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 evening. Wasn't that just a wonderful sound? I feel very fortunate to be here during work interim and so I can thank you all for being here to help take care of Tassahara. I think Tassahara is a unique, wonderful jewel and it's just so rewarding to see many people caring about the place and showing up to help take care of this for the benefit of the whole world.

[01:09]

And of course I think people feel some kind of return nourishment from just being here and participating. So, deep gratitude. Thank you. Thank you all. I'm here for this week primarily to work with a Dharma transmission for a person many people know as Rin. Her Dharma name is Jiko Renshin. Jiko is... Ji is compassion. Compassion without boundaries.

[02:10]

And Ren is lotus. Renshin, lotus heart. She's been working on that. What is... What is it to cultivate boundless compassion? I've been working on that for at least about 20 years that I know of. I know before that, someone asked me the other day, when do you learn to be compassionate. I said, well, you never stop learning to be compassionate. This is something that's ongoing practice. If you think I'm compassionate, that's probably closing you off. Yesterday I gave a talk at Green Gulch

[03:18]

like a while ago. That was just yesterday. Green Gulch Farm, Green Dragon Temples. I know there are a couple of people here who are there. People are moving around and popping up different places. Brendan just popped up. And I told the story there about the last time I'd come into Tassar a couple of weeks ago for another ceremony and it had been dry and then it had rained. So I talked about my experience coming in where just on this side of China camp There's this place on the road where there are deep ruts. Tova, you were with me.

[04:21]

And so this is about... Should I tell this story? I guess I've started it. I was going to tell it a little later, but now I've started it. So there's this place where just this side of China camp, you know, where the road is... basically clay, dirt, not rock. And earlier in the winter, there'd been rains, and so the trucks going through had created some ruts in the road, and then it hadn't rained in January and February, and the ruts got very hard, very dry and hard ruts, right? They were deep, and they were hard. And then it rained. And so then the surface was really wet and was about slippery. Almost like grease.

[05:23]

And so I'm driving my little Honda CRV, which is four-wheel drive, but still it only has this much clearance. And I'm going in and I realize these ruts are getting deeper and deeper. And it's not healthy for the car. because I could see it looked like it was going to go into, or there's puddles of water in the ruts, and it was probably a foot deep, and I'd get hung up, or the car would get hung up with me in it. And so I saw that, and I backed up, and I turned the wheel, and I'm trying to get out of the ruts, but these ruts are really serious. And I tried several times backing up, trying to climb out of the ruts. And finally, I stopped, got out of the car, and took out my trusty shovel and shoveled.

[06:28]

And when I started shoveling, I realized that the surface was only about an inch. That was just soft. And underneath, it was hard, dry. And so I could actually kind of chip away at that hard, dry edge and finally create a couple of little exit ramps out of the rut. So I told this story at Green Gulch yesterday. And then at the Q&A, I questioned an answer afterwards. Someone confessed that they were in a rut. of resentment. This person said, I have to admit I'm committed to my resentment. I don't know who I would be without it. If I wasn't carrying this resentment, I don't know who I would be.

[07:31]

And I thought, that's really wonderful to acknowledge that. So it's not easy to even acknowledge that. So that's like acknowledging that one is in the rut. And then if you are willing to experiment, you can see that your life is really going to get into more trouble if you stay in that rut. But if you want to try to exit the rut, it's not easy. It actually was a little dangerous. slipping around on the road where there was no rut. So I was thinking with Renshin's, with Jiko Renshin's name, I was thinking of compassion and some tools for exiting ruts.

[08:33]

And today we chanted, here in the morning we chanted the Enmei Juku Kanon Gyo. And then this evening, again, for the well-being service, we chanted the Enmei Juku Kanon Gyo. So I thought I'd say a little bit about Enmei Juku Kanon Gyo as a tool for exiting a rut, particularly a rut of resentment. But it could be other kinds of ruts because so Enmei Juku Kanogyo this is something that we we I don't know if we'll even try again for a while maybe trying to translate it into English but we didn't get a good kind of feeling or rhythm that's hard to hard to chant I know there are some Zen groups who do chant it in English but it's so easy to learn and so we've learned it

[09:36]

and chant it the way we do, maybe we'll just continue chanting it without translating it. But then many people don't necessarily know what it means. So I'll tell you a little bit about it. So this is... It was created in China. A Chinese... invocation, a kind of a prayer, an invocation of kan-ze-on. Kan-ze-on is the first word in it, kan-ze-on. Kan-ze-on is, Chinese would be more like guang-shu, yin, which is a translation of avalukitesvara, the Sanskrit name of bodhisattva, the wisdom being of compassion. Enmei Juku Kanon Gyo that Kanon is also Kanzeon just a shorter version of Kanzeon Kanon and the Enmei is means something like life prolonging or but it means more than that it means that beyond time beyond time this is 10 verses Juku

[11:09]

Enme Juku, the Juku is 10 verse, Kanzeon, Enme Juku Kanon, and then Gyo just means Sutra. So Enme Juku Kanon Gyo, the timeless 10 verse compassion Sutra or teaching. And Amalukiteshvara or Kanon is often... represented as having a whole bag of tricks, many resources. But the basic meaning of avalakiteshvara or kanon is the one who hears the cries of the world or the regardor of all of the suffering distress in the world, one who can actually always be open to hearing. Ah. And so the first, and then when we chant it, we say, kanze on namu butsuyo.

