Satya Robyn leads an evening Buddhist service with multiple speakers chanting Amitabha, Namoh Amida Butsu, and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The group shares informal remarks about their dog Ralph and reflects on spiritual faith before offering dedications and closing announcements.
Chapters
In gratitude, we offer this incense to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Throughout space and time. May it be as fragrant as Earth herself, reflecting our careful efforts, our wholehearted awareness, 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 the Pure Land. I'm wondering, should I put the Hoover somewhere else?
It's fine.
Okay, for those on the recording, the dog's talking to the Hoover, keeping the Hoover in check.
Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Kabba.
Mami.
Taba. Mami. Taba. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabha. Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Namomi dabu. So at the start of service, the noise that you could hear was our 8-month-old dog Ralph protecting us from the hoover, which he seems to have mistaken for a terrible beast. And I think it's partly to do with the lead because it's an electric hoover and we plug it in and the lead's underneath the hoover. I think he thinks it's the tail, he was trying to get at the tail earlier and Kasper's had to put him in his crate. Where is he?
I just gave him a chew, he's just in the living room with a dog chew.
Okay, okay. I don't know why he's making a noise in there now, he's probably found some other creature to protect us from. Ralph is a very chilled dog, but he's easily kind of switched into nervous, so it doesn't take much from the outside world to kind of turn him into a state of nervousness. And when he's nervous, he's got a very loud voice, and he might make— likes to do a special ear-piercing bark, which is quite impressive. And kind of like that, that wasn't too bad, that one, but like that one. And before he came to live with us about a month ago, he— one of the things that he hadn't had much experience of was other dogs. So when we first had him and we'd meet another dog out on the walk, he would immediately go into barking. Really loud bark, and that would sometimes make the other dog feel a bit more nervous, and then that would kind of escalate. And another thing that happened when we first walked him is that we'd— he knows his name, he'd respond to his name quite well in the house. As soon as we were out of the house and we said his name, it was if we were saying cabbage or Einstein. He just had no reaction at all. He'd just carry on what he was doing. So one of the first things we did was whenever he looked at us, we'd give him a treat straight away, and then he started learning that if he looked at us, especially when we said his name, he'd get something tasty. And it's been interesting to watch him change in the few weeks we've had him. Today we went to a park, a common where loads of dogs go, and there was a big kind of open area and there were loads of dogs off the lead. And he did pretty well. He managed to interact with them mostly without barking. He would look at us when we called his name. He got worked up once and started barking, barking. Casper was able to just calm him down and then we kind of let him get on with it again. And something I was particularly pleased to witness earlier today was that when there was a big dog coming towards him, there were kind of few other big dogs around, he went and hid behind my legs, and that's the first time he's done that because he is beginning to trust me as the one that's in charge. He's beginning to know that if something slightly worrisome happens, then he can look at me or Caspar, or he can kind of come behind us and shelter. And spiritual practice— Spiritual experience can be transmitted in the same way to us non-dog humans. I always remember when I first met Dharma Vidya, I was struck by his confidence, and it wasn't a cocky confidence, it was a kind of a, "Oh, everything's okay," kind of kind of attitude. And I remember him talking about death a few years ago when he had just nearly died and saying that he actually felt that it would be quite welcome at times to die because of the pain he was feeling at the time. And he really was not afraid of of that. He really felt that that would be fine. That's really stayed with me. So we try to transmit faith to our dogs, and if we're lucky, we get to meet people who, who have more faith than we do. And when we hang out with them, when we read their books, when we and we do practice with them, their faith just gradually kind of rubs off on us. And then one day we find ourselves— bless you— with somebody else who has less faith than we do, and we notice them looking at us as if we're the dog in charge. And it's a very insidious process. It's not something that we have— I would like to say any control over, but I think that we do have a tiny bit of control, which is that we can turn towards the light. We can turn towards Amida. We can see our fallibility, our vulnerability, our dependence, and open ourselves up to that source of faith which is outside of us, and allow that to bathe us and allow that to illuminate us. And as I'm talking, I'm looking at the Kuan Yin hanging that I have in my office. I'm hoping I can show you. Ah, there we go. So there's Kuan Yin up there above my shrine, and just noticing the— laughing at the dog? At the video. Just noticing the faith in her face, just noticing the the serenity and that kind of sense that everything's okay.
