A Field of Loving Kindness

Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. Tule, tule. tule. Tule yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin yin Shigaraki-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei-sensei Being human, trying to do the job that's in front of you, trying to do your best, trying to live with integrity, trying to keep the precepts. Trying to be upright, I suppose. We say that, don't we, as an upright citizen. That's the vertical axis. And the horizontal axis is the Dharma. Buddhists usually mean interconnectedness, sometimes even the experience of oneness, such intimacy with the thing that's in front of us that we almost feel like we know it completely, we know the other completely. This is how a Buddha sees things. When they see a person, they don't just see the person, they see all the causes and conditions that come to create this particular person that's in front of them. So they're able to look with understanding, with kindness, with compassion. This sense of interconnectedness, it's like understanding. tanpa tanpa tanpa tanpa tanpa tanpa tanpa The world itself is full of impermanence and suffering and difficulty. And when we're enlightened, we also see that love is everywhere. So this is the graph, the kind of human experience. monggol-monggol, monggol-monggol, monggol-monggol, monggol-monggol, monggol-monggol, to live a good life, we fail over and over again. monggol-monggol, We fail in small ways and sometimes in large ways. This is part of how it is to be human. Sometimes we're kind, sometimes we're cruel, not often intentionally, but it happens. Kalau kita meyakini spiritual practice, apa yang kita kutemukan di momen-momen kegagalan ni, kita bisa ditangkapi sama-sama di dunia kindnes. Kita bisa ditangkapi sama-sama di dunia kita.長時間外面のアイボードに 日本の仏教者の小さなハイクを持っていました 名前は稲垣と言われています 簡単に言うと 自分のようなものです 本当に自分のようなものです 最悪の瞬間を過ごすと 自分のようなものを認めるのは 本当に難しいのですが 自分のようなものを認めるのは 自分のようなものです 自分のようなものを認めるのは lifting back, lifting us back up again so that we can attempt to be upright for the next little while. And for Pure Land Buddhists, the face of that loving kindness Amitābha Buddha or Amida Buddha which is the Buddha on the shrine next to me, this mythical Buddha of unconditional love, whose name means limitless light. So one of the core practices of this tradition is saying the name of this Buddha, which we'll do together later on. And it's a reminder that whatever state we're in, whether we're succeeding or failing, there is something beyond success and failure, which is this place or this being of loving kindness. Būddha-bhūta, būdha-bhūta, būdha-bhūta, Sometimes būdha-bhūta, būdha-bhūta, we're the person reflecting that love into the world. When our defenses are down and our ego is soft, the light just shines from us. That's one of the gifts of practice. And sometimes we're in the position of mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong mong the cooler air entering mong at the tip of the nose, the warmer air leaving. If any thoughts or feelings or sensations interrupt that attention, just noticing them, noticing what they are, inviting them to step back, bringing awareness back to the breath. Sometimes, maybe our awareness is always on the breath and we just enjoy that calm and spaciousness. Sometimes, the mind is busy and we only remember to pay attention to the breath once or twice. That's okay. It's all good. So we're shared doing that for some time. Together, and then I'll begin chanting Amitabha, the Buddha of Limitless, the name of the Buddha of Limitless Light, and it's quite a simple tune, so just join in when you get a sense of that, and we're saying that in the spirit of reminding ourselves that the Buddha's light is always shining. So we'll just begin by sitting quietly together, Namo Amitabha. ... ... ma mi tsa pa ma mi tsa pa ma mi tsa pa A MI THA PA A MI THA PA A MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA A MI THA PA A MI THA PA A MI THA PA A MI THA BAM A MI THA BAM A MI THA BAM wa mi tsa pa wa mi tsa pa wa mi tsa pa A MI THA PA A MI THA PA A MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA A MI TSA PA A MI TSA PA A MI TSA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA A MI THA PA A MI THA PA A MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI THA PA MA MI TSA PA MA MI TSA PA MA MI TSA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA PA MI THA PA Namo'valokiteshvaraya I will now recite the Refuges and Precepts together. There's a piece of paper behind you with the words on, and I will copy a link into the chat if you're on Zoom, if you want to have the words in front of you. So the refuges, if you like, are the things where we take refuge in them. They're the things we attempt to put our trust in. They're the things that catch us when we fall. There's the Buddha, which means the historical teacher. It also means all awakened. beings, it's the idea that we can receive teachings from a source. There's the Dharma, which is both those teachings that we find written down and hear in words, and also things as they are, understanding that we can receive wisdom just by paying attention to the world around us, and the Sangha, the community of people who practice those teachings. Then we have the five lay precepts, which is our attempt to stand upright, if you like. So we'll do these, I will say them, and you can repeat them afterwards. And then we'll finish with the bodhisattva vows, which are call and response. So Phi will recite the first part. And that's simply our aspiration. na mo buddhaya, na mo buddhaya, na mo buddhaya, na mo buddhaya, na mo buddhaya, For refuge I go to the Sangha Namo Sanghaya With faith in the Three Jewels We pray that we may not take life With faith in the Three Jewels We pray that we may not steal ត្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក្រានក� may we pray that we may avoid intoxication. In you, my beloved sentient beings, we vow to save them all. In exhaustible ardour and detractions, ... ... ... ... ... Ngyen yon, yon, yon, yon, yon, yon. First of all, they go above our heads, and this is to say, I'm taking refuge with my whole body. And then here, in front of our mouths, I'm taking refuge with my thoughts and with my words. And here, with my heart. And then we go down to kneeling, if our body is allowed. rase our hands above our head and this is a way of both resting on the earth, resting in that sense of on the field of loving kindness and both lifting it above our own small mindedness. We do that three times and we will be saying Namo Amida Bu at the same time so it's a bit of a song and dance but you'll get the hang of it. Namo Amida Bu is another form of yung mon we were using earlier. Namo Amitabha Namo Amitabha Namo Amitabha Namo Amitabha Namo Amida Butsu Namo Amida Butsu Namo Amida Butsu Namo Amida Butsu Namo Amida Bu Namo Amida Bu Namo Amida Bu Namo Amitabha Namo Amitabha Namo Amitabha Namo Amitabha Namo Amida Butsu Namo Amida Butsu Namo Amida Butsu.............. So we'll finish by bowing back to each other first to one side and then the other. So just to give you a clue, Phi and I were both bowed outwards first. So you were bowed to Phi and then turn and back to Maria. But it doesn't always work out, so don't worry too much.