Lay Ordination

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Saturday Lecture

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Side B #starts-short

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twelve people
will receive the ordination
hum
can we say a gym guy to guy means i'm taking precepts
kai's the precepts
and i do means giving giving and it also means receiving
and
but ah
we also call it torpedo torpedo means our donation
an ordination
meads receiving some kind of and office
we are
i usually associate ordination with a priest but in our school we have priest ordination and layered a nation
ah priest ordination is called
shoe k
and ah layard emission is called xico
so she came in
hum
fully ordained are sometimes it means leaving home
ah basically means leaving home
and that's okay means ah
householder or at home
so ah
kiss this or nations called z k
or
ha having ordination and living at home while and ah i'm not changing your clothes
not shaving your head
and it's like how how it's being ordained or living in the world
can say a householder
and as the precepts that we take big late precepts are priest precepts are actually the same same precepts in our school and traditionally monks or please check two hundred and fifty precepts for men and three hundred for women
ah but in
japan
the and the kamakura period
the precepts for most stores were reduced to sixteen
which actually i think it's a really good idea
because they were the major precepts and minor precepts and various gradations of precepts
this is the vinaya school the school
that
lives through rules and regulations
and because rules and regulations are important
they're not meant to bind you they're meant to free you
but if you have a lot of rules and regulations for everything it can be rather binding
and the rules and regulations from india don't necessarily
work in china or japan or in america so wherever buddha's buddhism goes
i'm
the minor ah
precepts have to come out of the situation of the place where near practicing and the times
so ah
the sixteen major precepts
really cover everything
in a general way and then minor precepts are the articulation of those major precepts
the refinement and explanation
but basically there's one precept
our precepts are really weren't precept
and the one precept is
practice as buddha
know your buddha nature
he can express yourself as buddha
treat everyone as buddha that's the one major precept first precept buddha dharma sangha
so the fountainhead is buddha your buddha nature everything flows your whole practice flows from here buddha nature
but we say bodhisattva
ah from it's hard to identify yourself ourself as buddha
so we can identify ourselves as bodhisattva i someone who is
on the buddha path
pretty surprised someone who is
i'm not a path to
unfolding are buddha nature
what's easier for us to
except country if you say i am buddha
like take a look at a mirror
but what you see as buddha but you will recognize buddha
you already the recognize myself
what good is there
so ah the one who practices buddha is the bodhisattva
so
put a is the expression everything flows from buddha and then there's dharma which is what flows the truth
i'm
and ah tennis saga which is
ah
yourself as a person who relates to others
you are sanga we say the people who practice our saga that's true but you are a saga you are buddha new our dharma and you are sanga you embody all three
each one of us embodies are three
so ah father is expressed through dharma and through saga
history expressed as the truth and is express to his relationship
how we relate to everything around us and especially how we relate to each other and support each other
so
home
these are the three major precepts
and then there are the three pure precepts
two
ah
do it is beneficial to it is good
it is evil and to live for the benefit of all beings
so that your life contributes to the benefit of this world's inhabitants
and then there are the ten prohibitory precepts are clear mind precepts
which i don't want to express today i don't have time to talk about the presets today but so the ten prohibitory precepts are the temp clear mind precepts don't kill don't steal and so forth
our the expression of how to practice as buddha or how to practice as a bodhisattva and then we can make up your own minor precepts according to
the situation you might
minor preset might be not to eat meat or minor piece it might be are you
make some kind of rules for yourself about
your work life or your family life or
in your practice life
you can make about kinds of minor rules how to eat out and what kind of manner to
manners you have with people
when you relate
one minor rule could be don't walk into somebody's space eating something
drinking something
respect
the space here in
respect the person that year
facing
i simply doing that
there are many minor
precepts
that
either you make for yourself or as a saga you can incorporate
security she said
in america we should make our own minor precepts
creator or minor precepts
so that our behavior corresponds to our practice
we haven't done it
but
probably happen eventually although it's also important not to make too many rules
since you started making too many rules than can you start losing something
we have become easily become rule bound and then we start practicing according to rules instead of according to the organic
our way that life unfolds

