Today is January 7th. This is the third full day of this 21 days. The first two days we mostly just sat together. I spent time meeting with quite a few people individually. I begin this meeting by sending out the beginning of this retreat and how is it for you. I'd like to express about how it is now, this time, beginning.

[01:03]

So it's gathering. So it's what? It's formative. It's wrestling with. You feel like kind of wrestling with form? Yeah. In yourself and in your sense, others are in that process too? I think so, toward my sensitivity. Life seems dramatically simpler. Life seems superior? Life seems more complicated. Very emotionally intense. Life seems emotionally intense? Very, yeah. Curiously.

[02:16]

This morning, it's already very different. By the end of yesterday, I would probably want to be exhausted. It's only day two. Now it's day three. It was energetic. Yesterday evening, you felt... Late afternoon. You felt exhausted, and today you feel energetic? The experience of Zaza was like someone climbing a mountain and having been walking in flames. And I, too, felt very exhausted and resistant and frightened. I don't know if I felt frightened. I felt frightened. But it was a wonderful experience. Resisting and... Resisting and frightened. Feeling settling. I'm settling.

[03:18]

Not as much activity. So settling, not quite as much activity now after a few days? I'm still going out. [...] I feel like we were probably actually caught while I was there. I just heard a loud spike in the road there. I'm radically letting down the day thing. It's softer. Feeling softer. I couldn't find the silence. I'm grateful for it.

[04:25]

And I also find myself struggling to be every place on time. And not to, for a while, I haven't been. It's such a strict schedule, so it's not in my mind yet. It's a challenge. Yes? Yes. I'm still quite tired. Yes. I feel a little bit strange because I'm trying to sort of reconnect the outside world.

[05:30]

Like, I feel like I have this pile of behavior chores that I'm going to do, like, being a cosplayer. Like, now it's like I'm trying to put feelers out in the world, and it's sort of like everyone else is trying to sort of You're putting on feelers in the last few days? Yeah, well, I've been trying to sort of get more involved in the world again. Well, in the last few days? Well, yeah. And you feel other people are doing the opposite? Well, yeah. I didn't think it was good. It is. Yes. I'm feeling great appreciation for this precious opportunity and also tripping over the challenges of the schedule.

[06:34]

But it's familiar. I'm really with the schedule. I will settle. You feel like you will settle? Yeah. It's coming. Is it? It's been extremely challenging to take care of the garden the way it needs to be taken care of and to be here and do what everybody else does and go to the kitchen at the same time. Do you hear her? The expression is how it is at this point. I feel a little bit at need to let go. We're not clear how much let go. My responsibility is to cross out of here while I'm here. Did you hear her?

[07:36]

Yes. I just arrived yesterday. I feel like I'm alone. People who have hair don't... Sound? I'm enjoying it. Enjoying. Enjoying myself. Enjoying yourself. And it. And it. It is enjoying.

[08:38]

It is enjoying. [...] Could you hear her? Yes. Feeling very appreciative for being able to feel my body. It's a feeling. I'm doing this thing because I'm being able to really pay attention. Could you hear that? Is there another hand back there? Yes. When I'm witnessing myself, I don't know who is living. And looking at other people around me, I see bullshit and things are happening to us.

[09:45]

It's weird. I cannot stay in this sensation, but it's something which kills me. It hurts. And I see people reciting sutras and thank things. It feels to me, not in English, but it's like reciting something without something. I don't know how to express it. And it's wonderful that it's in doctorate. So, but, we're resubbing this new job set. I don't put the heart connected with it.

[10:50]

Unless, I mean, if I'm reading it for myself, I'd be quiet. I'm certainly carefully expressing it. It's just like so. It seems like when you stand and you read, I feel like it's something I think you should try to train, so it's something else. Yeah. It feels like everything has measured just the half of everything. When you started with making, I feel like, words that didn't get started, but then the leg strike, everything...

[11:56]

I'm already lost in confusion. I enjoy it very much here, at this place. It's wonderful. I'm currently in a funny mood. And that night, if I got all the time. Is Santa sick? What does she say? I feel I'm in deep... warm water.

[13:09]

But... they... away from shore in ways... confused. Feel you're in deep warm water? It feels good, but it feels weird and... increasingly remote from where I feel it. You say you're kind of confused. It's the right newspaper. And some of the things that I've sensed or experienced is that quite a few people made an effort to apply for this tax period, were accepted, and dropped out.

[14:43]

And a number of these people were from far away, like Australia. and England, and any other faraway places? Vancouver, yeah. Anyway, quite a few people were intending to come that didn't come. And one person in particular from Australia I've looked forward to meeting because basically the person looked That application that her name was Helen Mirren, but she looked, I think it was Helen Mirren. But there was another person that was besides Helen Mirren already. Meryl Streep. Meryl Streep. So you may be able to guess who she is. You may see Meryl Streep in the group. And so a lot of people, and two people haven't arrived yet.

[15:58]

So that's part of what happens. People are coming from around the world and from other continents. So there's that factor that we have this thing. And then... The people who are coming in from far away in some ways have a little bit of a, to some extent, an advantage because they're so far away they can't be too involved in it. Some of the people in Green Gulch have told me that time, letting go, outside interests, responsibilities, commitments, friends, things like that, because the outside is not so far away from them. And so they're having some difficulty letting go of those outside things.

[17:04]

And then one person said that actually he's like getting more outside than ever before. So we have to start over. We're not going to give this heretic any trouble. But then even people who are not so much in a literal sense involved with things over the mountains, so to speak, or over the ocean, just in their own mind, in their own body, it's like there's some tendency to go away from here. So there's a settling. even to where you are, and partly you want to, but partly you say you want to, and partly you say you're having a hard time settling into this people, and partly you say you're afraid of what will happen if you settle here, if you don't have a lot to ensure.

[18:24]

to those things which make you feel like you know where you are, which aren't you necessarily. They're sort of your locators of your identity. So this is going on, people are... It's this group. Suddenly your body, suddenly this, suddenly this. It's in one sense. You know it's a great opportunity, and at the same time you're resisting it. What it is, it made me want to do this, and I also want to do it. I often tell the story of the Unified. I made a big effort to study the Suzuki Roshi. And I was, put myself into, as Henry was there all the time, and he noticed that I was there because I was there all the time.

