This is the second day of this July 2024 seven day sesshin. Before we go back to the letters of Zen Master Yuanwu, I thought this might hit on some of the main points of posture sitting posture. I say this because as recently as just a few years ago, I realized how helpful it is to sit on the on one sit bones, sit bones of these two bones, up at the front of the buttocks. He's sitting on the sit bones creates this pelvic tilt, the base of the very base of the spine it's hard, I realized that I spent many years sitting half lotus, and sometimes full lotus, in sesshin. And I was not sitting on this on my sit bones. And so there was wasn't the best base. You got to get the base right at the very bottom. I think of a tall building, gotta get the foundation solid. We sit at the at the front third of the cushion. If you sit with that pelvic tilt, sport forward and the sit bones, then the vertebrae all stack up like poker chips all the way up. I mean, ideally, everyone has. I don't know how many how many people have a perfect back, I don't know. But you're less likely to have middle back or upper back problems if you get that lower the base of the spine right. And I think is for most people, it's hard to sit on the sit bones, if you're sitting in a in a half lotus or Lotus even possibly quarter lotus position have become very fond of the Burmese position. I had to adopt it after an injury and meniscus surgery. But now I just really see the value of it. It's called we called the Burmese because it's the posture most widely used in Burma or Myanmar, it's where the both feet are on the mat in front of you are tucked under. Neither foot is up at all, they're both the ankles are both on the on the mat. I know that for some people, even this relatively easy, cross legged posture is still too difficult for one reason or another and may have to sit seiza sit on your knees. But you can still sitting on sitting on the knees straddling a cushion, you still want to get that bad pelvic tilt and then the head position when I have the head drawn back, like a drawer. So the back of the neck is against the collar if you can, some people have a bit of a of a stoop and may not be able to do that. But if you can, to keep that chin drawn in, I had a took a yoga class once where what he said matches perfectly with the traditional Zen sitting posture which is it says if you're holding a an orange or a tangerine under your chin now the chin is is not up at all. When that chin rises, then it just sucks thoughts into the mind. So be sure not to lift the chin but it also is not good to lower it to dip the chin. Again it's it's drawn in, not down not up and drawn in the back of the neck against the collar, the back of the neck stretched up, lengthen the back of the neck lengthen.
Course the shoulders utterly relaxed as relaxed as he possibly can allow them to be. And all of this by the way is also true during keyname that is the yabbies main features to keep your head drawn in. Chin neither down or up
we'll resume with read for the book Zen letters, which are the teachings of 11th and 12th century Chinese master Chan master one we'll
pick up where we left off yesterday.
Those who realize transcendence, pass through words and phrases and can make them come to life. They can use one saying as 100,000 sayings or use 100,000 sayings as one saying, it says, reflects the emphasis and Zen on live words. Words that are that come out of one's set center ones that rather than just out of the, the intellect words uttered with spontaneity.
The venerable Yong Yong asked Joe Joe, when one hasn't a single thing than what Joe Joe is the Chinese name the original Chinese name of what became Josue in, in Japanese. When one hasn't a single thing, then what Zhao Jo said, put it down. Yong Yong asked, If I don't have it. What should I? What should I throw away? Ciao, Joe said, then carry it away. Let's try that again. Because I changed the translation here to the one. This is a koan in the sugoroku under the book of serenity. When one hasn't a single thing then what? Throw it away? Young asked, well, if I don't have a single thing, what should I throw away? Joe, Joe said, then carried away. These words, Yong Yong, was greatly enlightened.
Later, another master wrote a verse to go along with this story. Not having a single thing. He can't lift it even using both arms. A clear eyed man like Zhao Jo is hard to find at a word. Young Young realized his error. If he stepped back, he'd fall into a deep pit. In his heart was boundless joy like that of a popper finding a jewel. Once the poison is forgotten, there's no connection. Snakes and tigers became his intimate friends. Different species equally understood over the lonely centuries. The pure wind has never stopped
this pure wind is right with us
throughout the Zendo and each one of us has nothing to do with have ceiling fans
but those first two lines, not having a single thing. He can lifted his knee even using both arms
having we could rephrase that having nothing he can't lift it either. Using using both arms
and then yeah Yuanwu The author just poses the question if you discuss Joe Joe's answer, throw it away from the standpoint of common sense. Yan Yang said he wasn't bringing a single thing so how could Joe Joe town to throw it away?
Zhao Jo, saw into the mind of young young. What young young himself couldn't see.
Yuanwu says from from this we know that the type of objective reality illuminates the finest subtleties. Zhao Jo expose the serious disease of carrying one's conditioned perceptions around everywhere to make Yan Yang begin to feel shame. But Yong Yong still did not realize what Zhao Jo meant, so he persisted with his question. So we know from this that Yong Yong, still was bringing baggage in when he claimed to not have a single thing. Joe Joe again pointed out his error at which point Yan Yan dissolved and that last was thoroughly set free. Later on, Yong Yong got to the point that he could tame wild tigers and poisonous snakes.
