So we're studying case 55. And also, I have some lineage charts here, some hand-drawn lineage charts of the early teachers of the Zen school. If anybody wants one, you can have one. After class, just come up and get your copy from Martha. OK. I... I... Is it working? Is this working? We're down here near my body. Has the tape been going so far? Why don't you start over? Because I think all this stuff that just happened doesn't need to be on the tape. Huh? It's going now, though? Well, in that case... Let me mention that... I never thought, you know, that I was interested in religion.

[01:16]

I really never thought that and now I'm thinking maybe I am, I'm not sure. Depends on what you mean by religion. Some people think religion means like an interest in or belief in some kind of like super normal power or something like that. That's a common definition of religion that some people have agreed on. I think I am interested in freedom. I think I am interested in that. And if that's religion, then I guess I'm religious, although I didn't think that was religion in a sense. And by freedom, I mean being able to respond appropriately. in moment by moment in your life. And appropriately, I guess that means kind of like in harmony with what's happening, in not necessarily a way that I think is the way harmony with what's happening would be, but actually what it would be.

[02:23]

And I guess somehow that still I guess that I would be happy with that somehow in some way, and other people would be too. So I say that, I say that I don't, I didn't think when I first started studying Zen that I was interested in religion, but in a way it seems like even now, it's not that I think that there's some big supernatural power someplace or something, but I think that there's some kind of like supernatural working possible. Supernatural means like Maybe not supernatural in the sense of like, not like above nature, but maybe like, not above nature, but like the way nature really is kind of nature. Like nature as nature like liberates itself from nature kind of nature.

[03:28]

So it's not exactly above nature. It's like when nature is like completely free of nature. When nature is like by being itself is free of itself kind of nature. Like nature not stuck in nature, nature. So in that sense you could say it's supernatural or super nature or non-nature. But it's not like some something other than nature. So, like, last week the assignment was a kind of supernatural assignment, which the people who weren't here, I don't know, did you get the assignment? You did, but you see, the assignment was, what was the assignment? Remember the assignment, the kind of homework assignment? What was it? Yeah, well, you can't live the story before it happened, but to find the time before the story happened and then to be there and be ready for when the story happens so that you can see what the story is.

[04:48]

Rather than trying to figure out what the story is, I ask you to try to get yourself to the place and the time that the story happens. And that's a kind of supernatural thing for you to transcend time and space. It's not exactly that you go back to the Tang Dynasty and sit in China. But I guess what I felt from this story was that what's required of us is to transcend time and space to understand it. And I guess what I'm saying is that this story doesn't come from China, exactly, and doesn't come from the Tang Dynasty. It comes from the place where Tang Dynasty China is liberated from Tang Dynasty China, which is exactly late 20th century America being liberated from late 20th century America.

[05:50]

That's the time that we need to find in order to understand this story. That was the assignment, right? It's a kind of supernatural assignment. I'm asking you to go to a time when all these Zen stories come out and be waiting there a little bit ahead of when they happen. So when they pop up, you can see. And then if you hear about Deshan, you kind of know what he's up to. But that doesn't mean like China has nothing to do with this story, or the Zen tradition has nothing to do with this story, but it's somehow... So we have to look at the story and read the story, but read the story in such a way that the story becomes so much itself that it's the same time as now.

[06:53]

And, okay, so there's this, one of my favorite scriptures, little section of scripture, is from the Lotus Sutra, where there's a chapter in the Lotus Sutra called The Eternal Life of the Buddha, Eternal Life of the Tathagata. And in that scripture, the Buddha says, Shakyamuni Buddha says, it looks like I was born, went to preschool and high school, you know, got married, left home, went up in the mountains, sat on the bow tree, was enlightened, came out of the mountains and taught people and died. That's what it looks like. But that's just something that we do, that the Buddhas do, because people need to see the Buddha come and Buddha go.

[08:14]

Actually, I'm always here. If these Zen people are Buddhas, they're like that too, I'd say. They appear in the Tang Dynasty, they live for a while, and then they go away. And the Buddha says, those who practice all virtues are gentle, harmonious, upright and honest, will see me teaching this Lotus Scripture right now. So that's, you see, that's the way to study the koan. For those who practice all virtues... are harmonious and gentle, flexible, upright and honest, you'll be able to see Dushan and Shreyafang and Yanto teaching the Dharma right now.

[09:23]

So as long as we're studying any of these stories, your homework assignment, my homework assignment, Each of our individual homework assignment is to practice all virtues, to be upright and try to develop a continuity in being upright and calm and alert while practicing all virtues. And practicing all virtues means that you're in the world. You're in the world of suffering. You also come down into this world and practice that way, and then you'll see Buddha come down, you'll see these Zen teachers come down, and then you can tell us what this story's about. Okay? That's the attitude of study, right?

[11:03]

And then, still, reading these scriptures can offer you an opportunity to help yourself. Actually, you can read the scriptures as a way to remind yourself of the way to be in order to understand the scripture. But if you stick your head in the scripture and forget of the proper attitude, then the scripture will distract you. Does that make sense? Before I go any further, does that make sense? It's true for anything, isn't it? It's true for anything, isn't it? If you stick your head in it, it will distract you. It's true for any endeavor, right. However, perhaps not every endeavor is talking back to you and saying, you can't possibly understand me unless you're upright.

