Cultivating Intimacy With Our Body

0:00 This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:15 Good morning. Also good morning to everybody who's following this talk online. Report an error in the passage at 0:15 Highlight the passage at 0:15

0:29 This was a wild morning. How Report an error in the passage at 0:29 Highlight the passage at 0:29

0:35 are you all doing? Take a little moment to just feel your body. Report an error in the passage at 0:35 Highlight the passage at 0:35

0:44 Can you hear me, Griffin? It's not working with your earphones? Well, Report an error in the passage at 0:44 Highlight the passage at 0:44

0:55 the Eno is going to take care of it. Report an error in the passage at 0:55 Highlight the passage at 0:55

1:01 Allow your body and listen to it if it wants to move or adjust your posture. You can do that here. So feel free to make yourself as comfortable as you can so that you can be present. Report an error in the passage at 1:01 Highlight the passage at 1:01

1:23 So about four days ago, Five days ago, we started a 10-week practice period with the title Buddha Body, Buddha Mind. There is a story of the Buddha talking to his monks, and he said, imagine this whole earth covered by water, and somebody throws a yoke with a single hole into that ocean, and the winds from the west blow it to the east, east and the winds from the east blow it to the west, the winds from the north blow it to the south and the winds from the south blow it to the north. Report an error in the passage at 1:23 Highlight the passage at 1:23

2:17 And in that huge ocean lives a turtle that is blind. And that turtle raises up to the surface of the ocean every 100 years. Report an error in the passage at 2:17 Highlight the passage at 2:17

2:37 Do you think, monks, is the probability of that turtle, when it comes up, sticking its head through that one hole in the yoke? Report an error in the passage at 2:37 Highlight the passage at 2:37

2:50 And the monks said, that is exceedingly rare. And the Buddha says, as rare is the opportunity to be born into the human realm. Report an error in the passage at 2:50 Highlight the passage at 2:50

3:11 The human realm is held in such high esteem in the Buddhist teaching because it is the best realm to wake up. It has all the necessary ingredients of suffering and pleasure and capacity of self-reflection to make us capable to wake up. Report an error in the passage at 3:11 Highlight the passage at 3:11

3:43 And so the body is really what makes us human. We have a human body, not an animal body, not a titan body. So this is why during this practice period we are focusing on the body, the unique body we have been given. Report an error in the passage at 3:43 Highlight the passage at 3:43

4:11 Which keeps changing moment by moment. It keeps aging, keeps getting ill, it may have injuries, it may have limitations. Report an error in the passage at 4:11 Highlight the passage at 4:11

4:25 So I got up very early this morning and prepared the dharma talk, which I can only do on the day of. Whatever I do before is dead the next day. Report an error in the passage at 4:25 Highlight the passage at 4:25

4:41 It's very alive when I do it and the next day I look at it and it's just... So this morning I did it on the computer for the very first time. And I was so proud and it worked so well and I had it so nicely lined up and I hit the delete button for some things and I just see dharma talk disappear. Report an error in the passage at 4:41 Highlight the passage at 4:41

5:06 So it's all gone. Unretrievable. So that was a... Wonderful opportunity to practice what I committed myself to do, to be during these 10 weeks and to live in them in a relaxed and calm manner. Report an error in the passage at 5:06 Highlight the passage at 5:06

5:36 So I could watch my mind go, whoa, whoa, whoa, and trying a few things, and then I remembered, it's gone, just relax. Well, do I only sit one period of sasa instead of the two that I had originally planned and run back up, try to recreate something? No, just stay sitting in this endo. And so this is an experiment. I have only one poem that I may or may not read, depending. Report an error in the passage at 5:36 Highlight the passage at 5:36

6:10 And I also felt I have to rely. on the dharma names that have been given to me which is Kiku loom of emptiness and the other and the weaving loom and the other is pure faith so here is the loom of emptiness and we'll see what weaves itself on it which will come from your energy too not just it's not just created here And the other one is pure faith, faith that maybe a dharma talk is coming together today. So this is a very first time. Report an error in the passage at 6:10 Highlight the passage at 6:10

6:56 I don't have the lecture in front of me to kind of give me stability. Report an error in the passage at 6:56 Highlight the passage at 6:56

7:04 So this morning, I encouraged everybody to join us in the practice of returning. Staying with our awareness with our body and when we get distracted, returning to it. And I want to continue that every first period of sasen up to the interval also during the week because I have a strong feeling that if we all focus on the same practice, For a period of time, that's an incredible support for everybody around us. That energy field affects us. And you don't have to raise your hands, but who did remember to do that during the Tu period? Report an error in the passage at 7:04 Highlight the passage at 7:04

