For your information, sometimes we say that, have you heard about Buddha? Everybody heard about Buddha? No? You don't say? No response? Should I leave? Did I come to the wrong place? What's happening? How come you don't answer my questions? Hello? What's happening? You're shy. Even though you're shy, have you heard about Buddha? Did you hear about three bodies of Buddha? Some have, some haven't. OK, well, it's sometimes the Buddha.

[01:01]

One is called the reality body. The other one's called, another one's called the bliss body. Another one's called the transformation body. The reality body of Buddha is that. Buddha and living beings are the same thing. The way living beings really are is Buddha. That's a reality body. Buddhas and living beings are completely inseparable. There are no Buddhas anyplace in the universe, kind of like underground, separated from sentient beings.

[02:03]

They're always right at the same place as sentient beings. Buddhas are sentient beings. And sentient beings are Buddhas. That's the reality body of Buddha. body of Buddha. The real body of Buddha is living beings. The transformation body of Buddha is that this reality body can get transformed into Buddhas that some people find more believable than regular people. Like Shakyamuni Buddha. Buddhas that are really cute, really well-behaved, and can teach Dharma really well and stuff like that. And they really encourage people and educate people about the bliss body.

[03:07]

And the bliss body is when you appreciate the connection between sentient beings and Buddhists, and when you appreciate that the Buddha can take, that this oneness of sentient beings and Buddhas can manifest. And when you see how it manifests, that's the happy body of Buddha. That's the body of Buddha which is happiness, real big happiness. Are you depressed? No? You're just looking that way. You're in samadhi. You're shy. You don't want to show that you're happy, right? You're afraid I'll ask you to dance. Well, I won't say I'm not going to. The reality body of Buddha is the way we really are.

[04:14]

The way we really are is that we're Buddha. The way we're actually happening right now Exactly what Buddha is. You want to see the reality body of Buddha? This is it. It's none other than what is appearing to you right now. Not the slightest bit different. If you try, then you veer away from the reality body of Buddha. and try to look for some kind of justification or proof or sign that this is Buddha, then you veer away from the fact that this is the reality body. If you try to get the reality body Buddha, that shows that you don't really trust the reality body.

[05:20]

Because to try to get Buddha, to seek Buddha externally, is Buddha seeking Buddha. And therefore, you separate yourself from Buddha. The reality body of Buddha transcends all limits. It's all pervasive. There's no one it doesn't reach, no thing it doesn't reach. It transcends all comparisons. And so some Zen masters have said, it's like space. In other words, they made a comparison. They compared the reality body Buddha to space. But it's a comparison because it's like space, but it transcends space and becomes form.

[06:27]

And it transcends form and becomes space. You can't get it. You can't avoid it. No matter what you do, you can't get away from it. You can't get close to it. You can't destroy it. You can't do anything. You can't make it happen. You can't make it not happen because it is simply what's happening. If you're not satisfied with what's happening, you're not satisfied with the reality body of Buddha. And so, you're not satisfied with the reality body of Buddha. So, there you have it. This reality body The body of Buddha manifests. It manifests. It comes into manifestation in response to beings like us.

[07:32]

It responds to us, and when it responds to us, it becomes manifest in our lives. Like the moon and water. The way it manifests is that if we try to get it, the way the reality body manifests when we try to get it, it manifests as feeling miserable. That's the reality body of Buddha, is that you're unhappy when you try to reach Buddha outside yourself, because you're unhappy when Buddha's outside yourself. If you read for Buddha, that means you think it's outside. Because you think it's outside, you're miserable. And you're miserable because you're Buddha. So you think you're outside yourself. And you're not happy when you're outside yourself. You're very unhappy when you're outside yourself because you're not outside yourself.

[08:36]

You're violating your nature by trying to seek Buddha. However, you're not violating your nature by being a person. However, you do violate your nature by seeking to be a person. You don't have to seek to be a person. What do you call it? It's not respectful for women to try to be women. And it's not respectful for men to try to be men. What's respectful is for women just to be women and men to be men. That shows that they have competence, that they are what they are. Similarly, to try to be Buddha is disrespectful of your Buddha nature. So the way that the Buddha nature responds is that we suffer.