[12:08]

Actually, they are, but this is definitely saying, you have no way of understanding what's happening here. It's really ridiculous to try to figure this out by sticking your head into it. But everything's like that. That's right. But this is obviously like that. This is obviously saying, you think you're going to stick your head in here and find out? No, you've got to have the attitude of the people in the story in order to understand what they're about. You'd have to meditate too. You can't dispense with their practice if you want to understand them. So if you go into a situation where people are not being upright and not being gentle and not being harmonious, and you stick your head into that, you won't understand the Dharma there either. But those people won't remind you to sit up straight. They won't say literally, Roberta, what are you doing? You're leaning forward too much into this conversation.

[13:13]

These people tell you that. These people are saying, please understand what we're doing here. Please pay attention. This is what we're here to help you understand us. But somehow not everybody says that to you. I don't know, you know, not literally anyway. Yeah. Right. Right. Mm-hmm. So what's happening now? How are you doing? Yes. Yeah. OK. What I did was write this up. Two things led me on to what I thought about it, and that was the two people before, like Stuart and Norm, I guess it was.

[14:37]

They talked about the elements of the story. To understand the story, this... Stuart and Andy? Stuart and Andy, right? This person here, Andy? Yeah. Andy and Stuart? Mm-hmm. Right. And they were talking about the story of... It's pretty abstract, so you have to just look at the elements of the story. And then there was one thing that you said, that you wanted to tell us a story first about what happened with Suzuki Roti when the person rang the bell. Yes? I'm a little bit defeated to understand your story for me, which is interesting. You just said, those are things that happen right now, sort of in our time, fortunately, like what happened back then. But what it is, and I think Victoria said, if I could continue on, these are the elements. It's about scheduling. It's about agendas. It's about expectations. It comes with agendas. It's about the constraints that we all have in trying to fulfill our agenda.

[15:38]

And it's about the role that we all play. And we're going to relate it to each other. And in the end, how those things are constructs of our own agenda, a scheduled car. And that in the end, those things can't possibly work out all the time because that they are a construct of our own, rather than something that's purely a force of nature. And in the end, we all become humble, or we have to admit the humility of understanding that. And I think that's what the lesson was, that the person learned basically, you know, he shows up there early and it was like, one person was trying to get the kneel down, in fact, he could probably turn here at that time, but it was not possible because of his event. Another person shows up there with his bowl going up, they were worth my food. It was two things clashing. It was two different agendas clashing like agendas too.

[16:38]

Schedules don't always work out. And the lesson of the whole thing was the guy just walked away right away. He knew where it was at. It just humbled him to realize that that was what he was experiencing. And then, you know, what happened after that didn't matter too much in the end. Basically, nothing could ever bother him again except that It means nothing to ever bother him again, I believe, because he realized how fruitless it all was, trying to get everything together, or expecting it to always work out, and not being able to just let it go when it doesn't work out. Thank you. Thank you. The part that I would call it can use best is where you described how you felt the story was talking about the constructions that many of us have to deal with moment by moment.

[17:52]

And so that part, I'm with you. Then when you said something about what he learned and so on and the nature of his humility, there, what did I say? There, I'm not quite there with you there. So that's something, that part, I'm kind of like... I'm willing to deal with what you set up as the challenge of our life that we have expectations and structures and constructs. Now the question is, what does the Buddha do with that stuff? And maybe what the Buddha does with it is that the Buddha is humbled by that. the Buddha is humble enough to come into the world, or the Buddha is compassionate enough, because of the Buddha's compassion, the Buddha will come into the world and be humbled by constructs.

[19:07]

The Buddha will be humbled by expectations inside herself or coming from others. The Buddha will come into that difficult situation because of compassion. And then being in that construct, the Buddha will show how to be free of it. Now the question is, is Dushang the Buddha? Does he show in the story the way to liberation in the midst of these constructs? That's for me the question. Is this a story of Buddha activity in the world which Dave has just described as the world he thinks this story is about? I think this story does take place in the world that he described. In other words, the painful world of constructs, obstruction, expectation, limitation, birth and death, the construct of birth and death.

[20:14]

That's the situation. Here's this story of the Buddha activity and how is it the Buddha activity. And in some ways, part of what I'd like to, you know, put out there for you is that you Again, you and I, we continue to practice meditation as we study this case, which means that we're open to information that's coming up moment by moment. And particularly, we'll be open to the information of our own body and mind, the people in the class, and the story. that we deal with what we're saying, the language of the story as translated into English, our own experience, all that we're working with in this upright, harmonious, gentle way to see, to see, to help us see.

