So, as most of you know, the title of this series is Zen Meditation, which could also be called our meditation on our original nature. And there are great Mahayana scriptures which have stated that the original nature of each and every living being is Buddha's wisdom, is the Buddha of great perfect wisdom. That has been proposed as the original nature of every living being. So we have the story that when Buddha attained the way, the Buddha said,

[01:14]

Now I see, now I see that all living beings fully possess the wisdom and virtues of the Buddhas. However, because of attachments and erroneous views, they do not realize it. They do not realize their original nature. So, somebody has to tell them about it, so they can open to it. So, the inspiration for this series is to open all beings, and in particular this great assembly,

[02:21]

to open this great assembly to their original nature, which is Buddha's wisdom. Or maybe it shouldn't be apostrophe s. Open to our original nature, which is Buddha wisdom. So we start, and we have started already, to open the assembly to our original nature. And another motivation, another wish, another aspiration for this series is to demonstrate Buddha's wisdom. And to awaken the assembly to Buddha's wisdom.

[03:28]

And to help the assembly enter Buddha's wisdom. So again, we wish to open to our original nature. Demonstrate our original nature. Awaken to our original nature. And enter our original nature. So, in opening to it, we begin to develop faith. In developing faith, we open to the teaching that each living being has an original nature, which is Buddha's wisdom. And as I was meditating on our original nature, a couple of days ago, I heard an echo of a poem,

[04:46]

which I memorized some time ago, and which I quoted in a book called Warm Smiles from Cold Mountains, on page 129. I quoted a poem, and the poem is called A Father's Poem. And it starts out, this is a poem for my son Peter, who I have hurt in a thousand ways. And towards the end of the poem, the father explains that he thought, he says, I thought you knew that you were beautiful. Your bright eyes and hair, but now I see that no one knows that about himself or herself, but must be told and retold until it takes hold.

[06:04]

So, I'm here to tell you and retell you, until it takes hold, that you are beautiful in an inconceivable way. Not according to anybody's idea of beauty, but you are beautiful in your original nature. And again, although we're never apart from it, somebody has to tell us. This is who we already are. We are Buddha's wisdom. That's what we really are. But somebody has to tell us, to help us see. Because we can't see this with our fleshy eyes. We see this with our wisdom eyes. Someone has to say to us, now you have it, so please take care of it.

[07:20]

And how do we take care of it? We take care of it by remembering it, by being devoted to it, by listening and learning and teaching. So, we are opening to it, and opening to it means again, to remember it, to contemplate it. And then, to move further and to teach it, and to learn it, to teach and be taught. So, in this series of meetings, we are teaching and we are being taught.

[08:24]

We are all teaching and being taught. But our original nature is teaching and we are being taught about this original nature. This is the demonstration of our original nature. We are listening and we are calling. This is how we demonstrate the intimate communion of our original nature. Or our original nature as intimate communion, intimate calling and listening to each other.

[09:32]

Also, a phrase from Meister Eckhart also came recently, which is, The eye with which God looks at us is the same eye through which we look at God. The eye that Buddha looks at us, the wisdom eye of Buddha that looks at us, the wisdom eye of Buddha is always looking at us. And the eye with which we look at Buddha is the same eye. The original nature through which Buddha looks at us is the same original nature by which we look at Buddha. This is the intimate communion of our original nature.

[10:39]

In early Buddhism, and also in Buddhism today, there are many teachings given to help us look at our individual consciousness. And in these series of meetings we've been having, people have been telling us about their individual consciousness. And we have been helping each other be compassionate to the activities of our individual consciousness, to the workings of our individual minds, to the workings of the karma of our ordinary consciousness. This kind of study of our own consciousness continues to be necessary in order for us to take up our position in the communion.

