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 to those who are here in Lucendo and also those who are at home and joining my live stream. My name is Tova Green. I am a resident of San Francisco's San Francisco City Center. I assume her pronouns. And I lived at Green Gulch for two years, from 2005 to 2007. And after that, returned to the city center, which was the first temple I lived at. And I also spent some time at for years at Pasajaya as part of my training as a priest.

[01:05]

I want to thank Timo and Tonto for inviting me to give this talk today, and I also want to express my gratitude to my teacher, Joja Mundo-Kutz, who lives here at Green Gulch, and she's been my teacher for about 25 years. I'm incredibly grateful to her for her support. My work practice position at City Center is, I'm going to share it with you because I'm going to refer to it in my talk. I'm what's called the Branching Streams Director, and Branching Streams is the a group of Zen centers and smaller sanghas in the Suzuki Roshi lineage who choose to become affiliates.

[02:09]

And there are about 75, about 60-some in the U.S. and about 12 in other countries. And one part of my work as the director was to visit as many of them as I can. So I'll be talking about that. in my talk. I just want to say that as I was coming down the steps from and walking towards the Zendo from the parking lot this morning, I passed the open gate of the ranch house and Mira, who I'm not sure exactly how old she is, maybe four. I've known her since she was a baby. But she and her mother were watering. the garden, and I was carrying a bundle wrapped in a bright cloth with my robes in it, and Mary looked at me and looked at the bundle, and she said, can you bring me a birthday present?

[03:13]

I have given her birthday presents in the past, but I had to explain, no, it wasn't a birthday present, but I bring one next time I come. It was very welcoming to see her And her mom watering the garden more had a little watering can, and Lauren had a much better watering can. And so I also want to mention, and many of you may have heard on the news, that former President Trump was the... I'm not sure what word to use, but there was an attempted assassination. And I imagine most of you, many of you have heard about that on the news. And I just want to mention, because I think it's an indication of the polarization in our country and concerns about gun violence.

[04:22]

And I think it contributes to a general feeling of anxiety that many of us experience. And in the light of that, how can we be welcoming towards one another and welcome the stranger? And I thought about, when I was thinking about my talk today, I remembered this amazing statue behind me, Jizo Bodhisattva. And Jizo Bodhisattva is a protector, a protector of travelers in particular, but also a protector of children, and a protector of those who are ill, dying, and even those who are deceased. And I thought I would talk today about how we are all travelers.

[05:25]

And so I invite you to imagine that each of us in the Sindhu is on a journey, and we're all involved in the journey of our lives. And I'd like to invite you to take a moment to look around at those who are near you, and if possible, turn to someone and just greet them. and maybe exchange names. Okay, let's come back together. It looks like

[06:26]

I can see many smiles, and I think something that simple can really help us be all connected with people we're sharing this experience with. So I'm going to, in terms of my talk, and we're all travelers, I'm going to talk a little bit about Juzo Bodhisattva, and some of the words in which we are all travelers. in the world today. And then I'll talk a little about some of my travels in my work as Branching Streams Director and with How Do We Welcome the Stranger. And I will share at least one poem, maybe two, as I love poetry. So when I first... I first came to Green Gulch Farm soon after I moved to the Burrow area in 1990, and was the first of the three San Francisco's and temples that I visited through Green Gulch Farm, Tassajara's Mountain Center, and City Center.

[07:40]

Each one is very unique, and if you haven't visited all three, I hope you had the opportunity to do that. And one thing that I was really appreciative of when I first came into the Zendo was both the statue behind most of you, Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, very beautiful face and very settled seeing the pulse of that statue. And then this Juzo statue, which I had already learned about Jizo, but I learned quite a bit more over the last decades. And Jizo's vow, sometimes it's called Jizo's great vow, is to serve all beings, to be available to help anyone who's in need.