[21:16]

We need to practice compassion in order to inhabit the situation of this of our experience. And our experience now is subjected to this story in this situation. So I have this impulse watching my karma. My mind is inclined towards giving you more, informing you more, in some sense limiting you more with more information about the story. So you can feel more and more limited and feel yourself more and more constrained by the information and see if you can settle with the information and become intimate with this information about this story. And see if you can feel yourself transformed as you're informed. And see if you can be with that

[22:22]

informational transformation and find your place there and see what happens. Okay? So as we say at the beginning of the stories, pay attention. The characters in the story are Shui Feng, De Xiang, and Yang Tou. Dushan here, in the time of this story, Dushan is probably over 80 years old. he must be pretty old.

[23:39]

Certain dates that have been set as to when Doshan was born and when Shreyfong was born would say that when Shreyfong was born, Doshan was already 60. But then other people say that when Shreyfong came to Doshan, Shreyfong was already 40. that would make Deshan a hundred. This doesn't work very well because Deshan didn't live to be a hundred. So the dates of the stories are a little off. Maybe Shreya Fong didn't come to Deshan when he was quite as old as sometimes they say. But let's say he came at the minimum.

[24:43]

About the earliest he might have come would be 20. Already by that time, Deshan would be maybe 80. Or he came when he was 40 and Deshan was 80. Anyway, you have a monk in his prime coming to a very old teacher. And this old teacher, as some of you know, was particularly renowned for using his staff on his students. And we don't know exactly the size of his staff, But the staff is usually like not, it's a walking staff, you know, a good big staff. And he would use that staff on his monks. He had the famous statement, if you talk, you get 30 blows, and if you don't talk, you get 30 blows with the staff. So I don't know if he actually hit them 30 times with his staff, but that was the kind of way he talked, and apparently he did hit people with his staff, hit his monk with his staff. And he's quite successful at enlightening people with his stick.

[25:48]

By this time, he's quite old, and it doesn't look like he's using his staff on these people anymore. Shree Fung is the head cook. Now Shree Fung became a successor of Dushan. One way of looking at this is Shree Fung came to Dushan when he was quite mature and lived with Dushan just for a short time and Dushan died and Shree Fung was enlightened when he was with Dushan, became Dushan's successor. And then after that, after he was done with studying with Deshan, when he was traveling with Yanto, Yanto exhorted him in his practice. And by Yanto's exhortation, Shui Fung was completely enlightened.

[26:52]

So he's actually enlightened by his Dharma brother who's in this story. Yes. Is that in the case? No. The story? The one where... Is it in what case? The case we're reading? Yeah, it's in case... It's in case 22 of the Blue Cliff Record. Want to hear it? So Shui Fung was traveling with Yen To and another monk.

[27:54]

And one day they were traveling along and they were going to visit a temple called Chinchon, Mount Chin. And they got as far as an inn on a mountain called Tortoise in Hunan. So they're traveling on Tortoise Mountain in Hunan. And they got snowed in. They got snowed in and they stayed at this inn on the Portus Mountain. And they were snowed in for a while. So day after day, Yantou slept. While Shreya Fong constantly sat in meditation. Yantou yelled at Shui Fung, he said, get some sleep.

[28:59]

Every day you're on the meditation seat, exactly like a clay image. Another time, another day, you'll fool the sons and daughters of other people's families. And Shui Fung pointed to his breast and said, I'm still not yet at peace here. I don't dare deceive myself. And then Yantou said, I had thought that later on you would go to the summit of a solitary peak, build a hut of straw, and propagate the great kichin. But you're still making such a statement as this?" Shui Fong said, "'I am really not yet at peace.' Yan To said, "'If you're really like this, bring forth your views one by one. Where they're correct, I'll approve them for you. Where they're wrong, I'll prune them away for you."

[30:00]

Then Shreya Fong related, "'When I saw Yan Guan up in the hall bringing up the meaning of form and emptiness, I gained an entry. Yantou said, Henceforth, for thirty years, avoid mentioning this. Again, Shui Fong said, When I saw Dung Shan's verse on crossing the river, I had another insight. Yantou said, This way, you won't be able to save yourself. Shui Fong went on, Later, when I got to Dushan, I asked Dushan, do I have a part in the affair of the vehicle of the most ancient sect or not? And Deshan struck me a blow with his staff and said, what are you saying?

[31:06]

At that time, it was like the bottom of the bucket dropping out for me. So when Trefong was with Deshan, Deshan hit him and the bucket, the expression for enlightenment is the bottom of the bucket dropped out So he had an enlightenment experience with Darshan, became Darshan's successor, but he still wasn't at peace. Thereupon, Yantou shouted at Shrephong and said, haven't you heard that what comes in through the gate is not the family jewels? Shreya Fong said, then what should I do? Yantou said, in the future, if you want to propagate the great teaching, let each point flow out from your own breast to come out and cover heaven and earth for me.

