I heard that one time someone said to the founder of Zen Center, who we call Suzuki Roshi, I do Zaza, the person said. And Suzuki Roshi said something like, Don't say that. Don't say I do Zaza. Today we have one day city, or you could say we have one day of Zaza. And so far, it seems that each of us has made some effort, some personal effort to sit upright.

[04:00]

And we can see and can hear, touch, and think of the personal effort that we have made today and are making up. But now we are making a personal effort. The zazen of the Buddha's ancestors includes each of our individual efforts, more by more. The zazen of the Buddha is the conservative activity

[05:29]

of all of our individual efforts. Each one of the Buddha's ascent is the same practice of each of us and all beings. I may be able to see and hear my own effort, and I may be able to see your individual effort. where I do see my individual effort, and I do see your individual effort.

[06:39]

The buddhizasa, which we also call sometimes self-receiving and employing samadhi, concentration of receiving and employing self is another name for Buddha's Zaza. That Zaza of the Buddhas and ancestors, completely enclosed by individual efforts, and that Zaza is the way, the Buddha way, which is the same practice as each of us and all beings. Now zazen again is the concerted activity of all beings.

[07:50]

It is the concerted activity. It is the same activity as the entire universe. The way that your individual effort includes the whole universe, and the way the whole universe includes each of our individual efforts, that is Buddha's Zasana. That is Buddha's practice. It is both individual and it is social. And it is beyond hearing and seeing. It is not within reach of feelings or discrimination. It is the reality of the entire universe.

[08:52]

So as yours, she says, Don't say you can do sasana. However, you saying that you can do sasana is completely included in sasana. They, I think, at New Zervis book, do a chant of a text written by the ancestor Dogan, called self-perceiving, and it taught in Samayana. And in that text, it talks about Zazen, and how it is the same practice as the individual and all beings, and the same awakening as the individual and all beings.

[10:08]

And it also says that it is the unfolded realization of great wisdom and the true dharma. It is the reality of the working of the whole universe. Last Sunday I gave a talk And I said that I, I assert, I believe that I am sitting in the center of all suffering, of all sorrow, of all beings. I imagine that, I think that, I believe that. This is my testament.

[11:14]

And I believe that you are sitting at the center of all beings. And the reality of your life is that your sitting in the center of all beings is generosity. That you are sitting at the center of all beings and you are giving yourself to all beings, and all beings are giving themselves to you. All suffering beings are giving themselves to you, and you are giving yourself to all suffering beings. In reality, this is our life as generosity. this way I'm giving myself to all beings, and all beings are giving themselves to me, is beyond hearing and seeing.

[12:22]

And it's beyond me saying that this is the way we're living. And yet, these words are expressions of it. Words do not bridge it. It expresses itself by these words. These words hold up the banner of this sin. We sit and we make an individual effort and we can individually raise the Dharma flag of Buddha Zaza. In a sitting, in reality, we are flowing into and onto all beings, and all beings are flowing into and onto us. That's reality.

[13:24]

However, if we do not practice that kamerasa, if we don't allow for our own giving ourselves to others and then giving to us, we may miss it. even though it's completely true, unceasingly. This is not impermanent. It's an unceasing practice of generosity at every place in the universe. And this generosity unifies the individual and all beings. and unifies all beings and the individual. Or maybe rather unifies. It is the unity of all beings and the individual.

[14:30]

And joining the practice of generosity at your seat, at the center of the universe, that practice realizes this unity. which is uncessable, unthinkable, unnegable, unstoppable, unbridgeable, and unavoidable. In earth Buddhism, Some scholars have observed in early Buddhism that it was not metaphysical. Religions were not metaphysical, they say. But the teaching that tells you about it is metaphysical.

[15:32]

Bodhisattva practice is both psychological and metaphysical. The early Buddhism, the Buddha emphasized psychological teachings of our individual psychology. The relationship among all individual psychological beings is metaphysical. We can't see the relationship. But we can see our own individual and our individual psychology can practice metaphysics which is unpopular or I could say not very often mentioned word in Zen history but Dogen

[16:44]

in metaphysical teachings. The way that your practice is the same as all beings, and the way all beings practice is the same as yours, is a metaphysical process of jnandarastity, in both directions, unceasing. And if there's anything, there's giving of that thing to all things and all things given to this thing. So it is appropriate for our psychological life that we attend to each psychological moment. And let that individual present psychological moment be a gift to every person, animal, tree, mountain, river, ocean, sky, earth that we eat.

[18:05]

And let all those things be gifts to our psychological being, which they already are. This teaching does not rise and does not cease. These words rise and cease. I laughed at the thought of the following sentence.

[19:31]

The sentence is, Fully galaxy-needed people are invited to speak if they wish. If you're not believed by something, you have to go outside. You speak. And if you wish to speak, I encourage you to remember that your speech is a gift to all beings. And all beings flow on to you generously so that you can speak. Reverend Mayer.

