Recognizing Enlightenment

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BZ-00322B

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Saturday Lecture

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thank you so much
ha
when they are people's experience
i'm from spiritual practice
there seems to be
history of
which tight and doubt parts
ha
three thai dish a person who
he's always
from early age
seeking something and
hell knows about that there's that that there's some

undermine
reality
which
be trusted
and don't try this
someone do
from maybe an early age
never require police it
or have to be has to have a proven on time
and i create a
skepticism and
i need to have some credit
deep experience have a are open up
do it yourself
that was a three-time
although computer may have a wonderful deep experiences from the same way
those experiences are not necessary
for the free folk
in order to continue on a path
ha
sometimes you have called
one sport they become one once born and toys born
the twice born yes
refers to someone who has a lot of down
and our nation heroic effort
and i'm sure that heroic efforts
great opening experience
and to realization
the true nature
where's our face type
always believed that there
why shouldn't
pain and lived within this realization
and doesn't always need to have proof the proof is in the living
so i'm jen practice these two aspects are very prominent
when said was being introduced to
america along
kiki spooky
the literature that he introduced to america was all about awakening experiences dramatic literature
ha
most the history books are full of dramatic event because a strip the dramatic events which
john or catchy
while sure in zen practice
that literature which the dramatic events which
draw our attention or which are introduced as
aspects of them
to be followed
so a lot of people where they came to then practiced in the early days
fifties and sixties were looking for the key experiences peak experiences
as
the meaning of them until jan practice
ha literature doesn't talk about the undramatic experiences of everyday life according to them practice
which is where the practice actually take place
practice
the ordinary life other than student is where the practice takes place day after day
whether there is a peak experience or dramatic opening or not
ha ha
so i'm sure hiroshi i came to america
at the same time and some of the other teachers who are
emphasizing having settore and can show great opening experiences to enlightenment and working very hard toward those experiences suzuki roshi was emphasizing ordinariness
ordinary everyday life
as
the to experience of enlightenment
who's
but these two aspects don't exist in den practice
ha and they don't necessarily contradict each other although they're often presented as contradictory
you know there's the famous story of
kyojin
who was a student know that islam
in china
and he was very brilliant student
have you shot
ah and
one day he's on asked him a question
something like that
show me your face the original fish
and i kill you
i stopped
so you'd we became very discouraged
very discouraged that practicing all these years my teacher asked me this question that stumped and he just gave up and everything and moved out
and
he wandered around for a long time and then he ended up at a take the champaign
monument to one of the national teachers' sweeping the ground that's what he did you just kind of became a terror caretaker
sleeping the ground instead of being one of the sons
ah ok
teachers
he became a sweeper of the grounds for this is my faith different tissues
where i belong
so one day he was sweeping and as you were sleeping a little stumped in a bamboo and over crack at the crack in mind opened up and
on
go totally fell apart
and he realized his true self any like cracking a walnut and go up and again
ha
so this is a wonderful and dramatic story
a realization
yeah that's a very good example
the
the time
kill again
realizing that he couldn't answer the question
and
taking a low position
and
letting go of is striving
and letting go of everything
get the conditions for this
to happen
when he completely let go of everything
his mind was ready to open
this is our
actually a necessary condition for the mind opening
but also
i practiced or opening doesn't have to be so dramatic
matter of fact master isa on said
gaining enlightenment his life a realization through practice is like walking in the fog
walking in the fog
your clothes get wet unawares
this is ah
hannah
description of
realization
and
photo practice
without anything dramatic happening
just without realizing
actually that realization is happening
you suddenly the earliest i suddenly realised oh this has been happening for a while and i didn't notice it
he reached down and you feel that i close it it and i didn't even realize that
so
these are two aspects of how one realizes
sometimes very abruptly
and when a job like lightning the whole world up and up
and then sometimes just
without anything dramatic happening at all
you just realize that you've been watching this way for some time without even noticing
haku in
is an example of ah
i'm a teacher who
the twice born type
one who is full of doubts and fears and and
self incrimination and then
sheriff being the role in children
on
to add to take hold of
of his life and strives really hard for
a breakthrough
and dog in is an example
someone who from the very beginning
i had great faith in buddha nature
and in some buddha nature
and although he had many doubts
lots of doubt
still the doubt never obscured the shape
that he hadn't in his own nature but these were questions that he had which led him on to
greater understanding
hi vicki machine
when he came to america
i realized that
american
i know we're always looking for some
something some way to get high
the it became it in your hand
america during the fifties
the sixties i mean
and when everybody when people were starting to
use love narcotics
and ah
everybody regiments getting high up some lsd and pot and
cocaine wasn't being used very much them but they were mostly now it's deep
and a lot of the students you know he knew that they were trying to get high and then they were using then practice
as another means to get high the natural high as if a cop
maybe just a natural high
and and so they've asked him questions about getting high on to
and face a if you want to get high and have some they experienced you should take lsd
that if you are back to them in an ordinary way you want to experience ordinary mind than you can press the father
so to the accuracy and deflated
ah people
expectations and for mystique
kind of deflated the mistake of peak experiences looking for peak experiences
because the more you look for something dramatic to let the further away you go from realization
looking for something are expecting something dramatic to happen means that you can't experience or appreciate what's happening now
ha ha
if you look for anything if you expect anything or want infants you can't
appreciate what's happening right now
in of course nobody wanted to appreciate the pain in their legs
of course you know you suffer through this in order to get something why am i suffering do this but i'm not going to get something at the end
i'm going to have a woman say i've been doing this for twelve years
and i had my equity in
for something better happen

