Okay, so that memorial for victims in Israel and Palestine is adapted from something written by Norman Fisher, who spoke yesterday, which he called a brief memorial for those killed and injured in Israel and Palestine. So I want to say a little bit about that and a little bit about what Norman talked about here yesterday and then have some discussion. Peace, how do we find peace in this crazy world? So much cruelty and brutality, whereas one would say there's dedication. And I like this dedication because it honors victims on both sides. As soon as we take sides and say that the people over there are less than human,

[01:03]

are not deserving of caring and kindness, then you have war. Well, you can't have war. So it's such a difficult situation now. People all over the world are calling for a ceasefire because there's so much brutality in Palestine. So many children killed, hospitals and shelters bombed. But also people in Israel are afraid after. Also brutal. So. How do we? How do we practice? How do we send ourselves in the midst of such a situation going on in the world? Broadcast to us in many ways. No answer. How do we stay aware? How do we stay open to criminals?

[02:05]

So I don't know. I don't want to say much more. Well, I will say just that I'm still reminded of. What happened October 7th was called Israel's 9-11 and I remember 9-11 being here. It seems like in our human world, Today, we have this impulse to flash out and retaliate. After 9-11 year, we invaded Iraq, even though Iraq had had to do with 9-11. After many years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the registration age, things are worse there than ever. So, The impulse to lash out, to do something, to retaliate is clear. And it's a difficult situation.

[03:10]

How do we encourage, maybe ceasefire, although I'm sure if we are here to ceasefire, we'll allow commons to attack again. How do we encourage not trying to main disagreements with force of brutality, but having discussion, cooperation, collaboration, when there's discipline. And we'll see with me, we're always facing disciplines. So I'm interested in hearing any responses to any of that. I also want to touch on some of what Robin talked about yesterday. He talked about truth and the t-shirt and he talked about how sometimes teachers are considered some perfect beings. I can tell you we're not.

[04:12]

And in early Americans, it was this kind of worship at times. Charism is a dangerous thing. But Norman talked about how it's important to have a teacher. He talked about and how it's important to have a teacher, not to tell you what to do, but to see yourself, to engage in trust in others. to check out a teacher and trust them and see if you can trust them and how you can trust yourself. So one of the things I wanted to say yesterday in the announcements and I didn't remember was that here at Ancient Dragon Sunday, and this is something that I tried to do intentionally based on my experience at Seventh Dispute Center is we have a number of teachers So here in the room today, myself, Hope F. Sulu, Aisha Hansen-Easton, Rosa and Eric Shutdown and Art Park, Ray and Trusted Teaching, Douglas Floyd, all of us are available if you want to talk about your practice.

[05:24]

If you want to talk about Zazen, you want to talk about the expression of Zazen in the rest of your life, in your everyday life. If you want to talk about how to find centeredness it's a difficult world but we're available so i'm available before the sunday monday so they eat more than maybe any programs conversion depending on schedules but it's possible or else on zoom or online on this phone i hope answer is available we should be available that is available those are available so please support yourselves, find yourselves, find your own way to be yourself, to express your kindness and caring in this world, because it needs it. So maybe that's all I want to say tonight.

[06:27]

I'm interested in hearing any other comments about based on teaching or how we live in this world. So I just want to open this up for people in the room. I can't see you all back there so well, but people online, please bring your comments or thoughts or questions to any of these. I need people to... I do recommend that one who was taught was posted on our website. Let's check it out. Hello, Elliot. Hi. Are you raising your hand?

[07:33]

No, that's fine. Technology is sometimes... Well, Jason, thank you again for speaking up about it. And so sorry everyone else. Yes, Ray. The situation in Israel and Palestine is really having a filter. feels very hard to stay grounded and balanced. Hearing about all of this, I have quite a few Jewish friends here in the very Jewish part of Chicago suburbs.

[08:40]

And so I really understand that generational trauma that's been happening from Romania. And it's also possible to ignore the horrible suffering of the Palestinian people over, again, as you said, quite a long time. I was talking to a good long-term friend of mine lives in dubai and both of his parents are palestinian um created before he was born and he has lost his entire its extended family on both sides everyone that he's related to the palestine has been killed

[09:47]

And the way that he's carried himself with grace, through passion, has been awe-inspiring to me. To hear him talk about this with a level head, a way that, you know, he's not Buddhist, but he emanates this dharma and has managed not to carry any blame for it. And sadly, he's articulated that so many people around him have. It just feels like the world could use more people like Jeff Shepard. Yes, it's difficult.

