ten
ah today that are the diabetic words

dreaming

i want to or
take off on a tacos as a hero she's in this but not always so which is a collection of some of the dharma talks said he gave somewhat later than those that are in than my beginner's mind
after we had a residential community and some of the things that come up in living and practicing together or arising
so i think it's
it's very helpful for us to look at some of the things that that he brings up for us to consider their
so i'll start a reading a little and then i'll make some comments and we'll see where we go
how bad the light was in here

he says
in the full lotus position we cross our right leg over are left leg and the left leg over the right
symbolically the right is activity and the left is the opposite calmness of mind
if the less is who left his wisdom the writers practice
and when we crossed them are legs we don't know which is which
so even though we have to to symbolically we have oneness
our posture is vertical without leading right or left backward or forward
this is an expression of perfect understanding of the teaching that is beyond duality
when we extend this we naturally have precepts
and the study of how to observe the precepts
this posture of zazen is not just a kind of training
but as the actual way of transmitting buddha's teaching to us
works by themselves are not good enough to actualize his teaching
so it is transmitted through activity
or through human relationship
so
studying the buddha dharma and training in a monastery and
learning to sit zazen
ah
is not yet a full expression of the buddha's teaching
it's in how we actually live our life
from moment to moment
how we interact with
on all of the beings that we come in contact with
ah those near and dear to us and those just in passing and those with whom we have difficulty
how we actually express this life
in our day to day interactions
is where the buddha dharma actually bears fruit

in addition to precepts we have the relationship between teacher and disciple
the disciple must choose the teacher and then the teacher will accept the disciple
although sometimes a teacher may recommend another teacher
between teachers they should not be any conflict
so if one teacher thinks that another is more qualified
he may recommend him or her
once you become a disciple devote yourself to studying the way
at first as a cycle you may want to practice with a teacher not because you want to study buddhism but for some other reason
still it doesn't matter you know
if you devote yourself completely to your teacher you will understand
you will be your teachers disciple and you can can transmit our way
this relationship between teacher and disciple is very important
and the same time it is difficult for both teacher and disciple to be teacher and disciple and it's true sense
so they should most make their best effort
ah suzuki roshi talked a lot about making our best effort i mean as i recall
there were two things that he said that that i had some difficulty with
the first thing i heard him say when i came to the first lecture i heard
i think i mentioned this already in the other day in class he said you're perfect just as you are
and i thought well he doesn't know me i'm new here
but he kept saying things like fat you have everything you need just to be alive as enough
and kept pointing to something there that i had to realize was about me and about everybody
palm
but on the other hand he would say zen is about making your best efforts on each moment forever
and he would also talk about know gaining idea no goal seeking mind
and these things
i have hard time putting them together i mean if you're perfect just as you are what kind of ever do you need to make you know if you have no gaining idea i've never were recalled making effort without some goal in mind
ah but here he is saying you know make your best effort on each moment forever
and no gaining idea
so that was a conundrum for me
and he saying now teacher and student teacher the disciple should make their best effort to find out how to be a true teacher at a true disciple
teacher and disciple
practice various rituals together
rituals are more than just training
through rituals we communicate and transmit the teaching and a true sense we put emphasis on selflessness
when we practice together we forget our own practice
it is each individual's practice yet it is also others practice
no so we practice selflessness in rituals
well it's interesting how how are self centered tenancy will creep in
ah
i heard a story one time about a year
ah
a priest a family temple in japan who was on his deathbed and his son who was going to be hit who was his disciple and was going to be
the new head of the temple when he died
was there at his bedside sort of you know listening for his father's last words
as father's last words were
some have you learned how to offer the incense straight yet
and somehow that sticks in my mind because i'm always trying to offer the incense streep
and
particularly here in a great hands me the incense very precisely it makes it very instruct easy for me to take it and offer it and so i was putting the incense in very straight and then i had the thought
i'm put an incense in very straight
and the next time i could not get the insects to stand up and
i'm somehow i have as built-in on
ah
i don't know exactly what the call had because the word that comes to mind as not polite but this sort of detector of garbage you know
that like that like that you know when i have this issue
i'm pretty cute
immediately something we'll we'll go awry
and that happen the other day when i was trying to have been sent straight and i couldn't i i can't help laughing at myself and just always catching myself at this sort of self centered or die cute thing he's saying here you know in practice do rituals together and our practice
selflessness well maybe so
but the i get tripped up every now and then and the other day i was doing the morning service
that through all those vows if you do the of and ancestors and the acharyas that though she does a lot of hours and i got through all the bells without doing anything awkward like stepping on mother him and my rover are just getting too tired to do anymore bows and so as all through and we're doing g g on she
and at a certain point i noticed that he knows head jerked around and i noticed
the dough on is having it will try with knowledge noticing when to do the road down because i forgot to go up and offer incense during general function
i don't know how many people notice that i know the a no notice that
and the dawn surely noticed it don't know how many other people noticed it but i certainly noticed it
ah i don't know if i've ever done that before and all the
ah what is it twenty six years since i've was you so
anyhow there are i was trying what's this something wrong here what's wrong all
so when these little self centered thoughts arise
we can lose track of what it is we're doing
and
so just just notice how your self centered thoughts come in and and
muddy up a situation
if our practice is selflessness
let's work it that a little bit and see where the self cleaning comes in
when we practiced together we forget our own practice
it is each individual's practice yet it is the others practice for instance when we practice chanting we say recite the sutra with your ears
then with our ears we listen to others while with our mouths we practice our own practice
here we have complete ego listeners in it's true sense
eager listeners does not mean to give up your own individual practice true eager listeners has forgotten eager listeners
as long as we practice
my practice is egoist
that means we're stuck to ego
because you stick to giving up he goes centered practice
when you practice your own practice together with others than true aeolus happens that englishness is not just eager listeners it also includes ego practice but at the same time it is the practice of evil or snus it is beyond ego or he nest
do you understand
well maybe not
what is pointing out as when you talk about non-duality
ah
you can't get stuck on there are here to say not to not one a lot
if if you're if you're talking about non-duality
real non-duality is
beyond one and two
it's not neither
completely separate nor completely one
it's both happening at the same time without getting in each other's way
on
so we don't want to get stuck on opposites
you know each
each
know if your time at good and bad are male and female each one of these pairs of opposites creates the other
on
at a at a certain point in in my practice i was
i had been pretty fierce
feminist
and
i was driving along next was driving from jane word to green gulch to do us a shame
and
i was
i was in some feminist rant in my head
and about something not being ah
equal or fair or something
and then i had just a sudden realization out of nowhere that the way i was defining myself as a woman
which was i am a woman that is not a man
that is defining myself in opposition to something that was setting up as other
was limiting me to less than the totality of whatever this is i mean this is a mystery one is this
how can i say what this is where does it where does it begin and where does it end
where's the boundary of this that i call me
is it my skin i mean is this is just this body is
what i am or what you are on
but any have that kind of of definition of this and not that
ah there's a very dualistic kind of of description of something and it limits whatever you're talking about to less than the completeness if i don't define this
it really has no boundaries it includes everything
but when i make definitions it squeezes it into that box
so i can say
yes i'm a woman and
is at all well know
there's more to this than that that's just one little facet of what this is
and any description you make of yourself as just one little facet
of the totality of what you are
so to to make definitions in this dualistic way of this and not bad in opposition to something that you just fine as other
on
as a big mistake

