Louder! That's as loud as I can go. And, Ricky... Do you want to do it? That's okay, yeah. Okay. One of the early members of Zen Center, in the formative years of Zen Center, back in the early 70s, and we knew each other at Tassajara, and we practiced together in various instances, during his ways, since then. And she's a shusa with me in Tassajar many years ago, and she's been a president and a tanto, and she's gone through all these petitions, and there are no more petitions for her.

[01:20]

So, when I was a cohabit with Rev. Anderson of Jensenhurst. She was the assistant to both of us, and she survived. So she knows a lot of secrets. But I gave her Dharma transmission some years ago. I can't remember what year was that. That was 1999, the year of the forest fire. Yeah, the year of the forest fire. coming down, and the fireman said, you have to leave, you have 20 minutes to leave.

[02:30]

So we packed up all our stuff and left, and finished in the city. So that was a dramatic instance. So I'm going to let Shoson do the rest of the Thank you. Actually, that leads into something because I want to let you know the difference is okay. So Sojin said, we're going to leave in 20 minutes when the fire was coming. And I said, no, I'm not leaving. I'm the Tanto at Tassajara. I have to help everyone. at Tassajara to fight the fire. And Sojin said, nothing doing. And Blanche said, nothing doing. And Sojin got his assistant at the time, Kokai, who is now called Shinshu, to pack up all the documents that I was doing and everything that I was using.

[03:32]

And Blanche and Mel each got under one elbow of mine and they dragged me out of Tassajara. And I got there and finish the Dharma transmission. So anyway, I just wanted to let you know just so that you know it's okay for people who really care about each other to sometimes have differences of opinion. And it all works out in the end. I think that's really important. But that's not actually what I want to talk about. I want to talk about Prajnaparamita today. Prajnaparamita is perfect wisdom, but this brown statue of the woman over here is Prajnaparamita. Do you see her? She has two arms in this statue, but a lot of times she has four arms and light all around her. And she's perfect wisdom.

[04:36]

In Greek, there's a name for perfect wisdom too, and it's Sophia. Do you know anyone who's named Sophia? Yeah, because Sophia means wisdom, and it's the same as prajnaparamita in Sanskrit. But it's not so easy really to understand what perfect wisdom is. But I think you already know what it is. So I just want to say some things that are a reminder. Well, first of all, I don't know if this experiment will work or not. But this is dirt and water. And we'll see if it changes over time. It might not because there's a lot of dirt in here. It's just dirt and water. Lots of dirt. And not that much water. So let's see if it changes. So over time, tell me how it changes, okay?

[05:42]

It might change and it might not change. You never know what's going to happen with dirt and water. Okay? It's important. But I've got some stories about perfect wisdom. And the first story I would actually like to read and show pictures. And for some of the kids, it's going to be a little bit young of a story. And for some kids, it might be a little old of a story. But for me, it's not too young of a story because now I like stories that are kind of young. And this story is called The Dandelion Seed. And this is a story for kids and grown-ups. And it's about something real. So you know dandelions? It was autumn in the garden, and all the flowers had dropped their seeds. Can you see in the back? I love the pictures in this book.

[06:46]

One seed was left. a little dandelion seed who was afraid to let go. But the winter wind began to blow. The stronger the wind blew, the tighter the seed hung onto it until it felt the wind blowing right through it. There's a poem about that. Then the seed left the garden behind. See the seed blowing through the sky? It became part of the wind and was carried away. The world was bigger than the seed ever imagined. It was also more frightening, more lonely, and more beautiful.

[08:08]

And you don't need pictures to imagine frightening, lonely, and beautiful. But I love these pictures. The more the seed saw, the smaller it felt. See, there's birds and cows and hills, all sorts of stuff. It wondered where it belonged. The seed landed when snow began to fall. It listened in silence as peace covered it like a blanket. Yeah, that's peace covering us like a blanket.

[09:13]

Finally, spring came. Sunshine warmed the air and the soil, and the little seed began to grow tiny leaves and roots. Its leaves spread wide to gather sunlight. Its roots reached deep to drink the fresh rain. Soon the seed flowered into the bright, delicate dandelion that it was meant to be. See how yellow? People think dandelions are weeds, but sometimes they can have stories about them. The dandelion shared its green leaves with deer and rabbits.

