Lost Coin Notes Salt Lake City Tuesday, May 17, 2011 DS: I have a particular agenda today. I want to say something -- we’re doing a new web site. I’m making a video. I describe that there is this thing call Zen practice that evolved from a certain angle on Zen Buddhism. Bodhidharma had an emphasis on the mind. What he was really saying that the heart of the practice is to understand that mind is Buddha. When you see mind, then you’ll see the awakened one. The whole mind is the awakened one. One side of Lost Coin is a deep form about life, death, the infinity of your being, and how sitting reveals this. The other side is that taking away your barriers takes away what is keeping you from succeeding. It can be used to clear the barriers that prevent relationships, etc. The barrier is the habit mind. Lost Coin is unique in that it combines the spiritual and the day-to-day. --------------------------------- We did this thing about doing tasks for a month. About our tasks...it’s not that good people finish their tasks, and bad people don’t...although that’s true.... We’ll go around the room and discuss. Student 1: I chose to launch a new business. So, I’m launching a new business on Friday. (DS to student: This student gets stuff done, so it’s important to take care of yourself) DS: Buddhism is a way of empowerment. The way that empowerment happens is that as a student you surrender your own way of looking at things. Not completely, but to empower the teacher (in a friendly way). This allows the teach to empower you. You could never empower yourself to the same degree that a teacher can empower you, because he/she represents the lineage (of empowerment). There is koan that deals with this. Mahakasyapa was always hanging around, not “getting it” but intrigued. Buddha held up a flower and Mahakasyapa got it. Mahakasyapa realized that his teacher was an awakened one. He saw what the teacher was and what the flower was. So it requires trust. You have to *try* it. What happens in transmission is kind of secret. DS had both Genpo and Daido at his transmission. Student 2: My plan was not to commit to anything. DS: Let’s move on Student 3: My first goal was to get up early. I semi-succeeded. Not at the intended hour, but early anyway. My second goal was to create new stories for my children every night, which I did. (DS: My goal was to write a syllabus for Lost Coin, which he finished late.) Student 4: I couldn’t decide what to do. DS: The point to make a task because it’s an exercise. Something that you’re not attached to. Student 5: I was gong to walk briskly. I did it for about a week and a half. When I fall off the wagon, it takes me a while to do it again. My sister visited and interrupted, and I never got back to it. Resolution: To get back on the wagon quicker. DS: When I was first practicing, we were doing all that sitting. I could not have resolved to do it for a year. You have to do it one day at a time. By not being subdued by your own thoughts, you become a traveller of the way. Student 6: My project was to start with 6 people and re-make contact with them. I did two and I’ve got 2 more to do this week. Will they want to talk with me? I impose self doubts. DS: When Student 1 decides to do something, she just does it. She does not allow the mind to talk her out of it. Student 6: The emotional part, I need to overcome. DS: A San Francisco student gave baseball tickets to DS. The pitcher is known as “The Freak”. He practices Buddhism at Spirit Rock. So this pitcher was pitching...we were walking and walking to our seats...and not getting to our seats...and we asked the guard and he pointed higher....Alex and I have vertigo...we were both frozen. We made it to our seats and then there was a cold fog. The only thing that might help is a hot dog and a beer. We didn't know how to get down. So I just looked down the entire time. So that’s how it is with sitting...the small mind is not your friend. Student 7: My goal was getting a personal trainer which was easy. My second goal was sitting every day. I’m doing even less. I want to sit more, but I have to do it. DS: Get into the idea of *really* sitting, then the sitting is different. Make a shift to “quality sitting”. Question what is mind. A nice story: the second ancestor meets his most profound student. He hears that there is a guy why is a really serious practitioner and goes to look for him, which is a big deal for a guy of his stature to go looking. The second ancestor find this guy and says to him: “What are you doing?” Guy: “I’m observing mind.” Second ancestor: “Who is observing and what is mind?” The guy is stunned and just gets up and bows. Guy: “Do you know the second ancestor? Because I want to study with him.” Second ancestor: “That’s me.” Student 8: I got to cheat, because I went to an inspiring place. My goal was to write a haiku/poem every day. It was a blast and effortless. It just came. Student 9: My task was to do 4 sumi-e art pieces. I worked with my Japanese teacher every Sunday for 2 hours. There were challenges. My significant other got jealous. I did 5 pieces. I just love it. I feel like I’m cheating because I had a teacher. Student 10: I had 2 goals . One was to start sitting again and I’m doing much better -- about 90%. My main goal was to see this fabulous woman speak, who is with BATF, and was at the Branch Davidian compound. She talks about sign language. She talks about loving enthusiastically, so I’m going to love my family enthusiastically. I had a goal of saying 10 positive things for every 1 negative thing I say. DS: You are all different types, some of you will only half-finish, some will always complete. It’s important what your priorities are. --------------------------------- DS: I remember siting with Maezumi Roshi once. I had only been practicing as a psychotherapist for 3 years or so. I was seeing 50 people in a week. Maezumi Roshi wanted to talk with me about doing psychotherapy. Maezumi Roshi: “Just do one thing with your patients: clear your mind, don’t think, and you’l know exactly what to do”. --------------------------------- Student: Generally when I say that I’m going to do something, I do it. When I commit to others, I really try hard to do it. So, I felt that I didn’t want to do that for this exercise. I wanted to commit to myself rather than the group. DS: What I’m hearing is that your problem is not committing, but other people. It’s a door...something to go through and come out the other side with something good. DS: What is common in a group is that a group can be a great vehicle for learning how to get closer to other people. That touches on self-esteem. The group may be more important to you than the task. Student: Question: Does one do that with *every* group? DS: In a way, but *this* group is part of your practice. DS: Let’s make a koan of this. Suppose you have a guy who comes into a group, because he needs female love. Not a bad thing, but working on that needs to be part of his practice. DS: It takes an extraordinary person to be a student. You have to hear what you don’t want to hear, even if presented skillfully. Student: When we *don’t* want to hear it, is when we need to.