[20:44]

I believe you said that each psychological moment is a gift to neighbors. In reality. What about some psychological and global subjects? I hate all those people. That is a gift to the entire universe. In what way? You know, if you have a long psychological illogical, it is a gift to the whole universe. And also, at that moment, the whole universe generously follows into and onto that psychological ill will. And in realizing again there is liberation without getting rid of the ill will.

[21:51]

And there is peace and harmony in the relationship between that ill will and all beings. And also, if you happen to have a Buddha sitting near you and you told the Buddha about your ill will, the Buddha might say it. If you have ill will, you're not my disciple. And When Buddha says that, Buddha is, you are giving yourself to Buddha, and Buddha is giving herself to you. And in that unusual generosity is the Buddha way. And in that, you and the Buddha are free of the ill will. unattended ill will without attending it, without being present with it in the process of giving, it's really painful and harmful.

[23:22]

However, that pain and harm, when attended generously and remembered and teaching, Again, babies are liberated from that pain and suffering of ill will. Buddhism has not been able to eliminate ill will in this world, but it is constantly generating peace and harmony in a world of great suffering. We are surrounded by ill will. It's all awareness. Here is practice that can be joined, that can be allowed, that can be asserted, that can be believed at the center of Oshis of ill will and the Oshis of good will.

[24:33]

Do you have a gift to give to us? Do you have a gift? Do you have something to say? It was some gift, some verbal gift to give to us in response to my person. trying to expand around it? Yes. Your heart is trying to expand. And all beings are supporting your expanded heart. Thank you for your offer. Is that Kadir?

[25:45]

That's good enough. Yes. The phrase, you are not my disciple, doesn't sound like giving generosity to me. Right, it doesn't. But I'm saying, in reality, everything that we do, is a gift and it is sometimes a good gift to say to you being cruel is not please do not be cruel if you're cruel you're not my disciple the Buddha very well might say that but this is the Buddha's gift to that person this is the Buddha's teaching to that person the Buddha's basically just giving teachings Teaching, teaching, teaching, teaching. Gift, gift, gift, gift. And one of the gifts is, this is not the way I would like you to practice. And if you practice this way, you're not my disciple.

[26:52]

This is teaching. This is the Buddhist gift. And the Buddha gives that teaching with great love and compassion. if you're going in the zendo, if you're going in the zendo, but actually, you're intending to go in the zendo, but actually you're going to the toilet, the Buddha might say, you're not going in, that's not the zendo, that's the toilet. And that's Buddha's gift to you, right? And if you're walking into ill will, the Buddha wants you to know, ill will is not where my disciples go. However, me telling you that, is what I say to my disciples. Buddha probably wouldn't say to someone who wasn't studying with the Buddha, the Buddha probably wouldn't say, you're not my disciple. This is something Buddha says to the children of Buddha.

[27:55]

So it may sound like not a gift, but I would say, I see it that way. And that's my gift to you. is I seen the Buddha giving, giving, giving even when the Buddha says, you're not my disciple. How are you with that? What he say to someone who isn't a disciple. Say it louder. What he say to someone who isn't. Or what does the Buddha say to someone who isn't their disciple? What were you saying to them? Yeah. Well, in that case, she would say, you're not my disciple. That's what he would say. They're not his disciple. Oh, I see.

[28:55]

They said they wanted to be his disciple, right? So either somebody who is or wants to be the Buddha would get that distraction about what a disciple is like. So somebody who's not a disciple, somebody who does not want to study with Buddha, Buddha might say, Hello. How are you today? Yeah, that's what the Buddha might say. And the person might say something, and the Buddha might respond. And the person might really appreciate the way Buddha responded. And then the person might say, could I be your disciple? And the Buddha said, okay.

[29:59]

And the person might say, can I be your disciple even if I fell well? And the Buddha would say, no. You can be my disciple, but you have to give up to go well. Or... It reminds me of something funny that happened one time here in this valley. One of the people who was serving as an attendant during sashim like this, well, we usually don't, maybe we usually don't answer the telephone, but during a break, he checked his voicemails. No, he didn't check. He went home and he heard the telephone ring, picked it up and answered it. And it was someone trying to sell him a credit card. And... After the person talked for a while, the person who visited here asked the person, do you have to make a certain amount of money to get a credit card?

[31:09]

And the person said, yes. And he said, well, how much money do you have to make? And the person told him, I don't make that much. And she said, well, where do you live? And he explained to her where he lived and what this place is like, and she said, can I go and live there? And he said, yeah. And then she said, can I smoke? And he said, well, you have to walk a long ways away from the central area to smoke. So, you know, you can't smoke in the central, but that's a gift to you and other people. But some could be turned up a little bit. Turn it up. And there's another story, which I heard.

[32:12]

Sunakurashi had two main teachers. One was his original teacher, who he lived with for many years. And then after his teacher died, he studied with another teacher. whose name was Kishizawa Iyan. And... Kishizawa Iyan had a teacher whose name was Nishidara Bosa. And one day, Nishidara Bosa said to Kishizawa, you're not my disciple. So this is the teacher talking to his... be a loving disciple, and said, you're not my disciple. The teacher said to the disciple, you're not my disciple.