[11:51]

But later Buddhism also taught that in addition to individual consciousnesses, there is an intimate communion, there is an intimate transmission between individual consciousnesses. A very thoroughgoing communion between individual consciousnesses. And this communion between individual consciousnesses is the truth of the Buddha, which is the Buddha. And the ancestors. The mind of the Buddha is the mind of intimate communion between individual consciousnesses.

[12:58]

So as we, in this series, as we endeavor to demonstrate our original nature, we both look at individual consciousnesses, for example, mine and yours, and we can, with our ordinary eyes, with our ordinary consciousness, we can be aware of our ordinary consciousness. And in our ordinary consciousness, we can teach each other about not our ordinary consciousness, but our original nature, which is the mind of Buddha, which is the communion between all individual consciousnesses. And we will discuss and learn and teach how our individual experience is actually an intimate communion.

[14:00]

The experience of a bodhisattva is to experience the original nature. A bodhisattva experiences the world in a way that always references other experiencing beings. We are bodhisattvas, and all day long, we experience the world with reference to others. And not just others, but other experiencing beings. And taking into account not just other experiencing beings, but their experience. Once again, the bodhisattvas experience the world with reference to other experiencing beings,

[15:19]

and thus they become a being which takes the experience of others into account. This might be seen as a skillful means by bodhisattvas. What is it? Always experiencing the world with reference to others, and taking others' experience into account. This might be seen as the next stage after understanding our individual consciousness. Some people might think, once you understand your individual consciousness, once you understand your own karmic consciousness, and have become liberated from it,

[16:23]

once you awaken to that, then you can start relating to others and help them be free. And that would be kind of the early teaching. That you would, first of all, understand yourself, then you would keep in reference to others, and keep respecting their experience. And in that way, you could bring your understanding of yourself to them. But now, in this intimate communion, it's a little bit different. It's more like understanding that taking care of your own consciousness, and studying it, and learning about it, and awakening to it,

[17:26]

is your experience, and at the same time, it is the experience of others, because they are in intimate communion with you. So, your awakening to Buddha's wisdom, and Buddha's wisdom awakening to you, is the same thing. The contents, or another image of this, is sometimes that of the bodhisattva, going up and attaining awakening, coming down and transforming beings.

[18:33]

Understanding the bodhisattva, understanding herself, there is a transcendence into awakening. And from that transcendence of awakening, the bodhisattva descends, comes down, and brings the awakening to beings, and transforms them. But here, in this series of emphasizing our original nature, it's a little different. It is that the contents of going up and transcending is the transforming of others. And the coming down to transform others is the going up and attaining the way.

[19:41]

It isn't that the Buddha is awakened and then transforms and awakens beings. The transforming and awakening of beings is the Buddha waking up. The contents of going up is the contents of coming down and transforming. The contents of going up and attaining awakening is the contents of coming down and transmitting it. The contents of transmitting is the contents of going up and attaining. This is kind of new in this world.

[20:45]

But the contents of Buddha's awakening is teaching and transforming others. There's not this great, brilliant, wonderful wisdom floating separate from the transformation of beings. The transformation of beings is the Buddha's great awakening. And the Buddha's great awakening is the transformation of beings. The Buddha's awakening is teaching and being taught. Sentient beings' awakening is teaching and being taught. We teach the Buddha by letting the Buddha transform us. The Buddha gets to learn how to transform by us being transformed.

[21:50]

And us being transformed is how we learn how to be Buddha. And us transforming others is us learning how to transform. Thank you. There are things which a teacher can learn and then teach.

[22:58]

This is a learning which comes through teaching. The learning of our original nature comes through teaching. And the learning to teach comes through learning. This is the intimacy of our original nature. This is how our original nature is intimacy. Intimacy of we living beings with Buddha, and intimacy of Buddha with we living beings. And intimacy of we living beings with each other. And how are we intimate? By listening to each other, by calling to each other, by being taught by each other, and by teaching each other.

