Well, I mean, I think we're a sangha here. We're sitting here, as most of us, feeling that we're part of this sangha. But what makes us a sangha? Yeah, somebody thought up this topic, probably me. The... traditional and contemporary Sangha. Well, it's partly just that we're sitting here together. And the fact that we're sitting here together makes a big difference. The Diamond Sutra starts with the Buddha returning from begging and Then he puts away his bowl, washes his feet, and sits down.

[01:06]

And his sitting down represents the teaching that he begins to present as the Diamond Sutra. The teaching he's presenting arises from the sitting posture. And I must admit to most people the idea of the sitting posture Being the source of the teaching is rather strange. Because, you know, most of our teachings come from thinking and, of course, books and all kinds of places.

[02:07]

And, yeah, but we do recognize, of course, it's Talked about that. A dreaming really mostly originates from the reclining posture. Yeah, we can't really have very vivid dreams while you're walking around talking to people. So dreams clearly arise in a particular state of mind, and that particular state of mind usually arises... in a particular posture.

[03:08]

So we're a small minority of people, really a minority in terms of all people, who think or are willing to experiment with, the possibility or even the fact that wisdom may arise from a posture. Now, even in cultures where, Asian cultures, where this is more or less accepted, Not many people actually sit.

[04:10]

As you know the Japanese tried to do it by taking all the furniture out of the room. Well, or not putting furniture in the rooms, that's historically accurate. And designing clothes, which, you know, if you sat in chairs, didn't work, you had to sit on the floor. No, I'm sort of joking, but I think it's also true, though. that really to sit, to make the decision to sit, which is so outside the processes of usual consciousness, you have to make a decision.

[05:18]

Yeah, a decision somehow independent of our consciousness, usual consciousness, to sit. I'll bet even among us there's a small percentage of you who sit more when you come here than when you're at home. Yeah, that being here makes it more likely that you're going to sit. Sleeping in is difficult. There's somebody who rings this big bell around your neck. So, you know, we do come here to renew our feeling of renew our practicing and our feeling for practice.

[06:34]

Now, the sangha is not limited to just those who sit together. In a wider sense, all those who share the vision of practice and the Buddha and so forth. Yes, even if this vision and this practice, the Dharma, arise initially and fundamentally from this, believe it or not, sitting posture, You can think Buddhism without sitting. But you're unlikely to have the experiences that really glue it together unless you also sit. Because the philosophy of Buddhism does not arise from philosophical thinking.

[08:13]

It arises from the sitting practice. So if we're going to have a contemporary Sangha which has vitality and originality, we have to create a sangha which supports people to sit. Now, not everyone in the sangha is going to sit. Well, not everyone within the Sangha or in the Sangha will sit regularly. And it's really not necessary. In a way, the job of the Sangha is to make it possible for some people to devote their life to sitting.

[09:15]

I was walking with Ivan Illich once in California near the ocean. And he asked me, what are the reasons why you don't get up in the morning to sit? And I said, well, there aren't many reasons. Yeah, you have to be pretty sick before you don't get up to sit. And he said at that point, I don't know almost any. And he knew the Catholic world very well. I know almost no head of a monastery or Catholic order who would answer in that way.

[10:19]

And he said to me that if Catholicism loses its core of monasticism, the experiential truth in which Catholicism is rooted, will be lost. I think he thought that belief in God was not essential, was not enough. It had to take an experiential... the practice had to have a reality in experience. Religion had to have a reality in experience. And I know that probably most of you don't know

[11:31]

who Thomas Merton was. But he was the most famous, well-known, articulate Catholic monastic in America in the 50s and 60s. And he said something like, a friend of his repeated it to me, that monasticism, Catholic monasticism, somehow produces a similar person to Buddhist meditation. And my experience is this is probably quite true. When I meet Catholic monastics, I usually almost always feel a kind of brotherhood, experiential connectedness with them.

[12:57]

So in our case, I don't think we have to preserve Buddhist monasticism. In our case, however, I do not believe that we must preserve the Buddhist monasticism, the Buddhist monastery. But we, if Buddhism as a vital teaching, a creative teaching, continuously renewed teaching, the job of the Sangha is to support at least a few people to practice. To do regular sitting practice. Now, if it takes some kind of semi-monastic or monastic situation to support people to practice, then we should do that.

[14:02]

But even if we do that, though, the definition of monasticism is quite different. I think we could say monastic, catholic monastic practice is a way of life, maybe considered to be an ideal way of life. In Buddhism, monasticism is considered a way to support practice, not as an ideal way of life. So it's quite common for people not to live in the monastery, but to come three months a year, six months a year, That's all.

[15:07]

Then they do something else the other nine months or six months. But of course there's also, there always has to be a few slaves, I mean, excuse me, residents to stay and make the places work. But of course there is always a need for some permanent residents, not to say slaves, so that the whole thing runs and stays alive, that is, is maintained. When I first started practicing with Suzuki Roshi, I was committed to this practice should be for everyone.

[16:10]

I didn't want it to be some special thing. I had maybe too idealistic an idea of Zen and also of practice. But to some extent, Suzuki Roshi shared the same idealism. One of the reasons among several that he left Japan was that practice was too, real practice was confined too much to young males. And of course, an adjunct reason was it was tied to inheriting a temple and having a career and so forth.