[10:25]

It's a pretty generous plant. I mean, imagine how you'd feel if somebody nibbled off your arms and things like that. But dandelion didn't care. It was something more important. It gave sweet nectar to bees and butterflies. Then, almost overnight, the life that began as one little dandelion seed ripened into many. See all the seeds? They each became part of the wind, and they each were carried away. See? When the wind blows, the seeds fly.

[11:27]

All except one. Don't be afraid, whispered the dandelion. The wind and the sun and the rain will take care of you. Let go. And you will see. You will see. That's the end. Do you want to hear about the dad who wrote the story? It's a dad and a kid. And it was a dad who wrote the story. His name is Joseph Anthony.

[12:34]

And he gets his inspiration from his stories, from inside his own life and practice. But he also has a lot of life experiences. He worked as a corrections officer, which means that he worked with people who were in jail, in prison. He worked as a traveling musician in the U.S. Navy, as a massage therapist, a carpenter, and a natural foods store clerk. And he lives with his children and his wife in Virginia. You know where Virginia is? It's all the way across the country, and it's just snowed there, just like when the dandelion was being covered with a blanket of peace. And he wrote other books, too. His other book is called In a Nutshell. Who we are, why we are here, where we come from, and where we go.

[13:38]

Every child ponders life's greatest questions, and here in a nutshell is a tale about life. Anyway, I like that. I like this book a lot. Thank you for listening to this story. I could tell you one more story about Prajnaparamita, and this is for older kids. And so, I don't know. Is this the same or different? What happened? I can't see it. It settled on the bottom? But it's still... You can see the dirt now. Okay, let's see what happens over time, okay? So this story was cited by G. Co. Sally Tisdale. Do you know who she is? She's a friend of mine and she lives in Oregon, which is north of here. And she has a camp, a Dharma camp for kids that meets in the summer.

[14:39]

near Darbar Reign in Oregon. And so in the camp they tell stories and they do a lot of really excellent things. I wish I could go to camp too. But this story, once upon a time there was a girl's school and it was for girls who wanted to lead a spiritual life and it was small. The girls had a wise teacher who taught them usual things like history, and math, and meaning. But she also taught them things about the world. So what are some of the things you think she might have taught the girls? Any ideas? Huh? Like geography. Yeah, she taught him geography, but also stuff about how to be. So, what do you think?

[15:41]

Anyone? Yeah. Life? Yeah, things about life. What kind of thing might be interesting if you were being taught by someone really wise? You know? Grown-ups can answer too. You don't have to be young to answer this question. If someone were really wise, what would they teach you? Life cycles and how to be wise too. Listening to your thoughts. Anything else? How to be yourself. Those are good examples. How to treat yourself and others so you don't harm them. Yeah, those are really good things to ask wise people about. So next time we meet someone wise, let's ask.

[16:42]

Did you have something, too? How not to get upset about things. That is a good one. And there's stuff that we could get upset about if we really wanted to. But anyway, let's keep going. One day, the teacher gathered the girls together, and she told them, I'm getting old. She had gray hair, she needed to use a cane, and she was finding it more difficult to earn the money to keep the school open. And she asked for the girls' help. I need you to help me keep the school open, she said. And they wanted to help. So one of the girls said, how can we get money? We only know how to do the things that we do in school. You know, and sometimes we sleep up, but this is too real. So the teacher said, well, there's riches everywhere you look. When you see a man with a shiny watch and rich suit walking down the street, don't you think he has more than he needs?

[17:44]

You wouldn't hurt him to share, don't you think? And the girls started getting nervous. And they started looking at each other like, mm-hmm. Uh-oh. So the teacher said, here's what you do. Go to the city center and find a quiet alley between busy streets. When someone walks by who clearly has a lot of money with no one watching, I want you to take his wallet. Or her purse. Or something else valuable. And if no one has seen you, I'll accept what you bring. And we'll use the money to pay our bills, and we'll sell everything else. But if you let yourself be seen, I will refuse what you bring, and I'll say I don't know you."

[18:45]

And the girl's guts were now really, really concerned, really frightened. And wasn't it wrong, what the teacher was saying? They looked at the floor and they both looked at each other. The teacher said, remember, I wouldn't ask you to do something I wouldn't myself do. You know I've always told you the truth. Our school could certainly use the money. As she spoke, the teacher kind of pushed the girls out the door. Come back soon, she said. You'll find it very easy. It's gone. It's on your lap. Thank you. Oh, well no one is watching. Thank you. The group got their shoes and coats and they were buzzing with fear, excitement, but when the door closed, One girl was still standing there.

