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Zen Joy: Cultivating Community Connection
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Talk by Greg Fain at Tassajara on 2019-11-21
The talk explores the concept of joy in Zen practice, emphasizing the importance of finding joy through connection and community, as highlighted by figures like Thich Nhat Hanh and the teachings from the Mahayana Avatamsaka Sutra. The speaker elaborates on Zen stories, particularly from the Record of Dongshan, illustrating how joy is perceived within the Zen tradition and suggests practical meditation techniques for cultivating joy. The discussion underscores the idea that joyful practice fosters both personal and communal spiritual development.
Referenced Works and Concepts:
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Thich Nhat Hanh's Teaching: The idea that a Zen practice lacking joy may indicate a need for alternative methods, suggesting joy as an integral component of spiritual practices.
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Record of Dongshan: A story where Dongshan discusses joy with his teacher, illustrating the connection between personal issues and joy as a fundamental aspect of Zen teaching.
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Mahayana Avatamsaka Sutra: References the chapter on the Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva Path, with a focus on the first stage, surpassing joy (pramudita), underscoring its significance in Zen Buddhism.
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Uchiyama Roshi's Interpretation: Distinguished between different types of joy, and suggested a deeper understanding of mudita, typically translated as sympathetic joy or shared joy.
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Larry Yang's Book "Awakening Together": Proposed as a manual for creating joyful communities, emphasizing shared joy as a practice integrating joy into communal Zen life.
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Dogen's Bendowa and Mountains and Water Sutra: Cited as essential texts for understanding the relationship-centric nature of Zen practice, emphasizing joy and connection through teachings.
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Jewel Mirror Samadhi Study Guide by Charlie Pokorny: Mentioned as a comprehensive resource for those interested in studying Zen teachings in-depth.
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Visualization Practices: Discussed supporting the practices of relaxation and awareness, such as visualizing the diaphragm as a jellyfish to enhance mindfulness during meditation.
AI Suggested Title: Zen Joy: Cultivating Community Connection
An unsurpassed penetrating and perfect dharma is rarely met with even an hundred thousand million galpas having it to see and listen to to remember and accept I vow today is the truth of the Tathagata's words. Good morning. So happy to be sitting with you all on this kind of chilly, clear, crisp autumn morning. Quite lovely. I think this might be the smallest number of people I've ever spoken to in the Tassajara Zendo.
[01:10]
It feels lovely, absolutely. And I want to thank you, Ino-san, for getting people closer in. That feels nice, too. I'd like to begin, as I always do, by thanking and acknowledging my teacher, Sojin Mel Weitzman Roshi, the old Buddha of the East Bay. There are no words for my gratitude. And to also thank Abbot Tenzin, David Zimmerman, for inviting me to give this talk and for his steady leadership in this totally delightful Practice prayer. And to say that this talk is just to encourage you in your practice. I feel like this talk may go a few different places.
[02:14]
I'm not really sure. Let's see what happens. Buckle up. This is... my 30th practice period at Pazahara. Yeah. What the heck? A friend of mine told me a little while ago, a very dear old friend, maybe you should get a life. Reminds me of a There's an album cover. Remember LPs? No, you don't. But one of my favorite musicians, Bootsy Collins, album cover, where there's a picture of Bootsy playing on stage, and he's just like, ecstatic.
[03:19]
And there's a little cartoon thought balloon above his head that says, I need a job. I don't need a job. I have a job. I'm the treasurer. No, I, obviously, I love it here. This is my life. I'm very happy. Very, very, very, very grateful. I was thinking about this practice period and, you know, Tongario and first experiences, you know, the first time you did this or that. And even before I came to sit Tangario, the first time I set foot in Tassajara was a little over 21 years ago. In October 1998, during the practice period that Zenke Blanche Hartman was leading, I somehow...