[19:34]

And so he gave me a chance to be with him, just like I wanted. And sometimes to be with him, just him and me, and I would sometimes, oh my God, just what I wanted. I would often tell him to appreciate the opportunity, but I didn't want to take any more of his time, so I would be with him. I'd say, no, it's okay, you can stay. I'd say, oh, okay. So when we get to the place we've always wanted to be, we sometimes get scared and resist the place that we most want to be. So that's part of what we're trying to settle with. It's a kind of a struggle. And I'm kind of like representing stay here, right? So they'll come to me and tell me when they feel like they have to physically leave the valley.

[20:39]

And they also come to me and tell me when they feel like they're psychically want to leave the valley or emotionally not here. So it's difficult for me, too, to, like, I don't want to, like, you know, be rough with people and say, you can't go. And so, yeah, so that's a little struggle, particularly for the people who live here and have Zen center responsibilities. So, like, in the last two days, the Tanto left Green Gulch to go to meetings. She went to meetings. But then turns out the meeting that she thought she was going to have to leave for yesterday was here, so she didn't have to leave. So the general thing that I say to people who are kind of residents here at the Green Dosh is that... The thing I say to people who live here is those things which need to be done for somebody else's benefit, if you don't do, go ahead and do them.

[22:03]

People are taking children to school and things like that. I think people are doing town trips to get food and so on, medicine for people here, but mostly people are not leaving. It's hard for people who live here not to leave, which is part of the unusual quality of this retreat, is that usually when we have practice periods at Green Gulch or even Sashins, not everybody at Green Gulch is in the practice period, or in the Sashin, not everybody. Particularly during practice periods, there's only like 20 or 30 people out of the 80 in the practice period. Other people are going and there's other responsibilities and meetings and so on. That's a special quality of this. Yet the responsibilities are still all around.

[23:04]

So this is another struggle is to balance that. how to tell whether going out is a resistance to being here, or really what's totally appropriate to being here. I thought I might just read this poem, which I've read to you a number of times before, because it seems like an appropriate thing at the beginning of entering into this formal container. It's an English translation of a poem called How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird.

[24:10]

First paint a cage. I have a cage here. And I'm the official gift. I have the cage. First paint a cage with the gate open. And paint something pretty. Something simple. Something beautiful. Something useful. Or the bird. Then place the canvas against a tree in a garden, in a wood.

[25:19]

Hide behind the tree. without speaking, without moving. Sometimes the bird comes quickly. But before she can. But she can just as well spend long years before deciding to come. Don't get discouraged. Wait. Wait. For years, if necessary, the swiftness or slowness of the coming of the bird has no rapport with the success of the painting. For some of you, the bird may not come during these three looks. We have cage. The bird wants to go. It doesn't.

[26:24]

Not a total waste of time just to be here waiting for the bird. The bird's alive somewhere. When the bird comes, if she comes, observe the most profound silence. until the bird enters the cage. And when he enters the cage, gently close the door with the brush. So that's kind of where we're at now. Look at the bird. The bird comes into the cage. The bird actually arrives here.

[27:26]

Gently close the door. And that can happen. That roll can happen. This bird is buried in it. Just get the bird into the cage and see what that's like to have the bird finally in the cage. If there's any time left over, once you have the cage really settled, then there's more opportunities. For example, then paint out the bars of the cage one by one. taking care not to touch any bird. Then paint a portrait of a tree, choosing the most beautiful branches for the bird.

[28:32]

Paint also the green foliage, and the wind's freshness, and the dust, and the noises of the insects in the summer heat. and then wait for the bird to decide to sing. If the bird doesn't sing, it's not a good sign. It's a sign it's a bad pig. He sings, it's a good sign. A sign that you can sign. So then very gently pull out one of the feathers of the bird. and write your name in the corner, paint it. It's the tie. In English, it's called To Paint the Portrait of a Bird, and the author's name is Jacques Prévert, and this is a translation by Laurence Armageddon.

[29:34]

So, one of the first ways that I approach and look at this poem is that the first part is, what time we're in now, and it seems to be describing tranquility practice. And so yesterday at noon and this morning at morning service, we chanted the first page of chapter 8 of the scripture, which is a scripture of the Buddhist teaching, . And in that, we chanted. There was a question, the first question in this chapter, this is the chapter called The Questions of Maitreya, so this is a future Buddha, Maitreya Bodhisattva, is asking the Buddha, is interviewing the Buddha, the Bodhisattva of loving kindness.

[31:16]

And so he asks, Relying on what and abiding in what does the bodhisattva practice samatha and vipassana? Samatha, tranquility, meditation, and vipassana, insight. When the bodhisattva is practicing these kinds of meditation, what do they rely on? What do they abide in? Yeah. Buddha says bodhisattvas rely on an abiding and unshakable resolution to attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment and to expound the teachings for the welfare of the world. in many of the previous chapters of this scripture, when other bodhisattvas ask questions, after they ask the question, the Buddha says, Oh, that was a very good question.

[32:40]

You asked this question for the welfare, benefit, and so on, of innumerable beings. So it's very good that you asked this question. But this time he doesn't say this to Maitreya. It doesn't say very good. It's not necessary to say that this is a very good question to this bodhisattva. He just says right away what they abide in. And then Maitreya asks, Maitreya says that the Buddha has taught that there are four things that are objects of observation for bodhisattvas who practice samatha and vipassana. And the four things are conceptual images, non-conceptual images, the limits of phenomena,

[33:50]

and the accomplishment of the purpose of the four things, which are objects of observation for bodhisattvas who practice tranquility. And then Maitreya asked the Buddha, How many of these four objects are the objects of observation of vipassana? He says one is the object of vipassana. The conceptual images.

[34:53]

And how many are objects of shamatha, of tranquility? One, non-conceptual images. And then he says, how many are objects of both? He says, two, limits of phenomena and accomplishment of purpose. how many of these four objects are the objects of when you're practicing tranquility and insight together. You said two. What is the scenario and the accomplishment of this? And then he goes on.

