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 by people like you. I was reminded this morning of, the day reminded me of the day I got married, and this is Zen though. And it was warm and overcast. And it was as if you were in this giant tent, you know, a luminous overcast tent. You couldn't reach it, but it was big enough to include the whole world. And we got married in here. Mel Weitzman, who ordained me. So here I'm back.

[01:05]

It reminded me of this haiku by Basso. Even in Kyoto, hearing the cuckoos cry, I long for Kyoto. Yeah. Well, I thought I'd tell you a little story. Welcome to Green Gulch. It is a beautiful day, I think. I like it. Is the sun out over the hill? Yeah? Okay. I better hurry up before it gets out here. So I'm going to tell you a couple of Zen stories and talk about them. This one is called The World Honored One Points at the Ground.

[02:15]

And it starts out with this comment before the case. As soon as a single mode of dust arises, the whole earth is contained therein. With a single horse and a single lance, the land is extended. Who is this person who can master in any place and meet the source in everything? Okay, here's the case. This is a collection of koans. out of China, actually. The world-honored one, the Buddha, was walking with a congregation and he pointed at the ground with his finger and he said, this spot is good to build a sanctuary. Indra, who you may remember as a Hindu god, emperor of the gods, took up a blade

[03:25]

of grass stuck it in the ground and said the sanctuary is built and the world honored one smiled the world honored one smiled I'm looking at the world honored one and I think the world honored one is maybe smiling okay so the circumstances of the world seem to be getting more and more extreme climate is changing. War. Polarization of ideas. So we wonder, how do we lead our life? Everything's shifting. I was reading where they're planting grapes further and further north as things get hotter. Things are shifting everywhere. So how do we live our life in this swirl? You know, this

[04:25]

Is there a sanctuary, a refuge, a ground that we can stand on and live from? The Buddha walked one day with his congregation pointed at the ground. This is a good spot to build a sanctuary. One may wonder where is that spot and how do I build that sanctuary? Now a sanctuary is a place of refuge and protection. It seems we all have a deep desire for a sanctuary, to be at home in the arms of family, community. Nowadays, homeland security is a big issue. Shall we build walls to protect our loved ones? Walls can be helpful, but they can also become a problem. They can become a prison.

[05:25]

Walls can become a prison. As we exclude others and things from our presence, we pay the price of becoming more limited and constrained. Putting more and more energy into maintenance of our defenses. Now, we seek refuge in many different ways. But I think that the fundamental way we seek refuge is a spiritual way. Our worldly strategies don't seem to work forever. When he learned of the reality of old age sickness and death, But the Buddha left his home because he felt a lack of sanctuary there.

[06:36]

Even though as a prince he had it made. He left the palace and entered the wilderness wilderness of religious life. Seeking the nature of sanctuary. He practiced and studied with wise men all the different practitioners of the time, finally penetrated the truth and taught for many years. His teaching saw the cause of suffering as the holding on to viewpoints, of grasping at ideas and objects, positions, of being exclusive. Since everything was in constant flux, there was no refuge in any object or viewpoint or even yourself.

[07:42]

Suzuki Roshi, our founder, was asked, what is the highest truth? He answered, not always so. Buddhism is anything and an argument can be made that it is not anything but if it is anything I suggest that it is a radical radically inclusive religion the monk asked what is the highest truth the teacher answered nothing is hidden Now, many different versions of Buddhist teaching were given by him depending on the circumstance over those many years that he wandered around India. These different teachings sometimes became solidified into different schools of Buddhism, which sometimes came into conflict with each other.

[08:56]

What is the true teaching? which is the true sanctuary what is in and what is out of the sanctuary what is excluded and what is included in Marin County we have a very active interfaith community a minister friend of mine said that many believe that there are two religions, the inclusive religion and the exclusive religion. The inclusive religion, of course, this is the interfaith community, they're big on inclusive religion. Inclusive religion states that there is one truth and many ways to get there, many religious paths. They encourage interfaith activities, which are seen as enriching,

[10:00]

and healing. The exclusive religions believe there is one right path and their job is to convert everyone to it and to save everybody. They're very sincere about that. I was told that these people were very reluctant to come to interfaith activities. They do, actually. I saw a couple come. But this brings up the question for the inclusive people. I'm an inclusive person. I'm not me. How do you include these people who are exclusive? Because you're sort of it seems to be like your mission, you know, is to include everybody.

[11:03]

And they won't play, you know. So shouldn't we just kind of leave each other alone, you know, unless we don't want to? And so, like, maybe it's live and let live on this thing. Miranda is an interfaith council who Schrader, who is the director of Greengold's Farm, Zen priest, is the current president of the Interfaith Council. They sponsor many interfaith activities of worship and practice and education. We had a Buddhist day at Dominican University this year in the nun's conference room. It's beautiful. I don't know if you've seen it. on campus there.