[04:26]
Long story, won't go into it, but managed to wangle an invitation to a sashim that she opened up to other people from other sanghas, a special teaching sashim with a number of different teachers from other Sotizen sanghas to celebrate Shohako Okomura's publishing wholehearted way, talks by his teacher Uchiyama Roshi on bendowa, Tobin's bendowa. It was a sashim. It was the first time I'd ever been in Tassajara. People at Berkeley Zen Center, my home temple, said, oh, you'll have to sit on garyo. No, they did not make me sit on garyo. I just joined the sashim. So I came in with other invited guests on the day before day one, you know, the afternoon before day one. Leslie James was director and Kathy Egan was the sheikah. I got the briefest of orientations, so brief, just like, here's your cabin.
[05:31]
I was down in student housing because it was a big practice parade and, you know, even more people. And somebody said, oh, the new bathhouse is out that way, you know. You have time? You can go take a bath. So I got my towel, go out there, wandered in, looked around. A very, very kind woman directed me to the men's side. Thank you very much. The next morning was day one. Somebody must have asked me, you know, do you, well, they knew I knew how to do oryoki, obviously, but, you know, can you serve? I said, sure, yeah, I can serve. So... The first time I ever served Orioki in Tassajara was my first full day in Tassajara, breakfast on day one. And I remember so well being out there on the Angawa with the serving crew, and the soku was Judith Keenan, and the head server was someone
[06:51]
I met for the first time, who would go on to become a very good friend, Shotai Marta de la Rosa from Colombia. And we had like double condiments, big things, you know, so I was getting ready to pass out the condiments, you know, as the meal boards had gone around, time for the condiments, and somebody whispers, I guess it was Marta or somebody, he says, you go to Blanche. I don't think we had like number one, two, three, four. I don't remember. Anyway, go to Blanche. And I saw it. There I am. I'm holding this thing. And then it's time, you know. We bow. And I just froze. I was frozen. And then Martha says, go! And I ran across the Zendo straight across. Not run, but pretty much energized.
[07:57]
Just came straight across the window to Blanche and bowed. And she just went. Later on, I had Tokusama with Blanche. And she said, so Mel encouraged you to come? I said, yeah. I think, you know, he said, if you got an invitation, maybe you should go. And Blanche expressed an opinion. Well, maybe he is expecting that you'll fall in love with it. Well, that's what happened. Just to kind of see if I can keep myself on some kind of track. let me say what I'd like to talk about this morning. I'd like to talk about something that I take very seriously, that I think is a serious matter, which is joy.
[09:06]
The great Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said, if your practice isn't bringing you any joy, Maybe you should be doing some other practice. Anyway, he's alleged to have said that. He's alleged to have said a lot of things, you know, because Internet. But I believe it. It sounds like something Ty would say. It sounds like something he would say. And I think some people, maybe a lot of people, on hearing that, be like, oh, great, that's one more thing I can feel crummy about. We'll just add that to the list of ways I don't measure up. Reasons why my practice is off pace. Yeah, fine. Okay. But I regard it as an invitation for an examination. Like, well, if my practice isn't bringing me any joy, why not?
[10:17]
Maybe I could do something about that. Maybe do I feel like I have permission to have joy in my practice? How do we understand joy anyway? Yeah. How do we understand joy? What do you mean by that? I introduce a case. Well, it's not a koan. It's a story. One of those Zen stories that pretty much make up the Zen canon, this one is from the Record of Dongshan, our great ancestor in China, Tang Dynasty, China. We chant his name every morning, and this morning we chanted the Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, that's Dongshan, Dongshan Myongjue, in Japanese, Tozan Ryokai Taiyosho.
[11:21]
That's where we get that tou in soto, comes from touzan, right? Did you know it? Fun fact. When, in the record of Dengshan, it says when he first met his teacher, Yunyang, the person who would become his teacher, Yunyang, you know, he's introducing himself, one of these classic stories, and Dongshan tells Yunyang, well, I still have some issues. Actually, what it says, I think what it says in William Powell's translation is, I still have some habits that have not yet been eradicated. But I like, I got some issues. You know, I can relate to that. Can you relate to that? I still got some issues. Yeah. Yunyan says, okay, well, are you joyful?
