This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Welcome to the Great Assembly. May I begin by surveying... this great assembly. surveying you

[01:20]

as you may imagine it's very it's one of the features of this medium is that i am able to see people that i haven't seen for a long time which brings joy to this body and mind perhaps you also are seeing people that you haven't seen for a long time. Yes indeed, I haven't seen some of you for a long time. And some of you are apparently new to me. Welcome to the new people.

[03:19]

And I'm not going to do it, but I would like to make special note of many of you who I really haven't seen for a while and who I know are living a very challenging life right now. But still coming to see and listen to the Dharma. For now, people seem to still be coming, but for now, I've finished the survey.

[05:11]

So, yes, I want to begin by telling you that I knew that I would probably be giving a talk today, quite a day. a long time ago. And several days ago, the thought came into this consciousness something like this. If this offering this morning, if this was to be the last talk that I would offer, the last talk that I would give, what would I say? If this were my last chance to give a gift to this great assembly, what gift would I give?

[06:19]

That thought came to my, that question came to my mind, that thought question came to my mind. And I didn't have an immediate response and one of the responses that came after a while was in a way that's a high bar to set for a talk that what I say now would be worthy of my last my last message, my last gift. But then it started to come.

[07:23]

Something worthy, not only as a gift to you all and to the whole world, but maybe worthy to be my last gift my last words my last excuse the expression my last will and testament yeah I really do wish that what I'm saying now is worthy to be my last will and testament. So what is it that came to me? Well, it's something that's

[08:33]

not unfamiliar to me and also not unfamiliar to many of you who are my old friends. And this is it. This is it. I imagine and Also, it is my faith that I am sitting in the center of a world, or we could say the world, but I would say at the center of a world of suffering and sorrow. Great suffering. great sadness, great sorrow.

[09:37]

And the sorrow is sorrow for the suffering of others and myself, but also sorrow for any actions that I have participated in, that I have been, that contribute to, that play along with, that collude with the sources of suffering. I am imagining and it is my faith, it is my will to sit at the center of all suffering. All kinds, which is, for me, all beings. All the kinds of suffering for me are beings, and I wish to, and I imagine that I'm sitting in the middle of it all.

[10:47]

Furthermore, I imagine, it is my faith that each of you and all of us are sitting at the center of all suffering. My faith is that this is where the Buddhas also sit. This is where the awakened ones awaken. They awaken at the center of all suffering. And we, I assert, I imagine, I believe we also are in the process of awakening in this place at the center of all suffering.

[11:52]

Wisdom and compassion are working together And do work together. And will work together. At the seat. At the center. Of all suffering and sorrow. The center. Which is open to it all. Welcoming it all. Welcome all beings. You are welcome here. Wisdom and compassion are working together in this place. Generosity is working in this place.

[13:03]

This is the place where the inborn and natural tendency of living beings to try to get something turns with and into and out of giving. Wisdom and compassion work together at the center where giving is living with the impulses to get and with the impulses of get to get come all kinds of violence with the impulse to get land from other beings from other communities the impulse to get land and its wealth, the impulse to enslave or force people to work for our own gain, for our own getting, brings with it violence.

[14:25]

The suffering of all this violence is all around us. We sit in the center. and there we have the opportunity to practice giving which is reality we have a practice of chance to practice giving and realize the reality of giving you are I We are, we are the heart of the world. We are the generous heart of the world. That's where we really live. And we're not at all separate from the tragedy that comes with people trying to get something from this world.

[15:39]

this generosity we are practicing in reality giving in the midst of lots and lots of attempts to get sometimes at whatever cost this giving is a flowing from me to you It is a flowing from you to me. It is you including me, and me including you, and you including all beings, and all beings including you. In this way, each of us, each of you, all of us, are the heart of the world, the generous heart of the world.

[16:46]

And the generous heart of the world is the working of wisdom and compassion. You are a gift to the world. And you are giving to the world. The world is a gift to you. The world of suffering is a gift to me. It is flowing into and onto me in a process of generosity. And I am flowing to the world of suffering.

[17:50]

of generosity. This is my will and testament, which could be my last. And part of my responsibility, part of what is entailed in this will and testament is that I remember it. I remember my will and testament. I remember that I am the heart of the world. And I believe and assert it is the same for you. That part of your will and testament is to remember what your will and testament is. To remember it. To be mindful of it. to be ardent about it, to be present with it.

[18:53]

Your real will and testament, the one that is the heart, the generous heart of the world. And it's hard to remember it in the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. In the onslaughts of suffering and sorrow, it's easy to get disoriented from what? From the life we imagine, the life we want to live. This generosity, when we practice it, is joyful and peaceful. It generates joy and peace in the center, at the center of all suffering.

[20:00]

As far as I can see, it does not eliminate sentient beings trying to get something. It does not eliminate greed. I don't see that. But this heart... generosity which is not me by myself and or you by yourself this heart of generosity is the way you flow to me and I flow to you that generates peace and joy in the middle of an ocean of greed and violence and tragedy joy and peace, I imagine to be at the center. The Buddha at the center. But the Buddha does not, has not, and may, perhaps, I don't know when, maybe someday the Buddha, the awakening will transform all greed into generosity.

[21:14]

But so far, it has not happened. There's still greed which has not been completely illuminated. by wisdom and compassion of generosity. It seems to me, I imagine that, I kind of believe that, that there is greed and violence. But again, I wished to sit in the middle of it all, with you, And I wish you to sit in the middle of it all with me and with each other. That's my wish. That's my will. That's my vow. What about you? Where do you want to sit? Now, there is, you will not be surprised to hear,

[22:25]

another aspect of my will, of my wish, of my testament, of my assertion of faith, which is a prayer which I often say to you. The prayer is that this great assembly will receive silence, and stillness. I pray that this great assembly will remember the gift of silence and stillness which is flowing into us and onto us, and which we are flowing onto and into.

[23:30]

I pray that this great assembly and all great assemblies remember silence and stillness. And in remembering it, practice it, or practice sitting at the center of all beings and remembering silence and stillness and then transmit it from the center it is in silence and stillness where this wisdom and compassion, where this joyful, generous heart is living brightly and unceasingly. And I pray that we remember silence and stillness because there we will discover it, exercise it, exercise this great heart.

[24:46]

The silence and stillness supports us to not be distracted by the onslaught of challenges and change and tragedy. Open to it, but steadfast. Open to it. Open to it, but generous with it. Therein, this great generosity. This great wisdom and compassion is renewable in this silence and stillness. And it's changing, so it needs to be renewed, refreshed, recreated, regenerated. Again, part of the responsibility of this will

[25:55]

To sit here and practice wisdom, compassion, generosity is to refresh it, to care for it, to nurture it. It needs this and the silence and stillness is the womb of refreshing this great vow. You are the heart of the world. You are the eyes of the world. Surveying all beings with compassion. Surveying all beings generously. Which means, again, you give yourself to them and they give themselves to you.

[27:02]

You can see this. You can watch this. remembering silence and stillness. This is what I wish for all of us. This is what I wish for my life with you. I feel like this could be a worthy topic. for my last gift to you. And I'll check tomorrow to see how I feel about this gift. Thank you for receiving this little gift. And if there is anything

[28:04]

anybody wishes to give to the Great Assembly, or if there's any gifts you wish to receive from me that I haven't yet given, you're welcome to request them. Thank you very much. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our programs are made possible by the donations we receive. Please help us to continue to realize and actualize the practice of giving by offering your financial support. For more information, visit sfzc.org and click Giving. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[28:53]

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