Hello. Hello. So I wanted to start by welcoming everyone. And I think that the time for this meeting, normally Wednesday nights, we start at 7.45, not 7.30. So I realized that after it was on the schedule. So people may show up in like 15 minutes. So we'll deal with that when that happens. So how many of you here are part of the practice period? Sorry, how many of you are not part of the practice period? You just kind of came in. Welcome.

[01:02]

Is anyone here for the first time? All right, excellent. So for those of you who are online, I don't know how many of you are here for the practice period or if you're just zooming in because it happens to be a Wednesday night. Not sure I can tell. Ah, hello. Hello. So I wanted to start with kind of like an overview of what I think we're going to do tonight. In lieu of a normal Dharma talk, I will be doing some talking, but I want it to be interactive this evening, and I want us to explore some of the ways in which community is developed and nourished and harmonious. In particular, we're in the middle, we're at the very start,

[02:05]

we're one week into our winter practice period, the topic of which is on Zen precepts in daily life. And normally during a practice period, so for those of you, I don't know how many people here have been in practice periods before, but I'll just say normally a practice period is a time that in Zen, where we get together and in a dedicated, kind of intensive way, we kind of up our practice for a period of time, anywhere from a number of weeks to a number of months. Sometimes we do this in a monastic setting where everything outside of practice period kind of dissolves away from one's consciousness because it's all that's happening is the practice period. And then here at city center, because we're an urban temple and we're open to the wider world, it's kind of hard to have that dissolving into practice period.

[03:15]

So it's much more porous and you kind of have to work a little bit harder to get that intensity, the intensity of practice, the immersion. It's harder to be immersive in practice However, some of the key elements of a practice period, which is a community of practitioners who get together for a certain time period, some of the key elements include increased zazen, increased meditation time, more opportunities for silence, for appreciating silence with one another, and being in community with one another in a non-verbal but body-to-body way. There's a lot of emphasis on community engagement, although I don't know if it's really articulated as such.

[04:18]

It's more like by being in a practice period, the community engagement kind of runs through the whole thing. We do this by committing to a schedule. together, so we have a daily schedule. We take up the practice of sitting together and chanting together, bowing together, working together sometimes. Normally we would have community meals, but because we're in a renovation right now, we're not doing that as, we're not able to, we don't have a shared kitchen. And then also practice periods involve studying something together and being at Dharma talks on the topic of the practice period. And then there's a shared commitment in a practice period to following a certain set of guidelines of practice. In normal practice periods this night, this Wednesday evening event,

[05:23]

the first Wednesday after the opening. We opened last Wednesday. Normally, the Wednesday afterwards is a time dedicated to going over what's called the shingi. Does anybody here not know what shingi means? The meaning of the word shingi? So the shin of shingi is heart and the gi is rules or principles. So it's a It's a, that's what it literally means. Shingi literally means that, the heart of the rules. But it's kind of the, the monastic, in a monastery, it's the monastic guidelines for practicing together. And you can look up our founder, Ehe Dogen, like when he started his first monastic communities in the 1200s, he adapted his Shingi from what he learned in China when he was a monk there.

[06:29]

And then we here at San Francisco Zen Center have a shingi as well. And I should have asked for a screen today. Would it be? It'll take a few minutes. But it's possible? It's possible, yeah. Thank you, Dan. I'll have some prompts, some things that I'll refer to on a screen, and I can share screen. Oh, is that messing with things? That wireless device. Turn this off. If I take it out to the guide town, will it help? Take away this defilement. Now he's noticing the buzz as well.

[07:37]

Okay, and reverberation on my computer. Apologies for the bumbling through technology. So, other elements besides just another aspect of practice period, I'll just say, is having face-to-face meetings with teachers. Whether it's or practice discussion, it's a way of, I mean, it happens outside of practice period. All of these things happen outside of practice period. It's just that this is kind of the collective group effort to hold that container together. So I wanted to, well, to say that Normally, here at San Francisco Zen Center, practice periods, people come in who don't live here. There's people who are residents who live at San Francisco Zen Center. Some work for San Francisco Zen Center. Some work outside the building and do other things, but live and practice at San Francisco Zen Center.

[08:46]

And then other people live in the neighborhood and come in, like some of you, or we live close by, are joining for the practice period. Normally we invite people to come in as residents for that time and unfortunately because of the renovation we can't do that. So it is largely the people who are here that don't live at San Francisco Zen Center are commuting in. And so normally in a practice period there are people who are residents, both residents who work for the center and then there's residents who work outside the center Then there's the non-residents or wider Sanga neighborhood, people from the neighborhood who come in. And then over the pandemic, things really exploded online. And so we also have people practicing in the practice period who are here online. And so the net becomes wider. And this time around, we're doing this new thing, which we're kind of exploring what it is.