[08:49]

All Jizo statues, whether small or large, tend to look like monks. They're simple. And they carry a staff with six rings. And the idea behind that is that when Jizo walks, the rings, the jingling, will disperse any small creatures that Jizo might otherwise step on. so protecting all beings in that way. And then Atta and Jizos carry a gem, a jewel, in the other hand, and that can be thought of as the jewel within each of us, the way in which each of us is an expression of what we could call Buddha nature, of the expansive nurture that is within each person we may not always feel fluid or know that we even possess it but it's there so at one time I was in the practice I married both little and larger Chloe Juzos and

[10:18]

when I lived at Green Gulch, 2005 to 2007, I remember giving a class on juzo and a workshop in which we all made small clay juzos, the clay that dries without needing a kiln. And in 2005, which was the 60th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There was a group led by the teachers at Great Vow Monastery in Oregon. Great Vow Monastery was named after Jesus Great Vow. One of the founding teachers, Chosun Burrs, was burying the Burrs U.S. bomb Nagasaki. And her parents were pacifists, so she grew up knowing about that. And she became a pediatrician, as well as as an teacher.

[11:23]

And on the 60th anniversary, she organized jizzles for peace pilgrimage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Kyoto. And she had students that go, they'll make gifts so you could make prayer flags with stamped jizzles on them. And they went out widely to Dharma groups and other groups all around the U.S. and to other countries as well. The idea was she wanted to bring, I think it was 270,000 images of Juzo on this pilgrimage to Japan. as well, giving something back. So some of them were on these prayer flags with the printed jizos, and each one I made several. You would put your name, vocation, and how many jizos were on that particular prayer flag.

[12:32]

People also folded origami jizos and made small clay jizos. And on the pilgrimage, we took all of those with us and gave most of them away. And people greatly appreciated these jizos, and we visited many jizo temples in Japan. So I got to really experience the healing quality of jizos, and frequently at crossroads, there'd be a small shrine or an altar with a statue of Jizo protecting travelers in that place. And here at Green Gulch, there's a Jizo garden. There's one at Goatvaal Monastery, too, that's in the woods, and it's quite beautiful, many trails, and you turn a corner and there's up in a tree, a statue of Jizo.

[13:34]

But our Jizo garden here has a number of prejudices, and it's often the site of the destination for a workshop that honors children and others who have died, and perhaps some of you have been to one of those workshops where people make messages to the ones they'll They allow them, some of them, end up on the trees in the Jizo Garden. It's one of my favorite places at Green Gulch. So on the theme, we're all travelers. Excuse me, I just want to find my watch so I have a sense of how long I've been speaking. So in the world we're in today, Some of us are easily able to travel.

[14:39]

Some of us have traveled as students to other countries or other parts of this country. Some of us as adults on location or sometimes as part of our work. But there are also many people on our planet typically who are forced to travel. As we know, refugees, asylum seekers. those displaced by war or by the climate disasters, I would say. And many people in our cities who are without fixed homes, who move from place to place. And some, you know, some troubles are both a discovery, or meeting loved ones, seeing art or hearing music or opportunities to learn and grow.

[15:43]

And other travelers experience a lot of hardship in their travels. But we're all, I think, each of us in this room now is Today, as a traveler on our life journey, for those of you who don't live here, you must wonder what brought you here today, what drew you to come, especially if it's your first time. What about Green Gulch and what were your first impressions? And for those who live here, you could ask also, when did you first come and what stood out for you? It led you to come back and spend more time here. And for some of you, thank you so much for keeping this place as beautiful as it is. Those who work on the farm and garden, hospitality in the kitchen, it's a very nourishing place for so many of us.

[16:44]

Whether we're here just for a diamond talk or here for not... part of our, you know, a significant part of our lives. And it's always, you know, in some ways a refuge brings out, I think, all three temples and Muslim centers. So I think, you know, when we think about journeying and what we learned, One of the things is that we may all find our perspective on things broadens. And something we thought was a certain way we may realize is not what we thought. There's a passage that I love.

