First case of the Blue Cliff Record, the highest meaning of the holy truths. Pointer. When you see smoke on the other side of a mountain, you already know there's a fire. When you see horns on the other side of a fence, right away you know there's an ox there. To understand three when one is raised, to judge precisely at a glance, this is the everyday food and drink of a patch road monk. getting to where he cuts off the myriad streams. He is free to arise in the East and sink in the West, to go against or to go with, in any and all directions, free to give or to take away. But say, at just such a time, whose actions are these? Look into Sui To's trailing vines. Case, Emperor Wu of Liang Asked the great master Bodhidharma, what is the highest meaning of the holy truth?

[01:04]

Bodhidharma said, empty, without holiness. The emperor said, who is facing me? Bodhidharma replied, I don't know. The emperor did not understand. After this, Bodhidharma crossed the Yangtze River and came to the kingdom of Wei. Later, the emperor brought this up to Master Chi and asked him about it. Master Chi asked, does your majesty know who this man is? The emperor said, I don't know. Master Chi said, he is the Mahasattva Avalokitesvara, transmitting the Buddha mind seal. The emperor felt regretful, so he wanted to send an emissary to go invite Bodhidharma to return. Master Chi told him, Your Majesty, don't say that you will send someone to fetch him back. Even if everyone in the whole country were to go after him, he still wouldn't return.

[02:08]

These lines are for Imo Denkei Shuso. Compassion courses through old plum mountains, sitting side by side, each one is utterly alone. Take heart, though ancient karma chokes the path as thwarting as a cup full of dust when thirsty. Clouds of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cluster all around, drenching everyone in indescribable joy. Please put down your umbrella. Now hear the shusel. This is the dharma step, five feet long. It is called the semblance of all things. appearing as the one finger pointing directly at reality. This is the staff that Rahuel, the Midianite priest, father-in-law and teacher of Moses, gave him, and that I Am This turned into a serpent before Pharaoh.

[08:32]

This staff, this snake, then appeared at Vulture Peak and turned into the urumbara flower. At Shaolin Temple, it ushered forth the five petals of Zen. Sometimes, it is a dragon swallowing heaven and earth. Sometimes, a Vajra sword, giving and taking life. Now, it's in my hands. Although just a mosquito biting an iron ox, I cannot give it away. Dragons and elephants, please let us call forth the Dharma. Please give me your questions. Geshe-la, what is there to understand? There's nothing to understand.

[09:40]

What is this nothing? The thing right before you. Your words confuse me. Can you express it some other way? Just sitting here, feeling the breeze upon my face. She saw us Friday evening. words like not, nothing, what is your purpose? To express my own nature. Have you found it?

[10:44]

Have you expressed it? There's nothing to find. It is right here before me. Shuso, the third patriarch says, do not search for the truth, only cease to cherish opinion. The truth is right here. Once this mind is cleared of idle thoughts. Shall we seek then to do away with opinions?

[11:54]

The case says of cutting off the myriad streams. So what a miracle it is that branches move in the Ah. What is it that moves through the leaves? Just the wind. What is it that animates the wind? The sun. That sounds kind of scientific.

[13:03]

What do you learn from your son, Gabriel? What do I learn? When he mirrors my own impatience, just to see myself reflected in him.

[14:12]

How does one accumulate merits? There's no merit to accumulate. Vast merit pervades the universe. How does venerating the Buddhas and generosity help our practice? Our practice is generosity and veneration. It isn't destroyed.

[15:27]

Giselle, returning to your talk, I believe you said that there's ordinary and then there's ordinary. And it sounds like there's ordinary ordinary and non-ordinary ordinary. What does it really mean to go beyond enlightenment? Does one land in ordinary ordinary life or non-ordinary life? Non-ordinary ordinary life. Well, ceasing all discriminations. I think Noah was talking about being deluded within delusion. It's just the ordinary.

[16:44]

Ordinary. We don't recognize ourself, although we are it. Is Buddha faking ordinariness?

[17:56]

It's just the way it appears in the realm of duality. Choose so. No mind, no Buddha. What does that mean? No picture, no reality. When we say no picture, is that just another picture? It's no picture. Xu Shou.

