in the last couple of weeks of our spring practice period, focusing on the serene illumination teachings of Zen Master Hongzhi from Cultivating the Empty Field. And I've already spoken about the six practice instructions that were offered for people who were formerly in the practice commitment period, and all of those talks are now on the website, which I'm grateful for. I want to talk tonight about a few of them that are connected with Hongzhe's use of nature metaphors. And actually also with his with references to.

[01:11]

Sangha, so talking about the rhythm of nature and for those who weren't here the last couple of days, Kaz Tanahashi has been visiting and offered and left with us another adornment for our zendo, a painting. He offered two paintings and I selected the one that he calls The Desert Within. which nicely complements the one he left us last time called The Snow Within. So this is kind of reflects the rhythm of nature and the world. And so we have a desert side of the Zendo and a snow side of the Zendo. And I don't know. I just saw today that thanks to climate damage and the gift of our Secretary of State from ExxonMobil, there will be no more glaciers left in the United States within the next 30 years or so.

[02:27]

And there is, of course, increasing desert throughout the world, so I don't know if this side of the Zendo is going to tip over. Anyway, we have this balance to nature and to our seasons, and these two kind of complement each other. And we each may feel the snow within at times and the desert within, but this balance is also part of the balance that Hongzhi talks about when he talks about the balance of Serenity and illumination as essential to our practice. So I'm gonna just start reading, I'm gonna want to read a few of these practice instructions tonight and talk about, or at least parts of them and talk about them. The first one, he says, in the wind abode, clouds and dragons harmoniously follow each other. Very naturally, from the first, they do not express their intentions to each other. And I put it interpretively in brackets, they do not need to express their intentions to each other.

[03:33]

So this was just part of the natural phenomena in China. Clouds and dragons appear and harmoniously follow each other. Similarly, he says, Zen practitioners are accommodating and based on clauses and conditions can harmonize, can harmoniously practice together. arriving without display, emerging unconcealed, the wondrous clouds and dragons enter the whole scene and cannot be confused." So this balance of clouds and dragons, of different kinds of practitioners, of snow and desert, harmonizing. Our practice is about harmonizing all of our differences. So Hongshu says very naturally, they do not need to express their intentions to each other.

[04:37]

Here we are practicing together. Arriving without display, emerging unconcealed, the wondrous clouds and dragons enter the whole scene and cannot be confused. Casually hanging above the 10,000 features, each distinctly presents a spectacular image. complete without a hair's difference between them, springing forth with spontaneity. They clearly exemplify coming home, but still must investigate until they have eaten their fill." So that's kind of interesting. Clouds is an image traditionally for wandering monks. Unsui is the traditional word, the Japanese version of it, for clouds and water. And in our context, even as lay practitioners today, practitioners wandering around to different practice places at times, wandering around, looking for a place, in a way, in a context for practice, like the clouds.

[05:48]

and maybe like the dragons, harmoniously following each other. So here we have various dragons appearing at this ancient dragon gate. How do we harmonize? How do we accommodate each other? How do we support each other? So this is a kind of nature metaphor that's also a model of Sangha. How do we practice together? How do we harmoniously? We don't need to declare our intentions. We're here because somehow or other we care about the quality of our lives and the world. And maybe we each have our own way of responding to that and expressing that. And he says, casually, casually, casually, hanging above the 10,000 features, all of the senses, all of the phenomenal world, the clouds and the dragons flying around.

[06:59]

Each distinctly presents a spectacular image. This is a way of seeing Sangha too. Each practitioner, each person who shows up here, each cloud or dragon who occupies a seat in this Zen Do on every different occasion, in some way presents a spectacular image. We can see it that way. Now, you may not feel like you are such a clowder dragon presenting a spectacular image, but sitting here, that's how I see it, actually. each person sitting Zazen, there's this wonderful image, just sitting like Buddha, somehow drawn to this practice, and somehow we harmonize together, and somehow we support each other to do this practice of investigating.

[08:10]

And he says, springing forth with spontaneity, they clearly exemplify coming home. So usually, cloud and monk, practitioners are called home leavers. But here he says, they clearly exemplify coming home, but still must investigate until they have eaten their fill. How do we investigate this great matter of life and death, as Kaz was talking about yesterday, this total dynamic activity, this undivided activity of life and death, of birth and death, of how do we live in this world in the urgency of this situation our world is in. So in some ways it's very natural. Clouds and dragons harmoniously follow each other.