[12:32]
And Dengshan, who I think, must have been a dour kind of person, maybe even depressive, as a lot of great minds are, a lot of great thinkers and leaders are sometimes, you know, separate ground mild or chronic depression or acedia, you know, whatever. I'm only speculating. But he answers with this funny double negative. He says, it would be untrue to say that I'm not joyful. It's kind of hedging, you know. It would be untrue to say that I'm not joyful, but it's like grasping a pearl under a pile of poo. Grasping a bright pearl. Yeah, Dungshan said poo. Grasping a bright pearl under a pile of poo. Blanche Hartman, Dayosho, Senkei Roshi, she used to say, I'm still grubbing around for that pearl.
[13:44]
Still trying to find it. scholars suggest the reason why Yunyan might have asked him that question, might have considered that a basic question, is that in the Mahayana Avatamsaka Sutra, the chapter on the ten stages of the bodhisattva's path, the first stage is pramudita, or surpassing joy. So yin yang, avatamsaka sutra, very important to the Zen school. I highly recommend you read it, study it. It's good stuff. So in the chapter on the 10 stages, which Norman Fisher taught in one practice period here, back in the day, first stage, you know.
[14:52]
So yin yang is like, you know, are you practicing? Have you set out on the bodhisattva path? Are you joyful? How do we understand pramugita or mugita? Kojo Uchiyama Roshi said, it's not like some kid running home from school saying, I just want the spelling bee! It's not like that. It's not that kind of joy. Mudita is often translated as sympathetic joy, right? Have you heard that? Maybe you studied the Brahmaviharas and many heads nodding, good. Mudita
[15:55]
classic or typical translation for that is sympathetic joy. Like, when something nice happens for you, I feel good for you. I think that's a common understanding. Which is good. I think that's good. And I also think it's kind of limited. That's one version, I would say. For me, that's one version of Medita. If you read, and I almost lugged it in here with me. I showed some restraint. I did not bring the Avatamsaka Sutra in here with me. But if you read that, it just goes like, so this, if something nice happens for you, I feel good for you. That's like one direction. And that's a version of it. But in the Sutra, it's just like, every which way, every direction, surpassing joy all over the universe and not limited in any way.
[17:02]
A lot of you may be familiar with the German word Schadenfreude. Schadenfreude means like shadow joy. kind of the opposite of the conventional understanding of mudita. Something bad happens to you and I feel good. Right? Terrible. Tsk, tsk. But there's another word in German, mitroid, which means joy with or with joy or shared joy. And that's how I understand mudita. Shared joy. Joy with... in all directions. I think that's a broader, more inclusive understanding of mudita.
[18:08]
Shared joy. Enjoying together. Those two calligraphies that we... Kaz did especially for the dining room when Gene DeSchmidt and Helen Degenhardt designed the new dining room and Gene DeSchmidt built it and they put these two tokonomos in the front part of the dining room and Kaz did these two special pieces for each one and they say enjoy together enjoyment together that's how I understand shared joy joy together now There's another word, joy that's just for me alone, my own joy that is nasyak. There's another Sanskrit word for that. You know what it is? Dukkha. It's dukkha. Good guess.
[19:11]
No, it's dukkha. Suffering. Because that's grasping. It's like, this is my joy. Not for you. No. Dukkha. Great Dharma teacher. Larry Yang wrote a wonderful book called Awakening Together. And if you haven't read it, I strongly recommend it. It was a book club book here in Tassajara, one practice period. And it's kind of a manual for creating a joyful community.
[20:17]
That's what he says. He doesn't say it's a manual. But he uses the words joyful community over and over in this book. If you only read one Dharma book this year, if you haven't read that one, I strongly recommend it. This is how we practice together as a joyful community. Sharing joy. Sharing joy. our practice. It's all in relationship. It's always in relationship. Nothing happens outside of relationship. That's why lately, more and more, this has been my dharma. Oh, you had a difficult conversation. You had a misunderstanding. Something painful happened to you.