[09:52]

which is not having incoming residents for the practice group. So I wanted to say a little bit about the Shingi and then, let's see. So I wanna talk about the Shingi a little bit. I wanna have, just to show it, aha. I'm gonna put it up and share my screen. Can you give me share screen? You should be able to do that. Excellent. You may have a hard time seeing that from afar, but let's see. It's a little better.

[11:02]

So, the opening line of this shingi, or the pure standards guidelines for conduct, from Suzuki Roshi, all students should be like milk and water, more intimate than that even, because we are all good friends from past lives, sharing eternal Buddha nature as each one's own. Just sit and see what happens. Following the rules lets you find yourself. The rules are not something to restrict you, but something to support your practice. And then, it's the document, one of the first things it covers is the topic of this practice period, the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts. So, I wanted to just say that based on this grouping of rules, which, you know, where do they come from? Where do we, you know, do we just make them up?

[12:09]

Anyone? Where'd they come from? Sorry? They are adapted from Dogen's pure standards, although Dogen's pure standards are much more lengthy. Where'd they come from? From Buddha. Originally, the Vinaya came from Buddha. Yes, the Vinaya, the monastic guidelines. And how did the Buddha decide upon these rules of conduct? Yeah, he adapted it to what was going on. So he didn't start out with like, let's see, let me think of some rules. These are the rules. Things happened and students would go to the Buddha and say, this happened. Can you please mediate for me between this other monk and myself? And the Buddha would say, yeah, don't do that. Stop that. And so the shingi, or the veneno, was born and then grew into what we have today as this shingi.

[13:13]

So the question that I have, the reason why I wanted to bring us together in a community meeting format... is I wanted to discuss how the precepts, in your experience of practicing with the precepts, and if you're new to the precepts, you can look at them and, let's see, these are not all of them. There's the refuges and there we go. There they all are, so 16 of them. How do they promote community harmony And there's some obvious ones, right? Don't kill. Like, if you're killing, it doesn't really, it kind of detracts from community harmony. Don't lie, don't steal, don't misuse sexuality. So all of these are not just intended to help us live in harmony with one another. That's kind of maybe a side benefit to following the precepts.

[14:19]

The precepts are there to become Buddha. to recognize oneself as Buddha. So these are sometimes described as characteristics of a Buddha. Buddha just does these things or doesn't do these things. So I would like to explore people's experience with working with precepts and not just like the meaning of like, the obvious literal meaning of these precepts like don't kill, but to explore the ways in which we actually do these things and how they affect living in community or living in a harmonious community. So I'll invite you to get into groups to discuss some of these things and then we'll return to a larger group and speak more from what came up in your groups. And then I'm also really interested in the question of not just the Shingi or the 16 Bodhisattva precepts, but what other principles or practices or attitudes or attributes, characteristics, qualities are there that are either essential to or highly appropriate to developing, maintaining harmony in communities.

[15:44]

So, that aren't necessarily covered in the shingi or in the precepts. The shingi, as you can see, so the precepts, as you can see, are... There's the three refuges, taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. There's what are called the three pure precepts of avoiding bad things, cultivating good things, and living for the benefit of others. I think people really... resonate with the third pure precept I find really is a positive feeling like if you can just do that right live for the benefit of all beings then these other things may just come from that right so but what other things contribute to nourishing harmonious community and what and then what things detract from

[16:46]

community harmony so I think I'm going to start with having the discussion a discussion let me see if I can do this can you see this well this is the benefit of alright can you read that There we go. Okay. So for those of you who are online, Dan, are you able to break people out? Maybe in groups of four, three, four or five, just about four people to kind of reflect on these questions with one another. If you don't have anything to say, feel free to just pass and listen.

[17:49]

Or in your time to share, you can ask questions as well. Or say things that you're curious about. Does this exercise make sense? Are there any questions before we start? I think we'll go into groups of four and each person think about having basically three minutes. We don't have that much time together. So three minutes each. And maybe I'll ring the bell every three minutes. And Dan, maybe when I ring the bell, you can convey that to the breakout rooms. All right, please arrange yourselves. And if you don't know one another, please introduce yourself. Yes. Yeah, got it. All right, thank you. Once everyone is settled in their group I'll go ahead and start timing.

