Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: For more information on Ancient Dragon Zen Gate, please visit our website at www.ancientdragon.org. our teachings are offered to the community through the generosity of our supporters. To make a donation online, please visit our website.
Morning everyone on the cloud. We have Mark Splitt back again for more. Leo, good to see you.
Karen, likewise.
And a flower named Nicholas Joyner.
Welcome to day three of our Hotsu Sachine. And a few, maybe just a couple people are joining us for the first time during this Sachin and Andy and David Ray, unless miss something, everyone knows.
Just so we're on the same page, hate to repeat this, but Rohatsu means the eighth day of the twelfth month that traditionally marks the day of Shakyamuni, Buddha's awakening under this amazing Bodhi tree, so long ago.
[00:01:09] Speaker A: So Buddha's awakening was a consequence of suffering.
The pain, the loss of innocence, maybe.
And his awakening was a kind of creative, ingenious response to suffering. Instead of running away from pain, distress, fear, sorrow and lamentation, or creating more drama around it, or self injury, self mortification, but it just sat down, sat down, sat still, and observed what was going on and actually became very intimate with this afflicted state called suffering.
So this awakening that Buddha had really was suffering based, but also counterintuitive.
You know, it's kind of against our genetic programming to actually stay with things that are difficult, but somehow the idea arose to do such a thing intuitively and creatively and kindly respond to things that we normally want to turn away from or.
The other flip side of suffering is craving. Can't get enough of it, right? Never enough. More, more.
One more cookie? A tea, please.
What? An Oreo.
I want it more than one Oreo.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: So a little review for those tuning in.
And Leo, I'm not sure if this is your first morning with us. I thought I saw you around, but maybe I didn't.
But just so we're on this on the same plane, so to speak, the Sachin's been revolving around this first teaching, so called first teaching, first sermon called Discourse on turning the Wheel of Dharma, that was spoken when, let's say Shakyamuni kind of began to teach after awakening, while after.
And in this discourse, the four Noble Truths are put forth.
The truth of suffering, of, you know, you could parse that as sorrow, distress, pressure. I like to think of it as pressure under pressure.
[00:03:36] Speaker A: Lamentation, you know, And Buddha kind of identifies this great cause of suffering as habitual and unbeneficial, maybe foolish grasping and craving, and offers a way out, a way to live that is not based on insane excess, craving and grasping.
We don't need to build a bigger ballroom.
Maybe we don't need to do that because then you're just going to want a bigger one, you know, so, not that ballrooms, you know, maybe it's nice to have a big ballroom, I don't know.
But the effort and intention and the energy behind it, it's really different. When it's like there's so many people here who would like to use a ballroom, I think I'll make one for them.
So this is also. This way out is often referred to as the Middle Way. The Middle Way of the Eightfold Path.
This cultivation of wisdom, ethical behavior and meditation all are part of this wheel.
So in some ways, probably this Eightfold Path is specially designed or programmed for humans.
[00:05:00] Speaker A: To help humans live a humane life that is actually healthy and in harmony with our human ecosystem.
Other beings might have other programs, but this is what Buddha gave to us.
And the meditation part, which is sort of what we're really into here at this sachine, is a way to develop or mature our minds and our hearts so that they can actually realize this liberation or freedom from craving, thirsting, grasping, pushing away.
[00:05:38] Speaker A: You know, this wheel, this Eightfold Path sometimes is described as a wheel with eight spokes, eight components to it.
Many of you know this well, if not, there's always Chatgpt.
But Reverend Neozon wisely commented yesterday that we need all these spokes aligned to function properly.
So in many ways our practice is this practice of alignment.
So that's summary.
And we've been chanting every evening before dinner this sutra, this discourse. And in doing so, we join this wonderful tradition of Buddhists all over the world who often chant this.
We don't do it very often here at the Dragon, but some of our other friends do every day.
And I mentioned that after awakening, Buddha was reluctant to teach.
It's probably wise to be reluctant.
And also his way was such a radical departure from the, let's say, generally popular enlightenment methods at his time and place.
So he said these words supposedly, but I like them a lot. The Ambrosial Dharma I obtained is profound, immaculate, luminous and unconditioned.