7:58 Who remembered to do it after the Kin Hin to return to that practice? I have to keep reminding myself over and over that that's what I'm doing. And it's so easy to forget because we have such ingrained habits of how we are in the Zendo, how we daydream or when we are uncomfortable we think of something else or we imagine alternatives or ask ourselves, why on earth did I sign up for this? Report an error in the passage at 7:58 Highlight the passage at 7:58

8:33 This is not, you know, what's the point in this? And to just... Let go of that or let that be and return to the sensations of the body. So we will try these 10 weeks. Together we will explore and practice and encourage each other to really become intimate with this unique and precious body each of us has been given. Report an error in the passage at 8:33 Highlight the passage at 8:33

9:11 A body that keeps changing moment by moment and it has a language and it's our best ally but can we be its best ally is what I want to cultivate together with all of you and I will depend on your feedbacks, on your sharing from your experience because we're all unique. And every path of practice is completely individual. We meander in our own life to pick up something over here and something back there. Report an error in the passage at 9:11 Highlight the passage at 9:11

9:51 And that's like nobody else can do it. Like no, not one person can take a breath for us. Report an error in the passage at 9:51 Highlight the passage at 9:51

10:02 Kowo Sabaki said, you can't fart a fart for somebody else. So to become able to Listen to our body to understand its impulses, to shift a little or to align a little better or to relax a little or to change if we need change. So in this practice period we also, as an experiment, we give participants that are sitting the possibility to Report an error in the passage at 10:02 Highlight the passage at 10:02

10:46 When their body tells them it's not good to sit another period of 30 minutes to either go lie down in the hallway to the zendo or to go do walking meditation in the courtyard or in the basement hallway or go to the kitchen and chop a few carrots for a while sitting on a table so that there is space to really start Report an error in the passage at 10:46 Highlight the passage at 10:46

11:19 relationship with the body you have and befriend it and become its ally because it is our body is absolutely essential for us to wake up we can't wake up just in the head there is no brain without out the body there's no that consciousness we have is very tight very very inseparably intertwined with the body we have and so and that is also completely interconnected with everything in this universe. Report an error in the passage at 11:19 Highlight the passage at 11:19

12:04 So if you now put your attention in your body, is it telling you to change your Thank you. And Report an error in the passage at 12:04 Highlight the passage at 12:04

12:28 if we tune into... Yes, please. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 12:28 Highlight the passage at 12:28

12:31 we now hear all those bodies shifting a little bit and because they're shifting based on an information you got from your body it shifts the energy in this room everybody feels more at ease even if you yourself don't have to shift and this is how our bodies ping off each other the energy that is in my body So of Report an error in the passage at 12:31 Highlight the passage at 12:31

13:22 course I want to do this practice period relaxed and at ease. And I want the same for each of you who are participating and also you who are just, for example, visiting today. So Report an error in the passage at 13:22 Highlight the passage at 13:22

13:48 when we concentrate our awareness on somatic, physical sensations, the breath also is a wonderful way of helping us with that because our breath is actually something absolutely necessary. Without it, We won't live, but also it's the one thing that when it comes in, it becomes individual. When it goes out, it becomes universal. The breath is like a swinging door between being the unique individual you are and... Report an error in the passage at 13:48 Highlight the passage at 13:48

14:38 Being completely interconnected because we all breathe the same air in this universe. So that personal and universal and personal and universal is, for example, something you can for a while feel and sense in your body. How far does your breath come in? What does it move? What parts of the body you can feel movement when the breath comes in? Report an error in the passage at 14:38 Highlight the passage at 14:38

15:10 and what and then you can send out your breath to the universe for example there is a lot of practices that's and you can send out well-being to the whole universe or peace to the whole universe and our breath also is a wonderful guide in adjusting our posture it tells us How it would be to be flowing more easily. And you can close your eyes for a moment and just feel, if you can feel your breath. Report an error in the passage at 15:10 Highlight the passage at 15:10

15:50 And if it invites you to shift something that might be visible or invisible, and Report an error in the passage at 15:50 Highlight the passage at 15:50

16:15 it flow freely. And Report an error in the passage at 16:15 Highlight the passage at 16:15

16:28 in this Sutta of mindfulness, Report an error in the passage at 16:28 Highlight the passage at 16:28

16:35 Paul, help me out. What is the translation of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta? Report an error in the passage at 16:35 Highlight the passage at 16:35

16:51 Thank you. That was helping me out big time. Thank you. That you don't know either. Report an error in the passage at 16:51 Highlight the passage at 16:51

17:01 Yes. But you know it. I know you do. But in it, and please correct me, Paul, if I misquote it, but there is a whole chapter on breathing. And it invites us to be so attentive to it that we know when we take a short breath. And we know when we take a long breath. And that is just a wonderful guide we can do in that first period of sasen when we all concentrate of awareness of our body as it is in that meditation period, which may not be how it was the one before or may not be how it is the one after. Report an error in the passage at 17:01 Highlight the passage at 17:01