[21:20]
stay in relationship. That's all. Just stay in relationship. Would you rather be right or would you rather be in relationship? I'd rather be in relationship. I am less and less invested in being right. I am invested in being in relationship. I take refuge in sangha. Means letting go of What's a good outcome for me? What's a good outcome for a joyful community? Something I turn over, I think about from time to time. And really, you know,
[22:22]
All relationships. The Mountains and Water Sutra. Now you can tell David that I mentioned the Mountains and Water Sutra, okay? Thank you. The Mountains and Water Sutra says the mountains belong to those who love them. That's a relationship. We are in the mountains, we are of the mountains, that's a relationship. The entire sky turns into enlightenment, that's a relationship. It's all relationship. The self-receiving and employing samadhi is relationship. This morning we chanted Dungshan's words, you are not it in truth, it is you. That's a relationship. How we manifest this, we — anyway, I should revert to that classic Descent Center phrase, my understanding
[23:48]
I won't make a we statement. I'll make an I statement. I understand. I understand. The Zen school, the practice of upright sitting is relationship. Or as Abbot Tenzen said in the Shosan ceremony, Zen is love. Zen is love. how to manifest that, we do this thing, we call zazen, upright sitting. That whole long passage that we often chant in noon service, I love so much, the self-receiving and employing samadhi, which is excerpted from Dogen's bendawa, I feel is just Dogen's best attempt
[24:50]
to describe in very poetic language what's really happening in Zazen, what's really going on, whether you know it or not. And there's no end of things you can say about Zazen, and there's nothing really I can say about However, I told a couple of people that this morning I would talk about what I've been up to in the zendo. Some people are, you know, we say zazen is shikantaza, just sitting, right? Just sitting. objectless meditation.
[25:54]
You might have heard that before. And I think some people are purists about that. Anything added on to that is not the way to practice Soto Zen. I'm from the Walt Whitman School of Soto Zen. I am large, I contain multitudes, and I think that zazen contains multitudes. I think that zazen can contain all kinds of practice. Somebody once asked Sojan Roshi, do you do loving-kindness meditation? And after a long pause, he said, you know, I think that's all I'm ever doing. That's a whole other Dharma talk. I would like to share Some visualization practices. Small visualization.
[26:56]
I know. Shh. Don't tell. No big deal. And if it doesn't resonate with you, fine. Just keep sitting shikantaza. I can be background noise, like the creek or whatever. That's fine. Pretty simple. three things, and the third is the main thing I've been doing lately. But I want to start with two others that have been very helpful to me. The first is sitting upright, finding my stable, seated position, whatever that is, cross-legged, seiza, in a chair, on my back, you name it. Sitting upright, visualizing my shoulder blades as Two dinner plates. Two dinner plates, right?
[27:58]
And they've been coated with some of that good California olive oil. So they're very slippery. And they're just sliding down my back. Just sliding down my back. Just from the force of gravity. Because they're so slippery. Those two dinner plates. sliding down my back. And I think, you know, I've done my share of postural support in the zendo, and some people get there and it's just, wow, nothing going on here. And that might be you. You might think, yeah, that's not happening. That's why the visualization practice can be helpful. You may not feel it, but just visualize it. As we say in the communication agreements, try it on. Try it on. And then maybe later, it'll start happening for you. The second is my heart.
[29:01]
Parajna Paramita, the mother of Buddhas, has actually got my heart in her hands, gently cradling under my heart. She's gently, gently lifting. lifting my heart. The shoulder blades slide on the back. Sternum uplifted, but I like to say heart. I have help. Prajnaparamita is helping. She's lifting, lifting my heart. Zazen is a heart-opening pose. Asama. The third thing was shared with me this past summer by a dear friend, a long-time tasahara practitioner off and on.