[19:06]

So you all have a 12 minutes total. I'm going to ring the bell each in three minute increments and you can arrange yourselves as needed. Thank you. One of the things I've done is the T-Labs program.

[20:30]

The last thing I've done is the T-Labs program. [...] The last thing I've done is the T-Labs program is the T-Labs program. The last thing I've done is the T-Labs program is the T-Labs program. The last thing I've done is the T-Labs program is the T-Labs program. The last thing I've done is the T-Labs program is the T-Labs program I know that, but he was pretty nervous. That's great. You know, for example, you seem to think that I'm actually sort of starting to do that. You know, it's a bit loud. It's more like some kind of sense that you've been able to practice. Yeah. So I'm going to just say, please, please, please. Thank you so much.

[21:43]

which is, you know, I've had some, like, you know, I've had some, like, you know, I've had some, like, you know, [...] like, you I can't wait to see the end of the day. [...] Oh, sorry, this one. But also, in some sense, this year, I have a choice to take a year off.

[22:44]

Who would the meaning to allow me to do like a business? To do this, you're going to search for a business [...] I think we have said four points. I think that was fun. It's a good thing, because I've been there with some actors. It's a great thing. I think it was fun. It was fun. That's true.

[23:46]

That's true. Do you want to see everyone, please? I pick up and practice on your steps, or else it's for me, and you also want, because that's very nice. Well, it's perfect. I don't know what's going on. I think what the sector says is that it lets us out. It makes me feel better. It's not a business. It's not a business. It's not a business. It's a business.

[24:55]

Just to see, please, please. It's perfect. That was true, wasn't it? That was true. We've got two of these, the first one, we don't care about it, because it's trying to step back and [...] step back

[25:57]

You know, it's a classic. It's [...] a classic. Yeah, it's now about jigs and sleeping. Being able to hold them up with a sort of flex and you'll see everything. Whatever. Because each person matters, it's like team, what you're taking, [...] what you're taking. And there are traumas. There's a factor of things like happiness. Like, why do you want to respond to this?

[27:00]

It's a result in a chance of that. You know, I guess it's going to be worse. I don't know. It's a question. [...] I'm sorry, I'm just sort of excited to say that I'm going to have to make it go. It's so nice to see it. It's also that if you're trying to check out, I see it's such a frustrating thing, saying that's why it's a spoon across the table, and you're like, he's seriously down with sex. Do you have a good one, especially, but I don't know if there's a system in my eyes, but I don't know. Well, there's a lot of things, but I don't know if there's something else. When I read that, it's just a little bit more of that. What? Are you really just saying what it has?

[28:08]

But there, I'm saying there's no legitimate thing. I'm not sure if you're going to need a lupus. That's not fair. I'm sure you need to know where I used my lupus snack on something. That is lupus. Gotcha. I have to precept on something. I am certain that you're going to need a lupus. That's not fair. [...] I think it's awesome. It was awesome. ... [...]

[29:19]

That's not a big deal. That's not a big deal. It's [...] a big deal. ...living in a building spot of... ...living in a building... ...living in a building... ...living in a building... I'm interested in what they're doing, [...] what they're doing. But just with those questions, you know, is that right and wrong?

[30:42]

You know, I've got their shows there. Okay. With a manifest in your life. Yes. Yes. The work of time is to start from this, come back around. They come back, and then he has to work outside. The general [...]

[31:48]

He's an example of the technical actions, and represents actions of his actions, and [...] his actions, In the sound of the sound of the sound of the heart of the sound [...] Maybe I don't think we understand the fact that we are suffering, but [...] we are suffering, and we are suffering, and we are [...] suffering, and we are suffering,

[33:10]

You can sit where you are. We're going to come back to a larger group. You can get comfortable wherever you are. So I think the breakout rooms are starting to come back. Yes, the microphone. That would be great. All right, welcome back, everyone. I wonder, so Kevin has the microphone, and I'd like to hear from anyone here in the room or online what came up that was surprising, or maybe not surprising, but that you want to share.

[34:10]

This particularly show in your small group. And please raise your hand if you'd like to speak. Raise your hand. Yes. Yes, we go. I think everybody agreed, if I can speak for the group, that they were challenging and clarifying and helpful in a variety of ways. But one thing that came up for me, and at least one other, or maybe all of us, was that the communications agreements that we have upstairs on the wall and the particularities of diversity, inclusion, and egalitarian approach are not highlighted in the Shingi as we see it in the precepts, even though it's not absent from there.

