LOST COIN NOTES
August 31, 2010
 
People want to escape their ordinary lives – but like Daido Roshi said, “the only way out is in” – many koans are about this.
Hyakujo was a famous teacher. During his day, monks often begged for their living. He said no – we are going to work not beg. His monks planted gardens, etc. and were self-sufficient.  He said a day of no work is a day of no food – if he was sick he would not eat. This was very radical for the time.
 
Hyakujo saw that his students had too much focus on achieving special mental states. He told a story that during his weekly talk an old man came who said he was a teacher many centuries ago. As a teacher, he was asked, “does an awakened person fall into causation?” He said “no” and for that he had to live 40 lives as a fox (in China a fox is more like a rat/pest).  He asked Hyakujo to liberate him from these 40 lives. Hyakujo said an enlightened person does not avoid causation, which was a remarkable thing to say in those days.  It was just like today – people want some magical answer that will change their lives. The Zen answer is that beneath your thinking mind is your true identity which you can find by practice and sitting. This was very controversial at the time. Next Sunday he does a funeral over a fox’s body. There was never a fox – he made up the whole story to teach his students about the law of cause and effect.
 
What happens to you and what you do are very related. If Iran were to drop a nuclear bomb – you wouldn’t have done it because you didn’t send our mother a birthday card. Karma isn’t magical. It would have been cause by something – but not you. The law is too big – you don’t have complete control. But there is the cause and effect of your every day life. How do you feel and how did you create that? Whatever you think – you are doing it. And on such a small level. Today Doen had to take Delta instead of South West, which is in an entirely different part of the airport from which he normally departs.  He saw himself say “I’m going to screw this up and be late.” He caught himself and said – I’m not going to let me torture myself like that – that thought didn’t come from the black lagoon – it came from him. Most of these negative feelings you are having are coming from ourselves – we are creating the causes.
 
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT WEEKS CLASS:  Make a two column list:
1) list in one column things that are happening your life that you don’t like and how you are causing them/caused it.
2) in a second column list what you want and how you could cause that to happen.
 We want to become a cause and not an effect. We want to feel as though we are an effect.  Life is a strange and wonderful realty that we don’t understand anyway - might as well elect ourselves as chief.
How? Everyone would agree that the qualities of Jesus or other great spiritual teachers are wonderful- but what is often left out of religions is how to personally develop those qualities. How do you love your neighbor when you get up every morning and don’t like your neighbor? Through practice.  Hard practice is not normal except for artist, scientist, etc. When Liz run her 100 mile race – she is not going spend a lot of time thinking about it – she is going to do it. Our practice is not to figure for the rest of our lives – our practice is to DO. If something doesn’t work – do it a different way. In the artists group, Elena is working on Sumi painting – will she be able to do it really well? Great sumi painters would say they learned by doing it over and over. It isn’t easy. How do you write a book – you have to finish it. Nothing about thinking creates a thing like playing the banjo, publishing a book, etc.
 
Our practice has little to do with thinking. To become loving why read a book called Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus - why mess around reading about it when you could do it. We have this wonderful, simple tool, Don Juan calls personal power – you use your will. You have done this – but do a little more. Radically abandon the intellectual hand – put it a little behind. Instead of getting mad you will get what you want, which can often be interpreted as being selfish – but you can both want a few more vacations and want world peace. A person can be completely selfish about wanting to be loved but also give love to others. You can incapsulate everything you want. Get everything you want and trust yourself. It isn’t like Wall Street that says greed is good. You are good – you are going to want good thing – there no bad people – there are only crazy persons who have smashed down desires so they come up in perverted forms.
 
We live in a magical universe – but subject to the laws of cause and effect.           
Look in your own life and see what you are causing.
 
There is a religious practice that goes back a long way – he wants us to take on – it is the vow.
What does a vow mean? It is a commitment to do something – all the thinking aside – there is something I want to do – no matter what. Something that comes out of your gut. We do take vows: becoming a student, jukai - it is stronger than any intellectual process you ever go through.
 
The Samuri loved Zen because they were tired of priests chanting when they were about hard practice. Then they met some Zen monks who also practiced –who worked at developing their skills. You practice hard when it may mean whether or not you will get your head chopped off, compared to that the intellect was very weak.
 
When Doen was studying martial arts, he had a teacher that said you could look at two people who get up to fight and always know who would win – the one with the great spirit – chi. Something Doen found out later is that even the guy with the chi can have a bad day. But he will get right back up. Seven times down, eight times up. We believe that our thinking is general and not the field crew; but, your chi is what will make it all work. Believe in yourself, believe you are good. You are not terrible people who need to be redeemed. But that you are the lost coin.   
 
Questions and Answers based on the Talk
 
In the monastic system, sustained sitting builds will – but it is imposed. As practictoners we are choosing to develop. We are treated as adults where we are providing the effort.
 
A very important part of practice is being benevolent – if your heart isn’t in it – it just doesn’t work.
 
Doen likes to read about Michael Jordan – he had an internal vow to be the best. He had will to show up an hour before everyone else at practice.
 
Part of the practice is to be part of the group – your emotional life depends on having emotions. Be a little more open (not all in one day). Maybe I could like these people, I have never liked people. Most people don’t like their families. Therapy practices boom around Christmas because people have to get together with their family.
 
One student felt it was hard to do what you want and still be nice. Doen recommended that the student has to believe those two things are possible or you will never assert yourself or never be nice – it stems from not believing in yourself. It comes from practice – think Obama vs. McCain.
 
With another student it seemed that owning the cause and effect was easier to see at work than with family. Does responded that with a family it can be harder – ruts are deeper – you can do the same thing with your family – but don’t expect results.  “Even a saint is not a saint in their own village.” But you can change yourself in your own eyes and have your power.  Even Doen would feel constricted around his parents.  The warrior is their own council – am I happy with myself? But that is a practice too, to be happy with yourself.
 
Closing
 
Very few will regret what they have done, what they regret is what they haven’t done. We are alive in his magical world that we will never know at all – it is very light because you are just passing through – a beautiful mystery, why not play the game – make your life an art project an adventure.  What is stopping you now?     