This podcast is offered by San Francisco's Zen Center on the web at sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good morning. Today's a wonderful day. I don't have to give a reason for it being a wonderful day, but we're going to have a lay ordination ceremony, which... People are going to take the precepts and people are going to give the precepts. Really exciting. Where we, as a group and individuals, take the vows that are our practice. So why do you think that's so fantastic? we decide as a group that we want to take the vows of Kama Buddha, Bodhisattva vows.

[01:14]

And it's not only for the people who are specifically being layordained, it's for all of us, for all being layordained again. And even more so for the teachers who are maybe their first time doing layordination. It's a great kick for the teachers to do that. It's a way of enacting Buddhism. Enacting our vows. Sometimes we think that Buddhism is just about what we think. But it's about what we do. And it's about our commitment to doing things. And some people rightly, perhaps rightly, have their Doubts about taking vows because it's dangerous. We may not be able to fully make them fully. But as much as we can do it, we can do it.

[02:22]

And if we don't try, if we don't make the commitment, we'll never know. Besides which, as a community, we all take these vows so you're covered. So we sit in meditation and you may think that's enough. Enough, you may think. And meditation is good. Meditation is about putting our body in order, in order to go beyond our body. Putting our mind in order so that we go beyond our thoughts. But it's very seductive to just go with our thoughts. that what we think is who we are.

[03:26]

And there's some truth to that. But we work on our thinking not to have perfect thinking, just to get rid of our habits. Habits, which are kind of superstitions of the way we see our lives, think of our lives, lead our lives, is what we're working with. And if we try to sit in a certain posture, as difficult as it may be, we're working with our habits. And in some ways you may say you're just creating a new habit. It is a new and improved habit. And it allows you to eventually maybe go beyond your habits. There are Zen students who are rigorously straight all the time.

[04:32]

And that's pretty good. But that's maybe become a habit. An improved habit. But to live in your body in a way which is not ruled by your bad habits, your ways of thinking about yourself and other people. And just spring forth from there is pretty good. So we take vows and we take vows which are impossible. They're not possible. That's why we take them. If they were doable, then we could just plot it out. Sentient beings are numberless.

[05:35]

I vow to save them. That means I have to save 5.7 beings every second or something. But in each moment, we have to save all sentient beings. With each moment, we have that going beyond what we can think and do, and being of help. That's pretty good. Soto Zen in particular is, I don't know, some people may be upset by saying it's not about your understanding so much, but it's about your commitment. Commitment may be more important than understanding. They're both good. But if you just try to figure out what the world is like, you're going to walk around with a headache.

[06:38]

It's not that we shouldn't figure out what the world's about, but we know that's only a superstitious behavior. We can't figure out the world. And even if we could figure out the world in this second and there's the next second. But we can have a game plan of trying to take the precepts, do our best, and be as helpful as we can. And sometimes we'll fail. Maybe more than sometimes. But if you don't try, if you want to play it safe, I don't want to make a commitment that I can't keep.

[07:42]

Let me leave you in bed all day. The three pure precepts I think are particularly important. They are do good, Actually, avoid evil is the first one. Do good. And then the third one is go beyond good and evil or help beings. The precepts are not just about morality. Morality is important. Avoid evil. Do good. But help people. You don't just help good people. You're trying to be helpful for beyond good and evil. Every lay ordination is the first lay ordination.

[09:05]

Every lay ordination is a new beginning, is a new commitment, is a new day. That's why it's so exciting. And... You don't have to be receiving the robe today to be taking ordination. You can take it with the people taking it. It's a reminder. It's a reminder about how big our life is. As I was walking in here, I thought of a quote I wanted to read. In a certain way, ceremonies are also very important.

[10:36]

And people think ceremonies are, some people think ceremonies are boring. Everyone knows how it's gonna come out in the end. But you don't know how it's gonna come out in the end. Ceremonies are situations which you set up an expression of what you want to express and take many people to help enact it and then deal with the mistakes you make in the middle of the ceremony. In a certain way we're enacting Buddha when we're in ceremonies in our whole life. Now, if you say, I don't want to make vows, I don't want to enact it because I might make a mistake, that might be a big mistake. There's an ordination ceremony this afternoon.

[11:50]

There'll be one at the end of the month. The one at the end of the month Jordan and I are doing And Paul and Cynthia are doing one this morning, this afternoon. Pandora. Pandora. Completely embodying the ten epitaphs of Buddha, appearing in the world as the soul-honored one, raising the eyebrows, becoming animated in the teaching shops. This is called ascending the seat. And in the forest, in the meditation forest, they call this coming up in the hall. Before you people come to this teaching hall and before I leave my room, where will you attain realization?

[12:55]

Where will you attain realization? This is what I wanted to read. This is the first verse of the first case of the Book of Serenity. The unique breeze of reality. Do you see? Continuously, creation runs or loom and shuttle, weaving the ancient brocade, incorporating the forms of spring. But nothing can be done about Manjushri's leaking. It's a commentary on the case, which I should mention. One day the world-honored one, that's Buddha, ascended the seat. That's the teaching seat. Manjushri struck the gavel and said, Clearly observe the king of Dharma.

