The Six Qualitative Factors That Keep Us Balanced and Centered

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Serial: 
BZ-02617
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Sesshin Day 1

 

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welcome to the first day of sushi
so
ah during the i like to ah
spend time
i'm talking to you
with concerns about fashion not something else
so
this morning when we were sitting there then
i noticed there was a lot of nodding off and you know we all went to bed late who didn't go to bed late this last night good for you
so are there
ah
some people perpetually sit with her head forward like this but i can't be helped
the only way to help it to hang the person by the by tapping her head to the ceiling not at myself
so well we don't do that so but
we say you can sit that way as if
you had a string attached to the top of you have a rope and you're hanging
that perfect posture
i left it to have put your hands in boudreau
and you'd be ok
so we say
sit as if there is a
and some kind of
that's the top of your head and you and you just hanging in there by the rope and everything falls down and just put your hands in goudreau that's all that the thousand things right there so do that
then your head is on top of your spine your ears that are in line with your shoulders and your noses in line with your navel
and there's no tenseness in your shoulders at all
there's no tests in your body at all
but it perfectly free of tension tenseness tension and tenseness are two different things
tencent's is all the effort you don't need
an intention is what holds everything together

so you don't need an intense this in the upper body
do the any tension senior everybody
this is how he should be
like this when you sit in georgia
but we should look tough
you need it
be like this if i can up and push you over to color
but it's not like that sometimes just like that i'm paying a little over reacting
but listless and flexibility yes
with essential in zazen
so that when is a southern it'll get tired you you induce energy and you feel
light flexible and likely
you know the
koreans have this thing
leap like a tiger while sitting
just don't move
but you should leap like a tiger well
you release the energy
you don't suppress it by being tight and tense
the that's why we said we release energy when universal energies flowing through us we just empty
mt vehicles and vessels for
dynamic activity we call is the dynamic activity total dynamic activity
why do we call it that if it isn't total dynamic activity
so during this machine
the will concentrate
i'm releasing total dynamic activity through setting
add this morning i said something about
are paying attention to your mudra
go

the murderer
is very important aspect upsetting people to the fish and fish from various disciplines but aren't discipline is the cosmic mudra
so would only hold a cosmic boudreau but the whole universes right here in i have
so we make a kind of circular feeling it's not a perfect circle of course it's kind of oblate spheroid like the like the earth
yeah she's not a perfect circle
two oblate spheroid that i was told by third grade teacher
so and the son's face each other the tips of the sums are producing each other
and this is your barometer for them this tells you what is the condition of your body and mind when you sit other
so you hold the tips of your thumbs very lightly and like and sit there is a piece of paper in between
you can feel the tips of your phone's just barely
and if you concentrate on the murderer in this way
you will stay awake
when you think some suppressing together
are going up like this
you know that is a lot of at extra tenseness in your body
just building up
and not necessary
when your thumbs are falling down you know that there is a
poor
a baby your body and
and the am the vitality you listening vitality about them
so in order to maintain the pasture the awareness via a weakness in the vitality it's all here in this mudra
so you want the murderer to be light
flexible and it's the same time good form
so murderer is a
a microcosm of your whole posture
you're holding your whole posture as a little as a little oval
ouija
so when we should tell you today
i'm during our five days
we should pay careful attention
keep coming back to the with let the mind wander and of course we also pay attention to the rest of my body
naturally
keeping you know it's like we used to least amount of effort to do the most work
it's like if you have a long bar and you have a fulcrum
and he tried to move a rock
with the bar by doing less lifting liked that you have to fight exactly the right place to put the fulcrum
under the bar so that when you lift iraq using the least amount of effort it's exactly the same with your body
to sit upright
you find that place in your lower back where you used to least amount of effort to actually lift your lower back to lift your upper back and upper body
without strain but it does the that doesn't work
ah
the a beautifully you feel when your body's up with perfectly balanced you feel wonderful as called bliss
this is southern his dog is is is is the interest to bliss
and comfort
so you want to feel comfortable when you're sitting you can we can all feel comfortable with it we don't have to feel uncomfortable insist that we use her body in the right way and our mind because the mind and the body on one thing
so when we see my legs hurt
it's been the i mind that hurts
when we say the ice he is this really i might sees who is the i hear is really a minded hairs or something that we call the mind
so
the body is an organ for feelings
and we can feel very comfortable
if we don't attached to the feelings
so
i really
made a civic he or she would work during surgeon he would always walk around
and it if
and he would just people's water all the time
i used to do that a stick walk around and and just everybody's mujer
like he did but i don't let anyone because of the reserves and voice and accent which is the problem i really did
if i was a good buddha i'd be in both places of the same time
ah
but
ah
the ravens
to really be pay attention to the smooth to fit
to the bear
lightly touching the lightly touching if you can enter
pay attention to how lightly that said your whole body will be lighter because it should not isolated peace
well if you like
the two halves of your body coming together
the left in the right or are facing each other and barely touching and without any strain and when this is without any strain and you really paying attention your whole body
feels and strained

