Okay, so that memorial for victims in Israel and Palestine is adapted from something written by Norman Fisher, who spoke yesterday, which he called a brief memorial for those killed and injured in Israel and Palestine. So I want to say a little bit about that and a little bit about what Norman talked about here yesterday, and then have some discussion. Peace. How do we find peace in this crazy world? So much cruelty and brutality, there's one concern, it's dedication. And I like this dedication because it honors victims on both sides. Well, sometimes we take sides and say that the people over there are less than human,

[01:03]

are not deserving of caring and kindness, then you have war, or you can't have war. So it's such a difficult situation now. People all over the world are calling for execution, because there's so much brutality here. Palestine, so many children killed, hospitals and shelters bombed, but also people in Israel are afraid after also brutal sex violence. So how do we live, how do we practice, how do we center ourselves in such a situation going on in a world that broadcasts to us in many ways? No answer. How do we stay aware? How do we stay open to kindness?

[02:04]

So, I don't know, I don't want to say much more, well, I will say just that I'm so reminded of what happened October 7th, this call of Israel's 9-11, and I remember 9-11 being aired. It seems like in our human world today, we have this impulse to flash out and retaliate. After 9-11 a year, we raided Iraq, even though Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11. After many years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States raged. Things are worse there than ever. So, the impulse to flash out, to do something, to retaliate, is clear. It's a difficult situation.

[03:10]

How do we encourage, maybe ceasefire, although I'm sure a few years of ceasefire will allow us to attack again. How do we encourage not trying to bring disagreements with force and retaliation, but how do we encourage discussion, cooperation, collaboration, when there's disagreement? As human beings, we are always facing disagreements. So, I'm interested in hearing any responses that any of you have online about that. I also want to touch on some of what Marvin talked about yesterday. He talked about truth and the teacher, and he talked about how sometimes teachers are considered some perfect beings, and they tell you they're not.

[04:12]

And in early American San Diego, there's this kind of almost duly worshipped silence. The reason is a dangerous thing. But Marvin talked about how it's important to have a teacher. He talked about Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and how it's important to have a teacher. Not to tell you what to do, but to see yourself, to engage and trust another, to check out a teacher and trust them, and see if you can trust them, and how you can trust yourself. So, one of the things I wanted to say yesterday in the announcements, and I didn't remember, was back here at Ancient Dragons' End Day. This is something that I tried to do intentionally. Based on my experience at San Francisco Center, we had a number of teachers. So, here in the room today, myself, Kogetsu, Aisha-Anne Easton, who was on Eric's shutdown

[05:16]

in Hart Park, are really interested to check out this story. All of us are available if you want to talk about your practice. If you want to talk about Saset, if you want to talk about the expression of Saset, in the rest of your life, in everyday life. If you want to talk about how to find center in this difficult world, we are available. So, I'm available before the Sunday, Monday, Sunday morning, Monday evening programs, in person, depending on schedules, but it's possible for us all. So, we are on this phone. Kogetsu is available, and she's available. Douglas is available. Benza is available. So, please support yourselves. Find yourselves. Find your own way to be yourself, to express your kindness and caring in this world.

[06:20]

So, maybe that's all I wanted to say to you. I'm interested in hearing any comments about peace or teaching or how we live in this world. So, I just want to open this up for people in the room. I can't see you all that well, but people online. Please bring your comments or thoughts or questions to the audience. I need people to. Thank you. Recommend that way. One of the topics listed on our website. Hello, Elliot.

[07:26]

Hi. Are you raising your hand or. No, that's fine. Thank you. Jason, thank you again for speaking up. I'm so sorry. This way. Situation. It's your own Palestine is really having a filter. Feels. Very hard to stay grounded. Balance. Hearing about all.

[08:30]

I've quite a few Jewish trends, a bit of very Jewish arch Chicago suburbs. And so I really understand that. Generational trauma. That's been happening for millennia. And it's also possible. To ignore. Horrible suffering of the Palestinian people. Over. Again, as you said, quite a long time. I was talking to a good. Long term friend of mine. Lives in Dubai. And both of his parents are Palestinian. Integrated before he was born. And. He has lost. His entire extended family on both sides.