and then we start holding people accountable
for our rules accountable to our rules
so anyway it's a balancing act so
when we have layered nation or priest ordination we take the precepts
we take the sixteen precepts
and i want to
read
suzuki roshi is
talk about a layered nation about the first layered nation that we had a zen center

this was in nineteen seventy circular she died in nineteen seventy december nineteen seventy one and and nineteen seventy we had created tassajara and nineteen sixty seven sinecure she came to to america and fifty nine
and around nineteen sixty two or three there he had there had been such a number of students that had been started practicing with him and he invited bishop d'amato from los angeles to come
to zen center and do layered nation ceremony
and that was the first layer ordination ceremony
and
then he didn't do another there was no other late
ordination ceremony until nineteen seventy
and
ah so this is what he has to say about it
he said i am so grateful to have this late or donation ceremony for you are olds are old students actually they weren't so all
we thought that nineteen seventy there were old students understood not in age but in practice
but maybe back seam for five years consider that was considered an older student
today when i looked at people who been practicing for ten years that i just think of necessarily the older students
then he says this is actually the second ordination presents center
the reason that we hadn't had lay ordination more often was because i didn't want to give you some idea of lay buddhists as something special
in other words
he didn't want to
ah give people this way or nation and and have people think that i have something special
very careful about that
snoopy vs most
am
important teaching was how we don't think of ourselves a special
and how we don't think of ourselves as some egotistical way
he didn't want us to feel better because people had leo nation to that it was going to
a feed their ego
according to the bodhisattva away all sentient beings the bodies address
there are aware of it or not they are actually disciples of buddha and i thought about that you know what does that mean that whether people know it or not or think so or not they are all buddhist sutras and disciples of buddha
and so when i'm thinking about that
i thought
everyone is looking for
the right way
even though with it doesn't look like it
doesn't look like everyone is looking for freedom or for the way that goes through
the way that actually lead somewhere
the ones looking for that but it's like a maze the world is like a maze and they're all these pairs can lead to dead ends and then it is women path that winds around but doesn't it goes all the way through to the end and that's the path everyone's looking for
and we call let the bodhisattva way
and when when is on the bodhisattva way when his disciple of buddha it's not some buddha in the sky you know but buddha in their own true nature as buddha
everyone's looking for their own true nature as buddha
when everyone's looking for their own furniture because that buddha
everyone is a disciple of themselves
which we were all disciples of our own true nature hopefully and that's called being a bodhisattva
so
everyone is really about essential and we should really treat everyone as a bodhisattva whether they know it or not
haven't say just address everyone is buddha
and it's interesting when you interest every one is buddha people realize for the first time without knowing it to did they have buddha nature
this is what suzuki you know she did he addressed everyone is buddha i mean say you are buddha to everyone but he addressed everyone's good natured and then everyone felt something wonderful because for the first time they recognize that buddha nature even though they didn't realize it
that was
is
his manner his way
so he says whether they are aware of it or not they are actually disciples of buddha so there's no no need to do anything special right
but the time has come to stray more sincerely to help others
as we have so many students here inside and outside of zen center we need more help
so i decided to have layered a nation for you just for the sake of helping others and not as lay buddhists to set you apart as something special
people are you know to have ordered layer donation means to confirm your practice
hum
and to recognize you know
through to recognize and join you as all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and the
the past so-called past when we have ordination all the buddhas and bodhisattvas come forth as the present
they all join us here
who the one who gives ordination
is
the representative of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas
the past who are actually giving you their blessing as
and their acknowledgement of your practice
this is why our transmission is is very important
ah
the transmission is handed down from one
generation to another and then the one who has the transmission is giving the precepts and which is flowing from buddha through all the ancestors to whoever is having to your donation
so
this is this is not a conceited idea it is the spirit transmitted from buddha to us accordingly i way is like that of abelow kitaj vara bodhisattva
when avalokitesvara wants to save women
she takes the form of women
or he takes the form of women
then for he says boys or men he takes the form of or she takes the form of boys and men or and men and for fishermen he will be a fisherman in other words
two
to be with people and identify with people
dogan says identity action is one of the basic ah
on compassionate practices
is to identify with everyone when you meet someone you identify with this person when you talk to someone you identify with them ah
it's not like you are the subject and they are the object but there's something that flows between you and order for that flow to take place
you find a level
have that level is blending
so this is a more sophisticated chinese expression has to be like a white bird in the snow
it is a is expression but it's actually indian kind of data to my kind of the was one of the indian ancestors
the
he talked about the white bird in the snow but them
chinese
zen masters use this expression