[35:59]

I'll stop right there and just say that it seems like for many of you that I hear already you telling me how you want to practice and how you are practicing it. Many of you, at least in the Zen world, what you're practicing actually is you're practicing trying to study non-conceptual images, which is the kind of image that you train your attention towards in the process of developing tranquility. So in fact, I think a lot of you are working on developing tranquility. And some of you have asked me for some instruction on how to practice tranquility.

[37:13]

So perhaps I can do some of that this morning. But I also want to say that... The sutra says that... In that page, it says that the actual state of tranquility is not the same as observing these non-discursive images, or observing images non-discursively. The state of tranquility is a state of physical and mental pliancy, ease and flexibility and composure. It's not actually the training in the attempt to create such an image.

[38:21]

And so if you're training but haven't yet attained that state, you actually, it's not really, shamatha is not really the tranquility. However, it is training which is concordant with, it's an intensive effort which is concordant with tranquility because it comes to fruit as tranquility. Once you're in the state of tranquility, You can give up, at least temporarily, that type of training. And then in the state of tranquility, you can turn your attention to the second kind of object, which is the conceptual type of image, which are the images that insight meditation uses. But also on the first page it says that if you haven't attained the state of tranquility, mental and physical pliancing and ease and so on. If you haven't attained that and you're looking at a discursive image or a conceptual image, is that insight?

[39:31]

Is that vipassana? And the Buddha says, no, it is not. The next page inside says, it's like insight work, because in insight work you are looking at discursive images. But if you're looking at discursive images and you're not in a state of tranquility, it's not the same as if you're looking at discursive images in a state of tranquility. It's not vipassana. Vipassana, according to this text, is looking at conceptual... meditating on a state of tranquility. So I just wanted to make that clear. There's more details, but now I want to shift back to the tranquility side, to talk about what does it mean to have to be observing a non-conceptual image. Well, first of all, it's kind of almost an oxymoron, I guess, to say non-conceptual image.

[40:33]

It's the same as saying a non-conceptual concept. So you're meditating on a concept of non-conceptuality. In fact, that's another way to put it. Or you're meditating on a concept of non-discursive silence. So you have this concept of non-discursive silence. Do you have a concept like that? Of being silent Like we hear a sound, being silent with that sound, and not being discursive about it. So that sound, for most of us, is primarily a concept, an image. It's an audio image. Or this sight in my hand. Most strongly, for most of us, it is an image of the hand.

[41:37]

So you're training your You're training the mind to look at the image quietly, with no imagination about the image. Give up your images about the images. Give up your discourse. Discursive means going back and forth or wandering around. So it's to train the attention on whatever images are appearing to you, or whatever concepts are arising to you, to your conceptual cognition, actually. We have the conceptual cognitions of things. Training is primarily in the realm of conceptual cognition. Training in tranquility is basically in the realm of conceptual cognition, because you're in the realm of conceptual cognition. is where you can hear language and instruction about how to treat your mind.

[42:41]

And so the instruction is that someone said to me, I think she first said something like, In her meditation lately, just before that, she was noticing that her mind is not so busy. Actually, first of all, she said, I notice my mind is more quiet than usual. It's getting more quiet. And when my mind is quiet, it's almost like nothing. She didn't say almost like nothing. She said, when my mind is quiet, nothing's happening. And so I asked her, well, are there still sounds and sights? Do you still have sensations of your body? And she said, yes. So I rephrased it as, it's almost like nothing's happening when your mind is quiet.

[43:48]

And she said, maybe better to say, my mind's not so busy. So I said, again, is it like when your mind's not so busy, it's like nothing's happening? She said, yes, sorry. Because things happening sometimes seems related to the mind being busy. And then not being busy seems like not so much as happening. And I wouldn't say what really things are happening. I would say more like the appearance of things happening goes on, but it seems not quite as active in a quiet way of mind. And she said, is this a kind of meditation?

[44:49]

And I said, yes, it is a kind of, it's like a kind of meditation that you're recording. It's a tranquility. And she said, but should I be doing something more? Should I be studying something? And I said, there is that kind of meditation too, where you actually, there's something, there is more to meditation than just being quiet. But maybe for you now, it seems like you're, you're, Destiny is that right now it seems natural for you to quiet down, settle down. And once you're settled, then we may turn to actually looking at some things and thinking about them. So another way to say it is that the training in tranquility is whatever objects you're knowing, train yourself in giving up thinking about them. If you attain a state of tranquility, then we can shift to the insight type of work, where you look at things and you do think about them.

[45:58]

But first of all, it's good for all of us to be able to look at, to listen to, to smell, to touch, to taste, to imagine images. Period. To learn to do that. continuously or steadily. We can learn to do that steadily, fairly steadily. That comes to fruit as the state of tranquility, the state of really being settled. So the Chinese character... This character... So I share them stop signs and chain. It means to stop. It's a character they use for tranquility. Stop. Rest.

[47:01]

Ease. Calm. So it means you stop discursive thought. And so all the billions of people over there, when they're driving around, they come to this corner. Discursive thought. They step on the bridge, they give up discursive thought, and then they turn to God and pray for you. But when they stop, they actually are in trouble. Most of them don't realize it. You have to stay with them before you realize it. The Chinese sutra, which they say, speaking of these four kinds of objects, the first kind of objects are objects accompanied by images for reflection.

[48:12]

So you're knowing some object by images to reflect on the object. So those are the kind of objects that you use for insulated meditation. You're looking at, for example, a teaching. It's an object, and the teaching is accompanied by images so you can reflect on the teaching. The other kind is content that's not accompanied by images for reflection. So you look at some content or some object without an image to reflect on it. Of course, you could find an image to reflect on, but you're kind of giving that up. And another translation is an object which is reflections of thought, and the other one is objects which are reflections

[49:19]

So if you look at some image, some face, some object, can you train your mind to see this image is a reflection of non-thought? You could say it's a reflection without thought, too. Without thoughts about it. You look at an image without thinking about it. You look at an image without elaborating on it. Another interesting translation is image, which is a reflection of non-thought. So everything you see reminds you of thought, non-thought, non-thought. Everything you see reminds you, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it. And then once you're tranquil, inside work is more like images are now the reflections of thought. Every image you look at is thought. This is a reflection of thought. This is a reflection of thought.