Even if I explain it, no one will understand it. I think I shall remain silent in the forest.
[00:07:18] Speaker A: That which is free from words cannot be understood through words.
Likewise, the nature of phenomena is like space, totally free of the movements of mind and intellectual sounds, very Zenish.
[00:07:35] Speaker A: So despite reluctance, despite those words of warning against words, apparently Buddha ended up using a lot of words teaching for 45 years.
There's, I mean, just a voluminous amount of teaching available.
[00:07:54] Speaker A: Initially, Buddha's teaching was preserved through memorization and storytelling. People passing along stories and through visual images and sculptures, some of them not really physical representations of Buddha, but like symbols like a wheel or a footprint.
And that helped people.
That's how the teaching was transmitted in some ways. And then people just memorizing vast quantities of stories and sharing them.
Eventually these records of Buddha's words got written down and scriptures were compiled into, like, palm leaf volumes. Apparently they wrote on palm leaves. It's kind of cool, actually have a picture of Buddha teaching that's inscribed on a palm leaf of the Prajna Paramita Sutra.
So Prajna paramita is there, but Buddhist teaching is also inscribed on this. You can see the hole where, you know, they. They have, like, these holders for the palm leaves. I saw one at the Art Institute sometimes. I think they still have those.
So this has come down to us from all of this effort for thousands of years now, at least a couple thousand plus.
So imagine this, you know, Buddhas walking around northern India, the Polish areas, begging for food in the morning.
We kind of beg late morning, and servers come by and offer us food.
But. And hanging out with whoever shows up, just hanging out, including personal students who are like, you know, following them around.
Fanatics maybe, but sometimes just a random person would show up.
No, could be a woman who lost a child, could be a robber, could be a murderer, could be a wealthy person.
It's random animals showed up.
[00:09:54] Speaker A: So there's all these kinds of stories about such encounters, and.
[00:09:59] Speaker A: I'll share one that I like a lot.
I don't think I've talked about it for a while, spoken about it, this crew for a while.
So I'm sorry if. If you're bored out of your mind, if I've. You've heard this story before, but I think it's always good. Every time I read it and contemplate it, I feel joy and gratitude, and I'm humbled by it.
When these. You read these stories, like any story, especially stories that are passed down orally, you know, there's usually a place where things occur.
There's some significance to that place. There's some characters in the story, and there's some kind of, you know, scene or drama.
So you can just kind of think about it that way. Because sometimes the language, because it comes from this old Indian language, Indic language, you know, they're kind of tongue twisters and sometimes make it hard to follow, but just think about what's going on.
So this is called the Bahia Sutra or Sutta.
It's short, so I might be able to read all of it to you instead of just giving you a synopsis.
Maybe I'll read bits and make comments.
Starts out like many of these. Do less I have heard this is somebody recounting the story that they heard.
[00:11:30] Speaker A: On one occasion.
The Buddha, the blessed one, was staying near a savatti at Jeddah's Grove on a tipindica's monastery.
This happens to be like, I think the second monastery that some wealthy patron built for Buddha.
Anata Pindika, very generous donor to Buddha.
Gotta grow from someone named Jetta. Beautiful place and built like a whole monastic complex apparently.
Walkways, you know, for walking, meditation places for monks to live and meditate. So how very nice.
So Buddha roamed around various places, but he was hanging out around this place in northern India, far from the coastline.
So Buddha's there and this other person on that occasion, Bahia of the bark cloth was living in Suparaka by the seashore, which is near Bombay. So Buddha was like here.
Bahia was here pretty far.
[00:12:46] Speaker A: Not, not an easy distance.
And Bahia was worshiped, it says revered, honored and venerated, given homage by the people around, received robes, clothing, food, lodging and medicines. Isn't that kind of great? That kind of homeless people could be running around, literally homeless. And people would just naturally give them things.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: Even medicine, medicinal requisites for the sick.
They even thought they were like enlightened, you know.
And it turns out that this character Bahia was a wealthy trader who after a shipwreck, after a trauma, seeing people come to practice often after a crisis triggers some quest.