[24:08]

In order to listen to each other, we need to practice compassion with our ordinary individual consciousness. Practice compassion with it. It's an opportunity to practice compassion. And all the stress and suffering of individual consciousness is calling for compassion, is calling for intimacy. So within our own karmic consciousness, we practice generosity, ethics, patience, diligence, and concentration.

[25:13]

And thus, wisdom is born there. But our original nature is that this process of learning includes everyone. This is the way we are transforming others as our compassion towards ourselves transforms us. Thank you. So it looks like a bunch of people turned their cameras off.

[26:41]

And that's okay. I do have a request, though. And the question is, at the beginning, when I'm welcoming the people in the assembly, please turn your camera on so I can see you. So right now, I think there's some more people who came. Did some more people come that I didn't recognize? Is everybody been recognized? Yeah, somebody came. Some people came and you didn't turn your screen on, so I didn't see you. And one person's name is Jackie. Welcome, Jackie. Another person's name is Marjorie. Welcome, Marjorie. And another person is Sonia. Welcome, Sonia. So is that clear?

[27:45]

At the beginning, please turn your... During the welcoming part, during the welcoming ceremony, please turn your video on so I can call on you. Is that okay? And then if you don't want it on the rest of the time, if you don't want people to see your face, you can turn your screen off. And did I welcome you, Sonia? Welcome, Sonia. Sonia, you're looking tired. Have you been working hard in the kitchen all day? Yes, sir, I have. I'm sorry I was late, but... Yeah. Sonia has taken over as Tenzo during the session at Gringo. Thank you, Sonia. My pleasure. All right. So now, have you heard enough? Are you ready to teach me something?

[28:48]

Are you ready to learn something? Leslie. Hi, everyone. Thank you. I'm going to read my notes. Just... Especially when you said that about the poem for Peter. I think the man's son was named Peter. I was thinking of a conversation I had about an hour and a half ago with my 17-year-old daughter. I always encourage her to be honest. So in a discussion about doing good in the world, I said, well, it's important to do good things for society. And she said, I don't want to do good things for society.

[29:52]

I just want to do good things for me. And I appreciated her honesty. I do too. But as a parent, we're always supposed to be teaching them... I don't know, a lesson or the right way. But I also, in the spirit of that poem, want to recognize her for her... for who she is. And then I feel just lost in terms of skillful means. And... I don't want her to be ashamed of her self-focus or ashamed of being honest. So I'm wondering if you have any guidance on that. Yeah. Okay, so I hear you saying, I don't want something. I don't want my daughter to be this way.

[30:54]

I hear that. And so that's who you are. You don't want your daughter to be this way. So this poem is about, I thought you knew you were beautiful. So when she's being so-called self-concerned and selfish, what she needs to know is that she's beautiful. And somebody has to tell her that. And not just tell her that she's beautiful when she's doing what you want her to do. But... period. You have to tell her and retell her until it takes hold. Once it takes hold, maybe you can call her into question somewhat. But... she needs you to tell her that she's,

[31:59]

you know, about her original nature. And our original nature, by the way, includes evil. Buddha's wisdom includes evil. And it includes good. So our original nature includes evil and includes good. And we're beautiful. And we need to hear that over and over until it takes hold, until our original nature takes hold. And then we will be free of good and evil. We will be free... Buddha is free of good and evil. Our original nature is free of good and evil.

[33:00]

But we need to awaken to the original nature in order to realize that we're free of good and evil. And so the Buddhas are telling us about this. And so you... your daughter needs you or somebody... you and somebody to tell her how she is the intimate communion of all beings. Find your way to teach that to her. And also find that way to learn that from her. Let her teach you about your original nature. Which is free of your thoughts of good and evil. And you can... I personally do not wish that people will be... will not be evil. Because Buddha... not be evil,