[50:25]

This is a reflection of thought. And that's very apropos of this sutra, which is teaching us that everything is actually a reflection of thought. That no phenomena is... All phenomena depend on thought. So all phenomena are actually reflections of thought. That's the... That's the insight work, which you'll find on the next page. I don't know if you have any questions about how to practice tranquility at this time. Well, it's almost how you practice tranquility at the same time. How do you relate? Or how do you relate? I think that Shikantaza is, actual Shikantaza is where you're practicing tranquility and insight in perfect union.

[51:50]

So that's the . How many objects of tranquility? One. How many objects of vipassana? One. How many objects of both when they're united, when you do it together? Two. What are the two? It's the limits of . Everything that can be known is the objects of when they're both together. and also the accomplishing of the purpose of the bodhisattva way. So sikkhantasas, in Soto Zen term, in yogic union. However, that doesn't mean that in order to practice yogic union of tranquility insight, there also has to be some initiation into tranquility. And the initiation of tranquility is not in the same mode as the initiation into insight.

[53:06]

But it doesn't mean that when you practice the tranquility that she can't tell us a single sound. But you may not know it's there. And I have realized it yet. But there's a certain aspect of just sitting which is very similar to tranquility in the sense that when you're sitting, if you're experiencing, for example, the flow of the body as sitting, and you experience some sensation of your body, or some conceptual cognition of your body, then if you would just not elaborate on that discursively at all, You meditate without any kind of comment on it.

[54:07]

I think Dougie said one of his poems is, the hours of the evening are advancing, but it's not yet time for sleep. The sounds of the stream pierced the ears. The light of the moon took out one more thought. So that's the instruction in Kula. Hear the sound of the tree, period. Just feel the breath, period. Just see the light, period.

[55:08]

No further thought. Another palm of the dog, and he says, if you don't give up wandering around in your head, this body leaping on the vital path of freedom. So, actually our body is jumping around and the vital has the freedom all day long. If you wander around your head, you may miss this. So, as a positive way to say, stop wandering around and you may discover the body that's leaping on the path of freedom. So those are instructions which are like tranquility instructions, but they're opening on to the realization that she does it. And some people are walking around in states of tranquility.

[56:14]

So, they can... in the state of tranquility, they can be discursive, because they're not really wandering around anymore. Their discursive thought isn't really wandering. It's more like an examination of penetration because they're stable. So there, tranquility is like joined. I wish you got time to always say. Any other questions about tranquility and meditation? Yes? Is mind consciousness? What do you say after that? Is it functioning in a state of tranquility, or is it not functioning? It is functioning.

[57:23]

If it is functioning with the five sense consciousness? It always functions with the five sense consciousnesses. Except in some special transits, those called the formless absorptions, then the sense consciousnesses are temporarily attenuated. Then it's just the mind consciousness Most of it. It means when you have sense consciousness, when you have mind consciousness, it's connected to sense consciousness. They work it together. Is there a difference? They work together, I think, would be primarily characterized by the mental factors that are arising with the mind consciousness and sense consciousnesses.

[58:31]

The mental factors that are arising, and one big mental factor that's arising in the state of tranquility is actually, you know, a factor called Shravati. which means it's this mental factor, this state of body and mind, actually. It's listed as a mental factor, but it's a state of body and mind, of being flexible and at ease. So, when you're in a state of tranquility, the mind consciousness that's operating The sense consciousnesses that are operating operate much more fluidly and calmly and effectively. And when they've turned towards skillfulness, they operate much more effectively and smoothly and happily. So generally speaking, more and more wholesome mental factors are arising with the mind consciousness that's in a state of tranquility. There's more enthusiasm for practicing study of things which would be helpful to the situation of our life.

[59:38]

So those mental factors would color, in a sense, the quality of the mind consciousness. The mind consciousness is just doing its operation. any kinds of illusions that are arising with this mind consciousness due to the... This is something which some of you are not familiar with, what I'm about to say. So, I'm sorry to say this to you, but arising with... is a... is a... phenomenal condition that supports the arising of mind consciousness, which is called mind organ, or the ability of the mind to act as a support to itself, which we call novice. If you want to study this, good luck. Lots of people here can help you with that.

[60:47]

But basically, the manas, the mental function which supports mind consciousness, also has this projection of projecting a sense of separation between subject and object. So that basic delusion of self that's projected in the process of normal mind functioning is still there in shamatha. That's why we need also vipassana. Vipassana is developed with the tranquility. Then we have what you find in the second page of that sutra, which is a realization that everything you're seeing is actually a reflection of mind. But I think that things are not reflections of mind, that they're out there separate from us. We normally do not see that no phenomena exist independent of mind.

[61:52]

But entering into tranquility does not dislodge this illicit pressure. We need teachings from the Buddhas to come into our consciousness to disabuse it, relieve it from the belief in the appearance Things are out there separate from... And that's what it says in this painting, doesn't it? When the kashin and shamatha are joined, and then you practice from that place, you realize this, that whatever phenomena you're appearing... Conscious construction, cognition only. That's what it says on the next page. But right now, I'm not ready to really open that up much. But somehow, you backed me into that corner.

[62:59]

But your question couldn't get out. So and that understanding is in the realm of third object, which are when you're looking at the limits of phenomena, you start hoping to understand the nature of phenomena, which is the third object. And then when you completely understand that, which you can find on page 205 of the sutra that we're chanting. Then you actually understand the accomplishment of purpose. Then you actually, what you're aware of, meditation is your awareness, you're aware of the accomplishment that your past could be perfect and likeable. Yes, any other questions on shamatha? So I was wondering how this is, how this kind of practice,

[64:07]

Is it a bodhisattva practice? It's a bodhisattva practice because it says how to bodhisattva practice tranquility and insight. And I mentioned that he doesn't say that because in this case, because of... He doesn't say it's done. He's talking to another Buddha, basically. So he doesn't say, nice question, kid. All the other great bodhisattvas, he says, that was a really wonderful question. And this thing about you ask this question for the welfare benefit and, you know, beings. This is the thing that the Shakyamuni Buddha said to people in early teachings. He said this to people who ask questions. So even to Arhat's bodhisattvas, Even Arhats ask questions for the welfare, benefit, and so on of all beings. But he says it, but he realizes they're asking this question not just for themselves, but for all beings.

