Good morning. Happy Valentine's Day. On the blackboard in the Wheelwright Center there is a list of the six perfections and I noticed the list as I went out the door to come over here. And I thought, well, one of the perfections surely is this day. if we could have dreamed up the details of the perfect Valentine's Day. I doubt if we could have conjured up anything better than we have. So in addition to this being Valentine's Day, the heart day, the day when we celebrate loving-kindness and open-heartedness to and from our hearts, This is also the day when we mark or commemorate the parinirvana of the Buddha.

[01:04]

And I think the juxtaposition of those two celebrations is quite wonderful and a source of, for me, a great joy. There is a sutra in this wonderful new translation of the sutras, the long discourses of the Buddha, carrying the major teachings of the historical Buddha, called Thus Have I Heard, translated by Maurice Walsh, published by Wisdom Press. And it is a splendid, this book is a splendid treasure, and I recommend it to all of you. you'll actually be able to read the sutra and mostly understand it. And what you don't understand, in time you will, if you stay with it. But the language of the translation is really lovely.

[02:07]

So, in preparing for the noting and being with the event called the parinirvana of the Buddha, his passing over into nirvana. I read the sutra that describes his last days and the circumstances surrounding his passing over. And what I'd like to do is to share some of those passages with you and to tell you about an experience I had about a year and a half ago at a time of great grief and suffering for me when I came upon a painting of this scene of the Parinirvana of the Buddha. And to make some connection, which I think for any of us who have discovered and are on the path articulated by Shakyamuni Buddha, we understand that it has everything to do with the deepest aspect of St.

[03:27]

Valentine's Day. That may seem like I'm stretching something, but I actually don't think so. But we'll see, right? I have this all figured out. I will just plunge in here. Who knows about figured out, right? So in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, there are several passages which I think you might enjoy, which I've certainly been enjoying. One of the monks who was with the Lord Buddha sent someone to go and get some gold robes. His name was Pukusa.

[04:32]

And he says to one man, go and fetch me two fine sets of robes of cloth of gold, burnished, ready to wear. Yes, Lord, the man replied and did so. And Pukusa offered the robes to the Lord Buddha saying, here, Lord, are two fine sets of robes of gold of cloth, cloth of gold. May the blessed Lord be graciously pleased to accept them." Well then, Pukasa clothed me in one set and Ananda in the other. Very good, Lord, said Pukasa, and did so. Soon after Pukasa had gone, Ananda, having arranged one set of the golden robes on the body of the Lord, observed that against the Lord's body it was dulled. And he said, it is wonderful, Lord. It is marvelous how clear and bright the Lord's skin appears. Remember, we're talking about Ananda talking to Lord Buddha on his deathbed.

[05:39]

It looks even brighter than the golden robes in which it is clothed. And the Lord Buddha replies, just so, Ananda, there are two occasions on which the Tathagata's skin appears especially clear and bright. Which are they? One is the night in which the Tathagata gains supreme enlightenment. The other is the night when he attains the nirvana element without remainder at his final passing. On these two occasions that the Thagata's skin appears especially clear and bright. Then the Lord went with a large number of monks to the river Kakuta. He entered the water, bathed and drank, and emerging went to the mango grove where he said to the venerable Kundaka, come Kundaka, fold a robe in four for me. I am tired and want to lie down."

[06:43]

Very good, Lord. Then the Lord adopted the lion posture, lying on his right side, placing one foot on the other mindfully and with clear awareness, bearing in mind a time of awakening. So, I'm sure you've all seen pictures or figures of the Lord Buddha lying on his right side with his head in his hand and his feet at right angles to his legs. This is the posture that's being described. It's actually a meditation posture. And one of the practices that you can do is to sleep in that posture at night. And it is said to be a posture conducive to sleeping with a kind of clarity and awakeness at the same time that you're resting and even sleeping. Now this next passage I find particularly touching because it is his, it is a passage that describes his concern for the man who fed him a meal which made him sick and which is at some level the cause of his dying.

