The Process of Peace

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today and i weren't too
address
i'm
concerns
about the state of from this
world threat
that is being perpetuated by
our government
did you may have heard
yesterday sen paul millstone was killed
a pretty trash
rove per hour
senator wellstone and sam
when are the most honest and straightforward
people in our government who is always advocating for peace
about profits
it was never corrected by again
three and game
which are wonderful buddhist attributes
not to be
i'm persuaded by fame and game
toyota has already starting about don't practice for fame game
showing professor i'm in friend
western was
could not be corrupted so on
people who are advocating peace and last i wonder their most valuable
leaders
senator wellstone was the one person
besides a beard and kennedy who
people can feel they can rally around
i'm presented some leadership
sometimes people say you shouldn't be giving
political talks and as the dharma talk i'm not
i'm simply talking about truth
in reality
ah
am
i think it was few days ago friday friday yesterday know day before yesterday thursday that time i've got a call from vicky he said
there is a hastily called press conference at grace cathedral of and spiritual leaders in the san francisco community or the bay area community
to say something make a statement about
a pre emptive attack
but the i another country if that's really worth what people think that
so they said it's i call was at nine thirty and she said and fill the at eleven o'clock
so i had to make a great decision and i drove over there and there were
six
panelists and i was one of them i was the buddhist representative there to jewish representative and
bishop swing and
o'leary
and are muslim so and then there was a little audience of mixed people and show we we gave our opinions and everyone in a religious community said they didn't think it with a good idea basically
the congress has
been given the has given the authority to our president to make a preemptive strike under certain conditions
but what this does is
makes our president a gives him the authority of a monarch
it's undermining the constitution
it's totally an american
i was talking to semi from now the south
and we said well there's going to be a peace march today
the so against it going to war with iraq which is what is this thing about going to war with iraq and i thought by haven't you heard about this
money we earn about this
people don't know really what's going on most of the country is totally uninformed
in a country where are we talking about education we we say most of our people are educated they really not we're totally really uneducated people except in certain places where we read newspapers in february
i'm
besides it's really am very discouraging
that ah this can happen
ha you know to give someone the authority to make a preemptive strike against another country means that if you'd suspect somebody of something
it's okay to going in and
conquer that country or if you
trump up something know if he did it make a story you can make a story about anything you can take a photograph and make it say anything you want
photographs are no longer really legitimate
storytellers as far as facts go everyone knows if you just create photographs to to show what you want to show
so it means that when this kind of power you can legitimize any kind of offensive strike
against anyone you want all you have to do and say i think that they are
and then you'd have to justification
so it's really a m
if you read between the lines that's great power grab
has nothing really to do with saddam or mac there's no threat there it's not a threat to us
the middle country that really has no atomic weapons
grievances where are the atomic weapons under the throne
i think they're in the palace we want to go over to the palace and who had store atomic weapons in the palace

it sounds like a fairy tale doesn't it
so first iraq then iran and kuwait and saudi arabia than rearranging the home and least
to ah
it's
that's the plan isn't it
mean everyone knows that the plan
so
ah
so when i gave this i gave a five minute talk at this a press conference at grace cathedral i don't know if we'll ever see that are here at pam
ah what came to my mind was that war and peace are always alternating with each other
you know
as a buddhist we want to bring peace into the world
but warranties peace are always open to do with each other did you ever seen a time in this world when there was only peace
not a very long because war and peace alternate with each other there's a period of peace and in this period of war
and that's it goes on but as buddhist or as human beings
it's important to always weren't for peace
when being attached to the results of your work
if we're attached to the result of i work there would always be discouraged
i worked on my life for peace and who we have war
but why i'm pace alternate with each other you know that's going to happen but you'd have to work for peace anyway
without being discouraged and the only way you can do that without being discouraged if to not be attached to the results just do the work
hmm
you know haku in when he's
in his talk on the five ranked photos on five ranks at the very end he says the work is like the work of foolish old foolish wise men filling up the well with snow
well
if nokia melting at the bottom line but you just keep filling it up anyway
that's to work in my practice without looking for results we simply do the work we simply do the practice
hmm
wow
and then another factor that came to my mind was how ah
as people who follow some religious path
deal with the world or relate to the world
so i am a buddhist
i'm not a buddhist
even though i'm a buddhist i'm not attached to being a buddhist
ah
and i think that all religious people should be respectful and follow the religious path without being attached to their religious path
this is
religion is one of the worst problems in the world
religion a big problem because
everyone's attached to their own way
and they act
under that under the
name of that attachment well great problems that caused in the world
and by hang on to add attachment
it doesn't allow people to relate to each other as human beings
i think it's important to be a human being first then a buddhist
bottom line is just a plain human being that relates to human beings as human beings
not as christians are buddhist or muslim
we have to cut through
does entanglements
and know at the bottom line is
the wonderful thing about zazen is that it cuts across
sectarian lines borders anybody can sit in there is a christian thought of him
who him and a muslims as him
i have a student muslim student who is in iran
and he wants to introduce doesn't to iran but he has to do it as yoga
he kept tibetan buddhism
ah difficult
and even that's a little suspect
i'm
i think that has we create a world at one world
there will emerge the has to emerge as a unified
spiritual community
because what happens is that the sectarian can religious communities become involved with the government's the state
and then they become depleted by the state
one nice thing about buddhism in america that we don't have any ties to the state
so we can't be manipulated by the state
what if you look around you'll see how christianity is manipulated by the state
i'm in in japan buddhism is manipulated by the state
and in the history of the world religious practices have always been manipulated by the state they start out very pure but then they may become easily manipulated because of their attachments
so it's very important for us to stand up for what we believe him and not allow ourselves to get manipulated or sell out in some way
simply keeping our practice pure
it is the most important thing for
in order to see clearly
in an unbiased way what's happening in this world

