Of course, Zen practice assumes that the basis for, condition for, for all the... for all the practices of Buddhism, the realisational practices of Buddhism depend on the experience in meditation, in zazen, of a non-conceptual mode of mind. Or at least the taste of a non-conceptual mode of mind.

[01:04]

Or at least the knowledge that it is possible. And so Zazen, the most fundamental instruction is don't correct your mind because That adds conceptions. So just to sit in the midst of mind and feel As movement tends towards stillness, feel how the mind settles toward a non-conceptual state. Now what we've come to so far in our study of the six parametres is that the practice of the parametres like

[02:07]

the practice of the precepts... is realized through... establishing mental postures. Yeah. Now I think that you hear me saying that... but to... to really get it. I think we have to realize it's not our usual modality of mind. And I think it's helpful to know that mind is not identity. That mind is most likened to space. And that the identity The dynamic of mind is attention.

[03:39]

If you think mind is your identity, the condition, the prior condition for practice of the precepts and the paramitas is not there. Mind certainly can be identified as identity, established as identity. But that's not necessary. That's a cultural or personal choice. So in the process of... understanding mind, I think it's good to remind yourself that mind is not identity.

[05:01]

Maybe it's even good to take all the pronouns off your body parts. My stomach, my lungs. Who says? They may belong to someone else. Particularly if you have one of these organ transplants. Okay, but in any case, when you glue them together with the pronouns, you know, mine, Yeah, they lose their independence. They're happy to be part of you, but not yours. And mind, likewise, is not identity. It can be put in the service of identity, but it's not identity.

[06:17]

And that understanding can be reinforced by by understanding that mind is, at least in the Buddhist tradition, most likened to space. Likened to? Yeah, okay. Okay. And finally, that the dynamic of mind is attention. Okay. So again, what we've come to so far... is that both the practice of the precepts and the practice of the paramitas depend on the establishment of mental postures.

[07:21]

That's first. And then second, that a mental posture is an attachment an attentional and cognitive mode of mind. In other words, as a cognitive mode of mind, it's a way of knowing. And as an attentional mode of mind, it's a way of noticing. And it's a mode of mind actualized through attention. So that, again, a mental posture is an attentional and cognitive mode of mind. Again,

[08:22]

is an attentional and cognitive mode of mind with an incubational trajectory which is not entirely predictable. I don't know any other way to say it. Good. You say, okay. Well, I mean, I tried other words in trajectory, like course, path, but trajectory... means it's going somewhere, it's propelled. So a path is just a path. You can walk on it or not. But a trajectory, you better get out of the way. Now, incubatory trajectory.

[09:57]

Because things happen through the ongoingness of the practice. Because it's in the golden wind. Weil sie es im goldenen Wind ist. The golden wind of the 10,000 things changing. Der goldene Wind der 10,000 Dinge, die sich verändern. Okay. So is it an attentional and cognitive mode of mind. Ein Aufmerksamkeits- und Kognitionsgeistesmodus. With an incubational trajectory. Mit einer Ausbrütungsfallrichtung. That moves... is unexpected. That is not entirely predictable. So I can say to you, well, probably if you practice the parameter of generosity, this will lead to this, that, and the other thing.

[11:09]

And what's assumed by the six parameters is it will lead to discipline. Or all the understandings related to that word. And that will lead to patience and so forth. But these things are actually leading back and forth into each other and simultaneous. As well. And for some people it's better to enter with patience and not with generosity. Okay. So it's an attentional and cognitive... mode of mind with a path or trajectory that you don't entirely know what's going to happen.

[12:22]

But it incubates the world. It brings the 10,000 things into various forms of understanding and action and enlightenment. Okay, that's the second thing that I would say that our study so far of the parameters has brought us to. And third is to... uh... understand That in a world where everything is changing, absolutely everything is changing. A world of inter-independence.

[13:23]

The present needs to be continuously re-established. And it's not being re-established by itself. It's being reestablished by the 10,000 things. And you are one of the 10,000 things. I mean, only 993, but... And the continuous reestablishment of the present is Zen practice. within your perceptions and within cognition, you're reestablishing the present at each moment.