ah so
suzuki roshi his emphasis was
nothing special
if you have a peek wonderful peak experience of opening up to enlightenment
that's wonderful
a very wonderful but in the same time it's nothing special
it's just another experience
have you have some great or often depressing
despair
pretty bad but nothing special
so
vicki when she was not interested in your experience
he was interested in your experience but matter any special way and you just that you should not be interested in your experience in some special way either
ah
to experience realization is too
it half his evenness through all experience
i even mindedness through on experience
and ah
sitting zazen
fact is examined is to have this even experience or even
practice through all of your experience
if you have
wonderful opening and enlightenment
it doesn't disturbed as combine
if you have
terrible despair it doesn't move this combine
the car mind is the movable
aspect of your true nature
who did not affected by
ups and downs
good and bad right and wrong how you feel what you think
hmm
if you go looking for something special than you leave behind the calmness of your mind and suddenly your mind is disturbed
so people think often they think that
this kind of soto zen practice which i don't want to call sort of them actually
this trend of
practice thousand only
in which you
maintain the calmness of your mind
seems like just shitting and tranquility and calming everything around you
but that's a misinterpretation
the kindness of mind it's easy to have a calm mind when everything around you as com when nothing is happening or that you know what's the problem
but the real practice is to maintain the calmness of mind through every condition
this is them
grappling with the tiger
without grappling
he's taking on the tiger
without fighting it
he's actually came being the tiger
rather than fighting the tiger it's taming tire
i remember when i first went to so koji
the old zen center in san francisco on bush street
there was a drawing of tiger
and the tail
big tail and underneath with the caption writing the tail of the tiger
ha
and i realized this is this refers to the the fourth day of
seven days a she
when you you go into since with
great fish and in the middle of session you have great gout
why did i do in this real it's just really something that should be doing
you got me shaking year so faith and doubt you know come up together and then so is this tension between the faith in the down
and just nothing you can do except to came the tiger if you start to grapple with a tiger you took your last tiger but easily eat you devalue totally
the only way you can survive
yes to
pet the tiger put your arms around the patcher put your head in the tiger's mouth
don't fight
hey
great trust actually
so within fake there is attack and within the doubt there is the faith but sometimes when and stronger than the other
ha faith and doubt are actually complimentary
have faith leads us into
with some optimism
without shaved we can't move really in a in a and he did good direction
ah but if you just have nothing to change
then
you usually get
jumper are run off and run off of cliffs or
get caught in
brambles because there's nothing controlling it
so doubt helps to control like an airplane it's like the tail
faith and the motor in the wings
and down and like the tale that keeps keeps it on course
and keeps things in balance so it's good to have doubt
but when doubt becomes too strong and overpowers faith that it becomes skepticism and then you can't move
hmm so even within
no
come mine practice
one has
very dramatic experiences
in the beginning when we were first starting to to sip
if
people couldn't sit very well i think do today
ha
where people had a lot of pain and
there weren't many examples around us of studentship it tip well
and
i remember
thinking about this room the zendo were used to sit and bush street the acne about all the silent dramas that had gone on at room
day after day session after session
people dealing with fish down
todd
their own
heroic treachery
sometimes haiku and criticized dogen as a dead city
enough
but
he was a very restless person
and
if he had just stuck it out a bit
you have had to come down
magda
sitting you know it's not just
big tranquil
it's coming up against all of it
obstacles in your life he cannot be guess all the obstacles of your life from doesn't
and have to deal with them
and sometimes they don't come as individual obstacles they come into one obstacle
the one obstacle contains all the obstacles in your life
we think of the individual action author we had that
they can all be reduced to watch to
the size of your ego
and that's what you're dealing with that's the obstacle you yourself and the obstacle something
sometimes we say all my legs you know
i can't put them down on my backer we attribute a lot of problems to our physical condition and there are problems in our physical condition that months of the problems are appear
and they affect our physical condition
and you get surprised but you can do when this obstacle is gone
so
we always have a problem
membership if ago she's changed in zazen there's always a problem
he always have some problem
and he shouldn't be too eager to get rid of the problem you have
when you get ready to share your mother probably would take to
and might be worse than and when you have advantage

