Custodianship, non-self and dog-sitting

So we're going to start today's practice with a Dharma glimpse from our sibling temple, the Bright Dawn Temple in America. And we're going to be reading one by Linda Shoyo, um, um, Winowski. 10 years ago, in September 2001, David and I moved from the big city of Chicago to the country. The nearest town is 6 miles away, and we drive beautiful winding roads to get to it. One week after we moved, the country went into a state of shock, fear, and grief over the events of 9/11. Soon after, we were involved in two wars which continue today. I myself felt disorientated and couldn't reach anyone in Chicago or NYC where family was. And I didn't know anyone here. I felt alone and fearful, so I decided to take a walk along the windy roads and stop to watch the cows grazing in the fields. These cows, I observed, were totally unaware of the events of 9/11 and what followed. I observed them being in the eternal now. No thought of the past or future. Eating when they were hungry, sleeping when they were tired, joining the herd when they wanted to join, moving away when they wanted solitude, relieving themselves when they felt the urge, drinking water when thirsty, moving to the shade when it felt too hot. And back into the sun after cooling down. Even on a rainy day, they grazed. The cow doesn't fear for his safety and life. So this is what the eternal now, nirvana, looks like, I thought. So this is what effortless effort, purposeless purpose, might mean as I think about it now. In the middle of chaos, watching the cows graze in the field reminds me that we are all in the eternal now. We are all in Nirvana. Life comes in the present moment, wonderful moment. I smile and I'm in gratitude. I feel so alive. Namah Amida Butsu. So we're going to move into a short period of meditation. You're gradually inviting that process of settling into the body-mind. And if you like, you might play with the idea of your inner cow. As referenced in that Dharma, the inner cow who's in touch with the eternal now. So in keeping with the almost full moon, we're going to chant the Kwan Yin mantra. Which, if you need to see it written down, is on the little liturgy sheet underneath your chair or inside your cushion.

Namokwanji in Bosa. Namokwanji in Bosa. Namokwanji N'bosat! Namokwanji N'bosat! Namokwanji N'bosat! Namoh Kwan Chi Inbo Sas! Namokwan Chiinpo Saat! Namoh Quanshi Hindo Satyam! Namoh Quanshi Hindo Satyam! Namoh Quanshi Hindu Sat— namah quanchi hindu satnam. Oh, quandshi hinboh saat? Namoh Quanshi Indho Saath! Namoh Quanshi Imbosa! Namah Kwan Chi Inbo Saat! namoh kwanchi indho saat—namo kuan chi indu sat—nah moh quanchee n' bo saaht? Namo Kwanshee Indbosaat... Namokwanji N'bosat! Namoo kwanshee imbo sat namo kwan shee— bo saat naamo kuanchi n'boa sah naamu Kuan Sheen Bo Saath Nama Kwansi Imbosa! Namoh Kuan Yin Bosa. Namoh Kuan Yin Bosa. Namoh Kuan Yin Bosa. Namoh Kuan Yin Gosha. Namoh Kuan Yin, Bo Sa. Namoh Kuan Yin, Bo Sa. Namoh Kuan Yin, Bo Sa.

So we're going to recite the refuges and precepts which are written on the little liturgy sheets. Most of them we do it— I say it and you repeat, and then the bodhisattva vows are like in call and response, but they're on— they're written down on the little liturgy sheet if you want to see them written down. For refuge I go to the Buddha.

For refuge I go to the Buddha.

The one who is awake and full of love.

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.

All that guides us to wisdom and compassion.

Namo Dharmaya. Namo Dharmaya. For refuge I go to the Sangha.

For refuge I go to the Sangha.

Those who live in the Buddha's light.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

For refuge I go to the Earth, for refuge I go to the Earth, the holy ground of Awakening, the holy ground of Awakening. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. With faith in the Four Refuges, with faith in the Four Refuges, and in light of my human tendencies, and in light of my human tendencies, I pray that I may become I pray that I may become aware when I fall into wrong speech. When I fall into wrong speech. I pray that I may become aware when I become intoxicated. No blame. No blame. Be kind. Be kind. Love everything.

Love everything. Innumerable are sentient beings.

We vow to save them all.

Exhaustible are the rooted passions.

We vow to transform them all. Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings. We vow to master them all. Infinite is the Buddha's way. We vow to fulfill it completely. Hello, me too.