sekitar in the sand okay to be like a white bird in the snow
huh
this a
it's like our heron in the moonlight
a white heron against the moonlight blades in even though you know that you can see that there is a hair and there it's very subtle and when you put snow in a silver bow you can see that there's no there but it's very subtle
so when people are like snow we should be like snow
when people become a are back we should be black
people being always with him without any idea of discrimination
and we can help others in a true sense without any idea of a special teaching or materials
this is the birdie san fran's way
so
it's not something that we learn necessarily but it's something that we into it
hey our intuition intuition means directly touching
you don't have to think about it so much don't have to have somebody rules about it you simply allow your compassionate intuition to lead you
what a share and without
discrimination
so how we actually have this kind of freedom from everything in this kind of request and this kind of soft mind and spirit
ah is to practice our way
so it is talks about three things here dogs about freedom from everything
this is a true freedom
ah russia is used to talk about
how people think that freedom it means the bit the
the unrestricted
activity
to do anything you want
he said the that's not real freedom the freedom to do anything you want
is actually creating karma for you
when we just do everything we want
going to hurt people we hurt ourselves that we
as are following our desires our feelings and our emotions
and creating karma
freedom real freedom is freedom from
that kind of activity
i remember
bishop sumi me to come
a snickers used to invite him
the she once in awhile
and he had a stick than it used to pit people with
and then stick had these characters on it and the characters i have somewhat of those characters mean he said free from everything
the three of everything
bam bam
and
and then he says soft minded spirit
when it first managers and this kind of request
this is a secure as it talked about our inmost request
he's a it should find your inmost request precepts come from your in most request it looks like presets or are
golden
a cold and wires to bind you but actually there to free you and they don't come from outside precept come from within
even though it looks like they come from outside
but this is our in most request
how to
the precepts
our our inmost request to give us this freedom from everything
so that we can flow with everything
can ai in a way it is non-binding
and then he says and this kind of soft minded spirit
soft minute
beans like grass
he doesn't mean soft and ahead but it it means like when the wind blows the grass beds
the oak trees fall over in a jail better when
the grass beds in the wind
so to have
a soft enough mind to bend with the wind
and to flow of things
ah and and to not be rigid
so you may think we are forcing you into some form forcing some rituals i you are forcing some special teaching you i new and firstly you to say yes i will yes i will is what we say when we take the precepts
fellow produce power that of the way does not take life
so when's it due to have to promise to do these things yes and will get the
in a ceremony so at that time there were a lot of people who said
this is too formal for me
you know you kind of forcing me to take these formal
ah precept
a dime god
this is your request that mine
this is this is the way we do this thing we have this formality to help you not to hinder you
that people will feel and they still do today but i don't want to do anything that would bind me like that sometimes people say i don't want to take you there people been practicing ten fifteen years i don't want to take the precepts because i don't want to get caught by them or i don't feel that i'm good
good enough to fulfill the precepts
no one is good enough
i don't want to say good enough know
no one is capable of keeping all the precepts
completely
it's impossible
that's why we have precept because it's impossible
it was possible
it wouldn't mean much
it's it's more than you can do so do it
if it practice wasn't right and you could do
there will be any need to do it
he's always pushing you to the edge now it's pushing you to your limit
i'm sorry but because we have very busy life
were pushed to the limit as it is
but practice pushes in further if you take it on
so you can get worn out but you also get rejuvenated
shouldn't worry about practice shouldn't wear you out
she really engage in practice without
resistance
he'll be energized by it
without complaining
ah this is so hard
if i say to myself all is so hard to get up in the morning you know i do that for a week or really be dragged out but if i just get up do it
i'm energized
so
so says
you may think we're forcing you into some form for singing some rituals i knew our first thing some special teaching on you and forcing you to say yes i will but those things are provided just in order to help you to be like a white bird in the snow when you go through these practices and when you practice zazen in this way
you have the point of zazen in the point of practice and the point of helping others
that is why we had this lay ordination ceremony today for all of us including various great teachers
it is not that all that easy to be like a white bird in the snow but then anyway somehow we should make our best effort to do so remember that this is not an easy task in this way if through practice you can help yourself you can help others without
anything just to be with people would be enough
helping yourself means
two
ah practice
has your own practice
and if you really practice your own practice sincerely can you be practicing with others
and you'll be helping others without trying to help anybody
and then just being with people will be enough
you know
whether we give talks
the main thing about practice has how we do it just being present and consistent
he's helping others
that's the best way to help others just being present and consistent
and sincere and putting your your whole effort into whatever you do
that's the best example so we teach by example
and we learned through example and
a bomb
home
without saying so much thinner
the
dharma gets communicated

