Even in a hundred thousand million Gopas, having it to see and listen to, to remember and accept Gopas, I vow to taste the truth of the Tathagata's words. Good morning. David, could you close those doors? Thanks. I'd like to start this morning by belaboring some of the points I made yesterday.

[01:24]

The process of practice is a kind of a mystery. The fundamental points are not that hard to understand. And yet when we fully engage them, it's almost like they become a mystery. Be in the moment, okay? But when you start to sit in Sazen and try to do that all day, the variety of things that can happen to your body and mind is astounding. So be in the moment becomes... challenging, mysterious proposition. In some ways, all the lore and teachings of Buddhism are just attempts to facilitate that. So that's my justification for belaboring what I said.

[02:50]

I mentioned the relationship between our habits and how our karmic life generates our habits, engage in our habits, regenerates the identities of body and mind, emotions that we And engaging the schedule with thoroughness helps to dissipate that. Especially in Soto Zen, you can't overemphasize engaging the details of practice. It's always a bit of a dilemma, you know, as leading a Shashin and knowing how for many people it's an extraordinarily challenging and difficult and bewildering experience how in the midst of that to emphasize, please do this precisely.

[04:17]

Do each activity. When you're at a lecture, sit up straight, as straight as you would when you're in the Zendo. And by the way, when you're in the Zen dome, sit up straight. Keep your attention as fully engaged as you can, moment after moment. And let the particulars of the forms carry you into that engagement. When the gong ends, the end soji. With the moment you hear it, that's the moment to adjust. Wrap up what you're doing. Doesn't matter if it's done, we'll come back to it tomorrow.

[05:20]

So from one frame of mind, It seems a little frivolous to get that particular, but actually it really has a power. It really helps to emphasize this shift from habit energy to allowing the moment to define what is. Come back to this kind of engagement with a gentle persistence. Which is not an easy combination. Sometimes gentle feels like, okay, I can do gentle. I'll put my knees up. I'll relax. Maybe I'll skip this period and go and rest a little bit. You know?

[06:26]

But there's something about staying close to the edge. There's something about realizing that habit energy defines reality. And that cutting through or going beyond habit energy redefines reality. So maybe in a more usual way, gentle leans us back towards, not necessarily, but often leans us back towards some wonderful thing called taking care of ourselves. And persistence leans us towards some harsh thing called following the schedule. what is that combination?

[07:34]

So, in a way, it's a work in progress, day after day, maybe period after period. What is that combination? Each time you sit, okay, here's who I am, here's what my body is, this period of Zazan, appropriate response, appropriate engagement in this state of being. And to recognize that this shifting has its own tendency towards disturbance. Habit energy is our best effort at being alive. Look, we're still alive.

[08:41]

It's working. Disrupting it is disturbing. And in this great challenge of meeting the disturbance with the Dharma eye, Seeing disturbance as the grind of practice. Whether the disturbance is a raging emotion or just a subtle self-preferencing. I'm just going to do this. So this is why it's helpful to stress fundamentals, because this shift from being inside our story to seeing our story as the ground of practice, this is a very crucial transition and a very tricky one.

[10:08]

And then the other thing I mentioned was a formulation that comes up in the early teachings, the Buddhist canon, on mindfulness, acknowledge, contact, engage, release. even just to be able to name. There's a way in which when our story comes up, we enter into the waters of that story and we swim around inside it. And, you know, the analogy used in the sutras is the fish doesn't know the water. You know, we're so inside our story and we're so involved in it It's not my story, this is reality.

[11:22]

So the naming, even though it might just be a mental exercise, it helps us to touch the surface of the water. Rather than be immersed in it, we're just touching it. And that naming can be as matter of fact, as non-judgmental, as straightforward. And that naming, that acknowledging, it guides the contact. To remind ourselves time after time, every experience offers a moment of awakening.

[12:46]

Every experience offers a moment that can be addressed as something other than my likes and dislikes, than my karmic patterns of experiencing. It offers that experience. So that's what I was trying to say yesterday. And then as a little dessert, I offered that poem that comes at the end of the koan. Oh, I also mentioned the koan about wayseeking mind as a way to describe this. Interchange between Nansen and Joshu. And then the koan in the Mugman Khan that comes at the end. Spring flowers, winter snow,

[13:54]

summer breeze autumn something or other yes autumn moon thank you spring flowers autumn moon summer breeze winter snow when engaged directly this season has its own virtue you know this season is the season. Give us a little encouragement. So today I'd like to talk about start where you are. And of course, there's a famous Irish joke about this, which whether you've heard it or not, I'm going to tell you again.

