I vow to face the truth, no doubt as if I just were. Good morning. Good morning. This morning, just before our lecture, we had a bodhisattva ceremony, sometimes called a full moon ceremony. We try to do it as close to the full moon as possible. It's nice to do it at night, but the reason we do it on Saturday morning, closest to that time, because it's so convenient for everyone. But ordinarily, we would do it on the night of the full moon, which is traditional for Buddhists. Originally, the monks did this ceremony of confession twice a month, the full moon and the new moon.

[01:03]

And we do a short version. And we place it conveniently for everybody. So I want to, this is an appropriate time to talk about this ceremony. I think at least once a year I like to talk about this ceremony. Ceremony is the ceremony of acknowledging our transgressions or our karmic actions and renewing our intentions or renewing our vows.

[02:06]

So the first part is about avowing or acknowledging our undesirable qualities or undesirable things that we've done in our life. And it's called, the first part is repentance, right? All my ancient twisted karma, from beginningless greed, hate and delusion, born through body, speech and mind, I now fully avow. Avow means to bring forth, or to confess. Confess, I like avow. It just means to bring it forth. Confess has kind of a feeling of something hidden, or acknowledging something hidden. So, confess is good too. Sometimes we hide our actions, and sometimes we just acknowledge them.

[03:20]

But in this ceremony, we don't do these one by one, you know, like, I did this and I did that. But we simply acknowledge or avow the fact that we're always overstepping the bounds of right action. Right action, there are various ways to talk about right action, but right action is action which does not create bondage for yourself, which doesn't cause harm to others. So we talk about evil actions. Evil actions have the feeling of creating suffering for others. And ignorant actions have the feeling of creating bondage for ourselves, because when we do something out of desire, we don't

[04:28]

realize how we're getting caught in it. So it has these two aspects. So we say, it says here, all my ancient twisted karma. Twisted is the translation used here. And we think of it as, you know, kind of like excruciating or something, or my off in some way. But twisted also has the meaning of entanglements. I think in this case, it's like wisteria. If you see the way wisteria grows, or the way gourd vines grow, they grow all entangled with each other. So, mysterious is often used as a metaphor for entanglements.

[05:32]

So, all the entanglements that our karma has produced, that our actions have produced in the realm of desire, And it twisted in such a way that it's hard to untangle. So tangled could be another way of expressing that. All the entanglements that are hard to get out of, hard to deal with. And it has to do with being caught by desire. As I explained before, desire has two aspects in Buddhist terminology. Desire is a kind of technical term for entanglements, or the source of entanglements.

[06:41]

desire in itself is not so bad. Desire in itself is neutral. But when it's applied toward egotistical pursuits, then it leads to a kind of entanglement or bondage. And when desire is turned or transformed, into seeking release, then it's called way-seeking mind. It's no longer called desire. But it's the same impetus, and comes from the same root. So one side is called desire, and the other is called way-seeking mind. So in this ceremony, we acknowledge all the karma born through body, speech, and mind, which leads to entanglements.

[07:49]

And then we turn our attention toward reestablishing way-seeking mind. So all my ancient twisted karma, from beginningless greed, hate, and delusion, because greed, hate, and delusion are the three roots, of what we call bad karma. As I say before, karma simply is volitional action. Good volitional action or harmful volitional action. So here it means harmful volitional action. Born through body, speech and mind. Mind is the source. And what comes to mind is expressed through speech and through bodily action. So we now avow this. We realize that this is so.

[08:58]

So after acknowledging this karma, we feel that it's kind of cleaning up, cleaning up our act. We have the ability now to clean up our act. So after acknowledging the karma, we can restate our intentions for a way-seeking mind and once a month start on a new foot. So this is very important. Right now, after having acknowledged our karma and renewed our intentions, you are on a new footing. The word is immaculate. But immaculate, I looked it up in the dictionary. It simply means clean. clean or unblemished.

[10:10]

So then we pay homage to the various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. So we say homage to the seven Buddhas before Buddha, homage to Shakyamuni Buddha, homage to Maitreya Buddha, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, and all the succession of ancestors. That sounds like something outside of ourselves. Some great Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the sky. But seven Buddhas is short for all the Buddhas that have preceded Shakyamuni Buddha. And there's an infinite number of Buddhas who have preceded Shakyamuni Buddha, who is the Buddha who brought the teaching to this particular time, 2,500 years ago.

[11:22]

There's a lot of myth around these seven Buddhas before Buddha, you know, are wonderful images for creating myth, which is important for us. The myth carries a story and helps us in our understanding. And then we say homage to Shakyamuni Buddha. And so we think of Shakyamuni Buddha as the Buddha who was born 2,500 years ago. But actually, in our practice, Shakyamuni Buddha means you yourself. Everyone is Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni, we used to say in the meal chant, homage to all the Shakyamuni Buddhas all over the world. So yes, there was a historical figure called Shakyamuni Buddha who was the figurehead of Buddhism.