[07:51]

Some unwholesome, what's it called, pig fruit or something like that, pork. Then the Lord said to the venerable Ananda, it might happen, Ananda, that Kunda, the smith, should feel remorse, thinking, it's your fault, friend Kunda. It is by your misdeed that the Pathagata gained final nirvana after taking his last meal from you. So he was worried about what would happen to this man who had offered him food when he had been doing his alms around. But the Lord Buddha says, Kunda's remorse should be expelled in this way. This is your merit, Kunda. That is your good deed that the Thagata gained final nirvana after taking his last meal from you. For, friend Kunda, I have heard and understood from the Lord's own lips that these two almsgivings are a very great fruit, a very great result, more fruitful and advantageous

[08:57]

than any other. Which two? The one is the almsgiving after eating, which the Tathagata attains supreme enlightenment. The other, that after which he attains the nirvana element without remainder at his final passing. So here it is again. These two almsgivings are more fruitful and profitable than all others. Kunda's deed is conducive to long life, to good looks, to happiness, to fame, to heaven, and to lordship. In this way, Ananda, Kunda's remorse is to be expelled." There's another place in the Sutra where the Lord Buddha is worried about a certain amount of disharmony that may arise after he's passed over and there are many preparations and they make a funeral pyre on which his body is placed in order to be cremated and there's some discussion and difficulty among his followers as to who's going to start the fire.

[10:07]

So do you know how he solves the problem so it won't be a cause of disharmony? The fire starts itself. So he is, in every moment, even at the time of passing over into nirvana, considerate, supremely considerate and careful and loving of his friends and disciples. Then the Lord, having settled this matter at that time, uttered this verse, By giving, merit grows. By restraint, hatred's checked. He whose skill abandons evil things as greed, hate, and folly wane, nirvana's gained." Throughout this sutra, there are a number of verses which are great verses for memorizing as practice verses.

[11:14]

Later on in the sutra there is a verse from the Lord Buddha where he describes his life. He says, 29 years of age I was when I went forth to seek the good. Now over 50 years have passed since the day that I went forth to roam the realm of wisdom's law, outside of which no ascetic is first, second, third, or fourth degree. If here monks live perfectly, the world won't lack arhats." At this, the wanderer Subbata said, excellent, Lord, excellent. It is as if someone were to set up what had been knocked down or to point out the way to one who had got lost. or to bring an oil lamp into a dark place, so that those with eyes could see what was there." So he's describing the Buddha's teaching, what his life has been devoted to.

[12:21]

Just so, the Blessed Lord has expounded the Dharma in various ways. The Lord said to Ananda, Ananda, it may be that you will think the teacher's instruction has ceased. Now we have no teacher. I want to ask you to remember that passage with the story I'll tell you in a little while. So he says, Ananda, you might think the teacher's instruction has ceased. Now we have no teacher. It should not be seen like this, Ananda, for what I have taught and explained to you as Dharma and discipline will, at my passing, be your teacher. very important line. Thich Nhat Hanh says, if there isn't a realized teacher in the neighborhood, take the Dharma texts as your teacher.

[13:25]

So we don't need to feel bereft. Later on, in a little bit later passage, the Lord says to his followers, now monks, I declare to you All conditioned things are of a nature to decay. Strive on untiringly. These were the Padagottas' last words. Remember, when he says addresses monks, he's addressing all those who are practitioners. He doesn't mean just those with a shaved head and robes. all those who are practitioners. We sometimes get very excited because the literature looks like it's just talking to the monks. What about the nuns? What about the householders? He's actually talking to all those who are practitioners. All conditioned things are of a nature to decay. Strive on untiringly.