[19:56]

The teacher noticed and came close. Well, what's going on? All the other girls were brave and willing to help me keep the school open. Why didn't you go? The voice was soft, but she was definitely a challenging girl. The girl looked at the floor and whispered, teacher, I can't do what you asked me to do. Why is that? The roughness in her voice disappeared. The teacher watched the girl with a soft and concentrated eye. Because there is no secret place where no one watches, answered the girl. Even if I'm by myself, I'll see myself, and that's stealing. Hearing this response, the teacher hugged the girl joyfully. Congratulations. Good for you. You understood the true meaning. You really listened.

[20:59]

I'm proud of you. The girl's face lit up. Thank you, teacher. Right then, the other students came back for the missing girl. They realized the teacher had tested them, and they were humbled. It was an important lesson. First, they studied. They listened and learned. But then they needed to take what they learned and make it their own. And they never forgot the girl's words. Wherever I am, someone watches. They never forgot how important it is to pay attention to one's own understanding. But it wasn't the end of their learning, because the girl, when she became a wise teacher, she realized something even beyond someone watches. But that's another story. OK? So I need to just talk to the grown-ups now, OK? And you can have more stories. And I'll send you some tea, OK?

[22:00]

Thank you for coming. Thank you. Thank you. I enjoyed your company. And we'll see you soon. What happened to the dirt? What did happen to the dirt? It's interesting how every time you stir it up it gets muddy and every time you leave it there things change. How are we doing on time, by the way? Twenty minutes? Okay, well I'll try to be concise. So the reason I chose to talk about perfect wisdom today is because of Rebecca Maeno.

[23:06]

And Rebecca was the person who made this statue. And she also made a statue of Prajnaparamita for San Francisco Zen Center. So there are two statues of Prajnaparamita in the two sister places. And also in other places around the Bay Area. And Rebecca was named Mitsu Zen. And two Mitsu Zens have passed away. Rebecca Maeno was Daishin Mitsu Zen. And then Lou Hartman was Shuun Mitsu Zen. So they were both intimate or penetrating Zen. Daishin was Big Mind or Inclusive Mind, Prajnaparamita, right? And Lu was Xiu'en, which means like assembly of clouds.

[24:14]

But they were both Mitsuzen, and they both touched perfect wisdom with their lives. So that's why I wanted to talk about this today. When Lou was at Tonell, the rehab center, his wife couldn't really talk to him, even though they had been married for 63 years. His words weren't coming very well. But because I've recently recovered from brain damage, I'm still recovering, but mostly recovered from brain damage where I had aphasia, I could tell that he had aphasia. And I thought, oh, aphasia. And so he would start a word and he might go, ah, and I could say things like all, always, you know, Alzheimer's, whatever.

[25:16]

And then he would nod or make some sign at the word that was right. And eventually he got back his ability to speak for a while. But during that time when he couldn't really speak, we had some of the most profound conversations about reality that I've ever been honored to have with anybody in my whole life. And so what he said was that all his adult life he had to live in a constructed reality. And he did that for other people's benefit. Actually, when he was five years old, he was sitting by the stream and the nature of the stream and how everything is came fully to him. And I know Rebecca has been there too. And then his whole life, he remembered that experience and always longed for it.

[26:20]

But he had to live in a different world. to protect the people around him in some way. He felt that he had to do that. And I know that Rebecca partook of that, and that was one of the reasons why Prajnaparamita was really important to her. So we learn about Prajnaparamita in the Heart Sutra, which we recite for the benefit of the temple and of all beings. The Heart Sutra was probably written a couple hundred years after the time of the Buddha. And it was because the Buddha taught various ways to work with fixed beliefs in permanence, the self, and what's good. And those teachings themselves became

[27:21]

a fixed view and people were starting to solidify them. And they became less useful as teachings about life as it is. Because you know what happens when we have fixed ideas, when we hold on to things. Like the dandelion seed, we can't become who we are. And nothing is the way it is. when we attach to some view, even if it's a good view, like teachings. In the Buddha Tathagata it says, Mithya Drishti, which is a false view. One of the Mithya Drishtis is attachment to any ideas, and the other one is attachment to teachings and forms and ceremonies. So, for this purpose, the Heart Sutra and the other Prājñāpāramitā teachings were invented and an understanding of Prājñāpāramitā became part of Buddha's way.