[09:42]

The way the Buddha nature responds to not seeking is that it manifests as Buddha, as happiness. But you have to put non-seeking into action, because you sort of say, OK, I'm inseparable from Buddha, so I'm just going to go to sleep now and let it manifest. But you can do that, actually, if you go to sleep as an intentional act of devotion. I'll come back to that in a minute. I want to tell you a story about something, see if you can guess what it's about.

[10:43]

One day, two monks were talking. One is called Monk, and the other one's called Nanya. two Chinese Zen monks. said, no, no. The monk said the . In the Flower Adornment scripture, it says that the fundamental affliction of ignorance knowledge of all Buddhas. So I just mentioned that the Dharma body of Buddha is that sentient beings, living beings and Buddha are inseparable. No distinction between Buddha and sentient beings. But also, the fundamental affliction of ignorance and the immutable knowledge of all Buddhas, the enlightenment of all Buddhas, the fundamental affliction of ignorance itself is the immutable knowledge of all Buddhas.

[11:54]

What do Buddhas know about? They know about the reflection of ignorance. Do they know about something else? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe that's all they need to know about is the fundamental reflection of ignorance. So this seems rather difficult to understand. obscure in the extreme. And Nanyan said, oh, I don't think so. It seems pretty straightforward to me. And the monk said, well, would you please demonstrate? And Nanyan said, OK. He said, see that guy over there? See that kid over there sweeping the ground? And the monk said, yeah. He said, watch this. And he said, hey, you. And the boy turned his head. And he said, is this not the immutable knowledge of all Buddhas?

[12:59]

And then he said to the boy, what's Buddha? And the boy went, uh, oh, and dropped his broom and walked off. And Nanyan said, is this not the fundamental affliction of ignorance? If someone called your name and you turn your head, is this not the unreadable knowledge of all Buddhas?

[14:15]

Can you see that? When I ask you what Buddha is, or if someone says to you, you want to see what Buddha is, it's this. Can you try to figure that out? That's ignorance. Try to figure out what Buddha is, that's ignorance. Buddha is right in front of your face. You try to figure it out, that means turn away from it. Not to be figured out. Buddha is not to be gotten a hold of. Buddha is not to be explained. What do you do with it? What do you do with it? Hmm? Yeah, nothing. Nothing reasonable. I mean, isn't Buddha good enough? Well, apparently not. He says to this kid, what's Buddha? And he doesn't just go like, what's Buddha? What's Buddha, boss? Hey, boss, that's cool. What's Buddha? You tell me.

[15:17]

Let's play Buddha. And we got trouble. So what's happening? We've got what's happening in terms of raw material. And then what's the way to work with what's happening in order to bring what's happening into manifestation in our life? We've got the true body of Buddha happening.

[16:19]

How do we realize it in this life? Well, today I'd like to say by wisdom and devotion. You don't need a lot of wisdom. Just a little bit of wisdom. And that wisdom is that you actually understand and act like You actually think that what's happening is what's happening, and no more or less. That you actually work with your life as it's actually coming to be right now. And you do not seek anything other than this. You give up the distinction between yourself and Buddha, you give up the distinction between this and reality.

[17:29]

That's all the wisdom you need. It's not a lot, but it's essential. We must give up the distinction. Maybe not tonight, but eventually, we must give up the distinction between ourselves and Buddha. If we can give up the distinction between ourselves and Buddha, we might also be able to give up the distinction between ourselves and other beings, which we must also give up. We must stop reaching for Buddha, and we must stop reaching for other sentient beings. Otherwise, we'll be unhappy and cause trouble. a great Zen master, Wang Bo, was doing prostrations to the Buddha statue.

