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 morning. Good morning. Welcome to everybody in here and online. And first, I want to say great congratulations. You have given yourself and thereby all of us and the world the gift of six days of simply being. Can everybody hear me? simply immersing ourselves in celebrating our life, the life you have been given, celebrating that you are alive in this moment, to celebrate and to appreciate the unique body we have been given,

[01:28]

Pivotal opportunity of human form, how Ehe Dogen calls it. And he also says, the body which is far beyond the world's dust. That's what he calls our body. Can you hear me, Paddy? No. Would it help you? Would it help you to get the hearing aids? So this practice period, one of the focus was or the intention was to discover that even with hindrances or limitations or handicaps that we might encounter in our body, with our body, do not need to hinder us to practice.

[03:21]

Can you hear me better now? Okay. Okay, so we made a lot of space to find, be creative and accommodate the body we have. So right now I'm limping around because I have a blocked hip, which doesn't allow me to do full bows without having a terrible backlash or do certain things. to bring a mind of equanimity to these things because they rattle your self-image. If you always were able to do all those things with no problem and suddenly you can't, a part of our usual idea about ourselves kind of gets really challenged. And it takes adaptation

[04:22]

inside to settle with that. So we have to help us with that. And we have given all these options that you can take when you need, when your body tells you to change what you're doing. And we have been also practicing slowing down for nine weeks now. to just slow down to the degree that you notice you have slowed down. Your movements, your thinking mind, maybe how you speak, your actions, your activity. And we also practice with the acronym WAIT. Why am I talking? and also how am I talking, and that is to others and to ourselves.

[05:28]

So since in these six days we won't be talking to each other unless absolutely necessary, it's mostly paying attention to the internal talk, to the internal voice, the tone of voice, what it says. and to practice actually the paramitas. I'm going to those a little moment later. There is no need for a running commentary, which we usually have, or for evaluation. We cannot evaluate sasen. Nobody can. Not even the Buddhas can. Isn't that a relief? It's just really nobody can. So we can just stop having a comment, oh, that's bad or that's good, or this is us and this is not.

[06:32]

Just forget about that. Not necessarily. Necessary and actually a hindrance. No judgment. And we all start to arrive in... this body of the six days, because we are one body all sitting together in the zendo. And when we're not in the zendo, maybe taking care of our body by lying down, which in the gaitan is still the zendo, or doing walking meditation, or going to help in the kitchen, or... Yeah. But we are all arriving and feeling and creating this body of practice for these six days. People came from far away, some commute back and forth with public transportation, and all in service of this being that you are, of the being that you are.

[07:41]

So we're all settling down. in the Zen Do. So make space for getting really in touch with your body and finding your most upright and relaxed posture of this moment, this period of Sazen. And then do the same thing at the next period of Sazen, because everything keeps changing. And sitting with no goal, which is Shikantaza, our meditation practice that Paul talked yesterday so beautifully about, is sitting with no goal. And that is cultivating just being. And I don't know how many of you wonder what that means.

[08:51]

Do you know what just being means for you? Have you experienced simply just being? You say you're not sure? So anyway, that's an opportunity we have. Six days of simply being. Don't have to do anything besides doing our jobs. That we can do. as the being we are. So you serve us beautifully this morning. Thank you very much. It was beautiful. You washed the dishes. Thank you very much. And do all those activities with the same open-hearted availability to that task as you hopefully extend to yourself when you sit sasen.

[09:52]

So it's celebrating to be alive. It's cultivating what I would like to rename our practice, Paul, as the art of tenderness, cultivating the art of tenderness, which I feel comes through when you talk, but we don't usually talk about zazen as the art of tenderness. So I'm a little bit attached to that right now, too, because it reminds me of gentleness, the art of gentleness. It's actually cultivating trusting that we already have everything we need So also to really refrain from interference.

[11:04]

So letting be what is your experience in the moment. To not grasp it, to not hold on to it, to not push it away, to not fight it, to just let it be and be present with what is, and curious about what is it, how is it, and not go, oh, this is this, and this is that, and this is good, and this is bad. Dogen Kalsasen, the Dharma Gate of Repose and Bliss. And it's really interesting, when I came down to the Zendo early this morning and sat down, there was just this sweet, sweet happiness just arising in me.

[12:11]

Just feeling the energy in the Zendo, feeling all your presence and all our intentionality and the efforts you made to be here, and to show up is really something extraordinary and wonderful. So, being is cultivating actually the It's actually cultivating the innate seed of perfection, of perfect realization that lives within us.

[13:14]

It's the very essence of our true nature. And the paramitas are an expression of that true nature. So we're cultivating generosity, Donna, ethics, personal integrity. So that goes also in how do I speak to myself? Do I treat myself as a respected being? Or do I treat myself as an object that can be demanded, things can be demanded of, or can be pushed, or can be... go beyond its capacity, is not honoring its limitations, and it's really cultivating harmlessness.

[14:20]

And that goes, again, both towards ourselves and towards everybody in this world. Patience is the third one, shanti, and that's tolerance, forbearance, and acceptance. So if we cultivate a grandmother or grandfather mind, meaning if you had a wonderful grandmother and if you had a wonderful grandfather, otherwise, don't cultivate it. Very important distinction. So if you had a loving aunt or teacher that just gave you the feeling that you were just okay the way you were, with no extras, just embraced you wholeheartedly,

[15:29]

That is often easier for grandparents because they feel in a different way responsible than parents. So they all have a different job. They both have a different job. But if we cultivate that mind, then we have more capacity for tolerance or stand it when we are uncomfortable, when we are faced with an experience that we don't know what to do with, and to realize we don't have to do anything with it. Can we just give it a big field? Like I think Suzuki Roshige said, give your cows or your cow a big field, or your sheep. be spacious, make more space.

