Good evening, everyone. Can you all hear me? Okay. I want to speak tonight about Sangha and energy. And specifically by energy, I'm referring to Virya Paramita, the transcendent practice of energy, enthusiasm, vitality. So, Like the rest of the world, our sangha is still in recovery from the pandemic. I think we're doing fairly well, but yeah, we have to acknowledge that. We lost our zendo over here, and we're looking at square zendo and online, and this is looking pretty well for now. We had a sagapi ceremony yesterday here. Some of you were here too. pacify the restless hungry ghosts and to commemorate wonderful people who passed in last year.

[01:15]

And we're, you know, continuing with our practice, developing our practice. So part of the practice of Sangha is developing energy, developing enthusiasm, spirit, vitality. This happens in various ways. It's part of our practice of zazen, just physically, novically, being present and upright, allowing our energy and one spirit to arise. This is something we do together. Sangha is about mutual support. So just sitting here together in various ways, we feel the spirit and we're encouraged by each other.

[02:25]

And our practice includes that we support and encourage each other and Proceeding support. This is apart from, you know, our evaluations, our critical judgments of ourselves and each other, and that was a good period of disaster, and that was a bad period of disaster. That's all irrelevant. Of course, our working mind does that, but it's not the point. It's not what our practice is really about. So Suzuki Yoshi talked about constantly using our balance against the background of perfect balance. So in Zazen, and in connection with Sangha, we get some sense of that background of perfect balance. So these aritas or transcendent practices support each other.

[03:31]

virya or enthusiasm is one of six or ten words of counting them. And it connects with other consented practices. Of course, just to say that part of the practice of energy or enthusiasm is to, with everything in sasana, to pay attention to what's happening. to realize it when we feel some loss of energy. Part of the practice of energy is to notice that. And then, it's also this yogic practice. We can feel energy arising. We can, when we're feeling low, we can raise our dreams raise our energy and our body when we're feeling overexcited and lucky minds don't want to travel along with the lower our gaze and settle lower in our body.

[04:46]

And this is an open practice. It's not about some particular technique. It's about just being aware. So part of how this practice of enthusiasm works is where the parvati just before it which is called shanti or patience how do we be patient and tolerant of difficulties in the world and the difficulties in with each other and with our friends, family, neighbors, and the difficulties in our own bodies. Having patience with some discomfort in our shoulders, our hips, our knees. How do we just be present with that and patient? And in the midst of concern about a lack of energy or a lack of enthusiasm, just staying with it and

[05:57]

already difficult to them. And notice our interest upon actually just stop and work and allow that to be present. So there are six or 10 transcendent practices like this and they all go into each other. So these are active practice patients is not passive paying attention. being aware, noticing where our energy is. I just notice it. What's going on in our body and mind and in our sense of the world around us as well. How do we be patient? and attentive and ready to allow energy to arise, to respond to whatever situation is in front of us, to do that from our center of balance.

[07:18]

Another one would be, the first of the transcendent practices is generosity. So Sangha is about being generous with each other. Being kind, giving to each other and to ourselves. Noticing kindness, noticing our own possibilities for caring and kindness to ourselves and to others. Appreciating others, appreciating ourselves. this generosity, you know, is relevant in terms of Samba, in terms of how do we support Samba. Some of us are currently working on our ancient dragon year end letter fundraising. So we're working on the letter which we'll always see summarizing our current situation and where we get to.

[08:27]

And So how do we respond to that in the generosity? It's just being generous and supporting Sangha financially, but also supporting Sangha just by your presence or by taking on some position. Like Adam is today as reader, or Gary is as techno. So we take on roles to support each other. How do we give to Sangha? And how do we give to Sangha in the widest sense? To a particular Sangha and to Craig and Zen here, but also Mahasangha to all the different communities that we are interconnected with.

[09:28]

So each of us has a variety of additional solvency through people and groups that we are connected with, through our sense of kindness and generosity. All of this generosity helps support our own enthusiasm and energy. When we shut down and don't care about caring and giving and kindness to others as well as to ourselves, our energy drops. How do we allow patience and tolerance to support our learning as a group and each other? So in the song of the grass that we just chanted, which is about the space of practice,

[10:34]

they simply stand up, it's supposed to be a song. There are many lines that are wonderful. I can just talk about that at chance, but I should tell one of our own sisters. But I've been recently, you know, thinking about one line that I haven't really focused on much before. It's been a way that a lot of people can't tell what they're doing, whether it's up there or it's not. Well, we've been able to sustain and suffer, and we're pretty good that we are dealing with transitions that we are, we have a lot of really good, very great people, powerful people who are suffering. And we think of them as, so, they're on par with us, but I can't see whether or not they're there. I think for the first time. Anyway, how do we support each other?

