Well, this is the first day of our five-day Sashin. And so today I want to encourage you by reading some old poems. This poem is called, as many of you know, the Xin Xin Ming, which is attributed to the third ancestor, Zen ancestor, third ancestor in China, So San, Kan Chi So San, and in Chinese, Seng Zang, in this very famous poem, maybe one of the first well-preserved Zen poems.

[01:10]

There are two, maybe three. First is Sosan's Xin Xin Ming, which is called, translated as Faith in Mind. And then there's Shodokah by a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch. What's his name? It'll come to me. Shodoka is the song of enlightenment. And then there's the Sando Kai by Sekito Kisen.

[02:17]

Sando Kai we chant quite frequently. So these are three old poems. that have come down to us, which express the heart of our practice. I'm going to read a little bit of the Xin Xin Ming, translated as Faith in Mind. Mind here doesn't mean our brain mind, but big mind, the mind of the way. So he says, the supreme way is not difficult.

[03:28]

The supreme way is also Dao in Chinese. The supreme way is not difficult if only you do not pick and choose. Neither love nor hate, and you will clearly understand. But if you are off by a hair, be off by a hair, and you are as far apart as heaven from earth. If you want it to appear, if you want it to appear, be neither for nor against, for and against opposing each other. This is the mind's dis-ease. Without recognizing the mysterious principle, it is useless to practice quietude. The way is perfect like great space, without lack, without excess. Because of grasping and rejecting, you cannot attain it. This poem is not long, but it's too long for now.

[04:32]

So that's where I'm going to stop. The Great Way is not difficult. It just dislikes picking and choosing. When we And this week we have the opportunity to just concentrate on this not picking and choosing. In our daily life, picking and choosing becomes rather overwhelming. Not that there's something wrong with picking and choosing, but in our daily life, it's too easy to get caught up in picking and choosing and we forget true mind of non-discrimination.

[05:46]

Because we're so involved in picking and choosing, we forget all about our true self. and we only are concerned in the world of discrimination. So, in Sachine, it takes a while for our mind to calm down. It takes a while for our thinking mind to find the level of our true mind. Our thinking mind is always picking and choosing and discriminating. Discrimination means to set apart or divide.

[06:48]

So Our true mind is the mind which is not divided, although divided mind is not something different from true mind, as we know. But because of our discriminating tendency, it's hard for us to experience or realize a true non-discriminating mind. So I say our mind, our discriminating mind, it takes a while for our discriminating mind to find the level of non-discriminating, to match the level of non-discriminating mind. So when we come to Sishin, we have to get used to this level of non-discrimination, which may take some time in order to let our undivided mind appear as it is.

[08:29]

So if we have some idea about what our goal is, if we come to Sachine with some idea about some attainment, then our mind is still divided. And it may take a while, or maybe not possible to have an undivided mind, Undivided mind is the mind with which we just abide in the present without being attached to the past or worried about the future. Ordinarily, we pay attention to the past and worry about the future. But in Tzechin, we have the opportunity to just abide in the present, which is very elusive.

[09:37]

The present is maybe like quicksilver. If you try to pick it up, you can't do it. So past, future, and present are really rather unattainable. And if that is so, where do we abide? This is a good koan of Sashi. Where do we abide? This is why we discourage coming and going and having any kind of contact with the world outside of the zendo. Not that it's wrong, but we should become as concentrated as possible on our present activity.

[10:48]

So we have this opportunity to be without distractions. But the distractions, of course, are all in our own mind. completely settled, then we realize that no matter where we are, distractions are just in our own mind. We tend to think of distractions as being out there, or something out there bothering us in here. But in and out are not two different places. we tend to become distracted by the noise in our body and mind. The way is not difficult if we just pay attention to the way. But the way becomes difficult when we allow the noise in our body and mind to take some precedence or

[12:06]

when we become distracted by it. So, we become distracted by pain, and we become distracted by thoughts, and we become distracted by feelings, and sometimes we're emotionally distracted. So during this time, all of those things which I mentioned will appear. And each one will come up and say, what about me? The pain in your legs will come up and say, what about me? And your feelings will say, what about me? And your thoughts will say, what about me? And if you give in to those, then you become distracted.

