Oh this is this is day five of this July 2024 seven day sesshin.
this, this path that we're walking this week and more generally, is often referred to in the text as the way or the path. There is a, a poem, prose poem that I've read from before, but it looks like not in a while. It's from it's translated from the Swedish by Christopher Middleton, and the author, the author is Lars Gustafsson and it's called The Ballad of the paths in vestment mind. And this is, he's he's talking about is the way that we're on this Zen tradition. Under the visible script of small tracks, gravel tracks, forest tracks, often with a grass ribs in the middle. Between deep rods hidden beneath twigs heaped in clearings still distinct and crumbling moss. Another script runs the old paths. They lead from lake to lake, from valley to valley, sometimes deeper furrows more distinct and sturdy bridges of medieval stone, carry them over black streams. Sometimes they evaporate on bare rocky ground. You lose them easily in swamps, so imperceptibly, the one moment, they're there and the next not sound like sesshin. They do go on always there's a going on. You only have to seek the PABs are obstinate, they know what they want. And with that knowledge, they combined considerable cunning. You're walking east the compass points insistently east, faithfully the path follows the compass like a streak all as well than the path veers north and north there's nothing but does the path want. Soon comes and enormous more. And the path Inuit it leaves us around with the certainty of someone who knows what's what it knows where the more is, it knows where the hill is too steep. It knows what happens to someone who circles the lake to the north instead of South. It has done it all so many times before. That's the whole point of being a path it came to be made long ago.
Now we'll return to the teachings of a national teacher Musa Musa Kakashi reading from the book Dream conversations and Buddhism and Zen. And here is, his these teachings are he lived lived in the 13th 14th century. Many Buddhist scholars do not actually aspire to enlightenment, but really study to enhance their own reputation and prestige, and to feed their personal pride. When they get some knowledge, they set themselves up as teachers and full of ignorant. They tell people their bit of knowledge and interpretation and give formal approval to any scholars whose views correspond with our own. This is a big mistake
from what I've heard over many years, From people who are in academia, things haven't changed much from from the 14th century so much quarreling and pride in among among scholars as among all people but
there are there it's not always so different from it's not in the in the case of Buddhist scholars is also may not be so different isn't sometimes different
so huge difference between the words and the practice
is an old saying a picture of a cake doesn't satisfy hunger or version I like his menu doesn't satisfy hunger. But there are those who are content to work on the menus their whole life and and those those those people can do a lot of service. Where would we be without translators and even scholars can really help us stay on the path or at the very least get started on the path.
Here's a very different topic. He says attraction and aversion are two feelings that keep people within the bondage of ignorant, repetitive behavior. That's such a rich grouping of words ignorant, repetitive behavior, attraction and aversion or just what we desire and what we dislike. Our likes and dislikes. Those who seek only what pleases them and try to avoid what displeases them are acting in this way because they do not realize the nature of the world. For those who know the nature of the world, lack of complete satisfaction or fulfillment in things of the world, is in itself advice to cultivate detachment. If people don't crave to be pleased, they will not be displeased. What causes mental suffering is not the environment, but the mind itself.
It's pretty self evident, isn't it that our desires will never be completely fulfilled. There will always be no matter how much we get. There will always be left wanting in some way. If you'd if we somehow were to manage to find the perfect mate, and the perfect job and the perfect house in a perfect neighborhood in the perfect car with the perfect little children what would it be enough would that be enough there's always something more we want. So it only makes sense rather than trying. In futility to satisfy our every desire is to reduce our desires work at a practice where we dissolve our attachment to our likes and dislikes. To our our desiring mind
it's a this is not a moral issue. It's not wrong to have desires. It's just foolish to think we can ever satisfy them all. This is so wonderful about the Dharma Heir to so Practical. We're not bad people for having desires, we all have them. It's, it's our attachment to them. It's our degree to which we insist on having them fulfilled the degree to which they manage our lives, these desires. This is this just causes us misery, dissatisfaction. And then we learn that the real problem is not the desires, it's again, it's the attachment to them. It's our dwelling in our thoughts of getting this getting that or not getting this and not getting that. That's it
whenever give introductory workshops at the center, I would talk just a touch on this matter of desire which is so, so basic in early Buddhism and in someone ever wants to want someone in the workshop and say, Wait a minute, what about the desire for enlightenment? Hmm, what about that? Oh, I never thought.