[11:42]

How do we welcome people? And then I can't stop wondering whether it's perishable or not. Perishable or not, the original master is present. And that why it really doesn't actually blow up. Initially, I translated this. I think it's actually. So I should tell you who also found a car on a different thing next. But this original master, you know, I first I thought, well, this may be the second one. And maybe it is, but also I think this refers to the dharmakaya, the fundamental Buddha that is all of us, and that each of us is an expression of, the whole body of the phenomenal world as Buddha.

[12:46]

The whole, everything, everything we've ever thought or said or heard or acted with, is a reflection of this dharma body, this fundamental reality, this original master. And we don't necessarily realize that. And it's And yet, it is the way it is. Of course, there's also the religion of cool food. I'll come to that. But what if I'm a woman? There's a promise to this world, to this reality, to this cosmos. So we have our first Gohatsu Sushi in December. We've tried Gohatsu Sushi since 2019. We decided to cover Gohatsu Sushi.

[13:52]

reading this, and what we're talking about, what I think of by Ko and Ejo, they'll give us a cycle, but it's an expression of something that don't get rid of it. It's the Marty of the treasury of radiance. Radiance is not light as opposed to dark. David Gregg has asked me about this often. It's not about just light. It's not about just dark. It's like this traditional master is present. Something fundamental is present on each of our seats. And we may not realize it. And we may not know how to express it. But this is actually the source of energy in people's vitality. It's really fundamental for centers and tradition. This text that we will be talking about in December, we won't get to all of it, but it's wonderful.

[15:10]

And it goes back to the flowering of a center. We have a concept of a center. And it's kind of in the background of something that my teacher actually mentioned something about it a lot that won't be all year. And we have a Friday meeting, a monthly meeting. The meeting was this coming Friday, which by the way, everyone's welcome. 7 o'clock when we just read it around. Anyway, it's a very massive subject. But this is a background teaching. I started mentioning this. And the model of the treasury of gradients, really comes out of it.

[16:30]

And again, it's kind of the background. Founder of China, Dongshan, the sixth ancestor of the Yen school. Anyway, this teaching is about the way in which Buddha is here. Not necessarily Shakyamuni Buddha, or Suzuki Roshi, or Daudeng Zenji, but just the Buddha that is omniscient. Our practice, and sustaining that practice, is about learning to trust that. Learning to allow this original Buddha to be first in my lives. And this Fundamental Buddha is also about Sangha, very much so.

[17:42]

How do we do this together? How do we support each other? How do we support our own and each other's energy and enthusiasm? When you do this practice regularly for a while, for years or decades, Now, at times, it feels kind of dull and boring. One finds oneself on a plateau in practice. That's one of the challenges. How do we sustain our energy and enthusiasm about caring, about caring about our lives, about caring about the world, about caring about each other, And, you know, sometimes that takes a little work. How do we be patient when we, I mean, or whatever.

[18:46]

So this practice is not about reaching some, you know, super being, super mental state, shinto sekita or Japanese who wrote the Father McGrath says in the 100 New Biblical Singles, merging with, how does this, what does this say? Merging with oneness is still not enlightenment. We have to express this energy, this kindness, this enthusiasm in our lives in the world, in whatever way our lives function in the world. That's what this practice is about. How do we share our energy? How do we, and how do we receive the energy of others? That's what Sangha is about. We support each other in specific ways as well as you need to do.

[19:55]

So just to close, I want to talk about how Sangha is open to the world, open to everything in the world. And this is very challenging. You know, each of us is at a different place in our lives, and sometimes we must dig into our own ancient, twisted karma, or become intimate with it, and be kind to ourselves. But also, we don't use the practice and our experience in awaiting the kind of escape and the kind of spiritual bypass. That's what it's called. How do we know this what's going on in the world? So, my friend and mentor Joanna Macy talks about some words that we use as islands of sanity. How do we

[21:01]

In a world where there's a lot of insanity, there's a lot of craziness. We all know that. How do we stay open to kindness and generosity in our community and with all the other communities? So what I'm going to say now is not about politics at all. It's about precepts. It's about killing. It's about benefiting all beings. It's about how do we support each other. So I have to say something. I need to say something to myself, but for everyone, about the situation in Gaza now, where there's genocide and ethnic cleansing right now. And this is not to in any way support the horrible attacks that are on us in Israel, but the reaction of the Israeli government

[22:17]

Sponsored by the United States government, I have to say, the weapons, the national support. In Gaza now, there are children killed every 10 minutes. What's happening there is just horrible. Almost all of the other countries in the world, the United Nations had called for a ceasefire And that call was vetoed by the United States. So I contacted my congressperson and senators, and they were all welcome to do that. It's a new issue. To support, which is why we're more on calls for that and demonstrations and so forth, to do this in cities all around the world. So again, you know, I'm talking about this in a complex way, but how do we take care of our energy and our enthusiasm for life and for caring and for supporting our children, for benefiting all beings?