So at the moment, and for the rest of this month, I'm house sitting. I'm dog sitting. I'm dog sitting, really. Over at my mom's place, which is the other side of Stratford. And I'm there with my dog and with her dog, which is a delight because they just get on really well, except for when they're fighting over me, which is annoying. So I'm there in there really lovely little bungalow that when they moved into it, it was like really drab, like boring, like is it council bungalow, like quite boring decorated and stuff like that. And they've just transformed it with lots of color and nice decor. And the garden that was just like a, like a muddy patch of ground really, they've just like totally transformed it and it's like really, really beautiful little garden now. And so I get to enjoy being there for 3 and a half weeks. And it's interesting because 3 and a half weeks is long enough to feel like I'm actually staying somewhere, you know, more than like I'm not just visiting very briefly, you know. Um, but obviously because I'm really there to dog sit, I— and, and it's, it's very temporary. I find myself like trying to keep it how they keep it and kind of caring for the, for the space in a similar way to the way that they do. And I feel like a little bit like a kind of custodian, like I'm, um, yeah, caring for the space during that time. And it reminded me of the way that, um, I've heard, uh, the Indigenous people of Australia talking about being custodians of the earth and about how we can't— we don't own anything. We just look after things for a while until they move on to the next person who will look after them, or until they, you know, whatever that thing is, kind of dissolves, decomposes, or whatever, and then something new comes along that we care for. And this sense of not being able to own anything, and that we simply take care of, of things as they live out their life and we live out our lives in relationship with them, I feel like fits in very well with what— with the Buddhist teaching of insubstantiality or of non-self. This idea that Everything is a constantly changing and evolving process that doesn't have a fixed entity. It doesn't have a fixed self. You know, we, we put words to things because we need to have words in order to communicate and relate and think. But a word, what a word does, it just tries to fix something in that current state. Rather than— it kind of ignores the fact that actually that thing is in a constant state of evolution. Like, when does a tree become a chair, and when does a chair become decomposing bits of tree again? Like, it's actually just one organic process that is interacting with lots of other processes all the time. So the word chair doesn't really mean anything, but we need to have something to call it so that we can 'Hey, bring the chair over,' or like, 'I need a new chair.' And, and yet, you know, it's empty of a fixed self. It's, it's actually just an organic process. And I feel like that just fits really well with this sense of caretaking, of, or that we have our responsibility to care for the things that come into our our sphere for as long as they're there, and then, and then the new things that, that come in, and to see how all these things are constantly interacting and relating with each other. And like, you know, when I, when I hold that in mind, I feel a real tangible sense of interrelatedness. And, and when I'm in touch with that, when I'm in— when I'm really in touch with how I'm relating to, to different people and places and objects and things, that naturally evokes like a wish to care, you know, like the caring, caring for the Earth, or the caring for a tree, or the caring for my mom's bungalow whilst I'm there dog sitting. And I feel like that's a gift because in my day-to-day life where I'm settled, where I'm living, and I've been living there like for years, that, that, that sense of like, oh, I'm just caretaking, I'm at this place for the next person, isn't quite as tangible. I mean, I do a lot more cleaning and tidying if it was as tangible. So it feels like a gift to be reminded of like, oh yeah, this In this, for these next 3 and a half weeks, I'm taking care of the place of, of the home of my mom and her partner and being reminded of that sense of like responsibility to care for the different places and relationships and things that I come into contact with. And how— yeah, like a good reminder, I think, of maybe kind of you're getting a sense of that, of how when we do that, the innate sense of interrelatedness that is part of reality really comes to the forefront in a really heart-felt, heart-based kind of way. And that happens organically. It's not a mental process of like, oh, I recognize that I'm connected to everything. Like, it's embodied, heart-based experience of interrelatedness, which is part of how reality is. Now, Mami Dabu. In a moment, when the bell dings, we're going to move into prostrations and we're going to be chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo whilst we prostrate.

Visibly engaged in secular matters, take no notice of life flying away day by day, night by night. I wonder in the wind how long can it In the six realms of vast samsara, there is no fixed abode. Till we are emancipated from the sea of affliction, how can we rest in peace? Should we not be afraid? While we still have strength, let us adhere to the Dharma. Let us strive and diligently seek the path to eternity.

So we're gonna bow one way and then the other. Back to our seats and we tidy our seats. Um, announcements. Uh, yes, so not this Saturday but the Saturday after that we have the retreat day, Earth as Refuge. Very exciting, it's going to be a gorgeous day. Come and join us for a little bit or the whole day. Um, there is a golden bowl currently in the dining room for donations. Uh, there's also— you can also donate online. There's a QR code you can scan which will take you there if you want to do it that way. I think that's it for now. Yes, great. So we're going to close with the closing words. Blessed by Amitabha's light, may we care for all living things and the whole universe.