Lost Coin Class Notes - 11/1/10

Introduction

Many of the students in San Francisco are new to Lost Coin.  Some have met Doen in a context of Zen Center or Lost Coin.  Starting next week and for the next four weeks, Doen is going to use the Ox Herding Pictures and will put them into a "modern" context using the Lost Coin way of teaching.  These Ox Herding Pictures are from the 8th Century but Doen will put them into modern* words.  These pictures will provide a view of the full course of development in Zen.  Each picture is a distince stage of practice from beginning to end. 

* Note on Doen's thoughts on the word "modern":  "Modern" means new and this is really NOT that.  Doen's use of the word in this talk really means "YOUR LIFE NOW."  Zen survives ONLY because each teacher has changed and adapted it to the time and place.  In this way, what Doen is doing here is not modern but incredibly traditional.

Reference materials for the Ox Herding Pictures

The pictures:  Portfolio of Jikihara Sensei's striking zenga ink paintings, with accompanying verse commentaries, illustrating the successive stages of a spiritual journey. Ten 8 1/2'' x 11'' laser prints on parchment paper. Suitable for framing. $20.00.
http://www.dharma.net/monstore/product_info.php?cPath=83_40_79&products_id=249

Books:  Gentling the Bull by Myokyo-Ni (out of print-used are available), Riding the Ox Home: Stages on the Path of Enlightenment by John Daido Loori, Zen Flesh Zen Bones, Paul Reps (Compiler), Nyogen Senzaki (Compiler)

Lost Coin:  The Context

Doen was trained first in the Fourth Way, which is the Gurdjieff tradition.  Doen only takes the parts he finds relevant and brings those forward so he is not a 4th Way teacher.  The parts he takes are close to aspects of Tibetan Buddhism.  

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, 1866(?) -1949, was a Greek Armenian.  grew up in Armenian Russia.  He had a great interest in mysticism (which was very popular, conceptually, at the time).  He and his friends decided to each go out into the world and gather information and find traditions.  They then pooled their knowledge and he created The Work (The Fourth Way) from that.  It was a combination of the Acean Brotherhood, the Naqshbandi Order (Northern Order of Sufi), and Tibetan teachings (Gurdjieff called "the Sarmoung").  Interestingly, Trunpa Rinpoche's lineage goes back to a temple he calls the Sarman and both Trungpa and Gurdjieff have a "crazy wisdom" basis for their teachings- coincidence?

Gurdjieff taught in Russia and then in other places, eventually creating a community at Fountain Bleu outside of Paris.  He drank a lot.  His students were crazy and wild ex-pats and others.  They included Katherine Mansfield and Frank Lloyd Wright's wife.

Doen started studying the Fourth Way at 17 years old.  Lost Coin combines methods of mindfulness, working for yourself for your own development, using sitting and moving out into your day.    

When Doen started the Fourth Way, it was expensive, secret, hard to get in, and it was "gold" to be given an exercise to do- you would wait for years to get the assignment.  The Fourth Way also made use of the Enneagram, which we also talk about in Lost Coin.  The Fourth Way was also called "The Way of the Sly Man."  The idea was that you shouldn't be a believer.  You should not be a joiner of any religion or group, you should instead gain understanding from all of them if there is any to be had.  Gurdjieff was a student of the Naqshbandi order of dervishes but he could be critical of Sufism and of Tibetan teachings as well. 

There is no longer a dividing line because now Doen's 4th Way is not Gurdjieffs.  That IS Lost Coin.  The teachings of Doen's life are Lost Coin.  The 4th Way pieces that are relevant to us are THAT integral to Doen's approach that there is nothing but the totality.  We have many tools with which to work.

If You Aren't Extreme, at least Be Open

Does was at laying on the lawn at Harvard Divinity School with Caanan when Caanan was a baby.  Doen had a realization that the answers he was seeking were not available with the conceptual mind.  Zen seemed dot be this- not available intellectually.  It was the 60s- opening with drugs, loose open relationships.  The young students of Zen had a fire under them.  Doen read the writings of Noack Roshi (spelling?).  He spoke of sitting intensity that was very extreme and Doen, coming from a martial arts background thought "that's what I want."  

It is not really necessary to be so extreme but you MUST MAKE IT UP somewhere!!!!  Time, every day sitting being brought into every day life, a real commitment to DO it, to dedicate to years of it.  The extreme context is rare and cannot last forever so now we do sincere, in your face- every day, real practice.  Doen knows better than we do where we are stuck and what we need- where we are at with the practice.

Practice is individual.  Each person has a different little mountain he or she must climb.  Zen saying is that it is climbing a mountain of swords barefoot.  It's going to take effort.  YOU MUST SIT EVERY DAY and you must sit GOOD.  If you don't sit GOOD every day, you will forget what this is all about.  

Zen teachers are really meditation experts- use Doen that way.  Really let him get in your head and know what's going on in there.  Zazen is very active, a very special meditation technique.  Use it.

Doen will  talk to each student directly to help them so the student doesn't stagnate.  For example, Rebecca doesn't try hard enough.  She is aware of this and Doen will keep pointing her to this until she starts to see it.  It's not so unpleasant.  It's just hard work.

If you don't want to get up and sit at 3 a.m., then be willing to be open.  A lot of hard working students are NOT OPEN.  Open is better than anything.  It's hard to be open.  It takes struggling.

Obtaining Buddhahood or Ego-hood?

It is the old zen story.  A scholar goes to a Zen teacher.  The scholar talks, talks, talks.  The Zen teacher asks if the scholar wants tea.  The scholar says yes.  The teacher pours the tea and doesn't stop.  It just overflows everywhere and the scholar says you can't do this- it's too much.  The Zen teacher says yes, too full, no more can go in.

We believe on some level that we should be fearful of others.  That people are jerks.  That we are victims of everyone else.  When Doen points to where you are stuck, we try to justify, explain, and defend.  The way to really deal with this.  The thing to really do is to just DROP IT.  LET GO immediately of the defending, justifying, explaining and do that with Doen.  Do it all day.  Do it whenever you find yourself doing it.  

If you think you already know.  Then when you get to the Fourth Ox Herding picture "grabbing the Ox."  You will attain EGO-HOOD rather than Buddhahood.  
 
"Knowing" is dominating us.  We are so busy not being dominated that "being dominated" snuck in the back window.  Our "knowing" pens us in.

Don't forget what you are doing and why

What was the teaching in the 6th Cent is still intact.  What's kept it intact is that the teachers have changed to the time and place.  This IS the most traditional way.  Teachers have made tremendous sacrifices to get this teaching here.  Died, starved, moved to enemy countries, difficult monastic practice, etc.  Now it depends on the students.  Really think about what you're doing and how precious this teaching is.

YOU must take it on.  Doen cannot do it for you.  Put your heart into it and it will be fine.  

Commitment, longevity, intention.  The reason your are doing this.  That intention is something to cherish and keep alive.  

Finally- Sangha

Each other.  Why we do this and why we use this method of students talking.  More honest and open with this group of people committing to be this.  Great Compassion is a Buddhist term that is often a charade at Zen Centers.  You must really do it HERE in this group.

Practice can be the best part of your life.  It's like singing.  Just sing all day.  Put this into your life.  Be committed to yourself.  Appreciate your life.
