First timers practice

Welcome everybody, lovely to see you all here this evening. Nice to see some friendly faces, some first-timers, some old-timers. Exactly, more friendly faces. I couldn't think of the word for people that have been a while ago and are here again tonight. I guess those are the familiar faces. It's been a long day. I mean, it hasn't really. That's no excuse. Anyway, it's very lovely to see you all. Hi to people joining us on Zoom as well. So we always begin our practice sessions with a Dharma glimpse, which is something, uh, offered by a member of the group. A little piece of writing that's read out that expresses some insight or experience that highlights something useful or interesting about their experience of spiritual practice or growing wiser or discovering how foolish we are as human beings. Tonight, Karma Deva is going to read something for us. He's here on Zoom, so hopefully the technology will work. I'll turn the volume up, and if you don't catch it all, uh, it is on the website as well.

I could—

yeah, I'll try if the wires allow. Do unmute, Karma Deva. Yeah, and in your own time, take it away. Namamitabhadra.

Namamitabhadra. We often take things for granted. We continue with our own lives as though everything is fine. Even when everything is falling apart for others. That's not to say that we shouldn't be happy with our lives. If things are comfortable and we're happy, then that's a good thing. I, I was remembering the retreat I completed in the March the lockdown started. It's a very hot days for March, and as I walked around, the heat was really quite nice, but it was very quiet, unusually so, and you could hear the birds singing and smell the fresh grass. My sudden realization that if humans were no longer here, a part of this planet,— it wouldn't have that much impact on the Earth. I don't think the Earth would really care. And would have no impact on the Universe at all. And that frightened me, made me feel extremely uncomfortable. So last night— sorry, a few weeks ago now, I attended an arts exhibition at the Midland Arts Centre, which is in Birmingham, my hometown. A Zen Buddhist that I know passed me along, and the event was to remember the attack by police on commuters at a train station on the 31st of August 2019. This was a part of the clampdown on the demonstrations in Hong Kong at that time. There were also images with photos and paintings from artists from China, Thailand, and Myanmar, all showing similar, similar kinds of demonstrations and Quite a lot of brutality. The young person that acted as an interpreter to me and 4 other Westerners attending wept as he translated speeches for us. Many people that were present had been directly involved in protests in Hong Kong. And they all sat on the floor cross-legged while the various protest songs were performed. Looking around the room as flowers were given to us to place on a shrine at the front, I realized this was real. I mean, I've watched the same people on the news, sometimes with the police beating them, water cannons being used on them, and not seeing the pain they feel. That moment on that night, I again realized that sometimes we don't think or we don't feel strong enough about issues that we really should be taking note of. Some of those would be things like the Ukraine crisis and the world and the destruction of our planet all being ignored, yet we're told to stay at home for 2 years as we may catch a virus and we comply without question. I'm not going to suggest why or say I'm any different because I'm probably as bad as anyone else, if not worse. What I would say— is maybe we should look at the words of Martin Nemroff. First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists. Again, I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. English. They came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak out for me.