n

i made some notes
and my way over here from the by itself
hum
i wondered thing i wanted to say about one of the
haha
people always say saddam is this butcher and i just really bad guy every time anyone talks about whether they're pro or con to this
the iraqi invasion there we say we know that saddam is this butcher you know the his guest his people we know that but
and it just makes me sick every time they say that because we've done the same thing
we have irradiated our people
it's well documented i mean everybody knows should notice that we have irradiated are people without them knowing it we have already in and our soldiers
we have put a toxic materials in our road roadbeds and irradiated whole towns
you remember i said love canal or london town street name that
that was totally contaminated and people were getting cancer and all live
and
is happening still still happening there's a new
ah
permission people have permission of to put certain kinds of toxics toxic materials into
toys
and i'm garbage cans and products has
the waited in eliminate gets get rid of some of the toxic waste did you know that
it's true
they say well for a low level
we poisoning our own people
it's totally hypocritical
i haven't been doing it for a long time
it's a case of
the pot calling kettle black
as we used to say when we end
cast iron cooking where

so all it is you know is very frustrating
very frustrating
hum

so another factor is that the whole world is against what we're doing
the whole on a guess what we're doing
we take we have the arrogance to think that we can do whatever we want without
no matter what anybody else thinks
and ah the you know
we've always had a secret weapon but we've never use it
it's called diplomacy
it's never used
knew because if you use diplomacy it would mean that they'll get some kind of compromise or some know
why don't just go and talk to them
president of korea shop north korea
instead of making a case against so divisiveness divide and conquer his his program
if there was diplomacy it would be include and ah
see the interdependence you know
do
this world and how it works well
we're going into some terrible times
how can be only be devastating
i'm
it's like ancient rome the roman empire read them
but there were all be changed
hmm
you know and i'm i'm president bush
when asked
what is ideal was he said
i would say i would ask jesus what would you do

and
ah
i think jesus would say ask mr chaney
that
cheney is beginning to look a little more god

yeah
anyway i bet just a kind of i couldn't help saying no
hey
i'm well today
this weekend they would know really be peace march
so ah
this is you know
the only voice we have really
our bomb
rep have deserted us mostly in california
the here and there there's some
but pretty much deserted us and they were on our own
i mean if you go up for those of you agree with me
ha and peace march with you know put your body out there
say something
with your presence
so i encourage us all to do that
starting in right after this talk
hmm maybe you'd have a question if you have a question i'd be happy to address it yes
you know why
march you for bit yeah
yeah i don't think that suzuki roshi was against marching for page
there was an incident at one time
the zendo an ambush street we had this end of on bush street
and
it was the time in vietnam war and wondered whether the students during a talk is talk said
well why are we sitting here in the zendo why were we doing a peace march
and tom
then
it can have exactly that way it out
this kind of an ad liberal but as i remember and
and then it was taken up by some others people and and one other person
can have voiced it again in a different way and then suzuki or she got up off and seed and started beating this guy with his stick and he's a dreamer dreaming dreamer
ah
ah so it's interesting interchange
the
and he wasn't a he wasn't against doing that but he
i think the thing was why are we doing this and that dad and i think david suzuki or she felt that this is what we're doing now and this is an important thing this sitting
ah is the most peaceful
is that
most accurate way to bring peace into the world
zazen is the most peaceful act
and that energy radiates into the world in ways that we can't follow
but it that this is my
i'm a humble opinion
is that when we sit in zazen strength and power of thousand power that
pure activity
influences the world
and marching for pieces another way to do that but when you doing this you're doing this when you're doing that you're doing that it's not like one you shouldn't do one of the other
so it was like why are we doing this and say that you know that's what i think he was complaining about are making a statement about
one thing situation is discouraging
where where he all right
they are
where's the all right enough
what makes you think they are all right there isn't already is
immediately if things are the way they are everything is way it is nets
the sapphire
yeah okay you know
there are two aspects one is that everything is just the way it is
in reality everything is just the way it is
and that's not good or bad
not so but in the human world
in the world of
a pain and suffering it's not okay
from the human vantage from the human point of view it's not okay
because ah
he would beings want to live they wanna be free of suffering and
when were causing pain and suffering oh we are all around us is not good so we want to eliminate the causes of that pain and suffering
that's a buddhist practice to eliminate the causes of pain and suffering so we have to look at what are the causes of pain and suffering well in this case they agreed
ill will and delusion they always are
and then where's the great in this
wow
where's the ill will in ask where's the delusion in this and all three of and just right up there so how do we did turn away
deal with the greed hate and delusion that's the human realm
the rest of the universe doesn't care but they but as human beings we do we do care because this is our state
so
does
no form an emptiness
yeah
the guy
well i'm peace a peaceful attitude i think you know piece begins here as we always say
and if we we we need to keep finding it in ourself
hmm
and bad so we should have peaceful authority each one of us should be have peaceful authority which means that we're offering are authorizing or peace
so when we find this piece true peace within ourselves
then we have authority we are peaceful authority because it's coming from an in not just an idea
so we have to continuously practices
and then we'll know what to do
we don't have to be told exactly because whatever situation you meet you meet it with that piece that's within you
so it's self cultivation
hello

