which is an entering ceremony for the person who is the head seat of Juso. Sometimes you say head student or something like that. But head seat is the person who sets the example for us. And then the practice period would be six weeks. And then with Sashin, which ends on the 22nd of June. So I'm talking about practice period and about our attitude and about how we study Zen. There are countless books written about Zen and Buddhism. And every day, three or four more would appear.

[01:08]

I remember when there were two or three. Back in the early 60s, there was a little shove. But all those books are very good. They encourage our practice. So the way we receive the teaching is through our pores, through our skin, and through our bones. We put our bones on the cushion, and San Zen becomes But there's really no substitute for Sajna. That's the great educator.

[02:13]

Education is a term that means bringing forth something from the... We think of education usually as opening your skull and stuffing it with information. That is one side of education. But the true meaning of education, fundamentally, is to bring forth something that's already there to stimulate and to enrich it and to bring forth your natural endowment. So that we have, in our particular school, We have daily practice, which enables us to have a continuous practice.

[03:17]

And once a year, we have a concentrated effort. And this kind of concentrated effort is called practice period, ongo. Ongo, traditionally, is three months. for monks, monastic monks. During the Buddha's time, the monks would wander during certain seasons. And then during the monsoon season, they would all gather together and have an ango, where they would practice in a concentrated way in the monastery. And then they would go out and wander the rest of the year. our own practice in some way. And the way our practice has developed over the centuries is mostly monastic for monks.

[04:20]

But our situation in America is very unique in that we have a kind of quasi-monastic practice. which allows many people to practice. And in the same way, with monks, priests, and other people. So we have this wonderful opportunity to actually engage in practice. And it's open to everyone. And, you know, when we were starting Zen Center, we didn't have a monastery. So in 1967, the same year that we started the Berkeley Center, we got Tasselhoff, and started to develop a monastic practice.

[05:32]

But that was pretty ungraceful. three months each twice a year. So we also had the late practice in the city. So when we started the Berkeley syndrome, I felt that it would be really nice, you know, if we could have some kind of practice period for that fit the situation of our practice for laypeople. Kind of intensive, I don't like to use the word intensive, but kind of intensive practice that would bring everybody together in a strong effort to

[06:37]

have a concentrated period. But the only way to do that would be to have everyone design their own practice period. When you go to a practice period in Tathagata, you just fall into the schedule. Everybody does the same thing. There's no individual practice. But in our practice, as lay people, People with jobs, people with family, people with worldly concerns, busy lives. How do you do that? So over many years of doing this, we've developed a practice period where there are certain requirements, but there's a lot of space for people to participate, and at the same time, to take care of our personal responsibilities, which become practice.

[07:47]

So practice period reminds us of what we're actually doing. During the year, we kind of drift around and kind of forget what we're doing. to remind us what practice is about. And that it's not just about sitting on a cushion, but it's about taking care of all the aspects of your life. Taking care of your family, taking care of your job, taking care of your school work, whatever. So that practice and your life become an integrated whole. Over the years, the requirements have changed.

[08:52]

Some people like to have requirements. Some people don't like to have requirements. Some people want to maybe only pick and choose. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. So how do you create a real, That's the question, how to make it vital and bring vitality to our effort. So one person can be really busy all the time, and so they can't do so much. What they do is sincere.

[09:54]

And if you decide to join a conscious period, you have to weigh all the other factors of your life. You have to decide how much time you give to your family, how much time you give to your work, and so forth, and how much time you sit on a cushion. And what are the events of the practice period that you can actually come to, and not overextend yourself, and not underextend yourself. So this is how you find the middle way in your practice. And we should be doing this all year round, not just during practice period. The practice period gives us a way to think about it, re-establish our practice for the whole year. So, I wrote a little thing that's actually on the bulletin board that I'm supposed to be able to show now.

[11:06]

So it says, during the six weeks of practice period, we had the opportunity to renew or rejuvenate our effort and re-establish our practice in the beginner's mind. So the practice period has some minimum requirements, but within these requirements, each person must create his or her own schedule. This is the nature of lay practice. Some will be able to do only the minimum, while others who have the opportunity will be able to extend or stretch themselves much more. It should be clearly understood that in no way is any Sangha member required to participate, nor is there any pressure to do so. We should all feel free to continue to come as usual if you are not part of the practice period. So sometimes people sign up for the practice period because they don't want to be left out, even though they don't want to do the practice period. Don't do that. Some people can take the opportunity to do this.

