Greetings.

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Today's talk is the first of a two-part series that I chose from the archives.

It's on embodied presence.

And I'm aware that with so much crisis in the world right now more than ever we need

ways of grounding ourselves, of coming home into an inner refuge of clarity and aliveness

and open-heartedness.

That means coming into this living body.

So I hope you find that these teachings and practices in this talk and the next support

you through these challenging times.

Thank you.

I'd like to start with a story recounted by Zen Master Tick-Not-Han.

And he says this.

He says, a friend took me to the Atlanta Airport.

And when we were saying goodbye she asked, is it all right to hug a Buddhist monk?

Now my country were not used to expressing ourselves that way but I thought, you know,

I'm a Zen teacher, it shouldn't be a problem for me to do that.

So I said, why not?

And she hugged me but I was quite stiff.

Well, on the plane I decided that if I wanted to work with friends in the West I would have

to learn the culture of the West.

...