[32:13]

At these words, Shreya Fong was greatly enlightened. He then bowed crying out again and again, today on Tortoise Mountain, I finally achieved the way. Today on Tortoise Mountain, I finally achieved the way. That's the story of how Yun To helped his brother achieve peace. The story with Deshan occurs prior to that. This story occurs after Deshan's death. At the time of this story, Deshan Shrephong has not yet achieved his great enlightenment. I don't know myself if this story occurred before or after

[33:19]

Shree Fong said to Dajang, do I have any part in this sect? And when Dajang hit him and he had that experience. I don't know if this is before or after that. Now, a couple of other things I'd like to tell you about. As some of you were in the previous class where we had a party and we celebrated getting to the 50th case, we had a very nice party. And the 50th case, in the introduction to the 50th case, the 50th case is called Shre Fong's What. Okay? In the introduction to the 50th case, I'll wait until people find their place in the book.

[34:27]

Okay, in the introduction to the 50th case, it says, at the last word, you finally reach the impenetrable barrier. At the last word, you finally reach the impenetrable barrier. is so sure of himself that above, above means what? Case 55. That above, he doesn't agree with his own teacher. Yanto is very confident. He doesn't agree with his own teacher. And below, he doesn't concede to his elder Dharma brother. Below means case 22. of this book, which we can look back to. So he doesn't agree with his own teacher and he doesn't agree with Shreya Fong earlier.

[35:35]

Here's the story. This is Shreya Fong after his enlightenment, after Dushan's dead. Okay. Oh. Yeah, this is, well, I think it's better before I read this story, because some people just have not read the story yet, right? So let's do the story and then go to the second story, okay? So the story is, now Shreyafang's still studying with Dushan. This is before he woke up completely with Yanto. When Shrephong was at Dashan working as a rice cooker, one day the meal was late. Dashan came to the teaching hall holding his bowl. Now, another translation would be that he came out of the teaching hall holding his bowl. So one picture is, he came to the teaching hall holding his bowl.

[36:43]

Another translation, which makes more sense in a way, is he came out of the teaching hall holding his bowl. That he left the Dharma hall, his teaching hall, and was going to the place where they eat. So either way, you can do it either way, that he's going to the teaching hall or coming out of the teaching hall with his bowl. Anyway, the head cook, Shreya Fong, sees him and says, you know, the bell hasn't been rung, the drum hasn't been struck, where are you going, old man, where are you going with your bowl? And then Dushan immediately returns to his room. And again, another translation says he bows his head and goes back to his room, or lowers his head and goes back to his room. I think one of the reasons why they say lowered the head, you'll see a little bit. Okay? So the teacher, now who is this teacher? This teacher is a person, a person like you and me, who's in a situation like you and me called birth and death, right?

[37:51]

Called the place where bells are rung and drums are beat, and when the bells are rung and the drums are beat, they serve meals and you bring your bowl and stuff like that. These are the constraints. These are the expectations. It hasn't happened. The meal's late. He comes anyway. Okay? This is the situation. Is this the Buddha? Is this the Buddha coming ahead of schedule, getting his meal before the cook serves it? That's what you have to find out. Good luck. If I may say so, doesn't sound like Dave found the Buddha. He found the constraints. He found birth and death. The question is, is this activity of Darshan Buddha? Buddha activity. This is what we have to find out. And you can't go home until you find out.

[38:55]

Really, you can't. Stella? I thought it was kind of racist. Instead of saying... You thought it was gracious? So you think it's Buddha? See? Like Buddha might have done that? Yeah, right. Okay, okay. So you think so, right? Okay. Well, then Shreyafong tells Yanto. You get a picture about Yanto, right? This is like one competent monk. This is like Mr. Competent. So Shrephong, maybe Shrephong sees Dushan withdraw and go back to the thing. Maybe Shrephong thinks, pretty elegant, pretty gracious. But what about this coming early business? What's happening here?

[39:59]

So he goes and checks out, hey, Yanto, guess what just happened? The old boy came early and when I said, where are you going? He graciously withdrew and went back to his quarters right away. What do you think about that? And Yantou says, hmm, even old Dushan, so great, doesn't yet understand the last word, which when you get there is an impenetrable barrier. That's what Yantou thinks. Dushan hears about this. He has his attendant call his student, would you have Yanto come? Yanto comes. Darshan says, you don't agree with me? You don't agree with this old monk? And then Yanto silently conveys his meaning to the old master.

[41:04]

And the old master doesn't say anything. Okay. Is this Buddha? How is it Buddha? In what way is it Buddha? Is Buddha helping Yanto? Is Buddha helping Shreya Pong? Is Buddha helping Darshan in the form of Yanto? What's happening here? Just a second. Stella? Oh, yes. We have expression here. This is good. Got good expression happening here. Everybody's expressing themselves. That's really important. Yeah, yeah. Hey, Brett, what's happening? What is it? I think that it's too easy to dismiss Dushan as being adult.

[42:12]

And reading this and thinking about it, it seems to me that Dushan died three years after the story, according to the commentary. But this is a person who was known for being a real dynamic, powerful... Yeah, I agree. Let's not do that. Let's not have that be it. He's not just addled. Right. But a lot of people are not addled. But it's Buddha's activity. I think it's Buddha's activity because I think it's a very powerful teaching for someone with that background or that reputation or that style to then appear to one of his students seemingly, you know, what are you doing here, old man? And to then turn and walk away as though he acknowledged an error. And it seems to me like this whole exchange, that of Dreyfus and then later with Yantou, he's setting up Yantou to enlighten Dreyfus later.