[17:13]

Well, we've successfully freed Zen practice from one of the problems in Japan. You seem to know where I'm going. It's not much of a career. None of you are going to get rich. Unless you work in Angola, I haven't figured out yet. But that's important. Buddhism was strongest, Zen Buddhism was strongest and most creative in China when it was persecuted. And only the people who really wanted to do it did it, and they kind of hid out in the countryside, in the forest, to continue, because the emperor confiscated everything and burnt down the temples and so forth.

[18:27]

So there's some advantage to remaining on a fairly small scale, and just those of us who really want to do it, But still, there needs to be a sangha. For a lot of reasons that we'll try to talk about. So this presented a dilemma for me. Another German word I learned today. Dilemma. Yeah, I learned dilemma. Okay. Because, you know, here was Suzuki Roshi and I sharing the view that practice should be for young people and old people and men and women.

[19:46]

I remember, I mean, this is... Just I was going to tell you a story about some old guy, much younger than I, and I'm now trying to practice at Heiji where I was there, and what a hard time the young monks gave him, this poor guy. I don't know if he lasted. He was there as a beginning monk like I was. I hope he did, because he seemed to be a good person. Okay, so here's Sukershi and I sharing the view it should be. All ages, men and women, etc.

[20:51]

And yet, when I looked at him, he was ordained, had lived in monasteries, and so forth. And was part of a lineage. So this was, you know... So I began looking at the history of Buddhism. And while there had been outstanding lay teachers, And outstanding women teachers. There had been no long-lasting teaching lineage that was lay people.

[21:53]

So that was the... Yeah. Yeah. That was the root of my decision to be ordained. And... And also I didn't want part of my decision was all the people we saw who were ordained and shaved-headed and all that stuff were Japanese. And I didn't know if I had the ability to really practice Buddhism coming from a culture so different from Asian yogic culture. But I knew I could at least shave my head. So I did it one night. It was a very hot night, 100 degrees. It was 104 or 108 in the Zendo, and I was sweating.

[23:12]

And it was a hot night, 408 degrees Fahrenheit. Before the opening next day of Tassajara. So what I saw was that... Somehow, even as much as I could see about Japanese Buddhism, it's institutionalization and it's loss of, for the most part, a real sense of practice. And Suzuki Roshi's Coming to America because he felt the same. It's still the Sangha which produced him and made it possible for him to practice. So this was my dilemma.

[24:28]

How do we create a practice open to everyone? And how do we continue it being open to everyone over generations by establishing a lineage? So trying to answer this question has shaped my life. And why, you know, the Sangha somehow in Europe got this feeling and created this place. We're able to sit here with some kind of Sangha practice, even though most of us are laypersons.

[25:34]

And I hope and I think this place actually helps us as laypeople to continue and develop our practices. And I know here I'm dressed mostly in lay clothes. But in the Zendo in the morning I'll be wearing robes. So I try to keep a feeling with you of both lay practice and monk practice. So the Sangha is those who practice the teaching and continue the teaching.

[26:54]

We can say one definition of Sangha is everybody, all people are. That's true. I have used the example quite often of being lost here in the woods. Somehow, when it's happened to me out here in these woods, it's about twice as cold in the woods as it is outside. And you spend a couple of hours wandering around wondering how to get back to dear old warm Johanneshof. And then you see somebody coming from a distance on a path. A human being. You know, if you're in that situation, you're very glad to see him or her.

[28:14]

Maybe they know how to get out of here and you're freezing cold. And most of us wouldn't look him over and say, I don't like this kind of person, I'm not going to ask him. You feel connected with this person. It's another guy like you. I mean, a girl or guy with legs and arms. Well, the Dharmakaya means affection. the body of connectedness. Sometimes it's defined as the body of space and emptiness but form is emptiness so it's also the space which includes everything so the dharmakaya is that experience of your body of being connected with everything

[29:30]

Well, you can understand that somehow true. And you can experience it if you are lost in the city or the forest and need some help. But most of the time we don't experience it. Or in a much more limited way. But if you've had an experience of what most people call oneness, but let's call it connectedness, a kind of enlightenment experience. Strangely, this experience is so convincing that you don't have to think it anymore, you know it. So if we make up a word like Sanghakaya, no, why not Sangha body, it would mean that you feel connected with each person you meet.

[30:41]

Not just I'm supposed to feel or yes, but actually immediately you feel. There, but for a gene or two go I. There, but for a jean or two, not... Yeah, yeah, yeah. He has two blue jeans on, I have one, you know. Go ahead. Is that right? Someone mix it up. You mixed it up? I think I did, yeah. Well, let's straighten it out. I can straighten it out. There, but for a gene or two. I don't get the gene. Gene.

[31:56]

There we go, okay. One or two genes of I? Yeah. Then I didn't mix it up. Yeah, you didn't mix it up. Every time, sorry. Because that's a very colloquial expression. I don't know if it works in German, there but for. Not very good. Yeah, okay. So Sangha is, again, everyone who practices. And all human beings. But that doesn't, you know, that is a very passive and kind of undynamic description of a Sangha. So all of those who practice, if also they have the feeling of supporting practice and supporting others to practice, then the sangha really has some kind of glue, dynamism, something like that.