so this is how we let go of an extra effort there are extra
tenseness
so there's no need to fight her
feelings
off relief whether mental and physical she just flow really
when we don't allow those feelings to flow freely than we have a problem
so we have a problem
then we we should be able to say the problem i have now is because and blocking
the flow of energy
if you don't flow a block the flow of energy and just let it flow
you have fewer problems
the problems we have is that we resist
soon as we have some kind of
a intrusion in our comfort
we resist this natural and normal because when we're not
a pinned down to the cushions we can move around and change her come to our comfort modes but here we have to change our comfort modes by letting go of them
a counter intuitive
hmm

i
thirty other day
glad when it was giving my last class in actual as left
i introduced the six am
a factors

simply called six qualitative factors that keep us as balanced and centered this is a kind of am
gleaned from the abbey dharma or be dumber
is was the analytical
a study of buddhism by the monks after after out
shakyamuni passed on
ah that because they didn't have
the teacher anymore
they studied the dharmas
the dharma with a capital d mean buddha's teaching or the truth or reality and the diamonds with a small d as you all know
means the constituents the particulars of of existence
and
the monks are created a system of investigation
i'm an anna analytical investigation into what are the diamonds the constituents of a psychic and physical existence
those are all dharmas particular dharmas
wholesome diamonds and wholesome and the in our our thoughts and feelings that are
common
in everyday life
fill another the because there's no person they said the dharmas
right
i'm
the what what makes up a person is our thoughts and feelings
and
physic both physical psychic and
dorman said a
create karma dharma and karma
so
people don't like to study some people really like studying abby dumber who have analytical mind
but doesn't us who don't have analytical mind can't stand on abbey dharma because the sell analytical and it's all these lists with all of of diamonds you know that boring
but actually i'll be damned if you really are
can relate to it is that boy very interesting because it explains or analyzes all every feeling that we have
all of our feelings or dharmas
all of our thoughts are dharmas
so if it's how the how we balanced the thoughts and feelings and
understanding of what it is the constitutes ourself
so
the i don't want to go into their because i was get sidetracked but we know it in the heart surgery that's the you just about the heart sutra is about
the emptiness of all dharmas
our thoughts feelings
ah an intimacy
our processes
now it's called buddhist psychology
i was talking to a ah
a student who you don't see very often but he's a
studies the brain
and we have really very nice
docusign
and he's very you know
does a lot of research in his field and he said to me have you heard it is an ancient buddhist philosophers are we want to call him that nygaard you know and must have been do
no other stuff because now to friendly discovering it in these guys are already discovered it back two thousand years ago
so
this ah
you know possible been do
and his brother or saga were geniuses
and a gala was i wonder that am main perpetrators of
my ana and bus bundle with more interested in indiana
and it but his brother convinced them that mahayana with more advanced
so
and at the air they came up with
i'm a buddhist psychology of the my hannah
and
lots of is can in between indiana mahayana but they developed
ah did a lot of development in understanding of the eight levels of consciousness
a buddhist
consciousness studied both consciousness
there there the
i don't see they founded it but they've developed it
and especially blast abandoned that's why is considered would we really appreciate and love
but what i presented a michael f the six pairs of qualitative factors six qualities that keep us balanced and centered
so that very easy to relate to
and it's comes from a greetings from
abby dhamma
so are you talk about this
to think they're called six pairs because each one has an opposite that balances yet
so here here they are and you you know what is your you already know about what them what they are
so the first one is tranquility
the second one is agility
the third one is pliant see
an excellent is workable this and proficiency and uprightness
at least six that not only have an opposite but each one relates to a view of the other five as as balancing factors and they all are right here in sa said i like to speak about them as factors that we should be applied in thousand
but they also course are our are present in every moment of your life daily life
in every moment of your daily life there are wholesome qualities that come up together every single moment of your daily life
they are the balancing factors a video
there are other factors of of course as well advised to been to list of of dharmas there are one hundred dharmas
in of water and
the m
there are seventy five dharmas the reason why there are one hundred dharmas and was abundance list is because he includes the eight levels of consciousness
that's what makes it more about my yana ip dumber
so
i'm
oh
when we think about
meditation we do think about tranquility
that's what people think about when you think about ah meditation
but tranquillity by itself
tranquility is like
and you know
it like a lake or a body of water that has no rebuff is just like a glass but he wanted that has no real both
what if you on
have ever traveled through japan at a certain time of year
all the rice paddies reflect the clouds
the just like glass just like laugh it's a beautiful so let's tranquility on
serenity is like a sunset beautiful sunset ah
in the late evening
so