[35:20]

I think we agreed on that too. But there's a huge value in contemporary life. And I think it's in the heart of a lot of our communications agreements here to focus or to be attentive to those details. So let's see. Let me see if I can share that. There they are. There they are. This is what Heiko is referring to, the communication agreements adapted from East Bay Meditation. And they are practices that enhance our ability to be with one another, especially of people who come from different backgrounds.

[36:21]

or just have different ideas about how to live in community. So I'm just scrolling through it because I can't show all of it at one time without it being this too small. Thank you, Heiko. Anyone else? Ellen. Oh, and Valerie too. So we have Ellen and then Valerie. So possible other ways of phrasing the precepts or other precepts. One is don't withhold. So sometimes we have to disengage, but to not engage is a way of withholding. I mean, sometimes we need that, especially given our living circumstances, but don't withhold, continue to engage. Don't withhold affection and...

[37:25]

you know, kind of don't shut yourself off. Don't shut yourself off. Don't shut yourself off. And then the flip is be kind, which I don't know that there's a precept that actually flat out says be kind. Kind of live and be lived for the benefit of all beings. But I don't know, personally, I find be kind. Being kind. To be just a helpful little mantra. Thank you. Yes. Yes, I will add in that. Dan, can you patch them through, or do you need me to read the question? No, no, Valerie. Valerie can unmute and speak. Yes, Valerie. Oh, you are muted. She's not muted. Hold on just a moment, Valerie. I need to turn something on. I'll continue. You can ask Valerie to speak.

[38:29]

Valerie, you can speak. Not coming through. They're getting it online. Oh, you are hearing it on, you're hearing Valerie online, everyone? Thumbs up. Yeah, okay, thank you, Mari. How about if I, can I unmute myself? This, this, Let me try this. There may be feedback. OK, Valerie, can you speak? Can you hear me now? Yes. Yeah. Hi, everybody. Just a quick comment. I think we're going to use a little more because there was some discussion going on. But just hearing how people share, you heard me about certain I thought it was very helpful. I thought I didn't have a whole option to say that I've learned them.

[39:35]

I just go through them. I use them the best that I can. But someone made a comment about the preceptor government intoxicating itself, relating it to, you know, not drugs or substances. the, you know, using media or using things to distract yourself. But I realized that it does have to do with, it does affect my ability to be mindful on a long-term basis. And I never really thought of that. So it was great that the person that I could mention it that way. And also, you know, bringing stuff about I've talked about others, or speaking partially or whatever, and how speaking partially about people can be a way of bonding with other people, and how to work differently with that.

[40:39]

Not use that philosophy as a way of bonding with other people. And I never got that. I never thought about that. But I also see it myself. You know, how that works. So I'm grateful to my people in my group for what they shared and how it helped me get some new useful perspectives on reception. Thank you. Thank you. Yes, Griffin. Wonderful opportunity to really see that I don't experience what I understand.

[41:41]

I'm in a community now which is filled with people who have or have thought about deeply their best intentions and yet because now the community that we are attached to and our worldview got bigger, those intentions often are falling short when it comes to the actual impact. You know, I thought, Everybody thought that my puppy was cute. Well, guess what? You know, this is a bigger community. Not everyone does. I sat down at a table where everybody had a big plate of bacon. And I jokingly said, oh, I guess I'm not at the Buddhist table. And everyone stood up and said, no, we're all Buddhists. And, you know, deep assumptions that...

[42:43]

I just have to be more and more open and see that what I think is good and what I think is good intentions, this is a bigger community and more people to more worthy, good, honest people who don't have the same basic assumptions that I have. And it comes as a shock. Thank you. So this leads me to another, I'm not gonna, we can't have time for more breakout rooms, but I wanted to ask the question because it's already, I've heard things like kindness, tolerance, open-mindedness. So these are some things that are maybe essential for community harmony, but what are some other attributes?

[43:45]

Yeah, Toba. What came up for me was practicing with the precepts in a community builds trust. That would be another attribute. Because we have some sense that we have similar values around things like being honest and making an effort to as someone already mentioned, communicate with one another in an open way and to be aware of the importance of kind speech, right speech. There's so much to learn about speech. There's that commitment to caring about what we do and say and how it affects one another that builds trust. Thank you. you need to have a basic level of safety, for example, feeling safe, to be able to have that trust even begin.

[44:58]

So kindness, open-mindedness, trust. Anything else? Yeah, Tim. Service. Things have to be done. Sweeping, painting, washing dishes, cleaning toilets. Yes. Yeah, chipping in or just taking care of the many, many things that need to be done. Household chores, yeah. Patience, I heard somebody say patience as well. What about forgiveness? It's a pretty big quality. Tolerance. Anything else? Say the assumption, I think. Give me the mic or, sorry, say that again, thank you, and I'll repeat you.

