This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good evening, everybody. Thanks for coming. First, I took this from Greg. I really appreciate at the start of his talks, he thanks his teacher. And I want to thank Norman Fisher, my loving teacher, who extends trust and support. And also, I want to thank Greg and Leslie for all of the years of support I've felt from them here at Tazahara. So thank them very much. I'm so happy to be here. And I'm so happy you're all here, too. This is... As you've heard from others, you've heard from Leslie and you'll probably hear from Greg when he talks and such.

[01:03]

This is such a special time, the energy and the companionship. And it's great to come back and renew friendships and make new friendships, people I haven't met before. And it's heartening and exciting. The hard part is always sometimes putting the names you know, the faces you know, and it's like those lists, you know, in the quizzes. And if you had the names, it'd be easier to place them with the faces, but you usually see the face before the name comes to mind. So it's a good exercise. We all are contributing our energy to all of this activity, and it feels really good. And it's helping Tazahara go through this utter transformation. I mean, just a week and a half ago, this was a silent place of practice with monks only. for previous six months. And now we're getting ready to open the doors, have hundreds of people coming through to do nothing or something or go to a teaching or a yoga class or whatever.

[02:11]

And as... A number of us describe it as you end up with these two parallel universes operating in the same valley, and they're not on the same schedule except where everybody comes together for morning and evening zazen and an occasional talk or some other event. But, you know, we pass each other, and there's all this support and just tremendous labor and hard work to make it happen. And it's important for Zen Center, and it's an important way... to share our lifestyle, to share our practice, to share these ideas with people who may come and have come for decades and decades or people who are just being introduced. And it's a wonderful gift to give the world. I'm just curious, who is here for the first time for work period? Oh, quite a few. And who is here for the first time who's going to work through the summer? More returnees. Great. Well, welcome, everybody. Coming together in this community, we're guided by Zen practices, including Zazen meditation, Buddhist services, periods of silence, and working with functional speech.

[03:26]

We're going to be preparing to open the kitchen to a whole different set of offerings. food in the kitchen, serving the guests in the dining room, bussing tables, providing housekeeping services, making innumerable beds, cleaning innumerable bathrooms, keeping the bathhouse fresh and comfortable, and maintaining the physical plant, as well as getting to the Zendo. On top of all the work you're doing, you're getting to the Zendo early in the morning by the second roll down. So there's a lot of challenges facing everybody here. It's a challenging environment and it's a challenging commitment to uphold and I applaud everybody who's taking it on. I had one set of talk prepared and then I came across a book that was left on a table in the dining room and read just an opening piece and I couldn't get it out of my head because it's so wonderful. So I kind of rearranged some things so I'll be going back and forth between a couple of sets of papers.

[04:30]

But it also reminded me of the exchange between Buddha and Ananda. Because here we are in this closed community. In generic terms, it's an intentional community. We're living together, we're eating together, we're bathing together, we're sleeping maybe just a bare wall apart. We're showing up together. There's nowhere to go. It's not like you can wander off into another part of the town or something. And so that creates a lot of sometimes friction. There's the metaphor about stones. We bump into each other and some of those little rough places get smoothed out, but there can be tension, there can be argument, there can be difficulty happening in that process and how we work with it. And to remember, in essence, Ananda asked the Buddha, Hey Buddha, our spiritual friendships, that's like 50% of what this practice is about, right? And Buddha looked back and said,

[05:33]

Nonananda, sorry. Spiritual friendship is everything it's about. It's 100% of what our practice is about. And that's what we're cultivating here. And then I found this quote at the beginning of a book by Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara, who's the abbot of the village Zendo in New York City. They're a Maizumi white plum lineage. And they're actually not in the village anymore. They're on Broadway between Prince and Spring Street. So if you're in New York, Go check them out as well as the Brooklyn Zen Do. So there's this at the beginning of her book called Most Intimate, A Zen Approach to Life's Challenges. The 42nd ancestor, Ryozan Enkan, remember we chant that name in the morning, was the attendant to the 41st ancestor, Doan Kanji, and carried his role for him. There was a moment in which his teacher needed to put on his robe, so Rozan Enkan handed the robe to him.

[06:38]

Doan Kanchi said to his disciple, What is the business under the patched robe? You know, the patched robes are Rakasus, Arokesa. or anything you're carrying with you as a lay or an ordained practitioner. It's metaphorical, but there's a whole history behind the patched robe, but that's what represents us as disciples of the Buddha. What is this business under the patched robe? His student had no answer. The teacher said, To wear this robe and not understand the great matter is the greatest suffering. You ask me, So the student asked the teacher, what is the business under the patched robe? The teacher said, intimacy, intimacy. This was the moment when the 42nd ancestor broke through. He bowed to his teacher in great gratitude and his tears flowed.