[15:02]

So someone's visiting Ireland from the States, and they're driving around in the countryside, visiting places like Alkna Kloy in Baligal Martin, And they get hopelessly lost. And they see a farmer and they pull up to the farmer and they say, how do you get to Dublin? The farmer thinks, hmm, hmm, maybe? No. Hmm, hmm, no. The farmer says, you know, if I was going to Dublin, I wouldn't start from here. And of course, this is an old Buddhist joke about how we relate to our karmic experience.

[16:18]

We sort of think, no, no, you can't start practicing with this state of body and mind. You have to have a different one. Well, guess what? You got the one you got. And if you're going to get to Dublin, you're going to go from here. So how to settle into here? How to let here be here? How to see that every moment is right here? Believe it or not, that's my intro to this column that we were talking about yesterday, the second one. Sin Master Boucher was fanning himself. A monk approached and said, Teacher, the nature of wind is permanent and there's no place it doesn't reach. Why then do you fan yourself? Although you understand that the nature of wind is permanent, Boucher replied, you do not understand the meaning of its reaching everywhere.

[17:24]

What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere? The monk asked. The master just kept finding himself. The monk bowed deeply. Dogen says, the actualization of the Buddha Dharma, the vital path of correct transmission, is like this. Wind is activity. Something's going on. There's always something going on. You know, whether like young men, you want to call it the golden wind. Or just wind. Whether you want to turn it into samsara. and say there's always something going wrong.

[18:29]

Either way, there's something going on right here. There's always something going on right here. something going on in the process of liberation is this relationship between the determination of our karma and seeing it with our Dharma eye or seeing it with Dharma eye nobody can be our own Dharma eye as a personal possession How can what's going on be related to as that interface, as that exchange?

[19:43]

Both are necessary to awaken. What does the dharma eye see? The dharma eye sees the activity of karma. in the Dharmakaya there is just undifferentiated being and the nature of karma is that it's everywhere there's always something going on how is it awakened how is it realized How is it engaged with Dharma I? The monk asks the teacher. The teacher doesn't quote him a sutra, doesn't quote him a koan, doesn't subject him to having to sit in a Buddha hall, listen to a lecture.

[21:02]

No, those were the good old days. All he did was wait his friend. Now, in the map of the age, in the age of decline, you're forced to sit and listen. As a wonderful educator in New York, was said that forcing children to sit still and listen to teachers is completely misguided way to try to educate them. Maybe this is in prison students. Anyway, too bad. Here you are. The teacher just fans. What is it to experience directly?

[22:14]

Can thoughts and ideas facilitate it? Is it helpful to remember what you hear in a Dharma talk and think about it as you continue your day in Sushin? Maybe we could refine the question and say, what would it be to take those ideas and concepts and have them stimulate and guide the engagement of practicing with the moment? It's like the teacher's fanning himself and saying, maybe it's not about you knowing more, maybe it's about you knowing less and experiencing more.

[23:21]

But the teacher Apparently, even though he knows this, and we all know this, like all the rest of this, gets caught up in words. Although you understand that the nature of wind is permanent, Bao Chi replied, you don't understand the meaning of its reaching everyone. So having led the monk into The monk keeps going. What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere? What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere? What is the meaning that the Dharma eye can see every karmic experience as the opportunity of awakening?

[24:49]

And of course, here meaning doesn't reach what's being implied. The word meaning, what is the meaning of it reaching everywhere? It's more like... does that happen how does a person how does a karmic being do that how in the midst of your stories and your self-involvement and perpetuating the world according to self how does the light of the Dharma shine on the arising experience of and reveal the path of liberation. How does that come about? What is it to practice? What is it to do, Zazen? Every time we sit down on our cushion, we pick up the call on what is Zazen?