But afterwards work.
This clothing made from tree fibers, like kind of like hair shirts almost, I guess, but bark shirts. But of the bark cloth. There's actually is bark cloth too modern bark cloth for you Selling aficionados, fabric fanatics.
[00:13:54] Speaker A: But this was kind of rough stuff.
He ran around in bark cloth in his seaport town.
Anybody been to Bombay?
Bay of Bombay.
It's really nice.
It's a little bit overpopulated now I think.
And you know, he's doing his own practice.
Not really a follower of Buddha, but just doing his own practice. It said. Then when Bahia was alone in seclusion, this line of thinking appeared in his awareness.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: Now of those who in this world are awakened and have entered the path of awakening. Am I one? Am I one of those? Am I awake?
Isn't a great question, you know, ah, what am I up to what am I doing in my practice? Am I Buddha?
Many of you even thought, yeah, maybe. I think I am.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: But a goddess. Goddess came along.
It says, a Devata, who was once had been a blood relative of Bahia of the bark cloth. I think this was like a family goddess. Some families had these lineages.
Compassionate, desiring his welfare, knowing with her own awareness that the line of thinking that had arisen in his awareness.
She knew this, right? She knew this line of thinking and went to him and on arrival said, you, Bahia, are neither a awakened one, nor have you even entered the path of awakening.
You don't even have the practice whereby you could become awakened or enter the path.
Ouch. You know, did you ever go to a teacher and be like, oh, I'm having this great experience. And they're like, you know, like, wait a minute.
[00:15:50] Speaker A: Ouch.
[00:15:52] Speaker A: Might have also been a little bit of advertisement for the middle way, you know, whatever you were doing, I've got a better way, you know, come over here.
But nonetheless, I really love how Bahia responded. Bahia goes, then who?
Who in this world with all of its devas, all of its special spirits who are awakened or have entered the path of awakening?
He didn't say, I am enlightened. Get away. You know, something like that. He's like, h.
Well, tell me more about that. Show me the way.
And Devata said, bahia, there is a city in the northern country named Shravasti or Savati.
There, the Blessed One, AKA Buddha, rightly self awakened, is living.
Remember, he's living at Savati with his vihara monks in Annapatindika's palace, so to speak, for monks.
[00:17:03] Speaker A: So Bahia is directed there.
So this one is truly awakened and teaches the Dhamma leading to awakening.
And it says, then bahia, deeply chastened by this Devata, left right away and in the space of one night arrived there, which is sort of amazing. There were no airplanes, but maybe there was, like, supernatural spiritual transport that was available.
So he traversed these, you know, what, thousand miles or so overnight, and went all the way to where the Blessed One was staying at Travasty in Jeddah's Grove, at Ana Tapindika's monastery. You see how they keep repeating this, repeating it. So we remember, you know, and many things that are repeated during our chanting is done in this tradition. Buddha was born in Kaplavastu, enlightened at Magadha, taught in Varanasi. So right now he's teaching in the vicinity, but not quite in Varanasi.
He gets there and it says, now on that Occasion of the arrival, a large number of monks were doing walking meditation in the open air. Kinhan, we're still doing it.
And he went to them on arrival and said, venerable ones, is the Blessed One, the awakened, the rightly self awakened. Where is that person now staying?
We want to see this person, this rightly self, Awakened One. And they're like, oh, the Buddha's gone down the street into town for alms to get breakfast probably.
Usually they didn't eat in the afternoon, but maybe they did. Might have been before that rule was invented. But anyway, Buddha's out begging and Bahia immediately leaves Jeddah's grove and enters the town, no high tailed it, Lincoln Square or something.
And saw the Buddha going for alms and immediately recognized the. It says, saw the serene and inspiring confidence, calming his sense of peace. His mind of peace, having attained utmost tranquility and poised, tamed, guarded his senses, restrained a Great One.
Wow.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: And then really kind of had the audacity to just like walk right up to Buddha and greet him head to foot and say, teach me the Dhamma, oh Blessed One. Teach me the Dhamma, oh one well gone, that will be for my long term welfare and bliss.
Typical student, teach me, feed me the Dharma.