[09:38]

And. Everyone that he's related to the Palestine. Has been. In the way that she's. Carried himself. Through passion. Has been inspiring to me. To hear him talk about. This was a level. Way that, you know, he's not. But. He he emanates. This. Has managed not to carry anything. And sadly, he's articulated that so many people around him have. It just feels like. The world could use more people like Josh.

[10:40]

Yes, it's difficult. Yes. In this country. Palestinians. As. And. Opposition to. The Israeli government's program is anti-Semitism. Opposition to. Inflation of Iraq. Or. So. I don't know how. To separate. In our minds.

[11:45]

The people. Governments. Military. Government to. Anyway. Yeah, we're all sitting with this. Great. Can't did you have your hand up? In addition, I don't do it. Just that challenge. And a comment. Is one of the songs. That's better. It's a search. If you're speaking in your meeting. With. Can. What we. Any other comments responses reflections.

[12:46]

One of the things that we can do is some of this. Well, together about. It's important that we talk together about difficult situations. And as Norman was saying yesterday, you know, each of us, our opinions are just our opinions. How do we share this great greater merit to this start of this conversation? Ken. Nicholas? No, Ken. Oh, Ken. Yes, please, Ken. I'm here. Ken, you're on mute. We can't hear you. Ken, you're still on mute. We cannot hear you. He's on mute. How's that? Is that better?

[13:48]

Great. Yes. Okay, very good. Yeah, the certainly I have no special insights into the world situation. I'm in the same boat as everybody else here. But one thing that comes to mind is that perhaps all the bloodshed that we've seen lately will act as a bit of a compilation of the all the the tendency towards violence that we've seen in the media. Starting, you know, well, the Ukraine situation and all the dialogue associated with that, that this would sort of culminate and that folks would realize that it just can't go on because, you know, sooner or later will go global and affect everyone. I don't know that the United States is the best fair broker in this situation, but maybe we need an institution that's going to be coming up generating solutions, skillful means, if you will, that will solve these situations, whether it's related to the Holy Land real estate.

[15:02]

Accommodation of reparations for perceived injustices, all of this, we have a lot of smart folks, you know, Mr. Musk and Mr. Zuckerberg and, you know, various other folks. And we need a bit of a brain trust generating solutions very regularly about all these situations. The situation in Ukraine was predicted by Dr. Mearsheimer down at the U.S.C., you know, 15 years ago when they came up with the Bucharest agreement that was contrary to Russian red lines. And so these things are predictable to some degree, and it might be useful to have an institution dedicated to generating solutions. That's the only thing I can think of. Thank you so much. Actually, there is an institution that's supposed to do that.

[16:07]

It's called the United Nations, and it's not functioning very well. All the other countries in the world are calling for a ceasefire. That's the future of the United States. And actually, on both sides, there are war conflicts, according to international law. I guess there used to be wars where certain knights had to have combat swords or whatever. But now, maybe since World War II, maybe before that too, but civilians are very casualties. And in this situation in Israel and Palestine, it seems like civilians have been intentionally targeted, and it's just horrible. This is war crimes.

[17:09]

I don't know. I don't have solutions. But thank you, Ken, for your comments. Anybody else about how we work with this? Am I so far back that I can't be seen? I see you, but I didn't see your hands up until you spoke. Hi, you know, I am reading Norman Fisher's book, Slowly but Surely, the book, When I Greet You. When you greet me, no, I don't know. When you greet me, I vow. And I just happened to be reading a passage on Dukat. And what he says, what he reminds us, figure points out, is that life is, you know, that we, you know, it's the first noble truth.

[18:18]

Everything is suffering or loss or impermanence. And we have a collective way of trying to, you know, individually and together. Pretend that it's not, you know, and we can distract ourselves from it for a time or we can, you know, I mean, there are times that are genuinely accurate for each individual in their life. But when suffering comes up, we want to turn away from it and get outraged that it's even happening at all. And it seems like it's happening more and more and more. I mean, it's truly, truly overwhelming, the amount of suffering that we are aware of in this world. And yet, you know, there is not so much that we can do about it.

