Lost Coin Class Notes December 30, 2008

*Aim and Intention*

Most of the ways were used to developing are intellectual.

But what we're training for, mostly, are qualities that are more typical for athletes/artists:  commitment, effort, will?these don't necessarily depend on intelligence.  In competition, even in something intellectual like chess, the person with the stronger will will usually win.  Cultivating chi, which is post-intellectual, post-conceptual?this is what we're doing.

Sitting develops this.  "Meditation" can be misleading.  It connotes relaxation.  But in zazen, we want a sharp, focused state that relies on efforts to develop focus and concentration.  You'll get distracted?but you can always concentrate much harder in your sitting.  (Example of working out:  you can lift weights with more concentration, or try deliberately to lift more weight than you actually can.)

Daido built an empire and Doen learned from him.  We're starting to do the same; volunteer if you'd like.

Daido did that with tremendous aim.  Doen worked with Daido all the time?he watched him push it forward every day.

Go back to Castaneda:  you're not as smart as you think you are, and your smartness isn't going to get you so far?everyone else thinks they're smart, too.

Another track requires discipline, humility, concern for others?this is the way of the warrior, the way of the traveler.  It lets your spirit shine.  When your spirit doesn't shine, you get more of the usual?which usually is not that good.

Make effort.  Inconvenience yourself.

Doen recalls a scene where Don Juan gets pissed at Carlos and says "because I'm a warrior, and you're a pimp" and to prove it, Don Juan sits down all night long without budging.

That's the choice:  do you try to do things by figuring them out, kissing ass, being manipulative?or do you choose the path with heart, fight against your fear?make an aim and try to carry it through.  If you choose the former, you'll be fine, but you'll be ordinary.  If you choose the latter, you'll be extraordinary.

Doen would like us to continue to learn to collaborate with each other, to learn to incubate ideas and even businesses together.

All the things you can't do?how many are happening because you can't figure it out yet?  Like losing ten pounds?it's not because you haven't figured out how to do it!

To observe yourself, *not* to do things over and over the same way, that takes will.

Doen tells the story of a samurai who goes to a master swordsman.  (If you teach, you'll see that people don't know what they need to learn, even though the teacher and everyone else usually do.)  The swordsman makes him do laundry, cook, etc. for months.  The student finally complains.  The teacher says okay, we'll start?but the only thing that changes is that while he does chores, the teacher hits him out of the blue.  He even hits him when he falls asleep.

Months pass.  The teacher goes to hit the student while he's sitting stirring a pot of rice, and the student blocks the hit with the pot lid.  The teacher then starts hitting the student even more?with time, it becomes increasingly harder for the teacher to hit him.  (Doen:  hitting isn't the point, it's consciousness that's the point.)

This finally gets to the point where the teacher can't hit the student anymore?that's when the teacher gives him the sword.

Doen doesn't do that (much) with us.  He wants us to strain ourselves.  That way is better because then Doen doesn't become the enemy (he isn't!), and if you push your students at some point you have to reverse it because the student no longer knows how to do anything without you telling them.

Doen tells another story:   In a Soto monastery (where you have daisan only once a year), a man comes for daisan and says "little food!"  (He's hungry.) The teacher says "okay."  The next year, the man says "stomach hurts."  The teacher says "okay."  The third year, the man says "Am leaving."  The teacher says "of course you're leaving.  You've done nothing but complain since you've come here!"

You do need to cultivate this attitude of pushing yourself?and you'll like it when you do it.  (But note:  towards *others*, be very sensitive and very supportive.)

So have a warrior attitude towards yourself, and sensitivity to others?then you're really a warrior.

People talked about some of their aims, including increasing their meditation time, getting along with close relatives, growing their business, giving attention to the people who drive them crazy.

Assignment:  start to think about a small task you can complete (something discrete, like losing ten pounds, starting to date, getting up one hour earlier, stop drinking).  Something that is do-able, that can be completed. Something small.  Something that if you *don't* succeed, you'll know you
didn't try.  Then, Doen will pick a task for each of us, too!