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Being Dharma #4: Otter Voice Meeting Notes

Being Dharma #4

John Pulleyn41min

John Pulleyn

00:02

This is day four of this. June 2025, seven day seshin, going to continue reading from the book being Dharma, the essence of the Buddhist teachings by Ajahn Chah you.

John Pulleyn

00:39

Picking up where we left off yesterday, he says. Ajahn Chah says the Buddha taught that the wisdom that knows Sankara, he taught about the wisdom that knows Sankara. Sankara is a word that means conditioned phenomena.

John Pulleyn

01:01

It's the body that we supposed to be. Our self is merely composed of earth, water, fire and air. They are all flowing constantly,

John Pulleyn

01:17

constantly changing. Im, permanent. I Not a thing.

John Pulleyn

01:31

Says, Since being born, since being in the womb and flowing out into the world, we've kept on flowing formerly small children, growing into adulthood, getting older, heading for old age, flowing right up to the present day, flowing according to nature. When we see this, we can see that it's not really a being, not a person or self or other. It's just nature. Whoever will cry over it, it is still the same. Whoever may laugh over it, it is all still just that. Whoever tries to impede it, it is still that does not endeavor to please anyone. The Buddha urged us to look into this. It's something that is not permanent or stable, and if not known as it actually is, it is a source of suffering, because this nature is not a being or a person, a self or other. It's merely earth, water, fire and air. That's all. The end, they separate and break up. This is the law of nature. Of course, he uses earth, water, fire and air. It sounds rather unscientific to Western ears. Say it's merely energy, it's merely matter. It's me. There are merely processes.

John Pulleyn

03:17

It's sanghara. It's conditioned phenomena.

John Pulleyn

03:30

Doesn't do what we want, does what it has to do by natural law. I

John Pulleyn

03:43

whether we want our hair to turn gray or not, your hair will turn gray unless you're some freak of nature like my brother in law,

John Pulleyn

04:01

if we wish to practice Dharma and live according to dharma, we should look at nature. Have you noticed trees? There are big ones and small ones, tall and short trees. When the dry season comes, the leaves fall. When the rains come, the leaves appear again. The time comes to fall, they fall, and the time comes to grow, they grow. The time comes to dissolve. They dissolve, just like us. That is the nature of sankhara. We are born, we age and fall, then we take birth again, like the trees, like the leaves, not different. I and

John Pulleyn

04:45

then he says, in the forest, there are beautiful trees and ugly trees. Some are bent and gnarled, some are straight and tall. There are trees with pith and those without just like people. There are. Bad and good people, crooked and straight people. This is also nature. This reminds me of something that Ram Dass said. Ram Dass was formerly Richard Alpert. He was a partner with Timothy Leary in the early days of LSD research, personal research, direct experience, he went a different direction than Timothy Leary and found a teacher in India, and really became quite a remarkable teacher himself. I He says this, part of it is observing oneself more impersonally. When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees, and some of them are bent and some are straight. Some of them are evergreens, some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn't get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don't get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that you're constantly saying you're to this, or I'm to this, that judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees, which means appreciating them just the way they are. Of course, we ourselves just a tree. Can appreciate ourselves just the way we are, a work in progress. You

John Pulleyn

07:12

skip ahead to a section, chapter or a piece called meditation practice. It's a lecture that he gave at the Insight Meditation Society Barry, Massachusetts in 1979 when he came to this country. So he starts out, I would like to ask you about your practice. You've all been practicing meditation for a while. Are you sure about the practice? Yet, these days, there are all sorts of meditation teachers around, and I'm afraid it might cause you to have some uncertainty about what you should be doing. Like to say about Zen teachers that you can't swing a cat without hitting one. There's so many different teachers in all the different traditions. He says there is nothing greater than the Buddhist teachings on concentration and meditation. These are factors in the Eightfold Path meditation, being Diana, for which the Chinese word is Chan and the Japanese word is Zen, nothing greater than the Buddha's teachings on concentration and meditation than you are practicing, If you have a clear understanding of them, it will bring about unwavering peace in your hearts. Making the mind peaceful is known as Samadhi, and it's concentration meditation. The mind is extremely changeable and unreliable. Have you noticed this? We've been here for four days, and I dare say, each one of us has noticed this. Some days you sit down to meditate, and in no time at all, the mind is calm. Other days you sit and no matter what you do, there is no calm. The mind is constantly, constantly struggling to get away. Some days it goes well. Some days it's awful. The mind displays these different conditions for you to see.