When this was said, the Blessed One said to him, this is not the time, Bahia, we've entered town for alms.
Second time Bahia says to the Blessed One. But it's hard to know for sure what dangers there might be for your life.
You might die before I get what I want.
Or what dangers there might be for mine. I might die. There's this urgency, right? Teach me the Dhamma, O Blessed One. Teach me the Dhamma, oh one well gone, that will be for my long term welfare and bliss.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: Second time, Buddha's like, this isn't the time we've entered the town for alms.
But you know, this Bahi of the bark cloth was persistent once again. Said it's hard to know for sure what dangers there might be for the Blessed One's life, or what dangers there may be for mine. Teach me the Dhamma.
Teach me the Dhamma, oh one well gone, that will be for my long term welfare and bliss.
[00:21:24] Speaker A: There's a few commentaries, older commentaries on this story.
[00:21:31] Speaker A: And I thought this was kind of interesting. So at that third time, the Buddha could see that Bahia was ready, that before he was kind of excited and fatigued, he said, but he saw that Bahia's mind had been calmed down into a state of equanimity, that Bahia had rested a Little bit that his ability to receive the Dharma had become ripe, and also saw that the danger to Bahia's life was forthcoming, imminent, and decided it was. It was time to give him some teaching.
And this is the little teaching Buddha offered which is great practice instruction for us, maybe for the rest of the Sachin, if not the rest of your life, then Bahia, you should train yourself thus.
In reference to the scene, there will be only the seen.
In reference to the heard, there will be only the heard in reference to the sensed, only the sensed in reference to the cognized thought. Right? Only the cognized, only the thought.
This is how you should train yourself.
When for you there will be only the seen in reference to the seen, only the heard in reference to the heard, only the sensed in reference to the sensed, only the cognized in reference to the cognized.
Then, Bahia, there is no you in connection with that, no grasper in connection with that.
Then there is no you in connection with that. When there is no you in connection with that, that which is coming through our sense gates, there is no you there. When there is no you there, you are neither here nor yonder, nor there, nor between the two.
This just. This is the end of suffering or stress is how this is translated.
So sounds a little like Song of the Grass hut.
[00:23:55] Speaker A: But this is a great meditation instruction what is experienced through our senses. You can spend a whole sachine the rest of your life just observing that process of when our senses pick something up, you know, just this thusness, suchness, without anything extra.
So this teaching is pointing to this suchness, thusness, but also, you know, watch what happens. The minute that happens, we start projecting onto things. But it's a common process.
Ah, like we could try eating oroki lunch this way.
Just this without like that tenzo burnt this, blah, blah, blah, or mmm, this is so good. And I wonder, like, who made this and where? You know, whatever, but just present with what is coming forth always.
This is also traditionally known as a practice of signlessness or an entry into signlessness. That we're not engaging in more signification, signification.
[00:25:18] Speaker A: Of experience, not engaging in projection onto experience. You know, you can sit next to somebody at Sachin and you cooked up a whole story about someone you don't know.
You can know someone very intimately and cook up a whole story about them and be like, I'm right or isn't that wonderful?
Isn't that amazing? I want to be around that person all the time until I choke them to death or not.
Or how do you Just be with what is.
[00:25:50] Speaker A: The story also resonates with a another very famous teaching much later, which keeps making me think, these people must have known about this teaching of Bahia.
There's a line, very famous commentary in case 20 from the book of Serenity. In walking, in sitting, just hold to the moment before thought arises, before the designing thought mind arises, and you'll see, look into it. You'll see not seeing. Then put that to one side when you direct your effort like this. So it's not saying be a zombie, but it's teaching you how to be with everything and not create More nonsense, let's put it that way.
But don't hold onto it, because then we're like, oh, I want to hold on to this. Just the scene. Let me grab that right?
That's the right way to be. Because Buddha said it.
But these old Chinese geezers, they had, they played with this a lot, always trying to take away the grasping when you direct your effort like this. Rest does not interfere with meditation study.
[00:27:07] Speaker A: And meditation study does not interfere with rest.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: This comes, of course, from case 20, where two way seekers, Buddhist practitioners, are hanging out. And one says to the other, where are you going?
