to start to discover the difference between being what is and resenting what is, being frightened by what is, wanting more of what is, to see this process

[04:22]

something arises there's a response there's a response to the response on the arising the complexities of human consciousness and Master Ma says that so-called human consciousness, that very mind is Buddha. However, I intend to go back to Wallace Stevens, suitable for this chilly morning. One must have the mind of winter to regard the frost and the boughs of the pine trees crushed with snow and have been cold for a long time to behold the junipers and the spruces rough in a distant glitter of the February sun and not to think of any misery

[05:52]

at the sign of the wind in the sign of a few leaves which is the sign of the land full of the same wind that is blowing in the same place for the listener who listens to the snow and nothing herself beholds nothing that is not there and the nothing that is given all the things that arise and given all the human responses the fears, the resentments, the yearnings, the sadnesses how being such a person how do we hold a presence

[07:00]

How do we stay connected? Wallace Stevens says, the mind of winter. Maybe it's saying something like, well, be totally chilled out. But really, equanimity, you know, which is what that is. or one attribute of equanimity. That capacity to stay balanced whatever is coming up. So we can stay, we can think of equanimity as a kind of immovable meeting. Unfazed, unmoved, like the line of winter. No different from the frost on the roof or the trees.

[08:06]

But we can also think of equanimity, like the bamboo in the wind. Something arises, pushes you one way, you just move and you come back. Don't resist it, don't embellish it. Something about patience, responses arise. It's the nature of conditioned existence. Something about non-attachment, don't grasp it, don't push it away. So we start to see the supportive attributes that support presence.

[09:25]

And as we start to see them, we start to see in our own experience, how does that play out in my experience? And usually we see them through the non-doing of them. We learn patience through impatience. We learn non-attachment through attachment. What do I cling to? What do I push away? do I readily become impatient with? Yesterday, after breakfast, I went into my cabin and it was about 46 degrees.

[10:39]

And I thought, oh, this is cold. And then this morning I went into my cabin It was about 36 degrees. And I thought, this is cold. And then lit the fire. And then it got up to about 46 degrees. And I thought, mm, it's getting warm. When we watch carefully, we see how convinced we are by our judgment, our conclusions, our notions, this is warm, this is cold, something so utterly basic. How could we have such a varied response? So we see the biases that we bring.

[11:44]

sort of innocence to it. This is cold. This is warm. And then the amazing thing, our mind says this is warm. And our body says, really? Oh, I'll relax. This is cold? Okay, I'll tense up. Okay, quickly. I'll try to remedy that. And the wonderful, simple teachings that this environment offers us like that. You take a cup of warm liquid in your hands and give yourself to the warmth flowing in through your fingers.

[12:55]

gratitude, appreciation, as it softens some kind of mysterious fear that the cold has brought with it. And you see how difficult it is to have the mind of winter. in the scene learning something about the principle of practice it's not about creating the perfect conditions and it's not about creating the perfect response to create abiding perfect conditions is impossible

[14:14]

to create abiding perfect response is impossible each one either one will fail us if that's what our effort is directed towards to meet what arises. And what do we meet it with? We meet it with a human response. You know? We can study Abhidhamma. We can study Yogacara. We can study neuroscience. And they will tell us, oh, within that There's an immediate visceral response, then there's a conceptualized response, and then there's even a response to the conceptualized response.

[15:23]

Maybe, probably, somewhere in all of that there's some marvelous truth to our human condition. But the principle to turn towards what's happening to turn towards experiencing as it arises determined and insistent about its definition of reality with all the memories and imaginings and anticipations that come with it so be it if that's what's served up eat it as the mind settles and noticing oh yesterday's cold as today's warm every notion of cold and the physical response are conditioned okay meet it

[16:43]

we settle into more intimate contact and literally sense the energy of engagement how it stimulates usually the energy of engagement stimulates If it stimulates desire, the desire is stronger. If it stimulates aversion, the aversion is stronger. When the mind is more settled and non-attachment is more prevalent, the energy stimulates in a simpler way. It makes the moment more vivid. becomes as if as if it becomes more itself force it's always itself the experience of it is it becomes more itself in all these varieties of experience master mas

[18:24]

statement applies this very arising consciousness this very mind is Buddha this is the suchness of what is in this moment to let the habit energy loosen up, so that it can start to taste that. It's quite a task. It's quite a formidable task. If it wasn't, we wouldn't, said Shashin. Almost all of us need the rigor, the structure, the support, the dedication, the perseverance that Sasheen offers.