tranquility in original little bit
trenchard is quiet equitable and composed so it's like composure basically
suzuki roshi was always talking about composure his composure as the basis for
ah
stability
so thousand is called stability we have it will we sit with their legs crossed we have a a triangle
this is a triangle and it's the most stable position the reason we sit it's not the reason but with the reason is that a reason that the best reason
the best way to sit is the triangle because it's so stable stability is really a
it the most important factor in in zazen
so you can't be pushed over
the keep you from it's like the roots of a tree deep the bedded in the ground and then the your trunk we call it the trunk and actually is the tree the roots and the treaty and to leaves
and the branches
so when a tree that's rigid when they when the storm comes the rigid trees fall over
but the flexible trees stay upright
they bend in the wind and we'll we'll if it doesn't there's wind
so how we bend with the wind is really important
l at to keep our
maintainer tranquility in the wind is really important
i've always admired simply live thought about whenever and really hard times in enzyme which you know we all go through
i think the the town ice plant you know as plan is really tough alice at the edge of the ocean the undercliff over the ocean the this ice plant i've spent always facing the wind but it in order for the ice plant is to face the wind
it has a be to end
and flow with the wind
can be flexible with the win
and the when gives a nice sunny
nice
when blown effect
i always like admire people who are outside all the time in their the alleged tough faces or then a good dad
so tranquil is a keynote of the mind it refers to tranquil which is the keynote of the mind to the quiet smooth and even way of functioning of all the mental factors
undisturbed by agitation and restlessness
agitation and restlessness or called hindrances
hmm
so it is opposed to anxiety and of hinders the agitation
we may add to this is aspect of good conch good conscience is also opposed to a hindrance or worry
due to bad conscience or scruples scruples is an interesting word
home as to the influence of tranquility and single mental factors we shall give only two examples
in the case of joy the presence of tranquility means that joy will be a tranquil happiness
without admixture of agitation which would render it unwholesome
energy in connection with tranquillity will be a quiet strength displaying itself in a well balanced measured and therefore effective way without boisterous nurse or uncontrolled exuberance that spend the so quickly and often in vain
so finally tranquility is to see present in every wholesome consciousness that can grow to full stature in the factor of enlightenment tranquillity which when perfected belonged to superman dane consciousness so
ah but tranquility by itself can easily fall into
ah quietness or
in darkness
so we have agility to counter tranquility
as so as a kill
agility is called lightness

