After Enlightenment Love Deeply & Act Effectively

Speaking of motivation.

Um.

Why do this practice if someone asks you if you had to summarize?

And sort of like simplify.

If you had to just say one thing.

Why do this practice?

I would say so as to be of optimal service to others if I had to just say one thing.

Um.

There is this.

A series of.

Pictures.

From China but it's also found in Japan, Korea, Vietnam called the 10 Oxherding Pictures.

Uhm the first YouTube that we ever put up was a talk that I gave on the 10 Oxherding Pictures. Here God only knows how long ago. Maybe Stef knows I can look it up my teachers use them.

It's a metaphor from that sort of lost probably N Americans. But anyone from Asia that grew up was particularly S. Southern parts of Asia would know what the metaphor was so young boys go off into the forest and they look for a young water Buffalo.

It said ox, but it's actually a water Buffalo, you know they have these very big horns. They find a juvenile water Buffalo, and they they catch it and they make a relationship with it.

Um and Tainment, an it's a lifelong relationship and then as the boy grows up often their peasants. So there going to be a farmer and the ox grows up and the ox is used for tilling the fields and also to ride on into town or for pulling carts and things like that.

So them it's a metaphor for the process of enlightenment.

So it starts out that you.

You are completely clueless you just this can't wandering around without a clue.

Which is where everyone starts pretty much?

And then you get a clue, the clue is you see you see the.

Footprints of the ox.

You haven't seen the ox, but there's an indirect indication that this critter exists.

So that would be maybe you read a book or you heard a Dharma Talk or maybe something in your life sort of told you that there's more to life than what most People think there is in terms of what's possible.

So you see the footprints.

And then it builds on that you follow the footprints until you see the tail.

So all of you have reached the point where you've seen the tail fee had a a good meditation and we've all had good meditations right? That's sort of seeing the tail.

It's not really the same as seen that the ox, though, that's a little different then you.

You see just sort of the rear end of the ox, OK, but you are seeing the ox.

Those are those glimpses.

That many of you have had.

Of all.

It's not a stream entry, but it's sort of like in that direction, but it it evaporates.

But now you've actually seen the ACS at least part of it.

Uhm and then there is.

Seeing whole locks and it's like there for you now that could happen suddenly. Often, that happens or the gradually over a period of many years, so that is really wonderful so the ox represents the nature of nature of the nature of.

Consciousness the word there's a word in East Asian languages, Mandarin Chinese. It's Shim in Japanese. It's almost identical shin without a tone Korean is Shim and Vietnamese his thumb.

Which sounds more like the Cantonese some as in dim sum and actually she needs to warm your heart or touch your heart literally.

Oh, so.

It means hard, but it also means consciousness.

Sensory experience motor experience broadly translates cheetah in Sanskrit, so this is the channel. This is the ox. That represents the nature of consciousness. AKA sensory and motor experience. So now you seen the ox. You've seen the nature of consciousness.

But you're not done by any means, in fact.

You just begun the challenge as wonderful as it is to have actually seen the nature of consciousness, which.

Is sometimes called the put the nature?

Uh or the activity of the Dharmakaya body of the absolute but it could also be called the activity of impermanence.

AKA expansion and contraction that's the paradigm that I like to use.

So once you've seen it good, but now you gotta get on it, you got a rope, it, and then you gotta learn to write it.

And that's very challenging because that ox can Buck very intensely.

In other words stuff happens.

In in your life in the world.

Uh and the ability to stay on that ox, no matter how intensely it Bucks.

Is a long long training?

But at some point you could stay on and then you write you write it home. It just carries you.

Hope.

Now.

That takes you to.

The ace of the pictures.

So.

There's an oral tradition, not a written tradition, but an oral tradition. In Soto Zen and the only reason I know about it is that a Soto Zen Master.

Told me

Uh.

So.

On the Internet you can see one of my youtubes where I actually do something that most people in the Buddhist world don't do that. I actually describe the moment that I saw the whole locks.

Uhm but there is a tradition of in send that.

You're supposed to go to a senior master.

Um and

Uh sort of.

Describe the experience you have and then see what they have to say about it.

So I was in the US at that time, so I wasn't in contact with my teachers in Japan.

