---"A Three year old child can even say it!"
---"But an 80 year old man can't even do it!"
When i read the story of these two exchanges, i exclaimed, "That's so true!"
There are so many things that we know and we say, but it is so hard for us to really do it especially when it comes to the real situation. For example, we all say "be present", but sometimes or a lot of times we just can't do it. At least for me this is true. I found myself not listening to what was being said,found myself getting caught up in the fear of past or the worry of the future, found myself jumping into conclusion instead of really experiencing what is in front of me...Does this sound familiar to you?
The beauty of this practice is that we return to this over and over again, being present and noticing when we are not being present!
Thank you for all the inspirations each of you is offering through your examples of practice!

How is the Shuso doing? Wiped out!! She has been last two days trying to keep up with acupuncture clinic, teaching schedule and the Zen schedule with some late hours. A long nap can do the healing magic!!
I am feeling good about finishing the shuso teas this weekend and about today sending out invitations for Shuso ceremony which is only 3 weeks away!
The teachings coming to my mind today are about the Three Regulations in meditation - Regulating Mind, Regulating Breath and Regulating Posture. Paul was asking us to practice pausing to just breathe in the midst of busyness. That was regulating breath and mind in every day life. It's important to do the three regulations in the beginning of each meditation to get ourselves situated and centered, and this practice can be carried on throughout the day in our daily non-Zendo activities: Am I aware of my breath when I am chopping vegetables? Am I breathing deeply, slowly and smoothly? Am I upright in my posture, having my shoulders down when I am sitting in front of my desk or sitting in a class? Each moment is our practice! "Standing, Sitting,Walking and Sleeping, you stay close to IT!"

Happy Tiger Year!
Last Friday at city center we had our annual Chinese New Year dinner which happened to coincide with the end of the 2 week Spring Festival celebration in China. Lucy and I were the cooks for the meal but we had so many people coming in to help with chopping, washing, setting up and cleaning up. We made vegetarian chicken, Buddha's delight, Chinese greens and Mochi Cake for dessert. It was so nice to see how a feast brought the whole community together! In China we always celebrated with our small families of 5 or 6 people but here we were celebrating with about 100 people. It is very special to celebrate this special holiday with a big and sweet family here in America! Here you see Sebastian singing his new Chinese song with me at the table and little Kylie visiting us with mom Yuhuan and dad Ryan who used to live in the temple as residents.
After dinner there was a poetry reading in the back of dining room by Genine and Frances. Looking at the crowd, listening to the laughters in the room brought so much warmth and joy to my heart... I realize that i haven't cried and been homesick any more during Chinese New Year time for the past several years.

Last night I gave my third Shuso talk. The topic was on Cultivating Virtues. I was feeling nervous before i entered the Buddha Hall, but not feeling nervous while i was talking. But it amazed me how my stomach was hurting right after I finished my talk and it took half an hour for it to disappear. I was thinking how our emotions could really affect our physical bodies! Emotional release is very important for the health of our body. In Qigong we use sound and breath to release different emotions that are associated with different internal organs and use energy movement to unblock the accumulations; In Buddhism we are emphasizing the joyful mind, the mind of equanimity and practicing mindfulness to be in touch with our emotions to allow them to dissolve. All these are helping us to bring harmony and well being to our body and mind. When we are truly present with what is in front, the nervous mind is less likely to arise; and when it does arise, it will go by like wind blowing by and it won't retain in the body.
This morning was a little interesting. While i was running doing the wakeup bell, the little dot inside the bell fell off. I had to stop and figure out how i could continue. Luckily Keith Baker was around and fixed the bell for me. Later I was told that I could just run through the hall way shouting "Wake Up, Wake Up!" That actually sounds fun!
Oceania gave her first student Way Seeking Mind Talk this morning after Zazen. It was so sad to hear about her life stories but at the same time very inspired to see how she came out of those so much stronger. Indeed our life sufferings can be our blessings! Thank you for your dedication, your inspiration and your example!

I am loving Shuso Tea! My Benji Renee made these vegan, low sugar and heart shaped cookies that made it hard to stick to my own rule "no more than one cookie for the whole afternoon tea". Yesterday Benji started to serve peanut butter cookie with Rooibos tea.
Check this out!


I am inviting you to come to have some tea if you haven't done so both for the cookies and for some heart meeting heart over tea. Thank you for your showing up for tea! It has been such a pleasure to talk to each of you! Thank you, Benji!!!
The beauty of this practice has offered us numerous ways to get in touch with our breath, our heart feelings and the vastness of space through sitting or chopping vegetables or sipping a cup of fragrant tea filled with love...

This morning we had Parinirvana Ceremony in the Zendo after morning sittings. It is important for us to remember Buddha's last words and let them be our guidance for our living.
“Good friends in the Dharma. I will teach you seven things that are conducive to welfare and happiness. Pay careful attention and I will speak.

As long as Sangha members hold regular and frequent assemblies, they may be expected to prosper and not decline.