hi i think it basically i've always been a face type
and
although i've had a lot of doubt and in my early life and
i knew i had a parrot and you're was i was making my despair
but i didn't know what it was connected to
it shows like
i had this path and i was looking for the continuation of it over here are someplace
you know
and then finally i found this practice which was the continuation of my path
and
i didn't have any doubt that i would find that
much just always looking for it in my life was always a search for that path
so when i found it i knew that i found it
i didn't have any doubt at all
and found it
but
and that was a wonderful experience and of finding judging i knew this pet was was itself was enough for open each
realization experience
and
it's important to realize that
what we're looking for is something that we already know
and
while

rather than seeking out
some experience are seeking out our enlightenment we do have way seeking mind you know in which were seeking something but the way seeking mind itself is the enlightened mind
when we are looking for the path
two realization that's already
and like mine
and it it's looking for itself
riding the alex to find the odds
how many have to do is look down to you are the act
i'll start i'm looking for you
when you are already here
and
our practice actually begins from realization in this way even though we don't realize it
we don't realize our enlightened mind
know always looking for the cottage we're looking for something
he armed
what's here
so the most difficult thing is to realize you mean this is it does
this is a when
we drop our expectations
stop looking for something else we realized that this is if this is the only thing there is
at that time to accept
you mean this is
and then the next moment
that will be it
and the next month that will be it
so enlightenment means to appreciate everything just the way it is
how to be able to appreciate everything just donated sleepiness
pain pleasure
but these are just momentary manifestations of life

maintain his show and to know the calmness of our mind
countess or my doesn't just mean calmness of nine
it means
realizing that immovable reality

