I guess you may have realized that what you are and what you are sitting among can't be easily defined. One question is to call each of us to call ourselves and to call others bodhisattvas. And what usefulness is it to imagine that we're not... That we are imaginable but not understandable.

[01:10]

And that others are imaginable perhaps in various ways but not understandable. And the word bodhi is bodhi. Bodhisattva. And the word Bodhi, which is contained in the word Bodhisattva, is also from the root B-U-D-H, bud, also for Buddha. That is also in the root, the word is bud, also for Buddha. And it means simply awake. or awakening or aware or knowing or understanding and all of those are of course a little different when we try to categorize with language

[02:12]

an experience, but it's not easy to categorize. So, Sattva is spelled with two Ts. means existence or one who exists and will it spell with one T, Sattva? It means the heroic one. Or in our sangha, the she-roic one. So... It's both existence and being. So it's the one who exists in the awareness of or through enlightenment.

[03:50]

But literally what you're awake to and aware of and awake within is the direct experience of interdependence. It's the direct experience of interdependence. or interior emergence. So this means you're awake and aware within. that goes beyond understanding. That you actually experience yourself as a flow of momentary independence. Proust describes them so.

[04:55]

as a group of people all marching forward in the same direction but sometimes one is more predominant than the other and sometimes some of the group notice some things and some of the group notice other things And that there's only one person is an illusion. That's useful. Useful, but somewhat delusional. So, practice was, whoever we are historically when we review the moments of our lives

[06:20]

But at the same time. Or Bodhisattva. There are several kinds of Bodhisattvas advancing together. Or hesitant together. Anyway, my point is that the concept of the Bodhisattva is a dynamic one which we can incorporate, relate to, which we can not just add to our group of beings proceeding to us, but we can strongly emphasize this possibility.

[07:44]

But we can join with this possibility. Even transpose ourselves within the concept of Bodhisattva. I think transpose in music is to put the same notes in a different key or something like that. So maybe you sing or play your concept of yourself in the key of the Bodhisattva song.

[08:54]

And of course how it already is somehow what we're doing. But if Bodhi is the process of awakening to and being awake within interdependence, Then it behooves one to... Means to put force... It benefits one to do so. To see to what degree you can immerse yourself in independence, in the awareness of independence.

[10:10]

And understanding doesn't work. Repetition might work. Because independence is a moment by moment. functions within the momentariness of immediacy. So you have to somehow enter your own experience into the momentariness of immediacy. And repetition can do this. And again, you can say, just take the word independence.

[11:31]

or variations into independence, into emergence, or whatever strikes you in German. Because whatever word you choose, right? your accumulated usage and experience of this word will be folded into the word. Which is built into the common practice of And naming allows a re-examination of the familiar.

[12:59]

very commonly the familiar is the disguise for what we do not know and not understand. So to penetrate the familiar with a repetition on each appearance In this case of interdependence. not even a description, it's more just a naming, interdependence, whatever you say to yourself. Until you can't have a sensorial experience.

[14:21]

without the concept of interdependence. Accompanying the person. So this is like Alice in Bodhisattva Land. All you need is a little key to the door. Sometimes the door is small, sometimes it's big. Sometimes you're too big for the door. But he just said independent. So here we are with this big concept of the teaching of Buddhism. Bodhisattva.

[15:39]

And here we are with this great concept, this extraordinary concept of Buddhism, the Bodhisattva. And the Buddha himself in the Pali Canon refers to himself as, when I was an unenlightened Bodhisattva. And the Buddha himself in the Pali Canon as, when I was an unenlightened Bodhisattva. Meaning, I was bound. And that means, All of that we can enter into through the knowing that bodhi means awaken to independence. And the only way you can awaken yourself to interdependence is to bring that awareness moment by moment into each moment. Now, just to prove that I don't know what I'm doing.

[16:52]

I came here thinking, okay, we'll start with small groups. It was so nice to see your faces and think of you as Bodhisattvas that I began with. So why don't we break into small groups? Usually you're in charge there. Yeah. And I would suggest you look at three things.

[18:06]

Sorry to you, but that's my suggestion. In our discussion, which is really about how we relate to ourselves and others, What has happened or occurred that's most relevant for you? What is most surprising? And what is most not understandable? Surprising, relevant, not understandable. And after about, I don't know, one hour or something, you can have a break.

[19:09]

And I also changed lunch to 12.30. It's okay. Yeah. So I'll see you in a little while. Thank you. It's just amazing how you translate all this stuff. I can barely say it. Thank you. Here we go. So I would like to know what was relevant, what was surprising and what was not understandable.