And the other says, around, on pilgrimage. It's kind of like what Bahia was doing, right? Going on a pilgrimage to find this Buddha. And this person says, well, what is the purpose of pilgrimage?
And the person answers, I don't know.
And of course, the response was, not knowing is nearest, or not knowing is most intimate with the true teaching in parentheses, let's say provisionally. But this not knowing is not idiocy.
Of course, we know some things provisionally, but it's an openness, like Bahia, when Bahia's like, I think I might be awakened. Hmm. Am I one of those? And when somebody came along and said, no, you're not, they were like, okay, let me check it out. It's pretty good.
[00:28:17] Speaker A: And you know, in the Sachin, we're on a pilgrimage.
We're actually sitting on a pilgrimage to the bodhi seat, to the place of awakening, with this sasheen, this kind of not knowing.
Like I said, don't grab onto it and go, oh, yeah, great, I'm not knowing, so I know nothing and blah, blah, blah. But this is the wheel of the Dharma. This not knowing, it's turning. The wheel of the Dharma. Turning with the wheel of the Dharma. Being turned by the wheel of the Dharma on your cushion in silence and stillness.
No, the zazen I speak of is not sitting meditation.
What?
[00:29:03] Speaker A: It is simply the Dharma Gate, the teaching of ease and repose, the teaching of Nirvana, the teaching of thusness.
This is the ambrosial Dharma, profound, immaculate, luminous and unconditioned.
Maybe.
So upon hearing this brief teaching of in the seen. Just the seen, in the heard. Just the heard, in the thought. Just the thought.
[00:29:33] Speaker A: Through hearing this brief explanation of the Dhamma from the Blessed One, the mind of Bahia of the bark cloth, right then was released from this is the effluence, or ashravas, outflows, taints, leakings, like leakings was free, you could say, of clinging and craving, of gratification, of wrong views. There's all these ways you could talk about what that release from effluence, but basically from acting out of the sense projections.
And then after it says, having exhorted Bahia of the bark cloth with this brief explanation of the Dhamma, blessed went left and went back on the alms rounds, probably still hungry, going, okay, look, let me give it to you and get out of here.
Where's lunch?
[00:30:37] Speaker A: Says not long after.
This is kind of a sad part of the story, but important.
Not long after Buddha left, Bahia was attacked and killed by a mother cow with a young calf.
Apparently, you know, a lot of cows floating around that area, but they're protective of their children.
So the Buddha, you know, knew the jig was kind of up for Bahia.
And then the Blessed One, having gone for alms in Savati or Sravasti, after a meal, returning from the alms realm with a large number of monks, saw that Bahia died. And on seeing him, said to the monks, take his body, monks, and cremate it and make him a memorial.
Your companion in the holy life has died.
And responding.
They, these monks were like, as you say, Buddha, very agreeable. You know, it's like, take this dead body and burn it. And they're like, sure, Buddha, no problem.
And they took it away, cremated, built the memorial. And then on arrival, the Buddha shows up.
And of course, they bow to him and they're sitting there and they said to him, lord Buddha bought this body. Bahia's body has been cremated, the memorial built.
What is his destination? What is his karma? What's his future state?
And Buddha says, this monks, Bahia of the bark cloth was wise.
He practiced the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma and did not pester me with issues related to the teaching.
[00:32:25] Speaker A: Like, I gave him this nugget, I left, he didn't bother me anymore. Maybe it was because he was killed by a cow. Didn't pester me, you know, one more Question, please, You know, give me more. More teaching. Bahi was like, oh, I get it. Thank you, Buddha. And he said, and Bahi of the bark cloth monks is totally unbound, totally free.
[00:32:50] Speaker A: And then on realizing the significance of that, bye, kitchen and friends.
Thanks for hanging out with us.
I'm almost done. So.
[00:33:02] Speaker A: You'Re not going to miss anything anyway.
None do. Honestly, you and me.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: I'm sure there'll be some questions.
[00:33:14] Speaker A: The kitchen is leaving, the servers are leaving, the Tonto is leaving, but there's still a few people left, so I'll say what the Blessed one said.
