As you may have noticed, we have been reciting a text called, in Japanese, Genjo Koan, and we have been discussing that text. The text is about something, and the something is called Genjo Koan. The text is about the manifested, the manifested koan. It is about the koan right now. It's a text pointing our attention to the koan right now, or the koan of There's some koans which are koans, in a sense, about a long time ago.

[01:15]

There's koans, there's old koans, ancient masters and mistresses. But we've been looking at the koan of now, of the current manifestation. We've been looking at the koans now. The new koan. Sometimes they say Soto Zen doesn't work with koans. Rinzai Zen does. But I thought, oh, Rinzai Zen works with old koans and Soto Zen works with new koans. Soto Zen works with past koans, and Soto Zen works with... Did I say Soto Zen? Rinzai Zen works with past koans, and Soto Zen works with present koan, with the present koan.

[02:16]

What I just said is not true. I just thought of saying that. Really, we work with old koans, new koans, and future koans. The present koan is just actually the connection between all the past koans and all the future koans. And we get to right now look at the present one, which is the connection between innumerable past koans and innumerable future koans. We've been looking at that koan, this koan, this koan, We've been looking at the issue at hand. The issue of Buddha Dharma right now. Reality as it's being realized right now.

[03:25]

Or we've been talking about looking at reality as is being right now realized. Or we've been talking about looking at what's happening now as the realization of the fundamental point, ultimate reality, the truth. We've been looking at what's happening as the truth. How is what's happening? How is what we're experiencing the truth? We've been looking at that. How is the Buddha's teaching? When all dharmas are illuminated by Buddha's teaching, then there is Sashin.

[04:41]

Now that there is Sashin, is everything that's happening here illuminated by Buddha's teaching? How is our present experience illuminated by Buddha's teaching? in order to explain how what's happening right now, how this meeting with each other is the truth, we need to explain how this is the realization of truth.

[05:47]

And we may wish to do so. We may wish for every now to look and see, is this the Buddha Dharma? With every now we may wonder, what is it that thus comes? How is this the Buddha Dharma? We may wish to meditate in that way, moment by moment. In other words, this way of meditating is the content of Zen meditation, Zen meditation particularly in Soto Zen very closely. Meditation, the topic of meditation is how what is happening now is the koan, realized. how what's happening right now is the truth.

[07:03]

How the present manifestation of experience is the truth. That's the topic of meditation, moment by moment. it is pointed out that in order to enter into that meditation, we have to settle into now. If we're not settled into now, then it's hard to look at how now is the manifestation of truth. It's just theoretical then. But when we completely now, we have now, we have today, and how is today the truth. How is what's manifesting right now the truth? And we have the now to look at. But it's not easy to settle, as many of you know. People have come to see me and have also spoken in the group here and told me about their practice, their efforts to settle and learn the Self.

[08:19]

They've told me how they've been trying to settle the self on the self. In other words, arrive at now. Find the place where they are. I welcome such reports of such efforts to settle the self on the self. I'm happy to help all beings settle the self on the self. Then we can look at how is this self settled on the self? How is that? How does it happen? How is it Buddhadharma? In other words, then we can learn the self. And people have told me about how they've been looking to see what pattern of relationships am I?

[09:25]

Looking to see what their intention is. And all these efforts to look to see what the intention is have been wonderful. And I encourage you to continue. This is called going down into the cave of the green dragon. We recommend, however, that before you go down into the cave of the green dragon, you settle yourself on the self. Suzuki Roshi gave me a name, Shinzenki. And when he gave me the name, he said, Ten Shin means Reb is Reb.

[10:30]

He didn't tell me what Zenki meant. He didn't even tell me. There's a fascicle in the Shobo Genzo. Read it. He didn't tell me that. And one day I was writing my name with my Japanese calligraphy teacher and he saw my name and he said, oh, your name means Zazen. Tenshin means Rebbe's Rebbe. Zenki means the whole works. You could say reb is the whole works. But it's not quite the same as saying reb is reb is the whole works. It's reb settled on reb that is the whole works. The self settled on the self is the whole works.