Um an and the only person that I actually personally knew that was like a Zen Master of great stature and great seniority relative to me at the time was my Azumi Roshi. Some of you may have heard of him. He was his lineages very prominent in US Buddhism. Zam at this point, so he was the only like.

O sheet that I knew.

And but I didn't know him very well. We just you know, I talk occasionally 'cause you know, I was living in the Buddhist ghetto? what I called we used to call the Buddhist. Ghetto is in Korea Town. It's like where New Hampshire and Vermont and Olympic that area. There lot of Buddhist centers. There was a Korean centered thomasa or something and was since in him master soon son.

There was sent center of La where my 0 she was there was the international Buddhist meditation center where I was living.

So.

The Sensor Valley was sorted down the street and over the years you know, we've done things together. But I I didn't really know myosin. We wrote you very well. But he was the only person that I could think too.

Go to an

I have a bit of trepidation because.

I didn't really know him that well and I'm going to like talk about this thing and.

You know a lot of Times, some of those said Masters sort of ferocious and I mean, I knew what I had experienced I wasn't really.

Nervous about that, but I thought there's a pretty good probability you know they?

The general style and Zen is no matter what it is, you're wrong that is a general styling.

That may or may not be the best pedagogical approach. You'll notice that is not the approach. I use sort of the opposite of that, but I had come to expect whatever it is, you're wrong. So I was fully expecting him to say you're full of **** kid get outta here. But I don't think it would've bothered me a lot, but it would have been a little embarrassing.

Uhm but he did not say that at all, I said the very opposite of that. So yeah, that's it, but you're just starting.

And that was a law was decades ago, and he was right just starting.

So because you seen the are so now you gotta get on it, and then all this stuff is going to happen and he got to stay on it.

So.

Uh.

So I asked him is it OK to tell People.

And he said well if you think that it will help inspire People. Yeah, you can actually.

Tell People so.

Um.

And.

He told me about the heart of the oral transmission in the Soto Zen school about the Oxherding Pictures. With we were talking about that as a metaphor.

Um so he said that in this oral tradition, which I don't know if it's written down anywhere, but I know I heard it directly from him.

The last 3 pictures are not actually stages.

That the path ends at 8:00.

Uh like Seven 890, Yeah, at 7:00, So what is 8 nine and 10 so.

8 is a just a blank page with absolutely nothing on it.

9 is a picture of trees and mountains just like.

Ordinary stuff.

The natural world.

And 10 is a picture of this sort of Santa Claus, like guy.

A named hotel in Japanese.

What walking into the marketplace?

Um with a bag full of goodies, then just passing them out to People and the caption in Chinese says entering the marketplace with hand outstretched.

44 characters.

And he said that those last 3.

Represent the Thai soul you that's Japanese tea. Sean young in Mandarin Chinese, they represent the substance.

The appearance.

And the ultimate use.

Of Enlightenment,

So the substance is the blank page. The appearance is everything.

And the ultimate use the ultimate motivation why we do this in the end.

Is to be a sort of approachable ordinary person?

Who are?

Has this secret bag of goodies?

That you can pass out to anyone who is realize is what you have.

And you're in the marketplace your.

It.

Well let me just say this the.

The word for marketplace in Persian, you know the word. It's bizarre, which is also where I work bizarre comes I'm OK, so in many parts of the world of the premodern world marketplaces.

It's pretty wild OK. It's like all of life is just sort of hanging out there.

So you're walking into the bizarre the bizarreness of the world.

Completely looking like you belong there.

And anyone can approach you and you have these goodies to give up so that is the yolk or the you in Japanese, which means the the purpose. The goal the ultimate activity? Why you did, all the other things. Why did all that work with the ox is so that you could be of significant service to the world and my first teacher emphasized this.

A lot.

He was a team master and when I would go to talk about practice. I quoted his house now when you think of a house. You're thinking of an American House OK, you gotta think of a Japanese House, which is like about 110th the size of American House so you know it was just.

Couple little rooms and so I was we didn't be in this room and he'd make tea for me and he'd always point out that he had this picture of the wall of painting monochrome and it wasn't in the usual sort of pictures that the boot up the Buddha is walking and he's walking down the mountain.

He's leaving the monastery so to speak they are strongly's coming down into the city.

All.

And we would always say that.