So the Blessed One was like realizing the significance of what he just said, that Bahia is unbound and said, explained in poetry, right? Is that nice?
People had time and space to speak in poetry, actually spoke to each other. Instead of like texting each other in the same room, maybe we could text poems to each other. Anyway, he said, where water, earth, fire and wind have no footing.
[00:33:52] Speaker A: Elements, there the stars don't shine, the sun isn't visible, the moon doesn't appear.
There darkness is not found.
So this is the darkness within. Darkness is no darkness.
When a sage, a Brahman, through sagacity, has realized this for themself, then from form and formless, from bliss and pain, he is freed.
So just this.
And so the Buddha was very happy and gave a short teaching that I could even get through the entire thing in a little dharma talk. Thank you very much, Buddha. Thank you very much.
Bodhisattvas, you know, this is about not going along with standard human operating procedure of picking up the world and trying to make it into something that we want, that we don't want, that we're bored with, but making it into something that is totally nonsense.
And I'm just so happy that we have these wonderful teachings and that you gave me the opportunity to even talk about them with you. So please, thank you very much.
Continue to practice with this teaching through the rest of Sasheen, if you can, to see if you can actually experience, pay attention. I think everyone here is settled enough that you can actually do that, awe that you can engage in your experience with minimal craving, greed, hate, and delusion, and be liberated, just like Buddha said. So any comments, any pestering is welcomed.
I scare people.
[00:35:51] Speaker A: How are Bodhisattva?
Yeah, thank you.
[00:35:55] Speaker B: Hougetsu.
[00:35:58] Speaker B: Test, test, test.
Can you hear me?
[00:36:01] Speaker A: I stay ahead.
[00:36:03] Speaker B: I'm just kind of wanted to say, just speak appreciation for, like, spending time with the early suttas, because we don't spend that much time with them in the Zen Tradition. I've recently been spending a lot of time with the Satipatthana Sutta, which is for folks who don't know. It's one of the, like, go to text if you want to talk. Talk, talk about, learn about, think about mindfulness and sati.
And it's. It's bewildering because, like, you spend. I spend so much time reading these Mahayana texts, and they're just huge and voluminous, and I love the nonsense. Like, I have. I try not to be seduced by the nonsense, but I love the nonsense. It's insane, but it's something really refreshing about going to something like the Satipatthana sutta or hearing the Bhavya sutta and go, yeah, it's really that simple. It's really just that simple. You look at the Satipatthana, so it's very similar. Like, you, okay, you're going to sit with the body and you're just going to mindfully know that there is a body, that there's skin, that there's flesh, that there's bone.
[00:37:02] Speaker A: And then, like, sinew. Vile. Yeah.
[00:37:05] Speaker B: And then a few steps later, then you get to mind, it's like, oh, notice that you. You like some stuff, you don't like some stuff that comes, like, four steps later.
[00:37:14] Speaker B: Just notice. Come back to that first. Always just come back to that first before all this other stuff comes in, before thought comes in. And it helps me get in touch with the Chinese and the Japanese and the Korean text better, too, because, oh, wait, that's what they're all doing.
They just added a lot of extra stuff to it, which is fun.
[00:37:32] Speaker A: They talked about it in their way.
[00:37:34] Speaker B: Yeah. In their context and in their time period. But it's always a good reminder. Like, just come back to that.
[00:37:42] Speaker A: That's right.
And the Satipatthana, of course, starts with, go find a quiet place, a secluded place, and make yourself a seat and sit down under a tree and establish mindfulness in front of you. As a matter of fact, Howard, this is a very bookmark that I have for case 20, which says, monks, there is a path that can help monk. Help beings realize purification, overcome anxiety and fear, end pain and distress and grief, and attain the true way.
This is the path of dwelling in the four grounds of mindfulness, Satipatthani And I chose this for that very reason.
So thank you for bringing that up.
[00:38:30] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:38:31] Speaker A: And, you know, maybe someday we'll do a whole practice period on the Satipatthana just to scratch the surface.
I started, I think, Teaching from it, maybe on Thursday mornings. And I didn't get very far. Maybe I'll come back to it.
