Good evening, everyone. Good evening. So, last evening, we ended a three-day session, the first multi-day session we've done at the Dragon Zen Gate since December 2019. And today is the last day, last Dharma Talk formally of the practice commitment period in the first practice period. We've done it since 2018. So I first want to start by just acknowledging. Well, how wonderful it is to. Have our Shamba back on track. In some sense. During the practice period, doing a multi-day feel to me like landlords in something new and in something old and maybe also blue, I don't know.

[01:13]

Anyway, we were back. The session was wonderful. I felt that for three days, the steadiness of people and the number of the people who are here tonight and also here for that. we did Zazen together and we did service and we had meals in the Zendo. But I also feel like we need to recognize how much of a disjunction the pandemic was. for our Sangha and for everybody and for our world and for our country. So we have to renew. And it's not the same as it was.

[02:16]

We lost our Zendo. We're in this wonderful new interim Zendo. We are actively involved in looking for a long-term new space. And there were a lot of, there was a lot of injuries to the world over this pandemic. Along with, of course, all the people in this country who passed away. Many of us here have had COVID. Maybe that's a good thing. We're back, getting back in the United States. Anyway, it's a time of change. We have this online situation. And we're looking to develop our hybrid system.

[03:19]

And, you know, we're not doing too bad on this. And we have lots of people who joined us for the session and for the practice period from distant places, California and New Mexico and Indiana and getting some Wisconsin anyway. And also we have this nice warm Zendo space to sit in person. But a lot of people were damaged in ways you don't necessarily realize. And all the younger people, we have a number of school teachers in Absalda. One of them was describing his fourth grade class and all the struggles

[04:29]

to keep them going, given that they missed two years of regular school. So it's an interesting, potentially creative new situation, and also we've lost a lot of things. And Because of hybridism, we have also gained the possibility to sit together with people at a great distance. So our song has expanded in that way. And people of the world have had this transformation. And we know there is lots of situations of suffering all over the world. In this country, we're relatively in good condition compared to most places in the world, in a lot of ways.

[05:41]

So this practice period, we used as a focusing text the CTO of the Mahakirti, who was... according to the sutra, a great awakened lay person in Buddhist time, highly awakened. And many interesting things happen in this sutra, very colorful stories. But on one level, it's just about practicing in the world. So the molecule D entered all kinds of ordinary spaces in the world, challenging spaces in the world, and was sawed right in each of them as the best there. And you see the situations of all those places can help awaken the people from nature within.

[06:47]

Maybe it's worth mentioning that in this assembly, at first in front of the Buddha, but then they all go and occupy Vimalakirti's house. And his sick room is, because he's ill, and it's a room maybe half the size of this zenith. and yet an amazing number of beings are able to fit into it. So one of the things that the sutra does is to undercut our usual senses, space and time dimensions. So I think maybe for some people in the practice period, this part was uncomfortable, and for some people it was entertaining, but also there's this inconceivable teaching that's in line with the Tamsaka, flower, and etc., which is very, very important in Sato Zen, but in which there are wild things that happen.

[08:10]

And it's based on the teaching of inconceivability, that we don't We can't possibly conceive and perceive of everything that is happening in our world and in front of us, even though part of our practice is supposed to just meet each thing in front of us. So to have a sense of humility about what we can know, what we can see, To be patient with that. So one of the signature teachings of the Buddha, Kirti Sutra, now let's say the Sanskrit word for this, I'll say it one last time, Anathataka Dharmakshanti. Patience. Patience with the fact that we cannot get a hold of things. That everything in our world is ungraspable. that we can't, that it's beyond birth and death, that we don't, we can't really understand completely or control everything that's happening.

[09:19]

So this is an important teaching for us. We're taught in our educational systems or our stuff to learn to, to, uh, try and make progress and control things and understand things and some things can't be understood and how things change can't be understood. So the question is, and the question that's brought up in the sutra is, how do we help beings? So I talked during the session about the Buddha work and the sutra talks about that, doing the Buddha work. And as Bodhisattva practitioners, That's what we're all doing. We're doing Buddha work. We are expressing awakening and supporting awakening and kindness and helpfulness in the world, in all the realms of the world in which we are occupying.