[11:40]

It's not only the whole works, it's the manifestation of the whole works. You being you, a tree being a tree, me being me, is the manifestation of the whole works. It's the manifestation of reality. Reality is, of course, the whole works, and reality is the whole workings. And each of us, in every moment, is Zenki Gen, manifestation of the whole works. Each of us is a manifestation of the ultimate truth. Each of us, in each moment, is Genjo Koan of each of us. There's no alternative. However, it's not so common for people to sit and appreciate this.

[12:51]

Our meditation practice is to sit and appreciate that you are the genjo koan of you. That you, as you're manifesting, not you in general, not a dream of you, but you dreaming. If you're dreaming, you dreaming is the Genjo koan of you dreaming. You actually dreaming, that you, is manifestation of ultimate truth, is the realization of truth. If one hears this teaching and then thinks So that's Zen meditation. I'd like to practice that way. And then one watches carefully what happens from then on. One may notice that one forgets about doing and living that way.

[13:55]

We vow with all beings from this life on through our countless lives to hear the true Dharma, to hear the Dharma, and that the present manifestation of your life is ultimate truth. And have no doubt about this upon hearing it. And upon meeting this teaching to renounce worldly affairs. What are worldly affairs? Worldly affairs are things like not paying attention to what's happening, to what you're doing. Not paying attention to how you're manifesting and how that's the Buddha Dharma. Getting distracted from that is a worldly affair.

[15:13]

But if you're shopping and you see yourself on the shopping self and you look at that self there shopping and you contemplate how that is and you wonder how that is the koan you have renounced worldly affairs for the moment. And when you're that way, you maintain the Buddhadharma. You uphold and protect the Buddhadharma. As you always have been, but now you're home enjoying the maintaining of Buddhadharma. And in doing so, the great earth and all the other shoppers together will attain the Buddha way. Shopping carts.

[16:21]

The whole earth, the great earth, attains the Buddha way at that time. However, there are karmic hindrances to spending our time meditating Hold on. We think there's something else to do besides meditate on what's happening and also how what's happening is the whole works. We think there's something else to do in life. And that thinking is karma. It's a type of action, it's a pattern of relationship that says there's something other to do than pay attention to what's happening as the Buddha Dharma. I have something other to do than have this Dharma be illuminated by Buddha Dharma. I'll do it later because it's so important that I do something

[17:27]

without also paying attention to how this is the genjo koan of the something. This is due to past moments. We also thought, there's something better to do than Zen meditation. Or, maybe there's nothing better, but I just can't right now. It just doesn't work. I won't be a good shopper if I start practicing meditation here. I might buy an unwholesome product. There's many patterns which lead us to justify being distracted from the issue of the Dharma at hand. That's why in this text he points out what we need to do to make sure to support that we can continue this practice.

[18:29]

Because if we don't pay attention to what we're doing, if we don't notice our intention, then the karmic hindrances from the past intentions, which we didn't pay attention to, will distract us from the meditation. So the text, the Genju Koan text, is both telling us what to look at and is telling us how to take care of ourselves so that we will be able to look. It's telling us how to learn about the self is also telling us that we need to pay attention in order to look at ourself, in order to learn about ourselves, in order to learn the Buddha way, we have to pay attention closely, intimately, to every action. And you say, well, couldn't I miss a few? Sure. But mostly try to not miss any. Try to enjoy every single action. There's one every moment. And moments are quite frequent.

[19:30]

But if you miss a few billion a day, there's still billions left. There's plenty to keep you busy noticing. And the more you notice, the less distracted you will be from enjoying that now, that this situation is . In other words, you'll be able to practice zazen of the Buddhist and ancestors more and more. We have to sort of attend to our intention This is the going down. It's difficult and again I appreciate you sharing with me how difficult it is to learn how to pay close mindfulness to the intention. Please continue.

[20:38]

We vow with all beings from this life on throughout countless lives to meditate on Genjo Koan. To meditate on the fresh Koan. and the fresh koan. To meditate on the fresh as the koan. We vow to do this. And in doing this, in meditating in this way, the Buddha Dharma will be cared for. Everyone will attain the Buddha way. This itself is another intention. might have been there when I said that. And I checked while I was saying it, and really my heart was lined up with what I said.