[18:46]

And the future emperor of China, who happened to be hiding out in a monastery which he was the head monk of, saw him bowing to the Buddha. And this is a great emperor. This kid was going to be a great emperor. Turned out to be a great emperor and a very good Zen student, too. And he said his name was Shrenzong. His imperial name was Shrenzong. The young Shrenzong saw Wang Bo, the great Zen master, who was not yet the head of the community, saw him doing prostrations to the Buddha. I thought in Zen we're not supposed to be seeking Buddha or seeking Dharma or seeking Sangha. So what are you seeking? Bowing to the Buddha. And Wang Bo said, I express my not seeking Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha

[19:59]

Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. I express my not-seeking by being devoted to the Buddha. I express what I'm not-seeking by being devoted to I express my not seeking Buddha by being devoted to Buddha. I express my not seeking sentient beings by being devoted to sentient beings. Now many people who are trying to seek Buddha in the Dharma, in the Sangha, they express their seeking by their devotion to Buddha. And then they use devotion to get away from what they want to what they're devoted to.

[21:05]

Wang Bo bows to Buddha as an expression of, I'm not seeking Buddha. If you say, OK, I'm not going to seek Buddha, and you don't express your devotion to Buddha, say, I'm not seeking sentient beings, and you don't express your devotion to sentient beings, the separation just goes into hiding. but to be devoted to something that you can't get. That's true devotion, and that devotion manifests in the body of Buddha. When somebody says, hey you, and you turn your head, What is devotion to what you can't get? And that is the immutable knowledge that you have.

[22:06]

When somebody says, what's Buddha, and you try to figure it out, you're trying to seek Buddha, and you lose it. If you're devoted to something, and you think it's not you, then you might slip into thinking you own it or possess it. But if your devotion from the start is a devotion based on confidence that what you're devoted to is not separate from yourself and you're not expressing devotion in order to get it because you've already got it, but you're expressing devotion in order to make the thing which you are alive It's not that you aren't Buddha, but that unless you put your body and energy forward in devotion to what you are, what you are doesn't matter.

[23:25]

So when there's bowing to Buddha without seeking Buddha, there is Buddha. When there's no bowing to Buddha, there's no Buddha. in the world. There's still Buddha, but it's not manifested. And if you get Buddha, then Buddha is pushed away. You push away Buddha when you try to get Buddha. You push away the truth, the Dharma, when you try to get the Dharma. And you push away the enlightening community when you try to get it. But when you're devoted to the community, the entire community, without seeking it, the community is manifested. in response to that devotion. The devotion doesn't matter. It responds to the devotion. So there are two things.

[24:30]

One is the wisdom or the understanding that you're not separate from Buddha. together with devotion to what you're not separate from. Not separate from also means that you're not identical to it. It's not like there's Buddha and you're identical to it. Buddha is the same thing without being identified with it. It's the nature of . It's not the two different things. So maybe that could seem very clear, or that could seem difficult to understand. Do you have anything you'd like to say? Can you ask a question?

[25:31]

Do you say it's not identical to ? If Buddha is not identical to you, it means that what you are is Buddha. That's different from Buddha being identical to you. You're a woman and your name is Katie, right? Katie isn't Buddha. All right? Katie is not identical to Buddha in that way. But what Katie is, you see the difference between what you are and what you are actually, the way you actually are and what we call Katie?

[26:32]

Katie isn't the way, isn't what you are. is that, you know, you're what's happening. The way you're happening is Buddha. Not some kind of like thing, but the way you actually are is Buddha. The way you're happening is Buddha. But it's not like the way you're happening is the same as Buddha. How you're happening is Buddha. There's no other thing that you are. It's not like you're that and Buddha's another thing. Could you say it's like an underground river? Could I say it's like an underground river? You could say that, but it transcends. That's a comparison. Right? So that's a nice comparison. But it transcends that. It can be an overground river, too. It can be a vertical river.

[27:35]

I mean, it can be. But it's not like that. It just can be that. It can be you, not like you. It can be you as you're happening. But the way you're happening and the way is the same. It's the same. There's no difference. What is different as you and as Robert, but the way you're you and the way he's him is identical. It's the Buddha in both cases. Not more, not less. Any more conclusions?