[09:12]

And then he says, clouds disperse, winds die down. The autumn sky clears and the moon sets. The waters of heaven are limitless. Where the ground is on its own, the brightness begins to be realized. So we settle in this situation spontaneously emerging and as we settle and pay attention and respond and harmonize not only within the Sangha of this Dragon Gate but seeing how the world presents various Dragon Gates of people trying to find how to live in this world, in this situation. The ground is on its own and the brightness begins to be realized. We begin to see the possibility of wholeness in the world.

[10:20]

Sometimes this is not easy and the situation is difficult and yet we have no other choice. Clouds and dragons spontaneously appear. So I want to talk about a couple of other of Hongzhi's practice instructions where he talks about this rhythm and harmony of nature as it appears in our lives. And then maybe we can have a little discussion and reflection. Another one, he says, a person of the way fundamentally does not dwell anywhere. The white clouds are fascinated with the green mountains foundation. The bright moon cherishes being carried along with the flowing water. And when he talks about, again, the white clouds, again, that's an image for, could be an image for practitioners.

[11:25]

And when he talks about mountains, that's sometimes an image for teachers. Teachers are named for the mountain where they teach often, like Dongshan is named for Dong Mountain. But also, it works as an image of, You know, like one of, like a landscape painting. You can imagine, well, here is the snow gathering on the mountain, and Dogen says, the snow is the mountain. But here, the white clouds are fascinated with the green mountain's foundation. The bright moon cherishes being carried along with the flowing water, so the moonlight flowing along on the mountain streams. The clouds part and the mountain appears. The moon sets and the water is cool. Each bit of autumn contains vast interpenetration without bounds.

[12:27]

So, the natural elements are totally connected in this integrated system of the reality of nature. Each bit of autumn contains vast interpenetration without bounds. Every dust is whole without reaching me. We don't have to be caught by all of the sense dust. The 10,000 changes are stilled without shaking me. If you can sit here with stability, then you can freely step across and engage the world with energy. So the point of this practice is to find the place where we can settle and see this dynamic harmony. and be supported by it, and then not just learn some self-help meditation technique, but actually be supported to respond, each in our own way, to our world, to our lives.

[13:35]

We can freely step across and engage the world with energy. And he says, there is an excellent saying that the six sense doors are not veiled. The highways in all directions have no footprints. So he talks in many places about the sense dusts and not being caught by sense objects. We can see what's around us. We don't have to be caught or obsessed by particular sense objects. always arriving everywhere without being confused, gentle, but without hesitation. The perfected person knows where to go or how to go. I'll read that one again. A person of the way fundamentally does not dwell anywhere. The white clouds are fascinated with the green mountain's foundation. The bright moon cherishes being carried along with the flowing water. The clouds part and the mountain appears.

[14:38]

So there's this kind of scene, this nature scene. The moon sets and the water is cool. Each bit of autumn, each bit, contains vast interpenetration without bounds. Every dust is whole without reaching me. So each element is complete. Every dust is whole without reaching me. The 10,000 changes are stilled without shaking me. If you can sit here with stability, then you can freely step across and engage the world with energy. There's an excellent saying that the sixth sense doors are not veiled. The highways in all directions have no footprints. Each byway, each highway, each path is fresh. We don't know how to respond to the situation we're in, in this time, with this government, in this world.

[15:43]

And yet, we have highways all around us. We have ways of responding. Always arriving everywhere without being confused, gentle, without hesitation, the perfected person knows how to go. So we respond. The practice of skillful means is we don't know what works, but we respond. So there's one more I want to read at least part of, and then maybe we can talk about this. He says, people of the way journey through the world, responding to conditions. Carefree and without restraint. So again, this idea of serene elimination and settling as a way of responding to the situations, the conditions of our lives and of the world around us.

[16:45]

And when we can settle like this and support each other, and again, all of this nature imagery I think is a kind of, also can be taken as a kind of image of Sangha, an image of how the natural world cooperates. And so how do we as human beings learn to cooperate and not treat each other with respect and not demonize some group, not scapegoat some group, like politicians do to gain power. Anyway, people of the way journey through the world responding to conditions carefree and without restraint. Like clouds finally raining, like moonlight following the current, like orchids growing in shade, like spring arising in everything.

[17:52]

They act without mind. They respond without certainty. This is how perfected people behave. I love that passage, this image of orchids growing in shade. Sometimes we need the shade, sometimes we need the sun. Like orchids growing in shade, like spring arising in everything. We've been feeling this the last few weeks. They act without mind, without being caught by our thinking mind. They respond with certainty. This is how perfected people behave. And of course we're not, none of us perfected people, but we're on this path of the perfections of the practices of patience and generosity and energy and skillful means and so forth. Then they must resume their travels and follow the ancestors I've talked about. Hongzi's talking about the ancestors.