[22:10]

I really do want us to meditate on Genjo Koan. And if you don't want to, I really do want to meditate on you not wanting to as the Buddha's teaching. Whatever comes is the Buddhadharma. I want everything to be part of the illumination of Buddhadharma. I do. Because of karmic hindrances, I sometimes forget. I sometimes get distracted. So then, I confess and repent before the Buddhas and ancestors, and I receive inconceivable... I get over my distraction and come back to what I really want to do, is meditate on

[23:26]

the realization of the fundamental point. This story popped in my mind, which you all have heard before. I think it's a Chinese story, but often people say it's a Zen story. It's about this man who wanted to buy a horse. He had an intention to buy a horse. He wanted to buy a good horse, a beautiful horse. That was his intention. And from that intention, from that pattern of relationship of him being a man and him wanting a horse and living in a country where they have horses, and having some money or whatever, he bought a horse, a wonderful horse.

[24:34]

And the horse ran away. And his friend said, that's too bad, your horse ran away. And he said, maybe so. And sometime later the horse came back and the horse had brought a whole herd of wild horses with it. And people said, oh, you're so lucky, now you have a herd of horses in addition to getting back your beautiful trained horse. A herd of wild horses. And he said, maybe so. Maybe it's good. I'm looking to see if it is, but I'm not sure it is. I'm looking at my intention now that I'm surrounded by all these forces.

[25:39]

I'm looking at the relationship here of me and all these forces. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not. Then his son got up in one of the wild horses and went for a ride and fell off and broke his leg. And people said, oh, that's terrible. He said, of course, maybe so. And then the people came from the emperor to collect the young men. to be in the army, and they didn't take his son because his son had a broken leg. Everyone said, oh, you're so fortunate they didn't take your son. And he said, maybe so. Watching his intention down in the green dragon cave, wondering, is this wholesome or unwholesome? Is this a good thing?

[26:40]

I wonder. this interdependent world which gives birth to me and which I have been contributing to, I will soon be leaving. Please take care of it. This religious gathering of seven days, which today is held for the sake of the one great matter of the Buddha Dharma.

[27:51]

If there's any who want to ask questions, you may do so. Yes? Thank you. And I want you to ask, why do you believe in this and why do you believe in this and this and this? Why do you believe in this? Why do you believe in this? Well, you missed something.

[29:14]

You missed something. The master said, you understand that it is permanent, but you do not understand that it reaches everywhere. No, no, you missed one more thing. Then the monk, no, the monk says, what is the meaning of it reaching everywhere? Then the master kept, The Master did answer. This is the Master's answer. Yes. And then the monk asked, after that the monk said, what is the meaning of it reaching everywhere?

[30:19]

And he kept fanning. This is the meaning of it reaching everywhere. Thank you. [...]

[31:21]

Thank you. [...] You edited the text, but basically you're right. The Master did not say that the Buddha nature pervades everywhere and is permanent. The monk said that. The Master is fanning. That's what the Master is doing. The Master doesn't say the nature of wind is permanent and permeates everywhere and reaches everywhere. fans. The monk says, the nature of wind is permanent and reaches everywhere, so why are you fanning? In other words, the nature of wind is permanent and reaches everywhere. In other words, genjo koan. Whatever you're doing is manifesting ultimate truth, so why practice?

[32:24]

The proof that everything reaches ultimate, that ultimate truth reaches everything, the proof is practice. This breeze, it's just this, it's, that, that's, it's practice, practice, practice. Pay attention to every action. and understand that our sophisticated understanding of action in this culture. We need to have a more sophisticated understanding given by the Buddha that action is primarily cognitive. It is a pattern of relationships in mind is what makes in Buddha Dharma. Evolutionary action And evolutionary action is always going on, but if unattended, the contribution of the action is less than optimal.

[33:41]

But if attended, it not only makes more positive contributions, but it also develops enlightenment. And part of the joy of is it's a question about something in a text called the issue at hand. And the monk asks the question of the teacher and the teacher uses what's happening now. And you ask the question and I just happen to have how nice. And the fan's in a case How nice. A Chinese case. I don't know where the fans are from. Maybe Spain. Maybe Kyoto. Maybe Shanghai. But it's such a nice breeze.

[34:46]

I vow to keep fanning And if I forget to fan, I vow to confess and examine the causes and conditions together with all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and go back to fanning. In the moment there is intimate attention to our action.

[36:27]

The Buddhadharma reaches the moment, reaches today. It reaches anyway But when we don't attend to our action, we miss it. So the meaning, the significance is that we attend to our action. Our action enacts the Dharma which is already present. All quiet on the western coast.