[23:38]

I can't say enough, but what's happening here is really valuable. possibly being bombed by the Israeli government. And it's just an echo of something that happened to us. We talk about this issue as 9-11. I remember 9-11 in New York, and and initially, you know, the country came together and then decided on a policy of revenge. So we invaded a government, invaded Iraq, which had nothing to do with my office. And that destabilized the whole region. That led to what's happening now. So again, I mentioned this to encourage being island-sensitive and looking at what's happening and responding with respect to the kid. So caring for energy, caring for vitality, caring for kindness and patience means being willing to discuss those things, which now

[25:01]

In this country, you know, people being punished and losing their jobs for even mentioning the genocide at this point. That's not anti-Semitic. Anyway, I could say a lot more about this, and then I'll stop now. And again, remind us that Sanda and energy is about mutual support, about caring for each other and ourselves, about being upright together. And this is something we'll do. So I didn't want to talk too long, and maybe it's just time to stop. I'm interested in hearing any comments, responses about mortality and PTSD. So thank you all very much again. Comments, responses. Yes, Lee.

[26:30]

Thank you for a wonderful talk. It was very energizing for me. No pun intended. Yeah, I've been... I've been directing a lot of my energy lately towards the Sangha, and I really have felt that just reflected back at me by everyone here in this wonderful way. I see how enthusiastic everyone that shows up is. And it's been really wonderful for me, I think, to echo your sentiment. I think we're doing really well right now. I think we're really thriving. You know, this past calendar year in particular, I think it's been wonderful for us, so many new people. And I feel that energy bubbling up in our Sangha, just, you know, in the process of exploding out. It makes me hopeful and excited and happy for the Dharma.

[27:32]

I think we're just getting started. I think so. What are the comments or responses? And, you know, being in Ireland, it's very important that we can come together. We don't have to agree on everything. That's hopefully not the case. But please feel free to express your thoughts. Um? I appreciate you talking about this. But I also wanted to talk about the situation in Gaza and share your horror. But I have to disagree with you when you have.

[28:35]

My answer referred to what's going on here is. genocide and ethnic cleansing. Jews now have a pretty good idea of where genocide is, and they have real interest in exterminating the Palestinian people. This isn't like the extermination of Jews during World War II, or gypsies, or gay people, or the bloodbaths in Rwanda. maybe 15 or 20,000 people have died in Gaza so far. That's a horrible thing. If Jews wanted to commit genocide, they have the ability to do that and we have not. So I think it's better to look at the violence and the death and to disagree strongly with what the Israelis are doing. But I think it obscures thinking about the situation to call it genocide. Thank you. And we can agree to disagree.

[29:38]

And I hear you. And I might be the only English person in the room. And I think it's important as we think about this as a country, as a people, as a world, to separate Jewish people and anti-Semitism from opposition to what the Israeli government does. So I, you know, this is a Dharma talk. I don't want to get too much into, you know, policy stuff, but it's actually part of what we are facing now in the world. And, ah, How do we look at what's happening in terms of being open to globally?

[30:40]

I mean, there are hospitals being bombed or threatened with bombing. So, you know, war is horrible. All war is horrible in white people alone. But in modern times, as it were, civilians are more the victims. And the international law defines killing civilians as war crime. And I don't know. I don't think the Israeli people necessarily want to, as a whole, want to commit genocide. People were in their government and basically said that our signal meeting people. Maybe not. On a personal note. This is about five years since the massacre, the largest massacre of Jews in the United States at the pre-arrived Zimbabwean Hague in Pittsburgh.

[32:06]

And I grew up a few blocks from there and it's wonderful. I went to Hebrew school over there. And I think studying Hebrew. Oh, let me do translations of Dogen and Hongshu and studying Chinese characters because I was used to a non-English, non-Arabic rhetoric system. Anyway, I had a high school class in the local. And. It's not in our name, and I think there's been more demonstrations around the world, actually, by Jewish people saying that incinerating or, you know, attacking civilians in Gaza is not proportional to promises. Terrible attempt. And I also, you know, I sympathize with Israelis who remember that the Holocaust will

[33:10]

care about trying to protect the religion. So it's difficult, it's difficult. I appreciate, Douglas, thank you for expressing your view on it. And you know, what these words, genocide, I don't know, whatever definitions there are, there are legal definitions for those things, but I think what's happening in Johnson now is terrible. And attacking, Bazaar and civilians, it's not going to help. Again, I'm trying not to talk about this, but how do we see it in terms of perception, in terms of benefiting all the organizations? Thank you. Well, you know, thanks. I've just been mulling it over. Thank you. Well, I wasn't quite ready to speak yet either, but I am now. I think that we are, what I'm really noticing is the power of