As long as they meet in harmony, break up in harmony, and carry out their business in harmony, they may be expected to prosper and not decline.

As long as they do not authorize what has not been authorized already, and do not abolish what has been authorized, but proceed according to the precepts and the rules of training, they can be expected to prosper and not decline.

As long as they remain mindful of desires that lead to unwholesome action and suffering, but do not fall prey to those desires, they can be expected to prosper and not decline.

As long as they are devoted to meditation and to letting go of busyness every day, they can be expected to prosper and not decline.

As long as they preserve their personal mindfulness, doing what they do with as much awareness as possible, so that in the future the good among their companions will come to them, and those who have already come will feel at ease, they can be expected to prosper and not decline.

As long as the Sangha members hold to these seven things, and are seen to do so, the Sangha can be expected to prosper and not decline. "

Homage to Shakyamuni Buddha! Homage to Shakyamuni Buddha! Homage to Shakyamuni Buddha!


---Liping

Where is the Shuso blogging? The abbot was asking. I see, the Shuso has more roles than just getting up at 4:30am doing the wake-up bell and having Shuso tea with 50 practice period participants. I am sorry that i haven't been good at keeping up with this blogging thing. I didn't know that somebody would actually check if I wrote something and actually read this;-) The truth is: Every moment flows through my day beyond my grasping and moments of inspiration come and go throughout the day as well. Unless my computer is hooked up all the time and living in my palms, it is very easy just to let those moments go!
Well, if you like, i will start to give you more details of my Shuso days! They are actually very precious to me and absolutely worth the effort of noting down especially if these will bring you some joy and smiles. Oh that's right, I have a Benji too! actually two!
Yesterday was the first day of Chinese New Year - Tiger Year as well as the Valentine's Day. I decided to spend the whole day with my students doing an intensive day of Qigong. It turned out to be very healing and sweet. The teaching in Zen of being present each moment was embraced in each Qigong exercises during the day while we were standing in Qigong poses, doing Walking Qigong, Sleeping Qigong, lecture or a fine New Year dinner. A Qigong day was a Zen practice day! We can call it Qigong, call it Zen, or just call it Living and Being.
As i said at the Nenju ceremony, love is the smiles on your face, the tenderness in your heart and the attention in your eyes. I hope that the practice in each moment and the giving and receiving this love at the beginning of this New Year bring you much happiness and joy!

-----Liping

p.s. For those of you who are taking Taichi on Tuesday mornings, here is the link of my Youtube video I am so happy you are learning this!

Shuso Update from Renee, Liping's Benji (you may hear from me from time to time)...

Liping gave her Shuso Way-Seeking Mind Talk last night and it was brilliant.

She shared her life beautifully.Granting us a 45 minute glimpse, she left us with a deep sense of her humanity and generosity.

It is clear that with her grace and availability to intimacy, she will make a terrific Shuso.

Shuso Teas will start next week. People are beginning to sign up. After a Way-Seeking Mind Talk such as the one held last night, I am sure that students are genuinely looking forward to speaking with Liping and sharing an exploration of the Dharma with her.

So far so good!

Wake up, wake up! I started ringing the wakeup bell every morning at 4:55am as a pre-shuso last Wednesday. This morning we had an official Shuso Entering Ceremony in the Zendo after Zazen. Now I am feeling that I have formally re-entered the temple with my new role. It's so true what I said at the ceremony: I don't know much about Zen, i don't feel like a model Zen student, I am so scared about exposing myself and I am not ready to be Shuso; But i have to remind myself of my intention of this practice period: Do my best! Thank you my dear Sangha for supporting me in my new training! For the moment, I am trying not to get butterflies in my stomach about giving my first talk tonight;-)

Sunday 9/20/09
Just back from the first Sunday since moving back into the building. It's that important unstructured time in the schedule, the supreme practice of choosing how I will spend my time. What activity is beneficial? I can answer this on all sorts of levels - the need for exercise, the need to check in with the majority of humanity living in a perception of anonymity, the need to just get out and mix it up. I just had tea and toast and a few sweet impromptu encounters in the small kitchen with various sangha members in their various states of mind, took a shower and am now settling in to my little room on the third floor on this Sunday evening. I got up at at 7:30 this morning with the sun shining in - respectable hour, I think, given the way I've been living for the past year and a half. Had the traditional Sunday bagel and orange juice, the miscellaneous conversations with people streaming in and out of the student lounge, sat wordlessly with Blanche and Lou while they ate their breakfest, me reading the paper and checking e-mail. Left the building at 11:30 to walk to the Marina to meet Sara. We strolled about Marina Green, took in the fantastic sight of the kite festival, ate some good yucatan food. Caught the bus to the Sunset and met up with Kaz. We drank mai tais and margaritas together, and ate sushi and calimari and just talked and talked about Sit & Eat, his upcoming marriage, the future of Zen in America (it's time for us to forget about Suzuki-roshi, he feels) and how to make money and become "financially independent." All in all a textured and engaging day, which makes me well prepared for the 5 am wake up bell. Going downstairs now to check e-mail, then it's off to bed for me, well before 9:00. This is perfectly reasonable to me.

