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 evening. I thought I'd talk about the three C's of practice. Those are not grades. Courage, compassion, and creativity. And they're not exactly, I mean them in a certain sense.

[01:01]

Courage is the willingness to face whatever you have to face, whatever's in front of you. Sometimes you're not willing to do that, and I understand. But we're going to have to face it sometime, so the sooner the better. But you can make a... decision to do it tomorrow, not today. But you're going to have to face whatever you need to face. And courage is actually the most important, I think. And in a certain way, there's no choice.

[02:04]

It's just courage. But we think there's a choice. We think we can swerve out of, manipulate reality. And if you're like me, you try all the time. It doesn't work. Whatever you need to learn is gonna keep coming up, no matter what you do. So it works a little better if you welcome it. It works a little better if you welcome it. Someone was telling me about the 12-step program that after you've completed the 12th step, then you begin with the first one again.

[03:08]

And that's a little bit like but you face some courage. You face it once, and then it comes up again. It becomes kind of a friend, the unknown that you're trying to manipulate or get something from. It's kind of a, what have you got for me today? that leads to the second which is the second most important or maybe the most important which is compassion you know i like movies i think the reason i like movies is in the best movies you relate to all the characters you're on their side and they're maybe fighting with each other or not understanding each other but And you can suspend the person who you are and join all the characters in the movie.

[04:22]

It gives you a wider sense of life. And the best movie makers do it. Not so good movie makers, there's just one point of view. But the kinds of movies I like, there are many points of view that are being put forth. One movie which I suggest to you in this way is Lone Star. We'll talk about that some other day. But Lone Star has a black subculture, a Mexican subculture, a military subculture. And they all have their truth. And they're all working with their strengths and weaknesses. And that's true of all of us.

[05:29]

Do you ever take a time out and see the person that you're having difficulty with, see their point of view? They still may be wrong. But it's different. You can understand that if you were in their shoes, you might be in the same And it gives you more room to see other people in a wider sense. I think Steve was talking a little bit about this Saturday. And to see, appreciate everybody's place is really what it's all about, so to speak. Sometimes we want to judge the best. But I'm not sure there is so much of best. That's another lecture.

[06:40]

Then there's creativity. I don't mean creativity in a certain sense. I mean creativity in seeing everything fresh in a beginner's mind. and to not do what you usually do over and over again. Or if you do, do it with a different spirit. Change some minor ingredient. It's been clear to me that the smallest possible change makes the biggest possible effect. If you change completely who you are, there's no ground, there's no change. If you change one slight different thing, maybe everything gets into a different focus. can be really life-changing. I don't mean that in creativity, not in looking at things fresh and finding little openings. And lurking in the background of courage, compassion, and creativity is the fourth seed.

[07:52]

Comedy. And comedy is maybe the most important thing. Because comedy, we don't take ourselves so seriously. That's the truth of comedy is you see the absurdity of the way we see things, and it's funny. Our habits of thought are spoofed in comedy. Some people think I have a great fault, which is telling puns. And it may be true. But there's something about puns which tells the absurdity of understanding a word as meaning a certain thing. It's the punishment you get for believing in words.

[08:58]

At least you're not throwing things, that's good. But comedy is very important, particularly when you're doing a serious business like Zen. The more serious it is, the more you need comedy. Zen is too serious not to have some fun with it. And all these things have come in a certain kind of breath and humanness. Understanding that we're all, we may all be Buddhists, but we're also flawed human beings.

[10:04]

And it doesn't make us less Buddhists that we're flawed human beings. Maybe it makes us more Buddhists. So we had a skit night last Friday night for the practice period, and it was really good. I've had my concerns about the spirit of the community, but it showed up on Friday night. We had many courageous, compassionate, creative, comedic skits and songs. And that's where, in such a night, we can see how we're all connected. And the things that we're serious about, maybe we should be serious about, but we know it's a little funny.

[11:12]

At Lou's funeral, I was tempted to read two poems of his that I like, but I didn't. Now I have a chance. And these are serious, and yet they're comedic. That was one of Lou's great strengths, is to be serious, but with a twinkle in his eye. This one I think is very cute. I don't know how wise it is, but it's silence is the sound emptiness makes going about its business. Silence is the sound emptiness makes while going about its business. It's probably not a good definition of emptiness, but it works. And it has heart and appreciation.

[12:25]

Appreciation is another C word. The C is in the middle. Then there comes this one, which I think is really brilliant. Enlightenment is like the square root of minus one, imaginary but useful in solving intimate personal equations. Enlightenment is like the square root of minus one, imaginary but useful in solving intimate personal equations. Enlightenment allows us to get out of the box. There are many people who epitomize these qualities.

[13:42]

And Vicky's courage in the mouth of her health problems is really... She doesn't complain, and sometimes she does too much, but... And we see Blanche's courage in the middle of a great loss, and yet she keeps showing up and revealing herself. It takes courage. In the end, compassion,

[14:52]

I feel compassion is the entry into appreciating differences. That if we can see each person is different, but a jewel, rather than different and therefore not as good as us, or something like that. I don't know if that doesn't make any sense, but... We can see indifference, a certain kind of beauty in a way we would like to be or could be. That's a great teaching for us all, no matter what characteristics we have. So we try to defend our characteristics and put down others.

[15:57]

Not only is that a hindrance to others, but it's a standing of ourselves. Compassion is very important for yourself. In fact, when you're in pain during zazen, you may have compassion for everybody else, but not for your knees. But it's important to have compassion for your knees and say, we're struggling in this together. Not to give up, but to find common cause. So I see many of these qualities in all of you listening tonight.

[17:08]

And we've got a... I don't know whether Sashin is kindergarten or postgraduate work. It's kindergarten because we've got everything going for us, and yet it's so hard. We've got everything going that we should be concentrated in. avert, and yet it's not so easy. Sometimes I feel like the positions we hold, the positions in our family, the positions in our job, the position in the world, well, there could be ways to manifest

[18:35]

courage, compassion, and creativity. You know, I don't like when lecturers talk about politics, but when I look at Syria, for instance, I don't know what to do. I think there's some great hard in trying to help and keep him from being slaughtered. But it turns into just another, it could turn into just another conflict in which sides are drawn up. I'm not asking, I'm not asking for your vote. But it's difficult. I noticed that since I live in San Francisco, most people are to the left.

[19:40]

If I was in Nebraska, most people would be to the right. And there's probably some advantage to the left or the right, but geography doesn't seem to be as important as it is. yet we are in certain roles and positions, and we need to do what we need to do. But to keep the courage to be compassionate. Paul Goodman, who is a kind of architect and social adventurer, said that if you're in a conflict, you're not being creative enough.

[20:41]

And that may be too much. But sometimes creativity can get you a long way. And creativity is not manipulation. So, at least for the next 10 days, let's try to be kind to each other. Which doesn't mean that we can't tell the truth. But the truth is kind. Let's make our best effort.

[21:47]

and sometimes we'll be discouraged. And that's okay. To try hard is very important. But in Sashin on the fourth day, You should try softer, not harder. It's not about who wins. You're not going to beat up your body and win. It's about how body and mind can harmonize. in Lacton Liu's poem where he said, useful in certain intimate personal equations, intimate was one of his, Mitsu was one of his names, his Buddhist names.

[23:16]

So I still feel Jerome in the room, and I still feel Darlene in the room, and I still feel Lou in the room. It always be so. 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, please visit sfzc.org and click Giving. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[24:29]

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