so this is also true in the observation of the precepts
if you try to observe the precepts that is not true observation of precepts
when you observe the precepts without trying to observe the precepts
that is true observation of the precepts
our inmost nature can help us
when we understand the precepts as an expression of our inmost nature
that is the way as it is
then there are no precepts
when we're expressing our inmost nature no precepts are necessary
so we're not observing any precepts
on the other hand we have the opposite nature so we have to be so we want to observe our precepts
we feel that the necessity observing the precepts will help us and when we understand the precepts in this negative or prohibitory sense that is also the blossoming of our true nature
so we have a choice of how to observe precepts
one negative and the other positive
also when we did not feel that we can observe all the precepts
then we can choose the ones that we feel we can work with
precepts are not rules set up by someone
since our life is the expression of our true nature
if something is wrong with that expression then bhutto will say
that is not the way
then you will have precepts
the actual event or fact his first not the rules
so it is the nature of precepts that we have a chance to choose our precepts
if you go one way you will have these precepts and if you take another way you will have some other precepts
whether you go this way or that way is up to you either way you will have some precepts
at first you should depend on your teacher
this is the best way and you begin by following the prohibitory precepts
when you become familiar with our way you will have a more positive observance of the precepts
how i teach your points out the students mistakes is very important
what the student did as a mistake he is not a true teacher it may be a mistake but on the other hand isn't an expert is an expression of the students true nature
when we understand this we have respect for the student for the students true nature and we will be careful how we point out such mistakes
in the scriptures five points are made about how to be careful
one is that the teacher has to choose the opportunity
and not point out the students mistake in front of other of many people
if possible the teacher points out that the mistake personally in an appropriate time and place
secondly the teacher is reminded to be truthful which means the teacher does not point out his disciples mistake just because he thinks it's a mistake
when the teacher understands why the disciple did so then he can be truthful
the third reminder is for the teacher to be gentle and calm and speak in a low
a low voice rather than shouting
this is something very delicate like truthfulness but here the scripture puts emphasis
on having the a calm gentle attitude when talking about someone's mistake
the fourth one is that the teacher gives advice on points
gives the gives advice or points out of a disciples mistake solely for the sake of helping the disciple
and does not do so just to get something off his chest
here the teacher is very careful noticing when the student is making some excuse for what he did but when the student is not serious enough
then the teachers should ignore him until he becomes more serious
that's pretty interesting in them
instead of then the teacher should really reprimand him
the tissue should just ignore him
when you want to be a serious student come back and see me again
on
let me was very interesting