Notice this, this segment here where Yuanwu says Jow jokes expose the serious disease of caring round ones conditioned perceptions to make young young begin to feel shame. This would this would be denounced in contemporary terms, but the the Chinese Japanese Koreans they recognize that with some feeling of shame one can be be prompted to make greater effort. Having having some shame is can be an incentive to to go further.
Fear the fear of bringing shame to one's family to one's country to one's teacher. The fear of bringing shame is a tremendous motivator in East Asia.
And then Yuanwu tells another story. layman Pong was with his whole family sitting around the fire Lehmann Pang is considered one of the three most illustrious lay people enlightened lay people in the history of Zen. Other one was the mullah Keerti and the third one escapes me. Lehmann Pang suddenly said that other sitting around the fire lane and punk suddenly said difficult, difficult 10 bushels of oil hemp spread out on a tree. His wife wife, Mrs. Pond said, easy easy on the tips of 100 grasses, the meaning of them and then their daughter, Ling Zhao said not difficult, not easy. Eating when hungry, sleeping one tired
it's always a matter of perspective, isn't it? It's a say. Let's let's let's take up the whole matter of session. We can easily see how it's difficult you difficult because of our our habitual our habit of fleeing into thoughts and then clean the thoughts the habit force is so strong that it's difficult to just hold the mind on the practice it's easy Mrs Pang said because I'm on every single thing the tips of 100 grasses the meaning of Zen
the burning candles the cat tails at the tips of the cat tails the meaning of Zen
rain falling
there's a lot of this in the koans to where we're a later master will look back and and quoted an earlier one and just playfully take the other side what do you mean difficult it's easy. And then Ling Xiao took the cake say not difficult not easy eating when hungry sleeping one tired when hungry, just eating
tired just sleeping. The just always exam the justice the key thing
are are restless, discursive mind complicates everything, the simplest things, it makes the simplest things difficult.
Yuanwu continues, when Bodhidharma came from the west bringing the Zen transmission to China. He didn't set up written or spoken formulations. He only pointed directly to the human mind. So he didn't come with a backpack of sutras. treatises he demonstrated the essence of Zen by facing the wall, finding a cave and facing the wall for nine years. They're directly pointing
and we have learned this from him and we too, in the Zendo directly pointing being the this Dharma, not talking about it, not discussing it being it. As we allow our thoughts to settle. And we look into the nature of things through the colon or through the breath, or through neither.
One will continues if we speak of direct pointing. This just refers to what is inherent in everyone. The whole essence appears responsively from within the shell of ignorance. This is no different in ordinary people than in all the sages since time immemorial. It is what we call the natural real inherent nature fundamentally pure luminous and sublime. It swallows up and spits out out all of space. It is a single solid realm that stands out alone, free of the senses and their objects. Free of meaning beyond not limited to the senses in their objects
the sentence, it is pure, luminous and sublime. It is what we call the natural, real inherent nature, fundamentally pure luminous and sublime. This is, by the way, what I see with each person who comes into the duck syndrome, really and why that initial bow with me sitting in Boeing and the students standing about is so endlessly meaningful and bowing to that natural real inherent nature that pure sublime luminous nature in the form of that particular person it's marvelous.
Here is this essential nature as Jennifer, here is this essential nature as Fred here's this essential nature as Marian fascinating how it takes different forms no different in ordinary people than in all the sages since time immemorial?
And how do we come to see everyone and everything this way, he says, Just detached from thoughts. There it is, again, detached from thoughts, cut off sentiments that is don't cling to even genuine feelings and emotions, and transcend the ordinary conventions. Use your own inherent power and take up its great capacity and great wisdom right where you are. It is like letting go when you're hanging from a mile high cliff, releasing your body and not relying on anything anymore.
I've learned over the years that this this kind of talk, hanging from mile high cliff, releasing letting go can be frightening to some people become uneasy at the sound of that. But really, he's just dramatizing using live words. To 2.2 Are our need to let go of our thoughts to detach from thoughts.
We are so addicted to our thoughts. We know what we need to do. And yet there's this habit force. It's so hard to to let go of difficult, difficult or easy, easy is notice how your attention is directed. And when you find it on thoughts. just redirect to the koan to the breath or just letting go of the thoughts no matter how many times you find yourself caught in thought it's the same it's just redirect turning the attention away from that that's releasing your body and not relying on anything anymore.
