Well, this morning I'm going to use an Abhidhamma expression or text to talk about our practice. Abhidhamma, many of you probably are not familiar with Abhidhamma, but Abhidhamma is like the analytical side of Buddhist practice. In the Theravada tradition there are the three baskets, Vinaya, which is conduct and precepts, the Sutras, and the Abhidharma, which is the study of analysis of dharmas. And a lot of people don't like Abhidharma because It's cold.

[01:01]

It's analyzing all the constituents, all the dharmas, or constituents of our psyche and body. And I'm making long lists, and people think of it as boring, but actually when this information is used, it's quite beneficial and interesting. Zen practice is more intuitional. So the intuition and the analysis are like two sides. Zen is about synthesis. All is one. One is all. Abhidharma is about looking at all the constituents and saying, in order to prove that there's no self.

[02:11]

Whereas in Zen, we intuit there's no self. No substantial, inherent self. So, I've talked about this before. many times, several times. Every once in a while I introduce this subject. So these are called the six pairs of qualitative factors. Very interesting title. And these qualitative factors interact with each other. reinforce each other and balance each other and you're already familiar with him because they're simply the facts of our life which we experience moment to moment. So this is a way of being aware of how our life unfolds moment by moment but I really want to relate them to our daily life but also to Zazen because this is how we experience

[03:28]

or our practice. So I'm going to present the six factors, qualitative factors or qualities basically. Tranquility. Agility. Now these are factors of mind and consciousness. Tranquility, agility, pliancy, workableness, proficiency, and uprightness. OK. Can you hear me? Yes. OK. So tranquility is Tranquility is the most prominent or dominant or in practice to have a sense of tranquility is most important.

[04:46]

So there are two terms. One is tranquility and the other is serenity. And we usually associate them and sometimes mix them up. Tranquility is like the calm ocean. And serenity is like the wonderful sunset. Both have this feeling of settledness and peace. When the sun goes down and it's a beautiful sunset, we have this wonderful sense of peace. And when the ocean is calm, we can see all the way to the bottom. If you have a zazen, it's like the ocean, the great ocean. And when we sit, the ocean calms down and we can see all the way to the bottom.

[05:51]

So, another name for Tranquility is composure. Suzuki Roshi was always talking about composure. If nothing else, you should have composure. So composure is the opposite of anxiety, agitation, restlessness and worry. Restlessness and worry, anxiety and agitation are like the waves of the ocean. Sometimes we see the waves on the ocean as a hindrance. But the activity of the ocean is to have waves. So when we say tranquility, tranquility is the depth of the ocean.

[06:59]

So when we can At the bottom of the ocean, that place is called joy. We entertain ourselves in many ways in order to be happy and joyful. But true happiness is not something that you can generate. It's there at the bottom of the ocean. We're always trying to get happy and joyful. But it's really hard because of our anxiety, our fears, our restlessness, our worry. But if we really can get to the bottom of the ocean, even though those elements are there, there's still joy.

[08:02]

There's still happiness. regardless of what's going on. This is true joy. Sometimes people say, well, in Zen, you know, people don't look very happy. Zen students look kind of rigid. But actually, Zen students who really practice consistently have joyfulness. So deep stillness brings tranquility. So when we sit, the dross, the heavy stuff, goes way down to the bottom and we have clarity.

[09:03]

Nirvana is called the cool state sometimes. So tranquility is an element of nirvana actually. We tend to think often that nirvana is some distant goal that none of us can really reach because it's so mysterious. But it's not so mysterious. Nirvana is our true state. without attachments. Joy and nirvana are simply freedom. It just means being free. And so it's called being cool because it's being free from anxiety, agitation, greed, ill will and delusion, basically. It's not so difficult. Remember Suzuki Roshi saying enlightenment, which is nirvana, enlightenment is not the problem.

[10:19]

Enlightenment is not so difficult. We're always worried about enlightenment, but actually you don't need to worry about enlightenment. Simply be concerned about whether you're practicing or not. The difficult part is to actually put yourself on the line of practice. then enlightenment is there. So, it's not that there are no waves. It's just that the waves don't become a problem. We have to learn how to swim. You know, Spelman has this saying, Something like to swim on the top of the waves, on the top of the ocean, while your feet are walking on the bottom.