[12:03]

And in the university we converted some classrooms, it was a lot of fun, into zendos. And some Zen students came up and, you know, there you are with blackboards and things and the map of the world and it's a zendo. They bring a lot of cushions and a couple of buddhas and the flowers and so on, and gave some jazan instruction. And we had a variety of Buddhist teachers, Pure Land, very interesting Buddhist group, which I knew very little about until that conference. It's quite interesting. Of course, Tibetans and so on, Vipassana and us and each group of teachers was introduced by a non-Buddhist committee member and one group Fu and I were among the teachers and we were introduced by our friend Swami Vivananda from Olima Vedanta Society, it's a Hindu kind of group he's a man with a sparkle in his eye and a ready smile

[13:29]

Hindu dressed in orange all the time. And he speculated with the group as he was introducing us, he speculated that the audience may be surprised that a Buddhist were being introduced by a Hindu. But he pointed out that just as Jesus was a Jew, Buddha was a Hindu. He liked that. So in this beautiful Catholic hall, I was reminded of the Buddha pointing and saying, this spot is good to build a sanctuary. And Indra is a Hindu god. And there's Swami up there. Indra took a blade of grass and said, The sanctuary is built. Bam.

[14:30]

And the Buddha smiled. The process of inclusion takes place over at San Quentin where there's an active Buddhist saga and quite a few people come over and sit with the inmates. We meet in a Muslim Jewish chapel. One room with several doors. So like this is the room in And actually over one door is Hebrew writing and another door is Arabic writing. And the Jews go in one door and the Muslims go in another door. We go in anywhere that letters go in. Different doors, one open space. It's the Muslim month of Ramadan right now, which is the holy month. They fast from dawn till dusk.

[15:33]

And then they eat. I think it's Rosh Hashanah, is it? Yeah. Holy time of the year. So we can't use the chapel during the month. So the Catholic priest who's a Jesuit invited us over to the church. And it's interesting sitting Zai Zen under the cross. I was raised a Catholic, so it was kind of powerful for me. The Buddhists have been meeting there for about eight years. And people come from the outside and sit with us. And if you went here, you'd say it was traditional Zen practice, the Zen forms. Although the participants, the Zen students, you could call them, are from various faith traditions.

[16:36]

In fact, my assistant during the Shusho ceremony there was a Muslim. And there are meditation groups in the Bay Area nowadays with mixed membership. I don't know whether you've gone to any, but... surprised to find that silence is a central practice in a lot of these groups and what happens one of the ways they're structured is that each week a different person kind of leads the group you know you take on the practice of whoever that is whatever religion that is and The Zen approach would be the intentional letting go of any agenda and sitting with what arises, getting to know the self, and maybe asking the question, who am I, really?

[17:56]

Zen Master Dogen defined Buddhism as follows. Studying Buddhism means studying the self. Studying the self means forgetting the self. Forgetting the self means being attained by the ten thousand things. Being created by the ten thousand things. Being the ten thousand things. Tens of thousands of things. This is radical inclusion. On one side, there's the illumination of the 10,000 things. When you drop your agendas and you are open, all of a sudden the world is eliminated, the 10,000 things. On the other side, it's like the world creates you.

[19:01]

You're a causal nexus of all these events, and you're created moment by moment. We are created by the universe moment by moment. Who am I, really? Does it have any answer? This was the practice of the monks in China. We went to China, a bunch of us, went to the monasteries that Dogen, one of our important ancestors went to to receive the Dharma. And we followed in his footsteps and went to the different monasteries. The Red Guard hadn't ripped them all down, but they left a few up and then replaced the ones that were destroyed exactly as they were. and there are monks in them, and there's an active Buddhist practice.

[20:03]

And we went to the one that Dogen was enlightened at, Tiantang Monastery, and I asked the monk, what is your practice? It's great, huh? Let's go to the source. And he said, who am I? It's our practice. I just ask, and the humility to submit to what is non-grasping sitting without purpose you can't touch it and you can't turn away nothing hidden it is said that we are a magical display with no real solid self-existence do you find that liberating as an idea Of course, you have to kind of give up a few things to kind of step up to being a magical display with no real self-existence.

[21:08]

But it's kind of magical. And as a friend said, a profound improvisation. You are a profound improvisation, moment by moment, really. though actually we're kind of hold on to whatever it is that we're holding on to in the back room but really there's an improvisation going on sometimes we go in this door and sometimes we go in that door into the same space Indra took a blade of grass and stuck it in the ground. The sanctuary is built. It is built.