i'm so in this way if through if through practice you can help yourself you can help others without anything just to be what people will be enough
i'm so glad to have this very formal ordination ceremony with the gardens of yoshida roshi who came just to be with us at zen center and just to help our practice we can have this very formal lay ordination ceremony yoshida roshi was one of the come church and sign and yoshida regime were too
buddhist nuns to then nuns who came from japan to help us to show us how to sell our robes
so yoshida russia was the first one and she came
and taught robes on the way to style that we saw our robes
and then and sound came later and just a little different style some other two styles kind of get
amalgamated and we have our way of selling our robes so it was very the a wonderful wonderful women who came and i can totally devoted themselves to what they were doing and there are really good teachers for us
so is
talking about that
choices sowing your robe in spite of your busy everyday life is a good example of a buddhist now as your post for those people who have sown their room
when you have layered nation you receive a small rocks who small room
which you so and a lineage paper which ties you to the buddha and all the ancestors
through what we called the blood lineage kitchen the ah
and so sewing this robe is one stitch at a time in a very distinct matter
and ah it takes a while to do that and people have busy lives and they do it and so anyone who send the rope knows what i'm talking about
but just the fact that you are able to give yourself to visit
an activity with your busy life
is
wonderful
a practice
have extending yourself
even though you're busy here
even though you're busy there is a way to practice the most formal practice
even though we human beings in the city are busy and there was no reason why we can't practice our way to be like a white bird and is snow
so
we can practice you know even though our lives are busy but
in order to to practice
we have to look at our lives and see what what's really necessary in our life
and then we in order to give ourselves to their practice we have to
let go of something
zen practice you know his little by little letting go of what's not necessary in zazen thousand is a perfect example when you sit you let go of everything that's not necessary
to doing this activity
and
eventually you let go of everything
show
the practices as in itself the practice or practice it has little by little letting go of what's not necessary
and
a always focusing on the fundamental
we may say well i can't do this i can't do then could he can't do those things he can't do everything
that's why there aren't so many it's instant
one reason
it's true when reason why they're not serve in a sense of everybody knows about then something
you really aren't that many incidents
because you can practice anyone can do it even in our busy lives but there has to be some devotion and it means that you can't do everything
get a lot of things that we don't want to let go
you know still people want something
they want enlightenment
and what is enlightenment it's the most important thing
if you want the most important thing
you have to do the most important thing
if you weren't the big prize
you have to do something and order to get it
otherwise it's not really what you want

but
i don't want to discourage anybody
we practice
and people say well i can't do this and i can't do that and in his hard and so but you know practices one tiny step at a time
just one tiny step at a time and if you have a little improvement that's great
little bit of improvements create just a tiny bit
and you're encouraged and he have no tiny bit of a crimp again and that's good too
so we're expecting big results just to make little tiny
strides is real practice
but with consistency
so
this says even though we human beings in the city are busy there's no reason why we cannot practise our way to be like a wide berth in snow all of us follow if all of us follow your good example and join our way with the bodhisattva practice the result will be great