like ah
a child
yeah childishness
ah lightness and agility can be childish
but it doesn't have to be child should be child like
so we will we
i have freedom or agility and lightness or childlike but not childish because there's a counter to lightness
so
i don't want to bore you with alice but
tranquility and agility balance each other
tranquility has a moderating influence on agility and agility a stimulating influence
and tranquility
clancy is a fundamental condition a workable this
workable nurses like
ah
soft and hard wet and dry
the balance of wet and dry on the balance of soft and hard so this is so important in
thousand
thousand
if we're too tight
ah
we create a lot of painfulness
the energy will not flow and if we're to lose like too wet
our when with clay when you're working with clay if if it's too dry
too stiff you can't work it and it was too wet you can't work it so you won't make it just the right consistency so our body
should you have just the right consistency to stand up
and not
i find any weakness
when will we have the right consistency than our posture
is
easy
it's easy the hollows of trade up upstate upright when we have the when we have the right consistency not too stiff and not too loose
we don't necessarily think in these terms but would i sit or than i do i don't think about i don't use the words but all the
ah
the meaning is is there
when i sit that and i'm leaking about
what is it it's me my backup in my too tight and by to loose and my too stiff and by to
this is the when we see what what is that then what do i think about a dozen target for think not thinking i might need something
so think the thought of them
these are the factors that we should be thinking about when we sit thousand
so uprightness which is one of the six factors prevents agility and appliances mine from falling into insincerity well agility and pliant see take care that uprightness does not grow an image
the to and rigid so impairs the adaptability and polls some consciousness to actuality so i you know uprightness can easily fall into arrogance and righteousness
when you see
when you sit up straight
he can feel arrogant people below if you hold your head up like this that's arrogance
so you
sometimes i can run in and just somebody's head
when i like a while ago
vicki where she called this arrogance
the arrogance
maslany trump
i've written
i wouldn't call that our students mostly but
of mine know exaggerated mind
but don't seem like this
when fifth
little bit down
flow
both walking around like this are setting doesn't like this to the wagons

proficiency
give agility that sure this and smoothness of movement which comes from blonde practice
the was you get good at what you're doing by doing it over and over
but at the same time is not a technique
certain is not some kind of technique even though there is tech nick an hour
involved with it
it's not a technique to to get somewhere
and the other hand agility implying the capacity to admit that modifications and changes prevents proficiency from becoming an over specialized and inflexible habit and so liberally the adaptability as well as the poor
so
this is was regularly she become beginner's mind
actually
i'm
i'm not thinking that because you can do this well that's the end
or the go
sometimes people who are really good at setting may not have the right attitude that
ah
hum
ah
the in generous freedom
we should be free of our proficiency
because once we have at down
we don't want to go any further
or we think that we've got it
so well as soon as we think that we've got it we need to let go of it
because we get stuck in proficiency
which doesn't mean that we should not sit well
but
as soon as we think that we have got it you know civic he she remembers tuck david would say
buddhism is okay
ah but if you think that it's the best that's a mistake
ah it may even though it's not the best
i'm
we should be we should be thankful because if it was if it was the best that we wouldn't need to keep going on

soon as you see if you've you've reached the apex you're finished
i remember a read who was a pet carpenter will we're building all this stuff
his father game and at a party is on the end he said you know you have to keep building you have to keep doing stuff because soon as you stop you're finished
i think that's great that's great statement
god incentives we feel that we've got got all accomplished
you stop growing
so you may think
ah i finally found the right buster it feels so good as soon as you
as soon as we feel that we've got the right posture and everything's comfortable and nice and sweet the changes
so there is no right pastor there isn't an upright doesn't
we're always searching for it
on the time
every time we sit doesn't it's a brand new beginning
so that and i think the thoughts of the thought of zanden even though my mind keeps wandering i bring it back to the third of oven
which is the six factors
sitting upright tranquil
with a lightness and agility
ah
and a workable this
these are all right there it that's what makes thousand
interesting for me
and factors are always balancing each other the keep each other in check from the the assertive factors
i kept in check by the
our are balanced by the
dine asserted factors and the none am certain factors are balanced by the assertive factors so it's always a balance between assertiveness and
our between
active and passive
the active we think of version is passive
people do but actually is active
and the activists bound by the passive and the passive is balanced by the and and this is
our whole life is like this doesn't just a microcosm of the rest of my life
that's why
going to the window coming later and going out the back and forth it's all the same
when it's all the same and nothing neither side and special than you have your to practice
because these balancing factors are the fundamentals of our life
when we start getting to active
we we need to
balance that by the by the passive and over to pass and we insert energy
so that we don't fall into other person said of mine
so say
oh
us with an activity activity will still this that's the fundamental
thousand simply fundamental practice
a balancing all these factors
do you a question
one
okay