[34:04]

not be caught by their evil. I want people to be free of their evil. But they have evil. And Buddha has evil. And Buddha is free. So I want people to wake up to their original nature. I want people to wake up to Buddha's wisdom. And then good and evil will not be a problem anymore. They will be free of them without getting rid of them. And so I think she... you and she are in the process of teaching each other. Of teaching and learning. Teaching and being taught about who you really are. And she does not want to do this. And you don't want that. That's part of who you are. But also while you're that way,

[35:07]

you are beautiful. You are beautiful. And if you forget that, then you're both at risk of being caught by good and evil. She wants to know if you will see her beauty and love her no matter what she does. She wants to know. Because most children know if they do what their parents say, their parents will think they're beautiful. They know that already. They want to find out. Does she see my beauty no matter what? So let's open our eyes to her beauty. To her truth. And that will be opening to our truth, too.

[36:08]

Thank you, Leslie. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Does anybody else want to teach me something? I see a bunch of hands but I don't hear anything. We're not seeing the split screen so we can't tell who's up next. Okay, you're up now. Well, I think John was in front of me,

[37:18]

but I'll go. It's a little bit chaotic tonight. Shall I just go? Yeah. Okay. Well, I I recently had what felt like a breakthrough in understanding, but after tonight, I'm questioning that and I was hoping you could help me with it. No matter how... Can I ask a question? Yes. Are you telling us that you had a breakthrough and then you didn't question it? Yes, I think I am. You want to hear a suggestion? Yes. Question every breakthrough. But if you don't, come to class and I'll question it. Okay. Well, thank you. Breakthroughs should be questioned

[38:20]

and also being trapped should be questioned too. Curiosity should be applied to entrapment and liberation. Yes. Yes, I I think I can see that tonight. What I have experienced is that despite the many teachings I have received, there's a part of me that always thinks it's up to my brain to grasp the Buddha nature, which feels outside of me. And recently, it's felt like what really is the activity is to let go of more of Gale so that simply the Buddha nature that

[39:21]

that courses through this sack of skin that's called Gale can have more space. And now tonight that sounds kind of dualistic and it seems like what you're describing is different or maybe expresses dependent co-arising more than what I've been thinking lately about the relationship between Gale and Buddha nature in this body. Does that make sense? Is what you mean? Is what you just said? Did it make sense to me? Yeah. Yeah, I'm curious what you think and well, I guess the first thing that comes to mind is that about this thing you just said about the relationship between Gale and Buddha nature. It's not like that

[40:22]

that there's Buddha nature over here and Gale over here. Right. So that's kind of like questionable way to put it. Buddha nature is not something you're related to. It's what you are. It's about what you are. And it's about how you are related to everybody else. And the way you're related to everybody else is that you are intimate with everybody else. And that's your Buddha nature. That's your original nature. Is that you and all beings and you and Buddha's you and Buddha's wisdom are intimate. That's your original nature. It's

[41:27]

every time I turn around I make it two. I feel like I turn it into something dualistic. You could say I make it two or you could be I'm somebody who is into two. I'm like a two. I'm a tour. So normally sentient beings have a mind which creates dualistic appearances. And the relationship among all these beings who are involved in dualistic appearances, the way they're actually teaching each other and learning from each other, the way they're helping each other open to their actual relationship, that's not dualistic. But they are beings who have dualistic thoughts who are intimately related to other beings who are experiencing dualistic thoughts.

[42:27]

So the bodhisattva is always thinking of these other beings and taking them into account as and also taking their own experience that they think the other beings are separate into account. And opening to the teaching that there's no separation, but not by denying that there is separation. So as you said, every time you turn around, more separation. Okay. And your original nature is intimacy with everything within you and with other beings. Yes, thank you. And is that where compassion really really comes in? You once said to me,

[43:30]

the way to overcome your limitation is to be kind to it. So it seems like that's the power of compassion. Yeah. And now we're bringing into be compassionate with your limitations. For example, be compassionate with the mind, the limited mind, which makes everything dualistic. Be compassionate to that. And then also open to the teaching that you have no dualistic relationships, that you're intimate with all beings, that you are basically Buddha's wisdom. Open to that too. But in order to open to that, you have to be kind to your limitations because your limitations are in exactly the same place as your original nature. So by being kind to your limitations,

[44:34]

you discover your original nature, which is right there. Thank you. You're welcome. Okay, John. You're muted. You can't unmute yourself? Can you unmute him, Gay? Okay. I don't usually do this, but...