and i remember
i remember someone talking about
suzuki roshi talking about really making a big effort to get suzuki roshi his attention
and suzuki roshi just treating him like up on lampposts not just
not giving him any response
ah
i was very interesting
so he's not he's not
reprimanding him
he's just giving the message that the
i'll spend my time with people who really want to practice and when you really want to practice come see me
and i remember maker oh she talking about suzuki roshi in the early years before i was here
ah
and he said you know they're all kinds of people around him and the people he paid attention to where the people who were really serious about sunset practice
ah
and he just didn't spend his time with people who were just hanging out because it was a neat thing to do because they heard in the new because he was a zen master and they'd read about zen and that was cool ah he he just kept giving us attention for people who were devoted to siphon
and when the time came that led to
the japanese american temple was kind of overrun with all live ah american zen students
and he had to really choose between staying with the japanese american community or going
somewhere else with these americans he he thought to ponder long and hard about he said i'll go with the people who has had and
ah
because that was what it was important to him
this practice that we received from dogan senshi he wanted to bring to us
he wanted us to discover
the value of this sitting practice
ah he
when he was a young student he was the
watching
what's a ships being loaded
with of things manufactured in japan that were being sent over here and at that point
i mean there was some wonderful handicrafts from japan but this was not handicrafts this was manufactured stuff and at that point back in the thirties
the label made in japan meant something not manufactured very well sort of like oh twenty years or so ago things coming from china where the industrial society was just beginning to build up and do export we're not we're not so carefully made
ah
and he felt bad about
about this inferior products being sent to america and he wanted to bring the best that japan had to offer to america
but for him the best that japan had to offer was awesome and logan's enjoys teaching
and i'm forever grateful that he decided he wanted wanted to bring this practice to us
wow
but in the course of it when people began discovering he was there and wanting to hang out with him his attention went to the people who are serious about practicing thousand
and this is what he's saying when and you find out your students not serious enough just don't pay any attention until you
decides he wants to be serious
mom
facebook
even though we give advice only for the sake of helping the student still this does not mean to always be easy with the students sometimes we should be very tough with the students are we cannot really help in a true sense
and in in a way
ah most of the teachers i know
our toughest was the students that they care most about
ah
and and they don't you know as is he saying that they don't pay all that much attention to the students that don't seem to be serious but those students that are serious
then the teacher gets more and more demanding
which is as it should be because if this is going to be someone who is going to actually really
find out how to let go self cleaning
you have to push and all the places where the cleaning is happening
ha you have to be you have to again and again on hold up a mirror
just as your teacher did for you
the last point
is to point out the students mistake with compassion which means that the teacher is not just the teacher but also the disciples friend
as a friend the teacher points out some problem or give some advice
so it is not easy to be a teacher or to be a student
and we cannot rely on anything even the precepts
we have to make our utmost effort to help each other
and we do not observe our precepts just for the sake of precepts
or practice rituals for the perfection of rituals we're studying how to express our true nature
again i want to quote this quote from suzuki roshi from the little zen calendar the goal of buddhism is to bring about right human life
not to have the teaching or teacher or sentient beings are buddhism or buddha
training you can have that kind of life that's a big mistake
but what a talk a little bit more about precepts you know the precepts
our as he says they're not some rules that somebody made up they are description of how on a white person lives
we say sometimes a disciple of the buddha does not kill
a disciple the buddha does not take photos i've given this is a description
of how a disciple of the buddha
fundamentally a disciple of the buddha is a awake to what is happening right now and in that very a weakness
their true nature will respond to the situation
in accord with the precepts
and if we go to sleep then we're likely
to break precept if we're not paying attention if we're not noticing what is wise and compassionate action in this moment in this situation
that's when we break precepts
so our practice is to wake up to what's happening right here right now is to train ourselves to be present and to trust our true human nature to respond to the situation if we're actually they're paying attention
again so true she said
a true human being practicing true human nature is what i was as and is
so our practice is to
cultivate an awareness of
how we should respond to each thing as it arises
what is the wise and compassionate response to this circumstance
then we won't be breaking precepts
i think maybe i've talked too much and there's not time for question of favourite panem mama
okay on question yes
the
moving
well i recall that we had a lot of flies around when i was first down here and putting erosion was here
and we kept grinding we kept trying to get cutting hiroshi to tell us it was okay to kill flies
but he didn't want he's absolutely refused to say one way or the other because we each one of us need to feel what we're doing
and choose our actions based on what our true nature says not what somebody else says
if you kill ants
and maybe it's necessary
you should feel what it feels like to be killing of being even if you have to do it
and not just sort of not have to pay attention to it because the teacher says okay
mean that's how i interpret the fact that he would never respond to our questions of is it ok to kill five
on
we need to feel
what is why
and it made me that what we what we decide to do will be to kill a it
but not without noticing than this
we feel something when we kill ads
it's not just nothing
it's or something
and if we want to be you know true human beings we should allow ourselves to feel what we feel are not just pass it off as teacher says
hey
me