is and they weren't began picketing
i am
love it
and i was standing down the steps one of those pigs
and
i was rather shocked when i found out the psychological as a bot five with identical know only that you should can the different and i was feeling kind of fig haven't i would get on it the three and i saw the friend bad
oh sure
and she was doing something that i not yet no
and she will be on
the better place and it happened
rounded
not really
would she woke up with happy
and everything
when the middle of a help was
one
and it seems
no
you're offering an alternative to one around him
looking for away now
out
he's a lot of aboriginal kelly
mass psychology indoctrination chanting nephi emotions before around in a demonstration
if you are connected
following on from body
we have not here about what
so what
right
bradley
that's quite all
and people held on an event for not everybody here
well i think that's a good from or can shoot them he was a really wonderful piece androgen and then she spent large time and bunch of and over the place
we really miss her
how you define
me
that one
is
pair of life
the flame alive
those who might feel that going for the could do couldn't take care of remember a read
lovely
where are you know einstein said you can't prepare for peace and war the same time
oh although there is often peace after war it's a great price
and it's not necessary that if you want
it's not real please
your chest pacification
which is not read a piece with a piece it's something that damn you can only
when i create through peaceful know it's the law of karma
a more karma is when you create
aggressive actions they lead to aggressive results when you
perform peaceful actions they lead the peaceful result
there is some interchange there but
bow basically
that's the way it goes
am
we don't try hard enough to make peace
we just don't try hard enough we don't try on of you know we don't we alienate those who we want to conquer that's where i live
and we
cultivate those who we want to have power to share power with
it's called the balance of power and so is shifting and has always been that way
you're in the olden days
a king when sending his daughter or you know to marry someone else the other countries
so a prince so that they would have some kind of peaceful negotiations you know we should keep doing that
the
the
i can even then interest they had words but but it's a way in a pip
yeah
the jews and muslims should enter married
that's the only way that they will ever come to peace
there's no other way
they have to each one has to let go of its attachment to extradition and what detachment to the tradition is the tradition of
exclusive
i'm gonna try oh my god is right i mean c'mon folks
the thing that
you asked them the february last year as created about fear how now the government has tried to assuage the time taken care of all of that people in the world and i just wonder how to break that
well and you know
she did good point
that's said i'm actually playing on the fears playing on the face and i think education
you know
but what we what lot of people realize and it looks like paranoia you know i don't want to make warfare
but the media and
this is the notes that that's surrounding the country and people who feel it yet they feel a little bit but it gets tighter and tighter and tighter pretty city of hey wait a minute you know where what
ah
and by not realizing this would give me allow it to happen
and so ah
we have to maybe there has to give anti fear campaign
somehow
the truth
chaplin to speak the truth
but the truth looks like
an american unfortunately
as my father said
you should read the newspapers it's all there you know i have to say people that i don't read the newspapers well and you don't know what's going on is not at the television
is it you know
i would say that the the chronicle
in about b c c might be minors
a pretty good one if you read it every day you will know what's going on because you read between the lines you have enough history to know when something happens with was how it adds up to them
so it's all there it's all there
what do you have to read it and if you don't read it you don't know what's going on and then
she had that happen
longevity yeah
i thought people on well
the popular bad
that are
one person
the may know what other work their way i shall make free but neither
the all the world of town
saffron
how did out make great
yes the
that
living boy
now freedom doesn't necessarily mean that you know it suffered
the more you the more freedom you have the more knowledge and understanding of the more you suffered
suffer with your freedom
is different than going to sleep
thinking that you're okay taking that everything's ok
yeah
the truth will make you free and it will also make you suffer
but you have some freedom within suffering
within that suffering you have some freedom because you know that year
what new your actions are based on truth
and that's freedom
freedom doesn't mean that you're not going to yeah
this is always going on
it's always going on it's going on forever the same problems
they get and
better and worse but that always there and you have to find your freedom within your suffering
when i cannot eliminate suffering that's never gonna happen
sometimes people say on buddhism is means to and suffering well and suffering is this the kind of way of speaking
to actually confront your suffering to actually accept the suffering that's are you become free of suffering
this is what you learned in zazen how to accept pain so it doesn't become suffering