[14:00]

The Dharma of the king of Dharma is thus. The world-honored one then left the hall. I was giving myself an out if the lecture wasn't going so well. But if you have some sense that you're enacting something greater than yourself, that you're enacting some intention which includes everyone, That's a satisfying life. That's truly taking on the opportunity of being born. Sometimes we just want to hide.

[15:02]

Because things seem so difficult. Or we think we're so bad. If you think you're so bad, get over it. We've got a lot of faults. We all do. But that's just where we're starting from. That's not where we're ending. practice is falling down and getting up. So when Buddha ascended the seat, Manjushri, who's actually usually Manjushri's up here, he's not, this is Shakyamuni, but Manjushri said, clearly observe, the Dharma of the Dharma king is thus, this is Buddha.

[16:14]

And then he stepped down and ran out. And then the verse reads, the unique breeze of reality, do you see? Continuously creation runs her slum and shuttle, weaving the ancient brocade, incorporating the forms of spring. But nothing can be done about Manjushri's leaking. Manjushri putting a little spirit into it. So this ceremony today is a reminder of what's going on in our lives and what deepest intentions are. And we should rejoice for the people who are taking ordination today.

[17:28]

Now, some people feel there's an inflation about our doing this ceremony. Who are we to think we're Buddhas? But that, in a way, is what Mara, the lord of illusion, said to Buddha when he was sitting. He said, who are you to sit there and be a Buddha? What gives you the right? And Buddha touched the earth and joined with everyone. It's not for me only. I and the whole earth are doing this. We may have some personal axes to grind or needs. That's just more crisp for the mill, more things to work with, more opportunities.

[19:01]

This is a good next stretch. So most Buddhist ceremonies are the same. There's taking of precepts and avowing, seeing all my ancient twisted karma from beginningless greed, hate and delusion born through body, speech and mind I now fully avow. All my ancient twisted karma, all of it, it's really big. We're not only overcoming our own faults, but the faults of society and faults that have been rolling for thousands of years.

[20:08]

There's a lot we're doing. All my ancient twisted karma from beginningless greed, hate and delusion. You can't even go back that far. It just keeps rolling our past. Born through body, speech, and mind. We think it, we embody it, and we speak it. I now fully avow, I now fully cop to, accept, and we'll move on. So the Ordinese will also get names, Buddhist names. They're usually pretty good names.

[21:09]

However, in the Lotus Sutra, Manjushri, no, Maitreya Buddha, who was going to be the future Buddha, was called Fame Seeker. Imagine having your teacher call you Fame Seeker. But it just showed that he had ambition. And he had to overcome that ambition. So your name can be a hint to you of what you may aspire to. And in the Lotus Sutra it says, because you're listening to the Lotus Sutra now, you've been in the Lotus Sutra before, you've heard it before.

[22:15]

So I might say, because you're in the Buddha hall now, maybe in some previous lifetime or some dream or hallucination, you were here before. And that builds your attraction, attraction and attraction to the Buddha way. When I was in college, I was given a questionnaire to fill out. And it said, what religion was I? And I wrote, not classifiable in space given. Probably I just write Buddhist today, but Buddhism isn't classifiable in the space given either. So our lectures every Saturday are to encourage you and to make you realize that you're on the path.

[23:24]

And there's a whole bunch of us who are on the path. And sometimes we fall down, but with each other we can get up easily. And we can stand up with those people who take the precepts. For those of you who are taking the precepts today, this is kind of a special day. You'll remember this day. And you'll say, wow, that was too much. Or you'll say, I want more. But you may have other times to have ceremonies for you. Marriages, priest ordinations, Dharma transmission, all of these are enacting the Buddha's way in whatever corner of the world you're working in. Closing the door and sleeping is the way to receive those of highest potential.

[24:49]

Looking, reflecting, and stretching is a roundabout way to the middling and lesser. How can it bear sitting on the carved wood seat sporting devil eyes? How can it bear sitting on the carved wooden seat bearing spirit eyes? If there is any bystander who doesn't agree, come forward. You can't blame him either. the unique breeze of reality. Do you feel it? Continuous creation runs her loom and shuttle, weaving the ancient brocade, incorporating the forms of spring or fall. So have a wonderful day.

[26:05]

If you can, come to the ceremony. Come to the ceremony. If you can, celebrate it out wherever you are. Celebrate your potential to become Buddha. Celebrate your potential to help others. Celebrate your potential to transform your habits. And don't be too discouraged. The world is discouraging enough without your adding to it. Buddha is your birthright. It takes a lot of work. But you have the potential. And just do it. What else is there to do? Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center.

[27:09]

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 sfcc.org and click Giving. May we all fully enjoy the Dharma.

[27:29]

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