1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,080 Hey there. Welcome to Tea with Mara. 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:08,840 Thanks for seeking out these recordings and listening. 3 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:11,040 My name is George and you may know me. 4 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:14,280 As Keoki in the metaverse. These recordings are from my 5 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:18,320 live sessions in virtual reality and in person at Two Hand Sanga. 6 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,320 For the best. Experience of these sessions. 7 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,360 You can join me in virtual reality, but when you can't, or 8 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,200 if you want to go back and listen again, these audio 9 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:28,880 recordings will be offered freely. 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,520 If you have AVR. Headset or an Android or Apple 11 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,440 smartphone. 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All right. 23 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:38,120 Good evening and welcome to Two Hands Sanga and welcome to our 24 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,160 visitors. Who are here for the? 25 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,840 First time in person but. Who have sat with. 26 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:45,560 Us many, many times in. Virtual reality or? 27 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:51,480 Second hand sat with us. Gotten the report? 28 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,160 Afterwards many times and we're. Pleased to have you guys. 29 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,040 With us tonight so. Thank you for being here. 30 00:01:58,160 --> 00:01:59,920 Yesterday. I told some of you. 31 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:03,720 This already but yesterday. I went and I saw the new 32 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:10,440 Christopher Nolan movie The Odyssey and had really no 33 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,600 intention of going to see it. I have a fairly strong dislike 34 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,960 of Roman Empire stuff and I do like Greek. 35 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,800 Mythology a bit, but. Not super into it since I was 36 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,400 young, but when I heard this movie was coming out and I kind 37 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,440 of had. A little bit of like. 38 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,960 Grown reaction to it, not because of anything to do with 39 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:32,160 the movie. Itself, but to do with I kind of 40 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:33,520 felt like. I kind of feel like. 41 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,560 Hollywood is like. Run out of ideas. 42 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,320 And they're just like rehashing everything. 43 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,640 And I was like, why do we need an Odyssey movie? 44 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:48,920 And I had no plans of going to see it, so I didn't know the 45 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:49,600 cast. And. 46 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:53,440 Crew, I didn't know the any of the things about the movie and 47 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,880 then I started seeing all the hype on Instagram and whatnot 48 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,240 and. I saw that like it's. 49 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:03,840 Almost no CGI at all. There's a famous popular scene 50 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:05,600 from it where. You see these? 51 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:11,320 7 foot tall giants that are coming at the the protagonists 52 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,880 and the protagonists are. They're all stocky, muscular. 53 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,880 Folks and all of that and they're facing the giants that 54 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,560 are coming at them. That scene completely looks like 55 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:27,120 CGI, but it's not. It's the Giants are 7. 56 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,520 Foot plus tall people. And the. 57 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:33,640 Crew. Are all under 5. 58 00:03:33,640 --> 00:03:36,680 Feet tall, so it's like. That's the woman that's sitting 59 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,800 in playing the part of Matt Damon and whatnot, and she's all 60 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,480 ripped with her arms and everything and. 61 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,920 So it's this disparity between. The five foot tall and the seven 62 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:47,840 foot tall. People makes it look like. 63 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,200 CGI, but it's 100% just a film magic. 64 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,400 So that kind of stuff I started learning and it really got me 65 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,360 interested in it. And then I found out about the 66 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,680 cast and the cast. Is just a who's who. 67 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,440 List and it made me curious enough that when my daughter 68 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,160 said she wanted to see it for a second time because she already 69 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:13,920 saw it on her birthday, it made me decide I guess I'll. 70 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:20,000 Go see it. And so I did, and I'm several 71 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:25,760 decades away from when I read this in high school and far 72 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,480 enough. Away that it felt like a a fresh 73 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:32,880 story. Even though it's in a story 74 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,520 that's ingrained in almost all of our stories, it felt kind of 75 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,720 fresh to me. And I don't think you could go 76 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,840 into that movie blind 'cause we all know the story. 77 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:44,840 Even if we don't know we know the story, we know it. 78 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,840 But I at least was able to go into it with a very. 79 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:49,760 Sort of foggy. Memory and when I. 80 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:52,800 Walked out of the theater. I was thoroughly. 81 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,360 Entertained and impressed in all. 82 00:04:55,360 --> 00:05:00,040 The best ways. And kind of surprised that. 83 00:05:00,840 --> 00:05:06,520 By by what I took away. As being the central theme and 84 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:07,680 that's. Where we get this? 85 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:12,520 Tonight, So it didn't match up with what I remembered being the 86 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,560 central theme, or I should say my take away as the central 87 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:20,360 theme was not what I remembered the central theme being taught 88 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,280 to me in high school was. And that got me kind of curious. 89 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:27,760 So I started digging around and researching, and indeed, the 90 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,240 themes that I was taught in high school about the Odyssey were 91 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:36,640 things like the Hero's journey. Odysseus follows the leave home 92 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:40,280 go through trials. Transform and come back home 93 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:44,160 kind of situation the the nostos, I guess if I'm 94 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,280 pronouncing that right, which is homecoming and that's kind of 95 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:49,200 supposed to be the central theme. 96 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,080 I guess which is sort of. The coming home thing and how 97 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,960 that all transpires between Agamemnon and him and. 98 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:00,840 The different ways. Of coming home, there's 99 00:06:00,840 --> 00:06:04,160 something called Xenia or. Hospitality, which is what I 100 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,760 took away. Kind of sort of kind of. 101 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:08,800 What I took away as. The main theme. 102 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,440 And that's the theme. Of what they call Zeus's. 103 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,480 Law, which is a welcoming strangers into your home and 104 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,040 feeding them and treating them well. 105 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:22,880 And nearly every encounter in the movie has that theme. 106 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:29,360 And then there was. Then there's also the themes of 107 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,680 like cunning versus strength. And hubris. 108 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:35,320 Odysseus is always. Thinks he knows what the best 109 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,000 thing to do is, but he just can't help himself sometimes of 110 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:42,040 making a poor choice or whatnot or getting sort of goaded into 111 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:43,440 because of. Pride. 112 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:45,560 Getting goaded into doing something. 113 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:50,120 Loyalty and faith. Faithfulness. 