[18:54]

Walking ahead with steadiness and letting go of themselves with innocence. And then he has this kind of strange section here. The solitary beacon is without companions. The piercing awe-inspiring voice on the single road to the other shore instantly can fulfill center or borders and pervade from top to bottom. killing and giving life, rolling up or unrolling is your own independent decision. So he has this image of the solitary beacon without companions. But I would say that's also a Sangha image. We support each other to each take our own responsibility, to each take our own, find our own voice, find our own way of acting in the world. Each person in Sangha has their own way of becoming a light for the world. So I'll read that whole thing again.

[19:57]

People of the way journey through the world responding to conditions carefree and without restraint. Like clouds finally raining, like moonlight following the current, like orchids growing in shade, like spring arising in everything. They act without mind, they respond with certainty. This is how perfected people behave. Then they must resume their travels and follow the ancestors who shared this practice and teaching, walking ahead with steadiness, letting go of themselves with innocence. The solitary beacon is without companions. The piercing, awe-inspiring voice on the signal road to the other shore instantly can fulfill center or borders and pervade from top to bottom. Killing and giving life, rolling up or unrolling, is your own independent decision. Anyway, there are many other examples of these kind of nature images that Hongzhi uses, kind of to show the naturalness of this practice, to paint a picture of how this practice is expressed, to encourage us to see the world of nature as practicing with us,

[21:26]

But also then there's this element of the natural elements cooperating. The systems, the biological and geological and physical systems of the world and of, I would say also of humanity cooperating. And so here we are. So how will we respond? so I can read more, but maybe that's enough. So, responses, comments, questions, reflections, please feel free. Dave. So like, fundamental does not belong anywhere.

[22:31]

Yeah. Because when I first heard that, I thought, like, real serious Zen monks, you know, travel around the world to different Zen monasteries, and you have a bunch of different teachers to take your practice really seriously. And I've written, like, you know, I'm always working really hard. Maybe that's fair, I don't know. But tonight I don't really feel like that's... I feel like what's draining for me is that... aren't static.

[24:34]

They're unique to me, but they're also shared. They're fundamental. Smell it. Let's smell it. Great, thank you. So that was a wonderful example of taking one line from a teaching and working with it and playing with it.

[25:37]

Yeah, so that's a line about flexibility and not being caught anywhere, and openness and possibilities. And so, yeah, yeah. Thank you, Dave, for demonstrating that for us. Great, yes, yes. other comments or reflections. One can take any line here in a lot of these and play with it in that way. So thank you, dear. Ben. And I guess it makes me think of the sort of two ways in which we're called upon to respond to things, sort of soft, flexible, caring, but also kind of brave as a group.

[27:00]

And also the thing about creating spectacular images, because imagine, you know, just the clouds that form wonderful images, just like, you know, all the images of dragons. Thank you. Yes, David. It's difficult for me to process things, you know, orally, with, you know, me hearing what, but what I'm struck by Not so much by the symbolism. I'm struck by the imagery. And I stay with the imagery, because the imagery is like everything is in harmony. There's just so much harmony. And there's peace there with the clouds and the dragons and the mountains. And even with the road that has no footsteps on it, that image is just so powerful. And what I'm struck by is the sheer poetry of it all. Yeah, so, Hongzhi particularly, Dogen also, Zen teaching often teaches through poetry rather than some didactic lesson for you to learn.

[28:28]

It's these poetic images, as you say, that we can play with or evoke something. It's the harmony. For me, this whole thing just It's just so filled with harmony. It's just blissful. Yeah, so then the bliss and the harmony, but the point of that is to inspire us to respond further, to bring that forth in the world. So he emphasizes that too. It's not a passive bliss and harmony. It's an interactive. Yeah, hi Kitty.