That's your image that that's the icon that I want you to remember why I'm teaching you all of these things. It's called in Japanese shoes, some little shaka to Sean Lee, leaving the mountain.

So uhm.

If I had to sum it all up.

It's

Um.

Uh.

Live to serve from love.

So where does that come from?

How does that come about?

For a practitioner.

Because I can assure you that that wasn't the kind of person I was.

Early in life.

All.

I was early in life, the very antithesis of that person.

I didn't like being around People at all.

I just wanted to be left alone.

And I was always uncomfortable around people in general.

And I was particularly uncomfortable around People who are uncomfortable themselves who would be going through some something bad in their life or whatever. I just could not handle being around that kind of thing.

So what happened.

Well.

4 things happened.

I took on this practice and it was really hard and I failed over and over and over and over again.

Couldn't concentrate?

Couldn't handle the retreats?

First, two retreats, I redid I bailed out in the middle.

Site.

I gotta get the hell outta here.

Probably shouldn't tell you that he could role model.

But it's true. I'm in halfway through. I just knew for sure that the best thing that I could do to nurture my spiritual essences get the hell outta here now and then I believe, and it's like all the pressure was off in the psych? Why did I do that.

Uh.

You know it happened once and you think you learn but then it happened again. The next retreat halfway through. It's like I'm outta here.

Um.

So.

I would say my early experiences.

Were experiences of being miserable?

And, of not being able to implement a technique.

Uh basically experiences of failing with the practice.

Um.

At the time. My interpretation was of course. I'm I can't do this and no good at this, I'm a failure. I'm a screw up.

At the time that was the impression it was only years later.

Years later.

Looking back that I realized that those initial experiences of misery and frustration.

Um.

We're hugely important.

For the big picture of my growth hugely important.

I I did not know it at the time.

But the seeds of compassion were being.

Planted.

Um.

Because.

We.

First, Noble truth of Buddhism.

The truth of suffering.

Was?

So much in my face.

Um.

That.

It left this impression.

Regarding the importance.

Of.

Not suffering and

So that I would say that one of the important factors for me personally.

In changing becoming a very different kind of person was failing with this practice and finding this practice difficult and just being miserable. You know, I would it was Japan. It was you know.

0 tolerance policy, we tell you the first day you know it's OK to move after the Bell.

Well.

Not in, not in Zen, not in Japan, you move a muscle in the yell at you, or hit. You would be like in the morning. I could still remember even though this is almost 50 years ago.

I can still remember sitting there.

And it's like cold.

And my nose is running but you you can't move.

And you can definitely cannot sniffle and it's like this festoons of snot. Murray came down. OK, like voice through my clothes and I'm sitting there with this blue drop. I'm just miserable just you know.

But in retrospect, I realize.

I was growing and changing and really important ways.

Just didn't realize it at the time.

So I would say that one of the main factors that leads one to the ultimate goal of this practice is the.

Difficulty that we experience early on with this practice.

Uhm OK what other factors.

Well, I mentioned my teacher.

I was indoctrinated.

In the philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism.

I was told.

As a concept.

In the end This is why you do it.

Uhm I think that that indoctrination was a good thing.

I'm glad I was told.

Um.

And guess what now you've been told.

So I hope you will accept that.

That point of view.

So another reason was well People told me and I believe them.

That's the Bodie Sodfa Spirit Mahayana.

So that's a factor just playing up indoctrination in a certain philosophy about practice.

What else?

Role models.

I saw the same pattern over and over and over again.

Different countries.

Teachers of different race.

But it was always the same pattern.

Which is years of intense practice?

And then

They're just in the office all day.

Available to the world.

The first time I saw that pattern was with someone that some of you know, she's passed away. But her name was Nikola Geiger. How many of you remember Nicola quite a quite a few. Yeah, that was quite a while ago.

So.

OK, how can I put it?

If you saw the movie Schindler's list.

Well.

That's what her world at the age of 20 was.

But not because she was Jewish actually she was the opposite.

She was

Up from German aristocratic family.

Uh.

And when she was very little, she joined the Deutsche MATC and boot.

The Hitler youth for the.

Girls the women and girls.

Because she's just a little girls that know any better, it's like all earth and.

Folks Geist and you know seem very appealing, but then, when she grew up, she realized the evil of the Nazis.