You Thursday morning. Some of you people are here. Torture with the Satipatthana, which I love.
Anything else? I'm so happy you're reading it, practicing with it.
[00:38:58] Speaker B: Good morning.
[00:38:58] Speaker A: Like, Nicholas.
Yeah.
Yeah.
[00:39:02] Speaker B: I just wanted to offer that there's a. A phrase that this hair of Odin's used, which is bare attention, which is really helpful phrase to me to understand, like, what you were talking about in terms of paying attention to mind, body, feelings, whatever, with. With bare attention, which is basically, as you stated, you know, just not adding anything.
[00:39:30] Speaker A: So that's my offering. Thank you. Thank you very much. Yeah, so Bear Attention was actually the article on. It was the first thing I read from my teacher. And I thought about this as well.
There's an article by Nayana Panaka, Thera, Heart of Buddhist meditation, which I think is. Should be required reading along with Bahia for any Zen student.
And in some ways, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. You know, I haven't spoken with anyone. Maybe I'm just speaking with you now about it. Nicholas. I'm not quite sure if bare attention is maybe just a little bit more than even what Buddha is advocating here.
There's a slight. There can be a slight analytical quality to it, but I think they're very similar. And it definitely, again, as the Sadipatthana did, that also came to mind. So I'm so happy that you related these two, this Bahia. And, you know, I think bare attention is a term that came up more recently in Buddhism.
[00:40:42] Speaker A: Maybe in those Burmese meditators, Theravadan meditators.
But, you know, Suzuki Roshi said we have this Theravadan practice with a Mahayana heart, you know, but there's a. There's a rigor to our practice and our cultivation.
[00:41:01] Speaker A: Because, you know, we are fast, loose and out of control. There's just no question about it.
And it helps to settle a little.
And then we have to get up and walk and talk and hang out together and help each other refine our practice together.
I worry that I can be a little too hardcore sometimes. People have said that, but.
Thank you, Nicholas. Bear attention.
Just. This is it.
To quote our great ancestor Dongshan, but I want more. Something else, Douglas. Yeah. Well.
[00:41:40] Speaker A: Just to follow up on what Howard said and what you were saying, there's a great book by the scholar Robert Buswell about Zymonasticism in Korea. He spent several.
[00:41:52] Speaker B: Several years in Seongwansa which was the.
[00:41:54] Speaker A: Primary meditation monastery in Korea for years.
[00:41:59] Speaker B: And he said that what really surprised.
[00:42:01] Speaker A: Him was that all of the.
[00:42:03] Speaker B: The meditation monks at Sungwon Sa loved.
[00:42:05] Speaker A: Reading the Pali suttas because it brought things down to this and practical things in ways that, as wonderful as they.
[00:42:16] Speaker B: Are, things like maybe the Heart Sutra.
[00:42:18] Speaker A: And the Diamond Sutra, which they were chanting every day, did not do. And he loved that.
Thank you. Yeah. So this is.
This is why I'm emphasizing how Buddha taught after awakening, how he's learning to teach, how he's teaching according to. Who shows up and takes the time to kind of, you know, this three times questioning is sort of like, do I know you yet? To be able to say anything, you know, what's going on here?
And could. Could try to tailor things. But this hanging out in society, hanging out with the peeps, hanging out in community.
You know, we have this idea of these, like, isolated, you know, monks. They did do that practice, but hanging out was a big part of what they did. Just hanging out and also very humble. Receiving whatever is put in their bowl.
Very nice.
You know, they had special robes so people could identify them eventually by uniform, but those robes were made of rags.
Anything else before we move on to our next event, which might be some more Zazen, Kin Hin and Zazen. Yeah. Did you read or say that awakening does not hinder repose and repose does not hinder.
Did you say that awakening does not hinder repose and repose does not hinder awakening? I. I didn't. But that's been said.
That is what it said. Right. Okay. Or someone. But I didn't say that. Great. No. Yeah. I thought it was in what you read. Oh, well, I. I said the zazen is not sitting meditation. It is simply the Dharma gate of ease and repose.