[10:29]

So I'm just sort of summarizing some of what we can talk about during the last three days of Sushin, during the last two-month practice period. And there are probably important pieces of this that are not mentioned. Well, the teaching about Buddha fields, that when a Buddha awakens, they consolidate a field of awakening. that our practice in the world is not just about us. It's not a self-help methodology. It's about waking up and supporting and being supported by everyone and everything. that we can't get a hold of things. We can't really fully grasp them.

[11:39]

Reality itself is beyond that. And things are not just things. Everything is a lot. This is what the Buddha taught. This is what modern physics is demonstrating, their thoughts scientifically. So we live in the Buddha field of Shakyamuni Buddha. who lived in what we now call India. This is called the Saha world, which is the world of endurance. There are lots of challenges in the world. How do we support kindness, kind speech? I talked yesterday about Dogen's four dharmas, Supporting games, generosity, kind speech, beneficial action, helping people.

[12:41]

And then this cooperation or identity action that there's this possibility of cooperating together rather than competing or trying to take advantage of others. So we see in this world that there is lots of damage. How do we oppose systems of injustice and cruelty and harm that are abundantly around us, destruction of the environment, all these difficulties. How do we do that without falling into hatred of people who are espousing that, who have been misguided into espousing that? So this is a long, long project. We have to study history, the history of our lineage and of the practice of awakening, but also the history of our country and all of it, even why it makes us uncomfortable.

[13:55]

and we have to realize the current attack on history and studying history. Anyway, how do we act hopefully in all of this? That's the question really. And how do we take care of ourselves and support each other in Sangha? That's another question. So Sangha is about coming together, practicing together, supporting each other, This is a challenge. How do we? How can we be willing to ask for help for people in the sound of when we need it? How can we be open to hearing the calls for help? You know, song that in the world. So maybe I've said enough about. It's past two months and it's past three days, and I have to keep babbling, but I'm interested in hearing what you all have to say about anything.

[15:06]

So some of you in the room and some of you online have been part of the practice period over three days, and some of you have not, and that's fine. What... Interested in hearing any comments or responses to any of this that any of you may have. So comments, responses, questions, questions for the Samba, please feel free. I just thought the Thuja Shishin was lovely, because I wanted to go get soup and light and rain, and then rain, and all the people we worked on to make the Thuja Shishin successful. It really was a hard work. It really was a hard working event, and I just wanted to work so hard. Jerry, thank you.

[16:09]

Everybody who was part of it really helped. Everybody who wasn't part of it. Yeah. We could hear Laurel's screeching in the first song. Lewis, Romy, Leighton Square, you know, this was an all-inclusive event. Yeah. Yeah, thank you. So this was an actualization of the molecule cheese situation, us together in our life, in the garden, taking care of the Zen though, enjoying unbelievably delicious tea treats and, you know, being tired and worried about things and everything altogether.

[17:13]

Good movie. Yes, thank you. Is that a Zen movie? Many movies are Zen movies. and one of the comments i really liked was from joe was who joined us online the first day the first time he said oh he's gonna stand all day he's i don't has he ever been here i think he was an amanecer uh anyway he's one of the people who starts us online and he really sat the first day felt it and he said i feel tired and resting at the same time which i thought was a lovely description of session bodyguard other comments or questions please

[18:15]

I just was reflecting during Sashim on really, you know, the past few years. And for me, I think that it wasn't so bad losing our space, but losing the structures and the forms that, you know, we kind of knew over time and it evolved over time for that space. And you could kind of fold yourself in. And I think that a lot of work has gone into bringing those forms to how they work here. And in this situation that I, and I, I especially thank who gets in for organizing, you know, a lot of the forms are out our meal preparation, but, but, but there's been a lot of work over the past few months since we've been in a stable space to bring back our,

