and

huh

huh

i'm not very well read
in the buddhist teachings but i just wanna say that i
i don't member shakyamuni buddha ever thanking
the community members for practicing

but i knew this
elderly gentleman in my youth
its name was a show new suzuki and he used to thank the community members
at the end of a day of practice
he would say thank you very much
and i say that to you on his behalf thank you very much for practicing today
thank you for taking care of your body and mind
he and taking care of your friends today
thank you for bringing flowers for the altars
carolyn

and nine for brain and but arranging them so beautifully
even though you enjoyed it thank you very much
thank you eileen for
aren't helping to organize that day as usual and for bringing various did you bring some things for
heat he brought some cookies
and thank you for eating the cookies

thank you to robin in your own and charlie
for doing
construction
emergency construction work
and and breck i wonder why you are so so dusty
he told me that you guys finished the work he didn't mention himself
and house painters yeah and thank your house painters and how scrubbers
and also we have with us today
helena pell
who am
shares are great responsibility for making this place available for us to practice in
she
said to me some time ago if you had a place outside zen center that you could use to practice with would you use it i said yes so then she got displace
ah for us to use
can you hell in a bell says helen appellant behind your
so she
somehow she did something we have this place to practice
and she's continued to support all these years six or seven years to support along with your support
she's been supporting this place for us to practices
and i'd like to on to a ceremony
when we
take away the scaffolding and some on a ceremony to thank her

if you don't get ready to make every action a body speech and mind for the sake of all beings i say to you
thanks for telling me you're not ready
you're welcome to practice with the great bodhisattva even if you have some resistance
do being totally devoted to everybody
and i i am
i encourage you not to take on a practice as too advanced for you if you feel like it's too advanced to be totally devoted to certain beings i say be honest and patient with yourself it's not good to try practices to advanced
and practicing making every action who offering to all beings is not the same as thinking that everything you do is helping everybody just that you want to
i think it's not so far away

and i noticed that them the way the posture or the attitude to dogan has towards buddhas
an attitude he has towards the lotus sutra
an attitude he has towards enlightenment
an attitude he has towards the
universe
is the same
in other words he ah
he encourages the the attitude of
ah being devoted to the borders being devoted to the lotus sutra
being devoted to zazen
in devoted to face to face transmission being devoted
to the entire universe
praising the universe the entire universe
the way you praise the is the way private prison
and make every action including when you're sitting make you're sitting
worshipping
an act of devotion to the entire universe

make your sitting
a praise of the sitting of the buddha's make your sitting a gift to the setting of the buddha's make your sitting a gift to all beings
can make all these gifts without expecting anything
and of course even though you don't expect anything if you ever didn't you still get
something immediately
and i don't ask you to like what you get and i don't ask you to dislike what you get i asked me to love what you get
i add you to love what is given to you
i ask you to see the merit in what is given to you

and another way to love what is given to you is
to study yourself
how is steady yourself
a matter who comes
study herself
take care yourself study yourself
then you can be a better servant to whoever comes
if we skip over studying herself
that
undermines our service to the universe
to the buddha as ours supporting us to study ourselves so we can help the buddha's help all beings all beings are supporting us to steady herself
the study our climate cause and effect moment by moment
and been grounded in that we can serve all beings
and be opened to there
wondrous
came back
which takes all these challenging forms

homage to the buddha's amish the lotus sutra
homage to devotion to all beings

homage to the teaching
of cause and effect
homage to the faith and cause and effect
amish meeting face to face with buddha
amish to being playful about this whole
great path