John Pulleyn

09:35

You should understand that the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path come together in sila, that is virtue or moral conduct, Samadhi and wisdom. There's nowhere else to look for them. We don't talk a lot about the eightfold path at our center and. Roshi and I guess I do the same thing. Usually mention them during introductory workshops, and at best, run through them very quickly. They are right understanding, right intentions, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation, it's translated as mindfulness can also mean concentration, and of course, meditation is zazen i

John Pulleyn

10:51

In the end, no matter by which route you go, all these need to come together. You

John Pulleyn

11:18

and he says you should understand that the eight factors of the noble eight fold path come together in sila, virtue or moral conduct, Samadhi and wisdom, there is nowhere else to look for them. This means that in order to have a successful practice, there must be morality, there must be mental collectedness, and there must be wisdom present in the mind. So in practicing meditation, you're creating the causes for the path to arise in a very direct way. Is the eightfold path, the Buddha way,

John Pulleyn

11:57

the final of the four vows, the great way of Buddha. I vow to attain.

John Pulleyn

12:19

So again, in practicing meditation, you're creating the causes for the path to arise in a direct way, sitting with the eyes, not focused on any external objects, establish awareness on the breath. Make awareness of the breath more important than anything else we could say, Make awareness of the practice of the method, whatever it is, whether it's a koan, silent illumination, or just sitting the breath, whatever it is, make that more important than anything else, bring it to the front. Says, by keeping with it, you will come to know the place that is the focal point of awareness. When the factors of the path are at work together, you will be able to see your breath, feelings, mind and mental objects as they are in the present moment, not as you picture them, not as you conceive of them, looking at what's actually there, doing the experiment, not trying to change them. Certainly, we do want some change, but we're not trying to make it happen, just bringing awareness to this Moment by uniting with the practice, with the method. You

John Pulleyn

14:08

it says, ultimately, you will know that place that is both the focal point of Samadhi and the unification of the path factors all the eightfold path when developing Samadhi, fix your attention on the breath and imagine that you are sitting alone with no other people and nothing else around to bother you.

John Pulleyn

14:35

This can be helpful. Imagine yourself sitting alone in some empty hall, it's just you on your mat, develop this perception, sustaining it until the mind completely lets go of the world outside and all that is left is the awareness of the breath entering.

John Pulleyn

15:04

Breath, entering and leaving. All that's left is awareness of the method of mu who what is this? The mind must set aside the external world. Don't allow yourself to start thinking about people sitting around you. Of course, in sesshin we add, don't look around wherever you are. Stay focused. Keep the gaze down. Don't give opportunity to any thoughts that will stir the mind. It's better to throw them out and be done with them. There is no one else here. You are sitting all alone. Develop this perception until all memories and thoughts concerning people and things subside and you're no longer taking an interest in such externals. You memories and thoughts are externals come into the mind, not self, not the truth. Don't chase after them like a dog chasing sticks, then you can fix your attention solely on the in and out. Breaths. Breathe normally. Allow the inhalations, exhalations to continue naturally, without forcing them to be longer or shorter, stronger or weaker than normal. Allow the breath to continue normally and smoothly and observe it entering and leaving the body. Once the body is let go of external objects, you will no longer feel disturbed by the sound of traffic or other noises. You won't feel irritated with anything outside, whether it's forms sounds or whatever, they won't be a source of disturbance because the mind won't be paying attention to them as it becomes centered upon the breath whenever anything is bothering you, the answer is to bring your attention more fully to your practice. I

John Pulleyn

17:23

zajahn Chah says elsewhere, don't go out and bother the sound. If the sound is bothering you, why should it be a problem? We make it a problem. I it.

