I have been able to see and listen to, to remember and accept. I am proud to taste the truth of El Tecatel, the Word. Thank you. One day Zen Master Baso Matsu was walking along with his disciple, Hyakujo Baichan,

[01:26]

and some wild geese were flying by. And Zen Teacher Baso said, What is it? And his disciple Baichan said, Wild geese. And then the Master said, Where have they gone? And the student said, They have flown away. At that time, the Zen Teacher grabbed his disciple by the nose and twisted his nose. And the student yelled out in pain. And the teacher said, When have they ever flown away?

[02:31]

At that time, his disciple Baichan had an insight. And the next day when Master Baso, Master Matsu went to give a talk, he put down his bowing mat like this, and his student Baichan came up and picked up his bowing mat. So, Baso got down from his seat and left without giving a talk. After that, the disciple Baichan went to see the Master, and the Master said, I just was about to give a talk. Why did you roll up my bowing mat? And the student said, Yesterday you twisted my nose and it hurt.

[03:44]

And then the teacher said, Where were you keeping your mind yesterday? Baichan said, Today my nose doesn't hurt. And then the teacher said, You have a profound understanding of today's affair. And then the student said, Yes, I have a profound understanding of today's affair.

[04:54]

And then the teacher said, Yes, I have a profound understanding of today's affair. So, what about right now? While we sit here, or we say we sit here, what is it? Or while we walk, stand, talk, work, eat, sleep, what is it?

[06:12]

And how is it we even say it? How is it we say it? Hmm. What is it that we're calling a wild geese?

[07:40]

Or what is it that we call I? Or what is it that we call Lisendo? Or what is it that we're calling sky or ground? Or what is it? And the disciple said, A wild geese. Where have they gone? They've flown away. If all the time we describe our life in this way, someday we get our nose twisted.

[09:09]

Life works like that. It all seems so reasonable and sensible, and then one day our nose is twisted, or we trip, and we land in our face. A monk came to Zhaozhou's monastery, and Zhaozhou's monastery was famous for a stone bridge. And the monk said to Zhaozhou, I've heard a lot about the stone bridge, but I don't see a stone bridge.

[10:14]

All I see is a wooden bridge. And Zhaozhou just said, Oh, you see a wooden bridge, you don't see a stone bridge. And then the monk said, What is the stone bridge? And Zhaozhou said, Donkeys cross, asses, donkeys cross, and horses cross. Now many people come here and practice Zen. And then they say, sometimes I hear people say, Oh, I've heard a lot about Zen practice at Tassajara. I come here and it just seems like a lot of work to me. I don't see any Zen. Then the teacher might say, Oh, you don't see any Zen, you just see a lot of work, do you? He's just remarking on what someone said.

[11:23]

And then the student says, the monk says, Well, where is the Zen? Where is the Zen in all this ordinary life? The dumb animals cross the bridge. They're not too smart. They don't think about it a lot. One day a monk asked Zhaozhou, How do I follow the Buddha's way?

[12:35]

And Zhaozhou said, Have you had your breakfast yet? The monk said, Yes. He said, Then wash your dishes. Is there Zen there? What is washing the dishes? Bette Midler said, Recent patriarch of Zen, matriarch of Zen, Bette Midler said, You know what I think is so sad?

[13:40]

There's no such thing as the kind of happiness that stays around. And nobody ever tells you that. But I try not to worry about it. I don't sit around thinking, Why aren't I happy? Because I know that the only thing wrong with me is, I was born a human being. There were 16 bodhisattvas. I've told this story before.

[14:50]

There were 16 bodhisattvas. Their picture is down at the baths. As you come across the bridge, in the little alcove there. 16 bodhisattvas. One day it came time for bath time. And they went down to the baths to take their bath. And when they got into the bath, they were all enlightened. It's hard to understand how something like that can happen. They just went into the bath and they all got enlightened. They must not have had too good a grip on themselves.