[14:28]

And then there's a series of verses presented by various of his followers. All beings in the world, all bodies must break up. Even the teacher, peerless in the human world, the mighty Lord and perfect Buddha has passed away. And then another of his followers says, impermanent are compounded things prone to rise and fall. Having risen, they're destroyed. They're passing truest bliss. So the teachings on impermanence keep being reiterated. And then another one, no breathing in and out, just with steadfast heart, the sage who's free from lust has passed away to peace. With mind unshaken, he endured all pains. By nirvana, the illumined mind is free." And then the last verse from the Venerable Ananda, he describes what happened at the moment of the Buddha's passing.

[15:46]

Terrible was the quaking. Men's hair stood on end. when the all-accomplished Buddha passed away. And those monks who had not yet overcome their passions wept and tore their hair, raising their arms, throwing themselves down and twisting and turning, crying. All too soon the blessed Lord has passed away. All too soon the welfare has passed away. All too soon the I of the world has disappeared. But those monks who were free from craving endured mindfully and clearly aware, saying, all compounded things are impermanent. What is the use of this? So let me tell you about this circumstance and the effect of my seeing this painting. Some of you know Taratulku, who was a teacher in the Tibetan tradition who taught here at Green Gulch in the mid and late 80s, early 90s.

[17:01]

And a year and a half ago, when he died after a rather unexpected illness at a time when he seemed to be in his prime as a teacher, he got sick and passed over in a matter of some months. And his passing was in June, at a time when the Wisdom and Compassion exhibit was up at the Asian Art Museum. I had studied with Thay Rinpoche for, I think, seven years at the time of his passing. And he was a great and very important teacher for me, a very dear friend and teacher. And I felt his passing very keenly. And one day I went into the museum. I don't remember that I had any particular purpose except that I spent as much time at that exhibit as I could justify and sometimes even that which I couldn't justify.

[18:12]

It was such a wonderful opportunity. And this particular morning I walked into the museum and in the first room on the right side of the room was a series of paintings in the Tibetan tradition, thangkas. depicting various scenes from the life of the Buddha. And there was one particular painting of the Parinirvana of the Buddha, which I hadn't seen, even though I'd been in the museum two or three times a week during the entirety of the exhibit. But at this point, I hadn't seen this particular painting until this morning. And I went over and I stood in front of it. I looked at it for a long, long time. It was a very beautiful and very joyful painting, and I was initially very struck. How can this painting be so joyful, given the subject matter? I, in my grief, could only see that tension, if you will.

[19:14]

The colors were very bright. It was a painting of a beautiful landscape with lovely green grassy hills covered with flowers. And in the middle was a kind of throne with the figure of the Buddha at the time of his entering nirvana. And he looked like he was kind of dancing on his deathbed. There was this kind of joyfulness and glowing of his body. And on one side were monks with their robes pulled up over their heads all slumped and weeping and miserable. You could almost hear them crying. And then in another section of the painting there were monks proceeding with their life and their practice. Some monks were giving teachings, some monks were meditating.

[20:18]

you know, life was continuing with their study and practice, and a certain serenity and calmness. The dominant number of practitioners in the painting were in that mode. And then on one side was the stupa where the remains of the Lord Buddha after his body was cremated were to be placed with his lovely smoke. No, that was from the cremation. The stupa with the little boxes showing how his remains were divided up and shared among the community of practitioners. because that was one of the points of potential disharmony. And before he died, he said, you know, divide the remains up so that there won't be any fighting about who gets to have them. He'd so completely taken care of the possibilities for unhappy states of mind.

[21:22]

So that was on one side. And on the other side was the cremation pyre. and wonderful smoke coming from it looking like rainbows. So the smoke going up into the sky like a big rainbow with this self-starting fire. So as I stood before this painting, and as I said, I stood in front of it for a very long time, I thought, oh, I've forgotten the teaching. I have no cause to grieve for my dear friend and teacher, who is fine. I have great confidence in his practice and have great confidence that he is well and fine. My tears of grief are really for myself, for the retreat we will not be able to enjoy together this coming winter, the teachings that we will not enjoy

[22:32]

the travels, we will not be able to go on together. And in that moment, I realized, but think of all that I have to be grateful for. Teachings to last a lifetime and then some. And a great example of how to practice. A great example of what cultivation and realization on this path looks like. This grieving is about clinging and is not enjoying the benefits of receiving loving-kindness from a great and realized practitioner and very careful instructions about sending those qualities of open-heartedness which I have received to then remember also to send them to the hearts of all beings. And so I had this experience of a kind of cloud lifting, which did not again return.