[45:50]

There I am. This takes me back to the first grade when Mrs. Beard put tape on my mouth for speaking too much. I just wanted to say that a great friend of ours in Sacramento and elsewhere probably, Linda Decker passed away, as you probably know. And some people in the assembly may know her. And as you were speaking, I had to say something because she comes to mind as a person who was just a great friend and became a great friend of my wife's Valerie as well. And who if anyone we would kind of knew that we had some communion with, it was Linda. Sometimes challenging,

[46:51]

very strong, independent, lovely, no-nonsense person. And we miss her greatly. Her name is Linda Decker. Yes. And that's all I wanted to say. And it's always a pleasure to see you. And thank you very much for your teaching. Thank you for bringing Linda's passing up in this great assembly. Thank you. We have some other people from Sacramento who might want to say something also. Randigan. Hello, great assembly. Hello, Rob. There's a sign on my thing now. It says unmute myself, but I am unmuted, right? Yes, you are. I can hear you well.

[47:53]

Oh, okay. Now it's gone. The poem from Warm Smiles. Thank you. For me, it's a huge teaching. And again, I have a daughter that's grown and I've been reminded a lot the older she becomes of my, her hurts, the hurts that I caused. And many times I've apologized, but I don't think my apologies are as intimate as to say, I'm sorry for the thousands of ways that I hurt you. And I can't tell you how many mornings I wake up

[48:56]

and think she's still hurt. She's still hurt and I can't take it away. And hearing this tonight, I know what I'm going to say to her now and that I need to be more intimate with my apology. So thank you. Thank you for hearing. Thank you. There you go. Okay. I'm so happy to be with you in the Great Assembly. So happy for the teachings. I'm a little confused by this teaching in that.

[49:57]

I think I've been wondering about compassion and how to develop that more in myself and just simultaneously have that be for others also. And I think I would like for you to speak to that if you would. I find I'm pretty unkind to myself. That's what I am noticing. On a fairly regular basis. And I'd just like for you to speak on how how to help that to grow the compassion for myself and for others. If you would. Thank you.

[51:26]

Well, usually we start. By the way, that is the correct name of the poem. It's a father's poem. And the the poet's name is Peter Peter Minsky. So, we usually start Peter Minsky, right? We usually start practicing compassion with giving, with generosity. Or being gracious. Or welcoming whatever comes. At the end of the Heart Sutra, it says

[52:27]

Bodhi Svaha which sometimes is translated as welcome hail Bodhi. But instead of hail, you could also say welcome Bodhi. But in order to welcome Bodhi, we have to welcome everything. If there's anything we don't welcome, we close the door on Bodhi. So, we start with a generosity which welcomes whatever comes. Then we on the basis of that welcoming the next compassion practice is to be careful

[53:32]

and gentle and respectful of whatever comes. To make all of our actions of body, speech and mind be tender and careful and gentle and respectful. And then to practice compassion with whatever comes. Excuse me, practice patience with whatever comes. Which means be in the moment in the smallest moment of time with whatever comes. Thank you. You're welcome. Can you hear me?