Okay. I think I heard something like. Like Buddha said with Bahia, maybe sleeping does not hinder awakening. And. Oh, that was a quote from the Book of Serenity that when.
[00:44:20] Speaker A: In. This is essentially in the scene just seen, but when you hold to the moment before thought arises and then set it aside, then meditation doesn't hinder rest.
So you could say, and rest doesn't hinder meditation. That's what it was. Yeah. Okay, thanks. I could get the. You know, you can look it up and Book of Sorny case 20 commentary early on. Thank you.
I think it's Ser Zhao who said it. Maybe. I don't know. But. Yeah, but. But it's. Rest isn't like I'm checked out.
Rest is just rest. You Know, built a grass hut. After eating, I relaxed and took a nap. But your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things like Yunmin's.
What about after enlightenment? Every day is a good day when your mind is not cluttered with grasping and other nonsense.
It's like even death, even my dying is a good day.
[00:45:23] Speaker B: I thought it had something to do with, like, actually lying down and that.
[00:45:28] Speaker A: That.
[00:45:29] Speaker B: That is acceptable.
[00:45:31] Speaker A: That is acceptable. Yeah.
[00:45:33] Speaker B: Way of meditating, as you said, without being checked in.
[00:45:37] Speaker A: But that's not. That's. That's not.
You know, I think this. That's not quite what this is talking about, but it could.
That's a good way to look at it, that lying down doesn't interfere with meditation. Resting doesn't. They're no different.
David Weiner, last word.
[00:45:56] Speaker C: A good last word. Nothing.
[00:45:58] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:45:59] Speaker C: Moo.
[00:46:00] Speaker A: Moo. Okay. Mumu.
[00:46:02] Speaker C: In Japanese, moo is the.
[00:46:05] Speaker A: What's moo?
What. What is it?
[00:46:09] Speaker C: In Japanese, mu is nothing. And the character. And the character is.
And in calligraphy, when you're studying shoto, it's one of the two. The two characters you want. The three characters you want, or four now are one, ichi, the circle, perfect circle, love, which is a very complicated kanji, and mu, nothingness, because of the way it's balanced with four things and then the character for spirit underneath it, they're all blended together.
And when I'm coming away with I'm digressing, but it means no judgment that I could be in life without judgment.
[00:46:53] Speaker A: Yeah, it's possible.
[00:46:55] Speaker C: And that means accepting everybody the way they are.
In that sense, not judging them, but being with them.
And that's all that really comes.
[00:47:07] Speaker A: And with them is who they are.
[00:47:09] Speaker C: Yeah. And with them.
[00:47:10] Speaker A: So sometimes.
[00:47:11] Speaker C: Yeah.
And.
And not judging. Oh, my shoulders ache because I'm doing this or I'm doing this wrong, or I'm doing this wrong.
[00:47:20] Speaker A: It could be just your shoulders ache.
[00:47:21] Speaker C: Yeah, my shoulders just. Ach.
[00:47:25] Speaker C: And it's just that sense of no judgment.
[00:47:28] Speaker A: Yeah. That doesn't mean there's not discernment, though. So if a bus is coming towards you, move out of the way, please. Yeah.
[00:47:35] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:47:36] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:47:38] Speaker A: That's it for.
Well, like I said, you're responsible for your own practice. Do whatever you want to do. But you could try this out too.
So thank you very much, online bodhisattvas for joining this part of our program. Stay around and sit some more with us, but you'll have to get lunch on your own.
So I'm going to sign off and we will end this part of the program with our great bow.
May our intention equally extend to every being and place with the true merit of Buddha's way.
Beings are numberless, we vow to free them.
Exhaustible.
We vow to cut through them.
Dharma gates are boundless, we vow. Tune into them.
Buddhas sounds surpassable.
We vow to realize it.
Beings are numberless, we vow to free them.
Delusions are inexhaustible.
We vow to cut through them.
Dharma gates are boundless, we bow to each other.
[00:49:28] Speaker A: Me vow to free them.
Delusions for festival Breathe out God breath.
Dharma gates are boundless, we vow to enter them.
Buddha's way is unsurpassable, we vow to realize it.