[19:26]

And I think, you know, we hear about the suffering in the world. It probably also maybe brings up our own personal and individual suffering. And I think that that is what our practice is about, is learning how to deal with our personal and individual suffering enough that we can help others to deal with their personal and individual suffering. And I don't know what more we can do because there is a certain amount of suffering in this world that is unavoidable. I don't know what more to say about that. I don't know if a civilian's suffering is any more or less deserved than a soldier's suffering. I don't understand how we make that distinction. No one should be going through this.

[20:31]

No one should go through this. And so how can we practice with sharing our suffering and helping others to deal with their suffering? Yes, Jean. So, thank you, Aishan. On Sunday, we're going to have a one-day sitting. And that's the beginning of learning how to be human. We highly underestimate how impulsive, petty, and fearful we fear life as humans. And these are deeply part of our DNA.

[21:32]

So, I feel in sitting, in supporting each other in our little Sandra Nuggets, our community, our circle of refuge and love, and sharing and facing the fact of suffering, that this is like the only hope we have is to settle enough and bond together. And then we know. We'll know what our individual response is. But, you know, I've been sitting for a little while. I still am amazed at a lifetime of suffering can go out the window in an instant. Like Jerry maybe said, somebody wanted a parking space. We have two parking spaces instead of one. That seems like a small thing. But when we sit, we realize suffering and we also realize peace.

[22:37]

And it's not just sitting on a cushion. It's moving about the world with this heart and mind exhaustion. So, these are really deep things that every time I fear about this suffering, I'm just like, I need to settle a little more and find a little more love in my heart and a little more openness to be with all of this. That's just my feeling. I feel so grateful that we have this opportunity here in our Sangha to sit together and support each other. Just like we're doing tonight in so many other places. I wish we could offer that everywhere at all times. And I want to say to Jason, you know, maybe when you're done, and your family, your beautiful family, have been in my heart.

[23:40]

And thank you for sharing your stories with Jeff and your kindness with us. Thank you. Yes. This truth of suffering, dissatisfaction, whatever you want to call it, because we can't face it. We sit facing the law of our suffering. We sit facing our sadness. And, of course, there's also joy and happiness in our hearts and in the world. And I think what's important, the way you brought up this, Frank, and facing all this with such dignity, that it's important that we also be aware of the world outside. We can actually dig deeper into being supported by our Sangha.

[24:47]

So to do this work of trying to bring awareness and kindness and caring and facing suffering and sadness, we don't have to be ruthless. This is why I was so touched by Norman Fisher's words about the situation in Israel. So we're all in it together somehow. And so, yes, there's going to be all this. But we come together and face all of this. We support each other and we are supported. Anybody else have anything you want to add?

[25:49]

David. There's so much that's going on. This individual does not have the power to change. I cannot change leaders of Hamas. I cannot change Netanyahu. And the people who are supporting him. But I can, in my own life, remember one thing, and that is I can give kindness to everyone I meet. When I was a Blackfoot shaman, and I would lead this up in directions, one of the things that the Blackfoot would do when they would stand in front of a tribal council, the first words they would speak were, in the name of all our relations, I do not speak just for myself. I speak for the deer. I speak for the buffalo. I speak for those who fly in the sky. I speak for those who crawl on the earth.

[26:59]

And if we can in our everyday life, we don't know if we'll ever have a Blackfoot or if we will not. But if we can act in our own way with a bit of kindness to everyone we meet, perhaps, just perhaps, it will make some little difference. And hopefully it will build and build. And we will learn to, as a species, learn to be kind once again. Thank you, David. Thank you, everyone. I just want to add one thing as an over-activist there. In addition to the critical importance of just being kind to ourselves and to each other and the people around us, there were, this weekend, huge demonstrations for C-SPAN to stop the violence in New York, California.

[28:07]

I think 300,000 people were there. So, this happened with the Flood and Evasion Act as well. I don't know how much this has an impact, but it seems to have changed the tone of our government in the last couple of years. I'm just wondering if there's anything you could do to express your support for this. One day again, just one last thought. This, I think, is also important for us. Now, I know it's important for me because sometimes I get enraged. And what I have to do is I have to separate the person from the rash that every person has. Every person is a living being. I may disagree with the rash, but I still have to honor their dignity as a living being.

[29:10]

It's difficult. But I think there's something to remember that's important. Thank you. Thank you.

[29:22]

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