[54:40]

I can hear you well, thank you. I'm finding it. I'm just noticing how many of us were moved by that poem. But I have a question coming out of that poem. The question is I see that no one knows that about himself, that they're beautiful and fair and must be told and retold until it takes hold. My question is does it ever not take hold? Yeah. Ever not reach some beings? It's always here, right here. It's always right here. What is? Our beauty, our original nature. It's always right here. But we have a mind which can make a separation. And that separation

[55:42]

can make it seem like our original nature is very far away. So we need to be kind to the sense of separation. We need to be open to the beauty of what's separating us from beauty. Beauty. Can we fail at that? Fail at what? Being open to that separation, noticing that separation? You can say fail or you can also just say we can not notice it. Yeah. We can not notice it, we can ignore it. So we can ignore

[56:45]

the intimacy which is beauty, our beauty. And we can ignore the sense of separation from that intimacy. We can do that. Even though the sense of separation is never separated from our original nature. So this kind of... Again, maybe we say this is the irony of being a living being. We're never separated from it and yet we can imagine that we are and imagining that we are it's almost like we are. It's almost like we don't appreciate what's going on. We do not actually welcome what's happening. Even though, of course, we do. And we are who we are, of course, and yet we can try to be somebody else. I guess, thanks for giving me so much time.

[58:26]

I guess I think until it takes hold it seems enduring. Like if something takes hold it seems enduring. That's another teaching which I'll try to bring up more later. One is that this teaching of our original nature, this teaching of this intimacy is actually a provisional teaching. And we also have another teaching which is an ultimate teaching which is that this beauty, this intimacy, this intimate transmission among all beings is the provisional teaching and also it's actually emptiness. It's ungraspable. It's unfindable.

[59:27]

So I haven't been bringing up the ultimate. Maybe next week I'll maybe bring the ultimate in more. So we open to this wonderful original nature and also that's kind of a provisional truth to open to. It's temporary. It's expedient. We need it. And then also we can mention that it's actually like space. So something that's like space can completely be our life. So you're forecasting another dimension of the teaching coming up. Thank you. Thanks, Rob. You're welcome. Hello, Rob.

[60:31]

Good evening. I'd like to bring my experience from the sitting that I had in Noah's boat this past Saturday. As I was sitting, I was going deep in the mind, the nature of the mind itself. And as I was going deeper and deeper and deeper, I realized that this mind is nothing, knows nothing other than creating images, ideas, thoughts, concepts, feelings, whatever. That's all it does, basically. So it was clear for me that there is a distinct between the mind

[61:34]

and the ultimate reality. And I was trying in the sitting itself to see if I could bring this mind and ultimate reality to meet in a unified, on separate way. I could not. I could not see that mind and the ultimate reality as one. It was... And then I'm questioning it. I'm putting it out to question that the ultimate reality and the mind as two. So I'm putting that into the question to see what you have on that. It sounds like

[62:36]

you had some insight into that to try to make those... to try to unify those things is the mind which you were talking about before. The mind which can't do anything, really, but just creates more stuff. One of the things it can create is an idea to get all that stuff together with another ultimate mind. And you saw that that mind cannot do that. So that's right. It cannot. It just creates more... It just creates offspring of itself. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. The teaching that that mind is intimately related to other minds which are similar to it, which are doing kind of the same thing. All these busy, deluded minds are intimate. And that intimacy

[63:37]

is the original nature of all those busy, deluded minds. And the busy, deluded minds maybe want to get that original nature, but that's just more a busy, deluded mind, which is fine because that busy, deluded mind is intimate with a mind which is not doing that, which is the mind of the relationship of all beings. That's also a mind, but it's not a mind that is doing anything. It's the mind which embraces all relationships and is empty. And it's not doing anything, but it has a function which is peace and freedom. That's its function. I got lost here. Is this the function of the mind that is peace and freedom? It's the function of the mind

[64:38]

which is intimacy. But it's not the mind that's doing stuff. It's your original nature mind. It's Buddha's wisdom. Okay. So, as I said, I would like to bring it to a question. I understand now, but I still like to bring it into question because for some reason, I feel like if this busy mind, not if, when this, when this busy mind actually sees its possibility for Buddha nature, then the busy mind will become quiet. But as long as this busy mind, no, no, no. Busy minds don't become quiet. Becoming quiet is more busyness. Busy mind.