[12:20]

But if you can, just do as you usually do. And the practice period can help to support the usual practice. So even though we don't make a distinction, you may feel a distinction. So if you do, I'm sorry. And when you include your zendo schedule in your calendar, it incorporates thoughts into the rhythm of your life as an intention rather than as a random or arbitrary activity. This is most important. And this goes not just for practice period, but for your practice life. Practice, when we first come to practice, We dip our toe into the gendo, you know, and we sit satin once in a while, and little by little we start sitting more, if we continue.

[13:28]

But it's usually still based on our feelings. I feel like sitting today. I don't feel like sitting today. That's still walking around a burger. But actual practice is established when it comes through your intention rather than through your feelings. This has nothing to do with denying feelings. This simply means that if you base your practice just on how you feel, you never really penetrate practice. So practice has to be based on your intention. I will practice that no matter how I feel. Practice has to go beyond your true love.

[14:34]

Otherwise, you can never reach the state of non-duality. You're always deciding something on why you feel this way, good and bad, and so forth. So to really make practice of Zazen an integral part of your life, you put the times when you're going to sit on your calendar. And then when that time comes up, you say, oh, it's time for Zazen. But I really wanted to go to the movies, or I really wanted hear the birds singing, go to the park, or something. You just go to the sunset, because that's your intention. So then you begin to develop a feeling of devotion to something.

[15:36]

And that becomes very strong. And when you have that feeling of devotion to practice, then practice will start working. So even if you sit once a week, you put that time on your calendar. And then when that comes around, that's what you do. Just like you may not want to go to work one day, but you do it. Because you get paid. No payoff. There's no working, no payoff. That's the critical point. And that's the critical point of the practice period. You decide how much you will sit, how much you will attend. And then you make that commitment to yourself.

[16:41]

And you make that commitment to the Sangha as well. And then you honor your commitment. So honoring your commitment is a very important aspect of practice. So when you sit down for zazen, I'm going to sit for 40 minutes. And whether you move or don't move, still, you've made that commitment. It's the truth. And if you follow that, understanding, you will establish practice. But it's hard to establish practice otherwise. It's really the key to practice is to follow your commitments. So we design our schedule for a limited time period.

[17:49]

taking into consideration all the other factors and responsibilities in our life. We have a foundation for practice. It is also necessary to honor our commitments and therefore be realistic about how we create our schedule. I like to think of the spirit of practice as the wish to do it all. In other words, I really want to do the whole practice period thoroughly. So I scale it back to what I can actually do, rather than saying, well, I'll take this, you know, and I think I like a little bit of that. I'll take a little bit of this. The basic part. But that attitude is Egotistical.

[18:52]

So we don't want to base our practice on how you go. We want to base our practice on letting go of self-centeredness. So if we wish to do it all, it would be great. But I can't do it all. I still have to do this and that, which makes sense to me. It works. So rather than simply picking and choosing pieces of it based on preference or convenience, this helps to create an edge, something to push against but not enough to be inhibited. So our life itself gives us an edge. If we really engage in everything that we have to take care of, all the responsibilities in our life, we have an edge. So engaging in practice period gives us even more of an edge. We have to really be decisive if we're going to actually do it.

[20:06]

And so when we all have this attitude, it creates a strong song or feeling of mutual support and encouragement. This can also provide a good atmosphere for those who are sitting and are not in a position to practice this tour. What makes the difference are the requirements and commitments. Except for that, we, both participants and non-participants, are all practicing together. The practice period can set a tone for the whole year, which is one of the reasons we changed it back to the spring rather than continuing to have it in the fall. So it's better to have it in the spring where it kind of opens up the air for you. Maybe you have some questions about that?

[21:15]

Many people are here more often than they are in the practice period. What do you have to say to the people who are here virtually every day anyway? Do you think it would be interesting to stay away? And there are people who are here every afternoon. And there are people who are here every morning, and every afternoon, and every Saturday, but not me. I would say those people are the support of the practice. And maybe you don't have to do something more. Simply by maintaining a steadiness, supports everyone else.

[22:21]

You know, we tend to have this idea sometimes that there's this practice out there, and they're doing it, and I'm joining it. But that's not practice. Practice, when you step into the ascendant, you are creating the practice first, not just for yourself, but for everyone. You may not think so. You may think, well, I'm the little guy at the bottom of the pile or something. But it's not true. Not at all. As soon as you step into the zen-do, you are creating the practice for everyone. So... Everyone's effort together creates this practice. It's not just like somebody's performance and you tell everybody that's what you're doing. You create the practice. And when you are involved in the practice without even saying anything, a silent activity permeates everyone.