[28:32]

It's not that it hadn't always been part of Buddha's way, but it was emphasized by this teaching. So, Les Hickson talks about Prājñāpāramitā in his book, Mother of All the Buddhas. And he calls it unfindable, unthinkable, indescribable, indecipherable, indefinable, ungraspable, unformulatable, inconceivable, incomparable, unlocatable, and he goes on really a long time, which I won't. But these un-words are to emphasize that perfect wisdom itself When we say emptiness, we don't mean some void or nihilistic view. It's not harshly empty. It's not like that. It's not an absence. Just that perfect wisdom is more real and complete than anything that we can talk about or even perceive with our conditioned mind.

[29:37]

So, I think that's what the name Mitsu-Zen is referring to. That it's not the form of Zen, but something uncategorizable about that person or about the teaching. And so, perfect wisdom, Prajnaparamita, is unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. which is actualized now by dirt in water or by seeing and responding to someone else. So in the Heart Sutra it's taught different ways. No form, no feeling, no perception, no formation, no consciousness is called the skandhas. And it was the Buddha's short teaching about transcending fixed view of self. And then no eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind, no color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind.

[30:48]

Those twelve are called the ayatanas. And that means the sense base and the sense object. So the sphere of the senses. And then there's a third formulation, no realm of sight until no realm of mind consciousness. So that's the organ, the object, and the consciousness, which come together to form our experience. That's called dhatu. And dhatu means a kind of a lineage of our conscious experience. So if our conscious experience is not fixed, what is it? There are so many other ways to describe perfect wisdom. In the Heart Sutra, no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path, is the Four Noble Truths, the Buddhist whole teaching.

[31:52]

But also, there are more ways. You can say a Sixfold Pranayama is the Paramitas, generosity, precepts, patience, and so on. Then you could also say there's a three-fold perfect wisdom called past, present, and future. A six-fold perfect wisdom called earth, air, fire, water, space, consciousness. You know, anything that comes up, you can use that as a way into perfect wisdom. Actually, you know, I teach yoga in my spare time when I'm not otherwise occupied at San Francisco Zen Center. So let's say there's a postural prajna called standing, walking, sitting, lying down.

[32:56]

Tadasana, Trikonasana are postural gates to perfect wisdom. There's perfect wisdom as action. So anyway, you can study perfect wisdom using a number of different objects, almost an infinite number of objects. As a matter of fact, any object, or I should say, any subject that you want to take up, if you look deeply enough, you'll find perfect wisdom. We will. That's how we can sit and become ourselves. It doesn't matter what comes up. That's a Dharmagate in two. Perfect Wisdom. Perfect Wisdom is an object. But Perfect Wisdom can also be an activity. So, you know, cooking, raking, bowing.

[34:03]

We can tell the story of any action and perfect wisdom. We can tell the story with our own bodies and mind. We can tell the story with how we put on and take off the robe or how we put on and take off our shoes. And basically Prajnaparamita is an inconceivably profound mystery that I could talk about all day and all night. So it's actually a lot probably a lot more effective just to evoke it with a story about a dandelion or with the way that we respond to each other. I'll tell you some stories, but maybe I'll save them and shut up for a moment and you can comment or question about perfect wisdom. Maybe this is a good stopping place. Yeah.

[35:05]

Can you talk about perfect wisdom and the experiment that you conducted this morning with the dirt in the water? Yeah. So the dirt in the water is an excuse for someone's intention to come back to the same thing again and again and notice the changes. So this is perfect wisdom as earth and water element. And it's also exactly what happens to us in zazen. Let's say this is one period of zazen. But if you let this sit here for a year, what would happen? Besides mold. What would happen? End up with no water and dirt. Yeah, you'd end up with no water and dirt. And before that it would really separate so that you could see the difference. So what I'm saying is that you don't need to add anything to how things is.

[36:14]

You don't need to add anything. Just this tells the whole story. You don't need to add anything. And I think that's really important to know when giving a lecture. is probably one of the stupidest things that people can do, is to sit up here and try to take Buddha's seat and give Buddha's teaching. It's a mistake to open one's mouth. But it's a mistake that we have... Sorry, no. It's kind of a mistake that we have to make and when we vow not to Let the teaching be cut off. We have to make this mistake. So, this is probably less of a mistake than this, than the words coming out of my mouth. Thank you.

