Yeah, it's a kind of donut, as he pointed out. It's a Berliner. It's a Berliner, yeah. Okay. And it's painted that way so you can maybe not just visualize it but physicalize it. And it has this, the little poem up there, a statement which says, you know, have a cup of tea and eat this thing, is meant to be a kind of Buddhism. Zen puts something out very seriously and then to take the edge off makes a joke. So it's up to you to do it. Okay, now I'll try to give you a little Zen lesson in reading texts. Now I want to give you a little Zen lesson in reading texts.

[01:03]

Okay. It's often said, and you may have heard the expression, that don't take the finger for the moon. Have any of you not heard that expression? So what it means is, this sutra points at the teaching. So don't take the sutra for the teaching. But as I have shown you the sutra itself is a mantra and is the teaching. So in that sense the finger is the moon. It's like you reminded me where it says you can't eat As I've said, you can't eat painted cakes.

[02:25]

But Dogen Zenji says, oh, yes, you can. Okay, so the moon is often used as an expression of a symbol for an expression of enlightenment. It's the feminine quality in the sky. And even though you see the full circle of it, you're only seeing half of it. So even the full moon is only half. One side is always dark. And even the full moon goes through its phases to the new moon and so forth. And then there's the reflection of the moon. And the reflection of the moon and the moon are sometimes considered the double moon.

[03:42]

Okay, so there's a story. In the double moon sense is don't take the reflection of the moon for the moon. However we see the moon reflected in the water. And the reflection of the moon is not just a reflection. The tides of the ocean and even of a lake are the moon. And menstruation is the moon. So the moon isn't just in the sky, the moon is here too. Okay. So, this story of the sweeping So this guy is sleeping, sweeping, and his Dharma brother comes up and says, oh, so busy.

[05:03]

And so you say to me, oh, you're so busy. You're so busy. And I say, you should know there's one who is not busy. And then you say, oh, so there's a double moon. So let's do it in English and German. You're so busy. Oh, you're so busy. I know he didn't speak German. So anyway, German's good, obviously. You should know there's one who is not busy. And then you say, so there's a double moon. Is this a double moon?

[06:04]

You don't have to say anything. Okay. So, now in Zen way of thinking is the moon is also not different than the water it's reflected in. So this little Zen story is, he's sweeping. Oh, you look so busy, you're so caught in the first attention, you're so caught in... the attention that creates the world. You don't give me a hard time. Don't you know there's one who's not busy? Oh, then there's a double moon. The moon and you is the reflection. Is this the double moon?

[07:08]

There's no difference between the water and the moon. So it's a shift from moon to moon to water and moon. Yeah, so that circle is that. That circle means this water is you and enlightenment and your practice. And this is also called a womb, a mandala. And you really feel this visual mandala of form and emptiness appearing, manifesting, disappearing, non-manifesting. You get a feeling for that in your activity. You get a feeling of that as you go downstairs and go back upstairs.

[08:13]

And it's carried out even in this little thing. This is called a wooden fish. And it's shaped like a heart for the Heart Sutra for chanting. But it's called mokugyo, which means wooden fish, wooden sutra. And so here's the tail of the fish. This is the body of the fish. This is the mouth of the fish, like a dragon. The mund. And here's the jewel. Another circle. So this is a circle. And the jewel is the circle. And the jewel is Dharani memory or intelligence. So it means you can take this jewel or this circle and internalize it and bring it to everything you do.

[09:26]

And that jewel is very fertile. This circle is very fertile so it's also a womb. Out of which Buddhas are born. And we recognize the possibility of each other as we recognize the possibility in ourself. So this practice is not really so difficult. Because it doesn't occur in normal time and space. But it occurs outside your schedule. The hard part is the intention to do it. If you have the intention to do it

[10:27]

You may be an amateur, you may not have much time, but if the intention is fully realized, and you try to practice every time you happen to remember, Without forcing yourself, but just having it present in you, present in you. Like Marianne's baby is present in her. She doesn't have to do much, she's just to walk around with his tummy. And eat right and sleep enough. So all you have to do is walk around with Buddha in your tummy, in this circle. Don't smoke too much, don't drink too much, eat moderately. But have a good time, enjoy yourself.

[12:00]

But don't forget about Buddha in your belly. And I'll tell you, really, Buddha will start coming out. You may not recognize him at first, but your friends will say, is somebody tapping from inside? I can feel it if you can't. And so if you just have that feeling, really, practice starts to be part of your life. You don't have to be a specially good or bad person or talented. You just have to have the intention. And that's the response to your part of the sutra here. In the three worlds, past, present and future.

[13:08]

And in the three worlds means past, present and future. But it also means entering that continuity of awareness that appears in nocturnal and daily mind. That transcends past, present and future. That transcends or is more than ordinary time and space distinctions. And that connects all worlds and all Buddhas. And because of this connection in all worlds and all Buddhas, they depend on wisdom which has gone beyond wisdom because that is wisdom which has gone beyond wisdom.

[14:13]

Okay. And by that they attain, because there's no attainment, unsurpassed. Stop comparing. It means don't compare. Oh, this teaching, that teaching, that... No. When you're doing this, you don't compare. This is totally it. It's complete and you view it always as complete. And there's a little mantra you can take. Just now is enough. It's obvious. What other choice do you have? Okay. Just now is enough. What other choice do you have? But you live that way on each moment.

[15:20]

Remind yourself just now is enough complete. Zero. Zero. Zero. Whether the zero, like in the Dalai Lamas, is filled with the Buddha or just empty. And Buddhas appear out of a circle. And perfect means it functions. And thus enlightenment. Enlightenment. Okay. Okay. You know, I want to thank Ulrika because, you know,

[16:32]

I'm trying to teach Buddhism. And I need a lot of help, actually. And I couldn't do this without Rika. And I couldn't do it without the Vernis who invited me to be here and so forth. And Sarah, who showed up from America surprisingly back there. And she turned this bookstore book list into the most widespread Buddhist publication on the planet. And she has just turned this book list from this Buddhist bookstore in San Francisco into the most widespread Buddhist journal on the planet. Called Butsemon, which means Buddha Gate. And has published several of those little stories of mine in her Butsemon.

[17:39]

And in Butsemon there are several small pieces that I have written and published. And really the state of mind and concentration you've brought to the seminar also make it possible for me to teach. And I want to thank you very much. And I want you to know that this practice is possible. And you can do it. If you want to. What do you want to do? What makes you happy? What is your innermost request? Can you hear your own inner request? What kind of life do you want? And when you die, what kind of life do you want to have had?

[18:48]

Better start now. Really, can you have the courage of the life you want later now? So,

[18:52]

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