[43:21]

Oh. It's like passing a mantle, but in a very subtle way. It's like striking a bell that's not heard until Yantou and Juefeng have their exchange later. How did that happen? How did that happen? Yeah. Shoot. Hey, Breck, we've got to find this out. Got to find out what happened there when Yonto came to see Dushan. Got to find out what Yonto said to Dushan. Well, you just said Yonto was silent when he came to see Dushan. Yeah, I said that. That's new information for me. Yeah, okay. And if that's so, he's using the same technique to express to Dushan what he thinks that Dushan used to express to him when... Well, that's not the same technique.

[44:23]

It didn't say he went back to his room. It was something else. What did he do? You've got to find out what he did. What did he do? Please, find out. That's your job, okay? I'd like you to find out. What did Yanto show Dushan when he went to see him and Dushan said, you don't agree with me? What did Yanto do? Then we can talk about how Yantou got the mantle passed to him so he can help Shui Fung. Okay? Please. I think he was a lot like Bratz. And I was suddenly reminded of Case 51, Bayel's boulder land. Yes. And that Dushan's behavior In particular, Dershan, he ended up completely, what do you call it, flavorless.

[45:26]

There's no place to get hold of him. And Shrigatan was, you know, had gone after him. He was provoking him. He was really making the move on him. And Dershan was completely... completely untouchable in this situation. And it was like Fa Yan's question after his encounter with the monk. Does he have an eye or not? What kind of behavior is this? And in understood that way, then then the behavior of the action of Ianto can be seen as colluding, as upping the ante in this kind of flightless behavior.

[46:36]

by being provocative, he's also being provocative, but from the other side. And all of this is born of a kind of intimacy that occurs, say, when people are absolutely completely shoulder to shoulder. And when one moves just a little bit, then the other shifts its weight. without thought, without a moment's hesitation to remember. So how did Trey Fung feel when Dachon turned his shoulder? I think he must have felt like somebody who's trying to season fish in the water, small fish in the water, and grabs for it, and doesn't know yet whether he has it in his hand.

[48:10]

Yes? I feel the first-year change very differently. It feels to me like Dushong is bringing an empty bowl to give to Xue Feng as his heir, and that things are off. He's late with the meal, and when the teacher comes, it felt to me like he's yelling at them to go away because he's not ready yet. Juefong isn't ready. So you see, Dushan, so lunch is late and Dushan thinks, oh, this is a good time to give my student a present. Now lunch is late. He's the head cook. Lunch is late. Now I'll transmit the teaching to him when he's off balance, when he's late. I'll bring him the teaching. Okay? Okay? And when he presents his wonderful gift, the monk says, not now, later.

[49:28]

No. Yeah. He thought. The teacher thought the very time when we don't think is the right time, the teacher shows up. Oh, damn it. Yeah. Now, okay, that's the first you think happened there. Okay, so she thinks that happened. Here, you know, the great monk is being offered this great gift. He says, no, later, when I'm in balance, you know, come back later. Give me this gift later. And the teacher says, okay, bye. And he splits. But then Shui Fung says, what does he say when he's talking to Yanto? Now, what is he saying when he talks to Yanto? What did he say? What did he think happened when the teacher came and gave him this gift? He said, no, later.

[50:30]

This is kind of like, not lunchtime. This is not Dharma transmission time. Later. So then what is he going to say to Yanto? Hmm? He wonders why the teacher would misjudge the situation. He wonders that, but does he a little bit wonder, did the teacher maybe not misjudge the situation? Maybe did the teacher come on purpose to give me something, and did I miss something here? Did he maybe wonder that? He's checking out the entente. Could I have missed something here? Could this have been like my big chance, but I just blew? Could it be that? Huh? Could be. But then what does Yonto say? What does Yonto say? He says, hmm, even old, even old great Dushan doesn't understand the last word. And maybe it's a compliment.

[51:32]

Maybe he doesn't understand the last word. Maybe he means he doesn't understand the impenetrable barrier, poor guy. Yeah, we've got some hands here. We'll come back to you in a minute. Aaron? Does it? Yes. This is the constraints. This is birth and death. What? Susan's not saying any blame on that. Pardon? well that's that's it partly but when when we're not fulfilling our responsibility what does buddha do huh yeah but what does he do what does he what does the buddha do when we're not fulfilling our responsibility what the buddha shows up

[52:39]

The Buddha comes when we're not fulfilling our responsibility. And what does the Buddha come for when we're not fulfilling our responsibility? Aaron? Huh? Take a guess. Reflect. And what is the purpose of the reflection? Reflection. Yeah. The Buddha comes to us when we're not fulfilling our responsibility to give us help to have insight. Buddha doesn't say, okay, you're not fulfilling your responsibility, see you later. No. If you're fulfilling your responsibility, Buddha doesn't come. You don't need Buddha then. But when you're kind of off, then Buddha comes to help you. So you've got to be off to give Buddha a chance. Yes? Pardon? Why didn't who interpret what? Well, we said that.