[22:11]

It is accomplished. What did the Bible say? Ask and it will be given to you. And what did the Buddha do? He smiled. To my knowledge, That is the only time the Buddha was described as smiling in the Pali Canon. I haven't even read the entire Pali Canon, but I don't think the Buddha... Anyway, he smiled. I thought, that's remarkable. The sanctuary is built. The Buddha just had the smile. And you know, when I came in and I was bowing, I looked up at the Buddha and I thought, I think there's a little bit of a smile. If you take a look, I think maybe slight, not sure.

[23:15]

In my mind, I'm thinking he shouldn't be smiling. Actually, that's not appropriate for the Buddha to be sitting there smiling. But I think I just saw a little twinkle there, I'm not sure. I guess we need to give him a break. In another story, number six, in the Mumen Kahn collection, also from China, the Buddha holds out a flower. Now there's some flowers on the altar. When Shakyamuni Buddha was on the holy mountain, he held out a flower to his listeners. So he's sitting there, you know, and they all gathered around and waited and silenced. And he got up and held up a flower.

[24:16]

Everyone was silent. Only Makashapa broke into a broad smile. There's that smile again. The Buddha said, I have the true Dharma eye, the marvelous mind of nirvana, the true form of the formless, and the subtle Dharma gate, independent of words and transmitted beyond doctrine. This I have entrusted to Makkahashapa, who then became the next Buddhist patriarch. He was sort of like tapped by Buddha when he smiled. I guess, you know, Buddha smiled. He was the only other person smiling, so he got to be the patriarch. What was that smile all about? Some days I walk down the way and people will greet me and smile.

[25:23]

And some days people will not grieve me and not smile. Have you had that experience walking down the street? Sometimes, you know, people smile at you and sometimes they don't. And visiting Ireland years ago, I noticed that at least in the west of Ireland, when you walk down the path, the street, people would smile at you and say, hello. They always say, There she is. And how are you today? You know, you go, wow, this is, I like, you know, you're not used to it. So when I came home, you know, I wondered why some days at home people brightened up and said hello, and on other days they didn't. On the good days, I felt acknowledged, seen, And a bit surprised and a little awkward. There was a momentary tendency to withdraw.

[26:29]

And that momentary tendency to withdraw was overcome by a rising ebulence in my mind as I felt and saw the smiling face. The light in the eyes. I saw the openness of life. I liked it. When I reflected on this, I wondered if I was different today. Was I giving off an open, joyful appearance that was affecting those that I contacted? I was certainly able to be affected by their greeting, often just a smile. If I smiled back, their smile continued. If I couldn't smile back, but looked down, their smile faded.

[27:34]

I took a look at myself in the mirror. What were they seeing? I tried to smile in different ways. The eyes, the mouth, the teeth. Keep the head up, smile, and be ready to meet the world. What would happen if I decided to smile a bit when I walked down the street? Would anything happen? Sure enough, there I was, strolling down the street with a smile, enjoying life, and people brightened up. I tried not to initiate eye contact because I didn't want to intrude on people. acknowledge me anyway when I go through toll gates and I go over to the city on the bridge sometimes a collector seems to be making genuine contact with me the smile and our transaction was mutual a kind of a dance of car window

[28:55]

money, hands reaching, and eyes meeting. My heart would open as I drove away. I really believe that this effect, car after car, makes a difference in the collective mind of San Francisco. Each driver met other people and passed the energy on. The Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh came to Green Village years ago and taught us for four days. One of the things he taught us was the half smile. Are you familiar with the half smile? I thought it was a good idea.

[30:04]

Let the corners of your mouth go up a little bit. Just that much, you know. Just a little. I felt a lot of resistance to doing that. But he taught this way. Don't tell me to smile. Or that's not genuine or something like that. It's not inner smiling. He said, no, smile a little bit, just a little at the corners of your mouth. Just a little bit. And it would affect your mood in a positive way. This is like the effort of our posture in Zaza. Upright, relaxed, open, awake, posture. Change your posture, change your mind. Change your mind and you change your posture.

[31:06]

It's one. But you guys, sometimes you need to start. You sort of catch yourself. Just, you know, smile just a little and sit up. See what happens. Everything changes. Or maybe everything stays the same, but I just don't know what to say. So we sit up, relaxed, poised, open, present, just like the Buddha on the altar. Don't smile. Well, I guess maybe that's that half smile that Thich Nhat Hanh was talking about. And you bring your life forward to everything you do. Each activity, be there. Step forward. Do it.

[32:08]

This is our effort in Zazen and in everyday life. Since, as they say, we are a magical display with no real, solid, unchanging self-existence. But we are here, aren't we? We don't have to have a real, solid ongoing, unchanging self-existence. Let's be a magical display. Why not loosen up and fully engage in the profound improvisation that is your life moment by moment? try and smile.

[33:12]

Maybe Andrew is planting a blade of grass and the sanctuary is built. 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 the practice of giving by offering your financial help. For more information, visit sfcc.org and click giving. May all beings be happy.

[33:41]

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