John Pulleyn

17:45

Then he gives a little practical tip. Says, If the mind is agitated by different things and you can't concentrate, try taking an extra deep breath until the lungs are completely full, and then release all the air until there is none left inside. Of course, you should do this quietly, do this several times, then reestablish awareness and continue to develop concentration. Having established mindfulness, it's normal that for a period, the mind will be calm, then it will become distracted again. Has anyone had this happen? When this happens, bring it back, take another deep breath and expel the air from your lungs. Fill the lungs to capacity again for a moment, then re establish mindfulness on the breath. Fix your mindfulness on the inhalation and exhalations once more, somewhat similar to a recommendation for a way to work with a koan that is to introduce the question into the Mind and then look into the silence that follows. Who am I? Is

John Pulleyn

19:09

that looking and not knowing? And then it fades eventually, and then you can introduce the question again. It's one way to work with a koan. You

John Pulleyn

19:31

he says, practice tends to go like this, so it may take many sittings and a lot of effort before you become proficient. Once you are the mind will let go of the external world and remain undisturbed. External phenomena will be unable to penetrate inside and disturb the mind. When they cannot penetrate, you will see the mind. Then you continue to practice at your ease this. Mind becomes calm, the breath, which was originally coarse, correspondingly, becomes lighter and more refined. The body feels lighter. The mind becomes progressively lighter and unburdened, letting go of external phenomena you

John Pulleyn

20:52

I'm gonna skip ahead to the later Part of his talk, the same talk he says, practicing here this evening, we have meditated together for an hour and now stopped. It might be that your mind has stopped practicing completely and hasn't continued with the reflection that is not the right way to do it. When we stop, all that should stop is the formal sitting meditation. Keep a state of meditation and reflection going at all times, just taking a walk and seeing dead leaves on the ground can provide an opportunity to contemplate impermanence. We are no different from the leaves. When we get old, we're going to shrivel up and die. Other people are the same. We should make efforts to raise the mind to the level of constant contemplation and awareness like this, whether walking, standing, sitting or lying down. This is practicing meditation correctly, following the mind carefully at all times, staying in the present moment, getting to know it intimately. Don't have to be sitting on the mat at all, walking, eating, working, it's right there on a plate. He says, I've often said that if you don't practice consistently, it's like drops of water. The practice is not a continuous, uninterrupted flow. Mindfulness is not sustained evenly. The important point is that the mind does the practice, and nothing else. Body doesn't do it. The mind does the work. If you understand this clearly, you will see that you don't always have to be in formal meditation for the mind to know Samadhi. Once you recognize this, you will be developing awareness at all times and in all postures, if you are maintaining mindfulness as an even and unbroken flow, it's as if the drops of water have joined to form a smooth and continuous stream. Mindfulness is present from moment to moment, and accordingly, there will be awareness of mental objects at all times, it is to say, you'll know when a thought comes into the mind, it's more common when you catch yourself thinking that you've been doing it for a while slipped In without awareness. When you have this developed awareness, continuous stream. You know immediately when a thought pokes up its head, whack a mole, just let it go.

John Pulleyn

24:00

If the mind is restrained and composed with uninterrupted mindfulness, you will know the wholesome and unwholesome mental states that arise. You will know the mind that is calm and the mind that is confused and agitated. Wherever you go, you will be practicing, I like that. You will know the mind that is confused and agitated. Usually, when our mind is confused and agitated, all we can think about is, how do I get out of this? This is no good. What am I doing wrong? It's just conditions. The minute you turn your attention, it subsides. You don't have to do it. Let the practice do it. If

