Connecting to something bigger than ourselves

Good evening, everybody. People in the shrine room. And people joining us on Zoom. It's really light now this morning. I'm— it's much lighter than even just the last time I was sat in this position. So we're going to start with a different kind of Dharma glimpse tonight, which is actually going to be a Zen teaching that we're going to be starting with. Dave is going to be—

Thank you.

So this is called Five Remembrances, and it's from Clouds in Water Zen, and it's written by, by Yakuren Judas Raggia. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no escaping growing old. I am of the nature to get sick. There is no escaping getting sick. I am of the nature to die. There is no escaping death. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no escaping being separated from them. My deeds are my closest companions. I am the beneficiary of my deeds. My deeds are the ground on which I stand.

Thank you very much, Dave. All right, so we're going to move into a period of meditation, so Just making any little adjustments or wiggles that you need to make to the body to enable the body to be in a position that is relaxed and yet alert. Taking a moment to sense the room around you and any of the other presences that are in the space. And then bringing the attention back to the body. And my invitation for you for this meditation practice is to invite a specific quality into the body, into the heart, and into the mind. So We'll start with the body, and the invitation is to sense the body like a mountain. Noticing the weight. And anchoring and solidity of the body. Body like a mountain. Body like a mountain. And now inviting into the heart, the heart space, the quality of the ocean. Perhaps seeing if the heart can soften even a tiny bit and become even a little bit more expansive. Heart like the ocean. Heart like an ocean. And inviting into the mind the qualities of the sky. Clear, cloudless sky. Expansive. Luminous. Mind like the sky. And inviting briefly an awareness of those three all at once. Body like a mountain. Heart like the ocean, mind like the sky. We're going to move into some chanting. We're going to chant the Kuan Yin mantra tonight because that was the one that was coming in to my mind, and also because she is associated with the moon and we are in the energy of the full moon.

Namokwanji in Bosa. Namokwanji in Bos— Namokwanji in Gosas. Namokwanji in Gosas. Namokwanji in Gosas. Namokwanji in vosat. Namokwanji in vosat. Namokwanji in vosat. Namokwanji in Bosa. Namokwanji in Bosa. Namokwanji in Bosa. Namokwanji in vosat. Namokwanji in vosat. Namokwanji in vosat. Namokwanji in Bosar. Namokwanji in Bosar. Namokwanji in Bosar. Namokwanji in Namoh Kwanji Imbosa. Namoh Kwanji Imbosa. Namoh Kwanji Imbosa. Namoh Kwanji Inbosaat! Namoh Kwanji Inbosaat! Namoh Kwanji Inbosaat! Namoh Kwanji— Invo Sat Namokwanji Invo Sat Namokwanji Invo Sat Namokwanji Invo Sat. Namokwanji Nvosa! Namokwanji Nvosa! Namokwanji Nvosa! Namokwanji Nvosa! Namoh Kwanji Inbosa! Namoh Quan Ji Invo Saat! Namokwanji in Bosang. Namokwanji in Bosang. Namokwanji in Bosang. Namoh Kuan Chih Invo Saat! Namoh Kwan Chi Invo Saat! Namoh Kwan Chi Invo Saat! Namoh Kwan Chi Invo Saat!

We are going to recite the refuges and the precepts. And if you're in the room with us and need to see it written down, then it's written on this small piece of paper. And if you're online, then just join in as much as you can. Most of it's called a response anyway. For refuge I go to the Buddha, the one who is awake and full of love. Namo Buddha. For refuge I go to the Dharma. For refuge I go to the Dharma, all that guides us to wisdom and compassion. Namo Dharmaya. For refuge I go to the Sangha, those who live in the Buddha's light. Namo Sangha. With faith in the Three Jewels, and in light of my human tendencies, I pray that I may become aware of when I take life. I pray that I may become aware of when I take what is not freely given. I pray that I may become aware of when I fall into sexual misconduct. I pray that I may become aware of when I fall into wrong speech. I pray that I may become aware.

I pray that I may become aware of when I become intoxicated. Of when I become intoxicated.

No blame.

No blame.

Be kind.

Be kind.

Love everything. Love everything.

Innumerable sentient beings, We vow to save them all.

Inexhaustible are deluded passions.

We vow to transform them all.

Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings.

We vow to master them all.

Infinito is the Buddha's way.

We bow to for it completely.