[17:46]

It's in one of the... writings of Ehu Dogen. Dogen was a Japanese monk who lived from 1200 to 1253 and traveled to China where he stayed at different monasteries and found a teacher and brought that kind of monastic practice back to Japan. And one of the... He wrote... Quite a lot. His writing is very poetic. He uses many images in his prose. He also wrote poems. And there was a passage in the Genjo Koan, which I once learned by heart, but I can partly read it and partly remember it. When you sail out in a boat to the midst of the ocean where no land is in sight,

[18:49]

And you view the four directions. The ocean looks circular and does not look any other way. But the ocean is neither round nor square. Its features are infinite in variety. But you see and understand only what your eye of practice can reach at that time. what he means by that is, you know, our eye of practice can, and he means practicing meditation, Zen meditation, but as we practice, as we travel, as perspectives change through what we learn, we

[19:52]

can see things in a different way. And he says, all things are like this. So I think travel is extremely valuable for learning different perspectives and maybe questioning some of the things that we think we know, especially being in another culture and sometimes learning another language can also help with that. So I'll talk a little bit about, as Branching Streams Director, I was given the advice by the person who had the position before me, Steve Weintraub, who some of you may know. He also lives at Green Lodge Fund. He told me to visit as many of the centers as I could. And I took that to heart.

[20:54]

And just recently, I visited Steve Sangha, Presidio Hill, which is in San Francisco. And I was asked to give a Dharma talk there while Steve was away. And a few weeks ago, I went to Los Angeles to visit my sister and also visited the Vinner's Mind Temple as an center that's been there quite a while. in Northridge, and met the Sangha there. And prior to that, I was asked by Jiryu, your abbot, to go with him to Medellin in Colombia. Jiryu has been there many times and was the guiding teacher of that Sangha until he recently give Dharma Transmission, which is an authorization to teach, to San Riki, who is a resident teacher at the Zen Center in Columbia.

[22:04]

It's called Montaña de Silencio, Mountain of Silence. So I was going to go with Jiru in late March, and... We were going through there for two weeks, and at the beginning, ordained two people as priests, and then have a five-day retreat in the hills outside Medellín. Medellín is in the valley. And then a lower ordination for eight people at the end. And I had never been to South America for... specifically to Coambora, and I only had junior high school level Spanish knowledge. So as it turned out, Julia was unable to go. And the night before we were going to leave, there was a student named Caroline who had gone missing at Chalasajara, and she was Julia's student.

[23:14]

So Jerry, first he postponed his trip and asked if I would go as planned. So I said certainly I would. And then he realized he couldn't come because Caroline was found. She died in Tassajara. I was met by someone at the airport in Medellin. We found each other through photographs we exchanged on WhatsApp. And she was really kind and oriented me to the city and took a beautiful route to get to the Zen Center. And I was welcomed at the Zen Center. There was one person who had lived at Green Gulch. and she spoke English so she was my translator for the two weeks that I was there and I really also tried to immerse myself in Spanish to by the end I could chant in Spanish and do part of the ceremony in Spanish with her coaching and the Sangha was extremely

[24:42]

friendly and welcoming. And we had to pack everything up and move it to this retreat center out in the mountains in order to do the retreat and then the lower ordination ceremony. And everyone worked together. It was a beautiful example of cooperation. And I came away with feeling so connected to that sangha and learning Spanish and trying to learn with Duolingo, but also there's someone at City Center who is from Uruguay and we're going to meet to practice speaking Spanish. So that really has expanded my horizons and also having a chance to You see a Zen center in another part of the world that felt so familiar.

[25:49]

As I visit the centers, there's something about the warm practice, which is Suzuki Roshi's legacy. And each center I visit, no matter where it is, has an image of Suzuki Roshi on the altar. And there's a phrase, the wound of the family house. It feels like an extended family, this network of San Sanchez everywhere. Not everywhere, but in many places. So I feel so fortunate to have that opportunity to support these features and sanghas in many places as my work.