[28:54]

Are you anybody trying to figure this out? Yes? I'm not what he called. I'm not what he called. I know what it's called. It's called thought police. I'm not a thought policeman. I'm not telling you what you should or should not do. But I will tell you, if you try to figure this out, you will veer away from what it is. If you try not to figure it out, you'll also veer away from it. If you try to figure out what's happening, you'll veer away from it. If you don't, and if you try to stop yourself from figuring it out, you'll veer away from it. Okay, so I wouldn't recommend that you try to, but I'm not telling you you shouldn't. I won't try to use you from doing that, not really. I may pretend like I'm trying to stop you. Like say, Gabe, don't do that.

[30:08]

I'm just kidding. Because I'm not really into controlling. It would just be more kind of an affectionate, hmm, to tell you. If I saw you trying to figure it out. I do sometimes see people, and when I say this tonight, I see some faces that look like they're trying to figure out what I'm saying. Or forget about trying to figure out what I'm saying. Why don't you just go right, go on and try to figure out what the Dharma body of Buddha is. Forget about what I'm saying. For the trouble known. So what would I recommend? Do you have any idea what I would recommend, Dave? I'm not forgiving, huh? What? How about now? Dave, just wait a minute. Yeah, that's right. I'd recommend this. This is what I'd recommend.

[31:11]

Of course, this is different from that this. But this this is what I'd recommend. I'd recommend this. I do. Big deal, huh? Of all things that I would recommend this. Isn't that funny? What a coincidence. It's so weird when a person comes and recommends what's happening. I mean, what's the use of that? Well, there's no use to it. That's what use there is to it. There's no use to it. And if you want to be happy, you've got to enter into a life of not trying to use what's happening, but appreciate and understand what's happening. You have got to go for what's happening rather than what you can not use what's happening. There's no way to use it. That's one of its drawbacks. One of the drawbacks of reality is you can't use it.

[32:12]

Sorry. All you can do is use it and lose it. Or be devoted to it and realize it. I don't know if what I said was true, but it sounds true to me. If you use reality, you'll lose it. It's like trying to use yourself. If you try to use yourself, you lose yourself. If you're devoted to yourself, you'll realize yourself. If you try to use other people, you'll lose them, cause damage. If you're devoted to other people, you'll realize them. The devotion will realize them. Aren't you going to ask me what's devotion? If you try to figure that out, you lose that too.

[33:23]

But still, to put yourself forward in devotion to whatever, that's your devotion. I don't know what that is, but that's devotion. To bow to Buddha, to bow to reality as an act of devotion, to use your breath, to use your body to give yourself completely, whatever you are, to give yourself completely to something that you can't get anything from, that realizes . Today I use the example of my wife told me I was, you know, a few hundred years ago my wife told me that I wasn't a very good husband. And then about 100 years ago, she told me that I should practice devotion to my wife.

[34:25]

And so I started practicing it. And it really seemed to help. And someone thought that I was practicing devotion to my wife to get something from my wife, to get her seal of approval, or to get my name in the Best Husband Hall of Fame or something. That's not devotion. You do devotion. just because you're devoted. You don't try to get something. But when you practice that kind of devotion, you do get something. Everybody gets something. But it's not devotion to do it to get somebody to do something. That's not devotion. Devotion is you give, give, give forever with no concern for getting anything back. That's happiness. I don't know if it's happiness to give with wanting something back. I don't think it is.

[35:26]

I think maybe it's, you know, maybe seem like, well, wouldn't it be a little bit happy to be giving to people, hoping a little bit back? Or wouldn't it be happy to give a lot, hoping a tiny bit back? I think that tiny bit of holding back is sufficient to, you know, blow the whole thing. I think so. I'm not sure, but I think so. Maybe somebody can think of some counterexample. I'd be happy to hear about it. Well, I actually wouldn't be happy to hear about it, but I'm willing to listen. I'll devotedly listen to the world getting out of my control and half-heartedness turn out to be actually workable. I don't think it is, but I'll listen. Anybody have any examples of half-heartedness being a good deal? Now, anybody have any examples of half-heartedness being the way to happiness? I'm looking.