John Pulleyn

24:55

you train the mind this way, your meditation will mature quickly and successfully. You. You. Please don't misunderstand these days, it's common for people to go on retreats for several days where they don't have to speak or do anything but meditate. Maybe you've been on a silent retreat for a week or two, returning afterward to your normal life. You might think you've done Vipassana, and because you feel you know what it's all about. You return to old habits of sensual indulgence when you do this, what happens? Before long? None of the fruits of Vipassana, or we could say the fruits of seshin, will be left. You do a lot of unskillful things that disturb and upset the mind, wasting everything. Then next year, you go back, do another retreat for several days or weeks, come out, carry on partying and drinking. That is not the path to progress. So you need to contemplate until you can see the harmful effects of that behavior. This is what is meant by renunciation. You have to will be willing to decide so easy to have a pattern, a bad habit, pattern that just keeps going and going and going. We know it's not helpful. We know it affects other aspects of our life, but it's just so easy to slip into it, where awareness can really help and willingness. Sometimes it's hard, it's okay. Sometimes we need renunciation. Just stop doing that. Need to see why. Need to be ready. Can't change everything, but you can change yourself. Says, see the harm in drinking and going out on the town, reflect and see the harm inherent in all the different kinds of unskillful behavior you are accustomed to indulging in until the harm becomes fully apparent. Say, find out what you value. This will provide the impetus for you to take a step back and change your ways. Then you will find some real peace. To realize peace of mind, you have to see clearly the disadvantages and pitfalls in such forms of behavior. This is practicing in the correct way. If you do a silent retreat for seven days where you don't have to speak or get involved with anyone, and then are chatting, gossiping and indulging all over for another seven months. How will you gain any real or lasting benefit from those seven days of meditation? I would encourage all of you to try to understand this point. It's necessary to speak in this way, so habits that are faulty become clear to you, and thus you will be able to give them up. You can say the reason you came here is to learn how to avoid doing the wrong things in the future. What happens when you do the wrong things? It leads you to a state of agitation and suffering where there is no goodness in the mind. It is not the way to peace. This is how it is, but many places where meditation is taught don't come to grips with it really. You have to conduct your daily life in a consistently calm and restrained way. Of course, we wouldn't recommend giving up everything becoming rigid. Back in the early days of the Zen Center, we lived in a apartment on Oxford Street there, very near the center, and there were a number of other Zen couples and families living there, and one of them would walk up and down the driveway in the kini posture wherever they were going, just seemed a little much. And as hauen says, Our laughter and songs are the voice of the Dharma. It's not that we don't enjoy ourselves, it's just that we have a measure of moderation where we're aware of causes and conditions. Don't go too far. We don't lose ourselves completely, Don't get hysterical in all things don't eat up all our time, thinking about politics, criticizing other people, giving way to Justified Anger and. You.

John Pulleyn

30:08

He says, this is a form of reminder to you all, so I will ask your forgiveness. Some of you might feel I'm scolding you. The old monk is telling us off. But it's not like that. It's just that you may need reminders, because in meditation, you have to be constantly turning your attention to the practice. Please try to practice consistently. See The disadvantages of practicing inconsistently and insincerely, and try to sustain a dedicated and continuous effort in the practice. It can then become a realistic possibility that you might put an end to the mental afflictions. It's a lot of it is about just developing a taste for practice. The beginning, it's hard to have a taste for practice. It's hard. We do it because we're motivated. Keep at it without having to become rigid. Becomes the way to go. Just a good way to go, good way to be. Awareness is delightful. It's wonderful. You Hmm. Anthony de Bello says it's the most wonderful thing in the world to be aware you.