Roshi Kapleau used to say there, there are basic desires and there are exalted desires in the course the the aspiration to come to awakening for the sake of others, even that it's a desire. It's an exalted desire, isn't it for the sake of others, but even that, that very desire, when applied in through practice, will dissolve it. That is will dissolve the idea of a thought of enlightenment as a goal that we have to grasp at.
He goes on, the founder of Zen spoke of two ways of access to awakening, by principle, and by practice. Access by principle refers to direct unification with the fundamental without depending on training. Since this is not possible for everyone, the founder, the Buddha also taught for practices. The first two practices are designed to counteract the tendency to be distracted by feelings related to pleasing and displeasing situations. In displeasing situations, you counteract irritation, resentment, and lament by viewing such situations as products of your own disagreeable behavior in the past. This can is this does work with we find ourselves in some kind of mess, some painful situation to just briefly, not not making a whole practice of briefly remind ourselves that this is this is just the effect of previous causes that we were very much part of. Or I liked the very simple, simple way of expressing karma. What karma means is what goes around comes around. And then that's that's displeasing situations, and they says, in pleasing situations, favorable situations, you counteract complacency and attachment by reflecting on the impermanence of all conditions. So, this simple little example, the absolutely exquisite web we're having today just ideal. But how long was it gonna last?
I think these these kinds of little interventions that that Musso is suggesting they, they, they start to kind of arise on their own without, through through long enough practice, they just come on their own, they don't have to make a big deal out of them, we just become aware kind of a tissue level and situations of very favorable, we're very grateful for that it's not gonna last and the opposite. And we learn this in the most kind of molecular level through the practice, by seeing ourselves go through these alternating periods of hardship and ease. We come to really assimilate in an experiential way the impermanence of everything.
His next advice here, it is not necessary to get rid of worldly feelings in order to work on the fundamental. Those who are keenly aware of the precariousness of our situation as human beings and the brevity of our opportunity to awaken and who use this awareness to hone their will are not distracted from the work by worldly feelings
feelings that arise because of circumstances can actually be used to fuel the urgency of work toward the fundamental I used to think early on sure I wasn't the only one the first I had to clean up all but I then called bad feelings had to purify my character in a real basic way in order to really work effectively it helps for sure it helps to to hold to the precepts to not be hurting other people in all the ways that we can when we violate the precepts it helps us work more effectively. But it's not we don't have to somehow flush ourselves flush the feelings problematic feelings out we have the ability to do see through feelings get beyond feelings while we're sitting
in and to think also another misunderstanding is that we have to really re arrive at some really pure nature of pure character in order to come to even a an initial awakening experience. No it's what we're doing is a concentration practice we can you can have different character flaws, afflictions and still bring this this concentration to the point that we break through our ordinary consciousness
there was a there was a time where I might think, okay, my car was too heavy. It's just it's an idea. and how what do we know about the depth of our obstructive karma? Some obstructive karma as I was saying earlier, some obstructive Karma can be a product and spur us to want to get beyond the whole matter of karma cause and effect it's a it's a little device of the ego to lead us off the hook. Well, look at look at the problems in my personal life, look at what I do doesn't matter especially especially in sesshin, where we have this tremendous force collective force that can enable us to penetrate through these would be obstructions.
feelings that arise because of circumstances can actually be used to fuel so let's take one grief, the grief of having lost someone that can be a huge spurs practice. Fear
he says preliminary methods of softening worldly feelings are taught for the sake of those with insufficient determination. This does not mean that work on the fundamental is to be undertaken only after worldly feelings are ended. Well what world is that where you don't have feelings. But preliminary methods of softening worldly feelings that means softening the grip of worldly feelings. So psychotherapy can can definitely help us pull out some of the wedges and blocks emotional blocks that that obstruct us in our sitting, get in the way. metta practice works as well. But work on the fundamental is of a different order. It's in the case of metta, which I do have much respect for, to in the case of metta are trying to radiate loving feelings loving kindness. Whereas in Zen, we're not trying to create any effect or just sitting with the mind.
The koan are breath practice or shikantaza. When we're when we're working hard on the breath, practice, or koan, what's their shikantaza It's not creating effect, we don't have anything in mind. We shouldn't be having anything in mind that we're trying to get someplace we're trying to get to.