And she was part of this group that there was actually you know, there was the French there was a French resistance.

Oh no that's called the self Verizon.

OK.

How I need to see you fully manifest?

OK, that's pretty good, I didn't mean to humiliate itself. I mean, like I'm so happy that everyone is being.

Say that Pastor Cohen.

CarMax.

Say what I want to put the recording.

How is good you pass a cold?

It just wait.

My brother, Steve really fast.

Everybody watch Betsy for.

After intrusive device there, we go? I'm so proud of you.

Up.

So.

From the sublime to the ridiculous and now back to the supply.

So yeah, there there was the you know like the French Resistance and whatever but there was there were actually people in Germany that were fighting the Nazis secretly.

When they were in full power during World War II, it, she was part of that group and they made they made a movie about them, called the White Rose Ann if you see what happens in that movie well. That's what happened to her and her friends.

So just horrible horrible.

But Fortunately she had been taught how to Meditate by her father, from the time she was she could crawl.

They were associated with the writer Herrman Hessa and you may know the League of Journeyer's to the E there's this classic book called the journey to the E.

Uh.

This is oral history. I haven't confirmed it but apparently it actually that actually existed in Nicholas father was part of it.

And they were Christian but they were Buddhist influenced during the Vimar Republic between the wars in Germany anyway, so she had been taught how to Meditate, which is the only reason that.

She was able to.

Not be completely destroyed by the things that happened.

So when I met her.

Oh.

The way I met her, I've been a Zen Monk in kill Tal.

And you go on tagging rounds, I mentioned about that so.

There are these rules very strict rules. You can't like go places where you know you're going to get good Donna.

Yeah, I have to like go evenly to all places so you can't like you know try that farm the places where it's known that you get good Donna, but still all the Zen monks in kilts on new where the good. Donna it was even though you weren't allowed because the roots are set so you have to follow a set route. But if

On that particular day you route takes you by one of the good. Donna locations well. That's good. Why is that good? Where you don't keep that money OK that goes into a common pot but the good thing about scoring with good. Donna that you're only allowed to collect to a certain amount.

And if someone gives you a big amount.

You're you're done with your Donald rounds, So what you do is you go. Find a bridge. Some place where no one can see you.

The group that you go out in groups of 3, two on these begging rounds. So the 3 People will like find someplace out of sight and you know what you do you sleep because he is always sleep deprive right so good Donna means you're going to get like an hour of sleep, Sport Hood. But you're not like I say you're not allowed to go seek that.

But there was this one house where when you would go by it.

Clearly, a foreigner live there because it said Nicora Incana on on the front door.

But uh made would come out and like give you like a big Donna thing OK.

And so all the monks new nicora so I always thought it was a Russian Man 'cause. The name in on the clients are coming so anyway.

I get this letter.

Let's signed Nicola and it says this is when I back up my koi. And it says I'm the director of friends World College E Asian.

Campus.

Which is a Quaker International University and?

I heard that you're an American and the air at Mount Koya. Our students don't speak Japanese so would you be willing to show them around not coy and give them a little lecture on Buddhism in English because their international so I thought this must be that Nicola.

So I said, yeah come on up and I was like I say expecting Russian man. Instead, it was his German Hausfrau.

And uhm with this really strong accent and so it was like OK.

Show the students around and she says.

If you're ever in the city of kill to come visit me here is my address so few months go by. Sure enough, I have some business in kilter, which is you probably notice the.

Old capital of Japan and just a few hour hour drive from Mount Koya. So I go to her house and she says. I'll come up.

For some reason, she decided to call me. Steven something told her that's my name is Steven come on up so.

She says you know why.

Why I wanted you to come visit me?

An I said no.

And then she proceeded to tell me exactly where I was at with my meditation practice and what I needed to be doing.

It turns out that she she was friends with.

All the Greek Zen Masters in the city of killed all and it was like she had. This incredible background. I course I couldn't see it. She just looked like an ordinary person, but she could see who I was.

And the main thing that she said, is.

I mean without talking to me at all just watching me.

It's like she said.

Yes, I can see that you're able to sort of be in a meditative state, which is pretty good, but you have to learn how to serve People and you have to learn how to be comfortable around People.

Oh.