[14:34]

And this occurs in the realm of Patience. And incurs through the fourth parameter, vigor, intention, perseverance, and so forth. Excuse me. Incur. And occurs. Incur or occur? Occurs. Occurs. Through the fourth parameter of intention, vows, vigor, etc. I mean, this is a big deal. What do I do? I reestablish the present. Yeah. As a hobby or do you have a choice? Well, it's my hobby. Yeah. But we have no choice.

[15:37]

The way everything is, you are in fact, in your perception and cognition, re-establishing the present. To know this, And to participate in this is wisdom. And we can say that fourth, which I didn't emphasize particularly, that for us Western practitioners, we need to... to know that plural modalities of mind are possible.

[16:45]

The two truths are parallel modalities of mind. Parallel modes of noticing and knowing. So as Western practitioners you develop within your Western mode of knowing and noticing And you develop a yogic... mode of knowing and noticing. Of course, for Ravi, he was born in India.

[17:47]

He was born with these two modes. An Indian Irishman. I mean, really. Oh, excuse me. Yes. Oh, I'm sorry. He's got some preferences there. I was reborn in Japan. And our practice, you know, here we have to have in a way a monastic mode of mind, an Asian yogic mode of mind, a western mode of mind, and we sort of We have a monastic spirit mode, an Asian yogic mode of the spirit and a western spirit mode. It's very mode-ish. It is quite mode-ish, this mode.

[18:48]

Is that a word in German too? Modus? Modisch. Modisch, oh yes. The latest fashion to have two modalities of mind. Die neueste Mode ist, zwei Modi das Ganze zu haben. All right. Now, fifth, let's say, well, one minus my fifth, it's a good number to end the list with. Is that in practice a... Mental posture can be given a bodily location and often can be given a bodily expression. Can become a bodily action. And then, you know, I think you have all the provisions you need for practicing the parameters.

[19:54]

And what do I mean by it can have a bodily location? So you establish in the sphere of mind, which is not identity, or as a way of replacing identity or loosening identity, you establish the mental posture of generosity. and then in a sense establishing that mental posture as an attentional and cognitive mode and attention you bring attention now some mental positions can't become postures because you can't really bring

[21:08]

bring attention into them. But you're here able to bring attention in to the mental posture of generosity. And by holding it, sustaining it, a sustained, vivid, attentional awareness, if nothing else, you notice when you could be generous and when you're not generous, and ways you find to act on generosity. Okay, so now let's say it's the parameter of And as I said, these are ordinary human qualities.

[22:22]

But which you're perfecting as a Buddha or Bodhisattva might. And you're perfecting it by holding it in a mind-like space. And now maybe you lower it into the body. Let it sink into the body. Like an elevator going in. I mean... This is a good location, the heart.

[23:27]

So you feel generosity. A willingness to be generous. A willingness even to give away your body. And certainly to give away presence, stillness, etc. And now you can breathe into that generosity. Breathe into that feeling. So you can give a mental posture a physical location. Then you can breathe out generosity. You imagine you're doing this. Breathe out a connectedness, a willingness into the world.

[24:31]

A fearlessness. Because one of the things you're giving a person is material help within immediacy. Or in other ways. And you're giving them protection. If they need protection. Sometimes people need psychological protection. They're anxious. And you... create a field of non-fairy. When you're with someone who's dying, one of the practices is to, you know, as I've said, you put your hand, usually, say you're on their right side.

[25:39]

You put your hand on their, say, right arm. And maybe you put your right hand on their chest or side of their body. And then you just naturally let your breathing be coordinated with their breathing. And as often happens, there's kind of non-voluntary physical And the person starts to breathe rapidly or anxiously. And you can

[26:39]

coordinate your breathing with them and go speeding up with them. And then you can bring attention into your own breathing and slow it down. And it almost always slows the other person's breathing down. So by joining your breathing to the person and going where they go, They also go where you go when you begin to slow down. So something like this happens Even ten years before a person dies. Yeah, I mean, you and I will probably die. There's not going to be exception made. And we're already breathing together. You're calming me down, I'm calming you down.

[27:54]

It's like that. So you breathe out the generosity of no anxiety. So atmet ihr aus die Großherzigkeit der Nichtängstlichkeit. And breathe out the generosity of fearlessness. Atmet aus die Großherzigkeit der Furchtlosigkeit. And if you need to, you breathe in their fear and out your fearlessness. How intimate. This is the practice of the Paramitas. Thank you very much.

[28:48]

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