[12:18]

So kanze on is, just the first word is like kind of a salutation. Kanze on. So kanze on namu butsuyo is veneration of Buddha. Namu butsuyo. Yobutsu-en. Yobutsu-en is with the Buddha I feel or I recognize with the Buddha I recognize in is like direct cause kind of a technical term directly cause but it actually is more like source That with the Buddha is source. With the Buddha is, or we could say even identity. With the Buddha is this, my identity. N is another term that means more like secondary cause or the conditions, the auspicious conditions that bring me into relationship with the mind that wakes up.

[13:32]

is this okay? Are you with me? Some people are falling asleep. That's okay. But you know it already, right? Just when we say, yeah, direct affinity with the mind that wakes up. So that's enough to hear and then you can go, huh? So, And then Buposo, and Buposo is Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. Buposo, and it's the same N that is this affinity, affinity with Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Jorakugajo is, well, the Jorakugajo is kind of like, well, Robert Akin translates it as constancy, which is also more like out,

[14:38]

or beyond time, constancy. Rakugajo is joy, constant joy. So affirmation or confidence and purity. These are qualities of awakening. And then it says, Chōnen Kanzeon. Mornings. Chōnen. Morning thought. Morning, my thought is Kanzeon. Bonen Kanzeon. Evenings, my thought is Kanzeon. Nen nen jushin ki, nen nen furishin. Nen nen jushin ki is... The Nen is a very interesting word that can be translated as thought.

[15:45]

But it's like thought, moment. Thought, moment. The Nen is, in Chinese, it has the character for now above the character for mind. So it's combining now and mind. the mind of right now. Nen, Nen. And so, Nen, Nen. Jushin Ki is thought, thought, or this now mind. Now mind is arising, arising, arising. Like moment by moment arising. And then the last line, Fu Rishin is not separate from mind. that the last word shin is the same word in Ren's name also, which means mind or means heart. So the thoughts that are arising are not separate from this heart-mind.

[16:51]

So when we recite this, we're invoking this... consciousness of the regardor of the cries of the world and the regardor of the cries of the world or kanon is not some some being off there this is the capacity each one of us has so actually by chanting this you become a wisdom being of compassion It's your own thought mind, not separate from mine. So all this is not separate from your own mind. So what you are actually receiving, perceiving, and hearing, and touching, and tasting, whatever it is that you're taking in, that you are open to, that is your own manifestation of the compassion bodhisattva.

[18:05]

And nobody can avoid this. There's a great thing about everyone can be a bodhisattva. In fact, you have to be a bodhisattva. I'm sorry. To be a fully human being, to be a human being, really, you have to be a bodhisattva. Otherwise... you're not really completely who you are. So being a human being is kind of a funny situation because we sometimes think that we don't have to be human beings. We imagine we could be something else. Or we could imagine that we could be a different kind of human being. Not the one with the particular set of limitations

[19:11]

that I find myself beset with. Not this one. Or not the one that's in this rut. Or not the one that has these particular resentments that I'm still holding and I don't know how to get rid of. In fact, I don't want to get rid of them because I think that person really was wrong. They shouldn't have done that to me. And I'm going to make them pay. Or they should pay even if I can't make them pay. I can't let them off the hook, so I have to keep resenting them. So these kind of thoughts, we develop a whole pattern of how to rationalize or make it seem reasonable that we're really committed to being in the rut that we're in. So I invite you to take a look at and find out.

[20:12]

Our practice is actually a practice of taking a look and finding out, well, what kind of rut am I in? Sometimes it's not easily apparent because the rut has such high walls that we can't see anything else. This looks like the only universe there is. Or we feel like we're in a tunnel and we... Maybe sometime we'll get to the end. The light in the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel. Sometimes the ruts are so deep they kind of just close in completely. So for each of us it's that kind of a challenge. And it is actually helpful to have the thought... mornings, my thought is Kansayon.

[21:18]

So what's it like to wake up first thing in the morning? The alarm goes off. Kansayon. The sound of the alarm is Kansayon. Or the wake-up bell here comes by. The wake-up bell is Kansayon. This is actually one's self hearing the cries of the world. The cry of the world might be a wake-up bell. Last thing in the evening before going to bed. Take a moment. This is my true nature. So Kanzheon takes many forms.

[22:24]

In China, often, Kanzheon or Kuan Yin is a woman, kind of a beautiful, elegant, often pouring water from a vessel that she's holding and the water is flowing This is a continuous flowing beyond time. Continuous flowing of the energy of the universe that's just flowing. Compassion never blocks anything. Compassion is always letting things move. Appreciating the nature of things. to continue to grow and unfold and to join that and support that. And sometimes Kanoon or Kanzayon is depicted as having many arms, many heads.