[19:07]

I feel as if I've come from another planet. I don't even understand the question, much less the answer. And I guess the question that comes for me is, why do we study at all? You mean, why study anything? Why practice? Or why just study books? I see a dichotomy between words and action. I see. So, you're saying that practice seems to be enough? I'm saying I don't understand how books lead to right action. Uh-huh. Well, You know, I think probably with the exception of the Shuso and Mel, we spent five days sitting, not reading.

[20:22]

Yes, just sitting. So, I'm getting more nervous and more confused just sitting here right now. My question is, you in your talk also said something, you said, we have to give up our wishful thinking in order find our true desire. How do you do that? Well, when we give up the objects of our desire, our thoughts about this one desire, then the energy in this desire returns to the ocean of reality.

[21:52]

Yes. Well, we... It's a sheen. We breathe. And we let our thoughts, the objects in our mind, arise and fall. And let them run their course, but we don't feed them. But I feel much less of the heightened awareness that I often feel after an hour or two of Well, the thoughts are not different than your pain.

[23:40]

The thoughts are your pain. the manageable of the pain is the thought about the pain. And not the actual relationship?

[24:44]

And not my actual relationship to the pain? Well, it is your relationship to the pain. love and kindness and patience. Even when we're angry and unkind and impatient? Well, when we're angry, we're just angry. but our anger has to be tempered by our kindness. Chusang, you're like my older brother in practice now that I'm a beginner.

[25:54]

I've sat now for the first time in a few days Do you remember the first time you sat more than one day? How do you bring beginner's mind to each Sashin in your practice? You know, every Sashin is still like the first That sounds like poetry. How? You know, we have this wish, this expectation that our pain will go away, will not be there anymore. And yet our pain is still there.

[26:58]

But you know, when the season changes each year, there's this feeling that it's for the first time, it's different every year. I've just experienced that I never smelled that air before. It's new, but there's something familiar about it. How do you bring that to practice? Because now I have the memory of Sashim. or just being reborn in every moment. That's the beginning. That's so... Maybe.

[28:14]

Maybe? Yes. Um... Although the wind is everywhere, we still found ourselves. I just go about my activities, moment to moment.

[29:30]

This is unrelated, but I can't resist. What's a nice Jewish boy like you doing? I don't know. So, I'm wondering, what is revision? Just being one with reality. How does it relate to psychoanalysis?

[30:42]

It doesn't. Just so I was sweet. I think this is a common question discussed quite a bit in the Sangha. And Mel talks about it often.

[31:47]

My feeling is I often kill ants myself at home because otherwise the whole kitchen would be covered with ants. all over. So, sometimes we can't help killing. What do I do with the pain I feel? You should say something. If you have to do it, then say, express your deep feeling about your pain of doing it, somehow, in that moment. fear and desire go together.

[33:14]

We fear and we wish what we fear. So another name for fear is aversion. So So we make room in ourselves for the things that we fear. Yes?

[34:22]

So, if there is no merit, what do we collect every morning to give to our great kind founders? We just give back to them what they gave to us. The Jews were liberated when the one body of the Red Sea parted into two. Buddhists are liberated, were liberated, and will be liberated when the two bodies of heaven and earth merge into one. Um, with this stuff.

[35:50]

How so? Um, it's the one thing. That. Um, it's, it's uh, it's the one thing that takes many forms. I'm afraid I can't.

[36:55]

I look forward to seeing you. Thank you. Mr. Chiuso, the Emperor Wu, afraid of your threats and anticipation, asks you how to return to the Great City. How to? I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said. I'm sorry, I can't understand what you're saying. Could you speak a little louder? Yes. has asked me to return the emperor who with great regret and anticipation has asked me to return the great sage, Bodhidharma.

[38:16]

Go on. Which man? Went before. He already ate it and left. Stale cupcakes. Actually, he said it was very enjoyable. gone. Who's here? I don't know.

[39:18]

And so it What is there? Both things are here. If we miss them, what happens? We don't miss them. Yes?

[40:24]

We've spent a lot of time studying the absolute and relative. And my question is, is this important to understanding the Dharma? Or does it just confuse people and point them off in the wrong direction? Is it confusing you? Sometimes. What is confusing? What's confusing is how much time and energy I should put into studying. Because words are realistic.

[41:31]

It's the finger pointing to the moon and not the moon. Study is just a way to help us find our way within practice, to see how those who came before us, how they expressed their understanding of practice. so that we who follow in their footsteps may also find our way. Is it important for all of us to keep studying?