17:50 To feel just with no judgment with just bare attention oh this is a short breath this is a longer breath oh this is even a longer breath Report an error in the passage at 17:50 Highlight the passage at 17:50

18:08 And just be with that. Report an error in the passage at 18:08 Highlight the passage at 18:08

18:47 Yes. And that you used a wonderful word, Paul, because that's the other thing that I hope and aspire with the help of all of you, that your trust In your body, in your own body will grow during that practice period. Because we live here in a culture that thinks Report an error in the passage at 18:47 Highlight the passage at 18:47

19:13 as a body as an object that we can just manage and we can control and we can tell it what to do and very mind-based with ideas, how it should be better and how we make it better and how... going to the gym makes it better and how running makes it better and and so we're using it as an object and relate and it's a subject it's us and so to to shift that or we cultivate that or support that is part of what the aim is of this practice period these 10 weeks and one thing that i think all of you If you feel so inclined, you can take with you wherever you go one of the other practices that will run through the whole 10 weeks is the practice of slowing down a fraction. Report an error in the passage at 19:13 Highlight the passage at 19:13

20:21 Just a little bit so that you notice you're slowing down. Because the moment you remember to slow down and do it, it brings you right into your body. It takes you out. of wherever else your mind was into your body and that is for anything you do you can apply that walking to your job going to the bathroom which i recommend to always go when you need to go and not wait that was a hit at the last practice period to Report an error in the passage at 20:21 Highlight the passage at 20:21

21:01 because when you wait Report an error in the passage at 21:01 Highlight the passage at 21:01

21:06 A lot of energy gets absorbed by the waiting and you cannot be fully present for what you're doing. And you can find that out. And if you do that in the middle of a meeting, you say, excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom or the restroom. Everybody in that meeting will relax and gets a break. Report an error in the passage at 21:06 Highlight the passage at 21:06

21:31 And then the meeting will go much better. Report an error in the passage at 21:31 Highlight the passage at 21:31

21:38 And the example I used in the last practice period which kind of is so poignant for me is a friend who is an artist, a singer. He said he discovered that when he is practicing, at some point suddenly he can't reach his highest pitch. He just can't reach it. And he tries and he tries and he thinks, I have to do this exercise, and he just can't. And then he realizes, oh, my body's telling me I need to use the restroom. Report an error in the passage at 21:38 Highlight the passage at 21:38

22:17 So he went to the restroom and afterwards he had no problem to reach his pitch because the energy is stopped. And that's how we're trained as little children. You can't go to the bathroom until the class is over. We are not trained to live in harmony and listen to our body. We learn to ignore those signals and that has become a habit. Report an error in the passage at 22:17 Highlight the passage at 22:17

22:45 So I encourage you to follow when your body is telling you that you need to lie down, that you need to go chopping in the kitchen, that you need to walk. And not as ahead of time management. Oh, I get through this day, but every third period I go walk. That's not the same. That's not listening to your body. That's managing a situation. What I would like to invite you is to just go and find out and be attentive. Report an error in the passage at 22:45 Highlight the passage at 22:45

23:24 So when your body tells you it's time to take a break, you take it. You change your activity. It's not you take a break. You change your activity so your energy stays refreshed. Thank you for changing your position. Perfect. So that's what we all can do. We all, wherever we work, we can pause. We can take a moment to pause, check in our body and adjust it. Report an error in the passage at 23:24 Highlight the passage at 23:24

24:02 According to its messages and what needs it has. The other thing, so the slowing down you can take with you. I will keep reminding us here because the moment we get anxious or stressed, our body tightens up. Report an error in the passage at 24:02 Highlight the passage at 24:02

24:30 We start having a kind of tunnel vision and we tend to speed up. When we speed up, our senses kind of also close down to some degree. Our inner organs, depending on their importance, kind of get less nurtured so that we're ready for whatever we think is going to happen. Report an error in the passage at 24:30 Highlight the passage at 24:30

25:05 When we slow down a little bit, our sense is open. Report an error in the passage at 25:05 Highlight the passage at 25:05

25:38 Enhancing your capacity to meet what is presenting to yourself moment by moment. Report an error in the passage at 25:38 Highlight the passage at 25:38

25:57 And the other practice, so there are three practices, focusing on the body during morning meditation, the first period. The second is slow down, and the third is thinking about Report an error in the passage at 25:57 Highlight the passage at 25:57

26:17 Why am I talking? That's an acronym. Wait. W-I-W Report an error in the passage at 26:17 Highlight the passage at 26:17

26:28 -A-I-T. Yes, thank you. Thank you. The I and the E's are terrible because they're opposite in German, how you say it in the alphabet. You know, you say the E is an... Anyway, I don't... So, Report an error in the passage at 26:28 Highlight the passage at 26:28