[30:06]
Her name is Reen Perkins. She didn't originate this, but I never heard of it before, spending just a one-on-one session with Reen. We were talking about breathing. That's a very important practice in Zen and Buddhism generally. Practice mindfulness of breathing, awareness of breath. And she said, well, how do you think about the diaphragm muscle that controls your breathing, that enables breathing? Well, yes, so she asked me. And I said, I haven't really thought about it much, but maybe it's kind of like an arch or a dome? And she's like, yes, a dome.
[31:08]
It's basically this dome-shaped muscle here in your thorax, going all the way around. And then she said, It's like a jellyfish. It's shaped like a jellyfish. And it moves like a jellyfish. Oh, jellyfish. In Espanol, la medusa. I don't have any other languages. And it moves that way, actually. Excuse me. So, some people talk about belly breathing. That's something I've been aware of since I was, like, in the children's choir in Sunday school, you know, breathe from down here, belly breathing.
[32:18]
But actually because the... Diaphragm goes all the way around. It's not just this direction. It's circular. It's a dome. It's omnidirectional. And as you inhale, it's going like this. And as you exhale, it goes like this to push the air out of your lungs. You inhale. Have you ever been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey? You check out the jellyfish there. They're so cool. They're hypnotic. I can just watch them forever. And they move like that. They undulate very smoothly, very peacefully, gently undulating. So I do this visualization practice. Now you know. This is what I've been up to in the zendo. When I remember, when I come back,
[33:23]
I come back to my jellyfish. My jellyfish is orange, kind of pinkish orange, sort of luminous pinkish orange. And I've been getting very intimate with her. visualizing that, and then really feeling it, really, really, really, really feeling the movement, the undulation of the jellyfish. And it's been quite satisfying to connect in that way. And a little discovery I've made that I could share with you, for example, is sometimes in my breathing, really getting intimate with my jellyfish, I've noticed like Sometimes there's like little micro-hitches in it, like teensy-weensy that I never noticed before.
[34:30]
And I thought, oh, you know, this is the body keeps score, right? That's what we say, the body keeps score. You know, like when you're a little kid or a baby or adult, whatever, grieving, in pain, sobbing, you know, you do that. The vagus nerve diaphragm does that. And then I can notice like it's just like these faint, faint echoes of that, how the body's holding that. And I'm not trying to, you know, make anything happen or go away or anything i think it's just really interesting to notice and be with it i'm not trying to like make a game out of it and say can i really need the most smoothly undulating jellyfish in the room no just staying with it and noticing what's going on there
[35:49]
Take a couple seconds. Do this. You jellyfish can be any color you like. Feeling it all the way around. how they move. Jellyfish, you know, has a neutral buoyancy, right? Means it doesn't rise to the surface, it doesn't sink to the bottom, just hangs out there in the ocean.
[37:06]
Has neutral buoyancy. just in the ocean of the ocean. Jimi Hendrix, the great musician, composer, Jimi had this song called The Power of Soul. And in that song, he kind of rap sings a little bit. He says, I look around, I see old Mr. Jellyfish. And Mr. Jellyfish says, flotation is groovy. Yeah, your flotation is groovy. Just this neutral buoyancy. And I maintain that in the practice of upright sitting, this
[38:10]
thing that is a part of oneself that some people, maybe most people, think is entirely oneself. In Buddhism, called klishtamanas, or afflicted individuating consciousness, the part of oneself that is Constantly going, what are they thinking of me? Why did he look at me that way? Why did I say that? I'm probably not measuring up. Or my current favorite, I could be a different person. I could be a better person if only I tried harder. I, [...] I. That part of oneself. That can achieve, enjoy, also a kind of mutual buoyancy, sitting upright.
[39:21]
And then khrishtamanas can be just manas. I do not care for the word ego, but if it works for you, fine. But just individuating consciousness, just not going anywhere, not grasping anything, not pushing anything away. This is also known as Shinjin Datsuraku, body-mind dropped off. Dogen says, your treasure store will open up itself and you will use it at will. And I say, there's a door that opens there. which is access to some deep, abiding, foundational okayness, which this morning I will take as my working definition of pramidita.