[19:26]

way of being it was so it wasn't the space as much as the way of being together that um you know it was easy to fold yourself in on a monday night or you know come up you know talk on a sunday and make tea if somebody was absent because you know you kind of basically knew how to do it and um we're still i think you know working on that or i am but uh I think that was the hardest thing. And at the same time, I think a lot of us were all, you know, working much harder during the pandemic and since. And so it seemed like, you know, oh, we're busy and everything. But I think, you know, my practice really suffered. And everyone should think it from not having this available to us. And so that I think was... Maybe the most wonderful part of teaching was to just be held in place again by the forms for a significant period of time.

[20:31]

Someone was speaking to me and said, you know, I actually admire the military, someone who was in Sashim and said, you know, because you can, if there's an actual disaster, the National Guard assembles itself and whatever's going on in their personal situation doesn't matter. They have the mission. And that's sort of like what I think we're coming back to creating an environment where we can drop into the mission of inconceivable liberation of all beings kind of kindness and wisdom and compassion and coming back to do and hearing birdsong you know that that we were reunited in mission i thought that was a really beautiful way to kind of describe what i think you're describing returning to the source yeah and knowing you're placed in that's what you're talking about positions ah So I only live a little more than a mile away.

[21:48]

I've done searching, so I kept thinking about where you were during the day. Oh, no, there's nothing to eat. And so that was lovely. But I wanted to say, I keep saying that my practice suffered during the pandemic, but I'm starting to think my practice grew during the pandemic because it was so hard. I mean, life's been so hard. So many things in our lives were so hard. And I think, you know, it, I didn't sit every day, but I certainly was challenged by life in ways that needed to rely on practice in ways that were pretty stretchy, needed stretching.

[22:52]

Anyway, so I'm still thinking about that. I don't know, I'm not, I don't quite resolve it. But I want to say one other thing. Today when I, so this evening when I walked in the back, Fogetsu was sitting in the garden, being the reader in the garden, and I thought, oh, I love having a garden. And so, as part of our Zen doubt, and so, It's for those of you who are looking for another space for the future. Oh, please, a garden. It's so beautiful to see. They're staying in the garden, greeting us. That is offering flowers on a distant hillside to Rudolph. Yeah. We could work in the garden during work period? Yes. During our practice in a place and it was a really big garden.

[23:56]

It was like a lot of work. But I love that. You know, I've been thinking about those forms too. And in a way, I know in COVID, you know, we all sort of the forms that have fell away on the circuit and all that. But there's a plus side to that, because one, it makes you realize two things, how important those forms are, and it makes you also not get so attached to them. I know when I first came to Agent Dragon, I practiced for years someplace else, and their forms were completely different. And I got here and I thought, my first couple of months with these people are doing it all wrong. It took me a long time to realize your opinion. The concept of what's in Buddhism is really women and girlfriends. And so in some ways, you know, there's a bonus to losing something.

[24:58]

Because it comes back sort of in a bigger, stronger way. Yeah, because you can do it sort of without you're sort of Yeah, yeah. And it's sort of, and it was sort of even during the day that Ruben was doing, he rang the bells completely different. And I kind of liked it. He just made sure everybody sat down at random. And I kind of liked it. You know, he's a letter guy. So, you know, he's different. So, you know, he's trying to, in a different way. So he was holding on to that form. And so there could be a war of forms. I think our forms come back stronger because they're lighter, they're more flexible, and they're adapting to our situation and who we all are at this time. So I think there's a great, I agree there's a great benefit and that

[26:00]

It felt to me like we all are supporting each other with the forms, not like policing them or having a war like mine is better than yours. Well, that's what he said to me later. I didn't know what I was doing. I said, you weren't doing it wrong. I thought it was better than this because it gets people used to it. I thought there's different ways to do the same form. And it's good to everybody get on the same train too. So we work with this. This is So when the Zendo, when it's taken care of, people don't have to worry about it. They're going to get fed, nourish. We have somebody ring the bells. We have cushions, you know. And we're all creating that and sensitive to what we need now. It's really lovely. Yes, it's a very creative situation. We're Renewing the adornment of the way of working. Okay, so it's new possibilities.