[15:55]

They kind of lost it when they went into the baths. Otherwise they would have understood. They were just taking a bath and washing themselves. They were just washing. They were just taking a bath. There was nothing weird about that or unusual or anything. They were just taking a bath and everything was fine. The water was kind of hot and normal. It was about 108. They hopped in there. It was kind of warm and pleasant. They got kind of relaxed and maybe a little faint-headed. Be careful about being dizzy and in case you have high blood pressure. Watch yourself. And they were being careful and watching themselves. And great. They had a nice bath. But not these boys. As they went down, they got into the bath, and then something happened. They lost it. They lost their heads. They lost their bodies. They lost their minds. They didn't know what was going on anymore. Everything wasn't so clear

[17:07]

and simple and obvious. They came apart. The whole fabric of their reality came apart. The whole fabric of their reality came apart. the basis of their understanding came apart. Now does that sound like a nervous... What's the difference between then a nervous breakdown and enlightenment? Do you suppose? And the difference between a breakdown and a breakthrough? ... So they went in the water

[18:13]

and they were enlightened and then they said, subtle feeling, subtle touch, subtle feeling reveals illumination and we achieve the station of sense of Buddha. And the commentary says, lots of people, many people, go and wash in the water and they feel the water and they bathe, but they're not enlightened. Why is that? And it says,

[19:20]

they are confused they are confused and obstructed, confused and obstructed by objects of the senses. They stick to their skins and cling to their bones. ... So what happens if you look for, if we look for an enlightenment in the realm of experience, in the realm of the senses, in the realm of objects? I think whatever experience we have, we can say, well, that was pretty far out, but it doesn't seem like enlightenment. But we want to have some kind of experience

[20:28]

that is beyond experience. So how do we do that? How do we do that? Is it possible? What are the objects of the senses? Wild geese? We go on wild geese chases. It's lots of fun chasing after. You know about that?

[21:30]

Chasing after objects of the senses? I know something about it. Even if you don't. Oh, and it's so difficult to work things out in that realm. Like Bette Midler says, no one ever tells you. There's no such thing as the kind of happiness that sticks around. And nobody ever tells you that. So I just chase after objects of the senses. Nobody ever tells you it doesn't work like that. Except that Bette Midler hadn't run into Buddha because Buddha said that 2500 years ago. That's the first noble truth. There's no happiness that sticks around. That's where Buddhism starts. And then what do we do?

[22:33]

Hmm. So what happens if we go into the baths and there's no illumination. There's no enlightenment in water or bathing or in feeling, in touch. And there's no enlightenment. There's no subtle feeling reveals illumination. Is that subtle feeling reveals illumination or not? Uh, and the commentary says, here, here if you see directly, if you see directly, then that is subtle feeling reveals illumination. That is subtle feeling reveals illumination. So what is this seeing directly?

[24:03]

How is it we can see directly? I see the stone bridge cross over like a donkey or horse. I promise some people I would sing a song tonight. So maybe it's time for a song. This is about, uh, I don't know what it's about. Uh, you'll see what it's about. I'm sorry for some of you who've heard this song before. It's about, but lots of you haven't, so. This is about, I'm singing a song now

[25:13]

because it has to do with donkeys and horses. That's what it is, okay? It's about donkeys and horses. How they just go across. Let's go out to the Zendo. Let's go out in our robes. Offer some incense. Sit on our cushions and offer some sticks. I don't care if we never say quits. Well, it's root toot toot for the big E. That's enlightenment. If it don't come, that's a shame. Well, it's one, two, each breath you're out and you're just not the same. That's about donkeys and horses. You're a difficult group. I have to try my other song on you. I never realized

[26:40]

what a breath could be. This could only happen to me. I feel free. I feel free. And when I inhale, I feel happy inside. And when I exhale, all my love, I can't hide. I can't hide. I can't hide. Well, I never realized a lot of things before. If this is breath, I gotta get me more. Get me more. Get me more. The other part is the same. A subtle feeling is not like

[27:42]

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