[40:27]
So we share that. We share that with each other. All of us in the zendo. All of us jellyfish. just hanging out, just enjoying this neutral buoyancy, awakening together, as Larry Yang says, creating joyful community together. This is our practice, as I understand. this weird thing we do way out here in the mountains, us sleep-deprived ones practicing so hard for what?
[42:05]
I think it's the reason I'm still around after 30 practice periods. I think it's actually, yes, it looks kind of useless. Yes, maybe I should be out and working for climate change action or something like that. And many of you will. And I think that what we do here is so vital, so important to create and sustain a joyful community and show others how we can share that with others. Yeah, that's what I believe. I'm going to finish with a couple of quotes.
[43:45]
The first is Thich Nhat Hanh again. This is a verified quote. Thay says, this is actually how to protect people, how to maintain our order and how to maintain our system of society. If our human life is supported with this kind of spirit, a perfect peaceful world will be acquired by human beings. Practicing in those ways, they try to make people happy. Just to have a bare and simple life and to have joy in our life will give a limitless source of spirit to the people. Only when we practice our way, when we live in this way and maintain our order and maintain our joy of life, will people be able to know it is possible to have complete joy in various kinds of life. Even in adversity, they may feel it is possible to have complete composure and they will have a strong spirit or strong faith in our human life.
[44:58]
I just find that inspiring as all get out. Even though I always say, I don't feel like we're practicing in an ivory tower at Tassajara, some kind of special secluded cocoon. We are in the mountains and of the mountains and we are in the world and of the world. Still, I have to say, this is one time in my life I'm feeling pretty grateful for being somewhat buffered from the new cycle because stuff is crazy right now. Stuff is crazy. And there's a lot of anxiety in the world. There's a lot of uncertainty and fear and hatred.
[46:12]
on the ground in the Vietnam War. Unbelievable destruction and devastation and slaughter. I can't even imagine. And there he is, he's saying, oh no. People will know. It is possible to have complete joy in various kinds of life. Even in adversity, they may feel it. person, we are also persons. And we can do this. And we can offer it to the suffering world. And, naturally, our compassionate founder, Shogaku Shuniru Dayo Sho, from August 6, 1969, one of my all-time favorite
[47:17]
quotes from the Suzuki Woshi drama talk. But after you attain complete liberation from this world without escaping from it, you will have all the money people has. And he laughs. So there's no problem laughing again. If you know every one of us, oh no, one out of ten person have this kind of freedom, we will have no war, no social problem. We will be all happy. With this kind of understanding of practice, we practice Zazen. He says, if every one of us, oh no, one out of ten, just one out of ten, that's good enough. So if you're sitting zazen later on, and you decide to take up this practice I shared with you this morning, and you happen to notice a pinkish orange jellyfish out there
[48:55]
in the great ocean of Buddhadharma. It may be me. It may not be. I don't lay exclusive claim to that color. Anybody can be any color jellyfish you want. You want to be pinkish orange, that's fine. But it may be me. Reach out and give me a little tentacle pinky shake, okay? Would you do that? Just reach one of your tentacles out and give me a little tentacle pinky shake because we're all in this together. We're all in this together. And I will tell you, your flotation is groovy. Your flotation is really groovy. So, yeah, please forgive me.
[50:00]
I've talked a long time. And I don't know how you're feeling, if your legs hurt, or if you want to ask a question, a comment, household hints, whatever. Not really. Yes, Burke. I just want to say that in Turkish, jellyfishes are called a mother. Mother of the sea? Wow. Prajnaparamita Jellyfish. Thank you. I love it. Yes, Mark and then Ko.