[23:40]

So it was one of those experiences which has continued to be a reminder for me about this path of liberation. So much of the Buddhist tradition, the core of the Buddhist tradition, is about our capacity for cultivating loving-kindness and an open heart. And instruction about what hinders our capacity for open-heartedness. Sometimes I'm struck by the lists of what hinders our open-heartedness. So of course, even in this very sutra, we have a list which you might enjoy. I suppose that's the right word. Actually, I think this is not from this sutra.

[24:54]

It's from an earlier sutra about one of the Buddha's prior lives. And he's doing some teaching. And he talks about being compassion-filled and aloof from stench. So I want to tell you about this stench business. The language is great. What a nice way to talk about the hindrances. The stench among humans. What do you mean by stench among human beings? Pray lighten my ignorance, oh wise one, on this. What hindrances cause human beings to stink and fester, heading for hell? From the pure light realm cut off. So are you ready? Here's the list. Anger, lying, fraud and cheating, avarice, pride and jealousy, coveting, doubt and harming others, greed and hate, stupor and delusion.

[26:11]

Quite a list, isn't it? But what's lovely about the list is it's so specific. Each of these words helps me go to exactly, oh, I know that one. But of course, if I can't name, accurately name a state of mind, an emotional state, which is a hindrance I have no chance of transforming that state of mind, do I? So this is an extremely useful list, a great gift. I hope you'll pardon this as your Valentine's present. But in the long run, it will be very helpful. So he says, the loathsome stench that these give off heads man for hell from Brahma realm cut off. So I would like all of us, particularly myself, to keep this list in mind, this list of the hindrances.

[27:20]

You know, I often talk about certain practices for transforming afflictive states of mind, and people sometimes say, well, what do you mean? What are afflictive states of mind? Here's the list. Anger, lying, fraud and cheating, avarice, pride and jealousy, coveting, doubt and harming others, greed and hate, stupor and delusion. I sometimes wonder when I read descriptions of the historical Buddha if my response to the descriptions... It seems to me my response has changed over the years from having had the great opportunity to know a few human beings who have degrees of great realization.

[28:30]

Because there's something about reading these descriptions, having had the direct experience of qualities of great compassion and wisdom, great kindness, a capacity to have a big mind. Somehow these descriptions in the sacred texts have a kind of life that I don't remember them having. years ago when I first began reading Buddhist texts, and I had some sense that the possibility of cultivating these qualities was way, way far away in another time, certainly not for me in my lifetime. So one of the great benefits in having some even brief encounter with a person of great realization is that we get what it means that the historical Buddha was a human being like each of us.

[29:36]

So here is this description of the Lord Buddha, Shakyamuni, and the quality called compassion-filled. That means that one dwells suffusing one quarter with a mind filled with compassion. then a second, then a third, and a fourth quarter. Such a kind description, isn't it? You don't have to just leap with sudden, total, suffused compassion. Start with one quarter of your being, of your heart, of your mind, and then gradually it oozes. Thus one abides suffusing the whole world up, down, and across, everywhere, all around, with a mind filled with compassion, expanded, immeasurable, free from hatred and ill will.

[30:46]

That is how I understand compassion filled. This is, of course, exactly a description of what we do whenever we do a loving-kindness meditation. Hopefully, we begin with ourselves. We have ourselves on the map. So we begin with the cultivation of that quality of loving-kindness for ourselves, because, of course, if we are not able to love ourselves, our capacity for loving another will be diminished. And then we extend the cultivation of loving-kindness to those immediately around us, our friends and loved ones, those a little bit at a distance.