is there anything you and you feedback you'd like to offer the community
yes
cause and effect
yes
mr preordained
yeah kind of
as i as i said image into some people i just recently read a book called madam flow bear
had ended the book
i'm sure flow bear
says and it is it says and and flow said the one granting of his lifetime
he said
to blame his fate
when creating your destiny
yeah
when when you blame
you're you're stuck in a destiny
so the classic example of that i would offer you is that the comic cause and effect in in what political the twelve langsam dependent core arising
the one one placed in that link is or this traveling thread
ignorance
comic formations comic consciousness
psycho physicality six cents field six cents doors since contact feeling
craving clean existence birth
aging old age sickness lemon ditch grief misery and death
this is the way the entire mass of ill arises
but then he says it in reverse order with the ceasing of of this is the ceasing of that
so
if those conditions were deterministic
there would be no possibility of a spiritual life
he in most of our imaginations i i would imagine it doesn't make sense to have
craving without feeling
be imagine not having any feeling i have any a sensation that creating wouldn't make much sense so
craving arises dependent on feeling
feeling a necessary condition for creating but it's not sufficient
if it were sufficient then whenever we had a feeling would have to have craving so there would be no end to suffering
but it's possible to have a feeling and if we learn to have feelings wholeheartedly
although that feeling can be a condition for
clean for craving
it doesn't necessarily lead and doesn't necessarily lead to what it necessitates or what knew what needs it
so
craving depends on feeling
but not deterministically
this is the buddha's teaching
but we are under the influence of karmic consciousness but not under perfectly control
because of dependent arising there's a possibility of freedom because catechetical arising all the conditions of cosmic consciousness
our insubstantial including the pinnacle rising is insubstantial
but if we don't study dependent arising
will substantiate it and if we substantiated
well blame it and if we blame it it will be our fate
so there's no when there's no blame that's a good start
we have to love not blame if we can love their can base liberation if we blame will get stuck
not really not really he's just that blaming you're stuck
not really stuck it just it just because a blaming you're stuck but even that's not deterministic
but but when you're blame when years when you're stuck you're blaming
oscar
consciousness expression
an individual said
his current consciousness the expression of karma
ah yeah i see it but it's it's it's it's kind of a pseudonym karma consciousness as a consciousness
whose structure is in intention
okami contention and the type and would mean by common consciousness is a consciousness that depends on ignorance
in other words you're ignoring something in order to make up the story about what's going on in your life
consciousness is is that
this
which entered in which are said to each day as yes as a result of
as a result of the workings of ignorance and the workings of karma
and all sentient beings including body surface
i just have come and consciousness
boundless and unclear with no fundamental to rely on
but that's good that does not find mlg rely on even though common consciousness is always looking for a fundamental to rely on
that's part of what current karma has about is ignoring it does no fundamental to rely on
if you think there's a fundamental than you have somebody to blame
we need to love comic consciousness and we've got a of consciousness to love
wherever you are you've got comic consciousness to love
can i can love this kind of consciousness wholeheartedly it will it can be liberated
i cared

yeah
that's a nice way to put it the i that got that's a nice way for a body is well thought out karma
ha
yeah
a bodies karma so well thought out that admit it manifests a body and in fact in order to get a body you kind of have to intercom consciousness
you can't get a body without a little bit of
a distortion
but some beings
a willfully by their by their vows they've willfully distort consciousness in order to be born
and some other beings unconsciously
the start
awareness and get born but they don't do it
for the sake of all beings
so this body does not belong to me and it does not belong to others
it is it is generated by intention
and well thought out intention intention what enough develop to manifest a body
but now if we pay attention to that it's possible to look for the process to be liberated
an order gifts and usually as part of
liberate the process there's meditation and how the process becomes
comes into bondage and and distortion and stress
we kind of have to live half heartedly
to be born into a body
but some beings willingly live half heartedly in order to be born into a body with a then can live wholeheartedly and show either beings how to live wholeheartedly
and enjoy the beings how to live half in order to get a body to help other beings live wholeheartedly
i think this might be somewhat related to to the teaching that matter is extremely concentrated form of energy
this is any kind of looking outward a former flame
i think any kind of looking awkward with also all without also looking inward would make you susceptible to blame
so usually were looking outward and forgetting about looking inward to see what is looking outward
usually the there's an activity and of looking outward and seeing something out there
that's that's part the deal okay the problem is we we have a
the bad habit of not looking back at the activity of looking out
so it's okay to look out as long as you're also looking back it's okay to look at others as long as you're also study yourself but if you just look at others again as can be get into blame
but if you look at yourself you realize you're responsible to
for the situation because you're the one because because you get the activity here of seeing the thing that's been blamed
when you start looking back
then there's not going to be blamed why shouldn't they start when you're well into looking back there's not going to be
why not there
by confucius says when you see somebody doing something good
copy him
when you see somebody doing something on skillful look at yourself
so i think they're confucius is very close to the buddha
whenever you see some he's got problems look at yourself
and when have you see somebody doing something good kind of look at yourself to see if you're doing the to be think
paul is study yourself how was study yourself
that's your job
but part of what you can do is see others
so don't pretend you don't watch how you do
watch the activity of the wonderful activity of seeing the universe
watch the activity now don't just look at the universe watch the activity of looking at the universe i'm seeing the universe of imagining a universe
in other words be responsible for what you know what's going on here
sarah
yeah