114 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:54,800 Which is had to do with his. Wife and his son and all of that 115 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:56,840 and his dog, even the. Dog is a huge. 116 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:02,680 Part of that and then there's of course the relationship between 117 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,440 humans and gods and justice and order and all these things. 118 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:08,880 So those are the things that we were taught as kids and I don't 119 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,080 know which one maybe you guys will share when we do the 120 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,000 sharing at the end of like, what were you? 121 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,960 What do you remember being taught from that? 122 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:23,120 But while all of those. Things that I was taught a few 123 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:27,040 lifetimes ago in high. School while all of those. 124 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:31,080 Things were definitely in there, of course, what I took. 125 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:34,360 Away most was the hospitality part, or the Zeus's Law. 126 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,000 Part do unto. Others as you would. 127 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:38,600 Have them do unto. You, which is. 128 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,600 That's a. When I hear that, I think of the 129 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,840 Bible. Probably a lot of people. 130 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,760 Do but. And it doesn't even go back just 131 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:51,200 to Odysseus either. Or Zeus. 132 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,040 It goes back. To ancient Egypt, apparently. 133 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:55,920 Where? You had this do for. 134 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:59,080 One who may do for you that you may cause him. 135 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,440 Thus to do. Which is a little confusing, but 136 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:06,440 same idea and. That was a couple of 1000 years 137 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:09,720 before the Bible. But when I watched the movie I 138 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:16,000 had for me this time around, I had two major takeaways, which I 139 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:17,680 guess might. Be because of the Buddhist. 140 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,440 Lens that I'm viewing it. Through, but they were. 141 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,040 The importance of living by ethics, which again is the 142 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:27,760 zeus's law, and of how. Fragile they are. 143 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:31,320 It's this incredibly strong thing. 144 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:34,960 To live with those ethics. It creates this incredibly 145 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:39,400 strong world and society and. Whatever, but it's so fragile. 146 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,760 And can be harmed so easily and I took. 147 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:46,720 Away a lot about that. In the movie and also I took 148 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,680 away. Not so much related to tonight. 149 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:51,280 Well, kind of. I took away. 150 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:55,160 A lot about I kept. Getting the sense that the movie 151 00:08:55,160 --> 00:09:00,360 was saying, talking about the folly of war, like the 152 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:04,760 pointlessness of war and how it never does any good for anyone 153 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,160 and it only ends poorly and it's. 154 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:11,680 That's of course directly connected to the whole Zeus's 155 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:16,920 Law part, how it's all war. Is so senseless and useless. 156 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,600 But it's also preventable. By the first thing if you. 157 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:21,480 Live by ethics. Then we don't need war. 158 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,720 Right. At least that's the idea, if we. 159 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,960 All simply lived by some version of Zeus's law. 160 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,240 One of the ones, either the ancient Egypt one, or the Zeus 161 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,640 one, or the Buddha one, or any of the other many ones that have 162 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,280 come along the way. What a world we might have today 163 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:39,160 if. We could do that. 164 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:41,800 And I kept coming back to one thought. 165 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:45,360 Nearly every tragedy in the story could have been avoided if 166 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:51,440 somebody had been living by that ethical standard or enforcing 167 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:56,440 that ethical standard, and if they had chosen maybe kindness 168 00:09:56,440 --> 00:10:03,480 instead of pride, or compassion instead of vengeance, honesty 169 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,280 instead of deception, those kinds of things. 170 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,120 There's the famous scene where. They they're trapped. 171 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:13,040 By the cyclops and they almost get away and then he just can't 172 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:16,560 resist saying one last. Jab at the cyclops that. 173 00:10:16,560 --> 00:10:19,720 Kind of ruins the whole thing and gets him in more trouble. 174 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:23,760 That's actually, at least in the movie, that was kind of how they 175 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:28,160 spun the downturn from there is when things start going South. 176 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:36,920 But it it made me think of the fact that the Buddha didn't. 177 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:41,640 Really do a lot of first of all. I mean, he did do a lot of 178 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,160 storytelling, but not like not on the magnitude of the Odyssey. 179 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,000 But he spent a lot of time talking about like, how do we 180 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,640 make the world an easier place to live in? 181 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,200 And that's. That was his focus. 182 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:59,640 He was trying to make life easier and and when he. 183 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,960 Gave us these five precepts that the laypeople are supposed to 184 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,000 live by versus. The 227 that monastics. 185 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,000 Observed. Those of you that know. 186 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:15,400 Ahsoka Ahsoka lives by. 227 rules and we live by 5 if we 187 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,440 follow the Dharma, so that's quite a difference, but and 188 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,520 that's after the 227 is. After the Buddha. 189 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:25,280 Felt like there was too many and he cut a hundreds of them out. 190 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:26,600 So they used to have. Even more. 191 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:32,400 But he wasn't trying to like make up rules. 192 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:35,200 To force us to live. By in fact, he was making these 193 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,920 rules in a reactive way. The way that they got. 194 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:41,480 So many rules is monks kept doing weird stuff and he had 195 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:45,040 kept going OK, we can't be too friendly with the monkeys or 196 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:46,720 whatever it. Was that they had to do. 197 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:54,920 And and he was just kind of describing cause and effect and 198 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,400 saying like if you touch fire, you're going to get burned. 199 00:11:57,400 --> 00:12:03,320 If you lie then trust fractures and gets becomes weakened and 200 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:05,680 crumbles. If you kill somebody, then you. 201 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:09,000 Spread fear if you steal. Something then people lose a 202 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:13,160 sense of security and if you betray relationships, you lose 203 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:17,280 them and those kinds of things and so that's the. 5 precepts 204 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,000 right there. Pretty much, and their 205 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:25,640 observations that he made about reality and the role that they 206 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:27,720 play in the relationship between. 207 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:30,680 Zeus's. Law, so to speak, and the Golden 208 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:32,840 Rule or whatever you want to call it, and. 209 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:36,480 The stability of a society that feels safe to live. 210 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:38,160 Within. People feel safe to be. 211 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,160 Around and I'll tell you something one of the reasons 212 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:46,840 that I love teaching and there are many of those things that I 213 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,480 love about it but one of the best things about. 