[31:47]

We could begin this morning right now Sitting here in this lovely room on this wonderful day when the fruit trees are blooming, the birds are singing, the sky is shining with the sun. We hear the rushing of life-giving water. the kind of day when our capacity to open our hearts to ourselves and to others somehow seems a little easier. So perhaps you would join me in giving ourselves and each other a Valentine. And if you want, you can close your eyes or not. but begin with letting your awareness focus in the heart chakra, in that place of the mind and the heart chakra, generating loving kindness for myself with as much gentleness and care and tenderness as I can bring forth.

[33:07]

As I generate tenderness towards myself, I remember a painting I saw recently, an old Russian icon of the Virgin Mary holding the God of tenderness with his arm around her neck, tenderly, and his cheek reaching to touch her cheek. May I generate that quality of tenderness in myself, towards myself. And may I then extend this quality of heart-mind to those that I love, who are near and dear to me. I extend this quality of loving-kindness and tenderness to the people sitting on either side of me and those sitting in front and behind me.

[34:19]

I extend this loving-kindness to each and every person in this room. And to those who are not in this room but who are here in the valley, taking care of Green Gulch, fixing lunch, getting the guest house ready for new visitors who will be coming, making sure that everything is as it should be. I extend this loving-kindness to those driving by on the road even those on their motorcycles, who go by every morning, every Sunday morning and Wednesday night, on their very noisy and beautiful machines, helping me know what time it is.

[35:32]

May I extend this loving-kindness to all beings in this valley, not just human beings, but all the creatures, the plants and animals and birds and insects, the worms and bugs that live underground, every sentient being, imagined and unimagined, in this valley. and in fact in this whole watershed. May I extend loving-kindness to those people that I know from when I go and get my groceries or go to the laundry or get gasoline for the car. All those people who help sustain my life. May I extend this loving-kindness to those that I work with.

[36:40]

May I extend loving-kindness to all those in my life with whom I have some difficulty. May I, in particular, accept them as my teachers for the cultivation of patience and loving-kindness. May I extend this loving-kindness to all beings in this region, along the entirety of the West Coast of America, and in fact throughout our country, in big cities and small villages, people living in poverty and suffering, people who live in wealth and abundance but suffering, all beings in our country, on this continent, and in fact throughout the world.

[37:59]

May I hold this tenderness and loving-kindness for all beings, both friends and enemies. And when I feel some resistance in expressing loving-kindness towards someone, may I take that as the occasion for teaching, for pay attention, look into this resistance, don't push, but don't turn away either. May I let myself receive loving-kindness and tenderness from others, and may I also send loving-kindness and tenderness from my heart to others' hearts. One dwells suffusing one quarter with a mind filled with compassion, then a second, then a third, and a fourth quarter.

[39:35]

Thus one abides, suffusing the whole world, up, down, and across, everywhere, all around, with a mind filled with compassion, expanded, immeasurable, free from hatred and ill will. This is how I understand compassion-filled. On this spring day, I'd like to close with a poem of Robert Frost's. I think it's a poem about seeing. It's called spring pools. These pools that, though in forests, still reflect the total sky, almost without defect, and like the flowers beside them, chill and shiver, will, like the flowers beside them, soon be gone.

[40:52]

and yet not out by any brook or river, but up by roots to bring dark foliage on. The trees that have it in their pent-up buds to darken nature and be summer woods, let them think twice before they use their powers to blot out and drink up and sweep away these flowery waters and these watery flowers from snow that melted only yesterday. So on this occasion of the parinirvana, of remembering the parinirvana of the Buddha, may we remember that what is born passes away, what rises, falls. The great teachings on impermanence and let ourselves enjoy the delicate beauty of this day without clinging, understanding that in every meeting there is separation, not caught by our regret about the way things are, but celebrating the way things are.

[42:18]

enjoying the liberation which the Buddha has taught us about so compellingly. And may we enjoy this day dedicated to the heart. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have every day be Valentine's Day? But of course we can. Thank you very much. May our intentions...

[42:52]

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