Namomi debu. So last week I was visiting an old friend in France, and in the morning before I was going to get the trains to leave. I, um, the partner of a friend asked me, oh, so, so what is mindfulness and how do you practice mindfulness? And I told her Initially, in a way that I thought should be quite familiar of hearing about it. So in the way that, like, popular secular mindfulness is talked about and teach, which is cultivating awareness of the present moment through becoming more aware of thoughts feelings and sensations. And then, and that one of the things that happens when we do that more and more, when we develop the muscle of being able to do that, is we also start to— we can start to have more insight into the nature of things, how everything is constantly in flux, constantly changing, constantly falling and arising and falling. And, and then I said within the Buddhist tradition, mindfulness is also, or traditionally includes mindfulness of the Buddha, and that my way of understanding that is that that includes mindfulness of our potential for awakening and other people's potential for awakening that is present in every moment. So mindfulness of the Buddha as potential of awakening. Also mindfulness of the teachings of the Buddha, so the, the Dharma, the many, many teachings about how we are the way we are and how have we interacted in the world and how reality is and all that kind of thing. And also awareness or mindfulness of the Buddha as a force or ocean of presence, of compassion, of wisdom that is always available to us. As a kind of ground of being. And she was like, oh, that's, that's not what I expected you to say. The first bit was like, oh yeah, that was familiar. And I was like, yeah, these are the bits that they miss out, um, in the more popular version of mindfulness. And she was interested in what I was saying. It like, like I could see that she kind of wanted to get a sense of what's it like to be in touch with, um, with a force of love and compassion and mindfulness and presence, the Buddha in that form. Like, what's it like to actually be in touch with that? And so we kind of talked around that for a while, but I would— what, what we kind of found was that she was just struggling to relate it to her own experience, which makes sense. Yeah. And so, um, a bit of time passed, and then just as I was leaving, I thought, oh, maybe Maybe this way will land a little bit better. And I said, how about, have you had the experience of being in touch with something bigger than yourself? And she was like, oh yeah, yeah, I've had that experience. The experience of being in contact, in connection with something that is bigger. And we, you know, we could have— the conversation could have carried on while I was leaving. And so I was really pleased that we'd found a point of mutual understanding where she could relate to that, because in her experience she'd had times, moments of feeling connected to something bigger. So I was reflecting on the kind of experiences that are more common in which— or the kind of situations in which people have that kind of experience being connected to something bigger than themselves, or being part of something bigger than themselves. And I was thinking that sometimes we can have that experience when we look up at the stars and we see all these millions of planets and stars and suns and, and know that there's other galaxies and, and just the enormity of that. But that experience can be an experience of being connected to something bigger than ourself. And sometimes that experience can come for people when they look out at the ocean, either from the land or from a boat. And just see the vastness of the ocean and their smaller self in relation— in relationship to that. I've heard people who are into higher maths Not something I have any remote grasp of, but I've heard people who are into higher maths talk about having that kind of experience through when they're doing higher maths, or for people who are into quantum physics when they talk about that quantum consciousness level of things. And at a football game. You know, that's one of the things people I know who go to football games quite often say, is that it's just so amazing to be there in solidarity with so many people who were all not all obviously, but the ones who are on your— rooting for your team are rooting for them. When a big event happens, when somebody famous dies or a big natural disaster happens, and thousands of people are moved by that. So there are so many ways. There's so many other ways that I haven't mentioned, so many other ways that I haven't mentioned where might have a moment of feeling connected to something bigger than yourself. And I think those moments are really precious. And I guess implicit in this talk is an invitation to remember a time when you felt that, that connection to something greater than your little self. And maybe an openness to more moments like that. Namami Devi.

Namoha, mi da. Namoha, mi e tabu. Namoha. In gratitude, we make this offering to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. Maybe— may it be as fragrant as Earth herself. Reflecting our careful efforts, our wholehearted mindfulness, and the fruits of understanding slowly ripening. May we and all beings be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. May we awaken from forgetfulness and realize our true home.

Now we bow to our seats and tidy our seats. So in terms of announcements, this Sunday evening, 7:30 to 9, we'll be having chanting and devotional singing done by me, um, here.

I'm also going to be running it on online, so do come along.

It's the normal link and sign-in details if you want to come and join us for that. I think that's it in terms of announcements. So we'll close with the closing verse.

Blessed by Amitābha's light, may we care for all living things.

I'm Hallelujah. Namaste, everybody.