[37:35]

Oops, got noisy again, yes? And that's that one of the things that's interesting to me about the causes of emotion is that there are some dependencies to certain things. So that's a good sign. You're like God with you.

[38:46]

You're like God with you. You're like God with you. You're like God with you. being certain about that at all. And I've always been loved by some of the champions in the group. There are some words that make me feel like it works. Sandy, Lloyd, and I have some gaps with the group. There are various ways to do it. So far, it's the best way. It's [...] the best way.

[39:57]

I think I agree with what you said. So if certainty manifests, then I think it's very important that the field of certainty would be willing to converse intimately with other beings who are certain or uncertain. and not converse with them to get them to agree with you but converse in order to achieve harmony. Self-righteousness and what do you call it, dogmatism. Dogmatism, one definition of dogmatism is extreme certainty or extreme positiveness about some belief or some... means an opinion or a belief.

[41:24]

Religious opinion is dogma. So I have the religious opinion that attending to intention will lead of intention will lead to understanding that intention lacks an abiding self, and that will be the relief of suffering. I had that opinion, and I wish to study that opinion with the possibility that I would become certain of it, that I would be certain that that's a good practice for people, and I would study and practice that way up to the point of being in danger that I would be dogmatic about that opinion, that I would be overly certain. So dogma means doctrine or teaching and dogmatic means dictatorial.

[42:30]

So if you have a teaching and you don't follow it through to the point of from being certain about it because you're afraid of the danger of dogmatism you may be just actually staying away from becoming aware that you're dogmatic but the people who are most teachings are the ones most in danger of becoming dogmatic. Dogmatic, I think, is religious dogmatism or over-certainty is really harmful or at least it's always in danger of causing harm. But to shy away from studying something so deeply that you become certain will not solve this problem. This problem will be solved partly by those people who are adept at religious practice, pushed the practice and been pulled by the practice to the point of being certain that they would still be able to talk to people who have also attained that state.

[43:51]

and really have a conversation where they maybe disagree but they're close friends so there is a danger whatever and there's a particular danger when you understand something clearly and there's a danger of becoming dogmatic at that point but even if If we could somehow converse with other dogmatic people, we might get over it. But it might also be possible to be certain of a dogma without being dogmatic. So I myself am looking for some way to converse with people who I have opinions which differ from mine and see if I can start conversing with them. Religious people who are quite adept, I would like to talk to them if they would differ from me.

[45:02]

I want to do that. I also want to talk with various other people who have different opinions from me, even non-religious opinions. For example, my primary example is my grandson. He has very different opinions from me. But I want to have a conversation with him about that. Rather than converting him to my opinion, like, again, he likes Burger King. I don't want to take him there. So we're struggling with this, you know. we're having a conversation about why he wants to go to Burger King and when I visit him he wants to drive wherever we go I sometimes want to walk. I try to explain to him about cars and stuff like that and gas and pollution. He has a different view. We're in conversation about this. I'd also like to extend this conversation to other people who I have different opinions about.

[46:07]

And again, if I become dogmatic about non-Burger King activity as being better than Burger King activity then I have trouble having a conversation with him. But I do have that view and he has a different view. And so I think the key thing is conversation among beings that we communicate with each other that we put ourselves out with the awareness that we could be being dogmatic. Like I had a conversation with you, if I might mention, recently, where we had two different opinions. Right? Remember that one? Yeah. And we were sort of like students of opinion. But we kept talking. Huh? We had a conversation. Yeah, and it was... Did you say it was nice? Yeah, well, anyway, that was your opinion.

[47:15]

But I do agree, we conversed, and now we're in perfect harmony, right? But, you know, for a while there we had a different opinion, and now our opinions have changed. But they could still be completely different, and maybe we'd still be in harmony. But, of course, they do change when you converse. person's position, but your position starts to change when you converse. So that's one of my vows, is to practice that way with people who have a problem with my opinion and with people whose opinion I have a problem with. I don't so much have a problem with them having an opinion that Burger King is a good place to take children, but I have a problem with the intention to take them. And I want me and them to be involved there.