214 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:53,240 What I get to do? Is that I am always learning new 215 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,680 stuff, I'm always having new insights, new things I didn't 216 00:12:56,680 --> 00:13:01,000 realize before, things I've read 1000 times and I suddenly get 217 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,400 something new out of it. And. 218 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:07,160 That's what happened today. As a matter of fact, and I was, 219 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:12,200 Ben asked us to he I asked him what he would like. 220 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,360 To hear. Tonight and he said anything in 221 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:15,800 the ethics and I said, OK, great. 222 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:17,840 And I kind of had to talk kind of prepared. 223 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:20,560 And then I saw that movie and it changed a little bit, so I came 224 00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:22,760 back and tweaked. It a little bit but. 225 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:26,800 In this morning I was working with a a student of mine. 226 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,720 Who is is a good? Friend, as somebody I just 227 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:36,920 really enjoy discussing the Dharma with and we were going 228 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:42,720 over a suta related to this and as all sutas tend to. 229 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,040 Be it It's a bit. Repetitive, and I'll try to 230 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:49,640 spare you from that a little bit, but it excited me so much 231 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:51,040 to find that. This fits so. 232 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,720 Well, and I got something new out of this and I'll explain 233 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:54,760 that. But. 234 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:58,440 The Buddha said in this suta, he said monks, there are these 235 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:03,520 eight rewards of merit and actually. 236 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,640 This SUTA is called, I think it's called rewards. 237 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:09,480 If I'm not mistaken, but he says monks. 238 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,600 There are these eight rewards. Of merit, rewards of 239 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:17,280 skillfulness, nourishments of happiness, celestial, resulting 240 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,160 in happiness leading to heaven, leading to what is desirable, 241 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,800 pleasurable and appealing to welfare and to happiness. 242 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,800 And the monks said which eight, O Lord or however? 243 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:30,800 They addressed the Buddha. And he said. 244 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,160 There is the case where a disciple. 245 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,520 Of the noble ones has gone to the Buddha. 246 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:39,640 For refuge, this is the. First reward of merit. 247 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:42,320 The reward of. Skillfulness, nourishment of 248 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,440 happiness. Celestial resulting. 249 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:47,760 In happiness leading to heaven, leading to what is desirable, 250 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:51,000 pleasurable, appealing, and to welfare and to happiness. 251 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:53,480 And if you've never. Read the sutas before, they're 252 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:56,240 very repetitive. I'll try to cut that. 253 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:59,440 Down some, but that's the. Series that he goes through. 254 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:02,800 And so he's saying that going to the Buddha for refuge. 255 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:06,320 In other words, the first gem of the three gems in Buddhism, the 256 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,320 core teachings, everybody probably has heard me say the 257 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:13,080 core teachings of the Dharma. That's the same across all three 258 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,520 traditions is the three gems, the four Noble truths and the 259 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:20,000 Eightfold Path, right? So the three gems, which he's 260 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:23,280 talking about right now includes the four Noble truths and the 261 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:25,040 Eightfold Path. So he doesn't get into those. 262 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,600 Specifically. Because it's kind of inferred, 263 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,320 but. So he says, the first reward. 264 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,720 Of following an ethical life like this, of living by. 265 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:36,320 These precepts is that you go to the Buddha. 266 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:38,480 For the Dharma and then the second. 267 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:41,360 Reward, of course, is the. Dharma, the of the three gems, 268 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,520 the second noble truth. And he repeats that whole format 269 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:49,320 or whatever, and then he says and then he says the same thing 270 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,560 and repeats the same. Process for the third gift or 271 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,000 the third? Reward which is Sanga. 272 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,040 This right here community. Of people who support each other 273 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:00,760 and practice, who show up, who do the work. 274 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:04,240 Individually and are here to. Support you if if you're. 275 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,760 Doing the work and you need some support and that kind of stuff 276 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,600 so that you're not feeling alone so that you feel safe amongst 277 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,080 people who are doing the same thing that you are and, and that 278 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,720 sort of thing and so then he gets into the five other things 279 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,880 of the 8 rewards and he says furthermore. 280 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:23,120 There's these 5 gifts. And that's going to be. 281 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:24,640 So we got the three gems and then the. 282 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,280 Other 5 of the 8 which is these 5 great gifts? 283 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:31,840 Original, long standing, traditional, ancient, 284 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:36,160 unadulterated from the beginning that are not open to suspicion 285 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,920 that will never be open to suspicion that are unfaulted and 286 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,440 by knowledgeable contemplatives and Brahmins and they. 287 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,160 Say which 5? And he says there is the case 288 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,280 where a disciple of the noble ones, abandoning the taking of 289 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:53,400 life or causing harm, abstains from taking life and causing 290 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:55,840 harm. In doing so, he gives freedom 291 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,040 from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from 292 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:01,920 oppression to limitless numbers of beings. 293 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,760 All right. So I'll circle back to. 294 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:08,680 That in a minute, in giving freedom from danger, freedom 295 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,240 from animosity, freedom from oppression, and limitless 296 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:15,240 numbers of beings, he gains a share in that limitless freedom 297 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:18,680 from danger, that freedom from animosity, and that freedom from 298 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,160 oppression. So he's saying by giving the 299 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,480 gift of freedom to somebody from fear of danger and that sort of 300 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,280 thing, he also gets that same thing in return. 301 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:31,440 And then he goes on and he does the other ones and I'll try not 302 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:33,040 to repeat it quite as much, but he. 303 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,680 Says this is the first gift of the first great gift original. 304 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,080 Long standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated, so on 305 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:44,000 and so forth. And this is the fourth reward of 306 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,480 merit. So this whole thing is talking 307 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:49,200 about this practice in Buddhism of giving merit. 308 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,840 But he's saying that this. Is the first of. 309 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,000 These five, then he goes on, he says furthermore. 310 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:56,520 It's that whole. Repetition of the thing. 