What's going on, Ralph? Come in here, come on.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. When we get back up into the shrine room, we won't have these distractions, but I don't know if that will make the Dharma talks better or worse. You'll have to let us know.
Namaste, baby. Namokwanji in Bursaat. Namokwanji in Bursaat. Namokwanji in Bursaat. Namokwan shi en bo sa. Namokwan shi en bo sa. Namokwan shi en bo sa. Namokwanshi en bosat. Namokwanshi en bosat. Namokwanshi en bosat. L'amour est misérable! L'amour est misérable! Amor mii ta duu! Namur mi daa—
namuur mi dadaaa?
Namo'ami Daatu! Namoor Mi Daaa Duw! Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida. Namaste.
We'll now recite evening service together, which is on page 13 of the service book. With body, speech, and mind, Humbly I prostrate and make offerings for Satya Robyn and Imaji. I confess my wrong deeds from all time and rejoice in the virtues of all. Please stay until samsara ceases. And turn the wheel of Dharma for us. I dedicate all virtues to great enlightenment. The ground sprinkled with perfume and spread with flowers, the great mountain full of sun and moon, seen as a Buddha land and offered as May all beings enjoy such pure lands. Yidam guru ratna mandala kam nirvata yami. By the grace that I receive through Amitabha's vows, may I be moved to deeds for the benefit of all. By the grace that I receive through Amitabha's vows, may I be moved to deeds for the benefit of all. By the grace that I receive through Amitabha's vows, may I be moved to deeds for the benefit of all. The purpose of our practice is to be a pure container wherein the common passions mature as higher wisdom. The preliminary outlook comes with bowing and contrition, facing up to my obstructions and seizing life's first lesson. Devotion to my teacher ends my smugness and dejection. Held by his compassion, I will find a straight direction. By refuge vows and precepts, recitation of the sutras, I grow through every challenge. Nyingpo di satya Robyn. Cooperation in a sangha brings so many joys and freedoms. Through gentle words and gestures comes collective transformation. Settled faith and inner cleansing brings us home to life's great meaning. In the Four Divine Abidings, Buddha's light is always with us. Multitudes are disconcerted by impermanence and difference. With Dharma as true refuge, we dwell within the pure land. Now gratitude is overflowing. Going forth, returning richly, I offer gifts of Dharma. Buddha's path bliss bestowed. Innumerable are sentient beings, we vow to save them all. Inexhaustible are deluded passions, we vow to transform them all. Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings. We bow to master them all. Infinite is the Buddha's way. We vow to follow it completely. Invocation of the Kalanātha. Hail to the mandala! Let us so be engulfed within its praises evermore, that by our own wills and vigilance may we our fetters cut away. May we within the temple of our own hearts dwell amidst the myriad mountains.
Hail, hail, hail.
Invocation of Maha Kala. Let us be engulfed within the mandala of the Sangha of Buddha.
Hail, hail, hail.
The Arrow of Emptiness.
Hail, hail, hail.
Invocation of Vairochana Buddha. Hail, the beneficent mystic, the treasure. Hail, hail, the golden bell that rings but once.
Peace upon the earth. Namaste. Thank you for joining us today.
If you already donate to the temple, then thank you very much, and there is the address in the chat box if you feel able and willing to do so. It's www.amidamandala.com/donate. We won't be here this Saturday because we have conclave, which is our yearly meeting in the order, but we'll be back here next Wednesday as usual, and then the Saturday after that. And we're also doing some continuous chanting at some point. Have a look on the website. Namaste. Really lovely to see you all.