[11:20]

My dog used to do that. My old dog. He would go in the water. It looked like he was swimming, but he wasn't. But this is a little different. You have to get it. So the second quality is called agility. And agility is like different from tranquility. Agility keeps tranquility from becoming listless. So the combination of agility and tranquility is a wonderful combination because within the activity of agility or lightness is composure.

[12:24]

So how can we keep our composure within our activity, which leads to lightness and agility? So it's being energetic, allowing... Zazen, regardless of what other people may say. People have different ways of talking about Zazen. Tranquility of Zazen induces lightness of being. The incredible lightness of being is a characteristic of Zazen. It's the opposite of heaviness. the opposite of rigidity and sloth. So in combination, lightness and agility is really an important aspect of zazen.

[13:34]

When zazen is over, you should be able to leap off your seat with energy, if you're doing it correctly. Sometimes we talk about technique. And we say Zazen is not a technique. But nevertheless, there is a way of doing Zazen that works. You can call it technique, I suppose. But it's not a technique to get something. So lightness or agility to a wholesome object. When you see that you're going down a certain path, it's like when your mind is spitting out a story, and then you realize, this is just spitting out a story, and then you quickly jump back into Zazen.

[14:47]

Feeling of lightness and buoyancy actually is a characteristic that when we do zazen correctly is always there. It's also called presence of mind, to be awake. with presence of mind, not to fall into sloth or torpor. When you enter this zazen, you let go of sloth and torpor, which is hopefully true. But you know, it's all about gravity. Our whole life is about gravity. We don't think about that, you know. But it's true. Gravity is controlling everything.

[15:53]

If you think about it, every single thing we do is in relation to gravity because gravity is pulling everything down and our life is moving everything up. Extension from gravity is our activity and when we feel tired And when we're energetic, we say, this is likeness of being. Defying gravity. Moving with gravity. How do you move with gravity in harmony with gravity? That's our practice. And we test the limits all the time. We go to the moon. Going to the moon basically is defying gravity. And it's not there. And so we have a different way of acting when we're on the moon. Our life is totally a different kind of life.

[17:00]

Because we're not so... we're not pulled around by it, so to speak. So, um... So, agility is kind of like being unfettered. Untied. Um... And it's the opposite of sinking. So then the third one is pliancy. Pliancy is like flexibility. We call it soft mind. Sometimes we say a person has a soft mind, which means they're kind of dumb. flexibility of mind. It's like grass. The wind blows, the grass bends over in harmony with the wind. So, Pliant seems like creating a harmonious situation.

[18:07]

You yield, and then you come forward, and you yield. It's the way of avoiding conflict. of disarming conflict. I didn't say avoiding. You can avoid conflict, but it's hard. But you can disarm it, take the fuse away, so that harmony results instead of conflict. So we call it soft mind, yielding mind, and it allows things to happen. And it's the opposite of dogmatism and rigidity. Rigidity is actually the enemy of zazen. Flexibility is the friend of zazen. Flexibility is your best friend. And it keeps you healthy.

[19:11]

Keeps the mind healthy. Keeps the emotions healthy. It keeps the body healthy. And it's also an aspect of non-attachment. We talk about non-attachment in Zen. This pliancy is a very important factor in non-attachment. pliancy of consciousness, open-mindedness, resiliency, adaptability, letting everything come with an open mind and an open heart, and letting everything go without attachment. So the fourth one is workableness.

[20:13]

And a characteristic of workableness is balance. Not too wet, not too dry. Not too low, not too high. Always seeking the center so that everything is always in balance. And it applies to, it's like neither too firm nor too soft. Like when you're making bread, or making a cake, or working with You want the clay to be just the right consistency, not too wet, not too dry. You want the bread to be just the right consistency, not too wet, not too dry. So this workableness allows things to happen in the right way. It's also called the tempered state of mind. Tempered has a lot of different meanings.

[21:18]

to be sweet. And it allows us to be kind and loving and non-defensive. And it's the center of the six factors. It's the middle one of the six factors, so it balances the two on either side of the So, correct proportions, everything in correct proportions. And when we say temper, temper is an analogy of a sword being made, where the sword maker heats up the metal and then puts it into the cold water right away. worked becomes very strong and very flexible.