311 00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:01,120 But he says. Abandoning taking what is not 312 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:04,080 given, or in other words, stealing, the disciple of the 313 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,480 noble one abstains from taking what is not giving. 314 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:10,160 In doing so, he gives freedom from danger, freedom from 315 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:13,200 everything on through the whole list there. 316 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:15,680 And then he comes. Back to the third precept. 317 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:19,640 And that is furthermore abandoning illicit sex or 318 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,000 usually nowadays if you hear. It from a teacher. 319 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,120 You'll hear it put. As not misusing our sexuality, 320 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,320 but in this case that this translation says abandoning 321 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:32,840 illicit sex and so this. Is for lay. 322 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:34,640 People too. So it's not talking about 323 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,000 abandoning all sexual activity. It's talking about not cheating 324 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,480 on your spouse and not misusing your sexuality and in all the 325 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,880 many ways where we see on the news today in doing so. 326 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:48,120 He you give people. Freedom from danger, freedom 327 00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:49,960 from animosity, so on and so forth. 328 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:54,080 And this is the next one. Then he says the 4th 1. 329 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:57,320 Of these five, which is? Abandoning lying, the disciple 330 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,000 of the noble ones abstains from lying. 331 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:04,200 In doing so, you give freedom from danger, freedom and then 332 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,920 furthermore abandoning the use of intoxicants. 333 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:09,640 The 5th precept and this. Is the one that always. 334 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,760 Upsets. People, nobody wants to give up 335 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:17,720 their drinks or whatever. Abandoning the use of 336 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:21,400 intoxicants, the disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking 337 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:25,680 in stock in intoxicants. In doing so, he gives freedom 338 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,160 from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from 339 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:30,080 oppression to limitless numbers of beings. 340 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,760 In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom 341 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:36,600 from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a 342 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:40,280 share in that limitless freedom from danger, freedom from 343 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,400 animosity, and freedom from oppression. 344 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:46,160 This is the fifth gift, the 5th great gift original. 345 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:49,520 Long standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated from the 346 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,600 beginning, that is not open to suspicion, will never be open to 347 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,120 suspicion, is unfaulted by knowledgeable contemplatives and 348 00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:58,960 brahmins. And this is the 8th reward of 349 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,320 merit, the reward of skillfulness, nourishment of 350 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:06,040 happiness, celestial, resulting in happiness leading to heaven, 351 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:09,600 leading to what is desirable, pleasurable and appealing to 352 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:12,720 welfare and to happiness. So I know sutas can be a little 353 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:19,120 dry and a little repetitious. The Suta itself obviously is 354 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:21,200 very related to this. Talk. 355 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:24,400 Obviously it's talking. About these five precepts that 356 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:28,520 we follow as laypeople. And how they support safety in 357 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:33,280 the world and in relationships and amongst one another and the 358 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,560 safety you. Create for people to be. 359 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,400 Around you and then thereby the safety you feel to be around 360 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:41,920 them. There's a teacher, I can't 361 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,600 remember if it was Ruth King, who's in Raleigh. 362 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:46,720 She lives. Up in Raleigh. 363 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:53,000 Or if it was Earthlin, Xinju Earthlin, I can't remember. 364 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:55,640 Who it was, but they said that they practice. 365 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,560 So that they don't hurt you. And I've always think of that. 366 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:01,760 But as funny as that might sound, because she. 367 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:03,680 Sort of. Says it in a threatening manner 368 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:05,760 that I. Practice to keep you safe. 369 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,800 From me, and there's a lot of wisdom in that. 370 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:10,640 It can be a really. Funny sort of joke. 371 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:14,320 But it's also really true. Like if we don't practice and we 372 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,320 live off of habit energy, we might be more reactive, we might 373 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,080 be more harmful, we might do things that we wouldn't do if we 374 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,840 had the presence of mind not to do those things and then we 375 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:27,240 cause harm. And so, as funny as it sounds, 376 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:28,720 she's 100%. Right. 377 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:33,000 We practice so that we protect. The people around us, from us, 378 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:36,160 and also so that we're creating safety from them as well. 379 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:37,720 That's a little bit of a different way of. 380 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:43,120 Putting it, but it's a nonetheless accurate and it's 381 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:46,000 also just another complicated way of saying Zeus. 382 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,960 'S law, which is that we should treat others the way we wish to 383 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:53,680 be treated, if we lived by those ethics, those five precepts, or 384 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:58,400 by Zeus's law. Then everything else in society 385 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:01,600 and in our hearts and in our minds suddenly becomes a. 386 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:06,920 Lot easier to do. The famous sort of quote from, I 387 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:08,960 don't know, Cornfield or somebody was that. 388 00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:12,520 It's a lot. Harder to meditate if you're 389 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,880 running around lying, stealing and killing all day. 390 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,120 And. Also a joke, but also. 391 00:22:17,120 --> 00:22:20,080 Very accurate. In your mind, as soon as you do 392 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:22,760 something is not right, something that goes against. 393 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,240 The laws of society or just basic decency or whatever. 394 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,240 Then your mind is constantly in fear of getting caught and 395 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:31,360 you're having to defend it and you're having to remember your 396 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:33,480 lies and you're having to make sure you don't tell. 397 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:34,720 Somebody you slept with that person's. 398 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,160 Wife and you're having and you got all this different stuff 399 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,960 going on in your head it becomes more difficult to meditate and 400 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,760 what really stood out to me for the first time ever and this is 401 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:47,200 goes back to when I said sometimes I learn these new 402 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:49,840 things when I'm practicing for me when I. 403 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,840 Read this SUTA today. I've read this SUTA. 404 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:57,120 Dozens and dozens of times. Maybe hundreds of times. 405 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,360 And today was the first time. Ever. 406 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,640 Of all of these. Countless times I've read it 407 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:06,280 that I noticed. The title is called Rewards. 