[10:53]

One of the things that's happening is attacks in this country, attacks on Jews, attacks on Palestinians. As a person raised Jewish and offended by the idea of opposition to The Israeli government's program is anti-Semitic. It's in opposition to George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. It's anti-Semitic. So I don't know how one of us is going to get to separate. In our minds, of course, the people, the governments, The military was probably too. I think the military was involved anyway.

[11:58]

Yeah, we were all sitting with this. Ken, did you have your hand up? Ken Anderson, I don't know if you were just about to shout out. Ken is one of our songs that's very reserved in the world. If you're speaking here, you're muted, Ken. Ken? Any other comments, responses, reflections? One of the things that we can do is talk together about it's important that we talk together about difficult situations.

[13:04]

And as Mama was saying yesterday, you know, our opinions are just our opinions. How do you share this greater merit, truth, status, and compassion? Ken. Nicholas? No, Ken. Oh, Ken. Yes, please, Ken. I'm here. Ken, you're on mute. We can't hear you. And you're still on mute. We cannot hear you. He's on mute. I want to hear you. How's that? Is that better? Yes. Okay, very good. Yeah, the... Certainly, I have no special insights into the world situation. I'm in the same boat as everybody else here. But one thing that comes to mind is that perhaps all the bloodshed that we've seen lately will act as a bit of a conundrum.

[14:11]

of all the tendency towards violence that we've seen in the media, starting in the Ukraine situation and all the dialogue associated with that, that this would sort of culminate and that folks would realize that it just can't go on because sooner or later it will go global and affect everyone. I don't know that the United States is the best a fair broker in this situation, but maybe we need an institution that's going to be coming up a generating solution, skillful means, if you will, that will solve these situations, whether it's related to the Holy Land real estate or accommodation of reparations for perceived injustices, all of this. We have a lot of smart folks, you know, Mr. Musk and Mr. Zuckerberg and

[15:17]

you know, various other folks. And, uh, we need a bit of a brain trust generating solutions very regularly about, uh, the, all these situations, the situation in the Ukraine was, uh, predicted by Dr. Mearsheimer down at the UC, you know, 15 years ago when they came up with the, um, uh, the Bucharest agreement that, um, was contrary to Russian red lines. And, um, So these things are predictable to some degree, and it might be useful to have an institution dedicated to generating solutions. That's the only thing I can think of. Thank you so much, Ken. Actually, there is an institution that's supposed to do that. It's called the United Nations. And it's not functioning very well, and all the other countries in the world are calling for peace, but I don't have United States.

[16:23]

And actually, on both sides, there are more war profits, according to international law and stuff. I guess there used to be wars where knights bought hand-to-hand combat swords or whatever. But now, maybe since World War II, maybe before that too, but civilians are very casually, and in this situation, in Israel and Palestine, it seems like civilians have been intentionally targeted, and it's just horrible. This is war crimes. Our country isn't supporting it, but I don't know. I don't have so much. But thank you, Kent, for your comments. Anybody else about how we went with this?

[17:27]

I don't care. I'm so far back that I can't be seen. I see you, but I didn't see your hands up until you spoke. Okay. Hi, Adrian. Hi. Hi, you know, I am reading Norman Fisher's book, slowly but surely, the book, When I Greet You. When you greet me, no, I don't know. When you greet me, I bow. And I just happened to be reading a passage on Dukat this evening. And what he says, what he reminds us to your points out is that life is that we, you know, it's the first noble truth. Everything is suffering or loss or impermanence. And we have a collective way of trying to, you know, individually and together, you know,

[18:33]

tend that it's not. We can distract ourselves from it for a time or we can, I mean, there are times that are genuinely happier for each individual in their life. But when suffering comes up, we want to turn away from it and get outraged that it's even happening at all. And it seems like it's happening more and more and more. I mean, it's truly, truly overwhelming the amount of suffering that we are aware of in this world. And yet, you know, there is not so much that we can do about it, except to, and I think, you know, we hear about the suffering in the world, it probably also maybe brings up our own personal and individual suffering. And I think that that is what our practice is about is learning how to be with our personal individual suffering enough that we can help others to be with their personal suffering.