[53:48]

We said that when you're off balance, you draw the Buddha and the Buddha comes and you say, no, thank you. I'm off balance. Come back when I'm unbalanced. But the Buddha doesn't come when you're unbalanced, necessarily. So it's possible, it's possible, you know, that when you're off balance is a very time when the Buddha has just showed up. Wait a second. I actually shouldn't have let you go ahead of Elenia. I'm sorry, Elenia. It's my fault, not yours. Elenia? It seems to me that if the other teachers are talking about what means the staff, if you get very whack, if you get very, if you don't.

[54:49]

Right. It does, Sean. It seems to me that the meal was ready when it was ready, and the teacher showed up. And the student, I'm aware of it, the student met the teacher. Yes. That transaction was over. Yes. That transaction was over. And the same thing happens, as I think I'm saying, but there's a second part, the same thing happens again. What's the second part? The second part, for me, is where Shui Fung reports this to Ms. Yantou. Right. Same thing happens again? Yeah. What happens? Pardon? What happened there? Well, then, I guess Naishan somehow hears about this. No, but what happened between Shui Fung and Yantou? When Shui Fung came and said, this afternoon the old boy comes early, and I told him the bell hadn't rung and so on, and he just went back to his room.

[55:55]

What was that about? What was the point there? I think this is what he's saying. Or he could have said, you know, Yantoko said, anything happen today that you want to tell me about? Or Yantoko just said, hi, Shrey Fung. Of course, they aren't calling each other this name yet because this is their later name, their famous name. But anyway, hey, brother, what's happening? He said, nothing much. The old boy just happened to drop by early for lunch. I said to him, you know, the bell hadn't rung, and then he went back to his room. Maybe no big deal. But it says he reported it, so maybe it was enough for him to say, hey, this happened today. It's a what? Yes. Yes, it is. That's right. Exactly. It's passing the transmission. Yeah, well... Yanto would agree with you, I'm sure.

[57:00]

Because he would say, it doesn't come into the front gate. I didn't completely trust that I could get all the work that I had said. I decided to just put my head on the rock and Yeah, you did good. That's good. Thank you. Yeah, you don't have to trust what you're saying, by the way, but it is nice that you said something. We would like you to say something, whether you trust it or not. We trust you saying things. That's what we trust, not what you say. Right? Thank you. Maybe some of you trust what she says, too, but... What? No, which... Stella?

[58:08]

David? Yes. Right. How about you, David? Did you have more of a thing than just that you were speaking? Leanne? What? Darshan says to Yanto, you don't agree with this old monk?

[59:15]

And Yanto paused. And what did Darshan understand about Yanto from that pause? What? Pardon? I think you have to be Yeah, he says, Dushan says to Mr. Confident, you don't agree with this old monk? And Mr. Confident pauses, right? What did Dushan understand about his dear disciple? Yeah, uh-huh. I think you're getting warm by that one. Now, yes, Roberta.

[60:21]

To me, the image that stays with me is the image of somebody just showing up somewhere with an empty bowl. And just that image alone, I think, has a lot of power. I had a similar thought to Aaron that if lunch was late, he may have shown up wondering what's going on, you know, try to investigate maybe. We don't know, but on the other hand, it's not useful when somebody's in a really pressured situation to say, you know, damn, I lose my food, what's going on? And so what I'm really struck by and what seems so unfortunate is that he showed up, you know, he didn't hold himself back and stayed in his room to say, oh, well, but also he didn't say anything, he didn't enforce the situation, and... I just, it just came to me when I read this last week that there aren't many times in my life where I experience somebody showing up somewhere with an empty bowl and just having a very beautiful action and they were not doing too much and not holding themselves back.

[61:33]

Yeah, that's, isn't that something? That somebody would go out of their way to come and see you with an empty bowl. Isn't that a wonderful thing to do, like to make a big effort to go to somebody with an empty bowl? With all that that might mean, you know, with all that. Isn't that something? Okay, now, I'd like to hear from the people who haven't been talking and I'd like to hear from somebody who really can't say anything Who is that? Yes, Daniel. . This moment right here?

[62:48]

That meeting where he silently conveys his meaning? So that's something which will be followed up on in a moment on it, the next day. The next day, Daishan goes up into the hall, but something's different. Something's different. Maybe what's different is that, like Daniel said, something happened the night before when Yanto came to talk to him. And so the teacher's different. And the teacher's different, and then the student... claps his hands and laughs and says, what does he say? Huh? And what else? The student is approving the teacher.

[64:03]

The teacher has understood the student. Is your name Karen? Would you like to say something? Yeah, perhaps. Or maybe he didn't hit anybody for once. Maybe Deshan came up to the hall and conveyed what Yantou told him. And Yantou saw the teacher teaching the students Dharma. Maybe that's what happened.