[19:31]

We offer those qualities to Sasheen and we support everyone else in Sasheen. Sasheen offers them back to us. And some process unfolds, not according to our design, but according to the workings of practice. psychoanalyst long-term psychoanalyst 30 years and also 30 years and practitioner said to me as a psychoanalyst when you settle into the therapeutic relationship the client projects

[20:51]

all sorts of stuff at you. Their love, their hate, their resentment, their reasons for feeling you've betrayed them, tricked them, scorned them, rejected them. And the challenge, in fact, the duty of the psychoanalyst is to take it, is to meet it. is to work with it. Oh, so from your perspective, I have betrayed you. Hmm. And you're filled with rage at me. Hmm. Yes. Okay. And how is it to be filled with rage and to feel betrayed? This is what we're challenged to offer ourselves in response to our concrete formations that trigger those impassioned responses.

[22:07]

Look at this. As we sit and almost despite ourselves become somewhat present and concentrated. These arisings are met with that concentration. So if you find yourself enthralled by some karmic formation with its compelling story and intense emotions, hmm, okay. Yes, look at this. As a guideline, I would say, can you get in touch with the emotion and not worry so much about the details of the story? How the emotion plays out in your body.

[23:21]

how the emotion influences the processes of your mind this is this very mind is Buddha this very mind is conditioned existence this very mind is illustrating the nature of conditioned existence and offering the path of liberation from being ensnared in conditioned existence so patiently persistently returning to the principle of practice And as the mind settles and the experience is more in the realm of the psychosomatic of the body, of the more subjective impressions of our psychological workings.

[24:40]

Again, to attend to the more energetic presence. To notice the difference between making up an idea about the experience and moving into closer contact with the experience. Starting to notice the more subtle details As the breath becomes connected to, noticing the breath can be an ally in softening the grasping or aversion. Allowing on the inhale, releasing on the exhale.

[25:56]

through careful attention, when it's helpful to attend precisely to the details of posture, and when it's helpful to let uprightness of body be experienced as a field of experience, a field of sensation. to let go of mind-defining body of knees and mudra and lower back and upper back and left shoulder and right ear. Just becoming a field, like a sensorium of experience. These yogic details start to present themselves as the mind starts to settle and become more perceptive.

[26:59]

But I would say, don't rush there. Let it arrive. Just sit with whatever comes up. And such a mind will come up. As we just continually sit, meet, and release. The unfolding of your own karmic horizons has its own time, its own pace, and its own process. Not to say directing attention to body and breath. Of course, that's appropriate.

[28:07]

That's what helps sets the stage. But as Nansen said to Master Ma, it's not about making it happen, it's about allowing. It's about allowing what already is to be realized. This is the nature of attention. This is the nature of engaging posture and breath. So then a monk asks Master Ma, Why do you always say, this very mind is Buddha? I thought that was kind of a rude thing to say.

[29:09]

Perfectly good statement. Why do you have to question it? Anyway, he did. Why do you always say that? Don't you have anything else? I remember once this young guy, about 16 or 17, came to San Francisco, the city center. And he said, you do Zen here, don't you? And I said, yeah. He says, yeah, we did that last semester at school. It's like, yeah, we've done that. Okay. Guess it's not that complicated. Why do you always say that? Master Ma said, to stop the baby crying. human, endless human struggle to not suffer, to experience satisfaction, to be fully alive.

[30:17]

Like a very young voice in us, in its upset. So in a way, it's a very delicate process. As we start to open, we touch something in us that's tender and vulnerable. So that too. cannot shy away from or turn away from the request of practice, but to discover how to sustain it with a tenderness and a gentleness. If you find yourself forcing, pause.

[31:39]

What is it you're trying to make happen? What is it you're trying to stop happen? This very mind is Buddha, just as it is. It's about refining effort. And then the monk, being persistent as he was, apparently, said, and then what? What if they get that? Then what do you say? Got anything else? Any other good stuff? Reminds me a little bit of like leading yoga, you know? And you say, and then the more advanced way to do it is this. Then everybody goes straight to the advanced way. Who in the heck wants to be a beginner?