[12:38]

But we have to bring our practice to ourself. So each one of us who practices is called Shakyamuni Buddha. So sometimes I say we should treat everyone as Buddha. The basis of practice is to address everyone as Buddha. to look for Buddha when you see someone. Is this Buddha? If whoever you address is Buddha, how will you treat that person? And if you yourself are Buddha, how will you treat yourself? And then we say homage to Maitreya Buddha. Maitreya Buddha is the next Buddha. after Shakyamuni. But if you look at it carefully, you yourself are Maitreya Buddha.

[13:43]

You will be the Buddha in the future. Maitreya means the Buddha of loving kindness, Maitri. So when you develop that aspect of yourself completely, you are Maitreya Buddha. Maitreya Buddha is just waiting to appear. We say Maitreya Buddha is sitting in Tushita Heaven and will someday come down and bring, usher in a new era. It's a kind of messianic aspect of Buddhism. But don't wait. Each one of us has to go through the cycle of transformation and salvation personally. So each one of us is also Maitreya Buddha in our perfected aspect.

[14:55]

When our practice becomes quite pure, Maitreya will appear. And then there are the three bodhisattvas, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Avalokiteśvara. Manjushri is our wisdom. Manjushri is the aspect of wisdom of our practice. So don't look out there for monjushri. When we say homage to monjushri, we're paying homage to our inherent wisdom and inviting that wisdom to come forth. When we offer incense and have a ceremonial act, that's an invitation.

[16:08]

We offer incense to invite Every morning we invite Prajnaparamita to join our practice. We invite Shakyamuni Buddha to join our practice. We invite Bonjushri to join our practice, to come forth from our deepest presence. We don't invite them to come down from the sky. We invite them to come forth from our inherent nature. Samadhi-Bhadra Bodhisattva is the Bodhisattva of practice. We say the shining Bodhisattva, Samadhi-Bhadra. Samadhi-Bhadra is pictured usually riding an elephant

[17:09]

The elephant is the symbol of Buddhism. Big feet that walk, and kind of lumbering, and walks very carefully. When the elephant puts the foot down, it's very slow and careful, as contrasted with rabbit practice. When the foot goes down, get out of the way. So very careful, steady, steady practice over a long period of time. The elephant lasts a long time. Long life. And very steady practice. And Avalokiteshvara is our compassionate nature. Each one of us is a bodhisattva.

[18:12]

Anyone who practices is a bodhisattva practicing bodhisattva practice. And Avalokiteshvara is that aspect of compassion which comes forth through practice. And then we pay homage to the succession of ancestors, all those who are, we say the ancestors, but all of us are ancestors. So we pay homage not just to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas within ourselves, but to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas all around us. We pay homage to each other's wisdom, practice, and compassion.

[19:12]

And then we take the four vows. Beings are numberless. I vow to save them. Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless. I vow to enter them. And Buddha's way is unsurpassable, I vow to become it. There are a number of ways to translate this. But the Four Vows, as you know, some of you know, are a response to the Four Noble Truths of Buddha. The Four Noble Truths are the touchstone of Buddha's understanding that life is subject to suffering. No one can really dodge this. Everyone experiences this suffering which is caused by impermanence and not having what one wants and having too much of what one doesn't want.

[20:22]

And the cause is called desire. We say here delusions. Suzuki Roshi used to say, desires. And I once called him on it. And I said, what about delusions? Wouldn't that be better? He said, no, desires. But most people like to use desires. So they usually say desire. But I mean, delusion. But actually desire, if you understand it, as I explained it in the beginning, is correct. Desire means that which leads to bondage, which leads to suffering. And it's very hard for us to see that what we do puts us into a trap. So, And first we say beings are numberless.

[21:34]

Numberless beings, I vow to save them, but save them from suffering. And delusions are inexhaustible desires. I vow to end them by turning desire into a way-seeking mind, or transforming desire into a way-seeking mind. And the dharmagates are boundless. The first two truths are about the problem. The problem is suffering and its cause. The second two truths are about how to deal with it. So how to deal with it is called vowing to enter the dharmagates. There is a way to deal with it. And it's by entering the Dharma Gates. Dharma Gates means the various ways of practice.

[22:37]

And the fourth one, Buddha's way is unsurpassable. I vow to become the way. Usually we say that the way, Buddha's Eightfold Path is But there's the Eightfold Path, there's the Sixth Paramita, there's many, many ways to enter Buddhadharma and to study and practice. So the last two generally mean to turn from action which creates karma to vow. So we say a bodhisattva lives a life of vow rather than a life of karma. A life of karma is just trying to find your freedom by doing whatever you want and getting trapped. And a life of vow means letting go of that life and living a clean life of practice, which doesn't lead or which doesn't create karma or karma in the sense of entrapment.