[22:38]

So a combination of strength and flexibility are the characteristics of workableness. They also used the example of gold. so that it can be configured in any way. If it's too dry, it becomes brittle. If it's too hot, it becomes soft. So how do we temper our body-mind? And this is definitely a big factor in Zazen. effort and ease. So some people think Zazen should just be nothing but ease.

[23:40]

What's the difference between Zazen and just sitting down? And this comes up a lot. Sometimes people sit Zazen for a long time and they say, what's the difference between this and just sitting down? But there's a big difference. Zazen is not one of the four postures. The four postures are standing, sitting, walking, and lying down. What's the difference between that and Zazen? Well, the difference between that and Zazen is that Zazen takes effort. Without strong effort, Zazen becomes very weak. So sitting is a combination of effort and ease. The balance of effort and ease. So ease is like letting go. And effort is like standing up while sitting down.

[24:49]

It's the last one. But sitting upright and making the effort to sit upright and working with your posture, this workableness, it's a balance of ease and effort. Without the effort, the ease just turns into sloth. You become a puddle. So, you want to become ice. We say, You should have warm feet and a cool head. So the balance between cool and warm is very important. The balance between all the factors is the important thing. And at the center of that balance is called tranquility. So the next one is called proficiency. That's number five. Fitness and competence.

[25:59]

The opposite is hesitancy, ambivalence, uncertainty, lack of self-confidence. These are qualities that we all have. They sound like faults, but the hindrance to proficiency. So how do we develop proficiency? You know, we don't say that someone is an expert Zazen sitter. As a matter of fact, somebody may very easily be able to sit in the full lotus through the whole Sashin, without moving, and everyone says, Ah! But actually that person's Zazen may not be so good.

[27:04]

But the person who's making good effort and keeps on crossing their legs all the time, having a big problem, but continues with effort, that's the good sense. We say the fourth horse. We have the analogy of the four horses. The best horse gallops off when he sees the shadow of the whip. The second best horse gallops off when the whip touches his skin. The third horse gallops off when the whip just digs into his hind leg, into his hind knee. The fourth horse just can barely make it, no matter what happens, no matter what the goal is. It's more like a mule. So Suzuki Roshi says, well, which horse do you think the Buddha

[28:06]

has the most feeling for it. Well, of course, it's the fourth horse. The fourth horse is the one... It's not a matter of being an expert. It's a matter of your effort. It's just a matter of your effort. Because the effort you put in, the result comes back according to the amount of effort you put in. That's what practice is, even though there's no result to look for. What comes back to you is equal to the effort that you expend. And that's the bottom line. It has nothing to do with talent or ability. It has to do with this and this. So that's called proficiency.

[29:08]

Accept that. If you keep practicing with good effort for a long time, the devotion to practice leads to proficiency. We're doing it over and over again. Dogen says, to study the Buddha way is to study the self. And to study the self is to let go of the self. That's nothing to do with proficiency. I mean, that's proficiency. So, anybody can do it. That's why the practice is universal, even though it's difficult. So, proficiency leads to moral and mental health and faith and confidence through constant practice.

[30:26]

Without faith, it's pretty hard to practice. It's not faith in something. It's simply pure faith. It's not directed at something. It's not about a deity. It's not about... Some people say it's faith in the ancestor's way. It's faith in the Dharma, faith in the way. It's called confidence. When you have the confidence, then you can easily practice. But confidence comes from devotion and leads to devotion. So faith is the important aspect and leads to selfless activity.

[31:29]

And spontaneity. Spontaneity is a very important factor. Because spontaneity is a product of proficiency. When you have the confidence, then spontaneity is what you respond to. The way you respond is a spontaneous act. If we just keep our mind open, just bare awareness, without calculating, without allowing our conditioned responses to be in the forefront, then we can easily respond to things in a direct way.

[32:38]

Faith would be the one, would be the spark for all of them. I mean, for the effort, to make the effort, it would be, faith would spark the effort. You know, faith means that you have a sense of correctness and you know what you're relying on. And you don't rely on things which are not going to really support you. You only rely on that which you know will be your true support, which is emptiness. So the sixth one is called uprightness. Sincerity and balance.