[65:48]

Anyway, busy mind. But busy minds can remember there's a teaching that the busy mind is intimate with all beings No matter what it's doing, it's intimate with all beings, and that's Buddha's wisdom. So the busy mind is Buddha's wisdom, and Buddha's wisdom is not trying to mess around with the busy mind. Messing around with busy minds is more busy mind. Buddha's wisdom is not trying to mess with... Buddha's wisdom is seeing the beauty in the busy mind. But beauty to me is quietitude, is quietness. Yeah, well, this is not beauty to you. This is the beauty of you and not you.

[66:53]

This is the beauty of your nature, not... Not the busy mind, okay. Not your idea of beauty. Thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome. When you first came on the screen tonight, you looked like you were 23 years old. You looked... There's a picture of you with some Tibetan master, I think, up at Nowabodh. You looked like that person, and I did a double take. So I'm not saying that means anything. I'm just sharing my experience. Have I aged since then? Not too much. Actually, you're still looking very young to me tonight.

[67:59]

Let's see. I don't know if I have a complaint or just a sadness. When you said, question your breakthrough. I understand. And then you said, question your not breakthrough. So, yeah, I understand that we question everything. I really do. I just felt like there was this one place where it's wonderful, where for a moment, something is clear, even if you're wrong, ultimately. But that experience of like something falling off you and like a lightning strike for a moment, I just felt like, oh, man, even that, can't you just give us that for five minutes? I was... I don't know. I mean...

[69:02]

If you want it for five minutes, ask for five minutes. Okay. Okay. Like I say, I do know it's your job and my job to question everything. I really do. But somehow insight and breakthrough feel like they make something possible. And then I know if you reify it or you attach meaning to it or something, then it becomes like everything else. It's no longer breakthrough. I just would like the space of magic and breakthrough to exist for a moment. Because it's, you know, it's kind of hard. I think doing all this stuff is hard. And that's like a moment. Apparently, it does exist for a moment. Yeah. Yeah. And you're saying not only do you want it to exist for a moment, but you'd like for it to exist for a moment without being questioned. Yeah. And if you want that, then if I'm in the neighborhood,

[70:04]

you can say, I'm going to tell you about something and I would like to tell you, but don't ask me to question it right away. Let me just enjoy it. Okay. And I'll say, fine. I appreciate that. But what you're not saying is, but it's folly. I'll let you do it because I'm going to let you do anything. That's what you do. You let us do anything. But basically it's folly because Wait a minute. Saying that it's folly is something different from questioning it. Well, to not question it is folly, is what I'm saying. Well, you just said to not question it is folly. Okay. And I question that. It's not that, quote, it's folly is an unquestionable truth. It's just a thought you have, which is fine. You can think that, and I can understand why you would say that.

[71:09]

But even so, I'm kind of curious, what do you mean by that? But if you don't want me to ask you any questions, just tell me to be quiet for a while. Okay. I can do it. Deal. Thank you. I want to tell you something really great that happened, but no questions for a while, okay? Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Hello, Reb. Good evening. Reb, at some point this evening, you said something along the lines of opening to Buddha nature or our true nature,

[72:12]

realizing our true nature, and then entering. Is that how you said it, Reb? Number one, open to it. Open to it. Number two, demonstrate it. Demonstrate it. Okay. By demonstrating, you teach it and be taught by it. Let's have a conversation about it. Okay. And by that teaching and being taught, we awaken to it. And once we awaken to it, we can bring it into, we can enter it and let it enter every aspect of our life. So those four. Got it. Demonstrating or the instructing it. That's sort of what we're doing here. So, sorry, just say that last bit again, Reb, what you just said. That's what we're doing. And we're opening to it here.

