Q3-19840429-Larry_Rosenberg-UNK-learning_how_to_live_part_ii-1512 Leandra Tejedor (1)

Talk: 19840429-Larry_Rosenberg-UNK-learning_how_to_live_part_ii-1512 Leandra Tejedor Start_time: 00:36:17 Display_question: What supports us to keep the freshness of experience alive? Keyword_search: job, reflection on death, Tibetan, gift of life, dharma talk, awake, pause, interview, wake up Question_content: Questioner: My job was to wash the upstairs toilets, and the first day I did it, I felt like I was doing it for someone. Like, wouldn't this be great, to be doing it for some wonderful… patriarch? And then this morning I did it, and suddenly that idea went by, and it was like, that doesn't work anymore. And then suddenly I was doing it for itself, and that was new and fresh. That happened again, when I went out through the door. It only happened a couple of times. Larry: Yes. Questioner: But I went out through the door, and I went out consciously, because I was doing it for itself, for being conscious, as I was going out through the door, for touching that door consciously. That's why I was doing it. Larry: That's right. Questioner: And that was fresh. Larry: Okay, this is…let's all reflect on this for a moment, because if you can get this, it'll be so much easier. Whatever we encounter, is our life. I know that must sound like, whoa, no kidding! Boy, he's really profound today. Really think, in other words... whatever we encounter, that's our life. But we don't live as if that's true. Oh, the movie, or the person that you're going to see three hours from now, or the weekend retreat that you're going to… in the meantime, our life. You know…doorknobs, and toilet bowls, and whatever it is that we're doing, so it's not trivial, whatever we encounter, is our life. It's a question of what value we put on our life. Do we value this precious gift, of having a human form? We don't have it forever. And what are we going to do with it? We have 60, 70 years, maybe a little longer for some, a little less, for others. And we do have to do those things, routine things. Break_line: Now sometimes just that understanding, or a reflection on death… very, very important. In other words…if you notice, if you can understand the fragile quality of life… that we ain't going to be around forever, that everyone who's ever been is already gone, and that everyone in this room, we’ll all be dead. Fred has talked in another situation about how Tibetan teachers, before they give a dharma talk, will snap their fingers (snaps finger). Is it a certain number of times? Just when they come out to teach. You know just (snapping fingers). To remind themselves that they're going to die. In other words, I'm going to die. (snapping fingers). So they don't get too caught up in pride. Now, that's just another way. It's not really a device, or a technique, because it's true, we are going to die. But that can wake you up, to the reality of touching doorknobs. I mean, that's a moment in your life, in our life, all of us. Break_line: You can help that along, from time to time. Pause. Let's say you're about to do your job. Let's say you have your job here to clean out some room. Pause for a second, and reflect on, I'm about to do this, or you're about to wash the dishes, or work with your word processor. Just sort of form the intention to be awake… and then do it. You're going in for a job interview. Pause for a split second, is all you need. You don't have to go into any special positions. Just pause. And I'm about to have an interview with somebody about a job. I'm going to try to remain awake, in the midst of that. Or set aside 20 minutes here, or there, or even five minutes. You're meeting a friend, I'm going to be awake. One person I knew used those watches that go off. So, every time it went off, it was like, wake up. It became a bother for the rest of us, though. End_time: 00:39:55