[20:23]

So in our group, among other things, what was talked about was how can things be paradoxically alongside each other. And how can they at the same time be permanently continuously in interdependence? So, on the one side, interdependence is a fact. Cause and effect, yes. No, it's an effect.

[21:32]

It's a fact. A fact, yes, it's a fact. Oh, I'm glad you recognize that. I'm glad you recognized that. But this paradoxical side of things also means that things are, so to speak, unapproachable at the same time. But on the other hand, things being paratactical alongside each other means that they are also independent. So my question would be, how can these two different concepts go together? These are interrelated, right?

[22:35]

This belongs on top of that, right? But if I put that there and that there, They're not obviously interrelated anymore. I've reduced the relationship. I've subtracted relationships. And they're still interdependent in their history. although this has a different history than that in terms of craft and they're both resting on this and in that sense they're interdependent but we can also say they're paratactic We're not emphasizing the connectivity.

[23:44]

Okay? I mean, these are ideas. If you take the ideas and you try to relate ideas to ideas, you have problems. But if you experientially relate an idea to an experiential relationship, then... Okay. Someone else? Yes. Yes. So this is, from my case, that's a little bit too, not enough mystic involved in that. Not enough mysticism? Yes, mysticism. Involved in which?

[24:44]

The example. That I made? Yes. Okay. So you bring in the mysticism proof. So it brings stupidity mystic in. I am very fascinated by this paradox of being connected at the same time being independent and I would like to enjoy and to indulge in this fascination more. So I don't find a German word for paratextical.

[25:48]

And actually I'm not quite sure whether I know what it really means. But I have an image like in movies by Kurosawa, how he in his movies showed how rooms were created and developed over time. And there are certain scenes in his movies where two different scenes are happening seemingly but actually independent of each other. In a room, for example, in a room, inside a room, inside a room, inside a room, and through the window you see another scene.

[27:01]

And he is emphasizing that this independence of the scenes and of the cathedrals and at the same time being connected that you see one scene and the other scene you see through the window. ... And by this skillful directing and showing it, So and he's pointing by showing it in this skillful way, he's pointing at and emphasizing this paradox of interrelatedness and independence existing at the same time.

[28:19]

What fascinates me is the idea of what is being written about. So I'm fascinated by this idea, by this idea which is pointing at, by this way of showing it. Is this understandable? Yes, I think so. Okay. Well, I believe that the concept paratactic, which is in English spelled with a T, not a D, and some people are saying paradactic, which is paradoxical, but anyway. I don't know how it's spelled in German, but anyway. I think the term, the concept, first came to people's awareness at least as far as I know, through the movies of Eisenstein.

[29:36]

And he developed the technique of like he'd have a forest and the next scene is crying women. And you make the connection, but he doesn't say what the connection is, but there's an implication. What if we refer to the five skandhas as a process of entering meditation? You start with consciousness, deciding to sit, sitting down, etc. And then the fourth skandha is associative mind or associative space. And then there are associations.

[30:45]

And they may be paratactic or probably not. But the more you experience the space itself, the more the images or content float free of association and that experience or particularly the third skanda percept only I'm referring to more as paratactic And when that's more paratactic, there's more possibilities of how they might relate. So I'm only using it in that sense. But what does that have to do though with your becoming a bodhisattva?

[31:53]

Or already being a bodhisattva? An ambulatory bodhisattva. She's an emergency doctor on the ambulance. And I hope if I ever need an ambulance, she shows up. So what does it have to do with you being a bodhisattva? We'll come back to that. Is there anyone else? It doesn't refer or isn't connected to what we talked about in a small group.

[32:55]

Actually not directly or not completely directly. But since I have been sitting here again it came to my mind that you said that you yesterday that you placed this sculpture yesterday from the bedside to the front And yesterday it created somehow the expectation because you started to talk about space So, and... And now... and now I'm actually in this kind of not understanding to which extent this sculpture is of any relevance

[34:23]

It was a paratactic, but at least it was a surprise. It was surprising. It was a paratactic act. Someone else? Yes. I was listening in the presentation today Could you start in German? So one aspect, or do you want to, I don't care, you can do it yourself. But I have the feeling you prefer to express yourself in English than that I translate you. Okay, so one aspect was missing for me yesterday, which was discussed in the small group today, and this was about space as well.