[25:59]

What is it to be in the moment? In one hand, we know it Intellectually, be present. What else? What's the fuss? Why say anything more? But then what is it to actualize that? What way to engage the body? How much attention to place in your posture? How often to return to the position of your hips, your lower back, your chest, your thumbs, tension in the muscles in your jaw, sensation of breathing in your diaphragm, the rise and fall of your abdomen. How much attention to attribute to

[27:08]

the ambient suns. How much to... Good one. To just note whatever arises even when it's utterly unexpected. To let it happen, and let it fall away. What is that disposition? So the monk brings that to birth. Hey, every moment is available for practice, but what is it to realize that?

[28:10]

So in Chisheen, we play a trick on ourselves. Even though our karmic stories are vitally and desperately important to us. We pretend that what we really care about is sitting Zazen. We pretend that how to sit Zazen is much more interesting than the stories we have about ourselves and our life. And the teacher just finds himself. Could there possibly be a formulation, a strategy, a cookbook, a prescription that could encompass the amazing diversity, multiplicity, complexity of human being human?

[29:25]

Just engage each moment. Just meet it. Just acknowledge it, make contact, engage, release. I'm sorry, I can't give you a prescription that fits every state of being that you're capable of. Not to say there isn't skillfulness. Of course there's skillfulness. Not to say that diligence in our effort doesn't have an efficacy. Of course it does. That's included in the fanning. The delicacy of our effort is everything's already itself and our effort is to go beyond clinging to it.

[30:53]

So in the cycle of consciousness, we dip into our story We swim around in those waters of juicy forgetfulness. And then we come up forever. In that moment of awareness, to just acknowledge. If you have no memory of the waters of forgetfulness that preceded it, acknowledge that. What's the state of body that that created, that has left over? Is there a lingering emotion? And to let that contact re-establish contact with body and breath.

[32:06]

So especially in the second day of sashimi, this process of touch and release, touch and release, touch, release, return to now. This is the fanning of the second day. It becomes like a mantra. Just quietly, persistently. Touch and release. Return to body, return to breath. And Doga Zenji says, the actualization of awakening to the Dharma of liberation.

[33:18]

The vital path of its correct transmission of discovering this direct way beyond words and ideas is activated in the engagement. often in the second day of Sushin, we're in the throes of a significant transition. And our body and mind have a lot of complaining to do. I remember once going for an interview, and as I was sitting there in front of the teacher, I realized, well, this is what I thought.

[34:28]

I don't know if it was a realization or not. I thought, this person, the teacher, isn't really interested in empathizing with my self-pity, I felt. I had lots to complain about. And I realized, this person's not interested in empathizing with my self-pity. They're only interested in facilitating liberation. It's all kind of offended. But, wow, gee, that's not very nice. What about me? Can you show me a little love? A little empathy, sympathy? So in relating to ourselves.

[35:45]

Sometimes if we lean too much into persistence, our practice becomes harsh and discouraging. Sometimes if we lean too much into the gentleness, our practice becomes a little too soft and mushy. Where's the balance? What's it look like? What's it feel like? What is it to meet where you're at in a way that something in you softens, that something in you feels a rising resolve? Okay, this is what I came to do and this is what I'm going to do. Not a statement that you grit your teeth and say, but more something deep loosens and some sense of quiet dedication is stirred up.

[37:09]

This is part of the calling of fanning yourself. How to bring that forth. How to stay close to that. Not too harsh and persistent. Not too mushy and soft in the gentleness. Somewhere in the middle. If you say you don't need to fan yourself because the nature of wind is permanent and you can have wind without fanning, you'll neither understand, you'll understand neither permanence nor the nature of wind. You'll neither realize that everything is the ground of the Dharma, nor understand

[38:32]

to let that realization become so. So having the idea, if it separates us from the actualizing, from the practice, we miss both of those. Can it turn us back? So maybe it's okay to have our ideas. and let them turn us back to the practice. But let me end by saying also diligence in the details. Try not to come like Try to attend to the details and the particulars.

[39:37]

Try to notice the sound you make as you walk in the Zendo. Try to notice which foods stir up desire, which ones stir up aversion, And which ones are neutral? Acknowledging, noting. When acknowledging is strong, each experience that's noted becomes itself. And the karmic habit of associating it with the context of our... of our being starts to be loosened up. It's just itself. Thank you very much.

[40:56]

May our intention deeply extend through every being and place, whether through God.

[41:14]

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