26:52 wait. Why am I talking? Because we talk so much without thinking and being aware what compels us to talk now. And so we talk about other people when they're not in the room, we lobby together against the institution, we talk about things that are not really important and we also don't know how we talk. Report an error in the passage at 26:52 Highlight the passage at 26:52

27:28 Talk about it or what the consequences of our talking is. And talking is a physical somatic expression and it's an action. And Dogen says, every action we take through body, mind, or speech, and speech is mentioned specifically, affects the entire earth and the whole sky. Report an error in the passage at 27:28 Highlight the passage at 27:28

28:02 And if we take that really seriously, then we realize that speaking is a very, very powerful event and has powerful consequences. So to start practicing and asking yourself, why am I talking? Is it necessary to say something now? Or can I just... Wait and see what happens is also a very important practice because we see what happens in our politics with talking and leads to other actions. Report an error in the passage at 28:02 Highlight the passage at 28:02

28:52 So I feel that if we can here cultivate an environment in which we are Report an error in the passage at 28:52 Highlight the passage at 28:52

29:08 Taking care of our bodies, that also gives the space for the people around us to take care of their bodies without us meddling in their caretaking. And having opinions about how they take care of their body. So it's a very space-creating opportunity for us. Report an error in the passage at 29:08 Highlight the passage at 29:08

29:53 So I'm going to read the one thing that I had left this morning, and it's a poem by Pablo Neruda, Keeping Quiet. So you saw all the signs, please support noble silence. That's the other thing, we will try to cultivate quiet spaciousness in this building. And during this practice period, keeping quiet. Now we will count to 12 and we will all keep still. Report an error in the passage at 29:53 Highlight the passage at 29:53

30:42 This one time upon the earth, let's not speak any language. Let's stop for one second and not move our arms so much. It would be a delicious moment without hurry. Report an error in the passage at 30:42 Highlight the passage at 30:42

31:03 Without locomotives, all of us would be together in a sudden uneasiness. Report an error in the passage at 31:03 Highlight the passage at 31:03

31:14 It would be a delicious moment. Without hurry, without locomotives, all of us would be together in a sudden uneasiness. The fisherman in the cold sea would do no harm to the whales, and the peasant gathering salt would look at his torn hands. Report an error in the passage at 31:14 Highlight the passage at 31:14

31:40 Those who prepare green wars, wars of gas, wars of fire, victories without survivors, would put on clean clothing and would walk alongside their brothers in the shade without. What I Report an error in the passage at 31:40 Highlight the passage at 31:40

32:03 want shouldn't be confused with final inactivity. Life alone is what matters. I want nothing to do with death. And Report an error in the passage at 32:03 Highlight the passage at 32:03

32:19 if we weren't unanimous about keeping our lives so much in motion, if we could do nothing for once, perhaps a great silence would interrupt this sadness, this never understanding ourselves and threatening ourselves with death. Report an error in the passage at 32:19 Highlight the passage at 32:19

32:43 Perhaps the earth is teaching us When everything seems to be dead and then everything is alive. Report an error in the passage at 32:43 Highlight the passage at 32:43

32:57 Now I will count to 12 and you keep quiet and I'll go. Would Report an error in the passage at 32:57 Highlight the passage at 32:57

33:15 you like me to read it a second time? Report an error in the passage at 33:15 Highlight the passage at 33:15

33:24 Now we will count to 12 and we will all keep still. This one time upon the earth, let's not speak any language. Let's stop for one second and not move our arms so much. It would be a delicious moment without hurry, without locomotives. All of us would be together in a sudden uneasiness. The fisherman in the cold sea would do no harm to the whales. Report an error in the passage at 33:24 Highlight the passage at 33:24

34:01 And the peasant gathering salt would look at his torn hands. Those who prepare green wars, wars of gas, wars of fire, victory without survivors, would put on clean clothing and would walk alongside their brothers in the shade without doing a thing. Report an error in the passage at 34:01 Highlight the passage at 34:01

34:29 What I want shouldn't be confused with final inactivity. Life alone is what matters. I want nothing to do with death. If we weren't unanimous about keeping our lives so much in motion, if we could do nothing for once, perhaps a great silence would interrupt this sadness, this never understanding ourselves and threatening ourselves with death. Report an error in the passage at 34:29 Highlight the passage at 34:29

35:02 Perhaps the earth is teaching us when everything seems to be dead, and then everything is alive. Now I will count to 12, and you keep quiet, and I will go. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma talks are offered at no cost and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Report an error in the passage at 35:02 Highlight the passage at 35:02

35:33 Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, Visit sfzc.org and click giving. May we fully enjoy the dharma. Report an error in the passage at 35:33 Highlight the passage at 35:33