408 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,320 And I noticed that in each of those descriptions it. 409 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:14,880 Says you give the gift. Of whatever to someone so. 410 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,480 You give the gift of safety. And freedom from animosity and 411 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,520 all of that stuff. So the whole entire Suta is not 412 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,000 framed as thou shalt not do this and thou shalt not do that. 413 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:27,760 Or not even as I undertake the precept, the training to do 414 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,040 this, or I undertake the training to do that, which is 415 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:35,440 how Buddhism usually puts it. It is all framed as I am giving 416 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,680 you a gift and that gift is. Safety to be. 417 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,040 Around me and then that. Safety. 418 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:45,120 To be around me makes it safer for me to be around you and I 419 00:23:45,120 --> 00:23:48,240 never noticed. That before today, so this. 420 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:51,520 Is one of those things. And Bri, you've lived through a 421 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:54,640 few of these things by now. This is one of those things that 422 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:56,760 will change. The way that I teach it, I. 423 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:00,120 For years and years, I. Always used to talk about. 424 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,680 Enlightenment or awakening or whatever I for many years I 425 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:04,920 called it. The Deathless. 426 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:06,720 Which is one of the terms for it. 427 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:10,840 And I kind of around the time I read Wayne. 428 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,600 Shorter's autobiography or biography. 429 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:17,360 I changed to talking about it as lasting happiness because I just 430 00:24:17,360 --> 00:24:22,200 think that's a much more. Realistic word to use if you say 431 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:24,680 the deathless it. Sounds cool but people don't 432 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,760 know what you're talking about. If you say awakening or 433 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,000 enlightenment again it it sounds lofty and. 434 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,800 Spiritual, but people. Don't know what it is when you 435 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,560 say you're trying to achieve lasting happiness. 436 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:38,800 Most people go oh. OK, I can get. 437 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:42,680 Behind that, and that all came from Wayne. 438 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,120 Shorter's autobiography, this is. 439 00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:47,840 Something that from now on I'm sure that I will be teaching. 440 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:52,720 This as giving gifts instead of. Abiding by the sutas or abiding 441 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:54,560 by the precepts? Excuse me? 442 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:56,520 So I thought that. Was pretty cool. 443 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:00,120 Now normally. People hear those precepts as. 444 00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:01,720 Rules and Dharma teachers usually. 445 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,920 Try to disabuse. Them of that right away, but 446 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,280 even us Dharma teachers often think of it as like instructions 447 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:10,360 instead. Of gifts that we're giving. 448 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:15,000 To people and it's like sounds like to us as do this and things 449 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,240 will be easier for you like an instruction. 450 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,760 But when I read this today in light of seeing the Odyssey and 451 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:22,040 that. This whole Zeus's Law. 452 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,760 Thing being fresh on my mind, I went, oh, OK, OK. 453 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,160 This is talking about in much the same way you're taking 454 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,200 somebody into your house and offering them food and lodging 455 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:34,960 and all of that, washing their feet when they come to your 456 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:37,800 house, you're giving them the gift of safety and the 457 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:49,520 protection and sustenance. And there's a scene where 458 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:54,840 Odysseus in the movie reflects on how he he's speaking. 459 00:25:54,840 --> 00:26:00,080 And he says we gave them a gift and our most sacred. 460 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:03,160 I don't I forget how he put it, but. 461 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,480 We gave them our most sacred thing, which was a gift, and 462 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,400 they accepted the gift and they put it in a place of honor in 463 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,840 their home, and then we stabbed them in the back. 464 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:12,720 Quite. Literally. 465 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,040 That's a heavy paraphrase, but that's what he was. 466 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,320 Talking about and, he reflected on having. 467 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:22,280 Sullied that gift. And that highest gift of 468 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:26,200 generosity and honor and by ruining that foundation that 469 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:33,040 trust and honor were built on is suggesting that it's they went 470 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,320 too far and society is damaged forever. 471 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,080 And I think anybody in today's day and age would agree we 472 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:43,520 haven't done well since then. I guess we're not in a good 473 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:49,840 place right now probably. And so seeing the ethics that 474 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,200 the Buddha recommended. That we all live by. 475 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,520 Referred to as giving gifts to those around us so they feel 476 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:58,200 safe and protected and then. That we do so as. 477 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:01,160 Well, really opened my eyes to a new way of seeing and expressing 478 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:03,160 this today, so. I was really grateful for. 479 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,560 Your visiting and giving me this topic to work with and. 480 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:13,720 To express it a little. Further, in a Buddhist way, we 481 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,440 talk about loving kindness and how it's more than just a 482 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:19,160 feeling of love, which is another thing. 483 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:21,520 We teachers often have to sort of. 484 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,200 Teach people it's not talking about romantic love or whatever. 485 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,040 Many people imagine kindness as being nice. 486 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:33,080 Some of them hate hearing about it all the time. 487 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:39,400 But the Buddha imagined that Mehta is creating. 488 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:41,880 I say he imagined. He verified through his 489 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:46,240 experience that Mehta is creating conditions where beings 490 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:48,880 are able to relax. And Mehta means loving kindness. 491 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:52,400 And so you can ask like, who are the people in your life that 492 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,520 immediately make you feel safe when you think about someone, 493 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,520 who is it that immediately makes you feel safe to be around? 494 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:02,040 And then ask yourself, well, why is that? 495 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:03,520 And it's. Probably because they're 496 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:05,760 predictable. It's probably because they're 497 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:09,800 honest and gentle and reliable that they don't create 498 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:13,200 unnecessary suffering. And if they do, it's an accident 499 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:16,840 and not a regular occurrence. And that is loving kindness, 500 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:21,480 creating a safe haven for you to be in, and also those. 501 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:23,680 First 3 of the 8. Things the eight. 502 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:25,480 Gifts the Buddha the. Dharma and the Sangha. 