[23:46]

And at some point, you feel connected. So I would say most people, there are people who sit in the morning. There are people who sit in the afternoon. We have actually two sanghas, a morning sangha and an afternoon sangha. That's true. But then there's some overlap. But I would say if you come every morning and you have space, come in the afternoon. Or if you come in the afternoon, maybe one morning a week. It's hard for people to come in the morning. But believe it or not, we usually have as many or more people come in the morning than in the afternoon. So sometimes I think that's a critical thing to challenge, that these people get up in the morning, go to bed early at night,

[24:54]

Even if you don't go to bed early, you still get up and come to Target. It's amazing. Every once in a while, I take it for granted. And then suddenly I think, wow, it's not something you take for granted. People are actually putting out all this effort and devotion to what we're doing. you can find, you know, it's very possible that what you're doing is the maximum that you can do. So you just do that. Just continue to do that. But if you can find the space to do something, to maybe add some dodging, or come to those events, then do that. So it doesn't take much to

[25:56]

for most people to end. You know, if you end one zazen or two zazen, that's a lot for some people. One zazen sometimes is a lot to end somebody's practice. And so that gives you the edge to just make that amount of effort. So nobody's judging you by this. We're not judging each other's practice. creating a situation where we all can practice. What if they're made of recordings? Well, there are. I can't remember what they are right now. A certain number of them, various classes. Oh, the class. I'm sorry. Yeah. There's a class. It's every Thursday night. It's a class. And the class will be, this time, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, which is one of the oldest Buddhist meditation treatises on Buddhism.

[27:20]

Mindfulness. investigation of the darkness, effort, joy, calmness, concentration, and unity. So all these are factors that we find in our loving and in our daily life. I wanted to explore how we bring values out in our present-day practice. So I was thinking about an interesting thing for us to do. And then there is, of course, the opening of the practice period is a requirement, which is a one-day sitting. And it's a shame. is a requirement.

[28:25]

I think it's five days, so there's three days that are required. We should wish to do the five, and maybe it needs a degree. And then a shuso ceremony. A shuso ceremony is a question where everyone questions the head student or the head seat person. a wonderful thing, and each person has a question at the end of the time that she still has to respond to each question. So that's a requirement. And then is that in the practice period, we have a dinner and a skit night, which If you've never lapped before.

[29:27]

So those are the basic requirements. And then I think there's three periods of that, and I think it's not very much. I just want to say something else about the Shuso. Shuso this year will be Lorin Tsunaki sitting over there. who has been practicing for the last 20 years or so. I don't know how long, something like that. And she spent many practice periods in Tassajara, in San Francisco Zen Center. And she lives here, has been living here for 10, 12 years. And her children right there. Spent all this time, not all this time, but the last nine years bringing up her children and setting an example of child-rearing and motherhood as practice.

[30:41]

And so I felt it was time for her to be seen. And now that her children have grown up enough so that she doesn't have to take care of them all the time, Some people are morning people, some people are evening people. Yes, you have to take into consideration the rhythm of your life and incorporate, you know, it's a give and take. If you, I don't know, you know. If you can sacrifice something, that's good.

[31:56]

If you can let go of something in order to practice that you don't, it's not essential, I think that's good. Kind of like Lent. I don't know what Lent is in the United States. I've been to Pasajara, and everybody does the same stuff they want to do. And personally, I'm a morning person, so that's not quite so bad. But I feel like this is an opportunity to not just everybody be in the same mold. Yeah, we're not all in the same mold, but we're all sharing the same practice. We're not trying to stop your life and do something else, but simply How do you keep, how do you weave your daily activity and Zazen practice together?

[32:58]

That's the whole point. So it's kind of up to you how to do that. So that's the creative part of the practice. That's what really makes it creative. And to have a sincere effort to do that will bring out Yeah, I think you just answered my question, but you mentioned the word edge a couple of times, so I need somebody to find out. Well, it's like, edge means to, when you come up against something, And it's like you're doing something, but your full effort isn't there until you come up against some pressure. And the pressure shows you where you are.

[34:01]

So if it's too much pressure, it pushes you back. If it's not enough pressure, it's weak. So just to find that right pressure point, cut the edge. You know, if you play the flute, the flute, there's a certain tonality which is called the edge. And it's where it's just right. And because the pressure is effortless, kind of effortless. So, but yet, it's strong and perfect. So to find that place, that edge, is just right. Not too strong, not too weak. And that's how we test our environment. You said that if you're working and you have a payoff, you get paid, or there might be some other payoff.