[13:08]

Not only distracted, but your mind becomes divided and you start discriminating. Mind starts discriminating and breaking up the world into pleasure and pain, and good and bad, and right and wrong. pleasure and pain, good and bad, right and wrong, are okay, but they're products of discriminating mind. So, the path is the path of non-discrimination. The true way is the way of non-discrimination and the mind that we seek is not something outside or something different but it's like a mirror like a big round mirror

[14:32]

When pain appears, it reflects pain. When pleasure appears, it reflects pleasure. When a feeling appears, it reflects a feeling. But it doesn't take anything up. It's not distracted by what's reflected. If we think of Sashin as five days, we're already lost. If you think of Zazen as 40 minutes, 40 minute periods, you're already lost. Someone has to think of it that way. The one who rings the bell thinks, oh, it's 40 minutes.

[15:35]

But then, when you know what time the period ends, and if you just forget all about it, then at that time, you'll remember. Let me just hit the bell. So, just moment by moment, If you think of this is the beginning and the end is over there, you can't sit very well. There's only this moment, and then this moment, and this moment, and it looks like the past moment becomes the present moment, becomes the future moment, But this moment is always just this moment.

[16:41]

One continuous moment of now. This is when our discriminating mind comes to the same level as non-discriminating mind. Then, whatever our mind discriminates is okay. Discrimination is okay. Non-discrimination is okay. But if you allow something to bother you, it's not non-discrimination. Just let the pain in your legs take care of the pain in your legs.

[17:45]

If you think, this is my pain in my legs, then you've already given into discrimination. If you think, I don't like this, you've already given into discrimination. If you think, I do like this, you've given in to discrimination. This is just this. When we come to the point that this is just this, no problem, then we can sit. but we tend to grab on to feelings, emotions, thoughts in our usual way.

[18:56]

So we've come here to do an unusual thing. So let's remember what we're doing, and not just give in to our usual way of discriminating. Otherwise, there's no point in doing this. So, this is our effort. Big effort of no effort. Actually, non-discrimination is effortless. But in order to get there, it takes big effort. Wholehearted, big effort. So each one of us should be concentrated on our practice. And not just in sitting.

[20:01]

In all our movement, in walking. And when we work in the kitchen, we should be very careful not to throw things around carelessly, or to make a lot of noise with our implements. When you walk into the zendo and people are sitting, Our tendency is to want to get there fast so that we don't disturb anyone. But the tendency to walk fast so that we don't disturb anyone is exactly what disturbs everyone. So we have to be mindful and careful. When we walk in Zendo, we walk slowly, carefully, listening.

[21:04]

listening to the sound that our feet make. When we're working in the kitchen, we should listen to the sound that our tools make, that we make with our tools. Speaking is just enough to understand each other. Not getting carried away with talk. When we work, don't get carried away with talk. Getting carried away with talk is just the same as sitting in zazen and complaining about the pain in our legs. It's just like when Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, was sitting under the bow tree. for seven days.

[22:07]

Many distractions, many distracting things came up. If you have to move, you should move. But we should make some effort to sit still. Our effort should be to sit still. But if you have to move, move. At some point in your practice, you will feel that you don't want to move, no matter what. But until that time, if you have to move, move. And if you feel bad that you moved, then if you give in to that feeling, that's discrimination.

[23:17]

If you feel proud of the fact that you didn't move, that's discrimination. So Sosan says, the supreme way is not difficult. If only you do not pick and choose neither love nor hate. And you will clearly understand neither love nor hate. Love, we feel that we should have love and we don't feel so good about hate. Love and hate are two sides of our feeling. And love and hate are two sides of discriminating mind.

[24:22]

Without giving in to love and without giving in to hate, just be real. This is not neutral. This is a fullness of reality. In other words, beyond preference. We must get beyond preference. Usually, we prefer feeling good to feeling bad. That's very natural. But here, we just feel what we feel. That's all. So when something comes up, just let it come up. Just let it be.