[19:49]

And I don't know what more we can do because there is a certain amount of suffering I don't know what more you say about that. But I don't know if a civilian's suffering is any more or less deserved than a soldier's suffering. I don't understand how we make that distinction. No one should go through this. And so how can we practice with bearing our suffering and helping others bear the suffering that's there?

[20:55]

Yes, okay. So, on Sunday, we're going to have a one-day sitting And that's the beginning of learning how to be human. We highly underestimate how impulsive and petty and fearful we fear bite as humans. And these are deeply part of our DNA. So I feel in sitting, in supporting each other in our little , our community, our circle of refuge and love and caring and facing the fact of suffering, that this is like the only hope we have is to settle enough and bond together.

[21:59]

And then we know. We'll know what our individual response is. But, you know, I've been sitting for a little while. I still am amazed at a lifetime of thought that can go out the window and it makes sense for me. Like Jerry maybe said, somebody took one of the parking spaces, took two parking spaces instead of one. That seems like a small thing. But when we sit, we realize suffering and we also realize peace. And it's not just sitting on a cushion. It's moving about the world with this heart and mind. So these are really deep things. But every time I hear about the suffering, I'm just like, I need to settle a little more and find a little more love in my heart and a little more openness to be with all of this.

[23:05]

That's just my feeling. So I feel so grateful that we have this opportunity here in our Sangha to sit together and support each other. Just like we're doing tonight, coming to the places. I wish we could offer that, you know, everywhere at all times. Maybe we could... And I want to say to Jason, you know, you and your dad and your family, your beautiful family have been in my heart. And thank you for sharing your stories with Jeff and your kindness with us. Thank you so much. Yes, sure. This is the truth of suffering, dissatisfaction, burdens, whatever you want to call it. There's no logic because we can't face it.

[24:06]

We sit facing the law of acceptance, facing our sadness. And of course, there is also joy and faithfulness in our lives and in the world. And I think one thing that's important, Frank from Dubai and he's facing all this with such dignity that it's important that we also be aware of the world outside. We can actually dig deeper into supporting and being supported by each other. So to do this work, to do the Buddhist work, trying to bring awareness and kindness and caring and facing something that we don't have to be, you know, this is why I was so touched by Norman Fisher's words about the situation in Israel.

[25:20]

So we're all in it together somehow. And, uh, And so, yes, there's going to be all those who would have to believe that Sunday announced that. So, but we come together and face all of this. I think this will support each other. And I should put it. But, you know, it's the. Anybody else have anything you want to add? Hey. There's so much that's going on that we have as individuals not have the power to change. I cannot change leaders of Hamas, and I cannot change Netanyahu and the people who are supporting him. But I can in my own life remember one thing, and that is I can give kindness to everyone I meet.

[26:24]

When I was a Blackfoot shaman, and I would read this stuff in directions that one of the things that the Blackfoot would do when they would stand in front of a tribal council, the first words they would speak were, in the name of all our relations, I do not speak just for myself. I speak for the deer. I speak for the buffalo. I speak for those who fly in the sky. I speak for those who on the earth. And if we can in our everyday life, we don't know if it will have an effect or if it will not. But we can act in our own way with a bit of kindness to everyone we meet. Perhaps, just perhaps, it will make some little difference and hopefully it will build and build And we will learn to as a species, learn to be kind once again.

[27:32]

Thank you, David. Thank you, everyone. I just want to add one thing as an overactive expert. In addition to the critical importance of just being kind to ourselves and to each other and the people around us. There were, this weekend, huge demonstrations persisted to stop the violence in Washington, D.C. I think 300,000 people were warned. So this happened before the liberation of Iraq as well. I don't know how much this has an impact, but it seems to have changed the tone of our government from the last century on. Yes, starting with anything you could do to express your support. It's one last thought.

[28:41]

I think they're also important for us. I know it's important for me, but sometimes I get enraged. And what I have to do is I have to separate the person from the rat. But every person has dignity. Every person is a living being. I may disagree with the rats, but I still have to comment on their dignity as a living being. And it's difficult. But that I think is something to remember. That's important to remember.

[29:20]

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