[65:04]

Wouldn't that be something? This is you. This is about you. Check it out. Yes? Well, I understand this image of the uncle showing up at Deshan's room with his boy. And they saw each other as the same. And in that recognition, in that reflection, there is such joy in Deschamps that his immortality is settled by his descendant taking his teaching forward. So it's not going to die. Death isn't going to stop. The world will have no effect on him. Dying is not going to have an effect. So maybe Yantou got summoned to Dushan, right? The Jisha said, the old man wants to talk to you. And then Yantou goes to see the old man, and the old man says, you don't agree with this old monk?

[66:08]

And then you whip out your bowl, right? Huh? Is that your meaning? Yes. Now, are you full of joy? Yeah. So keep your bowl with you when you go visit. What is your bowl when you go to visit? What is that? Bring it with you. What will that be, that thing you will offer it? Yeah. And complete receptivity could be an actual bowl in your hand, right? By the way, thanks for that big, heavy bowl. Or it could be something else. You know, something that's open and that you can offer. You know, an openness that you can offer.

[67:10]

Yeah, yeah. Or could it be the truth of who you are that you come with as well, your gifts? Right, right. Your gifts as an open offering. And then, the next day, you watch the teacher to see if the teacher really understood. to see if he really understood, or if she really understood you. You watch the next day, and it looks like the teacher, a young student thought the teacher really did understand. The teacher was transformed. The teacher was very happy. Or something, anyway. Anyway, he was different. So, Christina had her hand raised. What time is it, by the way, Christina? Ten to nine. Ten to nine. Okay, you have ten minutes.

[68:15]

Yes, good. That's part of the constraints, body, speech, and mind. Got to deal with them now. Well, it's your constraint, it's what you offer, and it's how you transcend. And in the story? They all did the whole thing. Mm-hmm. How? Well, Dershon is the body, but he's already a liberated body. And I go, and he says, and people. and actually to walk with a bowl in the realm of person dead. And then finding that the concept doesn't work out because food isn't ready.

[69:16]

Then how... how to be able to drop, I mean, to not remain in that realm, but kind of pass through. And Shui-Fang, Shui-Fang too, by responding in the realm of his constraint of the time of the food and it's not ready, I mean, all the signals haven't been given. And also not stayed stuck in there. I mean, not... Kind of being able to drop that because it's not what's happening. It's what's happening in the conventional world, but it's also not all that's happening. And then young two coming back and by not speaking, bringing in the realm of .

[70:22]

It's more a feeling than that I can explain it. in search of going through the whole thing. It has something to do with body, speech and mind, being represented and transcended at the same time. Being represented? Yes, being acknowledged and kind of... So it's like being within the conventional world but transcending at the same time. Yes, but how? What's your name again?

[71:34]

Nancy. Is it possible that when Deshan came down with his bowl, it was not with the anticipation that he wanted to eat? Is it possible? Yes. He came to offer help because the meal was late. Yes. And rather than reprimanding his student who was piqued with his arrival, rather than using words and saying, I'm just going to help, rather than having the last word, he went back to his room to teach him with his non-verbal behavior that he didn't need the last word, that he could watch out. Then when word got out that Deshaun had returned to his room, the students were speaking about him and Deshaun asked them to come back to his room.

[72:47]

He said, you know, you don't agree with my behavior. who was it that came back to Je Tsongkho? Jan Tho. Jan Tho said, on the contrary, I was so pleased that you didn't need the last word, that you taught us with your behavior, not your words. And Je Tsongkho was changed the next day because he was, he had been, his teaching was stood. Mm-hmm. And he understood his students' teachings? That he had been understood by his students? No, I got that part. That he had been understood by at least one student. And did he understand his student? He understood that his student was upset that the meal was not ready.

[73:54]

Yantou wasn't upset that the meal wasn't ready. Yantou heard about Deshan going back, and Yantou said, the old boy, even so great, doesn't understand the last word. So then he goes and talks to him. And you say what he said, okay? You put words into his mouth, which is fine, okay? We don't know if he said that, except from, oh, you're the only person yet that's told us that he said that, okay? Maybe he did say that. But also I would ask you, how would he say that without saying anything? That's your homework assignment. How would you say that if you go see the teacher? You already accused the teacher of not understanding the last word. You're not accused exactly. You said that about the teacher. Now he calls you to ask you if you don't agree with him. How do you convey what you just said about how happy you are without saying anything? Just check it out.

[74:57]

Tell us next week. You know, it's getting close to 9 o'clock, so be brief, okay? Carol? Carol? Fine, I don't want to hear the real answer. What answer do you want to give? Pardon? I intend to do that. That's why I want to be brief. I want to give you a little nighttime story before you leave. Yes, my dear, what's your name? Adrienne. Adrienne? Do you have a name? Block? What's that? Block? Yeah. Okay. Is it possible that Beijing secured the... The continuation of the lineage, the family, they will continue through, I'm sure, through Yang Tu. And when Yang Tu came to see him, that's when he realized that what was going to happen, that it had been a successful transmission.