And it's like well, surprising that she could still and know that.

Um so I observed her and I had a role model, I could see what it was.

This is the result of a lifetime of practice this is a result of.

Having.

Stayed on the ox.

Wow, you're watching your friends being guillotine. This is the result of having stayed on the ox well. Russian troops are raping you.

Ah this is the result of staying on the ox. When you're being a interrogated by the SS and you're 20 years old.

What's the result of having done that.

Is Oh just here and available?

To help People through their stuff.

Um.

And I saw the entire spectrum of Japanese society.

Um walking across her crossing her threshold over a period of a number of years, everything from the highest to the lowest.

From the Great Masters of them.

To ya kuza?

Which if you don't know it well? I'm sure you do know what that is that's bad news Japanese criminals but she could relate to them.

On.

Left wing terrorists international terrorist.

I couldn't believe it.

I mean like criminal terrorists.

Um.

Would come?

And she pets something to give them.

Um.

And everything in between.

Just OK this is a person that can relate to everyone that's comfortable around.

Sinners and Saints equally.

That's a role model.

And then later on, I lived in a Chinese monastery the Chinese bastard same thing.

Exactly the same thing.

And over and over again, I saw this pattern.

This is this is where it ends up you're basically in the marketplace. Not in the sense of selling your wares. But in the sense of just available after I completed my.

100 days of isolation my best friend was attend I monk.

Um.

So there's xinggan and there's 10 thought those are the 2 schools that were dominant in Japan. During the her period. Hey on is when kill to as the capital before before then before Pure Land and so forth. The 2:00 schools were 10 died shingle so and each was on a different mountain.

Sing on is on Mount Koya and 10 days are Matt not here in Mount. He is right next to the city of kilter.

So my best friend.

Candice on

Uh was a 10 dot monk from Osaka.

And he was my age, so he said.

Now that you've completed the 100 days of training and I thought I was hot stuff after 100 days. No Westerner, it ever done that particular practice. So he said. Not now that you've done that I think you, you can meet my teacher.

Oh, so come to Mount Hiei. Let's go meet my teacher so his teacher.

Was one of the quote Marathon monks amount here you can actually find this on?

Uh the Internet. I think they even have U tubes of it. There's a documentary documentary.

Uh use it on the Internet, it's on YouTube. I think it's called a marathon monks amount he?

But the Japanese don't call the marathon monks. That's a western term. They Japanese called them die go Mama Jardien.

Majority is a charya it means is from the Sanskrit means of teacher, the same routers Upjohn in Thailand.

So I'll Charlie's teacher master die Yeoman means someone who is completed, the great practice.

And it is a great practice like I say I thought I was hot stuff after 100 days in isolation. This is 12 years in isolation.

And during that 12 years. You do a few things that you would not think any human being could do like sit for my days without food or water or sleep?

Uh a couple times actually.

So.

I had like actually I'm sitting down having a meal with someone who's done that.

And just sort of shooting the breeze.

Um and talking about practice of course, 'cause that was very salient for me at the time.

And he's telling me about the traditions of this 12 year practice on Mount here.

Um.

So you wouldn't you wouldn't think a person could do it, but People do.

And In addition to like the nine day sits they do these 100 day walks up and down Mount he ate.

So they walked down the mountain into the city of kill to chant mantras.

And prayers at every shrine and temple major one in the city then come back up the mountain studded winter.

Of that walk takes about 20 hours.

And they do a hundred of those walks in a row.

So that leaves 4 hours for everything else rest eating bathing.

Um.

You wouldn't think a person that's where the term marathon comes from. You wouldn't think you could survive that but People.

Uhm but you

You know my thing is.

I want to figure out how to work smart, so that it's not a for you folks. It's not a brute force algorithm OK, but you work, smart, so you can get similar effects.

Without having to go through the the brutality and intensity of the old school practice and it is my dream to figure out how to do that 'cause the average person is not going to ever take on something like this.

So, in any event.

When each each day of this 12 years.

Um.

They carry with them.

Um Tonto Tonto is like a short samurai sword.

Uh.

And a rope.

Now it's a symbolism of one of the main deities.

Call food Oh.

Football is fu deal you can look up on the Internet. If you're interested archilla, not a is his name in Sanskrit and he sort of ferocious looking and he has a rope in one hand and sword in the other hand, so the rope stands for somebody.