[26:51]

How lucky can a person be? I don't know. I feel very lucky. And also, you know, experiencing when I visit a place that I'm a guest and what is it to be a guest? What are the expectations? What... how can I honor the practice at each place I go to and appreciate the offerings of the host? The way in which a person is received and greeted, that really makes the difference in how welcome a guest can feel. So I want to share a poem that has to do with that. One of my favorite poets, Naomi, she had, and I wrote this poem. And Naomi lives in San Antonio.

[27:52]

And her father was Palestinian and her mother American. And as a child, she went with her family to... Jerusalem, where I think her grandmother lived. So this is her poem called Red Brocade. The Arabs used to say, when a stranger appears at your door, feed him for three days before asking who he is, where he's come from, where he's headed. That way, he'll have the strength enough to answer. Well, by then you'll be such good friends, you don't care. Let's go back to that. Rice? Pine nuts? Here, take the red bulkhead pillow. My child will serve water to your horse. No, I was not busy when you came.

[28:56]

I was not preparing to be busy. That's the armor everyone puts on. to pretend they had a purpose in the world. I refuse to be coined. Your plot is waiting. We will snip fresh mint into your tea. So, I once had the pleasure of visiting Naomi in her home in San Antonio, and she invited me for lunch, and I truly felt this poem she was such a wonderful host and there's something very generous about her spirit if any of you have the opportunity she often gives offers a retreat at Tassahara with Paul Hauer who's a senior down the teacher at City Center and she just has this way of including everyone so

[30:00]

I'll just say a few words about welcoming. You know, I had often had the experience of coming to Green Gulch and just often to see Linda Ruth, my teacher. And I was here a couple of weeks ago to assist with a ceremony. And... I remember what the occasion was, but I was walking with Linda Ruth back towards the parking lot, and someone stopped and was asking for directions and had never been to Green Gulch. And I just watched Linda welcome this person and tell them a little about Green Gulch and give them directions to where they were going. And then we continued walking, answering questions with friendliness.

[31:13]

And I think that's something we can all do, wherever we are, in meeting a stranger. I'll just tell one other story that happened. For me, I was... Actually, it was when I was coming back from Columbia, and I got back fairly late, and I didn't want to disturb anyone at City Center to pick me up, and I also didn't want to take a Lyft or an Uber, so I took money, and I decided to get off a couple of stops before... I would be close enough to city center and maybe call a Lyft from there. And I realized that my phone was, the battery was very low, and I was standing in a corner outside a restaurant in Glen Park trying to contact an Uber, and I was not being successful.

[32:24]

And after about five minutes, a couple came out of the restaurant, and they said they had seen me, and what did I know? need any help and I said well yes maybe you can help me call an Uber or Lyft and they called one from there and paid for it and they were just so kind and we talked and they had been to city center at one time it was just amazing but we were total strangers and I've found sometimes when I'm traveling, people are incredibly open and helpful. And I think that's, for me, one of the joys of traveling, meeting these situations where I get lost sometimes and someone will help me. So I think that's where I will stop with my...

[33:31]

I think I'll read Red Brocade one more time to see if it sounds at all different this time. I think with a good palm, it's helpful to hear it more than once. And then we'll have time for questions, comments, discussion. So Red Brocade. The Arabs used to say, When a stranger appeals at your door, feed him or her for three days before asking who they are, where they're from, where they're headed. That way, they'll have strength enough to answer. Or by them, you'll be such good friends, you don't care. Let's go back to that. Rice? Pine nuts? Here, take the Red Bull-keeled pillow. My child will serve water to your horse.

[34:35]

No, I was not busy when you came. I was not prepared to be busy. That's the armor everyone put on us to pretend they had a purpose in the world. I refuse to be claimed. Your plate is waiting. We'll slip fresh mint into your teeth. So thank you so much for your attention. 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.

[35:29]

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