[33:18]

And Kishnodawa said, well, why not? He said, because you only bow to me in certain situations. If I'm going to the toilet, for example, you don't bow to me, so you're not my disciple. So there again, the teacher gave the student, gave the gift of the teacher, by starting on, by saying, you're not my disciple. And then finding out what needed to be done, the process went on. And he was a disciple. Also, one time, something again, she said to a group of people, as I said, well, most of you do not have the conviction, the commitment to the practice that we're doing here. So the body should leave. Go away. He didn't say that. I don't remember if he said it once. And then he said, go away.

[34:18]

He just said, come back. When you have that kind of commitment. So there's this dynamic process of giving and receiving. And it includes everything. And it's hard for us to remember that every moment. But that's what our training is for, is to remember the process of giving at the center of the universe, which realizes in the learning of our individual practice and the practice of all beings. What time does the kitchen mean? Anything else that you wish to bring up?

[35:40]

So, putting a song, or opening a song. Universe. Yes. When you were speaking about Zazen, I don't think Zazen, Zazen, When these words came to my mind, I wanted to see what I think. Zazen is the complete inspiration of our body, speech, and mind, the shoving up, the vow, the intention to sit. that working and coming together.

[36:53]

Yeah. So all beings includes all the beings that make up you. All your attentions and all your physical, emotional, and verbal. and mental activity. All those are beings, too, who are getting to each other. Yeah, and also not showing up with no intention and no hope. Those are also beings which are working together and getting to each other. All the things that you said working together is the other. And things that aren't that way are also working together.

[37:57]

So the way the whole universe is working together with the integration of your, of the examples you did, includes beings who are not You don't have your vows and so on, but your vows are given to them, and they give themselves to your vows. Would you find that you're going through this vows also? They have vows, yes. They have vows too. They are the same practice as your practice. The way your practice is the same as theirs, and theirs is the same as yours, that is also. Is it that they're completely expressing themselves? Is that what you're... If they feel like they're not expressing themselves. For example, they may feel ill will, or they may feel a closed heart.

[39:00]

Their closed heart is a gift to all of us. And we are giving to them who have closed house. Are you facing that with sasa? Are you being not together with sasa? That is sasa. The way we are being, the way we're practicing in general, the people who do not want to practice sasa, and the way people who do not want to practice sasa, are giving to us the sasa. The people who do not want to be bodhisattvas are giving themselves to us right now at the center of the universe. And we are giving ourselves to all beings who do not want to be bodhisattvas. And also we're giving ourselves to all beings who want to be bodhisattvas and all beings who want to be bodhisattvas are giving themselves to us. Even if

[40:01]

They want to be what they saw, but they don't want to give to us. They're still giving to us. And the way that they actually are is thus. And the way we actually are with them is of. Including if we don't want to practice on them. That's a gift to the universe. And the universe supports us to not want to be yourself. Some of you are in some early practice and have never experienced this thing called not wanting to do sasa. But sometimes in the future, we may make a connection that I don't want to do sasa. We also may think, I don't want to be king. I don't want to be... I don't want to practice audio-king. One time I listened to someone and said, I just want to confess to the assembly that I hate Odiyoki.

[41:09]

Did somebody not know what Odiyoki is, by the way? Anybody know what it is? Raise your hand. Wow. Okay, wait a second. Okay. One person did. Thank you. I think you're not the only one that's able to openly get embarrassed. Odiyoki is the name And the Japanese made our formal eating, which we have not done for once in a year. But it's one of our formal practices, which we did with Zen. And one thing someone said, and she was sitting right over there, wonderful. She loved to sit, but she hated salsa. Some people like, you know, she hated orgyoki. Some people like orgyoki and hate to sit. What I'm saying to you is, Vazan is the way all the people who hate orgy-rogy are giving themselves to us, and we're giving ourselves to them.

[42:14]

And how we're actually doing unseason in reality. Is that where you stand it? Did you just give me a gift?

[43:24]

Did you just give me a gift? Yes. When you said no, was that a gift? Yes. I would like to know I was speaking on a close family member about Israel and Palestine. And he said, even a lot of progressive Israelis have given up on peace. And I responded, I said, People never get up on you.

[44:31]

And I wonder, is it enough to wish that to be so? Did you say, is it enough to wish that to be true? Yeah. I would say, wishing that to be true is, at that moment, you're a gift. And wishing is, can be accompanied by awareness of giving at that moment. Because wishing is also, it is just a wish, it's a gift. If you wish for peace, It's a wish that all days were working on it. I think your wish is very valuable.

[45:36]

But also, it's good to remember that your wish is a gift. So that your wish is, you realize the unity of the wish and the reality. Your wish isn't just a wish, it's a wish. This wish that you have is a wish. you didn't even dare to wish for. And some other people maybe feel they just can't, it's just too painful to wish for under some sort of circumstances. They're just too painful, but that's their gift. And you and I support them to not be able to wish for it anymore, because it's so painful. And that's part of the suffering that surrounds us. things are numberless

[47:13]

I vow to save them. Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless. I vow to enter them. Buddha's ways are unsurpassable. I vow to become

[47:47]

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