[23:35]

A couple of years ago when I was in Japan, In the town of Yaizu, which is the town where Suzuki Roshi, who was the founder of this temple, has a home temple. We call the temple Rinso-en. And his, Shunryu Suzuki's grandson, Shungo, wanted me to see the new kanon in town. And because he had actually helped initiate, say, bring this kanon to life and do the help with the big ceremony to bring this kanon, to install it, we say, as an eye-opening ceremony, to open the eyes of this kanon. And so he took me to this kind of a newly built temple in Yaizu. And we went inside, and there's this kanon that's maybe 20 feet tall.

[24:40]

And it looks gold, but I think it's actually, I think, carved wood with some kind of maybe copper or bronze plating on it. And it has maybe, I couldn't count exactly, but I think on each side, I think it has 19 arms. That would be 38. And each hand holds a different tool. Maybe a tool like this or a hammer. I saw people sanding today, sanding people. So probably a sander to make things smooth, right? And all kinds of different little instruments. And it has heads, it has a main face and head

[25:46]

main body and face and head. It's big enough you can sit in the lap, right? And then in the crown of the head there are heads all around. So maybe it has another eight or nine or ten heads. So that from all directions this kanon is open, receiving the cries of the world and responding with all the appropriate tools according to the situation. I hope there's a shovel there. It would probably have to be, you know, a telescoping shovel so it could be any size to fit the situation. Shovels are really good for getting out of ruts. And people, you know, many people come.

[26:55]

So Kanon has become kind of a folk goddess of mercy, right? That people think, I don't know what people think, but they come and they make offerings and make requests. Bus loads of people come and make requests of this new Kano in Yaizu. But for Zen practitioners, we know, or we should remember, that we ourselves are Kansayan. We ourselves take up this vow of compassion. We ourselves take up this practice. of not turning away from the cries of the world. And the cries of the world begin right inside ourselves. There may be a part of you that's crying, right?

[27:58]

That's suffering. Or a part of you that recognizes it's kind of trapped or caught in habitual patterns that are not so healthy. So to have compassion for what's coming up in one's own being, even compassion for your own resentment, and I'm feeling resentment, so to have compassion for the resenting Buddha, the resenting Bodhisattva, to have compassion means that you can actually see what it is. Wisdom and compassion go together. Wisdom... of seeing what something is, it depends upon having some openness to it. So there is really no wisdom without compassion. So many, there are many opportunities for each of us to realize this

[29:09]

And it's helpful to have, I think, a reminder of this ten-verse short sutra. I was warned that I should stop before going on to too many topics. There's a little more time, though. So I thought of singing the song that sometimes is another kind of tool, right? The song Relax Your Mind. So the song Relax Your Mind, and I thought, well, I could change the verse a little bit. But Relax Your Mind, the song comes from Lead Belly, American...

[30:12]

singer and sage. He had to get out of various ruts himself. He composed this song to help people. But it's to help people relax your mind, particularly when you're driving. He said, when I'm driving a car, I just look through the windshield. If you're sitting over here, you're talking to me, I don't look at you. I look through the windshield. I drove around all over this country and I never even hit a chicken. So he's paying attention, looking through the windshield.

[31:15]

So anyway, this came off the Library of Congress recordings of Lead Belly. And it goes, Relax your mind, relax your mind, helps you live a great long time. I'm going to pitch it up a little more. Sometimes you've got to relax your mind. But I'm going to change the last line to, what did I, I forgot what I was going to change. Oh, no. I had Kanzeon in there. Yeah, well, I'll do it again. Relax your mind.

[32:21]

Relax your mind. Helps you live a great long time. Kanzeon helps me relax my mind. That'll work. It's not what I had. I had a better idea before. Helps you. Kanzeon helps you relax your mind. Okay? So you can join in. And then relax your mind. Relax your mind, helps you live a great long time. Kanzeon helps you relax your mind. So when the light turns green, push your foot on that gasoline. That's the time you've got to relax your mind. Relax your mind. Relax your mind. Helps you live a great long time.

[33:24]

Kanzeon helps you relax your mind. And when the light turns red, push that brake down to the bed. That's the time. You've got to relax your mind Relax your mind Relax your mind Helps you live a great long time Kanzeon helps you relax your mind And when the light turns puce That's not the time to be confused. That's the time you've got to relax your mind. Relax your mind. Relax your mind. Helps you live a great long time. Sometimes, kanze on, helps you relax your mind.

[34:31]

I had a friend cross that railroad track. Oh, Lord, he forgot to relax. He lost his life. He forgot to relax his mind, so you please remember. Relax your mind. Relax your mind. Helps you live a great long time. Kanzeon helps you relax your mind. Thank you. And we're right on time. timeless time. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. 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 sfcc.org and click giving.

[35:34]

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