[07:44]

The teacher asked, what have you understood? Can you express it? He said, what is the matter under the robe? Intimacy. His teacher said, intimacy and even greater intimacy. We're practicing together. We're living together. We're polishing the stones. It's very intimate. So here are some thoughts that I've shared before for... how we approach what we're doing this summer especially, and it carries over in other parts of life. How we work together, how this intimacy can function, how we can be side by side, and how we can develop our spiritual friendships. Some of this is the useful practical part that I promised this morning. It really is important to show up, follow the schedule, and to support each other.

[08:50]

Because if you're showing up to support others, they're showing up to support you. And yes, the schedule can be challenging. Take care of your body. Make time to exercise, stretch, and avail yourselves of body worker services that will be coming through here to provide assistance to student workers over the summer. And those who are not living here and going on in outside functions, remember to take care of your body. And it can be a challenge when there are other demands on your time and other demands on your energy. But there's a lot of conversation you'll have in Zen studies about body-mind. This is all what we've got right now. So take care of it. It's a precious, precious treasure. There are classes coming back here. There are classes and discussion groups that will be meeting during the summer. You heard the announcement of the Dogen after dinner group that meets periodically in the Kaisando to discuss Dogen fascicles.

[09:57]

There are also other groups and conversations that are led by students. Check them out. Participate in them. It'll be an opportunity to learn something and see what you think about it and how you want to pursue things. When you need help, instruction or guidance, ask an appropriate person. It's not unusual to need help. Lots of things come up. Come up in zazen, come up in interactions on cruise, come up in just the environment that many people are not used to. Ask an appropriate person, which may not be the person you've developed the best friendship with, but maybe it's a practice leader. It's the tanto. It may initially be your crew chief. Find your way to getting a conversation with an appropriate person if you feel you need some help. You're not alone. Establish a practice relationship and have discussions with practice leaders.

[11:00]

They'll be announcing who all the practice leaders are who will be here over the summer. And it's a good way to get ideas about your practice, thoughts that come up, questions you may have. sharing those conversations, we all learn something. Ask to see visiting teachers who offer dokasan when they come to lead retreats. They don't all, but some do. And there'll be an announcement about that and they'll indicate who the jisha is for that person to take names. Typically, at least when Norman has done that, It's been during morning or evening zazen, but there may be other options. So it's a way to, if you're feeling drawn or you're deepening your practice, to have a conversation with other teachers who come through here. When retreat instructors offer a talk, which isn't unusual either, usually a couple of nights a week, in lieu of zazen here, or sometimes it's done in the dining room, a talk will be given. Try to attend some. I know you can be tired. It might be an evening like, I really want to be asleep at 8 o'clock.

[12:02]

But short of something really difficult, try to attend some because it's an opportunity to gain information or gain inspiration or ask some questions in exchanges. So another way of approaching this is something that some of you have heard me talk about before too, which is the instructions to the cook. the Dogen fascicle called Tenzo Kyokun, and particularly that part which talks about joy, kindness, and acceptance. And if you go through the kitchen, or if you're in the kitchen, you'll see above the altar there are little blocks. They go joyful mind, kind mind, and big mind. So joyful mind is one of gratefulness and buoyancy. This is from Uchiyama Roshi's translation. It's the mind that rejoices and he states that to achieve a joyful mind is to become clearly aware of the significance of the function and then to pour all your life energy into the work itself.

[13:15]

It's just hard and at times painful work. Throwing all your passion for life into that work That is what it means to have a joyful mind. A kind or parental or grandparental mind is functioning with the attitude of a parent or grandparent, seeing all the people and events we encounter in our lives as our children, looking after water and grain in the context of the kitchen or shop and gardening tools, cleaning and bathhouse supplies, whatever you come in contact with, that you're engaged with in the work practice, taking that up with compassionate care. Big mind or great mind is the attitude of magnanimity, a mind like a great mountain or ocean, without partiality or exclusivity, being willing to accept and face whatever comes up.

[14:20]

Some of you have heard a reference that I've made to taking off from those three, which is refrigerator mind, which is the way I often cook at home, and I gather some other people do too. You open the refrigerator and take a look at what you've got and work with it. It can also apply to what you do in crews and what you do in the business world. If you have a project or an assignment or you're working with another set of employees, What have you got to work with? What's your budget? What are the time constraints? What are the milestones? What are the deadlines? What are the resources? What do you have to work with? And is there any other resource that can be brought in? And regardless of that, you need to work with it. And that can create challenges. But taking that up with a joyful mind and an open mind and calm and compassion for others can make a big difference. because we have some other things to do here tonight.

[15:29]

Where's my watch? It's in here somewhere. Does anybody have a watch they can hand me? Oh, here it is. Good. Luciano also reflects that it seems like that to really understand Dogen's remarks on joyful mind, we have to ask ourselves in just what direction our lives are heading. What are we trying to do with our lives? And what should we really be doing? For me, this also resonates with a comment that some of you may be familiar with from Jane Hirshfield in Buddhism in Seven Words. Everything changes. Everything is connected. Pay attention. And in one reference I saw her say, and actually you could just go to the pay attention.

