Good morning. While we finish sitting this first period of meditation, I have a reading for you from one of Suzuki Roshi's lectures, Direct Experience of Reality. Direct experience will come when you are completely one with your activity, when you have no idea of self. This could be while you are sitting, but it could also be whenever your way-seeking mind is strong enough to forget your selfish desires. When you believe you have some problem, it means your practice is not good enough. When your practice is good enough, whatever you see, whatever you do, that is the direct experience of reality. This point should be remembered.

[01:02]

Usually without knowing this point, we are involved in judgments, so we say, this is right, that is wrong, this is perfect, that is not perfect. That seems ridiculous when we are doing real practice. In China, people would carry something on their heads, perhaps honey or water in big jars. Sometimes someone must have dropped the jar. That is a big mistake of course, but if you do not look back, it's alright. You just go on and on, even though there is no more honey or water on your head. If you go on and on, that is not a mistake. If you say, oh, I lost it, oh my, oh no, that is a mistake. That is not true practice. When

[02:05]

a skillful martial artist uses his sword, he should be able to cut a fly off his friend's nose without cutting his nose. To have the fear of cutting his nose is not true practice. When you do something, have a strong determination to do it. Woosh, sound of the sword cutting the air. Without any idea of skillful or not skillful, dangerous or not, you just do it. When you do something with this kind of conviction, that is true practice. That is true enlightenment.

[02:47]

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