How's it have another one envy and B that comes up in sesshin. Sometimes, again, comparing oneself to others, we don't have to get rid of envy. We just have to not dwell in it. And that it's as if it's not there. If our attention is not lingering on, on any feelings of envy, or anger or grief, then it need not be an obstruction.
Even while you call to mind ways of softening worldly feelings when they arise, still, you should not give up work on the fundamental. It is said that people with intense determination for enlightenment, neglect, even to eat and sleep. Such people do become tired and do become hungry. But they rest and eat in the midst of the practice and therefore are not hindered even when sleeping or eating I'm reminded of this, this verse that we recite at the end of each each night in sesshin. Even as night darkens the green earth, the wheel turns, death follows birth. Strive as you sleep through the night. It's talking about the work even while sleeping. This is not any kind of thing we can understand rationally, how to how to strive as we're sleeping it. It goes on in some way through our striving during the day.
If people who lack such determination go without eating or sleeping, they will become ill. This will hinder their practice, so they are encouraged to eat enough to overcome hunger and sleep enough to overcome fatigue. This does not mean however, they should forget the work while eating or sleeping. Well, eating is easier to understand how we can maintain the awareness of the practice while eating.
In in the three pillars of Zen and the letters of bacillary Japanese Zen master bacillary, he just says flatly do not fast. It is a non Buddhist practice. I I have to have done some fasting never for more than a week. So I don't I would be surprised if Basu I thought that was a mistake to fast for a week. I seems to me it's kind of like to know the context in which he said that do not fast. Josue, the great Joe shoes, reported to have lived to the age of 120 attributed his long life to having done a lot of fasting as a young man. When I was training in Japan, and but coca G is tongue and Roshi, what about this bacilli saying during this flatlay do not fast? And it won't be a surprise. His answer was Well, depends on what what he means by fasting. What kind of fasting are we talking about? Fasting Can I suppose can veer into eating disorder. But during sesshin, what I've learned is yet the little fasting I have done in sesshin, you feel lighter, clear. A certain kind of energy is liberated when we're not eating. But you in my experience, in my experience, you pay a price and not having the same type of energy available to you, especially if you're working on a koan. You don't have the thrust, the penetrative power I didn't, I'll just make it about myself. I didn't couldn't find that same penetrating power, working on a koan. The best thing is what many wise people have said is the best way to fast. The best kind of fasting is just to eat lightly, moderately, whether in sesshin or outside sesshin.
An ancient Zen master gives this advice. When you walk, watch The Walking. When you sit, watch the sitting. When you recline, watch the reclining when you see and hear watch the seeing and hearing when you notice and cognize thank I thank thank, watch the noticing and thinking when joyful, watch the joy when angry, watch the anger. That's the end of the quote. And then Mu so coke she says working in this way will lead to awakening. In other words, just mindfulness. Noticing awareness, not being completely embedded in whatever you're doing mentally embedded, but having having this awareness and I once read that that's one way to understand the word Buddha. Not not the historical person but the word Buddha is it's our fundamental awareness. Our noticing means presence of mind of course. It's the opposite of just being lost in fight.
There is a popular practice, commonly found in Buddhist sutras and Zen writings, that consists of looking upon all phenomena, as if they were dreams are illusions. This practice is in the realm of method and is not an Ultimate Teaching. Again, it's it's it's in the realm of causation doing this thing will bring about that, whereas strictly speaking, Zen is well it's working on the fundamental. We're not trying to get from here to there at its purest. In Zen practice, we're not there's no there that we're trying to get to. There's another one not I've never tried which is contemplating our corpse. This is from centuries ago. Just read a bit bit about that. There too. You're You're, you're trying to contrive something to make yourself more aware of the precariousness and impermanence of human life.
He goes on secular literature and folk sayings, use the image of things being like dreams or phantasms to mean that everything is transient. But in Buddhism, the implication is that phenomena are ultimately insubstantial. But nevertheless, conditionally manifest. Okay, let's, let's clarify that. That ultimately nothing is everything is without substance. Everything is shimmering. atomic and subatomic particles, everything is in flux. That's the the non substantiality of everything. No matter how physical how hard it may seem to be. That's certainly the body but then balancing that is the awareness that yeah, in these conditions and the conditions being such as they are while they're real enough. If we bang our head against the rafters in the attic, that's that's pretty real, in its own way.