[33:49]

The entrances are insincerity, hypocrisy, pride, self-righteousness. These are all characteristics which seem like uprightness. You can act upright, but you may not be. Posturing is not the same as posture. When we sit upright in zazen, posture is number one. First thing. Most important thing is posture. Pushing the lower back forward. Pushing your, lifting up your sternum, keeping your head on top of your spine, not leaning to the right, not leaning to the left, not leaning forward, not leaning backward. Just sitting upright.

[34:57]

That's what you do in Zazen. And all the rest is how you do that. Tranquility. All of these factors are interacting with each other to help you do that. And in our daily life it's the same thing. All of those factors are there in our daily life. How we keep a calm mind, how we keep flexibility, openness, lack of rigidity. is a winning combination.

[36:08]

So we do it with lightness, flexibility, uprightness. All these factors are balancing each other. And Zazen is balance. And our daily life is how do we keep our balance in our daily life? How do we keep our balance when we're standing in line at the grocery store? How do we keep our balance when we're driving? How do we keep our balance when we're confronted with the unconfrontable? So, true tranquility is tranquility that it can't be turned over. no matter what it means. So when we meet difficult circumstances, if you're a Zen student and you're practicing Dazen, when you meet difficult circumstances, the place you go, where do you go to when you can't go anywhere?

[37:29]

When the fourth day is the Sheen and your legs are screaming and your mind is screaming and you can't stay there and you can't leave, where do you go? That's Zazen. Where do you go? What are you going to do? When you can't do anything, you can't leave and you can't stay. That's the koan. We avoid a lot, but actually there's stuff going on all the time that if we really confronted it, we'd be in difficult circumstances. We live in the most peaceful place in the world and it's a civilized place, so to speak. Uncivilized place. So we have it easy. It's so easy to live here. So easy. So we're not, you know, our difficulties are so minimal compared to the difficulties in the rest of the world.

[38:43]

We're really blessed. Sometimes I think, we must have done something in our past lives to be able to live our lives out here. Sometimes I think, well, you know, somewhere down the road I won't be here anymore. And will anything interfere with my wonderful life here before that happens? You know, two blocks from here we have the most wonderful grocery store in the world, even though the other one on the other end of town is just as good. We just live in the lap of luxury, even when we don't have a job, even when we're hurting, even when the economy's not so good. Hey, so? We're not being bombed out. So, we have this opportunity to practice this wonderful way.

[39:51]

But when we do meet adversity, Zazen is about how we meet adversity. It's not about how we are tranquil all the time, by not running into adversity. It's how we remain calm, given adversity. So, adversity and calmness have to be balanced out. That's another balancing point. How do we do that? If we practice Zazen, it will come to us. But you can't goof off. It has to be consistent. Practice has to be consistent. Not just something we do sometimes. That's nice. No problem. But if we want to know the effects of Zazen, I hate to say that it's something good, but

[40:58]

you have to really put yourself in the spot and be sincere about your practice by doing it. So those are the So I just want to say that there are, to talk about some of the ways that these activities moderate each other. So tranquility moderates agility because someplace.

[42:05]

And workableness sets limits to pliancy because it allows pliancy to be balanced. And uprightness prevents agility and pliancy from falling into insincerity. And agility and pliancy take care that uprightness or sincerity does not grow rigid. So that's one of the problems with uprightness. It can become rigid. And this is one of the problems of Zazen students. In Zazen, if I go around, I have to tell you this a lot, and adjust somebody's posture, half the people are sitting like rocks. I can't believe that anybody can be so rigid. Especially in Zazen, where you're supposed to be totally flexible. Not that it's just flexibility. It's not rigidity.

[43:07]

Even though upright. Upright with total flexibility. If somebody moves your elbow, just your elbow moves. Because it's not attached to anything. But if all the limbs are attached to each other, If you move the elbow of a statue, the whole statue goes over. But if you move the elbow of a Zen student, just the elbow moves, because there's no attachment or rigidity. This is the secret of Zazen and the goal. Flexibility. take care of it. And proficiency gives sureness and smoothness to agility.

[44:12]

And agility prevents proficiency from becoming Peace.

[44:44]

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