when we're down to zero
then one looks wonderful
two looks great
three five
because you always at zero
and then whatever comes up
that's interesting
when we sit sixteen
and then you walk out the door on the leaves on trees are but beautiful the blades of grass around questioning
but they're always doing that
he just didn't see it sure because your mind is scared
when your mind is totally open
what did you see it
you experiences
so that way we can appreciate everything
even though some things are hard to take
something is always there are always things that are hard to take but basically
you can appreciate her
life
we can appreciate life
helium is insulation
choi running underneath
like a deep river
and that joy is not affected by peak experiences or depression
whoa the constancy sticky giro she always emphasize constancy of practice doesn't matter are you feeling
when the bell rings
the lender
the bell is your alarm clock
good
when they locked by really is nothing
i get up and nine for sleeping
he just get up
but i'm thinking
putting your clothes happen here by alexander
that's all doesn't matter how you think think or feel
because it's beyond thinking and feeling it include sleeping a feeling that is beyond thinking mind and feeling
if you depend on feelings
feelings will fool you every time
huh so thoughts and feelings are very seductive
but ah
the constancy of your intention is not
and that's what what has to be faithful to
you should have great faith in your intention
then the most important thing
an intention doesn't get pulled around
by
seductive feelings or thoughts
and
keeping your intention
a constant way
grounds you in combat
so although everybody wants flights of fancy
said practices hi how to be grounded
it's like
taking a sieve and throwing it into the bottom is throwing it into the ocean
sometimes or say it's like a book not riding the waves and sometimes you say it's like throwing a sieve into the ocean and just thinks that of bottom pot if there's no way to save it
ah that's been grounded
when when you're totally grounded
you have a peak experience
hate opening and enlightenment
but you may not know it
napco desert
you may not be aware
and you may be aware
but either way
it's just ordinary
when you're great enlightening experience and just ordinary
that's true enlightenment
he's not that we shouldn't have enlightening experiences ship crescendo every moment should be an experience of enlightenment
that's a wonderful life
you should have been an enlightened an experienced movies
despair
we should have an enlightening experience with in year
elation
should have enlightening experience within your ordinary activity
should have an enlightening experience sitting on the toilet
hey
oh
ha
so very special and at the same time nothing special at all
so if you hang onto anything to hang onto some wonderful experience and keep trying to reproduce that are keep it from changing
then you have lot of
kane painful delusion
it said as your experience changes
exactly
one of the biggest problems with having wonderful experiences is it they blame you dislike calm during gold dust in your eyes
gold us today
valuable
but it also blind you

the care for christian
he's done
i to thank you very much for your taka
there's one criticism frequently put out by those hanging about zen practice and if it is summarized in the word quietism and one night i am eager to talk this morning think well
in
online is
what about
at all that storm and terrible things happening in the world and the last person to stay calm and laid all washoe
now you're supposed to stay calm in the midst of it and do it you can about it
it's not like to feel anger as action and act on those if the situations cause that from with a combined the kindness of your might no matter what you do you don't lose the campus of your mind that doesn't mean that you don't do anything this is what people the quiet as a means to escape
it's not escape
it's refuge
that's a pill but what tanker
mexico on
the within the kindness of your mind and you with it within your anger to look for the torments of your mind
and that ah stabilizes your and year
rainbow
nothing special
yeah yeah tried with to tend to think a rag or something special the commander brings out
our spirit
you know
if we is just another channel for spirit angers and it's nothing special so he can let go with it
hum after him
hello
hello
i'm keeping
we can think it's sweeping
i can't remember
bad
by opening your mind
he realized
that nothing was apart from itself
and
and i know i did after that
he was able to see everything mr life
and then

can trust that
hell yeah definitely
definitely trust yeah
no wonder had any doubts
and he could teach without teaching
hello
gary
ha i'm at least device for say
god's go
i wonder about
differences in fact is perfect types of outfits
there's said
and one thing that i said
struck on computers
about how important it is to our tensions practice knocked out
i got my job
she should there's a great practice allies there's a great product is doing so i i wonder if those differences in fact that
i should say
they doesn't have to be there you know some my one might say that a doubt type might go to her
on practice you know i don't think i might go to thousand bikers
but actually i didn't think it makes a difference because you if whether you're a dad or fifth type
the practice if you if you take it on
a challenge you pick boy
the
she met
grab someone to stop passing sleep
no i would i would recommend to start practice in ghosts weeks