[27:07]

And yeah, we have to be open and flexible and creative as we sell. So it's an opportunity. It's a daunting thing. Yes, Mike. I found that as we settled into our forums during session, even if we were rotating positions during different days, it allowed me to or personally um to feel more intimate with everyone not and feel like i was getting to know everyone better not because we were sharing words and talking to ourselves but um the way you know roman holds his bells or the way that he eats you know or you know you observe you know so much many smaller things um you're so much more aware of more things uh and people who i don't know socially and haven't said, you know, five words to before, I felt so close to it.

[28:12]

I've known it's such a wonderful experience. It's really thankful. Yes, Ashim does that. And I think to follow up with what everyone's saying, especially after the pandemic and feeling so disconnected, not only from our sangha, but from the forms themselves and from practice, it was a real strengthening of my own practice to come here and then to feel this is the right place to be. Any comments from the folks online? A couple of you. Hi, it's Nicholas. Hi, Nicholas. Hey, it's great hearing kind of like you know, all the fermentation of the sashimi being, you know, talked about, you know, the, the, the sashimi that took place in person.

[29:31]

And, um, cause of course it's not like that, uh, on zoom at all. And, and the good news, I guess, is that I know exactly. Yeah. I could really identify with everything that's being said and really understand, you know, the experience that everyone was having. Um, And it's just very different on Zoom, but happy to have Zoom as a resource. I guess I was struck, I really appreciated the Dharma talk and was struck by some things that you said about, I think you said something like how things change we cannot understand. And it got me thinking about how change has happened in my life and really the biggest changes in my life. I feel like I had nothing to do with, um, you know, they came by way of chance encounters or just, uh, just opportunities appear out of, you know, some kind of, they were like gifted by, you know, mysterious, uh,

[30:51]

uh, force of kismet or, you know, like, like literally I feel like I didn't have a lot of personal involvement in, in many of the best things that have happened to me in my life that have changed me profoundly. And, and so it's, you know, and we go, I don't know. I just hear a lot of, and my, I do it myself. It's like, I, I speak often, like I'm in control of my life or I can change my life or I can do this or do that. And it's just really what, you know, we can do a lot of things, but in another way, it's like, what, what can I really do? It just seems like, you know, I'm just really kind of powerless, but I, I can, bear witness and I can be aware of my breath and I can try to let go.

[31:55]

Those things I am in control of. Anyway, I'm kind of babbling at this point, but great to see all your glowing faces and Thank you to the sangha. Thank you, Nicholas, for joining us. And yeah, we don't have total control, and yet we can have intention, vow, commitment to, as Theron's translation says, the written skillful technique. trying to help, trying to be helpful and to be open and aware and to not hold on to what we think everything should be. Yes, I'm reminded of a comment that is his name. Paul lives over in the East Bay. I'll just go.

[33:01]

Yeah, I made a comment about Vow a few weeks ago that really struck me. Yeah, so it's about Vow, right? And then see what happens. But yeah, we can always have Vows. That's why we have them, I guess. That seeing what happens is on a product credit. Right. that studying the bow is important. And when that goes awry, that's important too. Yeah, being willing to make mistakes is part of skillfulness, trial and error, and patience, patience, patience. I also want to just offer that next month, many of us actually here are going to Tassapara and the sashin

[34:14]

It's, you know, the great mothership form, let's say. But actually, the Sashin is great practice of how we blend in as a community. Because we'll be there with two other groups, and they're going to blend with us, and they're going to blend with the community at Tosara. So everyone there is going to be practicing together from different places. I mean, even like Berkeley is a little bit different. situation that us are. And even San Francisco and Page Street has a little bit of difference. So we'll be fine with ourselves, but this is our opportunity also to, you know, come out into the world like Vimalakirti and go to a new place and connect with this greater lineage that we're part of. So, and Nicholas will be joining us as well, which is really wonderful. I will. I'm so excited. We're excited. I'm excited that you'll be there. And, you know, although you've been sort of this name on a screen, your beautiful voice and sincere and open comments, I think, are also just flow right with our situation.

[35:30]

So thank you, Nicholas. Thank you. And practice with you and real human physicality. Nicholas joined us, excuse the pun on his name, in Irving Park numbers of times, so he's a kind of veteran here. But thank you, Augusta, for leading that. We're not fully in time for announcements, but I appreciate you bringing that up. And are there still spaces available, and what are the dates? Well, I don't know. I mean, there's allegedly a space or two available. So if anybody really wants to get on the train, they should pop on fairly soon. You know, I kind of, Tom's Reservations knows what we have and they offered us 14 slots. We have 12 taken, but they may have repoed some of them. They've been checking with me, but you know, it all works out. And I think it's like the 26th of June to the 2nd of July.

[36:31]

That's my recollection, yeah. Thank you. Wade. It's a little bit like we're all organs in one body. And I felt this during Sashi that my stomach doesn't, know really what my lungs do. Certainly, if someone doesn't know how my lungs do, they do. But it knows they can fully rely on them to do that, to sustain it, and vice versa. And so I felt that very much. I knew that I was going to serve at 12. I had nothing to do with it. It was just going to appear that my seat, three days in a row, twice a day, would appear in front of me. And all I had to do was just allow the seconds to pass.

[37:35]

And same thing with everything else. I got to sit a lot of sauce in because Mike was cooking. Maybe I was sitting Zazen for a night. And so it felt like we were all doing these jobs. I had a very strong feeling of interest with that. And I think maybe some of us are the same, that we're joining these songs as a Tastahara. We're all just organs in the Zen body. We're all just organs in the Dharmakaya. You know, we talked about that during Sashin, that Sangha is a model of how we work together. And, you know, our Sangha lost our Zendo and our Sangha is continuing. It's really wonderful. And we'll continue with our new Zendo. We're really fully functioning in this interim Zendo. It's lovely. And yet, part of the practice is helping

[38:44]

many beings awaken to how they can be part of Sangha, whether it's this particular Sangha or some Sangha, or how we are all interrelated, as you had mentioned in your snap. So, yeah, how are we connected with all beings and how can we support them? Yes, Asian? No. A little more back here. Ah. Yes. Well, unless somebody else has something you would like to say, you're welcome to do. I had a question. You mentioned Tassajara. I'm wondering specifically, is it a Sashin or what exactly is happening in those days? So what we're going to do, so Tassajara, as you know, is our Zen mountain monastery. It's in the mountains, kind of west of Carmel, California.

[39:50]

Right. Yes. And we were offered the opportunity to visit there as a sangha and practice for six days with the Tassajara community. So this isn't like a full-on Zen practice period for three months. Nor is it just a vacation. And there will be two other groups, one from San Francisco Zen Center, their prayer Dharma group, and then a group from Berkeley Zen Center. And we're all going to go to Tassajara and sit Zazen in the morning and work with the community to take care of Tassajara and make our food. And then sit a little horse asan and hang out together and enjoy the beauty of Tassajara together at the Sangha practice. So it's just this six nights at Tassajara. It's kind of semi-formal, let's say. Does that answer what you need to know? Yes. Thank you. Appreciate it.

[40:52]

Maybe in the future that dates don't work, but definitely be interested in the future. Yeah, it would be great. There will be more opportunities, hopefully, unless there's not. Well, thank you, everybody. Thank you all for reading our session and practice period. Whether you were here physically or not, it still should describe. So let's close with the four bodies, not the glass, and then we'll have any other announcements.

[41:29]

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