[48:21]

And there may be some people who think looking at your intention is really a bummer. And I've heard that from some people here in this session. They've looked at their intention and got very upset about it. And I've said, well, yeah, that's normal. But, you know, and it's difficult it is to look at intention because, again, karmic hindrances come in and it's hard. So then you can feel uncomfortable. Ignorance is bliss, right? Don't look at your intention. Yeah.

[49:26]

That's a key factor. It's harder to find harmony. So again, when a grandfather is talking to a grandson, some grandfathers may have trouble respecting that Burger King is a good place to go to eat. You know, he might think, oh, you just want to go there because they advertise they'll give you toys. Or you want to go there because you've been hypnotized by television, you know, where they tell you that Burger King is Nirvana, you know. So you're just a little hypnotized kid. But even if he is, can you respect him Can you give him the utmost respect?

[50:33]

And can he feel that? And then he might try to capitalize on your respect for him. But then, you know, and then you say, oh, see there, he's taking advantage of you. So respecting him is really, it's difficult, you know, it's very dynamic. But I really do need to respect him. And someday, he doesn't seem Respect to me is like, it's hard to see that he does. I think it's sort of very deeply unconscious. I think he does have some respect for me, which shows up when he's not trying to manipulate me. When I'm not around, I think you can see he respects me. Are you laughing, granddaddy? Yeah. Tell me about Burger King. Did you go to Burger King with him?

[51:35]

He wanted to go, and I took him twice. And particularly the second time, I had this actually very deep and poignant experience, certainly very poignant. I went up to the counter, you know, and I saw this darling little boy go up to the counter and talk to the employee, you know, like talking to Saint Peter or something. You know, it's like, here I am, and I get to, like, actually express what I want and ask for entry into Burger King heaven, you know. I get to decide even what kind of, like, seat I'm going to have. You can just see the glow, you know, the aura. instilled in him and through the advertising, you know, it's like this is the moment, you know, and it was so sweet and so so sad to see the little guy like I would like I would like this I would like I would like I would like you seeing all the pictures up there, you know, I

[52:46]

I would like the... And he finally made his order and they gave it to him and he got to sit down and eat it. It was amazing. We did it. And I did that and I had problems with that, but then I saw Super Size Me. And I realized that he and I were cooperating in an empire, a corporate empire, which is like... making so many people in this country obese and diabetic and depressed because they're eating this food which makes them sick. And so I just thought, I can't take them there anymore. Please let me take you someplace else. But I did take him twice, and I refer often, I did take you twice. What?

[53:50]

I did, yes. I had a Burger King. A King Burger. I explained to him, oh, this is great, you know, I explained to him, you know, you're okay because mostly you eat good food, but we're contributing to our companies that feed people who are really sick, and this is the food that's available to them. And I pointed out to him all the poison that's in these products. And he has this theory about how Burger King is actually only 80% poison and 20% or vice versa. He made up this whole thing about how it's not so bad. And he has actual hard fingers. Just spins it out, you know? So, you know, we're having this conversation.

[54:57]

It's very important that I respect him. Not just love him, but respect him. And the love is, of course, easy, but the respect is sometimes hard when you just see this little fantasy machine making up arguments to get what he wants. But how can you respect that? There's something beautiful about that too. It's very alive and the whole universe is making this special creature for me to relate to. And he's, you know, in this little boy way, how not to look down, but look straight ahead at this is the manifestation of ultimate reality. And either with your hands, literally or metaphorically, your hands are in gassho because this is reality. And not get distracted by the smallness of it and the cuteness to think that this isn't really the Buddhadharma coming to teach me.

[56:06]

And if I see that, to respond from that place. You could be dogmatic about that. That could be an opinion. That's an opinion. It's an okay opinion. Various opinions are okay as opinions. But to be certain that they're true, to be overly certain, to be certain that they're true is even okay. To be overly certain is dogmatic. To be so certain that basically you become dogmatic-bigoted so that you don't respect people who have a different view.

[57:11]

So having that opinion you just mentioned and being overly certain about it. But having that opinion and being willing to sort of like toss it out the window, if it's helpful, that's where I want to be. I do have opinions, but if I hold to them, I am thrown into a poisonous, turbulent sea. I do have opinions, but if I don't hold to them, The world is serene, in my opinion, is a launching pad into realization. I'm not sure he's watching me. He doesn't pay much attention to me, actually. He's mostly watching the heaven he's heading for. He doesn't watch me very much, actually.