Thank you, Karma Deva, for what was obviously a very moving experience at the Arts Centre. So we'll go into a period of quiet meditation now, and, um, perhaps before we do, I'll just say one or two things about the whole evening. Which I'll preface by saying, you know, as, as Westerners, I think it's really common to want to know the meaning of things and to pin down when you're doing this, what does that mean? And if I do this, what's the result going to be? And we're trained to think in that way. And I will say as we go along one or two things that point to the meaning of what we're doing, or that give some suggestion of what the benefit might be. But that can't tell the whole story because, one, because we're all different people, but two, because we only really discover the meaning of something through engaging with it. So in some ways, I invite you to take what I say quite lightly and pay attention to your own experience and notice how it is for you to go through the practices that we're doing this evening and just see, yeah, see how it feels at the end compared to how it felt before you came in the room, that kind of thing. So the invitation as we go into meditation will be to notice our breath. This evening not to change how we're breathing. Just notice, oh, it's a long breath, it's a short breath. Notice the pause between breaths, practicing cultivating the curious observer, which in this moment allows our mind to begin to settle, but also is quite a useful capacity to have in daily life, to take that step back and notice how we're doing. You will probably also notice thoughts, feelings, distractions. Rather than trying to push them away because my mind is supposed to be quiet, or getting too involved and creating a big story. I mean, it's fine if you do either of those things, but the invitation is to notice, oh, here's a thought about such and such, and then come back to the breath. And maybe if your mind's really busy, you only manage to catch, catch yourself thinking once. But that's still valuable. So aware of our breath, noticing anything else that comes in without pushing it away or pulling it towards us, and returning awareness to the breath. And we'll do this just for 10 minutes or so, and then we'll move into some chanting, which I will introduce at that Time. So in a moment, we'll move into a chanting practice together, and we'll recite the name of Buddha. Why say a name. Well, when somebody says the name of a person, that person comes to mind. And when a person comes to mind, how we feel changes. If we're thinking of somebody we're fond of, it's a pleasant feeling. If we're thinking of somebody that we're irritated with, it's an unpleasant feeling. So the thing that we pay attention to changes us. In this case, we'll be calling the name of Amitābha Buddha, who didn't necessarily exist historically. Well, more than likely they didn't exist, but they are an embodiment or a way of understanding that there is an energy of loving kindness in the universe. And when we call on Amitābha Buddha, who's here next to me on the shrine, we're bringing that quality of unconditional love to mind in the way that when we think of a friend who loves us just as we are, that quality comes to mind and maybe something in us relaxes. As we bring to mind this Buddha whose name means limitless light, slowly that light begins to affect us, to support us, to feel relaxed and at ease. And the more relaxed and at ease we are, the easier it is to be kind, the easier it is to be loving to others and make wise choices, all through the simple act of reciting the name of this Buddha of unconditional love. So the word is Amitābha. There's a little tune, many people in this room know it. Do join in when you start to get the feel for it. Amitabha, Amitabha, Amitabha, Amitabha.

Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha.

Amitabha.

Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabh.

Amitabh.

Amitabh.

Amitabh.

Namamitabhu. We're now going to say some words together which are on the little piece of paper next to you. I'm going to copy the link into the Zoom box as well. So that people at home can see. So these words, many of these words are said in some form or another by Buddhists all around the world. And although Buddhist groups and traditions are very different to one another and do very different things and emphasize different teachings, We do all— we are many different branches, all come from the same root. And these words remind us of that, that we are at the end of a chain of generations of Buddhists that goes back 2,500 years. So that's part of the purpose for saying them, joining us up to other Buddhists around the world and through history. The other reason is that they have some meaning in and of themselves. So the first things we will say are the Three Refuges. And these are the things that all Buddhists experiment with, placing their trust in the Buddha and all awakened teachers, um, the Dharma, which is the teachings, the words that he said that we try to put into practice into one form or another still today, and the Sangha, the community of people practicing those teachings. And then the Five Lay Precepts, which were given to lay disciples of the Buddha 2,500 years ago to support them to live a life more conducive to spiritual awakening. And we know that we can't do this perfectly, but they sort of hint at the kind of shape our lives might look like when we're heading in a spiritual direction. And then there's some other words as well, but I'll talk, maybe I'll talk about those another time. That's enough to get us going. So the first few sets are repeat after me, and the final ones, the Bodhisattva vows, are sung in call and response. So please repeat after me. 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.

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 Jamaya. For refuge I go to the Sangha— for those who live in Buddha's light— Namo sanghaya! With faith in three jewels—I pray that may not take life—with faith in the 3 Jewels— I pray that I may not steal—

—with faith in the Three Jewels.

With faith in the Three Jewels, I pray that I may not fall into sexual misconduct— —with faith in the Three Jewels.

With faith in the Two Jewels, I pray that I may not fall into wrong speech—

With faith in the Three Jewels, with faith in the Three Jewels, I pray that I may avoid intoxication.

I pray that I may avoid intoxication.

No blame. No blame. Be kind. Be kind. Love everything.

Love everything.

Innumerable all 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.

Infinitely gorgeous way.