503 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:27,280 Which we call the three. Gems. 504 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,200 Those are called. Refuge we go for. 505 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,160 Refuge in the Buddha we go for. Refuge in the Dharma we go. 506 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,680 For refuge. In the sangha, that's not 507 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,120 accidental. That's because when someone 508 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,840 makes you feel that way. That is a refuge for. 509 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,040 You and so you're going for. That refuge we are here. 510 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:46,560 In this is a a refuge right here from. 511 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:53,200 All of that out there. And and of course the. 512 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,720 Obvious SUTA that goes with all of this is. 513 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:59,520 What's called the Karanaya meta Suta or just sometimes the Meta 514 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,080 Suta and it. Says this is what? 515 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:05,920 Should be done by one who is skilled in goodness and who 516 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:07,360 knows. The path of peace. 517 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:11,520 Let them be able and upright, straightforward and gentle in 518 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:16,240 speech, humble and not conceited, contented and easily 519 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:20,560 satisfied, unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways, 520 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:26,240 peaceful and calm and wise and skillful, not proud or demanding 521 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:28,760 in nature. Let them not do the slightest 522 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:30,840 thing that the. Wise would later reprove. 523 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:35,600 And then wishing in gladness and in safety, may all beings be at. 524 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:38,080 Ease, whatever. Living beings there may be. 525 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,280 Whether they are weak or. Strong omitting none. 526 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,280 The. Great or the mighty, medium, 527 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:48,800 short or small, the seen and the unseen, those living near and 528 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:53,480 far away, those born and those yet to be born, may all beings 529 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,680 be at ease. Let none deceive one another or 530 00:29:56,680 --> 00:30:01,680 despise any being in any state. Let none, through anger or ill 531 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,440 will, wish harm upon another, even as a mother protects. 532 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:08,040 With her life, her child. Her only child. 533 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,720 So with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings. 534 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:15,480 Boundless heart should one cherish all living beings. 535 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:20,000 Radiating kindness over the entire world, spreading upwards 536 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:24,280 to the skies, downwards to the depths outwards and unbounded, 537 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,480 free from hatred. And I'll will, whether standing 538 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:31,520 or walking or seated or lying down, which is all the things 539 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:36,200 free from drowsiness, one should sustain this recollection. 540 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:39,560 This is said to be the. Sublime, abiding or the divine 541 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:42,080 abodes or. The four heart practices. 542 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:44,480 By not holding to fixed. Views. 543 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,240 The pure hearted one having clarity of vision, being freed 544 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,840 from all sense desires, is not born again into this world. 545 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:52,520 So that's. The. 546 00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:55,640 Meta Suta and it's beautiful. It's one of the most beautiful 547 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:59,080 sutas in the Canon, and it's also one of the most direct. 548 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:03,120 It's a there's no repetitive hammering it home to you. 549 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:07,600 It's just a very beautiful. Statement And it's important. 550 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:10,200 There's a lot in there, all these attributes of being calm 551 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:12,720 and wise. When you hear that, you 552 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,880 immediately probably think of good people, someone who knows 553 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:18,080 the path of peace. Let them be able and upright, 554 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:21,760 straightforward, gentle in speech, humble, not conceited, 555 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:25,320 contented, easily satisfied, so on and so forth. 556 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,160 You're probably like narrowing down everybody into, oh, these 557 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,200 these few people that I know, or maybe. 558 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,080 If you're really lucky, a lot of people that. 559 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:39,080 And and conversely, you might also be hearing all of that and 560 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,840 thinking, oh, well, I'm that one, I'm that one. 561 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:43,960 Oh, I'm not that one. Then you might be. 562 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:48,200 That's a negativity view of looking at it versus a +1. 563 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:49,680 But we do that. That's inherent. 564 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:52,600 And it's a great thing to like read that SUTA and reflect that 565 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:55,800 way because you might realize people in your life who are 566 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:59,240 living this way and then you'll realize, Oh, they I do feel safe 567 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:02,120 around them and or I don't, as the case may be. 568 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:07,040 So these five precepts are really just ways of. 569 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,360 Building trust each precept is not Don't do this or don't. 570 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:13,680 Do that. It's just what? 571 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:15,800 Am I? What can I do that's going to 572 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:18,080 make another person feel safe to be around me? 573 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:21,640 The first precept. But do you fear? 574 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,520 Violence from me. If you knew me 20 years ago, you 575 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,760 might have feared not physical violence, but you probably. 576 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:32,000 Would have feared. A lot of verbal violence if you 577 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,160 knew me 20 or 30. Years ago, 3035. 578 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:43,880 There's a few people in the world that if they thought of me 579 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:45,480 now. Would probably fear physical 580 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:49,240 violence. Because I wasn't always so kind. 581 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:52,520 I don't know if I am now, but I certainly am a lot more than I 582 00:32:52,520 --> 00:32:57,000 used to be. And so you can relax and be 583 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,080 around me, I hope. At least that's certainly what I 584 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:02,560 hope I put off on people is a feeling that they can be safe 585 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:03,800 around me. You don't have to. 586 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:05,440 Lock your wallet. Around me, I'm not going to 587 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:07,440 steal your belongings. They'll be yours. 588 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:10,520 And then that builds trust. Your relationships are safe 589 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:12,600 around me. My one of the things I love 590 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,160 about my wife, You guys have heard me say this before. 591 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:20,920 Probably my wife and I when we first got married, I sat down 592 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:25,680 and I said hey, you need to know that all of my best friends in 593 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:29,520 life have always been women and I've never been a dude bro who 594 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:32,960 hangs out with the macho. Guys or whatever. 595 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,240 Girls have always been my friends, that's how I grew up 596 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,080 and it's always going to probably be the case and you 597 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:40,640 just need to. Be OK with that. 598 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:45,840 Or we need to work that out and she's like, I have no problem 599 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:47,360 with that. I'm not a jealous person. 600 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:48,600 She goes I. Trust you. 601 00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:52,400 And it's your job to build that trust and to keep it and hold 602 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:54,400 it. And I was like, OK, And then she 603 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:56,920 told me a couple of things that we talked about some of that 604 00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:00,120 earlier today, but she told me like, I'm always going to have 605 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:01,880 to work. This job that I work. 606 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,920 I love it too much to do anything else and stuff like 607 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:06,760 that. So we kind of aired that out up 608 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:09,360 front. We established A boundary or 609 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:12,280 like an agreement and understanding and we've lived by 610 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:14,280 that now for 26 years of marriage. 