90 days of peaceful abiding. 90 days of continuing engagement in an aspiration. To see, to hear and to practice the self. To see, to hear and to practice the self. Buddha zu sehen, zu hören und zu praktizieren. Not just to try to understand Buddha's activity. but to notice and to settle in Buddha's activity in each of us.

[01:06]

And in all of us together. both continually making a structure for practice. And as Ru Jing said, at the same time carving a cave in emptiness. Continually doing something. And in the midst of the doing, as best we're able to let go of any doing. simply tending to body and mind in each arising moment by moment.

[02:40]

So from the outside it looks like there's a beginning and an end to practice period. But as Dogen observes, for those of us that are intimately involved with practice period, We're covered with beginning and ending all along. This is moment by moment practice. Somebody mentioned to me, there are five days of practice period left. In my younger days I might have thrown them out the window.

[04:01]

Literally. But I've retrained. Baker Roshi has helped me to retrain myself. I've been willing to retrain myself. Then there's something true in what they're saying. But it doesn't have very much to do with how we practice together. The Dharma is obscure in predictive consciousness. It's radiant and bright in our moment-by-moment awareness. So what is Buddha's activity?

[05:32]

What is Buddha's functioning in us? Dogen says, Buddha's activity is an activity that has been given to us. Suzuki Roshi called it Buddha's gift. Buddha gave us this gift. And it begins with accepting Buddha's gift. receiving Buddha's gift. And the only time we can do that is now.

[06:37]

We can't make a reservation for three days from now to receive Buddha's gift. Buddha's functioning and activity. It's not subject to our linear way of being with the way, excuse me, it's not subject to our linear way. Our predictive emotional consciousness. some idea of what we're doing some idea we're doing it right or some idea we're doing it wrong simply to receive this moment of functioning as we are and as we are together Einfach diesen Augenblick des Funktionierens, des Wirkens, so wie wir sind und so wie wir miteinander sind, zu empfangen.

[08:04]

Als ein Geschenk von Buddha. Und das geht eigentlich nicht darum, dass wir es verstehen. not leading with a desire to understand it. Some idea we may have about Buddha's activity will not change our life. irgendeine Vorstellung, die wir von Buddhas Aktivität haben, wird unser Leben nicht verändern. Ein Gewahrsein davon, das sich durch uns hindurch bewegt, das kann unser Leben verändern. Kann sogar diese Welt verändern. In diesem Augenblick vollkommen. A gift that's been given to us.

[09:29]

This simple moment-by-moment practice. It was maybe in August before 1971, several months before Susie Kirschi died. And after a lecture at Page Street, there was question and answer with those new heavy teacups that were hard to break. And somebody said, you know, you talk about all these things. When you're sitting Zazen, what do you do? What do you do? Whether it was true or not, I could feel his body change. Because it was almost like he couldn't think about what he did.

[10:43]

And he said, I follow my breath. Not I cavort with cosmic Buddhas in the myriad heavenly realms. Nicht, ich versammle mich mit kosmischen Buddhas in den sieben Himmelsreichen. Covert, I said to gather or to convene, is it different? No, covert means to dance and play. Also, ich tanze oder spiele nicht mit den Buddhas. continually beginning practice again. It means not having some idea of what our practice is exactly.

[11:47]

Reaching around in the night, maybe we can aim toward it. Sometimes teachings are called mud balls. It's a The Bodhisattva living with us in the weeds. Continually leaking. Buddhas don't lean. Even when they lean, they're not leaning. Bodhisattvas are always leaning. That's why Dalai Lama's posture is so terrible.

[13:12]

He constantly, I met him twice, he does this. Literally he does this. He leans right into you. The intimacy of meeting each thing. Zhuang Sha, the teacher who instructed the monk to enter at the sound of the creek.

[14:17]

Zhuang Sha, the teacher who instructed the monk to enter at the sound of the creek. Who kept the same old koromo and put paper underneath it because it had worn through. He was known for teaching that the entire world in the ten directions is one bright pearl. A monk came to him and said, you're always saying the entire universe is one bright pearl. How do you understand? And Zhuang Sha said, the entire universe is one bright pearl. How do you function in understanding?

[15:30]

How are you entering a living gate of practice? Commenting on this, Dogen says, fixed ideas about practice are like drowning in a sea of poison. Drowning in a sea of poison. Mrs. Huangbo, as we talked about earlier in practice period, fixed ideas are the death of reality.

[16:50]

The death of reality. So Zhuangzi is saying don't call it the entire world in ten directions. He's saying, call it one bright pearl. How do you function in this way? Not what do you think about it. Not your ideas about it.

[18:01]

Not your theories and conceptualizations about it. How to function in an unpredictable aliveness. The one bright pearl we already are. And the world in the ten directions. And the one bright pearl. Are not separate. When living itself is the friend, lovers disappear.

[19:18]

And at the same time, simultaneously, there's the particularity that's continually arising. This moment uniquely as it is which includes each of us uniquely as we are including our emotional and predictive consciousness So Zhuangzi is not saying the entire world in the ten directions is one bright pearl, except for your predictive consciousness and your emotional consciousness.

[20:20]

How do you function in a feeling that on each moment all of us together and each of us are one bright pearl? Not so much what we understand, but how do we function with our understanding? It's not that the Bodhisattva becomes skilled at reaching back and grabbing pillows.

[21:24]

The Bodhisattva may become skilled at that. But it's more functioning in a field of connection and care. To take a step is to step into and make a Buddha field. Einen Schritt zu machen bedeutet, in etwas hineinzutreten und ein Buddha-Feld zu erschaffen. Wie ist es, wenn wir auf diese Weise funktionieren? Dann treten wir nicht mehr in den Schlamm und ins Unkraut ein. Each moment becomes a living gate, our own aliveness.

[22:34]

Entire universe is one bright Das ganze Universum ist eine helle Perle. Wie funktionieren wir miteinander mit diesem Verständnis? Vielen Dank. We love you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you from the bottom of our hearts.

[23:32]

@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_75.63