John Pulleyn

31:50

Gonna skip ahead here I'm

John Pulleyn

32:00

it says when the mind is in a state of tranquility, investigation occurs on its own. This is investigation within Samadhi. It is not thinking. It's not like thinking. This is like that. This is like this. That is ordinary mental activity, investigation outside of Samadhi. But when the mind is concentrated, there is no thinking. Contemplation arises within tranquility. This is doubt without words, looking into the koan the discursive mind that thinks about things during ordinary activities and tries to specify how things are is coarse. It is coarse, but still compatible with Samadhi. The important thing is to have mindfulness in all situations. We could say awareness. Awareness. Of the way things are. Why is it that the Buddha did not have a version or delusion? Is because he had this kind of awareness. There is no cause for anger coming about. There is no cause for delusion coming about. Where would they come from? There is this awareness ruling your experience. There's nothing more to be done. You've reached the end of doing you can put it all aside with the mind and full awareness. You don't need to place your attention on anything, because the mind is doing it on its own. It occurs naturally. No longer need to place your attention on anything, because it's there. Working with a koan, the koan has come to life. Says at this point, you don't need to practice Samadhi, because it is already present. Things can still appear as right and wrong. There can still be feelings of like and dislike, but you just keep letting them go, whatever things like whenever, whatever things like this appear to you, let them go with recognition that they are im permanent, come to know the source of things and reach the place that is called original mind, where nothing is permanent, where nothing is anything at all that is truth. Whatever comes flowing down the stream. When it gets stuck, you cut it loose and let it flow away. What is it that comes flowing by? You don't know, but when it gets stuck, you release it and let it flow on. It is the phenomena of sense objects and mental activity. It is thoughts. When phenomena are appearing, you keep on sweeping them out. When nothing appears, you remain in equanimity, just saying the words, is easy. Easy, isn't it?

John Pulleyn

35:11

This is similar to the business of morality meditation and wisdom. The way it's usually presented in Buddhism is that you teach about morality at the beginning with meditative stability in the middle and wisdom in the end. This is a classification you can remember. But really, with some people, it isn't necessary to begin by teaching morality. Like Americans, they tend to come to meditate and immediately settle down into pacifying the mind. You don't need to say anything yet about the usual explanation of sila first, samadhi, second, and wisdom third. First, just let them sit to develop a tranquil mind. Then some sensitivity will be born. It's as if there were a poisonous snake in a basket with a lid on it. Even if someone were to walk right next to it, they wouldn't be worried, because they wouldn't know what's there. They're not yet aware of the danger trying to teach morality is like that. You have to be aware of the habits and dispositions of people in different places. For a Westerner, you can just teach tranquil sitting meditation first, then when the mind is calm, some change will take place, and the person will see things differently at first, even if there is a poisonous creature about the person is unconcerned because she isn't aware it is there Selah that is virtually is like that. It's not necessary to go through the precepts one by one. Morality isn't just a matter of reciting, I vow to refrain from taking life. I vow to refrain from stealing. It's too slow that way. It doesn't get to the point like a stick of wood. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. If you pick up the end, the beginning comes along with it, and you can get to the beginning by starting at the end, or you can start at the beginning and get the end. You can insist on telling someone that this is the beginning and that is the end. If people are attracted to Samadhi practice, let them develop a peaceful mind through that, then sensitivity will arise and they will be able to see things in a new light, picking up the end, they will get to the beginning, because the beginning and the end are one piece changes that come about in the mind. Through Samadhi will enable them to see things, and wisdom will start to permeate the mind, feeling for what is right and what is wrong will gradually develop I

John Pulleyn

37:48

so wonderful thing about practice, so many changes that happen. We don't even know how sensitivity arises without being an intention. We don't have to set off to do good, to try to be a certain kind of person, for open and aware, grows naturally. You

John Pulleyn

38:29

so much of practice is just getting out of the way,

John Pulleyn

38:39

trusting whatever practice we're working on, whatever method, being faithful and patient, determined,

John Pulleyn

39:02

no need to be anxious. I

John Pulleyn

39:14

used to be bothered by the admonition of some of the masters to practice as if your head is on fire. But I came to understand doesn't mean practice as if you're screaming and yelling and Oh, my God, my head's on fire. If your head were on fire, you wouldn't waste a moment. You would put it out. No need to scream or yell. Get down on the ground and start rolling around, for God's sake. Don't unnecessarily waste time. I.

John Pulleyn

40:03

Doesn't help to feel bad about anything. It doesn't help to feel bad about our shortcomings. There can be a sense of regret, of course, but like Ajahn Chah says, Don't don't get drunk. Don't overdo it. I

John Pulleyn

40:23

Guo. Gu talks about the factors, the attitudes, that helps to that it helps to bring to practice, and the very first one is contentment. We're in the right place, doing what we value on a journey.

John Pulleyn

40:52

Can let it unfold.

John Pulleyn

40:58

Okay, our time is up. We'll stop now and recite the four vows you.

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