611 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:20,480 We are far from perfect. OK, far from perfect and I'm a 612 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,320 far from a perfect husband. She's far from a perfect wife. 613 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:25,480 But we. Have certain things like that. 614 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:30,840 I never ever have any fear of my relationship being unsafe and I 615 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:32,280 hope I. Don't give that off. 616 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:36,280 To anyone that I'm unsafe to be around the 4th 1 is You don't 617 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:38,239 have to wonder whether or not I'm going to tell you the. 618 00:34:38,239 --> 00:34:40,239 Truth, I hope. You're going to, if you're 619 00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:43,040 around somebody and you have to constantly worry about whether 620 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:45,360 they're not, they're telling you the truth or being honest. 621 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:48,760 It's exhausting. It's exhausting for you. 622 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:51,440 To have to worry about. It and it's exhausting for them 623 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:53,520 to have to pretend and have to put that on. 624 00:34:54,199 --> 00:34:56,760 I have a marriage related story on that too. 625 00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:00,760 When I got married, I used to talk in my sleep and when I very 626 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:02,920 first got married I talked in my sleep and I was really worried 627 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:06,600 about that getting married and. I realized I was like. 628 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:12,280 My, it, it's my subconscious, like talking about the things 629 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:15,600 that the way that I'm living that I need to get that. 630 00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:17,840 And I wasn't doing anything wrong or anything like that, but 631 00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:20,760 it's just like it was nervousness about my lifestyle 632 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:23,800 and I made all that stuff clear to my wife and whatever and we 633 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,160 were on the same page. So I just kind of when I 634 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:28,560 realized that she trusted me and I trusted. 635 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:30,080 Her I was able. To just like it. 636 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:32,280 And I never talked again in my sleep that I know of so. 637 00:35:32,720 --> 00:35:34,320 It you. Get that off of your mind. 638 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:35,600 You don't have to. Live with that. 639 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:38,160 Troubling you all the time and it's. 640 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:40,840 Like it's like I say, it's exhausting to have to worry. 641 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,360 If you're not being honest, if you're honest, you don't have to 642 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:45,440 worry about it at all. There's nothing to you're not 643 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:47,640 carrying anything around of like, oh. 644 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:49,520 Boy, did I say. That am I going to talk in my 645 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:51,560 sleep tonight? I mean, whatever, you don't have 646 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:53,040 to worry about that. So honesty. 647 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:55,960 Truly is the best policy. Everything I know about the 648 00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:59,400 Dharma that matters I really learned from my mom when I was a 649 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,040 little kid. Like these things are basic 650 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:06,600 Zeus's law type things. So anyhow. 651 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:08,400 If you tell a. Lie. 652 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:10,880 That requires another lie, and then another, and all of that, 653 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:13,680 and eventually you can't remember which version of you is 654 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:17,120 you and. So the truth becomes a place of 655 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:21,280 peace. And the 5th precept is not 656 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:25,800 abusing intoxicants, not taking that which causes heedlessness 657 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,360 and so that everybody always wants to know, well, is it OK to 658 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:33,200 drink a sip of wine? Is it OK if I smoke a joint now 659 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:35,600 and then or what? Surely it's got to be OK to 660 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,360 have? Sugar people always want to like 661 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:41,440 find out if they can live with this fifth one. 662 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:44,880 And the way that I always talk about it, besides now, this new 663 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:47,320 thing of this being a gift, I think that's beautiful. 664 00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:50,160 But besides that, now. The way I've always talked about 665 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:57,040 it is that by observing the 5th precept, we are the 5th precept 666 00:36:57,040 --> 00:37:00,720 is for you to be able to better observe the other 4 precepts. 667 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:04,600 So if you're trying not to lie, not to steal, not to misuse 668 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:09,040 sexuality, and not to cause harm, then all of those things 669 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:10,720 are a lot. Easier if you're sober. 670 00:37:10,720 --> 00:37:15,280 While you're doing it, if you're intoxicated, it's much more 671 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:20,920 difficult to be honest, to not act on impulses and things like. 672 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:23,400 That so I really love the 5th precept. 673 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:25,640 Even though it's the hardest one, I think for people to 674 00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:29,280 adhere to. And just as a side note on the 675 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:32,480 five precepts, one of the cool things about the Dharma. 676 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:35,360 Is that if you? When you take the. 677 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,840 Precepts, which is how you. Quote UN quote Become a 678 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:40,000 Buddhist. If you observe the. 679 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:42,200 Precepts, and you acknowledge to a teacher that you're going to 680 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:43,160 observe. The precepts. 681 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:45,680 Most. Good teachers will tell you. 682 00:37:45,720 --> 00:37:48,240 If you're not going to observe it and you're not going to 683 00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:50,120 observe it, don't take the precept. 684 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:51,440 Don't say you're not going to drink. 685 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:54,840 Alcohol if you fully. Plan to drink alcohol because 686 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:59,880 then you're adding lying on top of the the not doing the thing. 687 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:03,840 So just don't say it and enjoy your drink and it's and just 688 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:06,720 know that is going to slow you down a little bit on your 689 00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:10,440 progress on the path. And then that's up to you and 690 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:12,920 you just you're the one that has to live and nobody else is. 691 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:14,880 Well, maybe others will be happy. 692 00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:16,360 To live with. It it just depends but. 693 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:21,360 But so the precept of the 5th precept. 694 00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:25,080 Is not just about substances, it's about protecting. 695 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,400 That safety that you've. Cultivated heedfulness is just 696 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:32,040 another kind of kindness. The Buddha often taught that 697 00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:36,600 happiness starts with blamelessness, and there's a 698 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:38,720 passage. Where he says that wholesome. 699 00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:42,840 Conduct leads to freedom from remorse, and that freedom is 700 00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:48,720 very important for us. And if you're doing that, then 701 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:50,400 you don't have to. Deal with all of the. 702 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:52,800 Trying to take care of those other things. 703 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:55,920 Which I already talked about. And trust is so. 704 00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:58,560 Easy to lose if you. Ask people like how long does it 705 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:00,040 take to? Lose trust usually. 