[29:30]

Yeah. Rolling and unrolling, yeah. He says, the piercing awe-inspiring voice on the single road to the other shore instantly can fulfill center or borders and pervade from top to bottom. And then he says, killing and giving life, rolling up or unrolling, is your own independent decision. So this kind of rolling or unrolling or killing and giving life, he has other passages where he talks about this. that there's this image of, and this is, you know, sometimes, they talk about this in terms of Manjushri's sword that can kill or give life, and how do we, there's another one here that talks about that, maybe I'll find this, let's see if I can find that, this sense of,

[30:38]

the rhythm of our conduct. There's another one that's a little related. I'll read this. Just resting is like the great ocean accepting hundreds of streams all absorbed into one flavor. Freely going ahead is like the great surging tides riding on the wind all coming onto this shore together. How could they not reach into the genuine source? How could they not realize the great function that appears before us? A Zen practitioner follows movement and responds to changes in total harmony. Moreover, haven't you yourself established the mind that thinks up all the illusory conditions?" But there's another one that talks about rolling and unrolling. But yeah, did you have some response? Yeah.

[31:55]

Oh, here's the one I was really looking for. Rolling and unrolling. He talks about this. And yeah, it's not action and inaction. It's kind of two kinds of actions. And in terms of Chinese philosophy, maybe Yang and Yin, it's a kind of... soft energy action that is taking in and it's this, and then this stronger action that is expressing out and there's the harmony of them. And so part of the response is to know when to, you know, almost strike out like the dragons or when to, Maybe take in like the clouds, I don't know. But here's another one that's rolling about, rolling and unrolling. So I don't know if this helps, but I'll read it. Where the field is secure and familiar, when the great work is like a clear, cool pond, then you will see the empty kelpa or empty age. Do not allow a hair to bind you or permit a fiber to screen you.

[33:03]

Be supremely empty and open and bright, pure, round, and glorious. The 10,000 ancient sages appear in succession undisguised. If you know the whole story with a nod of your head, you will not chase after birth and death and will not dwell in nihilism or eternalism. If you want to make appropriate changes, then you must transform majestically along with the 10,000 forms. If you want to be still and abiding, you must accord with the process of containing and covering, like earth and heaven. Appearing or disappearing, and rolling or unrolling, are entirely up to you. In this way, people with the original face must know how to gather together or release. So that's another way of talking about it, gathering together or releasing. So that sense of rhythm is part of this natural thing, but it's also not, it's about a kind of response.

[34:06]

So did you have some? Yeah, it's an interesting way of thinking. Yes, Jane. That's lovely, except what happens when the storm comes and the wind blows and the water sprays up and the fracking comes and the volcanoes erupt. He's just talking about harmony, and that's great, but nature isn't always harmonious. Yeah, and the world isn't harmonious, and that's what we're facing. So that's right, exactly. But he doesn't talk like that. Well, I mean, but he was living in a time of civil war, too, and of social chaos. But yeah, it's up to us. He's not going to give us the answer to our time, right? But yes, but yes, you're asking the right question. Yes, exactly. So I don't have the answer to that, but the point is,

[35:08]

from this place where we settle into seeing the natural rhythms, we can try to respond actively, but also without acting out in some harsh way that is inappropriate. Yes, you're asking the right questions. It's hard to see how many when all you're going to see is discourse. Yeah, so how do we present the spectacular images of all of the possibilities in a world, in a context of disharmony. So, you know, it's interesting in Chinese culture, when there was disharmony in the natural order, when there were natural disasters so-called,

[36:11]

not man-made disasters like climate change now, but volcanoes. They blamed the emperor. They said that that meant that the emperor and the government was somehow corrupt because the world of nature was responding that way. So they saw that there was a connection. So now we see this connection. So how do we respond? We don't know, but lots of people are trying things. And I think that's healthy. So we just have to keep paying attention and try to respond. But from this place, what's the line, Dave? Yeah, say it again. So not being stuck in some particular posture, being willing to adapt and be flexible and respond, sometimes rolling, sometimes unrolling.

[37:23]

We don't know what will be helpful, but we can try things. I think that's what we have to try to do together and each in our own way. So it's about time to stop. But if anybody has any further responses to James' question, please. Yes. Sometimes I experience harmony more over a timeline than I do within a single instance of experience. Good. So I will see a sequence of repetitive repetition over a period of 10, 20, 30, 40 years, or probably 30 years that gains access to one Yeah, I think, thank you, that's right, that's good. Part of the gift of our tradition and the Bodhisattva view, and here we are talking about somebody who lived in the 1100s, seeing this long view, we can see the rhythms of even human history and geological history, and so if,

[38:45]

in whatever way we survive the current administration and we will, that will mean something wonderful for humanity. So we have to work at that. But yeah, to see that there are rhythms of oppression and repression and rolling and unrolling and in the course of of our species evolving, hopefully. So, here we are. Any other last thoughts? That was pretty good. Okay, well then we'll do the Four Bodhisattva Vows as a way of closure for tonight.

[39:40]

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