actually distraction

yeah
so if you if you happen to see any pride or conceit or shame
kate now don't don't forget to look at yourself while you're studying or things even first things are by you
the for me to be aware of my prior my shame that's an object i'm aware of
so people are aware that or not of their pride in their shame
or the or the date or the light
so now also compliment that supplement that with awareness study of the self
wow
the activity of knowing these things balance it
are you looking at causality right than you looking at causality
course you can see it because while you because you let yourself but you actually are studying causality in this way and we will understand causality in this way
by studying what we can see and how we seeing by studying are seeing and what is seen
and the relationship there we will come to understand causality
an understanding causality is important so we should study yourself
yes sir john's hamid such say
is sufficient conditions
you just described i'm i'm telling you that it can like the current understanding a buddha dharma is is no sufficient conditions
there's only necessary conditions no sufficient conditions
including what i just said isn't a sufficient truth
so is looking backward a necessary condition it's a necessary condition
book it looking back as a necessary condition for liberation
looking back at the necessary condition for craving and so on
is a necessary condition for freedom from craving and so on but it's not sufficient is not sufficient
not even the practice isn't terminus to eat the wonderful practice isn't deterministic either it might not work
it might it might be outmoded maybe we should make a new buddhism
so you think there's a sense of surrender the practice at that point i think so yeah you know better but surrender some whatever the term use
the
but surrenders not a sufficient condition it's a necessary condition
so now you know how to say you never heard it anymore unless you forget
is almost a synonym for welcome
it's necessary but i'm not saying it's necessary and sufficient
at least not i didn't just now i'm not saying you may force me to say it i may be willing to change my story
confidence
what's the basis of confidence necessary
hmm that's the basis of confidence and the in the boot away
just a minute oscar yes david
this morning you were
picking up
parallel
priesthood
yeah
you said the priesthood had a five here
within my in my particular little training program as a five year training where it's called very formal for five years
i think that must
priests greatly in information now for really people
do you have in
how is it laid out for us what do you recommend what can we do
most avail ourselves
well one of the characteristic as a priest thing i said it's it's formal and also it's it's kind of the same for everybody
which is one of the reasons why some people don't want to do it because they can adjust to the simplicity of the form
so like wonder if cutters is now offering a year long training which several people in his room or participating in
which has up a certain structure right
right
sir a certain form which has been offered to non-residential practitioners most of them are non residential road
all of them so it's a nice and it's a it's a form for non-residential
people
but i each of you could also have your own understanding with your teacher about what the form of your practices
you could make a contract
about what you're going to do for a year or something or three months or whatever
but since you don't live in a situation that has set form already
you probably need to make it up with your teacher
so when truth offered this thing for a year
which is a a form for non resident people to agree on for that year and they're all day and there's probably some variation i guess is or yeah lots of variation but each person's making i don't think a specific contract a commitment for that year
you can commit to come to know about once a month that can be a form
many people come to know bowl but they regularly but they don't commit to it
but you know you could change it to you can commit to it
could say i'm going to do it these times and if i don't do it i'll do such and such and and ah com say i'm not going to he makes them you make us
a contract a commitment a form
what's a form for the form is the test to see if you're not apprehending anything
before you have a form you might think hey i'm not apprehending anything
after have a form you say i am now i'm like i'm trying to avoid this form now i'm apprehending this form i'm thinking this forms this not that and i'm actually like ray apprehending it
and then there's anyone is receiving the bodhisattva precepts
so like i'm some people are are waiting to receive the bodhisattva precepts
for some reason
and i'm not pressuring you to receive them for some reason