[32:44]

It's like, let's do the advanced practice. With the exception maybe of people who've done more yoga and they think, oh, I think this is good enough for me. I still need to work on this. Right now, this is helpful. But Master Ma humored him and said, then I say, no mind, no Buddha. As the anguish that's close to our deep yearning to not suffer, to be satisfied, to be fully alive, is that anguish starts to be abated. Where's the fuss?

[33:50]

Who needs to make up stories? This just is what it is. What's all the effort about trying to change it or do something to it? No Buddha, no path, no practice. So that too, as you find yourself just walking the path, nothing special. It's not broke. Don't fix it. Stay close to the basic practice.

[34:58]

Attention, awareness and mindfulness of body and breath and mind. But don't go stirring up trouble trying to say this mind She'd be more concentrated, more deeply calm. So letting Shashin unfold. What will arise within you as a consequence of diligent effort? Letting that unfold. Noisy, quiet, active, settled. All these states have a teaching.

[36:09]

when we allow ourselves this kind of permission something of the urgency something of the tightening determination some great thing has to be done or accomplished can be allowed to listen replaced by something with a gentle diligence hopefully replaced with something of kind of reassurance okay all sorts of stuff are going to happen Just keep meaning it, whatever it is.

[37:21]

And as the Shuso said last night, even the Buddhas in their practice before Buddhahood, even all the venerable ancestors missed the mark. We miss the mark. We pay attention. We discover something about what we've added as extra. As Wallace Stevens so wonderfully puts it. Beholds nothing that is not there. Just behold what is here. Notice what you're adding as extra.

[38:30]

Purification is to let what is be itself. And as we notice that, we start to notice, we start to realize whatever comes forth out of our human consciousness is the very mind of Buddha. Okay, that's what is now. There's no boundary on what is. The challenge for us is it's so easy to get lost the complications of it so usually for almost always equanimity our first taste of equanimity in a palpable way is when the mind is quieter attentive not grasping and we discover something about

[39:52]

Letting what is be. And then it's a little bit like variation on a theme. Can that letting what is just be itself when it's a little bit more complicated? Can that also happen when some thoughts arise? So we discover from the inside out, we discover in the realm of experience how equanimity feels, how it engages, how it influences the body, how it influences seeing and hearing. These are the subtle teachings of Kusuma. but more of an astute attention, more of a gentle touch than some forceful endeavor.

[41:17]

In the six perfections that support awakening, equanimity is the final one. I think that says something to the effect that it's not such a simple proposition to meet each thing just as it is. Sometimes it's helpful to remember, as a psychoanalyst said, at some point the client tosses every projection imaginable, every agenda in their psychological life at you. Maybe this is something that we do to ourselves as we sit on the cushion. That's after we've projected them

[42:36]

to everyone else in the sangha. Can we cultivate that clarity, that equanimity that can bear witness to the creativity of those projections? Can we cultivate the equanimity, the clarity and attention that helps us to tune into, at the heart of those projections, the baby crying? The wisest response we can have is compassion. And when the mind's gripped by that projection and your anger, your disapproval, your aversion is strongly and firmly projected onto someone else, okay.

[43:52]

Taste it, meet it, feel it, see it. However we turn, however we appear, this very mind is Buddha. Whatever arises, this very mind is Buddha. Saddled, unsettled, grasping, non-grasping, this very mind is Buddha. principle. What's arising? What is it to practice with it? What happens when you practice?

[44:57]

And I don't mean by turning it into words like that, that it always stays on a cognitive level. No. As the mind is more settled, all that happens wordlessly on an experiential level. Don't keep pulling everything back into a cognitive process. So if you can, try to bring this to Dokusan. and practice discussion. What's happening? What is it to practice with it? And what happens when you practice with it?

[46:00]

Not that we're ever done with any one of those three questions. We're done with those three questions when we're a fully enlightened Buddha, when we're meeting each moment with complete clarity, equanimity, and connection. As we practice, they are a case in study, a work in progress. They are the Genjo con of being alive. So we don't bring them as a fait accompli. We bring them as, well, at this point, this is how it appears.

[47:02]

They go far beyond success and failure. Each time we sit down to do Zazen, it unfolds the way it unfolds. How could you possibly say something's concluded or accomplished? This very mind is Buddha. And then, why? What's that? to stop the baby crying. And what does that open to? No mind, no Buddha. And where does that go? This very mind is Buddha. Thank you. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center.

[48:09]

Our Dharma Talks are offered free of charge and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, visit SSCC.org and click Giving.

[48:25]

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