[35:13]

And so that implied that. come to practice, or if you come to practice here, there is some payoff. So what is the payoff? 10 bucks. The payoff is that if you really do that, then you'll have the satisfaction of doing that. The payoff for effort is in the effort. People are actually able to do the effort. to bring forth the effort. That's a great path. We don't always see what we're actually getting. We think that the reward is something coming from outside or coming from some other place. But the reward of our effort is, when we think about it, is that we're actually able to do that. We're actually in our effort. We're totally into our effort.

[36:16]

The goal is to be where we are. There's nothing out there. There is no out there. It's simply how to be here. You used an image that interested me. I thought it might even be a slip, so I wanted to... You were talking about picking and choosing and, you know, picking what tastes good, and then you said that's walking around the periphery of the volcano. Oh, no. So, I like them as images, and I wanted to ask if you really meant that one. The hot place. Huh? The hot place. A hot place? The hot place. Yeah? Hot how? I don't want to be a pushover. If you apply it to Sashim, as an example, Sashim is like the hot place.

[37:37]

It's like where, you know, most people And so, in the middle of fishing, the fifth day or sixth day or something, you know, I said, why am I here? I don't understand. Why? What am I doing? I don't know why I'm here. This is the hot seat. This is like, you know, you can't stay and you can't leave. But you just do it. That's just an example. So in that metaphor, am I the message I propose? You may not have any problem. Oh, no. I usually don't have any problem. So instead of walking around the periphery, jump in the mother and walk in?

[38:42]

Yeah. OK. Jump in the ocean. That's another question. Cool off. Yes. Go ahead. Could you please say a few words about when you were a head student and how that was for you and what you felt from the sangha there at Tassajara, what effect it had on them and how that might or does apply today, that there's a different relationship and also the same of mutual support. Well, I was shuso in 1970 in Kansai. And Tatsugame-goshi was his first practice period there. We danced him to come. He was a ino, bende ino, a heiji. He didn't speak any English. And I was the shuso, and he was stinger, which is a practice period.

[39:42]

And he set up the monastic. He created the monastic practice of Tassajara. We have been doing this, but, you know, it's just kind of not completed. So I went through that with him, and he and I communicated pretty well. thinking different languages. He would talk to me in Japanese, and I would understand what he was saying. And I talked to him in English, and he would understand what I was saying, even though neither one of us could speak the other language. But there's something about the communication in there that's interesting. And we had some kind of dairy was there doing a little translating for a time. Dan Welch was a little translating, but I couldn't speak Japanese that well. And so when I did my Shuso ceremony, he said, you should face away from the students.

[40:57]

Usually, we do the Shuso ceremony facing the students. And I asked, he asked questions. He said, facing away. So I had to face the other. He said, there's a lot of questions coming from all sides. Even though I knew it was asking a question. But it was interesting. And then he invited me for noodles the night before Shizuoka. And he said, why do Japanese eat noodles? We tend to think of Japanese as being very sophisticated in the way they do everything. And he said, but the way they eat noodles They had big noodle fests where the monks, you know, they didn't chew the noodles, they just swallowed them. So he said, if you eat these noodles correctly, you'll have very good shoes.

[42:03]

And? It was OK. Well, I kind of knew what I wanted to do there. And at the end, he said, He said, well, what did you think? I said, well, what did you think of what I did? He said, well, some questions you answered really well. Some questions, you answered very bad. So we tend to think of You know, shusho ceremony has. Shusho ceremony tests the shusho, but also tests the sangha. And, you know, the person asking the question also has some responsibility.

[43:08]

Sometimes the person asking the question feels that they just throw something, you know, throw a bone to the shusho, you know, and see what will happen. I think each one of them bears some responsibility in their questions. So sometimes the shuso gets caught up in explaining the question. It's a mistake. When a person asks a question, the shuso should just respond. They shouldn't have anything in their mind at all. Totally empty mind. And just the question enters the mind. And then there's a response. So it's not a thinking process. It's a process. It's a response. But then what happens is they start out that way. And then little by little, they start off explaining. And explaining, pretty soon, things going on and on and on.

[44:11]

And they're explaining all these things, giving answers to the questions instead of just responding. So we try to keep it, you know, vibrant. And not fall into, you know, just prohibitionism. That's the main action, the main thing. It's not whether they give good answers or bad answers. It's how you respond to everybody. And you may not give a good answer, But if the response is right, if the response is good, then it feels right. So I would encourage everyone, all the members, to do the Prince's Privy. But I don't want to twist anybody's arm to do the Prince's Privy.

[45:13]

And if you don't feel that you want to do that, Come on. Let's just continue as you do. And uh, maybe we'll just do it together. Okay?

[45:33]

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