You say the difference between a horse and a man is that the when the horse bangs its head on the beam going out of the barn, it won't do it again
and please report them when I went back up to the attic. I didn't do it again. But let's see by next. Alright, just a minute people listening. Some of you wondering what the heck I'm talking about the day sesshin started last Saturday, I did this and got it turned out to be nothing but a lot of blood. And so I had to put a bandage on was a black. I've never seen a black bandage before, but that's the one that was at hand and everyone was laughing that it looked like a yarmulke and that I had maybe switched traditions didn't have to have it on long at all.
It is said that people who who are truly on the way do not discuss judgments of others. This does not mean that they make judgments but suppress them. It means they do not see people in terms of self and other. A sutra says the nature of reality is like an ocean, you should not say there is right or wrong. I've heard from quite a few people in dog Sun beginners, to sesshin, who are a guest at some point and so she under aghast at how much silent judgments they're passing on, and other people.
So many, so much of our thought activity only comes to conscious we only become aware of it, in this in the silence in the many hours of sitting of such sheen. And it can be quite appalling, what goes on in the mind. So vitally important that we become aware of these things. This, this knee jerk habit, so many of us have of judging other people.
If people view the world in terms of distinctions between self and other, they will inevitably make judgments of right and wrong. If they entertain views of right and wrong, they are not true practitioners of the way, even if they refrain from expressing their views. Notice as if they entertain views of right and wrong, I would see that we can't stop such things from just arising on their own momentarily. But we can do is not feed these judgments which we that we notice all of a sudden not dwell in them.
He says rather than try to refrain from discussing judgments of others, therefore, students of the Dharma should turn around and reflect who is it that speaks of others right and wrong. You notice, he says both twice. Now he says do not discuss judgments of others. Okay, that's, that's important. We say that, in those two precepts, six and seven, the six and seven of the 10 Karla precepts are resolved not to speak of the faults of others. And the other one is a result of not to praise myself and disparage others. But I, I always wondered why. Why isn't more the thoughts? So who is it that thinks of others right and wrong? That's where it starts the thought, then it becomes speech. This is exactly the practice of, of who am I? There's a koan. Who is it that's doing this thinking that feeling this tasting that judging or what? Same thing, bring it back to the subject. Not getting caught and the objects we can so easily get caught in others thinking about others, even if we're not speaking about others.
A sutra says that people, quote, take the physical constituent constitution to be their own body and take the reflections of sense data to be their own mind. Well, in other words, just this thinking that, this, that our true self is just this body mind complex, when actually it is far, far more than that. A then he says what this sutra means is that what ordinary people think to be their true that think to be their self is not the true self. And if you do not know what your true self is, you cannot see others as they really are either. I
thought I might trot out the story of a salt doll which probably I'd gotten more positive feedback from any story I've ever read. Each time I do it. It's, I think it goes back to maybe it originated in Japan. But it's it's not long. A little doll made of salt, had a long, long dry journey crossed the desert. And when she finally arrived at the seashore, she had never seen it before. She did not understand what it was. So she addressed the sea. What are you? The sea ripped replied, I am me. The doll said, I don't understand. But But I do want to see said, touch me. At this, the little dowel of salt ventured cautiously to put her toes in the water, then quickly pulled them out, and was shocked to realize that they had vanished. But where are my toes gone? She asked. The see quietly replied, you'd have given something in order to understand may have been the tone of the C's voice, but the doll somehow trusted what the C was saying. And so she ventured into the water a little farther. And then a little farther, at each step, losing more of herself, disappearing more and more. Finally, a big wall of wave and golf her. And as she was completely vanishing, she said, Now I know what the sea is. The sea is me. Think this is particularly useful as a parable is that a parable of that can we can draw from when we're facing a state of no thought. And that can happen more easily late in sesshin than then early and sesshin. were suddenly there. There is nothing in the mind. And it can be frightening. And we can withdraw. We can contract. What's going on? It's, I would say it's usually from what I hear. It's usually frightening. But then what do we do we we look after we collect ourselves then Alright, we're still here. Let's let's pretty fascinating place there. So let's get back to the koan to the practice and find our way back to that state of emptiness, no thought. And then again, we may get startled and pulled back. But then, if we persist in moving into this realm of no thought, no mind, then, is the most extraordinary, extraordinarily marvelous, liberating place we could possibly be his dwelling in that state of non dwelling. But all of this is just words. It's up to each person to confirm that, that take extraordinary place. Our time is that we'll stop now and recite the Four Vows
