Lost Coin – San Francisco
August 23, 2010


Daily Life. This is the theme.

Carlos Casteneda was an anthropology student who studied with a shaman, Don Juan, who teaches him wisdom and sorcery. Carlos thinks that the tradition is about psychotropic drugs because that's what Don Juan starts with at first. No, it's just that he's stupid, and so he becomes “every man,” who is this way.

We live with the story of our life, but we're the ones who make it up. We think once we get there, we'll live happily ever after. Once this happens.... once that happens.... But before you know it, we're dead.

Our mind constantly tells us our story.

Don Juan starts with stopping the story. Exactly what happens in Zen practice. Meditation can help us to stop thoughts, which stops our story.

In a song, any moment is just as important as any other. The importance is also not in meaning, but in the moment of the song. We're not going anywhere. We're starting to be here. We can pursue our lives because it's a good game, nothing more.

Then Don Juan sees that Carlos is too intellectual and says that isn't important. He starts to train him to be a warrior. How to bring your practice into everyday life. This is what we want to talk about today. Daniel likes to call it the way of the traveller now, instead of the warrior.

Sitting and Stopping the World. Stopping your mind stops the world. It's not a story, it's a song. What does it mean to live a warrior's life? Your life becomes a practice – a joyful practice. Whatever you do is about the practice, about opening the flower.

A warrior makes a decision and moves on. The way of the traveller, just passing through. This will change your practice.

Lose the story, forget the self. So, for the warrior, there is no question, just a series of actions. Free, lively, beautiful. When a warrior dies, death lets the warrior have one last action.

Daniel can't spell it out for you. With your practice, you are in the direction of the warrior's practice. There is no prescription.

The world wants meaning. But, does meaning make you happy? Instead, have a song.

For most people, everything is either a blessing or a curse. For the warrior, everything is a challenge.

A warrior chooses a path with heart. Each moment is completely equal. Like a song.

The gap between knowing that every moment is enlightenment and the experience of enlightenment is PRACTICE. The gap between the Idea and Reality.

You have two choices – assume that nothing is going your way because you're stupid, not good enoght, etc. OR you aren't working hard enough.

It takes will and effort. None of you are stupid or incapable. You're just a bunch of wusses!

We love the practice but we need to develop the spirit of the warrior. Take it to heart. Raise that spirit to make it real inside of you.

Tom Petty said “everybody has to fight to be free.”

