Okay.
Hi,
Everybody.
It's Judy.
I don't have my bell,
So you can just imagine hearing a bell.
This is Wake Up Call 514.
I'm in Madrid.
It's our last night here.
We've been visiting who we call our Madrid kids,
The kids who moved here from LA in June.
And also welcome to the last Wake Up Call of 2025.
This will be our last one until January.
So for the last couple of months,
We've been exploring the Four Noble Truths,
And most recently the Fourth Noble Truth,
Which is the Noble Eightfold Path.
And what's next up is the SILA,
Or Ethics,
Steps,
Wise Communication,
Wise Action,
Wise Livelihood.
And I'm going to save those for the beginning of 26,
Since this is the last Wake Up Call of 25,
And talk about the Buddha's last invitation,
Or the last invitation of mindfulness.
So back in 1990,
The poet Mary Oliver offered a modern take in her poem,
The Buddha's Last Instructions,
Beautiful poem.
And this is just some paraphrasing.
It's really only every other phrase.
So her gorgeous poetry is more or less missing.
But she writes,
Make of yourself a light,
Said the Buddha before he died.
An old man,
He lay down between two solid trees,
And he might have said anything,
Knowing it was his final hour.
Around him,
The villagers gathered and stretched forward to listen.
No doubt he thought of everything that had happened in his difficult life.
Slowly beneath the branches,
He raised his head,
And he looked into the faces of that frightened crowd.
So it's a voice from 1990,
Different time.
But I feel like the invitation is relevant now,
Maybe more so now,
Because really,
Our practice is always inviting us to be the light,
Be the light in the room,
In the situation,
In the dispute,
In the courtroom,
The classroom.
Now,
It doesn't matter which side of the desk we're on,
Which side of the podium we're on.
And if we look up,
So often these days,
We're looking,
I know that I am,
I think we all are looking into the faces of a frightened crowd,
Right?
Everybody I talk with,
However resourced,
However equanimous,
We're all feeling some of that,
Right?
And so does our crowd,
Whether it's students or clients or friends or family.
You know,
You remember that old saying from,
I don't know if it's from the 60s,
If you're not angry,
You're not paying attention.
And it feels a little bit like right now,
If you're not afraid,
You're not paying attention.
But having fear and having a mindfulness practice,
So we all know what that means.
It means that we can be aware of fear and not be swept up by it,
Not be swallowed by it,
Not be paralyzed by it,
Right?
And this is the advantage that we have as practitioners,
The blessing maybe that we have as practitioners.
And so it's also the light we have to offer,
Right?
To our various frightened crowds,
Right?
The light of perspective and of being able to help everyone by seeing and sharing in skillful ways,
Which is sometimes just a kind word or a hug,
That all difficulties will pass,
Right?
And that the possibility of happiness is always available in the present,
Right?
In each breath,
In nature,
In the ocean,
In a warm cozy room or on a chilly walk,
You know,
Smiles of children,
The calls of the birds.
So really it's available in the faces of every crowd,
Right?
And another way of saying this,
Another way of saying this is that the Four Noble Truths is the light we have to offer because the two things,
They're not really different.
This ability to not get swept away and instead to find joy in the present moment and the Four Noble Truths,
They're really not different.
So reaching back to a more classical understanding of the light we're invited to make of ourselves.
This is from the very ancient texts about the Four Noble Truths.
The Noble Truth of suffering,
The First Noble Truth,
Should be fully realized.
This is supposedly the Buddha talking,
Such was the vision,
The knowledge,
The wisdom,
The science,
The light that arose in me concerning things not heard before.
The Noble Truth of the origin of suffering,
Which is the Second Noble Truth,
Should be eradicated.
Such was the vision,
The knowledge,
The wisdom,
The science,
The light that arose in me concerning things not heard before.
The Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering,
The Third Noble Truth,
Should be realized.
Such was the vision,
The knowledge,
The wisdom,
The science,
The light that arose in me concerning things not heard before.
And then finally,
The path leading to the cessation of suffering,
Which is the Fourth Noble Truth,
Which is the Noble Eightfold Path,
Should be developed.
Such was the vision,
The knowledge,
The wisdom,
The science,
The light that arose in me concerning things not heard before.
So we're invited to realize that suffering and stress are just part of being human,
That ease and joy are available when we eradicate the belief that things shouldn't be the way they are,
Even if we're dedicated to changing things,
To creating equity and fairness and belonging and adherence to the rule of law,
And we are,
Right?
That eradicating this notion is really about letting go of it,
And that as we develop along the path,
That's exactly what we're doing,
Right?
We're letting go of misperception,
We're learning to see more clearly,
And we're learning to let that light shine.
And all of this is what we're doing as we breathe in stillness,
In silence,
And as we breathe in,
As we notice,
Right?
Notice that all states are transient,
States of mind,
States of things in the world,
States themselves,
Including our United States,
And notice that that's okay,
That that's actually a sweet thing.
And notice that we're all a little bit deluded or a lot deluded,
Right?
That we all misperceive,
That we all get caught up in wanting moments to be other than they are.
And for me,
Maybe the most important is notice that we're all in this together,
Right?
That as we look out into the faces of our various frightened crowds,
We're connected to everyone in that crowd.
Our identities,
Our affiliations,
Our affinities,
Our tribes,
Those are different.
Honored,
Not honored,
Subject to different pressures,
Under different kinds of attacks,
Safer or less safe,
But still we're connected,
Right?
Hopefully,
And hopelessly connected,
Right?
Dependent on one another.
And this,
Like the transient nature of all things,
Is also a good thing because,
I mean,
What would we do without one another,
Friends?
And so what's our choice?
But to take care of one another and to light the way for one another as we move towards the end of this really incredible year and into whatever 2026 brings.
So I will close with something from Upaya Zen Center,
Which is someplace where I have also done some practice.
And this is Roshi Joan Halifax,
Who's the abbess.
She sent a message for the solstice yesterday,
And here's what she said.
In an early treatise on Zazen,
Dogen says,
You should stop the intellectual practice of pursuing words and learn the stepping back of turning the light around and shining back.
Mind and body will naturally drop off,
And the original face will appear.
May we finally see our original face,
Who we really are,
Not separate from any being or thing,
Or as Thich Nhat Hanh called it,
Interbeing.
So let's sit together one last time for 2025.
So find your most upright,
Most dignified,
Most loving,
Most shining posture.
Settle into the body.
Touch into your connection to the earth.
Locate the breath,
And begin to just very lovingly follow the breath as it flows in and out of the body.
Let go of wishing that the breath or the body or the moment was anything other than exactly what it is.
Settled or silent or distracted or easeful or sad or joyful is what it is and has already changed.
This is a new moment.
And just noticing how everything is in flux.
And notice how here we are as a community sitting together,
Connected with one another.
And maybe there are other humans or other beings in your space,
In your house,
In your office,
In your car,
Out on your walk.
And we're all in this together.
And we're all in this together.
And so just find that light and just let it shine,
Even if it's just a little bit right now for everyone here.
Even if your screen isn't on,
Just let there be some light shining for one another and for the other beings in your space,
In your home,
In your office,
Your walk,
Your car,
Your community.
And just imagine it's like a candle and you're lighting the next person and then they'll light the next person and then they'll light the next person.
Until all we can see,
All we can see is the light.
Thanks,
Everybody.
It's good to be with you.
This has been quite a year.
Love you all.
Take care.
Be safe out there.
I'll see you in January.
