During the course of the retreat, there are many occasions where I say things to the group-while sitting, or privately. But the more important time is when I speak to everyone together in the evening. At that time I gather in everything that happened during the day, the various impressions I picked up, things that happened to people, and I say things indirectly to various people in the talk. I send messages, you could say, to the people sitting there. I rarely talk about Buddhist or Ch'an theory, and I don't talk about matters not concerned with the retreat. I concentrate on the things that people are experiencing, physically and mentally, and my talks are directed to these experiences.

However, I always start from a certain piece of literature, usually from Ch'an Buddhism, such as "Faith in Mind, " or the "Song of Enlightenment." In theory the lecture is based on this, but I just use it as a springboard to talk about the things that are happening on the retreat. For instance, someone, as they are sitting there listening, may feel very fatigued. I would say something, indirectly that advises him how to overcome fatigue. If I see someone who feels discomfort, I would give him a method to turn that into comfort. Another person may be feeling very hopeless. I would say something to help him overcome despair.

In the evening talk my attitude is usually somewhat different than it is during the rest of the retreat. Generally, I present people a rather stern face. I treat them sternly and seriously. But during the evening talk I take a very relaxed stance and treat people in a very harmonious kind of way. This is to give people a feeling of intimacy, so that each word seems directed to them personally. This makes them more receptive to any kind of clues or encouraging advice I'm giving them. The other times when I'm very serious and strict, they may have some doubt, feeling that maybe this master is a bit insensitive, that he's pushing too hard. But after the evening talk, their attitude may change to feeling that, well, this person does seem to have compassion and is very concerned about me. This helps to re-establish their confidence in me.

LH: