September 29th, 2001, Serial No. 00092, Side A

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BZ-00092A
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numerous
try to taste of tourists effects of active service
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i'm making some funny noises
oh

i'd like to talk today
about altruists creating alters how we use
and how they use us maybe
and i like of
to start first by saying
did i think
one via casks
in this times to preach
all we can
into remembering how connected
the whole world
that's the whole universe
so first
i'd like to talk about our all to here at b c c into side of too little
wandering around there and little introduction to what's on the altar so many times we take it for granted that we know what's on it if we had the pleasure of being cheeky dough and help cleaning the floor and this
endo and keeping it together or we had the pleasure of being cheated in cleaning this afternoon working with the sailors being
so that's you know something that we started to take some of us take for granted if we've been around here for long time so i'm very i'm gonna go jump ahead to the end ah
i'd like to give people who haven't really had a chance after the zendo is empty mtn we've gotten while people are out for tea
to come forward and look at the things that are on this austrian sort of acquaint yourself with them
now
so what does this place with thinking of this side of creating
sacred spaces
so we want to talk better salty but also than we want to leave enough time lot of time for talking about creating our hope knowledge to for the home and some of you i know a lot of you here have ongoing practices of in half
alters at home and i hope hoping some of you will share your wisdom in your experiences with those
so over there i hope people can see the suzuki roshi his altar and over this a picture of suzuki roshi
our teacher
our founder of this temple and andrew nice iraq there was taken from the tassajara stream and i don't remember what it says of the rock down to you does anyone know one of you scholars of japanese
anyway
don't see peter showed up with sugar your dial show
that serves desire to be conserved posthumous name
the new potentials
the rock rock
the last group
king
but that's not the name of our temple
so
on
and then our next
we have up there
our our buddha and
i my understanding of it is this murderer which is different than any one that i have ever seen and that reading different books and then we asking many people are it's a variation and it is not typical but it's a variation of the teaching mode
dre and on the turning the wheel of dharma and one one way that's presented is this way
in sometimes it's presented with the hand down like this
but anyway

and one is the thing said a lot of people think is that this is very heavy
this is made out of cloth and rags basically put together except for the halo so that it's it's always amazing to look at this into lifted up his minutes
screwing up
where'd it go we get it all
it was brought in japan and it was a brought to us by paper roshi who did the shopping for him he brought it here
i see how antarctica said yes it used to be you
well
replace
whoever wants
i'm gonna try to go on and not take questions right now come say okay
so
ah
the next book they sought for we have there is manjushri
and
manju juicery carries a sword
and he's on the fire while my far right your far left and he carries a sword the sword of cutting through delusion
and
this one is actually sitting on a lotus flower sometimes he's on a cloud or sometimes on
oh here's i lie in there
and
he has the sword in his right hand and squall usually with the squirrel of the passion of part of me to on his left sometimes there are some a blossoms near his head to
so then we come to offer petesch far who's also known here as yin and i think actually are of loki test far is over here in the style of quanyan chinese versions of a low-key test
fire which can either be feminine or masculine depending
strong female feminine aspects
so
in alpha to test fire
is listener the hero of the suffering of the earth
and

i guess we need to listen very carefully these days to that suffering and three member how wide it is that is it's just not are suffering
and the the folks story about a hello test for
is the story of
the eleven heads
and
he's a
so busy looking around and trying to see how he can save all beings and they come faster than he can get rid of them faster than he can cure and tell his head splits open
and some stories they say it goes rolling away and
and it's and amida buddha takes pity on him in picks up he heads and puts it together in a tower and on the top we have the head of the need of buddha in an almost
frequently when you see any form of local avalokiteshvara for you will see a little amida buddha in appear in the crown looking out at you
so
prisoner power meter is the next
when i'd like to talk about the next bodhisattva
and pricing a power meter
we have impression upon the eco right here under the buddha
looking out at us
looking out do it list and
president buhari meta is transcendental wisdom
and it's usually represented as a female
and and as our and it represents all of the prussian upon me to suitors or all of the ones from the small one that says on and the large the one that eight thousand ah
vs
and the one isn't the whole i think there's posts i've read recently that there are forty different versions of of loki a fuss president family to citrus

it's very nice to have an image there for me it feels very nice to have an image there that's clearly a female image
in is represented as such
the third of the last one i would like to talk about is the jizo and we have a jizo altering back but we don't usually have a so here so i bought this little juice so can
and i hope you can see it in go home with me my granddaughter
when this is over
in a way jesus is the is it jesus was as japanese name his or is known as to shoot a guy bar
ah
in are was known that way in india ah
and is in in english is called a store bodhisattva and he goes down his vow is to go down to the hell realms to the center of the earth to go everywhere that
things need saving
and
i asked to him back
seems always to have little rocks and stones little pieces of things offered their on that altar sometimes flowers sometimes
pile of dirt and often you get three rocks piled up together and sometimes with the little red
a on i want to say a little red beard but i guess work as soon as more
and
and today
in many parts of the world
a main
cause

i'm gonna have to stop and get a drink of water safe
thank you

so many parts in the world
chisel is
is very important because of the loss of children for the loss of children that aren't born
ah in places where there
it's not a lot of birth control
as the opportunity for using it abortion is the main way that we lose children
and
and jizo goes downs the stories are into the hell realm to save those children
it also to save their parents to give them better reincarnations
we don't talk here very much about reincarnations but
when you're in japan they're just geezers everywhere just those of you who have been there node you walk down walk down an alley from where we stayed and probably you'd see thirty different
the farms of jizo by the time you got down to the bus stop which was very short walk so
we have our after and there for jason it's very accept accessible

kind of the other things we have an hour after
are the names of people who have died in this last month
the we've had the names
we have the names of individual people who have died and then and now we have the offering for all those people who have died can you see
i want to stay carnage
if the events that have happened that we all know about since the eleventh
and my roster at home i have two pictures of melee or teacher mainly who died not long ago
one she's sitting a very straight
it is cold picture and over her there's this photograph of a huge pile of rocks are framed and she's sitting there straight is can be in the other one is a picture that allen took that is
is
i don't know alan could you tell us what the event was when you took that picture ah
a year ago
there was a guy know
weapon these teachers at spirit rock
people that
of course so
one know
each other again
carter not posing
thank you
thank you for the picture and timeless

so
i liked and now move more into of
how we work with hamas to his way i'd really like people to now they have things to say to leave it more open
for me
the lighted candle is a big big thing
and it's what i think of you know is it brings to life what's on my altar all the little things
ah
i brought it
a broader that a little buddha left it out on the porch a different kind of little buddha handmade one some was made for me
ah

i guess i want to say it if i've already said it again the thing that to me that makes an altar is are those offerings that once you put an offering on it becomes an all too
i mean to me proud the candles and a birthday cake i mean in a way they're in austin
oh

but every offering the stones when you can walk when i walked down the street in front of my house there few kids that still live in that neighborhood
only see little kids picking up stones
you know it it's almost like they're holding them ready to make an alternate it you know sometimes they keep you from while i know that when i go to the ocean
the fact that things came from the water i picked them up
and carry them com and that i take them back the next time if i remember so in a way sometimes the ocean that water those things are so important to things to be on an altar the candle the flame the
putting away the match that's been burnt to light the candle that's all part of that create a lot of space
then
putting her hands together
in a way when we stepped through that door and put our two hands together in guys show we face the altar
we're making that after a real asked her we're creating it with with our feelings

and when we put out the candle
we bow in many directions as we're going to do we're creating that alter again

when the g kiddo comes
in queens this room
well
we're being one together with the the floor with the altar with everything that's happening in this room we're learning from
when the children
cleans the after with this altar and put some flowers against their creating the altar

it's all acting and we do at home you can create they had asked her
we try every year to to have of
a time when we can make everybody can come and make clay buddha's or play jesus or whatever is in the heart to make

holiday would you say something that you're asked her
briefly
why are objects
we're own alter or i affect this with not not to read from the just sort of
for lot of things to read from know
okay thank you this is a melody on the child chavez who was sitting back there with a smile on her face at this point and her book after his in the street and on
i think it's the the day after tomorrow is the eleventh anniversary of the strong that hit me strong as in this fasts the boy being killed and so could you say a little bit about that over and about your own master
but look i read his return to the alchemist
people new accounts murdered around the nearest it's not great markman here at all
just the other side asked was do that
since i wrote a book is
you noticed such as it really interested in tourists and how they are every culture and religion and very very ancient
the earliest archaeological sites are just simple
no doubt named hot drinks
i read about the word subliminal that look at the table it's like com
the edge of the horizon the mental of a door in a way isn't the opening to the other world
just the way
now people are making them everywhere
i've been corresponding with my friend in new york is that the throughout sm
she's
toby how
at one place she visited the fire station near her house haussler every single firemen has been killed him
the replacement fire and change to their and they have a big all to there
she just broke down crying as a fireman just put his arm rather than that era just therapy delegates patting her head covered in her
i said to her why that could mean you know try to be strong that i also think reacted
really create and acknowledge everything that's happened so it could also mean get a teddy bear and put it on your altar
i'm not sure of laps down great your family
the very beyond their

this may be a diversion that i noticed
a little g so that it is on the altar i bowed from my granddaughter
who's rather sophisticated almost twenty one years old and i borrowed it from her because so we'd have some a small g so to put on the altar
in
you know she taught them into
national radio and she does all of the stuff you know she knows what to do
and
yes to the this morning when i opened the door to feeding the gso down and looked into the room
they were tiny teddy bears and huge circle and the way around the room starting at the hostage
so i hope everybody has some form of their teddy bear
in some way
so
i'm i'm going to open it awful people there's some people to say something about their altars or what they would like or questions about alters
i found that a lot of mine of energy has just been going into trying to keep my lips wet enough so that i think far but ah
and i'd like to hear from people and questions or tell us about your all tours in your experience with alters
yes
each summer leslie my backpack and often will you cross country and miles away from the nearest trailhead miles away from civilization will come across an altar rocks piled up to personal sparrow
we're offering couple of years ago we came across a many stonehenge and we were actually the last point there are a with you know i think it was for the celsius
and so to this
really beautiful and see that's for address
thank you

i think com the first alters i remember we're going
traveling in a house
in mexico
in seeing so many alters their and how rich they are
color and things
an hour or two at home there's a candle and there's
a small blue that has been carved for us
there's
there's a lot of gifts that people gave me there's a molars beads that that so moon
me
that me

i have personally

you have any suggestions for the adjusting this year period yeah

okay out there
charlie well ever thank you very much worth of the olive branch
he gave was yesterday i peppers are a marvel of gesture
we played on are all wrong
there was just thinking there
there is no here with our ritual
retro past the a year transforming
ah
what's in our hearts and minds yeah yeah
reproductive drafts to something bigger than we are
girl and i shop there will be
the olive branch that you gave us their the the tremendous power there
the traditionally all branches have
i'm very grateful

hess
half of that
question
if anyone else was out find new an ultra was to has them sitting characterizing a notch at a certain things and i just threw a chair and i moved
i've moved to currently filming i looked again today ska and i liked out the altar and it's kind of missing text the my partner
could use it for a home practice but we're not it's like it's really been missing when we have some we have a quaternion has sooner that have been sitting in various places to it's like we haven't given them a whole it's almost like we haven't given ourselves on and we did movie exchange
sometimes too
the soft and i want to my understanding is that is is key
some fairly static reduce pieces that you don't touch happy they replace me to clean them but they don't move around and that's what i like about it and yourself
that
hey and offerings natural things that then as they rocked have to be loud and stuff you get into that cycle and i just wanted to notice that the basics because i'm that's what i'm going to go
that
know
when move our alter i mean the places there it's
you know it's a great old piece of redwood solid car redwood which you know
don't exist in world anymore
that way
and ah and there's a small we have small i hope this is answering your there's a small shack and money
that's
that's very abstract my has been made it and it's two pieces of were joined together and then a hole drilled and doll rod cut off in there so that's the motor
very simple
oh
i think maybe the reason i love it so much is that every time i look at it i see it differently somehow it's or if
the other side is
take
your wife's surgery come in
your line everything up
our
as well as it's all on that altar which is not say the static on the author has been all over over the years
but ah
he's evolved with
we cleared intentionality and when something changes mean makes i have something for a while but it changes to really
the pressure or meta is the bullets try it out while and see if it is it at all
there ah
and seeps guess
but but things do have place how to replace said
but while the one was a natural spaces scientists in the what you say that that makes some sense
historically want is essentially
homeless or one since instead of when stuff
texas and another i mean for the way years working today is their stability in the all which i think there is in your own ah then the all the habits can move around
is there more formal settings
yes
in items they're actually a number of authors and
and then this has been searching when i travel i what i take the game i travels at right now on the altar try to make sure the out of ancients and you should do vegetation say some brides hydrangea from the all tourists on the mantelpiece and dennis and would of there's a
built up for it is a little buddha and then we have a yeah and one side and it sense above for incense and a candle and behind the of there are currently as a look at over to her mother's ashes she passed away the screen and
to the right i mean riverside for the victims of terrorism and under the right
know it's the of echoes the memorial that we did here for the victims of terrorism and ah this is the very two minutes are working altered and that means that my crash of thunder treaties that memorial and champion at every day
and i guess i'll do that challenge accurate enough so that this is that of how i practice with it
and then there's food in the kitchen and there's a couple in the bedroom is a couple of tiny little unethical the buddha perhaps from indonesia not shared and another what my cousin case me and again they're set up on a raise
platform near a properly in the bedroom and then there's another a very abstract stupa in another room and so we set a week or by week or at least i didn't know these images all the time and
when i travel i take a little mama extinguished and
a bracelet that that came from our wedding ceremony and i sort of use a biker grocery on this is probably not kosher
i find it so i i have i have some of what i've seen here and
i i have incorporated into my life and sometimes they take these very small business happening to and i travel
i find that comforting but it's important to me that it's it be live and be used and that somehow it's eight to to us in our homes
how to i didn't think i said anything about this alter the parliament the all to and
and then steps going up represent the bomb stupor
this is terribly loud council okay
oh anyway visit this beautiful or altar of it's made out of fun
i had landed a very dense and you have this this represents the steps going up to the top of a stupor man
so
yes yes our first of all simple question what does this stupid
oh
okay
a stripper is
initially don't we think of it is dome shaped and it would have a
indonesian usually half the old renters but like aspire that's coming up and it is some are
well thank him
after watching the world i was looking for benefits
work usually sometimes of the of ashes of buddha some you know and
often that's but the reforms stupas built in pump the same time and they had ashes
oh and the often you don't know you know there
if on the ones that were out there in the world room as ashes of brutal room has just to prove it but a little crowded
but ah but i think know the heart goes with those things they are shit
the chinese pagodas are actually also stupas and they have the queries they are real close and ah
and the the tap these sort of pointed thing that you see in photographs of stupas that are on top is really what the main part of from the pagoda you know that goes and think have dakota is one of the words for pagoda
something interchangeable in tibet answer your we have a library
a grand different pricing lack of february and there's a there's a very nice shirt talk about two posts in it and if you're interested i'll help you find that like good
i have no question yeah i'm curious about the relationship of alters to resent practice because in my limited understanding of zen practice i understand it that's practice that images
in which one attempts to clear one's mine ah
and alters to me are very aesthetically beautiful
places which are made up of images so i was wondering maybe stick to that contradiction
well i think almost all that is places that i know of have asked whose of some kind and i don't see it is a contradiction
when
i failed why i bow
i'm not bowing to an altar i mean i am and i'm not
i'm down to the universe
it and to our connectedness the universe
and i guess one
i think i'm over time
ah
but we can talk about
but a warhead your hand up and it's been up for quite awhile
just worker with the ulcers are in the north as well so perhaps you're also about into the north but probably varies from practice practice
sometimes they were after main altar is right in the middle of the room
thank you off