[65:25]

But I noticed that he didn't say this to Maitreya. And does he say it to Avalokiteshvara? No. So the two great, these two great celestial bodhisattvas... Celestial Bodhisattvas, in this case, he doesn't talk to them that way because everybody knows that's all they ever do. Everything they do is like that. But to the other Bodhisattvas who are, of course, amazing Bodhisattvas, he still talks in that whole way of letting everybody know, including the person who's asking. This person is asking themselves. As a matter of fact, they already know the answer. They're just asking for all of us. But it shifts when you get to Maitreya. He's totally into the same thing, by asking questions. And these are questions for the welfare of the world, but particularly for bodhisattvas. This instruction is for bodhisattvas.

[66:28]

Some people do not want to do this type of meditation, of Buddha's disciples. What he explains in chapter 7, they're not ready for it because they're afraid of... Huh? They're afraid of what? What were you going to say? Emptiness? They're afraid of emptiness, yeah. They're afraid of emptiness. They're afraid of opening to immense suffering of the world. They don't feel ready yet to be bodhisattvas. so they don't want to hear the full-scale teaching here. And so part of what's in Chapter 7 is that the Buddha taught two other ways before this, which is all the people were ready for. Yes, did you have a hand raised? Yeah. Any questions like Sean would tell anybody who wants to ask?

[67:28]

Yes. So, Sean, it's hot. If I'm sitting there on my cushion, just trying to... I've kind of a whole discourse. You're sitting on your cushion in what? And I'm trying to practice just hearing sound. Yes. Noticing. Yes. What actually is happening is I have this whole discourse of catching myself and stopping myself. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. What is our practice? What is our practice? Noticing sound. Is that a good place to begin? Noticing sound. I noticed that I had a whole conversation. Well, noticing sound is a good place to begin. If you're hearing sounds, it's a good place to begin. Sound is a good place. Whatever is happening to you is to work with. It's always this person I don't know.

[68:29]

There's almost always discursive thought around your thought you're hearing. Or what I'm feeling. There's discursive thought around your feelings. Yeah. Yeah. So... So you're aware of the thing... Oh, God, because you're aware of the object and you're aware of the... elaboration around the object. So you're aware of the object, like the sound or whatever, and you're aware of, oh, that's so beautiful. Oh, that's so beautiful is what is kind of the object of your renunciation. That's an object of your renunciation and tranquility practice. You look at something and you say, oh, that's so beautiful, and then you understand, oh, that's what I can give up. Then you try to learn to feel that way about it, maybe without saying too much.

[69:35]

You just go like, oh, that's discursive thought. That discursive thought, that discursive thought. And then sometimes there's a thing of like, without the statement, that discursive thought. Or without even a statement. Without even a, there's no discursive thought. Sometimes it's like this. Actually, you see back there by the window, Liz? When you first looked, what was it like? Spotlight. Yeah. Spotlight. Yeah. So at that first moment there, there wasn't much discursive thought. Was there? Yeah, right. So there we go. That's what it's like. Or you had a chance to say, oh, it's beautiful in the sunlight. I'm inspired. So in fact, you do have these little moments there. And so there's an opportunity to just say, well, as you're doing, I see lots of discursive thought around everything.

[70:47]

that I experienced. So I'm reading into discursive thought. So then, basically, just don't start anything. That's where it's at for me, not much into discursive thought. That's pretty much it. Well, that's pretty much it is not very discursive. And that pretty much it can be applied to pretty much everything. So since it applies to pretty much everyone, . So basically you're in a state of relaxation with being a very discursive being. So discursive thought itself can be another object. So if you don't seem to be able to find, like, seeing a raindrop fall in mid-flight, which I just happened to have seen, if you don't seem to be able to do that without elaborating, then you just sort of make that whole big concentrated wad of this goblet.

[72:07]

raindrop with lots of thoughts about the raindrop, which can happen before it hits the ground, you make that something which you're not discursive about. At some level, you start to get in touch with discourse about something. And if your discursive thought is so vivid and turned up so that it zips in there and gets going on everything before you have a chance even to do anything but that, Then, on some level, you don't add anything to that. And you tell me, yeah, that was a big kind of complicated response to the glistening of that light. And that's it. That's all I have to say right now. I mean, I have nothing. I rest my case. Guilty. Okay.

[73:09]

Yeah. Fine. I'm cute. I have no reply. I'm just walking around. All day long, cute. I mean, the discourse queen. I have no comment on my non-spiritual, full-throttle discourse. Well, like I said, we're in the process of resistance. At some level, at some level, you find a place where you're not resisting, resisting, giving up the teaching of training the mind in non-discursive silence.

[74:29]

So there's like... And then there's non-discursive silence. And no matter what happens, no matter how noisy it is, there can be a non-discursive silence with the biggest explosion. And then there's another one. And there can be non-discursive silence with that. So it isn't that you have to turn off the noise, although a lot of people find it to get a hang of it by turning off the noise a little bit. So we don't talk in the same tone. We don't turn over to our neighbor and I'll blow in her ear. Take a look at stuff like that. It makes it a little easier. But we want to be able to find that way of training the mind that way because it is there all the time. One of the translations in another part of the chapter says that you're training your attention

[75:32]

to the mind, which is always there with whatever's happening. Because it's basically, no matter what's happening, no matter when it's a little beep, with a big commentary in a moment. There's always a mind there which is basically the same with just knows it, just knows it, just knows it. So you're actually paying attention to this mind which just knows whatever's happening and doesn't make any comments. Which is just a simple mental consciousness. The sixth consciousness does not comment on things. So... And then the question is whether you can make a deal with yourself to say, well, we've got this identity well established, pretty well established, it's established well enough to take a break for like five minutes.