[37:20]

Thank you. Hey Russ. How does the realization of kashna parvija help you with your life? How does the realization of Prajnaparamita help you with your life? Well, may I tell a story about Lu again? Has anybody here ever washed dishes with Lou? Did anyone here ever wash dishes with Lou? Okay, in some ways it was a pain. I'll tell you about it. In some ways it was real pain because he used to have a bowl of water and soap that was for the dirty dishes and you would get the food off with that and then he would have another one which was hot and clean soapy water

[38:25]

that you would wash the dishes. And so sometimes I would come by and get some dirty dishes and put them into the big pot and get yelled at. Okay? So in some ways it was a pain and in other ways it was incredible because he would just ... washing dishes was important to him. And when he, you know, that was his expression of perfect wisdom. And you can really feel something about life when you wash dishes with him. So I don't think that it changes anything, on the one hand. And on the other hand, I think that realizing perfect wisdom might change everything. But, you know, I can tell you from personal experience that one can be a jerk and be aware of perfect wisdom, you know. You can have a major experience that opens you to the possibility of perfect wisdom, and when you come to it, there's no way to express it, because you're conditioned to express yourself as you always have.

[39:38]

So it might take a lifetime after an experience of perfect wisdom to be able to even approximately express it. So Dogen Seji talked about this problem, and he said, He didn't believe in Kensho. He didn't believe in glimpsing perfect wisdom as the practice. And he suggested, towards the end of his life, he had pillars like this in his zendo. And he just walked around the pillar saying, I take refuge in Buddha. I take refuge in Dharma. I take refuge in Sangha. And in the fascicle of the Shobogenzo, the treasury of the true Dharma eye, called Doshin, Dogen Zenju says, please take refuge. Take refuge when you're about to die. Take refuge with your last breath. Take refuge in the intermediate world. Take refuge even as you go through the process of being born.

[40:40]

You know, so there's this through stream of taking refuge, which is the way that someone with a limited body and mind enters the realm of great enlightenment. We can't really express great enlightenment intentionally. It expresses itself through us and the moment we name it or hold on to it, it's not enlightenment or perfect wisdom. Anyway, perfect wisdom doesn't change anything, and yet it changes everything, and that's the best I can do. At the risk of trying to define something, what is the difference between engaging activity or non-activity as an expression of prajnaparamita, and then engaging activity

[41:53]

How are they different? One feels boring and stupid and the other one doesn't. Which one's which? So, if you want to... Prajnaparamita is just a skillful means. There really isn't any such thing. There isn't something. So, there isn't any difference. It's just that when we open ourselves to the possibility of perfect wisdom, other things become possible about our activity. I remember one time, Sojin Roshi wanted me to be Tenzo, and I didn't want to be Tenzo. So we're back at the beginning with differences of opinion. So Sojin came up to me one day and said, I want you to be Tenzo.

[43:02]

And I said, I don't want to be Tenzo. Tenzo is head cook in the temple. And Sojin said, no, I want you to be Tenzo. And I said, no, I don't want to be Tenzo. And Sojin said, I want you to be Tenzo. If it's not up to you, then you be Tenzo! And then he said, I want you to be Tenzo. And I said, oh, OK, I'll be Tenzo. OK, so then I was Tenzo. So then the next week, he came in and gave a lecture about kitchen practice and about where all the pots go and seeing the universe in a leaf of greens and making pure food full of the flavors as an offering to the Sangha.

[44:05]

Anyway, and then a couple of days later he came into the kitchen and went up to the Fukuten, the Tenzo's assistant, and said, what do you want me to do? And the Fukuten said, chop apricots. And he said, how do you want me to do it? And the Fukuten chopped an apricot and held it up. And Mel started chopping apricots. Just chopping apricots. But it was like the whole kitchen. Close your ears. It was like the whole kitchen stopped. The activity went on, but the whole kitchen There was complete peace in the kitchen, harmony in the kitchen. It felt like the kitchen was, you know, in Rome that plaza, which is the center of the universe, it felt like the kitchen was that, the center of the universe, with every apricot and dish and crumb and pot and pan and so on.

[45:18]

fell into place with a sense of perfect meaning for about five seconds. Almost time. One more? I was sorry to hear about Lou. I didn't know that he had passed away. Oh, I'm so sorry. And so I have some nice memories floating through my mind. Can you say when he passed away? It was last, like, Thursday? When did Lug pass? At 3.42 in the afternoon. He just took one last breath and it was definitive. That's what he did. No, Thursday, the day before yesterday was the cremation ceremony and we went to Emeryville and his body was there.

[46:32]

I got six dozen long-stemmed roses and turned them into petals. There were some really dark red ones and some bright red ones and some pale pink ones and rose petals and family conversations and then we came back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much and I think we need to stop.

[47:07]

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