[42:46]

Yes. There is great intensity in this practice. It's not apparent. It's not apparent? What were you doing these last five days? So there's no intensity in your suffering.

[43:51]

There's great intensity in this quietness and serenity. So you're concerned that practice may take your suffering away? No, I'm concerned that serenity doesn't fit me. How? I just don't seem to be the type.

[45:27]

Actually, my impression of you has been one of you appearing very serene. So you see your intensity. Are you afraid of losing your suffering?

[47:04]

Your intensity is your serenity. It's just that you don't see it as such. She is so... Have you ever been to a ceremony like this before? I'm wondering, is this a test? Yes. Are you passing it okay? I already failed before I started. Are you saying that there is nothing Seems like you often say something like, there's nothing to it.

[48:35]

There is nothing to attain and yet at the same time there's a skill in I told you I already failed it before it started. Should we start? Yeah, it started us down. Because we don't realize it.

[50:31]

Because our... ...enlightenment is covered over by great hate and delusion. Then it's not true enlightenment. It is. It's just that's... the way it appears in the realm of duality. Practice will get us through that. Practice will? Practice will get us through that. Through what? Yes.

[51:42]

Is that, do we have to have faith that that will happen? Not that that will happen, but just faith in the practice. So, do you know the phrase, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping? Variation of it, I think. It's a kind of a joke. How do you feel about shopping these days, personally? Do you remember that I said something about shopping? Actually, I'm going to enjoy it. So what's changed? I just go shopping.

[52:47]

What did you used to do? Get dizzy. Do you still get dizzy? Not so much. You don't get so dizzy? I didn't know how to focus just in the one thing. So now you focus on each vegetable, each thing? Well, I go down the list. Do you enjoy going shopping now? I don't not enjoy it. No, I enjoy it. Good.

[53:54]

If no sky, no limit, how do you envision your future work? Even I guess is how do you include your practice in your future work? How would you like to reveal it? Well, there is no future. Or I have no future. No goal? No goal. Just doing what I'm doing. Um... Well, uh... Uh... Hmm... Um... I come here, and, uh, the Zazen,

[55:14]

go home and take care of my family. I go to work, I study, and so on, through the different activities. That's what I mean by I do what I do. does not become ash, how does emptiness connect stones and sentient beings? Well, the Heart Sutra says form is emptiness, and emptiness is form.

[56:23]

So form, stone is emptiness, sentient beings is emptiness, or are emptiness. But they're forms. But they're emptiness. Could you say it another way for me? The stone is myself. Or I'm stony. Shuso, Raul, here we are. And in the excitement of rehearsal, I forgot that this ceremony was just going to be another long period of Zazen.

[57:30]

And I'm sitting here and my leg is a mess and my mind is a mess and I lack all composure and clarity. So can you tell me how do I continue to practice with no hope of things ever getting better? But they do. This is just this moment. Well, I've had a lot more moments like that. You've had a lot more moments than like this one? Yeah, things not getting better. But they do just, you know, in and of themselves. Without my effort? You're just focusing on this moment. Well, this moment in the way it's revealing itself with a leg and a mind is quite compelling.

[58:35]

Yes. And I think it's the way things are. Right, but they'll change. Of course. As they always do. Is that the most important thing to remember? Uh, I don't know if the most important, but it's up at the top. Well, I'm not fussy. I'll do it. Just, uh, do you call yourself a Freudian analyst? Yes, I do. Who is this before me? Ziggy. Ziggy, is there any merit here?

[59:37]

Just a big pile of shit. Which stage is that, Ziggy? That's the... You want me to tell you? It's the anal stage. Don't do what I want. That's the stage of just going to the bathroom. Shiseo, I bring you a question from a guest who had to leave Kathy Fisher. She listened closely to your talk. and which I unfortunately missed, but I'm certainly interested in the answer, response. She would like, please, a clarification of the term modern woman.

[60:43]

And she said, I shouldn't let you get away with a short answer. Emperor Wu is the modern woman. No. Wu is no man. Actually, what I was saying was that this Wu is the not-person, the true not-person of no-rank.

[61:52]

And that that's everything that a modern woman seems not to want. Being tired of being not a person. of not having rank. And yet, this is who we are. I said it's expressed in the surrender that's the source of all authority and dignity and self-confidence. I will try to repeat your every time.