He continues at this stage you are free to go forward in the wild field without choosing, picking up whatever comes to hand. The meaning of ancestral teachers is clear and all the grows there. What's more, the thickets of green bamboo and the masses of yellow flowers and the fences and walls and tiles and pebbles are inanimate things teaching the Dharma the water birds and the groves of trees expound the truths of suffering impermanence and no self these are what are called the three characteristics of existence. Suffering, impermanence and no self the first two are or should be obvious to anyone that all all life involves some degree of suffering pain impermanence of course where is there anything that is is unchanging and no Southwest's less obvious but it's still true
here, Chapin Mill these towering trees, these lush green bushes and lawns the the birds the sounds of the birds first thing in the morning they started this morning at five o'clock just clocking in exquisite and the mind is free of thoughts. It's not just the the birdsongs saw sights, sounds, tastes, smells
with this, these illimitable riches all around us all the time. We are as Yuanwu says free to go forward in the wild field without choosing picking up whatever comes to hand
everything is teaching even those those big rocks out in front of the main entrance the road itself at asphalt road insects
now we turn to another letter. He begins those who are determined to practice the way practice self awareness and self understanding 24 hours a day they think of this and focus on this they know that the one great cause that's capitalized here by the translator that the one great cause is there right where they stand that it is in sages without being augmented and an ordinary people without being diminished. It's talking of course about mind not this discursive discriminating mind. It separates and evaluates judges. But mind mind this
to practitioners he says don't set up fixed locations and anything they do I'm not sure what he means there but we might say that when the mind is free of thoughts then we're not as distinguishing between here and there. Unnecessary unnecessarily there was just this they are clear and tranquil with solid concentration and the myriad changes and transformations never disturbed them
there's a Zen saying great winds are powerless to disturb the water have a deep well
this is something that anyone can confirm in sesshin especially later on sesshin that but what may have been disturbing us early in sesshin becomes nothing he's restless critical minds of ours can find things to pick up pick at among our neighbors others in sesshin about the way things are. But then as the as our thoughts settle nothing disturbs us it's all everything is at rest just as it is.
He says right now of students are in fact truly genuine. Teachers can contact contact their potential and activated with a single word or phrase or a single act or scene. What could be difficult about that? So the translator translators choose the word genuine let's just look at that for a minute. See what we can understand about that students are in fact truly genuine. That would first of all mean not divided not doing something while the mind is somewhere else sir it's not easy. Again because of these habit forces of us doing just that doing one thing with a mind somewhere else I think it's another another word you can use for genuine other masters have used or other translators have uses sincere
is speaking or acting wholly, fully, undivided in that state, anything can happen, anything can can can trigger a change an insight
he continues The only problem is when your faculties are unstable, and your consciousness shallow whirled around and around like the wind and the treetops. To reality has shown to you 1000s and 1000s of times, but you still cannot mesh with it. It's here all the time. It doesn't increase or decrease what the the calling to reality. Mind as we said yesterday, it's not more in session than outside of session. Just setting sesshin because of all the setting where more we can more easily mesh with it as he puts it, harmonize with it. Which means become it, embody it
Ya hear and then the end he does use the word sincere, he says Therefore, in learning the way what is most valuable is being true and sincere. No agenda as we sometimes say nothing in the back of the mind going on something related to one's own self interest
one more here, people who practice the way begin by having the faith to turn toward it they are fed up with the vexations and filth of the world and are always afraid they will not be able to find a road of entry into the way that that fed up it's so important to really be motivated to change we have to be fed up with our life as it has been. Usually we have means suffering one way or another
even in pleasure seeking there can be suffering Roshi Kapleau In one of his books see when he's talking about where he's reaching this this critical mass of discontent where he said he can no longer enjoy the the joyless pursuit of pleasure
our society we live in a society that is geared above all to the pursuit of pleasure and to the expectation that we should have our preferences our likes met as much as we possibly can. That's not That's not any way to find true peace.
When you set your body on the meditation bench it is no more than silencing and emptying the mind and investigating with your whole being interesting there the word bench there's no way we can know for sure what their what they actually used for their meditation. There's they're sitting in. This was the 12th century. I we were on one of my pilgrimages to China was to amazed to see at this was at Shaolin Temple Bodhidharma is temple that the monks let us sit with them for the morning sitting. And we had as I remember, they were like concave wicker stools. So he sort of sat in this little bowl, shallow, but still a cog is concave. It was it was nothing that we'd ever been used to doing. But a bench would be a lot better than that. When you set your body in the meditation basket is no more than silencing and emptying the mind and investigating with your whole being Just make your mind and thoughts clarify and become still. Let's let's change that verb. We don't have to make the mind clarify and become still. We just have to attend to the practice we're working on and the mind will on its own, clarify and become still. We don't want to make a project out of this, of doing something. We don't need to do anything. You just need allow the thoughts to settle