[75:58]

And then thereafter, no one would be able to have him back on because he was... Did you say, is that possible? Yeah. Goosebumps, say yes. Yes. How do you say your name again? Suehito. Suehito? Suehiko. Suehiko? Yes. So does it mean watery light? What does it mean? Uh, pottery god. Huh? Pottery god. Pottery god? Okay, pottery god. Uh, I wonder if, you know, in the, in the last speech, in the last speech by Deshawn, he's not saying, I wonder if the difference between the two, the two, um, Dei Shan, Liao Tuo goes to try to explain, oh I'm sorry, Dei Shan called Liao Tuo, and Liao Tuo didn't say anything. And Dei Shan understand, and so literally didn't say anything out of his mind. And the next day, Liao Tuo sees that Dei Shan had been with him the whole time.

[77:04]

And while Dei Shan was getting ready to walk, Dei Shan was not saying anything. And Liao Tuo called Liao Tuo back. Yes, Carol? I think . You think so? And Andy? in both this case in case 50 yanto somebody turns around and goes away and vote cases yanto accuses them of not knowing the last word and then case 50 says and you don't know the last word it's just this is it right i'd like to say one other thing about yanto's last word the story of yanto's death is that the temple in which he was in with other monks was surrounded by bandits. There was a very turbulent time in China. All the other bandits ran away. Excuse me, all the other monks ran away. All the bandits ran away, but one bandit didn't run away.

[78:09]

And they challenged Yantou, and they killed him. And his final word was, a tremendous scream that has reverberated through the history of Zen students studying about Yantos. And one would co-orn this, what was Yantos? What did he scream? What was his yelp? So when these stories talk about his last word, there's something still more in Yantou, I think, besides what's shown in these stories. Yeah. Deshan lived a long time. Lived to be about 85. Shui Feng lived to be about 86. But Yantou didn't live very long because of the bandits. The bandits cut his life short. And he said sometime before he died, he said, when I die, I will give a great shout.

[79:13]

So when they stabbed him, he gave a great shout. Okay? Let me just read this bedtime story to you. This is case 50. Okay? So this is when Shui Fung, you know, he's left. He's got his own. This is Shui Fung. Shui Fung has Doshan died. Yantou woke him up. He's got his own community, huge community. Yantou's been offed. Shui Fung has a huge community. He's a wonderful teacher. And now he's on retreat, maybe even in retirement. Shui Fung, okay? He's living in a hut. And two monks come to pay their respects, you know? And he's seeing them come. Shui Fung sees them come. He opens the door to his hut and pops out and says to them, what is it?

[80:16]

Then one of the monks said back to him, what is it? And then Shui Fung lowers his head and goes right back into his room. What can I say? It runs in the family. So one of my themes lately is this religion is about liberating beings. It's about liberating beings. And beings are not generally trapped. Beings are individually trapped. Each person is trapped in their own experience of the constraints of birth and death.

[81:18]

Each of us has our own way of being stuck in who we are. And we must become free of this, of our situation. But there's something else that's really important that these stories are about. It's about the family, that it isn't just each one of us becoming free, but the whole family, that this thing has to run in the family. We have to work on our own freedom somehow in the family for the freedom to become, you know, freedom can be more than just our freedom. So part of our dilemma is we're studying these stories and working on our individual freedom. At the same time, we're trying to develop a family to uplift us and to uplift at the same time. We're doing both at the same time. And these stories are about individual liberation and family liberation.

[82:23]

Everybody joining in on this. So that's why you have these... And they put the number 50 is the later story. Another thing to think about, how come Tien Tung put the later story before the earlier story? If you look at the way the stories are put in that, it may help you to see what comes from the earlier story later. Now, I'd like, you know, just to stop the story there, not tell you what... Then Yanto's still alive at the time the story happens, actually. So, Shreifeng's going to hot... Monks come and pay their respects to the master. They come in and he sees them coming and comes out, sticks out and says, what is it? The monk says back, what is it? He goes back in his room and the monks leave. That's enough for tonight. Just deal with that.

[83:25]

This is happening some number of years after Deshan has died, after this story has happened. And if you want to, you can look it up, the story, but I'll bring up the rest of the story next week But again, my assignment to myself, my assignment to you is practice all virtues. Be in the world of constraints, schedules, expectations that people have of you, that you have of them, all that pain. Be in that world. For the sake of the world, for the sake of the family, be in the world. Enter it for the welfare of others. And when you get in there, Be flexible and soft. Be harmonious. Be upright and honest. And maybe you'll see more about this story between now and next week. Okay? Yes, Henry?

[84:27]

I just thought I'd like to say that when I first started coming to class, coming to here, where we ran the same route without any problems, I still find what you have to say very interesting about the class. Yeah. When I first started coming to classes, I came to say what I had to say, too. But now I... And when I used to come to say what I had to say, you know, I used to come and teach the class what the cons were about. In those days, I had a more hard time in the class. I was a little worried about whether I understood what the stories were about and whether I, you know, and so on. But little by little, as this group developed, I realized that no matter what happened, when people come together with positive intention to study Dharma, you know, I don't have to worry anymore. But if you don't come together with positive intention to study Dharma...

[85:30]

then I'm going to have to worry. So please, for my sake, continue your sincere efforts. And practice during the week, too, not just on Monday night, okay? Thank you very much. May our intentions

[85:52]

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