[58:18]

I'm a target, but he doesn't really look to see whether I'm in pain or not. He doesn't pay much attention to me. And I have to respect this person who doesn't care much about me. That's my job. He really doesn't care about me. He just wants to use me. And I'm there to be used. I love him to use me. But still, I have to respect this person. He's incredibly selfish. Yes. Pardon? Thank you. [...] Yet, there are certain people who are actually not necessarily healthy, but there is someone who, sometimes, who will heal.

[59:50]

So, that was something that my mind was positioning, and it seemed to me that I was going to be able to do it. I was going to be able to do it, and I was going to be able to do it, and I was going to be able to do it. I was going to be able to do it, and I was going to be able to do it. So are you saying that you heard an instruction that if you're in chronic pain that you would avoid experiencing a draining of energy with? Is that what you thought? To limit the amount of time you spend with certain people. Because if you spend too much you'll be too drained to care for your chronic pain. Right.

[60:50]

Yeah, right. Okay, yeah. I don't think that that could be seen as contradictory, but one way that I would understand it, which also applies to my grandson, sometimes we're interacting in this very intense way and, you know, he never seems to run out of energy to try to get me to take him to Burger King. But I might get tired. So then I say to him, I'm getting tired and I need to rest. And after I rest, I'll be able to interact with you energetically again and enthusiastically and you'll enjoy my participation with your program. No, no, don't take, don't rest. Let's keep doing, you know. No, please, you know. And then finally, I said, just five minutes, just a five-minute rest, and then I'll be able to, like, play with you again. And finally, he usually lets me, and I take a rest, and I come back, and I'm up for him again.

[61:59]

Rest is part of enthusiastically engaging with people. Rest... is a type of activity which we need when we become fatigued. In Zen we say, when fatigued, rest. But you rest so that you can go back. You don't rest to avoid life. You rest to, you know, realign your chakras. to coordinate your energies so that you can, in a more balanced way, meet the next challenge. So rest shifts whether you're in chronic pain or acute pain or even when you're... Usually fatigue is a little uncomfortable. So when you're fatigued, I usually recommend resting. And some people think Zen is like when you're fatigued, keep working wholeheartedly and don't, you know, just override the fatigue.

[63:05]

But there's another teaching in Zen, when fatigued, rest. But don't rest as laziness, rest enthusiastically, rest for the sake of the one concerned. Rest so that you can practice Buddhadharma. That's the point of resting. Rest so that you can interact wholeheartedly with your grandson or granddaughter or uncle. Rest wholeheartedly as a practice of enthusiasm. And if somebody is challenging you and you're feeling kind of tired, just say, can I rest for a little while and come back to you? Again, accepting limits and being clear helps you realize that the limit is the genjo koan of the limit.

[64:12]

But if you don't accept the limit and settle into the limit, then you may miss the fact that this is the manifestation of the whole works. And sometimes you feel like, I just can't be here, you know? I just can't accept my limited little situation. Okay, I'll rest. rest into my limit. Settle into my limitedness. And settling into my limitedness, I rest. Tranquility also means rest. You rest and rest until you feel a buoyancy in the resting. And then it's like, okay, yeah, now I can see. Sometimes before you rest, you can see that the need for rest is a manifestation of the whole works. The universe has made you into a fatigued person. Even before you rest, you say, oh, the universe is a fatigued person.

[65:21]

And this fatigued person is a Zen person. And when Zen people are fatigued, they rest. So now I rest. And I rest wholeheartedly. I want to, when I rest, I want to rest wholeheartedly. It's hard to do in what we call the Protestant work ethic. Is that okay? Is that okay? Is that enough? Yes? Yes. Yes. Yes. You find your home.

[66:44]

You find where you are. Home means where you are. You return to where you are and then you can leap. You leap from where you are. You don't leap from where you're not. You return You practice intimately and return to where you are. Your home is your current action. You return to your action. You return to what you're doing. And that's where you leap. The home that the priest vows renounce is the nest of distraction. It's a nest where you think, I got to take care of this nest. I don't have time. I got to get this done. I got to do this and that. I got to do this to make my household together.