[36:28]

I don't see any hands. Come on. No? That's it then. Oh, there is? Yes? Yes. Um, you have mixed motives? What do you have, like, is it half pure and half impure, or is it like half really impure and half sort of impure? You got some pure motivation? What is it, what's pure motivation that you have a little bit of? And then there's also some kind of like wanting to reward motivation nearby? Yeah, okay. So you... No.

[37:30]

There's a pure intention, and then there's the other intention, which is purely impure. I mean, it sounds like the other intention is completely selfish, right? That's kind of pure, too. It's purely selfish, and the other one is purely unselfish, right? So the unselfish one is the one you need to develop. Don't worry about the selfish ones all over the place. That's not the problem. Okay? You just understand the selfish motivation is when you think you're separate from other people and separate from Buddha and want to get to be Buddha and stuff. Okay? Got that one? You got that, okay? So that's fine. Leave it alone. What do you do? That's what's happening, right? You know what's happening? Are you there? Okay? So then you're being devoted to that among Put it to this selfish motivation. Not amplify it, but give it your full attention. Give it your whole life. It's quite similar, yeah.

[38:34]

But thankfulness is kind of... Sometimes somebody can do something or the sun can rise really nicely and you can say thank you. But that's good. But this is more like thank you and I'll spend the rest of the day being devoted to you. It's more than just thanks. It's like, I'm going to give myself entirely to this. So you can have within yourself various motivations, and you can be devoted to them. Do you know how to be devoted to impure motivations? Right. That's part of it, right. Because if you're going to be devoted to impure motivations, where they are and what they are. Otherwise, it's not just an abstract generalized, OK, I'll be devoted to impure motivations. It's actually, I'll be devoted to specific actually occurring impure motivations, and I'll be aware of which ones they are as they occur.

[39:37]

Being devoted to impure motivation to, well, what can I say? My wife. It's not that my wife's an impure motivation, it's just that she's a phenomenon in the world. Being devoted to impure motivations is like being devoted to rebellious teenagers. Being devoted to impure motivations is like being devoted to gophers. Being devoted to impure motivation means to be devoted to what's happening. And if you've got some impure motivations, some selfish motivations coming up, be devoted to them. Okay? Okay? So your selfish, your unselfish motivation is, it is possible to have unselfish motivation to actually want to devote your energy to something without getting anything out of it. It is possible for us to, such things happen. Okay? Anything else tonight? Yes, Liz?

[40:39]

Coming forward to things you usually turn away from? Yes. Right. Right. Right. But it's also, which is Not exactly also, but it's almost the same thing. You say it's to go towards things you usually turn away from, to stop reaching for things that you're usually reaching for. Stop. Yeah, well, stop, yeah. Like you turn away from the devil, and you turn towards Buddha. Try to get Buddha. the buddha is not to try to get buddha just imagine we had buddha here with us this evening okay sitting up there an actual living buddha now would it be devoted to go up there and try to get buddha it would be kind of nasty wouldn't it why just leave and sit up there poor guy you know to be devoted to your kid is not to try to get your kid

[42:03]

So devotion is to not try to get the stuff you're trying to get, and it's also to not turn away from the stuff you would normally try to turn away from. Devotion is not to turn away from your enemies and not to turn towards your friends. To try to get your friend and get rid of your enemies is to be devoted to everything. It means to give yourself entirely to every moment of what's happening. If an enemy is happening, you give yourself entirely to the happening of the enemy. If a deluded thought is occurring here in my own mind, I give myself entirely. How come? Because that's what's happening. Now usually we think that probably I don't need to pay much attention to my deluded thoughts because they're not worth my attention. I should pay attention to my enlightened thoughts. Right? Or whatever. The imbalance in your devotion Devotion should be balanced by being done towards something that you have no attempt to control with your devotion, that you give yourself to your devotion.