[24:03]

And then we take the three refuges. I take refuge in Buddha. I take refuge in Dharma. I take refuge in Sangha. And we say, before all beings, immersing body and mind deeply in the way, awakening true mind. This is to take refuge in Buddha. But we say, the one who realizes the truth is Buddha. We actually take refuge in our own Buddha nature. We don't take refuge in some Buddha outside of ourselves. When we realize that... We say sentient beings are Buddha, and Buddhas are not too. When one doesn't realize one is a sentient being, and when one realizes what sentient beings are, one is a Buddha. So we have these both aspects of our nature.

[25:12]

We have Buddha nature aspect and human nature aspect. But they're not two different things. Human nature is Buddha nature and Buddha nature is human nature. But when we say human nature, we're talking about the nature of desire. And when we talk about Buddha nature, we're talking about the nature of release and practice. So you are Buddha. And to take refuge in Buddha is to take refuge in big self, not ego self. I take refuge in Dharma. And we say, before all beings entering deeply the merciful ocean of Buddha's way, Dharma is called Buddha's mercy by showing us the way.

[26:13]

So Dharma is the law or the teaching which has been mercifully passed down by all the Buddhist ancestors to us. So when you When you realize the truth of the Dharma, then you are the Dharma treasure. When you realize the truth of yourself, you are the Buddha treasure. You are anyway. And then we say, I take refuge in Sangha. Sangha is the community. Before all beings, bringing harmony to everyone, free from hindrance. So as a member of Buddhist Sangha, we should be bringing harmony not only to our surroundings but to everyone we meet or every situation that we meet.

[27:16]

And those people who studied the Buddhist way and are members of the Sangha are called the Sangha treasure. So these are the three treasures. The three treasures are each one of us. Not some three treasures outside of ourself. But, and we recognize the three treasures in everyone. And then we say the one who is released from suffering is the Dharma, is the Sangha treasure. So those are, and then of course we do the ten, the three pure precepts and the ten grave precepts, but I'm not going to go through that. This is enough for today. And I'm wondering if you have any questions.

[28:26]

which says don't sell intoxicants. And one of the 10 grave precepts says don't sell intoxicants. And the Japanese precepts use that in a more stretch it a little bit. In Japanese language, you can't say anything unless you say it in a poetic way. So, what it's saying is not just about selling wine or beer or opium, but don't sell religion as the opium of the people. So it's on a different level.

[29:48]

Yes, don't sell wine, don't sell opium, but don't sell Buddhism as the opium of the people. Religion is often sold that way. And I don't remember who said that, Karl Marx or something. He was, yeah, he was quite right. No, because religion was very degenerate. That's why they had the Russian Revolution. And the religion had really degenerated terribly. And they were selling it like opium. You know, if you do this, you'll have very nice blah, blah, blah. At that time, opium was mostly a pain reliever. Yeah, pain reliever. Don't sell Buddhism as a pain reliever. Even though Buddha says, it will end your suffering. Could that also be extended to meaning selling falsehoods like through the media?

[30:53]

Sure. Well, there's another precept that says, don't lie. Yes? At the beginning you said that the ceremony begins with avowing one's entangled karma. And then that brings one to a place of immaculate... You're cleaning up. Cleaning. Cleaning up. How does the cleaning come about? Is that something that really fuels it? Or is that just... Yes. Well, that's a good question. What it means is that right now you have the opportunity to do something to go this way or that way. In other words, once you avow, make an avowal of karma, the Sixth Patriarch says, when you make confession, it should not just be lip service.

[32:12]

When you make a transgression, the way to deal with it is to just turn and go the other way. That's called renunciation or atonement. Atonement means to be one with. In other words, that's like letting go of a vowel, a vowel encarment and letting go. So for that moment, you have the space of freedom. And then you can go this way or you can go that way. But for the moment of a vowel, there is that space of freedom. where one is no longer driven by karma, which doesn't mean that karma won't continue to drive you.

[33:22]

But after having made, after having avowed your karma and renewed your vows, then when you walk out the door, what will you do? You do have a choice. Sometimes our karmic load is so heavy it just pushes us. This is the problem with trauma. It is being pushed by it and driven by habit energy. So it makes a little break in your habit energy for a moment. And then you can reflect, shall I continue to do what I'm doing or shall I turn and do it a different way? let my habit energy drive me. It will drive you. We say, after one becomes a monk, you give up your karmic life, but the residual karma of your life still works.

[34:32]

So, one has to deal with that as well. The way-seeking mind is the direction of the person, even though residual karma still comes up and the person has to deal with that. So it doesn't mean that that won't happen, but it means that your true nature is actually pure and immaculate, and you've allowed your true nature to be present without any encumberments for this moment. There it is. What I was thinking was that certain desires or basic needs, basic desires in themselves may not be either positive or negative.