[76:35]

And you might say, well, let's try it. Let's see if I, like, lose my identity and can't find it after five minutes. And if you're not sure, make it one minute. And if you're not sure, that one minute, maybe come and see me, and I'll hold your identity for you for one minute. And you can write it down and so on, so you make sure that we get it notarized. And you can enter into a state of, like, non-discursive silence and you forget your identity during that time, which you might. And we can just bring it up and say, remember this? There is some risk. That's part of what you're afraid of. You're afraid that you won't be able to recover what you've been sort of maintaining all this time if you take a break from the kinds of activities which are kind of like self-maintaining. And discursive thought is basically coming from self-maintenance. That's the basic motivation issue. But when you're tranquil, it's a little bit different because the tranquility is arising and you're feeling a little bit more at ease with

[77:46]

Maybe thinking some thoughts which aren't directly verified as self-maintaining. You feel, although it's risky to go into tranquility, once you're tranquil, you feel the danger to give up your descriptive thought. Once you're tranquil, you're kind of like, you're still in danger. of losing your identity, losing track of it, which, of course, ultimately we know it is ever found. We have a standing reward for anybody who finds an identity. I mean, there are identities, but identities are nothing more than worries. There's no identity in addition to your middle name. But anyway, identities can never be found, actually. So there is a danger of losing it. And that's there all the time. But when you're tranquil, it's kind of like, oh, thank you.

[78:52]

But you know, as you're approaching tranquility, you might lose your identity. As you approach tranquility, in fact, you might lose it. However, you need insight to be convinced through direct perception, but nobody can find it. You'll never find it. Because all that you don't find right now, you're in this kind of like fairly healthy form. So since you're so sedated, you're just kind of like, well, yeah, I can't find my identity, but I feel fine. And that's a lot of people who are afraid of losing their identity. You do take Valium for that purpose. is that they're terrified because they're aware that they might lose their identity and not find it, so they take medication so that they feel more at ease with that possibility. Any other questions about tranquility?

[79:54]

It's helpful at the beginning. Later it would be helpful to make the generalizing. Well, I was going to say that there was that general in the Preston, right? There were a lot of birds in the village. The Royal Air Force was doing security practices. Yes. And I had more success with this practice there. I've been anywhere else because I first had these images which are then severe hints about the concepts on them. And I was just filming yesterday. At the end of it, it was way too quiet. And they had to do their stuff to get, um, up to, uh, to, to work. Satisfied.

[81:06]

It actually felt so very dark. Do I know what you mean? I think so. So this is a more advanced endo for you. Loving kindness is... It's not limited to being a tranquility gesture, but that is one of the uses of loving kindness, is to calm down discursive thought.

[82:16]

It can be used, and it is used by many people as a way to continue to develop nondiscursive science. So if you're confused or whatever, you're confused or you're angry, Usually they don't recommend loving kindness or thoughtful thoughts. Intensify. Not only do I want to have this kind of relationship with a person, but I also just really wish the best. So, you know, I think probably it really gets you down with this lustful activity, if it's possible. And then you get more kind of excited. More discursive, like, where should we go now?

[83:23]

And does your husband know about this? So, but loving kindness is particularly good if you're If you're in your particular form of confusion, it might not be good. But your neighbor, it might not be good. So that's part of what... And also, if you're calm, if you're already loving kindness, it also continues to be good. But if you're not calm, it can be used to help you to give up. Because it's kind of simple, you know, it simplifies your discursive thought. So for many people, just going into non-discursive silence is too abrupt. So they do better if they have a little bit of verbal discourse, which is somewhat simplified, like, for example, the Heart Sutra. It's like breathe and give up being discursive about your breath. That's simpler than, for example, the Heart Sutra.

[84:29]

But sometimes if your mind is too gross or too coarse, meditating on your breath may be too subtle. So walking is better than sitting and being nondiscursive about your body and breath. So you can walk and be nondiscursive about your walking. So some people, when they're walking, they can be nondiscursive about their walking, but they can't be nondiscursive about their sitting. Does that make sense? And some people can't be nondiscursive about walking. Then we have the non-discursive about running. Some people can't be non-discursive about running, so we have tightrope walk. Because they learn, if I keep on being all discursive, I'll fall to my death. Or I'll fall to the net, anyway. The course of the mind is more kind of like course the... The antidote needs to be. And then when the mind comes down, more and more subtle antidotes to more and more subtle discourse.

[85:33]

And so what a kind meditation is maybe a little bit course at the beginning of then, because it's discursive, it's a little bit discursive, may all beings be happy, may all beings be free of anxiety and fear, may all beings be at ease and buoyant in body and mind. That's discursive, but if you just stop there and don't say, and especially this person next to me, so you just, you pick an object and then you stand your discourse for every object you're looking to. and there's a discourse about the order of the objects, and you consult with your teacher, and then you go back to your teacher and tell your teacher how you're doing, and the teacher says, you don't do that, do that, stop that, that's extra. So again, many people need to be, but in a sense, this is always discursive at the beginning because you actually have to choose an object. So you need, that's why we're talking now, we're just getting discursive instruction about how to be not discursive.

[86:39]

The question is, could I be this discursive? And I'm discursively saying, yes, you can be that discursive. And then when you're calm with that, then I might suggest to you, why don't you see it now, if you give up that discourse, what you're trying to see, if you can also continue that, it's that same simple way of being, what's happening. And you might try it and say, no, I can't. I can't do it any longer than that. You say, no, I think, just try it again. And you try it again, you say, yeah, I don't need it anymore. But you still go back and do it, even though you don't need it. go back and do the loving-kindness, even though you're already calm. So at first, but you don't have to. So once again, as you'll see in the text, if you look, that once you attain tranquility, you give up that type of attention and switch over to the other kind of attention. So once you're tranquility, you don't have to continue giving up discursive thought. You could pick it up again. because you've realized the fruit of settling. So once you settle, you can give up settling meditation and start beauty.

[87:44]

Yes? If you are in a state where you are getting mostly just with that discursive thought, Yet, all of these impressions are a reflection of thinking, because it's phenomenal. Phenomenal. I would say, better, maybe better to say, more certain to say, all of these are reflections of thought, of mind, rather than reflections of thinking. Sometimes thinking is really attenuated. And it's so simple, because our mind is alive and Before I give a discourse on that, I have one thing to say at this point. You were about to give a little discourse about the nature of mind, about being alive and so on. Is there anything else you want to say at this point?

