Seven-day Retreat Talk (Day 6)

Morning Talk December 4, 1992 

There are many reasons practitioners do not attain the Way or derive much benefit from cultivation of the path. Two big reasons are lack of determination and perseverance. It's like when you travel to a destination you've never been to before. It seems far away and to take forever to get there. People who have never seen their self-nature can be impatient in their desire to experience it. Beginning practitioners may begin to doubt that they are on the right path, or that the path even exists. This is the last full day of the retreat. Don't think that it's the last day for cultivation though. The purpose of retreat is to better learn how to use your method of practice and to develop a better attitude to guide your practice. If you can learn these things, you be able to continue your practice with few interruptions. We grow on retreats. We increase our faith by becoming more aware of our shortcomings. How is this? The more we recognize our undesirable qualities, the less we will hold on to them. Perhaps we'll replace them with better qualities. It is sometimes said that to generate bodhi mind, to make vows of continuous practice and to practice well is easy compared to maintaining a perseverant mind. Therefore, I urge you to work especially hard today. If the previous days have been difficult, put it aside. Today is today. It is important that you not give or slacken in your effort. It is important to complete the retreat. Finishing strongly helps to develop this perseverant mind. Think of fishermen. Our tools are methods; their tools are nets. Fishermen cast out their nets, but they must also drag them back in, whether they have caught fish or not. If they do not collect their nets, it means they do not intend to fish again. They finish their work by hauling in their nets. We, too, must finish our work. You can also think of it as a city maintenance crew. At night they come along and dig up the road to repair pipes underneath. If they do not finish their work, they cover up the road so it can be used again. The next night they continue their work, opening up the road to work on more pipes. Our cultivation is like this. One retreat will probably not resolve all of your problems or cure your faults; however, you must complete this period of repair work. You can always come back on another retreat to continue your intensive work. If you have a perseverant mind, you will work on yourself until all problems are resolved. On these retreats, the more faults you find, the better. It means you are really working. On your last day of practice, I remind you that working with diligence has nothing to do with tension. Tension is a self- defeating obstruction. Diligence is uninterrupted practice. 

Lunch Talk December 4, 1992 

There's only a half day left until the end of retreat. This is plenty of time to work hard. Enough time. From now until Evening Service there are six hours. Make every thought and every movement a method of practice. Make every place at all times a bodhi mandala -- a place for practice. If you can do this deeply, then even after the retreat ends, all times and situations will remain opportunities for practice. All thoughts and actions are practice. Try your best to make good use of every second remaining. Be acutely aware of any subtle body movement and thought. Every moment, stay on your method. After all these days of practice, you should know what is meant by relaxing body and mind. After doing this, put your mind on the method. Don't be angry if you cannot accomplish this in every moment. Do your best from one moment to the next. All you can do is give one hundred percent of yourself. That is the practice. Regard the retreat as a marathon. All of you must finish the race, whether you are first or last. This attitude of perseverance which you are cultivating here will be very useful in your daily life. Try to always finish what you start. A house is not complete until the last tile is laid in place. 

Evening Talk December 4, 1992 

Four Kinds of Prostration 

There are four kinds of prostrations. The first kind is for fulfilling wishes. When we prostrate, we ask the buddhas and bodhisattvas to help us. We can do this prostration when we encounter difficulties or misfortune. It can also be done for others. If someone is not doing well, you can prostrate for the Buddha's help. This prostration can also be used to avoid accidents, to sickness, or to prolong life. The second kind of prostration is done out of the sincerity of your heart, not with a seeking mind. You may prostrate from the depths of our heart in gratitude for the Three Jewels. You can also prostrate to your teacher, your shih-fu. Shih-fus represent the Three Jewels, so we prostrate to them with sincerity for their teachings and guidance. It is important to understand that is you who benefits from such prostrations, not your shih-fu. Through this act of gratefulness and respect, we can change ourselves and generate sincerity in our hearts. The third kind is repentance prostration. For this you need a mind of humility and a sense of shame. It is impossible to do this if your are filled with arrogance. Even as you touch your head to the floor, you will still you are right and others, wrong. Such prostrations can help you to change your character to being more receptive and honest. You will be more complete, more well-rounded. It is like washing clothes. Our clothes get dirty over and over, and time and time again we wash them. As long as we wash them, they stay clean. Going through the motions of repentance prostrations without admitting your faults or being open and sincere is like wearing clothes, but never washing them. They just get dirtier and dirtier. When you find stains on your clothing, be joyous that they are so clear and easy to spot. It means that your clothes were relatively clean to begin with. If you never wash your clothes, you may not notice new stains. There is no need for self-pity when you find faults in yourself. The more you find, the better. Perhaps you'll be able to catch them before they arise. Better yet, once you spot your shortcomings, perhaps you'll be able to change them. The fourth kind of prostration I call "formless prostration." However, since it's impossible to immediately arrive at formlessness (no-form), we begin with form and progress through stages until we get to no-form. Similarly, to get to no-self -- impermanence -- we start with the self. From there, we contemplate emptiness until we gradually move to the level of no- self. We do the same with non-attachment, beginning with contemplation on attachment and working toward our goal. Formless prostrations come from contemplating the four foundations of mindfulness: body, sensation, mind and dharmas. No matter which one we contemplate, we begin with form and end with formlessness. We can consider these four foundations in the context of the stages of formless prostrations, which I will now describe. The first stage is when we tell ourselves to do prostrations and our body obeys our commands. We control the body and consciously ordering it to prostrate. While doing the prostrations, we are to remain extremely clear of our movements as well as the sensation. Already, we are contemplating the first two foundations -- body and sensation. The third foundation, mind, is also involved because clarity and awareness are the mind itself. At this point our minds' movement should be fine and subtle, since our body movements are carried out slowly. In the second stage, we know we are prostrating and we feel it, but our bodies are moving by themselves. We no longer have to order or control our bodies. We are now witnesses. Who is prostrating? The body is prostrating. At this stage, there is no longer the thought, "I am prostrating;" rather, prostrations are occurring. At the third stage, others may see you prostrating, but as far as you are concerned, there are no longer thoughts that you are prostrating or that prostrations are occurring. Body, mind and sensation are fused: there is no separation. Like learning to ride a horse, at first there is a rider and a horse, separate wills wanting to go their own way. As a result, the ride is bumpy. Experienced riders feel no separation between themselves and their horses. The horse responds instantly, so that the ride becomes fluid and uninterrupted. The third level is the stage of formlessness, but it is not no- self yet. When we perfect the third stage, there are no influences whatsoever. We are neither affected by internal nor external conditions. Of course, we must always begin with the first stage. If we cannot even reach the initial level of a calm and subtly moving mind, then it will be impossible to progress to the next stages.