[67:51]

I got to do this, you know, to keep Zen Center going. I don't have time to return to where I am. That's the home you leave. It's the home of distraction. It's the excuse to not be a con. You leave that home that you use as an excuse. it could be that homes which are distractions which you must leave the home you leave is distraction you leave the home that you use as an excuse to distract yourself from practice that home you leave and so that home may reappear and you have to keep leaving that home which is a distraction which is a worldly affair in the sense that it's an affair that distracts you

[69:01]

from maintaining the Buddhadharma. That home you leave, you renounce. So another meaning of home is the place you are, the place where the gifts get delivered. And when we don't want to be in that home, we want to be in a home where this gift won't be delivered, because the gift is often pain and illness. and disagreement. That's what's being delivered here. So I'd rather be next door than where this difficult stuff's being delivered. So that's... but I want... the instruction is return intimately to where you are. When you arrive at that place leaping will occur. The practice will occur when you arrive at your place. It will occur. And as a matter of fact, the leaping is occurring. And when you get back home, you'll realize it is.

[70:05]

The leaping is the main gift, is the Buddha Dharma gift. You don't do the leaping. The leaping is actually the way things are happening. But you have to be home to the leaping. and it's hard to be home. Because there's sometimes chronic and acute pain there. Sometimes there isn't. And so sometimes when you're home and it's not painful you say, hey, I don't have to be home, it's comfortable. I don't have to be present, it's comfortable. But even when you're comfortable, you still have to be intimately there. And again, key factor in really being at home is to be at home with your intention. Because if you're not at home with your intention then your intention will have a consequence of knocking you away from home.

[71:05]

Particularly the aspect of being home which we must pay attention to is the aspect of our activity, our intention. If you come home you're doing, you haven't really arrived home yet. If you arrive at your seat and don't notice what your intention is, you're not really there. But if you arrive at your seat and notice there's some intention here, like I'd like to get concentrated, I'd like to understand something, I'd like to be comfortable, those are your intentions. Okay, That's somewhat important. What the intention is, is important. But what's most important is that you're paying attention to it. Without paying attention to your intention, which is there, you're not present yet. You're not with the genjo.

[72:08]

But when you're there and you're noticing your intention, you start to be fully who you are, and that then, you can manifest that. Now you're in a place of realization. Realization happens at home. And the home you leave is the home of distraction from genjo, distraction from the present manifestation. Is that clear? You're welcome. Yes, Linda? It doesn't actually say birth is birth and death is death.

[73:12]

But anyway, it doesn't say that, but I would say that that's a good response to your question. That's a short response to your question. The text doesn't say that, but what you said is a good answer to your concern about that part. Yes. Actually, but it is what it is. Huh? Yeah, you can also say each thing is what it's not. And that's actually more accurate. Each thing is what it is not. But that's more accurate is each thing is what it's not. How you come to be is through what you're not. And you're definitely that and nothing else is.

[74:23]

Well, we say it's firewood, but what we mean is at this moment it comes to be firewood. But it isn't actually some way. If you look at how firewood actually comes to be, if you carefully examine it, you realize that it doesn't have any abiding self of firewood. Firewood does not have... It has a self, but the self it has is just due to what it isn't. It's not... It's due to what it isn't. In other words, it's due to all its conditions which support it. Each of us is nothing more than all the things we're not. Each of us is just all the things in the universe that are supporting us. We're not something in addition to us. If we're something in addition to us, that's a substantial self. But we're not. And if we return to where we are and look at our actions, we will realize that nothing, including firewood, ash, and me, and that will be the end of suffering.

[75:44]

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when practicing deeply, returning to her intention, realized that all things are empty and thus relieve all suffering. And I mention intention because if you just try to return and look at things without examining your intention, then your unattended karma will turn into an obstruction watching what's happening. So you can't watch what's happening if you don't watch what you're doing. But if you watch what you're doing, the obstruction to seeing how things are happening will be removed. If you watch what you're doing, you're not practicing very well sometimes. But if you try to practice and you don't do very well, what do you do then?

[76:49]

You're not practicing well, but you don't notice what you're doing to contribute to that. If you notice what you're doing to contribute to not practicing well, then you're free of this ineffective practice. Let's see, what time is it? Oh, it's early. It's only 1.30. Yes, Tracy? A small what? I'm about to leave. What does it mean? Let's see, just a second. What does it mean? It means I'm turning it over to you to take care of the universe. Please do. That's what it means. May our intention extend to every person.

[78:06]

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