no i come from a country where
yeah
me

who would be inappropriate questions asked
what's the question
lucky for us to look out

mdf oh absolutely
you should ask any question that comes to mind when
think about what comes up for me when i take you about complicity is that i think that
people are caught
the people
the financial community is caught with their pants down
if you look at enron and the the corporate world which controls the country the corporate world control of the country
and then everybody knows it's corrupt
but they can't do anything about it
everybody give wonderful speeches about how we're going to put these guys and jail are nothing will happen
nothing will happen somebody would go to jail escape code that's it
the of if you study if you're in the newspapers you will see that sober nothing happened
so
you know people who have the helpless position because the government is the corporations
every on the cabinet is a corporate him
and they are all corrupt
there if you read the biographies and see every one of them
even
our president
and i don't want to say this
and i'm not going to say that you just like if it's just like nazi germany and nineteen thirty nine
i'm sorry
but i'm sticking my neck out to say that

the
heavily on
me i one day having
you or anybody else
how did they know
when the all of the line no longer an hour at well as

all people who could have older and did not
yeah that's right
good point good point
even those the dead
it was taken away
a stolen election
yeah it's time to my asked me
oh and i are not like
the military watching of the united states
i'll take
of
it is
compared to germany even a complete on how editors name isn't
yeah and also pay
well actually internet
and what is going on and off the by actually and protection of immediate connections around it's pretty day that's different
compare this is a super power
yeah
that's only you know they go so far with them
but i'm in the sense out
world domination at any cost
that's why i see you know it's ten after eleven and i'm supposed to stop
but this is an interesting conversation
so okay a little bit longer five
minute
i am
happy healthy snack hill
the government
we represent us
why not you know i know shares die
and then i like
what am i have it you like power
it no longer respond
i like
yeah it's a good point
i can say some things that i'm not sure
ah
there's no outlet there's no or inland or
the right to the newspapers

i think with this kind of say like peace march today
i think a lot of people and trailing the same way that you are and something will come out of that some avenues will come out of that i think
such as keep us posted
so i can say
is enough
the devil
sounds like
are tightening that always together you support arguments
like
i didn't get the first part of what you said
the benefits that were not met
ah
the
yeah i shouldn't change but i think we do anyway
maybe not from infinite invent from outside
but yeah it's to by not being
by the separation of our church and state
we don't have the advantage of
the affecting piece from inside but we can affect things from outside
just by
my own mother used to say where there's a will there's a way
and it's like the will is there the way will be found
i live out the get together get honor a massive make now
right yeah it's two totally possible to that again now fact that
a series of work or now if we go to work
people can be right through that will put it in the next
now incredibly high yeah i think what is happening
groundswell graduates the same question that vietnam and impact on million people had the streets you want
gotta try this is also happening in washington and however trump yeah it has spread rabbinate eventually it will
how
where can you find it
however when
you will get out there for your money
have now

mesa
and
may i
therapy
no i'm acting that com
and
play at that time
bernadette you're talking about five saying that in our my they have actually been searching for information the kind of i think that i think of it
ah happy birthday that
africa know how to enough of i on my back then they have yeah he only paid a lot of rohan paper gonna factor controller
i bet you had of now and actually that's the point that good pitching
i came back
yeah that's right
so
maybe
just the last one
prefers level i feel responsible know i do like it is
even though i'm proud to and you know
wait
secret phase in line
right created strikes smile on my personal life you know
and
however i do know
you know it seems like was horrible nightmare
you my manifest in that part of us that really actually hope that little higher where we have hard and happy was their name and just like a beautiful story building manifestation of the mind of like this is awesome math
haitian
the human have everything in the place
i mean i look at it and be like know and the one i watch my mind i was my situation that you know i vote as conclusion that is good and i in fact i'm telling you my personal experience with them to i you know day
it have never
everyone the chance five hundred
her and it never ever comes out well now physical level on a grand level i never never from that he always get pretty early get the effect of the corner
is a problem thank you
mm no