[43:19]

And then, it's not like your enemy is stopping enemies, it's rather that your enemies turn into flowers. It's called an enemy flower. and your friends turn into friend flowers. Everything in the universe then starts blooming. It doesn't mean this person is still not trying, you know, still not hating you. It's just that this hating person becomes beautiful. But that doesn't mean, okay, now they're beautiful, then you try to get them. No. It isn't that you switch from turning your enemies from ugly monsters into beautiful flowers. But then you are devoted to the flower just like you were devoted to them when they were your enemy. When they were your enemy, you weren't trying to get them or get away from them by your devotion. Now that they become beauty, you do the same practice. But love, where you're like, huh? Is there a phony and genuine love?

[44:24]

Well, you mean that people sometimes say they love someone and is it sometimes trying to get something? Catch me? They may not know. Well, but a lot of people do know that they love someone. They're trying to get, like, people love you and they try to control them. Right? So the trying to control part is, that's what it is, trying to control rather than devotion. And of course, Not of course. To me it's of course, maybe not to you, but of course you can never control yourself unless you crush it. So are you saying that the knowing is loving? Am I saying that the knowing is loving? Yes. Does knowledge bring love, or does love bring knowledge?

[45:27]

So when you meet someone who seems tricky, you try to figure him out? Well... What is the question? How are you going to be consulted if you don't see that? And how do you get to see that? And if you think it's worth what, I'm still in front. And if he's right, if not, poor thing, where are you? Well, let's take that one step at a time, okay? Okay, so... Well, no, you said the first step.

[46:38]

What's the first step you said? Well, I think you said something like, how can you be devoted if you don't feel like it? So let's say I don't feel like being devoted to Buddha today. How can I be devoted to Buddha if I don't feel like being devoted to Buddha? I don't think I can be. I think I'm kind of like not being devoted then. So I just stand here in front of Buddha and say, I'm not going to bow to you, bub. I don't feel like it. Sorry. I mean, I know I'm supposed to and all that. Maybe I'm not supposed to. Maybe I'm supposed to be what's happening. And what's happening is I don't want to bow to you today. And now I do. And so I will. I can be myself and I can say how I really feel.

[47:43]

And Buddha just sits there and Buddha is devoted to me. And Buddha lets me be me. Buddha doesn't try to control me. So I can be me and I can tell Buddha, I don't want to bow to you today. Buddha sits there and is devoted to me and lets me be who I am. And Buddha lets me be how I am. Let me talk to Buddha and let me tell Buddha how I am. Let me confess that I'm not feeling devoted today. And when I find something that I can tell how I am and be how I am with, devotion comes. And the devotion might slip into like, well, now that I've found somebody who I can really be myself with, now I'd like to get you. But maybe not. Maybe I just say, now that I've found someone who lets me be who I am, I'm going to be who I am. And who I am is somebody who's devoted to you. Become you and not to make you become me. But for me to be me and you to be you. And that's my devotion to you.

[48:46]

And that's how I don't seek you. And that's how I realize you. Because you're letting me be who I am, and I'm letting you be who you are. I'm letting you be Buddha, and I'm letting me be me. And that makes Buddha come alive in my bowing. But maybe I'm not always bowing. But if I realize I'm not bowing, and I deal with that, and admit that, then pretty soon I'll start bowing. I will. Maybe you won't. I don't know. We'll see. You stand in front of Buddha, how long will you stand there before you bow? 10 minutes? Two years? He bowed to Buddha to express that we're not seeking Buddha. Then Buddha is alive in this world. When human beings bow to the Buddha that is what they really are, then Buddha lives in the world. Buddha is there anyway, but unless we're devoted, Buddha is not manifested.

[49:48]

We have to do something so that Buddha can respond, because if we don't do anything, then Buddha's response is You're not doing anything. I have to respond to that. How do you be unhappy? Because you're violating yourself. You're trying to get something. Does that make sense to you? Still tricky though, right? There it goes. People are what they are. Anything else tonight? Good water.

[50:50]

Good night.

[51:11]

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