[88:50]

No, I was wondering what is thought. You're wondering what is thought? Yeah. Wondering what is thought is something... Yeah, so that's a different topic. Tranquility is not wondering what is thought. Give up the wondering what is thought. Anything about it? Tranquility training. Yes. There is a teaching out there about tranquility, about the absorptions of tranquility, and I never hear anything about it. So I was wondering, is it just because one is not flexible enough and goes into those absorptions? Are you referring to, like, these four different types of transits and four formless absorptions?

[89:51]

And you're wondering why we don't talk about them? I think because very few people at Saint-Saëns are actually practicing those, and that the first level, coming to the place of tranquility where you could enter into the first trance is sufficient for most of the technical situations which were, you know, a work of which. In the full range of your development over innumerable lifetimes, you probably would study those things. And those, in some sense, more advanced states of concentration than just attaining a, what do you call it, a state of tranquility wherein you could develop authentic insight. authentic, I mean, like, true understanding can be attained from a state of tranquility, which is not even yet the full state of the first jhana.

[91:01]

When you're in that state, you cannot actually... Discursive thought is attenuated. So in those higher states of jhana, you cannot actually re-meditate on the teachings. However, once you're in a state of tranquility, Okay, so in a state of tranquility, you can meditate on obtaining authentic understanding. You don't have to enter into those higher transits in order to attain. Once you have authentic understanding, then you can go back and deepen your insight and then deeper your tranquility through those transits and then your insight. without any further study. But the authentic vipassana can occur in the state of samatha, which is not even yet the first level of trance. But it's a state of samatha where you could easily enter into the first level of trance if you wanted to. I don't know if any people could follow that. How do you enter?

[92:05]

Well, basically, once you're tranquil, you basically give up these two mental factors which you use to enter into tranquility. It's called vipassana. It's called vichara and vitarka. Vitarka is the way you apply yourself to the image clearly and sharply. And then the vichara is actually a little bit of discursiveness around it. Comprehend the object and clear it. Then you peel away those, you kind of like take those two mental factors to their limit. Drop away. Then you have to address. However, once they drop away, you can no longer speak or understand verbal instruction. In that case, you wouldn't be able to meditate on the teachings at that time. So you have to back up from that trance.

[93:07]

Again, reenter a place where you're operating. Those two mental factors are operating again, and you have to study. Yes? With regard to what you were saying about tranquility and thoughts, I'm just thinking about What I feel like when I'm in an interaction, and there's background images going on, background movement, people interacting, like somehow I'm not consciously thinking about what's going on in the background, but there's that energy that I feel affected by. And so I'm just wondering... I guess I'm just wondering, is that possible, or is it just that I'm not so conscious about my thoughts about this background stuff?

[94:11]

Does that even make any sense? What is it that you're referring to by, is that possible? Just that there's, well, I think it is possible that there's this background, these background images that are going on. And I feel like I'm affected by that. There's no actual thinking about what's going on. Yes. Is it possible for such a situation to occur, such aggression? I think so. And so there's, so as far as to bring, not having any conscious thoughts about all this. Excuse me, in a sense you're having conscious thoughts. But you're not, it doesn't sound like, in what you're describing, it doesn't sound like you're being particularly discursive with this material.

[95:17]

So this material, when you're not being particularly discursive, is a type of mental attention which is conducive to tranquility. So I guess my question is, can it be that it's Well, I think you're not having discursive thoughts about it. But if it's kind of like... If you think you're not having discursive thoughts about it, that's a discursive thought. At the time, no, I don't think I am. But today, now looking back, you think you are. Right, maybe. You think maybe you're kind of giving up discursive thought, as you imagine that. I'm just wondering if the images somehow can come in and cause non-tranquil states, because they are, and sometimes disturbing.

[96:24]

You're wondering if images can come in and cause non-tranquil states? Let's say you're in a war. Well, we're in a war every day, in a way, so we interact. And there's battle in this peripheral. So you feel it in the periphery, in your periphery of your awareness. You feel images, and you're asking, if those images arise or come into your awareness, can they cause a non-triangular state? There is, yes. And that's basically what non-tranquil states are, is when we just come in and they are conditions for non-tranquility because we get involved with them and we start tying them together and seeing relationships between them and being involved in those relationships and running back and forth among all that. And to do that and be caught up in that,

[97:29]

is a state of agitation. But what if we're not even getting caught up in it? It's just like... If you're not caught up in it, then you're tranquil. Tranquility is when you're not caught up in it. There's no other way for them to enter than to actually fully watch it. I guess there's parts when, you know, the mind is a tricky thing and it can... not caught up in it, but sort of the battles out there. It seems like they're not caught up in it, right? And then it might be possible to test you and find out you are caught up in it. So that would be part of the practice, too, would be your context a little bit to see if you're caught up in whatever context you're in. Yes, that's possible, but another way to put it is you might find out that you were already caught up and you thought you weren't, that you thought you were calm, but you really weren't.

[98:41]

So if you think you're calm, you are, even if there's lots of stuff going on. And you could also be quite discursive about what's going on, but be calm. And if you're calm and you're involved in certain kinds of discursive thoughts, be calm. As a matter of fact, when you're calm, and you start entering into discursive thought again, you notice there's a certain way of being discursive which doesn't disturb the calm. And that type of discursive is the type of discursive which promotes insight. There's another kind of resumption of discursive thought which disturbs the calm fairly quickly. That's probably not skillful discursive thought. That's probably not insightful discursive thought. So if you are calm and then you pick up some teachings about the nature of mind and the nature of phenomena, it's possible that you can become more calm as you become discursive about certain teachings.

[100:05]

But you're already calm. You know what it feels like. And then you start being discursive about certain teachings and you also notice that you're getting calmer. And then you can't continue to be discursive and more insightful. But if you're calm and you enter into discursive thought about, for example, how bad everybody else is, how stupid they are, how you're much smarter than them, and if you enter that kind of discursive thought, even a fairly calm person will start to become somewhat agitated, probably. Now, if you're super calm, you may have to think some really bad thoughts to disturb your calm. So some people are so calm that the most horrendous thing can continue to be calm for quite a while. The best kind of discursive thought is the kind which actually deepens your calm.