[63:11]

Thank you. So, from time to time, as I'm listening to you, I lose my way. I try hard and I find myself missing what you were saying and I find myself sliding away in my mind. I feel this is something that we do together in some way. What can we do about this? Tell me, where's your mind sliding? It's going out the door. Or it's thinking of what I have to do next. Or it's sliding. There's some aversion to the language. It's sliding towards something, but that's because it's sliding away from something.

[64:15]

So what is your aversion of? Abstraction. for a shortcoming in my own understanding. So your question is, is it your shortcoming or is it my shortcoming? My premise was that actually that it was our shortcoming and what can we do about it? Well, I think that You have to take care of your shortcoming, and I need to take care of mine. She said, without hesitation, in this very moment, show us.

[65:16]

Show you what? It doesn't need to make sense. Just show us. Show you what? Thank you. Shuso, I have known you for some years and regret having come to this practice period kind of late and that we didn't have good recent contact. But I have appreciated your steadiness and your perseverance and your stubbornness and Understand the way you describe going from one activity to the next, to the next, in a very persistent way. What is the sound of the lion's roar? Roar.

[66:18]

That's very small. Actually, the lion is very small. And he has a lot of body. The body's turned up here. For a long time. Doesn't have a body. I don't believe it. Trust me. Not in that. So your question again was, what is the lion's roar?

[67:27]

What is the sound of a lion's roar? I'll keep that with me. I'll listen. Shuso, this question was sent to you from Peter Overton. When a true friend and teacher arrives before you, how will you know it? By her deeds. This is Peter's question. By his deeds? I guess he accepts that.

[68:33]

Right. It's a separate one, then. Shuso, you carry in your hand a shippe, and you told us of two incarnations of the snake. You didn't tell us of the first one, the snake that tempted Eve to take the bite of the apple that brought her the knowledge of good and evil. But I'm more interested in its incarnation as the Vajra staff that takes and gives life. Can you tell us how to take care of If we take life, we do it very carefully.

[69:44]

If we take life, We do so to bring life back to life. So when I try to kill the germs that are getting me this cold, I have to do that carefully? Yeah, you should take care of yourself. To bring life back to life. How do you take care of it? life and death. Ah moment to moment. So, how do we recognize our true self in every part, in every being, in every moment?

[71:28]

How to hear the lion's roar? how to hear the sound of the bell. Seeing Buddha clearly with our Buddha eye, we go about our everyday activities, elevating all things to the dignity and kindness of this one thing, which includes everything. when the rider and the horse, the driver and the drive are in harmony, then both disappear. Through the support of the abbot and all of you, I have been head student.

[73:00]

I am deeply grateful for all of your support. And although I have not been worthy of it, or I have not always been worthy of it, I have made mistakes and please forgive me for my mistakes. There are many, they cover heaven and earth, so I have no place to hide. If I have misled you by any word, that I have said or any deed that I have done, please wash your ears with the pure sound of the present and continue to practice. I feel I have fallen short of this task and I will continue to return

[74:19]

to practice. Thank you very much. Water returns to the source.

[75:59]

Okay. We live in the midst of time, in countless ages.

[80:02]

Some of those ages are longer than others. For the last hour or so, you have shared the Dharma intimately with us. For five days, we have sweated out the strange and wonderful labors of Seshin. Your kind eyes and probing mind have watched over our wandering spirits have sat together, many of us, for years now, following Sojin's shining example and Suzuki Roshi's narrow path to the benefit of all beings. In each age, you reveal your true self, the self that studies on life and death very closely. The members of this spring practice period and this temple offer our warmest congratulations on your non-attainment today and bow to your generosity.

[81:06]

We also want to thank What does your Buddhist name mean? Satchinatha. What's the rest of it? A field of blessing. I'd like to thank you for your diligence and effort in practicing here, and leading and supporting the practice and the purpose. Thank you very much. And I would like to thank you for setting an example of hanging in there and allowing us all to feel comfortable and encouraged to hang in with you.

[82:17]

Rahul, I've watched your face almost more carefully than I've listened to your words and moments. I thought you were in great pain, but then some kind of joy comes through. And at this moment, there seems to be a great shining there. Thank you. It shoots up.

[84:27]

I appreciate the compassion with which we all practice together. And let's continue to support each other in this way. May our intention equally penetrate every being and place with the true merit of Buddha's way. Shri Sankulsa Mokshubhosa Avalokiteshvara Avalokiteshvaraya I

[86:12]

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