'Cause you sort of bind attention in a concentrated way, and then the sword or the knife.

Stands for what you think it stands for that's the wisdom.

So it's like the Shamatha and vipashyana right, rope is somebody in concentrated then the wisdom is the Sword that cuts through so they carry the attributes of this voting Safa Ocella in Sanskrit or though, if you deal.

Are in Japan Japanese but it also has another meaning besides?

Symbolic of the practice.

Um maybe you can guess if they fail they have to commit suicide. Yes, if they cannot complete even one day of the 12 year commitment they take their own life.

Either by hanging or

You know.

From the knife.

So OK that's you know, maybe you're feeling a little weird right now, but

In all honesty that did not make me feel weird at all, I got it.

I can't.

All once again, I'm not saying.

I expect anyone to practice that way.

At all.

But I got it when he explained.

Um.

'Cause I was still a kid and so you still ask why just 25 years old. So you still ask embarrassing questions. I even love People like that.

So I asked him would you have done it?

Would you have actually killed yourself if you couldn't make?

One day of it.

Any city out.

Um.

And he said, I'll tell you why.

Because the only way that we've been able to do this for the last 1000 years.

And that's how long we been doing it on that mountain.

It only reason we've been able to keep this up for 1000 years? Is everyone that does this has made that commitment.

And so.

That.

That resolve.

Is what allows us to do this?

And.

My sense of gratitude towards this practice is so great.

That I'm willing to take my own life to in order to maintain.

This tradition to make it possible for future generations to do this. So yeah, it's extreme and yet you don't have to.

You know.

Have the Japanese.

You know suicide pilot do or die mentality to get enlightened but.

I got it, it make it did not weird me out at all. It just made sense.

That's how grateful you are that's how important it is.

Um.

So.

What did he do all day I got to observe him same thing just like all the other People, he's just there.

And People from the village common People from the city of kill to come and they've got this problem and they've got that problem and they know what he's been through.

In the old days in Japan, they didn't have psychoth erapists.

People had problems where did they go they went to People like him.

Um.

And he's got something to give so.

One has these role models.

One is indoctrinated into a certain philosophy of practice.

One is miserable at the beginning, a lot.

So these are factors.

That lead to.

To it being quite natural.

To see the

If you had to just say one thing that this practice is about.

It's becoming the person that is approachable is just there.

And has something deep and important to give to a wide spectrum of.

Human beings flat the whole spectrum of human beings.

Then there's one other factor and it's also very import.

So it's sort of the flip side of failure.

The flip side of failure is success.

So.

At some point you see the ox.

It might happen suddenly but it probably going to just sort of sneak up on you.

As time goes on.

You see the source.

And when you see the source your source.

You see everyone source.

Um.

And.

When you finally are able to stay on the ox 24/7.

Just as before, you took on the practice.

You could not a scape from fundamental alienation.

Without this practice, you can't escape from fundamental alienation everyone has it unless something dramatic happens.

Fundamental Alienation is that rock solid sense that there is a your identity ends with your skin.

But there is.

A tangible barrier between inside and outside.

US versus them I versus it that's constantly present in all perceptions.

And there's just no escape from it, and everybody assumes it's the nature of reality.

But after you've written on that ox for awhile.

You cannot escape the opposite of that. You can't escape it. It's in your face 24/7.

Everything use.

See or hear or touch.

Is being loved into existence right in front of you?

By this.

Activity of the source this formula swoon.

And that's the first thing you perceive.

Each time you turn your head.

Or.

Reach out touch the world, the first thing you perceive before anything else.

Armor Primeiro.

Is this?

Cosmic love,

Um.

And.

It.

It's just natural to want to be of service to this larger identity.

It's just natural.

Oh.

And it's very, very.

Empowering.

And.

Um.

Comforting.

Because.

Just like anyone else.

You judge You like this one, you don't like that one.

You find this.

Person, who's empowered to be wonderful or this person who's empowered to be scary and horrible just like anybody else.

But that comes a moment later.

That's a moment later.

And therefore.

It's just in a very different context.

So there in lies.

The secret to.

Um.

Being of used to this world.

Love deeply that's what I mean by love deeply.

Act effectively.

Google.