We bow before Phineas completely. It's a strange thing, a first-timer's service. It's easy to get caught up in trying to work out what's going to make the most people stick, and that probably comes from a place of, well, I've got a— if we've got a really full group, then that makes us look good. But setting aside that reason for a moment— well, ideally for more than a moment— I also enjoy when people stick because this, I really enjoy hearing the sound of the chanting when the room is full. That's also selfish. So putting that reason aside, it's about trying to give some sort of small, like give some small taste of a dish that I really enjoy, and that has been really good for me over the years. Um, and maybe you just taste it and think, yeah, I can see why you would really enjoy that, but my dish is going to be a different one on the menu. Or maybe think, oh, maybe there is something here for me. I've been doing Buddhism for a long time Now, about 20 years. I started quite slowly and then really got into the swing of it by becoming a monk for a few years. And mostly what my Buddhist practice has been like is what we've done here this evening, sitting quietly, reciting the Buddha's name, that kind of thing, in groups, on my own. And it's hard really to know, you know, I've also done lots of other things. I trained as a therapist and I've been in lots of therapy groups and I've met different people and received different things from all sorts of places. So it's hard to kind of tease out exactly which are the conditions that led to my improved mental health and wellbeing and enjoying my life more. But I'm pretty sure the Buddhist practice has been a key part of that. As pure land Buddhists, the main practice we do is reciting the name or coming into relationship with Amida Buddha. Amida is another word for Amitābha, this archetypal Buddha of of infinite love and compassion, trusting that simply by being in that relationship, something changes for us. Like planting a seed in good conditions, it's much more likely to flourish. You just leave it on a concrete block, nothing's going to happen. So the bringing myself into relationship with that Buddha is putting myself in good conditions. And that partly happened through spending time with Buddhists who were doing the same kind of thing, even in, in quite imperfect communities where there were various amounts of dysfunction. Something of the feeling of unconditional acceptance was around. Despite all the ordinary human messiness, I still felt like I could be my most vulnerable in those first Buddhist communities that I joined, compared to anywhere else that I had in my life at the time. Sitting in a circle, passing a stone from one person to the next person, slowly peeling back the layers of self-protection and saying something that I hadn't said out loud before. And in those very early days, often that was just, I feel like this, you know, that was very unusual thing for me to do. Slowly becoming more and more vulnerable. Because the atmosphere was safe, the atmosphere was loving. And we keep coming back into that space. I kept going back into that space, into those circles, or just sitting in front of a shrine lighting a stick of incense. And very slowly through the years that loving kindness sinking into different parts of me. Oh, here's a bit of selfishness about this, and I'm really judging myself harshly for it. But because there's this energy of loving kindness, my judging of myself softens. And when my judging softens, then it's easier for the selfishness to soften, or the compulsive behavior to soften. Some forms of Buddhism are much more about follow the precepts, live your life between these set of lines, and things will work out for you. Some are about study your mind and kind of get it in order, and things will work out for you. And those are good things to do, or study the philosophy and then put the philosophy into practice. But here we start very simply by saying, come into a place where there is loving kindness, come into relationship with the Buddha of unconditional love and compassion., and things will inevitably begin to change for the better. So all of the things we do here, the strange words we use, the prostrations that we're going to make in a moment, are ways of acting out that relationship and bringing us closer and more in alignment with that energy of loving kindness. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So in a moment, Fee will bring the ink in and we'll stand and face the main shrine, and we will bow 3 times. We'll go down onto the floor if your body allows, and we'll chant some different words, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So it's pretty complicated, like patting your head and rubbing your tummy, but just see How you go, and don't worry too much about it. Namaste.

Namoh Amida Buddha.

Namoh Amida Buddha.

Namoh Amida Buddha. Namoha Mijabu.

Namoha Mijabu. Namoha Mijabu.

Namoha Mijabu.

With gratitude, we offer this incense to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May it be fragrant as Earth herself, revealing our careful efforts, our wholehearted awareness, and the fruits of understanding. May we and all beings be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. May we awaken from forgetfulness and realize our true home.

So just come back to standing in our places, and we'll bow to each other, first to one side and then to the other. Then to the main shrine, we tidy our places, back to our seats. We finish by reciting the closing verse, which is on the top of one of the sides of the page. And starts with the word blessed. Blessed by Amitabha's light, may we care for all living beings and the holy land. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So, um,