[46:04]

We assume that we'll be forgiven even after we stumble along. To assume that we'll be. We, yeah. We do assume. that we will be forgiven. We trust that we will be forgiven even as we stumble along. And why do we trust that? Yes, Josh. I was going to say acceptance of others and ourselves in flaws and living by the precepts sort of gives a framework to accept those things that might be hard to otherwise live skillfully with. Yeah, I think that also there's a certain level of when you live with people who have made a commitment, that also means there needs to be some form of accountability. And that's where forgiveness can come in more easily. If you don't have a basic sense of, yeah, we're on the same page here, that would be very hard to then have that trust and be able to

[47:14]

I guess forgiveness requires a certain level of inner composure and trustingness. You don't necessarily need, you can forgive without requiring anything of the person that you're forgiving to. I think Seishin, you have your hand raised? Why don't you go ahead and unmute. Here we go. Yes, thank you for bringing up forgiveness. I was going to mention it myself, living in community means that you're going to be with people and people screw up. People do things intentionally or unintentionally that disturb, harm others, each other. And, you know, sometimes it's the most difficult to forgive that which well that person should know better you know and and uh thinking they have the best of intentions so it must be personal and you know that kind of thinking just uh is uh is going down the drain uh and so i've got to practice forgiveness uh uh for the

[48:41]

for the unenlightened and the enlightened both, because otherwise I will just, I will lose it. I'll be useless. I will be a mass of emotions and anger and so forth. And, you know, that's harboring your will. You know, don't want to do it, but it's so easy to get drawn back in if I can't practice forgiveness. So, you know, I think it's a really vital quality when you're living in community, just so that you can, so you don't go into a murderous rage and kill everybody. Sorry, that's it for me. Thank you, Sachin. I think along the same lines as forgiveness, it's just to have the ability to give people the benefit of the doubt. That goes along with trust as well.

[49:42]

So even if you feel like somebody personally hurt you, or doesn't like you, or to always give some benefit of the doubt, and to be open to impermanence. Things change, everything changes. Yeah, Christian. Can you unmute? And then Terry. Yes, there we go. Thank you. I was thinking about kind of the flip side of forgiveness, which is owning your mistakes. And what came up for me was confession and repentance, which I think is different, but it's kind of the same spirit of, you know, being open to where you've gone wrong and... I think verbalizing that can be really powerful for everyone.

[50:46]

Yes, thank you. And actually, when we do our precept ceremony, our monthly precept ceremony, we start with confession and repentance. It lays the ground for being able to take on precepts. And again, that accountability. Yes, Terry? I have to say I have a lot of trouble with the concept of forgiveness because it seems like throwing the responsibility back on the person. I do reject the obligation to forgive because it's throwing responsibility back on the person who was hurt and it also seems like it's just a very nerdy Christian concept. But I have recently had a conflict with a friend where she hurt me and was never willing to say something, acknowledge the understandability of how I felt.

[52:04]

And I would not say I, I've forgiven her, but I saw that she was suffering from fear, from very, very concern that I was mad at her. And that really alleviated, I felt compassion for her, you know? Maybe understanding. And that alleviated my anger quite a bit. But I have to say it's just been in the context of this particular session that I've been going through those things in my mind and realizing, no, I want to alleviate her suffering. I don't want to forgive her, but I do want, I don't want her to suffer so much. Thank you. That's a wonderful reflection. Yeah, so...

[53:08]

We only have a minute or two before we end, but I do feel like studying the precepts, it's something that we can do every day as a daily practice. And when we can do this practice with others, it really opens up so much more than when we're just trying to do it by ourselves. So having the opportunity to discuss precept practice, I think, is... It's crucial in being able to open up to further depths of the nuances of this question of how do I live in harmony in communities even within myself? How do I live in harmony with myself, with my past, with my inner critics and so forth? So I think we are at the end of our time.

[54:14]

I wanted to go into also the question of what detracts from, because there's some things that are really interesting that detract from community harmony that we may not think about, especially if you live in a community. For example, authoritarian structures that are not like benevolent, lack of transparency, conflict avoidance, right? These things can be detrimental to community harmony. So anyway, this was, I don't know how, I'd like to hear people's comments about how this went. It's not really enough time, I think, to really deepen and dive in. Thank you all very much. We'll do the refuges together to end.

[55:15]

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