Notes from Lost Coin Class May 5, 2009

Assignment while Doen is gone:

Over the next three weeks, read and discuss the first 10 chapters of The Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleu. These chapters are the teachings of Yasutani Roshi who was a Roshi in our direct lineage (Doens grandfather or great-grandfather, depending on how you look at it).

Zen in Japan. There was no instruction. The thing was to watch what other people were doing but not look like you were watching (not look around). But the Japanese students understood some things culturally that will difficult for a Western student to understand without talking about it. In the pages from the Three Pillars of Zen, Yasutani Roshi distills much of this down to the essential Zen. One of the things that he wants us to get- in the talks he talks about the 5 different kinds of Zen depending upon what the student wants to get out of it. If what you want is peace of mind for example, or stress control, that is one thing. If you want something more, that is another.

Read this part of the book- starting on page 18 for class on Tuesday May 19th and write down which of these you are seeking and let Doen know.

Doen reminds us that Solitary retreats are very good. Camping outside is best if you can do it.

Compassion

Compassion is very misunderstood. Do-gooder-ism is not the same as compassion. Compassion is an understanding not an emotional state.

Best description of this that Doen can explain is as follows:

Your left hand is names Mary and your fight hand is named Joe.

Mary is wearing some beads around her and Joe becomes jealous of this and is angry. Because Joe is angry with Mary, when Joe ends up stuck in a fire, Mary wont help pull him out. This goes on and they never realize that they are both part of the same human. That what compliments one, helps the other, and what hurts one, hurts the other, and that no matter what, the experience of each Mary and Joe has an effect on the human- the whole.

THIS is compassion. It is an understanding of reality. It is stupid to be compassionate when you dont get this- it is fake.


Non-attachment

It is stupid to pretend that you want something that you dont want. To say, I am going to stop wanting these things is not non-attachment. Wanting things and trying to deceiver yourself is not the practice. Living in the real world IS non-attachment. Everything changes in the real world. Happiness is not permanent and everything is connected by cause and effect. You will die shortly. People are different and people change. Looks, ways of being- all are different and changing. To act like you can grab things in this stream is attachment. Non-attachment is simply being a realist. Knowing that ideas are only that. All things- ALL- will change. For everyone you know, there will be a day that is the last time you will see them. Do you then ignore them because you know that you will lose them? Is non-emotion equal to non-attachment? NO! Non-attachment is really intimacy, because you are one with and totally accepting of the reality that these people you know are dying. Knowing that you are not permanent and that they are not permanent and enjoying what it is- this is NON-attachment. Knowing you will lose everything and being one with it IS NON-ATTACHMENT.

Trying to like people and trying to feel something toward them (i.e. compassion) is not non-attachment. Seeing those people as passing through, asleep, and being one with this is non-attachment.

Read The Flight of the Garuda by Dowman. This is a compilation of the Dzochen Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Empting the depths of hell fluid formless events as solid reality Beguiled by irrelevant distractions. This is attachment.

Student discussion

We talked about the New York Times article about Lou Nordstrom. It was a good reminder that people are still themselves even when engaged in a spiritual practice.

Roshi and Doen were talking about 30 years ago when Doen passed MU. It took Doen awhile and he finally got really pissed and sat all night. That anger at your stuckness can be helpful. Doen had a big opening with MU. Daido knew that it was trouble and so he called Maezumi. Maezumi said, cut him down. So, Daido kept Doen on the 2nd Koan for a very long time.

You never know how a student is going to turn out. As a teacher, you may move them forward to being a monk or other levels but you dont know how its going to go. Roshi will take back transmission if it turns out that someone cannot handle that. If Doen makes someone a monk or gives transmission, Doen will make every effort to be sure that they are ready. If not, the other students suffer, as well as the student in question.

The student/teacher relationship does not end. If Roshi were in this room, Doen would be the Jisha to Roshi rather than Rebecca being the Jisha.

Sitting

SIT MORE. SIT LONGER. When you dont want to sit, realize that this only matters right before you sit but once you get there- you will feel like you can sit forever. Sit down with the idea of clearing out- slowing down. After sitting- do you feel bright, clear, focused? You should.

We discussed the differences between Vipassana (insight) meditation and other other forms. Doen talked about Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Zen is Vajrayana.

Doen was talking to a student and this came up. It is easier to believe that you suck and are despicable as a person than is it to believe that you simply have not tried hard enough. As a student, be as open as you can be to the teacher. For many of us, this is like nothing youve ever experienced in your entire life. SURRENDER and stay surrendered- not easy. Genpo calls it total submission to the teacher. When Doen was done with Genpo, he did not have any concept of separation between himself and Genpo. He did not know himself and who was Genpo. All one. This is how it should be. Take on the teacher completely. If you want to do this correctly, you are to duplicate- to BE the teacher. Originality is not a good thing. The lineage is not an individual personality. Doen feels Maezumi, Daido and Genpo are in him- he is channeling them in a way.

Doen told the story of sitting a sesshin in Germany and of a strange fellow hanging out around the zendo; this guy attacked Genpo. Doen used his martial arts to throw the guy to the floor. Roshi was not happy. Genpo did not want the protection or the scene. They spoke of it in Dokusan/Daisen. Roshi said, I want you to do one thing. BE ME. Throw everything else away. Genpo is not him either, he is his teachers. The spouses of the teachers may not love this idea. But the STUDENT is not the one to draw the line of where he is and where the teacher is. You dont lose anything by being someone else.

If you dont have Kensho and are messed up. Do the full teachings of Lost Coin and you wont be messed up. All we need now is modern teachers not modern students. Do not worry about it from the student perspective; Doen is your teacher and he will be modern for you. If the student tries to build his own way, it will be a collage of things that do not work. You must trust.