[35:53]

Maybe it's a matter of degree where it goes beyond... It is a matter of degree. Where it becomes destructive for oneself and others. That's right. So the other matter of degree is that there are basic desires. I want to eat. I need to eat. I need to sleep. I need to do this and that, which we all have. But those are called normal desires. And when those desires are satisfied, they form the basis of being able to do the way, to practice the way. Because you can't practice the way when you're starving or when there are too many inhibiting factors. So one has to be at least taken care of with the basic needs, and then you can study. So those are basic desires, which are outside of the category of what's called desire.

[37:00]

Craving, you know, means over and above what you need. Yes? You're talking about letting go of habitual mind? What kind of mind? Habitual mind. Habitual, yeah. Can you will yourself to do that? We have good habits and bad habits. We are creatures of habit. And even though we do, when we get into habitual practice or habitually doing good things, then it forms a strong way of life.

[38:04]

And the disruptive elements have a harder time taking over. And when we have bad habits, habits which are enslaving, then we're We're driven by those habits. So good habits are not habits that drive us. Good habits are habits that we cultivate. This is called driving our life. The other habits which are captivating are called habits which drive our life. So we either take control of our life, or we're driven by it.

[39:11]

Or we take control of our habits, or we're driven by our habits. So habit is necessary. But even though habit is necessary, the heart of practice is to be able to be free of all habits. So that whatever you do, you can do, you know, each moment is a fresh new moment. and you can go this way or that way because there's nothing driving you. So, you know, we're not creating twining vines. Dogen uses the term twining vines in a different way. He takes all the bad things and makes them into something else. He says twining vines actually the spiritual entanglements of teachers and students, the connection between teachers and students, which is very deep and connected, but not choking or binding.

[40:35]

binding in a sense that we realize that we are two and yet one. That's spiritual entanglement. Just to realize we're one and yet separate. The entanglements of And this gives both teachers and students their freedom, as well as their relationship. Whereas entanglements from bad karma or bad habits squeeze the person and bind the person, and there's no way out. There's no freedom in it. So you have to be able to be careful not to step in this pool and step in this pool. Keep on this track and not go on that track.

[41:40]

There's a little bray of tar pits. You want to stay out of the tar pits. But it's tricky. Sometimes spiritual entanglements can be is not good, so you should be careful about what kind of entanglements you get into with a teacher sometimes. Yes? Is sex a fundamental desire? Yeah, sex is a fundamental desire. It is. So it's the trickiest one, because it's like a raging fire. And it has to be controlled. So it's like you have a switch. Not everybody can turn it on and off.

[42:42]

Sometimes it's just always on. But you have to have a rheostat so you can turn it down. The thing about human beings is that they're in season all the time, unlike animals. So we have to be able to control it. And it's very hard. You know, it's just such a powerful drive. And all of my life we're dealing with how to keep it in control. Monks of most religions don't use it. But In America, and in Japan, you know, the monks were married. I mean, at certain points, the monks got married. And so, one has to control, learn how to have some self-control.

[43:49]

And that's a big part of, sex is a big part of our practice. How you not let it control you. How to keep it from controlling you. Some people, it's easier than for others. And once it gets out of hand and you become habituated to certain outlets, then it's easy to get caught. So, we have to deal with it all the time. It's probably one of the hardest things. And I, you know, when I was at Tassajara, I just came back from Tassajara, and we say, all these new students come down, it's summertime, they're young men, young women, and old men, and old women. It doesn't matter when you're rich.

[44:50]

And a lot of new students, you know, don't have a lot of indoctrination, you know. And we say you should not have any kind of sexual relations with a student, a new student for the first six months. And we really don't want anybody to have any sexual relations during the summer at all, but that's unrealistic. So when I talk to people, they come and say, well, you know, there's this girl, you know, or there's this guy, you know, and we're kind of, And, you know, it's a foregone conclusion. And so what I do is try to deal with the situation rather than to say, don't do this and don't do that. You can't. So I look at what the situation is and try to advise the people from where they are in the situation and how to be careful and how to not, you know, how to deal with each other.

[45:59]

And sometimes, quite often, it's a relief. because they say, well, maybe I'm rushing into this too fast. It'd be really nice to know this person before I rush into this. And I'm actually grateful for the advice. So it's really hard. And as Abbott of four practice places in the last 10 years, nine years, something I've had to deal with a lot. And with myself, I have to really be careful myself. I have to always deal with, always be dealing with the same problem myself. Be careful, because it's so tempting all around.

[47:01]

So it's a big problem for everyone, for most everyone. And yes, it's part of our desire. And so we have to not be pushed around by it or led around by it. And it's one of the things that's most susceptible to influence. Once we become sensitized, the least little thing will set us off. instead of our fire. So, be careful. Don't get caught.

[47:44]

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