[33:26]

Yeah, that catalyzes the practice. Now, it's not about... It's not about being a missionary and spreading the teaching. Because that's one approach to catalyzing those who practice a religion together. For us, it's just to practice, excuse me, just to support those who already practice, not to increase the number, just support those who already practice.

[34:29]

Because it's understood or assumed that others will practice through the example of those who do practice. And it's their free choice or their capacity to be moved by someone who practices. So these are small differences, but they really generate a different kind of a different kind of vision of practice. The job of the sangha is not to spread the teaching. The job of the sangha is to support those who are practicing. And as a way to support your own practice.

[35:38]

Okay. Okay. So, again, it's a nice idea to think of everyone as... Yeah, maybe all people are somehow part of our Sangha. Part of our connectedness. And if they want to think of themselves as Christians, that's fine, we know they're Buddhists. I'm just joking. Whatever people are is just fine. Then if that's the case, what is this connectedness That's present whether you're a Christian or a Muslim or a Buddhist or whatever.

[36:46]

So when we say all, all... every person has Buddha nature. What the heck are we saying? Is this something we can actually... I mean, it's just a nice idea. Or is it something we can experience? And Dogen says, you know, you can't really say everyone has Buddha nature because there's no having of it. He says everyone is Buddha nature. So... What does it mean to say everyone is Buddha-nature?

[37:51]

Now, it would be nice to experience this. It would be actually deeply satisfying to be able to experience this. Yeah, well, let's not define it from the point of view of Buddha. That's too difficult. But let's define it from the point of view of each of us. If each of us is already Buddha... nature, Buddha or Buddha nature, then we should be able to define what a Buddha is from us. Yeah, so in what way, if we look at it that way,

[38:52]

In what way can we say, can we experience each person as having the same nature? Although I said earlier in the day, contemporary academic anthropology assumes there's no transcultural experience. Much of our contemporary culture belies that point of view. of our contemporary culture. Much of our contemporary culture belies or doesn't agree with that. Because when we think all human beings suffer, all human beings deserve democracy, oh gosh, deserve

[40:16]

Yeah, certain basic rights. That assumes there's some kind of underlying similarity for all of us human beings. But again, these are nice ideas. But how can this be our experience? I think we first have to try to look at what do we share in common. And I would say the place to start is our basic sense world. What we see, hear, smell, taste, touch. But how do we ourselves get to have some location in a basic sense world?

[41:52]

Yeah, it sounds kind of easy. But really, how do we not let other ideas, cultural ideas, come in? Yuan Wu, the more or less, the compiler of the Blue Cliff Records, as good a Zen authority as we have, realize right where you stand. Bring the mind to where there is no before and after. No here and there. Mm-hmm. Well, this is much like I spoke of earlier today of Shikantaza.

[43:15]

But really can we bring, can you imagine bringing your mind to where there's no here or there? And know before and after. If you really can experience what's before you, without a sense of here and there, without a sense of before and after, Well, that really is a surgical removal of most cultural habits. And I don't think you will realize this without sitting.

[44:18]

Or you might have an experience sometimes just in your ordinary life where everything is exactly in place and exactly as it is. But you'll be unlikely to open up this experience Let it flower into your daily life. Unless you have some experience of the mind of still sitting. Yuan Wu also said, this whole, entire being. is right before you and nowhere else.

[45:29]

This intact great potential is ready made for you So this is also to say in a more full sense, where we start, this basic sense world. Or as the famous Buddhist theoretician says, perception without conception. Oder wie ein berühmter buddhistischer Theoretiker sagt, Wahrnehmung ohne Konzepte. Wie können wir denn eine Wahrnehmung ohne ein Konzept dazu haben? Because it's thus that we come to understand what is meant by Buddha nature.

[46:50]

And that we discover Well, in ourselves, of course. But it's affirmed by discovering it in others as well. And this becomes the... primary way we experience each person we meet, whoever they are, whether they know it or not.

[47:54]

We could say it's the basic way we function Each of us functions before our culture and narrative personal history is added on. Maybe we could say it's a little bit like a child, an infant, can learn any language in the world. But after they've learned one language, or perhaps two languages, and it's interesting that if an infant learns

[48:56]

a second language in infancy or very young. According to brain scans, it occupies the same territories in the brain as the mother tongue. But if a second language is learned later on in childhood, it occupies a different part of the brain. I've never discovered yet what part of the brain German might occupy in me. I'm sorry, no excuses. So if we can learn any part of any language if we're young enough, In a way, could we go back to instead of in the beginning there was the word?

[50:29]

Even though I'm told that's a mistranslation. If we could go back to the in the beginning there was the sound. If we could go back to, in a sense, the basic sense world, maybe we can begin to experience how we are all actually connected. And know this fundamental nature that we can call Buddha nature. So that's enough for this evening. Thank you all for being here. Thank you for the you this evening and thank you for translating.

[51:42]

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