[16:36]

If we ask ourselves what direction our lives are heading, what we're trying to do and are doing, we need to pay attention to our intentions and the connections that we have, the causes and the effects. Now, let's ask ourselves, what inspired you to spend this time at Tazahara? What are you doing here, whether it's for the work period or the summer or as a continuing resident? Showing up and making a commitment to benefit Tazahara and the summer guests and all the other beings that are around here, what does it mean to sign on for weeks or months of work? and practice in this canyon, creating community, living together in close company.

[17:43]

No email, no internet, no Facebook, not such a bad thing, no Twitter, an idiosyncratic phone booth, vegetarian food without toast or ice cream, following the schedule, working and sitting together in silence, and chanting together even when we don't know the words. With all the activity this work period and through the summer, remember to take one step at a time. Pay attention to the task at hand. Develop skills such as virtue, concentration, and discernment, and remember to breathe. It's important to cultivate kindness, compassion, and care. Remember, we make mistakes along the way.

[18:44]

It's easy to step on a toe even if your best intention is to work calmly and quietly and in the best Zen composure. Keep apologies and forgiveness nearby and exercise them. So, now we're going to have a little conversation. What I'll ask you to do is turn to one or two people nearby, depending upon how people cluster, and I'll give you a little conversation subject to share for a while. And an easy way to do this, even if you've never done it again, is that you'll find the people you talk with. I'll give a little bell. A little Pavlovian. We know about the bell. We'll pause for a moment. And then... One person will talk, and I'll give you, oh, probably three or four minutes.

[19:44]

Then I'll be another little bell, and you just stop for a moment and exchange, and the other person will talk for another three or four minutes. And I'll give you a couple of ideas. We're talking about, what are we doing here? And maybe it'd be easier to try, if you can't do it in twos, but you like here, it'd be easier to do three. just nearby. So do that for a moment and then I'll ring a bell and I'll give you a subject. Okay. Okay. So probably the easiest conversation might be, what inspired you to spend this time at Tazahara?

[20:48]

Are you coming from something? Are you coming to something? Are you sustaining a practice or a lifestyle that you're trying? If you have other thoughts related to things you've heard, like beginner's mind or joyful mind or kind mind or grandparental mind, big mind, does that bring something up for you? Or if you have something else you'd like to share, You can raise that too. So it's kind of open. You have a few minutes and I'll let you have another bell. I've got a lot of facts.

[22:09]

Can you hear that? I'm so excited to meet Jeff. I'm going to ask that I won't do any problem with things. Are you sure? I think it's better. What do you mean? What do you mean? What do you mean? What person is that? No. No. So then in a moment, the person who wasn't talking...

[23:33]

has their chance, and the other person can listen. What's the reason? And, uh, so, look at my, the person, they, I was, [...]

[24:43]

It's been close to the center of the other side. The burdens of whatever the system, irregularly the other thing. It's good for you. [...] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But if you want to speak to it, there is a lot of people who are listening to it.

[26:06]

Tell me, you know, I think what that was the same, but it was so interesting. There's a lot of people who are listening to it. You know, you're listening to it. You're [...] listening to it. ... [...] So, Does anybody have something they'd like to share? Do they have a question about that they learned about themselves or others?

[27:10]

Yeah? I'm sorry? Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot about that. Okay, let's take another couple of minutes. People, sorry. I didn't, yeah. Thank you. People who have had two can just have a little continued conversation. Didn't realize there weren't any threes. Thank you. Thank you.

[28:29]

Thank you. Thank you. There you go. ... [...]

[29:43]

You know, always you don't need to be done. There you go. You know, you're playing as a book. Watch them. I'm very looking for a shark. No, we are. You know, bump us up there. . [...] So apologies to third persons. Are there any comments or anything somebody would like to ask or share? Thoughts?

[30:44]

Yes, Kevin. I really love working with you and I've learned a lot. Oh, I wasn't expecting that. Thank you. We've got another two weeks to go. Thank you, dear. Anything else about what you've heard or the conversations you're having? I hope something came out of it for you. The basic thing is to remember a lot of time people talk about practice and they're talking about zazen and they're talking about sitting in this endo, which is wonderful. And especially sitting with just all the people around here and the silence. It always feels very profound. And the birds coming through or the frogs kind of making their sounds. The practice is also how you take that experience out with you. The folks in the kitchen have heard us say, you know, this is how you practice. Focus, quiet, calm, careful, considerate.

[31:53]

all over. It can work in the business world. It can work in the Zen communities. It can work in community interactions you may have with friends and others. So that's the crux of the idea here. The various aspects of spiritual and camaraderie friendships and how we function near each other and all the ways we bump up against each other and learn from each other. So we'll have the closing chant, and then if everybody wants to stand and take a standing bow, we'll close with the refuges. Okay? Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. 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, visit sfcc.org and click Giving.

[32:52]

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