[25:30]

When something comes up, okay. But just keep coming back to posture and breathing. Always keep returning to posture and breathing. This is a very simple practice. That's all you have to do. Just keep coming back to posture and breathing. But our ideas become very interesting. And our physical difficulty becomes very interesting. It's not that we should stop the thoughts in our mind. Having a blank mind is not zazen. Thoughts are always appearing. Just do zazen. No matter what's appearing, just do zazen. That's all.

[26:32]

Then you will Find your true face. Don't ignore what happens. Ignore to a certain extent, but don't be attached to anything that happens. Just recognize everything. Don't avoid anything. Don't grasp what you feel is good and don't push away what you feel is undesirable. That's all you have to do. That's all you have to do in these five days. Pretty simple. It's only the first, not even the end of the first morning of Sashin.

[27:57]

And already we have problems. Why do we have these problems? Mostly because our mind is speculating. He says, be off by a hair. and you were as far apart as heaven from earth. Just be off by a hair and you were as far apart as heaven from earth.

[29:02]

So, as we sit, you know, instead of giving in to our comfort and our feelings of good and bad, just settle on our self, just settle on the self, just settle into the deep pool of big mind. So, it's important, calmness of mind is important, it's not the end, but it's important for Instead of becoming agitated, to become calm. This is indispensable. When we have a problem, we become agitated instead of calm. So we have to go against our usual tendency.

[30:14]

Our usual tendency is to blame, and blaming makes for uneasiness, dis-ease. Just be calm. There's no way out. Actually, in Zazen, in Sishin, there is no way out. This is the end of the line. If you really do it, it's the end of the line. There's no way out, so you might as well relax. Calm your mind. Kicking and screaming won't help. Complaining won't help. Just breathing easily. Through everything, just breathe easily.

[31:22]

So our difficulty will bring us back to our breath. Just keep coming back to breath and breathe easily. That's all you have to do. One breath at a time. One moment at a time. That's all there is. accept whatever is there or whatever is present right away.

[32:42]

If you wait, then if you accept what's present right away, then body and mind will conform to whatever's there, embrace whatever's there. But if you resist and wait, then whatever is there will become too strong for you, and you've already become rigid. So, the whole universe, you know, is behind our feelings, behind our painful legs. So, the whole universe is too strong for us. We can't resist. There's no way that we can resist the universe. The only way to go is to embrace it.

[33:44]

So just open and open and open. The main thing is to continue to open. So don't wait to open, just start from the beginning. Start from right now to just open to whatever is there. Because resistance will just break you down. So it's important to remain concentrated throughout the whole time.

[35:11]

Remember that kinhin is zazen. Eating is zazen. Break is, so-called break, is also zazen. If you have to come and go, please try to keep a non-discriminating mind when you come and go. So, we have one continuous practice, even sleeping sansen. You know, in a Japanese monastery, the monks sleep in a certain way. They sleep with their head pointed in a certain direction and sleep on their right side in a certain position, which we may think that's very foolish. Even I think it's a little bit foolish.

[36:11]

But it's to be mindful that sleeping is also zazen. There's no break from the activity. space from the activity that's different. And it's important for us to realize that. Break is rest. When you have to rest, just rest as Zazen. How do you rest as Zazen? Older students may not have so much difficulty.

[37:26]

As you sit longer and longer, 10 years or 20 years, you may not have so much difficulty. But then your lack of difficulty is also a problem. It can also be a problem. It may be easier to take it easy. distraction becomes more entertaining. So for someone who's been sitting a long time, to make the effort to not allow the mind to be entertaining, sounds awful. Even though we've been sitting a long time still, we have many of the same difficulties as a beginner.

[38:34]

So we should all come back to beginner's mind. And we will. By the end of five days, we'll all be in the same place with beginner's mind. No problem. We're all practicing the same practice. There's no advanced or beginners. All the same. No one has a special trick to make it easier. The only special trick is just moment by moment. Live your life moment by moment without worrying about what's coming next. If you do that, then you can accept what you have right now. Peace out.

[40:02]

@Text_v004
@Score_JJ