[34:15]

language and the power of the words that we use. And I think that especially when things are so tense and polarized and there's so much unrest, the words that we use, maybe we should choose to be very careful. And I was thinking about, you know, not holding to fixed views and doubt with insight. how can we use our, how can we speak maybe in such a way that the words that we use can promote peace and not divide further? Thank you. Yes. And yes, how do we support negotiation, discussion, WORKS THAT ARE INFORMATORIAL OR NOT. I'M JUST THINKING QUOTE THE META-SUTAH. AND I'VE BEEN DISCUSSING DOING A META-SUTAH SERVICE ON I THINK THE 17TH OF DECEMBER, BUT EVERY SIX WEEKS OR SO THAT MIGHT BE ORIENTED TOWARDS PEACE AND

[35:48]

appropriate caring and response to the difficulty in the world. At the same time, there's so much difficulty, there's also so much love. And the people, I think all of us, have broken hearts about this situation, about so many situations that, you know, it's just not a good idea to give humans weapons. We have very poor impulse control. And, you know, it's, you know, people went sad a little while before they constructed a lot of this stuff. The world might be a better place, but now we live with what we have. And, you know, I think our Sangha has the strength that we have. You know, we've pulled the tea strings. We've gone to demonstrations, you know, but I think we've developed this warm, caring heart. And I think about the energy rising, you know, We now have energy to actually elevate Uho on the altar.

[36:52]

It took us a year to get that going. We actually have a couple pieces of artwork on the walls. It's a great effort to raise one tier and now they are the Dragon Gate. And I want to thank Brian Taylor, who actually installed these pieces at my request and Taigen's request. But, you know, slowly, you know, I think, wow, you know, If everybody moved as carefully and slowly as the ancient dragon, the rules might be a little kinder, but it's not. And we do our vows together. But I do think that there's something about, you know, in our dedications when we chant and when we sit on our Christians and so on, we dedicate. I mean, we dedicate our effort to the well-being, to peace pervading the world. And, you know, I thank everyone for your energy and encouragement around this, because we all need it.

[37:58]

The world needs this. So thank you for bringing forward this issue. I know it's such a hard thing to touch or to turn away from. Yes, turning away and fetching a book of books. And there was a massive fire, for sure. As you were saying, you know, we have just in our country these assault rifles, easily available, and people who are disturbed using them in such horrible ways, and they weren't nuclear weapons. Anyway, so it's a dangerous world. And yet I also want to more. And so what you said, there's so many people all over the world wanting and trying to express love and kindness and caring. It's true. So if someone else who wants to

[39:07]

Yes. So I think you touched on something really important when you specified that talking about the policies of Israel should not be completed with the opinions and actions of Jewish people on the whole. Thank you. It's exactly the same sort of mistake to say like. To talk about like American Republicans and use the word Christians for it. like it's the whole like square rectangle thing all squares are rectangles no rectangles or you know not all rectangles are squares so like like any government the people that are in it are the people that want power and then they want power people that want to hold on to power and people that want to hold on to power will do violent things all along the power as throughout history but that has nothing to do with the average person of any age. So that's something that I really appreciated.

[40:12]

And along with all the people who want power, and all the billionaires who do more and more and more and more, not to stereotype all billionaires, I'm sure people will care about them. Some of them are squirts. Some of them are squirts. One of them will drop a donation in our bucket. Yeah. Thank you. I wonder if anyone online, I don't think I know everyone online. I don't know if it's people's first time here, but maybe it's Anyone who's new, newish, could say where you are. John, you're in Chicago, right? Yeah, I'm outside of Chicago in Wheeling. Nick Brown is supposed to know us.

[41:17]

Yes, welcome, welcome. Nick, where are you from? I'm from Hampshire. I'm not sure if anyone will know. It's a small town. I'm about like an hour from Chicago. I came in person maybe a month or two ago, but had just been a little busy. So coming back online now. Thank you. Great. You're very welcome. Yeah. Wonderful talk. So thank you. You know, it's interesting thing is I feel very strongly about supporting people I'll just make an online song. Mark Splitt has talked eloquently about this because he's here down in New Mexico. He's covered it for this white person. Although, Elliot, where are you now? Are you in California or Chicago? I am currently in New Hampshire. Oh, great. I spent some of that wonderful time in my own childhood in New Hampshire. So, yes, any of you online have anything you would like to add to this discussion before we close?

[42:31]

Okay, well, we will continue trying to be an island of sanity and support each other to be kind and generous and caring and alert.

[42:50]

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