but i'm going to do something kind of outrageous right now and and is i'm gonna turn to fred murat and say you've been waiting to receive the bodhisattva precepts for for some reason
right through yeah and now you have no your hands are kind of shaky right yeah so now his hands are kind of shaky sword he would be kind of hard for him to so the roxanne
right
yeah
do you understand
his hands are shaky so and started so their rocks or even when your hands are not very shaky right
but i kind of few of fred like maybe it's the maybe he shouldn't ask pretty soon
come in as to receive the precepts and starts showing that rock soup with your shaky hand
and we made somebody may have to hold your hand so you can do it but i think maybe it's time for you to do it
i think there's not you know your eighty years old as
so i think the good for you to do this
even though you're honest about not sign that there which reminded me yeah right there's a sign up there which reminded you
so i kind of feel like you know will help you do this friend
you not to worry about shaky hand or anything not to say you were
but you can so this rock sioux and you can receive these precepts even though you're not completely perfect yeah

yeah
and i and i'm not pressuring him on just sort of i want him to know that i support him to to do this
to engage this form called the ceremony of
staying at home with elena
and
being devoted to the whole world along with her
and receiving a bodhisattva precepts i encourage you to do that and offer you my support but also i offer you the support of all the people here and all the people at green gulch to help you do this you welcome
and i do not understand that he has made a commitment yet
but he's considering it

just
well he didn't i didn't hear hear if i didn't hear mass for the precepts
so he's gonna have to act to ask for them
i'm
mr new that's the form as for everybody else had to do that he has to do everybody else so he's going to so maybe maybe just one stitch i don't know how many stitches you can do but during a sale
just like everybody else in your own way maybe you'd be the first roxy with one stitch it
just stay there for
the simple is rocks you of all time

yes your burger
would only give you whiplash but i'm wondering i don't quite understand the difference between conditions being necessary but not sufficient said conditions are not sufficient yeah it's necessary in order to be a human body from is necessary
have a human body but it's not sufficient
i see
okay so having innocent is necessary to have common consciousness in order to have a
ah
ah in order to have actually
craving
i'm lucky us with your challenges you are lucky as we have found just right we can be we have allowed challenges were so lucky not be kind of boring other ones and we we would be boring
even so a still boring
that we even get with our challenges we still have won a challenge got bored boredom on top of all the other ones
when you're not fully greed and hate anymore
than boredom guns
discover right up council
when doesn't when you when you're not riding on that anymore
when there's no more entertainments then the be
bad boredom might come to this you
thank you very much
and oh and there's a if if you're interested in having a workday on october twenty fourth
let's try to maybe you could maybe you could let highly know if you'd like to participate in a work day and it could be like two kinds of work as one can work day his work all day a kind of work day would be sit the first half and worked the second half
you'll be a saturday
so if you'd like to do something like that nebula eileen now see if there's interest in make sense
than enough
because that is that necessary
are in tension weekly extend to every day and place where
the way beings
dollars
try to save them
our inexhaustible
hi to and then di a son was
surrender them buddha
as way unsurpassable
as to become it
if anybody wants to give me a ride to marine honda
i me i'm yours