[51:04]
I'd like to study more about the Jewel Mirror Samadhi. Uh-huh. Is there anything you would recommend? Oh, yes. Easy answer. My dear friend, Charlie Pokorny, put together a study guide for the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, and then we used that, actually, in the practice period when I was just so with Sojun Roshi. Everybody in the practice period got a copy. I think there's a couple of copies in the library. It's like comb binding, takes it character by character, all these different commentaries. It's so thorough going. It should be published as a book. It really should be published as a book. Yeah, so easy answer. It's in the library, Juhamir Samadhi's study guide. Go. Simple answer, no. But in the zendo, well, who knows?
[52:10]
Kai, then Jun. Welcome. Mm-hmm. [...] I'd say start with keeping your eyes open, period. Because, you know, if you, as the gatha says, if you go after it, it recedes from you.
[53:22]
Sometimes if you try to get it, it's going to run away from you. But keep your eyes open and do your best to keep your heart open and then just allow it. Allow it. Give it permission. Give yourself permission. And thanks for asking the question because And it's probably a whole different Dharma talk. Suzuki Roshi put a lot of emphasis on practicing with a warm-hearted feeling. So I talked about making friends with my jellyfish. Be friendly with yourself. Be friendly with, oh, I'm in that dark place, you know. Blanche, I don't know, I've been thinking about Blanche so much lately.
[54:24]
She would just say, oh, there I go again. That's just, oh, there I go again. And they'd just kind of giggle a little bit. So sweet. I understand that it may not be that simple. And that when these things grab hold of one, it can be very tenacious. I think there's an element of faith at work here. Faith that the mountains and waters, the water, the flowing water, it takes its action and things change. Ultimately, things change. Things are always changing. That's Buddhism. Everything's always changing.
[55:26]
sometimes it may not be so apparent. That rock up past the culvert in the middle of Kabarga Creek, just gigantic rock right there, it's got this little groove right down the middle of it from when Kabarga, you know, sometimes this creek is like unbelievable. Sounds like a jet engine, you know, just tons of kinetic force. And sometimes it's just a little trickle. Well, that groove and that rock comes from both. When it's down to just a trickle, it's just going right down that groove. It's like somebody carved it there, but it's just the water. The water made that happen over years. It's called cultivating good habits. Cultivating that warm-hearted feeling and staying with it. Please be kind.
[56:29]
I think that's critical. It's the utmost. Abbot Tenzin said, Zen is love. Me too.
[57:39]
And I have experienced that in other practice realms. And I have been wondering around like for the last 10 years asking, is that? Do you know what happened? Yes. The way Kinu greets me, Kinu is greeting me in this valley, in Tazahara. Kinu is practicing with us as well. She's practicing hard. Bless her heart. She's a good doggy. Yeah, she's a great teacher. She's a great teacher. Yeah, my short answer is yes.
[58:42]
Yes. You know, maybe we don't play it up a whole lot. And maybe that's cultural. Yeah, I don't know. I guess I can't get into all that. How do you express that? Maybe this is a better way of asking the question. What? I mean, I thought between why I said that in the Chodron family, there was like a little killing on it. But how do we make that a part of our practice so that we are encouraged?
[59:46]
I mean, I worry that we're insufficiently encouraging. Well, I agree. Actually, you're speaking to the choir there. And as David also said in the chanson ceremony, things change. Things change. So, My initial answer to you was yes, because that is the way community leads me. And then you have another example. And yeah, as a matter of fact, I can't recommend Larry Yang's book enough to create a joyful community. You need to carefully look at what needs to be let go of. and what can be included.
[60:48]
At the Soto Zen Buddhist Association Conference in 2018, there was a guest speaker from Oregon, Thomas Brunner, who is a member of the Dharma Rang Sangha, and also a coach, facilitator, and does diversity and equity training, and he's talking about Soto Zen and pretty much what you're bringing forward. And he said at one point, he said, could you please allow some possibility for strong expression of emotion in your sanghas? And we're like, yeah, okay. Yes. I say yes.
[61:53]
And what more can I say except que podamos practicar alegremente con todos los seres. May we practice joyfully together with all beings. May our intention equally extend to every being and place. With the true merit of this way, should all you have the same God, though all you have the same God. Hey.
[62:48]
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