706 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:03,320 They'll say just one bad decision, one bad decision can. 707 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,920 Break all the trust you've worked for years to. 708 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:09,000 Build and again Zeus's. Law that we saw. 709 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:12,440 That in the Odyssey and he talks. 710 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:15,680 About that, does it take? Months. 711 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:18,320 Does it take years or maybe even centuries? 712 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:23,960 Never the Buddha understood that and that's why virtue is one of 713 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:25,520 the first things that he talks about. 714 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:29,080 Training begins with virtue because nothing stable can be 715 00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:34,320 built on a broken foundation. And a lot of people think that 716 00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:38,200 loving kindness or just kindness repairs that damage. 717 00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:40,000 And it does, but. The Buddha would say that. 718 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,640 Real kindness prevents the damage from happening in the 1st 719 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:45,440 place, so. Which would you rather do? 720 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:48,120 Try to rebuild it. Or try to maintain it. 721 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:49,880 It'd be a lot easier to maintain it, right? 722 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:54,080 And he also said that apologizing for things is. 723 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:57,440 Great, but if you. Live in a way that apologies are 724 00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:00,960 unnecessary then. That's the greatest gift. 725 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:06,280 That you can give and and. All of this ties back to the 726 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:08,800 Odyssey because. Most of the suffering in the 727 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:12,720 movie, in the story, doesn't come from all the monsters that 728 00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:15,080 he faces or any of that. It comes from pride. 729 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:18,960 It comes from greed and revenge and dishonesty and 730 00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:24,000 possessiveness and most. Of all just, I guess, hubris. 731 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:27,120 And it's all the things. That the precepts. 732 00:40:27,160 --> 00:40:31,880 Are encouraging us to protect ourselves from and protect 733 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:33,280 others. From SO. 734 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:41,680 I'll start wrapping us up I guess, and say that some of the. 735 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:44,360 Thoughts that were inspired. By the movie, I'm not fooling 736 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:50,280 myself into thinking that they were living in this perfect. 737 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:54,000 Piece before they did the Trojan Horse, which was literally the. 738 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:57,720 Beginning of the end of the war. So if you can't watch the movie 739 00:40:57,720 --> 00:40:59,920 and think, oh, if they just hadn't have done that Trojan 740 00:40:59,920 --> 00:41:03,480 horse thing because they were already in a full blown war so 741 00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:05,800 they weren't living. By Zeus's law already. 742 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:10,280 Not really, but the Trojan horse is symbolic of the last straw. 743 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:12,680 Like a step too. Far to repair. 744 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:18,560 And one of the things that really struck me about watching 745 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:24,640 that film was how much suffering was created by the war, and how 746 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:28,920 much suffering was present before the war, before anybody. 747 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:31,000 Picked up a sword. Or a battle. 748 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:36,040 Axe or whatever it was. And we think that wars start on 749 00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:39,280 the battlefield, but they don't. They begin in the hearts of men 750 00:41:39,280 --> 00:41:42,840 long before it ever reaches that point. 751 00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:48,200 It starts in pride and in greed and dishonesty and refusing to 752 00:41:48,200 --> 00:41:52,680 see somebody else's humanity. One of the worst things I think 753 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:54,400 we. Deal with as a society. 754 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:58,360 All the time, but right now especially is dehumanizing 755 00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:02,760 people. We you could go to any media 756 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:06,720 source, not news media, but just any media source like Instagram, 757 00:42:06,720 --> 00:42:10,000 TikTok, you name it, whatever you want to pull up a newspaper. 758 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:13,160 Or whatever it is. And you can see example after 759 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:17,560 example of where people are dehumanized and sometimes it's 760 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:23,640 in somebody dropping a bomb on some other. 761 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:26,800 Party or. Sometimes it's in a fistfight or 762 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:31,120 a police interaction, and sometimes it's in the news 763 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,960 media. The way that they phrase. 764 00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:39,160 Things instead of a man was arrested tonight for committing 765 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:42,880 a crime, it's a black man was arrested tonight for kidding, 766 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:46,200 committing a crime or whatever. So, and right away that 767 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:49,360 dehumanizing begins. And I think that's our biggest 768 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,760 problem. And I think it's what, for me, 769 00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:57,080 the message of that movie was. Is that if we just. 770 00:42:57,120 --> 00:43:03,440 Try to see an. Approaching person as a person. 771 00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:08,600 Not as an enemy or not. As a bad guy or a threat or 772 00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:09,320 whatever. But if we. 773 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:12,680 Just try to see them as a person and offer them safety from the 774 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:15,360 world in whatever way that means for us. 775 00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:18,440 Then I think we can prevent a lot of the problems in the 776 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:20,480 world. And we always talk in Buddhism 777 00:43:20,560 --> 00:43:27,760 about how there's so many problems out there right now. 778 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:30,920 So big so. Overwhelming you think what can 779 00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:32,280 I? Possibly do about it? 780 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:36,240 And I come in here and I tell you, just go out and smile at 781 00:43:36,240 --> 00:43:40,680 your neighbor and go out and pay for somebody's coffee in line or 782 00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:43,400 whatever. And it's really hard to think 783 00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:46,040 that that's going to make a difference in the world, that. 784 00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:49,520 We live in, but it is exactly. How we make a difference in the 785 00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:51,800 world we live in. If you go. 786 00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:54,880 Out and you smile and you're friendly to somebody and then 787 00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:56,200 they. Feel safe to be. 788 00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:59,520 Around you, they no longer feel so unsafe to be around everybody 789 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:03,000 else. And little by little, if enough 790 00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:07,480 people are doing that, we can get back to that and make our 791 00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:11,000 homes more peaceful and our friendships more dependable and 792 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:16,880 our communities safer and our own hearts and minds more quiet. 793 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:24,960 I feel like I have so much more to say, but I don't have. 794 00:44:25,800 --> 00:44:29,720 The words to say it. Right now, but I'll just say 795 00:44:29,720 --> 00:44:33,000 loving kindness is not wishing that beings be happy. 796 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:37,720 It's becoming the kind of person who beings can be happy and safe 797 00:44:37,720 --> 00:44:39,200 to be around. And then? 798 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:42,160 That's that. Gift that we give them is our 799 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:43,680 gift. Back to ourselves so. 800 00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:47,280 That's it. Thank you all for being here and 801 00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:48,920 we will not be here next weekend. 802 00:44:48,920 --> 00:44:49,760 So be. Sure, you. 803 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,480 Don't show up next Sunday. I won't be here and we'll see 804 00:44:53,480 --> 00:44:54,640 you the week after. Thank you. 805 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:13,320 You're still here. It's over. 806 00:47:14,520 --> 00:47:15,520 Go. Practice. 807 00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:17,320 Go.