It blew so hard last night
that, when I woke this morning,
I was afraid something might
be missing. Putting my hands
to my face I realized,



















sure enough, my left eyebrow
was gone. Closer inspection
revealed that I had also
lost any conception of
the color yellow. Look



















at these leaves strewn about
everywhere, like the hands
of saints, and I can’t think
of a single worthwhile
thing to say about them.

emptied out
pouring out
to the 4 corners
of the earth
suddenly
there’s no container
just the Great Way
with no barrier, it flows
both ways

Leaning towards
the Southeast
take a step.
Something rests there.
Reach an open

hand into the fabric
and feel what
comes flowing up
out of the ground
to fill it. Take another

step and then another
eyes turned to where
cirrus clouds hang high
and cold in the
Northwestern sky.

Each step naturally
smaller and slower
than the last.
After proceeding
in this way for some

time it would be
hard to say I was
walking at all. Nor
could I really be said
to be standing still.

Godzilla IS the embodiment of the Law of Cause and Effect.
Here he is rampaging across my altar.

... and here's a link to my talk on the subject:
Dogen vs. Godzilla

I hope by now
I needn’t tell you
there’s not even
a glimmer of hope.

What can you say
it’s a family matter.
The best way
to stop a hurricane

is to stand
in the middle
brandishing
a paper fan.

The best place
to hide the evidence
is right there

on the kitchen
table between
the salt shaker
and the butter dish.

That her voice
is a tumbling fountain
of glass.

That her table manners
are atrocious.

That she dances until
even the dumb
chairs are too dizzy
to sit.

These are
excuses we make
to account for the bare
truth that the body

is an instrument
no one knows
how to play. That

each time I open
my mouth,
a mountain wants
to fall out of it.

That it’s no wonder
we make a mess of things.

There for all the world to see

like the imprint left on the side
of a building when its neighbor
is demolished - a square patch
of floral wallpaper, plumbing fixtures

clinging dizzily. Round we go
pursued by an endless beginning-less
train of carousel horses, sculpted
nostrils flaring, eyes wide as usual.

There’s the tired tiger, the gaudy
dragon with a chipped golden ball
between his claws. It’s not what I
was led to expect. I recall
Miss Oliphant always warned us

about swimming too close to
the really big fishes, and who has not
heard the old saying about looking
too long at a yellow-eyed dog.

It's not exactly that they were
wrong, but when you’re invited
in to dinner it hardly seems helpful
to refuse simply because it’s not

the invitation you were waiting for.

It's Sunday after the 1-day sitting.

Dogen reminds us:

“The spring breeze and the autumn moon of five or ten years, unbeknownst to us, have the ring of emancipation beyond sound and form. This voice is not known to the self, not understood by the self. You should learn to treasure each moment of sustained practice. Do not assume that not to speak is useless. It is entering the monastery, leaving the monastery. The bird's path is the forest. The entire world is the forest, the monastery.”

and here's what I remembered:

A lifetime spent mapping
the intricate surface of a dust
mote. Swallowed over and over
again by your own ears. Way out
past the edge of town, the mountains

are singing their mountainous songs.
Styrofoam cups and candy wrappers
jump and jitter in the middle
of the street, while a whole gang
of Djangos strum Stormy Weather.

Secretly, it’s your birthday and
of course you’re the last to know
but that praying mantis clinging
there under the window ledge
seems to be onto something.

Meet Zachary Smith...
our Fall 2007 Practice Period shuso. Here we are hugging after my shuso ceremony last year which begs the question: "Who will Zachary hug at the end of his shuso ceremony and thus assuring themselves, bridal bouquet-like, a shot at being the Fall 08 shuso?"

Three things you may not know about Zachary:
1) He is a father of four!
2) He is a founding member of The Loud Family
3) He once built a teahouse in his back yard.

So it's with great pleasure that I pass this blog on to him and this new shuso on to you. He's very talented (see poem below) and quite dedicated and energetic. Example: Every morning save Sunday, he rides his bike from North Beach in order to ring the wake up bell before 5 AM. Ask him about his favorite coffee and donut joints along the way. Or ask him about the Hermit of Mystic Peak. Or how to build a teahouse. Either way, I'm sure you both will delight in the conversation that follows.
Dana V
Fall 2006 shuso

Happy hour at the Lotus Cafe
and there it is, shimmering
like the glassy, sunlit face of a wave
towering over our heads.

Beneath the pounding
of the stereo and the clink
and chatter of the patrons
the silence is unshakable.

Staring at the bottom of my
empty cup, I discover
I’ve also drunk the future.
The King slowly winds his way

up Market Street on a
cheap mountain bike while
the man at the next table
leans forward and says I saw
the flowers on the moon.