[35:36]

So what one could call the tuning of the room, the way in the sense of sound. Also a vector reality which exists in a room? The what? The vector reality? The vector, V-E-C-T-O-R. So everything which is connected with the mood, the atmosphere, the effects. The texts. Yeah, sure. Yeah. And this is something which seems to me essential, particularly in respect to talking about bodhisattva.

[36:53]

Because there is the possibility to affect this room, or to impact this room, or to turn an atmosphere in the mood. I hope so. And I think on Friday I spoke more about that. I emphasized that more than I did in the recapitulation. But certainly it's true what you said. Yeah. What constitutes presence and how can we make use of that constitution? Okay, someone else? Relevant or surprising or mystifying? So what was relevant for me yesterday was physical experiences which you can mark, which are folded in and are incubated.

[38:24]

Because in this way experiences are made in zi xin, I can carry on, I can carry into my lay life and continue to experience. So this was surprising and relevant. So what I do not yet understand is interdependence outside of a social frame of reference. Because in where we should develop less this kind of social framework or social relationship,

[39:44]

The relationship to others is so completely different from everyday life that I wouldn't call it interdependence because the word interdependence itself sounds alienating or alien. Well, I don't see that there's any difference between the interdependence of all situations, everything is interdependent. Could you repeat that, please? There's no situation that's not interdependent. And it's true that in Sashin, and in general, the Bodhisattva is trying to function in sometimes, but also around social interdependence.

[41:05]

So one thing that is the classic characteristic of a 90-day practice period? As much as the teacher can without driving everyone crazy. he or she does or ought to function, insist on functioning outside of social space. And it can feel kind of cold or ruthless or something. Yeah, until you find another kind of intimacy that's not...

[42:18]

that's presentational and not representational. It doesn't represent intimacy or represent intimacy. It is intimacy. Okay. All right. Thanks. Someone else? Yes. So this quotation of Togen you used, the whole world is Zen, is somehow I do not understand. The whole world of Zazen is completely different from the whole world of other things.

[43:32]

Thank you. So that's very fascinating for me. And I spent the last few days with my conception of space, perception. And this concept that space is everyday concept of space

[44:33]

that you cannot perceive space in itself, in your everyday perception, but that it's a category prior to any perception. It's so deeply rooted in myself. And on the other hand, there are experiences in Saarsein, in practice in Saarsein, which indicate that there is a different quality of space. Yes, and this confusion is very interesting in Saarsein. And this confusion is something I'm dealing with right now. Good. Yeah, the confusion is good.

[45:50]

Someone else? Then we have to go to lunch. So I'm more on the side of surprising myself. When I was sitting in Sasa before Roshi came into the room this morning, in this period, So I have a kind of ritual, I'm sitting down, I'm taking a mental posture and I'm looking for or trying to find or identify a mental posture, an intention. At this time, It's somehow crazy.

[47:00]

Completely different without me following me. But now it was a bit crazy. It was somehow the other way around. I sat down and it was immediately like this. So I sat down and I didn't look for an intention but the intention came by itself and it didn't come from my thinking or my head but it came from my lower and it was like a deep voice and it didn't although it wasn't verbalized but it was it was a strong intention to follow my breath and this made my immediately made my observer mind aware and this was really so

[48:20]

So this observer mind was looking for a mental posture but wasn't able to find one because it was somewhere else, somewhere behind. So I let myself into that and I very deep breath evolved and developed without going inside all but really deep and the beautiful thing about that was that it was really a very wide space a wide space developed which many things could arise Until you came.

[49:33]

No, I arose. I'm sorry I interrupted your deep sasen. I know I would have come a little later. But the nice thing about it was to feel that no concept exists in my Sazen concept. So, but the really beautiful thing about it was that I could trust myself and I could trust this experience and I could trust that things appear without my... on their own. Good. Yeah. And the more we can trust that, the better.

[50:36]

Now, perhaps after lunch we can continue surprising and relevant. I hope there's something surprising and relevant. But anyway, we can see what happens after lunch as well as that. And just let me say, as part of this practice of the paramitas and practice of the bodhisattva, It's good if you develop the skill to notice what baggage you bring to every encounter. What ideas you have about meeting or the person or... who you are, who's meeting them.

[51:38]

And imagine, are you slightly looking down on them, or are you slightly letting them look down on you, or vice versa? Maybe we should, tonight at midnight, meet in here. It could be totally dark. And if everyone dresses in black, and even with a hood, and without getting in trouble, Let's just walk around and bump into each other. That would also be something like Bodhisattva practice.

[52:35]

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