[101:06]

If you're not already calm, it's hard to tell that the discursive thought is calming you sometimes. But some people, as I mentioned, they notice that certain kinds of discursive thought, they feel calmer. at least temporarily. Love and kindness. Yeah, love and kindness. Or like sewing is a little bit discursive, simple kinds of sewing. But because you're going back and forth, in and out and so on, it's a little bit discursive. But relative to the discursiveness that a lot of people are involved in, it's a step way down in discursiveness. It's much more quiet than usual to just be saying, I take refuge in Buddha. I take refuge in dharma. This kind of discursive thought is a vast reduction in discursive thoughts. So they already start feeling a little bit calmer fairly quickly. So it's attenuating it, attenuating it, attenuating it, down to almost zero.

[102:07]

So at first you may have to say to yourself, instructions, you have to have discursive instructions about how to be not discursive. And as you become more calm, in some sense, the discursiveness that you're using to reduce your discursiveness, you're trading in extreme discursiveness for attenuated discursiveness, for attenuated, attenuated discursiveness. You trade it in, you trade down, down, down, until you have almost no discursive thought. And then that's the place where people say, like, there's no thinking. But there's still maybe, there's still a sense that something's happened. And so we don't have full insight because we still think that there's birth and death and so on, but we're down to very, very attenuated, discursive thought. And when we stay there for a while, we always come to the experience of feeling very calm and relaxed and really having lots of enthusiasm first. for all kinds of wholesome activities that might be offered.

[103:11]

We might have an opportunity to do. So we feel now we can turn the discursive thought up a little bit and see what kind of goes with this feeling of composure and ease and even deepens it, but at least doesn't disturb it too much. Even disturbing it a little bit might be okay. Because sometimes the trade-off is like, We're very calm here, and we do certain kinds of study. It's slightly agitating, but it's so study that I'm willing to do it. It doesn't completely erode the tranquility. But, you know, like listening to somebody suffering or something, a little bit disturbing, but obviously I feel like I think you're really helpful by listening to this person's story of their misery. It seems to be helpful to them willing to do it. But sometimes you might even... comes to you to tell you and share their suffering with you, and you listen to it, you might be calmer. But you're being a little discursive because you can understand what they're saying. This happened, and then that happened, and it felt like that.

[104:12]

There's some discursive activity going on there. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to understand what they're saying. But you're calmer, maybe. That can happen. But you can also get a little bit more agitated and still feel like it's okay to listen to this. I still think this is really good to do. I'm happy to do this. Does that make sense? Does kitchen work with the brush? No, that's an exception. And so there's one big topic which I think I can say quickly, and that is, please look at this very deep question of what is your commitment for this now it's not even three weeks, and what is your commitment for the next nineteen days or eighteen days?

[105:17]

What's your intention? Maybe I shouldn't even say for the next 18 days. I just say, what's your intention for today? And then if you can answer that, what's your intention for the rest of the practice period? What's your vow? What's your commitment? What's your responsibility here in this situation here? I just ask you to look at the question if you have a moment. And if you can answer it. I'd be happy to hear what you find. If you don't, I kind of suggest you might look again now and then. What is your intention here during this practice today? What is your intention? And what is your vow? And then if you find your intention, do you wish to commit to some, make some commitment to it? Please. Could you clarify for me the difference between having intention and not?

[106:19]

Well, I might have the intention to be kind to people or respond kindly to everyone, but I might not see that as a gain. In fact, right now, I don't see it as a gain. It's something I kind of would like to be kind. Now, I could get into how it could be a game. If I'm kind to people, then I might become famous. I might become rich. I might become popular. People might be nicer to me. I might be good for my health. I might reduce stress. I could get into that. But when I just first think, well, I'd like to be kind, I can stop there and not think of it as a game. It's possible. But if I do see it as game, I say, well, okay, intention, and I wish to commit to that.

[107:23]

I still have it, even though I notice that I see this, that this is looking at it in terms of game is there a lot. But I just see that, well, that's part of what I have to be kind about, is that I often interpret what's going on in terms of what I get out of it. But maybe I could, at least, before I get too deep, I just superficially would like to be kind to someone. And I have to commit to that before I get into, like, any kind of, like, something for me out of a deal here or in the neighborhood. So maybe I might commit to that before I find out how devious and tricky and sneaky I am about that. And then after I commit to it, I find, oh, jeez, I was trying to get something out of that. I already put myself in a kind of... not have to deal with any kind of impure attitude I have towards that.

[108:27]

Okay? Yes? You were talking about the birth of Imi, the birth of tranquility is the birth inside and out. I don't know. I hesitate to say what the bird is, but in some sense I would say it's your mind. It's your heart. And if you can put your mind into the cage and close the door, you know, you may... You don't... We don't want to push the bird in there roughly. We want to let the bird come in voluntarily. We don't want to force people into this training, right? But we want to open the door and put something pretty inside, you know, like nice green gulch, get the ocean nearby, you know, get vegetarian food, nice people, you know, California. So we want to encourage people into the cage, and then we want...

[109:32]

to have the person close the door once they enter. Then, once they're in, you know, how did I get in here? But little by little, they settle down. So the first part is get the mind into some container where it can feel like it's running around, and then it settles. So I think you could say where is the mind, which is all over the place, but we want to, like, We want to train the mind to enter into the cage voluntarily, so that when it factors voluntarily, you know voluntarily, enters the cage, then it says, well, nobody forced me in here, and yet I came in here because I wanted to. I came to the place I really wanted to be for one hour or three weeks. I really wanted to be here, and now I really want to go away. So, you know, you struggle with that. You said struggle with that. And then maybe you settle down.

[110:36]

And when you settle down, then you realize there really is no container here. There is no actual forms. But first of all, we have to put ourselves inside before we can paint them away. So the mind has to sort of like settle before it can realize that the place it's settling can never be found. It has to settle before the heart can realize... that there can be life without actually being able to get a hold of anything. We could live with that. But we have to sort of like volunteer for this course. Now you have volunteered. Now you're trying to get out. But you might not be able to for 19 more days. You might not be able to get out. But then after that, you'll be able to get out. And maybe as poor as you get out, The whole thing will disappear. And you won't be tricked anymore.

[111:39]

And then you can sign. Thank you. I wrote the character wrong. It's like that. That's the way. That's great. Thank you. If you do this like this, you put a hat on it, it means true. Thank you.

[112:18]

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