that's a good place to start get
sweeping is actually basic practice
very basic practice
for anybody's brain is instant
if you think if we can actually keep but his up into that place it's just sleeping many people have been enlightened that way
buddha hands and a disciple
who
with too restless you know to do a able to shatter practice and so he said well and he was not very bright and you should just to get a broom and sweep
and so he got the bruins started sweeping and and he sweated and and within
practice a sweeping he it here realization
kim in her
hey
it seems like we're up against a lot in our culture because i caught her
encourages
climax experience is constantly now and
get let your toddler is a flat out there that's just getting practice without a ticket at all
greg
ha
so it's not that we don't have all that but that's not
but we get beyond their
now we don't have experiences are we don't bet with point is to get
inside the eye of the storm
inside the eye of storm
is where
you find yourself
when you said that congress
they happy
did i say
this is italian that comes
i think i said a reality that i don't know i don't particularly want to see what reality is
but it's probably the most real thing your life
on i wondered
in thousand percent more civic neurosis and
there are always be problems like on so i'm wondering decision is it important to be successful you know two thousand and accepting whatever comedies or just one part to make an effort to accept it even now it seems like maybe it's not working all you know
like can similarly dislikes power grid lock or deadlock you know nothing something like that problems there and my efforts fair but nothing has happened like this like stalemate
what i'm going to be by nothing happening some things always happen yeah well as happening but it doesn't that doesn't seem to be any progress of others like
ah there's effort but it doesn't seem to be i mean does seem to be successful on accepting said physical pain the pain studies that are my efforts states there that
how does seem to be
resolution that
situation
happy
the effort you know
itself is
we look for the resolution is the as the thing that we want our
in stock incentives we stopped looking for the resolution is that thing that we want and we can realize that the effort itself is your life
is a reference for some respective companies like go on that
now that
i
i really find solutions and the right solution in the right solution is that frankly his eyes in
what we think is the right solution is that they won't be any more pain
that's underlying
oliver you know that
about it
and so
there will always be painfulness
and the practice is just to do it
the price kik they're not going to get rid of within your life you're not going to give of the painfulness always be in life
and sometimes they can accept it sometimes we camped there were always daily with it and experiencing what it is
experienced the pain of your life
and to actually embrace it
when there are two things by pay and
the desire to to get rid of it then you set up paying a thing that when you become one with it
there's only one thing
and so you don't get up
an opposition is only this one thing and when is there's one thing it's no longer
the same problem
his long as you don't like it you suffer why you don't want it to suffer
as long as you can't take it is something
another chance
kind of you know how are we ever going to resolve this problem or life
i know the answer
remember the picture of dorian gray to cry three of your pain
that fuels you
your your from
o h the pitch

he gave his old age to the kitchen
all a the picture i d remain yeah
charity i think they are
hello happy tonight
i can see the movie and
when david
the states
officers
yeah
you can't escape
just no escape
the only state is to go into it
here i'm escape is to be one with it
hey i like to say that
this facts can and stuff yeah
because we're quite paid with suffering
and then we talk about suffering we think they'll give it my pain
hey is different than century did that thing but they are associated with so closely with each other that we equate with one with the other so you have to differentiate
didn't say you give good it didn't say i will relieve all your pain he said this are really suffering
life is pain but it doesn't have to be suffering although it is suffering and we also need to be to be one with are suffering
soon as you tried to escape from my suffering
then we start suffering
so
go
problem is the problem of duality
that's why the problem with the problem drowned
the problem ouch
discrimination
discrimination is duality we discriminate
i like and dislike want and that lot
gasping in rejecting this is the duality of discrimination which causes suffering
you may have suffering
even though you don't have duality but it's not saying
at the suffering
from
that's caused by
aren't
mine split into individuality
and caused by discrimination
any money
so what you learn in size it is to not set up an opposition to be one with the paint in new legs
and it's a hard lesson
really hard left because it goes against everything that you want because it gets the direction you want to go him
where a little over time
that the much disgust so i'm going to have to stuff here
you