[73:16]

We're developing faith in it. And then we're discussing it. And by this discussion of teaching and being taught, we'll awaken to it. It won't be just something we open to. It'll be something we wake up to. In a new way. So the way, so I'll try to put what you said in the language that I understand and know. That's part of demonstrating it. Demonstrate. So, for example, when I say, when I'm saying opening to, let's say opening to true nature. And I see it as a personal interaction with, say, my sadness or a thought or, you know, whatever is presenting in this moment, which I'm going to hold with compassion and kindness and presence, right?

[74:20]

That we fully open to what is here in this moment. So, and in doing so, I am being intimate with everything that is, because what is meeting me in this moment includes everything and everyone and all the minds and all the beings and all the movements and everything that is out there, right? So in doing, in being intimate with this moment, I'm being intimate with everything. And I realize that. So that at some point, I actually see how everything is in everything else. And I'm being intimate with everything. So that would be sort of the full understanding of it. And then what do you mean by entering it? Because aren't we already in it? What does it mean to enter into something that is already whole?

[75:23]

And that everything is, there's nothing separate. It's all an intimate conversation, an intimate relationship with everything. So what are we entering into? I think that was sort of my question. I guess we would be entering into how it expresses itself in our daily life. I see. So that's the, and that process can take a long, long time, right, Reb? I mean, couldn't that take forever, in a way? Which process are you talking about? Like the last step of actually entering it. You say it could take a long time, but it starts with one moment.

[76:24]

And then there's no end to it. But it's not like it starts with one moment and it's not fully realized. It's fully realized in the first moment. There's no end to it, because it's being expressed to endless beings. It's perfectly good, even before you express it, it is realized, but then it needs to be expressed in relationship. That's what you meant when you said about the bodhisattva. You know, when they rise and they are transmitting. Got it, got it. So you go up, but first you're open to it, and then you realize it, and then you use it to transform beings. And that's endless. That's endless, endless. And transforming beings realizes it again.

[77:28]

Realizing it again is transforming beings. And transforming beings is realizing it. So it just, rather than takes a long time, it just goes on forever. There's no end to it. But there is kind of, sort of a beginning to it. Okay. Hi, Rhett. Welcome, again. Thank you. Hello, Great Assembly. I think I'm showing up for my life right now. Well, I don't, as a gesture, I'm struggling to show up for my life right now.

[78:36]

So I thought I would offer this, showing myself. It's hard to stay in silence and stillness or practice, not stay, but watch. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Not stay. Right, not stay, but watch. And I have some challenges coming up. And I just am noticing how I'm having a difficult time. Are you having a difficult time welcoming the challenges? Yes. Are you having a difficult time welcoming, that you're having a difficult time welcoming?

[79:46]

When I remember, then yes, at times. And when I see my mind torturing myself, and it manifests physically, pain, then I'll remember that this is not the practice. What is it? What is the practice? The practice is to watch and be gentle to dear Angela. And my concern is that I could be of danger, right, to others, if I don't, if I don't remember to watch and take care of this being that is resisting and is afraid.

[80:54]

Yeah, if you're not kind to this being, you might not be kind to some other being. Yeah. But if you're kind to this being, that's the best way you can get ready to be kind to another being. We need you to be kind to Angela. And earlier, I was feeling very sleepy. And I just want to thank you. And I also want to thank the great community. And as I was listening and kind of coming in and out, it was it, I thought, oh, it's a lullaby. This communing, this intimate communing with all of us here present today, that it was a sweet,

[82:00]

gentle lullaby that reminded me to be compassionate to myself and those around me. So thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. May our intention equally extend to every being and place. With the true merit of Buddha's way, beings are numberless. I vow to be intimate. Afflictions are inexhaustible. I vow to be intimate. Dharmagates are boundless. I vow to be intimate.

[83:08]

Buddha way is unsurpassable. I vow to be intimate. And welcome, Charlie, at the last minute. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, Rev. May you have good health until we meet again. Thank you, Rev. Thank you.

[83:31]

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