how do you have a question
feeling for a few people in the room that i say that i'm a little envious this is a girl she's being able to meet everybody
yeah just wanting to any kids
well you have to see everyone in good in order to do it
interesting that
well it's like reluctant we we we see the facade
here everyone has a after sand which isn't necessarily false
but it's a face you know
and without yeah yeah the tailor your the butcher the baker the candlestick maker
let's face it's not untrue you know that you actually go see beyond the face into the heart of the person
so ah and then
in other layers and layers and layers and layers and some people really hard to get in there you know
and some people are are rather open
but ah when you address somebody you address them
portrait which which is in you
what your meat is yourself when you address somebody who actually meeting yourself so who are you
when you make iraq to when you make your grobe you know the rocks or it's a mirror it becomes a mirror of view it's really interesting we all want to so the perfect rock suit and we make a special effort to so each stitch know as well as taken
but it always comes out you know what is it she's what a terrible job i did
and somebody else looks at it they say all that looks really good but because you are so intimate with each stitch
ah you see nothing but that their faults you know
tom
but it's a mirror for you and you just see yourself there and so when you address someone
ah that person is a mirror for you
and what you get back is what is what's being mirrored
can you
each person is a mere and so i'm a mirror for you and your a mirror for me
so
when we see when we don't have anything
any preconceptions about somebody but simply are there for that person to reveal themselves
because there's no threat
most of us are threatened
you know we build our our personality and defense mechanisms
and then we were we don't necessarily realize that our postures are formed by our defenses
i guess the world
have a were driving down the street and there you know it's it's all defensive action and all these other people that driving down the street to and then how do you defend yourself against all this or how do you just let it all happen
so
ha
let down the barriers is to be as open as possible without any preconceptions you know someone is an angry time someone is this type of that time and we know that but we don't let that
we don't base our opinion on that of that person we don't hang out under our opinions about somebody we simply open to the possibility of someone's true nature
to let that
so by opening ourself as a mariner were revealing a true nature
and then people can respond to us through their true nature
but as soon as you react to someone's facade then we're taking an adversarial position
are jockeying for position
i'm jacking for dominance you know am i will they think i'm intelligent well they think i'm
could look eating you know where they accept me because day making a lot of money and i'm not in a way have all these
defenses
so how do you just be yourself
which is your true nature without your defenses
and in zazen were totally defenseless
it's like you're exposing yourself to the universe as for nothing
and then when you get off the cushion and should be the same
huh
yes
i've heard you say
doesn't that sound practices believe prize not quite
i've heard you talk about practices be the real deal and enlightenment it's not what we're really
that's not for to that's not what we're trying to achieve here we need to be simply
kinda which is enlightenment
the i'm trying to get enlightenment or simply trying to be real which is enlightenment so if you try to get the enlightenment that you're going after the wrong animal you're going out to the tail instead of the head
it's not that there's no enlightenment is simply that it comes through the activity but if you try to get the thing you want to get the present but you don't want to do the work
that's most people like this must be went the prize but they don't have to do the work so never mind the prize just do the work you know he don't go to work to make money
he will though you think you do you go to work because as where your life is it's spending your life
and if you're only going to work to make money if you're cheating yourself
if you only come to doesn't get enlightened you're cheating yourself
fooling himself just do the work forget it you know the enlightenment will be within the activity you really don't see it
the reason don't see it is because you want something different than once there
he was something different from what's there there's no enlightenment enlightenment is accepting what's there that's what doesn't is it's as if you accept was their pain pleasure whatever you accept it totally that's enlightenment
you sit with pain but you don't attach to it
cashman is
ego
simple that everything pass everything reside and pass
that's enlightenment
you're doing it
bet you don't know it
did you think there's some other enlightenment
it's just you know you're a little self

okay

it's like
the men or women standing in the middle of the river and say
well i understand i'm saying real where's the water
hello