[16:31]

So when you feel your body tightening up, can you even entertain the idea that you could relax exactly in this uncomfortable situation? Could you relax your body? Can you be with it without making it an identifier for you, not identifying with it. For example, not saying, I am angry, but saying, wow, anger is present, or anger is arising, or anger is here. So that doesn't make you an angry person. It's just anger energy has come up. And we can't control what is coming up in us. We have a choice how we respond to what's arising, how we meet what's arising, how we are present with what's arising.

[17:44]

These are our choices. And the four parameters I'm talking about today is that is a help to do that with generosity, to give it space, to give it its time. Everything that comes up and manifests has a time. It will pass if we don't worry it, if we don't grasp it, if we don't spin it, if we don't hold on to it. It has a life cycle, and we can just give it space to do its thing, and we don't have to identify with it. And I think that's very helpful particularly also with unpleasant things because they create so much judgment, either about ourselves or somebody else. And then also to be harmless, to cultivate harmlessness, to talk to yourself in an appreciative way.

[18:52]

And then there's patience, shanti. That's tolerance, acceptance, and forbearance. So we can stand it without being totally dysregulated. And joyous effort is the force that's virya. That's to just not give up, to just return. So when you went daydreaming, just come back to your body. And our body is a wonderful anchor because it's always in the here and now. It's never somewhere else. And so the moment we remember to tune into our body, to put our focus, our attention on our body, it brings us in the here and now. And so just come back with no judgment. I think it's Uchiyama Roshi who says, the moment of returning to your sitting position or returning to yourself is Sazen.

[20:08]

So we think Sazen is something very special. It's actually something very ultimately simple, not easy for us, but something very simple. It's just be. as a verb and as a noun. So Dogen also said in the Fukanzasendi, he said, intelligence or lack of it does not matter. Between the dull and the sharp-witted, there is no distinction in negotiating the way. So we have no excuse. We can't say, I'm not smart enough, or I'm too smart, or this, or argue with this. It's beyond all of that. So we are giving ourselves six days of just dropping that, of just not engaging that, that discriminating mind.

[21:23]

creating spaciousness, gentle persistence and spaciousness for everything, joy, grief, relief, fear, misery, worry. You just let them be and actually become more intimate with them by not doing anything with them, just feeling them, seeing them arise. hang out for a while and leave. So I also invite you to orient yourself in the Zendo. Give yourself a little bit of time. Most of you have new seats for the Sashid. And just when you sit down, just open up your senses and feel into the space. Feel the bodies that are in the Zendo.

[22:35]

Without looking around, without turning your head, listen to the sounds of the city, to the sounds of people, and so that you can feel we are all kind of called upon to be really with ourselves, not to be worrying about others. So if something worries you about another person and you can't let it go, go talk to the Eno. Because there are people here that their job includes taking care of the people that are sitting in the Zendo. It's not your job. Your job is just Really use that time and that gift you've given to yourself to stay with your experience, stay with your life.

[23:39]

So we can also, during these days, slow down measure our movements, and move in a way that allows you to stay in touch with yourself. And also allows other people around you to stay in touch with yourself. So we don't move fast. I mean, we move fast with the pots. We move fast when we do the meal board towels, so there is appropriate speeds for certain things, but when we move by ourselves through the hallways, just move at the easy pace so nobody gets startled, nobody. Don't tailgate another person because they're moving slow. That is creating anxiety tension and doesn't get you to your place faster it also creates in you irritation why maybe why is this person moving so slow or so to just harmonize and just and that's cultivating patience and generosity and

[25:21]

to what's in front of you. So, I'm going to read you a poem to close this, which I find a beautiful poem for today. And it is called, Mending the Tattered Web of My Heart, The World. And it's from a Jane Mara. She wrote it in 2006. I am mending the tattered web of my heart, the world, with plush emerald yarn of compassion and generosity. I darn holes torn by blame and judgment with a soft, and sturdy strand of kindness and understanding.

[26:23]

May I repair jagged ribs torn by despair and grief with braided grasses of gratitude and deep purple reeds of acceptance of things as they are. And where anger and fear burn gaping holes May I revieve with golden threads of forgiveness, gleaming copper cords of courage, and strong silver strands of trust in the mysterious and holy unfolding of what is greater than I can know. To strengthen this web of my heart, the world, I send out these healing threads to anyone who needs them. anyone at all in this whole world. I think this is a wonderful instruction for our sitting today.

[27:34]

I'll read it one more time. Mending the tattered web of my heart, the world, I am mending the tattered web of my heart, the world, with plush emerald yarn of compassion and generosity. I darn holes torn by blame and judgment with soft and sturdy strands of kindness and understanding. May I repair jagged ribs torn by despair and grief with braided grasses of gratitude and deep purple weeds of acceptance of things as they are. And where anger and fear burn gaping holes, may I reweave with golden threads of forgiveness, gleaming copper cords of courage and strong silver strands of trust,

[28:41]

Oh, and strong silver strands of trust in the mysterious and holy unfolding of what is greater than I can know. To strengthen this web of my heart, the world, I send out these healing threads to anyone who needs them, anyone at all in this whole world. So we all can, at the end of each period of Sazen, we can send out our efforts, the merit of our efforts, of our capacity to be kind, to be loving, to be gentle, to be tender, to be courageous, to be steadfast, out

[29:42]

everybody in this universe because we're all interconnected and she understands that her heart is the world and so is ours. So I will close for today. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma talks are offered at no cost 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. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[30:25]

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